Call of Cthulhu: Dust and Blood by Keris McDonald and Kevin Ross

Seth Stauffer

Gaslight-era London was nothing if not mysterious. Dark alleyways and harsh living conditions were a part of everyday life for many. Dust and Blood is a gaslight supplement for Cthulhu by Gaslight. Investigators will need steel resolve in two modules to face off against a supernatural horror in ‘Dust to Dust’ and a killer that is reminiscent of Jack the Ripper, with a Lovecraftian twist, of course. Characters with a bit of luck and gumption are needed.

Two different modules, one for inexperienced players and the other for gamers who have had enough time at the gaming table to lose a few sanity points. ‘ Dust to Dust’ is fairly accessible and creative. I liked the idea of the dust creature and how the story drew on everyday life. It cleverly used history to ground the module.

The second offering in this book is ‘Signs Writ in Scarlet’, a more challenging module. Unlike ‘Dust to Dust’, an experienced keeper will be important. It’s longer and more complicated, and it will require someone to keep the investigators on track, which is hard when there’s a city the size of London to explore.

My one issue, where I might gripe, is that the two modules appear to assume investigators will approach the completion of their objectives in a particular way. For example, the way ‘Dust to Dust’ requires a tidy solution, meaning players must understand the importance of the ritual and the sarcophagus. The knowledge is built into the module, but the keeper may need to be involved to nudge players towards the correct solution. A similar issue arose with ‘Signs Writ in Scarlet’. A good keeper can manage all this, but it’s worth keeping in mind when running the modules.

This is a great supplement for Cthulhu by Gaslight. The fascination with mummies and Jack the Ripper was a real thing in 19th-century London, and these modules really latch onto those ideas. Solving these investigations may be a bit of a challenge, but with a bit of finesse by the keeper, everyone at the table should have a good time with these twisted tales.