The Book of Dark Wisdom is a new Call of Cthulhu Gaming magazine from Elder Signs Press. It's digest sized (5 " by 8 ") coming in at 64 pages with full colour glossy covers, the first issue front cover features a suitably chaotic piece of artwork by veteran mythos artist John Coulthart. The contents of issue 1 have already been listed in a previous news item, rather than systematically going through each again, what follows are aspects that struck me about this first issue from a new publisher.
Issue 1 starts with 'Reflections from Leng' by Chaosium Staffer, Dustin Wright. In a couple of pages Dustin details the ups and downs of Chaosium in recent years and promises a brighter future for the company and the game in the next 12 months. The news is cheery to hear and it's good to see what Chaosium has planned, as told directly from the horse's mouth. 'Reflections from Leng' looks to become a regular feature, which will hopefully fill a spot vacated by Sandy Petersen in a similar column for the fanzine DAGON back in the 80's.
The next few pages (and a few beyond) cover three more Departments: Dark Library, Strange Beings and Relics - dealing with new tomes, NPCs/Monsters and artefacts respectively. Well written and concise. The 'Multidimensional Transgressor' machine certainly looks like fun. :)
Under 'Adventures, Articles, Fiction and Poetry' there's an eclectic mix of material including a couple of 'unanticpated encounters' including the ultra-modern 'Ghost Mail' by David Conyers, some short poetic prose works, part one of a multi-part history of the FBI, mythos fiction: Program of the Elder Gods and perhaps my favourite piece of the lot 'Only After Dark' - a scenario and tour of Greenwich Village in the 1920s (for both BRP & d20). What's particularly nice about the latter is that in a short amount of space it manages to convey some of the history and feeling of this bohemian locale along with words of advice for the Keeper and a suitably engaging scenario. While the maps are functional, it's also nice to see the use of period photographs to illustrate many of the discussed locations.
A rather entertaining find in the magazine was the 'Cthulhu Word Circle' puzzle, identifying given words in the criss-cross text. Dark Wisdom very kindly also provide the solution later on the magazine, although I wonder if the space could have been better used elsewhere, with perhaps the solution provided on the web site instead. It's a fun thing and I'd like to see more of such in the future (crosswords, word games, insane dot-to-dots!).
The Book of Dark Wisdom also features some good interior artwork by the likes of Allen Koszowski, Bryan Reagan and Cathy Buburuz along with nice spot pieces throughout.
One of the things that especially appeals to me about the magazine is the decision to use the Digest format rather than the more typical A4/US letter size. For me at least, it makes it easier to carry around and peruse at leisure. I remember DAGON magazine's growth in popularity once it changed to this format, and I can't help but associate 'The Unspeakable Oath's' major slowdown in publication when it moved away from Digest format. None of these may be related, but it does stick in my mind!
The Book of Dark Wisdom is a good, solid first issue from Elder Signs Press, and I'm already looking forward to the next issue, which I hear will have an increased page count (to 88 pages for a dollar extra). The only additional recommendations I would make would be to have an editorial page to give the magazine a voice.
All in all a worthwhile read, and for only $5 (US) per issue, a bargain to boot.
