Typeface Terror

When the body of a man is found lying face up in his West London flat with a large hole in his chest surrounded by organised piles of books, it sounds like a strange case, and probably a case for The Folly. Or rather, the ‘Special Assessment Unit’ of London Metropolitan Police Service, which in particular deals with magic and the Demi-Monde, and under the command of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, registered practitioner of Newtonian magic, is increasing the number of its operational staff as crimes involving magic also rise. And so, it proves to be with the death of Edgar Marsh. Assiduous investigation involving close examination of the flat, interviews with neighbours, and an autopsy establish that Edgar was a loner, was obsessed with history and mudlarking on the Thames shore, died under strange circumstances, and once an Initial Vestigium Assessment has been conducted, that magic was involved in his death, and that very definitely, this is a case for the Folly. It is also the set-up for The Font of All Evil.

The Font of All Evil: Murder and Mayhem Besides the Thames is an investigation and case file for Rivers of London: the Roleplaying Game, based on the Rivers of London novels by Ben Aaronovitch. Published by Chaosium, Inc., this is another short case file for the roleplaying game which can be played in a single session and perhaps used as a convention scenario. Or it can be added to campaign, perhaps run after ‘The Bookshop’ from the core rulebook or Going Underground – A Case File for Rivers of London: the Roleplaying Game. One issue perhaps with the scenario is that it set on a specific date—Thursday, 19th May, 2016. This tied into ebb and flow of the Thames tidal estuary, but the scenario need not be set on that particular date. The authors suggest that the Game Moderator can check the tides for the particular day on which she wants to set the scenario, but another option would be to still set it on Thursday, 19th May, 2016 and run it on later date as a training exercise, possibly conducted by Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale himself.

The case itself is quite straightforward—no surprise given that it was originally written as a convention scenario—and within a relatively short amount of time, should have a prime suspect. The second half of the scenario will involve confirming his involvement, tracking him down, and finally confronting him. Throughout, there is excellent advice for the Game Master and at every stage, there are suggestions as where the Player Characters could go next to continue or further their investigation. There are nods also to the various novels the Rivers of London series, pointers to possible consequences to the Player Character actions. This is in addition to the advice given to the Game Moderator at the start of the scenario, which suggests the means of introducing the Player Characters, what Occupations are useful, and what skills will be helpful. Of the Occupations, ideally, the Player Characters should have a Police Officer or Detective and a Practitioner of magic amongst their number. The scenario even goes so far as to suggest which pre-generated Player Characters from the Rivers of London: the Roleplaying Game core book are suitable, adjusting for player numbers as necessary.

Where The Font of All Evil: Murder and Mayhem Besides the Thames disappoints—if only slightly—is in its treatment of the wound that killed poor Edgar Marsh. The scenario suggests that not every Game Moderator and her group relish depictions of violence and bloodshed, which is fine, but consequently, the scenario obfuscates what exactly the cause of death is until quite late on in the book and initially it is difficult to work out exactly why the case falls under the remit of The Folly. When it is made explicit, the Game Moderator will need to take that information and carry it back to the beginning of the scenario should she want to work it into her descriptions for the benefit of her players and their characters. Also, the scenario does not address what might happen should the Player Characters actually fail… After all, what killed Edgar Marsh could also be threat to the monarchy!

Where The Font of All Evil: Murder and Mayhem Besides the Thames delights is in its pleasing combination of London life, history, and magic. The weaponisation of Doves Type has a certain elegance to it.

Physically, The Font of All Evil: Murder and Mayhem Besides the Thames is clean, tidy, and easy to use. The maps and plot progression diagram are easy to use, the advice is good throughout, and the illustrations are decent, a reasonable mix of the old and the new.

The Font of All Evil: Murder and Mayhem Besides the Thames is a detailed and entertaining, if short, case file for Rivers of London: the Roleplaying Game, compact enough to be run as a convention scenario, but just as easily run at a more leisurely pace at the gaming table.