Alone Against the Frost, published by Chaosium INC., is a single player scenario for players of Call of Cthulhu. Set in the Canadian Wilds and the North Hanninah Valley, One Professor, three grad Students and a Guide named Charlie make their way north from Miskatonic University for field research. This game can be played with a Player and a DM or like a single player choose your own adventure. I tested this out myself at first, and then with a couple of friends.
Character Design
The book comes with five premade character sheets which can be photocopied or scanned for players to use. It allows the person running Alone Against the Frost to make accurate rolls for the NPCs if they are required. The characters, Bernard, Sylvia, Norman, and Charlie are well fleshed out and have their own little backstories and pictures to use as references. The Player character is given a name but most of the details are left blank for player interpretation.
Story & Structure
The story starts with a journey down a river with Charlie the Guide pointing you in the right direction. You and your player choose the paths through the Canadian Wilderness in search of evidence of the supernatural. From Frost Giants to Pug-Woogies, and a window into the distant past, Alone Against the Frost provides non-stop heart pounding adventure.
While running this I did notice a few inconsistencies between events in the game. At one point my players obtained a staggering amount of information from a specific location, but when they continued to the next numbered section at the bottom, it implied that they found nothing, and morale was low.
Many of the decisions you make will lead to the deaths or abductions of your NPC’s so in some respects the object of the game is to keep your NPCs alive. If you manage to survive the wilderness and make it back to Fort McDonald, you must roll to save your career and reputation. While this may seem like spoilers, I can assure you there are many ways for players to end their adventures before returning.
Overall Thoughts
As someone who is well versed in the Cthulhu Mythos, and Call of Cthulhu, I very much enjoyed playing and running this game. The references to specific Gods, Monsters and Places direct from H.P Lovecraft, his contemporaries and correspondents works shows the authors Glenn Rahman and Gavin Inglis did their research. Despite a one or two minor issues, Alone Against the Frost is a fun way to spend an afternoon if you are new to Call of Cthulhu or if you are an experienced player.
