Their Finest Hour- Class and Cash in the Battle of Britain

The class system of Victoriana wonderfully reflects the social structure of 1850s England, but does it belong in Their Finest hour? Does this system so central to Victoriana player characters have any relevance in a setting 90 years later? I think it does.

The Battle of Britain brings many opportunities for social classes to mingle, collide, and conspire. Both the chaos of war and the organization of the war effort brought  people of all classes, genders and nationalities together. Women stepped into new job opportunities and responsibilities on the home front. Men of all backgrounds fought side by side, depending on their brothers to stay alive. The diaspora of Europe sought a new chance to fight for their conquered countries.

Between military conscription, and the ever growing need of women workers for factories, upper-class households had to scale down to little if any servants. The classes all stood in line for rations (in fact some aristocratic families ate better under rationing), dug out survivors from destroyed houses, cared for each other’s children, and sought a good night sleep in the same bombs shelters. With all the social layers colliding in a national emergency, this is a perfect setting for Victoriana’s class system.

In the early 20^th century, World War I and the Great Depression wrecked the finances of many aristocrats. With lost lands, lost tenants, and new taxes, land owning aristocracy and massive county houses quickly vanished. Needing funds, destitute members of British nobility sought employment, sold heirlooms, and destroyed heavily taxed mansions to hold onto what little they can. After World War II, the British government, needing to reinforce their economy from war debts, heavily taxed estate inheritances, further degrading the most prestigious family fortunes.

On the other end, the Lower classes elevated by social reforms got better education, higher wages, healthcare and housing. Although issues of class still plague Great Britain today, these postwar changes in societal structure make World War II the last time Victoriana’s class system applies.

Starting Cash

Besides determining your place in society, class determines how much a player character can spend on starting equipment. Here is the cash available at character generation for each class, adjusted for the period.

Low Class: £4 x Wits; begin each adventure with Asset income

Middle Class: £15 x Wits; begin each adventure with 3s in pocket and Asset income

High Class: £35 x Wits; begin each adventure with 10s in pocket and Asset income

Income

Beyond Starting Cash, player characters should take the Asset “Income” for continual financial resources while adventuring. As in the Victoriana Core Rulebook, each class has its own entry and each entry contains three options for Income. The Income Assets are in 1940 pounds sterling.

Lower Class Income (2/5/10)

For two points, +3 pence at the start of each adventure

For five points, +2D* pence at the start of each adventure

For ten points, +2 shillings at the start of each adventure

*Roll two dice, that’s how many pennies. The same goes for shillings and pounds below.

Middle Class Income (2/5/10)

For two points, + 2 shillings at the start of each adventure

For five points, + 2D shillings

For ten points, + £1 at the start of each adventure

Upper Class Income (2/5/10)

For two points, + £2 at the start of each adventure

For five points, +2D pounds at the start of each adventure

For ten points, +£16 at the start of each adventure

In case you were wondering, £1 in 1855 is roughly equivalent to £1 14s in 1940. Next week, we’ll finish up character creation for Their Finest Hour with a look at races and magic. I hope you’re enjoying this exploration of alternate Victoriana.

Their Finest Hour- Associations of Heroism on the Home Front

The setting of “Their Finest Hour” has the same abundance of riches as Victoriana, specifically a never ending supply of fantasy tropes and the historic events of World War II on which to build adventures. This sea of possibilities could drown some parties, but Associations throw out the life preserver of campaign themes. Associations bring characters together, introduce adventure hooks, and define campaign frames making everything clearer, sharper, and specific. Here are a couple Associations for Their Finest Hour:

Air Raid Precautions (ARP)

Faced with the threat of a war with Germany, the British government founded an organization called Air Raid Precautions in 1937, and local City Councils asked for volunteers to fill its ranks. Civilian men and women (some still teenagers, others too old for military service) joined taking responsibility for their towns and city streets.  ARP’s members enforce blackout procedures, coordinate aid and rescue, and lead their neighbors through the dangerous nights of the Blitz.

Citizens recognize ARP volunteers by their white armband (with ARP in black), gasmask, and steel helmet lettered to designate the wearer’s role in the organization (“W” for Warden, “SP” for stretcher party, “A” for ambulance drivers etc.). Wardens, knowing the area and occupants, ushered crowds into air raid shelters, reported damage, lead recovery and rescue missions until authorities arrived, and helped survivors get badly needed aid (food, water, housing etc.). Rescue Parties (helmet marked “R”) search rubble and bombed out buildings, dig out survivors, and demolish buildings made unsafe by bombing.  The youngest members, as young as 14, act as Messengers, (helmet marked “M”) reporting by bicycle to the local ARP Controller and bringing back instructions.

Teams helped wherever needed, reinforcing the overwhelmed ARP members of towns badly bombed, and braving dangerous terrain to find the lost.

Skills: Athletics, Dodge, Drive Automobile, Medicine, Might, Streetwise,

Privileges: Ear of the Street, Local Hero,

No. 65 Squadron RAF

In readiness of the constant attacks in Southern England, RAF scattered their squadrons along the coast, to intercept flights of German bombers. Swarms of Spitfires and Hurricanes daily fought the clouds of Messerschmitts protecting Hinkel He Bombers. Royal Air Force pilots stationed in the airfields of the southern coast fended off as many as 4 sorties a day. The dangers of flying and of enemy contact, led to heavy casualties. The RAF’s filled ranks with patriotic men of all classes, exiles of the European continent, and entire squadrons from the allied countries. The RAF Volunteer Reserve brought many lower and middle class men into the air, although the RAF’s reputation as a social club for daredevil upper class gentlemen remains.

From Hornchurch Airfield east of London the No. 65 Squadron awaits the call from Sector D HQ to fly for their country. As part of the No. 11 Group, the Squadron protects London from bombing runs. The pilots of the 65 fly brand new Spitfires, the sleek, fast-climbing fighter powered by the mysteriously powerful and advanced “Merlin” engine.

No. 65 Squadron consists of 12 planes and 18 pilots. A dedicated ground crew maintains each spitfire after every mission, rearming the eight machine guns, refueling tanks, repairing damage, and refilling the oxygen tanks.

Skills: Ad-hoc Repair, Aviation*, Craft (Air Craft), Gunnery**, Navigation, Perception,

Privileges: Military Commission, Hero

*Victoriana already has the Pilot group skill, but a broad “I can fly a plane” skill (Such as Aviation) might work better considering the various types of planes in the 1940s. 

**The Gunnery Skill was introduced in the sourcebook “Marvels of Science and Steampunk”

Every time I write out a new Association, I struggle because I want to throw out plot hooks. If anything, Associations are “character hooks” to draw in players, not plot hooks to draw in characters. Rest assured these adventure ideas will find their way to light later. These four Associations from this and last week will help us as we continue with character creation. They give a use a broad framework for characters for character generation. Next, we’re moving on to the Races of Victoriana and how we can adapt the systems Class Structure to World War II.

Their Finest Hour- Associations of Spirit and Crime

The setting of “Their Finest Hour” has the same abundance of riches as Victoriana, specifically a never ending supply of fantasy tropes and the historic events of World War II on which to build adventures. This sea of possibilities could drown some parties, but Associations throw out the life preserver of campaign themes. Associations bring characters together, introduce adventure hooks, and define campaign frames making everything clearer, sharper, and more specific. Here are a couple examples of the Associations possible for Their Finest Hour:

The Community of Invisible Mysteries

Facing the growing threat of Nazi occult research, the Guild in England devoted all of its manpower, and facilities to the war effort.  As patriotic magicians volunteered, and many more conscripted, Britain’s magical resources grew thin at the home front. Every day, bomb blasts disturb ancient spirits, bloodshed feeds dark powers, and sinister hands weave deadly spells. Concerned by the potential of magic going unchecked in Britain, Theosophist and Goetic Magnetist Dion Fortune founded “the Community of Invisible Mysteries” to hold back the darkness.

Fortune leads her flock from their temple in Bayswater, enthusiastically seeking out evil through meditation and prayer. Although some conjurers, rune scribes, and magnetists devote their magic to the Community’s goals, most members lack formal magical training or ability; Many follow Fortune in hope of gaining it.

Most  authorities see the Community as amateur mystics exploiting the war to stir up publicity for their cult, but the police in the street look the other way, happy someone else deals with the nastier side of magic in this time of national crisis.

The Community charges nothing for their services, relying instead on contributions from grateful citizens and the donations of wealthy benefactors. Their desire for justice, knowledge, and kindness are all they believe they need to confront ghosts, curses, demons, necromancers, and worse.

Skills: Any Magical Skill, History, Lore, Research, Theology,

Privileges: Blackguard, Friend of the Library,

Retrievals and Removals ltd.

The chaos of daily bombings, wartime rationing, and a police force dwindled by conscription creates a very healthy economy of crime. During a Black Out (the shutting off of all lights to make a harder target for bombers), all the pickpockets, burglars, and other predators found the streets a perfect playground for their work. The security of a building is null and void once a bomb falls upon it, allowing amateur “rescue teams” to save goods and valuables. Those same goods and valuables fetch a pretty penny, sold to a public starved of creature comforts now rationed. Homemakers (limited to eight ounces of sugar, two ounces of butter, and a single egg per person a week) gratefully bought essentials from the black market.

Despite its professional title, Retrievals and Removals ltd. has no offices, or shareholders, just a lorry, a warehouse owned by a brother-in-law, and a group of cunning lawbreakers, ready to make lots of money. From the hard dealing spiv selling in the ally, the lookout watching for the bobbies, and their innocent seeming plant in the crowd, to the second story cat burglar, the professional safe cracker, and the street mucker ready for it to get rough, Retrievals and Removals has the experts to handle any opportunity.

It’s a dangerous business avoiding police and honest citizens, while crawling though crumbling buildings and craters, but each night the brave men and women of Retrievals and Removals ltd. go out and make easy money the hard way.  

Skills: Appraisal, Bull, Haggle, Hide and Sneak, Pick Pocks, Streetwise

Privileges: Ear of the Street, Local Hero, Street Informant,

I was going to just do one post of Associations, but these were really fun to make, and I have at least another two weeks worth of ideas. I’ll try to do just one more post and then we’ll move on to races and classes.