Hurh?!?

As I posted in this thread, I was watching Rudolph's Shiny New Year with the wahoos a few weekends ago and could not help but think how could it would be to create an Untold adventure for them based on it. I was literally sitting there, watching the show and building the characters in my head with Untold cards! So, I thought I would give it a go; just having some fun - do with it what you will but if you run it, please let me know what you think!

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph%27s_Shiny_New_Year

Plot:

"In this television special, Rudolph has just come back from delivering Christmas presents with Santa Claus when he is asked by Father Time to find the next Baby New Year before midnight on New Year's Eve. The baby, named Happy, was humiliated and laughed at constantly by everyone he met because of his large ears and thus ran away. Unless Happy is returned in time to take his position as the new year, the old year won't end and the date will perpetually remain December 31 forever. Father Time speculates that Happy is hiding out in the Archipelago of Last Years, where the Old Years retire and rule over an island styled to resemble the year they ruled over.

Why?

The reasons why I chose this show instead of the more well known Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer were that it was presented in such a straight-forward adventure format (i.e. Powerful entity approaches PC and needs something done --> Powerful entity provides assistance to PC and sets them on the path --> PC encounters challenges, NPC help, and antagonists along the way, etc...) and that it is well, not as well known to kids. This way, while the kids are familiar with some of the characters, they might not know the cartoon by heart and thus will have some fun making their own way as they play the adventure...

So, without further ado...

Setup

Character creation should range from 15-20 UP and while it helps to have at least one Player play the part of "Rudolph", it is by no means necessary. Party members could easily be other "magical creatures" (i.e. L'na Dawns and Twilights) from the North Pole who are friends of Santa, elf-like members of Santa's workshop (i.e. High-bred), Eskimos or arctic "wild boys and girls" (i.e. Churl) who live near Santa's castle or even the clock-work results of the elfish creations from Santa's workshop given "life" (i.e. Klik Rollers and Tripods).

Regardless, all of the Characters created should be given the "Small" Power card for free, unless the Player has a convincing reason for why their Characters should be medium-sized. (Bear in mind that we're trying to foster the idea of children being able to do these things and succeed at these adventures - there scads of good reasons for that which I won't even get into here...).

Here's a sample PC for ya:

Rudolph (the Red-Nosed Reindeer)
Character Deck: (Total UP: 19)
L'na Dawn (looks like a young reindeer)
Soul 2
Small (for free)
Storm's Blessing
Luminescent
Swap Buffer: 1 UP
Character Background/Notes: "You know Dasher and Dancer...."
QRC:
BODY ATK: 1/BODY DEF: 1/BODY BOOST: -1
MIND ATK: 0/MIND DEF: 0/MIND BOOST: 0
SOUL ATK: 3/SOUL DEF: 3/SOUL BOOST: 3
TOTAL VIT: 1

Anywho....Once the Characters are created, they receive a summons from Father Time.

Encounter 1: The Summons

At some point, the Characters receive a message from Santa: they have each been summoned to Father Time's Castle! Father Time has a problem that only they can help him with - and if they don't something terrible may happen! It is so important, in fact, that Father Time has sent one of his high-ranking officers, General Ticker, to help guide them along the way!

General Ticker
Character Deck: (Total UP: 30)
Klik Roller (Modified to have two legs)
Small (for free)
Klik Armor Plating
Micro Assembler
Razorcog Drones
Scout Sensor Suite
Mechanic
Field Repair
Swap Buffer: 0 UP
Character Description/Notes: General Ticker is really not a general. It is merely one of a whole series of generic Klik Rollers created by Father Time's Automation Workshop - they are meant to serve as "general purpose" administrators, servants and soldiers; and as such the "General" moniker stuck. As such, General Ticker was dispatched to obtain assistance in retrieving Baby Happy and has been programmed to help the heroes in any way possible. Tough and versatile, General Ticker is by no means a "front-line" combatant, but is excellent in terms of a self-repairing, self-maintaining "support staff" when the going gets tough. Of note, General Ticker does have an odd "Klik tick" of speaking in rhyme...
QRC:
BODY ATK: 2/BODY DEF: 1/BODY BOOST: -2
MIND ATK: 1/MIND DEF: 1/MIND BOOST: 2
SOUL ATK: 0/SOUL DEF: 0/SOUL BOOST: 0
TOTAL VIT: 2

General Ticker informs the party that they must, with all haste, make it to Father Time's Castle, which lies on the far side of the Sands of Time. General Ticker is tremendously helpful to the party (because he's been programmed to be) but knows little of the specific details of Father Time's request. Because of his role in offending Baby Happy, however, General Ticker is ashamed and hesitant to provide details. A successful Check made by a Character (i.e. using Diplomatic, Intimidating, etc... vs. 13) results in the revelation that the Baby Happy is missing, and that he had a hand in it. Only a Check made by 10 or more will result in General Ticker revealing that he feels that his laughter at Baby Happy's ears may have had something to do with the Baby's disappearance, but otherwise the Klik solider cannot expound upon any of the details. The party will simply have to wait to see Father Time. General Ticker, can, however tell them that if they do not hurry, then the New Year will not arrive and time itself will stand still! Once the party is ready to leave, General Ticker leads them there post-haste!

Encounter Rewards: Any Player who manages to get the General to reveal his involvement in Happy's departure gets 2-3 UP (dependent on role-playing; GM's call); everyone else gets 0-1 UP each. Of course, inventive Power usage, excellent role-play, etc. always warrants more than average UP awards.

Encounter 2: The Sands of Time

Following General Ticker's unerring sense of direction, the party soon arrives on the edges of the Sands of Time, a massive desert that stretches off into the horizon. A bright corona of light sets upon the horizon, directly beneath a radiant, blazing star. General Ticker explains that the light comes from Father Time's Castle and that the star is there to guide them (he grumbles that he could do it by himself, but he guesses that the star is there for non-Klik...).

General Tick warns that the desert is very dangerous and is filled with all manner of foul beasts, including the dreaded Sandworms! Father Time knows, this, however and has sent another of his faithful servants to help, The Great Quarter Past Five.

The Great Quarter Past Five
Character Deck: (Total UP: 50)
H'runt
Large
Bio-Mechanical Conversion Chassis
Tremorsense
Hydraulics
Resilient
Reinforced Klik Armor Plating
Charge
Pile Driver
Winch
Tether
Swap Buffer: 6 UP
Character Description/Notes: The Great Quarter Past Five, or Quart as his friends call him, was one of the first (and greatest) creations ever made by Father Time. Originally a H'runt, this great creature of the baking sand and blazing sun was transformed completely into a massive and capable mount - a veritable living transport. His role was straightforward - to aid the friends of Father Time in crossing the dangerous Sands of Time and to prove a powerful enemy for those creatures who meant the Father of All Time any ill will. Quart is tremendously strong and his endurance is legendary (both of which are made even greater by the clockwork augmentations of Father Time); but not so legendary as his hatred for the dreaded Sandworms, which Quart will attack ruthlessly on site. It is said that Quart can sense the approach of the Sandworms long before they ever show their ugly heads.
QRC:
BODY ATK: 0*/BODY DEF: 0*/BODY BOOST: 8*
MIND ATK: 0/MIND DEF: 0/MIND BOOST: 0
SOUL ATK: 0/SOUL DEF: -1/SOUL BOOST: 0
TOTAL VIT: 11
* = Can Change with "Charge"

As it would be expected, it is not long after the party is safely stowed upon The Great Quarter Past Five and are trundling across the Sands of Time that the Sandworms attack. It is very important to note that this is potentially a very deadly encounter for the party, but that is why Father Time has sent both General Ticker and The Great Quarter Past Five to help. GM's should do their level best to have these NPC's absorb as much damage as they can for the Characters. This will ensure a couple of things: first, that the Characters (if they were not before) are now fully invested in the cause and second, that they have now become endeared to and beholden to these NPC's (and, by extension, Father Time) and will want to help once they reach the Castle.

Sandworms (2)
As per the "Hydra Strand" Minion Card
GM Note: if the encounter seems to be going too easily for the Characters, simply one (1) additional Sandworm to the mix!
QRC:
BODY ATK: 3/BODY DEF: 2/BODY BOOST: 5
MIND ATK: 0/MIND DEF: 0/MIND BOOST: 0
SOUL ATK: 0/SOUL DEF: 0/SOUL BOOST: 1
TOTAL VIT: 8

Though it's a tough battle, the Party should survive the battle with the Sandworms, but just barely. Give them some time for rest, healing, and repair as they make their first camp in the Sands of Time. GM's should take into account the special properties of this site (as detailed above); they should also feel free to allow any Character's natural healing capabilities to occur at twice the normal rate than usual (i.e. Characters can heal up to their total Aspect Rank TWICE a day while they remain in the Sands of Time, or Characters can heal up to TWICE their total Aspect Rank once a day).

Encounter Rewards: Characters who engage in substantive role-play with Quart receive 1-2 UP each and all Characters who the encounter with the Sandworms should get 2-4 UP each. Of course, inventive Power usage, excellent role-play, etc. always warrants more than average UP awards. Also, depending on how long the Characters spend in the Sands of Time, GM's may also elect for them to gain the "Desert's Blessing" Power as well.

Encounter 3: Aeon

At some point after the Party has recovered from the Sandworm attack and before they arrive at Father Time's Castle, the Party needs to be introduced to their primary enemy: Aeon. The massive, diabolical buzzard has been watching the party from afar, assessing their powers and abilities and hoping to catch them off-guard. Aeon is no fool (one cannot survive for as long as he has without learning a thing or three) and his plan is an initial assault to gauge the part's strengths and weaknesses. If he can wipe them out, so much the better, but he's saving his full strength for now.

Aeon
Character Deck: (Total UP: 65)
L'na Dawn (looks like a buzzard, with some slightly reptilian qualities)
Huge
Wings
Forest's Blessing
Scream of the Panther
Stone's Bones
Winter's Blessing
Swap Buffer: 9 UP
Hot Swaps:
Frost Touch
Character Description/Notes: Aeon is more afraid of his own demise than he is "evil". Lonely, slightly xenophobic perhaps, exceedingly eccentric and odd - but not evil. However, his actions, driven by his own selfish desires, are evil and as such, he comes into conflict with the party has he tries to capture the Baby Happy and keep the New Year from coming. In this particular encounter, Aeon is merely attempting to assess the qualities and strengths of his potential enemies. Aeon knows that Father Time is aware of his desire to capture Baby Happy and the old bird is no fool - he knows that Father Time will seek assistance. As such, he arrives sometime after the Sandworm attack and watches and waits for the right moment to test the heroes' mettle. While his attacks are not strong, his ability to fly and his high Vitality make him a very difficult opponent to "bring down" and defeat. As such, it is very likely that after a few rounds of taunting and using his "Scream of the Panther" Power, he will retreat and attempt to find Happy. He will not land and use his "Frost Touch" Power at this time, but he will take on flying opponents and use the Touch ranged Power if necessary. Aeon is not looking to talk in this encounter, but rather, he wants to hammer the Characters as hard as he can to see what they can take.
QRC:
BODY ATK: -2/BODY DEF: -2/BODY BOOST: 10
MIND ATK: 0/MIND DEF: 0/MIND BOOST: 1
SOUL ATK: 1/SOUL DEF: 1/SOUL BOOST: 2
TOTAL VIT: 12

Encounter Rewards: This is a difficult encounter with a powerful and frightening enemy. As such, all Characters who survive the encounter should receive 2-3 UP each. Of course, inventive Power usage, excellent role-play, etc. always warrants more than average UP awards.

Tune in tomorrow for the following three Encounters:

Encounter 4: Father Time, Encounter 5: The Sundial, Encounter 6: Sea of Auld Lang Syne

NOTE: I've not yet had a chance to play-test this adventure, so if anyone gets a chance to run it, please let me know how it works out for you!