Bored? Depressed? Can?t think of any
scenario ideas for your RPG?
Try a cure guaranteed to give old ideas a
new lease on life and keep your players
guessing. This miracle of adventure creation
is the recycled plot, made fresh by
being taken from a completely different
genre of game, film, or book. Often the
changes involved in conversion to another
genre breathe new life into a tired theme
and revitalize an old game.

There are many commercially available
adventures based on this type of genrecrossing.
For example, GDW?s TRAVELLER
® game adventure Shadows is
essentially a fairly normal dungeon expedition,
complete with monsters and traps,
but it adds additional complications (the
characters are trapped in the ?dungeon;
and their vacuum suits are gradually disintegrating
in a hostile atmosphere) to give
the players added incentives to explore
and escape. All games borrow concepts
from each other; it?s almost impossible to
avoid some subconscious influences, and
deliberate copying is far from unknown.

Scenario conversion from books, films,
and comics is also common, partly in the
form of licensed products (such as TSR?s
MARVEL SUPER HEROES® and THE
ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES?
games), and partly in the use of ideas. For
example, there have been many successful
SF and fantasy crime scenarios, elaborate
capers derived from the literature of the
underworld. Would many have been written
without the influence of crime novels
and films? Much more unlikely hybrids
include a few fantasy romances, adventures
in which the players are involved in
love triangles, elopements, and other
heart-rending themes. These adventures
expose players to a whole new range of
problems and can give the referee a lot of
fun. Imagine the reactions of a group of
hardened mercenaries who learn that
they?ve somehow strayed into a romantic
comedy or supernatural thriller (see TSR?s
AD&D® module UK1 Beyond the Crystal
Cave and the ROLE AIDS module The
Keep for examples of such adventures).

Commercially published modules are
one source of variant plots; if there isn?t a
suitable adventure for your favorite system,
try surprising your players by running
one designed for a completely
different game system. Obviously, it?s
important that the referee should not
reveal that a change of pace is imminent.
For example, it would be a mistake to tell
players running characters designed for
TSR?s STAR FRONTIERS® game that they
were about to take part in one of
Chaosium's CALL OF CTHULHU® game
scenarios. Converting player-character
statistics to different game systems should
be avoided, since you'll give your players
too much information. At first sight, it?s
more work to convert an entire scenario
to your usual system, but this difficulty is.
illusory, since the conversion need only be
approximate. A big, tough monster in one
system becomes a big, tough monster in
the new system; provided it?s difficult to
kill, exact statistics aren?t too important.

Conversion to an unexpected type of
genre can solve many problems. Generally,
the very name and nature of a game system
provides players with clues about the
type of adventure they can expect. For
example, CALL OF CTHULHU game players
are usually prepared to encounter
supernatural manifestations, TOP SECRET/
SI? game characters expect to be sent on
espionage missions in exotic locations, and
players of FASA?s DOCTOR WHO RPG can
usually anticipate encounters with Daleks,
Cybermen, and other familiar foes. Thus,
an essential element of surprise is lacking.
The interesting point about these examples
is that the average character is usually
a normal human, so there?s nothing to
stop the referee from borrowing a plot
from one game and using it in another. For
example:

Professor Jones carefully descended the
steps of the castle, keeping a wary eye
open for snakes and dangerous insects. It
wasn’t likely that he’d find many in this
part of Transylvania, but it never hurt to
check. After all, there were those old
stories about vampires, and several peasants
were reported missing. . . .

Hastily ducking some spiderwebs, Jones
noticed that the floor was surprisingly
clean. There was a faint blue light somewhere
ahead, and Jones traced it to the
chinks in a door Now he could hear a
faint electrical hum. The air smelled of
something that might be ozone.

Carefully, he pushed the door open to
reveal a huge cellar, spotlessly clean and
illuminated by a sourceless actinic light. It
was some sort of laboratory; strange
machines stood around the walls and floor.
In a far corner was a human body, dressed
in the most bizarre outfit Jones remembered
seeing.

Nervously, he entered the room. Abruptly,
two conical machines rotated towards
him, and a strange metallic voice shouted,
“Intruder! Exterminate! Exterminate!”

In this case, the referee has decided to
stage an encounter between Indiana Jones
and Doctor Who, using THE ADVENTURES
OF INDIANA JONES game rules
with a DOCTOR WHO game module to
ensure that the encounter comes as a
complete surprise. Jones gets the chance
to rescue The Doctor and (hopefully) help
him defeat the evil Daleks and their Nazi
allies.

When introducing this type of unexpected
encounter, the referee should take care
to give the players a few escape routes.
For instance, in the above example there is
a staircase nearby, and everyone who?s
seen the Doctor Who television series
knows that Daleks can?t climb stairs.

If you?re basing your adventure on a
book or film rather than an adventure for
another system, more work is needed, and
it?s not a good idea to stick too closely to
the original plot. It?s more fun to throw in
ideas from several sources, combining
them to form a variant theme that will
challenge your players and make them
wonder what?s happening. There are lots
of plot ideas around that can form the
basis of exciting adventures if your players
can?t identify their sources.

An excellent example of this type of
surprise adventure is ?Big Lizzy,? by W.G.
Armintrout, a scenario that appeared in
The Space Gamer magazine in 1983. It
begins as a normal Wild-West-style game
adventure with romantic overtones, but it
suddenly plunges the adventurers into an
alien wildlife park infested with dinosaurs.
Derived from the film Valley of Gwangi,
it?s one of the few Western scenarios to
have appeared in any game magazine, and
it is a classic of the genre.

As the first step of any adaptation, the
referee should jot down the main themes
involved, then see how they can be
resolved. Sometimes the plot must be
obscured; something that?s hidden from
the characters in a film might be glaringly
obvious in the context of an RPG. It?s
tempting to turn important characters into
NPCs, but this should be avoided, since it?s
likely that someone will recognize the
character and realize what?s going on.
Unless all your players are rules lawyers,
conversion of statistics and rules should be
secondary to the basic details of plot and
characterization. Obviously, films are only
one source of plots; there are also books,
comics, records, TV, radio, and the like.
I?ve gotten at least four plot ideas from
David Bowie songs and the title of one
adventure from a t-shirt slogan. With a
little ingenuity, you?ll find ideas to boggle
your players and revitalize your campaign.

The remainder of this article consists of
two short scenario outlines, derived from
two well-known horror films. Each has
been rewritten for an apparently inappropriate
type of game system; fine tuning
and the addition of appropriate character
statistics and details are left for the referee.
I?ve also added a few additional film
sources with brief hints on conversion to
adventures.

"Chosen of the Gods"
System: Any futuristic space-travel RPG.
Source: Q: The Winged Serpent.

Players' Information
A survey starship is tracing lost human
colonies on the fringes of known space.
Three weeks ago, the ship discovered the
planet Tak, which apparently regressed to
a primitive state and is now roughly on a
par with 20th-century Earth. All TV and
radio broadcasts picked up suggest that
the colonists have forgotten their origins.
It's illegal to interfere with such a primitive
culture or give the colonists any indication
that more advanced civilizations
exist.

Last week, a group of anthropologists
made a secret landing and disguised themselves
by wearing native clothing. They
intended to pose as foreigners from
another part of the planet and visit museums
in Y'Kurth, one of the larger cities.
Since the natives have radio, it wasn?t
possible to keep in continuous contact.
None of the scientists returned to a prearranged
pick-up point at the agreed time.

Most of the remaining personnel on the
mother ship are specialist technicians,
essential crew, or otherwise unavailable to
investigate the disappearance. The PC
search team is relatively expendable; the
ship can get home without them. The PCs
are given hypnotic language briefings,
complete with cover stories, disguises, and
technologically appropriate weapons.
Their mission is to find the anthropologists
and bring them back without arousing the
natives.

Referee's Information
Weapons provided will be small, easily
concealed handguns, not rifles, machine
pistols, etc. The language briefing is naturally
limited to the topics covered by
native TV and radio transmissions. Several
themes are omitted in these transmissions,
but the PCs should not be told this until
they try to utilize their knowledge. In
particular, there are no references to
religion. Three NPCs join the party: an
anthropologist who was omitted from the
original team, the fiance of one of the
missing scientists, and a security guard.

The team is to land (or beam down) in
an uninhabited coastal area and work its
way across country to Y'Kurth. Arrange a
few diversions (such as some interesting
ruins) to split up the party. Soon, the
anthropologist becomes separated from
the team; suddenly a shot or two is heard,
but the remaining team members find
nothing but a severed hand holding a
bloodstained gun when they investigate.
accidents or crime, are ignored by the
natives; anyone taken is venerated as the
?chosen of the gods.? Naturally, it?s heresy
to attempt to harm the ?gods? in any way.

The missing scientists visited one of the
temples. One accidentally entered an area
used for volunteer sacrifices and was
snatched by a "god." The others tried to
rescue him and were attacked by guards
armed with spears, whose normal duty is
to finish off anyone who is mutilated rather
than killed. In the ensuing fight, three
anthropologists died. The two survivors
are being held in the temple for sacrifice
at a major ritual to be held in four days?
time. Their behaviour is considered a
matter of shame, a profanation of a sacred
shrine. Needless to say, all their heretical
equipment, like guns and radios, has been
destroyed.

These details shouldn?t immediately
become apparent; use a few incidents (a
bloody shoe falls from the sky and is
ignored by passers-by, a conversation is
overheard in which someone says that he
will ?give himself to the gods? if he fails his
examinations, etc.) to gradually reveal the
situation. Naturally, the natives don?t discuss
such matters in casual conversation.

As a final twist, the ?gods? are more
intelligent than  humans. They originally
intended to let the first colonists settle
peacefully, but retaliated and destroyed
most of the colonists? equipment after
human hunters attacked them. The current
situation is a form of domestication;
the ?gods? see the cities as convenient food
supplies, much handier than looking for
wild prey. This easy food supply gives the
?gods? more time for relaxation, philosophy,
and other mental disciplines. Many
members of the species see this state as
decadence, and they stay in the wilds, but
they will still take humans if they are
hungry (as shown by the loss of the PCs?
anthropologist). The events at the temple
are seen as a sign that the humans may be
becoming dangerous again; if there are
any further problems (for example, if the
PC team harms a ?god? while attempting
to rescue the anthropologists), the reptiles
will attempt to destroy the cities and kill
most of the humans.

"The Apocalypse Assignment"
System: Any espionage-based RPG.
Source: Omen 3: The Final Conflict.

Player's Information
Yesterday, the American President
arrived in Britain for a conference with
the British Prime Minister and other NATO
heads of state at Chequers. He is staying at
the U.S. Ambassador's country mansion.
The PC team is to work as liaison between
British and American security units, and
has been authorized to carry weapons on
U.K. soil.

While making plans for this operation,
the PCs are summoned to New Scotland
Yard and informed that an intruder has
been caught trying to break into the
Ambassador?s mansion. The intruder is
being held at the local police station.

Referee's Information
When the PCs reach the police station,
they find that the prisoner has escaped,
killing two constables and one of the security
men from the mansion. Survivors (all
badly injured) report that the man
wouldn?t speak and went berserk when he
saw a copy of The Times (which has a
picture of the President on its front page).
A police sketch of the intruder shows that
he looks vaguely like a bald version of
Oddjob, from the James Bond film Goldfinger
(if you?re using Victory Games?
JAMES BOND game, say that the intruder
looks a bit like Oddjob, without mentioning
the film).

The PCs don't know that three months
ago a vision appeared to members of an
obscure order of Tibetan monks. The
vision told the monks that a demon had
broken free from the underworld and
taken human form as the American President.
The monks must kill the demon, or
else the world would be destroyed. Seven
monks followed these commands; they
crossed the border to India, learned the
President?s travel plans, then sold gems to
pay for a flight to Britain. The KGB spent
several years perfecting the hologram.
projector used for the vision, and all the
monks are utterly convinced of its authenticity.
The Russians plan to cause an international
incident and a deterioration in
U.S.-Chinese relations.

The monks have sworn vows of silence.
They wear badly fitting British suits and
carry an assortment of throwing knives,
shuriken, and other Oriental weapons.
Rifles and explosives fill their transport (a
battered old minibus). All monks have
shaved heads and thick moustaches; they
are all related, since the monastery is in a
small village, and the PCs may think that
they are dealing with brothers or clones.
The monks are proficient martial artists
but don?t belong to any of the recognized
schools of combat. Each monk should be a
match for three or four average police or
security guards, or at least two player
characters. Monks should each have one
or two weapon specialties; one might be
extraordinarily good with swords and a
bow, and another an expert rifle shot. At
least one of the monks should be able to
drive, though not particularly well.

The remainder of this adventure should
be a hunt for the assassin and the team?s
gradual realization that several men are
involved. This should produce a prolonged
chase and martial-arts battle as the assassins
try to reach the President. Scopolamine
injections and a linguistically skilled
interrogator can reveal the truth if a captive
monk becomes available. Follow-up
missions can track the assassins back to
Tibet, reveal the Russian involvement, and
possibly add a mission to capture the
hologram projector and the scientist who
built it.

Optionally, ruthless referees might wish
to run this scenario in a slightly different
manner. What if the vision was genuine,
and the U.S. President really is a demon?
As the assassins make their attempts
against the ?President,? they should die in
a series of unlikely ?accidents.? For example,
an assassin tries to get into the mansion
by climbing a tree, intending to drop
over the perimeter fence. However, a
patrol car skids off the road and strikes
the tree, and the assassin falls and is
impaled on a support post. The PC team
should gradually realize that something
strange is happening. The final revelation
to the PCs might come in the form of a
dying statement from the last monk or
another vision.

Once the PCs are aware of the facts,
they should realize that some of the President
?s recent actions will worsen the international
situation and could easily lead to
nuclear war. The PCs must then decide
whether or not to stop the demon directly.
Naturally, any assault on the ?President?
should be extremely difficult; the team
must somehow get past the elaborate
security measures surrounding him. A
demon should be extremely difficult to
kill; bullets will probably be useless. Exact
details are left to the referee, who should
decide whether this is simply a minor
demon (and thus vulnerable to holy water
or exorcism) or something much more
formidable. Whichever side wins the final
conflict, there probably won?t be much of
a future for these particular secret agents!

Further sources
The following films are recommended
for conversion to role-playing adventures:

The Terminator: for any 1920s or
horror-theme RPG. Imagine an unstoppable
robot stalking adventurers who think
that they are dealing with a normal
human or deranged cultist. Imagine the
panic when they learn the truth!

Ice Station Zebra: for any futuristic
space-travel RPG. This is a good ?closed
environment? story with a cast of hundreds.
For something exceptionally lethal,
try mixing this with the next selection.

The Thing: for any espionage-theme
RPG. Two weeks ago, the Agency?s polar
HQ dropped out of contact. Now a crack
team of agents has been assigned to investigate
the mystery. As the agents climb out
of their helicopter, a dog bounds joyfully
towards them. . . .

Point Blank: for any fantasy-world RPG.
The Thieves Guild betrayed you on your
last mission; you were left for dead, and
your share of the loot was stolen. Now you
have returned, and you will follow your
money wherever it leads you.

JULY 1988