Ideas/Adventure Starters for BTS.

[bigbobsr6000]

Please post here any adventure starters for BTS. Below is one I have used in the past. Hopefully we can keep this thread going and give/get ideas. Here is one I used.

One or all PCs, while sleeping, are awakened by a stinging cut across their throat(s). They hear a pulsating hissing sound, there is a warm liquid running rapidly over their chest. Their eyes open in terror as they attempt to scream, but only gurgle blood. Their last image is a shadowy figure leaning over them and starts chanting, "You have just been awakened by the slitting of your throat...." This is also the last thing they hear as they die with a sickening-wet, gurgle-wheezing sound. Blank eyes looking at nothing.......

What happens next, hhhuuummmmm....???

1. Awake from their nightmare covered in blood but find no cut, if tested it is their own.
2. All awake as 1, but one PC has razor sharp knife in hand with only blood splatters belonging to others on him/her.
3. One to all awake from bad dream and return to a restful sleep. Next morning, news is reported about X number of murders in town/city described precisely as the dream. X = the number of PCs that had "the dream".
4. NPC with PCs or one they met is slain this way after dream by PC.
5. Whoever the PCs tell the dream to, is slain as dream the next night or when they sleep.
6. In secret, have a willing player to have his PC slain this way during/after any dream situation mentioned. Please note that the one doing this should have his "back-up" PC ready to go that you can get in fairly quickly. EX: A private investigator, a paranormal researcher, detective, witch hunter, news hound, etc.
7. ?????

[Lord Z]

My players would scream "RAILROADING!" and leave the table. Okay, maybe they wouldn't scream. I seriously could not get them to stay for a game which started this way.

7. The PCs are all okay, but they find blood dripping from the ceiling. In the apartment above them, a corpse is in the bed with his throat sliced.

Of all the above choices, I like #6 the best. I'm always interested in the the group dynamics of gaming, and this option changes the standard dynamic into something more experimental.

[bigbobsr6000]

My players would scream "RAILROADING!" and leave the table. Okay, maybe they wouldn't scream. I seriously could not get them to stay for a game which started this way.

7. The PCs are all okay, but they find blood dripping from the ceiling. In the apartment above them, a corpse is in the bed with his throat sliced.

Of all the above choices, I like #6 the best. I'm always interested in the the group dynamics of gaming, and this option changes the standard dynamic into something more experimental.

Cool, I like that one. Thanks for the feedback.

[mrloucifer]

A simple one, but one of my favorite starters Ive used was the group going into a "haunted" location that making the lives of the family there a growing mess, and instead of finding ghosts, they found things much worse lurking in the walls, and the only got more agitated/excited by the presence of psychics being there.

The same basic idea applies for another story, only this time the ghosts hunt them back... or they are quiet during the hunt but leave and follow the investigators home afterwards to haunt them.

[mrloucifer]

The group is in high pursuit of some supernatural baddie (like a vampire or some other creature of the night) and it races into an old condemned building. The group should keep going after it (if need be have the thing hold a small child or something of value to encourage the pursuit).

The angle is that the fiend has prepared for this situation and the building is rigged with hazards and traps in an effort to slow down, injure, maim or kill its chasers. Some events that could happen in this adventure:

-they find a sprung trap at some point with a dead man in it. Perhaps it’s a hunter they recognize or know that helps the group on occasion. This scene raises the tension and the stakes of their situation.

-They find an injured hunter, or perhaps a homeless man who’s sought shelter in the wrong place. This party sprung a trap and needs professional medical assistance to survive (paramedic efforts will only slow the blood, he needs a doctor). The patient should already look weak and fading… can the group move on? Do they take the effort to help the injured person out of the building? (This should be a challenge as their original entrance will be blocked).

-The traps themselves can be limited by imagination at this point. Weak floor boards, spike traps, trip wires, mazes, poison dart traps, contraptions right out of the SAW movies, nail bombs, fire bombs, ceilings caving in… the works. In the dead of night in a building with no lights should only make this scene much more terrifying and dangerous.

-They could discover a person (or group) or people who live in the building with the creature, and THEY are the ones who are building the traps! Are they possessed? Are they just sick individuals? Do they support the creature for whatever ungodly reason?

-They may find the creature they were looking, but then discover it’s a subservient creature to something much stronger than the group expected (and probably isn’t properly equipped or prepared to encounter).

-they destroy the fiend and rescue whomever needs saving, but the creature set a “self destruct” trap of some kind before its demise and suddenly, small explosions are going off all over building! It will eventually level the several story building, and will bury the PC’s alive if they don’t get out fast!

[bigbobsr6000]

Good stuff.

[mrloucifer]

The players investigate a house, but the house itself is what the issue is as opposed to ghosts. This can be explained in whatever way you like, but the important thing is figuring out the secrets of the house. OH yeah, I almost forgot to mention that they cant escape the house until they solve the mystery behind it.

But to do that, the group will face never ending corridors, rooms that keep showing up randomly that they've visited before, doors and objects disappearing and reapearing all the time, outdoor windows and exit doors cant seem to be found, sudden temperature changes, etc. Think of the short story and movie "1408" for some inspirational moments.

Throwing iconic bits like walking skeltons, ghosts, people who've been trapped in the house for years and their sanity is broken (or at least cracked), evil psychic beings, etc.

Your left to your own devices to come up with solutions.

[mrloucifer]

In the middle of nowhereville USA, is a small town, who's only tourist attraction is a Wax museum fashioned out of an old ice factory. The town has been witnessing strange kidnappings and is calling for help, and the undermanned and under experienced PD is looking for assistance, this brings up the PC's.

The max museum is housing monsters in the guise of monstrous wax pieces during the day, but at night they come alive and hunt for people to mutate into other wax monstrosities.

The owner could be behind it, a cult could be behind, the whole town’s behind it, or no one might be behind it (the supernatural beings found a place of opportunity and moved in.

Whatever the reason, if the characters get captured, they’ll be turned into a wax creature by morning. Killing the monsters means destroying private property in the owner’s eyes and destroys the small towns only real tourist attraction and therefore one more nail in the failing community’s coffin. Some folk may seek revenge on the players before/as they are leaving town.

[mrloucifer]

An alternative to the above wax museum setup: the museum is fine, its the town thats loaded with killers and murderers, and while they have an unwritten truce amngst themselves, its free for all on tourists and those passing through. The killers could have possessed folks amongst them, a minor occultist dabbler who has a few hell hounds at his command, a Devil Ghost has taken up residence here as he enjoys all the sick minds congregating so close together, etc.

[bigbobsr6000]

Good stuf all, and thanks

[mrloucifer]

Good stuf all, and thanks

*Rubs hands together villainously" Amigo, I'm just gettin warmed up... I'll post most as I get the time for them.

[gaby]

Great

Maybe your can show Npc,s villains for the games.

[mrloucifer]

Well, this topic is for adveture appetizers and starters. This isnt the place for fully fleshed out adventure scenarios.

On the other hand, I have fully fleshed out adventures that I use for cons and the open houses... perhaps I'll start a new topic to place those.

[bigbobsr6000]

Here are some one liners that can be used to start an adventure or a side one possibly connected to one you are on:

A young man runs into you, falls jumps up running away leaving behind a small back-pack. Several local authorities next rush past you chasing him with some locals following. Contents….????

Overhear two seedy characters, “Everything’s ready for tonight’s job?”. “Yeah, should be easy…..”

A little 8 year old girl in a pretty dress asks your help to find her parents.

Reports in the town of strange deaths have come to your attention. Bodies drained of blood.

Reports in the town of strange deaths have come to your attention. Bodies torn apart.

Receive message: Missing you, wish you were here, love, signed:….(dead npc known to party member(s) or loved one).

Reports in the town of strange deaths have come to your attention. Bodies with organs removed and laid out beside the body, all of whom are women of the street.

Reports in the town of strange deaths have come to your attention. Bodies are like husks as if their life essence were sucked right out of them.

enjoy

[mrloucifer]

A PC wakes up for the morning commute one morning, turns on the news while getting ready and catches something to effect of this:

(Reporter): “According to the police report, the cause of death was determined to be due to “extreme starvation” and added that Adam Johnson appeared to not have eaten in the last several weeks. Adam son Thomas had this to when concerning his father condition.

“This is impossible; I had just taken my dad out to dinner two nights ago. He was in good health, was eating and drinking like a horse, and has been working on his pot belly since his retirement. I don’t care what the report says; dad didn’t die of starvation!”

(Back to reporter): “With no further explanation to what seems to be an extremely unusual occurrence, the police have considered this a closed investigation.”

If the PC’s do nothing, more occurrences like this will happen until they do.

What’s behind this? Black magic? Energy leeching monsters? A freak natural occurrence in the area? Side effect of some new experimental drug the company wants no one to know about?

[Lord Z]

The town full of killers seems like a great idea to me. In fact, I could see that being some new t.v.show on the FX network.

I also like the post card hook (Missing you...). It's subtle yet definitely draws the characters in.

A Comedy of Errors Hook or Like-a-Look
I don't have any one-line hooks right now, but I do have this old thing. I posted this in the Dragons Landing forums back in 2008. It would make a good second or third game session in a medium to long campaign.

I was reminded of Charley Chaplin's The Great Dictator. It's very different in tone and genre from a Sam Spade flick, but a lot in it can be mined for game noir. In my opinion, Dictator is the greatest movie ever made. Chaplin plays two characters, a poor Jewish barber and an insane German tyrant. Chaplin is brilliant in both roles, but the inevitable case of mistaken identity occurs, and the two characters switch places. Mistaken identities occur commonly enough in genres of literature to the point of being cliche, but I haven't seen it happen much in RPGs.

Start a game in which your player characters are persecuted somehow, and an evil figurehead exists somewhere in the background – a corrupt police chief, an admiral of the imperial space navy, a fanatical bishop, or the spoiled crown princess. Mention the evil figurehead, but don't bring a picture of him or her to the table. Wait for it. It may take two or three sessions before a the players walk into plot hook. It might happen within the first couple of hours. Burn time with minor plot hooks or small missions that reinforce the idea that these characters are struggling to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

As soon as of the player characters changes his or her appearance, spring the trap. The change in appearance can be a sudden loss of hair due to fire damage, a new facial scar, or a any other physical change. Even putting on a wig for a get-away disguise will work. Wait for the change rather than forcing one of the players into it. When the change happens, say, “It doesn't look so bad. The admiral is bald also. I did mention that, right?”

In fact, the player-character is now the spitting image of the evil figurehead. Very, very soon, an NPC will arrive to mistake the PC for the figurehead. Even if the PC doesn't take the hook, someone else will soon show up and try to convince the PC to impersonate the figurehead as part of an assassination or coup. The other player characters can accompany the figurehead as his new entourage. What will they do with sudden new power they have after struggling for so long? Furthermore, will they expose themselves by changing too much too quickly? Remember to have some fun yourself with the fate of the actual figurehead.

[Lord Z]

Here is a hook inspired by a news story. The heroes are researchers and explorers in contemporary Antarctica. They are searching an area which they believed to have never been visited by people before now. There, they find an abandoned airplane from the early twentieth century. Who beat them to this spot, what happened to the crew, and why are there no historical records about the earlier expedition? Link

[mrloucifer]

Here is a hook inspired by a news story. The heroes are researchers and explorers in contemporary Antarctica. They are searching an area which they believed to have never been visited by people before now. There, they find an abandoned airplane from the early twentieth century. Who beat them to this spot, what happened to the crew, and why are there no historical records about the earlier expedition? Link

DOODE!!! This is like "The Thing" coming to life!!! If my dogs start mutating into monsters I'm gonna be very upset.

[Lord Z]

I saw that movie for the first time a few weeks ago. I fully admit that it was on my mind. There are also shadows of Lovecraft's Mountain of Madness, but probably not so epic.

[bigbobsr6000]

PCs (or one) when (awake from sleep or are at insert location) realize he/she sees all people and creatures, (to their horror), as if they have no skin. Just the muscle tissue. Does not see through any clothing, walls, etc. only skin is gone. Including the PCs. No one else sees this. All people and creatures go about their daily routines.

Kicker: Next day (or session) sees through skin and muscle tissue. Skeletons with all internal organs, arteries, veins. Blood pumping moving and acting normally. After the next time pass, see just skeletal frame with arteries and veins. Next time, skeletons. Next, all invisible except for clothing.

Final kicker, the PCs see after the latest time pass. NOBODY!!! Just piles of clothes laid out as if the occupants of said clothes just vanished!! And the PCs are back to their "normal" selves. Cars, trains, airplanes, ships...etc.. are crashed/wrecked. Power soon fails (no one is to be found.) All animals, insects, etc. as well.

Throw in scenes like "You see what appears to be an old woman's nice outfit laid out as if she just disappeared out of them. Clutched in her closed empty gloved hand is a leash leading to an empty gem studded small dog collar laying near her empty shoes. Tag reads 'Mommy loves Muffin.' (Que eerie music.....)"
Note to GMs:
1. Creepy apocalypse cause. They could find others that survived as they did.
2. Could learn about the end result by what ever means and must try to stop the end of humanity. (your choice how and when).
3. Only happens to all within a set radius (i.e. 50 miles radius) of PCs. They get out of area and relieved to see normal people again. The next day, it starts again at their new location.
4. They see a truly "wasting" disease, except victims are totally unaware and see all else as normal. Zero symptoms. The PCs are the carriers but immune to final step of vanishing. Return to "normal" at that step. I'll leave open how the PCs got contaminate and where the "wasting disease" came from.
5. My final twist is after all "the beautiful people" are gone, the process starts with plants the same way (treat bark as skin for example). Then buildings, sections of land, etc...Their "reality" is wasting away slowly, really slowly. Good way to bring PCs to "alternate reality" as they "fade to black" and awaken.................????????

[Lord Z]

That is a very creepy story, Big Bob. It would make a great short story. If run as a game, I'm not sure what the PCs could do about it. The two standard solutions to a gaming problem are #1 find the monster responsible and kill it or #2 find the magic gadget that can be used to save the day.

Okay, I think I've got it. The monster responsible is a powerful entity who can create its own reality, like a Doppleganger Entity or a Living Realm from that Astral Plane article in Rifter. The PCs were pulled into this reality a while ago without realizing it because the artificial world is a very convincing copy of the their real world. The catch is that the Entity is dying. As it grows weaker, the world it has created dissolves. If the PCs are still in this world when the Entity dies, they will die or worse. The object is not to kill the monster but find the doorway out before the monster kicks. What has happened in the real world while the PCs were away? Perhaps the Entity abducted them to save them from some violent event like Dark Day, the Crash, The Coming of the Rifts, or that day when the zombies all arrived in Dead Reign.

If the PCs need to find a thing to fix the situation, maybe it's a mirror. The PCs can see the missing people in reflections, but one special mirror is causing the trouble. This mirror is a rune item. It is being used (or it is doing this itself) to move innocent people to the other side of a Mirror Wall (like that on Nightlands Earth). On the other side, these people become Dopplegangers, monsterous minions of the mirror (or its master). The mirror is creating an army of these things. The mirror is indestructable but only from this side. If the PCs go the other side, they can find the corresponding side of the rune mirror and smash it.

...or the magic gadget could be that hourglass of magic sand from Rifter #13. The missing people have been pulled into the 13th hour. The demons in the 13th hour are collecting humans for one of the usual reasons: slave labor, PPE sources, board game tokens, etc. The PCs have to steal the hourglass back from the demons in order to control who enters and leaves the 13th hour.

These are just some thoughts.

[bigbobsr6000]

Thanks, Lord Z. I left it the this way so one could input their own villians/solve as you so greatly did. As I GM on the fly, the stroy would develop as the PCs explored possibilities. I like your suggestions, though. Thanks.

[Lord Z]

Okay, I get it now. That's why the thread title reads, "Adventure Starters."

[gaby]

I hope they may do Adventure sourcebook after they made the two books on BtS,s magic and Monsters.

What do you think?

[bigbobsr6000]

I hope they may do Adventure sourcebook after they made the two books on BtS,s magic and Monsters.

What do you think?

YES! Suggest you make this a poll. Maybe if we get enough to agree mihgt get one.

[mrloucifer]

Well, they did have Boxed Nightmares and had plans for more back in the day. I can see it happening.

[bigbobsr6000]

In a creepy (insert building) on a rainy, stromy night, (of course), lightning flashing, thunder crashing. While searching for (insert ?????) down a hallway an end door beckons you. Your light source picks this time to fail you. As you attempt to get the now useless light to bring forth its dark piercing beam, there's a creak from the door, The wind?? Only the flashing of the lightning lights your way, the door is slightly ajar opening inward to what lies beyond. You feel a...a...presence??...sense of??...beckoning closer to the ever looming dark door. Lightning flashes as you reach for the door to push it open, funny the lightning flash didn't seem to penetrate the darkness beyond the door. Compelled to run away in terror, compelled not to....you push open the door slowly...flash of lightning momentarily flickers from the hallway windows, strobing the room...a little girl's room comes to mind. But, something is there with you....eyes flashing in the storm light....dozens...no...hundreds of pairs of eyes all around. Eyes belonging to hundreds of Victorian Dolls.......all looking at you!!.......Did that one move?.........Is that blood on them?......{GMs take it from here.}

[Lord Z]

Regarding the Adventure book: Kevin has complained at least once in an interview about how he has always been disappointed in the sales of adventure books and modules. Add to those adventures an extra character class, an optional rule or some techno-toys, and new monster -- then it's called a sourcebook and everyone is happy.

Regarding the previous hook about the dark doorway and the lightning storm: Here is some useful artwork and also there.

[krate]

You're too kind, Lord Z. Thanks!

[mrloucifer]

My weekly adventure idea for the week;

Title: There’s worse things than alligators in the sewers!!
Game Idea: Those silly reports of alligators are in sewers again (happens every summer), but this time there is a twist that says people are being taken by the alligators. After several weeks of people going missing, the PC group may deduce its worth investigating.
But when they get to sewers and investigate, they find a lot more than they bargained for! There are man-gator biped looking beasts, jungle foliage is growing all over every surface of the sewer and stranger things still are happening!!! What’s behind this bizarre event, and how do the players deal with it?

Antagonisits: Could be a Jungle spirit/entity/ minor godling, or a cultist plan in motion, a completely unexpected and random event, some kind of bizare time warp or backlash in the area, a science experiment going badly and spirling out of control, etc.
Whatever the cause, people are mutating into gator beings and foliage is growing and expanding about a city block an hour. It’s only a matter of time before this mess comes up to the surface to overwhelm the town and beyond!

[bigbobsr6000]

For some reason "C. H. U. D." comes to mind......curious.

[mrloucifer]

For some reason "C. H. U. D." comes to mind......curious.

Never seen it to be honest... I hope this doesnt come off as some blatent copy of it.

[bigbobsr6000]

For some reason "C. H. U. D." comes to mind......curious.

Never seen it to be honest... I hope this doesnt come off as some blatent copy of it.

Canniballistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers. Here's the tralier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqDToaLuJ7I

[Lord Z]

Now that's the good stuff! I can see several ways one could go with the alligator men. They could be Horned Lizard Beasts from Boxed Nightmares, real alligators used by Possession Entities, a cult of Lizard Men (from PF) lead by a Lizard Mage (summoner/biomancer?), a tribe of shapeshifters (weregators?), mutant animal alligators (from After the Bomb), mutant human experiments (from HU), pet Lizard Kings of a Night Prince (from the Nightlands), or even minions of that Egyptian alligator god (like the Crocodillians from Rifts Africa). I love the concept of a jungle growing up from the sewers to swallow a city.

[mrloucifer]

This week's adventure igniter from yer old uncle Louie

Title: “LOOK OUT!”

Situation: The group is driving long distance to a location that they’ve been asked to help deal with. It’s dark, it’s raining, and they are on a road with lots of turns and foliage or other obstructions making poor visibility to drive on.

The team/group should be discussing the case on the way or having some kind conversation as if they are all talking while driving. Determine ahead of time who’s driving, and at an unexpected moment, the GM will shout out the PC’s name and to look out, AKA: “JOE, LOOK OUT! THERE’S SOMEONE ON THE ROAD!”
After the driving skill is rolled, regardless if they succeeded in missing the person on the road, once they’ve skidded to a halt and/or look behind them, there will not be anyone there! As the group begins to reflect on what they saw, it all happened so fast that the details are few, but they will be enough to say something is amiss.

For example, the Gm’s will offer up notes like “Joe, you made out what looked like a rain coat, but it was tattered and shredded along the end of the coat. Marie, you thought you saw what looked like a machete in its right hand. And Mark, you didn’t notice any of these things are your eyes seemed drawn to the person’s on the road, for they seemed to glow ever so slightly in the dark, glowing brighter than the head lights of the car as you spotted it. You didnt make out his face however as the hood oddly seemed to obscure it. And Emily, what scared you the most was that you were sure the car hit him, but there was no sound, no collision, nor even a body in the road!”

The group should come to a decision that something supernatural is afoot (if psychics investigate the area the person was standing, they will get appropriate trails and scents of supernatural activity).
From here the group will need to decide if they want to investigate further. Gm’s should gently encourage the group to do so, adding a shoulder devil food for thought that says “Since it’s supernatural, there’s someone/something that’s attracting it’s presence.”

There is a small town maybe a mile or two down the road, and if they group stops to investigate further about this person and describe him, the towns folk will seem to turn while and hesitant to talk. Eventually someone will talk about a folklore in the town about a serial killer (before there was such a title) years ago who wore a tattered rain coat and hunted people down and killed them with a machete (or whatever weapon the GM chooses).

What do the players do now? They are supposed to be helping in another town, at least an hour or two further on yet, and the call for help sounded urgent! Then again, this unexpected presence terrifies this town and its obviously back for more. Does the party split up? Do they abandon this town? Perhaps come back later? If they do come back through, the being will have claimed a few lives since they’ve moved on (hit them with a guilt angle if they left.)

What is the being exactly? An entity or ghost of some sort? A demon in the guise of the folk legend? Or perhaps the same being of the legend, coming into the area every few decades to inflict death and terror and leave again? Is there something that draws it to this area? If so, can it be removed/destroyed to bring the town peace from this thing?

[gaby]

great,Hope to see more.

[mrloucifer]

great,Hope to see more.

I'm gonna try for a weekly idea, if not more (when inspiration strike me with a mace).

[gaby]

the PC is in a team looking for a lost Treasures but ther others looking for it too,Who could be ther Rivals,can ther be a magic or curse item in it.

What you think?

[mrloucifer]

the PC is in a team looking for a lost Treasures but ther others looking for it too,Who could be ther Rivals,can ther be a magic or curse item in it.

What you think?

Get in touch with your inner Indiana Jones or Laura Croft and your onto something here.

[gaby]

the PC,s watch the News on weird happed at amusment park,people fine ther low on energy after the left the park and fall into Comas...what could it be?

[gaby]

your no fun

[mrloucifer]

This week’ s adventure from yer old buddy Mr. Cifer (with bonus material added this time!)

Title: Small Town, Big Troubles!

Situation: A small town located somewhere that’s about an hour away from where the PC’s live is on a downward spiral to becoming a city of madness! Violence acts and bouts of insanity are becoming common place and the local authorities are ill equipped and unprepared to respond to the escalating problems, especially when many of their deputies are starting to exhibit their own signs of madness.
The PC’ will eventually get an anonymous call for help in this town, but by the time they get there, the town is having random issues at any given moment, assault, self mutilations, attempted murder, severe hallucinating, anything and everything is going on here.

Even worse, the players wont be able to solve this in a matter of minutes, so as they stay in the town, they will start having violent hallucinations as well (old dead enemies returning to kill em, bugs crawling in and out of their skin, etc..)

The group is staying at the one place in town that can put them all up, an old and crumbling Inn called “ The Barracks” or whatever you choose to label it. This building is the oldest one in town, in fact it was the first one built and used as an outpost for Spanish/French/Indian traders early in the country’s history. It was been converted many times over the years, but has been a bar for the last century or so. However, in a small town it’s hard to make a sizable profit and has changed hands a lot over the years. The current owners (The Rockwell’s) are retirees who enjoy the small town life and running the Inn and simply try to make enough to keep the bar running.

There are three issues for the PC’s to deal with/solve here:

1. The violence and hallucinations and madness are escalating before the PC’s eyes. There will be times the players may be assaulted by raving loons who simply snap out of it minutes later. People may come out shooting at them and others around them, ber paranoid about the strangers in town, and other situations that put the PC’s into potential harm’s way.

2.All the insanity and wild emotions and energies are attracting Supernatural creatures, The Gormaglut, Gremlins, Banshee’s, Devil Ghosts, Poltergeists &Haunting Entities, Scaring Crows and the like would find the town an attractive place to hang out as of late.

3. Finding and dealing with just who or what is responsible for this nightmare.

Optional suggestion of who’s responsible: The new owners of the Barracks may seem to be friendly, helpful and concerned about the town, but in reality they are the cause of the trouble. One of the unique aspects of this bar is large amounts of storage space in the back of the building, which coincidentally is built into the side of a hill with no windows or easy access to them. While they’ve open up a few of these brick walled rectangular rooms with bricked arched ceilings (which makes for a unique atmosphere) with tables and games and so on, they’ve kept the largest room a secret and have built their own micro brewery in it. This is where they brew their own ale with a variety of hallucinogenic funguses and alchemical concoctions and have been serving it to the regulars and visitors. As their craft has improved, the doses have been getting heavier and more dangerous. As the PC’s will eat and drink at the Inn, they WILL begin to suffer similar issues as the rest of the town.

The Rockwell’s have also practicing mystic arts since their retirement and amongst other talents have mastered the art of summoning Scurry Scree’s and Scurry Talus beings to protect and watch over their Inn, so if the players call them out or snoop around the Inn, the Rockwell’s won’t be unprotected and will most likely be well aware of the PC’s actions. They’ve also learned a method of making a vitality potions that brings the both of them to the physical health of their 20’s… they make look like they’re in their mid 60’s, but they both fight like Chuck Norris in his 20’s! The Rockwell’s enjoy the chaos they’ve created and have moved to the small town due to the convenience of being the only bar in town and the access to wayward drifters, whom they’ve started performing alchemical experimenting on in another storage chamber hidden deep within the inn.

They’re also excited by the prospect of a new division opening up in town soon, it seems the big city has found this town and is considering building strip malls, restaurants and new homes to add to the town population… the more the merrier the Rockwell’s say.

[Lord Z]

Very niiiiiice, Pappa Cifer. If a group is tired of paranormal investigators and Lazlo agents, this game could be played with agents from agents from the Centers for Disease Control or the World Health Organization.

[mrloucifer]

Well spank you very much for your continued support of my adventures!

BTW Z-slinger, perhaps the ideas above would be a worthy add on for Boxed Nightmares 3? Just a thought.

[bigbobsr6000]

Great stuff!!

[mrloucifer]

This week’s nugget of adventure can either be a Victim game or a regular game… from the festering yet fertile mind of Mr. Cifer-dee-do-da, Cifer–dee-a!

Title: “What harm has ever come from opening a book?”

Situation: This could take place at a public library, a private library, a used book store, wherever books can be found in quantity.

While a PC is checking out someone’s impressive collection of books, one in particular will catch his/her eye. It’s a very old leather bound book, simply titled “The Bestiary” (or something similar and aptly titled.) thumbing through the book displays yellow musty paper with extremely detailed illustrations of monstrous and horrible things. The language will be a mix of Latin, English, German, and a variety of lost languages all stirred together into an illegible mess.

All is well the first time the PC looks through it, but either by the second time he cracks open the book, it seems that many of the illustrations are missing, as if they’ve simply vanished off the page!

If they don’t open the book a second time shortly after, an option would be to have the PC run into a beast that he recognized from said book, enticing him to investigate the book a second time.

Either way, it’s obvious that the bestiary was a prison of horrors, and the PC just opened the cell door! The question now is: How do we get them back in the cage?

Perhaps researching the book or translating the mess of words will have the instructions of what to do, which could include any number of methods, and more than likely each different beast will require its own method of capture.

Examples of capture could be specific rituals, touching the beast with the book, killing the beast and opening the book by its correct page of to absorb the creature’s energy back into it. Bizarre sacrifices and rare materials could be needed in the process, hell… there could be sex magic involved for all they know.
One thing is certain however, the creatures that have escaped will be a terror on the area until captured, and they will not be captured willingly or peacefully.

Note: this could be a good time to use the SDC versions of creatures from the conversion books, Rifts books and so on.

[bigbobsr6000]

Good stuf, thanks

[Lord Z]

That's a good tie-in to the Last Street: [Something] of Glory adventures by Tod Yoho which were printed in Rifter. That game also involved a book with monsters in it. The difference is that the Glory book pulled the reader into the story where zombies were being used to recreate historic battles. The discovery of Glory could lead to the discovery of Beastiary or vice-versa. An entire book themed campaign could roll out, including a new P.C.C. based upon the Mystic Item hero class in Heroes Unlimited.

[Lord Z]

Mr. Loucifer wrote

BTW Z-slinger, perhaps the ideas above would be a worthy add on for Boxed Nightmares 3? Just a thought.

Heck, we could still put something in Boxed Nightmares 2. I am still revising it. In fact, I am working on it tonight. On that topic, do you have that Unsolicited Manuscript Form?

[bigbobsr6000]

On a day spent shopping around a new town you have arrived in: (reason there is up to GM)
You notice an old shop a few yards down a side street. Curiously you enter finding it full of strange herbs, potions, old books and oddities. An ancient looking gypsy woman is sitting behind the counter. She looks at you and smiles,
"I've been waiting for you." She says in a heavy Russian accent.
'Another weirdo', you think as you browse the strange items and books. As you turn to leave, the old gypsy woman stops you, "You forgot your purchase." Holding out package wrapped in plain brown wrapper tied neatly with a brown twine.
'I could have sworn the woman's eyed glowed fiery red for a moment.', as you take the package without even realizing it and leave. Only when you return to where you are staying, do you realize you have a package from the store. Removing the wrappings only to reveal old leather bound book. It's about 16 inches tall, 12 inches wide and 4 inches thick. The title reads “MYSTIC MAGIC FOR THE CHOSEN” in blood-red letters on the dark bindings. When you open the book you are filled with a sense of unnatural power. Strange mystic runes seem to leap off the page with a sense of understanding. Filled with fear and awe you quickly close the book. Tossing it away from you like hot potato.

Returning on the next day to find the store for further investigation…… Not only is the store not there, the whole side street the store was on is gone as well. A vacant lot now rests in the store's location. No one had ever heard of the street or the store. When you show the book to a passerby, all they saw was a new book entitled “Card & Magic Tricks for Children”. The next time you open it………………????