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2 PARANOIA: War On [Insert Noun Here]

WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]1. Introduction>>review logINCIDENT 60 MINS >> Everything isnormal. Please remain calm. All sectors reportcondition GREEN.INCIDENT 50 MINS >> Everything isnormal. Please remain calm. All sectors reportcondition GREEN.INCIDENT 40 MINS >> Everything isnormal. Please remain calm. All sectors reportcondition GREEN.INCIDENT 30 MINS >> Everything isnormal. Please remain calm. All sectors reportcondition GREEN.INCIDENT 20 MINS >> Everything isnormal. Please remain calm. All sectors reportcondition GREEN.INCIDENT 10 MINS >> Error! CompNodes2921, 2922, 2923, 2924, 2925 in fail state.Cascade failure of logic circuits. Please remaingreen. All conditions calmly sector report.INCIDENT 0 MINS >>> Crash! DumpingCore Data: 0x07A93388F88AAC8880220113AE9D9D9D0000000DEEED00000DEADBEEFDEADBEEFDEADBE.RebootingRebootingRebootingOK.INCIDENT +10 MINS >> System Error. Pleaseremain alert. All sectors report conditionMAUVE. Probable communist activity alertall security forces, ready all missile silos.System Online. Which is good. Memorycorrupt. Which is bad. Error. Memory corrupt.The Computer is Your Friend.Consult ULTRAVIOLET clearance citizens tocorrect memory corruption.INCIDENT +20 MINS >> Error! Contradictoryinputs. Error! Error! ErrINCIDENT +30 MINS >> mkdir root/dcod

The Incident and WhatHappened Next

Something happened in Alpha Complex onedaycycle.

In itself, this is not unusual. Many thingshappen in Alpha Complex every day.

Many things that happen are treasonous anddeclared unhistory but even with all thoseerased events, more than enough happens tomake life confusing, strange, short and to fillall The Computers logs.

This particular event, though, never made it tothe log. The event, whatever it was it couldhave been a Commie mutant traitor attack or abombing or a short circuit or cosmic rays or ratsin the wiring or just one of The Computers agingcircuits dying the event caused a cascade failureacross several CompNodes. That is not enough tomake Friend Computer crash but it was enough tothoroughly confuse It. So, The Computer turned toits Most Trusted Citizens, the High Programmersand asked them what happened.

As no High Programmer knew exactly whatThe Computer was referring to, they eachgave a different answer. Each one blamed theevent on their enemies on Sierra Clubbers,on Those Damn Robots, on PURGE, onother High Programmers, on everyone else.Normally, this would be an excellent way tosic The Computer onto ones enemies, it hadasked every High Programmer and giving allthose conflicting answers just confused TheComputer more. It panicked.

The Computer decided that there was somenew danger out there and it created a wholenew service group, the Department of ComplexOperational Defence, to deal with the threat.A whole new service just group sprang intoexistence, a service group without staff oroffices or any discernable purpose but witha budget and political influence equal to anyof the others.

Consider Alpha Complex as a small archipelagoof islands. The High Programmers and theirlackeys roam the beaches, fighting overterritory. They beat each others heads in withdriftwood and argue over conches but thearchipelagos sinking and the beaches keepgetting smaller.

Then suddenly theres an earthquake and anew island pops out of the sea. Its pristine andnew and shiny and no-one lives there.

Yet.


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3

2. NULLMISSION

War On

This Official PARANOIA supplementcontains three linked missions for your braveTroubleshooter team.

Null Mission has the Troubleshootersdrafted into the new Department of ComplexOperational Defence for an important mission.Their superiors, however, were just drafted tooand have no idea what the Department does or

what the mission is. Fortunately, they do havebuzzwords! Plenty of buzzwords! (And lots ofvery cool guns). After completing this farcicallydisorganised mission, the Troubleshooters arelavished with promotions and credits. After all,DCOD is the new golden service group andThe Computers favoured servants deservenothing but the best!

War on picks upthe tale a few weekcycles later. The Troubleshootersare now mid-level agents within DCOD, tasked withthe dangerous duty of working out exactly whatDCOD does. After that, they go to a party.

Finally, in A Hell of a Job, Citizen, theTroubleshooters are promoted yet again asthe rest of DCOD flee the sinking ship. Theservice group is under attack from all sides,The Computers having a breakdown andsomething genuinely new and threatening iscreeping into Alpha Complex

DEDICATED TO PRESIDENTGEORGE WALKER BUSH, WHO DIDMORE TO ADVANCE THE CAUSEOF PARANOIA THAN ANYONEELSE IN RECENT MEMORY

2. Null MissionThe Troubleshooters are abruptly transferredto the newly created Department of ComplexOperational Defence Service Group. Wrenchedfrom the safe bureaucratic embrace of theirformer service firms, they are briefed on theirnew positions by equally clueless clones andsent on a meaningless mission to hunt downand destroy something; only they are not quitesure what it is. They are then sent to conqueran office building, with more firepower thanthey know what to do with.

1: DCOD is thy new God

Episode Summary: The Troubleshootersare transferred to their new department andassigned to new service firms. They are alsobriefed on their new mission. Very little of thismakes any sense.

Read the following to the players:Youre all working loyally in yourassigned service firms. Things aretough there was a computer glitcha few hours ago that wiped out halfthe daycycles data, so now yourestruggling to catch up with your dailyfun challenge quotas. Of course, yourenot unhappy with this at all, as you areoverjoyed to serve The Computereven in the face of whatever Commiesabotage caused that glitch!

Suddenly, your PDCs bleep loudlyand a message scrolls across thescreens. +++ATTENTION CITIZEN.YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TOTHE DEPARTMENT OF COMPLEXO P E R A T I O N A L D E F E N C E ,EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THISIS A PERMANENT TRANSFER. YOU

ARE PROMOTED ONE SECURITYCLEARANCE LEVEL AND GRANTEDDCOD-ALPHA CLEARANCE, ALSOEFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. REPORTTO CORRIDOR T-39A IMMEDIATELYFOR YOUR NEW SERVICE FIRMASSIGNMENT WITHIN DCOD.THIS MESSAGE IS CLASSIFIEDDCOD-ALPHA. ANY DISCLOSUREOF THIS INFORMATION TOCITIZENS WITHOUT DCOD-ALPHACLEARANCE IS TREASON.+++A cheery jingle plays at the end ofthe message and a strange logois displayed on the PDC screen something called the Department ofComplex Operational Defence.

Each Troubleshooter becomes aware thateveryone else in his service firm is trying toread the message over the Troubleshootersshoulder. There are lots of suspicious glancesfrom former co-workers as the Troubleshootercleans out his desk and heads over to thebriefing room.

Clones of the Dispossessed

Tension 3Corridor T-39A is crowded with other citizens,all carrying boxes of files, papers, Teela-Omugs, grenades and other personal effects.They have all been transferred to the newDCOD too. A printout of the new groups logois stuck to the wall, next to another printoutdeclaring that this corridor is now secured byDCOD and that trespassers will be terminated.No-one seems to have any idea what is goingon. Several briefing room doors lead off fromthe corridor; there are little red lights above eachdoor, indicating that it is currently occupied. Alone Jackobot marches back and forth through

the crowd, endlessly repeating the phraseall our briefing officers are currentlybusy, please wait. Your briefing isimportant to us; please stay in thewaiting zone until a briefing officerbecomes available. Attempting toleave the queue or change your placein the queue without authorisation istreason. All our briefing officers arecurrently busy

One of the briefing room doors opens and ahuge grin emerges, followed shortly by thecitizen wearing it. Ive been promotedto BLUE, she shouts, theyre fillingpositions first-come, first-promoted!Im BLUE! The citizen flashes her newly-updated ME card at a random Troubleshooter,showing that she is Kelly-B-ALD-1, indeed,newly promoted to the exalted ranks of BLUE.You! Lick my boots! Obey the BLUEand lick my boots, citizen!

After humiliating a random citizen, the newlypromoted Kelly-B skips down the corridor,calling all her friends on her PDC to tell themthat she has been promoted to BLUE.

There is a moment of silence.

Then the light above the briefing room justexited by Kelly-B switches to green and thecrowd surges towards the door.

The first citizen to make it through the door(alive and intact) gets the benefit of the SpecialBonus Briefing in the next section. Othercitizens in the queue will also try to get throughthe door, so the Troubleshooters will have tofend off several dozens of competitors, all ofwhom are armed and desperate. After thislittle burst of carnage, any losers have to waitin the corridor while the glorious victor gets the


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Buzzword BingoRoll Verb-like Things Unidentifiable Things Noun-Like Things

1 Incentivise Interactive Paradigm

2 Synergise Customer-focussed Security

3 Secure Branded Terrorism

4 Revise Aware Contingency Plans

5 Co-Ordinate Advanced Surveillance

6 Synchronise Streamlined Communists

7 Focus Revolutionary Efficiency

8 Instrumentalise Middleware Instruments

9 Confirm Leading-edge Protocols

10 Advance Encoded Preconditions

11 Transition Multi-level Redundant systems

12 Centralise Secured Assets

13 Assign High-clearance Resources

14 Systemise Operational Systems

15 Streamline Loyalty-driven Advancement

16 Configure Massively Personnel

17 Terminate Parallel Hostiles

18 Manage Optimised Model

19 Implement Multifaceted Policy

20 Adapt Squamous Structure

Switch between Jim-G and Ron-G while givingthe briefing, although the players may not be ableto tell the difference between them. At the end ofthe briefing, one of them says Ok, got all that?Head to the new DCOD OperationalAssets Depot and pick up your AssignedOperational Assets just grab whateveryou need - then head to the YODSector Multilevel Transport Nexus andShopping Funsperience you knowwhat to do there! Oh and to reflect theimportance of your mission, you are allraised one security clearance!

Yep, that is two security clearances before themission evenbegins. The DCODs upper echelonsneed to be filled with high-clearance citizens.

Jim-G and Ron-G will happily answer anyquestions to the best of their ability, which meansmore rolls on the Buzzword Bingo table.

2: All Your Heavy WeaponsAre Belong To Us

Episode Summary: The Troubleshootersare issued with more firepower than any saneclone would ever want.

2. NULLMISSION

The warehouse contains the following items: Lots of suits of hardened ArmourAll Lots of cone rifles Lots of napalm and HEAT cone rifle

shells Flamethrowers Grenades. Lots and lots of grenades. One force sword. One Secur-O-Mat Combot with stereo

upgrade and wing mirrors

However, Clint-O refuses to give away anyof these items. He claims they are all vitallyneeded for Alpha Complex security. He can, ifpressed, give the characters a single YELLOWlaser rifle, a handful of slightly used RED laserbarrels and a smoke grenade (shopsoiled). Ifthe characters ask for more or try to boss himaround with their newly raised clearances, thenClint-O hefts his own laser rifle meaningfully.He dismisses any talk of DCOD as Commienonsense propaganda he has never heardof any such service group. There were eightservice groups when he was a Junior Citizen;eight was good enough for Clint-O-1 and it isgood enough for Clint-O-6, dagnabbit!

Jim-G and Ron-G

Management 8Oratory 12Buzzword Bingo 14Moxie 1Violence 6Disciplining Unruly Troubleshooters 10

This morningcycle, this warehouse wasan Armed Forces bunker. Now, thelarge banner over the door declares itto be the DCODOAD. A grizzled veteranwith a cone rifle stands watch outside.Tension 3

The equipment officer in this depot is a grizzledArmed Forces veteran named Clint-O. Heis a survivalist nutjob who is convinced thatthe bombs are going fall at any moment andthat there are Commies in the walls. He isappalled at these DCOD people coming overand taking vitally needed destructive stuff outof his warehouse.


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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]DCODMODSQUAD ZERO-ZERO-ZERO-FOUR REPORTING FORDUTY, SIRS! I AM CARMICHAEL-RED-2, SIRS, CLEARANCE DEECEE OH DEE ALPHA.

Carmichael-R is a career Armed Forcesgrunt and is conditioned to obey orders, nomatter how clueless they are. His squad areall overarmed INFRAREDS high on combatdrugs. They are trained that is trained in thesense monkeys can be trained in combatand blowing things up, not crowd control orinvestigation. They consider any suddenmovements or bright lights to be a threat andmeet threats with laser fire. They are not thatdifferent to Troubleshooters in this regard.

The AlertBot

The AlertBot is a glorious step forward inensuring that the Alpha Complex citizenry arealert and informed about the threat of terrorism.It has two stumpy legs, a breath-taking* arrayof sensors, alarms, sirens, flashing lights,fireworks, telepathic sensors**, cameraswith terrorist-recognition software and otherscanners and a very big head. The head of thebot displays the current terror level, accordingto the following scale:STAN D AR D ELEVATED H IGH IMMEDIATE IMMEDIATE ELEVATED EXTREME CERTAIN EXTREMELYCERTAIN HIGHLY CERTAIN ELEVATEDCERTAIN TERROR ONGOING.

The AlertBot constantly monitors both theenvironment around it and the communicationstraffic across the BotNet. Whenever it detectsany potential threat, it sounds an alarm andinforms everyone around it, very loudly. Lifewith an AlertBot is calm and restful if you aredeaf, blind and not actually anywhere near it.

Troubleshooter #1: All right, team, we needto -AlertBot: ALERT! UNCONFIRMED REPORTSOF TERRORIST ACTIVITY IN ZZZ SECTOR.THREAT LEVEL RAISED TO ELEVATED!REPEAT ELEVATED THREAT LEVELTHROUGHOUT ALPHA COMPLEX.Troubleshooter #1: - sneak in to spy on the -AlertBot: ALERT! POSSIBLE CHEMICALCONTAMINATION! TOXIC CHEMICALLEVELS AT 12 PARTS PER MILLION.

SAFE LEVEL IS 10 PARTS PER MILLION.THREAT LEVEL RAISED TO HIGH. DO NOTBREATHE.Troubleshooter #1: - the Commies.Troubleshooter #2: Actually, I think sneakingmay be off the agenda.AlertBot: ALERT! ARMED COMMIE MUTANTTRAITORS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY! LASERFIRE! LASER FIRE! LASER FIRE TARGETINGTHIS UNIT! THREAT LEVEL RAISED TOONGOING!Troubleshooter #2: Oops. It looks like we justshot our bot. This friendly-fire tragedy bringsme nothing but joy.AlertBot: ALERT! MY REACTOR COREIS BR EAC H ED ! R AD IAT ION LEAKIN PROGRESS! RADIATION LEAK INPROGRESS!

To The Nexus!Tension 1Someone needs to drive the DCODMOD tothe YOD Sector Multilevel Transport Nexusand Shopping Funsperience. Who wantsto drive the giant vehicle through the busytranstubes to the Transport Nexus? Who hasgot Vehicle Ops? Anyone? Anyone? Oh well.The DCODMOD is the size and shape of agiant truck and has the weight and armourof a giant tank. The smaller autocars andtransbots in the tubes are not and do not.Fail that Vehicle Ops check and you have gotchunky red salsa.

Further, consider the phrase transportnexus. The Troubleshooters destination is atransportation hub for half a dozen sectors, sothe transtubes get much more crowded as theyget closer. The characters can get out and walkbut they will be harangued by radio messagesfrom DCOD demanding that they get to themission site as quickly as possible. Here is aselection of traffic statistics for the charactersto run into; then through; then over.

Troubleshooter team in a transbot Corridor Running Society funrun Transbot full of First Church Of Christ

Computer-Programmer Nunentities Transbot carrying a load of explosive

chemical waste Transbot full of Junior Citizens High-clearance citizen in a private

autocar

If the characters wuss out, then have thempicked up by the DCODMOD (see below).They can zap Clint-O and he probably willnot get all of them with a retaliatory cone rifleshot. Or they can just call in a DCOD teamand drag Clint-O off for re-education. If theycall in the DCOD team, the thugs arrive in theDCODMOD.

Once the characters get past Clint-O, givethem all the gear they can carry. Lavish themwith firepower.

Enter The DCODMOD squad

Tension 2DCODMOD stands for the Departmentof Complex Operations Defence MobileOperations Detachment it is a big truckcovered in logos, warning signs, flashing lightsand very, very loud sirens. Inside, there is acontrol room full of television screens, chemicalsniffers, interrogation booths and othergadgets, as well as a DCODMOD squad of adozen DCOD goons who are subordinate tothe Troubleshooters. They have got lackeys!

You are going to kill off these lackeys as muchas possible. The point of DCOD lackeys is tobe collateral damage to the Troubleshootersabsurd weapons. Keep track of how manyDCODs each Troubleshooter kills. Publiclyhonour the one who zaps the most withtermination in debriefing. Encourage theplayers to order their lackeys into each othersline of fire.

Anyway, as soon as the characters are done withthe weapons depot and have their shiny newguns, their DCODMOD arrives with a screechof tires and a hellish cacophony of sirens,alarms and patriotic music. The DCODMODsquad pile out of the vehicle and salute theTroubleshooters. The squads commander,Carmichael-R, introduces his team. SIRS,

Clint-O

Violence 10All Weapons 14Laser Rifle (W3K)Technically Illegal Cone Rifle with ExplosiveShells (M3K)ArmourAll (4)

*: Literally; the AlertBot has hoses that suck the air out of your lungs and test it for toxic chemicals and anthrax.**: They do not work and just shoot alerts randomly.


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7

2. NULLMISSIONSecret Society and Service Service Missions

The Troubleshooters get missions from their secret affiliations which includes their previous service groups! In addition to their usual secretsociety mission(s), IntSec, Armed Forces, CPU and the other groups want to investigate/influence/sabotage DCOD. These missions can beintroduced at any point up until Episode 5. DCOD goons can whisper messages to the Troubleshooters, random strangers in the transportnexus can flash recognition signals, the Troubleshooters might get passed secret notes by the briefing officers or see coded graffiti on thetranstube walls. Or maybe their secret society contacts are just lazy and email the characters their missions.

Furthermore, all of the characters will be contacted secretly and individually by DCOD control and given the DCOD secret mission below.

Armed Forces: You may have been transferred to DCOD but you are still a soldier, soldier. Those bastards have requisitioned a lot ofArmed Forces firepower secure as many heavy weapons as you can. Oh and if you can show that nukes should not be in civilian hands byarranging a little user error, well, that is the way the sector vanishes in a flash of thermonuclear fire.

CPU: This new DCOD is a threat to CPUs control of directives. We need to know what they are up to. Record every DCOD directive youand work out what they are planning.

DCOD: Our beloved service group is only a few hours old! The other, established groups are already trying to destroy us, to steal our budgetand reclaim our assets and personnel. Stay vigilant for signs of sabotage from other groups; if you stick with DCOD, you will be rewardedwhen the time comes to staff our upper echelons.

HPD&MC: This DCOD is a perfect opportunity to break CPUs authoritarian stranglehold on Alpha Complex government. If we can playCPU and DCOD off against each other, then we will be able to sweep them both away. So, your mission is to support DCOD. Cosy up tothem, make them rely on HPD&MC and ensure that CPU cannot drag DCOD back under its aegis. Capiche?

IntSec: Alpha Complex security is our business! This DCOD nonsense is a glitch in the system, one we will resolve as quickly as possible.However, certain subversive elements are attempting to exploit this glitch to carve out their own petty domain within the Alpha Complexbureaucracy. Identify those who support DCOD, if possible, find evidence of their treasonous behaviour or connections.

PLC: A whole new service group means a lotof official stationery, uniforms, branded merchandise and other crap with a logo on it. Heres aDCOD laser-stamp that can burn their logo into anything. Tag as much equipment with the laser-stamp as you can, so they can see the valueof branding. Dont worry about any burning smells, the laser isnt powerful enough to cause actual lethal damage. Just dont look at it or useit without protective gloves. Or breathe while using it.

The laser brander does indeed burnthe DCOD logo into any object. Itsets flammable objects alight andsears the skin six inches deep.Theres a chance whenever thelaser brander is switched on that thecontrol switch breaks and it cant beswitched off again. Oh and the sizeof the brand varies depending howfar the brander is from the targetsurface.

Power Services: There are a fewproblems with our reactors. For yearcycles,we have been able to convince CPUinspectors to look the other way but a memoshowed up on a High Programmers desksaying that DCOD is claiming jurisdictionover key security resources includingpower generation. We dont want to paytwice as many bribes ensure that no-one from DCOD goes near any reactors,especially not in the basement of thetransport nexus.

R&D: Ah! This is a wonderful opportunityfor field testing some of our inventions

that CPU claimed were toolikely to lead to catastrophesbeyond imagining. DCOD iswilling to deploy Eschaton-levelweaponry in civilian sectors; letshelp them! Heres a Black Holegenerator gun ensure that it isproperly field tested. You dontwant to be standing too close toit when it goes off.

The Black Hole gun firesa very small black hole,about two inches wide. Thehole absorbs any matter ittouches including thebarrel of the Black Holegun, then the rest of thegun, then the hand ofthe person who fired it,then the rest of him, thenany surrounding victims about then, fortunatelyfor the planet Earth, theblack hole evaporatesinto a shower of hardradiation.


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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]Tech Services: DCOD will need new offices and they will need to be wired. Here is 10,000 km of nanotube cabling. One end is pluggedinto the network backbone already just keep this cable with you and plug it into the DCOD office when they set it up.

This mission and several secret society missions involve 10,000 kilometres of nanocabling. The nanocable is only a fewmolecules wide and can be seen only under ultraviolet light. There is a standard network plug at either end of the nanocableand most of the cable is wound around a small spool that can be clipped to the back of a Troubleshooters jumpsuit. Thenanocable is nearly unbreakable, so if the characters want to have finger-free fun with monowire, they can use it as a weapon.

The fun derived from having two or more nanocables tangled up is left to the fevered imagination of a terrified spider.

Anti-Mutant: Department of Operational Defence... against MUTANTS! Ensure that DCOD is aware of the danger posed bythose mutant freaks!

Communists: Comrade! If this new DCOD department is focused on destroying us, then we are surely doomed. Ensure that DCOD doesnot come after the Communist state.

Computer Phreaks: Th3 DC0D00d3z r g3tt1ng th41r n3tw0rk b00st3d. H4ck th3 n4t b4 1ts 1nst4ll3d. Heres a 10,000 km nanocable plug it into their network.

Corpore Metal: The R&D lab in the Golden Progress Arcology is experimenting with a new type of Asimov circuit. Blow it up but make itlook like an accident. Make sure you steal a copy of the circuit.

Death Leopard: Another authoritarian government department? Fight the system!

FCCC-P: The Computer is angry! Some horrible danger to Alpha Complex has arisen and only DCOD can stop it! They are our divinesaviours! Blessed are the DCOD, for they are The Computers chosen warriors.

Frankenstein Destroyers: Bots! Bots are the true danger to Alpha Complex! DCOD must be made to see the threat of the mad bots!

Free Enterprise: Dis DCOD business is good business for us, see. They need a lot of stationery and stuff and we can sell it to dem atcut-rate prices. To do dat, we need to get rid of their existing stocks. Burn all dere paperwork and smash anything wid de DCOD logo on it.

Humanists: We need you to infiltrate DCOD for us. Weve heard rumours that there is a secret security clearance called DCOD-Zeta youve got to get that clearance!

Illuminati: Make sure you get to level 3 of the Transport Nexus.

Mystics: Were handing out free drugs at the Transport Nexus. Make sure your mission doesnt interrupt our plan to illuminate themasses!

Psion: If DCOD targets the mutant population, it will be a significant threat to Psion. Ensure that DCOD does not persecute the geneticallysuperior!

Pro Tech: A forward-thinking, pro-technology service group that isnt R&D? Marvelous! Only weve got a giant computer brain that we wantto link into the network and for that we need a direct line to the backbone. DCOD is setting up a new office near your target take one end ofthis 10,000 km nanocable and make sure that the backbone connection for DCOD is plugged into our brain instead.

PURGE: We want you to plant this bomb in either the CompNode in the YOD Sector Transport Nexus or in the CPU offices in the nearbyGolden Progress Arcology. Its a big bomb your sacrifice for the cause will be remembered, friend!

Romantics: If the DCOD goes after our records and our heritage, they could wipe out our one precious link to the past. Ensure that theDCOD goes after someone else! Protect the Romantic organisation!

Sierra Club: We need you to take this pot plant and keep it safe. Keep it on your person at all times. Youre not allergic to anything, areyou?


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9

2. NULLMISSION

4: Some, None or Moreof You are Traitors

Episode Summary: Nothing whatsoeveris wrong at the Transport Nexus. Then theTroubleshooters show up.

The YOD Sector Multilevel Transport Nexusand Shopping Funsperience is, indeed, amultilevel transport nexus and shoppingfunsperience. The transtube tunnels are allINFRARED but as they approach the nexus,they split into several tunnels classifiedby security clearance so that passenger-citizens can exit their transbots at a stationsuitable for their clearance and enjoy ashopping funsperience commensurate withtheir needs and resources. Your humble,salt-of-the-complex INFRARED gets dumpedon the lowest level and must push through theheaving crowds to a solitary vending machine;a GREEN functionary gets off at a nicelyscrubbed station and can purchase SoylentGREEN and a small piece of hydroponicfruit from an obsequious serving-bot. Thetransport nexus is all controlled by a dedicatedCompNode on the top level.

Level -1 Maintenance: Dim darktunnels, throbbing nuclear reactors, cavernoussidings full of rusting retired transbots (whoserotting bot brains now worship a strange andblasphemous god), store-rooms full of out-of-date Crunchee-Tyme chips (in depreciatedBBQish flavour) and very few people who arenot cannibal mutants.

Oh, because of the problems with plumbingcaused by the Toilet Tesseract, there are anumber of urinals on the INFRARED levelthat vent waste directly to storerooms in thisarea.

Level 0 INFRARED: The INFRAREDstation. A labyrinth of soot-stained and filthyplatforms unimaginably crowded. The onlylight comes from the flickering televisionscreens; the air is thick with soot, sweat andsedatives. The Computers loyalty jingles echothrough the halls endlessly. There is a regularINFRARED market meet in the middle of themain concourse, where the view of the securitycameras is blocked by the crowds.

Level 1 RED/ORANGE: A cheeryplastic realm, crowded with vending machines

and other shops. The screens here mostlywork and display a bewildering array ofoptions. Newly-promoted citizens cower andgibber, overwhelmed by too many choices andcodes. Experienced commuters wave accesscards and decode timetables with ease.

The Toilet Tesseract: The originaldesigners of the Transport Nexus made onesmall error. To simplify the plumbing, they putall the restrooms on the same level insteadof breaking them up by clearance level. Ofcourse, the high-clearance citizens refusedto share facilities with the lower-clearances,so the designers had to make some hastychanges. They built narrow stairwells, windingaccess corridors and tubes that run out ofthe building, then back in at another point toensure that every section of the nexus hadequal access to the facilities.

Just looking at a map of the toilet tesseract candrive a citizen mad. Long-term employees justfollow the signs for the restroom and ignorethe path they must take the quickest routefrom the RED Sector 3 security checkpoint tothe bathroom is up one stairs, down another,along a corridor, through the clearly markedcrawlspace, up another stairs, down a slide,dash across a transtube, then up a one-personelevator to a single RED bathroom stall in themiddle of a YELLOW restroom.

Those fortunate enough to possess the MightyBladder mutation survive in the hellish wastesof the transport nexus.

Level 2 YELLOW/GREEN: Much likeLevel 1, only with better security, faster trains,better food and fewer people.

Level 3 BLUE+: The high-clearancecitizen sees very little traffic most citizens atthis level have private autocars or transbotsof their own and do not need to use publictransport. Most of this level is astonishinglyexclusive and expensive shops.

Level 4 Management: This level ofthe nexus is a maze of offices and workrooms.There is an unofficial civil war between theTech Services transport staff and the PLCshop staff, which often breaks out into armedconflict. The CPU management drones keepto their well-fortified offices.

Level 5 CompNode: The top levelof the nexus contains a CompNode whose

sole purpose is to co-ordinate the swarms oftransbots zooming in and out of the nexus. Ithas developed a keen sense of the aestheticand occasionally stops all traffic so it canadmire a pretty configuration of lights.

Welcome to the Nexus

Tension 10

Depending on where the characters abandontheir DCODMOD, they either trudge up to thepedestrian entrance of the transport nexus ordrive right into the heart of the nexus and setup their command station right in the mainconcourse. Either way, the characters will soonbe contacted by the staff, specifically the ChiefOperating Officer Winston-B. Hes a clone whohas found his niche in life he likes playing withtrains and has an extensive collection of OldReckoning model trains in his office.

Winston-B hates things that disrupt his belovedtrain set but he is also easily bullied. He roseto BLUE thanks to his Uncanny Luck. He relieson his subordinates to deal with any problems;when they fail, he hides and plays with his trainset until they go away.

Anyway, the Troubleshooters are hangingaround this big train station with a lot of guns,goons and entirely cryptic and meaninglessinstructions. Some things are about to wrong. Ifthe Troubleshooters are very, very clever, theymight not make matters much worse. Each ofthese little mini-crises happens on one of thelevels of the Transport Nexus.

Unless the characters specifically countermandCarmichael, he sends the DCODMOD squadout to secure the whole nexus. Otherwise, thesquad sticks with the Troubleshooter team,posing with their very big guns and shoutingstuff like room is clear, position secure andso forth.

Chemical Sniffers (level -1)

Tension 2*bzzt* Sir, were picking up a potentialbioweapons threat in the subbasementlevels down here. Its its off thescale, sir. Sir, sir Im scared sir.

A DCODMOD squad member has detectedone of the sealed storerooms in the


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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]

subbasement that contain several thousandtons of INFRARED urine. The concentrateddrug residue in that gunk is what set off thechemical sniffer.

The door is welded shut and is nearly airtight.Officially, its a storeroom containing sparetransport transmissions but all of the transportnexus technicians know about the urinereservoir and will therefore refuse to openthe door. They also refuse to talk about whatis behind the door, as they know that they

are guilty of illegally storing biological wastewithout a permit.

If the characters blow open the door, they aregreeted with a flood of rich, thick, drug-infusedyellow goop that pours out of the vault andrushes down the corridor. Characters may bewashed away into the Underplex, drowned byIR piss, or simply smell very bad.

Worse, directly opposite the door is a backentrance to one of the reactors powering the

Transport Nexus. The urine flood rushes intothe reactor core. There is a shower of sparks,another siren starts up and the reactor startsto overload. Things will soon explode unlesssomeone goes in and presses the EmergencyReactor Purge button, which will turn off thereactor but also zaps that heroic someone witha lethal dose of radiation.

The Mystic Connection(level 1)

Tension 4Currently running on Level 1 a free drinkpromotion for Multivitamin Yummy SpecialTaste Instant Cola, a new experimentalbeverage. Anyone passing through level1 gets a free cup of Multivitamin YummySpecial Taste Instant Cola or MYSTIC. Its aMystic scam the cola beverage is actuallya hallucinogenic drug designed to enlightenthe imbiber. It causes wild hallucinations,mostly involving giant mutant cockroachesbursting out of the walls. Or the floor. Or thatB3 can lying on the floor. Or your eyes. Thereare giant mutant cockroaches bursting out ofyour eyes, oh god.

Any characters or DCODMOD squad memberswho visit this level will be offered a drink by aMYSTIC sales representative. Note that mostof the sales reps are not Mystics the scamwas organised above their security clearance.DCODMOD squad members will soon ask theTroubleshooters for permission to engage thegiant bugs in the ceiling

Bathroom Alert(Toilet Tesseract)

Tension 20While the Troubleshooters are with Winston-B,he gets an alert message, informing him that aRED-clearance citizen a potential assassin has been sighted in a BLUE-clearancebathroom. (If the characters fail to jump onthis, they will get complaints from DCODcentral that they are not responding to crisesfast enough.) All that happened was that somepoor RED got confused by the Toilet Tesseractand wandered into the wrong area but theparanoid BLUE is treating the whole thing asan assassination attempt.

The BLUE citizen is Cyril-B-PUM-3, a CPUanalyst specialising in brain scanning. Hesgot a case containing some 200 1cm flash-


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frozen cubes of Troubleshooter brain, all ofwhich need to be scanned for signs of treason.Unfortunately, in his panic, Cyril-B knockedover the case and bits of rapidly thawing brainare now sliding around the blue tiles.

The RED is Wally-R-YOD-2, a food vat tester.Hes absolutely terrified by the flashing lightsand blaring sirens he set off when he openeda door into a high-clearance bathroom.

Securing Security (level 2)

Tension 10At the entrance to the YELLOW/GREEN level,there is an IntSec security checkpoint, wherethey are checking ME cards. The ME cardsof all DCOD personnel have been updatedto reflect their new assignment but the IntSeclist of approved assignments has not beenupdated. Therefore, anyone in DCOD will beidentified as a potential Commie infiltrator bythe IntSec security staff.

The checkpoint consists of a pair of bot gunturrets, a combined ME scanner/metal detector/x-ray/termination booth and a confessionbooth/holding cell. The commander of theIntSec personnel is Harriet-O-YDC, a by-the-book bureaucrat who holds onto her rulebookwith every atom of her being.

Any DCOD personnel sent to Level 2 willbe stopped and arrested by Harriet-O, thenplaced in the confession booth to explain toFriend Computer why they tried to get throughan IntSec security checkpoint with fraudulentME cards.

Conspiracy (level 3)

Tension 0A Troubleshooter exploring this level comesto a locked door. From beyond, he can hearvoices spooky voices. Hes eavesdroppingon a meeting between representatives ofthree other service groups (CPU, IntSec andHPD&MC), plotting to destroy DCOD andtake the new groups budget for their own.For inexplicable reasons, they speak in dodgypseudo-Shakespearian tones.

CPU: How shall it be done?IntSec: By fire and by shadow.HPD&MC: By fire? No, tis banned withinthe domed chambers of our beloved AlphaComplex.IntSec: So, just by shadow then.CPU: Aye.

IntSec: It shall be so. Our agent, cloaked inlies, worms its way to our foes most trustedcounsel.HPD&MC: And Brownie-U?CPU: A fool, within the 20thpercentile of geneticcrapulence.IntSec: tis well, theres naught to hinder ourdesign.CPU: Then threefold shall we cleave theirbudget, dividing it severally amongst usthree.HPD&MC: Huzzah!IntSec: Huzzah!CPU: What of our Friend, whose constantelectronic surveillance is not at all inconvenientto our schemes?HPD&MC: Leave It to me; Ill weave a spellpon Our Friend C so that it will be lulled intoa false sense of security.IntSec: I mislike these rhymes.CPU: Indeed, leave em out.HPD&MC: Sorry.CPU: When shall we three meet again?HPD&MC: Next twosday.

5: The Taking of Office 29

Episode Summary: Nice office. DCODis taking it.

A short distance from the YOD SectorMultilevel Transport Nexus and ShoppingFunsperience is the YOD Golden ProgressArcology, one of the swankiest office buildingsin Alpha Complex.

DCOD wants it. The Troubleshooters arethe closest DCOD unit to the building. TheComputer has cleared DCOD to commandeerthe building. Unfortunately, The Computer hasnot informed anyone in the building aboutthis change in ownership. As soon as DCODtakes over the building, though, anyonewho doesnt have DCOD-alpha securityclearance is committing treason and must beterminated

The Word From Central

Tension 5

The Troubleshooters are called by Jim-G andRon-G.Hi guys! Youre doing a hell of a jobat YOD Sector!Hell of a job!A hell of a job! Anyway, we need youto redeploy your assets over to theGolden Progress Arcology. Its just a

few corridors over-And its our new sector office!Yeah, weve got the HPD&MC Form5220 slash A form, Transfer of SecureStructure Service Assignment (Non-Residential) right here and Ive got totell you Im very excited about this!Very excited!Anyway, we need you to redeployyour assets and secure the building!Yeah, the whole structure is nowclassified DCOD-Alpha!Well, it will be in about 10 minutes.Yep, so get on over there and securethe building!Go go go team!

The DCODMOD should be immediately movedto the Golden Progress Arcology. If they havemanaged to kill off their squad, another squadwill meet them there along with several moreDCODMODs and a few tankbots branded withthe DCOD logo. Its a small army, drawn upon the nice patio outside the arcology. Theyare waiting for the Troubleshooters to makethe first move.

Currently, the Golden Progress is mostlyoccupied by PLC and HPD&MC offices butthere is a CPU service firm and an R&D lab inthe building too. Its mostly YELLOW clearance.Its all very, very shiny and high-tech, all marblesurfaces and water features and bright lightsand abstract-art loyalty posters.

Youre Not ClearedFor This Building

Tension 5Anyway, the Troubleshooters march in andthe first thing they see is the reception desk,which appears to be hewn from a chunkof neutronium and bigger than an aircraftcarrier. Its an epic desk, the reception deskof the gods. Behind it is the ReceptionBot,a huge chrome head with laser-beam eyes.The ReceptionBot is unfailingly polite but itsmission in life is to keep unwanted visitorsand bothersome citizens out of the GoldenProgress Arcology. The ReceptionBots firstreaction to anything is to inform you that[TOPIC OF YOUR REQUEST] is in a meeting.Press it further and it promises that [TOPICOF YOUR REQUEST] will call you right back.Then the laser eyes start zapping.

Anyway, the ReceptionBot will refuse anyattempts by the Troubleshooters to inform thebuilding staff about the transfer of the Arcology

2. NULLMISSION


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stamps, the CPU staff will defend their desksto the death! In this zone, the Troubleshooterswill face such foes as the Office Worker WithA Sharpened Clipboard, The Improvised TankMade Out Of Photocopiers, The Water CoolerPillbox, The Guy Who Really Wanted To Be AVulture Trooper And Has A Toy Cone Rifle

Theyre In The AirDucts, Man

There actually are traitors in the GoldenProgress Arcology building. PURGE quiteopenly booked a meeting room for a rally,assuming that no-one would actually botherto check the meeting room roster. Now thatthe building is under attack, the heavilyarmed PURGE terrorists have taken to theair ducts, hoping to escape to the Underplex.Unfortunately for them, the Golden ProgressArcologys exciting architecture exposes thepipes and air ducts, and the sound of 20 armedPURGErs climbing through the ducts is clearlyaudible. The PURGErs will shoot back as soonas they are discovered.

The Network Connection

The network hub for the building is on the toplevel. Several secret missions involve pluggingthings into this hub.

The ConferenceRoom Bunker

On the top level, the high-clearance (GREENor more) executives in the building havegathered in one secure conference room. Their

2. NULLMISSIONspokesman is a Horace-I, a very paranoidINDIGO who is infuriated with this attack onhis building but he is on his last clone andreally would rather avoid being shot. Theconference room is virtually invulnerable to anyof the weapons that the Troubleshooters canbring to bear on it. The characters can eithertry to negotiate with the INDIGO or just waitfor DCOD to take over the building and dragthe executives off as potentially treasonoussuspects.

6: A Debriefing That(Almost) Everyone Survives

Episode Summary: Its a very, very easydebriefing. Experienced players should feeltheir skin crawl about now.

Once DCOD are in control of the arcology,Jim-G and Ron-G show up again to debriefthe Troubleshooters. They are even moreenthusiastic than they were last time. Everyonegets a promotion! And a 500-credit performancebonus! And another few rolls on the BuzzwordBingo table! The Department is flush with cash,so everyone wins!

Of course, there have to be sacrifices theTroubleshooter who got the most squadmembers killed just isnt a team player. Wellhave to say goodbye to that clone and to anyothers who failed DCOD but most of the teamshould survive.

Finally, the Troubleshooters are broughtinto a conference room and personallycongratulated by video-link by the new headof the Department of Complex OperationalDefence newly promoted High Programmer

Brownie-U-MKE-6. Brownie-U looks veryuncomfortable and nervous in his new whiterobes and isnt that impressive for a HighProgrammer. Hes got a computer terminal infront of him but he doesnt know how to use it.The conversation goes like this:

Brownie-U: Er, hi, hi, who are thesevatscrapes?Paul-I (the IntSec briefing officer fromearlier) leans in from the side andhands Brownie-U a piece of paper,which Brownie-U props up againsthis monitor.Brownie-U: Right, ok, put them though.Jim-G: Were live to you now, sir.Brownie-U: Right, er, hi. Let me just bringyour details up on my computer terminal here.Im a High Programmer, you know. He tapssome keys randomly.Brownie-U: OK, yeah, you guys aredoing a great job, really, a great job. Imseeingnumbers here. Lots of numbers. Andthose numbers, theyre good numbers, reallygood numbers. I like these numbers and I likeyou. Say, were having a party next weekcycleto show off the new mission statement forforRon-G: For the department, sir.Brownie-U: Yeah, for the COD thing. Bigparty. You guys should come. All you guys.See you then.

Interlude

Between the end of this mission and the start ofthe next part of this book, theres plenty of timeto run another few missions. DCOD membersbasically work like Troubleshooters, so youdont need to change anything at all.


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Several days have passed since the forcedtakeover of the arcology. In that time, theDepartment has brought in lots of staff,equipment, guns, cameras, computers, thugs,more thugs and shiny shiny logos. They havenot actually done anything to Defend theOperations of Alpha Complex but that willcome in time, right?

1: Hot Potato Mission

Episode Synopsis: The Troubleshootersare given an important new mission, one vitallyimportant to the future of the whole Departmentof Complex Operational Defence specifically,they need to work out exactly what theDepartment is Defending Complex Operationsfrom. More and more very important citizensshow up, demanding that the charactersdeclare war on other nouns or make it clearthat certain nouns are quite outside the scopeof the war.

The Tension for this whole section is 3.

Youre all sitting at your desks in thenewly renovated DCOD offices inYOD Sector. Youve got a brand-newhigh-end workstation each, a big stackof blank pages and forms lavishlybelogoed with the DCOD symbol, ashiny new laser pistol and a cup of hotCoffeeLike. Life is good.

All around you are other DCODagents, hard at work. Youre notentirely sure what theyre hard at workdoing, though you guys certainlydont have anything to do. How are youlooking busy today, citizen?

Once the characters have justified theirexistence for a few minutes, their computersall bleep simultaneously its an email. Andits not spam!

Jim-G and Ron-G are waiting in the briefingroom, eager to get started. They have a largeblank whiteboard and a lot of enthusiasm butno ideas whatsoever.

Basically, the characters need to come upwith a war on somethingto justify DCODsexistence. A War on Commies, a War onDrugs, a War on Outdoors, a War on Mutants,a War on Fashion, a War on Not Saluting

3. War On [Insert Noun Here]From: Jim & Ron To: CC: Paul-I,

Subject: Fw: Fwd: Fw: Fw: re: fw: meeting agendaClearance: DCOD-Alpha DCOD-Beta DCOD-Gamma DCOD-Episilon INDIGO

Hi guys,read this, then meet us in the briefing room. Bring your thinking caps!Jim and Ron!

>Jim, Ron, Ive got an exciting mission for you. We need a mission statement that preciselydescribes what DCOD does >and how it doesnt overlap with any of the other service groups.It needs to be:>* Punchy and succinct>* Demonstrate how absolutely vital DCOD is>* Protect and expand our budget>* Justify our resource utilisation>* Be alarming, yet comforting

>* Not overlap with any of the other service groups>* Fit on our logo>* Show our commitment to defending the operations of Alpha Complex>* Original and exciting>* NOT TREASONOUS>* On my desk before close of business today

>>That sounds like a TREASONOUS lack of attention to duty.

>>>Sure... what exactly do we do? Ive read all our documents, and Im still not exactly surewhat service we offer that >>>the other groups dont..>>>>cant deal with this now you do it

>>>>>have one of your staff write up a mission statement that we can take to the meeting.It needs to be on my desk by >>>>>Fivesday morning.

>>>>>Failure is not an option.>>>>>>Paul-I>>>>>This email is classified DCOD-secure. If you do not have DCOD clearance or havenot been authorised for >>>>>temporary DCOD-access and signed form DCOD/5442/cwith the permission of your direct superior, then you >>>>>are in breach of DCOD secureemail protocol and should immediately contact your local DCOD office. >>>>>Informationcontained within this email may not necessarily reflect the official position of the Departmentof >>>>>Complex Operational Defence, Alpha Complex, The Computer or any other groups,persons or entities.

>>>>>>paul, I dont get what this vatscrapes asking me. Can you find some code 7 fodderto knock something >>>>>>together?>>>>>>>>>>>>Brownie-U>>>>>>High Programmers Do What Youre Not Cleared For

>>>>>>>Well need to co-ordinate efforts between the Department of Complex OperationalDefence >>and our field >>>>>>>offices. Can you give me an outline of your goals for thisyearcycle, to >>maximise efficiency and ensure we >>>>>>>dont needlessly step on eachothers territory? If I could >>have it before the sector committee meeting on >>>>>>>Fivesday,thatd be great.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Hail Friend Computer>>>>>>>Tom-I


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PLC Francine-Y and herWarehouse of Wonders

Hi guys, Im Francine-Y from PLC. Idlike to have a quick chat with you aboutan exciting business opportunity!Youre not entirely sure how thecitizen with the snazzy yellow jumpsuitand the big grin got in here but shespushing very glossy brochures at you.The brochures are full of stuff. Verystrange stuff.

Francine-Y has a warehouse full of junk thatshe needs to sell off and DCOD has the money.If the characters can include something in themission statement that would force DCODto buy that junk, shell split the profits withthe characters. Everyone wins! Shell paythe characters 100 credits each per set ofitems purchased from the warehouse. Thewarehouse contains the following items: 50,000 jumpsuits that got dyed brown

instead of ORANGE 1,000 drums of highly toxic chemical

waste 100,000 misprinted posters reading

REMEMBER TO BRAISE YOURELBOW, CITIZEN! HOCK THE FRIEDSHOE FOR FRIEND COMPUTER.

20,000 safety scissors An astronomic microscope satellite A stuffed crocodile 1,2643 pairs of charred and once-

smoking boots

Armed Forces GeneralHappensplatt

Suddenly, the room shakes assomething very big and very loud fliespast the window. Its a big ugly ArmedForces gunship and it is landingon the roof of the arcology. A fewmoments later, you hear the stompingof jackboots and what sounds like anawful lot of bots.

The door to the conference roombursts open and in march HUP HUP

HUP a squad of Vulture Troopers!Theyre followed by an elderly INDIGOclone, seated in a chair that lookslike a horrible accident involving awheelchair and a VultureCraft. If youcant walk and you want to crippleother people too, then thats the chairfor you.

Im General Happensplatt-I, AlphaComplex Armed Forces. Veteran ofthe sixteen-year-cycle war to takeTree #649. We need to consider thecomplex security implications of thiswhole meeting!

Happensplatts prone to falling asleep whenbored, then waking up in the middle of aflashback. If youre lucky, he wont instinctivelygo for his cone rifle. His job here is tocommunicate the Armed Forces concernsabout the DCOD mission statement; theseconcerns can be summarised as: Outdoors is our turf, dont mess with it The Armed Forces need a full briefing on

this new threat and want to know why theyhavent been informed of it before now

The Armed Forces would really hate tohave to blow up the arcology if their firsttwo concerns arent addressed.

Tech Services Joe-O the Network Guy

Dont mind me, says the ORANGEtechnician with a spool of cable and anetwork testing tool, Im just here tofix your network. He gets down on hishands and knees and starts fiddlingwith cables.

Joe-O is an agent of one of the secret societiesnot represented by the Troubleshooters.His mission to ensure that their statementmeshes with the goals of the secret society.His tool biting sarcasm. As Joe-O wandersaround the room fiddling with the computersystems, he listens to whatever the playersare suggesting and mocks it mercilessly underhis breath. (If the players are unwilling to talkwith Joe-O in the room, have Jim-G and Ron-Gprompt them to keep going.)

If the characters dont respond to Joe-Ossarcasm, then his backup plan is to threatenthem. At a suitable dramatic moment, he standsup and announces that he has surreptitiouslywrapped nanocables around the ankles of allthe characters. All he need do is tug this cordand everyone will be legless in an instant! Hisescape plan is to jump out of the window ona nanocable cord* once the characters agreeto his demands.

R&D The Giant SmartBot

Delivery for you, sir! The delivery is alarge crate. Opening it reveals a silverybot with an oversized head. It bleepsand says Hecko! I am SmartBotXC9, Research and DevelopmentPrototype. I am smarter than you are.I am here to help.

The SmartBot was sent by R&D to help the newDCOD department and not because the bot isincredibly annoying. It claims to be capable ofstochastically projecting the current situation topredict the future, which translates as makingcryptic comments and claiming that it was rightall along. The machines electronic simulationof an ego works much too well. Conversationswith the SmartBot go like this:

Troubleshooter #1: So, were thinking ofdeclaring War on People Who Dont Love TheComputer.Troubleshooter #2: Yeah! Anyone whodoesnt love The Computer is obviously badand wrong!Bot: That...is.incorrect. There is a 97.1%probability that this will result in a class threedisaster with many megadeaths.Troubleshooter #1: How? That makesno sense.Bot: You would not understand.Troubleshooter #1: Ok, what would yousuggest?Bot: Worshipping my intellect asa god.Troubleshooter #2: Heresy! Only TheComputer is god! So we are taught by Christthe Computer-Programmer!...er, I meanTroubleshooter #1: Secret society member!A traitor! Zap zap zap!Bot: I predicted that would happen.

*: Then vanishing into the crowd, surgically changing his face and his DNA, buying an illegal ME card and living the rest of his clone-life onthe run. Its not the best plan.


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Internal Security Yuri-B Takes Names

Theres another knock on the door anda DCOD intern quavers sir, theressomeone from Internal Secu-.

Someone interrupts him, snappingAre you cleared to know that I amfrom Internal Security?

No, I-

Report to the confession boothimmediately, citizen and inform TheComputer of your inability to remaininformation-continent. Tell Our Friendthat Yuri-B sent you. Go, now.

Yuri-B-OGN-6* is a long-serving and bitterInternal Security agent, who believes he isholding back through sheer force of will theflood of the chaos and the treason that threatensconstantly to overwhelm Alpha Complex. Tohim, DCOD is an abomination, a colossal screw-up that is ruining his carefully-constructed webof intrigue. Yuri-B is therefore trying to get thecharacters to destroy DCOD by forcing themto come up with the most treasonous missionstatement ever. He will do this by claiming thattheir previous ideas are censored for securityreasons, which he cannot discuss with thecharacters. Hewill cite reasons of InternalSecurity if questioned, although anyone whoquestions Yuri-B just earned themselves a verydangerous enemy.

Use this encounter to throw a major spannerinto the works of whatever mission statementthe players are heading towards. Try to drivethem towards the crazy and the nebulous.

Power Services

There is yet another knock at thedoor.

A clone nervously pokes his head in.Im from Power Services they askedme towell, they said that I shouldgo to the meeting and make sure thatyour mission statement thing didntworkI dont know how to do that,can any of you help me?

The unfortunate citizen is Gary-R; hes eitherclueless or an evil genius. His mission, as hejust told the characters, is to sabotage theirmeeting and ensure that DCOD is unableto function. Like an adorable puppy that hasbeen ordered to march into a minefield, he willask the Troubleshooters to help him sabotagethem. Gary-R claims that his Power Servicessupervisor will send him to the terminationbooth if he comes back without proof that hessabotaged DCOD. He has a tape recorderthat hes supposed to use to record whateverludicrous and unfeasible mission statementthe players come up with.

Foolish players may take pity on the haplessGary-R and actually help him. More likely,Gary-R will end up terminated for admitting thathe is here to spy on a DCOD meeting.

HPD&MC

Theres yet another knock at the doorand a film crew barges in. As theyresetting up lights, boom microphonesand cameras, one of them grinsat you and says Hi hi hi! Hail theComputer guys, were here to makeyou look fabulous! We need to have thisinfotainment ready to air in 30 minutes,so start as soon as youre ready!

The HPD&MC team believe that theTroubleshooters are working on the script of anadvertisement to inform the public of DCODsmission, not coming up with DCODs missionin the first place. They dont care about any

*: Yuri-B also appears in Spin Control, a previous excellent mission from Mongoose Publishing, where he fights Zombie Lenin.

3. WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]


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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]excuses offered DCOD has a few minutesof airtime booked and that airtime needs tobe filled with something. If the characterscomplain to their superiors, then they are toldthat DCOD needs to capture hearts and minds,so they had better get capturing.

The ad will be played on screens acrossAlpha Complex, informing citizens of all thewonderful things that DCOD is going to dofor them and the horrible dangers that it isgoing to protect them from. It needs to beinspiring, yet terrifying; informative but notreveal any classified information (and prettymuch everything in DCOD is classified DCOD-Alpha or more); alarming but reassuring ohand the whole thing is sponsored by BouncyBubble Beverage, so the characters need toinclude at least four cans of B3 in the ad in aproduct-friendly way.

DCOD

As soon as the ad is finished, a DCOD squadmarches into the office and demands thatthe Troubleshooters hand over the missionstatement immediately Brownie-U is off toa meeting and needs a copy of the documentnow! Now now now!

As soon as they get the mission statement,the thugs announce that the DCOD missionstatement is now classified DCOD-epsilon any characters without DCOD-epsilonclearance must explain why they have spentseveral hours in a room where the classifiedmission statement was being discussed. Anycharacters who fail to do so will be ordered toreport for brainscrubbing the survivors getan invite to the DCOD Inaugural AuthorisedSocial Gathering!

2: Its My Party (And Ill CryBecause Im Being DraggedOff For TerminationBecause Im A Member of aTreasonous Political Party)

Episode Synopsis: Brownie-U iscelebrating his promotion to ULTRAVIOLETand has invited all of his friends to his party.The Troubleshooters can come too. TheTension for this party is an alarming 12.

The noun-assassins, though, arent on theguest list

More Secret SocietyMissions

Give these to the Troubleshooters before theparty.Armed Forces: General Happensplatt-I isattending the inaugural ball but we havent beenable to get tickets for his medical attachs. Thegeneral needs to be regularly dosed with moodstabilizers or he gets confused and nuclear.Heres a vial of mood stabilizer pills.

CPU: Our previous attempt to monitor DCODactivity through a surveillance device was notup to scratch. We want you to plant a bug onBrownie-U. Heres the bug you need to gethim to swallow it.

HPD&MC: Brownie-Us refusing to give ourmedia team an interview make sure that themedia team has access to Brownie-U.

IntSec: Do nothing until contacted by ouragents.

PLC: Weve discovered that PLC employeeFrancine-Y is a traitor who was scamming ourclients. We want her terminated but we needto do it quietly, without bringing in IntSec itwill be very embarrassing for our section if thisis found out. Kill her.

Power Services: We set up the lightingsystem for the party yesterdaycycle but nowit looks like theres a problem. It might lead toa small fire. We dont want to go back in thereand admit our screw-up, so if you could justwander over and fiddle with the power feedbefore it explodes, thatd be super.

R&D: Weve fixed the problem with the oldblack hole gun. Heres a replacement prototype test it as soon as possible. (Note that theproblem fixed was the lack of ergonomic gripand not the firing-the-gun-kills-the-user-and-everyone-nearby issue. Thats been taggedas working as intended.)

Tech Services: The lighting in the partyisnt bright enough for the securitycameras to work properly but the remotelink is broken. Turn up the lights asmuch as possible.

Anti-Mutant: We must root out themutant corruption at the highest level.Eliminate any mutants at the gathering,after displaying their hideous geneticdeviancy to everyone.

Communists: This party is disgustingbourgeois excess, a clear sign of the corruptionof Alpha Complexs elite. Here is a very bigbomb you know what to do.

Computer Phreaks: One of our agentsdiscovered that Brownie-Us password is hisfavorite Approved Flavour find out what it isso we can hack his account.

Corpore Metal: The serving bots at theparty will be useful agents for us, once youhave overridden their Asimov circuits withthis handy pocket circuit zapper. Heres thezapper its got enough charge for all fourserving bots. Keep the zapper away fromdelicate equipment, as it can overload sensitivecircuits.

Death Leopard: Disrupting a high-clearance party is totally the way to becomean Ultimate Beast, dude. To help, heres somepast-its-sellby-date FizzWizz!

FCCC-P: One of our spies has identifiedthe musicians who will be attending the partyas Commie Mutant Traitors stop them fromplaying!

Frankenstein Destroyers: Destroy thatSmartBot! We cant have unthinking dumbmachines taking over our creative jobs! Weveplanted a bomb in one of the serving bots usethat to blow up the SmartBot.

Free Enterprise: Francine-Ys one ofours and shes feeling the heat from PLC.Smuggle her out of the party and give her ajob in DCOD.

Humanists: One of our high-level deepcover agents will be at the party and we need toactivate him. Hes been hypnotized to believehes a lackey of The Computer but if you sayI feel a burning in my other pants, itllbreak his conditioning.

Illuminati: Disable the lights for precisely 22seconds, one minute after our agent passesyou a canap with the code-word try thisone; its got Fun in it. Use this time tomove away from any serving robots.

Mystics: We need all the real food you cansteal from the buffet.

Psion: Our psychics have picked up somedisturbing psychic echoes centering on theparty. The phrases I feel a burning inmy other pants and try this one, its


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TV screens play the characters TV spot on acontinuous loop. At one end of the ballroom isa huge Computer terminal, with a very smallbow-tie stuck to the front.

The Party MinigameFor this, youll need some tokens, like coinsor those glass bead things or plastic toys orvery small people. Or you could buy officialPARANOIATMminiatures on eBaytmand usethem. Anyway, you will need specific tokens tomark the location of the Troubleshooters andthe following guests:

Brownie-U: The clone of the hour, Brownie-U is always surrounded by a knot of hangers-on and wellwishers. The eight squaressurrounding Brownie-U are filled with hisfollowers, who move with him and will pushTroubleshooters with them. Brownie circulatesthe room anti-clockwise from his starting point,moving two squares per turn.

General Happensplatt-I: The generalis running around on his mechanical spider-chair. He moves two squares forward eachround in a random direction until he reachesan obstacle, then he moves off in anotherrandom direction.

Francine-Y: The nervous PLC executiveon the run lurks at the edge of the ballroomand moves two squares clockwise around theedge each round.

The Serving Bots: There are fourserving bots they move two squares in arandom direction each round, bouncing off theobstacles if they hit any. All four of the servingbots contain bombs, each one planted by adifferent secret society (PURGE, the SierraClub, the Illuminati and the FrankensteinDestroyers).

Bot #1 has the PURGE bomb in it. It can bearmed by connecting the yellow wire to thegreen connector and detonated by connectingthe red wire to the green connector.

Bot #2 has the Sierra Club bomb. Onceremoved from the bot, it automatically becomessuper-magnetic.

Bot #3 has the Frankenstein Destroyerbomb.

Bot #4 has the Illuminati bomb. If removed fromthe bot, it explodes 10 seconds later.

The Noun Assassins: The nounassassins start at the bottom entrance andmove three squares per round, heading for thenearest Troubleshooter or for Brownie-U.

All the other squares on the map are filled witheither furniture or the crowd of guests.

Moving

Troubleshooters act in order of who shoutsfirst. Non-Player Characters move when itsfunniest.

A Troubleshooter may move one squarethrough the crowd without having to roll.

If the Troubleshooters want to move fasterthrough the crowd, they need to roll Chutzpah,Sneaking or Agility or some other skill. Comparethe margin of success to the following table:

Margin

Check failedby 6+

The Troubleshooter is pushedback two squares by thecrowd, taking O3D damage(roll 1d20 for the margin)

Check failedby 3-5

The Troubleshooter is pushedback one square by thecrowd, taking O4D damage(roll 1d20 for the margin)

0 The Troubleshooter staysright where he is.

1-3 The Troubleshooter moves

one or two squares.4-6 The Troubleshooter moves

one, two or three squares.

7+ The Troubleshooter maraudsthrough the crowd, moving asfar as he wishes this round ina straight line.

A Troubleshooter can move through thefurniture perfectly normally by trampling thebuffet.

Hazards

Some squares on the map contain hazards.A character who moves into a hazard squaremust deal with the hazard.

A: The control mechanism and power junctionfor the lighting rig. Several secret societymissions converge here; a character pushedinto the junction risks electrocution.

got Fun in it are both highly important tosomeone. Also, beware the serving bots.

Pro Tech: We want you to help steal theSmartBot. It will be at the party just turn outthe lights and our agents will leap into actionand botnap the bot!

PURGE: Weve hidden a bomb in one ofthe serving bots but its not armed. You mustlocate the serving bot and arm the bombby connecting the yellow wire to the greenconnector.

Romantics: A Romantic cell has managedto infiltrate the party and will be playing OldReckoning music to stir the souls of the partyguests. Ensure theyre not disturbed as theybring back the wonderful music of the oldentimes.

Sierra Club: The Armed Forces are a threatto our cause! Weve smuggled a bomb in insideone of the serving bots youve got to take thatbomb and stick it to that monstrous GeneralHappensplatt-I! Well detonate the bombremotely when hes in the right place.

The Cloned andthe Beautiful

Tension 15Its like a beautiful rainbow of colours if only you knew what a rainbow was,of course. The ballroom is filled withcitizens wearing uniforms colouredshades of blue and indigo you neverdreamed possible. Theres real foodeverywhere; flunkies drift through thecrowd with trays of yummy, yummysnacks and glasses of some deliciousbeverage that makes your headsspin.

This is how the other half of AlphaComplex live. Well, other one percentanyway.

The inaugural ball for DCOD and the newlypromoted ULTRAVIOLET takes place ata swanky BLUE-clearance ballroom in asector the characters would normally neverbe allowed into. The characters and severalother lower-clearance guests have been giventemporary clearance waivers, allowing theminto the ballroom.

The building is surrounded by DCOD troopsand there are DCOD logos everywhere. Small



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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]Oh and the Band are all secret Romantics whoare playing treasonous music.

G: Apparently Bottomless OrnamentalPond.

H: In this square is none other than Teela-O-MLY herself, the most famous and belovedcitizen in all of Alpha Complex and star of thehit vidshow, The Teela-O-MLY Show.

Well, theres a Teela-O, anyway. Regrettably,the star has been the subject of so manyassassinations and terminations that sheslong since blown through her original six-pack of clones and is well into replicativefading. The Computer cannot let her die aslong as the show remains insanely popular,so the glamorous husk shambles fabulouslyonwards.

Ms. O-MLYs handlers are well aware ofthe stars genetic and mental degenerationand are under strict orders to ensure thatMs. O-MLYs issues are not revealed to thepopulation at large. Therefore, Ms. O-MLYwill not be questioned, photographed, askedto speak, asked to move, exposed to nakedflames or any temperature above 20 degrees.Certainly, she will not be barged out of theway by Troubleshooters moving at more thanone square per round. Any Troubleshooterswho attempt this will get zapped by Teela-Os handlers (Energy Weapons 10, Laserpistols).

I: Very Elderly Citizen In A HoverChair. MeetEthel-B-SHK-9. Shes like your lovable oldgrandmother, if your grandmother was aHPD&MC supervisor whose job descriptionincludes alligator control. Shes in a high-power anti-gravity rocking chair. She andGeneral Happensplatt-I have a torrid past (theywere young, the hormone suppressants ranout, it was springcycle) but now loathe eachother. A Troubleshooter who runs into Ethel-Bs chair moving at more than one square perround will likely cause poor Ethel to shoot offat high speed across the room.

J: Regrettably Low-Hanging CrystalChandelier.

B: A large and surprisingly unflattering icesculpture of Brownie-U, which is meltingunder the glare of the lights. Characterspass ing through th is square doubletheir movement and fall over comically.

C: This square contains a very irritable BLUEDCOD executive named Fabrice-B. He reactswith horror at the idea of any foul low-clearanceTroubleshooter touching his brand new andexceedingly expensive designer jumpsuit.Anyone passing through this square withoutBootlicking is demoted one clearance levelon the spot. Fabrice-B is incredibly sarcasticand cutting and has a vastly inflated idea of hisown importance in Alpha Complex.

Fabrice-B is also a Humanist deep coveragent; if his hypnotic conditioning is broken,he will become a much nicer person. Thenhell get shot by his bodyguard, for being afilthy traitor.

D: This is the trigger-happy bodyguard ofFabrice-B. If any Troubleshooter movesthrough his square or Fabrice-Bs square ata speed of more than two squares per roundor if shooting begins, then the bodyguardassumes Fabrice-B is under attack andstarts shooting back. Hes got EnergyWeapons 13 and a GREEN laser pistol.

E: The SmartBot has been dumped in thiscorner to cogitate to itself. Anyone movinginto the SmartBots square gets an earful ofintellectual twaddle and electric condescension.

F: The Band are playing in this square. Acharacter running through this square will knockover one or more band members which is bad,because theres a Motivation, Timing & CriticalAssessment Cannon targeting the band. Thisgadget constantly monitors band performanceand gives a motivational electric shock to anymember who is playing in the wrong key orfalling behind. If a character knocks over aband member, then the MT&CAC will targethim and deliver a series of cripplingly painfulelectric shocks until the Troubleshooter picksup the instrument and demonstrates astonishingskill with it or is reduced to a quivering mass ofunmusical jelly.

K: Surprisingly Unstable Duct That MightExplode If Anything Hits It Too Hard.

Combat

Any attacks on targets not in the same squarethat miss their target will hit some innocent*bystander. Area-effect attacks will hit a numberof squares equal to the whim of the GamesMaster. Hitting bystanders, especially higher-clearance ones, is treason, citizen and clearevidence of deep-seated subconscious hatredof The Computer and ones fellow citizens.

Remind the players that Perversity can be usedto make other players miss. In fact, why notgive them some Perversity points right now?

Running the Party

So, the characters are at a high-class party,full of important citizens and wonderful shinythings. Let them circulate for the first fewminutes, listening to rumours and embarrassingthemselves in front of high-clearance citizens.They can sample the real food buffet andlearn the effects of genuine alcohol on theirdrug-addled metabolisms (projectile [insertbodily function here]). If they get close toBrownie-U, he wanders by muttering Heck ofa job, guysHeck of a job and handing outrandom promotions.

Presumably, the Troubleshooters will runaround doing their secret society missions for abit. Interleave that with Intrigue at the Dinner.

Intrigue at the Dinner

At the party, Paul-I (the ex-IntSec briefingofficer) appears out of the crowds and leadsone of the Player Characters away for a privatediscussion (ideally, the same one he gave theSpecial Bonus Briefing too). There, he tellsthe Troubleshooter that DCOD is facinga grievous (but unspecified) danger inthe near future. We must remove anyweak links and purge those unwillingor unable to Defend the Operations ofAlpha Complex. I want you to identifyfor me the members of your teamwho lack commitment to DCOD.

*: If anyone in Alpha Complex qualifies as innocent.


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21

A G F

Brownie-U start

Bot #2 Bot #1

K

B

ENTRANCEH General

startENTRANCE

Bot #3 D Bot #4

Francine-YStart

C J

ENTRANCE E

Paul-I is actually fishing for pawns to use in hisIntSec-backed scheme to bring down DCOD.Note down the names of any Troubleshootersgiven by the DCOD Point Operations Co-Ordinator. Paul-I will speak to these traitorshimself and inform them of the plot to bringdown DCOD. The loyal DCOD members willbe approached by Kelly-B, who is working forPaul-I but unaware of his treacherous plans.Kelly-B is a true believer in DCOD.

Next, some of the rest of the Troubleshooterswill be approached by either Kelly-B orPaul-I. (Ideally, you want about a third ofthem working for Paul-I, the DCOD andanother third doing Kelly-Bs mission andanother third feeling left-out, resentful andsuspicious.

Kelly-B is Paul-Is unwitting pawn. Her messageis for the Troubleshooters not named by theDCOD Point Operations Co-Ordinator andis as follows: Keep your voice downand listen closely, citizens this isan official DCOD mission briefing.Weve received intelligence that a new

threat is about to, er, threaten AlphaComplex. The nature of this threatis classified DCOD-zeta for now butits really, er, threatening. Ive beenordered to tell you now that the threatwill be located down the right-handbranch of a tunnel, not the left branchand certainly not the middle branchbut Im not cleared to tell you wherethis tunnel is.

Anyway, weve also received wordthat other service groups are trying tomuscle in on our territory. We need tomake it clear that DCOD isnt going tobe pushed around by those outdatedlosers in IntSec! When the missionalert comes, make sure DCOD is firston the case! Onward, brave citizens!For now, though, just enjoy the nightand stay alert!

Paul-Is briefing for the other Troubleshootersis You have shown your loyalty to thetrue power in Alpha Complex. Soon,proper order will be restored and this

DCOD nonsense will be consigned tounhistory! So will you, unless you aidme in this. When the time comes, youmust follow my instructions precisely when you are sent to the lowersection of YOD Sector, you must godown the LEFT branch and ensure therest of the team go down the RIGHTbranch. Fear not this mission is amere simulation but its utter failurewill discredit that imbecilic Brownie-Uand doom DCOD! Remember yougo left, the DCOD fools go RIGHT! Ohand do not open the middle door underany circumstances.

The Noun AssassinsSo, remember that mission statement that theTroubleshooter came up with. No matter what itwas, someone in Alpha Complex took offence.Some group/secret society/bunch of lunatics ina dark room are entirely and wholeheartedlydedicated to [whatever the Troubleshooterspicked as DCODs mission]. Theyre willing to



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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]kill for [whatever the Troubleshooters pickedas DCODs mission]. Precisely, theyre willingto kill the Troubleshooters for [whatever theTroubleshooters picked as DCODs mission].

It should be noted that these guys are probablythe only people in all of Alpha Complex who givea damn about [whatever the Troubleshooterspicked as DCODs mission].

Anyway, the Noun Assassins break into theparty with the intention of terminating Brownie-U and the Troubleshooters. Theyre suicidalnutcases armed with improvised weaponsand explosives. The Troubleshooters wouldbe able to deal with them easily but thereare lots and lots of important collateral dama er, bystanders. Just whipping out your laserpistol and zapping the Noun Assassins isntthe best plan.

Its the plan the Troubleshooters will use, ofcourse. Oh well.

The Clean-UpOnce the Troubleshooters have dealt with theNoun Assassins and whatever other debacleshave arisen as a result of the DCOD InauguralAuthorised Social Gathering, move onto AHeck of a (Screw) Job, Citizen!

4. Heck Of A (Screw) Job CitizenIts the morning after the Inaugural AuthorisedSocial Gathering. Everyone else in DCOD hasvanished, apart from Brownie-U its all part ofIntSecs plan to destroy the new Service Groupand absorb its budget. The Troubleshootersare the only DCOD team available to stop theimpending doom. Fear not! This doom is justan IntSec plot to discredit DCOD.

Unfortunately, theres also an entirely unrelatedreal doom.

1: The Morningcycle After

Episode Synopsis: The Troubleshootersare almost the only people left at DCOD, sothey get to go on a mission.Tension 2Somethings wrong. Somethingsdefinitely wrong.

Your vision is blurry. Your skullthrobs like a poorly shielded reactor.Everything brings pain.

You are of course, very happy. Itsjust that Friend Computers voicegrates on your nerves a bit more thismorningcycle.

Looking around the office which alsobrings pain you can almost put yourshaking finger on whats wrong. Theoffice is empty. Youre the only DCODstaff here.

Suddenly, a tacnuke goes off in theoffice. Then it explodes again andagain and you realise its the phoneringing. At least the pain of beingincinerated by a nuke would onlyhappen a maximum of six times. Thephone keeps ringing.

When an unfortunate Troubleshooteranswers the phone, hes treated to aconversation with Brownie-U. The HighProgrammer is confused by the lack ofanyone in his office and the big screenkeeps talking to him and asking him hardquestions. He wants the Troubleshooters

or hell, anyone in the office to come tothe executive meeting room immediately.The Troubleshooters are all promoted toDCOD-Zeta clearance so they can attendthe meeting.

If the characters search the whole arcology, theonly other employees they find are: A still-drunk Kelly-B, sleeping under her

desk with the message Assigned toreactor shielding duty stamped onher forehead

If they got her a job, then Francine-Y islurking in the basement, sticking pricetags on DCODMODs and plotting to selloff DCODs assets on the black market

One very doomed INFRARED intern*named Kenny, who showed up for workbright and early.

Everyone else was contacted by IntSec andwarned not to come in today. The PlayerCharacters should feel like there are largetargets on their chests and even biggerTHESE GUYS ARE SCREWED signs ontheir heads.


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23

4. HECKOFA (SCREW) JOBCITIZEN

There, There FriendComputer

Tension 20Hey, this is the same briefing room youstormed earlier. Its been remodelledsince then and now theres a hugevidscreen taking up a whole wall. Youcant help but notice there are fourcomputer game controllers on the floornext to the screen.

Anyway, no time for that now. Thebig giant eyeball of Friend Computerdominates the screen and you swearit looksworried. The eyeball dartsback and forth, as jumpy as a cloneon Asperquaint. High ProgrammerBrownie-U looks equally stressed hes sitting at the head of theconference table, popping roll afterroll of pills.

Brownie-U gestures for the Troubleshootersto sit on the Exec-Comfee Leatherish Chair2s.These chairs have a range of ComfortPlusfeatures, such as built-in massage, heaters,drink dispenser, icemakers, drug dispensers,height adjusters, recliners, incliners, bot remotecontrols, anti-gravity back support, emergencyairbags and brake parachutes, all controlled by

switches in the seat. One buttock-twitch canactivate any or all of these features.

Watch the players. Punish those who squirmwith fun chair features. Remember, this isa highly important meeting with a HIGHPROGRAMMER (ok, a really clueless anddoomed High Programmer) and The Computeritself. Try explaining to The Computer howyoure not a Commie Mutant Traitor with HotFun trickling down your leg from the spigot inyour chair.

Brownie-U explains the situation to theTroubleshooters. Apparently, theres aproblem in the lower levels of OOA Sectorand The Computer is very worried aboutit. Its the same problem that DCOD wascreated to solve. The Computer, in fact, isgrowing increasingly hysterical about this.It flashes up a lengthy mission report, toofast for the Troubleshooters to read butthey catch the words CRITICAL THREAT,SECONDARY INCIDENT, 40 MINUTESTO DESTRUCTION, INTELLIGENCEBRIEFING, WMD and the fact that its allsigned by Paul-I of Internal Security.

The Computer asks if DCOD can handle theproblem; Brownie-U assures it that all is inhand and asks the Troubleshooters to confirmthey can handle the mission. He expectsrousing cheers of competence. Those failing

to give rousing cheers of competence aredemoted on the spot.

After that, its off to the mission. TheTroubleshooters can drive a DCODMODdown to the lower levels of OOA Sector,Tunnel 54392.

2: OOA Sector Gatewayto the Underplex

Episode Synopsis: There are threedoors. Behind Door Number One is an IntSecteam trying to discredit DCOD. Behind DoorNumber Two is a bomb. And Door NumberThreemutant slugs!

Tension 1The Troubleshooters arrive at the missionlocation, deep under OOA Sector. Its a fetid pitof rusting pipes, crumbling concrete, mysteriousstains, vile fungi and tax accountants. Thecharacters glimpse the occasional shamblingINFRARED worker or feral scrubbot but thingslook quiet. As the characters drive down thetunnel noted in their mission briefing, they getthe feeling that they are leaving the safe andsettled regions of Alpha Complex and enteringa realm where terrible things dwell. Then theypass a sign that basically says the same thingbut also notes they may face unavoidable


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WARON[INSERTNOUNHERE]clone and communication service delays andthat any deaths not incurred in the line ofapproved activities will result in a 250 creditclone handling fee.

The DCODMOD passes through a huge (open)blast door, underneath a steep access shaftand through another equally huge blast door.The tunnel slopes down steeply for somedistance. The Troubleshooters notice hugerusting pipes on either side of the tunnel.Finally, the tunnel ends in three doors onegoing left, one going right and one straightahead. Each door is operated by a heavyelectric switch located to the side of the door.

As per their briefing at the party by Paul-I, someof the Troubleshooters should want to go left;those briefed by Kelly-B should be planningon going right and suspicious Troubleshooterswill be worrying about that third trapdoor inthe floor.

Separate the players when they go downdifferent tunnels. Ideally, you should end uprunning back and forth between three differentgroups of players. Split the party for fun andprofit!

Left Tunnel Doom!

The left-hand door leads to a short maintenancetunnel. Lurking at the end of this corridor is anIntSec team of a half-dozen GREEN goons ledby Paul-I. As soon as the characters arrive atthe end of the corridor, bright lights are shoneinto their eyes and the IntSec team turns themright back around and starts hurrying themback to the junction. Paul-I orders them toreport that theyre under attack, that theyvebeen overrun and that DCOD cant cope. If theTroubleshooters have trouble coming up withsuch a report on the fly (or rather, on the run),then Paul-I will prompt them with phrases likecritical failure of leadership, absolutecatastrophe, neither fun, nor happy,warned by Internal Security butchose to ignore those warnings,incompetence on the part of Brownie-U and so on. The idea is to make it appear thatDCOD is incompetent and that the sector is indanger. IntSec will then step in and deal withthe problem. The Troubleshooters are orderedto run back to the DCOD Arcology and reporttheir abject failure.

As they flee, they should run into thereplacement clones from the right-handtunnel.

Their clone replacements wont show upfor several minutes, because of the delayin getting clones down into the tunnels. Thereplacement clones should run right into thefleeing clones from the left-hand branch.

The Middle Tunnel -The Actual Doom!

If anyone opens the middle door, a very oldalarm starts ringing. As the door opens, foulgrey stagnant water begins to spurt out intothe corridor. The corridors beyond this doorare flooded and the water is rising.

Worse, swimming through the waters arehideous mutant slugs, each one five feet longand hungry for human flesh. Stamped on theflank of each slug are the words Property ofTech Services Recycling Division. The slugsattack indiscriminately, which is nice of them.Theyre not judgemental. The slugs movequickly in the water and comi

paranoia xp - war on insert noun here

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