APAGear II Archives Volume 4, Number 1 February, 2002

APAGear II

Wrong Time, Wrong Place

Special Guest: David Lalinde

(Note: David Lalinde, AKA Papewaio, is a guest contributor this month. David is presently working on translating portions of APAGear into Spanish. -Ed.)

Most adventures involve the PCs trying to solve a challenge that is given to them somehow (either by an NPC, from the background or from whatever happens to them). They the know how to act and hopefully end the mission and go back to their homes with the pride over a well-done job.

However, the most impressive stories can be obtained from the most unexpected situations. What if the PCs have absolutely no clue about what they have to do? What if they are common people, in a common place, doing common things, and suddenly they are in the middle of an adventure they are not even aware of? What if they are mistaken for someone they are not?

Starting Point: Party Time!

The Player Characters are common workers for one of the many corporations in Caprice. They spend long journeys doing their errands, earn their money and go on with their own lives, taking pleasure from the simple things in life. But today is their rest day and they can take a breath, forget about their work, and simply have a good time.

They are visiting one of the many crowded bars in the sector close to where they live, as they have done so many times before. They are having a drink, listening to music, checking for some possible bed-partner for the nightand sometimes even go a little beyond what is legal (ey! No harm done! Everybody does that!).

Suddenly a stranger stumbles into one of the dancing characters (the one with some relevant distinctive feature in her clothing, such as an oddly colored scarf or hat) and smiling drunkedly hands her a small box. After that, he stumbles back into the crowd before he can be talked to.

The box is a container sometimes used in hospitals to hold medicines or drugs (a fact known to some party-goers just like them, who have sometimes used such fun before). It is not too difficult to open, and inside there are a couple dozen pills (a new sinthetic, expensive and highly illegal new drug). It seems like the characters could have an "extra shot" to finish their party tonight!

The truth is that specific drug is an experimental test that the stranger (who has been doing some "extra work" in PharmaCorp and has been able to get a new sinthetic drug) was supposed to give to a contact in that bar. The contact would then give the test specimen to his bosses in the local criminal Gang, who wants to open new business lines and has invested a lot of money into this venture. After they try it, they can decide whether they want to make serious business or permanently silence their prospective business partners. Of course, the PCs have no clue about this.

But they will be followed closely. They can use some of the drug on themselves to end a night of party and alcohol, or they can try to sell it. But they are being followed by some thugs contracted by the makers of the drug (it is the first time they do anything like this, but they do not want to leave any bases uncovered). The Gang also know they are supposed to get something they have paid for, and will not accept going home empty-handed. Furthermore, the corporate personnel of PharmaCorp may have been some time suspecting about the illegal use of their installations, and may be tracking the drug too. But of course, the PCs have no clue about this.

They must begin to know something is wrong when one of them has a late-night visit by two armed men trying to get something from her (actually, they went to the wrong appartment, and any other PC have the drugs). She will probably have to leave to one of her friends' home, and the chase begins.

The PCs will be chased by a team of criminals (the thugs contracted by the drug-makers), which is being chased by two other groups (a team of Corp Security personnel and some gangsters), while they should have no clue about what they are supposed to do (this is especially true if they actually consumed all the drugs). They will probably end up in the middle of shootings they do not understand! Who knows how everything will turn out?

Possible Variations

  1. The PCs are not the clue-less characters, but one of the criminal teams charged with either getting the test drug or making sure it gets to the gangsters.
  2. The Players are secret contacts with the Liberati. They may think they are being chased because of this, and not the silly object they were given.
  3. One of the PCs is a taxi-driver with the night-shift. Suddenly the other characters get onto his cab (so drunk or high that they forget the little tiny box on the floor of the cab).
  4. Some of the Players a serf corps (ey, having a little fun does not harm anyone, right?) who do not like being chased. What if THEY are the ones who begin the chasing and shooting?
  5. The player that receives the box is actually the contact (a fact that the other players do not know about). When he is going to give the package to his gangster friends, the corp team gets there shouting. May the criminals know think he is a traitor?
  6. Another rival criminal band wants to steal the box. More people to come to the party!

Back to APAGear II Archives

APAGear II Archives Volume 4, Number 1 February, 2002