80’s GLAM METAL

HORROR RPG

ISSUE NO.1
JUNE 2019

Story
“FOOLING”
2 WHAT IS THIS? Every-
one’s favorite undead metal
head explains it all...
Creator
AARON FROST
3 QUICK-PLAY RULES
Narrative game-play rules
for players and GM alike.
Hair Metal Horror #1 was created for the Feb-

16
ruary 2019 “Zine Quest” event. Thanks to our
backers, this project was successfully funded in CHARACTERS Almost
the first three days of the Kickstater campaign. ready to play. Just add a
backstory and Action point.
I would like to thank the backers, my family,
John Harper, Vandel J. Arden, Rachelle Dube,
Sean Richer, and the members of the RPG com-
munity who offered feedback and support.
22 CORN FEST Rides,
livestock, funnel cake, and
Without you this zine would not exist.
almost certain death!

38 BUBB’S DINER Catch

your breath, but don’t trig-
ger the animatronic band!

40 LIBERTY GROVE A dive

bar, a hardware store, and a
murder cult.

44 BARGAIN MOTEL
Where it all began, and
ends...(and free cable).

Copyright © 2019 Aaron Frost

This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/),
product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for
our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license:
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
“Terror of the Stratosfiend” used with permission from the creator Sean Richer.
“Dino Wrangers” used with permission from the creator Rachelle Dube.
WHAT IS THIS?
Greetings, fellow creepsters. If you
are reading this, then you either
backed the Kickstarter campaign
and have some sense of what you
have gotten yourself into, or you
waited around like a chump to get
it some other way...
Well, just leave it to your new pal
Grunge to explain the particulars.
Hair Metal Horror is a narrative
role playing game set in the
excessive 80’s, at the height of
Glam Metal glory.
Since you bought the book, you
are likely planning to be the “Game
Master”, the person presenting
the settings and playing the roles
of everyone who is not one of the
provided characters. Otherwise
you are probably a filthy cheater...
I like you already!
2
Your friends will play the charac-
ters, and will progress through the
story as they help to tell it.
So first order of business, gather
some friends. You will need at
least one, but hopefully you can
scrounge up four of them (or more
depending on how many bonus
characters were unlocked in the
Kickstarter).
Your pack of dexters will need
some six-sided dice, or simply
“dice” as non-dorks call them. You
can buy them or loot them from a
board game you probably already
have.
Each issue contains a terrifying
tale that is yours for the telling.
Using the Quick-Play rules on the
following pages, your gaggle of
armchair raconteurs will decide
the fate of the characters they have
selected through the course of
their actions.
The rogues gallery of flawed freaks
the players have to choose from are
nobody’s heroes, but they aren’t
exactly helpless either.
Don’t go all soft on me when
it comes time to kill them off!
The players have a whole slew of
resources to negate or lessen the
consequences they so rightfully
deserve (until they use them up)!
THE GAME STRUCTURE
Hair Metal Horror is, at its heart,
a survival horror game. The char-
acters are put into terrifying or
dangerous situations right from
the start, or will soon stumble into
them.
Each adventure has a few Set-
tings, and within each of those
settings are several Locations. It
can be helpful to think of this in
terms of a board game, where the
characters move from Location to
Location in a manner that suits
their needs or sensibilities within
a given Setting until they discover
the means to reach a new Setting
or escape the scenario alive.
Progressing from one Location
to another will almost certainly
require the characters to overcome
obstacles (outrun or stand and
fight murderous cultists, sneak
behind a row of parked vehicles
as a patrol of inhuman lizard-folk
skulk nearby, leap from rooftop to
rooftop to avoid detection from
below).
Overcoming these obstacles is
paramount to the characters’ sur-
vival and potential escape from the
scenario.
The Game Master (GM) is provided
with an overview for each setting
and its locations, and the players
help to flesh out the details as they
3
create the harrowing story to-
gether (“Let’s run through the food
booths and grab a propane tank!”). It
is likely that the characters will
never explore many of the loca-
tions within a setting in a single
play-through.
THE PLAYERS
Each player takes on the roll of
one of the pre-generated Char-
acters included with the game.
They create a short backstory for
the character with a given set of
established facts (Lead singer of
Luftkuss, Teenage Metalhead,
Hardcore BonPyre fan, etc.) and
clues from their provided action
scores and special abilities.
Once the background is written,
the player can then use it to justify
adding an extra point to one of the
character’s Actions.
THE GAME MASTER
The GM establishes the dynamic
world around the characters. The
GM plays all the non-player char-
acters in the world. The GM helps
organize the conversation of the
game and keeps it interesting and
terrifying.
The GM is not in charge of the
story, but rather presents interest-
ing opportunities for the players,
and then follows the chain of ac-
tions and consequences wherever
they lead.
The Characters
Each Player Character (PC) begins
with Actions and Attributes (or
resistances), a Stress tracker with
8 or more bars, a tracker for Harm
to note the number and severity
of any wounds they have suffered,
one or more Special Abilities, and
starting equipment.
ACTIONS
Finesse: Perform dexterous acts
involving fine motor skills (driving,
picking a lock).
Traverse: Running, jumping,
climbing.
Fight: Using physical violence to at-
tack another and defend yourself.
Wreck: Destroy things (break down
a door, smash a computer).
Hunt: The ability to avoid detection
or stalk another (throwing/ shooting,
sneaking).
Study: Use resources to gain more
information about a subject (re-
search, search a book or database).
Survey: Scan a location for poten-
tial hazards or beneficial features.
Tinker: Jury rig, repair, or craft
items or machines.
Command: Use your presence to
intimidate or convince others to do
your bidding.
Sway: Use your charm or appear-
ance to beguile others into doing your
bidding.
4
This character has one dot (out of four) in fi-
nesse and traverse, so they would get to roll one
six-sided die when attempting these actions.
Actions are read from left to right,
and the number of dots an ac-
tion has indicates the amount of
six-sided dice they can roll when
attempting that action.
ATTRIBUTES
Body: Consequences from physical
strain or harm.
Mind: Consequences from deception
or understanding.
Nerve: Consequences from mental
strain or willpower.
The Attributes (Body, Mind, and
Nerve) are read from top to bot-
tom in the first column of circles.
The number of filled in circles
(dots) indicates the number of dice
a character can roll when trying to
resist a consequence with one of
the Attributes.
This character has a total of two dots in Body, so
they would roll two six-sided die when attempt-
ing to resist a consequence with this Attribute.
STRESS
Each character has a special re-
serve called stress. Characters can
take stress to resist consequences
they don’t want to accept, and also
to “fuel” special actions such as
pushing themselves or aiding oth-
ers. Once each character has taken
all of their available stress, any
further situations that would re-
quire taking stress will cause level
1 harm to the character. A limited
amount of stress can be regained
during the course of the adventure
if the character is able to find a
source of Respite.
HARM
One consequence characters may
suffer is physical or mental in-
jury (falling from a roof, getting
slashed by claws, becoming over-
whelmed with stress). Characters
can take two light (level 1) injuries,
two moderate (level 2) injuries, and
one severe (level 3) injury. A level 4
injury is lethal, as is taking an ad-
ditional injury after all of the level
1, 2, and 3 injury spaces are filled
with previous injury descriptions.
5
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Each character can choose one or
more Special Abilities from those
provided on their character sheet.
Special Abilities might improve
the character, reduce conse-
quences, or modify the character’s
chance for success.
STARTING EQUIPMENT
Each character has a few objects
at the start of each adventure that
make logical sense for them to
possess at that moment in time.
Characters can acquire more gear
and equipment, or use up/ lose
their starting gear as the story
progresses. Small items add +1 the
characters load, two handed items
add +2, and larger items add +3.
Carrying a normal load (4-5) is
more conspicuous than light (1-3),
and a heavy load (6) will slow you
down (less effect or worse position
with running/ sneaking).
ACTION ROLL
When a character does something
challenging, the player makes an
Action roll to see how it turns
out. If their action is something
the character could be expected to
simply accomplish, then no Action
roll is needed.
STATING THE GOAL
A character’s goal is the concrete
outcome they will achieve when
they overcome the obstacle at
hand.
CHOOSE AN ACTION RATING
The player chooses which action
rating to roll.
GM SETS THE POSITION
Once the player chooses their ac-
tion, the GM sets the position for
the roll. The position represents
how dangerous or troublesome the
action might be. There are three
positions: Controlled, Risky, and
Desperate.
By default, an action roll is risky.
If the situation seems more dan-
gerous, make it desperate. If it
seems less dangerous, make it
controlled.
GM SETS THE EFFECT LEVEL
The GM assesses the likely effect
level of this action, given the fac-
tors of the situation.
6
Essentially, the effect level tells
“how much” this action can accom-
plish: will it have a limited, stan-
dard, or great effect?
The GM’s choice for effect level and
position can be strongly influenced by
the player’s choice of action rating. If a
player wants to bypass an electric lock
by Wrecking it, well...maybe that’s
possible, but the GM wouldn’t be crazy
to say it’s a desperate roll and prob-
ably limited effect. Seems like Tinker-
ing would be a lot better for that. The
players are always free to choose the
action they perform, but that doesn’t
mean all actions should be equally
risky or potent.
ADD BONUS DICE
You can normally get two bonus
dice for an action roll (some special
abilities might give you additional
bonus dice).
For one bonus die, another charac-
ter can aid you. They take 1 stress,
say how they help you, and give
you +1d.
For another bonus die, you can
either push yourself (take 2 stress)
or you can accept a Devil’s Bar-
gain (you can’t get dice for both,
it’s one or the other).
THE DEVIL’S BARGAIN
The GM or another player can of-
fer you a bonus die if you accept a
Devil’s Bargain, agreeing to some
negative aspect that occurs regard-
less of the outcome of the roll. You
make the deal, pay the price, and
get the bonus die.
Devil’s Bargains could include:
yy Collateral damage, unintended
harm.
yy Betray another character.
yy Start or tick a troublesome
clock.
yy Suffer Harm.
The GM has final say over which
Devil’s Bargains are valid.
ROLLING THE DICE
The Action roll does a lot of work
for you. It tells you how well the
character performs as well as how
serious the consequences are for
them.
If you roll a 6 on one of your dice,
your action succeeds. If you roll
more than one 6, the action is a
critical success.
If the highest die roll is 1-3, it’s up
to the GM to decide if the charac-
ters action has any effect or not, or
if it even happens at all. Usually,
the action just fails completely.
7
Each 4/5 and 1-3 outcome lists sug-
gested consequences for the char-
acters. The worse your position
(controlled, risky, desperate), the
worse the consequences are.
The GM can inflict one or more of
these consequences , depending
on the circumstances of the action
roll. Characters have the ability
to avoid or reduce the severity of
consequences that they suffer by
resisting them.
When you narrate the action after
the roll, the GM and player collabo-
rate together to say what happens
in the scene. Tell us how you avoid
being detected by the tentacled horror.
Tell us what you say to convince the
bartender to let you in the back room.
DOUBLE DUTY ROLLS
Since non-player characters
(NPCs) don’t roll for their actions,
an action roll does double-duty:
it resolves the action of the char-
acter as well as any NPCs that are
involved. The single roll tells us
how those actions interact and
which consequences result. On a
6, the character wins and has their
effect, On a 4/5 it’s a mix-both the
Character and the NPC have their
effect. One a 1-3, the NPC wins and
has their effect as a consequence
on the character.
ACTION ROLL
yy 1d for each Action rating dot.
yy +1d if you are being Aided by another character
yy +1d if you Push yourself -or- you accept a Devil’s Bargain.

CONTROLLED - You act on your terms. You exploit an advantage.

Critical: You do it with increased effect.
yy 6: You do it.
yy 4/5: You hesitate. Withdraw and try a different approach, or else
do it with a minor consequence: a minor complication occurs, you
have reduced effect, you suffer lesser harm, you end up in a risky
position.
yy 1-3: You falter. Press on by seizing a risky opportunity, or withdraw
and try a different approach

RISKY- You go head to head, you act under fire. You take a chance.
Critical: You do it with increased effect.
yy 6: You do it.
yy 4/5: You do it, but there’s a consequence: You suffer harm,
a complication occurs, you have reduced effect, you end up in a
desperate position.
yy 1-3: Things go badly. You suffer harm, a complication occurs, you
end up in a desperate position, you lose this opportunity.

DESPERATE- You overreach your capabilities. You’re in serious

trouble.

yy Critical: You do it with increased effect.

yy 6: You do it.
yy 4/5: You do it, but there’s a consequence: you suffer severe harm, a
serious complication occurs, you have reduced effect.
yy 1-3: It’s the worst outcome. You suffer severe harm, a serious com-
plication occurs, you lose this opportunity for action.

8
In Hair Metal Horror, you achieve
goals by taking actions and fac-
ing consequences. But how many
actions does it take to achieve a
particular goal? That depends on
the effect level of your actions. The
GM judges the effect level using
the profiles below. Which one best
matches the action at hand-great,
standard, or limited? Each effect
level indicates the questions that
should be answered for that effect,
as well as how many segments
to tick if you’re using a progress
clock (p. 10).

EFFECTS TICKS
You achieve more than usual. How does the
Great extra effort manifest? What additional ben- 3
efit do you enjoy?
You achieve what we’d expect as “normal”
Standard with this action. Is that enough, or is there 2
more left to do?
You achieve a partial or weak effect. How is
Limited your impact diminished? What effort re- 1
mains to achieve your goal?

ASSESSING FACTORS has lower quality than a ravenous

Three factors may modify the ef-
fect level: Potency, Quality, and
Scale. If a character has advantage
in a given factor, consider a higher
effect level. If they have disadvan-
tage, consider a reduced effect
level.
Potency considers particular
weaknesses, taking extra time, or
a bigger risk. A character is more
potent if the street lights are out as
they sneak past a possessed neigh-
borhood watch patrol.
Quality represents the effective-
ness of tools, weapons, or other re-
sources. A character with bare fists
9
zombie or were-lizard, a baseball
bat would even the score, and a
chain saw would give the character
advantage (and likely improved ef-
fect during a fight).
Scale represents the might or
number of opponents, size of an
area covered, or scope of influence.
Larger scale can be an advantage
or disadvantage depending on the
situation. The large scale of a foot-
ball field would reduce the effect
of trying to spring across it, while
ganging up on a single opponent
or attempting to Sway a hardcore
fan of your band would likely have
increased effect.
PROGRESS CLOCKS
A progress clock is a circle divided
into segments. Draw a progress
clock when you need to track
ongoing effort against an obstacle
or the approach of impending
trouble. Throughout each adven-
ture, clocks will be suggested for
the GM, but they are always free
to create their own as the stories
evolve.
Generally, the more complex the
problem, the more segments in the
progress clock.
10
A complex obstacle is a 4-segment
clock. A more complicated obstacle
is a 6-segment clock. A daunting
obstacle is an 8-segment clock.
When you create a clock, make it
about the obstacle, not the meth-
od. A clock for escaping a trailer
park filled with cannibal bikers
should be “escape”, not “sneak out
of trailer park”, as the characters
can attempt to overcome them in a
variety of ways.
Each character begins with a clock
on their character sheet. For some
characters, completing these
clocks is a positive thing, while for
others it can be disastrous!
Some examples of clock types in-
clude the following:
DANGER CLOCKS
The GM can use a clock to rep-
resent a progressive danger, like
suspicion growing during a se-
duction, the proximity of pursu-
ers in a chase, or the alert level
of guards on patrol. In this case,
when a complication occurs, the
GM ticks one, two, or three seg-
ments on the clock, depending on
the consequence level. When the
clock is full, the danger comes to
fruition—the guards hunt down
the intruders, activate an alarm,
release the hellhounds, etc.
RACING CLOCKS
Create two opposed clocks to rep-
resent a race. The PCs might have
a progress clock called “Escape”
while the cannibal bikers have a
clock called “Cornered.” If the PCs
finish their clock before the bikers
fill theirs, they get away. Other-
wise, they’re cornered and can’t
flee. If both complete at the same
time, the PCs escape, but the bik-
ers know where they ran off to.
You can also use racing clocks for
an environmental hazard. Maybe
the PCs are trying to find their
way out of a burning Megla-Mart
before the entire structure is en-
gulfed in flames!
LINKED CLOCKS
You can make a clock that unlocks
another clock once it’s filled. For
example, the GM might make a
linked clock called “Trapped” after
an “Alert” clock fills up. When you
fight a horrific fiend, it might have
a clock for “Defense” and then a
linked clock for “Vulnerable.” Once
you overcome the “Defense” clock,
then you can attempt to overcome
the “Vulnerable” clock and defeat
it. You might affect the “Defense”
clock with violence in skirmish, or
you lower its defense with decep-
tion if you have the opportunity. As
always, the method of action is up
to the players and the details of the
fiction at hand.
11
How to survive
The characters have a number
of resources at their disposal to
postpone an untimely death. The
players can choose to resist an
effect, use flashbacks to gain an
advantage, Push themselves to
achieve greater results on a roll,
reduce their position for greater
effect, make a Devil’s Bargain for a
greater chance of success on an ac-
tion, or help one another by work-
ing together in four possible ways.
RESIST
When a character suffers a conse-
quence that you don’t like, you can
choose to resist it. Resisting is al-
ways effective. The GM will tell you
if the consequence is reduced in
severity or avoided altogether, and
then you will make a resistance
roll to see how much stress your
character suffers as a result using
one of your character’s attributes
(Body, Mind, or Nerve) based on
the nature of consequences.
Body: Consequences from physical
strain or harm
Mind: Consequences from decep-
tion or understanding
Nerve: Consequences from mental
strain or willpower.
Your character suffers 6 stress
when they resist, minus the high-
est die result from the resistance
roll (if your higher roll was 4, you
would suffer 1 stress. If you get a
critical result, clear 1 stress!
FLASHBACKS
The rules don’t distinguish be-
tween actions performed in the
present moment or those per-
formed in the past. You can invoke
a flashback to roll for an action in
the past that impacts your current
situation.
The Game Master sets a stress cost
when you activate a flashback:
0 Stress: An ordinary action for
which you had easy opportunity:
“He might be a crazy cultist, but I
remember this guy from the bar the
other night. I think he was head over
heels and buying me drinks all night.
No way he’s going to rat me out. I am
going to roll Sway to see if I remember
this correctly.”
1 Stress: A complex action or un-
likely opportunity: “I played cards
with these guys last night and spiked
their drinks. They can probably barely
stand up right now. I am going to roll
Finesse for that action.”
2 Stress: An elaborate action that
involved special opportunities or
contingencies: “I hated flying here in
that small commuter plane, and called
around for a taxi to pick me up at the
hotel after the show. It should be there
in an hour!”
12
After the stress is paid, a flash-
back action is handled just like any
other action. This may entail a roll
because there is danger, risk, or
trouble involved. It could require a
fortune roll (Did I find a taxi com-
pany that would drive all the way out
here?), or it may not call for a roll at
all, simply pay the stress and it’s
accomplished.
Flashbacks are not time travel, and
cannot undo something that has
happened in the current moment.
“The sheriff couldn’t have just shot me
because I’m going to throw his revolver
in a river in a flashback.”
BETTER POSITION/EFFECT
After factors are considered and
the GM has announced the effect
level, a player might want to trade
position for effect, or vice versa.
For instance, if they’re going to
make a risky roll with standard
effect (the most common scenario,
generally), they might instead
want to press their luck and make
a desperate roll but with great ef-
fect.
“This zombie won’t go down easy.
Instead of just hitting it during the
fight, I am going to focus all of my
strikes at the thing’s head, hoping
to take it down quicker.”
PUSHING YOURSELF
Characters can use stress to push
themselves for greater perfor-
mance. For each bonus you choose
below, take 2 stress (each can be
chosen once for a given action):
-Add an extra die (+1d) to your roll.
-Add +1 Level to your effect.
-Take action when incapacitated.
WORKING TOGETHER
The characters can work together
in different ways to increase their
odds for survival.
Lead: A character can choose to
be the “leader” of an action. All
characters involved in the action
roll the same action, and the best
result is used, however the leader
will take one stress for each char-
acter that failed (a roll of 1-3) their
roll. “On the count of three, I’m going
to kick open the door and then we all
bum-rush the flesh eating clown out
there!”
Aid: A single character can choose
to take one stress to grant another
character an extra die (+1d) on an
Action roll. “I am going to knock back
the tentacles with my guitar so you
have a better chance of kicking it in its
fleshy underbelly!”
13
Set up: A character can roll an ac-
tion prior to another character’s
action to improve their position or
increase the effect of the action.
“I am going to roll Sway to charm
the sheriff in the parking lot, and
then you sneak into his office and
grab those files!”
Protect: A character can choose to
take the consequences for another
character’s failed roll.
“Oh man! I see him throwing the
hatchet and push you out of the way
using my leather jacket to lessen the
impact when it hits me instead.”
RESPITE
Each adventure has safe spaces
and consumables that can offer the
characters a chance to catch their
breath, calm down, and recover a
bit, clearing stress in the process.
To clear stress during respite,
roll dice equal to your character’s
lowest attribute (Body, Mind, or
Nerve). Clear stress equal to your
highest die result.
HUNTED CLOCK
Throughout the course of this
adventure, the characters will be
pursued by Williams, the Elder
Were-Lizard (a lethal and terrify-
ing fiend). Its progress in tracking
down the characters is simulated
with an 8 Segment “Hunted” clock.
Two 8-segment clocks must be
filled in order to defeat Williams.
Z A Spotify playlist has been created
STAMINA HEALTH
Certain events will prompt the GM
to tick this clock, but the clock can
also be ticked by the GM at any
time as a consequence or compli-
cation due to poor character rolls
if it makes narrative sense to do
so (using a firearm, causing large-
scale destruction or explosions).
14
SPEED METAL
This is an optional rule that can be
used to make the game more tense
and difficult. The GM turns on a
playlist of Glam Metal songs and
after 4 songs are played, they tick
the “Hunted” clock once, all char-
acters must roll to resist terror (us-
ing Nerve) or take stress, and both
of the two “hero” characters (Gator
and Thor) must tick their special
character clocks once.
for this purpose, or just to help set
the mood while playing. You can
find it here:
Hair Metal Horror #1
CHARACTERS (VICTIMS)
The following pages contain the
player characters central to the
story “Fooling”. Each player will as-
sume the roll of one of the charac-
ters or “heroes”, and do their best
to ensure they survive the night.
Select one Special Ability for each
character, and write a backstory
short enough to fit on an index
card. Try to include both posi-
tive and negative aspects of your
character’s past, as these can be
leveraged when using flashbacks
or Devil’s bargains.
Deiter spent some time in jail for
burglary, and one time he broke into a
luxury apartment with locks just like
this. I want to call a flashback to that
time with hopes of improving
my position now.
Use this backstory to justify as-
signing an extra point to one of the
character’s Actions.
FOG OF WAR
The four members of the band have
countdown clocks on their char-
acter sheets that represent their
current state of impairment as
the adventure begins. The source
of this impairment (lack of sleep,
excessive partying. etc.) is up to
the players to decide. Whenever a
character makes an action roll with
a Desperate position, they can tick
a segment of this clock. Once the
15
Clock is completely filled in, the
characters are fully alert and aware
of their present situation. At this
point each character ticks a new
Action point of their choosing,
and also unlocks a second Special
Ability.
“HEROES”
Two special characters have been
unlocked thanks to the backers of
the Kickstarter. These characters
already have extra action points
assigned, and their players can
select two Special Abilities from
the beginning of the game.
“Thor” is the grizzled roadie for the
band, and has been in this busi-
ness for too long. His actions and
available special abilities reflect
his past. Unlike the members of
the band, his countdown clock
reflects old injuries. When it is
completely filled, he must remove
one point from his Traverse ac-
tion, and take a level 1 wound (no
resisting) to reflect this.
Gator Hawkins is a travelling
carnival worker, and specializes
in breaking things. His insidious
countdown clock reflects his cow-
ardice. Once it is completely filled,
Gator will do anything to survive.
At this point, whenever Gator uses
“betray another character” in a
Devil’s Bargain, he gains 2 bonus
dice and clears 1 stress.
‰‰bodacious +1d when attempting to
Sway someone that would find Lola attractive. nn Cash ($250)
nn Pepper Spray
‰‰Book it Ignore “Less Effect” for having oo Electric
minor injures when attempting to run.
Guitar
‰‰As if Tick the Special box to reduce harm
by one level.

‰‰final girl When Lola attacks from hid-

ing or springs a trap, gain +1d to the roll.

16
‰‰Front Man When Stefan leads an
action, reduce any stress incurred by -1. nn Pill bottle
(tranqs)
‰‰clydesdale Tick the armor box to nn Butterfly
reduce harm by 1 level. knife
oo Electric
‰‰full leathers Take +1d to resistance Guitar
rolls with Nerve vs terror.

‰‰to the max Tick the special box to

push yourself without taking stress.

17
‰‰Big Time Tick the special box to push
yourself without taking stress. nn Drumsticks
nn Cash ($50)
‰‰Chill Gain +1d when resisting as long the
Fog of War clock is not completely filled.

‰‰foolhardy Take +1d to resistance

rolls with Nerve vs terror.

‰‰F**K you watson Gain +1d to

an attack action after taking harm.

18
‰‰unsung Gain +1d to Hunt rolls for
sneaking or hiding. oo Base Guitar
oo Full Leathers
‰‰Dexter Gain increased effect when (Armor)
using the Study action.

‰‰Chill Pill Tick the special box to clear

3 stress.

‰‰jet Gain increased effect when using

Traverse to cross large open spaces.

19
‰‰unlicensed electrician Gain
increased effect when weaponizing electricity. nn Wire Cutters
nn Revolver
‰‰Hero When Protecting a band member, (4 rounds)
gain +1d to the resistance roll.

‰‰Grizzled Tick the special box to avoid

ticking the “old injuries” clock once.

‰‰blaze of glory Gain +1d to attack

actions (Fight/ Hunt) when outnumbered.

20
‰‰Wrecking Crew Effect is doubled
when using Wreck vs machinery. nn “Adjustable
jaw hammer”
‰‰Squirrel-cat +1d when using Tra- (a wrench)
verse to climb or balance. nn Key ring for
carnival ride
‰‰Thrillbilly Tick the special box to control pan-
avoid ticking the cowardice clock once. els.

‰‰This one time... -1 stress cost when

using a flashback.

21
 “TRAIL OF VALOR”
MAZE

STAGE

THE GRUB
YETI CENTRAL
LIVESTOCK
& SCHOOL
ART
STRATO- EXHIBITS
FIEND
MIDWAY
GAMES
FERRIS
WHEEL ARCADE

22
THE STAGE
The adventure/ nightmare begins
at the stage location. The charac-
ters have just finished playing their
first set of the night at around 8:00
pm. The sun has set (at 6:42 pm)
and it is partly cloudy. A rainstorm
that blanketed the town for the
last three days has passed, but
occasional drops are beginning
to fall. As a result, the ground
here is mostly slick mud and large
puddles. A full moon is currently
obscured by cloud cover and lights.
Despite the fifty degree fall weather,
you wipe the sweat from your eyes un-
der the intense heat of the stage light-
ing. Before you can exit, some towns-
folk begin helping a man in his sixties
up onto the stage.
He is wearing an outdated military
uniform with the name “Williams”
on the jacket. The elderly man walks
23
across the stage and presents himself
before a microphone. You try not to
laugh as the old vet in olive drab garb
grips the stand, wrapped in brightly
colored scarves.
“I would like to thank everyone
for their hard work with the fest
this year, some of you even work-
ing through the rain to make this
happen. As the world around us
changes, it is important to remind
our youth that there is no place
better than Liberty Grove. You sure
won’t find a finer celebration in Los
Angeles or Berlin!”
The crowd claps and cheers.
“We cannot stand idly by while our
youth are corrupted, after what
happened with Jane.”
The townsfolk gathered around the
stage begin chanting “Shame,
shame” over and over again.
Williams turns towards you, and
fumbles in his pocket to pull out a luger
pistol.
“I pried this out of the cold hand
of one of your ‘Opas’ and as far
as we, here in Liberty Grove are
concerned, there’s only two good
kinds of kraut; sauerkraut and a
dead kraut!”

If one or more of the band-mem-
bers are not controlled by players,
then choose one as the old man’s
target. They are killed by the shot.
If all of the characters are con-
trolled by players, select one at
random and inflict serious harm
(level 3), allowing them to resist
and lower it to level 2 harm.
If you are using
the optional rule
“SpeedMetal”, start
the playlist now!
Time seems to be moving in slow
motion as the character, or non-
player character who was shot
falls to the floor. Several men are
already rushing the stage as the
old veteran points his gun in the
direction of a second target. “Take
them into ...” he utters before falling
the ground on the stage himself.
As some of the men begin to move
towards him, they also fall down
on the stage. In fact half of the
townsfolk standing around the
stage fall to the ground and begun
convulsing in the mud.
24
All characters must make a Nerve
Resistance roll, suffering 6 stress
minus the highest die value rolled.
Each character may tick a segment
on their “Fog of War” clock as well.
Several townsfolk begin to trans-
form before you. Their limbs seem
to elongate as they thrash about,
their pale skin replaced by thick
green scales, their heads now
reptilian with rows of jagged teeth.
Clenched fists sprout curved claws
as lengthy tails begin flailing
about in the mud.
Place a two-segment clock called
“transformation” on the game
table and tick the first segment.
The characters’ first actions will
be largely unopposed and may not
require an action roll at all de-
pending on the complexity. Fleeing
into the corn maze right away will
result in a time bonus to complete
it, which could result in fewer
hazards.
Some items that can be obtained
in this area include:
yy Luger pistol with 8 rounds.
yy William’s house keys.
yy Full magazine for M1A1 sub-
machine gun (p. 30).
yy Pyrotechnics canisters (2)
No matter what the characters
decide to do, after they execute
their actions tick the second (and
final) segment of the transforma-
tion clock.
Consider that each of the char-
acters has, or can easily access a
makeshift weapon (musical instru-
ments/ mic stands/ etc.) but these
can easily be broken as a conse-
quence or complication during an
action.
All of the Were-Lizards are now
fully transformed, and it is time to
introduce a new, 8 segment
“Hunted” clock!
**RAILROAD WARNING**
This next section is a “railroad”, but
with the good intention of serving
as a tutorial for players new to the
system. It is intended to demon-
strate the usefulness, and the cost,
of working together using the
system rules, and ensures that the
characters will be exposed to some
information regarding the town,
the Were-Lizards, and Williams
himself.
Players and GMs familiar with
Blades in the Dark can skip this
step, and simply allow the charac-
ters to choose the characters’ next
actions/ location (corn maze, grub
hub, the Yeti ride, or the livestock
tents).
25
As the bipedal reptiles begin to rise
from the mud, other townsfolk,
who seem largely unphased by
any of this, began moving towards
you, fanning out in a clear attempt
to corral and capture you. The
only clear exit lies behind you, the
entrance to the corn maze.
Introducing the “Lead” action
The players must decide who will
lead the “Traverse” action as the
group flees into the corn maze.
Once this has been decided, all
players roll a number of dice equal
to their Traverse rating. The
highest result is used for all of the
characters, allowing them to stay
together.
The leader must mark one point
of stress for each character that
rolled a 3 or lower on their roll, as
trying to shepherd a half panicked
group is a stressful affair to say the
least. The position for this Action
is “risky”, and the effect is “stan-
dard”.
The results of this roll are used in
the following pages to help deter-
mine how long the characters are
stuck in the maze before finding
an exit, and how many areas and
potential hazards they might en-
counter.
26
“Corn MAZE”
When the characters enter the
maze, One character must lead (p.
13) the group, risking stress but
keeping the group together.
The player for this character will
complete the maze on the previous
page while the Game Master tracks
how many seconds it takes from
start to finish. The player must not
lift their pencil or pen from the
paper once they start.
The completion time is modified
by the greatest effect level of the
Traverse action roll, and the ad-
justed completion time is used to
determine the total number of 2d6
rolls that must be made to deter-
mine what the characters discover
in the maze.
Great Effect: Subtract 10
seconds from the actual time it
takes a player to complete the
maze.
Standard Effect: Use the
actual completion time.
Limited Effect: Add 5 sec-
onds to the actual time it takes
a player to complete the maze.
No Effect: Add 10 seconds to
the actual time it takes a player
to complete the maze.
27
If the characters used their free
action in the “stage” location
to flee directly into the corn
maze, subtract an additional 5
seconds from the total time.
To determine what the characters
discover in the corn maze, roll 1d6
to determine which area is discov-
ered, and then roll a second d6 to
determine what they encounter in
that area. (a roll of 3, followed by a
roll of 2 would indicate the “sacri-
ficial altar” area, with one Were-
Lizard lurking there. Consult the
following pages for the results.
30 Seconds or less: Roll 2d6 three
times to determine what they un-
cover in the maze.
30-50 Seconds: Roll 2d6 four times
to determine what they uncover in
the maze.
50-70 Seconds: Roll 2d6 five
times.+1 Were-Lizard added to any
encounters while in the maze.
71+ Seconds: Roll 2d6 six times, +1
Were-Lizard added to any en-
counters, and tick the master “No
Escape” clock once.
WERE-LIZARDS
Confrontations with Were-Lizards
are always dangerous. If the num-
ber of were-lizards is equal to or
greater than the characters, then
the position is Desperate and the
effect is Limited. Otherwise start
with (Risky/ Standard).
Melee weapons improve the effect
by one level, firearms improve the
effect by 2 levels, but the “Hunted”
clock is ticked each time a gunshot
can be heard.
Each Were-Lizard can be overcome
with a single successful Fight roll (1
tick of effect)

(1) RECRUIT WILLIAMS A crude mural depicts a young Williams

in an army uniform walking away from Liberty Grove. Orders assign-
ing him to “The Banishers”, a special forces company, a love letter from
“Cathy” urging him to be careful in the war, and an old, frayed jump
rope can be found here.
2d6 result
1, 1 1-3 (1d6/2) Were-Lizards.
1, 2 1 Were-Lizard.
1, 3 Cultist with a shotgun (3 extra shells).
1, 4 3 Cultists stabbing a tourist to death.
1, 5 Were-Lizard fan wearing a Luft-Kuss t-shirt.
1, 6 A panicked tourist trying to hide behind the mural.

28
(2) PARATROOPER A mural depicting a more heroic Williams para-
chuting down towards a crude approximation of Germany. An M3 trench
knife with scabbard, a WWII “Cricket” clicker, a letter from “Cathy”
breaking up with Williams, and an assortment of German “armed forces
eagle” patches can be found here.
2d6 result
2, 1 1-3 (1d6/2) Were-Lizards.
2, 2 1 Were-Lizard.
2, 3 Bloody, screaming tourist: tick the “Hunted” clock once.
2, 4 A dead tourist tangled in corn row razor wire- bled out.
2, 5 Were-Lizard...dog? 3 ticks of effect to overcome.
2, 6 Cultist pretending to be a tourist/ victim.

(3) SACRIFICIAL ALTAR The stone altar with a blood soaked flat
slab can be found here. The area is illuminated by lit candles and 3 oil
lanterns. A Long metal knife, resembling something from an ancient
civilization, but made from sharpened scrap metal, and an unopened can
of Respite (p. 13) cola with bloody fingerprints can be found here.
2d6 result
3, 1 1-3 (1d6/2) Were-Lizards.
3, 2 1 Were-Lizard.
3, 3 A dead carnival worker (friend of Gator- Gator ticks Cow-
ardice clock upon discovery).
3, 4 Were-Lizard stuck in a “Corn on the Cob” mascot suit.
3,5 Reporter hiding behind altar- assigned to cover the corn fest.
and Her cameraman was ripped apart in the Midway. Needs to
3, 6 get his footage and tries to convince the characters to help.

29
(4) CAR GRAVEYARD A larger clearing containing several disabled
cars, covered in tattered tarps. The vehicles are jammed in next to one
another with no space in between. The plates are all from out of state or
from other counties in Iowa. The car graveyard houses the vehicles of
previous victims and butts up against a 15’ corrugated aluminum wall. A
Tire iron leaning against a rusted out car can be found here.
2d6 result
4, 1 1-3 (1d6/2) Were-Lizards.
4, 2 1 Were-Lizard.
4, 3 “Slip and Fall”. Thor must tick “old injuries” clock once.
4, 4 A tourist hiding in a 1981 Dodge Aries K.
4, 5 A Were-Lizard stuck in a 1975 Chevrolet Camaro.
4, 6 A cultist with a rifle sniping from a rusted out 1948 Hud-
son Commodore.

(5) OPERATION EIDECHSEN This plywood “masterpiece” depicts

Williams and other soldiers engaged in a firefight with cartoonish Were-
Lizards wearing red Nazi armbands. An M1A1 Thompson submachine
gun with the magazine removed, and a memorial plaque with the names
of fallen “Banishers” (Williams was the only survivor) can be found here.
2d6 result
5, 1 1-6 (1d6) Were-Lizards.
5, 2 1-3 (1d6/2) Were-Lizards.
5, 3 Two middle aged cultists discussing how Williams liberated
Germany’s greatest treasure (the lizard totem).
5, 4 A screaming tourist, set ablaze. Tick “Hunted” clock once.
5, 5 A collection of various German “Thule” insignia patches.
5, 6 A lone cultist wearing a paper mache lizard head.

30
(6) WAR HERO An image of Williams walking towards Liberty Grove,
carrying a strange lizard totem over his shoulder is depicted here. 16
childrens’ paintings from the local elementary school depicting Williams
as the town hero, Honorable Discharge papers for Williams dated January
1946, and a WWII six cell ammo belt pouch filled with old, crumbling
Were-Lizard teeth can found here.
2d6 result
6, 1 1-6 (1d6) Were-Lizards.
6, 2 1-3 (1d6/2) Were-Lizards.
6, 3 1 Were-Lizard.
Becca, a teenage girl spray-painting the word “Monster”
6, 4 over the mural. She was Jane’s (who ran away) girlfriend,
6,5 and was supposed to leave with her but changed her mind.
or She hates Williams and the town, and can provide info on
6, 6 what is going on/ help the characters if they can keep her
alive.

EXITING THE MAZE

After all rolled areas have been re-
solved, the characters will discover
the exit to the maze. If they never
discovered the same area twice,
they will exit to the “Yeti” location.

If they did visit the same area of

the corn maze more than once, roll
one six sided die (1d6) to deter-
mine where they exit from.
Add one to the die roll for each
time they visited a location more
than once. If the modified total is
more than 6, they exit the maze
through the entrance, back in the
“Stage” location.
If the characters exit back at the
“Stage” location, tick the “Hunted”
clock once. 1d3 (1d6/2) Were-
Lizards can be found skulking
about in this location, and must be
overcome or bypassed in order to
progress through the fairgrounds.
Characters can return to the maze
or head to the Yeti, Grub Hub, or
Livestock locations from here.

31
Perils
In each of the following Corn
Fest locations, there are features
indicated that can be rolled for, or
simply chosen by the Game Master
to set the strange mood.
Each location should also include
1-3 Were-Lizards, 1-6 cultists, or
some combination of the two that
must be dealt with or avoided in
order to progress through the loca-
tion. How the characters choose to
do this is completely up to them,
but erring on the side of caution
will likely give them the greatest
chance for escape.
It is possible to reason with or in-
timidate cultists, or even establish
some sort of favorable connection
with one or more of them using
flashbacks. The characters have
been stuck in town for two days
waiting for the weather to improve
so they can perform and get out
the heck out!
Tourists/ out of towners that are
being hunted or killed by the cult-
ists and Were-Lizards throughout
the adventure all arrived on a bus.
The bus has been relocated and
cannot be discovered as a possible
means of escape.
32
Walled In
The carnival grounds are enclosed
in a large wall made of vertical
sheets of galvanized aluminum. It
is not possible to scale these walls,
or break through them with make-
shift melee weapons, but they
could be breached with a signifi-
cantly stronger destructive force.
relentless
While the cultists can be killed
or otherwise incapacitated, the
Were-Lizards have regenerative
abilities, and even those that have
been “killed” or defeated will rise
again and rejoin the hunt for the
characters.
This means revisiting locations
that have been previously “cleared”
of enemies will force the charac-
ters to deal with any Were-Lizards
again, and they will really be angry
with the characters now!
THE yeti
If Gator Hawkins is a
player character, he can
enter play here.
A staple of 80’s carnivals, the Yeti
consists of a small chain of con-
nected cars (6) that roll around a
circular track with uneven eleva-
tions at high speed while lights
flash and glam metal rattles the
speakers. The ride is mostly con-
tained inside a circular pavilion.
The crowd here is a mix of Were-
Lizards, cultist townies, and one or
two hapless “out of town” victims
that picked the wrong carnival to
attend.
Roll Feature
Cultists holding a victim’s
1 head over the tracks.
Were-Lizard leaping off
2 ride towards characters at
high velocity.
Were-Lizard stumbling
3 off “The Yeti” and
vomiting.
Botched Were-Lizard
4 with an elderly woman’s
head, hissing ferociously.
A conflicted cultist who
5 really loved the band’s
performance.
Cultist security guard
6 with a blood-spattered
night stick.
33
midway
An assortment of carnival style
games can be found here (ring
toss, shooting gallery with pellet
guns, high striker “strength test”
with heavy mallet, ski-ball, bal-
loon wall with blunted darts, etc.).
Most of the prizes are some varia-
tion of plush lizard doll.
The entrance to the fairgrounds
(located in the South end of the
Midway) is blocked by two barb
wire topped gates chained togeth-
er and guarded by two cultists with
shotguns. It is possible for the
characters to escape here.
Roll Feature
Cotton candy machine
1 + human head = bloody
disgusting!
Were-Lizard stuck in a
2 dunk tank.
Were-Lizard atop a Por-
3 tolet “hiss-screeching” at
the moon.
Were-Lizard still wear-
4 ing a polka dot covered
clown costume.
Kissing booth with a
5 Were-Lizard snout jutting
out.
*Video recorder with
6 Were-Lizard footage on
8mm cassette.
* Can be found if characters are
searching for it per “side quest”.
34
STRATOFIEND
The Stratofiend is an enclosed
“haunted house” style ride, and the
only way to progress to another
area is through it.
A “talking” shotgun is mounted on
a pipe jutting out of the front of
the first car in the 5 car “train”, and
narrates the ride (There is a 50%
chance it is accidentally loaded)
weaving a tale of a dark future
filled with alien invaders and ten-
tacled imposters, one jump scare
at a time.
The crowd outside the entrance
consists of cultists cheering on a
Were-Lizard as it devours an tour-
ist. The ride is just beginning as
the characters enter the area, and
jumping into/ onto the small train
of cars that is entering the ride’s
enclosed area is easy.
Fiendish “Strato-Man”
A bearded mannequin in a tattered
trench coat with a dozen slightly
animatronic rubber tentacles
emerging from its midsection,
dangling over the ride’s track. A
Were-Lizard attacks from the op-
posite side of track.
Dominator Gladiator
A huge, one-eyed monstrosity in
an oddly suggestive harness strad-
dles the track, wielding a massive
axe. Bladed tentacles are suspend-
ed from the ceiling, looming over
35
the ride. The axe will swing over
the cars, possibly striking anyone
or anything that is not fully seated
in one of the cars.
The Everlasting Trident
The bat demon with solar panel
wings featured outside the ride is
painted on the wall. Below, a man-
nequin with arms extended to the
painted night sky is surrounded
by mannequins dressed as soldiers
wielding plastic assault rifles.
As the cars roll past the scene, a
bright light shines down on the
central mannequin and spreads
out to cover the surrounding “sol-
diers” as strobe lights flash. Any
Were-Lizards present in the area
will retreat from either the bright
spotlight or the strobe lights.
The Stratofiend ride exits to the
Midway location. If the characters
fail or choose not to exit, they will
be taken through a narrow, dark
tunnel with no head room, and
brought back to the beginning of
the ride.
The “Stratofiend” ride borrows
its name and theme from the
“Terror of the Stratosfiend” Zine
Quest Kickstarter project, and is
included with the permission of
Orbital Intelligence LLC and
Sean Richer, the author.
arcade Grub Central
A large, mud-spattered tent hous-
ing somewhere between 30 and 40 If Gator Hawkins is a
arcade games on wooden pallets to player character, he can
keep them above the wet ground enter play here.
can be found here. A bundle of
electrical cords is routed out of the This location contains a dozen or
back of the tent, and then routed so food tents serving typical carni-
over the tall metal wall due to the val fare including hot dogs, funnel
ground being so wet. They can be cake, turkey legs, etc.
climbed to escape the fairgrounds.
1d6 small propane tanks, boiling
fryo-lator grease, and 1d6 Were-
Roll Feature
Lizards can be found here.
1 Were-Lizard lifting a
Dino-Wrangler arcade
machine above its head
and then hurling it into
another machine.
2 Distracted teen cult-
ists gathered around an
arcade machine.
3 Electrified puddle.
4 A tourist smashed in the
mud under a machine.
5 Were-Lizard astride a
motorcycle arcade ma-
chine.
6 Oblivious cultist asking
to trade a crinkled dollar.

The “Dino-Wrangler” arcade

machine borrows its name from
the “Dino Wranglers” Zine
Quest Kickstarter project, and is
included with the permission of
Rachelle Dube, the author.

36
livestock tents
If Gator Hawkins is a
player character, he can
enter play here.
This location houses livestock pens
as well as a school art exhibit. The
artwork features images either
glorifying “Williams the Hero” or,
perhaps most disturbing, kinder-
garten finger paintings of Were-
Lizards ripping people apart.
Near the animal pens, an electric
cattle prod can be found.
This is a larger location, and will
take more effort/ effect to traverse
through.
If the livestock pens are opened
the animals will flee into the Grub
Central and Stage Locations.
Roll Feature
1 3 Were-Lizards devour-
ing wailing livestock
2 Were-Lizard struggling to
kill a bull.
Were-Lizard swallowing
3
a small pig whole.
4 3 live tourists tied up in
an animal pen.
Electrical short near the
5
hanging paper artwork.
6 Elder Lizard Screech.
Tick the “Hunted” clock!
37
Ferris Wheel
The ferris wheel provides an op-
portunity for the characters to
escape the confines of the walled-
in fairgrounds. The wheel must
complete one rotation before the
characters will be able to attempt
to leap off, and over the outer wall.
In that time, Were-Lizards will
scale the wheel, intent on killing
the characters.
Sabotaging the ride could also
result in the wheel breaking free
and creating a breach in the alumi-
num wall, allowing the characters
another opportunity to escape, but
this will also alert the Elder Were-
Lizard (Williams) to their location
and cause the “hunted” clock to be
ticked twice.
Roll Feature
Small Were-Lizard child
1 in a cornflower blue dress
holding a lizard doll.
Cultist with a small hold-
2 out revolver.
Tourist leaping from the
ferris wheel to their death
3 while trying to escape a
Were-Lizard.
Cultist screaming at the
4 moon for not being cho-
sen to be a Were-Lizard.
5 Torso of dead tourist.
A flyer: “They are going
6 to kill you! Leave Now!”
 OFFICE
KITCHEN

BAR
FAMILY
DINING

RECEPTION

38
Bubb’s Diner
On the road leading from the fair-
grounds to town, near the highway
this “family friendly” restaurant
can be found. The sign and lights
are off, and the front door is
locked. Bubb’s Diner attracts out-
of-towners and travellers due to its
proximity to the highway.
These strangers are observed
closely, and provide a source of oc-
casional victims for the cult.
The restaurant is a source of Re-
spite (p. 13), allowing the charac-
ters to clear some stress points.
Reception: The door here is
locked, but can be opened with
little effort (2 levels of effect).
Bar: A long bar lines the left
(West) wall, and wooden tables and
chairs fill the remainder of this
space. A dozen bottles of alcohol
can be found here.
Family Dining: A spacious
dining area with booths lining the
walls and wooden tables arranged
within the room. A stage with life-
less, animatronic “animal” band is
located in the Southeast corner.
Kitchen: The kitchen contains
the grill line, prep stations, pantry
shelves, and a walk-in cooler that
also houses a small walk-in freezer.
A case with “Blue Ribbon Brownie
39
Bites” can be found here. Eating
them will restore/ clear a charac-
ter’s a ticked “Special” box.
Office: Food pantry shelves
largely fill this space, with a small
office area in the Northeast cor-
ner. There is a phone in the office,
but it has been rigged to require
some sort of “fuse” or plug to work.
There are two breaker panels here,
a small breaker that powers the
cooler, and a main breaker panel
with several unmarked switches
for everything else.
A trap door with an electric lock
in the floor here leads to a small,
damp basement with empty steel
cages.
If Becca was not encountered in
the Corn Maze, she can be discov-
ered in one of the cages, having
been locked up after trying to
warn out-of-towners of the danger
they were in. She can explain that
Williams brought some strange
totem back from the war, and how
each year a few loyal cultists are af-
flicted with the lizard-lycanthropy.
Turning on any breakers will cause
the outdoor sign to illuminate, and
activate the animatronic band.
Even if turned off, 1-3 Were-Liz-
ards will smash through the front
entrance after the characters have
rested to clear stress or met Becca.
 PINEHILL
LOUNGE

LIBERTY
HARDWARE
WILLIAMS
HOME

LIBERTY
AUTO

40
liberty grove
The small “downtown” of liberty
grove consists of large houses,
and a few small businesses. The
houses belong to the most promi-
nent families, and are locked and
alarmed. Overall, this setting will
be fairly dark and quiet, with no
Were-Lizards present unless the
characters alert them or were fol-
lowed from another location.
If the characters attempt to break
into any of these “undescribed”
locations, the alarms will trigger,
and Were-Lizards will rapidly oc-
cupy the downtown area. Tick the
“Hunted clock” twice .
Roll Feature
Drunk cultist staggering
1 out of the lounge, cursing
Williams.
Upstairs light in a house
2 quickly turning out as the
characters notice it.
Streetlights leading to the
3 Williams home seem to
flicker red for a moment.
A river of blood flow-
ing down Liberty street
from Williams house
with an ancient Central
4 - 6 American hunting party
in a wooden canoe. The
hunters turn to face the
characters, and then the
“vision/ illusion” ends.
41
Liberty Auto
Liberty auto is open, and a car is
raised on the singular lift with its
wheels removed. A phillips head
screwdriver is located on a work-
bench along with a used distribu-
tor cap (taken from the characters’
tour van).
The toilet flushes from a small
bathroom in the garage, and a
mountain of a man steps out wip-
ing his grease stained hands on
a rag. The mechanic will smash
the distributor cap with a wrench
if the characters have not already
grabbed it.
The Mechanic is tough, and re-
quires 3 “ticks” of effort to defeat
if the characters fight him. If the
characters flee, he will begin honk-
ing the horn of the car that is on
the lift to alert other cultists and
Were-Lizards (treat as if a house
alarm had been triggered).
If the characters took the distribu-
tor, he will be sure they are flee-
ing to the Hotel where their van is
located.
In the garage, the characters can
find an assortment of wrenches
and other tools that can be used
as makeshift weapons, along with
a butane torch, electrical wires,
and car batteries.
liberty hardware
This brick , two story building ap-
pears like a small, defensible for-
tress, with all of the second story
windows having been bricked up.
The second story is a large, single
room space that houses unused
decorations for town events,
stored in boxes, and has a stairway
leading to the roof.
The hardware store contains ev-
erything you could expect a rural
hardware store to have (farm tools,
feed, fertilizer, etc.). There are no
guns, but the characters will be
able to find ammunition for any
firearms they might have acquired.
42
The characters can go wild here
crafting weapons and traps if they
so choose, as long as the Were-Liz-
ards haven’t been alerted to their
presence.
pinehill lounge
Unlike Bubb’s Diner, this is strictly
a local dive bar.
The bartender (Becca’s uncle) will
offer them a “last drink” (untick
special box for each character), but
figures they should resign them-
selves to their grim fate. If asked,
he will suggest the hardware store
is probably the most defensible
location, or maybe they could trash
William’s house before the Were-
Lizards finally get them.
the williams home
An old, wooden two story home
with a basement. This is where
things start to get really strange
due to the close proximity of the
ancient Thule lizard-totem.
The front porch is covered with
draping American flags, and the
front door is unlocked, as none
would dare enter the elder Were-
Lizard’s home uninvited.
The house smells of mothballs,
with all the original, now antique,
furniture. The floors are slightly
uneven and creak in several loca-
tions. On the main floor there is a
kitchen, small dining area, a parlor
or family room, and an unused
guest room that is cluttered with
unused household items.
In the basement the word “Harlot”
is painted on a wall in large letters,
with a skeleton in a threadbare
dress chained to it. A desk with
letters to and from “Cathy”, dated
during the early 1940’s sits against
a wall, as well as buckets and a pile
of empty cans. The letters detail
the deterioration of the relation-
ship between Williams and Cathy,
who appears to have been his
hometown sweetheart before he
entered the war.
Studying the letters reveals that
Williams grew cold and even
threatening in his responses until
43
Cathy finally chose to end things.
It can be determined that Cathy
was kept alive in Williams’ base-
ment for quite some time.
The upstairs has a bathroom and
a single bedroom. This door is
locked but can be forced open eas-
ily. Inside there is not a bed, but
rather a pile of old laundry and in
the center of the room, the stone
Thule lizard-totem. The totem
weighs nearly 100 pounds, and is
the size of a small suitcase.
If the characters touch the totem,
tick the “Hunted” clock 3 times,
which will likely lead to a show-
down with the elder Were-Lizard
himself in the house.
The totem can be destroyed, which
will break the lycanthropic curse,
for the townsfolk... The room will
fill with a yellow swirling mist and
overwhelming madness...
Breaking News! (Name of one of
the survivors), a founding mem-
ber of the Metal band “Eidechsen”
is in custody today after what
appears to be a mass grave site
has been uncovered in (his/her)
Hollywood Hills estate.
While the names of the victims
are still being withheld, it ap-
pears that the mystery of dis-
appearances surrounding the
band’s performances for the last
decade may have been solved.
Bargain Motel
The “Bargain Motel” is a simple
building with an office and nine
rooms connected to one another
facing a small parking lot. The
band members are the only occu-
pants. The group of tourists that
were witnessed fleeing or being
murdered in the adventure arrived
in a bus for the event, and were not
staying in town.
This bus was moved and is no-
where to be found in the adven-
ture. The tour van the band uses
is in the parking lot, but it will
not start. Opening the hood will
reveal that the van has been sabo-
taged. The distributor cap has been
removed (and is located in the
Liberty Auto garage).
If the characters have the distribu-
tor cap and the screwdriver, they
can attempt to install it, but even
then they may connect the spark
plug wires to the wrong points on
the distributor cap, preventing the
van from starting.
This is one action (tinker) that
cannot benefit from the Lead tac-
tic. One character must try, with at
best the help of another character
(+1 die to the roll, but the aiding
character takes 1 stress). The char-
acters must gain 5 ticks/ levels of
effect total in order to successfully
install the distributor cap.
44
For each attempt, tick the “Hunt-
ed” clock once.
If the characters do not have the
distributor cap, they can choose
to flee towards the highway. Roll
1d6. On a roll of 6, a passing car
can be flagged down, allowing
them to escape. On a 1-5, no car
comes, and tick the “Hunted” clock
once. This continues until either
a car comes, or the Hunted clock
is filled, forcing the characters to
fight the Elder Were-Lizard as well
as 1d6 additional Were-Lizards to
the death.
Alternatively, the characters can
flee back to town (tick the “Hunt-
ed” clock once) and face their fate
from a more defensible location/
destroy the totem/ etc.
Facing the Were-Lizards is prob-
ably futile, as they are regenera-
tive, and their total numbers never
really decrease. They don’t stay
“dead” for long before they recover
and rejoin the hunt. The excep-
tion would be if the characters can
somehow kill the Elder Were-Liz-
ard, the remaining Were-Lizards
would likely slink away in shock
and horror at the loss.
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