The Thompson Files bestiary for Arkham Horror: The Roleplaying Game gathers firsthand accounts and reference materials from investigators who have faced unspeakable horrors. The Files combine gripping stories, practical Game Masters advice, and detailed monster profiles, all enriched by researcher Mandy Thompson’s annotated notes. And now, fellow investigators, you can read some of the source material for those chapters for yourself.

This week, our source materials are drawn from chapter five, “Strangeness on the Road.” Included are a few pages from A Shadow Above: Ornithology of the Miskatonic River Valley. When strange winged creatures are sighted in the skies above Arkham—and your dog-eared copies of Bird-Lore magazine say nothing about albatross-sized abominations in eastern Massachusetts—you might find the Arkham Historical Society’s guidebook helpful for separating commonly sighted species from local legend.

You’ll also find a telegram related to the “Blood of the Devil” mystery included on page 51 of The Thompson Files. The telegram from self-proclaimed Jersey Devil hunter Evan Paulsen can be customized for your group, becoming a handout to invite the player characters to assist with an investigation centering on the legendary beast.

Whether you’re a game master planning to incorporate these artifacts into your own campaigns, or merely a fellow researcher like Mandy, you can find the illustrated PDFs to download below. And if you missed the first installment of The Thompson Files: Source Material, you can read and download the sources for chapter four, “Creatures Beyond This World.”

A Shadow Above: Ornithology of the Miskatonic River Valley

A Telegram from
Evan Paulsen