CReDITS AUTHOR José Manuel Palacio TRA NSLA TRANSL ATIO TION N José Luis Porrio THE MADRID INCIDENT BY Ismael de Felipe Galván and José Manuel Palacios Rodrigo QUICKSTART RULES COMPILE COM PILED D BY Andrew Peregrine ART BY Antonio Manzanedo, Jérôme Huguenin, David Lecossu, Borja Pindado, Simon Labrousse, Christian Granero, David Lanza,Eloi L anza,Eloi Molas, Jorge Carrero, Sandra Callejas, Victor Bravo. LAYO YOUT UT BY David Lanza, Florent Turpault
First Contact X-Corps © 2014 Translation AKA Games. All rights reserved. © 2014 Holocubierta Ediciones . All rights reserved. OpenD6 OGL Rules System by West End Games, property of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
QUICKSTART FOR SURVIVORS
INTRODUCTION When the Chandra came, the world changed. Earth was under attack from an advanced alien invasion force and there was little we could do to stop them. Cities were burned and the people panicked. The nations of the Earth in a rare moment of mutual alliance created “Global Defence”. This organisation was formed of the best each nation could oer, and armed with the most advanced weaponry they could muster. Money was no object, the safety and security of the entire planet hung in the balance. But then the invasion stopped. The Chandra took control of small areas across the world and fortied their positions. These areas became known as “Dark Zones”. No one went in, no one came out, and the enigmatic invader’s agenda became all the more mysterious.
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For the rest of the world, it was business as usual. People got used to the idea of living close to the Dark Zones and even with the Chandra presence on Earth. Sure, you heard stories, but you still had to go to work, keep up with your bills, brush your teeth. Somehow the threat didn’t seem so bad. Some of the countries without Dark Zones began to withdraw funding from Global Defence. Why should they pay for what seemed now to be someone else’s problem? All the while the Chandra waited. Their plans quietly advancing as the forces against them squabble and bicker.
FOR SURVIVORS
X-CORPS First Contact: X-Corps is a role-playing game set on Earth during the Chandra invasion. The Core Rulebook oers you two styles of play. The rst setting is for civilian characters investigating conspiracies relating to the alien menace. In the second setting players take the role of Global Defence operatives, the elite “Ghost Wolves” who stand ready to ght the alien menace.
In this quickstart guide we focus on civilian characters. This booklet gives you everything you need to play through the player character’s rst contact with the Chandra menace, in a deadly ght for survival. It may be the beginning of a campaign for survival in a broken
city, or the encounter that brings them to the attention of Global Defence to be recruited as STRATCOM or LOGCOM operatives. We detail all the rules you need to know and give you six ready to play characters so you can dive straight into the adventure. Keep an eye out for the First Contact: X-Corps Core Rulebook, which will be funding soon on Kickstarter. This book (already available in Spanish and French) is the rst part of an epic setting detailing the ght for Earth itself. Global Defence needs you! Are you ready to face the challenge?
GLOBAL DEFENCE The Global Defence organisation (commonly known as X-Corps) was set up under a new Strategic Defence Initiative, funded by several countries. It has a budget of 540,000 million dollars, mostly from the United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, South Korea and Russia. Of the 193 nations in the UN, many have refused to be a part of the initiative. China, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Mexico, Iran and Cuba, among others, do not ratify the SDI cooperation treaty and refuse to allow Global Defence operatives carte blanche to run missions in their territory. Some countries decided to create their own defence divisions, like China’s Tiandun (Shield of Heaven) or Venezuela’s Fuerza de Autodefensa Nacional (FAN). Global Defence is a military organisation but reports directly to the Alien Countermenace Commission. This committee is a subbranch of the United Nations Security Council. It organises the budget for Global Defence and directs the operations of the organisation under the advice of its military leaders. While all the members of this multinational committee are dedicated to ghting the Chandra threat, they are all subject to the diering agendas of their own countries. Global Defence is made up of three main operational sections:
GLOBAL STRATEGY (STRATCOM): Works as strategic command and runs intelligence and espionage operations against the Chandra. They also work with scientists to develop new weapons and reverse engineer Chandra technology. TACTICS AND OPERATIONS (TACCOM): Organises individual missions and co-ordinates all military operations. Most of the work of Global Defence is done by this section as they run the war against the alien invaders. LOGISTIC COMMAND (LOGCOM): This arm of Global Defence is the administrative and logistics division. They make sure everything runs as it should do and the other departments get what they need to do their jobs. You’ll nd a lot more detail on Global Defence, the history of the Chandra invasion as well as how to create characters of your own in the First Contact: X-Corps Core Rulebook. In the meantime we present six characters and an adventure “The Longest Night” that will allow you to dive straight into the world of First Contact: X-Corps .
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AGGRESSIVE LAWYER DESCRIPTION world of men you’d have to work twice as hard as them. Far from demotivating you, that drove you in your studies. You were a model young lady, you studied hard, you were class leader in high school and you earned a scholarship for the university where you graduated Summa Cum Laude after ve years as Department Assistant. You left university wanting to eat the world. Big rms made you oers, but you decided to invest your savings and set up your own oce. You made it to the top, now you are the boss.
PSYCHOLOGY You are a thorough person who thinks things through before saying them, but when you make a decision, you stick to it. Your opponents call you a tough negotiator. You like that, and enjoy being in control. You use to say to yourself that all the sacrices you have made (your lack of a personal or romantic life, friends or the distance you keep from your family) have all been worth it. But, sometimes, you feel pangs of nostalgia and you feel you’d like to change some things.
TYPICAL PHRASE
AGILITY 2D DEXTERITY 3D: Driving 3D (Cars 4D) STRENGTH 2D KNOWLEDGE 4D: Academics 4D (Law 5D), Business 4D+1, Computers 4D+1, Languages 4D (Latin 5D), PERCEPTION 3D: Investigation 4D, Search 3D+1 PRESENCE 4D: Deceit 4D+1, Empathy 5D, Leadership 4D+1, Persuasion 5D, Willpower 4D+1 Advantages: Intuitive Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Defence: 9 Movement: 4 Standard of Living: 4 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
DESCRIPTION Life in your country was very hard, so your family emigrated looking for an opportunity for prosperity. Arriving in a new country you clashed with the strange culture that treated you as a second class citizen. Despite all your attempts at integration, you found it impossible. You eventually left your studies and after a stack of undignied jobs, you managed to acquire a taxi driver license. You don’t dislike the job, you listen to music, chit-chat with your clients and spend long hours thinking, you are your own boss.
PSYCHOLOGY You are a cheerful man who always tries to see the bright side of things. You dislike standing still and are always planning something. Sometimes your foreign heritage feels like a burden due to people’s prejudices. But ultimately you are still attached to the traditions of the old country.
TYPICAL PHRASE “Where to?”
AGILITY 3D: Brawling 3D, Stealth 3D DEXTERITY 4D: Driving (Car 6D, Machinery 6D), Repair 5D, Sleight of Hand 4D STRENGTH 3D: Stamina 3D KNOWLEDGE 2D: Business 3D, Languages (English 4D) PERCEPTION 3D: Orientation 4D, Streetwise 4D PRESENCE 3D: Empathy 3D, Persuasion 4D
Advantages: Sense of Direction Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 10 Movement: 6 Standard of Living: 3 Character Points: 5 Points of Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
FRUSTRATED SECURITY GUARD DESCRIPTION to fund your leisure time. It was clearly a temporary job, while you were studying. But ultimately the job took too much time from your studies and you eventually left college. You went into debt when you bought a car and rented an apartment, but the commitment meant you could not stop working. You remained in this job with long hours, knowing it’s unlikely you’ll ever get out. Still, you continue to try to nish your education by studying when you can, during the night shift.
PSYCHOLOGY friendly with those you work with, but never servile. You are bothered that the suits look down on you, thinking they’re better than you. In some way, you feel somewhat ashamed for not having completed your studies. You take pleasure in small joys and do not mind leading a simple life. Sometimes you feel demotivated and wish something important would happen in your life.
TYPICAL PHRASE
AGILITY 3D: Brawling 4D, Stealth 3D DEXTERITY 2D: Driving 2D (Car 3D), Firearms 3D STRENGTH 3D: Stamina 3D (Night watch 5D) KNOWLEDGE 4D: Computers 4D, Electronics 4D, Security 5D+1 PERCEPTION 3D: Search 4D+1 PRESENCE 3D: Empathy 3D, Intimidation 4D+1, Willpower 4D
Advantages: Tempered
Disadvantages: -
Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 8 Defence: 10 Movement: 7 Standard of Living: 2 Character Points: 5 Points of Guts: 1
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DESCRIPTION From your earliest childhood moments you wanted to be a doctor. You would see them on television, with their white coats, saving people. That was what you wanted to do. However, med school was too expensive and your grades, although decent, weren’t enough to get you a scholarship. But that setback didn’t stop you. Now you work helping those who most need it. You travel in an ambulance on the night shift, and despite having seen it all, you still believe you can save everybody.
PSYCHOLOGY altruism, others stupidity. Sometimes your sensitivity gets you too involved with people and you suer with them. Maybe it was this excessive commitment that made so many romantic partners leave. But you hope to nd the right person any moment now. In a wounded world, all it takes for everything to fall apart is for decent people to do nothing. And you don’t intend to do that.
TYPICAL PHRASE “Please be calm, sir, we came to help.”
AGILITY 2D+1: Dodge 2D+1 DEXTERITY 3D: Driving 3D (Cars 4D), Sleight of Hand 3D STRENGTH 2D KNOWLEDGE 4D+2: Academics 4D+2 (Biology 5D+2, Chemistry 5D+2), Computers 4D+2 PERCEPTION 3D: Orientation 3D, Search 4D, Streetwise 3D PRESENCE 3D: Empathy 4D, Leadership 4D, Willpower 4D
Advantages: Dauntless Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Defence: 9 Movement: 4 Standard of Living: 3 Character Points: 5 Points of Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
NOSY REPORTER
NOSY REPORTER DESCRIPTION You have devoted your life to journalism. Since you were little you liked writing and telling stories. While your friends played with their dolls, you set up your own television studio and were the star anchorwoman. You studied very hard to reach your goal. But you only got work on a small local daily which sometimes got accused of sensationalism and being a tabloid. But you still soldier on, waiting for that story, that article that will make the media giants notice you and propel you to stardom.
PSYCHOLOGY Nosy, gossipy, indiscreet, are some of the adjectives that best dene you. You like knowing everything about everybody. However, you zealously keep your own secrets and refrain from intimacy with others. Suspicious, you question everything and always look for answers. The simple explanation for things is not for you.
TYPICAL PHRASE
AGILITY 3D: Stealth 3D DEXTERITY 2D: Drive 2D (Cars 3D), Lockpicking 3D STRENGTH 2D KNOWLEDGE 4D: Academics (News 6D), Languages 4D (French 4D+1, Chinese 4D+2), Security 5D PERCEPTION 3D: Art 3D (Writing 5D), Investigation 4D, Streetwise 3D PRESENCE 4D: Deceit 5D, Persuasion 5D Advantages: Artist (Writing) Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Defence: 10 Movement: 5 Standard of Living: 3 Character Points: 5 Points of Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
DESCRIPTION As far back as you can remember your parents encouraged you to study. The child of a working class family, the cost of your studies came mostly from the eort and sacrice of your parents. Your life has nothing to do with what you’d see in the movies, no wild parties and vida loca. You spend half your time in low-paid part time jobs in order to nish studies that do not even guarantee a job in the future. Waiter, private teacher, computer technician… the money allows you to pay for just one more semester, but will you have time to prepare for exams? Couldn’t you use a break?
PSYCHOLOGY You are a very energetic young man, although sometimes you wake up exhausted. You live your day in a practical way. There is always the temptation to succumb to the invitations to parties, but until now you’ve managed to resist. The future worries you a lot and sometimes you think all your eort will be for nothing.
TYPICAL PHRASE “I should be studying…”
AGILITY 3D DEXTERITY 2D: Driving 2D (Car 3D) STRENGTH 2D: Running 2D+1 KNOWLEDGE 4D+1: Academics 6D+1, Computers 5D+1, Languages 4D+1 (Japanese 5D+1, French 5D+1) PERCEPTION 3D+2: Art 4D+2, Investigation 4D, Search 3D+2, Streetwise 3D+2 PRESENCE 3D: Deceit 3D+1, Empathy 3D+1, Persuasion 3D+2 Advantages: Mathematical Mind Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Defence: 10 Movement: 5 Standard of Living: 2 Character Points: 5 Points of Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
RUNNING X-CORPS
RUNNING X-CORPS X-Corps uses a simple rules system referred to as the D6 system, which unsurprisingly uses only six sided dice to resolve actions. In the Core Rulebook you will nd an array of extra rules and systems to help you manage chases, combat and all manner of action and adventure. It also provides detail on
managing the system itself and oers several guidelines and options for the Game Director to take advantage of. However, to get you playing this introductory adventure as quickly as we can we will cover just the basic detail here.
STANDARD ROLLS You will have noticed each character has a series of attributes, with several skills detailed under those attributes. Both skills and attributes express a level in “D” or dice, such as 3D+2. When your character attempts a task the Game Director will tell you which skill is appropriate, such as Firearms for shooting a gun or Demolitions for planning explosives. If you do not have the required skill you may still attempt the task but instead use the attribute that governs that particular skill, such as Dexterity instead of Firearms or Knowledge instead of Demolitions. The Game Director will then assign the task a di culty number based on how hard the action might be to perform. This generally ranges from 3 to 30. The player rolls the amount of dice for their skill or attribute and totals the result. If they have a bonus noted after the D that is added to the total. If the dice roll result is equal to or higher than the di culty number the action succeeds. If not it fails.
Sarah is trying to find a memory stick with valuable data on it that she knows is hidden in an office. The Game Director decides Search is the most appropriate skill. Sarah has the skill at 3D+2, but if she didn’t she could use her Perception attribute rated at 2D. The memory stick hasn’t been hidden especially well so the Game Director decides the diffi culty number is a quite average 12. Sarah’s player rolls 3 six sided dice and adds 2 to the result. She rolls 5, 6 and 3 for a result of (14+2) 16. After a quick search she finds the memory stick taped be- hind a picture on the desk.
ESTABLISHING DIFFICULTY One of the most complex tasks for a Game Director is establishing the diculty of the character’s actions. To make this easier we provide a range of diculty levels for the Game Director to pick from. Within each diculty level is a small range of di culty numbers to pick from allowing the Game Director to ne tune their decision. Sometimes a task will be so easy, or the character such an expert that the Game Director might rule the action to automatically succeeds without any need to roll the dice.
• vry easy (3-5): something anyone can do, extremely simple. • easy (6-10): something uncomplicated that can be performed without much effort or training. • Arag (11-15): something someone with the adequate training or skill can do with minimum eort or concentration. Not having adequate skills or knowledge may require eort. It’s the most common di culty used. • diffict (16-20): something an untrained person can hardly do, it’s likely to be outside his abilities. A trained person needs eort and concentration to succeed. • vry diffict (21-25): something someone untrained can’t do, competent people need a great deal of eort to succeed, or a stroke of luck. • Hric (26-30): Something an untrained person can never do, and only really competent people can succeed using all their eorts.
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COMMON DIFFICULTIES TYPE
Difficulté
VERY EASY
3
EASY
6
AVERAGE
12
DIFFICULT
18
VERY DIFFICULT
24
HEROIC
30
SUCCESS AND FAILURE MARGINS Sometimes it is not enough to know if the character has simply succeeded or failed. In these cases we also need to know how well or how badly they did so. To calculate this failure or success margin, you simply subtract the difculty number of the task from the character’s nal result. The bigger the number the greater the success, or the more dismal the failure.
In her search of the offi ce, Sarah’s play- er rolled 16. Subtracting the diffi culty of 12 gives a success margin of 4. As this is only a basic success the Game Di- rector rules that her search took a little longer than she expected and guards may well be on their way.
SUCCESS MARGINS • Miima (0): the character manages it by the skin of his teeth, if there is a minimum possible eect for the action, that’s what happens. • Basic (1-4): the character succeeds the action with no frills and nothing of note. • G (5-7): the character has a noticeable success, not spectacular but eective and can bring some sort of additional benet (like taking less time, for example). • Grat (8-12): this superb, accurate, quick or more eective execution will bring several additional benets.
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• Spctacar (13-16): the skill and accuracy of the task is incredible, worthy of an ovation. If additional benets can be given, the character will get almost all of them (the execution takes a fraction of the time, a spectacular eciency, etc.). • Icrib (17 r +): The character’s accuracy is optimum and the result perfect.
FAILURE MARGINS • Miima (1): the character fails by a whisker. He is about to do it, but doesn’t quite manage it. If possible, the character manages to achieve ¾ of what he intended. • Basic (2-5): The character fails. It is a clear failure but no catastrophe. If possible, the character manages half of what he intended. • Accptab (6-8): the failure is complete, obvious and demolishing. If possible, the character just manages ¼ of what he intended. • Grat (9-13): a major failure. The character doesn’t manage what he intended at all. He doesn’t move at all, achieves nothing or fails by a lot. • Spctacar (14-17): the failure is so bad that the character can be hurt in some way, like breaking his tools, taking damage, etc. • Icrib (18 r +): the failure is of such magnitude that, besides suering the same consequences as a Spectacular failure, the character is humiliated and, at the discretion of the Game Director, he may lose 1 point of Guts.
RUNNING X-CORPS
THE WILD DIE However many dice you roll, one of them must always be distinctive from the rest. This is the Wild Die. This die represents the whims of chance and chaos, and can be as much of a boon as a burden. The Wild Die is not an extra die though. One of dice you roll for the test must be a Wild Die. So if a player is rolling just one die, this die will be the Wild Die. Usually the Wild Die counts in just the same way as any other dice, unless it rolls a 1 or a 6. If a character obtains a 6 on the Wild Die, it can be rolled again and that result (along with the 6) is added to the roll. If it keeps rolling 6s it will keep adding to the result. This allows the character to achieve amazing successes if luck is on his side. If the Wild Die rolls a 1, something terrible has gone wrong. The player may choose between two options in this case. The rst is to remove his best dice result from his roll. The second is to allow the Game Director to narrate the outcome with a small but potentially disastrous addition.
Having found what she is looking for, Sa- rah decides to make a quick exit. However she does not want to alert the building’s security. So she makes a Stealth (under Agility) roll in which she has 4D. She rolls 4 dice, one of which is the Wild Die. The Game Director decides the difficulty is 14. Let’s say she gets lucky, rolling 5, 4, 4 and 6 on the Wild Die. She has scored 19, but can reroll the Wild Die. She gets another 6, so can roll again, this time getting a 5 so she cannot roll again. This adds anoth- er 11 points to her roll bringing it to 30, a “Spectacular Success”. But let’s say she isn’t so lucky. Instead she rolls 5, 4, 4 and 1 on the Wild Die. She can choose to lose the 5 from her dice pool for a result of 9 (4+4+1). As this would mean failure she decides to let the Game Director narrate the out- come and keep her 5 for a result of 14 (just making the difficulty). While she avoids the security guards the cruel Game Director tells her that just before she exits the building she discovers she has dropped the memory stick!
OPPOSED ROLLS Sometimes, characters nd themselves in a situation where one of them wants to do something and someone else wants to stop it. This is called an opposed roll. In an opposed roll, the Game Director decides which skills are to be used by the participants. The skill to use doesn’t have to be the same for all those involved, for example, a character trying to follow another without being seen can make a roll using his Stealth skill while the one be-
ing followed may use his Perception attribute. The one obtaining the higher result will be the one successful in his endeavour. In case of a tie, and if the situation allows, no one will be successful at the attempt. When one of the parties is active (trying to perform an action) and another is passive (trying to prevent the action from happening), a tie favours the passive party.
MODIFYING DICE ROLLS There are several ways the result of a dice roll might be adjusted; mainly with the use of character points or Guts (see later). We can summarise them as follows:
• Aig ic: This increases the number of dice rolled, thirds are added afterwards. If a character rolls 3D+2 in a skill and gets a bonus of 1D, he will roll 4D+2, you add the dice first and the thirds at the end.
• Mifyig ic: Any bonus noted after the D is added to the result. These bonuses range from +1 to +3 and are called ‘thirds’.
• Sbtractig r paisig ic: Decreases the number of dice rolled, thirds are added afterwards. The resultant number of dice may be a zero or a negative number,
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in which case the character cannot perform the action (unless character points are used, see below). A character with a 3D+2 skill gets a 2D penalty, so he’ll roll 1D+2. The dice are subtracted, then rolled, and finally the thirds are added.
• Mtipyig ic: Some actions allow the player to double the number of dice rolled. In this case, the dice are multiplied and the thirds added afterwards. A charac- ter with 3D+2 doubling the number of dice will roll 6D+2. The dice are multiplied and the thirds added in the end. • diiig ic: Some actions force the player to halve the number of dice rolled. In any division rounding is ALWAYS up. As in the previous cases, you divide the number of dice and nally add the thirds. A character with 3D+2 dividing his dice in half will roll 2D+2. In this case, 3 divided by 2 is 1.5, rounding up gives a total of 2. To this 2D we finally add the thirds.
• I cas f mtip pratis: Multiplications and divisions are always done rst and additions and subtractions are performed last. A character with 3D+2 doubles his dice and also has a 1D pen- alty. So we first solve the multiplication, which gives us 6D+2, and next we apply the penalty, obtaining a final roll of 5D+2. If a character multiplies the dice in one manoeuvre and divides them in another, both operations cancel each other. Then the following operations occur, following the usual order of priorities. A character
with 3D+2 doubles his dice (due to using a point of Guts) then divides them because of a manoeuvre. He also has a 1D bonus be- cause of an exceptional tool. The multipli- cation and division cancel each other out, we apply the 1D bonus and we get a total of 4D+2. As always, we add the results and add the thirds in the end.
Cprati Sometimes, several characters will want to take part in the same task to improve their chances of success. Usually, the Game Director establishes with the players if it is possible to get such help and how many people can help without being a hindrance. After that he will establish who is the main character (who will perform the task), and who are the helpers. Next each helping character must roll the skill determined by the Game Director with a diculty of 10. For every level of success margin (Minimal, Basic, Good, Great, Spectacular, Incredible), the helper grants a +1D bonus to the main character (up to a maximum equalling the number of dice the helper has in the skill he rolled). Meaning, if the helper gets a Minimal level of success in his roll, he will grant +1D, if a Basic level, he will grant +2D, Good +3D, Great +4D, Spectacular +5D and nally Incredible +6D, taking into account that the granted bonus cannot be higher than the helper’s skill. If the helping character fails his roll, no bonus is granted. If he gets a 1 on the help roll, the Game Director may establish he is hindering instead and give him a penalty. Finally, the main character then makes his roll using all the bonuses granted by the helpers.
CHARACTER POINTS AND GUTS USING CHARACTER POINTS Character points are used to grant extra dice to a specic roll. They represent the character giving the action more of their focus and energy than usual. For each character point used, the character gets an extra die on his roll. Moreover, among the extra dice added with character points one of them becomes a second Wild Die, with the peculiarity that it never Fumbles (if it gets a 1 it is added normally to the total, without any other eect). The Game Director may limit the
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number of points that can be spent in one roll, depending on how heroic or gritty the game is. Another way players can use character points is by introducing an element into the narrative. Usually it is the Game Director who describes the scene and its contents, but this option allows the players to add something of their own, such as an object, a person, a sudden change in a condition, etc. This option
CHARACTER POINTS AND GUTS
ALWAYS requires the approval of the Game Director, who can veto it, suggest a change, or accept it, at his discretion. The introduced element must be something possible, consistent to what is happening and have some causal logic to the situation. Using a character point will not make a gun appear as if by magic, nor make the villain suer a sudden heart attack,
for example, but it is possible that the character nds a baseball bat under the bar counter or that the villain steps on his shoelaces and falls. The Game Director can suggest a cost higher than 1 character point for a specic element. In that case, the costs can be shared among several players present in the scene.
USING GUTS Like character points, Guts are a measure of the character pushing themselves to their limits. Guts are a level above character points, where the character puts their all into what they are trying to do. You can only use one point of Guts per roll and in no case can you combine them with character points. Using a point of Guts can grant one of the following eects: • If the character has not made the roll yet, he can double the number of dice he is rolling. Only one of them is a Wild Die. Die thirds are not doubled. Also, bonuses or penalties in the form of dice given by advantages and disadvantages, exceptional tools, wounds, etc. are NOT doubled. They are added or subtracted in the end, after doubling the character’s dice. • If the character has already made the roll but the Game Director hasn’t narrated the result, he can repeat the roll. The rst result is completely discarded and the dice rolled. The character must keep the second roll even if it is worse than the rst.
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ATTRIBUTE AND SKILL DESCRIPTIONS AGILITY Represents the character’s athletic ability, especially actions requiring balance, speed or exibility.
ACROBATICS: performing gymnastic feats BRAWLING: hand to hand ghting CLIMBING: includes use of harnesses and mountaineering equipment DODGE: avoiding blows ESCAPE ARTIST: escaping from bonds JUMPING: propelling yourself vertically or horizontally MELEE WEAPONS: use of close combat weapons such as knives and swords RIDING: getting about on an animal STEALTH: moving silently and avoiding observers
DEXTERITY Represents hand-eye coordination and precise skill as well as the character’s ability for ne manipulation.
BOATING: piloting watercraft dRIvInG: driving land vehicles
STRENGTH Represents the character’s muscle capacity, stamina and resilience.
LIFTING: picking up heavy stu RUNNING: getting somewhere fast STAMINA: pushing yourself further when tired SWIMMING: getting about in water
KNOWLEDGE Measures how easy it is for the character to retain information and learn. It can also be used to measure the character’s culture and general knowledge.
ACADEMICS: general knowledge, humanities and science BUSINESS: understanding company systems and economics COMPUTERS: using all kinds of computer systems DEMOLITIONS: using explosives and positioning them properly
FIREARMS: use of handguns and small arms
ELECTRONICS: repair and creation of electronic devices
LOCKPICKING: unlocking mechanical and electronic locks
FORGERY: making convincing copies
PILOTING: piloting air vehicles
LANGUAGES: speaking languages other than your own
RANGED WEAPONS: use of archaic ranged weapons such as bows REPAIR: making mechanical repairs SLEIGHT OF HAND: feats of prestidigitation and concealment
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THROWING: throwing weapons or items at a target
MEDICINE: rst aid, trauma medicine, surgery and diagnosis SECURITY: setting up a secure area, managing protocols
TIME AND COMBAT
PERCEPTION Represents how sharp the character’s senses are, his ability to notice details and his reaction speed.
ART: creating all forms of art from painting to poetry
PRESENCE Represents the character’s strength of character, personality, charisma and willpower.
ANIMAL HANDLING: taking care of and training animals DECEIT: convincingly lying to someone
CAMOUFLAGE: using natural cover to hide yourself or items
DISGUISE: pretending to be someone else
GAMBLING: understanding probability and games of chance
EMPATHY: understanding people and seeing through deceit
InveSTIGATIon: analysing a crime scene and understanding clues
INTIMIDATION: making convincing threats
ORIENTATION: navigation and map reading SEARCH: making a visual inspection of an area STREETWISE: understanding criminal systems and using contacts for illegal items
LEADERSHIP: taking charge and managing a team PERSUASION: convincing someone to act as you want SEDUCTION: using sexuality to leverage what you want
SuRvIvAl: staying alive in the wild WILLPOWER: mental stamina TRACKING: following a target in urban or rural areas
SPECIALISATIONS Some characters further divide their expertise into specialisations. These are highly specialised uses of a particular skill. An artist might have a specialisation of painting under their Art skill; a driver might have cars as a specialisation under Driving. If the situation applies to the speciality the character uses
that rating instead. So if our driver has Dexterity 2D: Driving 3D (Cars 4D) he can roll 4D when driving a car, and 3D when driving a lorry. You will nd more detail on the specialisations available for each skill in the Core Rulebook, along with how characters can acquire them.
TIME AND COMBAT INITIATIVE When combat occurs the rst thing you need to gure out is who goes rst. This is done by making an initiative roll which is a standard Dexterity roll. Players may spend Guts or character points on the roll as usual and any ties are broken in order of Perception (or Presence if still tied).
The result of each character’s initiative roll determines when they act in the open ended initiative order. The character with the highest result on their initiative roll goes rst, then the next highest etc. Characters may act several times in one round if they rolled a good initiative result.
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Each character subtracts 10 from their initiative result and can act again when the order reaches that number too. If their initiative is still above 10 they can do the same again.
Frank and Sarah are fighting some black suited goons. They all make ini- tiative rolls. Frank scores 31, Sarah 15 and the Goons (who the Game Director decides to use the same initiative for) all roll 16. This means Frank goes first. After his action he subtracts 10 from his initiative, making it 21. So before Sarah and the Goons get to act he can
act again. Subtracting another 10 he gets 11, so the Goons go next on 16, fol- lowed by Sarah on 15. Frank then gets a turn on 11, followed by the Goons on 6 and Sarah on 5. Finally Frank gets an- other turn on 1.
As you see in the example the Game Director may choose to keep things simple and roll a single initiative for the character’s opponents. The group may also choose to maintain the same initiative for the duration of the combat, although it is better to reroll it each round for variety.
REACTIONS If you get hit by an opponent, it’s not much use to have to wait until your turn to try to dodge. So if the bad guys manage to land a blow and you have another action in the same round, you can use it early to dodge, parry or evade. You still calculate the amount of actions to be taken that round in the same way, even though you are acting early. There is unfortunately a penalty to taking this early action. You have to subtract 1 die for each 5 points you are bumped up the initiative track. It is perfectly permissible to choose not to do anything on your turn, holding your action for later in the round.
Let’s say in the above example the Goons attack Frank on their first action on initiative 16. He uses his initiative 11 action to dodge. As it is bumping up
the action from 11 to 15 Frank has a 1D penalty to his Dodge. After the Goons attack, Sarah gets her action on 15 and Frank will have to wait until initiative 1 to get another action, having used his action for initiative 11. If Frank had chosen to hold his action from initiative 21, he could have used it to Dodge with- out penalty and still acted on 11.
There are some things a character can do during a round that don’t cost actions. They can move at a walking pace, talk, press a button etc. It is up to the Game Director to decide if something they want to do will take an action or not. In fact he may decide something like picking a lock could take several. In this case the roll to see if it succeeds is made when enough actions have been spent at the task.
FIGHTING AND SHOOTING When it comes to your turn in combat, you will probably want to take a shot or throw a punch at one of your opponents. As you might imagine, this is a standard roll using the appropriate weapon skill for your character. The di culty for the attack is based on the target’s defence rating. The Game Director may modify this for such factors as visibility and the target’s movement, usually adjusting it by anything from +3 to +12. If the target chooses to Dodge their result becomes the
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new diculty for the attack, unless it was lower than their defence (in which case you keep defence as the diculty). When using rearms you also have to take range into consideration. Generally, targets that are so close they can almost be touched are at point blank. If they are in the same room or on the other side of the street, they’re at short range. Finally, unless they’re really far (in which case its long range), we consider them at medium range. They are modied according to the table below.
TIME AND COMBAT
RANGE DIFFICULTY Point blank Short range Medium range Long range
MODIFIERS -5 0 +5 +15
DAMAGE All weapons have a damage rating measured in dice, which are rolled on a successful hit. For most ranged weapons the rating is unadjusted, but for many melee weapons the character can add their Strength dice. We’ve summarised the basic qualities of several groups of weapons below. In the Core Rulebook we expand this detail with a huge array of dierent weapons. We also include detail on auto-re, covering re and using grenades. The damage dice of the weapon are rolled and compared with the character’s damage resistance. If the resistance is higher than the damage result, no wounds are caused. But if it is lower, you must calculate which wound level the character suers. The higher that dierence, the higher the wound level produced.
MELEE Brass Knuckles Knife Sword Baseball Bat Police Baton FIREARMS Handgun Shotgun Submachine Gun Sniper Rie Assault Rie Hunting Rie Machine Gun
DIFFERENCE Wound level BETWEEN DAMAGE AND DAMAGE RESISTANCE 1-4 Scratch 4-8* Wounded 4-8** Seriously Wounded 9-12 Incapacitated 13-15 Mortally Wounded 16+ Dead * The rst time the character gets a 4-8 result, he acquires the “wounded” wound level. ** The second time the character gets a 4-8 result, he acquires the “seriously wounded” wound level.
So, if a character takes 21 points of damage and has a damage resistance of 7, there is a 14 points dierence. The character becomes “mor - tally wounded”.
WOUND DESCRIPTIONS SCRATCH: A scratch is a minor wound, a nasty bruise, light trauma, a small muscle tear or strain. A character suering a scratch becomes stunned until after the end of the next round. Remember that a stunned character halves (rounding up) all his rolls.
DAMAGE Strength +2 Strength +1D Strength +3D Strength +2D Strength +1D DAMAGE 3D 6D 4D 6D 6D 4D 8D
MAGAZINE CAPACITY 10 5 30 10 30 3 Belt feed
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WOUNDED: A wounded character has a sprain, a cracked bone, a laceration requiring several stitches, a third degree burn. The character gets a 1D penalty due to pain and loss of mobility until healed. SeveRelY Wounded: This result can only be gained when the character is already wounded, and receives another wounded result. A severe wound implies fractures, open bleeding wounds, severe muscle sprains or tendon rupture. The character has a 2D penalty to all actions until healed. INCAPACITATED: An incapacitated character has received serious damage, has a collapsed lung, an aected vital organ, an open fracture, a concussion. When a character gets a result of incapacitated, he must make a roll of Stamina or Willpower (player’s choice) with a difculty of 12. If the character succeeds in the roll he may still act with a 3D penalty. On the other hand, if he fails, he immediately falls unconscious for a number of minutes equal to his failure margin. When he wakes up he can act with a 3D penalty. MORTALLY WOUNDED: A character with this result is in real bad shape, organ failure, torn muscles, splintered bones piercing an artery. When a character gets this result he must make a Stamina or Willpower (player’s choice) roll with a di culty of 18. If the character succeeds, he is in such pain that he can only drag
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himself and speak. If he fails, he falls unconscious and will only wake up when his wound is healed. The character will start dying and should make a Stamina roll each round with a diculty equal to the number of minutes he’s been Mortally Wounded. If the roll fails, his wound level increases to Dead.
DEAD: As you might expect, at this point you need to consider what your next character is going to be.
STUN ATTACKS Sometimes a character does not want to cause permanent damage to his opponent, but only stun him or take him out of the ght. The attacker tries to hit his rival in a vulnerable area such as the pit of the stomach or the back of the head. The attack is very precise and so the difculty increases by +9. If successful, the number of damage dice is halved (rounding up). If the attack provokes a Scratch wound level, the defender must perform a Stamina roll with a diculty equal to the suered damage, or will become stunned. If the attack causes a Wounded wound level or higher, the defender must make a Stamina roll with a diculty equal to the suered damage or they will fall unconscious. A stunned character halves (rounding up) all his rolls. The time a character remains stunned or unconscious depends on the failure margin of the stamina roll, as seen in the following table.
TIME AND COMBAT
FAILURE MARGIN 1-4 5-8 9-11 12 or higher
STUN DURATION 2 rounds 10 rounds 10 minutes 1 hour
UNCONSCIOUSNESS DURATION 6 rounds 18 rounds 30 minutes 2 hours
STRESS Not all damage is physical. Sometimes your character will suer emotional trauma that can be just as debilitating. Stress is measured like wounds are, but are challenges to a character’s Willpower. When the Game Director calls for a stress test, the situation is rated in dice, which are rolled to create the di culty. The player then rolls Willpower against that di culty rating. If the roll is a success the character is unaected by the stress, but upon a failure they suer a stress level depending on the margin of failure.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRESS AND WILLPOWER 1-4 4-8 1-12 13-15 16+
STReSS level
Nervous Stressed Distressed Panicked Shock
Frank comes across the dead body of one of his friends when following the previous team into an alien installa- tion. The Game Director tells him he needs to make a 2D stress test. Frank’s Willpower is 3D. The Game Director rolls 2D and gets a 12, for the diffi cul- ty. Unfortunately Frank rolls badly with 2, 3 and 3 for a total of 8. He has failed the test by 4 points and becomes “stressed”.
neRvouS: The character’s hands shake slightly, he has trouble thinking clearly. The character has a 1D penalty to Knowledge and all related skills.
STRESSED: The character’s hands shake a lot, he breathes heavily and has trouble thinking clearly. The character has a 1D penalty to Knowledge and Dexterity and all related skills. DISTRESSED: The character is shaking from head to foot, breathing heavily and can’t think clearly. The character has a 1D penalty to Knowledge, Dexterity and Agility and all related skills. PANICKED: The character is constantly shaking, breathes heavily to the point of hyperventilation, is unable to express himself clearly. Has a 1D penalty to Knowledge, Dexterity, Agility and Presence and all related skills. SHOCK: The character falls into a catatonic state or faints for at least 5 minutes. The character may be awakened or reanimated by another character, and in that case he will become panicked. The character may develop a post-traumatic stress disorder. A character becoming shocked may suer a heart attack. The character must immediately make a Stamina roll against a di culty of 12. If he succeeds, the character suers the usual shock result. If he fails, the character suers a heart attack and becomes Mortally Wounded. As with all dice rolls the Wild Die is still used as normal for stress tests. If it rolls a 1 the character may suer a psychotic episode. We’ll cover this in more detail in the core Rulebook. But for now, if that happens the character will either launch into combat with whatever they are confronted with, run away or stand paralysed until the end of the scene.
THAT’S IT! So, that’s all you need to know for the moment. In the Core Rulebook we expand this system adding detail on chases and more options for combat, actions and damage. This should keep you going for now though, and give you enough etail to run the following adventure.
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QUICKSTART FOR X-CORPS
DESCRIPTION Since you were young you’ve always had a clear idea of your future, to enlist in the air force and be a pilot. Then you’d move into the private sector, and truly see the world, date sexy stewardesses and be rich in a few years, guaranteeing an early and protable retirement. That was the plan. However, things started to change the rst time you piloted a ghter plane. Of course, piloting an aircraft worth more than 350 million dollars at two and a half times the speed of sound might hook anyone. You are one of the pilots with the most hours of ight in combat missions in your unit. You love being in the air. And you are not going to let a stful of ying saucers own your sky.
PSYCHOLOGY You are an adrenaline junky. You love to drive fast, y fast, bungee jump, paraglide, base jump, climb or any other activity that gives you a rush. You brag that you don’t mind crashing and burning once in a while, because you always get up wanting to do it again. You don’t do it to prove anything to anyone; you do it because you love the risk.
TYPICAL PHRASE “Yeeeeeeeeeeeeee-Haw!”
AGILITY 3D: Brawling 4D, Dodge 3D DEXTERITY 4D: Driving 4D (Motorcycle 5D), Firearms 4D, Piloting 4D (Airplanes 6D), Repair 4D STRENGTH 2D: Stamina 3D KNOWLEDGE 3D: Computers 4D, Electronics 4D PERCEPTION 3D: Orientation 4D PRESENCE 3D: Persuade 4D, Willpower 3D Advantages: Top Gun Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Defence: 10 Movement: 5 Standard of Living: 4 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
DESCRIPTION Yours is a natural vocation. In your childhood you used to play with an old stethoscope belonging to your grandfather and you thought a doctor’s profession was the most thrilling. You would binge watch television series with doctors and you studied very hard, at the cost of your teens, in order to obtain a scholarship through which to study and become a doctor. But in your career things changed. You saw the dark face of medicine: the bribery from big pharma, the business of private hospitals at the expense of health, the jealousies and envies between medical researchers… and that was just the tip of the iceberg. So you decided to go. You left the city hospitals and went to the neediest countries as a volunteer… until the Chandra wiped out all the people you were going to vaccinate. So you decided to enlist and to be part of some way to end those animals.
PSYCHOLOGY An idealist to a fault, for you the world is black and white with very few shades of grey. Some people may have the opinion that you are somewhat uncompromising, but you lecture no one. You just do what your conscience dictates, often without quite measuring the consequences.
TYPICAL PHRASE “This is going to hurt…”
AGILITY 3D: Dodge 3D, Stealth 3D DEXTERITY 3D: Driving 3D (Cars 4D), Firearms 3D STRENGTH 2D KNOWLEDGE 4D: Academics 4D (Biology 5D, Immunology 5D), Computers 4D, Electronics 4D, Languages 4D (Arabic 5D, Swahili 5D, Portuguese 5D), Medicine 6D PERCEPTION 3D: Investigation 4D PRESENCE 3D: Empathy 4D, Willpower 4D Advantages: Intuitive Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Defence: 10 Movement: 5 Standard of Living: 4 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
DESCRIPTION The rst time you blew something up you were 6 years old and you were playing with a chemistry set your cousin had been given. This memory of this incident kept away from anything that might explode for a long time. But in high school you rediscovered your passion for chemistry, due to access to several volatile mixtures. You majored in chemistry and earned a Masters degree in explosives at a prestigious university. That opened many elds to you: you worked in a demolitions company and later as a consultant for the government in case of terrorism. After the arrival of the Chandra, you decided to move to the front lines and help to ght the enemy with your skills.
PSYCHOLOGY quil person who likes to analyse things calmly. Anything in this life, if done hastily, breeds failure. You are a thoughtful person, perhaps even too much so, who spends hours awake tossing and turning over past events and always looks for the best way to do things.
TYPICAL PHRASE
AGILITY 3D: Dodge 3D DEXTERITY 3D: Driving 3D (Cars 4D, Heavy Machinery 5D), Firearms 3D, Repairs 3D, Sleight of Hand 5D STRENGTH 3D: Stamina 3D KNOWLEDGE 4D: Demolitions 6D, Electronics 5D, Security 4D PERCEPTION 3D: Investigation 3D, Search 3D PRESENCE 2D: Willpower 3D Advantages: Tempered Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 10 Movement: 6 Standard of Living: 3 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
RECON SPECIALIST DESCRIPTION Your life began in a small city suburb where you soon learned how to rely on yourself. But you kept bad company and ended up in trouble. The judge gave you one option other than prison, enlisting. Prison looked like a bad choice, so you decided to accept his proposal and try to get your life together. In the beginning the discipline would overwhelm you and you were close to quitting several times. However, when you were appointed to recon, you started to appreciate your work. Inltration, observation, surgical strikes, freedom of movement… With the arrival of the aliens your skills are even more useful, and you are anxious to face this new enemy and see if you are up to the task…
PSYCHOLOGY Undisciplined, sarcastic and bold. There are few things that frighten you and you know that it is a problem. You have some problems with authority but you value skill and ability a lot. That means that if anyone wants your respect they have to win it, they have to show you what they’re worth… and you will test them every moment until they impress you.
TYPICAL PHRASE “They will never know what hit them”.
AGILITY 4D: Brawling 4D (Kickboxing 5D), Dodge 4D, Melee Weapons 4D, Stealth 5D DEXTERITY 4D: Driving 4D (Cars 5D, Heavy machinery 5D), Firearms 5D, Lockpicking 4D, Repair 4D STRENGTH 3D: Stamina 3D KNOWLEDGE 2D: Demolitions 4D PERCEPTION 3D: Camouage 4D, Survival 4D PRESENCE 2D Advantages: Fast Reactions Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 11 Movement: 7 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1 Standard of Living: 3
Disadvantages: -
DESCRIPTION It wasn’t patriotism that led you to become a soldier, but a vocation for service and a spirit of adventure. Once in the corps, you found out it wasn’t what you had imagined. On one hand, there were the good things, the discipline, the camaraderie, the belonging somewhere… on the other hand, there was the abuse, the torture… You didn’t enlist to re at armed children in Iraq or to be mutilated by stepping on a landmine protecting an oil pipeline so that the rich can become richer and the poor poorer. Clinging to your ideals, you were close to quitting. Until they arrived. They have come from the ends of space to butcher humanity and Global Defence is the rst and last line of defence. You requested a transfer at the rst opportunity. At last you feel you are doing something useful, a service to humanity.
PSYCHOLOGY You are a team player, you like to feel a part of something and build things together. You believe with all your might that unity is strength, up to the point that you sometimes yield too much by not arguing. One of your exes said one time it was a character aw, that you lacked willpower and conviction… There are people that simply don’t understand the bonds and relationships that are created between soldiers and their codes of conduct.
“No-one is left behind.”
AGILITY 3D: Brawling 4D, Dodge 4D, Melee weapons 4D, Stealth 3D DEXTERITY 4D: Driving (Car 5D, Motorcycle 5D, Heavy machinery 5D), Firearms 5D, Repair 4D STRENGTH 4D: Running 4D, Stamina 4D KNOWLEDGE 2D PERCEPTION 3D: Camouage 3D, Survival 3D PRESENCE 2D: Leadership 2D, Willpower 3D Advantages: Tough guy Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 8 Defence: 10 Movement: 7 Standard of Living: 3 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
SNIPER
SNIPER Your story is not like in the movies. You didn’t learn how to shoot with your old grandfather in the mountains, hunting to survive. You come from a well-o city family. You started learning about guns at 8 years old, at a festival in your small village. A carny had set up a tent in which you earned prizes by shooting down targets with a BB gun. You were lucky and won a huge teddy bear. Afterwards you relentlessly begged that your next birthday present should be a BB gun. You would spend hours practicing impossible shots and perfecting your technique. You won amateur prizes and you were even invited to take part in the Olympic shooting team. But with the arrival of the Chandra you’ve found a better way to use your skill. You wouldn’t shoot people, but these freaks… that’s very dierent.
on target. You are a straightforward person, not one to beat around the bush and always shoots straight. You can take your time to be s ure, but when you speak you always know what you are going say. You like neat and well made things. Some say your perfectionism borders on obsession, but what do they know?
TYPICAL PHRASE “Target down”.
AGILITY 3D: Brawling 3D, Dodge 3D, Stealth 4D DEXTERITY 4D: Driving 4D (Cars 5D, Motorcycles 5D), Firearms 5D, Repair 4D STRENGTH 3D: Stamina 3D KNOWLEDGE 2D: Languages 2D (Farsi 3D) PERCEPTION 4D: Camouage 5D, Search 4D, Survival 5D PRESENCE 2D: Willpower 3D Advantages: Marksman Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 10 Movement: 6 Standard of Living: 3 Character Points: 5 Guts: 1
Disadvantages: -
QUICKSTART SCENARIO
THE LONGEST NIGHT INTRODUCTION SYNOPSIS During the evening of an otherwise peaceful day, Chandra forces launch a devastating attack on the city. The characters are caught in the battle zone and must make their way to safety if they are to survive the night. When the attack happens it causes chaos and panic across the city. The player characters start the adventure stuck in a trac jam on one of the busiest roads in the city. Everything is normal until anti-aircraft sirens sound and loudspeakers start to issue warnings as gunghts and blasts echo through the streets. Almost the instant this occurs there is panic and while most people attempt to nd somewhere to go to ground, several become desperate and dangerous.
NOTES FOR THE GAME DIRECTOR This adventure is designed to be played in any city. It serves as a good way to bring a group of player characters together. The fate of the city itself after the attack is up to the Game Director. Are the Chandra repelled or do they take the city? Are they looking to create a base here or just level the place? The answers to these questions might form the basis for a long campaign. This adventure uses much of the detail from “The Madrid Incident” a forthcoming X-Corps adventure that expands the player character’s escape in more detail.
Average Citizens The PCs are not the only people still in the city. They might run into all manner of ordinary folk as they try to escape the danger zone. Agility 2D Dexterity 2D: Driving 2D
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Strength 2D Knowledge 2D: Computers 2D Perception 2D: Search 2D Presence 2D: Persuasion 2D, Willpower 2D Damage Bonus: 1D Damage Resistance: 6 Movement: 4 Defence: 9 The Game Director might create several small encounters as the PCs cross the city and run into others in need of help. They might also run into some desper- ate criminals.
1 A woman asks them to help her get her wounded husband to safety. He was caught in a Chandra attack. Unfortu- nately he has already died, but she re- fuses to believe this. 2- A man tries to tell the PCs they must surrender to the Chandra, it is the only way to be safe. He starts shouting to get their attention if the PCs refuse to fol- low him towards their positions. 3 Someone with a gun is shooting at ba- sically anything they see in the street. The PCs need to get past. Can they man- age to sneak past, take down the shoot- er or take the long way around? 4- A group of criminals are looting a shop, do the player characters try to stop them or even join in? 5- A nearby house has caught fire and people are trapped inside. Some of them might even be children. 6- A group of non-military armed men and women are trying to organise an attack on a Chandra position. They want to recruit the PCs, but they will be hopelessly outmatched.
THE LONGEST NIGHT
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS It’s a cool September night, and the player characters are stuck in a tra c jam. Each of them will be eager to get home as it is a Sunday and everyone has an early day for work tomorrow. They are not alone in this, hence the tra c jam. The Game director should take a moment to ask each player where his character is. Are they in a taxi, driving a friend, even on a bus? If possible, some of the player characters might be grouped together at this point, such as being on the same bus, or in a taxi being driven by one of the other PCs. Temperature is around 20º C and a cool breeze blows from the east. The city lights are on and spotlights illuminate the hotels and clubs that dot this road, one of the main streets in the city. The sound of engines and the horns of the cars rise above the rest of the noises in the city that never sleeps. Given that the Chandra threat is ever present, military and police presence on the streets is manifest, with controls points at sensitive spots. Suddenly, an ominous sound starts to increase in intensity, a siren announcing an air strike. The noise of the horns stops and for a moment the city itself seems to stop. Then panic breaks out. People start to shout and ca r horns sound loudly again, hardly letting the characters hear the loudspeakers giving safety instructions:
“All citizens must remain calm! Go to the nearest shelters! Help those that can’t go for themselves!”
Many drivers decide to leave their vehicles, often with engines and lights on, and run in all directions. It soon becomes clear that this alone will ensure the tra c remains gridlocked. As the player characters try to decide what to do, there is a scream of jets overhead. Then, after a moment of stillness, powerful explosions are heard close by. It quickly becomes very clear the player characters need to get out of here, and nd a safe place. If this isn’t enough to convince them, another series of explosions shake the vehicle they are in, making it clear the danger is getting closer. Once they make a run for it another blast of explosions will force them to take cover against a building for a few moments. As it so happens, they will all pick the same place to take cover. Hopefully they will decide there is strength in numbers and join together for mutual protection. The best option for the player characters is to get out of this area, nd a vehicle and get as far away as possible. However, there are a few di culties for them to face before they get there.
ENCOUNTERS The next few sections can be played in any order, depending on what the player characters decide to do and how the Game Director feels. With a few changes, the Game Director might even use the same encounter twice. Once the player characters leave the central city area they can nd some transport. Several cars have been abandoned in the panic and among them a few even have the keys in the ignition. It will not be too dicult to get hold of something to get all on them to safety. However, some heavy lifting might be required to clear a path for their chosen vehicle. There is rubble in the street and a few more
cars blocking the road. A concerted eort from the player characters should be enough to solve the problem, but all the while, explosions and the sound of gunre continue.
ENCOUNTER 1 DOGFIGHT The thundering sound of the jet engines is heard over the din of the surrounding chaos and the player characters can soon see a squadron of jet ghters crossing the sky at full speed. Out of the clouds Chandra ships quickly follow. Too many. A dogght begins, with
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machine gun bursts and the greenish glow of Chandra engines leaving tracks in the sky. They form the pattern of an intricate dance, while at the same time hell is unleashed. On the ground the PCs can only watch the situation, powerless. But if they are not careful they will end up being collateral damage. The weapon re from one side or the other will eventually hit the buildings and the streets, destroying everything. Rubble falls from the blasted buildings, holes open on the asphalt hit by disruptor re, broken glass shatters in all directions, cars explode, etc. In this scene the PCs will be in the middle of it, exposed to a lethal combat taking place over their heads and in which they cannot intervene. Like a scene from a movie, they’ll have to break through while the city crumbles around them. Such an experience may require (Game Director discretion) a 2D Stress roll. Depending on how dangerous the Game Director wants to make the scene, he can require several Running or Driving Rolls (if the characters are travelling in a vehicle), the Difculty increases by +9 because of the adverse circumstances (falling rubble, dust impeding visibility, debris in the way). Each failure means the character (or vehicle) suers damage. We recommend 1D for every 4 points in the failure margin. Some examples are:
DAMAGE 1D or 3D 3D or 4D 5D or 6D
7D or +
EXAMPLE The character or vehicle is hit by broken glass and small fragments of rubble The character or vehicle is hit by shrapnel from a far explosion The character or vehicle is hit by large pieces of rubble, a beam or another vehicle The character or vehicle suers damage from a nearby explosion
If the characters are on foot, the Director may require Dodge rolls to get away from enemy (and, unfortunately, friendly) re. For this scene to have true impact the Game Director needs to be very graphic and oer many details about how the buildings are blown up and how rubble and glass y in every direction.
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If the PCs beat a hasty retreat (in a vehicle or on foot should their vehicle get destroyed) the scene comes to an end. The Game Director may bring it to a close if they are especially unlucky and begin to suer too many injuries. Eventually the aerial combat moves away or comes to an end, even if the PCs do not manage to leave the immediate area.
ENCOUNTER 2 CARJACK! In this encounter, a pair of desperate criminals tries to steal the character’s vehicle at gunpoint. Clearly, for this encounter to work the PCs will have to have a vehicle! The PCs come across a police cruiser that has collided with some fallen rubble. It is on re and blocking the road. The PCs driver will have to brake suddenly to avoid hitting it. However they can get past it if they slow down and drive carefully across a grass verge. As the PCs try to make their way past, two policemen approach them, one towards the driver’s window the other from the rear. They are both armed and have a hand on their guns. They call out to the PCs and tell them to stop. However, a diculty 14 Perception roll will allow any of the PCs to see there is something odd about their uniforms. They are wearing the right jackets, but underneath they are not wearing the right shirts and both are wearing dark sneakers rather than shoes. In fact, both men are criminals who stole the police car to escape. They took some of the uniforms and weapons of the injured police ocers they stole it from as well. Unfor tunately they left in too much of a hurry and crashed the car. Both escaped injury but have a few cuts and bruises from the crash. If the PCs stop the car and allow the “police” to approach they will draw their weapons and order them out of the vehicle. If the PCs comply the criminals will take the vehicle and drive o. It is possible the PCs might run into them again, either nding the vehicle crashed, or perhaps under attack by Chandra. If the PCs try to run, or otherwise resist the criminals will rst shout and threaten them. If near enough, they will open the car doors and try to pull people out. If the vehicle’s engine has been stopped, it must be started again. Doing so in a rush requires a Driving roll with 9 Diculty. But even if the car is running the driver will still have to negotiate the crashed
THE LONGEST NIGHT
cruiser. The driver should make a di culty 12 Driving roll to get past. On a failure the vehicle stalls and stops. With a Great or Spectacular success the car leaves the criminals standing. With a Good result the criminals can get o a shot but not get close to the car. With a Minimal or Basic result, one of the criminals has time to get into the back of the car while the other opens re. Generally, the criminals don’t really want to hurt anyone. But they are desperate and selsh and won’t have a problem with shooting people who get in their way. If the PCs are armed, or especially numerous, the Game Director might increase the number of criminals. If the PCs manage to ght and defeat the criminals they might take their weapons. Each has a small handgun (3D damage)
Crimias Agiity 2d: Brawling 3D, Dodge 2D dxtrity 3d: Firearms 3D+1, Melee weapons 3D+1 Strength 3D: Running 3D+2 Kwg 2d Prcpti 2d: Search 3D, Streetwise 4D Presence 2D: Intimidation 3D+1 Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 9 Movement: 6 Wap: Police issue handgun – 3D damage
Have the Chandra seen the characters? This situation may require an opposed Stealth roll versus the Aliens’ Perception (to speed things up, the Game Director can use one roll for all of them). If the aliens nd the characters they will begin a chase. A pair of Chandra Bloodhounds will come out of the ship that will start running after the player characters. The PCs will have about a 50 metres head start and a round before the hounds leave the Lunaspis. The chase will end if the PCs manage to take shelter in a safe place or if they get over 150 metres ahead. At that point the Bloodhounds leave pursuit and return to their masters. If the characters hide at any point in their escape, they will need Stealth or Camouage rolls against the Bloodhounds’ Search. If any of the Hounds takes enough damage to become Seriously Wounded, the pack will also withdraw. If the player characters manage to hide, the Chandra will start a brief search of the area and later will deploy as they originally planned. It’s up to the player characters to try and leave the area without being found. The Game Director may require new Stealth rolls versus the Chandra Search skill. Remember that, thanks to their implants, if one of the Chandra sees the PCs, all of them will immediately know their position since it will be instantly transmitted by their neural net. If they are found, a chase will be initiated as described above. If the PCs attempt to talk they will nd the Chandra are in no mood to negotiate. They will take anyone they nd prisoner, and shoot anyone being too dicult. Their goal here is to take control of the area though, so they won’t pursue anyone too far.
ENCOUNTER 3 LANDING As the PCs move through the city, suddenly everything falls dark. Lights seem to shut down one after another around them for hundreds of metres in every direction. Covered in a weird greenish glow a huge Lunaspis Chandra ship oats softly down to land, oating a metre above the ground. If the PCs are travelling in a vehicle, it will suddenly stop and will no longer start. Any electronic items the characters have will shut down, the victims of electromagnetic interference produced by the ship. Before the PCs can properly react a back gate opens on the ship and several Chandra come out.
Chara Sir Agiity 4d: Brawling 5D, Dodge 4D, Me- lee weapons 5D dxtrity 4d: Firearms 5D (Chandra Disruptors, 5D+1) Strgth 5d: Lifting 5D, Stamina 5D Kwg 2d Prcpti 5d Presence 2D: Intimidation 4D, Will- power 4D Damage Bonus: 3D (Claws) Damage Resistance: 2D+9 Defence: 11 Movement: 5
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ENCOUNTER 4 SOLDIERS Spcia abiitis: -Dark vision: The Chandra soldier elimi- nates 6 Darkness Penalty points. -Improved immune system: It gets a 2D bonus against any pathogen. eqipmt: Heavy disruptor (9D Damage) Chara Bh Agiity 5d: Dodge 6D, Jumping 5D, Stealth 5D dxtrity 4d: Throwing 4D (Spit Ven- om 5D) Strgth 5d: Running 7D, Stamina 5D Kwg 0d Prcpti 6d: Search 6D, Survival 6D, Tracking 8D Presence 2D: Intimidation 4D, Will- power 4D Damage Bonus: 3D (Claws) Damage Resistance: 2D+9 Defence: 12 Movement: 10 Spcia abiitis: -Dark vision: Eliminates up to 6 dark- ness penalty points. -Pheromone control: Identifies its Chan- dra masters by the pheromones they is- sue, becoming docile and obedient to orders. -Improved immune system: gets a 2D bonus against any pathogen. Bh’s nrtxic vm vctr: Blood (bite), contact (spat on an unprotected area) virc: 5D Icbati: 1 round effcts: Light (1 round): Itching, nausea and feeling of asphyxiation. The character has a 1D penalty to all actions. Severe (2 rounds): Severe disorienta- tion, asphyxiation and intense pain. The character is Stunned. Acute (30 minutes): Paralysis, semi-un- consciousness. The character is Inca- pacitated.
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Sooner or later the PCs will run into soldiers looking to engage and destroy the Chandra. The human military have organised into small combat units of around ten soldiers each that have spread out to cover as much ground as they can. Their orders are to report Chandra positions, engage where they have a good chance to destroy any landing party, and rescue any civilians. When they come across the PCs they will not be looking to chat for long, but they will question them to determine if they have any useful intelligence. The soldiers may even rescue the PCs from any Chandra who may be chasing them. The soldiers will tell the PCs that a safe zone has been set up a couple of miles from their position. They can’t oer any help getting there, but they can point the PCs in the right direction. Trains are being brought in to evacuate civilians, but the zone might have to be moved if Chandra activity increases or the humans lose ground. It would be best for the PCs to get there as soon as they can. The soldier cannot aord to give the PCs any resources, but they have a medic who can patch up any injured. If one of the PCs is skilled with rearms, and very convincing, the soldiers might give them a handgun. While the area is dangerous, the soldiers need all their weapons and they believe the PCs should be out of the woods at this point.
Hma Sirs Agiity 3d: Brawling 4D, Dodge 4D, Me- lee weapons 4D, Stealth 3D dxtrity 4d: Driving 5D, Firearms 5D, Repair 4D Strength 4D: Running 4D, Stamina 4D Kwg 2d: Prcpti 3d: Camouflage 3D, Surviv- al 3D Presence 2D: Leadership 2D, Willpower 3D Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 8 Defence: 10 Movement: 7
THE LONGEST NIGHT
ENCOUNTER 5 SUBWAY One way for the PCs to get where they are going is the subway. While there will clearly be no trains running, the tunnels might provide a safe path to get out of the area, or to the safe zone. Sadly, the tunnels are nowhere near as safe as they might think. The subway tunnels will be completely dark and walking through them is complicated. When the characters have advanced a few minutes into the tunnels, they will see rats running in their direction. The rat tidal wave running through their legs will require a 2D Stress roll. The characters should worry more with what has scared the rats so much. At that moment they will hear a scream inside the tunnel and soon there will be silence. There are two Chandra Bloodhounds in the tunnel that will pick up the PCs scent and begin hunting them. The Bloodhounds will try to
stalk the characters, cause panic and split the group so they can pick one of them o. The dogs will not initiate a direct confrontation and, if attacked, will withdraw if one of them becomes Severely Wounded. The Dogs will stalk the characters (opposed rolls of Stealth against Perception or Search) to try and atta ck them by surprise. The PCs may still manage to get closer to their destination, even when trying to outrun bloodhounds. However, they will have another problem when they reach their destination (or decide to get the hell out of here at the next station). Sadly the place has been locked up, meaning they will have to break open at least one metal gate to get out. A concerted eort and a little leverage will do the job, but the Game Director should enjoy the threat of approaching bloodhounds as they panic to escape. Once they leave the subway the bloodhounds will cease their hunt and look for other prey.
SAFE SHELTER Eventually, the characters manage to arrive at the safe zone, a mainline train station next to a warehouse. When the characters arrive there’s a queue to get to the station and police working with Global Defence operatives protect the area. The queue begins in the warehouse and gradually allows people to enter the station where trains are being brought in to evacuate them. People in the queue are nervous and there are scenes of tension as the authorities let people in, one at a time. Many are concerned there won’t be enough space, and it is clear that it will take several trains to get everyone out. More people continue to arrive as the PCs take a place in the queue. The security forces are vastly undermanned and may be quite rough and abrupt with anyone not following their orders. They are very concerned a panic is about to boil over and they won’t be able to stop it. Such a panic will not only mob the train but get people hurt in the crush. The environment in the shelter is asphyxiating, too many people, children crying, people calling out to each other in loud voices, phones that don’t stop ringing. This may make the characters suer a 2D stress roll. The PCs will be told to join a queue, and probably separated into dierent ones to keep people moving. The guards will answer all questions with ‘ask when you get to the
front’. When they nally get to one of the tables at the front their name will be taken and they will be given a small emergency pack (with a basic kit, a water bottle, energy bars, a leaet with safety instructions and chemical light bars). The o cial who takes their name will answer a few questions but has no time to stop and chat. Once they have been ‘processed’ they move to a more open area of the warehouse, ready to be put aboard the next train. The platform itself is already too crowded with earlier refugees. If the characters were separated, this is a good moment to regroup. Once past the processing tables there is little for the PCs to do but listen to the distant gunre and explosions. Eventually the PCs hear the sound of a train arriving and people begin to pick themselves up and get ready to board. The soldiers demand calm and begin to organise an orderly queue to leave the warehouse once the platform has been emptied. Just as it looks like they might be safe, the warehouse is rocked by a large explosion. Anyone with Explosives or Demolitions skill might determine it is very nearby (diculty 10). Panic quickly sets in and there is a surge in the crowd. A wave of people starts running towards the exit, trying to get to the train. There is ghting, and some people are thrown to the oor. This human avalanche may drag
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the characters with it (unless they are trying to do the same!). Regardless of their choice, if they don’t make a di culty 14 Strength or Dodge roll, they suer 2D damage from the blows and pushes of the desperate crowd. At this point the PCs might try several things. They might join the crowd trying to get to the train. They could join the security forces who are trying to regain order and control. They might also try and help the people being crushed in the stampede. If the characters go with the ow of the tidal wave of people trying to reach the door, they will have to make diculty 14 Strength or Dexterity rolls to remain together. The same applies if they try to get out of the crush to another exit or even to the side, out of the way. Getting to people hurt in the crush will require the same roll to reach them, and to get them clear. Such people are badly hurt and will need medical attention, although the security forces may have a medic to hand. Restoring order is a lot tougher. The security forces have tried ring into the air, but that only increased the panic. The only way they have a chance is by forming a wall of people to stand against the crowd. Linking arms and moving into the crowd with the other police and soldiers they will eventually corral those remaining inside. PCs joining this attempt will need to make the same Strength or Dexterity rolls. If they do join they will earn the respect and friendship of the security forces, which may get them better treatment and priority access to get on the train. If the PCs get outside they will nd the cause of the trouble. A Chandra Goliath has broken into the area and is blasting away at anything that moves. The security forces are overwhelmed with panicking crowds as well as this deadly Chandra creation. If something isn’t done soon it will get close enough to open re on the train waiting in the station, a train the crowd is already ghting to board.
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help the security forces with the next train they will be among the rst aboard for their help. The train will pull out of the station and for the moment the PCs will be safe. Their assistance will not have gone amiss though and very soon Global Defence will be looking to recruit them. If they make a break for the train the Game Director is within his remit to decide the security forces can’t keep the Goliath at bay. On re from the immense amount of damage the huge machine has taken, it smashes through the security forces and blasts cannon re across the train. At least half the carriages are reduced to ash, as are the people inside. The PCs inside will be among those taking at least 8D damage from the blast, given the minor protection of the carriage itself. Unfortunately the blast will be enough to disable the train, ensuring no one is leaving anytime soon. If the PCs run, either after the destruction of the train or simply to get out as soon as they can, no one will stop them. Everyone is far too busy to take much notice. However, they are still in hostile territory and escaping the area will become all the harder. They have a long walk ahead of them, but perhaps one full of adventure, if they survive...
Chara Giath Agiity 4D: Dodge 4D, Melee weapons 6D, Brawling 6D dxtrity 4D: Firearms 4D (Chandra Disruptors 4D+1) Strength 8D: Stamina 9D, Lifting 10D Kwg 1D Prcpti 3D: Search 3D Presence 2D: Willpower 4D, Intimida- tion 5D Movement: 5 damag bs: 4D Damage Resistance: 3D+12 Defence: 11
The PCs might join the defence of the area, as there are several soldiers who have fallen who are no longer in need of their weapons. Of course they may decide to try and force their way aboard the train, or even just get the hell out of the area.
Spcia abiitis: -Dark vision: The Chandra Goliath elim- inates up to 6 points of Darkness pen- alties. -Improved immune system: Gets a 2D bonus against any pathogen.
If they join the defence of the station, the Game Director should let the concentrated re of the security forces and the characters eventually put down the Goliath. Then order will need to be restored to get as many people aboard the train as possible. If they don’t elect to stay and
eqipmt: Disruptor canon (12D Damage). Clip for disruptor canon. Biosteel claw (+3D Damage). Biosteel armour (Damage resistance 7D+12 worn)
OPERATION RED SKY
OPERATION RED SKY SYNOPSIS A Global Defence aeroplane, carrying a valuable cargo, is forced to make an emergency landing in Chinese territory, in the Altai Mountains. The Alien Countermenace Committee authorises an incursion for a team of Special Forces operatives to locate the wreckage so a rescue mission can be sent.
SUMMARY A C-17 Globemaster III transport plane from the Indian Air Force carrying a cargo of great value (a Chandra antiaircraft gun) suffered a Chandra attack en route. Two Manta Ray attack ships engaged its escort in combat and severely damage two of the C-17’s engines, forcing it to veer o-course. Badly damaged, it tried to make an emergency landing in a mountainous area on the border between Kazakhstan and the Xingjian autonomous region of the Chinese People’s Republic. Its signal was lost in the Altay region, near Lake Kanas, a rugged, mountainous region inside Chinese territory. The characters are asked to perform a Covert Op, their mission, to make a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jump over the Altay region, nd the crash zone, rescue the crew and secure the cargo. Then they are to activate a transponder and await aerial extraction, which will be waiting within the Kazakhstan border until the wreckage is located. China is not an ally of Global Defence, and if the characters are captured, the authorities will deny any knowledge of their activities. Moreover, the Xingjian autonomous region is the setting of a separatist conict, and rebel groups opposing the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are hidden in the mountainous areas. After an extremely dangerous HALO jump, the characters advance through a valley, dodging the Chinese People’s Liberation Army patrols that seem to be searching for the plane. Eventually they nd the remains of the crash, where the characters nd survivors, some severely wounded, entrenched with the cargo. By activating the transponder, the characters alert not only their reinforcements, but
also the nearby Lanzhou Special Operations Forces who launch an attack on the place, engaging the characters in combat. But they are not the only ones who detect the signal. A Chandra patrol, wanting to prevent human forces from obtaining the remains of their technology, also charges into the crash area, suddenly provoking a three-way reght. Just as the characters reach their limit the cavalry arrives, in the form of several Black Hawk helicopters, modied with stealth technology and two TACCOM teams as reinforcements, putting an end to the situation and rescuing the player characters.
THE CHANDRA ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN Used as a perimeter defence weapon against vehicles, this canon attaches to a smart target detection system and res a beam of neutral particles at near light speed. The beam destabilises the target’s atomic structure, causing catastrophic damage in any target it hits. In game terms, the stats of this weapon would be:
GUN
Chandra Antiaircraft Canon
DAMAGE
20D
The Chandra antiaircraft gun together with the target acquisition system can re automatically and has the following stats: Firearms 6D+2, Search 7D. The Chandra power cell attached only allows 10 shots with this gun, which is usually connected to a larger power plant in order to have more repower.
ADVENTURE BACKGROUND On September 12, 2014 there was a Chandra attack on Mumbai, the capital of the Maharashtra federal state of India and the most populated city in the country. The attack in-
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cluded many land forces, seemingly to establish a Dark Zone in the city. Global Defence, together with the Indian army, barely managed to repel the attack, but counted about three thousand dead and hundreds wounded. During the incursion, a Global Defence team lead by Captain Knight (“Papa Bear”) managed to capture a Chandra defensive position with an antiaircraft canon. The existence of this type of Chandra weapon had been reported to Global Defence had they had never been able to examine one. The gun was packed into a titanium sarcophagus and it was decided to send it to the Tomsk base for preliminary study. The Indian government lent Captain Knight’s unit a C-17 Globemaster transport from the Indian Air Force, together with an escort of two Sukhoi Su-30 ghters. They left Mumbai avoiding the Chinese airspace but, while over Kazakhstan airspace, they meet a ight of 3 Chandra Manta Ray ghters with which they engaged in combat. In the course of the ght, two engines of the C-17 were damaged and its course was altered. With no other option, Captain Knight ordered an emergency landing and the C-17 disappeared into a wooded area in the Altai Mountains in Chinese territory, in the Xing jian Autonomous Region, at approximately 01:12 in the morning (Tomsk time zone, UTC +6:00). Colonel Golubev of STRATCOM called an emergency meeting of the Alien Countermenace Committee. At 2:43 he received au-
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thorisation for a covert mission into Chinese territory. At 2:55 the player characters are mobilised at the Gagarin base.
THE GHOST WOLVES The Ghost Wolves are Global Defence’s Special Forces unit, the elite of the human forces located at the Gagarin base some 50 kilometres from Tomsk, in Russia. Tomsk is in the southern part of Siberia, in the steppes, and weather conditions vary from 37º in the summer to -50º in the harsh winter. This provides an extremely hard background for the training of the unit’s members. The Ghost Wolves are trained in dierent techniques with specialists coming from the most prestigious military units, such as the Navy SEALs, SAS, Mossad and the Spetsnaz commandoes. Each member of the Ghost Wolves is trained in survival, evasion, night ghting, demolitions, camouage, parachuting, communications, rock climbing, piloting, combat with all sorts of weapons, martial arts, strategy and operation planning. They also receive updated reports on the Chandra and analyse the best ways to defeat them. They are also in charge of testing experimental weaponry and any type of new tech equipment and materials.
OPERATION RED SKY
Although they’ve been together for only a short while, the members of this unit make an odd family, but an extremely loyal and very cohesive one. Their command makes it crystal clear that the whole is always bigger than the sum of the parts. If a candidate doesn’t t in he isn’t accepted, no matter how good he is. The members of the unit act and behave like a pack, ercely loyal to each other and the mission. There is no room for “lone wolves”.
GAGARIN BASE Facilities at the Gagarin Base are old and don’t provide much in the way of creature comforts, let alone privacy. Members of the teams are housed together in large rooms shared by about 10 people. These rooms are
independent for each squad and have mixed sleeping areas with individual beds, lockers, showers, a small rest and recreation area and an armoury. Gagarin has physical training areas with a gym, sports tracks and shooting gallery to keep the personnel in shape, although most of the physical activities take place outside. The heart of the base is a maze of gloomy corridors crisscrossed with dozens of tubes and cables, and painted with colours indicating the routes to the key centres of the base, control centres, missile silos, labs, etc. The base is an amalgamation of reinforced concrete and steel mesh beams with large rivets and ashing lights.
SCENE 1 - COVERT OPERATION The characters, whether they know each other from before or not, are part of an operating unit of the Ghost Wolves, squad Echo 6. They might already be part of the elite unit or have just joined. Another option is that they have just arrived at Gagarin base to be evaluated. The rest of the teams are out training and the PCs are sleeping in their squad’s quarters. Its 2:55 in the morning, the lights are out and only the emergency pilot lights emit a faint glow. Suddenly an alarm sounds and the room’s megaphones awake the PCs.
“ Echo 6, Echo 6, report immediately to hangar 4, this is not a drill.”
It is expected that the PCs get dressed, grab their personal gear and go to hangar 4, a platform under the runways where elevators hide the planes under the protection of the huge steel dome. The alarm seems to have woken up a large number of people who are running to their posts. The PCs will follow the maze of signs in Russian and English to Hangar 4. LOGCOM workers are moving ammunition boxes and other heavy equipment with forklifts near several helicopters. From a small vehicle used to travel inside the base Captain “Timberwolf” Sokolov comes out. He is a man in his forties but in extraordinary physical shape, with grey hair and an impressive moustache. A colonel from STRATCOM follows him. After
accepting salutes from the PCs, Sokolov will introduce the officer as Colonel Golubev, who is in charge of covert ops.
“ An emergency situation has developed that requires quick action on our part ” Golubev says. “ One of our birds, bearing a precious cargo, crashed in the Altay Mountains north of the Kanas Lake, in the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The pilot radioed he was trying to make an emergency landing just before we lost communication. We don’t know its location or if there are any survivors. Your mission will be to covertly enter Chinese territory and locate the crash point, secure the survivors and the cargo and activate a transponder so a stealth unit can extract you. Recovering the car- go is a priority.”
Sokolov will add in harsh tones:
“ And we leave no-one behind. If those boys are alive, bring them home.”
After this introduction, he’ll then explain the details of the plan to the PCs. They will board an Ilyushin Il-76D airborne transport
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plane and will perform a high altitude and low opening combat jump over the area where the plane radioed they were making an emergency landing. Their plane will y over the drop zone at an altitude of 8000 metres and the PCs will open their parachutes at 250 metres to avoid detection. Once on land they should ditch their parachutes and with minimal equipment they should locate the crashed plane. They must then secure it and the cargo and turn on a transponder so that a helicopter unit on standby across the Kazakhstan border can make an incursion to extract them. They will carry an inata ble raft, since the nearby river is navigable, which they can use to move at greater speed. Time is of the essence, the more time passes, the greater the likelihood of the Chinese nding the aircraft before them and the mission becoming a failure. Although the plan is simple, executing it will not be an easy task. The Altay region in immersed in a separatist conict and rebel forces, opposing the Chinese government, can be found in the area. So commandoes and patrols from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are likely to be found. The PCs may ask Sokolov questions about the Altay Mountains. He will tell them it is a mountain area with great vegetation diversity, starting as a steppe semi-desert. As one moves into the Kanas River valley, it becomes a thick conifer wood considered one of the most beautiful on the planet. Due to its elevation and that the operation is nocturnal; temperatures under 10º C are expected during the night. However, as they climb down and throughout the day, temperature will increase to 30º C. probability of rain is about 80%. July and August are the rainiest months in the area. It is possible the PCs want more information on the high altitude jump the Game director can tell them the following. This kind of jump is called a HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump, and is designed for the stealthy insertion of personnel. The plane ies at high altitude to escape possible landair measures and the parachutes open at very low altitude to escape observation. The parachutists reach terminal velocity (about 200 km/h) during the fall, and then open the parachute at under 300 metres. In case of emergency, an altimeter opens the chute at 250 metres. Due to the high altitude at the beginning of the jump, they will be equipped with helmets and airtight breathing apparatus, thermal clothing to avoid freezing and light combat equipment. This will limit much
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of the eective load they may carry. The airplane will also drop a zodiac-type inatable raft with which they can travel on the river, if they nd it is convenient. To nd the plane they will need to use a GPS tracker that will locate the black box signal once within a 10 km radius. Once it’s located, they’ll activate a long range transponder that will give their position to the airborne team that will extract them across the Kazakhstan border. The crashed plane had three crew members on board belonging to the Indian air force (two pilots and a freight technician) as well as 5 members of the Bravo Sierra unit of the Attack Airborne Force of Global Defence, led by Captain Joseph “Papa Bear” Knight. Captain Knight has become famous thanks to a CNN story (One Day with the X-Corps) that almost ended in tragedy when his helicopter was shot down during a Chandra ambush. He is a respected man in TACCOM and is considered very skilled. Since this is a covert mission, there are no reinforcements. If the Chinese army captures them, Global Defence will deny any knowledge of their actions. When the characters are clear about what’s expected of them, Sokolov will order them to break ranks and organise their equipment. He allows them to take a sidearm (revolver or pistol), a main gun (any kind of rie, submachine gun, shotgun or support weapon), ammunition (at least 4 full clips, and they can request special ammunition), soft vests, up to 2 kg in explosives, a rst aid kit, survival knife, military communications handset, holographic sights, silencers or tripods for their guns. Note that this is a mission in which they need to move fast, so Sokolov will veto any equipment he thinks is too heavy or cumbersome to move through mountains or woods. Also, one of the PCs will carry a transponder (an electronic gadget the size of a video console) and a GPS tracker to help them to locate the signal from the black box of the crashed plane (a bit bigger than a GPS unit for a car). The zodiac boat pack will have its own parachute and once on the ground it can be carried between several people (ideally 4).
OPERATION RED SKY
SCENE 2 - TERMINAL VELOCITY The Ilyushin Il-76D is a huge four engines transport plane, with a wingspan of 50 metres and capable of carrying more than 50 tons in payload. Its ADS (Aerial Delivery system) facilitates the deployment of paratroopers at more than 8000 metres of altitude with a speed of up to 400 km/h. The inside, designed to house up to 126 men equipped for jumping, is almost empty. Sokolov will board with the PCs, just as support and in case they need any last minute instruction in HALO jumping. The HALO jump requires the PCs to perform a series of breathing exercises before the jump and Sokolov will guide them through these and check each of them is correctly wearing the jump equipment. Inside the cargo area the characters will be sitting on some cargo holding nets posing as benches, held by security belts. The darkness around the plane is absolute. Sokolov and the plane’s payload specialist are nervous. Suddenly a red light lights up in the cargo hold. Sokolov puts on a headset and talks to the PCs through the radio.
“ It’s time. Adjust your gear and…” he in- terrupts the sentence as the specialist is signing at him. He changes channel on his radio and his expression changes… “ We have company; two Chinese Cheng- du J-10 fighters are on intercept course. Time’s up, you have to jump now.”
The characters have a few seconds to adjust their breathing masks as the payload specialist opens the plane door. The noise is deafening, pressure drops suddenly and the compartment starts to vibrate and tremble. Outside it is pitch black. The specialist pushes the zodiac pack out and then steps aside for the PCs. When each character jumps, he notices the impact of the cold air and the sudden acceleration of his falling body. Despite his mask it is hard to breath due to the pressure. There are no lights and it seems as if they are falling at great speed towards nothing, as if a black hole is swallowing them. This freefall up to terminal velocity may be stressing, the PCs should make a Willpower roll against a 2D Stress. Seconds seem to become hours as the PCs plummet through the clouds before
they start to notice the mountains and the ground. The ground gets nearer and nearer until they reach 300 metres. At that moment they should activate the parachute. The Game Director may ask them to make a Strength roll with Difficulty 11 to move against the air pressure of their fall. Those managing the roll will open the parachute manually and after a painful shock they will start to slow down their descent. Those failing will hardly have time to react. They should make a new Willpower roll against a 3D Stress as they continue the descent at terminal velocity. Suddenly their altimeter will automatically open the parachute, and after a sudden shock they’ll start to descend slowly. To land without taking damage the characters should make an Agility roll with 16 difficulty. For every 4 points of failure margin the character takes 1D damage from the landing. If any characters get a 1 on the Wild Die and chooses a narrative event, he should lose some non-vital piece of equipment in the jump or break something upon falling. Instead, he might land some distance from the rest of the team, making them waste precious time regrouping. When they have landed, it is still night and the details of the PCs surroundings are di cult to make out. They have landed on mountainous terrain, a rocky steppe sprinkled here and there by taiga. The Kanas River valley extends below and in the darkness a black block of vegetation spreads out as far as the eye can see. The PCs should leave their jump equipment and begin the climb downhill with their combat gear and, if they wish, with the inatable raft (and its 120 kg of weight, which should be carried between several of them). The Game Director can ask them for a Survival roll of 15 Diculty or an Orientation roll of 18 Diculty (which can be modied by the equipment the characters are carrying) to nd their way in the dark and look for a route that will take them to the valley. A failure means the PCs take an unnecessary turn and will lose time and become more tired. Now that they are alone in hostile territory, and without reinforcements, the true mission begins.
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SCENE 3 - INFILTRATION As the characters climb down the valley little by little, the sun starts to climb over the horizon, tinting the sky blood red. The mountainous steppe gives way to a thick woodland as the PCs hike down the mountain. If the characters try to use the GPS tracker, they will see they don’t get any signal, they are more than 10 km from their goal. If they inspect the nearby slopes with binoculars or other vision amplifying devices, they can attempt a Perception roll with a 14 di culty. If they make it, they will see, far down the valley, the groove left by an aircraft crashing in the woods. A line of trees burned and felled by the aircraft is riddled with parts of fuselage. The plane can’t be seen from their position and the distance prevents them from seeing any more detail. It is possible that the characters are about 20 kilometres away. In this terrain, it may mean a hike of more than 4 hours. If they fail the roll, they should follow the signals from the transponder and the GPS and proceed through the valley looking for the aircraft. The PCs should make a decision, whether to walk through the woods (possibly leaving the boat behind) and make use of the vegetation cover, or climb down to the river and use the current so they move at a greater pace and reach their target in far less time. As the day goes on, temperature will reach 30º C and it will soon rain. It’s a summer rain that will last a few hours.
WALKING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN If the PCs decide to move on foot, they will advance very slowly. The dense vegetation and the mud caused by the rain are natural obstacles that slow down their advance a lot. The PCs may reach an average speed of 4 km/h. after the rst hour the Game Director can ask the characters for Stamina rolls of 17 diculty to maintain a steady pace. If any of them fails, they will be forced to lower their pace and halve their speed. A Leadership roll with 14 diculty can be made to motivate characters that failed the previous roll. If successful, they will maintain speed for the next hour, but their next Stamina roll will have its di culty increased by 3 points (up to
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20). They should roll for every hour they walk. The advance is very tough, constantly sliding in the mud of the steep slopes and hardly advancing amidst the lush vegetation. As they PCs come down the slope they might cross paths with a patrol of the People’s Liberation Army. The patrol is not looking for the airplane but for insurgents. If they see the PCs they will attempt to stop them or, if necessary, shoot them down. About 16 soldiers and an ocer that is driving their dilapidated truck form the patrol. The back has no canvas cover and the soldiers are grouped together and protect themselves from the rain with their hoods (limiting their vision of the terrain a bit). They have a radio, but in this area of the mountains it is hard to transmit a decent signal. The PCs should make a Perception roll with 14 di culty. If any of them succeeds, he will notice that, at the bottom of their path, there’s a road. More precisely, it’s a forest dirt road (now more of a quagmire) with visible tracks of boots and vehicles. Farther away, they can hear the sound of an approaching engine. They will have time to hide or to prepare an ambush. The PCs should make Stealth or Camouage rolls in order to remain hidden, against the patrol’s Perception (this will be a single 4D roll due to their teamwork). The PCs do get an extra 2D due to the weather and the lush vegetation that make their discovery much harder. If the characters fail, they will not notice the dirt road until they hear the military truck carrying the patrol, when it is very close. The sound of the engine echoes in the mountains and it’s very hard to pinpoint its location. If they decide to run like crazy they will end up in the middle of the road and a head-on encounter is inevitable. If, on the other hand, they hide, use the guidelines started above, although, since they are rushed, they will not have the 2D bonus to their actions. If any of the Chinese soldiers see the PCs, they start shouting. The driver will stop the vehicle and the soldiers will jump out and disperse, shouting to the PCs in Mandarin:
“Fàngxià nǐmen de wǔqì! Tóuxiáng!” which means “Drop your weapons! Surrender!”
OPERATION RED SKY
It is possible that the PCs don’t understand the order and or do not wish to obey it. Either way the soldiers will attack. Obviously, if the soldiers are attacked, they will return re. These border soldiers are not particularly skilled and will not use complex tactics. They will shoot somewhat wildly and hide at the slightest sign of a problem. They will also not act against the PCs all at once (in game terms, it would be crazy). Between 4 and 6 soldiers will attack while the others will run for cover, look for a better ring position or just shout incoherently. If they keep falling under PC re, the Game Director can “rell” the acting group with fresh soldiers, so that there are no more than 6 soldiers ghting the PCs at any one time. The statistics for the soldiers are provided in the sidebar detailing the river encounter with a patrol boat below. The Chinese soldiers fear their ocers a lot, so if ordered to pursue the PCs, they will do so until at least half of them have fallen. At that point, they will decide to retreat. The PCs can avoid the conict through evasion tactics. This will involve making opposed rolls, using their stealth against the enemies’ Perception. The consequences of being discovered by the Chinese should be obvious: they have revealed their position and now their mission is compromised. They have no choice but hurry to the plane and try to avoid patrols at any cost. If the PCs are hampered in their mission, it is possible that the Chinese will send more units looking for them with helicopters, heavy weaponry and bloodhounds to hunt down the characters. If the PCs lose their pursuers or manage to get closer to the plane, the GPS tracker will issue an alert and they will see they have located the plane’s black box some kilometres to the southeast.
GOING DOWNRIVER The Kanas River is a wide, fast owing river which several tributaries join before it runs into the great Lake Kanas, a place of extreme natural beauty. July and august are the rainiest months, when the river runs high and fast. If the PCs decide to go downriver they will have to carry the Zodiac to the shore, inate it and check the equipment before embarking. Inating and securing the Zodiac doesn’t require any skill roll, only some time pumping to get air into the watercraft. To manoeuvre the Zodiac, the characters will need the Boating skill (using their Dexterity with a 1D penalty if they are not trained that skill). The non-familiarity penalty for the Zodiac is +3 diculty (it
is not too dicult to handle). Remember also that the PCs may cooperate to handle the raft (up to 4 of them may cooperate in manoeuvring the Zodiac). If the PCs are travelling downstream, their speed is increased by 1 point, if upstream it decreases 1 point (and if they are in “neutral”, they will go downstream at speed 1). Movement in the Kanas may seem simple at rst, the woods are lush in the margins and the landscape is overwhelming, shining with endless dierent tints of green and ochre. Rain falls lightly, leaving myriad waves on the crystalline surface. But things are not so simple, suddenly the current starts accelerating and the soft murmur of the running water gives way to a thundering roar. If no PC has intuited this yet, they are approaching an area full of rapids. The bank becomes a steep canyon, and very hard to climb (although they can leave the raft and try, diculty is 21). They have other options, trying to move through the rapids or go upriver to a place where the bank is lower and continue on foot (where maybe they can walk the boat past the rapid area and afterwards return to the river). If they choose this option, use the encounter with the People’s Liberation Army patrol described in the previous section “Walking Down the Mountain”. If the PCs decide to proceed through the rapids, the watercraft will start to accelerate and waves and splashes will start to ood water into the boat, making the PCs even wetter. The rst section is a rocky area. Negotiating this will require a Boating roll with +11 diculty. If they fail the roll, the PCs must make a Strength roll with 14 diculty to avoid being thrown overboard. A character in the water should make a Swimming roll with 12 diculty to stay aoat and not crash into the rocks. To climb back into the Zodiac the PC will need a Strength roll of 12 diculty (he can also be helped back up by other helping the roll from the Zodiac). If a character decided to secure himself to the Zodiac with a hook or similar, he’ll have a 1D Bonus to his Strength roll to avoid falling overboard and later to climb back into the raft. If it takes more than 2 rounds to get back into the boat they’ll reach the next area in the river and things will get worse. The next section is an 8 metres waterfall. Here they’ll need to make a Boating roll with +14 diculty, if they fail the Zodiac will turn over and everyone will fall straight into the water. With a catastrophe (1) on the Wild
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Die, one of the PCs will be trapped under the Zodiac and, although he has enough air for a few rounds, the situation will quickly raise the possibility of drowning (he should also make a Willpower roll versus 3D Stress). To get back in the boat the PCs will have to make a Swimming roll with a 14 di culty to reach it. Once there, to turn the Zodiac back over they will need to make a Strength roll with a 12 diculty (several characters may cooperate). Finally they can try and climb back into the boat, with a Strength roll of 12 diculty. If a character reaches this area not aboard the Zodiac (having fallen o the raft in the previous section and not having managed to climb back in) the waterfall will cause 2D damage as they hit the rocks, and they will still be in the water, needing Swimming rolls to stay aoat. In all these rolls, it is possible that a PC will get a 1 on the Wild Die and choose a small catastrophe. We recommend that the Game Director uses this chance to misplace some piece of their equipment, get their communications gear wet, or their weapons. Wet guns and communications equipment can be “repaired” if the PCs disassemble them with a roll of Firearms, Repair or even Electronics for the communications gear at diculty 11. A lost piece of equipment will be dragged away by the current and thus irretrievable. The Game Director should try not to make it a piece of vital equipment! Eventually the river becomes calmer and the PCs can even walk into the river and climb into the Zodiac without any problem. Here the characters might once again decide to leave the raft and continue on foot, or remain on the river since they seem to have overcome the hardest section. In any case, the GPS tracker will emit a bleep and they will see it has located the plane’s black box a few kilometres to the southeast, in this case, downriver.
THE PATROL BOAT If the characters continue down the river, they will have an encounter with a Chinese patrol boat. This boat is going upriver up towards the rapid area (which is not navigable) and then aims to return to the great Lake Kanas, some kilometres to the south. In the patrol boat are up to 6 soldiers and a sergeant who pilots the boat. The patrol is looking for insurgents. However, if the characters have been detected previously, the patrol is looking for them.
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The PCs can make a Perception roll with 14 di culty, to hear the noise of the patrol boat, giving them time for a quick decision. They may try to camouage and hide themselves in some way or plan an action against the patrol boat. Note that this is in the plain light of day and, although it is dark and raining, a Zodiac lled with soldiers is a more than obvious target. The scene can be resolved in many ways and the PCs have so many options that it would be an exercise in futility to try to enumerate them all. Instead we oer a series of guidelines about the behaviour of the patrol soldiers and suggest a few modiers for the situation. As we detailed above, the Chinese are actively looking for insurgents and although their eorts are focused on the valley slopes (they are looking for smoke or signs of a camp) they won’t miss the Zodiac. If the PCs do not hide or camouage the outlines of their raft and the Chinese see that it is a military team, they will start ordering the PCs to stop and prepare to be boarded. Again it is very possible that the PCs don’t know what the Chinese are shouting at them and become nervous, it should be a very tense situation.
“Tíngle chuán! Zhǔnbèi dēng shàng!”
After giving the order to stop, the Chinese boat will approach with caution. One of the men will man the front (bow) turret with a ready machine gun, another will pilot and at least two of the rest will stand with their ries pointing at the PCs boat. The commander speaks into a megaphone and another soldier will turn on the boat’s searchlight and point it at the PCs raft (which will blind them for a few seconds). If the soldiers see any hostile reactions from the PCs, they will re and possibly try to ram the Zodiac with their patrol boat (causing a collision). If at least three of them are seriously wounded, the will try to escape and put some distance between them and the characters. But they will return a few hours later with reinforcements… It may happen that the patrol boat does not detect the characters and passes by, and in that case the Game Director should rack up the tension by describing how slowly the Chinese boat slides along the river and how alert and well-armed are the men on deck, even as they talk and laugh with each other.
OPERATION RED SKY
TAKE THESE FACTORS INTO ACCOUNT: • lw isibiity: There is low visibility as the day is cloudy and there is almost constant rain. • Th watr sws a irts prjctis: Firing at a totally submerged target increases di culty by +6 and reduces the gun’s eective damage by 1D (to a minimum of 1D). CHIneSe RIveR PATRol BoAT The river patrol boat is a light and ma- noeuvrable vehicle inspired by the fa- mous PRB American launch. It is armed with two 7.62 calibre Norinco Type 81 light machine guns, one fore and one aft, mounted on a turret capable of 180º turns. It measures about 9m in length and 3m in breadth, with a closed cabin and has night vision systems. noRInCo TYPe 81 lIGHT MACHIne Gun This light squad weapon copies most of the characteristics of the Russian AK-47 and the SVD Dragunov. It is differenti- ated by its transport handle and drum clip with 75 cartridges of calibre 7.62 Large Russian. It is not particularly powerful, but it can fire in the most ad- verse circumstances.
SoldIeRS oF THe PeoPle’S lIBeRATIon ARMY Agiity 2d: Brawling 3D, Dodge 2D dxtrity 3d: Firearms 3D+1, Melee Weapons 3D+1 Strength 3D: Running 3D+2 Kwg 2d Prcpti 2d: Search 3D, Streetwise 4D Presence 2D: Intimidate 3D+1 Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 9 Movement: 6 Chinese army regular soldiers only car- ry one assault rifle as main weapon; the Norinco QBZ-97. All carry at least 4 complete clips. Besides their uniform, they only wear Helmets (hard, open type) as protection and ponchos for the rain. The QBZ-97 is a bull pup configuration rifle with similar performance to the French FAMAS, mass-produced for the land forces of the Chinese People’s Lib- eration Army.
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CHIneSe RIveR PATRol BoAT Typ f vhic Sp River patrol boat 1/2/3/5 WEAPON Norinco Type 81 PKP Norinco QBZ-97
Resistance 5D
TYPE Machine Gun Rie
Passengers 5
CALIBRE 7.62LR 5.56
Marabiity +2D CLIP Drum 25
DAMAGE 7D+2 6D
SCENE 4 - THE CRASH SITE By this point, the PCs will have gone through several hardships, but are near their goal. The GPS has locates the black box of the plane and is showing the correct direction. After an hour of climbing a steep slope, the PCs will nd the path of destruction created by the plane during its attempted landing. Fallen trees broken like twigs, burned vegetation and remains of fuselage are spread over 1 kilometre. Finally, embedded in an area of dense foliage, lies the crashed aircraft with its broken wings, lying on its belly like a beached whale. If the PCs try to examine the surroundings before approaching, they will see no movement. The area seems dead. After walking for a while they’ll get to the woody area near the plane. A Perception roll of 14 diculty will allow them to see boot tracks around the wreckage, and a few furrows that indicate something was dragged away. Interestingly the PCs GPS locator points to the north, indicating the black box is no longer inside the plane. If they follow the tracks using the Tracking skill (di culty 14), they’ll see that the tracks go deep into the wood and then suddenly disappear at a rocky area. Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide the tracks. The PCs can try to follow them if they manage a Tracking roll of 21 di culty (or follow their GPS tracker) in that case the tracks lead them almost half a kilometre north where they’ll nd a body buried and covered with vegetation. There is also an extremely large chest hidden together with the plane’s black box. The chest is sealed with an electronic lock, which is extremely complicated to open (at least 24 diculty with Electronics). Inside there’s a device that is clearly alien automatic canon. Obviously, this is the cargo they’re looking for. If the PCs investigate the plane, they’ll see it has suered major damage. Part of the tail
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is loose, and the wings have been snapped o and embedded in the trees. The cockpit is lodged against a large oak and the glass windscreen is shattered and covered in blood. If the PCs enter the plane, they’ll see an absolute disaster inside. There’s blood on the oor, which has left tracks as if bodies had been dragged away. The cockpit is also covered in blood and the instruments are completely destroyed. In the cargo area they’ll see 6 body bags piled up in the middle. Another body, one of a young blonde woman with a TACCOM uniform, rests on a stretcher. She has several bandages on her head and her hands, and a drip in her arm dispensing saline and tranquilizers. Sitting on the ground in the semidarkness, is another Global Defence operative. His trousers and boots covered with blood and mud. He doesn’t move. This scene should look tragic, it seems the PCs arrived too late and there are no survivors. Moreover, the body bags may even contain people they know from Global Defence. The Game Director should ask for a Willpower roll against 3D Stress. It is not a pleasant situation. If the PCs examine the body bags, they can conrm they contain the remains of the pilots, the payload specialist and three members of Global Defence, Corporal Nick Myers, Private First Class Johanna Brehms and Private Robinho Latão. If they are examined using Medicine (diculty 11) it will be obvious that the cause of death was multiple trauma due to the crash. On the stretcher lies Sergeant Helga “Bulldozer” Mathesson, incapacitated and sedated. She has several fractures but appears stable. The man sitting alone must therefore be Captain Knight. If they approach him to examine him, “Papa Bear” will wake up disoriented and will point a Sig Sauer handgun at the nearest character. But he collapses the next moment
OPERATION RED SKY
and lies barely conscious. If the PCs attempt to revive him and explain that they are the cavalry, he will calm down and will let them examine him. He is incapacitated and has trouble breathing, only speaking haltingly.
“When we fell, the pilot released the fuel to prevent the bird from burning. After the crash I bagged the bodies of my boys, stabilised Helga and took the cargo and the black box, they are bur- ied half a click north of here.”
He will give the coordinates of the stash to one of the characters and then fall unconscious from the eort. The characters can, if they wish, make Medicine rolls, although they can do little for his injuries they can stabilise him and start prolonged care. The PCs should have time to stabilise the wounded and make some sort of plan to recover the black box. If they want to activate the transponder and call the cavalry, they can do that, although they should take possession of the alien weapon rst.
SCENE 5 - WE ARE NOT ALONE What the characters do not know is that Tiandun intelligence agents (the anti-alien unit of the Chinese government) have gathered data on the plane crash in their territory and has sent a team to retrieve it. They will reach the PCs as soon as they tend to the wounded in the plane. But things are about to get even more complicated than that. A Chandra inltration unit has also been looking for the aircraft to recover their antiaircraft gun, since they have no wish for it to fall into human hands. This situation is about to explode into a three way combat centred on the crashed plane. This epic nale can be really lethal and can end in several ways. As usual, we will not try to cover all possibilities but give you enough information to run the scene, along with tools for the Game Director to be able to improvise, if need be. In this scene the Game director should be very familiar with each thing that is happening and what the goals and the tactics of each group are, so they can develop it the way they want to.
THE TIANDUN AGENTS The Tiandun patrol is formed with 5 members, each with training from several elite units of the Chinese police and military. As the characters are tending to Captain Knight, the Tiandun team members will be watching the plane from afar. While the captain is explaining the location of the black box (although it is possible that the team has already retrieved them) they will start to approach using Stealth until they reach medium range for their weapons. If they are still not discovered, they will
throw a Flashbang grenade towards the PCs and then they’ll try to subdue them, if possible capturing them alive. In this way they can display them as spies and put pressure on the Alien Countermenace Committee. If they have the drop on the PCs they will shout orders at them in English, ordering them to drop their weapons and get on the ground. They will not re if they don’t need to, but will retaliate if shot at. The Tiandun members are an elite team who value their safety most of all, they will not play hero. If they are in doubt of the success of an attack they will hold their positions, dodge and use reexive defences while the PCs waste ammunition. They will never re wildly, only precise shots or, at most, three-round bursts. Once the Chandra appear they will change their priority, focusing on eliminating the aliens. Trapped between two fronts, they will try to retreat using covering re and throwing grenades. If the PCs try to make a common front with the Chinese against the aliens, they will accept an alliance, at rst. But it will be hard to predict what will happen once the shooting stops. The Chinese soldiers have orders to arrest the PCs but they are men of honour. If any of the PCs saves the life of a Tiandun member or otherwise shows conspicuous heroism, the Chinese will retreat and will let the PCs go. They will also honour any agreements they give their word on. If they lose half or more of their team they may also make a retreat.
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Tiandun Agent Agiity 3d: Brawling 4D, Dodge 4D dxtrity 4d: Firearms 4D+1, Melee Weapons 4D+1 Strength 3D: Running 3D+2, Stamina 3D Kwg 2d Prcpti 2d: Search 3D, Survival 3D Presence 3D: Intimidation 3D+1, Will- power 3D+1 Damage Bonus: 2D Damage Resistance: 7 Defence: 10 Movement: 7 The Tiandun agents are wearing soft vests, helmets, camouflage clothing, 2 Flashbang grenades, 2 incendiary gre- nades, 2 concussion grenades, Norinco QSZ-92 pistols and Norinco QBZ-97 as- sault rifles. The QBZ-97 is a bullpup configuration rifle with a performance similar to the French FAMAS, mass-produced for the land forces of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The semiautomatic pistol QBZ-92 is the service sidearm of the Chinese military, also used by their police forces.
THE CHANDRA The aliens have come to retrieve their weapon; in fact a Chandra ocer leads the patrol, making this group a very dangerous threat. The patrol is made up of 3 Chandra Bloodhounds, 4 Chandra Soldiers and a Chandra Ocer. Although they expect some human resistance, they are not counting on nding two teams at once. Nevertheless, they’ll carry on with their plans. Depending on how the Chinese and the PCs have engaged each other, it is even possible the Chandra might not understand they are looking at two dierent human factions.
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The Chandra move on at a good pace through the woods. They will send in the hounds rst from the south side of the plane to cause chaos, and then the rest of their force attacks from the north. They will advance carefully, two of them supplying cover re while the o cer moves from cover to cover, pausing to give cover to his troops’ advance. If all the hounds and at least half the soldiers fall, the Chandra will retreat. If the ocer falls, the Chandra will suer a 1D Penalty due to their leaderless confusion.
OPERATION RED SKY
CHANDRA SOLDIER Agiity 4D: Brawling 5D, Dodge 4D, Me- lee weapons 5D dxtrity 4D: Firearms 5D (Chandra Disruptors, 5D+1) Strength 5D: Lifting 5D, Stamina 5D Kwg 2D Prcpti 5D Presence 2D: Intimidation 4D, Will- power 4D Damage Bonus: 3D (Claws) Damage Resistance: 2D+9 Defence: 11 Movement: 5 Spcia abiitis: -Dark vision: The Chandra soldier elimi- nates 6 Darkness Penalty points. -Improved immune system: It gets a 2D bonus against any pathogen. eqipmt: Heavy disruptor (9D Damage)
CHANDRA BLOODHOUND Agiity 5d: Dodge 6D, Jumping 5D, Stealth 5D dxtrity 4d: Throwing 4D (Spit Ven- om 5D) Strgth 5d: Running 7D, Stamina 5D Kwg 0d Prcpti 6d: Search 6D, Survival 6D, Tracking 8D Presence 2D: Intimidation 4D, Will- power 4D Damage Bonus: 3D (Claws) Damage Resistance: 2D+9 Defence: 12 Movement: 10 Spcia abiitis: -Dark vision: Eliminates up to 6 dark- ness penalty points. -Pheromone control: Identifies its Chan- dra masters by the pheromones they is- sue, becoming docile and obedient to orders. -Improved immune system: gets a 2D bonus against any pathogen. Bh’s nrtxic vm vctr: Blood (bite), contact (spat on an unprotected area) virc: 5D Icbati: 1 round
effcts: Light (1 round): Itching, nausea and feeling of asphyxiation. The character has a 1D penalty to all actions. Severe (2 rounds): Severe disorienta- tion, asphyxiation and intense pain. The character is Stunned. Acute (30 minutes): Paralysis, semi-un- consciousness. The character is Inca- pacitated. #END BOX
CHANDRA OFFICER Agiity 4d: Brawling 5D, Dodge 4D, Me- lee Weapons 5D dxtrity 4d: Firearms 6D (Chandra Disruptors 4D+1) Strgth 5d: Lifting 5D, Stamina 5D Kwg 5D: Academics 5D, Comput- ers 5D, Demolitions 5D, Security 5D. Prcpti 4D: Search 5D, Survival 5D Presence 4D: Empathy 4D, Intimida- tion 5D, Leadership 6D, Willpower 6D Damage Bonus: 3D Damage Resistance: 2D+9 Defence: 11 Movement: 9 Spcia Abiitis: - Dark vision: the Chandra offi cer elim- inates up to 6 points of darkness pen- alties. - Improved immune system: Gets a 2D bonus against any pathogen. eqipmt: Heavy disruptor (Damage 9D) Biosteel armour (Damage resistance worn 5D+9)
TOO MANY PEOPLE! With the PC party, the Tiandun unit and the aliens this can be quite a chaotic encounter to handle. To make things simple, the Game Director should group the Tiandun Agents into two groups (as if they were two characters) and the Chandra in 3 groups (one with the Bloodhounds, another with the Soldiers and yet another with the Ocer). The members of one group all act at the same time and do the same thing (they all move, they all re, etc.) although they may have dierent targets. They only make one roll for the whole group and all use the same result. This is due to the fact that, since they are a unit, they are really well synchronised.
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