Call of Cthulhu – Order of the Stone Review

Archaeologists have unearthed 3 stone urns in Ireland that can unleash a monstrous force into the woods of Massachusetts unless stopped. The Order of the Stone is a 3 part campaign that can be played with classic Call of Cthulhu rules or Pulp Cthulhu rules and can be slotted into an existing campaign or be a starting place for up to 6 investigator characters.

Fair warning to Call of Cthulhu players, proceed no further as there will be spoilers. Always check with your Keepers before checking out reviews for campaign supplements to make sure you won’t utilize them in your games. This review will contain spoilers.

Gameplay Overview:

This campaign exists in three chapters, “Terror on the SS Champagne”, “Murder in Greyport”, and “The Hunt” alongside three main factions, Agran’Talan’Tsoth, The Order of the Stone, and The Summoners.

Druids had summoned the creature Agran’Talan’Tsoth and realizing their mistake bound it into three separate containers and buried it. Unfortunately, it is happened upon by chance in a field by a young boy and sets the adventure in motion. Archaeologist from Miskatonic University get involved and the lead financier, Dr. Nicolus Sebastian, takes over the dig only to be slowly influenced by the trapped creature. Eventually taking the three “stones” with him he is attacked aboard the SS Champagne by the Order of the Stone, hoping to keep the monster from being released. He fully succumbs to the whisperings of Agran and breaks the first container on the ship fully releasing the first essence of the creature. The creature kills almost everyone on board while Dr. Sebastian escapes. Then enter the investigators after the harbor master haven’t heard from the SS Champagne as it is adrift at sea.

In “Terror on the SS Champagne” investigators are thrust into a “haunted house” investigation except the haunted house is the abandoned SS Champagne where the passengers and crew have been sacrificed to satiate the hunger of Agran. Upon reaching the boat they find one crazed cultist, one Order of the Stone member, and a very angry, very hungry monster. Investigators must set about exploring the ship and finding out what happened to the passengers and crew. Once they have met the monster then the must decide what to do with the cruise liner. Hopefully ending the monster and escaping the cruise liner as different events happen.

In “Murder in Greyport” the investigators are put into the events of a passenger’s murder that was also aboard the SS Champagne. Little do they know that The Summoners are laying a trap knowing that the Order of the Stone is also trying to stop them from unifying all three parts of the creature. This results in the utilization of undead servants helping The Summoners as they try to trap the Order of the Stone and by unfortunate chance, the investigators.

The last chapter is “The Hunt”, and it is the final showdown between the investigators and The Summoners. Contacts within the Order of the Stone will either help or hinder the investigators as they gather the last few pieces they need before the entirety of Agran’Talan”Tsoth is unleashed. The Summoners have found a conversion of ley lines within the woods outside of Arkham, and the Order of the Stone is aware of their location as well. All signs point to the investigators having to intervene to stop the final ritual by the light of the full moon.

Game Experience:

The Order of the Stone scratches all the itches that a campaign of this length could have for any Keeper. It sits in the perfect spot as an introduction campaign for new players and a mini-campaign to challenge veteran groups.

Chaosium at this point has homed in on the formula that is making the current Call of Cthulhu content intuitive for Keepers as well as riveting and fun for groups. Picking up this book as a Keeper I knew exactly where to find what I was looking for, where the NPC profiles were, where the tome stats were, and I knew how each structure of the campaign would form the skeleton for the guts of the story to fill in. The consistency in layout (alongside wonderful art) is much appreciated and a large improvement from the Chaosium books of old.

The structure of this story The Order of the Stone shines in the three-chapter structure. The monster having three jars it is confined to, makes the growing sense of urgency shine. There is everything you need, two warring cults and a ravenous monster who is slowly becoming stronger. It gives the investigators multiple ways to solve the dilemma in each chapter allowing for some fun flexibility in an otherwise linear story.

The maps are great as well. They are clear and give a great depiction of the surroundings and how to utilize them as a Keeper. I love the idea of exploring a mostly abandoned ship and this is a great twisting of “The Haunting” formula that Keepers will know so well.

There is also the fact that we have a recurring antagonist within the pages. Someone that has been corrupted but not wholly abandoned his humanity making the choices of the investigators even more fraught. The only trope I didn’t like was that The Summoners seem to evade the investigators each time they get close, right up until the end of the campaign.

Final Thoughts:

This is the niche book I didn’t know I needed. As someone who is constantly running different groups of Call of Cthulhu, I could see this becoming my go-to campaign to start groups off with. It is complicated enough to give a challenge and interconnected enough to break in newer players to campaign play. I plan to run this with my group with the Pulp Cthulhu ruleset to make the cult more dangerous and possibly make the Order of the Stone druids more magical. At the cost, the production value is amazing and I look forward to implementing this book into my ongoing games.

Final Score: 5 Stars – A great smaller size campaign perfect for newcomers and veterans alike.

Hits:
• Short three-part structure.
• Consistent layout and production quality.
• Story provides flexibility for player choices.
• Multiple moving parts but not too many for players to feel overwhelmed.

Misses:
• Some minor tropes that can be predicted.