Tales of the Crescent City: Adventures in Jazz-Era New Orleans
Tales of the Crescent City: Adventures in Jazz Era New Orleans by Golden Goblin Press LLC is a must have supplement for any Keeper, novice or seasoned, who wishes to explore the Mythos undercurrents of the Big easy. This supplement ranks with the very best in the genre. I’ve been playing Call of Cthulhu for decades and rarely have I been this excited to Keeper an entire work. The scenarios stand alone but they really shine together as a campaign. The value of this book is immediately apparent as it leads off with a thorough introduction to the neighborhoods and customs of the Queen of the Mississippi, complete with maps of common residences, a brief history, and an impressive bibliography for the Keeper who is willing to go the extra mile for their Investigators.
After this, one finds the bio of one Etienne Laurent De Marigny, who makes an excellent recurring NPC to hang adventure hooks and plot points on, as well as, lend much needed and often crucial aid to would be heroes. In fact, this theme of recurring NPCs is laced throughout all of the scenarios, leading to the feeling of a living breathing community in which the Investigators belong. To add to this, there is an interesting mechanic that rewards “proper” behavior from your Investigators, as Credit Rating rewards occur at the end of each scenario. This allows the social standing of the characters to rise and fall in the City that Care Forgot to rise and fall with their decisions, but I digress.
Next, is a short treatise on the Yellow Sign and The King in Yellow, figures that will loom large in two of the scenarios presented. It would behoove a Keeper to learn this section well, in order not to stumble on the characters or the scenes of the play as they are referenced.
In all there are seven scenarios.
- “Tell me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?”
- Bloodlines
- Needles
- The Quickening Spiral
- Song and Dance
- Five Lights at the Crossroads
- Asylum-Return of the Yellow Sign
All are superbly written, illustrated, and full of quality player handouts. Each comes with reward contingencies for the most likely outcomes. They all serve perfectly well as standalone adventures, or as a vacation get away in an established campaign. However, the true beauty of this piece is as a whole. The scenarios and characters interweave so nicely that it plays like an Arkham on the bayou, with all of the weighty history, gloom filled streets, and palpable menace of our favorite creepy burg up north.
Treat yourself and your players to Tales of the Crescent City, and you’ll be gladder for it.
