1PG Rules/Character Sheet Rules of Play For the Referee “The Crimson Tiger Strikes!” Chapter One:
The Atomic Ray Chapter Two:
Forty-Five Caliber Death! Chapter Three:
The Living Dead! Chapter Four:
Ralston’s Revenge Chapter Five:
The Crimson Tiger!
Written By
Beer & Pretzels
JAMES STUBBS
HANOVERS & SAPPORO
1PG System Design
Additional Testing & Support
TODD DOWNING
ROGAN HAMBY
Editor JAMES STUBBS SAMANTHA DOWNING
ROBERT FLETCHER THEO M CG UCKIN MARK KRAM JARVIS YOLHOLSKY
PUBLISHING NOTICE
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NAME: ___________________________________ O C C U P A T I O N : ___________________________ CASH: ____________________________________ Height:_________ Weight: ________ Gender: _____ Eyes: __________ Hair: __________ Age:________
MOXIE
Drinking ____________ Fighting _____________ Pilot________________ Shooting ____________ Running_____________
Hit Location
2
3
4
5
6
Pistol
8
Head
Torso
R.Arm
L.Arm
R.Leg
L.Leg
Rifle
12
Nightstick
3
Grenade
20
Knife
3
Sword
5
Punch Axe
Moxie 6
AP
Damage
Fashion _____________ Disguise_____________ Seduction____________ Performance _________ CUNNING
Con ________________ Gambling____________ Dodge ______________ Repair ______________ Stealth ______________ GRAY MATTER
Gen. Knowledge ______ Languages ___________ Science _____________ Research ____________ BLOOD GUTS WITS NOTORIETY CHAR PTS
Background Table (1d6) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
DAM
ITEM
1
Item
GLITZ
Deep7 1PG™ Beer & Pretzel RPGs assume the players and ref already have some rudimentary experience with roleplaying games. All Deep7 1PG™ Beer & Pretzel games are played with 6-sided dice. Deep7 assumes no liability for mental instability on the part of players, refs or their families.
Attributes: Roll 1D3 for each.
Truncheon
5
Vial of Acid
5
Bullwhip
2
Garrotte
4/turn
Tommy Gun (1D6 hits)
8ea
Hvy. Mach. Gun (1D6 hits) 12ea Skills: Roll 1D6 for the total number of points to distribute into all skills. Skills start at 0 and can be no more than 3. If you need extra points, you can take them from other skills, leaving them at –1 for each point taken. No attribute/skill combination can be less than 1. Blood: Roll 2D6+5. When you have lost all your Blood, you are dead. Guts: Roll 1D6. The more Guts you have, the easier it is to keep your Wits. Wits: Roll 1D6. You may need to make a Guts check to keep your Wits. Notoriety starts at 0. Roll 1D6 and get the same or under your Moxie, Cunning or Gray Matter attributes (but you may only try once for each, at the beginning of the game). Add 1 to your Notoriety for each successful check. Use Notoriety to reroll failed skill checks or call in favors. Roll on the Background and Status Tables for more perks & details. Money: Players are always assumed to have enough money for average purchases. They may suffer a –1 or –2 penalty to a Glitz check if they want expensive or exotic items. GUTS CHECK: Any time you have a traumatic experience in the game, you must make a “Guts Check”. Try to roll 1D6 equal to or below your Guts. If you are not successful, your Wits goes down by 1. When Wits is reduced to 0, you must roll a 4 or less each time you wish to make a skill check or combat roll. Your character is in a fatigued stupor and is unfit to adventure until after a very long rest or some powerful inspirational event to bring your character out of “retirement.”
Scientist: +1 Gray Matter, Science, Repair Athlete: +1 Running, Brawling, +3 Blood Daredevil: +1 Pilot, Fashion, +2 Wits Hunter: +1 Shooting, Languages, +1 Moxie Detective: +1 Shooting, Gen. Knowledge, +1 Cunning Explorer: +1 Brawling, Research, +1 Guts
Status Table (1d6) 1. Mystery Man: +1 Stealth 2. Crime Fighter: +1Notoriety 3. Vigilante: +1 Cunning 4. Playboy/Debutante: +1 Glitz 5. Prodigy: +1 any skill 6. Gadget: Unique Item
SKILL ROLLS: When you want to do something, figure out what skill/attribute combo will get it done. Add your attribute and skill together to get your Target Number and roll 1D6 equal to or below it. Rolling a 1 is always a success and rolling a 6 is always a failure. If you are fighting, use the Brawling skill for attack and evasion. Although a 6 always fails, having a target of six gives you a higher potential margin of success than a target of five. Always add your Moxie to hand-to-hand weapon damage. If the attack is ranged, the attacker rolls Shooting and the defender rolls Dodge to evade. Ties always go to the defender. ARMOR: Certain items give you an Armor Value (AV). When you take damage, subtract your AV in the appropriate location from the damage you are dealt. SEE RULES OF PLAY FOR DETAILS
Vehicle Agility Rating (AR)
Notes:
Gunnery Rating (GR)
Damage (D)
Armor (A)
Structural Integrity (SI)
THE GAME: Dime Heroes: Two-Fisted Adventure is a simpleto-learn roleplaying game where players take on the roles of the larger-than-life heroes of the old pulp magazines, radio dramas and movie serials. It assumes the players and ref already have some rudimentary experience with roleplaying. It’s meant to be played in the vein of such pulp staples as Doc Savage, The Spider and The Shadow so keep it light, cinematic and adventure packed! CHARACTER CREATION: You’ve heard of the stuff that heroes are made of? In this case, heroes are made by rolling 1D3 for each attribute ( red headings). Then you will roll 1D6 for the total number of points to distribute into your skills (under the red headings). Every skill starts at 0. No skill can be higher than 3. If players need extra points, they can take them from other skills, leaving them at -1 for each point taken. No skill can be lower than -2, and no skill/attribute combination can ever drop below 1. If you don’t see a skill you really want the character to have, just write it in the margin. Now players roll 2D6+5 and write the number in Blood. This is how much of a lead diet a Joe can take before its curtains for him. Every time they take damage, they lose that many points of Blood. When they have lost all their Blood, they are on their speedy way to meet their maker. Everyone starts with some Guts. Roll 1D6 and record it. At any time you have a harrowing experience in the game (such as getting caught in the lava deathtrap of Doktor Fiend), you may make a “Guts Check”, where you get to try to roll below your Guts number. The more Guts you have, the easier it is to keep your Wits about you. Next, roll 1D6. Write the result in Wits. Wits are a representation of you how long you can keep your nerve in dangerous situations. If you make your “Guts Check”, you keep your Wits. If you fail, your Wits will be reduced by 1. If you completely lose your Wits, you are in a fatigued stupor and unfit to adventure until after a very long rest or some powerful inspirational event to bring your character out of “retirement.” You may always put Character Points into Wits. Notoriety is important any time you need to impress people or get what you want. It also may be used to reroll failed skill checks. Everyone’s Notoriety starts at 0. Everyone may try to roll 1D6 and get equal to or under his character’s Moxie, Cunning and Gray Matter attributes (but they may only try once for each, during character creation). Add 1 to the character’s Notoriety for each successful check. Remember, this is a
character’s overall Notoriety, good or bad, according to his deeds. If you need to make a Notoriety roll, see below. Players should roll or be allowed to choose from the Background & Status Tables, to get a persona for their character. GMs may allow different concepts if the players can come up with ones that meet the feel of the game. GUTS CHECK: Any time you have a traumatic experience in the game, you must make a “Guts Check”, where you get to try to roll 1D6 equal to or below your G uts. If you are not successful, your Wits will go down by 1. If you completely lose your Wits, you become fatigued and unable to concentrate well; You need to roll a 4 or less every time you shoot in order to avoid hitting one of your friends by mistake. ORDER OF PLAY: Combat order can be determined very simply in a couple of ways — you can either roll 1D6+GRAY MATTER each round, or simply dispense with the initiative roll altogether and seat the players around the table in order of highest GRAY MATTER to lowest (ties can dice off for initial seating). ACTIONS: Every character gets one action per round. Combat rolls and “active” skill checks (those skills the player chooses to roll as opposed to the referee telling him to roll, such as “make an GRAY MATTER check to see if you can hear that ticking sound”) all count as an action. 1PG combat is not intended to be realistic. It is intended to be fast and fun. SKILL ROLLS: When you want to do something, figure out what attribute/skill combo will get it done. Add your attribute and skill together to get your Target Number and roll 1D6 equal to or below it. Rolling a 1 is always a success and rolling a 6 is always a failure. If you are fighting, use the Fighting skill for attack and evasion. Opposed combatants will roll their Shooting or Brawling skill at the same time. The higher margin of success is a successful hit (although a 6 always fails, having a target of six gives you a higher potential margin of success than a target of five). If someone is attacking and someone is evading, do the same thing: if the attacker’s margin is bigger, the hit was good. If the defender’s margin was the same or bigger, the attacker missed. Use Dodge to avoid being shot. Always add your Moxie to hand-to-hand weapon damage. ARMOR & CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT: Wearing certain clothing gives you Armor Value. Hea vy clothes (trench coat, safari garb, etc.) gives you 1 AV, Leather gives you 2. A bulletproof vest provides 4. Metal armor such as chain gives you 8. When you take damage, subtract the AV in the appropriate location from the damage you are dealt. If you survive a whole story, you get 1 Character Point for every person at the table. Put these points into Attributes, Skills, Blood, Guts, or Notoriety. You may also put Character Points into Wits.
Gadget Gadget Who Has the Gadget? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Rocket Pack: Character can fly. Gas Gun: Wits Check or go to sleep. Mechanical Man: Moxie 8/Brawl 2 Ray Gun: Damage 15 X-Ray Goggles: See through stuff Bulletproof Car: AP 15 Super Armor: AP 10 to entire body Rocketship: Travel into outer space. Micro-Bombs: Damage 10 Strength Drug: +1 Moxie for 1 hour
ITEM
DAM
Hammer Holdout Pistol Submachine Gun (1D6 hits) Machine Gun (1D6 hits) High Explosives Pistol Club Machete Knife Bottle Bayonette Bullwhip Spear Rifle Crossbow Hook Garrotte Axe Razor Blade Hvy.Machine Gun (1D6 hits) Sword Shard of Glass Punch Kick Human Bite Snake Bite (per hr) Shark Bite Horse Kick Branding Iron (hot) Large Animal Bite Car Grenade
3 5 8ea. 10ea 30 8 4 4 3 2 4 2 5 12 7 3 4 6 2 12ea. 6 2 Moxie 1 2 3 6 6 4 6 20 20
Your friends either got ahold of the negatives or they paid for the pizza and soda. This means either you’re blackmailed, owing them money or being the referee for the night. You can pay them back by coaxing them into your villain’s nefarious inescapable deathtraps. The following guidelines and suggestions will help ensure a successful game of Dime Heroes. CUT TO THE CHASE: That means keep the adventure short and to the point. Think of it in terms of an old movie serial. Get into the meat of the story as soon as possible unless the buildup will give extra value to the tale. Games should run as “chapters” in the overall game called the “serial.” Each chapter should run 2-3 hours each or one evening’s worth of play. If you want to bring back characters for another serial, feel free! Even the most popular heroes rarely made more than two serials however. SET THE MOOD: Make a part of “game night” also “movie night.” Go out and buy a serial which can be purchased cheap on video. Show a chapter or two before you game each night so you can give your players incentive to come back to see “what happens next” in the video as well as the game. Tell a visual story. “You creep down the stairwell which is hauntingly lit by the humming electrical arcs of the equipment below. You can see the lovely Maria Rogers bound and struggling helplessly against the heavy straps which are holding her down to the operating table. Victor Scheleman, Doktor Fiend’s lieutenant, is chuckling darkly to himself as he fingers a vicious looking scalpel…” THE BAD GUYS: A good rule of thumb when creating a villain or villains is to make them durable enough to be a challenge, but vulnerable enough to make the players believe they have a chance. If you have a group of gangsters, give them 15 Blood as they’re tough but marked down to compensate for their numbers. A lone villain might have 20 or more (balance the challenge). Remember that lone villains always have a secret identity that is only revealed in the final chapter when they are killed or brought to justice. Until that point, they’re known as The Scarlet Asp or some other mysterious sounding name. IMPORTANT: Its generally considered bad form to kill off any players in a pulp setting. Instead have them captured (so that the villain can gloat over his plan that will not fail ) or slightly injured so that it is nothing an outpatient run to the hospital won’t fix. Remove the player from the action or have the villain(s) plan sped up on the time needed to complete it. Pulp heroes don’t die – they are inconvenienced for a little while (in this case until the next chapter).
You may also want to not use Gadgets or to restrict the use of certain ones in your serial. You can find a sample list of ones at the top of this page. If a player picks the Gadget status, allow them to pick from the list. Feel free to make up more if you’d like. Don’t be afraid to tell the player that their character with a rocket pack just doesn’t mesh with everyone else’s street-level vigilantes. Give them the choice of another Gadget or make them roll again on the Status Table. Gadgets are provided for more “high science” games, such as shown by the Flash Gordon, Dan Dare and Commando Cody serials. FUDGE ON THE DICE: It is your prerogative as the referee to tell the story as you see fit. Never be afraid to say, “because I said so…” If you need a decision made, roll a die for it. If you need to figure out how many thugs are waiting in ambush in the alleyway, roll a die for it. If the task is really easy, give them a +1 or +2 on the target number. If the task is super difficult, give them a –1 (remember rolling a 1 is always a success and 6 is always a failure.
THE STORIES INCLUDED: There are five chapters in this game that make up the serial, “The Crimson Tiger Strikes!” It is strongly recommended that they are run in the correct order for fun as well as keeping the plot as secret as possible to your players. Feel free to design your own and keep checking www.deep7.com for more free serials and sourcebooklets for Dime Heroes to download!
Dime Heroes: “ The Crimson Tiger Strikes!” Serial Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter
One: The Atomic Ray – A Mysterious Crime of Scientific Proportions Draws in Our Heroes Two: Forty-Five Caliber Death! – Vengeance is served blazing hot from the barrel of an automatic Three: The Living Dead! – Doom from beyond the grave stalks the world of the living! Four: Ralston’s Revenge – Atomic Terror Rains Ruin From The Skies! Five: The Crimson Tiger! – The Tiger is cornered in his lair and puts up a desperate fight.
The Crimson Tiger Strikes! – Chapter One By James Stubbs THE PREMISE: Dr. Alfred Fennigan’s revolutionary atomic ray has just been publicly announced after months of top- secret research. Unfortunately for Dr. Fennigan and the rest of the city, The mysterious criminal mastermind, The Crimson Tiger, h as sent gangster Big Mike Ralston and his b oys to steal the ray device so that he can use it for some nefarious scheme. THE SETUP: All of the players should be present during the preunveiling of the ray in Dr. Fennigan’s lab. Characters can be friends of the Doctor or any of the staff (Tom Gilmore, a chemist, and Carla Conners, a mathematician). They might have also have been asked there by the Mayor, the editor of the local paper or magazine, or any government official such as the Police Commissioner. Their purpose could be for security, local representation, or to get a scoop. THE GANGS ALL HERE: Dr. Fennigan explains that he developed the atomic ray as a method of transmitting unlimited energy by the use of a transmitter/receiver system. Enough power to run a city could be beamed instantly from his ray transmitter to a predetermined receiver at a power plant. He’s finally pleased that the work is finished and that he can show his achievement that he feels sure will revolutionize the World. The r ay device itself is a large metallic cylinder that is wrapped with metallic coils at the “gun end” of it and tipped with a large metal globe. As Fennigan is making his announcement, eight masked men (make it more if you h ave a larger group or one equipped with Gadgets) open the glass paned door to the lab and rush into the room with pistols drawn. One of them shouts, “Don’t anyone get any bright ideas…” SHOOTOUT!: What happens next is entirely up to the actions of the players. If they do nothing, the gangsters will make off with the ray as they have a fast getaway car waiting at the back of the lab and cover their escape with gunfire to keep everyone’s heads down. Players may want to give chase in their own cars or vehicles. If they do, make sure the gangsters manage to loo se them after a lengthy chase/vehicular shootout. Make sure that one of the gangsters is fatally shot and falls from their car. If you have to, give the gangsters a smokescreen device on their car that they can use. If the players decide to fight the gangsters, a gunfight/fistfight will erupt as the entire lab goes into a wild melee. All NPCs will duck for cover or run for safety. The gangster’s stats are: Moxie 2/Shooting 2/Brawling 2/Blood 12.
At some point during the fight, someone will knock over a vial of chemicals or a stray bullet will strike it. A d ense noxious cloud will fill the room. All players must make a Moxie C heck at a –1 penalty or be knocked out by the gas after a few moments. Make Moxie checks and every few moments after that if they remain in the gas. Shooting and Brawling in the gas cloud both suffer a –1 penalty as well. Either way, in the scuffle one of the gangsters will be fatally shot either from one of the players or from one of his own gang while the others grab the ray and escape in their car. Any gangsters that were knocked out are dragged away b y their companions in the confusion. DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES: Regardless of the player’s actions, the gangsters should steal the ray and one of them should be killed and left behind b y the others. Any player who has th e Detective background or can make a Gray Matter Ch eck will immediately recognize the dead gangster (either from the car chase or lab shootout) as Bugsy Gillespie – a notorious bank robber who was gunned down and killed by the police two weeks ago! Unfortunately, Dr. Fennigan was killed in the gunfire in the lab so any input he might have had is now moot. Any lab staff is just as clueless and none know of any enemies the Doctor may have had. The Police seem to think that it was either an inside job and they knew when to attack when security was its most venerable or it was just dumb lu ck that led them to attack when they did. Smart players should suspect that it was an inside job as their voices could have b een easily overheard through the glass door o f the lab and most thieves don’t try to steal when there are large numbers of people around.
Players should now be wondering how the dead live again and what possible reason ordinary gangsters would want something like the atomic ray. If you u sed the car chase and used the smokescreen getaway, they should also be wondering where such a device was obtained. This should clue them in that there is a far more malevolent power at work than simple theft. THE CRIMSON TIGER SPEAKS!: Players won’t have long to wait for some of their answers. One day later, the city’s largest newspaper will receive an telephone call demanding $100,000,000 in one week or he will turn the atomic ray on the city and cause massive destruction and death. The caller only identifies himself as “The Crimson Tiger.”
Tune In Next Week for Our Next Exciting Episode! – “Forty-Five Caliber Death!”
The Crimson Tiger Strikes! – Chapter Two By James Stubbs The Premise: The late Dr. Fennigan’s atomic ray device has been stolen from under the player’s noses b y a group of masked gangsters – one of whom was reported dead! Shortly after the theft, a mysterious figure calling himself The Crimson Tiger has demanded one million dollars or he would turn the ray on the city itself! In this chapter, players should be able to find the gangster hideout and the important clue contained there, but should also get caught in the deathtrap to p rovide a cliffhanger for the next chapter. The Setup: Players should have made an effort to search the body of the dead gangster. If they don’t, a beat cop who arrives on the scene will discover that there is a matchbook from the Isis Club in his jacket pocket with the telephone number “Berkshire 426” written on the inside cover. The Isis C lub is a matter of convenience and a bit of a ploy to sidetrack the players. It has absolutely nothing to do with the mystery although you could have the players tussle with the club’s bouncer if they get to nosy or insistent. If they’re nice or grease some palms, they can find out from the bartender that Bugsy frequented the club and was occasionally seen with many women there but, other than that, he wasn’t a standout customer and always paid his tab. Is That A Gun In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To S ee Me?: Berkshire 426 happens to be a fairly upscale brownstone that is owned by a Miss Gina Vincent. She is the Cat’s Meow and knows it. Portray her as the very sultry Lauren Bacall-type of seductress. Players who can aggressively flirt or just flatter her shamelessly will learn that she had been dating Bugsy Gillespie at the time of his previous unfortun ate demise. She’ll reveal that she was about ready to du mp him anyway because she thinks there was another dame in his life because he would o ften get phone calls from a unidentified lady who asked for him. He would get all hush-hush and the only thing she managed to overhear once was “he hated going to the sticks ‘cause all that rock stuff would get on his duds.” A quarry should come to mind and an abandoned one is conveniently located out in the nearby countryside. If they’re thinking mountains, inform them that there isn’t a mountain within 200 miles of the city.
and has been abandoned. If the players are stealthy, they will find a car parked outside the old foreman’s shack. Otherwise, the building will appear to be abandoned b ecause they’ve moved the car behind a nearby rubb le pile to conceal it and also to keep it from being disabled in case they need to make a quick getaway. The only real difference here is one of surprise – either the players will have it or they d on’t. There are six gangsters inside involved in a game of cards, eating and listening to a small radio on the rickety table if the players managed to sneak up on them. Otherwise, they will all be trying to conceal themselves for an ambush on the first characters entering the shack. Due to close quarters, any fighting will be fisticuffs or trying to pistol-whip an opponent. Stray bullets can be dangerous to friend and foe alike. Feel free to roll for any stray shots that might hit other players if the party gets trigger-happy. These gangsters stats are: Moxie 2/Shooting 2/Brawling 2/Blood 12. The players should be able to defeat the gangsters. Fudge some rolls if you have to and make sure that the p layers are victorious and that one of the gangsters is still conscious or alive at the end of the fight. P layers will undoubtedly question him about the ray and he’ll reply and tell them that their boss, “Big Mike,” was hired by this funny lookin’ guy in a tiger mask to filch the doohickey. He doesn’t know where “the boss” is other than he was out to do another errand for the tiger guy. The guy do esn’t really know too much more than that – he wasn’t paid to be smart. Secretly roll for all the player’s Cunning scores now to see if they can detect the sound of a bar being lowered across the front door. The only visible exits are the front door and the two windows. Deathtrap!: Before the players get to question him too much more, the small radio will crackle a bit and a voice will come from it. It’s the Crimson Tiger who claims that now the players know far too much than is good for them and that they must be dealt with before they become a bigger thorn in his side. A shot will suddenly ring out, one of the windows will shatter inward and the gangster will slump over after being f atally shot. A load of dynamite will explode on a r ock pile behind the shack at almost the same instant and start an avalanche of boulders and dirt that will flatten the shack and bury everyone inside! Any attempts to run out the door or jump through the windows will fail as the door has been barred and the windows were nailed shut when the quarry was shut down.
The Quarry: Tierman & Sons Gravel Quarry is located only a few hours outside of the city. It went b ankrupt several years before
Tune In Next Week for Our Next Exciting Episode! – “The Living Dead!”
The Crimson Tiger Strikes! – Chapter Three By James Stubbs The Premise: In this chapter, the players should enter the secret room beneath the foreman’s shack and discover the supplies there, Bugsy Gillespie will return from the dead and the Crimson Tiger will make his first mistake! The Setup: There are two different ways out of the shack: the windows and a trapdoor in the floor. The window is probably the first thought as the .45 slug that iced the gangster shattered one of the windows. However, its slow goin g as only one p erson can squirm through a window and there are only two windows – both will have broken glass shards even after the players smash them out. The boulders will get there before the first two people get out. The trapdoor is the fun way and also a significant clue. If you want to run a twist on it, have the boulders hit the shack and collapse it burying the players inside. Conveniently enough, the shack collapses around the players and will allow them to find the trapdoor. Use any method that you think will pr ovide the most fun and suspense for the players. The Trapdoor: The trapdoor leads down a wooden ladder into a room beneath the shack. Players will find several containers marked “Quicksilver”, several casks of an unmarked and unknown liquid, a gurney with “Property: City Morgue” stenciled on it and a large glass vial on a table filled with a greenish liquid with several syringes next to it. Let the players take what they want within reason although the vial is the important object and the gurney from the morgue should give them a clue on where they need to investigate next. Any Scientist who analyzes the liquid in the vial or any character that can make a successful Gray Matter Check will discover that it is a powerful electrolyte. The Morgue: The next stop should be at the morgue. As they arrive, two men carrying an empty stretcher are leaving. They will greet the characters as they deposit the stretcher in the back of an ambulance as well as make an offhand comment about “that one was a bad one” if the players inquire about the empty stretcher. These men are really gangsters who have just finished killing the mortician. The players will find his quickly cooling body hastily stuffed into one of the storage vaults for corpses inside the morgue. A search of the b ody will reveal small specks of quicksilver on his jacket and an empty notepad in his shirt pocket. If they pay even more attention to the notepad or there is a Detective in the group, have the player(s) make a Grey Matter Check to notice that the top page has b een imprinted with the outline of what was on the p revious top page. It reads, “2 pm –
work completed for Ralston. Demand pay. 2:15 – Gillespie to pick up bodies for delivery to Virginia.” Yes, Virginia, There Is A Freighter: Virginia doesn’t refer to a state. The Virginia is a tramp freighter at the docks. It is currently being used as an unorth odox and cleverly disguised laboratory. Players who foolishly rush aboard with guns blazing will be easily wounded and captured by the twenty gangsters onboard. Stealth is the key. Have the players shimmy up the anchor chain at midnight or devise some other sn eaky way of getting on the ship. Don’t make it too tough for them. The guards are complacent and some have even dosed off or are playing cards to pass the time. Steer them towards the hold without making it too obvious although smart players should realize that the hold is one place they should check anyway.
The revived Gillespie is in the hold overseeing the reviving of five other criminal bodies. Each body has a small rub ber hose snaking into their mouths. The hoses are conn ected to small clear rubber bladders of green liquid. The b ladders, in turn, each have to electrical wires running into each. The wires are connected to a multi-switched control box on the wall. At the first sign of trouble, Gillespie will draw his pistol, upturn the table he was sitting at and throw the master switch on the box. This will revive the five bodies instantly and they will attack with their fists after one round of combat. Gillespie’s stats are: Moxie 2/Shooting 3/ Brawling 2/Blood 20. Revived gangster statistics are: Moxie 2/Shooting 1/Brawling 2/Blood 10. Gillespie knows that the jig is up and the only way to escape is through the players. He shoots to kill and this should be treated as a very dangerous encounter. Anyone encountering one of the revived gangsters will notice that they can feel an unnatural heat from them. This is because the b odies have been given a shot from the atomic ray to prepare them for the electrolyte dose. A Locker? And Who’s Davie?: Gillespie has nothing to loose at this point. He’s already been a dead man o nce before after all. As he goes down, he will press a button that will detonate explosive charges against the ship’s hull below the waterline. Have everyone make Moxie Checks to avoid being thrown to the deck. It will take them one round to stand. Seawater begins to gush into the sh ip in torrents. Have a small speaker mounted on the wall call out, “So you escaped my trap at the quarry. Lets see how well you do holding your breath! Goodbye, fools! You’ve meddled with the Crimson Tiger’s plans for the last time!”
Tune In Next Week for Our Next Exciting Episode! – “Ralston’s Revenge”
The Crimson Tiger Strikes! – Chapter Four By James Stubbs The Premise: Trapped inside a sinking freighter, the players must escape but will even their heroic daring protect them from the clutches of Big Mike Ralston who has been sent to enact the vengeance of the Crimson Tiger upon the city? In Chapter Four, players should defeat Ralston’s attempt to turn the atomic ray upon the city dam and discover the secret hideout of the Crimson Tiger. The Setup: Getting out of the sinking ship is going to be tricky. Play up the suspense of the gushing water at their heels and the quickly listing vessel. Have them running on the former walls of the ship towards the end as the sh ip begins to severely list before going under. Have them make some Moxie Checks to keep upright and moving as loose o bjects scatter everywhere. If you want to be really mean, say the explosions also started fires and that dense smoke makes it hard to see. You can impose a penalty on Grey Matter Checks to see if they can remember how to backtrack. Don’t let any of the players die, but you can certainly make them believe that there is a very good chance that they might. Sending in the Muscle: The Crimson Tiger isn’t very pleased with the loss of his laboratory or six of his revived criminals. The necessity of killing off the mortician has also limited his supply of revivifying fluid. This has forced him to accelerate his plans. As a result, he decides that the city is being obstinate in meeting his demands and that they could use a small demonstration of his po wer. He has ordered Ralston and six of h is men to destroy the city dam with the atomic ray. The resulting hundreds of deaths should convince the city of his seriousness.
The gangsters have loaded the atomic ray into a van disguised as a City Sentinel newspaper van. Have the players make a Cunning Check to notice that the driver of the van is one of the attendants that they encountered at the morgue. This chance encounter should just be after the players have had some time to recover from the sinking ship. The van will leave before they can act and they will have to quickly find some means of pursuit. There are several taxis around that they could grab o r they could try to commandeer someone’s car with a successful Cunning Check. Whatever happens, they won’t be able to catch up with the van but they can keep it in sight and easily enough follow it. Secretly make a Cunning roll for the gangsters in the van to see if they notice that they are b eing followed. They have a Cunning of 2.
The Atomic Ray: If the gangsters notice they are being followed, they will turn a sharp turn and stop the van. They will then proceed to set an ambush. The van blocks the road and the gangsters are waiting to use their pistols to fill the pu rsuing car with lead. Any vehicle the players use will give them 2 APs to all parts of their bodies except the head du e to its steel body. Otherwise, the players should be able to follow them to a bluff overlooking the dam. The gangsters will begin to erect a tripod for the ray. Unless the players do anything to stop them, they will fire the ray at the dam within ten minutes and blast a massive hole in it. If the players sneak up on them, make sure to have everyone roll Cunning to avoid being noticed. A fight will break out starting with an exchange of gu nfire but should degenerate down into a fistfight. Be careful of the ledge th at has a twenty-foot sheer drop into the stream below! (Damage 8) Anyone tossed off the ledge is effectively out of the fight because of the long amount of time it would take them to get back and/or injuries sustained from the fall.
There are five gangsters and Ralston involved. Ralston will hold back and attempt to protect the ray while his men tussle with the players. Ralston won’t hesitate to fire into the melee if he thinks that he can hit one of the players. His men, however, don’t have such compulsions. If the fight starts to go against him, he will throw the ray into the back of their van and try to make a getaway. For maximum fun, allow one of the players to jump onboard the speeding van and crawl across the top of it to try to get to the cab a la Indiana Jones as Ralston swerves the van to try to shake them off. Ralston’s game stats are: Moxie 3/Shooting 3/ Brawling 3/Blood 20. Singing Like A Canary: All of the gangsters know where the secret hideout is although Ralston is the best option, as he knows the booby traps. Despite how b loodthirsty your players are, at least one of the gangsters or Ralston has to be taken alive and talking. None of them are stupid and will rat out their employer in a heartbeat. If the players make nice overtones like “reduced sentence if they cooperate”, they will gladly volunteer to lead the players to the hideout… a gun in the back will also accomplish the same result. This is it! The players are off to the final showdown with The Crimson Tiger!
Tune In Next Week for the Exciting Conclusion! – “The Crimson Tiger!”
The Crimson Tiger Strikes! – Chapter Five By James Stubbs The Premise: Having foiled Ralston’s attempt to destroy the city dam with the atomic ray, the players with a prisoner in tow are led towards The Crimson Tiger’s secret hideout to end his reign of terror for good. Mineshaft Melee: The captured prisoner will lead the PCs to an abandoned mine about thirty miles away in the foothills. Inside the mine, TV cameras are monitoring the tunnel leading to the hideout. Their approach and entrance will be noticed. The Crimson Tiger will dispatch the six remaining men from Ralston’s gang to stop the players at all costs. On e of them was thoughtful enough to bring along a stick of dynamite (Damage: 15), which he will light and throw at the players if the fight starts to go against the gangsters. Yes. This will cause a cave-in and force the players to see the adventure through. The Crimson Tiger has his own secret way out that he and the gangsters can use to get out. Make sure that the captured gangster survives the encounter. Going Down?: Once the players have dealt with the gangsters, traveling a little way down the shaft will lead them to a freight elevator leading down. The elevator has a lever set in the middle of a dial between “Up” and “Down.” The elevator is trapped. Anyone attempting to use the elevator without first throwing the lever to “Up” and then to “Down” will set it off. The trap causes the gripping gears at the bottom of the elevator to release and plunge the elevator and its passengers down to their deaths 150 ft. below. Anyone who comments on the mechanism should be allowed to make a Cunning or Grey Matter Check to notice the modifications to the controls and how to bypass them.
If they trigger the trap, allow everyone on the elevator to make a Moxie Check to grab onto the elevator cable to avoid the lethal ride down. They still, however, have a 150 ft. hand-over-hand descent to accomplish. Require some more Moxie Checks if you feel like it. Again, make sure that the captured gangster survives. What’s the Password?: At the bottom of the elevator shaft, the players will encounter a large metal door with a covered eye slit. Knocking on the door will cause the eye slit to open and someone to look out and demand the password. This is probably the most dangerous spot for the players. If the person looking out sees strangers with the captured gangster, they will silently
alert everyone in the room to prepare to attack. If the PCs hide and make the gangster say the password, the prisoner will say “the tiger lairs soundly.” This is an agreed upon password to use if you are in trouble. Everyone in the room will go on alert. Either way, the players are going to b e attacked when they enter the room. The Big Brawl: The door leads into the main “lair” of The Crimson Tiger. When they enter the room, the captured gangster turns on them and starts to fight with his fists as everyone else in the room joins in. The room’s occupants are five revived gangsters and The Crimson Tiger. Use the stats for revived gangsters from Chapter Three but increase their shooting skill to 2. The Crimson Tiger’s game statistics are: Moxie 3/Shooting 3/ Brawling 3/Blood 20.
The gangsters will start shooting at the players with their pistols regardless of the former prisoner fighting hand-to-hand with the players. Have him die d ramatically preferably by being shot in the back. If the players rush the gangsters, it will degenerate down into a fistfight. The Crimson Tiger will take cover behind his ornate desk and chair and fire h is pistol at the players. He’s a good enough shot to generally be able to target them even in a wild melee. Resourceful or just bloodthirsty players could have possibly carried the atomic ray with them. If they turn it on The Cr imson Tiger, the fight will be over quick as the ray has a damage rating of 50 but won’t even leave anything left of him to identify afterwards. Using the ray as a gun, however, imposes a –2 penalty on Shooting rolls due to its bulk and tremendous power. Anyway, this is the finale and nobod y is taking any captives. Shoot to kill. The players should manage to come out victorious but probably not without a casualty or two on their side. You can have someone make a poignant statement at the end for the fallen heroes and heroines. After a wild fight and th e subduing or death of The Crimson Tiger, he is unmasked as Tom Gilmore, Dr. Fennigan’s former assistant! If you want to add an additional twist, have Carla Conners, the other assistant, step in behind the players with a tommy gun as she is involved as well! On either of them, have the players discover correspondence from an enemy country promising to pay them $1 million dollars for the atomic ray prototype. They were getting greedy and trying to also extort the city for an additional million. End of story… roll the credits.
