Castle Falkenstein… Your Corset Can Be Your Worst Enemy

I was just re-reading an old gaming classic from my collection, called Castle Falkenstein (original version from back in 1994, NOT the GURPS version). Set in a fictional version of Europe, it combines SteamPunk, pseudo-Victorianism and Magic.  While women aren’t quite as restricted as they were historically, there are still some peculiar hold-overs in the system that might amuse or annoy players of a certain gender.

Core Rule Book, p188:

“A swoon happens with a Victorian Lady’s senses are overwhelmed in some way or another; she takes a ‘Constitutional Shock.’ Ladies who do not have a Courage (an attribute) equal to or greater than Good are prone to swooning.”

“Type of Constitutional Shock: Extremely Foul Language (3), Great heat/cold, too-tight corset (2), Threatening Gaze (1), Rough Treatment (4)”