1879 Preview: Big Trouble in Little Soho

We’ve sent the next book to layout, PPC01: Big Trouble in Little Soho. This is a Plot Point Campaign adventure, the first in a series of three that will take a player group from Initiate/Professional Rank 1 in London to Novice and possibly Journeyman in the Grosvenor World, adventuring with the Saurids and the Samsut. We’d like to have this adventure in print by GenCon, but having just delivered the 1879 GM’s Guide Kickstarter, we’re very aware of the short time between now and August. More on that story as it develops.

The brochure we did for the 1879 RPG a couple of GenCons ago featured a bit of art from this adventure, Scantly and his bodyguard Francis the Horns. As a sneak peek into the adventure, here’s the writeup on Scantly and his hired muscle.

Getting In With a Snuff Merchant

After several days of buying cheap pints of awful beer for unwashed and unsavory characters, the characters have finally been introduced to Rufus “Scantly” Cockbaine, a snuff merchant. Scantly, a gimlet-eyed, weasely little man with an old green jacket three sizes too big, never goes anywhere without a large associate, any of several men all addressed as “Francis”. Yeah, he might be able to lay hands to what you want, assuming you’ve got the dosh. The characters had better have a good story if they want him to front them the snuff on the promise of a cut, or the current day’s Francis will give them a rowdy seeing-off. Passing themselves off as a Fagin and associates, buying snuff for an operation, can work if the adventurers have sufficient cash on hand, and can lie convincingly.

Scantly:

DEX: (11): 5/D8 STR: (8): 4/D6 TOU: (9): 4/D6
PER: (12): 5/D8 WIL: (12): 5/D8 CHA: (11): 5/D8
Social Level: 1
Characteristics:
Initiative: 5/D8 Physical Defense: 7
Physical Armor: 0 Mystic Defense: 7
Mystic Armor: 2 Social Defense: 7
Death: 41 Recovery Tests: 2
Unconsciousness: 34 Knockdown: 4/D6
Wound Threshold: 7 Movement: 6
Skills:
Awareness (5):10/2D8; Durability (4); Firearms (4):9/D8+D6; Haggle (5):10:2D8; Streetwise (6):11/D10+D8
Armor: None
Weapons: Derringer
Equipment: Cheap suit
Loot: £-/12/-
Adventure Award: Initiate Tier

Francis the Horns (troll):

DEX: (11): 5/D8 STR: (17): 7/D12 TOU: (15): 6/D10
PER: (10): 5/D8 WIL: (12): 5/D8 CHA: (10): 5/D8
Social Level: 1
Characteristics:
Initiative: 5/D8 Physical Defense: 7
Physical Armor: 2 Mystic Defense: 6
Mystic Armor: 2 Social Defense: 6
Death: 79 Recovery Tests: 3
Unconsciousness: 60 Knockdown: 7/D12
Wound Threshold: 10 Movement: 7
Skills:
Awareness (5):10/2D8; Durability (5); Firearms (4):9/D8+D6; Melee Weapons (5):10/2D8; Shake It Off (4):10/2D8; Streetwise (5):10/2D8; Unarmed Combat (5):10/2D8
Armor: Leather coat
Weapons: Howdah pistol; Policeman’s truncheon (treat as Club)
Equipment: Ill-fitting cheap suit
Loot: £-/4/5
Adventure Award: Novice Tier
Notes: Heat Sight