One Thousand and One Nights and One Night
a role-playing game campaign design ’zine
Royal Flush!
Here is the finale to the VAM
campaign. I hope that it’s been a good
one for you, as it has been very fun for
me to write. I got to mix together a
ton of ideas, from Mick Bradley’s
excellent setting, to some myths and
legends, including a few Arthurian
stories, all around an idea that came
from a one-shot game! This has been
a huge undertaking for me. I basically
wrote all this in about two weeks
time! And it’s been a first for me to
try writing six issues at once as well. Please
send me feedback and I’m sure that Mick would
like to hear feedback as well.
Quote of the Month
“It’s my narrative GURPS.”
―Judd, Sons of Kryos Podcast, GenCon 2007
Interviews #1, speaking of Prime Time
Adventures (Dog―eared Designs).
The 27 Lost Bicycles of Gondor
A Vegas After Midnight Campaign.
Act 5: Earth.
Basic Premise: The PCs deal with the Madness
in Vegas becoming more―so with the
appearance of a new foe (BLoRPGP
“Troublemakers”) then race to Death Valley for
the finale (“How Much for Just the Dingus?”).
Scene 1: The Red Knight
As the PCs step out of the Liberace Museum, it
seems that the town, which to this point was
eerily quiet and somewhat dead, explodes into
complete chaos. Vegas is in a panic because of
three things: First, the appearance of a new
danger, the Red Knight (ala the Red Knight
from Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King
(Columbia Pictures)). According to the
prophesy of the “Return of the True King of
Vegas,” the Red Knight is the King’s harbinger,
(continued on Second Column)
Content © Wooden Leg Named Smith Productions 2008
Website: 1001nightsand1night.110mb.com
Vol.: 2, Issue: 39, October 1, 2008
Scene 1: The Red Knight (cont.)
spelling doom to the unbeliever and joy to the
faithful. Second, the Pirates have returned to
Vegas. They believe that the appearance of the
Red Knight is the fulfillment of their prophesy
of the Red Iron Nights. They’ve taken over the
Treasure Island Casino and are starting to
wreak some havoc. Finally, the Presleybyterians
have locked themselves into the Hilton and
have not come out. A major faction like that,
completely cutting itself off from the rest of
Vegas, has a lot of people worried. The former
Presleybyterian ambassador, Lucas, shorn bald
like a sheep, in a simple robe and cast-out of
Elvis’ empire, is now walking up and down the
South Strip with a placard that says “The End is
Ni!,” crying out to all that the “True King of
Vegas is coming to destroy us all for our sins!”
At this point, the GM has to decide how he
wants the Red Knight to play out. Is the Red
Knight simply mass hysteria (someone saw
something that they think was the Red Knight
and the public panicked), or is it the result of
Psychics creating the image of a Knight wan-
dering the streets
of Vegas or are
some opportunists
(for example, the
Furors) taking the
time to grab some
stuff in the (be-
lieved by many)
“End Times?” Fig-
ure that one out for
yourself and run
with it. However,
how that effects the
PCs should be pro-
found enough that
they’ll have to do something about it, either be-
cause the Red Knight stands in their way to
Death Valley or the mobs inspired by this situa-
tion do. Throw in a few prophesies that state
the PCs (i.e. searchers for the “27 Lost Bicycles
of Gondor”) are the harbingers of Death or
some such and have fun with it.
(continued on Page 2, First Column)
published in association with the Corvis Babbage Cliological Society
’zine art is either open source or through fair use of copyrighted works
One Thousand and One Nights and One Night
a role-playing game campaign design ’zine Vol.: 2, Issue: 39, October 1, 2008
Scene 2: Liberace's Lost Tomb
When the PCs manage to get out of Vegas, the
trip to Death Valley should be a race, between
them and whoever is their major competition
(which could be a surprise to them at this point
as well). A single battle on the road will be good
enough to separate the men from the boys and
I’d play it deadly enough to have a TPK for the
PCs if they don’t work together. After all, a
fabulous treasure awaits those who make it to
the tomb!
Death Valley Days
Death Valley has the distinction of being the
deepest, hottest and most dangerous place to
survive in the United States. That really didn’t
change much after Midnight. The summer
temperature can reach over 130 degrees F and
can go below freezing in the wintertime. Nights
offer no relief in the summertime, as the high
mountains trap the heat in during the day and
the temperatures can reach nearly 100 degrees
F. At the truly low altitudes in the valley, the
temperature reach their highest levels. The few
remaining roads are narrow and wind around
the valley, preventing high speed driving (that
probably won’t be a problem for the PCs, unless
they’re in the midst of a running car battle).
A lot of Death Valley is gone, wherever the rest
of the world went. But the Devil’s Golf Course is
still there. It is a large salt flat, where
supposedly “only the devil could play golf” on it.
Bare and desolate, the PCs shouldn’t have too
much trouble figuring out where the Tomb is
located. After all, it’s probably like somewhere
near the 19th hole (do any of the PCs have the
Golf skill?) Actually, the Tomb is fronted by a
small dome, partially covered with salty sand. A
simple iron door, easily opened, seals the
outside from the elements.
Disturbing the Pharaoh
The key with the Tomb is to treat it like an
Egyptian Pharaoh’s tomb. It’s got a direct way
to the central chamber, but with traps, tricks
and hidden meanings. Along the walls of the
(continued on Second Column)
Content © Wooden Leg Named Smith Productions 2008
Website: 1001nightsand1night.110mb.com
Page 2
Disturbing the Pharaoh (cont.)
Tomb are actual Egyptian―style hieroglyphics,
depicting the life and rebirth of Liberace, how
his coming will be heralded by the Red Knight,
how he will re―enter Vegas and change the
course of the city’s future, even pictographs of
each of the PCs is present, showing their story
from birth to this point! If that doesn’t freak out
a few of them, I don’t know what will.
The Tomb has some deadly traps through
several rooms and corridors. Eventually, the
PCs should make it into the faux central
chamber. In this room, there are 27 richly
appointed bicycles. Each is worth a fortune in
Vegas simply from the artwork, the precious
materials and the history they describe. They
are just the window dressing, meant to fool the
rubes. The real tomb is behind a hidden door.
Inside is Liberace’s treasure, but not the main
treasure vault. In a glass coffin lies the Madame
Tussaud’s wax figure of Liberace (missing since
Midnight). In his hand is a shiny, glowing
power module to power the vault door and four
Bicycle cards (the true “Lost Bicycles of
Gondor”) with computer punches in them: a
Jack of Clubs, an Ace of Spades, a Queen of
Hearts and a Six of Diamonds. On the wall is an
inscription above the vault “A True Son of
Vegas Can Gain Entrance To The Treasures
Here. Careful, Lest Ye Release the Beast!” 21 is
the key, which ever cards they use to make 21,
that’s OK. Remember, good clues are the Black
Jack and images around the room that mix 21
and 27 (since they look pretty close) that an
observant PC will see. If they put in 27, then
something bad happens! What sort of Beast
would be there to guard Liberace’s rest?
What's Behind Door #1?
The giant Vault Doors swing wide and a golden
glow envelopes the PCs. And the treasure is ...
up to you. Personally, I’d end the game right
there. Was the treasure glorious? Was Liberace
reborn and did He step forth to claim Vegas?
Did it change the face of the Madness for good
or for ill? Each player (and the GM) will have to
answer those questions for themselves.
published in association with the Corvis Babbage Cliological Society
’zine art is either open source or through fair use of copyrighted works