Crustacean Troubles
Crustacean Troubles
Shead
Edited by: Scott Vandervalk
Illustrators: Andy Walsh, Alexander Chelyshev, Maarten Hermans
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Lobster Problems
An Infected Scenario for 1–4 players. the region. They are seriously undermanned and
underequipped, and their soldiers don’t want to
Estimated play time: 4–6 hours.
fight an army of fanatics.
Agents of the Merchant Queen A quick way of keeping track of the stats of minor
NPCs, is to assign them a broad “level”. The NPC has
Rosie Price, also known as the Merchant Queen, has
pretty much all their stats at the chosen level, with
a train that regularly stops in Vegas. It is travelling
the exception of a couple that might be stronger
carnival of goods, entertainment and services –
or weaker.
almost anything one could think of (and the Skulls
can think of a lot). Price has a vested interest in This the means that their Base Initiative and Health
seeing that her profit doesn’t dry up. An intense war will be at double the chosen level.
with NORAD would likely leave her stuck, with the
For example:
rail lines cut, and no way in or out. That’s bad for
trade, and bad for the train’s chances of survival. James Vaughn is a minor guard, whose level is 4.
In this case, the Merchant Queen simply wants to He has a speciality in Perception though, which is at
avoid war at all costs. level 5. He also has a weakness in Spiritual, which is
at level 3.
If the PCs are working for Rosie Price, then the
Narrator will have to substitute her for Lobster This now means that all of James’s stats will be at 4,
Thompson, as the one giving the orders. except for those related to Perception (which will be
at 5), and aside from his Spiritual Attributes, which
See page _____ for information on Rosie Price and
will be 3.
her train.
Lobster Thompson:
Equipment
Social 7 Morality 4
Lobster rarely has to lower himself to physical combat.
However, on those occasions he generally has whatever
equipment he wants — which is a heavy ballistic vest (+6/+6
Absorb, HR 3), and a light assault rifle (+6 Damage, HR 3).
In day-to-day affairs, he is unarmed, as the NORAD troops
don’t want him to cause any trouble.
He recently picked up a high-paying job from Vegas has been ruled by the Skulls for several years
Christie to kidnap Jane Yelinti. Afterwards he’s now. These death-worshipping fanatics are led by
unwinding at a local gambling dive. one they call the Immortal, who has apparently
defied death itself seven times. NORAD wants Vegas
Gradie may be a Skull, but he has little loyalty to
as a secure base for the West, but the Skulls won’t
Christie or anyone else apart from his gang. He
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accept their rulership. Some people on both sides MGM Grand. It’s a couple of hours’ walk from
are pushing for war — but war is one thing that this Lobster’s hangar, through several miles of wrecked
land has had a glut of. Another one could destroy town. It’s wild west country, ruled by the Skulls and
what little civilisation is left. their gang-like factions.
Among the Skulls, Christie is pushing hard for the In the early morning, PCs will attract little attention,
Skulls to attack NORAD and wipe them out. She has with all nearby buildings securely shut up in case of
a vision of the Skulls sweeping across America in a Infected attacks. Here and there will be a few lonely
mighty crusade, purging the land of all infidels. individuals, and sometimes the sound of movement.
Lobster and Vorn quickly explain the situation. Jane During day time proper, the streets will be dusty,
Yelinti has been kidnapped. Masked men broke into stiflingly hot and fairly busy.
her establishment a few hours ago and dragged her
into a vehicle. The Thugs
Yelinti ran a brothel known as the Skull’s Wink. Quite Whichever time of day they’re travelling in, they will
a popular place, by all accounts, catering to upper- hear sounds of a struggle, and as they pass a nearby
end clients, big spenders and “unusual” (some alleyway, they will see several thugs struggling with
would say degenerate) tastes. a girl. Their intentions are not good; however, they
are apparently Skulls, with white-painted faces and
The thing is, she’s also a NORAD spymaster. Not only
sidearms at their belts. In fact, they are wannabe
does she get information from her girls, but from
Skulls from a local gang called the Renegades.
spies throughout the city. She knows too much.
Thugs x1 per PC
If the Skulls interrogate Yelinti thoroughly, eventually
Level 4, Specialisation Physical and Martial 5
she’ll crack and tell them what they want to know,
and that will lead to every NORAD informant and The thugs are armed with knives and light pistols,
spy being killed... including Lobster Thompson and though have no armour. The Skulls carve an X into
the PCs themselves. their forehead for each death they’ve defied —
these wannabes have no Xs yet.
Lobster needs the PCs to find her, and quietly.
Question the girls, get their ears to the ground, and The thugs have low morale, and will flee if half of
find out where Yelinti is! Above all, don’t do anything them are injured or killed — or if they are clearly
that could find its way back to Lobster or NORAD. outmatched. They will prefer to mouth off at the
PCs and try to scare them away, rather than fight.
Note: If the PCs are working for Rosie Price, then
she will instead explain to them that if a war starts, The girl the thugs are attacking is called Karla. They
the train will be stuck in Vegas, or will have to leave were after her for the drugs she couriers for the
and won’t be able to come back. That’s bad for rival Los Assassinos gang. Once the incident is over,
business. And besides... Rosie just might have been and so long as she’s okay, Karla will thank the PCs
an informant once or twice for NORAD... and you then offer to travel with them to Skulltown so her
know how the Skulls can be so extreme. They’re cousin can reward them for their service. She also
likely to misinterpret the whole thing and try to wouldn’t mind the extra support — there could be
destroy the train. other thugs trying to intercept her before she makes
the drop.
To the Skull’s Wink
If the PCs choose not to come with her, she won’t
The Skull’s Wink is nestled in the cramped centre push the subject and will be fine to carry on
of town, quite near the soaring presence of the by herself.
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Karla play all sorts of games of chance — from Russian
Level 5, Specialisation Social 6 (tough, proud, Roulette to Poker.
independent)
If the PCs go in with her, she’ll look around until she
Karla is a tough young woman, part of a strong finds her cousin Gradie. He’s sitting at a Poker table,
latino family. She’s proud, independent and not looking glazed already at this time of day. A thin
afraid of much. Though she’s only sixteen, she’s whip of a man, he’s covered in tattoos, including
got tattoos snaking up one arm — and the PCs will the prominent gang mark. He’s also got a huge
notice that one of them is a prominent image of a slice across his throat, and three Xs carved into
skull, knife and flag. his forehead.
The Skull’s Wink: Depending on when the PCs arrive, they’ll get a
different sort of reception. In the early morning,
Down streets cramped with lean-tos and impromptu
the girls are still recovering from the shock of the
hovels, the Skull’s Wink is a tall, dingy building of
midnight assault, but the door has not yet been
bare concrete and red-draped windows. The stench
repaired. If the PCs go in, they’ll find the girls
of human filth is strong in these parts, where the
standing around the body of Fabio (their bouncer),
low mingle with the high – Skulls in their iconic
hysterical as they try to work out what to do.
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If the PCs arrive later in the day, the door will have If the PCs are there in the early morning, then the
been partly repaired, and will be locked to anyone place is very quiet. There’s broken furniture, vases
except clients. Have the players role play out their and glass, and blood on the floor from where Fabio
attempt to get in, and if they do a good job, allow was gunned down (he’s still under a sheet).
them in. If they can’t come up with a good reason,
If the PCs are there later in the day, they’ll find
then the door will remain securely locked. Bribery
the place in good order, a blanket thrown over
will certainly help their odds, and will give them a
the bloodstain and the brothel back
bonus to any social rolls they make (probably
to business as usual. A little
of +1/+1, depending on the size of the
bit of investigation
bribe).
(Awareness/Deduction
The girls don’t know that Yelinti –1) will discover some of
was working with NORAD, the furniture is broken and
and that’s the way it’s there are signs of a recent
got to stay. conflict. Angel also has a fairly
prominent bruise across her
The new boss of the
face.
Wink is Angel, a
slim girl dressed
Angel
in denim and
Level 5, Specialisation Social 6
fatigues,
(shrewd, bargaining)
with a high-
calibre pistol Angel likes money. Every piece
stuck through of information she gives has a
her belt. She’s price tag. If she’s informing on
young, though customers, that just increases her
aged beyond her reluctance to part with it. Even
years, with eyes as if the she knows very little, she’ll
hard as slate. Harsh, gauge how much the PCs want the
clipped and not one information in order for her to part
for small talk, she’s all with what little she does have. She’ll
business – pay, or get out. usually answer PCs with, “How much
As of yesterday she was simply is it worth to you?” or “Maybe I know
the organiser of all this business, something… maybe I don’t… Five silvers
but now she’s the top dog. She’s would make me feel in the talkin’ mood”.
also the muscle, seeing as Fabio,
The Narrator should role play this
their bouncer, was killed in the
conversation as much as possible.
kidnapping.
Use rolls if necessary, but if
The inside of the building the PCs can use role playing
is much nicer than to get the information out
outside. Red drapes, of her, then let them do it
leud pictures and fancy that way, or give them a
mismatched cushions bonus to their rolls.
give it an exotic air, while
incense leaves a smoky haze.
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Questioning her requires a roll (or maybe more than Charlotte – Level 4, Level 3 Physical and Martial
one roll) of Tact/Diplomacy opposed by her Tact 6/
Charlotte wants to escape from her living hell at the
Diplomacy 6.
Wink. If she feels the PCs are trustworthy, she will
If the PCs are there in the early morning, Angel will beg them to help her get away. However, to do so
still be in shock, but if she trusts the PCs enough, will require more than simply “persuading” Angel.
she’ll tell them that several masked men busted They can either buy her freedom (for 1000 scraps,
open the door and took Yelinti last night. They shot or 4 Wealth), or they will have to force Angel to let
Fabio when he tried to stop them, and struck her her free. If this is the case, then Angel will complain
across the face. to the Skulls, and the PCs will find themselves
“arrested” later in the day.
Careful questioning will reveal that one of the men
had his sleeves rolled up and had a prominent Charlotte’s Information
tattoo of a skull, knife and flag on his forearm. This is
Charlotte knows Gradie is the leader of the Los
the exact same tattoo as the one Karla (and Gradie)
Asasinos. He’s got a sweet spot for her, and has
had on her arm.
been to visit her a number of times. She knows that
If the PCs did not end up encountering Karla earlier he often goes to the local gambling den to blow off
in the scenario, they will also not have met Gradie steam, and has sometimes brought her there as well
(unless they happened to go to the gambling den (though the last time Gradie made her play Russian
before coming to the brothel). In that case they can Roulette, and she’s had the shakes ever since).
make an Intelligence/Knowledge check –2 to figure
out that Yelinti’s kidnappers were part of a gang Narrator’s Note: If the PCs are stuck for clues
and don’t know where to go next, then have
called Los Asesinos (The Killers). They are a fairly
Charlotte volunteer this information. They should
prominent group in Vegas, with a reputation as drug know to find Gradie at the gambling den.
dealers, standover men and contract killers. This is
Gradie’s gang — whom the PCs may or may not have
met earlier, depending on how the initial encounter
Part Two: Gradie
with Karla went. One way or another, the PCs will have to approach
Gradie. They will find him at the gambling den,
Getting 4 or more successes will mean that the PCs
where he’s been blowing off steam all day.
know where these gang members hang out.
If the PCs rescued Karla, then Gradie will be very
Questioning the Girls
friendly towards them. Otherwise, he’ll be guarded
If the PCs want to speak with the other girls, they and reserved.
will need to make another Tact/Diplomacy check –4.
The gambling den has other members of his crew
Otherwise, she will require them to pay for the girls’
there, and if the PCs succeed on an Awareness/
time, just as though they were customers (50 scraps
Deduction check, they’ll notice there are x1 gang
per girl, or 1 Wealth).
members per PC.
Questioning the girls, they will find one (Charlotte)
Gradie is virtually impossible to intimidate. He
with a busted nose. She’s very frightened, and
cackles with a manic glee, as though constantly
pretends not to know anything. This will require the
suppressing some nasty secret or impulse. Finding
PCs to be coaxing and understanding in order for
out that the PCs need information from him, Gradie
her to open up, otherwise she’ll be too terrified to
will be inclined to let them have it, if they can beat
speak. This can be role-played, or done with Tact/
him in “a roll of the dice.” Should they accept, it will
Diplomacy or other social rolls.
turn out to be a game of Russian Roulette, or perhap
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a match of bare-knuckle boxing against one of his A third option is to celebrate with Gradie, and then
boxing champions, or an arm wrestle — or even carefully get the informaiton out of him on the sly.
on the flip of a coin. There are always penalties for “Let me buy you another drink! But what are we
the loser, however — if the PCs win, he gives them celebrating Gradie?” This will involve careful social
a piece of information. If he wins, then they’ve got rolls, and skillful roleplaying. If the PCs rescued Karla
to do something like take a shot of some unknown earlier that day, this option might be the best.
substance, or tell him something about their
If Gradie realises that the PCs are on to him, he
employers, or whatever else he thinks up. He will
will see an opportunity for more gambling, just as
carefully phrase what he agrees to tell them, so that
before, and will start pushing them to gamble for
the games can carry on as long as possible.
higher and higher stakes — until their very lives are
Note that if the PCs saved Karla earlier, then Gradie on the line.
will be more friendly towards them, and will likely
Note: When playing these games, Gradie does tend
let them off a bit easier — but still, he can’t make it
to play fair. He’s not at all afraid to die, and has a
too easy, now can he?
belief that fate will intervene before he does. If the
Getting into a fight with Gradie in the gambling den PCs agree to Russian Roulette, for example, Gradie
is a bad idea. It will result in more Skulls arriving and will take turns as well, which should make the PCs
the PCs probably getting arrested and thrown into a quite terrified. If the PCs pull out grenades, or
cramped prison — if not just killed on the spot. otherwise threatene everyone, Gradie will still be
unflappable, and is willing for everything to blow
If the PCs get arrested, but did not greatly harm any
up — he’s already died three times, what more can
Skulls, and manage to avoid mention of NORAD,
they do to him?
they’ll be released after a day. However, by that
point it will be too late — Yelinti will have already
Gradie’s Information
told Christie that NORAD is working with Lobster
Thompson, and the PCs will soon afterwards find Gradie and his men were asked by Christie herself to
themselves on a wanted list, and Lobster’s place capture Yelinti and take her to a house just outside
under siege. the walls. Gradie doesn’t know who Yelinti really is,
and he doesn’t particularly care. He got paid well,
If the PCs ambush Gradie somewhere, then they will
and that’s what matters.
need to take care not to draw too much attention.
If anyone sees them attacking a Skull, then many As far as he knows there are about half a dozen
other Skulls will come looking for them. Skulls in there — but some of them are tough
bastards, and they’re all well armed.
Interrogating him is difficult, unless they torture
him. Even then, he will hold out for a long time.
Another option is to threaten to kill Karla, his cousin Part Three: Interrogation
— and if the PCs have her there, then he will talk to
save her life. If the PCs leave either of them alive,
House
they will make enemies for life, and the entire gang Christie’s loyal Skulls have an old battered
will come looking for revenge. warehouse they’re using to interrogate Yelenti. It’s
located outside the Skulltown walls, about half an
Torturing and/or murdering Gradie and/or Karla is a
hour’s walk away.
very brutal action, and will require a Morality check
for anyone with a Morality above 4. If they already The main entrance is a huge roller door, but there’s
saved Karla and befriended them both, the PCs will also a smaller metal door set into that, and a couple
suffer –1 on the Morality check. of other doors in the walls. All are locked.
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Jane Yelinti Kitchen
Skulls
If the PCs bring Gradie with them, they might They are armed with light assault rifles, several clips,
be able to bluff their way in, otherwise it will be and improvised ballistic vests (+5/+5 Absorb, HR 3 –
difficult, though some clever lies might be able to only protects torso).
get the door open.
Doctor Cuts
Failing that, they could use a shotgun to blast
Cuts is armed with a heavy pistol, but has no
the hinges off, or pick the lock with a successful
armour. He will attempt to flee as soon as possible.
Dexterity/Rogue check, –2.
Otherwise, he will try to talk his way out of it, saying
Inside, the warehouse is filled with dusty old crates, that the PCs can take Yelinti, and that he can be
mostly filled with rotten junk. There are a few their friend. They will need allies if they want to
guards, and a couple of smaller rooms that were survive in Skulltown.
once a kitchen and office. In the office, behind a
This is true — Dr Cuts is good at making friends.
locked door, sits Yelinti, tied to a chair and covered
But he also acquires blackmail on them, so it can be
in blood. She’s clearly been heavily tortured.
a double-edged sword. However, this time he will
There is a “doctor” questioning her, and several cunningly lie to Christie for the PCs and ensure that
guards in the main room. They are not expecting she doesn’t know the PCs were there.
company, but they are well-armed, and unless the
If the PCs agree to be “friends” with Cuts, he
PCs act carefully, this could be a very dangerous,
will promptly shoot any remaining Skulls to
close-quarters firefight.
prove himself.
Skulls x1 per PC
If Gradie has been brought there by force, he will
Level 5, Speciality Martial and Physical — Level 6.
escape at the earliest opportunity, attempting to
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reach Christie at the MGM Grand to raise the alarm.
He’ll also gather his gang to hunt the PCs down.
Epilogue
If the PCs save Yelinti, then all well and good. They
have prevented their cover, and that of Lobster’s,
from being blown.
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Fangs For Reading
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