Signal to Noise - an 80s Analog Horror Story (Call of Cthulhu)

October 1989
The quiet town of Summit Heights, Pennsylvania, experiences a series of bizarre broadcast intrusions on local station WSHP-TV Channel 17.

Between the strange and haunting nature of these pirate broadcasts and a recent string of disappearances, the town is on a knife's edge. Station manager Larry Rosenbaum has recruited you to a team of investigators to hunt down these signal intrusions and put a stop to them, but what you find may be stranger and more terrifying than anyone could have imagined!

(CW: body horror, themes of suicide, and child endangerment)

This is a 1980s Call of Cthulhu 7e mini-campaign scenario for 4-5 players with about 12-15 hours of anticipated play. You will need a Discord account (and to join the Terrifying Tabletop server) and Roll20 account to play. Voice chat is required, video engagement is optional. There will be pregens; however if you'd like draw up a character for the game, reach out to me at least a week ahead of time. I will run it for a minimum of 3 players. Newcomers to the group and to the system welcome! CoC 7e is an easy-to-pick-up d100 system where the aim is to roll under your listed ability score (so if I roll a 35 on a skill I have 50 in, I succeed).

These are the expected dates of play:

• Friday July 25th, 7pm EDT
• Friday August 1st, 7pm EDT
• Friday August 22nd, 7pm EDT
• Friday August 29th, 7pm EDT
• (Friday September 12th, 7pm EDT as a rain-check or overflow session)

If you have never played with me before, please DM me on Discord after you sign up for this game. My username is afarmfreshidiot. We have a problem with no-shows, and I will remove you if I do not hear from you to facilitate wait-listed participants. This is to respect everyone's enthusiasm and time.

This is a horror mystery investigation scenario -- roleplay and curiosity are rewarded over "roll play," and I actively encourage thinking outside of the box and pursuing ways to navigate the world that your character is well-suited to, regardless of the apparent challenges. Combat may be required, but tends to be very volatile (if not outright deadly), much like in the real world. My word is last, even if it isn't strictly rules as written: pushback for the sake of creative problem-solving is welcome, but if I've made a ruling, we move on. I run LGBTQI+ inclusive tables; bigotry, bullying, or antagonism of any kind will not be tolerated. You get one warning, and then you will be asked to leave the game.

I am hard of hearing, so please DM me or use visual tools if you want to raise a concern or need the game to pause. I utilize two safety tools:

• X card integration on Roll20;
• a lines and veils document that will be available a week before the game starts, and will remain a living document (subject to change) as the game sessions continue.

I will explain both at the start of session one -- but bear in mind, none of the listed content warnings can made lines; this is a pre-written module with a lot of content that is fashioned around particular plot beats that involve the content warnings. I am happy to go into detail about anything you would like to ensure that should you sign up, you will have a comfortable time playing. Just reach out to me on Discord via DM.