Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wander the streets of London on a foggy night when Jack the Ripper was on the loose? What if there was something even more dangerous out there lurking in the darkness? If you want to unleash cosmic horror in the Victorian era, Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is for you. I just got my hands on the book and I’ve given it a flip through so I wanted to share my thoughts with you all here. I’ll probably do a deeper dive into the nuances at a later time. But just to sum it up in a nutshell, it’s Call of Cthulhu but set in Victorian London. And I can’t wait to play it.
What is Cthulhu by Gaslight?
The tabletop role playing game Call of Cthulhu famously introduced players to the role playing potential of cosmic horror. This is a game where the heroes are decidedly human, and although investigators can be heroic, the odds of overcoming the darkness are slim. There is magic, but it’s dangerous and often deadly. The monsters in this game are so far beyond comprehension to the human mind that just seeing one is enough to drive most people to madness. There are no elves, dwarves, or halflings to help out. The players, referred to as investigators, are dreadfully, horrifically, on their own. The game is typically set in 1920’s America. But cosmic horror knows no bounds of time or place so it can often be interesting to change the location or the time period for a different flavor of play.
The gaslight era refers to the Victorian age when Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom. It was a time of great progress, full of innovation, and ushered in new modes of communication and transportation. But it was also a time when strict class structure was prevalent, economic and societal disparities were larger than ever, and the world was trying to come to grips with how to move forward. It’s a natural match to place cosmic horror in the same location and time period when Charles Dickens was the most famous author of all time, penny dreadful novels were available on ever street corner, and Jack the Ripper was the first killer to become a global media sensation. The potential for change, dread, and horror in this era is nearly unparalleled.
Cthulhu by Gaslight evokes this mood beautifully for a fun and terrifying experience.
What do I need to play?
As far as role playing games go, Cthulhu by Gaslight is pretty light on needed materials. You will need the Investigators’ Guide and a set of role playing dice (d12 excluded). And, of course, you need a group of people to play with.
If you have played Call of Cthulhu before, you likely have the Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook but it is not essential to have this to play the Gaslight version. In the Gaslight Investigators’ Guide they include the complete rules needed, including character creation. Still, it is nice to have the Keeper Rulebook to reference as a separate book. Do keep in mind, a Keeper book specifically for the Gaslight edition will come out sometime in the future. If you don’t have the 7th edition Keeper Rulebook already, and you only want to play in the Gaslight edition, wait until that comes out rather than buying the Keeper guide for the core game.
In other words, Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is almost completely self contained. You will need the dice and friends, but you can get along with just the one book. But my advice here comes with a couple of caveats.
Two things to consider
First, if you have never played any Call of Cthulhu it can be difficult to be the Keeper. The Gaslight Keeper Rulebook is meant to give the Keeper new tools to help facilitate play and delve deeper into the history of the game. Since that book is not out yet, you may want to hold off being the Keeper until you have at least some experience with the 7th edition of Call of Cthulhu. But, it’s clear if you are experienced or creative enough, you can definitely start campaigns with just the Investigators’ Guide.
Second, if you are already an expert in the Victorian era, you might not need the upcoming Keeper Rulebook at all. It is possible to just take the original 7th edition rules, fiddle around with them a bit, and plop your investigators right into a different time period. The Investigators’ Guide for Gaslight makes it much easier and it’s a fantastic reference. But if you don’t have the disposable income to purchase the book, you can always consider putting in more work and creating Victorian campaigns of your own.
Whether or not you should buy Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide is up to you. But so far, I find it a great resource full of interesting tidbits, more useful for the historical aspect than the rules breakdown. I already do play 7th edition though so your circumstances may be different.
Where can I get Cthulhu by Gaslight?
There are two ways to get the book. The first, and most obvious, is directly from Chaosium. The hardcover is $49.99 and you can grab it here. There is a leatherette edition which looks absolutely gorgeous but runs at a hefty price of $99.99 and you can get that here. And Chaosium does have a PDF version you can get for a very reasonable price of $24.99 and you can get that here.
One nice thing about buying any of the physical books at Chaosium is you do get a free PDF of the book included. If you have plenty of space on your bookshelf, getting one of the physical books is the best way to go.
However, if you are like me, and your shelf space is running low, drivethrurpg can be the way to go. You can only get the PDF version there. If you are only getting the PDF version, consider purchasing it for $24.99 through my affiliate link here. It costs the same but I get a small amount of the proceeds. This helps me to keep this blog going and is extremely appreciated.
Anything else I should know?
Do keep in mind this book is labeled for mature readers. I think it can be adaptable for kids. But it touches on themes of violence, gore, drug use and sex. That’s something to keep in mind even if you are only playing with adults. A lot of horror games deal with sensitive topics like these. Just be sure you know where everyone at the table stands on what their tolerance levels are for certain topics.
The art in the book is fantastic. Check out just one piece below. It’s so evocative of the era and leaves a bit of mystery to the imagination. The book is full of great atmospheric examples like this.
Don’t forget about the free downloads. In addition to the information in the book, you can get plenty of free goodies. On the Chaosium website you can get blank investigator sheets, pre-generated character sheets, a Gaslight London map, and a player maps pack.
Anyone can get these free downloads just by visiting the website. If you really don’t want to buy the Cthulhu by Gaslight Investigators’ Guide but you still want to play in the Gaslight setting, all of those handouts go a long way to making it easier.
And the last thing to know is, if you want to make your game a little more action filled, or a little more like the show Penny Dreadful you can do so using the Pulp Cthulhu rules. This is a separate set of rules I won’t get into here. But those rules make for tougher investigators and more frequent combat.
In Conclusion
The Gaslight setting won’t be for everyone. If you already have enough of the Cthulhu resources, time, and imagination, this book is not necessary. But, if you want a new setting with an easy reference guide, some killer artwork, and tons of advice and tips, get your copy. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when I take investigators out of the usual Cthulhu settings and put them in the fog filled streets of London when the night was lit by gas.
I also see potential here for connecting stories to some other Cthulhu settings. While it has a much different feel, I could see investigators go from Cthulhu by Gaslight to Down Darker Trails, the western setting for the game. There’s a much different set of skills needed to navigate London than there is duking it out in the wild west. A journey where we go from one spot to the other could make for some unforgettable TTRPG experiences.
If you’ve played in this setting, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to tell me in the comments below.
And, if you’re looking for some recommendations for other Call of Cthulhu campaigns, check out my post here.
Until next time, stay safe, you never know what’s lurking in the fog.
