Pyramid 4-002 - Modern - Action I - PDFCOFFEE.COM (2025)

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Contents ­In This Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Into the Forbidden Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

By J. Edward Tremlett

The Phoenix Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

By S.A. Fisher

Phoenix: Birds of Prey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

By S.A. Fisher

Three Steampunk Monsters . . . . . . . . . . 16

Derelicts on Ice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

By Carolyn Ivy Stein and Steve Stein

The Hunter’s Reliquary II . . . . . . . . . . 36

By Christopher R. Rice

El Rancho Fin del Camino . . . . . . . . . . . 40

By Matt Riggsby

Highway Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

By Roger Burton West

Secret Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Random Thought Table: Get Paid, Heroically . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

The Checkpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

By Phil Masters

By Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor

By Rory Fansler

By Michele Armellini

About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

The Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

By Sean Punch

­From

the

The pre-modern issues — what we usually call fantasy – are easy. If it feels like a Renaissance Faire or has orbs of glowing energy and floating castles, or features a real-world or historically based place from ye olden days, it fits. And the futuristic issues are also straightforward; spaceships, bioroids, implants, and ultra-tech robots stand out. But the “modern” issues tend to be trickier to classify. It’s a genre that encompasses everything from steampunk to espionage or military to modern-day fare in the vein of GURPS Action to more near-modern magical campaigns à la GURPS Monster Hunters. Fortunately, although it’s challenging to provide an exact definition of what modern material is, there’s a certain “we know it when we see it” aspect to it. It’s a broad era where technology assumes supremacy, expanding the world in communications, possibilities, goals, and dangers, where you can drive fast vehicles (pp. 44-47), start up a business (pp. 48-50), and maybe use a magic item or two (pp. 36-39). At least, that’s how it seems to us! We haven’t really done a broad-themed issue like this before, so let us know how much you enjoyed this. After all, Pyramid is nothing without you, dear reader! So please, join us; the near-now has never been better! – Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor GURPS System Design z STEVE JACKSON GURPS Line Editor z SEAN PUNCH GURPS Project Manager z STEVEN MARSH Production Manager z SABRINA GONZALEZ Director of Sales z ROSS JEPSON

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Editor

Article Colors

Each article is color-coded to help you find your favorite sections. Not all themes appear in every volume. Red-Brown: In every issue. Dark Blue: Character options. Green: Locations. Orange: Monsters and creatures. Dark Pink: Gear. Purple: GM advice and adventure ideas. ®

Write Here, Write Now

Your comments help us give you what you want! How are you using this material in your campaign? What do you wish we’d write about? Let us know via private feedback at [emailprotected], or join the public discussion online at forums.sjgames.com.

Editorial Assistance, Production Artist, & Prepress Checker z NIKOLA VRTIS Page Design z PHIL REED & JUSTIN DE WITT

President/Editor-in-Chief z STEVE JACKSON Chief Executive Officer z PHILIP REED Chief Creative Officer z SAM MITSCHKE Chief Operating Officer z SUSAN BUENO Project Manager z DARRYLL SILVA

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­In This Issue The modern world is defined by chaos, speed, change, and – in its own way – magic. With this modern-themed issue of Pyramid, you’ll get all of the above and more as we explore aspects of today and the not-too-distant past. Looking for a sinister travel destination? Consider journeying Into the Forbidden Zone. Become acquainted with three unsettling locations that were abandoned in the 20th century: what remains, how to get there, and ways to use them in adventures. Recent history can provide insight and inspiration for all kinds of campaigns, such as the counterinsurgency aspect of the Vietnam War handled by The Phoenix Program. Find out more about this important initiative from GURPS Action 7: Mercenaries author S.A. Fisher, including what the group did, who its members worked with, and who they fought against, plus GURPS City Stats for Saigon in 1969. The history lessons of S.A. Fisher continue with Phoenix: Birds of Prey. Discover the different kinds of personnel needed and get suggestions for creating characters to fill those roles, including GURPS insight and references to other useful aspects of the GURPS library. Steampunk fears are made manifest in these Three Steampunk Monsters. Learn more about their origins and game stats from Phil Masters, author of GURPS Steampunk Setting: The Broken Clockwork World. You’ll also get tips for using them in a variety of adventures – including GURPS Monster Hunters. Instead of being a pawn in the conspiracy, become one of the Secret Masters. Uncover suitable advantages and skills, new traits and techniques, campaign ideas, and an overview of some notable conspiracy groups you can add to your own campaign. Your vehicle slows down and anything can happen in your next adventure as you approach The Checkpoint. This readyto-use locale from GURPS Locations: St. George’s Cathedral architect Michele Armellini offers insight on the best features and personnel for hasty and established checkpoints, tips for different ways to use checkpoints, and a sample map that can be used for a hasty checkpoint. In world breaking apart from greed, apathy, and fear, a group of powerful and ethical people have come together to

form The Company. GURPS Action mastermind Sean Punch provides this group’s history, recruiting tactics and metrics, and adventure possibilities. Also includes a new GURPS Action template plus design notes. You’ll need a bigger boat as you explore a strange cove on the coast of Greenland, filled with Derelicts on Ice. The possible reasons for the trapped ships are as varied as the vessels themselves. A few of the more interesting lost ships – including their secrets and treasure – are awaiting the intrepid gaze of adventurers. Relics are powerful and mysterious artifacts that can help monster hunters win the day . . . for a price. The Hunter’s Reliquary II – from the library of How to Be a GURPS GM: Ritual Path Magic scribe Christopher R. Rice – reveals the secrets of six new supernatural items, ready as adventure rewards or goals for quests. When you need a place to lie low, head over to El Rancho Fin del Camino. Matt Riggsby – author of acclaimed GURPS Hot Spots and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure installments – provides this location’s history, the key buildings, and several adventure ideas. Complete with a map of the central complex. Give your action hero or monster hunter something interesting to drive with one of these Highway Stars. Roger Burton West – author of GURPS Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout – includes a plethora of ready-to-use modern-day vehicles, with brief descriptions, a table of stats, tips for modifications, and more, bringing your dreams from 0 to 60 in no time. Wouldn’t it be great to receive a paycheck while doing the right thing? Discover how to Get Paid, Heroically, as Pyramid editor Steven Marsh explores what it takes to go into business in otherwise heroic endeavors. With this issue, you’ll explore the recent past and shadows of today to go faster, farther, and more modern than ever before!

Cover Art: Tithi Luadthong  •  Interior Art: Rick Hershey and Tithi Luadthong Cartography: Matt Riggsby and Michele Armellini  •  Additional Material: Sean Punch Pyramid, GURPS, Warehouse 23, the pyramid logo, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. Pyramid is copyright © 2021 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Some artwork from Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © 2021 Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games, fatgoblingames.com. All rights reserved. Some images used under license from Shutterstock.com. Submission of your photos, letters, humor, captions, and marginalia constitutes permission to Steve Jackson Games Incorporated to use them in all media. All such submissions become the property of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated and will not be returned. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.

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Into

the Forbidden Zone By J. Edward Tremlett

Pripyat, Centralia, Hashima Island: there’s something incredibly compelling about an abandoned habitation. Even if the facts of their ending are well-known, they still evoke a sense of overwhelming mystery. They also present a feeling of almost incalculable loss – hundreds of thousands of futures ended in such places, their rightful owners scattered by catastrophic change. But for every Chernobyl, there’s a Wittenoom – some small place, perhaps out of the way, not as nearly as well-known outside of its region. Maybe only “disaster tourists” or those who constantly search for dark mysteries can name them offhand. Perhaps that is for the best, as some places should be left undisturbed. This article presents three habitations, ranging from small to large, all abandoned in the 20th century. Each gives the story of what happened, a description of what remains, and plot hooks that could be used to craft a scenario using various GURPS supplements. Note that, as research constantly changes, the following can only be a mixture of fact and fiction. Some events happened as described, some are inventions, and some things are left purposefully vague. Feel free to invent “facts” to befuddle players who impulsively read online articles about offbeat and sinister travel destinations.

Plymouth (Montserrat)

Outside of a war, it’s rather difficult to “lose” a capital. However, in 1997, the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat did exactly that. Now the southern half of the island is technically a no-go zone, and the town of Plymouth is known as the Pompeii of the Caribbean. The self-governing island had already been having a bad decade; hurricane Hugo had wrecked nearly all structures in 1989, devastating its economy. But then, in 1995, the long-inactive stratovolcano overlooking Plymouth – Soufrière Hills – erupted, causing the evacuation of the city and surrounding towns. People returned after things calmed down, but, almost two years later, an even greater eruption buried Plymouth under ash, and wiped other towns and cities off the map. This time, there would be no going back. Montserrat’s southern half was declared an exclusion zone. Thousands of inhabitants fled to the United Kingdom, but some remained to rebuild their lives elsewhere on the island. To this day, a great deal of the island’s money comes from the

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British government, with a little extra eked out from tourism, farming, and manufacturing.

Remnants The once-stately port city of Plymouth is now a sad and sorry place – akin to walking on the Moon, only with a semi-active volcano nearby. The Soufrière Hills mostly just bubble and smoke, but the threat of another blast is constant. The gorgeous Georgian buildings in the center of town are either half-sunk in gray pyroclastic flow or buried under mountains of ash. More modern structures in the outlying areas are little more than burned-out shells, slowly crumbling in the Caribbean weather. The hillside homes are eerily intact – left exactly as they were the day of the initial eruption. The further south one goes from Plymouth, the less recognizable things become. Villages and smaller towns were buried under ash or flow from one of the eruptions. The only way to safely view them is from the coastline, on special tour boats that show off the devastation. The northern half of the island remains blessed with the gorgeous, lush greenery one expects from a Caribbean island, and boasts reasonable accommodations and decent restaurants.

Getting There Montserrat lies 25 miles southwest of Antigua. A ferry runs from there five days a week (unless the waters are too rough). The new, small airport accommodates planes from the surrounding islands. It’s relatively easy to find a licensed guide to the exclusion zone’s less-dangerous areas. Venturing deeper (or after hours) requires either substantial bribery or chancing one’s luck with less-scrupulous characters. Such illegal ventures carry the threat of being caught by the authorities, or finding out at the wrong time that one’s guides have no idea what to do in case the mountain reawakens.

Buried Treasure Decades after the eruption, the people of Montserrat live with the terrible knowledge that they stand on uncertain ground. It may be even more uncertain than they could imagine.

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Volcano Base Zed GURPS Action. Irish millionaire Ciarán Ó Cionaoith was a man of vision, however questionable. The disgraced “evil genius” spent the 1960s on Interpol’s radar, mostly for trying to disrupt petroleum supplies so as to gain support for his signature geothermal alternatives instead. He vanished not long after the OPEC embargo of the United States – presumed dead in a ridiculous skiing accident. In reality, he decamped to Montserrat to build a secret lair inside Soufrière Hills, where he could further develop his technologies and plan his return to splendor. But contact with his cat’s-paws was lost after the second eruption, and all attempts to enter his lair have met with deadly failure. Is the time at last right to go into what could be a genius’ workshop and retrieve his works?

Ghosts of the Fire GURPS Mysteries. Old father Cecil of the Antiguan Josephs – an old-money family whose great wealth has also bred contention and intrigue – finally died last week after five years in a coma. The reading of his will (supposedly unaltered since 1993) revealed he’d split his fortunes between his leastfavorite son and daughter, which is curious considering he’d stopped talking to them in 1992. The other children, thinking they’ve been cheated, hire the PCs to look into the matter. Trying to ask the solicitor further questions turns up his dead body, shot in his own home, with all his papers burned or missing. But there remains one hope: among the victims of the first eruption on nearby Montserrat was the Barclays Bank of Plymouth, whose sealed, 20-inch concrete vault was left behind. It’s said the Josephs had a stack of legal papers there, just in case. Can the party dodge both the authorities and an assassin to find the family’s buried secrets?

The Mermaid

Butugychag (Russian Federation)

Pripyat isn’t the only area in Russia abandoned due to severe radiation. Another much smaller, almost pathetic place lies in the far northeast of Magadan Oblast – the least-populated area in the nation. The ruins of the Butugychag labor camp lie within the aptly named “Death Valley” – a place long-shunned for its poisoned soil. Old legends speak of hills of bones and herds of diseased reindeer. In spite of that, a mine was opened there in 1937, first extracting tin and gold, and later uranium. From 1945 to 1955, it became a Gulag whose prisoners were extracting uranium without any safeguards. It’s said almost 400,000 died from radiation, though this number seems excessive, even for that time. More “promising” specimens may have died at the hands of scientists at a secret medical research facility, operated at the camp. For some still-unknown reason, Butugychag was closed after only ten years. Some say it was an early victim of the winding down of the Gulag system, after the deaths of Stalin and Beria. Others say its existence was too cruel to justify, even in that benighted era. The surviving prisoners were either sent elsewhere or shot, the guards quietly reassigned, and the workers at a nearby electric substation moved to Ust-Omchug, almost 35 miles south. Alone and forgotten, Butugychag was left to rot in the cold, rediscovered only by scavengers. Since the end of the Soviet Union, there has been a reawakening of interest in the place and what happened there – especially as it’s never been officially recognized as a labor camp. However, explorations are limited both due to the remote location and the high radiation; some areas are too “hot” to investigate for long, if at all. itself is a

GURPS Monster Hunters. . . . Montserrat One of the stranger legends of Montserrat is its mermaid, fortreasure waiting to be discovered. Remnants merly residing at the pond on – Howard A. Fergus, The camp consists of small Chances Peak, the highest point clusters of buildings, situated in Soufrière Hills. She supposMontserrat and along an “E” of higher ground edly stood guard over the treaMontserratians in the mined-out valley near the sure of that pond, crying as she Kolyma river. The ground is slowly brushed her hair with a scored with regular geological gold-and-diamond comb. The trenches. Most structures are just roofless, concrete shells or legends also say that, if someone stole that comb before dawn heaps of wooden rubble. The ore-processing plant is one of the on Easter Sunday, and took it down to the coastline – dodgfew places remaining mostly intact. ing a diamond snake the whole way down – the treasure Pathetic cemeteries litter the area – graves marked by rude would be theirs. The genesis of this bizarre tale is uncertain, Orthodox crosses or sawn-open skulls. Piles of worn-out shoes but as Chances Pond was destroyed in the 1995 eruption, bear mute testimony to the day the workers were either moved and only hardy volcanologists dare climb the peak, the point out or “disappeared.” Of the research facility that supposedly seems moot. However, Professor Janson Smoot of Edelweiss stood here, no traces have been found. University (accreditation pending), the foremost expert on Homo sirenia (he says), claims to have the diary of a ship’s captain from the 1700s whose crew fell prey to the creature Getting There while passing the island. He’s been given an impressive grant No real road goes into Death Valley – one has to rough it to investigate the phenomenon, most of which was spent on from Ust-Omchug, usually via motorbike or ATV. Small, unofa small exploratory vessel, a helicopter, and a mini-sub. The ficial tours catering to “danger tourists” operate in the spring rest was spent on the PCs, who most likely got the chance of a and summer, but groups never stay too long. Tour guides lifetime to look for a missing pond, search the waters off the advise to bring a personal supply of water, eat nothing that exclusion zone, and enjoy the island on EU’s dime . . . unless grows there, and carry a Geiger counter. Remaining after dark Smoot is onto something? is not advised; the ghosts walk at night.

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Poisoned Possibilities They say that, in the new Russia, the only constants are corruption and opportunity – sometimes one and the same. They also say that what has been buried must eventually come to light, and perhaps not for the best.

Old Wounds GURPS Horror or GURPS Monster Hunters. Despite gruesome rumors, the research facility that operated at the camp was merely dedicated to studying the effects of radiation poisoning. Their scientists constantly rotated prisoners in and out of the mines to try and establish a happy medium between exposure and “cooling off.” All they really achieved was a postponement of the inevitable, as their crude postmortem examinations showed. However, late in the camp’s existence, a new doctor came from Moscow with an experimental drug. This drug allowed its users to withstand the mine’s radiation, but caused catastrophic mutations. As the guards were unable to kill what they had created, the affected workers were knocked out with gas and placed at the bottom of the mine, which was then collapsed before Butugychag’s abandonment. Starvation and the dark only made them stronger. They are finally ready to come up into the light.

Ongoing Profit GURPS Action. The mine is active again. One of the many, less-reputable political organizations has taken it over and is extracting uranium to sell on the black market. “Government scientists” lurk along the easiest path to the camp, warning of increased radiation and turning people back at gunpoint. Sneaking around them reveals the mine entrances have been refurbished, with miners coming in and out in NBC gear. The ore-processing plant’s innards have been filled with prefabricated habitation modules. Every so often a military-grade helicopter with sound-baffles swoops in to drop off supplies and pick up a load. They also bring in fresh personnel, but no one seems to leave.

Evil Ground GURPS Horror. The uranium wasn’t what truly poisoned the valley of death. Something has been asleep below it – some great spiral monstrosity that’s slumbered here since the dawn of time, feeding on the life force of others. Its unique metabolism slowly transforms the rock about it into uranium so as to incapacitate and kill those who stay too long. It had a magnificent feast for about 10 years, but then the camp closed. Still, only a few more deaths might sate its appetite, at which point it shall awaken. On that day, it shall extend its spiral shell a half-mile up to the skies, and expel its eggs onto distant lands like seed pods.

Varosha (Cyprus)

The fabulous, shoreline neighborhood of Famagusta (known for its line of luxury, high-rise beach hotels) has been shut down since the Turkish invasion of 1974. The island itself was subsequently partitioned, but this remnant of 1960s high-rolling culture – considered one of the top destinations in the Mediterranean – still remains under military control. From the late 1960s right up until the invasion, Varosha was quite the place to be. Cyprus invested quite highly in the

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area to take advantage of the increase in tourism, financing hotel after hotel. Many international millionaires and Hollywood stars could be seen sunning on the beaches, and the strip beyond the sand had many high-quality shops and restaurants. Unfortunately, a toxic combination of internal strife and international meddling led to armed conflict. The Turkish army invaded, following the Cypriot coup, and – fearing a civilian massacre – Varosha was evacuated. After the ceasefire, Turkey thought they could use the city’s value as a bargaining chip to have their hold over Cyprus recognized, and locked it down with walls, barbed wire, and soldiers. Unfortunately, no one budged on the issue. As the decades have worn on, it looks increasingly unlikely the hotel owners and displaced citizens will ever return home.

Southward along the Mağusa seashore was an entire city of high-rise apartment blocks and hotel buildings that looked like a ghost town: broken windows, dangling gates, decrepit stairs, decaying walls. – Yael Navaro-Yashin, The Make-Believe Space Remnants The roughly rectangular line of streets running parallel to the beach is an armed camp, patrolled by unamused soldiers who’d clearly rather not be chasing graffiti artists and disaster tourists. The deserted streets lie overgrown and deteriorating in the Mediterranean sun. Windows are cracked or broken. The belongings left by fleeing people have been largely untouched. Once-stately beach hotels – some bearing artillery scars – slowly succumb to the elements. People take quick pictures from the walls along nearby beaches, hoping not to get caught in the act.

Getting There Traveling to the Turkish side of Cyprus isn’t too difficult, and finding someplace to stay in Famagusta/Gazimağusa is fairly easy. Getting past the walls, barbed wire, and patrolling Turkish soldiers is another matter. The guards are authorized to shoot trespassers, though they usually pursue and capture. Time spent as a prisoner of the Turkish army is not pleasant, and neither is standing trial for criminal trespass in a military zone (up to 15 years if convicted).

Guarded Capabilities It seems perfectly logical for an internationally unrecognized occupying force to lock down valuable real estate to use as a hostage during ongoing political negotiations. But even though great strides have been made toward freeing Varosha in recent years, something keeps stopping the deal. Why?

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Project Tin Man GURPS Action. The Turkish armed forces have been one of the backbones of NATO – second in numbers only to the USA. In the late 1990s they began a program of modernization, hoping to end dependence on foreign military technology. To that end, they’ve invested in “alternative” forms of warfare – mostly battlefield robots (Tenekeci, or Tin Men), though there’s some highly questionable psychological techniques being tried out as well (such as sonic fear generators). Varosha has become their test bed for covert urban warfare, as they can run simulations and gauge whether anything was seen (or felt) in surrounding Famagusta. The PCs have been employed to steal the latest Tin Man, only to run afoul of weird vibrations that make them think they’re being attacked by aliens or worse.

The Lead Box GURPS Horror or GURPS Magic. “You never heard of the time (actor) bought a demon? Well, it was the early ’70s, and he was not doing very well in mind or body, and he decided that, even if he didn’t believe in God, he’d at least talk to the opposing side. So some of his weirder friends made a couple of calls, and one night at the Argo, while (actor’s spouse) was out on the town, these extremely welldressed Greek fellows show up in his suite with a lead box the size of a seaman’s trunk. Money changes hands, they give him the key, and he goes into the other room to talk with his purchase. No one hears what’s being said (I think they had the stereo turned up) but not five minutes later, he rushes out, pale and shaking, and demands they take the thing back. But money’s already changed hands, and it’s his, now, forever. So he has his friend, who lives in town, lock it up somewhere. That was early 1974. The Turks invaded in July, and that lead box was left behind along with everything else. (Actor) died some time later – I wonder what he asked?”

The Frozen City GURPS Supers. Varosha wasn’t just popular with highrollers and movie stars – supervillains really loved it, too. It had all the glamour of other Mediterranean hot spots (like

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Monte Carlo) but was much less risky to be seen in. So when the neighborhood was occupied in 1974, there was much sadness among the global criminal element. Luckily, a few megageniuses figured a way to re-create pre-invasion Varosha a few steps outside reality. For a $100,000 annual fee, it’s possible to go to Kar Küresi: a snow-globe copy of Varosha as it was that resets every 24 hours. All kinds of evil fun is permitted with the simulacrums, but denizens of our reality who die there (or are killed, more likely) reappear in a random spot of the real Varosha. So when our heroes learn the infamous Kýrie Kranío was found dead in the Toyota dealership, wrapped in a bathrobe from a hotel that hasn’t existed since July of 1974, clearly an investigation is called for!

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The Phoenix Program By S.A. Fisher

The Vietnam War was a war with many fronts. Perhaps the most controversial of those was the counterinsurgency war, Phung Hoang, named after a mystical bird of Vietnamese legend. In English, it was called Phoenix. This article assumes the reader has GURPS SEALs in Vietnam. Also recommended are GURPS Special Ops, GURPS Social Engineering, GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank, and GURPS City Stats.

The Vietnam Wars

The Vietnam War is best thought of as three different wars. There was a conventional ground war, of “body counts” and “search and destroy,” and a second air war over Indochina as U.S. aircraft attacked military targets in North Vietnam while also trying to stem the flow of supplies down the Ho Chi Minh trail. A third war, however, was fought over the “hearts and minds” of the South Vietnamese civilians, a counterinsurgency war. This program of pacification intended to destroy the National Liberation Front (NLF) and its Viet Cong (VC) guerrillas. On one hand, U.S. money and manpower built roads, bridges, schools, and health clinics in the provinces. On the other, U.S. spooks and special forces directed CIApaid Vietnamese mercenaries against the VC. This was the Phoenix Program.

Shadow Government: NLF and the Viet Cong Infrastructure

In 1967, South Vietnam had a population of 16 million people living in its 44 provinces and 243 districts. Of its 11,000 hamlets, the South Vietnamese government (GVN) controlled less than half. The remainder were in the hands of the NLF and its VC guerrillas. To win the war, the GVN had to fight on the hamlet level, to take back the countryside. It had to identify the VC to root them out, without indiscriminately killing the peasants. Since the Viet Cong adhered to a strict party structure, the common VC guerrilla was not the concern of the counterinsurgency program. Instead, Phoenix focused on the VC leadership, what the CIA called the Viet Cong infrastructure (VCI). The VCI consisted of the leaders of the communist NLF and

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its guerrilla forces. The NLF was the political movement that supported the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party (PRP), the communist revolution in South Vietnam – itself an offshoot of the PRP of North Vietnam. One Phoenix advisor called the VCI “a mirror image of [Vietnamese] society. The smallest unit of society was the hamlet. A group of hamlets made up a village, a group of villages made up a district, several districts a province. The VCI acted as the agents of a shadow government that ruled from hamlet to province level.” There were several leadership positions in the VCI, including the party secretary, the finance chief, the security chief, the military chief, and the propaganda chiefs. The most powerful VCI position was the party secretary, the chief executive of the shadow government. The propaganda chief – also called the proselyting chief – was the most vulnerable, as they to move around to the various hamlets and villages to directly convert the people to the cause. This was done through speeches, plays, personal harangues, threats, torture, or simply killing uncooperative villagers. These “armed propaganda teams” and the VCI tax collectors were the most highly sought-after targets because they worked most directly with the villagers. Some VCI cadre held multiple positions, especially at the village level. The Viet Cong demanded rice and livestock as taxes, forced villagers to produce weapons, conscripted them as porters, or forced young people to fight with the guerrilla forces. One particularly hated VCI element, the security section (or Banan-ninh) was the terrorist arm of the Viet Cong. VCI tribunals made a show of questioning, sentencing, and then executing villagers who cooperated with the Americans or GVN. The 25,000 agents working for the Ban-an-ninh “security section” terror teams murdered “class traitors” and placed bombs in markets, cafés, clinics, schools, and buses. They tossed grenades in open car windows. All landowners, teachers, doctors, and Catholic clergy were “class enemies,” and therefore targeted for kidnapping or murder. At hamlets such as Dak Son, Son Tra, and Phutahn, the VC terror teams murdered almost everyone. According to one historian, between 1957 and 1972 the Ban-an-ninh murdered over 36,000 and abducted another 60,000. In the words of VC expert Douglas Pike, the VCI directed a “genocide” against a generation of South Vietnamese village leaders. These bombings and executions demonstrated that the GVN in Saigon was weak and could not protect them.

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CORDS

In 1967, the United States and GVN launched CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support) as a counterinsurgency program to wrest South Vietnam’s villages and hamlets from VC control. Referred to sardonically as “Peace Corps with guns,” the CORDS program placed U.S. advisors alongside Vietnamese leaders at the province and district level, as well as at MACV (Military Assistance Command Vietnam) corps and division areas. Coordinating several existing programs, the CORDS program drew information from the GVN Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), the Rural Development (RD) cadre, and the Census-Grievance (CG) program. In addition to counting heads, this last program provided economic relief and listened to villagers’ most pressing concerns for the GVN to address. CORDS also supervised the Hamlet Evaluation System (HES), which surveyed hamlets and reported back to Saigon each month, tracking pacification progress throughout South Vietnam. This CORDS approach was called a population-centric counterinsurgency, one that emphasized the protection of the civilian population. CORDS-affiliated agencies included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), the Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as generous support from MACV and its nearly 500,000 ground troops and 10,000 helicopters. The number of Americans directly involved in the counterinsurgency war was staggering. The CIA alone had a peak of 6,000 personnel in South Vietnam, supported by over 600 civilian contractors – most of those drawn from current or former MACV military officers. Many special-operations units (such as the U.S. Army Special Forces, Marine Recon, and SEALs) acted as Phoenix advisors.

Phung Hoang

The heart of the CORDS process was the nationwide implementation of what in 1966 was called the Intelligence Coordination and Exploitation Program (ICEX). The program was relaunched in December 1967 as a “joint inter-agency intelligence program” renamed Phoenix. Despite lurid tales of assassination and torture, Phoenix was not a covert organization of spies and assassins, but rather a very public program for crowd-sourcing intelligence information on the VCI. Many U.S. and GVN agencies and organizations shared intel with Phoenix. These included Vietnamese sources, such as VC defectors, villager statements, and shared reports from the National Police, the National Police Field Force, the Police Special Branch, the Chieu Hoi amnesty program, the Vietnamese Information Service, the RD cadre, and the Military Security Service. U.S. sources for intelligence included all the CORDSaffiliated groups, such as the CIA, of course, but also the MACV intelligence and operations staff (J2 and J3), National Security Agency, and the Army Security Agency. The structure of the program was straightforward. Since, according to the CORDS director, Phoenix was a “Vietnamese responsibility employing essentially police type techniques,” the Americans were advisors providing

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help to the GVN. At the lowest level of Phoenix was the District Intelligence and Operations Coordinating Center (DIOCC), where Vietnamese Phung Hoang and American Phoenix team members worked side by side, often in the same compound. A similar situation occurred at the province level (at the PIOCC). These OCCs or collection centers secured VCI intelligence from various sources and created target folders on suspected or confirmed VCI. Using photos, informants, captured documents, and VC defector statements, the centers directed attacks on the VCI by say, giving intelligence on a VCI hiding spot to a U.S. military or GVN unit in the area. The OCCs also filed intel and operational reports with the national Combined Intelligence Center (CIC) at Tan Son Nhut Airbase in Saigon. The cavernous CIC had over 600 American and Vietnamese working together in the largest single-story air-conditioned building in Southeast Asia. The 519th Military Intelligence Battalion processed Phoenix reports around the clock, feeding punch cards into a bank of IBM computers. The software database was called the Viet Cong Infrastructure Neutralization System (VCINS) in 1967. By 1971 it was called the Phung Hoang Management Information System (PHMIS). According to the CIA, this database program was “an automated means of processing and reporting data on the location, identification, and neutralization of the Viet Cong Infrastructure.” Drawing from all its input sources, the VCINS/PHMIS database contained biographic data on each VCI cadre down to district level (and without problems like dual reporting or erroneous reporting). Computer operators could sift through the database and produce reports such as “all known associates of Nguyen Phu Thanh.” The database also provided statistical information on progress on neutralizing the VCI. Weekly lists on the VCI were published in the Green Book (so named because of its cloth cover). Green Books were disseminated to the OCCs so they could check informant reports against the Phoenix system. The system graded each name as an A, B, or C. A was a known VCI cadre, B was a probable cadre, and C was a VC guerrilla or low-level functionary. Phoenix wanted As, not Bs and Cs. As one advisor put it, “we wanted thick files to go after, not thin ones,” meaning they wanted known VCI.

Bibliography Andradé, Dale. Ashes to Ashes: The Phoenix Program and the Vietnam War (Lexington Books, 1990). Colby, William E. Lost Victory (Contemporary Books, 1989). Cook, John L. The Advisor: The Phoenix Program in Vietnam (Schiffer Military History, 1997). Finlayson, Andrew R. Marine Advisors with the Vietnamese Provincial Reconnaissance Units, 1966-1970 (USMC History Division, 2009). Finlayson, Andrew R. Rice Paddy Recon: A Marine Officer’s Second Tour in Vietnam, 1968-1970 (McFarland & Company, 2014). Herrington, Stuart A. Silence Was a Weapon: The Vietnam War in the Villages (Presidio Press, 1982). Moyar, Mark. Phoenix and the Birds of Prey (Bison Books, 2007).

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D meant VC control; an A meant totally pacified. The monthly HES reports were collated into charts, maps, and tables, which were designed to show the effectiveness of Phoenix officers and to help focus resources on problem areas. Another component of Phoenix was the Province Interrogation Center (PIC). Each of the 44 provinces had a center for interrogating captured VCI. This was manned by Vietnamese Phung Hoang officers, usuaigon ally National Police or Police Special Branch. Often a Terms are as defined in GURPS City Stats. CIA case officer was assigned as a Phoenix advisor to the PIC. Information from PIC interrogations was fed Population: 2.5 million (Search +3) into the Phoenix system. The priority of neutralization was always to take Physical Environment the target alive. However, Phoenix and Provincial Terrain: Swampland Reconnaissance Forces (PRU) veterans reported that it Appearance: Average (0) was not easy to simply arrest the VCI. The cadre were Hygiene: -1 armed and often surrounded by bodyguards. Indeed, many were fanatical and chose to die in a firefight rather than be captured and interrogated. This created Culture and Economy a lot of bad press for Phoenix, which labeled the proLanguage: Vietnamese, French, English gram as an “assassination” operation. Literacy: Native In fact, thousands of VCI were killed. However, TL: 7 a far larger number were captured and turned into Wealth: Struggling (¥1/2) Status: -2 to 6 assets for the GVN, some even joining Phoenix or the PRUs. The program worked, with several postPolitical Environment war interviews of former VCI claiming that the worst Government: Representative Democracy, Municipality enemy they faced was Phoenix. One captured docuCR: 4 (Corruption -3) ment reported that Phoenix had so decimated the VCI Military Resources: $13M Defense Bonus: +4 in their district that “the people now lose confidence in the final victory of the people’s revolution.” This was precisely the intent. Notes By 1970, bad press about Phoenix drew increasing The former capital of French Indochina, in 1969 Saigon is criticism from back home. By 1971, the U.S. public the capital of South Vietnam; Cholon is a major suburb. The was reeling from general anti-war sentiment amid city is 45 miles upriver from the South China Sea on the Saigon the shocking revelations of the 1968 My Lai massaRiver. It is the major trade port of Vietnam, and the site of one cre. Phoenix’s time had come, and it soon faced a of the busiest airports in Indochina. Perhaps a million people congressional inquiry. In truth, the operation had in Saigon and its environs are refugees form the war in the been increasingly taken over by GVN as part of provinces, all living in shantytowns in squalid conditions. Vietnamization. Though the last U.S. military Phoenix Saigon was once considered the “Paris of the Orient,” but offices closed up shop in December 1972, GVN continin 1969 it is a city at war. Barbed-wire roadblocks, sandbag ued the program under another name until 1975. bunkers, and machine-gun emplacements are everywhere. citywide curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. is in effect. The city is full of American and Vietnamese military and the unning hoenix establishments that service them – bars, cafés, brothels, steam This section describes various ways to structure a baths, cheap restaurants, opium dens, electronics shops, and Phoenix Program campaign. so forth. Traffic is constant, full of olive drab military trucks, Honda bikes, Vespa scooters, tuk-tuks, and the ever-present The Pacification Game blue-and-white cabs. The city is the terminus of the world’s major heroin route One possible campaign is a Phung Hoang/Phoenix (+2 to search rolls). The environs are inundated with soldiers, team running a district center (DIOCC). The PCs overguerrillas, bandits, and Cholon mafia thugs armed to the teeth see efforts to track down and eliminate the VCI in a and looking to turn a quick buck (+2 to search rolls for arms or single district and its 2d¥4 hamlets. The typical tour military equipment purchases). for a Phoenix advisor was one year, so the structure is The national currency is piastres, exchanged at 118 to $1 12 monthly “turns.” (black-market rates are about 275 piastres to $1). The high Each month, the Phoenix team faces off with the CR reflects high taxes, military curfews and movement VCI in a Quick Contest of skills. This might be the restrictions, and the high level of suspicion in the security Phoenix team’s Intelligence Analysis skill vs. the VCI’s apparatus. For U.S. troops, treat the city as CR2. Tactics skill, though it could be other skills, such as The city is defended by 14 battalions of military police, Interrogation vs. Intimidation, as the GM decides. infantry, and armor. The following skill categories may be used to add to the monthly roll as complementary skills (p. B206).

The CIC in Saigon also tracked the progress of pacification with the Hamlet Evaluation System (HES), with Phoenix officers reporting monthly on the condition of each hamlet in their province. The HES scale ran A to D. The rating of C or

S

, 1969

R

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P

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Talk: Interrogation, Fast-Talk, Current Affairs (Regional), Detect Lies, Streetwise, Intimidation, or Carousing can be used to score information from the population. Fieldwork: Observation, Shadowing, Tracking, and Search for details discovered during operations, inspections, patrols, or checkpoints. Files: Research, Photography, Cartography, and Expert Skill (Military Science) can extract useful intelligence from local DIOCC files, maps, charts, etc., as well as ICEX data, or cooperating sources. Combat: Guns, Explosives, Gunner, Throwing, etc. These are gains accomplished in firefights and ambushes. The Phoenix teams gets a bonus for equipment quality from its intelligence network. Someone using Research or Intelligence Analysis gets +4 to skill if they have access to the latest information from the Phoenix OCC. Both sides roll. The winner consults the following table. Margin 0 (tie) 1-4

Operations 1 2

Margin 5-8 9 or more

Operations 3 4

The number of operations indicated on the table is the number of actionable operations the winning team can launch that month. There will be many “dry holes” or failed operations any given month, but these are the highlights. If the Phoenix team wins by 3, for instance, it can launch two operations to neutralize VCI. Roll 1d to determine the nature of each operation. A roll of 1-4 is a squad ambush, pitting a squad of Phoenix advisors and their assets against a cell of three to five VCI and bodyguards. A roll of 5 is a cache or tunnel system, which may contain documents, weapons, or VCI cadre (in urban settings, this may be a safehouse or cooperating establishment, such as a bar, café, or retail shop). A roll of 6 is a “sweep,” a platoon-sized operation with two or more squads against a VCI-held hamlet or remote camp. The GM may want to expand these options with a larger table. The group can play out each mission or simply roll a Quick Contest of Tactics. Losers take 1d casualties; winners take half that (double for both sides involved in sweeps). Winning by 3 or more collects intelligence good for +2 on the next Intelligence Analysis roll. Winning by 5 or more gives enough intel to launch another op this month (roll again for outcome). To track the progress of pacification in the district from month to month, create a scale numbering -10 to 10, with the needle starting at zero. This represents the hamlets most in contention in the district. A successful mission for Phoenix moves the scale positive, while a successful mission for the VC moves the scale negative. A score of 10 means Phoenix wins, the district is pacified, the VCI is wiped out, and a possible promotion for the Phoenix officers. A score of -10 means the VCI wins, and the Phoenix team is deactivated or reassigned as the district is written off or turned over to a larger military operation.

Claws of the Phoenix A more conventionally structured Phoenix Program campaign might focus each adventure on neutralizing a single VCI

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cadre or cell. An important aspect of this approach is generating intelligence through informants. GURPS Social Engineering is an ideal resource for this. It explores developing all types of relationships, including soliciting informants (p. 23) and searching for known individuals (p. 24), an important part of the counterintelligence game. The supplement has great advice for using advertising for searches (p. 61) such as the notorious (but effective) Phung Hoang “wanted posters” put up in the provinces. There are also rules on how to conduct psychological operations (p. 62) and revolutionary politics (p. 64). All page numbers are for Social Engineering. The stats on Saigon (see p. 10 in this article) may prove useful with these rolls, especially in regard to corruption. In terms of population size, Vietnamese provinces tend be worth +2 to +3 for search rolls. Another interesting way to setup a Phoenix game is to use GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank, which uses the GURPS Rank advantage as a Patron. The PCs request certain types of assistance from their Patron to accomplish their goals. Each request may succeed or fail, and even if provided, the assistance is limited in scope. This keeps the PCs focused on using their abilities and not over-relying on the Patron to hand them an easy out. The GM can require the Phoenix team to request assistance at each step of a VCI neutralization, with assistance roll failures played out as problems with social customs, the labyrinthine U.S.-GVN bureaucracy, the weather, rules of engagement, and so forth. Good rolls get the team the help they want when they need it, but failed rolls mean a slow response, or the specific help is unavailable at that time. The specific types of assistance (see Sample Assistance, Pulling Rank, p. 13) most appropriate to a Phoenix campaign include warrant, bribe, technical means, consultation, files, records search, and specialists. (Keep in mind that no agents or officers would likely have Computer Operation in 1969!). These would be the bread and butter of Phoenix staff and most likely receive a bonus on the request if tied to VCI neutralization. Other types of assistance such as gear, safe house, evacuation, treatment, shipping, and travel would be available on a case-by-case basis, some possibly used to solve the “hearts and minds” aspects of the program. The use of fire support, the cavalry, and insertion/extraction, for instance, might be authorized when Phoenix advisors are carrying out a direct attack on the VCI. Uses of disappearance or muscle are certainly possible “off books,” perhaps by locals looking to get revenge on the VCI. The GM should offer a list of the aid the team can call upon. Each team member should deal with requesting the support that fits their position and background. For instance, one American member may be responsible for using the radio to contact nearby military units to call in a medevac, artillery fire, or the cavalry, while a Vietnamese member may have contacts with the National Police and can whip up warrants, consultation, files, or specialists. Another may have seedier contacts, making rolls for bribe money, muscle, or cover-up. However, in the interests of keeping the game moving, the GM should be generous with the types of requests the PCs can make.

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Phoenix: Birds of Prey By S.A. Fisher

This is a companion article to The Phoenix Program in this issue (see pp. 8-11). Whereas that article introduced the Phoenix Program and structures of campaign play, this article focuses on units which participated in the counterinsurgency war, and provides character-creation guidelines for using them in the setting. This article requires GURPS SEALs in Vietnam. Other useful books include GURPS Special Ops and the GURPS Action series, especially GURPS Action 4: Specialists and GURPS Action 7: Mercenaries.

Indigs, Grunts, and PRUs

From 1967 to 1971, a major focus of U.S. and South Vietnamese government (GVN) strategy was the elimination of the Viet Cong (VC) leadership, a process they called pacification. This meant that allied forces tried to identify, locate, and then kill, capture, or turn specific individuals working for the People’s Revolutionary Party and its political movement, the National Liberation Front. Phung Hoang-affiliated units which were used to target the Viet Cong cadre included a number of indigenous units fighting forces (or “indigs”). The most common were local militia units, such as the Vietnamese Popular Forces (PF). These were part-time units of uneven quality, intended to defend villages and hamlets, and often riddled with VC or VC sympathizers. The Regional Forces (RF) numbered about one per district. They were often familiar with the people and locations they were assigned to neutralize. Since the village or district chief commanded them, RF/PF were sometimes easy to tap for a Phoenix operation. Some were at best marginally competent, and so used as a last resort; others were well-led hard chargers, eager to kill VC. Generally, they were armed with obsolete U.S. WWII arms, such as M1 and M2 carbines, BAR automatic rifles, and M3 submachine guns. By 1969, they had received M16s and other modern weapons. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) military units (such as the Rangers and Marines) were rarely used by Phoenix, being elite units involved in fighting the main force VC on the battlefield. Occasionally, intelligence on the VCI could be handed off to them if the units were operating in the province. They tended to function in units no smaller than a platoon. Though they were effective at killing VCI in a firefight, they tended to be poorly inclined to take prisoners. These units were equipped with the latest U.S. military aid, such a M16 rifles and M79 grenade launchers.

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The National Police (NP) maintained police departments in every city neighborhood and rural village. They were often overwhelmed, undermanned, and frequent targets of Ban-anninh forces. The police seldom had the personnel to directly assist Phoenix neutralization operations, but did provide warrants and take custody of any VCI captured. National Police also staffed the Province Interrogation Center (PIC), where captured VCI were debriefed and processed before being tried by the province chief and sentenced to prison. Weaponry was limited to handguns, including some obsolete French revolvers. The National Police Field Force (FF) was a mobile reinforcement arm for the NP, combat police in the style of European gendarmes. It was the first-line backup in case of a riot, natural disaster, or large-scale search and sweep. Field Force police could be called in to handle checkpoints and traffic control in coordination with a military action in the area. While the FF was meant to supplement the NP in case of VC attack on police stations, its two to three platoons in each province often became static guards at the province or district chief’s headquarters and sometimes home. The FF was armed similar to the RF/PF. The Police Special Branch (PSB) was the internal security intelligence arm of the National Police, focused on espionage, subversion, and counterinsurgency. The PSB were matched directly against the VCI and primarily opposed its efforts. The PSB kept its own files and maintained its own network of informants. Typically, the PSB operated from district stations, inspecting each National Police station or Field Force outpost. Members of this group also worked at the PIC alongside NP and Phung Hoang. However, the PSB jealously held its intelligence close to its vest, fearful of losing power. Because VCI targeting was “big business” in the late 1960s, many other units, agencies, and organizations were involved in it. Some were only loosely associated with Phoenix, while others were directly tasked to assist the program. For instance, some U.S. military units at the division or regimental level developed a counterinsurgency plan by creating a Combined Reconnaissance Intelligence Platoon (CRIP), pairing U.S. soldiers with RF/PF or Provincial Reconnaissance Forces (PRU) teams. This brought to bear the local knowledge of PRU teams and the firepower and resources of the “Big Army.” In a less direct manner, conventional military units operating in a province might be called upon to provide a secure perimeter for PRU or RF/PF operations at behest of Phoenix.

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These requests typically were issued by Phoenix to the neighboring military unit’s intelligence officers (S-2), who then, if properly enticed, set a call for a company or platoon to provide support for the Phoenix request. Thus, practically any military unit in Vietnam could find itself stumbling into a Phoenix operation. While fictional, such a situation is the plot of Apocalypse Now, wherein the crew of a PBR (Patrol Boat, River) transports a former Phoenix Program soldier, Special Forces Captain Willard, on a mission to “terminate the command” of a rogue U.S. colonel.

The PRUs

CORDS preferred to handle a target neutralization with the Provincial Reconnaissance Forces (PRU). Originally formed by the CIA and GVN as Counter-Terror (CT) teams in the early 1960s, the PRU were the elite of the Phoenix Program’s indigenous “action arm,” selected for loyalty and paid handsomely by the CIA. They were also a motley assortment of characters whose major qualification was knowledge of the local area and hatred of the VC. The best PRU team members were former ARVN Rangers or Marines who had completed their term of service and joined PRU to fight in their home provinces. Some were Montagnard tribesmen from the Central Highlands, others were ethnic Chinese Nung or Khmer Kampuchea Krom, both being minority groups traditionally persecuted by the communists. Some PRU were reportedly ARVN deserters, criminals recruited from the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, or the so-called Cholon Cowboys (Chinese street toughs and mobsters from the criminal underbelly of Cholon, Saigon’s sister city). Many were hoi chanh, VC defectors who had come back into the “open arms” of the GVN Chieu Hoi program. Despite the ad-hoc nature of the units, U.S. advisors rated the PRU as “extremely competent and experienced,” a “pack of pit bulls” ready to settle personal scores for VC atrocities. The Tay Ninh Province PRU, for instance, was divided into five 18-person teams, each separated into three six-person squads. One team was assigned to each of the four districts in Tay Ninh Province. The final team – as well as the Vietnamese PRU commander, his operations officer, and the American advisor – were headquartered in Tay Ninh City. Andrew R. Finlayson advised the PRU in Tay Ninh Province in 1969. Finlayson recalled that the PRU were armed with “M-16 rifles, M-60 machine guns, 45-caliber automatic pistols, and M-79 grenade launchers” as well as VC weapons such as the AK-47 and RPG. Other weapons, according to Finlayson, included an eclectic assortment of “Browning 9-mm automatic pistols, 38-caliber Colt Cobra revolvers, Browning automatic rifles (BAR), M-2 carbines, Swedish K submachine guns, and British Bren guns.” Ammunition was plentiful, sourced by the CIA and stored in the compound of the senior CIA province officer. The PRU wore civilian clothes except when in the field, where they wore “leopard spot” or “duck hunter” camouflage, tiger-stripe camouflage uniforms, or the black outfits of Vietnamese peasants. Finlayson described the PRU as otherwise well-equipped, with “PRC-25 radios, 7¥50 binoculars, [and] medical kits.” PRU teams lived together in a compound or villa, and had access to 4¥4 Toyota or Honda trucks, or Honda motorcycles. Teams near the coast or in the Mekong Delta used civilian

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sampans or hitched a ride with military PBRs or landing craft. Vietnamese or U.S. military helicopters or trucks might supply transportation, though this was not always available.

PRU Advisors

PRU advisors were the American NCOs or officers assigned to assist the teams. They worked directly with the Vietnamese PRU commander, providing him with advice, direction, and support to ensure the operations against the VCI were successful. Technically, the PRU advisor was not in charge of the team. Instead, a Vietnamese officer was in command, with the American simply as an observer and assistant. However, PRU advisors frequently paid the team’s payroll and their aggressive can-do attitude often drove them to call the shots. One province advisor said of them, “[PRU teams] killed more VC than any ARVN regiment in my province.” PRU advisors were usually drawn from U.S. Special Forces, U.S. Navy SEALs, or U.S. Marine Corps Marine Force Reconnaissance; some were CIA paramilitary officers. The appointments were usually for a one-year hitch, but some extended their tours. The typical PRU advisor had a proven combat record as a strong leader, often with several tours in Vietnam before being selected as a PRU advisor. Some PRU advisors attended a five-week advisor course in Vung Tao, taught by U.S. Navy SEALs, although apparently not all PRU advisors had such training. For more on PRU advisors in the SEALs, see GURPS SEALs in Vietnam. PRU operations gave the American advisors a tremendous amount of operational leeway, and PRU advisors reported that the best advisors demonstrated “objectivity, maturity, and sound judgment.” The advisors were usually the equivalent of gunnery sergeants or master sergeants (Rank 3), and the officers were ideally captains (Rank 4). In many cases, however, PRU advisors were Rank 2 NCOs and Rank 3 officers. Above all, the advisors needed creativity, aggressiveness, and cultural sensitivity.

Spooks and Brass

Another type of operator often associated with Phoenix were CIA officers and U.S. military intelligence officers. Early on, the CIA contributed hundreds of case officers to pacification, then slowly converted those positions to U.S. military officers. Both groups had similar training and backgrounds, though there were some important differences. CIA officers learned their intelligence craft in a year-long course at “the farm” in Camp Peary, Virginia. Other training for the CIA officers, particularly paramilitary officers, took place at “the point” in Hertford, North Carolina. Many CIA officers were ex-military, former State Department, or former law enforcement. As a group they tended to work at the province level and out of daily combat, safely ensconced in Phoenix compounds collocated with the Province Interrogation Center or Province Operations Coordinating Center. While often portrayed in fiction as cowboys and romantics, most were hard-nosed professionals, meticulous administrators that carefully followed policies and procedures, ever cautious of a scandal with their bosses in Saigon or among the local GVN leaders.

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Military officers at the district level tended to be younger men in their early 20s. They attended military intelligence and/ or counterintelligence courses at Fort Holabird, Maryland and Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Many of the young Phoenix advisors, far from being mysterious old Indochina hands and cynical mercenaries, were in fact fresh-faced “butter bars” (second lieutenants) straight out of ROTC. Assigned to district Phoenix coordinating centers, what they lacked in experience they made up for in enthusiasm. They arrived with idealistic views about advising and often left jaded and disheartened about the war. In contrast, province-level military officers tended to be older, careerist captains and majors, sometimes lieutenant colonels who were WWII or Korean War veterans with previous tours in Vietnam. These senior advisors were sometimes poorly selected for the unconventional nature of the job, falling into the posting through political connections or dumb luck. A number were old-school artillery or armor officers, bewildered by the advising task and simply marking time at their desks. Others were Special Forces officers with experience working with the locals. At times both types struggled to find a happy relationship with province chiefs and other GVN authorities.

PRU Operations

Operationally, the senior CIA officer in the province (called the province officer in charge, or POIC) and the Vietnamese province chief commanded the PRU team. The PRU team was deployed only if both men agreed to an operation. Typically, given good intelligence, the American advisor could secure a signature from the POIC and province chief, and a warrant from the NP, in a few hours. While the official standard operating procedure was that the PRU were controlled by the president of GVN and his ministers, in reality, “the CIA POICs controlled the PRUs and used the American PRU advisors to ensure the PRU teams were properly employed” to target VCI operations, according to the PRU advisor. This was the idea at least. However, the PRU teams were sometimes treated as the private army of the province chief, who might have the PRU attack rival political enemies in the province. Fighting between the Greater Vietnam Party (Dai Vet) and the Vietnamese Nationalist Party (VNQDD) was so common that, according to one American PRU advisor, “these two political parties probably spent more time fighting each other than they did the [VC].” In these cases, the PRU advisor’s main job was to keep the PRU team out of reach of the province chief, usually by putting them in the field on operations. Since PRU advisors were to advise, not lead the team, the advisors were expected to stay out of combat and simply issues orders and provide training to the PRU team. However, PRU teams were not as effective without an American on the ground with the troops. PRU advisors often had a reputation for going out to “observe” the teams, which actually meant leading them in combat operations themselves. This tended to bond the advisors with the teams and make the VCI elimination program more effective. Most PRU team advisors reported that their best operations were carried out with fresh information, especially when

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it came from the PRU team’s own informants. PRU teams also gleaned a lot of information from debriefing captured VCI themselves, which led to quickly launched operations against targets of opportunity. In some rare cases, the captured VCI was “neutralized” simply by recruiting them into the PRU team on the spot. The newest PRU team member then led the group to their next target.

Becoming a Phoenix

There are several GURPS sources to draw from for creating appropriate characters for a Phoenix campaign. First is GURPS Special Ops. It includes templates for Rangers, Recon Marines, and Special Forces. While the templates are for GURPS Third Edition, it’s simple to adjust them for use in Fourth Edition games, namely keeping mind that the latter has no half points. The SEALs template in GURPS SEALs in Vietnam can be helpful as a reference when making conversions. An appropriate power level for the campaign depends on the type of game the GM wants to run. A realistic or grittier game may keep the power level low, at perhaps 100-150 points. A campaign where everyone is part of the SEALs or other elite forces would have a 275-point level. If players want a mix of levels, the group should work out an agreeable approach. Phoenix characters can also be created using GURPS Action 4: Specialists. Although Action is expressly a cinematic treatment, a more realistic approach can be had simply by toning down the attribute levels and making a careful selection of abilities. First, start with the Basic Action Template (BAT; Action 4, pp. 4-7), reducing DX to 11. Next, discard Luck, bringing the cost of the template to 85 points. Refer to Advantages, pp. 14-15, and Disadvantages, pp. 15-16, in SEALs in Vietnam for help in selecting appropriate traits. The categories in Action 4 under the disadvantages section of the BAT can be inspiring (Antisocial, Checkered Past, etc.), keeping in mind trait restrictions from GURPS Special Ops or SEALs in Vietnam. A CIA officer assigned to Phoenix could start with the BAT and add the Detective Work, Intelligence, and/or Tradecraft skill sets from Action 4; see the lenses on p. 15 for more inspiration. Vietnamese Phung Hoang officers and U.S. military officers assigned to Phoenix collection centers might start with the BAT and Infantry Training (Action 4, p. 17) and then add another package or two related to their military background. Unlike CIA case officers, few military PCs would have a full slate of detective or tradecraft skills, although U.S. intelligence officers might justify skills selected from Intelligence, Interrogation, or Journalism. Most attended Phoenix training. A PRU mercenary could be quite a colorful addition to the party, as discussed in SEALs in Vietnam, pp. 57-58. PRUs or RF/PF forces were often assigned as runners, drivers, and bodyguards to the Phoenix teams by the Vietnamese province or district chief.

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Rank In terms of Rank, the tables below provide a greatly simplified approach to the relative power levels of individuals in Phoenix/Phung Hoang organizational structure. The Rank itself may be Military, Administrative, Police, or Intelligence, as the case may be, depending on their parent organization. Phoenix rank should be considered Intelligence Rank until Rank 5, after which it is Military or Administrative Rank, if it matters. GVN Rank is always Administrative Rank. ARVN military ranks are functionally two ranks lower compared to U.S. military ranks (an ARVN colonel is treated as a U.S. Army Captain when dealing with U.S. personnel). Rank levels are especially important when using GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank. Level Phoenix/Phung Hoang Rank (see text) 8 U.S. Commander Military Assistance Command   Vietnam (MACV), U.S. Ambassador 7 Deputy to COMUSMACV for CORDS 6 Assistant Chief of Staff for CORDS 5 National Director of Phoenix, GVN Province Chief 4 Corps Senior Advisor (CSA), Province Senior   Advisor (PSA), GVN District Chief 3 Province Phoenix Coordinator, Province Officer in   Charge (POIC), GVN Village Chief 2 District Senior Advisor (DSA),   District Officer in Charge (DOIC) 1 DIOCC Coordinator, PRU Advisor 0 PRU Team Member, National Police Officer Level Military Rank, U.S. Army 8 General, U.S. Commander MACV: General,   Lieutenant General 7 Corps Commander: Major General,   Brigadier General 6 Brigade Commander: Colonel 5 Battalion Commander: Lieutenant Colonel 4 Senior Officer: Major, Captain 3 Junior Officer: First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant 2 Senior NCO: Sergeant First Class, Sergeant Major 1 Junior NCO: Sergeant, Staff Sergeant 0 Private, Corporal Level 5 4 3 2 1 0

Intelligence Rank, CIA CIA Chief of Station Project Manager, Senior Officer Case Officer Paramilitary Officer Secretary Security Officer, Admin Clerk

Training Lenses This section covers some appropriate training backgrounds based on training involved in the Phoenix Program. Other training lenses can be found in GURPS Special Ops and GURPS SEALs in Vietnam. Military Assistance Training Advisor (+3 points): A six-week course at Fort Bragg, North Carolina to help officers learn the ropes of being a military advisor. Cultural Familiarity

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(Southeast Asia) [1]; Administration (IQ/A) [1]; Diplomacy (IQ/H) [1]. Military Assistance Security Advisor (MASA) (+8 points): Taught at the JFK Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, this 12-week course provided eight weeks of language training and four weeks of training for military intelligence officers assigned to Phoenix. Cultural Familiarity (Southeast Asia) [1]; Language: Vietnamese (Broken) [2]; Administration (IQ/A) [1]; Area Knowledge (Vietnam) (IQ/E) [1]; Diplomacy (IQ/H) [1]; Expert Skill (Communism) (IQ/H) [1]; Intelligence Analysis (IQ/H) [1]. Phoenix Coordinators’ Orientation Course (+1 point): U.S. military officers assigned to Phoenix attended this 10-day advisors’ course. Intelligence Analysis (IQ/H) [1]. PRU Team Advisors’ Course (+5 points): This was a four-week course taught by SEALs at Vung Tau, at the Vietnamese National Training Center. Language: Vietnamese (Broken) [2]; Intelligence Analysis (IQ/H) [2]; Teaching (IQ/A) [1]. Province Senior Advisor Course (+8 points): A 33-week training program in Arlington, Virginia at the Viet-Nam Training Center of the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. Cultural Familiarity (Southeast Asia) [1]; Language: Vietnamese (Broken) [2]; Administration (IQ/A) [1]; Area Knowledge (Vietnam) (IQ/E) [1]; Diplomacy (IQ/H) [1]; Expert Skill (Communism) (IQ/H) [1]; Intelligence Analysis (IQ/H) [1]. Advisor School (+2 points): A three-week course taught at Di An, South Vietnam to train military pacification team members. Administration (IQ/A) [1]; Diplomacy (IQ/H) [1]. District Operations Course (+7 points): A 12-week training program in Arlington, Virginia at the Viet-Nam Training Center of the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. Cultural Familiarity (Southeast Asia) [1]; Language: Vietnamese (Broken) [2]; Administration (IQ/A) [1]; Diplomacy (IQ/H) [1]; Intelligence Analysis (IQ/H) [2]. Career Training Program (+6 points): The CIA’s 12-week basic training program for case officers at Camp Peary, Virginia. Administration (IQ/A) [1]; Expert Skill (Communism) (IQ/H) [1]; Intelligence Analysis (IQ/H) [2]; Research (IQ/A) [1]; Writing (IQ/A) [1]. Clandestine Services Training (+16 points): The CIA’s 18-week course in “advanced operational training” for case officers at Camp Peary. Acting (IQ/A) [1]; Detect Lies (Per/H) [1]; Diplomacy (IQ/H) [1]; Electronics Operation (Surveillance) (IQ/A) [1]; Fast-Talk (IQ/A) [1]; Filch (DX/A) [1]; Holdout (IQ/A) [1]; Guns (Pistol) (DX/E) [1]; Interrogation (IQ/A) [1]; Judo (DX/H) [1] or Karate (DX/H) [1]; Observation (Per/A) [2]; Photography (IQ/A) [1]; Shadowing (IQ/A) [1]; Stealth (DX/A) [1]; Urban Survival (Per/A) [1]. PRU Basic Course (+19 points): This is an 11-week course taught by SEALs for indigenous PRU team members at the Vietnamese National Training Center at Vung Tau. Boating (Motorboat) (DX/A) [1]; Camouflage (IQ/E) [1]; Guns (Rifle) (DX/E) [1]; Guns (pick one specialty from among GL, LMG, Pistol, Shotgun, or SMG) (DX/E) [1]; Hiking (HT/A) [2]; Judo (DX/H) [1]; Karate (DX/H) [1]; Navigation (IQ/A) (Land) [1]; Parachuting (DX/E) [1]; Savoir-Faire (Military) (IQ/E) [1]; Soldier (IQ/A) [2]; Scuba (IQ/A) [1]; Spear (DX/A) [1]; Stealth (DX/A) [1]; Swimming (HT/E) [1]; Running (HT/A) [1]; Throwing (DX/A) [1].

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Three

Steampunk Monsters By Phil Masters

Games referencing the GURPS Steampunk series can cover a wide range of styles, from “mannerspunk” social adventuring to wild spacefaring or dark Gothic horror. Several such styles can involve fights with weird creatures and monsters; this article provides three such opponents, each with a steampunk twist.

Using the Monsters

These creatures are designed to be tough but not unbeatable foes for reasonably competent heroes, ranging from serious opponents in a straightforward fight to great menaces against which all but the mightiest heroes must prepare carefully. Whether they attack openly (individually, in hordes, or with allies), or skulk in the shadows as insidious threats and mysteries, depends on the genre and the power of the heroes. A few styles of game work particularly well for these monsters. Steampunk Adventure: In a pulp-flavored steampunk game with competent normal PCs, monsters such as these are best deployed individually to prove the heroism of the protagonists. They will usually be the focus of a scenario, whether a straightforward hunt or a complex investigation. Screampunk: Steampunk horror can feature more monsters being more monstrous. They should always be set up to be serious threats, whether by dint of numbers or allies, or because they lurk in the shadows and use cunning tactics. It will be necessary for PCs to research the monsters to identify their vulnerabilities. Steampunk Monster Hunters: In a game combining the two established GURPS options of Steampunk and Monster Hunters (see p. 19), these three monsters can work well. A small group of 400-point hunters should be able to handle them well enough. Indeed, the monsters may need some assistance (e.g., other creations from the same laboratory or human minions) or to use clever hit-and-run tactics to challenge a competent team of hunters. Modern Monster Hunters: Given how easy it is to imagine monsters stalking the Steam Age, what’s to say that some such period monsters haven’t survived to the modern era?

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Researching such threats could be an entertaining plot element for a monster-hunters game, sending the party’s sage into old diaries and newspaper archives. Steampunk as Modern Supers: Another option is to run steampunk heroes as true superheroes as per GURPS Supers. Against full-power supers, these monsters may not be a huge threat, but they do have that capacity for sneakiness. GURPS Infinite Worlds: Some timelines accessible to Infinity are in their own Steam Ages, with varying amounts of steampunk flavor. Agents who become complacent in such settings thanks to their technological advantages could be in for a nasty shock when they discover what supernatural powers or mad science can throw up.

Monster Stats

The game stats for these monsters follow the format from GURPS Monster Hunters 3: The Enemy and use the abbreviated version for animals (p. B456) with two variations. Attack Details: These take a form such as “Electrical Touch (14): 2d‑1 burning surge” for a monster that can attack, rolling 14 or less, to inflict 2d‑1 burning damage with the surge modifier. These details appear instead of the equivalent traits; e.g. that monster’s “Traits” block wouldn’t list an Innate Attack. Fright Check: The monster’s suggested Fright Check modifier, as discussed on p. B360 and on pp. 28‑29 of GURPS Monster Hunters 2: The Mission. This assumes a campaign in which the PCs have some expectation of encountering dangerous and formidable sights; inexperienced “normals” meeting uncanny horrors may take an additional penalty, as may rational “science heroes” encountering blatantly supernatural menaces.

The Galvanic Creature

The late doctor of Ingolstadt was a genius, but like many innovators, he failed to recognize the implications of his work. His creation was animated by lightning; consider the scale of the galvanic forces it could withstand and absorb!

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Frankenstein’s creation, “Adam” (see GURPS Horror, p. 97), was a formidable creature, but most dangerous when it lurked in the shadows, harassing a single victim. But science can improve on this! The Galvanic Creature is a derivative of that original in a setting where the idea of electricity is key to the creation, as seen with varying degrees of emphasis in different treatments of the source material. Its creator was aware of the disasters which followed Frankenstein’s work, so he incorporated a solution to the problem. The new creature made even greater use of electrical energies, to the point of dependence; it was linked to a generator, and would soon fall inert if disconnected. The creator also took care to retain control of the electrical systems, with many hidden switches and cut-offs. However, this plan missed one thing; despite its brutish appearance, “Adam” was highly intelligent – and so was this new version. Working in its creator’s laboratory whenever it was left alone, it constructed a portable battery and dynamo that could keep it active for hours. Then, it attacked its creator (whether lethally or not is up to the GM) and escaped. Like the original, the Galvanic Creature is a hulking assemblage of body parts, well over 7’ tall; it was made to be classically handsome, even beautiful, but something about it is askew, even if observers do not come close enough to note the crisscross of fine scars all over its body. It usually wears a bulky “backpack” – actually its electrical supply system. However, it can pass as a huge human being, especially if it wears loose, hooded garments. The sparks which sometimes crackle around its hands are clearly unnatural, though. The Creature is intelligent and studies human society, languages, and science when it has the chance. Like “Adam,” it would like company, but as it experiences a joyous thrill when electricity surges through its body, it is more interested in power, in every sense. Hence, it seeks to infiltrate laboratories or factories which are working with electricity, using hired servants and remote communications. But, again like its predecessor, it eventually hopes to create more creatures like itself, as minions and lieutenants as well as mates. Then, it will relegate its human employees to subservience. ST: 28 DX: 12 IQ: 14 HT: 17

HP: 28 Will: 14 Per: 12 FP: 18

Speed: 7.25 Move: 8 Weight: 350 lbs. SM: +1

Dodge: 11

Parry: 11 (Brawling)

DR: 2 (Tough Skin)

Fright Check: ‑2 Galvanic Blast (13): 3d burning surge. Treat as a jet attack with Range 2/5. Costs 2 FP per use. Galvanic Induction: After a successful grapple, the Creature can inflict 2d burning surge damage on subsequent turns. Can increase damage by up to +3d by spending 3 FP per extra die. Neck Snap: Must follow neck grab (below). Then roll a Quick Contest of the Creature’s effective ST 26 vs. the higher of victim’s ST or HT. Damage is 5d+1 crushing; flexible DR does not protect. Punch (14): 3d+2 crushing. Reach C, 1. Two-Handed Grapple (14): See pp. B370-B371. Usually followed by a galvanic induction (see above).

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Two-Handed Neck Grab (11): Attack the neck at Reach C. See pp. B370-B371 and pp. B398-B400. Usually followed by a neck snap (above) or galvanic induction (above). Traits: Ambidexterity; Berserk (15); Catfall; Combat Reflexes; Eidetic Memory; Enhanced Move 1/2 (Ground Speed 12); Fearlessness 2; High Pain Threshold; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction – see GURPS Powers, p. 53; take 1/3 injury after DR, only vs. electrical attacks); Metabolism Control 2; Regeneration (Slow); Social Stigma (Monster). Skills: Brawling-14; Climbing‑14; Electrician‑13; Electronics Operation (Comm)‑14; Engineer (Electrical)-14; Intimidation‑14; Jumping‑14; Research‑13; Science!‑12; Stealth‑12; Urban Survival‑12; Wrestling-14. Notes: If the Creature is cut off from its “backpack” electricity supply (an Unliving contraption with SM ‑2, DR 7, and HP 4, attached to electrodes implanted in its flesh), it immediately gains Combat Paralysis and Laziness. After 1d turns, it loses ‑5 ST, ‑3 DX (with ‑3 to all DX-based skills), ‑2 IQ, Will, and Per, ‑1 HT, ‑1 Speed and Move, ‑2 Dodge, and its Combat Reflexes (which in turn gives it ‑1 to Parry). It suffers the same attribute reductions again every hour thereafter until one of its attributes reaches zero, at which point it falls unconscious. Its base HP and FP are unchanged, however. Conversely, if it experiences a powerful surge of electricity (such as being struck by lightning), even if it takes serious damage, it gains +5 ST (but no extra HP), +2 DX (with +2 to DX-based skills), +2 HT (but no extra FP), ‑2 Per, +1 Speed, Move, and Dodge, +1d damage to both its galvanic attacks, Bad Temper (12), Impulsiveness (9), and Overconfidence (9), for 2d turns. If the monster could be connected to a high-power electrical source which was attuned not to damage it, this effect could continue indefinitely.

The Vital Metamorph

The sallow-skinned scientist shook his head. “I swear!” he exclaimed. “Once the horrible consequences of Dr. Jekyll’s work became clear, I disposed of my samples.” Suddenly, the inspector was alert. “Disposed of? How?” he demanded. The scientist shrugged. “I poured them away,” he said, “into the drains.” The existence of a radical version of the “Jekyll treatment” (GURPS Steampunk 2: Steam and Shellfire, p. 49) implies something unusual in biochemistry: a chemical agent which induces physical transformations linked to emotional states. But why should this only work on one species? And, more generally, Steam Age science isn’t always careful about hazardous materials; what problems might radical, careless scientists cause for their surroundings? The “Vital Metamorph” is a Steam Age version of the classic swamp monster (GURPS Horror, p. 64) or the B-movie killer blob. However, seen through a steampunk lens, it represents less a fear of nature or the alien than a fear of uncontrolled science and – even more – of uncontrolled emotion. Formed from an accumulation of microscopic life, aquatic invertebrates, and revivified decaying matter, it adopts a crude quadrupedal shape most of the time, rising onto two legs to strike with its forelimbs. It is covered in a viciously corrosive digestive slime.

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It is dangerous but nearly mindless, employing a crude merger of the mental organs of its component creatures. It is also quite sluggish in its basic form, feeding by dissolving such organic matter as it encounters. However, it responds dramatically to the subtle chemical emissions (what might one day by called “pheromones”) generated by complex creatures experiencing strong emotions – any strong emotions – and instinctively moves toward the source of such stimuli. It initially simply attacks and devours any large animals or people that it encounters. However, it has some capacity for learning, so it will soon move on to terrorizing victims without killing them, at least until it becomes overexcited by their fear. It then learns to enjoy different emotional “flavors” and to defer its lethal attacks for hours, lurking in the vicinity of groups of humans who are feeling strong emotions, in the sewers beneath theaters and concert halls or near radical political meetings. It may even learn to savor especially intense emotions from individuals, skulking near devout religious believers or around couples in the first flush of romantic love. Worst of all, after absorbing enough neural material from animals, and being stimulated to organize it by contact with complex emotions, it will grow increasingly cunning. Still, it is mostly a threat because it is inherently stealthy and hard to kill; organized adventurers can probably drive it off with fire or chemicals, but stopping it from returning in larger form later means tracking it down and obliterating it. The details below are for a relatively new Metamorph. See the notes for later transformations.

ST: 13 DX: 11 IQ: 2 HT: 13

HP: 12 Will: 10 Per: 11 FP: 13

Speed: 6.00 Move: 6 Weight: 275 lbs. SM: +1

Dodge: 10

Parry: 9

DR: 3

Fright Check: ‑4 Corrosive Slime: 1d+1 corrosion. This harms anyone who touches or is touched by the monster in close combat. Envelop (11): Grapple, followed by a Constriction Attack (p. B43) + corrosive slime (see above). Reach C-2. Smashing Pseudopod (11): 1d crushing + corrosive slime (see above). Reach C-2. Traits: 360° Vision; Addiction (To strong emotions nearby, as a psychological dependency on a stimulating drug); Appearance (Horrific); Bad Smell; Body of Water (p. B262); Chameleon increased to 6 (Only in swamps, sewers, stagnant pools, etc.); Combat Reflexes; Discriminatory Smell (Emotion Sense); Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Indomitable; Regeneration (Regular); Semi-Upright; Social Stigma (Monster); Stretching 2; Vibration Sense (Water). Skills: Stealth‑13. Notes: The Metamorph usually uses All-Out Attack (Determined), relying on its Diffuse nature (from Body of Water) and DR to protect it. Strong emotions nearby may energize it, at the GM’s option, giving it, say, +4 DX and +1 Speed and Move. Consuming neural tissue may eventually raise its IQ by 1‑3 points. If it grows larger, for every +1 to its SM, multiply its ST and HP by 1.5 and its weight by 3, increasing its striking damage accordingly.

The Tyrannical Tulpa

Beaten and bloodied, in the grasp of two ruffians, the revolutionary could still snarl defiance. “You are naught but running dogs,” he told the conspirators. “Your cowardly master skulks in the shadows!” “You are unworthy to meet their leader,” a new voice replied, “and yet, here I am.” The revolutionary stared at the newcomer. The fellow had the look of a typical member of the oppressive classes, tall and proud, and yet there was something odd about him – the shadows across his face were too deep, and his voice had a strange multitudinous reverberance. “Who are you?” the revolutionary gasped. “Ha!” the figure replied, now in grinding tones of metal against metal. “Ask rather – what are we?” The Tyrannical Tulpa, sometimes called the “zeitgeist” by German speakers, is a spirit but not a ghost (it is unaffected by necromantic magic, and is perfectly happy on consecrated ground). Rather, it represents an idea. It may be generated by the collective imaginations of the population of an area, by the combined thinking of a group of mystics or radical philosophers, or even by the mind of a single, psychically powerful individual under the influence of strange drugs or vapors. (Which of these origins is the case of course determines some possible ways of getting rid of it.) Ironically, the people generating it hate what it represents.

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(Note: Historically, the term “tulpa” only arrived among Western mystics in the 1920s, but those who named the Tyrannical Tulpa may have been ahead of their time.) The Tulpa manifests the dark nature of a steam-powered world – all the oppression and dehumanization that enemies of materialist industrial capitalism dread. Initially intangible, it soon begins manifesting in physical form. This may be a dark, hulking, human-seeming figure, looking like the archetype of a captain of industry, its face permanently shadowed by the brim of its top hat; or looking like a symbol of industrialism made solid – a gigantic, clanking mechanical figure. The Tulpa is fully aware of its own nature and is compelled to promote relentless industrialism. To do this, it uses its spirit form for spying, its “human” form to organize industrialists and politicians to crush dissent, and its monstrous form to destroy problems that don’t respond to subtlety. It can be driven off, but it may return eventually so long as the Steam Age continues.

Steampunk Monster Hunters A GURPS Monster Hunters campaign could be set in some version of the Steam Age, with steampunk equipment. After all, several of the foundational stories of human heroes vs. supernatural monsters not only come from that period, but also have elements of science fiction, whether it’s the whole idea of Frankenstein or Van Helsing’s invocations of scientific jargon in Dracula. Most standard Monster Hunters character templates can be converted to a Victorian/steampunk setting easily enough. If it doesn’t feature many steampunk land vehicles, Driving may be switched to Riding (Horse). In settings where electronics are unknown or rare, Electronics Operation and Electronics Repair skills may be deleted or changed to useful specialties of Mechanic, while computer skills can generally be dropped (unless the setting features a lot of Babbage engines), with the points reassigned to Research. Also, see GURPS Steampunk 3: Soldiers and Scientists for some potentially useful character features, and Pulp Hunters! in Pyramid #3/31: Monster Hunters for more guidelines – the pulp era is close enough to the Steam Age for most of what it says to apply equally well.

Tyrannical Tulpa – Intangible Form The basic form of the Tulpa. ST: 0 DX: 12 IQ: 13 HT: 15

HP: 20 Will: 15 Per: 13 FP: 20

Speed: 6.75 Move: 8 Weight: N/A SM: +1

Dodge: 9

Parry: N/A

DR: 0

Fright Check: 0 Traits: Astral Entity (p. B263; can become substantial – see below); Bully (15); Callous; Dark Vision; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (Homogenous); Obsession (Promote Industrialization); Photographic Memory; Regeneration (Regular). Skills: Acting‑13; Administration‑12; Current Affairs (Business, Politics, Regional, and Science & Technology)‑18; Intimidation‑15*; Leadership‑14*.

Tyrannical Tulpa – “Monster” Form The Tulpa can transform to this form by spending 4 FP; it must then spend 2 FP every 10 minutes to maintain it. These costs are halved if it is in a mechanical workshop, heavyindustrial factory, junkyard, or similar. It cannot regain FP while solid. HP losses are converted in proportion when transforming. ST: 50 DX: 12 IQ: 13 HT: 15

HP: 100 Will: 15 Per: 13 FP: 20

Speed: 7.00 Move: 12 Weight: 6 tons SM: +3

The Tulpa can transform to this form by spending 2 FP; it must then spend 1 FP every 10 minutes to maintain it. It cannot regain FP while solid.

Dodge: 10

Parry: 9

DR: 18

ST: 15 DX: 12 IQ: 13 HT: 15

HP: 20 Will: 15 Per: 13 FP: 20

Dodge: 10

Parry: 10 (Sword) DR: 3

Sword Cane (14): 1d+2 impaling. Reach 1.

Huge Punch (12): 5d+2 crushing. Reach C-2. Scalding Breath (12): 3-yard wide by 6-yard long cone of scalding air (originating at the Tulpa’s mouth) does 2d burning without blunt trauma or knockback. Costs 3 FP. Terrible Roar: Requires a Concentrate maneuver. Anyone within 12 yards must roll vs. HT‑6 + (distance from the Tulpa in yards), or be deafened for (margin of failure) seconds. Those deafened may roll vs. HT every hour to recover. This also acts as use of Intimidation skill.

Traits: Bully (15); Callous; Catfall; Charisma 2; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Illuminated; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, No Vitals); Obsession (Promote Industrialization); Photographic Memory; Silence 3; Vibration Sense (Air). Skills: As the intangible form, plus Smallsword-14.

Traits: Appearance (Monstrous); Bully (15); Callous; Cannot Float; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving); Obsession (Promote Industrialization); Pressure Support 3; Social Stigma (Monster); Vacuum Support. Skills: As the intangible form.

* Certain traits in other forms modify this skill.

Tyrannical Tulpa – “Master” Form

Speed: 7.00 Move: 8 Weight: 200 lbs. SM: +1

Fright Check: 0

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Fright Check: ‑4

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Secret Masters By Rory Fansler

Rumors are always out there about people pulling the strings, those who work from the shadows manipulating everyone (even governments) for their own inscrutable ends. GURPS supports several conspiracies: Black Ops, Cabal, Illuminati, Voodoo, and Warehouse 23. Even GURPS Action can involve conspiracies. Most of the time, the player characters are pawns or, at best, witting tools instead of leaders. This article explores options for them to be among those leaders! This article can stand alone, but GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank can help when the PCs want to get an organization to do something for them. Some traits and rules were pulled from other supplements and Pyramid articles; although they provide interesting options, these resources are not central to this article and references can be ignored if those sources are not available.

Advantages

Several advantages are useful for this role, with Illuminated and Illuminated Master being the most vital. Rank is extensively used to control organizations, though protagonists can start off with none and build from there.

Contacts see p. B44 Finding just the right person for the right job is essential to getting things done, especially without getting your hands dirty! While the rules in the Basic Set have the basics covered, GURPS Social Engineering: Keeping in Contact is helpful for nuanced situations and includes some new tricks. I Have a Friend (GURPS Monster Hunters Power-Ups 1, p. 16) is a useful Modular Ability that demonstrates an alternative way of getting temporary and permanent new Contacts.

Foresight see Pyramid #3/53: Action, p. 32 Planning ahead and contingency plan after contingency plan are hallmarks of a true mastermind! Other information in the article in which Foresight appears is very suitable to Illuminated masters.

Illuminated see p. B60 This advantage implies a supernatural basis, though it could also be a special form of genius. Whether from expertly researching and modeling events, intuition, or supernatural abilities, your ability to make the connections others miss is

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critical to understanding and manipulating society. For mundane campaigns, the GM may decide that there are no supernatural beings to communicate with. Additionally, the ability to recognize other Illuminati on sight might be based on facial expressions, body mannerisms, clothing styles, and so on, rather than on any paranormal connection.

Become one of the secret masters, and determine the fate of the world!

Illuminated Master 30 points You are one of the string pullers. If not a true Illuminatus, you’re at least working your way up the ladder. This advantage is to social manipulation what Trained by a Master is to martial arts, and allows access to several traits, even if they are not normally available after the campaign begins. These include Alternate Identity, Claim to Hospitality (including for groups you aren’t otherwise connected to), Contacts, Contact Groups, Foresight, Illuminated, Independent Income, Indomitable, Intuition, Obscure (Traces) (see below), Oracle (basic version, Digital, or Network) (see p. 21), Reputation, Serendipity, Status, Wealth, and Zeroed. This is not exhaustive, and some groups may provide other choices. Further, as a master of behind-the-scenes manipulation, you can buy Rank in any known organization without being part of that organization. Instead of working your way up the chain, you find people in it whom you can control through various means. Taking Illuminated is highly recommended, as that ability is key to working behind the scenes and avoiding the traps of others like you. The GM may require skills or other advantages as prerequisites, such as Unusual Background, Illuminated, Current Affairs, Hidden Lore, or Intelligence Analysis.

Obscure (Traces) see p. B72 You can erase the paper trail that follows most modern transactions, sometimes even making people vanish, forget what they know, or simply be discredited. This may be through mundane means such as associates in the right places, a government agency clearing records, or supernatural means. Statistics: Obscure (Traces; Cosmic, Lingering, +100%; Defensive, +50%; Stealthy, +100%) [7/level].

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Oracle see p. B72 As presented, Oracle suits supernatural Illuminati. In mundane situations, a lot of information is gathered from multiple sources (people, news outlets, etc.) and simply needs to be looked at and interpreted in just the right way. Oracle (Digital) [15] (GURPS Powers, p. 65) works for those with superior computer resources. Oracle (Network) [15], a new variant of the Oracle advantage, represents sifting through detailed reports from puppet organizations. When bought as alternative ability to Rank in a specific group, Oracle (Network) reflects information from that source only. As a standalone trait, Oracle (Network) offers insight based on the combined information from all your puppets.

Skills

A few skills are important to Illuminati, though effects vary depending on the setting and type of group they represent.

Administration

Rank see p. B29 Rank represents a clean way to get an organization to do things for you, though most people with this advantage typically work for or are retired from the organization in question. The Illuminated Master advantage (p. 20) allows an Illuminatus to buy effective Rank in a group without being a member! This represents controlling people within that organization and using them to get things done for you. Normally, Rank is limited because high Rank typically requires significant time investment and curtails adventuring activities. However, since you are working behind the scenes by manipulating others, those constraints are not a problem. For these purposes, Rank can be considered as buying a Patron in leveled steps, as exemplified in GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank and GURPS Powers: Divine Favor. The assistance options available for different types and levels of Rank are explored in Pulling Rank, which also introduces the assistance roll for determining how successful a particular request is. Illuminati typically use Administration to make these requests; this represent their pawns unwittingly doing what’s desired. Other skills, especially Influence skills (p. B495), may be used, though they increase the risk of exposure because they usually require direct contact with someone to be effective. As a trade-off for using others, your modifiers from social traits do not aid the assistance roll (though see Manipulator!, below) so it is best to have high-ranking pawns.

Serendipity see p. B83 Serendipity can be a lucky break or the result of careful contingency planning – especially with the Wishing modifier (GURPS Powers, p. 73). See Fortunately, I Saw This Coming in Pyramid #3/53: Action for additional ideas on ways of representing contingency planning without the need for players and their characters to actually have planned for everything.

Social Advantages Variable While most social advantages are earned by recognition and personal deeds, people with Illuminated Master

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(p. 20) tend to acquire them through subtle manipulation. By controlling the right organizations and influencing the right people (legally or otherwise), most social advantages can be acquired. They may be tied to specific cover identities or even none at all, just some name on a list. Purchase the social advantage with the Switchable modifier (GURPS Powers, p. 109) if temporarily hiding the trait would further your goals; for example, some situations benefit from positive Reputation and Status, and other circumstances don’t.

see p. B174 The Administration skill is often an Illuminatus’ greatest tool for dealing with bureaucracies. Most directives to controlled organizations and even targeted individuals within them are made with this skill. See GURPS Social Engineering for the many possible applications and effects of this skill. In some circumstances (such as dealing with puppet organizations), the GM may decide that this is an Influence skill. Note that some secret organizations use alternate means to control pawns; see Rumored Masters (pp. 22-23) for suggestions.

Manipulator! IQ When it comes to behind-the-scenes manipulation, you’re among the very best! You are also adept at recognizing and understanding the ramifications and patterns of moves made by other Illuminati. This wildcard skill replaces the following skills: Accounting, Administration, Computer Operation, Current Affairs (Headline News), Economics, Electronics Operation (Media), Expert Skill (Conspiracy Theory), Expert Skill (Memetics), Hidden Lore (Conspiracies), Intelligence Analysis, Market Analysis, Mathematics (Applied), Mathematics (Statistics), Propaganda, Research, Sociology, and Writing. If using GURPS Power-Ups 7: Wildcard Skills, further effects apply: Wildcard Benefits: Wildcard Points may be exchanged for Buying Success and Player Guidance (both p. B347) to modify rolls to manipulate an organization. If using GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys, Buying Effect, Favors in Play, Trading Points for Money, and Upgrading Margins are also available. Full Bonus: Add the full bonus to IQ rolls for Common Sense, Intuition, and Oracle. Half Bonus: Add half the bonus to any assistance roll for an organization you are a part of or control, even indirectly.

Techniques

Certain techniques are helpful to getting things done as discretely as possible. Getting caught manipulating pawns is embarrassing at best, and what self-respecting seeker of world domination wants that?

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False Flag Hard Default: Administration-5. Prerequisite: Administration; cannot exceed Administration. This is an effort to falsify the origin of orders and relevant documentation so that it appears to come from someone else or another department in the organization. If anything goes wrong, they get the blame instead of your pawns and tools. Forgery can be a complementary skill (see GURPS Action 2: Exploits, p. 5), though most internal documents are boilerplate and signatures are rarely looked at very closely. This technique can be used to fake requests from an organization you do not have minions in, though the penalty is at an additional -5 to do so.

Organization Recruitment Hard Defaults: Administration-10, or Administration-5 if working through an already controlled minion. Prerequisites: Administration and Research, both at 14+; cannot exceed either prerequisite skill. Most people recruit or gain friends directly, but as an Illuminatus, you work behind the scenes, so it is a tad more challenging. Administration and Research are the typical skills used to learn enough about potential pawns to manipulate them properly, though the GM may permit an Influence skill to replace Administration. Gathering enough manipulation information is typically done over a long period of time, so apply Time Spent modifiers (p. B346) with base time being a month. Methods include blackmail, bribery, and appeals to the target’s desires and better (or worse) nature. Use the base technique penalty of -10 when recruiting indirectly, but the effort becomes much easier (dropping to -5) when working through an already controlled minion, witting or not.

Plausible Deniability Hard

the organizations described therein have no stat blocks to convert. GURPS Boardroom and Curia is handy for the GM who prefers to give groups defined game traits, which can make it easier to decide what members of each organization will do during the campaign. Below are just a few of the many possible secret masters, to provide inspiration.

Adepts of Hermes This organization has ties to all magical traditions. It could be replaced by any supernatural organization, including many of the lodges from GURPS Cabal or GURPS Voodoo – or perhaps those groups are members of this organization without realizing it? Member Traits: Magic use is expected, though low-level members are typically wannabe mages. Masters may use spells to manipulate groups; in situations that normally call for Administration, members of this group use Thaumatology or Ritual Magic instead.

Bavarian Illuminati see GURPS Illuminati Founded in medieval Europe (at least that’s the story), this group seeks to wipe out all magic and is thus directly opposed to groups like the Adepts of Hermes. Member Traits: The group is very well-funded, and its high-ranking members are extremely wealthy. These funds are dedicated to anti-magic propaganda campaigns. The organization’s members are skilled in Finance and Propaganda.

The Discordian Society see GURPS Illuminati, p. 64 People should be free, and governments are just a means to control people – at least that’s how these anarchists see things. Member Traits: Members are more interested in manipulating like-minded individuals than controlling a hierarchy, so affiliates prefer Propaganda to Administration. However, true masters of chaos do not underestimate the value of controlling anti-institutionalist groups!

Default: prerequisite Influence skill. Prerequisites: Administration 12+ and an Influence skill; cannot exceed Influence skill+6.

The Gnomes of Zurich

Often, it’s not what you say, but how you say it! For every -1 to skill, investigators are at -1 to attempts to prove your culpability – they may even think they misunderstood the situation. If things go wrong, the blame can be on those attempting the task for misunderstanding or exceeding the orders. This technique never gives a net bonus. Each Influence skill has its own associated technique.

Money makes the world go around! Certainly, modern society would be lost without it; this organization’s members believe in maximizing profits and expanding their markets to gain more money.

Rumored Masters

What kind of conspiracy campaign would it be without rival groups vying for world domination? A few GURPS supplements dedicated to assorted conspiracies and running conspiracy campaigns are GURPS Black Ops, GURPS Cabal, GURPS Illuminati, GURPS Voodoo, and GURPS Warehouse 23; because they are Third Edition supplements,

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see GURPS Illuminati, p. 66

Member Traits: Members are wealthy financiers, mostly bankers but also treasury secretaries, hedge fund managers, and others. Economics, Market Analysis, high Status, and Wealth are common

The Network see GURPS Illuminati, pp. 64-65, and GURPS Y2K, pp. 33-44 Composed of hackers and perhaps even artificial intelligences, the Network is one of the more recent groups.

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Members of the organization manipulate vast amounts of computer data. Member Traits: Computer skills are paramount, especially Computer Hacking and Cryptography; masters leave the dumpster diving to their pawns.

Warehouse 23 see GURPS Warehouse 23 The world is full of dangerous and society-disrupting (or -destroying!) artifacts and relics. Members of this group find and confiscate them! Objects range from powerful religious or occult artifacts to inventions and knowledge best kept out of the public eye. Member Traits: Encyclopedic knowledge and investigation skills are standard, as is more than a little Luck. Curious is not only common but the way most members come to the Warehouse’s attention. This is a good fit for a GURPS Monster Hunters campaign, though the PCs are less likely to be Illuminati than Warehouse 23 agents.

Broker Whether you are demon, fae, or just plain human, a lot of people owe you a favor, and sometimes it’s a real whopper. Usually supported through Independent Income, you keep busy accumulating favors in return for your help (either by personally becoming involved or by getting someone else to do it to clear their own marker). The broker should have a good Body Language and Psychology (Applied) to anticipate desires before the negotiation even begins. Merchant with a specialty in favors is appropriate, as you rarely accept cash.

Outfitter From weapons to medical shipments to remote areas, you know people and have the resources to acquire what’s needed. Contacts can help with small favors, while wealthy or powerful Patrons can deliver quite a bit more. Streetwise and Administration can both help, though under different circumstances.

Politician Whether elected to public office, a community organizer, or a businessperson, you have a visible profile and public persona. Much of your real control comes from behindthe-scenes activity, with the public role as either a front or a stepping stone to real power. This is a good starting point for an Illuminatus as it provides easy access to a variety of organizations and people.

The Illuminati in a Campaign

An Illuminated character works best in a conspiracy or political intrigue campaign, but they can be an interesting variation on the “social engineer” archetype. The classic social engineer tends to have high reaction modifiers and Influence skills, and gets along with almost everyone. Having this kind of person in a group requires a careful balancing act for the GM: too little time spent in social situations, and the player feels cheated; too much time, and everyone else is bored. Additionally, the GM must come up with a variety of interesting NPCs for the social engineer to interact with. Illuminati characters do not (and often do not want to) stand out. They are designed to work in the background and hence don’t need as many scenes devoted to them. Players of Illuminati expect to make some dice rolls to get things done, rather than have their characters engage in long conversations with various NPCs. The GM needs to come up with organizations instead of specific people. The GM and player both need to remember that repeated requests tend to accumulate penalties, so the more organizations that the Illuminatus can pull resources from, the better. The GM should not be afraid to assess audits and investigations when significant resources are diverted for strange purposes. Use this to keep things under control and for plot twists, but be careful to avoid punishing the player. After all, they paid a considerable amount of points for their character’s capabilities.

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Retiree Maybe you were once famous, maybe just well-known in your field, or maybe you just acquired lots of friends and business connections over your career. Most think you are retired and simply enjoying life now. However, when the cause or person appeals to you, you are willing to act. Whether a grizzled war veteran or cop or an elegant philanthropist, you not only have considerable skill and experience, but also former associates you can call on. This is also an interesting stage in an Illuminatus’ career, either the satisfying end of a well-lived life or preparation before disappearing to rebuild it in the shadows.

Spymaster You or your predecessor put into place moles in various organizations, often at low levels where security is lax and they could work themselves up the hierarchy. Some of them are witting tools thinking they serve a righteous cause; others just people who think you helped them, and they owe you for it. Additionally, you are likely to have bribed and blackmailed a variety of individuals. This strategy works for any Illuminatus but is especially suited to family dynasties where generations of puppets are passed along.

23 Modern/Action I

The Checkpoint By Michele Armellini

Whenever and wherever violence is just around the corner, the authorities will use police or military might to control, regulate, or reduce the flow of people and goods. They will use checkpoints. These locations are useful in any modern-day setting with war, a guerrilla uprising, or rioting in the background. In post-apocalyptic campaigns, militias and survivor bands might construct similar posts at the edges of their territory. Checkpoints may also exist on backward planets or in heavily controlled locations in science-fiction or fantasy settings. The main purpose of a checkpoint is to control the flow of traffic (vehicles, people, and goods) along a land route. That entails having power over the route and in the surrounding territory. Checkpoints can also be used to prevent the movements of unwanted or unfriendly groups (including covert movements of enemy guerrillas), to collect taxes, to gather intelligence, and to allow only certain classes of vehicles through. Encounters at checkpoints might involve haggling, bribing, spying, smuggling, or engaging in a firefight.

Features

The Obstacles Obstacles are meant to slow down and channel traffic, so that no vehicle (or mount) can simply speed through. Entry into the checkpoint through three obstacles forces the traffic to follow a slow, S-shaped course. In a hurry, an officer can make do with two means of controlling traffic movement. The GM should have at hand the HP, Move, and DR of any vehicles an adventuring party might be using, as well as details for the checkpoint’s obstacles, in case the players and their characters like the brute-force solution. See pp. B430432 for the game mechanics of collisions.

Hasty Obstacles The quickest way to deploy obstacles in a modern-day setting is to use concertina wire coils; see GURPS High-Tech, p. 204, for rules for how difficult it is to cross such a coil on foot. Typically, each concertina-wire obstacle is composed of three such coils, the first two spiked to the ground and supporting a third on top. This can be treated as impassable on foot, without throwing something thick over it. An ordinary wheeled vehicle will automatically have its tires punctured, but it might get over one such obstacle (-7 to the driver’s control roll) before stopping. The subsequent effects are those of having run over a spike strip (see High-Tech, p. 204), which is also a useful device to have at the entry of a checkpoint. A simpler hasty checkpoint might use anything that can be quickly moved: expendable old vehicles, boulders, or waterfilled steel fuel drums (for empty 55-gallon drums, see HighTech, p. 54). When filled with water, such a drum has HP 64 and weighs 510 lbs., but can be placed somewhat easily by rolling it. Once upright, it stands nearly 3’ tall. Used as cover during a firefight, the drum provides DR 20.

Checkpoints control the flow of vehicles, people, and goods along a route.

A checkpoint may have been hastily prepared, which might provide the benefit of coming as a surprise to travelers. On the downside, it is less well organized and defended. Or the location might be a well-established post; although everybody knows about it, it is harder to attack or infiltrate because the area has been fortified. Any checkpoint has a few modular components, however. These are quickly set up in the case of a hasty roadblock, or sturdier and more complete for an established checkpoint.

The Route Checkpoints are placed on important land routes. The specific location might be just a dirt road (subject to problems in bad weather) or a paved road; see p. B466. The route should be one used by most of the traffic through the area. It’s largely pointless to set up a checkpoint on the highway (save if it’s a surprise spot check) when there are three country roads that bypass it. The location chosen should be a choke point along the route. Otherwise, alternate roads should also be blocked. For a hasty checkpoint in particular, the ideal position is at a place along the route where oncoming traffic cannot see it until it is too late to turn around. Many checkpoints feature

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a bottleneck before them, where vehicles have to move in single file.

Established Obstacles A more-permanent checkpoint has three rows of obstacles sturdy enough to defy any attempt to crash through them, even with heavy vehicles. These might be multiple Jersey barriers, reinforced-concrete walls, rows of fuel drums filled with sand, or thick mounds of stone and debris. See p. B558 for the DR and HP of different materials, for when someone attempts to crash through any of these or destroy them with heavy weapons.

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A real-world solution to heavy obstacles is the improvised bomb on wheels: a suicide driver steers explosives straight into the first obstacle, weakening the post’s defensive capabilities.

approaches to the checkpoint. It contains the available communications facilities. It may be enclosed within the inner area; if not, it should have its own defensive measures.

The Holding Area

Hasty Command Post

Some checkpoints feature a waiting place where vehicles can move off the route and wait for their turn, especially if priority traffic is expected. In urban areas, this may be a parking lot located just before the obstacles. The holding area is not defended, and only lightly patrolled by the checkpoint personnel (see below). It is a good place for some intrigue. Friendly intel officers operating under cover and enemy spies alike can pose as travelers or street vendors, and attempt to gather intelligence. Enemy agents may try to spy on the checkpoint itself. This is also a place where shady deals might be made. Hasty checkpoints don’t always have this feature.

The Inner Area This is where vehicles are searched, documents are checked, and travelers are questioned. It is an enclosure, possibly surrounded by more coils of concertina wire (see GURPS High-Tech, p. 204) or some other form of fencing or standing defense. In urban environments, existing buildings and walls are exploited.

At a minimum, the command post may be just the command vehicle of the unit involved.

Established Command Post A well-established command post includes a command and communications room; an area for interrogating and detaining high-interest suspects who did not pass the initial screening; storage for supplies; and possibly an area where personnel can rest while not on duty. All of these feature reasonable protection against the most common attacks (particularly frag damage from mortars).

The Overwatch Position This is a defensive position that overlooks the whole checkpoint and the accesses to it. Sometimes, two or more such positions are needed. The best positions have a commanding field of fire. Personnel assigned here do not search or interrogate; they only provide security.

Hasty Overwatch In improvised checkpoints, security may be provided by the second vehicle of the team, or by a heavy-weapon emplacement.

Hasty Inner Area A hastily organized checkpoint has a basic defensive perimeter around an empty inner area. Possibly, only one vehicle at a time can be searched. Personnel here might be operating out of their own vehicles, though this is not considered a secure practice.

Established Overwatch This usually features significant cover, including protection with a minimum of DR 30, such as sandbags and dug-in positions. A squad automatic weapon or other heavy armament is set up here; there are also surveillance and targeting devices. The position is normally elevated, such as a hilltop, tower, or top-floor gun emplacement in a preexisting building.

Established Inner Area In the case of an established checkpoint, the perimeter features hardened cover that cannot be quickly climbed over. In the most secure versions, only one vehicle at a time is checked. Structures may be in place – sheltering personnel and travelers from the weather – where searching people and personal items, and interrogations, can be carried out. Tents, huts, or preexisting buildings might be used for these purposes. This area contains devices to detect and defeat likely threats. For instance, chemical detectors might be used to locate explosives (see GURPS High Tech, p. 48), or equipment might be available to find hidden compartments and contraband. In many post-apocalyptic settings, radioactive sources pose a significant danger (see GURPS After the End 2: The New World, p. 25), so personnel might have means of finding and neutralizing these.

The Command Post The command post is where the unit occupying the checkpoint is controlled from. Ideally, it is out of sight of the

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The Reaction Force If available, this is another vehicle with checkpoint crew. It is parked under cover and concealment, outside the inner area. Its purpose is to stand ready to pursue any vehicle that tries to withdraw from or bypass the checkpoint. If the enemy is aware of this practice, care should be exercised in the pursuit, so as to avoid falling into an ambush. Not all checkpoints have such a component – it depends on the strength and equipment of the units involved.

Personnel

Any military position is only as good as the soldiers serving it. If the protagonists make up the checkpoint crew, then the GM needs stats for travelers (or attackers) and possibly generic civilians, support personnel, and cannon fodder.

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If the party is on the outside, wanting to go in or through, or if the PC group is part of a larger unit, use the suggestions here to create important NPCs. Each character description focuses on one defining GURPS trait. These sketches can be fleshed out by the GM if the adventurers will have to stop at the checkpoint for some time. The GM should note the opportunities for roleplay with more than one NPC involved, which might happen when two or more versions of the same archetype are together.

The Commander The commanding officer’s attitude defines how well the checkpoint does what it’s meant to do. Commanding officers also affect the behavior of the soldiers. If getting through the checkpoint is an important encounter for the PCs, the commander should appear on the scene. Sense of Duty. A thorough, no-nonsense professional, most common with above-average military outfits. This officer isn’t the weak spot of the checkpoint, and the other personnel are more alert with this person in charge. Combat Reflexes. This is a veteran, who reacts as per the description of this advantage (see p. B43). Never caught by surprise in a combat situation, the GM should pick this version of the commander to encourage the PCs to develop a noncombat solution to the checkpoint problem! Paranoia. This person sees enemies in every vehicle – not an unlikely trait in an after-the-end setting, for instance. This type of commander imposes hefty reaction penalties (see p. B148) during interactions. Offering this person intelligence about some (real or invented) major threat around the corner would be one way of getting past the checkpoint. Paranoiacs are well-prepared against real enemies, too. Hidebound. This by-the-book person is often found within well-structured organizations. Requests for exceptions are ignored or met with hostility. Although the disadvantage description does not mention this, the GM might decide to penalize a Hidebound commander’s reactions to a truly creative approach. Leadership. With this type of person in charge, any plan relying on noncompliance or indiscipline by the soldiers is unlikely to succeed. However, the checkpoint crew count on their officer’s guidance, which becomes a problem if the commander is incapacitated.

The Sergeant Since the commander can’t be everywhere all the time, the sergeant may be important in the initial interaction with the party at the checkpoint. Or maybe the heroes deliberately choose to carry out their plan while a strong commander is asleep and a weak sergeant is on duty. Code of Honor. This professional sergeant does things the proper way. They are hard to surprise and impossible to bribe. If the code is known, however, then this person reacts predictably, which can be used against them. Greed. A common problem with underpaid lowerrank service members in third-class armies is bribery. The commander has to be kept in the dark about the kickback. Bribable sergeants may turn a blind eye to minor transgressions.

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Sensitive. This NCO has a future in counterespionage. This person won’t swallow any lies that aren’t perfect. If deception is absolutely necessary, either the trick has to be flawless, or the attempt should be made when this sergeant is off-duty. Bad Temper. This is the average irascible sergeant. Better just not to irritate them; be meek, and look harmless. An alternate tactic is to innocently point out another car as a target worthy of the terrible temper. Perception. This kind of second-in-command is not an easy victim of a surprise attack. Observation is one of their key skills. The usual workaround is to provide something worrisome to check out, such as a decoy.

The Grunts For a firefight, the soldiers at the checkpoint need only combat stats. If the scene involves a noncombat encounter, then the GM may give the group one trait they have in common, such as Acute Vision, Compulsive Behavior, Fearlessness, Fit, Laziness, Lecherousness, or Secret. Paramilitaries and post-apocalyptic gangs might have members with such unprofessional disadvantages as Bloodlust, Bully, Cowardice, or Intolerance.

Tactics

A checkpoint is not a front-line combat position. The limited assets available to it are used to defend it, and to maintain control over the territory against lesser threats than a conventional frontal assault.

Civil Disorder Angry civilians with improvised weapons are the most common problem. Nevertheless, the occasional armed guerrilla might exploit a crowd as cover. The purpose of a checkpoint in this scenario is to maintain control over the territory, to prevent aggressive crowds’ movements, and to check vehicles for weaponry. In a Third World or post-apocalyptic scenario, preventing smuggling (of goods or people) and levying a toll can be additional goals. A small crew is normally used for such a checkpoint. One person directs traffic, one searches vehicles and people, one stands guard, one is on overwatch, and one is the commander. The guard has a nonlethal weapon. The checkpoint must be strengthened with additional personnel or obstacles if there is a risk of large crowds trying to overwhelm it with sheer numbers.

Guerrillas Afoot If the place is teeming with guerrillas, the checkpoint’s first task is to interdict them from using the route and to catch them if they try to slip through. Keeping tabs on civilians and showing them who is in control is another purpose. The post must be able to withstand hit-and-run tactics. Two people search travelers, with a third soldier standing guard. Two combatants are in the overwatch position with a heavy machine gun. Two sentries stand at each of the two entry points. A reaction force of at least one vehicle is available. Additional or relief personnel might be off-duty but nearby. One intel officer, one interpreter, and one representative of the local authorities are useful additions.

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The holding area is occasionally patrolled (or there is an undercover agent). Vehicles are ordered to stop for a visual inspection before approaching the obstacles. Once inside, travelers must get out, documents are checked, questions are asked, and the vehicle and people are searched. Suspects may be detained for further questioning. The overwatch position and the reaction force stand ready to open fire if needed. Either should be able to engage distant targets (to counter standoff attacks).

contents. They might be required to take off their outer garments. Only then they are allowed to drive into the inner area for further inspection.

The Map

The map below portrays a hasty checkpoint in a counterinsurgency operation. A logistical truck, now gone, carried in the fuel drums used as obstacles. There are three soldiers aboard the reaction-force vehicle. The perimeter is protected by one coil of concertina wire. The cover provided for the overwatch position can be customized by the GM. The main direction of traffic is from the upper left corner; vegetation and a bend make it so that the checkpoint cannot be seen from a distance. Trees provide concealment for both the command post and the reaction force, but it is worth noticing that they might be used for a stealthy approach by enemies on foot, too.

Suicide Attacks In the event of guerrillas known to use suicide tactics, the checkpoint is further strengthened with additional guards and passive defenses. The overwatch position features a weapon with firepower enough to stop a loaded vehicle. Signs and loudspeakers are used to direct vehicles to stop at a distance. The initial visual inspection is more thorough. Travelers have to get out, open the trunk, unload cargo, and show the

Vehicle

N

9 1

Obstacles (fuel drums)

Sentry Vehicle

8

3 4 Guard

2

7

10 yards

6 5

Obstacles (fuel drums) Sentry

Map of a Hasty Checkpoint Key 1. Holding area 2. Inner area 3. Search team 4. Search team’s vehicle

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5. Command post (with off-duty soldiers outside) 6. Command vehicle (commander is in front of the vehicle)

7. Overwatch position 8. Perimeter (concertina wire) 9. Reaction force

27 Modern/Action I

The Company By Sean Punch

GURPS Action fans who follow the author’s GURPS campaigns know that the series was inspired by such a campaign. Here’s the organization at its heart! People often grumble that “somebody” should do something: About countries that run torture chambers, secret prisons, and concentration camps; that prop up dictators; that assassinate anyone who disagrees with them. About wealthy corporations that poison the land, exploit workers, and destroy economies. About so-called freedom fighters who hold their people hostage while sowing terror. About international criminals engaged in human smuggling, slavery, and arms-dealing. When that “somebody” is the world’s power elite, what they do seldom makes the world better for all. They act out of self-interest, causing more problems than they solve. Or they don’t act. Out of fear of trade sanctions, diplomatic isolation, or war – or in return for concessions – they turn a blind eye. Fortunately, not every corporate mogul is greedy and immoral, and not every official blindly supports organizational or national agendas.

The Early Days

The Company started as the shared vision of a handful of powerful-but-ethical people. They had their differences, but all agreed that while the world needs harmony, most laws and treaties ostensibly aimed at that goal serve mainly to manufacture a paralyzing fear to act against those who drafted and signed them, giving those policymakers free rein to pursue unjust goals. These thinkers realized that peace, not merely its illusion, must exist before anyone can keep it. They believed that policies leading to inaction against evil are themselves evil – that law isn’t always justice. These visionaries were wealthy: ethical captains of industry, Old Money that grew a conscience, a few idealistic media stars, even a lottery winner or two who knew what it was like to be downtrodden. To this day, nobody knows who got them talking; theories range from frustrated UN officials with a dream but no clout, through digital activists conducting a radical social experiment, to Elvis. Whoever the mastermind was, they lit the fuse and stood back. The assembled cabal realized that money alone couldn’t right all wrongs. They knew that bankrolling vigilantes and troubleshooters would feed corruption and bloodshed, and that they had to use their influence to feel out like-minded people with the skills to make a real

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difference: law enforcers, soldiers, spies, and counter-spies tired of their masters’ methods; members of nongovernmental organizations dedicated to rooting out injustice, curing disease, and rebuilding villages, but frustrated by lack of funding; even “ethical independents,” from white-hat computer hackers to repentant ex-mobsters. They needed individuals aware of the causes of and the solutions to violent and criminal problems – and who had a conscience.

A Company Is Born This group’s first act was to fund what they called simply “the Company” – of which they were the “Directors” – to develop cutting-edge psychosocial metrics for identifying suitable problem-solvers. While most candidates proved not to have a conscience, algorithms and profilers weeded them out. The Directors approached only the tiny subset who had personalities capable of setting aside national or corporate interests. They did so covertly, in the guise of offering ordinary work, taking pains to ensure that meetings that went poorly would look like simple misunderstandings. The Directors invited in the rare few who shared their vision and goals. Anyone who could quit or retire without setting off alarms, did. Many (especially hackers and digital activists) were functionally anonymous, or wouldn’t be missed. Those doing dangerous work – undercover detectives, intelligence officers and special operators on clandestine missions, ex-criminals, and even doctors in isolated Third World villages – “vanished” in plausible ways. In reality, all joined the Company and set about assembling the resources needed to fight evil covertly. Above all, that meant more people like them.

Recruitment These “Handlers” established rigorous clandestine recruitment protocols for “Agents.” They felt out only individuals who shared the Company’s stance against corruption and injustice, and made sure that all were top-drawer professionals whose views and actions had gotten them marginalized, discharged, fired, or left for dead (or actually dead, before being resuscitated). They spent the necessary funds to ensure that these candidates would have no idea as to the Company’s true nature prior to screening for motivation, mental stability, and professional skills. Then they arranged new lives for those who passed their tests.

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The Company Today

All that planning, organization, and recruitment happened between the late 1990s and today – but the Company just opened for business. The PCs are first-cohort Agents, in on the ground floor. They’re making history – and if they do it right, nobody will ever know! The Company has no headquarters. It’s organized primarily through private, strongly encrypted telecommunications networks and the “dark web.” Physical meetings are rare. Directors rarely assemble in large numbers; Handlers never meet, know a single Director apiece, and run one or perhaps two teams of six to eight Agents; Agents interact exclusively with their team and Handler. Agents who need equipment or travel put in a request to their Handler. If things can be bought legally, through conventional channels, Agents find the necessary funds in their numbered accounts – or, when even that seems risky, in small, unmarked bills at a dead drop. Restricted gear is also dead-dropped if portable, often in hotel rooms or abandoned buildings. Larger items are left where they can be “stolen,” and the Agents are tipped off in time to beat the underworld to the prize. Agents rarely need external human resources, as Handlers assemble self-sufficient teams that have combat, investigative, medical, social, technological, and vehicular skills covered. Where unavoidable, helpers are always locals who believe they’re working for someone else – typically the underworld. Staging take place out of temporary safehouses that disappear tomorrow.

Who? The Company preferentially recruits former intelligence, law-enforcement, military, and paramilitary personnel who’ve quit or been discharged over philosophical differences – along with ex-criminals – but that doesn’t mean “rejects.” The Company can afford to be choosy: It’s rich, its pool of potential recruits is global, and its personnel needs are minuscule. Thus, the Company approaches only ideal candidates. As its missions are clandestine, that means people who can blend in. And as those operations vary immensely and there’s no longstanding “playbook” to work from, that means people capable of improvisation: physically fit, mentally gifted, exceptionally cross-trained.

What?

The Company Here are GURPS Boardroom and Curia stats for the Company. They follow the rules – but the Company was designed for a campaign launched eight years before Boardroom and Curia, so interpretation demands some flexibility! Mission Statement: The Company recruits skilled Agents and sends them on secret missions to solve often-violent problems that nation-states are unwilling or unable to solve.

Capabilities TL: 8 Members: 500 (?) Wealth: Filthy Rich Contacts: Deceptive skills-21 [20]; Technological skills-18 [15] Member Traits: Duty [‑20]; Secret [‑20] Notable Resources: Endless temporary safehouses. Although the Company itself owns no permanent facilities, the Directors control their enterprises closely enough to put them at Agents’ disposal at times, providing anything from a quiet basement for an after-hours interrogation to a private clinic or ski lodge. Reaction-Time Modifier: ‑1. The Company makes decisions quickly, but the need for secrecy means RTM is from +2 to +4 for riskier requests for aid.

Costs and Values Startup Cost: $1,482,000,000 Resource Value: $7,410,000 Patron Value: 30 points Enemy Value: ‑30 points Ally and Dependent Value: The only Company members PCs can count on in the field are other PCs, who cannot be Allies or Dependents. The rare Handler who gets in harm’s way would be their equal. Directors would rival them in points due to social traits.

Social Attributes Type: Investigative, Secret CR: 4 Loyalty: Very Good (16; +5) Rank: Company Rank 0-3 [3/level] Income Range: $2,600 (Average) to $260,000+ (at least Filthy Rich) Reputation: None!

Notes Many Directors own high-tech businesses that push the boundaries of TL8, especially in bio-tech, computers, medicine, and telecommunications; that’s what “Technological skills” represents. Equipment is often the best TL8 offers, and security is extreme when it comes to keeping outsiders from learning about the Company. The latter is covered by “Deceptive skills”; enemies must overcome this level to find paper trails, hack records, penetrate Agents’ temporary false IDs, etc., and it definitely includes Administration. Control Rating is high because although the Company exerts limited influence over Agents, those who break its rules find themselves hunted by other Agents.

The Company is a secret organization with a sworn mission to deal with injustice and human suffering wherever it’s found. That doesn’t mean lobbying for good causes and sending food and medical aid – although many Directors contribute vast sums of money to such

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efforts. It means action against those causing the problems . . . action that goes beyond peacekeeping and law-officer exchanges . . . direct action.

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As a check against abuse – and to keep its activities from being too directed and hence predictable – the Company rarely hands out assignments. It supplies each team of Agents with intelligence on a variety of wrongs in the world. The Agents’ responsibilities are to pick the problems they believe their skills can solve, investigate them, and act if possible.

Autonomy doesn’t make the job easier. To take down the unjust, Agents must often employ their targets’ methods: espionage, murder, and occasionally worse. There’s a time and place for torture, and that’s when some dirtbag is keeping a secret guaranteed to destroy the lives of innocents. Ensuring that the cure isn’t worse than the disease explains why the Company recruits only a special kind of person. It would be a fair criticism to proclaim that by operating outside established channels, equipping Agents with everything from lockpicks to guns to ompany en explosives, and taking often-violent action against people who haven’t been formally tried and conContrary to GURPS Action 1: Heroes, pp. 24-25, the Company victed in anybody’s court, the Company is as bad is handled as a Patron – mostly because its structure is extremely as the problems it purports to solve. The Company “flat” and often informal: doesn’t deny this. Indeed, the Company makes Rank Position Rank Position clear to Agents that it’s aware of this, and wants 0 Agent 2 Director every one of them to be as certain as possible that 1 Handler 3 Chairman* every lock they pick, every bullet they shoot, and every bomb they explode will result in something * Maybe the shadowy mastermind who first assembled the ordinary people can look at and say, “We’re better Directors, perhaps their primus inter pares. If the Directors know, off that this happened.” If there is any doubt, there they aren’t saying! is no doubt: Abort! All PCs are Agents – and all Agents have the same Rank. Some teams elect leaders, others follow charismatic members, still othWhere and When? ers revert to old habits and use past rank, and a few vote on (or The Company recognizes no national boundardebate) everything. Handlers and Directors don’t get involved. ies. It bars no country’s citizens from recruitment Consequently, Rank is a poor fit. and denies no region its aid. Wherever there’s Instead, the Company functions as a Patron. The Directors can, grave injustice – criminal, political, social, or othcollectively, siphon billions (though not tens of billions) of dollars erwise – the Company takes an interest. When that from legitimate sources to clandestine ops, making the Company injustice looks like it will respond to conventional, a “very powerful organization,” worth a base 20 points. It provides overt aid, the Company’s wealthy Directors sign the impressive gear, including military weapons, private cellular subcheck. But when it’s a problem that only action can nets, and vehicles (Equipment, +100%). However, Agents deal with resolve, that’s a job for Agents. the Company as a “black box,” and vice versa, so what they get isn’t always what they had in mind (Minimal Intervention, ‑50%). For Assistance Rolls, use frequency of appearance. That’s 9 or orking for less for all, and subject to AR modifiers. What assistance is possible? The Company controls more the ompany resources than a big-city police department, but isn’t as lavishly In game terms, Agents are cinematically compefunded as a federal agency (the FBI, CIA, etc. have $10-15 billion tent: they’re 250-point GURPS Action characters! budgets). Still, it has so few people in the field that individually, They’re built using GURPS Action 4: Specialists, Agents are better supported than government operators. Good with a variant Basic Action Template (BAT) and examples of assistance include Cash, False ID, Files, Replacement several other tweaks. Gear, Safe House, and Transportation – and perhaps Facilities or Technical Means via some Director’s company. But never noisy Company BAT helicopters or armed men! In return for this – and for the Company picking up the Agents’ 150 points tab for food, clothing, lodging, and travel, and eventually paying This replaces the BAT on pp. 4-7 of Specialists. them a pension that would make them Very Wealthy – Agents are The most important difference is high DX and IQ, always “on call.” They aren’t permitted to have spouses or children, representing the Company’s rigorous selection proor even long-term lovers beyond fellow Agents. They aren’t allowed cess. Ordinary spies, soldiers, and cops don’t even to contact anyone from their former life. They live nomadically, come close! and often barracks-style, with other Agents. Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 13 [60]; HT This can be luxurious: A “safehouse” might be a five-star hotel 11 [10]. owned by a Director. “On call” could involve staying within an Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d‑1/1d+1; hour’s drive of that hotel, doing whatever the Agent wants. When BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP the call comes, though, Agents are expected to drop everything to 11 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]. operate illegally in global hotpots, against armed opposition, with Advantages: Cultural Familiarity* [1]; Language nobody but their teammates for backup. (Native)* [6]; Patron (The Company; 9 or less; This amounts to Duty (Extremely Hazardous; 15 or less) [‑20]. Equipment, +100%; Minimal Intervention, ‑50%)† [30].

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Disadvantages: Duty (Extremely Hazardous; 15 or less)† forbidding Allies, Claim to Hospitality, Clerical Investment, [‑20]; Secret‡ [‑20]. Contacts/Contact Groups, Favor, Independent Income, Legal Skills: Three of Area Knowledge (any), Current Affairs (BusiEnforcement Powers, Legal Immunity, Reputation, Security ness, Headline News, People, Politics, or Regional), or Clearance, Social Regard, Status, Tenure, and Wealth, and Savoir-Faire (Mafia, Military, or Police), all (E) IQ [1]‑13; Patrons or Rank outside the Company. Heraldry (Insignia and Uniforms) (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; or Expert Skill (Military Science or Political Science) (H) IQ-2 [1]‑11. ust otta e e Slush Fund: 10 points. Agents can have diverse Cultural Familiarities, Languages, and background skills; millions of possible skill-set combinations, some custom* Any culture and language different izable; and whatever they buy with their Slush Fund, which can be made from the Agent’s native ones. The GM bigger by taking the player’s choice of quirks and disadvantages. Yet should ensure that the whole team shares Agents are also subject to strict limitations, especially on disadvantages, one culture and one language, though this which can make them seem a little alike. needn’t be everyone’s original background. Optionally, the GM can allow more than ‑10 points of personal disad† See Company Men (p. 30). vantages. Going up to the ‑50 points of standard Action templates would ‡ The Agent isn’t anybody’s officially be extreme – with the ‑40 points from Duty and Secret, that would be ‑90 sanctioned representative and can’t afford points! But it wouldn’t hurt to split the difference and go with ‑30 points to get caught doing their job. If they are, of personal problems. This will give Agents another 20 points to spend (a they’ll be tried as a common criminal good thing) but make them easier to profile (definitely not). at best, a spy at worst, facing imprisonment – and, likely, execution. That’s worth ‑20 points instead of the usual ‑30 because it’s shared with a whole organization and because while the Company can’t bail out Agents, it provides ompany dventures high-quality false identities whenever needed. Agents can find themselves confronting any problem that’s tolerated by, too risky for, or unknown to The Powers Building Your Agent That Be. Dramatic examples include exposing the secret 1. Start with the Company BAT and customize it. state backing of criminals, terrorists, or dictators; foiling 2. Add four modules from Skill Sets (Specialists, pp. 10-24). high-tech attempts to crash stock markets or manipulate Given the scope of the Company’s work, no individual set or free elections (probably to get someone awful elected); combination is out of the question. procuring blackmail on corrupt leaders; shutting down 3. Select up to ‑10 points in personal disadvantages – which concentration camps, human trafficking, illegal medical cannot reduce or “sell back” anything on the BAT – and up to experiments, organ theft, and similar atrocities; and elimfive quirks. We Have Standards (Specialists, pp. 7-8) definitely inating thugs forcing Third World villages to mine blood applies, ruling out all serious physical and psychological probdiamonds or produce narcotics. lems. Traits that risk compromising the Secret are also off-limThere are plenty of ordinary examples, too! The whole its, eliminating Debt, Dependents, Enemies, Reputation, world might agree that someone or something needs dealing Social Stigma, highly unusual looks (Distinctive or Unnatural with, but official decision-makers may be unable to act in Features, Dwarfism, Gigantism, etc.), and any Duty or Secret time. Governments let some atrocities go unpunished not out other than the required ones. Charitable, Chummy/Gregariof support for them, but due to a shortage of cash or a surfeit ous, Code of Honor (Soldier’s), Intolerance (of untouchable of bureaucracy. The Company lacks these limitations. criminals, corrupt power elites, etc., worth ‑5 points), Pacifism Also remember: (Cannot Harm Innocents), Selfless, Sense of Duty (to team• Agents are required to act but not often assigned specific mates, for ‑5 points), and Workaholic are encouraged. Add the missions. They’re given information on everything wrong in extra points to your Slush Fund. the world and turned loose, and receive aid when they act. 4. Following By the Book (Specialists, pp. 28-30), fiddle the Sometimes there’s no right choice. results so far to get legal trait levels, adjusting the Slush Fund • The Company is global. Agents could end up anywhere. as needed. In the author’s campaign, it would be easier to say where 5. Optionally, optimize skills and attributes. Any points they didn’t go: South America (for some reason) – oh, and saved go in the Slush Fund. Antarctica. Sometimes they traveled like rock stars, on yachts 6. Spend your remaining Slush Fund as you like; and private jets, but they also stowed away in cargo holds and Specialists offers many ideas. Luck is highly recommended, flew on Cold War-era planes that fell from the sky. Languages and other excellent choices are Combat Reflexes, Fit/Very and vehicle skills consumed many earned character points. Fit, Versatile, more Cultural Familiarities and Languages, • The Company is new. “Rubber hits the road” advenand almost any realistic Talent or perk. More skills are tures are likely. In the original campaign, Agents had uninalways welcome. Anything cinematic must be cleared with tended contact with other teams and Handlers – and even a the GM, while the exotic and supernatural don’t suit Action. Director. Many adventures involved recruiting for or protectTraits associated with persistent social connections are ing the Company. off-limits for the same reasons as social disadvantages,

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31 Modern/Action I

Derelicts on Ice

By Carolyn Ivy Stein and Steve Stein Notus motioned to the coffeemaker with its supply of black liquid. I could almost taste the bitter burnt sludge from the sour odor reaching me from across the office. I suppressed a shudder and shook my head in a vehement no. He shrugged and tossed a sheaf of papers that slithered across his empty desk, resolving into a messy bunch. I barely caught them before they could spill onto the pitted, dark wood of the port office floor. It looked like something printed from a captain’s logbook. Yes, Captain Elizabeth Galloway, a freelancer for the Bright Exploration Company. I checked the date. A year ago.  “So?” I asked.  The last time Notus had been on a mission was a decade plus change. It showed. His body had surrendered its fight against fat and his skin had paled to landlubber white, which his green Patagonia fish shirt made look sickly. He sighed and took a sip of foul-smelling black coffee, scrunching his face in distaste. He leaned across the desk pointing at the log. “That there is the last known log from the Sun’s Victory. My best captain.” He looked up at me quickly and cleared his throat. “Except for you, of course. She set sail a year ago. Promised to bring back amazing treasures from a ships’ graveyard in the Arctic, north of Greenland.” He took another sip of the coffee, wincing again. “Then nothing. Not a word. Until one day, about three months ago, I got a transmission of this log. Nothing else.” “Ships’ graveyard, huh? Revealed by global warming?” I asked. The one clear upside to climate change was the scientific opportunities and the additional jobs for ships like mine to find new treasures. Notus nodded and said piously, “It’s a boon for archaeology. And science.” He picked up a 16th-century pewter wine goblet that had been part of the take from another expedition. His fingers found the molded characters and caressed them. “Treasure hunting, you mean.” “Whatever,” he said with a noncommittal wave of his hand. His unwillingness to rise to the bait and continue our old argument convinced me it was serious. I sank into the soft depths of the leather wingtip chair. “Tell me what you need.” “The ice has melted again. Go there with your people. Find out what happened to the Sun’s Victory. Rescue the crew if they are still alive. While there, explore a bit. See if there’s anything worthwhile. I mean, that many ships . . .” He held up his hand as if he were waiting for someone to place a doubloon in it. “Yeah, I take your meaning. Lots of treasure there to dig up in the graveyard.”

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“Just find them. Bring back the answers and anything worthwhile that you find. Obviously, we need to pay for your mission with your finds. And if you can bring back the Sun’s Victory, there’s a reward in it for you. But don’t get killed.”  Somewhere in the Arctic, north of Greenland, lies a graveyard of derelict ships. Drawn to their doom from across the North Atlantic over the last thousand years, they include a Viking longship, a 16th-century Dutch fluyt, an 18th-century English frigate, a 19th-century Scottish whaler, an American steamship, a German U-boat, and several others. Melting Arctic ice reveals masts, superstructures, and upper decks. Who knows what secrets they hold? Who can reach them before the ice closes in again?  This article describes the ships trapped there, how they arrived, and the adventure seeds associated with them. The GM should add as many ships as they like to the graveyard. For a chilling account of an attempt to retrieve the men of a scientific expedition in the far north (which could prove inspirational for adventures), read Greely Relief Expedition at history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/ title-list-alphabetically/g/greely-relief-expedition.html.

How Does This Area Trap Ships?

Periodic warm currents and strong winds ease ships’ voyages north. The weather pattern shifts rapidly, though. The crews of ships that stop by the southern shore of a convenient cove in Greenland see ship masts, leading them to explore. If they stay too long, they find the ice has closed in around their vessel. Unable to break through the suddenly thick ice, they are trapped in the cove like a mouse in a cage. The ice gets worse during the winter, encasing their ship and slowly crushing it, as it has older derelicts. The combination of wind, current, and drifting ice also brings the occasional ship wrecked elsewhere. Once the wreck floats into the cove, it’s stuck. It is a rare, but natural, weather phenomenon unique to this region north of Greenland. Or perhaps there is a supernatural reason. An ancient evil trapped in the far north can draw (when conditions are perfect) the unwary to its frigid lair where it feeds on them to satisfy its insatiable hunger. 

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Or perhaps alien visitors have a base here, drawing ships north by tampering with the weather. The ships’ crews become their experimental subjects. Depending on the aliens’ level of technology, sailors from some of these ancient derelicts might still live, kept in stasis by their captors. 

Other Dangers

Apart from any hazards posed by the trapped ships themselves, the Arctic is a dangerous place. Long periods of cold and ice are interrupted by short periods of warming, which are insufficient to melt its permafrost.  Conditions are changing as Greenland’s ice sheet melts. With the region warming, protagonists may assume they are safe. After all, the Arctic reached a record-setting 100°F in 2020. But the Arctic punishes such optimism. Sudden cold snaps spring from nowhere. Water freezes and ice advances with startling suddenness, trapping ships in place and then slowly crushing them. Their crews have little choice but to abandon ship and trek south, hoping for rescue. For damage from sub-zero temperatures and thermal shock from sudden immersion in freezing Arctic waters, see p. B430.  Local wildlife offers its own dangers. Animals grow large in the Arctic. Polar bears are larger than more southerly bears and will eat anything they can catch, including people. Whales destroy small boats with a single tail swipe.

The Derelicts

The following ships were trapped in the ice relatively near one another. Each has mysteries, treasures, and adventure seeds, which the GM may use singularly or in combination. Except for the German U-boat and the Sun’s Victory, none of the wrecks can be made seaworthy.

Swartaz Barden, a Viking Longship A member of Eric the Red’s expedition to Greenland, the Swartaz Barden was separated from its companions in a storm and blown north. Contrary winds and a strangely fast current foiled their efforts to rejoin Eric’s squadron. They made camp in a warm, sheltered bay, awaiting better weather to sail south. Instead, freezing ice trapped them through the winter, while sickness spread through the group. All died, and they left no records explaining their fate.  When it became stuck: 985 A.D. Secret: Vikings settled in the Arctic, leaving a map showing the location of their settlement. It would be the archaeological find of a lifetime.  Treasure: Several items belonging to Eric the Red, including mostly intact written records of the journey. Adventure Seed: A map leads adventurers to a 1,000-yearold Viking settlement, revealed by thawing ice. Among armor, weapons, and other artifacts, they find several frozen bodies, the last of the settlement’s inhabitants to die. Autopsies reveal that a virus sickened and killed the colony. Unless they take extraordinary precautions, the virus infects the crew. First symptoms appear in 1d days. Each day after symptoms appear, roll HT-2. Failure causes 1d of injury. Continue rolling each day until either the victim dies, or makes a successful roll, showing recovery has begun. See pp. B442-444 for more on diagnosing and treating illness. 

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Grishilde, a Dutch Fluyt The 110’-long, 200-ton Grishilde spent part of the year carrying cargo and the rest as a privateer for the Dutch East India Company. Its 30 crew members and two dozen marines are long dead. Rot and ice damaged the hull. The masts tumbled into the sea ages ago. The hold, though, contains the Grishilde’s last great haul. Inspired by Piet Heyn’s capture of Spain’s silver fleet, the Grishilde’s captain sailed north where pirates were rarer. Finding few targets, since commerce was also rare in northern waters, he raided towns along the Norwegian shore. Pickings were slim until they found a village with a vast store of Viking treasure. It filled the Grishilde’s hold nicely. Unfortunately, the overloaded Grishilde was drawn north and trapped.  When it became stuck: December 1629. Secret: The fate of the crew. A secret journal locked in a chest reveals that to survive, the crew resorted to murder and cannibalism. The most aggressive cannibal, one who developed a taste for human flesh, is the direct ancestor of a current prominent politician. Another journal records the cannibal’s favorite recipes and his musings on who tasted best. Revelation of his ancestor’s gruesome deeds would destroy his descendant’s political career.  Treasure: Viking treasures raided from Norwegian towns, braided-silver collars and brooches, a Viking axe, finger rings, carved whalebone, and around 300 coins from the fifth to 17th centuries. Adventure Seed: One group of modern-day treasure hunters (seeking lost pirate ships and their gold doubloons) tracked down the Grishilde ahead of the PCs, but the villains’ ship was damaged. Recognizing the potential wealth of the graveyard, the treasure hunters guard their claim while they wait for rescue. Feigning friendship at first, they eventually turn on the newcomers and try to kill them and take their ship. The deceivers reason that a bullet to the brain is much better than slowly freezing to death in the harsh Arctic environment. Killing the “intruders” is practically a humanitarian act.

HMS Calliope, an English Frigate A 28-gun English frigate launched in 1775, the HMS Calliope patrolled the North Atlantic during the American Revolution. After suffering minor damage battling a French warship and taking aboard prisoners from the captured vessel, a fierce storm drove both ships toward Greenland. The French ship sank, and contrary winds and currents pushed the 600-ton Calliope and its 200 crew members and prisoners farther and farther north until the ship was trapped by rapidly advancing ice after anchoring to explore and gather supplies. Among the prisoners was William Palfrey, a former aide to George Washington and paymaster of the Continental Army. Before capture, Palfrey was heading to France on a diplomatic mission. Who knows what secrets he carried? When it became stuck: January 1781. Secret: The fate of William Palfrey, who disappeared in 1780 on his way to France, is a mystery that historians do not yet have an explanation for. If the explorers search, they find his journal, which explains in exhaustive detail what happened. Treasure: Perfectly preserved letters between George Washington and William Palfrey.

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Adventure Seed: Palfrey’s letters describe a small Caribbean island on which several Revolutionary privateers buried their loot. It might even still be there!

Zephyr, a Scottish Whaler Launched in 1843, the 350-ton whaler Zephyr followed the whale harvest. Then, a British scientific exploration mission hired it to find the Northwest Passage, a sea route through the Arctic connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Like previous expeditions, this one became lost amid the frozen islands. Trapped by encroaching ice, the Zephyr drifted into the graveyard, where its crew survived for a time by scavenging other ships and hunting. Some treasures from the Viking longship and the Dutch fluyt can be found in its hold. When it became stuck: September 1857. Secret: The strange plant and animal samples gathered by the Zephyr’s crew might win the explorers scientific acclaim, or perhaps lead them to a “lost world” in the Arctic.  Treasure: The crew finds notes of scientific observations of the heavens as well as plants and animals never seen by

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anyone else, some of which are extinct. There are also jars filled with scientific samples and a barrel of whale oil with carved scrimshaw. Adventure Seed: Several of the plant and animal specimens are unusual, so much so that the party’s scientists cannot explain them. Perhaps they should seek their original source? The ship’s logbook suggests a rough location, but the Zephyr may already have been lost by that point. 

Pollux, an American Steamship A small cargo steamer, Pollux, delivered supplies to an Arctic expedition before becoming stuck. The hull has buckled in several places. Ice and water fill its lower decks. Most of the supplies are gone, and not a single ounce of food remains, just scattered, empty tins. At the GM’s discretion, a determined search by divers equipped for the conditions may uncover some cold-weather clothing, tents, and related equipment wrapped in oilskin in the submerged and icy lower holds. There are also several dozen tons of coal for the ship’s engines, which are wrecked beyond repair and mostly underwater.

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When it became stuck: July 1881. Secret: The captain of the ship couldn’t afford to fully stock his ship, so he and picked members of his crew “borrowed” what they needed from a nearby ship before leaving port and sailing north. Among the stolen supplies was a treasure box. When the crew opened the box, they found a creature unlike anything seen before. It clouded the men’s minds, inducing powerful emotions of panic and rage. The sailors turned on one another. Several died in the melee. The creature fed on their remains, never revealing itself. In the confusion, the Pollux was damaged and trapped in the ice. Most of the crew escaped. They set sail in small boats and were eventually rescued. All swore an oath to go to their grave without telling what they saw. Or what they did. Treasure: Apart from the coal, there is no treasure here. Just death. Adventure Seed: Drifting ice carried the wrecked Pollux north, where it joined the graveyard’s other derelicts. Whatever drove the crew mad, though, is still onboard. Its exact nature is up to the GM: an aquatic monstrosity, a foul necromancer, a hungry ghoul, etc. If positing a supernatural cause for the graveyard, the PCs could discover it linked to whatever haunts the Pollux. 

The anxiety of some forty hours was severe and wearing; but little sleep was obtained by the commanders. At any moment both ships might be crushed and their crew, thrown on to the ice. – Winfield S. Schley, “Report of the Greely Relief Expedition” U-1409, a Type XVIIB German U-Boat One of only a handful of Type XVIIB U-boats built before Nazi Germany’s surrender, this submarine can reach speeds of 30 mph underwater, triple that of Germany’s more common Type VII boats. Streamlined and powered by hydrogen peroxide, they were the most advanced submarines of their day. Measuring 90’ from stem to stern inside the pressure hull, the ship carried a crew of 19. It is still seaworthy but requires special fuel: an 80% concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to which a catalyst is added to produce water (H2O), oxygen (O2), and energy to power its engines. It has torpedoes loaded in its two forward tubes but carried cargo instead of spare torpedoes. When it became stuck: May 1945. Secret: Among the ship’s papers are clues to the location of other Nazi loot, hidden in the war’s closing weeks. 

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Treasure: Lost artwork by the masters, gold bars, and bags of jewels. Adventure Seed: In the last days of World War II, two submarines departed Germany, carrying Nazi war criminals, gold bars, art treasures, and other valuables. One arrived safely in South America and established its passengers in modest comfort. The other, an advanced U-boat fueled by hydrogen peroxide, sailed north to avoid Allied patrols. Drawn into the Arctic, it was trapped among other derelicts after exhausting its exotic fuel in escape efforts blocked by advancing ice. Today, descendants of those safely arrived in South America – raised on tales of vast riches aboard the U-boat that didn’t arrive – search for it avidly. Some want it for themselves; others hope to fund neo-Nazi political efforts. Their most ambitious plan is to recover the submarine itself as part of their growing weapons arsenal. Loosely allied, this transnational group of Nazis funded an expedition to locate and recover the submarine. They are motivated, well-armed, and have several tons of concentrated hydrogen peroxide (which is corrosive and dangerously explosive) to refuel the submarine.

Sun’s Victory, a Polar Research Vessel Launched in 1979 and twice upgraded, the 4,800-ton Sun’s Victory is an aging-but-sturdy ship designed for Arctic research, with a strong hull and hardened bow to break through ice. The 325’ ship sits at anchor among the older derelicts. The hull is intact, and the ship is seaworthy, but a fire damaged both engines. The party can repair one of them, using parts of the other for a Top Speed of 10 mph. The radio and navigation equipment are smashed. The ship carried a crew of 35 and two dozen researchers (and has quarters for two dozen more), but no one is on board. Investigators find a few small bloodstains on the bridge, and debris scattered about, but the ship’s supplies and equipment are undisturbed, including its well-equipped labs and hospital bay. Four small boats remain in their davits, but the ship’s helipad is empty. When it became stuck: Last year.  Secret: The ship’s logbook, hidden as attackers overwhelmed the ship, reveals the existence and location of the terrorists’ base.  Treasure: The ship itself, if the PCs can rescue its crew to sail it home.  Adventure Seed: If positing a supernatural or alien cause for the graveyard, the Sun’s Victory is simply the latest victim of its horrors, and the surviving crew desperately need rescue. Otherwise, the ship was overwhelmed by terrorists who recently occupied a Soviet military base abandoned and forgotten after the Cold War. An old listening post, the base is 50 miles south of the derelicts and still hidden under the ice. Using the base’s equipment, periodically upgraded, the terrorists tap into maritime, military, and diplomatic communications. Their mix of old and new technologies helps them penetrate a host of security systems. The terrorists have schemes of their own, including maritime piracy, but the arrival of Sun’s Victory attracted their attention. Fearing the revelation of their base, they responded in force, quickly overwhelming Sun’s Victory. The surviving crew are held captive at the base, their fate undecided. Other explorers risk a similar fate, if discovered.

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The Hunter’s Reliquary II By Christopher R. Rice

The Hunter’s Reliquary appeared in Pyramid #3/82: Magical Creations, adding a new element for champions to use to fight dark powers: relics. Powerful, mysterious, and often operating in ways that defy conventional thinking, relics can provide champions an edge when they need it . . . but sometimes with a price. Here are half a dozen new relics for the GM to use as quests or rewards for monster-hunting PCs. For an explanation about how to read the relic entries, including definitions of the power pool and the possible origins, see pp. 19-20 of Pyramid #3/82.

Amulet of Orlock Power Pool: 6 FP Possible Origins: Magical. Orlock was a 17th-century mage who was also a consummate vampire hunter; legend says her family was slaughtered by an undead clan. In revenge, she destroyed the vampires’ entire bloodline, but not the master himself. Instead, she tortured the wretched thing for over a decade, gleaning the secrets of vampires from him – and the reason he had killed her family. He had seduced her mother, and the destruction of Orlock’s living family had been his attempt to claim his dhampir child: Orlock herself. Only after she was convinced he knew nothing more about vampires did she kill him and use his crystallized heart’s blood to create her first amulet. Orlock gave it to her chief lieutenant, who – now very resistant to vampiric powers – went on to slay one vampire after another, returning their heart-blood, until Orlock had created several amulets. After the whole of vampire-dom rose up against her, the amulets were scattered around the globe. They are now used by ambitious monster hunters or would-be vampire slayers. The power pool may only be used to fuel supernatural powers or mundane extra effort used against vampires. Each amulet is made of pure silver and strung on a silver chain. Inside is a crimson gem in the shape of a human face with fangs and a slightly chiropteran cast.

Qualities Blood Ward: When fighting vampires, the amulet flashes brightly in a spectrum that vampires find distracting; if the amulet is not concealed, it provides +1 to all active defenses.

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If the owner knows they’ll be fighting vampires, they may “blood” the gem, sacrificing 1 HP to double these bonuses. This damage must be healed naturally (that is, no spells, regeneration, etc.). Sheltered Thoughts: All resistance rolls against a vampire’s attempts at mental coercion, mind control, etc. are at +4, regardless of their actual origin. If the gem is blooded (as above), this bonus rises to +8. Fangdar: If the amulet’s owner concentrates, they may attempt to locate the nearest vampire or vampires. This requires a Perception roll (plus ESP Talent, if applicable), using normal range penalties (p. B550). Success yields an exact direction and general distance, but not how many vampires may be at any given location. Even without concentration, the amulet glows a sullen red when within 10 yards of a vampire, and weeps blood when within one yard. Weight: 0.5 lb.

Price Bearers of Orlockian amulets suffer from Bloodlust (12) when fighting vampires – taking one alive is near impossible for them. Additionally, those who use the amulet to sense a vampire’s presence must make a daily Will roll (14+ always fails) not to attack the undead in question. (Attacks need not be thoughtless, but a failed Will roll means the amulet’s owner must prioritize an assault on the vampire they sensed, above all else.) Vampires react at -2 to anyone possessing an Orlockian amulet, if they can see it. (They instinctively sense it is malevolent to them.) The penalty is doubled for vampires who know what it is!

Variations The GM may decide that +1 to active defenses is too small, and can make it +2 or even +3. This can apply to all of Orlock’s amulets, or only some of them. The GM might rule that the last-made (or first-made!) amulet offers the wearer some DR vs. vampires – or base such bonuses off the power of the vampire whose heart’s blood was used. After many years of hunting, Orlock vanished. It’s unclear when, or if, she died. New amulets that appear might indicate that she’s still alive or that she’s passed on the secrets of their creation to someone else . . .

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Deadman’s Gun

Qualities Power Pool: 25 FP

Possible Origins: Racial and one other (often Magical or Mystical). A “deadman’s gun” is a firearm which was buried with the dead; its “spiritual echo” is now carried by an unquiet spirit. Creating a Deadman’s Gun relic requires finding a firearm that exists on the spirit plane and somehow returning it to the corporeal world. It’s a powerful weapon, but the dead tend to hate those who bear them – each Deadman’s Gun was stolen from a ghost, leaving it unarmed . . . or destroyed.

Qualities Affect Insubstantial: The Deadman’s Gun does its physical version’s damage to insubstantial targets, notably spirits. Dead Aim: On an aimed shot, wielders may subtract any amount from the weapon’s Accuracy bonus and add it to the weapon’s damage roll. They may also choose a penalty to their roll to hit, giving +1 to damage per -2 to the roll. Gun Quality: Treat the underlying firearm as a very fine (accurate) and very fine (reliable) weapon, regardless of whether it could normally have those properties! The weapon never requires maintenance and cannot be made to malfunction – even by supernatural means. If wielded in melee combat, it’s considered a balanced, very fine weapon, granting +1 to skill rolls to use it and +2 to damage. This bonus also applies to any integral weapons, such as bayonets. Reaper Shot: Any critical hit by the firearm that would normally require a roll for a major wound instead requires the victim to make a HT roll to avoid death. Weight: Varies with base firearm.

Price Spirits can sense the gun as both part of their world and not; this causes most spirits to react to the bearer at -4, no matter where they are when they spot the Deadman’s Gun. Owners may get pesky poltergeists without realizing it, if the spook is subtle enough.

They’re built to contain the power of the cursed object. – Sam Winchester, in Supernatural #3.3 Variations

Variations Each Deadman’s Gun is its own variation, as each one is a different firearm.

Hex Box Power Pool: N/A Unusual Background Cost: 0 points Possible Origins: Magic, Materials, and Mystical. Hex boxes are constructed to contain cursed objects, errant magic that cannot otherwise be dispelled, or harmful paranormal phenomenon. They use a combination of special materials such as silver, iron, or blessed wood; the blessings of priests, shamans, or other holy folk; and special magical spells and symbols.

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Containment: A hex box can contain any cursed object, malevolent supernatural being, or harmful paranormal phenomena. For physical objects or beings, this requires that they can fit in the box in the first place. Spirits, insubstantial demons, magic, or similar can always fit in a hex box. Cursed beings can transfer their curse into the box by placing a head or limb inside it, then slowly withdrawing while shutting the lid. Once the containee is boxed, roll a Quick Contest of 20 vs. an appropriate trait: the caster’s effective Path skill for magic, the better of HT or Will for supernatural beings, or HT for cursed objects. Victory means the subject is now contained in the hex box until the box is opened. While inside the box, attempts to use supernatural abilities, influence, etc. automatically fail if the target is not also inside the box. Opening the box removes this protection until the lid is closed again, but the captive gets another roll to resist staying in the box. If they resist, the box cannot (or can no longer) contain the subject at this time; perhaps it needs to be properly (re)attuned. As well, if the box critically fails, it can never contain that subject. If the box wins with a critical success, though, the lid can be opened and the subject manipulated while it is still trapped and unable to affect those not fully inside the box. Releasing the subject from the box has the obvious results, except for curses or harmful magics that were originally on another subject. Those, if released, immediately affect the box’s opener, who must now resist as if they were the original target of the curse, spell, etc.! Weight: Varies based on size and composition.

The GM may decide that hex boxes come in “lesser,” “typical,” and “greater” varieties. If so, lesser boxes contain curses with a skill of 15 in the Quick Contest, while greater boxes have a skill of 25. Typical hex boxes can be purchased for at least $50,000, while lesser ones are worth around $10,000. Greater hex boxes can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The GM may allow player characters to construct such things. Box-makers must be capable of Warding (GURPS Monster Hunters 1: Champions, p. 35), craft the box themselves, and bind it with blessed incantations of a protective deity, spirit, or powerful being. One of these three things can be done by an assistant, but the other two must be done by the maker. Every month of working on the box requires a roll against the worst skill involved (Path skills for the magic, the skill actually used to construct the box, and Religious Ritual). Success gives $2,500 toward the final value of the box. Thus lesser boxes take four months, typical boxes take 20, and a greater box takes at least 40 months.

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John Dee’s Quill Power Pool: 10 FP Possible Origins: Magical. John Dee was one of the greatest magicians to have ever lived. He was also secretive and thus crafted a special quill to let him hide the contents of his correspondence, journals, and other writings. When the command word is given, anything the quill writes becomes encoded in strange glyphs, symbols, letters, and numbers. Another command word allows decoding via sweeping the feather end of the quill over any encoded text it was used to write. Dee made dozens of these quills over the years – maybe even hundreds, each etched with a tiny golden name along the shaft. Rumors persist of a master quill that can decode anything the others write.

Qualities Cryptoquill: Using the quill to encode text requires a roll against Artist (Illumination or Calligraphy), Cryptography, Writing, or IQ at +4. Success means the text is encoded with a unique cipher known only to that quill. Decode: Decoding anything the quill has encrypted is as simple as swiping the quill’s feather over the encrypted text. This takes about one second per page, and the symbols rearrange themselves to legibility 3d seconds later. People may try to break the code, but they must succeed on a Cryptography

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by triple the margin of success of the user’s roll. Magic can be used to decode it; the ritual or spell needs only to beat the original margin of success. A quill might be used to try to decode the work of a different quill, but may give only partial decryption of the symbols; roll against Cryptography or Mathematics (Cryptology), with the difficulty to decode equal to the margin of success for writing the material. Weight: Negligible.

Variations Dee’s master quill would have the ability to function as any of the others, allowing it to decrypt or encrypt at will in the language of the master quill’s user, as well as having its own unique code.

Sword of the Rood Power Pool: 50 FP Suggested Origins: Cosmic and Mystical. Down through the ages, many tales and stories describe so-called holy swords – but the Rood Blades (pronounced “rude”) are the real deal. To understand the Rood Blades, one must first understand their legend. Once there was a blacksmith who, paid well by Pontius Pilate, made the nails to crucify Jesus Christ. God condemned the blacksmith to wander the earth and never settle.

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However, certain Romani tell it with a spin. According to their legend, the blacksmith dreamed God told him to make four nails, but only hand over three, as the fourth was intended to pierce the heart of Christ. In return, God gave his descendants the right to wander the earth, making all lands their homeland. Truth lies somewhere in the middle: The blacksmith made the nails, but kept the fourth nail himself. After the crucifixion, a dream from God commanded him to retrieve the nails and then make four swords, setting each nail into the tang of the blade. Over the years, some of the blades have been reforged: they might have all begun life as Roman spathas, but are currently a zweihänder (GURPS Fantasy-Tech 1, p. 11), a longsword (GURPS Martial Arts, pp. 227, 230), a katana (pp. B271, B274), and – oddly enough – an edged rapier (GURPS Martial Arts, pp. 227, 229). Almace, Durendal, Excalibur, Hauteclere, Joyeuse, Masamune – all are some of the names the blades have gone by . . .

Qualities Affect Insubstantial: Rood Blades do the usual damage of a weapon of their type to insubstantial targets, notably spirits or demons. Bane: Rood Blades add +2 to basic damage and to effective skill when used against demons, undead, and other supernatural evil creatures (and only those foes). Further, when used against supernatural foes, Rood Blades ignore all forms of damage-stopping advantages (DR, Injury Tolerance, etc.). If the attack lands, tally the damage and apply it directly to the target’s HP. Blade Quality: Treat Rood Blades as very fine for damage purposes (+2 to damage), but as indestructible for breakage purposes, except vs. another cosmic artifact. Then they merely get the usual -2 to breakage. They are always balanced (+1 to skill). If a wielder uses one for selfish reasons (see Sacred Purpose, below), treat it as if it were a normal sword, with no special properties – though if it breaks in selfish hands, a sufficiently devout smith may reforge it. Brilliance: The weapon radiates light in a 5’-radius around the wielder, with the natural sun’s effects on monsters. This removes all darkness penalties within a two-yard radius, with each yard reducing its effectiveness by one (e.g., six yards from the sword in total darkness would inflict -4 in Vision penalties). This effect instantly dispels any supernatural darkness of less than cosmic origin (e.g., dark gods could overcome its power, especially on their home plane). Holy: All of the Blades are powerful holy symbols; they cannot be touched by any supernatural creatures that would be affected by holy water or a cross. Foes who would be hurt by holy or blessed weapons increase their level of Vulnerability by ¥1 (additive, not multiplicative). For instance, a vampire who receives double damage from blessed weapons would take ¥3 damage from a Rood Blade. Silver: The Blades count as silver against anything vulnerable to silver, but without the breakage penalty. Weight: As per the sword type (typically 3 to 10 lbs.).

Price Sacred Purpose: A Rood Blade is a powerful holy object, meant to be wielded only by those of stout faith (of any

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religion or spiritual tradition) or blessed by the divine. To use a Rood Blade requires a prerequisite advantage: Blessed, Divine Favor, Power Investiture, or True Faith. Further, Rood Blades demand selfless, altruistic intent; using one for selfish, petty reasons drains the weapon’s power until the wielder proves themselves (GM’s call) – and the sword will automatically fail to hit the target of such intentions. This also holds true if another picks up the sword and uses it for an unjust reason.

Spirit Phone Power Pool: 10 FP Suggested Origins: Magical or Psionic. An ordinary, innocuous-looking cell or wall-mounted phone, usually of a off-brand variety like GL (instead of GE), or perhaps Kanyo (instead of Sanyo). At first glance, it doesn’t appear special in any way, but if viewed through a special sense (such as an ability to identify magical items), a dull radiance emanates from it.

Qualities Ultimate Rollover: A spirit phone’s most mundane ability is perhaps its most useful: as long as the owner actually has a service plan for their phone, any charges, rates, or monthly fees are “waived.” The phone uses the astral plane/spirit world to connect to whatever number is dialed. In game terms, this means the owner never has to pay the phone’s bill, for whatever reason the GM wants. No matter the appearance of the phone, treat it as a satellite phone (GURPS High-Tech, p. 40) in its capabilities (such as dialing other countries, area codes, etc.). Can You Hear Me Now? Cellular spirit phones use the astral plane/spirit world for reception and therefore always have “full bars,” unless the owner visits someplace cut off from the astral plane/spirit world. Rugged Like Mr. (AT&)T: Spirit phones have DR 10, HP 40, and HT 16. They’re immune to any EMP-like effect, shorting out (via rain, sprinklers, being dropped in a toilet . . .), etc. They’re amazingly sturdy, but if reduced to 0 HP, a spirit phone evaporates into thin air. Yes, Grandma, It’s Me: Spirit phones have one final ability. When used as a focal item to communicate with the dead, they provide +5 to any rolls to made to do so. Weight: 2 lbs. for a cell phone (use the statistics from GURPS High-Tech, p. 39 for an early model cell phone), or 4 lbs. for a regular wall-mounted phone.

Price Unfortunately, spirit phones tend to attract ghosts who will call the phone at inappropriate times, turn calls into “party lines,” etc. Some just want to chat, others want spirit money burned for them or to have their relatives checked on, and occasionally one will insist they died by murder and the phone’s owner needs to avenge them! Whenever the phone is used during a game session, roll 3d. On a 6 or less, the dead plague the phone’s bearer. The GM decides how, but ghostly visits, spirit phenomena, or just the phone ringing (even if it’s turned off!) are all possible.

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El Rancho Fin del Camino By Matt Riggsby

Way out west, somewhere amid the hills near the Mexican border, is an old, old ranch. It’s a place where any number of things can happen: ghosts, smuggling, skirmishes, and more. This article describes the ranch and its use for adventures in campaigns ranging from the Old West to pulp-era cliffhangers to the modern day.

The History

The Rancho Fin del Camino is in rural Santa Cruz county in southern Arizona, close to the Mexican border. It’s somewhere north and east of Nogales and several miles from the tiny towns of Patagonia and Harshaw. Indeed, it’s so far south that it wasn’t in the United States until the Gadsden Purchase of 1854. This corner of the state had significant silver mining, though most mines are now played out. Over the years, the area experienced increasing amounts of cattle and sheep ranching. The Fin del Camino dates back to the late 1700s. The name purportedly comes from being at the end of a path leading all the way back to Mexico City, though there’s little supporting evidence of that. It was built by a Spanish rancher, Don Sebastien Melchor Villon y Casas Alvarez, who, according to legend, was killed by raiding Apaches. The ranch spent some years abandoned, but was occupied by settlers moving in from the United States in the wake of the MexicanAmerican War. Through the second half of the 19th century, the region saw an increasing population of prospectors, miners, and ranchers. The area was subject to occasional Apache raids and corresponding Army presence. Around this time, an owner of the ranch came up with the Fin del Camino’s brand, a circle with a horizontal line through it, and an inverted V descending from the line, making the abstract shape of a road vanishing in the distance. The local military presence reached a peak in the second decade of the 20th century, as the Mexican Border War, which grew out of the Mexican Revolution, saw incursions

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across the border in both directions, arms smuggling, and other side effects of the hostilities. The remainder of the 20th century was relatively quiet. Mining became more industrialized and legally well ordered, violence decreased, and the region slowly gained the benefits of modern technologies like electricity and air conditioning, particularly after World War II. Today, it’s as remote a spot as it can be, but the world is a smaller place, with Internet, spotty cell-phone coverage, and people driving past every now and again. Still, the nearest neighbors are over a mile away, and it continues to be a good place to get away from prying eyes.

The Ranch

The ranch is on a broad plateau between low hills. A quarter mile of level pasture circumscribes the buildings. The pasture is subdivided by fences (split timber early on, but replaced with barbed wire early in the 20th century). A few stands of small trees punctuate the area. It’s nearly impossible to approach in daylight without being seen a long way off. The surrounding terrain is hillier, with a mix of light woods and open grassland, plus several seasonal streams. The climate is hot, with summer highs over 90° and winter lows into the low 30s. It’s fairly dry, with a rainy season in mid-late summer. Three significant structures make up the ranch: the bunkhouse, the main house, and the barn. Other small structures are either not in the area of the map or may be placed where desired. These include outhouses, auxiliary tool sheds, water troughs, and the like, which may be replaced or moved relatively frequently. For a map of the ranch’s key buildings, see p. 43.

Bunkhouse The bunkhouse is a long rectangular structure made of rough 2”-thick planks. It was originally divided into an office/bedroom for a foreman or chief ranch hand, and a large dormitory space for the rest of the ranch employees.

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By the end of the 1940s, it had been subdivided into multiple rooms (indicated on the map by the light blue lines) which have been used variously as bedrooms, offices, and storage rooms. The southernmost room was converted into a bathroom.

Main House The main house dates back to the original construction of the ranch. The walls are 12”-thick adobe with solid logs as structural members and 12’ ceilings. Rooms open on one another directly and into a small courtyard. The rooms noted on the map on p. 43 are: A. Family chapel. This room was originally used for devotions and in later years retains both a 19th-century altar and small-but-colorful stained-glass windows. B. Parlor/living room. C. Dining room. D. Entry/reception room. E. Courtyard. The original well was covered and a decorative fountain installed in its place when water mains were installed. F. Bedroom. G. Study. H. Bedroom. I. Bedroom/nursery. This was converted into a bathroom when running water was brought in. J. Cookhouse. This was converted into a more modern kitchen in the 1960s, connected to the house by a covered, glassed-in patio (indicated by blue lines on the map). K. Cellar. The cellar is a separate structure from the rest of the house. It started out as a small dugout under the sod. It was then converted into a 20’-by-20’ fallout shelter in the 1950s with steel, concrete, and cinder block. A subsequent owner reverted the room to its original use as storage. See Adventure Seeds (below) for other suggestions about what’s under that trap door.

Barn

Dr. Evil A remote location makes a good workshop for a mad scientist. This one is away from prying eyes, but close to possibly unusual mineral resources and close enough to the railroad (like the ones running through Patagonia or Nogales) to bring in unusual equipment from elsewhere. In the pulp era, the Fin del Camino is owned by a disgraced former professor and industrialist, kicked out of the academy and shunned by businesses for his extreme theories. He has retreated to the isolated ranch to develop his ideas, and will some day have his revenge. Indeed, he’s already got a plan in motion. In this scenario, the Fin del Camino is still unconnected to external utilities; an unreliable phone line is plausible, though one might have to ride into town to find a working phone. However, the ranch is amply electrified by a windmill (just off the map to the east), a diesel generator by the barn, and a powerful experimental generator underground near the main house (it might be geothermal, nuclear, or based on some kind of weird science). The cellar near the main house isn’t just a modestly sized, unfinished underground chamber, but rather a fully equipped scientific laboratory with a wide range of chemicals, electrical equipment (like X-ray machines and powerful radio gear), and more. What particularly dangerous project is the evil scientist preparing to spring on the world? Perhaps it’s artificially created hybrid animals (winged rattlesnakes, wolf packs who weave giant spider webs, radio-controlled giant ants, bears with two heads, etc.), which could wreak havoc on the countryside. It could be invisible rays that can knock the fastest biplane out of the air from miles away and give no indication of the source. Perhaps it’s remote-viewing equipment, letting one look inside the most private and secure facilities at will. Whatever it is, the mad scientist has started field testing with horrible consequences, and somebody has to put a stop to it.

Building Stats

The barn is of the same general construction as At the time of construction, the largest buildings of the Fin del the bunkhouse and has changed little over the years, Camino had these stats: All buildings had HT 12. The bunkhouse save for the addition of electricity and a standing cost $23,400; the entire building had HP 258, with walls having pipe bringing in water. The barn is divided into DR 2, HP 30. The main house cost $178,398; the structure had three aisles by north-south-running short walls HP 733, and its walls were DR 12, HP 61. The barn cost $128,250; and support posts. It has a second story running it had HP 455, with walls that were DR 2, HP 30. All interior and the length of the wide center aisle. The northwestexterior doors had DR 1 (ablative), HP 23. ern corner has traditionally served as a workshop, originally containing a good supply of lumber and a variety of woodworking tools, gaining a selection of mechanical tools in the 1920s. By the 1950s, the barn Smuggler’s Blues houses a tractor (and a large tank for diesel fuel) in addition to the horses usually living there. Where there’s a border, there’s almost certainly illicit trade across it, whether it’s to avoid taxes and tariffs, work with outlawed groups (such as criminal cartels or revolutionary dventure eeds cabals), or obtain outlawed goods. From the late 19th century, American companies recruited Mexican workers and brought The Rancho Fin del Camino can be the site of a variety them across the border. During the Mexican Revolution, the of events running through the years. Some are suitable for United States was a major source of arms smuggled into specific eras, while others could take place at any time. These Mexico. In the 1920s, Mexico was a significant source of ideas can be combined for more complicated adventures and alcohol smuggled into the US. As the 20th century wore on, campaigns – adventurers may need to bust some ghosts in Mexico became an increasingly significant source of drugs for order to successfully smuggle arms to rebels, or employ dinoU.S. markets. saurs to prevent a Villista raid across the border.

A

S

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The Fin del Camino is well-positioned as a stop along the way for that traffic, whether the smugglers are cowboys or cartels. It’s not on the border, but it’s a short jaunt past it, good for a final dash to deliver goods or to safety once crossing it, depending on which direction one is going. Moreover, the ranch is not too close to a town big enough to have a bigger law enforcement presence than the local sheriff. The terrain is open enough to see outsiders coming in time to take precautions, and there’s enough level ground to serve as an airstrip for small planes once those are invented. As a modern smuggler’s den, the Fin del Camino has a backup electrical generator, a network of CCTV cameras keeping an eye on approaches, hidden chambers for contraband and weapons all over, and perhaps even fortifications for the cellar, turning it into a panic room.

Spanish Ghosts

Sykes: What are your plans, now? Deke Thornton: Drift around down here. Try to stay out of jail. Sykes: Well, me and the boys got some work to do. You want to come with us? It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do. – The Wild Bunch

People in the neighborhood of the Fin del Camino are having trouble sleeping. There are dreams of anger, betrayal, burning, and torture. People in the dreams are described as wearing clothes of the old days when Arizona was still part of Mexico. The closer one is to the Fin del Camino, the worse it is. At the ranch itself, closed doors open themselves and vice versa, mirrors crack suddenly, and sometimes objects fly across rooms without being touched. The ranch is haunted, but by who, and why? Extensive research can turn up some clues. A dedicated search through the disorganized records in a nearby mission uncovers details about a fire in the year 1801, which killed a Dona Leonor Maria Alvarez. Official land records record the death of Sebastien in 1804 in a raid led by an Apache called Talichaio (probably a Spanish-language corruption of an Apache name meaning Red Sun), who was apprehended and executed shortly thereafter. Different versions of local folklore tell that Talichaio was seeking revenge for Sebastien taking Apache land, or that Sebastien and Talichaio were friends, but fell out over a love triangle they were involved in. And basic magical or otherwise spiritual investigations indicate multiple ghosts. Finding out more requires dangerous expeditions into the spirit realm, and there’s a lot to unravel. Was Sebastien or Talichaio responsible for Leonor’s death, and did she die angry at one or both of them? Was Leonor Sebastien’s wife? Sister? Or something else? Did Sebastien take Apache land? Did he betray Talichaio in some more personal way? Did he only defend himself from Talichaio’s anger over something else? When the reasons for the ghosts plaguing the ranch become clear, how can they be reconciled, or at least banished? And whose bones are buried under the chapel?

The Lost World Silver isn’t the only thing under the ground. Far beneath the surface is a vast cavern holding remnant populations from the past. The distant past. The very distant past. The cellar has another trap door beneath it. This leads in turn to a series of tunnels that connect to down to a huge underground

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chamber. The chamber is the size of a city or larger. It is illuminated by an unusual and not-yet-understood radiation, and filled with jungle and dinosaurs. The Fin del Camino is the gateway to exploring relics of the distant past. If the dinosaurs start getting out and savaging the countryside, it may be the key to figuring out how they’re getting out and to stopping them. GURPS Lands Out of Time and GURPS Big Lizzy are prime source material for this kind of campaign. The 1935 Gene Autry serial The Phantom Empire takes the idea a step farther, putting an advanced lost civilization under a Western ranch.

The War The Mexican Border War didn’t spill far over the border for very long, but it was a constant concern for people living nearby. Villistas sometimes raided settlements on the U.S. side for money and arms. The nearby border town of Nogales saw sporadic outbreaks of violence between neighboring U.S. and Mexican communities. Residents of the Fin del Camino may be involved in a number of ways. They may need to fortify the ranch and defend it against raids by militants or by bandits taking advantage of the breakdown in law and order in the area. Ambitious Americans can find ample opportunity to smuggle arms and supplies to the rebels; the Fin del Camino is a good staging area for the jump across the border. The ranch also can be a staging point for anyone needing to cross the border to become involved in the revolution themselves. The bloody classic Western The Wild Bunch involves a gang of outlaws in 1913 fleeing a botched raid in the United States to join a Mexican general with more border crossings in the offing; the Fin del Camino would be a useful way station for such an adventure.

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Map of El Rancho Fin del Camino Key A. Family chapel B. Parlor/living room C. Dining room

D. Entry/reception room E. Courtyard F. Bedroom G. Study

H. Bedroom I. Bedroom/nursery J. Cookhouse K. Cellar

The nearest neighbors are over a mile away, and it continues to be a good place to get away from prying eyes. Pyramid Magazine

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Highway Stars By Roger Burton West

The Basic Set (p. B464) gives a useful array of vehicles, but doesn’t always have the variety needed, especially when adventurers must to cross rough country or fight in a busy urban environment. This article adds more cars and trucks to the list. Prices are representative only, especially when the same model has undergone gradual upgrades over a period of decades. The original may even come back as a “classic”; a Jaguar XK-E bought today could cost $80,000 in GURPS terms.

The storm has dumped a mirror in the street A Jaguar goes by like the fastest MTB in all the fleet The girl at the wheel is food for heroes Her hubs full of halos are strobing like a finger dialing zeros – Clive James and Pete Atkin, “Rain-Wheels”

Driving (Motorcycle)

Dirt Bike. This particular one is based on the 2008 Honda CRF450R. Designed for off-road racing, it is also useful for getting to places that nobody expects a wheeled vehicle to go. Pavement Scooter. Covers both the Segway (2002-2020) and hoverboards (2013 to present; early models have HT 10f). Move can range up to 7 for production models. Removing the limiters drops SR to 2, but raises Move to 6/10*. Off-road versions are available. Operating this is a familiarity of Driving (Motorcycle), or Bicycling, though tourists are trusted with them after a 10-minute familiarization session. Most mishaps eject the rider, requiring Acrobatics to land safely.

Driving (Automobile)

Citroen Traction Avant (1934-1957). The first mass-market car with front-wheel drive also popularized unibody construction, independent four-wheel suspension, and rack-andpinion steering. Reportedly very popular with Wehrmacht

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and SS officers in Occupied France; after the war, engine improvements eventually increased Move to 3/40*. Volkswagen Beetle (1938-2003). The “people’s car” was intended to populate the Autobahnen of Nazi Germany, though Volkswagen had higher priorities during the war. Afterward, British car makers turned down the opportunity to buy the factory at a deep post-war discount because “it is quite unattractive to the average buyer.” When German reindustrialization began in 1951, the Beetle was a usefully cheap export product for a newly motorizing post-war Europe. The Beetle is also popular for conversion to a Baja Bug beach buggy (remove * from Move). Land Rover (1948-1985). This is a Series III LWB (Long Wheel Base), seen wherever the British Army went, and still in service all over the world. In 1992, the maker claimed that 70% of all their production was still in use; second-hand prices have never gone below £1,000 (about $2,300 in GURPS). Ladder-frame construction and a notorious ruggedness make field or amateur maintenance easy. Mini (1959-2000). An icon of Britain in the 1960s, the Mini was designed to be the smallest car that would fit four adults. Wins in races and rallies (until then dominated by big heavy cars) didn’t hurt its popularity either. Jaguar E-Type (1961-1975). Another iconic British car, the E-Type (XK-E in North America) is still hailed as one of the most innovative and beautiful cars of its day. Lotus Elan Series 4 DHC SE (1962-1975). Jaguar’s main competitor concentrated on light weight, using a fiberglass body shell. Early models gave Lotus a reputation for unreliability. Aston Martin DB5 (1963-1965). Not all that different from its predecessor (the DB4) but made famous in Goldfinger, the DB5 remains the best known of the Aston Martin cars. Porsche 911 (1964-1989). Famous for its tendency to oversteer, lose traction, and hit an obstacle sideways, but still solidly popular until production ended. Chevrolet Impala (1965-1970). The Impala name has been used on and off since 1958, but this is the Generation 4 version that set sales records in the United States. The SS (Super Sport) package raises Move to 5/62* and gives +1 to Hnd. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (1965-1980). Rolls-Royce dragged itself out of the drum brake and body-on-frame era to produce the Shadow, renowned for the quality of its ride even by the company’s own standards. Ford Transit (1965-). With the similar Econoline (19602014), this is the universal urban and mid-distance cargomover, popular with anyone who has bulky loads to move, or who just wants to look like everything else on the road. Available in cargo and passenger versions.

44 Modern/Action I

Ford Mustang Mach I (1968-1978). The Mach 1 performance package adds power to what’s already a classic muscle car. Land Rover Defender 110 (1983-2016). The successor to the Series III, the Defender shares its reliability and ease of maintenance. After 2007, Occ. is 1+6 but the heater actually works. Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV (1985-1990). One of the iconic slab-sided, rear-engined sports cars of the 1980s, still popular in spite of its terrible visibility, heavy clutch, and extreme noise. GMC/Workhorse W42 (1998-2012). A typical stepvan (multidrop van), used for urban deliveries. This frame may also be repurposed as the basis for motorhomes or light buses.

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Mini Cooper (2001-). The replacement for the classic Mini manages to retain some of the styling on a standard modern chassis. Pagani Zonda S (2002-2017). A track car in spirit, but technically road legal, this car is famously frightening to drive – or great fun, depending on who’s talking. Toyota Prius XW50 (2015-). The latest iteration of the first commercial hybrid car (gasoline engine that charges a storage battery to drive electric motors), the Prius is popular with urban drivers, including taxi services – so it blends into most places. Those with less savory intentions may appreciate the ability to run for a few miles purely on the quiet electric motors. The vehicle has a Hearing distance of two yards, or 70 dB(A), instead of the usual eight yards, or 90 dB(A), for a typical gasoline engine.

45 Modern/Action I

Lamborghini Urus (2018-). In its basic form, this is an undistinguished modern SUV with emphasis on the “sport,” but an off-road kit (a further $40,000) removes the * from Move as well as adding reinforced bumpers, skid plates, and a roof rail. Motor Trike. Often built by combining the engine and back axle of a rear-wheel-drive car with the front forks of a motorcycle, the trike has more hauling capacity and endurance than a motorcycle but the low profile of a car. (Reversed “tadpole” trikes can turn while braking, and get +1 SR.) The performance of sensible custom builds runs from the version listed in the table (a 998cc engine) on down, and they may drop HT by a point or two depending on the skill of the builder. Other builds use outsized car engines. Light ATV. Also known as a “quad” or “four-wheeler,” this vehicle is good for rough terrain with a bit more capacity than the dirt bike, but just as noisy and prone to roll over on slopes.

Adventure Seeds Delivery Men: A rich patron just bought an expensive old car over there, and wants it delivered here. It’s faster and more fun to drive it than to load it into a truck, but potential problems include reliability, paperwork (especially across national borders), hijacking or theft by less-scrupulous collectors, the need to get unusual fuel, and whoever knows about that bag of MacGuffin that somebody hid in the secret compartment back in the day. Night of the Living Truck: The machines are suddenly out to get us! Compared with humans, they’re tougher and faster, but they need refueling and they don’t have hands. Bait and Switch: Steal the thing, put the fake in its place – routine business for PCs. But the thing is a classic car weighing a few tons and with a distinctively loud engine. Or it’s a bus wired for surveillance, part of a much larger scheme.

Driving (Heavy Wheeled)

Driving (Construction Equipment)

Skid Loader. A modern compact loader with arms that pivot behind the cabin. Lifts with ST 33. The bucket can be exchanged for a variety of heavy tools, including forks, backhoes, and drills. Tracked versions have Move 3/3.

Modifications

Among car fans, vehicles that they’ll never get to drive can take on mythical attributes. To emulate this, use a variant of the Cool Ethnic Weapons rule from GURPS Low-Tech Companion 2: Weapons and Warriors: a Cool Car gets +1 Hnd, +1 HT, double Acceleration, and +10% to Top Speed and Range. Price is unchanged; logically the car should be in great demand, but the unenlightened clearly don’t perceive its obvious superiority. Cars can be and are modified from the baseline numbers given here, by the manufacturer or by their owner later on. Older cars in particular can be customized in a shop more easily than new models that also need a software upgrade. The rules in GURPS Action 6: Tricked-Out Rides can be applied to any of these vehicles, though some combinations don’t work well; most sports cars are designed never to be inconspicuous, and it would be fair to argue that a RollsRoyce already has a level or two of luxury built in.

Getting Your Ride

10-Wheeler. These larger non-trailer trucks may be used with a van body for shipping, or may have specialized bodies built onto them (such as a street cleaner, cement mixer, or garbage truck). City Bus. A smaller bus (p. B464) for when demand doesn’t justify an expensive full-sized people transport. Double-Decker Bus. While the AEC Routemaster (19541968) never sold well outside London, it remained in regular service there until 2005 and influenced the design of its replacement. An open rear platform allows easy access when stopped in traffic. Combine Harvester. The modern combine harvester includes a multi-ton storage tank, GPS navigation, all-round cameras, and an array of monitoring systems to spot overheating, leaks, and shaft breakages as they happen. While

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harvesting, its Move drops to 1/3. To harvest people, see GURPS Action 5: Dictionary of Danger, p. 14.

All of these vehicles can be legally purchased, often for cash; that’s not the hard part. Player characters tend to want a car right now, but the sellers of new high-end vehicles cater to the customer who’s picking options and having their new toy set up exactly the way they want it, typically taking one to four weeks to deliver. Most car salespeople can read their customers as part of the job, and a PC who’s happy to drive away the showroom model raises all sorts of red flags, brings on extra credit checks, and so on, unless the buyer can talk their way out of it. Meanwhile, interesting second-hand cars are in short supply. Most people who own a classic want to keep it, and it may only be sold when they need the money, or die. Even finding one for sale takes Research. As in any business where large sums of money pass between strangers and price may depend on authenticity more than on things that can be tested, sharp practice abounds, with fake parts and forged paperwork. A car that’s been looked after well may have its original game stats 50 years after it was made; one that’s just been sitting, or has been used and not fanatically maintained, loses HT first, but later also Range, Acceleration, and Top Speed. Of course, there may be other options for acquiring a fancy or unusual vehicle. GURPS Boardroom and Curia: Tomorrow Rides describes one way of getting high-end vehicles into the hands of PCs without worrying too much about who’s going to pay for damage.

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Vehicle Table Terms and notation are as defined in Vehicle Statistics (pp. B462-463). TL Vehicle

ST/HP Hnd/SR

HT

Move

LWt.

Load

SM

Occ.

DR Range

Cost

Loc.

+1/2 +1/2

10f 10f

10/54 7/44*

0.21 0.67

0.1 0.22

0 +1

1 1+1

3 3

28 180

$6,300 $12,000

E2W 2E3W

52

0/3

11f

1/30*

1.53

0.4

+3

1+3

3

250

$14,000

G4W

48 57

0/3 +1/4

10f 11f

2/30* 3/31

1.28 2.34

0.4 0.87

+3 +3

1+3 1+8

3 3

200 290

$9,300 $33,000

G4W G4W

43 56 46

+1/3 0/3 +1/3

10f 10f 10f

2/37* 5/68* 4/59*

1.04 1.65 0.96

0.4 0.28 0.2

+2 +3 +4

1+3 1+1 1+1

3 3 3

300 315 295

$16,000 $20,000 $26,000

G4W G4W G4W

59 53 61 67

+1/3 +1/3 0/3 -1/4

10f 10f 10f 12f

4/73* 5/73* 5/48* 3/56*

1.95 1.44 2.17 2.89

0.33 0.25 0.4 0.51

+3 +3 +4 +4

1+3 1+1 1+3 1+5

3 3 4 5

425 400 275 350

$80,000 $40,000 $22,000 $110,000

G4W G4W G4W G4W

64 61

-1/4 0/3

12f 10f

2/57* 5/64*

2.64 1.96

0.64 0.2

+4 +4

1+1 1+1

4 4

390 270

$20,000 $13,000

G4W G4W

62

0/4

12f

1/35

3.36

1.49

+3

1+8

4

265

$40,000

G4W

59

+1/3

10f

5/90*

1.84

0.2

+3

1+1

3

595

$160,000

G4W

87

-1/4

12f

2/34*

7.25

2.07

+4

1+2

5

300

$32,000

G4W

55 57 58

0/4 +1/3 0/4

11f 2/63* 10f 6/103* 11f 2/56*

1.86 1.71 2.01

0.55 0.3 0.5

+3 +3 +3

1+4 1+1 1+4

4 3 4

460 150 500

$14,500 $1,870,000 $18,000

G4W G4W G4W

65 29 20

+2/3 +1/2 0/3

11f 10f 10

8/93* 6/37 5/5*

2.67 0.3 0.19

0.56 0.11 0.13

+3 +1 -1

1+4 1 1

3 4 2

314 200 10

$204,000 $7,000 $5,000

G4W E4W E2W

DRIVING (MOTORCYCLE) 8 8

Dirt Bike Motor Trike

24 39

DRIVING (AUTOMOBILE) 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Citroen Traction Avant VW Beetle Land Rover Series III LWB Mini Jaguar E-Type Lotus Elan Series 4 DHC SE Aston Martin DB5 Porsche 911S Chevy Impala 1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Ford Transit Ford Mustang Mach I 1969 Land Rover Defender 110 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV GMC/Workhorse W42 Mini Cooper (new) Pagani Zonda S Toyota Prius XW50 Lamborghini Urus Light ATV Pavement Scooter

DRIVING (HEAVY WHEELED) 8 8 7 8

10-Wheeler City Bus Double-Decker Bus Combine Harvester

86 92 102

-1/4 -1/4 -1/4

11f 11f 11f

1/27* 1/25* 1/27*

12.25 12 15.43

7.25 6 7.2

+4 +5 +5

1+2 1+30 1+72

5 4 4

600 450 350

$150,000 $20,000 $40,000

G10W G4W G4W

125

-1/4

12f

3/9

25.8

10.55

+5

1

4

400

$80,000

G4W

3/3*

2.07

0.85

+2

1

3

170

$10,000

G4W or G2C

DRIVING (CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT) 8

Skid Loader

54

0/3

12f

Prices are representative only, especially when the same model has undergone gradual upgrades over a period of decades.

Pyramid Magazine

47 Modern/Action I

Random Thought Table Get Paid, Heroically

By Steven Marsh, Pyramid Editor Hello again! Welcome once more to a corner of my brain. presented here work well for less-than-heroic campaigns, As part of an effort to provide my child with a quality eduand may even inspire you to create something cool and awecation during these trying times, I showed him the original some on your own. Ghostbusters movies (my first time seeing them in well over 15 years). They hold up pretty well. I was particularly surprised at how much I enjoyed Ghostbusters II; This probably isn’t a good time to bring I think the conventional wisdom about this up, but the last time we did a job for that 1989 film was “wrong,” in that it did a lot of things right, and its biggest the city you stiffed us. crime seems to have been focusing on a relatively optimistic and hopeful emo– Dr. Peter Venkman, tional space at a time when cynicism and in Ghostbusters II (screenplay) Batmania reigned supreme. One feature struck me about the whole franchise – one which is particularly applicable to modern gaming: It is an exceptionally rare he ppeals of modern movie that hinges its heroism on capitalism. There are plenty of movies with heroes; we’re currently a decadeaking oney plus into a wave of superheroic films, and countless examples Keeping your “eye on the prize” as far as what’s enticing exist before and after. And there are plenty of movies and TV about a genre idea can help us find problems and solutions. shows where the pursuit, acquisition, and retention of money Here’s a quick overview of why we might want to meld heroform a central theme, but the protagonists aren’t “heroes” in ism with commerce: the adventure-game context. But those two seldom meet. Heroes like Spider-Man have • Defined adventure goals and rewards. It’s fun to resolve a money problems all the time, but they don’t do the obvious big client’s situation! thing and just use their abilities to make money. • It provides new campaign possibilities: “We need to rusWhy is that? Well, let’s look at the reasons why this tle up some new clients; maybe we need to film a commercial!” approach might be appealing, why this approach isn’t used This can be especially true for players who enjoy bookkeeping more often, and what we can do to help make it happen. or juggling numbers.

T M

Heroes With a Capital “H” Plenty of modern-day campaigns revolve around money; perhaps the most common are the worlds of organized crime, mercenaries, treasure-hunters, and so on. But we’re setting our sights a bit higher today, looking at modern ideas that would obviously be considered extra heroic, in the vein of GURPS Monster Hunters, GURPS Supers, GURPS Action, and the like. In other words, putting the protagonists in the roles of obvious heroes, with the wrinkle that they’re charging money for their efforts. However, some of the ideas

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A

M

• A melding of self-determinism and overarching necessity. Many heroic games have the problem where the players can feel hamstrung by their adventure options; if they don’t take the opportunity to stop Dr. Bwahahaha from stealing all the batteries in the city, then there isn’t going to be an adventure. Putting the heroes in charge of their own decisions can be a lot more satisfying (especially if the GM gives them genuine freedom to say no to potential business transactions). However, ongoing financial concerns mean the heroes can’t be entirely picky about what they take. It’s a good tension, if you can get it right.

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The Pitfalls of Private Enterprise

The biggest challenge of designing a campaign like this is the many fiddly bits the GM needs to sort out to make it work. To wit: • The protagonists need to find professions that are both heroic and mercantile. It’s probably best to make one up, since coming up with a problem only the heroes can solve lets the GM control both sides of the supply/demand “equation.” • The money values have to be juggled carefully for the campaign to maintain a certain economic feel. In the same way you don’t want a Traveller-esque spacefaring entrepreneurial campaign to result in the heroes becoming billionaires in their first mission, you don’t want the heroes to buy their own islands after the first adventure. Ghostbusters has a solidly middle- to lower-middle-class feel to it, but it wouldn’t take much to make that aesthetic fall apart. If Egon’s inventions weren’t exclusively useful to catch ghosts, he could almost certainly make a boatload of money just selling them. (There might need to be vague manufacturing or economy-of-scale reasons for not selling the gizmos, since those proton packs seem like they’d do a fair bit of damage against non-ghosts if used – say – by the military . . .) Check out Out Standing In My Field, All Alone from Pyramid #3/46: Weird Science, pp. 36-37, for some possible explanations for limited distribution. • It can be tricky to have enough number-crunching to be an interesting diversion, but not so much juggling that it chews up too much game time – unless the players enjoy that.

for example, a world where all cryptography and secure electronic communications have somehow been cracked – say, by a new, commonly available algorithm that can decipher any essential message in seconds. Suddenly there may be a demand for a service of human transporters who can take physical documents or lockboxes from place to place – or intercept those who do so. That would certainly allow the heroes to be (ostensibly) “heroes” (in a James Bond-esque spy kind of way) while still being employable.

The Economics The trickiest bit is making sure that the campaign financial system is set up in such a way that it “makes sense,” without allowing the heroes to become super-rich or too desperate.

Let’s Do It!

Now that we know what we’re getting into, and we know the potential problems, let’s sort this out bit by bit.

The Profession As noted earlier, it’s almost always going to be easier to come up with the problem and solution at the same time, since you can adjust both sides of that. You also need to figure out how the heroes can be special enough to be interesting and heroic, but not so interesting that they’ll become filthy rich overnight. The supernatural is an obvious place to start, and it’s the one Ghostbusters uses. If the heroes have some kind of unique skill, magical ability, superpower, or insider knowledge which lines up conveniently enough with a threat, then you’re golden! “Only the first dozen people born after midnight on January 1, 2001 can detect and fight the Midnightmares — time to set up a business!” However, it is also possible to create a plausibly realistic problem in search of a solution that only the protagonists can provide. Imagine,

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49 Modern/Action I

Fortunately, GURPS does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. An easy method is to use the Jobs rules (pp. B516-517) to determine the Wealth level and typical monthly pay for whatever profession the GM and players envision. For example, if they agree that Midnightmare hunting should afford Comfortable Wealth at TL8, then each PC needs to bring home $5,200 a month – after expenses and everything else. If there are four players, then the campaign is looking at $20,800 a month. If the heroes are working for some kind of franchise or large company, then the rest can all be handwaved away; the organization they work for charges enough to make it worthwhile, and they pay the heroes enough to sort out the calculations above. But isn’t it fun to be your own boss? In that case, you need to figure out: • How much the expenses would be for an organization of that size. If the heroes want a cool headquarters or vehicle, it’ll cost ’em. GURPS Boardroom and Curia can be invaluable to sort out the numbers here. • What kind of cool equipment or gear they’ll have, and – especially – whether it’s expendable. • What kind of extra expenses they’ll have. In particular, collateral damage can eat into profits (especially if the law becomes involved). Once you decide on typical services, the Collateral Damage guidelines from GURPS Powers, p. 165 – perhaps tempered with Rules for Cinematic Campaigns from GURPS Supers, p. 116 – can be incredibly useful in sorting out those extra expenses (which should

be added to the gross profits needed). Although contracts can specify that the clients are responsible for any collateral damage the heroes do, “I blew up your entire house to resolve your goblinoid infestation” isn’t going to earn repeat business. • How often the heroes go on assignments. If the players meet weekly and those “missions” are the only ones the heroes are expected to go on, then the GM can divide the total monthly expenses plus desired profit by four to get a suitable amount to charge clients. If the heroes are assumed to go on “easier” missions between the more-interesting ones that have actual adventures, then either assume all missions have the same cost and divide accordingly, or assign some kind of “premium” to the challenging cases. (The former is recommended because the PCs probably won’t know ahead of time which goblinoid infestations are “routine” and which involve a trip to the Fae Realm of Yestermorrow). Once you’ve got a threat and an economic model to back it up, you’re ready for business – literally!

About the Editor

Steven Marsh is a freelance writer and editor. He has contributed to roleplaying game releases from Steve Jackson Games, Green Ronin, West End Games, White Wolf, Hogshead Publishing, and others. He has been editing Pyramid since 2000; during that time, he won four Origins awards. He lives in Indiana with his wife, Nikola Vrtis, and their son.

Legality Bites The default assumption of this “genre” (such as it is) is that the heroes are operating largely above board. This is primarily because there are already plenty of tropes and examples of underground folks doing shady things for money. And, really, it’s harder to do a pure “heroic” thing if the law is after you. Besides, photo ops at charity events and children’s hospitals are awesome. However, if the campaign is going to have subplots where the heroes skirt up against laws or bureaucracy (which is 100% recommended), then it’s best to keep that from being heavy-handed. If the heroes have twice as much money as they should have, then the players will

likely balk if their funds are reduced by half because of taxes. But it becomes an understandable inconvenience if the cost of the Probsolvium they rely on has gone up dramatically and they have to spend more to get it. Besides, the latter spurs plot possibilities of the heroes going out and finding their own Probsolvium . . . In the case of cutting-edge or new threats, the mostlikely scenario is that the law simply hasn’t caught up yet with whatever the heroes are doing. If the players are into it, trying to shape and negotiate new laws and legislation can provide a different kind of adventuring opportunity.

Money – Why Bother? The question may arise: Why bother with exact numbers for expenses or clients? There are a couple of reasons. First, bookkeeping is fun! Many players enjoy the thrill of shopping with exact numbers and dollars, and negotiating a $1,000 “inferno bonus” on the spot can be deeply satisfying. Also, understanding the numbers will help the GM understand the kinds of clients who can actually afford whatever the campaign revolves around – or what kind of exceptions need to be made. For example, if the heroes’ actions run to about $1,000 per “adventure,” then that’s relatively reasonable; it’d be a challenging expense for

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most middle-class households, but nothing insurmountable and certainly comparable to thorough-but-mundane extermination or cleaning service. Conversely, if the numbers say that the heroes need to charge $50,000+ per “client,” then their prospects are only going to be corporations, millionaires, or really desperate folks scrounging every penny to deal with a problem. If one of these versions doesn’t suit the campaign – at least most of the time – maybe the players and GM need to devise a pro-bono or lottery system that can ensure lower-tier socioeconomic adventure possibilities.

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About the Authors Michele Armellini lives in Udine, Italy, with his very understanding wife Silvia. Michele makes a living out of foreign languages, but he loves dabbling in and studying the obscure and the uncanny  – and trying to convert them into game mechanics! He has written for Pyramid, and he is the author of GURPS WWII: Grim Legions. He is the author or co-author (with Hans-Christian Vortisch) of several other GURPS products: GURPS Locations: St. George’s Cathedral, GURPS WWII: Their Finest Hour, GURPS WWII: Doomed White Eagle, and GURPS WWII: Michael’s Army. Roger Burton West wrangles computers near London, UK. He has had articles published in volumes 2 and 3 of Pyramid, co-wrote GURPS Reign of Steel: Will to Live, and wrote GURPS Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout; whoever’s monitoring his web searches has probably dismissed him as a harmless crank. His gaming website is tekeli.li. Rory Fansler (also known as “refplace”) is an analyst and tinkerer, preferring “kitchen sink” campaigns with rich backgrounds to explore and puzzles to solve. Some of his ideas can be found at warehouse23.com/products?utf8= &keywords=rory+fansler and refplace.blogspot.com, where he also does reviews and provides information to help newcomers to GURPS. S.A. Fisher is from Arkansas, where he teaches military history. He is a former infantryman and police officer. His hobbies include blacksmithing and gun-making. He is the author of GURPS WWII: Dogfaces and GURPS WWII: Hand of Steel, and co-author of GURPS High-Tech, GURPS Gun Fu, and GURPS Loadouts: Monster Hunters. Phil Masters is the author of numerous GURPS books, including GURPS Banestorm, GURPS Thaumatology, and the Fourth Edition GURPS Steampunk series – as well as of several books for other games and a roleplaying game of his own creation, The Small Folk, which can be found at warehouse23.com/products/the-small-folk. Quantum physics still works for him, and his house is mercifully free of steam robots. Sean Punch set out to become a particle physicist in 1985 and ended up as GURPS Line Editor in 1995. In that capacity, he has written, edited, or contributed to hundreds of GURPS releases, revised the game into its fourth edition (2004), and been a regular contributor to Pyramid magazine.

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From 2008, he has served as lead creator of the GURPS Action and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series; work on the latter led to his design of the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, released in 2017. Sean has been a gamer since 1979, but devotes most of his spare time to Argentine tango. He lives in Montréal, Québec with son amour, Geneviève. Christopher R. Rice has been published in Pyramid multiple times, and now he’s been published in the newest iteration. He’s authored, co-authored, or contributed to eight GURPS supplements (and counting!) on a range of subjects. Of course, if he’s not writing about GURPS, he’s blogging about it. Visit his site, “Ravens N’ Pennies” (www.ravensnpennies.com), for more GURPS goodies. He wishes to thank L.A., for being the wonderful, amazing, inspiring woman that she is – not every man gets his muse personified in the flesh! He also wishes to thank his gaming group – the Headhunters – for alpha testing, his family (especially his mother), and Elizabeth “Archangel Beth” McCoy, his Sith Editrix mentor. Matt Riggsby is trained in anthropology and archaeology and, like the rest of his generation, has a job in computers. He works for an international healthcare IT company, has written or contributed to numerous GURPS supplements and Pyramid articles, and lives with his lovely and talented wife, an above-average child, and a pack of dogs. Longtime gamers, Carolyn Ivy Stein and Steve Stein have played GURPS since the release of the Third Edition in 1988. Carolyn is a freelance writer. Steve is a professor of military and maritime history at the University of Memphis, and has published three books, most recently The Sea in World History: Exploration, Travel, and Trade (ABC-CLIO, 2017). He also teaches strategy for the Naval War College. J. Edward Tremlett, a.k.a. “the Lurker in Lansing,” takes his ancient keyboard from its hiding place and unfurls his words upon the world. His bizarre lifestyle has taken him to such exotic locales as South Korea and Dubai. He is a frequent contributor to Pyramid, was the editor of The Wraith Project, and has seen print in The End Is Nigh, Worlds of Cthulhu, and the anthology Ride the Star Wind. He’s the author of the fictional blog SPYGOD’s Tales (spygod-tales.blogspot.com), and lives in Lansing with two cats and enough Lego bricks to make a Great Old One. Maybe he already has.

51 Modern/Action I

About GURPS Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS players. We can be reached by email: [emailprotected]. Our address is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Resources include: New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com. Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS print items, plus PDFs of our books, supplements, adventures, play aids, and support . . . including exclusive material available only on Warehouse 23! Just head over to warehouse23.com. Internet. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. You can also join us at facebook.com/sjgames or twitter.com/sjgames. Share your brief campaign teasers with #GURPShook on Twitter. Or explore that hashtag for

ideas to add to your own game! The Pyramid web page is pyramid.sjgames.com. Store Finder (storefinder.sjgames.com): Discover nearby places to buy GURPS items and other Steve Jackson Games products. Local shops are great places to play our games and meet fellow gamers! Bibliographies. Bibliographies are a great resource for finding more of what you love! We’ve added them to many GURPS book web pages with links to help you find the next perfect element for your game. Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our best to fix our errors. Errata pages for GURPS releases are available at sjgames.com/errata/gurps. Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer to that book, not this one.

STUCK FOR AN ADVENTURE?

NO PROBLEM.

Warehouse 23 sells high-quality game adventures and supplements in print and PDF formats. l Free downloadable adventures for GURPS and In Nomine! l Fun gaming accessories – shot glasses, shirts, specialty six-siders, and more! l PDFs from Atlas Games, Amarillo Design Bureau, Goodman Games,

and many others – plus gems from the up-and-comers. l Original material for Transhuman Space and new GURPS supplements

from Kenneth Hite, Phil Masters, David Pulver, Sean Punch, and William Stoddard! l Fully searchable files of GURPS Fourth Edition supplements. l Digital editions of out-of-print classics, from Orcslayer and the complete run

of ADQ to GURPS China and GURPS Ice Age. l Buy board games and roleplaying PDFs in the same order!

Download digital purchases again whenever you need to. ®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES warehouse23.com

Pyramid Magazine

52 Modern/Action I

Pyramid 4-002 - Modern - Action I - PDFCOFFEE.COM (2025)
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