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The Good: It's clear that a lot of setting love went into this book and those who want to take in as much of the Victoriana setting as possible will enjoy what they find here.
The Bad: As far as mechanics additions to the game are concerned, the book features only occasional additions buried among more mundane additions.
The Physical Thing
This 192 page softcover showcases good production qualities for its $29.99 price tag. Excellent use of period appropriate art and photographs brings the book to life, and a simple formatting and layout result in an easy read. The best part of the book, from a craftsmanship perspective, is the excellent index which allows for quick navigation to whatever the reader is looking for.Under the Cover
Faulkner's covers a broad variety of items with largely in-setting discussion of each along with occasional advertisements for the mentioned products. In terms of immersiveness in the setting it does a fantastic job and, because of this, it's a very enjoyable read for Victoriana fans. In terms of utility it falls behind a little bit simply because the most immediately useful information is buried among setting details and spread throughout the text. However, the product is really meant for those who want to engage the setting and the fantastic items for purchase found there and with that in mind it does a good job.Split into eight chapters the topics here include Clothing and Costume, Household and Adventuring Supplies, Weapons and Firearms, Clockwork and Steam Power, Arcane Supplies, Foreign Enticements, Excursions and Entertainments, and Agencies and Services. I really enjoy the large mix of different elements included here, and the book fascinates me in its ability to introduce a large setting exclusively through the things that can be found there. From tiny mundane devices to incredibly expensive clockwork marvels, every item has a place in Victoriana and those that want to take their game to a new level of fun detail will find a lot to work with here.
In terms of mechanical additions most of what can be found here simply expands the game in terms of flavor instead of offering power creep. For example, consider one of the most powerful items a player character is likely to ever encounter: the Thunderstorm Combat Harness. Think of the load-lifter from Aliens with twin miniguns, a small steam-powered mecha, which can dump 50 dice of damage over an area as it opens up. This is an incredibly powerful weapon... if you have the money to afford it, to purchase ammo, to hire a crew to move it, and if you can find the time to set it up. It expands the setting in an interesting way and shows off the cutting edge of warfare, but the item is much more likely to be a plot point or a piece of flavorful window dressing than it is to be an item that enters a PC's inventory.
This resource will shine best in the hands of those very interested in the setting who want to do their best at bringing a Victorian feel to the game table while continuing to pay appropriate attention to the magical and technological elements unique to Victoriana. Far more often than not this means bringing in the right trappings, not additional magical or technological toys, and that includes all of the small pieces of equipment needed to make the game shine. The book will shine best for those that want a quality gun cleaning kit both as a tool and as a topic of conversation at a gentleman's meeting.
My Take
If I were to run a longer term Victoriana campaign with a focus on immersiveness this is a resource I would make heavy use of. The book manages to be useful, entertaining, and informative all at once. It presents the setting in more detail in tiny ways and does a great job of augmenting what was originally introduced in the core rulebook. While Faulkner's will not appeal to everyone with its focus more on offering roleplay tools than standard RPG equipment, for those that enjoy heavy character and setting focus the book is a solid addition.Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item through DriveThruRPG.
