The Arbuthnott Papers is a session-by-session campaign journal of Tournament of Shadows, the epic Call of Cthulhu campaign published by Chaosium and set against the Great Game of nineteenth-century Central Asia. Written in the voice of a Victorian periodical, these posts record the play of one group's run through the campaign over forty-two sessions.
The journal is intended for two audiences. Keepers will find a worked example of how Tournament of Shadows plays at the table. Players and readers with no intention of running it are welcome too — the writing is constructed to be enjoyed as Victorian-flavoured horror fiction in its own right.
This story was a collaboration, and like all good tales, grew in the telling. While the author of Tournament of Shadows is proud of his input, the characters created here are all the work of the playtesters who played through the first draft. A story is nothing without main characters of depth, desire, and empathy, and the players who created and brought these characters to life deserve immense credit. The Editor of these papers will remain anonymous, and like the heroes is, of course, imaginary.
If these papers persuade you that Tournament of Shadows would suit your table, the campaign is available from Chaosium on DriveThruRPG. The work is excellent and richly deserves your support; this journal is offered in tribute to it, not as a substitute for it.
For an introduction to the recovered papers in the voice of their Editor, see From the Editor. Keepers running the published edition should also consult A Note on the Text, which records small variations between the playtest run and the published campaign.
Spoiler warning: these papers spoil every part of Tournament of Shadows. If you intend to play it as an investigator, please go no further.