The Whistleblower – Time RIP 2

Author: Daniel Profeta
Publisher: Miskatonic Repository
Page Count: 4
Available Formats:
PDF (DTRPG) – Pay What You Want

As a member of various Call of Cthulhu communities, I have the pleasure of seeing lots of creative folks plug their newest projects. Daniel Profeta is better known for his YouTube series that he prolifically posts everywhere, maybe a little too much, but I digress. Having taken the time to watch several of his videos, I was aware that he had published a small number of items through the Miskatonic Repository. I decided to grab one of his scenarios from the Miskatonic Repository and give it a quick read.

To date, the Whistleblower is unlike anything I have come across in the Miskatonic Repository. It is neither a scenario nor is it quite a story hook, despite it being billed as such. It’s a weirdly contrived “idea” that plays on the impeachment trial of the President of the United States, albeit with a dark and satirical tone. The overarching premise is that a heretofore unknown mask of Nyarlathotep, know as the “Whistleblower” is pulling the strings of the U.S. government and is driving everything toward the impeachment. While two predominant news media companies fan the flames with biased and divisive reporting.

Keepers will need to re-think how they might otherwise prepare for a game. This hook assumes the players will take on roles as a democrat or republican politicians instead of traditional investigators. Who then battle it out in what should be a court-themed story, a “whodunit” of sorts, while the Keeper is charged with pressing them all to figure out who the “Whistleblower” is.

As I said, it’s a weirdly contrived scenario hook that just doesn’t fit well with Call of Cthulhu, even modern-era themes. Unfortunately, the current divide between our two major political parties here in the U.S.A. will only drive the wedge deeper and closer to home. With the recent impeachment trial of President Trump, those who sided for impeachment and those against impeachment get to rehash the event with the outcome being against it; the whistleblower an unnatural force at the root of it. This will alienate and belittle players who supported impeachment and embolden those against it, as this scenario is derived from that event. This scenario hook has the potential to cause a rift in your gaming group by bringing real-life politics to your gaming table under the guise of fiction. Rationalizing real-life polarizing events even when colored in fiction while dismissing its outcome by using otherworldly reasons diminishes the event and those who experienced it. It’s wrong and sophomoric.

The presentation of the 4-page package is horrible; inconsistent paragraph indentations, template header notes were not removed or followed for that matter, and the spacing between paragraphs is inconsistent. There is no artwork, save for the preview image at DTRPG, not that it would benefit from having artwork.

While I fully understand the Daniel Profeta is a teenager and aspiring content creator, but this product does not do him any favors. I feel he’d be better off taking this as constructive criticism. He’s got potential, and I hope he thinks more critically about what he publishes for public consumption in the future.

In the end, this is definitely one Miskatonic Repository product I would recommend avoiding!

~ Modoc

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