Mysteries of Mesoamerica, The

Laid out and illustrated by Blair Reynolds, The Mysteries of Mesoamerica is a labor of love, and it shows on every page. With a sourcebook by Clint Staples and four scenarios written by Pagan regulars John H. Crowe III and Brian Appleton, Mysteries of Mesoamerica is a product that will move the bar by which products in the RPG market are judged.

Inside you will find everything you need to immerse your players in the world of Mesoamerican archeology during the classic Call of Cthulhu period. The first 84 pages are sourcebook material, beginning with Clint Staples material describing the cultures that dominated the New World before the arrival of Columbus, with particular attention to the details of the religious themes that dominated the region: blood, sacrifice, death. There is also information on the modern states of the region including revolutionary Mexico and Banana Republics like Honduras, and the histories of the most important figures in the study of these ancient peoples. Brian Appleton has written articles on the ancient weapons of the Mesoamericans, as well as cataloging the deities and monsters of local mythology. Besides his exquisitely bloodcurdling illustrations, Blair Reynolds has also contributed an article on Maya calendrics, which should be of interest to everyone as the winter solstice of 2012 continues to approach.

Covering another 120 pages, the four independent scenarios do not form a cohesive campaign, but as all of the scenarios require the same skill set (experts in Mesoamerican archeology) from player characters, a Keeper could easily run all four of the scenarios in sequence.

• "The Well of Sacrifice," by John H. Crowe III, is a bit of a legend around Pagan Publishing. Playtested again and again, the scenario gained the nick-name "The Boneyard." Let's hope your players fair better than we did.
• "The Mehirs in the Grotto," by Brian Appleton, brings the Investigators to central Mexico, where an ancient evil is being unearthed by modern progress.
• "The Heretics," by John H. Crowe III, places the Investigators between two warring groups of Mythos cultists, with very few good options open to them.
• "The Temple of the Toad," by Brian Appleton, provides a grim epilogue to a classic tale of the Cthulhu Mythos, one that could easily consume the members of an expedition into the jungles of Honduras.

And speaking of unlucky, foolish and otherwise doomed Investigators, keep an eye out for a new feature in The Mysteries of Mesoamerica that will become a standard feature in upcoming Pagan Publishing products: The P.C. R.I.P. which chronicles those stalwart adventurers who failed one too many die rolls or ignored the advice of fellow players. Each R.I.P. includes the player character's name, profession, date of death and any notable last words. Or at least the stupid thing they said just before they got themselves killed.