Hunger Awakes: Trail of Cthulhu Gets Four New 1931 Scenarios

A campaign-friendly role for the new collection

Pelgrane presents Hunger Awakes as a set of scenarios designed to work beyond a single narrowly defined theme. Its stated aim is to provide adventures that can serve as a campaign’s second, third, fourth or fifth outing after players complete the introductory scenario in the Trail of Cthulhu book.

That positioning may help keepers looking for material to bridge the gap between a rules introduction and a longer campaign. It is the publisher’s description of the collection’s intended use, however—not a guarantee that every scenario will suit every campaign or group.

Four investigations, four historical starting points

The announced line-up ranges from a hunger-struck Arkham neighborhood to a deadly historical crime case. The other scenarios turn on a reported light over railroad tracks in Arkansas and the Dust Bowl’s destructive force in Oklahoma, each leading investigators toward Mythos threats.

The premises suggest a collection with varied entry points into investigative horror: local desperation, a criminal investigation, an unsettling regional mystery and environmental catastrophe. Pelgrane says each scenario takes inspiration from a historical event from 1931; the announcement does not provide scenario lengths, player counts or mechanical details.

• The Hunger Awakes, by Dean Engelhardt: starvation and a need for flesh in an Arkham neighborhood.
• The Electric Destiny of Francis Crowley, by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan: a notorious young killer’s gun battle and a curious manuscript.
• The Light Over the Tracks, by Heather Albano: a strange glow reported near the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in Gurdon, Arkansas.
• The Face in the Billows, by Jim McCarthy: investigators enter the Dust Bowl’s swirling heart amid remnants of a snake cult.

What existing owners should know

The announcement does not identify Hunger Awakes as a new edition, replacement rulebook or separate game. It is described as part of the Trail of Cthulhu line. Keepers should therefore treat it as a forthcoming scenario project, not as a rules update or evidence that a particular existing book is required beyond the stated connection to the core book’s introductory scenario.

No release date, format, price or ordering details are provided for Hunger Awakes. Pelgrane says the scenarios will go to playtest late in 2026, which is a development milestone rather than a publication promise. The announcement also does not say when playtesting will conclude.

Availability and other Pelgrane updates

A separate announcement in the same update says Pelgrane’s webstore is temporarily closed to customers outside the US and Canada while the publisher changes shipping companies. That is a store-access limitation, not a statement that Hunger Awakes is currently on sale or that it is the reason the project is not yet available.

For keepers planning around the new scenarios, the useful next step is to wait for a playtest or publication announcement before scheduling them into a campaign. That is editorial advice, not a publisher-provided timeline.