Madness at Geneva Lake - A D read Tale - Alyssa Faden • Luke Gygax

Oct 6, 2026

Madness at Geneva Lake is a Call of Cthulhu scenario supplement set in December 1891 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It opens at Oakwood Spring Sanatarium and follows an investigation tied to the paddle steamer Lucius Newberry, whose 1891 sinking and later salvage efforts add layered context. The narrative blends cosmic horror with roleplaying history and real-place descriptions, reshaping familiar tabletop themes through the lens of the Cthulhu Mythos. The credits and usage notes emphasize it is fiction intended for gameplay.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryComic

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Credits

Scenario background and setting

Investigation elements and historical context

Madness at Geneva Lake A D read Tale Alyssa Fa den • Luke Gygax CREDITS | Authors | Cartography | | --- | --- | | Alyssa Faden, Luke Gygax | Bill Edmunds | | Editorial and | Handouts | | Development
Jack Cull | Alyssa Faden
Layout | | Art Direction | Suzy Moseby | | Matt Everhart | Proofreading | | Cover Art | Jack Cull: my rock, my Posca, | | Artmazigh | and editor extraordinaire | | Interior Art | Special Thanks | | Phil Stone, Lloyd Metcalf | Skeeter, you hero. | This supplement is best used with the Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) roleplaying game, available separately. Call of Cthulhu © 1981–2025 Chaosium Inc. All rights reserved. © 2025 GaxxWorx, LLC. All rights reserved. Madness at Geneva Lake © 2025 Chaosium Inc. All rights reserved. Call of Cthulhu, Chaosium Inc., and the Chaosium dragon are registered trademarks of Chaosium Inc. Chaosium recognizes that credits and copyrights for the Cthulhu Mythos can be difficult to identify, and that some elements of the Mythos may be in the public domain. If you have corrections or additions to any credits given here, please contact us at mythos@ [chaosium.com. This is a work of fiction. This book includes descriptions and portrayals of real places](chaosium.com. This is a work of fiction. This book includes descriptions and portrayals of real places), real events, and real people; these may not be presented accurately and with conformity to the real-world nature of these places, people, and events, and are reinterpreted through the lens of the Cthulhu Mythos and the Call of Cthulhu game in general. No offense to anyone living or dead, or to the inhabitants of any of these places, is intended. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Reproduction of this work by any means without written permission of Chaosium Inc., except for the use of short excerpts for the purpose of reviews and the copying of character sheets and handouts for in-game use, is expressly prohibited. Period photographs were acquired from the Library of Congress or WikiCommons and reside in the Public Domain. Find more Chaosium Inc. products at [chaosium.com. Chaosium Inc. 3450 Wooddale Court Ann Arbor](chaosium.com. Chaosium Inc. 3450 Wooddale Court Ann Arbor), MI 48104 This year, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most influential pioneers in tabletop roleplaying, Chaosium. Greg Stafford formed the company in 1975 in order to publish White Bear and Red Moon, a game set in his fantasy world of Glorantha. The company went on to publish many games including RuneQuest and Pendragon, however the first Chaosium game I ever played was Call of Cthulhu in 1981 at an Autumn Revel at the American Legion Hall in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin if memory serves me correctly. The game immediately captured my interest because of how different it was from the RPGs I was familiar with, such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Metamorphosis Alpha/Gamma World and Traveller. I played the game in the dimly lit basement of the Legion Hall which helped create the right atmosphere to make 11 year old me on the edge of my seat as the Keeper described the horrific scene of slimy tentacled fishfolk and other terrors. My investigator tried to fight, like a hero from the TTRPGs I was used to playing, and that didn’t go so well. I lost my sanity and got killed by the otherworldly beasts. That didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the game, as it was a great change of paradigm from heroic RPGs. The game highlighted skills, investigation and prudent risk taking which I hadn’t really experienced previously. In the years between 1981 and today I have had the good fortune to befriend many great authors, designers and artists including both Rick Meints and Jeff Richard the President and Creative Director of Chaosium respectively. When I was thinking of ways to celebrate their 50th anniversary I decided I needed to create a Call of Cthulhu scenario set in Lake Geneva for play at Gary Con.

FAQs

When and where does Madness at Geneva Lake take place?

It takes place in December 1891 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

What location anchors the scenario’s opening?

The story begins at Oakwood Spring Sanatarium.

How is the paddle steamer Lucius Newberry used in the investigation?

Lucius Newberry is central to the investigation, tied to its sinking on December 19, 1891 and later salvage efforts.

Oct 6, 2026

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