To Play, You Will Need: • These rules. Castle Blackbird • Copies of the dramatis personae provided in this document for A Dark 19th Century Game by GremlinLegionsTM the players, or copies of the blank character sheet if they wish gremlinlegions.blogspot.com to make original characters. [email protected] • Writing utensils, and plenty of blank paper to write notes, sketch maps, or to wad into balls and throw at the dog. • Six-sided dice in two colors – white Story dice, and black Based On: Effort dice. It doesn't really matter what colors are used, as Lady Blackbird by John Harper long as there are only two colors and your group agrees which Blackbird Pie by Jamie Fristrom is which. The players each start with one Story die, and seven Ravenloft and Masque of the Red Death for AD&D 2nd Edition by TSR Effort dice. Pools of additional dice should be within easy reach of the players. With Inspirations: • Red Experience tokens. The Game Master will have a pool of them for later distribution – six or eight per player should be MANGA /ANI M E Soul Eater by Atsushi Okubo sufficient. Berserk by Kentaro Miura • Plenty of imagination and enthusiasm. Priest by Min-Woo Hyung Le Chevalier D'Eon by Tou Ubukata Hellsing by Kouta Hirano And These May Be Helpful: Koudelka by Yuji Iwahara • Markers or miniatures to represent the characters and their CO M I C S adversaries. While normally we'd discourage their use for a Hellboy and B.P.R.D. by Mike Mignola, from Dark Horse Comics narrative game, they can be handy sometimes to show relative Gotham by Gaslight and The Doom That Came to Gotham by Mike distances and positions. Mignola, from DC Comics • Old atlas and city maps, Victorian-era photos, costume books, Gotham Central from DC Comics and other visual references. Knights of Pendragon from Marvel Comics • A book of names. This is useful for both GMs and players TELEVISION /MOVIES alike, who may need to come up with names of friends, Bram Stoker's Dracula contacts, and enemies on the fly, and wish to avoid a slew of Dark Shadows NPCs all named ”Sven” or ”Hershel.” Baby name books are Demons Being Human good, cheap, and readily available, though perhaps a little Doctor Who, classic episodes ”State of Decay,” ”The Talons of Weng- embarrassing at the game table. We prefer Gary Gygax's Chiang,” ”Image of the Fendahl,” and ”Ghost Light” Extraordinary Book of Names from Troll Lord Games, which Torchwood, episodes ”Small Worlds” and ”Countrycide” guarantees you'll never have a duplicate name, ever again. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Murdoch Mysteries ROLEPLAYING GA M ES Call of Cthulhu and Cthulhu by Gaslight by Chaosium Version 11.24.10 Trail of Cthulhu by Pelgrane Press Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay by Games Workshop/Fantasy Flight Games WO R KS OF LI T E R A T U R E Bram Stoker Mary Shelly Robert Lewis Stevenson Edgar Allen Poe H.P. Lovecraft H.G. Wells Jules Verne Arthur Conan Doyle Oscar Wilde Fonts: Benighted Times Heraldic Crests Medieval Dingbats Kallot PR Astro PR Compass Rose PCOrnaments Doujinshi Image Resources: Split Eye Productions – spliteyeprod.com oldbookillustrations.com This work is licensed under the Creative Commons clipart-history.com Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit commons.wikimedia.org http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Europe by Gaslight Secret Societies The late 19th Century is a time of prosperity for the civilized The courts and board rooms are not safe from corruption or world, after the chaos and upheavals of the past century. During influence, often being manipulated by secretive societies and the height of Victorian England and Europe's Belle Epoque, criminal masterminds. These groups have exclusive memberships the older nations expand and fortify their territories in the New and guard their plans under the guise of rituals and tradition, World, Asia, and the dark continent of Africa, while younger, while quietly gathering money and power to use for their own upstart nations like the United States and Japan grow in power ends. Some have actual, esoteric goals, whether the practice of and prominence. occult arts, the collection of hidden truths, and even the hunting of legendary creatures. The affluent classes of this time enjoy prosperity and amenities that make their lives increasingly comfortable. The Industrial Foremost among these secret societies are the Freemasons Revolution introduces great advances in technology and and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Masons conveniences become more accessible to those with wealth and hold considerable influence in many corners of society, and power, such as telephones, electric lighting, and improved health membership is seen as a secure path to success. While they keep care and medicines. The elite are able to travel in comfort aboard their membership hidden, their power and prominence makes luxury steamships and locomotives, live and work anywhere secrecy impossible, and whispers abound about which politician within Europe, and explore and gallivant to their heart's content. or mogul might be found on their rosters. The Golden Dawn seeks, instead, wisdom and eldritch power, gaining strength Things are not so pleasant for the working classes and the poor, through the popularity of spiritualism and mediums. Unlike the and society's rapid modernization becomes a curse. Entire Masons, they don't camouflage their existence, and have several neighborhoods become slums and stately homes become row prominent and visible members, including entertainers, writers, houses, in some cases with as many as fifteen people residing in and eccentrics. Their stranger practices, however, are kept behind a single room. Life is difficult and unrewarding, and the average closed doors, and would lead to scandal and even persecution if person barely earns enough to sustain themselves, much less their revealed. families. Both children and adults work long hours under terrible conditions. The criminal classes fare only a little better, but more opportunities are available through cunning and deceit. Knowing Buried Horrors what to steal, when to kill, and who to blackmail becomes a path Despite the reasoning and scientific advancement of this to power and prosperity for the most devious. era, superstitions still run rampant, and strange murders, disappearances, and disasters will still be quickly blamed Civil Unrest on vampires, wolfmen, ghosts, and Satanists, particularly if sensational claims sell newspapers. However, some incidents While international relations are relatively peaceful, after the will, indeed, have strange circumstances and events which baffle horrors of the Franco-Prussian War and the American Civil War, the authorities and investigators, and there are many individuals this is by no means a time of social tranquility. New philosophies purporting psychic or magical powers, such as the Golden and schools of thought spread through the intelligentsia and the Dawn’s own Alestair Crowley. common classes alike, and some of the most dangerous ideas find purchase with ambitious or fiery individuals. Some take The gypsies will also tell disturbing tales of reclusive immortals up the banner of social equality and economic empowerment, who control beasts of legend, and pull the strings of power in such as the Feminists, Abolitionists, and Socialists. Others are royal houses and radical groups alike. They are called the Seven conservative, such as the Temperance League, fighting against Lords, described as heroes from a war lost to time who were what they see as moral corruption. Others are more extreme, like tasked with guarding mountain crypts of ebony and granite. Communists and anarchists, who use intimidation, violence, and The passing centuries left their souls vulnerable to the horrors even explosives to wreak terror upon the lives of the public. they guarded, causing them to shrivel and die, leaving behind demonic servants in the form of men. They have since turned The territories are also unstable, as the natives grow restless the stone prisons into massive fortresses and castles where evil under the yoke of colonial rule. Rising tensions from being things grow. Scholars would label these legends as morality tales, exploited by European businesses and governments eventually attempts to personify the Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible. Those turns to discontent and revolt. Across the developing world, with close ties to the gypsies claim otherwise. colonies suffer setbacks and sabotage, sometimes even rebellion. Foreigners also emigrate to Europe, taking jobs as cheap labor and personal servants. They bring with them their strange traditions, addictive drugs, inscrutable methods and criminal syndicates. The Rules Conditions Conditions are effects and constraints that may be imposed on When your character confronts a Challenge, whether a difficult a character as a consequence of his actions and failures. Exactly task, obstacle, or adversary, you will need to roll some dice to how they affect the game will depend on the situation: they may see if he succeeds. Take your starting Story die, and add one if act as limitations against certain Traits or Tags; they can restrict you have a useful Trait, and one per applicable Tag related to certain options for how the story progresses; they could be treated that Trait. Characters cannot use more than one Trait at a time. If like Challenges for the characters to overcome; or they may the collected Story dice don't seem like enough, you can spend simply be narrative cues on how the characters should act, or how Effort dice to include applicable Tags from other Traits on a the world reacts to them. There are thirteen Conditions common one for one basis.