Before dedicating ourselves to the analysis and review of Journal d’Indochine, we would like to thank Sons of the Singularity for sending us a physical copy of their latest effort, so that we could tell you about it. For those unfamiliar with this publishing house, we point out that it produced and designs independent role-playing games and was founded by Jesse Covner and Jason Sheets in 2018.
If you would like to buy this product after reading this review, you can find it in a physical version directly on the publisher’s website at the cost of 50$. If you prefer the digital version, you can find it on DriveThruRPG for $20.
Journal d’Indochine is a collection of scenarios for Call of Cthulhu. To immerse yourself in these scenarios, it is, therefore, necessary to know the rules of the game they are based on.
Journal d’Indochine is set in a region and period that has rarely been explored in the world of RPGs; the manual is designed to help the Keeper and players quickly immerse themselves in the story, deal with the themes and learn about the factions of French Indochina.
The authors have spent many years in Asia and know the places described first-hand. It is important to know that they turned to Vietnamese consultants, to try to maintain cultural and historical authenticity.
Journal d’Indochine: the Project
The first thing I want to point out is that Journal d’Indochine is made up of two volumes; each, as we will discover in this review, has a life of its own but for the full experience I suggest you read both. The former includes four scenarios, each featuring different playstyles. The second volume contains the French Foreign Legion manual and four additional scenarios.
Each volume consists of about 200 pages and is full of historical events and fascinating contexts; in addition to this, we also find precious maps to be able to immerse in this fascinating setting. All scenarios are set between 1925 and 1954 and can be played in traditional or pulp mode.
The Setting of Journal d’Indochine
The manual opens with an interesting and comprehensive picture of the history of the region now known as Vietnam; starting from its first colonizations until approximately the 60s. In about ten pages, the authors manage to frame, with concise precision, the fundamental stages in the history of this region. Attention is particularly focused on the power vacuum following the Second World War and French colonialism in that area.
The first half of the 20th century was a time of chaos and political turmoil in French Indochina. As foreign imperialists struggled to maintain their precarious grip on the region, the townspeople scrambled to overthrow their tormentors.
Radical religious movements like Cao Dai arose to spread the blessings of a strange and unfathomable God. While Hòa Hảo’s Buddhist militias held up the prophecy of a king’s return, Binh Xuyen’s gangsters schemed to gain territory for their criminal enterprises. Meanwhile, revolutionary students preached new secular philosophies that promised utopia for oppressed workers.
It is not possible to summarize in a few lines the work done by the authors to make the history of this region palpable and vivid. The contents, as they admit, are not exhaustive; however, it is possible to integrate, if one wishes, by adding details and events. I recommend treating with due respect, the same used by the authors, the historical facts and atrocities that have been committed in this part of the world over the centuries.
However, it is good to always remember that these are plots designed for a horror game; the issues addressed will therefore be strong and potentially disturbing. The authors, as expected, have reserved the right spaces for the content warnings necessary when approaching games of this type.
References to the Rules
As we said at the beginning of this review, Journal d’Indochine relies on the Call of Cthulhu regulation. It, therefore, does not have a game system; for each scenario, it provides a story background, information about pre-generated characters, and details of the game world.
The Keeper, the name by which the narrator is called in this game, can use these cards as a tool to present the conflict between the various factions in the game or between the players, in case you want to opt for this narrative solution. It is assumed that at the beginning of a scenario, each player has a sheet with all the notions needed to start playing.
The Keeper can always create one of these cards on his initiative but he must ensure that the content is not inconsistent with the setting of the proposed campaign. In any case, the information cards must be delivered privately to each player to maintain a certain level of tension; this is the personal and confidential information of the characters and sharing it could cause even unpleasant consequences.
Four Nightmare Scenarios
As we said at the beginning of this Journal d’Indochine review, the first volume contains four scenarios. Adventures can be played individually, or in sequence to create a campaign. As always, we will try not to make spoilers when introducing the proposed plots.
It is important to know that for each scenario, in addition to information on the places and mysteries to be solved, a precise timeline of events, the summary diagram, any opponents and NPCs and the appropriate maps are provided. To complete the package there are also the necessary handouts and 6 pre-generated characters.
But let’s find out what are, in principle, the events in which the investigators will find themselves embroiled.
The Fertile Red Lands of Cochinchina puts the detectives in the service of the French-Indochinese Rubber Company. They will have to reach a plantation in a recovery and peacemaking mission. Several events took place on the plantation, culminating in a disturbing distress call sent to the Saigon police.
In Black Sea Rising the investigators are members of the OSS and the Việt Minh tasked with disrupting Operation Moon God Ascending. It is a covert mission conducted by Japanese naval intelligence and Gen’yōsha.
Expédition Lemont: The Lost City of Yian-Ho leads investigators to follow in the footsteps of the expedition of Augustin Lemont, a French Catholic priest who had travelled throughout southern Indochina in the late 19th century (1886-1899). He was known for his anthropological research on Indochinese ethnic minorities and remote tribes.
Operation Desperado assumes all investigators are part of GCMA 3rd Platoon, led by Captain Vanberge. These are men from different military units recruited to perform a specific mission. Each character has precise orders which should not be shared with others.
Review of The Manual of the French Foreign Legion of Journal d’Indochine
Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, it is possible to expand the game context with another volume: The Manual of the French Foreign Legion.
The second volume of Journal d’Indochine is therefore all about the military corps that has earned a reputation as an elite unit made up of romantic fools, misfits and diehards. It is a real campaign, made up of 4 scenarios.
As with the first volume, The Manual of the French Foreign Legion also offers a decidedly interesting historical overview; it is punctual and exhaustive, without being verbose or excessive. Since the Foreign Legion’s primary role was to expand and protect the French Colonial Empire throughout the world, the investigators taking on this campaign will be Legionnaires battling human threats and facing Mythos.
I liked the table with the ranks within the Legion, their equivalent in the US Army and the representation of the insignia. I think it’s a detail that helps players immerse themselves in a context that is often not too well known.
Also in this volume, the places where the investigators will have to move are well-detailed; in the same way, the historical characters and a specific narrative hook for each branch of the Legion are presented in a precise and functional way, leaving the choice of the body to which they belong to the players.
A Campaign Full of Mystery and Horror
Inside The Manual of the French Foreign Legion, as I pointed out at the beginning of the Journal d’Indochine review, four scenarios are included.
The Roulette expects the investigators to be members of the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Infantry Regiment in Cao Bằng. This scenario opens with the Christmas dinner celebrations at Fort Cao Bằng. The characters attend an Epicurean feast and, after gorging themselves on food and wine, are forced to escort a caravan leaving the following morning.
The Fate of the Cá Ông has the detectives board a modest but sturdy boat, the Cả Ông, as a crew of Vietnamese fishermen. What could go wrong during a fishing excursion that is the primary source of income for the families of the protagonists?
In Parchments of Tam a local mandarin is horrified and baffled by the excavation work at Minh Mang’s tomb; he, therefore, contacts Mr Long (head of a local intelligence cell) for both the Vietnamese and French resistance movements.
Operation Grass Cutter is meant to be played as a campaign and has zero sessions; also contains several links to Black Sea Rising. In this scenario the investigators are called to join a special multi-national detachment; the mission is to discover and stop the Japanese empire’s secret program to build new weapons.
Review of the Aesthetics of Journal d’Indochine
Although each scenario is written by a different author, the final product is still homogeneous; this is also possible thanks to an aesthetic choice that uniforms text and images. The whole is therefore extremely understandable and flowing.
Both volumes have a careful and careful layout. Choosing a perfectly legible font and two-column layout helps a lot in finding what is needed to play. Each paragraph is easily traceable in the text also thanks to a functional index.
All the images that punctuate both volumes mix period illustrations and photos. The choice, albeit peculiar, is certainly impactful and transfers the right level of realism, perfect for scenarios like these.
Conclusions of the Review of Journal d’Indochine
Journal d’Indochin has an affordable price and the care and attention given to the context and historical verisimilitude make these two volumes particularly interesting. This clean and never redundant aesthetics and the choice of a decidedly legible font that recalls that of a typewriter of the period are the extra touches that will captivate the purists. The captivating and exotic plots will also enthral the sceptics with the excuse to delve into a little-known area of the world.
In short, if you are a fan of the horror genre and want to approach a little-known setting full of mystery and charm, Journal d’Indochine is definitely for you!