The Arkham Gazette #0 by Bret Kramer is a role playing game supplement published by Sentinel Hill Press for use with Call of Cthulhu, the horror role playing game supplement based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. This is a supplement for the 1920s.
The supplement is available as a Pay What You Want PDF and softcover print on demand book from DriveThruRPG. The PDF is the version reviewed. There are three PDFs; the main one is 45 pages with one being the front cover and two and a half the front matter and Table of Contents.
About half a page is Next stop, Lovecraft Country… which explains this is the third and probably final version of Issue #0, the proof-of-concept issue for the supplement, last redone following a Kickstarter for Issue #3.
New Place: The Amos-Goodrich Cemetery is a small cemetery on the Aylesbury Pike. The cemetery is described, as well as some rumours and options for Keepers using the cemetery.
From the History Books: New England’s Interstate Roads is a factual piece on the highways with some scenario hooks.
Deep Background: The Aylesbury Pike gives a history of the road, its mile posts and what happened to them, the various places on the road from Arkham to Aylesbury and the ghost lights, which references Tales of the Miskatonic Valley.
New Person: Curtis Sloan, Encyclopedia Salesman gives stats and details on this NPC and using them in game.
Curious New England: New England’s Petroglyphs covers the notable sites, pictographs, dubious sites and hoaxes before moving on to the Lovecraft Country sites in various places. There are details on the Misqat script and the places where the few remaining samples. Finally, there are suggestions for using petroglyphs and the factual and fictional sources referenced in the article.
An Encounter: Mr. Pickett Goes a Huntin’ is a brief encounter that can be dropped into a campaign whilst in a rural location, with different options for the motivation of the NPC.
Scenario Seed: The Aylesbury Pike Phantom is an encounter on the Aylesbury Pike with different options as to how it plays out.
Scenario: The Chapochaug Tunnel Haunting is a more fully detailed location, an abandoned railway tunnel, with different options for involving the investigators, what they can find out and different potential threats, from the mundane to the Mythos. There are various handouts for this adventure.
Annotated Scenario Bibliography: The Aylesbury Pike lists various scenarios set around or on the Aylesbury Pike with details on them.
The second PDF is three pages long and contains duplicates of the handouts.
The final PDF is the Issue 0: Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition conversion. This is 11 pages long with one page being the front cover and one the front matter. The remainder has the parts in the main PDF identified by page number that have new 7th Edition stats.
The Arkham Gazette #0 in Review
The PDF is bookmarked but only the major sections are linked and some of the bookmarks point to the wrong places. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth. Navigation is adequate. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of black and white illustrations, most except the handouts being stock to one degree or another.
This supplement is a collection of material for what was originally called Lovecraft Country when the primary books for the region were released but which is now called Miskatonic Country. It adds more detail to the setting area, with most of it being related to the Aylesbury Pike, ranging from genuine historical fact, to fictional background details to scenarios, making a nice collection of supplementary material for adding depth to the area. The Arkham Gazette #0 is a useful addition for anyone running adventures in Miskatonic Country and it can be found by clicking here.
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