Horror on the Orient Express is one of two massive Call of Cthulhu campaigns that's back in print.
The most recent edition of Call of Cthulhu has flourished in recent years much like the most recent edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The new releases have kept up the quality fans have expected over the years with new books as well as releases of classic supplements. The classic Masks of Nyarlathotep campaign was updated to 7th Edition and released in 2018. This globetrotting tale featured a pulpy globetrotting adventure where players tried to stop Nyarlathotep from destroying the world in 1928. It set the standard by which all other Call of Cthulhu campaigns were judged.
Chaosium has decided to re-release two other fantastic campaigns as giant hardback books. Both of these stories have been hard to find in gaming stores with prices on the web and used stories coming in very high. Both of these books have their share of fans and the company decided to publish new printings now rather than wait a few years until their publishing schedule cleared up for new editions. That means that both campaigns use slightly different rules that the ones in the current edition and also have an older look that’s different from the lush, full-color layouts of the recent edition. For most fans of the game that have been waiting for these reprints, that shouldn’t matter too much.
Beyond The Mountains of Madness
The first reprint is Beyond The Mountains of Madness first released over 20 years ago. This campaign takes the exotic exploration themes that many Call of Cthulhu campaigns have to their natural conclusion by putting players on the Starkeweather-Moore expedition bound for Antarctica. These trips are dangerous enough in our world, but in a world where the Cthulhu mythos is real, players should prepare for a mix of natural dangers, treacherous sabotage and cosmic horrors.
Fans of H.P. Lovecraft’s work upon which Call of Cthulhu is based will be excited to discover this is a rare sequel to one of his stories in the game line. The campaign is known for providing exacting detail on the Antarctic expeditions of the age and filling players with a cold, isolating sense of dread as they discover secrets beneath the ice. This book was originally written for the 5.5th edition of Call of Cthulhu but Chaosium provides a conversion guide for earlier materials on their website.
Horror On The Orient Express
This campaign, initially released in 1991 allows players to hunt down pieces of a cursed Mythos artifact scattered around Europe. They do so in style by riding the famed Orient Express train while trying to outwit evil forces bent on using the artifact they seek for nefarious purposes. This edition also features optional adventures in different time periods that can expand the players understanding of the threat they face in the classic era. These stories take advantage of Cthulhu’s timelessness as an enemy and give natural breaks to the main campaign to play out in eras like the Dark Ages, the French Reign of Terror and even the modern day.
This book combines the 2014 reprint of Horror On The Orient Express into a two volume hardcover set. This edition was originally a massive boxed set that was funded by Kickstarter that offered deluxe prop options to immerse players into the world. It also used an early version of the 7th Edition rules which means there’s not a lot to directly convert for players using the current edition.
These books are available via Friendly Local Game Stores or directly through Chaosium today.
