Hello there!

I've been considering buying this game, but there's one thing that worries me: replayability.

I mean, the game has five scenarios. A few more can be picked up in the expansions. Overall, you can have about ten scenarios or so... doesn't it mean that the game could be played only up to ten times?

If I understand correctly, the key thing in the game is the mystery, the players' struggle to understand what's going on in each scenario. So, if they solve a scenario (partially, even), there's no point for them to revisit it. Meaning, you play this game a few times, then it becomes useless...

I love Lovecraftian stories, but I think whether there's a point in picking up this (expensive) game? Especially as I also have the Call of Cthulhu RPG books

Or am I getting this wrong and this game can be played repeatedly?

I'll first start by noting that the fifth scenario in the base game requires at least three players, and more is recommended. So it's a no-go for a two-player game. If you plan to play this game with just two, you will only have access to four scenarios.

However, all that aside, I'll alleviate your concerns. The designers of MoM addressed the replayability issue in a very clever way: each scenario has three possible climax scenarios, and so three possible conditions where the investigators win or lose the game ("Objectives"). If you have investigators who have seen the scenario before, they still cannot be sure of the particular way to win.

Don't forget that there are two major expansions to the game. Altogether, this brings the number of scenarios up to nearly 20. Some of the later-designed scenarios actually found ways to get away with a single objective every time, but the means to accomplish it is the unpredictable part. There is one scenario in Call of the Wild that is revealed immediately at the start and the investigators still have to explore in order to accomplish it.

So, I wouldn't worry about replayability. MoM's weakness lies in its occasional design flaws and imbalance but I don't feel that this fatally affects the game. I still love it dearly and default on it as a great example of a boardgame that can tell a story and immerse players in hopelessness.

There are also fan made scenarios available on BGG.

Ah! Thank you for your opinion, guys.

As the custom scenarios were mentioned, I was wondering: how hard is it to make custom scenarios for this game?

Depends on how you want the scenario to be structured: the more linear the seeding of initial cards is, the easier it is to build. Nonetheless, I'd not call it "easy" in any case: there are several elements to consider, often time triggers, and it'd require quite a fine tuning.

Ah! Thank you for your opinion, guys.

As the custom scenarios were mentioned, I was wondering: how hard is it to make custom scenarios for this game?

It is quite time consuming. I designed two scenarios, and they both took about a year (ot two) from begining to the end --but I am a slow worker with almost no free time--.

Yes, I wanted to design some MoM adventures, but I quickly realized that it's practically impossible to feel out the game balance at a glance or be comparing a new creation to existing ones like in Elder Sign or Arkham Horror. I really think the only way to design a balanced scenario is through trial and error, and a heck of a lot of playtesting.