Friday, March 27, 2015

Dolly Shops – A Mercantile of Crime and Desperation

When Money is tight and the children are hungry a poor man has to do something to make ends meet. For many of the Victorians living in poverty this meant pawning a little used item, but what if nothing you had was acceptable to a licensed pawn shop? Then you go to an unlicensed pawn shop!

In the gloomy back alleys of London’s bad neighborhoods, in the disused house or the badly maintained storefront without a sign were the dolly shops. A dolly shop was an unlicensed pawnshop whose operators (sometimes called uncles) were not as particular about the quality of the item they paid for or where they came from. Aside from the piles of clothing, shoddy tools, and other house wares, those in the know could identify a dolly shop by the black faced doll hanging in the front window.

“As we look into these suspicious looking shops we see large piles of female apparel, with articles of men's dress heaped around the walls, or deposited in bundles and paper packages on shelves around the shop, with strings of clothes hung across the apartment to dry, or offered for sale.”
“In the evening these dolly shops are dimly lighted, and look still more gloomy and forbidding than during the day.”
- Henry Mayhew, “Those that will not work, comprising; Prostitutes. Thieves. Swindlers. Beggars”

As dolly shops did not comply with the laws regarding pawnshops, merchandise being hocked was usually only held a week before being put up for sale (or less if a buyer was interested) and the person pawning the item often only got a sixth or an eighth of its value. When an item was redeemed by its owner the interest was higher than the regulated standards (2-3 pence per shilling contrasted with the ½ pence per 2 shillings). Many dolly shops operated more like a fence, openly accepting stolen materials and arranging shipments of precious metals to be melted into resalable bars. An established dolly shop might even disappear if the police were aware of its presence.

A dolly shop is an atmospheric location that can peg the desperation and cunning of the rookery. Its use in a scenario can elegantly move the plot forward. If a shady item, or information and appraisal on stolen property is needed, asking the shop’s uncle gives fresh leads. Need a stolen item to enter the story, or a cursed bit of treasure to plague anyone unlucky enough to buy it? Head to the dolly shop.

One of the greatest reasons to use any kind of pawn shop in an adventure is they come with their own clue trail: the pawn ticket. Any customer that hocked goods for cash is given a pawn ticket so they could buy back their item. A reputable pawn shop could have their name printed on it and a lot number, a lesser shop could just be a scrap of paper with a signature torn in two.
The discovery of a pawn ticket gives an easy path to follow. Obviously the path is harder if the ticket doesn’t have the shop’s name on it. That’s where Local Expert, Streetwise, and Contacts come in handy

It would be a waste to ignore the creepy doll hanging in the window. A dolly shop run by a gutter conjuror could have eyes in the doll that follow passersby and act like a security camera. Or if it’s made of porcelain it could act as a kind of scrying glass.
How the doll is dressed could signify what gang the shop is run by or what illegal goods it specializes in.

Plot Hook Idea
An impoverished contacts of the party was been forced to hock a precious family heirloom. Nearly a week later the contact is ready to buy it back but the police have been alerted of the dolly shop’s presence and the shop has changed location. Can the players find the shop before the day is up and the heirloom goes on sale?
Is it a coincidence the shop disappeared after the heirloom was hocked?

Possible Merchandise To Be Bought Or Sold in a Dolly Shop
Assorted Rags (to be sold to paper or fertilizer mills)
Bed Linen (brought in on the maid’s day off)
Bones (to be made into soap or fertilizer)
Bonnets (varying degrees of fashion and expense)
Books (Magazines, unbound books, journals, legers)
Boots (holes in soul, ripped leather, ill fitting)
Candle ends (could be melted and reformed)
Cheap sweets (may be homemade, terrible, or gone off)
Cheap watches (broken, missing pieces, scratched casings, or very low quality)
Children’s petticoats (torn, stained)
Collars (bent, dirty)
Empty Bottles (brought in on servants, and wait staff’s day off)
Food Castoffs (leftovers, fat cutoffs)
Furniture (table with missing leg, footstool with ripped cushion)
Gowns (old fashioned, homemade, stained)
Gloves (cotton, fingerless)
Handkerchiefs or Neckerchiefs (cotton, most likely stolen)
Iron and other metals (collected one piece at a time to be melted down)
Kitchen Supplies (jars, moldy flour, grease, pots and pans)
Knives (pocket knives, may be stolen, hocked knives of working men)
Men’s Overcoat (suspicious rips and holes, warm but shabby)
Old Jewelry (stolen, old, broken chains,)
Paper (could be sold shops to wrap goods in, everyone has a use for spare paper)
Petticoats (brown spots on white cotton, torn lace)
Pictures (paintings, sketches, posters, advertisements)
Pipes (clay, wooden, cracked, smelly)
Shawls (thread bare, spotted, damp)
Shirtfronts (crumpled, worn)
Tobacco (small bent tins, wet plugs wrapped in paper, may be mixed with sawdust)
Utensils (assorted spoons, knives, forks, most likely not silver, brought on the cook’s day off)
Workman’s Tools (cracked, bent, rusty, hocked to afford the next step of a project)

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Adventuring with Class -Low Class Adventures



The industrial age has pulled many rural workers into the city where they scrape out a living stacked on top of each other. Crime has flourished in the cramped quarters of the poorer neighborhoods. Those not resorting to crime find employment or aid anyway they can. The social pressure that rules the Upper class and the professional courtesy of the Middle are less evident here. The greatest worry of the lower class is simply eating every day.

Plot Hooks
More than the other two circles of society, the motivations for the lower class are fractured by world view. For a selfish and cynical scum, reputation or social mobility is nothing, but a poor yet honest man values his word of honor most of all (which may not be surprising considering how little he has to value).
Aside from a few social climbers, both cases are motivated by their values, not the values of those around them.

Misery loves company, and few are more miserable than the poor living in the streets of London. If a player character is willing to do anything to survive, a simple threat to a person they rely on is often enough, but if they are more altruistic, a threat to a downtrodden friend is better.
This is particularly effective with lower class characters due to their comparatively helpless state. If a character with a prestigious social circle needs the help of the law or public opinion they have avenues to get it, a professional can lean back on their connections and a good name, but a working man may only have his friends to fall back on.

The obvious offer of a few shillings will be enough to entice a character on the bottom rung of the social ladder towards the story.  This can stay interesting by trading the charter’s skills and abilities for expensive good and services (rather than a straight wage).  A bounty on Sewer Ghouls could bring a down on his luck character closer to a sewer based adventure; a missing sewing machine part could persuade the party to fix a cricket match.

Most of the clothes and household goods owned by a poor man were purchased at a dollyshop (a second-hand store, or an unlicensed pawn shop). A few of these shops may be on the up and up, but most were stocked with stolen articles. The ill gotten goods were then sold at a price their clientele could afford.
Any relatively nice item owned by a low class character could be stolen property. A handkerchief with a stranger’s initials, a silver backed mirror with a familiar crest, or a complete set of china dishes with a lovely pattern could all lead to a confrontation with the original owners, or an owed favor on their return. Any small item picked up (or pick pocketed up) could lead to an adventure.

Locations
As long as they are never seen or heard, the craftsmen of the lower orders always have a place in polite society.  If a pipe is plugged, wooden panels need replacing, or if a wall has a hole, the workmen will have to be called.  A low class player character good with his hands will have access to a better class of buildings as long as they discrete and unobtrusive.

For a man without a house, the street is his home. Everyone knows everyone’s business (but would never tell an outsider), and neighbors will drop their disputes to achieve a common goal.  From the rookeries’ nest of connected houses, to a simple clean street of tenements and shops, a sense of community exists between the lack of privacy and the stifling living conditions.

The sins and excesses of all men filter through the layers of society and settle down in the Lower classes. The worst places in London house the evils that entertain and provide meeting places for their partakers. Opium dens, dog fights, prisons, houses of corruption, smuggler’s tunnels, all can be places of exchange between members of all orders and the criminal element.
Dark private places such as abandoned houses or derelict boats are also used by persons’ wanting to keep their dealings unrevealed.

Enemies and Obstacles
The poor face many hurdles when breaking through class barriers. Any interaction with their “betters” will be especially difficult. Getting an unsympathetic policeman to listen, haggling over a price in a ritzy neighborhood, or not sticking out in the nice restaurant while observing a suspect are all going to be harder for a low born character.

Charitable societies and the less charitable workhouses seek to improve the lot of the working man, but that doesn’t mean they don’t interfere. Activists may try to set a fallen man on the straight and narrow in a belligerent fashion, seeking to help with the rod of correction.
 If player character is pestered by a civic improvement organization, they will have to act with discretion. Most are only trying to help, and are likely well connected or funded by a member of high society.

In the rookery crime is law. From buying stolen clothes (it’s all they can afford), to avoiding the extortion of street gangs, few honest men can navigate their day to day lives without a hint of larceny. Depending on the neighborhood, a player character may be in danger of mugging, bludgeoning, or murder and that’s before making any enemies!

Traveling across London on foot may be picturesque but having enough for cab fare or a train ticket is a lot easier on the feet. If time is limited, the few pence meant for tonight’s supper may have to be sacrificed to save a life.
A few trains have special tickets for men coming to and from work, but they don’t run all day. Maybe the sewer tunnels would be quicker?


That is it for this series. I hope these ideas are useful and helped to generate ways to use class as a basis for adventures in Victoriana. Even if a party is made up of multiple classes, that should only make it easier to use class to drive story. Why are they adventuring, what do a player character’s peers think of their friends? Remember every character has a class, it might as well fuel story.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Adventuring with Class -Middle Class Adventures




The strength of the British Empire is industry, finance, and science, but the strength of industry, finance, and science is the middle class. They have risen above their humble beginnings to a skilled professional career.  Here is neither the freedom of the lower classes or the resources of the upper; there is only the ability, diligence, and responsibility of professionals.
The members of the middle class have worked to reach their success; they will work to keep it with equal tenacity.

Plot Hooks
Most middle class adventurers are a member of a trained profession. They rely on their learning and skills to make a comfortable living. Whether doctors, clerks, or magicians anything threatening or advancing their career is a plot hook. It’s not just money. Prestige, new discoveries, or competition in their area of expertise will drive them towards the plot.
A coffee house started up the block from the public house operated by the player character, a reclusive antiquarian‘s invitation to the historian in the party to catalog his collection, or a zoologist tasked with finding a rare ape escaped from the London Zoo are all scenarios using a middle class profession to introduce the adventure.

A plot hook can always come from the desk of their employer, someone they want to be their employer or even someone they wish to employ. Perhaps a trusted clerk cannot come to work until the threat on his life is taken care of, or a potential patron isn’t interested in hiring a magician that hasn’t given a lecture to their dining society.  Pressure and obligation can come from above or below in the world of business.

Middle class characters are in a bind when it comes to luxuries. They can save up to buy expensive gear, but if it breaks or disappears they will have to start saving all over again to replace it. Barring treasure and loot, a middleclass character might do the odd job in exchange for a precious piece of equipment.

Most unmarried professionals live in modest lodgings such as a room in a boarding house. The other tenants or even the owner may bring a problem to the character’s attention at a communal dinner. Perhaps small items have gone missing around the neighborhood, or a subsidence threatens the foundation of the house, or a known villain wants to buy the property. A player character will be more likely to investigate if the situation inconveniences them, and the character will definitely investigate if they actually own the house.

Similar to “why is a high class character adventuring” is the question, how did a middle class character become middle class.  Did he grow up in poverty, till a rich patron saw his potential, or was he shunned by his parents and forced to work for a living? Even if the answer is simply “His parents are middle class too”, the character may work in the same field as their father, or even work for father. Their schooling or apprenticeship will also add a small connection that can lead to obligations.

Locations
Places of work and education dominate middle class life during the day. Any canny player will be able to figure a way to use the resources available at work to gain an advantage in play (especially if they are playing a licensed Guild magician).

A skilled professional’s expertise can bring them to any worksite across London. The possibilities are only limited by a lack of knowledge or justification. A printer may need to deliver menus to the nicest restaurant in Soho, or a clerk can work any place with records and files (the Victorians did love to categorize).
This is a little more tricky if the adventure is in a lower-class neighborhood, but the City of London has plenty of organizations devoted to civic improvement or men of less than legal income that can pay for an excursion to the East end. 

The spread of railways from the heart of London into the surrounding countryside, make commuting to work much simpler. Many businessmen live in the cleaner air of the suburbs north of London and take a train to work each day. Life in the rural villages is getting more urban all the time. Ironically those that live here to avoid the corruption of the city often bring it back with them at the end of their work day.

Enemies and Obstacles
As mentioned, rivals to their professional life can be used to make life more difficult to a middle class character. Low end sabotage, customer poaching, and other shady business practices could get in the way of the player characters’ resources.

Adversity to a professional may not be personal. Social groups or agitators may be against their profession itself. Antivivisectionists may harass a biologist, socialist gangs might protest the work of a clockwork artificer making labor saving devices, and any number of persons would attack a police constable on sight in the rookery.

Because of the Middle Classes’ position, they are able to come into contact with almost any type of person above or below their social strata and members of both will look down on them. Old money can see the new money as upstarts or social climbers, and the poorer sections will be happy to remind a self-made man where he came from.

With specialized work comes specialized equipment. Tools get bent or chipped; kits can be stolen (particularly in the rough side of town). There may only be certain places that sell quality tools like that.

Respectable blue-blooded characters can get by on credit (their man will be by with a bank note in the morning), but a middleclass character will have to keep an eye on their money. A bank is a solid enough place to keep it, and their employer may already have an account for employees to use. Although banks can be robbed, it’s rarer than being pick-pocketed or mugged. A bank may not have very tight security on withdraws from accounts, or it may have restrictive security making it difficult to access funds in an emergency.

I’ll finish up this trilogy with Low Class Adventures in the next week. Since the last two posts have been GM specific, I think I will see what juice I can find in how class affects the players in character creation a bit later.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Adventuring with Class- High Class Adventures




High incomes, high society, and higher standards, the High class in Victoriana run the empire (or at least know those the ones that do), and live a life of privilege. While their lives are dominated by the
rules of polite society, the upper crust retain all the advantages of good breeding.
Some are not wholly satisfied with the system that gives their current status, and will mix with the lower orders for a good cause.

Plot Hooks
The gentry and the idle rich are not completely immune to the lure of money as an adventure seed, but there are more interesting ways to draw their attention. Social pressure and favor is the currency here. No matter how high up the social register they are, there is always a better class of people or a previously closed circle whose notice would be desirable.

If social betterment is not the key, look at why the character is adventuring in the first place. Is it the honor of the queen, a past injustice, or simple boredom? In any case, every blueblood must have a reason to slum it, even if it’s just the shocked reaction of their betters.
Finding the reason they’ve opened up their social circle to include the less prestigious characters can open many new possibilities.

One nearly guaranteed way to pull a high-class character into a story is family obligation. The family name has not only prestige, wealth and honor but also responsibility. Looking out for the farmers of the ancestral estate, investigating an imposing aunt’s troubles, and acting as a troubleshooter for the families’ squabbles are all mandatory pursuits if they want to keep their allowance and avoid the displeasure of the most powerful people in their lives.

The resources of wealth and connections allows the high class to enjoy their hobbies. Charity work, scientific discovery, patronage of the arts, any devoted interest can pull a player character into a niche that will lead to story. It doesn’t have to be their own hobby; any crackpot that a character’s wealthy uncle gives money is their problem too, when the bill collectors calls.

If a member of upper society wishes to make friends in high places, membership to a gentlemen club is a must. If the player character is female the options are a bit more limited but charity foundations can work out the same. She will still have to pay money (through donation) to stay involved and it’s a place of greater freedom for many society housewives.
There is not much a socialite would not do for the sake of the club.

While a servant would hesitate to burden their employer with a personal problem, they may be the only person of influence that can help in extreme circumstances. A servant with years of dedicated and diligent service is a valued member of the household, and would be a shame to lose due to a gambling debt, or a misunderstanding.

Locations
Access to the best places in London opens brand new ground for scenario seed planting. With judicial use of contacts and family, no door is closed very long to a well connected society man. The best parties of the season, the best clubs, and perhaps even the halls of government are all opened with a little name dropping, until the first hint of scandal.

There are all kinds of stuffy events that a high class character would be obligated to attend. Boat races, coming out parties, graduation ceremonies, premiers, sporting and civic events, anything that can be celebrated and used as a venue to see and be seen, will have an invitation forth-coming. With that much money and influence in one room, the adventure can land right into their lap.

The resources of high class characters make an international journey more viable. Why stow-away on a tramp steamer when an Airship might be available? Their connections and breeding (not to mention finance) can smooth the path of the story.

The countryside is also opened up if a family estate or a summer home is available. Seaside villages and other vacation spots are a fine quiet place for a rest to be interrupted with an adventure.

Money brings the ability to hire others expertise. A high class character’s connections can lead them to the office of an expert. The characters’ may wish to increase the experts income if they can translate the runes on an ancient bas relief, build the missing part for the machine they found, or if they can find a map of the supposedly never built section of the London sewer.

Enemies and Obstacles
If the adventure’s trail leads to the poorer sections of London, a high class character may have extra difficulty interacting with its residents. Vendors may be flustered at their presence or simply unable to make change for a pound. A renowned snitch may be on their best behavior and won’t gossip in front of the better set. Every pickpocket and sneak thief will be waiting for an opportunity. The way news travels the suspect may have already cleaned up their front room in anticipation of the characters’ visit!
In addition, bitter individuals of the lower classes may hold a grudge towards those of privileged standing or worse be rabid anarchists ready to start a brawl for the sake of the cause. A slumming high class character may be the only target a bitter wretch will see for a long time without having to leave their home team advantage behind.

As stated already, a scandal can be the worst fear of the higher classes. The affection of peers may dry up after hearing of a night in jail, or continued visits to the worst cesspool in the rookery. The very fact the character is an  adventurer could be an obstacle to more adventuring.
Worse, if the wrong social impression is made, a rival could step into the void and steal their influence in polite society.

In high society almost everyone knows everyone, or at the very least can look them up in guides and periodicals about the better set. If another member of a characters’ social circle is working at cross purposes to them, their confrontations will have to be discreet, particularly if they may be sitting across from each other at the next dinner party.

I hope this post was helpful. I’ll post the next section on Middle Class adventures soon.

Adventuring with Class- How class can influence game play


A Wise Gamemaster one told me,” Role-playing games are all about character driven storytelling”, and little in Victoriana affects characters like their class. Victoriana’s class system is not based on whether you’re a wizard, a fighter or a cleric. Class is all about your position in society.

From an eldren barrister, to an orc laborer, a character’s class affects their stats, their companions, and their adventures. A canny Game Master can use this to their advantage to generate stories and to direct the players toward the plot. Class is more than a social barrier. To the GM it is opportunity, flavor, and inspiration.

This is not a definitive list of adventuring tips, merely a few ideas on how class can be used to drive and impact story. The next few posts will have Suggestions for Plot Hooks, Locations, and Enemies and Obstacles to pull the character’s social strata into the center of the story.