Idle gossip offers a fairly safe and easy way of gathering information. Characters can attempt to engage NPCs in conversation - the best places are obviously Ale Houses, where people are bound to be less suspicious of the player's motives.
When a character tries to strike up a conversation with a stranger, the gamesmaster should make a test against Fel. If the test is successful, the character will learn all the latest news (relevant or not). News typically includes tragic events, births, marriages, scandal, suicides, trauma, illness, crime, and 'strange goings on' in general. It can take quite a while to listen to local gossip, especially if the speaker is old or rambling. This is left to the GM to decide according to the circumstances.
In addition to local news, the character can try to get answers to up to D6 specific questions. The GM should answer the player's questions from the NPC's point of view - often the only honest reply the NPC can make is 'I don't know'.
Characters who fail a gossip test may face a hostile reaction from the NPC. A failure by 40% or more indicates that the NPC may report them to the local authorities as snoopers, dangerous deviants, or weirdos. In favourable circumstances, the NPC may even attack the character.