I'm fascinated by time travel--that's probably why my most complete custom tabletop game utilizes it as the main gameplay mechanic. But even short of entire game systems, I like to experiment with time travel in games, and that's why I've developed a one-shot that allows players to explore and exploit time loops to complete an adventure.
If you're thinking of 1993 Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, you're on the right track. The adventure below contains scripts for events occurring all over a small town so that you can present a living, breathing world for your players to interact. Then it's up to them to figure out how to stop catastrophes from occurring across town and thwart the mysterious and evil plans of their foe. Read on for the full one-shot.
If you want to play another time loop adventure (maybe a darker one), consider playing the Hourton City Time Loop. Or perhaps a time loop focusing on environmental storytelling, like the Distant Star Space Station Time Loop.
Overview:
There are 8 locations to visit in Standstill Cove. Each day will allow the players to visit a total of 5
locations. The players cannot split up, or they will become ghostly static creatures which the townsfolk
cannot see. The locations are:
Standstill Cove City Hall
The Museum of Natural History
Standstill Cove Dockyard
Marshall Lighthouse
Standstill Municipal Bank
Sunrise Village Mall
Portia Standstill Community Theater
Peter Standstill High School
The adventure begins at 2pm and ends at midnight. The players are able to choose to spend two
hours at each location. Travel time is factored into time spent at a location.
Unbeknownst to your players at the beginning of the adventure (unless you choose to tell them),
they are trying to foil the obscure and evil plans of a figure named Obedience Foster. Foster, like
them, is stuck in a time loop. They have begun to manipulate the time loop to get what they want,
and the players will need to stop Foster in order to complete the adventure.
The gameplay will generally go as follows: For the beginning of the game, ask which location the
players want to begin with; then, describe that location and give them some narration about what’s
happening when they get there. This is where the timeline descriptions below will help you–just
describe what you read with as many extra details as you’re comfortable inventing. The players
may interact with the world and the people in it; simply do your best to offer a realistic or interesting
reaction. The players might be more inclined to either observe to learn what a location is like, or they
may interact a lot to try to shape things. Either of these approaches or anything in between should
work well enough. The focus should be on the players’ ability to explore and investigate.
 |
| A basic map of Standstill Cove. |
Then, when the players have interacted with or observed a place, they may move to a new location
(or stay there–that’s fine too!). You may run this in whatever way you choose; you can have time
move realistically depending on what players do and charge them appropriate time given the map
below to get to the next location, or you might instead simply say that the day is broken up into 5
slots, and each slot means being at a location the whole time. I recommend the first approach, but
you can make the game more strategic by adding the second stipulation.
When midnight arrives, a bright flash of light envelopes
everyone, and they awaken back where they were at 2pm.
Because the game is supposed to be a time loop, one necessary component is that things work the same way every time. I recommend paying very close attention your first time through a place/time so that you can remember what people do and say with good detail. To that end, I advise keeping things as simple as you can; opt for short and memorable with actions and words. It will help to make the time loop idea work at the table.
The end goal is to figure out what’s happening and fix it. Here’s the short version: mysterious figure
Obedience Foster wants to use time loops to kill a rival, make a fortune, and skip town. To do that,
they try to forge a key to a treasure chest, divert a ship with magical treasure, and stage an accident
that will kill their rival. Please see the list below for a more complete guide to their plans.
Beyond that, just have fun! I deliberately made this little world to be interesting and strange and an
easy host for all kinds of tabletop shenanigans. So when in doubt, go with what will entertain your
party, and don’t forget to have fun yourself.
Obedience Foster in the Timelines
2pm - 4pm: at Sunrise Village Mall buying a blank key and precision cutter
4pm - 6pm: at The Museum of Natural History observing the locked treasure chest
6pm - 8pm: at Portia Standstill Community Theater replacing the prop sword with a real sword
8pm - 10pm: at Marshall Lighthouse turning off the light to crash the ship
10pm - 12am: at Peter Standstill High School getting directions out of town
Player Creation:
Players must come up with a first and last name. The character is in a small coastal town in 1970s
New England. There are no powers, dice, or mechanics–only the choices the players make. The
only stipulation about characters is that they cannot have any money with them at the beginning
of the adventure.
Location Timelines:
Standstill Cove City Hall
2pm-4pm:
At 2pm, Standstill Cove Mayor Ernest Tannenbaum holds a press conference to
announce a new civic policy: all vehicles in town are to be serviced at a reduced
rate for low-income, similar to food stamps. The announcement is met with polite
applause and a smattering of dissent, particularly in the form of debate over what
income constitutes low-income. At 2:45pm, Mayor Tannenbaum ends the press
conference despite a large amount of unanswered questions from the public. The
crowd largely disperses and then reforms with new members at 3:30pm in a protest
over the new measure. The protesters are largely led by restaurant owner Tabitha
Green, who argues that the measure unfairly punishes the middle class.
4pm-6pm:
The protest continues until 4:30pm, when Mayor Tannenbaum calls the police and
announces to the crowd that police are on their way. Most of the crowd is gone by
4:45pm, and police arrive at 5pm. Police Chief Ty Hanford personally tends to the
remaining dissenters and then meets with Mayor Tannenbaum until 5:30pm, when
he leaves. Tannenbaum leaves work at 5:45pm and stays at home for the rest of
the night. Civil staff work until 6pm and then close the City Hall, locking it for the
night.
6pm-8pm:
Beginning at 6:15pm, local farmers start to set up stalls and display their various
wares. Farmer Agnes Larson sells fresh produce–the beets are renowned throughout
the county–rancher Bruce Sherman sells homemade jerky, and apiarist Susan Redd
sells a range of honeys, among many others. A big hit at tonight’s market is farmer
Whitney Vance’s massive hound Cobalt, who soaks up attention from any child who
notices him. At 6:30pm, the farmer’s market opens, and business runs smoothly
until 7:30pm, when the farmers begin to pack up. The City Hall square is clean and
empty by 7:45pm.
8pm-10pm:
Under cover of darkness, Tabitha Green and 12 other protesters put on masks, and
at 8:15pm, they arrive at City Hall and vandalize the building and the square before it.
They paint “COMMUNIST” and “TRAITOR” in big red letters across the entrance and
use sledgehammers to break the fountain (depicting drinking doves) in front of City
Hall. By 8:30pm, they are done with their destruction and run off into the night. The
scene is quiet until 9:15pm, when a passing squad car’s headlights illuminate the
damage done; Officer Jamie Burkett investigates and radioes back to the precinct
at 9:30pm. He watches the scene and investigates further. Backup arrives at 10pm.
10pm-12am:
At 10pm, three more officers arrive (Liza Foote, Victor Clarke, and Betty Reilly) and
help secure the area. At 10:30pm, Mayor Tannenbaum returns to City Hall to determine
the extent of the damage. He is shocked by the vandalism and answers questions
from the officers until 11:15pm. He identifies Green as a probable suspect. Tannenbaum
returns home at 11:30pm, and by 11:45pm, the police have left City Hall marked off as
a crime scene.
The Museum of Natural History
2pm-4pm:
An exhibit on evolution features illustrations of ancient animals, their various
descendants, and their modern day equivalents; visitors look on in wonder or disgust
as Professor of Evolutionary History at nearby Chapel University Kurt Bismuth lectures
on the beautiful mechanism that is natural selection. The lecture goes well until, at
3:30pm, logger Matt Harris interrupts and says that it violates the Bible. Bismuth tries
to argue otherwise, but Harris winds up a few other visitors, and they leave together.
Bismuth finishes his lecture but is frustrated and loses the attention of much of the
audience. At 3:45pm, custodians quietly open a display of a locked treasure chest
from the year 58.
4pm-6pm:
From 4pm to 6pm is “Kid’s Time” at the Museum of Natural History, and dozens of
young people flood into the museum with their parents trailing behind. Museum
employees circulate dressed as various exhibits; the T-Rex costumed-employee is
beset with children of all ages pulling at him. Starting at 4:30pm, one branch of the
museum projects the movie Charlotte’s Web on a wall, and children and their families
watch sprawled out on blankets. At 5pm, a cloaked figure (Obedience Foster)
investigates the locked treasure chest until 5:30pm.
6pm-8pm:
The Museum performs its final duties (a small reptile petting zoo, decorating fake
fossils, and a puppet show involving animals from nearly every time period), and
begins closing duties around 7:30pm. By 8pm, everyone has been ushered out,
including a few vandals who removed part of the label on the Titmouse display.
Museum Curator Nora McLaren locks the doors with herself and the museum guard
(Bernie Hanford) inside and retires to her office to do some last work for the day.
8pm-10pm:
McLaren works in her office, heading to the kitchenette at 9:15pm to make a cup of
tea and returning to her office at 9:30pm. Hanford patrols the museum slowly and
deliberately; it takes him 15 minutes to perform a full lap of the museum. At 9:30pm,
Hanford takes a break and eats a donut with coffee in the kitchenette while reading
the newspaper. As he and McLaren encounter each other there, the ground shakes.
10pm-12am:
McLaren works on various financial information and a potential acquisition (an example
of early tools from Mesopotamia) in her office until 10:30pm, then says good night to
Hanford and leaves. Hanford continues to patrol until after 12am, but takes another
break at 11:30pm to eat another donut with coffee and read more of the newspaper.
Standstill Cove Dockyard
2pm-4pm:
Company Safety Training (employee Greg Haskell recently lost a finger in an
accident). Safety Supervisor Rhett Engleson is exasperatedly leading a company-
wide training full of reminders that they should have learned this stuff already. After
an hour-long lecture, “safety games” are played in which employees are quizzed on
safety procedures.
4pm-6pm:
A ship (the Hughes Shipping vessel S1182765) has arrived, and the docks are in a
rush to unload it and reload it. Using forklifts and a crane, it takes the dockworkers
two hours to unload the ship. The unloaded containers are filled with consumer goods
and are marked en route to Sunrise Village Mall.
6pm-8pm:
The ship unloaded, the dockworkers begin to reload it with its new cargo. The new
cargo is containers filled with raw materials gathered in the surrounding area–lumber,
mined stone, and refined fuels. The dockworkers are especially careful with the loading
process due to the dangerous materials, but manage to load the ship within two hours.
8pm-10pm:
At 8:15pm, the dockworkers kick off a party with barbeque and beers. Dockyard
Manager Mark Vannard makes a short speech praising their work and promising
good holiday bonuses this year, which gets applause and hollering. The dockworkers
joke and play games like cornhole and horseshoes. [Note: If the ship has been
rerouted: Everyone is taken by surprise at 9:30pm, when the ship docks quietly.
When investigated, no one is on the ship. Vannard immediately calls the police. If
the ship crashes into the promontory, the dockyard shakes at 9:30pm, but no one
is able to figure out what happened.]
10pm-12am:
At 10pm, the police arrive and search the ship. After a thorough search (10:45pm),
the police announce that no one is anywhere on the ship. They order the dockyard
closed until further investigation can be performed. This causes an outcry from
Vannard, who demands to be able to work. The police, led by Deputy Chief Tricia
Wellington, refuse, closing the dockyard for the duration of the day.
[Note: If the players steal onto the ship, they find it totally empty except for hundreds of
keys scattered on the floor. An ominous creaking sound is apparent everywhere on the
ship. In the hold is a collection of stuffed animals in a cell, all arranged carefully to be staring
at whoever is outside the cell. In the middle of the stuffed animals is a large brass key. The
key glows, and it creates a phantom version of itself which sticks with you through days. The
key opens the chest in the Museum of Natural History. Inside is just sand, but opening the
chest breaks the cycle.]
Marshall Lighthouse
2pm-4pm:
Public Tour: The steward of Marshall Lighthouse, Rhea Barnes, conducts a tour of
the Lighthouse and its grounds at 2pm and again at 3pm. The tour lasts nearly an
hour and involves seeing the promontory on which the lighthouse sits, hiking around
the area to see the lighthouse from different angles, and finally climbing to the top
and seeing the sea and the light itself. Barnes watches carefully to make sure that
no one tampers with the light. If it has been turned off between tours, she resets it.
4pm-6pm:
After the tours, Barnes sets to cleaning and maintaining the lighthouse. During
today’s duties, she scrubs the lighthouse glass, sweeps and mops the floors and
entryway, and performs the accounting duties involved with the tours. Around 5:45pm,
Barnes locks the lighthouse to the public.
6pm-8pm:
As the sun sets, Barnes ensures that the light is on and rotating properly. She returns
to check the light every two hours (so again at 8pm, 10pm, and 12am). When she is
not checking the light, she is either reading (Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters
by J.D. Salinger) or writing her own novel (The Stars Below). [Note: Barnes keeps
an unloaded shotgun by the door to scare trespassers.]
8pm-10pm:
Barnes continues to read and nods off at 8:15pm and doesn’t wake up until a distant
train whistle rouses her at 9:45pm (or the ship crashes at 9:30pm, whichever comes first).
When she wakes up, she checks the visitor center and then returns to her private
quarters. At 8:45pm, Obedience Foster climbs the lighthouse and turns off the light.
If the players don’t stop him, the ship crashes at 9:30pm. If they reset the light, the
ship docks at the docks at 9:30pm. [Note: If the ship crashes, Obedience tries to
board the ship and search it.]
10pm-12am:
If the ship has not crashed: Barnes checks the light at 10pm, returns to her
quarters, makes toast and tea, and sits reading in the kitchen until 11:45pm,
when she cleans up and makes a final round of the property before checking the
light again at 12am. If the ship has crashed: Barnes runs to the exterior of the
lighthouse and surveys the damage. She notices the light out and races to the
top to relight it. After setting things as right as possible, Barnes calls the police,
who arrive by 11pm and close the lighthouse but allow Barnes to continue operating it.
Standstill Municipal Bank
2pm-4pm:
Bank Guard Wallace Norman begins his shift at the bank at 2pm promptly by
taking a seat behind the desk and starting a crossword puzzle. He takes a long
sip of coffee and says to a nearby teller, “This stuff goes through me like crazy–
wish I didn’t need it to stay up!” He cackles to himself and returns to his crossword
puzzle. Head Teller Debra Fields monitors the bank and occasionally takes
customers when it gets busy. Norman finishes his coffee at 3pm but doesn’t
get up to get more.
4pm-6pm:
Business is relatively slow from 4pm to 5pm; a couple takes out a home loan, a
young man asks the finer points of financing a new business, and a young woman
makes several large deposits from local businesses–the tellers seem to recognize her
right away. At 5pm, a flood of customers getting off work comes flooding in. Norman
has to escort an unruly customer to the door at 5:15pm, and the bank closes without
further event at 6pm.
6pm-8pm:
The bank closes at 6pm, and bank employees immediately begin to transform the
lobby into a decorated public space for an art show. False walls are erected to
create more space for display, and around 7:30pm, the space is set, and the paintings
and sculptures are placed. Security is loose in this phase, and the back door is
unlocked from 6:30pm to 7:15pm.
8pm-10pm:
The art show begins. Patrons in expensive formalwear stream in and take martinis.
The Bank Manager (Robin Flanders) and the Art Curator (Mindy Bishop) greet guests
and introduce artists to the flock of viewers. The backstage area is heavily monitored
throughout the art show. Towards the end of the party (9:30pm), drunken patron Grant
Redmond spills his drink on an oil painting when the ground shakes, damaging it, and
the artist is furious; the party is unceremoniously shut down early at 9:50pm.
10pm-12am:
The bank employees and cleaners set to returning the bank to its former state,
collapsing false walls and repacking art. Flanders and Bishop try to console the
artist (Edwin Packard), but he insists that the damage cannot be remedied; Flanders
offers to buy the painting for the bank as-is, and Packard eventually agrees to a
negotiated sum of $500. The bank is cleaned and ready for another day of business
by 11:45pm and locked for the night.
Sunrise Village Mall
2pm-4pm:
The mall is abuzz but mostly quiet until a shopper, Alan Gordon, tries to report a family
of Asian tourists for disturbing the peace. Mall security guard Jenny Nguyen-Smith
finds his report upsetting and argues with the man; when Head Security Officer Kevin
Harlow intervenes and sides with Gordon, Nguyen-Smith quits in disgust and storms
out of the mall. For the rest of the day, Harlow intermittently patrols Nguyen-Smith’s
beat and watches at the security center. For even hours, Harlow is patrolling, and for
odd hours, he is at the security center. A cloaked figure (Obedience Foster) enters
Grossman Hardware and purchases a blank key and a handheld precision cutter.
4pm-6pm:
Grossman Hardware is having a grand reopening after being partially damaged by a
storm. Store manager Tim Grossman is personally overseeing a celebration with local
food, giveaways, and the unveiling of a new product. From 5pm to 6pm, Grossman
gives away a pair of electric hedge trimmers, a butane torch, a steel-frame 12 ft
ladder, a sledgehammer, a nailgun, and a high-beam flashlight (one giveaway every
10 minutes). This culminates in the reveal that Grossman Hardware now carries
all-terrain vehicles, which is announced as two helmeted riders speed through the
store on ATVs.
6pm-8pm:
The food court grows busy during the period, and a fistfight between two shoppers
breaks out over who was first in line at the Sbarro. Retiree Kimmy Rutledge and life
coach Heather Phillips take a few swings at each other before being broken up by
bystanders, chiefly high school student Pam Weller. Both Rutledge and Phillips
apologize after calming down; Rutledge claims low blood sugar, and Phillips claims
lack of sleep. During the distraction, a group of denim-clad teenagers led by Dylan
Jefferson steal their fill of ready-made meals from the Boston Market. [Note: Jefferson
and his group are able to be blackmailed about their theft–they are on their final
warning.]
8pm-10pm:
The mall’s movie theater opens with showings of the newest films on its three screens:
Serpico, Soylent Green, and Goncharov. Each begins a showing at 8pm; Serpico and
Soylent Green have another screening–Serpico at 10:30pm, Soylent Green at 10pm–
and Goncharov ends just after 11pm without a second screening. During the movies,
a good deal of the mall’s visitors crowd into the theater, leaving the mall much more
deserted. At 9:30pm, the ground shakes, and the mall loses electrical power for a few
seconds; the films take a few minutes to reset and match up audio and visual. Fewer
people attend the second screenings, so the mall is progressively more populated
again after 10pm.
10pm-12am:
A public concert is being held in the center of the mall; local band Helium Soul plays
upbeat soft rock to the crowd from 10:15pm to nearly 11:30pm. Shoppers gather
around the performers and are entranced. [Note: players can more easily achieve
stealth goals in this circumstance.] At 10:45pm, there is an electric short that causes
a 5-minute delay in the show during which the mall is completely dark. [Note: If the
players didn’t reset the light, and the boat crashes, the mall loses all of its power for
the rest of the night; it’s evacuated, but if the players can remain in the mall, they can
explore it unimpeded.]
Portia Standstill Community Theater
2pm-4pm:
Acting teacher Roxy Anderson is leading Beginning Drama for a class of mostly
young adults who are paying fairly close attention. Anderson discusses various
acting methods, being careful to describe both the advantages and disadvantages
of each one. A student in a hoodie asks about method acting, and Anderson says
it’s not always a safe approach, instead suggesting a few of the more radical
approaches to acting. The students file out at the end of class (just before 4pm),
and Anderson leaves for a bathroom break before her next class.
4pm-6pm:
Anderson holds an Advanced Acting class that begins just after she returns at 4pm.
She has the students do acting exercises such as mirroring one another and vocal
warm-ups, then transitions into rehearsing scenes that the students have been
working on. Partners perform scenes from movies and occasionally from plays; the
highlights are a young girl performing a monologue she had written and a pair of
adolescent boys performing Hamlet’s clown gravediggers scene with extreme
deliberate overacting.
6pm-8pm:
After class, Anderson tidies the theater along with a group of actors, and by 6:30pm,
the theater is nearly ready for the public. From there, the actors begin decorating the
set and applying the more cumbersome wardrobes and makeup. Rehearsals continue
on and off, and by 8pm, the stage is literally set for the play: Absurd Person Singular
by Alan Ayckbourn. Finally, a lit marquee is placed outside and the doors are opened
at 8pm sharp. At 7:45pm, as the actors are most distracted, a cloaked figure (Obedience
Foster) sneaks backstage and replaces the fake sword with a real sword.
8pm-10pm:
People stream into the theater and stand talking in the entryway as tickets are
purchased and popcorn is popped. The actors are backstage with Anderson, who
tries to keep actors from losing their nerve. Around 8:30pm, the people have taken
their seats, and the show begins. It follows three couples, and during the second
couple’s section, the female lead holds up an old sword to inspect it. At 9:30pm, as
the sword is handled, the earth shakes, the actress (Nicole Peyton) accidentally
thrusts the sword into her co-star (Brad Geiger). If medical attention is not gotten for
Geiger (and the ambulance will show up too late), he will bleed to death by 9:40pm.
[Note: If the ship is diverted, Geiger remains safe.] The performance is cancelled, and
the audience evacuated by 10pm.
10pm-12am:
Police officers arrive not long after the ambulance, at 10pm. They interrogate both
Peyton and Anderson to determine if charges need to be pressed; they initially decide
to allow Peyton to go free until more evidence is gathered, but Anderson is cuffed, and
accusations of manslaughter are mentioned. Anderson is driven away in police custody
at 11pm. The theater is covered in police caution tape but remains unguarded, and the
bloodied sword is still inside.
Peter Standstill High School
2pm-4pm:
Classes are in session until 3pm; until then, about two hundred students sit in classes
with teachers like Jim Rutledge from Biology and Kerry Quinn from History. At 2:45pm,
student Billy Anchorage leaves class “for the bathroom” and vandalizes the boys’
bathroom with red paint and animal excrement. He is caught at 2:55pm by school
counselor Cal Donahue and sent to detention. At 3pm, detention begins, with junior
Anchorage, sophomore Julie French, and freshmen Ryder Winters and Trent Bateman.
Aside from grumbling, the students generally behave for English teacher Florence
Tuthill.
4pm-6pm:
At 4pm, drills begin for the boys’ football and girls’ soccer teams. The boys take the
football field and warm up with stretching and running, then scrimmage with light
contact to avoid injuries before the game tonight. The girls take the area between
the track and practice passing and run laps. At 5pm, a group of students is caught
smoking weed and cigarettes under the bleachers by football coach Don Waverly
and taken to the principal’s office. These students (Rita Gillespie, Vinny Worthington,
Nancy Zinn, and leader Ollie Morris [female]) meet with Principal Tina Hoffman at
5:15pm and are held until the police arrive at 5:30pm to lecture and give a warning
to the students.
6pm-8pm:
From 6pm to 7pm, Principal Hoffman and several members of staff work quietly, then
head to the field. At 6:45pm, student volunteers set up at the entrance to the field and
begin selling tickets to the arriving families. At 7pm, student Alyssa Whitford sings the
national anthem, and the game between the Standstill High Blue Waves and the
Lowland Glen Cougars begins. The Blue Waves finish the first half ahead 17-7 (their
two passing touchdowns and a field goal giving them the advantage). The crowds are
full of spectators, mostly clad in blue.
8pm-10pm:
At 8pm, the halftime show starts–the school band performs a complicated routine
inspired by the animated movie Robin Hood, complete with anthropomorphized animal
costumes and a medieval-flavored horn section. They finish their piece to great
applause and a standing ovation with their arrangement for “Whistle Stop,” the opening
song in the film. At 8:15pm, the game resumes. At 9:15pm, the game ends with a final
score of 30-13 (Standstill High’s rushing touchdown and two field goals besting Lowland
Glen’s two touchdowns). By 9:45pm, the stands are mostly empty, and the scoreboard
still displays the final score proudly. Some families linger in the parking lot, but even it
is empty by 10pm.
10pm-12am:
The school is deserted until 10:15pm, when Ollie Morris and her crew return to the
space under the bleachers. They smoke weed and cigarettes and play a long game
of truth or dare. The game ends at 11pm, when Nancy Zinn refuses to streak for a lap
around the track despite Rita’s daring her to do so. They prepare to go but are a
pproached by a figure in a long cloak (Obedience Foster), who asks them directions
to Chicago. Vinny recommends getting on the interstate west, and the figure begins
to walk west. The group grows quiet and awkward and splits up; by 11:15pm, the
school is silent and empty.
That's all for now. Coming soon: how to use downtime in and out of game, common misconceptions in my homebrew world, and why you don't need to recreate the real world's problems in your gameworld. Until next time, happy gaming!
No comments:
Post a Comment