breAkout A Heroic Roleplaying Mini-Event Written by Jayson Jolin Mini Event ACT ONE Infiltration ACT TWO Confrontation ACT THREE Escape Based On Captain America: Civil War, 2016, by Marvel Studios Written and Edited By Jayson Jolin BREAKOUT In the wake of the battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport, most of the heroes allied with Captain America have been captured and imprisoned at the Raft. The ultra- super-max prison, located at an undisclosed, submerged location in international waters, was meant for the most terrifying, insane, and dangerous of criminals. Now, it is being used to house heroes whose conscience forces them to oppose the Sokovia Accords. But that is about to change, at least if Steve Rogers has anything to say about it. He plans to infiltrate the Raft, disable their defenses, rescue his allies, and escape before anyone can put of any serious resistance. But that is easier said than done. General Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross is in command of the Raft, and in addition to a full staff of highly-trained soldiers, he has his own, Accord-compliant heroes to call upon, as well as his pet project, the Thunderbolts. Once again, Iron Man’s New Avengers stand to oppose Captain America’s Secret Avengers. Disclaimer This game material references the Cortex Plus® game system, available from Margaret Weis Productions aww.margaretweis.com. Cortex® and Cortex Plus® and all associated logos and trademarks are solely owned by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. and are used with permission. Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability of the purpose of this product. All characters and images used, unless otherwise noted, are the property of Marvel Comics. Images and characters used under Fair Use. Heroes Assemble Fonts used without permission. BRMCU01 PREPARING FOR THE MINI EVENT MCU Breakout requires some preparation before you, the Watcher, run it for the first time. But take heart, because in the MCU, it is a confirmed fact that the Watcher is none other than Stan Lee himself. That means that by running this game, you are acting in the spirit of ‘The Man’ himself. He’s with you, True Believer; you’ll do great! Excelsior! Here’s what you’ll need. ̣Read over the entire Mini-Event provided here and become familiar with any datafiles and all key Scenes. You can find many of the datafiles for MCU characters over at Plot Points Blogs (shameless plug). ̣When you group meets to play for the first session, have each player choose a hero from the datafiles you provide. Also have them choose whether they are siding with the Secret Avengers or the New Avengers. The hero’s alignment in the movie can be used as a guide, but players can feel free to have their hero change sides for this Mini Event. The only exceptions are Iron Man and Captain America; their positions on the Accords are the linchpin upon which the Mini Event holds together. ̣Each player should choose two Milestones to pursue for this Mini Event. They may choose from either the character’s datafile or from the Event-Based Milestones included with this Mini-Event. ̣It is assumed that the players are using characters from the established MCU. If you allow them to play as characters from outside of that continuity, such as the one of the cinematic iterations of the ADVERSARIAL PLAY Fantastic Four or the X-Men, it will be up to you as the Watcher to While it is entirely possible to play this design and distribute datafiles for those characters, and integrate Mini-Event exclusively on one side of the them into the MCU and the Mini Event. It might be wise to ensure conflict, the option to divide the table into that such a hero has at least one Event Milestone to pursue, linking two teams of heroes, each on an them to the MCU Breakout Event. opposing side, might appeal to your ̣Make sure that you have enough dice, plenty of Plot Point tokens, and group. If so, it is your job as Watcher to some kind of action order token for each player. You may also ensure that both sides of the table have benefit from taking note of each hero’s Affiliations and what equal opportunities to shine, and to Milestones the player has chosen. Keep this list near you for remain impartial to the outcome of each reference during the game. Scene. Be especially mindful of player ̣If this is your group’s first session of Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, versus player issues that might come up you should introduce them to the basic rules and go over the that will turn a fun game into a heated datafiles with them. Hand out copies of the cheat sheet for their real-life fight. Don’t be afraid to disallow reference. adversarial play if you feel it will be detrimental to your group’s enjoyment. BRMCU02 BREAKOUT STRUCTURE OF THE MINI THREE ACTS OR ONE? EVENT We chose to divide up MCU Breakout into three Acts for flavor; each Act has its own mood and tension level, as though each were a movement in a musical Breakout is a Mini-Event in three Acts. Each Act gives the players piece. plenty of opportunities to not only showcase their phenomenal powers and abilities, but also to make the case for their side of the question of the We fully understand, however, that you Sokovia Accords and justify or lament its consequences. It also grants and your players might wish to treat the the Watcher the option to impose a little of the comics into the MCU, and entire Mini Event as a single Act. From a let General Ross unleash his new team, the Thunderbolts. Doom Pool management standpoint that makes sense; when the Doom Pool ̣ Act One sees the Secret Avengers trying to sneak in to the Raft and resets at the start of an Act, it can release bypass its security, while the New Avengers attempt to locate any tension unnaturally, and leave the Scene infiltrators. feeling less dramatic and charged with ̣Act Two involves any confrontation either side has, either with each action. other, Raft security forces, or the Thunderbolts. ̣Act Three deals with the Secret Avengers retreat from the Raft in an In the end, play MCU Breakout your effort to escape, hopefully with freed prisoners, and the New way. If you and your players have fun, Avengers, and possibly the Thunderbolts, in pursuit. that’s what is most important. INTRODUCTION BRMCU03 MILESTONES FOR THE MINI EVENT LOCATING THE RAFT This Mini-Event assumes that Steve Rogers has already NEW AVENGER MILESTONES done the legwork to locate the super-secret location of the A PRICE TO PAY Raft. However, if you are Their stubbornness got them here. They broke the law. That makes them playing MCU Breakout as criminals. They can whine about “principles” all they want. They got what they part of a larger Event, you will deserved. have to arrange for the heroes 1 XP when you lecture a wavering New Avenger about how the bad guys are the to be able to locate the prison ones that break the law. Period. in-play. One simple option is to use 3 XP when you are forced by your adherence to the law to compromise your conscience. a Transition Scene. Heroes allied with the Accords whom 10 XP when you either recognize that the law is not the ultimate arbiter of right have gotten wind of Captain and wrong, going against the law to help a Secret Avener, or you lure in America’s rescue plans might and betray a former ally who is among the resistance heroes, ending that use that Scene to inquire with friendship forever. political or espionage contacts to acquire the location of the WAVERING RESOLVE prison in hopes of blocking the You signed the Accords. You thought they were a good idea at the time. But raid. Or they may simply be seeing how they are being implemented, you aren’t so sure anymore. given this information by Ross if he thinks that he will need 1 XP when you try to talk a Secret Avenger into changing sides, even though the heroes to defend against you find yourself more convinced by their arguments and less by yours. an assault. 3 XP when you face a good friend on the resistance side and go easy on that Renegade heroes, hero because they’re your friend and your sympathies are shifting. meanwhile, would use this Scene to reach out to 10 XP when you either switch sides entirely or you remain with the other Accords sympathetic contacts within heroes but look the other way as the Secret Avengers escape. the military, the government, S.H.I.E.L.D., or perhaps even within the Raft itself to discern its location. Such contacts might even help with a Resource that will aid in bypassing the Raft’s defenses. BRMCU04 BREAKOUT SECRET AVENGER MILESTONES NO, YOU MOVE The Accords trade freedom for security. That price is too high to pay. Doing the right thing against the will of the powerful is never easy. But that never stopped you, and it never will. 1 XP when you question your resolve on your decision to stand against the Accords. 3 XP when you try to convince and opposition hero that they made a mistake signing the Accords. 10 XP when your resolve for doing the right thing either cost you a dear friend in the opposing hero, or your act of heroism in opposition to the Accords earns you that heroes respect and that hero becomes your secret Ally and the mole on the oppositions side.