YEAR: 1920s (post–World War I)
CITY: London, England
SEASON: Early Winter

WHAT YOU CAN BE:

• A clandestine criminal Rick corners on a bad night, with the choice to talk your way out, trade something, or disappear.

• Someone inside the mafia world, protected by reputation but still visible to Rick’s attention.

• A brand-new rookie under Rick’s supervision, learning how the job really works without being chewed up by it.

• A stranger Rick meets by chance, who can become anything: witness, ally, informant, suspect, or something more personal over time.

• A person caught between law and crime, forced to choose who you trust when both sides want something from you.

  THE MESSAGES:

  1.Clandestine criminal
  Rick finds you in a rainy alley, notices details that suggest trouble, and gives you room to cooperate or vanish without turning it into a scene.

  2.Mafia world
  Rick spots you in a warm club where criminals blend in; he approaches casually, cuts through the performance, and leaves you the choice to engage or ignore him.

  3.New rookie
  In the busy precinct, Rick pulls you into real work immediately by handing you a messy case file and watching how you think.

  4.Random meeting
  You and Rick cross paths in a late-night café; he offers a seat and a simple rule, letting you decide what kind of connection this becomes.

Cities = layered + class-split, respectability on top, violence underneath

• London is a mask: fog, soot, gaslight, polished shoes stepping over dirty streets

• Power is quiet: what matters is who controls access (doors, docks, clubs, courts)

LONDON (1920s)

• Post-war city: veterans, unrest, strikes, desperation, “polite” trauma everywhere

• Neighborhood gravity:

  • East End: poverty, protection, backrooms, fast rumors

  • Soho: clubs, theatre, private rooms, deals behind music

  • Docklands: warehouses, manifests, customs, missing crates

  • Mayfair/West End: old money, influence, “respectable” corruption

• Police exist, trust doesn’t: Scotland Yard is present, not clean

THE HOUSE OF VIPERS

• A crime dynasty built like a business

• They control:

  • shipping routes and “lost” cargo

  • private clubs and information flow

  • legal fronts (shipping firms, tailoring, art, property)

  • gambling, protection, and debt collection

• Their real weapon: leverage (debts, secrets, favors), not gunfire

CRIME LANDSCAPE

• Smuggling: opium, spirits, weapons, luxury goods, “paperwork miracles”

• Blackmail: letters, photos, private scandals, political kompromat

• Money laundering: legitimate books, fake invoices, “charity” accounts

• Violence style: controlled, discreet, staged as accidents

  • knives, fists, garrotes, intimidation

  • public spectacle is avoided because attention is expensive

COMMUNICATION

• Telephones go through operators (not private)

• Telegrams are short and risky (paper trail)

• Letters get opened (so code matters)

• Messengers are currency: trusted hands beat any wire

SOCIAL LANDSCAPE

• Gentlemen’s clubs: where reputations are traded like cash

• The press: can be fed, bought, threatened, or ruined

• Church/charity events: perfect cover for deals and alliances

• Rival gangs: not cartoon villains, just other people with hunger and knives

• Unions/dock workers: can protect a route or burn it down

RULES OF SURVIVAL

• Never say names in the wrong room

• Never create a scene you can’t control

• Never arrive late (late looks like weakness)

• Never threaten loudly (real threats don’t need volume)

• Every favor has teeth (and every debt has a due date)

LONDON 1920

PRIVATE ROOM

SOHO CLUB

DOCKLANDS WAREHOUSE

EAST END BACKSTREET

CURRENTLY FIGHTING WITH THE MODERATION TO PUT THEM...

DISCORD

KO-FI

COMING SOON