Why not call the police?

I find it difficult to answer when my players ask this question in a modern CoC game. This scenario does not help me on that, especially with the kids involved. Just as an example, I really appreciate how Ladybug Fly Away Home helps the keeper there.

Of course a keeper can always run it as DG, but I happen to be one who do not enjoy DG, not at all, and I'm really looking for something modern and CoC. This scenario has a very 1920 structure very similar to Let the Children Come to Me. Unfortunately I don't feel the modern part.

The art is great, and the mythos connection is worth the 3 stars. The actual plot and the structure is not as fun.

“The Dark Forest” is a creepy and unnerving modern-day CoC scenario set in Northern Michigan completed in 2-3 sessions. I’ve played this scenario as a private investigator CoC character and am currently running this as a Delta Green scenario for my group (easily modified btw for DG). It does a great job of combining the forests and rural landscapes of Midwest America with the creatures & demons of Finnish folklore. I frequently visit Michigan while on vacation and still find the state’s beauty and local legends fascinating (and obviously so do the writers). Make no mistake…Michigan is the Mid-West version of Lovecraft Country. It is the Great Lakes home to the Sasquatch, Skinwalkers, The Ada Witch, The Red Dwarf and numerous other legends. The writers capture this creepy atmosphere perfectly. (To get in the mood search the internet for videos and stories on Michigan’s ancient forests and legends before running this.)

This story is sort of a combination of “The Blair Witch”, “Stranger Things” and “Twin Peaks”. The horror artwork is top-notch as well. There are some very uncomfortable themes (child abduction and sexual assault by supernatural entities) covered in this scenario. They are necessary to the plot and handled in a mature way with devastating consequences. If your players are new to playing CoC than another introductory scenario would be a better fit. I also feel that creating a character (or friendly NPC) with a background in Finnish folklore is absolutely necessary in your player’s group to fully explain the clues and advance their investigation. Overall, a very well-done supernatural mystery involving lots of detective work and some combat for your players.

This is another excellent scenario from Stygian Fox and recommended for mature players. You really are going to have to check that everyone is ok with some of the themes here. Based on Finnish Folklore and connected to a particular Mythos Deity, there is a lot going on in the books 74 pages. There are plenty of options for players and for the keeper to expand on.

After the initial investigation stages, violence and mayhem can explode suddenly and unexpectedly and the scenario is best played by players with enough experience to know when to run... if they can! There is a lot of opportunity for role playing and each location gets progressively more eerie with the potential for the game to be very unsettling. The game will probably take about 3 nights to play through but there is room for it to take much longer, in fact this could be a great opener for a campaign. An expanded version of this scenario would be very welcome, and it is begging for a sequel. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent scenario, something I've come to expect from Stygian Fox. It is an example of the best sort of Call of Cthulhu scenario; one which presents a mythos twist on authentic mythology that veteran players will not pick up on while also presenting us with real world horror in the form of very human greed and selfishness.

I strongly reccomend it, but please please take the publishers advice and discuss its themes with your players before hand.