This post outlines the one-off game that played out last week as the Tuesday Night Mob transitions from the recently completed Tunis 1930 Cthulhu campaign into a Known World adventure under a new proficiency-based game system being developed by Andrew and Richard.
DM: Andrew
System: Dread
(Jenga style stacks of D6 dice. Add a dice to the stack to succeed with your action)
(If the stack collapses when you attempt to add a dice, you fail, and bad shit happens)
Scenario: A group of first year students from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona,
sign up for an exciting rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
As they all pile into the bus super early on the morning of the trip they find:
Present: Chris = Harmen Fernandez, Hispanic, medium height, athletic, looking for love
Darryl = Jim Slim, tall lanky cowboy looking for fun
Ian = Gina Lopez, Hispanic, tall and strong, dragged along by her friend Hannah
Jamie = Jediah, slightly built, medium height hillbilly looking for male friendship
Jeff = Bobby Downs, African American of short stature lusting after Hannah
Kevin = Martin Luther Kennedy Jr. 6' pretty boy out to experience the wonder of nature
Richard = Hannah Bee, blond and buxom cheerleader out to get some alone time with boys
Shane = Jim Bob, quarterback jock from the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (football team)
 |
| Pedro ready to lead the girls on an adventure |
notional trip leader
Danni, Lecturer in feminist studies and
assistant trip leader
After a leisurely two-hour trip from NAU to the Grand Canyon, and breakfast at the Canyon Cafe, the trippers had gotten to know each other a bit and divided themselves into the two groups required for the two rafts. Pedro would lead in the first raft with Bobby, Gwen, Hammah, and Martin L. K. Jr. Danni would follow in the second raft with Harmen and the two Jim's.
[Jamie arrived a little late, so his character Jediah will be introduced to the rest of the group at the first overnight camp. Refer below]
"Four days!" squealed Hannah, "no one told me it would be four days, where do we change?"
"And the only half-way decent guy is in the other raft" she complained quietly".
"Why do we have to put our jewellery in that dry bag thing?"
"And I hope there is a store at the camp tonight."
Pedro rolled his eyes and gave a wry grin. "Maybe ..., maybe not" he replied.
Everyone is kitted out for the trip with rash vests and life jackets, and sunscreen is applied liberally. Except Jim Bob, who "Don't need no stinking sunscreen on this magnificent bod"
The rafts were pushed out into the quiet waters of the river, and the trip began.
From the rear raft Jim Slim gave a mighty "Yea-har" and the two Jims dug in their paddles and soon shot past the the first raft and into the lead.
Jim Bob flexed his pectorals at Hannah and splashed water at her, while Pedro yelled for them to get back behind and follow his lead. "It gets pretty dangerous up ahead, and you'll need to take the correct line through the rough sections. So, stay behind me and follow!"
 |
| Smooth sailing on the first morning |
"Ewww" exclaimed Hannah, "what's that stench?"
"Over there" pointed out Jim Slim, "looks like something ate a goat for breakfast"
Just visible on the bank of the river was the carcass of a goat, steaming faintly in the morning sun. It had been torn limb from limb and its entrails were spread across a stretch of the riverbank. Flies were swarming around like a dark cloud.
"Ewww" exclaimed Hannah again.
After a few hours of quiet river, Pedro steered us to the shore where a lunch spot was set up. A large picnic hamper sat at a picnic table, and we all dug in hungrily.
"The river will be a bit rougher after lunch" noted Pedro, "you'll want to make sure your lifejackets are tight, and your helmet straps are secure".
"Um, how rough do you mean?" asked Hannah worriedly.
"Not too rough" replied Pedro, with a wink.
"But shorty, you better sit on the back and steer" instructed Pedro, pointing at Bobby.
 |
| Serious white water after lunch |
"A bit of a drop coming up" yelled Pedro, "hang on tightly".
Hannah screamed as the raft slid off the edge of a five-yard drop, but she wasn't alone. Everyone let out worried screams, except for Pedro and Jim Slim. Pedro smiled, and Jim Slim let out another mighty "Yea-har" as his raft plunged over the drop and nose-dived into the swirling eddies at the bottom of the fall.
Apparently, Danni wasn't holding on tightly enough and as the nose of the back raft hit the pool at the bottom of the drop, she was flung off the front of the raft and into the swirling waters. Jim Bob laughed, but Jim Slim dived off the raft and helped her back in as quick as.
"Here you go miss" he gallantly stated, gently getting her seated back in the front of the raft and handing her back her paddle.
"Oh, thank you so much" Danni swooned, "I could have drowned right there!"
Jim Slim grinned and eyed the rapid rising and falling of Danni's chest below the rash vest.
"No worries miss" he crowed, "And you'll probably need a hand later to get out of those wet things"
"Oh yes, I'm sure I will" she replied breathlessly.
"Shit" squealed Hannah from the front raft, "I've broken a nail from that stupid fall"
"Ewww" Hannah then squealed, "There's another one of those goat things"
Stuck in the eddy at the bottom of the drop was another dead goat, or part of a goat anyway. The body and two limbs were present, ripped apart like the one we had seen earlier, but there was no sign of the head or the other two limbs.
"What could have done that?" wondered Jim Slim.
The rest of the afternoon saw some more exciting white water, but nothing like the drop we had made, which everyone was relieved about. And towards evening the rafts arrived at the overnight camp. This was a clear and flat area on the side of the river with two small wooden huts and a bomb fire pit next to a large picnic table. On the table was another large food hamper, and sitting at the table watching us arrive was a slim looking man in denim dungarees and a large straw hat.
"Howdy all y'all" he yelled, "I'm Jediah, they dropped me here with the food"
[Jamie arrived shortly after the rafting group arrived at the overnight camp]
Pedro lit the fire and started cooking our dinner, while Danni opened up the dry bags and passed out everyone's gear.
"Oh my gosh" squealed Hannah, "Where's my moisturiser?"
"Anyone care to rub this oil on my back?" asked Jim Bob.
"Ohhh" squealed Hannah, "I will, I will"
 |
| Jim Bob shows off |
"Ohhh" squealed Hannah again, "I will, I will"
"Ewww" exclaimed Martin, "what's that stench?"
But he wasn't referring to Jim Bob's oil, or Hannah's moisturiser, or the hint of lust pheromones floating around those two, but a noxious rotting meat stench from just beyond the fire pit.
Martin, Harmen, and Jediah head off to investigate the smell, while Jim Slim and Danni head off in the other direction to investigate each other.
"Another butchered goat" reported Martin.
"Another?" questioned Jediah, "You've seen more like this?"
"Oh yeah" confirmed Martin, "This is the third. That we've actually seen"
"This is really odd" mused Harmen, "Look at these scuff marks around the carcass. Something has killed and eaten it. Something big!"
After dinner, the women are assigned to one of the huts and the men to the other. There is some chat around the bomb fire, marshmallows and hot chocolate, until Pedro notes that it'll be a long day tomorrow and that it was time for everyone to hit the sacks and get a good rest.
....
Gwen woke in the middle of the night to find the door to the women's hut open, and shadows flickering outside in the light of the dying bomb fire.
"Stupid boys" she muttered as she slipped out of her blankets to close the door. As she peered out into the darkness a large shadowy figure darted off into the night. Quickly closing the door she hurried over to Danni's bunk and woke her.
"Stupid boys" confirmed Danni, wondering if Jim Slim was out there and wanted to "help her" again.
"But it must have been 8' tall at least" whispered Gwen.
They stacked the bags against the door and went back to sleep.
....
Harmen woke from his sleep, startled by something but not sure what. A heavy scuffling sound was coming from outside, something moving around, something big.
"Martin" Harmen called down to the bottom bunk, "Wake up"
"Whaaa?" grunted Martin sleepily"
"Go check outside" instructed Harmen, "I hear something"
"No" grunted Martin, rolling over and pulling his blanked over his head.
Harmen clambered down from the top bunk, extracted his handgun from his gear, and tiptoed across to the door. [Harmen, a stereotypical hispanic youth, bought his handgun on a rafting trip with fellow students. Chis had to make a "roll" (place a D6 on top of the appropriate stack of D6, succeeded) and sure enough, he had remembered to pack his gun]
Harmen jerked open the door and looked out. A huge dark silhouette was standing just in front of the fire pit, and as the door swung open, a huge head with two dimly glowing red eyes turned towards Harmen. A deep low growling sound emerged from the shape, and it suddenly rushed forward, straight towards Harmen.
"Boom" echoed Harmens handgun, and the bullet hit the shape high in the shoulder, and it spun and rushed off into the darkness.
"boom, boo, bo b" echoed around the canyon walls, and everyone rushed out from the huts.
"Holy crap" yelled Pedro, "Where did you get that? And why have you bloody discharged it?"
"Thing ..." stuttered Harmen, "Bloody big thing..."
Investigation of the immediate area large reveals tracks around the huts and the fire pit. The food hamper had been ripped open and the food was scattered across the ground. Specks of dark red blood were scattered around the spot where Harmen reported shooting the creature.
"That ain't no Mountain Lion" stated Jim Slim.
"Nope" confirmed Jim Bob, "That there was the Cocaine Bear. I saw the movie. It's a true story!"
"And" continued Jim Bob, "The Cocaine Bear is one crazy animal. It'll be back"
"Nope" stated Jediah, "That there was definitely a Yowie"
Jim Bob grabbed one of the raft paddles and began to sharpen up the handle. "Need a spear" he explained.
"Fortunately, I have my hunting crossbow" declared Jediah.
"Cool" responded Gwen, "Can we see it?"
"Oh yeah" Jediah gloated, "Y'all gonna love this"
Jediah reached into his bag and extracted a folded-up crossbow. With a few quick motions he had opened it up, wound the loader, slipped in a bolt, and brandished it at the rest of the group.
"Ohhh" squealed Hannah, "Don't point it at us"
"Haha" laughed Jediah, "It's perfectly safe"
Jediah placed the crossbow stock down beside his pack and leaned over to grab a few more bolts from his bag.
"Twaang" went the crossbow.
"Thud" went Jediah, falling back to the floor of the hut, a crossbow bolt embedded up through his chin and into his brain. [Jamie had to make a "roll" (place a D6 on top of the appropriate stack of D6, failed) and sure enough, bad shit happened]
"Ewwww" squealed Hannah, staggering back and slumping to the ground in a shocked swoon.
Martin attempted CPR, but only succeeded in spraying blood across the floor and pretty quickly sat back and declared "No joy, he's a goner"
The women all hustled back to their hut, with Harmen and Bobby joining them "for protection", and they wedged the door closed and tried to get back to sleep.
Jediash's body was wrapped up in a blanket and placed directly inside the men's hut, just in front of the door, "In case that thing comes back", and the men try to get back to sleep.
....
Martin jerked awake, disturbed by something, and noticed the hut door was open, and a large shadow was crouched down over Jediah's body munching away. The thing, Yowie, or whatever, must have heard Martin's gasp of fear, as it turned towards him and rushed into the hut.
Martin dropped to the floor, rolled to the side, and managed to get out the door and away into the darkness without being caught. [Kevin had to make a "roll" (place a D6 on top of the appropriate stack of D6, succeeded) and escaped his sure demise.]
"Bring your gun" Martin yelled as he fled, hoping that Harmen would hear him from the women's hut and manage to kill the creature.
....
Hearing the terrified yell, Jim Bob jerked awake. He was in one of the top bunks and could see a huge 8' tall creature standing just outside the hut door, watching Martin flee. The ready food must have been more desirable as it turned back towards the inside and crouched down over Jediah's body and resumed his gorging.
Came back soon for part 2.
Find out what happened to Martin when he pounded on the door of the women's hut, and how Jim Bob ended up in the river with Pedro.
Who survived the night, and who didn't?
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