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  G1409.2 
  End of Line 
  (Or, Hats Off!) 
  Written by The GagMen on the GagMen RPG Podcast Ep. 24 
  A Digital-Fantasy Adventure 
  For use with the Basic Fantasy RPG 
  Illustrations by Tyler Davis & Gaghouse Productions  
  Contact:  shutup@gagmen.net 
  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  To view a copy of this 
  license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. 
  Tron is owned by The Walt Disney Company, and it is referenced in this work by the GagMen without any 
  special permission from Disney.  Despite this, how would we discuss and write a digital fantasy world without ever 
  mentioning Tron, which is one of the most iconic and successful examples of the genre?  So, Disney representatives, 
  thank you for making such a film that created a new genre for people to emulate  and enjoy, and overlooking our 
  constant references to the Tron franchise …. Oh, and please don’t sue us.  Thank You!
   
  Table of Contents 
  Introduction ............................................................... 2 
  Summary.................................................................... 2 
  Setting/Theme ............................................................ 3 
  What is a Digital Fantasy? .................................... 3 
  The CPU ................................................................ 3 
  The Net .................................................................. 4 
  Plot ............................................................................. 4 
  10 IF Victory THEN Betrayal ............................... 4 
  20 LET Party = Surfing ......................................... 6 
  30 PRINT “SPAM!!!!”.......................................... 7 
  40 NEXT Worm$ .................................................. 7 
  50 EXECUTE HideNSeek .................................... 8 
  60 IF Attack THEN Run ....................................... 9 
  70 LET Oracle = Answer$ .................................... 9 
  80 DECLARE SUB DigitalKnights .................... 11 
  90 INPUT “Is this the Hub?” Answer$ ............... 11 
  100 END OF LINE ............................................. 12 
  110 IF SuperHappyFunEnding ELSE GOTO 10 13 
  Conflict .................................................................... 13 
  Affecting the Game as Users ............................... 13 
  What’s with all the hats? ..................................... 14 
  Rules Alternatives ............................................... 15 
  Characters ................................................................ 16 
  Hack .................................................................... 16 
  Trojan .................................................................. 16 
  Norton & MacAfee ............................................. 17 
  Tecp & Ip ............................................................ 17 
  Details ...................................................................... 18 
  How to transition from Basic Fantasy to Digital 
  Fantasy? .............................................................. 18 
  Strange New Worlds (Or, This adventure is just 
  too short!) ............................................................ 18 
  Digital Armory (Or, What the heck is a Foo-Bar?)
   ............................................................................. 19 
  Digital Slang........................................................ 21 
  Creatures of the Net............................................. 21 
   
   
  
   
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  Introduction 
  This adventure was created using the Basic Fantasy Rules by 
  Chris Gonnerman, but any other retro-clone version of Dungeons & 
  Dragons (or whichever version of Dungeons & Dragons you may be 
  most familiar with) would easily work.  The adventure is designed for 
  beginning level characters, preferably levels 1 - 3.   
  This adventure was created on the GagMen RPG Podcast Episode 24, “End of Line.”  The 
  GagMen Podcast is designed to help the stressed DM looking for something to liven up a game 
  or a quick idea to fill in until your real campaign is ready.  We hope you and your players enjoy 
  the game, and will look for us the next time you could use some help or a laugh.  As always, feel 
  free to modify the adventure to suit your own campaign and game mastering style, and if you 
  do let us know how it came out, where we messed up, or where we went right.   
      The GagMen advise against trying to physically enter a computer, as 
  electrocution may not be the best thing for your brain, and there is very little room 
  to move around inside your computer case as it is (God forbid you try to squeeze 
  into a laptop).  While using a computer, be sure to take regular breaks to go outside and run 
  around a little, unless you live right next to a highway, in which case please avoid running into 
  traffic.  If you work on a bee farm, then you may want to run faster to prevent the bees from 
  catching you.   
  Summary 
  Living in the digital age can be difficult for anyone, even more so if you’re just a lowly 
  program.  After the defeat of the MCP, the party is betrayed by Hack, who immediately steals 
  the MCP disc and escapes to the net.  The party must chase and capture Hack before the grid 
  goes off line; without the MCP’s algorithms, however, they must pray to their users for 
  strength.  The players themselves will have to intervene at the game table in order to help their 
  programs and catch Hack before the next cycle.  Will the users and programs succeed, or will 
  they face the End of Line? 
   
  
   
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  Setting/Theme 
  What is a Digital Fantasy? 
  In 1982, Disney 
  studios released 
  Tron, a film 
  about a game 
  designer 
  transported into 
  a computer and 
  forced to fight the 
  tyrannical Master Control 
  Program (MCP).  While computers have 
  inspired an influenced a lot of fiction in the 
  last fifty years, no one idea has been so 
  imaginative as a character finding himself 
  transported to a digital landscape and 
  standing with programs as if they were 
  normal people.   The world of Tron is 
  unique, but the franchise has grown 
  through the years to include a sequel, 
  television series, comic books, and several 
  video games.  Tron also inspired several 
  digital fantast franchises, including 
  Reboot, Automan, The Matrix, Wreck-it 
  Ralph, and many more.  With the growth 
  of the Internet, it’s likely that we won’t 
  see an end to the digital fantasy genre 
  anytime soon.  
  The CPU 
  On the grid, where a program can 
  have an acceptable life, the party is a group 
  of programs that live in a digital world.  The 
  grid is home to most local programs, while 
  the Master Control Program (MCP) runs all 
  the functions of the grid.  The grid is a 
  combination of vast empty space and areas 
  of busy traffic and hustle.  By modern 
  computer standards this digital world would 
  
   
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  appear low res, but for the citizens of the 
  grid it is a picture perfect world.   
  The sky is sixteen-bit perfection, 
  spanning to the eight corners of the CPU, 
  and covering a lovely landscape enhanced 
  with all eight colors.   There are mountains 
  and valleys, cities, 
  villages, and nearly 
  every imaginable 
  landscape possible 
  has been rendered in 
  this digital world 
  thanks to the  will of 
  the users.   
  For travel, 
  there is an efficient bus system allowing 
  programs to quickly get from their home to 
  work with little effort.  The majority of the 
  grid’s population are completely unaware 
  of the tyrannical MCP’s control; most are 
  happy to work and travel around the CPU in 
  perfect harmony.  It is, after all, a world that 
  is designed with a level of perfection and 
  simplicity.  There is a data stream that feeds 
  directly into the MCP from the Net, found 
  far outside the grid.  The data stream must 
  be surfed in order to reach the net.   
   
   
  The Net 
  The Net is a data storm far too 
  dangerous for the average program to 
  transverse, though it is possible with the 
  help of an experienced guide like the 
  knowledgeable Tecp or his stricter partner 
  Ip.  The entrance and 
  exit to the CPU is 
  protected by several 
  high firewalls which 
  have protected the 
  grid from many 
  dangers; only Tecp & 
  Ip have been allowed 
  to use the exit in 
  order to promote trade.  The dangers of the 
  net are tremendous, and should be avoided 
  by those who wish to avoid de-rezzing.  
  Plot  
  10 IF Victory THEN 
  Betrayal  
  Despite overwhelming 
  odds and the magnificent power wielded by 
  the MCP, the party managed to defeat the 
  MCP and its forces, bringing an end to the 
  revolution and knocking down the 
  defensive walls of the MCP.  During the final 
  assault, the party was able to avoid most of 
  
   
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  the guard programs with the help of Hack, a 
  code breaking program who helped the 
  party reach MCP chamber undetected.  
  With the MCP finally shut down and his evil 
  reign ended, the party prepared to 
  reinitialize the original control program 
  and restore the beauty of the grid… then, 
  ZAP! 
  The party is caught in a 
  shockwave of power, as Hack pulls 
  the data disc from the control 
  socket.  With the MCP 
  defeated, Hack can access 
  the original codes that 
  protect the grid, and 
  extract them for himself.  
  The shockwave knocks everyone but Hack 
  to the ground, immobilizing them.  Hack will 
  look at the disc with desire as he places it 
  into his back, causing his circuits to glow 
  with a blinding intensity.   
   
  “I just want to thank you all,” Hack 
  will say with a gloating tone.  “I wasn’t sure 
  how I was going to get in here and get my 
  hands on that information.  Now I am off to 
  create a world in my own image.  Sorry the 
  grid won’t be able to function without the 
  disc, but this world was outdated anyway.”   
  With that he jumps on a bus board, 
  into the dwindling data stream, and with a 
  flash, Hack surfs up and out to the net. 
  Without the master CPU algorithms, 
  the programs will begin to become 
  indistinguishable, lacking 
  any special abilities or 
  features, and form an 
  emptiness that can only be 
  filled by data.  The rest of the 
  grid quickly begins to lose 
  power as well, and will take on a 
  dismal grey appearance.   
  The party was splashed by the last 
  bits of power from the control disc and are 
  unaffected by the changes in the world; the 
  Grid’s normal programs, however, have 
  become mindless creatures that roam the 
  now desolate landscape of the grid.  The 
  heroes will realize that Hack was right-- 
  without the disc the grid will fail before the 
  next cycle.  The party must rely on the users 
  to guide them to Hack and return the 
  algorithms before their world reaches the 
  end of line. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  20 LET Party = 
  Surfing 
  The party 
  will call on the help 
  of Tecp and Ip to 
  guide them 
  through the net to find Hack, but first they 
  must fight their way through the now 
  mindless citizens of the grid to reach the 
  main port in order to leave the grid.  There 
  are still some non-infected programs 
  seeking help to fight off the null programs.  
  When the infected byte normal programs, 
  they become a null within a few turns.  The 
  only thing that can restore the grid is the 
  power of the control disc.  The heroes may 
  feel reluctant to escape their collapsing 
  world, but in the end it is the only solution.   
  The Apache is moored at the main 
  access port, with Tecp and Ip attempting to 
  save as 
  many 
  programs as 
  they can 
  before they 
  are forced 
  to leave.  Ip 
  will scan 
  each character as they come on board to 
  make sure they are not infected.  Tecp will 
  admit that he has never seen a virus spread 
  so quickly, and ask the party if they know 
  what has happened.  If they tell him, then 
  the couple will cast off immediately, 
  otherwise they will stay and try to save as 
  many programs as possible. 
   
  1d10 
  Random Programs Saved 
  aboard the Apache or 
  encountered on the Grid 
  HP 
  1 
  OS - one of the oldest 
  administrators of the grid 
  4 
  2 
  Clippy - a perky know-it-all that 
  is willing to tell you how to do 
  everything 
  2 
  3 
  Wordstar - a stogie secretary 
  and file clerk, determined to do 
  things properly 
  2 
  4 
  Twit - the gossip of the grid, it’s 
  doubtful she ever stops talking 
  2 
  5 
  Adobe - a wildly artistic program 
  that seems bent on doing things 
  the hard way 
  3 
  6 
  Lotus - a stern accountant and 
  number cruncher 
  4 
  7 
  Flash - an incredibly hyper 
  roadside advertising mascot 
  6 
  8 
  Bongo - a hippie mail courier 
  amazed by everything 
  3 
  9 
  Rio - an artistic music program 
  that will be trying to save his 
  instrument 
  4 
  10 
  Chrome - a hipster that is 
  constantly bored with the world 
  3 
   
   
  
   
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  30 PRINT “SPAM!!!!” 
  As the Apache prepares to leave the 
  last of the firewalls, the programs will 
  receive a chat invite from Hack. 
   
   
  “Are you really foolish enough to 
  follow me through the storm?  My friends, 
  your world is lost.  It was old and corrupt.  
  We may have fought to defeat the MCP, but 
  Traces of his program will always taint your 
  world.  Let me go.  I will create a new world.  
  And you, my friends, I will make new 
  programs in your image so that your 
  memory will live on.  Surely this is enough?  
  Let me go, and prepare for your end with 
  dignity.” -Hack 
  With that, the chat will close, and 
  communication will be cut 
  off.  If the party chooses to 
  continue, Tpec will steer the 
  Apache through the firewall.  
  The ship will be whisked 
  into the data storm of the 
  net, a massive digital current that pulls 
  the ship violently in every direction.  
  Eventually, the currents smooth out 
  and the Duo will discuss options with 
  the party.  Tecp will point out that 
  Hack could head anywhere, but the 
  seers on 
  Oracle may 
  be able to 
  help.   
  “The net is a dangerous place,” Ip 
  will interject, “but Oracle is in some of the 
  worst parts of the whole wide net!” 
  Tpec and Ip will continue to argue 
  about whether visiting Oracle is the best 
  idea or not, when a small paper thin bird-
  like creature will flash past the character’s 
  head.  Presuming the party can get a word 
  in edgewise to ask what the creature was, 
  the couple will scream out, “SPAM!  Get 
  Down!”  A swarm of spam-flyers will 
  blanket the ship, and must be fought off in 
  order to continue.   
   
  40 NEXT Worm$ 
  The Apache will be 
  travelling at a good speed since 
  the spam attack, when 
  suddenly the ship slams to a 
  stop.  Upon inspecting the 
  transport, they will find data 
  holes in the side of the craft.  A 
  worm attached itself to the hull 
  when the transport entered the 
  net, and has started eating away at the hull.  
  
   
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  The worm has grown since it first attached 
  and is now larger than two programs 
  combined.  The monster must be fought in 
  order to drive it off the ship, leaving The 
  Apache to limp into the nearest port. 
  50 EXECUTE HideNSeek 
  After fighting off the 
  worm the party will find 
  refuge in a Hotspot.  Tecp 
  inform the party that 
  Hotspots are scattered 
  throughout the net, and are small but 
  numerous.  The Hotspot is a small port 
  where the party can rest and repair The 
  Apache.  Any programs saved from the grid 
  will probably want off here; the net is a 
  dangerous place, and most of the programs 
  are getting net-sick.  The Hotspot makes a 
  good temporary safe place for the programs 
  until the grid can be restored.   
  The Hotspot is a small port with only 
  a few hundred random programs and odds 
  and ends from all over the net.  A few of the 
  local programs will have heard of Hack, but 
  may not realize what he’s carrying.   
  After some inquiries, the group will 
  be directed to a data box that has been left 
  in the center of the hot spot.  Upon 
  inspection, the group will 
  find it’s addressed to them! 
  The words “You’ve 
  got mail!” will float over 
  the box.  A simple touch to 
  the box will cause it to 
  open, displaying another message from 
  Hack.   
  “My Friends!  I’m so glad you’re 
  alive.  If you found this message, I can only 
  assume you’ve landed in a hotspot.  I’ve 
  sent this message to several, just in case! 
  Your determination to stop me 
  admirable, in fact it’s one of the reasons I 
  chose you to help me!  But your time is 
  over.  No one will miss your world, and its 
  passing affects no one else.  The price for 
  my new world is high, but limited. 
  Go home, my friends.  You can’t stop 
  me.” 
    Soon after receiving this message, 
  the group should meet up with Trojan, a 
  travel guide that will offer to transport the 
  
   
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  group through the more dangerous areas of 
  the net.  Trojan is a smuggler accustomed 
  to traveling under the scanner and willing 
  to help out the group.   
  Trojan runs a small durable 
  transport, Linux, which is better suited to 
  transport programs through dangerous 
  areas.  The group will have to leave Tecp & 
  Ip with the other programs until they 
  return.   Trojan will head to Oracle, home of 
  the seers, the only ones who can tell the 
  group where Hack will be heading. 
  60 IF Attack THEN Run 
  Just as the group is making their way 
  back into the data stream aboard the Linux, 
  another well beaten transport will come 
  alongside.  The transport is filled 
  with the null programs from the 
  grid, which have begun to 
  spread throughout the net.  
  Expect a short fight of a few 
  rounds while the two ships 
  together, and the nulls will come toppling 
  over the side. Meanwhile the outer hull of 
  the null ship is infested with web spyders 
  that will latch onto the code of the Linux.    
  The Linux is well defended runs much 
  faster, so Trojan will just need a few turns 
  to get underway and leave the noxious 
  transport behind.  The party may notice the 
  infected transport has severe derez issues 
  and serious signs of corruption, which could 
  signal a much bigger threat than just the 
  destruction of the party’s home grid.  
  70 LET Oracle = Answer$ 
  After a short rest the Linux arrives at 
  the port of Oracle, home to the all-knowing 
  seers Google, Siri, and Jeeves.  Each of 
  the seers possesses insights into the 
  digital world beyond any other 
  program, but at the cost of sanity, 
  coherency, and confusion.   A 
  humble hypertext monk will guide the party 
  to each of the seers individually.   
  Google will be sitting cross-legged in 
  the middle of a large empty room, with a 
  bright glowing beam shooting directly over 
  him.  The beam is a single data thread that 
  
   
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  feeds directly into his brain.  Google can see 
  all and will tell all, even if 
  you don’t want to hear it.   
  Siri is in a small room, with 
  a series of cabinets around 
  her and a large table in the middle of the 
  room with the very bulky handbag on it.  
  She is constantly distracted while 
  rummaging through her handbag and will 
  mis-repeat every question she is asked, and 
  then answer before the party can correct 
  her.   
  Jeeves can be found in a clean room 
  with several pieces of furniture arranged in 
  symmetrical geometric patterns.  He will 
  stand at attention with a tea tray on his one 
  extended hand.  If any questions are asked, 
  Jeeves will suggest the party sit and have 
  some tea, then ask them to rephrase the 
  question.  Should the party rephrase the 
  questions, Jeeves will provide a long winded 
  version of how things work, and then ask 
  them to rephrase the question once more.   
  Should they rephrase the question, 
  he will again offer the characters tea and a 
  place to sit, before starting the process all 
  over again.  
      The oracle’s answers should contain half-
  truths and hyperbole, with a small amount 
  of helpful information and a massive 
  amount of confusion.  Feel free to use the 
  Random Seer Insight Table below if you are 
  running low on ideas to pass along.   
  1D10 
  Random Seer Insight Table 
  1 
  The seer looks directly at one of the player 
  characters, and then describes the player of 
  the character as their user.  Then say, “I 
  worry for you program.” 
  2 
  I’m a pepper.  Wouldn’t you like to be a 
  pepper too? 
  3 
  There are two knights that will help protect 
  you from the dangers of the net. 
  4 
  Hack has no idea how devastating his actions 
  have been. 
  5 
  Peanut Butter Jelly Time! 
  6 
  Pirates steal from the users. 
  7 
  The Hub is where the most dangerous 
  elements of the net collect. 
  8 
  The infected programs will keep infecting 
  other programs; now that they are in the net 
  the only way to contain them is to use the 
  control disc. 
  9 
  Leave Brittany Alone! 
  10 
  Hack is heading directly to the Hub. 
   
  
   
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      In the end they should discover that Hack 
  is heading straight for The Hub, with plans 
  to acquire a pirate ship and start his own 
  grid.  At the very moment the oracle reveals 
  this, a band of pirates followed by Trojan 
  will come through to capture the party.  
  “Sorry programs,” Trojan will shrug, “But I 
  can’t live on shareware.”  Trojan will be 
  counting up his data chips as he exits the 
  Oracle complex.  With the group 
  surrounded and outnumbered by 
  dangerous pirates, things should look bleak. 
  80 DECLARE SUB DigitalKnights 
  Just as all hope seems lost, two 
  hapless digital knights (Norton & MacAfee) 
  will charge in and help the party fight off 
  the pirate band.  These two digital knights 
  had recently been relieved of duty because 
  of an exploit that Hack had devised to trick 
  them away from their defensive ports.  
  They have sworn to hunt him down, and 
  will help the party to that end.   
  They will regale 
  the party with stories 
  of their exploits, 
  though they may 
  seem terribly dull 
  and repetitive.   The 
  knights have a collection of high-speed light 
  cycles they are willing to share with the 
  party.  The cycles are small but very fast and 
  able to handle even the strongest data flow 
  on the net.  The band of cycles will make 
  haste to The Hub, as the last cycle of the 
  grid is ending soon. 
  90 
  INPUT 
  “Is this 
  the Hub?” 
  Answer$ 
  The Hub is one of 
  the greatest collections of confounding 
  items and programs on the net; dozens of 
  transports surround a large building with 
  data streams coming out in every direction.  
  The construct is a huge node to house and 
  ship data to every end of the net.  The 
  arrival of the party on cycles will go mostly 
  unnoticed, as most of the programs are far 
  too busy loading and unloading data to 
  really care what a small band of nobodies is 
  doing. 
  
   
  Page12 
  This ease of arrival should put the 
  players off guard, as Hack knows the 
  party has been following him, and 
  arranged for a group of his 
  pirate friends to help delete 
  his problem.  The party 
  should be stopped and 
  questioned by a group of 
  guards, who will start to level 
  their foo-bars at the party 
  when from behind they 
  hear, “Don’t worry these 
  guys are with me.”  The 
  players should turn to see 
  Trojan, apparently excited 
  to see them.  “Hey 
  Programs!  Last time I saw 
  you I thought you were 
  dead!  Good to see you 
  made it out.”   
  The party and the Knights may 
  threaten him or wish to retaliate, but in 
  either case it is short lived, as the knights 
  freeze in place. Hack has arrived, and his 
  hired squad of goons 
  surround the 
  group.  
  The 
  party may try to 
  threaten or warn Hack of the dangers that 
  he has brought into the net, and 
  attempt to explain the danger posed 
  by the Nulls.  Hack will ignore the 
  group and presume that they are 
  trying to trick him and steal the 
  disc. “I tire of this game.” Hack will 
  say.  With a wave of his hand, the 
  Knights, now under his control, will 
  begin to approach the group 
  menacingly. Before they can attack, 
  A claxon will go off, and all the 
  pirates and Trojan will look to the 
  sky with a single whispered word on 
  their lips: “Virus.” 
  100 END OF LINE 
  The horde of null 
  programs from the grid has grown, having 
  infected other programs since their escape 
  from the Grid.  The Nulls have finally 
  reached the source that has been 
  beckoning them from across the endless 
  data flows.   Hack will have a difficult time 
  believing that stealing the disc had anything 
  to do with these mindless creatures, but it 
  won’t take long for him to come to his 
  senses. The important question now: has it 
  been too long since the disc was in the 
  
   
  Page13 
  proper place?  Perhaps the dreaded Cold 
  Boot may be needed to restore the party 
  back to starting locations?   
  With Hack ready to seize power, 
  pirates and the knights at his command, 
  and a horde of Nulls 
  attacking the entire Net, 
  chaos should reign 
  supreme through this 
  scene as the party struggles to find the best 
  course of action. 
  110 IF SuperHappyFunEnding ELSE 
  GOTO 10 
  The best ending to this story would 
  feature the heroes triumphing over evil 
  restoring the grid to its former beauty, 
  curing the nulls and ending the threat to the 
  net. How you reach this point is really up to 
  you, but The GagMen do have a few ideas. 
    While Hack’s plans are certainly 
  devious, he is honestly unaware of the Nulls 
  and the threat the pose to virtual reality as 
  a whole.  Once he sees the Nulls in full 
  force, it’s likely that Hack would be much 
  more receptive to the group. 
  With danger coming on several 
  fronts, an alliance with Hack and his forces, 
  or Trojan would be a logical plan.  As 
  players aren’t always logical, it may be wise 
  to have a couple back up plans to keep the 
  players alive and give them a fighting 
  chance. 
  The most emotionally satisfying 
  ending for the story would require Hack or 
  Trojan to realize the errors of their ways 
  and sacrifice themselves to stop the nulls.  
  Theoretically, if Hack were to allow the 
  Nulls to touch him while connected to the 
  disk, the power surge would restore the 
  Nulls to the original settings and leave the 
  disk free to be collected by the party. 
  Once the conflict is resolved, be sure 
  to pick up the surviving programs on the 
  way home! 
  Conflict 
  Affecting the Game as Users 
  The programs are stripped down to 
  their basic code and can only perform basic 
  tasks without the help of the users.  The 
  users are the actual players, so everything 
  the player does can reflect what the 
  program or character will be able to do.  As 
  a simplest way to incorporate a rule system 
  outside of the game, we have added the 
  rule of hats to help manage and track the 
  changes inside the game.   
  
   
  Page14 
  What’s with all the hats? 
  Collect a group of hats, and assign 
  each functional attributes that will help the 
  party. When a player is wearing a hat, then 
  their program will gain the correlating 
  bonus and benefits.  At the game table the 
  party will be required to trade hats at 
  different intervals in order to complete 
  tasks in the adventure.  The group could 
  begin with one hat, and as each part of the 
  adventure is completed another hat is 
  added into the pile.   
  The switching of hats could be 
  controlled through secondary smaller 
  games to keep the table lively, but these 
  secondary games should be something as 
  simple as a “thumb war”, tic-tac-toe, or 
  even the best roll of a die.  These smaller 
  games to force hat changes are meant to 
  keep the game outside of the adventure 
  fun; but don’t dwell too long on these side 
  games.  The adventure is the whole reason 
  for being there. 
   
  Suggested Bonuses: 
  Top Hat = Dexterity +3 
  Hard Hat = Strength +3 
  Graduation Cap = Intelligence +3 
  Helmet = Constitution +3 
  Turban = Wisdom +3 
  Headband = Charisma +3 
   
  
   
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  An alternative to hats would be 
  headbands assigned by color, or 
  with the words written on 
  them.  If your group is too 
  dignified to wear hats, or if 
  you find it distracting from the adventure, 
  then just use place cards placed in front of 
  each player.  At the very least use different 
  color dice to represent each bonus and 
  place them in front of each player.  The 
  Suggested Bonuses are just that, 
  suggestions; make each hat a skill, a special 
  power, the ability to change game code, 
  or even the ability to 
  change story 
  arcs.   
   
  Rules Alternatives 
  Another idea that may spice up 
  game play includes allowing the programs 
  to actually speak to their user, but that may 
  be a bit more role-
  playing than some 
  gamers are 
  comfortable with.  This 
  could be accomplished by 
  switching character sheets and letting one 
  player talk to another user's character.  Yes, 
  this could be very surreal.  There is no need 
  to force an interaction between the 
  characters and the players, but it might be a 
  fun alternative to the usual game. 
  Adding a playing card bonus from drawn 
  cards each scene, that can be used to aid a 
  selected character stat, would also add 
  some different flavor to the game.  
  Indian’s Bluff is a game in which each 
  player places a playing card on their 
  forehead, and then gambles with the 
  other players as to who has the higher 
  card.  If a player has no idea what his ability 
  is while the other players do, it could add a 
  little more fun and confusion to the game. 
   
   
   
  
   
  Page16 
  Characters 
  Hack  
  (AC 18; hd 5; hp 31; #AT: 1; DMG Disc 1d6) 
  This clever code breaker helped the group 
  get close enough to the MCP to stop its rule.  Hack 
  saw the opportunity off the grid and took it.  He has 
  stolen the heart of the Master Control Program, and 
  plans on using it to start his own world 
  created into his own image.  Hack has no 
  idea what removing the control disc from 
  the grid has done, and will not believe it until it is too late. 
   
  Pirate Minion 
  (AC 13; hd 2; hp 10-15; #AT: 1; DMG Foo-Bar 1d8) 
   
  Trojan  
  (AC 15; hd 3; hp 16; #AT: 1; DMG Disc 1d6 ) 
   
  He is young and quick, perhaps a little too quick.  Trojan is 
  coded to jump from idea to idea and sneak in, under, and around 
  any chance he gets.  He is a hap-hazard guide that promises to 
  lead the party to find the seers, and he will, but not before turning 
  a little profit. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Page17 
  Norton & MacAfee  
  Norton (AC 16; hd 4; hp 22; #AT: 1; DMG Wiper 
  Sword 1d8 +successful derez on natural 20) 
  MacAfee (AC 15; hd 3; hp 16; #AT: 1; DMG Zip Flail 
  1d6 +1d2 dmg per round zip damage) 
  A fettered set of defenders that have 
  vowed to fight injustice wherever they may find it.  
  These two well-worn cavaliers have noble 
  intentions, though there may be a few chinks in 
  their armor.  They have been duped by Hack and 
  will follow the party to help delete, or at least 
  quarantine, him. 
   
  Tecp & Ip  
  Tecp (AC 15; hd 2; hp 16; #AT: 1; 
  DMG Duqu Spear 1d6) 
  Ip (AC 17; hd 2; hp 14; #AT: 1; DMG 
  Duqu Knife 1d4) 
  A couple that helps guide 
  people through the dangers of the 
  net and beyond.  Tecp has spent a 
  lifetime traveling the net and 
  learning the many different dangers 
  and places to go, while his partner Ip has learned prudence when dealing with the net.  The 
  couple runs The Apache, a merchant ship that will help transport the party off the grid and 
  through the tremendous flows of the Ethernet. 
   
   
  
   
  Page18 
  Details 
  How to transition from Basic Fantasy to Digital Fantasy? 
  The digital realm is just that, another realm to discover and explore.  
  When using Basic Fantasy or another game system of your choice, use the 
  fighter and thief classes exclusively for the adventure.  Fighters would 
  represent most average programs, while the thief class represents most 
  code breaking programs.   
  The Cleric and Magic-User would represent a specialty group 
  of classes that may not as easily be explained, since magic would a 
  little over the top and out of place in this adventure.  The Cleric would 
  probably be more in touch with the users and could still be a symbol of 
  religious information related to the users.  Magic-Users would represent the type of program 
  that has learned to manipulate the code according to their will. 
   
  Strange New Worlds (Or, This adventure is just too short!) 
  Since we live in the world that uses the net, we know it is much larger than presented in 
  this adventure.  During the Podcast, Dave brought up the point that the party should be 
  traveling to other worlds and servers to collect weapons and allies. Unfortunately, we don’t 
  have the time to write out an entire sourcebook for traveling in the digital world, but don’t put 
  it past us to do it as a future project.  Feel free to make one for your adventures and let us 
  know! we would love to hear about it 
  and would gladly let other fans of the 
  genre know about it. 
  For the purposes of this 
  adventure, the characters must restore 
  the control disc before the next cycle.  
  Since a cycle is an arbitrary amount of 
  
   
  Page19 
  time, it would easy to say that a cycle is a day, week, month, or year and extend out your 
  groups adventures through the net.  The possibility 
  of exploring other servers and sites could lead to 
  fun, great adventure, and the addition of new 
  enemies and allies to help take down Hack.   
  To even further extend the story Hack may 
  have already created a world in his image.  This could lead to a great moral decision; can the 
  party destroy a world in order to save their own?  Trojan might steal the disc from Hack and try 
  to resell it, or run off on his own, forcing the party to team back up with Hack to help track it 
  down.  The story possibilities are endless, but our time to write them out is over for now, if you 
  are excited about this world idea write and let us know and we will come up with more 
  adventures to help you keep the fun going.     
   
  Digital Armory (Or, What the heck is a Foo-Bar?) 
  The weapons of a digital world are far from painless, and are often more complicated 
  than simply dealing out damage.  Most of the weapons work in similar ways to their Basic 
  Fantasy counterparts, so a sword is a sword.  A few special weapons can be more common in 
  the computer world but not as easy to understand for us, the users.   
   
  Disc - Damage: 1d6 range: 40’ AC: +2 
  "You will receive an Identity Disc. Everything you do or learn 
  will be imprinted on this disc. If you lose your disc or fail to follow 
  commands, you will be subject to immediate deresolution."  
  -The Master Control Program 
  The circular disc fits neatly on the back of most programs 
  and can be used for both defense and offense.  The disc is 
  approximately 8 - 12 inches across, and varies in shape and design by the program.  If used 
  actively in combat, it can increase the programs armor class by two.  The disc can be thrown, 
  
   
  Page20 
  blunt, slashing, and can also be used to hold water or food.  The disc keeps all primary functions 
  and it is regulated by the control program of each CPU (or world).  When Hack steals the 
  algorithms for the grid, this caused all the programs of the grid to lose connection and become 
  infected with a hunger for data. 
   
  Foo-Bar- Damage 1d8 range: 10’ 
      This five foot long stave glows on each end and gives a terrible shock to 
  the target program.  The foo-bar gives all the abilities of using a staff, and can 
  hurl electric shocks that can affect up to two targets at close range.  The foo-bar 
  is commonly used by guardian programs, but has been acquired by less than 
  reputable programs. 
   
  Duqu weapon 
  A weapon that is enabled with a Duqu feature will cause the victim to save vs. poison. If 
  the victim fails, their code will be temporarily overwritten by the attacker’s code.  The victim 
  will become a duplicate of the user of the duqu weapon.  The effect lasts for 1d6 rounds. 
   
  Zip weapon 
      A weapon that has the ability ‘zip’ glows with a much brighter than normal hue and has a 
  carrier effect when a successful strike is made against an opponent.  Once a successful hit is 
  made, the victim will start feeling the pressure of their body being compressed for up to 1d6 
  rounds after the last successful strike.  If a program loses their last health point due to the ‘zip’ 
  effect, they will become compressed into a one inch cube and can be extracted at a later date.  
  When they are extracted they will be at the same health levels when they were compressed. 
   
  Wiper weapon 
      A wiper weapon is designed to completely derez a program with one strike; otherwise it will 
  use standard damage.  On a roll to hit of a natural 20 (no adjustments), any creature or 
  program hit by the weapon is subject to a save vs. Death or suffer immediate derez.  
  
   
  Page21 
  Digital Slang (Or, a quick lexicon of things to say on the grid) 
   
  Cycle - A measurement of time 
  Delete - To remove a feature 
  Derez - Death 
  End of Line - Stop point for a program, or death 
  Grid - The home world of the main characters 
  Light-Cycle - A one program transport designed 
  for high speed access  
  Program - Person 
  Purge - To derez an entire program series 
  User - Beings outside the grid that affect all 
  within 
   
  Creatures of the Net 
  Null (Infected Program) 
  Armor Class:        10 
  Hit Dice:                2 
  No. of Attacks:     1 bite/1 claw/grab 
  Damage:        1d2 + save vs. poison for infected /1d4 
  Movement:          20’ 
  No. Appearing:    1d10 
  Save As:                Fighter: 2 
  Morale:                 10 
  Treasure Type:    None 
  XP:                         25 
   
  These sad humanoid creatures were once programs 
  of the grid, but without the main control disc they have 
  become mindless animals.  They will attack anyone that 
  looks like they still have any code in them, as they are so 
  empty inside they must feed on the code.  Once the 
  control disc has been returned, the nulls should return to 
  normal, but they may have terrible nightmares of what 
  they may have done during the time they were infected.  The 
  infected programs are capable of having parts removed 
  without pain.  They are also immune to mind control.  If 
  you are playing with some form of cleric, then they will be 
  similar to undead for the purposes of a cleric’s ability to turn. 
   
  
   
  Page22 
  Web Spyder 
  Armor Class:         16 
  Hit Dice:                1/2 
  No. of Attacks:     1 bite 
  Damage:        1d4 + save vs. paralysis 
  Movement:           30’ 
  No. Appearing:    2d8 
  Save As:                Fighter: 1 
  Morale:                 7 
  Treasure Type:    None 
  XP:                         6 
   
  Web Spyders are both a pest and a boon to the net.  They are 
  constantly spinning the web in new directions and laying data threads in 
  every direction.  However they also feed on available data, similar to 
  worms and other viruses.  It is unclear why they must feed on raw data, 
  but their feeding habits often wreak havoc with buildings and traveling web transports.  Most 
  non-net travelers presume that they are the creatures that built the net to begin with, but net 
  travelers will tell anyone that they are a menace.   
   
  Worm 
  Armor Class:        14 
  Hit Dice:                4 
  No. of Attacks:     1 bite/1 crush 
  Damage:                1d6/2d6+2 
  Movement:           40’ 
  No. Appearing:    1d4 
  Save As:                Fighter: 4 
  Morale:                 9 
  Treasure Type:    None 
  XP:                         135 
  A Worm is an extremely destructive creature; it will infect normal devices and ships 
  traveling the net and devour them in very short periods of time.  As it feeds it grows 
  and can reach sizes so large that it will no longer be able to move. By that time 
  most of the things covering a large area are all but gone.  On average they are 
  discovered once they reach the size of a full program, but they may go unnoticed 
  and become much larger.  The worm’s most common attack is a crushing 
  attack, wrapping around a program, and then squeezing the 
  program to unconsciousness.  Once the program is unconscious 
  the worm will ingest them before they derez, so that they can gain their code. 
   
   
  
   
  Page23 
   
  Living in the digital age can be difficult for anyone, even more so if you’re 
  just a lowly program.  After the defeat of the MCP, the party is betrayed by 
  Hack, who immediately steals the MCP disc and escapes to the net.  The party 
  must chase and capture Hack before the grid goes off line; without the MCP’s 
  algorithms, however, they must pray to their users for strength.  The players 
  themselves will have to intervene at the game table in order to help their 
  programs and catch Hack before the next cycle.  Will the users and programs 
  succeed, or will they face the End of Line? 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Basic Fantasy/Basic Fantasy Adventures & Settings/GagMen/G1409.2 End of Line (GagMen) (BasicF).pdf