In 2018, my group and I began our daring journey as intrepid explorers to the desolate landscapes of Antarctica. Their goal, as members of the Starkweather-Moore Expedition in 1933, were to investigate the tragedy of the Dyer-Lake Expedition (based on H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness), and pass over the towering peaks of the Miskatonic Range with superior aircraft technology. What lied on the other side becomes humanity’s greatest discovery, and their greatest fears realized.

I consider Charles and Janyce Engan’s (et al.) Beyond the Mountains of Madness to be the greatest Call of Cthulhu campaign to have been written. Unlike some of its siblings, like Horror of the Orient Express or Masks of Nyarlathotep – the campaign stands proud with an ethos of severity, realism, and a mutedness that reflects the icy landscape the player characters find themselves on.

Fortunately, the campaign is back in print, but is sorely due for a remake (the grapevine suggests that Chaosium is well underway in this effort) – with many aspects of the campaign lacking in modernized props and handouts. Over the course of developing the campaign, I have made a fair few that any enterprising GM could use in their own playthrough.

Note: I am dissatisfied with the condition of these props, and am hoping to recreate them in the future. The files are unavailable until then.

Useful links:

Geedunk Props: A now-dead website that was partnered with the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (H.P.L.H.S.) that created some incredibly high-quality props for Beyond the Mountains of Madness and more. The linked website has taken the effort to mirror the documents that may have once been lost.

HPLHS Prop Collection – Vol. 1: I’d consider this an essential collection of props for anyone looking to host a scenario based in the 1920s/30s. In here is a collection of 80 handouts that can be customized, ranging from hunting licenses to telegrams. In BtMoM, I extensively used the passport and telegrams found here.

Mountainsofmadness.org: A reservoir of information awaits! It is full of session logs, podcast episodes, and other resources for you to look at. Made by an admirer of the campaign, just like myself.

Shipwreck Library: A surprise to be sure, and only discovered by a chance look on Google for the S.S. Gabrielle. It contains extensive Campaign Notes, a revision on Chapter 4-B of BtMoM, and an expansion on the Wallaroo Chapter, too.

Worldwide Wireless Newsreel – Antarctic Expedition: A video created by the H.P.L.H.S. that acts as a primer for their radio play At the Mountains of Madness, it can also be used as a primer for players joining your campaign.