Courtesans

Courtesans A Seductive Roleplaying Game of Sex and Society

By Ian Warner

Credits

Courtesans ©Postmortem Studios 2011 Very loosely adapted from the ‘Beer and Crisps’ System used in Urban Faerie ©Postmortem Studios 2005 Invaderz ©Postmortem Studios 2008 Tough Justice ©Postmortem Studios 2011 Depraved and Perverted Writing: Ian Warner Saucy Editing and Layout: James “Grim” Desborough Scandalous Artwork: Raven Morrison, Tamás Baranya, Darkzel and Mastersilverwolf, Black Hand Art, Hogarth. Prim, Proper and Ladylike Character Sheets: Mr Gone Wetherspoons Gamers Playtest Group (92 Frothington Road 1780) David Wright, Roger Wang, Keith Lawrence, Phillip Hutchins, David Catchpole, Amin Aqil, Iain Frost Courtesans Online Playtest Group (21 Frothington Road 1783) Emma White, Samuel Perkins, Roger Wang, Mastersilverwolf, Montsho Shelby, Phillip Hutchins, David Catchpole

Dedication

To the original Courtesans of history God bless your naughty and adventurous souls. To Katie Hickman, whose serious historical scholarship inspired this pseudo historical hackery. To all the lovely Ladies who helped me in my research. Also to Keith Lawrence who loves his slutty characters however much they creep out his fellow players and Games Master.

Recommended Reading

This book was inspired by Katie Hickman’s Courtesans a fascinating study of these characters. Also worthy of note are the memoirs of the Ladies themselves: Though some are ghost written and others are purely written to blackmail they are all remarkably frank about life in the Demi Monde. Of course sex in RPGs needs to be handled with care. Take a look at Grim’s articles in the Postmortem magazine Autopsy Issue 1 if you are in any way unsure about how to proceed Though only the most unfortunate of Courtesans ended up there I’m sure they would appreciate your support for the Crossbones Graveyard, an unconsecrated graveyard where London’s prostitutes often ended up. For more information visit www.crossbones.org.uk

Prelude

Of the nature and purpose of this book

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ourtesans is a Roleplaying Game. Not necessarily that sort of ‘roleplaying game’, but if that’s what fl oats your boat don’t let me stop you. Anyway Courtesans casts you, the Players, as Ladies of the Demi Monde, the half world below the respectability of society, who are scandalously free with their favours. Well not free. They have a price, be it money or something more ephemeral. Though you share a house with the Characters of the other Players you are in competition with them. Let the backstabbing and the bitchiness commence! Allo Sweetheart! Well good day you fi ne young Lady. Let’s take a good look at you. Hmmmm pretty girl but it takes more than looks to survive in the world of the Demi Monde. Who am I? Mrs Eliza Steel’s the name. I was the Lady’s Companion to that legendary Courtesan Sophia Baddeley. No that’s not what that means you dirty girl, shame on you! I did love her though, so beautiful. Anyway enough daydreaming about times and sins past! You need a guide to the Demi Monde and I’m only too happy to help. ‘Specially as you’re so pretty. What? You’ll need to pay me somehow madam. I ain’t cheap!

Disclaimer This is book is a Roleplaying game. Although it is based on historical characters it makes no claims of historical accuracy. Naturally the subject matter is both mature and sensitive. Mature in that I do not want anyone complaining about minors playing games of high society sluts and reading books with frank sexual content and foul language. Consider this book 18 rated. Naturally talking about the sex trade, even the upper end of it, is a sensitive subject. If you have a problem with sex in your games this isn’t the game for you. If you have a problem with the sex trade this probably isn’t your game either. For the record this game is not an endorsement or a condemnation of the sex trade’s excesses. The author’s personal opinion is so long as all parties consent then there is no moral problem.

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Who Wants to Play a Courtesan? Lots of people dearie! But the author has identifi ed a few main groups that may be interested. History Buffs: With modern history education’s obsession with 20th Century dictatorships those who get a buzz out of history (the author included) may long to try something from a different age that is less overdone in other media. Please don’t get pissy about historical inaccuracy though. This is intended to be in the spirit of the Demi Monde not an exact simulation. Feminists: Yeah we all know what some feminists think of sex work but in the case of the Courtesans they may well make an exception. These were powerful, independent women who resisted that patriarchy’s attempts to control their sexuality with its ‘morals.’ Some like Sophia Baddeley were, in fact, successful career women outside of the bedroom. Sex Workers: The author appreciates sex work is a tough job and would like to offer all of its dedicated workers a chance to unwind by playing at being at the top of the game of a different age. This one’s on me Ladies and gents. The Socially Challenged: The author has Aspergers’ Syndrome a form of high functioning Autism. He has diffi culty relating to others socially and emotionally. Roleplaying has really helped him come to understand the human condition and he thoroughly recommends this social focused game to those with similar conditions as a form of therapy and education. However he doesn’t recommend you trying your Courtesans inspired moves on someone. Moralists: For a game about women who defy conventional morals Courtesans is a very moral game. There are consequences to every action that your Character has to deal with. This doesn’t make it anti or pro sex work it just raises the questions around it. Perverts: You know who you are and here’s your chance for some dirty fun that doesn’t involve being locked in a room with a magazine or a broadband connection.

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Postmortem Studios

About the Author

Postmortem Studios is the personal imprint of noted roleplaying game author James “Grim” Desborough. He has lots of works to his name but probably the most famous is his fi rst The Munchkin’s Guide to Power Gaming. Being a generous sort of chap he has provided work to many artists and even authors. It’s relatively small in a crowded market but it is profi table enough and respected as being about good games not fl eecing gamers who are poor enough already.

Ian Warner is one of Grim’s ‘discoveries’. He began professional writing work with the notorious Shadow World spoof horror series after bumbling around looking for a character sheet. With supplements for Bloodsucker: The Angst and a new game Chav: The Knifing he expanded a seemingly one joke series into an alt lifestyle mockfest. With a pause for a system revamp he continued this trend with Wizkid: The Cheapening: A mockery of Potter fandom, particularly the perverted slash fi ction.

Beer and Crisps Beer and Crisps (or Beer and Pretzels in the States) is a roleplaying game term used to denote a none-tooserious game that is intended to be played for laughs. It is also the default name for a game system developed by James ‘Grim’ Desborough for his game Urban Faerie. Later it was used for comedy alien invasion game Invaderz also by Grim. Most recently Ian Warner, Grim’s dogsbody on the Shadow World series, took the basics of the system with a few of his own twists to create Bloody Code Legal drama Tough Justice.

He has taken a break from the series that made him to write a couple of pseudo historical romps of which this is the second (the other being Tough Justice.) He will also try his hand as a novelist with the autobiographies of two of his favourite creations Sebastian and Annie Havelock. Don’t worry though. Shadow World will be back and more controversial than ever with Vipers in the Nest and Sparklers: Vampires of the Sun!

Now he returns to the system again hacking it up and making it do things it was never intended to do.

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Piracy Plea Yeah we know some companies abuse intellectual property laws whilst making millions from legit sales. We’re not one of them. We’d love to be, but no! We don’t make a lot so we can’t really afford piracy. If the copy you are now reading is a pirated PDF don’t worry! You can make up for it by buying one of our other products. Or even better go to www.lulu.com and buy a hardcopy. Books are so much better when trees are harmed in the making of them.

About Roleplaying We all know about the sort of roleplaying one does on a stage, on a silly computer game (that is incredibly limited), on stupid training days and of course in the bedroom but it is surprising how few people know about roleplaying games. Well pretty much everyone knows the name of one of them Dungeons and Dragons. Yes I realise the name has been tainted by ‘ever so clever’ pop culture references and two awful movies (oddly the second one, while bad, was a lot better) but if you look past the geeky aspect (and rules that get ever more complex with every ‘simplifi cation’) it’s actually quite a fun pastime. It’s not the only roleplaying game out there though.

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The market is very crowded (especially with the invention of Print on Demand) with all manner of genres and rules systems. Most involve a group of friends, some sort of randomiser (cards or dice) and a Character sheet for each Player that details what his character can do. One Player takes on a sort of referee role rather than a Character. The names for this role vary from game to game. Dungeons and Dragons has copyrighted Dungeon Master, the original designation for this role. Some games use Referee, which makes sense seeing as that is what the role entails. One horror game specialist has called dibs on the term Storyteller. This one of the poorer terms for the role as it is not the place of this Player to tell the story, merely to manage it. Most games use the simple Games Master but for this one I thought the term ‘Landlady’ more appropriate. Yes, male Landladies are still called Landladies and in this book the Landlady is always referred to a she. With all the various systems there is something out there for everyone. I hope this is the game for you but I have no illusions as to its niche appeal.

Courtesans is a very unusual roleplaying game. Though some games have deliberately tried to get away from it most Roleplaying involves some genre appropriate variation on the typical Dungeons and Dragons ‘kill the bad guys and take their stuff’. Not this game. This game is one of the few games without a physical combat system in the core rules. Fighting with fi sts or weapons is for tupenny harlots, Courtesans fi ght with Intrigues. Yes I do know I’m going to get some fl ak for this. Not only have I created a game with no combat but I have created a game that is driven by social mechanics, something which many of the best in the business despise. Plot is also handled unconventionally in that the Landlady prepares Admirers and throws them at the Courtesans. How they interact with them and each other is entirely in the Player’s hands. This makes Courtesans a great game for the lazy Landlady as there is little preparation involved and the Players do all the hard work for a change. Naturally if you want to put a bit more effort in there is plenty of room to do so too. It’s your game.

As well as the traditional sit down and roll some bones ‘Tabletop’ kind of roleplaying the Appendix includes rules for making your game of Courtesans Live Action. How much contact is involved is completely up to you… Courtesans is your very own Demi Monde sandbox. Play nice!

What You Need Just to make it clear you will need the following... • A copy of this book (you’re reading it dummy!) • A Landlady to manage the game (can be male. He or she will be playing male Admirers but also female ones and the Landlady Character!) • 2-6 Players to play the Courtesans (Players also can be male but their Characters are always female) • 2 regular 6 sided dice for each Player and the Landlady. Gamers refer to these as d6s but as a bit of an experiment I am going to write this book in non gamer friendly terms and avoid this abbreviation. • A Completed Character Sheet for each Player and for the Landlady Character • Somewhere to play. • Ruthless ambition and lax morals or the ability to portray them!

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Chapter One Background On what a Courtesan is and isn’t

What is a Courtesan?

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efore you take on a Character for a roleplaying game it helps to know what exactly it is you are playing. This is particularly true where the name and lead Characters of the game are referred to by an archaic term that has sadly passed out of use. The fi rst question to ask before you can answer what a Courtesan is is what is a Prostitute? In its most literal reading a prostitute is someone who exchanges sex for money. This is a very, very loose defi nition that encompasses many, many different sorts of women (and men) some who would be insulted to be referred to by the term. Why is this? It seems a particularly neutral and descriptive term. One word: baggage. Prostitute conjures up a particular kind of mental image. In a modern context it’s the scantily clad Chavy girl standing on a street corner, cigarette in hand waiting for some punter to come along with his money. In the context of the time period this game is set the image is, instead, the buxom rosy cheeked woman in the daring low-cut dress: Normally hanging around Taverns. Not all prostitutes follow these stereotypes and one particular group least of all.

Courtesans are prostitutes by the strictest defi nition of the term. However the strict defi nition also covers many wives and mistresses (then and now) who are seen as somewhat more ‘respectable.’ A Courtesan is somewhere in the massive no man’s land between the respectability of a high society wife and the disrepute of the common doxy. What scandalises so much about the Courtesan is not their unconventional morality but the fact they are willing to exploit their sexuality to gain wealth and even power of their own. What’s more they didn’t just sell sex. I mean, yes every Courtesan exchanged sex for money at some point in her career but they also sold their companionship, conversation, relationship advice and even fashion coaching. So, when you play a Courtesan you are playing a strong-minded independent woman with a fl exible moral code who is willing to exploit her sexuality for wealth and power, one of the few ways for women to get it in that time. Then as now this may be shocking even a little reprehensible but, personally I fi nd it quite admirable and far more honest than the common whores who sell their bodies and call it ‘marriage.’

These are the Courtesans.

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The History of the Courtesan It’s called the oldest profession for a good reason. It’s as old as the human race. In fact, maybe even older: Some particularly canny primates have displayed knowledge of the use of sex for personal gain or exchanged favours for fruit. The phenomenon of the Courtesan is possibly just as old. It’s not just the dregs of society that resort to exploiting their sexuality. The mistress, the concubine, Hell, even a few legally married wives quickly began to catch on to the tricks of exploiting their charms for personal gains at every level of society. Those at the upper end were the fi rst Courtesans, though they were not called such until the Early Modern era. Across the world they had varying degrees of success. Many legendary Queens, Courtiers and even, surprisingly, a Russian Orthodox Saint fi tted the archetype. Such was the power of patriarchy that often the only women we ever hear about from ancient times were those fi rmly in the Courtesan archetype. Jezebel and Cleopatra, two of the earliest and most famous Courtesan Queens, are probably the most famous women in the ancient world.

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Less famous but almost as infl uential was the Greek ‘hetaera’ (a kind of semi-holy whore) Phryne. She was so wealthy it is said that she paid for the reconstruction of Thebes’ walls out of her own pocket. An inscription has been found that, with typical ancient innuendo, states ‘Alexander may have knocked this wall down but Phryne the hetaera got it back up again!’ The coming of prudish and patriarchal Christianity did nothing to halt the progress of the Courtesan. They just got a bit more subtle than they had been in the ancient world. Many noble Ladies and even queens and princesses were not half as virtuous as their titles suggested. Eleanor of Aquitaine springs to mind. Come the renaissance and the subtlety could relax a little again. With even the Popes openly keeping mistresses by contract, professional Courtesans thrived; particularly in the notoriously passionate Italian City States where the word ‘Courtesan’ was fi rst coined. A Papal Ambassador to Venice remarked ‘You rarely see a respectable Venetian wife save at weddings, christenings or funerals. When a Venetian man is seen in public he prefers the company of a professional mistress or Courtesan as a display of his wealth.’

The Reformation brought a crackdown on such women in the new Protestant nations. Martin Luther considered a woman’s God ordained role as wife and mother and nothing more. He even hated nuns! Who hates nuns (besides Catholic schoolkids)? Still in the Catholic nations the Courtesan continued to thrive unmolested and, though forced back into subtlety, the Protestant world did manage to produce another Courtesan Queen; Catherine Howard of England. However short her reign her manipulation of men, though eventually her downfall, was extraordinary. It was just as the Courtesan was re-emerging from the imposed Protestant gloom that the fun hating Puritans seized power in England and Scotland, cutting it off until the Restoration. Of Course Charles II, the playboy king with illegitimate children said to number seventeen or more loved Courtesans and with Actress Nell Gwynn, the English Demi Monde was born (more on that later.) From the late 1600s to the early 1900s Courtesans had their golden age. This was when the biggest names hit the headlines for both good and bad reasons. Nell Gwynn, Emma Hamilton, Sophia Baddeley, Elizabeth Armistead, Harriet Wilson, Cora Pearl and fi nally Catherine ‘Skittles’ Walters had their time.

Some were short lived others retained their popular appeal well into their 90s. The death of the latter in 1920 marked the end of an era. Courtesans are still active today though they mainly consist of glamour models, footballer WAGs, bored heiresses and, of course, the occasional actress, singer or television presenter. If any of the golden era Ladies got a sight of their modern day counterparts they would probably die of a broken heart on the spot. All the class is gone but hopefully not for good.

The Demi Monde No one is exactly sure who coined the term Demi Monde but it was doubtless one of the many highsociety Ladies who were fascinated by the incredible women their husbands were paying so much to be with: Particularly their underwear, toffs have a perverse streak. Wherever the term came from, it stuck. Strangely for what is a couple of French words it was mostly applied to the British Courtesan scene from the Restoration to the death of dear ‘Skittles’ in 1920, which this game is focused on. Demi Monde, for those of you who are unfamiliar with French, roughly means half-world. It is a good description of the Courtesan’s place in society.

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Though growing ever more secular society was bound up in strict Christian ‘morals’ that could never accept independent women exploiting their sexuality for fi nancial, personal or God forbid political gain. Having said that they had little problem with married women doing the same through their husbands! At the same time Courtesans were very fashionable. Even those who made massive social climbs to get to the station like ‘Skittles’ were regarded with awe by Gentlemen and Ladies alike. Yes Ladies too! They would often request audiences with those of the Demi Monde. They treated them as confi dantes and agony aunts as they could be a lot more frank with them than they could with their ‘respectable’ friends. It is speculated that many of the great marriages of the time were saved or broken by the sage words of a Courtesan. Oh and some Ladies wanted more than a dirty chat… As for the Gentlemen we all know the sorts that frequented the Courtesan’s chambers: The High society ‘Fops’ out for a bit of fun at the expense of their already over fi lled bank accounts. Do we really know them though? Were they really as irredeemable as the ‘moralist’ propaganda of the time made out?

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Clearly not! Charles James Fox for example may have been the most incorrigible patron of the Demi Monde for most of his life but he fell genuinely in love with legendary Courtesan Elizabeth Armistead who, after much persuading, married him. In an age where marriage was for procreation and convenience of uniting two houses (as it still is today in a lot of cases) this was one of the few genuine and touching love stories and it came out of the ‘sordid’ world of the Demi Monde. The Fops were misunderstood but they were not the only Admirers competing for the Courtesan’s attentions. It was a common practice for the virginal teenage children of the great and good to have their fi rst ‘experience’ with a Courtesan; either at their own initiative or at the recommendation of their parents or guardians. These ‘private lessons’ did wonders for sexual self-confi dence in a repressed and prudish age. These are represented in the game by the Student Archetype. Then there were those deeply ‘moral’ individuals out to save ‘fallen women’ from ‘sin’. Whether clergy or laity these Gentlemen paid for the ‘company’ and claimed (outrageously) that they never went so far as to sleep with their Courtesan friends. These are represented in the game by the Saviour Archetype.

The most famous of these Admirers, four times Whig Prime Minister William Gladstone turned to his Bishop son on his death bed and said ‘I have never been guilty of that act that is known as infi delity to the marital bed.’ Of course like Bill Clinton’s excuse that oral sex isn’t actually sex we all know what he meant. He had a tempestuous relationship with ‘Skittles’ that varied from extreme cattiness to devoted friendship. Finally we have, perhaps, the most tragic kind of Admirers. Those who deceived themselves that they were pleasure seeking Fops but in fact were in a desperate search for love and companionship. These are represented in the game by the Lover Archetype.

Currency Whatever period of the Demi Monde time frame you set your game in you will be using the old English currency system of Pounds, Shillings and Pence. The actual fi nancial systems of the game are in the form of the quite abstract Wealth Resource. Nonetheless it does help to be able to talk Guineas in character! Here are the details of the Demi Monde era currency...

Basics There are 3 denominations, in descending order: Pounds (£) Shillings (s) and Pence (d). There are 12 Pennies in a Shilling and 20 Shillings in a Pound.

The Demi Monde was at once at the heart and on the periphery of Restoration, Georgian and Victorian society. Though publically condemned and despised by many Courtesans continued to occupy the positions of the greatest women of their age. Nowadays there are easier ways for a woman to get on in the world but there is still a Demi Monde of sorts even if the state of it would break the heart of a golden age Courtesan.

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Coinage

Farthings: The smallest type of coin available. Two Farthings make a Half Penny. Half Pennies: Half Pennies are just that half a Penny. It was sometimes pronounced Hapney particularly by the lower orders. Pennies: No more pissing about with halves and quarters this is a full Penny worth 1d. Thrupence: Worth 3d: Thrupence were awkward, odd shaped little coins. Sixpence: Worth 6d or 1/2s: Also known as a Tanner. Bob: Worth 12d or 1s. This was the lowest value one could be executed for stealing. Florin: Worth 2s. Half Crown: Worth 2s and 6d. As can be seen from the Slang section there were a lot of other names for this. Crown: Worth 5s. As can be seen from the Slang section there were a lot of other names for this.

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Title

Addressed as

King/Queen

Your Majesty

Princess/Princesses

Your Royal Highness

Duke/Duchess

Your Grace

Marquess

My Lord/ Your Lordship

Marchioness

My Lady/ Your Ladyship

Earl

My Lord/ Your Lordship

Earless

My Lady/ Your Ladyship

Count

My Lord/ Your Lordship

Countess

My Lady/ Your Ladyship

Viscount

My Lord/ Your Lordship

Viscountess

My Lady/ Your Ladyship

Baron

My Lord/ Your Lordship

Baroness

My Lady/ Your Ladyship

Lord of Parliament

My Lord/ Your Lordship

Baronet

Sir

Knight

Sir

Wife of Knight/ Lord

My Lady

MP

The Right Honourable

Sovereign: Worth £1. Very few of the lower classes ever saw these. The average wages amounted to about £6 a year. Still a Sovereign was considered vulgar compared with the more “Gentlemanly” Guinea. Guinea: The highest valued coin in Britain. A Guinea was worth £1 1s. The only people who ever saw guineas were Gentlemen and those with enough wealth to have pretentions of gentry. Courtesans would have been paid in Guineas. It would be most unladylike to accept a smaller denomination. Titles As a Courtesan you will need to be familiar with the various honorifics of society and how to show them the proper respect. Yes that goes for you too you dirty Upstarts! Anyway the following table is a basic guide. Nobles in the House of Commons (there were far too many) would be referred to as the Right Honourable (title.) As for Church titles Bishops and Archbishops are referred to as ‘Your Grace’ and Vicars ‘Your Reverence’ or ‘Parson.’

Kings and Queens A Courtesan’s Guide This is a game about blowing your way to the top. Naturally you should have at least a snowball’s chance in Hell of actually getting there! Here is a brief guide to the Kings (and Queens) of the whole 2 century period and their likelihood of employing your Courtesan’s services.

Charles II (Reigned 1660-1685) The original Fop, King Charles II had 17 known illegitimate children. Courtesans were tripping over each other to get to him including the legendary Actress Nell Gwyn. It is perfectly possible that your Restoration era Courtesan would end up in bed with the King. She may even end up as the mother of yet another illegitimate child. Suggested Archetype: Charles II is defi nitely a Fop. Suggested Pliability: 2: Charles II may be a man of the world but really he’s just a big kid. Special (Randy): Charles II makes it very clear what he wants from a mistress. Any Courtesan may jump straight into bed with King Charles when they gain him as an Admirer regardless of their Origin.

James II (Reigned 1685-1688) Though not an outright Fop like his older brother, James II wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue either with at least 3 illegitimate children. There is no record of him visiting a Courtesan either during his brief reign or in his time as Prince of Wales but it is distinct possibility. Be wary me dear. He’s not nearly as easily led as his lusty brother! Suggested Archetype: James II may not necessarily want a Courtesan to give up her profession but he would want her to become a Catholic. He is an usual kind of Saviour. Suggested Pliability: 4: James II is no pushover and is not easily pleased. Special (Religious Preference): James II has a thing for Catholic girls. If your Courtesan is a practicing Catholic you may halve his Pliability.

William III and Mary II (Reigned 1689-1702) Ah bit of a problem here. Your Courtesan is unfortunate in that she is living in the reign of one of the most happily married couples ever to share the throne. Still there is a slight chance they may wish to experiment by inviting a Courtesan to serve them both simultaneously: More likely for conversation and advice than actual sex but you never know.

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Suggested Archetype: William III and Mary II are deeply in love and anything they employ a Courtesan for will be in the service of this. They are a pair of Lovers. Suggested Pliability: 5: They’re both deeply in love with each other and no matter how charming you are you will struggle to get their attentions on you. Special (Couple): William III and Mary II always visit together if they visit at all. Their Pliability represents them both as described in Admirers.

Anne (Reigned 1702-1714) Though her reign was brief and pretty uneventful Queen Anne lived life to the full. Her nickname Brandy Anne was certainly justifi ed. It is possible a modern woman who drank as much as she did would be labelled an alcoholic. She also had a fondness for cards and backgammon. All her 10 children were either stillborn or died in infancy. Despite this she maintained a cheerful optimism and joy de vive until the day she died. There are no hints of her ever being particularly interested in Courtesans but she was a very game girl. Suggested Archetype: Though she is middle aged and has buried 10 children Anne still has a lot to learn about life and love. She is a Student. Suggested Pliability: 1: Queen Anne loved life and threw money around like sweeties.

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Special (Pisshead): If Queen Anne visits your Courtesan you are expected to get drunk with her. See the Advanced Rules on Alcohol in Appendix 1. Anne’s base Pliability represents her drunk.

George I (Reigned 1714-1727) Not exactly the most charming of men and by all accounts very poor at treating women with respect (he had his wife locked up and her rumoured lover assassinated whilst carrying on with a pair of mistresses nicknamed ‘Elephant and Castle’ as one was fat and the other thin.) It is more than likely that he met with a Courtesan at some point in his career but he would have been a far from easy Admirer. Suggested Archetype: George I is a shameless Fop pretending to be a Lover. Suggested Pliability: 5: Stingy, oafi sh and thoroughly frank with his women. Special (Language Barrier): George I spoke little English. Unless your Courtesan speaks fl uent German (Landlady’s discretion based on Background) she counts George I’s Pliability as 1 higher.

George II (Reigned 1727-1760)

George III (Reigned 1760- 1820)

A very different man from his father George II had not the oafi shness that defi ned the fi rst one. He was by most accounts charming, if a little brash and was the last English monarch to lead his army into battle. However he was devoted to his wife Caroline. If your Courtesan is active between 1727 to Caroline’s death in 1737 she has no chance with this King. However as he charmingly told his beloved on her deathbed he would never remarry but would instead take mistresses. One or more of these mistresses could well have been Courtesans. Suggested Archetype: George II is a very tragic kind of Fop. He takes mistresses to serve his physical needs only. His heart belongs to the late Queen Caroline. Suggested Pliability: 4: He tries to do right by the women who act as mistresses but he is pining for his beloved Caroline. Special (Language Barrier): Just like his father George II struggled with English. Unless your Courtesan speaks fl uent German (Landlady’s discretion based on Background) she counts George I’s Pliability as 1 higher.

Mad King George III may have been completely off his rocker but he was devoted to his Queen Charlotte who he affectionately called ‘Mrs King.’ Even though he molested a few Ladies in waiting due to his illness he never got beyond heavy petting. He was devoted to his Queen and wouldn’t share her with anyone. Suggested Archetype: N/A: See below. Suggested Pliability: N/A: See below. Special (NAFF): You can’t have George III as an Admirer. You may however have his son the Prince of Wales later George IV (see below.)

George IV (Reigned 1820-1830) After his straight laced (if insane) father George IV must have been a breath of fresh air for the Demi Monde. In his time as Prince of Wales he associated with many disreputable women and even illegally married a common Catholic. He was also very unhappily legitimately married to the point where he denied he was married to the ‘ghastly woman’ at all. It is quite possible that the model for the nursery rhyme ‘Georgie Porgie’ had occasion to visit a Courtesan both during his own reign and that of his father before him. Suggested Archetype: George IV is a shameless Fop and proud!

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Suggested Pliability: 3: He’s about averagely diffi cult to please. Special (Fat Ugly Bastard): George IV’s looks and demeanour can really put a girl off. Sex Acts performed on him are at a -1 penalty.

William IV (Reigned 1830-1837) William IV was never supposed to be King so he never played the part. He had set up home with a lowly Irish Actress named Dorothy Bland (known as Mrs Jordan) with whom he had 5 children. Once it was clear George IV would produce no heir royal advisors got into a bit of a panic. With some reluctance William left Dorothy (amicably by most accounts) and found a respectable Protestant wife. Despite the poor foundation of necessity it was a happy marriage. Unless you count Mrs Jordan he never had any association with Courtesans. Whilst he was with Dorothy he was exclusively with Dorothy and whilst he was with Queen Adelaide he was exclusively with Queen Adelaide. Quite a difference from his brother. Suggested Archetype: N/A: See Below. Suggested Pliability: N/A: See below. Special (NAFF): William IV had nothing to do with any Courtesans other than Mrs Jordan and is thus not available as an Admirer. Other Royals were very much up for it though.

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Victoria (Reigned 1837-1901) There is a common myth that Queen Victoria was such a prude that she refused to believe an aide when he told her of women making love to women. Along with her husband Prince Albert she had the second biggest private pornography collection in the world (the largest was then and is now that of the Pope.) With such a big collection the admission of any girl on girl at all seems unlikely to say the least (‘sodomy’ may have been illegal but so was pornography so go fi gure!) She is not offi cially recorded as having visited any Courtesans but with such a dirty mind hidden behind that prudish exterior it is entirely possible: Even if it is just for advice rather than actual sex. Suggested Archetype: Victoria is a Lover. Her one true love Albert will always come fi rst but she is encouraged by the Fop to experiment during his life and will doubtless do so afterwards however humourlessly. Suggested Pliability: During her marriage to Albert (1840-1861) she was a happy fun loving girl. At this time her Pliability is 3, 2 if Albert is with her as he puts her at ease. After 1861 however she is the dour joyless widow we all know her as with a Pliability of 4.

Special (We Are Not Amused): Being Spurned by Queen Victoria is going to do you some harm. Though obviously she will never admit to a sexual relationship she can make it well known that you are not appreciated. When Spurned by Queen Victoria a Courtesan suffers a Scandal point. This never happens if Albert is with her.

Special (Alexandria Has Got Her Eye on You): Though she feigned acceptance and disinterest Alexandria kept track of all of her husband’s mistresses. Once Edward VII starts Visiting your Courtesan she gains an additional +1 Legend from Alexandria gossiping about her.

Edward VII (Reigned 1901-1910) Back to the playboy again! Edward VII always was a complete Fop from his fi rst relationship with Actress Lille Langtry onwards. It was this stress of the scandal of this relationship that Victoria believed contributed if not outright caused the death of her beloved Albert for which she never forgave him. He was happily married to Alexandria of Denmark who grudgingly accepted the mistresses. On his death in 1910 however she barred all of them from his funeral believing it ‘inappropriate.’ Though Langtry wasn’t much of a Courtesan if one at all Edward VII was connected to many of the Demi Monde, including none other than the foremost of his time, Catherine ‘Skittles’ Walters. Suggested Archetype: Edward VII was the last true Fop King. Well, maybe if Prince Harry ends up on the throne this will change... Suggested Pliability: Edward VII loves a good tumble with a pretty girl. His Pliability is 2.

Other Kings and Queens? Though ‘Skittles’ died in 1920 the Demi Monde was way past its heyday. ‘Skittles’ was the last true Courtesan of the Demi Monde to go but her career was long over and the Fop King was well and truly dead. Nowadays Kings tend to marry their fancy women. Not that it matters much because Premiership Footballers are a better catch in terms of power and wealth anyway.

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Important Terms

Here are a few fancy words that repeatedly come up in the Game Rules and Setting. Don’t worry your pretty head about memorising them all there is nothing wrong with checking these pages for clarity. Actresses: An Origin. Actresses are Courtesans who specialise in putting on a show. They needn’t necessarily be actual stage folk they could be singers, dancers or illegal strippers. Examples include Miss Nell Gwynn and Mrs Sophia Baddeley. Admirer: A Gentleman (or in some potentially scandalous cases a Lady) who shows some interest in your Courtesan. They are Non Player Characters. Aiding: A Type of action: The helping out of your Sisters by fair means or foul. Archetypes: The ‘classes’ of Admirers. These are a rough guide to personality and motivation for the Landlady. They have no mechanical effect. Awards: Special bonuses for achieving the highest score in something. Bawd: A woman who runs a brothel or House of Introduction. Besotted: An Admirer who will never Spurn his Courtesan regardless of what she does. Can be played as anything from charming true love (hah) to creepy stalker. Catholics: Members of the Church of Rome. A religious minority that is much persecuted throughout the time of the Demi Monde. Charm: A Statistic representing amiability and general friendliness.

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Chaperone: An assistant to the Landlady in a Courtesans LARP. Character Sheets: A sheet for recording the details of a Player Character or the Landlady Character (Admirers and Children don’t need sheets just notes.) An example one is printed at the back. Children: With so much sex happening there’s bound to be Children sooner or later, a type of Non Player Character. CofE: Church of England: Protestant state religion of England. Convent (the): A high class brothel. Courtesan: A strong independent woman who profits from the manipulation of her sexuality. The Player Characters of this game. Demi Monde: The half world of semi respectability that Courtesans inhabit. Doxy: A common prostitute well beneath a Courtesan’s contempt. Fallen Ladies: An Origin: Fallen Ladies are the primmest of the upper classes descended into the Demi Monde through some (usually minor) Scandal. Examples include Lady Julia Johnstone. Fops: An Archetype of Admirer: Debauched pleasure seekers out for a bit of fun at any cost. Gentlemen: Men who were of sufficient social standing to merit special respect above that of the regular working classes. Not necessarily titled. Very few Courtesans would even consider accepting anything less than a Gentleman as an Admirer. Goldenhearts: An Origin. Goldenhearts are Courtesans with kind natures and/ or strong moral convictions. They’re such sweethearts really. Examples include Miss Cora Pearl and most of the Courtesan heroines in literature.

Handicapped: A Child with Health 1 and some kind of disability. Health: The one Statistic Children have. Represent survivability in the harsh world of the Demi Monde. High Origins: Those Origins that have either a higher moral, financial or social standing above common harlots. These are the Goldenhearts, Fallen Ladies and Schemers. House: A home rented by a group of Player Character Courtesans. House of Commons: Representative House supposedly of the Common people. Property based voting restrictions plus the presence of titled men made it very unrepresentative though. It has been a long hard struggle but by the time of the Demi Monde the Commons has the majority of legislative power. House of Introduction: A high class brothel. House of Lords: Representative House of the nobility. It is the Lords job to ‘correct’ the legislation passed by the Commons. In other words be a right royal pain in the arse. Influence: A Resource: Your Courtesan’s socio-political clout. Intrigue: A type of action: Making an attack of some sort upon another Courtesan. Keeper: An Admirer who holds a Kept Mistress Contract over your Courtesan. Kept Mistress Contract: A legal Contract that binds a Courtesan to a single Admirer. Manners: A Statistic representing the Courtesan’s emotional composure and ability to fit in to polite society.

Member of Parliament: Member of either the House of Lords or Commons. Usually used to refer to the Commons. Noble: A man or woman with a title and usually great wealth and property. Non Conformists: Protestants who do not recognise the Authority of the Church of England. Examples include the Methodists, Unitarians, Baptists, Moravians and Society of Friends (Quakers.) For most of the Demi Monde period Non Conformists had to sign a register. Non Player Characters (NPCs): Characters that are not in the control of the Player. In Courtesans this means the Admirers, Children and the Landlady Character. Origins: The Origins are the archetypes or ‘classes’ of the game. They give a template of the sort of upbringing the Courtesan had and her strengths and weaknesses. Ladies: Women of sufficient social standing to be considered above the regular working classes. Not necessarily titled though confusingly Lady is a title. Courtesans were pretty solidly Ladies though the way they earned their living was not exactly ladylike. If a Courtesan should be daring enough to have a female Admirer she will most likely be a Lady. Landlady: The Player in charge of the game both instigating plot and controlling NPC actions. Landlady Character: A senior Courtesan played by the Landlady. Acts as a mentor figure and collects Rent. LARP: Stands for Live Action Roleplay. It means dressing up, getting on your feet and acting out your Character’s actions (within reason of course.)

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Legend: A Resource: Your Courtesan’s popularity amongst the common people. Letters of Introduction: The letters Admirers write to introduce themselves to Courtesans. Lover: An Archetype of Admirer. They like to think they’re only after a bit of fun but really they’re hungry for love and attention. Awwwwww! Low Origins: Those Origins that are a bit less scrupulous namely Upstarts, Professionals and Actresses. Parliament: Centre of English government: Made up of the House of Lords and House of Commons. Player Characters (PCs): The Characters played by the Players rather than the Landlady. In this game they are all Courtesans of various stripes. Pliability: The one Statistic that Admirers have: Represents a combination of disposable income and vulnerability to manipulation. Performance: A Statistic representing a Courtesan’s ability to sing, dance, act or otherwise make a show. Pleasing: A type of action: The way your Courtesan gets Resources out of Admirers. Procurement: A type of action: The way your Courtesan attracts Admirers. Professionals: An Origin. Professionals are the highest possible class of common whore promoted to the Demi Monde. Their physical fitness and thus prowess in the bedroom is unmatched by any other Origin. Examples include Mrs Elizabeth Armistead. Protestants: Members of churches that do not recognise the authority of the Pope. Include the CofE and the Non Conformists. Not the Orthodox though that split was much earlier.

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Prowess: A Statistic representing physical health and sexual skill. Reputation: A Resource: The Courtesan’s popularity on the Town. Resources: The different scores representing the Courtesan’s success. Resource Bankruptcy: When a Resource drops to -20 or lower. Means removal from the game in a spectacularly nasty way if you’re not careful Resource Debt: Going into minus numbers in a Resource. This inflicts a penalty on a Statistic. Roll Off: Both players rolling a dice and comparing results. The one that scores the highest after modifiers wins. Saviour: An Archetype of Admirer. Saviours are deeply moral or religious people who aim to “save” the “wicked souls” of both Courtesans and common Doxies. They mostly pay for conversation alone and struggle desperately to keep their relationships with Courtesans platonic. Scandal: A Resource of sorts: Scandal is not earned so much as inflicted for “misdeeds.” It is both a blessing and a curse to have a high Scandal. Schemers: An Origin. Schemers are Courtesans with political skills and ambitions. They are by far the most socially aware of the Courtesans and can dissect the information whooshing round their pretty little heads with remarkable speed. The most famous Schemer was Emma Hamilton. Sisters: Your fellow Courtesans, in particular those who share your House. Sodomy: Homosexual acts or any sexual act involving the anus. Actually a crime at the height of the Demi Monde: Even punishable by death for some of it.

Spite: A Statistic representing a Courtesan’s ability to bitch, whine and moan. Spurning: When an Admirer loses interest and leaves your Courtesan. Statistic: A numerical score that represents your Courtesan’s competence in an area. Student: An Archetype of Admirer. Students are usually young or at least inexperienced. They aim to learn about love from the best of teachers! Strong Statistic: A Statistic so strong that you roll two dice and pick the highest, when making an action involving it: Determined by Origin. Surrogacy Contract: A legal contract to act as a surrogate mother. Not illegal but highly frowned upon. Tabletop: The regular kind of roleplay: Sitting round a table with your Character Sheets, narrating and rolling dice. Town (the): A general term for the hidden world of Prostitution. This includes Courtesans as well as common Doxies, pimps, Bawds and the Fops who patronise them. Upstarts: An Origin. Upstarts are the Courtesans whose background is so humble that it is scandalous in itself. Growing up in rough places they’re very rough and ready girls full of Spite. The most famous Upstart was Miss Catherine Walters. Visiting: When an Admirer is being successfully Pleased by a Courtesan he is said to be Visiting her. Weak Statistic: A Statistic so weak that you roll two dice and pick the lowest, when making an action involving it: Determined by Origin.

Wealth: A Resource: Your Courtesan’s material assets including money and valuables. Wits: A Statistic representing awareness of one’s surroundings and ability to react quickly to threats.

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Chapter Two Character Creation On crafting your own high society strumpet for this merry romp

Characters in Courtesans

T

he fi rst thing you need to join the Demi Monde is a Character. As a Player your Character is your primary concern in the Game. She is the role you play and the one Character whose life choices you have a measure of control over. Some Landladies, particularly those running games at conventions may simply hand you a pre made character. However most of the time you will get to choose your Character, her abilities, back story, appearance and personality. This is done by following the process outlined below.

Year and Location The English Demi Monde covers a huge Time Period and the full history of Courtesans even longer. It is important therefore for the Landlady to establish the year in which her game is set as well as the location of the action. Example: Bernadette is inviting some Lady friends to play a game of Courtesans. She establishes that the Game year is 1786 and the Player Characters are sharing a house in a fictional street in London (69 Frothington Road, yes Bernadette has a sick mind: It is something of prerequisite for a Landlady!)

Courtesans Only This is Courtesans not Courtesans and Fops. Player Characters are inevitably female and inevitably part of the Demi Monde. If you want to play other Characters of the time the author’s own Tough Justice is pretty good for day to day life and Neil Gow’s excellent Duty and Honour and Beat to Quarters are great for military based adventure. The latter, of course restricts you to only male characters so a game of Courtesans may make a nice break from it or vice versa. Oh and don’t think just because it’s female Characters only and the rules text is written in a silly affectionate mother to daughter tone that this is a girl’s game. The great thing about Roleplaying games is playing Characters who are different from you. Things may get awkward if you use the LARP rules in Appendix Two though. For this reason all the Players in the example are female.

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Name First you need to think of a name. This has two aspects.

Title Most Courtesans will either be Miss or Mrs. Believe it or not the latter is more common. Courtesans who used Mrs did so for one of 3 reasons. 1. They were actually married. Some particularly understanding men let their wives indulge in their less than savoury hobby so long as they kept safe and didn’t fall in love with any of their Admirers. 2. They were Widows. If your husband died in the time of the Demi Monde you were in a lot of trouble. Unless you were lucky enough to have a family fortune, widow’s pension or generous insurance policy you were stuck with no income and most probably a houseful of kids to support. The lavish lifestyle of a Courtesan would have been awfully tempting where honest work would likely turn you away out of ‘respect for your family.’ 3. They took on Mrs and the surname of their fi rst lover to appear more respectable or set them above common whores. Also some Courtesans actually had noble titles to begin with. If you are thinking of picking a High Origin (see below) a title may be a nice touch whether it is legitimate or simply a facade.

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A Note on Race This is a time of great change Sisters. The British Empire is covering the globe and the people of the Empire are making their way to the Mother Country. Among the Upstarts a few may be freed slaves of exotic origin (not just Negroes, Orientals and Indians too.) Among all the other Origins there maybe the mixed race daughters of noble Englishmen. Yes, even among Fallen Ladies. Not all slave owners and diplomats are complete bastards. Some treat the illegitimate progeny of their affairs with their exotic fl oozies as well as they treat their legitimate children. They get the same privileged upbringing as their white brothers and sisters and, sometimes, even a title. Makes you think them a little ungrateful for pissing it all away and becoming a Courtesan.

The Name Itself Most Courtesans stuck to their real fi rst names but shortened them in the same manner as their more common Sisters. This simplicity served to aid their admirers in fondly addressing them and was also a little bit daring and dirty in what was a very formal and starchy world. Surnames were mostly common English names though most were on the upper end of respectability. It just wouldn’t do to be called Smith. Sometimes more exotic or foreign sounding names were employed but his was a comparative rarity. Some Courtesans, notably the notorious Cora Pearl simply, made up their names from scratch. In Cora’s case this was a refl ection of her caring side as she did not want to shame her family. She even went as far as to cut off all contact to the extent that they thought she was dead. Maybe not quite so caring... As well as their actual names some Courtesans had affectionate nicknames. The most famous of these was Catharine Walters who after the affair that started her career took on her fi rst lover’s nickname for her ‘Skittles.’ The exact origin of this rather silly nickname is hotly disputed by her biographers.

Example: Sarah is playing in Bernadette’s Courtesans game. Her first step to creating a Character is to think of a name. The name should really reflect the Character in Sarah’s opinion and her vague idea for a Character is a disgraced nurse. She’s always had a secret crush on the unconventional beauty of Carry On actress Hattie Jacques. She decides to honour this by naming her Character Hattie but picks Harker as a surname in honour of the gothic heroine of Dracula fame. She decides Hattie is unmarried and of relatively humble birth making her a Miss. Her details look like this. Name: Miss Hattie Harker

Appearance Your Courtesan’s appearance is obviously very important to her career. Your choices here are completely cosmetic and have no effect on game play (except that Hourglass waist of yours may cause you problems in Childbirth dearie!) However it is nice to know what your Lady of Pleasure looks like.

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Hair Colour

Eye Colour

Hair colour is an interesting preference amongst Gentlemen and quite varied depending on personal taste. Choose one of the following options. • Blonde: Your Courtesan’s hair is a brilliant golden colour. A colour of considerable preference to the discerning Gentleman, the lucky girl! • Brunette: Your Courtesan’s hair is a typical shade of brown. This doesn’t make her boring though! • Red Head: Your Courtesan’s hair is a fi ery red: This is a hair colour with an attached prejudice. However in the Demi Monde Red Heads are known for passion as fi ery as their locks! • Raven Haired: Your Courtesan’s hair is a sultry black. Dark hair talks of mystery and adventure to Admirers.

Eye colour can be an attractive feature but most Admirers aren’t looking at your Courtesan’s eyes! • Blue: Your Courtesan’s eyes are a sparkling blue. Amongst admirers of eye colour this is probably the most prized in a beau. • Brown: Your Courtesan’s eyes are a typical brown colour. Again being average doesn’t mean being boring. • Hazel: Your Courtesan’s eyes are an enchanting Hazel. Though not as prized as blue amongst connoisseurs Hazel eyes are quite attractive on a woman of pleasure. • Green: Your Courtesan’s eyes are an unusual Green. This marks her out as a little weird and can unfortunately get her some similarly weird Admirers.

Age The mechanics of Age shall be discussed later in Appendix 1. A starting character in the default Character Creation rules below is 18 years old. A lot of Courtesans started their trade a lot earlier than that but none was really marked as the sort of rising star in the Demi Monde that this game assumes you begin as. Best to stick to this default for your fi rst Character at least. If you wish to make a Goodbye (or are forced to) and introduce a new Character later you may want to have a bash at an older Lady. The ageing mechanics aren’t exactly complicated but it’s best to start as simply as possible: Especially if you are new to Roleplaying.

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Bust

Waist

You Ladies may think it perverse but a lot of men are very much breast men. Thus a Courtesan’s bust size is a key feature of her attractiveness. The fashion for big or small changes all the time though most Admirers don’t care for what’s in and follow their own personal desires in a Lady’s form. • Modest: Oh dear sweetheart! Your Courtesan isn’t exactly large up top is she? Still some Admirers prefer quality over quantity. • Average: Your Courtesan is no better endowed in the bust than the average woman on the street. It’s been repeated many times but average does not mean boring. • Ample: Your Courtesan has what a lewd fellow would refer to as a good handful. Plenty of hands will be fi lled an’ all! • Buxom: Ooooooh la la! Who’s a big girl? Your Courtesan has the kind of bust that Gentlemen, and I dare say a few Ladies would fl ock to snuggle up to.

A young Lady’s waistline was just as important in the Demi Monde as it is among the vulgar modern equivalent of the WAGs, if not more so. The fashion for the infamous ‘Hourglass Waist’ caused no end of medical problems and even a few fatalities. • Hourglass: Your Courtesan has achieved, through nature or corset abuse the fashionable Hourglass Waist. This makes her a most notable catch for the discerning Gentleman. • Tiny: Your Courtesan hasn’t quite achieved the diffi cult feat of the Hourglass Waist but by God she’s close! She is considerably skinny even by the standards of the time. • Average: Your Courtesan is considered a little plump but she is about the natural for a healthy Lady. Not really fashionable but who cares about a little padding when you have your health? • Child Bearing: Who’s a big girl? Your Courtesan is big and beautiful which is far more popular than one might expect.

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Example: Sarah now picks Hattie’s appearance. Diverging from her model she goes for Blonde Hair and Blue Eyes. She always considered Jacques as the English Marylyn Monroe and wants to make her Hattie a bit more Monroe like. In her outward physical shape though she sticks to the model exactly: A Buxom Bust and err... a Child Bearing Waist. She now has a picture in her mind of her big blonde beauty. Her details now look like this... Name: Miss Hattie Harker Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde Bust: Buxom Waist: Child Bearing Freaks of Nature Appearance is a free choice and one that involves options that can be combined in interesting ways for good or ill. It’s tempting to imitate the legendary Cora Pearl with Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, a Buxom Bust and an Hourglass waist and it’s perfectly acceptable to do so. Courtesans are exceptional Ladies after all. However also consider the less aesthetically pleasing of appearances as an option particularly for those Origins where appearance means little (Schemer and Goldenheart in particular.) Why be boring and go for Average, Average, Average? Play a freak of nature! You know you want to!

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Origin We all have to start somewhere and Courtesans are no exception. Where you come from defi nes who you are whether you like it or not. You must choose an Origin for your Courtesan from these vague archetypes. Here’s a quick guide to each profi le

Name:The Name of the Origin •

•

•

•

•

•

Description: A brief description of the Origin and its context in the setting of the Demi Monde. Strong Statistic: The Statistic the Origin favours. For information on how this works see Statistics. Weak Statistic: The Statistic the Origin has diffi culty with. For information on how this works see Statistics. Free Good At: Each Origin gives a Courtesan a free Good At in addition to the two she gets at the start of play. See Good At for details. Preferred Method of Procurement: See Chapter 3 for details on Procurement. A Courtesan’s Favoured Method of Procurement may be used free. Resource Bonus: Each Origin grants two points to a particular Resource. For details see Starting Resources and Chapter 3.

•

•

•

•

Resource Penalty: Each Origin subtracts one point from a particular Resource. For details see Starting Resources and Chapter 3. Special Strength: A special weakness of the Origin that provides a mechanical benefi t to taking it. Special Weakness: A special weakness of the Origin that restricts her in some way. Examples: Examples of the archetype amongst the Courtesans of history.

Stereotypes What they tend to think of each of the other Origins.

High Origins and Low Origins Actresses, Professionals and Upstarts don’t have much class so they are referred to as Low Origins. The Schemers, Goldenhearts and Fallen Ladies have standards and a position in society that can be a disadvantage.

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Actresses Description: Ever since women were allowed on the stage after the Restoration the profession has been disreputable: Mainly because of women like your Courtesan. Actresses were not paid much and many turned to prostitution to supplement their income. This led most people to believe that actress was just a polite term for prostitute. This belief was so ingrained that some theatre owners charged perverted rich men extra for a seat from which you could peak into the actresses’ changing rooms. Being a famous actress gave a Lady many tempting offers: Offers which some turned into the profession of the Courtesan. The same applied to a lesser extent to singers and dancers who can also be represented by this Origin but actresses were most notorious for this behaviour. •

•

•

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Strong Statistic: Actresses have to be able to perform in public in some way. Their Strong Statistic is Performance Weak Statistic: The stage is a vulgar place and Actresses struggle in high society. Their Weak Statistic is Manners. Free Good At: Choose from Singing, Dancing, Striptease, Playing a Musical Instrument, Comedy Acting or Tragic Acting

•

•

•

•

•

Preferred Method of Procurement: Naturally an Actress’ best way of attracting attention is through her stage appearances. Their Preferred Method of Procurement is Appearing on Stage. Resource Bonus: Actresses are public fi gures for good or ill. They get a +2 bonus to their starting Legend Resource Penalty: Actresses are disreputable, spurned by High Society and avoided by political fi gures avoiding scandal. They suffer a -1 penalty to their starting Infl uence. Special Strength: As an Actress said to a Bishop: Actresses gain a special +1 bonus that stacks with all Good Ats, to any Pleasing act where the Admirer is particularly religious (any denomination or even a “heathen” faith.) Special Weakness: Artistes!: Actresses have “Artistic temperaments” which makes them diffi cult to live with. At the end of every Contract Resolution Phase an Actress loses a dice roll of Reputation.

Examples: Probably the most famous example of the Actress Courtesan was Nell Gwyn but my personal favourite is the lesser known but by most accounts far more talented Sophia Baddeley.

Stereotypes Professionals: ‘Is fucking all you do sweetheart?’ Fallen Ladies: ‘Not so high and mighty now are we?’ Schemers: ‘Very cold fi sh.’ Goldenhearts: ‘Vain? Me? Ooooh look at my hair! Sooo shiny!’ Upstarts: ‘They came from the gutter like us but they have no talent.’

Fashionable Grammar Error It’s Actress sweetie not actor. I mean actors are alright I guess but they’re nowhere near as classy as serious Actresses like my sweet darling Sophia... Hmmmm memories...

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Professionals Description: Amongst any group of disreputable Ladies there those who do it purely for the money. These are the Professionals. They may not have the talent of an Actress or the class of a Fallen Lady but they know what men want and they’re willing to give it up for a price. Trained in the arts of love, some from as young as possible (the age of consent was 13) they carry the baggage of a life of whoring but also the experience and erotic charm. Only the highest class of whores, members of the “Convents” or “Introduction Houses” qualify for this Origin. Anything lower and you are usually a dirty, dirty Upstart. •

•

•

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Strong Statistic: Professionals have to keep themselves physically fi t and well practiced in lovemaking. Their Strong Statistic is Prowess Weak Statistic: With their focus on the physical side of things Professionals often lose sight of the intrigues whirling around them. Their Weak Statistic is Wits. Free Good At: Choose from Straight Sex, Blowjobs, Fulfi lling Fetishes, Pleasuring Women, Massage or Outright Seduction

•

•

•

•

•

Preferred Method of Procurement: Once a whore always a whore. Professionals have Attending a House of Introduction as their Preferred Method of Procurement. Resource Bonus: Professionals are known and respected around the Town. They receive a +2 bonus to their starting Reputation Resource Penalty: Professionals are, by necessity, very private Ladies. They receive a -1 Penalty to their starting Legend Special Strength: Did you hear what she did with that Fop?: Professionals start all sorts of rumours that boost their standing on The Town. At the end of each Contract Resolution Phase they gain a dice roll of Reputation. Special Weakness: Baggage: Professionals have been at this game for some time and have doubtless got the scars to prove it. A Professional starts with either a child (maybe handicapped but handicapped or not you have to keep him or her with the usual penalties and bonuses see Childbirth and Children*) or an additional point of Scandal. Either needs addressing in the Character’s Background.

Example: Elizabeth Armistead is probably the most famous example of a Professional. She started at the highest class establishment possible and made the small step into becoming a full Courtesan. She ended up marrying her long time lover Charles James Fox. In secret at fi rst before revealing to the world one of the most touching stories of true love to come out of the 18th Century let alone the Demi Monde. *For now all you really need to worry about is that a Handicapped Child grants you +1 Legend for each year of its life so far.

Stereotypes Actresses: ‘I met an Actress once, very game girl. A good night was had by all. Especially when her Gentleman friend caught us and joined in!’ Fallen Ladies: ‘Seriously? You’ve never done this with a girl before?’ Schemers: ‘Too much thinking sweetheart. It’s not good for your complexion.’ Goldenhearts: ‘Immoral? Me? You shagged that banker and gave it all to the criminal classes. At least I don’t fund thieves with my earnings.’ Upstarts: ‘Fucking sewer scum polluting my fucking parlour!’

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Fallen Ladies Description: The Ladies of the aristocracy (and upper middle classes) are expected to be paragons of Ladylike virtue. A few are: most aren’t. Those who aren’t and get caught are often driven by the Scandal into the profession of the Courtesan. Having fallen out of the dizzy heights of the noble meat market some fall into despair, drink and laudanum that they will never be the respectable married Lady they expected to be. Others however rejoice at their new found independence. Although they are nowhere near as worldly as their humbler Sisters and can come across as a bit naive they adapt to the Demi Monde soon enough. It is a real education for them even if it is not quite what they are used to. •

•

•

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Strong Statistic: Fallen Ladies are well bred madams. Their Strong Statistic is Manners. Weak Statistic: Fallen Ladies may have some education on an instrument but the arts in general are seen as a common woman’s thing. Their Weak Statistic is Performance Free Good At: Choose from Polite Conversation, Recognising Pedigree, Spreading Rumours, Fan Signalling, Subtle Seduction or Politicking.

•

•

•

•

•

Preferred Method of Procurement: Fallen Ladies are at their best meddling in those old circles that will still accept them. Their Preferred Method of Procurement is Attending High Society Soirees. Resource Bonus: Though disgraced Fallen Ladies still have a considerable fortune. They gain a +2 bonus to their starting Wealth Resource Penalty: Fallen Ladies aren’t that popular on the Town as they are seen as rich amateurs. They suffer a -1 penalty to their starting Reputation. Special Strength: A Title is Credit Enough: A Fallen Lady reduces the cost of all Investments that cost multiple Wealth Points by 1. Special Weakness: Condoms? What are they?: Fallen Ladies are not as worldly as their Sisters. They may never benefi t from the Contraception rules.

Example: Paradoxically famous Fallen Ladies are few and far between. Perhaps the upper classes didn’t like to admit they were at it too? Harriette Wilson’s friend then rival Lady Julia Johnstone is probably the best example I can fi nd.

Stereotypes Actresses: ‘I wish I could do all that in front of people.’ Professionals: ‘You mean..? Ladies..? Do that...? TOGETHER?’ Schemers: ‘You may be common but you get the idea.’ Goldenhearts: ‘Terribly misguided but such sweet girls.’ Upstarts: ‘Do you know how much this dress cost? Back to the workhouse with you girl!’

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Schemers Description: Not all Courtesans are in it for the money, the pleasure or even the fame and fortune. Some are in it for the power. These are the Schemers. Shrewd politically minded hussies who target the powerful and the pompous for their dainty hands to guide the reins of power. A Schemer is normally neither in the best of health nor even particularly attractive. However she exudes the powerful charisma of a woman who wore the trousers. This can be offputting to Admirers. Most men of the time didn’t like their Lady friends to be too demanding and controlling. A pliant Goldenheart or Fallen Lady is much more up their street. However some men in power did fi nd Schemers fascinating even going so far as to marry them. Schemers were the most powerful women in the country with wives of the great and good taking a second place as they just had ONE man to infl uence. •

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Strong Statistic: Schemers need a razor sharp minds and quick reactions. Their Strong Statistic is Wits. Weak Statistic: Schemers spend so long training their minds their bodies suffer a little. Their Weak Statistic is Prowess. Free Good At: Choose from Politicking, Polite Conversation, Blackmail, Pillow Talk, Subtle Seduction or Spreading Rumours.

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Preferred Method of Procurement: Schemers sidle their way into key political events to ensure they only get those Admirers with the requisite Infl uence. Their Preferred Method of Procurement is Attending Political Gatherings. Resource Bonus: Schemers have a natural affi nity for gaining power. They receive +2 bonus to their starting Infl uence. Resource Penalty: Schemers are naturally very private Ladies. They suffer a -1 penalty to their starting Legend. Special Strength: A Word in Your Ear: A Schemer may reduce the cost of Infl uence Investments that cost multiple Infl uence Points by 1. Special Weakness: Paranoid: Schemers have serious trust issues. Whenever a Schemer is called upon to make a Wits based roll during the 7 Turns roll a dice. On a 1 the Schemer is convinced that a random innocent Sister is conspiring against her and must act accordingly.

Example: Lady Emma Hamilton mistress of Nelson and wife of an archaeological pioneer and ambassador is probably the most famous Schemer. Although she had the ear of Gladstone (and she wasn’t the only whore to do so by some accounts) Catherine “Skittles” Walters was an Upstart by virtue of her very humble background and Catholicism.

Stereotypes Actresses: ‘Yes very pretty dear. But what do you achieve? Nothing!’ Professionals: ‘Hanky panky isn’t the real skill. Pillow Talk is!’ Fallen Ladies: ‘You made the right choice my Lady. This is where the true power lies.’ Goldenhearts: ‘Why help the scum? It’s their own stupid fault.’ Upstarts: ‘You’re rising to a greater power than your ill bred mind can fathom. Sure you can handle it? If not I know a good tavern you could hang around sucking cock.’

Multiclassing It seems that Catherine ‘Skittles’ Walters is in fact both an Upstart and a Schemer. She has humble origins but as a lifelong Whig member and ‘personal friend’ of Gladstone she clearly had some political aims. So you may be asking ‘Where are the Multiclass rules?’ Sorry there aren’t any. This isn’t a game about fully rounded characters like dear ‘Skittles’ it’s about cartoon high society harlots bitching over the best Admirers. Your Courtesans will be much more two dimensional than any of the examples given. herself!

Votes for Women? Towards the end of the Victorian period the women’s suffrage movement was beginning to take shape. Prostitutes of all classes were very active in this cause led by none other than ‘Skittles’ herself!

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Goldenhearts Description: Not all Courtesans are wicked women. Some genuinely want to help people and change the world for the better. These are the Goldenhearts: The “tarts with hearts” of legend. They sacrifi ce their good names and virtues for a good that, they believe, transcends conventional morality. In the bitchy backstabbing world of the Courtesan they may seem out of place but their Sisters tolerate them if not outright embrace them. Goldenhearts can come from any social class but most have had a strong religious upbringing and possibly a brief career in nursing or philanthropy before scandal forced them into the life of a Courtesan. A Goldenheart is the most likely Origin to “make good” and end up marrying for love and leaving the profession for good: A happy ending for happy Ladies who have a long and blissful time to repent for their “sins.” Yeah right! •

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Strong Statistic: Goldenhearts are friendly and outgoing. Their Strong Statistic is Charm. Weak Statistic: Goldenhearts are too friendly and gregarious to raise their voices in anger. Their Weak Statistic is Spite Free Good At: Choose from Acts of Charity, Resisting Seduction, Polite Conversation, Talking To Children, Emotional Blackmail or Midwifery.

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Preferred Method of Procurement: Goldenhearts have an unusual Preferred Method of Procurement. They Attend Charity Dos. Resource Bonus: Most Courtesans are real bitches but the public love the tart with a heart myth. Goldenhearts start with a +2 bonus to their starting Legend. Resource Penalty: Goldenhearts are not exactly popular on the Town. They suffer a -1 penalty to their starting Reputation. Special Strength: Waifs and Strays: At the beginning of a Childbirth Phase in which she herself is not giving birth a Goldenheart may adopt a waif and stray from the one of the workhouses or orphanages. The uber Christian managers of such places aren’t exactly keen on the child being adopted by a harlot but they are over run and at least she has lots of money and class and can provide a good home. Roll a dice for the Age and Health of the Child (if handicapped it is the Player’s choice which.) He or she (Player’s choice again) now counts as the Courtesan’s child for all game purposes from here on in.

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As an extra incentive each time this ability is used the Goldenheart gains a dice roll of Legend. The Landlady or the Player can think up a name it doesn’t really matter. Special Weakness: Moral Standards: Goldenhearts are principled moral women (for a particular defi nition of morals). They may never opt to Abort a Pregnancy.

Schemers: ‘We really can change things my dear but do you really have to use such base methods?’ Upstarts: ‘Oh sweetie come here I understand I really... oooh! Where are you putting your hand madam? No don’t stop, I fi nd that remarkably... Oooooh my!’

Example: The tart with a heart is all over fi ction but it is more of literary than a historical archetype. The closest example I could fi nd was Cora Pearl. Not because she was particularly charitable but because she had a very strong moral sense and renounced her old life for the profession so as not to bring shame upon her family. Even though she was the victim of a crime that wasn’t her fault! The tragedy of a story like Cora’s makes a nice change from the merry heart of gold harlots of literature. By all means play a literary Goldenheart ala Moll Flanders but a Goldenheart confronted with shame and self doubt makes a nice change from the archetype.

Stereotypes Actresses: ‘Vanity thy name is Actress.’ Professionals: ‘Just discerning and pure hearted GENTLEMEN for me if you don’t mind my dear.’ Fallen Ladies: ‘So much wealth wasted on such a pretentious tart.’

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Upstarts Description: The Courtesan was the ultimate social climber but some had further to climb than others. Prejudice against some for reasons of background is still around but think how much worse it was in the time of the Demi Monde. Even within outcast societies there are outcasts. The reasons why the Upstarts are outcast are extremely stupid. Perhaps she is a workhouse girl? Or a freed slave? Or the daughter of really common commoners? Or God forbid a Catholic! See what I mean about stupid prejudices? Anyway the point is the Upstart has worked damn hard to get where she is and she’s still treated like dirt. Any wonder that they are the bitchiest and hard hearted of Courtesans? •

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Strong Statistic: Having fought hard all their lives Upstarts are bitter and twisted. They’re Strong Statistic is Spite Weak Statistic: Gutter trash talk like gutter trash. Upstart’s Weak Statistic is Manners Free Good At: Choose from Spreading Rumours, Blackmail, Creative Swearing, Outright Seduction, Discretion, Making a Scene Preferred Method of Procurement: Upstarts are all about ostentatious and unladylike display. Their Preferred Method of Procurement is Making a

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Gaudy Public Appearance Resource Bonus: Her humble Origins and how she has risen to her current status is a Scandal in itself. An Upstart gains a +2 bonus to her starting Scandal. Resource Penalty: There ain’t much Rhino at the bottom of the heap girl! An Upstart suffers a -1 penalty to her starting Wealth. Special Strength: Spare Us a Guinea Love: Upstarts get an additional +1 bonus in trust based Intrigues against Goldenhearts by exploiting their good nature. This stacks with any Good Ats. Special Weakness: What do you Expect?: People will believe the wildest rumours about Upstarts. When Spreading Rumours about an Upstart as an Intrigue a Courtesan gets a special +1 bonus that stacks with any other bonuses to her roll.

Example: No Courtesan’s rise to glory was a scandalous as that of Catharine ‘Skittles’ Walters. The illegitimate daughter of an Irish dock hand and a washerwoman and a Catholic no less. Yet she rose to have the ear of 4 time Prime Minister (and self appointed ‘saviour of immoral women’) William Gladstone.

Stereotypes Actresses: ‘Think you’re pretty bitch? We’ll see how pretty you are when you’ve got shit all over your face.’ Professionals: ‘Not all of my hard work was on my back unlike you madam.’ Fallen Ladies: ‘Fuck you Lady Muck!’ Schemers: ‘A couple of your tricks could see me through. Did I mention I had the Prime Minister call in for tiffi n last week?’ Goldenhearts: ‘God ain’t in my bedroom sweetheart. Just you and me... well maybe a friend or two later if you like.’

Vulgar Slang Players of Upstarts may wish to use authentic period slang. Slang dictionaries are available online though a pretty extensive one is provided in our sister game Tough Justice. Other origins (particularly Actresses) may slip into it from time to time but generally they have more class than that. This is the preserve of the Upstart fi rst and foremost.

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Example: Sarah thinks her initial concept of a disgraced Nurse fits best with a Goldenheart. She makes a note that she has picked Midwifery as her free Good At, which fits with the nurse concept and moves on. Her details now look like this. Name: Miss Hattie Harker Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde Bust: Buxom Waist: Child Bearing Origin: Goldenheart Good At: Midwifery

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Statistics All roleplaying games use Statistics to measure a Character’s effectiveness in certain areas. Unlike other roleplaying games with their pages and pages of Statistics Courtesans has been narrowed down to the 6 most important areas to a Courtesan. They are as follows. •

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Manners: To mix with the great and the good you must watch your tongue girl. Not to mention it is vital that one knows which cutlery to use on which course. Manners represents your Courtesan’s ability to adopt or at least mimic the courtesies of polite society as well as her ability to keep her composure and control her desires.

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Charm: It’s not enough just to be polite. You must smile, you must fl irt, you must giggle and most important of all you must radiate your beauty. Your Courtesan’s Charm represents a combination of her winning personality and good looks which she doubtless employs to her advantage. Wits: Not enough that you are great in the sack or have a winning smile. You need to keep your mind sharp girl: There are people out to get you! Your Courtesan’s Wits represents her reaction to Intrigue and perception of the world around her. Spite: It’s a bitchy world and no one does bitchy like a good Courtesan. Learn how to spread the hate as well as the love girl: You’ll need it to survive! Your Courtesan’s Spite represents her ability to get bitchy, gossip and title tattle. Performance: All the world’s a stage? Well the Demi Monde certainly is. Trust me dearie there are few better ways to a Gentleman’s heart than to put on a good show for him. Your Courtesan’s Performance represents her skill and knowledge of performing arts of all kinds.

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Prowess: What’s the point of all that sweet talk if you can’t perform come bedtime? Keep yourself in practice and fi ghting fi t my girl, it’ll do you good. Your Courtesan’s Prowess represents her skill at the physical arts of love as well as her general physical fi tness.

Your Courtesan starts with 18 points to split between her six Statistics. Strong and Weak Statistics When making a roll with your Courtesan’s Strong Statistic roll two dice and pick the highest result. When making a roll with your Courtesan’s Weak Statistic roll two dice and pick the lowest result. This represents your Origin based strengths and weaknesses. If two Courtesans are competing with Strong or Weak Statistics they cancel each other out and the roll is made as normal. Strong against Weak or Weak against Strong has no additional effect.

Min Maxing You’ll notice with 18 points you can get an average score of 3 in every Statistic. BORING! Other roleplaying games encourage this balanced point spending emphasising that all-rounders are more realistic. Forget realism! Min Max to your heart’s content. You are playing an exceptional cartoon harlot!

Example: Sarah takes a good look at the Statistics and what they mean before deciding how to spend them. As Charm is her Strong Statistic she fills it to the brim with a score of 5. She realises a Nurse will need to be physically up to her job so she takes 4 points of Prowess. Though not exactly politically savvy or of immaculate breeding Sarah gives Hattie average scores of 3 in Manners and Wits. She takes 2 points in performance, she’s tried a bit of acting and musical instrument playing but it isn’t really her thing. This leaves one point for Spite which is her Weak Statistic anyway! Her details now look like this... Name: Miss Hattie Harker Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde Bust: Buxom Waist: Child Bearing Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 3 Charm: 5 Wits: 3 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 4 Good At: Midwifery

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Good At Everyone is a Good At something and Courtesans are no different. Being Good At something in this game grants you a +1 bonus to all rolls involving that activity. Furthermore through extensive experience in an activity one can become Very Good at it granting a +2 bonus. You already have one free Good At from your Origin. You may choose two more Good Ats of your own free choice. This is subject to Landlady discretion. If the Landlady thinks it is too generally applicable she may veto it. You may not start with any Very Good Ats but you may acquire them in play (See Chapter Six.) Example: Sarah decides on her Good Ats. She already has Midwifery from her Origin. Rather boringly she picks two others from the typical Goldenheart list. Hattie feels a great shame from the grim fate of her first lover and that she didn’t share it and thus has become Good At Resisting Seduction. She is also a very charitable person so Sarah picks Acts of Charity for her second Good At. Her details now look like this... Starting in Debt It is quite possible for your Courtesan to start with a Resource in Debt I.E a Resource value in the negative. It is recommended that you avoid this what with the penalties for such a debt (see Chapter 3) but you can always build yourself out of it through play.

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Name: Miss Hattie Harker Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde Bust: Buxom Waist: Child Bearing Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 3 Charm: 5 Wits: 3 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 4 Good At: Midwifery, Resisting Seduction, Acts of Charity

Starting Resources The object of Courtesans is to acquire Resources. There are 5 Resources Legend, Reputation, Wealth, Infl uence and Scandal. Exactly how they work will be described in Chapter 3. For now all you need to worry your pretty head about is how much of each you start with. Follow the following procedure. 1.

Split 12 points between Legend, Reputation, Wealth and Infl uence as appropriate to your Background. Unlike Statistic you do not have to have any points in a Resource. You can even start in Resource Debt if you let your modifi ers come into play. For more information on Resource Debt see Chapter 3.

2. Add one point to Scandal. This represents the Scandal that started your Career. Examples of Scandalous behaviour can be found in Chapter 3. Bear in mind however that these are what is Scandalous for a Courtesan. Before she gains her fi rst point of Scandal the Character is not a Courtesan: Something as innocent as losing your virginity outside of marriage is enough for the initial Scandal Point. It may not even be your fault! 3. Add your Courtesan’s Resource Bonus. 4. Subtract your Courtesan’s Resource Penalty. 5. If your Courtesan is a Professional and opts for the Scandal Point add it now. Remember to justify it in the Courtesan’s background. It has to be something that would scandalise a Courtesan. Example: Sarah now has to establish Hattie’s starting Resources. She follows the steps. Step 1: Sarah decides that Hattie is a minor celebrity for her good works as much as for the scandal of her fall. She puts 6 points into Legend. She’s very much new on the Town but news of the naughty things she got up to abroad and to purchase her passage back travels fast.

She puts 3 points into Reputation. Having just got off the boat Hattie can only just about afford her first year’s rent. Sarah puts no points into Wealth. Hattie is quite well connected with the establishment despite being ‘damaged goods’ Sarah puts the remaining 3 points into Influence. Hattie’s Resources stand at: Legend: 6 Reputation: 3 Wealth: 0 Influence: 3

Scandalous Origin The two extra points of Scandal that an Upstart gets from her Origin refl ect nothing more than her humble beginnings or membership of a minority. Meanwhile a Professional doesn’t really need a background reason for their initial Point of Scandal. She pretty much chose whore as a vocation, it doesn’t get much more scandalous than that! Her bonus Scandal, if she chooses to take one, rather than a Child, does require Background explanation. Just to make it clear you may have no more points of Scandal at the start than your Initial 1+ any modifi ers for Resource Bonus / Special.

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Step 2: Sarah adds the Scandal Point which she will explain in her Background. Her Resources stand at...

Step 5: Is skipped because Hattie isn’t a Professional.

Legend: 6 Reputation: 3 Wealth: 0 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1

Name: Miss Hattie Harker Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde Bust: Buxom Waist: Child Bearing Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 3 Charm: 5 Wits: 3 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 4 Good At: Midwifery, Resisting Seduction, Acts of Charity Legend: 8 Reputation: 2 Wealth: 0 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1

Step 3: Sarah adds 2 Points to Hattie’s Legend. Her Resources stand at... Legend: 8 Reputation: 3 Wealth: 0 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1 Step 4: Sarah subtracts 1 Point from Hattie’s Reputation. Her Resources stand at... Legend: 8 Reputation: 2 Wealth: 0 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1

Hattie’s details now look like this:

Sexuality in the Demi Monde Homosexuality was still a crime and a pretty severe one at that during the time of the Demi Monde. In our sister game Tough Justice the author pointed out that ‘sodomy’ was in fact a capital crime during the 1700s. This historical fact must however be balanced with the spirit of the game and the secretive nature of the Demi Monde. A Courtesan revealed as having slept with a woman or having allowed a man to have anal sex with her will not be prosecuted and removed from play unless the Player is looking for an excuse to retire her Character (see Goodbyes in Chapter Six, though having your unloved Character hanged for sodomy is pretty mean even by the standards of Courtesans Players.) She will however doubtless suffer some Scandal Points. If you own Tough Justice you may well have your Courtesan turn up in the Dock for a special appearance to crossover the two games. Do be prepared to lose her to the noose though!

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Background Some Roleplayers write epic novel length back stories, others just note down a few key moments. This game can accommodate either or anything in between though as this game is less than serious Miss Epic Tale of Woe may fi nd herself mocked mercilessly by her fellow Players. All in good fun though. Bitchiness is for in character only honey! A few points for consideration... • • • •

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How was your Courtesan brought up? How did your Courtesan come to adopt the profession? Is she troubled or happy in her new life? As an adjunct to this what are her religious views? Remember though it was no longer illegal from the late 1600s onwards few were outright atheists though not everyone was exactly pious. Most Ladies will be some form of Christian but more exotic back stories bring more exotic faiths into play. What of her sexuality? Is she defi nitely in one particular orientation or another or is she confused?

Example: Sarah has now come to decide on a Background for Hattie. She comes up with this tragic tale...

Hattie Harker was the daughter of a Methodist minister Rev. Joseph Harker and his wife Mrs Jessica Harker. She was always told as she was growing up that her mother was nurse and being the good natured and pious child she was she was keen to follow in her mother’s footsteps. At 16 she volunteered to serve as a trainee nurse in a charity hospital in India. As something of a hopeless romantic she dreamed of being swept off her feet by some dashing virtuous Prince Charming. Her dreams came true. Well sort of... It was a princess. Irene was the daughter of a surgeon and nurse. She had all of Hattie’s good nature but none of her religious or moral convictions. Hattie was deeply troubled by her attraction to Irene retreating into a vigil of prayer that took up almost all of her free time. Though not much older Irene was more experienced with the secretive art of seducing women. Taking great care of her fears and insecurities she gently befriended Hattie and put her at ease before taking her to bed. Irene was practiced in discretion. Hattie was not, especially as she was madly in love. The other nurses started to talk. A report was made and the local watch caught them together. Both were tried for sodomy.

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The writing was on the wall for the notoriously amoral Irene and she was found guilty. The Jury however refused to believe that a girl whose convictions and morals had been highlighted throughout was guilty. The jury found her not guilty on the grounds that she was coerced. Hattie was dragged from the court screaming protestations of love and demanding the jury reconsider as Irene was sentenced to hang .She wanted to die with her love. Instead she was sent home in disgrace: With no future in nursing and a doubly soiled reputation. A misunderstanding over the East India Company’s prices had her pay her outstanding fee with her virginity (well virginity with a man anyway) and frequent ‘payment visits’ to the bullying officers throughout the duration of the cruise. Her father cut off all contact. Her mother however did not.She wrote an affectionate letter to her daughter that was a real revelation. She was, as Hattie’s father insisted, a nurse but after a proposition from a grateful patient she adopted prostitution as a sideline. Hattie being disgraced by the scandal couldn’t hope to find a husband conventionally. However if she adopted a life of sin a good man may save her from it just as her father had saved her mother.

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She gave Hattie some names of people to get her started. These people, flattered to have the honour of introducing such a scandalous legend to the Town directed her to 69 Frothington Place where she came to meet her new Sisters. Hattie is still a good Christian girl at heart. Worst still she is wracked with guilt for having escaped the fate of her beloved Irene whose picture she keeps on a bracelet on her wrist. She prays every night for her Prince Charming to save her from this debauchery. A princess won’t do this time.

Gathering a House Courtesans can be played with just the Landlady and one Player but it works best with between 2 and 6 Players. You have a House full of Sisters played by the other Players. Character Creation is run as above for each of these Players.

Origin Mix In the example all 6 origins are represented. This is, of course, perfect world fantasy. You are far more likely to have multiples of one Origin. There is no particular problem with this just make sure they are different enough to make things interesting.

In Character Knowledge Clearly everyone has read everyone else’s Character Sheet and Background but the full details of each Character’s past maybe obfuscated from her Sisters. Decide amongst each other how much is known by the Courtesan in question. Particularly dippy Characters like Lady Jessica may even miss the completely Now you have a House full of harlots obvious. it’s time to work just how catty they are to each other. Have your Players pass around each other’s Backgrounds and Character Sheets. Example: Also in Bernadette’s game are Mary, Jane, Louise, Coco and Daisy. They also have created Characters using the process above. Their details will be displayed shortly.

Relationships

Then let them discuss their Character’s feelings towards each other. Both players must agree on their Character’s relationship then sum it up is a witty remark somewhat like those of the Stereotypes above. Example: The Players have a look at each other’s Sheets and Backgrounds and decide to mutual agreement what each thinks of the other. Coming up with the witty remarks really helps practice getting into Character and is very amusing for all parties. What about My Equipment? Though Wealth is represented by a Resource there are no equipment rules in this game. Things like fi ne dresses, jewellery and perfumes are represented by Investing in your Statistics at the end of a Season.

Building Relationships Probably best that none of your Courtesans start off attached to each other. Attracted is fi ne but actually regularly sleeping together is a bit much. They have only just met and anyway the fun is in the anticipation darling! I was willing to make an exception in one case during the Playtest. Mind you, that was a mockery of the twins fetish!

Character Creation Complete So the process of Character Creation is now complete and we have 69 Frothington Road all ready to face the Demi Monde. As a treat here presented are the Ladies themselves. Feel free to use them in your own games or steal their story tropes for your own Courtesan.

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Mary’s Character

Name: Mrs Lilly LaVonte Eye Colour: Brown, Hair Colour: Red Head, Bust: Modest, Waist: Tiny Origin: Actress Manners: 2 Charm: 3 Wits: 2 Spite: 3 Performance: 5 Prowess: 3 Good At: Tragic Acting, Singing, Spreading Rumours Legend: 12 Reputation: 1 Wealth: 1 Influence: -1 Scandal: 1 Lilly LaVonte is a darling of the London stage. When her name tops the bill by God do you get bums on seats! Theatre is in her blood. Her mother Alice DuMarche was an actress: One of the few straight laced actresses who didn’t whore themselves in fact. She married Abraham Cohen a banker of Jewish stock but kept her maiden name as it was classier than Cohen (no offence darling!)She was determined that her beloved daughter Lilly should follow her as a serious actress and an example of virtue to all the sorry harlots who in Alice’s opinion degraded the reputation of the profession. She got off to a good start. She found comedy difficult to understand (her mother called her emotionally retarded and humourless during her artistic temper tantrums before blaming her stuffy father for it) but her angelic singing voice and talent for the tragic classics ensured a steady stream of honest work. Like many actresses she fell in love with an idealistic young director Henry LaVonte. Being such a straight laced girl she courted him respectfully and they soon married.She suspected something wrong on their wedding night. He was nice enough but she got the distinct impression that he didn’t really want to be with her. Their love life was somewhat irregular from then on in.

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She complained to him and he made her a most ungentlemanly offer. Seeing as she was his wife and property he would ‘loan’ her to his friends. She protested that she wouldn’t break her marriage vows but he reminded her about the ‘love, honour and obey’ part. So grudgingly she accepted the paying lovers. Learning a bit more finesse than her less than interested husband ever had shown her. Despite the coldness between them and her forced infidelity Lilly was determined to make her marriage work. She wanted the loaning to stop and for them to have a child together. She was about to confront him with her demand when she found out why he was so cold towards her. He was arrested, tried and executed as a sodomite. Lilly was outraged. She had been used as a cloak of respectability by the man she loved and now his secret was out her reputation was ruined forever. The theatre work was still coming in but it wasn’t paying enough to support a hempen widow with a husband’s debts to pay off and a now ailing mother. She appealed to the men who loaned her and one suggested that she take up being a Courtesan in order to pay off the debts. He directed her to 69 Frothington Road where she was made to feel right at home by her new Sisters. Her mother is saddened by the necessities of her daughter’s misfortune but appreciates that she is doing it for her wellbeing as well as her own. Lilly is bitter against sodomy the “disgusting perversion” that forced her into this mess. She has started to attend Chapel and the minister has invited her to speak on the subject soon.

Relationships

Bella: “Hmpf! Women like this harlot are the exact reason why mother warned me to be a decent respectable actress. She’s a complete airhead who would acquiesce to the basest of pervasions for the right price. How such a classless whore could rise so high I’ll never know. Still I’ll give her some credit. She is devoted to that little spastic daughter of hers. Even that is misguided though. How can a house of sin with a skeleton staff take care of a mite with her difficult needs? She has yet to explain this to me or to any of the others who have such misgivings.”

Lucy: “That papist, tater munching, bog trotting, sodomising little slut! Bella at least simply shows no preference for men or women and Hattie, well as I said she’s such a confused emotional mess at the moment but Mrs McBrien I haven’t the slightest sliver of sympathy for. Oh she’s had men, she was presumably even married once but it is all an act. Everyone on the Town knows she is the foremost Lady’s Lady in the city. Personally I wouldn’t even call her a Lady with her foul mouth and scandalous disregard for propriety. ”

Jessica: “Her Ladyship has enough money to outright buy our little home I heard. Yet she spends it all on herself. Most of it isn’t hers either. What I’d give to have been born into privilege, forgiven my indiscretions and bankrolled into the Demi Monde. My Lady I had to work for my living and my social standing. You have it handed to you on a plate and you make very poor use of it.” Nora: “A beautiful, clever and ambitious girl but she has no shame. I have told her time and again it simply will not do to walk about the House half dressed or worse completely naked. I warned her that some of our Sisters have something of a taste for the female form and she just laughed at me. You would think that this supposed straight as die girl was actively seeking to be sodomised! There is one part of her body she isn’t keen on anyone looking at for too long: Her back. She has the scars of a harsh flogging. ‘Tis a shame she’s the one of the least deserving of such a punishment of all of us. I really must tell her some day that it does not detract from her beauty one bit.” Hattie: “Poor, poor sweet, confused little Hattie. Seduced by damnable sodomite to the point where she believed she had found true love. In a slut of a nurse no less! She’s got a good head on her shoulders though. We should work together to find her a good and understanding husband so that she can truly shine like the little plump star that she is. I do keep telling her that, that slut’s picture on her bracelet isn’t doing her any favours in this aim but bless her she’s so confused.”

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Jane’s Character

Name: Miss Bella Bifford Eye Colour: Hazel, Hair Colour: Brunette, Bust: Ample, Waist: Average Origin: Professional Manners: 2 Charm: 4 Wits: 1 Spite: 3 Performance: 3 Prowess: 5 Good At: Blow Jobs, Pleasuring Women, Outright Seduction Legend: 2 Reputation: 9 Wealth: 3 Influence: 2 Scandal: 1 Children: 1 girl by Mr Reginald Stewardson (Gentleman Pimp) Kirsty Age: 2, Health: 1 Cerebral Palsy. Bella has been in the business for as long as she’s been legal. Rising from a Dell in a Whitechapel bawdy house to the very high class ‘convent.’ She is famously unfussy about her lovers, young, old, attractive, ugly, men, women, it’s all the same to her. She has a whale of a time and does her work for the sheer enjoyment of it.

It was also a heated argument about Kirsty that proved the final straw with the “convent” and saw Bella leave it for good. Through her stellar reputation she got herself a place at 69 Frothington Road. Though Kirsty is a challenge many of her sisters would rather not have they accept her for the most part. Bella isn’t particularly religious but her devotion to her little girl borders on worship at times. She goes to chapel with Hattie but only to humour her. She transcends sexuality, willing to accept any kink or perversion that her client desires. Except if excrement or children are involved. At which point she’s not afraid to call the watch. Among the Sisters of 69 Frothington Road Bella is by far the most experienced and her lack of discretion for selecting her Admirers along with the sheer quantity of them ensures that she continues to hold the position unchallenged. Though some have their issues with her she keeps her Sisters amused with tales of her bawdy experiences throughout nights where none of them are entertaining.

Though naturally charming she can seem hardened and uncaring to some of her clients. She has good reason to be. At 16 she had her first child by her pimp Reginald Stewardson. A little girl called Kirsty. It was a particularly difficult birth which was unusual for such a healthy young woman. Worst still there was something wrong with little Kirsty. She was born with what we now call Cerebral Palsy. The term at the time was not nearly so sanitised. Her bawd and all her friends were constantly pressuring her to send Kirsty to this home or that and get on with her life but from the moment she laid eyes on her darling flawed little girl she knew she couldn’t just abandon her. Kirsty’s father disappeared shortly after her birth. Rumours about the town are that Bella murdered him and dumped his body in the Thames when he threatened to drown Kirsty during a tiff.

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Relationships Lilly: “Thinks she’s better than us all just because she can speak proper like on a stage an’ all. Well let me tell you love I don’t care if your Cordelia made the Prince of Wales cry, I don’t care if your Juliette was praised by Sophia Baddeley herself. You’re a whore now just like the rest of us. Oh and don’t think I haven’t caught you glaring at my daughter like that you stuck up tart! I do feel bad about what happened to her husband I really do but it’s no excuse to treat anyone showing the remotest interest in their own gender like shit.”

Jessica: “Our Lady Muck is alright I guess. Treats us all well enough and isn’t too stuck up about her title. Do wish she’d stop talking all formal all the time though it gets on my tits. She is such an innocent for a supposed scandalous Lady and ever so curious. Not so curious about bedding women though more the pity. She’s kind enough to Kirsty though I suspect she’s just being polite. Probably met a few like her with all that inbreeding among the toffs. Though they tend to shut them away so maybe not.” Nora: “My God I want that body in my bed! ‘Tis a shame its owner is such a complete bitch. I mean, you know me, I always try to see the best in people but ye gods her stunning appearance is all that’s going for her. She has all the pretentions of nobility that are curiously absent from Jessica. We’ve all seen your scars love! You ain’t so high class! Oh that’s one more thing I approve of. Her habit of walking around starkers: Phwoar got to have some of that! Kirsty makes her feel uneasy. I can understand that but she could at least try to put on a show of tolerance. I caught her nearly kicking her the other day. Bitch!

Hattie: “Darling, darling Hattie. Okay she’s not much of a looker in the conventional sense. Bit plump and, though she’s a blue eyed blonde, quite plain featured. But she is the kindest and sweetest girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I remember when she first came here. She was in such a state. It was terrible what happened to Irene. From the portrait it looks like she and Hattie were well suited. She’s settled in well though. She adores Kirsty almost as much as I do and is gracious enough to help me out with her care. I want to bed Hattie. With her sweetness and large French shelf that goes without saying but I have this strange longing for something... different. Oh God do you think I’m falling in love?” Lucy: “She needs more cock action. Seriously! I mean don’t get me wrong I like a good tumble with a pretty girl as much as the next whore but I also like some variety. I don’t get girls who just do girls at all! I mean even Hattie whose true love was a girl is giving Gentlemen more of a serious go than Lucy who only takes the occasional Gentleman caller for appearances’ sake. Rumour is she doesn’t even do anything with them. She was married once. They say she killed her husband. I know how that feels. She ignores Kirsty which is a shame because I think the little darling quite likes her.”

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Louise’s Character Name: Lady Jessica Silver Eye Colour: Green, Hair Colour: Raven Haired, Bust: Average, Waist: Hourglass Origin: Fallen Lady Manners: 5 Charm: 5 Wits: 3 Spite: 2 Performance: 1 Prowess: 2 Good At: Polite Conversation, Recognising Pedigree, Witty Banter Legend: 0 Reputation: -1 Wealth: 11 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1 Lady Jessica Silver was at one point described in Town and Country magazine as ‘the most eligible spinster in England’. That was until she ran off with a drummer boy from the King’s German Legion.

It was quite the scandal amongst the upper classes but any press reports of it were suppressed by her influential father to spare her shame. When, inevitably, soldier boy abandoned her Jessica was astonished to find her family welcoming her back with open arms. Her father explained that he, contrary to her perception of him, was a modern man with modern morals to match. As the scandal was prolific enough to shock the upper classes, there was no way that he would be able to find a suitable husband for her in the conventional way. Instead he wrote her a cheque and put her in touch with a very special old Lady friend Mrs Emily Harcourt. She was expecting some sort of governess, nurse or midwife trainer.Not the Courtesan who took her father’s virginity. She panicked and ran back home. Her father reassured her that the profession was seldom lifelong and that through it she may find someone eligible who would be bold enough to marry her. This was reassuring. Though not a pious Lady by any means Jessica believed deeply that sex must be an expression of love and that money cheapens it.

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However her inability to control her own spending and love of money means that idealism is soon becoming a thing of the past. In the first days of her career she was intent on making it as short as possible. Restricting herself to unmarried men and ending up begging to be ‘saved.’ None of them were so inclined and were quickly frightened off. As she started to lose custom she was slowly convinced by her sisters to relax a little. Her recent move to 69 Frothington Road represents a big step on the road to accepting the lifestyle scandal forced her into. She is as straight as a die and although she has the prejudices of her upbringing and station she is not spiteful enough to be in your face about them. Relationships Lilly: “A strange woman Mrs LaVonte but then stage folk are often highly strung to say the least. I mean for example the other day she was going on about her Cordelia making the Prince of Wales cry. I asked if Cordelia was a Lady friend and she swore at me. It was a perfectly innocent question considering the company we keep but she snapped in to obscenity. What’s that about?” Bella: “I thought I was a slut for running off with a foreign drummer boy. Then I met Miss Bifford. She has had such an extraordinary life and she’s an exceptional storyteller that never fails to get me and the other girls giggling. She would be the first to admit that she lacks a bit of class but she makes up for it with plenty of character. I do feel uneasy about women who consent to share their beds with other women but Miss Bifford puts my uptight little mind at rest. Such a shame about her poor little daughter. I don’t think 69 Frothington Road is the best place for her but Miss Bifford wouldn’t be Miss Bifford without her darling little cripple to fawn over.”

Nora: “The perfect figure of a young woman hides a vicious and dare I say overly ambitious personality. I try my best to like Miss Noble, I really do, but dear Lord she does make it difficult at times. I do hope she is more polite to her Gentleman friends than she is to her Sisters. Well from what I hear she has to be. Talking and posturing is her foremost skill. She is apparently really poor in the bedroom. Not that I have any firsthand experience of course, ahem! Anyway she does have a somewhat embarrassing lack of modesty that can put off the other Ladies’ Admirers. She has the most curious scars on her back but whatever you do don’t mention them. She’ll bite your head off.”

Hattie: “Miss Harker is the most kind hearted, noble and Christian woman it has ever been my privilege to meet and yet she’s always beating herself up about the pettiest of things that I’m sure God will overlook even without all the desperate prayer and selflessness. She said she lost the love of her life to the gallows. How dreadful! I wonder what he did? Not that I’m saying it was his fault or anything just... you know... Anyway dreadful! Whilst she such a darling she’s not a lot to look at. Seems her Admirers see beyond that though. Lucy: “I think the others give Mrs McBrien a bit of a hard time. Yes she’s not really one of us. Common, foul mouthed, Irish, papist and errr... unusually inclined but she has done remarkably well for herself. Her marriage sounded idyllic: A real Cinderella story. I wonder what happened?”

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Coco’s Character

Name: Miss Nora Noble Eye Colour: Hazel, Hair Colour: Blonde, Bust: Buxom, Waist: Hourglass Origin: Schemer Manners: 3 Charm: 4 Wits: 5 Spite: 3 Performance: 2 Prowess: 1 Good At: Politicking, Polite Conversation, Pillow Talk Legend: 1 Reputation: 1 Wealth: 2 Influence: 8 Scandal: 1 Nora Noble is from a veritable political dynasty. Though the Nobles have no Prime Minister to their name yet they have a good few Cabinet Ministers and a glut of Privy Councillors.

On arriving she found she had new friends in the Demi Monde. Her scandalous past and incredibly fashionable looks saw her quickly established as a rising star. Though her physical frailty betrayed her in bed she soon learnt her best stratagem was to focus on the anticipation. Though clearly she wanted to make a living, having sent back all the money that her parents sent her on principal (she has also avoided contact running from them in the street despite their protestations of concern for her welfare), her main objective in enticing her admirers is a measure of political power. There is a new Noble in British politics and she is every bit as ruthless as her entire dynasty. Her recent move to 69 Frothington Road is just the first step on a dizzy ladder to true power.

Nora was always resentful that her gender barred her from taking office directly.Her parents Harold and Sophie assured her that they would find her an easily manipulated husband and a rotten borough for them. You would have thought this would have satisfied the little scheming minx but no she screamed that if she ever married she would not be a Noble and thus would credit her husband’s family rather than her own.

Like a proper Lady of power she attends Church of England services but she rarely pays attention. Morals are for the lower orders. God understands that himself: just read the Bible! She completely lacks any shame dressing in the bare minimum she can get away with in the context she is in. Gentleman callers to 69 Frothington Road have even had the door answered by a stark naked Nora. She doesn’t like people staring at the scars of her flogging though. Too many bad memories.

It was this resentment that inspired the audacious stunt that began her descent into the Demi Monde.Nora invented the persona of Norman Laud and dressed up as a man in order to run for office.Unfortunately her bodily proportions, though most fashionable nay even desirable for a young Lady don’t make for a convincing man. She was caught and brought up in front of a Magistrate.

Her sexual preference is a practical one. Only men have true political power of their own so sleeping with a woman seems completely pointless in Nora’s eyes. She is canny enough to be aware though that her lack of modesty is likely to inflame the passions of her differently inclined Sisters. Bit of kiss and threaten to tell may be good for acquiring a bit more Influence.

The sentence was harsh. She was publically stripped and flogged in front of her whole village. The shame of this was such that she couldn’t face any of her friends or family despite how surprisingly sympathetic they all were. She packed her things and set off for London.

Bit of Scandal wouldn’t hurt either.

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Relationships Lilly: “You think acting is a career? A real career? Well I suppose it’s a job but it doesn’t pay much. Oh the adulation of the crowd? I know the clientele of the theatre is going up in its profile and stature but most Theatre goers are real plebs. Who cares what they think? Who wants to be loved by them? They have no power to change things to your whim. You really miss the point of the Courtesan lark don’t you my dear? As for your whining about my attire or lack of I can wear what I wish in my own House thank you very much. If indeed I choose to wear anything at all.”

Lucy: “I find this little upstart Irish dyke trollop most amusing. If you’re looking for a reason for my minimal or even nonexistent attire in the House teasing this little minx is probably it. I don’t fancy her or anything, I’ve never seen the point in sleeping with women as they have no power in this man’s world. But the thought of that little slut ogling me then excusing herself to her room to indulge base fantasies involving the image is quite exhilarating.”

Bella: “There is the Demi Monde and then there is random whoring with no stratagem or finesse. Dear bawdy Bella definitely falls into the latter category. She’ll sleep with anyone for the right price only she’s never sure what that price is. The girl needs guidance. Someone to teach her how to manage her assets. Buggered if I’ll do it though. I know how she’ll pay me from the lustful glances she shoots at my body and I don’t fancy the reward. At least not from her. Oh and for Christ’s sake keep that annoying little spastic out of my way woman. God almighty!” Jessica: “For a supposed aristocrat she knows very little of the wielding of power. Still power does not interest her, only money. Seems the way things are with nobles these days. Oh well, all the more true power for us lowly peasants then I suppose. Her damn formal mannerisms really get on my nerves. We’re Sisters, first names unless Gentlemen are present. AND STOP STARING AT MY BACK!” Hattie: “What a sickly and pathetic creature. She’s in this game on some quest for redemption and true love or some absurdity like that. Not a lot to atone for really. She just tumbled with a nurse and got off because she was a vicar’s daughter. She doesn’t belong in the Demi Monde. She has no skill with Admirer management and her looks though pretty in a weird way are nothing like desirable.”

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Sarah’s Character

Name: Miss Hattie Harker Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde, Bust: Buxom, Waist: Child Bearing Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 3 Charm: 5 Wits: 3 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 4 Good At: Midwifery, Resisting Seduction, Acts of Charity Legend: 8 Reputation: 2 Wealth: 0 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1 Hattie Harker was the daughter of a Methodist minister Rev. Joseph Harker and his wife Mrs Jessica Harker. She was always told as she was growing up that her mother was nurse and being the good natured and pious child she was she was keen to follow in her mother’s footsteps. At 16 she volunteered to serve as a trainee nurse in a charity hospital in India. As something of a hopeless romantic she dreamed of being swept off her feet by some dashing virtuous Prince Charming. Her dreams came true. Well sort of... It was a princess. Irene was the daughter of a surgeon and nurse. She had all of Hattie’s good nature but none of her religious or moral convictions. Hattie was deeply troubled by her attraction to Irene retreating into a vigil of prayer that took up almost all of her free time. Though not much older Irene was more experienced with the secretive art of seducing women. Taking great care of her fears and insecurities she gently befriended Hattie and put her at ease before taking her to bed. Irene was practiced in discretion. Hattie was not, especially as she was madly in love. The other nurses started to talk. A report was made and the local watch caught them together. Both were tried for sodomy. The writing was on the wall for the notoriously amoral Irene and she was found guilty.

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The Jury however refused to believe that a girl whose convictions and morals had been highlighted throughout was guilty. The jury found her not guilty on the grounds that she was coerced. Hattie was dragged from the court screaming protestations of love and demanding the jury reconsider as Irene was sentenced to hang. She wanted to die with her love. Instead she was sent home in disgrace: With no future in nursing and a doubly soiled reputation. A misunderstanding over the East India Company’s prices had her pay her outstanding fee with her virginity (well virginity with a man anyway) and frequent “payment visits” to the bullying officers throughout the duration of the cruise. Her father cut off all contact. Her mother however did not. She wrote an affectionate letter to her daughter that was a real revelation. She was, as Hattie’s father insisted, a nurse but after a proposition from a grateful patient she adopted prostitution as a sideline. Hattie being disgraced by the scandal couldn’t hope to find a husband conventionally. However if she adopted a life of sin a good man may save her from it just as her father had saved her mother. She gave Hattie some names of people to get her started. These people, flattered to have the honour of introducing such a scandalous legend to the Town directed her to 69 Frothington Place where she came to meet her new Sisters. Hattie is still a good Christian girl at heart. Worst still she is wracked with guilt for having escaped the fate of her beloved Irene whose picture she keeps on a bracelet on her wrist. She prays every night for her Prince Charming to save her from this debauchery. A princess won’t do this time.

Relationships Lilly: “Lilly is not like the rest of us. Well obviously she’s still a sinner but she only does it out of misfortune that was not her fault. I do not like to speak ill of the dead but her husband was deeply wrong to use her to hide his nature even if, as I know to my shame, his life was at stake. She has had a troubled relationship with God but I got her to come to Chapel with me and Bella the first Sunday I was here and she’s never missed it ever since. She has strong views about sexuality, and that is understandable with the tragedies in her life but she really must learn tolerance. Maybe Chapel wasn’t such a good idea.”

Nora: “Nora’s god is power and the exercise of it. She doesn’t really know what do with her god she just follows it blindly wherever it will lead her. She says she has a plan but we all know different. She just likes playing with men who have influence. She spends a lot of time teasing them because, so I’ve heard she lacks the skill to please them in bed. She needs a real God. The Lord Jesus Christ to save her from her wicked, wicked ways. Oh and seeing her impressive physique displayed so brazenly all the time is not doing my struggle with my “liking girls” problem any good. I have not the courage to ask her to desist though. Anyway Lilly does all the time and gets nowhere.”

Bella: “A shameless sinner, very much the opposite of Lilly but she has been very kind to me. I remember telling her my story and showing her the portrait of my poor Irene. Clearly she’d heard the legend but she hadn’t equated it with me like most of the other girls had. Except Lady Jessica of course but she is a little eccentric. She was so sympathetic and kind I almost feared falling in love with a woman again. She assures me she has no feelings for me though I get the impression she’s struggling with some. Her daughter Kirsty is adorable. She is such a brave woman for not giving in to pressure and keeping her close despite the strain it puts on the Household.” Jessica: “Lady Jessica is a little eccentric. Then I suppose most Ladies of her station are. I get the distinct impression there is more to her than meets the eye and that the dizziness may be an act concealing a shrewd mind that knows all our innermost secrets. Maybe that’s why she is so sweet to me. She knows my inner demons.” Lucy: “She maybe a papist but she is a devoted one if somewhat misguided. She does not struggle with her demons she embraces them. Can’t recall her ever inviting a man into her boudoir. I guess there is a first time for everything though. I may not be the prettiest girl in the House but knowing Lucy as I do it will not be long before she tries her wiles on me. I must be prepared. I can master my lusts even if she is the most adorable beauty and my thoughts of her are often less than chaste.”

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Daisy’s Character Name: Mrs Lucy McBrien Eye Colour: Green, Hair Colour: Red Head, Bust: Ample, Waist: Tiny Origin: Upstart Manners: 1 Charm: 3 Wits: 3 Spite: 5 Performance: 2 Prowess: 4 Good At: Spreading Rumours, Blackmail, Pleasuring Women Legend: 5 Reputation: 5 Wealth: 0 Influence: 2 Scandal: 3

Born Lucy O’Neil in County Kerry Ireland to a pair of dedicated and devout farmers Lucy has always been a foul-mouthed tearaway. Though her Catholic faith is genuine she suspects that it’s just been beaten into her. About that, Lucy always was a naughty girl and her father believed the scripture when it said ‘spare the rod: spoil the child’ . Lucy became so accustomed to violence she began to welcome it, taking pleasure in her own suffering. This wasn’t her only deviation. Though she was one of the best looking girls in the village she wasn’t interested in the boys. Even when all her friends were going on about which fellow they would marry she would remain silent. At age 13 she freaked out her best friend Ashley and ruined their friendship forever. It was a beautiful summer’s day and they were chatting in the fields. As always they were playing with each other’s hair and making idle chatter. “So are you in love Lucy?” Asked Ashley. “Yes” replied Lucy, blushing. “Really?” Squealed Ashley surprised “You never even hinted! Who’s the lucky boy then?” Lucy sighed and stroked her friend’s face, looking into her eyes longingly. “She’s not a boy Ashley, she’s you.” Ashley stood astonished as her friend leaned in to kiss her before finally breaking into a scream. The beating Lucy’s father inflicted on her that night broke bones. But it was worth it to touch another girl’s lips. Ashley never spoke to her again: That was one of Lucy’s few regrets.

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Father Donavan the local priest wasn’t a worldly man and found Lucy and her passion most perplexing. In the end he came to the conclusion that Lucy must find a husband to cure this affliction. He was about to take her to see her parents and give them the advice when the local landowner Seamus McBrien came riding into town with his son Finnegan. “Ah good day to you vicar” called the landlord dismounting, his son followed suit. Father Donavan winced at the use of the Protestant term. “Good day sir. Tell me, what business have you in this village this day?” The priest asked. “My boy here is of age and I was wondering if there any fine young wenches who would...” The landlord turned to his son who sat on his horse staring at Lucy’s fine form. “It seems he has a favourite.” chuckled the Landlord. He turned to Lucy who curtseyed respectfully. “Tell me young maid what is your name?” “Lucy sir” she said in a tone that was almost mocking. “Tell me Miss” asked the Landlord “how would you like to be the Mistress of that son of mine?” “Mistress!” Cried the son “I want to marry the girl!” The Landlord laughed “don’t be foolish, she’s just a peasant.”No offence dear”. “Father I shall marry Lucy whether you like it or not” said the young man with determination. “Confound your impudence!” Cried the landlord raising his cane and advancing on his son. “Stay your hand!” Called the Priest with courage. “Now it seems to me we have something of a love match here.” “Yes but...” “I know her station is lowly but she’s a good Christian girl and shouldn’t frolick unmarried.” “Are you saying you approve of this match vicar?” Asked the astonished landlord. “I’m saying I’d happily marry them sir.” “But confound it vicar!” The landlord paused as he looked into his son’s eyes. He could see a passion that he had longed for. “Damn and blast it!” He cried. “Marry this peasant girl if you wish, but mark my words no good will come of it.”

The couple were married twice as their denominations couldn’t decide who would conduct the service. Lucy’s husband was probably the sweetest man she had ever met. He had defied his father by marrying her and now he continued to defy him by refusing to force her to convert. He was still a man though and that just wouldn’t do for Lucy. She hit the Irish gentry like a whirlwind. Rather than rejecting her as beneath them the Ladies of property of Ireland embraced her.

Jessica: “It’s ironic, here I am Catholic peasant girl from Ireland and the Sister that is nicest to me is the posh English proddy. Is she playing with me or is she really that ditzy? I heard she called my marriage “an idyllic Cinderella story” the other day hah! She hasn’t cottoned on to the fact more Ladies than gents visit my boudoir. Or as I said is she playing with me? Shame she’s so straight laced. A tumble with her could be most entertaining. Mercy on us is she playing me on that front too? And they call Nora the Schemer!”

Some a little too closely. Finnegan disappeared a few weeks ago. It is rumoured around the Town that he’s at the bottom of the Irish Sea after a conspiracy involving Lucy and her new Lady friend the Courtesan Martha O’Driscal. O’Driscal took this peasant girl turned Lady muck and transformed her into one of the Empire’s finest Courtesans. They parted amiably when O’Driscal quickly realised that Lucy was above the limits of the Irish Demi Monde and packed her off to the new House. Unlike the Bella and Hattie, Lucy is a Lady’s Lady and is perfectly comfortable with that. Strangely even her Catholic faith sits easy with this preference. As she reasons ‘God is love so why should he care about the arrangement of the anatomy of who I choose to love?’ She takes male lovers from time to time for appearance sake but those on the Town know her preferences.

Nora: “Nora is, most likely, straight as a die. However the way she lounges about in nothing but a smile showing off that gorgeous body of hers makes me think twice. She definitely knows I prefer the Ladies I heard Lilly screaming it at her in one of their arguments about her “decency.” So why then does she tease me so? I guess she gets a kick out of the thought of me running to my room to pleasure myself with the image on my mind. One of these days I’ll give her more than just that little satisfaction.” Hattie: “She’s a heathen proddy but that doesn’t stop me respecting her clearly evident and remarkable faith in Our Lord Jesus. Doesn’t stop me fancying the drawers off her neither. Perhaps one of these days we’ll pray together. Then I’ll reacquaint her some other uses for hands and lips and get her to admit her very obvious sexuality. Well within reason of course. We don’t want a repeat of what happened to poor Irene now do we?”

Relationships Lilly: “Oooooooh look at me I’m Lilly LaVonte! I’m a serious Actress doncha know? Grow the fuck up sweetheart! You’re just as much of a whore as the rest of us. Oh yes and you don’t like boy on boy or girl on girl because of what happened with your arsehole of a husband getting himself strung up by the law. I fucking get it already! Sweet Jesus you don’t need to remind me of your personal prejudices every time you fucking speak to me! You’ve got your way I’ve got mine let’s just leave it at that alright? Still got to admit you’re quite pretty. If you like flat-chested, skinny, uber-bitches. Not my type but you never know Hattie maybe up for it and Bella certainly will.” Bella: “And they call me common? At least I don’t sleep with anything that makes a pleasing enough noise when I mount it. A nice enough girl though. Doesn’t pretend to be anything she’s not and her tales are always a good giggle. They say she killed her Pimp. I can relate to that. Her child disturbs me. Reminds me of a niece back home. I want nothing to do with her.”

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Chapter Three Basic Mechanics On acts of seduction and intrigue

Actions

S

o now you have your Character what can she do and how do you represent that?

Your Courtesan can do pretty much anything that her real Demi Monde equivalent could do from maintaining a polite and completely non fl irty conversation with a man to tearing off his britches and mounting him! To make things easier to handle there are 4 broad categories of action. • • • •

Procurement: The attracting of Admirers. Pleasing: The service and manipulation of Admirers. Intrigue: Underhanded schemes to undermine your Sisters. Aiding: Actually lending a Sister a helping hand.

Each category is explained in detail below with examples given. This is not an exhaustive list. If you want to try something a little different talk to the Landlady and she will work out how to resolve it.

No Fighting Girls! Duelling with weapons is for Gentlemen. Brawling in public is the preserve of the lower orders, in particular tupenny whores. Courtesans have more class than that. It is the more Ladylike way to Intrigue against rival Sisters with a sharp slap on the face being the absolute limit of physical confl ict. Landladies are expected to make this clear. If a Player continues to whine about not being able to assault her Sister Landladies are within their rights to fi ne the bitch Resources. Oh and no “persuading” others to rough up your Sisters either. That’s even more despicable. If you wish to play violent Tupenny Harlots I thoroughly recommend our oddball editor’s game Ace of Hearts. The Author of this fi ne piece may stoop so low as to write a Doxy orientated game sometime in the future.

Dialogue Simply talking with other Characters does not require a roll or action. It is when you are actively trying to manipulate them that you roll.

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Narrate Don’t Declare One of the Common problems in Roleplaying games is players simply blandly stating what their Character does and rolling the dice. BORING! Yeah I know we’re not all the best of storytellers but you can at least make an effort at playing your character even if you are a middle aged, socially challenged f... I mean large Gentleman playing a supple 18 year old girl with an hourglass fi gure. It’s called imagination sweetheart, use it! Example of Getting it Wrong: Lucy seduces Nora outright! (Roll dice.) Example of Getting it So, So Right!: Lucy smiles back and sidles up to Nora. She drapes an arm round her shoulders and runs her other hand lightly through Nora’s hair before using her other hand to caress her fashionable form. “So then Nora” she begins in her brash Irish tones “Sweet straight laced little Nora. You clearly enjoy teasing me sitting round here all sexy and nudey. Question is can you handle taking it a bit further?” She leans in and kisses Nora on the lips. (Roll dice.)

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Margin of Success All rolls in Courtesans are based on a single dice roll off between two parties. The amount the winner wins by is called the Margin of Success. In most cases this only matters if the Courtesan wins, in which case note down the Margin. However in the case of an Intrigue, as there are two Courtesans involved, whoever wins, whether the active or passive party the Margin of Success is noted with an indicator of which party won. Regular Example: Hattie is singing for Reverend Hall. She rolls a dice + her Performance against the Landlady’s dice + Hall’s Pliability of 3. Her result is 7 (5 rolled + Performance 2) whilst the Landlady’s is 5 (1 rolled + Pliability 3). She has a Margin of Success of 2. Intrigue Example: Amused by her constant attempts to ruin her Lucy attempts to seduce Lilly. She rolls a dice + her Charm against Lilly’s dice+ Manners. Her result is 5 (2 rolled+ Charm 3) whilst Lilly’s is 6 (4 rolled + Manners 2.) Thus although Lucy instigated the Intrigue Lilly gains the Margin of Success of 1. Resisting the Seduction and gaining an advantage over the, would be, scheming madam.

Ties So what happens if your Courtesan’s roll is equal to that of the Landlady or opposing Courtesan? Well she fails but in the case of an Intrigue there is no Margin of Success for either party so the situation is resolved in some form of stalemate. Example: Nora ties her Pleasing roll with her admirer Mr Silkins. He finds her performance mediocre and that doesn’t cut it in the Demi Monde so he Spurns her. Intrigue Example: Bella tries to seduce Lucy as she fancies a tumble with this scandalous little madam. Both Courtesans’ rolls are tied. Lucy fends off Bella’s advances but sees no reason to exploit the situation.

Fade to Black Some people can get uncomfortable talking about sexcapades even those of completely fi ctional Characters like the Courtesans of this game. Landladies have a little chat with your players before you start and ascertain any misgivings they may have. Establish as a ground rule that you respect everyone’s sensitivities and don’t freak anyone out with explicit descriptions where they aren’t wanted.

Procurement Before you can start to Please Admirers you must attract them. This is called Procurement. You get a free Procurement roll at the start of each Season and may purchase further Procurement actions for Resources during the 7 Turns. Both the actual Procurement roll and the Scrutiny roll count as one action for the purposes of a Turn.

Making a Procurement Roll To make a Procurement roll you roll a dice and add the appropriate Statistic. The Landlady rolls a dice and adds the Method diffi culty (see below.) If the Courtesan wins she gets a number of Admirers equal to her Margin of Success+ her Scandal interested in her. If she loses she has failed and she suffers the appropriate Consequences of Failure (see below.)

The Landlady’s Dice Just to make it clear the Landlady ALWAYS rolls a single dice except when rolling the Strong or Weak Statistic of her Landlady Character in which case she rolls 2 dice and picks the highest or lowest as appropriate.

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Methods of Procurement

Appearing on Stage

There are 6 Methods of Procurement. Each is associated with a different Origin. So much so that, as you are already aware, you may make additional Procurement actions with your Courtesan’s Origin’s favoured Procurement Method without the usual Resource cost (though it still takes an action.)

Description: No better way to get your name and image out than to make a stage appearance. The Theatre is no longer a common person’s thing though it is still disreputable. Most Courtesans make a stage appearance at some point in their careers. Not all of them can act so this can be very embarrassing! Cost: Who do you need to fuck to get a break in this Town? Someone with Infl uence! A Stage Appearance for a non Actress costs one Infl uence Point. Statistic: Clearly the required Statistic is Performance. Difficulty: Depends on what sort of show it is. Tragedy is Diffi culty 4, Comedy, Singing and Dance are Diffi culty 3. Illegal Strip Shows and exotic acts like magic or belly dancing are Diffi culty 2. Scandal Threshold: The Stage is a pretty accepting place but there is still a Threshold of 20. Reward: A successful Stage Appearance grants your Courtesan +1 Legend and +1 Reputation. Consequences of Failure: A bad Stage Appearance gets your Courtesan pelted with rotten fruit! She suffers -2 Legend. Patrons: Depends what sort of show your Courtesan puts on. The lower the diffi culty the baser and usually less Pliable the Admirers. Special: In addition to your Courtesan’s usually acquired Admirers a member of the production crew shows his (or her) interest. This is the case even if your Courtesan failed Procurement.

The Methods are laid out as follows... Name: Name of Method. Description: A brief description of what the Method involves. Cost: The Resource cost of making additional Procurement actions of this type beyond the fi rst. Statistic: The Statistic used in the Method. Difficulty: The modifi er to the Landlady’s opposing roll. Scandal Threshold: The maximum level of Scandal a Courtesan using this Method can have. Reward: A Resource bonus for successfully completing the Procurement. Consequences of Failure: What happens if the Procurement roll fails. Patrons: The type of Admirers that may be drawn in by this kind of Procurement. Special: The special rules around this form of Procurement.

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Attending a House of Introduction Description: Houses of Introduction are the highest class of brothel. Though they pretend to be about having a nice respectable conversation with a nice respectable Lady they are really about sex and lots of it! It is a bit beneath most Courtesans to attend such a place but it is good money and a great way to show off one’s amorous skill and exciting underwear. Cost: Unless your Courtesan is a Professional harlot she really shouldn’t be seen in such places. It costs 1 Reputation for a non Professional to Attend a House of Introduction. Statistic: Again the required Statistic is clear, Prowess. Difficulty: Pleasuring a bunch of horny Fops isn’t too diffi cult. Diffi culty is 2. Scandal Threshold: There is a bar but it is set very high! The Scandal Threshold is 25. Reward: A successful Attendance of a House of Introduction grants your Courtesan +2 Wealth in the high fees. Consequences of Failure: A bad Attendance of a House of Introduction gets your Courtesan’s Prowess gossiped about amongst the girls. This costs her -1 Reputation. Patrons: Only rich Foppish Gentlemen tend to actually attend the places but some of the staff could take a shine to your Courtesan after peeking in on her working.

Special: Even if you fail a House of Introduction Procurement your Courtesan gets half her Reward. Got to pay a girl even if her work is crap! Note also that as your Courtesan is having a lot of sex in the House of Introduction it counts as a Straight Sex Action for the purposes of Pregnancy Checks (see The Season.) If it is the dice that turns up with a 1 or 2 and you don’t (or can’t) use your Contraception Ignore your Courtesan will never know who the father is (though she is free to fi nd and blackmail every man she slept with that day.)

Sex and Good Ats It is possible that some of your Courtesan’s Good Ats relate to specifi c sexual acts. Sometimes as part of one action your Courtesan will have multiple kinds of sex. She can still apply a Good At or Very Good At but she can only pick one and her narration should emphasise that act over all others.

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Attending High Society Soirees

Attending Political Gatherings

Description: They put on a facade of respectability but they’re decadent. A Courtesan seeking to Procure Admirers from high society must be subtle. Nothing worse than being shunned by society even when you belong in the Demi Monde. Cost: With the exception of Fallen Ladies Courtesans need to play the fame card to get into High Society. Unless your Courtesan is a Fallen Lady she must spend 1 Legend to gain access to a Soiree. Statistic: Manners is the most common Statistic used but Charm and Wits can also come in handy. Difficulty: It’s tricky attracting Admirers with the subtly required of High Society. The Diffi culty is 4. Scandal Threshold: The Scandal Threshold is 10. Reward: Successfully moving in High Society gives your Courtesan connections. Your Courtesan gets +1 Infl uence and +1 Wealth. Consequences of Failure: If your Courtesan fails a Procurement roll at a High Society Soiree she immediately suffers + 1 Scandal and -1 Wealth in damages. Patrons: Titled people with a station. Or people famous and popular. Special: Succeed at a High Society Soiree and one randy Fop takes you aside there and then. Make a Sex Act Pleasing roll to an Admirer with a Pliability of 3 for free. You’ll probably never see him again. You may only gain Reputation and Wealth from this liaison.

Description: Another fi eld that feigns respectability yet is awash with sex and scandal. Subtlety is the key to acquiring Admirers amongst the politically active. Loyalty to one faction or the other can make you many friends as well as enemies. Cost: Schemers can infi ltrate the circles of power to their heart’s content but everyone else must make a donation to one faction or another. Attending Political Gatherings for non Schemers costs 1 Wealth. Also the Courtesan must decide on a faction (see below.) Statistic: You need your Wits about you to succeed in politics. Wits is the required Statistic though using Spite to badmouth the opposition works too. Difficulty: It’s a subtle art but a none too taxing one with all the sleazebags around. The Diffi culty is 3. Scandal Threshold: Some women just CANNOT be seen with the political classes. The Scandal Threshold is 15. Reward: Successful political manoeuvres grant a Courtesan +2 Infl uence. Consequences of Failure: Annoying the establishment costs your Courtesan -1 Infl uence and infl icts +1 Scandal on her. Patrons: Political movers and shakers. Gentlemen of true power and the Ladies who serve them should you be so inclined.

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Special: By Attending A Political Gathering you are supporting one faction or another. Your Courtesan gains a +1 bonus at Pleasing actions toward Admirers of her faction and -1 penalty to Admirers of the other faction. Failing a Procurement roll at an exclusive gathering of one faction gains you allegiance to the other by default! Failing Procurement at events run by both parties gains you the enmity of both and thus bars you from further rolls this Season and imposes -1 to Pleasing actions on any mainstream politically inclined Admirer.

Factions? You Mean Parties? Not necessarily. You’re Courtesan needn’t necessarily be involved in Parliamentary or local politics. Military, legal, professional or even church politics are just as acceptable and just as riven with factional strife and sleaze.

Attending Charity Dos Description: Probably the weirdest place for a pick up. Hanging around Charity Dos to Procure Admirers requires double the subtlety of even the most snooty of High Society events. Sometimes a Lady even has to hide her profession completely whilst at the same time fi nding a nice philanthropic Gentleman to “save” her. Cost: Unless you are a goody, goody Goldenheart you lose the respect of the girls by turning up to Charity Dos. Non Goldenhearts pay 1 Reputation to Attend Charity dos. Statistic: You must be both friendly and subtle. Choose between Charm and Manners. Difficulty: One of the trickiest forms of Procurement Attending Charity Dos has a Diffi culty of 4. Scandal Threshold: The slightest hint of “immorality” above and beyond the norm and you are barred love! The Scandal Threshold is 5. Reward: Successful Procurement at a Charity Do grants your Courtesan +1 Infl uence and +1 Legend. Consequences of Failure: Failure gives your Courtesan +1 Scandal and costs her -1 Legend. Patrons: Philanthropists and clergymen out to “save fallen women.” Just occasionally the odd volunteer or staff member may express an interest. Special: In a Season in which you use this form of Procurement you gain +1 to your attempt to Redeem Scandal should you wish to make it.

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Making a Gaudy Public Appearance Description: By far the least subtle method of Procurement. Your Courtesan is not exactly walking down the high street shouting “Guinea a tumble” but she may just as well be. Ways and means within this method vary considerably. Catharine Walter’s riding round Hyde Park in her skin tight riding habit is the best example from history. Cost: Free for everyone! Seriously dearie! All you have to do is make an appearance. There may be a cost to, for example, visit the theatre but it is relatively negligible in terms of a Courtesan’s spending so there is no Resource cost. Statistic: Depends on your approach. Walters was very both theatrical (Performance) and Physical (Prowess) so either could apply. Making a vulgar speech in Hyde Park would be Spite whereas a less bile fi lled address would be Charm. You cannot use Manners (there is no civility in Gaudiness) or Wits (You’re not reacting your proacting.) Difficulty: Doesn’t take much to make a scene in the starchy real world. Diffi culty is 2. Scandal Threshold: None. Anyone can appear in public. Reward: A successful Gaudy Public Appearance gains the Courtesan +2 Legend.

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Consequences of Failure: In a highly embarrassing scene the Courtesan is arrested. She suffers -1 Legend Point from embarrassment and -1 Infl uence from extracting herself from this mess! Patrons: Pretty much anyone who is passing by. Clearly your Courtesan must sift out the common folk who cannot afford her but even then lots of different kinds of folk. Special: Every cloud has a silver lining. If your Courtesan gets arrested one of the arresting offi cers and a bystander become Admirers. Preparing Letters and Calling Cards It might be an idea if you make the Initial Procurement roll before your game so you can prepare some bespoke Admirers complete with letters of Introduction. Of course some Courtesans are just unlucky or worse just plain sluts! They will easily get through all the Admirers you prepare for them. In such a case later Procurement rolls will get Admirers just leaving little Calling Cards. You can prepare these as props if you want but they’re not essential. Having a pile of random sketched out Admirers ready is a good preparation tactic!

Letters of Introduction Your Courtesan’s Initial Procurements write to her to introduce themselves. The Landlady hands out prop letters. For examples of said letters see the Chapter 5 The Landlady. Example of Successful Procurement: Hattie needs to Procure some Admirers for the Season. Being a Goldenheart she can Attend Charity Dos for free. Although Gaudy Public Display is also free it really isn’t her style and she is very picky when it comes to Admirers. She goes to a fundraising meeting for a mission to India. Though they are slightly wary of the well known fallen woman the supporters treat her nicely enough. She circulates speaking to people of her experiences in India and of her personal quest for the Lord’s forgiveness. She rolls a dice (actually two and pick the highest) + her Charm with a +1 bonus for being Good At Acts of Charity against the Landlady’s one dice+ 4. Beating the Landlady by 3 and adding her Scandal of 1 she attracts four Admirers who write to her expressing their interest. She also gains +1 Influence and +1 Legend from having made a successful Procurement.

Example of Failed Procurement: Lilly takes to the stage to play Juliette once again. She works hard in rehearsal and is really confident that she can top even her previous (pre Demi Monde) performance. She rolls a dice (actually two dice and pick the highest) + her Performance +1 for Good At Tragic Acting against the Landlady’s one dice +4. Unfortunately, against the odds, she fails. Her performance is abysmal, lambasted by the critics and hated by the public who pelt her with rotten fruit. She suffers -2 Legend from sheer humiliation. Despite having gained no Admirers from the failure the Stage Manager expresses his interest in a letter (see Special.) Better than nothing she supposes.

Scrutiny Might be worth fi nding out a bit about these Gentlemen before inviting them to bed sweetheart! Scrutiny is a simple roll off. You roll your Courtesan’s Wits+ One Dice+ Relevant Good Ats/ Very Good Ats against the Landlady’s 1 dice + 3. The more successful your Courtesan’s roll the more of an idea she has of the various pros and cons of her Admirers. The more she fails the more of the wrong end of the stick she gets. It’s up to the Landlady how to quantify this but she should never reveal too much and certainly not outright state Pliability.

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Example of Successful Scrutiny: Hattie has 4 Admirers. Reverend Hall, Luke Swan the Marquess of Frothington, Duke Olaf VonGrund a minor German noble and Miss Eliza Drinkwater a prospective Missionary. After reading their letters Hattie rolls her Wits+ a dice against the Landlady’s one dice + 3. She beats the Landlady by 2. The Landlady gives out the following details. Hall’s story in his letter checks out. There is nothing outwardly dubious about the Marquess’s story either. He is however quite young and impressionable. Drinkwater isn’t nearly as conflicted as she makes out to be having been rumoured to have been linked to other Courtesans. VonGrund is a complete Fop with a taste for Goldenhearts. This helps Hattie’s decision immensely. Example of Failed Scrutiny: With her usual lack of intuition Bella fails her Wits + one dice roll off against the Landlady’s one dice+ 3. She thus gets completely the wrong impression about her Admirers. The woman who claims to be a Countess Letti Harcourt is in fact a common Bawd, the Gentleman claiming to be a man about Town is in fact a tiresome “saviour of women’s souls” and so on. Sometimes it sucks being a Professional!

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Pleasing How do you capitalise on being admired? Why simple! You Please. Pleasing is always a straightforward contest between a dice+ the Courtesan’s Statistic versus the Landlady’s dice+ the Admirer’s Pliability. If successful your Courtesan may gain Resources (see below.) If failed your Admirer Spurns you cutting off contact and ending your relationship. High stakes indeed. Visiting Once a Courtesan has made a successful Pleasing action on an Admirer that Admirer is said to be Visiting her until he is Poached or he Spurns her. Of course this doesn’t mean she has to have the gentleman come and visit her. Whether it is an “incall” or an “outcall” it doesn’t matter mechanics wise. It is purely narrative. Pleasing Couples Some Sisters may entertain Couples. In such a case the couple have a single combined Pliability score to roll against. If a couple of ‘close’ Sisters wish to work together they may. When the fi rst of the pair makes a Pleasing Action the second may join her at the cost of her action. Both rolls are made separately and Resources are awarded separately. It’s possible that the Admirer enjoyed the services of one Lady but detested the other. If you have two separate Admirers you may invite them to share your session. Roll the lowest Pliability +1 unless both Pliability Scores are equal in which case it is unmodifi ed.

Methods of Pleasing

Polite Conversation

So how do you please? Here are some suggestions but I’m sure a clever girl like you can think of some more. In which case talk to your Landlady about how to represent it in rules terms.

Description: Contrary to the prejudices of the ‘morally upright’ this is by far the most common way a Courtesan Pleases her Admirers: Invited to her House the Admirer and the Courtesan exchange polite words over drinks and possibly something to eat. All completely innocent, seriously! Statistic: Manners are what is required for this form of Pleasing. Legend Justification: Donating offered money to charity or being particularly respectable or polite can grant your Courtesan Legend. Reputation Justification: The ability to rise up above the level of the common whore and just converse with the Admirer is highly prized on the Town. Thus this can grant your Courtesan Reputation. Wealth Justification: Nothing wrong with a girl charging for her time. Also your Courtesan can persuade the Gentleman to make certain “investments.” Influence Justification: Chat about politics can be directed to gain your Courtesan favours. Thus your Courtesan can gain Infl uence. Scandal Risk: None at all nothing wrong with talking.

Here’s how the Methods are laid out. Name: The Name of the Method. Description: A brief description of what it involves. Statistic: The Statistic the Courtesan uses for the Method. Legend Justification: How your Courtesan can claim Legend from the action. Reputation Justification: How your Courtesan can claim Reputation from the action. Wealth Justification: How your Courtesan can claim Wealth from the action. Influence Justification: How your Courtesan can claim Infl uence from the action. Scandal Risk: How knowledge of your Courtesan performing the action can scandalise society should it come out.

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Flirting

Dancing

Description: Not quite so innocent. Your Courtesan casually fl irts with her Admirer without quite giving in completely to his desires (yet!) Again the Admirer is invited to the House but fl irting is in the drawing room or dining room. Not quite to the bedroom stage yet! Statistic: Charm is required for this form of Pleasing. Legend Justification: Donating any money coaxed out of an Admirer to charity gets your Courtesan Legend as well as particularly admirable teasing. Reputation Justification: Flirting is an important skill in the Demi Monde. Succeeding at fl irtation helps your Courtesan’s Reputation. Wealth Justification: Again got to pay a girl for her time. Also bit of promise of things to come can part a Gentleman from the contents of his wallet. Influence Justification: Bit of harmless fl irting can give your Courtesan some remarkable leverage: Thus granting her Infl uence. Scandal Risk: If your Courtesan is overheard being too fl irtatious or seen petting this could be used as evidence of Scandal if the Admirer’s wife doesn’t know about you or is the Admirer is a woman.

Description: Nothing you can do with an Admirer more harmless and innocent than have a little waltz round the drawing room while a servant plays a little tune. Then again dancing is symbolic of something far more intimate when it comes down to it. Statistic: Your Courtesan needs Performance to be a twinkle toes. Legend Justification: If your Admirer is particularly famous you may gain legend for your little prance around together. Also you could convince him to make a little donation to your favourite charity. Either way Legend gain is easily justifi ed. Reputation Justification: Dancing is a public display of your Courtesan’s lightness on her feet and possibly her passion. Reputation gain is thus fully justifi ed. Wealth Justification: A little fee or donation is a more than reasonable request for a Lady of pleasure. Wealth gain is thus justifi ed. Influence Justification: A dance partner may talk politics as your Courtesan whirls around the room. Infl uence gain is thus justifi ed. Scandal Risk: No harm in dancing so long as you are dressed decent and don’t get too friendly.

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Private Show

Tough Sell

Description: Your Courtesan puts on a private performance for her Admirer. This can be something innocent such as singing a song or performing a speech but more often than not it involves removing clothing, seductive posing or both. Statistic: Performance is required to perform obviously. Legend Justification: Your Private Shows are recounted by your Courtesan’s audience in explicit detail. The Legend spreads. Reputation Justification: Only if your Private Show is racy enough. Wealth Justification: Your Courtesan defi nitely has the right to charge for a performance however large the audience. Influence Justification: How would you like it if the Whigs/ Tories no what I showed you last night sweetheart? Well either that or the performance is so moving the Admirer is besotted. Either way Infl uence can be gained. Scandal Risk: None so long as your Courtesan keeps her clothes on. If she doesn’t it only matters if the Admirer’s wife doesn’t know, the Admirer is of an Immoral Occupation or if the Admirer is a woman.

Description: A full and frank discussion of what is expected from your Courtesan by her Admirer. Considered a very base and unladylike way of going about things it is usually only attempted by Upstarts. Statistic: This brash approach requires the Spite Statistic. Legend Justification: Particularly hilarious putdowns could make the papers adding to your Courtesan’s Legend. Reputation Justification: It may not be Ladylike to Tough Sell but its sure ballsy granting your Courtesan some Reputation. Wealth Justification: You will pay me for my time or I’ll bust your balls mister! Yes you can gain Wealth from a Tough Sell. Influence Justification: Bit of political leverage might be gained by convincing the Admirer that he isn’t all he thinks he is. Scandal Risk: Particularly foul or explicit language with a married man who’s wife doesn’t know, someone with an Immoral Occupation or a woman can justify Scandal infl iction should it be found out.

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Fancy a Game? Description: The Courtesan engages in a friendly one on one sporting or gaming competition with her Admirer. All very innocent but where is the little minx leading the gentleman (or lady) to? Statistic: Depends on the sport or game. Overly physical contests like tennis would require Prowess as would games of dexterity. Tactical games like chess will require wits and card games and backgammon usually require Manners. Legend Justification: Word of your Courtesan’s skill gets about. Reputation Justification: Sports and gaming are Ladylike pursuits and worthy of respect. Wealth Justification: This is the golden age of the private wager my love! You do the maths! Influence Justification: Oh dear sweetheart it appears you owe me. Perhaps you could do me a small favour? Scandal Risk: Next to none unless the Courtesan starts adding removing clothing as a loser’s forfeit: In which case it is only Scandalous with women, men with possessive wives and those in Immoral Occupations. Out for a Ride Description: Nothing quite like a little trot around the park mounted on an elegant steed. Of course if you have a gentleman with you things can get very interesting! Statistic: Horse riding is a Prowess based roll.

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Legend Justification: “Skittles” gained most of her notoriety from horse rides through Hyde Park! Reputation Justification: Horse riding is a prized skill on the Town for obvious reasons! Wealth Justification: Got to pay a girl for her time! Influence Justification: Such a lovely day darling. Wouldn’t it be even lovelier under a Whig government? Scandal Risk: If a Lady is going horse riding with an Admirer, ulterior motives will be suspected. Naturally go for a ride with a woman, married man whose wife is possessive or a man from an Immoral Occupation and you are asking for trouble! Going Straight to Bed Only Courtesans of the Low Origins can perform a Massage or Sex Act Pleasing action straight away with a new Admirer. The High Origins must show some Ladylike restraint and perform more innocent Pleasing actions fi rst.

How Much Sex? A Sex Act action could be anything from a quick fumble to a full blown night of passion. Either way the mechanics remain the same.

Massage

Sex Act

Description: The second most intimate act of Pleasing a Courtesan can engage in. Her skilled hands caress her Admirer’s usually unclothed body. This can happen in the drawing room but usually this is a bedroom thing. Statistic: Prowess is what is needed here Statistic wise. Legend Justification: The Courtesan is so good that she gets talked about as publically as possible or she donates part of fee to charity. Reputation Justification: Massage skills are almost important to your Courtesan’s Reputation as her actual whoring. Reputation gain is fully justifi ed. Wealth: A good Massage doesn’t come cheap! Your Courtesan could charge a fee or fi sh for a donation. Influence Justification: A lot of major political decisions have been made during a good Massage. A quick whisper here and there could help matters. Infl uence can be justifi ed easily. Scandal Risk: There is no getting round it. This is highly scandalous act if performed on a married man, someone of an Immoral Occupation or a woman. Unlike all the previous actions it is a breach of a Kept Mistress Contract should her Keeper fi nd out.

Description: This is what they all want! Your Courtesan is likely the possessor of many erotic gifts and her boudoir’s relative exclusivity makes her highly sought after. Actual sex with her whatever form it takes is likely to Please her Admirer a lot! Statistic: Again Prowess is what’s needed. Legend Justification: Donating fees to Charity and rumours of particularly gossip worthy antics can grant your Courtesan Legend. Reputation Justification: Your Courtesan’s sex life is the main source of her Reputation! Influence Justification: Bedroom antics are often a great infl uence on political decisions. Infl uence is defi nitely an eligible acquisition. Wealth: Courtesans aren’t tupenny whores their beds cost good money. So yes Wealth can be gained. Scandal Risk: About as scandalous as you can get! If your Courtesan is caught with a married man whose wife isn’t happy or a female Admirer Scandal is pretty much guaranteed. It is also defi nitely a breach of a Kept Mistress contract if performed on an Admirer who isn’t her Keeper and if a Courtesan consents to anal sex it is also scandalous.

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Pillow Talk Description: Those heady moments after a good rodgering can be brilliant for getting a little more out of your Courtesan’s Admirers. It’s a subtle art but an effective one. Statistic: Pillow talk requires the knowledge of how to word your requests hence Wits is the Statistic of choice. Legend Justification: If secrets pass from your Courtesan’s boudoir Tongues will start wagging. Legend is fully justifi ed. Reputation Justification: Schemers may not gain much Reputation for their sexual performance but they make up for it with their skill in Pillow Talk. A prized skill amongst harlots: Reputation is fully justifi ed as a choice. Wealth Justification: A few sweet nothings can easily boost your Courtesan’s pay packet. Wealth is defi nitely justifi ed. Influence Justification: Most of the power women have at the time of the Demi Monde is centred in Pillow Talk. Infl uence is easy to acquire from it. Scandal Risk: If your Courtesan is Pillow Talking with two separate men from opposing factions she could be exposed as a spy. First Things First Your Courtesan needs to have successfully had sex with an Admirer in the action before engaging them in Pillow Talk. Common sense really!

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Ye Old Blow Job Cheat An important part of Roleplaying is actions and consequences. If there are no consequences actions become less meaningful. It is possible for a Courtesan to indulge only Sex Acts that do not risk pregnancy but remember these are professional prostitutes. Very few professional prostitutes offer one service only. Furthermore if an Admirer isn’t getting any straight sex he may become irritable and his Pliability may change. Sleeping with only women is a perfectly acceptable ‘cheat’ because it carries its own risks. Landladies should discourage ‘cheating’ by limiting sex with men to non penetrative.

Popping a Cherry Taking the virginity of an Admirer is ripe with great rewards should your Courtesan succeed but also marked with a little peril. If a Courtesan succeeds in sexually Pleasing a Virgin Admirer Sexually she may double her Margin of Success. If she fails however she loses a point of Reputation.

Example of Successful Pleasing: Lucy invites her admirer the cute and curious Lady Clarissa to visit her at number 69. Being a shameless Upstart she guides her nervous Admirer to her boudoir before tearing off her clothes and teaching her how to make love like a Lady. She rolls a dice + her Prowess (+1 for her Good At) versus the Landlady’s dice+ Clarissa’s Pliability of 1. As Lucy wins by 4 (and this is doubled by this being Lady Clarissa’s first time: See below) the ecstatically exhausted Lady in Waiting is putty in her hands. Example of Failed Pleasing: After an extended “courtship” Hattie finally takes Reverend Hall to bed. She rolls a dice + her Prowess against the Landlady’s dice + the Reverend’s Pliability of 3. Hattie loses the roll by 2. Her nerves and excitement undermine her technique and the Reverend is thoroughly unimpressed. He says that she is clearly pining for more female flesh and has no idea how to please a man. He wishes her good luck in a long life of sin, dresses and leaves effectively Spurning her. Hattie sobs into her pillow alone.

Intrigue There is more than a little resentment in the Demi Monde. Well why wouldn’t there be? A Courtesan’s Wealth and Power comes from Admirers and some are more successful than others. Why wouldn’t a girl want a piece of a rival’s action? And what better way to handle envy than to acquire that which you covert from the scheming bitch who currently owns it?

Methods of Intrigue Here are the various ways your Courtesan can manipulate and cheat her Sisters should she be so bitchy to do so! They are laid out as follows. Name of Method: What the Method is referred to as. Description: Details of what the Method involves. Attacker’s Statistic: The Statistic that the Courtesan initiating the Method uses. Defender’s Statistic: The Statistic that the target Courtesan uses to resist the effects of the Method. Resource Options: What kind of Resources you can steal with this Method. Scandal Infliction: Can you infl ict Scandal from this Method? With the exception of Seduction scandal can only be infl icted by an attacker.

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Multi Intrigues It is quite possible for an Intrigue to target multiple Courtesans at once. Simply have the attacking Courtesan make her roll against two or more Sisters using the appropriate Statistic. The highest scoring Courtesan wins the Intrigue and may steal Resources equal to the Margin of Success between each participant from said participant. If the highest scoring Courtesans tie the Intrigue has no effect and no Resources change hands. Multi Intrigues are very risky but potentially very lucrative.

Got Your Back Sister! If, as a Defender, you win a Multi Intrigue your Courtesan may choose to refuse the Resources given to her by one or more of her fellow Defenders. This uncommon act of philanthropy gives her +1 Reputation.

Baccarat Baccarat was illegal up until the very end of the Victorian era. It was thought it was such a game of chance over skill it could not be morally justifi ed. Even a Prince of Wales was prosecuted for the ‘offence’

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Gambling Description: So what does a group of rampantly sexual and attractive Ladies do to pass the long cold nights where none of them have Gentlemen callers? Why simple! They play cards of course! Gambling is a moral grey area in the time of the Demi Monde. Though many Churches (Non Conformist, CofE and even Catholic) condemn it, it is not nearly as ‘sinful’ as the sort of naughty things your Courtesans get up to. Gambling is a great way to get wealth and favours off your Sisters without doing anything particularly wrong. Attacker’s Statistic: Gambling requires your Courtesan to keep cool under pressure. It requires the Manners Statistic. Defender’s Statistic: Defenders also use Manners to hide their success or lack of. Resource Options: Wealth is the most common Resource stolen. If it’s a strip game or an illegal game like baccarat it can justify Legend or Reputation theft. Infl uence may be handed over as an IOU. Scandal Infliction: Only for strip games and illegal games like baccarat. Obviously revealing the truth about said game will reveal the winner was a participant infl icting a point of Scandal on her too. If a Courtesan isn’t a participant she must make a Spying roll against all the participants to reveal the Scandal.

Undermining Confidence

Spreading Rumours

Description: Bit of underhand bitchiness and mockery can work wonders to undermine a rival’s confi dence. This can put her off her game and set back her acquisition of Resources. Attacker’s Statistic: Spite is what’s needed for the Attacker here. Defender’s Statistic: You need to take it like a Lady my dear. Manners are needed to defend your Courtesan against bitchiness. Resource Options: Reputation and Legend can be taken as the poor target’s confi dence is assaulted. Infl uence and Wealth can also be bullied out of the target. If the Defender wins she can demand compensation in the form of any of the four Resources. Scandal Infliction: Not really possible. No matter how catty you get you can’t really cause a scandal.

Description: A bit of rumour spreading can work wonders for destroying your rival’s good name and may even attach a bit of scandal to the poor ‘innocent.’ Rumours are a powerful thing. You wouldn’t be so unladylike as to abuse them would you dearie? Attacker’s Statistic: Again Spite is the Statistic of choice for the Attacker. Defender’s Statistic: It requires Wits to defend your Courtesan against false rumours. Resource Options: Any Resource may be stolen from rumour spreading. Reputation and Legend may be transferred as the attacker is recognised as a whistleblower. Wealth and Infl uence can be handed over to stop the rumour spreading any further. If the defender wins its compensation time! Scandal Infliction: If the rumour connects the target to scandalous activity Scandal points may be infl icted.

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Spying

Emotional Blackmail

Description: Spying on your Sisters can reveal their secrets and secrets can be very lucrative. The techniques employed vary considerably but their effect is the same. Your Courtesan has information that she can either use for blackmail or to expose the truth and see her rival squirm in the Scandal. Attacker’s Statistic: Wits is the required Statistic so that your Courtesan reads her surroundings correctly. Defender’s Statistic: The Defender also required to keep her Wits about her. Even while her attentions should be on her lover! Resource Options: Any of the four Resources can be demanded in a one off blackmail payment. A Lady keeps her word once she’s paid but if some other Courtesan should “accidentally” fi nd out, well that would be unfortunate. Even if the target isn’t doing anything particularly juicy the attacker can still demand payment for not revealing who has been writing to her! Scandal Infliction: Only if the target is engaged in scandalous behaviour. Resources can be taken in addition to infl icting Scandal if the Margin of Success is big enough.

Description: Putting on the waterworks for whatever reason is quite a useful tactic in getting sympathy out of your Sisters. This sympathy can be quite rewarding if played right. Attacker’s Statistic: This requires some acting skill. Performance is the required Statistic of the Attacker. Defender’s Statistic: It requires some perceptive ability to recognise when tears are fake. Wits is the Defender’s Statistic. Resource Options: Your Courtesan can get all of those lovely Resources from a few crocodile tears. Might get a cuddle too! If the Defender wins she’s within her rights to demand compensation. Scandal Infliction: Can’t really infl ict Scandal unless the madam gets too touchy feely.

Oooooooh Madam! If a Seduction is successful have both lovers roll a dice + their Prowess. The winner adds the Margin of success to her Reputation as her lover’s cries of passion are overheard and gossiped about.

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Eligible Targets A Courtesan must know that an Admirer is Visiting her Sister before she can attempt to Poach him. Unless she has been gossiping about how Mr such and such is a fantastic lover (possible though unlikely) a Courtesan’s Admirers can only be known to another Sister by a successful Spying Intrigue.

Poaching

Seduction

Description: Got your eye on another girl’s Admirer? Poach him! Your Courtesan can some time with the target’s Admirer and convince him that her charms are superior. Attacker’s Statistic: This requires some wiles be they overt or subtle. Charm is the Attacker’s Statistic of choice. Defender’s Statistic: The Defender needs to use her Charm to keep her Admirer by her side. Resource Options: By stealing an Admirer you are also stealing Resource income. Any Resource is eligible for theft here. If the Defender wins its compensation time! Scandal Infliction: If the Defender wins she may infl ict Scandal. Poaching is so unladylike! Special: If this action is successful the target’s Admirer is now an Admirer of the attacker.

Description: Tempt your rival into bed and get the greatest of all holds on her. Especially if she isn’t usually that sort of girl! And there are other perks to a tumble with a pretty girl... ahem! Attacker’s Statistic: Charm is what is needed to tempt a Lady. Defender’s Statistic: A Courtesan’s Manners protect her from hostile wiles. Resource Options: Your Courtesan can blackmail her lover for any Resource or slyly be let it known around the Town that she had her and just take her Reputation. Scandal Infliction: Your Courtesan can kiss and tell but she suffers a Scandal point as well. If the Defender wins she can blab about the incident and let it be known the attacker tried to seduce her.

But I don’t Swing that Way... As an optional rule a Landlady may impose a -1 Penalty to Seduce those Sisters that are identifi ed as defi nitely straight in their backgrounds. The author doesn’t he says it’s more fun that way!

Example of Success: Lucy walks in on Hattie praying and proceeds to seduce her. She rolls her dice + her Charm +1 for her Upstart bonus against Goldenhearts against Hattie’s dice+ Manners +1 for her Good At. She succeeds with a Margin of Success of 2. Despite her misgivings Hattie gives in to her lust and falls into bed with her. Example of Failure: Jessica is playing cards with Nora. She rolls her dice + her Manners against Nora’s Dice + Manners. Against all the odds Nora wins with a Margin of Success of 1.

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Aiding As well as bitchiness there is camaraderie. This section describes the ways in which you can aid your Sisters. Bit of kindness never hurt!

Methods of Aiding Herein are the methods of helping your Sisters. Each is laid out as follows: Name: Name of the Method. Description: A description of what the method involves. Statistic: The Statistic that is used. Difficulty: The modifi er the Landlady applies to her roll. Resource Grant: How to grant your target Resources.

Childcare Description: With all the sex going on in a typical House there are going to be Children to deal with. Caring for them is usually the staff’s job but a Courtesan may spend a little time playing with them or teaching them. Statistic: Charm is the Statistic needed for Childcare. Difficulty: Children aren’t that diffi cult to amuse. Childcare has a default Diffi culty of 2. With a handicapped child this increases to 3 as they are more of a challenge. Resource Grant: You may grant any of the 4 Resources to the target mother. Legend for letting the world know what a good mother she is, Reputation for letting the Town know the same, Infl uence for tips on how to get sympathy for her situation and Wealth for money saving tips.

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Caring for Your Own Children Obviously Children can’t have Resources as they are not Courtesans (though they may grow up to be.) If your Courtesan takes time out of her busy schedule to care for her own kids simply roll the dice as normal. If she succeeds she gains the Aiding Bonus (see Resources.) If she fails she loses 1 Reputation as clearly she’s a bad mother.

Solving Family Strife Description: Families feud all the time but add a Courtesan to the mix and you have a recipe for complete discordant disaster. An uncommon form of Aiding is to intervene in your Sister’s family strife. This can make a girl grateful. Really grateful! Statistic: Charm or Manners can be used depending on how fi rm you want to be. Difficulty: The Landlady assigns a diffi culty from 1 for a minor disagreement to 6 for an emotional train wreck. Resource Grant: By reconciling with her family a Courtesan can boost her public profi le (Legend), know how to exploit her family girl image on the Town (Reputation), get an allowance (Wealth) and Exploit Family Connections (Infl uence.)

Pull Yourself Together Girl! Description: A rousing speech to a weeping Sister can inspire her with the confi dence to get on with her life in the Demi Monde. Or maybe make her cry some more! Statistic: This is a job for the Manners Statistic. Difficulty: Depends on the level of distress the girl is in ranging from 1 for something trivial to 6 for inconsolable wreck. Resources Grant: Getting a girl to buck her ideas up like this can help her manage her public profi le (Legend), notoriety on the Town (Reputation), political clout (Infl uence) and even her fi nances (Wealth.)

Sweet Talk Description: Bit of a sickly sweet pep talk and a hug can do wonders for a Sister’s confi dence. Don’t get too intimate though. This isn’t Massage and it certainly isn’t Comfort Sex! Statistic: Charm is required to Sweet Talk. Difficulty: Depends on the level of distress the girl is in ranging from 1 for something trivial to 6 for inconsolable wreck. Resources Grant: A sweet little pep talk can do wonders for a girl’s confi dence in acquiring all 4 Resources.

Dance with Me! Description: Nothing can cheer a girl up like a good dance around the drawing room with a Sister. This can be completely innocent of course but if there is a little spark it could be the start of a beautiful “friendship.” Statistic: Performance is what is required here. Difficulty: Again depends on the nature of the distress. 1 for a minor upset up to 6 for serious trauma. Resources Grant: Dancing lessons can boost one’s Resources by giving a Lady the confi dence to dance with her Gentlemen.

Tucking In Description: Some Courtesans are quite childish and can really do with a tucking in and a little song or a story. Some grow out of this after a few Seasons others remain frightened little girls trapped in heaving, mature, sexualised fl esh. Statistic: Performance to calm those night time nerves. Difficulty: Depends on how much of a big baby the girl is: 1 for mild insecurities up to 6 for a really pathetic insecure wreck. Resources Grant: Self confi dence boosts like this can grant any of the 4 Resources as the target is more focused after having a good night’s sleep for a change.

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Prayer

Deal with the Devil

Description: Religiously minded Courtesans can pray for their Sisters. It may seem silly but sometimes it actually works! Statistic: Depends on your approach and sincerity before the Almighty. If you are sincere and reverent Manners is needed. Performance is for putting it on. Trying to sweet talk God is not recommended but you could use Charm. Difficulty: It depends... have you been a good little girl? The Diffi culty of this action is equal to the Courtesan’s current Scandal to a maximum of 8. Resource Grant: Some remarkable coincidences happen that grant the target any of the 4 Resources. Special: If the Aiding Courtesan wishes she may spend one of the points of her Margin of Success to remove (or Redeem) a point of her Sister’s Scandal.

Description: Most Courtesans are wicked women but few are wicked enough to try this out. The wicked, wicked Courtesan calls on the infernal for aid. This can be quite effective whether for others or her own selfi sh ends. Statistic: Unlike God the Devil responds best to sweet talk. Charm is the Statistic of choice here. Difficulty: The Devil is easily pleased. The Diffi culty is 2. Resource Grant: Anything you like at the cost of your soul! Special: The Aiding Courtesan suffers an infernal aura of wickedness in the form of a Scandal Point. Further Scandal Points may be infl icted if this action (successful or otherwise) is successfully exposed.

Seriously? Divine Intervention? Just to make it clear though the author is a Church of England Christian he’s not entirely convinced of the power of prayer. He just thought it would be funny to put in a mechanic by which you can pray good things happen to your Sisters and they do!

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Praise Be to the Lord! If you want a more supernatural game your Courtesan can add this additional “Blessing” to a successful Prayer by spending 1 Legend. The Courtesan so Blessed can call upon her God to reroll a single failed dice roll of any other Courtesan’s representing “divine inspiration.” Yes this can be used maliciously to favour one party over another in an Intrigue but whoever said God doesn’t take sides? If this reroll is not used by the end of Season it is wasted.

The Antichrist Regularly deal with the Devil and it may amuse the Landlady for your Courtesan to turn out to be carrying his child! Clearly this can destroy the game world utterly but it’s a nice plot twist in what is essentially a plotless game.

For Your Own Ends Unlike other Aiding actions Deal with the Devil can be targeted on yourself gaining both the Aiding bonus (see Resources) and the granted Resources.

Introduce Description: Sometimes a Lady meets an Admirer that she doesn’t quite fancy herself but thinks may well be suitable for one of her Sisters. By introducing the pair she gains little herself but the satisfaction of having created a little happiness however fl eeting. Statistic: Charm is needed to negotiate potentially fragile feelings. Difficulty: Equal to the Admirer’s Pliability. Resources Grant: The gifted Admirer can lavish his new beau with any of the 4 Resources. Special: If successful the selected Admirer becomes an Admirer of the target. If failed he Spurns the active Courtesan.

Soothing Massage Description: Massaging your troubled Sister is a great comfort too her but be sure that nobody gets the wrong idea or there could be Scandal! Statistic: Prowess is used to loosen those tense muscles. Difficulty: Depends on how tense the poor girl is. This ranges from 1 for a little tense to 6 for bloody great knots! Resources Grant: In her relaxed state the target can more easily face gathering any of the 4 Resources. Special: If discovered in a spying roll this act can be revealed as Scandalous. Success or failure.

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Comfort Sex Description: If your Courtesan likes the girl and she likes her a good tumble should set her mind at rest. Careful not to be too loud though: You don’t want to be caught! Statistic: Prowess is used to comfort your lover. Difficulty: Equal to the target’s Manners. Resources Grant: Nothing like a good tumble to get one’s mind working towards the gathering of any of the 4 Resources. Special: If discovered in a spying roll this act can be revealed as Scandalous. Success or failure. Example of Success: Hattie, distracted by a recent Spurning takes some time to play with little Kirsty. She rolls her dice+ her Charm against the Landlady’s dice+ 3. She beats the Landlady by 3 which Aids Bella considerably. Example of Failure: Seeing Hattie playing with Kirsty Bella smiles, sits with her and talks her through her insecurities. She rolls her dice+ Charm against the Landlady’s dice+ 4. Unfortunately she fails and Hattie remains as upset and confused. Awwwwww True Love! Comfort Sex is used where both Players agree their Courtesans have mutual feelings they are both comfortable with. This is as opposed to Seduction which is done to a not so keen party in order to get Resources out of her.

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Resources Resources were touched on in Character Creation and referenced above but here I explain them in full.

What are Resources? Resources are what your Courtesans are fi ghting and fucking for. They represent the things all Ladies of pleasure desire most from their Admirers and each other. There are 5 Resources. •

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Legend: Legend is your Courtesan’s public profi le and popularity with the public. Reputation: Reputation is your Courtesan’s profi le on “the Town.” Not just with other Courtesans but with common prostitutes, pimps, bawds and Fops. Influence: Infl uence is your Courtesan’s political clout. Obviously this is through male “friends” but it is still quite cool for a woman to have any political clout at all in this period. Wealth: Wealth is your Courtesan’s fi nancial solvency. Perhaps the most important of the Resources Wealth pays for your extravagant lifestyle.

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Scandal: Scandal is the odd one out. Most Courtesans don’t actively seek to earn it and if it gets too high there can be penalties. However being the most controversial belle in town has its advantages.

Earning Resources With the exception of Scandal which is infl icted upon your Courtesan Resources are earned through actions. This works as follows. Pleasing Each successful Pleasing action earns your Courtesan the Resources of her choice equal to the Margin of Success. These come from the admirer so there is no limit to them. Example: Hattie impresses the Reverend Hall with her Polite Conversation succeeding with Margin of 3. She splits the 3 points between Legend, Influence and Wealth. Legend is justified as a donation of some of her fee to Charity, Influence is the ear of the Methodist Church and Wealth is the remainder of her fee which she banks. Intrigue Intrigue works slightly differently. You are directly stealing Resources from other Courtesans through a contested roll. If you fail the other Courtesan can choose to extort silence from you or Infl ict Scandal upon you.

Points gained for Spreading Rumours and Seduction can instead be used to infl ict Scandal upon the other Courtesan. Example of success: Lucy is now tempting Jessica to bed. She succeeds on the roll by 4. She takes 2 of Jessica’s Wealth Points and 2 of her Influence points. In addition they make the Ooooh Madam roll off as described above. Lucy wins this by 3 adding 3 to her Reputation Example of Failure: Lilly ham fistedly threatens to expose Lucy’s seduction of Hattie. It backfires as Lucy wins the contest by 1. Lucy tells the other girls on the Town what a liar the Actress is stealing one point of her Reputation. Aiding Aiding is so uncommon in the cutthroat world of the Courtesan you gain a fl at 1 Legend and 1 Reputation for every successful Aiding Action. The Margin of Success however does not grant you any Resources yourself but rather grants Resources to the Courtesan you are aiding. Failure has no effect. Example: Hattie wakes up in the night screaming after a nightmare about Irene’s death. Lucy Sweet Talks her with kind words and encourages her to accept her sexuality.

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This act of kindness from what is usually a vicious bitch grants Lucy 1 Legend and 1 Reputation while the fact she succeeded by 2 allows her to grant Hattie two Resource Points. This grants Hattie 1 Legend as she learns how to exploit her fame as a Lady’s Lady and 1 Reputation as word is got around the Town that she is coming to terms with her past.

Inflicting Scandal Scandal narrowly qualifi es as a Resource as it provides a bonus to Procurement. However it also disqualifi es the Courtesan from certain forms of Procurement if it gets too high. As such you cannot earn Scandal but it can be infl icted upon you in a successful Intrigue instead of stealing your Resources.

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If a female Admirer is the reason for the Scandal she is prosecuted for sodomy (unless she has the wealth and connections to avoid it she’s pretty much dead. Though you may want to play a game of Tough Justice sometime to resolve it. Courtesans can’t suffer prosecution for sodomy unless the Player wishes to retire the Character in a sadistic manner See Goodbyes in Chapter Five.)

Sound more tempting now? Thought so!

Scandalous Behaviour Clearly what is scandalous for a Courtesan isn’t quite what is scandalous for any other Lady. Spreading rumours You may think “why should I want to or revealing the truth about the following give away Resources to that bitch?” can justify Scandal points. Well Scandal has its drawbacks • Having an Abortion. beyond the disqualifi cation from • Engaging in S&M certain Procurement forms. • Attempting to Poach another Courtesan’s Admirer. The moment a Courtesan gains • Allowing a man to have anal sex any Scandal Points the following with her. happens. • An affair with a married man without his wife’s consent. • All Admirers currently • Breaking a Kept Mistress Visiting the Courtesan Spurn Contract. her. • Breaking a Surrogacy Contract. • All Kept Mistress Contracts • Being Visited by an Admirer with are now null and void and an Immoral Occupation. the Courtesan must pay • Sleeping with a woman (married the -1 Wealth penalty (see or not.) below.) • An affair with another Courtesan. • Being revealed to have signed a Surrogacy Contract.

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Example of Inflicting Scandal from Success: Through Spying Lilly has found out about Lucy’s female Admirer Lady Clarissa. She exposes the truth that Lucy and Clarissa are sleeping together. As she won the contested roll by 4: she decides to go all out and inflict all 4 points as Scandal. Lucy is ostracised for having “corrupted” a Lady in waiting. Example of Inflicting Scandal from rival’s Failed Intrigue:

Losing Resources As well as losing Resources to Intrigue, spending them on additional Procurements and losing them to failed ones as above your Courtesan can incur Expenses and make Investments. See the relevant sections at the end of Chapter 6.

Resource Debt If one of your Resources drops below 0 for any reason you are in Resource Debt. This imposes a -1 penalty on all rolls relating to one particular Statistic as explained below. Legend: The hectoring of the common folk makes your Courtesan less confi dent in her personality. She suffers the penalty to her Charm. Reputation: Your Courtesan is harried by the spiteful comments of other harlots affecting her health and sexual performance. She suffers the penalty to her Prowess.

Influence: Your Courtesan fi nds it harder to keep aware of comings and goings in society. She suffers the penalty to her Wits. Wealth: With fi nancial worries your Courtesan has trouble keeping her cool. She suffers the penalty to her Manners. Scandal does not have a Resource Debt. Whilst still a Courtesan, a Courtesan cannot go below 1 Scandal for any reason: Only an honest marriage can save your wicked soul completely madam!

Resource Bankruptcy If one of your Resources drops below -20 you’re in trouble girl! If it’s still at that level by the time you reach the end of the Investments Phase of a Season you are Resource Bankrupt and thus removed from the game in a grizzly way. See below for your Courtesan’s ignominious end. Legend Bankrupt: The wrath of the common folk is such that a mob of men overturn your Courtesan’s carriage and brutally murder her. The ringleaders are tried and convicted but public opinion sees spineless politicians cave in and pardon them. Your Courtesan is dead and no one dares care. Her Sisters and the Landlady are the only ones present at the funeral and they are pelted with rotten fruit for their trouble.

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Reputation Bankrupt: Your Courtesan has pissed off the prostitution underworld to no end. A team of bravos breaks into the House drags her to an alleyway and beats her to death. Her broken body is found fl oating in the Thames the next morning. Her Sisters daren’t attend her funeral in case they are next! Influence Bankrupt: Your Courtesan’s actions have offended the powers at be. Rather than use the usual channels of the law and risk a scandalous story coming out in court they dispatch an assassin. Unlike the killers of the previous two types of Bankrupt the assassin is quick clean and relatively painless and he takes no pleasure in it. However when your Courtesan’s Sisters come to bury her they fi nd no consecrated ground will take her and no priest will perform the ceremony forcing them to bury her in a secular manner in unhallowed ground. Wealth Bankrupt: Your Courtesan is arrested and thrown into debtor’s prison. For the rest of her short sorry life she struggles fi nancially even if she gets out. When she dies she is buried in Crossbones with all the other sorry common whores.

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Becoming Kept Some male Admirers like particular Courtesans so much they want to keep them! Though they may wish to marry the Lady of pleasure out of her “sorry state” eventually their fi rst step is a Kept Mistress Contract. A Kept Mistress Contract is a legal document countersigned by a lawyer. It is automatically offered by a male Admirer after a Courtesan has earned 10 Resources from him. It is her choice whether or not to accept it. If she does accept it the following conditions apply. • •

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The Admirer is now called her Keeper. The Courtesan must at least spend 1 action every other Turn Pleasing her Keeper or she is in breach of the Contract. Any overly sexual action with another Admirer is, if discovered, Scandal Inducing and a breach of the Contract. Any other Scandalous Act is also a breach of the Contract. However the Admirer may not Spurn the Courtesan for failing a Pleasing roll. He made his bed and he’s contractually obligated to lie in it.

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If the Contract remains intact in the Contract Resolution Phase (see Season) the Courtesan receives an allowance in the form of Wealth points equal to 7-the Keeper’s Pliability. If the Contract is broken the Courtesan must immediately pay a Wealth point in Compensation. The Keeper then Spurns her.

Example: The Marquess of Frothington has been Visiting Hattie for quite some time and has grown quite fond of her. Having already given her 10 points of Resources he asks her if she wouldn’t mind him “Keeping” her. Flattered she consents and the Contract is drawn up. Hattie is now expected to Please the Marquess at least once every other Turn, keep free of Scandal and keep Massage and Sex exclusive to him. If she does this she gains an income of 6 Wealth a Season (7- Pliability 1) paid in the Contract Resolution. If she breaches Contract at any time she pays 1 Wealth and although the Besotted Marquess won’t Spurn her she doesn’t get her Allowance this Season. Can’t I keep her? No Lawyer, no matter how corrupt or incompetent would sign a contract in which two women agree to have sex with only each other. It’s a capital offence for most of the period and will certainly get you imprisoned and ostracised for the rest!

Surrogacy Contracts The objective or all gentlefolk whether nobles, politicians, clergy or professionals is to establish a dynasty and dynasties need heirs to continue them. Most gentlefolk get on alright with this. Find the right kind of Lady and have lots of babies. Unfortunately the right kind of Lady can’t always have babies. That’s where a Courtesan can come in handy. Not all Courtesans are comfortable with this idea. Selling your body is one thing but your womb and eventual child? That’s something else. Still some girls are willing to stoop so low: For the right price. An Admirer may offer a Courtesan a Surrogacy Contract during their fi rst conversation. If she accepts she is under the following restrictions. •

Straight Sex with her is exclusive to the father to be for the Season. If she is found to have broken with this it is both Scandal infl icting and a breach of the Contract.

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She cannot use contraception nor terminate the pregnancy without breaching the Contract. Once her child is born he/ she is automatically adopted by the father at no cost to the Courtesan. The objective is conceiving a child. Sexual skill is not important. A father to be under a Surrogacy Contract will not Spurn her even if she fails her Pleasing roll. In addition Scandal cannot breach the Contract so long as it doesn’t involve straight sex with another man. The Courtesan is paid for her Pleasing as usual. In addition she receives a fl at payment of 5 Wealth points for her trouble once the baby is born and handed over. Secrecy is paramount. The Courtesan is to tell no one but the lawyer present of the contract’s existence. If the Contract is breached at any time the Courtesan has to pay 1 Wealth damages and may well be left with an unwanted baby.

Surrogacy and Religion Most of the religions active in the Demi Monde had a problem with surrogacy. Then again most of the religions active in the Demi Monde had a problem with independent women, extra marital sex, prostitution and homosexuality so go fi gure!

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Example: Lucy is talked into a Surrogacy Contract by her father in law Seamus McBrien or ‘Pappy’ as she affectionately calls him. She agrees that he will be the only man to have possession of her person for the season, that she will not interfere with the pregnancy in any way and that she will hand the baby over to be raised by the family for the 5 Wealth point fee. She will also keep her silence. In fact she will claim that the child is that of her late husband not ‘Pappy.’ This arrangement suits Lucy. She’s always been fond of ‘Pappy’ and her in laws, is gaining a bit of income, however immoral and nobody said anything about any WOMEN having possession of her person now did they?

Did this happen? Well neither I nor my darling Sophia ever heard of this but it doesn’t stretch credibility too far. I mean there were a lot of beloved but barren gentlewomen out there who needed to get an heir and were willing to accept their husbands sleeping with a Courtesan to secure the dynasty.

Chapter Four Admirers Of the Gentlemen interested in your attentions

Gentlemen of Fortune

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key part of a Courtesan’s career is the Procurement and Pleasing of Admirers. Like it or not Admirers are the key to success. Unlike Sisters or the Landlady Character they have potentially infi nite Resources to grab. It’s just a matter of successfully Pleasing. Not a problem right? This section covers the creation of Admirers. This is the preserve of the Landlady but it might be good for Players to have a read of the nuts and bolts of how this works. Do remember though your Courtesan isn’t thinking ‘he looks like Pliability 1’ she’s thinking ‘he looks sexy, gormless and rich.’ Game mechanics do not enter the minds of the Characters obviously.

Ladies of Fortune? Not all Admirers are Gentlemen. It is not unusual for a Lady to show interest in a Courtesan. Not all of these Ladies are after sex of course (though some are) they treat Courtesans as a kind of confi dant, fashion coach and therapist. Throughout the following Chapter rules will be given in boxes like this for creating female Admirers.

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Pliability Admirers only have one Statistic. It is called Pliability. Pliability represents a combination of disposable income and inclination to spend it on attractive women. Here is a rough set of guidelines.

Pliability 1 Sexual Experience: Usually a virgin or at least inexperienced. Financial Savvy: Frivolous and loaded: Usually more money than sense. Age: Usually young but any age is eligible if they still have much to learn. Personality: Shy, nervous, uneasy around someone with so much more experience but nevertheless eager to please. Archetypes: No Fop or Saviour is this Pliable. Only the most hopeless Lovers and Students are eligible for this level really. Oddities These profi les are just representative of what is typical of an Admirer of the relevant Pliability level. If you want to create an Admirer who breaks with these expectations please feel free but remember it has to make sense. A good example is Queen Anne from Chapter One. She’s middle aged and has buried 10 Children but her joy de vive and frivolous spending make her Pliability 1.

Pliability 2

Pliability 4

Sexual Experience: Some but not a lot usually. If the Admirer is experienced he isn’t very good at it. Financial Savvy: Some fi nancial control but still a lot more money than sense. Personality: Not as much of a sap as Pliability 1 but still pretty Sappy. Archetypes: No Saviour is this Pliable. A few Fops may be. The tougher Students and average Lovers come out at this level.

Sexual Experience: Above average but not exactly Casanova. Financial Savvy: A bit more sense with money than the average person on the street but far from stingy. Personality: A little cold and possibly even deceptive. Usually this is for a good reason though, a lost love, strong principals or another confl ict of feelings. Archetypes: The Fops at this level are either reluctant or outright obnoxious. Average Saviours are around this level. Lovers at this level are quite diffi cult to handle and probably more than a little emotionally unstable. There are no Students at this level.

Pliability 3 Sexual Experience: About average. Not exactly debauched but nowhere near chaste. Financial Savvy: Some skill with money but still a bit of a sucker. Personality: Reasonably self confi dent and amiable. May occasionally lose patience with a Courtesan but will always apologise in full if they go too far. Archetypes: The weakest kind of Saviours are around this level. Fops at this level are about the average. There are no Students at this level and any Lovers are probably a little needy and diffi cult.

Couples Some girls are lucky enough to be visited by couples. Sex with two people at once is of course highly scandalous but most couples of Admirers are really looking for a marriage guidance counsellor. In the case of couples you must design both Admirer Characters together. They share a Pliability score but otherwise probably differ in many aspects. Admirers who initially visit a Courtesan alone may later bring their spouse to join in. If the spouse isn’t too happy about this the Admirer’s pliability counts as 1 higher when he/she accompanies him/her. If however the spouse is more keen on the Courtesan than the Admirer the Admirer’s Pliability decreases by 1 when he/she joins in. If the spouse is indifferent don’t apply either modifi er!

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Pliability 5 Sexual Experience: Quite extensive and varied though God only knows how! Financial Savvy: Quite stingy. Personality: A boorish oaf or conceited egotist. Pliability 5 Admirers are rarely very admirable. Archetypes: The worst kinds of Fop are Pliability 5. The more principled Saviours usually come up at this level. Lovers at this level are rare and where they do exist are almost always Couples that are utterly devoted to each other. There are no Students at this level.

Pliability 6 Sexual Experience: Cassafucking-nova but again Christ knows how! Financial Savvy: A real Scrooge. Personality: A complete bigoted arsehole. Archetypes: There are only Saviours at this level and they’re all corrupt bastards. When creating Admirers the best bet is to roll a dice for each Admirer the Courtesan has Procured and take that as the Pliability. Remember to keep Pliability secret from the Players. Example: Bernadette is creating some Admirers for Sarah’s Courtesan Hattie. Hattie Procured 4 Admirers so Bernadette rolls 4 dice. She gets the results of 5, 3, 2, 1. These are noted down as the Admirer’s Pliability scores.

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Archetypes Roleplaying games use lazy archetypes a lot. I’ve already given you 6 “Origins” of Courtesan. Here I give you the 4 Archetypes of Admirer

Fops Fops are pleasure seekers. They’re after a good tumble at a reasonable price. They rarely fall in love with their beaus and even if they have children by them they very rarely marry them out of the Demi Monde. Fops have great experience and are not the easiest Admirers to please but they are by far the most common.

Saviours These are the sort of epically moral individuals you expect to be condemning prostitution from the rooftops. In fact some of them are! This isn’t hypocrisy though, oh no, these gentlemen are intent on “saving the souls” of “wicked women” by paying for their time like any other Admirer and lecturing them on how best to “reform.” Some make honest women out of their “friends” others set them up with “straying” acquaintances. Either way their objective is to get the Courtesan out of the Demi Monde. Deception! An Admirer can give the impression that he is of a different Archetype than he actually is. As Archetype is a game term rather than a story term it’s a matter of narrative concern.

Students

Lovers

Students are those inexperienced (usually young) Admirers who seek to learn of love and sex from the best of teachers. First love is never forgotten and a Student will likely remain in touch with his ‘lady friend’ long after he has stopped Visiting her. Some get totally besotted and marry their beaus out of the Demi Monde but usually Students are of too high a status to even consider that.

Lovers may well think they are just foppish or debauched but what they’re really after is love and companionship. They are typically easy to please but such a mess of emotions that they can be diffi cult to manage. They can become dangerously obsessed with the Courtesan and their neediness can really harm her career. If they ever work out what they really want they could well marry their beaus out of the Demi Monde. Unlikely though.

Do Saviours have to be God Botherers? Well actually they don’t! Saviour is biased toward the archetype of the clergyman, missionary or lay activist going round reading the Bible and preaching penitence and reform but it doesn’t have to be. Equally you have Admirers trying to get Courtesans out of the Demi Monde for secular or even selfi sh ends. Perhaps he is an old fl ame or the father of the Courtesan’s child? Perhaps he’s a friend genuinely concerned for the Courtesan’s Welfare. He could even be a Criminal tempting her into an easier but more dangerous life of crime. Your choice: Don’t assume Saviour means religious!

More Deception! Admirers can go by Titles they are not entitled to or conceal their Marital Status. This requires successful Scrutiny to see through.

Example: There are 4 Admirers so Bernadette decides to assign the Pliability scores to one of each. The 1 is a Student, the 2 a Lover, the 3 a Saviour and the 5 a Fop.

Title The fi rst step to fl eshing your Admirers out beyond Pliability and Archetype is to give them a Title. This of course determines a few things about the Character that may be important later but for now the Title is all that matters. For a list of Titles see Chapter 1. Example: Bernadette assigns the title of Duke to the Fop and Marquess to the Student. Hattie is looking to marry out of the Demi Monde so the Titles could be a temptation. Also in view of her Religious background Bernadette makes the Saviour a Reverend.

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Finally, as a temptation back to her old ways, the final Admirer, the Lover, is a Miss. Female Admirers Clearly female Admirers need feminine Titles and Names. This is insultingly obvious but I just thought it worth a mention.

Name The Admirer’s name is a defi ning part of the image the Landlady creates of him. This isn’t real life this is a story so the name can easily suit the Character even more than usual. It also determines ethnicity. Most of your Admirers will be English but other British nationalities, colonial nationalities and even a few foreign ones are possible provided they are kept rare enough that they don’t stretch credibility too far.

Even More Deception! An Admirer may conceal his true name from the Courtesan. Again this requires successful Scrutiny to see through.

Example: Having established some Titles Bernadette names Hattie’s Admirers. They are Duke Olaf VonGrund Pliability: 5 Archetype: Fop Deception Note: VonGrund gives the impression he is a Saviour as he has a taste for Goldenhearts. Reverend Joseph Hall Pliability: 3 Archetype: Saviour Miss Eliza Drinkwater Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student

Age The age of an Admirer could range from the age of consent (13 at the time) up to very old age. Everyone was at it young and old! Age is important to some Courtesans but not to others. Remember if your Courtesan isn’t interested in particularly old or young Admirers she won’t be tempted by the Admirer. White Lies An Admirer can lie about his age but it shouldn’t matter to most girls.

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Example: Bernadette decides on the ages of Hattie’s Admirers. She notes down the following. Duke Olaf VonGrund Pliability: 5 Archetype: Fop Age: 42 Deception Note: VonGrund gives the impression he is a Saviour as he has a taste for Goldenhearts. Reverend Joseph Hall Pliability: 3 Archetype: Saviour Age: 60 Miss Eliza Drinkwater Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 17 Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 16

Modern Sensibilities The age of consent throughout the Demi Monde period was 13. Naturally in modern times with paedo paranoia you may wish to ignore this and make all your Admirers of the modern age (16 in the UK) and above.

Occupation An Admirer’s Occupation says a lot about who they are. Of course most of them were of suffi cient station not to have to work for a living but most had the initiative to do something other than spend money on Courtesans! Occupations come in 5 kinds outlined below... You’re a what sweetie? Lying about your Occupation is a very dangerous game. Courtesans don’t just bed their Admirers like common Doxies they converse with them all civilised like. Not knowing your stuff can get you found out for the lying cad you are!

A Proper Occupation for a Lady Female Admirers may only take the Occupations marked with a *. They may however be the wife, widow or daughter of any other Occupation.

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Noble Occupations

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These are the Occupations usually (but not always) reserved for those with Titles of Lord or above. They are as follows... •

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Landowner*: The Admirer owns huge tracts of land and commands the vast wealth that comes with them: The most common Occupation for a Noble. Unlike most of the other Occupations it can be stacked with something else (not necessarily in this list) as it is pretty passive. Parliamentary Lord: The Admirer has a seat in the House of Lords and therefore is instrumental in the Government of the country. Well in theory anyway. Royal Family*: The Admirer is towards the top of the list of succession and thus about as much of a big wig as you can get! Royal Staff*: The Admirer is employed in the Royal Household and therefore (in theory) has the ear of the King/Queen. General: The Admirer holds the rank of General in the Army. A powerful position but not that well paid. Admiral: The Admirer holds the rank of Admiral in the Royal Navy. Again a powerful position that is not that well paid.

Judge: The Admirer is a High Court judge. Best behaviour round him Ladies. You don’t want to be up before him. Then again if he likes you he may let you sit in as he sets about his business. See our sister game Tough Justice for more details on the perversions and corruption of High Court Judges.

Philanthropic Occupations Philanthropic Occupations are more of a calling. They are focused on the care of others in whatever sorry state they may be in. They are as follows... •

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Clergy: The Admirer is a man of the cloth either in the CofE or one of the Non Conformist Churches. It’s a pretty thankless job that constantly challenges not only your faith in God but your faith in humanity in general. No wonder the Clergy seek the comfort of the Courtesan! Missionary*: The Admirer is a Missionary, out to give a helping hand and spread the word of God to the natives of less “civilised” nations. In an ironic twist of fate nowadays these “savages” send us missionaries! Anyway a Missionary is typically worldlier than a man of the cloth but has much the same good nature and desire to save “wicked” souls.

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Secular Philanthropist*: Though the Admirer is likely a Godly person he seeks to do good works for their own sake. He may run some sort of school, relief centre or charity. Whatever he does he’s not so concerned with saving a Courtesan’s soul and is more concerned with her physical safety and well being. Doctor: The Admirer is a Medical Doctor. In the days before a National Health Service he is well paid by his patients for his very expensive services. He may even give you a nice check up dear. Just pop your clothes off and lie down. Surgeon: The Admirer is Surgeon. No not a common barber surgeon, don’t be so base dear. He is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Their brutal methods may be similar but Surgeons have more class. They may eye you up like a piece of meat but its meat they appreciate! Moral Crusader*: This Admirer’s only reason to associate with Courtesans is to “save their wicked souls.” If you don’t want saving politely decline or if you’re an Upstart tell them to go fuck themselves!

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Beadle: The Admirer is a Beadle in charge of administering the poor law in his local Parish. Beadles have a reputation as harsh and humourless fellows but you would be too if you had to manage a workhouse full of waifs and strays and be a one man social services department for your area! Prison Governor: Yeah not quite Philanthropic to some but it is really a duty of care even for the corrupt ones. A Prison Governor sees the very worst of humanity on a daily basis. No wonder he comes running to your arms wallet open!

Additional Occupations For Female Admirers There are two Philanthropic Occupations available only to female Admirers. They are •

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Nurse: The Admirer is a Nurse of some kind. Not as medically profi cient as a Doctor but a kind and caring individual. It’s always a pleasure to entertain a Nurse. Midwife: The Admirer is practiced at delivering babies: Whether she holds offi cial qualifi cations or is just a local ‘wise woman’ with years of experience. Might be a handy contact for the inevitable!

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Political Occupations Political Occupations are those with actual power. Or at least what the nobility and civil service makes them think is actual power. The Political Occupations are as follows: •

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Party Activist*: The Admirer is an Activist for one of 2 mainstream parties the Whigs or the Tories. Activists for Irish Nationalists, Radicals, Chartists or Unionists come under the Firebrand Occupation (see Immoral Occupations.) Local Councillor: The Admirer is a Local Councillor. Not particularly infl uential in the great scheme of things but fabulously wealthy! Mayor: The Admirer is Mayor of a Township. When it comes to local government there is no higher authority. Member of Parliament: The Admirer is a Member of the House of Commons. In theory he represents the common folk of a sizeable area. In practice only men with property over a certain value can vote or stand for election and before the Great Reform Acts the Boundaries are completely fucked up. For example there are hamlets of 200 odd people sending 2 MPs to Parliament whilst Liverpool, a city of some 2 million, sends none!

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Oh and MPs have no salary so they have to be men who can support themselves fi nancially. Privy Councillor: The Admirer is a member of the King/Queen’s elite Privy Council: Quite some honour but one of very little actual power. Does look cool on your CV of smuttiness though! A Privy Councillor is also either a Parliamentary Lord or a Member of Parliament. Cabinet Minister: The Admirer is a member of the Cabinet the main Council of the King/Queen’s ministers: Whatever his Portfolio his position is worthy of great respect. A Cabinet Minister is also either a Parliamentary Lord or a Member of Parliament. Prime Minister: You’ve hit the big time with this one dearie. The PM himself! Absolute power is within reach of your dirty little mitts. Or is it really? The Prime Minister is also a Member of Parliament. There is obviously only one Prime Minister. Civil Servant: This Admirer may sound boring but trust me sweetie he pulls all the strings. The Nobility and MPs may think they run the country but more and more it is becoming the preserve of the Civil Service.

Historical Note You can use the real Prime Minister of the year of your Season or make one up. Either way it works just like any other Admirer. Suggested profi les for famous Prime Ministers will be appearing on the Courtesans blog sometime.

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Professional Occupations Professional Occupations mean actually working for a living however as these Admirers are visiting Courtesans they are either well paid or the preserve of gentlemen. •

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Academic: The Admirer is a noted Academic. Regardless of his fi eld he is probably well published and sitting on a respectable tidy sum. He is also likely to have some fame and political clout. Author*: The Admirer is an Author. Not exactly the best kind of Admirer to get cash out of but fame and Infl uence a plenty from this chap you mark my words dearie! Poets come under this category too. Artist*: The Admirer is a noted Artist. Perhaps he wants you to model for him? Nude of course dear! Artists are usually on the wealthy side with Infl uence and fame to boot.

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Stage Folk*: A general category covering actors, directors, the wealthier stage hands and of course producers. They’re not the wealthiest folk but they are very popular and mildly infl uential. Musicians*: A general category covering Admirers involved in music either playing, composing, producing or all 3 at once! Banker: Ooooooh you are in the money girl! The Admirer is a Banker: Lots of lovely money, a bit of Infl uence in the city and Treasury, the fame of being seen with a man of substance and the reputation for bagging such a sought after catch. Living the dream me dear! Living the dream! Industrialist: As Edmund Blackadder said ‘These people are the future.’ Depending on the start year the Industrial Revolution is starting or in full swing. An Industrialist is wealthy, infl uential, famous and won’t do your Reputation any harm either!

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Stockbroker: The Admirer is a man of the city. He trades shares in companies, usually skimming off a little for himself though for some of the Demi Monde period he’ll be risking the noose for doing so. Anyway wealth, power and maybe a little fame too are up for grabs. Business Tycoon*: This Admirer is really just an overblown shopkeeper but he has the money and you can never be too picky my dear! Lawyer: The Admirer is some form of Lawyer either Civil or Criminal. Lawyers can be the devious little shits of the stereotype but they can also be passionate crusaders for justice. For more details on Lawyers take a look at our sister game Tough Justice. Thief Taker*: The Admirer is a Thief Taker. A kind of private policeman paid in bounties for convictions. He may have an irregular income but their word in court can be a matter of life and death. For more details on Thief Takers take a look at our sister game Tough Justice.

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Hangman: The Admirer is a professional Hangman. It is a grim job but somebody has to do it I suppose. Hangmen are paid well enough and some Hangmen actually gain minor celebrity status until executions go from public to private in the early Victorian period. Civilian Sea Captain: The Admirer is a Civilian Sailor with command of his own ship. It really depends on what goods he carries as to how useful he is as an Admirer. Slaves are the most lucrative for most of the Demi Monde period! Army Officer: The Admirer is an Offi cer or ex Offi cer of the Army. He will likely be very worldly if slightly damaged by his experiences. He’ll have seized a lot of booty, gained a lot of fame and infl uence and likely have lots of sexual experience. Naval Officer: The Admirer is an Offi cer or ex Offi cer of the Royal Navy. Like the Army Offi cer he will likely be very worldly if slightly damaged by his experiences. He’ll have seized a lot of booty, gained a lot of fame and infl uence and likely have lots of sexual experience. Unlike the Army Offi cer he is likely to be a lot more open minded.

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Chelsea Pensioner: The Admirer is a common soldier exalted to the special status of Chelsea Pensioner for exceptional service in the ranks. He’s probably a bit more rough and ready than a military gentleman but he’ll make a nice change. His pension is a bit on the small side but he has special privileges under the law and probably a bank account full of booty! Tailor: The Admirer is a gentleman Tailor of an establishment of the highest class. Great fortune, power, fame and the envy of your Sisters are all to play for when this gent is Visiting. Dressmaker*: The Admirer makes fashionable wear for Ladies. With the patronage of other Courtesans expect a very wealthy Gentleman who can always be persuaded to offer a discount to his favourite customer. Dressmakers also have the ear of almost all fashionable women in the city!

Professions for Women Female Admirers may pick the following Profession. •

Milliner: The Admirer works at a fashionable clothing material store helping Ladies select the best materials for their clothes (usually hats.) The wealthier ones may seek to employ their highest spending clients for their services.

She Nappers There were actually female Thief Takers. In fact there were so many that they got their own street slang term “the She Nappers.” Oddly when Peel founded the fi rst offi cial Police force the Bow Street Runners (later Metropolitan Police) there were no women offi cers for many years. It was the private enterprise nature of the Thief Takers that meant that women could have a go if they were so inclined.

Well I’m Fucking Lord Byron Bitch! Like Prime Ministers Authors, Artists, Stage Folk and Musicians can be real historical fi gures or completely made up. Also the Author will be posting some recommended stats for the most famous when he can be arsed.

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Immoral Occupations Finally we come to a list of Occupations with whom association can bring Scandal in itself. Should your affair with such Admirers come out you will doubtless gain Scandal and may even get the poor darling arrested and executed! It’s a risk but a risk that some girls fi nd worth taking. •

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Firebrand*: There is a lot of rather unsavoury politics going round these days and it is the fi rebrands that spread it through fair means or foul. If you believe in their cause you may well be amiable to a visit or two. If not then be prepared to be bored. Highway Robber*: One of the most glamorous of Immoral Professions. Highway Robbers got all the Ladies swooning. A Courtesan is more interested in exploiting their loot and fame though! Pirate*: Yaaaaaaaaar! Your Admirer be a Pirate, lass! Yet another glamorous criminal: Pirates have typically short lives but the unparalleled freedom they enjoy and their great wealth and fame is a real turn on: Especially the later two to a Courtesan.

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Macaroni: Your Admirer is a homosexual male covering his tracks by having high profi le affairs with women. He will pay well to cover his arse and save his neck! Obviously he needs a day job so this can stack. Gentleman Pimp*: Your Admirer is a Pimp of the highest class. He’s more likely to actually treat his “merchandise” with respect but more than likely he’s just as much of a bastard as his common counterparts. Conjurer: Nothing immoral about these charming, crafty party tricksters these days but these were highly superstitious times. Though Witchcraft was no longer seriously prosecuted Conjurers were regarded as the spawn of Satan by good Christian folk and even the very rationally minded saw them as devious tricksters. Abortionist*: Your Admirer is a “solver of women’s complaints” of the highest class. Might be a handy contact for the inevitable should you wish to take the risk. Fence*: Your Admirer is a seller of stolen goods at one of the local “lost property offi ces.” Potentially very lucrative and should you ever be robbed you know who to go to!

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Grifter*: Your Admirer is a professional Grifter or con artist. Watch that you are his sweetheart not his mark! Grifters are usually posing as another Occupation. Spy*: Your Admirer is a Spy for one of Britain’s many enemies. You could well fi nd yourself in serious trouble sweetie! This Occupation stacks with another as it is used as a cover. Smuggler*: Your Admirer is a Smuggler. He is involved in the lucrative trade of “importing” certain items whilst avoiding Customs to “keep them fresh.” If you get caught and he’s a dead man and you’re in for some Scandal gain. Crime Boss*: Your Admirer is a big cheese in the criminal underworld. He pretty much owns most of the lower orders and all the criminal activities in the area. Big spender: don’t get caught sweetie!

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Sample Causes Here’s a list of a few of the controversial causes of the time: • Catholic Emancipation: A campaign for equal rights under the law for those of the Catholic faith. It had its highs and lows but was eventually successful. • Disestablishtarianism: Got to love that word! This was the campaign to end the privileged status of the Church of England and put all religions on an equal legal footing. It was successful in Ireland as part of the home rule cause and in Wales as part of early Welsh nationalism but in England itself, though Non Conformists and Catholics have better rights the CofE remains the established church. • Home Rule: Britain is not one country it is a collection of countries. Each of these mini countries campaigned long and hard for its independence. Ireland is the most famous of these because it actually won (kind of, see below) but there were also campaigns for Welsh, Scottish and even Cornish home rule.

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Unionism: As a reaction to Gladstone’s Home rule proposals radical MPs like Lord Randolph Churchill (father of the more famous Winston) started riling up Ireland’s Protestant minority claiming “home rule means Rome rule.” This was just as incendiary and problematic as Home Rule and with a still divided Ireland we are still suffering the consequences of these shameless opportunists. Chartism: The Chartists kept up a campaign for universal male suffrage (a few supported women’s suffrage but they were in the minority) and proper boundaries for constituencies. It had mixed success. Boundaries were fi xed considerably by the two Great Reform Acts but it wouldn’t be until 1918 that universal male suffrage fi nally made law. Trade Unionism: It was a long hard battle to get Trade Unions recognised in law and there are some days in London where wish they never bothered. Still the Trade Union movement was defi nitely very undesirable throughout the Demi Monde period. However noble it may have been at this early stage!

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Early Socialism: The fi rst people to adopt what we now recognise as socialist ideas were the religious cult known as the Diggers during the Civil War (some say it was the Wyatt rebellion but they miss the very Royalist tone of said failed campaign.) This was just the beginning though. The ideas evolved through the Chartist movement, drew inspiration from the French Revolution and fi nally adopted the ideas of obscure German exile Karl Marx as their standard. Like Trade Unionism this was in its early idealistic years before it got any real power and became corrupted. Abolition of Slavery: A real success story: My ancestor William Wilberforce’s campaign to outlaw the slave trade actually worked by the early 1800s. Despite being set back decades by slave rebellions that revisionist historians erroneously give the credit of the abolition to. Anarchism: From the Chartists and Socialists who wanted better government developed a bunch of extremists who wanted no government at all! Fortunately they didn’t get very far.

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Women’s Rights: A cause your Courtesans can get right behind! By the late 1800s there were two distinct brands of women’s rights campaign. The suffragists the peaceful non violent group consisting mainly of the wives and daughters of Liberal MPs and the suffragettes the more militant group who, it is often forgotten, even resorted to outright terrorism at times including an attempted suicide bombing in Dublin! In 1918 it achieved partial success by getting the vote for married women over 30 with a certain amount of property the vote but it wasn’t until the 30s that it achieved universal women’s suffrage on equal terms with men. Gay Rights: Believe it or not there were campaigns for the rights of homosexuals even when ‘sodomy’ was a capital crime. Even more surprisingly this was centred in the Church of England and Unitarian and Quaker Churches. Secular campaigners like lesbian landowner Anne Lister also played their part. It wouldn’t be until the 1960s that homosexuality was fi nally decriminalised though.

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Lady Bawds The term for a female Gentleman Pimp is Lady Bawd. They may be more motherly but otherwise they are pretty much the same.

Immoral Ladies As well as those marked with a star the following three Occupations are unique to female Admirers: • Common Doxy: Some Doxies save up enough money for ‘private lessons’ with the best. Be a good teacher dear. She’s worked hard for it. • Molly House Madam: The Admirer is a manageress of a secret Gentleman’s club for homosexual men or Molly House. If any of her members are charged with sodomy she poses as the gentleman’s fi ancée to allay suspicion. • Another Courtesan: A Courtesan of a different House is up for a few ‘private lessons.’ This could be very lucrative but at the same time make you enemies in the other House.

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Example: Bernadette assigns Occupations to Hattie’s Admirers as follows. Duke Olaf VonGrund Pliability: 5 Archetype: Fop Age: 42 Occupation: Landowner Posing as a Secular Philanthropist Deception Note: VonGrund gives the impression he is a Saviour as he has a taste for Goldenhearts. Reverend Joseph Hall Pliability: 3 Archetype: Saviour Age: 60 Occupation: Clergy Miss Eliza Drinkwater Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 17 Occupation: Grifter posing as a Missionary Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 16 Occupation: Landowner

Sexual Experience Clearly the experience of your Admirer may be important in your relationship with him. There are 4 levels of experience. Virgin: The Admirer has never had sex. Some: The Admirer has had some sex but not a lot. Average: The Admirer’s sexual experience is about average for the age. Lots: The Admirer is a veritable Casanova. Example: Bernadette adds Sexual Experience ratings to Hattie’s Admirers. Duke Olaf VonGrund Pliability: 5 Archetype: Fop Age: 42 Occupation: Landowner posing as a Secular Philanthropist Sexual Experience: Lots Deception Note: VonGrund gives the impression he is a Saviour as he has a taste for Goldenhearts. Reverend Joseph Hall Pliability: 3 Archetype: Saviour Age: 60 Occupation: Clergy Sexual Experience: Average

Miss Eliza Drinkwater Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 17 Occupation: Con Artist posing as a Missionary. Sexual Experience: Some Deception Note: Eliza is insisting she is a Virgin. Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 16 Occupation: Landowner Sexual Experience: Virgin

First Time with a Lady Dear? Sexual Experience refers to sex with women not men. A woman could have been happily married for most of her life and still count as a virgin for the purposes of this descriptor if she has never bedded a woman.

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Marital Status Marital Status matters if the Admirer is male and your Courtesan wishes to avoid Scandal. Otherwise it’s just a bit of background. There are 4 possible choices. • •

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Single: The Admirer is single and has never been married before. Married Open: The Admirer is married but has an understanding spouse who doesn’t mind the occasional visit to a Courtesan. She might even join him! Married Closed: The Admirer is married and his spouse doesn’t know he visits Courtesans. If she fi nds out there will be Scandal. Widower: The Admirer was married once but his wife died.

Divorce A divorce was very diffi cult to get at the time of the Demi Monde requiring a specifi c act of Parliament. As such Divorcee has not been included.

Female Admirers Not that it matters at all as any physical relationship with a woman is scandalous but women use the same list with the exception that Widower is changed to Widow.

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Example: Bernadette assigns Marital Statuses to Hattie’s Admirers. Duke Olaf VonGrund Pliability: 5 Archetype: Fop Age: 42 Occupation: Landowner posing as a secular philanthropist Sexual Experience: Lots Marital Status: Single Deception Note: VonGrund gives the impression he is a Saviour as he has a taste for Goldenhearts. Reverend Joseph Hall Pliability: 3 Archetype: Saviour Age: 60 Occupation: Clergy Sexual Experience: Average Marital Status: Widow Miss Eliza Drinkwater Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 17 Occupation: Con Artist posing as a Missionary Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Single Deception Note: Eliza is insisting she is a Virgin. Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 16 Occupation: Landowner Sexual Experience: Virgin Marital Status: Single

Coming Clean Stop sniggering! As the Admirer gets to know the Courtesan their deceptions maybe found out or freely admitted. The Landlady gives the Courtesan a choice whether to keep the Admirer on or do the Spurning for a change!

Physical Description

Belly Unless you have some really strange tastes you don’t really want too much belly on your man sweetie! • Lean: The gentleman is quite thin, his belly hardly noticeable. • Average: The gentleman has an average sized belly. • Podgy: The gentleman has a bit of extra padding. • Rotund: Oh dear sweetheart! Looks like you need some exercise.

Looks aren’t everything but they sure do help! The following descriptors are used for an Admirer’s Physical Appearance. Eye Colour The same options are available as for a Courtesan. Hair Colour Again same options as a Courtesan though older Admirers may be greying. Chest A gentleman’s chest is just as attractive as a Lady’s Bust. Well in some opinions anyway. • Weak: The gentleman’s chest is puny and small. • Average: The gentleman’s chest is about average size. • Large: The gentleman’s chest is bigger than average. • Barrel: A lovely big chest to lay your head on!

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Example: Bernadette adds Physical Descriptions to Hattie’s Admirers. Duke Olaf VonGrund Pliability: 5 Archetype: Fop Age: 42 Occupation: Landowner posing as a Secular Philanthropist Sexual Experience: Lots Marital Status: Single Eye Colour: Hazel Hair Colour: Brunette Chest: Large Belly: Rotund Deception Note: VonGrund gives the impression he is a Saviour as he has a taste for Goldenhearts. Reverend Joseph Hall Pliability: 3 Archetype: Saviour Age: 60 Occupation: Clergy Sexual Experience: Average Marital Status: Widow Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Raven Haired (Greying) Chest: Average Belly: Podgy Female Admirers Female Admirers use the Bust and Waist descriptors just like Courtesans.

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Miss Eliza Drinkwater Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 17 Occupation: Con Artist posing as a Missionary Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Single Hair Colour: Red Head Eye Colour: Green Bust: Buxom Waist: Tiny Deception Note: Eliza is insisting she is a Virgin. Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 16 Occupation: Landowner Sexual Experience: Virgin Marital Status: Single Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Blue Chest: Weak Belly: Podgy

Anything Else? Not really no. You could write backgrounds for the Admirers if you wish but that takes forever when you have canny and Scandalous Ladies about. Best to jot down these base details and let things evolve naturally.

Besotted As an additional rule there is a chance for your Admirers to fall in love with their beaus (whatever love is!) Here are the rules for determining the chance of an Admirer becoming Besotted.

You may wonder why there are no rules for the Sisters themselves falling madly in love like this. The simple reason is Player Control. The more control you give a Player over her Character’s actions the better: Especially where feelings are involved.

After the third successful Pleasing action on an Admirer roll a dice. The chance of the Admirer becoming Besotted is by Archetype... • • • •

Lover: 3+ Student: 4+ Fop: 6+ Saviour: No chance! He wants to save the young lady not love her!

Besotted Admirers will NEVER Spurn their beaus regardless of any failure, Scandal, breach of Contract or any other circumstances. The Courtesan may choose to cut off all contact, effectively Spurning the Besotted Admirer herself but loses 1 Legend in doing so. Note that though she may not be Spurned by the Admirer the Courtesan still must pay the fee for breach of Contract. She does not earn her agreed fee in the Season in which she breaches her Contract but as her Admirer is Besotted it remains in place until she chooses to withdraw from it. Besotted Admirers can be Poached or Introduced but at a -2 penalty to the dice roll. If successful the hopeless lover boy is now Besotted with his new beau.

Arrested! A female or Criminal Admirer may well be Besotted but if your Courtesan gains Scandal through their relationship being revealed she may not exactly be Spurned but she has no access to said Admirer while the poor wretch is in Newgate. All is not lost though! An Admirer who has been Arrested can be saved through Investment (see Chapter Six). Also Admirers who are not Besotted but left the Courtesan because of the Scandal of their Relationship can be saved. Regardless of Archetype or number of successful Pleasing actions this Admirer is automatically Besotted.

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Chapter Five The Landlady On your host and guide on this amorous journey.

Landlady’s Guide to Courtesans

The Landlady Character

he job of Landlady (or whatever it is called in other games) is a quite thankless one. Unlike the Players who have to focus on the life of a single Character a Landlady has to manage a whole world full of Fops, sluts and their Intrigues.

The Landlady has an avatar, a representation in the form of a Character in the game world. This is the Landlady Character: A Courtesan like the Sisters but one of considerably more experience. Here is how to create her.

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It’s tough but also strangely rewarding. Most of the games I have been involved in my 6 years of Roleplaying I have been Games Master and I’m still doing it. Why? Because as fun as it is to guide a single individual through a hostile world controlling said hostile world and the plot that is infl icted on your player’s wonderful creations has its own appeal. So here is a brief guide to getting the best out of being the Landlady. GMPC The Author is well aware there is a divide over the issue of Games Master controlled Player Characters or GMPCs. The Landlady Character does not necessarily have to be a GMPC. She can just sit in the background getting cash out of her Keeper to maintain the House. Alternatively you can have her take a more active roll instigating plot (see below.) Either way she only gets 1 action a Turn after all the other girls have made all their actions.

Create the Character At 18 Go through the normal Character Creation Process from name to Good At. This gives you the Landlady Character at the start of her career at 18. Example: Bernadette is creating her Landlady Character she comes up with the following base. Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 3 Wits: 2 Spite: 3 Performance: 5 Prowess: 4 Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing

Age the Character 9 Years Now you need to give your Landlady Character a 9 Year age advantage making her 27. Full rules for Ageing are given in the Advanced Rules but a simpler version is provided here.

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New Statistics A Courtesan who starts play normally can invest some Resources in new Statistics. To help an aged Courtesan catch up she gains an additional Statistic Point for every full 2 years past 18. It’s not perfect by any means but it is close enough! Anyway what this means for you sweetie is 4 more points of Statistics! Example: Bernadette adds the new Statistics. Maud’s Profile now looks like this. Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 5 Wits: 2 Spite: 5 Performance: 5 Prowess: 4 Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing New Good Ats As you will fi nd out in Chapter Six each Season grants you a New Good At or the opportunity to upgrade an existing Good At to a Very Good At. That’s 9 Good Ats for you sweetie!

Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 5 Wits: 2 Spite: 5 Performance: 5 Prowess: 4 Very Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing, Pleasuring Women, Blackmail, Outright Seduction. Misfortunes Horrible things happen to a Courtesan in play and they eat her up. Fortune is (statistically anyway) a lot nastier to girl if she actually plays through the years so this is actually a little unfair on the other girls. Oh well. You must select 1 Misfortune for each year past 18. There are a lot more Misfortunes in the Advanced Rules but for a Landlady Character you have a choice of an extra Scandal Point or a Child for each year. These don’t necessarily have to be earned in the respective years. You can even have more than one child in a year. Either twins or you adopted one. So that’s 9 misfortunes for your career so far dearie!

Handicapped Children For each year your Landlady Example: Bernadette adds the new Character has successfully kept a Good Ats. Well actually she adds 3 Handicapped Child add +1 to her and upgrades the lot of them to Very Legend. Multiple Handicapped Children Good Ats! Her profile now looks like stack. The Health scores of pre-created this. Children are entirely the choice of the controlling Player in this case the Landlady.

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Example: Bernadette now works out Maud’s misfortunes. She takes 3 Children and 6 points of Scandal which she will write into her Background when she gets round to it. Her profile looks like this. Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 5 Wits: 2 Spite: 5 Performance: 5 Prowess: 4 Very Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing, Pleasuring Women, Blackmail, Outright Seduction. Scandal: 6 Children: 2 Boys: Alfred Age: 5 Health: 2, Arthur Age: 3 Health: 4, 1 Girl: Melissa Age: 1, Health: 2

Landlady Character Resources Landlady Characters are VERY successful Courtesans. So successful in fact that they can afford to outright own a House and rent it out to girls who are just starting out. The Resource rules are thus slightly different in that you have a massive 42 points to spend on the 4 main Resources rather than 12. Example: Bernadette goes through the process to establish Maud’s resources.

Step 1: Bernadette decides that Legend and Wealth will be Maud’s primary concern. She dumps 15 points into each. She also thinks she would have built up a bit of a Reputation putting 8 points into it. She finishes up with 4 points of Influence. She’s not a political animal by any means. Her Resources look like this... Legend: 15 Reputation: 8 Wealth: 15 Influence: 4 Scandal: 6 Step 2: Bernadette adds a point of Scandal. Maud’s Resources now look like this. Legend: 15 Reputation: 8 Wealth: 15 Influence: 4 Scandal: 7 Step 3: Bernadette adds the Actress bonus. Maud’s Resources now look like this... Legend: 17 Reputation: 8 Wealth: 15 Influence: 4 Scandal: 7 Step 4: Bernadette subtracts the Actress penalty. Maud’s Resources now look like this...

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Legend: 17 Reputation: 8 Wealth: 15 Influence: 3 Scandal: 7 Step 5: Is ignored as Maud is not a Professional. So Maud’s Profile now looks like this Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 5 Wits: 2 Spite: 5 Performance: 5 Prowess: 4 Very Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing, Pleasuring Women, Blackmail, Outright Seduction. Legend: 17 Reputation: 8 Wealth: 15 Influence: 3 Scandal: 7 Children: 2 Boys and a girl by Sir Walter: Alfred Age: 5 Health: 2, Arthur Age: 3 Health: 4, Melissa Age: 1, Health: 2

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No Investments? The Ageing rules such as they are do not allow your Courtesan to purchase Investments at the start of play. Investments must be made in play. On the upside you have your Statistic Bonuses.

Design the Landlady Character’s Keeper Unfortunately the most successful Courtesans don’t get far without the regular income of a Keeper. You need to design one for your Landlady Character. Use the rules for Admirer design in Chapter 4. Example: Bernadette creates a Keeper for Maud. He has the following profile.

Keeper Sir Walter Wyming Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 32 Occupation: Lawyer Sexual Experience: Average Marital Status: Married Open Hair Colour: Brunette Eye Colour: Brown Chest: Weak Belly: Lean Note: Besotted. His wife sometimes accompanies him raising Pliability by 1 her details are as follows Lady Francesca Wyming Age: 39 Occupation: Lawyer’s Wife Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Married Open Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Blue Bust: Buxom Waist: Average She will write the Wyming’s Background as part of Maud’s in the next step.

No Secrets The Landlady Character has likely been with her Keeper for years and may even have borne his children. There is nothing about him she doesn’t know unless you want to set up a plot that will imperil their relationship and the House that is!

Besotted Keeper The easiest way for a Landlady to secure the position of her Character and thus the whole House by making the Keeper Besotted. This will be the most common option but if you fancy a Challenge you can keep the risk of him Spurning her.

Landlady Character Background A Landlady Character is a Courtesan just like the Sisters. She deserves just as detailed a background as a Player Character. Write it out just as you would a Player Character. Example: Bernadette develops a nice detailed background for Maud which she notes down with her profile. Maud Mallory is the basest kind of Actress. Always has been, always will be. It’s not surprising really what with it being in her blood and all. Her mother reportedly once tried to ‘comfort’ the grieving George II. Other ancestors are linked to different, royals, politicians and of course artists.

She was always taught that the stage was a career but that there were far more profitable sidelines for a young lady. It wasn’t long after her first stage appearance that she stepped into her bedroom with a paying gentleman. She found it pleasant enough but soon became aware that gentlemen, enthusiastic as they were, were not really her thing. She had her first lesbian affair with a fellow actress who tragically died of consumption in Newgate refusing to reveal her lover’s name to her dying breath. There was no proof linking the pair but everyone had a good notion that the actress’ secret lover was Maud. More and more dangerous affairs with women of all kinds followed and each time Maud got closer and closer to prosecution. That was until she got careless and went to bed with the notorious Doxy Griselda ‘Greasy’ Spoon. Greasy’s lawyers got her off relatively quickly as per usual but Maud faced trial for her life. She was defended by legendary Barrister Sir Walter Wyming who, it has to be said, took an instant shine to her. He made her a deal that would save her from the noose and be of benefit to himself.He offered her a Kept Mistress Contract. It would prove her ‘normal appetites’ and give her a solid income that could raise her profile in the Demi Monde.

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Just to make it even more palatable he promised to bring his long suffering wife along to their assignations as and when Maud asked. She’s a buxom, blue eyed blonde but Maud finds her harder to satisfy than her husband. Lady Wyming wasn’t too thrilled but she had promised to love honour and obey! This was the nail in the coffin for the Prosecution and the case was dropped. Of course the clause about Lady Wyming’s affections was unofficial and very secret. 5 years and 3 children later Maud has got herself to the height of the Demi Monde. She has the funds to buy up 69 Frothington Road which she has set up to provide a starting place for younger Courtesans. She selected only the applicants she fancied the drawers off of course!

Landlady Character Relationships Just like all the other Sisters you must establish relationships. Discuss these with your Players of course. Just because the Landlady is technically God doesn’t mean that she should abuse her position! Example: Bernadette has already decided that Maud has only accepted girls she fancies making her Relationships very easy to write.

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Lilly: “There’s a lot to be said for the “athletic” build. Sure there ain’t much up top but the energy and enthusiasm make up for that. There are only two problems with Lilly. She has this silly girlish idea that she is a serious Actress. Acting doesn’t make your Rhino love, whoring does. Then there’s her squeamishness about girl on girl. Guess it’s understandable after her husband. Have to handle her delicately.” Bella: “Always nice to have such a game girl in the House. It really spices things up. She’s pretty average looking but her adventurousness shines through. God I want a tumble with her. Difficult when that poor little darling of hers follows her everywhere.” Jessica: “She’s such a puzzle this dark, green eyed beauty. Her true motivations are hid behind piles of propriety and properness. I don’t believe her supposed innocence of things. There’s a real minx behind that prim and proper rich girl mask. It won’t be easy to strip it away but by God I will!” Nora: “Fuck me sideways! This is the sort of girl I want in my bed! Gorgeous figure, long blonde hair... I don’t care if she has no skills just to hear the moans of a girl like that as I pleasure her. Hell that’s the stuff. Turns out she has no modesty either. That’s my kind of girl.”

Hattie: “It’s a sad indictment of our times that such a sweet girl as Hattie can be forced into whoring just for falling in love with a pretty girl who by all accounts shared her good nature. She doesn’t really belong here but I’ll give her what comfort I can. Not necessarily sleep with her but if that’s what she needs I wouldn’t say no.” Lucy: “A Lady’s Lady like myself. This little bog trotter may have no scruples or culture but she’s just the sort of bit of rough a girl needs once in a while. From what I’ve heard round the Town she could probably teach me a trick or two!”

Sisters’ Relationships with the Landlady Character Now circulate your completed profi le of your Landlady Character and get your players to respond in kind. Example: Bernadette’s group give their Characters’ views on Maud. Lilly: “Maud seems pleasant enough. She has a good titled man supporting her and her children by him. Why do I get the feeling she’s ogling me all the time though? Is there something I’m missing? And why does her Keeper’s wife attend some of their assignations?”

Jessica: “More like the Actresses I’ve been warned about than the dead serious Lilly. I think she has taken a shine to me and I’m not sure I’m the only one!” Nora: “Filthy old woman. Lilly has a point about covering up when this bitch is around and those annoying little kids! Christ this is a House of sin not a fucking kid’s home. At least Bella’s spastic can’t run around wrecking everything.” Hattie: “She needs to find a purpose beyond material gain. It’s not right that her children are seemingly being taught that money, fame and power are everything. God isn’t necessarily the right fit for everyone but she should at least give religion a try. Oh and I do wish she wasn’t so touchy feely. I mean its sweet but it does sort of set things in motion I’d rather not.” Lucy: “Ah nice to have a Landlady on the same page as me. She says if I ever have any problems her door is always open. I hope she means her bedroom door. Sleeping with the boss isn’t exactly very classy but who ever said I had class?”

Putting it all Together Once these steps are fi nished you should have a profi le like this:

Bella: “We’re such a weird bunch but Maud binds us all together. In fact if the House had a big enough bed she’d make us all share like a proper family: When we aren’t entertaining of course!”

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The Landlady Character

Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green, Hair Colour: Brunette, Bust: Ample, Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 5 Wits: 2 Spite: 5 Performance: 5 Prowess: 4 Very Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing, Pleasuring Women, Blackmail, Outright Seduction. Legend: 17 Reputation: 8 Wealth: 15 Influence: 3 Scandal: 7 Children: 2 Boys and a girl by Sir Walter: Alfred Age: 5 Health: 2, Arthur Age: 3 Health: 4, Melissa Age: 1, Health: 2

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Keeper Sir Walter Wyming Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 32 Occupation: Lawyer Sexual Experience: Average Marital Status: Married Open Hair Colour: Brunette Eye Colour: Brown Chest: Weak Belly: Lean Besotted Note: His wife sometimes accompanies him raising Pliability by 1 her details are as follows Lady Francesca Wyming Age: 39 Occupation: Lawyer’s Wife Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Married Open Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Blue Bust: Buxom Waist: Average

Maud Mallory is the basest kind of Actress. Always has been, always will be. It’s not surprising really what with it being in her blood and all. Her mother reportedly once tried to “comfort” the grieving George II. Other ancestors are linked to different, royals, politicians and of course artists. She was always taught that the stage was a career but that there were far more profitable sidelines for a young lady. It wasn’t long after her first stage appearance that she stepped into her bedroom with a paying gentleman. She found it pleasant enough but soon became aware that gentlemen, enthusiastic as they were, were not really her thing. She had her first lesbian affair with a fellow actress who tragically died of consumption in Newgate refusing to reveal her lover’s name to her dying breath. There was no proof linking the pair but everyone had a good notion that the actress’ secret lover was Maud. More and more dangerous affairs with women of all kinds followed and each time Maud got closer and closer to prosecution. That was until she got careless and went to bed with the notorious Doxy Griselda “Greasy” Spoon. Greasy’s lawyers got her off relatively quickly as per usual but Maud faced trial for her life. She was defended by legendary Barrister Sir Walter Wyming who, it has to be said, took an instant shine to her. He made her a deal that would save her from the noose and be of benefit to himself. He offered her a Kept Mistress Contract. It would prove her “normal appetites” and give her a solid income that could raise her profile in the Demi Monde. Just to make it even more palatable he promised to bring his long suffering wife along to their assignations as and when Maud asked. She’s a buxom, blue eyed blonde but Maud finds her harder to satisfy than her husband. Lady Wyming wasn’t too thrilled but she had promised to love honour and obey! This was the nail in the coffin for the Prosecution and the case was dropped. Of course the clause about Lady Wyming’s affections was unofficial and very secret.

herself to the height of the Demi Monde. She has the funds to buy up 69 Frothington Road which she has set up to provide a starting place for younger Courtesans. She selected only the applicants she fancied the drawers off of course! Relationships Lilly: “There’s a lot to be said for the “athletic” build. Sure there ain’t much up top but the energy and enthusiasm make up for that. There are only two problems with Lilly. She has this silly girlish idea that she is a serious Actress. Acting doesn’t make your Rhino love, whoring does. Then there’s her squeamishness about girl on girl. Guess it’s understandable after her husband. Have to handle her delicately.” Bella: “Always nice to have such a game girl in the House. It really spices things up. She’s pretty average looking but her adventurousness shines through. God I want a tumble with her. Difficult when that poor little darling of hers follows her everywhere.” Jessica: “She’s such a puzzle this dark, green eyed beauty. Her true motivations are hid behind piles of propriety and properness. I don’t believe her supposed innocence of things. There’s a real minx behind that prim and proper rich girl mask. It won’t be easy to strip it away but by God I will!” Nora: “Fuck me sideways! This is the sort of girl I want in my bed! Gorgeous figure, long blonde hair... I don’t care if she has no skills just to hear the moans of a girl like that as I pleasure her. Hell that’s the stuff. Turns out she has no modesty either. That’s my kind of girl.” Hattie: “It’s a sad indictment of our times that such a sweet girl as Hattie can be forced into whoring just for falling in love with a pretty girl who by all accounts shared her good nature. She doesn’t really belong here but I’ll give her what comfort I can. Not necessarily sleep with her but if that’s what she needs I wouldn’t say no.”

5 years and 3 children later Maud has got

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Lucy: “A Lady’s Lady like meself. This little bog trotter may have no scruples or culture but she’s just the sort of bit of rough a girl needs once in a while. From what I’ve heard round the Town she could probably teach me a trick or two!” The Ladies’ Relationships with Her Lilly: “Maud seems pleasant enough. She has a good titled man supporting her and her children by him. Why do I get the feeling she’s ogling me all the time though? Is there something I’m missing? She should have been more discrete with her tenant selection: Too many shameless tarts in this House!” Bella: “We’re such a weird bunch but Maud binds us all together. In fact if the House had a big enough bed she’d make us all share like a proper family: When we aren’t entertaining of course!” Jessica: “More like the Actresses I’ve been warned about than the dead serious Lilly. I think she has taken a shine to me and I’m not sure I’m the only one!” Nora: “Filthy old woman. Lilly has a point about covering up when this bitch is around and those annoying little kids! Christ this is a House of sin not a fucking kid’s home. At least Bella’s spastic can’t run around wrecking everything.” Hattie: “She needs to find a purpose beyond material gain. It’s not right that her children are seemingly being taught that money, fame and power are everything. God isn’t necessarily the right fit for everyone but she should at least give religion a try. Oh and I do wish she wasn’t so touchy feely. I mean its sweet but it does sort of set things in motion I’d rather not.” Lucy: “Ah nice to have a Landlady on the same page as me. She says if I ever have any problems her door is always open. I hope she means her bedroom door. Sleeping with the boss isn’t exactly very classy but who ever said I had class?”

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The Landlady Character as a Plot Device So why do we have this Landlady Avatar written in to the game system? Simple: She’s a big bad plot device! Having a more experienced Courtesan in the House can give the Sisters a mentor fi gure to come to with their problems and concerns. Her sage advice can help their careers. Her misdirection can hinder them. She’s also a temptation. If she is fond of girls she may actively tempt the straight and confused Sisters off the straight and narrow.If she’s straight and pretty enough all the differently inclined Sisters will be tempted to have a go at corrupting her. In both cases the fi nancial security of the whole House is threatened as even a Besotted Keeper must stick to the Contract as written. So there you have it. Your Landlady Character is a source of plot as well as an excuse for the Landlady to have a go herself albeit in a limited capacity!

The Landlady as a Story Manager It’s fair to say that Courtesans doesn’t have much of a plot. However name one roleplaying game that does without descending into semi interactive novel or pretentious arty farty territory.

So Landladies remember when you are designing Admirers tailor them to the Courtesan in question. Play them with a brutal frankness even if they are being deceptive. Plan them with the sorts of twists and turns in mind that you know will break that poor girl’s heart when they happen. It’s the name of the game dearie!

You can’t can you? Fantasy games can be summed up as kill the monsters- take their stuff, horror games as fi nd out the truth - get eaten or lose your soul and Science Fiction games maybe quite wide and varied but they all seem to either revolve around, exploration, trading or blowing shit up! The difference between Courtesans and games like this is very much like the difference between one of the Demi Monde and a high society wife. Courtesans is as honest as its leading ladies! We know there isn’t much plot beyond fi nd a foolish rich man and bed him so we switch the plot focus away from story or adventure to Character. It would be terribly unthematic to make a game about Courtesans be all about telling a story or having an adventure. Courtesans were remarkable individuals in a society that hated individuality. In Courtesans Character is plot.

Discipline Some Roleplayers just don’t get it when it comes to being Ladylike. Most will be polite enough to accept a good Landlady’s years of wisdom but some may become a problem disrupting the game and running their fellow Player’s fun. As a Sanction after warnings have failed the Landlady may begin to fi ne the Courtesan Resources or think of other ways to discipline their pert naughty little botties!

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Sample Letters of Introduction Writing the Season’s Letters of Introduction involves quite a considerable investment in time and energy. However it is useful to the game for 2 reasons. 1. Having a physical prop helps with game immersion. Okay so immersion isn’t terribly important in a light hearted game of cartoon sluts but it’s a nice touch. 2. Like writing Relationships writing in Character helps the Landlady get into the Admirer’s sick and twisted minds. Or in the case of Virgin Students like Hattie’s Marquess the sick and twisted minds of the relatives procuring high class prostitutes to “sort out” their youthful charges! You don’t necessarily need to know fl owery period dialogue (or vulgar period slang) to any level of historical accuracy but giving it a fl avour of the times helps enormously. Example: Let’s have a look what Bernadette has written for Hattie’s Letters of Introduction.....

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Frauline Such a delight to see you at that fundraiser. I am something of a philanthropist in a strange land myself though I cannot imagine the trials of conscience and faith you have faced in India. Should you wish for a quite talk about them sometime I will be most happy to visit you. You will of course be handsomely paid. Awaiting your reply Duke Olaf

VonGrund

Madam At first I was horrified by the mere mention of your presence at the fundraiser for the mission. However upon meeting you it is clear to me you are a good Christian girl who has fallen into most unfortunate circumstances. As I am now a widower, thanks to the horrors of consumption I am free to make your salvation my priority. I hope you will consent to us meeting. I shall of course pay what I can but the real payment, I pray, will be myself as your saviour from sin.

Reverend Joseph Hall In Faith

Dearest Hattie, You are so very brave and such an inspiration to a young Christian girl like myself. I, being as of yet untouched by man or maid, cannot possibly imagine the horror you have been through. I’m anxious to meet with you to discuss your experiences further. Lots of love in Christ

Miss Eliza Drinkwater

Madam I am in need of the services of one of your profession. I fear for the soul of my dear young ward Marquess Luke Swan of Frothington. He is a bright and amiable young man to be sure but he is also seemingly uninterested in the fairer sex and we all know what that could mean. He needs a lady of experience as a private tutor in the ways of the world and I’d rather that was a good Christian girl like yourself than any of the shameless Godless whores so common on the Town. I assure you the Marquess shall pay you handsomely for your time. Kindest Regards

Lady Pat ricia Danvers: Guardian t o Marquess Luke Swan of Frot hingt on

Personal Plot Of course the Admirers your Courtesans Procure are not their only Admirers. Each Season they also get contacted by an old fl ame or family member either proposing an Admirer or asking to speak with the Courtesan. This emphasises the importance of the Background stage of Character Creation and builds on it to turn your cartoon harlot into something altogether more human. You can ignore this complication if you wish but it is well worth the time investment. If nothing else it gives those who fail Procurement rolls that don’t have built in backups the guarantee of at least 1 Admirer to start with.

Creating the Personal Admirer First have a look at the background you have been provided with and look for hooks. Even if a Player has never written a Character Background before it actually takes considerable conscious effort not to include some of these. What is a hook? It’s a part of a background that you can hang a story on. For example in Hattie’s background we have her ever helpful mother. She was never as high class as Hattie now is but she knows the weak amongst the clergy well through her husband.

Thus we create a Clergyman recommended to Hattie by her mother. Simple as that! It does help if the Personal Admirer has met the Courtesan before but their relationship needn’t be too deep... yet! Note that Personal Admirers are automatically Besotted from the start regardless of how likely or even possible that is by Archetype. Example: Let’s build Hattie’s Clergyman then! Bernadette comes up with the following. Reverend Hampton Small Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 26 Occupation: Clergy Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Single Hair Colour: Brunette Eye Colour: Brown Chest: Weak Belly: Lean Notes: Besotted With Hattie Small knows Hattie through her father and always harboured feelings for her. Feelings that weren’t reciprocated at the time but if Hattie gets desperate...

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Writing Personal Correspondence Personal correspondence is a bit different from your standard Letter of Introduction in that the author knows the Courtesan however fl eetingly. You can use more affectionate language and generally be a little less to the point. A Roleplaying challenge for sure! Example: Bernadette writes out each Courtesan’s personal letter. Let’s have a look at Hattie’s as an example...

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My Darling Little Hattie, I do hope you are settling in and that the other girls are treating you well. How goes your hunt for a saviour? If you are stumped don’t fret as I have been recently been contacted by a childhood sweetheart of yours Hampton Small. He’s a curate now and is ever so concerned for your welfare. No pressure my dear but I think it would make for a good match. God bless, Your ever loving mother. P.S: Your father has calmed down a little now. I shall try my best to persuade him to write soon.

Chapter Six The Season Of the time for love

The Season

W

Playing through a Season

I mean think about it a typical session of a fantasy game is get the quest-raid the dungeon- kill the monsters- take their stuff- get your reward whereas a typical horror game goes hear rumours – investigate - discover the truth- get eaten. It may not be written into the rules as it is in Courtesans but it is still present.

So let’s get going!

hat other roleplaying games call the session we call the Season. Each Season has a specifi c logical structure. Pretty much every game has such a logical structure to its sessions.

You can play with this structure but you shouldn’t really need to!

Time Time has little meaning in a game of Courtesans. Events do not necessarily happen in the exact order they are played out. It can be a little confusing but at least this confusion does not leak into the rules system itself. Unlike some chronologically challenged games: God help whoever gets the rights to do the Hustle RPG!

To play through the Season simply follow the steps below referred to as ‘Phases.’ Examples are provided charting the fi rst Season of our sample Characters Phase by Phase.

Initiative It is important in any game to establish what order the Characters act in. Some games just have a basic dice roll off. Some have a roll off modifi ed by Statistics. Some even work on who can shout some kind of in theme phrase the loudest! Anyway in Courtesans Initiative Order is worked out by Origin. The order that the Courtesans act in each phase is as follows. •

Upstarts: Being unused to the Intrigue of the Demi Monde as well as terribly lusty and enthusiastic Upstarts make the fi rst moves.

•

Goldenhearts: Though they have some awareness of the Intrigues whirling around them most Goldenhearts would rather not participate and are awfully keen to get out there and do good.

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•

•

•

Actresses: Most Actresses are more interested in getting performing gigs than manipulating the Demi Monde which is more of a hobby. They are, however, more savvy than the Upstarts and Goldenhearts.

Lucy Hattie Lilly Bella Jessica Nora Maud

Professionals: The Professional’s skills are in the physical arts of love and their weakness is in their awareness of what What if my Group isn’t so is going on around them. ‘Perfect’? Still without the folly of the The vast majority of Houses will not Upstart or the passion of the contain one of every Origin and most Goldenheart they end up in will contain multiple of the same. the mid range of Initiative. In the former case it’s obvious. Just skip the missing Origin. In the latter Fallen Ladies: Fallen however the Players involved in a Ladies are veterans of high “clash” must roll a dice modifi ed by society. Clearly they aren’t their Wits against each other. The very good at it as they highest goes last the lowest fi rst. There got caught and became is no other effect of this roll. Courtesans but their experience of the intrigues of the so called ‘polite’ society make them more reactive than active.

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Example: Bernadette is extremely fortunate in having one of each Origin in her group (gee how very convenient!) Her group thus acts in the following order.

•

Schemers: The fi nal Player Courtesans to act are the Schemers who, being the foremost political minds of the Demi Monde know that it is much better to watch your Sisters act fi rst.

•

The Landlady Character: Finally the Landlady Character takes her place in the Initiative Order.

Free Procurement Each Courtesan may now make a free Procurement roll. Well I say free. Free as in a free action. If you are making a Procurement action that isn’t favoured by your Origin or a Gaudy Public Appearance you must pay the Resource cost. It is recommended that you use either your Favoured or a Gaudy Public Appearance in your fi rst Season. Note that you do not make the Scrutiny part of this Procurement until after the Post Phase below.

Landlady Character The Landlady Character does not roll for Procurement unless her Keeper has Spurned her in a previous Season and she needs to acquire a new one to stay afl oat.

Example: Bernadette’s group make their Procurement rolls before the game starts to give Bernadette the time to prepare their Admirers and letters of introduction. Daisy rolls badly for Lucy’s Procurement failing the roll. Fortunately her method was to make a Gaudy Public Appearance so she attracts the attention of an arresting officer Thief Taker Brian Asker and a bystander Lady Clarissa LeMonte. Sarah rolls a Margin of Success of 3 for Hattie which, added to her Scandal of 1 gives her 4 Admirers as detailed earlier.

Louise rolls Jessica’s Manners in a High Society Soiree. She does not do as well as expected narrowly beating the dice by 1 giving her two admirers Lewis Updike the Duke of Midsomer and Lord Colonel James Crichton of Denton. She does however gain +1 Wealth and +1 Reputation from a tryst with a random Fop as per the special rules. Coco performs a real master class of political manoeuvring with a Margin of Success of 5 on Nora’s roll. Added to her 1 Scandal it gives her 6 Political Admirers. For the Tories the Rt. Hon. Mr George Purcell, Mr Luke Burwell and Lord Harold Hardwick. For the Whigs the Rt. Hon. Mr Jacob Snell, Lord Cuthbert Currubers and Lord Justice Ezekiel Fortune. As it stands Nora favours the Tories. Bernadette has also prepared personal plot for the Sisters.

Mary rolls poorly for Lilly’s performance in Romeo and Juliette but acquires the attentions of the Stage Manager Dorian Devers.

Lucy has been contacted by her Father in Law Mr Seamus McBrien or “Pappy” as she affectionately calls him.

Jane’s Bella does remarkably well in the House of Introduction as normal. With her Margin of Success of 5 and Scandal of 1 she has acquired the attentions of “Countess” Letti Harcourt, Mr Sebastian Smythe, Mr Lawrence Georges, Mr Johan VonVarner, Mr Kinsley Compton and Miss Georgina Smith.

Hattie gets a letter from her mother suggesting a certain Reverend Hampton Small. Lilly gets a letter from a well known bawdy comedy director Mr Horace Loft offering her a “personal audition.”

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Bella gets a letter from a Common Doxy Fangirl Laura Wade who wishes to visit her in private. Jessica is informed that a Sir Maurice Halleck wishes to talk to her of family history. And finally Nora gets a letter from a distant Cousin the Rt. Hon. Karl Morrison. Resource Change At this stage there have been the following changes to Resources. Lucy suffers -1 Legend and -1 Reputation as she extracts herself from prison. Her Resources stand at... Legend: 4 Reputation: 4 Wealth: 0 Influence: 2 Scandal: 3 Hattie gains +1 Legend and +1 Influence for her Successful Procurement. Her Resources stand at... Legend: 9 Reputation: 2 Wealth: 0 Influence: 4 Scandal: 1 Lilly loses- 2 Legend for her disastrous performance. Her Resources stand at....

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Legend: 10 Reputation: 1 Wealth: 1 Influence: -1 Scandal: 1 Bella gains a fee of +2 Wealth for all her “hard work!” Her Resources stand at... Legend: 2 Reputation: 9 Wealth: 5 Influence: 2 Scandal: 1 Jessica gains her reward from High Society of +1 Influence and +1 Wealth as well as her +1 Wealth +1 Reputation payment from the nameless Fop. Her Resources stand at... Legend: 0 Reputation: 0 Wealth: 13 Influence: 4 Scandal: 1 Finally Nora gets her +2 Influence reward. She also sides with the Tories for now. Her Resources stand at... Legend: 1 Reputation: 1 Wealth: 2 Influence: 10 Scandal: 1

Post Now your group can gather and begin to play the game! The fi rst step is to hand out the Post i.e. Letters of Introduction and Personal Correspondence. Once the Player has had a chance to read over each letter the group make Scrutiny rolls in Initiative order to determine their Courtesans’ fi rst impressions. With that complete you can move on to the Season proper with the 7 Turns below. Example: Bernadette’s group gathers and are handed their post. Bernadette gives her Players some time to read through and laugh at the letters before going through each player and determining the Courtesan’s Scrutiny.

The 7 Turns This is the real meat of the Season. 7 Turns of 2 actions each. Here’s how it all works.

Fuck Chronological Sense! Remember chronology is not important you can jump back and forth between scenes as much as you like. Just look at Hattie in Turn 2 of the Example. In Lucy’s action she’s sleeping with her and in her action she’s fully clothed singing to the Reverend Hall.

This isn’t a quick change French farce thing, though it could be fun to see it as such, the two scenes are not concurrent chronologically: Hence why they are ‘Turns’ not ‘Nights.’

How a Turn Works Actions are taken 1 at a time in Initiative Order. The Landlady Character only has 1 action which comes at the very end of the Turn. So let’s look at our sample group again. A typical turn would go. Lucy acts Hattie acts Lilly acts Bella acts Jessica acts Nora acts Lucy acts again Hattie acts again Lilly acts again Bella acts again Jessica acts again Nora acts again Maud acts Turn over Simple really! Example: Bernadette’s group are on to the 7 Turns. The Phase goes as follows.....

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Long flowery Prose The author wanted to write out this Example of Play in full as he did with our Sister Game Tough Justice however Tough Justice’s Examples of Play, whilst entertaining made the book a bit chunky for what is supposed to be a silly Rules Lite Game. Thus in Courtesans the summary is brief and mechanics focused. If you wish to hear all the shocking details keep an eye on the blog for details of the two Novels and of Character Fiction serial The Scandal Sheets.

Turn 1 Lucy 1: Lucy gets right on with being the scandalous madam she set out to be taking Virgin Admirer Lady Clarissa straight to bed. She succeeds by 4 which is doubled to 8 for taking the young lady’s virginity. She takes all 8 points in Wealth. Hattie 1: Hattie invites Reverend Hall round. They have a Polite Conversation with Hattie succeeding by 3. She takes a point of Influence, Wealth and Legend. Lilly 1: Lilly unleashes a Spying Intrigue on Lucy which she wins by 4. She Inflicts the lot as Scandal! Lady Clarissa is arrested! Bella 1: Hearing about the affair with Lady Clarissa Bella fancies a piece of the action Lucy is offering and attempts to Seduce her. With a tie Lucy resists her advances but sees no reason to exploit her and no Resources change hands. Jessica 1: Jessica goes to see Lewis Updike and engages in a Polite Conversation. Succeeding by 5: She takes 3 in Reputation and 2 in Legend.

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Nora 1: Nora accepts a Visit from Lord Harold Hardwick however he is unimpressed by her attempts to Charm him and Spurns her. Lucy 2: Being a little bit vindictive Lucy unleashes a venomous Undermining Confidence Intrigue on Lilly. This is a runaway success gaining Lucy 8 of Lilly’s Resources taking most of her precious Legend from her undignified response. Hattie 2: At the Reverend’s Request: Hattie sings a little Hymn. Succeeding by 2 she takes 2 Influence. Lilly 2: Realising that she needs to make up for her EPIC Resource loss Lilly invites over her Personal Admirer the Director Horace Lott. He is very uncouth and improper but Lilly plays to this in her suggestive but not outrageous performance. Winning by 3 she takes 1 Influence (taking her out of debt) and 2 Legend. Bella 2: As her charms don’t seem to be working on Lucy Bella invites her Personal Admirer Laura Wade round. Dragging her to her bedroom she gives her a very thorough lesson in pleasuring women. Succeeding by 5 she puts 4 into Legend and 1 into Wealth. Jessica 2: Jessica steps up from Polite Conversation to outright Flirting with the use of Witty Banter. Succeeding by 2 she takes 2 Influence. Nora 2: Nora tries a different approach with Luke Burwell going for Polite Conversation. It also fails however and Nora gets Spurned again. Not going well.

Maud: Maud does not tolerate finks! She orders Lilly to her room and “disciplines” her in classic S&M style: Effectively a Seduction using Spite. She wins this Seduction by 4 which she takes off Lilly’s Legend however in a surprise turn of events Lilly wins the Ooooh Madam roll off gaining 2 Reputation for the pleasure she gave Maud. Resources Lucy: Legend 12, Reputation 4, Wealth 9, Influence 3, Scandal 7 Hattie: Legend 10, Reputation 2, Wealth 1, Influence 7, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 1, Reputation 3, Wealth 1, Influence 0, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 6, Reputation 9, Wealth 6, Influence 2, Scandal 1 Jessica: Legend 2, Reputation 3, Wealth 13, Influence 6, Scandal 1 Nora: Legend 1, Reputation 1, Wealth 2, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Maud: Legend 21, Reputation 8, Wealth 15, Influence 3, Scandal 7 Pregnancy Notes Surprisingly none!

Turn 2 Lucy 1: Lucy isn’t base enough to spy on Lilly but she does fancy getting to her via Hattie. Winning her seduction roll by 2 she takes 2 of Hattie’s Influence and takes her to bed. Winning the Ooooh Madam roll by 3 she gains +3 Reputation in addition to this. Hattie 1: Hattie continues to court Reverend Hall. (See what I mean about no respect for chronological sense?) She moves from polite affection to outright Flirting. This succeeds incredibly by 4. Not quite enough to get her offered a contract but she takes +2 bonuses to Wealth and Reputation. Lilly 1: Lilly spies on Lucy again trying to expose her Seduction of Hattie. However she loses the roll off by 1. Lucy takes a point of her Reputation as she tells the Town what a liar she is. Bella 1: Oblivious to the little Intrigue War going on Bella continues to give her little Doxy friend a good time. Succeeding by 2 she gains 2 Influence. Jessica 1: Jessica takes Updike to bed. Succeeding by 1 she gains 1 Reputation. Updike makes his Besotting Test and is not Besotted despite how fond he is of her. Nora 1: Nora finally gets some success with her remaining Tory George Purcell. She succeeds by 3 gaining a point of Legend, Reputation and Wealth.

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Lucy 2: When Hattie wakes up screaming from a nightmare Lucy takes pity on her and Sweet Talks her back to sleep. Succeeding by 2 she grants Hattie 1 Legend and 1 Reputation whilst gaining 1 Legend and 1 Reputation herself from the Aiding Bonus. Hattie 2: Hattie invites the Reverend to bed. He’s so sweet about it and keeps asking her whether she’s sure that she is put off and fails the action. The Reverend spurns her. Lilly 2: Lilly desperately needs to make up lost ground. She secures her part in the show by the age old method of blowing the director. Succeeding by 4 she adds 1 to each Resource. Bella 2: Bella gives her pet doxy the time of her life succeeding by a whopping 7! She takes +2 to Wealth, Influence and Legend and +1 Reputation. Jessica 2: Jessica wasn’t entirely satisfied by her average amorous performance in her previous action so she gives her beau another go. This time she succeeds by 3 adding it all to Legend. Nora 2: Nora keeps up her Flirting with her Admirer. Succeeding by 3 she adds it all to Influence. Maud: Maud has to please her Keeper to keep up her contract so she invites him over and rodgers him hard just how he likes. Succeeding by 4 she adds to her low Influence

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Resources Lucy: Legend 13, Reputation 8, Wealth 9, Influence 5, Scandal 7 Hattie: Legend 11, Reputation 5, Wealth 3, Influence 5, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 2, Reputation 3, Wealth 2, Influence 1, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 8, Reputation 10, Wealth 8, Influence 6, Scandal 1 Jessica: Legend 5, Reputation 4, Wealth 13, Influence 6, Scandal 1 Nora: Legend 1, Reputation 1, Wealth 2, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Maud: Legend 21, Reputation 8, Wealth 15, Influence 7, Scandal 7 Pregnancy Notes Jessica had straight sex twice with Updike; Maud had straight sex with her Keeper. Although she failed her roll Hattie still had Straight Sex with the Reverend so she still risks Pregnancy.

Turn 3 Lucy 1: Lucy is curious as to what her father in law “Pappy” wants. He arrives promptly and explains how it is necessary for the family line for her to have a McBrien child. She gives him the Hard Sell succeeding by 6 for 6 Wealth on top of Pleasing and contract fees. This could be quite lucrative! She does start “work” tonight though. Hattie 1: Hattie prays for Lucy’s soul. Succeeding by 3 she chooses to “burn” 2 points of Lucy’s Scandal and grant her 1 Wealth. Hattie gains the Aiding bonus of +1 Legend +1 Reputation. Lilly 1: Lilly spends much of her rehearsal time for her upcoming play in “private sessions” with her director. This Straight Sex Pleasing action represents that and succeeds by 4 granting her 4 Legend. She refuses a Keeping Contract intending on finding a more respectable lover. Bella 1: Bella fancies a bit of variety, she calls over Johan VonVarner and gives him a Blow Job. Succeeding by 5 she gains 3 Influence and 2 Wealth to go with her mouthful of his juices! Jessica 1: Unwisely with her low Prowess Jessica gambles on another good Sex Act action and fails getting Spurned in the process.

Nora 1: Nora continues tease Purcell with her Charm. She Succeeds by 4 which she splits between her Reputation and Wealth. She has succeeded in acquiring a Kept Mistress Contract without actually having slept with the gentleman but now of course she is obligated to at some point. He also Tests for Besotting which determines that he is surprisingly not Besotted. Lucy 2: Lucy begins to fulfil her Contract giving dear “Pappy” the ride of his life. Succeeding by 4 she takes her payment in straight Wealth again. Hattie 2: Hattie takes her mind off things by entertaining little Kirsty. Succeeding by 3 Bella gains 2 Wealth and 1 Reputation whilst Hattie gains the +1 Legend +1 Reputation Aiding bonus. Lilly 2: Lilly makes a Procurement roll representing her new show. Though she is not in her element she succeeds by 3 gaining 4 new Admirers and +2 Legend. Bella 2: Seeing Hattie getting along with her Kirsty Bella tries to talk her through her problems. Unfortunately she fails and Hattie remains upset. Jessica 2: Hiding her feelings of hurt Jessica challenges Nora to a game of cards. Jessica is clearly losing her touch as she loses this Intrigue by 1. Nora takes 1 of her Influence.

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Nora 2: Confident in her success Nora challenges Jessica to another go. However she ends up losing by 4 which Jessica takes in Influence just to annoy her! Maud: Maud continues to prey on her charges with Lucy being the new target of her affections. A regular seduction roll this time. Maud wins this by 3 (taking 3 of Lucy’s Influence) and the Ooooh Madam roll by 4 amazing even dedicated Lady’s Lady Lucy and gaining 4 Reputation in the process! Resources Lucy: Legend 13, Reputation 8, Wealth 20, Influence 2, Scandal 5 Hattie: Legend 13, Reputation 7, Wealth 3, Influence 5, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 3, Wealth 2, Influence 1, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 8, Reputation 10, Wealth 10, Influence 9, Scandal 1 Jessica: Legend 5, Reputation 4, Wealth 13, Influence 9, Scandal 1 Nora: Legend 1, Reputation 1, Wealth 2, Influence 7, Scandal 1 Maud: Legend 21, Reputation 12, Wealth 15, Influence 10, Scandal 7 Pregnancy Notes Lilly had Straight Sex with her director, Jessica had Straight Sex with the gentleman who spurned her and Lucy has begun her Surrogacy Work with ‘Pappy.’

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Turn 4 Lucy 1: After her little experience with Maud Lucy gets back to her business with ‘Pappy.’ She succeeds by 3 this time taking her Resources in Influence. Hattie 1: Hattie prays for Bella but fails the roll achieving nothing. Lilly 1: Lilly gives a private performance of a soliloquy to Lord Mark Loveless. He is impressed and she succeeds by 5 putting it into Influence. Bella 1: Bella comforts Hattie with one of her patent back rubs. She succeeds by 4 granting Hattie 4 Wealth and gaining herself the Aiding Bonus of +1 Legend and +1 Reputation. Jessica 1: Jessica tries to draw in James Creighton but fails the roll, she’s running out of Admirers! Nora 1: Nora flirts with and teases her Keeper Purcell succeeding by 3 which she adds to her Influence. Lucy 2: Lucy takes some time off Surrogacy duty to pursue Jessica. She succeeds by 4 tumbling the uptight madam into her bed. She takes 2 of Jessica’s Wealth and Influence as well as gaining 3 Reputation from the Ooooh Madam roll. Hattie 2: Much to Bella’s pleasant surprise Hattie makes love to her with Comfort Sex. Succeeding by 2 she adds 2 to Bella’s Legend whilst gaining the Aiding bonus of +1 Legend +1 Reputation.

Lilly 2: Lilly takes things further with Loveless by “playing a little tune on him,” she succeeds competently by 2 gaining 2 Wealth. Bella 2: Bella chats sweetly with Hattie after they finish and they discuss how to get her confidence back. Succeeding by 2 she grants Hattie 2 Reputation and herself the Aiding bonus of +1 Legend +1 Reputation. They also decide to share a gentleman next Turn. Jessica 2: Having exhausted her options Jessica Attends a High Society Soiree. Unfortunately she has a bad day letting slip about her and Lucy. She gains +1 Scandal and suffers -1 Wealth. Nora 2: Nora attempts to Please Purcell in bed but fails. As he is Keeping her this has no effect but it is disappointing for both parties. Maud: Again Maud has to invite her Keeper over. This time she keeps her distance and teasingly undresses. Succeeding by 6 she adds it all to her Influence. Resources Lucy: Legend 13, Reputation 8, Wealth 22, Influence 7, Scandal 5 Hattie: Legend 14, Reputation 10, Wealth 3, Influence 5, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 3, Wealth 4, Influence 6, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 11, Reputation 11, Wealth 10, Influence 9, Scandal 1 Jessica: Legend 5, Reputation 4, Wealth 12, Influence 9, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 1, Reputation 1, Wealth 2, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Maud: Legend 21, Reputation 12, Wealth 15, Influence 16, Scandal 7

Pregnancy Notes Lucy has done her Surrogacy work with ‘Pappy’ and Nora had Straight Sex with Purcell.

Turn 5 Lucy 1: Back to work for Lucy. She wins by 3 this time take 2 in Influence and one in Reputation Hattie 1: Hattie defers her action to Bella’s Turn so they can share a Gentleman. Lilly 1: Lilly Pleases her titled Admirer greatly with Poetry recitals succeeding by 3 which she adds to her Reputation. She is offered a Contract which she accepts. Bella 1: Hattie and Bella Team up to Please VonVarner. Hattie scores a modest 3 which she on her roll (which she takes in Wealth) while Bella scores an admirable 5 (which she also takes in Wealth.) After paying the pair VonVarner takes Bella aside and offers her a Contract which she accepts. Jessica 1: Jessica attends another Soiree and this time succeeds by 2 gaining 3 Admirers, +1 Influence and +1 Wealth. From her Scrutiny roll she spots a young feckless Virgin with pots of money. The tumble with the Fop netted a couple of Wealth too! Things are looking up! Nora 1: Nora gives the old mattress mambo another go and manages to get 1 Wealth.

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Lucy 2: Lucy has other ideas for Nora unleashing a Seduction Intrigue on her. She succeeds by 2 taking 2 of Nora’s Influence and taking her to her bed. Predictably she also wins the Ooooh Madam roll gaining 4 Reputation. Hattie 2: Emboldened by the threesome, Hattie invites the young Marquess to Visit. She puts him at ease with a prim and proper conversation succeeding by 4 and adding it to her Influence. Lilly 2: Lilly spends the night with her new Keeper. She succeeds by 2 adding it to her Wealth. Bella 2: Bella gives VonVarner another Blow Job to celebrate their new arrangement. succeeding by 3 which she takes in Influence. He checks for Besotting but isn’t. Jessica 2: Jessica invites over her young “Student” and shamelessly flirts with him, succeeding by 5 which she puts into Legend. Nora 2: Though she has lost from her Seduction Intrigue Nora is now quite fond of Lucy and Sweet Talks her before they go to sleep in each other’s arms. She succeeds by 3 giving Lucy +3 Reputation and gaining the +1 Legend +1 Reputation Aiding bonus for herself.

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Maud: Maud investigates the feminine groans coming from Lucy’s room. Succeeding on her Spying Intrigue against both (Lucy by 5, Nora by 1) she spies the pair all cuddled up and cosy and exposes the Scandal to the world. She inflicts 1 Scandal on Nora, breaking her relationship with her Keeper and Inflicts 3 Scandal on Lucy and badmouths her stealing 2 of her Reputation. Resources Lucy: Legend 13, Reputation 11, Wealth 22, Influence 11, Scandal 8 Hattie: Legend 14, Reputation 10, Wealth 6, Influence 9, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 6, Wealth 6, Influence 6, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 11, Reputation 11, Wealth 15, Influence 12, Scandal 1 Jessica: Legend 10, Reputation 4, Wealth 15, Influence 10, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 2, Reputation 2, Wealth 2, Influence 10, Scandal 2 Maud: Legend 21, Reputation 15, Wealth 15, Influence 16, Scandal 7 Pregnancy Notes Nora risks Pregnancy as does Lilly, Jessica and of course Lucy. As the Threesome Narrative specified that Hattie did not have Straight Sex only Bella risks Pregnancy.

Turn 6 Lucy 1: In spite of Maud’s snitching (hypocrite) Lucy peruses her relationship with Nora with more Comfort Sex. Succeeding by 5 she grants her new Lady love 2 Legend, 2 Reputation and 1 Wealth whilst gaining +1 Legend and Reputation for Aiding. Hattie 1: Hattie continues to teach her shy young man talking to him of love and the proper way to pursue it. Succeeding by 6 (put into Wealth) Hattie finds herself really opening up to the enchanted little fool who offers her a contract there and then. She happily accepts and doesn’t shut up about it to the other girls for a week! Lilly 1: Lilly invites round her Keeper and entertains him with a Striptease. Succeeding by 4 she takes her fee in Wealth. Bella 1: Bella’s got tired of the boring Fop Von Varner and invites Miss Georgina Smith a very shy and nervous Missionary. Not wanting to freak her out right away she gently Massages her. Succeeding by 3 she takes payment in Reputation. Jessica 1: Jessica flirts some more with her Student succeeding by 3. She takes payment in Reputation. Nora 1: Hopelessly in love with Lucy Nora gives her even more Comfort Sex. Succeeding by 1 she adds 1 to Lucy’s Influence whilst gaining +1 Legend and +1 Reputation herself as normal.

Lucy 2: Reluctantly Lucy leaves Nora’s bed to hop into her own ready for “Pappy’s” tender attentions which is the last visit they agreed on. She wins by 7 to part with dear “Pappy” on the best possible terms. She takes 3 Influence and 4 Reputation. Hattie 2: With a little trepidation Hattie performs a Striptease for her Student. She manages to win by 2 taking payment in Wealth. He is now Besotted with his “Private Tutor.” Lilly 2: Lilly is suspicious that Bella is deceiving her Keeper and through a Spying Intrigue her suspicions prove correct. She reveals the Scandal to the world Inflict her entire Margin of Success of 3 on Bella, costing her, her Contract and both Visitors. Miss Smith is thrown in Newgate! Bella 2: Bella is annoyed at Lilly and lashes out with an Undermining Confidence Intrigue. Winning by 3 she steals 3 of her Influence. Jessica 2: Jessica gives her Student a Hand Job. Succeeding by 2 and as it is his first Sexual Experience doubling that to 4. She takes payment in Reputation. She is also offered a Contract which she accepts. Her Student is also Besotted with her. Nora 2: Nora waits patiently for “Pappy” to leave before sneaking into Lucy’s room and surprising her with more love making. She doesn’t manage to successfully Aid this time but she still makes Lucy smile as she tries.

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Maud: Maud gives her Keeper a Blow Job, succeeding by 4 and which she splits between the 4 Resources. Resources Lucy: Legend 14, Reputation 16, Wealth 22, Influence 15, Scandal 8 Hattie: Legend 14, Reputation 10, Wealth 14, Influence 9, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 6, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 11, Reputation 14, Wealth 15, Influence 15, Scandal 4 Jessica: Legend 10, Reputation 11, Wealth 15, Influence 10, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 5, Reputation 5, Wealth 3, Influence 10, Scandal 2 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 16, Wealth 16, Influence 17, Scandal 7 Pregnancy Notes Lucy has her one last attempt but none of the others have had Straight Sex.

Choose Your Partners! This is the Turn in which you choose your Partners for the Cyprian Ball. You MUST succeed on a action Pleasing action on an Admirer you wish to Invite this turn to represent persuading them to partner up. If you are Scandalous enough to invite another Courtesan this restriction is not in place provided both Players agree.

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Turn 7 Lucy 1: Lucy Massages her Lady love Nora as an Aiding Action. She succeeds by 3 granting Nora 3 Wealth and Lucy the Aiding bonus of +1 Legend and +1 Reputation. Hattie 1: Hattie persuades her Keeper that they should go to the Ball together by Flirting. She succeeds by 4 taking +1 Influence and +2 Reputation. She also tells her young Student that she shall make it very special for him. Lilly 1: Lilly persuades her Keeper to accompany her with a Blow Job. She succeeds by 2 taking payment in Reputation. Bella 1: Bella invites her “Countess” Letti over and persuades her to be her Ball Partner with a night of passion. She succeeds by 3 which she adds to her Legend. Jessica 1: Jessica formally and properly invites her Keeper to the Ball. Succeeding by 4 she takes Payment in Influence. Nora 1: Nora giggles and flirts with Lucy as she is Massaged for a Sweet Talk Aiding action. Succeeding by 3 she grants Lucy +3 Wealth whilst gaining the +1 Legend +1 Reputation Aiding bonus for herself. Lucy 2: Lucy makes passionate love to Nora succeeding by 4 which she adds to her Legend. Lucy gains the +1 Legend +1 Reputation Aiding Bonus for herself.

Hattie 2: Although she is risking her allowance Hattie slips into bed with Bella again. Her Comfort Sex roll succeeds by 2 granting Bella 2 points of Reputation and gaining Hattie the +1 Legend +1 Reputation Aiding bonus. Lilly 2: Lilly spends the night with her Keeper. She fails the Pleasing roll but as she is Kept it doesn’t matter. Bella 2: Bella returns Hattie’s favour of Comfort Sex: Succeeding by 4 which she adds to Legend and gaining +1 Legend and Reputation for her Aiding Bonus. Jessica 2: Jessica Flirts and teases her Keeper. She fails but doesn’t get Spurned due to being Kept and the Keeper being Besotted. Nora 2: Nora fails her Comfort Sex Pleasing roll but Lucy is beyond caring. Maud: Maud convinces her Keeper to be her partner for the ball with a Strip Tease which she succeeds by 5. She adds this to her Wealth. Resources Lucy: Legend 16, Reputation 18, Wealth 25, Influence 15, Scandal 8 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 13, Wealth 14, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 8, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 17, Wealth 15, Influence 15, Scandal 4 Jessica: Legend 10, Reputation 11, Wealth 15, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 10, Reputation 6, Wealth 6, Influence 10, Scandal 2 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 16, Wealth 21, Influence 17, Scandal 7

Pregnancy Notes Remarkably there was no Straight Sex at all this Turn. The action moves on to the Cyprian Ball.

The Cyprian Ball The climax of a Season is the legendary Cyprian Ball. A gathering of Courtesans from far and wide it allows them to show off their classy admirers and celebrate their Season’s achievements in an appropriate style. There are 4 stages to the Ball.

Choosing Your Partner Your Courtesan should have Invited someone to the ball in Turn 7. If she hasn’t she misses the Phase. Inviting someone who isn’t her Keeper when she has a Keeper instantly breaches the Contract and infl icts +1 Scandal. Otherwise she is free to invite the Admirer of your choice. Bear in mind that inviting a Female Admirer, an Admirer in an Immoral Occupation or one in a Closed Marriage will infl ict Scandal. This stacks so woe betide those who invite immoral women in Closed Marriages whilst Kept! You can Invite a Sister Courtesan with an Aiding Action however both parties gain +2 Scandal from this.

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Scandal at the Cyprian Ball Scandal Infl icted at the Cyprian Ball does not have the usual side effects of forcing all Visiting Admirers to Spurn the Courtesan due to its secretive nature. Neither can any Courtesans present reveal what went on there to the world due to the Demi Monde’s code of silence. You will need to worry about Procurement next Season though.

Making Your Entrance It’s a big thing making your Entrance at the Cyprian ball. Narrate coming in with your Partner then follow the following procedure. If Your Partner is an Admirer • Subtract the Admirer’s Pliability from 7. • Add +1 if he is a Reverend, has a military offi cer rank or a Noble title up to Baronet. • Add +2 if he is a Bishop or a Noble from Lord up to Count. • Add +3 if he is a Noble from Earl up to Duke. • Add +4 if he is a member of the Royal Family • Add +5 if he is in a major Public Offi ce (King, Queen, Prince of Wales, Prime Minister, Archbishop of Canterbury etc.) • Add +1 if he is a Student or a Fop. • Add +2 if he is a Lover. • Add +3 if he is a Saviour. • Modify this by the Margin of Success or failure of your Strong Statistic+ dice versus the Landlady’s dice+3.

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The fi nal result is added to your Courtesan’s Reputation. If Your Partner is a Courtesan • Add together the two Courtesans’ current Reputation points. • Add together the two Courtesans’ current Scandal points. • Divide the result by 4 and round up. The fi nal result is added to both Courtesans’ Reputation points.

Dancing Once everyone has mingled for a while the dancing begins. Courtesans Partnered with an Admirer make Dancing Pleasing rolls which they may claim Resources from in the usual way. Failure does not result in Spurning in this case. Courtesans Partnered with Each other each make a Dance With Me Aiding action (Diffi culty set by Landlady) on each other and claim Resources as usual. A Courtesan can take a risk and try Poaching another Courtesan’s Admirer instead. If she succeeds she claims Resources as normal, takes the Admirer as normal, suffers +1 Scandal and causes both injured parties to leave early in distress/ anger.

Failure results in the loss of -1 Reputation, the infl iction of +2 Scandal and being sent home in disgrace by the leading members of the Demi Monde. The original Admirer also Spurns the offending Courtesan. You cannot Poach another Courtesan or Seduce her at the Cyprian Ball.

The Debauchery! Finally with the music still playing the dancing gets a little more... intimate and clothes start rustling to the fl oor. Courtesans Partnered with an Admirer perform a Sex Act Pleasing roll on them gaining Resources as normal. Again failure does not mean Spurning at the Ball. Courtesans Partnered with each other perform a Comfort Sex Pleasing roll on each other granting Resources as normal. With that the Ball is over and thus the Season. Though there are some more opportunities for Domestic Drama and a bit of book keeping before we move on to a new one. Example: Bernadette’s group are at the Cyprian Ball Phase. The action continues.

Couples The Couples are... Lucy and Nora (CourtesanCourtesan) Hattie and Luke (Courtesan-Keeper) Lilly and Mark (Courtesan- Keeper) Bella and Letti (CourtesanAdmirer) Jessica and Jacob (CourtesanKeeper) Maud and Walter (CourtesanKeeper)

Entrances Lucy and Nora: Their Entrance causes a real fuss. Both add +2 Scandal. In addition there are some sums to do. The sum of their Reputations and Scandal is 34. Divided by 4 and rounded up this gives each a +9 bonus to their Reputations. Hattie and Luke: Luke’s Pliability is 1 for +6, his Title is Marquess for +3 and he is a Student for +1: A total +10 bonus to Hattie’s Reputation. Lilly and Mark: Mark is Pliability 3 for +4, his Title is Lord for +2 and he is a Lover for +2: A total of +8 to Lilly’s Reputation. Bella and Letti: Bella suffers +2 Scandal for bringing an Immoral Woman to the Ball (though she had no idea the “Countess” was a Bawd.) However she also gains +5 for her Pliability of 2 and +2 for her being a Lover. The title doesn’t count as its fake so the total Reputation bonus is +7.

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Jessica and Jacob: Jacob is Pliability 1 for +6, an Earl for +3 and Student for +1: This gives a total of +10 to her Reputation. Maud and Walter: Maud gains +5 for Walter’s 2 Pliability, +2 for his Lover Archetype and +1 for his Title for a total of +8 to her Reputation. Resources Lucy: Legend 16, Reputation 27, Wealth 25, Influence 15, Scandal 10 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 23, Wealth 14, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 16, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 24, Wealth 15, Influence 15, Scandal 6 Jessica: Legend 10, Reputation 21, Wealth 15, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 10, Reputation 15, Wealth 6, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 24, Wealth 21, Influence 17, Scandal 7

Dancing Lucy and Nora: Both Courtesans succeed by 3 on their Aiding rolls. They add this to their Reputations as well as the +1 Legend +1 Reputation Aiding Bonus. Hattie and Luke: Hattie fails her Dancing Pleasing roll. This amuses Luke but grants her no Resources. Lilly and Mark: Lilly shows the other girls how it’s done Succeeding by a massive 9. She takes this all in Legend. Bella and Letti: Bella manages to succeed by 1 taking the point in Wealth.

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Jessica and Jacob: Jessica fails spectacularly to the amusement of all. This does not change her Resources but it is a bit embarrassing. Maud: Maud wins by a respectable 5 which she adds to her Influence. Resources Lucy: Legend 17, Reputation 31, Wealth 25, Influence 15, Scandal 10 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 23, Wealth 14, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 17, Reputation 16, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 24, Wealth 16, Influence 15, Scandal 6 Jessica: Legend 10, Reputation 21, Wealth 15, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 11, Reputation 19, Wealth 6, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 24, Wealth 21, Influence 22, Scandal 7

Debauchery Lucy and Nora: Lucy and Nora make passionate love. Lucy succeeds by 7 which is added to Nora’s Wealth and Nora succeeds by 2 which is added to Lucy’s Influence. Both gain +1 Legend and +1 Reputation as normal. Hattie and Luke: Hattie and Luke finally make love. Hattie wins the roll by 6 which is doubled to 12. She splits this equally between Wealth and Influence. Lilly and Mark: Lilly gives Mark a Blow Job succeeding by 2 which she takes in Influence.

Bella and Letti: Bella’s skilful Pleasuring makes Letti feel fantastic. She succeeds by 5 which she puts into Reputation. Jessica and Jacob: Jessica competently succeeds by 2 when making love to her Keeper. She puts this into Legend. Maud: Maud wins her Straight Sex roll by 4 which she adds to her Reputation. Resources Lucy: Legend 18, Reputation 32, Wealth 25, Influence 17, Scandal 10 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 23, Wealth 20, Influence 16, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 17, Reputation 16, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 29, Wealth 16, Influence 17, Scandal 6 Jessica: Legend 12, Reputation 21, Wealth 15, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 12, Reputation 20, Wealth 13, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 28, Wealth 21, Influence 22, Scandal 7 Pregnancy Notes Hattie, Jessica and Maud risk Pregnancy. With that we move on to the book keeping! Infertility All starting Courtesans start fertile (although you may infl ict Infertility as a Misfortune.) Once a Courtesan is Infertile she sits this phase out. Of course, being infertile can be a positive boon with some gentlemen.

Pregnancy Both a threat and an opportunity to a Courtesan Pregnancy is a fact of their harsh existences. To omit rules for this would be to trivialise the Courtesan experience. So here we go...

Pregnancy Checks In Initiative order the Landlady recaps each one of each Courtesan’s Sex Act Actions involving straight sex. A dice is rolled as each recap is made. On a 1 or 2 the Courtesan has got Pregnant from that encounter.

Contraception In the default setting Contraception is still in its infancy. There are condoms made of sheep’s gut though they are more for disease prevention and aren’t even very reliable at that. There are all manner of other ingenious devices but they two are far from 100% effective. Unless your Courtesan is a Fallen Lady she may choose to ignore the fi rst result of 1 or 2 to come up during the recap. Any further results of 1 or 2 cannot be ignored. She may of course choose not to use such devices. Particularly if Contracted to carry a Child.

In the Club! What Now? Congratulations to the mothers to be! Now your pregnant Courtesans must decide what to do next. If they were Contracted to have the Child they needn’t do anything simply take their fee when the little mite is born. Otherwise they have 3 options.

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Tell the Father Most of the time a Courtesan will be able to tell by timing who the father is. There are two exceptions. 1.

The Courtesan Attended a House of Introduction. 2. The Courtesan had sex with two different men in one Turn (ballsy but possible for a Lower Origin.)

Madam Will You Do Me the Honour?: How adorably sweet! The man has fallen in love with your Courtesan and proposes marriage. If she accepts she is redeemed of every point of Scandal and is removed from the Game (see Goodbyes.) If your Courtesan refuses he grudgingly accepts it and pays up as in Pay Off above.

Depending on the Admirer’s Personality, circumstances and the nature of your relationship there will be one of three reactions. Disappear: The Admirer runs off to the colonies never to be seen again and your Courtesan is left with his baby. This is automatic for Pliability 6 Admirers. Pay Off: The Admirer feels at least a little responsible for your Courtesan’s predicament and pays her a lump sum to cover childcare. Subtract his Pliability from 6. The result is the number of Wealth Points your Courtesan gains. If he isn’t in a Keeping Contract or Besotted with her he is under no obligation to continuing Visiting but unless he is a complete bastard he will occasionally call on his child.

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I’m Out of the Game Now! Why Should I Worry About the Rest of This Shit? You may wish to reactivate a Character in a later Season. Perhaps her husband dies in shame and poverty or their marriage breaks down and the poor ex Courtesan is forced back into the Demi Monde again! For this reason it is worth continuing the process and keeping the sheet so you can reactivate her later. Also it’s nice to see what her fi nal status looks like. Obviously if the Character dies or suffers the life in debt of Wealth Bankruptcy it is not an option and you may as well dump the sheet. Though not quite yet! One of your Sisters may Invest in saving you!

Keep Mum No amount of clever clothing then manipulation can conceal a Pregnancy and eventual Childbirth from your Sisters. However for whatever reason the Courtesan can Keep Mum about who the Father is. This action is so bold it grants +1 Legend and Reputation but also +1 Scandal. Abortion The least savoury and probably most dangerous option given the state of medical science at the time: This option is not available to Goldenhearts whose sappy little feelings can’t stand the thought! Common backstreet abortionists are too great a risk for a Courtesan. Not only are they medically unsound but they are also tittle-tattlers. Qualifi ed Gentlemen and Ladies advertising in the gossip sheets are a safeish bet. Their services cost 1 Wealth point. Getting an actual doctor to break the law and perform the operation costs more. 2 Wealth Points and 1 Infl uence point. A Courtesan in the care of a qualifi ed Lady or Gentleman must make roll a dice+ Prowess against the Landlady’s dice +3. Failure means something goes horribly wrong and the Courtesan is rendered Infertile.

If the Courtesan rolls a 1 she dies on the operating table and is dumped in an alley somewhere to be discovered by the watch and returned to her Sisters. She is removed from play (see Goodbyes.) An actual doctor is a lot safer. There is no risk of death and the Landlady’s modifi er is +1. Alas things can still go wrong and the Courtesan can still be rendered Infertile. Confi dentiality is guaranteed as much as it can be but a successful Spying Intrigue can reveal the Scandal to the world as usual. Favour From A Friend If your Courtesan opts for an Abortion or needs a Midwife she may ‘burn’ an Admirer of the appropriate Occupation instead of spending Resources. Whether Visiting or not the Admirer does the ‘small favour’ then Spurns the Courtesan. Admirers you can get with a Procurement roll. Resources are harder to come by.

Note Your Mums to Be After each Pregnant Courtesan has made her decision those that remain Pregnant are noted by the Landlady in preparation for Childbirth and Children. Also the turn in which they got Pregnant is noted.

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Miscarriage The author hasn’t put Miscarriage rules in for simplicity’s sake. Things were too complicated as it was. If you can come up with some of your own rules post them on the Courtesans Blog. Example: Bernadette’s group need to face the consequences of their Courtesans’ raunchy exploits in the Pregnancy Phase. Details below...

Lucy Pre Turn: No Check. Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: No Check Turn 3: Check: Positive: Declined Contraception.

Hattie Pre Turn: No Check. Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: Check: Positive: Contraception used Turn 3: No Check Turn 4: No Check Turn 5: No Check Turn 6: No Check Turn 7: No Check Ball: Check: Positive.

Lilly Pre Turn: No Check. Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: No Check Turn 3: Check: Positive: Contraception used Turn 4: No Check Turn 5: Check: Negative Turn 6: No Check Turn 7: No Check Ball: No Check

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Bella Pre Turn: Check: Negative. Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: No Check Turn 3: No Check Turn 4: No Check Turn 5: Check: Negative Turn 6: No Check Turn 7: No Check Ball: No Check

Jessica Pre Turn: Check: Negative. Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: 2x Check: 2x Negative Turn 3: Check: Negative Turn 4: No Check Turn 5: Check: Negative Turn 6: No Check Turn 7: No Check Ball: Check: Positive: Origin Weakness in Play.

Nora Pre Turn: No Check Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: Check: Negative Turn 3: No Check. Turn 4: Check: Positive: Contraception Used Turn 5: Check: Positive

Maud Pre Turn: No Check Turn 1: No Check Turn 2: Check: Positive: Contraception Used Turn 3: No Check Turn 4: No Check Turn 5: No Check Turn 6: No Check Turn 7: No Check

Ball: Check Negative This means Hattie, Nora, Jessica and Lucy are Pregnant. Hattie tells her Luke and he asks her to marry him. After a long agonising decision she accepts removing her from the game. Similarly Jessica gets a proposal from her silly little Student. However she refuses as she finds the Demi Monde to her liking more than being a ‘respectable’ wife. Reluctantly Jacob hands over 5 Wealth and leaves her. Nora’s relationship with the father of her child is over but she still manages to get a payment out of him gaining 3 Wealth. Lucy’s child is already promised to the McBriens as per the contract but Bernadette let’s Lucy’s Player know Pappy is being difficult trying to get rid of his wife and replace her with Lucy. As the Contract is with the family rather than Pappy Lucy gets a sick and twisted little idea (See Investments.) The Limits of Human Experience There’s only so much that pretty head of yours can hold my dear. No matter how good you are. Once you have got to 10 Very Good Ats (a full Character Sheet) you stop benefiting from Learning Curve. Instead you gain +1 Reputation in each of these Phases.

Resources Lucy: Legend 18, Reputation 32, Wealth 25, Influence 17, Scandal 10 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 23, Wealth 20, Influence 16, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 17, Reputation 16, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 29, Wealth 16, Influence 17, Scandal 6 Jessica: Legend 12, Reputation 21, Wealth 20, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 12, Reputation 20, Wealth 16, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 28, Wealth 21, Influence 22, Scandal 7

Learning Curve

Ordinary people learn from their experiences. Courtesans are far from ordinary in some ways but they do learn. Each Courtesan, including the Landlady Character has a choice between a new Good At and upgrading an existing Good At to a Very Good At. Example: Bernadette’s group must decide what their Courtesans have learned from this Season in the Learning Curve Phase. Their choices are below. Lucy: Lucy has, through her darling Nora learnt how to love truly as well as tumble. She takes a new Good At in Tenderness. Hattie: Ironically for a girl whose getting married Hattie has perfected the arts of lesbian sex with Good At Pleasuring Women. Lilly: Lilly works hard on her Shakespeare so she doesn’t fail again. She upgrades her Good At Tragic Acting to Very Good At.

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Bella: Bella has perfected her Blow Job technique upgrading her Good At to Very Good At. Jessica: Jessica is now Good At Hand Jobs. Nora: Nora has learnt how to please a Lady from the very best. She gains Good At Pleasuring Women Maud: Maud has developed quite a perverse streak and gains Good At S&M.

Example: In Bernadette’s group Hattie is marrying her Admirer so doesn’t get paid. Lilly gains 4 Wealth from her Keeper. The Landlady Character Maud gets her 5 Wealth payment from her Keeper. Professional Bella gains 1 Reputation from her dice roll. Actress Lilly loses 3 Reputation and Actress Maud loses 6.

With these decided we move on.

Resources Lucy: Legend 18, Reputation 32, Wealth 22, Influence 17, Scandal 10 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 23, Wealth 20, Influence 16, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 17, Reputation 13, Wealth 10, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 30, Wealth 20, Influence 17, Scandal 6 Jessica: Legend 12, Reputation 21, Wealth 20, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 12, Reputation 20, Wealth 16, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 22, Wealth 26, Influence 22, Scandal 7

Getting On If any of your Courtesans get to 45 years old congratulations! You have been playing this game far too fucking long! Seriously though once you get to this age things start to go wrong. You can’t keep whoring forever love! Characters 45 and over are Infertile, all Statistic Maintenance costs are increased by 1 and maintaining 3 points in a statistic now costs 1 Wealth (see Expenses.) If you are using the Advanced Rules for Maladies (See Appendix One) the Landlady’s modifier for Natural Contraction goes up to 2 and Trauma goes up to 4.

Contract Resolution

If your Courtesan has abided by the terms of her Kept Mistress Contract she receives her Seasonal Payment in this phase. Characters about to Marry their Keepers do not get paid. Remember Professionals gain a dice of Reputation and Actresses lose one in this Phase.

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Will Making Going into Resource Bankruptcy can be deadly and, as you are about to fi nd out, so can Childbirth. Yeah making a Will might be an idea!

How it Works •

Resources: Resources survive a Courtesan’s death in some way or form and must be left to her Sisters in the event of her death: Note down which Sister your Courtesan is leaving her Resource to and in what

•

•

proportions (rounding up if necessary.) Debts: On a Courtesan’s death all debts default to the Landlady Character who must pay them off in full even if they send her in to Debt. Children: If your Courtesan has Children she must name a guardian. If that guardian doesn’t think she can handle it or dies herself the Child is adopted. In the former case the guardian loses a point of Reputation.

The Resources and Children of a Courtesan who is marrying her Keeper default to her, no doubt, devastated husband. The other girls cannot leave anything to her and she cannot leave anything to them. Example: Bernadette’s group discuss who they are leaving what too in the event of their unfortunate demise. Lucy: Lucy leaves everything to her lover Nora. Her child of course is Contracted to the McBriens Hattie: Hattie’s property defaults to her new husband Marquess Luke Swan. Lilly: Lilly leaves everything to Maud: Toady! Bella: Bella splits her legacy. Legend goes to Lucy, Reputation goes to Lilly, Wealth goes to Nora and Influence to Jessica.

Death of the Landlady Character So how do you deal with the death of a Landlady Character? Here are a few solutions. • Instant Replacement: The Town sends a replacement created using the Creation rules in Chapter 5. They also wipe any debts clean. Every Courtesan in the House loses a Point of Reputation from the shame of the Town. • Step up My Lady: If one of the Players is in a Kept Mistress Contract and wishes to retire her Character the Character becomes the new Landlady Character. All debts of the Landlady are paid off by the Town but as one of the Sisters stepped up there is no shame. • Indestructible Landlady: The Landlady escapes death miraculously every time. If she Resource bankrupts she suddenly gets her debt paid off anonymously. If she Bankrupts in any other Resource she narrowly escapes the attack gaining two dice worth of said Resource in the process! If she dies in Childbirth she counts the Complications roll as a 3 and her baby dies in her place. Probably the simplest solution!

Jessica: Jessica leaves her Legend and Reputation to Lucy and her Wealth and Influence to Lilly.

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Nora: Nora leaves everything to her lover Lucy. Lucy isn’t too happy about being left a Child but Nora reassures her. Bernadette is using Indestructible Landlady so Maud doesn’t need a Will! The action moves on...

Expenses The Demi Monde is an expensive lifestyle. A girl needs to pay off her Expenses. These are as follows... Rent: Each Courtesan must pay the Landlady Character 1 Wealth in rent each Season. Being Damn Good: For each Statistic of 4 the Courtesan must pay 1 Wealth: If she cannot the Statistic drops to 3 through neglect of the area. If the Statistic dropped or raised to 4 this Season she does not need to pay until next. Being the Best: For each Statistic of 5 the Courtesan must pay 2 Wealth: If she cannot the Statistic drops to 4 out of neglect of the area. Seasonal Upkeep of a Child: For each Child the Courtesan has had to care for this Season she must spend 1 Wealth. Seasonal Upkeep of a Handicapped Child: For each Handicapped Child the Courtesan has had to care for this Season she must spend 2 Wealth. Staff Wages: The Landlady must pay 1 Wealth a Season for the wages of the servants.

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Other Expenses In the Advanced Rules in Appendix One there are other Expenses. If your Landlady wishes to bring them into play in later Seasons you will fi nd them in my commentary boxes. Example: Bernadette’s group must now pay their dues. The action continues below. Rent: Each Player Character pays 1 Wealth to Maud. Lucy: Lucy’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 3 Wealth. She has no children to upkeep. Hattie: Hattie’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 3 Wealth. She has no children to upkeep. Lilly: Lilly’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 2 Wealth. She has no children to upkeep. Bella: Bella’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 3 Wealth. She has to pay 2 Wealth for Kirsty’s Upkeep. Jessica: Jessica’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 4 Wealth. She has no children to upkeep. Nora: Nora’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 3 Wealth. She has no children to upkeep. Maud: In addition to paying the Servants Maud’s Statistic maintenance comes to a total of 7 Wealth. She also has to pay 3 Wealth to Upkeep her Children.

Resources Lucy: Legend 18, Reputation 32, Wealth 21, Influence 17, Scandal 10 Hattie: Legend 19, Reputation 23, Wealth 16, Influence 16, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 17, Reputation 13, Wealth 7, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 30, Wealth 14, Influence 17, Scandal 6 Jessica: Legend 12, Reputation 21, Wealth 15, Influence 14, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 12, Reputation 20, Wealth 12, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 22, Wealth 21, Influence 22, Scandal 7

Rewards Once you have paid all your dues you have the complete measure of your success in the Season. You may well be up for a Reward. The following Rewards are available. If two or more Sisters tie on the value the Reward is not given this Season.

Resource Rewards Getting the highest in a Resource is a great achievement. One worthy of a little Reward: The following are awarded to the highest scoring Courtesans in the following Resources... Landladies Don’t Count! It should go without saying but the Landlady Character never receives Rewards. That would be unfair!

Biggest Legend: The Courtesan with the highest Legend fi nds friends in high places. She gains +1 Infl uence. Most Notorious Reputation: The Courtesan with the highest Reputation fi nds no shortage of fi nancial assistance. She gains +1 Wealth. Highest Earner: Earning a lot gets you noticed on the Town. The Courtesan with the highest Wealth gains +1 Reputation. Highest Influence: Strangely enough gaining Infl uence inevitably makes you emerge from the shadows. The Courtesan with highest Infl uence gains +1 Legend. Most Scandalous Hussy: Unfortunately Scandal begets Scandal. The Courtesan with the highest Scandal gains a further +1 Scandal.

Action Rewards Your actions too can reward you. The following Rewards are available... Biggest Slut: The Courtesan with the most sexual partners gains +1 Reputation. Incest Award: The Courtesan who has slept with the most other Courtesans of the House gains +1 Reputation. Biggest Procurer: The Courtesan who Procured the most Admirers from a single Procurement roll gains +1 Reputation. Best Pleaser: The Courtesan who gained the most Resources from a Pleasing roll gains +1 Legend.

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Best Intriguer: The Courtesan who gained the most Resources from an Intrigue roll gains +1 Reputation. Best Aider: The Courtesan who granted a Sister the most Resources/ Redemption from an Aiding roll gains +1 Legend. Most Overblown Formal Dialogue Award: The Courtesan who the Landlady judges to have used the most overblown formal dialogue in play gains +1 Infl uence. If nobody qualifi es this Reward is skipped. Vulgar Tart Award: The Courtesan who uses the foulest language (or God forbid anachronisms) gains +1 Scandal. The ‘Oh my good God you didn’t’ Award: A Courtesan who the Landlady has judged to have done something truly outrageous by any standards of human decency and decorum gets +1 to all her Resources including Scandal. Example: Bernadette’s group now get rewarded for their particularly worthy antics. The Rewards are as follows. Biggest Legend: Hattie Most Notorious Reputation: Lucy Highest Earner: Lucy Highest Influence: Tie so doesn’t count Most Scandalous Hussy: Lucy Biggest Slut: Lucy Incest Award: Lucy Biggest Procurer: Nora Best Pleaser: Hattie.

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Best Intriguer: Lucy Best Aider: Lucy Most Overblown Formal Dialogue Award: Jessica Vulgar Tart Award: Bella The ‘Oh my good God you didn’t’ Award: Not awarded this Season. Good God Lucy has done well! Resources Lucy: Legend 19, Reputation 37, Wealth 21, Influence 17, Scandal 11 Hattie: Legend 21, Reputation 23, Wealth 16, Influence 16, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 17, Reputation 13, Wealth 7, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 15, Reputation 30, Wealth 14, Influence 17, Scandal 7 Jessica: Legend 12, Reputation 21, Wealth 15, Influence 15, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 12, Reputation 21, Wealth 12, Influence 10, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 22, Wealth 21, Influence 22, Scandal 7 The process continues to the point where the Ladies get to spend their Phat Lewt!

Errrr I Forgot... If you lose track of which Courtesan achieved certain Awards through play just ignore those Rewards for this Season.

Investments Well now you have a choice me dear. You can save up all those lovely Resources like some kind of miser or you can do the ladylike thing and go on a spending spree! Here’s what you can spend things on. Most Investments can be bought multiple times and the bonuses stack. The exception to this is the Investments in the Ultimate Investments Category. You can only ever have one of each of those! Some regular Investments are once only things too. They are indicated in their descriptions. Burning Connections for Wealth Wealth is by far the most useful Resource for Investments. As such we are giving you a means to create more of it by ‘burning’ other Resources. You can do this on a simple 1 for 1 basis representing you abusing your connections for fi nancial gain. Once this is done you cannot convert points back hence the term “burning!”

Don’t Exert Yourself Madam! These days Pregnant women can be very active even in late term. Back in the time of the Demi Monde they were expected to take it easy. Your Courtesan cannot make any Investments to boost Prowess whilst Pregnant.

Wealth Investments Money can buy your Courtesan pretty much anything dearie. Remember if it costs multiple Wealth and you are a Fallen Lady it costs 1 Wealth less than normal. Here are a few examples... •

Redemptive Investment: For 1 Wealth point your Courtesan may make a Redemptive Investment. See Redemption.

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Bribe Public Officials: For 1 Wealth point your Courtesan can get a Sister out of Debtor’s Prison (and thus back into the game at -19 Wealth) or frame an Admirer who Spurned the Investing Courtesan or who she fi nds annoying for a minor misdemeanour (that could get him pilloried, fl ogged or a short jail term.)

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Large Bribe for Public Officials: For 2 Wealth points your Courtesan can persuade the authorities to look into the death of a Sister killed by Reputation or Legend Bankruptcy, frame an annoying Admirer for a major Misdemeanour or Minor Felony (that could get him transported or imprisoned for a few years) or destroy the case against an Admirer accused of Sodomy.

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Sweet Vengeance: For 2 Wealth points your Courtesan can hire a group of thugs to beat up an Admirer who Spurned her or a Besotted Admirer who just won’t leave you alone. If anyone fi nds out about this it could cause Scandal Infl iction.

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Superior Contraception*: For 2 Wealth points your Courtesan can invest in the latest in contraceptive technology allowing her to ignore the fi rst 2 Pregnant results rather than just the fi rst for as long as he has the Investment. Fallen Ladies may not purchase this Investment. Other Courtesans may only purchase this Investment once though they may repurchase it if pawned.

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Etiquette Lessons: Your Courtesan can Invest in lessons on how to talk proper like! For 3 Wealth points she may increase her Manners Statistic by +1.

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New Dresses, Make Up etc*: Your Courtesan can spend her money on lots of new dresses, make up and sparkly jewels. When offered what amounts in modern money to around £250,000 a year Sophia Baddeley once remarked “that wouldn’t even cover my milliner’s bills.” For 3 Wealth points your Courtesan may increase her Charm Statistic by +1.

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Hire Spies*: Your Courtesan pays to expand her network of informers. For 3 Wealth points she may increase her Wits Statistic by +1.

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Book of Dirty Tricks and Insults*: Okay probably better to learn fi rsthand than from books but they’re a worthy investment nonetheless. For 3 Wealth points your Courtesan may increase her Spite Statistic by +1.

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Acting/Music Lessons: Your Courtesan is tutored by the fi nest performers of the day. For 3 Wealth points she may increase her Performance Statistic +1.

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Physical Training: Got to keep yourself fi t dearie! For 3 Wealth points your Courtesan may increase her Prowess Statistic by +1.

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Sweeter Vengeance: For 3 Wealth points your Courtesan can hire a Bravo team to kill any Admirer who Spurned her this Season or any Besotted Admirer who just won’t leave her alone. If anyone fi nds out about this it could cause Scandal infl iction.

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Huge Bribe for Public Officials: For 3 Wealth points your Courtesan may have an annoying Admirer framed for a major felony (hanging matter) she can also save an Admirer facing the same grisly fate for plot reasons. Note that though Sodomy is a hanging matter for much of the Demi Monde period it only costs 2 Wealth to get an Admirer off. As much as the establishment hates “sex crime” it gets really squeamish prosecuting it.

Nobbling Admirers You can use the Admirer attacking Investments to Attack a Sister’s Admirers but doing so earns you a point of Scandal for every Resource spent and her vengeful ire. Note that Admirers so attacked cannot be saved. When a Courtesan abuses her Wealth, Legend or Infl uence things get done fast!

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Squee! A Pony!*: For 4 Wealth points your Courtesan may purchase a fi ne pony or horse. At the start of each Season she may roll a dice+ her Prowess versus the Landlady’s dice +2. If she succeeds therapeutic riding focuses her mind granting you Resources equal to her Margin of Success. This Investment can only be purchased once though it can be repurchased if pawned.

*Items marked with this star can be pawned. That means your Courtesan can freeze any benefits they grant in exchange for her Wealth back in the Expenses Phase. You cannot use said benefits until you “buy them back.”

Reputation Investments Your Courtesan’s Reputation can be exploited for gain almost as much as Wealth can be. For example... •

Fangirl: For 1 Reputation point your Courtesan can attract a Common Doxy Fangirl as an Admirer. She is a Lover with Pliability 3. Other details are at the Landlady’s Discretion. She makes contact in the next Post.

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Classy Fangirl: For 2 Reputation points your Courtesan can attract a young Courtesan as the ultimate Fangirl Admirer. She is a Student with a Pliability of 1. Other details are at the Landlady’s Discretion. She makes contact in the next Post.

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Gentleman Pimp Fanboy: For 2 Reputation points your Courtesan can attract a Gentleman Pimp Admirer. He is a Fop with a Pliability of 2. Other details are at the Landlady’s Discretion. He makes contact in the next Post.

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Friends on the Town: For 3 Reputation points your Courtesan extends her network of informants on the Town resulting in her increasing her Wits Statistic by +1. Incredible Display of Bitchiness: For 3 Reputation points your Courtesan proves her bitchiness resulting in her increasing her Spite Statistic by +1. Lessons in Love: For 3 Reputation points your Courtesan can learn from the best of Ladies or Gentleman allowing her to increase her Prowess Statistic by +1.

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Correspondent Admirer: For 4 Reputation points your Courtesan can be contacted by an old Admirer. He is out of the country at the moment but he still sends her a little fi nancial aid from time to time. At the end of the Contract Resolution Phase of each Season roll a dice for each Correspondent Admirer and add it to your Wealth.

Influence Investments Your Courtesan can expend her Infl uence to make contacts that grant her certain advantages. Schemers are especially good at this and if an Infl uence Investment costs multiple points they may purchase it for one less than normal. Infl uence Investments include. •

Redemptive Investment: For 1 Infl uence your Courtesan makes a political move to Redeem herself in the form of a Redemptive Investment (see Redemption.)

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Minor Favour: For 1 Infl uence point your Courtesan can get a Sister out of Debtor’s Prison (and thus back into the game at -19 Wealth) or frame an Admirer who Spurned the Investing Courtesan or who she fi nds annoying for a minor misdemeanour (that could get him pilloried, fl ogged or a short jail term.)

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Major Favour: For 2 Infl uence points your Courtesan can persuade the authorities to look into the death of a Sister killed by Reputation or Legend Bankruptcy, frame an annoying Admirer for a major Misdemeanour or Minor Felony (that could get him transported or imprisoned for a few years) or destroy the case against an Admirer accused of Sodomy.

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Epic Favour: For 3 Infl uence points your Courtesan may have an annoying Admirer framed for a major felony (hanging matter) she can also save an Admirer facing the same grisly fate for plot reasons. Note that though Sodomy is a hanging matter for much of the Demi Monde period it only costs 2 Infl uence points to get an Admirer off. As much as the establishment hates “sex crime” it gets really squeamish prosecuting it.

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Attend the Best of Parties: The Courtesan can gain refi nement by attending the best of social occasions. For 3 Infl uence points she may raise her Manners Statistic by +1.

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Friends in High (and low) Places: The Courtesan can get friends everywhere who can be leant on to notice things. For 3 Infl uence points she may raise her Wits Statistic by +1.

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Coaching in Eloquent Insults: The Courtesan can be tutored by the masters of banter. For 3 Infl uence points she may raise her Spite Statistic by +1.

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Rhetoric Training: The Courtesan picks up a few tricks of the political trade by learning from the best. For 3 Infl uence points she may raise her Performance Statistic by +1.

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Dinner with the PM: The Courtesan can be invited to dinner with the Prime Minister for 4 Infl uence points. In a restaurant of course! He counts as any other Admirer though clearly the only way to Please him in such a public place is to talk. If your Pleasing is successful he begins to Visit you. The Landlady determines his Archetype, Pliability and other details. The Courtesan is informed of this engagement in her next Post. You cannot purchase this to counteract a PM Spurning you. You must wait for the next one before you can purchase this Investment again.

Legend Investments Legend represents popularity amongst the common people and this can be Invested like any other Resource. Here are some examples of how... •

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Redemptive Investment: Your Courtesan uses her profi le to do good in the world in the hope of redeeming Scandal. For 1 Legend she may make a Redemptive Investment (see Redemption.)

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Do You Know Who I am?: For 1 Legend point your Courtesan can get a Sister out of Debtor’s Prison (and thus back into the game at -19 Wealth) or frame an Admirer who Spurned the Investing Courtesan or who she fi nds annoying for a minor misdemeanour (that could get him pilloried, fl ogged or a short jail term.)

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No Seriously Do You REALLY Know Who I Am?: For 2 Legend points your Courtesan can persuade the authorities to look into the death of a Sister killed by Reputation or Legend Bankruptcy, frame an annoying Admirer for a major Misdemeanour or Minor Felony (that could get him transported or imprisoned for a few years) or destroy the case against an Admirer accused of Sodomy.

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You Really Don’t Have a Fucking Clue Sweetie!: For 3 Legend points your Courtesan may have an annoying Admirer framed for a major felony (hanging matter) she can also save an Admirer facing the same grisly fate for plot reasons. Note that though Sodomy is a hanging matter for much of the Demi Monde period it only costs 2 Legend points to get an Admirer off. As much as the establishment hates “sex crime” it gets really squeamish prosecuting it.

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Meet and Greet: Your Courtesan may improve her people skills by meeting her adoring fans. She may spend 3 Legend points to increase her Charm Statistic by +1.

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Got Your Back Miss: Your Courtesan may cultivate a dedicated group of followers who act as informers: She may spend 3 Legend points to gain increase her Wits Statistic by +1.

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Temper Tantrum: Your Courtesan can prove she’s got what it takes with the hissy fi t from Hell! She may spend 3 Legend points to increase her Spite Statistic by +1.

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Cheering Crowds: Your Courtesan can Invest her Legend in a veritable army of fans to cheer her on. She may spend 3 Legend points to increase her Performance Statistic by +1.

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Royal Appointment: Your Courtesan can Invest 4 of her Legend in getting an Audience with the highest ranking eligible Royal in the land. Landladies see the Courtesan’s Guide to Kings and Queens in Chapter One for details on their Archetypes and Pliability. The Courtesan is informed of the appointment in her next post. She must succeed at a Pleasing roll of the Royal’s choice. If successful he/she begins to Visit her.

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Literary Endeavour: Your Courtesan is not just a pretty face. With the expenditure of 4 Legend she produces a work of some literary merit in the lull between Seasons. What’s more it’s published/produced! This work can be anything from a small religious pamphlet to a full length steamy sex novel! Either way the effects are the same. At the start of each Season roll a dice+ your Courtesan’s Charm or Performance versus the Landlady’s dice + 2. If successful the Courtesan earns the Margin of Success in Resources, whether they be material royalties (Wealth), public recognition (Legend), recognition in the Town (Reputation) or shaking the corridors of power (Infl uence.)

Changing History If your Ladies want to, for example, Abolish Slavery 20 years early let them! It is not a game shackled by historical accuracy. It is still the Landlady’s discretion as to what is too silly though! It is recommended that the Landlady Character does not purchase this Investment. It’s more a Player Character thing.

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She Wouldn’t Do That!: With the Expenditure of 4 Legend points your Courtesan gets a special ‘saving throw’ against Scandal infl iction for the next Season. When Scandal would normally be infl icted roll a dice. On a 4+ the Scandal is negated and any points distributed to Scandal Infl iction are lost. The save ceases to apply in the Season after next unless it is repurchased. It may not be purchased multiple times in one Investments Phase.

Ultimate Investments Ultimate Investments are both the most expensive and the most powerful Investments. Your Courtesan may only ever Invest in them once each (though she may pawn her Carriage and buy it back later) and they represent the pinnacle of a career so can only be purchased when your Courtesan is 24 years old or older. •

Ultimate Wealth Investment: Carriage*: For 5 Wealth points your Courtesan may purchase her very own Carriage. This will get her noticed whatever she does. Regardless of success or failure of any Procurement rolls she always gets 1 letter in the post from an Admirer who saw her in her Carriage in addition to any others.

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Ultimate Reputation Investment: Notorious Underwear Collection: For 5 Reputation points your Courtesan can purchase the ability to reroll any failed Pleasing roll involving removing clothing. The second roll stands even if worse than the fi rst.

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Ultimate Influence Investment: Act of Parliament: For 5 Infl uence points your Courtesan can make a minor alteration to the law of the land. This will have little, if any effect on the game mechanics but the Landlady is entitled to say no to any idea and make you think of something else.

Serialised in the Times Writing one’s Memoirs doesn’t just give your Courtesan the money of every fop she has ever slept with it gives her the money of every Fop she is GOING to sleep with! On Spurning the Courtesan gains the payment as above and upon a successful Seduction she may immediately make the free Spread Rumours Intrigue. A Lady never blackmails true lovers though. She may not target those Sisters she has Comfort Sex with.

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Ultimate Legend Investment: Writing one’s Memoirs: For 5 Legend points your Courtesan can write her memoirs. All Admirers she successfully Pleased sexually must immediately pay her 7-Pliability Wealth to cover up their names and or juicy details: Which of course your Courtesan can reveal anyway giving her an unsaveable Scandal Point. As an option she may make an immediate free Spread Rumours Intrigue with her Spite against any Sister who still lives that she has slept with. Most Courtesans wouldn’t stoop to this though. Even if they hate the bitch in question!

*A Carriage may be pawned as described under Wealth. Example: Bernadette’s group now have the opportunity to spend some Resources! The action continues as follows.

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Lucy: Lucy has one fuck-tonne of Resources to spend and is due for some more. Also as she’s primarily a Lady’s Lady Kids shouldn’t be much of an issue she hopes. Being Pregnant she cannot increase her Prowess though it is already pretty high. She spends 6 Wealth to boost her Performance to 4, 6 Influence to increase her Manners to 3, 3 Legend to boost her Charm to 4 and 6 Reputation to Boost her Wits to 5. She then looks at the available special ability Investments. Saving the sweet Lady Clarissa from the gallows is a must costing her 2 Legend. Clearly she wants to make a Redemptive Investment so she spends a Wealth on it. Pappy is causing her problems so he’ll have to go. She doesn’t want him dead though. For 2 Legend she abuses her fame to trump up charges to get him Transported. In Australia he won’t pester her and besides the climate will do him good! She also buys a Pony on an impulse and picks up a couple of Classy Fangirls for 4 Reputation. The rest she saves. Hattie: As She’s getting Married Hattie practices her dancing to perfection invest 9 Legend to take it up to 5. She also gets a bit of a crash course in High society for 6 Influence which takes her Manners up to 5. She’s now ready to take the title Marchioness. Lilly: Lilly spends 6 Reputation boosting her Prowess to 5 and 3 Legend boosting her Wits to 3. She also takes “She Wouldn’t do That” for 4 Legend.

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Bella: It may well be her Weak Statistic but Bella puts 6 Reputation into boosting her Wits to 3. She does the same for her Spite taking it up to 5. She spends 3 Wealth boosting her Manners a little to 3 and 3 Legend to get to Performance 4. Outside of her Statistics vindictively she uses 3 Influence to have VonVarner executed for murder whilst spending 2 more Influence to save her Miss Smith from the gallows. She also spoils herself with a Classy Fangirl, Fangirl and a Correspondent Admirer. Oh and a Pony. Got to get a girl a Pony! As a last thought she makes a Redemptive Investment with her Legend. Jessica: Jessica can’t Invest in Prowess but she does pay 4 Wealth for a few dancing lessons boosting her Performance to 3. She also Invests 6 Reputation to achieve 5 Wits. In a massive show of bitchiness she has all 3 men who spurned her convicted of sodomy and executed costing 3 Legend and 6 Influence! Finally she takes a Correspondent Admirer. Nora: Nora spends 6 Reputation boosting her Spite to 5 and 2 Influence to have Purcell framed for something obscure but nonetheless capital. She Invests 6 Legend in boosting her Performance to 4, Purchases Superior Contraception for 2 Wealth and rests on her laurels for now.

Maud: Maud Invests 9 Reputation in Wits boosting it to 5 so she can get a better idea of what is going on under her own roof. As well as this she goes up to 5 Prowess for 3 Wealth. She also picks up a couple of Correspondent Admirers for 8 Reputation. She purchases Superior Contraception for 2 Wealth and a Pony for 4. Resources Lucy: Legend 12, Reputation 27, Wealth 10, Influence 11, Scandal 11 Hattie: Legend 12, Reputation 23, Wealth 16, Influence 10, Scandal 1 Lilly: Legend 8, Reputation 7, Wealth 7, Influence 3, Scandal 1 Bella: Legend 10, Reputation 11, Wealth 10, Influence 12, Scandal 7 Jessica: Legend 9, Reputation 11, Wealth 11, Influence 9, Scandal 2 Nora: Legend 6, Reputation 14, Wealth 10, Influence 7, Scandal 4 Maud: Legend 22, Reputation 7, Wealth 12, Influence 22, Scandal 7

Spend or Save? It’s a tricky one my love. On one hand superior Statistics and Special Abilities can help you in your adventures on the other they are as liable to fail as anything else and high Statistics cost high Maintenance.

Redemption Tut, tut, tut my dear: all that sordid sinning! Just look at your Scandal Score. Shameful that is!

But Wait I’m Sorry! What? What’s that you say? You’re sorry are you? Well sorry just ain’t good enough my dear! It really isn’t. You need to redeem yourself in the eyes of society you do. How do you do this you ask? Well its simple my dear. Being a good girl your Courtesan invested a Resource point in your Redemption didn’t she? She can only invest one point at a time and what it does is give her a chance to roll to Redeem herself of some of that Scandal. If you have made your Investment roll a dice and add either Manners or Performance: Manners if she’s sincere, Performance if she’s not. This rolled against the Landlady’s dice +2 for each point of Scandal she wishes to Redeem. Naturally this means she can only attempt to Redeem 4 Scandal in 1 Redemption action. You may never redeem Scandal below 1. This can take Upstarts and some Professionals down to less points than they started with but it cannot Redeem all a Courtesan’s Scandal. You’re still a whore love!

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Anyway if the Courtesan fails her Redemption roll her Investment is wasted as people don’t believe she is truly repentant. If it is successful she may remove as many Scandal points as she specifi ed. This can take Upstarts and some Professionals down to fewer points than they started with but it cannot Redeem all of a Courtesan’s Scandal. You’re still a whore love!

The Perils of Redemption Not plain sailing this Redemption lark dear. Apart from the loss of the free Admirers from your Scandal you also lose 1 Reputation by pissing off the Town! Note this only applies if the action is successful. Example: Some of Bernadette’s group’s Courtesans have been very naughty girls!

Story World Examples Here are a few examples of Redemptive Investments based on the Resources used for them. Wealth: Building a Church, funding a mission, funding secular charity campaigns. Influence: Backing a ‘moral’ law, giving up names to the Authorities, convincing a Bishop to write you a pardon. Legend: Public speech of penitence, general good works, putting your name to a letter to the papers calling for some sort of “moral” change.

Childbirth and Children Time to bring on the pain! All Courtesans that got Pregnant and stayed Pregnant now go into labour. Here are the rules. Remember Goldenhearts not giving birth can use their Adoption rule here.

Bella and Lucy are the only ones to do anything about it with their Redemptive Investments. Order Lucy plays it safe simply aiming There was a reason that the to redeem the 1 Scandal rolling a Pregnancy Check was done in order. dice+ her Performance against The Courtesans give birth in order Bernadette’s dice+2. She succeeds of conception. If there is a tie the dropping to 10 Scandal. It’s a start Courtesan with the highest Prowess at least. has her Child fi rst. If Prowess is tied Bella is a bit more ambitious each Courtesan rolls a dice until one trying to Redeem 2 Scandal points beats the score of the other. rolling her Performance against Bernadette’s dice+ 4. It doesn’t pay Twins off and Bella’s Investment is wasted. Twins are rare: Very rare! It is up to Both Courtesans lose 1 Reputation. the Landlady whether or not a Courtesan is carrying twins and should only be used sparingly. Giving birth to Twins (or acting as midwife at such a birth) is at a -1 penalty to the dice roll.

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Birth

Complications Table

Childbirth is a lot safer than it has been in times past but it is still pretty dangerous even for a healthy young woman. You don’t have to go into graphic detail unless you want to but you do have to roll some dice. Roll your Courtesan’s Prowess+ one dice against the Landlady’s dice +2. If you succeed the child is born without a problem. If you fail your Courtesan suffers Complications. Roll a dice on the following table...

Roll a d6 1. Double Tragedy: Both mother and baby die. The Sisters must pay 2 Wealth total to bury them both properly or they all lose a Point of Legend. The mother is removed from the game.

Mechanics versus Story A common problem in roleplaying games is where the game mechanics encourage players to think quite unlike their characters. This is particularly true of the Complications. A Player may well be relieved to get the Infertile result. The Courtesan however will be devastated. Yes kids cost money but they are also a considerable emotional and sometimes even fi nancial investment.

2. Tragedy: The mother dies but the baby lives. The Sisters can give the baby up for adoption without penalty but if a Sister wishes to adopt it she gains +1 Reputation and Legend though she has to support it fi nancially. One Sister must pay 1 Wealth for the burial of the mother or every Sister loses 1 Reputation. The mother is removed from the game. 3. Stillborn: The baby is stillborn. The mother must pay 1 Wealth for a proper burial or lose 1 Legend by dumping it in Crossbones. 4. Massive Complications: The mother very nearly dies. She misses the fi rst 3 turns of her next Season making her free Procurement once her Sisters have fi nished their third turn. 5. Infertile: Something goes wrong and the mother loses her ability to conceive. 6. Complications: It is a very diffi cult birth and the mother is harmed. She must miss the fi rst of the next Season’s 7 Turns making her free Procurement once her Sisters have fi nished their fi rst turn.

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Waist Size and Complications One of the disadvantages of that fashionable Hourglass Waist of yours is that it makes Childbirth much more diffi cult. If your Courtesan has an Hourglass waist subtract 1 from the dice roll for Complications. On the other hand being big and beautiful has its advantages. Courtesans with Childbearing Waists add 1 to Complications rolls avoiding Complications entirely if they roll a natural 6. Note that having a lot of Children can justify an increase in Waist size if the Player so wishes.

Children So now you’re a mother what next? Well it is time to get some details down for your Child. • •

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Midwifery Courtesans who aren’t giving birth themselves this Season may assist their Sisters by acting as Midwife. In such a case use the Midwife’s Prowess instead of the Mother’s applying any Good Ats or Very Good Ats. In fact untrained Midwifery is a very bad idea. Unless a Midwife Courtesan has Good At or Very Good At Midwifery she is at a -2 penalty to her dice roll. If the birth goes off without a hitch the successful Midwife Courtesan gains 1 Legend and 1 Reputation.

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Gender: When a child is born roll a dice. On a 1-3 it’s a girl on a 4-6 it’s a boy. Appearance: Most babies look alike but it is worth think about what they will grow into and what characteristics of each parent they have. Health: Like admirers Children only have one Statistic: Health. If you are creating the Child for a Professional at the start of play you can chose your Courtesan’s Child’s Health level. Otherwise roll a dice. Handicap: If you roll a 1 for Health your Courtesan’s Child is born with some kind of Handicap. Roll a dice on the following table...

Non PC Terms The terms used for Handicaps in this list are the modern ‘politically correct’ terms. At the time they would have used the harsher ‘depreciated terms.’ Landladies clear it with your Players before allowing these terms to be used in game. Show a bit of sensitivity.

Cost The cost of bringing up a Child is explained in the Expenses section. Dice Roll: 1. Cerebral Palsy: The poor Child is born with severe motor dysfunction. Physical action is impaired greatly. 2. Down’s Syndrome: The Child has the distinctive physical appearance of the chromosomal dysfunction along with greatly reduced mental capacity. 3. Blind: The Child is born blind. Visual perception is thus impossible. 4. Deaf: The Child cannot hear and must be taught to lip read or sign to make up for it. 5. Porphyria: The Child has the congenital illness Porphyria. This makes him mildly allergic to alcohol, sensitive to bright light and most disturbingly prone to psychosis. George III was the most famous sufferer. 6. Learning Difficulty: The Child appears normal but has a learning diffi culty that may make a particular kind of learning or play diffi cult. Examples include dyslexia and dyspraxia as well as autistic spectrum disorders. Note that none of these were properly understood at the time.

If at any time your Courtesan wishes to give her Child away for adoption simply pay 1 Reputation. Handicapped Children may be adopted at no cost to the mother however the mother gains 1 Legend for each year she keeps him by her side. A Surrogacy Contract obviously automatically takes the Child out of the mother’s hands at no cost to her. Inbreeding Some of these handicaps are usually the result of inbreeding. This makes perfect sense. Post Restoration society was so full of sleeping around you could easily sleep with your half brother and not even realise it!

Have pity Sir! If your Courtesan successfully got a pay off from the father and his child is Handicapped you get paid off again when the poor mite is born!

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Name You clearly must give your little darling a name. He or she takes your surname unless you have the father’s permission to use his. Survival Each turn after the turn in which a Child is born (as in don’t roll on the turn he is born) roll a dice+ his Health against the Landlady rolling 1 dice with no modifi er. • •

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If the Child wins he’s fi ne. Add 1 to his Age. If the roll is tied the Courtesan loses her second active Turn sorting out some kind of unfortunate illness or injury of her child. If the Landlady wins the roll the Child dies either through illness or accident. Note the Survival roll is made after paying for the Child’s upkeep for the Season that has just passed. If the Child dies the mother must either pay 1 Wealth to bury him properly or 1 Legend to dump him in Crossbones.

Survival of the Fittest Conditions are far from ideal in the time of the Demi Monde. Only the fi ttest of Children survived. If your Child has Fitness 6 there is no chance of him dying. If the poor mite is Handicapped though expect heartbreak.

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Growing Up Each Season represents the events of roughly a year. Thus a child gains one year of age for each Season he Survives. It is up to the mother what kind of education he receives but by the age of 16 he should be clear of the apron strings and no longer a burden on his mother. Handicapped Children cost 1 Wealth to support from age 16 onward unless an alternative carer can be found which works the same as Adoption in system terms. In story terms it could be a wealthy friend or spouse who is willing to put up with the expense. Finding said carer could be an interesting little side plot. Following Mummy’s Example As they grow up your Courtesan’s Children may wish to follow in her illustrious example. Male Children may become High Society Fops who could make for good admirers for the Courtesan’s Sisters (no screwing your own son or sibling though Ladies, terribly icky!) Female Children however may grow up to be Courtesans themselves. At 18 years old build a sheet using the basic Character Creation rules for mummy’s little girl. 2 of the Handicaps disqualify a Child from the Demi Monde outright but with the Disability rules in Appendix One you can even have your Handicapped Child join your Sisters on the scene!

Example: Our new mother Courtesans in Bernadette’s group now give birth. Details as follows.

Order This is determined by order of Conception. Lucy goes first followed by Nora. As both Conceived at the Ball there is a clash between Hattie and Jessica which is broken by the fact Hattie has a much higher Prowess and thus goes 3rd while Jessica goes 4th.

Childbirth Lucy: Lucy makes the roll easily with her high Prowess. Nora: Nora isn’t so lucky... her low Prowess lets her down. With her Hourglass Waist she has a -1 penalty to her Complications roll. Alas with a roll of 3 she dies leaving her Child behind. Hattie: The birth of Hattie’s child goes without a hitch as she makes the roll. Jessica: Jessica makes the roll and the birth of her Child goes without a hitch.

Child Generation Lucy: Lucy gives birth to a boy, and rolls an average 3 for his Health. She names him Finnegan after her late husband and hands him over to the McBriens for 5 Wealth.

Nora: Nora’s little orphan is a boy: Worse still with Health 1 he has a Handicap. With a roll of 3 he has congenital blindness. Lucy decides to adopt him anyway as a sign of her love for his mother. She names him Norbert and gets a little more Wealth out of his father on account of his Handicap (another +3 Wealth.) Hattie: Hattie gives birth to a girl and rolls a 6 for her Health. She names her daughter Irene Isabella Lucy much to her husband’s amusement. Jessica: Jessica gives birth to a Health 2 boy. She names him Laurence.

Survival There are just 2 Characters with existing Children. Bella: Bella makes little Kirsty’s survival roll but TRAGEDY! The poor little mite dies from a nasty fall. Maud: All 3 of Maud’s children survive. Not that she pays them any attention!

Growing Up Maud: Maud adds 1 to each of her Children’s Ages. Alfred is now 6, Arthur 4 and Melissa 2. The season is now almost finished with just one final Phase to resolve.

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Goodbyes In all likelihood one or more of your Sisters are now dead or otherwise out of the game. If there were any Children in the House odds are on that one has died too. Courtesans is a deadly game unfortunately (in fact weirdly it is much more deadly than its capital punishment centred sister game Tough Justice and that actually has physical combat!) So how do you handle Character death and all those tearful goodbyes? Well clearly you have to do them justice and that’s where this phase comes in! You handle Goodbyes in the following order.

Resource Bankruptcy Deaths Give your Resource Bankrupt the chance to play through her last hours of Hell before narrating her grisly end as described in Chapter 3. In most of these cases her Sisters won’t get a chance to say goodbye before the funeral.

Childbirth Deaths This is a somewhat better way to go from a Player’s perspective as they can do (or overdo) a touching death scene and say goodbye properly to their Courtesan’s sweet Sisters!

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Deaths of Children It’s terribly sad but your Courtesan may well lose her beloved little moppets to a lost Health roll. Depending on the nature of the death there may be a deathbed scene or just a howling over a little broken body. Either way it’s just as tragic and harrowing.

Well Girls I’m An Honest Woman Now! Any Courtesan who Married the father of their Child (and survived Childbirth) may now visit her Sisters for the last time to say goodbye to them all. Clearly these “lucky escapees” won’t be around for the deaths of any Sisters or their Children in the previous segments. In fact such is the piss poor nature of communications they may not know anyone has died! After this goodbye it is goodbye for good. Her new husband won’t want her reminded of her old scandalous life. A Besotted husband will let her attend any funerals though he will accompany his wife. A besotted husbands with a Pliability of 1 may make the new couple into a combined Admirer if his wife has taken a particular shine to one or more of her Sisters.

Voluntary Retirement Sometimes you just get sick to death of a Character and want to try something different. In which case you can “retire” your current Character.

There are a few different ways of doing this. •

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Death by Nature: Sickness strikes and kills your Courtesan. See Maladies in the Advanced Rules in Appendix one for some examples of deadly diseases. Alternatively it could be a freak accident. Death by Foul Play: The Courtesan is murdered. Perhaps this could provide the Landlady with a Personal Plot for the others for the next Season. Admirers claim to know something about their Sister’s death and give out clues instead of Resources from Pleasing. Might make a nice change! Death by Lawful Execution: Gulp! See our sister game Tough Justice for details on what was punishable by death. In the case of Petty or High Treason you could even be burnt at the stake! A particularly sadistic way to kill off an unloved Character so use sparingly. Of course her Sisters are expected to visit the condemned cell and be present when she chokes or burns. Any Sister who can’t handle that loses-1 Reputation.

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Marriage: Knocking a girl up isn’t the only reason to marry her. Perhaps an Admirer proposes anyway and your Courtesan accepts making it a wonderful Cinderella ending.

Funerals All those poor dead Characters need to be properly buried. Play out the funeral scenes in as much detail as you wish whether religious or secular. Once all that is done your Season is over: Until the next time safe journey home and enjoy the sordid little fantasies your perverted minds have created over the past few hours! Example: Bernadette’s group now have to say goodbye to the late Nora, poor little Kirsty and now happily married Hattie. The Season is wrapped up as follows.

Childbirth Deaths Nora: Nora dies professing her love for Lucy and begging her to look after her son. Lucy puts on a brave face for the sake of her new Ward and takes on her inheritance.

Deaths of Children Kirsty: Kirsty’s death hits Bella hard and she throws off all attempts by her Sisters to console her. She shuts herself away only coming out for meals during which she is deadly silent.

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Well Girls I’m an Honest Woman Now Hattie: Hattie visits her old Sisters, introduces them to her little daughter (the name makes Lucy laugh) and says her farewells. She also consoles poor Bella and with affectionate words and a little petting gets her back to something near her old self. She also tells Bella she’s always welcome to Visit her and her husband.

Funerals Kirsty: The Sisters accompany Bella on this sad day. Even Hattie makes the effort to be there for her bringing her husband along for good measure. Bella will never forget her little Kirsty and though she’s out of her deep mourning is still a changed woman. Nora: Nora’s funeral also gets the Sisters turning out in force. She may have been a right nasty bitch at times but she was THEIR nasty bitch. Lucy is forever changed in losing the first woman she truly loved rather than just lusted after. As the Session wraps up Bernadette collects each Player’s revised sheets. Nora’s is discarded, Hattie’s saved for a later plot twist should Sarah wish to bring her back but the others are fully revised and detailed below. She thanks her girls for a fun session and hopes to see them all next time!

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Leftovers If you have any Admirers who haven’t Visited you this Season they lose interest and are effectively removed from the game unless the Landlady is lazy and recycles them. If you are Kept and haven’t been Spurned you stay Kept. If you have Visiting Admirers you aren’t contracted to you may continue to invite them to Visit next Season if you wish.

Mary’s Character after 1 Season Name: Mrs Lilly LaVonte Eye Colour: Brown Hair Colour: Red Head Bust: Modest Waist: Tiny Origin: Actress Manners: 2 Charm: 3 Wits: 3 Spite: 3 Performance: 5 Prowess: 5 Good At: Singing, Spreading Rumours Very Good At: Tragic Acting Legend: 10 Reputation: 7 Wealth: 7 Influence: 3 Scandal: 1 Investments: She wouldn’t do that

Keeper Lord Mark Loveless Pliability: 3 Archetype: Lover Age: 32 Occupation: Parliamentary Lord/ Landowner Sexual Experience: Lots Marital Status: Married Open Eye Colour: Brown Hair Colour: Brown Chest: Average Belly: Podgy

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Jane’s Character after 1 Season Name: Miss Bella Bifford Eye Colour: Hazel Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample, Waist: Average Origin: Professional Manners: 3 Charm: 4 Wits: 3 Spite: 5 Performance: 4 Prowess: 5 Good At: Pleasuring Women, Outright Seduction Very Good At: Blow Jobs Legend: 10 Reputation: 10 Wealth: 10 Influence: 12 Scandal: 1 Investments: 1 Capital Conviction, Fangirl, Classy Fangirl, Correspondent Admirer and Pony.

Visitors Luke and Hattie Swan Marquess and Marchioness of Frothington Combined Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 17/19 Occupation: Landowner and Wife Sexual Experience: Average. Marital Status: Married Open . His Appearance Eye Colour: Blue, Hair Colour: Blonde, Chest: Weak, Belly: Podgy Her Appearance Eye Colour: Blue, Hair Colour: Blonde, Bust: Buxom, Hips: Childbearing Besotted Miss Georgina Smith Pliability: 2 Archetype: Student Age: 21 Occupation: Missionary Sexual Experience: Virgin Marital Status: Single Eye Colour: Hazel Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Modest Waist: Tiny Besotted Miss Laura Wade Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 17 Occupation: Common Doxy Sexual Experience: Average Marital Status: Single Hair Colour: Raven Haired Eye Colour: Green Bust: Buxom Waist: Average Besotted

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Louise’s Character after 1 Season Name: Lady Jessica Silver Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Raven Haired Bust: Average Waist: Hourglass Origin: Fallen Lady Manners: 5 Charm: 5 Wits: 5 Spite: 2 Performance: 3 Prowess: 2

Good At: Polite Conversation, Recognising Pedigree, Witty Banter, Hand Jobs Legend: 9 Reputation: 11 Wealth: 11 Influence: 9 Scandal: 2 Children: 1 boy by Earl of Sittingdon, Laurence Age: 0 Health: 2 Investments: Correspondent Admirer and 3 Capital Convictions Suckers!

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Daisy’s Character after 1 Season

Name: Mrs Lucy McBrien Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Red Head Bust: Ample Waist: Tiny Origin: Upstart Manners: 3 Charm: 4 Wits: 5 Spite: 5 Performance: 4 Prowess: 4 Good At: Spreading Rumours, Blackmail, Pleasuring Women, Tenderness Legend: 18 Reputation: 40 Wealth: 23 Influence: 18 Scandal: 10 Children: 1boy, adopted from the late Nora. Norbert Age: 0 Health: 1 Blind. Investments: A Pony, Superior Contraception (Inherited from Nora), 2x Classy Fangirls and a Transportation Conviction. Visitors

Lady Clarissa LeMonte Pliability: 1 Archetype: Student Age: 17 Occupation: Royal Staff (Lady in Waiting) Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Single Hair Colour: Brunette Eye Colour: Hazel Bust: Ample Waist: Hourglass Besotted

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Landlady Character after 1 Season Name: Miss Maud Mallory Eye Colour: Green Hair Colour: Brunette Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Actress Manners: 1 Charm: 5 Wits: 5 Spite: 5 Performance: 5 Prowess: 5 Good At: S&M Very Good At: Striptease, Comedy Acting, Singing, Pleasuring Women, Blackmail, Outright Seduction. Legend: 22 Reputation: 7 Wealth: 12 Influence: 22 Scandal: 7 Children: 2 Boys and a girl by Sir Walter: Alfred Age: 5 Health: 2, Arthur Age: 3 Health: 4, Melissa Age: 1, Health: 2 Investments:2x Correspondent Admirers, Superior Contraception and a Pony.

Eye Colour: Brown Chest: Weak Belly: Lean Besotted Note: His wife sometimes accompanies him raising Pliability by 1 her details are as follows Lady Francesca Wyming Age: 39 Occupation: Lawyer’s Wife Sexual Experience: Some Marital Status: Married Open Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Blue Bust: Buxom Waist: Average

Keeper Sir Walter Wyming Pliability: 2 Archetype: Lover Age: 32 Occupation: Lawyer Sexual Experience: Average Marital Status: Married Open Hair Colour: Brunette

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Appendix One Advanced Rules On options to add a little spice

Optional Extras

Introductions

ith the exception of Introductions below all of these Advanced Rules are completely optional. They add a little complexity to what is (supposedly at least) a very simple system. They do however also add options for a more fulfi lling Demi Monde experience. So use your ignore as you wish but I would recommend the dedicated Courtesans Player has a go with every single one of these at some point. They’re all pretty awesome!

If your game lasts more than 1 Season there will be casualties. Casualties need replacing. So before you start the next Season take some time to roleplay out the arrival of your new Courtesans. Obviously you’ll need to work out Relationships with Player and Landlady Characters and be prepared to integrate them into the new Season.

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Lethality Some of these options are pretty Lethal. If you are using them it might be an idea to move Will Making to before the Procurement Phase just in case. If you are using any of the 3 Alternate Settings in Courtesans: The Weird and the Wonderful this is very much the default. How New? You can create your new Courtesan at 18 using the core Character Creation rules or you can create an older Courtesan by using the Ageing rules below. This is perfectly balanced. If you create an older Character, even one much older than your Sisters you have low Resources and Misfortunes to counterbalance you effectively starting with more experience. If you create your Courtesan at 18 you have a clean slate you can improve with play. this is very much the default.

Example: Before Season 2 (1787) Bernadette gathers her group in order to introduce two new Courtesans to replace happily married (really) Hattie and tragically departed Nora. These new Characters showcase the Disability and Ageing rules in play so their profiles are given after said rules. Annie and Matti are welcomed cordially by the Sisters though tensions are clearly building and tempers will likely snap during the next Season.

Admirer Agendas In the Core Rules it is the Courtesans who do the manipulating. That is sort of the point of the game. However some canny punters maybe able to turn the tables: These are Admirers with Agendas. All Admirers have motives as you have seen but some have dominant motivations that can potentially backfi re on a Courtesan. These are called Agendas and should be employed sparingly.

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A Courtesan may not have more than one Admirer with an Agenda a Season. No one is that unlucky! Every other Turn in which he is Pleased by the Courtesan the Admirer with an Agenda may attempt to advance it by rolling a dice+ his Pliability versus a dice+ the lowest of the Courtesan’s Manners or Wits.

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Salvation: The Admirer is really dedicated to “saving the wicked woman’s soul” or getting her off the Town for his own purposes.

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Money: The Admirer wants a wealthy wife to support his foolishness.

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Power: Bit weird that you’re after one of the Demi Monde for a position of power but with Armistead and Fox it was almost fashionable to be attached to Courtesan in respectable circles. ALMOST!

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Fame/ Bragging Rights: Ooooh look at me, I got a high class whore to marry me! Pathetic!

If he fails the Courtesan gets a number of Resources equal to her Margin of Success as if she Pleased him and the story world knowledge that he is up to something. If he succeeds however he may take Legend, Reputation, Infl uence or Wealth away from her representing him playing on her affections rather than she him. Once he has taken 15 points of these he can begin to drag her out of the Demi Monde by taking away her Scandal. Once her Scandal reaches 0 she’s fully seduced away from the Demi Monde becoming the Admirer with an Agenda’s wife (or if female “Lady’s Companion.”)

Whatever their motivation all Admirers with an Agenda count as Besotted from the start. They may not actually care about the Courtesan but they aren’t going to leave her for any indiscretion as they are after something from her.

Why would he do such a horrible thing? Well here are a few ideas!

You Bitch! Successfully Introducing an Admirer with an Agenda to a fellow Courtesan transfers his Agenda to her. Such an action gains the usual Aiding Bonus as well as an additional +1 Reputation.

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Love: The Admirer is or thinks he is madly in love with the Courtesan. She must be his at all costs.

Example: A dashing Pirate Captain named Lucian Curt is trying to tempt Bella away from the Demi Monde. Bella is inviting him over regularly so every other turn he gets a chance to start to draw her away. His first two attempts at pushing his Agenda are quite successful as Bella isn’t exactly a bright spark and Bella loses some Resources to him however a lucky roll by her player Jane puts an end to the Captain’s Scheme and Bella sees him for what he is Spurning him. Stalker! When your Courtesan sees through an Admirer’s Agenda and Spurns him roll a dice. On a 4+ he starts stalking her. This increases her Reputation and Legend by a fl at +1 but the Courtesan must roll a dice+ her Wits (with any Good Ats for keeping a low profi le etc) against the Landlady’s dice+ Admirer’s Pliability. Success means she can carry on as normal. Failure means she misses her fi rst action confronting him. There is a new investment below for dealing with Stalkers. New Wealth Investment Pistol: For one Wealth Point the Courtesan arms herself with a fi ne pistol. Courtesans so armed ignore any Stalkers that can interfere with their careers. A Pistol can also be useful against Vengeful Spouses see below.

Vengeful Spouses! A peril for the Courtesan who courts Scandal by sleeping with Married men whose wives are not happy with the affair and of course with women whose husbands for the most part, will consider their honour insulted.

Creating a Vengeful Spouse Vengeful Spouses are a new type of Character with their own unique Profi les. A guide to creating one is given below. Step 1: Scandal! First things fi rst you need is for the target Courtesan to cause a Scandal and piss off a Spouse. Not particularly diffi cult as doubtless you will have a House full of very daring Ladies. Problem is fi nding the right one to make her reaction credible!

Does it have to be a Spouse? These rules can be used for an enraged Fiancée, Parent, Guardian or even a completely jilted lover/ stalker of the Admirer. Spouses tend to be the most fun though!

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Example: Bernadette looks back at all the notes on scandals in the last Season. Of them all Bella’s broken tryst with VonVarner seems the most promising as Mrs VonVarner is VERY much the fire and brimstone sort! Tolerant of her husband’s infidelities but not of the other women who betray his trust: Especially by sleeping with other women! On top of this she suspects Bella’s hand in her husband’s death. Step 2: Name Your Vengeful Spouse needs a name. You probably already have a surname by default but you will need a full name.

Hands off that Hussy She’s Mine: The Enraged Spouse isn’t jealous of the Courtesan she’s jealous of her Spouse. She wants to bed the Courtesan and gain her support and favour. In a Turn in which she acts she may use her Vendetta in a Seduction Intrigue against the Courtesan. Peeping Tom: The Enraged Spouse keeps an eye on the Courtesan letting out any juicy gossip. Each Turn in which she acts the Enraged Spouse may perform a Spying Intrigue on the Courtesan. •

A Good Hiding: The Enraged Spouse wishes to physically chastise the Courtesan. Each turn in which she acts she can roll a dice+ Vendetta versus the Courtesans dice+ Prowess. This works like any other Intrigue action and can infl ict Scandal if the Spouse wins.

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Death to the Harlot: The Enraged Spouse arms herself and attempts to murder the Courtesan. At the start of the Goodbyes Phase of the Season roll the Spouse’s Vengeance against the Courtesan’s Spite modifi ed by any weapons either party has (see below.)

Example: Bernadette decides on Ruth as a first name: A biblical reference suitable for a very religious wife trying to “save” a shameless Fop. So she is Mrs Ruth VonVarner. Step 3: Depth How much does your Vengeful Spouse hate the Courtesan? What is she willing to do to get back at her? This question is answered by selecting a Depth from the following list. Harsh Words: The Enraged Spouse just wants to give the Courtesan a piece of her mind. In a Turn in which she acts she may use her Vendetta in an Undermining Confi dence Intrigue against the target of her ire.

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Weapon Modifiers The following modifi ers are available to Ladies armed with the weapons described. +0 Knife, Large Blunt Instrument, Thrown Object +1 Sword, Pistol, Crossbow Pistol, Bow, Crossbow, Musket, Home Made Bombs +2 Rifl e, Blunderbuss

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Bow: For one Wealth point the Courtesan may invest in a Bow under the guise of “sports equipment.” Bows allow for much more rapid fi re than fi rearms but require more physical fi tness to use. A Courtesan needs to be at least Prowess 3 to benefi t from a Bow.

Those weapons with a +0 Modifi er are freely available. Others must be purchased as Wealth Investments. Pistols have already been covered by the rules above but here are the other Weapons. All of these Weapons have the ability of the Pistol to ignore Stalkers by threatening them providing that the weapon could be perceivably within reach when the Courtesan is confronted.

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Crossbow: For one Wealth point the Courtesan may arm herself with a Crossbow. Just as fi ddly (if not more so) than a fi rearm but without the noise or as much of a kick.

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Musket: For one Wealth point the Courtesan arms herself with a Musket. The standard infantry weapon of the time the Musket was a primitive 2 handed fi rearm without the benefi t of rifl ing. Very noisy, inaccurate and liable to blow smoke in your face but deadly when it does hit and relatively easy to reload.

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Home Made Bombs: Someone has been playing with gunpowder! For one Wealth point the Courtesan builds up a stockpile of Home Made Bombs. These are pretty effective in combat but every time they are used roll a dice. On a 1 a small fi re starts and the Courtesan loses 1 Reputation.

New Wealth Investments • Sword: For one Wealth point the Courtesan arms herself with a fi ne Sword. Usually a Lady will pick something lightweight and agile but there are those who prefer thumping great cleavers! •

Crossbow Pistol: For one Wealth point a Courtesan may arm herself with Crossbow Pistol. It is a bit old school but not as noisy and without so much of a kick and a noise as a fi rearm.

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Rifle: Provided the game is set around the late 1700s or later a Courtesan may invest 2 Wealth points in a Rifl e. Rifl es use the new invention of barrel rifl ing which made the shot spin improving range and accuracy. Though popular civilian sporting weapons, Rifl es didn’t see much military use until the Napoleonic era: Even then they were restricted to specialist units due to their longer loading times. Ironically Red Coats of the time used to tease their Green Jacketed Rifl emen comrades that Rifl es were women’s weapons! Blunderbuss: For 3 Wealth points the Courtesan can arm herself with a Blunderbuss. These brutal primitive shotguns were used to defend coaches against Highwaymen. So nasty are the wounds caused by this weapon that Vengeful Spouses beaten with it are automatically blown all over the fl owery wallpaper! Courtesans beaten with it have a -1 Penalty to their Prowess roll to Survive.

You Said No Combat Well not in the Core Rules but if an Enraged Spouse can’t give you a good thrashing or attempt to kill you there’s no real point to having them now is there?

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Note: These are the Weapons of the middle of the massive era of the Demi Monde. With the exception of the Rifl e they apply to all games from the Restoration to the early 1800s. For those Victorian fetishists out there they kind of work too however revolvers and repeaters make gunfi ghts longer in narrative terms. There is no mechanical difference to later fi rearms and no you crafty bitch you cannot have a Gatling Gun! And no dual wielding either! If the Courtesan is beaten she must roll a dice+ her Prowess against the Landlady’s dice+ Margin of Success. If the Courtesan wins she has been lucky and survives with a fl esh wound. Of course this counts as Trauma for both Maladies and Psychoses should you wish to use those rules. If the Courtesan wins by a Margin of Success of 2 or less the Spouse is driven off by manages to escape. If the Margin of success is any greater the Spouse has been killed.

Covering Fire When a Vengeful Spouse goes after one of your Courtesan’s Sisters she may assist her rolling her own Spite with any Weapon Modifi ers. If she fails she must roll to survive even if her Sister was successful.

Though it is clearly self defence the Courtesan suffers a Scandal point by virtue of the Spouse being an ‘honest woman’ and her being a ‘shameless harlot!’ Also if you are using the Psychoses rules killing someone is DEFINATELY a Psychological Trauma Check (see Psychoses.) If the Spouse survives she will try again next season unless she has a little “accident” by way of Investments. Example: It is unlikely with her moral convictions that Mrs VonVarner will want to murder, assault or seduce Bella. Mind you harsh words won’t do the trick either. That just leaves Spying. Mrs VonVarner hangs around 69 Frothington road and follows Bella on all her outcalls taking notes of who she sees. Mrs VonVarner’s Profile now looks like this... Name: Mrs Ruth VonVarner Depth: Spying Step 4: Vendetta Vengeful Spouses have one Statistic. Vendetta rated from 1-6 depending how determined she is to hurt the bitch! You can roll a dice or just decide it. Example: Bernadette decides Mrs VonVarner’s Vendetta against Bella is at about the average wronged woman level giving her a Vendetta of 3. Her profile now looks like this...

Name: Mrs Ruth VonVarner Depth: Spying Vendetta: 3 Step 5: Age Might be useful to know how old the Vengeful Spouse is. Especially if this is one of your fi rst Seasons and your Ladies are pert young hussies! Example: Bernadette realises that Bella’s Player Jane is expecting some wretched old hag. Instead she makes Mrs VonVarner only a year older than Bella at 20. Her Profile now looks like this. Name: Mrs Ruth VonVarner Depth: Spying Vendetta: 3 Age: 20 Step 6: Appearance Finally you will need to describe the Vengeful Spouse’s appearance. This is done in the usual manner for a Female or Male Admirer as appropriate (see Admirers.) Example: Again Jane is expecting ugly. Bernadette throws a curve ball by making her, if not drop dead gorgeous, at least mildly attractive. She selects Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes, an Ample Bust and an Average Waist. Her completed profile looks like this.

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Name: Mrs Ruth VonVarner Depth: Spying Vendetta: 3 Age: 20 Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Blue Bust: Ample Waist: Average

Using Enraged Spouses As has been stated in the Depth section Enraged Spouses work by Intrigue action appropriate to their Depth. With the exception of those murderous bitches with Death to the Harlot an Enraged Spouse gets to make her Intrigue action at the start of every odd numbered Turn in the Season (starting at 3.) If she wins the Courtesan loses Resources or suffer Scandal as normal however as the Spouse is not a Courtesan Resources do not matter to her. Example: On Turn 3 of the new Season Mrs VonVarner strikes with a Spying Intrigue against Bella. With a display of Wits typical of a Professional Bella fails the roll off by 5. As she has been visited by a married, female, minor Royal Princess Mary, Mrs VonVarner decides to initially blackmail Bella for 2 Wealth then inflict 3 Scandal by revealing all anyway. Bella is rightly pissed off!

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Countering Enraged Spouses So how do you deal with Enraged Spouses? Well when the bitch is trying to murder you, you clearly have no choice but to fi ght back as described above but for the others you need some way of getting the bitch off your back without having to Invest in an “accident.” There are two ways of doing this. Winning the Intrigue and Inflicting Scandal: If your Courtesan wins the Intrigue against the Spouse one of the points may be spent on Infl icting Scandal a point of Scandal: It is this point that embarrasses the Spouse to such an extent that she desists in her attacks. You may be wondering why you wouldn’t infl ict the Scandal then. Well partly because of the tactical advantage of another source of income but mostly for a cheap laugh! Other points can be used to gain Resources as normal but as the Spouse isn’t a Courtesan she does not have Resources to lose. As per an Admirer her Resources are considered infi nite. Example: In a weird parallel universe Jane won her Intrigue defence against the odds by a Margin of Success of 3. She chooses not to risk the roll again by spending 1 point on the Scandal to get Mrs VonVarner to piss off. The remaining 2 points are split between Bella’s Reputation and Legend for how ballsy she was at exposing the Peeping Tom.

Counterstrike!: Best defence is a good offence as Wellington says! A Courtesan can target an Enraged Spouse that has harmed her before with her own Intrigue. The Spouse uses her Vendetta to defend herself.

Fatigue

Example: Back in our world, Bella, being Bella counters Mrs VonVarner’s attack with a Seduction Intrigue. Beating her roll by 4 she tempts the vengeful vixen into bed with her then reveals all to the scandal sheets. Inflicting the Scandal needed to get her to piss off and gaining Bella a point of Wealth, Reputation and Legend. Of course this being a kiss and tell she suffers a further point of Scandal herself but since when did a point of Scandal bother Miss Bifford?

Tough Justice, though it displays the respect for history and plot integrity of the Carry On movies is actually a semi serious game. Your Defendant’s life is at stake. Yes there are ways to die in Courtesans but none quite like the noose. Add to that it is usually your fault when you die in Courtesans. Some Defendants are innocent of any real crime.

Back Off Bitch! Weapons can be used to threaten as well as to kill and maim. If a Courtesan is armed with a Weapon that grants a bonus to the Spite roll she may use it to automatically win any Vengeful Spouse attack except a Death to the Harlot with a Margin of Success equal to a single dice roll. However such strong arm tactics automatically acquire the Courtesan a point of Scandal.

After I made such a big deal of my Statistic Decay mechanic in Tough Justice you may be puzzled as to why it isn’t here in Courtesans. Well it’s a matter of tone.

A gritty rule like Statistic Decay fi ts a gritty(ish) game like Tough Justice. It doesn’t really belong in a game of Cartoon harlots. However some of you, particularly those in particular groups I highlighted in the Prelude may want to take things more seriously. And that is fi ne by me. As I keep saying ‘Whatever turns you on dearie!’ So as an option you can have this version of Statistic Decay for Courtesans. Each time a Courtesan is beaten either by a Landlady or another Courtesan she makes a mark under the rightermost dot on the Statistic she just used. Marked dots cannot be used until the end of the Season when they replenish back to normal.

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If a Statistic reaches 0 it cannot degrade any further but you just have your dice and any Good Ats between your Courtesan and failure! Example: If Bernadette did take the game more seriously and, for example, Jessica failed a Prowess roll Jessica’s Player Louise would make a mark under the rightermost box and make future rolls without using any marked dots. Save Against Death Going down to 0 Prowess is serious business. Each time you fail a Prowess roll after reaching 0 roll a dice against the Landlady with no modifi er on either side. If the Courtesan wins nothing happens for now although a Trauma Check maybe required if the Malady rules are in play. If the Landlady wins the Courtesan’s heart gives out and she dies of exhaustion! It’s not just the good who die young dearie!

Disabilities Historically you may well have had to have all your faculties to succeed in the Demi Monde but this isn’t strict history if you don’t want it to be. You can quite reasonably handicap your Characters at the start with some form of Disability. Why would you do this? Well it’s a roleplaying challenge, a literary cliché and yes it has a mechanical advantage to balance the disadvantage.

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Why? Having a learning disability myself I know fi rsthand that when something is diffi cult or impossible for someone they develop coping mechanisms. In game terms this takes the form of a free Good At. Okay so here’s how Disabilities are laid out... Name: The Name of the Disability. Description: What it entails. Penalty: How it penalises your Character. Compensation: The compensating Good At you can choose. Passing it On Disabled Courtesans subtract 1 from the Health of their Children due to the congenital nature of most of these conditions. If this results in Health 0 the Child is stillborn. When a Child of a Disabled Courtesan has a Handicap the Player can choose to roll or make it the same as the Mother’s The Limits of Believability Cerebral Palsy and Downs Syndrome have been left off the list. Frankly their effects are too severe to consider their sufferers have a chance of being successful Courtesans. Mother’s

Have Pity Sweetheart! You may pick Emotional Blackmail as the compensation to any Disability. It hasn’t been put in every description because it’s better to put it in a box than repeatedly copy/paste it.

Blind Description: Either from a congenital condition or a freak childhood accident your Courtesan is without her sight. Proper care for the blind is in its infancy but they generally manage better than many other disabled people who’s conditions are not even properly understood. Penalty: The Penalty is obvious. The Courtesan automatically fails any roll that involves visual perception. This is at the Landlady’s discretion of course: Things can be overheard or otherwise perceived. Also in an age before Braille she cannot read her own correspondence and thus is reliant totally on the trust of her Sisters. Compensation: Choose from Sensitive Touch, Sensitive Hearing or Sensitive Smell.

Deaf Description: Through illness, congenital disorder or bad luck the Courtesan has no sense of hearing. This can be tricky in a job that involves conversation and listening in on things. Then again there are ways round every little diffi culty in the Demi Monde. Penalty: The Penalty again is obvious. The Courtesan automatically fails any roll that involves audio perception. This is at the Landlady’s discretion of course: Things can still be seen. Compensation: Choose from Lip Reading, Mime or Vibration Sense.

Lip Reading Even if she’s not Good At it your Courtesan is assumed to be able to lip read. Signing doesn’t exist yet so there is no other way of communication.

Porphyria Description: It wasn’t fully understood at the time but some people, particularly of the very inbred upper classes were very odd. Drinking Alcohol brought them out in a rash; facing bright light made them wince dramatically and they were a little... eccentric. We now have identifi ed this as congenital disorder Porphyria. At the time it would have been very confusing and frightening for both the sufferer and those around them. Penalty: It is mostly a roleplaying concern aside from the Alcohol allergy, for which see the rules on Alcohol, and the risk of losing actions to bouts of psychosis. Before making an action roll a dice + the Courtesan’s Manners versus the Landlady’s dice+ 2. If failed or tied the Courtesan has a ‘funny turn’ and loses the action. Compensation: Choose from Charming Eccentricity, Making a Scene and Witty Banter.

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Dyslexia

ASD

Description: In the time of the Demi Monde Dyslexics were seen as just “thick” though some like Leonardo DaVinci managed to get recognition for non literary talents. Dyslexia is defi ned simply as “word blindness.” Suffers have diffi culty reading and as there is no treatment yet they may well go through life illiterate. Penalty: The Courtesan automatically fails any roll that involves literacy and has to rely on her Sisters to read her correspondence. Compensation: Choose from Dancing, any Sport (Specify) or any form of Art (Specify).

Description: Autistic Spectrum Disorders cover a massive range of conditions of varying severity. Some are so severe that sufferers were unlikely to avoid incarceration in Bedlam: Most however went completely undetected even by the sufferer themselves. They are characterised by a behavioural blindness that makes life very diffi cult for a Courtesan. Penalty: With her emotional desensitisation and behavioural blindness the Courtesan treats Charm as a Weak Statistic in addition to her Origin’s. If she is a Goldenheart she does not treat Charm as Weak but doesn’t treat it as Strong either. Compensation: Choose from Charming Eccentricity, Charming Naiveté, Creativity or an obsessive interest of choice (no not sex in general but maybe a specifi c Sex Act.)

Dyspraxia Description: Again it’s not understood but Dyspraxia was quite an inconvenience in an age and a lifestyle where you were expected to be active. Dyspraxia is a problem with physical co-ordination. Sufferers have problems with sports, dancing and other physical activities. Penalty: If a roll involves physical co-ordination apply a -1 penalty to it. Players should also narrate the inherent clumsiness of the condition for comic effect. Don’t laugh at though, laugh with. Compensation: Choose from Illegible Handwriting (apply as bonus for resisting other Courtesans reading your correspondence), Creativity and Charming Clumsiness.

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Example: For an example of a starting Disabled Character check out Coco’s New Character Matti Gallows on the next page...

I Know Sweetie I Know When Caring for a Child with the same Disability as she has a Courtesan treats the Diffi culty as 2 instead of 3.

Coco’s New Character

Name: Miss Matilda “Matti” Gallows Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Brunette, Bust: Average, Waist: Tiny Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 3 Charm: 5 Wits: 2 Spite: 1 Performance: 5 Prowess: 2 Good At: Emotional Blackmail, Charming Eccentricity, Daring Acts, Sensitive Touch Legend: 10 Reputation: 1 Wealth: 0 Influence: 2 Scandal: 1 Disability: Blind Matilda or ‘Matti’ as she prefers to be known is the youngest daughter of renowned legal guru Cecil Gallows. Born with congenital blindness she was the hardest of the Gallows 3 daughters to maintain but her parents loved her all the more for it. In the last years of his life Mr Gallows was working with the roguish barrister Sebastian Havelock. He liked Havelock but did not approve of his methods and certainly didn’t approve of his private life. When the two merged together when his favourite common whore Annie Golding started helping with Cases he seriously considered parting company

He was determined to match up this unconventional couple properly but couldn’t find the courage until his very last moments where he died of heart failure in Miss Golding’s presence. Annie Havelock as she would become always felt a little guilty that it was concern for her that finally caused his weak heart to give out. She did everything she could for the Gallows family: Especially Matti who she had something of a motherly affection towards from their first meeting. As Mrs Gallows spiralled further and further into debt and as Annie’s fortunes through her husband got ever greater she offered to take care of little Matti as part of the ever expanding Havelock family. It appeared to be an ideal solution at first and they were a happy family. Matti even started calling Annie ‘Aunty’ such was the pair’s affection. Then it all fell apart. Sebastian Havelock QC was hanged on the 21st January 1786, his family, including a recently born son looking on. Annie tried her best to consolidate the assets remaining but she was never any good with figures. Soon the Havelocks were in just as much debt as the Gallowses were if not more.With her trademark bravery Matti offered to sell a very personal asset to help out. Her virginity!

But he didn’t.

Annie resisted as long as she could but eventually things got so desperate a Gentleman was found and he paid the family well. Money continued to be a problem though and Annie took Matti aside and announced her intention to use her scandalous fame to enter the Demi Monde. Matti’s reaction was unexpected. She wanted to join her dear ‘Aunty’ to help out with the family. Again Annie appreciated her bravery but was uncomfortable with bringing such a sweet natured and vulnerable girl into such a dirty world. Matti is nothing if not persuasive though!

Miss Golding was the complete opposite of what he expected with her good nature.

So the Demi Monde got a new blind girl in the wake of the legendary Annie Havelock. Her condition tends to get her a good girl image that isn’t entirely accurate.

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As much as Annie tried to shield her from it, her past fascinated her little charge and she became determined to be just as adventurous. She is at least a little sweet natured though. That is not an act! Unlike her conflicted ‘Aunty’ she is solid in her Anglican faith and says her prayers every night before going to bed. Even if she has company!

Relationships

Maud: “So sweet of her to take us in even if it was on the back of Aunty Annie’s fame. I heard rumours than it was a little more than that that sealed the deal though, dear naughty Aunty Annie.” Lilly: “A lovely lady but so uptight. We all must help her to relax. A few drinks, bit of a back rub and who knows what we can achieve?” Bella: “An adventurous soul, like myself but she doesn’t know that yet. She just thinks I’m the sweet little blind girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing. I’ll show her, with pleasure!” Jessica: “Strange lady: Never met a woman so guarded and secretive. It’s impossible to determine anything of value from behind the dotty aristocrat mask. Not too sure about her little son. He bit me!” Lucy: “Ding dong! Oh I know she’s a Catholic and all but this is one little Upstart minx I’d gladly give up a little precious time for. It’s good that she has me to help with her adopted son Norbert what with him having the same condition. It wouldn’t be unfair of me to accept her gratitude now would it?” Annie: “Dear, dear Aunty Annie. She’s been so sweet to me and I can talk with her about anything at any time. I get a little tongue tied when I try to tell her how I really feel though. It’s weird we’re kind of like mother and daughter so it feels so wrong.”

Other’s Relationships with Her

Maud: “Pretty as she is I nearly turned down Annie, THE Annie Havelock when she said she’d be bringing her blind ward along. How the Hell can a blind girl be exposed to a life like this? Then I met Matti and my misgivings immediately subsided: Such a naughty girl that whoring is the best thing for her.”

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Lilly: “Fate has dealt her a harsh card but at least she could be preparing herself for the salvation of a perfect form come the Day of Judgement. Instead she frolics around with any who she takes a fancy to. Apparently she does pray though. As well she should with some of the things she gets up to!” Bella: “Such a sweet and brave girl. Reminds me of my little Kirsty but I try my best not to get too teary around her. The way she runs her fingers over you to recognise you oooooh! She’s a fucking natural she is!” Jessica: “It is remarkably convenient that just as poor Lucy is lumbered with the blind son of the dearly departed Nora that we have a blind Sister arrive. Oh and another Sister with another adopted blind child. It is almost as if there is some literary gentleman in a far off age writing out our adventures for the amusement of his readers. Whoever you are sir you are completely perverted!” Lucy: “She’ll be a great help with little Norbert and that’s for sure. Problem is I can tell how the little madam wants repaying. Not that I’d say no or anything but if her “Aunty Annie” finds out I am so dead!”

Ageing So you want to start a new Character (or need to start a new Character) but you don’t want to start at 18 again? If you’re just using the core rules tough but if your Landlady is allowing the use of Advanced Rules Ageing your Courtesan is an option. Here’s how it works.

Before We Begin Aged Characters will not be as mechanically strong as Characters who have played through Seasons from 18. It is up to you why but here are a few good explanations. •

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Hard Times: The Courtesan has been active since 18 but has had a run of bad luck that has forced her to share with complete novices. Common Doxy Made Good: The Courtesan has been active in the sex trade but nowhere near this exalted level. She has a few abilities and Resources she’s learnt on the way but she needs to fully acclimatise to the Demi Monde. Honest Woman Gone Bad: The Courtesan was a high society wife or other pillar of the community but has been forced into the Demi Monde by some scandal.

Stage 1: The Character at Eighteen First use the Core Character Creation rules to create the Character at 18. Miss out Background and Relationships for now but everything else fi ll in. Example: Sarah has decided that she wants to play her Tough Justice Character Annie as a Courtesan. She starts by filling out Annie’s details at 18. They are Name: Miss Annie Golding Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Raven Haired Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 2 Charm: 5 Wits: 4 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 3 Good At: Talking to Children, Outright Seduction, Emotional Blackmail Legend: 8 Reputation: 5 Wealth: 0 Influence: 0 Scandal: 1

Our example is a mix of the latter 2 but more on her later.

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Stage 2: Benefits of Experience There are benefi ts to being older in the form of greater experience. As shown before with the Landlady Character you add 1 Statistic point for every 2 years above 18. You also gain 1 Good At or Upgrade an existing Good At to Very Good At for each year above 18. Example: Sarah adds the benefits of experience to Annie. Her profile now looks like this. Name: Mrs Annie Havelock Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Raven Haired Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 2 Charm: 5 Wits: 4 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 5 Good At: Outright Seduction, Pillow Talk, Scrutiny, Midwifery Very Good At: Talking to Children, Emotional Blackmail Legend: 8 Reputation: 5 Wealth: 0 Influence: 0 Scandal: 1

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Converting Tough Justice Characters Just like Sarah in the Example you may wish to convert your Tough Justice Characters over to Courtesans. This is easy enough as the systems are very similar but bear in mind that a starting Courtesan gets more Good Ats than a starting Tough Justice Character and the Statistics are obviously completely different. Thus the same Character can look very different mechanically in different games.

That’s Mrs Havelock to You Squire Remember if your Courtesan gets married she changes her title to Mrs (unless she has a noble title) and her surname to that of her Husband.

Oh You Poor Unfortunate Girl If this Advanced Rule is in play you may pick up to 3 Misfortunes for a new 18 year old Character provided you write them into her background. Each Misfortune grants a compensating Good At and 2 or 3 grants her a free Statistic Point just as Benefi ts of Experience above.

Stage 3: Misfortunes To balance all those lovely bonuses there must be drawbacks. In the Landlady Character Chapter we simplifi ed this to a choice between a Child and a Scandal point. Here we give you more options. •

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Ire of the Town: Something your Courtesan did has decreased her standing in the Town. She suffers -2 Reputation. Money Trouble: Your Courtesan has considerable fi nancial diffi culties and suffers -2 Wealth. Infertility: Through illness, a botched Abortion or diffi cult labour the Courtesan has lost her ability to conceive. Malady: The Courtesan has developed a Malady. See the rules below for these wretched illnesses. Psychosis: The Courtesan is not quite right in the head. See the rules below for these affl ictions of the mind

Example: Sarah selects Annie’s Misfortunes. 3 of them go on Children. 2 of her own by her husband and the Handicapped (Blind) Child of her late best friend Harriet Herring (fathered by her husband funnily enough!)

She also selects a Scandal point to represent her Husband’s ignoble end and Money Trouble to represent the impact of his death and the fact she has been supporting 3 children and a blind ward for about a year now. Her details now look like this. Name: Mrs Annie Havelock Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Raven Haired Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 2 Charm: 5 Wits: 4 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 5 Good At: Outright Seduction, Pillow Talk, Scrutiny, Midwifery Very Good At: Talking to Children, Emotional Blackmail Legend: 10 Reputation: 5 Wealth: -2 Influence: 0 Scandal: 2 Children: 2 of her own by late husband Sebastian: Chloe Age: 2 Health: 4, Cecil Age: 1, Health: 6. 1 adopted from late best friend Harriet Herring: Harry Age: 2 Health: 1 Blind.

Stage 4: Background As a lady of some experience your Courtesan probably has quite a story to her. Give her a good write up! She deserves it with what she’s been through!

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Annie Havelock (nee Golding) has had a tough life. Born into the poorest of circumstances she has been working in some way or other since she was 8. At first she sold matches. A poor but honest living. As she grew older she began to notice men taking a fancy to her. She had always been a good girl with a bright eyed optimism and decent nature. However she was tempted by the serious Rhino of the oldest profession. Though it troubled her slightly what God would think she knew deep down that her faith in Him was shaky at best. At 16 she sold her virginity to a gentleman for a sovereign, the equivalent of 6 months of flower selling, and never looked back. Although she is somewhat hardened and streetwise she has maintained her childish hope and desire to good by people. That’s how she came to be running errands for a Defence counsel. Well that and the Defence counsel in question happens to be her favourite customer! Sebastian Havelock was an Army Officer who, like Annie had lost his faith in God but not in the goodness of humanity. He retrained as a Barrister and took up the cause of defending the common man. The case of a young girl called Chloe Jacobs who was hanged for pickpocketing had a profound effect on Annie.

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It really didn’t need the death of Cecil Gallows, which she still blames herself for, to convince her that giving up on the trade and marrying Sebastian was the best way forward. It wasn’t a conventional marriage by any stretch of the imagination. Sebastian told her not to expect him to give up his habit of employing prostitutes but by the same token he didn’t hold her to any kind of standard of fidelity though aside from a few fumbles in the line of duty she kept her vows much better than the average woman of her time. They did have one little challenge in their relationship in the form of a former workmate of Annie’s Harriet Herring. Harriet was a real blast from the past when she turned up during Annie’s engagement. She was deeply infatuated with Annie who she believed only rejected her because of the repressive social and legal pressure on homosexuality. They managed to agree to just be friends though it was clear Harriet still wanted more. Just to complicate matters even further after Harriet gifted Sebastian with a “thank you” for saving friends of hers from the noose. As a result both friends were carrying a child of Sebastian Havelock. Annie’s firstborn was perfect.

A daughter just as she wanted and with Sebastian’s encouragement she was baptised Chloe in memory of that brave little street girl. The birth of Harriett’s child was a far more tragic affair. Strong as she was Harriet couldn’t deal with this difficult labour and died proclaiming her love for Annie. Annie felt guilty for never loving her friend back the way she wanted but she resolved to raise her poor little Orphan. Despite the fact he was born blind. She named him Harry Her unconventional little family grew ever bigger with her second child Cecil and her generous taking in of Gallows’ daughter Matti when her mother became unwell. She thought she would be able to maintain this style of living but the dream was shattered when her husband was found guilty of a gross felony and hanged in front of the 5 of them. Annie has refused to wear any colour but black since then. Sebastian may have been a hopeless Fop who didn’t know how lucky he was to be truly loved but he was her one and only love and she will never forget him. A year after his death she and Matti have been forced into the Demi Monde. It’s less than ideal becoming a strumpet again but at least she ain’t common no more! She continues to struggle with the issue of faith.

Chloe Jacobs showed her that there was more to it than just manipulation but the hardships she has endured make her question God’s motives for her.Though she did lie with Harriet a couple of times and she has a less than chaste relationship with notorious Bawd Griselda “Greasy” Spoon Annie’s preference is for men. She dotes on her children though little Chloe is developing some resentment of her half brother Harry who’s needs merit him a bit more attention. She is respected by the Town and loved by the people but she still doesn’t have two farthings to rub together!

Stage 5: Relationships Just like any other Courtesan you fi ll in the Relationships. Remember to ask for the Relationships from the other Ladies of the House too though. Example: Sarah comes up with the following Relationships

Relationships Maud: “Filthy old bawd that reminds me of Greasy: Only without half the charm. Had to give in to her “fee” for getting into the place but I feel it will be worth it. She’s okay with the kids too. Her own are far less challenging than mine and those of the rest of the House. God bless ‘em though.”

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Lilly: “We have something in common both being hempen widows whose husbands didn’t appreciate what they had. I loved my Sebastian though. Lilly must have loved her husband once but now all that’s left is vile bilious hate.” Bella: “Lovely girl, bit too over familiar at times but that is the mark of a true Professional. Even in my blackest moments I can always rely on Bella to cheer me up. You know what the first thing she said to me was? She looked at the colour of my dress and said ‘oh dear! Don’t tell me your drawers are black too love.’ That cheered me right up at such a sensitive time. She’s very good with the kids. One of the other girls mentioned she had a daughter but I won’t pry.” Jessica: “If Lady Cecilia wasn’t so uptight and a bit slimmer she might be a little bit like this young madam. Such a ditzy posh bird but I can see it is something of a front. There’s a lot more to her than meets the eye. Her son is gorgeous. He’ll be breaking a lot of girl’s hearts when he’s older.” Lucy: “Good grief! I thought my background was humble: Tater farmer to Lady of the Manor to high class hussy at the heart of the Empire. Better watch this one. Matti and I can give her a hand with her adopted boy. Only I hope she doesn’t get any ideas about showing her gratitude to Matti. I don’t want her hurt.”

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Matti: “I will never forgive myself for letting Matti join me in the Demi Monde but it’s the only way we can finally get by as a family. I’ve told her any problems come straight to me caller or none and I’ll be telling the other girls in no uncertain terms if you fuck with my darling little ward I will so fuck with you! And not in the pleasant way Lucy!”

Other’s Relationships with Her Maud: “The legendary Annie Havelock in my House! Boy am I honoured! Of course I exploited the situation for what it was worth and I wasn’t at all disappointed but I reckon I’d have let her in even if she hadn’t slept with me: If only for the chance to have another go later.” Lilly: “She has a good heart and does what she thinks is right. We’re fellow hempen widows but she is such a forgiving soul she still loves the man who left her in debt and dragged her name through the mud. My heart is too damaged for that God help me.” Bella: “Annie fucking Havelock! Jesus Maud’s done well! Always dreamed about her since I read the story of her and that smartarse lawyer in the paper: Nice dreams: I hope they come true. Her kids are lovely. Remind me of Kirsty. I’m keeping it together for now but I’m worried Annie will walk in on me weeping for her.”

Jessica: “For one of such humble stock she is remarkably spiteless: Such a good natured soul if not an entirely Christian one. Her interesting little family are an asset to our House not a burden.” Lucy: “She knows she really wants cunny deep down. Nice little quiet candlelit dinner and I reckon I’ll get to have one of the most famous strumpets in London in my bed. Boy will that do me reputation good!”

Step 6: Put it all Together Now you put all the elements together on paper. Take a look and see what a monster you have created! Our example is shown in full below.

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Sarah’s New Character

Name: Mrs Annie Havelock Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Raven Haired Bust: Ample Waist: Average Origin: Goldenheart Manners: 2 Charm: 5 Wits: 4 Spite: 1 Performance: 2 Prowess: 5 Good At: Outright Seduction, Pillow Talk, Scrutiny, Midwifery Very Good At: Talking to Children, Emotional Blackmail Legend: 10 Reputation: 5 Wealth: -2 Influence: 0 Scandal: 2 Children: 2 of her own by late husband Sebastian: Chloe Age: 2 Health: 4, Cecil Age: 1, Health: 6. 1 adopted from late best friend Harriet Herring: Harry Age: 2 Health: 1 Blind. Annie Havelock (nee Golding) has had a tough life. Born into the poorest of circumstances she has been working in some way or other since she was 8. At first she sold flowers. A poor but honest living. As she grew older she began to notice men taking a fancy to her. She had always been a good girl with a bright eyed optimism and decent nature.

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However she was tempted by the serious Rhino of the oldest profession. Though it troubled her slightly what God would think she knew deep down that her faith in Him was shaky at best. At 16 she sold her virginity to a gentleman for a sovereign, the equivalent of 6 months of flower selling, and never looked back. Although she is somewhat hardened and streetwise she has maintained her childish hope and desire to good by people. That’s how she came to be running errands for a Defence counsel.Well that and the Defence counsel in question happens to be her favourite customer!Sebastian Havelock was an Army Officer who, like Annie had lost his faith in God but not in the goodness of humanity. He retrained as a Barrister and took up the cause of defending the common man. The case of a young girl called Chloe Jacobs who was hanged for pickpocketing had a profound effect on Annie. It really didn’t need the death of Cecil Gallows, which she still blames herself for, to convince her that giving up on the trade and marrying Sebastian was the best way forward. It wasn’t a conventional marriage by any stretch of the imagination.

Sebastian told her not to expect him to give up his habit of employing prostitutes but by the same token he didn’t hold her to any kind of standard of fidelity though aside from a few fumbles in the line of duty she kept her vows much better than the average woman of her time. They did have one little challenge in their relationship in the form of a former workmate of Annie’s Harriet Herring. Harriet was a real blast from the past when she turned up during Annie’s engagement. She was deeply infatuated with Annie who she believed only rejected her because of the repressive social and legal pressure on homosexuality. They managed to agree to just be friends though it was clear Harriet still wanted more.Just to complicate matters even further after Harriet gifted Sebastian with a “thank you” for saving friends of hers from the noose. As a result both friends were carrying a child of Sebastian Havelock. Annie’s firstborn was perfect. A daughter just as she wanted and with Sebastian’s encouragement she was baptised Chloe in memory of that brave little street girl. The birth of Harriett’s child was a far more tragic affair. Strong as she was Harriet couldn’t deal with this difficult labour and died proclaiming her love for Annie.

Annie felt guilty for never loving her friend back the way she wanted but she resolved to raise her poor little Orphan. Despite the fact he was born blind. She named him Harry Her unconventional little family grew ever bigger with her second child Cecil and her generous taking in of Gallows’ daughter Matti. She thought she would be able to maintain this style of living but the dream was shattered when her husband was found guilty of a gross felony and hanged in front of the 5 of them. Annie has refused to wear any colour but black since then. Sebastian may have been a hopeless Fop who didn’t know how lucky he was to be truly loved but he was her one and only love and she will never forget him. A year after his death she and Matti have been forced into the Demi Monde. It’s less than ideal becoming a strumpet again but at least she ain’t common no more! She continues to struggle with the issue of faith. Chloe Jacobs showed her that there was more to it than just manipulation but the hardships she has endured make her question God’s motives for her. Though she did lie with Harriet a couple of times and she has a less than chaste relationship with notorious Bawd Griselda “Greasy” Spoon Annie’s preference is for men.

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She dotes on her children though little Chloe is developing some resentment of her half brother Harry who’s needs merit him a bit more attention. She is respected by the Town and loved by the people but she still doesn’t have two farthings to rub together!

Relationships Maud: “Filthy old bawd that reminds me of Greasy: Only without half the charm. Had to give in to her “fee” for getting into the place but I feel it will be worth it. She’s okay with the kids too. Her own are far less challenging than mine and those of the rest of the House. God bless ‘em though.” Lilly: “We have something in common both being hempen widows whose husbands didn’t appreciate what they had. I loved my Sebastian though. Lilly must have loved her husband once but now all that’s left is vile bilious hate.” Bella: “Lovely girl, bit too over familiar at times but that is the mark of a true Professional. Even in my blackest moments I can always rely on Bella to cheer me up. You know what the first thing she said to me was? She looked at the colour of my dress and said ‘oh dear! Don’t tell me your drawers are black too love.’ That cheered me right up at such a sensitive time. She’s very good with the kids. One of the other girls mentioned she had a daughter but I won’t pry.”

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Jessica: “If Lady Cecilia wasn’t so uptight and a bit slimmer she might be a little bit like this young madam. Such a ditzy posh bird but I can see it is something of a front. There’s a lot more to her than meets the eye. Her son is gorgeous. He’ll be breaking a lot of girl’s hearts when he’s older.” Lucy: “Good grief! I thought my background was humble: Tater farmer to Lady of the Manor to high class hussy at the heart of the Empire. Better watch this one. Matti and I can give her a hand with her adopted boy. Only I hope she doesn’t get any ideas about showing her gratitude to Matti. I don’t want her hurt.” Matti: “I will never forgive myself for letting Matti join me in the Demi Monde but it’s the only way we can finally get by as a family. I’ve told her any problems come straight to me caller or none and I’ll be telling the other girls in no uncertain terms if you fuck with my darling little ward I will so fuck with you! And not in the pleasant way Lucy!”

Other’s Relationships with Her Maud: “The legendary Annie Havelock in my House! Boy am I honoured! Of course I exploited the situation for what it was worth and I wasn’t at all disappointed but I reckon I’d have let her in even if she hadn’t slept with me: If only for the chance to have another go later.”

Lilly: “She has a good heart and does what she thinks is right. We’re fellow hempen widows but she is such a forgiving soul she still loves the man who left her in debt and dragged her name through the mud. My heart is too damaged for that God help me.” Bella: “Annie fucking Havelock! Jesus Maud’s done well! Always dreamed about her since I read the story of her and that smartarse lawyer in the paper: Nice dreams: I hope they come true. Her kids are lovely. Remind me of Kirsty. I’m keeping it together for now but I’m worried Annie will walk in on me weeping for her.” Jessica: “For one of such humble stock she is remarkably spiteless: Such a good natured soul if not an entirely Christian one. Her interesting little family are an asset to our House not a Burden.” Lucy: “She knows she really wants cunny deep down. Nice little quiet candlelit dinner and I reckon I’ll get to have one of the most famous strumpets in London in my bed. Boy will that do me reputation good!” Humble Origins but Heart of Gold By some reckoning Annie Havelock should either be a Professional or an Upstart by virtue of her upbringing. However her good nature puts her more in line with the Goldenheart archetype. Both Hattie and Matti have the class that goes with being a Goldenheart but although Annie doesn’t she has all of the good nature of them both. Its rare cases like this that makes the term “Origins” a bit of a misnomer!

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Drugs In a lifestyle such as the Demi Monde drugs are quite a temptation. Three in particular are iconic parts of the scene Alcohol, Tobacco and Laudanum.

Drug Taking If you wish to partake of a drug declare you are doing so at the start of one of your Turns (no other time is appropriate.) You then make a dice + Prowess roll against the Landlady’s dice+ Drug Strength. If you succeed or tie you simply suffer the Regular Effects. If you fail the roll you Overdose (see below.)

Drug Profiles The effects of the drugs are described in the following profi les. Name: The name of the Drug. Description: Details of the Drug and its place in the Demi Monde. Drug Strength: The Landlady’s Modifi er as described above. Regular Effects: The effects of the Drug if the taking roll is passed. Overdose Table: A Table of overdose effects. Roll a dice and apply the appropriate result. Linked Options You can use these Drugs rules without using the Malady or Psychoses rules or vice versa but it is highly recommended that you use all three or use none at all as they are naturally linked.

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New Expenses If you are using these rules the following new Expenses apply: Got Drunk in 4 Turns or More in a Season: 1 Wealth Smoked in More Than 4 Turns in a Season: 1 Wealth Each Use of Laudanum: 1 Wealth Watch the Wall my Darling as the Gentlemen go by: If your Courtesan is being Visited by a Smuggler she only pays 1 Wealth if she drank heavily or smoked every Turn of the Season and pays 1 Wealth for every 2 Uses of Laudanum. She gains an automatic point of Scandal at the end of every Season she uses this ability whether her Admirer is caught or not. Spiking! Drinks can be spiked with strong Alcohol or Laudanum forcing the target Courtesan to make the taking roll as above. This is a free action. A Courtesan with the Sensitive Taste, or Sensitive Nose Good Ats can roll a dice + her Wits against the Landlady’s dice+ Drug Strength but there is no other defence against it! Modifiers A lot of the effects of these drugs modify a Courtesan’s Statistics. As such it is important to clarify how these modifi ers work. A negative modifi er can reduce a Statistic to a minimum of 0 effectively making the Courtesan’s roll a straight unmodifi ed dice roll. A positive modifi er can only increase a Statistic to a maximum of 5. Anymore and you are breaking the limits of human potential. Modifi ers last for the duration of the Turn in which the drug was taken.

Alcohol Description: Drinking water still isn’t 100% safe at the start of the Demi Monde period but as it goes on and the soft option becomes safer the “demon drink” is less of a compulsory indulgence. In fact the temperance movement is growing in strength. It is getting drunk that gives the movement this strength not the occasional controlled indulgence. It is also getting drunk that the rules here represent. Drug Strength: The quantities vary depending on the variety but the strength remains 3 for any quantity suffi cient to merit a test. Regular Effects: The Courtesan is less inhibited suffering -1 Manners, less co-ordinated suffering -1 Performance but more self confi dent and lusty giving her +1 Charm and Prowess.

Overdose Table 1 Fatal Poisoning: Your Courtesan has drunk WAY too much and dies of alcohol poisoning. 2 Accident: Your Courtesan has an accident in her drunken clumsiness She misses the Turn while she recovers. 3 Too Drunk: As per Regular Effects but double both penalties and turn both bonuses into penalties. 4 Alcoholic: As per Regular Effects but your Courtesan develops a liking for the booze. She must get drunk at least 4 times every Season. 5 Unladylike Vomiting: Your Courtesan throws up a lot and misses one action while she recovers. 6 Regrets: As per Regular Effects and your Courtesan does or says something so outrageous she loses a point of Reputation and gains a Scandal point!

Tobacco Porphyria and Alcohol Sufferers of Porphyria do not get the Charm bonus from Alcohol as it brings them out in an unsightly rash. They also treat its Drug Strength as 4.

Description: Brought over from the new world by Sir Walter Raleigh Tobacco has become popular with rich and poor alike. Of course the extortionate taxation of it has caused a massive Smuggling problem and of course the War of Independence. Just to make it clear though that war wasn’t about an increase in taxes. Taxes were actually decreased causing a minor collapse in the black market. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Sarah Palin! Anyhow the massive health risks of this drug are not fully understood yet. In fact some doctors actually recommend smoking to patients!

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Drug Strength: The danger of Tobacco comes from prolonged exposure so the Drug Strength is a lowly 2. Regular Effects: Tobacco has a calming effect resulting in +1 Manners. However the smell can put people off even if they are smokers themselves resulting in -1 Charm. Overdose Table 1 Cancer: As per Usual Effects but in addition your Courtesan develops the fi rst stages of the Malady Cancer. (See Maladies.) 2 Emphysema: As per Usual Effects but in addition your Courtesan develops the Malady Emphysema. 3 Addict: As per Usual Effects but in addition your Courtesan becomes addicted to Tobacco forcing her to smoke at least 4 Turns a Season. 4 House Fire: As per Usual Effects but in addition your Courtesan starts a small fi re in the House. Dealing with this fi re costs the ENTIRE HOUSE 1 Action. Errr... Sorry girls! 5 Smelly Clothes and Bed Linnen: As per Usual Effects but in addition your Courtesan loses an additional -1 Charm from the smell of her clothes and her Admirer’s Pliability increases by one in her nicotine stained bed. This effect lasts for the rest of the turn. 6 Smoker’s Cough: As per Usual Effects but in addition your Courtesan develops a very unladylike smoker’s cough. She is at -1 to all Pleasing rolls for the remainder of the turn.

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Laudanum Description: A mark of a Courtesan’s success is her ability to afford this very expensive and addictive cocktail of alcohol, herbs and opium. Laudanum was the downfall of many a Courtesan. Sophia Baddeley came close to killing herself with it and suffered many health problems throughout her life through overdosing. It’s a dangerous and expensive thing to be messing with but it is also the ultimate luxury item. Drug Strength: Potent stuff! Laudanum has a Drug Strength of 4. Regular Effects: The Courtesan is spaced out and dreamy. She suffers a -2 penalty to her Manners and Wits but receives a +2 Bonus to her Charm from her delirious state and +2 to her Spite from brutal honesty.

Hang On A Second: Overdosing on Tobacco? Well it’s not Overdosing as such it’s your body fi nally giving in to the toxins being poured into it. It’s just called overdosing for consistency’s sake. Smoking enough to trigger a test is, like alcohol, over indulgence, social smoking has no game mechanics.

Overdose Table 1 Fatal Overdose: Your Courtesan massively overdoes it and dies. 2 Near Fatal Overdose: Your Courtesan narrowly escapes death from Laudanum over use. She misses the Turn and suffers a permanent -1 to Prowess and Performance (to minimum of 1.) In addition roll a dice. On a 4+ she is rendered Infertile. 3 Woohoo Look at the Colours!: Your Courtesan spends the whole Turn spaced out in her room missing it completely. Any Seduction Intrigues targeted on her automatically succeed granting the Intriguer 1 dice of her Resources. However as this is essentially rape any Scandal infl icted by the discovery of the affair can only be infl icted on the Intriguer. 4 Confusion: As per Regular Effects. In addition the Courtesan loses one action as she blunders around the House in a daze. 5 Addiction: As per Regular Effects. In addition your Courtesan becomes a Laudanum Addict requiring at least 4 doses a Season. 6 Psychosis: As per Regular Effects. In addition your Courtesan develops a Psychosis of the Games Master’s choice. See the rules below for Psychoses. Good At Suggestion Might be kind of cool to take Good At Drug Resistance as one of your choices. In fact in games where both Maladies and Drugs are in play the Lower Origins can choose Drug Resistance as their free Good At.

Maladies People get sick; it’s a fact of life. Obviously not every bad head cold your Courtesan suffers is worth tracking but conditions that threaten her life or her work are worthy of system representation. Here then are how these sicknesses or Maladies work.

Afflicting There are two ways to Affl ict a Courtesan with a Malady. Natural Exposure and Trauma. Natural Exposure: At the beginning of the Departures Phase for each Season each Courtesan rolls Prowess+ a dice versus the Landlady’s dice +1. If the Courtesan wins she is fi ne. If she loses she begins to develop the Malady of the Landlady’s choice. This represents random spontaneous infection. Example of Natural Exposure: At the end of 1787 Bernadette makes each Courtesan check for Natural Exposure. Lady Jessica fails rolling a total of 4 against Bernadette’s 6. Bernadette decides that Lady Jessica has developed a rare form of early onset Dementia. She will start suffering its effects next Season. I cannot be bothered with all this rolling! If you fancy simplifying the Natural Exposure roll have the Landlady roll once and every Player have to beat that score. This can also be done with Stress rolls too (see Psychoses.)

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Trauma: A particularly nasty event such as Complications from Childbirth or Saving Against Death may cause a Trauma check for a Malady. This works like a Natural Exposure Check above however the Landlady’s modifi er is +3. Example of Trauma: The physical harm of the Complications of the birth of Lilly’s first child at the end of 1787 forces her to take a Trauma Check which she promptly fails by rolling a 6 to Bernadette’s 8. Bernadette decides Lilly has come down with Septicaemia. She must immediately check for its effects. Auto Contraction Some of the Drug Overdose effects automatically infl ict a Malady as described before. There is no roll against this it serves you right for over indulging!

Describe Symptoms- Keep Condition as Secret as Possible It works best if you don’t reveal to your Players what it is they are suffering from. Describe what the symptoms are but keep the condition secret. A visit to a Doctor or a Physician Retainer (see Retainers below) may be able to diagnose the condition correctly.

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Malady Effects Different Maladies have different effects. How these effects work in game terms is described in game terms in a profi le like this. Malady Name: The name of the Malady Description: A brief description from a writer with no medical expertise of roughly how the Malady works. If you are a doctor and you take issue with this description please correct me on the Courtesans blog. My research for this game is pretty slapdash and based mostly on teh internets! Virulence: The modifi er the Landlady applies to her dice roll against the affl icted Courtesan’s Prowess. If a Malady is Escalating each failed roll increases the Virulence by 1 until it gets to 6. Once at 6 the Effect of failure changes to Death. Test Frequency: How often the affl icted Courtesan makes a Prowess + dice roll against the Landlady’s dice+ Virulence roll known as the Test. The fi rst Test is made according to the manner of Affl iction as above. Affect: How the Malady affects the Affl icted if the test is failed.

Septicaemia

Emphysema

Description: Put simply, blood poisoning. The Courtesan’s blood gets infected and she can very easily die. With sanitary conditions of the time this was a terribly common cause of death. Virulence: 4 Test Frequency: Just the once when Affl icted. Affect: The courtesan suffers a grisly death. Special: If you pass the Test you have survived Septicaemia this time and it no longer affects you. Septicaemia can only be contracted by Trauma and is the Malady that makes most sense from it.

Description: This horrible condition affects the circulation of oxygen in the blood. Symptoms range from inexplicable tiredness up to complete exhaustion at performing the simplest of physical tasks. Virulence: Escalating from 1-6 Test Frequency: Every other Turn. Affect: If the Test is failed the Courtesan is too exhausted to act this Turn. Just to be fair she cannot be targeted by Intrigue while she is unwell. Yes this includes Playing Cards “I’m too tired sweetheart.”

Cancer Description: For some reason a cell in a particular part of the affl icted Courtesan’s body has decided to go rogue becoming a tumour. This tumour can sit undetected for years but when it goes malignant it will cause a lot of pain. The Landlady must decide what part of the body is going cancerous and describe symptoms appropriately. Virulence: Gradually Escalating from 2-6. Test Frequency: Once at the end of every Season. Affect: Actual story world symptoms on failing the Test vary by location of the tumour but they force the Affl icted Courtesan to miss a number of Turns equal to the Virulence level she was at before she failed.

Consumption Description: Nowadays Consumption is known as TB. The new proper medical name doesn’t make it any less nasty. In fact the old informal name is far more descriptive of the way this bacterial infection appears to consume its victims. It is so fatal that ‘the father of medicine’ Hippocrates advised against treating it. Mainly because a dead patient cannot pay you! Virulence: Escalating from 3-6 Test Frequency: Every Turn Affect: If the Test is failed the Affl icted Courtesan spends the turn coughing up blood in a most disgusting fashion.

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Dementia

Weak Heart

Description: Usually only contracted by older Courtesans but there are strains that attack the young. Dementia strips the Affl icted of their memories until there is nothing left. More than any of the other Maladies mentioned this is incredibly frightening. Virulence: Escalating from 1-6 Test Frequency: Once at the end of every Season. Affect: Each time the test is failed the affl icted Courtesan loses a Good At or has a Very Good At downgraded to a Good At. Once she is all out of Good Ats she starts losing points of Wits. Once she reaches Wits 0 she is too insensible to continue to work if not outright dead. Note that failing the Test at Severity 6 does not result in instant death like other Escalating Maladies. Dementia is much more cruel. Special: Once Affl icted with Dementia a Courtesan cannot gain any more Good Ats or upgrade any Good Ats to Very Good Ats. She also may not Invest in the Wits Statistic. Unlike other Maladies it is Wits that is used in each test once affl icted.

Description: Through disease, exhaustion or drug abuse the Affl icted Courtesan’s heart isn’t up to much anymore. Any strenuous physical test can potentially have fatal consequences. Virulence: 3 Test Frequency: Every time a Prowess based action succeeds or fails by more than 4. Affect: Fail the Test and you die of a massive heart attack. Bonus points if your Character dies in the act.

German Measles Description: A nasty form of the infection that can wreak havoc with a Courtesan’s physiology especially if she gets Pregnant. Virulence: 4 Test Frequency: Once at the start of the Season Affect: The actual sickness passes relatively quickly. However if a Courtesan gets Pregnant in the Season that she failed the Test the Child is automatically handicapped and the mother is rendered infertile from there on in. Obviously if the Courtesan either passes the Test or doesn’t get Pregnant in said Season the condition has no mechanical affect and the Courtesan is no longer Affl icted. Example of Passing the Test: Lilly takes the Test by rolling a dice+ Prowess against the Landlady’s D6+ Virulence. She beats her by 7 to 6 narrowly surviving death by blood poisoning.

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Example of Failing the Test: Lady Jessica is not so lucky failing her Test by 5 to 9. She loses one of her Good Ats (Witty Banter) and the Malady’s Virulence goes up by 1.

Nursing The formal medical training available to women at the time of the Demi Monde is extremely limited. Thus Courtesans can only Nurse their ailing Sisters. Basically the Nursing Courtesan uses her Prowess (Wits in case of Dementia) in place of the Affl icted Courtesan’s for the Test. This takes an action or in the Cyprian ball means she misses the dancing stage along with the patient. A Courtesan gains 1 Legend for each time she Nurses and +1 Reputation for each time she actually visibly succeeds at it. Example: Annie sees that Lady Jessica is starting to deteriorate and begins to Nurse her. She rolls a dice+ her Wits against the Landlady’s dice+ Virulence. Beating her 8 to 6 she halts the deterioration for now.

Diagnosis As an action a Courtesan can visit a doctor for a diagnosis. The Landlady rolls a dice. On a 4+ the Doctor correctly diagnoses the condition giving any Nursing attempts a +1 modifi er. However on the roll of a 1 the Doctor misdiagnoses and Nursing attempts are at -1.

Example: On Annie’s recommendation Lady Jessica visits a Doctor. As the Landlady rolls a 5 he correctly diagnoses Dementia allowing Annie to Nurse her more effectively with a +1 modifier. Taking Nursing as a Good At ‘Tis a good thing for a young lady to have some nursing skill my dear: Please consider taking it as one of your Good Ats. In games where both Maladies and Drugs are in play a Courtesan from one of the Higher Origins can take Nursing as her free Good At. Nursing Metagaming If players have read this section of the book they know rolling Wits means Dementia. It is important to remind them that their Characters don’t know that. Both patient and Nurse will be terrifi ed by what is happening. Nursing Septicaemia Nursing Septicaemia can occur in the Childbirth Phase. Obviously a Courtesan who is giving birth in this Season is in no state to Nurse and ailing Sister.

No Cure? It’s hard enough to treat these conditions these days. When all that is available is dubious herbal remedies and dangerous operations without anaesthetic there may as well be no treatment rules beyond those above!

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Other Maladies Feel free to create your own Maladies using the system provided. Bear in mind though that it was incredibly rare for a woman at the Courtesan level to contract an STD.

Psychoses Sex work is incredibly stressful. More so in an age with unreliable contraception and next to no medical help! Psychology wasn’t properly understood either. Severe insanity was recognised but treated by locking the unfortunate up in a place like Bedlam. Though these “hospitals” improved over time at the start of the era they were basically freak shows for the paying public. Minor mental illness had a stigma too it and sufferers kept it bottled up to disastrous effect. Below are the rules for affl icting your poor Courtesans with Psychoses.

Affliction Affl iction works just like Affl iction for Physical Maladies above however it uses the Manners Statistic representing the Courtesan’s self control. Again there are two methods of Affl iction in addition to the automatic one for Laudanum overdose (see Drugs above.) Stress: In a naturally stressful life things can get on top of you gradually. At the end of each turn where Psychoses are in place each

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Courtesan rolls a dice and adds her Manners. In return the Landlady rolls a dice and adds 1. Courtesans who beat the Landlady are fi ne those who were unfortunate enough to lose suffer Psychosis of the Landlady’s choice. Example of Stress: At the end of 1787 the Ladies make their Stress rolls against Bernadette’s roll of 5. Their newest member little Matti rolls a 4 meaning she is now Inflicted with a Psychosis. Not wanting her to snap completely straight away Bernadette chooses Anxiety. Coco justifies this as Matti’s buried misgivings about the Demi Monde combined with her continuing struggle with her feelings for Annie. Trauma: When a particularly tragic or terrible event happens it takes its toll on the psyche. Samples of Trauma include losing a child, suffering more than 5 Scandal points at once or losing a friend or lover. Whatever the Trauma the roll is the Courtesan’s dice+ Manners versus the Landlady’s dice +3. Example of Trauma: Losing her adopted son Norbert really hits Lucy hard especially with all the work she put into his care with Matti’s help. She rolls a dice+ her Manners against the Landlady’s dice + 3. Losing by a roll of 3 to Bernadette’s 6 she now develops a Psychosis. Bernadette decides Imaginary Lover would be most interesting.

Types of Psychosis

Anxiety

Mental affl ictions come in a wide variety of kinds and degrees of severity. Whatever the Psychosis resisting its Affects is a matter of a Psychosis Test which involves rolling a dice + Manners versus the Landlady’s dice+ Severity. If the Courtesan wins there is no mechanical affect though the Player may chose to roleplay a struggle with some minor symptoms. If the Courtesan loses she suffers the Affects of the Psychosis.

Description: We all get nervous but this Psychosis is when these natural feelings of unease become full blown panic attacks. Severity: Escalating 1-6. Trigger: Stressful situations that occur during Turns such as meeting a new Admirer, confronting unwanted feelings and being Spurned. Make the Test before an action even if the Trigger happens in a previous action. Affect: The Courtesan misses her action due to a massive panic attack. If the trigger was meeting a new Admirer he is not impressed and Spurns her immediately.

The mechanics beyond this are described in profi les like the sample below.

Agoraphobia

Name of Psychosis: The Name Description: The Courtesan has a the Psychosis is commonly known fear of leaving the House. Any time by. May not be the modern medical she is forced to do so by her work she name may fi nd herself in an irrational and Description: A look at what it hysterical state of panic. means in game world terms. Severity: 3 Severity: The Landlady’s modifi er Trigger: Leaving the safety of the to her dice roll as described above. If House for any reason. it is labelled as escalating it’s severity Affect: The Courtesan panics and increases by 1 with each failure until must stay indoors missing the action it reaches 6. Once the Test is failed or, in the Case of the Cyprian Ball the at Severity 6 the Courtesan fi nally entire Phase. visibly snaps and is incarcerated in The Real Thing is Not a Bedlam. Laughing Matter Trigger: When you make the Some of the Psychoses below though Psychosis Test as described above. they are horrifying in game may be Affect: The mechanical effect of amusing out of it. The last thing we want failing the Test. to do is make fun of real mental illness. The author struggles with it himself. In the context of a cartoon harlots game though this Psychoses can be a little silly in a kind of surreal way.

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Arachnophobia

Haunted by the Past

Description: The Courtesan has a fear of spiders. Nowadays such a phobia is a bit more manageable but back in the Demi Monde Spiders would have been a bit more noticeable even in such high class establishment as the Player Characters’ House. Severity: 2 Trigger: Seeing a spider when performing an action. (Landlady’s discretion, use sparingly.) Affect: The Courtesan screams and abandons the action (automatic tie with all the usual effects of such.)

Description: Best employed on older Courtesans or those who have more skeletons in the closet. The Courtesan believes she is haunted by the ghosts of those loved ones of hers who have passed on. This can be incredibly terrifying not to mention distracting. Severity: Escalating 1-6 Trigger: Roll when reminded of the specifi c departed friend. Affect: The ghost, whoever it is, manifests and tries to speak with the Courtesan: She immediately gives up any action she is currently undertaking and is wrapped up in conversation with the ghost. This is usually highly emotional and riven with guilt. Of course no other Character can see the ghost.

Eeek! A Small Furry Thing Description: Again you may be thinking how is that a serious fl aw? Again look at the conditions of the time. There will be lots of rats and mice about in the Player Characters’ House. They may not be as visible as they were in times past but they’ll be there. Severity: 2 Trigger: Seeing a rat or mouse when performing an action. (Landlady’s discretion, use sparingly.) Affect: The Courtesan screams and abandons the action (automatic tie with all the usual effects of such.)

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Depression Description: Depressed is a word that has been somewhat misapplied over the centuries. Depression isn’t feeling a bit down in the dumps it’s a dreadful feeling of inexplicable soul shattering sadness that eats you alive. Most Courtesans deal with this Psychosis at some point in their careers. It is a quite natural reaction to a stressful lifestyle. Severity: Escalating 1-6 Trigger: End of each Season. Affect: The Courtesan misses a number of Actions equal to the Landlady’s Margin of Success to a Maximum of 7 from her next Season. Failure of the Test once Severity reaches 6 leads inevitably to the tragedy of suicide.

Imaginary Lover

Nymphomania

Description: The Courtesan has an Imaginary Lover who none of the other Sisters can see. When he/ she “Visits” she greets him/her as any other and drags him/her up to her bedroom for a wild “lovemaking session.” This can be very disturbing both for the Sisters and for the Courtesan herself when she realises her greatest lover is a fi gment of her imagination! Severity: 4 Trigger: Start of each Season. Affect: The Courtesan receives a number of “Visits” from this Imaginary Lover equal to the Landlady’s Margin of Success to a Maximum of 7. This are missed actions while she entertains this fi gment of her imagination.

Description: The Courtesan has become addicted to Straight Penetrative Sex regardless of any previous preferences or kinks. With Contraception unreliable this can be quite a dangerous Psychosis to have! Severity: 3 Trigger: Start of every Turn. Affect: When the Test is failed the Courtesan craves Straight Sex and suffers a penalty to all actions equal to the Landlady’s Margin of Success until she gets her fi x. If she doesn’t manage it by the end of the turn she must make a further Psychological Trauma Check as her desires drive her even more insane!

Is she Really Crazy? We have the subtle supernatural affects of Prayer and Dealing with the Devil already and if you are using the Vampires or Fantasy rules in Appendices Three and Four respectively you may want to hint that the Courtesan is actually haunted. Perhaps one of the other Ladies catches a glimpse of the apparition? Mind you is she going crazy too?

Simmering Hatred Description: The Courtesan has developed a Simmering hatred for one of her Sisters for some real or imaginary slight. This builds and builds until it is unleashed in a psychotic rage! Severity: Escalating 1-6 Trigger: End of each Season. Affect: The Courtesan must make a number of irrational Intrigues against the target of her ire in her next Season equal to the Landlady’s Margin of Success. When a Test is failed at Severity 6 Simmering Hatred becomes psychotic murderous rage. Use the “combat” rules under Vengeful Spouses (all involved Courtesans use Spite and whatever Weapons are in the House) as the Courtesan unleashes her full fury on her unfortunate target.

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Succeed or fail either she turns her weapon on herself or her Sisters restrain her and drag her off to Bedlam. Either way she is out of the game. Example of Passing the Test: When introduced to a new Admirer Matti rolls a 4 on her dice, adds her Manners of 3 and Good At Charming Eccentricity. This gives her a total of 8 against Bernadette’s dice+ Severity roll of 5. Matti keeps her Anxiety in check for now. Example of Failing the Test: At the end of the Season Lucy takes a Test to see if she can resist her Imaginary Lover Condition. She rolls a dice (well two and pick the lowest) + her Manners against Bernadette’s dice+ Severity. Lucy gets a 3 against Bernadette’s 6. In the next Season she has 3 “appointments” with her Imaginary Lover Bess.

Counselling Unlike Maladies there is an effective way a Courtesan can help her Sisters when they feel like they’re going mad. Yes Psychology doesn’t exist yet but Courtesans can make a special Aiding action called Counselling. Counselling as a Good At Counselling is a good choice for Good At. In fact in a game with the Psychoses rules all Courtesans may pick Good At Counselling as their free Good At.

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Counselling Description: Noticing that a Sister is uneasy the Courtesan talks through her problems with her with an affectionate ear and affectionate words. Statistic: This is a classic Charm action! Difficulty: Equal to Psychosis’s Severity. Resource Grant: N/A: See below. Special: Unlike other Aiding this action does not grant resources. However for every 10 points of success built up over time the Psychosis’ Severity drops by 1 to a minimum of 0. Example of Successful Counselling: Annie sees Matti is showing signs of nerves and has a quiet chat with her. With her Charm+ dice she scores a 9. In return Bernadette rolls a 4 on her dice+ Severity. Succeeding by 5 Annie gains the Legend and Reputation bonus and Matti has made progress toward dropping Severity. 5 more points of Counselling success and the problem will be buried as deep as it can be. Example of Failed Counselling: As much as she hates her Lilly gets really concerned about Lucy’s delusion. She tries to talk it through with her with her Charm+ a dice. Opposing this is Bernadette’s dice+ Severity. With Lilly rolling a 5 and Bernadette a 7 the Counselling has failed. Lucy refuses to believe Lilly that her Bess isn’t real! Lilly gains no Resources and Lucy is no closer to overcoming her delusion.

Treat Don’t Cure However sweet your Courtesan is she cannot remove a Psychosis entirely. When the Severity is down to 0 the Landlady’s dice is unmodifi ed but the Psychosis is still there however deeply buried. Of Course if the lucky girl has a Manners of 5 and an appropriate Good At it is impossible for her to fail a Test! Case Study for Mr Freud! If your game is set towards the end of the Demi Monde era Psychology may just be moving out of quack territory into real Science: In which case you may wish to place a few Admirers interested in studying your Ladies in the mix. Early Psychologists were just as sex obsessed as their modern counterparts if not more so!

Retainers They’re very much in the background and their wages are covered by the Landlady Character but there are some servants running around after you. These servants will obviously do their duty but that is strictly of no mechanical benefi t. Retainers on the other hand are personal staff hired by your Courtesan to serve her personally. As such they grant mechanical benefi ts based upon their single Statistic Competence.

Hiring a Retainer A Retainer is hired in the Investments phase. Each retainer costs a number of Wealth equal to his/her Competence to hire: Once this fee is paid the Retainer sticks with you to the end. Any further payment is either below measurable levels or ahem in other goods. It is such a heavy emotional investment getting a Retainer that you may only hire one per Turn. Sweetening the Deal If your Courtesan wants a cost break on the hiring fee she can perform a Pleasing action on the candidate Retainer. All Retainers Count as Pliability 3 for this purpose. If the Pleasing is successful the Courtesan can subtract her Margin of Success from the fee to a minimum of 1. Anything in excess is wasted. Once hired a Retainer is also a Besotted Lover with Pliability 3 should the Courtesan wish to be affectionate once more and make a bit of money out of her employees. Retainers may not be Poached, Spurned or Introduced. You’re stuck with them dearie! Example: Lucy hires a Competence 4 Retainer. This costs her 4 Wealth by default but she uses “Sweeten the deal” with a Hard Sell Pleasing action to knock it down by her Margin of Success of 3 to a mere 1 Wealth point.

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Types of Retainer

Spiritual Advisor

Different types of Retainers grant your Courtesan different special abilities. You may only have 1 Retainer of each type.

Description: Religious Courtesans (whatever denomination or even ‘heathen’ faith) often fi nd it comforting to have a personal Spiritual Advisor. Clearly they have to pick on a liberal one of the faithful but this my friends is England. Even at the time of the Demi Monde there was a degree of liberal dominance in the CofE at least. Remember one of the reasons John Weasley was kicked out was for being too enthusiastic! Free Action: Before the start of the fi rst Turn of the Season a Courtesan with a Spiritual Advisor makes time to sit and pray for one of her Sisters. This is a Prayer Aiding action as described in Chapter 3. Competence Substitute: Once per Season the Courtesan may use her Spiritual Advisor’s Competence in place of her Manners for a single roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Spiritual Advisor may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Manners Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Manners costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

Details of each Type are laid out in the following manner. Name: What the Retainer Type is called. Description: A story world description of what the Retainer is. Free Action: The main ability of Retainers involves granting the Courtesan a free action. This entry describes how this occurs and what action you get free. Competence Substitute: Once per Season you may substitute your Retainer’s Competence for your normal Statistic representing his/her teaching or direct aid. Cost Break: Each Retainer gives you a discount on certain Expenses and Investments. Stacking Retainers If you can afford it you can have a whole army of Retainers so long as you stick to one of each type. However the Stacking of Retainers requires some addressing. Free Actions can easily stack without any problems even if it means you take 2 at the start of your 1st Turn. Similarly each Retainer gives you their Competence Substitute once per Season. There is no confl ict there. However Cost Breaks DO NOT STACK. You get the best of the 2 where there are 2.

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Substitutes and Strong and Weak Statistics If the Courtesan Substitutes a Statistic that is usually her Weak Statistic it counts as normal for her. Conversely if, for some reason she substitutes her Strong Statistic she loses the benefi t of it being Strong for the roll.

Dressmaker

Spymaster

Description: Whether a common Milliner or one of the new high class women’s dress designers the Dressmaker is quite an asset to a Courtesan as their appearance is a key part of their Charm. The remarkable lady (or gent towards the end of the era) is very skilful at creating stunning provocative frocks. Free Action: At the end of the Procurement Phase a Courtesan with a Dressmaker may make an additional Gaudy Public Appearance Procurement action as she tries out a new dress. Competence Substitute: Once Per Season a Courtesan may use her Dressmaker’s Competence in place of her Charm for a single roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Dressmaker may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Charm Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Charm costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

Description: All Courtesans have their spies but the Courtesan with a Spymaster has them very well organised. A competent Spymaster will be able to weave a web of informants that next to nothing can get past. Free Action: At the end of any Turn during the Season a Courtesan with a Spymaster can make a free Spying Intrigue against a Sister. Competence Substitute: Once per Season the Courtesan may use her Spymaster’s Competence in place of her Wits for a single roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Spymaster may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Wits Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Wits costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

Timing of Free Actions If two Courtesans have Retainers who’s Free Actions happen at the same time the Courtesan lower in the Initiative order decides who acts fi rst.

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Lady’s Companion

Spin Doctor

Description: The Lady’s Companion is a Rottweiler like bodyguard and an amiable companion! What more could a girl ask for? Oh by the way just because she’s your Companion doesn’t mean you have to sleep with her whatever Mrs Steel would have you believe! Free Action: A Lady’s Companion entitles you to a choice of Free Action per Season. Either you can employ a Spite based Intrigue or you can perform a Hard Sell Pleasing action. Competence Substitute: Once per Season a Courtesan may use her Companion’s Competence in place of her Spite for a single roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Lady’s Companion may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Spite Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Spite costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3. In addition if weapons are in play their costs are reduced by 1 making most weapons free!

Description: PR isn’t a modern thing. Throughout the centuries public fi gures have employed people to manage their images. Like it or not Courtesans are at least semi public fi gures. A competent Spin Doctor can make his employer really shine. An incompetent one could get her lynched! Free Action: At the end of the Procurement phase a Courtesan with a Spin Doctor may make any additional Procurement action with the exception of Attend a House of Introduction. If the Courtesan picks a non favoured method of Procurement she must pay the fee as usual. Competence Substitute: Once per Season a Courtesan may use her Spin Doctor’s Competence in place of her Performance for a single roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Spin Doctor may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Performance Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Performance costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

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Coach

Midwife

Description: If the Courtesan is an active or sporty type she will need a Coach to keep her in tip top condition. Through actual sporting practice not just sex! Free Action: At the beginning of the fi rst Turn of a Season a Courtesan may perform a free Fancy a Game? Pleasing action. This has to involve Prowess. No board or card games! Competence Substitute: Once per Season a Courtesan may use her Coach’s Competence in place of her Prowess for a single roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Coach may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Prowess Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Prowess costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

Description: Sooner or later a Courtesan is going to need a Midwife but the Courtesan who hires one as a Retainer is either making plans for lots of babies or exploiting her knowledge of female anatomy! Free Action: This is a weird one in rules terms. It’s not really a Free Action and it can only be used in a Season where the Courtesan hasn’t got Pregnant. If she makes a Midwifery action she may double the usual Resource Bonus through her expert skills. Competence Substitute: Again this is weird. In a Season in which a Courtesan gets Pregnant (and she keeps the child) she may use her Midwife’s Competence in place of her Prowess when giving birth. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Midwife may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Prowess Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Prowess costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

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Nanny

Physician

Description: Children need care and Courtesans have busy lives. The basic servants of the House manage well enough normally but a Courtesan who is really devoted to her little munchkins hires a Nanny as a Retainer. Free Action: The Nanny’s expertise in time management and the care of Children allows the Courtesan who hired her to make a free Child Care Aiding roll on her own children or on those of others. Competence Substitute: Once per Season the Courtesan may use her Nanny’s Competence in place of her Charm for a single roll. Cost Break: With a Nanny the Courtesan only pays the Expense for the care of Handicapped Children and even that is halved. Also she grants the ability to reroll one failed Survival roll for a Child a Season.

Description: Either a proper Medical Doctor or Experienced Matron the Physician Retainer is an expert in medical science as it stands at the time. He is able to diagnose conditions and affect basic Treatments. Free Action: A Courtesan with a Physician can consult him once per Season at the start of any Turn instead of spending an action visiting a Doctor. As he knows her intimately he Diagnoses correctly on a 3+ not a 4+. Competence Substitute: Once per Season a Courtesan may use her Physician’s Competence in place of her Prowess for a single Malady related roll. Cost Break: Courtesans with a Physician may reduce maintenance Expenses on the Prowess Statistic by 1 Wealth to a Minimum of 0. Any Investment that increases the Courtesan’s Prowess costs 2 of the relevant Resource not 3.

Physician Physicians are only in play if Maladies are being used.

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Example: Lucy decides what she really needs is spiritual guidance. She hires a Spiritual Advisor. This will grant her the Free Action of a Prayer Aiding action at the start of Turn 1, the ability to use her Spiritual Advisor’s Competence of 4in place of her Manners once a Season and a cost break on raising and maintaining the Manners Statistic.

Fleshing Out Retainers A Retainer is probably the closest friend a Courtesan has bar her Landlady and her Sisters. Thus he/ she needs a bit more fl eshing out that just a Competence and a Type. Go through the following steps. Gender Is the Retainer male or female? This purely cosmetic except in the case of certain Retainer Types (see box.) Name What is the Retainer’s name? Ideally the player hiring should think of this. Age How old is the Retainer? Older or younger than the Courtesan? Both have their advantages! Appearance Fill out Appearance details as you would for an Admirer of the appropriate gender. Background You don’t need to make this as detailed as that of a Courtesan but Player and Landlady should work together to develop a background story, however brief for the Retainer. Put it all Together Put all these disparate notes together in a nice neat profi le!

Example: It wouldn’t be Lucy if she didn’t favour a female retainer so that’s easy to decide! For a name Lucy’s Player Daisy really wants a nun. Bernadette thinks this would be taking the piss a bit but she is willing to accept an ex nun! They come up with the name Miss Bridget McMoy. For age they make her a bit older than Lucy at 24. Appearance wise she resembles Lucy’s dear departed sweetheart Nora only her eyes are Blue and she isn’t as ahem “stacked.” For background they decide she is, like Lucy originally Irish however she fled the fallout of leaving the convent after a disagreement with the mother superior on her liberal views. She is devout and relishes the opportunity to advise such a notorious woman of the Town. She also fancies the pants off her employer of course. Lucy wouldn’t have hired her otherwise. All the details together make her profile look like this.

Sexist Professional Entry Requirements A Lady’s Companion, Nanny or Midwife may only be female.

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Retainer: Miss Bridget McMoy Name: Miss Bridget McMoy Gender: Female Age: 24 Type: Spiritual Advisor Competence: 4 Eye Colour: Blue Hair Colour: Blonde Bust: Ample Waist: Hourglass

Bridget McMoy was raised in a convent and was always a bright devout girl with incredible self reliance and control. She was also harbouring deep homosexual desires which she was constantly told were at odds with her faith. She never saw that. “Let he who is without sin etc.” She managed to keep any suspicions that she herself was homosexual under wraps but she couldn’t help but stand up for those who were not so composed. This put her at odds with her mother superior and soon she left the convent and headed for London.

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Under the pretence of “research” for her new “missionary work” she began reading the scandal sheets. She was fascinated by the alleged misadventures of Courtesan Lucy McBrien and was amazed when the Lady herself turned up at her Church looking for a Spiritual Advisor. Lucy’s Hard Sell brought her down to the paltriest of financial settlements for one of her skill but if she was honest she’d take the job for free. Her feelings toward Lucy have turned from silly fangirl admiration to full blown passionate love. Lucy is teasing her for now but there is little doubt the two will end up as lovers.

Appendix Two Different Ways to Play Of the joys of Different Time Periods, LARP and PbP

Try Something Different!

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bviously we wouldn’t devote the vast majority of the book to regular Table Top play in the Demi Monde if it wasn’t oodles of fun. However you can have too much of a good thing so here are a few alternative ways to play a Roleplaying Game of Sex and Society.

Alternate Time Periods and Locations

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The default of the Core Rules is the Golden Age of the English Demi Monde. However there is a long history behind the ‘profession’ and it is not only confi ned to England. Here are the rules for adapting the system to different settings in the past present and future.

Where and When? The fi rst thing you must decide is where and when you want to set your ‘alternative’ game of Courtesans. Here are a few ideas. •

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Age of the Hetaera: In the Ancient Greek city states the half whore- half priestess Hetaera can easily be made to work like the Ladies of the Demi Monde. In fact they will have an easier time

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as society is so segregated and marriage is seen as an unfortunate necessity for establishing family lines. Harems: These run from Ancient Persia up to the Medieval and Renaissance Caliphate. Probably limited to a very small pool of set Admirers but enough rival Sisters for some fun bitchiness! Geishas: Similar to Harems but with a little more freedom and association with assassination and other thoroughly unladylike skulduggery that may or may not be warranted. Renaissance Venice Birthplace of the Term: Though spelt slightly differently Courtesan was fi rst widely used in relation to the high class Sisters of Venice. You can easily set your game in this far more romantic location and time period with the bare minimum of tinkering. Court of the Courtesan Queen: There have been a lot of Courtesan like Queens in history. Off the top of my head there is Cleopatra, Catharine the Great of Russia and Catharine Howard of England. Of course they surrounded themselves with Ladies in Waiting of some description who drew in the lovers and watched her back (not very

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well in Catharine Howard’s case.) You can easily run the PCs as these Ladies in Waiting under the direction of a Landlady Character Queen. WAGs: Good God why? Oh well! You can easily use these rules to represent a group of young modern WAGs of premiership footballers as they backstab the Hell out of each other with the aid of Max Clifford and the gutter press. Pick a big notorious name like Cheryl Cole to be Landlady Character.

Cosmetic Changes Obviously all these settings look and feel very different from England’s Golden Age Demi Monde. They may not have too much affect on the Game Mechanics but they are worth looking at. •

Fashion: You don’t really need to be a fashion expert to play or even run Courtesans but some idea of what your Characters are wearing might be useful. If only for describing them teasingly take it off!

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Currency: Yes your money will be handled in Wealth points but you need to know what denominations to talk about in Character.

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Language: As a guy who is fl uent in only English and bad English I cannot possibly expect you to run a game in a foreign language! However there are conventions of address and formality that it may be worth emulating in your native language however weirdly they translate. Of course modern day or future settings aren’t likely to have as much class so fi rst names and base language is fi ne!

So how do you fi nd out this stuff? Do a bit of research. Wiki will do!

More Exotic Settings Want to play Courtesans in a Horror, Fantasy or Science Fiction setting? Check out Courtesans: The Weird and the Wonderful coming soon from Postmortem Studios.

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Mechanical Changes Some settings are just so completely different from the Demi Monde you will have to make a few changes to the rules to refl ect this. •

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Tech Level: Technology will have an impact on the rules for Contraception, Abortion and Child Birth as well as, if you are using them, the Drugs, Maladies and Psychoses Advanced Rules. Bit of tweaking with the mechanics to make them more or less brutal depending on the setting is relatively simple. Up diffi culties or lower them. Improve chances or reduce them: Basic tweaking stuff that most people running games do all the time. If there is demand I shall expand on this on the Blog. Social Attitudes: Anything before the rise of Christianity (or after it moved to the sidelines) will have a very different moral code from the Demi Monde. You may want to refl ect this by modifying what is scandalous and what isn’t.

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Admirer Pool: Some settings, particularly the Harems and Courts of the Courtesan Queens are a little different in that Admirers are procured on a more personal level rather than appealing to all and sundry. In this case throw out the regular Procurement rules for a system for approaching and seducing individuals. Again if there is demand I will work something out for this on the Blog.

LARP Some of you may have been disappointed in the Introduction that this is not a game where you dress up in sexy stockings and corsets and act out the lives of these remarkable Ladies. Well with the LARP rules you can! There are however a few concerns that need to be addressed.

I Know I Know! These rules are unlikely ever to be used due to groups not being able to fi nd enough willing female gamers to make it viable. However they have been included anyway on the off chance. If you do run a successful Courtesans LARP please send us all the juicy details!

Most Important of All Physical contact: Seriously. Everyone must be happy with and agree to the level of physical contact that will go on in the game. It is perfectly possible (if rather dull) to LARP Courtesans with no physical contact at all however most groups would be comfortable with at least very mild petting and possibly kissing. Such rules need to conform with the most conservative choice in the entire group so that there’s no room for confusion. This really is your primary concern for a Courtesans LARP. Sexual harassment suits are nothing to be laughed at and neither are broken friendships or relationship tensions. Example: Bernadette’s group have decided to LARP a Season of their Courtesans game. The Players get together and discuss the boundaries of their game with regards to physical contact. Discussing the preferences of themselves and any Significant Others they all decide that any physical contact will not go beyond light kissing and petting and that if anyone feels someone has crossed that boundary they will get one warning before outright expulsion from the group.

Drag A signifi cant obstacle to LARPing Courtesans is naturally some Players will be male and will have to drag up.

Normally I’d encourage this but with the nature of Courtesans I’d say fi nd a suitable female substitute and play an Admirer for this session. That is only a personal preference though. Whatever you feel comfortable with. Example: This isn’t an issue for Bernadette’s all female group but if there were some gentlemen players Bernadette would have encouraged them to hand over to a female substitute and enjoy themselves playing Admirers. Significant Others Those of you who have signifi cant others or even full blown marriages please discuss the specifi cs of how the group is handling this issue and get them to agree to. Relationships are based on trust. Keeping something like this away from your partner is bad form and it’s your own fault if you suffer consequences from doing so.

Errrrr... Full Contact If you’re the sort of group that’s comfortable with that sort of thing please be my guest! Obviously though stay safe and make sure your hosts are aware of what’s going on (I don’t want emails from angry vicars!)

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Venue

Casting

Obviously you’re going to need something a bit bigger than your regular dingy basement for a LARP. Community halls of various kinds are quite cool as are private function rooms in pubs however Roleplaying, particularly in the light of suspicious games like this, is viewed with ignorance and suspicion by some quarters. You may be best off introducing yourself as a drama group. It’s not a lie as such as there is a lot of drama in Roleplaying but it will spare the inquisition of ignorant owners with preconceived ideas.

Another complication in Live Action Play is that EVERY Character requires a Player to portray him or her.

Do however abide by any ground rules the owners lay down and do not exploit their hospitality even if you are paying for it. Example: Bernadette hires a function room of a local pub under the heading of an “improv drama group.” They will of course abide by any ground rules the owner lays down. These involve noise, not bringing your own food and drink and time so this should be easy enough to abide by.

Phantom Children If you have to cast the Courtesan’s Children cast adults as Children for obvious reasons. Most groups can get away with talking to air or an improvising Chaperone though.

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Clearly with the massive number of Admirers even a starting group can Procure this is going to need a bit of doubling up. In order to keep things effi cient as possible you should cast 1 male for each Player Character at minimum with a female on hand for those who are errr... differently inclined. Each of these “extras” has the unenviable task of playing the Admirers of the appropriate gender for their assigned Courtesan. You can swop between Turns if you feel better that way! Example: Bernadette and the girls invite a gentleman each to play their Courtesans’ Admirers. John, Will, Arthur, Dennis, Dave, Bob and Steven get dressed up in all their Georgian finery and join the lovely Ladies. Also Mary brings in her friend Pat to play Lucy’s Retainer Bridget. Retainers If you are using the Retainer rules cast someone to play each. They may seem like side Characters but in a LARP they are likely to be more often in their employer’s company. No not necessarily in bed!

Set You can easily run a Courtesans LARP with a few well placed chairs and a bit of imagination but where is the fun in that? Even a little effort on a “set” a table cloth, some patterned sheets a couple of saucy line drawings or paintings on the walls. It really adds to the atmosphere. One thing though make sure your venue are okay with it before you start wheeling in thumping great pieces of set! Example: Bernadette checks with her venue before deciding on what set pieces to move in. They are happy with anything relatively portable so up goes their Character art, a few tables are draped with tacky cloths and scatter cushions and bean bags are spread liberally around for the beds and sofas. When it gets to the Cyprian Ball the cushions and chairs will be moved out of the way to create a dance floor.

Costume LARP wouldn’t be LARP without Costume. Each of the Courtesans’ Players is responsible for her own costume. I appreciate 18th or 19th Century wear can be hard to fi nd but check out charity shops, fancy dress and dare I say? Fetish stores! You should be able to come up with something even if it’s not 100% historically accurate.

Don’t sweat it the history ninjas won’t be after you for wearing a 19th Century style ball gown in an 18th Century game. Purists may complain but frankly fuck em! Example: Bernadette’s group all manage to find something appropriate for their characters to wear. Furthermore all the gents playing the Admirers find something that suits too. Now Bernadette just has to squeeze herself into her corset!

Chaperones A Landlady cannot be everywhere at once in a Live Action Game. Hence she will need assistants, the Chaperones. They don’t necessarily play any actual Character but they stand in for the Landlady when she is busy dealing with other Ladies. Choose wisely me dears they have a lot of power! Bernadette brings in a couple of work friends Stacy and Lulu to act as Chaperones. She hopes this will be enough! Nudity Agreeing on just how much you are willing to ‘bare for your art’ is almost as important as setting the ground rules on Physical Contact. Come to an agreement involving all relevant parties. This includes your hosts who may not appreciate the thought of people stripping off in their hall/function room!

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Mechanical Changes Naturally if you are on your feet (or your back) it may be diffi cult to roll some bones. As such the following changes are made so you can resolve actions quickly on your feet (or as I said on your back.) Hand Signals: In LARP Hand Signals are needed to communicate things quickly and effectively. Courtesans uses 3 hand signals. These are... Out of Character: Saying or doing something Out of Character requires you to make an O shape with thumb and forefi nger. Whilst this sign is made you are yourself not your Character. Come Hither: If you wish to summon an Admirer you wolf whistle point at the Admirer Player of the relevant gender, call out the name of the Admirer you are summoning and wiggle your fi nger towards yourself in the archetypical seductive manner. Summon Landlady/ Chaperone: Stick up your hand and whistle normally (as opposed to the wolf whistle you use above.) Wait patiently to be served. If your arm gets tired tell the Landlady afterwards (politely) that she really needs more Chaperones!

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Keep the Book Keeping out of the Play Area There are a few things best left to regular Tabletop Resolution, namely the Book Keeping side of the Season: Procurement and every Phase after the end of the Cyprian ball. Resolve these as if it were a Tabletop game (or by PbP as below.) If a Courtesan wishes to Procure during play she takes Time Out (see Structural Changes) and rolls the dice on a pre set side table under the supervision of a Chaperone. Example: Bernadette’s group make their Procurement rolls before the game. As she failed hers Louise takes Time Out to make another retiring with Stacy to a side table to roll the dice. After the LARP wraps up Bernadette arranges for the girls to meet up and sort out all the consequences. The Dominance of Dialogue LARP favours Dialogue over mechanics. Challenges are only made when both parties agree they have Roleplayed to the point where it is needed to resolve an issue. Example: Lucy is up to her old tricks and is trying to Seduce the increasingly dotty Jessica. The Players of both Characters play through the scene complete with flirty banter and mild petting until they both decide to resolve it with an Intrigue calling over a Chaperone and the Landlady.

Pleasing When you get to a point where you wish to involve the rules in a Pleasing Action call over the Landlady or a Chaperone. The Courtesan’s player must narrate how she goes (or in the case of extended dialogue type action how she has gone) about Pleasing. She is then scored by the Landlady out of 6 which acts like her dice roll. In return the Admirer scores an inverse out of 6 (low for high and high for low) and that is applied as his dice roll. Example: After a charming flirty conversation with the young Lord Curtfield Matti’s player calls Lulu over to resolve her effectiveness. Lulu listens to Coco’s description of the conversation and gives her a solid 4 out of 6. Added to Matti’s Charm of 5 and Good At Charming Eccentricity this gives her a total of 10. Will, playing Curtfield judges that while Curtfield is not exactly smitten by the girl he is at least intrigued. He scores her an average 3 which is added to his Pliability of 1 giving him a total of 4. Normally this would give Matti 6 Resources but as she has succeeded with her Strong Statistic she doubles that to a whopping 12! See below.

Intrigues Intrigues require two Chaperones or a Chaperone and a Landlady to resolve. Both Courtesans give their account of their actions and how they believe they are infl uencing the other. One staff member scores one Courtesan out of 6 and the other scores the second Courtesan out of 6. Winning has the usual Margin of Success modifi ed as above for Strong or Weak Statistics. Example: Despite the risk of challenging her Strong Statistic Lucy attempts to tempt dear dotty Jessica to bed again. The players call over Stacy and Bernadette to adjudicate. Lucy’s Player Daisy describes in evocative detail how she is playing mind games with the ailing Jessica, playing on their previous tryst a couple of years back. This impresses Stacy who scores her performance a 5 which added to Lucy’s Charm of 5 and Very Good At Outright Seduction gives her a total of 12. In response Jessica’s Player Louise gives a convincing defence of how Jessica has been hurt by Lucy in the past and how her Dementia addled mind is all over the place at the moment. Bernadette scores this a 4 which added to Jessica’s Manners of 5 and Good At Resisting Seduction gives her a total of 10. Lucy thus wins by 2 taking 2 of Jessica’s Wealth points and dragging her to bed.

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Interrupting You may not interrupt another Player’s interaction with any other Character. It’s unladylike. If they are conversing socially you may wait for them to fi nish speaking before politely interjecting. If they are in private with an Admirer or a Sister they are off limits. This rule is there to promote Ladylike behaviour. DO NOT ABUSE IT! You should be sure that your Courtesan is on her own for at least some of the Time In. You have to give the girls a sporting chance!

Aiding Aiding is rare and strange! When Aiding the Courtesan being Aided scores the Courtesan Aiding out of 6 based on her performance whilst a Chaperone or Landlady inversely (low high and high low) scores the Courtesan being aided out of 6 and, where appropriate sets the Diffi culty Level which she keeps secret from the Players to avoid cheating.

There are of course two exceptions to this: Spying and Poaching. If you wish to make a Spying Intrigue against a Courtesan summon a two Chaperones or a Chaperone and Landlady and whisper that you are Spying on which ever Sister you wish to. The Offi cials shall then score your spying narration against what they know of the target’s level of distraction. Win or lose the target must be informed of her Resource change. Poaching is where you can be REALLY rude. Once you are aware of one of her Visiting Admirers you may summon him/her yourself or interject when he/she is socialising or conversing with the rival (not when they’re in bed though that is so wrong!) From then on in it is resolved as any other Intrigue. Expect to get slapped whatever happens!

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Example: Seeing distress Matti offers her “aunty” Annie one of her back rubs. The Players call Lulu over. She first rules that the Difficulty Level is 3 but keeps this secret to avoid cheating. Matti’s Player describes undressing Annie and slowly caressing her back with her skilled touch. Sarah, Annie’s Player thinks Annie would probably enjoy this so marks it a 4 out of 6 which Added to Matti’s Prowess 3 and Good At Sensitive Touch gives a total of 8. In return Lulu marks Coco’s description a 2 (remember low high and high low.) Added to the difficulty this is 5 meaning Annie gains 2 Resources which she takes in Wealth. Matti gains the +1 Legend +1 Reputation bonuses as normal.

Strong and Weak Stats in LARP In Tabletop the rules for Strong and Weak Statistics are tied to dice. In the LARP version they are tied to Margins of Success. Succeeding with your Strong Statistic doubles your Margin of success. Failure with your Weak Statistic doubles your opponent’s Margin of Success. This only matters in an Intrigue. In any other failure with your Weak Statistic your weakness is gossiped about widely resulting in the loss of 1 Reputation.

Drug Use In the LARP version Drug Use is almost completely devoid of reliance on Statistics. When your Courtesan wishes to use a Drug call over a Chaperone or Landlady and play rock- paper-scissors. If you win you are under the normal effects if the Chaperone or Landlady wins you have Overdosed. Ties redraw. If your Strong Statistic is Prowess or you have Good At Drug resistance you are entitled to a rematch. These stack so for example a Professional gets 1 rematch +1 if she’s Good At Drug resistance or +2 if she’s Very Good At Drug Resistance for a total of +3 rematches. Example: Lilly is hitting the bottle again drinking herself insensible on the House Sherry. Her Player, Mary calls Stacy over and plays rockpaper scissors. Stacy wins initially but with Good At Drug Resistance Lilly gets a rematch which she wins. She is thus mildly tipsy for the time predetermined by the Landlady for Drug effects. Drugs in LARP: Expense and Addiction Drugs cost the same in LARP as they do in Table Top but this is measured by the number of times you Test not the now nonexistent Turns. Of course this may mean you end up taking (and thus paying) for more or less than is usual in a Table Top Game. Furthermore the various Addiction rules need to be adapted for LARP. The best way of doing this is to rule that your Addict Character may not spend more than 20 minutes without taking a Test. You only Test once for one Drug Duration effect.

Turn Structure The strict Turn Structure and order of play for the 7 Turns is not really conductive to LARP. So dump it. Yes seriously! No Turns! Have fun! So Wait How Does Everything Work Then? Well yes I admit we are throwing out a lot of the stuff that makes this mad system make sense here! However if you bear with me I shall try my best to explain... Time Keeping Well the Table Top system takes liberties with the space time continuum but LARP compresses a whole year of drama into a few hours of LARP! It does however feel more like real time without Turns and it does use time constraints in the following ways. Conversation: Conversation is obviously real time as indeed it is in Table Top. It is however pretty much the only thing that happens in real time.

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Busy: Some actions such as Pleasing, Aiding or Seduction Intrigues too complicated or outrageous to actually act out in full will require the Player or Players to take some time out in a “Busy” status representing the time she takes for her task whatever it is. The Landlady sets a Busy Standard at the start of the Game. We recommend 10 minutes. Missing Actions/ Turns: Any affect where you would usually miss an action sit out of the game for the Busy time. Missing Turns puts you out for the Drug Duration time. Drug Duration: Drug effects have a Duration set by the Landlady at the start of the Game. As this is usually double the Busy time we recommend 20 minutes. Time In/Time Out: The Landlady sets a Time to “Time In” and “Time Out” during which the Turns Phase is played (without the Turns.) We recommend 2 hours. Assuming you have your venue for about 3-4 hours this should give you time to gather, play, run the Cyprian Ball (which is really quick see below) and tidy up. In theory! Winchmore Hill may well be the wife swapping capital of the world but I don’t move in those circles so these LARP rules are just theory tested rather than practice tested. Sorry!

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Example: Bernadette sets a 2 hour period “Timed in” and follows my examples of a 10 minute Busy Standard and 20 minute Drug Duration. Pestering the Busy If a Courtesan is Busy normally she is illegible for targeting with an Intrigue. However you may Spy on her (quite easily as the Player has nothing else to worry about) or Poach an Admirer (that isn’t one she’s currently Pleasing.) Obviously if you are going for a “full contact” game this will not be possible: Give ‘em some privacy!

Time Keeping Some of these effects last a set amount of time. Time fl ies when you’re having awesome LARP fun! Therefore you need some way of counting down the minutes while you focus on Playing your Character (or Out of Character Chatter in the case of Busy.) You could go all “authentic” and buy everyone hourglasses of the requisite periods but this is the 21st Century: Pretty much everybody has a mobile phone (cell phone if you’re American) with a countdown facility. Yes it might break immersion a bit when drunk Lilly’s mobile goes off to indicate she’s sobered up but it’s a small price to pay really.

FREEDOM! The best thing about losing the Turns is the remarkable freedom it grants you. You can circulate, interact and of course Please and Intrigue to your heart’s content. You can potentially get in more actions than you would in a Table Top Season or you can take things at a more relaxed pace and focus on Roleplaying over mechanics. The choice is yours. Bernadette’s group relish the freedom granted to them. They circle each other and the Admirer Players in a web of passion, deceit and Intrigue that would be quite overwhelming to any onlookers. Concluding When Time Out is called take a breather, prepare your play area and make ready for the Cyprian Ball.

Cyprian Ball Structure The Cyprian Ball retains some of its Table Top Structure but is here adapted to the needs of LARP. Entrance Sort out the Reputation bonuses on paper beforehand. As for the Courtesans actually entering, have them enter with their partners in Initiative Order with a Chaperone, or Spare Admirer or Retainer Player acting as announcer. Example: As Bob was assigned to play Lucy’s male Admirers he hasn’t done much tonight so he takes the role of announcer announcing the couples as they enter the ball room. Bernadette’s: Group enter the Cyprian ball in Initiative order. •

Audience With a few very theatrical exceptions (Tough Justice being one) LARP is not a spectator sport, particularly in this case where multiple stories are being played out at once. Events of a LARP could make good inspiration for a straight play though. Just remember to narrow the character focus.

First Lucy appears leading a bashful Brigit. 7- Brigit’s Pliability 3 +2 for her Lover Archetype gives a total of +6 to Lucy’s Reputation. Lucy being a woman gives Lucy +1 Scandal but since when has she cared?

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Next the two Goldenhearts Matti and Annie enter together. Annie’s current Reputation is 40 and Matti’s 26 which are added together for 66 then added to the total of their two Scandals 4 for 70 then divided by 4 for 17.5 rounded up to +18 Reputation each. However they both gain +2 Scandal for this stunt which they may regret later. Then Lilly staggers in with notorious Fop Director Mr Lucas Keith. 7- Lucas’ Pliability of 2 + 1 for his Fop Archetype gives her a Reputation bonus of +6. Bella brings in her latest squeeze Monsieur Philippe Pholli. 7- Philippe’s Pliability of 1 +2 for his Lover Archetype gives a total of +8 to her Reputation. Jessica brings in a clueless Lady Letti Leigh. 7- Letti’s Pliability 3+ 3 for her Saviour Archetype +2 for her title gives Jessica a total of +9 to her Reputation. She also gains a Scandal point for bringing a woman. Finally Maud enters with her Keeper Sir Walter. 7Walter’s Pliability 2+ 2 for his Lover Archetype +1 for his title gives Maud a total of +8 Reputation.

All of these, of course were worked out on paper before the action began. In the actual LARP the Characters simply enter and mingle oblivious to the game mechanics in the background. Dancing Get yourself some period appropriate dance music and trip the light fantastic with your partners! Go on you know you want to! After the ghastly display of geeky lack of co-ordination is over a Pleasing action is resolved. For each Courtesan with an Admirer this is resolved as normal. For Courtesans partnered with each other each makes an Aiding action on the other with the assistance of a Chaperone. Poaching is resolved as it would be during the “Turns” sequence with two Chaperones adjudicating. Obviously during the dance the Poacher must have cut in on her target. All hands on deck! You will have some spare Admirer and Retainer Players hanging around at this point. Put them to work as stand in Chaperones just to make things run more smoothly.

Example: The dance begins! Stacy puts some appropriate music on the CD player. The Ladies and their Admirers dance until the track ends. Then the Chaperones (and leftover Admirer Players) have to sort out this mess! Well not much of a mess as most of the Couples are simple AdmirerCourtesan couples that can be resolved simply and easily. However there’s always someone to spoil it. Annie and Matti are easy enough to resolve as each makes her Aiding action scored by the other and a Chaperone. The real bugger is Bella Poaching Jessica’s Lady Friend. The Intrigue that results is resolved by Stacy and Lulu by the performance in the dance and further description of each Lady’s attempt to win the confused Saviour’s favour. Bella wins narrowly by 2 gaining 2 Resources from Jessica, suffering +1 Scandal and causing Jessica to run home in tears. Lady Letti takes up with the charming commoner and Philippe leaves muttering “fuck zis shit.”

Courtesan- Courtesan Couples resolve a Comfort Sex Aiding action on each other in turn. Example: The various Courtesans take their Admirers somewhere private and resolve Pleasing actions on them. Matti and Annie’s players are taken aside by Bernadette who helps them resolve the final outcome of the building sexual tension between these two very close women in mechanical terms. She provides the balancing score in both Courtesans’ Aiding actions.

Wrapping Up Once you have fi nished your Cyprian ball make sure you tidy your venue up and take all your belongings with you. Later the core cast of the Landlady and Player Courtesans will meet to arrange the “Book Keeping” phases. Example: The Group tidies and packs up before thanking the owner for their hospitality and leaving. Later Bernadette gathers the Player Courtesans for the “Book Keeping” Phases.

Debauchery! This is resolved exactly as if it were a normal Pleasing action in the “Turns” Phase if it is an AdmirerCourtesan Couple.

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Play by Post As modern life gets ever more busy people have less and less time to spend on the good stuff like Roleplaying. Fun as they are, Tabletop and LARP games take a bit of organisation and rely on getting all your Players in the same room at the same time. There is an alternative. The internet isn’t just for “research” for this game you know. You can set up a free forum much like the one I link on the last page and run the game as a Play by Post or PbP for short. This involves a few considerations that are slightly different than those of a standard game. Dice You will of course need to use an online dice roller program of some sort. Personally I fi nd www. invisiblecastle.com the best but the choice is yours! Dithering Often PbP games have a pace that has been described by some pundits as ‘glacial.’ Your players need incentive to post promptly when their turn comes. Set a reasonable time limit (on Courtesans Online this is 24hrs.) If the needed post isn’t made in that time the Courtesan is fi ned 1 Reputation and the clock starts again. After 3 Reputation has been lost their turn is simply skipped.

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Do be reasonable about this have an absences thread for letting the group know the post will be delayed and email and PM reminders. Writing it up It is a lot easier to polish up an Actual Play (an account of a Roleplaying Game in progress) when every action is recorded for posterity on a web forum. Please do and send me links! Anonymity The anonymity of teh internetz is responsible for a lot of stupid shit. Just load up a YouTube video, any YouTube video and read the comments. However there is a good side to anonymity too especially in a sex based RPG like this one. You can be a lot bolder with people you are unlikely to meet for real than your friends. So long as everyone is okay with the taste level or lack of one this can be a lot of fun. Ranks Some forums have a ranking system. It may be nice to use this in the game in some way but this is just a suggestion.

Appendix Three Season Process Summary A Handy Little Landlady’s Guide to how a Season Works

Initiative Initiative Order is by Origin and goes • Upstarts • Goldenhearts • Actresses • Professionals • Fallen Ladies • Schemers Clashes are resolved by an Initiative modified roll off.

Free Procurement Each Courtesan makes a free Procurement action. Best to roll this before the game session so you can prepare Admirers.

Post Hand out Letters of Introduction and Personal Correspondence. Have each Courtesan make her Scrutiny roll now.

7 Turns Each Courtesan has 2 actions of her Choice a Turn taken in sequence. Thus... Upstarts Action 1 Goldenhearts Action 1 Actresses Action 1 Professionals Action 1 Fallen Ladies Action 1 Schemers Action 1 Upstarts Action 2 Goldenhearts Action 2 Actresses Action 2 Professionals Action 2 Fallen Ladies Action 2 Schemers Action 2

After all the Player Courtesans have acted the Landlady Character may make a single action. Remember Actresses have +1 to Please the particularly religious and Upstarts have +1 to Intrigue Goldenhearts.

Cyprian Ball Chose Partner A Courtesan must have Invited a Partner with a Pleasing or Aiding Action in Turn 7. If she has not she misses the Phase. Inviting someone other than the Keeper whilst Kept +1 Scandal and breach of Contract Inviting a woman +1 Scandal Inviting an Admirer in an Immoral Occupation +1 Scandal Inviting an Admirer in a Closed Marriage +1 Scandal Admirer Scandal stacks! Inviting a Sister Courtesan +2 Scandal Apart from Breach of Contract this Scandal does not cause Spurning or Arrest and cannot be used against a Courtesan in an Intrigue.

Entrance Admirer • Subtract the Admirer’s Pliability from 7. • Add +1 if he is a Reverend, has a military officer rank or a Noble title up to Baronet. • Add +2 if he is a Bishop or a Noble from Lord up to Count. • Add +3 if he is a Noble from Earl up to Duke. • Add +4 if he is a member of the Royal Family • Add +5 if he is in a major Public Office (King, Queen, Prince of Wales, Prime Minister, Archbishop of Canterbury etc.) • Add +1 if he is a Student or a Fop. • Add +2 if he is a Lover. • Add +3 if he is a Saviour. • Modify this by the Margin of Success or failure of your Strong Statistic+ dice versus the Landlady’s dice+3. The final result is added to your Courtesan’s Reputation. Courtesan • Add together the two Courtesans’ current Reputation points. • Add together the two Courtesans’ current Scandal points. • Divide the result by 4 and round up. •

Dancing Admirer: Dancing Pleasing action. Failure doesn’t cause Spurning. Courtesan: Dance With me Aiding Action (both.)

Debauchery Admirer: Sex Act Pleasing Action. Failure doesn’t cause Spurning. Courtesan: Both Courtesans make a Comfort Sex Aiding action.

Pregnancy Go through notes; roll a dice for each Straight Sex encounter: 1 or 2 means Pregnancy. Non Fallen Ladies can ignore 1 ‘Positive’ result per Season. Tell Father • Proposal: Single hopeless romantics propose Marriage. If accepted the Courtesan is removed from the game. If refused she is paid off. • Pay Off: Courtesan receives 6-Father’s Pliability Wealth. • Abandoned: Admirer vanishes. No benefit. Keep Mum +1 Legend and Reputation but also +1 Scandal.

Abortion Goldenhearts can’t use this. • Qualified Gentleman or Lady: Costs 1 Wealth. Roll dice+ Patient’s Prowess versus dice +3. Failure means Infertility. Courtesans who roll a 1 die. • Doctor: Costs 2 Wealth+ 1 Influence. Roll dice+ Patient’s Prowess versus dice+1. Failure means Infertility no risk of death. Make a note of Order of Conception.

Learning Curve Each Courtesan gains a new Good At or may upgrade an existing Good At to Very Good At.

Contract Resolution All Courtesans who kept Contracts gain 7- Admirer’s Pliability Wealth. Professionals gain a dice roll of Reputation. Actresses lose a dice roll of Reputation.

Will Making • • • •

Resources may be left to any Sister Courtesan in proportions (rounding up.) All debts default to the Landlady Character. Children must be appointed a Guardian. Courtesans getting married may not leave Resources to other Sisters and she may not leave money to them

Expenses Rent: Each Courtesan must pay the Landlady Character 1 Wealth in rent each Season. Being Damn Good: For each Statistic of 4 the Courtesan must pay 1 Wealth: If she cannot the Statistic drops to 3 through neglect of the area. If the Statistic dropped or raised to 4 this Season she does not need to pay until next. Being the Best: For each Statistic of 5 the Courtesan must pay 2 Wealth: If she cannot the Statistic drops to 4 out of neglect of the area. Seasonal Upkeep of a Child: For each Child the Courtesan has had to care for this Season she must spend 1 Wealth. Seasonal Upkeep of a Handicapped Child: For each Handicapped Child the Courtesan has had to care for this Season she must spend 2 Wealth. Staff Wages: The Landlady must pay 1 Wealth a Season for the wages of the servants.

Rewards

Childbirth

Biggest Legend: +1 Influence Most Notorious Reputation: +1 Wealth Highest Earner: +1 Reputation Highest Influence: +1 Legend Most Scandalous Hussy: +1 Scandal

Birth

Biggest Slut: +1 Reputation Incest Award: +1 Reputation Biggest Procurer: +1 Reputation Best Pleaser: +1 Legend Best Intriguer: +1 Reputation Best Aider: +1 Legend Most Overblown Formal Dialogue Award: +1 Influence Vulgar Tart Award: +1 Scandal The “Oh my good God you didn’t” Award: +1 to all 5 Resources

Investments Invest Resources as desired. Fallen Ladies subtract 1 from the cost all Wealth Investments that cost Multiple Wealth and Schemers do the same for Influence Investment.

Redemption All Courtesans who purchased a Redemptive Investment may attempt Redemption. Dice+ Manners or Performance against dice+ 2 per point of Scandal to be redeemed: Success redeems all target Scandal. Failure has no effect. Either way a Courtesan loses a point of Reputation.

In order of Conception ties broken by Prowess or roll off. Birth is dice+ Prowess versus dice+ 2. Fail means Complications

Complications Table Dice Roll Effect 1 Double Tragedy: Both mother and baby die. The Sisters must pay 2 Wealth (total not each) to bury them both properly or they all lose a Point of Legend. The mother is removed from the game (see Goodbyes.) 2 Tragedy: The mother dies but the baby lives. The Sisters can give the baby up for adoption without penalty as it isn’t theirs but if a Sister wishes to adopt it she gains +1 Reputation and +1 Legend though she has to support it financially. One Sister must pay 1 Wealth for the burial of the mother or every Sister loses 1 Reputation. The mother is removed from the game (see Goodbyes.) 3 Stillborn: The baby is stillborn. The mother must pay 1 Wealth for the proper burial of her child or lose 1 Legend by dumping it in Crossbones.

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Massive Complications: The mother very nearly dies but she survives by the skin of her teeth. She misses the first 3 turns of her next Season making her free Procurement once her Sisters have finished their third turn. Infertile: Something goes drastically wrong and the mother loses her ability to conceive. Complications: It is a very difficult birth and the mother is grievously harmed. She must miss the first of the next Season’s 7 Turns making her free Procurement once her Sisters have finished their first turn.

Waist Size: Hourglass Waist -1 Complications Table roll, Child Bearing Waist +1. Midwifery: Midwives use their Prowess in place of the Courtesan’s.

Children Gender: Roll a dice 1-3 girl, 4-6 boy. Health: Roll a dice. If a 1 is rolled the Child is Handicapped. Handicap Table Dice Roll Effect 1 Cerebral Palsy: The poor Child is born with severe motor dysfunction. Physical action is impaired greatly.

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Down’s Syndrome: The Child has the distinctive physical appearance of the chromosomal dysfunction along with greatly reduced mental capacity. Blind: The Child is born blind. Visual perception is thus impossible. Deaf: The Child cannot hear and must be taught to lip read or sign to make up for it. Porphyria: The Child has the congenital illness Porphyria. This makes him mildly allergic to alcohol, sensitive to bright light and most disturbingly prone to psychosis. George III was the most famous sufferer. Learning Difficulty: The Child appears normal but has a learning difficulty that may make a particular kind of learning or play difficult. Examples include dyslexia and dyspraxia as well as autistic spectrum disorders. Note that none of these were properly understood at the time.

Survival Each non newborn rolls a dice+ Health versus an unmodified dice. Failure means the child dies.

Growing up Increase the age of the child by one year.

Afterward From a Good Read and a Joke That’s how this sordid little madam began.

My typical bedtime reading is quite varied. As well as Roleplaying Games of both Postmortem and others I read a wide variety of books from the classics to the science fiction greats. From serious scholarly works of history, philosophy and theology to the trashy fun of the emerging “history with monsters” sub genre. Katie Hickman’s Courtesans is a remarkable scholarly achievement in history that compresses the biographies of five of the greatest Ladies of the Demi Monde into a neat little paperback that is just as entertaining for the casual reader as it is useful to a historian of the period. By a remarkable coincidence I was reading Hickman’s book just when the shit hit the fan over Grim’s I’m a Gamer and I like Breasts article on the Postmortem Studios blog. I don’t usually lay in to such arguments for two reasons. 1) If people are determined to be offended there is usually no reasoning with them. 2) You really shouldn’t be complaining about the details of RPGs: The price maybe the details no. Systems can easily be realigned to suit your group with House Rules. Settings can be likewise rewritten to suit your own tastes. Art and layout are shiny and all but they’re not what you bought the book for. You want to play the game. Don’t like something? Change it! That is the biggest plus point of the medium to me. However I couldn’t help but laugh at what was being spouted by these people. Lady Cecilia from Tough Justice would call some of their claims laughable and excessive. So I did lay in, in a way that I thought was typical Postmortem. I began to plan a game based around the Demi Monde I had been reading about. A Roleplaying Game of Sex and Society: Courtesans was born.

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Like most new ideas of mine it rapidly took shape while I was supposed to be doing something else (i.e. Tough Justice.) Soon this parallel project was a semi functional system. With a brief break to get Tough Justice finished Courtesans was soon well on its way to completion.

The Game

Courtesans is very much Tough Justice’s naughty sister. Something of an inevitability with overlapping settings (not to mention Characters with Annie and Matti showing up) and a similar Extended Social Conflict set up. There are however some important differences. 1) Tone: Courtesans is more “merry romp with cartoon harlots” than anything else. As such I don’t have a Statistic Decay mechanic in the core rules and the whole thing reads as more silly and light hearted. I’m not saying you can’t play Courtesans straight. On the country when you lose your best friend and your most loved Child in the course of a single Season it’s EPICLY tragic and heartbreaking but for the most of the time your game anecdotes would be about who was sleeping with who and who managed to double cross who in the most epic fashion. 2) Adversarial x10: Adversarial games are nothing new to Roleplaying. Tough Justice was unusual in that it had the Players in set Teams but Courtesans is more along the lines of your typical backstabber with everyone for themselves. However I think the lack of physical combat makes this even more Adversarial than other games. In Paranoia or Invaderz you can just zap someone when they piss you off in Courtesans you are forced to live with the bitch for years on end Intriguing and counter Intriguing until you ruin each other. This to me sounds like much more fun than just “die traitor!” Also with the emotional instability of most Courtesans a pair can go from sworn enemies, to best friends to passionate lovers within the course of single Season! Even with my alternative Courtesans settings PVP will never be violent. Just VERY bitchy! 3) Overpowered?: With Investments it is VERY easy to Advance your Character in Courtesans. However by the same measure it also costs you to maintain Statistics of 4 or 5. Not much at first but boy does it mount up! Not to mention the risk of pregnancy putting a further financial burden on your Character. Much like the real Demi Monde my Demi Monde is a massive fucking debt trap!

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4) Classes: I thought Courtesans worked best with defined Classes so I created the Origins based on literary and historic archetypes. Some say Classes limit creativity but I disagree. Both of my play tests had two sets of Courtesans of the same Origin. None of these Characters were anything like their counterparts: Mechanically, tactically or in terms of personality. 5) Lethality: This surprised me too but apparently it’s more dangerous being a Courtesan than working in 18th Century Law and Order with its 200+ capital crimes. Go figure! Once again I have used the bare bones of Beer and Crisps to do my own thing and I am quite pleased with how it has turned out. Another thing I have experimented with is writing out dice in full rather than using d6. It hasn’t made writing any slower and it makes the book more accessible to noobs. It has my seal of approval if any of my fellow games designers actually respect that. As a final note on the game itself I wanted to explore doing non historic settings but I have decided to do that separately for 2 reasons. 1) Page Count: Serious issue here. With more art than dear old Tough Justice as well as more ‘meaty’ text blocks Courtesans was always going to be a long book. Adding on another 100+ pages of material including a whopping 36 full page illustrations would make it a massive brick that would be priced out of our market range and somewhat unsightly to boot. 2) Pure History: History RPG buffs don’t get a lot of love from the RPG market being an even smaller niche than Indy Gamers but I thought to be fair to them I’d separate the history farce from the fantastical. Keep an eye out for Courtesans: The Weird and the Wonderful.

Issues

Whereas Tough Justice was, while grimly light hearted, a game about death Courtesans is a somewhat jollier affair. However many people die horribly life always goes on and there is another amorous adventure waiting round the corner. Even in its darkest hours Courtesans has a very chipper joie de vive much like the really irritating perky Goldenheart who is always telling you not to worry because something will turn up. However Courtesans does highlight serious issues that I shall address in my usual full and frank manner.

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Prostitution

From the moment I got knowledge of this practice I completely failed to see what was wrong with it. So long as hygiene is a watchword and all parties consent it is a personal service like any other. Some may question it on moral or spiritual grounds and that is there right but that right does not extend to forcing their ‘standards’ upon others by the heavy handed use of the law. And to those people I say this. Is Prostitution any more wrong than marriage without love? I’m not just talking about the height of the Demi Monde with its aristocratic dynasties I’m talking about today with its convenient matches and ‘safety nets.’ Of all the marriages I’ve encountered only a tiny proportion are actually based on genuine love which to me seems to be a considerably rare commodity. Furthermore are those incapable, through mental or physical illness, to establish a proper relationship supposed to be celibate all their lives? The modern ‘Town’ provides these poor souls a life line no one else dare give them. After all, as I have experienced myself, the disabled are often treated like pure innocent little children. We’re not, so stop it!

Marriage

I started to outline my opinion in the segment above but I don’t necessarily have a problem with marriage. It is a lovely idea if somewhat naive and unrealistic given human nature. What I can’t stand is prostitution dressed as marriage, or worse outright slavery dressed as marriage (usually of women but this is the age of equal opportunities in bad ways as well as good.) This is an outright insult to the spirit of the institution. If you marry for convenience, power or wealth you are not only effectively prostituting yourself you are insulting every loving couple that is married on the planet. Think on that before you make such a stupid decision. Also it needs to be recognised that marriage is not for everyone. Taking myself as an example my personality is so outright toxic that I have enough trouble with the family I have without voluntarily adding more thank you very much! Not everyone who has a problem with getting married has that problem for my rather stupid reason, but they all have their reasons and they should be respected for them.

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Family

Never really seen the benefit of the family: For all the champions of the Right go on and on about the importance of a nuclear family just as many arseholes grow up to married parents as grow up to single mothers on council estates. Its personality and parenting that shape a young life not the presence or lack of a parent. For all her obvious faults Bella Bifford is a better mother than most people I know have.

Homosexuality

I think Lucy McBrien speaks for me here. Why should anyone care about the anatomical arrangement of the one you love and how it compares to your own? What goes on between you and your lover is entirely your affair and not the affair of any private moraliser or worse the state. Game rules against same-sex relationships in this game are harsh because that’s what the setting is like not because I or the studio have any agenda against such relationships. Homosexuals have just as much of a right to express their love as straight people have: That there are still people today, and likely will still be people forever more who don’t get that is rather disgusting.

God

I’m well aware from cold hard statistics that the majority of you reading this think God is just as fictional as any of the Characters I have created herein if not more so. I don’t share this view but I respect it. God isn’t for everyone. If he was there would be no point in the mortal world. Anyway as a Church of England Christian how can I justify the opinions I have outlined above? Well a few points. •

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On Prostitution: Jesus recognised that we are all sinners and even counted a Prostitute among his closest followers (though amusingly some on the right try to deny she was.) He wouldn’t approve of Prostitution but if a Prostitute professes genuine faith in Him and the core of His teachings and truly repented of her sins He will be happy to call her a Christian. On Marriage: Paul is characteristically bombastic (and being a bachelor somewhat hypocritical) about the thing but Jesus said something that blows the whole thing out of the water namely ‘there is no marriage in Heaven.’ It is an Earthly institution that has little meaning to God when we get down to it.

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On Family: Jesus may seem like a bit of a bad parenting counsellor at times. ‘Spare the rod’ comes to mind particularly but if you have a look at his overall attitude he calls for a balance of discipline and love much like modern parenting gurus. Yes he does have a very backwards view of family roles but this is 2000 year old carpenter from Palestine. Homosexuality: Jesus himself is curiously silent on the matter. Later scholars and again old bonkers Paul attributed ‘Sexual Immorality’ to homosexual activity but they are paraphrasing in a way that a historian would instantly seize upon.

Agenda

As I have repeatedly told people on forums, email and the blog, Postmortem has no agenda. We write games and take the piss out of things that we find funny. Occasionally we raise issues and offer our own views on them but we aren’t telling you what to think we write Roleplaying games not manifestos! Grim’s a bit of lefty and I’m the world’s only (to my knowledge) Autistic Nationalist but our games aren’t left or right wing and don’t really mean anything. They’re about having fun. Making you think is an (un)fortunate byproduct!

So what’s next?

Once Courtesans: The Weird and the Wonderful is done I shall rustle up a couple of Shadow World products before working on A Landlady’s Guide to Eligible Gentlemen, the Novelizations and Scandal Sheets. I also have plans to open up the Tough Justice system to alternative settings but nothing on paper yet.

Ian Warner

So until next time stay naughty me dears!

Ian Warner Postmortem Studios

Author and Publicity Monkey

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Coming Soon From Postmortem

Our Sister Game in the “Beer and Crisps” System Tough Justice

For over a century a Bloody Code held sway over the English Justice System. Over 200 crimes carried the penalty of death. Some were understandable; some were weird but had a perverse logic to them but most were just completely INSANE! In Tough Justice you take on the roles of a Barrister and his associates as you fight tooth and nail either to save a life or end it at the end of a rope. Go on! Buy it! Stop hanging around!

Support Products for This Game Courtesans: The Weird and the Wonderful

Maybe history isn’t your thing. I can respect that. So here I offer 3 alternative ways to play Courtesans. In Courtesans: The Weird and the Wonderful you can • Play a seductive, secretive, bloodsucking, immortal temptress in a dark reflection of our world in Vampire: Courtesans. • Play an adventurous harlot in search of fame, power and fortune in a mock Heroic Fantasy setting or your own in Fantasy Courtesans. • Revel in the blind stupidity of human kind in the totalitarian nightmare setting of Courtesans 20,000 or a Science Fiction setting of your choice. Part supplement, part “director’s cut” and all sex, intrigue and violence: Even if you are married to the history setting you may want to at least flirt with this tempting little hussy!

A Landlady’s Guide to Eligible Gentlemen

Calling all Landladies! Are you sick to death of that irritating Upstart with 15 Scandal and rising? Well my dear madam look no further than A Landlady’s Guide to Eligible Gentlemen a whopping great book of sample Admirers for your dear Ladies of Pleasure to exploit!

Scandal Sheets

Noted saviour of fallen women Miss Sally Sill (Silly Sally to the Town) presents to you good Christian folk the full, sordid and horrifying details of the lives of the leading lights of the Demi Monde in exclusive interviews so full and frank her little “magazine” has gone underground. Dare you read the gory details of the Scandal Sheets? These will feature the Characters profiled here and possibly some of the Playtest madams. They will be released in irregular short PDFs which may be collected together in a big book at some point in the future.

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Novelisation of this Game and its Sister Game The Rise and Fall of Sebastian Havelock KC

As he sits in Newgate awaiting the noose Sebastian Havelock KC puts his finishing touches to his memoirs. He’s lived a colourful life with no regrets. Well maybe leaving his long suffering wife Annie a hempen widow with 3 children to support but apart from that regret can go hang. As he is about to!

Strumpet to Barrister’s Wife and Back Again- The Memoirs of Mrs Annie Havelock

It’s been a hard struggle. From poverty stricken flower seller to mid class whore Annie thought she had risen to the highest station she could imagine. Then she met Sebastian Havelock. At first he was just a client but it developed through the tragedy of Chloe Jacobs into an unconventional but loving marriage. Now Sebastian is dead: Hanged for the shame of it. With her own two children, poor Harriet’s blind son and Gallows’ grown but also blind daughter Matti to support what’s a girl to do but go back to whoring? Albeit in a much higher class: As a Courtesan.

For the Shadow World Viper in The Nest

My notes for the playtest campaign of Chav: The Knifing Xpress Edition. Can be run as is or adapted to your own stories. With Dogboys on the Moors, Sparklers in Southgate, a Dungeon Crawl (yes in a Chav game), Somalian Pirates and a faceoff with Jimmy Savile it has everything.

Sparklers: Vampires of the Sun

From the oldest Clique to the youngest Clique. You may scream “dear God why?” But sorry Sparklers have as much right to a Clique Book as everybody else. Besides if you’re one of those players who loves being an “Individual” the Sparklers are a great Clique to pick. Although we nerfed them quite considerably in their write up we redress the balance in this book by providing them with an internal social stat and 2 Cults rather than the usual 1.

And An Unrelated Novel

On Our Republic At some point soon I mean to get started on my novel. There may be a tie in game there may not be we’ll see how it goes. On Our Republic tells the story of the first group of Autistic Nationalist Republics through the eyes of their all powerful Lord President Brian Bright.

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Keep up with Postmortem releases at: www.postmort.demon.co.uk Or on Twitter: @Grimachu For official support of this game, go to: Courtesanstherpg.blog.co.uk To play this game, online, with the author go to: Courtesans.freeforums.org For a look at our sister game, go to: Toughjustice.blog.co.uk For official support of the Shadow World go to: shadow-world.blog.co.uk To bitch whine and moan at the author directly email: [email protected] There are also fan pages for most Postmortem products on Facebook, you simply need to search for the name of the book or the product line, or for Postmortem Studios itself! You can buy Postmortem merchandise at: www.cafepress.co.uk/PostmortMerch You can buy Postmortem books in hardcopy from:

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=834797

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Courtesans Name:

Hair Colour:

Bust:

Origin:

Eye Colour:

Waist:

Statistics Manners

Charm

Wits

OOOOO

OOOOO

OOOOO

Spite

Performance

Prowess

OOOOO

OOOOO

OOOOO

Good At Area

Very Good

___________________________  ___________________________  ___________________________  ___________________________  ___________________________ 

Area

Very Good

___________________________  ___________________________  ___________________________  ___________________________  ___________________________ 

Resources Legend

Reputation

Influence

Wealth

Scandal

Notes _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

Courtesans Pregnancy Tracker Pre Turn Courtesan

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Potential Father

Check

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

_________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________

Potential Father

Check 1 Check 2

Potential Father

Check 1 Check 2

Potential Father

Check 1 Check 2

Potential Father

Check 1 Check 2

Turn 1 Courtesan

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

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________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

Turn 2 Courtesan

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

Turn 3 Courtesan

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

Turn 4 Courtesan

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

Abortion 163 About Courtesans 9 About Roleplaying 8 About the Author 7 Action Rewards 169 Actions 67 Actresses 34 Admirer Agendas 197 Admirers 99 Advanced Rules 196 Afflicting 225 Affliction 230 Afterword 265 Age 30, 104 Age the Landlady 123 Ageing 211 Agoraphobia 231 Aiding 88. 93 Alcohol 223 All Hands on Deck 256 Alternate Periods 244 Anne 18 Annie Havelock 218 Antichrist 91 Anxiety 231 Anything Else? 120 Appearance 29 Appearing on Stage 70 Arachnophobia 232 Archetypes 102 Arrested! 121 ASD 208 Audience 255 Auto Contraction 226 Baccarat 84 Back off Bitch! 205 Background 10, 51, 213 Ball Example 159 Basic Mechanics 66 Becoming Kept 96 Beer & Crisps 7 Before We Begin 211 Bella Bifford 56, 192 Benefits of Experience 212 Besotted Keeper 127 Bestotted 121 Blow Job Cheat 82 Bridget McMoy 242 Building Relationships 53 Burn Connections for Wealth 171 Bust 31 Cancer 227 Cannot be bothered with Roll-

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ing 225 Can’t I Keep Her? 97 Caring for your Children 88 Case Study for Mr Freud 235 Casting 248 Causes 114 Changing History 178 Chaperones 249 Character at Eighteen 211 Character Creation 26 Character Sheet 274 Characters in Courtesans 27 Charity Do 73 Charles II 17 Charm 46 Childbirth and Children 182 Childcare 88 Children 184 Choose Your Partners 156, 157 Coach 239 Coinage 16 Comfort Sex 92 Coming Clean 119 Coming Soon 271 Complications Table 183 Consumption 227 Contact 273 Contraception 161 Contract Resolution 166 Converting from Tough Justice 212 Cosmetic Changes 245 Cost 185 Costume 249 Counselling 234 Counselling as a Good At 234 Countering Enraged Spouses 204 Counterstrike! 205 Couples 101 Courtesans Only 27 Covering Fire 202 Create the Landlady 123 Currency 15 Cyprian Ball 157, 255 Dance with Me 89 Dancing 78, 158 Deaf 207 Deal With the Devil 90 Death of the Landlady 167 Debauchery 159 Debt 48 Deception! 102

Dementia 228 Demi Monde, The 13 Depression 232 Depth 200 Describe Symptoms 226 Diagnosis 229 Dialogue 67 Did this happen? 98 Different Ways to Play 243 Disabilities 206 Disappear 162 Discipline 133 Disclaimer 5 Divine Intervention 90 Divorce 118 Does it have to be a Spouse? 199 Don’t Exert Yourself 171 Drag 247 Dressmaker 237 Drug Profiles 222 Drug Taking 222 Drugs 222 Drugs in LARP 253 Dyslexia 208 Dyspraxia 208 Earning Resources 93 Edward VII 21 Eek! 232 Eligable Targets 86 Emotional Blackmail 86 Emphysema 227 Equipment 53 Even More Deception! 104 Example of Childbirth 187 Example of Play 148 Exotic Settings 245 Expenses 168 Eyes 30 Factions/Parties 73 Fade to Black 69 Fallen Ladies 38 Fancy a Game? 80 Fatigue 205 Favour from a Friend 163 Female Admirer occupations 107 Female Admirers 104, 118, 120 First Things First 82 First Time With a Lady? 117 Fleshing Out Retainers 241 Flirting 78 Flowery Prose 148 Following Mum’s Example 186 Fops 102 For your own Ends 91

Freaks 32 Free Procurement 144 FREEDOM! 255 Fuck Chronology! 147 Full Contact 247 Funerals 189 Gambling 84 Gathering a House 52 Gentlemen of Fortune 100 George I 18 George II 19 George III 19 George IV 19 German Measles 228 Getting On 166 GMPC 123 Go Straight to Bed 80 Goldenhearts 42 Good At 48 Good At Suggestion 225 Goodbyes 188 Got your Back! 84 Growing Up 186 Hair 30 Handicap Table 185 Handicapped Children 124 Hattie Harker 62 Haunted by the Past 232 Have Pity Sir! 185 Have Pity! 206 High Society Soiree 72 High/Low Origins 33 Hiring a Retainer 235 Historical Note 109 History of the Courtesan 12 House of Introduction 71 How a Turn Works 147 How Much Sex? 80 How New? 197 Humble Origins 221 I Don’t Swing that Way 87 I Forgot... 170 I know Sweetie 208 I Know! 246 IC Knowledge 53 I’m Sorry! 181 Imaginary Lover 233 Immoral Ladies 116 Immoral Occupations 112 Imperfect Groups 144 Important Terms 22 In the Club 161 Inbreeding 185 Infertility 161 Inflicting Scandal 94

Influence 92 Influence Investments 174 Initiative 143 Intrigue 83, 93 Introduce 91 Introduction 5 Introductions 197 Investments 171 Is She Really Crazy? 233 James II 17 Jessica Silver 58, 193 Keep Mum 163 Kings & Queens 17 Ladies of Fortune? 100 Lady Bawds 116 Lady’s Companion 238 Landladies Don’t Count 169 Landlady 122 Landlady as Plot Device 132 Landlady as Story Manager 133 Landlady Background 127 Landlady Character 123 Landlady Procurement 145 Landlady Relationships 128 Landlady Resources 125 Landlady’s Dice 69 Landlady’s Guide 123 Landlady’s Keeper 126 LARP 246 Laudanum 224 Learning Curve 165 Leftovers 190 Legend 92 Legend Investments 176 Lethality 197 Letters of Introduction 75, 134 Letters/Calling Cards 74 Lilly Lavonte 54, 191 Limits of Believability 206 Limits of Human Experience 165 Lip Reading 207 Lord Byron 111 Losing Resources 95 Lovers 103 Lucy McBrien 64, 194 Making Your Entrance 158 Maladies 225, 226 Manners 46 Margin of Success 68 Marital Status 118 Massage 81 Matilda Gallows 209 Maud Mallory 130, 195 Mechanical Changes 246, 250 Mechanics Vs Story 183

Methods of Aiding 88 Methods of Intrigue 83 Methods of Pleasing 77 Methods of Procurement 70 Midwife 239 Midwifery 184 Min/Maxing 47 Miscarriage 164 Misfortunes 124, 213 Modern Sensibilities 105 Modifiers 222 More Deception! 103 Multiclassing 41 Multi-Intrigues 84 Mums to be 163 Name 28, 104, 186 Name Itself 29 Nanny 240 Narrate Don’t Declare 68 Natural Exposure 225 New Expenses 222 New Good Ats 124 New Statistics 124 No Cure? 229 No Fighting! 67 No Investments? 126 No Laughing Matter 231 No Secrets 127 Nobbling Admirers 173 Noble Occupations 106 Non PC Terms 184 Nora Noble 60 North 183 Nudity 249 Nursing 229 Nursing as a Good At 229 Nursing Metagaming 229 Nursing Septicaemia 229 Nymphomania 233 Occupation 105 Oddities 100 Ooh Madam! 86 Optional Extras 197 Origin 33 Origin Mix 52 Other Expenses 168 Other Kings & Queens 21 Other Maladies 230 Other’s Relationships 216 Out of the Game 162 Overdosing on Tobacco 224 Passing it On 206 Pay Off 162 Performance 46 Perils of Redemption 182

277

Personal Admirer 139 Personal Correspondence 140 Personal Plot 138 Pestering the Busy 254 Phantom Children 248 Philanthropic Occupations 106 Physical Contact 247 Physical Description 119 Physician 240 Pillow Talk 82 Piracy Plea 8 Pistol 199 Play By Post 258 Playing a Season 143 Pleasing 76, 93 Pleasing Couples 76 Pliability 100 Pliability Five 102 Pliability Four 101 Pliability One 100 Pliability Six 102 Pliability Three 101 Pliability Two 101 Poaching 87 Polite Conversation 77 Political Gatherings 72 Political Occupations 108 Popping a Cherry 82 Porphyria & Alcohol 223 Porphyria 207 Post 147 Postmortem Studios 7 Praise the Lord 90 Prayer 90 Pregnancy 161 Pregnancy Checks 161 Pregnancy Example 164 Pregnancy Tracker 275 Prelude 4 Private Show 79 Procurement 69 Professional Occupations 109 Professionals 36 Professions for Women 111 Proper Occupation for a Lady 105 Prowess 47 Psychoses 230 Psychosis Types 231 Public Appearance 74 Pull Yourself Together 89 Put it all together 217 Putting it All Together 129 Race 28 Redemption 181

278

Relationships 53, 215 Reputation 92 Reputation Investments 173 Resource Bankruptcy 95 Resource Debt 95 Resources 92 Retainers 235, 248 Rewards 169 Save Vs Death 206 Saviours 102 Saviours and Religion? 103 Scandal 93 Scandal at the Ball 158 Scandalous Behaviour 94 Scandalous Origin 49 Schemers 40 Scrutiny 75 Season Process Summery 259 Season, The 142 Seduction 87 Septicaemia 227 Serialised in the Times 179 Set 249 Seven Turns 147 Sex & Good Ats 71 Sex Act 81 Sexist Profession Requirements 241 Sexual Experience 117 Sexuality 50 She Nappers 111 Significant others 247 Simmering Hatred 233 Solving Family Strife 88 Soothing Massage 91 Spend or Save? 181 Spiking 222 Spin Doctor 238 Spiritual Advisor 236 Spite 46 Spreading Rumours 85 Spying 86 Spymaster 237 Stacking Retainers 236 Stalker 199 Starting Resources 48 Statistics 46 Stereotypes 43 Story World Examples 182 Strong & Weak Stats 252 Strong/Weak Statistics 47 Students 103 Substitutes and Strong/Weak Stats 236 Surrogacy and Religion 98

Surrogacy Contracts 97 Survival 186 Survival of the Fittest 186 Sweet Talk 89 Sweetening the Deal 235 Tell the Father 162 That’s Mrs to You 212 Ties 69 Time 143 Time Keeping 254 Timing Free Actions 237 Title 16, 28, 103 Tobacco 223 Tough Sell 79 Trauma 226 Treat Don’t Cure 235 True Love 92 Try Something Different 244 Tucking In 89 Turn Structure 253 Twins 182 Types of Retainer 236 Ultimate Investments 178 Undermining Confidence 85 Upstarts 44 Using Enraged Spouses 204 Vendetta 203 Vengeful Spouses 199 Venue 248 Victoria 20 Visiting 76 Vulgar Slang 45 Waist 31 Waist Size & Complications 184 Weak Heart 228 Wealth 92 Wealth Investments 171 Weapon Modifiers 201 What are Resources? 92 What is a Courtesan? 11 What You Need 9 Where and When? 244 White Lies 104 Who Wants to play? 6 Will Making 166 Will you do me the Honour? 162 William & Mary 17 William IV 20 Wits 46 Wrapping Up 257 Year & Location 27 You Bitch! 198 You Poor unfortunate! 212 You Said no Combat 202 You’re a What? 105