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Visually the book is nice enough, with maps and plans of all the locations the Keeper is likely to need for particular adventures. One negative is that there’s no player-map of London, though I understand that one does come with the book “Cthulhu By Gaslight”. The illustrations are nice at atmospheric, too, making them useful to show the players. I’m particularly fond of the cover (showing a priest and a woman being horrified by something out of sight), the design of which seems to be influenced by Victorian “penny dreadfuls”.
There is also an introductory chapter, beginning with a period quote by weird fiction author Arthur Machen, and giving a brief overview of the adventures. One important point made in the introductory chapter is that reputation is vitally important to the well-to-do Victorian, so improper behaviour may have serious consequences. This point is reinforced by the Credit Rating penalties given at the end of all but two of the adventures.
Next up are the adventures themselves, which are:
The Eyes of a Stranger is a whistlestop tour of a pulp-adventure Victorian London, taking in Jack the Ripper, Freemasons, Spiritualism, Chinese gangsters, mind-swapping, opium dens, and, of course, Sanity-Blasting Horrors From Beyond. Starting at a fashionable St. John’s wood party, the investigators are soon thrust into a plot which threatens the Empire, if not the world. Depending upon the investigators actions, a variety of human agencies will be busy helping or hindering them. I like this adventure a lot: not only does it illustrate everything that attracts me to “Gaslight”, but it also looks like it’ll make a nice start to a campaign.
The Masterwork of Nicholas Formby contains no Mythos elements, being instead a tribute to the Gothic horror stories of the 19th Century. A schoolfriend of one of the investigators is sick, and they are invited to his country house. Thereupon they become involved in the search for a family treasure, and skulduggery of both human and supernatural origin. This strikes me as a good investigative mystery, concerned with finding relevant documentation and studying NPCs. There may also, depending on some investigator actions, be a nicely gothic chill at the very end.
Plant Y Daer takes place in the Black Mountains of Wales (the title being Welsh, rather than a crazy Mythos language), with the investigators exploring the murder of a retired Colonel (who also features as a minor NPC in “The Eyes of a Stranger”). They will encounter fairly standard Lovecraftian horror of genetic inheritance and ancient secrets. The “standard” tag is the problem. Players with much experience of “Call of Cthulhu” may not find much too much to grab the imagination. On the other hand, I can see this being fairly effective with inexperienced players.
Sacraments of Evil is set entirely within the ancient Cathedral City of York. It also has the distinction of being a genuinely nasty Cthulhu adventure, which should be able to get at least a grimace out of even us jaded 21st Century-types. The all-too-human problems of serial murder and spiritual corruption are at the forefront here, although an ancient lurking evil is also present. This should contain a few surprises for even experienced players, and is one of the standout adventures of the book. Oh, and a note for non-British Keepers: your average Yorkshire Police Constable won’t have a cockney accent. He’ll have a Yorkshire accent (See Monty Python’s “Four Yorkshiremen” for reference).
The Scuttling is a strange one, but could be an interesting change for a group. There are no Mythos elements here, but don’t fret, there are sanity-bothering beasts from beyond the Jurassic. Basically, the investigators are hired to travel to New York by a wealthy businessman (who again features as a minor NPC in “The Eyes of a Stranger”). There they are to complete a transaction for a medieval statue. The outward journey and the transaction are reasonably straightforward, but on the way back events take a stranger turn, and players will soon be aware that Something Nasty is on board (perhaps a nod to “Dracula”). If well run, this could provide a few good moments of tension – the Keeper should play up the need to make hazardous “runs” below decks in order to gather supplies. The out-of-the-ordinary location also makes this worth running: how many “Call of Cthulhu” adventures encourage you to make the players sing sea-shanties?
Signs Writ in Scarlet is a complex epic of an adventure at some 29 pages long, and is recommended for experienced players and Keepers – it’ll probably be quite a while before I feel that I’m up to running it. The action takes place mostly in the danker parts of London’s East End. A serial murderer is on the loose, and there are a variety of ways in which the investigators can become involved. Although the players won’t know it, they will be working against a time limit. At the same time, they will have to contend with the police, the inhabitants of the East End, and several private interests. All of this makes the adventure hazardous to the investigators, with a variety of potential ways of them meeting their downfall, not least their own curiosity. Best of all, the evil here, as with “Sacraments of Evil”, is largely human in nature. The investigators will be placed in at least one major moral predicament.
Rounding off the book is a guide on creating 1890s British investigators, which will be a boon to those who don’t own “Cthulhu By Gaslight” (although that book is now available at DriveThruRPG ). This section contains all the relevant information for creating higher-class investigators, as the adventures in “Sacraments of Evil” are really designed for the wealthier type of Victorian investigator. Also included is a rundown of 1890s weapons, including, much to my delight (and that of those who’ve seen Shaun of the Dead), the cricket-bat!
In some respects this review is irrelevant. So few books were published for the Gaslight era that if you’re interested in running that setting, you’ll probably want this anyway. However, you should be pleased to know that your money will get you at least three good adventures and two nice non-Mythos scenarios. Those who aren’t primarily interested in the Gaslight era may also find this of use, as most of the adventures could be run in 1920s Britain with comparatively little changed. For example, “Sacraments of Evil”, “The Masterwork of Nicholas Formby”, and “Plant Y Daer” would need only a few dates and names changed to be brought forward to the 1920s. The remainder could probably also be run as 1920s adventures, but would need more work: “The Eyes of a Stranger” and “Signs Writ in Scarlet” are quite reliant on the atmosphere of Victorian London, while “The Scuttling” takes place on a ship which would not have been in use in the 1920s.
In conclusion, then, “Sacraments of Evil” provides three very good 1890s “Call of Cthulhu” scenarios ("The Eyes of a Stranger", "Sacraments of Evil", "Signs Writ in Scarlet"), two scenarios which are decent ("The Masterwork of Nicholas Formby", "The Scuttling"), and one which may be a little too obvious ("Plant Y Daer"). The whole is presented in the usual high-quality Chaosium style. Therefore, if nothing in the above review has put you off, I can recommend getting this book if you see it.
