#RPGaDay2023 Day 3: 1st purchase this year

 My buddy Dave Chapman is a comedian. For today's #RPGaDay2023 entry, he wants to know what the first game I purchased this year was. Dave doesn't realize that I spend a lot of money on games. Yes, my wife knows. No, I don't need to go to meetings (unless those meetings involve more playing more RPGs!). 

The first corebook I ever bought was probably the Rules Cyclopedia or 1st Edition AD&D. It's been so long, I don't remember. My first GM, Aaron, had the Basic D&D core book. 

My big purchases have been the following. First up, Alien. 

Then, there's Korg and Korg Slayer. It's a solo-ttrpg game.

For Bronze Age love that isn't Runequest, I picked up Jackals.

And I purchased my first dice tower from Fyre & Ashe. It's a hollow, wooden book with tentacles on the cover. The tower is inside looks like it is a castle wall.

The big deal this year is Wasted Lands: The Dreaming Age (still available for pre-order). It's the new game from Elf Lair. The setting post-apocalyptic fantasy where the characters have a spark of something different to them. I wrote the quick start for it (free, $0).

So, there you go. 

Visit Scenic Lake Manitou! part one of an All Flesh Must Be Eaten Deadworld

 

Photo 150347386 | State Park © Ej Rodriquez Photography | Dreamstime.com

Chapter One: Visit Scenic Lake Manitou

History

This Deadworld is designed to be set in an Upper-Midwest USA state after the zombies have risen and consumed most of the locals. The Cast Members are likely normal people who have escaped the town in which they lived and are now living out of a lodge in the local state park. They are led by the woman who managed the state park’s lodge before the rise of the zombies. She assigns duties as needed, oversees supply management, and does her best to keep everyone alive.

Six months ago, the dead rose and began eating the living. People who were bit, but not killed by the zombies were contagious. Some left the area and went home, where they spread the love to those communities. As the situation grew more dire, military and law enforcement units gathered and eventually went rogue, while citizens either banded together or went full-on everyone-for-themselves.

At the local level, the governor activated the National Guard, who had an armory near the town of Lake Manitou. They assembled and were preparing to travel to the state capital when they received a command to stand down. Nearly an hour later, an Air Force wing consisting of a B1-Lancer, two AC-130 gunships, and two F-16 escorts destroyed the capital.

The commanders within the Lake Manitou National Guard unit tried to maintain command and control of their units. However, more than half of the soldiers deserted to return to their families within days of the airstrike. Those who remained eventually teamed up with surviving local law enforcement officers (of all departments), the mayor, and city council in an effort to protect the area.

Major Amy Abrahms of the National Guard, Mayor Stacey Sherman, and State Police Lieutenant Denise Dysktra established the National Guard Armory as their command center. The location has become a pop-up city. Not only are these three groups active, there is also a tent city of civilians and a large marketplace.

In an effort to keep out as many zombies as possible, the de-facto government has installed fencing along the edge of the tent city. It isn’t perfect and there are ways through the fence line if one knows where to look. A combined force of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers patrol the fence line, dispatching zombies and repairing any damage they find.

Other Locales

In addition to the community surrounding the National Guard Armory, there are camps of civilians, LEOs, and AWOL military personal strewn throughout the county. Some people are surviving on their own without outside assistance, but not very many. There is constant strife among the communities.

“The Parlor” is an area unofficially considered neutral ground for non-government types. The big attraction is the bar with its various stills and barrels of the good stuff available for purchase, but you can also find bullets, weapons, food, drugs, or sex work. Many of the camps who do not get along meet here for accords.

The Pleasant Place Trailer Park was a vice den before the fall of man. Now that the zombies are large and in charge, it’s only become more entrenched in criminal behavior. The hardest drugs and cheapest prostitutes can be found here.

The old Jenkin’s family farm has existed for as long as anyone can remember. Today, the farm is more of a commune run by several families, including the Jenkins. They still produce food and are willing to trade it for supplies they need. They aim to trade fair with everyone, but anyone who crosses them will not be treated so well on their next visit.

Sunset Falls State Prison is ten miles south of Manitou. It is run by former inmates and the worst of the former prison guards. More details on the prison can be found in One of the Living.

Lake Manitou State Park is to the north of town. The community is a blend of those with survival training and those without. The only built-in residents that came with the park are a few employees. Everyone else is from outside the park. This is the default starting point for Return to Lake Manitou.

Lake Manitou State Park

Lake Manitou State Park is located 4 miles north of the town of Manitou. The park is bound by the lake on the west side, highway on the east side, Manitou Creek to the north, and farms to the south. The state park covers nearly 4,100 acres with less than one-quarter of that developed. The rest is forest. The terrain is hilly with the lowest elevation near the lake and the highest in the southeast where the lodge resides.

The park offered activities such as swimming, canoe and bike rental, day camps for children and at-risk teens, and winter activities such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. There is a boat launch near the beach to accommodate water vessels under thirty feet.

The Lake Manitou State Park Lodge has 120 guest rooms, a banquet hall capable of serving up to 140 people, and an outdoor seating area for 80. The guest room portion of the building is four stories tall. The kitchen is under the banquet hall. The park’s combined administration office and nature conservatory building is nearby, as is the motor pool garage containing one pick-up truck, one wheelchair accessible van, and four ATV/quad bikes. At the moment, all six vehicles are full of fuel.

Park Personalities

There are approximately fifty people living in the Lodge. There is enough room on site that people who do not get along, can keep their distance.

Linda Gehrig was the lodge manager. She is a fit woman in her fifties. She is a divorce’ whose children are grown with families of their own. Linda lived on property before the rise of the zombies. In the prior world, Linda was a charming person who appeared to love everyone and always had a kind word. Today, she can still do that, but usually saves it for children. To everyone else, she is very business-like. She sees it at her duty to keep everyone who resides at the lodge alive.

Jeannie Dover was a short order cook at a diner before the fall of man. She is currently the “chef” at the lodge. Jeannie, Tre Smith, and Angela Montaine are the regulars of the kitchen crew. Dishes duty floats among the other residents of the lodge – everyone gets their turn. Jeannie’s team does their best, but it seems like more and more their job is to safeguard the clean water and dry food against thieves. They are constantly running out of something and substituting whatever is on hand.

Dana Sterling was a police officer when it meant something. Law enforcement lost its appeal when zombies became the primary source of crime. She moved her family to the lodge sooner than most of the other people who came to live there. Linda asked her to take on the job of security chief and Dana agreed, noticing no one else at the time had experience. Dana keeps a close eye on those residents who own firearms.

Tony Flowers and their family were camping onsite when the world went sideways. Instead of trying to return to their home in Minneapolis, they decided to stay in the park and make a go of it. After meeting Tony and learning they were a mechanic by trade, Dana invited them to come stay in the Lodge. Tony’s children are outspoken, but polite. They tend to be the first to volunteer for chores, but dislike babysitting the younger children of the community. Tony’s spouse is not adjusting well to the new world and spends most of their time in their Lodge guest room.

Sarah Barclay has zero skills for survival. A retired bank teller, she has the ability to sit in place for hours on end. She has taken it upon herself to listen to both a law enforcement radio and an amateur band radio most days. She often plays solitaire or knits while doing so. The Lodge has solar power it routes to the radio and the two freezers in the kitchen. When residents of the lodge leave to go to the National Guard Armory or the Parlor, she sends them with a radio to stay in contact with the lodge.

Park Resident
Supporting Cast / Adversary

Attributes: STR 2, DEX 2, CON 3, INT 3, PER 2, WIL 2, LPS 36, EPS 26, SPD 10, ESS 14

Qualities and Drawbacks: Hard to Kill 2, Honorable 1, Recurring Nightmares -1, Resistance (Fatigue) 2, Resistance (Poison) 1

Skills: Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 2, Climbing 2, Craft (Seamstress) 2, Craft (Woodworker) 2, Dodge 2, Drive 1, Engineering (Civil) 2, First Aid  2, Guns (Rifle) 1, Hand Weapons (Choice) 1, Notice 2, Sciences (Biology) 2, Stealth 2, Survival (Forest) 3, Traps 2, Unconventional Medicine (Herbal) 1

Gear: ATV, backpack, gallon of water, large baggie of trail food, lawn mower blade with a duct tape wrapped handle (D6 x 2 piercing), park map with animal traps marked, radio, rifle (D4 x 4 piercing) or shotgun (D6 x 5 piercing)

Art Direction: someone who looks completely out of place that has had to adjust to survive; maybe they have on what were nice clothes and now the clothing and person are covered in dirt and cuts, they’re holding a makeshift weapon that is a lawn mower blade with duct tape wrapped around one end for a handle

Sunset Falls Copyright Eden Studios and used without express permission

Copyright 2023 Derek Stoelting

Night Spot: The Archer Hotel

The following location is designed for use with games such as Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars, Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Nights Black Agents, or Deadlands, but with a little work can be used in nearly all role playing games.

The Archer Hotel resides next to a lonesome highway. The highway’s numerical designation and name have changed so often over the years, that no one remembers what it is currently called. Most folks refer to the highway outside of the Archer as the “1-0-1”. You can call it whatever you want - no one will care. 

The Archer has passed through divers hands over the years. It has never stayed in any single one family’s possession for more than two generations. The current owners are Kane and Lana Rezick. The couple is from “back east”. They managed several successful bed and breakfasts before selling out and buying this hotel. They were looking for a change in scenery and clientele. They got both in spades. 

Archer Hotel Background

The Archer Hotel was originally built by a copper mine baron, Michael Allen Grant Archer, III, in the early 20th century. His descendants would squander his riches and MAG Archer, IV, eventually sold the property.

The property was immediately cleaned out, fixed up, and sold to a hotel developer. It was further updated by the developer and then sold off as a hotel. The property went through several hands before the Rezicks purchased it. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was a popular spot for vacationers traveling through the area. Low cost room rates and access to the highway system increased profits. However, the decline of cross-country travel in the late 20th century destroyed the halcyon days of low cost-high profit. 

When the Rezicks purchased the property in the early 2000s, most of the hotel’s guests were either old timers traveling to relive their youth, weird desert dwellers, or outlaw bikers. The first of those groups were the only clientele the Rezicks had experience with. Learning how to manage the other two groups as guests took trial and error over time. Different weirdos were into different things. Some were into experiencing the desert while intoxicated on magic pills. Others claimed to be tracing ley lines across the country. A few used the hotel as a place to conduct business, whether it involved drugs, guns, or magical fetishes. 

The bikers were frequently one percenters and more often than not, either drunks or cokeheads. Where the senior citizens and weirdos might break something by accident, the bikers often did it on purpose and did not feel they needed to pay back the hotel for the damage caused. Confronting them could lead to more damage to the hotel, not paying for their rooms, and more than once, a broken nose for Kane. The Rezicks flexed their supernatural gifts and came to an understanding with the bikers: don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing. Now, most of the bikers who stay at the hotel police each other and keep things under control. . . mostly.

Archer Hotel Today

The Archer Hotel was originally built in the California Mission Revival style. The Rezicks are slowly returning the hotel’s appearance to that charm, while maintaining modern guest expectations. 

Parking for the hotel is a graveled area between the hotel and the highway. While guests can park on the side or rear of the hotel, there are no lights outside the hotel on those sides. Additionally, the only doors for the hotel lead into the courtyard. 

Entrance to the hotel is through an arched walkway wide enough for five men abreast. The archway is connected to a low wall that runs across the front of the hotel’s courtyard. After passing through the walkway, the guests cross a bricked courtyard, circumventing a gorgeous fountain, and enter the hotel through a set of double doors. Guest room windows and simple, wooden doors line the interior walls of the courtyard. Above, the second floor provides a walkway around the courtyard and the third floor offers balconies from which guests in the suites can listen to the gentle bubbling of the fountain. 

The guest service area of the hotel is not large and guests often say it feels claustrophobic. There is a desk wide enough for two computers and desk clerks. There is a small pantry closet with a few snacks, bottled water, Mexican style beer, tequila, and to the side is a porter and valet stand. Down the hallway is an office shared by the hotel’s concierge and management. 

The interior of the hotel is rustic. The walls are rough and the floors are not finished. The walls are adorned with replicas of Chumash cave paintings and replica oil lamps. The guest rooms are bare bones, with only a bed, chair, and desk for furniture. The only electronics in the rooms are the lights, heating and cooling, and a television. A single window in each window provides better light than the yellowed bulbs in the rooms. All rooms face the courtyard. Only the ground floor and third floor hallways are protected from the elements. The second floor rooms open to a veranda, again, facing the courtyard.  

The manager/concierge office is still used as the manager’s office. It is not well-organized and papers cover most surfaces. An old CRT monitor sits on the desk, hooked up to a desktop computer sitting on the floor. Several metal cabinets stand next to the walls, with copies in triplicate of every transaction ever processed by the Rezicks. 

A shelf display unit in the hall outside of the manager’s office is the closest thing the hotel has to a concierge. Everything a visitor could want to do within a thirty mile radius is represented amongst the tri-folded pamphlets. A nearby wall map of the county highlights the nearest gas stations, quickie marts, and restaurants. 

Stairs to the second and third floors exist in the corners of the hotel. All of the stairs are interior and do not have windows. 

The area surrounding the Archer Hotel is arid desert. Cacti and sunflowers are the only plants that grow near the hotel. There is a dam in the area which supplies water to the hotel. The Rezicks are in talks with the water and power providers to set up a small wind farm on their property that would pay into both bills for the hotel. From their research, the Rezicks think they might even turn a bit of a profit from a wind farm. 

The Rezicks

The hotel is entirely staffed by the Rezicks, who live on property. Kane is a Psychic Gunslinger and Lana is a Spirit Rider.

They most recently lived in the Killington, Vermont ski area where they ran several bed and breakfasts. While they made most of their money during the busy ski season, they pulled in enough summer vacation guests to make it all work. Many of their peers worked second jobs during the summer to make ends meet. It was during the summer months that they ran into some trouble.

A group of vampires and a group of werewolves chose to meet in the Killington area to hammer out a deal. The vampires were trafficking people into and out of Burlington from Saratoga Springs. They wanted to expand over to Champlain and potentially into Canada. The werewolves, on the other hand, were established along the U.S.-Canada border as the go-to for moving people across the border illegally. While the two groups were not directly in opposition to each other, the werewolves felt the vampires might bring unwanted attention from border agents. So, they decided to make it a problem. After several incidents involving trafficked people turning up dead and law enforcement investigations, the vampires asked for a “sit-down”. 

The werewolves obliged and chose the Killington area due to the fact that it was off-season (so fewer people) and its remoteness. Most people vacationing in the area would be in the Gifford Woods State Park, not at ski resorts. The werewolves chose to stay in a few of the bed and breakfasts supplied by the Rezicks. The vampires chose to stay at a hotel in nearby Rutland, Vermont. The talks broke down, because neither side was willing to give up rights to the other. The werewolves felt they should be moving all product across the border and Champlain, Vermont. The vampires did not want to pay the werewolves to do what the vampires were already doing. Bad attitudes and angry words led to the inevitable fight. Both groups eschewed using firearms and instead, went tooth, claw, and vehicular for their killing. 

The Rezicks prided themselves on running a proper business. They made sure to check in with guests either upon arrival or the first evening of a stay. They tried to reach the werewolves by telephone to make sure the locations were up to expectations. Receiving no answer at the cell phone number used to make the reservations or at the houses being rented, they decided to go visit the properties to make sure all was alright.

Unfortunately for the Rezicks, they showed up during the fight and witnessed both supernatural species in all their glory. Worse still, both groups saw the Rezicks and gave chase. Through a combination of local knowledge and their innate abilities, they were able to escape certain death. They quickly gathered up what belongings they could fit in their cars and left the state.

The Rezicks sold their Vermont properties through a third party. They stayed on the move, never stopping in an area for more than a few days. Lana was forced to dismiss her association with the land in Killington, losing access to many of her abilities.  

While trying to determine where and how they wanted to stop running, the Rezicks saw an estate sale advertisement for the Archer Hotel. The owner had run the place into the ground and died without heirs. The state wanted to sell it as quickly as possible, realizing it would not bring in a lot of money from investors. After a thorough walk-through of the property with the broker, they low-balled an offer. To their surprise, it was accepted almost immediately. 

The Rezicks immediately set about renovating the property. They began with the inside of the hotel and eventually worked out to the outdoors and ended with a new sign above the wrought iron doors in the archway into the courtyard.

Kane Rezick should be used as a fourth level NPC. If used as a PC, he can be created as a fourth level Psychic Gunslinger. Lana is a third level NPC or a third level Spirit rider if used as a player character. Lana has attuned herself to the local land. The length of time she was not associated with the land slowed her level progression. The Rezicks are not meant to be used as all-powerful NPCs. However, if the player characters are far and away better than the Rezicks, Game Masters may wish to raise their levels.

Kane is a tall man with lean features. He has medium-length, dark, messy hair. He has a constant five o’clock shadow. He wears silver, wireframe glasses. His current clothing colors are whites and light browns.

Lana is also tall, but with more angular features. She keeps her fiery red hair cut short. She typically wears monochrome, business casual clothing. 

Guest Services

There are many reasons for the player characters to visit the Archer Hotel. In fact, all of the usual reasons work. 

On the Hunt

In this story, the characters are after someone or something holed up at the Archer Hotel. If it is someone, that person heard that the Archer Hotel was a great place to hide out and wait for a storm to blow over. Unfortunately, either the player characters heard the same thing or the person hiding out made a mistake that the players caught (like paying for the room with a credit card in their name). Finding the hotel is the easy part. There are advertisements on all of the usual social media platforms, in addition to targeted marketing in travel magazines. The hard part will be extracting whomever or whatever the player characters are after. 

The Rezicks consider their property to be their place to control. To that end, if the player characters come onto the property and rough-up a guest, they will consider the characters to be villains. The guest’s alignment does not factor into how the Rezicks react to the player characters. The Rezicks also have zero interest in being known for selling out their guests. So, unless the player characters can make a good case as to why they should be allowed to leave with a guest or the guest’s property, they will have a fight on their hands. 

The Rezicks will not protect everyone. Obviously bad people or supernatural species will be turned out. These include killers, rapists, Nazis, child abusers, etc. If the person in question is considered bad by way of opinion or they have not committed a crime the Rezicks feel is worth their reputation as a safe haven, they will stand by protecting their property and everyone on it. However, if the guest has paid through tomorrow and tries to purchase a longer stay, the Rezicks may just decline the request.  

The Rezicks are not meant to be arch-nemesis level opponents. If the players decide to fight them, they will be a speed bump to slow down the player characters. This may serve to soften up the characters before fighting the big bad hiding on the property. 

The Hunted

In this story, it is the player characters who are using the Archer Hotel as a place to hide out. So they reveal themselves or who they are hiding from to the hotel’s owners? In addition to the Rezicks, they will have the opportunity to interact with other guests at the hotel. GMs are encouraged to create guests that can expand the characters’ backgrounds or challenge their presumptions. Additional guests do not need to be supernaturally orientated. In fact, depending on the Night World or the player characters’ species, they may need to hide their supernatural abilities from the other guests. 

After interacting with the other guests, they will need to deal with whomever comes looking for the player characters. Are they minions who show up and cause problems? Are they player character level NPCs who know what they are walking into and will be smart about their tactics? Maybe those cute senior citizens are actually spies for the demon lord searching for the magic knife the Sage carries. And if the demon lord does show up, can the players convince the Rezicks that they really are the good guys?

Meetings

Due to the remoteness of the hotel and the owners’ disposition about causing problems on their property, the Archer Hotel is a good place to hold meetings. Player characters looking to buy information can meet with turncoats and certified informants here. Sketchy magic item dealers might choose the Archer Hotel as neutral ground for closing deals. They know the Rezicks aren’t going to put up with guests fighting, so they book a room for a few nights out of paranoia.

The location also works for hand-offs and dead drops. Need to pick up a battered spouse and whisk them away to safety? The 1-0-1 provides an open highway with very little police presence to enforce speed limits or safety. Naturally, this also means the Game Master can arrange for a car chase or fight scene inspired by their favorite post-apocalyptic movie series. 

Because the property is old, there are many nooks and crannies that have developed over the years. The door frame inside room 212 has a habit of coming loose across the top. Need to leave a message for someone? Place it here. Have something small you need to hand off? Put it in a magnetic key box and leave it attached to the iron railing along the balcony of room 315. 

Helping the Owners

Because the Rezicks are not meant to be all-powerful NPCs, they might need help with something outside of their abilities. If the player characters are well equipped to handle hauntings, perhaps an old ghost has taken up residence on the property. Maybe there is a secret door that leads to a cave system below the property where a loogaroo has been trapped for nearly a century! The Rezicks may put the word out that they need help protecting a guest from a vampire coven. 

One day, the werewolves or the vampires from Vermont are going to catch up with the Rezicks. When they do, Kane and Lana will need help defending themselves.

Sanctuary

Game Masters can use the Archer Hotel as a location for the Sanctuary from the Night Shift: VotSW corebook. The remoteness of the hotel provides a perfect place for healing and recovery. Game Masters using the hotel in this manner will want to add staff to the hotel. Security guards, psychologists, family medicine doctors, cleaning crew, and front desk staff would likely be needed. Some roles may be shared by the same person or they may be on call.

The player characters could work for Sanctuary as couriers. They could travel to whomever needs help and bring them back to Sanctuary, fighting off whatever evil haunts the survivor. The characters can also serve as the team who delivers the victim to their new home after healing at the hotel. When not picking up and delivering survivors, they can serve as security for the property or take on their own caseload.

Legal

This work of fiction is copyright Derek Stoelting 2021

Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars is copyright Jason Vey and Elf Lair, LLC 2020 and is used without express permission.

Sanctuary is copyright Timothy S. Brannan 2020 and is used without express permission.

No challenge to the copyright owners' rights is meant or implied.