Alone Against The Tide Review

Alone Against the Tide is another one-shot game from Chaosium for the 7th Edition of Call of Cthulhu. You start the story on a ferry to the small town of Esbury situated at the edge of a lake. You will fight criminals, solve murders and find hidden treasures. It is a creepy adventure that takes a lot of lore from the story “The Doom that Came to Sarnath” by H.P. Lovecraft. This is not a detraction as I enjoyed picking up the references I recognized.

Character Design

The two premade characters you can choose from in Alone Against the Tide, are Eleanor and Ellery Woods. Similar in name, skills and backstory, but different in gender. There is also an option to create your character. The beginning of the story has sections that will walk you through that process. It gives you instructions on what percentages you are allowed to choose from. It even gives you sections for which to choose your occupation. It is a good way to teach new players how to build characters in a way that incorporates them into the story.

Story & Structure

The story I found very intriguing. If you choose the premade character, you are on your way to Esbury after the unexpected death of a colleague. This leads to interactions with police, other intelligentsia, and dangerous criminals. In the beginning, you have a choice to go straight to the hotel, or you can choose to start the adventure right away and go to the late-night estate sale of your deceased friend. I found it amusing that the estate sale was happening during the night, but I think it added to the atmosphere of Alone Against The Tide. There are a lot of things to investigate and Alone Against the Tide has a lot of twists and turns and opportunities for things to go wrong. It is set up like a choose-your-own adventure where some of the decisions are made through dice rolls.

Overall Thoughts

Alone Against the Tide is uncomplicated and has many of the traditional Lovecraft references that one normally expects in the Call of Cthulhu game. It seems very simple, but the story beats you’re your attention and you never feel bored. The outcomes are varied and there are many moments where the plot thickens in a satisfying way. This is ideal for people wanting to test out the system and see if it is right for them.