A Criminal's Revenge - A Victorian Tabletop Game In 28mm

It's been quiet down Hobbs End way recently, just the odd break in and a punch up or two on a Friday night. It was last Saturday when DI Bolton got the nod that something wasn't right on the manor.

Hobbs End High Street on a Saturday Evening.

With his trusty Sergeant Theakston, Bolton went around the usual snouts asking awkward questions, most were cagey, nothing new there, but one was very helpful, that should have been a warning. Bill was where he always was, selling "snake oil potions" in the market, he told the detectives a man was asking about Bolton, also, he could be found behind Wells Street in Hobbs Lane, "it would be worff ya while, honest Guv."

Bill the snake oil salesman.

The quickest way to Hobbs Lane was up the alleyway off the High Street, no sooner had they turned into the cramped and claustrophobic Hobbs Lane than the trap was sprung. Four nasty looking bruisers blocked all the exits, they were cornered. Theakston managed to get out three sharp blasts on his whistle before pandemonium broke out.

 

Although the detectives gave a good account of themselves, it wasn't enough. They were soon getting a bloody good hiding. What seemed like ages passed before whistles were heard and three constables, truncheons out, came running up Hobbs Lane. The thugs scattered, tearing up Hobbs Lane with coppers in pursuit, Bolton and Theakstone lay on the ground.

The attackers managed to escape, the police were far more interested in getting the detectives to the infirmary, requisitioning a passing cart the two men were transported to the Thrift Infirmary, and into the tender mercies of Dr Marsham and Nurse Carr.

A few days later, battered, bruised and bloody annoyed, our two detectives were out again trying to find out what the hell was going on. A good tip off from a frightened looking shopkeeper in the High Street had them heading over to the church, this time a little more cautiously.

Sure enough, it was a trap. Although, only two of the thugs appeared this time, due to the injuries the policemen had sustained, they probably thought that two was enough, they were wrong.

This time the fight was short and to the point, both villains were soon dropped and as there was no one around, a bit of on the spot questioning was put to them both. One wouldn't squeal, but the other one did, then he told the detectives who they were working for.

"It's Monk.....Merry Monk", said the bloke pinned to the wall between persuasive blows from Bolton, "Who the bloody hell is Merry Monk, and why does he want me hurt?" said Bolton. 

Theakston then spoke up while sitting on the other miscreant, "Sounds like Monkton, Zephaniah Monkton, we sent him down for a few years, he was breaking rocks in Portland Gaol last I heard."

'Where is he?" Bolton was not playing, and an address was forthcoming. "Get these buggers out of my sight," said Bolton as three constables arrived. "Let's get Merry bloody Monk!"

The thugs are escorted to Drovers Yard Police Station

With a couple of coppers out front, just in case, the rest batter down the back door and haul Mr Monkton into a black mariah, "Back to the quarry with you Mister not-so Merry Monkton" laughed Theakston, who then regretted it as his ribs still hurt.

I use a system of cards to make the scenario play out, they give you a base, the dodgy dice do the rest. It's fun and I enjoy the story as it emerges.

Renewed Violence In Hobbs End - A Mean Streets Tabletop Game in 28mm.

 

                   Renewed Violence In Hobbs End - Blackshirts Attacked!

The weekly outside Sunday service in Hobbs Park was going very well, and the sermon by the Rev. Harris was in full swing when a certain element started heckling, it was obvious that they were looking for trouble.

The group of ruffians soon noticed a couple of Blackshirts hanging around the junction of Park Road and Station Road. Seeing a better kind of sport than heckling the local vicar, they decided to rush the Fascists and give them a roughing up.

The Blackshirts were caught completely unawares and one of them was knock out immediately, with four assailants attacking him the other Blackshirt had his hands full, blows rained down but for a while he held his own.

The police had been summoned and an ambulance was on its way!

The remaining Fascist did his best but he eventually joined his comrade, unconscious on the ground. The mounted police were moving in fast, so the attackers made a hasty escape down the alleyways towards Wells Street, where, coincidently, the headquarters of the Communist Party are located.

The two men should make a full recovery, but the damage is done, reprisals will probably follow. We have seen this tit for tat violence before, now the local BUF have a new commander we may see an upsurge in their activity, we doubt we've seen the last of this scourge.

All In A Day's Work, Detectives Attacked - A Victorian Tabletop Game In 28mm

                                All In A Day's Work

Detective Inspector Bolton and Detective Sergeant Theakston are on the case, political extremism is rife, violence, threats and illegal fly posting are the bane of Hobbs End and the police have had enough.

The local narks are being strangely quiet, they aren't usually intimidated, but something is definitely up! At every turn the detectives are either ignored or the nark doesn't turn up.

For all intents and purposes life was very normal, but to the detectives it felt like they were being given the runaround. No one was talking and suspicious men unknown to the police were loitering on street corners, they had been noticed.

DI Bolton was tipped off about a demonstration by the Skeleton Army in Hobbs Park, investigating the detectives found them to be fairly inoffensive locals, shouty, a bit drunk, but harmless.

Walking down Station Road heading back to the police station the detectives saw two young narks hanging around, approaching them to ask a few questions the policemen were forced to walk away when confronted by some nasty looking toughs, this was getting serious.

Trying to get back to the police station proved a more difficult proposition than the detectives thought, walking through a passage under the railway line brought the two policemen into Drovers Road, once there it was a short walk to Drovers Yard Police Station.

Half way down is Crossingham's Lodging House, a more dodgy establishment never existed. As DI Bolton and DS Theakstone were passing the ambush was sprung, thugs appeared from everywhere at once. But the police were on the ball and several constables were on the scene in minutes.

Despite the prompt actions of the police DS Theakston was felled by a cudgel and knocked out cold, DI Bolton received several cuts and bruises and will require hospital treatment.

The thugs ran away heading north towards Wells Street, the headquarters of the Hobbs End Communist Party, a great feeling of resentment was felt in the hearts of the detectives colleagues. 

The feeling of 'this is not over' festered over the next week, as soon as DS Theakstone was feeling better a visit to Wells Street was planned, officially sanctioned or not, whether the thugs in Drovers Road were Communists or not, a visit was inevitable.

From both ends of Wells Street the police descended on the next Communist Party meeting, truncheons drawn and tempers were high, heads were broken.

A few bloody noses and it was all over, no arrests were made and no complaints were made, the control of the streets are still firmly in the police hands, but the threat was there.

 

Communists cry "police brutality", trouble in Wells Street - A Victorian Tabletop Game In 28mm

                           HOBBS END GAZETTE

                                                       Saturday 15th July 1893

                              Trouble in Wells Street, a serious affray.

Ever since the council condemned the row of houses on the west side of Wells Street the Communists  have been agitating for a fairer deal, finally the police got involved, our correspondent investigates.

Last night the Communists were again in Wells Street holding a meeting in the middle of the road and rather conveniently right outside their party headquarters. The speaker, Mr Greeves, was questioning the coincidence that Councillor Johnson's brother in law's company had won the contract to demolish half of the street and also where the residents were going to live as no alternative accomodation was forthcoming.

It would seem that Councillor Johnson doesn't like his name or his business dealings being the subject of street meetings and as he was in the same club as the Chief Commissioner getting the street meetings closed was fairly easy, unfortunately our local police had to carry out their orders to the letter and trouble was inevitable.

Almost immediately one of the Communists was knocked down and so was a policeman, the man who assaulted the constable was a local bruiser called Stebson, who goes under the nickname Gripper, a couple of constables who saw this quickly gave chase.

Diving into an alleyway Stebson turned to face his adversaries, a seasoned jailbird and thug Stebson is also fast and ruthless, one policeman was felled in an instant, his companion fought back but was too slow and he payed the price.

Back in Wells Street the fighting had stopped and two arrests had been made, on orders from above DI Bolton and his detectives entered the Communist HQ and searched it for any seditious material. Three policemen received hospital treatment and nothing of any interest was found.