Adventure Idea- the Butler Did It!

As an uncultured American almost all of my perception of the English Upper Crust comes from the Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G Wodehouse (worth a read for the narrative conciseness alone), featuring a foolish man and his seemingly omniscient valet.  Among the many ideas worth stealing, is a Gentlemen’s club for Gentlemen’s Gentlemen: The Ganymede Club.

On their days off Valets come to the Ganymede club to enjoy the stoic camaraderie of their peers, read improving books, and enjoy a few moment of solace from the demands of their Gentlemen. Each member is required to write reports of their employers actions in the club’s record book to act as a warning to members seeking a new gentlemen and as entertainment to the club.

The idea of the Ganymede Club could make for a great opening adventure to a high class campaign.

A contact, a gentleman of means, sends a telegram asking the investigators to meet on a side street in Mayfair immediately.  On arrival, it is revealed that the contact’s Valet had sent the telegram, wishing the party to help with a delicate situation.

The valet belongs to a gentlemen’s club for male household staff (butlers, valets, and footmen). A fellow member has been murdered in the club. Senior initiates of the club are desperate to avoid scandal (its members work for important men of industry, government and finance), so they ask the investigators to collect evidence and solve the crime before the demands of propriety force them to inform the police.  If the murderer can be handed to the police when they are called, the club would be very grateful.

The players will have to act with total decorum, and undisciplined investigators will be tempted the continuous offers of food and drink by the club’s members. Potential wrinkles could include:

Blackmailing over an employer’s actions
Theft of the club book

The victim is a very new member

The victim is a senior member with something hidden in his pocket

The murder weapon is missing, but no one has left the club since the murder occurred

The porter’s keys are missing

Twin footmen who switch places sporadically unintentionally confusing others

A mysterious smelling bottle of wine in the room with the victim

The body moved to the kitchen so the carpet can be cleaned

The very stogy elderly porter constantly watching the investigators

Outsiders have never been allowed in the club since the days of Oliver Cromwell

A food delivery in the back

The victim was a notorious prankster and had nearly been kicked out 3 times

The members are so courteous and discreet, interrogation is nearly impossible!

If subtly and puzzle solving don’t work well with your group here are a couple complications that will add tension and action to a parlor mystery:

The murder has a trio of accomplices, three very sneaky ratmen thieves. The victim caught the murderer-to-be arraigning a high value theft in the club with the ratmen and had to be silenced. Until their job is done, the ratmen will use the over chintzed world of Victorian home décor to stay hidden, pop out at dramatically interesting moments to trip up the players investigation, then hide again. 

The murderer is a traitor to his country. The victim was killed to keep from divulging this fact. The traitor is trying to get a hold of secret government documents hidden in the club at an employer’s request. Agents of the czarina will visit the club in disguise to aid his search and take care of any busybodies. The players will have to deal with a deluge of chimney sweeps, deliverymen, and messengers all trying to find the documents. Senior club members will not turn them away as canceling scheduled deliveries and services would not add to an appearance of normality.

The victim was killed by a supernatural curse that followed him to the club. Anything from a barghest, mystic murderous runes, or necromantic spells. Is it a fellow member at all, or is everyone in danger?

If the crime is solved (or if an uninfluential patsy can be found) the club is very grateful and its members will prove valuable contacts. “Ordinarily I would not let sir into my master’s study while he is absent but after your service to the club I trust sir’s judgment…” “Perhaps our kitchen would prove an expedient hiding place for the moment, Sir?” “Would Sir care to use our carriage to back up his purposeful mistaken identity at the ball tonight?” etc.
 

For a predominantly lower class party, this scenario would open many doors and potential avenues for adventure.

Victoriana Bundle of Holding- For Pence on the Pound

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Adventure Idea- Bunyip Hunt

Seeing as I am about to take a break from running Victoriana at my table (Starwars if you want to know), the next few posts will be scenario ideas I don't want to forget over the summer. Feel free to take them or leave them.

Although Victoriana has a necessary element of alternate history (the world would be different given magic, elves, and giants), the real world is still ripe for story plundering. One of my favorite methods of adventure building is to take a real world occurrence and branch out from it.   
For example the Bunyip sightings in the mid 1800s. 

The Bunyip is a lake dwelling creature from Australian Aboriginal folklore. When Europeans started to colonize they were warned by the Aborigine of a terrifying man eater that lived the water. Descriptions of Bunyips are not consistent, ranging from dog like heads and walrus like bodies, horse like heads with feathers, or even gigantic starfish shaped bodies.
Sighting continued and expeditions were sent to try and find one, then in the 1840-50s a huge number of sightings were reported.  Whatever made for the increase in sightings would be ideal for an adventure in Australia. 

 A few possible stories with the Bunyip sightings:

1. The Bunyip could be an Archon invoked by powerful a Aborigine Goetist wishing to drive out squatters or rebel against the now independent colonial governors. Perhaps certain springs are cursed to cause horrible visions of a monster featuring whatever fearsome descriptions will scare its victims back to Europe. Or the emotion could be needed to fuel deep magic in the Dream Time.

2. The Bunyip is nothing but a ruse. A group of gold miners in New South Wales are trying to keep people away from a very prosperous claim. They are spreading rumors of the Bunyip and causing sightings with a stuffed seal carcass. Or a real Bunyip. 

3. With civilization pushing further into the outback, it’s possible a two groups not wanting to be found by settlers could bump into each other. A group of Bush Rangers uncovered something that prefers to be left alone. The  Bunyips are desperate to find something the Bush Rangers took. Life could get a bit unpleasant for isolated farms and settlements when the Bunyips come to search for their treasure. 

Whatever the case, this has to take place in Australia. There is too much flavor and background to take it anywhere else. Maybe the players have stepped on the toes of the law once too often, and are now among the last few groups of convicts sailing to Australia, or they have been expressly sent by a scientific institution to join an expedition looking for the Bunyip.

I am not planning on running this myself (Why leave London?) but I hope it sets you thinking about how simple it is to find a story in the gaps of history.  Just look for one interesting idea, see what is happening alongside it, and then add a layer of Victorian Fantasy.

Hobs- Evil minded rural runts that can hold a grudge

One of my players did not want to start his campaign in London. The English countryside is a bit sparsely described in our current Victoriana sources (understandably so, it’s Victorian England, why wouldn’t you start in London?).

Realizing that I would be going to the countryside, and needing a simple fight to teach some of the rule mechanics, I looked around for a low level encounter creature. I found Hobs.
In folklore Hobs are domestic spirits in the North of England that make deals with villagers to do farm work. If the Hobs ever feel slighted or cheated by the villagers they cause trouble.

A group of mischievous or aggrandized hobs can be a great low level menace to players or a small adventure opponent.

Hobs
Physical 3
Mental 2
Social: 3
Initiative 4
Health Pips: 6
Special Traits: Fickle and Suspicious +2
Damage: Bite (3), Crude Weapons (4)

Hobs are squat, yellow-eyed trouble makers with bulbous head. Thick black hairs sparsely dot their pitted filthy skin. Feraly intelligent, hobs dress in whatever rags they can find, but shun actual clothes. Their voices are coarse and croaking, and their pronunciation of human languages is nearly incomprehensible. Hobs live in dug out warrens in groups of 10-20.

It’s uncertain how their arrangement with farmers first started, but in exchange for produce, tools and any bugs they find Hobs do any labor the farms needs. Digging, planting, weeding, clearing land, hobs are surprisingly capable farm hands, until inevitably some small incident insults the hobs petty pride and the whole band turns against the farm. The worst most Hobs do is vandalism and petty theft, but some accounts of abductions and farmhouse sieges whisper the danger of slighting a Hob. Still, with more and more laborers moving to the city, good help is hard to find.

A couple hooks for their use:
Players encounter a small band of hobs ravaging a field of crops, bothering livestock, or competitively throwing their feces at a barn.

A local farmer needs more farm hands this season, and needs someone persuasive to make the Hobs an offer.

A troop of Hobs uncovered a brass crown buried in a field. The leader of the troop believes it is a sign of his right to rule the nearby village. The Revolution begins!

An eccentric scientist wishes to study the link between the Hob’s dialect and ancient Halfling languages. Can the players arrange a conversation? Maybe even civil discourse!

Etiquette- Staying afloat in an Ocean of Manners

Hardened adventurer’s might scoff at the practicality of manners in tense situations but the Etiquette skill is a vital tool for anyone digging beneath the ordered veneer of the Empire.

Sample Etiquette Uses 
A man of uncultured living will stick out in any but the most debased surroundings. Etiquette can show who does not belong in Lady Matilda’s reception, or what thug is next in line to take over the gang.

Anyone wishing to impress their betters will need to know what actions will aid their cause. An Etiquette roll can suggest that a nice note tucked into a stolen copy of “Burchess’ Guide to Salamanders” is the perfect way to get the professor’s attention.

When looking for a bomb in a fine banquet, Etiquette can reveal which place settings might have been switched, how many bottles of wine have been switched with flammables, and what table decoration is too big to be tasteful which may be hiding the explosive.

Skill Overlap
Certain aspects of Etiquette can overlap with other Specialty Skills. This won’t outshine the other skill’s usefulness but it will help round out a party’s abilities when stuck.

Bribery
In some situations bribery is as acceptable as tipping a porter. A “fellow man of the world” will know how to act gracefully in such a situation. Refined manners will help lubricate the unhelpful to your cause with a small donation or a drink at the public house.

Fashion
The fiddly rules of society extend to clothing too. From dark gloves in the morning, light in the evening to which flowers go in corsages, Etiquette can indicate who does not belong, and keep you from attracting the wrong attentions. It would not do to overdress for a rat baiting.

Forgery
Etiquette can’t help counterfeit bank notes, but if you want to send an invitation to a nonexistent ball, it will work in a pinch. As long as the correct terms of address are used, and the details current to this social season you can pull it off.

High Society
Who is the hostess obligated to invite to the ball tonight? When should we expect the owners of this house to return from the dinner party? These questions are reasonable answered by an Etiquette roll.

Politics
Identifying a person of position and treating them with expected courtesy is what politics is all about.

Foreign Customs
Any Etiquette roll involving foreign customs or secretive social circles (such as gentlemen’s clubs, fraternal orders, cults etc) have a 3 black dice penalty due to the lack of experience an outsider would have in their conduct.

Alternate Reputation Modifiers Afforded by Etiquette Rolls 
A man of ill reputation wishing to improve his standing may wish to be seen acting in a civilized fashion. Particularly well heeled actions may counter some notoriety, turning an uncouth brute into a charming blackguard.
When a reputation roll has ended with more Notoriety success than Propriety, a character may try to minimize his failure by being on his best manners. A successful Etiquette roll against the remaining Notoriety successes reduces the failure by 1. There is only so much manners can do against a bad reputation.
This can also be done in reverse. A character wanting to capitalize on a bad Reputation can roll against remaining Proprietary Dice as well, but it may add a permanent Point of Notoriety if the success is particularly spectacular.

Skullduggery in Motion! -The Unappreciated Man

The conclusion to my first Victoriana Campaign is now online!
Running this one was simple, I just had to load any information the players had missed or forgotten in their path. Aware they had missed a few clues, the players knew exactly where to go, I just needed to keep it exciting. 
The ending did not quite work. The players were stumped on how to send the water spirits away and had to call in outside consultants, but all in all it worked out well. I love the idea of magic being math-based but advancing the idea further into architecture and music has been a leitmotif of my games for a while, and Victorian London pulled it's weight as a setting in spades.
This campaign is the favorite campaign  I have run so far. All the information, backstory and research I put in came into play and each player has a character that matches their play style to a "T". The only downside is I can't kill any of their characters. They like them to much.
It's a nice problem to have.

Newspapers, Periodicals and Broadsheets- a solid investigative association for a muckraking party

One of the best additions to Victoriana’s 3rd Edition rules is Associations. No real rules, just a simple framework for how the player character’s know each other and why they adventure they way they do. The rulebook provides enough examples to let a group develop their own association. Here is a small write up for anyone looking for an association of a journalistic bent.

Breaking news from the telegraph operator, local human interest stories, and public scandals sell papers. It’s the job of reporters to track down stories, find and keep sources, write up the news in a style appropriate to the paper’s political leaning, and stay on the right side of the law. Reporters do what is necessary to keep the broadsheets moving.
The editor of a newspaper may assign a specific beat to a staff reporter or send them abroad as a correspondent. An editor also may or may not put up a bail for their news hounds, respect the confidential relationships of their sources, or fact check their stories. Most papers pay their staff enough to get by, although more respected names, popular authors, or famous crusaders will be better paid for their pieces.
The type of newspaper will greatly affect the news reported, the tone of the reporting, and the standard of journalist integrity. A paper funded by a political party will be well connected and funded, but only stories supporting their views are wanted and indelicate research of certain persons will not be tolerated. A mercantile sheet will be filled with dryly reported shipping schedules, foreign affairs, stock prices and exchanges. Specialty periodicals feature articles from prominent experts, and well researched lists and guides alongside themed news items. Penny papers cater to the lower and working classes. Sensational crime stories, human interest pieces, weather, entertainment, advertisements, all written simply and briefly. Their long standing reporters may be particularly look down on as penny papers were illegal as recently as 1855 due to the Stamp Tax.

Skills: Bribery, Charm, Empathy, Photography, Research, Streetwise, Telegraphy
Privileges: Ear of the Street, Pub Regular
Assets: Contact, Library (local history and who’s who)
Complications: Bad Reputation, Police Harassment, Policy of Truth, Zealot,

Potential Paper Names: The Wormwood Street Sage, the Discoveries of the Empire, Samaritan, Challenger’s Conquests of Science, the Torch of Reason, The Telegraphic Messenger