Their Finest Hour- The Blitz Spirit Released!

Today, I’m ecstatic to announce The Blitz Spirit is available to download on this blog’s Resources page for free! This is a setting that has been in my head for a very long time. You can download it here or click on the picture below!

The next project for Their Finest Hour will explore the state of magic in 1940 and the differences between Vril and Quintessence. That might be a while, but it is on the way.

Their Finest Hour- Blitz Spirit Releases Next Week

As the last few logistical and grammatical details work their way through the chaos, I’m pleased to announce that next Friday The Blitz Spirit will be available to download for free on this blog next Friday. The Blitz Spirit contains 16 pages full of new Associations, new Talents, New Privileges, new Assets, and new complications. Each entry is loaded with illustrations and setting details both historic and fantastic to immerse your adventurers into the Battle of Britain of the magical Victoriana world!

Here’s a small taste:

Their Finest Hour- New Associations

The setting of “Their Finest Hour” holds the same abundance of riches as Victoriana. This sea of adventurous possibilities could drown some parties, but Associations throw out the life preserver of campaign themes.

The Home Tradition Section

Aware of the incredible magical energies powering the Nazi war machine conquering across continental Europe, Churchill ordered the assemblage of an organization fit to secretly scour Great Britain in search of its legendary past. The agents of Home Tradition Section include dishonored crackpots, little-regarded researchers, specialist criminals, and treasure hunters deemed unsuitable for military service for the task. Along with a small staff, the HTS numbers little under 100 members.

While some members of HTS are registered Thaumatergists, the Guild has no affiliation with the section nor does the section draw on the vast magical resources of the Guild. This is due to both the Guild’s increasing responsibility in the war and the HTS’s remit to study magical traditions not sanctioned by the Guild. Agents and academics of the HTS often travel under the cover of the ROC (Royal Observer Corps), claiming their excavations to be preliminary construction of watchtowers, and their long hours tramping through the country as part of a short term observation assignment.

Current Research Projects of the HTS include:

Operation Quadrangle- Track down the historic truths behind the legend of King Arthur, Camelot, and Merlin

Operation Omit- Examine the possibility of harnessing Ley Lines connecting places of power in Great Britain

Operation Acre- Find and make contact with the lost kingdom of fairies

Operation Pursuant- Catalogue folk magic of the British countryside not recognized by the Guild and access for military application

Operation Visit- Obtain and catalog magical relicts of Great Britain

Operation Scarlet- Search for the channel for evidence of the lost city of Ys and the possibility of mermaid civilization (The HTS scaled back the efforts of Operation Scarlet since Dunkirk)

Skills: History, Language, Athletics, Lore, Appraisal, Navigation

Privileges: Friend of the Library,

Bargle Street Station Committee

When the air raid siren warns of enemy bombers, civilians run to the nearest shelter. In and under the heart of London, the underground tunnels and tube stations nightly protect the population of the surrounding city-blocks from the mass devastation of air raids. Fear, charity, and desperation forge unique communities beneath the surface. At the Bargle Street Station, the respectable middle-class families living on Upper Bargle Street mix with the hoochie-coochie girls, gamblers, con men, and assorted riffraff of Lower Bargle Street in the safety of the underground.

Through the chaos of classes and criminal records, “The Bargle Street Station Committee” maintains the station, organizes entertainments for morale, and keeps the population of the underground cooperating during the desperate days of war. The Committee consists of a handful of locals respected by both sides of the street for their pluck and reliability, such as doctors, gang leaders, matrons, and madams. When disaster falls from the sky, terrible sewer monsters crawl up from below, or the constables search for ill-gotten goods, the Committee protects the nightly refugees of Bargle Street Station through professional skill and larcenous canny.

Skills: Accounting, Forgery, Gambling, Legal Matters, Pickpocket, Streetwise,

Privileges: Ear of the Street, Gang Member,

Their Finest Hour- New Complications

Unsurprisingly the world of the Blitz is a dangerous and complicated place. Will the pressures of sudden death, foreign foes, and the co-opting of the entire civilian population to the war efforts prevent adventurers from participating in Their Finest Hour?

Belligerent ARP- You don’t see eye to eye with the Air Raid Precautions volunteers in charge of your neighborhood.  They may be overly enthusiastic, strict, corrupt, or simply be out to get you from a prewar grudge, but you really wish they didn’t have authority over you during a blackout.

Bombed Out- A direct hit from a bomb chewed up and swallowed your home and all of your worldly possessions, leaving you with a crater and the clothes on your back. You rely on friends, relatives, or temporary government housing in a Rest Center (mostly schools, theaters, and churches filled with persons displaced by bombs) for a place to live.

Deep-Shelter Mentality- Subterranean places give you a sense of security, and you spend as much time as possible underground. You still go about your everyday life, but your eyes watch the skies waiting for the bombs to fall every moment you spend on the surface. The world underground is safe. Stay underground.

Enemy Alien- Whether it shows in your face, accent, or name, your lineage descends from a nation of the Axis powers. At worst, the German, Italian, and Japanese communities in Britain face internment and deportation. At best, open hostility and suspicion.

Old Injury- The war’s taken a toll on your health. You recovered from a serious wound in the recent past, but it still acts up a bit. Choose two attributes when you take this complication. At the beginning of a fight or other dramatic moment, perform a Fortitude or Resolve test with 3 black dice. If failed your old injury flares up. Temporarily lower the chosen attribute scores by 1 for the rest of the scene. Canny players may use their sudden weakness towards a social or tactical advantage.

Possible symptoms of your old injury include:
Strength- Fever, terrible back pain,

Dexterity- Hand uncontrollably clenched into a fist, loss of balance

Fortitude- Coughing fit, shallow breathing

Presence- Temporarily slurred speech, bodily tremors

Wits- Ringing in the ears, mild memory loss,

Resolve- Horrific headaches, confusion

Refugee- After the war took away your homeland, you settled in a new country to struggle for a better life, wait out the war, or strike back. Your new home’s ways are strange to you, as are yours to the locals. Work is scarce, pity and sympathy even scarcer.

Sprog- As the new man in a military unit, you fall at the bottom of the totem pole. When the higher-ups hand out duties, the worst jobs fall to you. As an untested outsider, you’ll have to earn the respect of your squad, but for now, even your mates wait for stupid mistakes and consider your inexperience a danger to their side.

Unpatriotic- You speak your mind, and your mind does not agree with the war. If you’re not careful, sharing your unpopular views on Isolationism, Pacifism, Communism, or Fascism, leads you into all sorts of trouble.

UXB- An unexploded bomb fell near your home. Your property only sustained slight damage, but the authorities forbid anyone from approaching the danger zone until it's safe. Any attempt to return home requires some pull with the local officials, artful sneaking, or an excellent explanation, not to mention some very cautious steps.

Their Finest Hour- New Assets

The scarcity brought by rationing and isolation polished certain everyday-commodities into treasured delicacies. Freedom of travel and creature comforts might be crucial tools to survive the Blitz.

Air Raid Shelter- (any, 1/3) 

You have ready access to your own private air-raid shelter. For 1 point, you own a simple Anderson shelter of corrugated steel half sunk into your garden, big enough to protect for 4 to 6 people from shrapnel, tremors, and fire. It’s uncomfortable and damp but it’s safe enough. For 3 points, you possess a reinforced basement beneath your home or a vault under your business capable of withstanding anything but a direct hit. These larger shelters safeguard many precious possessions, extended family members, trusted neighbors, or substantial provisions and comforts.

While the main quality of an Air Raid Shelter is protection from the destruction of enemy bombers, characters find plenty of other uses for their private and secure hideaways.

Automobile- (upper/3, middle/4) 

You own an automobile. Whether you wander the open road at tremendous speed, or motor safely home every night from work, your automobile gives you tremendous traveling freedom and flexibility.

Bicycle- (any, 1)

You own a simple single-seat bicycle complete with the luxuries of a bell, basket, and brakes. Your furious peddling terrorizes sidewalks, alleys and country lanes.

Night Club Proprietor (lower/middle, 4)

You own and operate a small drinking establishment of a disreputable and illegal quality. While the law says restaurants and nightclubs close at 10:30 for “public safety”, you know a cheap drink, pretty girls, and a jazz band helps people of all sorts forget these trying times. And you make a profit from it too. Every time the police close down one club, you open another in a conveniently abandoned space with a new flashy name and new prices. Your sleazy occupation gains you 1 point of Notoriety.

Government Issued Gas Protection- (any, 1)

During the early days of the war, the government feared enemy gas attacks above all and issued respirators to the public. You’ve maintained your equipment and assembled a complete gas protection kit through tinkering or trading. It consists of a respirator, gas hood, eye shields, gloves, and boots. Any attempts to resist gaseous attack (such as mustard gas, foul smells, chloroform, or ectoplasmic goo) gains +3 dice. Your equipment also protects your skin from head to toe giving you AR 1.

Lorry- (middle/3, lower/4)

You own a lorry. It may not be glamorous or nimble, but it’s remarkable how many problems a good solid lorry solves. For hauling heavy loads, transporting up to 10 human-sized persons, or simply blocking off a side road from police cars, you depend on your lorry.

Private Airplane- (upper/5)

You own your own private airplane. As a busy mogul, flying enthusiast, or world traveler, your airplane carries you hundreds of miles over water and land at great speeds. Your airplane is a sporty monoplane with a 30-foot wingspan capable of reaching flying speeds of 130 mph. It seats one pilot and two passengers with very limited space for cargo.

Top of the Line- (any/ +1 see description)

Admiring compliments and envious stares greet you as you show off your pride and joy. Any Asset giving you a material possession or property can be upgraded to be Top of the Line by adding +1 point to its cost. Top of the Line Assets ooze luxury, style, and prestige. With Top of the Line, an automobile becomes a glamorous roadster, a barge upgrades to a clean, charming river-ferry, and a laboratory fills with the latest and most impressive scientific apparatus.

 Top of the Line can be bought and added to Assets already used by the character. The character trading in their old car, comfortably furnishing their air-raid shelter, or redecorating their apartment explains the upgrade well enough.

A Top of the Line Asset gives their owner a temporary point of Propriety or Notoriety whenever they are seen with the Asset. The player chooses which Reputation gains the bonus point when they purchase the Top of the Line Asset.

Victory Garden- (Any, 2)

You’ve bent your green thumb toward helping the war effort.  The produce growing in your Victory garden stretches your ration book, feeds your loved ones, and bolsters your circle of friends.

Your garden may be in a box on your rooftop, a small plot in a sports field requisitioned for government use, a bomb crater filled with soil, or even in your yard.

Their Finest Hour- New Privileges

Adventuring in World War II opens new niches in society, and pulls military rank into greater importance. To reflect the new chaotic status quo, here are some new Privileges.

Black Market Connection (any, 2/6)

Some people will do anything to get their hands on some of the luxuries they took for granted before rationing. Luckily, you can get your hands on rationed material that “fell off a lorry”, such as butter, toilet paper, or cigarettes. 

For 2 points, you are a trusted customer of the black market and know who to talk to about getting your hands on all the comforts of better days without any fuss. For 6 points you are the black market racketeer and always have something valuable and illegal near at hand.

Civil Defense (any, 2)

You may be a civilian, but you can still protect your country. As a trained volunteer or part-time employee of a civil defense organization, you hold a position of responsibility and some authority in your community. You may not be able to arrest anyone, but when the bombs fall, people look to you for leadership and safety. Civil defense organizations include the Royal Observer Corps, Air Raid Precautions, the Home Guard, and the Auxiliary Fire Service.

Military Commissioned Officer- (upper/ middle, 4/5)

You survived training from a military academy or rose through the enlisted ranks step by step into the prestigious category of “officer”. Officers sit at the top of the military chain of command and rank has its privileges. No more manual labor and no more bunkhouses.

For 4 points, you serve as a Flying Officer in the Royal Airforce, a Sub Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, or a Lieutenant in the British Army. For 5 points, you are a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Airforce, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, or a Captain in the British Army.

Military- Noncommissioned Officer- (middle/lower, 2/3)

As a noncommissioned officer, you loom over privates (British Army), seaman (Royal navy) or aircraftman (RAF) and make sure they don’t trip over their boots while training or protecting their country. Whatever fool plan the Brass cooks up, you ensure the enlisted men follow it through in the field and safely return your squad back to base. 

For 2 points, you’ve reached the rank of Corporal in the Royal Air force or British Army or Leading Seaman in the Royal Navy. Despite your rank, you live and eat with the enlisted men. For 3 points, you reach the more senior rank of Sergeant in the Royal Air Force or British Army, or Petty Officer in the Royal Navy with your own mess and quarters.

Military- Enlisted Personnel- (any, 0)

Congratulations! You sit at the bottom-most rung of the military rank ladder. You have no one to order around, and take orders from everyone. In exchange for service to your country, you eat 3 square meals, sleep in a barracks, wear a snappy uniform, and earn decent pay. Although you may rise to the level of an NCO one day, you start as an Aircraftman in the Royal Airforce, a seaman in the Royal Navy, or a private in the British Army

Works for the Government- (upper/middle, 4)

You work in one of the many secret corners of Mr. Churchhill’s war-time government. Whether you develop new methods of waging war, crack German cryptographic codes, or perform covert missions abroad, you cannot tell anyone about your work. Not only does your job give you access to some very important people, but your superiors may extend their resources to you if it suits their mission or maintains secrecy.

Their Finest Hour- New Talents for a New World

The modern world of 1940 and the changing face of war bring all sorts of new challenges and dangers, so here’s a handful of new talents to push the capabilities of a Victoriana character a little further up the timeline.

Ace Pilot- You took to flying like a duck takes to water, much to the dismay of enemy aircraft. Your first five confirmed kills in aerial combat qualify you to the elite club of Flying Aces. In a Dogfight, your damage pools for aircraft armaments gain +2 dice.

Boffin- While some rely on bullets, you rely on brains. No matter what the uneducated rabble say behind your back, your book-smarts and ability with a spanner solve problems before they arise. You gain +2 dice to your Electronics, Ad-hoc Repair, and Demolition dice pools.

Flying Blind- Where others squint and fumble through the sky with white knuckles, you soar. You trained in advanced techniques for piloting aircraft in limited visibility. Your Aviation, Motoring, and other vehicular tests always subtract 3 black dice from their pools for fog, darkness, smoke, or other sight-based penalties.

               

Lead Foot- You can make your automobile do everything but talk. Because of your expertise behind the wheel, all of your dice pools for operating an automobile add 2 bonus dice. This includes such diverse uses as chase pools, dodging attempts to run you off the road, and using your vehicle as a battering ram.

Paratrooper- With proper training from the SOE, a supportive circus family, or a lifetime of crashing down unexplored mountains, you know how to take a fall and get back up. When you suffer damage from a fall (including when landing with a parachute) you always have an Armor Value of 2 in addition to any other Armor Values from gear, magic, or actual armor. 

Seadog- Whether you haul nets on a fishing boat, labor in the dry docks at Portsmouth, or man a gun on a Royal Navy Battleship, the sea is your bread and butter. Your experience gives you +2 dice to any test involving ships, boats, or nautical lore. This is most obviously useful in Pilot (Boating) tests, but it may also apply to other skills such as Navigation, Ad-hoc Repair, or Streetwise at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

Wireless Wiz- You fathom all the mysteries of radio waves. Armed with technique and knowledge you perform all sorts of amazing feats with a wireless set (or radio to the Americans), such as spot other nearby wireless sets with telemetry, exchange coded messages, use radiolocation to detect far off objects, and even listen to the BBC! With this talent, you can utilize a wireless set to gain +3 dice to Navigation, Electronics, or Perception skill pools.

 If you take this talent a second time, you gain +3 dice to skill pools when attempting to repair a wireless set. Additionally, if you pass an Ad-Hock Repair or Electronics test with 6 black dice, you can construct a crude short-range wireless set in 2 hours using only what you have on hand (at the Gamemaster’s discretion).

Virtuoso- You not only make music, you make art! Your years of practice, innate talent, or a Faustian deal give you musical ability across a wide range of instruments and styles. You gain +2 dice to any skill pools for producing music (such as singing, conducting, or playing an instrument).