Investigator Weapons volume 3: Gaslight Era

“Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate, Watson.”
—Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Creeping Man” (set in 1903)

The last decades of the nineteenth century see the transition from black powder to cordite, and the birth of modern firepower.

Investigator Weapons Volume 3 for Gaslight & Wild West presents a carefully chosen selection of fin de siècle weapons for use by late 19th century Call of Cthulhu investigators and Keepers.

“I make no apology for detailing it at length, as every experienced hunter will know how vital a proper supply of guns and ammunition is to the success of an expedition.”
—H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines (1885)

Investigator Weapons 3 covers handguns, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, mêlée weapons, explosives, and special ammunition; and gathers together all the spot rules for injury, environmental conditions, and firearms combat in one place, as well as introducing many optional rules for enhanced play.

Each weapon is illustrated and described in detail, as are variant models. Significantly, each weapon’s operation is described, as are its typical malfunctions. Finishing each weapon description is the movie use of the weapon—so you can see it in action—and a comprehensive statistics bar.

Keepers are not forgotten either. Typical weapons for non-player characters are suggested, as are likely weapons for cultists from around the world. A Keeper’s chapter examines the consequences of magic on firearms and ammunition, and the effect of firearms on Mythos creatures.

Hans-Christian Vortisch (author of Investigator Weapons 1: The 1920s and 1930s, Investigator Weapons 2: Modern Day, Cthulhu—Waffen-Handbuch, GURPS High-Tech, GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns, and GURPS Tactical Shooting) has selected several dozens of the most iconic or typical weapons available to the discerning shooter from the 1860s to the 1900s. These range from the famous Colt .45 Single Action Army revolver and the Martini-Henry rifles to lesser known but more widespread firearms.

“Immediately after Heaton’s mad return, three desperate and determined men had gone out to the lone hill together; heavily armed, and with spades and pickaxes.”
—Zealia Bishop and H.P. Lovecraft, “The Mound” (set in 1891)

Investigator Weapons 3—the essential weapons book for Keepers and players of all editions of Victorian-era Call of Cthulhu, Cthulhu by Gaslight and Down Darker Trails.