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Dead CI
 “Ev
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 "SINS"
Created By
Miquel Tankard
Rul es and Int rod uc t ion

Writing & Development Team Lead

Sam Sleney

Writing & Development by

Miquel Tankard russell Messer
Sam Sleney Gavin Jones

Illustrations By
Will Kirkby
Dead City is a complete adventure intended for Mature players only. Imagination is
a wonderful thing, but just remember not to let fantasy spill into real life.

For more Products and Information, join us on our website;

https://www.firstfallingleaf.co.uk/sins-rpg
or find us on Facebook or Twitter with @sinsrpg

Copyright © First Falling Leaf Limited 2017. Sins, Nemissary, Nemissaries, Brood, Hollow, Aerthir, Risen, Ravagers,
Metaforms, and Brood-Mothers are © First Falling Leaf Limited 2017. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without prior permission of First Falling Leaf Limited.

Welcome to Dead City, a 32-page introductory prequel Dice Pools

adventure to the post-apocalyptic roleplaying game, Sins.
This booklet and its contents are intended for mature At the heart of the system is the Dice Pool. These are used to
players aged 18 and up, and is designed to provide a overcome various challenges and are a way of representing the
complete 3 to 5 hour game session. characters’ attributes and skills. A dice pool is expressed as X/Y.
What this booklet is not, is an introduction to X stands for the number of dice in the dice pool, and this
roleplaying in general, and the content does assume a is equal to the Attribute used to form the pool, plus 1. Y is
basic familiarity with how games are run and played. the number needed for any given dice to score a success, and
is based on the character’s skill.
Things To Know
Sins is powered by the HOPE engine, which is a versa-
tile and robust game system. Due to size constraints, an
abridged version of the system is presented below.

The Basics
Below you will find the basic rules for running this adven- Also, you should note that dice which roll a 6 may be
ture with the exception of combat, which is covered a little rerolled to see if they generate an additional success.
later on in its own section. This can repeat so long as the dice continues to roll a 6.

2
 Each section of the adventure will list various challenges
the players may need to overcome, along with what combi-
nation of Attribute and Skill the character will need to use.
If you are asked to round a fraction, or take the average of
two attributes, always round up unless otherwise directed.
Difficulty and Complexity
Some challenges will be more difficult or complex than oth-
ers, and this might modify either the number of dice rolled,
or increase the number of successes needed.
Most actions have a difficulty of 1. This means that if any
dice comes up with a success, the character will succeed.
Harder tasks will have a difficulty noted at 2 or higher, and
characters must get at least that many successes to succeed.
For example, picking a car lock is a difficulty 2 task,
meaning that at least 2 of the dice from the character’s pool
must be successes for the action to succeed.
Other circumstantial factors can change how complicated
a given task is. These modifiers to a player’s dice pool are
expressed as either plus or minus, followed by a number
and the word Pool. For example, a lock pick grants +1 Pool
when attempting to pick a lock. Alternatively, in a heavy
rainstorm, characters might be at -1 Pool to all actions.
Consequences of Success
The booklet will state what happens when a character succeeds
at the task. This is normally very straightforward. If the player
needs to pick a lock and they succeed, the lock is opened.
Sometimes though, the number of successes will be impor-
tant, particularly when time is a factor, or in certain types
of action such as Searching. In these cases, what happens for
each success beyond the first, will be noted in the description.
Drama Points
To help the characters stay alive, they have access to a lim-
ited pool of Drama Points. These can be spent to increase
the odds of any given action in their favour.
When a character is about to undertake an action, they
can spend one of these drama points to make that action
a Dramatic Action. Dramatic Actions gain several benefits
over normal actions.
You gain 1 additional dice to your pool for that roll, and
in addition, you need 1 less on each dice to get a success.
For example, if you need 5+ on your skill to get a success,
spending a drama point would mean you only needed 4+
for that roll instead.
Health
Over the course of the adventure, characters can get hurt,
both as the result of combat, the environment, and fail-
ure at certain tasks. Each character and NPC have listed a
­Vitality Pool which is split into 3 sections representing how
wounded a character is.
The first vitality section is Light. This represents minor
injuries and flesh wounds that have no specific effects upon
the character.
The next is Wounded, which represents a character that
is suffering serious but not immediately dangerous injuries.
A character who has lost 1 or more Wounded health is at -1
pool to all actions attempted.
What do I need to know?
If you are picking up this booklet with the intention of
running this adventure, there are several things you should
probably do in preparation. First of all, you should famil-
iarise yourself with pages 1 to 5 as they provide a basic
Rul es and Int rod uc t ion
explanation of the game system involved, and give a very
brief overview of each encounter within the adventure.
Obviously it doesn’t hurt to have read the whole book-
let, but if you are pressed for time, the individual sections
could be played through without reading them first.
Beware however, as this is likely to significantly slow down
the pace of the game.
Necessary Equipment
To get going with this system, you will need a couple of
things in addition to this booklet. First of all, you will need
something to write with and some scrap paper. You may
also want to photocopy rather than remove the character
information from the back of this book.
Lastly, you will also need some 6-sided dice. 8 per player
should be plenty for this adventure. If you are running low
however, you can always share one pool, or in a pinch you
can use 10-sided dice, rerolling results of a 7 to a 0.
The HOPE Engine
Dead City, as a consequence of its length, uses an abridged
version of the HOPE Engine. The core dice rolling mechan-ics
are the same, but various elements such as Health and Drama
use different systems in the full engine.
Games Masters with access to SINS: The Roleplaying
Game core book are perfectly free to use the full rules to
play out this scenario. An additional add-on PDF will later
be available which includes the starting characters for this
adventure rebuilt using the full version of the rules, along
with amended stat-blocks for some of the enemies.
Just be aware that the time required to complete the
adventure will likely increase somewhat given that players
will have far more potential ways to interact with the
environment and this can add time and take the adventure in
unexpected directions.
Multiple Actions
A common question which may arise, is “Can my charac-
ter make multiple strikes against an opponent”. The answer
is that the rules assume that you are always making multi-
ple strikes against an opponent. In any real fight, dozens of
blows could be traded, even in a few seconds, almost all of
which can be defended against. Fighting is a struggle where
one combatant tries to overcome the other.
Ranged combat functions a little differently however,
and by default you are assumed to have taken a single
shot, but as noted you can fire multiple rounds, but this
should never be confused with making multiple attack rolls
against the same opponent.
It is worth knowing however, that the full HOPE engine
does include rules for attacking multiple targets at once
and for more complex use of automatic fire in combat.
3
 The last section is Mauled, which represents the character
having taken grievous injuries, which are potentially deadly.
A character who has lost 1 or more Mauled health has the
difficulty of all actions increased by 1, in addition to the
penalty above.
Rul es and Int rod uc t ion
Over the course of the adventure, players may regain
­Vitality and instances where this is appropriate will be noted
in the adventure.
Combat Rules
In most respects combat works just like any other sort of
action, and success and failure are determined in much the
same way. To keep things balanced and interesting however,
there are some additional elements to consider.
Combat Rounds
Combat is structured in a series of rounds, each of which
lasts between 3 and 6 seconds, depending on the needs of
the story. During a combat round, all characters and NPCs
involved get to take either an Action or a Reaction.
Initiative
During a combat round, characters act in a specific order
determined by using their Awareness action at the start of
combat. The character or NPC which rolled the most suc-
cesses acts first, with other characters acting in descending
order after this.
In the case of a tie, the character with the highest Aware-
ness Pool goes first. If this still results in a tie, roll a dice and
let chance determine.
The exception to these rules is if you become the target
of another character’s attack. You get to act out of sequence,
but must respond in some way to the character which
attacked you.
Tagging
In the HOPE engine, when you take an action in combat,
it normally forces another character to act out of sequence
as noted above. This is referred to as Tagging. When you
are Tagged by another character, your choice of response is
limited, to actions which can realistically be a response to
that attack.
For instance, if you attack someone with a knife, and are
already fairly close to that person, they could respond to
being Tagged by fleeing, or attacking you in turn, but they
could not choose to attack someone else as a response, as
that doesn’t involve the person doing the tagging.
A target can always choose to ignore the attack, but this
means their opponent’s attempt to hit them will be unopposed.
The advantage of this though is that the character is not then
forced to act out of sequence and gets their action as normal.
Movement in Combat
Movement in combat in the HOPE engine is pretty
abstract. Generally speaking, you can move anywhere you
want to in the area of engagement within the round, but
so can your opponents. In a couple of the scenarios it can
be important to know how far you can move however, and
this is covered as a form of Non-Combat action where it
is relevant.
4
Actions in Combat
Whether a character instigates or responds, the most basic
form of combat action is an Attack. This can take one of
two forms dependent upon the type of weapon the charac-
ter chooses to use. If they are fighting barehanded or with a
melee weapon, they use the Close Attack action. If they are
using a ranged weapon such as a gun, they use their Ranged
Attack action.
A character can also attempt to use the Evade action,
which forgoes their opportunity to attack in reply, but
provides them with a greater chance of avoiding harm that
round.
Close Attack
If your character uses a Close Attack, they roll
either Body/Fight, or Prowess/Melee, and they are
normally opposed by their opponent. If a character
succeeds in striking an opponent, they inflict a number
of damage equal to the average of their Body and Weapon
damage, plus 1 additional damage for each success they
beat their opponent by. If both attack rolls are equal, the
combat is a stalemate that round and nobody takes
damage.
In the unlikely event that your opponent chooses not
to, or cannot respond to your attack, the difficulty of the
Close Attack action is simply 1.
Ranged Attack
Ranged Attacks function in the same manner as a close
attack, but if the target does not use a ranged weapon as
a response to the attack, you gain 1 automatic success on
the roll. Conversely, if you are already in close combat and
attempt to use a ranged weapon, and your opponent does
not, they gain 1 automatic success instead.
Ranged weapons also have ammunition, noted in the spe-
cific weapon. These rules assume your character is firing a
single shot in the time period. You may however fire your
weapon more than once, and in this case, they get 1 bonus
dice per additional ammunition expended, to a maximum
of the gun’s Rate of Fire.
One additional advantage that ranged weapons possess is
that if you Tag an opponent with one, their responses are
limited. They can only respond with a Close Attack if they
are not themselves involved in close combat with another
character. They are always free to respond with a ranged
attack or an Evade however.
Also, if two opponents attack each other with a ranged
weapon and draw, both are assumed to strike each other
with 1 success.
Ranged weapons inflict a set damage based on the weapon
in question, and receive bonus damage from additional suc-
cesses just like in close combat.
Evade
When targeted by either a Close or Ranged attack, the char-
acter may roll Prowess/Athletics against their opponents
attack roll, and gets 1 automatic success on their result. In
the case of evading gunshots, the character does not get this
automatic success, but neither does the attacker gain any
special benefits either.
 Being Forced To Act
Because of how tagging works, it’s possible that a character
will be forced to act after they have already had an action.
For instance, a character might be tagged once at the begin-
ning of a round of combat, and then tagged again later in
that same round. In this instance, you still get to respond
with an action as normal, but doing so is difficult, and you
lose 1 success after your dice have been rolled, to a mini-
mum of 0 successes.
Running The Adventure
As noted above, you should preferably have a little bit of
roleplaying experience to run Dead City, but the adventure
itself isn’t particularly complicated, and running it is fairly
straightforward. The adventure is presented in a series of
individual scenarios which start with Scenario A, and end
with Scenario G, with the other sections, B through F, being
playable in any order.
Problems
It is inevitable when dealing with a roleplaying game that
players will from time to time do entirely unexpected things.
Each section in the adventure gives some advice on how to
deal with these types of situations, but if the players throw
a real curveball, the games master may need to improvise.
In the event of this happening, the simplest solution by far
is to have the characters attacked when they are in the open,
and try and use the encounter and the threat of being over-
whelmed to drive the players back onto the story paths. Try
not to be too heavy handed though, as Scenarios B to F are
very easy to slot in, and even if the players go off the rails com-
pletely, it should be fairly easy to slip them in to one of those
scenarios without needing to beat them with a Plot Stick.
Character Death
No matter how well you plan, and no matter how carefully
you structure the adventure, sometimes the dice just hate you.
Sometimes player characters die. This is a part and parcel
of roleplaying. In a structured adventure like this however it
can be quite problematic. The bottom line is, the adventure
isn’t set up to kill the players. It’s certainly meant to convey
the sensation of danger, but every truly lethal situation in
the adventure can be avoided,
Players however sometimes resolutely refuse to see the
best option. For instance, many players are particularly
prone to standing and fighting when retreat would be a bet-
ter option. When running this adventure, be mindful of this
problem, and try and use descriptions to help the players
avoid this pitfall.
A good way of dealing with all the above problems is to
have the infected kill notable NPCs. Whatever you do, don’t
do this flippantly. Save the death of a key NPC to illustrate
when the players are about to be overwhelmed, and use the
presence of other NPCs to try and convince the players of a
course of action which won’t result in their deaths.
If a player persists in being reckless however, it’s sometimes
best to just let the character die. After all, the adventure end-
ing with the entire party eaten alive by infected is ironically
very fitting to the genre, and may possibly be just as enter-
taining a finale as the one we’ve written.
Running the Infected
In the course of the adventure, the players will encounter
numerous Infected. What we need to make clear is that
these are not “zombies”; neither are they really “infected”
in the traditional sense – rather, they are the result of the
Rul es and Int rod uc t ion
rebirth of otherwise deceased individuals.
When describing the Infected in game, they should be
portrayed as feral, but not stupid. They retain some human
reasoning capacity, and are capable of opening doors,
climbing, and avoiding obvious traps. More complex
reasoning like using guns or operating a car, is however
completely beyond them.
Later in the adventure, the characters will also encounter
the next step in a perverse chain of evolution, and these
various Infected – or Broodspawn, from the perspective of
Sins – possess a more varied reasoning capacity. Although
still not capable of operating machinery, these creatures are
perfectly capable of thinking strategically, and are capable
of manipulating the lesser Infected which the players have
already encountered, into using quite complex strategies.
A Quick Overview Of Events
Just quickly, here’s an overview of how the adventure
unfolds. The adventure begins with Scenario A, where the
characters, all friends who know one another, meet up in a
bar to celebrate surviving what was meant to be a meteor
shower of apocalyptic proportions, but which turned out to
be little more than an impressive lightshow with minimal
damage, known as “The Black Rain”.
Things quickly heat up as rioting in the city centre grows
out of proportion and the characters are thrown straight
into the action as a cop car crashes into the bar, and the
characters meet their first Infected.
At this point the characters have several options, and the
game shifts to one of the intermediate scenarios B through
E, each representing different decisions the characters might
make.
In Scenario B, the players attempt to reach a safe place,
where they can ride out the chaos around them.
Some groups may want to assist the police in maintaining
order, and try and bring the situation under control, and
this decision is represented by Scenario C.
Sometimes it’s best to just run. If the players attempt this,
run Scenario D, where they will quickly find this solution
fraught with difficulties and ultimately the city under quar-
antine.
Finally, there are two scenarios which are designed to be
set between, or after, any of the above. These scenarios are
designed to allow you to be flexible with time. Scenario E
is fairly long, and provides a tense situation in which the
characters will be set upon by a large group of infected, and
are forced to engage in a panicked flight through the streets
and into a subway station.
Scenario F, is by far the shortest scenario and is useful
if you are running out of time, or want to extend the game
length slightly. The characters find out that a police barri-
cade against the rioting has been overrun by infected, and
National Guard reinforcements en route wrongly identify
the characters as infected/rioters and open fire, leading to
either a desperate escape, before leading the players directly
into Scenario G.
5
 Finally, in Scenario G, the group is rescued by personnel
from the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) and taken to a
shelter where they can wait out the night, and be evacuated
in the morning. Things don’t go smoothly however, and a
disturbing new evolution of the infected causes a fight for
Rul es and Int rod uc t ion
the characters’ lives. Ultimately though, the dawn comes,
and the CDC personnel along with the characters fight their
way to Times Square to await rescue, and the adventure
comes to its shocking conclusion.
Putting It All Together
Assuming you’ve read all of the above, we’re just going to
take a quick moment to run over how everything you have
just read works in context.
Making An Action Check
Borrowing from Scenario A, some of the characters want to
pick the lock on a police cruiser’s trunk to gain access to the
weapons inside. The scenario lists the ability check as Prow-
ess/Crafts, Difficulty 2.
Both Jessica and Lawrence decide they want to attempt
it. Lawrence’s player looks on their sheet and notes that they
have a Prowess pool of 5, and their skill is 4+, so they then
roll 5 dice, with each dice which scores a 4 or more resulting
in one success. The results come up as 5, 3, 3, 2, 1. This nets
the player 1 success, but it is not enough to pick the lock.
Jessica’s player also decides to have a go, but only has a
Pool of 4, and 6+ in Crafts. Realising her odds of success
are not so good, they decide to make the action dramatic,
meaning their action is now effectively 5/5+. The results are
an 6, 4, 4, 2, 1. This still isn’t enough to succeed, but the 6
is rolled up, which comes up as a 5, meaning she now has
enough to succeed and get the car trunk open.
Combat Example
In this example, two of the characters, Jack Bramhall and
Jessica Myers are facing off against one of the infected. First
of all, everyone involved in the combat rolls their Initiative,
which is Cunning/Perception.
Jack’s player scored 1 Success and Jessica’s player scored an
impressive 5 Successes, giving them an Initiative of 1 and 5
respectively. The GM rolls for the Infected, but they score no
Successes, meaning that Jessica is up first.
Jessica tags the infected and decides to use the Close Attack
action. Because the Infected has been Tagged, it takes its action
now, and has to respond to Jessica. The GM chooses to have the
Infected react with a Close Attack of its own against her, and
both the GM and Jessica’s player roll their actions.
Jessica’s player gets 1 Success. The GM rolls for the Infected,
scoring 2 Successes. The final Successes are compared, and the
Reading Enemy Stat-blocks
Throughout this adventure, there are various enemies the
characters may need to overcome. These NPCs don’t use a
full character sheet like the characters do.
These enemies have a stat-block which includes Actions,
which tells you the basic pools they will use in combat,
Damage, which tells you how much base damage the
enemy inflicts on a successful hit, and Vitality which func-
tions in the same way as the players’ Vitality.
6
Infected wins by 1. This means the infected manages to hit Jes-
sica, and inflicts a total of 3 damage (1 success, plus Infected’s
base damage of 2).
Next up is Jack’s player, who also decides to tag the
Infected. Just like before the Infected has to respond, and
does so with a Close Attack. Because it is being forced to act
again, however, it is at a disadvantage.
They each roll, with Jack’s player getting 2 successes,
and the infected getting 2 successes. Ordinarily this would
be a draw, but because the infected is being forced to act
again, it loses 1 success. This means that Jack manages to
beat it by 1 success. He has a baseball bat, which counts as
an Large Improvised Weapon has Damage 2, which is aver-
aged against his Body of 5, giving a final damage of 4. This
means he does a total of 4 damage to the Infected.Next up
would be the infected, but since it has already acted, the
round is complete, and next round would start with Jessica
once again, and the combat would continue until either the
infected, or the characters are killed.
Timeline of Events
Just so everything’s clear just before we move onto the
adventure, here’s a rough timeline of what occurs during
the day and into the evening.
11:20am – Protest begins in Central Park over the govern-
ment’s handling of the Black Rain crisis.
1:23pm – The police respond to an unusual incident in
one of the city morgues, which involves an individual
mauling to death several morgue attendants.
2:43pm – Protests at Central Park turn ugly, riot police are
called in, but are placed on standby as no serious violence
has yet occurred.
3:02pm – The bulk of the police forces are called to one of
the city’s primary hospitals to deal with what they are told
is an extremely violent gang looting the hospital.
3:32pm – An infected loose on the streets attacks several of
the protesters at Central Park, the situation quickly degen-
erates.
3:40pm – The characters arrive at the bar.
3:45pm – A protester in the crowd opens fire on one of the
infected, and shoots a police officer in the exchange. The
police open fire on the crowd in response.
4:10pm – The police lose contact with the hospital, and
most of the units stationed in Central Park. Unsure of what
to do, they begin pulling back assets in the confusion.
4:31pm – The CDC declares the city under quarantine,
and mobilises units to secure the bridges into the city.
4:45pm – Radio stations in the city receive word that the
President has declared a renewed state of emergency, and
that an immediate curfew is in effect.
5:06pm – The game begins.
“So how come we didn’t hear about this??”
Frankly, that’s a good question. Practically, the characters
should have heard about the quarantine at least on the TV
at the bar. In fact, they should certainly have realised the
chaos which was engulfing the city. The answers, we assure
you, are coming.
All will be explained in Scenario G.
 Name Jack Bramhall
Player

attri bute s
Body Conv i ction Cunni ng Passion Re ason Prowess
Rati ng:

Fate
Drama Points

Ski lls Appearance: Jack Bramhall

is a mountain of a man; broad
Name Rati ng shouldered and impressive, but
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ not overly attractive. He wears
Athletics
loose fitting clothing, with a
Natural

Authority
heavy emphasis on sports brand-
Logic
ing, and has a particular love for
Panache
an old, faded denim baseball
Perception
cap, which hides his receding
Resolve
hairline.
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
Roleplaying: Jack is a gentle
Crafts
Keening giant. He’s not especially intel-
Learnt

Knowledge
ligent, but he has a genuinely
Medicine
good nature. He doesn’t enjoy
Stealth
hurting people, but is perfectly
Survival
willing to end a fight someone
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
else starts. He’s fiercely loyal
Archery
and a good friend, and relies
Combat

Fight very much on the judgements of

Marksmanship those close to him.
Melee Starting Drama: 3

Skill Jack Bramhall

Target NO.
on the Dice
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ Ex-Football Player
Jack comes from out of the city, and was born into an upper-middleclass
family in New England. He was always a precocious and athletic child, and
Vitality did well in school, but was also something of a bully. His mother divorced,
and this brought an improvement to his home life, banishing his abusive
Light Vitality Points father.
The two of them moved to the city where he started school anew, and
Base current
quickly became a close friend of Lawrence Farrow, and the two of them
4 becoming quite a pair; Lawrence providing the wits, and Jack the brawn.
He pursued and achieved an athletics scholarship, but never went far in
college, and his failing grades led him to a friendship with Jessica. He tried
Wounded Vitality Points
out for the police force, but was ultimately rejected, settling for a job as an
Base current inner city firefighter.
5 The Group: Jack, in many ways, is the cornerstone of the friendship
which binds everyone. He knows each of the characters, but has a particu-
larly deep friendship with Lawrence and Jessica, and often plays peacemaker
Mauled Vitality Points between the two.
Base current Notes:
3

Permission is given to copy this page for personal use.

 Name Lawrence Farrow
Player

attri bute s
Body Convi ction Cunni ng Passion Re ason Prowess
Rati ng:

Fate
Drama Points

Ski lls Appearance: Lawrence is short

for a young man, handsome in a
Name Rati ng cute, roguish sort of way, with dis-
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ tinctive blue eyes and dyed black
Athletics
hair. He dresses in loose and casual
Natural

Authority
clothing, and always seems to have
Logic
an air of fun about him.
Panache
Perception
Roleplaying: Lawrence is
friendly and talkative, but also arro-
Resolve
gant and short-sighted in his goals.
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
He’s generally a good natured per-
Crafts
Keening son, but doesn’t really care about
Learnt

Knowledge
the law. He tends to attract friends
Medicine
because of his demeanour and his
Stealth
ability to be the life of the party,
Survival
but events earlier in his life have
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
made it difficult for him to form
Archery
any deep relationships, and this has
Combat

Fight earned him something of a reputa-

Marksmanship tion.
Melee Starting Drama: 4

Skill Lawrence Farrow

Target NO.
on the Dice
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ Roguish Bartender
Lawrence has always been spoilt. The second child of his family, and his
parents only child by blood, he’s lead something of a charmed life. Learning
Vitality from a young age to use his cheeky and handsome demeanour to get what
he wants, he’s found himself being drawn slowly into a dangerous spiral.
Light Vitality Points Despite the warnings of his half-brother, Lawrence has gotten himself
involved with crime more than once in his life, and has only escaped by the
Base current
narrowest of margins.
2 The Group: Lawrence is friends with everyone, but has a closest connec-
tion with Jack Bramhall, who served as a close friend and protector of his all
the way through high school, helping him avoid much of the bullying that
Wounded Vitality Points
his slight build would have normally attracted. Regarding the others, he gets
Base current along well with everyone, but tends to find his half-brother a spoilsport.
2 Notes:

Mauled Vitality Points

Base current
2

Permission is given to copy this page for personal use.

 Name Thomas Farrow
Player

attri bute s
Body Conv i ction Cunni ng Passion Re ason Prowess
Rati ng:

Fate
Drama Points

Ski lls Appearance: Thomas is a

ruggedly handsome, power-
Name Rati ng fully built individual, usually
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ dressing in a simple and
Athletics
efficient manner, favouring
Natural

Authority
jeans and t-shirts, and rug-
Logic
ged boots when off-duty.
Panache
Perception
Roleplaying: Thomas is
dedicated, honest and a little
Resolve
severe. He has little patience
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
for tricks or shenanigans, but
Crafts
Keening enjoys good honest competi-
Learnt

Knowledge
tion, such as football, darts
Medicine
and so on. He had a hard
Stealth
time with the rioting centred
Survival
around the Black Rain, and
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
is honestly just glad it’s all
Archery
over.
Combat

Fight Starting Drama: 3

Marksmanship
Melee

Skill Thomas Farrow

Target NO.
on the Dice
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ Junior Police Officer
A hard man, Thomas has never had an easy life. Given up for adoption at an
early age he was shifted through multiple foster homes, until he eventually
Vitality found himself in the hands of a caring, if poor family. Always struggling,
and always feeling at odds with his half-brother, Thomas made a name for
Light Vitality Points himself, and an honest one at that, and in the end felt the police force was
his calling. Two years of dedicated service had put him well in line for a
Base current promotion and the future looked good for him.
4 The Group: Thomas has a deep friendship with Catherine Yale, as he
was one of the officers around when she was informed of her parents’
death, and a quick conversation then has evolved into something of a
Wounded Vitality Points
brother-sister relationship. For the most part he tolerates his half-brother
Base current Thomas, but has a deep seated disdain for his brother’s lack of discipline.
4 Notes:

Mauled Vitality Points

Base current
3

Permission is given to copy this page for personal use.

 Name Jessica Myers
Player

attri bute s
Body Convi ction Cunni ng Passion Re ason Prowess
Rati ng:

Fate
Drama Points

Ski lls Appearance: Jessica is a

stunningly attractive young
Name Rati ng woman, with dark skin and
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ an impressive physique. She
Athletics
deliberately tries to play down
Natural

Authority
these features however, wear-
Logic
ing glasses and keeping her
Panache
hair short, attempting to
Perception
make herself seem more pro-
Resolve
fessional.
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
Roleplaying: Jessica hates
Crafts
Keening criminals with a passion, and
Learnt

Knowledge
still despises herself for her
Medicine
early life. Part of why she
Stealth
dresses the way she does is that
Survival
she considers her stunning
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
appearance a curse, and hates
Archery
the idea that she’s judged so
Combat

Fight often purely on looks.

Marksmanship Starting Drama: 4
Melee

Skill Jessica Myers

Target NO.
on the Dice
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ Athletic Designer
A girl certainly not born to privilege, Jessica has always been a hard worker,
and grew up in some of the worst areas in the city. Her single mother was
Vitality forced to move constantly to keep out of the reach of debt collectors, and
worse, and Jessica had a troubled early life. She took to crime in her teenage
Light Vitality Points years, and fell in with the worst group of people.
The death of a friend, though brought her sharply out of the cycle she
Base current
was stuck in. She tried to mend her ways and reconcile with her mother,
4 but in the end resolved to go it alone. It was only the patient friendship of
an old school friend which saw her through, and she’s currently taking night
classes and working towards the idea of becoming a graphic designer, finally
Wounded Vitality Points
putting the past behind her. She pays for this by working in the bar where
Base current the game begins.
4 The Group: Jessica has a deep friendship with with Jack Bramhall, due to
Jack’s support when she was trying to extradite herself from her old life, and
partially because of this also maintains an uneasy friendship with Lawrence,
Mauled Vitality Points simply because she knows that Jack and he are close. Being at odds with
Base current work partners makes life complicated anyway.
3 Notes:

Permission is given to copy this page for personal use.

 Name Catherine Yale
Player

attri bute s
Body Conv i ction Cunni ng Passion Re ason Prowess
Rati ng:

Fate
Drama Points

Ski lls Appearance: Catherine is a

striking young woman of mixed
Name Rati ng American and Bangladeshi
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ heritage. She has dark hair and
Athletics
eyes, and wears her hair short,
Natural

Authority
preferring comfortable, practical
Logic
clothes for her busy schedule.
Panache
Perception
Roleplaying: Catherine is
proud of her achievements and
Resolve
hard-working. She takes little
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
for granted and tries to judge
Crafts
Keening
others on their actions rather
Learnt

Knowledge
than making snap judgements.
Medicine
She makes a particular exception
Stealth
towards bigotry however, and
Survival
will respond sternly to any
injustice or slight upon her
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+
Archery
background.
Combat

Fight Starting Drama: 4

Marksmanship
Melee

Skill Catherine Yale

Target NO.
on the Dice
6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ Medical Specialist
Catherine Yale moved to the city as a young girl with her parents, and soon
found her niche in the world. Confident and attractive, but never vain, she
Vitality was well liked by her friends and found her calling in medicine, and had a
promising career ahead of her.
Light Vitality Points The death of her father and mother in a plane crash some five years ago
shattered many of Catherine’s hopes and dreams, but through perseverance
Base current
she has managed to scrape together enough to pay for her own way through
3 medical school, aiming for a particular speciality in oncology (dealing with
tumors).
The Group: Catherine has known most of the group for some time, and
Wounded Vitality Points
is closest to Thomas Farrow, who helped to council her after the death of her
Base current parents, and became a life-long friend.
2 Notes:

Mauled Vitality Points

Base current
3

Permission is given to copy this page for personal use.

 Scenario A
This story begins a little time from now, and in a world
which in almost every way resembles our own. It opens in
New York City, after one of the greatest panics ever to sweep
the globe.
“Several months ago, various governments across the globe
revealed that a great number of highly unusual meteors
S c ena rio A
were likely to impact with the world. Many believed that
these strange objects were in fact pieces of dark matter.
Regardless, the end result was the same; panic, riot-
ing and looting swept the globe. You, like everyone else,
feared for your lives, and waited with anxious hearts for the
world’s governments to find a solution. In the end, tech-
nology and innovation failed, and the shards began their
descent in what has become known as the Black Rain.
The apocalypse never materialised however. All the
chaos, all the attempts at survival, were irrelevant in the
end. The shards fell relatively harmlessly to earth, becom-
ing little more than a curiosity and an object of media
speculation.
It is in light of these events that you and your friends
have gathered at the Blue Phoenix bar in Manhattan, to
have a drink to celebrate surviving the End of the World.”
Give the players some time to get into character. Suggest
that they describe their characters, and encourage them to
describe what kind of conversations they’re entering into
and what they’re drinking. Whilst this going on, you might
want to cut in with a couple of small events and pieces of
information, such as the following;
◊ A news reporter on the TV cuts over the normal news to
report renewed instances of rioting in several cities along
the east coast. She’s about to conclude that the rioting
centres around the actions of the President when she
is abruptly cut off by the television being changed to a
sports channel.
◊ Have a waitress come over and offer the characters a drink
(This doesn’t convey any information but it does help set
the mood).
◊ Have a taxi driver come in off the street, having just fin-
ished his shift, complaining bitterly and loudly about yet
more chaos, further asking “can’t people just be happy the
world didn’t end?”
A barmaid, and friend of the characters, called Rose
Elwood, comes over to speak to the characters. She gives a
character of your choosing a shy sort of smile and proceeds
to ask if one or more of the characters could walk her home.
If pressed for further explanation, she’ll happily divulge any
of the following information;
◊ Her shift ends in about an hour.
◊ Her home is about a 20 minute walk away.
◊ The reason she wants company is because of the rioting
going on in town.
If for some reason this isn’t good enough for the players,
a social action with a difficulty of 1 can get her to reveal
that she has something of a crush on one of the characters,
and she was hoping to invite them over for a coffee. If this
information comes up however, she’ll drop her request and
12
Reading Text
In the adventure there are various blocks of text for you
to read, which are highlighted in grey and are set in quote
marks. These are intended for you to provide information
to your players. In general, it’s better to paraphrase these,
than to read them verbatim.
leave the characters alone unless pursued, since she’s quite
embarrassed.
Whether or not the characters take up her request, a lit-
tle time will pass, and the owner of the bar, Mr Symons,
will come over and ask if Lawrence and Jessica are willing
to work an extra shift tonight, due to the disturbances in
town, and on the same note he also offers to clear Jack’s tab
if he’s willing to stay and help keep patrons’ heads level for
the evening.
Before he can fully explain himself however, all hell breaks
loose. Each player should roll Cunning/Perception, Dif-
ficulty 1. If they succeed, they will react in time for what
comes next. If they don’t, they’re in for one hell of a shock.
From Bad...
Moments later, a police cruiser crashes through the front
window of the bar, ruining the front entrance, and hurl-
ing a police officer from the passenger seat through the
windscreen. Players who succeeded on the Awareness check
manage to dive out the way or otherwise take cover. Char-
acters who fail however take 1 damage due to flying shards
of glass and debris.
As the dust settles, it should be immediately apparent that
several people are injured, that the bar is an absolute mess,
and the players have several options.
If the players rush to the aid of the injured, they should
roll Reason/Medicine, Difficulty 1. Success will earn them
a great deal of good will from the patrons, and that should
be noted by the GM for later.
Some players might elect to wait where they are and see
what happens, or tend to the injuries of the group. If they
do this, roll a Medicine check as above and each success will
let them heal 1 damage on any player who stayed where
they are.
Some of the players might rush to help the occupants of
the car, and will find a horrific scene.
“The scene which greets you is horrific. A police officer
lies on the floor of the bar, covered in blood, his body pos-
sessing several deep lacerations, and from the looks of it
broken bones. At a glance, he appears quite dead.
The driver is in no better condition, and appears to have
what looks to have sustained horrific injuries to his face,
shoulders, and arms.”
At this point, ask all the players involved to roll
­ onviction/Resolve, Difficulty 2. If they succeed, they are
C
shaken by the situation, but they are otherwise fine. If they
fail however, the scene is simply too horrific for them to
approach and they will hang back for at least a few minutes
while they compose themselves. The characters who have
passed this check will likely now see the third occupant of
the car.
 “As you step through the mess left of the destroyed bar
front, you see the back seat of the police cruiser, and its
other occupant. In the back seat is a man handcuffed, and
his front quite literally covered in blood. His jaw seems to
be broken, and he has suffered repeated gunshots to the
torso and head.”
It’s obvious at this point that the occupants of the car
are beyond help. Various NPCs will cry for help, and Mr
Symons will try and calm everyone down. It’s at this point
that things go from bad to worse.
“Amongst the din and confusion, Mr Symons shouts for
people to calm themselves down, and that the ambulance
and the police have been notified. Just as the bar
seems to be settling down, your attention is drawn to the
officer who was thrown clear of the car. With a sickening
tearing sound, he begins to move, twitching and
convulsing on the floor.
A moment later, he lets out a sharp, almost distorted
cry of pain, and then rises to his feet, his arms still broken,
and his body still lacerated in multiple places. Despite his
injuries however, he is quite clearly breathing.”
Someone, either a player character or NPC, will approach
the officer to offer assistance.
“The officer ceases to twi tch and convulse, and turns to
face abruptly. You note immediately that his eyes seem dif-
ferent; his pupils seem to have grown to eclipse the rest
of his eyes, turning them like pools of inky black. It
reminds you on some primal level of a shark, and
every instinct screams of imminent danger.
Assuming a player approached the officer, skip straight to
“To Worse”. If no player does so, have a young man from
the crowd approach the officer instead.
“A heartbeat later, the officer shrieks and lunges forward,
tackling the young man and biting into his throat. The
young man falls, and the officer begins to strike him with
his fists, screaming, ripping and tearing in a frenzy. By the
time you get over the shock, the young man is clearly dead.
The officer stops, snapping his attention to you, hisses,
and readies to lunge again.
...To Worse
The crowd panics, and the room is filled with running,
screaming people. The officer, quite obviously no longer
entirely human, turns to face the group, and the players are
thrust into their first confrontation with one of the Infected.
The officer is not in the best shape after his accident, and
has the following traits;
The First Infected
Actions: (Initiative 3/5+) (Close Combat 4/5+)
Damage: (Close combat 2)
Vitality: 2/2/3
At this point, everyone needs to roll for Initiative. As the
GM, you should walk everybody through how the combat
system will function, before proceeding with the first action.
The players, for their part, have several options other than
simply attacking the Infected, but bear in mind that if the
Infected Tags them, they’ll have to respond to it.
◊ Characters could attempt to hide, by rolling Cunning/
Stealth, Difficulty 1. If they fail, they draw the Infected’s
attention. If they succeed, they are safe for the duration of
S c ena rio A
the combat.
◊ Characters can attempt to get a weapon from the police
car. Have them roll Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 2.
If they succeed, they find a Handgun (See page 30.) with
3 rounds remaining. If they get a total of 3 successes or
more, they find the car keys and can use them to unlock
the trunk of the car, as their next action.
◊ Characters can attempt to pry open or pick the lock of the
trunk of the police cruiser. Forcing the lock open requires
a roll of Body/Athletics, Difficulty 3. Alternatively, pick-
ing the lock is a roll of Prowess/Crafts, Difficulty 2. If the
character’s possess the keys to the trunk however, they can
simply open it without a skill check. Regardless of how
the trunk is opened, it contains a Shotgun and 12 shells
(see page 30.).
◊ Characters could also attempt to gather improvised weap-
ons, which requires a Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 1
roll. Success grants the character an Improvised Weapon
(see page 30.).
Each of these actions functions just like a normal combat
action, but doesn’t tag the Infected, nor is it an appropriate
response to being attacked by the Infected. The same is also
true of any combats which follow this one.
Once the infected runs out of vitality, it will collapse to
the ground in a bloody mess, and the characters will have a
little time to consider their next move. Most of the bar will
have fled or be hiding at this point, and the few people who
remain, including Rose and Mr Symons, will come over to
check if the characters are alright.
The players will not be lauded as heroes however. Whilst
it’s true the situation was horrific, it should still be noted
that the players have likely just beaten a cop to death. Mr
Symons should point out to the players that he’s perfectly
willing to stand as a witness to the fact that the players had
no choice but to do what they did, particularly if an NPC
was killed by the officer. Most of the bar will likewise offer
to vouch for the characters.
Rose on the other hand will begin freaking out about the
situation. The players have an opportunity if they like to roll
Passion/Panache, Difficulty 2, to calm Rose down. Otherwise,
Mr Symons will attempt to do so with little success. If Rose isn’t
calmed down, things will quickly get a little out of hand, as she
begins levelling accusations and generally panicking.
Another possibility open to the players is to examine the
officer’s body, or search the police car more thoroughly. A
Reason/Medicine, Difficulty 1 roll, aimed at either the
police officers or the prisoner’s body – but not any other
people who have died since that point – will reveal that
something is very, very wrong. Their muscles are particu-
larly distorted, and their eyes are now almost entirely orbs
of black. More disturbing still, the bodies are still bleeding,
albeit slowly.
13
 But I know what’s going to happen next!”
It’s entirely possible that Rose isn’t the only one freaking
out at this stage. It’s entirely possible, and probable, that
the players have jumped to the conclusion that they are
dealing with some kind of zombie. It’s possible that the
characters will begin levelling accusations at anybody who’s
been bitten or otherwise harmed by the Infected. It’s also
possible that the characters might immediately begin try-
ing to hack up or destroy the remaining bodies.
If they want to do this, you should point out to the
S c ena rio A
players that their characters are highly unlikely to react in
such an extreme manner. After all, despite what they’ve just
seen, there is no proof whatsoever that the cop was dead
when he got back up again. Frankly, he didn’t look all that
dead when he was trying to kill them either.
Regarding infection, the players should be flatly
reminded that they have nothing to base that assumption
on. The Infected they just encountered didn’t have a single
bite wound on them.
If the players absolutely insist on destroying the bod-
ies, let them begin to do so. It won’t change the adventure
whatsoever, but the players should probably lose a drama
point due to this self-inflicted horror.
The players accusing one another of being infected how-
ever, is a little more grave, and if logic fails, you should
probably point out to them that doing so will likely derail
the adventure. Keep an open mind though, because a lit-
tle bit of tension can be a good thing in an adventure like
this. Just don’t let things get out of hand before moving the
adventure on.
Searching the police car on the other hand requires a roll
of Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 1. 1 su ccess re veals all
the equipment noted above. 2 successes reveals an addi-
tional full clip for the handgun and a medical kit (See page
30.), along with several sets of handcuffs.
Assuming Rose has been calmed down, one of the patrons
will shout a warning as two people stained with blood and
the same black eyes as the police officer will climb in
through the smashed window of the bar. If the argument
with Rose is still going on, the first anybody will know
about this, is a second combat beginning.
If the players hear the warning, they have at least one
action to decide what to do. They can use this to either ready
weapons, get to cover, or flee. They shouldn’t have much real
world time to make a decision however.
Instead of one heavily wounded police officer, the charac-
ters are now facing two, much more formidable opponents.
A combat should begin just like before, and the players will
have to fight for their lives.
The two infected will have the following traits;
Infected
Actions: (Initiative 4/5+) (Close Combat 5/5+)
Damage: (Close combat 2)
Vitality: 3/3/3
If either the players look like they’re going to be killed, or
the combat’s gone on for more than two rounds, move on
to the next event.
14
Welcome to Hell
In the middle of the combat, the characters will begin to
hear other screams and sounds of combat. More infected
are entering the bar. You should make it quite apparent to
the players that they are about to be overwhelmed. To make
matters even worse, the bystander killed earlier has also
begun to get back up.
Further adding to the chaos is the fact that the fire escape
from the bar will not open, and once it becomes apparent
that more Infected are coming, Mr Symons locks himself in
the storeroom, closing that means of escape.
“Chaos surrounds you. All concept of order is failing.
Friend and Foe are becoming impossible to distinguish in
the massive push of bodies. Everywhere, you feel clawing
hands, screams of help mingling with the shrieks of the
infected. Just as the situation seems hopeless, you hear the
piercing ring of the fire alarm, and feel the spray of the
sprinklers.
For a desperate moment, you manage to free yourselves
from press of bodies. You see a youth by the fire door. He
beckons desperately to you, having opened the single vis-
ible means of escape.”
Assuming your players have a shred of common sense,
they will make a quick escape while the combat has been
interrupted. If you need to further reinforce the point, or
the players are particularly determined to fight on, describe
various NPCs they’ve met so far being torn apart and the
sheer horror of what is happening around them.
The hard truth is, that if the players stand and fight now,
they will ultimately fall. If however the players do choose to
fight on, and you don’t want to wipe out the whole party, let
them fight three or four infected before having the few sur-
vivors manage to secure the bar. At this point, describe to the
players that even more infected are coming from the street;
dozens, perhaps even hundreds. If this still doesn’t make the
characters seek escape, feel free to play through their final
moments, draw the fight out as long as you can, but ulti-
mately don’t let them walk away from this one. Fighting to
save lives might be commendable, but stubbornly holding
on to a lost cause is not.
Ray of Light
“As you make it out into the light of the street, the
youth waits for just a moment, then slams the fire door
shut. Almost immediately you hear the pounding of the
infected. He gives you a weak smile, and then begins to run
down the alleyway, away from the street.”
At this point, the simplest option available to the players
is to follow the youth, who seems to know where he’s going.
Their only other choice would be to try and climb a fire
escape or head out into the main street to face certain death
at the hands of the infected.
Whether the players run or attempt to climb a fire escape,
get them to roll Body/Athletics, Difficulty 1. If any of the
players fail, describe them running out of breath, and the
sounds of the infected hot on their heels, but don’t actually
have the characters be overrun at this point.
 If the players follow the youth, they will eventually lose
him in the maze of alleyways. After a few descriptions of
the players moving through alleyways or getting onto the
rooftops.
Empty Streets
The players are not safe yet. The players will likely offer
several suggestions of what they can do now, and what hap-
pens over the course of this adventure depends very much
on the decisions the players make.
It’s impossible to predict exactly what your players might
suggest, but to help them along there are several points
worth noting;
◊ Most of the characters’ apartments are fairly close by, and
could probably make good places to hold up until things
get back to normal.
◊ Cell-phones are not helpful, as the network is jammed
with calls, and the best the characters get is an automated
voicemail delivery system.
◊ All the characters know this area of town fairly well and
can find their way about without problems. Most would
also come to the conclusion that if they want to get any-
where in a hurry, going on foot is probably better than
attempting to get a car.
Most of the options the players might consider can prob-
ably be summed up in one of three decisions. First of all, if
the players decide to hold up somewhere, either in one of
their own apartments, or a nearby structure, move things on
to Scenario B.
On the other hand, it’s possible the players will want to
reach the authorities, to either help out with the imminent
disaster, or simply to seek protection with the police. In
either case, you should move on to Scenario C.
S c ena rio A
If the players don’t feel like holding up or making it to the
police, and just want to get the hell out of there, move on
to Scenario D.
It’s possible that the players might have thought of some-
thing which doesn’t fit well with any of the above. In this
case, let the players go on with whatever plan they might
have concocted, but stop them in their tracks with Scenario
E.
All being well, you just completed Scenario A, and the
players should be rewarded. If the players were particularly
heroic during this section, reward them each with a drama
point. Whether or not they were heroic though, each player
should regain 1 Vitality before moving on with the adven-
ture.
15
 Scenario B
So your players decided that holing up somewhere was the
best plan – In this case, this scenario covers what’s likely to
happen.
You should bear in mind that the scenario works on the
idea of a generic location. That is, when describing the
events which take place, this scenario will make only vague
references to layout and positioning. You should add what
S c ena rio B
description and details are appropriate to where the players
want to hold out.
Getting There
The first hurdle to cross is actually getting to a safe location.
If the players don’t have a distinct idea where they should go
to be safe, they can roll Reason/Perception, Difficulty 1, to
work out an appropriate nearby location. Some examples
include;
◊ Thomas Farrow has an apartment nearby which also
includes several guns which might be of use.
◊ Jessica Myers also has an apartment nearby, and whilst
there’s little in the way of equipment there, the building
has a concierge service and shutters on the ground floor.
◊ A nearby subway station and a little bit of lock-picking
would net them somewhere very secure, assuming of
course that nobody else had already jumped to this con-
clusion as well.
◊ Lawrence Farrow knows of an abandoned sub-basement
nearby used by local drug dealers, which should be empty
at present and would be particularly defensible.
It’s quite likely that at least one player will also suggest
heading to a police or fire-station, or somewhere similar.
It should be pointed out that all of the above options are
closer, and the nearest police station is in the direction of
the horde.
Once the players set off, one player, chosen by the group,
should roll Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 2, to get
where the players are going without incident. If they fail
this roll, the group walks into a dead-end alleyway, and are
confronted by a lone infected (See Scenario A). Once the
combat is resolved, they can make another attempt, this
time at Difficulty 1. Once someone succeeds on this Street-
wise test, they will arrive at their destination.
Regardless of whether this is one of the characters’ homes
or not, they will find their point of entry barred. This can
either be a roller shutter, locked doors, or some other obsta-
cle of your choosing. The players can take either a Body/
Athletics, Prowess/Crafts or Cunning/Perception action
at Difficulty 2 or 1, to overcome the obstacle, depending on
how clever the character’s ideas for entering are.
“The place is empty. Everything around you seems eerily
still and silent. A feeling of unease grips you, but after a
few moments of searching, you find that the area is indeed
secure, and although abandoned, it is ready to be made safe.”
The characters now have several options, and will have
time to do any two of the following, before the next event
happens. Don’t tell the characters this, though. Let them
each take one action, and then another, before moving on.
16
◊ Tend to wounds: A character can roll Reason/Medicine,
Difficulty 1, to heal a number of points of damage equal
to their successes. They may split this healing how they
choose amongst the group.
◊ Reinforce the shelter: Players can roll Body/­Athletics,
Difficulty 1, or Difficulty 2 if they chose Thomas’s
apartment. If any player succeeds, note it, as it will be
important later.
◊ Search the area for supplies: If the players are in Thom-
as’s apartment, they should automatically find a hunting
rifle with 12 rounds. Also, players partaking in the search
may roll Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 1. Each success
reveals any one of the following:
√ A medical kit
√ A 9mm pistol with one full clip
√ Two clips of ammunition for a 9mm pistol
√ A baseball bat
√ A hunting knife
√ An improvised weapon
√ One dose of painkillers
Whilst the characters are doing their actions, try to con-
vey the idea that time is moving along. If this is the second
scenario you are running, describe the beginnings of twi-
light. On the other hand, if this is the third scenario, you
might want to describe night setting in.
Once the characters have had both chances to act, one
of the players of your choosing receives a mysterious text
message.
“For the first time you begin to feel safe and secure. You
take a moment to piece together the nightmare which sur-
rounds you, and the odd silence that had overtaken the
apartment is dispelled with the sound of your cell-phone
ringing.
Not quite daring to hope for a message from friends or
family, you look at the phone, only to see a single cryptic
text message from an unrecognised number:
Time is against you.”
Doubtless, the text message brings some confusion. Its
sender is unrecognised, and attempts to use the cell-phone
to call out will be met with the same problems from earlier.
Give the characters a moment to discuss the strange mes-
sage, before moving on.
“You hear a piercing shriek. Somewhere nearby are
infected, and from the sounds of the panicked screaming
which follows, there are survivors as well.
Repeated gunshots ring out, and it’s obvious that some-
one is fighting for their lives close by.”
The players need to decide whether they want to attempt
to help the survivors, and there may very well be some dis-
cussion over it. If the players didn’t barricade the area, it’s
possible for one or more players to rush out immediately to
help. If the players did barricade the area, they will have to
take a moment to unsecure one of the entrances, but will
only lose a few seconds. If the players choose not to help,
skip the next section, describe the horrible screams of the
survivors outside dying, and move straight on to “Misery
Loves Company”.
 A Cry for Help
Assuming the players chose to help, they open the door to
a grisly scene. You should describe the following details to
the players.
◊ A young woman lies dead on the floor.
◊ A heavily wounded man is firing round after round into a
group of infected (If your players are relatively uninjured
and well supplied with equipment, make it 4 infected. If
not, make it 2).
◊ From what the characters can hear, more infected are com-
ing, drawn by the gunfire.
◊ If the players didn’t build a barricade, there will also be a
badly injured teenage girl near to the man. On the other
hand, if they had to take time to remove the barricade,
the girl will be lying dead and one of the infected will be
distracted, feasting upon her.
The characters don’t have much time to act. If they hold
the door, and call for the survivors, they will run for the
door and the players will have to face a desperate struggle to
close it again in time, before the infected overwhelm them.
Alternatively the players may choose to fight. If they do
so, run a combat with the Infected, but make sure the char-
acters are aware more are on their way.
If the characters slam the door shut, whether the NPCs
are inside or not, have two of the characters, but no more
than that, roll Body/Athletics, Difficulty 1. When they
accumulate a total number of successes equal to the number
of infected on the far side of the door, they manage to re-seal
it. Every time they attempt this test however, they suffer 1
damage.
When either the infected are dealt with, or the door is
secured, the survivors, if they have made it inside, will thank
the characters profusely for their rescue, and offer to help in
any way they can.
The man’s name is Tom Holmsworth, a banker who was
coming home late, and the girl, if she survived, is Pamela
Smith. The two of them will warn the group that more
infected are on their way.
The characters at this point may want to check the barri-
cades. They should be reasonably sure they should hold. The
infected might be numerous but they are still only human.
If the characters saved either the girl or the man, they
should be rewarded with a Drama point, and if one of the
players offers to roll Reason/Medicine, Difficulty 2, to stop
the girl’s bleeding, and succeeds, Tom will offer to hand over
his Revolver, and his 7 remaining rounds to the characters.
Misery Loves Company
S c ena rio B
“Outside, you can hear them moving – hisses and
scratches, bangs from time to time on the makeshift barri-
cades. Things are tense, but you are certain the barrier will
hold. Eventually the infected grow quiet, and an uneasy
calm settles.
Minutes later, the storm breaks once again. Outside, you
hear the sounds of a car coming to an abrupt stop, and a
crash. Gunfire and screams echo everywhere. The sound is
almost deafening. A moment passes, and you hear an awful
sound – a rushing and then a crack like thunder. The shel-
ter shakes, and worse still, you all begin to smell smoke.”
It should become obvious very quickly that a fire has
begun outside. Even if the characters chose a location
which is relatively fireproof, they should realise that if they
don’t move, the smoke will eventually kill them. Their only
chance to live is to flee in the confusion.
The characters have two primary options in this
regard. They can open the main door and attempt to
fight their way back out onto the street, or they can
attempt some more creative escape plan. If the players use
the front door, have them fight 3 infected, and if they
survive, describe them stumbling through the smoke out
into relative safety beyond.
Alternatively, let the players make any reasonable Action
checks which seem appropriate, and then let them escape
through whatever means seems most appropriate.
Now the characters are on the streets again, and are facing
the same hard choices they were before. Depending upon
what they choose, run with Scenarios C or D, or if they still
want to hold up, or are unsure what they should do, jump
in to Scenario E or F.
17
 Scenario C
Your players went for authority – Guess how well this will
turn out? Obviously the first challenge your players will face
is where to go specifically to get help. Which emergency
service the players try to reach isn’t especially relevant. As
noted before, the characters know the way to the nearest
major police or fire services, and this adventure assumes they
set off in that direction.
S c ena rio C
Barricade
“The city seems almost empty – eerie even. As you turn the
first corner, looking out onto a main street, you see no-one
– at least not at first. It soon becomes clear why, however,
and the sight ahead is something none of you were ever
prepared to see.
A scene of carnage is ahead of you. More than two dozen
bodies litter the street on the approach to what appears to
be a police checkpoint. Before you can cry out, gunshots
ricochet off the stone walls around you, before a distant
voice bellows ‘Hold fire!’.”
Obviously the characters have a chance to react here. If
they don’t immediately do so, they should be reminded that
the logical thing to do is lower their weapons, and shout a
greeting back to the barricade. Regardless of what the players
decide, their choices will suddenly become severely limited,
when more infected begin to arrive from behind them.
“One of the officers in the distance waves you forward, and
not a moment too soon, as you hear screams and howling
coming from behind.”
Now is the time to run. If the characters linger at all,
describe more than a dozen infected coming from behind
the players. Assuming they don’t settle on an amusing form
of suicide, have them each roll Body/Athletics, Difficulty 2.
If they succeed, they reach the barricade without incident. If
any of the players fail however, they will be grappled by one
of the infected, taking 3 damage before a lucky shot from
one of the police officers takes that infected down and they
manage to stumble behind the barricade. As they reach the
barricade, move on to the following;
“Welcoming arms reach out and grab you, pulling you
behind the line of cars and riot shields. The gunfire begins
in earnest now, and you see a police officer trying desper-
ately to keep you calm over the thunderous sound of a half
dozen submachine guns opening fire on the approaching
tide of infected.”
The officer’s name is Finn Mercer. You should run a brief
conversation with him as the gunfire begins to die down,
and he can relay any of the following pieces of information
to the characters;
◊ The infection seems to have no origin point. Any dead
body seems to just be getting back up again.
◊ As far as the police know, bites or scratches don’t seem
to spread the infection, but things haven’t been going on
long enough to be certain.
18
◊ The worst hit area seems to be Central Park, which was the
site of what police believe to be rioting in the early part
of the afternoon.
◊ The CDC has placed the city under quarantine, and have
given the police orders to gather as many survivors as
possible for emergency evacuation to begin at first light
tomorrow. From what the officer understands, the mili-
tary are going to attempt a break through into the city
tomorrow.
◊ Regarding what’s going on outside the city, the officer
essentially has no idea.
During this brief interlude, the characters can talk to
other police officers or a handful of other survivors if they
wish, but will only manage to find out information covered
above. If the characters had any NPCs with them when they
reached the barricade, they will begin to mingle with the
other survivors, and are essentially out of the players’ hands.
A few minutes will pass, and the officer will return to the
players, and tell them that in a little under 10 minutes,
rein-forcements are due, and at that point the characters,
along with the other survivors are going to be escorted to the
nearest police station to await the morning.
The wait should be a tense one, but don’t draw it out too
much, and give the players time to discuss events a little.
The players should also have an opportunity to roll Reason/
Medicine, Difficulty 1 du ring this time, and due to the
police’s willingness to offer support, a character should be able
to restore 2 vitality for every success on a Medicine action.
During this period, a character can also attempt to talk
the police into giving them equipment. They should roll Pas-
sion/Socialise, Difficulty 1. 1 success will net them a first aid
kit. 2 successes will also give them a police baton. 3 successes,
will add a handgun or 2 clips of 9mm pistol ammunition.
Finally, Some Wheels
Once time is up, the police begin to grow nervous, as rein-
forcements are late, but despite a general feeling of dread, a
pair of police cruisers and a SWAT van do round the corner
and come to a stop at the barricade.
Describe to the players the police quickly and efficiently
shifting over personnel and escorting the characters to the
SWAT van. Once inside, the van sets off and the characters
begin their ill-fated ride.
“The journey is a tense one, but for the first time tonight,
you seem to get a moment’s rest. A part of you expects the
worst, and it seems tonight at least, you are never disap-
pointed.
From outside, you hear a screeching sound, followed by
the sound of the SWAT van locking on its brakes, and you
realise, a fraction too late, that a crash is imminent.”
Have all the players roll Body/Athletics, Difficulty 1, and
have each player receive 4 minus their successes in damage
from the crash.
“Just as you manage to get your head back together, you
hear the sounds of claws and shrieks, and the back door
of the SWAT van is thrown open violently. One of the
infected grapples one of the survivors, and the young
woman is pulled out of the van, her screams echoing in
your ears.”
 The players are in for one hell of a fight. Outside the van
are 2 infected, and the players have little choice but to fight.
Assuming the characters survive, you should tell them that
the SWAT van has crashed into what appears to have been
an oncoming car. They can hear the sounds of gunfire and
shrieks in the distance.
It also becomes apparent that the other police cruiser has
also crashed, but not nearly so severely, and a dazed but oth-
erwise unharmed officer will get out of the car to head over
to the characters.
The characters don’t have very long to decide what to do
before the next event happens. Both drivers of the van will
have been killed in the crash, but a character who succeeds
at a Cunning/Perception check, Difficulty 2, can get their
hands on a fully loaded Submachine gun from one of the
drivers. For convenience’s sake, there should be no other
survivors in the van, having either been killed in the crash,
or during the battle.
After the characters have had a chance to make the check,
but before the officer reaches them, the officer is interrupted.
“The officer, staggering a little as he walks, calls out to
check if the characters are okay. At that moment though,
he turns, and lets out a cry of horror, and begins firing
madly up the street at something just out of sight.
It takes only moments for the horde to come into view.
The number of infected which now begins to spill into the
street seems impossible. Perhaps a hundred infected are
charging towards you.”
The officer begins to run for his life, and so should the
players. He calls for them to follow, and quite likely the
players will. If for some reason the players decide to go it
alone, proceed with the adventure as written anyway, ignor-
ing any references to the police officer.
Dead End
Either by following the officer, or dumb luck, the charac-
ters will make it into an alleyway leading off the main road.
They should manage to put a little distance between them-
selves and the infected, but you should describe the sounds
of unearthly screams and running feet behind them.
Scenario D
So your players decided it was time to get out of the city –
and thus we come to Scenario D. This scenario covers the
characters’ flight through the dying city, but ultimately ends
with the characters forced back into the nightmare after they
realise the city is under quarantine.
Highway to Hell
Given the state of panic now ensuing in the city, the players
should be reminded that it’s highly ill advised to attempt to
leave using a vehicle, so a journey by foot is by far the most
practical.
The players have two primary choices in this regard,
and you should make both quite clear to them before they
It’s round the next corner though that the players’ luck
turns. The police officer should start screaming out various
curses, as it becomes apparent that the way ahead is barred
by a locked gate. The players can attempt to deal with this
in one of two ways.
They can roll Body/Athletics, Difficulty 3, to break
through the gate, or Prowess/Crafts, Difficulty 2 to pick
the lock. If either roll succeeds, the characters get through
the gate and can move on. If neither succeeds, an infected
S c ena rio D
rounds the corner, and the players have one final chance to
succeed at picking or breaking the lock before they will be
forced to face a combat.
If a combat begins, 1 infected should arrive per round,
but the moment the characters manage to get past the lock,
give them the opportunity to retreat and bar the gate behind
them without any further fuss.
As the characters turn the next corner, they should realise
they’re about to come into the parking lot of the police sta-
tion.
“You round the corner, to see the police station in the near
distance. Hope changes swiftly to despair however, as you
realise the station is on fire. The officer takes a step back,
shaking his head in dismay, unsure of what to do, and at
that moment, something grips him. A sinuous, all too pale
arm, reaches out of the alleyway above. Dagger-like talons
sink into the flesh of his face and neck, and you catch a
glimpse of a face with a shark-like maw, and glossy black
pits for eyes.
It twitches and scuttles back up the wall, dragging the
half-dead, screaming officer with it. Caught between fear
and the certainty of death if you stay, all you can do is run.”
Congratulations, your players just survived Scenario C,
and it’s time to move on. If you want to keep the tension
high, Scenario E follows very well after this one. Alterna-
tively, if you want to step the action back a little, Scenarios
B is also quite appropriate. It’s also possible to link this sce-
nario to Scenario F, although this might be a little harsh
after what the players have just been through.
Regardless of what is chosen next, each player should be
rewarded with a drama point and 1 vitality back for surviv-
ing.
proceed. The players can choose to travel along the main
streets heading in as direct a line as possible towards one of
the bridges, or the tunnel. This carries a high likelihood of
encountering more infected however.
Alternatively, the players can attempt to travel off the
main streets, cutting through alleyways and generally being
stealthy. This is obviously far slower, but is a much safer
proposition.
“The city has come alive with activity. No matter where
you go now it seems panic is spreading. You see buildings
on fire, people screaming and running across streets, gun-
fire is ever in the distance, and as you take the first steps of
your journey, it seems that the dead must now outnumber
the living.”
19
 One of the characters needs to lead the way and try
and keep the group out of trouble. The leader should roll
­Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 3, if the characters chose
the direct route, or Difficulty 1 if they chose to use the side
streets.
If the players fail this first check, proceed with the
encounter below. If they succeed however, skip straight to
“A Nightmare on Main Street”.
S c ena rio D
“You catch your breath for a moment, screams still echoing
in the distance. You see the occasional survivor fleeing this
way and that, but you feel you are making good time. Your
journey comes to an end however, when ahead of you is
a frightened looking man with ragged clothes, holding a
police issue sub-machinegun.
He screams at you, ‘Drop your fucking guns!’ and raises
his weapon.”
The homeless man is quite mad with terror, and insists
on the characters putting down their weapons. The charac-
ters have two practical options. One of the characters can
attempt to talk the man down by rolling Passion/­Panache,
Difficulty 2. Alternatively, the characters can open fire
themselves and start a combat.
Homeless Man
Actions: (Initiative 3/5+) (Close Combat 4/5+) (Ranged
Combat 4/5+) (Evade 4/5+)
Damage: (SMG 4) (Close combat 2)
Vitality: 3/3/3
If the characters kill the individual, they can take the gun
from him. Alternatively, if they talk him down, he’ll realise
what he’s doing and will offer them the gun anyway as an
apology. In either case, the gun will be empty when he gives
it to them, and the homeless man will wander away if he’s
still alive. If the characters attempt to persuade him to stay
with them, he’ll make his excuses and leave, though he will
mention to the characters that he’s seen too many people
die, and he just wants to watch the end come now.
A Nightmare on Main Street
A little while into their journey, the characters will come
across a scene out of a nightmare. On one of the city’s main
streets, a desperate battle is taking place.
“Ahead of you, you see a scene straight out of a nightmare.
A crowd of hundreds is running all throughout the street,
pursued relentlessly by hundreds more of the infected.
If this wasn’t bad enough, gunshots are ringing out eve-
rywhere. A military blockade ahead is opening fire on
everything which moves towards them, infected and sur-
vivors alike.”
The characters will have no option other than to retreat
and try a different route, as moving out of cover will likely
draw the attention of dozens of infected, and even if they
manage to reach the barricade, they’ll just get gunned down
by the military.
“Round the next corner, a man appears, brandishing a
shotgun. For a moment it looks like he might fire, before
he lowers it and cries out ‘Wait! Don’t shoot!’.”
20
The man introduces himself as Rob Irving. He’s tall, dark
skinned, and your characters should be left with the impres-
sion they’ve met him before, though they don’t remember
him by name. He tells the characters that things are getting
bad in the inner city – that whatever these creatures are,
they’re spreading like wildfire.
Like the characters, he thinks that the best thing to do
is get out of the inner city via a bridge, and he has some
information which could be helpful to the players. A quick
conversation can get him to reveal any of the following;
◊ He has just come from a police barricade which was over-
run, and was actually part of one of the demonstrations
where the infection began.
◊ He was demonstrating in Central Park over the govern-
ment’s refusal to de-classify certain information about the
Black Rain, and their slow action over restoration of dam-
ages caused by the rioting and looting.
◊ As best he can tell, the infection began somewhere in the
crowd, and things very quickly got out of hand. Some
police got killed, then others opened fire in the panic, and
the people who died seemed to get straight back up again.
Apart from these gems of information, having just come
from a police blockade, Rob managed to note the location
of the other blockades, and thinks he’s worked out where the
largest concentrations of infected are. He’ll try to convince
the characters to let him go with them, and won’t divulge
what he knows unless the players offer to help.
If the players are determined not to take him, they can
either attempt to intimidate the information out of him
with Body/Authority, Difficulty 2, or Passion/Panache,
Difficulty 2.
If the players get the information from him this way, he’ll
leave them and plays no further part in this scenario. Just
ignore any references to him in the next section.
A Clear Road
Armed with this new information, the players can make
good progress. It seems that the information is sound, and
they will quickly begin to make their way through the city.
“It seems that the infected aren’t the only problem sweep-
ing the city. Even as you push towards the outskirts, others
seem determined to stay, looting and burning, caught up
in the chaos which surrounds them. You make good pro-
gress until you come to a serious obstacle.
Ahead of you, the road is blocked. A burning pile-up of
cars prevents you moving forward. Looking around for an
alternate route, one presents itself, but not before a group
of infected break from the cover of a nearby shop, and
screaming, begin to charge.”
The characters have no option other than to fight the three
infected. They stand between the characters and the only
easy means of escape. Retreat is a possibility, but if the play-
ers choose this route, you should cut straight to Scenario F.
If the characters run, Rob will actually stay and fight.
Assuming the characters fight, and are victorious, they
will have lost track of Rob during the fighting, and he’s
nowhere to be seen. Regardless, the characters are tantalis-
ingly close to their goal, and you should describe the sight
of the bridge in the distance.
 Rats in a Cage
The characters will arrive in short order at the means
of escape they were hoping for, but are about to be disap-
pointed.
“Ahead of you is chaos. Around the base of the bridge you
have reached are hundreds of people; a crowd growing ever
denser by the second. Ahead of them, you can see military
personnel silhouetted against floodlights, and someone
with a loudspeaker repeats warnings to stay back, or they
will open fire.”
Give the characters a few minutes to digest this informa-
tion, and make Reason/Medicine checks with a difficulty of
1, healing 1 damage per success, split amongst the charac-
ters, before moving on.
“As you wonder what to do, there is a crack from some-
where deeper in the crowd, and a curtain of flames envelops
a section of the crowd. Confusion reigns for a moment,
and torch lights flash in every direction as soldiers try to
ascertain what just happened. The crowd begins to scream
and run in every direction.”
Have the characters all make Cunning/Perception or Body/
Athletics checks, Difficulty 1, and suffer a number of points of
damage equal to 3 minus their successes, due to being crushed
or trampled by the crowd.
Scenario E
So you think it’s time for a little action – that’s what Sce-
nario E is all about. The players will spend the bulk of this
scenario running for their lives from the oncoming horde,
and will have to fight their way through a subway station,
and out onto the other side to escape and continue their
journey through the Dead City.
The Chase
This scenario begins after you have finished one of the core
scenarios. Give the players a chance to rest and take Medical
actions to heal their wounds, before moving on.
“Your brief respite is interrupted by a piercing shriek, as
one of the infected rounds a corner. Just as you ready your-
selves, you notice this one seems different somehow. Its
skin is pale, and its limbs seem just a bit too long. Its eyes
now resemble pools of glossy black, and as it snarls you
notice most of its teeth have fallen out, replaced by some-
thing akin to a shark’s maw.
You ready yourselves, expecting an attack, but the crea-
ture shifts its weight and jumps, grappling onto the edge of
a nearby building, and scuttling out of sight.”
Give the characters a moment to adjust their plans, and
keep in mind for further descriptions where the players are
hoping to go, then describe renewed shrieks and calls in the
distance.
“As the crowd parts, it soon becomes apparent what’s
happening. There are infected amongst the crowd, but
right now that isn’t the greatest threat. The fire it seems
originated from an individual now brandishing a second
Molotov cocktail. Before you can react, he hurls it into the
face of an oncoming infected, catching the creature full on,
but also scattering the flames all over a young man to the
infected’s left.
Seeing you, and still looking quite mad, he draws a pistol
and prepares to fire. Before he can do so, his chest explodes
S c ena rio E
in a shower of gore, as heavy machinegun fire begins rip-
ping through the remains of the crowd.”
Have the characters all make another Cunning/­
Perception or Body/Athletics check, difficulty 1. If they
fail, they take 4 damage from a stray gunshot. The characters
now have an opportunity to retreat, and you should impress
upon them that any attempt to get out of the city is now
likely to be met with lethal force.
And that’s that. The players survived Scenario D. If you
want the characters to be pursued by the growing num-
ber of infected, Scenario E works well. Alternatively, the
characters could try and rendezvous with one of the police
blockades, or seek shelter, leading into Scenarios B and C.
For surviving this scenario, each player should regain 1
vitality before moving on with the adventure.
“The screams draw closer, and worse still, something seems
different now. Far from being random, the sounds seem
to be converging on you. You can hear the horde growing
closer, and you are left with the distinct impression they
know where you are.”
Describe to the players several Infected emerging from a
street or alleyway behind them, and let the players choose
whether to flee or to fight. If they choose to fight, point out
to them that the Infected are 1 combat round away from
them, giving the players a round in which to fire weapons
while the Infected are incapable of responding.
After the players have had their free round, describe close
to a dozen Broodspawn following behind these, and another
group of six approaching from a different direction, which
will be here within a minute or so.
Hopefully at this point the players should flee. If they
don’t, the gloves are off. Feel free to overwhelm them, and
end the adventure here. In this instance, the numbers of
Infected are limitless, and anybody foolish enough to stand
and fight is doomed.
Assuming the players run, begin a chase sequence.
Describe the characters’ muscles aching, sweat pouring off
their bodies, and running out of breath, and have all the
characters make a Body/Athletics roll, Difficulty 1.
If the characters succeed on this initial roll, they make a
little distance from the horde. If any of them fail however,
they’ll still manage to escape, but not without some harm,
suffering 3 damage.
21
 The characters need to think quickly. They need a means
of escape, and there are three options available;
◊ The characters can attempt to dash into a nearby build-
ing, locking doors and shutters behind them. This is a
Body/Athletics roll, Difficulty 2.
◊ Alternatively they can attempt to dart back into the maze
of alleyways, hoping to lose the horde. This is a Cunning/
Perception roll, Difficulty 3
◊ Finally, the characters can attempt to hide. This is a
S c ena rio E
­Cunning/Stealth roll, Difficulty 1.
Again the players should be given an opportunity to suggest
these routes on their own, but each player should be given a
chance to try only one of the actions. In the unlikely event
that all the characters fail, have two infected catch up with
them, and run a quick combat before giving the characters
another chance at the rolls, continuing on when they succeed.
“For a little time, the plan works. You can still hear the
horde moving. You can still hear the shrieks, and they
remind you of hunting dogs now; all around and baying
for blood.”
Have the characters make a Cunning/Perception roll,
difficulty 2. If any of them succeed, continue onwards. If
not, skip straight to “Hopeless”.
“You notice it out of the corner of your eye; that same crea-
ture again, with those shark-like eyes staring back at you,
before it again moves out of sight. An odd silence follows,
and then you hear the sounds of the swarm and once again
you know they have found you.”
The characters are cornered, and you should run a combat
with 3 infected before the characters have an opportunity to
escape. Once the initial 3 infected are dealt with, the char-
acters can make a break for it. Their options are not looking
good however, and you should describe a panicked flight
throughout the city, where everywhere they turn there are
yet more infected bearing down on them.
You should try to convey the impression that the charac-
ters are being hunted. Just when things are looking grim,
give the characters a way out.
“In the desperate flight, you are finding it difficult to differ-
entiate the odd survivor from the horde closing in around
you. The sounds of screams and gunfire fill the night air,
and the infected seem to be coming from everywhere, clos-
ing off your escapes one by one.
Ahead though, you see one single route, where a small
group of infected are attempting to interpose themselves
between you and escape; a subway tunnel, with its gate still
open – a way out.”
The characters have precious little time. They might not
like the idea of going into a subway tunnel, but you should
point out to them that they have little or no choice, as the
Infected have already closed off every other exit.
Fighting the 3 Infected would be ill advised. Assuming
they win they would be overwhelmed by the rest of the
Horde. Instead, give the players the opportunity to simply
dart past, and into the subway station. Let the players roll
22
Body/Athletics, Difficulty 2. If they succeed, they make it
past with no damage. If they fail, they suffer 2 damage in the
scramble to get past the Infected.
Once in the subway, the players can attempt to close the
shutters with another Body/Athletics roll, difficulty 1. If
the characters fail this roll, have them manage to close the
shutters anyway, but have a lone Infected make it through,
which they now need to fight before they can continue.
“You’re safe for now, but the horde’s behaviour seems
strange. They come to the sealed gates, and wait for a
moment. Then, one and all, they begin to push on the bar-
ricade. It quickly becomes apparent that some are being
crushed under the collective weight of the others, but you
come to the sickening realisation that the barricade will
soon fail.”
Once again, the players don’t have much time. They
have at most a minute before the horde break through the
gate, and you should give them ample opportunity to run
through the subway station.
After a little time passes, describe other Infected enter-
ing through different entrances, and the sounds of running
feet above. Regardless of what route they choose, the players
should round a corner and walk straight into an ambush.
The combat which follows will be pretty brutal, and you
should adjust the numbers of Infected based on how well
equipped and how much health the group has remaining.
If the players are in fairly good shape, have as many as 4
Infected turn up, but if they are in bad shape have them
confront 2 Infected.
Once the infected are dealt with, describe the long spindly
shape of the Watcher the characters have previously encoun-
tered entering the combat from an open air vent above.
The Watcher
Actions: (Initiative 5/5+) (Close Combat 6/5+) (Evade
5/5+)
Damage: (Close combat 3)
Vitality: 3/4/3
As the Watcher appears, grant the characters an additional
Drama point, and proceed with the combat. If the charac-
ters succeed, all is well. If not, and the characters fall, that’s
fine; just skip to Scenario G and consult the sidebar “So the
dice hate me”, to help you with how to carry the adventure
on. Suffice to say, the players will get rescued.
Assuming they succeed though, describe them being filled
with a sense of accomplishment, and an almost primal satis-
faction at the strange creature’s death. They will also notice
that the screams and rushing of the horde above fading. You
should also describe that an infected which was about to
round the corner and rush to the Watcher’s defence clutch-
ing its head as if in pain.
The players are still not out of danger, and they need to
escape the situation they’re currently in. Offer the players an
opportunity to use any of the following rolls to escape;
◊ Cunning/Stealth, Difficulty 1: The players can attempt
to hide from the Horde and make their way back out to
the surface.
◊ Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 2: The characters can
rush through the maze of tunnels, outmanoeuvring the
infected and reaching the surface.
◊ Prowess/Crafts, Difficulty 3: The characters can attempt
to reinforce the door to buy time for personnel inside the
station to get out. The extra time given by this option will
allow one of the characters to find a first aid kit.
Once the characters reach the surface, let them find some-
where relatively safe, such as a deserted alleyway or the back
of a truck, in which to heal and rest a moment. Let the play-
ers make Reason/Medicine rolls, to patch their wounds up.
Scenario F
Scenario F is designed to take place after one of the other
core scenarios, and works particularly well if you are finding
yourself ahead of schedule, and looking to insert an extra
Scenario before the finale.
In this scenario, the players will feel the full brunt of
the quarantine, and have to survive an encounter with the
National Guard, who have mistakenly identified the group
as the Infected.
Fallen Heroes
Give the players a few moments to get their bearings and
make Reason/Medicine, Difficulty 1 rolls before beginning
this scenario.
“Ahead of you lies the remnants of a battleground. Police
cruisers and cars form an emergency barricade, but no-one
remains now to man it. A handful of dead bodies litter the
scene, but no Infected are present.”
Give the players ample opportunities to explore the
barricade, and let them make Cunning/Awareness rolls,
Difficulty 1, with each success revealing one of the follow-
ing;
◊ A sub-machinegun with a full clip.
◊ Two 9mm handguns with full clips.
◊ A rifle with 6 rounds.
◊ A shotgun with 12 shells.
◊ A medical kit.
“As the shadows lengthen, and night sets in, you catch
glimpse of another group of survivors. They approach war-
ily, all heavily armed, but their manner isn’t aggressive.”
The leader of the survivors is a cop, named Aaron Rich-
mond. The group have come from the inner city, and are
looking for supplies to help them last the night. The group
are aware that the city is quarantined, and will pass that
“Your temporary reprieve doesn’t last long. Fire is tear-
ing through the city. The streets are beginning to fill with
smoke, and you realise you don’t have much time to find
better shelter.”
The characters need to make a Cunning/Perception
check, difficulty 2 to navigate in the smoke. If they succeed,
let them regain an additional vitality as they buy extra time
to rest.
This completes Scenario E. If you’re running things in
S c ena rio F
the normal sequence, you should move onto Scenario G,
the finale. If not, you could still run any one of the core
scenarios from here.
information on to the players. They will also warn the group
that a fire is raging through the east side of the city and they
are of the opinion that the best chance of survival is to stay
mobile until first light when, as far as they know, the CDC
are going to attempt to extract survivors.
What happens next is largely in the hands of the players.
Run a few conversations with the survivors, and if the play-
ers are willing to come, the survivors will happily let them
join them. Before the two groups can leave however, they
are interrupted.
“A gunshot cuts through the night, and you realise that at
the far end of the street is another group of survivors, heav-
ily armed and far less peaceable.”
One of the survivors amongst Aaron’s group will shout
out, calling the new arrivals idiots for firing the weapon.
You should describe this escalating rapidly as profanities and
insults are hurled back and forth between the two groups.
Feel free to let the players get involved, and if they want
to try and calm things down, they should make a Passion/
Socialise roll, Difficulty 2.
Either way, have the players who have not attempted a
Social action make a Cunning/Perception Check, Dif-
ficulty 1, which will reveal that the person who originally
cried out is looking very panicked. If they ask her, she’ll
reply that the others aren’t listening. They think she’s shout-
ing at them for being shot at.
Too late, she tries to explain to the players that the gunfire
will draw more infected, and it does.
“The arguments are cut short as shrieks echo through the
night air. They seem to be coming from everywhere, and
the hunched shapes of the Infected begin spilling into the
street from all sides... There is nowhere to run.”
What follows is a pitched battle. All the survivors fight
for their lives, and the players between them should have to
face an initial group of 3 infected, followed 1 round later by
a further 3 infected. If the characters defeat the infected, or
the combat reaches its sixth round, read the following;
23
 “Suddenly, amongst the blood and the screams, the dark-
ness is dispelled by a floodlight, and the thunderous sound
of a helicopter above. Far from being your saviour though,
the helicopter opens fire into the melee indiscriminately.
Survivors and infected begin to fall all around you.”
Each player needs to succeed on one of the following rolls,
or take enough damage to reduce them to exactly 1 Vitality.
◊ Cunning/Stealth, Difficulty 1: The character can attempt
S c ena rio G
to dive for cover and hide in the shadows to avoid the
gunfire.
◊ Body/Athletics, Difficulty 2: The character can attempt
to outrun the gunfire, putting distance between them-
selves and the helicopter so they can hide in an alleyway.
◊ Cunning/Perception, Difficulty 2: The character can
attempt to reach a nearby wall, dumpster or other safe
place.
“The sounds of bullets ricocheting off the road echoes
around you. The whole street is being torn up by the
onslaught. To one side, you see something; an Infected,
different somehow, and much larger. It’s limbs are elon-
gated and its face is horribly twisted. Its human eyes are
gone, replaced by a monstrous four eyed facade, and a
huge, horrifying maw.
It roars, leaps and reaches the base of the helicopter
in one bound. The helicopter careens out of control, the
rotor-blades smashing into the street, and debris and body
parts are sent flying in every direction. It seems a miracle
that you are still alive.”
Describe to the characters the wreckage which remains,
but also reinforce that while the commotion will draw the
infected, it also provides an opportunity to escape. Of their
temporary companions, there should be little or no sur-
vivors – just dozens of dead bodies littering the street. If
the players linger at all, describe some of the bodies already
beginning to shift and change.
For the moment at least, the characters are safe. It
shouldn’t be too difficult for them to make their way past
Scenario G
Welcome to the End. This is the finale of the adventure, and
has a few twists and turns before the end, but all being well
it should leave your players satisfied, and raring for more.
Rescue
Fresh out of whatever horror the characters are facing,
give them a few minutes, describing their flight through the
city, screams and gunfire in the distance, and describe night
setting in fully. The city still has power, and lamps illumi-
nate the streets, but despite this describe an almost crushing
feeling of darkness. The whole situation should taken on an
almost surreal tone.
“Out of the darkness, six figures move forward. For a
moment, you half expect a repeat of the night’s horrors,
but they don’t open fire, nor are they infected. The leader
beckons for you to come forward.”
24
the oncoming Infected, and to then hide. At this point, let
them use the medical supplies they might have acquired,
and make Reason/Medicine rolls.
During this period, the characters should hear the sounds
of at least one helicopter circling overhead, and gunfire
nearby. Have the players make Cunning/Perception rolls,
Difficulty 1 to notice an object hurled around the corner. If
any player succeeds, the party will be warned in time, and
can get away from the flash grenade which has just gone off.
In the unlikely event that all the players failed their
Awareness check, consult the sidebar “So the dice hate me”
in Scenario G, to help you with how to carry the adventure
on. If not, read the following;
“From the darkness you see two shapes, obviously military.
In an instant, they open fire. Once again the night is cut
with the sound of gunfire.”
The characters can take one of two actions at this point,
both of which must be made very quickly. First of all they
can attempt to reason with the soldiers, making a Passion/
Panache check, Difficulty 2, or they can run, making Body/
Athletics rolls, Difficulty 1. In either case, the soldiers are
distracted before they can respond.
“The two soldiers are stunned for a moment, but not
by you. The huge creature from before – twisted, bloody
but still very much alive – slides down the wall from
above, in a shower of splintered masonry and bricks, and
impales the first soldier on its long clawed fingers.
The second fires madly, but is far too slow to avoid the
creature, as with horrifying precision it bites his head and
torso clean off. You have barely a moment to digest this,
when the first soldier, still barely alive, pulls the pin on a
grenade. The area is consumed in fire and shrapnel, and the
darkness takes you.”
Just like above, skip to “So the dice hate me” in Scenario
G, but because in this instance it’s entirely intentional,
reward the players with a drama point for surviving up to
this point.
These men introduce themselves as being from the CDC,
and are in the process of trying to gather survivors in the
immediate vicinity. They will tell the players that there is a
well armed and equipped safe-house nearby, and if they will
stay with them a little while longer the soldiers will gladly
escort them to safety.
Assuming the players go with the CDC personnel, all is
well. If the players feel like being stubborn, point out that
this is likely the last opportunity for rescue that they will get.
It’s vital for the purpose of the story that the players do go.
If all else fails, let the players go about whatever their plans
are, and then ambush them with a large enough group of
infected to kill them, and skip to “So The Dice Hate Me”.
The soldiers move confidently but quietly through the city
streets. If the players ask questions, they’ll be told calmly but
firmly to be quiet and that answers are coming. Eventually,
you should describe the small group arriving at a Parts shop.
The soldiers look worried however, as the shutters seem
badly damaged. Before any more questions can be asked,
three of the soldiers disappear under the damaged shutter,
and the other three beckon for the players to do the same.
Once inside, describe the players hearing gunshots, and
they should see that the CDC personnel on the inside have
opened fire, killing an infected in the corner. One of
them shouts back that the room is clear, and the group now
advances.
“It’s clear that this building served as an emergency shelter,
and that something powerful and dangerous forced its way
in. Here and there bodies litter the floor, all mutilated well
beyond the chance of resurrection. Seeing this, the soldiers
grow ever more tense. It’s painfully obvious they are search-
ing for something, almost desperately.”
If the characters ask what the soldiers are looking for,
they’ll reply in hushed tones that they are looking for sur-
vivors. If the characters choose to help the CDC in their
search, have them make Cunning/Perception checks, Dif-
ficulty 2. If successful, they’ll find what the soldiers are
looking for, and earn their good will, which should be noted
for later. If they don’t participate or fail in the roll, one of the
soldiers will stumble across the survivors instead.
“In the darkness are two trembling shapes, hidden under-
neath a table – a pair of teenage boys, the older of whom
you immediately recognise as being the boy who saved you
in the bar.”
Before anybody has a chance to react, the younger of the
two boys shouts “The Brood is com-!” but is cut off before
he can finish, as a horrifically mutated infected drops down
off the ceiling amongst the characters.
“The creature is hideously mutated, and unlike the other
infected bears little resemblance to a human being. It
stands, although hunched, in excess of seven feet tall. Its
human face has melted away, replaced by two pairs of
glossy black eyes, and a maw closer to what you would find
on a shark than a man. It lets out a bellowing roar, and
lashes out at you.”
The characters have little choice but to fight. Begin a
combat with the following stat-block for the infected, but
note that this Infected is incredibly difficult to harm. No
weapon the characters currently possess can actually cause
any lasting damage. You should describe its wounds closing
moments after it takes any damage. To make matters worse,
the creature seems to feel no pain, and is intent on the char-
acters’ deaths.
The First Broodspawn
Actions: (Initiative 4/5+) (Close Combat 6/5+)
Damage: (Close combat 3)
Vitality: 4/5/4 *See above.
A quick note for running this combat; do not have the
creature attack any player more than once, otherwise you
are quite likely to kill off the characters and this is not the
intention here. Once two rounds of combat have elapsed,
read out the following;
“The soldiers, hesitant to open fire, for fear of hitting you,
seem lost for what to do. One of them however, takes up
a rusted machete from a table nearby, and whilst the crea-
ture is distracted, brings the weapon down and manages to
S c ena rio G
cleave deeply into the creature’s arm.
He’s cast aside, badly wounded, but not before it
becomes apparent that the weapon is still in the creature,
and it begins clawing at its arm trying to remove the blade.”
This is a clue. If the players are quick off the mark, they’ll
immediately catch on to trying to impale the creature on
solid objects. If not, let them take a Cunning/Perception
action, Difficulty 2, to come to that conclusion. Either
way, the combat should break and the characters have a few
moments to gather new weapons. There are more than a few
scattered around as well;
◊ There are several spiked metal poles off to one side, clearly
made earlier this evening as a defensive measure.
◊ Two more makeshift machetes.
◊ A tire iron
◊ circular saw jury-rigged to work
off a car battery (Good for three
rounds of combat)
Once the characters have
grabbed a weapon a piece,
resume the combat. This
time, they have two of
the soldiers to help
them. The soldiers
operate off the
following stat-
blocks;
25
 CDC Soldiers
Actions: (Initiative 5/4+) (Close Combat 5/4+) (Ranged
Combat 6/3+) (Evade 4/5+)
Damage: (Close combat [Combat Knife] 2) (Assault Rifle 5)
Vitality: 3/4/3
Remember that firearms won’t harm the Broodspawn. The
characters’ only option is to attempt to impale the creature,
and leave the weapons in its flesh. Doing this lowers the
S c ena rio G
characters’ combat pools by 1 dice, but allows appropriate
close combat weapons to inflict lasting harm on the crea-
ture. Once the creature suffers 4 or more damage, it retreats.
“The creature lets out a hideous shriek, tearing one of the
improvised weapons from its own flesh, then it grabs the
ceiling, and pulls itself up, retreating into the darkness.
Out of frustration more than anything else, one of the sol-
dier empties most of a clip into the ceiling with a scream,
before one of his companions manages to get him to stop.”
At this stage, one of the soldiers will check over the two
teenagers, and then make ready to leave. The older of the
two will smile at the characters, but will have time to convey
very little else, and detailed questioning is impossible for the
moment, as the soldiers insist on a quick retreat.
All being well, describe a 15 minute journey to the players,
taking a different route to the one the soldiers approached
on, at the end of which they arrive at a subway station. You
should describe the place looking deceptively empty, until
the characters are at the base of the stairs.
Safe Haven
Describe the characters a fairly busy encampment in the
subway station. It’s well secured and certainly the safest place
the characters have been during the course of this adven-
ture. You should point out that even a significant number of
infected would likely fail to penetrate its defences.
There are several important NPCs to introduce at this
stage, and it is likely the characters will have a great many
questions. The first NPC likely to draw their attention is the
youth who rescued them from the bar. He gives his name
simply as James, and will explain that he knows very little
of the whole mess. He goes on to explain that he was in the
bar with his sister, and was waiting whilst she spoke to the
manager about a job opportunity. He sheepishly admits that
he didn’t expressly mean to save the players, and was hoping
that his sister would reach the door in time. If they thank
him regardless, he’ll accept their praise warmly, but remind
them that he probably doesn’t deserve it in the end.
The boy next to him introduces himself as Faith. He’s a
fairly attractive young man, and quite talkative. If the char-
acters were involved in the fight with the Broodspawn, he’ll
look upon them as heroes, and will talk quite a bit about
how impressive they were. On the other hand if they did not
fight the Broodspawn, he’ll still talk about how impressive
it is that they survived, and noting that most of the people
here were rescued very early on in the evening, and were
actually survivors from an incident at a hospital.
If for some reason pressed on what happened between the
bar and being rescued, James and Faith will both state flatly
they don’t particularly want to talk about it. They’ll go on to
26
say that awful things happened, and they’re just glad to be
safe. You should probably convey the feeling that the play-
ers have the nagging feeling they’ve seen Faith somewhere
before. Have the characters make Reason/Perception rolls,
Difficulty 3. If they are successful, they’ll remember that
Faith is actually the son of a prominent Senator, and the
soldiers’ desperation to recover him will make more sense.
Once the characters have dealt with James and Faith, they
should also have a chance potentially to run into one of two
familiar faces, and depending upon how they handled the
earlier scenarios could provide some interesting roleplay.
One of these, is Officer Finn Mercer from Scenario C.
Alternatively, they’ll encounter Rob Irving from Scenario
D. Give the characters a chance to socialise, and if they
do have them make a Passion/Panache roll, Difficulty 1
to find out within reason any information that could have
been given by Officer Mercer or Rob Irving, in addition to
the following points of interest;
◊ Either one of the two NPCs were rescued earlier this
evening by a CDC patrol, and are pretty damn glad to be
alive given the circumstances.
◊ The CDC are planning an evacuation in the morning and
the doctors are here to confirm that no one in the build-
ing is currently infected.
◊ The CDC hasn’t said much about what this outbreak is,
or what’s causing it, but most people feel the Black Rain
is in some way involved.
◊ As far as anybody can tell, the infection is not spread
through contact, but just seems to animate any dead
corpse, regardless of how they died.
◊ The boy Faith is actually the son of a US Senator, and one
of several high profile individuals to be rescued.
Allow a little time to pass in game, and give the players
plenty of time to seek medical attention on their own. If
they do so, a few hours of care will restore up to 4 vitality
to each character. After the characters have had a chance to
rest, have one of the CDC soldiers ask the players if they’re
willing to undergo a check-up. Likely the characters will
agree, but if for some reason they argue, it’s pointed out
by the CDC personnel that the players will be left behind
if they don’t comply. If the players get violent, they’ve got
about 20 well armed CDC soldiers to deal with. Good luck
with that.
The test should proceed without incident, and the doc-
tors give the characters a temporary all-clear, though they do
point out that the tests are only preliminary, and the char-
acters will be remanded to quarantine once they are safe. If
the players inquire further, they will be told that everyone
– the soldiers included – will be going into quarantine at a
secure facility about 40 miles inland whilst the government
attempts to contain the crisis.
Characters can also press for more information by making
a Passion/Panache action with Difficulty 2. If they are
successful, the doctor will reveal all the following points;
◊ The infection itself has been codenamed “Echidna” by the
CDC, and it appears to infect human beings but doesn’t
in of itself harm them in any way. The virus only seems to
activate after the infected person dies.
◊ How the Echidna strain itself spreads is unknown, but
since the virus is essentially harmless to a normal living
human being, policy is now containment, particularly
considering that the CDC suspects that up to 70% of the
living population is already carrying the virus.
If asked about the mutated infected which the players
might have encountered, the doctors will be puzzled, and
have little to no information on the subject, but are aware
that as the Infected consume flesh, they seem to take on
distinctly inhuman features, and begin to regenerate at a ter-
rifying rate.
In the event that the characters press the soldiers for
answers, the military personnel will be far less inclined to
talk and will only curtly tell the characters that the situa-
tion is under control, and all reasonable measures have been
taken. If a character attempts to push the issue further, they
can make a Passion/Panache check, Difficulty 3, and a suc-
cess will reveal that the reason for the evacuation is part of
a larger plan to destroy as many of the Infected as possible.
The idea is to evacuate any survivors, and drop noise genera-
tors into strategic locations, then to bomb those areas of the
city when the Infected gather. They then expect to be able to
begin a cleanup operation and reclaim the city.
Let some time pass, and possibly have the characters get
a little sleep, and give them all a drama point. If the char-
acters previously helped fight off the Broodspawn, they will
be invited to a poker game with a handful of the CDC sur-
vivors and can gain any of the information above without a
need to roll any skill checks.
They Said There Were No Monsters...
Whatever happens, the characters will eventually be taken
to a temporary shelter in the subway where they can get
some sleep.
At this point, describe to the characters a sense of déjà
vu, or missing time. Try to be subtle about this feeling, and
don’t overplay it. It’s better to have it as a throwaway com-
ment rather than emphasise it. Once several hours have
elapsed, the characters should be roused in the early hours of
the morning by the sounds of gunfire. If the players have not
previously encountered the Broodspawn, give a description
of it where noted by the text below. For a full description,
see page 25.
“The metal door twists and is forced from its hinges. The
wall gives way slightly, as the maw of the Broodspawn
forces its way into the room. It shrieks one last time, forces
its way into the room with you, and fixes you all in its gaze,
before it charges.”
The Broodspawn is back, and pissed, and the characters
are going to have to fight. If the characters haven’t fought
this creature already, one round after the combat begins,
have a soldier stumble into the room and shout out a warn-
ing that guns don’t work, and that it has to be burned or
impaled. The horrible part is that there’s nothing in the
room with the players that can help remotely.
“So the dice hate me?”
Your players got killed? Well, it happens. Fortunately, this
isn’t actually a big problem to deal with in this scenario.
Assume that if the players are defeated or otherwise inca-
pacitated, a group of CDC soldiers – specifically the group
we have just mentioned – rescue the characters whilst they
were incapacitated. Have them wake up in the CDC tem-
porary shelter we describe below, and have them meet a
doctor who checks them over, but assures them they’ll be
okay, and that they are in a safe place, awaiting evacuation
S c ena rio G
in the morning. Change a few appropriate details in the
section “Safe Haven” below, but otherwise proceed with
the adventure from that point.
The Broodspawn, Second Encounter
Actions: (Initiative 4/5+) (Close Combat 6/5+)
Damage: (Close combat 3)
Vitality: 5/7/5 [Only impaling attacks or fire cause damage]
It’s possible but unlikely that the characters will win in
a stand up fight. Mention to them that there might be
nothing to help them in this room, but the base is full of
supplies. Tell the players that if they want to put some dis-
tance between them and the creature, they need to run now.
If they stand and fight, so be it, but in that case the Brood-
spawn will keep pace with them, and they will have to fight
a running battle.
Give each player a chance to make a Reason/Perception
roll, Difficulty 1, to remember information which might be
helpful. With a success, they should remember that on a
floor below them, is a quantity of gasoline. In addition, in
a separate hallway are a collection of iron bars which have
been readied to form part of a barricade, and would make
good makeshift spears.
It takes 2 combat rounds worth of movement to reach the
spears, and a further 2 rounds of combat time to reach the gas-
oline. Assuming the characters ran instead of fought, this is not
applicable. However, once the characters stop to gather sup-
plies at either location, the creature will catch up with them.
A good idea that you may wish to note to the players if
they are stuck, will be to reach the spears, then make a fight-
ing withdrawal to the gasoline to finish it off. If they attempt
to go straight to the gasoline, they’ll encounter a problem.
Ahead of them, they’ll find one of the soldiers waiting at
an internal door. Seeing the characters and what’s chasing
them, he’ll slam the door shut. It’ll only take the characters
moments to get the door open, but that will be enough for
the creature to catch up and begin battle again. If the play-
ers encounter this obstacle, it will only take 1 round to get
to the gasoline.
Using the spears is self-explanatory. The gasoline however
requires a little more explanation. Once the characters are
in the area with the gasoline, they can each pick up or use
immediately one canister of gas. Dousing the Broodspawn
with it, is a Close Combat attack, difficulty 2, and does not
Tag the creature. Once it has been doused, any character can
use a lighter on their person to set the gasoline on fire, and
the round after the creature will automatically take 1 dam-
age at the beginning of every round for each canister worth
of gasoline poured upon it, which it cannot heal.
27
 One way or another, once the creature is dealt with, order
will be restored. The characters will be lauded as heroes in
the compound for the time being, and given medical atten-
tion immediately. The soldiers will go on to high alert, and
nobody gets much sleep during the night. This is further
compounded about an hour later when a massive group of
Infected begin an assault on the compound.
You should describe the tension over those hours, but in
the end the CDC personnel will prevail, and the characters
S c ena rio G
don’t need to take any part in the siege. If they do want to
get involved, let them, but ultimately the siege is not
much more than a shooting gallery and you can describe
the characters’ participation, but it has no mechanical
effect.
The Dead City
As morning comes, describe the rising hope and tension as
the soldiers, personnel and survivors get ready to make their
push. At 6:15am, the soldiers begin the break-out. They will
happily allow the characters to help out with this, and will
have no objection to the players being fully armed, and they
will each be given an assault rifle with a full clip, as long as
they agree to follow orders.
“The break-out begins with the soldiers unveiling massive
firepower. An initial group, armed to the teeth with auto-
matic shotguns, clear a path out onto the street through
the hordes of Infected, and moments later you find your-
selves moving forward with the push of bodies. Above you,
the first light of dawn shines on what now seems to be a
dead city.”
Describe the soldiers fighting as above, and if you have
time remaining, let the players enjoy themselves in this one
sided exchange, running a few minor combats. Given that
the players are likely armed to the teeth at this stage, a cou-
ple of infected thrown at them should present no problem
whatsoever.
Describe the hurried pace through the city full of burnt
out building fronts and dead bodies. Eventually, you should
describe the telltale sounds of helicopters overhead, and a
soldier turns on a radio and hears that that “Extraction is
a go”.
“Your view opens to the burned remnants of Central Park,
and a problem. You see other groups, both CDC and their
charges, waiting for evacuation, but also large numbers
of other survivors, edging ever closer to the temporary
defensive line which the military have put in place. Shouts
and screams are thrown back and forth, and the people
here seem almost on the verge of charging the checkpoint.
Obviously the horrors of the night are still very much fresh
in their minds.”
The characters will be escorted by the CDC through the
crowds and beyond the checkpoint. In the distance, they
should catch a glimpse of one of the notorious Shards...
“Some distance from the evacuation site, you catch a
glimpse for the first time in the flesh of one of the noto-
rious Shards – the strange giant crystals which fell from
space in the Black Rain. It lies still impaled in a roadway
adjacent to Central Park, right where the protests, and all
this horror began.”
28
As the characters are moving through the crowd, pick one
of the players (whichever one hasn’t had much attention
lately), and have them receive yet another mysterious text
message...
“Again, you feel a strange sort of déjà vu. You reach into
your pocket, pre-empting what’s to come. You hear the tell
tale ring of an incoming text message, and on some level
you are certain you know what it will be.
The contents shock you though. No longer sure what
you thought the message should have said, it reads ‘Even
Death may die’.
Before you have a chance to think this over, the phone
emits a short burst of static, which is echoed in all the loud-
speakers present. The phone then shuts down immediately,
with a spark. Moments later, the lights, and then to your
horror, the helicopters follow suit. They fall like stones out
of the air, their rotor blades slamming into trees and scyth-
ing through dozens of people in a horrific display.
In the distance, you hear the familiar shrieks of the
Infected. On some level, you know their name now. You
feel it deep down. You remember what the message was
meant to say... ‘Mother is coming’.””
Give the players a moment, before describing the press of
the crowds, explaining that they are being forced along with
the crowd, and that if they don’t run, they will be trampled
underfoot.
“People are dying, screaming; some crushed underfoot, oth-
ers dragged to their death by the Infected. You run madly,
but it feels now like a dream, almost surreal. A small desper-
ate part of yourself hopes that you are about to wake up, but
you know it isn’t true. You know what’s coming, and all too
quickly, you find yourselves at the place where it all ended...
Times Square stands there, half empty, just like you
remember it, hundreds of people herded here, some
praying, some screaming, others even begging as the
Broodspawn come, and just like before – just like the last
time, and the time before that – the Broodspawn stop. Like
hounds at the heel of a master, they come to rest.
A few fire guns, others fight with whatever they have.
Like puppets with their strings cut, the Broodspawn do
nothing though, just waiting. Ahead of you, with a sicken-
ing feeling, you see the boy - the one who saved you in the
bar - calm amongst the chaos, with Broodspawn at his feet
like beloved pets. He climbs onto the broken remnants of
a car, and with each step he changes.
His skin breaks and peels, dark shards of crystal emerg-
ing from under the surface, amongst the blood and the
bone. Soon his human form is gone entirely. Six great
wings shift and writhe against the rising sun. He stands
now near nine feet tall, surrounded in a flickering nim-
bus of blue flame. He turns, slowly, and an odd silence
descends upon the crowd. Two deep blue eyes stare back
from the black armoured figure that once was James.
Someone, a man, asks the same question he’s asked a
hundred times before. You almost mouth the word your-
self; ‘Why?’
The creature fixes the man with his gaze, and replies;
‘Because I have the right to judge, by the only standard
that matters – That of God. Not the faded memories of
your kind’s past, nor the broken corpse of Yahweh. Mother
has judged you, and she finds you wanting.’
The creature raises a hand, the blue fire gathers, and the
world is washed away in searing light.
 You feel yourselves falling now, you remember the drink
in your hand, the laughter at the bar... But this time is dif-
ferent. This time, you feel like you have a choice. Death
doesn’t have to be the end; only a new beginning – and you
have slept too long...”
Epilogue
Doubtless you and your players are a little confused. What
is going on is that the players actually did die in the incident
at Times Square. They have been wandering the world as
Broodspawn for over 70 years. In all this time, a spark of
their personality and memories has remained, using their
connection to one another and the memories of that
final night to keep them tenuously holding on to life.
The idea is that every time they relive their lives
and deaths, they’ve grown a little closer to waking each
time, and now the characters have collectively grown
strong enough to wake out of their madness. Forcing
their Broodspawn shapes back into a human form, the
characters can now be reborn as Nemissaries in the post-
apocalyptic future.
S c ena rio G
This whole adventure is designed so that you can
easily transform the characters into fully fledged
Nemissaries, and allow them to continue their adventures
in the full game of Sins.
29
 Equipment Reading the Entries:
Damage: This tells you how much damage the weapon
does. In the case of close combat weapons it will show
Small Improvised Weapon X/B. This means you use the average of your Body and the
This represents small objects such as chair legs, broken bottles weapon damage (X).
planks of wood and the like. Traits: These are unique effects that the weapon has, and a
Damage: 1/B list of the traits used follows:
Traits: Fragile ◊ Fragile: This weapon will break at the end of any combat
Pool: Body/Fight they are used in.
E q uip m ent

◊ Thrown: This weapon may be counted as a Ranged

Large Improvised Weapon weapon for one attack, but must be retrieved after the
combat to keep it.
This represents entire chairs, metal poles, barrels, crates and
◊ Reach: This weapon grants +1 pool if the opponent
similar. doesn’t also have a weapon with this trait.
Damage: 2/B ◊ Ranged: The weapon is considered a ranged weapon.
Traits: Fragile ◊ Ammo: This weapon can only be used a number of times
Pool: Body - 1/Fight equal to its remaining Ammo, before it must be reloaded,
which takes 1 full round.
Knives ◊ Rate of Fire: This is how many times the weapon can
This can represent a variety of common knives, from kitchen be fired to generate additional dice on the attack roll. In
knives to combat or survival knives. addition, some weapons are also noted as Auto. In this case,
instead of expending 1 ammo for +1 dice, they may instead
Damage: 1/B spend 5 ammo to get +1 success.
Traits: Thrown
Pool: This notes what attribute and skill combination is
Pool: Prowess/Athletics
required to use the item, along with any modifiers to pool.
Machete
This represents any large bladed, one-handed weapons, such as
machetes or meat cleavers.
Damage: 2/B Unarmed Fighting
Traits: None Effect: A character can fight with no weapons, using either
Pool: Prowess/Fight or Athletics Body/Fight or Prowess/Athletics. In either case, a character
inflicts half their Body, rounding down, in base damage for
Spear successful attacks.

This represents a makeshift spear such as a knife tied to the end

of a pole, a harpoon, or sharpened metal poles.
Damage: 1/B
Traits: Fragile, Reach
Shotgun
Pool: Prowess/Fight
What would a survival horror game be without a shotgun, after
Handgun all?
This represents all the small sidearms the characters are likely Damage: 5
to encounter during the adventure, such as revolvers, or pistols. Traits: Ranged, Ammo(7), Rate of Fire(2)
Damage: 3 Pool: Prowess/Marksmanship
Traits: Ranged, Ammo(6 or 12), Rate of Fire (1 or 3)
Sub-machine Gun
Pool: Prowess/Marksmanship
Standard 9mm police or CDC Issue sub-machinegun, such as
MP5Ks.
Damage: 3
Traits: Ranged, Ammo(32), Rate of Fire(3, Auto)
First Aid Kit Pool: Prowess + 1/Marksmanship
Generic first aid kits the characters might come across in Rifle
their adventure.
Effect: Each first aid kit may be used once to enhance High powered bolt-action rifle. This will seriously ruin some-
one Medicine check, to give 1 automatic success, in addi- one’s day.
tion to any successes rolled. Damage: 6
Traits: Ranged, Ammo(5), Rate of Fire(1)
Pool: Prowess/Marksmanship

30
 You open your eyes, and find the whole world broken;
the past you knew washed away in blood and fire,
and the world all but consumed by the Sins of our Fathers.
The Song of the Mother denies the dead their rest,
and they howl for the communion of all flesh; the end of mankind.

Slavers scour the wastelands looking for the unfortunate and unwanted,
wars of faith consume what remains of humanity's precious resources,
and the cults of long forgotten gods rise to prominence
to proclaim their eldritch dominance once more.

By all rights, you should close your eyes again,

and let the comforting darkness of Mother's Song consume you.

However, you, and those like you, are different.

Against all odds, you fight back against the dying of the light.
You hold on to what it is that makes you human.

Against the onslaught of the coming darkness,

you refuse to yield, refuse to die,
and choose to live.

The path ahead isn't easy,

but your rebirth grants you the strength that few beings can match.
You hold the power to drive back mankind's enemies, and the power to rule;
To be a saviour, or a destroyer.

Will you redeem mankind's Sins,

or draw us forever into the Darkness?
Only one thing is certain;

Your story is just beginning.

For more Products and Information, join us on our website;

http://www.sinsrpg.uk
or find us on Facebook or Twitter with
@sinsrpg.

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