Gangbusters - Wierd Tales and Paranormal Investigations - The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Rules PDF
Gangbusters - Wierd Tales and Paranormal Investigations - The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Rules PDF
Gangbusters - Wierd Tales and Paranormal Investigations - The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Rules PDF
The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Game is a supplement for the
GANGBUSTERS 1920s adventure game, and requires the GANGBUSTERS rulebook
for more detailed play.
The names, descriptions, and depictions applied to this supplement are derived
from works copyrighted by and include trademarks owned by Rick Krebs., and
may not be used or reused without permission.
© 2016 The respective authors, artists and graphic artists. All rights reserved. All
quotes are copyright their respective owners, and are quoted for purposes of
illustration only.
ISBN 978-1-329-86714-7
FOREWORD 1
INTRODUCTION 2
WHO ARE THE PLAYERS? 4
THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 11
UNDERSTANDING THE CHARACTERS 17
CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS 19
BASIC CHARACTER CREATION 20
SKILLS 24
MONEY 31
GAME SYSTEM 37
MOVEMENT 41
COMBAT 45
GAINING EXPERIENCE 53
LEVELS 53
IMPROVING YOUR CHARACTER 55
PERSONAL EDGE 57
THE JUDGE 58
SETTING THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE 60
CRONIES 62
NPC’S 64
STRANGE & MYSTERIOUS POWERS 65
CREATING ADVENTURES 73
BIBLIOGRAPHY & INSPIRATION 83
AFTERWORD 86
INDEX 87
TABLE INDEX 89
Interested in the Prohibition Era of the Roaring Twenties and Dirty Thirties?
You are not alone! This is the roleplaying game of Gangsters, Gun molls,
Gumshoes, and G-Men.
The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Game is a preview version of
the Gangbusters® 1920s Roleplaying Game that provides players with
a chance to try out the game system without much in the way risk or
obligation. The booklet you now hold gives you all the information you
will need to create a Private Eye for the Gangbusters Roleplaying Game,
as well as a brief overview of how to play the game and for one player as
the Judge or referee, to run the game for the others. Many rules contained
in the complete Gangbusters Rulebook have been omitted from The Blue
Book Detective Agency Beginner Game so as to present a streamlined and
simpler game.
Once you have played a game or two, you will probably want to take a look
at the full rules for Gangbusters.
“You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun
than you can with a kind word alone.” - Al Capone
THE DICE
There are two types of dice that are used in the game the six-sided
dice and the ten-sided dice. When the lowercase letter d is followed
by a number, it refers to a die with that many sides. For example, a
d6 is a six-sided die, and a d10 is a ten-sided die. Sometimes you roll
multiple dice and add them together; in these cases, the number
of dice goes in front of the ‘d’ and the type of die goes after it. For
example, 2d6 means ‘roll two six-sided dice and add them together’.
At other times, you might be asked to roll a d3. For example, 1d3
means ‘roll one six-sided die and half the result’.
d100%
Percentile dice work a little differently. You generate a number
between 1 and 100 by rolling two different ten-sided dice. One
(designated before you roll) is the tens digit. The other is the ones
digit. For example, if you roll six on the tens die and seven on the
ones die, then you have rolled 67. Two 0s represent 100.
MODIFIERS
A modifier is any bonus or penalty applying to a die roll. A positive
modifier is a bonus that is added to the result of the dice roll, while
a negative modifier is a penalty that is subtracted from the dice This
is expressed as a + or - after the die roll type. For example, 1d10+1
means roll a ten-sided die and add one to the result, whereas 2d6-2
means roll two six-sided dice and subtract two from the result.
AN EXAMPLE OF GAME PLAY
The actual play of a game is a constant conversation between the
players and the Judge. Each player tells the Judge what his character
is going to do; the Judge tells the players what happens as a result
of their actions. The easiest way to learn how to play The Blue Book
Detective Agency Beginner Game or the Gangbusters RPG, is actually
to play it, but you can get some idea of how an RPG is played by
watching someone play it, possibly online (there are plenty of
recordings). Nevertheless, the following will give you some idea how
the game is played.
Mark is the Judge and is running a game for his friends Louise, Rick and
Will. Louise is playing Monica Delacroix, Rick is playing Nick Angelino,
and Will is playing Vincent Orsini. Both Nick and Monica are partners
in an agency started by an experienced private investigator, John
Martin (a character played by the Judge). Vincent is an independent
private eye who has brought a special case to them for help on. The
Sullivan gang is a main suspect in this case.
The game starts with the characters presenting their plans for the
week to the Judge. Nick is shadowing Sullivan, Monica is staking out
Sullivan’s hotel room, and Vincent is catching up on paperwork until
he either hears from either Nick or he goes to take over from Monica.
Meanwhile, Sullivan and his hoods have planned to rob a bank in a
small town about 30 miles outside of Lakefront City. They have slated
the job for 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, just as the bank is about to
close. Our example will follow the dialogue between the characters
and the judge.
POWERS
Any character with a private investigator’s license has the following powers
and privileges:
• He can carry a concealed weapon;
• He can arrest anyone who is wanted by the police;
• He can arrest anyone he sees actually committing a crime.
LICENSE REVOCATION
A private investigator’s license will be revoked if the private investigator
does any of the following:
• Interferes with law enforcement officers performing their duties’;
• Engages in gross misconduct, as determined by the chief of police in
the city where the P.I. is working;
• Is convicted of a felony.
Note that the first two of these are judged by the local chief of police
(whether an NPC or PC). The final decision concerning the revocation of
a private investigator’s license is left up to the campaign Judge to decide.
Once revoked, a license cannot normally be restored.
EMPLOYMENT
A private investigator can
operate as an independent,
as a partner in a small agency,
or as the employee of a large
detective agency.
INDEPENDENTS
Any income a private investigator keeps for himself must be earned by
working on special cases, as explained below.
PARTNERSHIPS
A partnership is a special business arrangement in which each of the
partners owns a certain percentage of the company, and is entitled to that
percentage of the company’s earnings. A beginning private investigator
can be offered a partnership by an NPC private investigator, at the Judge’s
discretion. If a PC does form a partnership with an NPC, use the following
procedure to determine the PC’s income each game week:
1. Roll 1d10 and subtract two. If the result is zero or less, treat it as zero.
2. Multiply the result of the die roll by $25.
3. Add any money earned that week by the PC’s partner.
4. Multiply the sum from step 3 by the percent of the partnership owned
by the PC. The result is the PC’s income for that week.
EXAMPLE OF PLAY: John Martin, an established NPC private investigator, offers
a 25% partnership to the beginning PC P.I., Nick Angelino. At the end of the
first week of play, the Judge rolls a d10 and gets a seven; subtracting two gives
a result of five. He multiplies this by $25, getting $125. During that week, John
Martin also made $50 on a case. This is added to tile $125 for a total of $175.
Nick’s earnings for the week are 25% of $175 or (0.25% × $175 = $43.75).
EXPENSES
Independent private investigators and private investigators in partnerships
must provide themselves with an office, a secretary, and a city business
license. These cost between $50 and $75 per week, but all P.I.s are assumed
to earn enough money in minor cases to cover these and other office
expenses. If any private investigator goes six weeks without a special case,
and does not have at least $100 in reserve, that P.I. must get a special case
the next week or he will be unable to pay his expenses and will be kicked
out of his office.
LARGE AGENCIES
A private investigator can try to get a job with a large detective agency.
Beginning detectives must make a Presence check by rolling 1d10. If the
roll is equal to or lower than the PC’s Presence, the PC has landed a job. A
Private investigator who has reached Third Level or above can get a job
with a large detective agency without having to make this roll. A beginning
private investigator is paid $25 per week by the agency. In addition, he
may receive bonuses if his employer (usually an NPC played by the Judge)
is impressed with his work.
SPECIAL CASES
A special case is any case brought to a private investigator by a PC; or
any case brought to a private investigator that the game Judge decides
is a special case. A private investigator can obtain special cases in the
following ways:
• Employees of large detective agencies will always be assigned to special
cases by their agency;
• All cases brought to a private investigator by other PCs are special
cases;
• A private investigator has a 10% chance per Level per week of obtaining
a special case, if he is not already working on one (these must be made
up by the Judge);
• The campaign Judge can give a P.I. a special case at any time. Ideally,
the Judge should prepare one or more special cases for the private
investigator before the game begins and have it ready to play when
the P.I. next gets a special case. Sometimes though, such cases often can
be made up on the spot; see the example under How to Play a Private
Investigator.
AGILITY (AG)
Agility measures the character’s body control, hand-to-eye coordination,
and manual dexterity. It indicates how accurately the character can punch
and shoot, and how well he can perform difficult physical actions.
OBSERVATION (OB)
Observation is a mix of the character’s mental acuity and alertness. Thus
it measures his cunning and ability to make leaps of logic and intuition as
well as how good he is at noticing the concealed, the unusual, or the out
of place... This sort of preparedness requires mental discipline and also
hinges upon the character having the wisdom and foresight to keep a
variety of essential tools and supplies close at hand.
PRESENCE (PR)
Presence represents the character’s force of personality, moxie, and a
measure of how easily he can influence those around him. This can be to
instill faith and trust in his friends, allies, and subordinates, and to charm
others, but it can be used to intimidate them too. It can also be a measure
of the character’s personal looks, whether he is attractive or even tough or
imposing he seems to be.
LUCK (LK)
Luck is the character’s success or failure apparently brought about by
chance rather than through his own actions. This is that purposeless,
unpredictable, and uncontrollable force that shapes events favorably
or unfavorably for an individual. It might cause the fatal shot to bounce
off a policeman’s badge or the awning to snap as you dangle off a roof.
The character’s Luck score is the percentage chance that the unthinkable
might happen, either saving him from certain death or leading to uncanny
events.
DRIVING (DR)
This is a measure of how well the character can drive a car or truck under
normal road conditions. Under normal conditions and for regular actions
a character is not required to make a check or roll against this ability.
When those actions are complicated by fancy maneuvers or difficult
weather, or road conditions, then the character operating the vehicle must
demonstrate his expertise with a skill check.
PUNCHING
A character’s Punching
score is the number of
points of bruises the
character causes when
he hits an opponent in
an unarmed attack.
! " # $ ! % " & ' ! ( ) * + ,
ETHNIC BACKGROUND
Ethnic Background is the national origin or racial type of a character’s
family. This background can affect how NPCs react to a PC or other
NPCs. A player can choose any ethnic back ground for his or her
character.
For game purposes, most people in a city are considered to have
a special background called assimilated. A typical assimilated
character is white with a European heritage. Assimilated characters
have blended in with the majority of a city’s population and are not
considered to have any special ethnic background. Specific ethnic
backgrounds that were common in cities of the period are French,
German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Black, Chinese, Japanese,
Croatian, Polish, Russian, Hispanic and Scandinavian.
- . /
EFFECTS OF AGE
Age affects a character’s Muscle, Agility, Observation, and Presence
scores. These effects are summarized below.
Muscle and Observation - A character’s Muscle and Observation scores
drop two points at age 65 and two points every year after age 65.
These scores are never reduced below 26.
Agility - Character’s scores for Agility drop one point at age 42 and
one more point every two years after age 42. These scores are never
reduced below 26.
Presence - A character can add one point to his Presence at age
45, one point at age 55, and another point at age 65. A character’s
Presence score can never be greater than 10.
/ /
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 7 1 4 8 7 4 7 1 8 3 9 :
Although The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Game includes six
ready-to-play pre-generated characters, you can also create your own
character. To do this, all you have to do is follow the ten steps outlined
below. If you are planning to play a more detailed game, you will find more
information for characters in the Gangbusters Core Rulebook. The Blue
Book Detective Agency Beginner Game also includes rules for Strange and
Mysterious Powers, but these are optional and a player character cannot
have any of them unless he has permission of the Judge. Thus they are not
included in the steps outlined below. The creation of Rick’s character, Nick
Angelino, is used as an example throughout the process.
1. You will want to record all the scores you generate in pencil as some
of the information you write down may change during the course of the
game.
2. Write your own name in the space marked ‘Player.’ This will help you
and the game Judge know which character sheet is yours.
3. To get your character’s Muscle (MS), Agility (AG), and Observation (OB)
scores, roll percentile dice (d100) for each one in turn. Once you have
generated a separate score for each of the three find the number you
rolled on the Abilities Modifier Table. Add the modifier to your dice roll and
record the new total on the character sheet.
ABILITIES MODIFIER TABLE
DICE ROLL MODIFIER EXAMPLE: Rick is creating his
character, Nick Angelino. He rolls 42
01-25 +25
for his Muscle, 72 for his Agility, and
26-50 +15 56 for his Observation. Looking at the
51-70 +10 table, he adds +15 to his Muscle, +5 to
71-90 +5 his Agility, and +10 to his Observation.
91-100 +0 This gives him final results of Muscle
42, Agility 72, and Observation 66.
4. Presence (PR) is rated from 1-10 so instead of a d100 you roll a 1d10 to
get the rating. Add that number to the modifier found on the Presence
Modifier Table.
PRESENCE MODIFIER TABLE
DICE ROLL MODIFIER EXAMPLE: Rick continues creating
Nick Angelino and rolls 1d10 for his
1-3 +2
Presence. He rolls 6 and adds +1 as
4-7 +1
per the PRESENCE MODIFIERS TABLE
8-10 +0 to give a final result of 7.
5. The character’s Luck (LK) score is generated by rolling d100. The number
rolled on the percentile dice is divided by two. Round up to the nearest
whole number.
EXAMPLE: Rick rolls percentile dice for his character’s Luck score. The dice roll
is 87. Rick divides 87 by two and gets 43.5. Rounding this up gives a result of
44, which is Nick Angelino’s beginning Luck.
6. To determine how much damage a character can take, or Hit Points
(HP), add his Muscle and Agility scores together and divide this sum by 10
(rounding up to the nearest whole number). Then add 5 to generate his
Hit Points score.
EXAMPLE: So far Nick has a Muscle score of 42 and an Agility score of 72. Rick
adds these together to get the sum of 114 and then divided by 10 to get a
result of 11.4. This is rounded up to the nearest whole number, 12, to which
5 is added to give Nick a final result of 17 Hit Points. Rick’s character has a
Muscle score of 72 and an Agility score of 28. Rick adds these together and
gets a sum of 100. Dividing by 10(Round up to the nearest whole number),
Rick gets the sum of 10 and then he adds five points for a final result of 15 Hit
Points.
7. To determine your character’s Driving (DR) score, add his Agility and
Observation together and divide by two (rounding up to the nearest
whole number).
EXAMPLE: Rick adds Nick’s Agility and Observation scores of 72 and 66 together
to get a total of 138. He divides this by two to give a final result of Driving 69.
8. Each character also has a Punching score. To determine his Punching
score, simply refer to the Punching Score Table and note down the number
given alongside your character’s Muscle score. This is his Punching score.
PUNCHING SCORE TABLE
DICE ROLL MODIFIER EXAMPLE: Rick’s character has a
Muscle score of 37. Checking the
01-20 1 Punching Score Table, he records that
21-40 2 his character has a Punching score of
41-60 3 2.
61-80 4
81-100 5
Nick Angelino — Private Investigator (Age 25, Italian American) Level 1 P.I.
MS = 42; AG = 72; OB = 66; DR = 69; PR = 7; LK = 44; HP = 17
Punching: 3
Skills: Law 35%, Criminal Activities (25%), Dodge & Defense (25%)
Carries: Iver Johnson Safety Automatic .38 S&W calibre revolver, pocket
knife.
Skills represent the enhanced abilities and
knowledges of a character. While having a
skill will benefit the character, he should
not feel that he cannot attempt a task
simply because he does not possess a
given skill. Having a skill simply improves a
character’s chance of achieving his stated
goals.
Skills act in two different ways.
First, they give a character the ability to
perform an ordinary task, such as hold down a
job as a cabbie, charm a crowd, or spot a forgery.
Second, when a character goes to investigative a scene
the Judge may ask if he has an appropriate skill that relates
to the clue at a scene. If you do, you will automatically get the clue if there
is one. Yes, automatically – no roll is required. It is up to the player to figure
out what to do with the information gained, not struggle to get it.
; < = > > ? @ A < = A B C
Each skill has a ranking, from ‘Unskilled’ to ‘One of the Best in the World’.
Each ranking has an associated percentile value against which a skill check
can be made.
SKILL RANKINGS TABLE
RATING PERCENTAGE EXPERIENCE COST
Unskilled 5% 0
Some Exposure 10% 500
Familiarity 15% 1,000
Skilled Amateur 25% 2,000
Trained Professional 35% 3,000
Expert Professional 55% 5,000
Professional Mastery 65% 10,000
One of the Best in the Country 80% 20,000
One of the Best in the World 90% 25,000
D E F G G G F H I
This section details all of the skills used throughout the game.
ACTING
Acting is the art of pretending to be someone else. It is an important skill
when faced with the dubious necessities of some criminal investigations.
An Observation Roll can be made to see if someone is not who they are
pretending to be. At the Judge’s discretion, a roll can be made against the
Disguise Specialty of the Craft skill to gain a bonus to the Acting roll.
AREA KNOWLEDGE
Sometimes it is important for an investigator to intimately know his
surroundings. The difficulty of an Area Knowledge Roll mostly depends
on how big the area is, or if the investigator would have any reasonable
knowledge of it from newspapers, maps, writings, or from having passed
through the area.
ARTISTRY
This Skill covers any form of art that an investigator might possess. An
investigator may be a wonderful singer, an agile dancer, or an accomplished
painter. Most upper-class female characters will have at least one Artistry
specialty that they cultivate before entering the social season for the first
time.
CHARM
Sometimes personal magnetism is all an investigator needs to get
answers. The Charm Skill is opposed by Observation. Just because a target
is Charmed does not mean he will do whatever is asked of him without
hesitation. The target is not being mind-controlled. Charm means that the
target is beguiled, making it more likely that he will accept a suggestion,
be distracted, or otherwise be prepared to please the charmer. Seduction
is using Charm as a way of suggesting possible romantic encounters.
Friendly Persuasion makes a target regard the charmer in a favorable light.
Altering Emotions could potentially defuse a fight. Misdirection is the
Specialty of making someone focus on one location, object, or person to
the exclusion of everything else.
CLIMB
This is the physical art of scaling an object. The difficulty depends on the
height, scalability, and danger of the obstacle to be climbed. This skill
covers the smallest fence to the highest mountain peak.
COMMERCE
Commerce is the skill of conducting a
particular trade. A Commerce roll could be
used when asked to recall a specific fact
about a trade or while working the trade to
make money. Almost any business can be
made into a Specialty.
CRAFT
This Skill is used when you want to make something with your own hands.
It might be building a model ship, welding an iron door, or sewing clothes.
It also covers the nefarious art of forging documents and counterfeiting
money.
CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
This Skill represents the hodgepodge of skills that criminals may find useful
in their endeavors. Such as being able to crack a safe or pick a pocket.
CUSTOMS
Customs is a skill used to recall or perform certain customs of a class or
nationality of person. Perhaps an investigator needs to know how to
introduce himself to German royalty or avoid a scandalous misstep at a
London social occasion.
ENDURANCE
Endurance is a physical Skill that represents how well a character holds
up to extended physical strains, such as running and swimming over long
distances. Specialties include the type of activity performed.
FIGHT
The Fight Skill covers
all forms of unarmed
combat, fisticuffs, and
other fighting arts. Fight
rolls are opposed by
Dodge & Defense Skill
Rolls.
HIDE
Hide is the skill used when
you want to conceal either
yourself or an object. It is
normally opposed by an
Observation roll.
HISTORY
As the skill name implies, History is the Skill for remembering historical
events.
HUNTING
Hunting is the art of trapping or finding prey. It is useful when tracking
criminals or when a fellow has been invited on a Big Game Safari.
JUMP
Much like the Climb skill, this is a physical skill for exactly what the name
implies, that is jumping onto, over, and off of objects.
LANGUAGE
Investigators with this skill understand multiple languages. It Is assumed
that characters who are not assimilated speak their Ethnic tongue plus
English.
LAW
Investigators with this skill understand crime and punishment as well as
criminal proceedings. This skill also covers non-criminal aspects of the
law.
MEDICINE
Medicine is the skill of healing wounds. First Aid is required to treat a
person at an injury level of Wounded or less.
MENACE
Menace is using your appearance
or words to inspire fear in a target.
Menace can compel the target to
comply with demands, flee, or even
surrender. It is normally opposed
by an Observation roll.
NAVIGATE
This skill is used to find the way to a particular destination. It differs from
Area Knowledge. Area Knowledge provides details about specific area, but
Navigate provides the know-how to get to the desired location across a
specific type of terrain.
ORATORY
This is the art of speaking. With the Oratory skill an investigator can
make a rousing speech, convince a police officer that he belongs at the
investigation, or persuade someone to provide him with some extra
information.
PHOTOGRAPHY
This is both the art of taking clear and usable pictures and then developing
them. It also includes the knowledge of using the flash powder to take
photographs in the dark and mixing the chemicals necessary to develop
them.
RESEARCH
To unravel mysteries, an investigator may have to research topics. This can
be the simple task of reading newspapers, but it can involve time spent in
the local library, police archive, or museum.
RIDE
In most cases, the Ride skill applies to that of
riding horses, but in rare cases it could apply
to exotic animals such as camels or elephants. It
could even apply to riding the running boards
on most cars as well.
SAILING
The Sailing skill includes all aspects of sailing, including handling the ship
and its sails, naviagation, and making repairs. It covers boats and ships
of all sizes powered by sails, from a small sloop to a large three-masted
schooner.
SCIENCE
The Science skill covers a character’s understanding of scientific endeavor.
It includes both his knowledge of science and his ability to apply it and
conduct research. Specialties are the specific branches of science.
SHOOTING
The Shooting skill covers every type of projectile weapon, from a bow
and arrow to an artillery piece. It includes both discharging a weapon and
maintaining it.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Where Science covers the study of hard sciences such as Chemistry and
Physics, the Social Science skill is the study of humanity and human
society.
STREET SMARTS
Street Smarts measures the character’s ability to use the underbelly of a
criminal network or city to his advantage.
SWIM
Much like the Climb and Jump skills, this is a physical skill for exactly what
the name implies, that is, swimming. Specialties of Swim are typically types
of bodies of water.
THEOLOGY
Theology is the study of religion and all its earthly and heavenly aspects.
WEAPON
The Weapon skill is used when a character wants
to fight in hand-to-hand combat using melee
weapons rather than unarmed.
Each character needs money to survive, just as real people do. A character
earns money by working at his career, which is explained later in the
rules.
J K L M K N O P Q R O S T
As stated below, the Judge can modify any rule to handle a special situation.
This should be done on a case by case basis while still being consistent
to avoid confusing the players or being unfair to them. For the most part
though, the rules should cover most situations that arise in the game, but
The Blue Book Detective Agency Quick Beginner Game is above all your
game and you and your players are free to make it the game that you
want.
The Judge and players may also decide to expand their campaign by
adding rules to cover new character careers (or Classes), animals, airplanes
or anything else they decide they want. However, it is suggested that such
changes should be made only after extensive play with the rules as they are.
This allows everyone the opportunity to get a feel for how The Blue Book
Detective Agency Quick Beginner Game is played as written. In addition,
changes made to the rules by a Judge or player who is not completely
familiar with all of the rules could seriously affect the game’s balance, giving
some characters a greater advantage in the game than others.
p q r s t u v u w w t q r x y z r
The dice only need to be rolled when dramatic situations in the game
arise. Driving down a well-lit street is not a dramatic situation, but chasing
a speeding truck filled with stolen booze while being chased by the cops
most definitely is!
Before the dice are rolled, the player and the Judge should agree what the
intended outcome of the dice will be. Most of the time this will be obvious,
such as attempting to land a punch on a goon or maintaining a tail on a
suspect. If your skill roll is successful, you achieve your goal.
CHECKS
When a character needs or wants to do something dramatically important
in the game, he must attempt a test or check against one of his skills
or Abilities. The check is made by rolling percentile dice. The dice roll is
compared to the score for the Ability or skill being checked. If the result
of the dice roll is less than or equal to the skill or Ability score, the check
is successful and the character was able to achieve his desired goal. If the
dice roll is greater than the skill or Ability score, the check has failed and the
character was unable to do what was intended. The realization of failure
does not need be always immediate and obvious. For example, when a
player fails a check to spot someone tailing his character, the Judge should
not just tell the player that his character has failed to spot the tail. After all,
this would be a sure sign that someone is following the character. Since
this is definitely a failed Observation check, the player should not know
that his character is being tailed until he either becomes aware of it later
himself or it is spotted by another player character.
WHICH ABILITY TO CHECK
Most things can be done my simply rolling under a particular Ability. Most
of the time, the choice of Ability will be obvious.
SKILL SUCCESS CHECK TABLE
SKILL RATING CHANCE SKILL RATING CHANCE
Unskilled 5% Expert Professional 55%
Some Exposure 10% Professional Mastery 65%
Familiarity 15% One of the Best in the Country 80%
Skilled Amateur 25% One of the Best in the World 90%
Trained Professional 35%
USING MAPS
The most common measurements is a scale of one square = 15 feet. This
scale map is used when characters are moving in cars or when details
about the interiors of buildings are not needed. The interiors of buildings
are a scale of one square = 5 feet. This scale is used during gunfights and
chases, when building floor plans and other details are needed.
The distance a character can move on foot in 1 turn is listed below in
the Movement Actions Table. Counters can move in any direction on the
square grid of the map, including diagonally.
A character can move freely through a square that contains other friendly
characters. This applies to both player characters and NPCs.
If the counters and maps are used, a character can make one 90° turn
or two 45° turns at any point during his move. Miniature figures can be
turned up to 90°.
MOVEMENT ACTIONS
1. Walk (5 feet)
2. Run (15 feet)
3. Crawl (2½ feet)
4. Leap (15 feet}
5. Jump (10 + feet)
6. Fall Prone
7. Stand Up (can be combined with Drawing a Weapon and Turn Around
180 Degrees)
8. Turn Around 180 Degrees (can be combined with Standing Up and
Drawing a Weapon)
9. Open and/or Move Through a Door (move up to 5 feet}
10. Break Down Door
l l. Move Up or Down Stairs, Ladder or Fire Escape (5 feet per turn)
12. Crouch or Drop Behind Cover
13. Get into or Out of a Car
14. Stand Still
15. Pick Up Object
16. Fall from a Height
DRIVING ACTIONS
1. Start an Automobile Engine
2. Drive
3. Racing Turn
4. Bump
5. Cut Off
FIST FIGHTING ACTION
1. Close for Fistfight (10 feet)
2. Fight Fair
3. Fight Dirty
4. Hold
5. Break Free
6. Maneuver
7. Disarm
8. Fire Pistol / Rifle / Shotgun / Submachine Gun
Normal Action Fire: If a character had a firearm ready and has fired a shot
as per the Prepared Shot Action and the firearm can be discharged more
than once in a Round, then a second, single shot can be fired during the
normal Observation (OB) order as part of Normal Action Fire. Alternately, a
readied gun can be aimed and fired during the normal Observation (OB)
order.
EXAMPLE: Sullivan and his fellow bank robbers have exited the bank to Vincent
yelling at them to give themselves up. The Judge tells Monica and Vincent that
the bank robbers are holding their guns and can each take a Normal Action
Fire as well as they can. Sullivan will open fire first as his Observation (OB) is
higher than Monica and Vincent, who will shoot followed by ‘Lucky’ Nelson
and Bruno Antonino.
Readying and Firing Weapons: An unready firearm can be drawn and
readied along with the Normal Action Fire, but the weapon can only be
fired once during the Round. The drawing/readying of the firearm occurs
in normal Observation (OB) order while the firing of the gun occurs at
Observation (OB)-10. This means that in effect, while a character can draw
and shoot his gun, there is the chance that another character or an NPC
who already has his gun ready can shoot first.
EXAMPLE: Finally, on the next round, Nick Angelino arrives in his taxi. He sees
what is happening and leaps from the cab while drawing his gun. The Judge
tells Nick that since he is moving and readying his weapon, he can fire during
Normal Action Fire, but at OB -10. This means that during this round he will be
able to fire a single shot, but it will after ‘Lucky’ Nelson has fired because the
gang member’s OB is temporarily higher.
Wild Shots: A combatant may fire his weapon without any aiming at
all. Wild shots have a -30% penalty and the recoil penalty is doubled for
subsequent shots.
EXAMPLE: Already under fire from Monica and Vincent, the bankrobber Bruno
Antonio is surprised to be shot at from another direction by Nick. Bruno
responds by turning and shoots without aiming. He takes a Wild Shot at a
-30% penalty.
SPECIAL MANEUVERS
Special driving maneuvers can be attempted by the driver when the car
has all tires intact and is traveling at high speed.
Bootleg Reverse: A car making a bootleg reverse uses the brakes to cause
the vehicle to skid into a 180° turn and come to a complete stop. This
maneuver is often performed as a way to quickly reverse direction. The
maneuver takes two rounds to complete – one to turn to 90° and another
to complete the skid to 180°.
VEHICLE HITS
When vehicles are hit, roll for hit location to determine the effect.
Characters are awarded Experience Points (XP) for doing what they do
best, for Private Eyes this is by making money by solving cases. Killing
is not rewarded, but is sometimes necessary to get the case solved.
Sometimes it is best to operate with caution, subterfuge, trickery,
and misdirection. As a character earns XP he will gain Levels.
EXPERIENCE TABLE
ACTION XP EARNED
Fee per case 1 xp / $1.00
Bonus money 1 xp / $1.00
Conviction due to investigative work 2,500 xp x Level of the convicted character
Solve a special case 1,000 xp x Level of client
Politician convicted due to investigative work 10,000 xp x level of politician
LEVELING TABLE
LEVEL XP NEEDED XP TO SPEND
1 0-9,999 0
2 10,000-29,999 10,000
3 30,000-59,999 20,000
4 60,000-99,999 30,000
5 100,000-149,000 40,000
6 150,000-199,999 50,000
7 200,000-249,999 50,000
8 250,000-349,999 50,000
9 350,000-499,999 100,000
10 500,000+ 150,000
Being the Judge in game of The Blue Book Detective Agency Quick
Beginner Game is a lot of fun. It also is a big responsibility. This part of the
game is written with the beginning Judge in mind. It explains what the
Judge needs to do in order to start a campaign, how to keep a campaign
running, and how to keep the game lively, interesting, and above all, fun!
In some ways, the Judge is the most important player in the game. It is his
job to do the following tasks:
1. He designs the city where the campaign will take place.
2. He designs each individual adventure and special case that slowly
build up into the campaign.
3. He plays the roles of all NPCs in the city.
4. He serves as the eyes and ears for the player characters. He tells the
player characters what they can see, what they can bear, and what is
happening all around them at any time.
The Judge is also the final authority on all rules interpretations and may
modify the rules as he sees fit to handle special situations. This does not
mean that the Judge can dictate the game and its rules to his players. If a
player does not like the way the way in which the Judge is handling the
game, the player can make suggestions, but this should be handled in a
reasonable manner and not become a disagreement. Neither the player
nor the Judge should argue with each other. Ultimately, if the differences
of opinion cannot be reconciled otherwise, the player should leave the
game.
The key thing to keep in mind is that the game is supposed to be fun
and compared to that, all other factors are secondary. Here are just a few
general and setting-specific tips:
1. This is your game. If a rule does not suit your purpose, change it.
2. Keep it low. Most enemies and problems in a noir setting are of low
level and mundane in nature, regardless of their importance to the
characters.
3. Make each NPC, even if insignificant, interesting and colorful when
first describing them. Give them individual mannerisms, phrases, and
tones of voice.
4. Avoid using game mechanics in your speech whenever possible and
instead describe skill uses and their effects as graphically as you can.
5. Life as a private eye is hard. Do not be afraid to hurt the characters, but
do not go out of your way to kill them arbitrarily (a private eye rarely dies
of a single shot).
6. Always give the players and their characters a chance, no one wants to
play a game stacked against them.
7. The players are not their characters. Each character probably knows
more about life in the 1920s and 1930s than you or your players. Do not
punish a character for something that he would know about the 1920s,
but his player does not. Not everyone is passionate about history!
We cannot tell you every
detail about the world of The
Blue Book Detective Agency,
to make the game truly your
own you have to fill in the
blanks. It should be whatever
is enjoyable for you and your
players. Nevertheless, we can
suggest some things that are
likely to work for some games
of The Blue Book Detective
Agency Beginner Game
and give it the right sort of
atmosphere.
The World of the 20s and 30s – America, the Roaring Twenties and the
Desperate Thirties
What should the world of the 1920s and 1930s look like to a role-player
of today? Imagine the streets of Chicago, Model T Fords lining the curbs.
Notice the variety of people around you: the handsomely dressed men in
pinstripe suits, every one with a hats firmly on their heads; the ‘flappers’
young women in ‘scandalously’ short skirts with their hair bobbed, the
latest fad; the wise-cracking cub reporters laughing loudly to themselves,
straw hats tipped jauntily back on their heads. The sights and sounds of
the city can also be sinister, such as the dark-suited gangsters peering
nervously from an alleyway, sounds of gunfire echoing away above the
rooftops. Recruiting posters for the Great War with their famous Uncle
Sam image have long since disappeared to be replaced by colorful posters
advertising the latest vaudeville shows or the hottest movie release. Leaflets
can be found eliciting support for women’s suffrage on many signposts.
Newspaper boys can be found on nearly every corner, each selling one of
a half dozen papers published in 1920s Chicago. Flappers draw whistles
from many men they pass, but the latest fashion of men’s suits for women
draws only stares.
The sounds of the big bands and Dixieland jazz are everywhere. The
Charleston was the latest dance, and people brought the dances and the
music into their homes via the latest invention, the radio. The relatively
low price of the Ford Model T and then the Ford Model A allowed more
people the freedom to travel greater distances than to the next big town
over. Indeed, it allowed a near-steady shipment of bootleg alcohol to enter
Prohibition America from Canada.
When a PC enters an area, describe what he can see and smell and hear
(and sometimes taste too, since that works with smell). When he picks up
or looks at an object, describe what it looks like and what it feels like in his
hand. You might even want to tell what it says if there is writing or marks
on the object. Sometimes you might want to prepare such objects ahead
of time, especially if they are clues. It takes a bit of extra effort, but giving
the players a handout – as they are known, especially a good looking one,
really helps to involve them in the game.
When a PC meets an NPC for the first time, especially someone important
to the scenario or campaign, first tell them what the NPC looks like and is
wearing, but then bring the NPC alive with voices, accents, motives, quirks,
and background. This can be lots of fun and it helps to create colorful and
interesting NPCs that your players will remember. If you get short of ideas,
take inspiration from movies, television series, books, and even relatives. It
really only takes a second to develop them into believable characters in
your world.
Encourage the players to share ideas and give input into the various
adventures, scenes, objectives and the challenges that their characters
should face. Be alert and responsive to what your players are saying and
discussing, pacing and timing are very important to keeping your game
fresh and the players excited and enthused. If things drag, turn up the
heat, if things are going at a breakneck pace, give the PCs a small rest.
Then when in doubt throw something a la Raymond Chandler at them to
get them excited and back into the game.
If you need to clarify ideas, themes or issues then do that. Decide on the
flavor of your game and do the best you can to stay consistent with that
theme, be it an epic struggle of cops versus robbers, slightly comedic or
light, or a noir filled melodramatic tapestry that hangs in the backdrop
over the adventure. To help visualization, there are lists of the films, books,
and more that helped inspire The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner
Game to found in the bibliography.
One of the best ways to bring a campaign world to life and help the
players invest their characters in that world is through the use of helpers,
friends, and sidekicks that the player characters get to know and befriend.
While each player character is going to know all sorts of NPCs, many of
them minor in terms of the story, like the corner shopkeeper, the newsboy,
their significant other, a doctor, a lawyer, and so on, Cronies are different.
A Crony is someone whom a player character goes to see when he wants
something or needs help. This might be a get some information about a
suspect, to get a gun with the serial numbers filed off, or even simply to
get permission to visit the local speakeasy. A player character will have
a working relationship with each Crony he knows, based on fear, trust,
respect, or just a need to help each other. Sometimes, just as a player
character might go to one of his Cronies for help, one of those Cronies
might come and ask the player character for his help!
Each character can maintain the devotion of a number of NPCs equal to
his Presence stat. It is suggested that at the start of the game, each player
should select two Cronies that his player character already knows and
work with the Judge to determine their relationship with them as part of
his Background.
The following listing of possible contacts is not intended to represent
the only choices available to the Judge. Contacts in other fields can be
created and assigned as the Judge desires. To help the Judge use the
listed contacts below, the areas or tasks where each type of contact can
be helpful is also listed. Again, the areas listed is not complete but can be
used as an indication of the abilities and limitations of the contact.
Assistant Clerk of Courts: Obtain transcripts of trials or other legal
proceedings; evaluate current trials and judges on the bench.
Assistant to the Chief of Police: Tips regarding raids and major police
actions; access to criminal records and personnel files; pass information to
the Chief of Police.
Bookie: Reveal who is into whom for a lot of money; who bets heavily
and on what; introduce to other bookies, bettors and gamblers; general
underground information; tips about the next dog or horse race, or boxing
match.
Illegal Casino Operator: As with bookie; also, what contracts are out; what
people are in town; whom people are working for and where they get
their money.
Clerk, City Hall of Records: Provide records concerning land deals, court
cases, business deals, health and fire safety violations, marriages, divorces,
city licenses.
Clerk, Police Files: Provide criminal records, previous aliases, addresses, and
methods; fingerprints and pictures; possibly evidence and case notes.
Clerk, State Division of Motor Vehicles: Identify license plates, driver’s
licenses; possibly provide driver’s license.
Criminology Lab Technician: Take fingerprints, blood tests, and run
ballistics tests; examine possible evidence for clues.
FBI Field Agent: Provide FBI files; pass information to higher persons;
provide names and addresses of criminal suspects.
Fence: Inform of who was involved after a crime; obtain stolen or
untraceable goods; identify who might be working for others; possibly
tips on upcoming jobs.
Nightclub Owner: Tell who has been seen with whom, who has been
spending money, who is and is not in town; give an introduction to illegal
casino operators and ‘respectable’ underworld figures.
Police Detective: Provide records, as police records clerk; also, tip off raids;
provide assistance; pass information to higher sources.
Reporter: Provide information from the newspaper morgue; tips on graft
and corruption in city government; place articles or notices in paper as
desired by character; give an introduction to ‘newsworthy’ people.
Small-Time Thug: Provide tips on upcoming jobs; inform who is working
for whom and where they might be found; describe or detail different
types of jobs or rackets; what contracts are out and on whom; who is in
town and what money or items might be in town.
Stockbroker: Who owns what; how a company is doing; who is making
money and who is losing money; unusual expenditures or trends; possible
mergers or force-outs; give an introduction to important financial figures.
Taxi Driver: Ready access to a vehicle; where places are, locations of illegal
casinos, crap games, etc.; description of type of activity or quality of an
area; possible identification of fares.
This is a handy list of the typical NPCs. The Judge can mix and match to
make countless NPCs or roll up new ones. The Judge should assign Levels
and skills as needed to fit the story they are telling. Of course you can
always use the USUAL SUSPECTS card set as a ready source of NPCs.
NPCs TABLE
NPC NAME MU AG OB PR DR LU HP
FBI Agent 80 85 90 7 88 30 22
Prohibition Agent 50 60 54 5 57 12 16
Patrolman 75 65 63 5 64 23 19
Police Sergeant 80 67 72 6 70 25 20
Police Captain 78 66 85 7 76 33 20
Detective 83 72 87 6 80 28 21
Private Investigator 73 68 89 6 78 42 20
Newspaper Reporter 55 60 93 4 77 16 17
Independent Punk 60 65 85 3 75 18 18
Gangster 73 58 57 5 59 14 19
Gangster Enforcer 98 72 43 8 58 12 22
Gangster Driver 37 92 88 3 90 09 18
Gangster Hitman 71 88 83 5 86 15 21
Gangster Gun Moll 33 75 78 7 77 13 16
Syndicate Boss 62 54 89 9 72 39 17
District Attorney 51 48 90 8 69 40 15
Judge 45 39 96 9 68 26 16
Defense Lawyer 48 43 45 7 67 22 15
Corporate Executive 48 52 74 6 59 16 20
Store Clerk 47 53 44 8 64 37 13
Blue Collar Worker 83 62 82 6 53 20 15
Career Girl 28 43 65 5 63 22 16
Flapper 31 62 73 7 68 11 13
Ward Boss 61 49 83 8 66 24 16
Derelict 44 32 28 1 30 48 13
These are optional rules
designed to add a little of the SECRET POWERS
mysterious and the fantastic
For a game in keeping with the Pulps,
to a Judge’s campaign. Be
we suggest that each player keep his
warned that they take The
power a secret until it is revealed at a
Blue Book Detective Agency
dramatic moment during the game.
Beginner Game away from
In fact, we suggest that the Judge
the straight cops and robbers
talk to each player whose character
genre of Gangbusters and
has a Power separately and if the
into the territory of The
character wants to use the power in
Shadow, Black Bat, G-8, The
the game, he pass the Judge a note.
Spider, The Phantom Detective,
Not only does this make the game
and other Pulp heroes and
even more mysterious, it stops The
anti-heroes. This is likely to
Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner
change the tone of the game,
Game becoming a game about crime
making it more like what
busting low-powered superheroes.
a 21st century readership
would think of as the Pulp
magazines of the 1920s and 1930s. If the Judge decides to take his
campaign down this route, the traditional set-up in the Pulps would be for
one character, the protagonist, to have the strange and mysterious power,
as with The Shadow or Doc Savage. Unless the playing group is willing to
play in this format, it is not recommended as it does mean that the focus of
game shifts to the player character with the power. Instead, it is suggested
that each character have his own secret power to aid him in fight against
crime, or indeed, his stand against the Law.
Each character has a 25% chance of having a mysterious power at the start
of The Blue Book Detective Agency Beginner Game. Once a player has
finished creating his character have him roll percentile dice. If the result is
25 or less, that character has a power. If the roll is failed and the character
does not have a power, the roll can be made each time he gains a new
Level.
Unlike the other skills, this power is randomly selected on a d10. The
possession of the power has nothing to do with the Ability scores of the
character, although the effectiveness of the power does.
In the descriptions of the powers,
it is sometimes noted that a
“focus” is required (45% chance).
A focus is an object or device
(Judge’s choice) that must be
displayed prominently before the
power will take effect. The focus
must be eye catching and unusual
in nature and of some significant
value. Such items typically include
amulets, rings, gems, clasps, watch
fobs, and pendants.
Beginning characters do not
possess a focus; they must find or
make one. If the Judge wishes the
character to find his or her focus, it
is necessary that the Judge place
the item in some location where
it can be found and then provide the character with some incentive or
clues to investigate that location. When a character finds his or her focus,
he or she will instinctively realize its true value. Some locations where a
focus might be found (aside from the den of some criminal) include curio
shops, junk dealers, museums, or the bric-a-brac shelf of the character’s
crazy world traveling Uncle.
MYSTERIOUS POWER TABLE
ROLL POWER
1 Command
2 Confusion
3 ESP
4 Foresight
5 Hypnotism
6 Invisibility
7 Luck
8 Fear
9 Shadow Control
10 Luck
Command: With this power, the character may add +3 to his or her Presence
at will. When choosing to do so, all actions that can be normally attempted
under Presence will be figured as if the character had this as his or her
normal Presence. However, the use of the power is more draining than
normal Presence use, and so 30 points are temporarily lost from Muscle
every time this power is used. They are regained after a full night’s rest.
Confusion: character possessing this power may attempt to confuse those
with a lower presence than their own within sight. To do so requires that
the character have a focus and that he or she be within 10 yards of those
being confused.
The chance of success is equal to five times the character’s Presence. If this
number or less is rolled on percentile dice, the victim is confused. Confused
persons may not take any actions against the character and will react as
follows (roll 1d10):
CONFUSION EFFECT TABLE
ROLL EFFECT
1-3 Does nothing, takes no actions
4-6 Retreats if possible
7-8 Attacks another person (determine randomly)
9 Acts in an irrational manner
10 Temporary Amnesia for 1d6 hours
The confusion power requires a full turn to activate and will cause a
temporary loss from Luck of 30 points. Any number of people may be
confused up to the characters Presence score so long as they meet the
previously given conditions. Those people who are familiar with the power
of the character (i.e., those who know the character well) will be unaffected
by the power.
ESP: Under certain conditions, a character with this power may attempt to
discern the thoughts of others and sense hazy images of the immediate
surroundings of the person so scanned.
The power is sensitive to great activity or emotional distress and so the
character must first be able to relax and concentrate for 15 seconds,
before indicating what person he or she would like to scan. Percentile
dice are rolled and compared against the Luck of the person scanned, plus
the scanning character’s presence. If the dice roll is under the adjusted
number, the attempt has been successful. If the percentile roll is 10 or
less, the contacted mind could be any person within 1-6 miles due to
uncontrollable error. (Such an error could be a good method to lead
characters into new adventures.)
Thoughts obtained will seldom indicate the age, sex, name, etc. of the
person, and his or her true motives may often be carefully hidden or buried.
ESP may at times only give a suggestion of what is sought to be learned.
Fear: Through the use of a
focus, the character may
cause unreasoning panic
in those who observe
him or her. The chance of
success is a percentage
equal to the average of the
character’s Presence and
current Luck. This power
requires that the character
stand motionless for a
full turn in full view of his
or her intended victims,
concentrating on his or
her focus.
When this time has passed
(provided the character has
not been shot or otherwise had his or her concentration
broken), all people in sight of the focus who either do not know the
character or have some reason to fear him or her must roll percentile dice.
If the number rolled is equal to or less than the character’s success number
as figured above, the victim will first attempt to flee, or failing that, do one
of the following two things (Judge’s choice): Cower or hide, attempting to
avoid the gaze of the character.
Using the fear ability is a strain on the character, both mentally and
physically. Each time the use of the power is attempted, the character will
lose 1d10 bruises until restored, as if it were lost due combat.
Foresight: Due to his or her mental training, this character is often aware
of things others might not notice. The character may also ask 3 yes-or-
no questions of the Judge per adventure. These questions must deal with
some action that the character plans to take, or be based upon information
that character might realistically know or suspect.
Hence, a question such as, “Is he the ringleader of the smuggling ring?”
would only be permissible if the character had some cause to suspect that
person. The questions have a 10% chance of being answered incorrectly;
this is secretly determined by the Judge.
Hypnotism: This power may only be used in non-combat situations and
requires the use of a focus. By use of the focus, the victim is placed in a light,
sleep-like trance. While the victim is in this state, the character may attempt
to implant suggestions or extract information. To determine the chance of
success, subtract the victim’s Presence from that of the character to obtain a
plus or minus-number. This number is then multiplied by 10. If the number
or less is rolled on percentile dice, the attempt succeeds.
Certain suggestions, particularly those that would result in the death of the
victim or someone close to that person, are more difficult to plant successfully.
For these, there is only a 10% chance that the suggestion will be acted on
after it has been made.
Invisibility: Use of this power automatically renders the character invisible
to most persons around him or her. No die roll is required, as the success of
the power is usually automatic.
However, those with an Observation of 90 or higher will be able to see the
invisible character and will be able to direct others to that character. The act
of confounding the senses of others is a physical and mental strain, so much
so that one bruise hit point is lost for every minute or part of a minute that
character remains invisible. Hit points lost may be regained through rest, as
if they were normal hand-to-hand combat wounds.
Luck: A character with the power of luck has certain automatic advantages,
provided that character’s luck is determined to be “good” for that adventure.
At the start of an adventure, the Judge secretly determines what the
character’s luck is, with a 50% chance of it being good, 40% normal, and 10%
bad. Good luck gives the character a +10 to all chances to hit, whether in
gun or hand-to-hand combat. Furthermore, the character is allowed a die
roll to see if he or she succeeds in doing anything that would be feasible or
remotely possible, even in situations where such success would normally be
considered nearly impossible. It is up to the Judge to
set the difficulty of the die roll. The less chance
there is that something could actually
happen, the harder the die roll will
be to make. Hence, if a character
with good luck were to fall from a
plane at 5,000 feet, there might be
a 10% chance that he or she could
survive the fall relatively unhurt
by landing in tree branches or
a deep lake. All die rolls of this
nature should be made secretly
by the Judge. This roll is in addition
to the characters normal Luck roll!
The Judge must also be careful to
see that characters with luck do not
tyrannize the game, demanding
die rolls for entirely inappropriate
situations.
It is the responsibility of the player to suggest how
such a lucky event might come to pass, and he or she cannot
think of a method, the Judge is not required to give any die roll.
Bad luck affects the character by reducing his or her gun and hand-to-hand
chances to hit by 10. Bad or normal luck will also decrease the percentage
chance of near-impossible success, perhaps (but not necessarily) all the way
to zero.
Shadow Control: When using this power, the character will appear to be
within a mass of inky shadows in which no clear features are discernable.
These shadows will move with the character as flitting shapes. All attacks
against a character using this form of the power will be treated as if he
or she were a concealed target. The character may also use the power to
create shadows of specific objects, even though the particular object may
not actually be present at the time, or to alter the shadow cast by an object
which is present. Both forms of the power require a source of light and
shadow, hence the power will not be of use in a totally dark or shadowless
area. Creating the shadows or shadow images causes a temporary loss of 5
points of luck. Such losses may be regained through rest.
Sight: Those characters with the power of sight have developed and trained
their senses to an extent that augments their vision. Such a character can
see details of objects at twice the distance for a normal character, thus
doubling the encounter distance (unless circumstances dictate otherwise).
The character is also able to sense his or her way through areas of total
darkness, smoke, or fog. Even if blindfolded, the character will be able to
find the general location of all objects or people within 10 feet of him or
her. Attacks made under such conditions will only suffer a -10 penalty on
the chance to hit. Furthermore, characters with sight will be able to notice
smaller details and will be +10 when searching for any stated thing.
DARK SECRETS
Often a character with Mysterious powers has a “dark secrets” that plague
them. Those who are possess strange powers beyond those of mortal men
both, protagonists and antagonists alike tend to have horrible, repressed
truths lurking in their pasts that threaten to reveal themselves; the
revelation is usually apocalyptic on a personal scale or at least exposes
the character to danger. Those with a power must select a dark secret that
lurks in their character’s past.
For the judge: In general I advise not to bring any of these elements fully into
play too quickly. A character’s dark secret work best if used as roleplaying
elements that help create tension.
Abandoner – The pressures of family life became too much; you abandoned
your spouse and children, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Plunderer – At some point in the past you stole an item or treasure of great
worth. However, absconding with your ill-gotten gains proved difficult so
you were forced to hide your prize.
Debauched – You are addicted to sensual pleasure. In fact, you have led
other, younger folk down the heady path of the hedonist.
Drug Fiend – You are a drug addict. Perhaps you favor the sweet oblivion
provided by opium or perhaps you cannot resist drinking yourself into
a stupor; in any case, the result is the same: you have lost your family’s
fortune to your vice and subsequently run away from them in shame.
Institutionalized – At one point in the past you had a complete mental
breakdown. The reasons for your breakdown are known only to you, but
if word of your mental instability should become common knowledge, no
one will ever be able to trust you again.
Expedition Survivor – You were the sole survivor of an expedition into the
wild, unmapped places of the earth.
Silent Witness – You once witnessed a serial murderer in the midst of
dispatching a young child to an early grave, but were too cowardly to
intervene or inform the authorities.
Spy for the enemy – You were once a willing spy for the enemy in the last
war.
Gambling Debt – You are addicted to gambling and have racked-up an
impressive debt.
Family Cult – You belong to a family that is deeply involved in a pagan or
demonic cult.
These are of course samples, should you come up with others ask the judge for
approval before using them.
By now we are hoping that you have picked up enough things in The Blue
Book Detective Agency Quick Beginner Game to run a game or two. To
make it short you are the narrator of the story who tells the players what
their characters perceive and know about the world and circumstances
around them and who also decides the actions of the world in which the
characters live. Although they get to decide what their characters will do,
you decide what effect their actions might have on the current situation.
Killing someone without cause could lead to murder charges or spark a
gang war. As Judge you must be as fair as possible but also provide them
with a good story in return for them providing you with interesting lively
characters. You must be as interesting as possible in your descriptions of
their surroundings. Try to make the world come alive with the actions of
their friends and enemies alike.
Now try to come up with various crimes and adventures you can have
your players explore in the prohibition Era. Below is a series of charts and
pointers to help you do just that.
What makes up an adventure?
Well that depends on what you consider adventurous, recovering a missing
artifact, tailing a bootlegger, or pulling a police raid on the top gang in the
city? A chance to explore a lost city? Rescuing a kidnapped child, or better
yet being the kidnappers! Be sure to talk with the players and take notes,
of the various things they consider adventurous, use it to formulate their
exploits and build upon their desires. Once you have some ideas of what
your players like creating Scenarios for BBDA is surprisingly simple, just
follow the formula below for recording your information and it should go
just fine for you.
Each scenario is organized as follows:
Story Title: This is a snappy name to help give flavor for the story.
Scenario: This gives the general theme of the adventure.
Judge Preparation: This tells the Judge what is needed to set the stage
for the adventure.
The Plan: This is how one side expects the action to go.
Setup: This gives the location of the characters as play begins.
The Action: This describes things that will happen during play. Events may
not always go as planned!
The Wrap-Up: This details the end of the adventure, gives special notes
on awarding experience, and outlines any special effect the scenario may
have on the entire course of the campaign.
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This is the nominal reason why the party should go on this adventure. Could
be as simple as money, or as nuanced as a suspicious hunch. Here are a few
examples of adventure leads and ways to get the game started fast.
The PCs are called to rescue a young girl from a fanatical religious cult
before she can be sacrificed.
When a college professor who developed a surefire gambling system goes
missing, his wife hires the PCs to find him.
A local black Farmer needs to get his produce to market to keep his lands
from being sold at auction. The PCs are hired to make it happen.
When a woman is forced to marry her late husband’s business partner –
and possible murderer her grown son wants to know why.
The PCs end up in the middle of a taxi cab war when they are hired to
help a local taxi company compete against a hostile takeover from a larger
company.
A pacifist religious community hires the PCs to run off a group of land
speculators without the use of violence.
When a corrupt union official is found dead both sides blame each other
and the PCs are hired to find out the truth without tipping off the cops.
When the Mill workers are shut out of the plant when the largest order ever
received comes in then the plant burns to the ground a local insurance
company hires the PCs to find out what is going on.
Below is a chart to give you a hand with coming up with a reason the
scenario takes place; roll 1d6 to see if you roll on the odd or even table.
SCENARIO TABLE
PERCENTILE RESULT ODD EVEN
01-05 Destroy a relationship Uphold an oath
06-10 Secure a payment Satisfy a curiosity
11-15 Spy on another End a rivalry
16-20 Silence someone Escape punishment
21-25 Right a wrong Prove someone’s innocence
26-30 Usurp someone’s power Become infamous
31-35 Find a missing person Establish a relationship
36-40 Set an example Regain power
41-50 For entertainment Make someone envious
51-55 Subdue a movement Make someone succeed
56-60 Attract a following Find an antidote
61-65 Find a missing object Overturn a decision
66-70 Test someone’s limits Avoid responsibilities
71-75 Pay a debt Make someone angry
76-80 Establish a new identity Regain fame
81-85 Find a lost treasure Dominate an organization
86-90 Damage another’s reputation Protect a reputation
91-95 Assume another’s identity Perform a religious ceremony
96-100 Find spiritual enlightenment Earn money
By now you should have a cool lead in and some type of crime to stop or
investigate. Now it’s time to come up with a line questioning. This line of
questions will help you to embellish on the problem that you came. The
questions do not need to be overly complicated simply -How the main
crime happened (who, what, when, where, why, how) details.
Who did it? What did they do? When did it or when does it happen?
Where does it or where did it take place? Why did it happen and how it
happened.
That’s it. Just create a series of questions that you want your Detectives
to answer. The story will emerge naturally from the process of answering
them.
Of course a story needs a crime committed, in progress or you to find out
who did it. For a single scenario, one or two is sufficient.
Roll a d6 to find a table then roll 3d6 to find out what is the case about.
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This is the thing that impedes just anyone from resolving the scenario. It
could be an armed guard, it could be a puzzle, it could be a mcguffin or a
band of cultist. In other words, what encounters must the PCs deal with to
solve the case. Who did it? What did they do? When did it or when does it
happen? Where does it or where did it take place? Why did it happen and
how it happened.
Often when during the course of and adventure 30% of the time at least
the PCs learn of some information that changes the party’s perspective on
how to resolve the adventure. It could be that the killer is actually a good
guy, or that the missing person went voluntarily with the kidnappers. This
is often the toughest part to think of.
There are two plot twist tables detailed below, roll a single die if it is an
Even number use table two, if it is an odd number use table One. Plot
twists add complications to an adventure making it much more exciting
and challenging. It is recommended you combine multiple plot twists to
create a more complex and interesting scenarios.
PLOT TWIST TABLE (ODD)
PERCENTILE RESULT
01-21 There are innocents nearby that the characters must keep safe while dealing
with the adventure
22-30 The victims are really villains and the villains are really victims
31-40 An enemy turns out to be an ally (or a potential partner), either temporarily
due to circumstance or permanently
41-50 Someone ambushes, betrays, or gives away the characters (intentionally or
by accident)
51-60 The scenario is a ruse intended to capture the character, get information
from them, or something similar
61-70 The characters must work alongside an individual or institution they would
rather not befriend
71-75 Their opponent is somebody the characters know personally, even respect or love
76-80 The characters meet others who can help them, but will not unless the char-
acters agree to help them with their own cause
81-90 A relationship (romantic or not) between two unlikely or unexpected forces
throws a kink in the works
91-100 Someone believed dead turns out to be alive.
Sometimes the villain has a great secret, they may be protecting someone
or something... by giving your Villain a secret you can change the whole
outcome of a story. Roll 30 or less on d100 and the Villain has one.
VILLAIN’S SECRET TABLE
PERCENTILE RESULT RESULT
01-30 Person is someone that one of the players knows from past
dealings (former employer, Friend, Enemy, distant relative, etc.)
31-45 They are an impostor and will play the role all the way to
death, insuring true Rival survives
46-59 Part of a Fear Cult. Devoted to the practice of cannibalism
and human sacrifice to any manner of twisted gods
60-75 Part of a Death Cult. Renegade priest that thinks they can
raise the dead and marshal them into an army of followers
76-80 Unholy Priest. Usually a devotee to a corrupting force (lust,
greed, vanity) or perhaps the remnants of a previous cult that
broke apart
81-85 Is part of an Assassins Society. Guild that kills people for
contract (money)
86-90 Devoted to the protection and worship of a device or relic;
these groups seldom use the power (or at least full power) of
the item they enshrine
91-95 Secret Society. Organization that is not allowed to assemble
in public; this group plots violent acts or unlawful activities
against a the locals
96-97 Terrible Beast. Inside ancient hall lies a hungry beast waiting
for treasure seekers or those foolish enough to wander in error
98-100 Possessed by a Demon and now it seeks to spread misery
upon the world
That’s it. Just create a series of questions that you want your Detectives
to answer. The story will emerge naturally from the process of answering
them.
Be sure to come up with stats for your NPCS and ideas for locations that
the characters interact with.
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Although there shouldn’t just be one way to solve the problem, there
should be at least one way to do so. And some benefit to the PCs, even
if it’s just continued survival when their lives were in jeopardy. Be sure to
record if anything major happened in the session that should carry over to
the next game. Did someone die, did the police catch the bad guy, did the
players wreck the only car in the group? Things like this can have lasting
effects on further games.
Here is a sample adventure scenario:
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(Investigation)
The Scenario: Investigators try to discover
who killed Tim Henson of Henson & Pauley
Builders.
Judge Preparation: A character should
know Janet Farmer (receptionist). Also, decide
how each NPC will talk to the investigators .
Be ready for questions about Henson’s known
friends, enemies, income, recent activities,
and so on; plus similar questions about
Janet, Rick Pauley, and others. Decide what
will happen if the investigators question
those in nearby businesses, like Sam Colton
( Hardy’s Fine Meats) who will become
important later.
The Judge should also keep the NPC police
detectives out of this; either arranging for
them to have more urgent cases, or having
them kept out by the political “pull” of
corrupt officials. Let the players ask their own
questions as they work out the case step-by-
step.
The Set-Up: Janet Farmer has alerted the
police and her reporter friend. She will later
hire a private investigator. The scenario starts in the office of Henson &
Pauley Builders, with Janet, some player characters, and at least two NPC
police present.
The Action: Janet Farmer, trusted receptionist and secretary for Henson &
Pauley Builders, unlocks the office each morning. Today, the door was open.
Fearing a robbery, she had gone to the storage room where the safe was kept.
There, she found the body of Tim Henson, who had been stabbed repeatedly.
The safe door was open and the safe was empty. She called Rick Pauley, Henson’s
partner, and then the police. She is very upset, as Henson had recently asked
her to marry him.
Rick Pauley will reveal, when questioned, that he and Tim Henson had just put
$10,000 in the safe. This was for payroll and recent “unusual business expenses.”
He also appears very upset and closes the office until after the funeral.
The knife used for the murder is gone, and the safe has no usable fingerprints.
All apparent evidence suggests that Henson surprised a burglar. One of the NPC
police should suggest that a repeated stabbing doesn’t sound like the type of
crime a burglar would commit, but this idea will be quickly rejected by the
NPC officer in charge. The police will start looking for a thief and murderer.
Later, Janet will call her reporter friend. Rick has asked her to marry him and
she has refused. He is an egomaniac who won’t accept her refusal and she
is afraid. He has a terrible temper- he and Tim have argued in the past. If the
characters ask probing questions, she will say she doesn’t know if Rick had
anything to do with the murder. If the PCs do not suggest it, Janet will think of
hiring a private investigator after this talk.
Rick is guilty. He killed Tim Henson and made it look like a robbery. If the
investigation seems to be turning away from the robbery motive, he will,
reluctantly, mention that he and Henson have had dealings with the Tolino
and O’Connor gangs. The $10,000 was money for bribes. Rick will do all he
can to shift suspicion to any other possible murderer.
Two days later, the body of Stan Colton (butcher) will be found. inside the walk-
in freezer at Hardy’s Fine Meats. He has been stabbed. In his hand is a scrap of
newspaper. It is part of a story from the Tribune on the Henson murder. The
murder weapon is missing, but might be like the one that killed Tim Henson.
Under Stan Colton’s fingernails is dried blood. Chemical analysis will reveal the
blood is human, type AB negative. Stan Colton’s blood type is O positive.
Stan Colton heard Henson and Pauley arguing just before the murder. He
planned to blackmail Pauley, so Pauley murdered him to keep him quiet.
Investigation will reveal that Stan Colton always bought his newspapers
from Pitzer’s News Corner. Any investigator asking Jack Pitzer about Stan
will find out Stan stopped by late on the night he was killed. He told Jack
that he had to work late. He had to meet someone later at the butcher
shop-it was important. He also bought every paper with a story about the
Henson killing, and several old papers. (These have stories about the past
business dealings of Henson & Pauley builders.) When Jack asked Stan
what he wanted the papers for, Stan said: “To set a trap for a rat.”
Pauley will have a bandaged hand. He will claim it was scratched by an
alley cat he tried to pet. Pauley’s medical records are on file in Dr. Joseph
Berkeley’s office in the Berkeley Clinic. His blood type is AB negative.
Rick has the murder weapon in a briefcase, along with the money, contracts,
and bonds that were in the safe. He is thinking about how to get rid of
them safely. He doesn’t want to touch the knife again-he has forgotten
to wipe off his fingerprints - and he is too greedy to get rid of the money
and bonds.
One of the documents from the safe is a copy of the expenses from the
last Henson & Pauley contract, signed by Pauley. After each item is a note
in Tim Henson’s handwriting. The notes list different facts and figures for
each entry (for example, after the entry: “Grade A concrete - 100 tons at
$12 a ton, subtotal $1200” is Henson’s note: “Mixture, 60% concrete, 40%
sand -100 tons at $5 a ton, subtotal $500, difference $700”). Henson had
discovered that Pauley was using substandard materials and cheating on
the contacts.
The beginning Judge may require background information on the 20s
and 30s should he want to run a realistic campaign. The best sources of
information are the kind that you can research yourself. This is the easiest
way to learn the information and these days there are plenty of sources
that you can research. The simplest and quickest method is perhaps to
look online, but perhaps the most fun is to watch the right film, read a
good book, and so on.
This bibliography is just a short list of sources which you can use for finding
excellent information for a 1920s and 1930s game campaign. There are of
course plenty more and discovering them yourself will be half the fun of
doing your own research.
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