We had the room at the library for 2 hours. The group activity with my students took only 30 minutes. So, I introduced them to tabletop role-playing games. I thought that using Mini-YZE (with my own mods) would make it simple for them. Easiest setting to run for new students would be the Doom Agents setting. It is contemporary, and I can emulate modern spy and action moviews with it.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
- Chamice, Engineer – Tey
- Jack, Medic – Ooi
- Agent 47, Sniper – Danis
Sniper Agent 47, Medic Jack and Engineer Chamice are assigned to a mission near Manaus, Brazil.
The Approach
Doom Agents 2023
The team, in an off-road vehicle, heads south into the jungle in the late afternoon. It is raining heavily and before them river with a strong current block their path. The bridge has been washed away. Chamise and Jack study the waters, then guide 47 to drive through the waters. Although the waters threaten to sweep them away, Agent 47 is able to make it across safely. The rain
While 47 drives on the wet dirt road, Jack spots an alarm trigger across the road: a laser beam near-invisible if not for jungle mists. Chamice debarks to disable it before continuing their journey.
Around the table with a lot of dice
Soon, they stop a kilometre from their destination: a secret factory surrounded by 5-metre tall steel fence, with cameras observing every angle of approach. They have to infiltrate, find Crate 037 within and steal its content. Jack hopes they do not have to leave the truck because it is expensive.
Chamice, using his laptop, cracks the network & loops the camera feeds. This allows the team to walk the perimeter to broken sewer outlet. They plan on using the sewer tunnels to sneak into the factory. Chamice has the point, followed by Jack. Meanwhile, 47 has his sniper rifle ready, bringing up the rear.
The Infiltration
Chamice spots a green jararaca, curled up in the mud beside it. Jack reaches forward and kills the pit viper with his scalpel before it bites Chamice.
Mud gives way to concrete. The trio randomly walks the sewers until they discover a grill above them. 47 peeks and sees a Hangar Bay containing a MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 helicopter and a fleet of Lamborghini and Ferrari cars. On the wall by the main doors is a computer terminal. 47 sees a man is using it to access information.
Chamice succeeds in hacking the terminal and not only downloads the map of the factory and the sewer network, but (with extra success) also the exact location of Crate 037 at Secure Storage Bay A2. Using the map, they will know exactly how to reach it.
Secure Storage Bay A3 has no sewer access, so (with burning a Luck point to possess the gear) Chamice deploys the heavy duty floor drill. The drill head takes 10 minutes to penetrate the concrete floor. The team climbs into the A3.
The Burglary
Pencil sketch to show the item
There is a steel container in the middle of the room, with Crate 037 stencilled on it. Also on the crate was a DANGER RADIATION decal. Chamice immediately starts to remove the crate’s nuts and bolts. Before the last nut, Jack spots some wires and warns him that the crate has an alarm trigger. It will scream if the crate is opened.
The plan: open the crate, grab the item and retreat back down the hole. So when Jack and 47 lift the heavy container cover, it causes everyone to freeze. In the crate, protected by straps and shock absorbing styrofoam… is a nuclear warhead.
An alarm klaxon emits an ear-splitting blare.
Chamice frees the nuclear device and stuffs it in his backpack while Jack jumps down the hole. Chamice follows him, but before 47 could jump, a guard rushes in and sprays at them with a machine gun. Even so, the sniper escapes unhurt.
As they retreat in the sewers, the guards rush in after them. Thankfully, the tunnels’ layout are quite confusing. Jack formulates an exit strategy: the BK 117 helicopter. 47 wants to steal a Lamborghini, but he is outvoted by Jack and Chamise.
Using the map, they find themselves under the Hangar Bay once more. Peeking through the floor grill, 47 finds two guards there. One was at the door. They heard the other say, “Yes, sir. I’ll guard the helicopter until backup arrives.”
Chamise successfully uses his laptop to jam the guards’ comm channel.
Then, using his sniper kit, 47 strikes the door guard with a head shot. This prompts the chopper guard to fire at the grill. A bullet pierces 47’s shoulder! “Intruders! Intruders in the Hangar Bay! Come in, anybody!” (Body points reduced from 4 to 2 because of an extra 6 on dice.) Fighting the pain, 47 swings toward the second guard and shoots his chest.
The Withdrawal
In the centre, is the main gates, 5 metres tall with security cams pointing outwards
Climbing into the Hangar Bay, Chamise rushes to prep the BK 117 for flight while Jack bandaged 47’s injury (bringing his Body Points up to 3). Turbine engines running, rotor blades spinning, they all secure themselves aboard the chopper as Chamise pulls the cyclic stick, lifting them up through the open roof and into the air.
Chamise arced away from the factory while Jack bids farewell to their off-road vehicle hidden in the jungle below. Then a voice crackles in their headphones, “This is Dr. Gorsky. You took something from me. What is it? Land now or we will fire a missile at you.”
“Nope.”
A surface-to-air missile streaks towards them – probably a heat seeker. Everyone braced for impact. Then Chamise (invoking his Belief “All Problems Have a Solution” and using his Luck points to add 3 bonus dice) weaves the helicopter, rolling it around a moving centre point! The manoeuvre allows them to evade the missile.
Everyone breaths easier. The team flies at full speed towards their extraction point in the outskirts of Manaus.
The End… for now.
Notes:
- Check out Year Zero Mini by Matt Kay here.
- Someday I should write a full sourcebook for Doom Agents.
