Mark Morrison on Gaslight: I’m running this TONIGHT!

[Michael O'Brien]

​

On the release of the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigator’s Guide renowned Call of Cthulhu author Mark Morrison wrote this:

The Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigator’s Guide for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition is out today! I’ve been enjoying a nostalgic look back at Gaslights of yore but they all lead up to this magnificent volume: from the subtle gas lamp in the “i”, it’s a labour of love from front to back.

Disclaimer: I work for Chaosium! I didn’t work on this, but my colleagues did. So I can’t be impartial, but I love it with my whole heart. This is not a review, it’s me singing about how cool my friends are.

Mike Mason, Keris McDonald & Lynne Hardy and other chums build on the solid foundation by William Barton and Kevin Ross, but bring a fresh and modern perspective acquired from growing up in Britain and knowing its history in every respect. The expansion over previous editions is dizzying: 294 pages, detailing not only rules, society, equipment, the occult, England and London to new levels of detail, but also the entire late Victorian Era, across the world and all the way to East Coast USA and the Miskatonic Valley in the 19th century.

The old 1st edition assumption that investigators must be upper class is gone; now investigators of all levels of society can face the Mythos together. The chapter on creating investigators makes you want to roll up all of them, and the inclusion of the core Call of Cthulhu rules as an appendix is inspired; a true player’s book, if you’re in a campaign this is all you need.

Loïc Muzy’s cover is the best yet; dynamic, beautiful colours, diverse investigators, but there’s good old Big Ben and a London bobby getting it. The interior art is colour throughout and really brings Victorian times to life in a way I haven’t seen before. Alyssa Faden’s London map is phenomenal, with astonishing detail, but still very clear and with a true sense of time and place. Matt Ryan’s colour country and world maps are incredibly pleasing.

Huge shout out to Chandler Kennedy’s layout which has so much period flavour but is also so easy to read; page layouts are open, clear headers and fonts, and box text with good contrast but not dark. It’s such a joy to kick back with this book on the couch, and it’s going to be even better when flicking though quickly at the gaming table.

The Keeper’s Guide is still coming, but no need to wait. I’m running this TONIGHT!

​

*Well, in the UK, EU, US & Canada; it will be early December in AU.

Out now: the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators' Guide

Adventure, Mystery, & Horror in the 1890s! Out now - the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators' Guide. Cthulhu by Gaslight takes the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game to the fog-shrouded streets of Great Britain and beyond!

www.chaosium.com

 

[Michael O'Brien]

"Get Cults of Cthulhu for the scenario [Loki's Gift, it's a Gaslight adventure!], stay for the cults, but just don’t go starting one yourself. We’ve talked about this."​

With the recent release of the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigator's Guide, here's more sage advice from renowned Call of Cthulhu author Mark Morrison:

If you’re anything like me, once you look through the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigator's Guide, you'll be tempted to run it immediately. Who you gonna call? The answer is, as always, “Cthulhu”.

Cults of Cthulhu is a really solid sourcebook for creating cults for Call of Cthulhu, going beyond the “maniacs with knives” groups we’ve seen a lot in scenarios over the years. It’s hard to see the membership benefits of such a society. (Bigger knives maybe?) Chris Lackey and Mike Mason have taken a thorough look into the cultist mind, with plenty of example cults and a step by step process for creating a unique cult for your own games.

While there’s a fine tradition of monstrous monster books for Call of Cthulhu, I don’t recall such a detailed and interesting one on cultists, who investigators tend to spend far more time sparring with. It has given me tons of ideas, and it might do the same for you – as long as you don’t end up forming an actual cult, in which case I never wrote this post and had nothing to do with it, la la la.

Matt Ryan’s maps are a delight, the colour art throughout is marvelous and Nick Nacario’s layout is easy to use. Loïc Muzy’s cover is a 1920s scene rather than a Gaslight one but it’s a ripper, and shows the cultists with the upper hand. Their book, their rules.

-- Sweet Matt Ryan cartography, spoiler free edition. Mark printed this out from the free pack of Cults of Cthulhu player handouts -- ​

There are three scenarios in the book, each set in a different era, and (foghorn sounds) the first one “Loki’s Gift” is set in the 1890s. No spoilers here because I’ve just started running it and my players are reading, but it’s a really good mystery, provides a good tour of London, and uses the new format for Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition scenarios which is an absolute dream to run. Well, a nightmare for the players if you’re doing it right, but a dream for the Keeper; so easy to flip through and find the next section, and to run NPC encounters and room by room searches without blurting out that the thing is in the well, which is something I may have done one time.

-- In the Gaslight scenario 'Loki's Gift' Lord Richard Gladstone needs your help --​

The other two scenarios are set in the 1920s and the Modern era. (It’s quaint now to think that Cthulhu Now was set in 1987 on publication. I recall labelling a 3.5” floppy disk as a prop. And if anyone remembers those things, they weren’t floppy at all.)

If you want to get your 1890s on while you are still waiting for the Cthulhu by Gaslight Keeper’s Guide to drop, then “Loki’s Gift” is a cracker. Get Cults of Cthulhu for the scenario, stay for the cults, but just don’t go starting one yourself. We’ve talked about this.

Hardcover and leatherette versions of Cults of Cthulhu are currently on sale!

• Hardcover – $49.99 $32.99 (price inc PDF)
• Leatherette – $99.99 $49.99 (price inc PDF, leatherette sale ends Dec 2nd)
• PDF from Chaosium – $24.99
• PDF from DriveThruRPG – $24.99

 

[Committed Hero]

Looks good! What will be in the Gaslight Keeper book?