Tag: The Watcher in the Valley

Our fourth and final session of Cthulhu Dark, continuing from session zero, session one, and session two, running through the classic Call of Cthulhu module The Watcher in the Valley by Kevin A. Ross, from the anthology Tales of the Miskatonic Valley. This was our miniseries finale, played with a smaller group than usual. We had several horrific scenes in fast succession, and it made for a satisfying ending. Read on for the play report.

Play report

The characters

• Margaret “Peggy” Sullivan, stenographer (DZ)
• Howard Pemberton, automobile mechanic (NtH)

What happened

We resume play on the morning of Day 7. On her way out of the camp together with her sister Winnifred, Peggy runs into the Stubbs brothers. They’ve brought moonshine and want to sell it to the dig crew. Reluctantly, Peggy and Winnifred take them back to the camp. No one is interested in the moonshine. The men leave again.

Our third session of Cthulhu Dark, continuing from session zero and session one, running through the classic Call of Cthulhu module The Watcher in the Valley by Kevin A. Ross, from the anthology Tales of the Miskatonic Valley. This time around, I committed to really leaning into the directorial stance implied by Cthulhu Dark, and away from the wargamey, sandboxy approach I’ve gotten used to running classic D&D. As a result, we covered about double the in-game time we did in previous sessions. There was less dice rolling. Less extended NPC conversation. More hard cuts. It felt right. Read on for the play report.

Play report

The characters

• Philip Hennessey, itinerant photographer (MG)
• Margaret “Peggy” Sullivan, stenographer (DZ)
• Howard Pemberton, automobile mechanic (NtH)
• Chester Holbrook, visiting nurse (HB)

What happened

We resume on the afternoon of Day 3. Two new arrivals at the dig. Howard Pemberton has been driving along the Pike in his flashy car when he spots the marsh from his dreams and decides to pull over and investigate. Philip Hennessey rejoins the group as well. He’d gone back to town to develop his film. Photos taken in and around the mound have turned out completely black. Must have been some kind of technical error.

Our second session of Cthulhu Dark, continuing from Session 0, running through the classic Call of Cthulhu module The Watcher in the Valley by Kevin A. Ross, from the anthology Tales of the Miskatonic Valley. The dig goes on. The investigators dig deeper—in every sense—and things at the camp are getting stranger.

The characters

This session sees a different lineup from Session 0. Winnie and Philip are laid up in their tents with some kind of food poisoning, and two new faces join the dig.

• Josephine Hartley, bookkeeper (TM)
• Margaret “Peggy” Sullivan, stenographer (DZ)
• Chester Holbrook, nurse (HB)
• Edmund Thorne, stringer (JW)

What happened

We resume on the afternoon of the second day. Chester introduces himself to Francks. Edmund talks to Hanshaw and learns about his motivations for being at the dig. Peggy cares for Minnie and Philip, who are unwell in their tents. Meanwhile, Josephine sneaks back into Mills’s tent and steals his revolver and a box of ammo. Our bookkeeper is not messing around.

The group decides to investigate the Anakoke village. Hanshaw drives them over in his sedan. They pass ancient, abandoned farms on the way, then make the quarter-mile trek through the forest to the old dig site. Several square pits mark the locations of previous excavations. Chester and Josephine investigate and are treated to horrific visions of the village being burned down. In the ruins, they find a small statue of a monstrous, betentacled frog. They return to camp shaken but with a prize.

We played our first session of Cthulhu Dark last week, running through the classic Call of Cthulhu module The Watcher in the Valley by Kevin A. Ross, from the anthology Tales of the Miskatonic Valley. This has been a long time coming (seven, almost eight years, according to my notes), and I’m thrilled we finally made it happen. What follows is a play report from our first session, along with some GM reflections on preparation and running the game.

Play Report

The Characters

Our cast of investigators consists of Josephine Hartley, a bookkeeper; Winifred “Winnie” Graves, a millworker; Margaret “Peggy” Sullivan, a stenographer; and Philip Hennessey, an itinerant photographer.

What Happened

On a Monday in late summer of 1929, the investigators travel to the dig, each with their own reasons for being there. Phillip is on assignment. Josephine is delivering books. Winnie and Peggy are volunteering. They take the bus and get off at a BSAIR marker on the turnpike, then walk the rest of the way.

They cross a decrepit covered bridge, then come to a second one with three cars parked in front of it. They cross this as well and arrive at a deserted camp. Hearing noises from the woods on the other side, they investigate and discover a group of people busy removing two stones from a mound in a swamp. As they watch, one stone disintegrates with a loud popping sound.