Josiah Goodleigh was an industrialist and philanthropist, who tragically died recently. He left behind a daughter, Emily, who is the sole heir to his sizeable fortune. Unfortunately, the legacy is not without its troubles. The patents to the two inventions which formed the basis of Josiah’s fortunes are being challenged in the courts, while rumours come of trouble being stirred up in the Goodleigh mills.
The dark mastermind behind all these misfortunes is Sir Jasper Malevolent, who has designs on both Josiah’s wealth and his daughter. Fortunately for Emily, her father foresaw the perils that would face her and has made provision for her protection. His will appoints several old friends to act as trustees of his legacy and to be responsible its administration and the protection of his daughter. As those trustees, the players must thwart the evil schemes of Sir Jasper, secure Josiah’s legacy for his daughter, and save young Emily from a fate worse than death.
A classic Victorian tale of plucky young heiresses, mustachio-twirling villains, indomitable aunts, and dark satanic mills.
Stiff Upper Lip is my own variant of the popular FATE Core system. Stiff Upper Lip takes FATE and gets it to stand up straight, stop slouching and generally become a game system of which Nanny would be proud. It adapts FATE for the genre of British Empire fiction, made famous by writers such as W.E. Johns, Rider Haggard and Sax Rohmer. A golden age in which bold heroes and plucky heroines confront dastardly foreigners, discover lost worlds and ancient treasures, and thwart devilish schemes for world domination.