Roleplayer #24, June 1991
Combining GURPS
Horror with The Prisoner
The Village is a Frightening Place
by Christopher Burke
The heroes just tackled a fierce vampire. Even though she got away,
they still foiled her plans and learned enough so that she won't be a threat
if she ever comes back.
That night they are awakened by a roar, and the piercing scream of a victim.
They rush to the window to discover . . . a giant bubble named Rover chasing
a curfew breaker. The scene outside their window is unfamiliar, and they
can't get outside! They're trapped . . .
In the morning, they are each summoned to the office of a man who introduces
himself as No. 2. "We want information," he says.
If it is getting harder to scare your players when they encounter the supernatural,
turn the tables on them with a GURPS
Prisoner adventure. Let them learn something they should
not have learned -- something they "were not meant to know." Whether
the investigators discovered the daytime resting place of a vampire or witnessed
the mystic ritual for summoning Ancient Ones, there are those who would
benefit greatly from the knowledge.
Someone -- part of the Cabal, or a Cabal foe -- wants this information,
and what better way to extract it that to bring the PCs to the Village?
The PCs will be removed from their normal world to a world of the full-blown
supernatural. They need not snoop around to find unearthly creatures --
the monsters are out in the open and doing all of the snooping.
It may not be the "real" village of The Prisoner, but
it could be. On the other hand, maybe the Cabal elite are cult followers
(or even the producers) of the original program. But the big difference
is that the Cabal has the resources to pull out all the stops in scaring
and studying the PCs: scientific advancements, magic, psionic abilities,
villagers who howl at the moon . . .
Everything inside the PCs' heads is fair game, and they will remain "guests"
of the Village until they escape, reveal their knowledge, or die. Of course
any psionic could read their minds, but No. 2 may not want this. He might
believe mind-reading is unreliable; he might be afraid of damaging the PCs'
brains before getting the information; or perhaps he is doesn't trust psionic
abilities, or those who have them.
New Villages
The setting need not be the original Village; any isolated area is fine.
In fact, the PCs don't even need to know that they are prisoners . . . until
it's too late. Circumstances beyond their control can leave them stranded
in some small remote town where everyone and everything is a little bit
odd, but nothing is too abnormal -- at least not at first.
For example, while headed to an investigation, the party stops at a service
station for directions. A kindly old man named Smith with an eye patch and
a wooden leg points them in the right direction and even gives them a map
of the area. About an hour later, as they're wondering if the old man knew
what he was talking about, the car breaks down, and they have to push it
two miles down the road to a small town.
Once there, they find the natives are somewhat eccentric. The sheriff goes
fishing every day during lunch, but there are no bodies of water nearby.
The town mechanic took the week off to visit his sick aunt -- who died four
years ago. The assistant mechanic turns out to be a bumbling clod who can't
find the wrench in his tool belt, but manages to dismantle the entire engine,
"lookin' for the trouble." The PCs are stranded as they wait for
replacement parts to arrive.
Slowly, the party notices other eccentricities. Black cats have white stripes
painted on them. On the 13th of the month, nobody uses ladders, and all
mirrors are covered. And for such a quiet town, the people enjoy a very
active night life.
The intrepid PCs will no doubt continue to search for ways to get out, only
to have the rug pulled out from under them every time. Meanwhile, No. 2
is observing and can pick them apart at his leisure, revealing himself and
his manipulations only when he chooses. Maybe he's also the one controlling
the owls . . .
A crossover Horror / Prisoner storyline lets the
party visit the Village for an adventure or two before allowing them to
leave and continue their ghost-and-goblin escapades. And if they learn some
more secret, valuable knowledge, they may be invited back. That is, if they
ever really left . . .
(Back to Roleplayer
#24 Table of Contents)
Copyright © 1997 by Steve Jackson Games.
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