The BlueKilns Wharf incident
Player C Professor
James Moriarty
You are Professor
Moriarty Criminal Mastermind and archenemy of Sherlock Holmes. Your main problem
has been the unreliability of the criminal minions that you are obliged to use.
You have contacts in most European Capital cities and some larger English
conurbations. At present you are battling to gain control of organised crime in
the London area. To do this effectively you need large sums of money.
Unfortunately, that same accursed Sherlock Holmes, foiled what should have been
a most successful crooked gambling operation. You arranged an attempt to poison
him with strychnine in champagne bottles, which he discovered! You hired a
Brazilian to kill him with a blowpipe poison dart but he missed! Picking up on
the anarchist problems, you paid Hal Horne to throw a bomb into 221a Baker
Street. Of course not only was Holmes not in but the bomb was thrown in the
wrong window! You decided to take a hand yourself but discovered that Holmes had
moved out. The story was that he had gone to India to study oriental
pharmaceutical practises but you do not believe that! You suspect that he is
trying locate you so as to arrest you or at least close you down. That is
his weakness, that he cannot kill you or your employees out of hand! Whilst it
is true that murder can attract unwanted attentions from the authorities, you
are prepared to make an exception in Holmes case. You have established your
comfortable headquarters in a warehouse in Bluekiln wharf, Limehouse. This area
is firmly under the control of the Hearts of Oak Society or Stiff Sleeves as
they are popularly known. They were formed to enforce solidarity during
the big Dockers strike of two years ago. With your sage advice they have now
become an organised crime force in the London East End. Having spent a fair
amount setting up your headquarters here, you do not want to have to move again.
Bluekiln Wharf was used to serve light coastal vessels plus the clay kiln wares
that gave it its name. Due to the exhaustion of the clay pits used, the kiln is
currently out of use. The sailing barge the Incognita belongs to the Bluekiln
Claywares Company who own the wharf. Their wharf-master is under your control
The other two vessels are the coastal screw steamers Iron Duke and Maid of
Orleans. They belong to the Silchester Line of which you have also under
control. The line has fallen under hard times due to the neglect of its owner,
the now elderly playboy Viscount Silchester. The other vessel in the line is his
steam yacht the Calleva. Under your guidance the latter picks up stolen goods in
European ports and transfers them to the steamers at sea. The latter have well
constructed hiding places, which have evaded discovery so far. The returns for
smuggling most goods are poor at present so the customs service has been run
down. The stolen goods collected are mainly works of art, jewellery, high
quality china, carpets and tapestries. With the British middle classes becoming
so wealthy these are easily marketable. You have a secret clearing warehouse in
Maida Vale holding most of these goods. There are a few items awaiting transport
in Silchester Line shed 3. Shed 1 stores the Captains goods and Shed 2
legitimate goods. Warehouses 1 and 2 would hold the same but are empty at
present. Warehouse 3 is now your luxurious abode. Warehouse 4 holds stocks of
the Bluekiln produce, sewage pipes, chimney pots, ventilation bricks and the
like. The other kiln buildings are empty except for the pedestrian gatehouse,
which has a watchman with three dogs. The main gate has the gate-man Derby who
is a stiff sleeve plant plus Harker an enforcer in your pay. They will admit
anyone bearing the wooden acorn token of the Hearts of Oak society.
These include retainers of yours bringing money and information.
The Incognita sailing
barge is wholly empty at present. The Maid of Orleans steamer holds three
Chinese Tong leaders prisoner in the after hold. These led the Hsing, Lou and
Ker-Li Tongs that by controlling Chinatown, were obstructing the influence of
the Stiff Sleeves. Now to keep their leaders alive the Tongs have to pay large
sums to your Chinese assassin retainer Lee Chow. You have given him a free hand
to help guard the wharf area at night, where he slinks around practising his
skills. He thinks killing and disposing of interlopers good practise. He will
weight and punt his bodies out into the Thames. On the Maid of Orleans are also
the Cook Gaston who prepares your meals, the Chinese maid Ski-vi who feeds the
tong leaders and two enforcers to guard them.
The Iron Duke has steam up and has
a crew of 2nd Mate
Pandit, cook Curry Joe and four Lascar crewmen. More crew are ashore in the
Seamans Hostel.
Beyond the wharf area for
warning and protection you have the Stiff sleeves controlled Police. They have
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watsons photographs as Sandy Haines and John Wilkes as
suspect persons to be held in custody pending questioning. You also have
lurkers with the same, currently the beggar Ashanti Abe (& boy) and Stanley
the Newspaper man. The principal Hearts of Oak Society officers are Police
Sergeant Bradford Tuckerton and the Boughman Bart Culip the Landlord of
the Queens Head. (Under Player Ds control.)
Living in Warehouse
3 you have Mr Archon your treasurer, Albert Spear your second in Command, Will
Jacobs your bodyguard, your current Mistress Madame Mesme and her maid Hortense.
Also at present you have hired the clairvoyant Madame Zitzl (kidnapped in fact)
who is to give you warning if Holmes comes near. You obtained one of his
calabash pipes for her to home in on. She claimed to have detected him two days
ago but at the time he was moving away, so no contact was possible. If she was
right it does indicate that he is an imminent danger to you. Madame Mesme is the
wife of a Parisian Banker who displeased you. You hypnotised her into coming
away with you. She is a splendid soprano singer and every evening you accompany
her on the piano. You allow her to walk out around the wharf after dark for
exercise. Her maid Hortense is also French and was the mistress of an Parisian
Apache gang leader. He is currently serving four years in jail. She can pick
pockets but is a better dancer.
It is dark &
windless with overcast skies, sighting visibility is down to ten inches with
recognition at five. This increases to sixteen and recognition at eight inches
near the lit gas street lamps. The poverty stricken inhabitants of this area
will lurk in their habitations earnestly ignoring all shouts, shots and screams!
To conceal
identities & strengths in the dark, players will move flags until meeting.
In this game the Umpire draws the chance cards each move and plays them as
instructed or to suit the game if alternative applications are possible.
* Means will only
appear if their card is drawn.
Professor Moriarty
Lea, Ac,
Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me +3 candlestick Bst 2 Class VI
Unsavoury, Charm M +1, F +1,
Coercion +1, MC £68 3 1d
Revolver Firing 3
4+ Pst 0, 6 5+ Pst 0, 11 6+ Pst 0, 18 7+ Pst 2, 5rounds
Candlestick matches
Speaks French, Latin, German, Italian, Spanish
has hypnotic powers
Mr Archon
Ac, Mo 6, Fa
2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me 0 Fists Bst 3
Derringer Firing 3
5+ Pst 0, 6 6+ Pst 0, 11 7+ Pst 0, 18 8+ Pst 2, 2 rounds
Class V
Dubious, Charm M 1, F 1, Coercion
0 MC £42-2-3d
Treasurer, Book
keeper & Accountant Speaks Latin, French, German, Watch
Albert Spear
Vle Ac Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me +2 dagger Bst 1 Class IV
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F +1,
Coercion +2, MC £18 3 11d
Revolver Firing 3
4+ Pst 0, 6 5+ Pst 0, 11 6+ Pst 0, 18 7+ Pst 2, 5rounds
Speaks French, watch
Bullseye lamp
Will Jacobs
Ac Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2 torch Bst 1 Class IV
Unsavoury, Charm M 01, F +2,
Coercion +2, MC £8 13 5d
Revolver Firing 3
4+ Pst 0, 6 5+ Pst 0, 11 6+ Pst 0, 18 7+ Pst 2, 5rounds
Speaks French (P)
watch
*Lee Chow
FV 1 Ac Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3, Ag +1, Th
+1, Me +2 Dagger Pst 1 Class III
3 shirikin stars 3
3+ Pst -2, 6 4+ Pst 1. At night need D6 + 2 to equal distance seen
Unsavoury,
Charm M -2, F -2, Coercion +2, MC £0 0 0d Quiet mover.
Madame Zitzl
WA, Mo 5, Fa
2/2/2, Ag 1, Th 1, Me 2, knife Pst 2, 1 pepper sachet R 2 D10 -2
rounds blinded sneezing Mo & Me 2.
Class VI, (VI) PI
Dubious, Charm M +1, F +1, Coercion
0. Watch
MC £7 2s 6p
Speaks Latin, French Clairvoyant person finder.
*Madame Mesme
By Mo 5, Fa 1/2/2, Ag 2, Th 2, Me 2, hands Bst 3,
Class VII, (VI) PI
Respectable, Charm M +2, F +1,
Coercion -2. Watch
Speaks French,
English fine Musician & singer
*Hortense
(Mesmes maid) WA Mo 5, Fa 1/2/2, Ag 2, Th 1, Me 2, hands Bst 3,
Class III, (II) PI
Unsavoury, Charm M +2, F -1,
Coercion -2. Watch
Speaks French,
English (P) fine dancer.
Pick pocket D6
5+ succeed 2+ try again, 1 caught.
*Carl
WA Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me
+2 club Bst 2 Gags & Cords
Class III
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F - 1,
Coercion +1, MC £ 0 0 7d
Candle . Mesmes
bodyguard goaler.
Stanley Newspaper
man WA Mo
6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag 0, Th 0, Me 0 Hands Bst 3
Class III
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F -1,
Coercion 0 MC 0 2 1d Wooden acorn
Ashanti
Abe beggar WA Mo 2, Fa 2/2/2, Ag -2, Th 0, Me -1 Crutch Bst 2
Class II
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F -1,
Coercion 0 MC 0 1 1d
Abes Boy
By Mo 6, Fa 1/1/2, Ag +1, Th +1, Me -2 Hands Bst 3
Class III
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F -1,
Coercion -2 MC 0 0 1d
Thrown Stone 5 5+
Bst 4 will carry messages for Abe. Has wooden acorn
Crews
2nd Mate
Pandit By
Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me 0 fists Bst 3
Class IV
Dubious, Charm M 0, F + 1, Coercion
0, MC £ 5 11 6d
Speaks Hindi English
(P)
Curry Joe
By Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me
0 jug Bst 3 Gags & Cords
Class III
Dubious, Charm M -1, F - 1, Coercion
0, MC £ 2 1 6d Cook
Speaks English Hindi
(P)
Lascars
By Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me 0 fists Bst 3
Class III
Dubious, Charm M -1, F - 1, Coercion
0, MC £ 2 1 6d Cook
Speaks Hindi English
(P)
Gaston
By Mo 6, Fa 2/2/2, Ag +1, Th 0, Me
0 jug Bst 3 Gags & Cords
Class III
Dubious, Charm M -1, F - 1, Coercion
0, MC £ 2 1 6d Cook
Speaks French
English (P)
Ski-Vi
In Mo 5, Fa 1/2/2, Ag 2, Th 1, Me 2, hands Bst 3, Class II, (I) PI
Unsavoury, Charm M +1, F 0, Coercion
2 Chinese Cookmaid Speaks Chinese English (
Enforcers
WA Mo 6, Fa 3/3/3, Ag +1, Th 0, Me
+2 cudgel Bst 2 Gags & Cords
Class III
Unsavoury, Charm M -1, F - 1,
Coercion +1, MC £ 0 1 6d