Overview
This is a solo adventure. It does not take place in physical reality, instead it takes
place in a simulation constructed by the Migo in the investigator's mind.
Player information
Roll up an experienced Delta Green agent, one with at least 20 years of experience. Give
them no name, no background information…just stats. The rest will be filled in as the
story unfolds. Maybe.
Keeper Information
The player character of this scenario is actually disembodied brain in a Migo brain
cylinder, he/she is totally oblivious to this. You, the Keeper are acting in the role as
a Migo with a specially modified brain. You control and construct the reality that the
hapless investigator is going to adventure in.
In 1997 the agent that's being played, stole and disposed of a Migo braincase carrying a
very important brain, a brain the Migo very much want returned to them. The Migo are
running and observing a simulation on the investigator's brain, based on their memories
of 1997, in hopes he/she will relive the events and reveal the location of the cylinder.
Torture and other methods have failed.
The investigator's mind has been run through this same simulation dozen's, maybe
hundreds of times. Each time slightly altered in an attempt to garner the information
they seek. Thusfar, each time it's failed. The Migo are not adept at understanding
reality channelled through a human central nervous system, but they're getting better.
The identity of the coveted, stolen brain is not important to the story, but if you, the
Keeper, want to flesh this out, feel free.
Because this adventure takes place 'in brain', reality is very hazy, which the
investigator will interpret as being in a drugged stupor. Keep it that way. Outside
there's a hurricane going on. Stress, it's dark, cold, wet, washed out, the constant
roar of the wind and rain makes hearing difficult, the rushing water makes moving outside
difficult and noisy etc. Make it oppressive and constant.
Also, have the player roll 10 sets of percentage dice for you to use when you need a roll
to be kept secret. It's hard to really surprise someone when they roll dice for it
before-hand.
And….
Start the scenario with this video game style cutscene….
[Cutscene-Read]
You wake up, your head rests on cold tile. You feel around, a toilet, a bathroom stall.
Your mouth is dry and tastes of bile. You are soaking wet. At first you think you hear
the roar of machinery, but as you stand and feel around in the dark, you realize it's the
sound of a torrential downpour pounding the roof above you. It is dark, there is no
electricity. Click! [simulate flipping light switch up and down]
You are wearing a suit jacket and pants that are two sizes too large, underneath you
wear a hospital gown. Your arm itches, rolling up your sleeve you find a tube and a
needle taped to your arm…the IV line is cut. There is trickle of blood dripping down
your arm and over your hand. Your head is pounding, your pulse throbs in your ears. Your
brain feels like chewed up and spit out bubble gum. A weird combination of excrusiating
pain and tingling numbness. "So this is what amnesia's like.", you muse.
[End Cutscene]
The investigator starts with these items in their coat pockets:
-A flip style cellphone, 1997 vintage. Battery nearly dead. New phone. One bar signal
strength.
-Glock 19 with 9 bullets left in the clip.
-A wet, wadded up piece of paper with some numbers and a name that starts with D (easy
prop)
-A set of car keys for a Ford with a car alarm, door opener fob.
BUSTER CRABS
The story unfolds with the investigator waking up on the floor of a seafood restaurant
somewhere in New England (feel free to use modern era Arkham, Kingsport or Innsmouth).
The name of the restaurant is Buster Crabs, which won't be obvious until they make there
way out of the bathroom and find a light source. There is no electricity, no land line
phones, no 911 on the cellphone, radios will just repeat evacuation warnings, but the gas
is still on.
Buster Crabs is a small chain, seafood restaurant and is garishly decorated in a nautical
theme. A cartoon crab with a salior's hat is emblazoned upon the walls and menus. There
is even a funny sign in the bathroom reminding employees to wash their claws. All the
exterior doors are locked and the restaurnant looks like it has been evacuated rather
than hastilly abandoned. Meaning no food left on tables and so on. Normal restaurant
supplies and equipment can be found, including knives, candles, matches and lighters, a
battery powered transistor radio, a flashlight or two and so on. The only thing out of
place is a window air conditioner laying on the floor in the manager's office and the
opening for it. Rain is blowing in and flooding the kitchen floor.
Outside it looks like the vicinity has been evacuated and is currently being hammered
violently by a huricane. The streets are flooding (knee high water), there is no sign of
life, no lights can be seen, the visibility outside is less than 40 meters. Buster Crabs
is located a couple hundred meters from a mall. The mall can't be seen from the
restaurant.
Feel free to let the investigator look around, gear up and get their bearings. That's
when the cellphone starts ringing.
A male voice (with a New York accent) says, "Did you get out? It's
me…Dakarya…you ok?" Reception is poor and the sound of the storm makes hearing
difficult.
Real time the investigator has 40 seconds of battery life. The man on the phone won't
answer any questions, but says things like, "We don't have time for this." or
"Worry about that later."
Low battery warnings start beeping.
And finally, "Look, you need to get moving…the only reason you got out is that the
storm knocked out the power…ge…" Bleep! The phone goes dead…need a charger. A
car charger. There aren't any vehicles within sight of the restaurant.
UnSECURITY
Soon after the phone call, outside the sound of a large vehicle can be heard, plowing
through the knee deep floodwater. It is a large black SUV with tinted windows. Whoever
is driving shines a spot-light into the restaurant.
They hear:
"I know he/she had to have cut across that field…" The car circles the
building. "Hey there's a pushed in window-shaker back here."
THE BADGUYS
Ogg will stand on the hood of the SUV and shine a flashlight in. A brief blurb of radio
chatter can be heard before the volume is turned down. Cautiously one, then the other
slides feet first through the opening. Remember this is a simulation. The investigator
cannot be killed or KO'd. Minor wounds, cuts, scrapes are fine.
John Johan & Carl Ogg (Sentinel Security)High End Rent a Cops
STR (70/35/14) CON (75/37/15) SIZ (70/35/14) DEX (70/35/14) INT (55/27/11)
APP (50/25/10) POW (50/25/10) EDU (50/25/10) SAN - HP: 14 MV: 8 DB: +1d4 Build: +1
Kevlar Vest: 8pts. armor.
Brawl : (70/35/14) Retractable baton (1d6+DB) or fists(1d3+DB).
Glock 19: 0% near miss.
Skills: Dodge 60% Stealth 60% Spot Hidden 55% Listen 40%
Johan and Ogg are paramilitary level trained and will/should put up a good fight with
their high Dodge skills and body armor. If the fight goes too easy have another team
(same stats) drive their SUV through the front door and attack. Make it a tough battle.
Remember, the idea is to ramp up the intensity.
Aftermath
Buster Crabs
After the fight, the investigator should have the SUV, walkie-talkies, ammo and other
standard issue police gear. Just no cellphones or chargers.
The chatter on the walkie-talkies will be repeated calls for Johan and Ogg (and any other
officers on scene). "Unit 19…Unit 19…Ogg? Johan?…we're sending more units to
your location…"
The Mall
Needing to find a cellphone charger, the mall is the obvious choice to move the
adventure to.
The Mall, you can give it a name like Kingsport Meadows or The Innsmouth Collection
(possible red herrings), it's up to you. Also, if you want feel free to use your local
mall's floorplan.
The lot itself is flooded like the rest of the area and the doors are locked and inside
the stores are shuttered or locked. The main objective of course, should be the car
lighter powered cell phone charger, so the investigator can get ahold of their Delta
Green contact.
Once in the mall, throw some more Sentinal Security guards at them. Make it a hide, kill
and chase through the mall. Remember, the player can't actually be killed, but beaten,
bloody and exhausted will ramp up the intensity. The Migo will keep the action going, so
he/she has little or no time to think. They simply want to keep them confused and
reacting.
The Migo
When the investigator finally gets the cellphone charger, that's when the Migo finally
make their presence known. Have them crash through a skylight or skulking about in the
mall. Their exo-skeleton claws clacking. Keep the chase going, with more high action
ducking, dodging and hiding from the Fungi and blasts of electrical bolts and freezing
mist. There's no real need to stat out the Migo, they aren't real.
The Migo's objective is to herd the investigator to the connected car park where a black
'96 SHO Ford Taurus is parked, the same car the agent used to dispose of the braincase in
1997. With a sudden spark of memory (a false one generated by the Migo) the investigator
remembers he/she owns a black Taurus and they remember leaving it in a car park and there
is something special about the car.
In the car park generate more action with a chase in and out of cars, trying to sonar
ping the car location by using the alarm remote and finally, a low on bullets hiding
from the Migo situation and waiting for the phone to get a bit of charge.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Let the action fade and give the investigator a chance to call their friend. The voice on
the phone before was fellow I-team agent 'Isaac' aka David Dakarya. The investigator
remembers the name but any other details are still elusive.
Agent Isaac will answer within a few rings and in calm tones direct the player to dispose
of it immediately. The package is too hot and it can be retrieved later. "Go
now!!" Isaac will also tell you once you get out in the rain, the Migo can't chase
you anymore. Water and Fungi don't mix.
The Package
In the trunk of the Taurus is a cardboard box with a Migo brain cylinder inside it. Let
the investigator roll an Idea or Know roll to 'remember' a good place to dump the
cylinder. Most likely a place underwater, where the Migo won't be able to find it. An
abandoned flooded mine shaft, off a pier, off Devil's Reef….
An Important Message
When the player decides where to dump the cylinder or is about to dump (whatever fits the
narrative or is more dramatic), Agent Isaac will call and ask where they are going to
dispose of the cylinder, just in case something happens.
That's when an earsplitting, buzzing noise erupts from the trunk. It's a voice, it's
impossible to hear the phone over the noise.
What's in the Box?
The box in the trunk contains what the Migo thought was an inert construct. Instead what
has happened is the investigator (who as you remember) is but a brain in a jar, has
pushed a part of their consciousness into the Migo's false reality and is trying to
warn you not to go through with the disposal of the brain.
"Don't do it!!!", it buzzes. "I am you…you are dead…they won't let you
remember….they are manipulating your brain…it's a trick!!!"
When this is revealed, the cellphone starts to ring again. It's up to the player who to
believe. If they decide not to go through with the disposal and listen to 'themself' then
fade to white as the Migo do a reboot..
If they decide to go through with the disposal, the location now revealed, fade to black
as their brain is terminated.
END
Credits
This was an entry in the 2014 shotgun scenario contest, written by Burgolf