10-in-Ten, Glow Deer Edition

 Jason A Wedel over the the Shadowrunners’ Union FB group posted about the use of reflective paint on deer, which is an actual real thing. Go figure, neh? But of course it triggered both Mr. Black’s mnemonic enhancer and cerebral booster (go EVO or go home, says mr. Black!) and so we get this, a fresh 10-in-Ten. For those new around here, a 10-in-Ten is 10 ideas for runs, just enough to get you going, no stats, totally (okay, just mostly) edition agnostic. This time, we have a livestock issue.

Yep, they glow!

And just before we get started, here are links to 

Glowing Reindeer

Not so glowing reindeer

Armed with all this, let’s dive in.

1. The town of Shelbyville recently found the local deer population has Awakened. Trids have popped up all over about the deer with glowing antlers. This naturally created problems, between thousands of folks showing up to see them, which snarled up traffic and parking, trampled all the local scenery, and ran the Likkle Splick diner out of chicken fried steak and Wanda’s World Famous Chuckleberry Cobbler. But events turned dire when the talisleggers showed up and started poaching deer. Bad enough they don’t have licenses or permits. But trespassing can get people killed around here. And the ‘leggers are scaring the tourists. The town council wants this controlled, quick. Can a crew of runners, media savvy enough to act in a way that will keep any bad news off the Matrix, but good enough to still run the ‘leggers off, before any locals or those money spending tourists get hurt?

2. And soon things are going to go bad. Small-time talisleggers are one thing. But when the Triads or Koshari come a-knockin’, you know the drek’s gone sideways. The Crew better bring their AAA game, because when the Three Storms show up, it’s all gone real retrograde.

   

   Can the Crew come out and play?

   
   Better hope a local alchemist can whip up some Chuckleberry Brew, so one can see things that can’t be seen, and do things that can’t be done. Sadly, chuckleberries are out of season, but there is a small Corp-run greenhouse over in Springfield that has them year ‘round…

3. And if this isn’t enough, with less hunting, (the kiddies want to pet the glow deer and post about it on Twanger and MeTube, not see them bloodily murdered) the deer have been quietly devouring the local crops. Someone is going to have to stop Old Man Clayton from doing it loud, from the back of his pickup, while blaring “Drinking Beer and Wasting Bullets'' Is the Crew up to culling 20-30 glow deer, quietly, off the record, on the Q.T., and very hush-hush?

4. And if news of a cull gets out, TerraFirst! is bound to come calling. That is if they can elbow their way in past Sierra Inc., those Gaia’s Orphans hippies, GenePeace investigators and ALF protesters. Does the Crew have enough political savvy, fixer contacts, surveillance drones, and good old fashion muscle to help Sheriff Ponder keep the peace? And how is your Michael Rooker impression?

   

   And how do you look in capezios?

   
   

5. Speaking of the Sheriff, the locals will have some problems with the influx of new faces. All these hunters and poachers are sure to uncover some hidden stills, pot farms and other less-than-ethical activities. Does the crew help out the law, or Mags Bennet, queenpin  of Shelbyville, and her Bennet boys? And how is your Margo Martinsdale impression?

   

   And how is your glass of Apple Pie?

   
   

6. All this new activity is bound to interrupt “the Shelby Slot”, a drek hot T-Bird run that used to pass nearby, through a valley outside town. But all these poachers, talisleggers, AnimalsFirst! types, tourists, and out-of-town criminals are getting in the way. Bad enough some poacher takes the occasional potshot at a T-Bird, but trideos going up everywhere? That drek has got to drop! Can the Crew intercede to keep the peace? And how is your Harrison Ford impression?

   

   Mr. Black chooses this smuggler, but voice from Anchorman 2...

   
   

7. And speaking even more of Sheriff Ponder, 2080 has put the “uncivil” in “civil forfeiture”. If the Crew can’t stay on his good side, it is bound to go badly. Say, just how much is that GMC Bulldog worth, you know with all those spitting-hot modifications?

8. And while all this is going on, Old Man Clayton found some local boys trespassing and poaching glow deer on his land. So now they are full of rock salt and buckshot. Doc Quinn says they need a hospital. Can the Crew, in their Van (assuming they can get it out of impound), take the Frey brothers up to the Crash Cart facility up the line, quiet like? Sally May Frey is sure to be thankful, and Mrs. Frey makes the best Chuckleberry pie in Shelbyville.

   

   Very thankful. But no kissing...

   
   

9. And now that things have quieted down, Shelbyville may fall apart. While the town council is busy setting up tourist arrangements new parking, new hotels, better photo opportunities, road widening, etc., and all the new taxes to pay for it), and 2 neighbors are feuding  over whose “Glow Deer Cookies” are the “original”, and half the town is angry about some outsider Springfield trash opening a new diner (truthfully, there is enough business for a third…) that dares to serve “Better Than Famous Cobbler”, factions have shown up. The “townsfolk” faction wants the glow deer protected. They see all those fat nuyen coming in with the deer. Tourist money, endorsements, licensing, etc. Hell, the Likkle Splick is doing booming business shipping its Chuckleberry Cobbler, and there is talk of setting up a facility for more goods (Glow Deer Beer, Glow Deer Berry Preserves, etc.) and a shipping hub. All of this might keep some of the young folks in town. The “upcountry”  faction wants hunting of the deer, but for locals only. They want to start selling glow deer jerky and flash frozen venison steaks. And glow deer antlers of course. While glow deer drop their antlers like any deer, they only glow while still attached. Talismongers are willing to pay for both. (Big time. Lisa Frey is rumored to have gotten 35,000 nuyen for a pair of 16-point antlers.) And finally Boss Hoggerty wants this whole thing turned into a farming operation. Big business means big profits of course. And Boss Hoggerty has the money to do it. Can the Crew resist Hoggerty’s cash? Or will this go all Yojimbo/Fist Full of Dollars/Last Man Standing? Lots of options, and so little time…

   

   The face of trouble, and lots of money

   
   

10. Because having run out the ‘leggers, calming down the town, faced down the Triads, having dealt with all the infighting (and the advances of Widow/Widower Jenkins, who has a little mileage on her/him, but still a MILF/FILF, and runs a nice little Matrix Chuckleberry preserves operation), the biggest foe of all is coming. Yep, one of the Mega’s is coming to town. And they want it all. The tourism, the talismonger biz, the non-Awakened glow deer biz, the Chuckleberry action, everything. They even have plans for prime time trideos, and sending “Santa and Grudolf, the Glow Horned Reindeer” on tour, all over the world. Whether they buy out everyone, or just buy the rights to everything, or run everyone off is up to the Crew. And how much they like nuyen, or Widower Jenkins…

11. And none of this accounts for the arrival and manifestation of a Great Spirit form of the glow deer, in the middle of town square, during the Christmas holiday season! Can you say “Riftmas”? Does one of the major magickal groups show up as well? Do we really need to throw the Dunkelzhan Institute, the Atlantean Foundation, the Painted Horse Lodge, even the Black Lodge/Ordo Maximus in the mix?

    

    You know Mr. Black had to go there sooner or later...

    
    

And none of this includes the fact that, if this is out of Seattle, or about half of North America, then this all goes down in or near NAN lands. Can this go all Banshee on us real quick? Does your Crew possess ID good enough for a border crossing? Do they need to be smuggled in? And if so, how is your Nathan Fillion impression?

Do you dare to pit your Crew against Tsimshian Dogmen, redneck hunters, Aztechnology Leopard Guards, Boss Hoggerty and his henchmen, eco-terrorists, the Widow Jenkins, the Triads, Koshari talisleggers, toxic spirits, lonely farmers daughters/sons, the Atlantean Foundation, the Bennett’s, and Crotchety Old Man Clayton, who may or may not be one of the deadliest street samurai ever, hiding out in the sticks? All while little Cindy Lou Who just wants a picture with the “glowy deers”? 

Your Crew is going ruin her Christmas
and make cry, aren’t they?

And remember, save room for pie when passing through Duckabush!

Pork 5 Ways-Hellish Kitchen!

In Frankfurt, Germany, Mr. Black enjoyed eating at The Singapore-a Chinese restaurant (the ONLY one in Frankfurt!) that served a dish called Pork Five Ways-3 types of pork and 2 types of ham in a mild sauce. This new column is similar-a single element or Run concept, served up multiple ways. So heads up chummer, Mr. Black promises you at least 5 ways to pork, but there may be more. This time we have a star chef, a single recipe, and an adventure worth 3 stars (Mr. Black prefers the Michelin grading system.) How many ways can you serve it up?

1. Mr. Johnson needs to stay on the cutting edge. The cutting edge of food and catering that is. He wants the Crew to get the recipe for Chef Solon Greene's Soya Puffs with Krill and Tomato. Solon Greene is the head chef of the Depository on 6th Street, one of the hottest restaurant's in Seattle. There is a tight deadline, as Mr. J's client hoped to have Greene cater a party. Greene is otherwised booked, and the client wants no harm to come to Greene; the client plans on eating at The Depository on 6th Street many times in the future. But the soya puffs are someone's favorite, promises have been made, money talks and so a recipe is needed. Can the Crew break into Solon Greene's test kitchen and pry the recipe free without hurting the chef?

   

   so he is that kind of chef...

2. Uh oh! After successfully getting the recipe, the reason for amazing taste of the dish comes to light. A rare ingredient makes Chef Greene's puff sing. Purple-ribbed fern may be that ingredient. Mr. Johnson is back, and he needs the Crew to go into Ork Sinesereach to get some-and traipsing through Orc held Tribal lands won't be easy, especially with a now even tighter time table. How quickly did the Crew finish the last job? Well, that's how much time is left, and plenty of NuYen rides on a successful outcome. 
3. Mr. Johnson is not taking no for an answer. Solon Greene will be catering the party, whether he wants to or not. The Crew will have to extract Greene, escort him to party location, and keep him there. Keeping a gun to a cook's head is not ideal for turning out 3-star food, but the Crew is going to do what they have to do to make sure Soya Puffs with Krill and Tomato happen for 200 people.
   
4. Mr. Johnson needs a softer touch. He wants the other booking disrupted. Chef Greene is catering at NuFoods Seattle 2075 at the Marriott that weekend. The Crew will need to completely disrupt one of Seattle's premier food events. A single bomb threat ain't going to do it. Disrupting ProteanArtes LLC might; they are the host corp for Nufoods. Vaping their Matrix capabilities, sabotaging their offices, etc. might suffice. Sadly their offices are in Atlanta. That leaves hitting the venue hard, and on target. Doing anything to the hotel too early will just result in a change of venue. Too late and the chef will still be unavailable, and risks excessive collateral damage. Mr. Johnson is definitely NOT paying if most of the better chefs in Seattle end up dead! Can the Crew disrupt/sabotage an entire hotel at around Saturday at 3am?
5. Mr. Johnson needs Chef Solon Greene available for a catering event. Chef Solon is otherwised booked. So Mr. Johnson wants the crew to intervene with the other event's coordinator-and make them an offer they can't refuse. While the CEO of ProteanArtes LLC, Adrienne Brodier, could be the target, there are others lower down the totem pole who actually do the bookings and run the NuFoods tours. Hit too low and the target won't be able to do anything. Hit too high up the totem pole and the Crew will invite superior security and retribution.  Can the Crew convince Adrienne (or one of her agents) that Solon Greene needs firing?
6. There is another way to free up Chef Greene. It is slightly dangerous to both his reputation, and potentially the dinner party Mr. Johnson wants the chef to attend. And that is to sabotage The Dispensary on 6th Street, resulting in a massive food poisoning outbreak, ideally the week of the event. When several hundred people are in the hospital (or dead) NuFoods Seattle is bound to cancel Chef Solon's appearance, freeing him up for Mr. Johnson's event. Can the Crew stomach the potential deaths needed to pull this off?
7. Of course any GM worth his salt (Fleur del Sel of course) can add some spice by creating small “requests”. Perhaps a key guest is allergic to an ingredient, and the Crew has to help find a replacement. Or the wine selection is subpar, and a last minute replacement is needed. Better, there is an agent provocateur at the party, and the Crew must go undercover as servers to find and stop the agent!
8. And some GM's will need to put the heat on. There are several additional adversaries that can show up. Perhaps the Client's arch-nemesis, Trudy Beekman, agent provocateur of the pushy, showy 1%,  decides to send a runner team to get Solon Greene first, and bring the chef to Beekman's rival party scheduled for the same night. Perhaps protesters show up at the NuFoods Seattle show, getting in the way. Or at either party, chanting and waving signs and getting in the way. Or providing a cover for Runner Team Beekman. And as restaurants are always bad investements, perhaps Solon got creative with his financing. So any of the big OCO's can show up-the Mafia, Vory, Triads, Yakuza and more are in play. Don't be afraid to have a contact in your chosen crime family call his Runner friend and remind him/her that hitting The Depository on 6th Street will not go down well with the Family. Or the families of those poisoned hire some muscle/Runners to get revenge. Really need to stick the knife in? Make the Client or their spouse a retired Runner. Think Bull and his many, many friends, with years of gear, experience, and more contacts than your players could ever dream of.

Pork 5 Ways - Monster Hunting

In Frankfurt, Germany, Mr. Black enjoyed eating at The Singapore-a Chinese restaurant (the ONLY one in Frankfurt!) that served a dish called Pork Five Ways-3 types of pork and 2 types of ham in a mild sauce. This new column is similar-a single element or Run concept, served up multiple ways. So heads up chummer, Mr. Black promises you at least 5 ways to pork, but there may be more. Today we look at monster hunting. A group of Merrows attacked a ferry in Puget Sound (twice in a month!) and the Governor has called for action! A price has been put on their heads, and the Characters can collect! So look through the permutations, find the hook that works best for your players (and your dirty, evil plans for them), and let Mr. Johnson do the talking.

1. Straight Up Bounty Hunt-The Governor of Seattle has placed a 100,000 NuYen bounty on the destruction or capture of the Merrows. A good boat, maybe a submarine or a sea sled and a Crew comfortable with scuba gear are ideal for this. Head out to sea and whack some monster butt!
2. Perhaps Governor Brackhaven didn't put up the money - grieving family members did. Can crying children incentivize your players where Brackhaven's bounty failed? This can be a Mr. Johnson-led effort, or a committee-led affair (The Western Ferry Atrocity Families and Survivors Committee? WFAFSAC?!?)

   

   Merrow fishing, 2075-style

3. Or perhaps the Merrows attacked near the NAN side of the Sound. Does your Crew have ties across the Sound or in the Salish Tribe? No? Then are they ready to take on the Salish Sea Patrol for that bounty?
4. Does your Crew have close ties with the SSC? Instead of a bounty hunt, the Tribes wish to relocate the Merrow, to the western side of Salish territory. This is going to take more effort, and need more equipment than just sailing along and shooting things. But it should pay off big time with those tribal contacts.
5. Of course, any of the Big Ten (and quite a few of the A/AA firms) might want the Merrows for their own nefarious needs. And of course they are hiring your Crew to do it. They will be claiming the bounty of course, but that is why they are out-sourcing this. That, and they have the gear (like a boat) to loan to their bought team. That boat is just sitting there, accumulating maintenance cycle fees. Fees that bounty will cover. This is pure cost analysis for a big corp, just like it should be.
6. Need more shenanigans in any of the above? Add in protesters, ala Green Peace/PETA, trying to stop the hunts by driving their boats in the way. Are your players ready to sink some Sentience/Animal Rights Activists to make their payday?
7. Merrows aren't the only sea-going monster out in the Sound. Grab any sea-beastie or flying threat you like out of the creature section and sic 'em on the Crew. Can you say "Thunderbirds skimming low over the water, at our 5 O-Clock"? Mr. Black knew you could...
8. Of course, any GM worth their salt (sea salt in this case) will add some competitors to the mix. Rednecks in zodiac boats with hunting rifles, fishermen using nets, sport fishing boats loaded with weekend warriors, charter boats full of licensed hunters, yachts with dabbling playboys/grrls and their $5000 hunting express rifles, UCAS Navy Ensigns and Ratings out on pass from Everett Base, competing Runner teams with all their tricks, Salish tribesmen in war canoes, Vory mobsters riding the waves with AK-97's, Dwarf Surf crews on Jet Ski's, anyone and everyone should be getting in the Crew's way.

9. 

   This, but with guns...

   Of course rivals, beasties and well-intentioned but interfering activists are not the only spice in this dish. Perhaps the Corps want in. And they have such wonderful toys...
10. Or the Corp are looking for a bunch of blood-thirsty sea-going guards for one of the underwater projects/arcologies in Outremer. So they hire the Crew to relocate/kidnap the Merrows. Bonus pay if the Corp can collect that bounty as well as get new guardians.
11. And if you really want to step up the pain, make those Merrows beholden to the Sea Dragon. Nothing like a GREAT dragon to rain on the party's plans...
    

10 in Ten, Seattle Olympic Bribapalooza Edition

So we have looked at the basics of the Brackhaven Machine (in Seattle Olympics 2076-The Bribapalooza Tour), and how construction and contracting firms get hired (hint: bribes, lots of bribes). So let us look at a few of these jobs you can have your players' Crew do:

1.  Mr. Johnson needs some muscle. He represents a firm up for a construction bid. Sadly, the competition has deeper pockets and a bigger bribery budget. So Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to disrupt, extort, and blackmail his opponents. And quickly, as the winning bid will be announced is just a couple of days. The Crew is going to have to hit hard and hit fast to pull this off.

   

   Just another day getting ready for the Olympics

2. Mr. Johnson needs some muscle. He represents a firm up for a construction bid. Fortunately, the firm he represents has deep pockets and greased all the right wheels. They are expecting to win this bid easily. However, some of the competing firms seem disgruntled. Looking to protect his firm and their bid, Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to disrupt, extort, and blackmail his opponents. And quickly, as the winning bid will be announced is just a couple of days. The Crew is going to have to hit hard and hit fast to pull this off.

   

   A typical business negotiation during the 2076 Olympics

3. Mr. Johnson needs some muscle. He represents a firm up for a construction bid. Fortunately, the firm he represents has deep pockets and greased all the right wheels. They are expecting to win this bid easily. However, some of the competing firms seem disgruntled. Looking to protect his firm and their bid, Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to protect his firm from disruption, extortion, and blackmail. And they will have to hit the ground running, as the winning bid will be announced is just a couple of days. The Crew is going to have to maintain excellent surveillance and anticipate trouble, as other shadow teams will be hitting hard and hitting fast to destroy the firms chances.

   

   Can you really resist adding a crazed Christopher Walken to your game?

4. And better yet, an astute Crew can play all sides against the other, ala Yojimbo/A Fist Full of Dollars/Last Man Standing (take your pick of movie sources, Mr. Black likes them all.) (Or go read the original, Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest.) 
5. With all the rampant bribery these Brackhaven Olympics have mustered, there is another side to it. As construction gets closer to kick-off, necessary infrastructure will be taking a hit. All that heavy machinery driving around, and all those citizens having to take detours. And a fix will be needed. And the Brackhaven administration surely won't want to pay for new roads when they can just have their kickback-paying construction firms do it, for free. After all, Brackhaven is not likely to get a third term, and him and his cronies need to feather their pockets now. And those firms may need some reminding about who is really in charge. So Mr. Johnson is paying Runners to put some fear into these builders. Whether it is classic strong arm extortion (you know, pictures of family members with cross hairs on them), or causing problems on work sites (to show how much more it will cost not to build roads/water lines/rail lines), it is all to the good, if you can call it that.
6. The above goes the other way sometimes. Once confronted with $300 million-nuyen bill for road upgrades that weren't included in the initial contract, some companies will push back. They don't need to strong arm Brackhaven himself, they can strike against members of Seattle's Olympic Planning Committee, and or members of the Seattle Direct Bank (SDB, a Brackhaven Investments hidden subsidiary that is handing out the official loans for Olympic construction) board. All that is needed is enough of a knife twist to get the OPC to put up funds, or better yet a SDB loan to cover the new expenses (which of course, can be renegotiated latter, or even forgiven).
7. "...(the builder) completed the job only to learn that the last tranche of money owed to him had gone to a number of other firms that he suspects were linked to certain officials overseeing the project. After complaining to his contacts at the (OPC), he was told to sit tight and not go to the police—the state would find lucrative work for him..." - Another version of the above is have Mr. Johnson hire the Runners to get some of that money back-either by hitting up the officials, or by hitting up their firms, hitting up the SOC, or better yet just straight hitting all three. This is a little tougher than number 6, as no one wants to give back their graft. But letting people within the Brackhaven SOC (Seattle Olympic Committee) steal the money the Brackhaven SOC promised you after you bribed the Brackhaven SOC to get the job that paid all the money in the first place (confused yet?) is bound to make someone angry enough to want retribution-or just their money.
   And sometimes you have to let everybody on the Bribapalooza carousel know they can't just push you around. Someone is going to pay this time. The GM can make this a straight Run, or the first act in a war.

   

   No one would go through all this for just $13 million!"

   Or this can go Payback*-style:"I can't pay you $300 million!" "We just want our $13 million." "No one would go through all this trouble for just for $13 million!"
8. There are of course many smaller companies that need help. Mr. Johnson represents one of these firms that has been shut out of the process. They don't have enough to bribe their way into a big contract. But maybe the Crew can harass a mid-tier contractor into hiring the small firm; sort of the opposite of 1-3. "Hire us or we will disrupt your operations to the point you can't get stuff done." This can easily turn into a mini-campaign as the Crew now has to protect them against retaliation, use their "influence" to expand operations and gain new contracts. Really, this would be like starting a new crime outfit. The crew starts by using threats and backs them up with violence and blackmail. They then work their (and the firm's) way up until they have gone legitimate. Of course, the end of the mini-campaign can be an old, deadly enemy coming back for revenge-a disgruntled opponent, an enemy runner team back with new members and upgrades, or the Ciarniello family showing to put everyone in their place.
9. Mr. Johnson has a job for a Crew that has the "proper touch". He represents a smaller firm that is being harassed out of bids. The opposition has strong ties to Humanis, and the firm hires lots of metahumans, and is tired of scut work and deadly jobs. They want a bigger place at the table, and need some muscle to get them there. Can the Crew put some racist in there place?
10. Mr. Johnson has a job for a top runner team. Jamie Rodriguez, reporter for KSAF, needs protection. She is investigating the Brackhaven SOC and all the bribery going on. Can the Crew keep her alive long enough to expose the truth? And does the Crew want to keep her alive long enough to expose their involvement in all this? Can they do the job and steer her away from their activities (which may be ongoing)? Or are they prepared to show Jamie the dirty nasty heart of the Seattle Olympics, by way of their own experiences? Somebody is going to be number one with a bullet-will it be the hottest news expose of the year, or a bullet in the head? Only the Crew's conscious and abilities will tell...

 *Mr. Black hasn't checked out the Straight Up cut yet.

Notes:

• Article on The New Yorker concerning Sochi Olympics and epic bribery levels
• this piece from Bloomberg.

10 in Ten, Country Fried Edition

"Country fried, baptized in gravy
Can't wash off what the good Lord made ya
No matter how far that highway goes
An old dirt road'll get you home..."

So the Crew has left the confines of whatever city they call home and are out and about in the fresh invigorating air of the countryside. Or a paranoid schizophrenic Children of the Corn horror fest. Or if they are lucky, something in between. The American Wilderness has always presented Europeans with a feeling of dread. And Native Americans have a long history of cannibalism, Big Foots, and little men in the woods. And damn near every one of Grimm's fairy tales takes place deep in the woods. For a reason, the woods are a creepy place. Dark, full of vision blocking trees, and viscous man-eating beasts (some of who are actual beasts and some of which are men) and far from any civilized help, there is a reason the Greek god of the woods in Pan. As in an unreasoning fear that overtakes one in the woods, AKA panic. And for city folks, the long horizons and lack of people is off-putting. Combine all that with American Midwestern and Southern values and culture and you have more than a Run, you can have a game. And based upon rednblack's query over on the Shadowgrid forum boards, what the hell is happening out there in the tulies is a question for many GM's. So Mr. Black is back with a 10 in Ten on backwoods adventures, the Country Fried Edition...

1. So the local Sheriff has been going power hungry. Well not power so much as money hungry. Sheriffs are not elected any more, they are part of a corporate law enforcement contract, AKA Knight Errant/Lone Star/Hard Corps. And those contracts specify civil forfeiture as part and parcel of the Sheriffs job. And the Sheriff is bucking for promotion/trying to save his job/just following orders. But the locals have had enough. And the Williams family has been hard hit, with both their trucks being impounded just for parking in their front yard. Now they want the Crew to get back their trucks and take the Sheriff down a peg...
2. The Crew is going cross-country, when they stop in Shelbyville to repair and refuel. The local yokels notice all the keen gear the Crew is driving/carrying, and makes the Crew an offer: free fuel and repairs in exchange for playing ringers in the annual Urban Brawl/Combat Biker homecoming extravaganza against next door neighbor and heated rival Springfield.
3. Things have gotten hot down in the backwoods.

   

   Worth killing for? Mr. Black says, "Hell yes!"

   The Likkle Splick, a diner in Shelbyville, has been feuding with Springfield's own Nadine's Diner for years. This time some out-of-town media has claimed Nadine's red-eye gravy is the best, and them is fightin' words 'round here. So the Likkle Splick is hiring their own out-of-towners, the Crew, to get the recipe so they can break it down and adopt it to their own. The pay won't be the best, but the Crew can count on all the chicken-fried steak and garbage plates of real meat they can stuff down their craws.
4. Or perhaps something is off in Shelbyville. Like drugs. Who know the backwoods would make a great distribution center for a drug empire. And the locals don't take kindly to strangers, especially those going back to the big city (and federal levels of law enforcement.) And now they want the Crew to stick around, permanent-like. You can run the locals as a small gang or Mafia soldiers. Or they could be country boys with hunting rifles, sniping from rooftops and from behind trees.Of go full Fury Road-monster trucks flying the Stars and Bars and full of freaks with guns, flying out of the trees to cut off the Crew.
5. Of course, the above could go the other way.

   

   Were you expecting a Charger jumping a creek?

   A crew could pick up a little smuggling job to enrich their cross-country run. If they are successful, this could become regular work. It is up to the GM whether this sideline is just paperwork or a full nights work. Or maybe after a few "milk" runs, the sheriff comes in. He is, of course, in the pocket of another drug cartel. This could end up Justified (the criminal element, not the Marshals department), Season 4 Archer, or just maybe, full Dukes of Hazzard mode. Just like most runners, the Dukes..

   Been in trouble with the law,

   Since the day they was born...

6. Mr. Johnson needs a bodyguard detail. Perhaps it is the Draco Foundation or the Atlantean Group that is hiring. Or the University of Washington, the University of Chicago or Marshall College is doing the hiring. Or perhaps the PCC or the Sioux Nation is paying. Whoever it is, the Crew is wanted for an expedition into the Great North American Wilderness looking for a "lost tribe" said to be living upon especially magical land. You can play this up as a "pinkskin" tribe hiding out, ala Amazonian tribal people, or the Sentinelese. Basically take any movie about explorers going up river, and put in in North America. Think Apocalypse Now/The Emerald Forest.

   

   In the ruins of Old Detroit...

7. You could also slide the above run. Here Mr. Johnson is planning a jaunt into country for telesma. He needs the Crew to watch his back while he goes through some old growth areas. He is not too worried about rival corporations, rival telesma hunters, local constabulary or meta-flora/fauna. Nope, he informs the Crew, there is a much bigger danger out there. The remnants. Those who just stayed behind after civilization moved on. This is a much darker version of the above, with dread, lots of perception checks and jump scares. For flavor, try Southern Comfort/Deliverance, or you can go the whole The Hills Have Eyes/Cannibal Holocaust/House of 1000 Corpses/any Rob Zombie movie route. Or Mr. Black assumes Green Inferno...
8. Speaking of rural horror, the Crew could always pull up in a deserted small town. They need gas/electricity to keep going. But the pumps are dry/the power is off. They keep catching glimpses of movement. As you build the paranoia, darkness starts to fall. And then the locals come out. Maybe they're ghouls. Maybe they're vampires. Maybe they're cannibalistic clowns. Or maybe they are good old boys, out to make someone squeal...
9. Need more horror? What is Mr. Black saying, of course you do!* So the locals are scared. And eventually the Crew notices that there aren't a lot of kids about. Finally the locals muster up the courage to ask the Crew for help. Their kids are going missing. and just last week a brother and sister went into the woods and haven't been seen since.

   

   Yum, yum get me some...

   When the Crew goes out to the woods, they find something terrible. Bones, lots of kids bones. Is it a Wendigo? More cannibalistic clowns? Better yet, they find a house, deep in the woods. And it appears to be made of pastry. Specifically, gingerbread. Is the Crew in time to save the siblings from an insane mage/hag/Black Annis who is fattening them up?
10. Use the above as a template for converting any fairy tale/Disney cartoon into something dark in the hinterlands. "Please help me! My daughter left this morning to take food to her grandmother and hasn't returned!" "Please help us! The mayor's daughter has magical powers and has turned the whole town into ice!" "Help me! My daughter married last year and I haven't heard from her since. Why yes, her husband's beard is so black it appears blue in certain light." "Please help us! Our town is being terrorized by a huge dark lion and packs of hyenas! They have destroyed everything in the area and now are hunting us in our homes!" "Please help us! A strange man came into town, played a strange tune, and all of our children followed him out of town! Please save them!" "Please help me! My son won't leave the local lake. Why yes, it is full of mermaids and giant were-squids!" 
11. EXTRA BONUS!! Does number 10 not sound scary/fun/scary fun enough? Lets go through the examples. The first is Red Riding Hood. This is your chance to throw a metric buttload of werewolves at your players. Throw The Howling/The Village/Skinwalkers/Wild Country/Dog Soldiers into a blender and enjoy.And remember the An American Werewolf in London starts in the sticks...do you dare to run a game where one of the characters is bitten, returns to the big city and slowly transformed into a form-changing serial killer? Not a shapeshifter, but a missing-time, waking up in sheets covered in blood and crapping out body parts murderous wolfen cannibal? Look at AAWIL of course, but also The Wolf. And who could miss a chance to rip on Frozen? Throw that chick-flick stuff to the curb, and think teen-aged blood mage uncontrollably manifesting ice spells and summoning ice spirits. Does your Crew have the mojo and the magic to stop her? And do it before her even more powerful repressed sister shows up? The third is of course Bluebeard, a classic tale based on a real person who murdered hundreds of children and enacted months-long miracle plays to gain satanic wealth and power, and maybe the love of Joan of Arc. Yes, really. It is perhaps the primogenitor of castle/house/cabin in the woods where people go and don't come out. Need a hook? One of the character's Dependent's sister/aunt has gone missing. "Honey, I am really worried about my sister. Can you get your little band of friends to go and take a look?" The fourth is everyone's favorite, Hamlet..err, Simba the White Lion...err, The Lion King. What group of players can resist saving a small town from a pack of carnivores? And bring a little The Ghost and the Darkness to it, which is based again on reality(loosely, because, Hollywood), and a little The Brotherhood of the Wolf, which is also based on real events (loosely, because cool narrative/conspiracy trumps reality**). And read Peter Capstick's Death in the Long Grass, which has a chapter on wolf packs attacking entire Russian villages (and is one of Mr. Black's favorite books ever), or here, here, here, or here. And of course the Pied Piper of Hamelin is really a wizard/shaman using spells (or an Adept with social powers and a flute foci) to steal children (perhaps to sell to the hag of Hansel and Gretel?) for his own sick purposes. Being Shadowrun, he is extorting towns for cash and needs to be stopped. Hope the crew brought ear plugs. And lastly, Disney's Little Mermaid, in reverse. Mr. Black double dares you to fill a large lake with selkies, mermaids, sirens and/or merrows, along with krakens/werekrakens, and have Mr. Johnson hire your crew to exterminate them all to save local menfolk from the evil beasts. Mr. Black triple-dog dares you!

* As the great Kenneth Hite says, it is not if your campaign is a horror campaign, but when it becomes a horror campaign.
** Any movie based on real events that somehow combines secret history, conspiracy, Kung Fu, Native American badasses, super sexy French women and Monica Bellucci, wild crazy gypsies, flintlocks, a deadly monster, bits of Sherlock Holmes, and is filmed with bravura style and great cinematography is bound to be one of Mr. Black's favorites, and is consumed in a yearly viewing ritual. 

Seattle Olympics 2076, Hell on Earth, Part 3 - Running in the Shade of Brackhaven

So how do you get your players involved in all of this? Let us break Brackhaven's Campaign of Evil into easier to digest bits. Thing One, the 2057 election cycle. Thing Two, Brackhaven's buying up of the Barrens. Thing Three, the 2070 election. And Thing Four, Olympic shenanigans. And lastly, Thing Five, the aftermath and repercussions of the Temporary Housing Facilities (THF's).

So first up, you could run through the elections, either Kennie's run for UCAS President, or his run for Governor. The first was covered in Super Tuesday, and is still an excellent book for covering unethical elections. The second was talked about in Runner Havens and Emergence. If you or your players never played through Super Tuesday, then grab it up, scrub the names clean, and serve it up for the Party. Perhaps in your campaign, Brackhaven's hidden past (and racist present) never came out. And 2070 is the time to discover it. Or the 2074 election. Choose the one that fits best for your players and your campaign. In any of these scenarios, a political contact may call up a character for a favor. Or perhaps MoM (or ORC, or Sons of Sauron if the players are a bit more hard-core) get in touch. Give those characters who have more than a street doc and an armorer contact some love. Remember that if the Crew exposes Brackhaven, they will be in his Book of Grudges. This could lead to Runs to Nowhere (runs where the Crew is not supposed to succeed, but either provide a distraction, or just plain get frakked), opposing teams showing up at Meets/Runs/Swaps (especially Swaps), or approaches from really shady Fixers/Mr. Johnsons. And of course, if your Crew is full of racists, perhaps they get hired by Brackhaven to Run the opposition.

Gittes: A memorial service was held at the Mar Vista Inn today for Jasper Lamar Crabb. He passed away two weeks ago. 
Mrs. Mulwray: Why is that unusual?
Gittes: He passed away two weeks ago and one week ago he bought the land. That's unusual.

So on to Thing Two. Brackhaven starts forming dummy corporations and begins to buy up the Barrens. This is all a bit more subtle, but there is plenty of room for player interaction, especially if the Crew is more of the Hooding bent. This all starts small. Perhaps a finance contact mentions that someone is creating a full hosts of shell companies. For a more concrete lead, have that contact turn up dead, with the proverbial Dead Letter drop for the character. Okay, a Dead Disc drop. But the characters end up with the tropey "I'm dead and find out who killed me" disc and an incentive to go do it. Or go a little closer. One of the characters (who lives in the Barrens) is approached by his landlord, who informs the character that next months rent is to be paid to Universal Properties LLC. And the rent (and his lifestyle) is going up 10%. Or the gang that watches the neighborhood and informs the character about strangers asking for him (you know, the one the character has as a contact? He does have one as a contact, right?) tells him that they are leaving, as they can't afford to pay both the next gang up and Universal Properties LLC. Maybe the character can do them a favor and check this new company out? Have some paranoid players? What is Mr. Black saying, of course you have paranoid players. So the above landlord comes in and tells the above character that no more rent is needed, as the landlord just came into money and is leaving. Whether the power and water stays on is of course up to you. (Mr. Black says turn that stuff off, and have the characters Lifestyle drop to Street level or lower. Maybe his neighbors start OD-ing at a frightful rate (they're blowing all that extra money on drugs) or getting robbed at a frightful rate (the above gang realizes that they all have extra money to steal.) Perhaps, they will start checking around to find out what is going on.

The key here is to start things small. Give the players a taste of something wrong. An appetizer of Evil. The main course is still to come. Let the Crew invite themselves to the upcoming banquet. You want them to do the inviting. Then when the dinner turns full-Red Wedding, they have only themselves to blame.

"But my players have no social conscious!" you say. "They would never go hooding!" Well, then make them. You heard Mr. Black, force them to get involved. Someone took the Dependent Negative Quality right? Or Day Job? Put those Qualities to work for you and not the Crew. So Night Striker has an aunt/sister/etc. he helps out. Now is the time for old Aunt May-san to move to the Barrens so she can have the above problems. Or their Day Job moves. The bar they are a bouncer at moves to take advantage of the great real estate deals. And now they are on the front line. Does someone have Wanted/Enemy? Then turn up the heat every where but the Barrens. Give them one place to hide out, other than the Ice Caves of Snohomish.

Or just hire them. This could be a "find my sister/brother who has disappeared in the Barrens", or a more social-oriented hire. Perhaps the Plastics Gardens needs help. And what Crew couldn't use a healing hide out? Or maybe their ganger contact needs some help. With the streets starting to run red, who couldn't use a little Runner muscle? Better yet, if the Crew helped MoM/ORC/Sons of Sauron etc. out on one of the elections, that organization is calling again. Too many meta-humans are being dispossessed. And they want eyes on the ground to find out what is happening. And search for the many missing people. Or maybe the Crew has a contact in the banking/construction/real estate businesses who wants to know what is going on, or why they didn't get a government contract. Or a reporter checking into all the above. Better yet, a reporter that needs bodyguards while investigating the Barrens. This way a combat-oriented Crew can get in on the action, and a sneaky-sneaky Crew will have real headaches trying to keep the reporter alive.

Just remember that this is a low key stage of Kennie's Evil Plan. This part is perfect for investigative, Matrix and Face types. There will be lots of record checking and following up and questioning of people. It is not for every Crew. But even if the players don't want to get involved, you can start to lay in the groundwork for the next part of the Plan. So start now, and prepare your players for Armageddon.

Next time we look at Things 4 and 5, Olympic Shenanigans and the THF's.

10 in Ten, The Rigger Triumphant Edition

One of the members over at the ShadowGrid forums, captduck, asked for help with giving his player's Rigger character more to do. After offering some suggestions, Mr. Black gave it some long thought. The problem was not so much about what else the character could do, but that most GM's and players tend to pigeonhole the Rigger into not much more than a glorified chauffeur. (Mr.Black knows, he has done it too!) This is very wrong, but may require a paradigm shift for most players and GM's. Really, we GM's should try Runs where different members of the Crew get to shine, especially the Rigger. The trick is to make the Rigger the reason the Run is going on-he needs to drive something away for Mr. Johnson. As a starting point Mr. Black offers the following 10-in-Ten, the Rigger Triumphant Edition, to help push that gear-shift. Enjoy, and use at your Rigger's grace and your Crew's peril.

1. Let's start simple. The Crew needs to get into a very tall building. From the top. Perhaps the elevators don't go all the way to the roof, or maybe the top 30 floors are not accessible by Wi-Fi. And the other 100 floors are a bitch of a security nightmare. Whatever. Time for the Crew to get out of the Van, and into a helicopter, which our poor benighted Rigger gets to drive. And maybe fire machinegun shots into those top 30 floors. And then make a high speed aerial chase across the skies of Seattle. Bring extra shenanigans by having the Crew make an high-speed emergency evac off that roof. You know the one, where that last member of the crew has to make a jump off the 130th floor onto a skid or a dangling rope. Don't make it to hard for the jumpee; you want him dangling when the chase starts. You know, for that extra-cinematic feel. And the grin on your face as the Crew's spends all their Edge to keep him from falling off...
2. Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to recover a large shipment. It is loaded on 3 freight cars, and Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to steal the whole train. Which is where the Rigger comes in. While the Hacker goes in and changes the routing, the Rigger is going to play engineer! Again, someone else will have to drive the Van. The rest of the Crew can provide security, and really, who doesn't want to have a fight on top of a train?
3. One of the Big Ten has a new prototype. Only this time it is not some little piece of electronics. It is a frakkin' tank (or a Riot Control Vehicle, or an APC. Something big, armored and armed.) And Mr. Johnson wants it driven to the Swap point. Try Ash City/Glow City, or maybe the stolen train above. Anyways, the Crew needs to get into the testing grounds, get the Rigger into it (only Riggers can drive this advanced prototype), and then jander off into the night. And somebody else will have to drive the Van this time; hope somebody has Pilot: Ground Vehicles above Rating 1. Oh, and throw in an awesome chase, perhaps with attack helicopters firing AP missiles, and lots of car crunching fun.
4. Try the above Run differently. Mr. Johnson is perhaps a collector of expensive, high-speed automobiles. And one of the major corporations is testing their new prototype $500,000+ sports car. Once again, the Crew needs to get into the testing facility and have the Rigger drive it away. Which should lead to a high-speed, high octane (should that be high ozone in 2075?) chase across the city. Channel all your Fast 'n' Furious 1-7 into this; stealth should not be an option. Heck, go super-stupid and have the Crew helo insert into the top of the above Very Tall Building and then go full Furious 7 on them! If you are wizzer lucky, then maybe the rest of the Crew will also be able to drive and have some fast vehicles. 'Cause that stodgy Van just won't be able to keep up this time. For extra shenanigans, ensure Mr. Johnson puts a "no damage" clause in the contract.
5. You could change up #4 by making Mr. Johnson a very vindictive person, who has a beef with Jackson Pedley. Seems Ol' Jackson should have paid his gambling debts/kept his hands off someones wife/etc. And Jackson is driving the Number 37 Omega Fizz car in the Seattle 300 this weekend. And Mr. Johnson wants that number 37 car retrieved during the race on national TV. Once again, make sure there is a big chase, lots of fireworks, and lots of embarrassment for Ol' Jackson.
6. Mr. Johnson needs a job done on Lake Washington. The bottom of Lake Washington. Seems he lost a clandestine shipment on a boat that sunk and he wants the Crew to recover it. Whether they use a mini submarine or a Lamprey is up to you and your Rigger. The rest of the crew will probably need to take scuba lessons, a good way to get them to spend Karma on something other than guns, spells, and Matrixy stuff. Need to add shenanigans? Toss in pirates or sea-beasties. Better yet, throw in a rival Crew and recreate the end of Thunderball. Hell, go all out and make them a HTR team that parachutes in. You can amp up the fun by having Mr. Johnson work for one of the OCO's (Organized Crime Organization) and the shipment, well, drugs and let you players take a walk on the Dark Side.
7. And why fight on top of a train when you can fight on top of a high speed monorail? Think Wolverine or Mission Impossible: I. Mr. Johnson wants a diplomatic extraction (or Elimination!) on the LA to Seattle monorail. Once again our Rigger takes center stage and hijacks the monorail while the crew goes to work. Or reverse MI:1 this, and have the Rigger drop the team on the train. If you thought have a Crew member jump off a 130-story building was crazy, deploying on top of an object going 200+ miles per hour is even more nuts.
8. Nothing says alternate history like a Zeppelin. Just ask Kenneth Hite. Or these. So it is now time for your Crew to join the future and hijack a Zeppelin. Perhaps there is an item in the hold, or a person that must be extracted, but whatever it is, there is not enough time to get on, grab it/him/her, and get off. Just enough time to get aboard and then start doing Legwork. Oh sure, the crew could just wait for it to land, but that item is too big to just walk with, or the target is too well protected, or more likely, the original destination is someplace the Crew definitely doesn't want to be. So hijacking is the better option. Now the Rigger has to engage in a low speed chase, and maybe fire some ordnance,  all while the rest of the Crew sits around monitoring the hostages and babysitting the MacGuffin. And make sure the Crew channels their inner Archer!
9. Mr. Johnson desires protection. Oh, and an escorted trip to the western shore of Salish lands. Has a place to be, and people to meet. Nothing more than a day trip, he says. Well, in a regular boat, and it must be a boat to stay off of radar, it is a day or 2 trip. Which is why Mr. Johnson has acquired the services of a high-speed weaponized boat. Maybe it is just super-high performance cigarette boat (Think Black Lagoon), maybe it is a hydrofoil. But it will take a Rigger with nerves of steel to drive Mr. Johnson out to that shore, cutting through all the little islands in Puget Sound, in the dark and/or fog, while staying out of the reach of Salish patrol boats/helicopters, startled smugglers, large sea beasties, and the guards at all those strange, unknown, uncharted research facilities the Big Ten have hiding out there. Good luck and good sailing!
10. While we have talked about many many large vehicles, maybe it is time for the Rigger to go small. Like flying ultralights into facilities. Or racing motorcycles through Seattle. Or scooting Jackrabbits through the sewers loaded with gold. Or cutting through the woods in ATV's or those armed dune buggy things special forces love so much. Something small enough that the entire Crew can't fit in, so the Rigger-driven vehicle is the Alpha vehicle, and the rest of the Crew is another vehicle praying and spending Edge to keep up with him. Let him be the star for the night, so he doesn't go suicidal the next time he just sits in the Van.

So to repeat, make the Rigger the reason for the run, or give him more to do than wait in the Van again. Give him a chance to shine, and make him the star of the Run every now and then. Even if your Crew decides not to hijack the MacGuffin in say #3, maybe using a cargo helicopter to steal the tank, the Rigger is still doing the heavy lifting. And you may get lucky and have the rest of the Crew riding on the back of a tank dangling from a cargo helicopter 500 meters above the ground, all while a small attack wing of Wasps/large attack wing of drones show up and start spraying everyone down. Now go and enjoy!

10 in Ten - the Magical Edition

While going through the ShadowGrid forums, poster Pariah3J asked for some ideas for magic-based runs. Mr. Black threw some together very quickly and then thought,"Hmm, this could be a good for a series of regular columns." So he did one. The idea is 10 run ideas in a very quick format, no stats or numbers, just enough to get a GM going, and easy to drop into a game. So here is the first one. And thanks Pariah3J, for the push.

1. The Mage’s Talismonger is having trouble getting supplies. He asks the Mage if he and his “friends” would mind riding shotgun on a smuggling transfer of much-needed reagents, telesma and such over on the Seattle-Salish border. Magical eco-terrorists/NAN Rangers decide to stop the transfer, and shenanigans ensue.
2. A scholarly mage desires to recover reagents for study from a location full of magical badness such as a mass murder site or some other nasty event leaving an astral scar. He wants the Crew to protect him while doing this. He is a scholar, not a fighter, and somewhat absent minded (or is he?!?). Spirits show up and shenanigans ensue.
3. Lou (or Selena) of Lou’s Tattoos in Downtown Seattle needs a certain telesma for his magical tattoo ink. He contacts the Crew to get him some. It involves gathering a particular type of kelp out in Puget Sound. The area, close to NAN lands, is home to water spirits, selkies and other magical water creatures, not to mention other kelp gatherers and corporate goons looking for the same/hunting the gatherers, and ever-present danger of Salish Coast Patrol boats.
4. Someone or something is haunting/disrupting the 5^th Avenue Theatre’s production of “Waiting for Jet Black”, and it is definitely magical in nature. The Crew is hired to find out what is going on and end it. Tracking magical auras and astral signatures of spell aftermaths. Is it (once again) spirits? Is it a disgruntled mage? Is it an insurance scam? A magical gang looking for shakedown money? A producer looking for free publicity? The Crew will have to work quickly to find out, as the curtain goes up in just four days, and famous actor Bywythe Merriweather is making his Seattle premier…
5. A friend of a friend has a problem. Her dairy farm in Snohomish is having strange problems with the cows. They are not giving any milk, and the vet can’t find a reason. The farmer’s daughter (she’s 8, get your mind out of the gutter!) has been talking to her imaginary friends in the woods though. Is there something to it? Spirits? Or maybe some Fae/pixies have taken up house nearby. Can the Mage negotiate a truce? Not much of a payday, unless you like fresh milk and cookies.
6. Mr. Johnson calls. He is trying a power play at his Corp and wants a rival’s artwork stolen. However the piece in question is magical. And it will take a Mage with forgery and artisan skills to leave a duplicate. Or not. Perhaps the Crew will keep the piece; it is worth quite a bit (like more than YOU will pay them in a year). If they do, others will want it. Now they have a vindictive Mr. Johnson, a vindictive victim, and several opposing Crews after them, not including the Corp and various OCO’s looking for their cut (their cut being all of it unless the Crew has very good connections in the OCO, it which case it is 60%).
7. There is something on the loose down in the sewers-a Protean is loose, and someone with Astral Perception is needed to hunt it. A city official (cop, government worker, politician, garbage man, etc,) is calling in a favor, before word gets out of a shape-changing magical serial killer that strikes out of the toilet gets around. Trudging through narrow, water- (and diseased)-filled tunnels single-file in the pitch-dark should be good for a laugh. Throw in the fact that the Crew can’t trust their eyes down there and shenanigans should ensue. Think John Carpenter’s The Thing in sewers rather than the snow.
8. Not quite ready for the above? Try it with Firedrakes, Afancs, Incubui, Icedrakes, or any other beastie you like. Perhaps a tribe of murderous Troglodytes. (Hmm, a huge tribe of white-skinned murderous freaks striking from the shadows with rocks and sewer-covered sharpened pieces of rusty metal should be huge fun. Umm, stealing my own idea right now, will be back in a minute.) NERPS! GET YOUR NERPS! (Okay, back!) Astral Perception should be a huge asset down in those twisting passageways. And feel free to use any beastie from outside their normal range. Finding out why they are in the Seattle sewers should lead to new adventures.
9. Something is going wrong at the Space Needle’s observation deck. Instead of inspiring awe, it seems to be inspiring dread. Despite their precautions, several people have committed suicide this week, and dozens have been wrestled down off the safety fences. Is it a spirit? A specter? A mage causing fear? The crew will need to investigate. And what kind of shenanigans can ensue 185 meters up with a fear-causing entity? The kind that need a parachute or Levitation to survive…
10. Someone is playing tricks in the Seattle Art Museum. Several accidents have taken place and between broken pieces and broken bodies their Chief Security Officer is concerned. Enter the Crew. Tracking astral signatures for a week while dodging patrons, scared guards and the Ghost Haunters™ trideo show crew (The CSO didn’t have it her own way; the Media Relation officer saw an opportunity for free advertising…) should make for some good role-playing times. Throw in a fatal accident and shenanigans should ensue. It may well be a spirit or some other human agency, but Blackberry Cats have Accident powers too. Maybe the Crew will need to bring a saucer of milk to lay this beast?