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In terms of presentation, the product is well laid out, and it is easy enough to find required information. Compared to more recent products, however, the illustration leaves something to be desired: art is fairly sparse, and generally only average. Perhaps the one exception to this is the front cover, a colour painting of a Victorian gentleman being stalked by Something Nasty on the streets of London. I don’t buy RPG books for their art, so to me this is really only a minor concern. Maps are in abundance, with there being a map of the London boroughs, one of the counties surrounding London, and one of the rail routes of Great Britain, in addition to the aforementioned streetmap of London itself.
Chapter One – Introduction: This is a brief one-page introduction to the book, consisting mostly of a list of sources, both period and modern. These seem to be well chosen, and should provide an interested Keeper with a variety of scenario ideas and background “flavour”.
Chapter Two – Character Generation & New Rules: A chapter which is exactly what it sounds like. Perhaps most important here is a page-and-a-half article on social class in Victorian Britain. The article divides investigators up by Occupation into three classes: Upper, Middle, and Lower. It is recommended that investigators are from the Upper or Middle classes, to allow the freedom of action that Call of Cthulhu adventures often require. Of course, you may find that the grimness of Late Victorian lower class life adds to the horror of your game.
Several new Occupations are added in this chapter, the most interesting being Adventuress (vital for allowing female characters a little freedom), Inventor, and Rogue (the given examples being the fictional A.J. Raffles and Colonel Sebastian Moran). The new occupations are almost all for the Middle and Upper Classes, which is something of a missed opportunity: a campaign combining the horrors of Lovecraft with the horrors of being poor in Victorian Britain would be an unforgettable experience.
Following the new occupations comes a run-down of the world in the 1890s. This gives a good idea tensions of the Late Victorian period, with Britain confronted not only by other Great Powers in the form of the United States, France and Germany, but also unrest in its vast empire. In direct contrast to this was the optimism of a Britain at its height: new technology and the confidence which comes with being a global hyperpower.
The chapter is rounded off by a section on 1890s weaponry. This gives a good summary of the period, with the sword-cane getting a prominent mention, perhaps usefully, as it is also reported that 1890s handguns are too bulky to conceal. Machineguns are noted, as is the fact that they are available only to the military. The lance and the sabre provide a low-technology counterpoint to this, still in use in colonial conflicts. Dynamite comes with the caveat that, given the terrorist bombings of the 1880s and 1890s, Scotland Yard and the Special Irish Branch are likely to take an interest in anyone purchasing large quantities of explosives.
Chapter Three: England in the 1890s: This takes the form of a large chapter containing most of the book’s “meat”. It starts with a timeline giving world events from 1880 to 1901. All the usual history is here, along with a few bizarre titbits, such as the 1887 opening of Abraham Lincoln’s coffin to check that he was still there. This is followed by a section of brief biographies of historical personages. I felt that this was a slight disappointment, as most of the people featured will already be well known to most: a few more obscure characters would have been useful.
The chapter continues with a guide to areas of London, and prominent locations such as the Bank of England, or the Alhambra Music Hall. This should be sufficient for a Keeper to send his players to a location suitable for almost anything they may wish to do. Also covered in some detail are travel, the media, government, the correct use of Titles (essential for those playing Upper or Middle Class characters), life in London clubs, clothing, and shopping. Of particular utility is a guide to the complexities of pre-metric British currency.
Perhaps the most interesting sections are those on Crime and Law, and on the Occult in the 1890s. Given the array of illegal activities which the average Cthulhu party engages in, Keepers may find themselves consulting the former quite often. It gives a rundown of the various types of crimes likely to be occurring, and the slang names by which criminal types identified themselves. The art of the cracksman is covered in some detail, as investigators may need to perform such operations with discretion. Also of note is the fact that narcotics are freely available, as drug possession, use and sale was not a crime in Victorian Britain. The section on The Law gives a brief history of the Metropolitan Police, and of the state of criminology in the period. The description of Criminal procedure will be of use to those whose players transgress. Here also is a mention of the law pertaining to firearms. This isn’t as useful as it might be, saying only that the Police will come down hard on those using guns in criminal endeavours, rather than going into detail about the legalities of obtaining and carrying weapons.
The section on the occult is also likely to be of great interest to Keepers. Indeed, the Late Victorian period’s dichotomy between science and occultism is one of the main aspects of that era which appeals to me. Here, information is given on Druidism, the Theosophical Society, Freemasonry, The Golden Dawn, and Spiritualism. Mythos Tome statistics are given for The Golden Dawn’s “Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage”. There is also a brief description of how investigators might pursue Spiritualism, and the possible benefits and consequences of doing so.
Chapter Four - Time Travel: This is an unusual chapter, designed to introduce time travel into Call of Cthulhu games. This not only is in keeping with period “scientific romances” such as those of H.G. Wells, but also allows modern or 1920s investigators to visit other eras for a scenario. Three different methods by which investigators can travel through time are outlined: magic “time gates”, “psionic time travel”, in which the investigator’s mind is projected into the body of someone in another era, or the traditional “time machine”. The problems that time travel will bring investigators are dealt with, too: language, clothing, money, the difficulty of proving identity, and the traditional question of temporal paradoxes are all covered. Used skilfully, the information in that chapter could make for an unusual scenario or campaign.
Chapter Five – Scenario Suggestions: Provides suggestions culled from Victorian fiction for Cthulhu scenarios. This mostly concentrates on Sherlock Holmes and the creations of H.G. Wells (especially the Morlocks and Martians). Sax Rohmer, H. Rider Haggard, Algernon Blackwood, Bram Stoker, and Arthur Machen are all mentioned in passing. All in all, I felt that this chapter was a disappointment: the 1920s and Modern periods are presented failure historically in most “Call of Cthulhu” material, so I see no reason why Victorian Britain should be reduced to an literary theme-park. Instead, I would have welcomed scenario suggestions based around actual Victorian history, or about capturing the spirit of the era.
The Yorkshire Horrors is a long (47-page) scenario which makes full use of the information in the previous chapters. The investigators are contacted by one Sherlock Holmes, asking if they will assist him and his brother Mycroft in clearing the name of their other brother, Sherrinford, who has been accused of murder. I’m actually in two minds about including famous fictional characters like this in a scenario. On the one hand, it’s good fun. On the other, it’s going to break the suspension of disbelief, which is surely paramount in a horror game? The scenario does provide for both schools of thought, with optional alternative names being provided for the Sherlockian characters.
“The Yorkshire Horrors” is a complex and potentially deadly scenario, and is recommended for experienced players and characters with some Mythos knowledge and useful magic. It will provide a challenge for both the players and the Keeper, who will have to portray some of the most famous characters in the western world. The scenario is a suitably Holmsian investigation, and works in the time travel and Sherlockian elements from earlier in the supplement. The scenario is loosely structured, with the onus being on the Keeper to structure the events in a manner that makes dramatic sense to him. This also prevents the players feeling that they are being railroaded. With good Keeping, this scenario could provide a good mixture of desperation at the odds being faced and fun with the Conan Doyle characters. The adventure could also provide a useful springboard into further adventures, as the investigators will have the opportunity to make friends in positions of great power.
The main problem with “The Yorkshire Horrors” (apart from the inclusion of Holmes et al) is an over-reliance on Mythos creatures: there are lots of them here, which is at odds with the Cthulhu tradition of keeping as much hidden as is possible, and makes the adventure deadly for investigators. So many creatures will also further weaken suspension of disbelief: why are all these disparate creatures around, and why haven’t more people noticed?
The package is rounded off with an 1890s Character Sheet for 3rd Edition Call of Cthulhu, and the large London map. Due to the .pdf format, this map has had to be split into six separate A4 sheets, and will therefore require a bit of work before it can be conveniently used. It does look like it will be an excellent aid to London-based play, though.
In conclusion, despite several significant flaws “Cthulhu By Gaslight” is a must-have for Gaslight Keepers and players, due to the sheer wealth of information it provides about Victorian life. “Cthulhu By Gaslight” would, in fact, make an excellent utility for anyone running a game set in the Victorian era, not only because of the historical detail, but also the emphasis on Victorian fiction: a steampunk campaign could make great use of the H.G. Wells information, for example. Provided that the .pdf format doesn’t put you off, this is, for the price, a highly recommended purchase.
