Forgotten Futures: Taking the Tunnel

[ffutures]

Because there's a lot of noise from the carnival I'm not feeling very creative, so I decided to steer clear of new writing today; instead I've converted the introductory adventure, Taking the Tunnel, to PDF. Haven't done much to it apart from adding a couple of extra illustrations and laying it out as nicely as I can, I think it's OK but given the way my head is throbbing I may be deluding myself.

It's on line as http://homepage.ntlworld.com/forgottenfutures/tunnel/tunnel.pdf - about 692K

All comments very gratefully received.

Comments

I like it

[johnreiher.livejournal.com]

I was working on converting the sequel to this, Steam Pirates, into a standalone document so I could run it as an adventure. But if you ever get around to it, I'd probably use your version. :-)

I haven't run this yet, but looking at the layout, there is a good chance that there will be lots of dead people at the end of this scenario. Since only the detectives and soldiers would be the only armed people on board the train, it will be hard to overcome the legionnaires until you get to either Dover or the player characters somehow get to Varne Bank Station first.

You've run it more than once, so how does it usually end?

I've been thinking of adding a pre-adventure, with the PCs either already in Calais or they ride over on the train with Her Majesty. Then they have a chance to see the boat full of Legionnaires leave Calais and wonder what is going on. I'd love to toss in a train race, with the PCs commandeering a fully fueled and watered steam engine and racing on the other tracks the Queen's train, trying to beat them to Varne Bank.

Re: I like it

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Let's see... gun battle on the train and Queen Victoria dead a couple of times, flooded tunnel once, plucky heroes give the alarm in the nick of time once (they got out of the tunnel via one of the air shafts, started a fire with driftwood to attract attention, and used a destroyer's experimental wireless transmitter to give the alert - they got VERY lucky with their dice rolls), total French victory once, and once the adventurers managed to get a gun to Queen Victoria, and she took out the French commander in full view of the Dover garrison before they entered the fort, which led to a French defeat.

Re: I like it

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Sorry, about the other points you raise - pre-adventures etc. are fine, if you come up with anything really interesting and want to let me add it to the free stuff for the game let me know.

Re: I like it

[johnreiher.livejournal.com]

Oh I will. I'll have my thinking cap on for this one. I'll consider different approaches to the issue and if it's good, I'll send it off to you.

Re: I like it

[johnreiher.livejournal.com]

That explains many things about the scenario. I wondered where the idea for the Legionnaire in drag came from. I was looking at this scenario and wondered how I would have approached it based on the different character choices that were available.

As a detective, I'd have some say in what should be done, but I'd also probably be the first casualty. Basically, the only person the French want is the Queen, everyone else is expendable, and for the most part, everyone else is unarmed.

However, I can see that simply adding a couple of "scenes" to the start of the scenario could be tricky. If I were to play it straight, I might as well start out with me just reading the script and using the scenario as written. So if I do add a couple of scenes, they must include chances to sniff out the nefarious schemes of the French, but not in time to prevent the Queen from returning to the England.

So I'll have to give them a choice: Confirm their suspicions, but let the Queen go on her merry way, or get on the train, not knowing exactly what's going on, but with enough suspicion as to be wary. I'll have to come up with something.

By the way, where can I find more information about this version of the Channel tunnel? I've googled to no avail, nothing but a footnote about plans in the 1870s for building the tunnel. I mean you have a picture of Varne Bank on the cover of the scenario, that had to come from somewhere. :-)

Thanks for making a wonderful game Marcus!

Re: I like it

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

They're on the FF CD-ROM, of course... but if you let me have your email address - send it to marcus dot rowland at gmail dot com - I'll send you a couple of zipped files.

Re: I like it

[johnreiher.livejournal.com]

Ah, and I have the CD, not the most current one, but the Release 5.0 one. I should look at it more closely...

Thanks for the offer!