The Past is Doomed - A 1990s Call of Cthulhu Scenario of Conspiratorial Dread

Oct 6, 2026

A 1990s Call of Cthulhu scenario, set in the Arkham of the decade and designed to place that era in perspective against the full twentieth century. The plot uses a phantom, intrusive past with dream-like mechanics and explores how forces and beings of the Cthulhu Mythos shaped the American nation’s decline by the end of the 20th century. The scenario is intended for at least two sessions and includes guidance for running it and adapting it to later campaign settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages48

Reading Time1 h 14 min

AccessFree to download

Scenario Considerations

Keeper's Background

Running the Scenario in a Post-9/11 World

chaosium digest classics A 1990s Call of Cthulhu Scenario of Conspiratorial Dread By Geoff Gillan Author's Note The Past is Doomed shares with many of my previous Call of Cthulhu scenariosa fascination with history, in this case the history of the twentieth century in America. It was intended for a Cthulhu Now adventure book, back when the nineties were ‘now’, but didn’t fit what was wanted for that book. It was since published in the wonderful Chaosium Digest and even found a half-life being recommended as a Delta Green adventure by a kindly Delta Green fansite (if that isn’t a contradiction in terms) . It is conspiratorial and hyperbolic and possibly mad, and tends to attract either fans or foes. I am delighted to see this strange shambling thing find new and shining life thanks largely to Dean Engelhardt’s efforts. Dean is the recording angel to Call of Cthulhu writers. He manages to combine the seemingly incompatible elements offan, art director, editor and collaborator and do it with coherence and style. I suspect he has made some kind of deal with elder entities to attain this degree of skill, but I am too afraid to ask. Geoff Gillan February 2012 CLEAR CREDIT This scenario was written by Geoff Gillan and first published in the Chaosium Digest, Volume 9, Numbers 9—11 (February, 1995) . Expanded handouts, Editorial and PDF layout / design for this version was by Dean Engelhardt ([dean@cs.adelaide.edu.au](dean@cs.adelaide.edu.au)). Photoshop art by Dean Engelhardt. Cover design by Patty Hornlea. Proofreading and Copy-editing by Andy Miller Fake move poster “No More Teachers” by farfel88 on deviantArt, photograph of actor Lionel Stander at the HUAC hearings 1953 courtesy of Library of Congress, [Rex Chase photo from julianamos.hubpages.com](Rex Chase photo from julianamos.hubpages.com), Douglas Stoop photo from Captain Catan on flickr, Hammerman photo by Marius Fiskum on www.fotopia.no, Glenda photo released by actress Sandra Shine under Gnu Free Documentation License, photo of the 1984-5 famine in Ethiopia by United Nations Photo on flickr, photo of woman in Civil War era costume is by WDWParksGal-Stock on DeviantArts. The book review (of Nancy Kress’“Beggars in Spain”) is by Ben Babcock from goodreads.com Unless otherwise noted, all these images are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Remaining images are sourced either from clipart collections or sources for which copyright has expired. This PDF edition was published in February, 2012 on the Cthulhu Reborn blog ([cthulhureborn.wordpress.com](cthulhureborn.wordpress.com)). It is a copyrighted work but is released for free distribution under a Creative Commons License. 2 SCENARIo CoNSIDERATIoNS The Past is Doomed is a detailed scenario set in the Arkham of the 1990s. It attempts to put the Arkham of that decade in perspective, measured against its history throughout the 20th Century. Unlike many Call of Cthulhu scenarios, the setting of this adventure is integral to the plot – relocating it to another place or time is certainly possible (see sidebar), but requires some effort on the part of the Keeper. This scenario’s use of a phantom, yet sometimes intrusive past employs some of the mechanics of the Dreamlands, explained briefly in Call of Cthulhu Sixth Edition (and more fully in H.P. Lovecraft’s Dreamlands) . These mechanics are fully explained within the scenario, and Keepers and players should not consider this piece a Dreamlands one, merely one with dream-like sequences. The Past is Doomed also reflects on the past of the American nation and what has brought the country to the unique place it occupies at the end of the 20th Century. It also explores some of what the forces and beings of the Cthulhu Mythos have been doing in that era. This forms a kind of link between activities of 1920s Call of Cthulhu investigators and those active in more modern times. The scenario should take two sessions at least and no

FAQs

What is the main setting and timeframe of the scenario?

The scenario is set in the Arkham of the 1990s, using that decade to examine themes and moods tied to the uncertainty after the Millennium and the feeling of looking back on an almost-gone century.

How does the scenario’s past connect to Dreamlands mechanics?

It uses phantom and intrusive past elements that employ some dream-like mechanics, explained within the scenario, but it is not meant to be treated as a full Dreamlands piece.

How much time and player skill level is required to run it?

It should take at least two sessions, and no special investigator skill level is necessary.

Oct 6, 2026

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