DoW Stand-Alone Cinematic: The Storm

In this series of posts, I'm taking an act from DoW and providing guidance to run it as it's own story. Each will have it's own three-act structure and take the characters on some harrowing journey that they are unlikely to survive. Even these, more focused, cinematics will still likely take 3-6+ sessions to complete.

For this post we're looking at Destroyer of Worlds Act II: The Storm

DoW Stand-Alone Cinematic: The Storm (Act II)

Overview 

A small squad of marines is part of the skeleton-crew garrison in a hostile, mostly-abandoned oil colony. They find themselves fighting for their lives when a UPP invasion force arrives. It seems like things can't get any worse. But they do get worse. Much worse.

Characters 

The seven suggested PCs work well for this scenario. This scenario runs like a war movie. It can support larger (4-7) player counts and all the firepower you want to give them. It still won't be enough.

Dante and Chaplain: Dante shouldn't start this version infected and Chaplain needn't be subjected to undue influence from Jaell. We can give those two a break.

Agendas: This scenario doesn't lend itself to a lot of intrigue (until the end). But options include: a UPP-sympathizer, a PC that actively hates being a marine, a pal who's a local salvage or transport pilot, a townie with local contacts and friends in the colony, and/or a W-Y agent or contact. 

Replacement Characters: Characters that die can be replaced with other marines. But they can be also be replaced with colonists or other involved folks. By Act III, the aliens may be the primary antagonists. UPP soldiers, insurgents, Imre Botos, and even Davydovich could align with the PCs. Naturally, they will also bring their personal agendas.

Intro and Hook

The PCs are part of the small USCM garrison left on the colony. The rest of the local forces could have left recently (bound for 61 Cygni), abandoned the colony months ago, or never been there first place. It could have always been a small garrison.

The adventure begins just before the UPP invasion. The PCs have been tasked with the capture of insurgent leader Imre Botos. We'll open with the attack on the compound. The PCs could be allowed to plan it. Or just dive into the action and open with them in the dropship on the way to the assault. 

Non-Included Events

This story just focuses on the second act's events and so leaves out all of the following big events and everything that flows from them. 

• AWOL Marines: There are no AWOL marines in this scenario. When the players raid the insurgent compound, they are just there to get the insurgent leader.
  
  
• Oil Drop or Project Life Force: Some version of the oil drop should occur and introduce an alien presence. If you're using the oil drop, then Project Life Force doesn't need to exist in the scenario. Another option is to replace the oil drop with tainted black oil from Project Life Force. 
  
  
• Life Force Outbreak: Even if Life Force exists in the scenario, it doesn't need to bust out of control. Jaell and Col. Meyers can keep it contained. 
  
  

Big Decisions

USCM and UPP Army Sizes: Decide how large you want the defending marine contingent to be. What kinds of weapons and vehicles might the PCs have access to? How large is the defending force?

If both the defending force and UPP ones are substantial, then the PCs will be caught up in the fight but unlikely to be able to change the outcome. They should be ordered to achieve some limited set of objectives.

If the defending force is small and the attacking force is large, then the PCs should quickly realize that they can't win. Survival becomes their primary objective.

If both forces are relatively small, the PCs and marines should still be outgunned. But aggressive and lucky PCs might be able to thwart the invaders. 

Which Black Oil: The center-piece of this scenario is a black oil outbreak. But which one? You can use the block oil drop as written. In that case. you probably want to center it on the starport and feature a mob of anathematized civilians.

The black oil drop might seem too big and mysterious and unavoidable. Another option is to say that Colonel Meyers has decided to deploy the black oil from Project Life Force to counter the invasion. 

In my DoW run, Meyers anticipated the UPP invasion and had a cooler of tainted water available to tempt the arriving UPP forces. Soldiers and colonists that drank from it had juvenile neomorph's come bursting out of them shortly afterward. This gives the players some opportunity to detect what is happening and try to stop it or use it to their advantage.

State of the Insurgency: The UPP is coming. The initial insurgency can be a formidable force on its own or a relatively easy warm-up. If he's survived the initial raid, Botos can continue to antagonize the PCs. Once the alien presence emerges Botos might want to join forces against the aliens. If Col. Meyers is the source of the alien infestation, the players may want to join the insurgency in trying to take down the colonel and destroy Project Life Force. 

Invasion Plan: As the UPP arrives, have a rough plan for their movements. Think about which locations their dropships and APCs will be visiting and in what order. What troops, vehicles, and equipment will be left at each location? 

Additions and Changes

Home Grown Oil Infestation: As mentioned above, one option is to replace the big oil drop with an infestation that comes from Project Life Force. We can call this the Oil and Water variation (OaW).

Act III Problems: At the start of Act III, the PCs will be caught between the UPP invasion force remnants and a deadly alien infestation. And they are being hunted by a relentless squad of elite synth-soldiers. 

Adding to their desperate situation, they should have competing agendas. What's their priority and primary motivation? Follow orders? Save the colony? Fight the UPP? Kill the xenos? Get rich? Survive? Escape? Rescue their fellow marines? Stop black oil samples (and victims) from falling into the wrong hands? 

Give players competing motivations and let them argue about what to do. Be prepared for them to head towards different outcomes. They could join forces with the UPP to cleanse the aliens. They might head for a desperate escape. They might try to capture oils and aliens to escape and profit. They might have to stop UPP soldiers from escaping with oil samples. They might try to save the colony at all costs. 

Let the players choose which outcome they are striving for. Then make them fight and sacrifice to try and get there.

Acts and Events

The following is a list of possible scenes and events for each act. They are listed in a rough order that they might logically take place. Scenes that are skipped in one act can take place in a later one.  

Act I

The adventure begins with the marines raiding the home of insurgent leader Imre Botos. As that wraps up, bombs begin to fall on Fort Nebraska and the colony and UPP forces arrive. The characters realize that the colony, with it's small remaining garrison, is experiencing a UPP invasion.

Scenes and Events

• Setting and Introduction
• Mission Briefing (optional)
• Major Hatfield briefs the characters on the history of insurgency in the colony and introduces their leader Imre Botos. They plan the assault on the compound.
• Storm warnings (optional)
• Warnings of a coming snowstorm
• Insurgent compound assault. 
• Imre Botos
• 5-10+ armed insurgents
• No aliens or Wojcik
• Orbital Bombardment
• Bombs fall from orbit onto the colony, particularly Fort Nebraska
• UPP Ground Forces Arrive
• UPP OX-440 HAMPV Troop Transports
• UPP MI-222 Krokodil VTOL Dropships
• Both are loaded with troops
• Starting at Oil fields and Spaceport
• Converging Fort Nebraska
• Moving to seize other key locations
• Insurgent compound
• Marshal station
• San Rocco Medical
• Orders from Major Hatfield (optional)
• PCs are ordered to scout the UPPs report with assessments
• If possible, PCs are to secure the oil fields (it's probably not possible). 
• UPP on the Hunt (p. 56)
• Major Dayvoich, his synth squad, and some regular UPP soldiers race to the insurgent compound in their gunship.
• PCs should encounter them
• The battle should not be decisive
• Should be enough for both groups to get a personal animosity for the other.
• Synths can still be repaired after almost anything 
• Dayvoich will be back

Act II

The PCs are fighting against the UPP invasion and being pursued by UPP forces. Things go from bad to much worse when the sudden introduction of alien black oil transforms the battlefield into a hellscape packed with inhuman enemies. 

Scenes and Events

• Blizzard Conditions (p. 52 Optional)
• A massive storm complicates ground combat and dropship flight.
• Don't drink the Coffee (Optional)
• Only use with the Life Force black oil variation (OaW)
• PCs are contacted by a marine buddy guarding the spaceport
• Marine seems surprising cheerful despite the spaceport being overrun
• Warns players that Colonel Meyers has prepared a surprise for the UPP
• Hints that there's something in the water (and/or coffee) at the spaceport 
• Dropship Down (p. 56 Optional)
• PCs dropship is struck and crashes
• My Sympathies (p. 56 Optional)
• PCs spot Fei with UAS sympathizers
• It Fissures ( p. 56 Optional)
• Buildings and streets collapse due to bombardment and/or oil-eating bacteria
• It's a Tank ( p. 56 Optional) 
• A USCM heavy tank is about to be ambushed by UPP forces
• The Executions (p. 56 Optional) 
• PCs find UPP soldiers about to execute colonists
• Falling Skies and Black Death (p. 56 - 59) 
• Run this or Oil and Water - but not both
• EMP burst knocks out most electronics
• Dropships fall out of the sky
• Airbursts of black oil detonate over the colony
• Exposed people will turn into anathema
• Oil and Water (Optional)
• Alternative to Falling Skies and Black Death
• UPP soldiers and colonists exposed to black oil tainted water from spaceport start to convulse. Juvenile neomorphs burst out of them.
• Reports of chaos from the spaceport
• UPP dropships fall from the sky and neomorphs climb from the wreckage

Act III

The colony is in chaos and the PCs are caught between the UPP invaders and the alien infestation.

There are a number of different ways this can go and different outcomes the PCs might be fighting for. See the Act II Problems section above. 

If the Oil and Water (OaW) variation is being used anathema can be replaced with juvenile neomorphs for most events.

Scenes and Events

• Table for One (p. 60 Optional) 
• PCs encounter a lone anathema
• Can't See the Forest for the Trees (p. 60 Optional)
• A lone infected child wanders among the wreckage
• Remove petrified corpses with OaW
• Chaos at the Spaceport (Optional)
• The players may try to escape via the spaceport
• It's been overrun by infected people
• OaW
• There may also be uninfected UPP and mobs of colonists
• Also, infected people who haven't popped yet
• You might still want this to be a viable means to escape
• Maybe even a chance to evacuate surviving colonists on the Monygham 
• Nebraska Under Seige (Optional)
• Fort Nebraska has been subject to UPP bombardment and attack
• Depending on the scenario it may also be suffering from the EMP and black oil infestation
• The Fort could be anything from an active war zone to a silent dead husk
• Safe Haven (p. 60 Optional) 
• A crashed gunship exposes a pipeline leading to the fort
• Could be used to slip past anathema and/or UPP occupiers and slip into the space elevator
• Inhuman Monsters
• Sgt. Major Davydovich and his synth squad has survived any oil infestation
• They will blame USCM for whatever has happened
• Might be willing to parlay with PCs - seeking answers on oil infestation
• Can ambush or chase PCs
• Can be collecting oil samples and infected colonists and marines
• Will want a working dropship
• Load up "samples" to deliver to UPP Frigate Trakhni Menya in orbit over the colony
• If the frigate is unavailable they will head to the orbital platform and await extraction (with their prizes) from there
• If the players are trying to escape in the space elevator, there's potential for an elevator vs dropship race or battle.