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It’s the 90’s, you’re in the middle of nowhere with your partner. You are trying to rekindle a failing relationship, but there is something dark lurking in the woods that could prevent that from happening. It’s dark, and cold and your adventure starts with a VHS tape.
If you are looking for a one shot to see if Call of Cthulhu is right for you, and you are craving a little 90’s Nostalgia, then this is the game for you. Alone Against the Static is Chaosiums latest release in the “Alone Against” series. Thy are self-contained one-shots you can play by yourself or one or two friends.
The Book Itself
I had been holding out for this one since it was announced. Unlike the previous books, Alone Against the Static was only available in hardcover. Written by B. W. Holland, this book is in a choose your own adventure style, which incorporates dice rolls in the style of Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition. It is a Cabin in the Woods style horror story that begins on the road deep in the woods.
The artwork is beautifully done and helps bring the story to life as you flick back and forth between pages, secretly hoping your decision or dice roll doesn’t lead you to that particular consequence.
The writing style along with the art builds an atmosphere that draws you into the story and the landscape. Tall trees and rotting sheds, and that familiar sound of tv static is artfully created to keep you enthralled.
Characters
When you begin you have a choice between Charlie and Alex. Their full character sheets are supplied at the back of the book. While the artwork implies that Charlie is female, and Alex is male, the language used is gender neutral, so you can play who you like how you like. In previous versions gender was always implicitly implied and I quite like the flexibility of this one.
Both Charlie and Alex have distinctive threads within Alone Against The Static, so it does not really allow you to create your own character and fit them into the story.
Story
The story is set in the 90’s, so there is a touch of nostalgia about it. VHS tapes, camcorders and no cell phones. However, that is the extent of the 90’s encroaching into this story, as most of it is spent exploring the woods and fighting the monsters.
One of the things I enjoyed about this was certain choices forced certain pathways, and a nice tidy tracking system is supplied. What this means is that some choices, even choosing your character, meant certain pathways opened or closed for you. Often you would come to a page where it would say something like, “if you chose Alex go to this number, if you chose Charlie go to this number”. Or “If you have the word Lockdown checked go to this number,”. It felt like there were more consequences for your actions.
As someone who has been steeped in the Cthulhu mythos for some time, I did not find any direct connection to literary works of Lovecraft or his contemporaries. Having said that, it is not necessarily a bad thing.
Overall
Alone against the Static is a quick one shot to help dip your toes into the Call of Cthulhu system. The art is very dark and spooky, and the writing is packed full of imagery and detailed descriptions which builds an atmosphere that sets you on edge. It also works if you want a quick game to fill an evening, instead of delving into a full campaign or a novel. Overall, this game was exactly what I expected when it arrived on my doorstep.