RING 'EM BACK ALIV

B R I N G ' E M B A C K A L I V ESample

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C O N T E N T SIntroduction 4The Anglo-French Expedition of 1938 4Welcome to the Expedition 5 Important Members of the Expedition 6Reel One: The Valley of Flowers 9 Scene One: Through the Valley 9 Scene Two: Sleepy Time 15Reel Two: Drums in the Jungle 16 Scene One: The Stone Heads 16 Scene Two: Harassment 17 Scene Three: The Remains of the Gerste-Blau Expedition 18 Scene Four: The Attack 19Reel Three: Dangers of the Grand Crater 20 Scene One: The Grand Crater 20 Scene Two: The Expedition gets to Work 20 Scene Three: The Coffin of the Ancient One 21 Scene Four: The Ancient Awakes 23Concluding the Episode 24Appendices 25 Appendix One: New Alien Animals 25 Appendix Two: Erisian Technology 26

C R E D I T SLine Developer: Ken Spencer

Creative Director: Dominic McDowallArt Director: Jon Hodgson

Writing: Ken SpencerCover Art: Jon Hodgson

Interior Art: Jon Hodgson and Scott PurdyLayout and Graphic Design: Paul Bourne

Editing: Andrew KenrickCubicle 7 Publisher: Dominic McDowall

Rocket Age Publisher: Ken SpencerPlaytesters: Cory Fink, Jeremy Hedge,

Nathan Hyrule, Moxon Julian, and Samantha Parish

Published by Why Not GamesVincennes, Indiana

© 2017 Kenneth Spencer

Any unauthorised use of copyrighted material is illegal. Any trademarked names are used in a historical or

fictional manner; no infringement is intended.

Find out more about Rocket Age and our other games at www.whynotgames.com

Printed on Mars

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B R ING ' EM BACK AL I V E

B R I N G ' E M B A C K A L I V E- R O C K E T A G E -

It is 1938 and the annual Anglo-French Expedition on Venus is getting ready to set out from Roosevelt Station to capture and catalog the alien flora and fauna of that jungle-covered planet. Marvel at the wondrous landscapes and the power of the mighty thunder lizard. Be thrilled by the drums of the native Venusians as they pound through the night. Join the expedition now in this Rocket Age episode for 2-4 players with a maximum of 15 Story Points per character. A shortened form of this episode ran at GenCon 2013. Thanks to all those who played in the event, and a special thanks to Gamemasters extraordinaire Ted Snider and Sam Parish.

Player characters can become involved in this episode in several ways. The default assumption is that they are members of the 1938 Anglo-French Expedition to Venus. They may be native Venusian guides, big game hunters, scientists, expedition guards, porters, trackers, or some other sort of specialists. Their reasons for joining the expedition can be just as varied. For some it is the thrill of the adventure, others dream of scientific discoveries, while those who are associated with an organization, for example the Rocket Rangers or Interplanetary Comintern, would receive directions from their superiors. It is quite possible for one or more player characters to be working incognito to further their organization’s aims. This episode is divided into three reels: the Valley of Flowers, Drums in the Jungle, and Dangers of the Grand Crater. All three need to be run in order, however the episode is not as linear as it appears to be. Although there is a route the expedition is taking, how the player characters handle the challenges along that route can alter the narrative of the journey.

The first reel, The Valley of Flowers, takes the expedition deep into the Venusian jungle and through unexplored territory. The scenes in this reel can be played as presented or in whatever order the Gamemaster desires.

The expedition can face mudslides, discover radium deposits, encounter quilled lizards and other interesting animals, experience the joys of Venusian storms, navigate quicksand-filled bogs, and face the challenge of the hitherto unknown Venusian Lotus Blossoms.

At the end of the Valley of Flowers, the expedition is harassed by the savage Jill’yalla Concordat, which has invaded the Border Ridge buffer zone. Under constant harassment by the hostile concordat, our heroes must keep their heads and race towards the safety of the Grand Crater. Along the way they discover the terrible fate of a previous expedition.

The final Reel sees the expedition arriving at its destination, the northern edge of the great hole through the Ishtar Highlands known as the Grand Crater. There the expedition sets up camp and begins the process of mapping the area, collecting samples, and examining the artifacts scattered along the upper slopes of the crater. As they prepare to leave, heavy rain reveals a coffin like box that still has power millennia after being buried. Either through foolishness, curiosity, or accident, the box is opened and a surprised, but well-armed, Erisian warrior emerges. The heroes must then either defeat him in battle or calm him down.

INTRO MONTAGEThrill to the adventures of Rocket Age starring (player name) as (character name), (player name) as (character name), (player name) as (character name), (player name) as (character name), in Bring 'Em Back Alive! We rejoin our heroes as they arrive at Roosevelt Station in preparation for their trek through the mysterious and dangerous jungles of Venus…

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

VENUS“Venus, the emerald jewel hanging in the night sky”, this is what the travel agents put on their posters, but the truth is that Venus is a hardscrabble planet of impenetrable jungle, high mountains, deadly flora and fauna, and tribes of savage natives. While it is true that some come to Venus to enjoy the comforts and entertainments of Livingstone Lodge, the majority of visitors arrive to either work in the Ore Fields or strike out on their own as wildcatters. A few, less than a thousand each year, come to explore and study the Evening Star.

You have joined the Anglo-French Expedition of 1938 for their journey through unexplored jungles to the famed Grand Crater. This impact crater and long scar through the highlands holds religious significance for the native Venusians, and they do not normally allow outsiders to visit, much less stay for three weeks to perform scientific studies. However, the Kind’alkakla Concordat has deemed to allow it.

These intrepid and bold scientists are not like their brethren back on Earth. No white lab coats for these men and women, but instead they don pith helmets and sturdy boots. Like living relics from the last century, scientists on Venus are hardy explorers inured to the harsh conditions of the jungle, the terrible diseases that can decimate an expedition, and the dangerous plants and animals that

dwell in their outdoor laboratories. If they are not capable of handling these threats they will not last long. In other words, Venusian researchers are a rugged lot because those who are not have gone to feed the soil and bellies of this primeval world.

T H E A N G L O - F R E N C H E X P E D I T I O N O F 1 9 3 8 For the past five years the Royal Geographic Society and the French Académie des Sciences have sponsored a joint expedition into the highlands of the Ishtar Range. These expeditions have the stated goals of mapping the landscape (aerial surveys yield little information due to the thick canopy of trees), gathering samples of native flora and fauna, and studying the indigenous intelligent life. In its brief history the Anglo-French expeditions have gained a great deal of fame, at least in the scientific community, for their contributions to the growing body of knowledge of Venus as well as for the daring of the field scientists who have been part of them.

This year, the Anglo-French expedition is heading for the northern edge of the Grand Crater. Permission has been granted by the Kind’alkakla Concordat to cross their territory and spend no more than three weeks on the edge of the crater. This is an amazing opportunity, for the native Venusians do not often let people near their sacred sites, especially not this one. However, to reach the crater from Roosevelt Station, the expedition needs to cross a hundred miles of jungle highland, and skirt the edges of the warlike

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(and rumored to be cannibalistic) Jill’yalla Concordat territory. There is no other route available, and the jungle-covered slopes of the Venusian highlands provide few landing points for rocket ships and airplanes.

W E L C O M E T O T H E E X P E D I T I O N

MEETING THE EXPEDITION By the time you arrive at Roosevelt Station preparations are well underway and the expedition is nearly ready to get aboard the trucks that will carry it to Livingstone Lodge. You are greeted by the commanding presence of Colonel Edward Foster, a smartly dressed ex-British army officer, and his co-leader, the renowned scientist Dr Etienne Benôit. With them are the famed Botanist Dr Harold Keys and his Europan companion, Dr Herald Keyes. These avuncular and eccentric figures are well known in scientific communities, largely for their mishaps and misadventures. With them is a young woman in freshly purchased safari gear. She introduces herself as Justine Potter of the Rocket News Service.

Colonel Foster (representing the Royal Geographic Society) and Etienne Benôit (representing the Académie des Sciences) lead the Anglo-French Expedition of 1938. Both were chosen by a commission made up of both

parent bodies, and were chosen due to their experience and ability. Unfortunately, the two explorers hate each other with a passion, and this will taint the expedition’s journey. In addition to its leaders, the expedition includes fifteen scientists of various specialties, a reporter, two hunters/ trackers, eight bearers, and a variety of assistants, helpers, graduate students, and other assorted hangers on. The player characters can perform a role in whatever way best suits their abilities and backgrounds. If a player character’s position in the expedition would replace one of the expedition members listed in the sidebox below, just remove the non-player character. At any point where a named non-player character is mentioned, should that person not be in the episode due to replacement, substitute a different non-player character.

Due to the harshness of the terrain, not to mention the lack of roads, the expedition is proceeding from Livingstone Station on foot. This means that the amount of baggage needs to be kept to a minimum, with survival and scientific equipment given preference. A team of thirty burros brought from southern Mexico is hauling the bulk of the baggage. These hardy animals are a breed used to heavy work in the jungle highlands of Chiapas, and should do well on Venus. Supporting them is a team of eight bearers; all men from the Ore Fields who are down on their luck and are looking to make enough honest money to return to Earth. These Earthlings are tasked with handling the burro train and carrying equipment through areas that the burros cannot traverse.

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITIONIn addition to the player characters and the non-player characters described below, there are several other people along as part of the expedition. There are far too many to give full detailed descriptions of, not to mention that we do not truly need the names and statistics of every bearer, hunter, and scientist. However, the Gamemaster might want to drop a few names and lesser personalities into the mix. Here is a select list of the lesser stars of our little drama, each with two adjectives that describe their personality:

• Salvador Urbano (stoic, harsh worded), an Earthling hunter and jungle guide from Ecuador.• Dr Laura Stevens (aloof, obsessed with plants), an Earthling botanist.• Kavanak (quiet, stubborn), a Chanari hunter unused to the jungle.• 'Big' Pete Kipper (gregarious, loud), an Earthling bearer.• Bobby Morgan (lazy, untrustworthy), an Earthling mule skinner• Diane Cox (energetic, clumsy), an Earthling grad student from Kent.• Dr Phyllis Bell (sour, unapologetic), an Earthling geologist.• Harvey Ba-Ba (courageous, exuberant), a Venusian hanger-on.• Rémy Foy (tough, professional), an Earthling photographer. • Dr Aida Bilencourt (ambitious, egotistical), an Earthling entomologist.

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The expedition has plenty of survival equipment and will be able to outfit any player characters that lack the basics. In addition to personal equipment the expedition has the general camp making, water filtering and storage, and other assorted survival tools needed for an extended stay in the jungle. There is also a large portable RADIO and a collection of batteries, a hand-cranked generator, and a set of sky rockets for signaling.

As well as survival equipment, the expedition is carrying a large amount of scientific gear. Biologists, planetary physicists, archaeologists, geographers, and others have portable laboratories that can be set up to study any interesting finds (a portable laboratory takes three hours to set up and gives a +2 bonus to Science rolls). There is a small mountain of specimen jars as well as a hundred gallons of preservative (plus fifty gallons of ether). Also, there are kits for preserving parts, or possibly the whole of, plant and animal species (though nothing larger than fifteen centimeters in length). Geiger counters and other sensor devices are being brought along, but are limited by the level of technology in 1938 (remember, Earthlings do not possess a multi or universal scanner). Finally, the geographers are bringing along three sets of survey equipment that include retractable stadia rods, tripods, and theodolites.

Water will not be a problem, although filtering it will be a chore. Food is being provided by a combination of living off the land and prepackaged rations purchased from various militaries (filling, hearty, and often packaged during or before the Great War). The trackers and hunters in the expedition are expected to spend part of each day shooting game and gathering known edible native fruits.

EXCERPTS FROM WINIFRED’S GUIDE TO THE VENUSIAN JUNGLE

The greatest danger in the jungle is not the thunder lizard, nor is it the threat of savage natives. It is simple carelessness; forgetting to filter the water, neglecting to make sure the bug netting is tight, not watching where you are walking. It is the simple things that one does everyday and soon takes for granted that are the most important.

Venus is not stable, not in the same sense that the great jungles of Earth are. Venusquakes are common, and the rain saturated soil can easily give way, plummeting the unwary into deep pits, sloughing off hills sides, and thundering down in torrents of mud and debris. More visitors have died from the unstable terrain than from any other cause, save that of disease.

The Ishtar Range, and possibly the whole of the highlands, is home to a variety of dangerous animals. While the great thunder lizards, jungle tortoises, and other large fauna are well known, they are not the biggest danger. Venomous reptiles of all kinds, huge spiders, and even tiny flies have all claimed the lives of Earthlings venturing out into the jungle.

I M P O R T A N T M E M B E R S O F T H E E X P E D I T I O NThe Anglo-French Expedition of 1938 consists of more than just the player characters, though the latter are the heroes of this episode. The two doctors provide a bit of humor, as well as serving as foils for any player characters who

• Khaki colored pants and shirt, underwear as appropriate, sturdy boots and light wool socks, forage hat or pith helmet, handkerchief

• A canteen with cup and mesh filter, a bottle of iodine tablets to purify the water

• A stout walking stick (no damage bonus)• A utilitarian knife (+2 damage bonus)• Personal bug netting• Sleeping bag• Rucksack• Three bars of surplus Royal Navy emergency

rations, each good for one day’s food supply (looks like a candy bar, tastes like warm milk and old beef)

• Compass, whistle, dining set (nested plate and bowl with cutlery set)

• Mixed assortment of beads (for trading with the natives)

• Machete (+4 damage)• Matches, hand-cranked flashlight• Three packs of cigarettes (Gaulettes, the lowest-

rated French brand)• Rain poncho• Bug proof mesh to place over hat or helmet• Tarp• First aid kit

BASIC EQUIPMENT

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interact with them (they are also constantly wandering off into the jungle and will often need rescuing). Foster and Benôit are the quarreling expedition leaders, their inability to reach a consensus means that the more vocal of our heroes can easily sway the course of the expedition. Finally, there is the plucky young reporter, Justine Potter, who may be in over her head but whose enthusiasm and daring writing might make the party famous.

Dr Harold Keyes - 60 year-old British Botanist

“Amazing, this vine seems to have wrapped several tendrils around my forearm.”

This is the original Harold Keyes, an older and easily distracted botanist who, despite his seeming ignorance of the concept of danger, has had a long and successful career as a field scientist. Doctor Keyes has trampled through nearly every tropical and subtropical jungle on earth, collecting and cataloging plant species, narrowly avoiding pitfalls and quicksand, and once accidentally tripping over a small panther in Brazil. He took a bad fall in Borneo and was taken in by an orangutan. Afterwards he described his host as, “A proper lady with better manners than most.”

Dr Herald Keys - Europan ‘Botanist’

“Goodness, Dr Keyes, that vine is a magnificent specimen, shall I attempt to gently remove it from your arm without causing it undue damage?” DR HAROLD KEYES

AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

COORDINATION 2 RESOLVE 5

INGENUITY 5 STRENGTH 1

SKILLS: Knowledge 4 (History of Science), Medicine 3, Science 5 (Botany), Survival 3.

TRAITS: Clumsy, Friends (Minor, Director of Research at Roosevelt Station), Eccentric (Minor), Impulsive, Insatiable Curiosity, Man of Science.

STORY POINTS: 2

DR HERALD KEYS




SKILLS: Knowledge 4 (Earthling History), Medicine 3, Science 5 (Botany).

TRAITS: Clumsy, Distinctive, Eccentric (Minor), Hypnosis, Immortal, Immunity (Disease), Immunity (Poison), Impulsive, Insatiable Curiosity, Man of Science Psychic Training, Weakness (Lead).

STORY POINTS: 2

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Not a real doctor but an Europan emissary who has attached himself to the good Doctor Keyes in order to study Earthling scientists. Two years ago the Europan arrived at Dr Keyes’ doorstep and announced he was there to study him, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Dr Keys prefers to be referred to as a he, dresses as a distinguished British scientist should, and attempts to mimic his Earthling friend’s behavior as much as possible. Unfortunately, having someone who acts, if not thinks, like him has encouraged the Earthling Dr Keyes to behave even more eccentrically, and the two combine to produce something that is more than the sum of its parts.

Colonel Edward Foster - Earthling Male Soldier

“Right then, step lively chaps, there’ll be time for tiffin later.”

Foster is a former British Army officer from a well-to-do family. He is brusque, short tempered, and used to people doing what he says when he says it. Foster firmly believes an expedition should be run as smoothly as a military parade ground, and that getting to their destination on time is of more value then a bunch of silly scientists fawning over flowers.

Etienne Benôit - Earthling Scientist and Explorer

“We have but one goal, to further humanity’s understanding of the Solar System, all else is insignificant.”

COLONEL EDWARD FOSTER




SKILLS: Athletics 2, Fighting 4, Knowledge 1, Marksman 3, Survival 5.

TRAITS: Fighting Man, Friends (Minor, old regimental mates), Tough.

EQUIPMENT: RAY pistol

STORY POINTS: 2

ETIENNE BENÔIT




SKILLS: Athletics 3, Knowledge 4, Marksman 3, Medicine 2, Science 3 (Geology), Subterfuge 2, Survival 3, Technology 1, Transport 2.

TRAITS: Friends (Minor, Lt. Running Tree, USRR), Man of Science, Tough.

STORY POINTS: 2

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As co-leader of the expedition, Benôit has his work cut out for him. Foster is a blustering fool as far as the Frenchman is concerned, and has no idea of what a scientific expedition is really all about. Benôit is an acclaimed zoologist and has spent years studying animals in the jungles of the Congo. It is his firmly held belief that the best discoveries are found when you are looking for something else.

Justine Potter - Earthling Female Journalist

“If you have a second, I have a few questions.”

Justine Potter is a reporter for the Rocket News Service. Although a junior reporter without a lot of field experience, she has been assigned to the expedition largely based on her background. As the daughter of American missionaries, Justine grew up in the jungles of Brazil, the Congo, and Guatemala. She carries herself with a high degree of professionalism and hates the ‘spunky girl reporter’ stereotype that most people expect.

R E E L O N E : T H E V A L L E Y O F F L O W E R S

THE VALLEY OF FLOWERSTheme: An unexplored region of the Ishtar Highlands with unique flora.Complication: Far from help and inaccessible by rocket ship.Personality: The Valley of Flowers is uninhabited by any sophonts, but the local thunder lizard, Me, has a bit of a personality.

Me:Like most thunder lizards Me has little concept of self or others. He does have emotions, and these run from angry, through hungry, and on to angry and hungry. Even other thunder lizards avoid him and his valley, which would make Me lonely, if he thought too much about it.

The expedition leaves Roosevelt Station by truck and arrives later that day at Livingstone Lodge. This hunting resort is owned and operated by a British company and maintains that it offers the only luxury hunting resort on Venus. In an effort to show goodwill towards the sciences, The Lodge has offered to put the expedition up for two nights and provide a guide to the edge of the surrounding explored regions of the jungle. Following two nights of luxury, the expedition sets out into the jungle proper and soon finds itself on the edge of the Emerald Plateau, facing the unknown and unexplored Valley of Flowers.

S C E N E O N E : T H R O U G H T H E V A L L E YIf the expedition maintains a steady pace it will take at least two weeks to wind their way through the Valley of Flowers. This long, narrow valley runs from just south of Livingstone Lodge to a long ridge that skirts the border between the Kind’alkakla and the Jill’yalla Concordats.

JUSTINE POTTER




SKILLS: Convince 3, Impulsive, Knowledge 2, Subterfuge 4 (Bluffing), Survival 3 (Jungle).

TRAITS: Brave, Charming, Friends (Minor, editor at the Roosevelt Station RNS office).

STORY POINTS: 2

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Its name comes from the profusion of flowering plants, with hundreds of species, many of them unknown to Earthling science. Due to the conditions in the valley, the giant trees of the jungle cannot grow here, giving way to shorter trees and a profusion of what elsewhere would be termed undergrowth. This is not to say the valley is one long meadow, Venusian undergrowth is still four or more meters tall, with leaves that are more often than not serrated.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLEEntering the Venusian jungle is like walking into a different world. The light, what little there is, is filtered down through a canopy of leaves nearly three hundred meters above you. Even the lower canopy of the Valley of Flowers cuts off nearly half of the light of the sun. There is little underbrush, and were it not for the crowded trunks of trees and low hanging mist, one could see for some distance. There is a constant dripping of water off of leaves, the distant howls of wild animals, and nearly everywhere the smell of the natural world in all its lurid, terrible, and wonderful varieties. Small reptiles scurry about, insects buzz (some of them not so small to Earthling eyes, the Venusian spider hawk is nearly a meter in diameter), and life fills every available niche. Periodically, the expedition crosses under the territory of a troop of lizard monkeys, and sometimes become the targets of these mischievous creatures’ sport.

The Valley of FlowersAs you crest the last ridge between the well-known areas around Livingstone Lodge, you see the long, narrow Valley of Flowers twisting below you. Small canyons feed into the valley, and the whole arrangement looks like a long thin line with smaller fingers cut into the Ishtar Range.

Nearly a hundred kilometers long, but only a half kilometer wide, the valley is a home to a profusion of native flora. Tall fern-like plants send out broad umbrellas of fronds, stout barrel-shaped palm trees poke out here and there, and nearly every plant is covered with flowers of one type or another. The scent is heady, and even above the valley the smell is almost overpowering.

Listed below are several events that can be played out while the expedition makes its way through this riot of color and scent. The Gamemaster can run her choice of events, roll randomly for them, or play them in order. The number of events played through can vary; at least two should be used, but up to all six can be run if desired.

Valley of Flowers Events

Roll Event1 Mudslide!2 The Rope Bridge3 Radium Deposit4 The Doctors Wander Off5 Carrion and Those Who Love It6 Assault of the Lizard Monkeys

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RING 'EM BACK ALIV