Duty Guvnor

Duty Guvnor is a roguelike set during night duty in 1975. The player books on at a quarter to eleven and works until six, handling incidents such as a milk float robbery, a member of Parliament in the cells, a visiting president and an unexplained ticking suitcase. Resources are limited to four constables, four cells and one radio. Each shift is dealt from a deck of incidents.

The core mechanics centre on commitment and consequence. Officers sent out cannot be sent a second time in the same shift, and a prisoner booked in occupies a cell until the van arrives at six. Gambles cannot be made certain through preparation. Each shift is played over one page and eight hours, with three meters called Streets, Brass and Relief. If any of them reaches zero, the night and the officer’s career end. Players can also ring Division once per night for the Special Patrol Group, the dog section or a night-duty detective.

The campaign, titled A Week from Hell, covers seven consecutive nights from Friday 14 to Thursday 20 November 1975, played as a single posting. Favours, grudges and unfinished business carry between shifts, and the later nights become more difficult. Larger storylines, such as the visiting president, begin in one shift and affect the next. Career tracking includes streaks, a casebook, a service record, twelve achievements and letters from the Yard.