The Abomination

The Lovejoy Expedition–led by Sir James Lovejoy–discovered the seemingly unopened tomb of an unknown royal personage somewhere in the Valley of the Kings. Tragically, and for reasons unknown, all four principle members of the expedition disappeared during the final stages of the dig.

The expedition comprised:

• Sir James Lovejoy–knight of the realm, international dilettante and occultist
• Maximilian von Schmidt an archeologist of naturalised German/American descent
• Professor Arthur Lewis, professor of languages at University College, London
• Edward Broadhurst–a British soldier of the Great War dishonourably discharged for striking an officer, and lately serving as a bodyguard and fixer

Rumours speak of treachery or freak accident in the desert, and of Sir Lovejoy's unhealthy interest in certain occult matters. A party of British officers surveying the area reported hearing a rumbling like thunder–or perhaps a distant explosion–around the afternoon of November 26th. A sudden sandstorm on the night of the 27th has effaced all tracks or signs of digging in the area and none of the expedition's workers are willing or able to guide the authorities to the dig site. Thus, tragic mystery continues to surround the fate of Sir James Lovejoy and his hirelings.

I'm embarrassed to say, this is the first game of Call of Cthulhu I have ever run. I am a huge H.P. Lovecraft fan, but I've never found enough local people willing to play the game. As a group, our tastes run more to fantasy adventures.

However, our group has now reached eight regular members, and enough of us fancied a game for me to dust off my starter boxed set purchased several years ago, accidentally buy the slipcase set of core rulebooks (don't judge me) and give it a whirl.

It was great, and I can't wait to run another game. Of course, scheduling will be a pain, but we are aiming for one game a month.

The Abomination is one of three starter adventures presented in Gateways to Terror (another accidental purchase). Our next adventure will be "What's in the Cellar" also from Gateways to Terror.

(In other news, if anyone has a copy of Achtung Cthulhu they don't want, please let me know...)