This is the set-up to Mists of Old London,
a scenario for use with Vaesen – Mythic Britain & Ireland,
the campaign supplement for Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying,
which details the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the nineteenth
century and the clashes the arose between the old ways and the new with rapid
industrialisation. The scenario is set primarily in the rotten rookery and
sodden slum of Jacob’s Island, home to some of the city’s poorest inhabitants,
on the south bank of the river, notable as being the home of Bill Sykes in Charles
Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Investigation will reveal the area is rife with tension.
There has been a recent influx of immigrants from Jamaica into the slum as well
as the people vanishing into the mists and then reappearing at their homes, as
cold as the grave. There are also strange figures stalking the streets. One is hooded
in rags and mutters curses and incantations as she clambers across the rickety
walkways and bridges that connect many parts of Jacob’s Island, whilst the
other strides purposefully, a gentleman in frock coat and top hat as well as a
mask. She is Madame Otay, he is Monsieur Thursday.
It should be pretty clear that to the
players that what their characters are facing is an infestation of zombies, appropriate
for the threat that the Player Characters face, though since the word would
have been little known at the time when the scenario is set, it is very
unlikely that the characters will initially know they are facing and extremely unlikely
that they will have come across the term before. There are opportunities for
both Madame Otay and Monsieur Thursday to educate the Player Characters though.
Being a scenario for Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying, there is a countdown in
which things get worse, the mists will rise and worsen, and the zombies will
walk the streets of Jacob’s Island openly. There are a limited number of lines
of investigation, but the Player Characters should get enough clues to work out
what is going and where they need to go—whether either of the major NPCs want
them to, or not. All of which will lead to classic showdown at a summoning by
the villain of the piece and the Player Characters in position to stop it.
This is a most serviceable scenario with a pleasingly tense and strong, if sodden
atmosphere of uncertainty, tinged just a little with a fear of the unknown. Smart or experienced
players will probably crack on through and complete it in a single session, though
it should take no more than two sessions’ worth of play at the most otherwise. It
could work as a convention in the case of the former, but it is not really set
up for that. Thematically the plot could work with the Rivers of London: the Roleplaying Game or period wise with Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England, both from Chaosium, Inc. In fact,
retooling it for the latter for the Miskatonic Repository would work rather
well.
Mists of Old London is not without its issues
and the likelihood is that the complaints about are going to come from both ends of the spectrum. One is that the scenario makes use of African diaspora
religion of Obeah as a feature of its plot. The other is that one of the NPCs
is called ‘Nigel Barrige’, who as MP for Southwark, “…[N]ow seeks to
consolidate his power by stoking parliaments [SIC] fears of the working class
and social revolution.” The author goes further than this though, in what is a
parody of a contemporary British political figure. To be fair, the first of
these is more of an issue than the second, but the author does make clear that it
is not intended faithful representation of the religion, but sticks to being a
Western, dramatised version for the sake of the scenario’s plot. The author also
suggests that if the Game Master is unhappy with this, then it is possible to
some research and adjust as necessary. A link is provided should the Game
Master want to get started. As to the second, it is parody, and parody is fair
game.
Mists of Old London is published via the Free League Workshop, the community content programme for Free League Publishing, so not professionally produced. As a consequence, physically, Mists of Old London is rough. The layout and the few pieces of illustration
are fine, but it really, really needs a good edit. There are also no maps.
Mists of Old London is far from a bad scenario. It just needs to be more
clearly and tidily presented and supported with a map or two. Otherwise, Mists of Old London is eminently serviceable, enjoyable scenario.
