The Secret of Chimneypots is a short scenario written for the glorious Casting the Runes roleplaying game (itself a derivation of the GUMSHOE ruleset modified to replicate the Edwardian ghost stories of M R James). Produced as an exclusive reward during the game’s crowdfunding campaign in 2020, the scenario is a self-contained mystery that can be easily run in a few hours.
Written by Christian Jensen Romer and released by The Design Mechanism, this publication is 30 pages all up and can accommodate a party of any size (although the author recommends up to 5 Investigators). Similar in design and layout to the core Casting the Runes rulebook (see here for my thoughts on that book) it has a very evocative cover drawn by Júlio Rocha, and a liberal sprinkling of period photos and line art throughout (including a very nice piece illustrating the adventure ‘McGuffin’ and some decent maps).
The adventure itself is set in the winter of 1900 and revolves around the strange events arising from the death of one Lionel Sharp, the owner of the small country holding called Chimneypots House. Drawn into this mystery, the Investigators will soon discover that the hauntings at the house are far darker and menacing than any simple ghost of the manor’s previous proprietor.