Man, have I been busy! Since last I posted work, the PhD, job hunting and having a son (HOORAH!) really swamped me. Since I haven't been able to post on topics I had planned, I thought I'd dig through the vaults and offer up a 28 Days Later style infected adventure I wrote for a con awhile back (which I also missed due to being swamped by life!!).
The scenario is largely system free, and ZMs can extrapolate stats and rules as they see fit. I originally intended to use AFMBE, but Kreg Mosier's 'The Dead' or 'Zombi' are both freely available on the web and would do in a pinch. It is written for me, so read through once and prepare your mental territory before running it. Sadly, there are no maps, but just scribble up some or spend some good time with Google maps.
If you like the adventure or (Zod forbid) actually run it, drop us a line!
England
Abandoned infected apocalypse scenario Rated Mature.
BLURB
ENGLAND ABANDONED
England
lays in ruins, overrun by psychotic‘infected’, chained with a blockade of ships, the Pound
collapsed, government gone, Queen eaten, the people scattered. Dispossessed
Britons like you are the new gypsies, impoverished pariahs unwelcome wherever
they wander. You have one chance at a comfortable life – sneak in to your homeland and
recover‘the
product’ for a French crimelord. Of course, it won’t be easy. Guy Ritchie meets 28 Days
Later. Requires a massive sense of humour, stomach for blood and gore, and
outrageous British accent (real or fake). Rated R.
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I’ll be using tournament system – fulfill your victory conditions to
win the game and a cheesy prize.
PROLOGUE
Purpose: To test
the system (combat, etc) and set up the story. Warn the players that it is a
tad railroadey, but respect their decisions once shit starts going down.
Set Up: Each
player takes a soldier sheet and rolls two d6. Results are as follows: Sex, 1-4
is male, 5-6 is female. Race, 1-3 is white, 4 is brown, 5 is black, 6 is asian.
Players add a last or nick name then play begins. Each is fully armed and
equipped. Try to go for an Aliens colonial marine feel.
An army
helicopter flies inland away from a seaside town where we start the action. Your
squad of soldiers guards the chainlink fence gate for a local wharf. Inside
is the dock and, off to the side, a few small warehouses. Several yachts and fishing
vessels loaded with civilians can be seen plying the Channel towards France, while
one waits at the dock. Landside, the central collection of buildings forming
a small village with pub stands nearby, while another clump of apartments and
some rows of council houses further up the hillside sit darkened and devoid
of people. The last few cars arrive on the main road through the town winding
down the hillside and stop at the gate where the soldiers check the
passengers for infection and pass them through.
Suddenly, a
last vehicle appears over the ridge and comes driving down erratically. The
soldiers can see people inside the bus fighting as they drive. They have the
choice to ignore it or try and take it down.
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Either way, it
crashes into the town and explodes, catching buildings alight. Uninfected and
infected pile out of the wreck burning, the former screaming for help, the
latter making a beeline for the wharf. Seeing the conflagration, the last
vessel guns its engine and takes off. The soldiers are cut off. They get a
radio message from their CO: “This is commander Curt. Procure transport and
rendez-vous at the field HQ.”
The cars left
by the fleeing civilians are all locked and largely devoid of gas. Just as the
soldiers are searching for keys or busting in windows, they hear a metal
shutter going up and a truck engine start. A large delivery van rumbles out of
one of the small warehouses and slowly trundles toward the gate.
The
soldiers can see a straggly haired, Russell Brant type at the wheel, next to
a wigger gangster-style cradling a shotgun.
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The soldiers can
stop them either by force or threats as the two are cowards, or the ZM can have
the wigger fire at the soldiers to increase tension or give them some wounded
and more of a reason to take the truck. The van looks large enough to transport
the entire squad and their gear, and has a full tank of diesel. If they open
the rear cargo door they see ‘the product’ shining at them like the briefcase in
Pulp Fiction. End of Prologue.
FRANCE FLASHBACK
Set Up – Players each take a sheet from the
random selection of dispossessed Britons. They get one + 1 in French, one Weapon
Skill and one Secret Skill, giving a + 1 to each, which they may choose now or
later in the adventure when they see fit. Next, they choose a Secret Mission
and are ready to go. They start with nothing.
Preamble:
In the
three months since the Infection began, life has been hell for you all. As
luck would have it, you were either outside the country or were among the
first to evacuate. Since then, the Pound was wiped out, and for the first
time the EU is relieved you hadn’t adopted the Euro. Nevertheless, the world has
gone into a recession, and with all your savings destroyed, you’ve been
forced into menial jobs to make ends meet while you learn the language and
hope the Infection will burn itself out. But the flood of UK refugees
has made finding honest work nigh impossible, and EU social support systems
are strained to the limit. You are on the verge of committing a crime to
survive when you hear about a job for Britons from the east coast, near Calais.
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You are taken
up the coast to Calais, the old port for ships
to England,
to an old yet stately mansion in the
woods. There
you meet Mr. Lassad, a crime boss specializing in cross-border acquisitions.
Allo, and
thank you for coming. As you know, the world is in a terrible state now. Not
only your country, but all nations are affected. Cross-border traffic has
slowed to a trickle, while security and customs are a thousand times stricter
than before. This has affected my business.
In
addition, the world economy is in a slump of historic proportions. France can
hardly feed her own, much less care for you British. Since rumours abound of
the infection coming from one of your labs, there isn’t much sympathy for you. However, I
know a way you can earn your keep.
I have a
favour to ask. Just before the infection spread, I sent a shipment of my
product to England.
If you can get it back for me, I will reward your for your troubles.
I will
equip you, train you, and when the opportunity comes, arrange for safe
transport through the barricade to England, near Skegness. I have
lost contact with my men in there. Find them, and what happened to my
product, and I will give you a small reward. Get my entire shipment of
product back to me, and my gratitude will know no bounds.
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The PCs then
spend a fortnight training at Lassad’s compound, learning one weapon (hence the bonus
Weapon Skill) and being briefed on the last known position of the product.
One night
they after supper they are told to make ready. They are driven to a boathouse
by the ocean where they choose gear from a selection of soiled weapons and
backpacks, board a sailing sloop, then set sail for England. They are told to keep
quiet the whole voyage. 8 long hours later, as the sun rises into a fog, they
hear the sounds of waves lapping the shore. The captain weighs anchor, and the
PCs are put into a Zodiac and told to row. They have their weapons, a week’s worth food each, and two encrypted satellite
phones between them. Make them decide who carries these latter.
DIRTY OLD TOWN
1. The
warehouse – The first place to search for clues is the warehouse from the
Prologue. If either the driver or guard were spared by the soldiers, they are
here.
SYD – Russel Brant lookalike, he has hold
up eating sardine cans in the warehouse and snorting the bag of product left
for him by the soldiers. He wears leather pants and Doc Marten’s only, and smells quite funky. He
carries a Desert Eagle and may fire at the PC unless they can talk him down. He
can give them information on the truck and the soldiers, and the direction they
headed in.
Dizzy – The wigger is dead, locked in the
office. Unable to come to terms with the reality outside his doors, he has
blown his head off and is rotting in here. Make appropriate Fright/Sanity
checks. Syd in his delusion thinks Dizzy is still alive, but just refusing to
talk.
2. The Duffer
– Unless or
even if one of the players can hotwire a car (probably by using a Secret
Skill), another may notice what looks like a light briefly visible from the council
houses on the hill (appropriate Perception check). It is a good 15 minute walk
to the houses, or just a few minutes in car. When they get there an old man’s voice calls out “Who goes there?” This is ‘The Duffer’, the caretaker of the estates. He has
survived hiding out in a root cellar, scavenging canned foods from people’s homes and vegetables from the
gardens. He is a WWII veteran and still a crack shot with his double-barrel
quail gun.
If attacked
he will fire back then attempt to hide and make his way back to the cellar,
knowing Infected have probably heard the gunfire and are on their way. He is,
however, lonely, and will answer any attempts to parlay with an offer of tea
and biscuits. If engaged in conversation, the Duffer explains he saw the
soldiers take off in the van towards the west, and that their HQ is located on
the outskirts of Pendleton. If the players don’t have transportation, he will offer
them his Land Rover.
“All this reminds me of Dunkirk.
The screaming, the panic, the madness, then the quiet. Except now I want to
stay right here.”
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GREEN AND
PLEASANT LAND – Random Encounters
1. Raccoon
girl – As they
drive through the deserted country roads, they may spot the Raccoon Girl. She
is a tween (13 years old) who has gone feral and survived by hiding out and
scavenging or foraging for food. She carries a wrench as a weapon, has blacked
out her eyes with soot and is in filthy clothes. She lives in a nearby
abandoned animal den. If cornered, she will fight.
2. Tyger tiger
– Another
encounter may be the tiger, which has escaped from a nearby private collection.
It will follow the PCs for a while (Perception check), and will wait until one
or two pair off before attacking. If they fire at it they will drive it off. This
will also alert any Infected in the vicinity.
3. The Green
Berets – At some point, a PCs may notice camouflaged, ghilie suited
commandos watching them (Perception check). These are a US reconnaissance
team, and will refuse to communicate or cooperate, attempting to slip away. If
PCs approach too close, they will receive a verbal warning in an obvious US
accent, then if they continue a warning shot will be fired. Finally, the PC
leader or the nearest one will be targeted by a sniper.
4. The checkpoint
and the Tardis – Finally, as the PCs reach the town below the city, they see a
military checkpoint, with a tanktrap and sandbags blocking the road.
Off to the
side is a chainlink area with tents inside. A spray-painted sign reads “FOR RESCUE
USE PHONE INSIDE TENTS.” Inside the tent is a phonebooth that has been
sloppily painted blue.
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If they lift
the receiver, after 3 rings a voice on the other end will introduce itself as a
soldier and give directions for the Pleasuredome.
THE PLEASURE
DOME
1. In the
foxholes – Whether the PCs follow the directions received at the checkpoint or
arrive on their own, they arrive at the closed wrought iron gates of a large
estate surrounded by stone walls with trees waving behind them. A sign tells
them the servant’s door to the left of the gate is unlocked, that they should enter,
close the door behind them, and FOR SAFETY’S SAKE stay on the stone path and make
their way to the manor house.
Entering the
servant’s door, they see an immense lawn, with roughly placed stone slabs
leading up to a 3 storey manor house. To their right from the gate a narrow
road winds up to a large oval in front of the manor house where a camouflaged
Hummer is parked. The lawn is mined, so anyone straying from the stone path
should make a hard Luck roll every turn or take landmine damage.
As they
enter the foyer, they see there is a security cage barring entry, with a
table on one side underneath a pullbox for goods, and a desk on the inner
side. A half-dressed soldier named Hash tells them they must leave their
weapons in the pullbox. If they do, they enter the foyer before the
stairwell. Off to the side, one bare-chested soldier smokes a spliff while
another, on his knees, fellates him. He gives a peace sign and a wink as they
pass. From somewhere Babybird’s ‘You’re Gorgeous’ plays. The smell of marijuana smoke
is heavy in the air. A female soldier, topless in panties, looks down at them
from the top of the stairs, eyes bleary and bloodshot. She croaks out “Welcome to
the Pleasuredome!” as the PCs enter.
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The
Pleasuredome is done up with murals based on album covers or fantasy scenes.
Beanbags, throw rugs, and pillows are everywhere. There are a pair of pet foxes
in a cage on the ground floor, as well as a peacock in another. Groundfloor has
pantry and kitchen.
Armed If PCs
scout about the Pleasuredome, the find the following: The second floor has
pleasure rooms (where PCs will be allowed to sleep), and dining. Third is
barracks, Curt’s office, and armory, and is always guarded by an armed soldier who
will warn off snoopers and shoot if disobeyed. The roof has a small vegetable
garden. Landscaping tools are locked in the shed next to the garage, which is
likewise locked. Inside the garage is the truck from the Prologue with the remaining
product.
The soldiers include
the PCs who survived the Prologue, plus the following:
Maureen, a Scottish
Doc (If the PCs converse with her, she is the only one against Curt)
Singh, a
cook,
Donnie, a muscled
Orkney grease monkey
Finn and Billie,
a pair of London-Irish snipers
Sandra, Yorkshire stoner
Anne, London career soldier
Tyrese, black
London demolition
expert
Reg, Brummey
career soldier
There are
four crosses in the backyard. These mark the graves of Father Phil (shot by
Curt), Meg and Tommy (lover, ODed on the product), and Smith (infected and
shot).
PCs are
stripped of weapons and taken to see commander Curt.
2. The Art of
Darkness - Commander Curt
Newly arrived
PCs are taken to meet commander Curt in the dining room when they are fed.
Commander
Kurt is shaven headed and wiry. He stands to shake the PCs hands and offer
them seats. He asks about their reasons for coming, then explains his
mission.
“We are here to maintain an official presence, to stop thieves, and
to lay the claim to our land in case the Yanks or French or whoever attempt
to land.”
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If asked
about the drug use or hedonism, Curt replies as follows:
“Do you know where the word assassin comes from? It comes from Persia and Syria, before the Crusades. A
sect of Nizari Ismailis created a Pleasuredome and training temple in the
mountains. Their leader, the Old Man of the Mountain, would take young men,
give them all the hashish, wine, women, and sumptuous food they wanted. Then,
one day, he would throw them out and tell them not to come back until they
had killed a certain person. Addicted to the drugs, sex, and delicacies, they
either went mad or began training and completed their mission. Or died
trying.”
“If the Old Man told a hashasheen to jump from a cliff, he would.
Sir Conrad of Monferrat was killed strolling in his garden by two hashasheen
who were in turn hacked down by the knights that surrounded them.”
“My soldiers are pure killers. They have seen heaven on earth, and
so have no fear of death. This is the only kind of soldier that I can depend
on here”
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3. Getting
the Goods
There are a
few ways the PCs could get the product. First, they could try to steal it. The
soldiers have kept it in the delivery truck in case they need to get rid of it
quickly, except for the bag they are currently working on. Commander Curt has
the keys, and the truck needs diesel fuel, which will have to be siphoned from
the generators or procured from some source in town.
Second, they
could reason with the commander. Especially if they tell him they encountered
US commandos, he might be convinced to get the product out of the Pleasuredome
and clean up his act. However, his followers may not be happy at that and could
start an armed resistance. They will still need to procure diesel.
Last, they
could fight their way out. Since half the soldiers are armed at any time, they
would have to make a diversion or choose a moment of weakness. The soldiers are
true hashasheen now, and are sloppy taking cover but fearless in battle and don’t feel much pain.
HOMEWARD
BOUND
However the
PCs manage to obtain the product and transport, their journey isn’t over yet.
1. Getting
Gas – As noted
earlier, the truck is on fumes, but a jerry can of fuel is hidden locked inside
the armory. Otherwise, PCs will have to track down to the bus terminal or truck
depot and siphon gas. Either of these places could be filled with Infected.
2. Bandits/Soldiers
– The PCs may
have a run in either with bandits or the soldiers if they have crossed them.
Bandits would be largely armed with melee or improvised weapons with a leader
who may carry a pistol. They should not be a threat, just a challenge. The
soldiers would be a greater threat, trying to get the product back.
3. The
Infected – Of course, driving a large, noise delivery truck back to the
seaside is bound to attract attention. Especially since they have to call for
pickup and wait for it to arrive, and one can of fuel will only get them half
way.
4. Get to the
Chopper (Optional) – If the ZM thinks it feasible, he could have the chopper from the
Prologue parked in the back garden of the Pleasuredome. It is under a tarp and
has low fuel. It could get to or near the coastal village. A PC who hasn’t selected his or her secret skill
could select Pilot Chopper.
THE AFTERMATH
If all goes
according to plan, they can call Mr. Lassad on the satellite phones and arrange
a rendez vous. It will take a day for a ship to get in, the safest place to
hide being probably the warehouse from the prologue, but one that would also be
known to any of Curt’s vengeful soldiers.
After the
journey to France,
Mr. Lassad will pay the PCs upon receipt of his product and the adventure ends.
If they return without the product or it is destroyed, he will be a fearsome
enemy and will send killers to exact vengeance.
England Abandoned Secret Missions
IN DEBT
25 / 75 points
For loot taken and sold in France up to/over
5000 EU
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RIVAL GANG
100 points
For delivering product to them in Paris
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DRUG ADDICT
10 / 50 points
For getting stoned / overdosing
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PSYCHOPATH
10 points
For every human killed, double if unnoticed
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PHOTOGRAPHER
10 points
For every close up of Infected taken
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20 points
For every member killed while delivering
product
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LOST SIBLING
25+50 points
For sibling found + brought outside England
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RESEARCHER
15/75 points
For Infected blood sample / prisoner brought
back
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NATURE LOVER
25 points
For every rare animal brought back to France
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HEIRLOOM
60 points
For family heirloom brought back to France
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FANATIC
15 / 50 points
For stopping sin / destroying the product
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GRASS
75 points
For getting Lassad arrested on return to France
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