Pyramid Scheme - ep.5

Non-Player Characters are so much more than two-dimensional paper dolls, they can be a trusted confidant, an industry expert, or the one sworn to avenge your death. In this episode, Jon and Seth explore the various types of NPCs and how they can be used in your investigative roleplaying games. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you enjoy this content, then please consider supporting the show on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes.  https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social

Keeper Jon was a guest at KamCon in Kamloops, BC (Canada). He hosted a panel with special guests, Dennis Detwiller and Shane Ivey of Arc Dreams Publishing. Jon was also a guest on James Droucker's podcast: Cold Calls & Dice. Give it a listen! https://open.spotify.com/show/0343KlOQIYyyzDl60kErkh +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Modern Mythos Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes.  https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes.  https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social

Please consider supporting Modern Mythos by joining the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos Seth and Jon are joined by Poul Holmelund, author of The Horror, an amazing Call of Cthulhu scenario that utilizes the Kidthulhu rules originally published in the Halloween scenario, The Dare. The Horror is set on the Danish island of Bornholm. It's the 1980s, and the players are kids on a camping trip on the island, when a dark force, originally entombed by the Knights Templar, escapes! And only the kids are able to re-imprison or destroy it! All this and cake too, (seriously)!!! Purchase The Horror on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/578676/the-horror?ruleSystem=10103-call-of-cthulhu&format=1000031-digital?affiliate_id=51821   In Closing... As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes.  https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes.  https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social

Seth and Jon meet in an undisclosed location to discuss games that emphasize keeping the Mythos secret. Can you keep a secret?

Innsmouth, Massachusetts -- a rotting, isolated, and semi-abandoned New England seaport. * * * Seth and Jon are joined by Mike Mason, Chaosium's Creative Director of Call of Cthulhu, as we tour the new Innsmouth sourcebook, available now! Call of Cthulhu: Innsmouth: https://www.chaosium.com/blogout-now-the-longawaited-call-of-cthulhu-innsmouth/ Modern Mythos Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/modern_mythos As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes.  https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes.  https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social

In this episode Seth and Jon take a closer look at The Year of the Goat, a massive anthology of twelve Call of Cthulhu scenarios in a variety of time periods. Today we're talking to Antonio Marchena, Matt "Doc" Tracy, and Evan Perlman.  Antonio Marchena's very first published scenario is THE HOUSE OF FLESH, a modern scenario that emulates the kinds of horrors seen in movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The House of 1000 Corpses.  Doc Tracy authored MOTHER, MAIDEN, CRONE, a scenario of difficult choices set in the 90's.  Evan Perlman partnered with Heinrich Moore as a Project Manager on this amazing and ambitious project.  THE YEAR OF THE GOAT: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/567850/the-year-of-the-goat  ++++++++++++++++ As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes.  https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes.  https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social 

Episode 59 Sponsor: Daniel Harila Carlsen! Thank you, Daniel, for sponsoring this episode. Daniel is an aspiring illustrator, RPG writer, and graphic designer based in Oslo, Norway. He's versatile in a variety of physical mediums and design technologies. He invites you to check out his portfolio and consider him for your next TTRPG project. Portfolio: https://danielharilacarlsen.myportfolio.com/ Daniel illustrated the Tiger Princess of Treacherous Tripura, currently on Backerkit. We'll include some music composed by Michael Sollien for that fantasy RPG campaign at the end of the show. Backerkit: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mudknight-media/the-tiger-princess-of-treacherous-tripura * * * Keris McDonald is the lead editor for the Cthulhu by Gaslight line for Chaosium. Her first project is Dust and Blood, a scenario book for Cthulhu by Gaslight. And she's shaping Gaslight's first major campaign, The Curse of Seven, into its final stage to prepare it for publication. Included in Dust and Blood are two scenarios, Ashes to Ashes, and Signs Writ in Scarlet. Ashes to Ashes: The investigators are assumed to be working-class employees at Lange's Dust Yard, a disposal center for the city's trash. All in the yard is not as it seems, and death looms cloaked in a cloud of dust. Signs Writ in Scarlet: Set in London's East End, the investigators are drawn to solve the mystery of a series of murders. The brutally murdered victims each bear a strange glyph etched into flesh. Dust and Blood: https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-by-gaslight-dust-and-blood-hardcover/?searchid=0&search_query=dust+and+blood * * * Both Mike and Keris also edit and guide Call of Cthulhu products so they are ready for publication, including the new Pulp Cthulhu scenario book, Clockworks and Claws. The scenarios included are Of Clockwork & Clay, and Wolf Among the Flock. Of Clockwork & Clay: Following a break-in at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, the heroes search for a stolen artifact, but the thief is no simple villain! A secret formula, a devilish device, and all manner of villains provide a mystery brimming with intrigue and mayhem. Nothing is what it seems in this race against time to stop a scientist's maniacal scheme. Wolf Among the Flock: The heroes are invited to the funeral of a revered naturalist couple, killed in a tragic accident with one of their own animals in the zoo they managed. But is the beast really to blame? Or, is there something else lurking in the zoo, waiting for its chance to run wild and kill again? [At the time of this episode's publication, the Chaosium site has not been updated to offer Clockworks and Claws.] * * * As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social

Sponsorship: Thank you to artist and friend of the show, Daniel Harila, for sponsoring this episode. Daniel has illustrated every issue to The Blasphemous Tome, (by The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Podcast), for the last three years. Daniel is the artist on The Tiger Princess of Treacherous Tripura, an OSE city-crawl box set currently on Backerkit. The Tiger Princess of Treacherous Tripura is a city-crawl through a profane realm of the subtle divines of Vedic myth created in homage to the City-State of the Invincible Overlord and serving as a meta-commentary on syncreatism, hedonism, and orientalist tropes on India across the history of gaming. * * * Seth attended Chaosium Con USA 2026, and he has returned to tell the tales of gaming, panels, and the love of "Bar-Con." Seth also joined Scott and Keith on the Titterpigs Podcast, so find that episode on your podcatcher of choice. Seth is also excited to run Mongoose's latest Paranoia RPG at a retreat for Dungeon-Tubers. Jon attended Midwest GameFest 2026, and he has tales of witches and panels. And he's excited to run a new (to him) horror RPG called Obscure, by Sunzenaut. * * * As always, a huge thank you to John Sumrow, for our badass logo. Follow him on Facebook, check out his official artist website,  and please consider joining his Patreon account. Links in the show notes.  https://www.facebook.com/johnsumrow http://www.johnsumrow.com https://www.patreon.com/JohnSumrow And finally, we want to thank The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets for generously allowing us to use their song, Gluttony, as our intro and outro music. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's writing and the Call of Cthulhu RPG, then you need to check out The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. Please check out their BandCamp site and their official band site. Links in the show notes.  https://thedarkestofthehillsidethickets.bandcamp.com/  http://thickets.net/  @darkestthickets.bsky.social

Pyramid Scheme is the final chapter in the Time for Sacrifice campaign!  Please join our players as they embark on this final exploration into Central America. Our cast includes...  Ed Morgan as Juan de la Cruz (Luchadores wrestler) Rob Dennis as Loise Brannigan (Librarian) Troy Hansen as Ferguson Tuttle (Author) Dru Clay as Audrey Lake (Criminal Kid/Scamp) Kyle Ashcraft as Caleb Ashland (Author) Andy Meisem as Gunnar Deacon (Photographer) and Jon Hook as the Keeper of Arcane Lore

Pyramid Scheme is the final chapter in the Time for Sacrifice campaign!  Please join our players as they embark on this final exploration into Central America. Our cast includes...  Ed Morgan as Juan de la Cruz (Luchadores wrestler) Rob Dennis as Loise Brannigan (Librarian) Troy Hansen as Ferguson Tuttle (Author) Dru Clay as Audrey Lake (Criminal Kid/Scamp) Kyle Ashcraft as Caleb Ashland (Author) Andy Meisem as Gunnar Deacon (Photographer) and Jon Hook as the Keeper of Arcane Lore