Miskatonic U. Graduate KitTag Line: Artifacts from the world's scariest university
Makers: Chaosium Inc. for Call of Cthulhu
What is it?
A Keeper's Kit packaged with faux documents from H.P. Lovecraft's Miskatonic University, mostly played for laughs. Among the serious pieces, you'll find a short adventure scenario, a squat GM screen and character sheets.
Neat Stuff
-For fans of Lovecraft who nonetheless have no interest in playing Call of Cthulhu, this Kit has a lot of neat stuff, most of it tongue in cheek: a library card, map of the campus, diploma (with cardboard frame), poster, notepads, parking sticker, book covers, bumper stickers and more!
-Less cheeky, but no less interesting to Lovecraftophiles, there's a class catalog with authentic-seeming course curricula, and notes on the faculty and both undergraduate and graduate programs.-The Gahan Wilson cover. 'Nuff said!
-The Keeper's Screen is well produced and being so stumpy, has less chance of falling over. The small homage to Lovecraft in between its tables is a nice touch.
Bad Stuff
-Half the product has little to do with the game per se. And it's not packaged so that a Call of Cthulhu Keeper would recognize it as his "kit" from seeing it on a bookshelf. It's like the two kits (graduate's and Keeper's) were just shrink wrapped together at the last minute.
-A small point, but all documents have a 1986-87 date stamped on them, from the class catalog to the diploma (below - click to enlarge). It makes the product at once dated and NOT DATED ENOUGH. After all, most CoC games take place in the 1920s. It would have been nice to either keep up that illusion (to use the documents as props) or leave the dates blank (giving Keepers a choice).
Quote243: Emergency Hurdling
2 credit hours
Correct applications to ensure rapid movement during close pursuit. Specially considered: flying, teleporting, and invisible entities. [MR. MUSTOLL]
- School of Medieval Metaphysics Class Catalog
How I've used it
I haven't. I could never get a real Call of Cthulhu campaign going, so even the screen has never been used. And since I'm a little anal about cutting up products I shelled out good money for, I haven't cut up the library cards or stuck the bumper stickers on anything either. I HAVE used a scan of the diploma to create other diplomas though. Does that count?
In conclusion
A fun dossier full of fun props for Lovecraft fans who don't take themselves too seriously (if you own a Cthulhu plushie, then I'm talking about you). Actual CoC players will also find something useful, though you might not like to have to get all the humorous stuff to get it. There are so many separate pieces in the Kit, that I wonder if there are many full sets left and available.
Comments