The Einstein Engine - free 2e adventure from Cubicle 7

[misterharry]

Just spotted that Cubicle 7 have released a free pdf adventure, The Einstein Engine:

The Einstein Engine

It's also available from DrivethruRPG.

[drinkplentyofmalk]

I finally checked this out, and I was utterly shocked by how it actually managed to live up to that description. It had all of the fun vibrancy of one of the DWM comic strips, while also being so high-concept it'd fit right next to something from one of the novel ranges. In short, it somehow arrived near-exactly at my personal taste - would absolutely run this for a group one of these days.

I do find it funny how only two things felt distinctly 'Chibnall Era' - the globe-trotting bits (here feeling justified as the story actually has the high scope to back it up) and the fact that the villains have a forgettable and kind of crap name. The Geh-Kor-Rell's name is probably one major thing I'd really alter, lol. (If it has some kind of clever double-meaning, then it's gone over my head)

I do have to give kudos to whoever's responsible for the graphic design on these 2e books so far - they're pretty bright and colourful in an uncluttered way that makes for breezy reading. Probably the cleanest implementation of this version of the game's minimalist mission statement.

Speaking of, I did a VERY quick go of adapting the stats we get in this to first ed, just in case. A massive rush job done in a few hours, so every special ability is probably phrased in an extremely clunky way and some traits might not fit perfectly; am open to altering them if anyone has suggestions, but they're hopefully decent enough that someone could use them in a pinch.
(I'm also completely useless at html text or whatever it is these forums use, so apologies for the lack of proper formatting, would absolutely shove these under some 'click here' folder if I could.)

KEVO CONNEELY
ATTRIBUTES
Awareness: 3
Coordination: 3
Ingenuity: 2
Presence: 2
Resolve: 2
Strength: 4

SKILLS
Athletics 4, Craft 3, Survival 3, Technology 2, Transport 2

TRAITS
Cowardly
Unadventurous (Minor)
TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 5
STORY POINTS: 1


MAX KLEINER, THE YOUNG EINSTEIN
ATTRIBUTES
Awareness: 4
Coordination: 3
Ingenuity: 6
Presence: 3
Resolve: 5
Strength: 2

SKILLS
Athletics 3, Craft 4, Knowledge 5, Science 5, Subterfuge 2, Technology 5

TRAITS
Alien Appearance - Cloud-like markings of purple and pink on one side of face, hair midnight blue and speckled with stars
Argumentative
Boffin
Distrustful
Eccentric (Minor) - Intense and focused
Run for Your Life!
Sense of Direction
Mental Calculator
Obsession (Major) - Help his fellow Einsteins escape imprisonment
Technically Adept
Wanted (Major) - By the Geh-Koh-Rell
Vortex (Special) - Max can 'fold' dimensions around himself, giving him (and anyone touching him) the ability to travel in both time and space. Short jumps limited to a few hundred metres in distance are effortless, but anything more complex than that (such as greater distances or time travel) leaves him fatigued. Extra-dimensional folding requires precise calculations and reduces all his attributes by 2, leaving him unconscious.

EQUIPMENT
Geiger Counter with a Few Calculators Taped to It [Traits: Scan (Extradimensional Rifts), Restriction (Requires multiple skill checks to complete a reading)]

TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 7
STORY POINTS: 6


AVATAR OF THE GEH-KOH-REL (POSSESSED HUMAN)
ATTRIBUTES
Awareness: 4
Coordination: 4
Ingenuity: 3
Presence: 4
Resolve: 4
Strength: 5

SKILLS
Fighting 6, Survival 5

TRAITS
Alien Appearance - Glass shard embedded in forehead and shadow replaced by tenacles, moves like a marionette
Fear Factor 1
Relentless
Natural Weapons (Major) - Piercing Touch: Can read a victim's mind though piercing their temple with glass-tipped finger, temporarily reducing Awareness and Ingenuity by 1 and permanently erasing their memories of the last 24 hours. Disorientation lasts for minutes, but effects Psychic (and psychic-adjacent) characters for hours.
Single-Minded (Major)
Tough
Weakness (Minor) - The Geh-Kor-Rel's extra-dimensional influence can be temporarily disrupted by temporal energy or sonic frequencies
Weakness (Major) - Possession only lasts while Geh-Kor-Rel can keep their foothold in N-Space, exactly seven minutes

TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 7
STORY POINTS: 2

Any individual who has survived possession gains Past Trauma (Major).


AVATAR OF THE GEH-KOH-REL (POSSESSED CENTIPEDE)
ATTRIBUTES
Awareness: 4
Coordination: 4
Ingenuity: 1
Presence: 4
Resolve: 4
Strength: 4

SKILLS
Fighting 6, Survival 5

TRAITS
Additional Limbs x2
Climbing (Major)
Fear Factor 2
Natural Weapon (Minor) - Mandibles: Strength +2 damage
Single-Minded (Major)
Tough
Weakness (Minor) - The Geh-Kor-Rel's extra-dimensional influence can be temporarily disrupted by temporal energy or sonic frequencies
Weakness (Major) - Possession only lasts while Geh-Kor-Rel can keep their foothold in N-Space, exactly seven minutes

TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 7
STORY POINTS: 2


THE ELDER EINSTEIN
ATTRIBUTES
Awareness: 3
Coordination: 3
Ingenuity: 6
Presence: 3
Resolve: 5
Strength: 2

SKILLS
Athletics 3, Convince 4, Craft 4, Knowledge 5, Science 5, Survival 3, Technology 5

TRAITS
Authority (Minor) - De-facto leader of the Einsteins
Boffin
Distinctive - Elderly clone of Albert Einstein
Emphatic
Impaired - Suffers -2 disadvantage to any coordination rolls when separated from a walking aid
Mental Calculator
Obsession (Major) - Escape the Geh-Koh-Rell's enslavement and collapsing dimension
Technically Adept
Voice of Authority

EQUIPMENT
Walking Stick

TECHNOLOGY LEVEL: 7
STORY POINTS: 2


BONUS: GENERAL TEMPLATE FOR ALL GEH-KOR-RELL POSSESSION
ATTRIBUTES: +1 to Awareness, Coordination. Ingenuity and Strength. +2 to Presence and Resolve.
SKILLS: Change Fighting to 6, Survival to 5, and all others to zero.
Change TL to 7, and story points to 2.
TRAITS: See Possessed Human

(A bit strange that they don't give you one for the normal Geh-Kor-Rell, but I suppose they're meant to be uber-powerful. That or there just wasn't room/time. Maybe when we get to the 13th Doctor EU Sourcebook. /Half-Joking)

[Catsmate]

I agree that The Einstein Engine is a good scenario, I was quite surprised after the not-worth-the-money disappointment of the "Second Edition" ruleset. In fact I though I'd reviewed it months ago.