In an average Roleplaying Game, a good half or more of the actions
undertaken by an adventuring party are illegal or at least of dubious legality. The world of
grift, grabs, and gangs is ripe with ingenuity, and danger. Even more so, in 1800's London. It’s a foreign
world, but there's a great guide book available for free online.
Henry Mayhew was a researcher, journalist, and civil agitator of the
mid 1800’s who wrote a 4 volume report on the experience of being poor in
London. The last volume “Those that will not work,
comprising; Prostitutes. Thieves. Swindlers. Beggars” is just about
Criminals. Mayhew gives great details like what percentage of an items worth
does a fence give to a thief, common pickpocket strategies, and a narrative of “A Ramble Among the Thieves’
Dens in the Borough”.
There is something here for GM and player alike. I recommend this book, however the first third of the book is about Prostitution. While this section is tactfully written and surprisingly compassionate (Mayhew seems to write with compassion about all his subjects, unless you’re foreign), this section is not for everyone.
There is something here for GM and player alike. I recommend this book, however the first third of the book is about Prostitution. While this section is tactfully written and surprisingly compassionate (Mayhew seems to write with compassion about all his subjects, unless you’re foreign), this section is not for everyone.
I’ll be posting a couple fun Mayhew How-to-Crime articles soon.
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