[Scenario] The Shopping Mall at the South Pole

[mhopcroft]

This is the germ of an idea, ready to be fleshed out once I become more familiar with the game (I'm waiting on my ability to get it at DriveThru).

Spenditwell is a massive shopping-recreation complex that was built in Antarctica in the late 21st Century. Outside the complex is the frozen wastes of the Antarctic. The Doctor was involved in the design of its state-of-the-art security system, and has returned five years later to pick up a few needed supplies.

But things are starting to go wrong. Parents who are tired of dealing with their teenage children's rebelliousness have taken to dumping them at the mall and leaving them to their fate. Security has taken to 'expelling" the especially rambunctious ones, who are being taken in by an arctic survivalist as opposed to dying of exposure (the security force is unaware of this). Worse, the Doctor's presence at the mall is not unexpected and a trap has been laid for him with everyone in the mall as the bait.

The Doctor must deal with the corrupted management and figure out who is trying to destroy him (not that there aren't any number of candidates for someone who's made as many enemies as the Doctor has over the centuries).

[Jason_WPGL]

Interesting idea you have there.

[Null and Void]

Wow... thats a scenario right out of Sylvester McCoy's first season...! Well done.

[mhopcroft]

Thanks. the inspiration was from that era, in fact. Colin Baker, right after he was fired, came to oregon for an exhibition and made an off-hand comment about "going to the shopping mall for four episodes" not being very interesting. I never did write the full story at the time, but the idea's been percolating for twenty years, maybe more.

[JohnK]

Hullo, mhopcroft,

Dec 23, 2009 2:00:29 GMT mhopcroft said:

This is the germ of an idea, ready to be fleshed out once I become more familiar with the game (I'm waiting on my ability to get it at DriveThru).

Spenditwell is a massive shopping-recreation complex that was built in Antarctica in the late 21st Century. Outside the complex is the frozen wastes of the Antarctic. The Doctor was involved in the design of its state-of-the-art security system, and has returned five years later to pick up a few needed supplies.

But things are starting to go wrong. Parents who are tired of dealing with their teenage children's rebelliousness have taken to dumping them at the mall and leaving them to their fate. Security has taken to 'expelling" the especially rambunctious ones, who are being taken in by an arctic survivalist as opposed to dying of exposure (the security force is unaware of this). Worse, the Doctor's presence at the mall is not unexpected and a trap has been laid for him with everyone in the mall as the bait.

The Doctor must deal with the corrupted management and figure out who is trying to destroy him (not that there aren't any number of candidates for someone who's made as many enemies as the Doctor has over the centuries).

Interesting scenario idea that you have here, and quite precocious in theme (although it is Christmas, so that's all right!).

Reminds me of something that Colin Baker's Doctor might have done, and even Sylvester McCoy's Doctor. Out of curiosity, have you read of the sf noir novels by John Zakour? One of them, the fifth iirc, had a murder at the North Pole theme to it to, but was quite humourous.

Btw, who did you envision as the villain behind the plot and all? And why?

[mhopcroft]

Dec 23, 2009 20:21:36 GMT JohnK said:

Hullo, mhopcroft,

Interesting scenario idea that you have here, and quite precocious in theme (although it is Christmas, so that's all right!).

Reminds me of something that Colin Baker's Doctor might have done, and even Sylvester McCoy's Doctor. Out of curiosity, have you read of the sf noir novels by John Zakour? One of them, the fifth iirc, had a murder at the North Pole theme to it to, but was quite humourous.

Btw, who did you envision as the villain behind the plot and all? And why?

Haven't read any Zakour, sorry.

The Master would be too stereotypical, I think. So I don't know for sure who it would be. Perhaps someone the Doctor will "wrong" in his past but the Doctor's future (putting the "timedummy effect" into play on the Doctor's side for once.)

[JohnK]

Hullo, mhopcroft,

Dec 23, 2009 22:22:39 GMT mhopcroft said:

Dec 23, 2009 20:21:36 GMT JohnK said:

Hullo, mhopcroft,

Interesting scenario idea that you have here, and quite precocious in theme (although it is Christmas, so that's all right!).

Reminds me of something that Colin Baker's Doctor might have done, and even Sylvester McCoy's Doctor. Out of curiosity, have you read of the sf noir novels by John Zakour? One of them, the fifth iirc, had a murder at the North Pole theme to it to, but was quite humourous.

Btw, who did you envision as the villain behind the plot and all? And why?

Haven't read any Zakour, sorry.

The Master would be too stereotypical, I think. So I don't know for sure who it would be. Perhaps someone the Doctor will "wrong" in his past but the Doctor's future (putting the "timedummy effect" into play on the Doctor's side for once.)

The Zakour novel is called The Frost-Haired Vixen.

I can't see this being the work of the Master, although his possibly striking at the Doctor's sentimentality for these humans is certainly in keeping with his previous regenerations. That said, I like the idea of it being the work of a foe the Doctor has yet to meet, as the villain will be familiar with his modus operandi but the same can't be said to be true. Hmm...yes, I likes! Likes it a lot!

[zebaroth]

sounds good to me

[zebaroth]

you could have the villains be the Nistine and the Atouns

[Rel Fexive]

I'm at a 'geek night' New Year's Eve tonight, with short RPG games and similar geekery, so I think I might run a short adventure based on this idea! But mine will be set further in the future (43rd century, TL7), have transmats (to bring all the shoppers to Antarctica) and everyone disappearing mid-shop!

Ah, the perils of the sales!

[THE \/ince]

Like a cross between Paradise Towers and Dragonfire (the old Sylvester McCoy stories).

I'm imagining elderly bargain hunters who would literally kill for that item someone just picked up. They could follow women into the changing rooms and devour their prey, walking out with the item they were after.

And a big game hunter type, dressed like he's just stepped off the set of a period piece with a high technology hunting rifle. No one seems to notice him, other than the players. All of the shoppers go about their business like he's invisible. He's stalking the bargain hunters, picking them off one by one. As soon as he's killed one a horde of cleaners come in and remove the body before any of the other shoppers can become upset by the sight.

The catch? The big game hunter released the 'vores (the bargain hunting killers) for sport. If any of the innocent shoppers get killed, that just adds to the game. He's got a nest of 'vores hidden somewhere, which could be the next stop for the players...

Just brainstorming. Feel free to use/ignore as you see fit.

THE \/ince

[Rel Fexive]

So, I ran my adventure, The Last Sale, last night. I think it went well!


In summary, the Doctor took some companions (Rose, Martha, K-9, Stuart the student and Bob the UNIT soldier) to the New Year's Eve sales of 4286 at the BigWorld Mall, so big you have to transmat around it to avoid the fifteen mile (or more) hike from one category sector to another. The Doctor leaves them to do some shopping of his own and just as everything is going well there's a flash of light and every other shopper, millions of them, vanish!

Turns out some nasty Rigellian Slavers had nabbed everyone using the emergency transmat system (which stored them all as data in huge databanks) but it only got those who had used the transmat (instead of, say, a TARDIS) to get there. A bit of sneaking around and running from co-opted service robots gets them to Central Information, where K-9 is able to access the main computer, Diligence, and turn the emergency transmats on the slavers, trapping them in storage as well. Turns out the Doctor had been captured too, but only so he could get close enough to Diligence to ensure K-9 would get access.

With the slavers captured, the Doctor was able to release the people from storage, call in the Shadow Proclamation to collect the prisoners, and get them all out of there before anyone started asking any annoying questions.


The game ran well. K-9 certainly got to use his Ingenuity + Technology alot as he turned out to be the solution to most things; scanning, more scanning, and accessing computers. It would've turned out differently if someone hadn't played him as about 80% of the adventure was improvised anyway! Also, Bob the soldier had fun hot-wiring an antique 21st century VolkSkoda to try and reach the weaponry sector, and then finding a laser gun that would actually work!

And all the players really liked using Story Points to roll extra dice whenever they had to do something even remotely important! There were a few instances of 'plot nudges' being used too.

[mhopcroft]

Sounds like you had a good time. Glad I could be of help.

[Rel Fexive]

Jan 8, 2010 19:06:42 GMT mhopcroft said:

Sounds like you had a good time. Glad I could be of help.

Absolutely. Have karma!

[ugavine]

I'm liking this adventure seed.
I probably wouldn't go with the plot idea myself, more of a plot to destroy the Mall by rivals.

And I love the idea of vicious bargain hunters, that's brilliant. I'm thinking charcaters like Nord from Greatest Show in the Galaxy.

[Spickey Millane]

I love the ideas in this thread ;D Best idea for a shopping mall since George Romero! I love the idea of OAP bargain hunters and the game hunter. The original scenario with it's displaced teens and a trap for the characters is a great one too.

Another use for a shopping mall could be as an supposedly abandoned building on an alien world or a devestated future earth, where characters might have to wander to look for vital resources (far from original but it could add a little colour to another scenario where it's not the main focus (and might even be something of an oddity to the setting)).