Props & Handouts

In a number of games, I enjoy creating detailed prop books and handouts for the players. The tactile experience of handling an ‘in world’ book adds great deal to the sense of immersion.

Call of Cthulhu: Beyond the Mountains of Madness

When I decided to run the classic award winning Call of Cthulhu campaign, Beyond the Mountains of Madness (Chaosium, 1999) I wanted to give the players physical books like their PCs would receive as they departed on their expedition to Antarctica. So I compiled the game’s information on antartic exploration and survival into an expedition training manual, with a foldout map of the continent or what was known in 1933. Additionally, a crucial element of the game is managing supples due to the harsh enviroment, so I compiled the lists of expedition gear and supplies into a booklet for the players to reference. And in the game, a special editon of edgar Allen Poe’s book The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym is an important clue, so I made a facimalie edition integrating the ame specific content.

Note on copyrighted material: All three books contained text taken directly from Chaosium Beyond the Mountains of Madness book. These books were created soley for use in my personal game, and were not distributed.

Call of Cthulhu: Miskatonic University Catalog

For my personal Call of Cthulhu 7th edition campaign, I wanted to structure it around the fictional university of Miskatonic, in Arkham. So for this I provided each player an acceptance letter before we started character creation. I also created a 64 page course catalog that provided key information about the university and the classes offered to the players. They were free to pick classes for their PC to attend for the semester if they wanted, (and several did.)

Delta Green: ISAG

For my personal Delta Green RPG campaign, I wanted to kick the campaign off with the players not being sure of who their characters were working for at first. As the game was set in 1994, I created a binder for the players for the fictional ISAG with orientation and policies that blurred the line between inworld document and player’s rulebook. They received the binders in a FedEx Box at the start of character creation, after they had arrived at a PC concept, along with laminated consultant IDs on Lariats with their character’s cover identities. (Except for the FBI agent who got a prop badge.)

Delta Green: The Final Equation

For the first Delta Green mission, I ran Arc Dream Publishing’s scenario The Final Equation. I created briefing files, images of NPCs, and a prop xeroxed ‘forbidden tome’. I photoshopped scns of a period correct mathematical text, and then hand highlighted, annotated it, and distressed it to match the one described in the scenario.

The Book of Common Knowledge

For the fantasy setting Hârnworld, in the Columbia Games supplement Hârnplayer, hidden in the middle there is a section of Folklore for the world. Called The Book of Common Knowledge, it is full of clues and adventure hooks. So I took it upon myself to layout the content from the supplement as an actual in-world book.

Note on copyrighted material: Harnplayer is a publication of Columbia Games. I did not and do not have the rights to republish the text or illustrations here. Thus this was created solely for personal use, and will not be distributed. Additionally, since I made this Columbia games has republished and expanded this content as their Harnworld Folktales article.

The Goldton Standard

Tales of the Old West RPG is a historically accurate game, with an emphasis on community development. For my campaign, I created a series of newspaper issues with adventure hooks and also reporting on the PC’s news worthy actions.