Post by thornburgmp on Jul 2, 2023 19:18:55 GMT
Background and Premise
This adventure takes place in a slightly different universe than the canon series wherein humanity's first well-known encounter with the Cybermen was in the 23rd century. Humanity had at this point spread to multiple planets in our Solar System but failed to venture to the stars, largely because it was divided among many squabbling factions. That changed when a young man named J.K. McKarin broadcast an appeal on social media that resonated deeply and led him to be elected to office and later unite humanity to fight off an invasion of Cybermen. The victory set humanity on its course with destiny.
In the scenario, the Cybermen send a human collaborator back in time to infiltrate J.K. McKarin's school and destroy his confidence. This fundamentally changes one of the greatest leaders of humanity into a meek shell of a person. Having done this, the collaborator goes forward in time to the date of the speech broadcast and sabotages social media. Without its unifying force, humanity is "upgraded" by the Cybermen.
The PCs must right these wrongs. They land near the time of the speech and usually restore the social media first. This leads to McKarin's speech being broadcast but because his upbringing changed him, he proves a weak leader and the Cybermen still win. So the PCs must find a way to get back to his youth and restore his confidence. (Yes, it's very much based on Back to the Future...)
With this done, the timeline is restored and locked into place.
Obstacles and Complications
There are a number of things that make the story exciting:
1. Humanity of the 23rd century is hypercapitalist. PCs must acquire money some way to do anything. They can do it with a sports almanac but need to be careful they don't change history too much by hoarding money.
2. The temporal radiation of the PCs will draw the Oxford University Temporal Research Institute of the time to find and capture them. They must elude capture and break out if necessary.
3. The PCs who try to apprehend the collaborator at home may come face to face with a Cyberman!
4. Ticking clock -- Any human PCs receive some protection from the changed timeline due to their temporal radiation but they may fade away at the end of a certain number of in-game days.
I've run this one twice for two different groups and had a good reception. I have handouts I can post, pregens, and other stuff.
This adventure takes place in a slightly different universe than the canon series wherein humanity's first well-known encounter with the Cybermen was in the 23rd century. Humanity had at this point spread to multiple planets in our Solar System but failed to venture to the stars, largely because it was divided among many squabbling factions. That changed when a young man named J.K. McKarin broadcast an appeal on social media that resonated deeply and led him to be elected to office and later unite humanity to fight off an invasion of Cybermen. The victory set humanity on its course with destiny.
In the scenario, the Cybermen send a human collaborator back in time to infiltrate J.K. McKarin's school and destroy his confidence. This fundamentally changes one of the greatest leaders of humanity into a meek shell of a person. Having done this, the collaborator goes forward in time to the date of the speech broadcast and sabotages social media. Without its unifying force, humanity is "upgraded" by the Cybermen.
The PCs must right these wrongs. They land near the time of the speech and usually restore the social media first. This leads to McKarin's speech being broadcast but because his upbringing changed him, he proves a weak leader and the Cybermen still win. So the PCs must find a way to get back to his youth and restore his confidence. (Yes, it's very much based on Back to the Future...)
With this done, the timeline is restored and locked into place.
Obstacles and Complications
There are a number of things that make the story exciting:
1. Humanity of the 23rd century is hypercapitalist. PCs must acquire money some way to do anything. They can do it with a sports almanac but need to be careful they don't change history too much by hoarding money.
2. The temporal radiation of the PCs will draw the Oxford University Temporal Research Institute of the time to find and capture them. They must elude capture and break out if necessary.
3. The PCs who try to apprehend the collaborator at home may come face to face with a Cyberman!
4. Ticking clock -- Any human PCs receive some protection from the changed timeline due to their temporal radiation but they may fade away at the end of a certain number of in-game days.
I've run this one twice for two different groups and had a good reception. I have handouts I can post, pregens, and other stuff.
