Friday, April 25, 2008

Miskatonic Labels

One of the easiest ways to dress up a small prop for Call of Cthulhu is by slapping a Miskatonic University Special Collections label on it. I whipped up this sheet of labels using the Miskatonic Seal from yesterday's post. It's pretty simple to come up with your own labels, but these should be enough to work with if you're pressed for time. Just click through on the sample graphic to get the full size image, save it to your computer, and then print them out as needed.

To apply the labels you can either print them out on special adhesive backed sheets from your local office supply store, which can get a bit pricey, or use regular paper and attach them with a couple of swipes from a glue stick. I prefer the latter method because it allows me to age the label before applying it.

As long as you have a supply of labels, why stop there? You can lend small artifacts even more authenticity by packaging them up as though they were actual items from the dusty shelves of some hidden back room at Miskatonic. Drop them in a storage box along with some excelsior, slap a label on the box, and you're good to go. Plain cigar boxes can be found on Ebay for a song, and after a bit of weathering they help make even minor props a lot more memorable.