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arrowdown doctor who: adventures in time and space arrowdown
B credits Writing: Alasdair Stuart Editing: Andrew Kenrick Cover: Paul Bourne Graphic Design and Layout: Paul Bourne Creative Director: Dominic McDowall Art Director: Jon Hodgson S pecial thanks: Georgie Britton and the BBC Team for all their help.
Find out more about us and our games at www.cubicle7.co.uk © Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. 2014
BBC, DOCTOR WHO (word marks, logos and devices), TARDIS, DALEKS, CYBERMAN and K-9 (wordmarks and devices) are trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996. Doctor Who logo © BBC 2009. TARDIS image © BBC 1963. Dalek image © BBC/Terry Nation 1963. Cyberman image © BBC/Kit Pedler/Gerry Davis 1966. K-9 image © BBC/Bob Baker/Dave Martin 1977.
B contents Introduction Sample3 file What’s Going On 3 Prologue 4 Scene One: Welcome to Arrowdown 4 Scene Two: Operation Timekeeper 9 Scene Three: Coming Like a Ghost Town 12 Scene Four: Merry Go Round 13 Scene Five: The Plastic Court 14 Scene Six: Monroe’s, Open For Business 15
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B Introduction B what’s going on ‘Arrowdown’ is intended to be a fast moving scenario The effects of the Time War were missed by many lifeforms to guide you through the way the game works, give each in the universe, this can be said of the small coastal type of character a chance to shine and at the same time Yorkshire village of Arrowdown. When a Dalek fled with vital emphasise exactly how strange and dangerous the Doctor’s information using its Emergency Temporal Shift, it crashed world is. There are several elements of the scenario that into the harbour in the middle of World War II. Thought to can go more than one way depending on what type of group be an unexploded bomb, it wasn’t until Torchwood arrived you’re playing with, and the various different takes on events on the scene that its extraterrestrial origins were unveiled. are explored as they come up. By then it was limbless, rusted and near death. Torchwood managed to open the casing, killing the mutant inside, but the effects of the temporal displacement, and the Dalek’s spoilers! attempts to shift away left a small rift in time and space. We’ve warned you before, but we’ll say it again – if Torchwood assigned agents to monitor the rift over the you’re a player then stop reading now. The following years, but over time it proved to be of little threat. By the is for the Gamemaster only. There are some great 1980s, agents were required elsewhere, leaving just a young surprises in store for the players, and you wouldn’t couple to watch over this small rift. The agents assigned want that ruined would you? the case Operation Timekeeper. They were to monitor and control fluctuations in the rift while maintaining the illusion So, if you’re planning on being a player in ‘Arrowdown’ of normalcy in the village. When tragedy hits the lives of then stop reading now. these agents, Teresa Monroe is forced to wage a very lonely and endless battle against a relentless foe.
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You watch as he pounds one control, spins another and pulls what looks suspiciously like a spring out italics? of the console. The TARDIS rocks and turns and Text presented in italics - like this - can be suddenly lands, with a dull thud. The Doctor looks at read aloud to the players to provide a sense his companions, beams, and strides down the ramp, of where they are in the adventure. Read grabbing his coat as he goes. through the text first though, and feel free to adjust the descriptions to suit the story, which “Come on! Chips to eat! Ruins to stare at, we don’t characters are there and the circumstances. have all day!”
B prologue other types of group The following can be read out to the players The way things are written here are assuming (assuming you’re playing with the Doctor and a couple you’re playing with the Doctor and a companion of companions – if Amy isn’t in the story, just replace or two. her name with one of the characters present). If you’re playing with a different sort of group, feel free to come Of course, the game could easily be played with up with a new introduction that gets the players into a different sort of group. They could be from the feel of the story. UNIT, investigating temporal disturbances or they could be regular people, maybe just Since you first met him, you’ve seen the Doctor a group of friends on a camping trip to the react in countless ways. You’ve seen him act with seaside who picked the wrong place to be. absolute compassion towards the helpless, seen ‘Arrowdown’ can be adapted very easily to any him talk his way out of impossible danger, seen sort of character group. him face down terrifying enemies with nothing but his voice and a rage so powerful it seemed to bend light. B scene one: welcome to arrowdown You’ve never seen him speechless though…until now. The TARDIS has landed at the top of a flight of wide, He turns back to Amy, eyebrows raised so high they stone stairs in the centre of the town of Arrowdown. look like they’re standing to attention. Behind it is a large field, currently occupied by a funfair Sample fileand an old ruined abbey. In front of it is Arrowdown, a “What did you just say?” small fishing town. It’s wrapped around both sides of a harbour and has the sort of uniquely busy, cramped “Only that I’ve never been to the seaside,” she says. feel that seaside towns tend to have.
“WHAT?! But it’s brilliant! Sticks of rock and fish and The characters are free to wander around as they chips and donkey rides! How could you never have see fit (the Doctor certainly will, although sticks of been to the seaside – you’ll be saying you never went rock will be very high on his agenda). Some of the to the Isle of Man next?” notable locations, and things they can find there, are listed below: Amy looks at him. His eyebrows climb higher.
“You’ve never been to the Isle of Man? With the rally Beach and the…the…cats? With the tiny tails? And the The beach wraps around Arrowdown’s eastern half, sheep?” and is pretty impressive. A good four kilometres of white sand and rocks, it’s empty but beautiful. If He sets his jaw and nods. “Right! We’re going to the you’re stuck for a description, read the following text seaside, then I’m going to take you to the Isle of Man.” out to the players to set the scene:
“…Will it be cold?” Being a quiet seaside town you’d expect a fantastic beach, and Arrowdown certainly has one of those. It “’Course not! Well, probably, but it’ll be character stretches along the town’s eastern side, vanishing building.” into the haze in the distance – kilometres of white
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sand, punctuated by rocks. There’s a small shack a lifeboat is in place at the top of the slipway (a long little way down the beach, and to the north there’s ramp into the sea) and the gift shop is open although the first wall of the town’s harbour, and the lifeboat there isn’t a soul around – neither customer, nor station. staff.
Player Opportunities At the edge of the sand, where the beach meets the The tide: If the characters stick around long enough harbour wall, is a large lifeboat station. The side something else will become apparent. The tide isn’t facing the sea has its huge doors open to the concrete coming in or going out, it’s simply holding in place. slope that leads directly into the sea. The lifeboat sits Characters with a high Awareness (4 or more) will in its cradle, and the gift shop is open with postcards, notice this. Looking further out, characters willSample sweets, tourist file information and a collection box for notice that the waves aren’t crashing. the lifeboat charity. However, there is no one around, not a single tourist or even a member of staff in the The donkeys: No seaside town would be complete station. without a donkey ride. The donkeys in question (there are four of them) are tied up by a small shack with a Player Opportunities sign on the door saying “BACK IN FIVE MINUTES”. Elements of the lifeboat station and every location in the town, change very subtly over time. While When the characters first appear, the donkeys are the characters actually go into a 21st century unusually friendly and seem distressed when they lifeboat station, they’ll soon find things like a 1950s leave. Characters with the Animal Friendship Trait telephone or, just for a second, the lifeboat becoming will notice that the donkeys are acting as if they’ve a small rowing boat. If they try and pay for anything not been around people for a long, long time, and by leaving some money at one of the many deserted that they are very friendly – much more friendly shops, they will find the exact change in front of them than animals usually are. No one is visible around if they look away for a moment. the shack, and anyone looking further will realise something disturbing; there are no footprints of any sort either. Harbour The harbour is small and seems filled with a heat haze of sorts. There are clearly modern trawlers Lifeboat Station lining the wall near the characters but it’s almost On the edge of the harbour, the lifeboat station is a impossible to see across to the other side, despite large, warehouse like building open to the public. The the decent weather.
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The north part of the coast of Arrowdown is dedicated inside are all very life like and physically very to a small harbour for the town’s fishing and boating. intimidating, each one bulkier and somehow more Trawlers line the near side of the harbour, but the threatening than a normal ghost train. far side is impossible to see through some sort of heat haze or sea mist (or roak as the locals call it). There’s a very unusual level of psychic radiation The harbour smells of fish and salty air. The sounds around the Ghost Train and the Ferris Wheel. of the boats knocking against the harbour walls is Successfully using any sort of scanning device (make punctuated by the cries of seagulls. an Awareness + Technology Roll, Difficulty 12) will reveal that there are signals being transmitted in the Player Opportunities area, coming from the Ferris Wheel, and there is a The character with the highest Awareness will see concentration also on the Ghost Train. If the Doctor the cacophony of ships in the harbour before the finale of the adventure (see below), and also sees several seagulls, apparently suspended in mid-air, torture victim auton which will build the sense of weirdness in the town. Awareness 3 Presence 4 Fairground Coordination 2 Resolve 2 MONTEZUMA’S CIRCUS OF DELIGHTS sits on the Ingenuity 3 Strength 4 green just above the beach. It’s a small, clearly resident funfair, with bumper cars, spinning teacups, a Ferris Wheel, a Cyclone (the characters are Skills harnessed in place on a wall, set within a circular Fighting 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge (Disguise as room. This room then spins faster and faster and Ghost Train attraction) 1. faster and is slowly raised off the ground until it’s held at ninety degrees to it. After a minute or so, the Traits Alien ride then comes back down) and a ghost train. Armour (Minor): Its tough plastic exterior protects it from a lot of damage, damage is Montezuma’s Circus of Delights is the resident reduced by 5. funfair that sits on the green overlooking the beach. Clumsy: Not exactly the most coordinated The fair is obviously here all year around, and is of creatures. probably very popular in the height of summer. Fear Factor (2): The poor torture victim is a There are bumper cars, those spinningSample tea cups file grisly sight. +4 on rolls to actively scare. that you sit in, a Ferris Wheel, a Ghost Train and a Immunity (Bullets): Any bullets are effectively Cyclone. All of the rides are running, but there is useless unless it takes a lot of damage at once. none of the usual noise and cacophony that you’d Bullets hit it and they go through. Halve the expect for a funfair. The rides hurtle at full speed, damage the Auton takes from bullets. stopping to let people on and off – only there is no Natural Weapon (Blaster): The Auton’s right one to be seen. hand opens to reveal a blaster that can do Lethal damage (4/L/L). Nobody is on the rides, or operating them. Networked (Minor): The Autons are all aware of each other, but are controlled by the Nestene Player Opportunities Consciousness. They have no independent The fairground rides are hurtling around and around thought. but no one’s on them and they’re making no sound. Slow (Minor): The Auton’s plastic legs make They stop at intervals as if letting people on or off them slow to move around. Their Speed is before starting up again, only no one is on the rides effectively halved (to 1). and no one is operating them. If anyone gets on a Weakness (Major): If the controlling signal ride, it will automatically fire up, suddenly jumping from the Nestene Consciousness is blocked or from silence to full volume and full speed. If this is severed, the Auton becomes useless plastic and the bumper cars then it’s going to be shocking rather is immobilised. than frightening. If it’s the Cyclone then they’re in for a bumpy time, before finally pausing suddenly to let Story Points: 2 the characters off. The Ghost Train is a particularly rickety, unsettling example of the genre. The figures
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is present he will know that this is similar to the sort of energy the Nestene Consciousness used to control werewolf auton its Autons. And the moment that’s figured out, the Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and every other inhabitant of the Ghost Train burst out Awareness 3 Presence 3 of the walls. The Autons are very alive, very angry Coordination 2 Resolve 2 and the characters are in a lot of trouble. The main Ingenuity 1 Strength 5 models, repeated several times over in the Ghost Train are detailed in the sidebars. Skills Fighting 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge (Disguise as vampire auton Ghost Train attraction) 1. Traits Awareness 4 Presence 4 Alien Armour (Minor): Its tough plastic exterior Coordination 3 Resolve 2 protects it from a lot of damage, damage is Ingenuity 3 Strength 4 reduced by 5. Clumsy: Not exactly the most coordinated of Skills creatures. Fear Factor (1): It’s a walking werewolf! It’s Fighting 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge (Disguise as pretty scary, +2 on rolls to actively scare. Ghost Train attraction) 1. Immunity (Bullets) : Any bullets are effectively Traits useless unless it takes a lot of damage at once. Alien Bullets hit it and they go through. Halve the damage the Auton takes from bullets. Armour (Minor): Its tough plastic exterior protects Natural Weapon (Blaster) : The Auton’s right it from a lot of damage, damage is reduced by 5. hand opens to reveal a blaster that can do Clumsy: Not exactly the most coordinated Lethal damage (4/L/L). of creatures. Natural Weapons (Claws and Teeth): The Fear Factor (1): It’s a vampire. It can be pretty werewolf Auton has claws and teeth, as you’d scary, +2 on rolls to actively scare. expect. They add +2 to the Auton’s Strength Immunity (Bullets): Any bullets are effectively when calculating damage. useless unless it takes a lot of damage at once.Sample file Networked (Minor): The Autons are all aware Bullets hit it and they go through. Halve the of each other, but are controlled by the Nestene damage the Auton takes from bullets. Consciousness. They have no independent Natural Weapon (Blaster): The Auton’s thought. right hand opens to reveal a blaster that can Slow (Minor): The Auton’s plastic legs make do Lethal damage (4/L/L). them slow to move around. Their Speed is Natural Weapons (Teeth): The vampire Auton effectively halved (to 1). has fangs as you’d expect. They add +2 to the Weakness (Major): If the controlling signal Auton’s Strength when calculating damage. from the Nestene Consciousness is blocked Networked (Minor): The Autons are all aware or severed, the Auton becomes useless plastic of each other, but are controlled by the Nestene and is immobilised. Consciousness. They have no independent thought. Slow (Minor): The Auton’s plastic legs make Story Points: 1-4 them slow to move around. Their Speed is effectively halved (to 1). Story Points: 2 Weakness (Major): If the controlling signal from the Nestene Consciousness is blockedor severed, the Auton becomes useless plastic and is immobilised.
Story Points: 2
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grim reaper auton ghost auton
Awareness 3 Presence 3 Awareness 2 Presence 4 Coordination 3 Resolve 2 Coordination 2 Resolve 2 Ingenuity 1 Strength 4 Ingenuity 3 Strength 3
Skills Skills Fighting 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge (Disguise as Fighting 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge (Disguise as Ghost Trait attraction) 1. Ghost Train attraction) 1. Traits Traits Alien Alien Armour (Minor): Its tough plastic exterior Armour (Minor): Its tough plastic exterior protects it from a lot of damage, damage is protects it from a lot of damage, damage is reduced by 5. reduced by 5. Clumsy: Not exactly the most coordinated of Clumsy: Not exactly the most coordinated of creatures. creatures. Fear Factor (1): It’s the grim reaper! +2 on rolls Fear Factor (1): It’s a ghost! It can be pretty to actively scare. scary, +2 on rolls to actively scare. Immunity (Bullets): Any bullets are effectively Immunity (Bullets): Any bullets are effectively useless unless it takes a lot of damage at once. useless unless it takes a lot of damage at once. Bullets hit it and they go through. Halve the Bullets hit it and they go through. Halve the damage the Auton takes from bullets. damage the Auton takes from bullets. Natural Weapon (Blaster): The Auton’s right Natural Weapon (Blaster): The Auton’s right hand opens to reveal a blaster that can do hand opens to reveal a blaster that can do Lethal damage (4/L/L). Lethal damage (4/L/L). Natural Weapons (Scythe): The Grim Reaper Networked (Minor): The Autons are all aware Auton has a huge scythe, as you’d expect. of each other, but are controlled by the Nestene It adds +4 to the Auton’s Strength when Consciousness. They have no independent calculating damage. Sample filethought. Networked (Minor): The Autons are all aware Slow (Minor): The Auton’s plastic legs make of each other, but are controlled by the Nestene them slow to move around. Their Speed is Consciousness. They have no independent effectively halved (to 1). thought. Weakness (Major): If the controlling signal Slow (Minor): The Auton’s plastic legs make from the Nestene Consciousness is blocked or them slow to move around. Their Speed is severed, the Auton becomes useless plastic and effectively halved (to 1). is immobilised. Weakness (Major): If the controlling signal from the Nestene Consciousness is blocked or Story Points: 2 severed, the Auton becomes useless plastic and is immobilised.
Story Points: 2
Monroe’s In the centre of the waterfront, between closed The cafe in the centre of the waterfront, Monroe’s, amusement arcades and a deserted fish and chip shop is a large, slightly grand building. The walls are is Monroe’s, a grand old building that looks like a hotel, covered with black and white photos of movie stars restaurant and bar. Inside, the walls are covered with and a big, sweeping Victorian staircase runs up the black and white photos of movie stars that continue up side wall. There’s music playing, and the sound of the grand staircase. Music echoes from the bar and the cooking coming from the back kitchen. sounds and smells of cooking drift from the kitchen.
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