Cthulhu Live - An E-Z Guide To Cthulhu Weaponry.pdf

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An E-Z Guide to Cthulhu Weaponry
BY
L
EONARD
S
NEED
≥
Although weapons of various sorts do not appear frequently in the works
of Lovecraft, they are generally considered indispensible for the average 1920s
occult investigator. This article will look at most of the important historical
weapons of the 1920s and their use in Cthulhoid situations. The second part
of this article will look more specifically at the tricky question of the use of
weapons in C
THULHU
L
IVES
.
To begin with, historically, the ‘Twenties came right in the aftermath of
World War I. The military discovered new and horrible ways of destroying
enemies. The Great War saw the first important use of tanks, airplanes,
flamethrowers, dropped bombs, and poisonous gases. However, effective as
these may be against a Spawn of Cthulhu, they are quite beyond the grasp of
the average gumshoe or professor. The war also saw the advent of many new
makes and types of firearms, which were largely unavailable in America. The
specifics of these weapons generally will have little influence on Cthulhoid sit-
uations, but here is a look at the most important weapons of the period.
The single most important sidearm was the Colt M1911A1 automatic pis-
tol. It is the classic pistol used by the military, the mob, and other malice mak-
ers. It fires .45 caliber bullets (the largest standard type of pistol ammuni-
tion), and although it is terribly powerful, it is also grossly inaccurate. It holds
up to seven rounds and can fire roughly two rounds per second. It has been the
indispensible high power pistol for the last sixty years. It won’t stop a
Shoggoth, but it’ll certainly give a Deep One pause.
Another classic weapon commonly associated with the 1920s was the
gangster’s friend, the Thompson .45 submachine gun, or Tommy Gun. It is
fairly small and light and could shoot more larger bullets faster than nearly
any personal firearm of the era. The Tommy Gun is usually fitted with a ver-
tical grip toward the end of the barrel to facilitate hip shooting rather than
aiming. In this manner, the Tommy Gun could be used to “spray” rounds at
targets. The 100-round drum clip frequently seen on the Tommy Gun in mafia
movies was seldom used because it added nearly fifteen pounds of weight to the
gun. It comes highly recommended for scattering cultists by Professor
Nathaniel Ward.
Many makes of pistols, especially revolvers, were available in the
‘Twenties. The general citizenry tended towards smaller calibers for firearms
due to cost of ammunition and ease of use. The .22 was considered appropri-
ate for women (although ladies would have no need for such weapons). The .38,
.44, and .45 caliber revolvers were among the most common “pieces” of the
time. The revolver was known to be slightly more dependable than the auto-
matic. However, the sound of an empty revolver cylinder clicking is among the
most horrible ever heard in the catacombs of San Francisco.
Similarly, there were numerous makes and styles of rifles available. Rifles
tended to be either military or for hunting purposes. Again, the most “clas-
sic” rifles of the period were: the bolt action .30-06 (thirty-aught-six), the
lever action Winchester .3030 (the cowboy’s rifle), and the .22 varmint hunt-
ing rifle. While they don’t fire quickly and are nearly impossible to hide, rifles
pack a strong punch at long ranges. Certain investigators have been known to
hit targets all the way across the necropolis at Gizeh.
Shotguns were also fairly common, as gentlemen used them for hunting
fowl. Shotguns fire a large cartridge filled with BB-like projectiles called shot.
Despite their tremendous force, shotguns have a range problem. A 12-gauge
that would blow a large hole in a wooden door at 10 feet would only scratch
it from 100 feet. The highly effective and illegal sawed-off shotgun epitomized
this problem with range. Shotgun blasts spray in a conical shape away from the
barrel, so chances of hitting something are far better than they are with rifles
and pistols. Unlike bullet calibers, shotgun gauges have more power as they
decrease in number, from 410 to 12. Sam Buchannan was the all-time great
proponent of shotguns against the servants of the Mythos.
Other weapons were available in the ‘Twenties, some highly dangerous,
some illegal. Crude versions of flamethrowers existed in the military and could
potentially be procured, although using one would normally attract the atten-
tion of the authorities. Likewise, the first grenades were also being used in the
military and they occasionally found their way into the private sector. Most
conveniently, however, dynamite could be legally purchased for mining use in
the 1920s. TNT is remarkably effective, generally stable enough for trans-
portation, and small enough to find its way into numerous non-industrial situ-
ations. Numerous Cthulhoid investigators have used this handy explosive to
curtail unwholesome activities.
Those are most of the common weapons of the ‘Twenties, excluding obvi-
ous ones such as knives, axes, clubs, potato peelers, etc.… In part two, I will
examine the replication and safe use of these weapon types in the game of
C
THULHU
L
IVES
.
≥
Reprinted from
Strange Eons,
Vol. 1, Issue 4. © 1987 by the HPLHS. All rights reserved.

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