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Expedition Beyond
Mount Terror
Writing and Layout by Edited by Saga Machine system by
Thorin Tabor Tracy Lachowicz Thorin Tabor
Tab Creations is
Ben Goreham, Jesse Pingenot, Matthew Pennell, Thorin Tabor
Exceptional playtesting by
Kat Davis, Carroll Emerson, Ben Goreham, Micah Hollis-Symynkywicz, Matthew Kamm,
Jesse Pingenot, Brian Richburg, Atom Smith, Darin Strouts, Eric Wirtanen

Art by
Enmanuel Martinez Lema,
Joselito Mahilum, Storn Cook

Tab Creations, Saga Machine, Against the Dark Yogi, Shadows Over Sol and Dime Adventures are trademarks owned by Thorin Tabor and
Tab Creations LLC. All rights reserved. All other content is ©2017 Thorin Tabor. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these
pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. This document is a work of fiction.

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 Introduction
Contained in this book is a complete master, a dog trainer and five grunts to provide
scenario for Dime Adventures. The material the manpower to make the expedition happen.
presented here should be enough to cover Expedition members are detailed on pages 12-13.
somewhere between three and five evenings of All of the expedition members are
play, depending on the pacing provided by the scheduled to meet together for the first time in
GM and the actions of the players. August in Newark, New Jersey, as this is where
the ship that Professor Hedegaard has acquired
is currently docked. While in Newark, plans
Synopsis have been made to double-check the supplies,
Eight months ago, Professor Esther meet the expedition’s grant sponsors and
Hedegaard, a geologist at the University of undergo some basic expedition training.
Straumfjörð, received a grant to organize an expe- The expedition should set sail from Newark
dition to the distant and mysterious continent of in September, making its way down the coast
Antarctica. The expedition plans to be the first of the Americas, and finally reach the port of
to research the geology of the Transantarctic Punta Arenas in October. This lonely port is at
Mountains, exploring their natural structure, the tip of South America, and will be the final
collecting mineral samples and assessing if they chance the expedition has to resupply before
have any valuable natural resources. setting out for Antarctica.
Such an expedition is a risky venture in this From here the expedition plans to sail
day and age. The fringes of the continent have southeast, making its way toward the Ross Sea,
just barely been explored. It remains a land past Mount Terror. The expedition should make
of danger and mystery, and more than one landfall in November. From here the journey
previous expedition has met an untimely end. truly begins, as the expedition must make its
Professor Hedegaard needs not only scientists, way inland, setting up base camp at the feet of
but bold and rugged adventurers, willing to the Transantarctic Mountains by December.
brave the elements and the unknown, to make This will give the expedition a planned
the expedition work. She needs the heroes! month and a half to investigate the surrounding
area, taking samples and exploring, before
Hedegaard Expedition needing to trek back to rendezvous with the
The expedition consists of eight members, ship. If everything goes as planned, the expedi-
plus the heroes and Professor Hedegaard herself tion should depart Antarctica by early February.
(so about 12 – 15 people total). Included in Of course, not everything will go as planned.
this number is an expert in survival, a supply

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Fielding Expedition The Retributers
Despite Professor Hedegaard’s claims, this The grants which provided the funding
isn’t the first expedition to the Transantarctic for both the Hedegaard Expedition and the
Mountains. A year ago, another expedition earlier Fielding Expedition were contributed
attempted the same thing. This was the Fielding by the well-respected philanthropic organiza-
Expedition, organized through Duke University. tion known as the Society for the Advance-
For two months everything went well. ment of Mankind (SAM).
The Fielding Expedition set out on the ice and This organization, however, is more than it
arrived at its destination. The members were in might appear. In fact, it is controlled by a clan-
possession of a wireless telegraphy system, which destine group of time-travelers, known as the
they used to keep in contact with the crew of the Retributers, who secretly operate throughout
expedition’s ship, anchored off of Ross Island. the world, fighting the agents and spawn of an
The base camp transmitted regularly extraterrestrial menace known as the Devourer.
scheduled messages, indicating that everything The Retributers have their headquarters
was normal and that the research was going well. at the End of Time, but their agents in the
Everything was proceeding normally until the field (at least those on Arth) rely on a series
night of November 5th. Then the transmissions of sub-bases set at specific weak points in time
suddenly stopped. The ship attempted to contact and space. These weak points can be cracked
the base camp, but there was no response. open, and a series of “jumps” made to reach
Then, five days later on the night of their End of Time HQ. However, all of these
September the 10th, the ship received one final paths back must go through a choke point in
transmission: Antarctica, some 12,000 years in the past.
The problem is that the base the Retrib-
DOGS MAD IN NIGHT. JOHN ON uters have set up at this choke point has gone
WATCH NOW MISSING. FOUND IN dark. No communication has been forth-
THE ROCK. IN THE FOOD SUPPLY coming for almost two years, and all attempts
DOGS SAMUEL. TELL SARAH I WONT to jump to that point and investigate have
BE COMING HOME. STAY AWAY FROM failed. Something must have happened, and
BLOCK ROCK. WE ARE DEAD. STAY the isolated Retributer agents on Arth need to
AWAY FROM BLACK ROCK. understand what’s going on if they’re to have
any hope of fixing the problem.
Following this final message, the expedi- Working under the guise of SAM, the
tion’s ship waited another two weeks for a Retributers arranged for the Fielding Expe-
reply. None was forthcoming. Eventually, dition to be sent to Antarctica. While in the
hope was lost, and the newspapers wrote up Transantarctic Mountains, they were to secretly
the Fielding Expedition as one of the biggest attempt to find the remains of the Retributer
scientific failures of the new century. Surpris- base under the ice. By examining the remains,
ingly quickly, it faded from public memory the agents might then glean information on
and into history. Until now. what went wrong 12,000 years ago.

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 But the Fielding Expedition met disaster As FOR they will approach the expedi-
and never returned. tion early in the adventure, offering their
This was a setback, but it didn’t stop the support and involvement. The result of this
Retributers’ need to understand what happened encounter is up to the players, but they may
to their base. So they had SAM fund another inadvertently stumble into the middle of a
expedition—this time the Hedegaard Expedi- conflict they don’t understand.
tion, of which the heroes are a part. They plan Regardless of the outcome of that
to have the expedition search for the remains of encounter, the Preventers have hedged their
the Retributer base once it reaches the Trans- bets by funding their own rival expedition—
antarctic Mountains, but they’ve also learned seeded with their own agents—to travel to
from their past mistakes. In order to accomplish Antarctica and beat the Retributers to the
this, and ensure the success of the expedition, remnants of their base. This rival expedi-
all of the involved NPCs—save for Professor tion—the Yale Expedition—will serve as
Hedegaard herself—are either Retributer agents antagonists throughout the scenario.
or locals secretly in their employ.
The Devourer
The Preventers The Retributers secretly operate throughout
The complications don’t end there, however. the world, fighting the agents and spawn of an
There exists another group of time travelers— extraterrestrial menace known as the Devourer.
the Preventers—who oppose the Retributers. In fact, it is the spawn of this very entity that
This opposition group has taken notice of the is responsible for the destruction of the Retrib-
Hedegaard Expedition, and has their own agents uter’s base in Antarctica, as will be discovered
on the move, acting in secret within the ranks of when the expedition arrives.
the Fraternal Order of the Right (FOR).

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 Other Adventures
Expedition Beyond Mount Terror can be used alone or in conjunction with
other published Dime Adventures scenarios. Below are some notes on how to
combine this adventure with others.
■ Circles in the Sky: This adventure constitutes a different expedition, traveling
in a different direction. As such, it’s difficult to mesh the two scenarios directly,
although a team who has gained a reputation for being good on expeditions from
one of the scenarios might be more easily recruited for the other.
■ Skull-Spider Island: Found in the Dime Adventures: Quick-Start, this
scenario can be easily inserted as an interlude sometime after the expedition first
leaves port and before it arrives in South America. In this case, the heroes aren’t
transporting the Eye of Wadjet, but other important supplies.
■ World’s Fair: The early parts of Expedition Beyond Mount Terror could easily be
set at the World’s Fair as part of the fundraising for the journey. This allows GMs
to quickly integrate the events of World’s Fair into the scenario.

The Devourer is a powerful, malevolent

and inhuman entity that wants nothing more
than the destruction of all reality. From where Ready-Made Heroes
it comes is not known—perhaps the stars—but The player characters presented in Dime
what is known is that at some point millions of Adventures: Ready-Made Heroes are ideal
years ago, it arrived, cracked the world open like for use with Expedition Beyond Mount
an egg, crawled inside and started its eons-long Terror. Simply print out the character
slumber. Some speculate that the Devourer isn’t sheets, let players choose which character
a thing so much as a sentient and malevolent each prefers and you are good to go!
force that infects and pervades the world. Of particular note are: Maximilian
The Devourer has birthed monstrous, who has experience leading expeditions
inhuman spawn that sleep deep under the ice and a rivalry with Adrien de Gerlache, Sir
in Antarctica, radiating strange energies that Ruprecht von Dusseldorf who would have
twist the world around them. These tentacled an interest in the paranormal aspects of the
horrors exist only for destruction. It also has adventure, and Jutta who has experience in
human agents—crazed cultists or power-mad cold climates and an interest in preserving
occultists—who worship it with an insane glee. the rugged wilderness.
These agents are in control of their own secret
society, the nefarious True Form Foundation.

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 dition then must be immediately abandoned,
Running an and even then everyone will likely die.
Supplies will decrease naturally as the expe-
Expedition dition goes on and they are used up. Disasters
Realistically, running an expedition— and events can also affect the heroes’ supplies.
particularly to a remote and hostile land, Finally, the players will have a few options
like Antarctica—is an exercise in careful throughout the adventure to use up extra
planning, supply management and logistics. supplies in order to gain a benefit.
Tools need inventoried, food needs rationed, Furthermore, as the supplies deplete, each
sled dogs need cared for and fuel supplies category will have its own effect.
need to be preserved.
In a roleplaying game, some players really
Food
enjoy this sort of detail and verisimilitude.
The expedition plans to spend three
However, in our experience, most would rather
months on the ice. Each month on the ice
gloss over the bean counting and get to the
will naturally increase the Depletion (food)
action of the adventure—and we are forced to
consequence a severity. The extra food in the
admit, the latter approach is more pulp.
supply is a safety precaution.
As a consequence, this scenario uses an
■ Running Out: If the expedition runs out of
abstract system to track the logistics of the
food, immediately begin starvation (see the
expedition. The goal is to provide the players
Dime Adventures core rulebook, page 139).
with the sense that the expedition needs careful
planning and logistics, but to do this without
forcing the players to handle all the details. Fuel
That is, a player’s character may stay up all Fuel is necessary to stay warm. It keeps
night going over supply ledgers by oil lamp, drinking water from becoming impotable blocks
but the player shouldn’t have to! of ice. It also makes some equipment warm
enough to function. Each month on the ice will
naturally increase the Depletion (fuel) conse-
Handling Supplies quence a severity, as the supply gets used up.
This adventure uses an abstract system
■ Running Out: The expedition can no longer
of tracking supplies. It breaks supplies down
warm themselves at night. They will not heal,
into four categories: food, fuel, tools and
nor recover from the Fatigue consequence.
dogs. The depletion of each of these catego-
ries will be represented by a Depletion conse-
quence. As the stock of supplies goes down in Tools
each category, its Depletion will first be light, Expeditions require lots of tools, from
then moderate, then severe, then critical. If tents, to shovels, from cameras, to spare warm
the consequence would ever surpass critical clothing. However, as time goes by tools
severity, the supply has entirely run out. break, are lost or are used up.
Needless to say this is a bad thing, as the expe- ■ Running Out: Anytime a hero goes to get a
tool, the GM should flip one card per severity

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 of the Depletion (tools) consequence. If a ■ Anytime an NPC is put to work
joker comes up, there are no more spare tools performing a significant task in the cold—
of that kind available. She should then note such as setting up a new camp, scouting
this for future reference. For example, if the the area, accompanying the heroes out
hero wants rope and the GM flips a joker, no into the frozen mountains, etc., increase
spare rope is in the supply! that character’s Fatigue a severity.
■ If an NPC would take damage, increase
that character’s Fatigue a severity instead of
Dogs
tracking damage separately.
Dogs are necessary to pull the two sleds
■ If the character’s Fatigue consequence
that move the expedition’s supplies. Without
would ever be increased beyond critical
dogs, the heroes will have to abandon all the
severity, that character dies—likely
supplies where they lay in favor of only what
frozen to death.
they can carry on their persons.
■ Running Out: Once Depletion (dogs)
reaches severe, there are only enough dogs Antarctic Survival
left to pull one sled instead of both. Once Antarctica is the last continent to be
the expedition is out of dogs, they can’t even explored by humanity for a number of very
manage that. All supplies are stuck at the base good reasons. Not only is it remote, but it is
camp, which cannot be moved in a reason- also a rugged and icy land, hostile to human
ably timely manner. If either sled breaks, the life. While on the frozen continent, the
GM should keep track of that on its own. heroes and their expedition will constantly
be at war with the elements.
Expedition Members
The players should keep track of the Extreme Cold
health and fatigue of the heroes using the Needless to say, Antarctica is extremely
usual systems. The NPCs on the expedition, cold! The GM should take the time to read
however, can be tracked using the following the rules for temperature extremes on page
simplified system. 139 of the Dime Adventures core rulebook.
Keep track of each NPC’s Fatigue conse- Characters outside of camp should make
quence. This can be easily achieved by drawing End-14 flips against the cold every three
a series of boxes on a game mat or piece of hours during the day or every hour at night.
paper. Draw one box for no Fatigue, one for Feel free to have characters make additional
light Fatigue, one for moderate Fatigue, etc. flips if they do something that would cause
Then have a token for each NPC, moving extra exposure to the cold. Remember, the
that token between boxes as that character’s “Not Until It’s Over” rule! Fatigue from the
Fatigue consequence increases or decreases. cold won’t recover until the heroes can get
This gives the players a very visual indicator back to base camp and warm up again!
of the health of their expedition.

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Setting Up Camp Recovery at Satellite Camps
Setting up base camp is a long and involved When the heroes leave base camp for
process. Treat it as an End/naturalist-10 multi-day excursions, they will often be forced
(Tally 10, 1 day) extended action. Every day to set up smaller satellite camps. These don’t
the heroes can make a flip to make progress have all the amenities of base camp, but they
setting up the camp. This is likely a Group do provide shelter from the elements. Char-
Effort flip (see the Dime Adventures core acters don’t heal or recover from the Fatigue
rulebook, page 90). After each day’s progress consequence for nights spent in these camps,
setting up the camp, have all involved charac- but neither do they get worse.
ters make a flip against the extreme cold for
exposure during setup. Meanwhile, all charac-
Holiday at Base Camp
ters must spend the night in the equivalent of
Heroes at base camp can opt to declare
a satellite camp (see below). Characters who
one night a holiday. During this holiday, the
gain too much Fatigue during this process
normally assumed rationing is relaxed, extra
may want to sit out later flips as they recover.
fuel is burned and extra food is consumed.
This helps the expedition’s spirits and allows
Recovery at Base Camp everyone at base camp to heal normally that
The healing and recovery rates given in night (heal Endurance in HP and remove all
the Dime Adventures core rulebook assume Fatigue). Every two times the characters decide
a level of comfort beyond what Antarctica to do this, however, the expedition’s Depletion
provides. Every night spent in the warmth of (fuel) consequence increases a severity.
base camp only heals ½ Endurance in HP and
one severity of the Fatigue consequence.

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Launching the Expedition

In this first part of the adventure, the heroes from Straumfjörð in Vinland last night, and is
are introduced to Professor Ester Hedegaard looking to set everything in motion, preparing
and the rest of the expedition members. They for the expedition’s launch.
will have a chance to tour the ship, attend a Professor Hedegaard will introduce
fancy dress party, witness a conflict involving herself and have each of the heroes do the
the expedition’s grant, investigate nefarious same. This is a good chance for players to
sabotage and save the expedition from later on describe their characters’ appearance, special-
being critically undersupplied. ties, personality, etc. Hedegaard should come
across as enthusiastic about the expedition,
extremely knowledgeable about geology, but
Meeting the clueless about many of the other practicali-
ties. She’s intelligent enough, however, to
Professor know that she’s clueless in certain areas, and
The adventure begins with the heroes in will depend upon the expertise of the other
Newark, New Jersey. They’ve just sat down to expedition members to make up for these
meet with Professor Ester Hedegaard, who is deficiencies. She will tell the heroes exactly
organizing the expedition. She just arrived here this—she’s counting on them!

Professor Esther Hedegaard

“The world is full of scientific mysteries just waiting to be solved!”
Str 5, Dex 4, Spd 4, End 6, Int 7, Per 3, Chr 5, Det 6
Defense 5/11, Willpower 9/18, DR 0, HP 11, Wealth 5, Lifestyle 5
Skills: Athletics 2, Lib-Arts 3, Mechanics 2, Melee 1, Naturalist 3, Science 4, Socialize 2
Geologist’s Pick: +3♥ vs. Defense (♠8/♥6/♦4/♣2).
♠♥ Stuck: The pick gets stuck in the target, Professor Hedegaard loses her grip
on it and she is disarmed.
Fists: +3♥ vs. Defense (♠6/♥4/♦3/♣1).
Equipment: Clothes, Geologist’s Pick, Geology Toolkit, Wallet

Professor Hedegaard is a well-respected geologist at the University of Straum-

fjörð. For her this expedition is a dream come true, and she has many theories
about the geological evolution of the Antarctic continent.

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 ■ Success on a Per/vehicles-10 flip will allow
The Ship & the Crew a hero to inspect the ship, verifying that it’s
The reason that the expedition is meeting
seaworthy and in reasonable shape for its age.
in Newark is that the ship which Professor
Hedegaard has acquired for the expedition is
docked here. The ship—the Cap Nor—is a Expedition Members
wooden-hulled barque equipped with three All of the other expedition members use
masts and two auxiliary steam engines. The the stat block below, with the modification and
ship was purchased secondhand and is a veteran descriptions listed.
of exploratory expeditions, having previously ■ Catherine Sarteu: Head porter of the expe-
been on excursions to East Graenland and the dition. A neat freak and a bit of a worka-
Antarctic Ocean. holic. Endurance 7. HP 12. Awareness 4.
With the introductions complete, ■ Isaak Manfred: Arctic climate outfitter
Professor Hedegaard will suggest that the and survivalist. A curt and short-tempered
heroes accompany her to look over the ship fellow who always drinks the last of the
and meet several of the other expedition coffee. Naturalist 4.
members that she has hired for the journey. ■ Jacqueline Beaumont: Porter for the
This involves a trip to the docks, and the expedition. Will attempt to attach herself
GM should use this opportunity to cement to one of the heroes and follow her around
in the players’ minds some of the important like a lost puppy. Melee 4. Guns 4.
NPCs with whom they will be interacting ■ Omar Bongo: Porter for the expedition.
throughout the expedition. Stats and descrip- Ranking embedded Retributer agent.
tions of the other expedition members follow.

Retributer Agent
“Whatever befell the Antarctic base must be discovered!”
Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 5, End 6, Int 5, Per 5, Chr 6, Det 5
Defense 8/16, Willpower 8/16, DR 2, HP 11, Wealth 4, Lifestyle 3
Skills: Animals 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Deception 3, Guns 2, Mechanics 3,
Melee 2, Naturalist 2, Science 3, Stealth 3, Vehicles 2
Retributer Pistol: +5♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Auto 3, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 9.
♣ Dazing Strike: Increase the target’s Dazed consequence a severity, or two with
a critical hit.
Knife: +5♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2).
Equipment: Hidden Radio, Retributer Pistol (Conceal), Retributer Undersuit (DR 2)

This stat block represents the other expedition members which Professor Hedegaard
has hired under the advisement of her grant sponsors at FOR. Remember, these
characters are not only expedition specialists, but secretly Retributer agents as well.

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 Quiet, but quick-thinking. Intelligence 7. What’s going on here is that Mr. Patton and
Willpower 9/18. Tactics 3. his associates are Preventer agents operating as
■ Sascha Hülsen: The supply master. Has members of FOR. They are making an attempt
a good head for numbers and attention to influence, infiltrate or impede the Hedegaard
to detail, but is always correcting people’s expedition, which they suspect is being under-
grammar. Int 7. Willpower 9/18. Lib-Arts 4. taken at the behest of their Retributer rivals.
■ Tim Johnson: Porter for the expedition. A If they can influence the expedition using
bit of a slacker. Likes to spend extra time money and get their own agents embedded,
with the dogs. Stealth 4. that’s great! Otherwise, they’re already hedging
■ Will Lieber: Porter for the expedi- their bets by financing their own expedition (as
tion. Impressive musical talent. Always will be revealed tomorrow at the dress party).
carries around a harmonica. Charisma 7. Meanwhile, the other expedition members are
Willpower 8/17. Socialize 3. Retributer agents. They recognize this attempt
■ Wolfgang Ramberg: Sled dog trainer and for what it is, but aren’t in a position where
handler. Friendly, but awkward. More they can afford to blow their cover.
comfortable with dogs than with people. The professor will excitedly ask the heroes
Animals 4. what they think. Let the players answer
however they wish and the professor will
accept their expert advice.
Alternate
■ If the other expedition members are asked
Funding Offer why they are tense, they’ll deny it if asked
As the professor, the heroes and several publicly, or simply say “those people give
members of the expedition are leaving the me the creeps” if asked privately.
ship, they will be approached by a group of ■ If the heroes ask the professor, she will say
fancily dressed men and women waiting on that more funding is always better, right?
the docks. One of these men will speak, intro- ■ If the heroes ask Mr. Patton or his associates
ducing himself as Wendell Patton, a repre- why they are interested in funding the expe-
sentative of the Fraternal Order of the Right dition, they will reply “Antarctica is the last
(FOR), an organization with an interest in great unexplored frontier, and we wish to be
financing worthwhile endeavors of scientific among the first to learn its secrets.”
merit around the globe. ■ If, for some reason, stats are necessary, Mr.
Mr. Patton will ask to speak with the professor Patton’s stats are on page 30 and his associates
and heroes regarding a potential opportunity for use the Preventer Agent stats on page 17.
additional funding for their expedition.
■ Any hero present can make a Per/empathy-10 The intent of this scene is to clue the
flip. A success indicates that she gets a feeling players in that something weird is going on
for how the other characters are reacting to with the expedition and that not everything
this offer. Professor Hedegaard seems giddy is as it seems, without giving away the sides
with excitement, while the other members of involved or their covert natures. Ideally this
the expedition all seem to be giving off a vibe scene should leave the players wondering
of tense hostility. “what just happened there?”

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Assignments "Gentle Persuasion "
Other than the professor, the heroes are
The heroes are on the expedition for a
the only members of the expedition who
reason. Each should be expected to contribute
aren’t embedded agents. To the Retributers,
in some way. Perhaps one is a skilled
they represent an unknown quality and this
physician and will be the doctor for the expe-
makes their planners nervous. To test the
dition. Maybe another one is a skilled surviv-
heroes’ mettle, they have paid several local
alist, another sponsor, a celebrity to attract
thugs to “gently persuade” the heroes to leave
attention to the expedition or a scientist
the expedition. From the perspective of the
interested in the Antarctic. If these roles aren’t
Retributers, if this convinces the heroes to
clear, the GM should have the players discuss
leave, then that’s one less unknown variable
them among themselves.
to account for. If it doesn’t, then at least
At this point the heroes should each receive
they know that the heroes have the mettle to
a task that they need to accomplish before the
potentially be useful in the Antarctic.
expedition departs. The GM should make
The hired thugs aren’t original planners.
something up based around the role that the
They simply follow the heroes at a distance
hero is fulfilling for the expedition. This should
until they can catch them relatively alone—
get the players engaged, and ideally give them a
such as on an empty Newark street at night.
reason to interact with the rest of the expedition
Then they show up, clubs in hand, demanding
members. They may optionally involve a flip of
that the heroes agree to leave the expedition or
some sort. Some ideas are provided below:
else “they’ll receive a hurtin’.”
■ The expedition doctor must perform a
■ Use the Thug stat block on page 229 of the
physical on each member of the expedition.
Dime Adventures core rulebook. There
■ The expedition celebrity must give a speech
are a number of thugs equal to the number
to the press.
of heroes. They are minions.
■ An expedition scientist must check over
■ The thugs don’t know anything other than
the supplies of scientific equipment.
some man in a suit paid them a lot of
■ An animal trainer or sled master must
money (Income 5) to intimidate the heroes
check on the health of the dogs.
into leaving the expedition.
■ The expedition quartermaster must go over
equipment manifests and supplies.

These assignments should represent several

Research
It’s possible that one of the heroes will
days of time in the game world—after all,
decide to do some research at this point.
there’s a lot to accomplish and an expedition
Perhaps she wants to look up information
requires a lot of planning. After several days go
about Antarctica, about the expedition’s SAM
by, the professor then expects all of the heroes
sponsors or about Professor Hedegaard.
to attend one final, but important, dress party
■ Doing research on any of these topics
before the expedition sets sail. She will drop
requires a Det/lib-arts-10 flip.
by to remind the heroes of this while they go
about their assignments.

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■ Success will turn up basic information on the expedition to receive their final instruc-
on the subject, but also references to the tions before setting out. It also represents a
Fielding Expedition, which disappeared chance for the higher-up Retributer agents
in Antarctica a year ago. The hero will attending the expedition to evaluate the heroes
dig up the basic information about the and decide if they’re going to pose a problem
expedition as well as the expedition’s final for the expedition’s secret goals.
transmission (see page 4). Narratively, the dress party represents
■ Professor Hedegaard was a consulting another chance for the players to realize that
expert during the Fielding Expedition’s something strange is going on with the expedi-
preparation, although she did not go on tion. During the party they may catch hushed
the expedition. If questioned, she will snippets of conversation between the expedi-
admit this, but didn’t bring it up earlier tion members and the SAM sponsors. It also
because she doesn’t want to unduly worry provides a dramatic backdrop for the revela-
the members of her current expedition. tion about the rival expedition that will also
■ As with the Hedegaard Expedition, SAM be voyaging to Antarctica. Finally, it also keeps
was the sponsor of the Fielding Expedition. the heroes occupied, while their supplies are
quietly sabotaged (see page 17).

Fancy Dress Party SAM Representatives

Regardless of each hero’s individual assign-
Two representatives of the Society for the
ment, they are expected to attend a dress party
Advancement of Mankind are present at the
which Professor Hedegaard is hosting ahead
dress party. These are also the two highest-
of the expedition’s official launch. The party is
ranking Retributer agents on Arth. Over the
taking place at the rather fancy Robert Treat
course of the party they will make a point to
Hotel. Formal attire is requested, refreshments
talk to the heroes, sizing them up, and also
will be served and each of the heroes will have
quietly give instructions to the other expedi-
a chance to mingle with the grant sponsors and
tion members. They use the Retributer Agent
other members of the expedition.
stat block (see page 12), with the modification
This party is important because represen-
and descriptions listed below.
tatives of the expedition’s grant sponsor, the
■ Mary Hanson: An older woman with an
Society for the Advancement of Mankind,
elaborate picture hat and a cane. She is the
will be in attendance and will be making early
ranking Retributer on Arth. Int 9, Det 9.
evaluations of the expedition. The professor
Willpower 12/24. Lib-Arts 4, Tactics 4.
wants to impress the SAM representatives, as
■ Morgan Reeves: A stunningly handsome
she has hopes for future funding. Addition-
man with a tailored suit and univer-
ally, for all of the expedition members, the
sally flirtatious attitude. Int 7. Chr 9.
party represents one last hurrah in civilized
Willpower 10/21. Persuade 4, Socialize 4.
lands before the expedition sets sail.
Behind the scenes, the dress party represents
a chance for the Retributer agents embedded

15 15
 Make their entrance unexpected and
Professor Hedegaard's dramatic. Have them taunt the heroes’ expe-
Funding Woes dition, then allow the heroes to react however
If the players earlier advised Professor they wish. During their time at the party, they
Hedegaard to take the Fraternal Order of the will announce that they’re fully provisioned and
Right up on their funding offer, they will plan to leave first thing tomorrow morning,
find her at the dress party looking somewhat well ahead of the Hedegaard Expedition!
downtrodden. If asked, she will explain that After making their point and flaunting it,
while she initially took the heroes’ advice, and after the heroes have had the opportunity
her current grant sponsors at SAM refused to react, the rival expedition will take their
to have anything to do with an expedition leave and prepare for the morning.
partially funded by FOR and they threatened ■ Adrien de Gerlache, a Belgian explorer of
to pull their funding. Because of that, she was some renown, has been hired to lead the
forced to turn back around and decline FOR’s Yale Expedition’s efforts. His stats can be
funding offer. She’s now bummed, thinking found on page 31.
about what might have been. ■ Wendell Patton, the FOR representative who
■ She doesn’t know why SAM refused to approached the heroes earlier, is also present.
allow FOR to fund the expedition as well. His stats can be found on page 30.
(They explained to her that they don’t want
their good name associated with villains
Leaving Newark
like FOR, but it didn’t stick with her.)
With the revelation that a rival expedi-
■ If the heroes ask the SAM representatives
tion is leaving tomorrow morning, Professor
about this, they’ll give the heroes the same
Hedegaard will want to move up the timetable
explanation, further stating that FOR
and have her expedition depart from Newark as
often funds cultural endeavors to which
soon as possible. She will ask each of the heroes
they object. Success on a Per/empathy-10
if their individual tasks are accomplished, and
flip will allow a hero to discern that they’re
if they could be ready to leave in the next day
not being told the whole truth.
or two rather than in a couple weeks as origi-
nally planned. If they seem ready, she will tell
Arrival of the them to plan to leave soon then. However,
Rival Expedition these plans will soon receive a setback...
An hour into the fancy dress party the doors
of the hotel ballroom will fly open and in will
walk a group of uninvited and fancily dressed
men and women, looking smug. These are the
leaders of the Yale Expedition, flush with newly
expanded funding from the Fraternal Order of
the Right. They’re here to crash the party and
flaunt their intent to beat the Hedegaard Expe-
dition to the Transantarctic Mountains.

16 16
 Preventer Agent
“Of course I can handle those Retributer bastards!”
Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 7, End 6, Int 6, Per 6, Chr 6, Det 6
Defense 9/19, Willpower 9/18, DR 2, HP 11, Wealth 5, Lifestyle 4
Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Deception 4, Guns 3, Mechanics 3, Melee 3,
Naturalist 3, Science 3, Socialize 2, Stealth 3
Preventer Pistol: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Auto 3, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 9.
♣ Bloody Shot: Increase the target’s Bleeding consequence a severity, or two with
a critical hit. Additionally, the trail of blood makes the target easier to track,
granting a +4 bonus to do so.
Knife: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2).
Equipment: Hidden Radio, Preventer Pistol (Conceal), Preventer Undersuit (DR 2)

The Preventers are time travelers who oppose the Retributers and who have secretly
embedded themselves in positions of power within FOR and other organizations across
Arth. This stat block represents a field agent qualified to trek around Antarctica.

fix these shortages, but every action takes two

Sabotage! days, as the heroes have to gather new supplies
While the heroes were attending the dress and have them loaded on the ship.
party, Preventer agents were sneaking aboard ■ Rounding up the missing dogs requires
the Cap Nor, the Hedegaard’s Expedition’s a Per/animals-10 flip. On a success, the
ship, and sabotaging the supplies. Tools were Depletion (dogs) consequence drops to
dumped into the harbor, food containers were light. It’s removed entirely with Mag 5+.
cracked open to let spoil, fuel was spilled and ■ Finding and resealing the broken food canisters
dogs were let loose. requires a Per/crafts-10 flip. On a success, the
When the heroes next head to the ship, or Depletion (food) consequence drops to light.
when the other expedition members head there It’s removed entirely with Mag 5+.
the next day, they will discover the sabotage. ■ Cleaning up the spilled fuel and refilling
Unless something is done to fix it, the expedi- the canisters requires a Det/investigate-10
tion will be critically undersupplied! flip. On a success, the Depletion (food)
As it currently stands after the sabotage, consequence drops to light. It’s removed
the expedition suffers from the Depletion entirely with Mag 5+.
(dogs), Depletion (food), Depletion (fuel) ■ Purchasing new tools at an affordable price
and Depletion (tools) consequences, all at requires a Chr/socialize-10 flip. On a success,
moderate severity. Heroes can take actions to the Depletion (tools) consequence drops to
light. It’s removed entirely with Mag 5+.

17 17
18 18
 Southward!
During this part of the adventure the resupply. This will give the heroes a good deal
expedition will make its way from the port of of downtime, albeit time in which activities are
Newark, down the coast of Americas, make a confined by being on a ship.
final stop in Punta Arenas and then venture ■ The Cap Nor is crewed by 10 sailors, led
southward onto the ice. Along the way the by Captain Holger Von Meyer. These
tension should build as problems are revealed are freelance sailors hired by Professor
and the heroes are pitted against both the envi- Hedegaard to stay with the ship. They are
ronment and a tight timetable. not members of the expedition proper.
None of them are Retributer agents, nor do
they have any idea of what’s going on behind
Departing Newark the scenes. Use the Pirate stats on page 227
Now that the competing Yale Expedition of the Dime Adventures core rulebook.
has revealed itself, both Professor Hedegaard
This would be a good moment to go
and her SAM grant sponsors are anxious for
around the table and have each of the players
the expedition to leave Newark as soon as
describe what her character is doing to pass
possible. They are only willing to wait a couple
the long voyage. It might also be good to
days as the heroes round up some of the lacking
emphasize the length of the voyage by having
supplies (see page 17).
a few events happen along the way. Ideally
■ Convincing them to wait an additional two
events should be chosen to suit the hero’s
days requires success on a Chr/persuade-10
strengths, backstory or experience. Give
flip. The TN increases by +4 for every
personal objectives a moment to shine. To
successive delay.
spur creativity, some ideas are given below:
On the day the expedition leaves, all ■ Tim Johnson may fall overboard and need
expedition members gather at the Cap Nor saved from a hungry shark! Use the Shark
early in the morning, then perform one final stats on page 233 of the Dime Adventures
check of the ship and supplies before setting core rulebook.
off with the morning tide. ■ Perhaps Jacqueline Beaumont finds
herself growing close to one of the heroes
during their time on the ship together
Voyage by Sea (see page 12).
The voyage from Newark to Antarctica is ■ A mysterious illness may spread among
expected to take almost two months, counting the crew and a hero with medical expertise
time at stops along the way to refuel and

19 19
 may need to come up with a cure, aided Finally, it would be good to keep in mind
by a survivalist who can extract the cure’s that during the voyage the heroes will be
necessary ingredients from the sea. cooped up on a ship with the other expedi-
■ For a change of pace, as the heroes are tion members. This provides plenty of time
passing the Caribbean, considering running to interact, overhear whispered conversa-
the “Skull-Spider Island” adventure found tions, do some snooping or even do some
in the Dime Adventures: Quick-Start. inappropriate fraternizing. If the players
Some details may need to be changed to fit haven’t caught on yet as to the full extent of
the journey, but it makes for a fun single- the secrets behind the expediton, this would
session pulp adventure! also be an opportune time to drop some
clues and stir the players’ curiosity.

Managing the Mystery

Throughout the adventure the GM should take care when dropping hints
as to the nature of the expedition. The goal is to balance keeping the players’
interest piqued, while at the same time not pushing them so far that they dig in
their heels and demand to know what’s happening here and now.
Depending on the players, this admittedly can be a tricky proposition. The
GM should make sure that she gets a sense of her players and how far she can
push them, then drops hints appropriately. Ideally the heroes will be strung along
until the expedition lands in Antarctica, at which point the GM can prepare the
big reveal. Once on the ice there’s little to do but to go along.
If the worst happens and the players do dig their heels in and demand an
explanation, here are a couple ways the GM may handle the situation:
■ Interrupt the scene. Maybe at the very moment when the hero is demanding
an explanation, gunmen kick down the door and start firing. Just make sure to
shift the hero’s priority in the moment. This might provide enough distraction
that it takes the hero another session or so to go back to demanding answers.
■ One of the expedition members could take the hero aside and provide a half-
truth: SAM and FOR are secretly working against each other. The two rival
expeditions are the result of this proxy war. They both believe they will find
remarkable resources in the Transantarctic Mountains that they don’t want
the other group to obtain first. This might be enough of an explanation to
sate the hero’s curiosity for now.

20 20
 ■ Use the Thug stats on page 229 of the
Ports of Call Dime Adventures core rulebook. There
The Cap Nor is a wooden-hulled, three- are a number of thugs equal to the number
masted steamship, a barque. It uses its sails of heroes. They are minions.
for propulsion when the winds are favorable.
It burns coal to power its steam engines when Rio de Janeiro
the winds are not. Because it can only carry a Rio de Janeiro is the capital of Portugal
limited amount of coal, along the journey the Novo, and the largest city that the expedition
ship must stop at several ports of call to refuel. will stop at along the way. There’s plenty to see
This is especially true if the expedition is trying and do here, although unless the GM dictates
to make good time in the voyage, rather than otherwise, there is only one event of relevance
waiting for favorable winds. Additionally, each to the ongoing plot of the adventure.
port of call represents a chance for the expe- ■ While the heroes are out and about in
dition members and sailors to have a day not Rio de Janeiro, have anyone present make
cooped up on the ship, to exercise the dogs so a Per/awareness flip. The hero with the
that they will remain in good shape and to do highest total overhears Mocci M’Ba, a
any necessary shopping. sailor, conversing with others about his
Narratively, each port of call represents a recent experiences.
chance for the heroes to get involved in other
sorts of adventures, to spy on the activities As Mocci speaks, it quickly becomes clear
of the other expedition members or even to that he is talking about the time he spent with
pursue personal side-plots. the Yale Expedition, sailing from Newark to Rio.
The plan is for the expedition to make Apparently he was so spooked by what he saw, he
stops at ports of call along the way. The first abandoned the expedition while on shore leave,
will be in Grenada, the second stop is at Rio and is looking for new work. He tells stories of
de Janeiro and the final stop will be at Punta the Yale Expedition having hushed conversa-
Arenas in Patagonia. tions, strange ways and even stranger technology.
He believes that “something was off” about the
whole affair, as if those on the expedition have no
Grenada fear of death or sense of what’s real.
The first coaling stop the expedition
The players are free to react to this however
makes is at the British colony of Grenada. It
they wish. They might have questions for him
represents one more chance for the heroes to
or even offer him a position on their ship. If
hunt down replacement supplies, although
the Retributer agents hear his story, however,
the difficulty of any flips to resupply here are
they will want to know everything and then
TN 14 rather than TN 10.
silence Mocci so that he doesn’t give too much
The Yale Expedition has already visited the
information away to others.
island, and the Preventer agents have hired local
■ Success on a Chr/socialize-10 flip convinces
thugs to assault the heroes when they make it here.
Mocci to tell all he knows.

21 21
Last Stop in Puerto del Hambre
Puerto del Hambre, formally known as
Civilization Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, was a Spanish
settlement founded in the 1500s to combat
Regardless of how the Cap Nor is doing
in terms of fuel, the ship will need to stop at piracy. The settlement was ill-fated, and all
the port of Punta Arenas. This port is located of the original settlers either starved or froze
in Patagonia, near the southernmost tip of to death, except for a single survivor, who
South America. Not only is it an important was rescued by the English pirate captain,
waypoint for ships traveling the Straits of Thomas Cavendish, in 1587. Today the
Magellan, but it is also the last human settle- settlement is a ruin located 36 mi. (56 km)
ment that the expedition will encounter south of Punta Arenas.
before it sets out to the frozen south. Because of its remoteness, this site was
Behind the scenes, this stop is also chosen as a message drop and secret resupply
important to the Retributer agents on the by the Retributers. It was used during the
expedition, as there is a dropbox containing doomed Fielding Expedition, and the Retrib-
their final instructions, located in the ruins uters agents embedded in the Hedegaard Expe-
of Puerto del Hambre, just a day’s journey dition are planning a trip there to pick up any
from Punta Arenas. final instructions that might have been left,
While the heroes are out and about, they and any necessary replacement tech.
should notice that many members of the expe- Unfortunately the location of this secret
dition seem to be missing, whereas they can drop has leaked to the Preventers. Their agents
usually be found hanging around the ship or recently visited when the Yale Expedition was
at the local pubs. Pick the members that the in port and took all of the stored supplies. They
heroes are most likely to miss. then attacked and drove the local Patagone
■ If the heroes ask the other expedition giants into a frenzy. These Patagones now
members they will try to cover for the missing watch the site, looking for the little humans to
individuals. Success on a Per/empathy-10 flip return so they can get their revenge.
will allow a hero to realize that the member ■ Once the heroes enter the ruins, a
being questioned isn’t saying all she knows. number of Patagones will attempt to
■ Asking the locals will reveal that the sneak up and attack them. There are half
unaccounted for expedition members as many Patagones as heroes (round up).
were spotted heading out of town in the Their stats are on the next page.
direction of Puerto del Hambre. ■ After the fight the heroes can encounter
■ For more information on Patagonia, see page the expedition members who ventured out
44 of the Dime Adventures core rulebook. here. They will be obviously upset (their
secret drop is not here).

22 22
 Patagone
Has difficulty telling the little people apart.
Str 13, Dex 6, Spd 6, End 10, Int 4, Per 4, Chr 5, Det 5
Defense 7/15, Willpower 7/14, DR 0, HP 34
Skills: Animals 2, Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Crafts 2, Melee 2, Naturalist 2, Stealth 3
Fists: +5♥ vs. Defense (♠14/♥12/♦11/♣9).
♣ Head Smash: Increase the target’s Dazed consequence two severities, or three
with a critical hit.
♣ Knockback: The target is knocked back a zone and on a critical hit also
increases her Prone consequence a severity.
Size +1: Patagones are large and powerful. This has been factored into their Defense and HP.

Ever since Magellan first visited Patagonia, stories have been told about the giants
that live there. These giants stand twice human height and wear no clothes.

time, it may take damage, the sails may be torn

Into the and precious supplies may be lost.
■ Noticing the developing storm in time
Unknown requires a successful Per/naturalist-10 flip.
After the expedition leaves Punta Arenas, On a failure, when the storm hits, the ship
only a week or so of the voyage remains until will be unprepared and supplies will be lost.
the Cap Nor reaches the Antarctic ice. This is Increase the Depletion (dogs) or Depletion
the most perilous segment of the journey by (fuel) consequence a severity.
sea, as there is no one here to rescue a stranded
Regardless, the heroes will still need to help
ship and the seas have been just barely explored.
the sailors lower the sails and prevent expedi-
It is also the Antarctic spring, and the
tion members from being washed overboard. If
earlier the heroes set off and the better time
the heroes don’t act and instead leave it to the
they made during their voyage, the worse the
crew, they will manage to accomplish one of
weather will be. Indeed, setting off early may
these two tasks successfully, but in their haste
have allowed the Hedegaard Expedition to
leave the other one unfinished.
keep pace with the Yale Expedition, but it also
■ Lowering the sales requires a Str/vehicles-10
makes approaching the Antarctic coast more
flip. On a failure, the expedition will lose
unpredictable and dangerous.
more time as repairs must be made.
■ Saving an expedition member from being
Antarctic Storm washed overboard requires a successful
As the Cap Nor approaches the ice, a fierce Spd/athletics-10 flip. Pick the expedition
storm will be brewing in the west. Unless the members the players like the most to put
heroes spot it early and prepare the ship in in jeopardy.

23 23
24 24
Bottom of the World

In this section of the adventure the expedition members is exposed to the cold
heroes will finally set foot on the Antarctic long enough for her to require medical
continent. Not only will they have to battle attention. Or maybe one of the Depletion
the elements, they’ll encounter the ruins of consequences for the expedition’s supplies
the Fielding Expedition, face rivals, discover is increased a severity.
deadly creatures under the ice and the truth
behind SAM’s funding of the Hedegaard
Scouting Inland
Expedition will be revealed!
Once all of the supplies are off the ship,
they’ll need to be moved inland by dogsled

Onto the Ice until they arrive at a suitable spot for the base
camp. Ideally this will be at the base of the
Once the storm is passed, the expedition
Transantarctic Mountains, so that the expedi-
is free to make a second attempt at venturing
tion can begin to explore from there.
onto the ice. This is where the real work of the
Scouting out a suitable spot for a base
expedition begins. Not only do the heroes have
camp will mean an extended trip by dogsled
to transport themselves safely off the ship, but
for the heroes. During the trip they will have to
they have other characters to coordinate with
sleep in satellite camps (see page 9).
and several tons of supplies to move as well.
■ Scouting out a suitable spot will require
Getting all these people and things off the ship
three flips: Det/animals-10 to ready
and sorted is a lengthy process in dangerously
the dogs, Str/vehicles-10 to operate the
cold conditions that is likely to take several days.
dogsled and Per/naturalist-10 to pick out
Make sure to review the Antarctic Survival
a suitable spot for the camp.
rules on page 8. During this time the heroes
■ Failure on any of the flips means that
can sleep on the ship at night, recovering all
the scouting trip is delayed until things
their Fatigue and Endurance in HP. Once they
can be done properly, and all of the
set out on the ice, however, the full survival
characters present increase their Fatigue
rules will be in effect.
consequences a severity.
■ Transporting everything correctly is an
■ In addition, for each of the above flips,
extended Int-10 (Tally 10, Interval 1 day)
have the heroes check for Fatigue from the
action. Failure means that a complication
cold, as per the Antarctic Survival rules.
of some sort arises. Perhaps one of the

25 25
 Leaving Tasks to the NPCs
This is a roleplaying game. The heroes are the main characters, so they should
be front and center! It’s possible, however, that the heroes will delegate tasks
entirely to the NPCs. This is fine, but there will be consequences—after all, we
want the heroes involved! Here are some guidelines for handing this situation.
■ Regardless of anything else, any NPCs sent out to perform a task come back
with their Fatigue consequences increased a severity (see page 8).
■ If the GM judges that the task was particularly difficult or dangerous, pick
one of the NPCs who was sent out. This character comes back horribly
frostbitten, injured or dead! If alive, she will need to be transported back
to the ship to recover.

Setting Up Base Camp Ruins of

To set up base camp, all the supplies and
expedition members will need to be trans-
ported to the chosen site and then the camp
those Before
As the heroes head up into the Transant-
constructed. arctic Mountains—regardless of how they get
With all of the supplies off the ship, this involved—the first thing of note that they will
should be straightforward, if lengthy. Simply discover are the ruins of the Fielding Expedition’s
have a day pass, increase the Fatigue conse- doomed base camp. To the untrained observer
quence for all NPCs a severity and have the this appears as little more than a few bits of cloth
heroes each flip against Fatigue from the cold. and other manmade items sticking out from the
■ Resisting the cold en route is an End-14 Antarctic ice, half-buried. Closer inspection,
flip. Failure results in a severity of Fatigue. however, will reveal the nature of the camp.
■ Rules for setting up base camp can be If the heroes have yet to hear the story of
found on page 9. the Fielding Expedition, Professor Hedegaard
With a base camp established, the expe- will take this moment to solemnly recount the
dition can begin its exploratory work in story of the expedition’s doomed voyage to the
the Transantarctic Mountains. Professor Antarctic (see page 4). Otherwise, allow the
Hedegaard is excited to begin examining the players to come to their own conclusions.
geology, even if her teeth chatter while she ■ Success on a Per/investigate-12 flip will
exclaims her excitement. The other expe- turn up enough salvageable tools to
dition members, meanwhile, are secretly supplement the expedition’s dwindling
making plans to trek to the location of the supply. On a success, lower the expedition’s
hidden Retributer headquarters. Depletion (tools) consequence a severity.

26 26
 From the Retributer’s conversation, it
Things Under the Ice should become immediately clear to the heroes
Just as the heroes are finishing up their
that their “fellow expedition members” not only
survey of the Fielding Expedition’s ruins, one
know what the thing under the ice is, but also
of the expedition members should suddenly
have a great deal of context that the heroes lack.
start screaming about a thing under the ice.
This would be a good time to demand
There is little time to react, but heroes will
answers. Even if the heroes aren’t that straight-
hear the ice creak and see a section of it bust
forward, one of the expedition members will
open. Out of this crevice will crawl a terrible
pull them aside—pick the member with
creature composed of tentacles, teeth and eyes,
which the heroes are the most friendly—and
with a fluid-like form and a harrowing wail.
explain things. (For the full story, see pages
This is a spawn of the Devourer, and it has
4-6.) The tone of this explanation should vary
been lying in wait to ambush either the Retrib-
with how friendly the heroes have been with
uters or their Preventer rivals.
the other expedition members. However, the
■ Use the Alien, Starspawn stats on page 5
GM should make sure that all of the relevant
of the Cryptid Codex supplement. If the
information comes to light—it’s no fun for
GM does not have this supplement, substi-
players if the big reveal never happens!
tute in the Giant Killer Prairie Dog stats,
How players react to this information is up
but reflavor as appropriate (see the Dime
to them, but if necessary, remind players that
Adventures core rulebook, page 238).
they are otherwise all alone in a deadly land
with limited supplies,
Secrets Revealed! terrible Things That
In the aftermath of the spawn’s attack, Man Was Not
the other expedition members will begin to Meant to Know
worriedly talk among themselves about it. Shit and other hostile
has just gotten real in their view as Retributer agents who will
agents, and at this point all pretense of being shoot first and
simple explorers falls away. ask questions
The Retributer agents weren’t expecting later. Some
to find Devourer spawn here, rather they semblance of
were assuming that the loss of their base in cooperation is
the Antarctic was a Preventer plot! The revela- the best hope
tion that Devourer spawn are present comes of survival.
as a shock for them as well. In their minds it
also means that events have suddenly taken
a turn very much for the worse. At least the
Preventers are human, with human motives
and weaknesses. The Devourer and its spawn,
on the other hand, are alien and powerful
beyond comprehension.

27 27
 sled got away or the spawn attacked while
Rival Camp one sled was out scouting.
While the heroes have been undergoing ■ A Per/investigate-10 flip allows a
their own journey, the Yale Expedition has also character to pick through the ruins
traveled to Antarctica and established a base and salvage supplies. Success decreases
camp some 10 mi. (16 km) away. The Retrib- either the expedition’s Depletion (food)
uter agents in the expedition will want to pay or Depletion (fuel) consequence a
this camp a visit to survey what resources the severity—assuming the heroes can
Preventers have at their disposal. This is doubly transport the supplies back to base camp.
important now that Devourer spawn have been
encountered in the Antarctic. Scouting Party Returns
■ Locating the camp requires success on The spawn attacked while a party from
a Per/naturalist-10 flip. Failure means the Yale Expedition was out scouting, and this
time wasted in the cold. Have all of the scouting party will return right as the heroes
heroes make an extra flip against Fatigue are picking through the rubble.
from the cold. Imagine what this scouting party thinks:
When they left, the camp was whole and
Smoke Signals largely healthy. They haven’t encountered
The first sign the heroes will see of the any Devourer spawn. Upon their return,
Yale Expedition’s base camp is a long thin they find their means of survival destroyed
trail of smoke, such as might be given off by and their sworn enemies looting the broken
a cooking fire. As the heroes approach closer, remains of their camp. They’re inclined to
however, something seems not quite right shoot first and ask questions never.
about the smoke. ■ There are a number of Preventer agents
The rival expedition’s camp is in tatters. equal to the number of heroes. Their stats
Tents have been ripped. Fuel tanks have been can be found on page 17. They are minions.
pushed over, ripped open and spilled. Tufts ■ A charismatic hero might be able to salvage
of fur from dogs litter the frozen ground. A the situation with some good roleplaying
broken sled sticks out of the ice. A dozen paces and a successful Chr/persuade-14 flip. The
from the camp the ice has been cracked open, hero only gets one shot, however; after this
leaving a deep crevice. No bodies are to be seen. the Preventers stop listening.
This is the aftermath of an attack by
Devourer spawn. If the players don’t come Survivor
to this conclusion on their own, one of their After the confrontation the heroes will
fellow expedition members will point it out. encounter Ezra Weisbender, a survivor from
■ Success on an Int/investigate-10 flip allows the Yale Expedition. Depending on the circum-
a character to notice that there are remains stances, he could be someone who escaped
of only one sled. A proper expedition would the spawn attack and then collapsed from the
have at least two, indicating that either one cold outside of camp or even a member of the

28 28
scouting party who just returned. Whatever ■ There are many treacherous paths to
his story, he has some information that can be avoid, where ice and rocks threaten to
passed along to the heroes. cause an avalanche. Picking the best path
■ The scouting expedition just returned requires that one character succeed in a
from “the Black Rock.” Several expedition Per/naturalist-12 flip. Failure results in
members, including Adrien de Gerlache wasted time and a severity of Fatigue.
and Wendell Patton, were dropped off ■ Climbing the rugged mountains here is a
there to continue investigating. They difficult task, requiring each hero succeed
are expecting to be picked up when the on a Str/athletics-12 flip. Failure results in
scouting party returns. a severity of Fatigue.
■ Wendell Patton appeared worried by ■ Finally, gaining entry to the Black Rock
whatever it is he found there, but he facility requires that either the charac-
didn’t share whatever was worrying him ters rely on one of the Retributer agents
with the others. or succeed on a Per/thievery-12 flip to
■ Both the Preventer and Retributer agents locate the hidden door and its operating
in the expeditions know that the Retrib- mechanism. Failure means all heroes must
uter base is located under the Black Rock. flip against Fatigue from the cold and
This will be mentioned. locating the door may be attempted again.

The Black Rock Doors to Other

The Black Rock is a large igneous rock Worlds and Times
formation sticking out of the Transant- At the very heart of the Retributer base is
arctic Mountains. Its dark color stands in the Door Room. This circular room contains
stark contrast to the surrounding ice. Under advanced technological equipment and
this formation lies a secret facility that the doorways leading to other times and worlds.
Retributers have built and use as their base Currently the machines are powered down
of operations. The GM is free to draw up the and the doorways stand empty—all except
layout of this facility, making it as simple or as one. This glowing portal is currently the sole
expansive as needed for the story. source of light in the room. Through the open
doorway a swirling and maddening dance of
lights and colors can be seen. It’s through this
Trek to the door that the Devourer spawn crawled shortly
Black Rock before they consumed everyone in the facility.
The trek up the mountains to the Black And it is this door that must be closed.
Rock is a difficult one. The base was inten- ■ Closing the door requires three successful
tionally constructed in a location meant to be Int/mechanics-10 flips. Each flip requires
hard to reach and defensible. 1 AP and must be performed in different
rounds.

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 Wendell Patton
“Fools, you are being used! Now surrender to the superiority of the Preventers!”
Str 5, Dex 6, Spd 9, End 6, Int 8, Per 6, Chr 7, Det 6
Defense 10/21, Willpower 10/21, DR 2, HP 22, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 5
Skills: Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Deception 4, Empathy 4, Guns 3, Lib-Arts 3,
Mechanics 3, Melee 3, Naturalist 3, Science 3, Socialize 2, Stealth 3, Tactics 4
Preventer Pistol: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Auto 3, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 9.
♣ Bloody Speech: Increase the target’s Bleeding consequence a severity, or two
with a critical hit. Additionally, Wendell may make a short monologue
without interruption.
Knife: +6♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2).
Villain: As a villain, Wendell has twice the usual number of HP and on his turn may
take up to three actions requiring a flip.
Equipment: Hidden Radio, Preventer Pistol (Conceal), Preventer Undersuit (DR 2)

Wendell Patton is the Preventer agent in charge of their operations on Arth.

In the Yale Expedition he is acting as the FOR representative. He is fond of
dramatic gestures and is ruthless to the core.

The Spawn Attack! Confrontation

Before the heroes can fully investigate the While the heroes have been investigating
room or begin closing the door, they will be the facility, Wendell Patton and Adrien de
interrupted by the sudden appearance of a Gerlache have been hiding from the spawn.
rampaging Devourer spawn! One will show With the threat of the spawn no more, they
up and initiate combat. At the end of each will take this opportunity to confront the
round, another will emerge from the doorway heroes, hoping to defeat them while still
until there are three total. If the heroes don’t reeling from the previous fight.
know about closing the door, one of the other Adrien is silent, as all this is still as new
expedition members will take this opportunity to him as it is to the heroes. Wendell, on
to shout, “They’re coming from the portal! We the other hand, loves a dramatic flourish
must close it—and quickly!” and will take the opportunity to monologue
■ Use the Alien, Starspawn stats on page 5 and gloat about how the Preventers will now
of the Cryptid Codex supplement. If the be in control of this base and will have sole
GM does not have this supplement, substi- access to all Arth! Wha ha ha!
tute in the Giant Killer Prairie Dog stats, ■ Adrien and Wendell’s stats are on this page
but reflavor as appropriate (see the Dime and next. They will fight to capture, not
Adventures core rulebook, page 238). kill. Wendell wouldn’t miss the opportu-
nity for a post-capture taunting speech of
forcible exile through one of the portals.
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 Adrien de Gerlache
“We shall be the first to set foot upon the Transantarctic Mountains!”
Str 6, Dex 4, Spd 5, End 7, Int 5, Per 6, Chr 5, Det 6
Defense 7/15, Willpower 8/16, DR 0, HP 20, Wealth 6, Lifestyle 3
Skills: Animals 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Crafts 2, Guns 1, Lib-Arts 2, Medicine 2,
Melee 2, Naturalist 4, Socialize 2
Revolver: +3♥ vs. Defense (♠10/♥7/♦5/♣2). Conceal, Range 2, Reload 2, Shots 6.
♣ Leg Shot: Treat this attack as a Called Shot to the leg. The target’s Prone conse-
quence increases a severity, and she may not use that leg for movement for
the rest of the round.
Danger Sense: When Adrien would normally be surprised at the beginning of combat
he does not suffer the usual reduced AP.
Toughness: Adrien adds his Endurance to his HP (already figured).
Equipment: Backpack (Container 5), Revolver (Conceal), Rope, Tent, Trail Rations

Adrien de Gerlache is a Belgian explorer of some renown who has been hired to lead
the Yale Expedition’s efforts in Antarctica. He does not know about the Preventers,
but is fiercely protective of his expedition.

■ Adrien is feeling out of his element, and a sion can “fade to black” and cut to the expe-
clever player might be able to turn him against dition’s triumphant return to civilization. On
Wendell. This requires good roleplaying and the other hand, if the players hope to finish
success on a Chr/persuade-14 flip. the expedition, the GM can make use of the
■ A number of Preventer Agents equal to the Antarctic survival rules and have them make
number of heroes are hidden in a nearby room some Int/science flips for geology work.
to call as backup if needed. Use the Preventer Whatever the case may be, the Retributers
Agent stats on page 17. They are minions. now have their base back and the heroes know
too much. Depending on how friendly the
heroes are with the agents, they may find them-
Conclusion selves being recruited into the Retributers, or
At this point the Devourer spawn have maybe the time travelers will return in the
been defeated, the doorway has been closed future as antagonists looking to “tie up loose
and the Preventer plot has been foiled. The ends.” By this point, they’ve also run afoul of
heroes are victorious! the Preventers, who may jump to the assump-
Still, they are in Antarctica with a hopeful tion that the heroes are Retributer agents, and
professor and likely have many questions that look to eliminate them in the future.
are still unanswered. What happens from here Whatever the case may be, there are
is up to the GM and the continued interest of many more stories waiting to be told!
the players. GMs looking for a quick conclu-

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