This chapter of the book is the gamemaster's section, and has information to help GMs run games, including information on creating an atmosphere, scripting adventures and stats for NPCs and monsters.
The chapter begins with a short (but very useful) pep talk about running a game of Victoriana - this is definitely more aimed at those who have not run in this - or maybe any - system before. While addressing the difficulties of running a game, the passage is also very encouraging - something I find very important to any starting GM.
Next, there is a list of suggestions for the kinds of adventures that might suit different kinds of Associations, using the example Associations found in the second chapter of the book. Because these Associations are wide-ranging in purpose, skillsets and theme, it is easy to find a few adventures for each of them, or to fit your own associations into the suggestions for adventures.
After that, the chapter next details the different atmospheres a GM may wish to evoke during their campaigns and how they might do it, giving some useful background for the setting (including an explanation of the Bolshevists and additional information about the religious attitudes in the setting). This, in combination with the suggestions for adventures just before, offers excellent advice towards creating a campaign and is a valuable resource for any GM, but particularly, I feel, starting GMs who may have trouble with planning their first game.
The next part of the chapter goes into more detail about actually putting together the whole campaign once the foundations have been done, including talking about different approaches to running the game: structuring your campaign and sessions, detailing the NPCs in the campaign (the building of which comes later in the chapter), introducing subplots and story arcs. All of this information is extremely useful while remaining concise and a good read for new or experienced GMs alike.
After this, the chapter moves to talk about combat, but this time from the GM's perspective. This includes discussion of chase scenes and how to stage an interesting and dynamic combat while also utilising outside forces. All of this is useful advice as I have often found that combat can become very dull as a result of not being thought about in very much detail. By adding a few other elements, a decent combat scene can become much more fun and involving - something I think the chapter does a good job of explaining and illustrating.
Next the chapter moves to talk about NPC design - something essential to any campaign (unless you're running something in some kind of vacuum where NPCs don't exist!) and covered in a good amount of detail here. The system to quickly make up characters, alongside the example characters given in the chapter, are extremely useful and work well for just about any campaign.
Lastly, there is a list of monsters and creatures in the Victoriana setting, with stats and information to help GMs incorporate them into their games. There is information about necromantic and demonic monsters, along with heavenly beings and mundane creatures. There is enough variety for most GMs, as well as sufficient information for slightly more experienced GMs to create their own creatures and monsters.
Something I found slightly odd about this chapter were various asides featured throughout that give a little more information about the setting that GMs might find useful, such as an explanation of how law works in the setting and the sentences people might expect to receive and a section about various kinds of entertainment that are available to player characters. The information is concise and relevant, but I also feel that this is perhaps somewhere this rulebook does not improve upon the 2nd Edition Rulebook: previously this information was in the setting chapter at the start of the book and not tucked away in the back next to NPC design information and staging combats. I think that having this information available to players as well as the GM is useful for them to get a sense of the setting and what they can and cannot do in it, and while its position in the book doesn't stop players from reading it, it is also not easily findable for them and they are unlikely to read it unless the GM points it out to them. But this is a very small criticism on my part - for the most part this chapter is very useful for GMs, both starting and experienced.
This wraps up my review of this chapter and the entire Victoriana 3rd Edition Rulebook. Overall, I was incredibly impressed with how much was improved on from 2nd Edition and how much better proofed the rulebook was. While there are some rules I find strange or unnecessary, I think the general quality of the game has gone up, and the atmosphere and feeling of the thing is also much clearer. I would absolutely recommend Victoriana 3rd Edition to others, whether they are experienced roleplayers or only starting out with roleplaying. The base system is simple to grasp and play with and the rest of the extra rules around that are not difficult. This, paired with an interesting and diverse setting provides players and GMs with a wealth of options with campaigns and ensures that Victoriana remains one of my favourite roleplaying systems.
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