Age of Cthulhu: the Long Reach of Evil is the 5th in Goodman Games’ series of Call of Cthulhu scenarios.  Set in the 1920’s, this trio of terrors lops madly across the globe from Sumatra to Tibet to the Amazon presenting a concoction of mystery, terror, and violence, as well as some nasty surprises. Though the adventures are meant to be played separately (“After all,” say the introduction, “how many investigators actually survive to face another day?”) there are options within the scenarios to link them loosely together (mostly dreams and the introduction of the International Historical & Archaeological Society) and a clever keeper could easily invent stronger links.

Along with evocative sepia art throughout, the book includes a score of helpful handouts and maps.  There are also five pregenerated characters, typical CoC investigators with a useful range of skills and no surprises.  However, unless the players are very clever and/or lucky, five investigators won’t be enough.  But then, I’ve never met a gamer who didn’t like making characters . . .

All three scenarios are clearly written and include relevant skill checks, detailed and interesting NPCs write-ups, and suggestions for customization.  Still, an hour’s research on Peru, West Sumatra, and Tibet wouldn’t go amiss.  And while they all contain intricate back-stories, some further clues will need to be added if the keeper wishes to showcase these histories.  All three scenarios are scene-based and non-linear, allowing the PCs to wander freely and the story to unfold organically.   The book assumes a strong familiarity with the Cthulhu Mythos and sent me running to my main rulebooks on at least two occasions.  The adventures also all depart slightly from 5th edition canon by using differentiated skill checks.  Oddly, this is not mentioned till the 3rd scenario, though it is easily incorporated.

SPOILER ALERT: the following reviews of the individual scenarios are for only keepers.

“The Fires of Sumatra”
The first scenario in Long Reach of Evil is set in the volcanic jungles of Sumatra.  This is probably the deadliest adventure in the book and presents players with a lot of nasty surprises.  The first being that the scenario starts in media res as the investigators awake tied up in a lonely cave, suffering both a loss of short-term memory and the effects of a gruesome new spell. (For keepers uncomfortable with this level of player abuse, an alternate opening in presented.) Once they escape the cave, the investigators find themselves trying to thwart the designs of a Cthugha cult attempting to use a volcanic eruption to summon the Great Old One.  This however, turns out to be a bit of a bait-&-switch for both the investigators and the cultists who get not the Lord of Fire and accompanying fire vampires but dimension shamblers and a sickening uber-shambler. The climax is a three-way massacre between hapless investigators, hijacked cultists, and an interdimensional horror atop an erupting volcano.  It is all extremely deadly and open-ended and will prove a challenge to both Keeper and players.

Terror at the Top of the World
The second scenario takes the investigators to Tibet seeking answers to the suicide of a famous explorer.  There they find a remote village plagued by an invisible killer unleashed by a mad monk.  Light on action, heavy on atmosphere, this scenario is a slow build of tension and mounting horror ending in a spate of deadly violence, and requires a keeper deft at evoking a macabre ambiance. A lot of the horror depends on the exoticism of Tibet, including sky-burial and extreme monasticism.   These elements, while shocking and terrible to Jazz Age Europeans, may fail to impress 21st century players and may even offend some (should other cultures really cause sanity loss?). As the author acknowledges the “Mythos has an extremely light ‘foot-print’ in the scenario” – the immediate threat and the associated magic are both non-Mythos.  This may be a refreshing change for long-time CoC players, but may be a bit of a disappointment for some.  Fortunately, it is very easy to add the Mythos to the scenario (in fact, the Cthulhu Mythos could be seen as a cuckoo mythology, infiltrating other traditions and corrupting them from the inside, but I digress.) Two issues worth noting: I would not pass around Handout D as early as the scenario calls for, as it rather ruins the surprise.  Also, while the adventure is not extremely dangerous (for CoC), there is one optional en route danger that includes a succeed-or-die skill check.

Abominations of the Amazon
In the final scenario, the investigators must confront serpent-men deep in the Amazon jungle.  This adventure occupies a middle ground between “The Fires of Sumatra” and “Terror at the Top of the World”, presenting a nice mix of terror and action including an exciting chase-scene (with detailed grid-based rules) and a potentially cataclysmic ending.  It also offers the players the chance to shed their heroic virtues and engage in a little treasure hunting. The scenario starts with a good deal of background.  The introductory information is the relevant history of the area, and could be given to a scholarly investigator, while the keeper’s info is thorough and interesting but – like many published back-stories – almost wholly irrelevant unless the keeper drops some hints to the PCs. The scenario ends in the underground super-science layer of the serpent-men.  This sudden and incongruent introduction of computer panels and cryogenic tanks beneath an Amazonian temple is weird and terrible, but I would jazz up the tech a little (adding force fields, holographic screens, programmable liquids, etc.) to impress jaded players. One final note, the first full paragraph on page 63 begins with a confusing typo: “investigators also can be sealed in their suspension” should read “serpent-men also can be sealed in their suspension” (though, given that players will be players, I suppose the former is theoretically possible).

All told, The Long Reach of Evil offers several evenings of evil fun.  While the settings are certainly pulp-themed (as the back cover says), the action is classic Call of Cthulhu.   At $15.99, this is a good investment for any keeper looking to take her game outside of the Miskatonic valley.  Remember, October is nearly upon us.