Arkham Postcards

Here's a look at the first two "Life in Arkham" postcards- the Hotel Miskatonic and the Arkham Train Station.

The whole idea behind these is that they can serve as both postcards and props. As postcards they're a fun little item that Lovecraft fans would appreciate getting in the mail. Just keep in mind to use an appropriate amount of postage, not the price back in the roaring 20's! As props they're an immersive way to convey information to the players, either for messages sent to their characters directly or as documents discovered in the course of an investigation. Later this week I'll be posting some resources like faux stamps and postmarks to help with that, or you can use the whimsical stamps from the great folks at the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society.

The images on the cards are reproductions of actual 1922 postcards featuring the pastel overprinting style of color common at the time. The "Arkham Train Station" is actually the old Boston and Maine station in Salem, Massachusetts, one that Lovecraft himself probably traveled through many a time. The "Hotel Miskatonic Lobby" is the main lobby of the Maryland Hotel, a stand-in I chose because of the fine appointments in the sitting area- marble floors and columns, polished brass lamps and ashtrays, and potted ferns scattered about. If you look closely at the photograph you'll also see two details that might be of relevance to investigators visiting the hotel, the house phone on the extreme right side of the picture and the newstand/sundries counter in the background.

These will be for sale starting Sunday night for $1.00 apiece. If there's enough interest I'll go forward with more cards so that I can eventually offer a whole set of notable locations.

That said, you're also free to download the images here and make your own postcards under the Creative Commons license down at the bottom of the page. That's right- help yourself. Click through on the thumbnails below and you'll find high resolution versions all ready to be printed out on cardstock for your personal, non-commercial use. Just provide an appropriate attribution for where they came from.

Hotel Miskatonic Postcard Front:


Hotel Miskatonic Postcard Back:


Arkham Train Station Postcard Front:


Arkham Train Station Postcard Back: