Call of Cthulhu: Shadows of Leningrad - RPG Review

[@NefariousKoel]

"In Soviet Russia, You Don't Look For Party. Party Finds YOU!"

[@Syaniiti]

To be fair, the Party has help in the form of the secret police.

[@vortega472]

@nefariousKoel What a country!

[@odolowa1]

I'm never getting tired of the "Hold on ____, we're coming to save you!" running gag

[@ErikWarhammer]

We need a compilation of those bits!

[@burningphoneix]

That's my second favorite gag. The first being Jack going "5000 gold pieces/credits/eurobucks? You got it, Boss/Chief/Sir. Consider it done." Every time the party is offered a lot of money. If I recall correctly, most of the time the reward is a trap.

[@lionelt.9124]

My favorite is "I'm with Scott Brown, get the eff out! I gotta showin'." I use this all the time now. 😂

[@jonothanthrace1530]

6:44 I love the idea of a group of hardened occult investigators going to another country and bringing along an interpreter who has no idea what the flying heck they're in for.

[@AubriGryphon]

OKAY SO During the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war, there were basically four sides. You had the Communist army (Reds) and the counterrevolutionary army (Whites), of course. But both of those groups were basically seizing any food or weapons they could find from the third side, the regular folks, which both created the fourth side, bandits, and left the regular folks vulnerable to banditry. Now, when Russia withdrew from WW1 several years earlier, many soldiers just went straight home and took their Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifles with them. In the subsequent chaos, it became popular to cut down the barrel and stock to convert the gun into a large pistol-like weapon that could be easily hidden from the two armies and used for home defense against bandits. The resulting "Obrez" ("cut") Mosin is a perfect weapon to let the players find concealed around the house in this adventure. It's a weird and distinctly Russian weapon that's deeply connected to this specific setting and era.

[@ericjome7284]

A shirt with Jack and the quote "Hang on newly discovered life long friend! We're coming to save you!" :)

[@Arcanyum]

"Hello internet, Seth Skorkowsky" the words that fill my day with joy.

[@bryanstephens4800]

Yes they do!

[@SquirrelGamez]

I expected an "In Soviet Russia" joke and Jack delivered swiftly. Approved.

[@jayoungr]

It was a good one, too.

[@Erojagan]

I really apreciate how Jack always keeps his finger off the trigger while holding a firearm.

[@davidbrennan660]

The era use of fire arms would be finger on trigger, that is why there were stiff triggers on firearms.... weapon safety was then a different and frighting thing to our sensibles.

[@jeluenhayo2410]

While I was born at the very end of Soviet Union's era, our schools pay enough attention to it so I can confirm: USSR is a great place to have dark, slow and heavy plot for Cthulhu adventures. Multiple different ideologies blend and oppose each other all the time while everything looking strict and rigid on the surface like any good dictatorship should. Mythos can be within common folk, tied to pagan gods of the old, to church being oppressed by the state, to the state itself having dark affairs for powerhungry individuals. And all of it done under cold ruthless blanket of snow and grumpy unkind determination.

[@AGrumpyPanda]

Another idea for the cookoo clock, maybe the hands need to be moved *backwards* for the secret door to open- if they inspect the mechanisms then the winding and adjusting the time normally gets done by moving the hands forwards, so in day to day use the secret door would never open, but if you wind the hands backwards to 11:58 then the door opens.

[@davidbrennan660]

I would have the State Organs of Internal Security are false flagging the Investigators as they have the skills to root out this.... they will then blackmail them into becoming Agents ... not all Agents are ideological and the Investigators would be useful to Mother Russia. Trying to run any form of subversive Organisation in the Soviet Union would be infiltrated and destroyed in short order, they ( were) are paranoid about Wreckers, foreigners,spies and internal decent ... somethings don’t change. This is why MoN doesn’t work.... it has not been infiltrated by the NKVD .... the big N would have his hands fiull.😅 “And then things got worse”.... is almost a way of life in a Progressive Command society with very strong internal security . Good review.

[@Torque2100]

Or, do this. The Cookoo clock appears to be broken. Have the PCs make a spot roll when they enter the kitchen the first time, and if they pass they notice that the time is wrong. Can be another hint that the cookoo clock is important.

[@PineappleLiar]

I ended up going on a bit of a wiki dive on cuckoo clocks, as I thought seeing one of these clocks in 1920 Soviet Russia felt a little anachronistic. In that research though I found a lot of the classic German Black Forest cuckoo clocks from the 19th century to be incredibly striking, and art pieces in their own right. So you could also have an alternative way of drawing attention to the clock by saying its an antique, and if a player has a high art or credit rating they’d take note of that.

[@namewitheld2637]

Another option, and one that ties in to the suggested addition of shouting "Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" is that the cuckoo mechanism needs to be activated manually while the clock is set to 11:58 for the door to open. That way, the door won't open on its own, the possibility of accidental revelation is lowered and you get to add that extra layer to the clue that keys in that it's the combination of mechanisms that is the key.

[@HunterGargoyle]

when my friend was Keeper for a few adventures in Pulp Cthulhu we played this, since my long running character was a former Russian mob thug i had him be able to contact arms dealers, smugglers, call in favors from old friends to get the secret police off our asses for a bit... it was a lot of fun playing this and my characters backstory finally became useful outside of his proficiency with brass knuckles

[@mollywantshugs5944]

Jack in cultist robes with a sawed off shotgun is giving me *Blood* flashbacks.

[@LoneEagle2061]

Tip for “the business card clue”. Noone carries a single business card for themselves (or calling card (in the literal sense), or similar casual means of identification). If you find a single business card (unless deliberately placed), it’s really evidence of anyone except the named party… Business cards therefore should always be found in multiples. In this instance either in the coat, in a scatter which might suggest that a pocket has been torn, or in a scatter where something else has been hurriedly dug out of the pocket they were in (perhaps a book of matches, found somewhere else in the area).

[@YouTubeIsRunByMarxists]

The movie Mr. Jones is worth seeing to get a feel of what life was like in Soviet Russia. Also, in the book Forbidden Archaeology, there are reports made by Soviet officers in Mongolia that reference yeti and half-yeti half-human hybrids.

[@aaronsomerville2124]

The Age of Cthulhu adventures are interesting because they were written by actual beings from Outer Space, although they clearly read some books about Planet Earth and tried hard to get it right.

[@JonHook]

I resemble this remark. 😊 😉

[@matcauthon9669]

Minor historical note: You can use “Cheka” for short in regards to the OGPU and that it wouldn’t be the KGB till the 50s with it first being the NKVD under Stalin.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

I went down a rabbit hole a couple years ago, reading biographies, histories, and political books about Europe & specifically Russia in the early 20th Century, and boy howdy, but it made me want to run some Call of Cthulhu in that era and region. Such a wild backdrop with so much story potential. Just the Sidney Reilly bio I read alone gave me material for a whole campaign. That dude. Supposedly one of many "inspiration for James Bond" figures, he seems more like a Thomas Ripley.

[@Temeluchas]

There are two great opportunities for the players to get weapons (and add some local flavor): 1. In the 1920s various Soviet organizations (including even forestries and city maintenance organizations) had arsenals (not machine guns, but rifles and handguns - easily). Their disarmament started right in 1927, so there are a lot of opportunities here. 2. At the time, members of the communist party actually were allowed to carry handguns. Naturally, handguns became a status item. So if one of the players' local contacts is a party member, they would certainly brag about it. And give the players the opportunity to "borrow" said handgun. As for the adventure as a whole... It didn't really work for our group. It has a lot of issues and the "exotic local" thing doesn't really work for a group that lives in St. Petersburg =) And, by the way, the map handout has a huge red herring. So huge that our Keeper used it as a starting point for another adventure set in an even more alternative reality. Zelenogorsk in 1927 was a Finnish town named Terijoki (and it was called Terijoki in the Russian Empire as well). It became Zelenogorsk in 1948. So, naturally, our characters started looking for this mysterious place "Zelenogorsk", since all the players believed that such an alternation of reality must be a major clue =) Basically, if you have a history buff in your party - edit the handout a bit. And while spelling mistakes are present in all handouts - they are not a problem, they even add a bit of charm.

[@OldtimerOfSweden]

That was my first thought when I saw that map. "Hey, where is the finnish border on that map?"

[@oz_jones]

As a Finn, cool! The setting - the dark forests on the Finno-Russian border just after the war(s) is rife with some spooky scary stuff, even without the mythos. EDIT: Typos.

[@Temeluchas]

@@OldtimerOfSweden Well, the map is obviously from 1953 onwards (Kirovsk is another "temporal anomaly" but our group ignored it for a variety of reasons), and hilariously "precise" - it covers about 120x120 kilometers. And the selection of depicted settlements is beautifully random. However, when it comes to the relative positions of said settlements, it is surprisingly good. With a caveat that "up" on the map is not North, but North-East. In other words, the map is great and obviously is drawn by a madman. The only map in the module that is really bad is the combat map for the Mariinsky theater. The authors really did it dirty =) EDIT: Typos.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

I’m getting the impression that this adventure was not well written. 😕

[@Lobsterwithinternet]

What I'd do is have a contact be a former member of the White Army who’s willing to hand over his hidden stash of weapons if the party is willing to do something for him.

[@Wraithing]

Really glad you're getting back to one of these Goodman modules. Hard to believe it's been 6 years since you did the Lost Expedition!!

[@oz_jones]

He just got back from the Center of the Earth!

[@Wraithing]

​@@oz_jones Yeah, those Hollow Earth Expeditions can take ages… and you can wait months for your redirected luggage!

[@irontemplar6222]

29:30 Its also possible that the author might actually have some experience with being in the easter soviet block countries. IF so they may have taken some things for granted. If you want military weapons in the soviet union, or even modern day Russia. Your best bet is to go to Army Armory officer, and barter with him or some of the gear he has on the site. There was even a guy who traded two dead Iphones for DShK Heavy Machine Gun, and two full drums of ammo. He unfortunately has to leave it over there when he came back to the states. But point is getting some heavy hardware over there would not be difficult if you know where to look. The difficulty would be losing that agent... Then again depending on how you did things the agent might be on your side, and he might be the one helping you acquire some series hardware.

[@HandlesAreStupid2024]

Really appreciate all your content Seth. I just picked up the Keeper Manual and Investigator's Handbook for Black Friday. Getting my wife into roleplaying. She did Alone in the Flames and loved it. Can't wait to get into some more free form game play with her! She picked being Latvian for her character's background so I wonder if I can weave this adventure in with her.

[@gmradio2436]

Minor Spoilers in comment. I want to run this after the Secret of Cast. Cast ... The one with the immortality ring. I want to see the vampire drain that player character, and see what happens. Knowing at least one of my players, they will sit up and ask if she is done. Would the vampire have to roll sanity in this case?

[@rickychapman3377]

we have a player who drove a cultists insane doing things like that to quote " see how they like it"

[@Captain1nsaneo]

@@rickychapman3377 Story time? That sounds awesome.

[@crazyscotsman9327]

I don't even play CoC but I love listening to your videos on these modules!

[@kurtoogle4576]

Watching Seth's videos inspired me to run several Call of Cthulhu scenarios, including Call of Cthulhu - Blood Brothers "Uncle Timothy's Will" & "The Dollmaker", as well as The Things We Leave Behind's "Intimate Encounters". None of these short adventures were particularly Lovecraftian, which was good, and with a bit of flushing out of NPCs became beloved by players! Thanks, Seth!

[@jonothanthrace1530]

6:03 I love that one of these pregens is clearly Bela Lugosi.

[@dubuyajay9964]

"The Most Dangerous Game?"

[@Stinky1EyedOgre]

Thanks for covering this one Seth. Your channel inspired me to run A.O.C. 6 Dreams of Japan at KingdomCon 2017. It was a bit trying, but was a fun session. That was the con that I learned to cut back on the number of games I run. It was the fourth game I ran that day, after two different Mutant Crawl Classics adventures, and a Dungeon Crawl Classics playtest. I started the first game at 10 AM, and by the time I finished the Dreams it was 2 AM. I had an early game scheduled the next morning, but fortunately no one showed up, and I was able to get a Power nap in before my afternoon game.

[@tokyobear]

I love the start when you say it can be done in 8 hours but it took us 17. Reminds me of my last campaign and there was so much role-playing going on ... well ... everything took AGES! Wouldn't have it any other way.

[@JonHook]

I have a love for the old Age of Cthulhu line. This was a wonderful walk down memory lane, and a completely fair and thorough review. Thanks for this, Seth.

[@99thJediWarrior]

29:59 - 30:12 My mind immediately thought of the Merchant from Resident Evil 4 with your description lol.

[@lloydnicholls1439]

Everybody needs to check out the other Age of Cthulhu module, "A Dream of Japan". I have successfully ran it and it is one of the best modules i have ever played! I also strongly dipped into the traditional Rokurokubi from folklore, as well the Aokigahara forrest it made this entire scenario super chilling.

[@rickychapman3377]

love the use of lesser used creatures in call of cthulhu had an idea for a game involving a yeti and a blind penguin

[@MrHarperMD]

Meanwhile a russian Cthulhu player living in Leningrad: "Yeah. An exotic locale.. right." xd

[@vortega472]

In Soviet Russia, Law breaks you.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Damn. Jack should have used that one.

[@theboredtrucker3898]

this video got randomly recommended to me and when i saw the channel name i thought it sounded familiar. Then i saw Damoren in the background and had my light bulb moment. Love that book.

[@APL314159265]

I find it always best to rewrite every module before running it. Even when running for strangers, although if you know your players you can really focus the script. This allows you to speak more organically, rather than reciting someone else's words. You also, unless you are tainted by the Mythos, know what you meant at every point in the adventure. I generally write all of my own material, but certain modules are intriguing.

[@aknightsentertainment4756]

Always a good day when Seth uploads.

[@shadowheartart3898]

Great review as always 😊 All these tips and suggestions help me every time I prepare to run a session. Not because I'm running these scenarios, but because they make me aware to be on the lookout for weid/senseless stuff

[@pietromassimi7104]

"I only speak bad English and a few yo mama jokes in German." Absolutely GOATed Jack.

[@gary-rc8bt]

I'm running Cold Harvest ATM, players seem to really like the setting. I may give this a go.

[@Immoralsalvage]

Man, the second Seth said Two Minutes to Midnight, the Iron Maiden song started playing in my head, and I got legit distracted for a second.

[@minimoose7890]

If this video was just a subtle attempt to get Iron Maiden stuck in my head all day, it worked

[@PeculiarNotions]

You're not alone in that.

[@piwnicznebajania]

Just one exit is not a strange thing in houses of Eastern Europe.

[@codiesinclair7940]

Excellent gun safety thank you! XD

[@ericjome7284]

Man, your skill and presentation have come a long way. Good job!

[@RockOfLions]

Really true. So i feel bad about mentioning the long blonde (or maybe shiny brown) hair on your left chest/shoulder in this video.

[@dmeep]

Oh yes back to some good old call of Cthulhu. its the system im currently GMing for so this is very nice. Im thinking about running the 3rd adventure from the starter box set in harlem so they get familiar with it before we run masks of nyarlothotep. My biggest problem with the CoC historical settings is that i feel the need to research them a lot more then the module require. so this would send me down a rabbithole watching every movie and reading every book i can find set in the timeperiod along with history textbooks

[@f0leng]

I ran the CoC adventure "Cold Harvest" for my group some years ago. It plays in the soviet union too. We had a blast and I really thought i picked it up because of Seth review. But now I cannot find any video from Seth about it.

[@ts25679]

I haven't even watched the vid yet, but I know you deserve the like

[@natalielyric2950]

While this adventure might not have been a success, the follow up of trying to escape Russia while chased by the Soviets and a Vampire child sounds like a fun time

[@AubriGryphon]

Giving the key to an escort seems like a good way to encourage the PCs to visit the house first -- if they don't, they'll miss their chance.

[@RVR121]

CoC when someone mentions an auction it is a good sign you should run for your life away from where it is happening.

[@MotiviqueStudio]

Just watched your Intimate Encounters Actual Play but can probably watch another 30min. Cheers from Dallas.

[@martinbowman1993]

Add a back door and toilet. Can't forget the toilet.

[@tolentarpay5464]

This scenario sounds tailor-made for one of those "dress-up/murder-mystery" dinners that ppl have, where each guest has their own motivation, etc...I can't be the first person to think of this; have a designated camera-guy to record the evening & I reckon you've got a hit on your hands! P.S. I dig your Elder Sign charm...

[@erc1971erc1971]

Despite you not recommending this module...it sounds right up my alley. I just may have to give this one a look and see what I can do with it.

[@aloysiuslchomas]

I totally agree with the assessment of it being a bit rough to play, when I was looking at it to run as a oneshot for my players, but I ended up going with Missed dues which fit much better as a introduction to the system.

[@Paxchi]

"Hello internet!" A sure sign that today's going to be a good day. It definitely sounds like there was the making of a good adventure here, but it needed a couple of more re-writes to iron all of the bugs. Which is a shame, because Pulp adventure involving magical paintings and a race to stop the summoning of an eternal winter while dodging the Proto-KGB sounds like a good time. The part at the end about the licensed adventures that have fallen out of print post-license expiration is a bit depressing to think about. Might be a good subject for a Top 10 list of your favorite such games to bring awareness of them to your fans. Lord knows I've bought plenty of stuff you've showcased or recommended, I could use some more items to add to my RPG shopping list.

[@nicholashurst780]

Carcossa lane?... Yeah guys, no one is surviving this one

[@TheManKnownAsAi]

This feels like you could rewrite it as a dope Delta Green scenario

[@jahellen]

6:04 Anyone else think the second-from-the-left pregenerated character looks very Romulan?

[@bigsarge2085]

Thank you for the review and tips!

[@Shannovian]

It's pretty bold for the guy to make Doomsday Clock references years before the Doomsday Clock would be established.

[@samwhary5498]

Glad to see another new video, but I would like to make a request: my favorite series you ever did was the two headed serpent. Will you ever do a video series like those again? :)

[@SSkorkowsky]

With Cthulhu, not for a while. Game Diary reviews require long multi-part campaigns. I did one with Traveller with 'Mystery of BT-SHT 365' and will be doing another with 'Secrets of the Ancients' once we get a bit further in to that campaign. Currently we're playing Chapter 3 of 10, and probably won't look at starting a Game Diary review of it all until we've finished Ch 6 or 7.

[@samwhary5498]

@@SSkorkowsky awesome! I'll eagerly await them! Also thanks for the reply! Means a lot. :😀

[@Outrider85]

Love your videos, as always. Kinda miss the D&D module reviews.

[@knzznk3507]

The hair, the HAIR! 😂

[@tomralfe5428]

Jack the NPC is rocking that coat/scarf/hat combo.

[@jasonGamesMaster]

Who'd have thought a company known mostly for (good) D&D adventures would turn a CoC mystery into a D&D adventure lol Edit: Oh, you make the same observation lol

[@TheMonyarm]

How did I miss this episode? Well, time to go through every video and make sure I haven't missed anything else.

[@BloodDracolich]

New Seth table top RPG videos always make my day. Thank you, Seth, for them and thank you for introducing me to the Call of Cthulhu RPG as well. I'm also looking into getting the other RPGs you often discussed when i'm good for it to.

[@davidpa9266]

If Hollywood has taught me anything, speaking Russian is just English with a very thick accent, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[@alantheinquirer7658]

Someone's been watching "Horror Express".

[@MrIdylex]

It’s a good day when Seth comes out with a new CoC review

[@joshuawilson8804]

Ive actually used a Pathfinder module Rasputin Must Die! As a pulp adventure which was fantastic.

[@GryphonDes]

WTG Seth ! Breathing life into this fun old module :D Back in the day I Loved the Goodman modules - my Keeper as well made them a wild Romp - And yeah, it was just such a great experience to be stuck in Russia of all places heheh - very cool

[@macqueenxvii354]

No, Jack. It's not "The Book of Dark Winter" that you need to complete your set, it's "Dragons of Winter Night". Boy, we lose so many Dragonlance fans that way....

[@BRNDMYR]

Sounds more like a conversion of a Shadowrun adventure with the Yeti in a tuxedo, vampires ...

[@keithgaspard9950]

Great review. Thanks Seth.

[@oz_jones]

"To complete my set". I would be concerned, but then again, this is Call of Cthulhu, madness is assumed.

[@Rodjunior9]

Good day Mr. Skorkowsky! Nice review, again :) I was really surprised today, I couldn't find a review for "Lightless Beacon" on your channel and wondering if I just overlooked it or it is really missing on your channel. It's such a classic scenario, stands next beside the all classic introductary scenario "The haunting" for me. I would swear you already played it. Do you mind making a review about it (the "polished new" version) in the future :) Thanks a lot and keep on going!

[@nonya1366]

Jack raises an interesting question. Since it's- Well, spoilers further down in the comment. Since the book is, y'know. The book of ***Dark winter.*** There's probably a book out there for each season aswell. I'd imagine Summer's bright as hell, but in the worse possible manners.

[@oz_jones]

"Oh you like hot summers? It's now 100 Celsius outside. :)"

[@ianm7708]

RE: Non-Russian speaking investigators and working within 1920s Soviet Russia. As a Keeper, unless there are investigators who are native Russian speakers, then they would simply hire a local official state-approved interpreter/fixer/minder who would almost certainly be a low-level intelligence agent - a complication/hurdle to overcome. The interpreter/fixer/minder would report all the conversations, movements and goings on of the investigators to their superiors regularly. Regardless, all foreigners would be given a shadow unit of agents whose sole purpose is to keep track of who the investigators contacted, and then interview those Soviet citizens to determine what it was that they talked about with the investigators. If the investigators need to find accommodation, they would only be allowed to stay at approved hotels and guesthouses - pre-bugged with listening devices. The only taxi cabs they can hail will all mysteriously be driven by the same five drivers. All telephone conversations will be recorded. I think you're getting the picture. From the moment the foreign investigators get their entry visas from the local Russian embassy/consulate to their arrival at their port of entry to the moment that they leave they will be under observation, and any citizen who they interact with will also be immediately under suspicion. The level of Soviet-Russian xenophobic paranoia can not be overestimated, as they are always worried about counter-revolutionary plots fostered by foreign agents. So... what to do about this... as a keeper I would offer up a local insider Soviet investigator NPC - a high-ranking member of the security services (a Coronel or Major) - who has had a previous disturbing brush with the Cthulhu cult. They have not been believed by their superiors in this past experience, and realize that they may need to team up with renowned Western/foreign mythos investigators in order to protect Mother Russia from a greater threat than capitalist counter-revolutionary agents. At great personal risk to their own position within the security apparatus, the insiders will intercept and kill all reporting to their superiors that the shadow teams are going to be making, and give the overseas investigators a small level of autonomy and freedom. But, only so far. The insider will also try to isolate and protect themselves politically from any silliness that the investigators may get up to during the adventure - a rolling shootout through the streets of Leningrad? Yeah, no. Even your insider can not protect you from the consequences when the investigators are inevitably caught. There should also always be a certain level of doubt about the loyalty of the insider as everything could be an elaborate setup to trip up the investigators and send them to the gulag or flip them into Soviet spies. One last wrinkle that a Keeper should consider would be the possibility of involvement of White Russian agents - counter-revolutionary royalists (Tsarists) - in some way, thereby muddying the political waters and adding an extra level of complication to the narrative/plot; Machiavellian machinations, double agents, betrayal, on-the-run, escape-and-evasion are all 'fun' extras to punch up the narrative. *Does all of the above sound a bit over the top (too much), not at all. Personal experience with Soviet delegations visiting here in the West, and my father's business trips to the Soviet Union and the subsequent investigation/phone tapping of your house phone by Western security apparatus after his return only hint at the level of paranoia that was (is?) rampant at the time of the Cold War. PS: Top tip - bring flea/bed bug powder to spread all over your bed in a Soviet state-approved foreigner-only hotel. You'll thank me later.

[@SSkorkowsky]

One thing I didn't mention was in the novel Forbidden Territory, they were assigned a guide (or maybe 2 guides), who they quickly figured out was Secret Police, both to keep an eye on them and to steer them away from seeing things the government might want foreigners to know. So it was like 90% spy 10% propagandist.

[@ianm7708]

@@SSkorkowsky My above commentary was not intended as a critique but rather things that pop into my head when dealing with such an 'exotic' very dangerous location that may punch up the plot/dramatic narrative increasing the verisimilitude with the extra difficulties of running an private investigation within a repressive regime. From your description of the final showdown, I doubt there would be many survivors left for the Soviet OGPU to interrogate after the fact. ;) But, as you said in the video once the BBEG and minions have been defeated the adventure is over. PS: I really appreciate the extra length that you had to go to provide 'Jack" with snowing scenes.

[@SSkorkowsky]

No worries. I didn't think it was a critique at all. I was just mentioning how the Wheatley novel had that, too. It was an interesting aspect because the heroes had to not only ditch their escorts from time to time, but have good excuses when the agents eventually found them. I regret not brining that up in the video, but at the time I was already looking at a monster script and didn't want to add more stuff from an unrelated novel instead of the adventure itself.

[@ianm7708]

@SSkorkowsky I totally get that... stick to the content. Tangentially, your adventure description got me thinking about something in a similar vein. Elevator pitch: Chuthlu Cultist and elements of the Tong Criminal Gang in 1930s Hong Kong conspire to unleash an Old One for "reasons" (TBD). Protagonists: The Communist Chinese (Cultural Revolution - Red Guard) infiltrators, The British Occupation Forces (Royal Hong Kong Police Force & the British Army), The Tong Criminal Gang, and Cultists. Investigators must navigate the politics of both, street-level hoodlums with their inter-gang rivalries for supremacy within the underworld, and also the great powers, in an exotic local where the locals speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English.* *Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!

[@Tilaton]

You had a hair stuck on your left shoulder during this and I tried to clean it up from my screen. Proper interaction that.

[@michakozowski6026]

Such a shame, I wanted this module to rock, but it does sound like a mess and a missed opportunity. Have you looked into the Berlin handbook and scenarios? Some of them are great, especially when the group is into historical figures and past political intrigue.

[@joshuahebert7972]

Jack the NPC needs to be an actual character, statted up and center stage in an official CoC modual. Seth, make it happen, man!

[@SSkorkowsky]

He's statted up as an NPC in 'A Mother's Love'. That count?

[@TheeAugustCaesar]

Alarm goes off, roll over, clear qlarm, seth skorkowsky notification pops up. LETS GOOOOO

[@darthjoel6357]

If I was running this adventure I would have the pre KGB work with the pc’s if they saved them at some point in the game from the monsters.

[@jrlonergan6773]

Dasvidanya comrade

[@jefferydraper4019]

Hmmm...could not time this better with Last Train Home being released on PC to give gamers some background and filler material and give player characters even better feeling for the time period.

[@GREYGANDALF]

Wow that snow is a nice touch.

[@adamtifone9243]

Question is Jack from Brooklyn his accent sounds like he is

[@SSkorkowsky]

Much like the Highlander, Jack's accent is an amalgamation of lives stretching down through the centuries. From Hyperborea to the distant future through the stars, he has stood as witness. He is eternal. He is Jack.

[@The_Kentuckian]

"Ah crap, I always forget to ask the bad guy his evil plans before I shoot him dead." had me laughing because my characters do the same.

[@finnmchugh99]

I kinda hope next CoC review Seth does is Children of Fear, Cold Fire Withjn, Masks of Nyarlarthotep, Hotel Hell, Ties That Bind, other Alone against the _____ scenarios etc.

[@oz_jones]

I swear he has done either Flames or Cold. At least a playthrough? Am i suffering a bout of madness again?

[@Syaniiti]

This is the first time I remember Seth not recommending an adventure, sure it may have happened before but I don't remember it. Feels weird. Still some interesting ideas I can yoink.

[@nerdherd1819]

Was a bad day. The day got better with that "Hello, internet."

[@badgerchillsky535]

“We should definitely go to the hospital” Exactly what my players would do 😅

[@dylanlindsay6794]

Love and appreciate the "Soviet Union" jokes Seth!

[@Juhno]

This idea is great. Heck, a whole short campaign about Westerners in Soviet Russia trying to stop the end of the world while the Secret Police are first shadowing and then chasing would be cool. It could culminate in an escape from the country (or a prison camp). But..this sounds messy.

[@davidwasilewski]

Seth, what’s the red writing coloured Cthulhu box over your right shoulder? I collect Cthulhu rpg stuff and have never seen that boxed set? Cheers.

[@oz_jones]

It's the 40th Anniversary Edition

[@ValdVincent]

Nice to see more CoC content

[@icarian553]

I'm dissapointed that Rasputin didn't seem to have any role in this adventure. I don't think it's legal to make a Cthulhu adventure in 1900s Russia without any mention of Rasputin. He's like a real life Cthulhu cult leader or prophet.

[@kuroinokitsune]

It's Soviets. Rasputin is dead.

[@CtHuIHuSpAwN]

@@kuroinokitsune And that's stopped mythos sorcerers before? hahaha.

[@kuroinokitsune]

@@CtHuIHuSpAwN good point

[@Neazriel]

randomly meeting 'celebrities' might break immersion a bit, especially when it happens often. You can namedrop them maybe, but something as popular as rasputin would be heavily covered up by most versions of suppresion services like the (proto)kgb in the adventure

[@oz_jones]

I mean he has been allegedly been rotting away nearly a decade when this adventure kicks off, but yes. 'tis a shame.

[@DaJan1509]

Bitte teile alle deine "Deine Mudda" Witze. Danke!

[@TheeAugustCaesar]

Its almost time for another video!

[@SSkorkowsky]

Soon