Miskatonic University Podcast MUP Episode 190 – Modern Sokolowski of Horror!
Campus Crier
The Campus Crier is where we keep all the mythos related news and info for the podcast, this episode was recorded on August 16, 2021.
I want to personally congratulate each of the Alumni of the Storytelling Collective’s Write Your First Adventure Workshop last month. The market has been flooded with over 50+ titles on the MR, Chaosium’s Community Creator Content hub. Ya’ll, I’m so proud of each and every one of you. These scenarios look amazing, the cover arts are BOSS, the Miskatonic Repository Creator’s Circle is buzzing, you’re being featured in Chaosium newsletters, and you’re making your first sales. I’m just– I’m just so proud of you guys. Congrats! Head over to the Miskatonic Repository and make someone’s day by checking out their newest creations!
Annnd speaking of the Miskatonic Repository, Miskatonic Repository Con GM Signups just opened up! This virtual con will be hosted October 15th – October 17th. We have 3 awesome panels and over 16 events already submitted! So, come play some 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu with us! A link to the TTE will be in the show notes… and you can email MisktatonicRepositoryCon@gmail.com to get in touch!
Innsmouth The Missing Child: A Gamebook is a choose your own adventure styled solo game book where you are an investigator brought in to find the whereabouts of a missing child amongst the odd and terrible inhabitants of Innsmouth. It has funded with $23k of a $1300 goal and still has 23 days left at the time of recording. The art looks sparse, but that’s what I would expect from a product of this type. You can get a PDF for as little as $9 and a physical starting at $17. Overall it looks pretty neat, and I’m trying to not back it.
Free League has another Kickstarter out for two new products in their Forbidden Lands line, this time a bestiary of sorts called Forbidden Lands: Book of Beasts and a campaign called The Blood March. As we have come to expect from Free League, the art on display is absolutely gorgeous. And this seems to be a no brainer for any fan of the weird fantasy setting. You can get a pdf of both books for $35 or either individual book in print for $35. If you want both in print it will cost you $69. The project has already funded with $285k of a $12k goal, and will have another three days left at the time of this release.
Good friend of the show and proprietor of The Old Ways Podcast, Mike Diamond, has officially announced a third campaign for their excellent live play series, but this time with a twist! They are currently accepting GM pitches for a new campaign run by a new Storyteller. So if you have a campaign in mind and have it well thought out put in your submission at the link in the show notes. You can also find Mike on our own Discord, where he is a mod, or over at The Old Ones Discord, or you can just email him at theoldwayspodcast@gmail.com
And finally, it is with great sadness that we have to say a final goodbye to RPG Legend Steve Perrin, who passed away earlier this month. Goodbye Steve, safe travels.
https://www.chaosium.com/blogvale-and-farewell-steve-perrin-1946-2021/
The Discord Plug
We have our MUP Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics.
A big birthday shout out to Zelda, the pup of patreon backer, Al Smith, who if you’re lucky enough to get a seat at this table, she’ll probably make an appearance. Also, good luck to the kitties, Spaghetti and Meatball, who are currently in foster care with one of our awesome listeners.
MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D
And thank you beaucoup to Murph for editing this episode.
Patreon Plug
We have a Patreon! To back us you can click the button on the sidebar of our website, mu-podcast.com or head over to Patreon directly at www.patreon.com/mup!
One new backer!
Brolin Graham
Just a reminder, we’re offering Patreon Backers a sneak peek into future episode guests! Back us for an opportunity to ask your favorite creators in the TTRPG circuit your questions!
And you can also help out the show by buying some merch from our Teepublic store!
Thanks to our backers so much for supporting the show!!
Recent Gaming
Bridgett – Pale Rider Playtest 2
MepaCon Man’s Best Friend by Jazmin Ospa
Main Topic
We create a monster from scratch!
In this episode, Keepers Jon, Murph and special guest Dave Sokolowski talk about what makes modern horror modern.
Campus Crier
The recently funded Vaesen RPG has released some alpha material to backers that includes monster descriptions, plot hooks, a weakness, and a ritual, along with some new unpublished art! They have a cool section on “Horror, Mystery and Adventure” which delineates between different modes of play — it’s a cool way to clarify up front what the game will be like.
In case you didn’t realize the guys who rebooted Sherlock for the BBC have a new reboot of Dracula that has been released on Netflix in the US. The entire three-episode series is available now.
Also from the world of Kickstarter , backers for the Cthulhu 1968: Black Sun 28mm skirmish game have been given the full color PDF ruleset of the game according to their lastest post on the Kickstarter page.
Roll20 has finally has added Call of Cthulhu to their popular online virtual tabletop system. The Call of Cthulhu Keeper Bundle sells for $54.95 and includes the Rules Compendium, 2 scenario modules Crimson Letters & Amidst the Ancient Trees, and a Character Art Pack. Inside are “over 30 NPCs and monsters, tables, macros, and pre-generated characters.” It looks like there is a new CoC character sheet to go along with all that as well.
MU Discord server invite link
MUP Patreon
If you haven’t heard yet, we have redesigned our Patreon, and so far the feedback has been all positive! We are greatly appreciative of you, our listeners, and would ask that if you can please back us! Our next goal in funding will pay our worthy editors for their time! Also all backers, regardless of level will have access to the outtakes reel that we are going to put out on a special RSS feed from Patreon! To back us you can click the button on the sidebar of our website, mu-podcast.com or head over to Patreon directly at www.patreon.com/mup!
Some of the backers that we need to mention this show are….
- Christopher B. – Keep a lookout for a link to Jon’s scenarios on DriveThruRPG!
- Adam F.
- The Farquhar
Graham’s Card Catalog
This week we’re highlighting a YouTube channel that Graham put us onto a few weeks ago. HorrorBabble is a small UK audio production company that is doing horror story readings of Mythos tales and some other obscure short stories.
Listening Room
And in the Listening Room for the first show of 2020, we have the fifth installment of The Laura Logan Files.
Modern Horror in Call of Cthulhu
The Keepers contemplate…
- What makes horror “modern”? What is the difference between “modern” and “contemporary”? does it matter?
- what makes “good” modern horror? What are examples of good modern horror? (RPGs, movies, books)
- “bad” horror? It can’t just be about not getting a signal on your phone
- what are the best places and takes on modern gaming horror? worse?
The Keepers discuss…
- There’s the new podcast of Whisperer in Darkness from the same folks who did the Case of Charles Dexter Ward was a quite good modern take on Lovecraft. What is game-able from this?
- New Delta Green keeps coming out — the Labyrinth from John Scott Tynes just sent out final PDF — how has it morphed through the ages to keep up?
- Stygian Fox has two modern books out – what makes them award winning and good for modern horror? I think there’s a strong impulse of looking deeper into modern anxieties and mental health that have been examined before.
Examples of Modern Horror in gaming and media:
West Marches style (RPG Game)