[For Brassy's Players]
Scenario
It is August 5th, 1876. You have left the stifling climate and tense atmosphere of London for the Continent--to be specific, the beautiful sea breezes and balmy environs of Monaco, a tiny principality along the coast of the Mediterranean. Perhaps here you can put the labour unrest, economic troubles, and uncertain political situation of Britain out of your mind for the time being and refresh yourself with the simple pleasures of the Spa and Casino at Monte Carlo.
You're certain to meet some interesting people, and an evening spent gambling and dancing is sure to be enjoyable.
Brassy's Campaign Specific Stuff
What happens in Monte Carlo...
In general, although this is an officially sanctioned Brassy's Men BGE [between-game event], "What happens in Monte Carlo, STAYS in Monte Carlo." This means that you will not be able to bring into any other Brassy's event any money, objects, or skills that you might have at the end of this event. Should you happen to "break the bank" in Monte Carlo, your character will have squandered it all or been "robbed by bandits" prior to your return to England.
Your interactions with other Brassy's characters are limited to anything that comes under the heading of "conversation"--you can't get married or exchange items or Brassy's funds (you can do anything you want with the francs we'll be providing your character for use in game), but you can talk about anything you wish, from "meaningless social chatter" to "plotting intricate and convoluted plans to be enacted at the next event."
The non-Brassy's players will actually have fully-plotted characters, so there WILL be plots moving throughout the evening. The registration forms asks whether you want us to connect you in to any of these. All of these plots come from our own overactive imaginations, not those of the Brassy's GMs, so don't bother the GMs with any BGAs about them.
All that being said--you know the Brassy's GMs. They will be supplying certain plot elements for the game so you certainly may learn information or witness events during this event which are "ongoing Brassy's plot." For example, some events which will be reported in Game 5's newspaper and were initially slated to take place "off-camera" will now actually occur during the BGE .
Who will the Casino admit?
Although the Casino in Monte Carlo had strict standards for dress and behavior, for this particular BGE, we are not limiting characters based on their status. Essentially, if you could present yourself at the door with the appropriate dress and bearing you would be admitted. The precise rules by class:
 | Any upper class character will be admitted without question. |
| Most middle class characters should be able to dress and comport themselves in such a manner that they too will be admitted. Any member of the middle class who is accompanying an upper class character will be admitted without question. |
| A lower class character who is "suitable attired" will be admitted, provided their behavior doesn't prove them unworthy or suspicious. However, Casino Staff will be watching them carefully during the evening and may eject them from the premises if there is any disreputable behavior. [Replacement Casino Staff characters will be available; but unless you feel like serving drinks, don't get yourself ejected.] Should a lower class character be part of the entourage of an upper or middle class character (or specifically vouched for by such a character present), though, they won't come under the scrutiny of the Casino Staff unless their behavior warrants it--note that an impenetrable Cockney accent qualifies as "due cause". Indicate the name of any higher status character who will be present and vouching for you (because their reputation will also be on the line) on the registration page. |
No openly worn weapons. The Casino Staff will relieve you of any which they should observe and will store them for you until your evening's departure.
Note that you don't HAVE to play your Brassy's character if you would rather play one generated for this event. Just fill out the appropriate section when registering.
Game Elements
Live-action roleplaying games, or LARPs, come in many shapes and sizes. For this particular game; you can expect:
| Historical AND non-historical elements. Kerry's done quite a bit of research on the Casinos of the period, and much of the background on Monte Carlo is genuinely historically accurate. Some characters we've included are historical personages, such as the owner of the Casino and the Prince and Princess of Monaco. However, our twisted imaginations took over from there. The Monaco Government Tourism Office and Convention Authority would be unlikely to permit some of our plots in an event which they sanctioned. :) |
| Casino gaming. You can't spend an evening in a famous casino without playing some casino games! There'll be tables operating with various period games of chance (in some cases, using simplified rules). Several characters will be Casino staff, including croupiers and dealers. |
| A Ball. By which we mean "a formal dance", not merely "a really good time." If you've never done English country dancing before, but you can generally tell your left from your right and aren't hopeless at following directions, you should do fine--the steps and patterns are taught before each dance, and the caller prompts you while you're dancing. It's a lot of fun, and really adds a lot to the period experience. |
| Weird science. The technology present in the Brassy's universe could be described as "steampunk": it includes some technology which was invented later in real life than this time period, and some technology which has never existed at all. And we're sure you'll all be absolutely shocked if the weird science included in this event has any Whately-esque elements to it, hmmm? |
| Mature themes. The average Victorian tourist planning a visit to Monte Carlo or Biarritz or Baden Baden told their family and friends that they were "going for the waters." Spas with "medicinal baths" were a health fad, and casinos tended to spring quickly up in the proximity of spas, to give the wealthy idling for their health something to do with their hands and their money. Naturally, a number of other vices followed in the wake of the casinos, but because Victorian sensibilities prevented these vices from being a topic of discussion, the Spa and Casino at Monte Carlo didn't acquire the same sort of reputation for licentiousness that has because generally ascribed to Las Vegas. This meant that while "going for the waters" was used literally and innocently by many Victorian travelers, for others it was a euphemism for sexual peccadilloes and other indulgences. |
| Be mechanics-light. While the Brassy's campaign uses a mechanics system for combat, weird science, the supernatural, business investments, etc., this event won't be using any of them. [Frankly, Gail can't GM 'em because she doesn't understand 'em.] We'll be providing our own simple rules for combat and gambling. |
