Amber Zone: The Day of the Glow, by Marcus Rowland from JTAS # 16
Check out the series
introduction here.
Location: The planet Purfyr
(Foreven 2211)
Patron: None, initially. Eventually
the PCs may be hired/conscripted by the Purfyrian government.
Mission: Survive, and help the planet
recover.
Complications: The setup of this
adventure makes it appear that the locals are all turning into
vampires. Many of the classic signs are there – aversion to
sunlight, long teeth, desire for blood. Also, persons affected by the
condition usually go violently insane. It could happen to anyone,
including the PCs; they might already be affected by the time the
adventure starts!
Payoff: PCs who volunteer their skills
to help fight the outbreak and aid recovery can get paid up to Cr
12,000.
Strong Points: The adventure is set up
as a sci-fi horror story, which could be a big surprise for a lot of
players. The possibility of the PCs succumbing to the condition will
keep tension high. It could be set on any mid-tech, mid-population
world. The truth behind the outbreak is sensible. Preventing the
condition from spreading off-world could be its own adventure. The
local government reacts in an effective manner, so the situation does
not instantly devolve into anarchy. Countering the condition is
explained and is not (in the end) dependent on the PCs. The PCs
could, if they approach it right, end up being big heroes, and gain a
very positive reputation, and not just locally. This is the real
strength of this adventure – a chance for the PCs to be heroes. A
wide range of skills will be called upon.
Weak Points: After the PCs gain the
treatment necessary to reverse/prevent the condition, the excitement
level could fall dramatically, as the adventure shifts to clean-up
work. All of which would have to be spun up by the referee. If they
were more invested in Purfyr, this might be compelling. As written,
the PCs are a visiting merchant crew, so they have no reason to be
that compelled to want to help. It is likely the PC's first instinct
when the plague begins is to high-tail it for the ship and lift out.
The referee would have to railroad them into staying. The PCs will
be stuck on Purfyr for nearly two months; this could be trouble if
the PCs have other operations going on.
What I'd change: This would work even
better (and be easier to handle) in an enclosed habitat (orbital or
ground) – fewer places to run & hide, dense population, less
map-making required for the referee. If I ran this adventure, I'd do
it after the second or third time the PCs visited the world, so they
had some attachment and investment in the world. I would rather the
PCs wanted to stay and help to having to trap them inside the 'hot
zone'.
In My Traveller Universe: Horror is not
my genre, so I would not use this adventure in my TU.
No specific maps are called for with this adventure.
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