TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Postage Due 
   
   
  A Timemaster adventure for 3-6 beginning Time Corps Agents 
   
  Gary Con 2012 
   
   
    
  
  SCENE 1:  
  BROUGHT FROM THE PAST TO THE 
  FUTURE TO FIX THE PAST 
  ***  
  Little did you know that the end of your life 
  would be the beginning of your greatest 
  adventure... 
   
  Just moments before each of you were to 
  meet your end, you were whisked away with 
  an intriguing offer – to become time Corps 
  agents, policing the timeline against 
  alterations and changes caused by 
  renegade (time Wars fugitives) and 
  Damoreans (time-travelling shape-shifting 
  aliens bent on conquest of the continuum). 
   
  During your training, you’ve all been 
  stationed at Time Corps Headquarters – a 
  sprawling futuristic compound the size of a 
  small city. Its location (both in space and 
  time) is a well-guarded secret, to keep it 
  safe from historical manipulation. 
   
  You are all summoned to the Historical 
  Corrections building where you are escorted 
  to an empty briefing room. You mill around a 
  bit, introducing yourselves and comparing 
  notes on the fantastic events that lead up to 
  your recruitment. The door slides open, and 
  a grizzled gentleman in his 50s with greying 
  muttonchops bustles in, obviously worked 
  up about something. He refers to a handheld 
  tablet device, looks at each of you, and 
  motions for you to take a seat. 
   
  “Gentlemen, I’m Sentry Charles Calhoun, 
  Grade 4, and we have an urgent bulletin 
  regarding the year 1985. The Sentinel 
  reports that the Confederate States of 
  America has just declared war on the 
  United Nation of Korea.” 
   
  He looks at each of your faces, judging your 
  reactions to this announcement. (Have PCs 
  roll vs. Paranormal Memory) 
   
  “Good. Your Paranormal Memory seems 
  to be working if you realize this is not 
  historically accurate. However this event 
  HAS happened due to a Temporal 
  Significance Wave that’s now crashing 
  through the Continuum. Agents are 
  reporting wild alterations to the timeline 
  and are scrambling throughout history to 
  stem the tide of the changes. Which is 
  where you come in. 
   
  “Our Temporal Examiners have 
  backtracked through the historical record 
  – both correct and this new altered 
  version -- to determine where the first 
  significant change occurred. Apparently, 
  all of our problems can be traced back to 
  a single failed letter delivery. Well, the 
  first one, anyway… 
   
  “From April 3, 1860, to October 21, 1861, 
  The Overland Pony Express ran letters 
  and parcels from St. Joseph, Missouri, to 
  San Francisco, California – more than 
  2,000 miles in just over 10 days. At the 
  time, it was the fastest way to get news 
  and information from the east to the 
  west. The first transcontinental telegraph 
  line was completed in October 1861, and 
  it effectively ended a need for the Pony 
  Express. But for the year and a half it ran, 
  the Express kept California connected to 
  breaking news rising from the east. You 
  see, the American Civil War had just 
  begun in May 1861. And due to its 
  continued communications with the 
  Union States, California itself joined the 
  Union, providing troops and, more 
  importantly, gold to fund the North. 
  Without the Pony Express, California 
  would have remained isolated and 
  ignorant of current events during those 
  first months of the war. And without 
  California’s support of the Union, the 
  Confederacy would have gained the 
  upper hand in the war. And that’s 
  precisely what the new historical record 
  now shows. The first run of the Pony 
  Express is recorded as a failed 
  experiment that was abandoned within 
  that first week. 
   
  “Gentlemen, we must ensure that the 
  mail DOES get through on that first run. 
   
  “The Sentinel has pinpointed the major 
  point of divergence during that first run 
  of the Pony Express during the week of 
  April 3rd through the 14th. Unknown to 
  most, the last leg of the west-bound Pony 
  Express was by water. The route between 
  Sacramento and San Francisco was 
  traversed via the steamboat “Antelope” 
  on the Sacramento River. When it arrived 
  
  at the San Francisco dock, the rider 
  would then ride the last 2 miles into 
  town. According to the new historical 
  record, an explosion scuttled the 
  Antelope on the evening of April 13, on 
  what would have been the final night of 
  the inaugural run. The rider and all 
  aboard were killed. We'll be sending you 
  back to that evening just prior to the 
  rider's arrival. Your mission is to get 
  aboard the Antelope and ensure that 
  nothing happens to it. 
   
  Your chonoscooters will be pre-
  programmed for arrival at 11 p.m., April 
  13, 1860, near the Sacramento dock for 
  the Antelope. The rider will be arriving in 
  10 minutes after your arrival. We've also 
  preset the time and coordinates for your 
  scooters return upon mission 
  completion. Finally, we have 
  programmed your scooters for one 
  additional jump. We've discovered that 
  allowing agents one extra discretionary 
  jump is sometimes useful for tying up 
  loose ends or dealing with unforseen 
  complications. Do NOT use that jump 
  unless vital for your mission's 
  completion. 
   
  Finally, each of you will be outfitted with 
  a regulation Time Corps stunner with 8 
  shots each (disguised as pistols native to 
  1860) as well as an extra clip of 8. Your 
  communicator is also pre-programmed 
  with the language and accents of the 
  period. Also, each of you will be 
  costumed in period garb and given one 
  of these. 
   
  He hands each agent a U.S. Marshall 
  badge. 
   
  That should just about do it. If you have 
  any questions, ask them now. Otherwise, 
  saddle up! 
  
  SCENE 2:  
  NIGHTTIME RIVER CRUISE 
   
  ((NOTE: ADD DEMOREANS ON RIVER 
  BANK WITH LASERS AND PASSENGERS 
  ON SHIP FOR CHAOS IF WE HAVE MORE 
  THAN 4 PCs PLAYING!!!))) 
   
  You feel a familiar lurch as the reality of the 
  Time Corps HQ Launch Center disappears 
  in a pinpoint of light and sound, and is 
  replaced by the silence and stillness of 
  night. Looking at the chonoscooter readout, 
  you see that it's 11 p.m. The heat of the 
  western climate is stifling. Nearby, you cvan 
  hear the lapping of waves hitting a river 
  bank. 
   
  After setting their scooters to vanish, the 
  agents are free to approach the dock. This 
  single dock is small and separated from the 
  larger piers for the larger ships nearby. The 
  Antelope is used for small cargo and few 
  passengers. It's a single deck littered with 
  crates and boxes. A captain's cabin sits 
  toward the front of the small craft. 
   
  Two men stand impatiently waiting at the 
  gangplank, wide enough for large cargo – or 
  a horse and rider. One dressed in cowboy 
  garb takes a watch from his vest and 
  glances at it. 
   
  “Where the devil is Hamilton?” he asks, 
  snapping it shut. 
   
  “I wouldn't worry about him,” says the 
  one dressed in a blue uniform. “We have 
  a good 20-minute window to get him 
  aboard and get the ship launched. We'll 
  be at San Francisco a half-hour later. 
  Delivery by midnight...that what was 
  promised, eh?' 
   
  The man in the blue uniform is Capt. William 
  Gibbs. The other man is Douglass Lovett, a 
  Sacramento marshal assigned to run 
  security for the last leg of the Express' first 
  run. 
   
  When the agents appear and approach, 
  Lovett will regard them warily, asking what 
  their business is this late at night at this 
  location. Capt. Gibbs doesn't think anything 
  wrong with it, as he's often asked to ferry 
  people back and forth from San Fran to 
  Sacramento, although he agrees that it's 
  odd to see folks out this late at night. The 
  PCs are encouraged to role-play allowing 
  Gibbs and Lovett to let them aboard for the 
  trip. 
   
  CAPT WILLIAM GIBBS 
  Significance Rating: 50 
  STR: 52 
  DEX: 68 
  AGL: 56 
  WPR: 62 
  PER: 74 
  PCN: 68 
  STA: 50 
  UMS: 54 
  WNDS: 13 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Nautical Craft Piloting (MA) 117; 
  Pistol (SP) 83.  
  Captain Gibbs is armed with a fully-loaded 
  Colt revolver (6 shots). 
   
  MARSHALL DOUGLASS LOVETT 
  Significance Rating: 50 
  STR: 68 
  DEX: 62 
  AGL: 72 
  WPR: 76 
  PER: 68 
  PCN: 74 
  STA: 76 
  UMS: 70 
  WNDS: 15 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Pistol (MA) 117; Shotgun (MA) 117; 
  First Aid (EX) 102 
  Marshal Lovett is armed with a pair of Colt 
  Peacemakers (5 shots each) as well as a 
  shotgun hidden under his duster. (2 shots) 
   
  Around 11:20 p.m., hoofbeats come 
  galloping toward the dock as Pony Express 
  rider Samuel Hamilton approaches. He 
  brings the horse, fairly winded, up to the 
  gangplank.The rider is a boy of about 14 
  years wearing tattered clothes slightly too 
  big for his lanky build. 
   
  “Whew! Is this the tub that taking me 
  across?” he asks. 
   
  The captain bristles and motions Hamilton 
  and the horse aboard. Once they're on 
  board (PC's can help secure the now-skittish 
  horse and cast off the ship), the PCs can 
  talk to Hamilton as Lovett walks around the 
  deck. Hamilton just arrived from the previous 
  
  relay station. He reports no issues or 
  problems with the trip. 
   
  SAMUEL HAMILTON 
  Significance Rating: 100 
  STR: 40 
  DEX: 55 
  AGL: 61 
  WPR: 45 
  PER: 40 
  PCN: 49 
  STA: 66 
  UMS: 50 
  WNDS: 14 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Equestrian (MA) 110; Pistol (SP) 
  70. 
   
  Samuel has a small caliber sidearm to 
  protect himself on the trail (4 shots), but he 
  hasn't had much use for it. 
   
  If the PCs decide to poke around at some of 
  the crates on the deck, most of them are 
  labeled to be delivered to Hewett's Finerys 
  and Clothiers, and they contain cotton, 
  textiles, and various dyes and chemicals. 
  (This could account for some of the 
  explosive force of the explosion.) A single 
  crate at the front of bow has a lot of 
  Japanese characters on it. Any PC who can 
  speak the language (or who makes a PCN 
  roll) may be able to piece together DANGER 
  or FLAMABLE or similar warning-ish 
  placards. Maybe there's a flame with an X 
  on it. This crate contains assorted fireworks 
  destined to be fired off upon arrival of the 
  Pony Express in San Francisco. 
   
  A sudden shrill roar explodes from some 
  bushes near the far bank and a shadow is 
  moving at the boat fast. A Perception roll 
  reveals that it's a gasoline-powered engine. 
  A single electric headlight on the front blinds 
  you all. A loud “rebel yell” is shouted by the 
  unseen rider. He is wearing a grey Civil War 
  uniform with the decorations of a general. 
   
  The rider is Quinton Kensey – a renegade 
  time traveler and Confederate sympathizer 
  who wishes for the fall of the North and the 
  rise of the South. He is quite notorious 
  (some of the PCs may recognize him from 
  the training) and has tried to alter the course 
  and result of the Civil War on several 
  occasions. Capturing him is a priority. 
  Kensey is riding a “wave rider” personal 
  watercraft and he's firing at the crew with a 
  pair of semi-automatic pistols. His original 
  goal was to simply kill everyone on board, 
  but he succeeded beyond his dreams when 
  a wild shot hit the fireworks, sending the 
  flamables ablaze which eventually caused 
  the boat's boiler to explode. With the PCs on 
  board, this may still happen, but the odds 
  are now stacked against Kensey with the 
  additional firepower the PCs have: 
   
  QUINTON KENSEY – Time Renegade 
  Significance Rating: 200 
  STR: 78 
  DEX: 62 
  AGL: 72 
  WPR: 52 
  PER: 44 
  PCN: 40 
  STA: 78 
  UMS: 75 
  WNDS: 15 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Semi-automatic pistols (MA) 117; 
  Pilot (EX) 88. 
   
  The PCs are encouraged to come up with 
  some plan to take out Kensey. The Captain 
  can try to run the boat into him, Samuel and 
  Lovett will keep trying to shoot him. The PCs 
  may use the fireworks as an impromptu 
  “mortar” round. Anything they can think of 
  while they're circled and shot at. The ship 
  will arrive at the San Francisco dock in 10 
  minutes. 
   
  When Kensey is subdued, runs out of ammo 
  or gas, or is wounded, the PCs should see 
  him throw a silver sphere into the air. 
  There's a flash of light as it winks out of 
  existence. 
   
  “You're too late agents!” Kensey shouts 
  in triumph. “Once my past self gets that 
  TDD, I'll just correct tonight's mistake a 
  week ago! Let's see how Cody likes a 
  bullet in his head at 30 Mile Ridge!” 
   
  PCs may recall their training that a TDD is a 
  “Temporal Displacement Device” which is 
  used to send small items and messages to 
  another already-known fixed point in time. 
  And if Kensey sent a message to his past 
  self pastward in this timeline... 
   
  Suddenly, it feels as if reality shifts three feet 
  to the right as... 
  
  SCENE 3: 
  DEJA VU? 
   
  You feel a familiar lurch as the reality of the 
  Time Corps HQ Launch Center disappears 
  in a pinpoint of light and sound, and is 
  replaced by the silence and stillness of 
  night. Looking at the chonoscooter readout, 
  you see that it's 11 p.m. The heat of the 
  western climate is stifling. Nearby, you cvan 
  hear the lapping of waves hitting a river 
  bank. 
   
  After setting their scooters to vanish, the 
  agents are free to approach the dock.  
   
  Two men stand impatiently waiting at the 
  gangplank, wide enough for large cargo – or 
  a horse and rider.  
   
  “Where the devil is Hamilton?” he asks, 
  snapping it shut. 
   
  “I wouldn't worry about him,” says the 
  one dressed in a blue uniform. “We have 
  a good 20-minute window to get him 
  aboard and get the ship launched. We'll 
  be at San Francisco a half-hour later. 
  Delivery by midnight...that what was 
  promised, eh?' 
   
  Yes, the timeline has been changed. The 
  PCs are not “reliving” this moment, rather 
  they just arrived. But feelings of deja vu are 
  often hints that the timeline has been 
  changed. If anyone thinks to use 
  Paranormal Memory, they'll recall the 
  original timeline, the arrival of Samuel, the 
  fight with Kensey, etc. However, the timeline 
  has now been changed so Samuel never 
  arrived. In fact, the Pony Express ride was 
  stopped 7 days ago in this timeline. 
   
  Kensey sent a message to himself 8 days 
  ago in Midway, Nebraska, where he was 
  staying. As insurance, Kensey picked this 
  point as a fallback event window in case the 
  Antelope attack did not go as planned. Upon 
  receiving the note from his futureward self, 
  he put into motion his backup plan of 
  assassinating the rider at the relay station at 
  30 Mile Ridge just 7 miles out of Midway. 
  And the rider is a spacial target as well – 15-
  year-old William Cody who grows up to be 
  Buffalo Bill Cody 15 years from now! 
   
  The PCs can wait around with Gibbs and 
  Lovett, but as midnight rolls around, there is 
  no appearance of Samuel. The major clues 
  the PCs should have grabbed from Kensey's 
  rant was “one week ago, Cody, and 30 Mile 
  Ridge.” If asked, Lovett can explain that 
  there are about 25 riders on the route from 
  St. Joseph to San Francisco. He has both a 
  map of the entire route of the Express ride 
  as well as a rider manifest. On the map, the 
  PCs may be able to find a relay station at 30 
  Mile Ridge, Nebraska, just prior to the home 
  station of Midway, Nebraska, where a new 
  rider takes over. On the rider manifest, there 
  is a “W. Cody”. So he must be the rider 
  passing through 30 Mile Ridge 7 days ago 
  on April 6. If they ask for an approximate 
  time of arrival for Cody, Lovett makes his 
  best guess... 
   
  “Given the route he's taking, allowing for 
  three other previous relays...I'd say he 
  probably got there around 2 to 3 in the 
  afternoon,” Lovett guess. “Why?” 
   
  The PCs should be hinted and pointed at 
  taking their scooters to 30 Mile Ridge, 
  Nebraska, April 6, 1860. Their time of arrival 
  is solely based upon what they feel is best. 
  
  SCENE 4: 
  AMBUSH AT 30 MILE RIDGE 
   
  ((NOTE: ADD MORE DAMOREANS AND A 
  HORSE CHASE IF THINGS ARE GOING 
  TOO FAST. IF TIME IS RIGHT, RUN AS 
  WRITTEN)) 
   
  Your chronoscooters take you unerringly 
  to 30 Mile Ridge, Nebraska, April 6. 
  Events at the Antelope dock haven't 
  happened yet. Or will happen. Or have 
  changed. That's the problem with time 
  travel...it's next to impossible to establish 
  what has happened and when it 
  happened. But all that matters is that 
  history is put back the way it originally 
  ran. 
   
  The 30 Mile Ridge relay station isn't much 
  more than a small shack which acts as the 
  residence of the stationmaster, a stable with 
  7 horses (one saddled and bridled, ready to 
  go), a barn with plenty of feed and additional 
  saddling equipment as needed. 
   
  What is going on now depends on the PC's 
  time of arrival. Cody will arrive at 2 p.m. 
  Depending on the time of day, stationmaster 
  Jedidiah Colter could be grooming and 
  preparing the next horse for the ride, eating 
  breakfast or lunch in the shack, or just sitting 
  outside, waiting for the rider. Jedidiah is a 
  grizzled old coot who should be played like 
  Gabby Hayes. Doesn't take any guff from no 
  body, by cracky! 
   
  What the PCs may not know is that Colter is 
  a shape-shifted Damorean who is working 
  with Kensey to alter the timeline. The real 
  Colter is unconscious and secured in the 
  barn. Colter will ambush the PCs and/or 
  Cody when the time is right. 
   
  JEDIDIAH COLTER – Damorean Agent 
  Significance Rating: 0 
  STR: 40 
  DEX: 40 
  AGL: 40 
  WPR: 40 
  PER: 40 
  PCN: 40 
  STA: 40 
  UMS: 40 
  WNDS: 11 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Equestrian (MA) 113; Laser pistol 
  (SP) 70. 
  “Jedidiah” is armed with a laser pistol. If 
  killed, he’ll dissolve into a puddle of goo. 
   
  Kensey has a spot picked out a few days 
  ago just up on the Ridge. Overlooking the 
  station on a high cliff face he's set up a high-
  powered laser-scoped rifle. The PCs can try 
  to find it, but it's well-hidden and 
  camouflaged. (-50 to all rolls to find it) 
  Kensey will arrive at the sniper nest around 
  noon. If the PCs are milling about, he'll just 
  think they are well-wishers or inspectors 
  attending to the station. (He hasn't yet met 
  them, so he doesn't know they're Time 
  Corps agents.) Kensey's focused on 
  shooting Cody. 
   
  Once Will Cody comes tearing into the 
  station, the PCs should be on high alert (if 
  they haven't already found/subdues 
  Kensey). It is not just imperative that the run 
  continues, it is also imperative that nothing 
  happens to William Cody. His death will not 
  only end the run of the Pony Express, a 
  major icon of the spirit of the American West 
  will also be ended, which could lead to as-
  of-yet-unseen timeline changes. 
   
  As for clues to Kensey's wherabouts, PCs 
  may see a red dot “crawling” along the 
  ground or upon their chests (the scope's 
  targeting). Someone may want to get Cody 
  to safety when the gunfire starts. The PCs 
  can grab a horse and ride up to take out 
  Kensey. Someone else may grab Cody and 
  a horse and ride to Midway to make sure the 
  timeline is salvaged. Regardless, Cody 
  should be saved, Kensey subdued, and the 
  mail sent through to Midway! 
   
  QUINTON KENSEY – Time Renegade 
  Significance Rating: 200 
  STR: 78 
  DEX: 62 
  AGL: 72 
  WPR: 52 
  PER: 44 
  PCN: 40 
  STA: 78 
  UMS: 75 
  WNDS: 15 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Semi-automatic pistols (MA) 117; 
  Pilot (EX) 88. 
   
  
   
  WILLIAM CODY  
  Significance Rating: 200 
  STR: 40 
  DEX: 55 
  AGL: 61 
  WPR: 45 
  PER: 40 
  PCN: 49 
  STA: 66 
  UMS: 50 
  WNDS: 14 
   
  Current STA: 
  Wounds: OOOOOOOOOOOO 
   
  SKILLS: Equestrian (MA) 110; Pistol (SP) 
  70. 
   
  If the PCs are successful, they can be sent 
  home. 
  
  SCENE 5:  
  RETURN AND DEBRIEFING 
   
  SUCCESS! 
  When the PCs return, Sentry Calhoun is 
  waiting to speak with them. If they 
  succeeded, he congratulates them on a 
  successful mission. 
   
  Once you set history right, the 
  Significance Wave disappeared as the 
  timeline corrected itself. And I've never 
  before seen rookie agents use a second 
  pastward jump before. Nice work relying 
  on your Paranormal Memory to clue you 
  in when everything changed. Welcome to 
  the Time Corps, Trainee, Grade 2! 
   
  IF THE PCs FAILED COMPLETELY: 
   
  Sentry Calhoun looks somewhat different 
  than when you left. His clean-cut red Time 
  Corps uniform has been replaced with a 
  gray flannel jumpsuit.  
   
  “Due to your failure, the Significance 
  Wave crashed through Time Corps HQ 
  like crap through a goose,” he drawls 
  with a think southern accent. “But 
  fortunately, the Time Corps president 
  was able to hold history together here at 
  the end so we weren't completely erased. 
  Isn't that right, sir?” 
   
  A wallscreen blinks on and Quinton 
  Kensey stands there in a similar grey 
  flannel Time Corps uniform. “That's right, 
  Sentry.” Kensey says. “Now bring the 
  agents to me. I'd like to debrief them 
  personally...” 
   
   
   
   
   
  END 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Timemaster Continuum/Timemaster - Postage Due.pdf