Cthulhu by Gaslight
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| Horror Roleplaying in 1890s England | |
|---|---|
 1st edition cover illustration by Kevin Ramos. | |
| Designers | William A. Barton |
| Publishers | Chaosium |
| Publication |
|
| Genres | Horror |
| Systems | Basic Role-Playing |
| ISBN | 978-1568823553 |
Cthulhu by Gaslight is a horror tabletop role-playing supplement, written by William A. Barton, with art by Kevin Ramos, and first published by Chaosium in 1986. This supplement provides information on role-playing in an alternate setting of Victorian England of the 1890s for Call of Cthulhu. An expanded second edition was published in 1988, and a third edition was published in 2012. It won an Origins Award and received positive reviews in game periodicals including White Dwarf, Casus Belli, Different Worlds, Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer, The Games Machine, Games International, and Dragon.
The game Call of Cthulhu was originally set in the 1920s. Cthulhu by Gaslight presents an alternate setting in Victorian England of the 1890s. The supplement includes
- details of life in Victorian England, with essays on social class, occupations, crime, the cost of living, the government, the monarchy, and belief in the occult[1]
- a map of Victorian London
- blank character sheets for the Cthulhu by Gaslight setting.[2]
- The Yorkshire Horror, an adventure featuring interaction with Sherlock Holmes[1]
In order to accommodate players' characters that have already adventured in the 1920s, referees are presented with several ways of transporting those characters to the 1890s.[1]
In 1989, Chaosium republished Cthulhu by Gaslight, adding an essay on world politics of the time, a guide to prominent stores in London, and a glossary of Cockney underworld slang, as well as additional maps of the Tower of London, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, and Sherlock Holmes's residence at 221B Baker Street.[1]
Publication history
Cthulhu by Gaslight was written by William A. Barton, with art by Kevin Ramos, and was published by Chaosium in 1986 as a boxed set with a 68-page book and a 56-page book, a large map, and a sample character sheet.[3] It was published again in 1988 as a 128-page book.[3]