''The Gothic Earth Gazetteer'' is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the '' Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

, published in 1995.

''The Gothic Earth Gazetteer'' is a supplement for ''

Masque of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague ...

'' players which presents background and ideas for adventures, as well as a timeline of the setting from 1890-1899, and details on important events, people, and . Following the timeline the book details the events such as the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, the

Dreyfus Affair The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...

and the Wounded Knee Massacre, along with supernatural events that accompanied the historical depictions. The biographical section likewise describes notable historical people with fictional enhancements such as artist

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a ...

, and includes some fictional characters such as

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

. The supplement ends with accounts of some of the important . The accessory is bound with a color poster consisting of a calendar for the era.

Publication history

''The Gothic Earth Gazetteer'' was designed by William W. Connors, and published by TSR in 1995. The cover artist was

Robh Ruppel Robh Ruppel is an American artist best known for his work on role-playing game products. Critic Joseph Szadkowski of ''The Washington Times'' has referred to him as a "horror genius". Early life Robh Ruppel grew up in Bellaire, Texas, and att ...

, with interior art courtesy of and used with permission of

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, books ...

, Inc.

Reception

Cliff Ramshaw reviewed ''The Gothic Earth Gazetteer'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 5 out of 10 overall. Ramshaw called the accessory "something very much like a history book, but with make-believe bits thrown in for good measure". He commented that the timeline "makes for interesting reading and is, dare I say it, educational, despite its peculiar emphasis on American baseball achievements". He felt that the Spanish–American War description would give referees plenty of ideas for espionage adventures, despite no overt hints given. He considered the accounts of the significant "lacklustre". Ramshaw concluded by saying: "The ''Gazetteer'' is nicely presented and quite intriguing, but you're likely to unearth much more in the way of atmosphere and ideas by reading a few history books and period novels."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gothic Earth Gazetteer, The Ravenloft supplements Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1995

Contents

Publication history

Reception

References