Whisper Street is the secret name for the network of information that flows from person to person in an urban setting. Who are the people who make up Whisper Street? They are the invisible and nameless men and women who deliver your mail, shine your shoes, pour your coffee, sweep your streets, collect your garbage, and so much more. When someone says, “Word on the street is…” they’re talking about Whisper Street.
NOTE: Whisper Street is not an organization. No one who is part of Whisper Street is consciously aware that they are cogs in a much larger information-processing machine that is informally known as Whisper Street. The concept of Whisper Street is best set in a pre-information age, when the world was analog, not digital.
Whisper Street can be a useful resource in a Call of Cthulhu game with an urban setting. The concept behind Whisper Street is that an urban setting has ears everywhere – the newsstand operator, the shoeshine clerk, the diner waitress, the mail carrier, the taxi driver, the garbage collector, the pan handler, the food cart vendor, and the street sweeper – just to name a few. The investigators interact with these people all the time without expressly roleplaying it, because their character picked up a newspaper, or grabbed a cup of coffee, or collected their mail. And the odds are good that the antagonists in whatever mystery they are investigating have also crossed paths with the denizens of Whisper Street. So, it’s likely that some of the information they seek to solve the mystery may have been overheard on Whisper Street.
But not all investigators have equal access to Whisper Street. These guidelines should help the Keeper determine the amount of access each investigator has to the wealth of knowledge on Whisper Street.
- Skill: Survival (Urban) – The Survival skill with a focus on an urban setting could be considered a “Streetwise” skill. Any investigator with this particular skill configuration may gain information from Whisper Street with a regular successful Survival (Urban) skill roll or Credit Rating skill roll. Investigators with the Survival (Urban) skill do not need to roll to see if they have access to Whisper Street based on their occupation. Investigators who acquire the Survival (Urban) skill during a character improvement phase automatically gain access to Whisper Street.
- Occupation: Blue Collar – The Keeper has final determination on whether an investigator’s occupation is blue collar or white collar. Blue collar investigators are peers to vast majority of people who contribute to Whisper Street.
Before a blue-collar investigator attempts to gain information from Whisper Street, they must first determine if they have access to it. The Keeper must ask for a regular success with a Credit Rating skill roll, without the use of Luck Points to augment the roll. If successful, the player should note somewhere on their character sheet that their investigator has access to Whisper Street. From then on, information can be gained from Whisper Street with a regular success with a Credit Rating skill roll.
- Occupation: White Collar – The Keeper has final determination on whether an investigator’s occupation is white collar or blue collar. White collar investigators are not peers to the hard-working men and women who make up Whisper Street. Even if the investigator’s intensions are good, the denizens of Whisper Street recognize the white-collar investigator as “The Man,” and are more likely to be tight-lipped around them.
Before a white-collar investigator attempts to gain information from Whisper Street, they must first determine if they have access to it. The Keeper must ask for a hard success with a Credit Rating skill roll, without a use of Luck Points to augment the roll. If successful, the player should note somewhere on their character sheet that their investigator has access to Whisper Street. From then on, information can be gained from Whisper Street with a regular success with a Credit Rating skill roll.
But what about investigators who do not have the Survival (Urban) skill and they failed to gain access to Whisper Street? Can they still attempt to gain information from Whisper Street anyways? Yes, of course, but it’s just a bit more difficult.
Investigators Without Access to Whisper Street:
- Blue Collar – Regular success with a Credit Rating skill roll, with One Penalty Die.
- White Collar – Hard success with a Credit Rating skill roll, with One Penalty Die.
DENIZENS OF WHISPER STREET
Most of the investigator’s interactions with the denizens of Whisper Street are intended to occur “off camera.” But, if it is necessary to have an encounter on camera, the Keeper can quickly whip-up anyone they may need. Presented here are just a few suggestions.
Carl, shoe shiner
STR 50 DEX 60 POW 40
CON 60 APP 50 EDU 40
SIZ 50 INT 50 HP 11
Skills: Art/Craft (Shine) 50% (25/10), History (Local) 40% (20/8), Listen 60% (30/12), Sleight of Hand 40% (20/8)
Andy, newspaper boy
STR 40 DEX 50 POW 50
CON 60 APP 60 EDU 40
SIZ 45 INT 50 HP 10
Skills: Climb 40% (20/8), Fast Talk 50% (25/10), Listen 60% (30/12), Throw 40% (20/8)
Flo, waitress
STR 50 DEX 50 POW 40
CON 50 APP 60 EDU 50
SIZ 40 INT 60 HP 9
Skills: Dodge 40% (20/8), Listen 60% (30/12), Persuade 50% (25/10), Spot Hidden 40% (20/8)
Denizen of Whisper Street Template:
Name, occupation
STR xx DEX xx POW xx
CON xx APP xx EDU xx
SIZ xx INT xx HP xx
Skills: Listen 60% (30/12), Major 50% (25/10), Minor One 40% (20/8), Minor Two 40% (20/8)
The denizen will have two characteristics at 60%, two at 40%, and four at 50%. Their hit points are calculated normally. Any adjustments to their characteristics due to age are also applied.
The denizen has four skills, one major at 50%, two minors at 40% each, and Listen at 60%.
