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

Game Pitch Outline: Night Train

Game Pitch Outline:  Night Train

High Concept:  Ravenloft modern with undertones of Kult’s Metropolis meets Mission Impossible

The Pitch

What if Ravenloft’s Masque of the Red Death setting was modernized and mixed with Kult’s concept of Metropolis? Dark Lords dwell in a shadowy world connected to ours via places of ancient power, extreme emotion distress, and centuries of manipulation. From these domains of dread, they send their tendrils into our world to corrupt the innocent, murder the hearty, and grow their powerbase.

Into these shadows walk the heroes (or anti-heroes) of the game.

Overview

Our world intertwines with that of the Dark Lords. Whether this is due to a membrane between Earth and the Outer Dark or the Mists of Ravenloft, terrible places of extreme horror exist, fueled by the power of their Dark Lords. These places also interconnect to each other, along a membrane of sorts that is outside the space/time of Earth. Perhaps it is the Twilight of Nochnoy Dozor or the Umbra of Mage.

The Dark Lords control concepts and ideals related to their character. They can exist in the real world, but are far safer, more powerful, and much more comfortable in their shadow world. The Dark Lords fight for power in the real world, sometimes sending their armies to fight each other.

Crossing from Earth to the Dark Universe is not a task most can accomplish. Certain books and websites discuss spells and rituals which transfer one’s body from this realm to the other. However, those readings are hard to find and the components needed to complete the tasks are even harder to locate. Along the same line as using a magical ritual to transfer from here to there, gates exist which open directly to and from the other world. There are train stations where if one is there at the right time on the right day, a train will arrive from the Dark Universe, drop off riders, and pick up new riders. Lastly, the domains creep into the Earth and a person can slip between the two worlds without realizing it until it is too late.

The characters begin without foreknowledge of the Dark Universe. However, this changes in the first adventure as they gain at least a knowing glance into the shadow world. Low power-level characters are not ideal for this game. The characters should be experts in their field and preferably all part of the same organization. Members of a counter-intelligence unit or mercenaries for hire are good choices.

Depending on the scope of the game, the story will involve one Dark Lord or several.

First Arc

While on the first mission of the game, the characters come face to face with low-level minions of a Dark Lord. There is no indication the minions answer to a “dark lord,” but clues exist hinting at a larger organization.

There are two directions from this point. The characters can return to their “day job” world, unsure of what just happened and continue with their lives. Alternatively, they can be burned, left out in the cold for an unknown reason. All of their contacts in their organization refuse to have anything to do with them. If they try to contact family, the family tries to avoid the characters, as if warned off. If the characters still have a “day job” after the first adventure, the second adventure results in being burned. From here, the characters have no choice but to chase shadows. If they do not, the shadows come for them.

Second Arc

As the characters work through mooks and minions, they climb the ladder of the conspiracy, learning more as they climb higher and higher. Eventually, they learn about the Dark Lord/s and their domain/s. As they work to gain access to the Dark Lord, or as they run in fear, they experience more of the Dark Universe. The closer to the Dark Lord they travel, the more reality seems to change. Not only are monsters real, so are magic and demonic entities. Reality takes on a different appearance the further into the shadows they travel. The only way to stop the Dark Lord/s is to take the battle to them in their realm/s.

The game becomes a series of conspyramids, interconnecting at different intervals, wrapping around the characters. The characters leap from one conspyramid to another and then back again to go up levels of the conspyramid. This is Night’s Black Agents at its fullest, most expansive level, combined with every other GUMSHOE line.

Third Act

Is the Dark Lord defeated or did they escape to fight another day? What about the Dread Power which binds them to their realm?

What costs have the players paid in order to set back the Dark Lord? Have they sacrificed family or close friends? Have they become one of the monsters of the Dark Universe? Are their souls lost to the Abyss? Did any of them die? If so, is there someone effected who could take up the fight in their behalf?

Additional Considerations

§  Bare bones, the enemies are dark reflections of the heroes

§  Things man was not mean to know is a major element; actions of a person attempting to learn things that, we are told, no one should understand, such as Dr. Frankenstein or Jekyll/Hyde; potentially an ally working towards a worthy goal that ends in a tragedy

o   Trying to open a “Stargate” and it unexpectedly lets in Outer Dark beings

o   Drug that accelerates hearing, but creates super soldiers who go on to do bad things

o   Dr. Morbius, the living vampire, was attempting to create a healing drug, took the drug to see if it would work and turned himself into a “living” vampire

o   Assistant steals notes and samples to supply technology to the Dark Lord’s minions, because they have something the assistant desperately needs/wants

§  Common technology has its uses for the enemy; cellphones, means and speed of travel, knowledge available via the Internet

o   Evil can use the same technology against the heroes

o   If the heroes lose access to the technology, are they still strong or will they falter in battle as the enemy now has the upper hand?

o   False, planted, or incorrect information/knowledge due to a wide availability of knowledge source (re:  Wikipedia)

§  Traditions of Terror

o   Spellcasting has consequences for the caster and may change the users, physically or mentally, a price must be paid

o   Fear, horror, and madness checks and trackers

o   Curses

o   Wandering gypsies and fortune telling

The rising in power levels, the world-spanning campaign, and the amount of combat needed to stop the Dark Lord/s in this game are not meant to make it a light-hearted campaign. In fact, the opposite is more true. Sacrifices are made to gain power levels (sanity, perhaps?). World-spanning adds a level of excitement to the game, adding flavors from James Bond, Impossible Mission Force or Man from U.N.C.L.E. In a world without the Dark Lords, these characters could be stopping drug lords and corrupt politicians. Instead, they are fighting an unseen force in shadows and alley ways.

The Dark Universe

Some places on Earth are one-and-the same with the membrane or twilight of the Dark Universe. In these places, the Dark Lords make their lairs. These places connect to each other along the membrane, via a train system. The borders between the Dark Lords’ realms function similar to the Mists of Ravenloft. Those who wander into them are unlikely to make it out alive and unchanged. Only the engineers of the trains know the way and the way is to follow the tracks. The tracks have been there for as long as anyone can remember.

The train/s takes on an appropriate appearance for the realm in which it currently resides. Passengers will not notice a change take place while onboard the train, when it passes from one realm to another. However, they will notice the change the moment they step foot on the ground of the next realm.

The types of trains include steam locomotives, subways, Els, steampunk, dieselpunk, bullet, and more.

Dark Lord Realm Examples

Santa Muerte

She is served by the Mexican Cartels. Her domains include Mexico City, barren wastelands inhabited by cartel soldiers, and the US-Mexico border. The walls surrounding this realm are fence lines and military/police who kill those who cross the border. Her power comes from human trafficking, drug running, murder, and extortion.

Castle Wolfstone

An overly structured city filled with concrete buildings and run by fascists. The inhabitants of the castle on the highest hill in the capital control the land. Outsiders are discouraged from visiting and often targeted for attacks by the brown coats serving the fascist leaders. The Dark Lord of the realm gains power from fear, terror, and executing outsiders. The domain consists of a perfectly functioning city, the highway around it, and the castle on the hill. Even though there are vehicles moving on the highway, it is impossible to find an entry or exit ramp onto the highway.

Dracula

Dracula resides in an Eastern European Socialist State. A corrupt government that operates via a system of bribes controls the lands. The common people struggle to survive and will not help the characters, unless the characters have something to offer them (bribe?) in return. Bribes include clean water not laced with uranium, food of high quality, money in the local denomination to pay bribes for a better life, or help getting out of the country.

No matter what, the citizens cannot leave the country. The land will do what it must to stop them from leaving. Whether a military death squad arrives to kill them and take their children for trafficking, train engineers reject their paperwork, or the Dark Lord’s gypsies kill them in the night.

Somewhere, Dracula sits in his castle, brooding over his situation. His alliance with the socialists keeps the Turks at bay, but the socialists treat his people nearly as bad as the Turks would. He rarely ventures outside his castle and when he does, he often travels with his gypsies. Dracula uses the military when he does not use the gypsies.

Further Possible Dread Lords and Realms

Columbian Drug Lords

Voodoo, zombie lords, zombies, and Haiti, New Orleans, or Beaver City

European university develops super soldier serum

Middle East wars mixed with Mad Max fury

Biker Werewolves who travel the highways between realms freely (their domain is wherever they are, they are not tied to one place)

Dark technology (university or private company; Dark Conspiracy)

Misused or abused magics [Arkham, Salem, North Berwick (Scotland), Warboys (England)]

Wicked City demons

Sin City crime lords and politicians

The Purge and NFFA in L.A.

Detroit’s Devil’s Night

North American forests and the Native American monsters lurking in them

#RPGaDay2015 days 21-31

#RPGaDay2015 days 21-31

Real life conspired against me being able to finish this properly. However, I wanted to see it through, so here are the rest of the days and my choices. 

Day 21 – Favorite RPG Setting:  I really dislike published settings. They all too often disappoint me. I like Conspiracy X, as it blends my flavors of alien invasion into a cohesive whole. I like the old World of Darkness and know how to run it without it becoming monster super heroes (but that is also fun). Night’s Black Agents doesn’t count, nor does AFMBE. Those games don’t have a metaplot.

Day 22 – Perfect Gaming Environment:  My house, when the dogs behave. There are currently no children here to cause distraction.

Day 23 – Perfect Game for You:  Something sandboxy with rules my players like. AFMBE fits this, as does BRP for the most part. I prefer to use my own settings, when possible. For a short term game, Night’s Black Agents is badass. It works as written, but also for Impossible Mission Force games.

Day 24 – Favorite House Rule:  Changing how Fast Reaction Time works in Unisystem. In my house games, it no longer lets a player go first. Instead, it adds 5 to their initiative roll.

Day 25 – Favorite Revolutionary Game Mechanic:  Random Charts or Soak. Probably Soak, even if it is outdated and I don't play in games that use it.

Day 26 – Favorite inspiration for your game:  Kult, but my muse is my wife.

Day 27 – Favorite idea for merging two games into one:  Slayer’s Gauntlet.

Day 28 – Favorite game you no longer play:  Star Wars WEG. I loved the Force out of that game. It had a good run and I don’t know that I could ever re-light that fire to do it justice.

Day 29 – Favorite RPG website / blog:  Outside of my own? Probably Age of Ravens, my Google + “Gamers” feed, or the AFMBE FB group.

Day 30 – Favorite RPG playing celebrity:  My wife. She’s one of the most popular gamers in our area.

Day 31 – Favorite non-RPG thing to come out of RPGing:  The many friends I’ve made over the years and the opportunity it gives me to channel my creative abilities outside of music.

#RPGaDay2015 Days 10-19 catching up and working ahead

The day job is busy and we have much going on with the family, right now. So, I hope you will pardon me as I catch up and work ahead in one post. 

Day 10:  Favorite Publisher

Currently, this is most likely Pelgrane Press. I like the look and feel of their books. They do column layout and design better than most of their competition. I like many of their game lines and can use nearly anything rpg related as source material. They are also more than happy to talk to their fans and are quick to sign books for their fans at conventions. Simon and Cat are good people.

Day 11:  Favorite RPG Writer

This is a hard one for me. If I buy a book, because a specific person wrote the book, it’s because they are a friend of mine. Shane Hensley, Jason L Blair, Jason Vey, Tim Brannon, and Dave Chapman come to mind very quickly. I like their products, but I am also friends with them outside of the rpg space.

If I buy a book, because I like the game line, it’s very rare that a book I purchase is by one single person. Ken Hite and Gareth Hanrahan are a great team up.

Maybe this is a take-away for me:  look into rpg authors and discover them.

Day 12:  Favorite RPG Illustration

Favorite? Not likely. Art, in this form, serves as inspiration. To narrow it down to one image is impossible.

I will side step and give you my favorite artist:  Timothy Bradstreet. I first viewed his work in Vampire:  The Masquerade. His images became icons for the game line. His work in Armageddon is awesome. However, his Punisher MAX image covers are just as iconic as his VtM work. I think the only genre I have yet to use his artwork as inspiration for, is fantasy. I should rectify that someday.

Day 13:  Favorite RPG Podcast

I have fallen out of listening to podcasts. I grew disillusioned with what they were offering. Some gave too much non-rpg content, others added personalities or changed the line, another began covering topics I just don’t care about, and the worst wander down completely unrelated, unnecessary rabbit holes. However, if you are looking for recommendations, you could do worse than start with Podcast at Ground Zero, PLay On Target, or Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff. The latter two have been nominated for awards in the rpg industry.

Day 14:  Favorite RPG Accessory

The Internet.

Nowhere else can I potentially play with friends across the globe, work directly with contributors, bounce ideas off friends to make sure I’m not going down a rabbit hole myself, or address concerns of fans. I can research my next game session, find images that outline the layout and history of a castle to include in my game, run name generators, and find new players for my games.

Dice rollers included, no dice tower needed. Cool battle maps can be found or built. Free scenarios for that new rpg you just purchased are there for downloading and using.

For me, it’s just as much an accessory as the next “tool.”

Day 15:  Longest Campaign Played

This is likely Lowell Francis’ Freakish Band of Adventurers or a Vampire:  The Masquerade game that I ran. Both went 3+ years, playing every other week.

Lowell’s was a game of continent travel, righting rights, releasing gods back into the world, and a game where one (?) character was a full blooded human (mine). There was a rakasta, elves, half-demon, aperkitus, and a wizard who was not all there, even if he did look human – in addition to my character.

The vampire game spanned years in game time. There were three players and an occasional fourth (who didn’t fit in the mix) who fought Nephandi, Sabbat, Inconnu, Angels, Highlanders, and everything else that the Internet could source in the mid- to late 1990s. The game ended with the end of the world and the characters joining different sides to support.

Day 16:  Longest Session Played

It has been decades since I played one that would qualify. There were long nights playing Vampire:  The Masquerade from dusk until dawn and overnights of D&D. None stand out for me this many years later.

Day 17:  Favorite Fantasy RPG

Of a company I work for? Either Dungeons & Zombies or Spellcraft & Swordplay. They have the same author, but it depends on whether I want a ton of zombie options or just zombies.

Of a company I don’t work for? 13^th Age. I don’t run it as is. I drop out the relationships ideas. I find them tedious and intrusive to my game style. What I do like is the mechanics. They use the same skill types as Spellcraft & Sorcery. The combat feels very gamey to me and completely in style of as characters build experience, their abilities increase with more than just feats or another cool thing. Damage increases, options increase, and if you’re looking for a game where you can min-max your heart out, you can likely do it with this one.

Day 18:  Favorite Scifi RPG

Sorry, Dave, it’s not Conspiracy X. Although, Con X is my favorite modern game with a sci-fi bent to it.

My favorite sci-fi game is WEG Star Wars. Of sci-fi game, I ran this one the longest. If you look around the Internet hard enough, you can find a .pdf of material either from the game, or rehashed, to make a new product.

Eclipse Phase is a close 2nd. I think I need to run a campaign or two to see how the fun level compares. 

Traveller, Fading Suns, and Dark Heresy are also worth checking out.

Day 19:  Favorite Supers RPG

The World of Darkness. No, seriously. It is or at least, that’s how most folks I know play it. Which is fine if you are looking to run a game where the setting is more supernatural than superhero.

I think the best rules out there are for Mutants & Masterminds. I haven’t played many supers rpgs:  old DC Comics, old Marvel, Hero, and M&M. M&M is the best for my money. The math works out the best for me and in a game wherein you can potentially play the upper limit of power, you need that. Maybe, one day Beyond Human will fill this roll. For now, it remains vaporware. Don’t worry, I’ll keep bugging George to publish it. J

The superhero game I want is Gotham Central:  players as human cops taking on super villains. Maybe one day I’ll do it and do it right. Mutant City Blues may be the way to go with this one. The game includes a chart of how different powers are related. That builds in another clue structure to the game. It also uses GUMSHOE which is clue driven.

Day 20:  Favorite Horror RPG

I’ll stop right there. This one is going to be special.

Slayer's Gauntlet

I took a break from #RPGaDay2015 to type out my latest campaign idea. This idea was inspired by the first 50 seconds of the following advertisement for Gauntlet:  Slayer Edition.

Don't worry, Dave. I re-scripted my video. I will re-shoot it this weekend. 

Slayer’s Gauntlet

High Concept:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gauntlet/Diablo

The Pitch:  The characters discover a deceased friend accidentally opened a portal to a demon realm. Now, they must suit up and fight their way through dungeons and armies to stop a demon prince before he brings Hell to 21st century Earth.

Overview:  The characters are all college students or have good reason to all have lives that revolve around the same college or university. They are friends, through classes, majors, sports, clubs, or high school friends. All of them are well aware of the supernatural world and have a clue how to handle themselves, even if it means knowing when to run away. One night, they stumble onto a dead friend and it leads them to Hell and back. Can they stop a demon prince’s plans to invade Earth or will they fall victim and rise as one of the dead to serve in the demon prince’s army?

First Arc:  The characters stumble into the situation and must decide what to do and how to do it. During their investigation into the situation, they could discover the deceased student’s Instagram feed showing what the student was doing. They then move on to investigate the Book of the Dead and what the missing page is for. As the characters move through the motions, more demons enter the Earth plane. If the characters falter in their decision to fight the demons, students come to them for aid and assistance.

Second Arc:  Their research leaves no doubt as to what will happen if the portal is not closed. They must go after the page from the Book of the Dead. They can do some research into this demon prince. The research reveals potential realms within his demense. However, there is no indication as to which one the demon prince calls home. The research also reveals a wife, Astarte, and her minions are among the dead. The characters go through a montage wherein they gather arms and armor, spell books and written incantations. Will it be enough?

Arriving at the portal, the characters discover a demon spellcaster with an honor guard. He has cast a spell to make humans not notice the demons and their activities. The characters can discern this through speaking with other humans, perhaps the tough campus security guard or even one of the characters could be affected. They could also overhear the demon speaking to the honor guard about how it needs to cast a larger version of the spell tomorrow. They will need as many virgins as they can gather for a sacrifice. The power from the virgins will allow the demon to cast his net over the entire city. As soon as they can cast the spell tomorrow at midnight the following evening, the armies can start marching upon Earth, enslaving humanity. The characters’ only choice is to wade in and slay these demons while the portal into Hell shimmers in the background.

Entering the portal, the characters find themselves as a stasis point. Hallways, doors, and stairs lead away from what appears to be the inside of a castle. Studying the room reveals it is the central traveling chamber in this Hell. The characters have three main path choices from which to choose. They will need to fight and clear each level of this dungeon-like Hell.

If this is a long-term campaign, the characters are in for an old school dungeon crawl. They will need to fight through each major path in order to find the demon prince (Diablo, Gauntlet, The Temple of Elemental Evil). Each path will feature different elements. The final one features undead. There should be no doubt to the players that each level is harder, but also that there are simply too many pathways to go down. They stick to the major pathways in an effort to more quickly find the demon prince. After all, why would a demon prince scurry along in darkened, hollowed places instead of striding through the halls of his own realm. Along the way, they may discover allies who also wish to end the demon prince’s rule (e.g., humans stolen from Earth and enslaved, races from other realms who are also here to end the demon prince’s rule).

If this is a short-term campaign, the characters will need to fight creatively, pitting demons against each other, and using the element of surprise. After all, what demon underling would expect a band of human warriors to bring the fight to Hell.

If this is an one-shot, the characters find themselves in the castle of the demon prince. They will need to move quickly and decisively if they want to win the night and stop the hordes from invading Earth.

Having won through to where they think they will find the demon prince, they instead face off with his wife, Astarte, ruler of the dead. This fight will take the characters to the brink of death. One or more could die in this fight.

In defeating Astarte they discover the lair of the demon prince and rush to it. If the characters decide to face off against the demon prince, the fight is ugly. He does not hold back and nor should they. Weird magics and unholy items come to play. Did the characters bring any holy relics of their own? How will those items affect the demon prince, his powers, and those Lieutenants not already defeated.

If the characters decide to instead steal the page from the Book of the Dead, they do not get away without notice. Something will notice. If the characters pull it off without a hitch, they gain a huge lead in escaping the demon prince’s lair. In fact, with a few more successful stealth and fighting checks, they make it all the way to the portal where they discover the demon prince or his highest lieutenants await the characters.

Third Arc:  The characters face their final moral dilemma. Do they cast the spell to close the portal while they are still in Hell or do they fight their way through the portal and cast it from the other side? If they cast the spell while in Hell, they are trapped until they re-cast the spell to open it. This means casting the spell, fighting their way out of the portal room, and going “underground.” Ideally, the game ends here, but the campaign could continue into a second season exploring those options.

If the characters fight through the portal to Earth before casting the spell to close the portal, the demon prince follows them through the portal. Reality warps around the portal due to the high level of magical creatures and magic in and around the portal. The characters will need to either hold off the demon prince while another character casts the spell, closing the portal or they will need to defeat the demon prince and then cast the spell, while holding off his minions. Once they close the portal, the demons and the demon prince on Earth lose access to any sort of regenerating powers. They have no way to tap into the Earth’s natural powers as the characters’ abilities allow.

Original Outline:

1.       Setup

a.       Beginning:  College student gains a page from the Book of the Dead or some other equally horrible book. Doesn’t realize what they are doing and opens a portal to another world. Something comes through, kills the college student, leaves the body, takes the page of the book, and runs off to tell is master.

b.      Inciting Incident:  Increase of demon activity on campus. College student found dead by character/s. A small, scouting band of demons steps through the portal and attacks the character/s.

c.       Second Thoughts:  Are we the right people to do this? Other “friendly” students harmed and/or come to the characters for aid.

2.       Confrontation

a.       Ascending Action

                                                               i.      Obstacle #1:  Knowledge of what is going on. Where does the portal go? How do they close it? (research reveals they need the page from the book)

                                                             ii.      Obstacle #2:  A demon comes through and begins spellcasting to make the locals ignore the portal. People formerly looking for help now don’t know what the characters are talking about.

                                                            iii.      Midpoint with a big twist:  A demon prince plans to send his many minions to Earth, unless the characters go in, gain the page from the book, cast the spell, and potentially kill the demon prince.

b.      Obstacle #3:  Fighting through dungeon levels, trying to determine the location of the demon prince’s lair.

c.       Disaster:  The characters must defeat Astarte, wife of the demon prince

d.      Crisis:  They defeat Astarte, but lose something in the process (e.g., hit points, magical weapon, an ally). They hear demons discussing the fact that the armies are gathered and ready to pass through the portal. They are simply awaiting their prince to lead them through.

e.      Climax:  Do they fight the demon prince or steal the page and run?

3.       Resolution

a.       Descending action

                                                               i.      Climax Continues:  If fight the demon prince, they won and now have the page and must escape the demon realm before casting the spell or be trapped in the demon realm. If they stole the page and are on the run, they must escape to Earth and cast the spell before the demon prince’s army comes through the portal.

                                                             ii.      Wrap up:  Fight off straggler demons on Earth or if caught on the demon realm side of the portal, find a place to hide, awaiting the right time to re-open the portal to escape back to Earth.

                                    iii.    End

Quick and Dirty: Znamenskoye, Chechnya

Znamenskoye, Chechnya

(Quick & Dirty)

Description:  This town is in the Nadterechny District of the Chechen Republic and is the administrative center of the district. The area is a known hotspot for rebellious activities, including Black Widows. There is a tent city outside the city housing several thousand residents. Many homes in the city have bullet holes. War is commonplace. Children with no parents are sent to boarding schools or join the various gangs operating in the area. Millions of dollars have been earmarked by the Russian government to provide assistance that never arrives. UNICEF and other charitable organizations have attempted to make inroads in Znamenskoye. However, they concentrate their efforts in nearby Vladikavkas and not much makes it to Znamenskoye.

Population:  10,286 (Vardenis, Armenia or East Rockaway, New York)

Conflict:  Chechen rebels use terrorist tactics in an attempt to control the area. Government buildings are destroyed by car bombs, politicians are assassinated, and skirmishes with the Russian military are not uncommon. The Russian government has detention camps in the Nadterechny District used to hold active terrorists and those on the run from activities in nearby Grozny. Znamenskoye and nearby Rubezhnoye are known as places for Chechen rebels to hide.

Backdrops: 

1.      Tent City:  Located to the east of the city, some 3,000+ residents live in this area, nearly a third of the number of residents in the city proper. The quality of living here is horrible. Open pit latrines, trash, and used drug needles are common sights when walking the area. Disgruntled Chechens share horror stories of Russian military atrocities, children handicapped by bombings in Grozny sit and stare at the sky, and Red Cross workers try to make a difference.

2.      Rubezhnoye:  This nearby town is more of a neighborhood, with maybe twenty total roads. It is completely controlled by rebels and many operate from buildings here. Anyone travelling into or through the town is closely watched by eyes from behind curtains. A fortified building on the south end of town is the home of the town warlord. The property is surrounded by trees.

3.       Government Buildings:  The government buildings were mostly destroyed in a car bombing that occurred in May 2003. Fifty-nine were killed, including the mayor. His successor would be assassinated later. Some might speculate this as the reason it took several years for anyone to rebuild the offices. Others point to the lack of humanitarian supplies coming into the city and suggest perhaps if basic necessities cannot make it to the city, why would building materials arrive any sooner? Today, the government buildings are rebuilt, complete with shiny, new, metal roofs.

Three Hooks: 

1.       Missing Persons:  Residents of the tent city disappear. It’s expected, really. As of late, however, most of those going missing are young, blonde women in their late teens/early twenties. Some speculate it has to do with human trafficking. It could be, though, that a vampire with a particular taste in blood is claiming victims from among those with nowhere else to call home.

2.       Rubezhnoye Warlord:  This warlord is alternately one of two things. He is either a local Chechen warlord, bent on controlling and protecting his territory or he is a vampire pretending to be a local warlord. Either way, the building has metal reinforcing on the inside of the walls to protect it from gunfire. The property is lined with trees and gun thugs. Jeeps and armored trucks round out the scene on this property. The warlord’s time is divided between trafficking (humans and weapons) and sending his men out to strike terror into the hearts of those who would rebuild a world of peace. If the missing persons are an issue, he is likely responsible for them.

3.       Humanitarian Efforts:  Humanitarian camps are found throughout the district. They are a source of food, shelter, and other supplies. Agents on the run from the Conspiracy may be able to sneak into one of these communities to lie low and lower their Heat. Humanitarian camps may also draw in lone vampires looking for easy prey. A smart, lone vampire, may even travel from camp to camp, slowly picking off loners who will not be missed by anyone.