[UA] Jailbreak in the 50s with 3 players

[Scott McDaniel]

On 3/3/07, Lassi Seppälä <lsseppal at cc.hut.fi> wrote:
> I'm going to run Jailbreak for three players that have never played
> UA before. I'm going to set it in the 1950s, because I want to tie it
> in with my upcoming campaign.
>
> I don't have the book(s) with me now, but I want to get this rolling,
> so what do I need to consider? Which characters should I give to my
> players? Only convicts? Or maybe two cons and a hostage? Which ones?
> I'm considering playing only the mechanomancer and his wife as NPCs
> and leaving the other "leftover" characters out altogether.

I think the number of characters in the scenario is a good one for the
tension and conflict.  In similar situations, perhaps one or two could
be equivalent to Star Trek red shirts and die quickly, horribly and
off scene.
The wife, at least, is the second character I'd have as a PC :) - the
potential for a creative player to be and go crazy are too rich for me
to pass up.

> What changes need to be done for it to work in the 1950s, if any? Any
> special ideas for the period? Maybe make the mechanomancer into a
> former Nazi just for the fun of it? And one of the characters a WWII
> veteran? :) Also, should I tone down the clockworks a bit, because
> they could be too 'wondrous' for the period?

Maybe on the Nazi thing, but I wouldn't make it too stereotypical,
such as making him a sympathizer immigrant who left because the tides
were turning against Nazism, vs. "omg! It's Himmler and he was a
mechanomancer".  A few well place pieces of Nazi regalia could be a
great red herring, especially if you ever mask what the game itself is
about.  The spy mystery that turns into ...well, this.

Also, to my understanding, clockworkers would be even more powerful
and relevant in the 50's, especially since much of the popular sci-fi
still would consider them as 'the future', people who were alive
during the height of mechanomancy are still active and interest in
military-industry would still be hanging over from the War.

If you think you need to take any of it in different angles than my
ideas, of course, cool.

Scott
-- 
Isn't it enough to know I ruined a pony
making a gift for you?