Equipment books always interest me – ‘Aurora’s Whole Realms Catalogue’ has pride of place on my shelf, as well as the ‘Arms and Equipment Guide’ – so why shouldn’t Cthulhu benefit from a similar sourcebook. The Gaslight Equipment Guide is very simply presented – in many ways reminiscent of a Victorian-era catalogue. Whether this was intentional or a happy coincidence doesn’t really matter as it adds to the atmosphere of the game. The illustrations look like those found in ‘The Times’ or similar newspapers of the era (I doubt any are original works commissioned for the sourcebook, but rather that Choasium has a number of copyright free images they have been able to use instead.
A timeline with most sections gives an overview of the progress of certain goods (especially helpful in communications and any form of technology) which can, at a glance, tell the Keeper what is in theme with their chosen year, and even highlight advancements in the field as the chronicle progresses.
Whilst there is some interesting information here such as postage, currency conversion and general historical notes, some of it strikes me as trivial (do I need the price of a sheet of blotting paper?), but actual play may find a use for such data.
Overall, worth the price of admission, if only for the historical sections.
Rating: [3 of 5 Stars!] |