Ever noticed how most of the scenarios and modules on the Miskatonic Repository don’t have a lot of reviews or comments about them? Well, so did we and Miskatonic Reviews is a series we’re putting together to try and address that! Each post in the series will have us review one or more modules or resources put out there by the community to help you get a better idea what to pick up your next game session (and to get some exposure on community content and its creators)
- Module: Last Dance in Shoreditch
- Author: Seyed P. Razavi
- Other creations: This appears to be their first module
- The module in a nutshell: The investigators descend into a neon haze of secret raves, underground parties, and cocktail bars in search of a missing journalist at the hands of a mysterious cult looking to summon a big bad during an elaborate ritual.
- Verdict: Well-thought out and laid-out. Original setting and moments. Not necessarily on rails, but sometimes a little vague about how to get to next point if the investigators are not paying very careful attention.
Let’s go over some of our observations:
Original setting and atmosphere
Unlike a lot of modules (including our own) which take place in the classic period of the 1920s, this one is set in modern day London, but doesn’t follow the usual tropes or places where investigators might find themselves.
Set pretty much entirely in London underground culture, and its raves and nightclubs, I really got the sense of these places reading through the module and how much they differed from real life outside.
I also very much enjoyed the liminality of the setting, of secret raves and underground parties all happening somewhere under our noses, but most people are completely unaware.
There is a real possibility for there to be true cosmic horror. For instance, in the denouement, the author offers a really enticing mage about a vast impossible city behind the London we see, that was more than just the sum of the odd nightclubs and people inhabiting them. That there is in fact another world that people are only half-aware, entering and departing.
There’s a Big Bad in the Avatar of Lilith
As a potential or optional big bad that may or may not pop up during the course of the module, I liked how fitting this personification of horror was to the overall story and setting, as well as one I honestly have never seen before. As much as I like all the usual suspects among the Outer Gods, Great Old Ones, and other friends, it’s nice to see something a little more unique come into play!
They put some effort into the design
I have nothing against Word doc modules or very plain formatting (like the ones we do), far from it!
That said, it was a pleasant surprise to see that quite a bit was done to pep up the interior of the module.
The overall look was like that of a music or teen magazine I felt, so it the style and presentation might not be for everyone (it felt a little “pop art” at times, rather than Lovecraftian) but it fit the theme and scenario.
Some vagueness or less than concrete “clues” or “do this next!” moments
I suspect this scenario would be better suited to slightly more experienced players and keepers. While reading the progression through the acts and even the climactic ritual, I had to go back and re-read sections because it felt like I was missing something.
Sure, sometimes the writing was a little obtuse along with the descriptions a bit thick (almost everything in here seems to have three or scents lovingly described about them), but I think some of the vagueness and broad strokes were intentional to give the Keeper and players room to experiment and come up with their own solutions.
For instance, there are moments where the authors states things like “the clues firmly point to…” or a character appears “at some point.” It gives the Keeper lots of freedom and flexibility, but also the chance that something might be missed if no one is paying close attention to the right things.
Likely a little better signposting would be needed when running the scenario as a Keeper, or just a reminder to be flexible and come up with your own ways to point the investigators through each of the three locations.
Oddities and other observations
It gave me a good chuckle that characters named Jenny and Danny Muir look straight up like Asian models (kind of like if a character with the surname Mao was in fact some red-headed Nova Scotian).
Overall?
A pretty sharp and original setting for a one-off scenario, or a module that could easily be worked into a modern day campaign (or perhaps retrofitted for the Jazz Era).
You can pick it up at the Miskatonic Repository.
