MnM2e - Wild Cards - All In.pdf - 2nd Edition - Dihercen

A Wild CArds Adventure Anthology for MutAnts & MAsterMinds

Design Bill Bodden ( Bugs in the System ), D.T. Butchino ( Shell Games ),

John Polojac ( Spare Parts ), Mark Santillo ( Benefit of the Doubt )

Editing Jon Leitheusser Development Steve Kenson

Art Direction and Graphic Design Hal Mangold

Cover Art Brain Hagan

Interior Art Brett Barkley, Storn Cook,

Greg Kirkpatrick, and Mike Vilardi

Cartography Sean Macdonald

Proofreading The Green Ronin Staff

Green Ronin President Chris Pramas

Green Ronin Staff Bill Bodden, Steve Kenson, Jon Leitheusser, Nicole Lindroos,

Hal Mangold, Chris Pramas, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz

in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material. Green Ronin, Mutants

& Masterminds and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. Wild Cards is the

trademark of the Wild Card Consortium.

The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1(e) of the

Open Game License, Version 1.0a: all character and place names and descriptions,

all novel descriptions and references, hero points, and power points.

The following text is Open Gaming Content: all game stats and information,

except for material previously declared product identity.

Permission is granted to print one copy of the electronic version of this product for personal use.

Printed in the USA

Green Ronin Publishing

3815 S. Othello St., Suite 100 #304

Seattle, WA 98118

Email: custserv@greenronin.com

Web Site: www.greenronin.com

www.mutantsandmasterminds.com

introduCtion

t he Wild Cards series was conceived as a “shared world” with

many authors, so it’s fitting that the first adventure supple-

ment for the Wild Cards Campaign Setting for Mutants &

Masterminds is also an anthology with multiple authors con-

tributing their own visions of the Wild Cards world, and the

things your characters can do there.

All-In is a four-card draw of short Wild Cards adventures for

the Mutants & Masterminds superhero RPG. The adventures fea-

ture a mix of investigation and action and are suitable for a range

of Wild Cards games, primarily aimed at characters from power

levels 6 to 8, as detailed in Chapter 6 of the Wild Cards Cam-

paign Setting book. The material in this book is intended for

the Gamemaster’s use only; players intending to play in these

adventures should refrain from reading them, in order to avoid

spoiling some surprises and challenges. The GM should read

through each adventure carefully before running it, in order to

become fully acquainted with the story and characters.

Both the Mutants & Masterminds rulebook (or the M&M Pock-

et Player’s Guide ) and the Wild Cards Campaign Setting source-

book are needed to use the adventures in this book. Game infor-

mation and background details provided in the Wild Cards book

is not reproduced here, so Gamemasters will want to reference it

before running these adventures.

All-In features the following adventures:

tional. Has Mod Man finally broken down into some computer-

ized simulation of insanity, or is something else going on?

A Word on Continuity

Although most All-In adventures make use of existing Wild Cards

characters, it should be noted that these adventures are “outside” the

existing Wild Cards continuity; further revelations in the Wild Cards

series may contradict material in these adventures, and the events

they describe are not considered “canon” for the Wild Cards series.

Of course, there’s nothing to stop you and your players from twisting

around Wild Cards history and characters however you like in your

own games, but we just figured we’d make it clear from the outset

what’s “official” and what is not, and these adventures are not.

All-in And PArAgons

As Appendix IV of the Wild Cards Campaign Setting points out, the

Paragons setting for M&M is fairly compatible with Wild Cards in

terms of overall style. This means you can also use the adventures

in All-In for a Paragons series with a small amount of modification,

depending on the style of Paragons game.

Bugs in the System works virtually unchanged. There may not be

a Jokertown or any other freakish paranormals in the setting, but

a mysterious plague of cockroaches can still lead to a rise in anti-

paranormal violence (if such is known). Regardless, Perry Planet’s

terrible transformation and quest for revenge can exist in most Paragons

settings, and other paranormals are likely to get drawn into it.

Benefit of the Doubt might be staged for a paranormal organization like

the Rosemont Center, or a suitable charity, perhaps intended to provide

aid to victims of the Breakout or some other paranormal disaster.

Substitute suitable paranormal celebrities for the major Wild Cards

characters, but Skylark and Misery can remain the same. Again, scenes

in Jokertown might be less freakish, if there are few unusual-looking

paranormals in the setting, but otherwise things work as written.

Shell Games requires some modification, depending on whether or

not you want the Turtle to be a character in your Paragons setting.

Substitute another paragon as you see fit, perhaps a normally law-

abiding member of Vanguard. Scrounge is still looking to make a

big score using someone else’s powers and name to do it. Without

the Turtle’s shell, you might also want to give Scrounge the ability to

Morph to look like the target he mimics.

Spare Parts involves Modular Man, a fixture (so to speak) of the

Wild Cards world. Still, you can make him an android invention of

a paranormal (a true example of para-technology), now bereft of his

maker. Junk Monkey works as a paranormal as written, and you can

use some of the wild card mercenaries in the adventure or substitute

appropriate paranormal characters.

• Bugs in the System: In the hot summer months in New York

City, a plague of cockroaches adds to the already oppressive

mood. When residents begin looking for someone to blame

and turning their attention towards Jokertown, the authori-

ties need help. Investigators find a wild card at the bottom of it,

twisted in both body and mind, and hungering for revenge.

• Benefit of the Doubt: When financial trouble hits the

Jokertown Clinic, a massive benefit concert seems like just

the thing, but when trouble threatens one of the headline acts,

someone needs to intervene. Problem is, it turns out the trou-

ble is not what it seems, and the real threat may come from

giving the ace headliner a worldwide live television audience!

• Shell Games: The Great and Powerful Turtle is back…and

committing petty crimes? When one of the Turtle’s old shells

goes missing and he apparently takes up a new criminal ca-

reer, it’s up to fellow wild carders to sort things out. Has the

man in the metal shell finally cracked, or is it someone else

working on the inside?

• Spare Parts: Aces are disappearing, and the culprit appears to

be the long-lost android Modular Man. The characters are just

one faction interested in finding the wayward machine man, and

some are not too particular as to whether or not he’s still func-

introduCtion

All in: Bugs in the systeM

Bugs in the systeM

City during one of the hottest summers on record. Roaches

may be common in the city to begin with, but it’s rare that

they cluster together in the light to…steal things. That’s

exactly what’s happening, and the authorities have no clue

how to stop it, other than sending out legions of pest control

workers. Even then, most of them won’t go near Jokertown . . .

Numerous town meetings have been scheduled all over the five

Boroughs. As packed meeting spaces and overflow crowds attest,

the problem is unusually widespread, but the city leaders are calling

for calm and asking for patience in the face of this adversity—that’s

where the characters come in. It could be they’ve been victimized

themselves, or it could be that a shadowy organization no one’s ever

heard of before is asking them to look into things more closely. Ei-

ther way, it’s up to them to get to the bottom of these disturbances;

the search is on for clues to solving this curious mystery.

introduCtion

A joker is indeed behind the city’s troubles, one driven mad with

spite. He seeks petty, jealous revenge on anyone and everyone in

the city, and is using hordes of insects under his control to achieve

his vengeance.

His lair is deep within the bowels of the city—a long-aban-

doned underground subway office into which he and his follow-

ers have tunneled. He stays in this office night and day, and rarely

ventures more than a few feet from it save on rare occasions and

for good reason. He keeps all his newfound treasures in the front

room, while the back room is a waiting area for his many servants.

So far his attacks have been random as he learns how to manage

his new powers. But soon, very soon, those who made his life dif-

ficult will pay . . .

Bugs in the systeM

A n outbreak of cockroaches is sweeping through New York

All in: Bugs in the systeM

foul deeds Afoot

The characters can be brought into this scenario several ways.

with a phone number within the 212 area code. The number is

local to New York. If the PC attempts to trace this number, they

will find that it’s a dead-end. It forwards to several other phone

numbers before it reaches a disconnected number somewhere in

Brazil. The money is legitimate—or at least, is not counterfeit. The

serial numbers are in no way consecutive.

As the characters make their daily reports, they will be urged to

keep their benefactor a secret. The voice on the other end of the

line will not say much otherwise.

The daily payment of $1,000 finds its way to the characters

through numerous anonymous vectors. Perhaps the character

will find a newspaper on their doorstep one morning with an-

other envelope hidden inside; possibly a sealed frozen dinner or

unopened box of cereal already at home will contain the money.

Be creative; these payments should serve to creep the players out

slightly by their insidious nature.

At least one member of the group should be approached in this

way, particularly if they choose not to attend any of the Neighbor-

hood Meetings.

loss of A Prized iteM

The PC literally watches in horror as a ring, a bracelet, a cher-

ished photograph or other object of sentiment is swarmed over

by roaches and dragged to the floor, where it is crammed under a

loose section of baseboard or trim, and disappears into the wall.

The roaches are very fast and rather large for their type, and the

shock of the incident precludes any meaningful attempt to inter-

vene. Subsequent news stories on the radio, television and in the

newspapers relate similar occurrences throughout the city. The

stories mention that officials have called for a series of town meet-

ings all across the city for people to report incidents and learn the

best ways to combat the problem. Award one hero point to any PC

who loses an object in this manner.

A Mysterious BenefACtor

One or more characters receive a letter (or email) without re-

turn address. The letter states, in a matter-of-fact manner, that

the character could gain significantly from a meeting with an un-

named person at a public but discreet location this very night. A

subway station after the last train has departed is the most likely

venue. Though long after closing time, the station is unlocked. As

the character approaches the platform, a figure in a suit and tie

with a black overcoat and hat waits at the appointed place.

neighBorhood Meetings

If the characters attend one of these meetings, they will find a

good-sized meeting room in a public building, filled to overflow-

ing with angry, scared citizens. Nothing this odd has happened to

any of the assembled citizens before, and the possibilities of these

events are the stuff of nightmares for an active mind. The room is

hot and steamy, and it will be weeks before the government-man-

dated date for use of air conditioning to begin. Several obvious

jokers are present. Tempers are beginning to fray, and the event

has a slight edge of hysteria, which builds as it becomes clear that

city officials have no answers.

Sitting behind a table at the front of the room is the city coun-

cil member for this district (Elaine Albertson), representatives

from both the police (Sergeant John Jacobs) and fire departments

(Lieutenant Bob Porter), a liaison from the mayor’s office (Greg

Stenczak), and an unnamed man in a suit who says nothing and

is never introduced. Any questions directed at this person will be

intercepted by one of the city officials, who will answer the ques-

tion to some degree.

A hysterical voice from somewhere towards the back of the

room shouts “Start looking in Jokertown; them freaks are setting

their pets on the rest of us!” Any successful skill check such as

Notice or Gather Information will allow the character to spot the

speaker in the dense crowd; he appears to be a homeless man,

clad in a grimy zippered coat, a stained, light colored T-shirt with

tan plaid trousers and battered brown loafers, with tangled and

filthy—possibly graying—hair. From the reaction of the people

around him, he hasn’t spent a great deal of time recently tending

to any aspect of his personal hygiene. The characters will be easily

able to corner this man after the meeting. See The Evils of Drink

The representative from the mayor’s office, Greg Stenczak, in-

troduces himself again and makes the following announcement:

“Good of you to come,” the person begins, and it’s dif-

ficult to tell from the voice if the speaker is male or female.

Their appearance is also androgynous, right down to the

not-too-stylish clothes. Even this person’s body language is

neutral.

“We need someone of your…unique talents to help with

an investigation. This pest-control problem may be more

than it seems, and we need to get to the bottom of it quickly

and quietly. If there’s some kind of terrorist group behind

this, we need to know who they are and where to find them

so they can be removed from the general population and

interrogated.”

The person passes the character a thick envelope.

“This is a down payment for your services. There’s a slip

of paper inside with a phone number. Call it from a public

payphone once a day and relay any news you have for us.

For every day you check in, another grand ($1,000) will

find its way to you. We need whatever is behind this dis-

covered so that the appropriate agencies can take over and

eradicate the problem.”

The envelope contains $5,000 in small bills—nothing larger

than a fifty. It also contains a business card-sized slip of paper

All in: Bugs in the systeM

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