I had a lot of fun creating this time loop one-shot adventure from a while back, so I thought that for this site's 200th post, I would share another iteration of it. Where Standstill Cove was a 1970s New England town, Hourton City--the setting of this game--is a grungy city in a New York-like setting in the 1980s. This adventure deals with some relatively adult material, so please play responsibly.
So, throw your players into this game. Every time they exhaust the day's time, the game will reset. They'll have to explore the setting, experiment with different strategies, and eventually put it all together to escape the time loop. This system uses no formal rules or dice, and this means that you as the GM will be called upon to improvise a lot of the material. But also, you'll need to make it so that things happen in generally the same way to sell the time loop effect, so there will be a need for balance between the two extremes.
If environmental storytelling and sci-fi are more your thing, consider the Distant Star Space Station Time Loop.
Please have fun with this game!
Hourton City is a large city in 1980s America. Our characters are the residents of one grungy neighborhood in Hourton City. Below is a map of this tiny corner of Hourton City, where the adventure will take place.
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| One small corner of the sprawling Hourton City. |
Players will get to explore the map over a course of five hours, with one hour spent in each location. Players may visit the same location multiple times in a day, but in order to solve the mystery, players will need to visit the correct locations in the correct order. Time starts at 11pm and goes until 4am.
There is no real character creation system. Characters need to have names, but no skills or rules govern this one-shot. The GM will be responsible for deciding how player actions affect the game, mostly along the lines of how cleverly the players respond to problems. The only true rule is that characters must begin the adventure with either no money or a negligible amount of money, which is an important part of the plot.
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.
When 4am arrives, a bright flash of light envelops everyone, and they awaken back where they were at 11pm. 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.
Out-of-game, you as the GM should be aware of the overall story being told here. If you played the Standstill Cove adventure, you may remember the villain, Obedience Foster. In this one-shot, the solution is not defeating any enemy, but rather solving a puzzle. Players must obtain the right special items in the right order for trading and unlocking to escape the time loop. The right items can be found at the following locations at these times:
11pm-Midnight: Solve Charlie Adderley's riddle to win $50 at Bar 17
Midnight-1am: Use the money to buy the false revolver at the police auction at Hourton City Police
1am-2am: Use the false revolver to fix Russian Roulette for Bella Portman at That Buzz Liquor Store in exchange for cocaine
2am-3am: Trade cocaine to Patty Ritz at Turner & Ritz Pawn Shop in exchange for the key
3am-4am: Use key to power the console in the lab
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.
Hourton City
Bar 17
This bar and venue is known among certain groups in Hourton City as the premier site for punk, grunge,
and other alternative scenes to perform. In addition, it is the most popular drinking scene in this neck of the city.
The dingy walls of this establishment are covered in the signed posters of touring bands, and the bathrooms are
so run-down that not a single stall has a working door. The food here is fairly dismal--mostly damp fried foods--
but the owner, Agatha Hendricks, is renowned as a patron saint of the local scenes.
11pm-Midnight: The bar is finishing setting up for a musical performance from local band Negative Authority, a punk group led by Juliet Reign. Bar employees perform sound checks, and Reign laughs with patrons by the bar, starting to grow drunk with no signs of slowing down. More and more customers enter the bar, and Hendricks ushers Reign onto the stage for her sound check, Reign complaining the whole way. At 11:35pm, one patron, a tall and thin man in a suit named Charlie Adderley, holds up a crisp $50 bill, claiming he will give it to anyone who can solve his riddle. His riddle is, "If 2 is company, and 3 is a crowd, what are 4 and 5?" The correct answer is, "9." If the players can solve his riddle (even after hearing the answer before), Adderley happily hands over the money. [Note: This is not the only way players can make $50--a sufficiently clever idea should be allowed to work--but it is the quickest and easiest way to get the money for the fake revolver at the pllice auction to solve the time loop.] A fight breaks out near the door over a spilled drink; the spilled-upon person insists it was purposeful. A few bouncers tell them they can shape up or leave, and both parties agree to walk away. As midnight closes in, the bar offers drink specials, attracting most of the crowd's attention, and everyone else watches the empty stage with anticipation.
Midnight-1am: Though the show was set to begin at midnight, Reign does not take the stage until nearly 12:15; during this time, the crowd grows more and more restless, eventually becoming frustrated. A few fans try chanting "Neg Authority," but many respond by booing. A fight breaks out, spreading to six people. The bouncers eject the instigators and warn the others. Finally, the band takes the stage together to cheers, and they begin their set. They play several of their better-known songs ("Hammer the Oppressors," "Opposite Morality," and "Graffiti"), and the show doesn't lose much momentum when they play a few deeper cuts ("The Truth of All" and "Prison Clothes" among them). They then, around 12:40, play a variety of covers--mostly punk songs, but with some new wave songs as well. The show wraps up around 1am, and most patrons rush back to the bar for another round.
1am-2am: Drummer Clark Erickson and bassist Kyla Benson emerge from backstage and greet fans, signing autographs and chatting with the drunken fans. Soon after, guitarist Jared Miller joins them and does the same. At the same time, the nearest competing bar (The Hot Iron) closed at 1am, and many of its patrons have migrated to Bar 17 to keep their nights going, making the bar an even more crowded space. Around 1:30am, Reign joins the band, and the crowd immediately flocks to her. She refuses to sign autographs, but starts an impromptu Q&A session, answering each question with a long response that changes the topic to something else. After about fifteen minutes of this, owner Agatha Hendricks asks Benson to take Reign backstage again for business's sake. Reign resists at first, but Benson quickly convinces her to leave. Erickson and Miller resume chatting with fans and signing things.
2am-3am: Benson returns from backstage alone and joins her bandmates. Hendricks announces a contest: beat her at a game of darts and win free drinks for the night; lose and you have to buy her a drink. This contest attracts lots of attention, and soon Hendricks has coaxed them into an orderly line. She proceeds to defeat the first nine competitors before 2:30, and after that, is drunk enough to take longer, but never lose. By 3am, she has beaten her 21st competitor and called it a night. (Drink sales go way up during the contest--people crowd the bar.) Around 2:45, the band (minus Reign) takes the stage and begins playing instrumental music in a variety of styles, and many customers gather round for the surprise performance. When asked by a fan, Benson explains that what they are playing is original music they've written when Reign doesn't come to practice.
3am-4am: Hendricks announces one last drink special of the night: a beer and a shot at half price. Again, the bar is flooded by patrons. The band continues to play, and a portion of the crowd, recognizing that all bars close at 4am, begin the process of wrapping up at the bar and head out into the night. This process continues at a fairly constant pace until closing. Around 3:15, Reign emerges from backstage and flies into a rage upon seeing the rest of the band perform without her. She screams inarticulately about how they are nothing without her and how they are not real punks. Benson confers with Erickson and Miller, then tells Reign that they're done with the band, and they're working together now. Reign locks herself backstage, and when coaxing won't work, Hendricks calls the police, and officer Jim Sellers arrives by 3:30. It takes Sellers and Hendricks until just before 4am to get the door open, and Sellers arrests Reign for the variety of drugs with her in the green room.
Felt Royalty
This pool hall is rough around the edges, but it's a popular site for hangouts and especially drug deals--the
restrooms at Felt Royalty are more often a place of illicit business than personal business. Despite the general
rundown appearance of the business itself, the tables are kept quite pristine. Regulars at this pool hall have
broken the jukebox so that it cannot play certain songs--basically anything played on the radio is outlawed.
Dingy grey walls are covered with graffiti and stickers, and the floors are vaguely sticky. Owner/operator
Pete Marx is known to help patrons out if they can beat him in a game of 8-ball.
11pm-Midnight: A 9-ball tournament is wrapping up--it's down to two pairs, then the winners, Edna Jenkins (a tough old biker chick) and Vinny Hudson (a serious player from the northern part of the city). Many of the eliminated players gather around, quietly laying bets on the outcome. The majority of bettors are surprised when Jenkins goes on a spree and wins. Hudson congratulates his opponent and asks for a casual rematch. Some folks go back to their own games, and some watch as Hudson nearly wins, but Jenkins triumphs again with a heavily-spun jump shot. Jenkins leaves with a smile, and Hudson takes to practicing trick shots by himself. By 11:45, most of the tournament's players have left, and the late-night regulars begin to file in. Hudson practices on into the night, a solemn look on his face. At midnight, night manager Sean Olds takes over for day manager Rita Davidson.
Midnight-1am: As business reaches its normal levels around 12:15, a loud creaking sound erupts from the building above the pool hall. The sound repeats a few minutes later, louder. Olds calls the building maintenance person on the phone. As he is wrapping the conversation up, the sound repeats a third time, this time accompanied by a bursting sound. Within seconds, a thick stream of cloudy water is gushing out of the ceiling in a few places: in a hallway leading to the restroom, directly over the walkway in, and above Olds. The water stops flowing after about 30 seconds, leaving a thin layer of dirty water on the tiled floor. Olds grabs a mop and begins tending to the water, explaining that he'd rather be wet than have the tables or the TV wet. Hudson plays on, practicing his trick shots. At 12:40, the repairman arrives and seals the split pipe before leaving by 1am.
1am-2am: Business is quiet as the regulars play their games. Around 1:10, two masked men (one in a lion mask, the other in an Uncle Sam mask) enter the pool hall, the lion with a katana, and the Uncle Sam with a baseball bat. They hold up Olds for all the money in the register, and Olds complies. When they ask for the money in the safe, Olds argues; the argument grows heated, and the lion stabs Olds in the shoulder. The armed men run, and a patron runs behind the desk to check on Olds while another uses the phone to call the police. By 1:30, an ambulance has arrived, and Olds is being treated by paramedic Ella Howard for his wound, which is by no means fatal (but certainly not comfortable, either). Shortly after, officer Jim Sellers arrives and questions Olds and the bystanders about the attack. This process takes until 1am, at which point Sellers leaves to investigate the armed men. Olds remains at the pool hall, intent on keeping it open until normal closing time. Hudson continues to practice trick shots, apparently unfazed.
2am-3am: With the police gone, customers begin to return to the pool hall. Olds mops the floor with his uninjured arm, which takes a while; when a customer offers to help, Olds insists he can do it himself. Interest around Hudson and his consistently-made trick shots mounts, and a small crowd gathers around Hudson. When a few other players ask for pointers and advice, Hudson happily shares different strategies, techniques, and tricks. Soon, Hudson is teaching a handful of players the finer points of banking. Owner Pete Marx enters the building around 2:30 and notices the pool workshop Hudson is providing (not noticing the damage to the building or Olds). Marx challenges Hudson to a trick shot competition, but both make every shot. Eventually, at 2:55, Hudson sinks three balls with one shot, and Marx is unable to match him; Marx offers Hudson free games for a month, and Hudson gladly accepts.
3am-4am: The game completed, Marx notices the water Olds is mopping as well as the heavy bandaging on Olds' shoulder--he chides Olds for not going home and takes the mop to work himself. Olds says he will tend to a few last things and leave. Hudson calls it a night and leaves with a cheer from several players. The remaining players try their hands at various trick shots, failing every time. Marx tells them to focus on fundamentals first, shaking his head as he mops. By 3:30, the pool hall is mostly clean and mostly empty. Olds comes out of the backroom and slips on a puddle of water that Marx missed, sliding across the tiled floor and into a sturdy pool table. He is knocked unconscious by the impact. Marx finds Olds on the floor at 3:45 (after 15 minutes of Olds lying there) and calls the ambulance again. Just before 4am, the ambulance arrives with paramedic Ella Howard, who is shocked to see Olds again. Marx closes the pool hall at 4am.
No Mercy Tattoo
This tattoo shop is famous for two reasons--firstly, head artist Zach Tebbeck is among the most talented artists
and tattooers in the city and beyond, and secondly, the shop has a strict policy forbidding any type of pain
relief. Tebbeck's belief is that a tattoo is earned, and the pain is a necessary part of the process. The shop is
painted entirely in black and dark blues and purples, meant to resemble the appearance of a bruise. The shop
does accept walk-ins, but at a higher fee: a scheduled tattoo base rate is $100, but a walk-in starts at $150.
Players can get tattoos if they wish--based on the size and complexity of the tattoo, this should take between
one and three hours. (Ignore anything larger than a standard paperback book--that would take more time than
the one-shot allows.)
11pm-Midnight: Three artists work at No Mercy Tattoo. Owner Zach Tebbeck leads the operation along with Brynn Anselm (who specializes in classic and blackwork styles) and Rye Trafford (who specializes in photorealistic and neorealistic styles)--Tebbeck works comfortably in any style. This late night shop opens at 11pm, and Tebbeck is immediately hard at work on a customer with a large back tattoo of a Chinese-style dragon. When the shop opens, Anselm is working on a sketch for a later piece, and Trafford is in the backroom smoking cannabis. Things are generally quiet until 11:20, when a walk-in customer named Frida Bernard comes in seeking an ankle tattoo. Anselm explains that the ankle is a sensitive spot and may be painful; she reminds the customer of the no pain relief policy. Bernard examines the artist books of each of the shop's artists until 11:45, then decides to go elsewhere for a less painful tattoo. By midnight, Tebbeck has tattooed the outline of the dragon.
Midnight-1am: At midnight, a scheduled customer for Anselm arrives; from 12:05-12:50, Anselm is inking a sinking ship onto a middle-aged man's shoulder (the man braves his tattoo with grimaces but no complaints). Meanwhile, Trafford draws idly for half an hour; at 12:30, he leaves the shop to buy a sandwich at a deli down the street. He returns at 12:45 and soon greets another walk-in customer, a burly man named Len Sharp. Sharp asks for an anchor on his neck and waves away the pain warning. Trafford draws a quick design of an anchor, which Sharp rejects; the second design is also rejected, but by 1am, they have settled on a fairly realistic anchor with detailed shading. Tebbeck continues to work on his customer, finishing the shading by 1am.
1am-2am: Another walk-in customer enters the shop and speaks with Anselm about a thigh tattoo of a bleeding skull; after a bit of haggling over details, Anselm draws a design. By 1:15am, the customer, Lisa Green agrees to the design and warily says she will accept the pain. Anselm begins to work on the piece. Meanwhile, Trafford begins the neck tattoo on Sharp. Sharp immediately leans away from the needles and accuses Trafford of deliberately being too rough. Trafford denies this and suggests that Sharp can't handle it, which causes Sharp to insist he continue. Within five minutes, Sharp leaps from the chair and demands his money back. When Trafford refuses (based on shop policy), Sharp promises he'll be back. Anselm asks if she should call someone, and Trafford assures her things are fine. Anselm's customer continues on without issue, and her piece is nearly done by 2am. By this time, Tebbeck has inked the majority of the color of the dragon tattoo (a prismatic spectrum of colors).
2am-3am: Trafford leaves the shop again, this time for a soda. Anselm continues to work on the bleeding skull tattoo and strikes up friendly conversation with her customer, Lisa Green. They soon discover that Green and Anselm are from the same small town across the country and that they went to the same college for a time. Anselm pauses working on the tattoo to focus on the conversation, and from 2:20 to 2:35, the two simply talk, Anselm assuring Green that the time clock isn't running if the ink isn't flowing. Trafford returns to the shop with a soda and a hunting magazine and reads it while sitting at the front desk. By 3am, Anselm's tattoo is wrapped up, and she and Green are happily chatting. Trafford has taken to sketching various images from the hunting magazine. By 3am, Tebbeck has finished the coloring on the dragon piece, and the customer is unmoving.
3am-4am: Around 3:10, Green leaves the shop, promising to come back to visit. Anselm returns to sketching, this time a globe with raised ridges for mountains. Tebbeck puts the finishing touches on the tattoo and begins a rigorous cleaning up process; the customer arises with the completed dragon tattoo and wearily sits down for a moment. By 3:30, all is quiet in the shop, and Tebbeck and the dragon tattoo customer head for the front desk to finish up. As they get there, disgruntled customer Sharp barges into the shop wearing brass knuckles, yelling about Trafford. Tebbeck and the customer resist him; Sharp punches the customer, who sprawls to the floor, and Tebbeck jumps on Sharp, subduing the man despite Sharp's large size advantage. Anselm asks if she should call the police--Tebbeck pushes Sharp out of the shop and refuses to have the police enter his shop. The dragon tattoo customer waits in the shop with the tattoo artists until just before 4am, when they all close down the shop and leave into the night.
Big Family Laundromat
This affordable laundromat is large and generally well-kept; it's clean, and the machines are in working order.
Because of this and the price, this is one of the more popular laundromats in any part of the city. But aside from
being a common site of legitimate business, the laundromat is also a front for the local chapter of the mob.
Owner Angelo Rossi is a low-level member of the Benedetto crime family--his bosses have made use of his
laundromat as a location for holding prisoners, and indeed the backroom at the laundromat regularly has some
enemy of the mob held captive behind closed doors.
11pm-Midnight: The laundromat is in normal operation: dozens of people from across Hourton City gather to clean their clothes in awkward silence. People sit, staring at the rotating washing machines with the suds swirling around inside, listening to the collective hum of a score of rumbling dryers. An elderly woman folds her dark clothing after loading her damp lights into the dryer while a young man naps in front of the machines holding his clothes. A technician, under the certain eye of owner Angelo Rossi, works on a broken washing machine, and the two talk business casually as the technician works. Little happens before 11:30, when a police car stops outside. The officer inside emerges--officer Wendell Yetch--and begins harassing an unhoused woman on the street. Several customers wander outside to watch, and one--Margot Thomas--yells at Yetch, telling him to leave the poor woman alone. Yetch and Thomas argue for a while, but eventually Yetch leaves, and the customers return inside.
Midnight-1am: As the hours pass, most customers leave, but they are replaced by a different group: mob operatives. By 12:15, there are seven mob operatives doing laundry--close inspection of the clothes they're laundering shows that blood stains the majority of the garments. They seem to acknowledge one another without speaking, simply tending to their work silently with cautious glances at the others. At 12:30, Rossi emerges from the back and quietly invites each of these operatives into the backroom. Behind closed doors, they discuss various plans and strategies to serve Rossi's interests. Rossi in particular argues that combatting the police directly will serve their goals most in the long run. At 12:45, an eighth operative arrives at the laundromat late and knocks on the door to the backroom to be let in. Rossi lectures them on timeliness and eventually lets them in. Until 1am, the gathered operatives take orders from Rossi, then depart. Rossi resumes patrolling the laundromat, checking machines and speaking quietly to customers.
1am-2am: Business is quiet until 1:10am, at which point an argument breaks out between two customers (Tim Grossman and Viv Suzette) over who was in line for the next available machine--Suzette argues that she was first, and the machine she chose was broken; therefore, the first working machine should be hers, and Grossman argues that the machine he chose worked, so it's only fair. Rossi steps in to resolve the situation, and by 1:20am, both Suzette and Grossman were quietly using separate machines. At 1:35, one of the mob operatives--Carla Whitford--returns to the laundromat in a panic, quietly telling Rossi that another operative--Andy Carmona--was killed in a conflict with the rival Bianci family. Rossi orders her to gather the rest of the operatives and meet back at the laundromat as soon as possible. Whitford leaves, at 1:50, Rossi begins to quietly tell customers to leave for regular maintenance and to leave their clothes in the machines. By 2am, the laundromat is empty of customers, the lights turned off.
2am-3am: Rossi anxiously paces the laundromat until the operatives arrive at 2:10am. In the main room of the laundromat in the dark, they recount their versions of events, and Rossi begins to explain a plan. He says that with careful execution, Rossi and the Benedettos could strike at both the Biancis and the police without any risk if they make it look like the Biancis attacked the police and vice versa. Several of the operatives are resistant to this idea based on risk, but Rossi insists that it's an order. The operatives discuss plans and details until 2:40, when they depart. Rossi goes out into the street and calls for his customers to return, and they do. One customer, Gene Butterfield, quietly tells Rossi that he knows why the shop was closed, and Rossi invites Butterfield into the backroom to talk privately. Butterfield agrees, and when the door is safely closed, Rossi stabs Butterfield repeatedly, killing him. Rossi changes clothes since his original outfit is bloodstained and shakily resumes tending to his business by 3am.
3am-4am: The laundromat is quiet, and the remaining customers are finishing up their work before the laundromat closes at 4am. By 3:10, only three customers remain, and the seven remaining operatives cautiously enter the place one at a time, headed for the backroom. Rossi allows them each in when they identify themselves. When all are gathered, Rossi reveals the dead body of Butterfield, and the operatives regard it more as extra work than a complete surprise. They report that one operative killed a police officer while posing as a Bianci operative while another killed a Bianci operative while posing as the police. They insist that no one knows otherwise. Rossi pays them all considerable bonuses for their work and tells them to meet again the following day. They leave, and Rossi once again tends to his business, wiping down silent machines into the night.
Hourton University Science Lab
Once the gem of Hourton City's university, the science lab has seen better days. Its once-shiny halls are now
poorly-illuminated by flickering lights that entirely fail in some sections of the lab. The doors are oddly
unlocked, and the hallways are utterly empty. Strange devices dot the site, and a few are worth noting: a
massive centrifuge that a person could fit in (but shouldn't--it will kill the passenger at full speed), an
AI-operated dog robot with humanoid hands, a device which melts down plastics and creates new shapes
from them, and a huge panel of unlabeled buttons on a broad console (which is impossible to turn on without
the key from Turner & Ritz Pawn Shop). Pressing the correct button on the console will end the time loop,
but the players must first know how to operate the machine. Spending half an hour reading from the library's
section of instruction manuals will reveal how any of the devices work well enough to operate them, including
information on the button-covered console. [Note: the lab equipment required to escape the time loop can only
be found here after 3:30am.]
11pm-Midnight: A city inspector (Tracy Oakford) is making sure the lab is still structurally up to code, and she are carefully checking supports and general integrity in each room. Because she are so focused on her task, they can be easily avoided, but she might enter a room to investigate it with the players in it if they aren't careful. Around 11:30, Oakford finds a sagging archway and makes a note in a notebook and spends several minutes checking connecting hallways to see if the issue exists elsewhere. She finishes up her work and is gone by 11:50pm, placing a padlock on the door but forgetting to lock it. She also forgets her travel mug on a counter near the front door.
Midnight-1am: The lab is quiet for a time, with only stray mice and insects around; at 12:25pm, a pair of thieves (Darla Cantor and Jeff Zinn) enter the lab in search of spare parts and salvageable materials. They remove some copper piping from a broken refrigerating device and a small collection of industrial tools from the lab proper. They also search the storage room and steal a number of appliances. They are trying to move quickly to avoid being caught, and they finish their sweep of the lab by 12:50. However, on the way out, they get lost in the labyrinthine hallways of the lab, and they end up stuck in the lab until after 1am.
1am-2am: At 1:05am, inspector Oakford returns to get her forgotten travel mug and discovers the doors open. She cautiously enters the lab, and at 1:15, she runs into Cantor and Zinn as they carry valuables out of the lab. She demands they halt, but they approach and tie her up in electrical cords when her defense isn't enough for both of them. They place her in the storage room of the lab and close the door before heading back to where they ran into her. By 1:40, Cantor and Zinn have made it out of the lab with their haul, and Oakford vainly yells from the storage room for help. By 1:55, Oakford has given up on yelling and sets to work trying to squirm free. If discovered, Oakford will look past the trespassing required to be in the building and thank the players for saving her (this remains true for the remainder of the game).
2am-3am: All is quiet until 2:10, when college student Ruby Hall breaks into the lab and heads in a practiced maneuver to the library. By flashlight, she reads from the more conceptual of the library's books--tonight, she reads a thick tome called Interdimensional Space and Its Applications. She sits quietly in the library, reading. If approached, she will try to hide or run, but if it is clear that no one means her harm, she will explain that many of the university's best books are still located here in the defunct lab. Hall speaks dismissively of most of the work done in the lab, though she has respect for the more theoretical of their devices. Whether interrupted or not, Hall is adamant about exiting the lab at 3am sharp so that she can get back home in time for her job as a baker.
3am-4am: Nothing is amiss at the lab until 3:35, when an electrical surge causes all the electronic devices in the lab to power on for five straight minutes before suddenly shutting down. This means that basic devices like microwaves and refrigerators go into full operating mode, but the lab itself is protected by a failsafe which prevents current from flowing to the experimental devices. If, however, the players reverse the switch on the failsafe (located next to the door to the lab itself) by turning the key that can be bought at Turner & Ritz Pawn Shop, the failsafe will deactivate, and the large console of buttons will turn on. Pressing the right button on the console ("Temporal Feedback Deactivator," among other choices such as "Internal Regulator Engine," "Corporeal Form Distorter," "Electromagnetic Field Amplifier," and "Psychophysical Vibration Modulator") will counteract the time loop effect, freeing the players from their temporal prison. If the time loop is cancelled, a huge bluish-white light will envelop Hourton City.
That Buzz Liquor
This liquor store has thrived by offering low prices and lower scrutiny on IDs. With bare white walls and
stand-up cardboard figures holding alcohol, the shop is frequented by all manner of people, ranging from the
unhoused to the upper class, all coming seeking a quick and cheap way to buy liquor. Manager Bella Portman
runs the place with an iron fist, but she also conducts side businesses including cannabis and cocaine sales,
lines on local sex workers, and a hidden gambling den in the basement. Bella is assisted by young Eric
Jensen, who cleans and closes the establishment. [Note: The cocaine required to solve the puzzle can only be
found here at 1:10am.]
11pm-Midnight: Business is booming as many customers come in for quick purchases. Manager Bella Portman deals with customers; at 11:10, an irate customer without money to pay for his whiskey begins to make a scene, but Portman has ushered him out of the store by 11:15. A large group celebrating a bachelor party enters and buys a huge amount of liquor, and Portman alternate flirts with the men and shuts them down when they get fresh--they are gone by 11:35. Assistant Eric Jensen unloads a fresh shipment of malt liquor, which Portman tried to sell all incoming customers on (mostly successfully). By midnight, the store is in full swing, and Portman seems in her element as she charms her customers.
Midnight-1am: Portman continues helping customers. At 12:15, a regular customer in a colorful suit comes in an asks for the "double proof special"--Portman smiles and dials the phone. A few minutes later, a scantily-clad young woman walks in and joins the man in the colorful suit; after a brief quiet discussion, they leave together, but not before the man pays Portman for her help. Around 12:25, a police officer (Ada Crenshaw) arrives to inspect the business after reports of sex work had been called in. Portman denies any involvement and says she is disgusted by the implication. Crenshaw leaves around 12:45, and minutes later, another customer also orders the "double proof special." Portman performs the same service, another girl appearing minutes afterward, and Portman instructs both the customer and the girl to be careful since the police are watching. Jensen cleans the exterior of the shop.
1am-2am: At 1am sharp, a group of wealthier individuals appear and try to look like they're shopping for alcohol. Quickly, Portman shepherds them all into a backroom, closing and locking the door before allowing them into the secret gambling den in the basement. She instructs the group that she has a special game lined up for tonight and heads back upstairs. From 1:10am until 1:30am, Portman is looking for someone to help her--she will render any service she can to someone who would be willing to fix a betting game. Specifically, she has the high rollers betting on Russian Roulette, and she needs someone with a false revolver. If the players agree to help, Portman will guide them down to the gamblers, introduce them as specially-trained safety experts, and use their false revolver in the game. The gamblers will be suspicious and ask questions of them, but sufficiently clever answers from the players will assuage them. The big round of Russian Roulette (in which everyone is safe) is over by 1:45am, and while many gamblers will be unhappy with the outcome, Portman will placate them and safely send the players on their way. If the players are not present, Portman's scheme will fail, but no major changes to the timeline will happen. Jensen organizes and faces products on shelves.
2am-3am: The clientele of the liquor store becomes more and more polarized--essentially all customers at this time are either high rollers still partying or the unhoused. Portman serves both groups politely. At 2:10, a wealthy patron (Kate Bernard) quietly asks Portman for cannabis; Portman pretends not to understand, but when Bernard persists, Portman talks business. Reaching a deal, Portman retrieves a black plastic bag and places it in a paper bag with a cheap bottle of beer. Bernard takes it and leaves happily. Portman continues to tend to the customers while taking a working lunch break from 2:20 to 2:40. At 2:45, a biker (Sid Dodd) enters the shop and loudly asks for cocaine. Portman again refuses to acknowledge the drug request, and Dodd insists that she sells cocaine. Portman demands that he leave; he demands cocaine. After a tense negotiation, Portman gets Dodd to agree to leave and come back another time, this time being more cautious; Dodd sheepishly agrees and leaves. Jensen stocks bottles, nimbly moving between customers.
3am-4am: Police officer Ada Crenshaw returns to the liquor store around 3:05am, telling Portman that people reported a biker talking about buying cocaine from her establishment. Portman talks around the details, managing by 3:25 to convince Crenshaw that everything is a big misunderstanding. Adopting a different tactic, Crenshaw begins to question Jensen, who is wiping clean the glass cases holding the refrigerated beverages around the store. Jensen answers questions carefully, but Crenshaw grows suspicious. On a particularly difficult question, Jensen hesitates too long, and Portman offers an answer for him. He snaps, claiming she treats him like he's stupid, and tells Crenshaw all about Portman's various illegal activities. Stunned into silence, Portman is cuffed and carted away by Crenshaw, leaving Jensen alone in the shop. He gathers the drug stashes he knows about and leaves the shop unlocked.
Turner & Ritz Pawn Shop
This pawn shop is full of a colossal array of objects. Jewelry, fine clothing, and knick knacks cover the many
shelves. Swords and firearms are mounted on the far wall over boxes of ammunition. Essentially any object
which wouldn't be literally impossible to find can be found here (remember that you can include ridiculous
items but give them commensurate prices). Owner/operators Tammy Turner and Patty Ritz run the place almost
entirely by themselves, known to the neighborhood as shrewd negotiators who are ultimately fair. Fearful of
theft, they have installed a complex theft detection machine and employed a security officer (Bill Crallick),
whose keen eyes are just as effective as the machine. [Note: The key used to solve the puzzle in the lab can only
be found here after 2:35am.]
11pm-Midnight: Tammy and Patty are operating the store, Tammy haggling over purchases and Patty negotiating sales. Between 11:00 and 11:30, Tammy buys an 1891 dictionary, a fine tea set with cattails painted onto it, and a color television in fairly good condition. During the same time, Patty sells a switchblade with a skull on the handle, an old wedding dress, and a grandfather clock. At 11:35, a customer enters carrying a handheld radio and tries to sell it to Tammy. She identifies it as a stolen police radio based on the serial number. Security officer Bill Crallick is immediately upon the customer and escorts them out the door; Tammy stealthily places the police radio behind the counter. Between 11:40 and midnight, business continues--Tammy buys a golden pocketwatch with visible gears and a painting of Ernest Hemingway while Patty sells a brass sculpture of a pagoda and a silver hairbrush.
Midnight-1am: Shortly after midnight, a pair of tough-looking guys (who refuse to give their names under any condition) come into the shop to buy a weapons. After considering the firearms (and the warnings and listed laws next to them), the men pick up a katana and a baseball bat along with masks of a lion and Uncle Sam. Patty eyes Crallick as the men leave, and he nods. Between 12:10 and 12:35, business continues; Tammy buys a collection of semi-rare coins, a book of photographs and newspaper clippings, and a gold-plated fountain pen, and Patty sells a cassette player, an acoustic guitar, and a set of matched dishes. At 12:45, a drunk customer (Ed Blackwell) demands admittance to the bathroom; when Tammy explains that there is no public restroom, Blackwell gets belligerent. Tammy tries to reason with him, but eventually Crallick escorts Blackwell out of the store. Blackwell tries to immediately reenter, and Tammy and Patty are forced to close the store until Blackwell gives up and goes away just before 1am.
1am-2am: Business continues: between 1am and 1:25, Tammy buys a vintage bottle of Riesling, a set of fine wooden dice, and an accordion while Patty sells a faded American flag, a monogrammed letter opener, and a scooter. At 1:30, a regular customer named Talia Fairfield enters the shop and holds onto a violin she had to sell to the shop, lightly playing a beautiful melody. She makes a small payment on the violin. Patty watches sadly, and after a moment, she offers to let Fairfield take the violin home as long as she keeps making payments. Fairfield excitedly agrees and leaves with the instrument. Between 1:40 and 2am, more sales commence: Tammy buys an antique drink cart, a necklace with a tree pendant, and a key simply marked HUSL [this is the key needed for the lab puzzle], and Patty sells a stack of books about the history, exercise equipment, and a pair of fine leather boots.
2am-3am: At 2:05am, the store is relatively quiet apart from some business talk between Tammy and Patty. At 2:10, the men who bought the weapons return and say they want to return their purchases. Patty inspects the katana and finds smeared blood on it, and she refuses to accept it, threatening to call the police. The men threaten her with the weapons, but before the threat can be acted upon, Crallick cracks both men on the head with a weighted club, then drags their unconscious bodies outside and locks the door until police officer Jim Sellers at 2:25; the men are arrested and gone by 2:35. The shop resumes normal operation. [This is the only time that players can buy the key--Patty knows the key is probably very valuable, so she demands cocaine as payment.] From 2:45 to 3am, business continues--Tammy buys a car stereo system and decorative triangular mirror, and Patty sells some toys which were once considered collectibles and some folding chairs.
3am-4am: At 3:10am, Crallick steps outside for a smoke break when there are no customers in the store. Tammy and Patty begin speaking affectionately, and as Crallick returns, he sees them kiss. Crallick blows up, yelling offensive things about lesbians; Tammy walks away, furious, and Patty argues with him. Their argument lasts until 3:25, at which point Crallick angrily quits and leaves. If the players gave Patty the cocaine for the key, she and Tammy will close the shop at 3:30am and do the cocaine in the rear office; if the players have not done that, Patty will go to That Buzz Liquor and try to buy booze, only to discover that the shop is closed. In the meantime, Tammy will be pacing the store and reorganizing inventory nervously. By 3:50, they have locked up and left to spend the night together at Tammy's apartment.
Hourton City Police
The police station, housed in a stately old building of granite and marble, is one of the busier precincts in
Hourton City. Crimes in this area have steadily climbed for a few years, but police are spread too thin to combat
it. To this end, police chief Warren Nelson is campaigning for an increase in funds, and this has distracted him.
His second-in-command, Marcus Reynolds, has been effectively running the precinct, and not terribly well. As
a result, players stand a small chance of talking their way out of an arrest or a jail cell. Within the police station
is a prison area, police offices, chief Nelson's office, an evidence room, and the locker room and armory.
Sneaking into any of these areas is extremely difficult and should only be granted if the player is using a
clever strategy. If a player actually goes into the police station, they will be met by Officer Rose Flannery,
a young cadet who serves as receptionist, problem solver, and first line of defense for the station--she will
assist the players with anything they need (she will resist allowing players to speak to Nelson or Reynolds, but
could be convinced if she believed the players had good intentions). [Note: The false revolver required to help
Portman at That Buzz Liquor Store can only be found here at 12:15am.]
11pm-Midnight: Chief Warren Nelson is hard at work on his office, trying to come up with a way to appeal to the larger government for more funding. Second-in-command Marcus Reynolds is overseeing the precinct and tending to issues. Officer Rose Flannery is operating the front desk, greeting people with problems and solving what she can. Between 11pm and 11:40, Reynolds oversees a personnel issue (three officers arguing about a law interpretation), answers questions for chief Nelson, and organizes a meeting of Hourton City beat cops. Meanwhile, Flannery dispatches officers to a distress call at an apartment building, gives a brief tour to visiting officers from another precinct, and records check-ins from roving officers. At 11:45pm, a uniformed officer enters the precinct, and Flannery doesn't recognize them--she radios for backup, and the fake officer is reveal after questioning to be performing a social experiment to see how police are treated. The fake officer (Brendan Jameson) is ultimately allowed to leave without charges, but is given a heavy warning.
Midnight-1am: Reynolds runs an impromptu hearing with an officer accused of malfeasance while Flannery talks down a Hourton City resident who is upset that the police aren't doing enough to help average people. At 12:15am, officer Jim Sellers oversees a police auction: on sale are an old squad car ($2,000), a set of contractor's tools ($75), an all-terrain vehicle or ATV ($100), a nice camera ($30), and a false revolver ($50). [Note: In order to help Bella Portman at That Buzz Liquor and solve the time loop puzzle, players will need to buy the false revolver, and this is the only time and place to do so.] Each of the items except the false revolver are purchased by members of the crowd. During the auction, at 12:25, Flannery dispatches officer Ada Crenshaw to That Buzz Liquor following reports of sex work being facilitated there. The auction wraps up by 12:40am, at which point Reynolds checks in on Nelson and helps with some brainstorming, and Flannery dials for an ambulance when an injured citizen walks in--the ambulance is on-site by 12:50, and the injured citizen is taken to the hospital.
1am-2am: At 1:05am, officer Ada Crenshaw returns to the precinct. She and Flannery speak privately for a few minutes about ways they are stealing from the precinct and from criminals. Flannery is back to her desk by 1:15, and Crenshaw leaves, returning to the streets. Reynolds works until 1:30 at his desk on a proposal to expand police rights, referencing notes from a police chief in a neighboring city about what language to use in convincing lawmakers. Nelson takes a break during this time, answering questions from cadets and officers in the breakroom. At 1:30, Flannery dispatches Jim Sellers to Felt Royalty in response to a robbery report. At 1:45am, a collection of concerned citizens enter the precinct and try to begin a demonstration against the police, mostly due to unfair treatment of citizens. Flannery bargains with them for a while, but by 1:55am, a group of officers appears and force the citizens out of the precinct.
2am-3am: At 2:05am, a hostage situation with four captives emerges in a neighboring precinct, and all officers not currently dispatched gather around the police radio in the dispatch room. Flannery sourly covers the front desk, another police radio turned down low beside her. By 2:15, both Nelson and Reynolds have left their offices to join in listening--at the same time, Flannery dispatches Jim Sellers to Turner and Ritz Pawn Shop on a report of an attempt assault and robbery, the perpetrators apparently deal with. Around 2:25, the hostage situation escalates as the abductor reveals another hostage. By 2:40, police storm the building with the hostages; the abductor kills two hostages, but the other three are saved. The ending of this situation is not totally clear until 2:50, at which point Nelson commands all the officers to get back to work. Flannery dispatches officer Crenshaw to That Buzz Liquor Store again, and Crenshaw departs at 2:55.
3am-4am: At 3:05am, Nelson calls Reynolds into his office. The two discuss a new strategy for getting legal support: bribery. Reynolds is initially resistant, but Nelson manages to convince him to participate by 3:20am. Up to that point, Flannery had been idly cleaning her desk; at 3:20, she dispatches Jim Sellers to Bar 17 on report of a dispute possibly involving trespassing. At 3:30am, there is a power surge which effects larger presences on the grid like the science lab and the police station. Power goes down across the precinct, causing chaos. Nelson and Reynolds quietly leave the darkened building, and Flannery tries ineffectively to calm incoming citizens who are worried about their safety. At 3:40, Ada Crenshaw returns to the precinct with Bella Portman in cuffs, and Flannery assists her in locking the woman up. Sellers returns to the precinct at 3:55 with Juliet Reign in cuffs, and she too is locked up. At 4am, power returns, and the police station returns to business as usual.
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