[IW] Want help, suggestions, ideas for a mini-campaign

[Qoltar]

My group is about to do a 4 to 5 session mini-campaign of INFINITE WORLDS that I will be running.

Have any of you run IW campaigns in the past ?

How did it go?

Can you give me a good idea of what works and what doesn't?

What should I avoid?

Was anyone on here in the intial playtest of the book way back when?

One player has already suggested that maybe the player group should be a crosstime search & rescue team.

Also - I remember posting this same or similiar set of questions in a thread 2 or 3 years ago - but I can't find the thread with the search.


- Ed Charlton

[Nymdok]

I havent run IW, but I have run short campaigns. In fact, I prefer them as it allows me to leverage the flexibilities of GURPS.

I ran a quantum leap/voyagers type campaign a while ago wehre the players went back 'correcting' history. I suppose you could do the a similar thing, by targeting some well known historical figures (or even not so well known) and bringing them to the future for whatever purpose.

People who die suddenly and inexplicably are natural choices for those to whisk away into the future and leave behind a corpse in their stead.

Some ideas -

Janice Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix and Jim morrison were not in fact killed by drug overdoses, but clinical trials from the future. Theri contact with massive amounts of airborne bacteria at concerts makes them ideal test subjects for vaccines. Sadly the vaccines also have psycho-active effects including but not limited to synesthesia and hallucination. Sadly, the vaccine may mutate in a past with insufficient medical technology to battle it, so the musicians must be extracted.

Jim henson and Sammy Davis Junior were a paired team of top secret CIA operatives who traveresd the Globe during the cold war gatherin secret intel on <Insert Bad Guy>. Far in the future, <Bad Guy> has been thawed from primitive Cryogenics available in the 80's and Jim Henson and Sammy Davis Junior must be brought into the future to battle him....Kinda like demolition man but with cool spy gadgets like MPGs (Muppet Propelled Grenades), remote controlled ordinance, Tap Shoes with razor blades in them, small Chakram yarmelkas, and bionic eyes that allow you to look in two directions at once.

Or you could do the standard linberg baby, Amelia Airhart, DB Cooper thing if you were looking for something a little more pedestrian :)

Nymdok

[jalapeno_dude]

You might find the write-up of RogerBW's I-Cops! game to be helpful.

[quarkstomper]

I can think of two big lessons I drew from the IW campaign I ran some years back. First:

1. Leave C31R07 Behind: Or in other words, make sure that all your characters are capable of passing for a native of wherever you're going. This seems obvious, but I have a bad tendency to let players wheedle me into allowing an unworkable character concept if it's interesting. Many years ago I ran a non IW D-Hoppers campaign in which one of the PCs was a gargoyle from the Disney animated series. I gave him a magic amulet to mitigate his Turns to Stone in Daytime disad, but him having to hide from superstitious natives all the time got old very quickly.

You'd think I would have learned my lesson then; but for my IW campaign another player wanted to be a "mechanoid life-form" from a timeline in which nearly all life on the planet had been mysteriously replaced by machines which mimicked natural creatures. He put a lot of work into the concept and it was too intriguing to pass up; but he also gave me a lot of headaches working the character into my missions. (Oh, and he had Temporal Inertia too),

2. Have a Clear Mission Objective... to Mess Up! I had a tendency to put all my skull-work into coming up with interesting timelines, and less thought into the reason why I was sending my team there. And in addition to having a mission to accomplish, you also need complications up your sleeve to ensure that it won't be accomplished easily. Of course, as an experienced gamer this will be old news for you, but I frequently found myself concentrating on the setting and skimping on the rationale.

Okay, here's a third one: 3. Plagarism is your Friend: Don't be ashamed to borrow other people's ideas for timelines or appropriate existing characters to use as NPCs. In my campaign I was usually visiting a new timeline every session. In a few cases I allowed a mission to stretch over several sessions, but because my gaming group tends to fluctuate, I like to keep each session self-contained. Since your campaign is going to be a short one, you won't face as big a problem of always coming up with something new; but sometimes it helps to let someone else do some of the heavy lifting of world-creation.

[quarkstomper]

Here are some of the plots I used in my campaign:

Save Star Quest! I based this one off an idea from the GURPS Wiki. The team is sent to Gernsbeck, a timeline in which the Golden Age of Science Fiction had never taken place. Without that inspiration, technology in this timeline has been somewhat retarded. The current year is the early 1970s and the tech level is closer to the '50s. An observer on Gernsbeck has reported Centrum activity and requested aid.

When the team arrives, the observer is dead. Investigation shows that before he was killed, he had become interested in a TV series created by a successful producer of police shows named Gene Roddenberry. The show is called "Star Quest" and stars Jeff Hunter and Martin Landau (as the pointy-eared Martian). It has a small cult following, but is in danger of being canceled by the Network.

Centrum has decided that the galactic government depicted in the show will help influence this timeline in a direction they prefer; so they have infiltrated the Network and are one by one eliminating key executives to keep it from being canceled.

First the team must figure out what is going on; (while avoiding being killed by the Centrum agents). And when they do discover Centrum's plot, they have to decide; in order to stop Centrum, will they have to kill Star Quest?

City in the Ice: The team gets a nice, easy mission. The Green Bay Packers are having an off-season training camp on an uninhabited world in the receding stages of an ice age, and the PCs are assigned as escorts. A few days in, strange things start to happen. Communications with Homeline is plagued by increasing static. Creatures start appearing that none of the previous surveys had noticed. Creatures like unicorns; and fairies. The PC's suddenly discover that the timeline has shifted position, and that they are stranded until Homeline can find them again. That's about the time the dragon shows up.

This timeline is one where magic once existed, but is now dormant. One of my PCs in this campaign had the advantage Mana Enhancer, and I decided that her presence was "jump starting" the sleeping magic of this world, causing magical creatures to return.

It's also accelerating the melting of the glaciers, revealing a hitherto unknown city imbedded in the ice. And now the city's magical inhabitants are starting to awaken too. Will they be friendly...?

Escape From Leavenworth! The name of the timeline is Hoover. In December of 1929, shortly after the Stock Market Crash, a socialist assassin killed President Herbert Hoover and several high-ranking officials. This triggered a wave of Red Hysteria which led to acting president Andrew W. Mellon instituting martial law. The United States has become a police state and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover has become its virtual dictator with Mellon acting has his puppet.

Infinity has decided to attempt a limited intervention in this timeline. The FBI has recently arrested Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose clandestine "fireside chat" radio broadcasts has been the voice of the resistance. The PC's mission is to get into Leavenworth prison and break out FDR. The mission is complicated by the arrival on the scene of bronze-skinned man with gold-flecked eyes who takes a dim view of crime...

(We had a lot of fun with this timeline, and I wound up extending the mission past the original objective. The group persuaded Doc Savage to turn against J. Edgar Hoover and aid the resistance. They also encountered a millionaire industrialist named Warbucks and his auburn-haired ward; as well as a mysterious man-about-town named Cranston. Good times.)

[Qoltar]

Kill "Star Quest"??!!?!?

Not sure my soul as a fan & Klingon could run that one. Same for one of my players. she was the other 'ringer' when I ran the STAR TREK version of GURPS recently.

- Ed charlton

[quarkstomper]

*grin* In the game, my players were content to just take out the Centrum agents at NBC and who had infiltrated Star Quest fandom, and then let nature take its course. Prime Directive and all. So maybe the show will survive.

[DAT]

Here is one I worked on ...

Title: Just A Simple Retrieval
Genre and Setting: Science Fiction Cross-Dimensional Travel in the GURPS Infinite Worlds setting.
Description: The conveyor shuttles of Infinity Unlimited (a private corporation that controls parachronic technology and governs access to alternative/parallel Earths), jump between alternate/parallel Earths, seeking profit, knowledge, and adventure. But an alternative/parallel world called Centrum also has access to parachronic technology that allows them to jump between worlds, and they want to control all the alternative worlds. Infinity Unlimited’s paramilitary police force, Infinity Patrol, must counter these ruthless rivals, as wells as other nasty off-world threats and world-jumping criminals, while maintaining the secret of cross-dimensional/inter-world travel.

There are a number of groups in Infinity. Infinity’s Intervention Service, the “I-Cops” enforce the rules and keep out hostile stranger from all over the continuum. Infinity’s Penetration Service, the “Scouts”, survey/explore and open new worlds, and keep the flow of parachronic traffic running smoothly. Infinity’s Miracle Workers, the “do-gooders”, try to save and improve lives across the Infinite Worlds (famine relief, disaster recovery, etc.). Infinity’s Parachronic Laboratories, or “ParaLab”, does pure research and development.

There are other groups outside of Infinity, that travel between worlds. The United Nations Interworld Council (UNIC) oversees Infinity activities. Alternative Outcomes is a UNIC licensed security company (i.e., mercenaries) that works inter-world conflicts. Infinity’s spin off import-export company White Star Trading does inter-world trading of goods. An example of a business that does inter-world travel, that isn’t associated with Infinity is Time Tours, Ltd., which does cross-dimensional/inter-world tourism. There are also groups that run inter-world hunting expedition; e.g., dinosaur hunting on alternative Earths where dinosaurs or other extinct big game still exist.

Player Characters: The characters should be made based on the Infinite Unlimited (I-Cop, Scout, Paralabs Field Researcher, Miracle Worker), UNIC (Crisis Minister Troubleshooter, Alternative Outcomes Mercenary), or Private Sector (White Star Trader, Time Tours Inc. Tour Guide, Dinosaur Hunter) character templates from pages 186-191 of GURPS Infinite Worlds. The character’s back story should include a reason why they would be on a Quantum 7 world, Einsten-7, near Las Vegas, Nevada. Examples:
1) A Nexus Oversight Division I-Cop who is on Einsten-7 testing an experimental wheeled ATV-Mobile Quantum Stealth Conveyor.
2) A Security Division I-Cop who is on Einsten-7 collecting field data on Centrum activities.
3) A Special Operations Division I-Cop detached as additional security for the evacuation of Einsten-7
4) A Search and Rescue Division Scout on leave in Einsten-7’s Las Vegas after a mission on another Q7 world.
5) A Survey Division Scout who had been collecting data on the local nuclear weapons programs at the test site north of Einsten-7’s Las Vegas.
6) A Paralabs Field Researcher assessing the possibility of the nuclear weapon detonation on XXXXX would result in a Banestorm.
7) A Miracle Worker in transit to another Q7 world from Einsten-7.
8) A UNIC Crisis Ministry Troubleshooter touring Einsten-7, assessing the situation.
9) An Alternate Outcomes “Security Consultant” providing security to the UNIC Crisis Ministry Troubleshooter touring Einsten-7.
10) A White Star Trader on Einsten-7’s Los Angeles, traveling through Las Vegas on his way to Salt Lake City, Utah.
11) A Time Tours Ltd Guide arranging for a future tour group to stay in Einsten-7’s Las Vegas hotels.
12) A wealthy Dinosaur Hunter in transit from Q7 Crichton, who stopped in Einsten-7 to do a little gambling.
Mission Statement: The Patrol has issued an emergency evacuation order for Einsten-7. PCs are either evacuating or helping with the evacuation. Goal is to get home safe.
Play Style: Focus will be divided between exploration/survival, mystery/problem solving and action/adventure, with opportunities for role-playing and realistic combat action.
Rules System and Level: GURPS 4th Edition (link) with 200 point characters built on templates.
Source Material: GURPS Infinite Worlds, Flight of the Phoenix.
Notes: Players should read the Infinite Worlds setting background information.
GM Notes: Good excuss to use Traveller ATV 'deck plan'.

WORLD DESCRIPTION:Einsten-7, 1964
Current Affairs:
A cold war exists between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United State is on a crash nuclear development plan, and appears close to detonating a test bomb in the Nevada desert.
Divergence Point:
Einstein publishes his papers 20 years later, and the nuclear age is delayed 20+ years.
Major Civilizations:
Western (multipolar), Orthodox (empire), Chinese(empire)
Great Powers:
United States (representative democracy, CR3), Soviet Union (dictatorship, CR6), People’s Republic of China (dictatorship, CR6), British Commonwealth (representative democracies, CR2-4)
Worldline Data:
TL: 7 (nuclear lagging) Mana Level: low (with potential for very high spots)
Quantum: 7 Infinity Class: O6 (Z2) Centrum Zone: Orange (Red)


OPENING SCENE:
PC will receive the emergency evacuation order and be directed to a pick-up point / or be directed to pickup people at a pickup point.

The PCs are directed to a ranch out towards the Test Site (~1 hour drive from the city to the Northwest). A Homeline projector will pickup the evacuation conveyors in ~2 hours.

PCs will need to state how they are trying to get to the evacuation point.

PCs should be able to make it to pickup points with time to spare.

PCs are all assigned to the same Mobile Conveyor for the evacuation.

First Curve:
Some of the people assigned to their conveyor are delayed, and the departure time is fast approaching. PC’s conveyor is bumped to the end of the departure schedule.

The last assigned passenger will arrive ~5 minutes before the schedule departure.

At the assigned time, the PC’s conveyor is on the pickup plateform with circuits charged, ready for pickup.

Just as the projector jump counter hits zero, a flash fills the conveyor, and a rollor coaster ride begins.

I put them in the middle of the Great Desert from GURPS Banestorm. A trip to GURPS Lost World would be equally fun.

-Dan

[DAT]

Here is another one,

Title: IPT (Infinity Patrol Troopers)
Genre and Setting: Military Science-Fiction with Special Forces Operations across alternative worlds in the Infinity Unlimited setting.
Description: The conveyor shuttles of Infinity Unlimited (a private corporation that controls parachronic technology and governs access to alternative/parallel Earths), jump between alternate/parallel Earths, seeking profit, knowledge, and adventure. But an alternative/parallel world called Centrum also has access to parachronic technology that allows them to jump between worlds, and they want to control all the alternative worlds. Infinity Unlimited’s paramilitary police force, Infinity Patrol, must counter these ruthless rivals, as wells as other nasty off-world threats and world-jumping criminals, while maintaining the secret of cross-dimensional/inter-world travel.
There are a number of groups in Infinity. Infinity’s Intervention Service, the “I-Cops” enforce the rules and keep out hostile stranger from all over the continuum. Infinity’s Penetration Service, the “Scouts”, survey/explore and open new worlds, and keep the flow of parachronic traffic running smoothly. Infinity’s Miracle Workers, the “do-gooders”, try to save and improve lives across the Infinite Worlds (famine relief, disaster recovery, etc.). Infinity’s Parachronic Laboratories, or “ParaLab”, does pure research and development.
Player Characters: Characters are members of an Infinity Patrol Special Forces Unit; Special Forces Solders (e.g., Navy SEALS or /Green Berets) on cross dimension missions for Infinity. Intervention Service‘s Special Operations Division . Useful specialties include: Leader, guns, driver, demo, comm., and medic. …
Mission Statement: Traditional special forces missions with cross world twists, e.g., Outtime Material Retrieval (OMaR), Outtime Combat Search and Rescue (OCSaR), Outtime Special Action (OSAn), Outtime Recon (ORec), etc..
Play Style: Realistic action. Set missions.
Rules System: GURPS 4th Edition Rules: 250 point characters.
Source Material: GURPS Infinite Worlds, GURPS Special Forces, GURPS SWAT.
Note: This probably works best for players with interest in military history.

First mission was an OMaR to retrieve some mysterious high tech equipment (a TL9 high frequency transmitter from a Reich expedition) found on a TL6/WWII Armada world. Second mission was a OCSaR to retrieve the agent who reported the high tech equipment, but was now captured by the locals, third mission was tracking down the Reich invaders, etc...


If you don't go with these ideas, the Outime Search and Rescue Team sounds like a good choice.
-Dan

[quarkstomper]

I found a write-up I did of how the "Star Quest" game played out. (And discovered I misremembered the name: it was "Space Trek". Oops). This is how it went:


My group consisted of Potter, (a former thief turned minister who now works for Infinity); Betamax, (an analogue to a deceased Infinity agent who comes from a timeline where androids have replaced humans); Moonshine, (a teenager with magic powers); Amber, (a warrior from a timeline where women are the dominant gender); and Maj. Street, (NPC field leader, mostly there for Amber to annoy).

In the initial briefing, the team learned that an old friend of Potter's, stationed on Gernsbeck has reported sighting Centrum agents. Homeline has been unable to contact him since; so they are sending the team in to investigate.

They start by visiting the agent's apartment. He's not there, but they notice a TL-8 surveillance camera in the hallway. The agent's, or one of Centrum's? They don't know, so decide not to break into the apartment just yet.

While half the team talks to his landlord, ("I don't think I've seen him in a couple days; he isn't in trouble, is he?") the rest wait in the car outside. Listening to the radio, they hear some bits of local color. The British have established a base on the Moon, (borrowing from the comic MINISTRY OF SPACE, I'm assuming England took the lead in technology after the War). A Bob Hope special is airing tonight, followed by an episode of "Space Trek". Etc.

Then the sinister convertible drives past and the crews detectors tag it as a mobile Conveyor. The camera was a Centrum plant and they've come to check things out.

Amber decides to follow the convertible, leading to a high speed car chase along the LA freeway, resulting in much collateral damage. The Centrum agents, however, escape.

Next the team goes to the accounting firm where the agent was employed as part of his cover. They learn from fellow employees that he had become interested in this crazy TV show "Space Trek" (starring Jeff Hunter as Captain April and Martin Landau as the Martian First Officer Spock). The team decides to visit Lucides studios to investigate the show while Potter goes back to break into the apartment.

Amber fast-talks the group into the studio where they watch an episode being filmed. (Captain April is confounding a planet of androids using crazy logic. This offends Betamax. "Why can't they have an android crew member?") They meet a studio gopher who happens to be a fan of the show and sign his petition to help keep the show on the air. The gopher invites them over to a friends house to watch tonight's episode with other "Trek-niks".

Meanwhile, Potter finds that Centrum has indeed been to his friend's place. The apartment has been booby-trapped (successful Traps roll! He disarmed it) and ransacked. And his friend is dead. Potter does find a message he left saying that Centrum was interested in "Space Trek".

The rest of the team has already figured this out, as they see the convertible from that afternoon parked outside the home of the head of the Trek fan club. Amber overhears the Trek-nik contacting the other Centrum agents and drags him into the bedroom for some interrogation. The other Trek-niks put a different interpretation on her intentions and so lets her have her privacy.

She learns the plot: Centrum believes that the galactic government depicted in the series will influence Gernsbeck to move towards the centralized One-World-Gov't they prefer. So they have agents infiltrating the fannish community agitating at the grassroots to keep "Trek" alive while other agents planted at NBC assassinate any executives wishing to cancel the series.

As Potter and Street arrive at the house, so do the rest of the Centrum Agents, who try to blow up the house to obliterate the Infinity team and the evidence. The team and the Trek-niks manage to escape and the Centrum agents are captured.

As for what to do about "Space Trek", the team decides to just leave things alone and let nature take its course. What effect this will have on Gernsbeck is unknown.

As I said, my group had a lot of fun with the game.