TEXT: The Falls
  A Tale from the Great Lakes
  By Matthew J. Hanson
  
  2
  Written by: Matthew J. Hanson
  Edited by: Craig Hargraves
  Art by: Joyce Maureira
  Title and Icons by: Hart Rieckhof
  Broken Earth: The Falls published by Sneak Attack Press, Copyright 2019.
  Sneak Attack Press and the Sneak Attack Press logo trademarked by Sneak Attack Press.
  www.sneakattackpress.com
  www.facebook.com/sneakattackpress
  www.twitter.com/SneakAttackPres
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at 
  www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle 
  Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, 
  viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
  The Falls
  A Tale from the Great Lakes
  
  3
  The Falls
  A Tale from the Great Lakes
  Money is power? Knowledge is power? Maybe where 
  you come from, but around here, power is power.
  People have always admired Niagara Falls, from the 
  indigenous people who settled there long before 
  Europeans arrived, to the tourists who flocked there up 
  until the Great War. It is a thing of beauty and power, and 
  it was one of the first locations tapped for hydroelectric 
  generators. 
   
  The twin cities of Niagara Falls, New York and 
  Ontario were not hit directly in the Great War but were 
  soon abandoned in the chaos that followed. They lay 
  empty for decades, except for the occasional scrappers 
  who searched them for ever-decreasing salvage. These 
  scrappers spread rumors of drones left over from the 
  Great War, further dissuading people from exploring the 
  ruins.
   
  Then Ma Parker and her associates arrived. She and 
  her scrapper crew refurbished several buildings, repaired 
  the hydroelectric generators, and got electricity flowing 
  to what was now a single city, known as the Falls, that 
  straddles the Niagara River. The Falls thrives and is 
  famous for the electric lights that brighten the sky at 
  night. Travelers flock to its trading posts, gambling dens, 
  saloons, and entertainment halls. Some claim the Falls is 
  decadent and filled with immorality, but the people who 
  live there see it as the best chance for humanity’s survival.
   
  Ma Parker reigns over the Falls. She controls many of 
  the businesses directly, and controls the rest indirectly, 
  because she controls the power. If somebody displeases 
  her, they lose their electricity as a warning to either quickly 
  make amends or get out of town. Those that ignore her 
  warnings get a once in a lifetime chance to see the falls up 
  close and personal.
  Ma Parker’s Secret
  Ma Parker projects the image of a self-made woman who 
  literally built her empire from a pile of scrap, but in truth, 
  she had more than a little help, and not just from the 
  people in her crew. 
  
  Phoenix Station 
  Epsilon
  4
   
  Ma Parker did not restart Niagara’s electrical power 
  stations; indeed they never stopped. Less than 20 
  miles from the power plants, but buried 1,000 feet 
  underground, lies Phoenix Station Epsilon, one of the 
  underground bunkers designed to withstand nuclear 
  war. Most of these stations are powered by micro 
  nuclear reactors, but Epsilon instead drew its power 
  from Niagara Falls. To maintain the facilities, they 
  deployed semi-autonomous drones that could repair 
  themselves, as well as any other problems with the 
  hydropower. 
   
  Most people of Broken Earth view any kind of 
  drone as a remnant of the Great War and steer well 
  clear of them, but Ma Parker, ever curious, wanted to 
  learn more. Before long she deduced their purpose, 
  and thus the existence of the Phoenix Station. She 
  contacted them with an offer: she and her associates 
  would help maintain the power plant in exchange for 
  knowledge and the right to all the extra power that 
  Epsilon didn’t need. After they quibbled, she reminded 
  them that life is hard up topside, and at lot of people 
  would love to break into a cushy place like the Station 
  Epsilon. Not Ma Parker of course, but it would be a 
  shame if the secret got out and something happened.
   
  So, Epsilon Station made a deal. They gave Ma 
  Parker the information and expertise she requested 
  to harness her share of the power, while they got the 
  power they needed and the right to remain anonymous. 
  The Falls Today
  The Falls is one the largest settlements in Broken Earth, 
  and it is a commercial center for the people of the 
  region.
  Ma Parker
  Ma Parker is an intelligent and shrewd woman. She was 
  born into a crew of roaming scrappers and even as a 
  little girl, loved to take apart pre-war devices she found 
  to see how they worked. Her skill with scrap, along 
  with her powerful charisma, saw her leading her band 
  of scrappers by the time she was twenty. Shortly after 
  that, she discovered the power generating stations at 
  Niagara and single-handedly got them up and running 
  again (so the story goes), and from there built one of 
  the most powerful empires in present-day Broken 
  Earth.
   
  Now in her fifties, Ma Parker remains just as quick 
  with machines as ever and has only gotten shrewder 
  with age. She recognizes the power that she wields and 
  is not afraid to use it. Despite several offers, Ma Parker 
  has never married and has no family, though she insists 
  that her crew and her city are all her children.
   
  Ma Parker is below average height and has a stocky 
  build. She keeps herself fit, though has put on a few 
  pounds in her later years. She has dark tan skin and 
  long black hair that she keeps in a long braid. 
  Hart Plaza
  Dover
  The Falls
  Ronto
  
  5
  Ma Parker
  Race: Human
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Common Knowledge d10, Fighting d4, Intimidation 
  d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Repair d10, Research d8, 
  Science d10, Shooting d8
  Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7(2)
  Gear: Revolver (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, 
  RoF 1, AP 1), survival knife (Str+d4), kevlar vest 
  (+2), tablet computer, professional walkie-
  talkie
  Hindrances: 
  Curious, 
  Overconfident, 
  Vengeful (Minor)
  Edges: Charismatic, Command, Hold the 
  Line, Level Headed, McGyver, Rich 
  N23
  Using knowledge she gained from 
  Phoenix Station Epsilon, Ma Parker 
  restored and reprogrammed an old 
  maintenance drone she discovered in 
  the ruins of Buffalo. As drones have 
  become the stuff of legend in post-war 
  Broken Earth, most people are in awe 
  of N23, and Ma Parker uses the drone 
  to impress her allies and intimidate 
  her rivals. Despite the hype, the drone’s 
  combat capabilities are mediocre at best, but 
  damaging N23 would anger Ma Parker, which 
  would be far more lethal. 
   
  Though the drone is not sapient, Ma Parker 
  programmed it with basic language capabilities, and 
  because it amuses her, she has programmed much of 
  its dialogue based on pre-war movies she recovered, 
  including lines like, “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do 
  that,” “Would you like to play a game?” and “Hasta la vista, 
  baby.”
  Maintenance Drone
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Notice d8, Repair d8, Science d6
  Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 6
  Special Abilities
  • Construct: +2 to recover from being Shaken; ignores 
  1 point of Wound penalties; does not breathe or suffer 
  from disease or poison.
  • Fearless: Drones are immune to Fear and Intimida-
  tion but may be smart enough to react to Fear-causing 
  situations appropriately.
  • Internal Tools: Maintenance Drones have a wide 
  array of built-in tools and do not need external tools for 
  most tasks. 
  Ma Parker’s Crew
  Ma Parker’s crew has grown from the dozen members of 
  her original scrapper gang, to over a hundred. The crew 
  is not simply those who work for Ma Parker, after all, 
  everybody in the Falls works for her one way 
  or another, instead it is a prestigious class 
  of elites who run the town. To join her 
  crew, people have to earn Ma Parker’s 
  trust by proving their competence 
  and loyalty. In the early days she 
  vetted 
  everybody 
  personally, 
  but as her crew and her empire 
  has grown, she now relies on 
  established members of her crew 
  to bring in new blood, but she 
  always insists on meeting them 
  personally to welcome them into 
  the family. 
   The crew attracts a range 
  of personalities and skill 
  sets, and Ma Parker 
  assigns 
  them 
  the 
  most important jobs 
  in the Falls, such as 
  maintaining the power 
  plants, patrolling the 
  streets, and keeping track 
  of the money, making the 
  crew the de facto government in 
  the Falls. 
  Law and Order
  Just as they run the rest of the Falls, Ma Parker’s crew 
  enforces the law, and the only law is whatever Ma says, 
  goes. Ma frowns on activities that disrupt her city, 
  including theft, murder, vandalism, and assault, thus 
  her crew try to prevent these crimes when possible, and 
  punishes the perpetrators when not. 
   
  When crew enforcers witness a crime, when there’s 
  a confession, or when there’s overwhelming evidence, 
  members of the crew dole out punishment on the spot. 
  When circumstances are less clear, the case goes before 
  one of Ma Parker’s handpicked magistrates, or—if the 
  accused is a member of the crew—to Ma Parker herself. 
   
  Just as there are no set laws, there are also no 
  set punishments, but there are some common ones. 
  Confiscating property is the most common response for 
  minor infractions, such as participating in a bar brawl, 
  while large crimes result in exile or execution, and the 
  most popular form of execution is sending the perpetrator 
  over the waterfalls.
  
  6
  Chips
  Like most of Broken Earth, Ma Parker’s crew initially 
  operated on a barter economy, trading their scrap for food. 
  Then one of Ma’s lieutenants named Shades Hamilton 
  opened a casino and changed everything. 
   
  Low-stakes gambling of goods is common throughout 
  Broken Earth, but it is challenging on a larger scale. After 
  all, everybody at the table needs to agree on the value 
  of items for stakes to be equal. Shades paired his casino 
  with a pawn shop that traded goods for salvaged pre-
  war casino chips. If the player came back a winner, they 
  got back whatever they came with and could trade their 
  excess chips for more from the store, but if they lost, the 
  casino claimed their goods to sell to somebody else.
   
  Before long the people near the Falls started to accept 
  chips as payment from Ma Parker’s crew with the promise 
  that they could trade them in at the casino store, and then 
  started trading them with each other. 
   
  Now that Shades has introduced this casino chip 
  economy, he monitors it closely. He has a stash of pre-
  war chips that he introduces slowly into the system as the 
  community grows, and he is always on the lookout for 
  counterfeit chips, and gives counterfeiters a one way trip 
  over the falls. 
  Important Locations
  The Falls is a bustling city and heroes can find plenty of 
  shops, food, and entertainment, but a few of the most 
  prominent locations are described below.
  The Plants
  Ma Parker and her crew operate three refurbished power 
  generating stations: two on the formerly Canadian side 
  of the Niagara River, and one on the US side. Ma’s crew 
  guards the power generating stations day and night, 
  and they only allow other members of the crew to enter. 
  Her engineers are all extremely loyal and tight-lipped 
  about the internal workings of the plants, but outside 
  experts figure that any one of the stations could generate 
  more than enough power to supply all of the Falls and 
  surrounding territory, leading them to speculate that Ma 
  Parker has long-term plans for massive expansion.
  Ma’s Tower
  When she first settled in the Falls, Ma Parker and her 
  crew lived in the remains of an office building that 
  once supported the power stations. As they started 
  reconnecting locations to the electrical grid, Ma wanted 
  a new home, one that was both more comfortable and 
  also demonstrated her power and the potential of pre-
  war technology.
   
  Thus, she selected the remains of the Skylon Tower, 
  an old observation tower that also once held a revolving 
  restaurant. Ma Parker not only restored power, refurbished 
  the elevators, and restarted the rotating floor, she also 
  completely renovated the interior, turning the lower, 
  rotating level into offices for her and her most trusted 
  subordinates and turning the entire upper floor into her 
  personal living quarters.
   
  Ma Parker enjoys gazing from the observation deck at 
  her city and the waterfalls that make it unique. Before the 
  war, the observation areas were covered with protective 
  rails, but Ma Parker has removed these in places, exposing 
  it to the open air, and from time to time those who 
  displease her “accidently” fall from the tower.
  Falls Casino
  Before the war the twin towns of Niagara Falls, Ontario 
  and New York boasted several casinos; now there is only 
  one: The Falls Casino. Located near Ma’s Tower it is easy to 
  spot by the giant glowing “Casino” sign that clings to the 
  side of the building.
   
  The Falls Casino features dozens of gambling tables 
  with several games, including pre-war favorites like poker, 
  blackjack, and roulette, as well as several post-war games. 
  One of these new favorites is rat race, in which trainers 
  race rats through mazes, and spectators bet on which rat 
  completes the maze first. 
   
  In addition to gambling, the Falls Casino offers food, 
  drink, and entertainment, plus some services not typically 
  associated with a pre-war casino, like a combination pawn 
  shop and general store and the closest thing that the Falls 
  has to a bank. 
   
  Because it is the heart of commerce in the Falls, heavily 
  armed guards from Ma’s crew maintain tight security. 
  Red’s Tavern
  Red’s Tavern is probably the largest business that’s not 
  under the direct control of Ma’s crew (of course they still 
  control it indirectly through the electrical grid). 
   
  People in the Falls and the surrounding territory 
  recommend Red’s for the quality of its food and drink, 
  especially the wine and hard ciders made from the fruit of 
  nearby farms. It focuses of the basics, without any of the 
  glitz and glam that places like the Falls Casino offer. While 
  most of its business is food and drink, Red’s also has a few 
  beds on the upper floors for travelers.
   
  Red, the owner, earned his nickname on account of 
  his flaming red hair, and he’s been called that for so long 
  many people don’t realize that’s not his birth name (it’s 
  Scott Jensen). He was born in the area to a farming family 
  who brewed their own cider, and Red transitioned from 
  selling it in the market to selling out his tavern. He is a 
  gregarious man who tries to stay out of local conflicts. 
  
  7
  Nearby Area
  Because of its economic, political, and literal power, the 
  Falls extends its influence over the surrounding territory. 
  The Farms
  Before the war, much of the area near Niagara Falls was 
  prime farmland. Many farms survived the initial missile 
  attacks only to be destroyed in the chaos and fallout that 
  followed, but those 
  that survived the first few years came out strong, and their 
  descendants continue to farm the land today.
   
  After Ma Parker electrified the Falls, she started 
  running power to these farms. Initially the price was low, 
  just a small portion of their farm crops. As time went on, 
  Ma and her crew sold more and more electric devices to 
  the farmers, making them more and more dependent on 
  her power, just as she has slowly increased the price of the 
  power, hoarding more food and wealth for herself.
   
  A small group of famers figured out what Ma Parker 
  and her crew were doing long ago and want no part of it. 
  Their ancestors survived without electricity just fine, and 
  they can too.
   
  David Miller: The self-appointed leader of the “off the 
  grid” farmers is a man named David Miller. David believes 
  not only that people should do without electricity, 
  but that each farm should be completely self-reliant, 
  growing a mix of crops and raising a small number of 
  animals like goats and chickens. David doesn’t just see 
  this a practical matter, he views it as his holy 
  mission. He believes that God sent the Great 
  War to punish humanity for its excesses, 
  and that Ma Parker has been seduced by 
  the devil. David frequently preaches in 
  farm homes around the area, and gains 
  more followers every week, but not all 
  those who resist Ma Parker subscribe 
  to David’s religious ideology, and 
  some worry that soon they will have 
  to oppose both Ma Parker’s crew and 
  David MIller’s congregation.
   
  David Miller is a fair skinned man 
  in his late 40s. He has light brown 
  hair and a bushy beard that he is 
  exceptionally proud of.
  Ruins of Buffalo
  About 20 miles upstream 
  from the Falls, lie the ruins 
  of Buffalo, New York. For 
  decades after the Great War, 
  Buffalo was a prime source 
  of scrap for the surrounding 
  area. Ma Parker regularly raided it in her youth, and her 
  crew continued to pick it clean for decades.
   
  The ruined city has always attracted travelers and 
  vagabonds looking for shelter, and a small number of 
  people made the city their home, collecting scrap and 
  living off the plants and animals that reclaimed the ruins.
   
  Recently a band of raiders has taken over the ruins, led 
  by a man named JT. They started by ambushing outsiders 
  who came through the ruins, but as time went on they 
  became bolder, venturing out of the ruins to attack nearby 
  farms. They demand food and other goods and threaten 
  to destroy the farms and everyone on them. So far, only 
  one farm has tried to defy them. After the raiders burned 
  the farmhouse and hung the corpses of the farm family 
  from nearby trees, everybody else has given JT’s raiders 
  what they want. 
  The Canal
  Before the Great War, the Welland Canal connected Lake 
  Ontario and Lake Erie, as Niagara Falls made the natural 
  waterways unnavigable. After the war the locks in the 
  river stood abandoned for decades, and anybody hoping 
  to move cargo between lakes was forced to portage it at 
  the Falls. Less than a year ago, an expedition from nearby 
  Ronto (see below) set up a camp at the northern end of 
  the canal and seems to be restoring the first lock.
   
  In response Ma Parker dispatched teams to take 
  control of a cluster of three canal locks due west of the 
  Falls. Their primary purpose is to prevent Ronto from 
  claiming the entire canal, but Ma Parker figures 
  as long as the teams are there, they might 
  as well start fixing the locks. While travel 
  between lakes is currently rare, Ma Parker 
  is forward thinking, and believes that 
  one day her crew might be able to profit 
  from charging vessels to use the locks. 
  Diplomatic Relations
  The Falls is not the only power in the 
  region, and they know it. The two locations 
  below, Ronto and Phoenix Station Epsilon 
  will be detailed in future Tales from the 
  Great Lakes, but the information below 
  provides a brief overview and describes 
  the Falls’ relationship with them.
  Ronto
  Ronto, built in the ruins of Toronto is a city 
  dominated by freaks who vehemently believe 
  that the needs of the community come before 
  those of any individual. As the next most 
  powerful settlement in the region, Ma Parker 
  
  8
  views Ronto as the biggest threat to the Falls. Worse, their 
  collectivist philosophy stands in direct contrast to Ma’s 
  top down leadership and policy of rewarding those most 
  loyal to her.
   
  Ma Parker knows the Falls is not strong enough to 
  challenge Ronto militarily, but she looks for other ways to 
  undermine the city, and the two exist in a kind of cold war. 
  Despite that, most of the common folk in the Falls care 
  little about Ronto and know it only as a boogeyman they 
  hear about from Ma’s crew. 
  Phoenix Station Epsilon
  Almost nobody in the Falls beyond Ma Parker even knows 
  that Phoenix Station Epsilon exists, yet it impacts all their 
  lives. Ma Parker continues to ensure that power flows to 
  the station, and in return it provides technical knowledge, 
  and—when pressed—even some of their technological 
  devices. 
   
  The leaders of Station Epsilon go along with Ma 
  Parker’s plans fearing that she will cut off their electricity, 
  leaving them in the dark a quarter mile below ground. 
  Some citizens, especially the younger generations, are 
  tired of feeling beholden to Ma Parker and her crew. They 
  want to travel to the surface, seek out other allies, and 
  forge a better deal. 
  Savage Tales 
  Canal Recon and Sabotage
  Ma Parker wants to move against the expedition from 
  Ronto at the northern edge of the Welland Canal, but 
  is not ready to spark a full-on war with Ronto, and she 
  knows the freaks from Ronto will easily identifty members 
  of her crew. 
   
  Thus, she wants to recruit outsiders, like the heroes, to 
  learn more about the Ronto expedition and do anything 
  they can to “discourage a continued presence.” She offers 
  them 500 Trade worth of chips just for an accurate report, 
  with the promise of more for better results. 
   
  Approaching the Lock: The force from Ronto is easy 
  to find if the heroes travel along the coast of Lake Ontario, 
  but getting close is another matter. The Ronto expedition 
  expects interference from the Falls and sends out regular 
  patrols. Heroes must either sneak their way past them with 
  a Stealth check or convince the patrols they are allies with 
  a Persuasion check. Alternatively, the heroes can fight a 
  patrol, but this almost certainly makes them unwelcome 
  in the camp. 
   
  Ronto Guards (1 per PC): See below
  Ronto Guards
  Race: Freak
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Boating d6, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, 
  Notice d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Survival d6
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (1)
  Hindrances: Loyal, Freakish (Racial)
  Edges: Radiation Resistance (Racial)
  Gear: Short sword (Str+d6), hunting rifle (Range 24/48/96, 
  Damage 2d8, RoF 1, AP 2), leather armor (+1).
   
  Exploring the Encampment: Ronto is indeed trying 
  to get the northernmost lock functioning again, and 
  has roughly two hundred people there working on the 
  operation either directly or in support positions.
   
  If characters talk their way in, the patrol escorts 
  them to the leader of the operation, a woman named 
  Beatrice Blackberry. Here the heroes must make another 
  Persuasion check, this time with a –2 penalty, to convince 
  Beatrice that they are harmless. Alternatively, they can 
  reveal their mission and offer to turn against Ma Parker, 
  but doing so requires a Persuasion check with a –4 
  penalty. If the heroes succeed they can stay in the outer 
  part of the camp but are not allowed close to the lock. If 
  the heroes fail they are either politely escorted away, or—
  if they resist—violently thrown out.
   
  If characters sneaked past the guards, they can make 
  another Stealth roll, now with a –2 penalty. If they succeed, 
  the heroes can infiltrate the actual camp. If they fail, they 
  alert the camp, and have the option to surrender (and see 
  Beatrice as above), flee, or fight (see below).
   
  Causing Trouble: Provided the heroes get close 
  enough to the encampment to see what is going on and 
  get a rough read on numbers, they can report to Ma Parker 
  and receive their 500 Trade. If they want more money, 
  they have several options (and creative players will likely 
  come up with others). 
   
  Sabotage the Lock: Even if the heroes are allowed in 
  the camp, the lock is off limits. Characters might sneak in 
  with a Stealth roll at –4 or they might fight their way past 
  an equal number of guards, but the latter alerts the rest 
  of the camp. Reinforcements arrive in 1d6 minutes if the 
  heroes fought quietly or 1d6 rounds if the heroes were 
  loud.
  Freaks in the Falls
  Because the rival city of Ronto is populated primarily by 
  freaks, most people in the Falls associate all freaks with 
  that city. This means that within the city they are treated 
  with suspicion and often scapegoated for problems they 
  had nothing to do with. 
  
  9
   
  Should the heroes get near the lock, they can either 
  sabotage it with brute force, such as using explosives to 
  destroy some of the gate hinges or control mechanisms, or 
  they can be more subtle, such as messing up some of the 
  controls. The second method requires a Repair or Science 
  check, but if successful the expedition from Ronto won’t 
  realize the problem until long after the heroes leave.
   
  Supply Lines: While the expedition does some hunting 
  and gathering, it is far from self-sufficient. Every few days, 
  boats from Ronto arrive filled with food and whatever 
  other supplies the settlement needs. 
   
  Heroes with their own boats could easily intercept 
  a supply ship en route. Characters should first make a 
  Boating check without penalty or a Perception check with 
  a –2 penalty to locate the boat. Then run the encounter as 
  a standard chase (see the core rulebook). 
   
  Ronto Guards: One per PC, see page 9 
   
  After losing the first shipment, Ronto sends two next 
  time, each with twice as many guards. If the heroes also 
  sink those, Ronto sends three ships on the next shipment 
  and begins hunting the “pirates” responsible.
   
  The expedition can weather one lost shipment with 
  little problem, but if they lose two or more they must 
  divert labor from the lock to hunting and gathering food, 
  and if they lose five or more, they temporarily abandon 
  the site until Ronto eliminates the pirate threat. 
   
  Fighting the Camp: While not everybody in the camp 
  is trained for combat, about half are, meaning the heroes 
  need to fight the equivalent of one hundred Ronto guards 
  to wipe out the expedition through violence, unlikely for 
  even the most battle-hardened characters. If the heroes 
  are able to recruit a significant military force, they might 
  run an invasion as a mass battle (see the core rulebook). 
  In such a case the forces from Ronto would have a slight 
  terrain advantage (+1).
   
  Collecting the Reward: Ma Parker always rewards 
  those who help her. As promised, if the heroes collected 
  useful information, she gives them 500 Trade worth of 
  chips, and will give them far more if they slowed down the 
  operation. Exactly how much depends on their actions. 
  They might get 1,000 if they set back work a few days, or 
  up to 50,000 if they completely destroyed the expedition. 
  Defending the Farms
  Farmers south of the Falls need help. If the heroes are 
  passing through the farmland, the plea might come as 
  they stop at one of the farmhouses, or a young woman 
  named Mary might approach the heroes as they relax at 
  one of the fine establishments in the Falls. 
   
  Mary (or a similar NPC), pleads her case. The farms in 
  her area have been harassed by JT’s band of raiders based 
  in Buffalo. They demand more and more food, and now 
  are telling Mary and her neighbors that the want half of 
  their upcoming harvests. If the farmers give in, they won’t 
  have enough food to survive the winter, but they are in 
  no position to resist. Thus, Mary is looking for heroes who 
  can save her people. She hopes they’ll do it out of the 
  goodness of their heart, and does not have much to offer, 
  but if pressed she says the community could give them 
  200 Trade worth of food.
   
  Mary is the eldest daughter of David Miller (see page 
  7), and the heroes ask around town, most people in the 
  Falls consider her and her friends to be backwater yokels 
  who are scared of technology. A Common Knowledge 
  check also reveals that while Mary has asked (and been 
  refused by) several combat capable groups, she noticeably 
  avoided asking Ma Parker’s crew for help, despite the fact 
  that they are the most powerful force in the region.
   
  Some Friendly Advice: If the heroes meet Mary in a 
  public location and seem willing to help, later a woman 
  named Skelli King, a mid-level member of Ma’s crew, 
  approaches and “offers them some advice.” She says Mary 
  and her people are part of some nut-job cult, and that 
  raiders are bad news. If the heroes value their safety and 
  their reputation, they had best stay away. 
   
  Dealing with the Raiders: If the heroes agree to 
  defend against the raiders, Mary (or a similar NPC) brings 
  them to their farming village south of the Falls. Observant 
  heroes who make a Notice or Science check, see the 
  farms being threatened are all “off the grid.” They have 
  no electrical hookups, even though many farms a similar 
  distance from the Falls do. If the heroes bring it up, the 
  farmers say they prefer it that way. Inquisitive heroes 
  can make a Persuasion check to learn the information 
  described in David Miller’s entry (page 7). If the heroes 
  investigate the nearby powered farms, they learn that 
  none of the farms on the grid are under the raider’s 
  ultimatum, despite the fact that some of them are closer 
  to the raider’s territory.
   
  The heroes have two main choices to confront the 
  raiders: to wait for the raiders to return or to take the fight 
  to them. If they wait, they have about 10 days to prepare. 
  They can use this time to set up traps, build fortifications, 
  train farmers, or anything else the players think of.
   
  If the heroes seek out the raiders, they must travel to 
  the ruins of Buffalo. The farmers don’t know exactly where 
  the raiders came from, just that it was from the south, but 
  the high amount of scrap the raiders carried suggest they 
  at least visit some sort of ruins often. If the heroes search 
  Buffalo, they can make an unmodified Survival check or a 
  Perception check with a –2 penalty. If they succeed, they 
  locate the raiders’ hideout and can surprise them, study 
  them, or pick them off in small groups. If the heroes fail 
  their check, they waste a day searching. If they search 
  hexes blindly they can attempt a similar check, but only 
  find the raiders if they are in the ruins of Buffalo. 
  
  10
   
  However the heroes go about it, the raiders represent 
  a sizable force to deal with.
   
  JT: Wild card raider with d10 in Shooting, see below
   
  Raiders: Four per PC., see below
  Raider
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Riding d8, 
  Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Survival d6, 
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8(1)
  Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Wanted (Minor)
  Edges: Brawny, No Mercy, Steady Hands
  Gear: Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6), battle axe 
  (Str+d8), dagger (Str+d4), leather armor (+1), 20 arrows, 
  quiver, horse, saddle.
   
  Truth Behind the Raids: If the heroes capture any 
  of the raiders, they can make Intimidation or Persuasion 
  checks opposed by the raider’s Spirit. If the heroes succeed, 
  the raiders confess they targeted these farms because 
  they knew they were off the grid. They thought the lack 
  of power made them weaker, and that nobody in the Falls 
  would care what happened to them. 
   
  If the heroes capture JT, they can make a similar 
  check with a –2 penalty to learn the whole truth, which 
  only JT knows. Ma Parker’s crew approached him and 
  suggested that they target the off-grid farms and threw 
  in a pile of chips to encourage him. Searching the raiders’ 
  headquarters in Buffalo discovers 1,000 Trade worth of 
  chips from the Falls, but Ma Parker and her crew claim that 
  the raiders stole the chips and JT is lying. 
   
  Ma Parker’s crew had hoped that the raiders would 
  either wipe out the farms or force the famers to accept the 
  crew’s help. Either way it would eliminate some of the only 
  resistance in the area. 
   
  Now What: Even if the heroes defeat the raiders, it only 
  delays Ma Parker’s plans to eliminate the farmers who defy 
  her. She will target farms again soon enough, and because 
  the heroes sided against Ma Parker, the characters may 
  find themselves unwelcome in the Falls.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Broken Earth/Savage Worlds - Broken Earth - The Falls.pdf