Scum: Clued Up

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"Ohmigod! Tracey, have you heard? Darryl's been killed!"

"Well, no sh*t, Cheryl."

"I reckon it was Reverend Green, in the Billiard Rooms, with the Candlestick."

"You dumb bint! It weren't Reverend Green, it were us here! We all kicked Darryl's head in, on that car park over there and then stuck him some with our knives!"

"Oh yeah, I fer-got. Why'd we do that then?"

"Because he let on that he was dealing scag, and had made ten grand, and was going to Ibiza with it, and we wanted his money, that's why!"

"Oh yeah, I fer-got that too. So why ain't we in Ibiza now?"

"Cos he didn't have the money on him, you stupid cow! Ain't you been listening? Now we gotta search round his local haunts and see where he hid it. You are so fick! I ought to stab you too!"

"Don't hurt me, Trace, I'm preggers!"

Overview

This scenario covers a twelve hour time period from 6pm to 6am. It starts in a nameless multistorey car park with the murderous Scum (aka the Players) stood around Darryl's dead body.

A few minutes earlier, Darryl was bragging that he had been dealing scag (heroin) and had made "loadsa moolah, like ten grand" (£10,000). He was boasting that with the money he'd be "leaving this dump and going to Ibiza to large it up" (translation: he was going to go to the famous holiday resorts in Ibiza in order to spend his fortune on drink, drugs and women.)

Unsurprisingly, his "friends" decided that they'd kill him and take the money for themselves. This is where the game begins.

As may be fairly obvious, the inspiration for this scenario is the board game Cluedo (or just "Clue", to you Americans), though the up-front twist is that everybody knows how the murder took place - the goal is actually finding the money!

This subtly ties us back to the piratical themes of the Scum game as well:

• This is a treasure hunt in the classic sense, complete with buried loot in a hidden location.
• The "Hall" represents safe port - the tower block where Scum can go home, lock their doors, and hide from the world.
• The "Black Spot" is the same as the loot - once you're carrying the loot, there's no safe haven, there's no place to hide! Are you scared yet?
• The story naturally starts with a "mutiny". The deceased Darryl is as close as we'll get to a pirate captain, and his death leaves a power struggle in the ranks!

You can play up or down the piratical aspects as much as you like, but as we're already dealing with depicting the world of Scum and ripping off Cluedo, its probably keeping it mostly as a subtle theme.

Scenario Structure

The game starts at 6pm, and runs up to 6am the next day. As with all Scum games, it moves forward in half hour increments.

When the game begins, they players are at a nameless multi-storey car park, not significant in any way save that this is where the dead Darryl is. Once the game begins, they'll probably have no reason to return here.

After initial roleplaying, each player can decide which location his Scum is headed to next. When they arrive, the game proper begins - it is six in the evening, and the search for the loot can begin.

The game ends at 6am - that is the last half hour of the game begins at 5:30 am.

Scenario Goal

The goal of the Scenario is to find the ten thousand pounds, and then successfully leave the estate. At 6am the Scenario ends - its presumed that with dawn light the police swoop into the estate in force, and round up all the usual suspects (who are the player characters, obviously). If no-one makes it out with the loot by 6am, then no-one wins! In fact, if anyone is carrying the loot at 6am, they'll likely be in more trouble than anyone else as the police will be asking some hard questions about where it is from.

Finding The Dosh

To find the money, a player character must first accumulate five different CLUES. He can do this in several ways:

• "Interviewing" an NPC.

Each NPC can potentially give up a clue on a successful attribute test against them, as detailed in the NPC section below. Interviewing an NPC is a standard half-hour action, and can be roleplayed out in part with the GM.

• Searching a Location.

Some of the locations can potentially give up a clue if searched, as detailed in the location sections below. Searching is a half-hour action that requires a successful Sneaky Bastard attribute test.

• Taking clues off other Scum.

With a successful and appropriate attribute test a player character can force another player character to give up a clue to them. Generally, the targeted Scum doesn't lose the Clue, but instead a copy of that clue is gained. The GM can rule on what sort of actions might or might not work, but might include such things as seducing the target, getting them drunk, beating information out of them or bribing them for information. Note that we don't worry about false clues and cunning deceptions - let's assume that Scum are too straightforward for intrigues of this level!

As soon as a Scum has five different clues, they are assumed to know exactly where the cash is stashed. The GM can pass them a secret note (a specific exception to the normal rule that there are no secrets in Scum), and they can then head to that location. When they get there, they automatically retrieve the £10,000.

If two or more Scum reach five clues at the same time, then they both arrive at the same location at the same time. A series of quick attribute tests (improvised by the GM, based on the player characters' actions) can then be used to determine who gets to take the money!

More ambitious GMs might want to have the clues be actual clues, rather than a conceptual score to track. In this case, they will need to prep a mass of information which can then be secretly handed to players in pieces when they achieve various clues. In this circumstance, there is no absolute number of clues to discover the stash - instead players have to work from their own deductive reasoning skills! This approach, however, is not the default, as it changes the nature of the game and is probably too cerebral for a game of Scum, as well as raising issues about dealing with player character death and the like.

GMs are encouraged to have the money hidden in a special location above and beyond the ones below, so that player characters who haven't acquired all the clues they need can't conveniently "turn up" fortuitiously at the right location.

Staying Alive with Ten Grand

As soon as a player character acquires the cash, it becomes common knowledge that they have it. Several special rules now apply to them:

• First, everyone immediately has a justifiable reason to murder them. No attribute tests are needed to self-justify murder of the money carrier!
• Second, the money-carrying Scum immediately loses 3 points of Sneaky Bastard. Everyone is talking about them and looking for them, and there's no way they can move through the estate without everyone knowing where they are.
• Third, the money-carrying Scum must cannot use his or her "Not Bovvered" attribute. Its suddenly much harder for them to convince people to ignore them, given that they have all that cash on them! They still can, and should, use the other avoidance strategies as normal though.
• Fourth, he can't use the Safe House feature of the Hall. Quite simply, if he gets home with all that money, his mum will take it off him!

On the other hand, there are a few of benefits too:

• The Scum's Shrapnel rating becomes 10, and is set to 10 for as long as he is carrying the money. It can't be reduced in any way.
• The Scum can potentially win the game.
• The Scum can only lose the stash if he is killed - no Scum would ever surrender that much cash for any reason while alive.

Escaping the Estate

To escape the estate with the cash (and thus win the game), the Scum can board a bus, drive out in a car or call a taxi.

Escaping by Bus

The Scum must be at a location that is listed as having a bus stop.

Then he has to get on the bus! This is easy enough, unless anyone else is present. Any other Scum present can take a quick action make either a Nutter check to physically stop him from boarding the bus or a "I'll Cut Ya!" check to scare off the bus driver.

If the Scum successfully boards the bus he exits the area and wins the game.

Driving out in a car

Unless the Scum has the racer trait he doesn't start the game with a car.

Stealing a car is a slow action, needing two consecutive half hour actions. First, the Scum must pass a Sneaky Bastard check to locate a car that he can break into unseen by camera and passers-by - this must be done at a location with a Car Park. Second, he must hot wire the car - another Sneaky Bastard check.

Note that any other Scum can take his car off him with the usual standard actions - beating him up, seducing him, intimidating him, etc. Also, of course, Scum can render a car undriveable with a quick action that requires no roll - for example by slashing the tyres.

If the Scum has a car at the time he has the money, he drives out of the estate and wins the game.

Calling a Taxi

To call a taxi, the scum must secretly tell the GM a location. The taxi will arrive at that location in half an hour's time.

If the scum is at that location in half an hour's time, then he can get aboard the taxi and be driven out of the estate.

Any other Scum present can take a quick action make either a Nutter check to physically stop him from boarding the taxi or a "I'll Cut Ya!" check to scare off the taxi driver.

Locations

Location Traits

Services: These are suggestions as to things the Scum can do at this location.

Opening Hours: The Services are only available during opening hours. Outside of these times, Scum can still visit these locations but are presumed to be hanging around outside rather than being in the building.

NPCs: The significant NPCs listed hang around these locations. Note that the GM can describe other NPCs present.

Other traits:

• Clue - This location can be searched once for a Clue. Once that clue is found, it loses its clue status.
• Bus Stop - This location has a bus stop at it. This is relevant only for escaping the area.
• Car Park - This area has parked cars in it.
• Public - If any Scum or NPC is hospitalised at this location, then the police are called in. That location becomes out of bounds for the rest of the night.

The Hall

• Services: Safe House (see below)
• Opening Hours: Always open.
• Other traits: None.

The "Hall" is a forty-storey concrete tower block built in the 1970s... a true blot on the landscape that stinks of urine and vomit, and is decorated with the illegible graffiti of thirty plus years of Scum scrawlings.

It is also where all the Scum live - each of them will have a mum (and more rarely a dad) that has a flat, and they can go into the flat and lock the door behind them to keep the world outside.

While at this location, any Scum can choose to avoid all interaction with other Scum.

The Study

• Services: None.
• Opening Hours: Always open.
• Other traits: Clue.

Darryl had his own place - a dilapidated squat where he'd manage his deals from and cook up when he felt like it. Because Darryl liked to spend his sundays here reading literature (mostly the Sun, the Daily Mirror and various porn mags) he called this his "Study".

The Library

• Services: A shop, where cigarettes, rislas, porn, DVDs, make up, maps, PS2 games, alcohol and just about any other tat or crap you might want can be bought.
• Opening Hours: Always open.
• Other traits: Public.
• NPCs: "Colonel Mustard"

Mr. Patel's corner shop is open twenty-four hours a day, and he'll sell anything to anyone. Though he feels that the Scum are "bad children" he'll never turn away anyone with money in their pocket.

Though the corner shop is called "Patel's Paradise", there's a handwritten sign above the magazine rack that says "This is Not a Bloody Library!" (to discourage the "stand-and-browse" phenomenon), so the Scum have started calling the place "The Library".

Note that "Colonel Mustard" is not Mr. Patel himself (who has very little to say to Scum except "50 pence please") but rather an old perv in a mustard-coloured trenchcoat, who is always lurking near the magazines section, flicking through the porn.

The Lounge

• Services: None!
• Opening Hours: Always open, thanks to the broken gate.
• Other traits: Clue.
• NPCs: Mrs. White, only from 12am - 4am.

The local graveyard is a popular hang out for weed smokers, thanks to the combination of handy stone seating and relative isolation.

Mrs. White is an old tramp lady who comes there every night to mutter to herself and defecate on the graves of people with foreign names, and who rumours say is actual Darryl's aunty.

The Conservatory

• Services: None.
• Opening Hours: Always open.
• Other traits: Public until 9pm.
• NPCs: Professor Plum, only from 12am-3am.

The local park is poorly maintained, with muddy patchy grass, uprooted flower beds, shopping trolleys in the river and a vandalised playground. Despite this, it is still used by the locals through the day, and is locked up only at 9pm. After lock-up its still possible to get in through gaps in the fences and hedges, of course.

After hours visitors tend to hang around the one building in the park - a matching pair of gents and ladies public toilets that the locals affectionately refer to as the "conservatory". It's not the local scum who tend to visit this place, but rather anonymous local men looking for a bit of cottaging.

Professor Plum is a local primary school teacher, and between 12am and 3am each night he'll come to the Conservatory with the hope of exchanging fluids with the local crowd. He's usually disappointed, but because word in certain communities has spread that he's there every night, he sometimes gets visitors.

The Billiard Room

• Services: A bar which sells alcohol. Pool and snooker tables. Drug dealer.
• Opening Hours: 7pm - 2am.
• Other traits: Public, Bus Stop,
• NPCs: Reverend Green.

There are a couple of billiards tables, but they've been shoved into the corner of this run down club, and the place is normally full of chavs playing on the pool and snooker tables. Though ostensibly "members only", the aging proprieter will let anyone in as long as they don't make a fuss.

A notable fellow who frequents the Billiard Room is the self proclaimed "priest of weed" Reverend Green. A schizophrenic who believes that god is talking to him, he can generally be found in the corner dealing weed. The owners of the club do nothing about this, as last time they tried to kick him out he kicked off...

The Ballroom

• Services: Nightclub, alcohol, drug dealers, sex.
• Opening Hours: 10pm to 6am.
• Other traits: Public, Bus Stop, Car park.
• NPC: Miss Scarlett, only from 1am onwards.

Famous for its cheesy music, free entry, cheap booze and numerous drug dealers, the Ballroom is pretty much a perfect nightclub for the Scum generation.

If they can't pull here, then there's other options too. Miss Scarlett works the streets just outside, and she'll do you a quickie, a hand job or a suck for discount prices. She's not even bad-looking, albeit in a "used" kind of way.

The Kitchen

• Services: Kebabs and burgers aplenty. Chips. Weapons.
• Opening Hours: 6pm to 6am.
• Other traits: Clue, Car Park,

Just off a roundabout on the edge of the estate is a burger and kebab van run by a pair of Turkish immigrants. They sell food, but also sell the local scum imported knives, knuckledusters and other weaponry. While in the open, this can't really be considered a "public" location, as the owners of the van are keen to keep the police away, and will happily "dispose" of any bodies. Hint: Don't order the chicken kebab.

The Dining Room

• Services: Sells "food". No alcohol.
• Opening Hours: 8am - 1am.
• Other traits: Public.
• NPCs: Mrs. Peacock

Flirting with copyright infringement, the Macdoneld's Dining Room sells "Jolly Meals" and "Large Macs with Fries", but with the levels of hygeine that you'd associate with the area. Its a favourite hang out for Scum, as nobody cares if you sit there till closing time.

Mrs. Peacock, a rotund Jamaican lady in her 50s, works as a cleaner here and has a soft spot for the "sweet little boys and girls" apparently oblivious to what the Scum are really like. There's a rumour that she used to give oral to Darryl in exchange for scag.

Notable NPCs

Professor Plum

Professor Plum is in his fifties, slightly overweight and permanently sweaty palmed. He is a primary school teacher in the estate, and probably taught most of the scum at some stage. His favoured social activity is cottaging, and he can be found at the Conservatory between 12am and 3am every night.

He'll surrender his Clue to any male Scum who indulges in homosexual activities with him (standard half hour action, no roll required, but can only be carried out if no other Scum are present at that location). He can also be otherwise "persuaded" to surrender what he knows (for example by being intimdated, befriended, bribed or beaten up - all of which require attribute tests.)

Reverend Green

Reverend Green is in his early twenties, and has the malnourished intense look of a schizophrenic scaghead. He'll often hear Jesus talking to him, and will lead long conversations with himself. He'll sell weed to any who ask.

Green's Clue can only be gained through subtlety and care - any attempt at violence and intimidation against him will result in him "kicking off" and likely murdering the offending Scum. The Scum know this, and are appropriately frightened of Green. On the other hand someone who seduces or befriends him, bribes him, or joins him in a sufficiently long weed-smoking session will likely find out what he knows.

Miss Scarlett

Miss Scarlett says she's eighteen, but she's probably anything up to ten years older than that. She dresses in a skintight red lycra miniskirt, with bright red lipstick and a bouffant of blonde hair. A cigarette perpetually dangling from her lower lip, she'll proposition any man (or boy) that walks past her, with services ranging from the £5 blow to the £500 Julia Roberts special.

Despite selling sex she's doesn't really enjoy it, but she'll only reveal her Clue to a paying customer (a standard Shrapnel test). A particularly mean scum could get the information out of her more aggressively, but its worth remembering that her location is a public area.

Mrs. Peacock

Mrs. Peacock is a large lady, with a big personality. Being from Jamaica, she's one of the few non-white faces on the Estate, but she laughs off the background noise of racist abuse with a smile and forced jollity.

She'll surrender her clue to any boy who charms her or any girl who befriends her, or to anyone who'll share a joint with her.

Colonel Mustard

A worn-out looking old perv with a trenchcoat and a handle bar moustache that have both seen better days, Mustard can be found perpetually browsing the library of porn at Mr. Patel's corner shop.

Mr. Patel used to kick him out, but has now decided he likes having the old man about, and that he is essentially harmless.

Mustard will surrender his "clue" to any pretty girl that convincingly flirts with him (a well shaggable check) or to any Scum who'll buy him pornography (a shrapnel check).

Mrs. White

Mrs. White isn't a lovely old lady. She's pretty much the opposite of that.

With her trolley full of collected street rubbish, her dirty moustache, her leering squint and her endless muttering of racial slurs, she's pretty much an archetypal bag tramp. During the night time she sleeps in the graveyard, and takes great pleasure in emptying her bowels over the graves of anyone with a vaguely foreign name.

She's not really cogent, so talking to her doesn't achieve much. Rather, the clue is hidden in her trolley. Searching the trolley full of crap is a Sneaky Bastard check... but that's the easy bit. Taking the trolley in the first place is the hard bit.

GM Section

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