Monster Hunters by Gaslight - Whitechapel, London, Hell?

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Also, I think it would be cool if executed pirates, their bodies preserved in tar, were reanimated to sail the Thames. Does anyone know what would happen to the vodies of executed pirates once they were finally cut down?

I can't recall the source but I thought I read somewhere (so IIRC, IMO, and all the other acronyms for uncertainty) the following:

They were removed from the gibbets not long before dark and buried in the mud flats of the Thames between high and low tide.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym

I can't recall the source but I thought I read somewhere (so IIRC, IMO, and all the other acronyms for uncertainty) the following:

They were removed from the gibbets not long before dark and buried in the mud flats of the Thames between high and low tide.

That sounds absolutely perfect!

Now, are there any other famous pirates that died on the Execution Dock in the 16th or early 17th century?

I have found a list of all the others executed there since that time. Not many famous names, but enough victims to make a truly chilling crew for a ship.

Are there any shipwrecks with piratical significance in that section of the Thames near Wapping or should I just have the re-animated tarred bodies of executed pirates crew a skeletal sloop manifested from the roiling dark waters of whatever river has replaced the Thames, one made of bones, sinews and sails of stretched human hide? Armed with carronades of closely-bound ribcages, firing a short-range blast of bone shards?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Icelander

TAre there any shipwrecks with piratical significance in that section of the Thames near Wapping or should I just have the re-animated tarred bodies of executed pirates crew a skeletal sloop manifested from the roiling dark waters of whatever river has replaced the Thames, one made of bones, sinews and sails of stretched human hide? Armed with carronades of closely-bound ribcages, firing a short-range blast of bone shards?

There are no pirate wrecks in the Thames. If you really want to be frightening to the English, send in an undead version of the Dutch fleet from the Raid on the Medway, led by de Ruyter. It remains the greatest naval disaster in British history.

[SteampengMK-1]

Hello there Icelander, Steampeng MK un' at your service

Seeing this is about Monster Hunters, I'm just wondering, have you thought about the weapons there going to be using? It will make sense to have prototype and/or anachronic weapons for them to use.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Xplo

But they are based on real people - not specific individuals necessarily, but the people of that place and time. And not just people themselves, but popular institutions... like the Clubs (which I had entirely forgotten about).

Well, the PCs and NPCs are based either on real people of the era or on captivating fictional tropes of the era.

Originally Posted by Xplo

The problem with this is that in many cases it just gives you a look-n-feel facade. Which is fine, if your players have seen the same media and are on the same page as you. If not - and it's not always practical to expect people to wade through a movie/reading list! - then you're stuck describing scenes and improvising based on some very shallow material that you yourself don't understand any more than the filmmakers needed you to.

I agree that it can be a problem. However, I've always felt that when I enjoy a fictional depiction of something, it makes me want to understand more about it, so I tend to research stuff connected to favourite fiction whether I intend to run games about it or not.

Originally Posted by Xplo

This is one of the things that makes running fantasy easy, IMO: the common tropes are ridiculously well-known, and you can make up absolutely anything (or nothing) without contradicting the nonexistent reality of a fictional setting, and you can pretty much file the serial off of any real historical thing and cram it in for extra detail or weirdness.

But since not all fantasy is the same, the risk of players and GM having radically different preconceptions is always there. And you have to describe your fantasy world well enough for the players to grasp it in any case, which demands that you understand the way it works fairly well, which either requires a lot of creation and invention or a lot of research.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

Hello there Icelander, Steampeng MK un' at your service

Seeing this is about Monster Hunters, I'm just wondering, have you thought about the weapons there going to be using? It will make sense to have prototype and/or anachronic weapons for them to use.

Well, in the case of Col. H. E. Wilkinson, there is a whole thread devoted to his gun cabinet. Col. Wilkinson still hasn't been able to get to his rooms on Cartwright Street to claim his full arsenal, but fortunately, the adventure began at the wake of an old service acquintance who had a gun cabinet stocked with military and sporting weapons acquired during his own extensive colonial service. From there, Col. Wilkinson was able to obtain a Greener Elephant Rifle in 8-bore, a couple of Martini-Henry rifles (gone to arm refugees) and a shiny new-fangled Lebel rifle from the continent, among many other goodies that he has distributed among the survivors at St. Botolph's church. He has mostly relied on the Lebel and the Greener 8-bore double, with his own cavalry saber and Webley pistol for close quarters.

Father MacManus has a massive silver-plated cross that is not only a powerful holy object of considerable antiquity, but also surprisingly well-balanced for use as a bludgeon. This has been his primary weapon. He has also been provided with salvaged firearms; a 10-gauge single-barrel bush shotgun with a fairly short barrel, loaded with 'lion shot', i.e. nine big pellets and a heavy powder charge, and an American Smith & Wesson No. 3 revolver in .44 Russian. He has gotten good service from his heavy cross and been reasonably satisfied with the 10-gauge, but has not fired the S&W revolver.

During early sessions, he strapped to his front a heavy oak plate from a table to serve as improvised armour, as well as using a stool as a shield, but he now plans to obtain some better improvised armour, as per thread. He is also considering having Otto Hirschsohn, a Jewish ironmonger and craftsman in the Minories, cut down the barrel of the 10-gauge and cut the stock off, so that he can more easily carry it as a sidearm. Two Best Quality Greener 12-gauge sporting doubles retrieved from a gentleman's gun cabinet might also be destined for similar treatment, if only to remove the choke from the long barrels.

Reginand St. John Woodsworth III is not much of a gunfighter, but he carries a beautiful sword-stick, as a fashion statement if nothing more. He also possesses a deringer-type gun, as well as a pocket pistol for self-protection. Both are custom-made and extremely fancy, but not much use for an actual firefight. Then again, neither is Reggie Wordsworth. So far, his contribution to combat has been mostly the use of ritual magic he has prepared beforehand, but he has on two or three occasions fired a Webley No. 1 R.I.C. in .442 RIC and/or a Lancaster Howdah pistol in .476 Enfield, usually with no more effect than startling foes into seeking cover.

George 'the Teapot' Frankton does not like firearms, but he has a collection of sharp knives concealed on his person, one long, heavy and intimidating blade with a knuckleduster built into the grip, an honest-to-God butcher's cleaver, a knobbed cudgel with a concealed spike at the other end and for all the other PCs know, razors built into various articles of clothing. He also seems to have metal plates sewed into his clothing over vital areas.

A street urchin by the name of Jimbo Moss has been adopted by the PCs and provided with some weapons for self-protection. His diminiutive size somewhat limits the weapons he can wield, but if ferocity could make up for weighing (at the very most) 95 lbs. sopping wet, Jimbo would carry two elephant guns, one in each hand. Little Jimbo used an old Allen pepperbox with little success during initial encounters, but with patient instruction, Col. Wilkinson has managed to teach him to fire a Adams MkIII in .450 Adams with reasonable accuracy (i.e. might hit a barn). Now, it only remains to teach him when not to fire, as he has already grazed two PCs with friendly fire during desperate melees.

[SteampengMK-1]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Well, in the case of Col. H. E. Wilkinson, there is a whole thread devoted to his gun cabinet. Col. Wilkinson still hasn't been able to get to his rooms on Cartwright Street to claim his full arsenal, but fortunately, the adventure began at the wake of an old service acquintance who had a gun cabinet stocked with military and sporting weapons acquired during his own extensive colonial service. From there, Col. Wilkinson was able to obtain a Greener Elephant Rifle in 8-bore, a couple of Martini-Henry rifles (gone to arm refugees) and a shiny new-fangled Lebel rifle from the continent, among many other goodies that he has distributed among the survivors at St. Botolph's church. He has mostly relied on the Lebel and the Greener 8-bore double, with his own cavalry saber and Webley pistol for close quarters.

Father MacManus has a massive silver-plated cross that is not only a powerful holy object of considerable antiquity, but also surprisingly well-balanced for use as a bludgeon. This has been his primary weapon. He has also been provided with salvaged firearms; a 10-gauge single-barrel bush shotgun with a fairly short barrel, loaded with 'lion shot', i.e. nine big pellets and a heavy powder charge, and an American Smith & Wesson No. 3 revolver in .44 Russian. He has gotten good service from his heavy cross and been reasonably satisfied with the 10-gauge, but has not fired the S&W revolver.

During early sessions, he strapped to his front a heavy oak plate from a table to serve as improvised armour, as well as using a stool as a shield, but he now plans to obtain some better improvised armour, as per thread. He is also considering having Otto Hirschsohn, a Jewish ironmonger and craftsman in the Minories, cut down the barrel of the 10-gauge and cut the stock off, so that he can more easily carry it as a sidearm. Two Best Quality Greener 12-gauge sporting doubles retrieved from a gentleman's gun cabinet might also be destined for similar treatment, if only to remove the choke from the long barrels.

Reginand St. John Woodsworth III is not much of a gunfighter, but he carries a beautiful sword-stick, as a fashion statement if nothing more. He also possesses a deringer-type gun, as well as a pocket pistol for self-protection. Both are custom-made and extremely fancy, but not much use for an actual firefight. Then again, neither is Reggie Wordsworth. So far, his contribution to combat has been mostly the use of ritual magic he has prepared beforehand, but he has on two or three occasions fired a Webley No. 1 R.I.C. in .442 RIC and/or a Lancaster Howdah pistol in .476 Enfield, usually with no more effect than startling foes into seeking cover.

George 'the Teapot' Frankton does not like firearms, but he has a collection of sharp knives concealed on his person, one long, heavy and intimidating blade with a knuckleduster built into the grip, an honest-to-God butcher's cleaver, a knobbed cudgel with a concealed spike at the other end and for all the other PCs know, razors built into various articles of clothing. He also seems to have metal plates sewed into his clothing over vital areas.

A street urchin by the name of Jimbo Moss has been adopted by the PCs and provided with some weapons for self-protection. His diminiutive size somewhat limits the weapons he can wield, but if ferocity could make up for weighing (at the very most) 95 lbs. sopping wet, Jimbo would carry two elephant guns, one in each hand. Little Jimbo used an old Allen pepperbox with little success during initial encounters, but with patient instruction, Col. Wilkinson has managed to teach him to fire a Adams MkIII in .450 Adams with reasonable accuracy (i.e. might hit a barn). Now, it only remains to teach him when not to fire, as he has already grazed two PCs with friendly fire during desperate melees.

This is a good-load out. But it always nice to have options

First thing First, I will start on abnormal ammo you can use for the guns you already have. Shotguns, for example, can shoot off some pretty whacked rounds, Like the Dragon Breath shell, Which basicly takes your shotgun and turns it into an Slug flamethower. The pepper box, despite being inaccurate, can likely be made to fire Dragon Breath as well.

There was also an bullet that turns to shrap metal after it hit the target...Can't remember the name...but bound to be there somewheres in High tech.

Also, don't forget the Punt gun, It basical an shot gun that fire either an 1 pound slug (not even including the black power, just the slug alone) or a massive spread of bullets, demo of it here.

There also the crazy monster hunters classic, including swords guns, Repeating Crossbows, revolving Crossbows, and the supernatural guns and ammo.
It always nice to reward with these

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

This is a good-load out. But it always nice to have options

Granted. The PCs would also welcome some 30+ military rifles, maybe 50 or so shotguns and at least a hundred pistols, to arm the survivors around Aldgate. Also, they need lots and lots of ammunition.

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

First thing First, I will start on abnormal ammo you can use for the guns you already have. Shotguns, for example, can shoot off some pretty whacked rounds, Like the Dragon Breath shell, Which basicly takes your shotgun and turns it into an Slug flamethower.

Dragon's Breath shells are fairly ineffective gimmicks with modern propellant and chemicals technology. I can't imagine them being practical in 1888.

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

The pepper box, despite being inaccurate, can likely be made to fire Dragon Breath as well.

The Allen Pepperbox is not notably inaccurate, it is simply a .31 caliber caplock gun of a design that is more than fifty years old and has been outdated for more than thirty of them. The only saving grace it has is that it is simple in operation* and low-powered enough to be usable by someone who lacks the ST for bigger weapons.

A pyrotechnic shell for one would be a good gimmick to light candles with, but it would not be a useful weapon.

*If not in reloading.

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

There was also an bullet that turns to shrap metal after it hit the target...Can't remember the name...but bound to be there somewheres in High tech.

Reliably expanding bullets are difficult in 1888, but dum-dum bullets are a possibility.

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

Also, don't forget the Punt gun, It basical an shot gun that fire either an 1 pound slug (not even including the black power, just the slug alone) or a massive spread of bullets, demo of it here.

Punt guns were used by market hunters in rural areas. I doubt they are common within London, particularly not in the poor and overcrowded East End.

Originally Posted by SteampengMK-1

There also the crazy monster hunters classic, including swords guns, Repeating Crossbows, revolving Crossbows, and the supernatural guns and ammo.
It always nice to reward with these

Neither repeating nor revolving crossbows will be especially useful as weapons without some eccentric magician enchanting them with powerful magic and even then, will likely not be able to compete with firearms.

I suppose that some foes might be better disposed of with imp weapons than pi++ firearms, especially if the PCs find something resembling a vampire that requires a wooden stake to the heart. But that would be a special delivery system for a particular substance, not a weapon that is useful in general.

[SteampengMK-1]

well I mainly deal with the exotics and the odd ducks, Though I can tell you that an dragon breath does a little more then light up the night.

The apache revolver and or A modified lemats revolver might be more your speed.

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by Icelander

I suppose that some foes might be better disposed of with imp weapons than pi++ firearms, especially if the PCs find something resembling a vampire that requires a wooden stake to the heart. But that would be a special delivery system for a particular substance, not a weapon that is useful in general.

And even then, with one of those shotguns, you should be able to improvise a stake-launcher by removing the shot from a shell while leaving the powder and wad, and then ramming a broomstick down the barrel (although stability in flight may be a problem).

Luke