- Paperback: 150 pages
- Publisher: Chaosium Inc.,U.S.; Pap/Map edition (14 May 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1568821670
- ISBN-13: 978-1568821672
- Product Dimensions: 27.4 x 22.6 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,062,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
I thought this description of the sleepy dream entrenched fishing port of Kingsport was full of great adventure ideas.
Set in the 1920's I found the city to be a great place to base adventurers venturing into the dreamlands, and those with a love of the sea.
The book first provides you with two atmosphere building stories, 'The strange High House in the mist" and "The festival". Next there is a history of the growth of the urban environment and tales of the inhabitants feats and adventures. There's a description of the evil cult of the green flame and their subterranean haunts, definitely enough plot hooks to let you build them up into a horrific conspiracy. There's a large pullout map, a bit bland but functional, and a guide to the town and it's present occupants, stock full of adventure hooks. There is a handy chapter on how to use the strange dream inducing atmosphere of Kingsport to mess with players minds. Next follow three adventures in the town, one is a dreamlands crossover, the next a terrible descent through dreams that test you characters very grip on reality, and the last adventure features a terrible ghostly ship, These adventures polish the setting nicely.
The book provides standard CoC stats and d20 stats in the back. As usual for these guides the back is full player handouts to copy.
I love the sea and the mystery it invokes and I also enjoy leading characters into the dreamlands, so this is a perfect Cthulhu setting for me to use for my stories.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
An excellent resource for CofC Keepers
30 Jan 2008
And the investigators just planned a calm vacation on a shore town...
Kingsport offers a different feel for Call of Cthulhu campaigns. Few other locales are as tied to the Dreamlands as this small town. Not that Kingsport lacks some of the rugose and eldritch horrors of the Mythos, but Keepers can construct scenarious around some of the more fantastical, less ghastly elements that Lovecraft wrote. Chaosium delivers much potential intrigue in detailed descriptions of locals and locales.
The included adventures range from merely good to the brilliant and harrowing, "Dead in the Water," one of the more challenging adventures written for the game. My players still talk about the dangers of the Star Mother years since their encounter - a testament to some ingenious writing and plotting.
A Must-By for any CofC Keeper.
I can say that "Dead in the Water" has a lot of material and looks very intense and draws out many of the unique characteristics of Kingsport.
Kingsport offers a different feel for Call of Cthulhu campaigns. Few other locales are as tied to the Dreamlands as this small town. Not that Kingsport lacks some of the rugose and eldritch horrors of the Mythos, but Keepers can construct scenarious around some of the more fantastical, less ghastly elements that Lovecraft wrote. Chaosium delivers much potential intrigue in detailed descriptions of locals and locales.
The included adventures range from merely good to the brilliant and harrowing, "Dead in the Water," one of the more challenging adventures written for the game. My players still talk about the dangers of the Star Mother years since their encounter - a testament to some ingenious writing and plotting.
A Must-By for any CofC Keeper.
I can say that "Dead in the Water" has a lot of material and looks very intense and draws out many of the unique characteristics of Kingsport.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A well-written and evocative sourcebook
19 Mar 2005
Lovecraft is, I think, best known for his adjectives. More than Cthulhu, even than the Necronomicon, Lovecraft distinguishes himself by a flood of adjectival description for every object, person, landscape, and sensation. The effect is hypnotic, causing the reader to feel immersed in the actual location. I have always thought of Dunwich's adjectives as grubby, ramshackle, and decayed; for Arkaham, I think of dark, secretive, ancient, and haunted. After reading the Kingsport sourcebook, I have an even stronger feel for that location: quiet, contemplative, shrouded in mystery. The rhythm of wave and tide pacing the flow of time from one generation to the next. The ubiquitous mists sheltering the town from the march of progress, allowing memories to accumulate. It seems like the perfect location for an ancient mystery to resurface.
One excellent aspect of the Lovecraft country books is the inclusion of at least some of Lovecraft's original stories dealing with the town - that is why we're here, after all. Kingsport's stories are "The Strange High House in the Mist" and "The Festival". I would have also liked to see the inlcusion of "The Terrible Old Man" as well as "The White Ship", but that might conceivably be giving away too much.
There follows some short sections on what life is like in Kingsport, the history of the town, and the low-down on the local cult (which I thought was pretty good). Afterwards is the standard breakdown of the locale into neighborhoods/regions. Each section lists any interesting residents, locations, and any useful items or information located there. I find this to be an excellent inspiration for ideas. If you are not completely into one-shots, an excellent long-term idea would be just to explore the town, investigating history and mystery. I know that my gaming group actually likes this sort of thing better than epic quests and whatnot. I also really like the town directory, sorting people, places and things into categories for easy reference with their page number.
About half of the book is scenarios. There is a short section on how to use character dreams during gameplay and then 3 scenarios. I really can't say much about them without being a spoiler. I can say that "Dead in the Water" has a lot of material and looks very intense and draws out many of the unique characteristics of Kingsport.
One excellent aspect of the Lovecraft country books is the inclusion of at least some of Lovecraft's original stories dealing with the town - that is why we're here, after all. Kingsport's stories are "The Strange High House in the Mist" and "The Festival". I would have also liked to see the inlcusion of "The Terrible Old Man" as well as "The White Ship", but that might conceivably be giving away too much.
There follows some short sections on what life is like in Kingsport, the history of the town, and the low-down on the local cult (which I thought was pretty good). Afterwards is the standard breakdown of the locale into neighborhoods/regions. Each section lists any interesting residents, locations, and any useful items or information located there. I find this to be an excellent inspiration for ideas. If you are not completely into one-shots, an excellent long-term idea would be just to explore the town, investigating history and mystery. I know that my gaming group actually likes this sort of thing better than epic quests and whatnot. I also really like the town directory, sorting people, places and things into categories for easy reference with their page number.
About half of the book is scenarios. There is a short section on how to use character dreams during gameplay and then 3 scenarios. I really can't say much about them without being a spoiler. I can say that "Dead in the Water" has a lot of material and looks very intense and draws out many of the unique characteristics of Kingsport.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Kingsport
5 Oct 2003
I have already the Arkham book, with plans to soon purchase HP Lovecraft's Dunwich, but I have to say I absolutely love HP Lovecraft's Kingsport. It is fll of interesting descriptions, characters, and adventures, as well as a facinating cult that could easily center in a campaign. If there is one thing I do find annoying about this book, it is its size (not very large), but it was still easily worth my money. And one complement I have to give it is that it has finally found a way to drive away those omnipresent ghouls.
All in all, it is a very good book, that portrays a very creepy little town, with enough horror in it to drive more than one investigator mad...
All in all, it is a very good book, that portrays a very creepy little town, with enough horror in it to drive more than one investigator mad...
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