The Wider World of 1889



One thing I'd like to do in my Penny Dreadful Cthulhu game (i.e. Pulp Cthulhu by Gaslight) is be a bit more cosmopolitan than my previous exploration of the era. That doesn't necessarily mean even leaving London (though I plan on having the characters do so). I keep thinking of a scene in From Hell when early on in the investigation Inspector Abberline investigates the possibility that the murder (only one at this point) was done by one of Buffalo Bill's "red Indians". As it turns out Bill is off in Paris at the time, with "Mexico Joe" doing a variant show. I just like the reminder of how the Old West (rapidly falling into history at this point) was viewed by the rest of the world.

So what's going on in the world of 1889? Some of these events might be for adventure ideas, others just happen to be out there in the background - not everything is the fault of Nyaralthotep - or is it? Wikipedia tells me some things I might want in my game...

  • The Ghost Dance movement begins. Probably too sad to touch in a game...
  • In the Samoan Crisis, a standoff between German and American warships, a cyclone blows in and wrecks almost all the ships.
  • The Eiffel tower opens and is used as the entry arch for the Exposition Universelle. Seems a great place to have an adventure.
  • Late summer's London Dock Strike.
  • Panama Canal is under construction. And has been for a while. And will continue to be. Hopefully nothing horrible is unearthed in the digging.

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