The Orgillion Horror (1989) is another Shadow World module — this is the one I wanted back in the day, for reasons that are murky to me now. Perhaps the cover was used in advertising? Whatever the reason I had seen it, I definitely wanted to know more based on David Martin’s cover. That mansion just looks so strange! And fancy that: this is basically the “I’m a fan of Lovecraft and want to show it” Shadow World adventure. It’s a delightful mix of genuine horrors and winking references.

Unlike a lot of Shadow World material, this book is just adventure without the usual accompaniment of setting information. The adventure is in three parts. The first is an investigation of the estate on the cover, which the players can move into and renovate, thanks to convenient inheritance. It is, of course, full of gothic horrors, ghosts, lost treasure and other tasty treats. When all is said and done, it turns out that the player’s late uncle has a task for them, which requires digging him up, the subject of the second part. The crypt also contains a crystal skull, which I have to assume is a reference to underloved horror classic House II. Once you get Uncle Tytus’ corpse, you bring it back to the house resurrect so he can lead on to the final part: an expedition to a desert ruin inhabited by curious star-shaped aliens and some brain-eating entities. Good stuff made even better by Jennell Jaquays art throughout.