Dread
Games
A Fallen
Angels Science Fiction Scenario
By
Mark
This scenario is set in the distant future and takes
place in the tunnel systems beneath London. The rules for tunnels
are in the Fallen Angels skirmish rules. Here is a short story to
give you an idea of what the game is about.
J chanced a glance around the pillar and his head exploded. The only sounds were a few sickly splats as bits of flesh hit the sewer wall and the splash of his body in the foetid water of the drain. The Sfear hovered in the darkness for a moment, it's AI brain running scans to confirm that the Player had been alone. Then it silently glided off into the subterranean darkness.
Sfears, so
named by Players although the security forces have also adopted the
moniker, were developed from the drones of the 21st
century. However, they are far more sophisticated than their early
ancestors. To all intents and purposes, they look like metal spheres
that are about 18 inches in diameter. In fact, this is an illusion
created by their energy shields, but considering what their main
purpose has become, it is an amazing coincidence.
Sfear
technology was made possible largely by the development of plasma
systems, that was pioneered by Kurt Meyer during the 22nd
century. The Sfear is a plasmatronic brain, with a plasma reactor
that provides propulsion and weapons systems, encased in a dark light
shield. It is the reaction between the dark light and our normal
environment, that gives the metallic illusion.
The
plasmatronic brain is exactly the same as the one used in security
force androids. A much more advanced version of the civilian model
that we are all so used to. Once given it's mission, the Sfear can
operate totally independently of any human operator. Original models
used heat sensors to detect their targets, but the latest plasma
drives made this ineffective. The quinteric radiation they produce,
harmless to humans I hasten to add, makes it impossible for heat
sensors to work.
The latest
models use metal detectors that are so accurate, they can detect the
ID chips each of us is implanted with at birth from nearly 50 yards
away, in optimal conditions. Of course, as the media is constantly
forced to tell us, Sfears are now almost exclusively used to hunt
down the criminals known as 'Players.' In turn, this has caused the
development on the underground of the 'Game.'
Deep in
the bowels of the abandoned maze of tunnels beneath London, Ade
looked around him. In the gloom of the low-level lighting in the
sanctuary, he could make out a couple of the other Players that were
going to take part in the latest game. The nearest guy was a novice,
Ade couldn't see a single piercing, so this was probably his first
game.
The guy
looked back at Ade, the fear obvious in his eyes. Ade guessed he was
doing it for the money. Stupid. You had to want to do this, or you
were dead as soon as you entered the arena. It wasn't that the
Sfears couldn't be destroyed, if you had enough money to buy a
particle-beam weapon, it was
actually relatively easy to knock them out. But you had to have
experience to get close enough to them and there in lay the problem.
In fact,
use of PBW's had caused problems during the first games. Bored rich
kids joined the games and tagged Sfear after Sfear with their state
of the art guns, causing a drop in viewer numbers. PBW's fire a high
energy beam of accelerated positrons that damages targets by causing
them to overheat. Once fired, the positrons have tremendous amounts
of kinetic energy that causes instantaneous and catastrophic
super-heating of virtually any target. So now, anyone with one is
searched and only allowed into the arena with a single shot. Not
surprisingly, the Federation's elite aren't so interested in playing
any more.
Xena was
sat against a wall near the novice. Ade had known her since he'd
begun playing. Well, he didn't actually 'know her' in the sense that
they were friends. Or that she was even aware he was alive. But,
he'd seen her around a lot. Xena was a pro, she'd been beautiful
once but a plasma round had gone through the side of her face,
leaving a perfectly round hole, that revealed how the bolt had fused
the remains of her teeth together. She'd been lucky to survive,
although Ade wasn't sure she'd agree with anyone that said so. Even
without her piercings, she was enough to give kids nightmares.
Her face
and arms were covered in jewellery. Her ears were full of rings,
while the rest of the visible adornments were barbells, the balls at
their ends catching the dim light every time she moved. Even if he
hadn't known who she was, the piercings were evidence that she'd been
playing for a long time. Every time a Player survived a game, they
had another piercing.
If a
beginner tried it, they wouldn't survive their first game. Not that
many did anyway. The more metal you had, the easier it was for the
Sfears to track you. Wearing jewellery was a way of giving them the
finger. It was like screaming “Here I am! What the fuck are you
going to do about it?” And the easy answer to that was, it was
going to kill you.
The other
Players he could see were the usual mix of levels. Nobody he really
knew, although he'd seen one or two of them around. He checked his
watch. An old wind up pocket watch. It was an antique that his
father had given him. It had been in his family for generations and
Ade carried it as his good luck talisman. It had worked so far, he'd
never been hit and had four confirmed kills under his belt.
The watch
told him it was 5.51. It didn't really matter if it was am or pm
down here, but he knew that it was pm. Organised games always took
place during prime time viewing hours. This was big money now. The
triads had games seeded out all over the web and a successful Player
could win a lot of money. Ade didn't play for that though. Most
veterans didn't.
Being in
the darkness, knowing that death could come at any moment, was a kind
of ritual for him. A religious experience that he had every time he
went into the arena. You are never so focussed as when you are about
to die. None of the usual crap matters any more. Life comes right
down to a pinprick of time. That very second in which you are right
now, because if you aren't, you're dead.
Your
senses have to be 100%, your body is pumped so full of adrenaline
that you can feel every part of it buzzing. And your mind becomes
crystal clear. 'When I turn this corner, I might die.' It's the
moment when you realise that there is something beyond your normal
perceptions. You 'know' things, without possibly ever being able to
explain how in a rational way. It's what being alive is all about.
It's what sets Players apart from the sheep and their mundane
non-existences in the surface world of the Federation.
People
began moving. There was no need for instructions. The vets. already
knew what to do and everything had been explained to the new meat.
You have to move around as much tunnel as possible. If you go in a
group, you're more likely to get killed. Vets NEVER play in a group.
It is virtually committing suicide.
The object
is to make contact with the Sfears and tag one (destroy it) or die as
violently as possible. Most Players do the latter, usually within
the first hour of a game. The game starts when you enter the arena,
it ends in one of three ways: you can leave when you tag a Sfear, you
get killed, or you flee the arena. However, if you do number three,
you die anyway. It is made perfectly clear that if your performance
doesn't encourage viewer ratings, you will be hunted down and killed
in a very slow and painful way. And this is no idle threat.
The games
were originally organised by Chen Li Cheong's, White Lotus Triad.
The triad claims that it can trace it's origins back to the 1911
rebellion in China and this gives its members a whole lot of street
cred. It is connected with every imaginable crime and the only
reason that it hasn't been shut down, is because it controls so many
of the world's most powerful people. If Chen says you are going to
die, you are already dead.
Ade
checked his assault gun. He'd stolen it from a 'droid he'd killed.
He rebuked himself. He was getting as stupid as the sheep. You
can't kill an android, it isn't alive. The gun was light, matt black
and built from heavy duty acroplastic. The usual military spec but
with a 21A infrared scope on it. It was still hard to pick out a
Sfear in the tunnels but the scope gave him a slight edge.
The power
cell was fully charged. He clicked off the safety and heard a
reassuring burr as the weapon came online. It was only accurate up
to 50 feet, the same distance that a Sfear could detect him, but it
would still do the job. If he was lucky! He ran the palm of his
hand over his shaven head and walked off into the nearest tunnel.
The stench
reached him before he could actually see anything. It was really
common during the games and got stronger as he stealthily continued
to inch along the tunnel. Ade turned a corner and his scope revealed
the smell's source. It was the new guy he'd seen in the sanctuary.
From the way the corpse was positioned, he'd been running away from
something. Down here, 'something' was a Sfear. He'd made a very
basic mistake, you can't run from a Sfear. Once they find you, you
can only shoot it out and hope you get lucky.
Their
speed and acceleration are heart stopping when you are face to face
with one. Quite literally. When they are patrolling, they glide
along at a couple of miles an hour and barely seem to move. But in
pursuit, they can hit forty mph plus. More than enough to catch a
fleeing target.
He reached
the stinking body, sure enough, there was a distinctive hole in its
back. He didn't have to check to know it went right through. It
took more than flesh and bones to stop a plasma bolt. By the looks
of it, the guy had soiled himself before he'd died. Ade didn't blame
him. He could still remember when he'd seen his first Sfear up close
and personal.
It wasn't
that they looked scary. They were just cold, emotionless, death.
There was no appeal, no reasoning with them, no surrender, no pity.
They made no sound. Even their weapons were silent. They had no
face, no eyes. There was just that metallic shimmer and a blue/white
flash when they killed you.
He'd read
the spec for them when he first started playing. They could 'see' in
any direction, above, behind, it didn't matter. Their communication
was almost telepathic, they didn't have to turn to face each other
like people usually did. There was nothing to show that they were
alive. There it was again! Active, not alive. Their brains were a
thousand times superior to that of a human, not that it took much to
outdo the average monkey from the world above. And the only way you
walked away from an encounter with one, was if the Gods of Fate were
on your side.
He stepped
past the dead newbie. Every sense was tingling, his world was
focussed through the sights of his gun. Just a green, static filled
mist. He could feel his heart beating, pumping the blood around
every part of his body. Giving him the familiar adrenaline rush.
This was what being alive was all about.
He entered
another section, it was an old service tunnel. The rusted remains of
long disused electrical cable trays hung like cobwebs from the
ceiling. He walked in for a few feet and squatted on the floor to
rest. The amount of metal was enough to make him difficult for a
Sfear to detect. He took a swig of water to ease his parched throat.
And froze.
A shimmer
against the darkness, was floating at the tunnel entrance. Was he so
sure that the rusted out metal would screen his presence? He had
been when there wasn't a Sfear less than twenty feet away. But what
about now? Ice cold sweat broke out on his forehead and he let it
run into his eyes. He didn't dare move to wipe it away.
His
pounding heart was hammering fit to burst now. And he slowed his
breathing in an attempt to calm it down before his opponent heard it.
Technically, he thought that was impossible, but he wasn't going to
take the chance. Motionless in the darkness, he waited for death to
find him.
The Sfear
moved off after what seemed like an eternity to him and he let his
body relax a little. Not too much though. This was going to be
number five! Hopefully anyway. He moved to the tunnel entrance and
could just make out the Sfear still gliding away from him. It was a
tricky shot because he was looking right out of the tunnel and he was
right handed. But if he didn't take it, he might not get another
chance and this was what it was all about after all.
He raised
his gun and slowly inched it around the corner, peering through the
sights into the darkness. He checked all around. Damn it! The
Sfear was gone. He checked again. No, nothing. He let out a silent
stream of expletives. Where the fuck had it gone? He couldn't see a
side tunnel from where he was and he hadn't given it long enough to
get out of sight.
Ade
checked again. Nothing. The Sfear was definitely gone. Keeping the
gun raised, he carefully eased his way out into the tunnel and began
silently moving after his prey. He reached the spot where it had
disappeared and paused to check around him again. The bolt entered
dead centre in the top of his head, exiting through his groin. He
never even knew that he died.
The Sfear
ran its usual scans to ascertain that the Player was dead. Then
silently glided out of the overhead ventilation shaft and continued
to search along the tunnel. There was no emotion, not even pleasure
that it had successfully done its job. There was only silent death
in the darkness.
The
scenario takes place on a 4'x4' table that contains a labyrinth of
tunnels. One player is in control of the security forces, the
other/s represent participants in the Game, as detailed in the above
story. If there are only two people playing, I suggest that the one
controlling the 'Players' is allowed at least three figures. If
there are more people, they should have one figure each, unless the
security player agrees otherwise.
There is only one entrance/exit to the tunnels and this is on the security force's table edge. You can use the random tunnel generator from the Fallen Angels rules, or take it in turns to place tunnel sections and rooms. If you choose the latter option, I suggest you include as many corners and rooms as possible, otherwise the security player will have an unfair advantage.
At
least two thirds of the tunnels should be dark, but feel free to have
some that are illuminated if you want. Darkness does not affect the
security forces, but humans will need night vision apparatus to be
able to see. Remember that this cannot be worn in areas that are
illuminated though!
All
ranged weapons require line of sight. Figures must be able to see
their targets to fire at them. This means that although a rifle may
have a range of 24”, if the figure can only see 6”, the range is
6” until they can see further than this.
The
'Players'
These deploy first, they cannot start within 18” of
the exit. Each figure must destroy at least one Sfear, androids do
not count. Any figure that leaves the tunnels without destroying a
Sfear is automatically killed.
Their objective is to kill as many Sfears as possible
and exit the tunnel system. The figure that has killed the most
Sfears and safely escaped the tunnels wins.
'Players'
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
May
add 1 point to 2 stats. EG you could give them an extra attack and a
R of 9
May
have up to 2 skills
Knife
May have a
Sub Machine Gun
(SMG)
range
18”, strength 3, may fire twice
or
a
Rifle
range
24”, strength 3 Fitted with infra-red sights
May have infra-red goggles
Infra-red Goggles/Sights
These allow figures to see
more clearly in the dark, although they don't turn darkness to light.
Figures may see 12+D6”
when it is dark.
Figures cannot wear Infra-red Goggles in bright light. If they do, they cannot see anything for D3 turns, even if they take the goggles off.
The
Security Forces
The
player controlling the security forces must deploy D3 Sfears at the
start of each of their turns. For every 3 Sfears deployed, they may
deploy 1 android.
The
objective for the security forces is to eliminate all of the gamers,
or to prevent them from leaving the tunnels if you have a limit of
how many turns your game lasts for.
Security forces may not remain stationary within 18”
of the exit. This is to prevent them blocking the way out. However,
they may remain stationary anywhere else in the tunnel system if you
so wish.
Sfears
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
12
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Forcefield
– armour save of 4+
Can fly over
figures and terrain under 6” high without any movement penalty
Can hover
Small target -1 SS
to fire at them in darkness. This penalty does not apply in
illuminated areas.
Plasma Gun
range – 24” strength – 3 -1 armour save
Androids
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Forcefield
– armour save of 4+
Plasma Rifle
range – 24” strength – 3 -1 armour save
All of the rules necessary for this scenario are available from www.1poundrules.website for £1 each
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