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THE GREAT GAME – CORE RULEBOOK

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OPEN COMBAT:

CORE RULEBOOK

SKIRMISH WAR GAMING IN VICTORIAN-ISH LONDON.

By the 17th

Marquis of Mummerset, Damien Kennedy, Esq.

Utilising Open Combat by Second Thunder (www.secondthunder.com).

© All rights reserved, 2015. All fictional sources

and images used in this manual are in the public domain.

Version 2.4.

Special thanks to everybody who contributed on the Open Combat forums,

but particularly Yuma, Ramses800, Otasolgryn.

http://www.secondthunder.com/


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Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Victorian Crimefighting .................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

MASH-UPS ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

VOICE ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

OPEN COMBAT .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

DICE ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

PLAYERS ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

MODELS .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

SPACE ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

BOOKS.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7

MEASUREMENTS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

BITS....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8

SEXISM ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

The Dossier ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Name & Details .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

NAME, SITE, DOMAIN ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9

ALIGNMENT ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

ROLE .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

RENOWN ................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Characteristics ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

LUCK .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10

CLASS ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10

AGENCY ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

MONEY .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 10

Skills .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Items ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Notes ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Dramatis Personae ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

The Dossier .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Playing the Game .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

ACT STEP SUMMARY..................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Act 1 – Signs & Clues............................................................................................................................................................................... 14

CLUE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15

Act 2 – Mean Streets ................................................................................................................................................................................ 17

Act 3 – Case Closed .................................................................................................................................................................................. 17

The Table ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Table Setup ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

PLACING NAMED LOCATIONS ................................................................................................................................................... 19

NAMED LOCATION TABLE .......................................................................................................................................................... 19

PLACING LOCATIONS ................................................................................................................................................................... 20

PLACING BARRIERS, HAZARDS AND OBSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................... 20

PLACING CITIZENS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 20

PLACING CLUES ............................................................................................................................................................................. 20


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PLACING CLUBS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 21

Playing Act 2 .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22

The Game Turn ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 22

Clues ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

OBSERVE ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

DEDUCE ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 22

ASSIST ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 22

Hand-To-Hand Combat .......................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Shooting .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

GUNPOWDER ................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

RIFLE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

Bad Light Stopped Play ........................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Citizens Turn ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 23

AI CONTROLS CITIZENS .............................................................................................................................................................. 23

THIRD PLAYER CONTROLS CITIZENS ..................................................................................................................................... 24

Call the Coppers Turn ............................................................................................................................................................................. 24

FIGHTING IS ILLEGAL .................................................................................................................................................................. 24

BANG BANG ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

RED RIGHT HAND ........................................................................................................................................................................... 24

THE BLOODY HANDPRINT .......................................................................................................................................................... 24

WHAT, THIS OLD THING? ............................................................................................................................................................ 24

CRIME DOESN’T PAY..................................................................................................................................................................... 24

‘ALLO ‘ALLO ‘ALLO ...................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Skills ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

COMBAT SKILLS .................................................................................................................................................................. 26

INFLUENCE SKILLS ............................................................................................................................................................. 26

A STEP AHEAD ................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

ACADEMIC ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

AGENCY ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 26

ANIMAL ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY ................................................................................................................................................................... 26

ARCH DECEIT .................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

EVIDENCE ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

BODYGUARD .................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

BOMBARDIER () .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26

BRIBE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

BROWNING ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 27

BULLRUSH ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

CHARM .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

COMMAND ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

DEDUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................................... 27

DOGGED ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

ESTABLISHMENT ........................................................................................................................................................................... 27

EYE WITNESS................................................................................................................................................................................... 27

EYES AND EARS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 27

FAST TALK ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 27

FLAIL OF THE LORD ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27

FORTIFY ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

GHOST WHO WALKS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28


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HAWKEYE......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

HEAL .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 28

I AM THE LAW ................................................................................................................................................................................. 28

KIDNAP () ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

OF THE PEOPLE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 28

PICKPOCKET () ........................................................................................................................................................................... 28

PRAY/ORATE/THREATEN/CAJOLE ........................................................................................................................................... 28

SAINTLY HEAL ................................................................................................................................................................................ 28

SECRET SOCIETY ........................................................................................................................................................................... 28

SIXTH SENSE .................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

STOP THIEF! ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

TRAPSTER......................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

VEHICLE ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Items ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 30

CAMERA ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 30

CARBOLIC ACID ............................................................................................................................................................................. 30

DISGUISE KIT................................................................................................................................................................................... 30

HELMET / BREASTPLATE ............................................................................................................................................................ 30

HORSE ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 30

LANTERN .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 30

MATCHES () .................................................................................................................................................................................. 30

PEG OF BRANDY/ COCAINE/ BANDAGES ................................................................................................................................. 30

PHYSICIAN’S BAG .......................................................................................................................................................................... 30

POISON .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 30

ROPE ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 31

TUNIC / OVERCOAT ....................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Agency Cards ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 32

AGENCY CARD TABLE .................................................................................................................................................................. 32

Advanced Rules ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 36

3+ Players ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 36

Different Play Modes ............................................................................................................................................................................... 36

CLUE DO ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 36

THE GREAT RACE .......................................................................................................................................................................... 36

GANGS OF LONDON ....................................................................................................................................................................... 36

KINGPINS OF LONDON ................................................................................................................................................................. 36

ESCALATION.................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

THE FINAL PROBLEM ................................................................................................................................................................... 37

Appendix – The Plotter ................................................................................................................................................................................. 38

PLOTTER EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................................................... 38

PLOTTER OCCUPATIONS .................................................................................................................................................................. 39

PLOTTER ITEMS .................................................................................................................................................................................. 40

Appendix - Items ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 41

BAZAAR ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 41

APOTHECARY .................................................................................................................................................................................. 41

YE OLDE CURIOSITY SHOPPE .................................................................................................................................................... 41

TAILOR .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 41

MILITARY QUARTERMASTER .................................................................................................................................................... 41

Appendix – Miniatures ................................................................................................................................................................................. 42

WEST WIND PRODUCTIONS ........................................................................................................................................................ 42


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WARGAMES FOUNDRY ................................................................................................................................................................. 42

WAYLAND GAMES ......................................................................................................................................................................... 42

OUTPOST WARGAME SERVICES ............................................................................................................................................... 42

TIGER MINIATURES ...................................................................................................................................................................... 42

Appendix – Clue Summary ........................................................................................................................................................................... 43

Appendix - Victorian Names ........................................................................................................................................................................ 44

VICTORIAN GIRLS’ NAMES .............................................................................................................................................................. 44

VICTORIAN BOYS’ NAMES ................................................................................................................................................................ 45

VICTORIAN SURNAMES ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46

VICTORIAN LONDON PLACE NAMES ............................................................................................................................................ 47


6

Victorian Crimefighting

ELCOME to The Great Game

(GG), the most subversively ‘meta’ skirmish wargame

in the history of Victorian London skirmish

wargames, featuring characters from history and

fiction. I will be your host, and I come from the 21st

century, which means I have absolutely no factual

experience of the Victorian era.

Like most bearded, sweaty, pot-bellied wargamers I

grew up on a diet of Dickens, Doctor Who history

pastiches and ponderous-yet-worthy BBC televisual

plays. I have watched about fifty actors play Sherlock

Holmes, fifty three Jack the Rippers, zero Fu

Manchus (not politically correct), Sean Connery as

Allan Quartermain (shudder) and an uncountable

number of Pips, David Copperfields and Ebeneezer

Scrooges. Including the Muppet one.

“Try not to eat the rat, no matter how good it looks.”

Given that amazing pedigree, I decided that it would

be fun to construct a game that captured the intrigue

of Sherlock Holmes dashing from 221b Baker Street

on a new case, in a dense pea-soup fog, jumping into a

hansom cab and disappearing into the snaking,

depraved underbelly of Victorian London. All the

while our hero – Sherlock, Allan, Fred Abberline,

Lord Grantham, even John Carter – is slowly being

drawn into the nefarious criminal web of Moriarty, Fu

Manchu(still politically incorrect), or Bill Sikes.

Sounds like fun? You BET. We shall start

momentarily, but first we need to get some

housekeeping stuff out of the way. This is the point on

the plane where they indicate the fire exits and the

toilets. Plus there is an inflatable dinghy under your

seat.

NOTE- All the rules in the first sections of this book

relate to what we here at 221B Baker Street like to

call ‘the basic game.’ It isn’t really basic, this game is

quite in-depth and requires some commitment on the

part of the players.

We are trying to simulate an entire Victorian London

experience, after all! And if we get it wrong, those

fierce historians with their gimlet eyes, pointy beards

and large leather-bound tomes will be after us. It can

give a nasty paper cut, that leather-bound tome …

Advanced Rules are found towards the back of the

book, and additional rules will be released in the form

of expansion books.

MASH-UPS

God, I feel dirty. I despise the term ‘mash-up,’ but

essentially that is what this game is trying to do. The

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen did it first for the

Victorian time period, and now we have Penny

Dreadful on the zoetrope.

GG does not enter the realm of the supernatural, nor

does it add steampunk crab claws to classic

characters. Our humble ‘mash-up’ is designed to take

the strengths of Open Combat – namely an elegant

skirmishing system for a more historical context – and

apply it to ‘What If…?’ scenarios using our favourite

characters from Victorian fact and fiction. Admittedly

only one of our starting characters is drawn from real

historical fact – see if you can work out which one! –

but more are on their way.

VOICE

You may have already noticed the jocular and very

21st century tone of this weighty book, which is about

as far away from Victorian prose as you can get. The

thing is, at the heart of this is a game with some fairly

avant garde rules, and your enjoyment of the game

will be hindered if the players are standing around

scratching their heads trying to work out faux-

Victorian prose.

To demonstrate my point, I will select at random a

couple of lines from David Copperfield by Dickens (I

will use Dickens a lot during this book just because he

is probably the most famous and certainly most well-

read of the Victorian authors, because they made you

read him at school) –

I need say nothing here, on the first

head, because nothing can show better

than my history whether that

prediction was verified or falsified by

the result. On the second branch of the

question, I will only remark, that

unless I ran through that part of my

inheritance while I was still a baby, I

have not come into it yet.


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With the what and the who now? If I instruct you to

roll a die using this vernacular, it would take a whole

paragraph for me to justify the paucity of my claims,

believing in the sanctity of the random chance that

gambling plays in this bedevilled society of ours …

ahem … sorry, see? It’s easy to slip into, but doesn’t

make for clarity. So just go with it, and if you want to

really get into model, read or watch some Victoriana!

Especially the TV show that opens with a shot up a

dog’s arse.

OPEN COMBAT

GG utilises the very simple and elegant Open Combat

skirmish wargame rules, because of the sheer

extensibility of the ruleset. To use this book you will

need a copy of Open Combat , which is available from

secondthunder.com and as a hardcopy book. If in the

fullness of time I get to add the entire ruleset into this

manual, then the price will spike accordingly. From

zero to zero.

Right now, I will assume you have a copy of Open

Combat , and will see that I have especially

extended the Actions and Skills for GG. The rules

explanations I will give in this book concern the Open

Combat extensions, as no changes have been made to

the core ruleset.

That is important –

NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE

CORE OPEN COMBAT RULESET.

Some rules have been extended, but nothing in Open

Combat is flatly contradicted by this game.

DICE

This is the obligatory bit that tells you what dice are.

In case you didn’t already know. I am going to

assume that this isn’t the first wargaming book you

have read (I’m guessing your first probably starts with

a ‘W’ and involves Marines), so you should be au fait

with the whole dice thing.

Everyone chant along! A six-sided die is called a d6.

A ten sided die is called a d10. Rolling two d10 when

one is nominated tens and the other is units is called

percentile %. When the rules state to roll 2d10, you

roll two ten-sided dice and add them together. D6 and

d10 are the only dice you need to play this game.

PLAYERS

This game can be played by any number of players. I

am not making this up. If you had twenty buds

huddled around the table, each of them could take a

model and you would be off to the races!

… although twenty wargamers in one room is kinda

gross (if you don’t believe me, visit a tournament) so

it is not advised.

The minimum number of players is two, and three is

pretty optimal as it gives someone the London

Citizens to play with.

“By Jove, you have a big head!”

“It’s genetic.”

“I don’t know what ‘genetic’ is.”

MODELS

This is a game that involves models. Not a lot of

them, but for the Full Premium 5-Star Presidential

Experience (+VAT) you will need about 24 models. If

you don’t have any period-specific models you can

sub, of course, it doesn’t bother me because I don’t

make models. An Appendix is provided at the back of

this book with links to various Victorian model

manufacturers, including truly beautiful hansom cabs,

and buildings.

Buildings are a big thing in GG. Compared to some

skirmish games, you are playing in and around a lot of

densely packed buildings. Again, I will provide links

in the Appendix, and you might already have some

left over from years of wargaming in the grim dark.

SPACE

The minimum size of the gaming area is 3x3 feet. The

maximum size is infinite, you can keep adding feet

and piling on models until you have a full

representation of Whitechapel, complete with all the

patrons in all the bars on the night of June 5th

, 1893.

This game has been especially designed to be

upwardly scalable, which you will see when we get to

the rules.

BOOKS

There are three books required to play GG, this

rulebook, the Open Combat core rulebook and the

Dramatis Personae book, which is the equivalent of a

Monster Manual, a Codex, an army book and a history

lesson rolled into one. This book will refer to


8

Dramatis Personae when that book becomes

necessary to play the game.

MEASUREMENTS

All measurements are in feet and inches. No decimals

back in those days, laddie, so you will need a tape

measure. All distances can be premeasured before a

player commits to an Action. This is identical to Open

Combat .

“Oi! Dat’s trespassing, dat is!”

BITS

To play GG, you will also need –

3-5 sets of different coloured counters. I

personally like those glass drips they use to play

certain collectible card games, but anything will

do. Go and raid your little sister’s copy of

Chinese Chequers.

The Agency cards at the back of this book, which

you can print and stick on playing cards. This is

the quick and dirty, yet effective method. Many

great wargames have been playtested using

mocked up playing cards.

When I am rich and famous because of this game

(HA!) I might kickstart a boxed set with real art

and lots of goodies in it, but that is a long time

away, and until then, makeshift cards are it. I

have included tables in the Appendix for

simulating the card draw using a % dice roll, if

you don’t want to do the playing card thing.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

This is not a game that provides the players with a

hundred ways to swing a sword, or a bevy of options

for dodging a bullet. Or a game that can be tailored so

everyone gets +1 against giant creatures (you know

who you are) and words like ‘tank’ in reference to a

person are used.

This game is about strategy plus short bursts of highly

coordinated action that need to be timed to perfection

(‘or you’ll ‘ave the jacks down on yer ‘ead’).

Each of the three Acts of the game brings a separate

set of problems to face and choice of strategy to use.

There a myriad ways of winning, and dependent on

your model selection and the implementation of your

plan, you just might be successful.

The other major theme running through GG is

roleplaying. The entire Plotter (see below) is built

around generating quirky roleplaying ideas, and

engendering a life and a personality in each lump of

metal sitting on the table (I’m old, I remember when

models were metal). That model sitting outside the inn

isn’t NPC 1-H, it is old Mother Ham, and she always

sits there knitting …

The rest is up to you.

SEXISM

One of the rather unfortunate aspects of focussing on

an era like the 1800s is the rampant sexism – by

today’s standards – that abounded in the culture.

Women were either held up as fragile porcelain dolls,

David Copperfield’s child bride being an excellent

example, or fallen scarlet women. With very little in

between.

The occupations available to women were also strictly

limited- nurses, teachers, nannies, servants,

washerwomen, nuns, prostitutes (not necessarily in

that order). If you watch any Victorian TV shows (and

I am thinking about one in particular) even a

noblewoman is frowned upon when she starts writing

for a newspaper. Irene Adler, the great female foil for

Sherlock Holmes, was an absolute rarity (and oddity)

for projecting values that would be normal for today,

but quite scandalous then.

What has all this got to do with this game? Simply,

you will notice a serious lack of female sleuths from

literature and history, because they just don’t exist.

The Appendix at the back of this book lists a hundred

occupations for you to generate random ones (we will

discover why later), and they are completely male-

centric. As I do strive for some historical

verisimilitude in this book, unfortunately that’s just

how it was back then. Of course, there is nothing

stopping you generating an army of no-nonsense ass-

kicking Irene Adlers; in fact I encourage you to do so.

But please don’t shoot the messenger – I am aware of

the ‘ism.’

“Okay, I can smell it. Who needs to go to the midden?”


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The Dossier Introduction

E should have a look at the dossier

of each model involved in the game. Our example

dossier is, of course, the Great Detective, at least in

his Victorian London guise, and can be found on the

following page. Dossiers for all models usable in the

game can be found in the accompanying Dramatis

Personae book, and are a flash GG name for an Open

Combat roster.

Name & Details NAME, SITE, DOMAIN

Most of the top section of the dossier is fairly self-

explanatory. Your model’s Name, your Site and

Domain are Victorian London (these will change

when future expansions are published, so are just a

placeholder now).

ALIGNMENT

There are two Alignments, ‘Justice’ and ‘Crime,’ who

represent the two sides that play the game. Good and

evil, right and wrong.

ROLE

The role of Holmes is ‘Sleuth,’ who is the Leader

of his Club. The Sleuth is the most senior (and

powerful) model that the player playing the side of

justice control.

Opposing the side of justice are the bad guys, the

Empire of Evil. The evil ‘Mastermind’ is the most

senior bad model the that side of crime control. In

each game, someone has to be on the side of justice

and on the side of crime. There are variants to this

basic setup, but they can wait for the time being.

Each player controls a Club headed up by their Sleuth

or Mastermind. In Victorian London, every man was a

member of some form of gentleman’s club (which

means something very different today!), and your

social status determined which clubs you could

frequent. Therefore ‘Club’ is a good moniker to

describe the loose confederation of models that are

going to help your hero either solve, or hinder, the

mystery investigation. In Open Combat terms it is a

warband, but a ‘warband’ of gentleman sleuths just

doesn’t have the right ring to it.

Within each Club there are rankings, which

correspond in other systems to levels of hero, and are

most useful when initially selecting your Club. They

are –

Sleuth/

Mastermind

The Leader and most powerful

model in your Club. There can only

ever be one Leader per Club.

Sidekick The Leader’s right-hand man (or

woman). Sometimes there are

multiple sidekicks, whose abilities

usually complement your Leader.

Every Holmes needs a Watson.

Accomplice Members of the Club who do the

legwork, following people, running

errands, moving kit about. There are

usually several Accomplices in

every Club.

Chavy The most inexperienced members of

the Club, who are keen to do

anything and run anywhere at a

moment’s notice (and a shilling).

They are also innocuous enough to

blend in with the general populace

… which can be useful.

Vehicle This is a new entry extending the

basic Open Combat rules. See the

full rules for Vehicles later on.

Some Sidekicks and Accomplices can be Named,

which means they are an actual person in fiction or

history, like Doctor Watson, and can only be

purchased once for your Club. See the Dramatis

Personae for details of Named models.

Outside the Club structure there are also Allies, who

can come and go from your Club but are not strictly a

part of it.

RENOWN

This is the number of points that each model is worth

to purchase for a Club. Sherlock Holmes, weighing in

at 60 points, is the most expensive model in the game.

Each mystery will have a set number of Renown

attached to it, and this dictates the size of each

player’s Club, as you may only spend up to that

number of points on your Club. For example, a small

skirmish numbering 6-10 models per Club would have

a points limit of 300 points. The bigger you want the

game, the higher the points. A full evening’s

entertainment would cost you around 300-400 points.


10

“No, Mr Holmes, I want you to die.”

Characteristics By the late 1800s, Victorians were starting to deduce

how the universe actually worked, but still hung onto

a few throwbacks from past British history. They had

grown out of the ancient belief that everything was

made up of fire and water (that would have made for

interesting model characteristics!), and believed that

the human being was composed of Mind, Fortitude

(body) and spirit. We don’t need to worry about spirit

in this game, so will focus on the first two.

Each model’s base characteristics in GG are drawn

directly from Open Combat and are purchased with

Renown. The 5 base characteristics are –

SPEED (SPD),

ATTACK (ATK),

DEFENCE (DEF),

FORTITUDE (FOR)

MIND (MIN).

In addition, there are 4 other characteristics that are

used purely in GG, and are purchased using Renown

on exactly the same 1:1 basis as Open Combat. They

are –

LUCK (LUCK)

CLASS (CLASS)

AGENCY (AGE)

MONEY (£)

LUCK

All models have a LUCK characteristic, although

usually only the Club’s Leader will have a LUCK

greater than 0. There are different ways LUCK can be

used –

A single point of LUCK can be expended in

exactly the same way as an Open Combat Leader

reroll . LUCK points are additional to the

base 3 rerolls the Leader has. That’s a lot of

rerolls, but you are going to need them!

A single point of LUCK can be expended to

cancel the effects of an Agency card that has just

been played.

A single point of LUCK can also be expended to

prevent an instant kill from a Gunpowder

weapon. The Solid Hit damage from the weapon

is applied as normal.

CLASS

Everything was about social class in the 19th

century,

British society was stratified to the nth degree. People

were wary of offending those of a higher status than

themselves, who could wield real power with the

police, or just because of their ancestral title. Wealth

was kind of important, but not so much as class.

All models have a CLASS ranking, which are –

6 Royalty Where does the Prince go late every night

in that unmarked carriage?

5 Nobility From Lords and Ladies to minor

Viscounts and Baronets.

4 Gentleman

Professional men of good standing who

have not had scandal befall them; the

independently wealthy.

3 Freeman The working classes, comprising artisans,

clerks etc.

2 Commoner

Factory workers, victims of the Industrial

Revolution, not dwelling in poverty but

pretty close to it.

1 Underclass Criminals, prostitutes, the destitute.

During the game, a model may be asked to make a

test against their CLASS, usually to avoid a nasty

situation, like being Arrested. To make this test, roll

a D6: any result less than the model’s CLASS is a

success. Any model equal to or greater than the

model’s CLASS is a failure.

AGENCY

Agency is the term used to describe the Club’s

knowledge of, and influence over, the everyday

happenings on the nefarious London streets. A great

example of a character with nearly infinite agency is

Mycroft Holmes: he knows who to tap and which

strings to pull to get things done anywhere in the

Empire.

A high Agency allows a Club to negotiate, bribe or

threaten their way through the web of intrigues that is

Victorian London. In GG this is represented by the

Agency card deck.

Each Club’s Agency dictates the number of cards the

Club gets dealt from the Agency deck.

MONEY

… makes the world go round. There are points in the

game when you can buy Items of equipment for your

models or offer bribes.


11

It is worth knowing how the Victorians kept track of

their money, because the decimal system is still more

than half a century away.

Called £Sd, the currency is broken down into pounds

(£), shillings (s) and pence (d).

There are 12 pence in a shilling.

There are 20 shillings in a pound.

Therefore there are 240d in £1.

To write 2 pounds, 3 shillings and sixpence, it would

be £2.3S.6d.

In regard to purchasing power, a carpenter or similar

artisan could earn about £100 a year. A loaf of bread

cost 5d (pence) in 1895, the time when most of your

mysteries will take place. A pair of boots cost from

4½d–1s a pair, dependent on quality. A more relevant

cost to GG players is that a hansom cab fare in

London would cost around 6d. A list of everything

your models can purchase is given in the Appendix.

Who said wargaming never taught anyone anything?

Decimalization only occurred in Britain in 1971, so

your Mum or Grandma would remember this.

Each Pound (£) that the Club starts the game with is

equal to 1 Renown. Starting the game with £2 in your

pocket doesn’t sound like a lot, but on the streets of

19th century London, it is.

“Too much?”

There we have a quick summary of the characteristics

you will take into an adventure with you. Further

along you will discover exactly how these are applied

as part of the game.

Skills Skills are used in an identical fashion to Open Combat

. Unless you are making up your own characters,

Skills have already been allocated to models in the

Dramatis Personae. Consult the relevant chapter for a

description of each Skill.

All Skills cost 1 Renown, and some may seem

overpowered compared to those in the Open Combat

rulebook. They are, but have been restricted to certain

models and Clubs who have their own weaknesses

built in, to compensate and maintain game balance.

Items Items of equipment help you solve the mystery,

usually by making Skills or Actions easier. Consult

the relevant chapter for a description of each Item

available in GG. In most cases Items work exactly the

same as Open Combat Skills.

Obviously, the first thing any good wargamer will do

is consult the list of gunpowder weapons, calculate

weight to hit ratio over ranges, determine the best

value for money, kit out his whole Club with them

and then post his ‘optimised’ list on a discussion

forum. Then I will release the Sandmen of the

Apocalypse from their secret underground bunker to

stalk this wargamer for all eternity until his sins are

fully repaid.

Ahem. Sorry, I’ve said too much.

You can buy Items at various stages during the game.

Notes This section is for some background biographical

details on your model, all of which is drawn straight

from the body of fiction that constitute the model’s

life. Of course, there is a big wide interweb out there

with so much information on the Victorian era it

would make your hair curl. Start with Wikipedia, and

the sky’s the limit!

“Smile!”

“That’s not funny, Archibald.”

Dramatis Personae Now you can read the model dossier like a

professional, and can consult the companion volume

to this one, the big fat book of models you use to build

your Clubs called Dramatis Personae. You can also

draw up your own models, and there are simple rules

in Open Combat on how to do that. You might want

to play a few games before you get to that stage (just a

suggestion). As per most ‘army lists,’ any Ninja or

Hannibal Lecter you make up that doesn’t conform to

the Open Combat rules needs your opponent’s

permission for you to play.

Also, if anyone happens to be a guru in Army Builder

and wants to turn Dramatis into clickable army lists,

I’ll be your best friend.


12

The Dossier NAME: Sherlock Holmes

DOMAIN: Victorian

SITE: London

ALIGNMENT: Justice

ROLE: Sleuth (Leader )

MONEY: £1

CLASS: Gentleman (4)

RENOWN: 60

AGENCY: 5

LUCK: 4

CHARACTERISTICS SKILLS ITEMS

SPEED:

ATTACK:

DEFENCE:

FORTITUDE:

MIND:

4

6

6

8

10

Inspire

Distract

Exert

A Step Ahead

Trapster

Hawkeye

Dogged

Deduction

Cane (Hand Weapon)

Webley Bulldog (Revolver)

1x Cocaine

Disguise Kit

The Great Detective is the epitome of the 19th century philosophy of cold logic over exuberant emotion. The Victorians

were, to understate dramatically, a little repressed. Holmes was positively radical in this era for his actions, but not his

philosophy. In 1891, Sherlock Holmes was a model very much of his time and place, who appealed to British readers

directly by confronting the messy, changeable world they lived in. Rather than dwelling in romance or in an idealized past,

as many of Arthur Conan Doyle’s other models did, Holmes was grounded squarely in Victorian London. The Sherlock

Holmes mystery stories, written over a forty-year span from 1887 to 1927, represented the good, the bad, and the ugly of

Victorian society- its ideals, its accomplishments, and its deepest fears.

Watson describes Holmes as “bohemian” in his habits and lifestyle. Described by Watson in The Hound of the

Baskervilles as having a “cat-like” love of personal cleanliness, Holmes is an eccentric with no regard for contemporary

standards of tidiness or good order. Watson says:

Although in his methods of thought he was the neatest and most methodical of mankind ... [he] keeps his

cigars in the coal-scuttle, his tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered

correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece ... He had a

horror of destroying documents .... Thus month after month his papers accumulated, until every corner of

the room was stacked with bundles of manuscript which were on no account to be burned, and which

could not be put away save by their owner.

Allies: London Citizens

Avatars: Benjamin Cummerbund, Sherlock Downs Jr

Enemies: Moriarty

Most Used Skills: Deduction, A Step Ahead


13

Playing the Game Introduction

HE Act in GG is the way the game

is played. There are three Acts that make up the entire

game, which corresponds to your Sleuth finding out

about a new case, all the way through to that case’s

resolution (or not, if the baddies win).

Act 1 corresponds to the beginning of the

Mystery where characters are introduced and the

Mystery to be solved is set.

Act 2 is the middle, where all the tabletop action

happens.

Act 3 is the end, or resolution, for better or worse.

DESIGNER’S NOTE: This section of GG builds

extensively upon the core Open Combat rules

(although we still don’t change anything in Open

Combat, which by its very nature does not add

narrative ‘meat’ to anything). You are in pure GG

territory here.

ACT STEP SUMMARY

Below is a high-level summary of the steps required to play the Acts of the game –

STEP DESCRIPTION

ACT 1

1-4 The Plotter: define Site, Domain and Renown for your Mystery.

5 Choose Leaders – Sleuths and Masterminds.

--- GAME BEGINS ---

6 Draw Agency cards.

7 Choose Clubs.

8 Apply campaign bonuses.

9 The Plotter: generate Mystery for the Sleuth to solve and the Mastermind to stop.

10 Buy Items.

11 Set up Table, including the Call the Coppers bucket.

12 Place Named Locations, Locations, Barriers, Obstructions and Hazards.

13 Place Citizens.

14 Deploy Clubs.

15 Act 1 Face-Off between Sleuth and Mastermind.

ACT 2

16 The Mean Streets. Fight!

ACT 3

17 Act 3 Face-Off between Sleuth and Mastermind.

18 Fight a Duel, if you require satisfaction!

19 Campaign bonuses and penalties, if applicable.

20 Win! The game ends.


14

Act 1 – Signs & Clues

Act 1 sets up the game from a narrative standpoint,

although there is also a tactical element to it. Act 1

comprises everything up to shuffling models about

and rolling dice.

1. The players choose an amount of Renown for

their Mystery.

The amount of Renown per game is based purely on

the number of models you wish to use, and the time

you have to play.

200 Renown will get you a Leader, a Sidekick

and maybe 3-5 other models, dependant on their

skills and equipment. This game can be played in

1-2 hours.

350 is a medium-sized game with 3+ Named

models (Leader, Sidekicks etc.) and 5-10 other

models. In some spheres we like to call the non-

character models ‘fodder’ or ‘meat puppets.’ 2-3

hours.

500 is a big game. The streets will be teeming

with your small armies as they throw down for

supremacy in Whitechapel. 2+ hours.

If you are unsure of model’s Renown values or

potential size of Clubs, check Dramatis Personae and

mock up some example Clubs. You will soon get a

sense of how many models you will need within the

various Renown bands.

2. The players choose a Site for their Mystery. This

decision is highly dependent on which models

and scenery you have at your disposal. Only one

Site is represented in this book, that of London,

but expansions will cover future Sites.

3. The players choose a Domain for their Mystery.

A Domain is a combination of time period and

the laws of physics! In this book, your Domain is

always historical and the laws of physics do not

extend to crazy steampunk zeppelins or the

supernatural. Essentially this step is a placeholder

for future expansions …

4. The players determine the number of Clues for

their Mystery.

The number of Clues used in a game is based on the

size of the game, and thus how much Renown each

player is spending. This has to be balanced properly,

as to win the game, the Sleuth has to solve all the

Clues. If the Sleuth has 20 models all working on 2

Clues, there is not much the Mastermind can do to

stop him, regardless of how many bodies the

Mastermind has in the field. Conversely, if a Sleuth is

working on 10 Clues with no support, the Mastermind

will eat him alive.

A good rule of thumb is there should be 1 Clue per 50

Renown. In a game of 350 Renown, for example, the

Sleuth would need to solve 7 Clues.

5. Choose Leaders . One player decides to be a

Sleuth on the side of Justice (drum roll), and one

the Criminal Mastermind (boo hiss!).

GAME BEGINS!

IMPORTANT- The moment the players

have declared their Sleuths and Masterminds, the

game begins! GG is unique in that the game actually

starts during the period other games would define as

‘setup,’ which is the moment each player’s Leader

has been chosen. You could be sitting around eating

pizza and working out whether to buy a pistol, when

SUDDENLY someone enacts a Skill or throws down

a card. This is not recommended, as you may end up

wearing the pizza, but is still possible.

6. Draw Agency cards.

Each Club will have a total Agency, which is based

on the Agency value of the Club’s Leader.

At this step, draw a number of cards equal to your

Club’s Agency. You may play cards at any time from

the point of the draw, as long as the card allows you.

Each time you play an Agency card, you may redraw

so you are always holding cards equal to your Club’s

Agency. Again, some factors may change your club’s

Agency value during the game, but this is unusual.

7. Choose Clubs.

8. Apply campaign bonuses.

This is the bit when you write your roster up to (but

not over!) the game’s agreed Renown. Remember

that the game is still live during this time, and some

Agency cards can affect the roster selection process.

It is a good idea to have consulted Dramatis Personae

prior to this step, and to have a reasonable idea of the

models you wish to select. BUT keep in mind that in

real life no army reaches the field in the exact order

the Generals have defined, and the streets of Victorian

London are unpredictable, to say the least. Don’t be

disheartened if your carefully constructed roster is

altered by events as they occur, and move directly to

Plan B.

Rosters are completely open in GG, there are no

secrets between dire enemies. During these steps it is

often easier just to declare what you models you are

spending Renown on, and any other actions you may

be taking.

If you are playing the Mystery as part of an ongoing

campaign and have now selected the models you are

going to use for this Mystery, there may be some

carry-over bonuses and penalties that need to be

applied to models – old injuries, equipment, that sort

of thing. Campaigns and experience for models will

be included in a future expansion.

9. Generate a Mystery for the Sleuth to solve and

the Mastermind to stop.


15

CLUE SUMMARY

A Mystery is a chain of Clues that the Sleuth needs to

solve. Here we will look at how to generate narrative

Clues for your game. The object of the game for the

Sleuth is to solve all the Clues, which will allow him

to deduce the Mastermind’s role in the crime and

catch him. Hooray, drinks all round, pip pip!

Even though most crimes don’t directly involve the

Mastermind, he is the one who is behind the scenes,

pulling the strings. Moriarty doesn’t go out and burg

houses himself, he gets his minions to do it, but if all

goes wrong he doesn’t want any muddy footprints

linking the crime back to him. That means the

Mastermind wins the game if all the Clues are

neutralized and it is impossible for the Sleuth to catch

him. Mwa-ha-ha-HA!

Generating narrative Clues that are more than just

generic clue 1, clue 2, clue 3 involves the use of the

Plotter.TM

The way the Plotter works is revolutionary

to model skirmish games, as it eliminates the need for

me the author, or some other poor sap, to continually

generate scenarios for players. Using The Plotter, you

can do it all yourself, and it is actually part of

gameplay! How ‘bout them apples?

Think of Clue construction as an advanced form of

‘Colonel Mustard, in the Conservatory, with the

Candlestick.’ It may sound daunting, but really isn’t –

an experienced player can get the whole Act 1

mystery construction down to about ten minutes.

Remember that the Acts are part of gameplay, Skills,

Actions and models are ‘live’ during this period.

The Plotter allows you to create infinite mysteries for

your Clubs to investigate, so it is worth getting to

know. You have already generated your Site and

Domain, Victorian London,, now let us generate 4

Clues, which is about right for a starting game of 200

points.

Each Clue involves the following –

A person …

… who does something (acts) …

… with something …

… to/for someone else.

In the Appendix there are –

a chart of female first names

a chart of male first names

a chart of surnames

a chart of Victorian London locations

a chart of occupations

a chart of events

a chart of items

The names are completely unimportant, they just give

flavour to the whole thing.

You can select any names you want, and there are

some very nifty Victorian name generators on the web

(see Appendix); if you are really historically-minded

there is even a census from 1890, which is where I

generated the names and occupations. Authors of the

time, our mates Dickens and Thackeray, also provide

us with some characterful names.

Grab some % dice and make a roll … good … you

decided on a man, rolled for first name and surname

on the appropriate tables, and got … Edwin Drood.

He goes in the first column of your Clue Summary

(see Appendix – you may want to photocopy or print

lots of these, as you will need one per game).

Second, roll on the Events table, and you got bashed.

It seems our Mr Drood is a bit violent. Next to the

entry for bashed there is a little wee Red Flag icon

() which indicates this is against the law. It doesn’t

matter if the event you roll is not against the law, we

were just lucky. Enter that in the second column of the

Clue Summary, including a mark to make sure you

remember the crime.

Third, we roll on the Items table, and get a bar of

soap. Interesting. That goes down in the third column

of the Clue Summary.

Fourth and finally, I decide I am going to make up my

own name for the other person, Pierre St Martin

Deveraux, who sounds French but is actually from

Yorkshire. His occupation is (roll on the table), a

Judge! Definitely made good, Mr Deveraux. He goes

down in the fourth column.

So we have all the elements of our first Clue – Edwin

Drood bashed Deveraux the Judge with a bar of soap?

No, that’s silly. How about Drood bashed Deveraux

for the soap (this is why adverbs are useful … see,

you have learned something).

But why? Is there a gold locket hidden inside the

soap, that is a clue? Did Deveraux plant the soap on

Drood to convict him of a crime, and it is now

evidence? Is there a number carved into the soap that

opens a safe? Is the soap the last thing Drood’s wife

touched before she was brutally murdered? Is there a

whole Fight Club soap thing going on? The

imagination is sparks and off it goes.

Leaving Mr Drood and his incriminating soap, below

is a fully generated 4 Clue Summary, which is enough

for you to start a game!


16

Clue Antagonist Acted Item Victim

1 Lulu Nachbar analysed a lump of wood for Green Grocer Clem Blessman

2 Israel Drake deduced the truth from an Ouija Table from Innkeeper Eli Hudson

3 Magnus Baker declared revenge with a sturdy saucepan on Farmer Travis Schicklegruber

4 Hugh Hughes escaped from gaol with Cocaine for Bargeman Gabriel Carlisle

And here is the Mystery I came up with, based on the

dice rolls -

‘It was a dark night on the Old Kent Road when Clem

Blessman met up with his sweetheart Lulu Nachbar,

an actress at the Colosseum Saloon. In amongst his

delivery of groceries, Clem had discovered a lump of

wood with white powder all over it … and some

blood. He showed Lulu, who instantly recognised the

powder as pure cocaine. Little did they know, Israel

Drake the conman had tricked the old innkeeper Eli,

from the Red Dragon in Putney, into telling him

where his supplies of cocaine for sale were kept

(cocaine was legal in the 19th

century). Drake usually

did small jobs for Moriarty, but this was his own

private con. Drake knew Eli was superstitious and

faked a séance, pretending that the poor dumb

innkeeper’s father talked to him from beyond the

grave through an Ouija Table.

Drake and Travis Schicklegruber were in on the heist

together, but they were spotted climbing out of the inn

loft by cook Magnus Baker, through his kitchen

window. Grabbing the first thing that came to hand, a

sturdy saucepan, Magnus hollered out his revenge

(some of the cocaine was for him) and gave chase.

They managed to ambush the enraged Magnus by

hiding in a barn on Schicklegruber’s farm, then

beating him to death with a lump of wood (which they

threw into a cart loaded with vegetables for delivery).

The next day, Drake visited his cousin, Hugh Hughes

(the thief) in Newgate Prison, and slipped him his ill-

gotten gains. Hughes used the cocaine to bribe a guard

and escaped from prison. All three villains are now

laying low on Gabriel Carlisle’s barge, which is

moving quietly up the Thames past the Custom

House.’

There we have it. Based on a few dice rolls and some

creativity we have established the Mystery for your

game, and the motivation for each player. The Sleuth

Sherlock Holmes needs to track down the criminals

hiding on the barge, who should then confess their

links to Mastermind Moriarty, while the Crown Prince

of Crime has to stop him doing so.

Once you have generated your own Clue Summary,

spend a few minutes with it working out a Mystery. It

can be as crazy or as funny as you like (maybe Drood

did beat Deveraux with a bar of soap!), and the more

you come up with, the more you will feel that London

pea-soup fog rolling in, sinister figures in the

shadows, Mother Ham sitting on the corner with no

teeth, hansom cabs, horses, lamplighters, ladies of the

night …

It all makes me quite giddy.

Now the Clues are generated, we will return to the rest

of the steps to finish Act 1 –

10. Buy Items.

Each Club will have a total amount of money (in £/S).

This is usually a Leader’s value, but occasionally

very well-to-do Sidekick will add some cash to the

pot.

Players may buy any Item of equipment for their

models, using prices listed in the Appendix. The price

given for each item is reasonably accurate to the times

but have been rounded up to shillings so you don’t

need to muck around with pence to shilling

conversions. Sitting around and buying equipment is a

good time to throw out ideas to polish up the Mystery

for your clues, if you are good at multitasking. Also

remember that the game is still live and Agency can

affect your choices.

Items are allocated to each model and will need to be

noted down on their specific roster, under their

starting equipment.

Some equipment is rare in Victorian London and there

is a % roll in the Appendix to discover its availability.

If you wish to purchase a Rare Item, declare this and

make a roll; for Rare Items you must roll each time

you wish to purchase the item, if you want multiples.

11. Set up the Table, including the Call the Coppers

bucket.

12. Place Named Locations, Locations, Barriers,

Obstructions and Hazards.

13. Place Citizens.

14. Deploy Clubs.

Find a receptacle, which should ideally be a sterling

silver genuine Victorian spittoon first used by General

Brudenell at the outbreak of the Crimean War. If not,

a bowl will have to suffice. This is the Call the

Coppers Bucket, and counters are thrown into it

every time someone does something naughty, to see if

the Bobbies eventually arrive and haul everyone off to

a convict ship to the colonies. More on this later.

While carefully positioning your bucket and piles of

tiddlywinks to throw in it, you should also work out

your Club’s total LUCK (including the +3 for the

Leader), and create a pile of dice or counters to

represent this. Remember that each LUCK point can


17

be used as a Leader reroll or to immediately cancel

the effects of an Agency card.

Refer to the memorably named chapter The Table for

full rules for how to set up … erm … the Table in

steps 10-13.

15. Act 1 Face-Off between Sleuth and Mastermind.

The players Face-Off and try to sabotage the other’s

efforts. This could be anything from sending the

Baker Street Irregulars out to listen to word on the

street, to scaring the only witness into keeping her

mouth shut. This face-off is the equivalent of Holmes

meeting his quarry for the first time.

The best way of handling a face-off is to stand at

either side of the table, steeple your fingers, then

declare any final Skills you wish to use. The Sleuth

goes first, then players take turns until all models have

used Skills. Remember Agency cards can be played at

any time.

Start with your Leader and work down to your

Chavies. Victorian name-calling is encouraged

(‘Wanton wench!’ ‘Dishonourable cur!’).

END OF ACT 1.

With all Act 1 steps concluded, the two Clubs hit the

mean streets of London to follow up their

investigation the down-and-dirty way …

Act 2 – Mean Streets Now we have our Table set up, it is time to venture

into the streets and start Act 2, the skirmish feature of

GG that everyone is here for. See Playing Act 2.

16. Take to the streets …

Act 3 – Case Closed Act 3 is the grand finale of the Mystery. Either the

crime has been solved, with time for tea and crumpets,

or the evildoers have escaped with their loot to murder

another day. Confrontation, justice, redemption are all

themes of a satisfying Act 3 in a novel or movie ... or

thrilling Victorian wargame.

17. A final Act 3 Face-Off between the Sleuth and

the Mastermind occurs. This is the point in the

story where the butler is revealed to have dunnit

in the old grey mansion, or Moriarty has been

pulling the strings the entire time. The best final

face-off in Holmesian fiction is the Great

Detective’s confrontation with Moriarty at the

Reichenbach Falls.

To move to Act 3, one player has to ‘call’ Act 2. This

situation is usually up to the players when it becomes

evident that a player cannot possibly win the game in

Act 2: for example there are only 2 Clues left, the

justice player has lost all of their models except a

wounded Dog etc.

Certain triggers are automatic moves to Act 3 –

One side reaches their Break Point . This is

an automatic major win to the other side.

If the Sleuth solves all the Clues, they gain a

major win.

If the Sleuth solves half or less of the Clues, the

Mastermind gains a major win.

If the Sleuth solves equal to or greater than ¾ of

the Clues, it is a minor win for the Sleuth but the

Mastermind can push for a Duel … if the

Mastermind’s Club still has more models on the

Table than the Sleuth’s Club.

The Agency card deck has been reshuffled three

times (tooooo looooong).

There are more Bobbies than Club models on the

Table.

18. The Face-Off may result in a Duel, which is very

exciting but doesn’t happen very often. Victorian

gentlemen (and ladies) tend to be quite restrained.

One player can challenge the other to a Duel at any

time during Act 3 if both players agree and can’t

decide who has won the game, or the triggers listed

above apply.

A Duel CANNOT occur if either Leader has

been permanently removed from play during Act

A Duel cannot occur if one of the Club Leaders

is a woman. Men don’t shoot women with

duelling pistols to resolve honour disputes in

Victorian times. Florence Nightingale, you are off

the hook.

The Duel is enacted thus –

1. Players place their Sleuths, Masterminds and

additional models up to 100 Renown (including

the Leader) per Club somewhere dramatic on the

Table, like at a crossroads. In the moonlight.

With suitably stirring music playing, and plenty

of close-ups. The additional models are there to

carry the duelling weapons and officiate.

2. Only 1 Table section is used for a Duel.

3. Each player redraws their entire Agency card

hand. Remember the game is still live and the

rules for playing Agency cards continue to apply.

4. Each model on the Table may have a single free

Skill or Item use, taking-in-turns Sleuth then

Mastermind.

5. The Sleuth starts the Duel. Fight!

6. There are no Citizens. No Citizen or Call the

Coppers turn occurs during a Duel.

7. Players fight until a Break Point is reached.

19. If the mystery was being played as part of a

campaign, Renown is allocated.


18

See the relevant Expansion Book for details on GG

campaigns.

20. Somebody wins! The game is officially over.

Everybody shakes hands, then go down the pub

for a quiet drink or six, and more Victorian name

calling (‘Uncouth cad!’ ‘Perfumed ponce!’).

And there we have it; in the space of 1-4 hours the

you have planned and enacted one of the great

criminal enterprises that has haunted London from

Victorian times to the present day. Congratulations!


19

The TableThe smallest table area is 3x3 feet divided into 6

Table sections, which is coincidentally also the

dimensions of a fold-up card table, so you don’t need

giant plastic tables (with skulls) to play.

You will need a whole bunch of buildings, or

representations thereof. Below are the rules for setting

up the Table.

Table Setup Table setup can be summarised in one handy-dandy

formula –

1 Table section = 1 Named Location

= 2 Locations = 1 Barrier/Hazard/Obstruction = 1

Clue = 3 Citizens.

There must be at least two major streets. Each

street is at least 8 inches wide and runs from one

table edge straight to the opposite table edge.

Roads can intersect, run parallel, whatever, as

long as there are at least two of them. You can

always have more.

There must be at least two alleys. Same deal as

the roads, they run from table edge to table edge,

and must be at least 3 inches wide. You can

always have more.

There must be at least 18 Locations. Not all

locations are houses, some are parks, cemeteries

etc. Each Location should be at least 3x4 inches

(the size of a paperback book).

There must be at least 1 Named Location per 3

Locations, accompanied by rules. This means in a

3x3 game there will be 6 Named Locations.

PLACING NAMED LOCATIONS

The Open Combat rules define interactions with

inaccessible buildings, and this covers unnamed

building Locations. The fronts of unnamed buildings

may enter play if they have accessible (with Climb)

balconies or roofs. I am thinking of Colonel Moran

and his trusty sniper rifle.

Named Locations can be entered by models, so

require new rules –

They have one entrance, which also acts as an

exit, at the front of the building, 1” across.

Models may enter the building when in base

contact with the entrance. This may be part of a

Move Action.

While in a Named Location, a model expends all

remaining Actions and may perform any number

of tasks the building allows. For example, a

model may purchase several Items.

A model is automatically returned to base contact

with the entrance of the Named Location at the

end of the player’s turn. This means models

cannot spend consecutive turns within a Named

Location.

Designer’s Note: If they did, we’d have to work out

rules for combat and model interaction in a Library or

Inn. While this could be an entertaining sub-game, it

is not part of GG, where the streets are the focus).

Named Locations are generated using this table –

NAMED LOCATION TABLE

# Locs Name Effect

1-3 Bazaar May purchase any Items listed under ‘Bazaar.’

4-6 Apothecary May purchase any Items listed under ‘Apothecary.’

7-9 Library Club gains +2 MIN to next Deduce test.

10-12 Post Office May –

Redraw entire Agency card hand for free once per visit.

Cost 10s.

Look at the top 3 cards of the Agency deck once per visit. Cost 10s.

13-15 Inn May –

Drink heartily and be healed up to +3 FOR per visit, for 10S.

Gamble. Both players roll a D6. If the model in the Inn wins he gains 10S.

You could always play a hand of poker to resolve this if you are that way

inclined. Aces high.

16-18 Tailor May purchase Items listed under ‘Tailor.’

19-21 Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe May purchase any Items listed under ‘Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe.’

22-24 Military Quartermaster May purchase any Items listed under ‘Military Quartermaster.’

25-27 Broker’s Shop May sell Items for ½ the value listed in the Appendix.

28-30+ Church May use the Pray Action.

This table is cumulative, so if you have 18 locations

(the minimum to play the game), you need to provide

a Bazaar, Apothecary, Library, Post Office, Inn and

Tailor. If you have no Victorian buildings, this is an

excellent modelling opportunity. As the size of your

games grow, you keep adding buildings, so at 19-21


20

Locations, you add Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe to the

list. What you do after 30 Locations is up to you.

If you happen to have the buildings further down the

list and wish to use them, additional Named Locations

and rules can be added with both players’ consent.

This doesn’t preclude you from modelling other stuff

– if you want a Theatre, then model a Theatre, it just

doesn’t have any rules associated with it. In future

expansions this list will be expanded to correlate with

new Sites, Domains etc.

PLACING LOCATIONS

First, divide the Table, with streets and alleys, into six

sections. Roll a D6 and place a Named Location in

each Table section you generate. The Sleuth goes

first, then players take turns.

Once all the Named Locations have been placed,

place all the other ‘vanilla’ Locations so the streets

look densely populated. In Victorian London shops

and houses were jammed together like sardines, so

make sure the streets have creaking, gas-stained,

urine-soaked buildings looming over them.

A city park is represented by an empty space. If

one of your Locations is a park, then make sure it

has stuff in it, like trees, statues, park benches or

fish ponds.

A Standing or Running Water source is governed

by the Open Combat rules. Canals, sewers,

ornamental ponds and the Thames were

prominent in Victorian London, so don’t skimp

on the water!

PLACING BARRIERS, HAZARDS AND

OBSTRUCTIONS

The key terrain types are defined in Open Combat –

A Barrier can be a wall, a horse watering trough,

anything that can be crossed, as per the Open Combat

rules. Hazards are more dangerous variants of

Barriers, and can take up an area.

An Obstruction can be anything impassable, from a

street vendor’s cart to a stationary carriage.

Placing 6+ Barriers, Hazards or Obstructions per 3x3

Table section is appropriate, 1 per Table section. I am

not going to get all anal about where exactly the se

terrain features go, just lay them in the streets and

lanes so the table is fairly evenly covered and both

players agree. The Open Combat ethos says that more

terrain is always preferable to less, and in the middle

of a densely populated city this makes sense.

PLACING CITIZENS

For every Location you have, a Citizen needs to be

placed, which means for 18 Locations, you would

place 18 Citizens.

Citizens are randomised to Table Sections in

exactly the same way as Locations.

Citizens should be placed within 2” of the

entrance of a Named Location within each

randomised Table Section if possible, or in a

major street within each randomised Table

Section if not. All Citizens enter the game in this

way, regardless of when they arrive.

Try to allocate the 6 types of Citizen evenly, with

any surplus being made up of Bobbies and

Urchins. For example, in a 18 Citizen game place

2 of each Citizen, plus another 2 Urchins and 1

Bobby (or 1 Urchin and 2 Bobbies).

There are 6 types of London Citizen –

DOG. The streets are home to all sorts of animal

life, dogs being the most prominent. Some are

strays, some are feral, some are guard animals.

URCHIN. Bands of wastrels roam the streets,

pickpocketing, acting as lookouts, playing in the

garbage and generally making a nuisance of

themselves. They tend to travel in gangs, which

may affect the verisimilitude of your model

placement.

WENCH. “Looking for a good time? See

anything you like, sailor?” Usually found

loitering around Inns.

PUGILIST. Professional boxers do not hang

around looking for trouble, they are too busy

training, but young unemployed men or ex-

soldiers with links to the underworld and nothing

to lose do.

BOBBY. The presence of the law keeps the

peace on the mean streets. Bobbies will have the

most influence on the game due to their Stop

Thief! Skill, so their placement is key.

BYSTANDER. Market stall owners, travellers,

tourists, couriers, these Citizens fill out the rest of

the streets.

You can go to town with these guys with some

evocative models that really add colour to your game.

You can also add non-interactive models to add

further colour. They have no associated rules but act

as stationary Obstructions.

The roster for each Citizen is detailed in Playing Act

2 and the Dramatis Personae.

PLACING CLUES

After the Citizens have been placed, and are getting

about their business, it is time to place Clues. Grab

those counters because we are going to need them –

There are 4 Clues in the 200 Renown game, so

one goes in each quarter. All Clue counters

should be the same colour at this stage, as the

difficulty ordering occurs as each Clue is

discovered.

If a Clue has been Red Flagged () as Illegal, a

second counter to remind you of this should be


21

placed next to that Clue, or a counter with a flag

on it.

The Sleuth goes first placing a Clue, then players

alternate until all are placed.

Clues can be placed anywhere outside a Location,

but must be placed in base contact with either a

Location or an Obstacle (so no planting a Clue in

the middle of the street).

Clues must be placed at least 12” apart.

Clues cannot be placed within 12” of a

deployment zone.

Clues cannot be moved, damaged or Interacted

with in any way except to be Observed and

Deduced.

PLACING CLUBS

Once all the Locations and Citizens are placed, then

your Clubs can hit the streets.

The Clubs should always be deployed on a road,

diagonally opposite the other Club. In other words, as

far away from the other Club as possible on a square

table.

Before this occurs, some fast and tricky members of a

Club may have already Infiltrated the area.

Two models from each Club (NOT the Leader)

may be placed anywhere on the table before

everyone else deploys as above. The Sleuth

places one first, then the Mastermind, and take

alternate turns until all models are placed.

No Infiltrator may be placed within 6 inches of

another.

Some Skills allow players to deploy additional

Infiltrators, which occurs once the initial two per Club

have been deployed.

Now you are ready to go!


22

Playing Act 2 The Game Turn GG is a very detailed skirmish game, with a veritable

host of options designed to give players a breadth of

choice from slamming up against each other to almost

a roleplaying situation.

During each game turn, one player moves and makes

actions with all his models, then the turn is turned

over (so to speak) to the other player, as per Open

Combat Initiative. At the end of their turn, Citizens

are moved. The Sleuth always starts the game, so

every turn –

1. Sleuth acts with all his models.

2. Mastermind acts with all his models.

3. Citizens act.

4. Call the Coppers.

Basic Open Combat Actions are –

Move

Attack

Rest

Stand Up

Interact

Check the Open Combat rulebook for how this works.

In addition, there are two more Actions that have

special rules in GG, as well as a lot of variants on the

Interact Action –

Observe

Deduce

Clues The object of the game for the Sleuth is to solve all

the Clues. All Clues start the game hidden,

represented by counters on the Table. First a Clue

must be Observed, then Deduced, to be successfully

solved.

Unsolved Clues are transportable (if they are deduced,

they are removed from play) and may be picked up

and moved around using the Interact action. This is

very handy for the Sleuth. Note that a Clue cannot

leave the table at any time.

OBSERVE

To successfully Observe a clue, any model within 12”

may use one action and roll 2D6. If they roll equal to

or under their MIN characteristic, they have

successfully Observed the Clue. Some Skills and

Agency cards can affect this test.

Once the Clue is Observed then everybody can see it

(replace the generic counter with an appropriate

colour counter), so different models can perform the

Observe and Deduce duties.

DEDUCE

To successfully Deduce a clue, any model in base

contact may use one action and roll 2D6. If they roll

equal to or under their MIN characteristic, they have

successfully Deduced the Clue. Some Skills and

Agency cards can affect this test.

Once the Clue is Deduced it is solved and removed

from play.

Note that any model in the Sleuth’s Club can Observe

or Deduce a Clue, it does not have to be your Sleuth

alone.

ASSIST

Other models in the vicinity of a Clue may add their

expertise to Deducing it. This is why the eminent

scholar is sometimes consulted by the detective during

their investigation of a case.

Any model in base contact with the Observed Clue

may add +1 to the Deducing model’s MIN score for

the purposes of the Deduce test. For example, a model

with MIN 8 with two Assists (+2 MIN) would then

be rolling 10 or less on 2D6 to Deduce the Clue,

Some Skills and Agency cards can also aid an Assist.

“Thruppence on the little ‘un with no neck!”

Hand-To-Hand Combat All hand-to-hand combat is as defined in Open

Combat .

Shooting All shooting is as defined in Open Combat , with

the following additions –

GUNPOWDER

All Gunpowder weapons have this special rule. Guns

can kill you. All. The. Time. There is always a

chance, when hit with a gunpowder weapon, that you

can die. Simple as that. To represent this, any natural

double that Solid Hits on the ATK test instantly kills


23

the target stone dead, regardless of how many FOR

they have. The only way to avoid dying this way is to

expend a LUCK point.

Some gunpowder weapons, like the unwieldy muskets

used during the Crimean War, which are usually fired

stationary, can be covered easily by Open Combat

rules: a Musket is simply a combination Crossbow

(the shooty bit) and Spear (the bayonet), gains the

Gunpowder special rule and costs 2 Renown.

Similarly, a basic pistol is effectively a bow, but with

the Gunpowder special rule.

Gunpowder weapons not covered by Open Combat

that can be found in the Dramatis Persona include –

Rifle - 2 Renown, Gunpowder, Rifle (see below)

Pattern 1853 Enfield - 2 Renown, Spear,

Crossbow, Gunpowder

Revolver - 1 Renown, Bow, Gunpowder

RIFLE

A rifle is the most effective (and stable!) weapon to be

utilised during the Victorian era, much more than a

musket. The biggest advantage of a rifle is it hits hard

and can be moved and fired. Therefore, it acts as a

Crossbow but without the movement restriction, and

consequently costs 2 Renown. Rifles are rare items in

Victorian London, for obvious reasons, and only

certain models have access to them.

Bad Light Stopped Play Some game events can bring on reduced visibility for

models on the streets. These include night falling and

the sudden onset of a famous London pea soup fog.

This is called Bad Light Stopped Play. If there is

Bad Light for only a set number of turns, this means

entire turns for both players and the Citizens. The

following rules apply in the swirling mists –

All LOS is reduced to 8”. Remember that you

cannot shoot at or charge an enemy you cannot

see.

All rolls on the Behaviour Table are at -1.

Citizens Turn After the shooting stops and the dust settles, it is time

to see how Citizens react to this madness. Each basic

Citizen has the following statistics –

Dog SPD ATK DEF FOR MIN

Chavy 6 3 3 2 1

Fangs (hand weapon), Animal

Urchin SPD ATK DEF FOR MIN

Chavy 4 2 2 2 2

Dagger, Pickpocket

Wench SPD ATK DEF FOR MIN

Chavy 4 1 3 3 3

Fists, Charm (Male)

Pugilist SPD ATK DEF FOR MIN

Chavy 4 4 2 4 3

Fists, Furious Assault, Bullrush

Bobby SPD ATK DEF FOR MIN

Accomplice 4 3 3 3 3

Truncheon (Hand Weapon), Lantern, Stop Thief!

Bystander SPD ATK DEF FOR MIN

Chavy 4 2 2 2 2

Fists

Citizens do not suffer from Morale .

AI CONTROLS CITIZENS

If you do not have a third player to control the

Citizens, work through the following steps in order to

generate the automated actions of the Citizens. The

order is based on the most noticeable and potentially

dangerous the situation is to the Citizens. Citizens will

always move their maximum move distance if

possible.

1. If within 8” of hand-to-hand combat –

Dogs will move towards the com bat and attack

the closest model if within range.

Urchins will move towards the combat but will

not attack. They will attempt to Pickpocket the

closest model if within range.

Wenches will move towards the combat but will

not attack. They will attempt to Charm the

closest male model if within range.

Pugilists will move towards the combat and

attack the closest model if within range.

Bobbies will move towards the combat and

attack the closest model within range. Remember

their Stop Thief! Skill.

Bystanders will move directly away from the

combat.

2. If within 8” of an action that causes a counter

to be thrown in the Call the Coppers bucket –

Dogs and Bystanders will remain stationary.

Urchins, Wenches, Pugilists and Bobbies

will move towards the action and act as

above.

3. If within LOS but greater than 8” away from

an Action that causes a counter to be thrown

in the Call the Coppers bucket –

Bobbies will use their Stop Thief! Skill.


24

Bobbies armed with firearms will shoot at the

model who performed the Action.

All models (including Bobbies) will move

towards the source of the Action, most out of

a sense of opportunity and Bystanders out of

a sense of duty.

4. If within 8” of a model in a player’s Club –

All Citizens will move towards the model

and use Skills if able.

THIRD PLAYER CONTROLS CITIZENS

In the situation where Jeff brings his drooling kid

brother Mungo around to try to introduce him to

wargaming, an excellent opportunity exists for a third

player to be added to a GG scenario.

The Citizen player has no real goal in the game, as far

as victory or defeat goes. The London Citizens can’t

‘win’ as such, they have no interest in solving the

Mystery or stopping the bad guys. The single

overarching goal of the Citizen player is to support

and extend the narrative. Think of the Citizen player

as a roleplaying Games Master in this regard, who has

final responsibility for telling the story in a satisfying

way. A good GM is not going to send his Pugilist

attack the tactically significant old academic who is

busy analysing a bloody handkerchief. A good GM is

going to ask ‘What would the Pugilist do?’ and send

his Pugilist off to scrap with a Club’s Pugilist, to

prove who is brawnier.

As far as rules go, the Citizen player can either adhere

to the AI rules given above or do exactly as they see

fit with the Citizens, weaving a fascinating narrative

of intrigue that combines crime, justice and the

faeces-ridden streets of Victorian London.

Call the Coppers Turn GG is not a game played in isolation, where two

fantasy warbands show up on a nice flat green field

with scenic flocked terrain (and skulls) to pound

seven shades of manure out of each other. This game

takes place in a claustrophobic urban environment

(that hasn’t been bombed with laser mortars) where

the police – although maybe not competent – still do

exist.

Each time one of the situations listed below occurs, a

counter needs to be thrown into the Call the Coppers

bucket. Each player has a different colour counter to

distinguish between them, and the player that

committed the foul gets to shoot the hoop with his

coloured counter.

FIGHTING IS ILLEGAL

In a city like London, it is illegal to run up to someone

in broad daylight and stick a knife in them.

When resolving hand-to-hand combat, if the damage

done to the defender is equal to or above 2 FOR, then

a counter needs to be thrown in the bucket.

BANG BANG

Usually speaking, in Victorian London people don’t

tend to blast away with firearms in the street, as it is a

good way to be dragged off to gaol.

Every time a weapon with the Gunpowder special

rule is fired, a counter needs to be thrown in the

bucket.

RED RIGHT HAND

Death is frowned upon in Victorian times. Every time

a casualty is removed from play, a counter needs to be

thrown in the bucket.

THE BLOODY HANDPRINT

If an Illegal Clue with a Red Flag () is Observed or

Deduced, a counter needs to be thrown in the bucket.

This means an Illegal Clue is equal to two counters,

although the Observe and Deduce may be spread

across different turns.

WHAT, THIS OLD THING?

Each time an Illegal Item with a Red Flag () is

used, a counter needs to be thrown in the bucket.

CRIME DOESN’T PAY

Each time certain criminal Skills are used, for

example Kidnap or Pickpocket, a counter needs to be

thrown in the bucket. Criminal Skills are marked with

a Red Flag () in the same way as Illegal Items.

‘ALLO ‘ALLO ‘ALLO

Each time a counter is thrown into the bucket within

LOS of a Bobby, an extra counter must also be

thrown in the bucket. If multiple Bobbies are within

LOS, this means multiple extra counters.

At the end of the turn for each group – both players,

Citizens – a determination must be made as to

whether all your skulduggery, firing off elephant guns

and knifing people has drawn unwanted attention

from the Blue Bottles (that’s actually Victorian slang,

that is).

Call the Coppers follows these steps –

1. Roll a D6 and compare with the number of

counters in the bucket. If the D6 roll is less than

the number of counters in the bucket, the police

have been called. Remove all the counters from

the bucket. If the D6 roll is equal to or greater

than the number of counters in the bucket, the law

is unaware of your misdemeanours until the next

turn.

2. One Bobby is placed on the Table in exactly the

same way as during Act 1. He may have an

immediate free turn.

3. The player who had the higher number of

counters in the bucket (dice off for a draw) must


25

remove a model in his Club with the lowest

CLASS (his choice) from the Table permanently.

The model has been Arrested and hauled away.

In Victorian times, getting arrested was a lot

more to do with social class and a lot less to do

with actually committing a crime. As usual, Skills

and Agency cards may affect the Arrest of the

model.

“Shooting at people is just not cricket, what what!”


26

Skills This section details the Skills used by models in GG,

and are listed under each model’s dossier in the

Dramatis Personae. Just as with the Open Combat

core rules, some Skills endow a persistent benefit

while some take Interact Action/s to use. These are

noted in each Skill’s description.

Check the Open Combat rulebook for full descriptions

of the core Open Combat Skills –

COMBAT SKILLS

Aim

Focussed Blow

Sharp Eyed

Marksman

Shield Bash

Furious Assault

Exert

Quick Recovery

Nimble

Evade

Ambidextrous

Surefooted

INFLUENCE SKILLS

Enrage

Taunt

Intimidate

Inspire

Feint

Distract

Below are the listed the GG-specific Skills. Unless

otherwise specified and you are building your own

GG dossiers, each Skill costs 1 Renown.

A STEP AHEAD

The model’s thought processes are so advanced, he

can predict the actions of his enemies and has

planned cunning stratagems accordingly.

The model and his Club may take an extra turn,

directly after theirs has ended, once per game even if

Initiative has been lost. The model’s Club has 2 turns

before their opponent’s turn, Citizens or Call the

Coppers occurs again.

ACADEMIC

The model is a scholar and applies his vast book

learning to deducing the mystery. Sometimes

knowledge of a rare subtropical butterfly comes in

handy when examining evidence!

+2 MIN to Deduce Test. This Skill may be used in an

Assist.

AGENCY

“One day, and this day may never happen, I may call

on you to do … a favour.”

A model with this Skill may discard an Agency card

of their choice and redraw for 1 Action.

ANIMAL

The streets of London are home to many a beast that

cannot call itself human. And many who do.

Models with this Skill are subject to Mount and

Monster Behaviour Rules . In addition, although

these seem self-evident –

Animals cannot be Arrested.

Animals cannot make Interact Actions.

Animals cannot enter Named locations.

Animals cannot carry Items.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

Some have grown up with animals, some have learned

to dominate and train them, some just feel a unique

kinship with them.

Animals will never attack a model with this Skill. A

model with this Skill does not have to test on the

Behaviour chart when driving a Vehicle.

In addition, this Skill can be used for 1 Action. During

the next Citizen turn, no animal within 12” of the

model who used this Skill may make any Actions nor

use any Skills.

ARCH DECEIT

Any criminal mastermind worth his salt has plenty of

bent police in his pocket. They know when to look the

other way when needed.

Model may cancel one Call the Coppers turn, once

per game. No Actions are expended.

EVIDENCE

True detectives have eagle eyes for the tiniest little

detail, like someone beating someone else over the

head with a giant Zulu ceremonial war club.

If the model is in LOS of an event that causes a Call

the Coppers counter to be thrown in the bucket, an

extra counter is also thrown in the bucket.

BODYGUARD

“I’d like to introduce you to my … associates …

Mungo and Bubba.”

A model with this Skill, within 1” of a friendly model

who has just been wounded, may take any damage

onto themselves instead. Damage has to be taken and

cannot be deflected in any way. No Actions are used,

the redirection takes place automatically.

BOMBARDIER ()

BANG!

“Tee hee hee …”


27

The model counts as permanently having the Matches

Item.

Using the Bombardier Skill is the same as using the

Matches Item and is a crime, thus will add a counter

to the Call the Coppers bucket.

BRIBE

Grease a few palms, and at the right place at the right

time, the right people will look the other way.

This Skill takes 1 Action and 10S to use. During the

next Citizen turn, no Bobby within 12” of the model

who used this Skill may make any Actions nor use

any Skills.

BROWNING

Even before the invention of the machine gun,

miscreants had worked out that a hail of bullets was

more likely to force enemies to keep their heads down

than one carefully placed shot.

A model with this Skill may take 2 shots per 1

Shooting Action with a Gunpowder weapon, but will

only ever score a maximum of Minor Hits . Note

that each shot causes a counter to be thrown in the

Call the Coppers bucket.

BULLRUSH

Some guys are just built BIG, and when they drop the

shoulder and charge you, you know you’ve been

charged.

As the per the Shield Bash Skill , but no Shield

is required.

CHARM

Beware the Mysterious East, the Dark Continent, and

especially the wiles of the fairer sex.

Nominate a model within 6.” This model may not act

next turn. This Skill may only work on members of

the opposite sex, as defined in Dramatis Personae; for

example Charm (Male) will only affect male models.

COMMAND

Criminal genii like Professor Moriarty or Fu Manchu

also rely on an intense, almost otherworldly personal

charisma. The sheer force of their personalities is

sometimes enough to bend others to their wills.

A model with this Skill also counts as having the

Exert Skill, and may transfer their Exert Skill to

another model within 12” via a barked order or

meaningful glance, for 1 Action. The target model

may act as if they have the Exert Skill for the rest of

the turn.

DEDUCTION

Lateral thinking was a foreign concept to people in

the 19th

century, but some can just join the dots and

turn a lot of abstract information into useful

knowledge.

+3 MIN to Deduce test. This Skill may be used in an

Assist.

DOGGED

Some crime fighters solve problems using their deep

knowledge, some use their street smarts and contacts,

others are just bullish (or maybe bull-headed) and

keep on grinding until the criminal is brought to

justice.

Model may reroll Deduce tests. May be used in an

Assist.

ESTABLISHMENT

“You wouldn’t arrest me, would you, officer? My

aunt’s uncle’s neighbour’s driver once sat next to the

17th

Earl of Essex at Lords. Great game, by the way.”

The model with this Skill automatically avoids Arrest

once per game.

EYE WITNESS

Holmes has his Watson, Nayland Smith has his

Doctor Petrie, Professor Challenger has his Edward

Malone. Every great crime fighter needs a faithful

assistant, who also happens to record his adventures.

Automatically Deduce a Clue when Assisting a

Sleuth (and only Assisting a Sleuth).

EYES AND EARS

Having plenty of eyes on the streets and ears to the

ground certainly speeds up the process of unearthing

important clues in any mystery. If enough of your

people are making enquiries, something is bound to

be found!

+1 MIN to Observe test for every instance of this

Skill within 6” of testing model.

FAST TALK

If the Artful Dodger wasn’t as fast with his mouth as

he was with his fingers, he would have ended up in

Pentonville long ago. Or face down in the Thames.

If a model with this Skill is being Arrested, roll a D6.

If the roll is equal to or less than the model’s CLASS,

the model avoids Arrest through a combination of

patter and stage-acting to rival Shakespeare (“Please

guv’nor, I ain’t a bad kid …”)

FLAIL OF THE LORD

Some colonial men typify everything that makes the

Empire proud. They are scholars, action heroes, pious

family men, and what’s more … they are leaders.

A model with this Skill may use the With Me

Combined Action , requiring only 1 Action.

FORTIFY

Extra sandbags, street refuse and random body parts

all make useful additions to a bulwark when the

bullets and rocks start flying.


28

It takes 2 Actions for a model with this Skill to

Fortify either Soft or Hard Cover . Mark the

terrain feature with a counter, which has +1 DEF

bonus for the rest of the game. A terrain feature

cannot be Fortified more than once.

GHOST WHO WALKS

He’s gone! I blinked and he had already disappeared

into the crowd …

The model with this Skill may disengage from hand-

to-hand combat without penalty.

HAWKEYE

Being able to pick out the smallest valuable detail is a

talent unto itself.

Range for Observe tests for a model with this Skill is

18”.

HEAL

Hacksaws, leeches, powders, unguents and

preparations, the 19th

century was a time of much

experimentation when it came to medicine. The

physician’s art was beginning to stabilise into a

science, luckily for their patients.

A model with this Skill may transfer their Rest

Actions to another model in base contact. The model

being Healed may not move but may perform other

Actions as normal.

I AM THE LAW

“Didn’t you realise, Mr Holmes, that society works

for me, not the other way around.”

A model with this Skill may use 1 Action to control a

single Bobby within 6”. The Bobby acts immediately,

then the control is finished. This Skill may not be used

twice on the same model in the same turn, including

Club and Citizen turns as 1 turn.

KIDNAP ()

They say that the longest distance between two points

is between a kidnapper and his ransom. Doesn’t stop

some from trying …

This is a Psychological Attack with a range of 1”.

Kidnapping is mainly opportunity, not brute strength.

If the defender wins, nothing happens. If the attacker

with the Skill wins, the defender is removed from

play. The defender is not dead, and may roll a D6 at

the start of each turn, on a 4-6 they may enter play

again from a Named Location of their choice (they

have escaped, or the ransom has been paid).

Using the Kidnap Skill is a crime, and will add a

counter to the Call the Coppers bucket.

OF THE PEOPLE

For many people, the greatest fear in life is public

speaking. Not so for the rabble rousers, nutcases and ,

fanatics and agitators of Victorian London. On every

street corner there is always someone with an agenda

to push. Ideally over a cliff.

A model with this Skill may use 1 Action to control a

single Citizen (excluding Bobbies) within 6”. The

Citizen acts immediately, then the control is finished.

This Skill may not be used twice on the same model

in the same turn.

PICKPOCKET ()

The art of the pickpocket is subtle: selecting the right

mark, getting close while they are occupied, getting

away amid the ensuing hue and cry. It is a battle of

the minds as much as dexterity.

This is a Psychological Attack with a range of

1”.

If the defender wins, nothing happens. If the attacker

with Pickpocket Skill wins, one Item of the attacker’s

choice is removed from the defender’s roster. If the

defender has no Items, 3S are removed instead. The

thief does not acquire the stolen Item, they all go to

Fagin, who has to then split them with Bill Sikes.

Using the Pickpocket Skill is a crime, and will add a


PRAY/ORATE/THREATEN/CAJOLE

Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park has been a bastion of

free speech for decades, where anyone may say

anything at any time, protected by law. Some

anarchists and conspiracy theorists should have

stayed there.

This Skill takes 1 Action and 10S to use. During the

next Citizen turn, no Citizen except Bobbies within

12” of the model who used the Skill may make any

Actions nor use any Skills.

SAINTLY HEAL

Natural healers are rare in society, but sometimes a

person comes along who has been touched by God

(who is British) and can lay on hands to save the men

of the Empire.

One model in base contact, or the model with the Skill

itself, regains +1 FOR or +1 MIN at the cost of 1

Action. This Skill can only be used once per turn.

SECRET SOCIETY

The Freemasons, the Hellfire Club (kinky!), the

Golden Dawn, those damnable Knights Templar who

seem to be everywhere, the Victorian era was a

hotbed of both spiritualism and keeping lots of

skeletons in closets.

The Stop Thief Skill does not add the extra +1

counter to the Call the Coppers bucket when used on

actions committed by a model with this Skill.

SIXTH SENSE

Some people can just … sense stuff. That tingle, that

pricking of hairs on the back of the neck, that

undefinable quality … Some say it is just bunkum, but


29

the Victorian era was a superstitious time! Just ask

the Masons and the Theosophists …

A model with this Skill is never affected by the

Gunpowder instant kill rules. Damage from a

Gunpowder weapon is still applied as normal.

STOP THIEF!

“A veritable hue and cry went up as the cutpurse

hared off down the a street with my silk kerchief.

Fortunately one of our upstanding young officers was

on hand to apprehend the little beggar.”

If a model with this Skill is within LOS of a Red Flag,

add +1 counter to the Call the Coppers bucket.

TRAPSTER

“Gotcha!”

Place a Trap counter anywhere within base contact of

the model with this Skill, for 1 Action. Any model

who moves within 3” of a Trap must deduct D3 FOR

as the trapdoor opens or the poisonous snake darts

out. There is no effect on models within 6”. Any

model in base contact may remove a Trap counter for

2 Actions.

VEHICLE

Coaches, hansom cabs, rickshaws, wagons, barges:

the streets and canals of Victorian London were

teeming with a miscellany of transportation options.

Unfortunately most of these options also defecated in

the street.

The following rules apply to Vehicles in GG -

A Vehicle cannot be Arrested.

Embarked passengers count as being in Hard

Cover .

A Vehicle has its own statistic line. Harnessed

animals (usually horses and mules) cannot be

targeted directly in hand-to-hand-combat, they

use the FOR of the entire Vehicle. This is for the

sake of simplicity.

It takes 1 Action to embark or disembark from a

Vehicle, from being in base contact. It takes 1

Action to drive a vehicle up to its maximum SPD

in the same way as any other model.

Carrying capacity of each Vehicle should be

agreed before the game, and dictated by the size

of the model itself.

Embarkation points can be agreed before the

game, otherwise a model may embark anywhere

in base contact with the Vehicle model.

The driver of a vehicle harnessed to animals must

test on the Behaviour chart once per

Vehicle, not per animal.


30

Items

“Your cocaine, absinthe and laudanum, sir.

This chapter lists the Items available to GG models in

the Dramatis Personae. Items work in the same way

as Skills, in that some Items give a persistent benefit

while some take Interact Action/s to use. The Actions

are noted in each Item’s description. Some Items are

One Use Only, and must be erased from the model’s

roster once used.

Illegal Items are Red Flagged () and their use will

cause a counter to be thrown in the Call the Coppers

bucket.

Items are grouped alphabetically here for ease of

reference. In the associated Appendix they are

grouped according to their availability (Common or

Rare), and the Named Locations where they are

available.

CAMERA

Although primitive by modern standards, cameras

taking reasonably clear black and white photographs

were readily available – if expensive – at the end of

the Victorian era.

A model with a camera may reroll all Observe and

Deduce tests once.

CARBOLIC ACID

The use of gaseous Carbolic acid to sterilise field

hospitals was a breakthrough in medical hygiene

during the Crimean War, spearheaded by … you

guessed it … Florence Nightingale.

One Use Only.

Takes 1 Action to use, and may be used on a model in

base contact with the bearer. Target model regains +1

FOR or +1 MIN.

DISGUISE KIT

In Victorian times the male fashion was for lavish

moustaches, beards and hats, which made the art of

disguise significantly easier.

One Use Only.

A model with a Disguise Kit who is being Arrested

may retarget the Arrest to any friendly model within

12”.

HELMET / BREASTPLATE

The pith helmet has become a symbol of colonialism

as much as an item of apparel. Just ask the Zulus.

A model wearing a helmet or similar protection is

never affected by the Gunpowder instant kill rules.

Damage from a Gunpowder weapon is still applied as

normal.

HORSE

“Giddyup!”

A Horse has the Animal Skill. Anyone riding a Horse

gains +4 SPD.

LANTERN

When the fog comes down, all that can be seen by

night are bobbing lanterns and the string of glowing

gas lamps fading into the distance.

A model bearing a Lantern ignores all reduced LOS

effects (usually caused by Agency cards).

MATCHES ()

The voices in my head tell me to light fires.

One Use Only.

A model in base contact with a Location or any

flammable Terrain Feature may destroy it, for 2

Actions. If a model is toting Matches it may be worth

agreeing which Terrain Features are flammable before

the game begins. All Victorian London buildings are

flammable (and how!).

Using the Matches for arson is a crime, and will add a


PEG OF BRANDY/ COCAINE/ BANDAGES

“Nothing like a pick-me-up to get one through a hard

day’s crime fighting, Watson.” <SNORT>.

One Use Only.

Model bearing this restorative regains +2 FOR, for 1

Action.

PHYSICIAN’S BAG

“Trust me, I’m a doctor. Now bend over and think of

England.”

Model bearing this restorative regains +1 FOR, for 1

Action.

POISON

Only demons from the mysterious Orient would stoop

so low as to use serpent or spider venoms on their

weapons. And they want you dead a whole lot quicker.

All Minor Hits caused by a model with Poisoned

weapons are upgraded to Solid Hits. All weapons

carried by the model count as Poisoned.


31

ROPE

Behind the humble towel and a ten-foot pole, a coil of

strong sailor’s rope is the most valuable thing in the

gaming universe.

A model bearing a Rope automatically passes Climb

tests .

TUNIC / OVERCOAT

Stiff tunics and helmets are a standard part of any

British military uniform, and are tough and coarse

enough to turn a blade … in the right circumstances.

A model wearing heavy outer wear gains +1 DEF.


32

Agency Cards Copy each of these Agency cards onto a sticky label

and attach to a regular playing card. The cards are

numbered if you want to randomise and distribute

them using the table, but this could get quite

convoluted as there is only one of each card. See how

you go.

The following rules apply to Agency cards –

If an Agency card is marked with a red flag ()

then playing the card requires a counter to be

thrown into the Call the Coppers bucket.

In regard to Agency cards, a ‘turn’ counts as both

players and the Citizens. For example, if a card

says ‘impassable terrain is passable for a turn,’

and it is played in the Citizen turn, the terrain is

passable until the start of the next Citizen turn, so

everyone gains the effects.

Many Agency cards require the player of the card

to ‘nominate’ a model. This can be any model on

the Table, including opposing Clubs and Citizens,

unless specified on the card itself.

‘Players’ written on Agency cards refer to the

player of the card.

An Agency card may cause a counter to be

thrown into the Call the Coppers bucket during

Act 1. Any counters thrown into the bucket in this

way remain for the start of Act 2.

If a player can prove an Agency card cannot be

played during the rest of the game, the card may

be discarded and redrawn.

AGENCY CARD TABLE

1 Reinforcements Nominated Club gains +D3 Chavies of the player’s choice. They are deployed

immediately in the same way as Citizens.

2 But Sir? Playing this card cancels the effects of a Threaten/Cajole/Pray, Command

or Bribe Skill.

3 Plans Within Plans Cancels the use of a LUCK point.

4 Bribe A Chavy on the nominated Club’s roster switches sides.

5 Mountaineer Every model in the player’s Club gains the Rope Item.

6 Take ‘Em Down One model in the nominated Club immediately gains 1 Rifle Item.

7 Dropped Murder

Weapon ()

One model in the nominated Club immediately gains 1 Revolver Item.

8 Rough Stuff () Cancels the effects of an Agency card as it is played … violently.

9 Wheels Within Wheels Cancels the effects of an Agency card as it is played.

10 Crime Pays () Nominated Club gains 3 shillings (3S).

11 Blood Brothers Player nominates an Accomplice in each Club, who switch Clubs

immediately.

12 Ha-ha-HA! Must be played before Act 2. Player may rewrite their entire Club list,

including their Sleuth.

13 Reroll This card does what it says on the tin. Reroll nominated die immediately.

14 Gotta Pick A Pocket or

Two ()

Nominated Club loses 6 shillings (6S).

15 High Ground All player’s models count a fighting from High Ground.

16 Beat Down All models, including both Clubs and Citizens, upgrade Hits to the next level

(eg. Minor Hits to Solid Hits) until the beginning of their next turn.

17 Sign of Four All models, including both Clubs and Citizens, count as having the Poison

Item until the beginning of their next turn.

18 Safe House Nominate a Named Location. Any model from nominated Club may make 2

Actions after leaving that Named Location, for the entire game. Money is still

spent as normal.

19 Deadshot The player’s next Shooting attack automatically Solid Hits.


33

20 Act 2 Climax This card may only be played when 2 opposing Sidekicks are within 12” of

each other. They are moved into base contact, each moving half way.

21 Hatred Nominated model has double ATK for 1 turn only.

22 Into the Breach Barriers/Hazards/Obstructions are open ground for one turn.

23 Bang! Play this card when a Gunpowder weapon is fired. The gun explodes and is

removed from the wielder’s roster. The wielder takes a Solid Hit.

24 Boxing Tourney 2 Pugilists are deployed on the Table and may make immediate Actions. They

act as Citizens for the rest of the game.

25 Melon Cart Crashes Place a Hazard anywhere on the Table, player’s choice.

26 Condemned Nominate a Named Location. It has been shut down and is inaccessible for the

rest of the game.

27 Small Minions Play this card when a model has been Arrested. Switch this model with

another model of the same CLASS or lower from the same Club.

28 Empty Crates Place an Obstruction anywhere on the Table, player’s choice.

29 Break it Up! () Select a Barrier/Hazard/Obstruction and remove it from the Table.

30 Damned Bureaucracy An extra Named Location may be placed on the Table by the player, replacing

an unnamed Location.

31 Sale! Sale! Sale! Nominate a Named Location. For the rest of the game, all Items purchased at

this Named Location are half price.

32 Ninja Impassable terrain is passable for 1 turn.

33 King Hit () The next melee attack automatically Solid Hits.

34 Follow That Car Leader or Sidekick may immediately move 12” for no Actions.

35 Take That! () All hits from the nominated model count as Additional Hits.

36 Shieldwall All models in nominated Club gain the Shield Bash Skill for this turn. A

model cannot take advantage of having 2x the Shield Bash Skill.

37 Stand Firm All models in the player’s Club gain the Resolute Skill for one turn. A model

cannot take advantage of having 2x the Resolute Skill.

38 Poisoned () Nominated models takes up to -3 FOR. May only reduce model’s FOR to 1.

39 Doped () Nominated models takes up to -3 MIN. May only reduce model’s MIN to 1.

40 Golden Shower Mrs Gummidge from the 3rd

floor empties her chamber pot on the nominated

model. The model takes -2 DEF to a minimum of 1.

41 Second Wind Nominated model gains +3 MIN. This cannot take the model’s MIN over its

starting value.

42 Ne’er Do Went 1 nominated Chavy is removed from the game.

43 Räche () 1 nominated Citizen is removed from the game.

44 There He Is! All Bobbies move at maximum speed towards nominated model.

45 Hansom Cab Nominated model may move anywhere on the Table.

46 Royal Rumble () All hand weapons count as double handed weapons for 1 turn.

47 Gambling Pays () The next model from either player’s Club who visits the Inn gains £1 for their

Club.

48 Master Duel Both Leaders fight 1 round of combat now. Assume they are in base contact

and have 2 Actions each. Neither model is actually moved.

49 Duel 2 nominated Sidekicks fight 1 round of combat now. Assume they are in base

contact and have 2 Actions each. Neither model is actually moved. If a player

has no Sidekick, this card may be redrawn.


34

50 Next Step All models in player’s Club gain the Exert Skill for 1 turn.

51 Do It Now! Nominated model gains the Command Skill for 1 turn.

52 Go Go Go! Nominated model may take an extra 2 Actions.

53 Sit Ubu Sit. Good Dog. No models with the Animal Skill may be hired by the nominated Club unless

1 model in the Club has the Animal Husbandry Skill.

54 No Riff Raff No Chavies may be hired by the nominated Club.

55 Sold Out No Accomplices may be hired by the nominated Club.

56 A Word in Your Ear Nominated Sidekick may not act next turn.

57 The Dark Side … No Accomplice in nominated Club may move next turn.

58 Ox Cart 3 nominated models may immediately move anywhere on the Table, for no

Actions.

59 Dark for Dark

Business

Night has fallen. Bad Light Stopped Play applies from this point on.

60 Misled 4 nominated models begin the game by deploying at the start of their player’s

second turn.

61 All the Pretty Horses 3 nominated models may immediately make 8” moves for no Actions.

62 Curfew Bad Light Stopped Play applies for the next 2 turns.

63 Charge! All move distances during the player’s turn may be doubled.

64 You Won’t Like Me

When I’m Angry ()

Nominated model gains the Ambidextrous and Furious Assault Skills for its

next turn.

65 Fire Discipline All models in Club gain free Volley Fire in their next turn.

66 Duck and Weave All models in Club gain free Feint in their next turn.

67 … and Englishmen Nominated Dog moves up to 12” into base contact with the nearest model and

makes an attack.

68 Rotgut Nominated Pugilist is removed from the game.

69 Mistaken Identity Player may substitute a model who has just been Arrested with any model

within 6”.

70 The Peasants Are

Revolting

Player may substitute a model who has just been Arrested with any friendly

Chavy.

71 Wear Them Down All nominated Club’s models are at -1 DEF until the start of their next turn.

72 Tall Poppies Nominated Leader begins the game at the start of their second turn.

73 Whispers Draw Agency cards up to your Club’s total Agency.

74 Crime Blitz Add 1 Bobby to the Table, who deploys according to the Citizen rules.

75 The Navy is in Town Add 2 Wenches to the Table, who deploy according to the Citizen rules.

76 London Calling Draw 2 Agency cards and apply effects to random Club, if possible. Then

discard.

77 Crimewave () The next Call the Coppers turn is cancelled.

78 Get Out of Gaol Free Empty the Call the Coppers bucket.

79 General Strike () No nominated Club’s Chavy models will move this turn.

80 Take the Strain All Hand Weapons count as Spears and all Spears count as Halberds until this

time next turn.

81 Pea Soup Fog Bad Light Stopped Play rules are in effect from now on.

82 Ripper Strikes () Nominated non-Leader female model is removed from the game.


35

83 Eleventh Hour Draw an Agency card and apply its effects to both Clubs.

84 Brain Drain Observe or Deduce test automatically fails.

85 Cocked Dice Cancels the use of a LUCK point.

86 Building Boom During Table Setup, add the next Named Location on the list to the Table.

87 Bankrupt Nominated Club loses -£1.

88 Deputized All Accomplices in nominated Club gain the Stop Thief! Skill permanently.

89 The Gig is Up () Nominated player reveals their Agency hand.

90 Damnable Regulations One Named Location can be place anywhere on the Table by player of card.

91 Prison Break () Remove 3 counters of your choice from the Call the Coppers bucket.

92 Sneaky Git Next time there is one of those exchanges where players alternate and the

Sleuth goes first, instead the Mastermind goes first.

93 Laudanum () Nominated Sidekick has been Kidnapped exactly as per the Skill.

94 Focus Pull Draw 2 Agency cards. This may take your hand over your Agency score.

95 Insight Draw 3 Agency cards. This may take your hand over your Agency score.

96 Lamplighter

Convention

Bad Light Stopped Play rules are cancelled, if in effect.

97 Winter Solstice Bad Light Stopped Play rules are in effect from now on.

98 Spy Nominated player must reveal their Agency hand.

99 Run Amok Play an immediate Citizens turn.

100 Silencer Shooting from 1 nominated gunpowder weapon does not cause a counter to be

thrown in the Call the Coppers bucket for the whole game.


36

Advanced Rules To add even further texture to the great game of crime

and justice, here are summarised a bunch of rules that

can be added to any game, as long as both players

agree.

3+ Players When a third player is playing the Citizens, they have

less options than the Club players and no real winning

objective. Some suggestions for livening up the

Citizens turn include –

The Citizen player may have an Agency hand,

which starts at 3, but +1 may be added for every 4

Citizens on the Table after the first 4. This makes

the words ‘nominate’ and ‘player’ on the Agency

cards exceptionally relevant.

The Citizen player may have LUCK points.

Generate LUCK the score based on generating

the Agency hand above. Citizens are not a Club

and will never have a Leader.

Named Allies (see Dramatis Personae) may be

placed instead of generic Citizens, as long as the

narrative sustains it. Good examples include

Mycroft Holmes when Sherlock is the Sleuth or

members of the Royal family (there is a model

out there of Queen Victoria with a shotgun) if

Jack the Ripper is the Mastermind.

Bobbies may be equipped with Rifles or

Revolvers. They do not have to use the Call the

Coppers bucket (do I really need to say this?).

Different Play Modes The basic form of GG is asynchronous: the players

have different objectives to win the game. If a third

player is controlling the Citizens, then (weirdly for a

wargame) they have no objective at all except to cause

trouble, extend the narrative options and to have fun!

Below are some optional play modes if you want to

stretch your legs with more ‘What if?’ scenarios –

CLUE DO

Who is the greatest crime fighter of them all? After

Super Man, of course.

In this variant, both players select Sleuths, with the

same number of Clues to be solved as a game with

only a single Sleuth. This could get really bloody,

with a high chance of a duel at dawn to finally settle

the outcome.

THE GREAT RACE

Two intertwined stories. One winner of the ‘best crime

fighter’ competition. Cannes Film Festival gold.

Both players select Sleuths, and both have their own

set of Clues to solve. Whoever solves theirs the fastest

is the winner. Will the two Clubs actually interact, or

will they pass like ships in the night? Who will stoop

to fighting dirty first and reveal their true colours?

GANGS OF LONDON

Fighting with big decorative crosses is never a good

idea, after guns have been invented.

Both players select Masterminds and Clubs with the

restriction that no model may have a CLASS greater

than 2. They engage in a turf war for the Four Corners

… I mean Whitechapel. The goal is to wipe out the

opposition, and Open Combat Break Points apply as

normal.

KINGPINS OF LONDON

This town isn’t big enough for two Empires of Evil,

and a final showdown must take place

Both players select Masterminds and Clubs as normal.

This is the equivalent of a ‘pitched battle,’ and the

winner should be pretty obvious once Break Points

start being factored in.

ESCALATION

“The solution was obvious, Watson, you just needed

to know that potassium bivolvolate acts as a catalyst

for gherkin skin to turn orange. Child’s play, really.”

The Clues are ranked in their degree of difficulty to

solve. The easiest Clues are always deduced first in

most crimes, and they get progressively harder as the

investigation goes on.

To represent this, each Clue is given a value from 1-9,

which you can write on each Clue counter, or find

counters every colour of the rainbow. Clues can be

represented by this handy-dandy ROYGBIV column,

as wargamers think visually –


37

You can refer to the Clues as either numbers or

colours, dependent on how your brain is. Mine is very

small, and in a jar. Clues are used in a game bottom-

up, so in a four Clue game you would use Black

through Yellow. In a 6 Clue game, you’d be playing

Blue through Black.

The number on the Clue is the score you have to roll

equal to or under on the Deduce Test to solve the

Clue. The following modifiers can be made to the

score based on the Deducer’s MIN –

1-3 0

4-6 +2

7-8 +3

9-10 +4

Other modifiers for Assists etc. are applied as normal.

For example, Holmes with a MIN of 10 is trying to

Deduce a Black Clue by himself. He needs to roll 6 or

less on 2D6, as the base score for Deducing a Black

Clue is 1 (1+5=6). If you crunch the numbers, it will

become apparent that some easy Clues can be solved

practically automatically, while the hard ones are

impossible for stupid or uneducated people. Not

everyone in Victorian London knows something about

organic chemistry.

This makes it far more difficult for the Sleuth to solve

the Clues, and to reflect this the Sleuth may have an

additional 100 Renown to hire his initial Club.

THE FINAL PROBLEM

Reichenbach Falls. It all had to end at the

Reichenbach Falls. The final climactic confrontation

and the death of the Great Detective. All or nothing,

conclusive victory in the Great Game.

The ‘Escalation’ Play Mode applies in this scenario,

BUT the Sleuth must solve the Clues in a particular

order. All 9 Clues are utilised and must be solved

sequentially top-down from easy White 9 to deadly

Black 1.

This variant is extremely difficult for the Sleuth to

win. To represent the extra resources needed for the

Sleuth’s Club to be victorious, the amount of Renown

the Sleuth has to spend on his Club doubles that of the

Mastermind. This game cannot be played fairly if the

Sleuth’s Renown is less than 500.


38

Appendix – The Plotter

PLOTTER EVENTS 1 Murdered 34 Tried to sell 67 Notified

2 Connived 35 Got drunk 68 Warned

3 Attacked 36 Ran off 69 Admitted

4 Escaped from 37 Sang 70 Confessed

5 Laughed at 38 Was tormented 71 Lied

6 Cried over 39 Teased 72 Lied to save

7 Sneezed 40 Analysed 73 Saved

8 Danced 41 Deduced the truth from 74 Fixed

9 Used 42 Dug up 75 Questioned

10 Was insulted 43 Retaliated 76 Worked

11 Was cheered 44 Tricked 77 Paid good money

12 Was embarrassed 45 Jumped at the chance 78 Was unaware of

13 Tried to eat 46 Renegotiated 79 Grabbed

14 Threatened 47 Signed 80 Got drunk

15 Was surprised 48 Hid 81 Resented

16 Giggled 49 Screamed about 82 Eloped

17 Was shocked 50 Humiliated 83 Wrote poetry about

18 Shocked 51 Declared revenge 84 Employed

19 Stole 52 Bashed 85 Alerted the police

20 Replaced 53 Pawned 86 Shot

21 Added 54 Swapped 87 Knifed

22 Cleaned 55 Poisoned 88 Maimed

23 Dirtied 56 Was suspicious of 89 Strangled

24 Rearranged 57 Threatened 90 Operated

25 Cooked 58 Rubbed fingerprints off 91 Argued

26 Smoked 59 Saw 92 Opened

27 Took cocaine 60 Broke 93 Closed

28 Took opium 61 Smashed 94 Played

29 Assaulted 62 Repaired 95 Chastised

30 Seduced 63 Dried 96 Applauded

31 Lost 64 Soaked 97 Married

32 Found 65 Suggested that 98 Divorced

33 Sold 66 Was tipped off 99 Gaoled

100 Escaped from gaol

indicates that the act was illegal, and the resulting Clue should be marked as illegal with a flag. Observing or Deducing

an illegal Clue causes a counter to be thrown into the Call the Coppers bucket.


39

PLOTTER OCCUPATIONS

1 Able Seaman

2 Falconer

3 Accountant

4 Ale Draper

5 Almsman

6 Assurance Agent

7 Bailiff

8 Baker

9 Baler

10 Barber Surgeon

11 Town Crier

12 Bill Poster

13 Cabman

14 Caretaker

15 Undertaker

16 Carpenter

17 Chandler

18 Quarryman (mason)

19 Forgeman (blacksmith)

20 Cartographer

21 Clerk

22 Dog Whipper (hunting)

23 Embroider

24 Doctor

25 Engineman

26 Errand Boy

27 Engineer

28 Exciseman (tax

collector)

29 Fancy Man (pimp)

30 Farmer

31 Fisherman

32 Hawker

33 Gold/Silver Smith

34 Watchmaker

35 Jeweller

36 Soldier

37 Cavalryman

38 Green Grocer

39 Grazier

40 Lord

41 Earl

42 Count

43 Viscount

44 Duke

45 Prince

46 Baron

47 Hair Dresser

48 Footman

49 Cook

50 Butler

51 Groom

52 Teacher

53 Academician

54 Haberdasher

55 Iceman (sells ice)

56 Ironmonger

57 Rag and Bone Man

58 Indentured Servant

59 Newspaper Man

60 Policeman

61 Chimney Sweep

62 Fishmonger

63 Lumberjack

64 Innkeeper

65 Knockknobbler (dog

catcher)

66 Knoller (bell ringer)

67 General Labourer

68 Lagger (sailor)

69 Lamplighter

70 Licensed Messenger

71 Preacher

72 Vicar

73 Bishop

74 Actor

75 Machinist

76 Travelling Salesman

77 Master Mariner

78 Merchant

79 Muffin Man

80 Notary

81 Lawyer

82 Judge

83 Navigator

84 Newsagent

85 Gambler

86 Watchman

87 Auctioneer

88 Painter

89 Sculptor

90 Office Boy

91 School Master

92 Pensioner

93 Playwright

94 Railway Porter

95 Train Driver

96 Pugilist

97 Reeve (royal official)

98 Bargeman

99 Soap Boiler (maker)

100 Tailor


40

PLOTTER ITEMS

1 Cocaine 34 A lost manuscript 67 A bloody knife

2 Opium 35 A violin 68 A smoking gun

3 A quartz candlestick 36 Floor wax 69 Bandages

4 An iron bar 37 A sturdy sauce pan 70 The Maltese Falcon

5 A pair of pince nez (glasses) 38 A roofing tile 71 An oil lamp

6 A snuff box 39 Mud from the Thames 72 Sugar

7 A pistol 40 Beard clipping scissors 73 Castor oil

8 A kitchen knife 41 A tin of ox tongue 74 Dr Whizzo’s Remedy

9 A jam jar 42 £5 75 A bucket of water

10 Bed linen 43 £2 76 One leather shoe

11 A dress 44 A beggar’s bowl 77 A bar of soap

12 The curtains 45 A fake moustache 78 A model sailing ship

13 A lamp shade 46 A wig 79 A map of Australia

14 Seven eggs 47 A brocaded parasol 80 A map of Africa

15 A hot skillet 48 A winged collar 81 A map with a giant X

16 A lump of wood 49 An ancient gold coin 82 Sealed documents

17 A sextant 50 A forgery mould 83 Scandalous love letters

18 An objet d’art 51 A pot of hot mustard 84 Beggar’s rags

19 Grandma-ma’s medicine 52 A rolling pin 85 The Royal Warrant

20 A truncheon 53 Bath salts 86 Prisoner’s manacles

21 A leather-bound volume 54 A stuffed dodo 87 A promissory note

22 A bag of juniper berries 55 A small dog 88 The Necronomicon

23 A phial of laudanum 56 An angry cat 89 Hat with a bullet hole

24 A cigar 57 A suet pudding 90 Two theatre tickets

25 A pot of ointment 58 A claw hammer 91 A box of ammunition (6)

26 A framed portrait 59 Went fishing with 92 Naughty men’s’ pictures

27 A genuine Rembrandt 60 A ship’s anchor 93 Lady’s makeup kit

28 A fake Rembrandt 61 A box of mints 94 Tickets to New York

29 A lady’s sewing kit 62 A tobacco tin 95 A Turkish water pipe

30 Knitting needles 63 Tobacco 96 An Ouija table

31 An empty bed pan 64 Half a bottle of gin 97 A pack of marked cards

32 A full bed pan 65 An empty whiskey bottle 98 The skull of a caveman

33 A trashy pamphlet 66 Sailor’s rope 99 A sent telegram

100 A meat cleaver

indicates that use of the Item act was illegal, and the resulting Clue should be marked as illegal with a flag. Observing or

Deducing an illegal Clue causes a counter to be thrown into the Call the Coppers bucket.


41

Appendix - Items To save you the trouble of converting shillings to pence during the game, these prices have been dramatically

rounded up. A peg of brandy, for example, would actually cost 10d.

When purchasing Items, whether from a Named Location or during Act 1, consider the narrative absurdities this

could generate. Some pretty convincing reasons need to be established for a Pugilist to be buying a Physician’s Bag,

or any Chavy to have enough money for an Overcoat.

BAZAAR

Cudgel (Hand Weapon) 5S Common

Knife (Dagger) 10S Common

Lantern 10S Common

Matches 5S Common

Peg of Brandy 1S Common

Physician’s Bag 15S Rare 50% (4-6 on D6)

Rope 10S Common

Loaded Dice 5S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

APOTHECARY

Bandages 5S Common

Carbolic Acid 3S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

Cocaine 5S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

Laudanum 3S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

Camera £2 Rare 16% (6 on D6)

YE OLDE CURIOSITY SHOPPE


Dagger 10S Common

Lantern 15S Common

Matches 5S Common

Peg of Brandy 1S Common

Physician’s Bag 10S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

Rope 10S Common

Marked Cards 5S Rare 50% (4-6 on D6)

TAILOR

Disguise Kit 10S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

Overcoat £1 Common

MILITARY QUARTERMASTER

Chavies may not purchase Items from the Military Quartermaster.

Military Tunic £1 Common

Helmet 10S Rare 66% (3-6 on D6)

Revolver £1 10S Rare 33% (5-6 on D6)

Rifle £2 Rare 16% (6 on D6)


Army Knife (Dagger) 10S Common

Bayonet (Spear) 15S Common


42

Appendix – Miniatures There are a plethora of miniature manufacturers out there who make really cool Victorian models. A lot of them

also come with their own rules, which you should buy, as you can’t ever have enough Victorian wargaming

rulesets! Below are just some manufacturers we like. I haven’t got permission to replicate their miniatures in this

manual, so that’s why God invented the internet –

WEST WIND PRODUCTIONS

http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=204_222

WARGAMES FOUNDRY

http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/castingroomminiatures/victorians/

WAYLAND GAMES

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/1989-in-her-majesty-s-name

OUTPOST WARGAME SERVICES

http://www.outpostwargameservices.co.uk/

TIGER MINIATURES

http://www.tigerminiatures.co.uk/page3.htm

http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=204_222

http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/castingroomminiatures/victorians/

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/1989-in-her-majesty-s-name

http://www.outpostwargameservices.co.uk/

http://www.tigerminiatures.co.uk/page3.htm


43

Appendix – Clue Summary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


44

Appendix - Victorian Names VICTORIAN GIRLS’ NAMES

1 Abigale / Abby 34 Ettie, Henrietta 67 Leah

2 Ada 35 Eudora 68 Lenora

3 Parthena 36 Zylphia 69 Letitia

4 Agnes 37 Fidelia 70 Lila

5 Allie 38 Polly 71 Lilly

6 Almira,

bAlmyra

39 Fanny 72 Lorena

7 Alva 40 Flora 73 Lorraine

8 Molly 41 Florence 74 Lottie

9 Amelia 42 Geneve 75 Louise, Louisa

10 Annie 43 Ginny 76 Lucy

11 Arrah 44 Genevieve 77 Lulu

12 Beatrice 45 Georgia 78 Lydia

13 Becky 46 Gertrude, Gertie 79 Mahulda

14 Bernice 47 Gladys 80 Margaret

15 Bess, Bessie 48 Grace 81 Mary

16 Charity 49 Hannah 82 Theodesia

17 Charlotte 50 Hattie 83 Winifred

18 Chastity 51 Nelly 84 Martha

19 Stella 52 Helene 85 Matilda, Mattie

20 Constance 53 Henrietta, Hettie 86 Maude

21 Cynthia 54 Hester 87 Maxine, Maxie

22 Dorothy, Dot 55 Hope 88 Mercy

23 Edith 56 Hortence 89 Mildred

24 Edna 57 Isabel, Isabella 90 Minerva

25 Edwina 58 Jane 91 Missouri

26 Sophrona 59 Jennie 92 Molly

27 Rufina 60 Jessamine 93 Myrtle

28 Ellie 61 Josephine 94 Nancy

29 Elizabeth 62 Judith 95 Natalie

30 Elvira 63 Vertiline 96 Philomena

31 Emma 64 Juliet 97 Nettie

32 Esther 65 Katherine, Kate 98 Nora

33 Ethel 66 Sally 99 Orpha

100 Patsy


45

VICTORIAN BOYS’ NAMES

1 Isaiah 34 Commodore Perry 67 Reuben

2 Abraham, Abe 35 Victor 68 Micajah

3 Horatio 36 David 69 Theodore, Ted

4 Albert 37 Richard, Dick 70 Nathaniel, Nathan, Nate, Nat

5 Alexander 38 Edmund 71 Mordecai

6 Alonzo 39 Oscar 72 Ora, Oral

7 Ambrose 40 Edwin 73 Ninian

8 Amon 41 Eldon 74 Nimrod

9 Amos 42 Eli 75 Matthew

10 Andrew, Drew 43 Elijah 76 Obediah

11 Aquilla 44 Meriwether 77 Orville

12 Archibald, Archie 45 Enoch 78 Octavius

13 Arnold 46 Ezekiel, Zeke 79 Hiram

14 Asa 47 Ezra 80 Pleasant

15 August, Augustus 48 Francis 81 Israel

16 Barnabas, Barney 49 Luther 82 Jeptha

17 Bartholomew, Bart 50 Franklin 83 Timothy

18 Benjamin 51 Frederick, Fred 84 Horace

19 Bennet 52 Gabriel, Gabe 85 Jedediah, Jed

20 Benedict 53 Garrett 86 Harrison

21 Hugh 54 George 87 Zebulon

22 Bertram, Bert 55 Dan, Daniel 88 Silas

23 Buford 56 Gideon 89 Zedock

24 Byron 57 Gilbert, Gil 90 Magnus

25 Calvin 58 Granville 91 David

26 Charles, Charley 59 Gus, August 92 Zachariah

27 Isaac, Ike 60 Hank, Henry 93 Thaddeus

28 Jasper 61 Wilfred 94 Levi

29 Clarence 62 Harland 95 Uriah

30 Clement, Clem 63 Harold, Harry 96 Marcellus

31 Clinton, Clint 64 Washington 97 Ulysses

32 Cole 65 Roderick 98 Lafayette, Lafe

33 Columbus, Lom 66 Rudolph 99 Lucius

100 Maxwell, Ma


46

VICTORIAN SURNAMES

1 Ackeridge 34 Magnussen 67 Dawson

2 Abeldinger 35 Hudson 68 Bird

3 Achee 36 Stubbs 69 Lang

4 Ackroyd 37 Hooper 70 Moorsum

5 Blessman 38 Morstan 71 Carter

6 Bletchley 39 Wiggins 72 Napier

7 Bleymeyer 40 Sawyer 73 Swire

8 Brecount 41 Wilkes 74 Drake

9 Cisney 42 Riley 75 Strallan

10 Corveleyn 43 Smallwood 76 Copperfield

11 Coshnitzke 44 Bradstreet 77 Carlisle

12 Caulfield 45 Gregson 78 Zoernig

13 Dez 46 Pike 79 Zaversnick

14 Greel 47 Lupa 80 Yerrington

15 Baker 48 Goldberg 81 Yeoman

16 Chandler 49 Baynes 82 Yockney

17 Mason 50 Shinwell 83 Quirey

18 Farmer 51 Coyle 84 Quill

19 Shepherd 52 Grantham 85 Kenady

20 Frood 53 Crawley 86 Klemach

21 Downton 54 Branson 87 Kleinsmith

22 Watson 55 Painswick 88 Toadvine

23 Adler 56 Levinson 89 Trevorrow

24 Lovecraft 57 MacClare 90 Tivador

25 Hardwicke 58 McCleod 91 Burroughs

26 Doyle 59 Carson 92 Poe

27 Dunsany 60 Hughes 93 Terwilleger

28 Moran 61 Bates 94 Nonamaker

29 Donovan 62 Barrow 95 Smith

30 Anderson 63 O’Brien 96 Nickenberry

31 Schicklegruber 64 Patmore 97 Nachbar

32 Frankland 65 Parks 98 Osmanski

33 Small 66 Molesley 99 Ohlendorf

100 Osmundson


47

VICTORIAN LONDON PLACE NAMES

1 Blackfriars 34 Saffron Hill 67 Lewisham

2 Westminster 35 Christchurch 68 Kilburn

3 Camden 36 Marylebone 69 Fulham

4 Richmond 37 Bethnal Green 70 Holloway

5 All Saints 38 Paddingon 71 Portsoken

6 Brompton 39 Woolwich 72 Bishopgate

7 Kensington 40 Saint Olave 73 Stoke Newington

8 Saint Pancras 41 Norwood 74 Deptford

9 Southwark 42 Walthamstow 75 Poplar

10 Whitehall 43 Wimbledon 76 Aldgate

11 Newgate 44 Wood Green 77 Greenwich

12 Kew 45 Saint Saviour 78 Nunhead

13 Dulwich 46 Strand 79 Edmonton

14 Hampstead 47 Stepney 80 Bermondsey

15 Plaistow 48 The Hyde 81 Ealing

16 Leadenhall 49 Rotherhithe 82 Chingford

17 Burlington 50 Walbrook 83 Old Town

18 Trafalgar 51 Wandsworth 84 Mile End

19 Piccadilly 52 Hammersmith 85 Bow

20 West India 53 Spitalfields 86 Holborn

21 Billingsgate 54 Anerley 87 Dowgate

22 Regent’s 55 Streatham 88 Shoreditch

23 Albery 56 Saint George 89 Acton

24 Bedford 57 Brockley 90 Mortlake

25 Saint Thomas 58 Mill Hill 91 Hendon

26 Albany 59 Hanover 92 Shepherd’s Bush

27 Sabbarton 60 East Ham 93 Soho

28 Docklands 61 Catford 94 Tottenham

29 Battersea 62 Peckham 95 Plaistow

30 Camberwell 63 Bloomsbury 96 Homerton

31 Islington 64 Peckenwell 97 Saint Giles

32 Lambeth 65 Charing Cross 98 Manor Park

33 Finchley 66 Gloucester 99 Hackney

100 Leyton

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