The Asylum & Other Tales

The Asylum & Other Tales
Author	Various
Cover Artist	Tom Sullivan
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Call of Cthulhu
Genre(s)	Horror
Publisher	Chaosium
Release Date	1983
Media Type	Softcover print
Pages	80

The Asylum & Other Tales is an adventure module supplement for Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. , with the seven individual stories each supplied by a different designer.

Overview

“	Seven Sinister Situations In every Call of Cthulhu campaign certain situations arise regularly. This book takes seven of those situations and turns them into horrifying adventures. Each story is meant to be used freely by the Keeper (the gamemaster) when he or she needs a quick plot for an impromptu game or as fillers in larger campaigns. Investigators' Information, Keeper's Background, and suggestions for use are provided for each episode. The center four, gray-edged, pages are to be carefully pulled out and handed to the players appropriately as per the scenario.	„
	~ Back cover text

Consisting of seven unrelated short scenarios, The Asylum & Other Tales was only the second supplement released for the Call of Cthulhu game. Creation of the book was overseen by Sandy Petersen, Lynn Willis, and Charlie Krank, with cover and interior art by Tom Sullivan , and runs to a total of 80 pages.

Contents

• "The Auction": A guide on how to run scenarios involving the auction of mystical artefacts. Also features a short scenario involving the theft of one of these items by ghouls. Written by Randy McCall.
• "The Madman": A young man has developed a split personality as a result of exposure to the Cthulhu Mythos, and his evil personality is attempting to enlist the aid of Hastur. Written by Mark Harmon.
• "Black Devil Mountain": When one of the investigators inherits a cursed property in the backwoods of Maine, they must deal with an undead shaman in service to dark powers, as well as a variety of his supernatural minions including zombies, ghouls, and Chthonians. Written by David A. Hargrave.
• "The Asylum": The deranged head of a psychiatric institution has discovered how to meld the DNA of Shoggoths with that of humans, and the investigators must find a way to put a stop to his malevolent machinations. Written by Randy McCall.
• "The Mauretania": More of a setting than a scenario, "The Mauretania" offers the investigators a chance to relax and watch the world go by while on a transatlantic voyage, as well as a number of plot hooks should they wish to join in on Cthulhu Mythos-related adventure. Written by M. B. Willner.
• "Gate from the Past": The investigators much deal with breaches in the fabric of time and space when a group of Old Ones, pursued by vengeful Shoggoths, open a gateway into the Late Jurassic. Written by John Scott Clegg.
• "Westchester House": Called in by an eccentric heiress to investigate a possible haunting in her sprawling estate, the investigators must deal with a mundane case of art theft and the various groups involved in trying to retrieve a stolen painting. The scenario contains no Cthulhu Mythos elements, but the group must navigate a labyrinthine mansion and deal with a group of dangerous art thieves. Written by Elizabeth Wolcott.

Publication History

The Asylum & Other Tales was first released in 1983 and is currently out of print; however, the book was incorporated into a later release by Chaosium, the Cthulhu Casebook, in 1990.

Trivia

• The credits page of the book states "by permission of Arkham House" .
• The RMS Mauritania was a real ocean liner owned by the Cunard Line and active between 1907 and 1934. It is unknown if this version, which is consistently named Mauretania, is intended to be the same ship, although it seems likely .
• The final scenario, "Westchester House," is clearly based on the real-world case of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms manufacturer William Winchester who spent many years building the Winchester Mystery House , an extensive building whimsically constructed and expanded by Sarah in the years following her husband's death .