STALKER7

An Incident for When Nightmares Come – Part Three

• This scenario is written for Osprey’s tabletop wargame, “When Nightmares Come.” However, it has been modified to a more narrative, RPG-style adventure intended for a Game Master and a group of four players.

SCENE THREE: DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

8:13 a.m. Deacon Falls, Jefferson Public Library.

North Basement. Archive Section

Early the following morning. Bad coffee in paper cups, bialy crumbs, a half-eaten cruller, irritation and exhaustion lingering around the Fifth Street Nightwatch crew like cigarette smoke. Once again, they’re hunched in front of the microfiche viewer in a dim corner of the city library basement.

“Look for any stories under the byline of Anne Laurie,” Doc said. “Interviews. After the fire.”

Bunny slowly slid the new photo plate side to side with one hand and reached for the remains of the cruller with the other. “Don’t we want police or fire reports?”

“No. Devil’s in the details,” Imani said. “Obituaries have the victims’ names but interviews with families and friends will have clues about why the dead linger at the site.”

“And why they so pissed off,” Holly added. “Angry enough to kill.”

Bunny’s hand twitched, stopped. “Got one. ‘A Mother’s Sorrow’ Grieving widow recounts her daughter’s final hours. Part one of a three-part exclusive. Anne Laurie. Deacon Falls Evening Gazette. December 3, 1913.”

“This reporter, Anne Laurie. She the original Grief Vulture? Some kind of pioneer for Trauma Journalism?” Bunny asked.

“No,” Imani said. “Laurie was one of the first female journalists. Right up there with Nelli Bly.”

Holly shook her head. “Hmmm… maybe. Nellie Bly was controversial, sure. Anne Laurie just wrote about anything sad, sordid, or scandalous. Ad-fucking-nauseam. People ate it up. It sold papers for Hearst and made her career. But it was different. At least, I think so, anyway.”

Doc had been reading over Bunny’s shoulder. “Not that your take on history isn’t fascinating, Holly, but we have now problems to take care of, eh?”

Bunny cleared his throat. “The mother claimed Placket and Gore worked the children in 12-hour shifts with no breaks. By the end of the day, the kids were so exhausted, they could barely stand up. She would go in the afternoons to pass apples and honey through an open window to keep her daughter on her feet. Says she had to do that because the manager locked the doors during working hours. Wouldn’t let anyone in. That’s why so many people died in the fire; they couldn’t get out.”

Imani pursed her lips. “That would explain the lunch pail acting as a nexus last night. The mummified apples and the honey jar.”

“That’s horrible,” Doc said.

Holly shrugged. “That’s 1913. No annoying child labor laws to worry about.”

“Who was the jerk manager? The guy who locked the doors?” Imani asked.

“A ‘Cornelius B. Anderwort’.” Bunny replied. “Real charmer from the looks of him. Report says he died in the fire too.”

Bunny paused. “If I was a betting man, I’d wager Anderwort is the root of the problem. Twenty bucks says he’s still there, lingering and he’s what’s keeping the geists, the phantoms, the waifs at that location.”

Holly picked up her backpack and headed for the Archive exit. “That’s good enough for me. I say we go back and send this Anderwort to his eternal rewards – whatever they are – and shut down the Runscrable haunting for good.”

***

ENGAGEMENT: OLD MILL/RUNSCRABLE MEWS – TOP FLOOR

TABLE SET UP

The second floor of a large, old factory, a single layout with several large rooms, wide hallways, and open areas under a high ceiling. This is the top floor of the building. It is a mix of old and new construction marked by half-walls, partial openings, temporary and original structural pillars. There are three large rooms in the center of the game area/floor. These are part of the original structure. One of them is the old managing office.

The area is dotted with multiple piles of construction material and machinery. A faded banner reads Coming Soon: Runscrable Mews. Affordable Luxury. A smaller, equally faded sign next to it reads, “It has been 15 3 days since the last workplace accident.”

NARRATIVE SCENE CHALLENGES

In the previous missions, the team gained access to the construction site, cleared the ground floor and the basement. Now they must ascend to the top floor, locate the manager’s office, and defeat the Atrocity that is guarding root nexus in the building. Closing this final nexus will allow the tormented spirits haunting the old mill to move on to the next life.

The obvious narrative challenges are:

• Gaining access to the Deacon Falls Public Library Archives one last time and finding the last bits of vital information on the Mill’s history. (Critical Plot Point)
• The team must once again navigate the dark and clutter of the construction site/old building and get to the top floor without minor injury, delay, or separation.
• Determine which of the three center rooms on the top floor is definitely not the manager’s office. (Narrow three options down to two) This can be as simple as a process of elimination looking at blue prints or as complex as investigating old records and floor plans. For the purposes of this scenario, the original office is is where the final nexus will manifest once the appropriate POI have been cleared. (no need to roll for random appearance)
• The ongoing possibility that the Deacon Falls PD might still make a pass around the site, using the patrol car’s searchlight to check the premises for signs of intruders or an obvious disturbance.

SCENARIO SPECIAL NOTES

LURES – If the GM wishes, they may prompt the players toward the narrative detail of the apples & honey. Those two ingredients can be used to make Lures that will attract the Bitter Waifs for two full turns.

WEAK SPOTS – One area in each quadrant of the game area has a weak floor. (gaps, visibly charred, creaky, thin boards…) These spots are the size of a Small Blast Template. (3″ Diameter) Player characters can move through them at 1/2 speed but cannot (should not) end their move in one.

Hunters that do end their Move in a Weak Spot automatically take 1 Wound and lose their Free Move next activation. Dark Spawn are not affected. Roll DRIFT from the center of each quadrant to determine Weak Spot location. Mark center of each Weak Spot with a chit or token.

FINAL NEXUS – This mission’s Nexus will automatically appear in Anderwort’s original office. No need to roll random appearance. Anderwort – the Atrocity – wants to dominate the Mill forever and will guard this location with frantic hostility.

POINT OF INTEREST LOCATIONS

The top floor of the old mill has a windowed roof; multiple rows of grimy, pitted glass panes that allow more natural light. Although this incident is probably taking place at night, this is considered a regular encounter with normal-ish light. (full moon. glare from street lights, traffic, and signage. GM’s call.)

There is one POI in each quadrant of the game area.

• POI 1 Clue: Work bench with copy of blueprints that hint at which of the center rooms used to be the original office.
• POI 2 Clue: Report from Shift Foreman regarding weakened floor in certain areas. (Floor joists damaged in the fire.) Result: After this POI is cleared, Hunters can move through Weak Spots at normal speed. Wound and Loss of Free Move still applies if model ends movement in AOE.
• POI 3 Clue: Note from a carpenter asking about period items found behind a wall in one of the central rooms. This is a second clue regarding the original office location and the eventual appearance site of the final nexus. Both POI 1 and 3 must be cleared to identify exact room as office. GM may decide. Or flip a coin.
• POI 4 Clue: Wall safe in a section of original brick structure that contains evidence of Anderwort’s malfeasance, abuse, and embezzlement.

DARK SPAWN ADVERSARIES

Geists – Small, cruel adversaries drawn to distress and grief. Free Move + 1 D6 Action. Geists spawn Turn 1.

Move: 8″* Trait: Fast. (+2″ to Move. See *) Special: Soul Ache – Geists can only melee attack but when they hit, the target must roll against both Armor and Will. Failed DD = a Wound. Failed Will = reduce character’s Will stat by 1. If the Hunter’s Will reaches 0, they must roll on the Dread Table. (P. 31 WNC Rulebook, PDF)

Phantoms – Spectral enemies. Outraged and cruel. Free Move + 2 D8 Actions. Phantoms spawn Turns 2 – 4. These are the parents of the children who tragically perished in the Mill fire.

Move: 6″. Traits: Flight (Ignore terrain up to 3″ tall) Savage (Free melee attack 1st contact) Special: Wail for the Lost – Once per turn, one Dark Spawn Phantom can ‘spend’ their activation – their Free Move and both D8 action dice – to let out a bone-chilling shriek. All NW Hunters within 6″ must make a Terror roll. (see p. 31 WNC rulebook PDF) This special ability can only be attempted when there are at least 2 Hunter models in applicable range, and can only be performed once per turn by one phantom model.

Bitter Waifs – Small, pale-skinned children with black eyes. They wear threadbare clothes, have pinched, hungry faces, and their appearance is preceded by the faint sound of an eerie, sing-song nursery rhyme. Free Move + 3 D10 Actions. Spawn on Turns 5 – 6.

Move: 6″ Traits: Savage (Free melee attack 1st contact) – Repulsive (Hunters must make a Terror roll the first time they come within 6” and Line of Sight.) Dreadful – They invoke a deep sense of anxiety, instigating Dread rolls much sooner. Blows from this adversary count double against a Hunter’s Resolve. Special: Bitter Waifs all gang up on one Hunter at a time, hoping to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, and discourage any ranged attacks from other hunters for fear of hitting their comrade. Remember ‘Outnumbered’ penalty for Melee swarms.

ATROCITY – Cornelius B. Anderwort. Manager, Placket and Gore Garment Mill. A corpulent, arrogant man wearing a tailored suit and a cruel smile. See ‘rapacious’ in the dictionary.

Free Move + Action Dice Pool of 1D6, 1D8, and 1D10. Three Wounds corresponding to actions and action dice.

Spawns into the mission area on Turn 2. Automatically enters from the Portal farthest from the majority of the NW team. A bully, he prefers to attack lone Hunters to overpower/kill them individually.

Trait 1: Fast. Move = 8″ (2″ added to standard 6″)

Trait 2: Savage (Free melee attack 1st contact)

Atrocity Ability: Cursed Weapon (silver-head walking stick) On any Attack Roll that results in a Critical Success that Wounds the target, the weapon inflicts the Burn Condition. (the Defender must keep making Dodge Defend rolls at a -2 penalty until they either save or succumb to their injuries). In addition, on any blocked Hit, the defender must pass a Free roll on their highest die type (4+) or retreat 3” away from Atrocity. (Disengage/Free Hack rule applies).

Special: Threats and Recriminations – Once per turn, Anderwort may ‘spend’ his highest value action dice to force an already-activated Dark Spawn unit within 12″ to activate a second time.

NEXUS – A scorched, soot-covered bronze plaque on the brick wall in Anderwort’s former office. This bears Anderwort’s name, title, and the name of the mill.

***

AFTERMATH – Prime Nexus closed, the players feel the atmosphere in the old Mill change. The anguished spirits of the children and their parents find relief. They can move on, at last. The aura of heaviness and gloom dissipates. The air seems fresher, and the entire area is somehow brighter, like sunrise after a long, dark night.

The End. (for now)

***

Thank you for stopping by. You can purchase When Nightmares Come and two campaign supplements at Amazon and Wargame Vault.

Good hunting.