Quick-Start Saturday: Time Without Tide

Quick-starts are a means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy. Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce and explain the setting to her players, the rules to run the scenario included, and a set of ready-to-play, pre-generated characters that the players can pick up and understand almost as soon as they have sat down to play. The scenario itself should provide an introduction to the setting for the players as well as to the type of adventures that their characters will have and just an idea of some of the things their characters will be doing on said adventures. All of which should be packaged up in an easy-to-understand booklet whose contents, with a minimum of preparation upon the part of the Game Master, can be brought to the table and run for her gaming group in a single evening’s session—or perhaps two. And at the end of it, Game Master and players alike should ideally know whether they want to play the game again, perhaps purchasing another adventure or even the full rules for the roleplaying game.

Alternatively, if the Game Master already has the full rules for the roleplaying game the quick-start is for, then what it provides is a sample scenario that she still run as an introduction or even as part of her campaign for the roleplaying game. The ideal quick-start should entice and intrigue a playing group, but above all effectively introduce and teach the roleplaying game, as well as showcase both rules and setting.

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What is it?
Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog is the quick-start for Time Without Tide : Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog, a post-apocalyptic steampunk horror roleplaying game set during the Time Without Tide following the Victorian Age of Decadence during which the moon fell from the sky, vaporising as it hit the ground, splintering cities, shrouding the ruins in Lunar Dust, and unleashing the Unknown, an unforgiving horizonless fog that mutates anything unprotected by bright light.

The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog is a sixty-two e page, 22.91 MB full colour PDF.

It is well produced with excellent artwork. The maps also very good.

How long will it take to play?

The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog includes the scenario ‘Lonely Phareflaw’. It can be played in a single session.

What else do you need to play?
The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog needs several six-sided dice per player.

Who do you play?
The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog includes six pre-generated Player Characters. Six are given and are members of the Dowsing Odd relay crew. They include a steadfast protector who wields a Greatlight, a heavy, double-handed lantern to burn protect the fog and protect her allies; a charming socialite who is a radical freethinker and a good shot; a sturdy mechanic who wields a pickaxe to smash monsters; an orphan with a lot of luck; a noble turned reluctant assassin with amphibian traits; and a reanimated corpse turned doctor.

How is a Player Character defined?

A Player Character in the Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog is defined by his name and pre-delving resumé, Traits, Skills, Health, and Records. Each Trait—Body, Mind, and Will—has a score value and a health value, which range which one and five. The six skills—Culture, Industry, Navigation, Skulduggery, Survival, and Violence—are rated between zero and five. Records are what makes a Delver special. They consist of Items, Features, and Adaptations. Items are equipment that a Delver takes with him and things he found. (Notably, it is assumed that a Delver is competent enough to replenish supplies and so basic supplies do not need to be tracked.) Features are specialities and skill focuses that make each Delver stand out. Adaptations reflect exposure to the Unknown, evolving the infecting with malign detrimental powers or beneficial mutations. All Records take up slots. For Items, they take up Body slots; Features take up Mind slots; and Adaptations take up Will slots. Records can be depleted and typically require a safe or three-day rest to restore.

How do the mechanics work?

The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog uses a dice pool of six-sided dice. The dice pool is equal to the value of a Trait and a Skill. This can be any pair suitable for the situation. Each roll of a five or six is a counted as a success or Mark. A standard difficulty requires a player to roll two or more Marks, but the difficulty can range from one and easy to five and very hard. An ally can spend a whole action to assist and add half his dice to the pool and if the roll is a failure, a Delver can strain, suffer damage to the Mind, and reroll any dice. Any Marks in excess of the difficulty become Boons. These can be spent on extra effects. This is generally to halve the time of a task or to improve its quality, but this is not covered in any depth in the Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog, although they are used for combat.

How does combat work?

Combat in The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog uses a combination of the Violence Skill and Body Trait to hit things, the Violence Skill and Mind Trait to shoot things, and the Violence Skill and Will Trait to scare things. Initiative is a simple roll of a six-sided die and a Delver can take one major and one minor action. The action is fought across zones, each of which has room for four combatants.  The Unknown floods the battlefield and not only deplete Will, but make things harder to hit. The only way to counter this is to cast the light from a Lantern, which will hold back the Unknown, protecting the Delver and perhaps his allies. Exposure to the Unknown can lead to a loss of Will.

Combat includes a number of a number of Boon options for surplus Marks. For example, if a Delver is wielding two weapons, he can use a Boon to trigger Flurry and make an extra attack or increase the effect of a Invigoration on another ally Boon by Boon.

Most damage amounts to either one or two points depending upon the weapon and benefits gained from Boons. Damage represents an injury rather than a scrape or bruise. If the Health of any Trait is reduced to zero, the Delver is on the verge of dying. A simple recovery test will restore the Delver to one Health, but if failed, the Health of the Delver is still restored, but suffers a malignant Adaptation (for example, he becomes an ‘Overthinker’, his brain swelling painfully against the inside of his skull, meaning that it is harder for him to Strain), is closer to death, and everything is harder to do.

How does travel work?

Travel is a major part of play in The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog as the Delvers leave their Safe Harbours and explore the World of Fog to preserve the fading light. The day is eighteen hours long and divided into three segments. Each segment spent travelling requires the assignment of the Ward or effect of a lantern, rolling to overcome any obstacles that the Game Master places in their path, and dealing with random events—two dice are rolled and for each six, a random event happens. Yes, this means that two can occur in the same Segment. During any Segment spent in camp resting, a Delver can also take a major one-hour action and any number of immediate actions. The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog only provides a basic introduction to travel.

When travelling on an expedition, the Delver will carry a Relay, a ‘Decadent Device’, that is, a relic from the Age of Decadence, which are calibrated beacons. Using the Relay, a Delver party can teleport to any beacon they have calibrated their Relay to, typically using it to return home after an expedition.

What do you play?

The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog includes the scenario ‘Lonely Phareflaw’. The scenario involves an expedition to the Phareflaw Lighthouse, which went dark during Deep Winter. The Delvers are hired by the Saltport council to restore Phareflaw’s light travelling aboard the Riverboat Drastic which will be used to construct a Tenderhold, a fortified settlement around the lighthouse. The scenario begins with the Delvers’ arrival on the beach below the lighthouse and once ashore they will need to make their way up the cliffs to the lighthouse. The latter is indeed dark and the Delvers will need to break in and in exploring, restore its light. ‘Lonely Phareflaw’ is a solid, action-orientated scenario that in a very, very slight way feels like a Dickensian version of Aliens.

In addition to the scenario, The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog includes an introduction to the Delvers’ home port of Saltport, the Last City. It is accompanied by a fetching map. As well as including the pre-generated Delvers, the appendix includes a good introduction to the setting and the roleplaying game for the benefit of the players.

Is there anything missing?
No. The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog has everything that a Game Master needs to run the included scenario.

Is it easy to prepare?
Yes. Although The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog does feel slightly out of order in places, it is relatively straightforward and not too challenging to prepare.

Is it worth it?
Yes. The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog is a well done, solidly engaging introduction to the basics of The Time Without Tide: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog. Anyone looking for a post-apocalyptic, Dickensian steampunk horror roleplaying game should definitely give this a try.

The Time Without Tide Quickstart: Mirth & Misery in the World Of Fog is published by Chaosium, Inc., and is available to download here.

Friday Fear: Carmilla

It is 1870. In Hofwasser Village in Styria, the eastern region of Austria that borders Hungary, a strange affliction has struck many young women, the symptoms mysterious and often fatal. One day they are bright, energetic, and full of life, then the next their skin pales as white as milk and they become lethargic, losing their appetites, and gaining a sensitivity to light such that they dare not venture out of doors. Already one young woman has died from this strange sickness and there are two more girls in the village showing symptoms. What is this dreadful illness which has struck the village? Many of the village’s older residents have begun to recall the folktales of the region they learned as children, of black beasts in the darkness, of forest demons that lure innocents to their doom, worse, of the much-feared Upir, a soulless monster that preys on the blood of its victims. Hofwasser Village is also home to Colonel Daniel Morton, a former British attaché to the Austrian service, who has retired and now lives in the schloss, Karnstein Hall. He too has grown concerned about the illness, fearing that it will come to infect both his teenage daughter, Laura, and the young charge, Carmilla, he is looking after.

If all this sounds familiar, then it probably means that you have read Carmilla, the Victorian-era novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Predating Bram Stoker’s Dracula by twenty-five years, this is a classic tale of Gothic romance and vampiric horror with a strong female antagonist, which is now the direct—very direct inspiration for Carmilla, a scenario published by Yeti Spaghetti and Friends. Part of the publisher’s ‘Frightshow Classics’ line, it is ostensibly written for use with Chill or Cryptworld: Chilling Adventures into the Unexplained, the percentile mechanics of the scenario mean that it could easily be adapted to run with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and similar roleplaying games.

Carmilla opens with the Player Characters at Karnstein Hall. They are there with Colonel Daniel Morton to assist him in determining the cause of the malady that has beset the young women of Hofwasser and been cause of one death so far. After some tea—there is actually a lot of tea consumption in the scenario as Karnstein Hall is a bastion of the British Empire in ‘Mitteleuropa’—and the first of several listless encounters with Colonel Morten’s daughter and recent charge, Laura and Carmilla, he asks for the Player Characters’ help. The initial investigation takes place in the nearby village at the homes of the affected women, but later there is scope for research in the library at Karnstein Hall, which reveal some oddities that suggest that the mystery lies closer to home. The Player Characters’ suspicions will be confirmed following the funeral of one of the young women in the village and that will lead to a nasty confrontation in the confines of the Karnstein family mausoleum.

The advice for running Carmilla states that, “As an adaptation of a fairly popular story, players should be willing to suspend their knowledge of plot for the sake of playing their characters more accurately (offering Experience Points for roleplaying can help encourage this).” This is either a challenge or a problem depending upon your point of view, due because what the scenario is asking the players to do is to roleplay characters who do not know what a vampire is and unlike the players, are not steeped in over a century’s worth of vampiric lore. This is in the face of a situation where the players are fully aware that Laura is the victim of a vampire and that vampire is Carmilla. Literally, aware players could end the scenario in fifteen minutes by going to Carmilla’s bedroom, breaking down its door, and killing her. The scenario does not want the players to do that, but wants them to play through the investigation and experience the effects of the vampire’s predation and determine its cause. The scenario also admits that it proceeds in linear fashion and it does, very much keeping the players away from directly investigating either Laura or Carmilla.

As with other scenarios in the publisher’s ‘Frightshow Classics’ line, Carmilla includes eight pre-generated Player Characters. They are divided between visitors and staff at Karnstein Hall. The staff consist of Madame Raquel Perrodon, governess to Laura Morton; Mademoiselle Beatrix De Lafontaine, the French finishing governess to Laura; and Frau Franziska Pichler, the cook at Karnstein Hall. The visitors include General Gerhard Spielsdorf, a former colleague and now friend of Colonel Morton; Fraulein Johanna Bauer, a young hunter who lives in the nearby woods; Dr. Hans Hartog, a laudanum-addicted medical doctor with an interest in eastern mysticism; Father Augustus Koellerer, the local Catholic priest; and Baron Maximilian Vordenburg, a local noble with a fascination for folklore. Only one of the eight, Mademoiselle Beatrix De Lafontaine, has any Paranormal Abilities and so might give the Player Characters a slight advantage in certain situations.

The scenario is supported with two good maps, one of the village of Hofwasser and the other of the mausoleum where the final confrontation with Carmilla takes place. There is no map of Karnstein Hall, which is slightly disappointing, but its inclusion might have encouraged further exploration of the Morton family home which the scenario would prefer the players not to do. The back cover blurb for the scenario also serves as a handout and there is one handout in the book, which is plain.

Physically, Carmilla is well written and has excellent artwork. The combination of a linear structure and a clear layout means that the scenario is going to be easy to run.

As written, Carmilla is not a challenging scenario to run. As written, Carmilla is going to be a challenging scenario to play. This is because it demands that the players suspend their self-knowledge, locking it away for the length of the scenario, and roleplay characters who have no knowledge of the threat they face and have to learn about it, bit by bit. It does help that ‘Carmilla’ is not a wholly traditional vampire in the style of Dracula and it does help that it is intended to be played in a single session. As an adaptation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s short story, Carmilla, the scenario is decently done, but as a scenario, Carmilla is making big demands of its players and keeping a straight face because of those demands and not being able to rush off and always investigate where a player might want to, makes it hard work. And this in a scenario designed for casual, one-shot play. If the players are able to do this—or they have not read the original short story, then Carmilla is a serviceable one-shot, easily prepared and run.

Inland Innsmouth

You awake slowly, reaching through the murk of a befogged mind, guided by the sound of a bell. A constant sound. You are cold, it is night, and you are barefoot, just like the men and women standing around you. All dressed the same. Nightgowns. Eyes staring wide. You do not know who you are, but you know you are in Oakwood Springs, a sanitorium for the wealthy in the retreat town of Lake Geneva, though you are not quite sure why. You recall being questioned. Was it about what ailment or condition that besets you, or was not something else? You are not sure. The orderlies snap at you to return to your rooms, but unlike your fellow patients, whose faces only show bewilderment at being roused from their bed at this time of night, the look in the orderlies is one of fear. Why are you in Oakwood Springs? Are you sick or simply need rest? And just what is that the orderlies are afraid of?

This is the set-up for the Madness at Geneva Lake: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure. It is the second convention scenario to be published by Chaosium, Inc. for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, the other being The Shadow Over Providence. Where that scenario is set during the roleplaying game’s classic period of the nineteen twenties, this scenario is set in December 1891—for a very good reason—and thus could be run using Cthulhu by Gaslight. However, Madness at Geneva Lake is just a little special. It was published for Gary Con XVII, the convention that celebrates the life of E. Gary Gygax, in conjunction with Gygax Ink, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Chaosium, Inc. It takes place in Lake Geneva, the Wisconsin town where E. Gary Gygax grew up, where TSR, Inc. was based, and where Gary Con is held each year. Lake Geneva stands on Geneva Lake and beginning at the end of the nineteenth century, was renowned as a resort town and retreat for the wealthy from Chicago to the east. Here the socialites would spend their summers and perhaps when they needed long term medical rest or treatment, months in the town’s expensive sanatoriums, receiving the most expensive medical care that money could buy.

However, times have changed in Lake Geneva. Winter has drawn in and as crisp snow lies on the ground, thick fog rolls in off the lake. Many of the visitors to the town, expecting to enjoy an excursion aboard one of the steamers, have returned to shore, touched and disturbed by a dread presence lurking in the icy depths of the lake. Is this why the Investigators are in Oakwood Springs?

The thrust of Madness at Geneva Lake: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure is quite simple. Cultists are attempting to summon something nasty, in this case from Geneva Lake. For veteran players of Call of Cthulhu, the identity of the cultists should be a surprise this far from the coast, being a mixture of Deep Ones and Deep One Hybrids as well as ordinary cultists. Actually, there are two factions of cultists involved in the whole affair, but the fact that there are two factions is unlikely to become apparent to the Investigators.

The scenario is divided into two acts. In the first act, the Investigators need to find why they are in Oakwood Springs, find their belongings, examine their patient records, and then escape the sanitorium. The emphasis is upon stealth, trying to get past the orderlies and the nightwatchmen, and attempting to get into the sanitorium’s various locked rooms. One of the pre-generated Investigators does have the Locksmith skill, so he will be useful, but in the main the Investigators will need to find the keys. All this whilst sleepwalking patients try to stagger out of the front door into the fog where things lurk, and towards Geneva Lake. The atmosphere in the sanitorium is creepy and tense, and this will grow and grow as the Investigators determine who they are and what they know. Despite the atmosphere in the sanitorium and despite the feeling that they are trapped, the Investigators are not truly in danger in the sanitorium. Further, they even have help in their attempts to escape.

The second act of Madness at Geneva Lake: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure begins with the Investigators having found out who they are and what they know, escaped from Oakwood Springs, and learned that the source of everyone’s anxiety and terror lies on Geneva Lake, and is tied to a well known paddle steamer, the Lucius Newberry. This is described as one of Lake Geneva’s more exquisite sidewheelers, “complete with a luxurious decor that included crystal, brass and polished fixtures, and even oil paintings.” The scenario should ideally culminate aboard the vessel, with the Investigators confronting a betentacled abomination and preventing a vile ritual. Amusingly, the best solution given is to set the ship alight and burn it down to the waterline. This is because the Lucius Newberry actually did catch fire in December 1891 and sink, and that in 1982, TSR, Inc. actually funded a salvage attempt on the recently discovered wreck of the vessel.

Over half of Madness at Geneva Lake: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure is dedicated to six appendices. These include all of the scenario’s adversaries and monsters, a dark history of both Lake Geneva and Geneva Lake, handouts, seven pre-generated Investigators, new spells, and details of Lake Geneva’s sanitoriums. The pre-generated Investigators all come with male and female options, but they do include a ‘brain in a jar’ capable of casting spells; a Deep One Hybrid; an archaeologist; a member of the clergy; a journalist and photographer; a private investigator; and a scientist. The ‘brain in a jar’ will present a roleplaying challenge, but integrating it into the scenario is likely to be more challenging.

Physically, Madness at Geneva Lake: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure is cleanly and tidily presented. The artwork is good, the cartography serviceable, and the handouts nicely done. However, the scenario does need another edit.

The scenario is short and serviceable, with a twist or two as well as an initial emphasis on stealth and investigation, which will satisfy veteran players of Call of Cthulhu. It is designed for convention play, so it misses an opportunity to really roleplay the recovery of the Investigators’ memories and their treatment at Oakwood Springs, and the shortness means that the true nature of the villains in the sanitorium never get a chance to come to the fore. Nevertheless, Madness at Geneva Lake: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure takes the classic set-up of amnesiac protagonists and being confined in a sanitorium and gives it a fast-paced spin through some roleplaying adjacent history!

Miskatonic Monday #355: The Outbreak 1854

Much like the Jonstown Compendium for RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha and The Companions of Arthur for material set in Greg Stafford’s masterpiece of Arthurian legend and romance, Pendragon, the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition is a curated platform for user-made content. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: The Outbreak 1854

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Chicho ‘Arkashka’ OCARIZ

Setting: London, 1854

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Forty-seven page, 16.32 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: “You know nothing, Jon Snow” ― Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin

Plot Hook: “A plague o’ both your houses!” — Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

Plot Support: Staging advice, four pre-generated Investigators, six NPCs, five handouts, two maps, one Mythos tome, and two Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Decent

Pros

# Well-researched background

# Obfuscation of the plot by the history

# Possible sequel to The Bristol Train Robbery

# Nosophobia

# Seismophobia

# Scoleciphobia

Cons

# Needs an edit

# Needs development to pull the Investigators in more

Conclusion

# Bloody horror in Victorian London that will give you the shakes

# Underdeveloped in terms of investigation, but could be developed further

Scandalous, but not Heretical

The Victorian period has proved a rich basis for numerous RPGs over the last twenty five years. “Basis” because whenever a new Victorian set RPG appears it always comes with an added theme, whether it be Science Fiction as in Space 1889, Horror as in Cthulhu by Gaslight, or magic, such as For Faerie, Queen, & Country. Some games even combine two of these genres, such as the Horror and Science Fiction of Unhallowed Metropolis or Victoriana, which not only combines Fantasy and Horror, but even has some Science Fiction elements. Originally published by Heresy Games in 2003, the second edition of Victoriana appeared in 2009, this time published by Cubicle Seven.

Now ahead of time, I should explain my slight involvement in the game. First, I was involved in a playtest of the First Edition, and while we liked the setting, to a man we were unimpressed by its choice of the Fuzion System for its mechanics. Second, I am credited as a playtester for the new edition, but I am surprised to be so listed, primarily because my involvement amounted to just playing in a demonstration game at DragonMeet in 2006. In fact, the extended combat example given in the rules is the one that we fought and the one that my character initiated.

This new edition of the game comes as a sturdy hardback with a tidier and better illustrated layout, a better explanation of the setting, more detail about Victorian society, and a completely new set of mechanics. Gone is the Fuzion system to be replaced by the Heresy Game Engine. This uses dice pools comprised of six-sided dice that are rolled to achieve successes. Any roll that comes up a one or a six counts as a success, while any roll of a six can be re-rolled to generate yet more successes. The primary method of setting difficulty is by adding black dice to the pool, three black dice for a difficult task, six for a very difficult task, and so on. Any roll that comes up a one or a six on a black die reduces the total number of successes rolled. Fortunately, rolls of six on a black die do not get rolled again. The other method of setting the difficulty of a task is by modifying the total number of dice in the pool. Anyway, a single success rolled counts as a partial success, two rolled successes as an adequate success, three rolled as a good success, and so. In general, the system is solid, workable, and an improvement.

The setting for Victoriana is an alternate 1867 in which the Crimean War is still being fought against a matriarchal Russia lead by a Czarina, and the American Civil War is yet to occur. Some technological breakthroughs have been made – Babbage is still perfecting his Difference Engine while travel by commercial airship remains the province of the very rich. Although the hierarchy of Victorian society is as strict as you would expect, it is further divided by race. While Humans remain the dominant race, they are joined by Eldren (Elf-like and predominately Upper or Middle Class); Dwarves and Gnomes (predominately Middle or Lower Class); and Beastmen, Halflings, and Ogres (all Lower Class). Of course, Humans can be found at all levels of society, and everyone knows their place in Victorian society – except the player characters, because that would make for a somewhat restrictive game.

Most of the races in Victoriana are more or less those to be found in standard fantasy, but the Beastman is a little different. Essentially he is an anthropomorphic animal, whether that be a dog, a donkey, an ox, or a rat. It all depends upon your country of origin because the images in the rulebook do show Panda and Tiger Beastmen. Playing one is another matter because the core Beastman only comes with a single ability of the player’s choice, such as Claws or Enhanced Sense. Beyond that, the player will have to add abilities from the Talents list to get exactly what he wants. Other races exist, such as the Zulu Orcs in South Africa and the Steppegoblins of Russia, but neither of these is available as a player character race.

Its existence acknowledged by the Vatican following the Thirty Years War, magic is a recognised field of study that is regulated by the Guild. Technically it is illegal to practice Thaumaturgy without a license, usually acquired after earning a Thaumaturgical Doctorate, but it is rare for such unlicensed practitioners and Petty Magicians to be hunted down and prosecuted. Unlike demonologists and necromancers, who if caught, will themselves prosecuted and imprisoned at best, executed at worst. There are those of a stalwart moral character though, who are licensed to study and practise the Dark Arts so that they can protect society from demons and the undead. Such men are carefully watched.

The more acceptable forms of magic include Thaumaturgy or sorcery, basically traditional magic; Mediumship as practised by genuine psychic sensitives or the devout rather than by charlatans and fakes; Runelore, practised by Dwarves and Gnomes who imbue stones or pebbles with runes for various effects; and lastly, Petty Magic, which is seen by its practitioners as drawing from an older tradition and requires a focus to work through. Mediumship is categorised into three types: Channelling, Corporeal, and Sensate. Channelling Mediums can connect with the planes beyond while Sensate Mediums have enhanced senses and can see into those other planes. Corporeal Mediums can draw on power from the planes to enhance their physical abilities, but as with Bardic Petty Magic, it is not detailed in the core book. Once detailed, I suspect that this form of Mediumship will appeal to a lot of players.

All of these forms of magic come with their own ability or spell lists, including Demonology and Necromancy, but these Dark Arts spells are really there to help the GM create interesting villains rather than grant a player character infernal power. The only type of magic to differ from this is Runelore, which instead gives a number of runes such as “Messages” and “Wood” that the caster can enchant a stone with, the exact effect of the rune to be determined by the caster. This flexibility is only limited by a player’s imagination.

The setting’s various faiths are all slightly different, with the Aluminat faith – a version of Christianity – dominating Western Europe. Rather than revering a single deity, the Aluminat church reveres Order itself represented by an ascending order of angels. The Aluminat faith actually has Twelve Commandments rather than ten, the extra two concerned with the maintaining of the natural order, which includes not learning sorcery as its use breaks the laws of nature. What this means is that in the society of Victoriana there is a religious, but usually unspoken bias against the use of sorcery and against anyone trying to better himself or push at the limits of his place in society. Similarly, the Aluminat Church is tolerant of other religions to varying degrees, but is understandably intolerant of anyone found to be a member of a daemonic cult or of practicing demonology or necromancy.

Character creation is a mix of player choice, assigning points, and spending points. A player chooses his race, which determines his social class, and then assigns a handful of points to his characteristics. These can be negative as well as positive, but player characters all start with a score of one in each characteristic. A larger pool of points is available to spend on skills (divided between ordinary skills and speciality and magical skills), talents (or advantages), privileges (social advantages), and assets, while a few more points are available if a player decides to take some complications.

The only limiting factor is a character’s Rank, which caps the maximums for characteristics, skills, talents, and so on.  It is also a measure of a character’s reputation and potential, and should not be seen as totally constraining though, as players are free to design whatever character that they want within the limits of its confines. Thus a player could create a Beastman ex-East India man, a Dwarf doctor, an Eldren Medium, a Gnome detective, a Halfling rector, or a Human tosher with little difficulty. The book lists numerous childhood backgrounds and adult vocations, each with the appropriate skills, but these are suggestions rather than packages to select.

It is not a quick process, but overall, character generation is quite satisfying. Here is a sample that I designed, a Beastman Weasel who has the brains to get into trouble and the agility to get out of it. It is a character that I was never quite able to get right with the game’s First Edition, but am happier with the results here.

Name: “Derby” Ned Rank: 1

Nationality: British Social Class: Lower Race: Beastman

Age/Gender: 22/Male Vocation: Gambler Childhood: Chimney Sweep

Build: Slim Hair/Eyes: Black/Black

Personality: Optimistic Social Ethics: Take What You Can

Characteristics

Strength 1 Dexterity 4 Fortitude 2

Presence 1 Wits 1 Resolve 1

Common Skills

Athletics 3, Bull 1, Charm 1, Conceal 1, Dodge 2, Fisticuffs 2, General Knowledge 1, Hide & Sneak 3, Improvised Weapon 1, Perception 1, Streetwise 2, Swordplay 1

Specialities & Magical Skills

Appraisal 1, Boating 1, Conversation 1, Gambling 3, Pick Locks 3, Pick Pockets 1, Sewer Lore 1, Sleight of Hand 3, Tracking 1

Racial Special Abilities: Enhanced Senses (Smell)

Complications: Code of Honour, Enemy, Stubborn

Talents, Privileges, & Assets: Agility, Contortionist 2, Bolt Hole 2, Ear of the Street, Gambler 2, Glib 1, Local Expert (Rookeries) 1

One aspect that Victoriana wears on its sleeve is its politics. Its bias is anti-conformist, its authors deploring the rigid social structure, the misogyny, the hypocrisy, and the racism of the Victorian Era, all of which they pitch the player characters against. Thus there is a liberal bias inherent to the game, and while that might be deplorable to some players, it also gives the rationale for the player characters to go and adventure. Plus of course, what the game pitches the player characters against was – to be fair – deplorable itself. As “Gutter Runners,” the player characters are expected to buck against the restrictions of Victorian mores and society, their desire for change and their freedom forcing them to act. There are parallels in this with the ethos of the Cyberpunk genre, and the authors point this out themselves, but qualify it by saying that while the parallel is true for Middle or Lower Class characters, it does not work for Upper Class characters. After all, an Upper Class character already has his money, so what else does he want? Simply his freedom, because he is as equally bound by the restrictions of his society as anyone else.

The parallel with the Cyberpunk, combined with Victoriana’s mix of fantasy races and magic, has led to it being described as “ShadowRun 1867.” While there might be a game in such a concept, Victoriana is not that game, primarily because its focus is on conflict within and against society. Further, the origins of Victoriana do not lie in ShadowRun, but in a venerable British RPG of a similar age, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. That shows most obviously in the inclusion of the Beastman as a player character option, but also in the Moorcockian treatment of the setting’s various faiths with their Law versus Chaos underpinnings.

For the GM there is advice on styles of play accompanied by some campaign. It also addresses the problem of the Class Divide in play, suggesting that a party consist of characters from all classes or troupe play wherein a player controls three characters, one of each class. Various locations, ranging from a rooftop chase to aboard a train, are discussed as places to stage a fight, but no maps are given with them, which is a pity, though there is potential for a sourcebook that could do that job. Pleasingly, the advice includes some very matter of fact guidelines for running the game, and suggestions on how to deal with problem players.

Beyond the advice, the GM has a bestiary to play with that includes both monsters and ordinary members of society, and a starting scenario with which to get his game going. “Spiritual Matters” describes itself as a Penny Dreadful and has the characters engaged by Lord Highgate to locate an artefact for him. The scenario should last no longer than a session or two and just about serves to introduce the characters to setting, though the players might be disappointed at the lack of reward beyond simple Experience Points.

Penultimately, the first edition of the game is not ignored and an appendix tells you how to adapt a First Edition character to this new version. The book is rounded out with an excellent bibliography, which should provide fine further reading and viewing as well as actual inspiration.

Victoriana feels very complete as a game. If it has an inherent weakness, it is that it does not quite provide quite as strong a focus for what the player characters are meant to be doing as it should, but given the depth of background provided, a GM should be able to develop such a focus with some thought. In addition, that the game is set in 1867 could also be a problem, because the period that will not be quite as familiar to most gamers, who in terms of gaming will be more au fait with the later period of the 1890s through games such as Space 1889, Cthulhu by Gaslight, and Victorian Age: Vampire, and the Sherlock Holmes stories. Fortunately, Victoriana goes a long way to addressing this problem by presenting an excellent exploration of Victorian society and mores. It is this exploration of Victorian society that is the game’s primary strength and the foundation upon which its more outré elements – the magic, the fantasy races, and so forth have not only been added, but more importantly been integrated into.

What has been achieved in Victoriana Second Edition is a fine blend of history and society with more fantastic elements, so fine a blend that the outré aspects feel part of the setting rather than additions. That the game comes with its own new and better rules system is just a plus.