A Darker Tomorrow

By Tun Kai Poh

“Your Kung Fu is strong, Grasshopper… but take this grenade launcher, just in case.”

Casting call!

4-6 players needed to play the following roles… These character sheets are extra player-friendly to help new players get into the game. GMs: make any changes you see fit.

“Grasshopper” Low Wi-Shun — (PC #1) Martial Artist, Novice Geomancer

“My kung fu is strong, but Sifu told me to take this grenade launcher just in case.”

Attributes: Body 7, Chi 1 (Fu 8), Mind 5, Reflexes 8.
Skills: Guns (Modern) 9, Info/Eastern Philosophy 11, Info/Secret War 6, Leadership 7, Martial Arts (Formal) 15, Sabotage 9.
Fu Schticks: Fire Stance (Chi cost 6, shot cost 1) — until end of sequence, any opponent striking you suffers 1 Wound Point per strike; these Wound Points are not reduced by Toughness.; Fire Strike (Chi cost 1, shot cost 3) — strike opponent barehanded at +2 damage, igniting any flammable clothing on the opponent.; Prodigious Leap (Chi cost 1, shot cost 1) — leap horizontally or vertically up to Move×2 (14) meters.
Weapons: Staff (damage = Strength + 3 = 10), M79 grenade launcher (12-27/6/1) — the ultimate in 40mm landscaping / furniture rearranging technology; you only have 2 High Explosive grenades to use with this weapon.
Juncture: Contemporary.
Wealth: Poor.
Hook: Vowed to his dying sifu (mentor / teacher) that he would protect the Feng Shui of the world from the Buro (Whoever they are…).
Appearance: An athletic chinese man in his early twenties. There is an innocent yet determined look on his rounded face. His black hair is crew-cut to give opponents no chance to grab it. Wears the garb of a kung fu student. Orange fires seem to flicker, at times, behind his black eyes.
Passive Dodge: 15
Active Dodge: 18
Wound Points: 1 point of Impairment after 25. 2 points of Impairment after 30. Death Checks after 35.

Story

A native of modern cosmopolitan Hong Kong, “Grasshopper” Low Wi-Shun is one of a dying breed: a scholar of the old ways, a follower of the old school of martial arts and Eastern philosophy. His grand-uncle and sifu (mentor, or teacher) Kwang has taught him from adolescence to reject the materialism of the modern world in favor of the traditional values of Chinese culture.

Although he spent his childhood as an army brat living with his parents, both officers in Hong Kong's military forces, a tragic helicopter crash left Wi-Shun and his baby sister orphans. Growing up in Kwang's temple nestled on a hillside outside the city, overlooking the harbor, Wi-Shun and his kid sister Wi-Ming (nicknamed “Kiki”) were taught the secrets of Feng Shui (sometimes pronounced “fung soy”), the ancient discipline consisting of the knowledge of Chinese Earth magic, or geomancy. Despite the antiquity of geomancy, many natives of modern Hong Kong, rich and poor, still believe in its ability to affect the flow of chi (life force and good fortune), and so Kwang was sought out by many for his advice on the rearrangement of everything from home furniture to architecture. As a professional Feng Shui consultant, Kwang made a respectable living for himself.

Even as he mastered the esoteric arts of the long-lost Flaming Grasshopper style kung fu, Wi-Shun struggled to understand the principles of geomancy. What was so important about a glorified art of furniture rearrangement and landscaping? Sometimes it seemed unfair that his kid sister Kiki had a better grasp of geomancy than he did, despite the fact that she spent far too much time with her friends in the nearby city, playing video games and reading comic books. Wi-Shun developed a contempt for his little sister's immaturity and indiscipline.

Wi-Shun was Kwang's favorite student, and they often spent many hours discussing Chinese philosophy. Sometimes the old man would go off on some rambling rant about the power of Feng Shui to affect the flow of history itself. Farfetched cosmic conspiracy theories involving gods, demons, magical animals and time travel would be mentioned. Wi-shun wondered where these stories came from. Perhaps it had to do with how Kwang would vanish for months, then return without an explanation as to where he had been…

But then, one dark and stormy night, Kwang returned from one of his long absences, mortally wounded by some strange weapon, and drew his students close to him, telling them the incredible truth: he was in fact a member of a time-travelling band of heroes known as the Dragons, fighting a cross-time Secret War against evil masterminds who sought to control the world's Feng Shui. Recently, the evil schemes of a group called The Ascended had resulted in an ambush that had caused the deaths of many of the Dragons. Now, as Kwang lies upon his deathbed, he has asked the Low siblings to take up the mantle of the Dragons, using what little knowledge of Feng Shui they have, to fight the most important battle of the Secret War yet, against the evil known as the Buro.

Wi-Shun does not yet know what this quest will entail, only that a darker tomorrow is at hand, one that can only be averted by protecting the chi flow of Hong Kong. Entrusted with a rusty Vietnam-era grenade launcher and a strange map, he and his annoying little sister may be the last hope for the world as we know it…

Do not allow Kiki to carry the grenade launcher!

“Kiki” Low Wi-Ming — (PC #2) Scrappy Kid

“Wow, cool! Those cars chasing us sure blew up good! Can we do that again?”

Attributes: Body 4, Chi 7, Mind 8, Reflexes 9.
Skills: Deceit 10, Info/Comic Books 13, Info/Computers 12, Info/Pop Music 12, Info/Yo-yos 11, Info/Geomancy 10, Intrusion 10, Martial Arts (Formal) 13.
Fu Schticks: Crane Stance (Chi cost 1, shot cost 1) — Active Dodge at Passive Dodge + 5 = 20 if attacker has lower Perception than your Agility.; Wing of the Crane (Chi cost 2, shot cost 1) — Until end of sequence, all Strength tasks use your Chi instead, including damage determinations.
Unique Schticks: Humiliation — Distract opponent with an attack instead of damaging him; a successful hit with cream pie / water balloon / yo-yo / spitball / cans of paint causes 3 points of Impairment for a number of sequences equal to your Outcome.; Damn You're Hard to Hit — +2 to your Dodge; already figured into Dodge values.
Weapons: Yo-yo (thrown damage 4). Yeah, so it's pretty pathetic. What, you want we should give her the grenade launcher?
Juncture: Contemporary.
Wealth: Poor.
Hook: Wants to prove she's old enough to be entrusted with adult responsibilities, like carrying the party's grenade launcher (yeah, like that'll happen).
Appearance: A cute dimpled 10-year-old Hong Kong girl in a “Pinky & The Brain” T-shirt and jeans. A wicked grin on her face gives onlookers the impression that she is not to be entrusted with carrying the grenade launcher.
Passive Dodge: 15
Active Dodge: 18
Wound Points: 1 point of Impairment after 25. 2 points of Impairment after 30. Death Checks after 35.

Story

Kiki Low's parents died shortly after she was born, so she grew up with her older brother Wi-Shun and her hermit grand-uncle Kwang in a hillside temple just outside of the city of Hong Kong. What a boring bunch of bozos! As she grew old enough to get about on her own she discovered what a wonderful world there was out there to explore. Grand-uncle Kwang never let her read comic books, watch TV (they didn't even have a TV!) or play video games! Good thing she was good at sneaking off whenever she got too bored of Kwang's kung fu lessons or lectures on the importance of good Feng Shui.

The worst thing is, she's a precocious genius. She's quickly picked up everything she's been taught about geomancy, the ancient discipline of understanding the chi (life force) flow of the Earth and how Feng Shui (harmonized environment; literally: “wind and water”) guides that all-important chi flow. She knows more about it than Big Bro! And yet, time after time, Kwang has favored Wi-Shun, teaching him secret kung fu tricks and discussing philosophy with him! Why should he get all the attention? Hmph. It's probably because she's a girl, and old-fashioned Kwang thinks girls should stay at home. Kiki just can't get no respect. Maybe when she's eleven, everyone will start taking her more seriously…

But now, suddenly Kwang has returned from a month-long absence, dying from some sort of weird death ray injury. As he lies on his deathbed, he gives Big Bro a really cool-looking grenade launcher, and some sort of map, and tells them about a Secret War fought across time to prevent Evil Dictators from taking over the world's Feng Shui. Sounds fun. Wi-Shun swears to the dying old guy that he'll do everything he can to Save The World. Kiki does the same. Hey, this could be her big chance to show Wi-Shun that she's old enough and mature enough to fight the good fight. Whatever it takes, this cunning little kid is going to prove herself!

Laura Tseng — (PC #3) Reforming Pledged Killer

“All the blood money in the world can't cure my cancer, but maybe my actions can yet save my soul.”

Attributes: Body 7, Chi 0, Mind 8, Reflexes 5 (Speed 6, Speed 7 with Fast Draw).
Skills: Deceit 10, Driving (Automobiles) 8, Guns (Modern) 15, Info/The Ascended 10, Intrusion 9, Medicine 9, Seduction 9.
Gun Schticks: Both Guns Blazing — Attack a named character with two guns at −2 Action Value.; Carnival of Carnage — Reduce shot cost of attacks by 1 when attacking unnamed characters.; Fast Draw — +1 to Speed for Initiative rolls when firing or drawing a gun.; Lightning Reload — Reduce shot cost of reloading by 1.; Signature Weapon (Ruger MP9) — +3 to damage with your signature gun.
Weapons: Colt 380 Gov't Pocketlite (8/1/7+1) — Highly concealable .30 backup pistol in ankle holster.; M16 (13*/5/30) — 5.56mm assault rifle with an infra-red scope for sniper work. * Takes out unnamed characters on an Action Result of 4 or better.; Ruger K89 x2 (10/2/15+1) — A pair of high-capacity 9mm automatic pistols for two-gun action.; Signature Ruger MP9 (10+3/3/32) — Your lucky 9mm machine pistol.
Juncture: Contemporary.
Wealth: Rich.
Hook: Has terminal disease, and wants to attone for a lifetime of murder.
Appearance: A hypnotically attractive chinese woman with long flowing hair and an athletic body. Her eyes are always hidden behind mirrorshades. She wears expensive pantsuits and long dark raincoats, concealing a small arsenal of guns. A small wooden crucifix hangs from a chain around her neck.
Passive Dodge: 15
Active Dodge: 18
Wound Points: 1 point of Impairment after 25. 2 points of Impairment after 30. Death Checks after 35.

Story

In the past ten years, Laura Tseng has gone from being a poor Roman Catholic orphan girl to become one of the world's wealthiest and deadliest assassins. When the mysterious Jade Wheel Society snatched her off the streets of Macau all those years ago, saving her from a life of prostitution, she was more than glad to accept any job that would promise her a better life. She took a vow of loyalty, a Pledge, to the powerful international conspiracy known as the Ascended, of which the Jade Wheel Society was merely a pawn. Over a period of six months, her teachers turned her into a human killing machine, specializing in the use of firearms, subterfuge and seduction.

In 1987, she was turned loose for the first time, ordered to enter a heavily guarded Triad gambling den in Hong Kong to eliminate a powerful crimelord who stood in the way of the Ascended's control of East Asia. When her cover was blown, Laura's training and natural killer instincts took over: she shot her way out. The police arrived to find the crimelord and all 17 of his bodyguards riddled with bullets, the gambling den a smoking ruin, and the responsible party nowhere to be found.

In the years that followed, Laura rose through the ranks of the Pledged to become a whispered legend in the secret circles of international assassins. She entered a world of wealth, glamor and power beyond her imagination. As her tally of kills entered the triple digits, her heart hardened, and she found it increasingly easy to convince herself that she was beyond even divine justice. As her skills improved and her reputation grew, she became convinced that she was immortal, invincible. She had been wounded many times, but she had always survived. Maybe someday she would meet her maker, and there would be a reckoning. But that day seemed far off.

In the fall of 1996, just as she was about to enter the inner circle of the Pledged, to be entrusted with the ultimate secrets of the Ascended, years of chain-smoking caught up with her. She was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and had less than a year to live. She suddenly experienced a relapse of her Catholicism, but it seemed to her to be too little, too late. A half-dozen Hail Marys was not going to save her soul.

Laura has been searching for a way out ever since, a way to leave the Ascended behind, and find absolution for her bloody past. Now, she has discovered that the ancient Chinese discipline of geomancy is one of the cornerstones of the Ascended's control of the world. She has travelled to Hong Kong in search of an elderly geomancer, Kwang, whom her masters fear for his knowledge of Feng Shui. Perhaps, if she can get to him before the hit-squads of the Pledged do, she can find a way to topple the powerful conspiracy she serves. She knows that she will die, and she may die violently, but it is her last chance for redemption.

Professor Ilisa “Rocket Pack” Romanov — (PC #4) Mad Rocket Scientist/Dragon Supporter

“They all laughed at me — rejected my theories — called me insane! But now the World of Science and the accursed Buro will rue the day they messed with… with… what's my name again?”

Attributes: Body 6 (Move 6 or 100*, Toughness 8**), Chi 0 (Fortune 1), Mind 8, Reflexes 7 (Agility 5**).; * When using Rocket Pack; Move 100 is equal to 350kph!; ** Due to the bulky clothing.
Skills: Driving (Rocket Pack) 15, Fix-It 15, Guns (Modern) 13, Info/Geomancy 9, Info/Science 12, Leadership 9, Sabotage 8.
Unique Schtick: You can pull out just the right gadget for any situation by reaching into your handy toolkit and spending a Fortune point or by making a Fix-It roll against the appropriate difficulty.
Weapons: Buro Crimestopper (13*/5/7) — big chrome-plated pump shotgun. * If you pump the shotgun menacingly (1-shot action) before firing, damage is 14.
Juncture: 2057.
Wealth: Working Stiff.
Hook: Outcast by the World of Science which previously honored her as a genius… but now, she'll make them all pay… and pay dearly they will.
Appearance: If you look under all that grease and grime, you can just make out a skinny caucasian woman in her late thirties, dressed in tattered mechanic's overalls, dirty rags, a lab coat with burn marks, diving goggles, welder's gloves, oversized galoshes, several layers of bulletproof vests, a nice woolly scarf, a hood and cape made out of tin foil to deflect mind-control rays (doesn't really work, but it doesn't matter because Ilisa is naturally immune to the effects of any kind of chi energy — she just doesn't know it), and a turn-of-the-21st-century Lockheed micro-ramjet engine and vertical takeoff rocket boosters with outboard fuel tanks and an antigravity suspensor to offset the weight (yes, it's her rocket pack). Her red hair is straggly and brittle from exposure to acid. The diving goggles are too thick with dirt for one to tell what color her eyes are, but it is suspected that they are blue and bloodshot.
Passive Dodge: 13 (15 when using Rocket Pack)
Active Dodge: 16 (18 when using Rocket Pack)
Wound Points: 1 point of Impairment after 25. 2 points of Impairment after 30. Death Checks after 35.

Story

It's the year 2057, when a sophisticated surveilance state monitors the citizens of the worldwide government of the Bureau of Tactical Management, or Buro, for short. The advances of Arcanowave technology, a twisted blend of magic and science, have allowed the totalitarian Buro to create cyber- demonic Abominations to crush dissent with overwhelming military power, while secret experiments are conducted to stifle creativity and independent thought in the populace by the transmission of Arcanowave Pulses and the manipulation of the geomantic secrets of Feng Shui. Through Netherworld Portals, covert time commandos attempt to extend the Buro's influence into the past, while exploiting the existence of the newly-discovered magical Netherworld realm.

You'd think that there'd be some respect for an old-fashioned mad scientist, but oh, no… Ilisa Romanov was, for a while, a valued if rather unorthodox member of the Cross-Disciplinary Convergence Association. Her interests lay not in Arcanowave science, but rather in “weird science” subjects, such as perpetual motion machine research, antigravity technology, and the quest for a frictionless washing detergent. It took her years of work, despite a dire lack of funding, but she finally succeeded in formulating the specifications for a working perpetual motion machine… only to discover that the CDCA's field investigators had already found such machines in the mystical Netherworld. Similarly, her working antigravity generators were given no attention, since the Buro's Biomass Reprocessing Center in the Netherworld had already churned out functioning antigrav technology. What was the point of attempting to invent within the physical laws of this world when there was a mystical realm next door where anything could be found? Ah, the woes of a genius unappreciated!

Professor Romanov persisted, and finally she invented a frictionless washing detergent, only to have the credit snatched away by the well-connected Professor Anna Homolka, a leading Arcanowave Mage and molecular chemist. This was the last straw. Shunned by her colleagues as an eccentric with no discipline, she quit her research position at the CDCA and went underground, joining the Dragons, a rag-tag group of cross-time freedom fighters. For the past two years she has been the group's main contact in the future, providing tech support and using her connections in the shady mad scientists' underground to uncover the Buro's plans to take over the past. Soon, soon the time for revenge would come, she mumbled to herself (repeatedly, in between gulps of black coffee).

Now, she has finally come across vital information that could cripple the Buro's campaign of temporal conquest. A contact working in SciFac 73 Blue in the Manhattan Industrial Zone has reported a massive mobilization of resources, and has intercepted mysterious files dealing with a geomantic map of Hong Kong, circa 1997. Unfortunately, that contact has been captured by the Buro's brutal police, PubOrd (Public Order) and died in captivity. Professor Romanov's best chance now is to link up with elements of the scattered Dragons and launch a raid on the heavily guarded SciFac 73 Blue laboratories to find her contact's files, before the Buro's plans can commence. With their aid, and the judicious application of her assorted gadgets and gizmos, she will prove once and for all that she is the greatest genius the timeline has ever seen! Those Buro-serving fools in the CDCA will surely bow to the might of her superior weird science. Heh heh heh heh heh…

Sergeant Peter DeCruz — (PC #5) Karate Cop / PubOrd Officer

“Justice? Don't talk to me about justice. There is no justice in 2057. Not yet, anyway.”

Attributes: Body 8 (Strength 9), Chi 0 (Fortune 2), Mind 5, Reflexes 7.
Skills: Driving (Hovercar) 13, Fix-It 7, Guns (Modern) 13, Intrusion 10, Leadership 6, Martial Arts (Formal) 14, Police 9.
Unique Schticks: Stirring Speech — Deliver a stirring speech to impress a good and righteous GM character of your moral integrity and dedication to justice, gaining their trust and aid. If the character is shady or disreputable, you must spend a Fortune Point to do this. This ability is subject to GM control.; Acrobatics — You receive a +2 modifier to any acrobatic stunts using Martial Arts that do not involve a direct attack on an opponent. Yes, this is already figured into your Active Dodge.
Weapons: Buro Avenger (11/2/6) — Blocky, lightweight .357 magnum revolver.; Buro Beat Patroller (9/1/7+1) — Your basic .380 automatic pistol; Nightstick — Damage is Strength + 3 = 12
Juncture: 2057.
Wealth: Working Stiff.
Hook: Father arrested for “subversive activities” and sent to a re-education camp.
Appearance: Tall, dark and grim. Close-cropped black hair turning prematurely gray, light brown eyes, narrow face with the desperate look of a man who seeks redemption for his sins. Wears the dusty bland gray uniform of a PubOrd (Public Order) officer.
Passive Dodge: 14
Active Dodge: 19
Wound Points: 1 point of Impairment after 25. 2 points of Impairment after 30. Death Checks after 35.

Story

Peter DeCruz was born into a darker tomorrow than his ancestors could ever have dreamed of. In the year 2032, the worldwide military-industrial complex known as the Bureau of Tactical Management, or Buro, had already taken control of the United Nations and was spreading its influence across the Earth. By the time he was twelve years old, the Buro had begun subjugating the rebellious nations of the Third World by using the military deployment of Abominations, strange and terrifying biomechanical creatures of unknown origin. By 2051 the Buro had become the sole world government.

Peter's father Roberto Decruz, a master of the acrobatic martial arts of capoeira, brought him up in this new world order, teaching him the increasingly rare values of independence and strict personal morality along with the ancient fighting arts. While most people blindly believed the Buropresident's promises of world peace and plentiful resources for all, Roberto, with his strong inner discipline, saw through the charade and discovered that the arcanowave technology of the Buro was being used to control the masses. By combining technology with magic, in particular the Chinese discipline of Earth magic known as Feng Shui, the Buro's mad scientists had not only subverted the Earth's natural flow of life force, but had also discovered hidden portals which led into the past.

Unfortunately, Peter would not listen to his father's “conspiracy theories”. Despite Roberto's best efforts, the rebellious youth turned away from his teachings and joined the local police academy to become a lackey of the Buro. For years, Peter served the Buro as a PubOrd officer, hunting down dissidents such as the Free Sex Radicals, the nihilistic Jammers and the rag-tag Dragons. An unusually intelligent Abomination named Rogon was assigned to be his partner, and they became fast friends. The young cop was content to be a loyal Consumer, enforcing the strict laws of the totalitarian Buro with violence and brutality, justifying his actions by clinging to his faith in the rightness of his government.

In 2056, it all changed. Peter's father was caught attempting to organize Dragon resistance cells and sentenced to life imprisonment in a re-education camp in Siberia. Stunned at this development, Peter began to investigate his father's arrest and discovered that Roberto had been working to sabotage the Buro's secret scheme to rule the timeline by taking over the past using time portals. Rogon also revealed to Peter that he was in fact a former denizen of a past juncture who had been kidnapped and brainwashed, and only recently had overcome his programming. Peter finally found Roberto's hidden diaries and realized that he had been serving ruthless, twisted mad scientists who controlled the souls of humanity with arcanowave technology. Now, Peter has dedicated the rest of his life to continuing his father's struggle, returning to his martial arts training to strengthen his mind against the corrupting influences of the Buro's arcanowave transmitters. He and Rogon have begun a secret campaign against their masters, contacting the very Dragon resistance members whom they once attempted to capture.

Maybe one day, when the Buro is overthrown and its prisoners set free, Peter can find his father again, and have a chance at forgiveness…

Rogon 908-T — (PC #6) Abomination Cop

“One of these days, just one of these days, Rogon's gonna teach his masters a lesson…”

Attributes: Body 5 (Strengh 12 for right arm, Toughness 7 with Armor), Chi 0 (Magic 8), Mind 8 (Charisma 6), Reflexes 6.
Skills: Arcanowave Device 13, Creature Powers 13, Guns (Modern) 11, Intimidate 8, Martial Arts (Brawling) 13, Police 11.
Arcanowave Schticks: Aerial Mobility Unit — Mechanical wings for flying at Move 13 (50 kph).; Robot Limb (Right Arm) — Right arm has Strength 12.; Wave Suppresser — Big grenade launcher which shoots globes of foul blue ectoplasm to paralyze any supernatural creature, ghost or abomination; no real damage.
Creature Schticks: Armor (Scales) — Gives +2 Toughness.; Blast (Fire Breath) — damage is 10.
Weapons: Buro Beat Patroller (9/1/7+1) — Your basic .380 automatic pistol.; Buro Crimestopper (13*/5/7) — Big chrome-plated pump shotgun. * if you pump the shotgun menacingly (1-shot action) before firing, damage is 14.; Robot Limb — punch damage is 13.
Juncture: 2057.
Wealth: Working Stiff.
Hook: Knows that he is an inhuman cyber-demon created to oppress innocent people, and is all torn up about it.
Appearance: A man-sized cross between a lizard and a goblin, with cybernetic enhancements such as skull implants, mechanical wings, and a grossly oversized robotic arm. Dull green scales the color of old jade cover the entire body, and unblinking red eyes hint at a cunning predator's mind.
Passive Dodge: 13
Active Dodge: 16
Wound Points: 1 point of Impairment after 25. 2 points of Impairment after 30. Death Checks after 35.

Story

Rogon was once a happy lizard-goblin in the realm of ancient China, content to terrorize mortal peasants, haunt the Underworld, and serve powerful sorcerors in exchange for tasty sacrifices. Then one day, strange men from Tomorrow came and captured Rogon. They took him to their dark, twisted future world, where magic and biotechnology were twisted together to support a worldwide police state.

The Arcanotechnicians of the Buro transformed Rogon into a cyber-demonic combat machine, an Abomination, to serve in PubOrd (Public Order), the brutal police force dedicated to crushing dissent and rebellion. But the transformation was not merely physical; Rogon's previously simple intellect and perceptive abilities were cybernetically enhanced to make him a smarter killer, while at the same time his memories were erased and his soul subverted to serve the Buro. What his masters didn't count on was his mental abilities, which grew strong enough, over time, to overcome the obedience programming they had installed. Gradually Rogon regained his memories, but not his former beastial nature. Although the Buro turned him into an even deadlier monstrosity, they also inadvertently gave him the intellect to repent his evil ways.

Rogon has now grown sick of his duties as a police thug. Perhaps, he reasons, there can be redemption, even for a monster. Together with Sgt. DeCruz, his human partner and best friend, he has sought out a local resistance member who claims to be in contact with time-travelling rebels who have a plan to thwart the schemes of the Buro, and maybe ultimately prevent the events that lead to this darker tomorrow…

Background

In our world, the Tsing Ma bridge was recently opened in Hong Kong, the longest rail-and-road suspension bridge in the world. 1.36 miles long, it connects the Hong Kong mainland (Kowloon) with Lantau Island and the islet of Chek Lap Kok, the site of the soon-to-be-opened new airport.

In the world of Feng Shui, however…

Tsing Ma bridge suffered many construction delays in 1995 which resulted in it being behind schedule. A mysterious contractor based in the Bai Bei Shi Building was hired on to speed up construction on the bridge, but in fact it was a front for an Architect operation to establish an alternate Arcanotower in Hong Kong should the Amazon operation fail. While the connecting spans at Lantau and Chek Lap Kok were built on time, the central support column off the shore of the mainland remained, strangely enough, unbuilt and standing off by itself.

In 1996, the Architect Arcanotower project in the Amazon rainforest is destroyed by an unlikely alliance of the Dragons, Ascended and the Guiding Hand. Further setbacks, including the destruction of the Biomass Reprocessing Center (in my game), force Johan Bonengel to approve Prof. Anna Homolka's plan to install a powerful Arcanowave Pulse Reinforcer on top of the central support of the Tsing Ma bridge. The Reinforcer would send out a pulse that would not only activate Felix Mei's juncture-modifier system in the Bai Bei Shi Building but also reattune all of Hong Kong major Feng Shui sites to the Architects.

Meanwhile, Guiding Hand and Ascended intelligence got wind of rumors of the Architect plan, but unfortunately got involved in a little war in 1851 (again, my game). The destruction of Ocean Park by paranormal forces in March (my game) distracted the Ascended again, while putting most of Hong Kong's active Dragons in the hospital, and weakening Hong Kong's resistance to being reattuned. Recent events in 70 AD forced most of the Dragons to rush off to prepare for a Throne War, so Kar Fai and the other “famous” Dragons were unavailable at the moment.

As a result, the only people standing in the way of the sinister Architect plan, as of April 1997, were a rag-tag band led by a renegade Buro scientist, Professor Romanov…

A Darker Tomorrow is their story, a story of 4-6 fast friends and their quest into the future to steal the Architects' plans for Arcanotower Hong Kong, discover its construction site, and Blow It Up. It's meant for a con game or a quick-start game for beginning players, complete with pregenerated characters which can be used for campaign play, should any survive. The basic structure is linear, and it was written in mind for a GM (me) who prefers to guide the plot rather than let it meander around. It shouldn't last more than 4 or 5 hours.

This Architect plan is extremely vital to their hopes of conquering the past and strengthening their future position. If they succeed, they will alter the juncture modifiers of Hong Kong to those of 2057, and reattune all the major Feng Shui sites in Hong Kong, while at the same time deattuning all other FS sites in the region, weakening the power and influence of their owners (the Ascended). If the PCs fail to stop the makeshift Arcanotower from coming on- line, The Buro will use the newly-conquered Hong Kong area as a beach-head for an all-out military invasion of our juncture, bringing about the premature fall of the Ascended.

As a result, what security forces they have smuggled into Hong Kong are extremely well-trained, if rather few in number. This adventure is easy to play but has a high lethality level: expect a couple of the PCs to end up making Death Checks.

Have the players choose from the pregenerated characters. The only really important character is #4, Professor Romanov (who is sort of a younger, wilder version of the Prof), who knows which way to lead the party. The others are less essential, although #1 and #5 are recommended to fit some of the players into the right background. #2, the Scrappy Kid, is real fun to play, as is #6, the Abomination Cop…

Set Piece #1: Kwang Sifu's Hillside Temple

All PCs meet at Kwang's temple, more or less at the same time as Set Piece #1. Characters 1 and 2 live there, Character 3 has just tracked Kwang down, and Characters 4, 5 and 6 have just travelled through the Netherworld to get here. Character 4 (Prof. Romanov) is the only 2057 character who has been here before, to meet fellow Dragon Kwang.

Kwang is an elderly geomancer who has been working for the Dragons, contacting resistance members in 2057. Recently, he was ambushed by Buro troops, fatally shot with a Helix Ripper, and barely managed to stagger back to 1997 to tell his two students (Characters 1 and 2) about the Secret War and the task ahead of them. He can only hint at what he knows about the Arcanotower project, and does not know where it is. He gives Character 1 a grenade launcher (the party is going to need all the firepower they can get) and a geomantic map of Hong Kong, giving a +2 bonus to any Geomancy rolls made concerning Hong Kong.

Suddenly, black sedans packed with Liquidator thugs come up the road and roar into the front of the garden. Estimate 1 car per PC, 4 thugs per car. To get to the temple they have to cross the garden, which is the best place to hold them off since Kwang lies on a couch right inside the front room of the temple.

Liquidators

“Get the old man!”

Attributes: Bod 6, Chi 0, Mnd 5, Ref 6.
Skills: Detective 7, Driving 7, Guns 8, Intimidation 8, Martial Arts 7.
Weapons: Glock 17 (10/1/17+1), Mossberg 590 Shotgun (13*/5/9), MP-5 (10/5/30).

Cool Things That Could Happpen

All the sedans have full gas tanks. How convenient. Blowing one up with a gun requires a check against difficulty 10. For every 2 Outcome, one mook gets taken out (hey, you blow it up for effect more than anything else).
The garden tool shed is just at the middle of one edge of the garden and makes good cover. Plus it's full of cool gardening tools. Kwang even keeps a gas-powered lawnmover a la Dead Alive (Braindead) here.
Landscaped, beautiful garden with bonsai trees, stone patterns, carp pond and medicinal herbs begs to get ripped apart by 9mm rounds and car shrapnel.
At some point a mook gets into a sedan and charges at the temple front. He gets a Driving check against any PC in his way to try and run them down (multi-target attack without the usual penalties). A really cool stunt is needed to turn him aside.
Remember that the mooks attack in waves from the frontmost car first. 1 Initiative roll per car…

Interlude 1

The heat of battle should, of course, be all the PCs need to realise they're all on the same side. If you think otherwise, you're playing the wrong game!

After the fight Kwang whispers his dying message about the Buro's evil plans to mess with HK's Feng Shui some time in the next 48 hours. 2057 characters should lead their new allies through the hidden cave entrance behind the temple into the Netherworld.

The Netherworld: The path to 2057 goes through the backyard of the Ice Pagoda (well, okay, about half a mile away from the Pagoda). Snow comes down hard over the junkyard of the ages. The trail leads into a darkened cavern where we see the sun-bright circle of a portal to 2057.

If you feel like adding a little flavor to this segment, have an Ice Tiger follow the PCs. Once somebody succeeds at making a Perception Check against difficulty 10, the Ice Tiger (which is the size of a small bus) reveals itself and tells them that the Ice Queen still regards the Dragons as friends, although she cannot directly intervene at the moment. The Tiger has been following the PCs to look after their safety while in the Netherworld.

2057: We arrive on the outskirts of the sprawling Manhattan Industrial Zone which covers most of the state of New York. First thing we see is an abandoned fairground, a rusting Ferris wheel lying on its side amid rotting tents. Then we see the huge array of Arcanowave Reinforcer dishes just beyond, on the hill. On the western horizon are rows of gray apartment blocks, all identical and bloodless. On the east, plumes of flame and smoke shoot into the blackened noon sky from a city-sized industrial complex of factories which melt into one another. Behind us is a hole in the ground. The grass is all yellow and sickly, and we find out why when acid rain starts pouring down. The party will probably end up taking shelter in the housing projects to the west. Romanov and the other 2057 characters might want to get some 2057 clothing for the others.

Prof Romanov has to meet Pugsley, a recently laid-off janitor who knew her contact Dr. Linskey, who worked at SciFac 73 Blue. Pugsley specified RecFac A-180, a gray block in the middle of a bunch of gray blocks, shattered windows covered with plastic sheeting. Yep, it's what passes for a bar in this darker tomorrow.

Elevator music versions of old disco hits blare from acid-scarred gonvex speakers. Dozens of factory workers in bland coveralls sit and drink nutrient drinks, or munch on flavorless soywheat crackers. Instead of pool tables or pinball machines we have checkerboards and unspirited card games.

Pugsley is a lumpy potato of a man, red-eyed and shivering with fear. Roleplay him as the stereotypical nervous contact. He knows the access codes to the SciFac, including passcodes for the ground-level entrance, the elevators, and the lock codes for the aircar landing pad on the 48th floor.

Just as Prof. Romanov (or whoever is doing the talking) is about to get the access codes from him, a PubOrd Squad led by a named cop who recognizes Characters 5 and 6 (Sgt. DeCruz and Rogon) walks in…

Lt. Paul Thorne has always been suspicious of the two PC Cops, and seeing them consorting with a known felon (Prof. Romanov) will give him the perfect excuse to gun them down. No matter what happens, he manages to inform the PubOrd radio dispatcher that the PC Cops are now renegades.

Set Piece #2: RecFac A-180

Thorne commands a small group of PubOrd trainees equal to # of PCs — 1. He's pretty grouchy about getting such a pathetic assignment and is eager to find action. The greenhorn trainees are also eager to kick some butt and try out their new Beat Patrollers. This is their first day with live ammo!

Lt. Paul Thorne

“Don't make me shoot you — we just had our ammunition budget cut… ”

Attributes: Bod 5, Chi 0, Mnd 5, Ref 8.
Skills: Driving 10, Intimidation 9, Guns 14, Leadership 7, Martial Arts 10, Police 7.
Gun Schticks: Lightning Reload ×3 (“Hey, I thought you said you had no ammo!” “I lied!”).
Weapons: Buro Godhammer (12/4/5), Buro Beat Patroller (9/1/7+1), Nightstick (8).

PubOrd Officer Trainees

“That doesn't look like a regulation yo-yo, Miss.”

Attributes: Bod 5, Chi 0, Mnd 4, Ref 5.
Skills: Driving 7, Intimidation 5, Guns 7, Martial Arts 6, Police 6.
Weapons: Buro Beat Patroller (9/1/7+1), punch (6), kick (7).

Pugsley

“Aaaahhh… d-don't hurt me!”

Attributes: Bod 4, Chi 0, Mnd 4, Ref 4.
Skills: Info/RecFac 73 Blue (8), Martial Arts (5).

Pugsley just hides.

Cool Things That Could Happpen

The trainees are pretty cowardly and will take lots of cover and active dodges to prolong the fight. They try to escape if Thorne goes down first. There is a shiny black aircar parked outside, which the PCs can steal for transport if the trainees don't get to it first.
Tables, florescent lights (inside plastic wrap) hanging vertically from ceilings and gonvex drink glasses provide bar brawl material.
Some denim-clad factory workers don't take cover when the brawl/gunfight starts, but instead sit there and drink placidly (Arcanowaves and Buro Feng Shui sites have dulled their minds) while PCs and trainees take cover behind them. If you can do an impression of a cow, that's how you roleplay the bystanders…
Have a running gag where an actively dodging trainee will pass by the checkerboard, look at it, and move a piece. Then on a PC's turn have that PC pass by the board and see a good move… and so on. At the end of the battle the checkers game should be over too!

Interlude 2

No problems here. Unless Pugsley has gotten killed or run off the PCs should be able to get the codes from him. Romanov knows where he lives. The Cop characters can also use the PubOrd computer in the patrol aircar to find where Pugsley's apartment is located. A search of the dirty little room will automatically (let's not slow down the pace of the adventure here) find a sheet of memo paper with the codes scribbled down. The other side of the memo mentions “new security systems installed in the lab.”

Since the two Cops in the party are now on the run, they might want to disable the tracking system in the patrol aircar. The aircar is the most logical way to get to SciFac 73 Blue. If a trainee got away in it, the PCs should be able to steal a private aircar without too much trouble.

Set Piece #3: SciFac 73 Blue

There is an aircar landing pad outside on the balcony area, with a glass/ gonvex portal locked by a keypad with the code Pugsley provided. Inside, the lab is a split-level chamber with big experimentation tanks on the lower tier filled with stasis fluid and various Supernatural Creature subjects ranging from a Flying Bladder to a weird blue thingy that looks a lot like like Super Grover! There are computer panels in the side of each tank to monitor the subject and control life support. The upper tier has banks of computers and through the plate glass window in the far wall you can see the floor of a massive assembly line a hundred feet below, where automated systems produce ARB Arcanowave Reinforcer dish sections by the dozen… but anyone who makes the proper Info/Science (native to 2057) or Arcanowave Device roll against a difficulty of 10 will determine that either the Jammers have blown up several installations and replacements are necessary, or a new territory (like say HK 1997) is about to be fixed up with Reinforcers. There are two elevators on the wall of the lower tier. This is the 48th floor of a 90-story tower in the heart of the Manhattan Industrial Zone.

Characters 2 or 4 can try to hack into the computers for the geomantic maps. Info/Science or Info/Computers against 10 should do it. No matter what the roll is they get the files eventually. If the roll is really bad, the alarms go off (not that they wouldn't have at some point) and the fight occurs a little earlier than planned. If the roll is good they get the files quickly and easily but it turns out to be a trap (Pugsley is a squealer!).

Pod Troopers burst out of ceiling compartments and the fight begins. One Pod Trooper appears for each PC, and the elevator soon brings BuroMil Grunts, half a dozen per sequence, until the PCs make it to their aircar or whatever transport they got here in. If they came by the elevator then there is an aircar conveniently parked on the landing pad. Keys are in the ignition.

Pod Trooper — Abomination-in-a-Can

“Ready-to-Serve, Always Fresh and Tasty!”

Attributes: Bod 9, Chi 1 (Mag 7), Mnd 3, Ref 6.
Skills: Arcanowave Device 8, Creature Powers 9, Guns 7, Martial Arts 7.
Creature Powers Schticks: Abysmal Spines, Conditional Escalation (Bod for gun hits), Juicer, Neural Stimulator (which does not cause Impairment because of the Juicer).
Weapons: Claws (12).

These critters are big nasty clawed Abominations kept in stasis until some emergency, at which time they are instantly thawed out and launched into action.

BuroMil Grunts

“Hup hup hup!”

Attributes: Bod 6, Chi 0, Mnd 4, Ref 6.
Skills: Guns 8, Intimidation 8, Martial Arts 8.
Weapons: Buro Blue Spear (13**/6/30), Buro 9 (10/1/17+1), punch (7), kick (8).

Second sequence onwards.

Cool Things That Could Happpen

People could get thrown through the glass wall (15 damage) and then fall over 5 stories (40 damage) onto the factory floor. This would be a −3 stunt attack because of the seriousness of the damage. Anyone who falls should have a chance to grab hold of a girder or fall onto a catwalk for less damage: this would be a Martial Arts check.
Stray shots blast the stasis tanks open, spilling weird liquids all over the floor and freeing Flying Bladders and Super Grovers. They fly around the lab and have no real combat ability, but will distract all combatants. See the Shadowfist card to get a good idea of what a Flying Bladder is… just imagine a disgusting pulsating organ with bat wings.
Computer banks will explode into sparks whenever somebody gets slammed into them.
As the fight moves onto the landing pad, one could try to knock an opponent off the edge to plummet 48 stories… this is a −3 stunt for very obvious reasons. Damage is negotiable depending if you're a Pod Trooper who hits the gonvex pavement at terminal velocity or a PC who lands in the back of a garbage colecting airtruck (for a Fortune Point).

The Obligatory Chase Scene

As the battle winds down, the PCs will hear PubOrd aircar sirens in the distance. Time to make an aerial getaway! Depending on how mean you're feeling and how badly hurt the PCs already are, 1-4 aircars driven by PubOrd Officers (Driving 10, Guns 8) armed with Buro 16 (13*/5/32) rifles arrive on the scene. Have lots of stunts speeding over and under bridges and metal arches, speeding around smokestacks and towering factory complexes and Arcanotowers, all with Driving stunt rolls against 8-12. Just make things up as you go along; it's the best way to run a car chase, I've found.

Each aircar has a Move of 100 (350 Kph) but don't give anyone (including PCs) a Dodge of 15 based on that alone since they're all moving at the same speed relative to one another (more or less). All Dodge values will be based on Driving in this chase. It takes a called shot (−2) to hit the driver of a PubOrd aircar, because of the bullet-resistant windshield.

Cool Things That Could Happpen

If any Pod Troopers survived have one hanging onto the getaway car's rear fender. It always happens like this in the movies!
If the opposition is too weak and you have Marked For Death handy, you could arrange for an appearance by Roscoe the BR-97 Attack Helicopter…
Downed aircars crash into fuel refineries (for bad guys), acre-wide industrial tofu vats (for the good guys), etc. Vehicles never crash anywhere boring in Feng Shui.

Interlude 3

The location of the Buro's big planned Arcanowave Reinforcer Tower can be found by looking at the stolen files and Kwang's map and making a relevant roll (Geomancy vs. 12 or Eastern Philisophy vs. 15). Assume the PCs can just barely make it there before it goes online (which would be midnight). The location is, of course, the central support of the unfinished bridge between HK's new airport and the mainland, the Tsing Ma bridge. The PCs will also note that the Reinforcer is set to emit a pulse that will enhance the properties of the Bai Bei Shi building, allowing Felix Mei and his research team to alter the juncture modifiers like they planned to in the HK section of the main rulebook. In addition, the pulse will reattune all the major sites in HK to the Buro, or specifically, Prof. Homolka, who is overseeing the project. This is a Bad Thing. An anonymous call to the Ascended would take care of the Bai Bei Shi building and the Tsing Ma Bridge, but it's so much more interesting if the PCs take the situation into their own hands. So the phone lines are down due to a recent storm, or the Pledged agent taking the call doesn't believe the story, and so on.

Remember, the PCs might ask for the Ice Queen's assistance, but as of late she's reluctant to intervene in the Secret War unless it concerns her siblings. No dice.

Set Piece #4: Arcanotower Now and Then

This fight is a little less structured. The idea is to take out the Reinforcer dish set up at the top of the support, but it has been (according to the files) booby-trapped with a Neutron Bomb. Anything that jostles it will set it off, taking out half the population of Hong Kong and leaving the other half blind and sterile. Before the Reinforcer can be destroyed, somebody has to defuse the bomb. An aerial assault is probably the best bet, but don't allow the PCs to bring the aircar back through the Netherworld.

Plus, the Buro have brought a heck of a security team over to protect the Reinforcer. There are a number of Drop Troopers equal to the PCs hidden in a big crate hanging from the crane hook up at the top of the structure, who will drop out and fly around making a nuisance of themselves with hit-and-run attacks. Only flying characters can catch up with them. There are a dozen or so (GM discretion) BuroMil Grunts on the ground, either disguised as construction workers (the real construction crew are dead and underwater) or hiding in construction shacks, and equipped with Buro Blue Flags (13*/4/30) instead of Blue Spears.

Prof. Homolka oversees the whole affair from atop the structure, next to the almost-complete Arcanowave Reinforcer. If Rogon the Abomination Cop is part of the party, she will use her Summoning and Influence to turn Rogon against the other PCs. If there are 5 or 6 PCs then the GMC Sgt. Lance Overlook is also present, at the base of the makeshift tower, staying hidden until after the PCs have fought past the first line of defense, then coming after them from behind).

Drop Troopers

“Gerominooooo!!!”

Attributes: Bod 6, Chi 2, Mnd 4, Ref 8.
Skills: Arcanowave Device 9, Driving (2057 aircraft) 9, Guns 10, Martial Arts 9.
Arcanowave Schticks: Aerial Mobility Unit.
Weapons: Buro Blade of Truth (10/3/30), Buro 9 (10/1/17+1), kick (8).

These cyborgs are elite BuroMil commandos, sent in whenever the situation requires light air support.

Prof. Anna Homolka

“This has already happened! It's destiny, and we are its agents!”

Attributes: Bod 6, Chi 1 (Mag 9), Mnd 7, Ref 7.
Skills: Arcanowave Device 14, Fix-It 12, Info/Geomancy 10, Leadership 9, Sorcery 14.
Sorcery Schticks: Blast (Ice, Lightning, Steam), Divination, Influence, Reinforcer, Summoning.
Arcanowave Schticks: Wave Scanner.
Weapons: Blast (11).

She is actually a Purist agent, and looks a lot like the Purist card in the Flashpoint Shadowfist expansion. Short black hair, icy blue eyes. Character 4 (Prof. Romanov) and Prof. Homolka are arch-enemies.

Sgt. Lance Overlook

“Eat Helix Ripper, rebel scum!”

Attributes: Bod 8, Chi 5, Mnd 5, Ref 8.
Skills: Arcanowave Device 15, Guns 13, Intimidate 8, Intrusion 12, Leadership 7, Martial Arts 10.
Creature Powers Schticks: Damage Immunity: Falling (Lance has, due to overuse of Helix Ripper, gotten mutations allowing him to purchase a Creature Power, and a useful one at that).
Gun Schticks: Fast Draw.
Arcanowave Schticks: Helix Ripper, Spirit Shield Generator (8 spirits).
Weapons: Helix Ripper (15), Buro Blade of Truth (10/3/30), punch (9), kick (10).

Typical Supersoldier. All brawn (and Fortune Points), no brain. Use only if there are more than 4 PCs in the party: he is pretty nasty.

Cool Things That Could Happpen

The crane can, like in most fights, be used by someone with Fix-It or Driving. There are two, one at the top (holding up a crate) and one halfway up (with just a hook).
The temporary housing shacks for the workers ought to have falling people crash into them.
There are a couple of cage elevators up the side to allow PCs to get up to the top fast. Also make good mini-set piece locations, if you add a few mooks here and there.
Oh, and concerning falling: just give 40 damage and be done with it. Getting knocked off the structure is extra easy: −2 stunt. Therefore make it clear how dangerous it is to avoid close combat with the Drop Troopers or a controlled Rogon.
Rogon retains at least partial consciousness of his actions if controlled by Homolka, so have the player ham it up — this is potential angst material.
The harbor guard sends a boat to investigate about halfway through the second sequence, and it comes under attack by BuroMil Grunts, an excuse to make the PCs actually fight the mooks at the base of the tower.
The Bomb is integral to the whole Reinforcer, so it can't be detached from the main device, but has to be actually defused. The whole device is quite big, about the size of a small van, and made of ARB struts and gonvex. Tech types or Scrappy Kids will have to squirm around inside to find the Bomb, getting massive cover bonuses since few will want to try and shoot into it.
An alternative to using Sabotage/Fix-It to defusing the Bomb: someone with lots of Geomancy and Computer could try to operate the control panel of the Reinforcer and use it to redirect its own energies inward, using the pulse to disable the Bomb.

Resolution

Unless someone screws up big time, don't blow everyone up. The destruction of the Reinforcer is almost guaranteed — how about sabotaging the base of the support column to have it fall into the sea? Something like that. If the PCs do this, reward them with 6 extra Experience Points for burning the site (I love how this game actually has a specific reward for players who blow things up!). This is in addition to standard Experience rewards. None of the pre-generated characters are attuned to any Feng Shui sites (well, the Low siblings are attuned to Kwang's temple and garden, but its Feng Shui is neutral, providing neither good nor bad fortune. Kwang knew the dangers of having too good a Feng Shui site).

The Ascended will arrive in their Black Helicopters shortly after the fight ends. If the PCs do not flee the scene, there will be medical attention for any who need it, and Colonel Baynes Wilhelm might debrief them at Stanley Fort. The Ascended are not pleased at the massive destruction and chaos, but it happens that the PCs _did_ stop the Architects after all. Depending on how the players interact, the Ascended might either end up working with the PCs to gather intel on these mysterious Architects (who have proved to be more dangerous to their rule than they thought), or let the party go and keep them under surveillance.

The heroes return to Kwang's temple and the Netherworld portal to part ways for the time being, as the sun rises, bringing the promise of a better, brighter tomorrow…

Fin.