Customer Reviews

Beyond the Mountains of Madness: An Epic Campaign and Sourcebook (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, #2380)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This adventure, a brilliant follow-on to Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness", totally immerses the players in the tense drama of an Antarctic expedition. Don't be put off by its sheer size--it's a combination of a campaign-length single adventure and a well-researched Antarctic sourcebook. Lots of player handouts and extremely helpful keeper material, including a detailed timeline of all the multiple plot lines, make this book a standout. It truly captures the essence of Lovecraft's great novella.

If your keeper can't afford it, chip in and buy it for him. You won't regret it. The Antarctic Explorer pack is also nice, but not necessary for playing.

They're not kidding - weighing it at some 440 pages, this monster of a campaign book is so huge, to call it a "campaign" somehow seems to be an understatement. Yet, it's not so much a campaign - that is, a series of connected scenarios - than one huge epic adventure with a definite start, middle and end.

The story brings the players from 1930s New York to New Zealand to Antarctica and finally to uncover the tragic fate of the Miskatonic University Expedition that preceded them, chronicled in Lovecraft's short novel "At The Mountains of Madness". Along the way, they will encounter murder, mayhem, sabotage, the lost chapter of Edgar Allan Poe's "Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym" and at last, the ice-bound city of the Elder Things where a secret beyond imagining lurks.

The sheer amount of work that has been put into this is amazing. Everything to prepare you for an Antarctic expedition from shipping manifests to equipment is detailed - and even made part of the adventure. The supernatural element of this adventure is surprisingly minimal for a Cthulhu tale, but it is no less suspenseful or terrifying to face up to madness and thuggery. At the end of the day, the Elder Things are alien creatures more akin to extraterrestials than ghosts. Think of John Carpenter's "The Thing" and you'll start to get a feeling of what I'm driving at.

This is not a book or a campaign to be undertaken lightly - it will take a lot of hard work from both Keepers and players to make it work. On the down side, the adventure tends to be a little linear and assumes too many things to make the plot work. However, I literally could not put it down - heavy as it was - it was also a compelling read just for the sheer amount of *story* alone. As a high water mark for would-be game designers to read and emulate, it is in a class of its own. Well worth the price, and the read.

The simple answer is that it is very, very good. For a work ofthis length to be able to grab the attention of a seasoned roleplayercontinuously while reading it; for the text to be enjoyable purely as a solitaire reading experience; for the impressive feeling that, big as it is, the authors picked and chose what went in and really felt they needed more space; that is in itself a triumph. The style is immensely readable, the art consistent and enjoyable, the plot exciting and yet manageable, the layout and typography clean and attractive. It is worth buying even if you never intend playing it.

But you should play it. I have *almost* finished the campaign and it's been a nine-month blast!

The first thing I did when I got this book was look in the back for pizza coupons - it looks like a phone book. That is to say, for an RPG supplement, it's huge! However, even at this size, there is no boring "filler" info. Everything in here is useful and interesting. To be honest, I have never been much interested in the subject of Antarctica, in general or as the setting of a CoC game. It seemed bland. After reading some reviews of this book, especially Mr. Wills' (see below), I decided to check it out, though, and it is anything but bland or boring. To me, the two major strengths of this book are: 1. Depth of background, well-researched - There is a TON of in-depth info here about the Antarctic, from weather and terrain to survival and potential hazards. The NPCs are also very well fleshed out. There are plenty of charts, maps, and diagrams of the ships, buildings, and locations that will come into play. The Antarctic is radically different from anywhere most people have ever been, but with the info here, you will be able to make your players feel like they've really been there. 2. Flexibility, non-linear - I hate adventures or campaigns that lock the players into a set course of action. I concede a certain degree of linearity is necessary for a planned adventure, but where possible, I prefer a published scenario to line out the situation and the particulars for me, offer some possible courses of action that the players might take and some likely outcomes for each. That is exactly what this book does.

I'd say without hesitation that this is the best published campaign/adventure that I've ever seen.

And that's the essence of my "review." More of a recomendation really. This massive tome is - if not THE best, certainly one of the best game supplements ever. However, you don't have to play CoC to enjoy it. "At the Mountains of Madness" is one of Lovecrafts best tales and this gaming supplement provides a wonderful "what if" scenario that extends and explores the ramifications of that short novel. If you are any sort of a fan of Lovecraft you will find plenty to enjoy here, gamer or no.

This monster of a module is the penultimate CoC adventure. In every way it is what a module ought to be: Elegent (despite its bulk!), open-ended, and chock full of action and mystery to keep the players interested. I cannot recommend this book enough. Chaosium really outdid themselves!

This colossal volume combines both an epic adventure, based on Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" and a complete Antarctica sourcebook. The level of detail is extraordinary. Special investigator sheets are included, with stats specific to an Antarctic investigator.

Oh Boy! Make sure you are prepared before you embark on this adventure. "Beyond the Mountains of Madness" is an incredible investment in time and energy. The book assumes that the keeper has read and is familiar with both "At the Mountains of Madness" as well as Poe's "Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket." (As far as preparation goes, this is a joy. They are both great books, and should be read anyways.) It took our group about 5 months to complete, and we skipped several optional sections. The adventure takes place in several chapters, including preparing for the trip, the ocean trip to Antarctica, on Antarctica, and then the trip home.

The book is a challenge for both keepers and players. If done well, this will be one of your best adventures ever.

Being a veteran gamemaster of 30 years, and having moved players through several lengthy campaigns of my own design, I am always on the lookout for "Grail" campaign books. To me, these books must:

1) Detail a story arc, leaving many nice perforations or gaps in the story for the gamemaster and players to explore.
2) In itself be an ultimate reference to the campaign itself that helps the gamemaster to comprehend the setting in a deep and meaningful way.
3) Be well written and demand the attention of its reader, to such an extent that the reader desires above all else to create and design more in and around the given material.

This book is most certainly one of the best campaign/adventure books that I have ever run across. The authors had such great passion for the story not to mention the phenomenally great detail that went into the research for this tome; if it were up to me I would give them the highest of personal accolades in the field of design and storytelling. A "grail" game supplement this most certainly IS.

In short: I highly recommend this work of true design. The scope is grand, the passion palpable.

It is hard not to use an adjective that has not been used here. This is an incredibly good module, and its size and scope is breathtaking. The size and depth of playability beggers belief- weighing well in at over 400 pages, this module will take a group of players about a year of solid gaming to complete.

The plot is based on the H P Lovecraft story o fthe sma ename and plunges the players into an Antartoc expedition, and a search for the last vanished expedition. Amply filled with source material, there is enough for a keeper to pick up and run with, or material to fill out. We spent 2 long sessions merely investigating the kidknapping in the second chapter.

The remarkable thing is you can actually read this and be entertained- its that good. If you have one and have played it, for goodness sakes sell it- this is a treasure.

The materials provided are excellent, and really add a depth to play that you will be hard pressed to replicate elsewhere.

Grade: A+++

The Mountains of Madness adventure is the best adventure I have ever run, for any game system. I picked up the extra Antarctic Expedition pack, and ordered several Antarctic books (Antarctica-A guide to the wildlife, Endurance an Epic Polar Adventure and several others (including the original Mountains of madness book) - for about $125 I have enough material to last for hundreds of hours of gaming. The players absolutely love the adventure! Preparing for a polar adventure is a blast and this is an incredible adventure book. The only thing I would like to have improved would have been a large cut-out of the ship / polar camps but the price to do that would have been very high- but could have been put in the separate adventure pack instead of patches, etc.