I’ve been reading the 18th Century Classic Fanny Hill again recently and it occurred to me that there is a way I could improve the Courtesans rules set slightly…
No its not necessarily to do with sex scenes you delightful perves you…
Instead it is about in-experience. The number of actions the Courtesans system could incorporate is almost limitless and it is somewhat easy to see a situation arising where a Player Character is trying out something for the first time. She’s no mere slip of a girl at 18 but she may not have ever, for example, ridden a horse, or shot a bow or danced around in a giant cream pie…
Okay scrap that last one that was weird… but the point is the charmingly awkward first time is both a hindrance and potentially an additional delight for an admirer. As such I present the following optional rule.
First Time for Everything
If she wishes to attempt a Pleasing Action that involves an activity she has never tried before a Courtesan is at a -1 penalty to her Dice Roll. However if she overcomes this penalty and succeeds her Margin of success counts as 1 better than it actually is.
Example: Hazel the Upstart has never ridden a horse before, being a City Girl with everywhere being in walking distance so she’s a little nervous when her Admirer Lord Prescott suggests a ride round his estate. Her initial Prowess roll is at a -1 Penalty however as she still manages to pass the roll by 2 she counts as having Succeeded by 3 taking an additional point of wealth from her lover’s giggling at her tangling herself up in the reins
Click the picture to get yourself a copy of Courtesans: Sex and Society in glorious paperpack goodness!


CID: Coppers In Disguise is the first of the Random Insane Side Project games that aim to take Tabletop Roleplaying to very odd (if not unique) places. With the basic mechanics of the History Farce system powering them they shall endeavour to emulate some rather strange genres.
