This was a very fun adventure for me and my players; we enjoyed it greatly, but there is a MAJOR plot hole in the story that I didn't notice until we were actually IN game. Slight spoiler: the sarcophagus supposedly only opens when under the light of the full moon. Otherwise, it is seamless, and cannot be opened. However, if this is the case, HOW WOULD ANYONE KNOW THAT THE IDOL HAD BEEN STOLEN?? Or, indeed, that the idol ever existed?

Smaller nitpicks: there are some typos in the text, ie Clarence Butterworth is referred to as Butterfield and Butterworth; Arkham Sanatorium is also called Arkham Asylum. As well, a second statue from the exhibition is mentioned as being missing, which players will naturally hang onto as a major clue, but there's no means for the players to discover how/why the statue is not present. Also, the aventure leaves room for the players to go to The Boston Globe to receive clues, but there's nothing to really point them in that direction without the Keeper kind of blatantly going, "Well, you COULD go to the Globe to do more research if you want," which feels too much like the Keeper driving, rather than the players.

That being said, the idea of the story is very fun, the hooks work very well to grab interest and get the story moving. There was enough clues to get the players to the right place for the big denouement and for them to enjoy the journey. They loved the atmospheric descriptions of the various locales, and it was very easy to create a creepy gothic mood over the whole game. I absolutely do not regret the purchase; I just wish I'd read it a little more critically/thoroughly before diving in, so I wasn't caught flatfooted by that plot hole.

Ive not had a chance to run this yet, but I have read through it and over all think my group will enjoy it a lot. Its great for newer investigators. I did get a chance to also listen to it being played on a podcast, which was how I found this advenure.

There are a few minor problems with the scenario: Butterworth/field is referred by two names, the map of the museum contradicts the description text, it mentions B---'s alibi but never provides one, and a couple other minor issues. There's also a few plot holes, (no guards? how were they planning to display the idol? why aren't you going to the police?) that players will pick apart if you don't fill them (which is thankfully easy enough). All that aside, this is an extremely fun scenario. It's a compelling mystery with a very clear and well-designed structure, and my players absolutely loved it.

One last note for people looking to convert to a different location: the geography of Arkham/Boston combined with the time crunch gives players a strong motivation to go to certain places last. Keep that in mind when moving around relative locations -- the location with the answers to the mystery is the last location they will go to before going back to the museum, so it's important that they don't get there before you're ready to end the scenario.

This is quite a tidy one-shot adventure, ideal for new players as it has investigation that isn't overly complicated, combat that can be challenging but isn't necessarily deadly, a mystery to solve and !!SPOILERS!! an unexpected betrayal by a key NPC.

It's set in the usual CoC 1920's New England, I transplanted it to London without any trouble. The only caveat I have is that it needs an edit as some of the dated events which the mystery is based on don't quite marry up and there's occasional text that needs parsing with common sense, any decent GM can deal with it easily but even so, it's not a free product so it shouldn't have that issue.

A great scenario for an evening of great CoC entertainment. It is especially good for introducing new players and/or having a new GM for running the game.This could easily fit into a 4 hour window, which is great for running at a convention. It is well written and well thought out. I hope the creator makes more. On a side note, the creator also has a live play podcast called How We Roll, which is an excellent source for CoC and D&D game listening pleasure.

Great scenario. Full of useful tips and advices for GMs. The story is great, lots of investigation oportunities, closed enough to be pretty straight forward but with plenty of moments for improvisation or to even add more research moments, false clues and so if you want a longer game. I haven't finished it yet (just finished the first of two sessions), so I don't really know how the end is going to go, but for now my investigators have no clue of what's going on. They have a lot of clues with no apparent connection and are about to get some action and revelation moments. It's going to be great. On the bad side, there are a few mistakes in the texts, like NPCs changing last names, almost word by word duplicated text on consecutive paragraphs and such. It may need revision. But it doesn't affect the scenario at all, it's just editing mistakes. This is going to be a scenario I'll run several times with different groups, I'm sure of that.

Perfect to kick off a new campaign. I changed it to happen in Vienna and it was a great way to establish the PCs and NPCs they know. One of the PCs is an acquaintance of Sigmund Freud now for example. Also the low violence/mythos/magic was great. I feel like too often authors put in too much supernatural or violent stuff, and it just takes away the tension when you have to fight a dark young every session. It it was probably better than at least half the official scenarios I've read in the last two years.

The Idol of Thoth is one of the best Call of Cthulhu scenarios I've ever read, and possibly one of the best introductionary scenarios for both new Players and Keepers alike.

It's very well paced and provides everything a new Keeper needs to run the players through an interesting investigation into the theft if the titular object; NPC and locations are described well, but always leaving it open enough for the Keeper to add their own twists and spins to them, which I see as a plus in my book.

This is a very investigation heavy scenario, so if you want more action and even more horror, that's something you'd have to add yourself. But if you're interested in a solid investigation scenario to have as the start of your campaign, or fit it into an already running campaign, I can't recommend this scenario enough!

The Idol of Thoth is the perfect scenario for new players. The focus of this scenario is on egyptology/mythos and detective work. There is little combat and the horror elements will need to be fleshed out by the keeper to make them truly scary. Aside from a few spelling errors, the book is presented beautifully with detailed maps of a few locations. In order to make this scenario run for five hours I needed to add afew of my own elements, Joe has left some parts sparse in order to encourage a little invention on the part of the keeper.

All in all, we had a lot of fun with this! Its an easy scenario to learn if you are new to running CoC and has many of the classic cthulhu locations and dynamics with a few excellent twists.

I had the pleasure of being a player in this scenarion last week. It was absolutely superb(even though after reading through the scenario, we missed a TON). The pacing felt great and logical. The clues were easy enough to find, and there was even a fantastic revelation moment where our suspicions came true. I love playing this scenario and cannot wait to run it. A+ effort. Note: as others have stated, draw a map of the museum, it helps immensely.

The Idol of Thoth is one of the best, single session (6-10 hours) adventures I have ever had the pleasure to run. It has everything you would want to experience in a nearly perfect Call of Cthulhu night! Plenty of roleplaying-opportunities, a dense plot that keeps your players on the edge of their seats, cool and logical investigation - even the action and the mythos part satisfies on every level you can imagine! The writing is absolutely stellar, the box text (And I normally don't like the prewritten text of another GM for my table) builds up the strange, uncanny atmosphere that will lead your party of detectives from a seemingly simple case all the way down beyond the curtains of darkness! The author did go even further adding some awesome advice and tips onto the back of the book, which really helped me a lot in running the session! (Why is this so uncommon in most publications? I need more of that!)

It is easily enjoyable for new and experienced players alike. You can crank up the difficulty of the whole scenario as you and your players desire - even possibly on the fly.

The art fits the tone mostly, from awesome character portraits to usable (but somewhat lifeless) floorplans, it is filled with inspiring visuals. Oh, and the (!) fully detailed room-to-room map of the Arkham Asylum is worth the price of admission alone!

If you couldn't tell by now, we loved this adventure. For less than a few bucks, we got a night long to remember!

Thanks to Joe Trier and Stygian Fox!! I really hope, there is more to come from you!

An excellent, short adventure with loads of classical Call of Cthulhu feel - just right for one longer session including an intense investigation, an Ancient Egyptian mystery and a race against time. I ran it for 3 players with beginner Investigators, their victory was hard-won and extremely satisfying for all of us.

The Idol of Thoth by Joe Trier (How We Roll Podcast) is an Excellent! single session scenario.

I think it could be easily adapted to any group and potentially inserted into an existing storyline or 'campaign'.

Beyond the well developed story (and npc's) the actual production and layout of the book is top quality.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better $4 value.

Highly Recommended.

Oh this is great - the ideal one-session scenario. A fairly famillar set up (which will help entice novice players) unfolds to a dramatic and novel conclusion that could easily be inserted into a longer campaign. I ran it for one player with an NPC accomplice but it would also work well with a larger group. The way the adventure is constructed means it's very easy to alter the threat level to match the player's abilities and experience. As mentioned in other reviews the scenario provides the opportunity to deliver just the right blend of investigation and action. The 'Keeper's Tips' section is particularly useful in this respect, and details how classic and pulp elements can be blended to suit individual tastes. If this is the standard we can come to expect from Joe Trier, and from the wider Miskantonic Repository, then we are all in for a treat.

I'm very excited to run this scenario. It centers around a great mystery, has interesting NPCs, and will take investigators around Boston and to Miskatonic University. Trier has created a fun investigation for players AND provided an interesting story for Keepers. The notes for Keepers are great, especially for those new to running games.