Fasting Girls pt 1 - Faith, Frauds, and Sad Stories

In the 1800s a series of young girls (adolescent and preadolescent) claimed to live without eating for long periods of time. These “fasting girls” became bedridden celebrities. Publishers sold pamphlets detailing their cases, and showmen went to court over their public display rights. Well-wishers donated funds for their care, and gawkers paid to visit. Their apparently supernatural survival on little to no nourishment fascinated the public, and led to fame, wealth, and death.

Here are three famous cases of Fasting Girls:

Sarah Jacob was young welsh girl. In 1867 her family claimed she could live without eating with no detriment to her health. Local skeptics tested and examined Sarah. After they declared her abilities genuine, the Jacobs family was awash with gifts and visitors wishing to see the miraculous child. Sarah sat in bed, speaking and reading her poetry to her visitors in a clear voice, and her devotees gave offerings to her. In 1869, the Jacobs gave the medical establishment complete access to their daughter. A team of trained nurses cared for Sarah night and day without feeding her, waiting for her requests for food. She starved to death seven days into the test.

A woman, named Anne Moore, with a large family and little income gained a reputation for eating very little food. In 1806, word spread that she had stopped eating. Pamphlets circulated claimed she lived on air, or that she stayed alive by the power of God. In 1808, a continuous watch lasting 16 days by trusted officials declared her starvation genuine, but a later examination in 1813 declared her a fraud, cleverly smuggled food by her daughter. By this time Anne Moore had become controversial topic and a wealthy woman from donations. 

In 1865, a young woman about to be married named Mollie Fancher, was terribly injured in a streetcar accident in America. Her accident left her an invalid for the rest of her life. Previously she had been known for eating very little, but after her injuries she ate even less, allegedly once going without food for seven weeks. Her physical condition grew more bizarre, her body wracked with spasms and strange spells. Rumors spread that she could see the future, read books despite her blindness, and read minds. Mollie Fancher became a true celebrity at the height of Spiritualism. She died in 1916, never having allowed doctors to test her miraculous abilities.

Fasting girls’ celebrity and fraudulent claims alone make rich veins for role-playing adventures, but in a world of gaslight fantasy the reality of fasting girls could be just about anything. Next Week, I’ll look at some of the stranger bits of history, folklore, and medicine connected to Fasting Girls.

Adventure Ideas

A young girl gets very sick. Worried for her approaching death, her parents make a deal with a hunger Archon. They do not give their daughter food, the Archon gains strength from her hunger, and some power returns to her, keeping her alive. The Archon uses its power to cause chaos and mayhem in the city near the child’s home.

Half a dozen skilled Magnetists have disappeared. Two of their bodies were found in a state of extreme starvation. Where are the rest and why are they being starved?

The contact of a player character has invested in a Fasting Girl’s case. He may be in charge of a paper following reporting her condition, declared her authenticity, or a theater owner about to host a show displaying the girl. In either case, he knows the girl is a fake. Will the players help her pass the tests and examinations of skeptics?

Victorian Carriages- Wrap Up

After a few weeks of dry descriptions and history, this last post focuses on using carriages in adventures. The specifics of carriage models shouldn’t lead to long descriptions at the table and players afraid of anachronisms. These details are here to give players strategic choices, quickly immerse the party in the world around them, and inspire adventures or obstacles.

Bare Minimum Details

You don’t always need to explain the differences between a Stanhope and a Tilbury. At the bare minimum, when players need detail, the following questions can be answered on the fly:

How many wheels does the carriage have?

Do the passengers sit in an enclosed carriage or are they out in the open?
How many horses pull the carriage?

Where does the driver sit?

How many passengers can ride the carriage?

These answers are more than enough for the average session. The period detail should inspire play, not hinder it.

What’s in a Name?

Quite a few of the carriages in the last few posts were named after people of high station. The inventor may have named their carriage after their patron, or the man in the street saw a person of high standing riding one. In either case, naming a plot device after a public figure could add wrinkles to an adventure.
Lady Hangrove hates having a dangerous carriage known by her name. An Etiquette or High Society test prevents a conversational faux pas.

The party needs to track down the originator of an esoteric spell from “Sir Belsohn’s Book of Goetic Manipulations”, do they waste the effort finding Sir Belsohn’s ghost or do they need to check guild records for Sir Belsohn’s research clerks?

Best of all, if your gaming group can take a joke, the player character with the highest social standing could get all the credit (or blame) for the party’s heroic feats.

Adventure Ideas

While some carriage owners have the knowhow to fix their vehicles, many rely on carriage makers for structural or superficial repairs.
If mysterious persons escape the player characters in a damaged carriage, a player character with Drive Carriage, Craft (Carriage), or Ad Hoc Repair, could track down its manufacturer and check if it’s in for repairs.  They may even find out who brought it in.

In any finely tuned machine, such as a carriage, a touch of sabotage can bring everything to a crashing halt. Nearly sawing through wheel spokes or rim, detaching springs, casting Botheration on a draft horse, slightly bending or inducing some friction to the axel, and tightening the horse’s collar to impede its breathing, could all limit a carriage’s ability to move.

A hansom cab roves around London serves as an office for a well connected criminal fixer. He knows everyone, and everyone trusts him. His cab travels the route every day. Anyone wanting his services can hail his cab and give the passphrase.

Many young gentlemen belong to Driving Clubs devoted to the joys of racing and driving your own carriage. A particular driving club has been plagued by a rash of carriage accidents. The victims are all the oldest sons of wealthy homes.

A cab company provides transport to some of the best clientele in town. Their carriages are also present at many crime scenes. Is the company, a cabbie, or a fare to blame?

Victorian Carriages- Carriage Mishaps

Carriage rides aren’t all gentle neighs, and a lover’s soft gaze. Here are a few ideas for the sorts of mishaps and dangers that may come up during a carriage ride. These aren’t for every session featuring a carriage. Think of it more as encounters that could be thrown in to heighten the danger of a fight or chase. If players try to surgically take down an opponents’ vehicle piece by piece, reward their strategy with the disastrous results of the table below.

The mishaps are numbered in case anyone wants a “1D10 Carriage Mishap Chart” to roll on.

Carriage Mishap

1. Broken Body- The carriage body has been damaged, exposing its passengers. This may be from shattered windows, ripped leather hoods, or broken cabs. The carriage no longer provides cover bonuses to any of its passengers from attacks.

2. Carriage Accident- Whether with a costermonger’s stand, another carriage, or a brick wall, the carriage collides horribly, causing a terrible accident. All characters aboard must pass a Dodge test (3 black dice) or take 12 dice of damage. A successful character safely leaps from the carriage before the crash.

The carriage and any draft horses automatically suffer 12 dice of damage.
If any horses remain alive and the carriage intact, characters may board and continue toward their goal.
Any other mishap may accompany a Carriage Accident at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

3. Carriage Flips- The characters suffer crushing damage from rolling wheels, horse’s hooves, and the bulk of the over-turned carriage itself. All characters aboard and all horses pulling the carriage take 9 dice of damage, with 4 points of armor penetration. Needless to say, a flipped carriage cannot move until righted.

4. Harness Incident- Some part of the horse’s harness and rigging (collar, reins, bit, etc) has come undone or broken. The driver lost the reins, or the horse came untethered to the carriage. All driving tests (including Chase Pools) have +6 black dice. If failed, the carriage is no longer under the driver’s control (see Runaway Carriage).

5. Horse Injured- An injury severely limits the horse’s ability to continue pulling the carriage. If another horse is pulling the carriage with it, the carriage continues moving but adds 6 black dice to Chase Pools. If no other horses remain, the carriage adds 12 black dice to Chase Pools.

6. Horse Killed- A stray bullet, blade, or spell ended the draft horse’s ability to pull the carriage. If another horse remains, the carriage continues moving (12 black dice to Chase Pools), but only after the driver passes an immediate Drive Carriage test (no black dice). If no other horses remain, or the Drive Carriage test failed, the carriage is now a runaway (See Run Away Carriage).

7. Lost Wheel- Whether from shattered spokes or a cracked axel, the carriage lost a wheel. The carriage driver must pass an immediate Drive Carriage test (no black dice). If passed the carriage continues moving, but all Driving tests (including Chase Pools) have +6 black dice. If failed the carriage flips (see Carriage Flips).

8. Run Away Carriage- Somehow the driver has lost control of his carriage. He may have lost control of the horse, been knocked unconscious, or been pushed off. Any character aboard the carriage may attempt a Drive Carriage test (3 black dice +3 per oppositional character also trying that round) to regain control. Failure results in a Carriage Accident (see Carriage Accident).

9. Shattered Lamp- The headlights of the carriage break, sending oil splashing over the carriage and its passengers. If lit, all passengers exposed to the splash must pass an immediate dodge test (no black dice) or take 6 dice of damage. A small inferno may ensue at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

10. Shattered Springs- The suspension springs of the carriage snap leading to a much bumpier ride or further damage to the carriage. All actions undertaken by passengers (including the driver’s Chase Pools) have +3 black dice from the much rougher ride. At GM’s discretion the carriage axel also cracks, causing a lost wheel (see Lost Wheel) in 1d6 turns.

Victorian Carriages Part 3- Hansom and Rockaway

Nothing establishes a Victorian setting like carriage wheels rolling down a cobblestone street. For something so iconic, a little more information really immerses games session into the world of gaslight.

Until the 1900s, the word carriage effectively meant a vehicle for transporting people, encompassing a plethora of vehicles. In the 1850s, carriages became more economical and more focused on carrying passengers comfortably. More and more middleclass families bought carriages causing an even greater variety in use, design, and levels of luxury.

This series of posts focuses on different sorts of carriages, and gives Game Masters enough information to make any ride, chase, escape or traffic accident unique.

Hansom Cab

Concerned with traffic safety, architect Joseph Aloysius Hansom designed his two wheeled carriage, the Rockaway, in 1834. Its low mounted center of gravity kept the carriage upright during the quick turns necessary to traverse London’s crowded streets, while maintaining a smooth easy ride, great speed, and comfort for its passengers. Similar to the two wheeled French cabriolet, he named it “The Hansom Safety Cab”. Hansom cabs became one of the most popular and iconic carriages of the Victorian era. Every major European and American city had legions of Hansom cabs for hire.

Passengers enter the enclosed square body from the front, off a low step directly behind the draft horse. The interior seats two passengers comfortably or three with less comfort. Glass windows and an open top light the interior. A leather curtain can be pulled over the open top to protect from weather or give passengers privacy. The driver sits behind the carriage on a high open backed bench.

An ever popular carriage, manufactures allover Great Britain and America made their own bootleg versions of the Hansom, adding improvements and modifications with each new iteration. Rubber tires, smaller wheels, hard topped bodies, lighter suspension systems, lighter materials, an extra two wheels, and more comfortable seating all kept the Hansom new and popular.

Rockaway

In the 1830s, United States manufactures started making a new style of four-wheeled family carriage called the Rockaway. The name came from either Rockaway, New Jersey, where they were made, or the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, where it was commonly used as transport to seaside resorts.

Rockaway carriages have a long square body with two rows of seats, often padded. A door on either side allowed passengers to the back seats, while a simple step led to the open front seats. A flat roof hangs over the open front row, and encloses the back seat. Often a window separates the two rows of seats. The driver sits in the front, but because of his low seat, his vision is often impaired by the carriage around him.

The Rockaway’s spacious seating, and modern design made it a hit with middle-upper class families, however it also made some versions of the carriage heavy. Rockaways with decorative wooden panels, glass windows, and room for six passengers need two draft horses. The simpler four seat rockaway needs one.

Next Week

That wraps up the factual part of this series. Next week, I get to do the more fun half of their blog: How to Use this information in an Adventure. 

First here is a research tip:

 I figured finding solid facts and figures for machines developed since the invention of printing would be easy. It wasn’t. I found a sea of contradictory information, sites with lists of competing descriptions of carriages, and strangely vague origin stories. I needed older more practical sources.
Thankfully, digitized books without a copyright are easy to find on Project Guttenberg and other public archive sites. A period guide to husbandry and a few turn of the century histories of carriages later, I had a solid backing for my research.
If you need a fact about the 1800s, go to the source. Download an archived book, and search the PDF. It’s quick, easy, and it won’t be hearsay (or at least it will be less hearsay than the rest of the internet).