| Three Investigations into the Sinister and Macabre | |
|---|---|
 Cover by Lee Gibbons | |
| Designers |
|
| Publishers | Chaosium |
| Publication | 1990 |
| Genres | Horror |
| Systems | Basic Role-Playing |
Fatal Experiments, subtitled "Three Investigations into the Sinister and Macabre", is a collection of three adventures published by Chaosium in 1990 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu , itself based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Fatal Experiments begins with a chapter devoted to obsolete and exotic black powder weapons. [1] The rest of the book is three sequentially-linked adventures set in the 1920s that involve investigation of a lethal research project. [2]
There are 5 pages of player handouts, although these pages are not perforated, and must either be cut out or photocopied by the Keeper. [3]
Chaosium first released the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu in 1981, and regularly refreshed it with new editions containing revamped rules. The fourth edition's release in 1989 sparked a line of superior products that game historian Stu Horvath called "the golden age for the line". [4] One of these products was Fatal Experiments, written by Russell Bullman, Gregory W. Detwiler, William Dunn, L.N. Isinwyll, Penelope Love, Kurt Miller, Kevin A. Ross, and Richard Watts, with cover art by Lee Gibbons, interior art by Earl Geier, and cartography by Carol Triplett-Smith. [3] It was published by Chaosium in 1990 as a 128-page softcover book.
In Issue 26 of White Wolf (April/May, 1991), Wayne Ligon found the article on black powder weapons "interesting, useful, and well researched." Ligon felt that the first adventure, "Tatterdemalion" would mainly appeal "to Investigators who have theatre backgrounds." Ligon thought the second adventure, "The Songs of Fantari", was more useful as a source of information about the Deep Ones. Ligon called "The Lurker in the Crypt", the much longer third adventure, "a true gem." Ligon did warn that the adventure was potentially very deadly,and recommended that "Secondary characters [to act as replacements if primary characters are killed or go insane] should be cultivated before the Keeper runs this adventure." Ligon concluded by giving this book a rating of 4 out of 5, saying, "This adventure introduces a new Lesser Servitor Race and has quite a few nice rewards for anyone alive and sane enough to collect them." [1]
In the February 1992 edition of Dragon (Issue #178), Rick Swan called this supplement "Another first-class collection of short scenarios for Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu game." He found that all three of the scenarios were "full of surprises and are delightfully disgusting." [2]
A copy of Fatal Experiments is held in the Edwin and Terry Murray Collection of Role-Playing Games at Duke University. [5]
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium; it was first released in 1981 and is in its seventh edition, with licensed foreign language editions available as well. Its game system is based on Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing (BRP) with additions for the horror genre. These include special rules for sanity and luck.
Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon of Lovecraftian cosmic entities, this creature has since been featured in numerous pop culture references. Lovecraft depicts it as a gigantic entity worshipped by cultists, in the shape of a green octopus, dragon, and a caricature of human form. It is the namesake of the Lovecraft-inspired Cthulhu Mythos.
The Three Impostors; or, The Transmutations is an episodic horror novel by Welsh writer Arthur Machen, first published in 1895 in The Bodley Head's Keynotes Series. It was revived in paperback by Ballantine Books as the forty-eighth volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in June 1972.
Trail of Cthulhu is an investigative horror role-playing game published by Pelgrane Press in 2008 in which the players' characters investigate mysterious events related to the Cthulhu Mythos. The game is a licensed product based on the horror role playing game Call of Cthulhu published by Chaosium, which is itself based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft.
John T. Snyder is an American artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.
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Masks of Nyarlathotep, subtitled Perilous Adventures to Thwart the Dark God, is an adventure campaign first published by Chaosium in 1984 for the second edition of the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu. A number of revised editions have subsequently been published. Masks of Nyarlathotep is a series of several sequential adventures set in the 1920s that take the player characters from New York, to London, Cairo, Nairobi, and Shanghai as they deal with the threat of the god Nyarlathotep. Screenwriter Larry DiTillio wrote the adventure with game designer Lynn Willis during a writer's strike. It received positive reviews in game periodicals including Casus Belli, The Space Gamer, White Dwarf, Different Worlds, and Dragon, and is considered to be one of the best roleplaying adventures of all time.
In the Shadows is an anthology of adventures published by Chaosium in 1995 for the 5th edition of the Lovecraftian horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
The Asylum & Other Tales is an anthology of seven adventures published by Chaosium in 1983 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Investigator Sheets, subtitled "Diabolical Dossiers of Doom", is a supplemental product published by Chaosium in 1993 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Dire Documents, subtitled "Diabolical Dossiers of Doom", is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1993 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu.
Kingsport: The City in the Mists is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1991 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu that describes a mysterious Massachusetts city, itself based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft.
The Fungi from Yuggoth is a set of eight adventures published by Chaosium in 1984 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, itself based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Arkham Unveiled, subtitled "Adventures and Background in the Home of Miskatonic University", is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1990 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, which itself is base on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
At Your Door, subtitled "A Campaign of Terror and Madness in the Days to Come", is a campaign published by Chaosium in 1990 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, specifically for a present-day variant of the game called Cthulhu Now. Both are based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Cthulhu Casebook, subtitled "A Plethora of Plots and Adventures", is a collection of adventures published by Chaosium in 1990 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, itself based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Curse of Cthulhu is a collection of adventure published by Chaosium in 1990 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, itself based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
Mansions of Madness is a collection of adventure scenarios published by Chaosium in 1990 for the horror role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, itself based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
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