Tag Archives: urban encounter

Cemetery

In Western cultures, the dead are most often buried, but there are alternatives. Some undergo cremation, while others are enshrouded and placed in crypts. A relative few are left exposed to the elements, in obeisance to traditions spanning thousands of years, and fewer still are those who undergo preservation (or mummification in the Egyptian style) in order to be put on display, sometimes in the name of science, sometimes not. A very few are cryogenically frozen and sealed in large cylinders, awaiting the day that science might find a cure for their various conditions and revive them.

Whichever option chosen, one question remains to be answered – where do they put the mortal remains? For most people, the answer can only be: in a cemetery.

All over the world, people devote land to the dead and to those who mourn their loss. Such places are sometimes crassly referred to as boneyards, people with decorum would name them cemeteries, and those in between sometimes call them graveyards. What constitutes a cemetery is mainly semantic: A single grave may be said to be just that, while several graves comprise what is quaintly termed a “family plot” (if the inhumed subjects were related, that is). Only when two or more graves occupied by unrelated people exist near each other, a true cemetery.

Admittedly, this distinction is somewhat blurry. A so-called mass grave, which contains otherwise unrelated victims of a terrible crime, is not a cemetery. Instead, it is more properly called a graveyard. Cemeteries, on the other hand, are parcels of land devoted exclusively to the perpetual and respectful celebration of those interred or memorialized within. Here, one is far more likely to encounter only mourners, groundskeepers, or perhaps, on a really bad day, gang members shooting at each other during funereal ceremonies for other gang members. Whatever the term or situation, perhaps on a dark and stormy night filled with foul deeds, the living dead may rise from their graves in search of fresh brains.

Don’t Miss …

Shady Side Cemetery welcomes visitors and mourners of all persuasions. Once you step through the somber, arched, double iron gates and gaze upon the gently rolling hills, idyllic ponds, and shady trees, we think you’ll agree: This is where your beloved would want to spend eternity. Drive along the well-maintained road as it winds its way among neatly trimmed grass plots and tastefully designed floral hedgerows maintained by the resident caretaker and his three daughters.

Follow the east loop to the Shady Side Mansion, home of the owner, Mr. Richards, and his family and the site of the funeral home. This family tradition, spanning 155 years, ensures that loved ones receive only the very best care available. The facility is equipped to host three 200-guest services simultaneously without overlap, and the convenient, on-site crematorium handles all alternative funereal needs.

At Shady Side, the loved one is received in the Welcome Bay, located to the rear of the mansion near Mrs. Richards’ heirloom rose garden. Short, tastefully decorated corridors offer convenient access to prep rooms for immediate embalming or, pending notification from next-of-kin, to the refrigerated storage facility for long-term accommodations. Recent improvements in the facility have made it possible to offer deluxe, cryogenic Resurrection Package (inquire for details). Shady Side has a separate showroom for caskets, urns, and funereal alternatives, and the trained, understanding consultants take the worry and work out of selecting amenities.

While touring the grounds here, please take a few minutes to visit the newly renovated Viktor Mausoleum, designed in 1923 by Jefferson Walker, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Thanks to a generous donation by the Viktor family, a limited number of spaces are available within this landmark structure.

Things to See

+ Plain and ornate headstones and statues of white, gray, or black granite and marble

+ Real and plastic flowers in green cone-shaped holders by headstones

+ Small national flags near the headstones of veterans

+ Granite or marble statues of angels, soldiers, and crosses.

+ Trees of various ages scattered through the cemetery, with lines of trees on the edges

+ Gravel paths winding between shaggy green expanses and rows of headstones

+ A shovel nearly a freshly dug grave

+ Short, wrought-iron fence marking off small sections of the cemetery

People to Meet

Cemetery caretakers and other employees have 2D in each attribute with 2D+1 to 3D in business, artist: gardening, know-how: gardening, and, possibly, lifting and melee weapons: digging tools. Few cemeteries employ security guards, instead relying upon local police to investigate vandalism and other crimes committed on the property.

Groundskeeper: Reflexes 2D, climbing 2D+1, melee combat: digging tools 2D+2, Coordination 2D, Physique 2D+ l, lifting 3D. Knowledge 2D+1, business 2D+2, scholar 3D, Perception 2D+2, artist: gardening 3D, know-how: gardening 3D+ I , search 3D , Presence 2D, persuasion 2D+1, willpower 2D+1. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 10. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ Vandals have recently damaged several important crypts in the Shady Side Cemetery. The police think it is a simple case of bored teenagers looking for something to do, but the players’ characters discover a different reason. The first crypt broken into belonged to the family of Charles Williams, a wealthy proprietor and landlord with supposed organized crime connections. Charles was known for his self-professed high-ranking membership in the Poor Fellow Soldiers of the Temple of Christ of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Templar. During his last confession, he revealed that he had discovered the secret of the Censure Noir d’Troyes, a black-enameled censure presented in the twelfth century as a gift from the Count of Troyes to his nephew, Sir Hugues de Payens, founder of me Knights Templar. Sir Hugues presented the censure to the Bishop of Jerusalem upon entering the city in triumph. Carved from oak and inlaid with black enamel, the censure had no earthly value beyond its supposed miraculous power to heal the wounded knights who convalesced in Outremer’s infirmaries. It was presumed lost after the Order’s forced dissolution 200 years later, but tantalizing clues regarding its whereabouts turned up from time to time, and it has been sought by Templars ever since.

Charles’ cryptic last words, issued in the presence of family and associates, mentioned the censure and finished with “take it to your grave, as I am taking it to mine.” One of Charles’ so-called business associates, John “Croc” O’Dell (known as “Uncle Croc” to Charles’ children), interpreted Charles’s last words as meaning that he had literally found the relic and was having it entombed with him in his family’s crypt. Subsequently, O’Dell and several henchmen broke into Charles’ crypt, and even searched his house, but to no avail. The relic appeared lost again, but Croc O’Dell became convinced that it must be hidden somewhere in the cemetery, so he intends to keep searching even if he has to dig up every grave in Shady Side (O’Dell is not squeamish and will not hesitate to resort to violence to get what he wants). Perhaps the relic is actually hidden in Shady Side – and perhaps it possesses mystical powers – or perhaps not …

Casino

Once considered the height of sin and shunned by so-called proper society, casinos are now seen as a lawful if not quite yet respectable source of revenue for many civic entities. They can be fow1d in many U.S. states, especially on Native American reservations, where the added income is (theoretically, at any rate) channeled into education and other social programs. Despite protests co the contrary by local law enforcement officials, organized crime has a connection (however distant) to every casino operated outside of the reservations (and probably has a hand in those, too). Some casinos are dark, dingy, rather depressing places full of cigarette smoke, noisy gaming machines, and desperate-looking, glassy-eyed patrons chat mechanically place bets as if they’ve never known another life. Ocher casinos are clean, relatively smoke-free, and achieve at least the illusion of energy and opportunity with bright lights and flashing and pinging machines.

Don’t Miss …

The Bar None Casino’s main entrance, designed in Western cattle-ranch style, welcomes visitors into a clean, wholesome-appearing facility that seems honest and law-abiding. An attractive hostess suggests games based on short, simple questions disguised as friendly small talk, and the club always scores well on customer satisfaction surveys. The casino’s three main gambling halls each have a different cowboy theme, but all are filled with tables for card- and dice-related games of chance, as well as roulette tables and rows of slot machines crafted to fit each room’s style. The Round-up Room is decorated with cattle-drive motifs and serves fresh hamburgers and steaks prepared on the premises. The Dry Gulch Room resembles a Hollywood-inspired Wild West saloon, with costumed croupiers and servers and period music delivered by a player piano. The Cavalry Room imitates a frontier U.S. Army fort on the high plains, and features clips from westerns projected on movie screens suspended above the bar.

For those less inclined to gamble but still desiring Wild West ambience, the casino’s Bar None Bar serves light drinks and appetizers amid autographed Western movie memorabilia and photographs donated or on loan from actors and recording artists. The management offices, located well away from public areas of the casino, include one dedicated to security monitors, which are linked to dozens of cameras hidden throughout the facility. Off-duty police supplement the casino’s full-time security guards and assist with public relations issues, such as politely asking professional gamblers and lucky winners to consider retiring to the restaurant for a meal and drinks “on the house.”

Things to See

+ Comfortably padded stools

+ Cigarettes, cigars, and ashtrays

+ Poker chips in red, white, and blue

+ Legal tender (bills, coins, or “credit” cards)

+ Metal payout coins with the casino’s logo on them or slips of white paper with a payout printout on them (post-2000)

+ Alcoholic drinks or soda pop in glasses on trays or small tables

+ Playing cards with backs bearing the casino’s logo + Dice about an inch on the side in clear red, green, or blue with white pips

+ Small pencils in cups for filling out lotto cards

+ Croupier’s stick for gathering in chips

+ See the “Bar/Nightclub” and “Restaurant” en- tries for ideas on what to include the dining areas

People to Meet

Casino owners and employees have 2D in each attribute, with 2D+1 in business, 2D+1 to 2D+2 in sleight of hand, and 2D+1 to 3D in gambling. For bartenders, see the “Bar/Nightclub” entry. For security guards hired by the casino, use the attributes and skills of the thug or security guard.

Card Dealer: Reflexes 2D, brawling 2D+1, Coordination 2D+2, sleight of hand 3D, Physique 2D, Knowledge2D+1, business 2D+2, scholar: gambling 3D, Perception 2D+l , gambling 3D, investigation 2D+2, Presence 2D+l , charm 3D, con 3D. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 10. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ A rash of underworld killings tips off police to a civil war among members of a powerful mob family.

A notorious mob boss, father of the owner of the Bar None Casino, has been executing his lieutenants on suspicion of embezzling from his operation. They are fighting back, of course, and the organization is weakening so quickly that syndicate wolves from nearby cities are howling at the gates, ready to fight over the remains of the organization. Someone is stealing money, however, bur it is not the boss’s lieutenants. A rogue named Jost Pernhem has been using his telekinetic powers to manipulate the casino’s gambling tables and slot machines. He has so far made off with nearly half a million in winnings, too much for any one person to win in small games in only three weeks. While his takings have been substantial, Jost has merely been practicing for a much bigger job with serious and far-ranging implications. Not only is he psychically able to rig slot machines, he can also trip a handgun’s safety or pinch shut a small but crucial blood vessel feeding the brain ….

Bar and Club

Bars have been around almost as long as civilization itself, and they have taken many forms. One variant, the nightclub, is a comparatively recent innovation. Bars and pubs offer alcoholic beverages and a place to socialize, but often not much else. Nightclubs, on the other hand, typically offer somewhat sturdier fare, as well as dancing and live music or comedy acts. Even so, there are exceptions; some bars do offer live entertainment, and some nightclubs do not.

Rural taverns encompass one or two rooms and do not offer a wide variety of beverages, while upscale urban nightclubs often occupy several floors of downtown real estate, serve the rarest vintages, and treat guests to dazzling floor shows or performances by famous names in entertainment. To some, the Roaring ’20s represent the Golden Age of nightclub success and glamour in the United States, but this style of business survives today, around the world. American nightclubs enjoyed a resurgence in the I 970s, though the traditional “dinner and a show” has given way to other consumer preferences. Nightclubs located in former American “sin capitals,” like Atlantic City and Las Vegas, used to showcase chorus lines of scantily clad dancers. Even these establishments have had to change their line-ups, and many now offer more family-oriented entertainment. Some are quite elaborate and promise to immerse visitors in another world, with many themes to choose from (ancient, futuristic, and haunted being just a few examples).

Don’t Miss …

The Lucky Sevens occupies half a city block in an economically prosperous urban area. Its parking lot accommodates 30 cars, and valet services ensures that no customer turns away, being discouraged by parking. The main entrance is lit by an art-deco sign reminiscent of the club’s heydays in the 1920s, and opens onto a lobby with a coatcheck and greeter’s station. An arched doorway beckons patrons into the club proper, where they may sit at the bar or choose a table near the dance floor. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the stage near the dance floor is used for concerts or comedy acts. Many new and vintage alcoholic beverages (useful for sterilizing wounds, in an emergency) can be found behind the bar and in the club’s kitchen, along with minor cooking utensils such as chef’s knives and iron pans. Several emergency exits are discretely located about the main room. The manager’s office sits at the rear of the building, next to the kitchen and storeroom. The kitchen service entrance permits staff to bring in supplies and escort unruly customers out of the building without disturbing patrons or interrupting a show. Depending upon the setting, the club’s clientele may range from honest citizens to some of the shadiest figures in organized crime.

Things to See

+ Wooden chairs and tables

+ Padded barstools

+ Glassware (mugs, coolers, highballs, shot glasses, wine glasses, margarita glasses, martini glasses, champagne glasses)

+ Bar towels

+ Bottles of alcohol in various heights and flavors (amber or clear: brandy, cognac, rum; ambers or browns: ale, beer, bourbon, scotch, whiskey; straw or clear: champagne, gin, tequila, vermouth; pink, reds, or straw: wine; clear vodka; red grenadine; clear or fruit-colored cordials or schnapps; etc.)

+ Small glass bowls of peanuts and pretzels

+ Smooth tablecloths in white or off-white

+ Musical instruments (piano, drums, cymbals, tambourine, trumpet, clarinet, guitar, cello, etc.)

+ Microphone on a stand

+ For additional ideas, see the “Restaurant” entry

People to Meet

Bar/club owners and employees have 2D in each attribute, with some having business of 2D+2 and know-how: mixing drinks of 2D+2 to 3D+1. Many bars and nightclubs hire security guards, which are usually called “bouncers.” For these individuals, use the attributes and skills of the chug or security guard.

Bartender: Reflexes 2D, brawling 2D+1, Coordination 2D, sleight of hand 2D+1, Physique 2D, lifting 2D+2, Knowledge 2D+1, business 2D+2, scholar: armchair psychology 2D+2, Perception 2D+1, know-how: mixed drinks 3D, streetwise 2D+2, Presence 2D+1, charm 3D, con 3D, willpower 2D+2. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 10. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ Mr. Edward Lindy, a wealthy playboy, owns the upscale nightclub Lucky Sevens, secretly named for a daring group of seven men (including Mr. Lindy, then known as “Lucky” Lindy) that pulled off che last daylight bank-robbery in the city’s history. Mr. Lindy’s nightclub books some of the best musical and vocal talent available, and it is a favorite nightspot for local mob figures. It is also a place to find young bravos seeking employment, or desperate people willing to do almost anything to improve their lot in life.

While the players’ characters visit the club, whether for a specific reason or simply to enjoy some well-deserved rest, someone tries to assassinate a noted crime boss – in the presence of the characters. Should the characters foil the attempt, the grateful mob boss lavishes praise and gifts on his benefactor. Whether accepted or not, these gifts come with a price, and the player’s character soon receives a letter from a “dear and respected uncle” requesting an unwholesome-sounding favor. Failure to carry out the instructions in the letter leads to a string of suspicious accidents that plague the characters’ family and friends. The only way to bring an end to this string of bad luck is to put the mob boss and his henchmen behind bars. Game Masters can throw in a few supernatural practitioners or super- science artifacts to increase the challenge or add unexpected plot twists.

Apartment

There are as many different types of apartments as there are different types of people. Apartments can have anywhere from a single bedroom to two, three, or more.

The number of bedrooms is largely the determining factor when differentiating between apartments. Most apartments have a kitchen, bathroom, dining area, and living room. More often than not, the dining room and living room or dining room and kitchen or even sometimes all three exist a single area.

Fancier apartments may contain different levels with bedrooms on upper or lower levels than the “living area” (living room, dining room, and kitchen). Some even come with other amenities such as a den, a fireplace, deck or patio, or even more than one living room. Other variations in apartments include multiple bathrooms, the number of closets (usually at lease one per bedroom, but chat sometimes is not the case), and off-street parking. Parking may be within an outdoor lot, a designated spot next to the apartment, or an underground parking garage.

Some apartments come with extra storage areas. While it is nor unheard of for these to be in a separate building, most are either in a basement or parking facility located under the building. Most apartments have a common area (for example, entrances and hallways) used by all tenants. While larger apartments may include hookups for a washer and dryer within them, most apartments have a washer and dryer usable (for a price of 25 cents to a few dollars per load, or a Very Easy Funds roll) by all tenants in a common area or no laundry facility at all.

Two apartment styles of note are the studio apartment and the “flophouse.” A studio apartment is basically an entire apartment within the confines of a single room. The only separated room in a studio is rhe bathroom, with all other “rooms” defined by whatever rhe tenant decides co put between chem. A flophouse apartment is much like a studio except that it has no individual bathroom. The bathroom is in a common area and used by all tenants. A flophouse also has no kitchen. It basically consists of a bed and possibly a table and chairs. Unlike all most other apartments, which are rented either monthly or yearly, a flophouse is often rented by the day or week.

Don’t Miss …

This apartment consists of three bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, living room, and bath. The front door of the apartment opens onto a dining room area lit by a ceiling fan hanging from the ceiling’s center. The dining room is filled with a large rectangular wooden table surrounded by four chairs and a bench. Off to one side in a corner stands a bookcase with two shelves on top and doors covering two more below. Pictures and a clock cover the walls.

Directly across from the front door is the kitchen. This tiny area is more hallway than room. It is about three meters in length and two meters in width. A long counter balanced at the ends by a dishwasher and stove dominates the area. A two- basin stainless steel sink sits in the middle of the counter. Cupboards occupy the space above and below it. Off to the left of the room stands a largish refrigerator, which has seen better days.

The dining room runs directly into the living room. Separating the two is a bright yellow chair. Off to the right of the chair sits a red couch flanked by end tables with lamps standing on them. To the right of the couch is a blue loveseat next to a large television on a dilapidated black stand. The stand’s paint is chipped in several places, revealing the wood beneath. A lemon-colored wooden coffee table just large enough to fill the area without impeding movement occupies the living room’s center. A doorway opens off the living room into a small room that was obviously intended as a bedroom, but it is now being used as a makeshift office. Several bookcases line the walls and a computer sits on an old desk, its CPU and monitor taking up the majority of the surface.

Leading from the living and dining rooms’ other side is a hallway down to the apartment’s other bedrooms and sole bathroom. The bathroom is a simple affair with toilet, sink, and shower. A ripped, mildew covered shower curtain hangs from several rings on a pole above the bathtub, its bottom stuck to the tub’s surface in several places.

The first bedroom is larger than the makeshift office and contains a closet, though with a single dresser and queen-size bed, it’s quite full.

The final room is evidently being used as a bedroom for children. Bunk beds dominate one wall and toys are strewn about the floor. Colorful posters bedeck all the walls and a table with wooden trains on it sits underneath the one window. The room also contains two closets, one filled with extra clothes and toys, and the other being used for storage.

Things to See

+ Scruffy or fluffy stuffed animals

+ Colorful or worn throw pillows

+ Glass or plastic dishes

+ Glass or plastic drinking cups

+ Metal eating utensils

+ Kitchen knives of all sizes and sharpnesses

+ Cloth or paper towels

+ Cleaning supplies (chemicals in plastic bottles, broom, dust- pan, mop, bucket, sponge)

+ Paperback and hardcover books

+ Cotton- blend blankets in colorful patterns

+ Floor or table lamps with shades in muted colors

+ For additional ideas, see the “House” entry

People to Meet

The single mother living here has 2D in each attribute. She has some pips in a Knowledge-skill based around college courses she is undertaking and a pip in driving. Use the “child” game characteristics for her two children, both boys.

Child: Reflexes 1D, climbing 1D+2, jumping 1D+2, melee combat: baseball 1D+2, sneak 1D+1, Coordination 1D, throwing 1D+2, Physique 1D, running 1D+2, swimming 1D+1, Knowledge 1D, scholar: school subjects 1D+1, tech: computers 1D+2, Perception 1D, Presence 1D, charm 1D+2. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 61 Wound levels: 1. Disadvantage: Age: Young (R2).

Things to Do

+ The players’ characters have been given an apartment address by an informant as a place where they may find some clues that they seek. The single mother opening the door at their knock surprises them as the informant said the information could be gotten from Tony.

The person they are actually looking for lives next door. The woman is quite pleasant. She men- tions that her neighbor keeps strange hours and she just worries about keeping her children quiet and not bothering anyone.

A Difficult search roll from listening at the door reveals that Tony has heard them and is trying to escape by way of the balcony. Anyone watching from the outside can see him do this.

Amusement Park

Amusement parks are fascinating places, designed strictly to entertain. Some are generic, while others have a theme, like pirates or medieval times, which all of the rides, games, and employee uniforms match. Some are massive, sprawling places, while others are tightly packed little park. They could be located on the outskirts of the city, out in the country, or (more rarely) nestled in between skyscrapers and office buildings.

Most often, they have rides and games. The rides can be massive open-air structures, like a roller coaster or a Ferris wheel, or less thrilling but more atmospheric rides like the Tunnel of Love.

Funhouses are also common – these are similar to rides, in that people wander through them and are entertained by their surroundings, but in a funhouse, people usually walk through (instead of being transported), and the idea is to be scared, surprised, or confused. The attractions could be brand-new, comfortably worn, or completely run down, or different attractions might be in different stages of repair or development.

Games are either games of skill, like the ring toss or the waterguns, or games of chance, like Spin the Wheel. Some amusement parks still have old carnival attractions as well. These can be little games like Guess Your Weight or Strongman (where the participant tries to hit the target with a mallet and make the indicator to strike the bell at the top of a measuring pole) or sideshows with strange sights like the Bearded Lady and the Serpent King (which are becoming more rare in the twenty-first century).

Parks that exist as permanent fixtures are more likely to offer a variety of rides, games, funhouses, and the like. Traveling shows, however, could still have Ferris wheels and some other rides, but might not have roller coasters, and most of its rides and booths would be smaller and more portable) Amusement parks want people to come and spend the entire day there, so they provide bathrooms, benches for taking a break, and concessions. The food can range from surprisingly good to barely edible, but it’s rarely fancy and generally consists of things people can eat while walking around – slices of pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, cookies, and ice cream are the most common. Some amusement parks charge an entrance fee, which includes all of the games and rides. Others charge nothing to walk around, but each game and ride has a separate cost.

Traditionally, the amusement park is a place to take the whole family, to go on a date, or to go hang out with friends from school. People rarely go alone, unless they are meeting someone else there. Because the park is filled with sights and sounds, it is an easy place to get lost – or to do something without being noticed. Teenagers often take advantage of this to steal candy or pull pranks, but adults also use the park’s cover for affairs, drug deals, and anything else they do not want to be seen. Even though amusement parks are supposed to be fun, some actually feel a bit sad, if the place is run-down and barely making money, or even sinister, particularly traveling shows.

Don’t Miss …

The Happy Time Amusement Park was built on a large square lot. It has a massive, aging roller coaster along the back end, a ramshackle House of Mirrors and a cheesy Tunnel of Love on one side, a brightly painted merry-go-round and other kiddy rides on the other side, a peeling Ferris wheel at the center, and a small, sagging ticket stand right in front. The park also has a concessions stand and several game booths (like Whack-a-Mole), plus a pair of small but clean bathrooms. The manager’s office is along the same side as the funhouse, back toward the corner and near the roller coaster. An access road enters between the manager’s office and the roller coast, and then loops around. Once upon a time, this was a wonderful park, and everyone came here on the weekends and in the summer evenings. But it has definitely seen better days, and now it’s just a sad reminder of its own former glory.

Things to See

+ Bags of yellow popcorn

+ Wands of light-colored cotton candy

+ Red hotdogs on white buns, slathered with mustard, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish

+ Wide slices of thin, greasy pizza

+ Waxed-paper cups of fizzing soda pop

+ Brassy arcade and video tokens

+ Dustpans and brooms

+ Green trash barrels mostly filled with crushed cups and half-eaten food

+ Backpacks and purses

+ Baby strollers (sometimes with babies in them)

People to Meet

Most amusement parks have ticket-takers, booth attendants, roustabouts (workers), barkers (salesmen), security, and the manager. Everyone should have at least one pip in con or charm, and everyone except security has one pip in business. The barkers have +20 or more in con or charm, and the manager has +2D in business.

Roustabout: Reflexes 2D, brawling 2D+ 1, climbing 2D+1, Coordination 2D, throwing 2D+2, Physique 2D, lifting 3D, running 2D+1, Knowledge 2D, business 2D+l , scholar: amusement park 2D+1, Perception 2D, streetwise 2D+2, Presence 2D, charm 3D, con 3D. Move: 10. Strength Damage: 2D. Body Points: 10. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ Kids are going missing, and each of them had been at the amusement park within days of their disappearance. The manager claims he knows nothing about it and that all of his employees are law-abiding citizens. But many of the workers vanish whenever the police show up to ask questions, and it is true that the attendants pay a lot of attention to small kids. Is that just good salesmanship, or something more sinister?

+ The amusement park seems to stay open late, with odd customers arriving in dark vans. They go directly into the covered rides, then emerge and go straight to their vehicles again and drive away.

+ An escaped murderer has vowed to get revenge against the woman who testified against him – her and her family. The police continue looking for him, but they’ve found no sign yet. Little do they realize chat the amusement park is always hiring people shore-term and rarely asks for references. Because the woman’s two kids love going there, it would be the perfect place for the man to go – he can watch her and her children and wait for the right moment to strike.

Airport

Although airplanes had been flying (and landing) for years, the first “air-port,” as a reporter dubbed it, opened in 1919: Bader’s Field in Atlantic City.

Since those humble beginnings, air travel has become commonplace, and today the largest airports handle about 60 million passengers, and almost a million takeoffs and landings, a year. Airports have grown to accommodate the needs of flyers, adding goods and services to make the act of waiting, departing, and arriving more enjoyable (or at least profitable). In modern times, prices in airports are notoriously inflated (+2 difficulty to all Funds rolls), although some airports in larger cities proudly proclaim their airport prices are no greater than their city counterparts – critics point out that larger cities already have inflated prices.

Small airports will always have a place to eat, a newsstand or other periodical vendor, and usually a bar. Large airports have goods and services similar to a mall (see the “Mall” entry); particularly common are bookstores, specialty food items (especially luxury foods), gadget shops, luggage stores, and general gift shops. However, anything that can obviously be used as a weapon will be unavailable in airport stores. Airports also have shops and services unique to them, providing services such as chair- massages and Internet connectivity.

Airports before the 1960s were relatively open; so long as nothing was obviously amiss about someone, they could get aboard a plane (Easy disguise or con roll to bypass security). In the 1960s and 1970s, however, security took the forefront (Moderate disguise or con check to slip through); in an era where terrorist threats are a real danger, security measures have become extremely vigilant (Difficult to Very Difficult disguise or con check, depending on the airport).

In a Weird West or steampunk game, the airport would probably be a field where steam-powered aeroplanes and ornithopters make their questionable landings; the building would probably represent the standard type of its genre, from Western ramshackle wooden buildings to Victorian opulence. In pulp and 1950s-era games, airports were simple but comfortable; flying was an expensive proposition (Difficult Funds roll), and airports generally resembled luxury hotels. Security in this time was virtually nonexistent. From the 1960s and beyond, the world became more dangerous at the same time flying became more affordable. Airports became more Spartan, while security was put in place. In a near-future campaign, airports will probably vary depending on the cost of air travel and security needs; if dirt-cheap tickets become plentiful, airports might resemble noisy, gritty bus stations, while the return of air travel as a luxury would undoubtedly mean nicer terminals. Regardless, in a more dangerous future, airports might come to resemble military- or police-controlled complexes.

Don’t Miss …

When Cuprum Regional opened in 1930, its five gates were deemed overkill by many in the local media. After all, why would more than five planes ever need to land in the tiny region at the same time?

That all began to change in 1964, when LWH Electronics chose the area for its transistor manufacturing plant, transforming the region into a fledgling high-tech industry leader. At that point, traffic into the region increased, and the airport changed its name to Cuprum International and added another six gates in another building wing (later remodeled to nine gates).

After 1978’s Airline Deregulation Act, Omega Airlines selected the airport as its hub, and six years later, construction was complete on Cuprum- McKinley International.

Although not the busiest or unfriendliest airport in the world, Cuprum-McKinley is still confusing to first-time visitors, to the extent that an award- winning book and resulting movie entitled Caught in Cuprum used the airport as a metaphor for being lost and harried.

Although many regarded Cuprum-McKinley as being in decline in the late 1990s, the airport used post-terrorism upgrades to rededicate itself to enhancing the flying experience. Its advertising campaign – “Come From Cuprum Happy” – has proven successful. It currently employs a team of dedicated, uniformed problem-solvers, called Cuprumites, who can be seen running full- tilt through terminals or driving carts. The current leader of this team, the charismatic Sandra Joule, has a reputation for solving impossible problems.

In modern times, Cuprum-McKinley has consciously kept itself less packed than other larger airports, eschewing dozens of duplicated cafes and shops for fewer, strategically placed locations. The remaining open areas keep claustrophobia to a minimum, while rest areas of comfy chairs and exotic plants help soothe frazzled nerves. Critics complain that contraband could be hidden in these areas, especially among the plants, permitting illegal goods or other substances to pass from one flyer to another. However, to date, authorities claim there is no evidence this has happened, despite the fact it handles over 400,000 flights and almost 24 million people a year.

Adjusting the Airport

To simulate a smaller airport with this map, simply “chop off” sections, and rename gates accordingly. Cuprum Regional consisted entirely of Gate E in the 1950s (labeled Gate A), while Cuprum International encompassed Gates D and E (called Gates B and A).

If a larger airport is required, include additional gates and concourses, from Concourse F and beyond.

Things to See

+ Plastic seats in gray or blue, connected on bars in groups of three to six

+ A line of white rocking chairs or small groups of light colored overstuffed club chairs along wide hallways and near large windows

+ Light gray plastic tubs, about half a meter long, by the personal security checkpoint, for put- ting in large personal items, plus little white plastic bowls for smaller items

+ Black, heavy plastic posts with elastic line guides

+ Metal pushcarts for wheeling around oversized luggage

+ White styrofoam cups of hot coffee

+ Colorful bags of snacks

+ Postcards in slots on spinning racks

+ A cart selling sunglasses with a variety of tints and frames

+ Bottles of wine and beer for sale

+ Shelves of national and local newspapers and magazines and softcover versions of popular books

+ Black or silver trash receptacles (most at least one-quarter to three-quarters full of the remains of various things sold in the airport)

+ Backlit advertisements a few meters square for local and national services and products (financial institutions, phone service, furniture, software, etc.)

+ Rectangular luggage in blues, greens, browns, and grays in a variety of sizes

+ Purses and briefcases in various colors

+ Pay phones in small cubicles

People to Meet

Most airport employees have 2D in their attributes, although 3D in Presence is common. Given the service-oriented nature of the field, people-placating skills are often needed – mostly charm and persuasion. Security guards and federal aviation agents wander the halls and check passengers and their luggage in the screening areas. Air marshals have characteristics akin to security guards and have Authority: Law Enforcement (R3). Pilots are common in an airport, and they would possess +3D or more in piloting: aircraft.

Airline Ticket Counter Representative: Reflexes 2D, Coordination 2D, Physique 2D, lifting 2D+2, running 2D+1, Knowledge 2D, business 2D+1, scholar: airlines 2D+1, tech: computers 2D+1, Perception 2D, streetwise 20+1, Presence 2D, charm 2D+1 , persuasion 3D, willpower 3D. Move: 1D. Strength Damage: 1D. Body Points: 10. Wound levels: 2.

Things to Do

+ The players’ characters learn that a nefarious person might have found a way to construct a bomb out of nonmetallic parts that do not register as explosive. Is this all a hoax to discredit the heroes? And if not, can they convince the authorities to help them … without panicking the airport?

+ While in pursuit of an infamous villain, horrible weather forces the players’ characters’ plane to land at the airport. While there, they realize: The weather means the villain couldn’t make his flight out of the airport, either! Can they find and capture the bad guy amid thousands of travelers – either with or without the airport’s help – before the weather improves and he escapes?