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Trail of Cthulhu RPG
The Book of the Smoke: The Investigator's Guide to Occult London
This work is a primer for players of Lovecraftian roleplaying games set in the dismal streets of 1930s London. It is replete with contacts, rumours and clues which will guide you on your quest for forbidden knowledge. Written as the companion volume to Bookhounds of London for Trail of Cthulhu, it can be used as a Keeper's resource as well as an in-game artefact for players in any Mythos game.
In 1933 a mysterious secret society commissioned Augustus Darcy to compile a guide to occult London. By the end of that year, Darcy was dead. Within these tales of The Smoke's legendary past are scattered clues to its future. Was a magical war brewing? Were forces from other dimensions breaking through into our own? Who were the mysterious Brotherhood? Who killed Augustus Darcy and why? After eighty years Darcy's book is here for you to make up your own mind. Use it as a guide as you venture into Darcy's world and may your gods be with you in the days ahead.
It is a work of fiction, an autobiography, an occult miscellany and a murder mystery, a book which should not be read, and yet cannot be cast aside. It is all these things and more, but most of all it is a guide for your own journey through the streets of the Big Smoke.
In 1933 a mysterious secret society commissioned Augustus Darcy to compile a guide to occult London. By the end of that year, Darcy was dead. Within these tales of The Smoke's legendary past are scattered clues to its future. Was a magical war brewing? Were forces from other dimensions breaking through into our own? Who were the mysterious Brotherhood? Who killed Augustus Darcy and why? After eighty years Darcy's book is here for you to make up your own mind. Use it as a guide as you venture into Darcy's world and may your gods be with you in the days ahead.
It is a work of fiction, an autobiography, an occult miscellany and a murder mystery, a book which should not be read, and yet cannot be cast aside. It is all these things and more, but most of all it is a guide for your own journey through the streets of the Big Smoke.
145 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2013
I really enjoyed this. I bought a sealed copy from Orc's nest and from reading the back I had expected more prose rather than simply guide book style entries but after I got over my initial disappointment I really liked this! Having lived in London for 8 years it was really great to read about so many places that I was familiar with. The folklore and occult stories were a lot that I'd heard before but also some new ones. I loved that in the 1930s they included a version of Treadwells, my favourite Occult bookshop in London. This was a very interesting read as well as being good inspiration for the game and writing stories. Definitely one I'd recommend. I shall have to buy the main book now.
May 31, 2013
I am a big RPG fan, in fact I've been playing RPGs since the 80s. This book is an embellishment to the sourcebook/campaign book Bookhounds Of London for Pelgrane Press' Trail Of Cthulhu roleplaying game by Kenneth Hite et al.
In simple terms this book aims to give some ideas for games set in a vision of London dripping with occult import and historical references. I like the setting's concept and so I have bought a lot of Trail Of Cthulhu books to read as I@m a HP Lovecraft fan. When Bookhounds came out it seemed as if it had been written just for me. Mysteries of the occult and supernatural, set in bookshops, in a dark vision of London to me seemed like the best game imaginable so I bought and read it voraciously. Sadly I can't find players who are as keen on the idea as I am. For now.
The Book Of The Smoke is an interesting sidebar to the main book. It aims to add depth to London's mysteries to give some historical context and plot seeds for games you might like to play. I think that it does this rather well, particularly if the reader has not read much in this area before.
It could have been three times longer and not got the detail that it could have. For it's length it does well to get across what it does. It hits all the big stories and gets the core elements down well, giving a good quick overview of a fair deal of the kind of thing you'd want in a game like this and I can't fault that.
My main grind with this is the lack of proofreading. It's not the author's fault that major - some silly - mistakes were overlooked. The book gives the impression that it was rushed out, and maybe it was these things often are I'm told. This threw me out of the narrative, for me the mistakes jarred me out of the immersion which I have to admit was half the reason I wanted to read it. I don't want to detract from the research and skill with which the book was written but I think the author was done a disservice by the lack of editorial attention to detail.
I would certainly recommend the book. It looks and feels great in the hands thanks to some rather beautiful and thoughtful jacket design. Worth a read if you are interested in London and it's mysteries but flawed by some unfortunate oversights.
"_Alfred_ Conan Doyle" I mean, really?
In simple terms this book aims to give some ideas for games set in a vision of London dripping with occult import and historical references. I like the setting's concept and so I have bought a lot of Trail Of Cthulhu books to read as I@m a HP Lovecraft fan. When Bookhounds came out it seemed as if it had been written just for me. Mysteries of the occult and supernatural, set in bookshops, in a dark vision of London to me seemed like the best game imaginable so I bought and read it voraciously. Sadly I can't find players who are as keen on the idea as I am. For now.
The Book Of The Smoke is an interesting sidebar to the main book. It aims to add depth to London's mysteries to give some historical context and plot seeds for games you might like to play. I think that it does this rather well, particularly if the reader has not read much in this area before.
It could have been three times longer and not got the detail that it could have. For it's length it does well to get across what it does. It hits all the big stories and gets the core elements down well, giving a good quick overview of a fair deal of the kind of thing you'd want in a game like this and I can't fault that.
My main grind with this is the lack of proofreading. It's not the author's fault that major - some silly - mistakes were overlooked. The book gives the impression that it was rushed out, and maybe it was these things often are I'm told. This threw me out of the narrative, for me the mistakes jarred me out of the immersion which I have to admit was half the reason I wanted to read it. I don't want to detract from the research and skill with which the book was written but I think the author was done a disservice by the lack of editorial attention to detail.
I would certainly recommend the book. It looks and feels great in the hands thanks to some rather beautiful and thoughtful jacket design. Worth a read if you are interested in London and it's mysteries but flawed by some unfortunate oversights.
"_Alfred_ Conan Doyle" I mean, really?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews