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Where the Heavens Meet the Earth (An EP Scenario)

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Fri, 2014-11-07 19:17

UnitOmega

Where the Heavens Meet the Earth (An EP Scenario)

So this is a number I wrote up a while back, but only recently realized I'd never posted on the Eclipse Phase forums. This is an alteration of an adventure I wrote and ran for my home group several years ago, edited to be used by just about anybody. A hyperelite exec with strong ties to Fa Jing has recently discovered that his old family estate hidden in the mountains of China may be mostly intact, along with the wealth of treasures it contains, both physical and data. This is a highly valuable find, and not just for Fa Jing, but for all kinds of people. So a team of specialists has been assembled to brave the Cordon and hike through mountains and deserts to secure the site and recover the data first, braving the Consortium blockade and all manner of TITAN threats, as well as the hardships of the Fallen Earth to do so. Unlike something like say, [i]Mind the WMD[/i] or [i]Dehumanize[/i] or the new [i]Fishy Situation[/i], [i]Heavens[/i] is not a good scenario to give someone a soft introduction to Eclipse Phase. I borrowed heavily from Zone Stalkers when writing this, and it's full of some serious survival and combat encounters, both random and story, and barring some quirks of the dice rolls, should eat alive anybody who didn't come prepared for it. In addition to drawing on Sunward and Zone Stalkers for this, you can probably compare it to your pick of survival horror or post-apoc games of an exploratory type. I for one am a big fan of Fallout series. This version of the scenario hasn't been playtested as far as I know, so if anybody does run it, or see anything to comment on from read it, feel free. It's already version 1.5 from other general public feedback.

Attachment	Size
WheretheHeavensMeettheEarthv1.5.pdf	582.26 KB

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Tue, 2014-11-11 10:31

uwtartarus uwtartarus's picture

After a cursory read while I

After a cursory read while I commute, it looks good. Very interesting! Will report back if I get an opportunity to playtest it. Love that people are writing Earthbound adventures, as the whole place is a crazy TQZ and such.

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Wed, 2014-11-19 07:06

ThatWhichNeverWas ThatWhichNeverWas's picture

Finally got around to it.

Seems solid. An enjoyable romp through the apocalypse. The only half-way significant change I would make would be to alter the random enounter descriptions to make them a bit freakier. As written the entire scenario could be dropped into the white zone without any real trouble... not that that's a bad thing :D. I did notice one minor gramatical error: On page 9, it says the mountain trails are "damaged, destroyed or otherwise altered to pass". Oh, and load this on your phone. When the Warbot arrives, don't say anything. Just press play.

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In the past we've had to compensate for weaknesses, finding quick solutions that only benefit a few. But what if we never need to feel weak or morally conflicted again?

Thu, 2014-11-20 00:20

kindalas

I like it

It sort of invalidates my view of how "easy" it is to get off of earth. But that is an issue for the themes of my games. I did notice that Chief's stats are missing on the second row of the stat block. I do like the final back stab. But I think that players may like a few hints that he might pull something and possibly a mini game to wrestle control of the Datyia. All in all definitely something I'd consider adapting to my own purposes.

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Thu, 2014-11-20 20:19

UnitOmega

Thanks for the comments, guys

Thanks for the comments, guys, I fixed the noted errors (though I'm not sure I if I should dump a whole new version just for a couple of quick fixes. I can though, I'll just edit it onto this post if I do).

Quote:
The only half-way significant change I would make would be to alter the random encounter descriptions to make them a bit freakier. As written the entire scenario could be dropped into the white zone without any real trouble... not that that's a bad thing :D.

Yeah, I basically pushed the limit of what was available. Obviously, the table wasn't there when I first wrote this, but when I modified it I used ZS as a guideline, and that basically uses every TITAN/exsurgent type encounter that exists (plus some new ones) so when I basically did the same, the tables seem very similar, though I tried to make it more Earth-like with stuff like the TITAN Forest (where you just don't want to go and the only thing I wrote that happens is you die horribly) and the extreme and sudden weather patterns. To add more combat encounters, I'd have had to create my own exsurgent types or borrow from the forums or something. And unlike the Mars TQZ, Earth isn't tightly packed enough to warrant tripping over TITAN weapons or area denial devices in the middle of nowhere. This is another one of those things I leave to Rule 0 (Or maybe Rule 1 depending on how you count), the GM is free to mess with the encounters however he or she likes

Quote:
It sort of invalidates my view of how "easy" it is to get off of earth. But that is an issue for the themes of my games.

Depending on how you want to look at it, [i]Heavens[/i] treats running the Cordon both as very easy and very hard. I've personally always pictured it kind of like weather, the Reclaimers have had around 10 years to study the pattern so they're pretty good at finding or making holes, but getting to exact locations can require lots of waiting, and Reclaimers aren't keen on just dropping into unexplored areas. Once you have the goods, Marina can take whatever route needed to get off and orbit back out, unless you feel like making that a direct narrative concern.

Quote:
But I think that players may like a few hints that he might pull something and possibly a mini game to wrestle control of the Daitya.

Again, see above about "Rule 0", I tried to write enough to let the GM feel like they have fluid control over the situations as needed. There's hints that LJL isn't what he seems if he's looked up, but unless you're already Firewall, you probably don't have the resources (and also probably don't have the time) to properly investigate him, but that could always be adjusted. Paranoia, and how much is "enough" is definitely a theme with [i]Heavens[/i], and can be heightened by the GM. Combat Hacking in EP requires a lot of specialization and takes a short eternity still, but if players want to take a round and a half or whatever it maths out to, to crack open a Daitya or two and try and re-subvert they can feel free. If they're paranoid enough to break them first before LJL actually does anything, then good on them. Though, of course, this is Post-Fall Earth, and those AIs are definitely running in "autistic" mode. (Also, in the original version of the scenario I ran, which was tailored to specific players, Marina brought a couple of generic bots (as the Daitya did not exist yet) as lifters and a Reaper bot with an AI for overwatch, which was a lot more fun, but I felt throwing another killer gun robot immediately after the other would be too obvious and repetitive for this version)

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Fri, 2014-11-21 08:58

ThatWhichNeverWas ThatWhichNeverWas's picture

Warbot injector-tentacle + Security Pod = Frag Grenade.

UnitOmega wrote:
Yeah, I basically pushed the limit of what was available. Obviously, the table wasn't there when I first wrote this, but when I modified it I used ZS as a guideline, and that basically uses every TITAN/exsurgent type encounter that exists (plus some new ones) so when I basically did the same, the tables seem very similar, though I tried to make it more Earth-like with stuff like the TITAN Forest (where you just don't want to go and the only thing I wrote that happens is you die horribly) and the extreme and sudden weather patterns. To add more combat encounters, I'd have had to create my own exsurgent types or borrow from the forums or something.

I didn't mean that you needed to put more encounters in there or change the mechanics much, just the flavor. Having subverted security pods (6-10) turn up is fine, but have thier flesh-bits rotting off, or have them decorated with the body parts of the transhumans they've consumed to keep themselves running. Have the whippers (11-15) burst out of the ground underneath the party, or the Geysers (38-40) spray a slurry of liquidated flesh and bone, or the Hunterkillers (51-60) be carrying fresh heads, having just eradicated a colony of survivors. You know, those little details that say "Welcome to the most desolate level of hell".

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In the past we've had to compensate for weaknesses, finding quick solutions that only benefit a few. But what if we never need to feel weak or morally conflicted again?

Fri, 2014-11-21 15:01

UnitOmega

Well, I suppose its a

Well, I suppose its a difference in thematics. To me, I tried to emphasize the "death" of the Earth by painting a picture of vast, dead emptiness, only sporadically interrupted by running across some horrible monstrosity that literally wants to eat you. The planet itself will take a couple shots to kill you if chance happens to bring the "rain" (of rocks). You literally spend the adventure in a desert and then in the mountains. I suppose you could say the intent was to present a kind of void and then in step with "paranoia" above, you always wonder what's in that void. Going full gorn and being "and the geysers are made of [i]BLOOD[/i]" seems a step too far. I did heavily borrow the text for a lot of the exsurgent/TITAN bot encounters from ZS though, adjusted slightly for Earth, I could probably stand to do another pass and try and make sure they're appropriately dynamic.

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