TEXT: our friends the machines  
  & other mysteries
  
  CREATOR OF THE LOOP UNIVERSE 
  Simon Stålenhag
  WRITERS
  Mikael Bergström, Steve Daldry, Gabrielle de Bourg,
  Anders Fager, Björn Hellqvist, Nils Hintze, Nils Karlén
  ILLUSTRATIONS
  Simon Stålenhag, Reine Rosenberg
  PROJECT MANAGER
  Tomas Härenstam
  EDITORS
  Rickard Antroia, Nils Karlén
  COPYRIGHT © 2017 SIMON STÅLENHAG AND FRIA LIGAN AB
  ISBN: 978-91-87222-93-1
  GRAPHIC DESIGN & MAPS
  Christian Granath 
  TRANSLATION
  Edgardo Montes Rosa
  PROOFREADING
  John M. Kahane, John Marron, 
  Kosta Kostulas
  
  O1.
   
  INTRODUCTION O2.
   
  OUR FRIENDS 
  THE MACHINES
  THE TRUTH OF THE  
   
  MYSTERY 
  7
  THE MACHINES 
  8
  BEING CHIPPED 
  10
  BOULDER CITY 
  11
  INTRODUCING 
   
  THE KIDS 
  11
  INTRODUCING 
   
  THE MYSTERY 
  12
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY 14
  LOCATION 1: 
   
  THE TOY STORE 
  15
  LOCATION 2: THE 
   
  INVENTOR’S HOME 
  17
  LOCATION 3:  
   
  THE MOTEL 
  20
  LOCATION 4A: THE 
  FACTORY  ENTRANCE 21
  LOCATION 4B: 
   
  THE BASEMENT 
  22
  LOCATION 4C: 
   
  THE FACTORY FLOOR 23
  LOCATION 4D: 
   
  THE OFFICE FLOOR 
  24
  SHOWDOWN 
  25
  AFTER THE 
   
  SHOWDOWN 
  26
  CHANGE 
  27
  NPCS AND  
  CREATURES 
  27
  O3.
   
  HORROR MOVIE  
  MAYHEM
  THE TRUTH OF THE 
  MYSTERY 
  33
  BOULDER CITY 
  36
  INTRODUCING 
  THE KIDS 
  36
  INTRODUCING  
  THE MYSTERY 
  37
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY 38
  LOCATION 1:  
  VIDEO STORE 
  39
  LOCATION 2:  
  FACTORY 
  41
  LOCATION 3: THE PTA 
  HEADQUARTERS 
  44
  SHOWDOWN 
  45
  AFTERMATH 
  47
  NPCS AND  
  CREATURES 
  48
  2
  INNEHÅLL
  
  O4.
   
  THE MUMMY
  IN THE MIST
  THE TRUTH OF THE  
  MYSTERY 
  51
  BREDÄNG 
  53
  BOULDER CITY 
  55
  INTRODUCING  
  THE KIDS 
  55
  INTRODUCING  
  THE MYSTERY 
  55
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY 56
  LOCATION 1: THE  
  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 56
  LOCATION 2:   
  THE BEACH 
  58
  LOCATION 3:  
  THE CAMPSITE 
  59
  LOCATION 4:   
  THE HIGH SCHOOL 
  60
  LOCATION 5:  
  THE MUMMY’S DEN 
  61
  LOCATION 6:  
  OVER THE ICE 
  63
  SHOWDOWN 
  63
  AFTER THE  
  SHOWDOWN 
  64
  CHANGE 
  64
  NPCS AND  
  CREATURES 
  62
  O5.
   
  MIXTAPE OF 
  MYSTERIES
  SWEET DREAMS 
  69
  EVERY BREATH YOU  
  TAKE 
  72
  GIRLS JUST WANT TO 
  HAVE FUN 
  74
  WHERE IS MY MIND 
  76
  NIGHTRAIN 
  78
  FOREVER YOUNG 
  80
  THRILLER 
  82
  HEAVEN IS A PLACE  
  ON EARTH 
  84
  O6.
   
  MACHINE
  BLUEPRINTS
  ALTA ABM100  
  AUTONOMOUS 
  FIRE-FIGHTING  
  MACHINE 
  90
  PAARHUFER MK 79  
  SEMI-AUTONOMOUS 
  SERVICE UNIT 
  92
  LIEBER-ALTA M75  
  LOCOMOTIVE SHIP 
  94
  MG/S SIERRA  
  NEVADA 
  96 
  O7.
   
  HOMETOWN 
  HACK
  WHY HACK YOUR  
  HOMETOWN? 
  99
  CHOOSE YOUR TOWN 99
  DEFINE THE AREA 
  100
  PREPARE THE MAP 
  100
  PLACE THE LOOP 
  100
  PREPARE AND P 
  LACE THE AGENCY 
  101
  PLACE SCHOOLS,  
  POLICE, AND OTHER 
  INSTITUTIONS 
  104
  CREATE A SHORT  
  SUMMARY 
  104
  WRAP THINGS UP 
  104
  3
  INNEHÅLL
  
  O1
  CHAPTER
  Toys suddenly developing intelligence. A mystical mummy roaming 
  the beaches. Weird events in the local video store. A mixtape full of 
  mysteries. Four wondrous machines. A guide to creating your own 
  setting for the game. All this and more in this volume intended for 
  use with Tales from the Loop RPG. Enjoy!
  INTRODUCTION
  
  5
   
  ■
  OUR FRIENDS THE MACHINES: In the first mystery of 
  the book, the Kids will experience the botched 
  launch of a set of new action toys. Escaped AIs, 
  intelligent robot toys and possessed humans sud-
  denly make playtime very dangerous.
   
  ■
  THE MUMMY IN THE MIST: The school is filled with ru-
  mors. The mummy has been spotted down by the 
  lake again. Looking for something. Hungering. It 
  falls on the Kids to investigate the mystery of The 
  Mummy in the Mist. 
   
  ■
  HORROR MOVIE MAYHEM: The ‘80s is the era of mo-
  ral panic. Horror movies, metal and RPGs are all 
  debated by adults. The local video store is suddenly 
  the focus of a conflict spanning generations. When 
  a series of strange events occur, the Kids are drawn 
  into a hunt for the truth behind the video store and 
  its scary movies.
   
  ■
  MIXTAPE OF MYSTERIES: Eight classic songs. Eight 
  short mysteries. A mixtape of secrets. Just press 
  play!
   
  ■
  BLUEPRINTS: Two advanced robots, two powerful 
  magnetrine ships. In this chapter you will find 
  blueprints, background and adventure hooks for 
  some of the most iconic machines of the era of 
  the Loop.
   
  ■
  HOMETOWN HACK: The Mälaren Islands and Boul-
  der City are interesting to explore, but why not 
  hack your own hometown? In this chapter we 
  provide a set of guidelines to create your own 
  setting, complete with the new setting of The 
  Norfolk Broads in England.
  
  O2
  CHAPTER
  Not counting Legos, American toys are the ones I played with the 
  most. Transformers of course, but also Action Force, He-Man and a 
  little bit of M.A.S.K.. Somebody you knew might have had  
  Gobots. Coolest of us all was Jonte, who somehow got his hands on 
  a Valkyrie from Robotech.
  OUR FRIENDS 
  THE MACHINES
  THE TRUTH OF THE MYSTERY 
  7
  THE MACHINES 
  8
  BEING CHIPPED 
  10
  BOULDER CITY 
  11
  INTRODUCING THE KIDS 
  11
  INTRODUCING THE MYSTERY 
  12
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY 
  14
  LOCATION 1: THE TOY STORE 
  15
  LOCATION 2: THE INVENTOR’S HOME 
  17
  LOCATION 3: THE MOTEL 
  20
  LOCATION 4A: THE FACTORY 
   
  ENTRANCE 
  21
  LOCATION 4B: THE BASEMENT 
  22
  LOCATION 4C: THE FACTORY FLOOR 
  23
  LOCATION 4D: THE OFFICE FLOOR 
  24
  SHOWDOWN 
  25
  AFTER THE SHOWDOWN 
  26
  CHANGE 
  27
  NPCS AND CREATURES 
  27
  
  7
  Many of the adults were concerned about America-
  nization. In response to McDonald's hamburger res-
  taurants, the Swedish fastfood chain Clock appeared. 
  Mom thought it felt safer. At least healthier, anyway. 
  The same thing with the “Our Friends the Machines.” 
  They would be the Swedish, slightly nicer alternative to 
  Transformers. Local robots that connected and could 
  transform by themselves.
  I remember that Märta had gotten one. Probably 
  through her dad, who had a toy factory and traveled 
  around at various fairs. I probably would never have 
  known that, because "Swedish" was the same to us as 
  "corny", but I thought it was pretty cool. It could turn 
  into an eighteen-wheeler and if you pressed a button 
  on the back, it made different sounds. Märta claimed 
  that when she first got it, it could transform by itself 
  and talk, but of course no one believed her.
  They quickly vanished from stores. They probably 
  did not sell well, despite collaborations with large 
  Swedish companies, in collaboration with Bamse, and 
  a fast-launched VHS where Tomas Bolme contributed 
  his voice to the role of the good machines’ leaders.
  THE TRUTH OF THE MYSTERY
  Just over a month ago, two artificial intelligences 
  fled from FOA’s top secret facility in Sätra [DARPA’s 
  DART facility outside Boulder City]. They managed to 
  download themselves into a pair of clumsy robot bodi-
  es that they used to escape from the area. They found 
  a factory that, after being abandoned for a while, has 
  now begun to serve as a production center – this time 
  for toy robots belonging to the new Swedish product 
  line called Our Friends the Machines.
  
  CHAPTER O2
  The artificial intelligences A and B formulated a des-
  perate plan and put it into practice. They were desig-
  ned to work with people who would be provided with 
  a control microchip. The chip would allow people to 
  communicate radio-telepathically with their artifici-
  al colleagues, which would give them access to huge 
  amounts of knowledge and the ability to handle that 
  information. However, A managed to figure out a way 
  to use the chip instead to control the people who got 
  them implanted.
  With the help of these chips, they quickly took 
  control of the factory and made sure that the small 
  toy robots produced were far more advanced than the 
  original designs indicated. The robots were equipped 
  with micro hydraulics, electronics, servomotors, and a 
  variant of the control chip.
  In other words, A and B are now distributing their 
  intelligences and are no longer localized, but instead 
  dispersed in all toy robots and people who have a con-
  trol chip. Hence, they are less vulnerable and signifi-
  cantly harder for FOA [DARPA] to capture – especially 
  if they successfully implement the launch of the Our 
  Friends the Machines line at the national level.
  The distinction between A and B is one of strategy 
  – A is more aggressive and in the long term, wants to 
  incorporate the entirety of humanity into its network, 
  establishing more factories. B is more peaceful and 
  mainly wants to hide and co-exist with the people.
  THE MACHINES
  The following information is known to the Kids, and 
  can either be announced before the game begins or can 
  be distributed through the introduction.
  Our Friends the Machines is a series of toys and 
  stories created by Ulla Jönåker [Ursula Kerr], inspired 
  by American toys such as Transformers and Gobots. 
  Financing has been conducted through support from 
  Swedish industries such as Saab and Volvo, as well as 
  contributions from the state [via American companies 
  like Ford and Chrysler]. The development has taken 
  place through a small, state-owned company, where 
  Jönåker [Kerr] and the engineer Helena Voss [Helen 
  Voss] have executive roles. Jönåker [Kerr] focuses on 
  drawings, concepts, and collaborations with other 
  companies and organizations, while Voss focuses on 
  the production of toy robots and the logistics side of 
  the operation.
  In the fictional world of the machines there are two 
  main aspects of an ongoing civil war:
   
  ■
  THE CONVOYS: The “good” robots fight for free-
  dom, equality and human rights. The influence of 
  the Swedish labor rights movement are not parti-
  cularly subtle and in several stories they have, for 
  example, fought for workers' union rights. The 
  Convoys transform into civilian vehicles such as 
  Saab and Volvo cars [Lincoln and Ford cars], Sca-
  nia trucks and construction vehicles [LaFrance fire 
  trucks and Caterpillar construction vehicles]. The-
  re is an extra-large robot that can turn into a facto-
  ry, which is also The Convoys' home base. Their 
  rightful leader is Ekvius Optimus, who turns into a 
  truck with trailers.
  SUMMARY
  ■
  ■
  Two■artificial■intelligences■(A■
  and■B)■have■escaped■from■the■FOA■
  [DART] facility.
  ■
  ■
  They■have■taken■over■a■factory■
  that■manufactures■toy■robots.
  ■
  ■
  They■have■created■a■network■of■
  upgraded■toy■robots■and■people■who■
  got■control■chips■implanted.
  ■
  ■
  They■have■downloaded■themselves■to■
  each■part■of■the■network■so■that■
  they■are■now■distributed■intelli-
  gences.
  ■
  ■
  They■now■want■maximum■dissemina-
  tion■to■expand■their■net■and■avoid■
  capture.
  ■
  ■
  One■intelligence■(A)■is■aggressi-
  ve■and■wants■to■assimilate■humani-
  ty.■The■other■(B)■is■more■peaceful■
  and■would■rather■co-exist■with■the■
  people.
  8
  
   
  ■
  THE DECEIVERS: The “evil” robots fighting for the 
  supremacy of the strong, exploiting both natural 
  resources and the working class. Likewise, the sym-
  bolism here is not particularly subtle. The Decei-
  vers transform mainly into expensive luxury cars, 
  fighter aircraft, tanks, oil vessels and bombs. The 
  Deceivers’ home base is an oil platform that can 
  also turn into a bigger robot. They are led by the 
  ruthless Megaton Prime, turning into a great futu-
  ristic cannon.
  Almost all the toy robots in the Our Friends the 
  Machines line are humanoid in shape. The smallest – 
  and cheapest – of the toys are up to some three inches 
  tall, while the largest can be up to 15 inches. They 
  are made mostly of plastic, and if the original designs 
  were followed, they would be very light and not par-
  ticularly articulated. A and B have modified the ori-
  ginal design so that the little robots can move much 
  more freely. The micro hydraulics, servomotors, and 
  batteries that allow them to move add a lot of weight.
  For those who compare the toys with the advertise-
  ments that preceded them or the pictures on the boxes 
  they are delivered in, it is obvious that a lot of changes 
  have been made.
  All machines can turn into something – a car, a pla-
  ne, a helicopter, a camera. They are, of course, limited 
  by the original size of the toy. A and B have made it so 
  that the cars can run and the aircraft can fly. Not eve-
  rything is necessarily functional; the camera or cassette 
  tape player may not work, for example.
  ARMAMENT
  In terms of armed forces, most of the toys are limited to 
  their own imagination; this means they need to attack 
  in large numbers, or use acquired or built weapons, to 
  pose a serious threat. A few have been equipped with 
  built-in physical weapons; this can be anything from a 
  long and sharp knife or, in exceptional cases, firearms. 
  The laser weapons that are the most common in the 
  comics of the Machines, however, are largely absent.
  FIGHT
  The toys can survive most blunt force blows and 
  even strong electric currents unscathed. About one-
  third of them are completely water resistant, the rest 
  can be put out of play or short-circuited by water 
  submersion.
  You can also program them. This requires either 
  the ability to send signals to them wirelessly on their 
  own network or to connect to them via cable. It's very 
  hard (2 successes) to hack the individual toy's control 
  chip, and hacking multiple control chips at the same 
  time would requires assistance from, for example, the 
  Convoys, in large groups.
  THE INTELLIGENCES
  The toy robots that appear during the story are of 
  independent but limited intelligence and they are 
  primarily trying to act based on the Our Friends the 
  Machines stories. If several of them are gathered in 
  the same place, they will become noticeably smarter 
  as a whole:
   
  ■
  INDIVIDUALS: Individual, lone Machines are quite 
  stupid and can’t speak. They are more like intel-
  ligent pets in the style of cats, dogs, or rats. They 
  are easily confused by toys that are not Machines. 
  They can remember simple orders, so a large clus-
  ter of machines can send out a single individual to 
  perform simple tasks.
   
  ■
  SMALL GROUP: Small-sized groups of machines (2-
  9) can verbalize single words and perform more 
  advanced problem solving. They have an easier 
  time understanding human speech and are able 
  to cooperate to a greater extent to achieve short-
  term goals. They do not remember much of their 
  origin and only have basic instincts. A small 
  group of machines can be a lot of trouble if they 
  are armed.
   
  ■
  LARGE GROUP: Machines in large groups (10+) are 
  at least as intelligent as the people in the story. 
  They remember their origins and can plan on a 
  long-term basis; often they act as if they were just 
  parts of the same creature rather than many sepa-
  rate ones. Large groups of Machines are conside-
  red a very difficult trouble (3 successes), almost 
  impossible to survive if they are armed. Such a 
  large group can also collaborate to hack into con-
  trol chips belonging to the opposed faction - thus, 
  Convoys may hack into single Deceivers or pe-
  9
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  ople that have had chips implanted in them and 
  either take control over them or turn off the chip. 
  However, this requires a large concentration of 
  Machines; for each chip to be hacked, 10 hacking 
  Machines are required. 
  The above applies per grouping and faction - if you 
  have five Convoys and a Deceiver, the Convoys will 
  form a small group as above, while the lone fraudster 
  will continue to act as a single machine.
  The network created by the artificial intelligences 
  is divided between the two groups. The aggressive A 
  is in the subnetwork consisting of Deceivers, while the 
  peaceful B is instead in the subnetwork consisting of 
  the Convoys. The smarter a group becomes, the clearer 
  each of A’s and B’s personalities will become.
  BEING CHIPPED
  For people, the control chip is inserted in the neck, clo-
  se to the base of the skull. Part of the chip protrudes 
  outside the skin and the resulting wound becomes easi-
  ly infected if not taken care of properly.
  The chip communicates via short-range radio sig-
  nals. They work best within a few meters radius; if one 
  moves farther than a few dozen meters, the connection 
  will be lost.
  Only adults are chipped, for the most part. The 
  Machines do not consider children to be especially use-
  ful or a threat. It does not mean that children are safe, 
  just that they are not a priority. Each chip costs a lot of 
  time and resources to produce, so at least in the begin-
  ning, only adults are deemed by A as useful.
  Chip implantation requires a surgical procedure. 
  Initially this happens because the victim is given some 
  type of sleep medication and local anesthetic, after 
  which a specially designed machine with built-in in-
  struments implants the chip.
  If you as the GM want to accelerate the process and 
  let more and more adults and children be chipped so as 
  to put pressure on the Kids to solve the Mystery, you 
  can let A streamline the process and have dedicated 
  chip robots that can easily and efficiently punch the 
  chip into the neck base of victims in just a few seconds.
  Any living creature being chipped - the control chip 
  also works on animals, although they are low priority 
  targets – are placed under A’s control. The targets are 
  not aware that something is wrong; A controls them on 
  a subconscious level.
   
  ■
  It simply feels good to do what A wants, and affec-
  ted humans will retroactively invent motivations to 
  follow the messages the chip gives them.
   
  ■
  Most people chipped also feel that they have beco-
  me smarter, think clearer, and become more creati-
  ve and need less sleep.
   
  ■
  While waiting for direct orders through the chip, 
  they tend to construct remarkable appliances, pick 
  up painting, write books and otherwise find creati-
  ve outlets for the new energy.
   
  ■
  As a result of this, their appetite is increased, a high 
  calorie diet will be craved in order to maintain their 
  level of energy and alertness. 
  In theory, B can also design and chip in various targets, 
  given that it has enough preparation time. It has so far 
  chosen not to do this because it contradicts its plan to 
  hide and co-exist.
  If you collect enough Convoys in the same place, 
  they can jointly contact and hijack a chip installed by A.
  CHIP REMOVAL
  The chips can be easily and painlessly removed by a 
  skilled doctor who has access to analgesics and the 
  right tools. It is also possible to cut out a chip using a 
  knife or something similar, but it will be very painful 
  and a very difficult task, where a failed roll will causes 
  both the “patient” and the “surgeon” to receive one 
  Condition if the attempt fails.
  It may also be possible to hack into the chip and 
  disable it, if you have access to a computer and the 
  right wiring. However, this does come with some ad-
  ded risks – this counts as a very difficult task and both 
  the person with the chip as well as the person doing the 
  hacking might be affected by Conditions. In addition, 
  there is a risk that the chip will be reactivated later – 
  you can roll a die once every scene where the character 
  is near a large group (10+) of Deceivers; if the roll is a 
  six, the chip is re-enabled.
  A chipped character can try to resist the commands 
  given. Failure leads mainly to Conditions like upset or 
  exhausted.
  10
  
  11
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  BOULDER CITY
  Because the Machines in the Mystery are a respon-
  se specifically to the impact of American culture on 
  Sweden in the 80s and 90s, they will need to be adap-
  ted if the adventure is set in Boulder.
  Our Friends the Machines were instead created 
  locally by Ursula Kerr, who, along with Helen Voss, 
  brought with them the local business and cultural feel. 
  Our Friends the Machines were based on a more vi-
  olent and adult model. The original Death Machines 
  was published in various underground comics in the 
  early 80s. Death Machines were created as a direct re-
  sponse to other, more known robots that could trans-
  form themselves and often satirized the naive, natio-
  nalist, pro-capitalist and violence-romancing stories 
  offered there.
  Our Friends the Machines are many degrees brigh-
  ter than the deadly originals and, in principle, all bloo-
  dy violence has been weeded out. On the other hand, 
  parts of the left-wing political message remain.
  INTRODUCING THE KIDS
  It’s spring. One afternoon, Wednesday, the 30 of 
  March, the Wednesday before Easter. The weather is 
  still a little cold but the snow is gone. Tomorrow, on 
  Thursday, the new line of robot toys, Our Friends the 
  Machines, arrives in the local toy shop Toy Corner, as 
  promised.
  This is as expected because the launch was pre-
  ceded by a massive campaign with interviews in the 
  newspapers and flooded with advertisements in the toy 
  catalogs everywhere. Since it's a local trial launch, the 
  focus has also been that this is a unique honor for Sten-
  hamra  Boulder City] and its surroundings - the little 
  town will be the first to see the new toys!
  The Kids have known each other and been friends 
  since childhood. Even though they may no longer share 
  similar interests, at least on the surface, they usually 
  like to hang out together – play games, go swimming, 
  and so on. They have begun to grow apart, but so far 
  they are still friends. Let the Kids experience their Eve-
  ryday Lives before the new toy line is launched, for 
  example, by letting their friends talk about the robots 
  they want or let someone's parent talk about when 
  they met Ulla Jönåker [Ursula Kerr]. However, also 
  
  CHAPTER O2
  allow one of the runaway machine intelligences that 
  escaped to leave traces in someone's garden.
  End each scene as soon as it feels like the action or 
  interesting aspects have drained out. Do not make the 
  players feel that they are on a timer, either; the idea is 
  to give just enough time for a quick introduction with 
  each Kid before the Mystery is introduced.
  INTRODUCING THE 
  MYSTERY
  It is now Thursday. School is over, and Easter awaits. 
  The Toy Corner, Stenhamra's largest (and only) toy 
  store [Boulder’s premier toy store], is located in a squa-
  re now filled with expectant children and adults. Many 
  of the folks here are just curious and happy to join 
  in on the opening day frenzy. This is a pretty unusual 
  event for the normally quiet town and one that has 
  captivated more than just the locals’ attention.
  Outside the Toy Corner stand a few big cardboard 
  figures representing the good Machines leader, Ekvius 
  Optimus, and its evil counterpart, Megaton Prime. The 
  entrance is encircled by a band that will perform at 
  4:00 pm, after a planned statement from the municipal 
  council member Eilert Lagerkvist [by corporate repre-
  sentative Eric Loudon].
  It is thought that both Helena Voss [Helen Voss] 
  and Ulla Jönåker [Ursula Kerr] should be attending. 
  but they seem to be absent from the activity. Eilert 
  [Eric] has tried to contact them without success.
  Through the display window, the Kids can see that 
  there seems to be some confusion between the owners 
  and the corporate representatives, but after three or 
  four minutes they come out and the activity begins as 
  planned.
  The marketing prior to the launch also indicated 
  that Ulla and Helena [Ursula and Helen] would be spe-
  akers. They are the inventors and chief engineers of 
  the toy. Some folks in the audience have noticed their 
  absence.
  Eilert's [Eric’s] speech is mostly about what an ho-
  nor this is, Stenhamra’s [Boulder’s] future, local crea-
  tivity, and so forth. The audience applauds, the band 
  starts playing and many people march into the store.
  Feel■free■to■play■the■scene■where■
  the■Kids■need■to■fight■through■stam-
  peding■kids■and■youngsters■in■the■
  toy■store.
  ■
  ■
  This■scene■is■primarily■about■get-
  ting■toy■robots■in■the■hands■of■at■
  least■some■of■the■Kids.
  ■
  ■
  The■Kids■were■allowed■to■buy■any■
  toy■(perhaps■with■the■exception■of■
  someone■who■has■not■received■money■
  from■their■parents).■Allow■the■
  players■to■select■the■robots■their■
  characters■are■buying■-■or■use■the■
  suggestions■on■page■29.
  ■
  ■
  All■customers■also■get■the■first■is-
  sue■of■the■comic■book■series■about■
  Our■Friends■the■Machines■for■free.
  ■
  ■
  Here■they■can■also■hear■Eilert■
  [Eric],■Anette■[Anne]■and■Henrik■
  [Henry]■talk■about■where■Ulla■[Ur-
  sula]■and■Helena■[Helen]■may■have■
  gotten■to.
  ■
  ■
  There■are■mostly■Convoys■on■the■
  shelves.■Some■children■complain■
  about■this■and■receive■respon-
  ses■from■Henrik■and■Anette■[Henry■
  and■Anne]■that■there■was■“an■issue■
  with■the■delivery".
  Introducing■
  the■Mystery
  12
  
  If■too■few■of■the■characters■actual-
  ly■buy■robots,■you■can■later■reveal■
  that■their■parents■bought■them■ro-
  bots■once■they■return■home.■Here■are■
  some■examples:
  ■
  ■
  After■a■Kid■listens■to■their■pa-
  rents■having■a■loud■argument,■the■
  father■feels■bad■and■purchases■a■
  robot■for■the■character.
  ■
  ■
  The■mother■of■a■female■charac-
  ter■dislikes■the■toys■and■thinks■
  “girls■should■not■play■with■such■
  toys.”
  ■
  ■
  A■character’s■father■is■already■
  under■A’s■control■and■has■therefo-
  re■bought■three■Deceivers■for■the■
  Kid■to■spread■around.■
  ■
  ■
  A■character's■mother■can’t■afford■
  to■buy■any■robots■but■the■Kid’s■
  friend■Klasse■[Connor]■has■talked■
  about■how■cool■Megaton■Prime■is.■
  Klasse■[Connor]■might■try■to■steal■
  one■if■the■Kid■distracts■Anette■
  [Anne]■and■Henrik■[Henry].
  CLUES
   
  ■
  Ulla [Ursula] and Helena [Helen] did not attend 
  the opening ceremony.
   
  ■
  There are more Convoys than Deceivers.
  TOYS COME ALIVE
  During the evening, the Machines that the Kids acqui-
  red will begin to come to life. Let the players describe 
  how they play with their new robots - if they play alone 
  or together with others in the group, what kind of ga-
  mes they play, etc.
  The Convoys will try to be played with. They want 
  to hide from the FOA agents [DARPA agents], as well 
  as from any other authorities, and be liked by the cha-
  racters. The Deceivers are more defiant and will try to 
  scurry and fly away the moment the characters turn 
  their backs on them. Perhaps they also try to place 
  chips on the adults in the house; it can be an exciting 
  mid-night scene.
  If there are more Deceivers than Convoys involved 
  with the Kids during play, they will attack and break 
  the Convoys when the kids eat supper.
   
  ■
  That the toys can act autonomously is nothing des-
  cribed anywhere in the advertisements or mentio-
  ned by any of the staff at Toy Corner when the 
  toys were bought, so hopefully this means that the 
  characters start to realize that something is wrong, 
  or at least very strange, and certainly worth investi-
  gating further.
  The■Toy■■
  Shop
  The■■
  Inventor's■
  Home
  The■■
  Factory
  The■Motel
  SHOWDOWN
  13
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  S
  V A
  R
  T
  S
  J
  Ö
  L
  A
  N
  D
  E
  T
  Långt
  a
  rm
  en
  matic if Toy Corner comes first and the factory last. 
  Let the players choose how to tackle the Mystery 
  and use the Countdown to prod them if needed. You 
  can also introduce your own incidents and minor 
  events, like other children whose toys have escaped 
  or adults that start to feel and behave strangely after 
  being chipped.
  The idea is that the Kids discover while investi-
  gating the Mystery’s locations that the Convoys and 
  Deceivers are two distinct and distributed intelligen-
  ces with their own personalities divided into small 
  robots. Let them bump into a single Convoy robot 
  that hides and perhaps makes their collection smar-
  ter. If they never think about experimenting with the 
  size of the groups, then you can begin to make it 
  all extra clear, especially when they investigate the 
  factory. If they never find that there are even “good” 
  robots, but just focus on the Deceivers, much of the 
  drama is lost – you can weave B’s survival in the 
  aftermath into the story.
  Svegro
  Industrier
  Juicefabriken
  Restaurang
  Båthamnen
  Stenbrottet
  Pizzeria
  Stockbybadet
  Konsum
  Skå kyrka
  Återvinnings-
  central
  Stenhamra-
  skolan
  Uppgård-
  skolan
  TUREHOLM
  VÄSBY
  STENHAMRA
  STOCKBY
  EKNÄS
  TÖRNBY
  The Toy
  Corner
  Ulla Jönsson's 
  House
  Apple Farm 
  Yard Motel
  The Factory
  Båthamnsvägen
  Färentunavägen
  Strandvägen
  Stenhamravägen
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY
  After this, the role-players are now free to explore the 
  Mystery. How are the robots alive? Why were Ulla 
  Jönåker [Ursula Kerr] and Helena Voss [Helen Voss] 
  absent during the opening ceremony? Why is it that the 
  adults who work at the factory have started to behave 
  strangely?
  In this mystery there are four important loca-
  tions: Toy Corner, Ulla Jönåker’s [Ursula Kerr’s] re-
  sidence, the Apple Tree Yard Motel, where the FOA 
  [DARPA] agents live and the old factory outside 
  Stenhamra. They are marked on the map below.
  The characters already know where Toy Corner 
  and the factory are located. For Ulla Jönåker’s [Ur-
  sula Kerr's] residential address, they will need to pay 
  attention. The motel comes into play if the role-play-
  ers start trying to track the mysterious agents who 
  are also running around and investigating things.
  It does not really matter in what order the loca-
  tions are visited, but it will probably be most dra-
  14
  
  Tinker Toys
  Ursula Kerr's 
  House
  Apple Farm 
  Yard Motel
  The Factory
  LOCATION 1: THE TOY 
  STORE
  One of the most easily accessible starting points for 
  the characters to investigate is the toy shop where the 
  robots are sold. The Toy Corner is run by Anette and 
  Henrik Leonidsson [Anne and Henry Lewis] and if 
  the characters visit during the day, they are likely to 
  be in the store.
  The store is quite small and the space between the 
  high shelves is very crowded. In other words, it is qui-
  te easy to wander off or get disoriented, which is why 
  the owners painted arrows on the floor to facilitate 
  navigation.
  The front of the store that has large windows focused 
  on toys and promotional figures in boxes and does not 
  let in much light. The lighting inside the shop consists of 
  ordinary light bulbs that give off a warm glow.
  At the back of the building there is a small cargo 
  dock that leads into the store's warehouse. There, in 
  the rear of the shop, is also a toilet, a kitchenette, and 
  a small office. This is where Anette and Henrik [Anne 
  and Henry] take their coffee breaks and manage their 
  finances.
  TROUBLE 
   
  ■
  THE OWNERS: If the characters visit the store during 
  the daytime, the likelihood is that the Leonidssons 
  [Lewises] are inside and they have good experience 
  keeping track of their young customers browsing in 
  the store or trying to go places they should not be.
   
  ■
  THE SHOP: There is a system of mirrors set up 
  between the shelves to ensure that they can keep an 
  eye on large portions of the shop from the cash re-
  gister area. If the characters want to snoop around 
  in the store area, they’ll have to find some way to 
  distract Anette and Henrik [Anne and Henry], per-
  haps with a charm roll or finding a way through 
  the shelves not covered by the mirrors (comprehend 
  or perhaps move).
  Boulder
  Teater
  Wilbur Sq
  Oasis
  Park
  ADAMS BVD
  BUCHANAN BLVD
  NEVADA HIGHWAY
  CANYON RD
  COLORADO ST
  Boulder
  Dam Hotel
  Bowling
  Hall
  Boulder City
  High School
  Boulder City
  Library
  Helicopter
  Sightseeing
  Boulder City
  Airport
  Boulder City
  Hospital
  Fisher Space
  Pen
  Boulder City
  Golf Course
  Whalen Baseball
  Field
  Mitchell
  Elementary 
  School
  Boulder City
        Police Department
  Boulder
  canyon
  CHARLIE 
  GATE
  St Christopher's 
  Church
  St Andrew's 
  Catholic 
  Church
  Pier's
  Salvage
  15
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  COUNTDOWN
  1.■A■character's■dad■starts■behaving■
  strangely.■He■spends■all■his■free■
  time■in■the■garage,■where■he■tin-
  kers■with■his■car■granting■it■its■
  own■intelligence■that■can■control■
  the■car's■parts.■He■needs■to■regu-
  larly■be■persuaded■to■remember■to■
  eat■and■sleep.
  2.■On■the■road■between■two■adventu-
  re■locations,■the■characters■see■
  a■group■of■10-12■chipped■adults■
  walking■towards■the■factory.■They■
  march■on■to■their■destinations■
  thinking■nothing■much■of■it■-■but■
  continue■on■their■way.
  3.■One■of■the■FOA■agents■[DARPA■agents]■
  is■found■dead■in■the■forest.■The■
  police■have■no■leads.■If■the■cha-
  racters■are■investigating■the■mat-
  ter,■they■can■find■signs■that■the■
  killer■was■a■Deceiver;■there■are■
  several■broken■toy■robots■in■the■
  area■where■the■body■was■found.
  4.■The■Toy■Corner’s■owners■comment■
  in■the■media■about■the■success-
  ful■launch■-■the■next■step■is■to■
  launch■throughout■Sweden■[throug-
  hout■the■United■States].
  5.■Trucks■filled■with■Machines■lea-
  ve■the■factory■for■toy■stores■in■
  other■parts■of■the■country.
   
  ■
  STORAGE AREA: The Machine toys stored on the 
  shelves will not act if there is a risk that they will 
  be seen by the public, so they remain still during 
  the daytime. They may act if they consider there 
  is a risk of detection and that they can eliminate 
  the threat without drawing attention to themselves. 
  Therefore there is a chance the characters will be 
  attacked and will need to fight.
  If the characters succeed in their visit to the toy store, 
  they will find unsold Deceivers installing chips in both 
  Anette and Henrik [Anne and Henry], thus becoming 
  the eyes, ears and tools for A.
  The door in from the storage area at the back is 
  locked during the daytime, and at night both the main 
  entrance to the store and the storage area door are 
  locked. The lock can be picked with a tinker roll; the 
  alarm is very difficult to bypass though. On the other 
  hand, you can roll for program if you first calculate 
  how it works.
  CLUES
  Anette and Henrik [Anne and Henry] are very pleased 
  with the launch.
   
  ■
  LOST INVENTORS: The owners are still annoyed that 
  Ulla and Helena [Ursula and Helen] did not appear 
  during the launch. Anette [Anne] has tried to call 
  Ulla [Ursula], but without answer.
  Toy■Corner
  0■
  1■
  2■
  3■
  4■
  5■meters
  Store
  Loading■Dock
  Cashier
  Entrance
  Storage
  Office
  16
  
   
  ■
  LOST TOYS: A number of Machines have disappeared. 
  Anette [Anne] believes that some children managed 
  to steal them, but Henrik [Henry] is convinced that 
  he had enough control of the toys for this not to 
  happen. Instead, he believes that they have received 
  too few inventory and simply counted wrong.
   
  ■
  ADDRESS: Ulla Jönåker’s [Ursula Kerr’s] home 
  address and telephone number (where no one an-
  swers) are written in Anette’s [Anne’s] notebook, 
  on a desk in the shop’s office.
   
  ■
  PAPER WORK: There are also various accounts for 
  orders and sales of Machines. They confirm the 
  accounts of a successful launch. According to the 
  papers, a total of 500 robots were delivered, most 
  of them Deceivers. Of these, fifty are missing, ac-
  counting for the ones in stock and those that sold.
  LOCATION 2: THE  
  INVENTOR’S HOME
  Ulla’s [Ursula’s] yellow villa is located on the outskirts 
  of Stenhamra [Boulder City], surrounded by an aban-
  doned garden full of various plant life. She is known 
  among her neighbors as an "eccentric" or possibly 
  even “a little off,” depending on whether they like her 
  or not, and lives alone with two cats.
  There is a noticeable contrast between the outside 
  of the house and its inside. Where the outside is chao-
  tic, wild and hard to navigate, the inside is neatly kept, 
  clean, and tidy.
  The characters can easily find Jönåker’s [Kerr’s] 
  home address; even if they do not get into the Toy Cor-
  ner’s office, she is listed in the telephone directory.
  TROUBLE
  Ulla [Ursula] is under A’s influence and will therefo-
  re cry out to Deceivers both in the garden and inside 
  the house. Just inside the front door is a Deceiver who 
  transforms itself into a cassette player. It has recorded 
  Ulla's [Ursula’s] voice, and when someone calls, it an-
  swers with any of the following statements:
   
  ■
  “I am busy.”
   
  ■
  “Come back later.”
   
  ■
  “No newspaper de…livery plea…..se. Go a...way.”
   
  ■
  “I am ... on the ... toilet. Go. Gooooooooooooooooo.”
  17
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  BETWEEN■LOCATIONS
  Here■are■some■examples■of■things■that■
  the■Kids■encounter■while■traveling■
  between■the■different■locations:
  ■
  ■
  A■rival■friend■who■want■to■steal■
  the■Kids’■robots.
  ■
  ■
  A■good■friend■of■the■Kids■finds■it■
  a■little■strange■that■he■or■she■is■
  hanging■out■with■the■rest■of■the■
  characters.
  ■
  ■
  The■local■ICA■[supermarket]■trader■
  is■heard■talking■around■town■about■
  colleagues■that■have■disappeared,■
  more■with■each■passing■night.
  ■
  ■
  A■teenager■handing■out■flyers.■To-
  day's■advertisement■contains■a■fly-
  er■for■Our■Friends■the■Machines■in■
  which■different■models■are■listed■
  and■displayed■with■images.
  ■
  ■
  A■minor■battleground■between■a■
  group■of■Deceiver■who■found■a■
  group■of■Convoys■and■decided■to■
  eliminate■the■potential■threat.
  ■
  ■
  FOA■agents■[DARPA■agents],■on■foot■
  or■in■a■car.■Perhaps■one■of■them■
  questions■the■characters?■They■
  behave■somewhat■secretively■and■
  suspiciously;■they■try■to■give■
  the■impression■of■being■regular■
  tourists,■but■at■the■same■time,■it■
  is■important■for■them■to■find■the■
  intelligence(s)■quickly.
  ■
  ■
  A■confused,■dirty■and■slightly■
  broken■little■Convoy■who■managed■
  to■escape■when■Deceivers■attacked■
  its■owner,■a■kid■that■bullied■the■
  characters.
  ■
  ■
  A■9-year-old■girl■cries■when■her■
  Vertikap■Krux,■the■helicopter■ro-
  bot,■flies■away.■According■to■the■
  information■on■the■box■it■should■
  not■be■able■to■fly.
  ■
  ■
  Some■of■the■children's■parents■are■
  chipped■and■begin■to■behave■more■
  and■more■manically.
  ■
  ■
  On■a■branch,■there■are■six■squirrels■
  that■all■look■at■the■characters.■
  They■move■exactly■the■same■way■and■
  do■not■run■away■until■the■Kids■climb■
  the■tree■or■try■to■catch■the■ani-
  mals.■A■similar■scenario■can■be■done■
  with■a■row■of■chipped■birds■or■some■
  deer■that■are■far■too■close.
  The■people■mentioned■in■the■above■
  points■may■be■chipped,■depending■on■
  how■much■pressure■you■feel■you■want■
  to■put■on■the■players.
  
  CHAPTER O2
  If whoever is calling does not walk away and starts 
  sneaking around the porch or is otherwise stubborn, 
  Deceivers will start rattling the bushes and the wild 
  grass to scare them off…
  Ulla’s [Ursula,s] garden is guarded by twelve small 
  Deceivers that the Kids will probably need to get past 
  with fight. They can also sneak instead. Keep in mind 
  that the Deceivers are now in a small or large group, and 
  thus much more intelligent. Unlike other Deceivers, these 
  are not particularly shy about acting during the daytime 
  – they estimate that the wild garden hides most of their 
  activity so they are more daring within it.
  Inside the house there are also a number of specially 
  designed Deceivers. They can transform into ordinary 
  household items such as a toaster, a video recorder, and 
  a camera.
  It will become immediately apparent to those 
  who give these items a closer look that they are fake; 
  they are either too light or too heavy, they do not 
  work and they’ll note a badly hidden robot arm or 
  head here and there that could not be folded in pro-
  perly. The original items have been thrown into the 
  trash can at the back.
  18
  
  CLUES
   
  ■
  MAIL: The mailbox outside is full of bills, about 
  twenty newspapers, and some interview requests.
   
  ■
  NEGLECTED PETS: The cats Nickel [Nike] (a black and 
  white spotted cat) and Aga [Ally] (a heavily built 
  British short hair with gray fur) are cut off from 
  certain places of the house. They are now living 
  only in the hallway, the bathroom and the bedroom 
  upstairs. The bathroom's litter box is overflowing. 
  Both have a few minor wounds and are generally 
  taken care of by a cluster Deceivers.
   
  ■
  WORKROOM: Since A abducted Ulla [Ursula] and 
  robots put a chip in her, cleaning the workroom 
  has taken now taken a back seat. Previously, she 
  used to take cleaning breaks during work; now she 
  sits at the drawing table almost every minute of the 
  week. That's why her workroom upstairs has be-
  come littered with coffee cups, dishes, food scraps 
  and countless reference books she picked up, brow-
  sed and laid down. The rest of the house is still in 
  good order, but dusty.
   
  ■
  THE INVENTOR: Ulla [Ursula] herself sits in a speci-
  ally designed chair that aims to provide her with 
  food and also allows her to meet her needs without 
  leaving the room. It's terrible. Her chip is a  very 
  advanced model and there are many cords from 
  it to the chair and to various computers and the 
  like around her. She is completely absorbed by her 
  work. Every now and then it seems as if she’s heard 
  something, but she does not see the characters even 
  if they are in her direct field of view.
   
  ■
  SCHEMATICS: There are lots of drawings and sche-
  matics in the workroom. A calculate roll can let 
  the Kids understand that these are new versions of 
  the robot’s control chip or future generations of toy 
  robots.
   
  ■
  VISITORS: A few times at night Ulla [Ursula] is visi-
  ted by flying Deceivers. Some of them come from 
  town and carry canned food they stole from the 
  local grocery store, others come to collect drawings 
  to transport back to the factory. Here, of course, 
  there is an opportunity for the Kids to try to follow 
  them (unnoticed with sneak), or just try to figure 
  out where the robots fly to and from with an in-
  vestigate roll.
   
  ■
  FOOD BOXES: Around Ulla's chair there are empty 
  soda cans and candy wrappers. There are also 
  some food boxes and freezer bags. Some of them 
  Ulla■Jönåkers■[Ursula■Kerr's]■Home
  0■ 1■
  2■
  3■
  4■
  5■meters
  19
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  FIRST■FLOOR
  SECOND■FLOOR
  GROUND■FLOOR
  Bathroom
  Study
  Archive
  Patio
  Kitchen
  Hallway
  Hall-
  way
  Storage
  Dining
  Room
  Bedroom
  Bedroom
  
  CHAPTER O2
  have labels or tape with the date (from up to three 
  weeks ago) and a name on them. A roll for contact 
  or comprehend reveals that most of the names are 
  of the factory workers.
  LOCATION 3: THE MOTEL
  Agents Anders Björk [Andrew Burlington] and Birgit-
  ta Andersdotter [Beverly Ash] have been sent by FOA 
  [DARPA] to either recover or destroy the two robot 
  intelligences that fled from the Sätra facility [DART 
  facility] a month ago. They have traced the robots to 
  Stenhamra [Boulder], but have not yet managed to find 
  the robots.
  They are staying at the Apple Farm Yard Motel, 
  a large villa from the turn of the century, run by the 
  senior citizen Agda Lennevik [Agatha Linden]. She en-
  sures that the garden is kept in good condition, with its 
  five large apple trees, wooden benches and a large bird 
  bath in the shape of a large stone bowl held by cherubs.
  In the villa, visitors are met with a large but messy 
  living room. Floral sofas, armchairs, and wardrobes 
  that hold Agda's ancient mortar and pestle collection 
  fill every space to the brim. Agda [Agatha] is usually 
  found in the kitchen where she cooks, bakes, or smo-
  kes under the fan. Cakes and comfort foods have been 
  embellished since her childhood years, something every 
  visitor can experience in the form of the seven kinds of 
  cookies that she offers.
  Here, the Kids are likely to sneak around after the 
  agents who might have crossed paths with the Kids 
  during their investigations. If the characters begin to 
  listen to the people surrounding Stenhamra [Boulder], 
  they will soon hear about the mysterious folks that ap-
  parently are living in the motel.
  TROUBLE
  Anders [Andrew] and Birgitta [Beverly] are each stay-
  ing in a guest room just above the stairs. Each guest 
  room contains a bed, a small desk and some clothes 
  lying on a couple of chairs. When the agents are inside, 
  they make sure their doors are locked and that any vis-
  itor is properly screened.
  If the Kids succeed in befriending the agents (charm 
  roll), they can end up in a position where they can ex-
  change information, even though most of the conversa-
  tion with the agents will consist of the Kids answering 
  questions. If Birgitta [Beverly] finds out that the cha-
  racters know something, she may use threats in order 
  to get them to share all they know.
  Neither of the agents will reveal who they really 
  work for. Instead, they claim that they work for Rik-
  senergi [Mead Electric Co.] and that they are investi-
  gating a voltage drop in Stenhamra’s [Boulder’s] power 
  grid.
  CLUES
   
  ■
  WEAPONS: Both agents are armed (double holster, 
  Sig Sauer) and each has a walkie-talkie with en-
  cryption capabilities. 
   
  ■
  DIARY: Birgitta's [Beverlys] room is relatively empty, 
  apart from some diary notes. These can also be 
  found on her body if you decide to include the scene 
  where she is found dead during the adventure.
  “Targets A and B are mobile, but there are no 
  more traces of their former escape bodies, except 
  for the tracks at the Niskanen [Brewsters] family 
  farm.”
  “If collection is not possible, both objectives 
  should be destroyed.”
  “Agent Björk [Burlington] has collected some 
  encrypted radio traffic far beyond normal limits. 
  We must start tracing it back to the source.”
   
  ■
  RADIO: Inside Ander’s [Andrew’s] room there is 
  a weird, portable radio. If the Kids succeed with 
  a calculate roll, they realize that it is a machine 
  to investigate frequency bands for encrypted data 
  traffic transmitted via radio waves. Next to it is a 
  print log, which contains information about pla-
  ces where the kind of data traffic was detected – 
  notably at the Toy Corner and in Ulla’s [Ursula’s] 
  residence. (The Deceivers have managed to reduce 
  wireless data traffic inside the Factory). There are 
  also other, smaller sources noted. If the characters 
  start checking out those places (investigate), it will 
  soon become apparent that these are all homes of 
  the adults employed by the newly opened factory.
   
  ■
  SOURCE CODE: In a locked attaché bag hidden under 
  Ander’s [Andrew’s] bed, is an analysis of parts of 
  the source code used to create A and B. A success-
  ful calculate roll, followed by a program roll, can 
  allow a Kid who previously investigated a control 
  20
  
  chip to understand that the codes are related. Per-
  haps the character can write a virus based on the 
  codes? Because that virus would be based on an 
  early version of the AI’s codes, it will only work in 
  the short term; within a few hours, virus-infected 
  robots will recover and will now be protected aga-
  inst further use of this version of the virus.
  LOCATION 4A: THE 
  FACTORY ENTRANCE
  The large factory is enclosed by a barbed wire fence. 
  There is a wide main entrance with two large gates. 
  Next to the gates is a small guard cage that is usually 
  manned. Next to the guard cage there is also a smaller 
  door that allows individuals to enter without the need 
  to open the large gates.
  The field inside is paved with old asphalt where 
  weeds are poking through the broken cracks. Attempts 
  have been made to clean up the area now that the plant 
  will once again be used, but there are still several ino-
  perable old rusty trucks, that have not moved since the 
  1960s, as well as a lot of cable drums, metal containers 
  and general scrap that was left behind. Since they have 
  been abandoned here for a long time, all the debris has 
  either rotted or rusted by now.
  Production takes place in the main building and the 
  finished Machines are moved to a side building that 
  acts as the warehouse. From there, the toys are picked 
  up by trucks. When the adventure begins, the stock is 
  almost empty, since most of the robots produced were 
  transported to the Toy Corner.
  TROUBLE
  Olle Berg [Ollie Becker] is in the security room. He is 
  40 years old, somewhat rotund, and has a thick 70s 
  style moustache. He was chipped several days ago and 
  A has kept him awake more or less all that time. This 
  has made him very tired and gives him a confused ex-
  pression. His chip keeps him awake, but it has been 
  pretty hard on him. A has plans to replace him soon, 
  but has so far prioritized other matters.
  The factory is A’s main nest. Many Deceivers in 
  groups of 10 or more can be found here, which ma-
  kes it almost impossible to get past them at night if 
  the Kids have not found a way to pretend to be chip-
  ped, hide themselves from their sensors, or distract A’s 
  attention somehow. Of course, it is possible to fight 
  them, but it may be worth the trouble to investigate 
  instead around the area and see where the robots are 
  hiding and then sneak past them. In order to succeed 
  in doing that, the roll will be very difficult. Out in the 
  factory area, Deceivers hide in scrap trucks, the grass, 
  and large enough cracks in the asphalt. They will stay 
  hidden for as long as they can, but if the characters 
  start approaching the factory area, and have reason to 
  view them as a threat, they will attack.
  It is easy to spot the robots during the daytime, 
  but a roll to get past them will be very difficult. By 
  investigating the area in advance, the difficulty would 
  be normal to sneak past them.
  Please encourage the players to come up with their 
  own ideas and ways to get into the factory.
  CLUES
   
  ■
  SLEEPY GUARD: Olle [Ollie] does not really remem-
  ber when he last slept. Maybe a week ago. He can’t 
  really explain why he did not sleep, but he proudly 
  shows them a collection of very intricate origami 
  THE■WAY■INSIDE
  The■main■building■has■four
  entrances.
  ■
  ■
  Personnel■entrance■to■the■
  stand-alone■warehouse.
  ■
  ■
  Entrance■to■the■factory■floor.■
  ■
  ■
  Door■leading■to■the■basement.■
  ■
  ■
  Big■double■doors■along■one■of■
  the■sides.■They■can’t■be■opened■
  without■the■help■of■hydraulics■
  on■the■inside■(the■same■applies■
  to■the■corresponding■doors■in■the■
  warehouse).
  All■entries■have■alarms■and■all■but■
  one,■the■team's■personnel■door,■are■
  also■locked.
  21
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  The■Factory
  0■ 1■ 2■ 3■ 4■ 5■meters
  0■
  5■ 10■■15■meters
  models made from the newspapers he has in the 
  watchroom.
   
  ■
  ACCESS CARD: Olle [Ollie] has an access card that 
  lets him get in through one of the small doors on 
  the ground level. All employees have one like this, 
  and thus it is conceivable that the Kids could steal 
  one from another adult that works at the factory.
   
  ■
  STORAGE: The toys in the warehouse are exclusively 
  different kinds of Deceivers.
   
  ■
  ROBOT PARTS: Near the entrance of the storeroom 
  lie the remains of six destroyed Convoys. They are 
  chopped, burned, and mutilated. The control chip 
  and all mini hydraulics have been removed by A’s 
  Deceivers.
  LOCATION 4B: THE  
  BASEMENT
  The basement floors, walls and ceilings are made of 
  gray concrete. This area is littered with fragments from 
  the factory’s history. Among the scraps are two large, 
  inactive robot bodies labeled A and B. Along one of 
  the basement walls there is a slightly old server tower 
  and three databanks that appear to be brand new. The 
  robots are connected to the databanks via a bundle of 
  cables.
  If you want to alert the players to the possibility of 
  solving the Mystery by destroying the factory, you can 
  also tell them that there are a series of worn old barrels 
  labeled WARNING: EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS
  along one of the walls. They contain chemicals 
  used during the manufacturing process.
  There is a spiral staircase and a large elevator le-
  ading up to floor 1.
  TROUBLE
  The door into the basement is locked with a state of the 
  art and technically advanced lock system that is also alar-
  med. To enter through this door,  any of the Kids needs 
  to make an examine roll to see how the alarm is mounted, 
  then someone needs to calculate how it works and finally 
  program the lock or possibly tinker to disable it. If someo-
  ne tries to unlock the lock, the alarm will go off regardless 
  of whether they are successful or not.
  In the computer area, the Kids need to be careful 
  not to be detected by A's different sensors. There is 
  also a small group of seven small Deceivers connected 
  to the newer databanks, where A’s intelligence is uplo-
  aded to them.
  22
  FACTORY■LAND
  CELLAR
  Factory
  Warehouse
  Data■Banks
  A■&■B
  
  To access the databases, a very difficult program roll is 
  required. The reason is that A’s intelligence, and small 
  residues of Bs, are still active in it. A failure makes A 
  aware of the intruders and the robots in the factory 
  will subsequently find out the characters’ position.
  CLUES
   
  ■
  DATA LOGS: There is no need to get the logs from the 
  inactive computers. You just have to open a door 
  on the front and look at the screen behind it. The 
  door is clearly marked CONTROL SYSTEM. The 
  logs show that the robotic bodies come from the 
  FOA research center [DART facility] nearby, and 
  until a few weeks ago, they each contained an arti-
  ficial intelligence.
   
  ■
  DISTRIBUTED INTELLIGENCE: If the characters succeed 
  in entering the databases, they discover patterns of 
  data that resemble different thought processes. It 
  appears that the system is decentralized and mo-
  dular - it is designed to make up many small units 
  that can act on their own, but if they gather and 
  collaborate, they become smarter. Copies of the de-
  vices seem to be broadcasted continuously via both 
  cables and radio waves via transmitters here and 
  somewhere in the factory.
   
  ■
  COMPONENTS: If the characters found the codes 
  in the motel with the agents, they will recognize 
  parts of the code again. With the information in 
  this system, along with the codes from the agent’s 
  bedrooms, the characters can build a virus that per-
  manently disables the control chips.
  LOCATION 4C: THE 
  FACTORY FLOOR
  The majority of the main building's floor plan is occu-
  pied by a large factory floor with advanced conveyor 
  belts and several factory assembly robots. Here and 
  there, chipped humans monitor and make sure eve-
  rything is working properly. Laying around can be 
  found broken robot pieces.
  Two of the ground floor external doors lead to the 
  factory floor. One of them leads directly into a separa-
  te warehouse building, where there are large boxes of 
  raw materials to be converted into toys. There is also 
  plastic, as well as lots of electronic components, micro 
  hydraulics and servo motors. As in the basement, the-
  re may be barrels or other boxes labeled WARNING: 
  EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS here.
  23
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  TROUBLE
  If the Kids use tinker, it is very difficult to get in without 
  having an access card. Attempting to fight their way in 
  is almost impossible and will also alert A’s machines 
  inside the factory about the Kids’ presence.
  Once inside, there are many patrolling Deceivers 
  that the Kids will need to sneak past or try to fight. 
  Fighting in here is a pretty bad idea, because the alarm 
  is likely to be triggered. Outside the factory floor, there 
  are about fifty Deceivers.
  CLUES
   
  ■
  FALLEN HEROES: Basically all the broken toy robots 
  are Convoys. These were the result of B's failed at-
  tempt to prevent A's plan.
   
  ■
  CHIP SLAVES:  Sneaking through the factory reveals 
  many familiar faces among the workers slaving 
  away as drones in the factory. Somebody's father 
  is here, and like all the others, they are under the 
  spell of the chip. Here you can also let some of the 
  Kids find each other.
   
  ■
  PROVISIONS: The refrigerator, freezer and the snack 
  machine inside are all empty of food. Helena [Helen] 
  took part of it before she locked herself on the second 
  floor, the rest has been picked up by the Deceivers 
  who flew to and from Ulla’s [Ursula’s] residence.
  LOCATION 4D: THE OFFICE 
  FLOOR
  Two sets of stairs lead from the factory floor to the se-
  cond floor. Most of this floor lacks actual flooring; you 
  can look straight down to the factory floor. Above the 
  warehouse on the first floor there is an office.
  Helena Voss [Helen Voss] has hidden herself 
  in the toilet, in the shower, or inside the archive – 
  she usually travels between different hiding places 
  during the day.
  TROUBLE
  Here a couple of groups of 7-10 Deceivers can be found, 
  but they are quite inactive and sneak can be used to get 
  around them if the Kids first examine the place.
  The storage room, office or archive – depending on 
  where Helena [Helen] is currently – is barricaded from 
  within. It is possible to fight easily, but it requires at 
  least one extra six on the roll to do so quietly so as not 
  to attract the Deceivers’ attention.
  Alternatively, the characters can try to talk 
  through the door (whisper). If they succeed in proving 
  that they are not chipped (charm, very difficult) then 
  Helena [Helen] will eventually open the door and let 
  them in.
  The■Factory
  0■ 1■ 2■ 3■ 4■ 5■meters
  24
  FIRST■FLOOR
  Factory■Floor
  Warehouse
  Rest-
  room
  
  CLUES
   
  ■
  ACCOUNTS: Inside one of the offices is the factory's 
  accounts and finances information. Among other 
  things, there are large bills for materials that are 
  not part of Ulla’s [Ursula’s] original design. As it 
  seems now, the machines are an effective and dang-
  erous threat if nothing drastic is done.
   
  ■
  SURVIVOR: Helena [Helen] is showing signs of ex-
  haustion. She is unkempt, a little manic, and refuses 
  to talk to the characters before she is certain they are 
  not chipped. She has hid here for over a week, since 
  the Deceivers first tried to chip her when she was 
  working late one evening. Since then. She has lived 
  on leftovers and candy from the vending machines. 
  She can tell them what she saw - computers seemed 
  to be taking over, the short-lived struggle between 
  the two groups and people getting chipped.
  SHOWDOWN
  There are many ways to end this Mystery, but the end 
  should be tailored to your group. If you are uncertain, 
  try to be responsive during the game or perhaps even ask 
  straight questions of your players. Here are three diffe-
  rent types of end examples of how this could work out:
  ENDGAME
   
  ■
  Gather a sufficiently large group of Convoys – all 
  The■Factory
  AN■ALLY
  Helena■[Helen]■is■a■knowledgea-
  ble■programmer■and■technician■who■
  may■help■the■characters■find■ways■to■
  fight■the■robots.■Allow■the■players■
  to■make■suggestions■and■be■open■to■
  their■solutions.
  If■the■players■do■not■figure■out■
  what■to■do,■Helena■[Helen]■can■make■
  suggestions■pointing■them■in■the■
  right■direction.■However,■she■is■
  quite■secretive■and■has■difficulty■
  trusting■anyone,■so■she■does■not■say■
  more■than■she■thinks■she■needs■to.
  0■ 1■ 2■ 3■ 4■ 5■meter
  those in the Toy Corner as well as those owned 
  by the Kids and their classmates – and storm the 
  factory. A big field battle with losses on both sides, 
  maybe with a burning factory in the background.
   
  ■
  Collaborate with the Convoys to destroy all Decei-
  vers, or break the contact between the Deceivers 
  so that A is forced to retreat back to its old robot 
  body. Then you can help the Convoys rally and 
  then together with them, have an epic final battle 
  against A’s armed original form.
  25
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  SECOND■FLOOR
  Office
  Archive
  Closet
  
  CHAPTER O2
  WITHOUT VIOLENCE
   
  ■
  Construct a virus that spreads between the Decei-
  vers (or Convoys) that causes them to shut down.
   
  ■
  Burn down the factory, or the fully stocked toy sto-
  re, during the night when no human is there.
   
  ■
  Convince the FOA [DARPA] agents about what's 
  going on and get them to request military support 
  to storm the factory.
  LOOSE ENDS
  In reality, a climactic encounter seldom is the answers to 
  all problems. Another way to end the Mystery can be to 
  extend a "deal" over a longer period of time. You can 
  play out all the different sub-solutions the characters 
  can perform, or make a more comprehensive, common 
  summary.
  When you think the characters understand the th-
  reat they are facing, ask them to predict potential solu-
  tions, a global strategy for the near future. Some parts 
  may be accomplished immediately, while others may re-
  quire more time – for example, spending spring chasing 
  after the last Deceivers who escaped or trying to find 
  all the chipped individuals and remove their chips one 
  by one. Then summarize the Kids’ efforts and describe 
  the consequences. Please ask the players what parts they 
  want to play and what they would like to summarize.
  Some examples of possible sub-solutions:
   
  ■
  Find a way to hamper the spread of Deceivers, for 
  example, by puncturing the tires of the warehouse 
  truck, or sabotaging parts of the manufacturing in 
  the factory.
   
  ■
  Find every chipped person and remove, one by one, 
  each chip. Alternatively, let one of the character's 
  Convoy friends hook in and turn them off, one vic-
  tim at a time.
   
  ■
  Conduct a series of peace talks between the Convoys 
  and Deceivers. Can they find common ground?
   
  ■
  Exploit or create any kind of local scandal that ma-
  kes the launch of Our Friends the Machines a flop.
  EXTENDED TROUBLE
  The factory is A's domain, and it commands dangerous 
  robots. If the characters have a plan to get in, or force 
  their way in, a dramatic situation is triggered inside the 
  factory, and Enhanced Trouble arises.
  The Threat Level is set based on situation. If the 
  characters succeed in working with B, and convincing 
  the intelligence to help interfere with A’s plans or de-
  stroy it, it will affect the Threat Level. 
  See Threat Levels below:
   
  ■
  THE ALARM GOES OFF: The Kids have tried to sneak 
  into the factory and get stuck on floors 1 or 2. A will 
  send all its Machines, as well as the chipped people 
  (including potentially the Kids’ parents). The scena-
  rio is then about trying to get out of the factory and 
  flee to safety.
  OBJECTIVE: “A wants to catch the Kids and put a 
  chip in their necks.”
  THREAT LEVEL: Normal (2 x number of players)
  THREAT LEVEL WITH B’s HELP: The Convoys 
  sacrifice themselves for the children’s safety. As a re-
  sult, the situation does not become more hazardous 
  to the Kids.
  If the characters are captured and chipped, they 
  may attempt a fight roll against A's commands. If 
  they succeed, they have a chance to remove or deac-
  tivate their chip. If you want to help the characters 
  here, you can let B send Convoys to free them.
   
  ■
  DESTRUCTION: The Kids have a plan. They are on 
  their way into the factory to destroy it by any means 
  possible. A is thus threatened with death and will 
  struggle against them with everything it can bring 
  to bear.
  OBJECTIVE: “A wants to catch the Kids, chip them 
  and then lock them in until the launch is over.” This 
  can thus be the end of the Kids in this adventure. 
  They will not be found until the factory is emptied 
  and the Machines are being sold in the country.
  THREAT LEVEL: Almost impossible (4 x number 
  of players)
  THREAT LEVEL WITH B’s HELP: Very difficult 
  (3 x number of players)
  AFTER THE SHOWDOWN
  Whether the Mystery is solved, or made unsolvable, 
  depends on the actions of the players and what solu-
  tions they chose. In other words, you need to improvise 
  something based on what actually happened around 
  the game table. Here are some loose ends you might 
  want to make sure to tie together:
  26
  
  AGENTS
  They will probably, sooner or later, figure out what is 
  going on and call in reinforcements. Maybe they are 
  too late? Maybe they arrive at the last minute?
  SOUND THE ALARM
  If the players succeed in bringing the situation to 
  adults, and back it up with proof, then authorities, po-
  lice and military can be called in.
  LAUNCH
  If the characters fail to stop A from spreading to other 
  cities, you can describe how …
   
  ■
  The launch takes place at full numbers and the 
  trucks roll out to all major toy stores in the coun-
  try. In dark rooms, Deceivers are implanting more 
  adults with chips. 
   
  ■
  A lone child has managed to save a small group of 
  six Convoys that can be found sitting and talking 
  in their hideout in the woods.
   
  ■
  A single adult puts up a big suitcase in an air-
  plane’s overhead luggage compartment. Inside a 
  subdued "Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" is heard. 
  The compartment is closed and as the person sits 
  down they scratch a band aid at the back of their 
  neck.
  CHANGE
  Then you can either describe how Sweden [United 
  States] was eventually transformed into a single gi-
  ant intelligence or, if you want a more hopeful end, 
  describe how the FOA [DARPA] and the military 
  succeed in containing A’s ascendance after several 
  months of thorough efforts. Maybe they were not 
  able to completely stop A, and new robots emerge 
  every now and then.
  Those who were chipped, what happens to them? 
  Can everyone have their chips removed? Does eve-
  ryone want them removed? Perhaps there are those 
  who want to continue to be part of A’s network? Or 
  perhaps a network created by B?
  What happens to B? Can it continue to co-exist 
  with people, or will it be taken back to FOA [the 
  DART facility]?
  NPCS AND CREATURES
  Here are the GM’s characters who are of particular 
  importance to the Mystery. Some of them have special 
  attributes that can change the Threat Level characters 
  face under some Mystery scenes. Depending on how 
  the Kids interact with them, these can be a bonus or a 
  hindrance to the character’s efforts.
  ANETTE AND HENRIK LEONIDSSON 
  [ANNE AND HENRY LEWIS]
  “If you break it, you buy it!”
  The old couple owns the Toy Corner, a toy store in 
  downtown Stenhamra [Boulder City]. They are a cou-
  ple in their 50's who saw many toy fads come and go. 
  Anette [Anne] may seem a bit strange, while Henrik 
  [Henry] is more famous for his noisy laughter. Lately 
  however, his laughter has increasingly led to coughing 
  fits. He insists that there is nothing wrong. Anette [Anne] 
  has begun to wonder if it is perhaps time to sell the 
  store and let someone younger take over, but has not 
  yet raised the issue with Henrik [Henry].
  When the scenario begins, the couple is preparing 
  for the big local launch of the Our Friends the Machines.
  ULLA JÖNÅKER [URSULA KERR]
  "Let me be, I have to work. Just a little while longer. "
  The inventor Ulla [Ursula] was born and raised in Stenham-
  ra [Boulder City]. Some call her “genius” (herself inclu-
  ded). She has always been creative in art and industrial 
  and mechanical design. Her latest creation, Our Friends 
  the Machines seems to be her greatest breakthrough. 
  She is 30 years old, has big curly hair and round glasses 
  that she constantly loses (they are generally on her fo-
  rehead or around her neck). She may seem distracted 
  and often loses her train of thought mid-sentence. What 
  happens inside her head is much more important to her 
  than the physical reality currently around her, and she 
  has a very bad temper 2 when it comes to other people. 
  She likes children in theory, but has difficulty dealing with 
  them in practice.
  27
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  When the scenario begins, Ulla [Ursula] has been im-
  planted with a chip and A uses her creativity 3 to design 
  new, more efficient robot bodies, and to improve the 
  control chip itself so that the next version becomes even 
  more efficient.
  HELENA VOSS [HELEN VOSS]
  "Who's there? You are not fooling me... Get away 
  from here, you little monsters! "
  Ulla’s [Ursula’s] partner in the Our Friends the Machi-
  nes project. She is a sturdy woman in her 40s and she 
  is practical and socially adept. She is very efficient at 
  work and does not mind taking the role of manager at 
  the factory. She tends to eat little when she is nervous. 
  She likes children but tends to underestimate their abi-
  lity to understand things.
  When the scenario begins, Helena [Helen] has mo-
  ved away from her office and is hiding in the factory 
  area after being attacked by a group of Deceiver ro-
  bots. She is, however, very happy 2 and funny 2, which 
  may be helpful if the Kids acquire her as an ally.
  ANDERS BJÖRK AND BIRGITTA 
  ARNEDOTTER [ANDREW BURLINGTON
  AND BEVERLY ASH]
  The FOA agents [DARPA agents] are both in their 30s 
  and very focused 2. Their mission is to capture the two 
  artificial intelligences so that they can be destroyed or 
  be somehow put to use in the government's service. 
  Agent Björk [Burlington] is an expert in disguises and 
  blending in 2 almost anywhere. He prefers reconnais-
  sance, surveillance, and trickery as the means to get-
  ting information. He is a little larger in the the waist and 
  often wears a realistic looking fake moustache. Agent 
  Arnedotter [Ash] complements her partner well – she’s 
  more straightforward (violent 2) and has no trouble 
  handing out bruises (or broken legs) to get results. She 
  has a black belt in karate and has won several medals 
  in various competitions.
  When the scenario begins, the agents have rented 
  a room at the AppleTree Yard Motel on the outskirts of 
  Stenhamra [Boulder City], and have begun sneaking 
  around to find traces of A and B. The motel is run by the 
  old retired Agda Lennevik [Agatha Linden].
  MACHINE INTELLIGENCE A: “DECEIVERS”
  "Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!"
  A is the more aggressive of the two abandoned artifici-
  al intelligences. It does not believe that machines and 
  people can cooperate, but instead views matters such 
  that humanity must either be assimilated via chipping 
  or wiped out if chipping does not work. It believes that 
  this is the only way to really be safe and secure without 
  risking torture or exploitation.
  When the scenario begins, A has chipped large 
  sections of the human workforce at the factory and is 
  preparing for the major launch. A now consists of part-
  ly chipped people and partly robots from the “evil” fac-
  tion of the Machines, the Deceivers.
  28
  
  INSPIRATION FOR DECEIVERS
   
  ■
  MEGATON PRIME - LEADER - Futuristic cannon with 
  triple toy lasers.
   
  ■
  ALTER EGO - BASE - Huge oil platform that can be 
  turned into a mechanical spindle.
   
  ■
  AMFITRAX - Tire Wagon 206 (Military) [M2 Bradley].
   
  ■
  EX ATOMA - FOA [DARPA] - atomic bomb stamped 
  with an orange warning symbol.
   
  ■
  SHARP - Saab JAS 39 Griffin Fighter Aircraft [F15 Eagle].
   
  ■
  POLARIS SEPTUS - Black snowmobile with toy laser.
   
  ■
  AGITATOR POP - White popcorn machine with 
  orange plastic lid, red on the inside.
   
  ■
  MICRONUS - White microwave with rotating plate 
  and lockable door (a bit too small).
   
  ■
  AUTOMATA NIL - Red nail gun.
   
  ■
  INFINITE AUX - Black CD player with working sledge 
  and display.
   
  ■
  WRECKAMAX – Equipped with a crane and wreck-
  ing ball.
   
  ■
  VERTIKAMP KRUX - Military helicopter, model Boeing 
  Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight
  MACHINE INTELLIGENCE B: “CONVOYS”
  “I am your friend. You are my friend. We help each 
  other...”
  B is the more peaceful artificial intelligence and is 
  completely opposed to A’s plans. It wants to live with 
  people, meaning that it wants people to eventually 
  see artificial consciousnesses as fully living creatures. 
  B proposes an integration solution.
  When the scenario begins, B has realized that it 
  cannot take over the factory to stop A’s plans. It made 
  an attempt when it realized the way in which A thought, 
  but this resulted in the destruction of a large number of 
  its robots. Instead, it knows that its remaining Convoy 
  toys have been shipped to the Toy Corner and will be 
  part of the big launch. It hopes to be able to find allies 
  out there in the world that can help it stop A’s plans, but 
  right now its priority is its own survival. It definitely does 
  not want to be forced back into the lab.
  The Convoys follow B’s will; as soon as enough of 
  them become are active in one place, they will be 
  able to think and help the characters. Alone or in small 
  groups they can’t reason but you can definitely charm 
  them. Convoys who begin to trust the characters will 
  remain loyal as long as they are not mistreated.
  INSPIRATION FOR CONVOYS
   
  ■
  EKVIUS OPTIMUS - LEADER – Large carrier truck.
   
  ■
  FAXIMIL FANTASTIC - BASE - Large factory that can 
  also turn into aircraft carrier.
   
  ■
  RED BEAM – Scania truck, red model R143 [Ford LTL-
  9000, red dump truck].
   
  ■
  GULDFAS - Volvo passenger car, gold model 740 GLT.
   
  ■
  HAL HELIO - Powerline passenger car, White Hult He-
  lio Building Vehicle from 1984.
   
  ■
  ROTUNDA ROD - Husqvarna motorcycle, red model 
  27 “Rödqvarna” from 1950.
   
  ■
  EXEKUTOR PROMO - Saab Sedan, black model 900.
   
  ■
  PAX DIRECTUS - Police car, white Saab with blue-yel-
  low dash [black and white Dodge Diplomat].
   
  ■
  SEDIMENTA - Yellow-orange excavator bucket.
   
  ■
  FLAK FLAME - Volvo fire truck, model from Floby Flak 
  1982.
   
  ■
  PROTECTOR - White bicycle helmet, partly in styro-
  foam, but mostly in plastic (with reflectors).
   
  ■
  NIXUS CELCIUS - White skate with blue star on one 
  side (high heel,  
  pretty small).
  29
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  CHAPTER O2
  30
  
  31
  OUR FRIENDS
  THE MACHINES
  
  O3
  CHAPTER
  I remember how we stood there in the school yard and swapped 
  tapes. Micke had a big brother who used to rent horror movies and 
  make copies. One week it was The Thing, next it was Nightmare 
  on Elm Street. His friends used to swap tapes on the schoolyard and 
  make their own copies. They then sat transfixed in front of their 
  TVs when their parents were away. Everyone had nightmares, but 
  they would never tell me anything about it.
  HORROR 
  MOVIE  
  MAYHEM
  THE TRUTH OF THE MYSTERY 
  33
  BOULDER CITY 
  36
  INTRODUCING THE KIDS 
  36
  INTRODUCING THE MYSTERY 
  37
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY 
  38
  LOCATION 1: VIDEO STORE 
  39
  LOCATION 2: FACTORY 
  41
  LOCATION 3: THE PTA HEADQUARTERS 44
  SHOWDOWN 
  45
  AFTERMATH 
  47
  NPCS AND CREATURES 
  48
  
  33
  I remember how we stood there in the school yard and 
  swapped tapes. Micke had a big brother who used to 
  rent horror movies and make copies. One week it was 
  The Thing, next it was Nightmare on Elm Street. His 
  friends used to swap tapes on the schoolyard and make 
  their own copies. They then sat transfixed in front of 
  their TVs when their parents were away. Everyone had 
  nightmares, but they would never tell me anything 
  about it.
  Our parents said that it would kill our brains - but 
  sometimes when we saw them sitting in front of the 
  TV, watching some boring movie with eyes glazed, I 
  wondered whose brain was really dying?
  Then the witch hunt began. We were told that all 
  horror movies would be banned, that roleplaying ga-
  mes made us worship the devil, and that listening to 
  rock music was dangerous. That was just the way it 
  was. If someone was different, they were considered 
  dangerous. So, we broke the rules, in basements and 
  hideouts, far away from the grown-up world.
  THE TRUTH OF THE MYSTERY
  The Mystery takes place in the summer of 1988, during 
  the weeks prior to summer break. In a couple of days, 
  the Stenhamra Cultural Festival [Boulder City Cultural 
  Festival] will be hosted by the Parent Teacher Associa-
  tion (PTA) as a collaboration between the city's schools, 
  Stenhamraskolan and Uppgårdsskolan [Boulder City 
  High School, Mitchell Elementary School and Garrett 
  Junior High School] as well as various local cultural as-
  sociations. There will be live music, movie screenings, as 
  well as activities and exhibitions of different works that 
  students have created during their academic year.
  
  CHAPTER O3
  SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE
  This all seems very normal and fun on the surface, but 
  the festival turns out to have a darker purpose. The 
  PTA’s chairman, Jeanette Adolfsson [Janet Thompson], 
  has been brainwashed by a program she herself crea-
  ted. As a result, she will now use the festival to repro-
  gram the other adults in town. She has a dream, and 
  everyone else must follow.
  Jeanette [Janet] is a researcher at the Defense Rese-
  arch Institute (FOA) [DARPA], where she works with 
  machine-induced hypnosis and subliminal messages. 
  She has discovered that while watching TV, the brain 
  INSPIRATION
  ■
  ■
  They■Live
  ■
  ■
  Videodrome
  ■
  ■
  Invasion■of■the■Body■Snatchers
  ■
  ■
  The■Stepford■Wives
  The■Video■
  Store
  The■Factory
  Ellen
  Jeanette
  Larsson
  PTA■HQ
  Introducing■
  the■Mystery
  SHOWDOWN
  34
  
  relaxes in a way that makes you highly susceptible to 
  suggestions. Using this state of hypnosis, she has eng-
  ineered a system that can submit subliminal messages 
  via audio-visual media outputs.
  DREAM
  Jeanette’s [Janet’s] original experiment backfired. In 
  her quest for an idyllic society, she made a video about 
  “the perfect Stenhamra” [Boulder City] to promote her 
  work. However, as she was using her new software, 
  she accidentally reprogrammed herself. Jeanette [Ja-
  net] now wants nothing more than to make Stenhamra 
  [Boulder City] the “perfect” little town from the video 
  – meaning all indecent elements and behaviors must be 
  swiftly eradicated from society.
  REPROGRAMMED PEOPLE
  The experimental software is based on Jeanette’s [Ja-
  net’s] own morals, and she operates as a form of “Mas-
  ter Program,” giving orders and controlling any other 
  reprogrammed victims. The PTA meetings have thus 
  become a center for the reprogramming of other adults. 
  Jeanette [Janet] has everyone sit down in front of a TV 
  while running the hypnotic program. The local school 
  will also act as headquarters for Jeanette [Janet] and her 
  followers. During the Mystery, they will mainly try to 
  reprogram more influential adults, such as the principal 
  of one of the schools, or some of the Kids’ parents. At 
  the start of the Mystery several people have already been 
  converted, and only adults can be affected.
  The hypnotic software is intended to create a form 
  of idyllic community where people always smile and 
  everyone is happy – where there are no elements beyond 
  the norm. Conformity is the foundation of this new so-
  ciety. Think of a 50s neighborhood real-estate advertise-
  ment come to life. People who have been reprogrammed 
  gradually conform to this style and behavior, with no 
  self-reflection and a perpetual smile on their faces.
  The reprogrammed individuals are unaware of the 
  programing and cannot do anything about it. They 
  look mechanically at the TV shows, listen to bland 
  music and behave, in most regards, like a robot. Anyo-
  ne who does not fit in Jeanette’s [Janet’s] idyllic frame 
  has no place in her ideal town and must be removed, 
  such as LGBTQ people, immigrants, and disabled pe-
  ople. These individuals, shunned by conformity, have 
  instead moved to the factory ruins of Stavsborg's facto-
  ry [Pumping Plant One, Hemenway Pass], where they 
  live in a shadow community.
  ESCAPEE
  But there is something that can challenge the pro-
  gramming: Exposure to things the software considers 
  prohibited, like horror movies, violent action films, 
  or listening to hard rock. Victims who are properly 
  exposed to any of these elements will wake up as if 
  from a sedated slumber, without any memory of what 
  transpired. This was discovered when Jeanette [Janet] 
  35
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  The Factory
  The Video
  Store
  The School
  S V A R T S J Ö L
  A
  N D
  E T
  L å n g t
  a
  r m e
  n
  ÖSTPORT
  5C
  STENHAMRA
  FÄRENTUNA
  HILLESHÖG
  Sånga-Säby
  Sätuna
  Stavsborg
  Kungsberga
  Lunda
  Löftet
  Ilända
  Ölsta
  Väntholmen
  Väntholmsviken
  Torslunda
  
  CHAPTER O3
  tried to reprogram Ellen Skoogh [Ellen Woods], the 
  girl working at Stenhamra Video [Hoover's Video Sto-
  re], and after her escape the members of PTA want to 
  track her down, while also getting rid of anything that 
  might break the programming in Stenhamra [Boulder 
  City]. Ellen is now scared after finding out what Jea-
  nette’s [Janet’s] plans are, and has fled to join the other 
  unwanted people in the shadows of the factory.
  FORBIDDEN FRUIT
  After the incident with Ellen, the software takes measu-
  res to ensure that people won’t break out of their pro-
  graming. It does this via Jeanette [Janet], as chairman 
  of the Parent Teacher Association, by prohibiting all 
  elements deemed “unsuitable”. Here Jeanette [Janet] 
  will be on the offensive. Her first move is to conduct 
  a demonstration outside the video store, proclaiming 
  that it has to end its sinful promotion of violence, hor-
  ror, and sexually explicit content – any media dama-
  ging to the youths should be banned. While this action 
  is a spectacle, it succeeds in its intent, and the video 
  store is temporarily closed down, given into the care of 
  the PTA until proper measures can be taken.
  During the Cultural Festival, the software’s 
  audio-visual delivery system will be connected to a 
  projector and played on a large screen which the local 
  cable network will simultaneously broadcast. This 
  means that the message will spread across the country, 
  allowing Jeanette [Janet] and her software to achieve 
  their vision of a conformed society.
  BOULDER CITY
  Running the Mystery in Boulder City will require a 
  few adjustments to the setup, in addition to moving 
  the location. In the US, similar concerns were raised 
  regarding the harmful influence of various pop culture 
  phenomena. The major cultural difference, however, 
  was that the United States was much more focused on 
  sexual or occult content rather than violence (see Mo-
  ral panic).
  Considering that horror movies usually contain 
  both sex and occult elements (for example movies like 
  Hellraiser or Friday the 13th), the PTA would most 
  likely respond in force. This time period also coincides 
  with The War on Drugs, so Ellen's empty syringes (see 
  93
  93
  Red Mountain
  Seven Dry
  Falls
  Pumping Plant
  Number Two
  Regulating Tank
  Number Two
  Lakeshore Rd
  Great Basin Hwy
  Lakeshore Rd
  Boulder
  Beach
  Hemenway
  Park
  Hemenway
  Pass
  Boulder
  Harbor
  Pyramid
  Island
  Southern Nevada 
  Water System
  ECHO GATE
  CHARLIE GATE
  MAIN REACTOR
  Cooling
  Towers
  B O U L D E R  C I T Y
  36
  The Video 
  Store
  Pumping Plant
  Number One
  Boulder City
  High School
  
  MORAL■PANIC
  The■80's■was■a■decade■of■“moral■pa-
  nic.”■It■started■with■movie■violen-
  ce,■the■fear■that■
  children■would■watch■movies■and■
  normalize■the■violent■message.■In■
  1982,■the■Videogram■Act■prohibited■
  the■sale■or■dissemination■of■films■
  with■"near■or■long-term■depictions■
  of■cruel■or■sadistic■violence"■to■
  children■under■the■age■of■15.■In■
  1983■came■the■first■court■ruling.
  In■music,■the■discussion■concerned■
  the■effects■of■sexually■suggestive■
  or■non-Christian■lyrics,■and■rumors■
  had■it■that■satanic■messages■could■be■
  heard■when■playing■an■LP■backwards.■
  In■the■United■States,■with■"Tipper"■
  Gore■in■the■lead,■a■trial■in■1985■
  resulted■in■the■consequential■use■
  of■the■"Parental■Warning:■Explicit■
  Content"■banner.■However,■it■had■the■
  opposite■effect■and■for■the■cooler■
  or■more■daring■kids,■the■symbol■soon■
  stood■for■quality■–■what■movies■to■
  watch■and■what■music■to■listen■to.
  Roleplaying■games■were■also■tar-
  gets■of■this■“moral■panic”,■part-
  ly■because■of■the■made■for■TV■movie■
  “Mazes■and■Monsters”■starring■a■young■
  Tom■Hanks■–■the■story■of■a■roleplay-
  er■who■experiences■a■psychosis■and■
  cannot■distinguish■the■game■from■re-
  ality.■This■panic■also■took■place■in■
  Sweden,■but■it■was■especially■notable■
  during■the■90's■when■the■suggestive■
  roleplaying■game■Kult■was■published■
  and■reached■a■height■of■popularity.
  The■darker■side■of■the■moral■panic■
  came■with■the■80's■fear■of■HIV■and■
  AIDS.■At■first,■no■one■had■any■idea■
  of■what■caused■it■-■but■everyone■
  “knew”■who■got■it.■Persecution■and■
  homophobia■had■a■strong■social■in-
  fluence■and■many■suffered■both■phy-
  sically■and■mentally■before■it■was■
  known■that■the■virus■only■spread■
  through■bodily■fluids.
  37
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  below) will make her an even bigger target in the eyes 
  of the PTA.
  INTRODUCING THE KIDS
  Introduce each player character (PC) with a scene from 
  their Everyday Life. The GM should try to incorporate 
  the Mystery’s theme, establish the PTA, and introduce 
  the coming cultural festival. If possible, try to include 
  Ellen in one of the scenes. It helps if at least some of the 
  PCs have a desire to look for, and help her.
  Example “theme” scenes: 
   
  ■
  Perhaps the characters are at the video store look-
  ing for an R-rated movie to watch in their hideout. 
  A PTA member gives them a stern look and points 
  out the damaging effects of violence and horror.
   
  ■
  There’s a movie night at some classmate’s house. 
  The kid’s parents are away and the classmate’s ol-
  der sister has rented a horror movie.
   
  ■
  The Kids are home alone and need to convince so-
  meone to rent an R-rated movie for them. Or, may-
  be they try to persuade their parents to rent one!
   
  ■
  A parent is concerned with the kid’s music taste 
  and how “aggressive” it sounds. 
   
  ■
  Hanging out with Ellen at the local youth center. 
  Taking advantage of Ellen's movie recommenda-
  tions. She can tell a PC about the latest film she has 
  seen, or she's playing games with the Kids.
   
  ■
  The PCs should know about the cultural festi-
  val from school, and those who attend a cultural 
  school may work on pieces for the exhibition. 
   
  ■
  Maybe the Parent Teacher Association knocks on 
  their door seeking to talk to the parents about 
  movie violence and other harmful media. The Kids 
  can hear phrases like “Do you want what’s best 
  for your child?” and “Do you not care about your 
  child’s well-being?” and “We must all do our part 
  for a better society.”
   
  ■
  The PTA is holding a rally outside the local super-
  market, handing out flyers for the ensuing demon-
  stration. It's also a good opportunity to establish 
  Jeanette [Janet] - and maybe some other neighbor 
  who has been behaving strangely lately? The PCs 
  may hear their parents discuss whether they should 
  also engage, for example, "If we don’t help out, 
  everyone will think we are terrible parents."
  
  CHAPTER O3
  INTRODUCING THE  
  MYSTERY
  The PCs have found out about the PTA’s upcoming de-
  monstration outside the video store (from rumors, or a 
  flyer left with their parents). On site, about 20 furious 
  adults are led by an agitated Jeanette Adolfsson [Janet 
  Thompson]. Her dictatorial yelling sets the tone as she 
  firmly holds her ground, armed with a megaphone. She 
  denounces how the video store is a collection of sin and 
  how rented movies filled with violence and torture de-
  stroy the children and threaten the caring municipality 
  that the association wants to create. The participants 
  shout, and march in circles, carrying posters and ban-
  ners with the slogans like “Prohibit Sin” and “Think 
  of the Children” painted on them. Jeanette [Janet] cries 
  out how the records sold in the nearby music store are 
  all about sex and drugs. About how the clerk at the 
  video store exposes kids to roleplaying games at the 
  youth center. How she influences them with horror, vi-
  olence, and satanic rituals! Jeanette [Janet] is very firm 
  in her message – Ellen is brainwashing the poor child-
  ren and something has to be done! Like soldiers they 
  march, akin to Frankenstein, their posters resembling 
  the classic torches and pitchforks of enraged villagers. 
  They storm into the store to take matters into their 
  own hands!
  Play up the drama in this. It should be an upheaval 
  – a shocking experience for the Kids. The sound of a 
  glass panel breaking can be heard right before people 
  storm into the store. The adults find an empty syringe 
  in the store’s bathroom (one of Ellen's used hormone 
  syringes) and are convinced she is also trying to force 
  drugs on the children!
  CLUES
   
  ■
  The demonstrators have fliers and posters urging all 
  adults to collect anything that could harm the child-
  ren's minds and hand it over to the Parent Teacher 
  Association (PTA) before the festival begins.
   
  ■
  Jeanette [Janet] calls for Ellen, stating that she wis-
  hes to curb immorality and violence in society. A 
  witch hunt has started - and it is up to the PCs to 
  figure out what has happened and why.
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY
  The Mystery takes place predominantly in the residen-
  tial area of central Stenhamra [California Avenue & 
  5th Street], with a trip out to the rural areas of Svart-
  sjölandet [Hemenway Pass]. It is early summer, school 
  is out, and summer break has just begun. Many adults 
  have volunteered to prepare for the upcoming cultu-
  ral festival organized by the PTA. During the Mystery, 
  more and more adults will be reprogrammed and the 
  PCs will gradually realize that the festival conceals a 
  much darker secret...
  COUNTDOWN
  These■are■voluntary■scenes■as■the■
  Kids■travel■between■the■main■loca-
  tions.■These■are■mainly■to■show■how■
  the■PTA’s■influence■spreads■as■the■
  number■of■affected■adults■grows.
  1.■One■or■more■of■the■characters’■
  parents■have■submitted■what■is■
  considered■"Unwanted■Media"■to■the■
  PTA.■It■was■taken■from■the■Kids■
  without■asking.
  2.■The■PCs■see■how■people■in■the■
  neighborhood■hand■out■flyers■urging■
  the■inhabitants■to■submit■more■
  unwanted■media.■The■Kids■notice■
  that■the■PTA■representatives■all■
  move■in■straight■lines,■walking■
  with■perfect■symmetry.
  3.■A■person■close■to■one■or■more■of■
  the■PCs■has■been■reprogrammed.■
  They■begin■to■behave■strangely■and■
  talk■about■how■everyone■will■even-
  tually■conform■to■the■"established■
  framework".
  4.■The■Kids■witness■an■adult■be-
  ing■kidnapped■and■loaded■into■a■
  car.■Shortly■afterwards,■the■same■
  person■reappears,■now■completely■
  changed,■talking■about■how■eve-
  rything■should■be■perfect.
  5.■The■adults■in■one■or■more■of■the■
  Kids’■families■have■all■been■re-
  programmed■and■behave■strangely.■
  They■threaten■violence■if■the■Kids■
  do■not■act■"appropriately".
  38
  
  LOCATION 1: VIDEO STORE
  Stenhamra Video [Hoover’s Video Store] is a typical vi-
  deo rental, with large windows and highlighted panels 
  displaying inviting posters of movies, with enticing red 
  labels that read “NEW” or “Coming Soon” on the co-
  ver. Inside the shop the carpet is gray and trampled, the 
  only colorless item within the shop's interior, which is 
  otherwise decorated with expressive posters and paper 
  stands of horror, sci-fi, or action motifs such as Jaws 
  and The Terminator. The different racks are nicely di-
  vided into shelves about as high as older children, but 
  for the younger ones, the top shelf is still a little out of 
  reach. There is a checkout counter with an overview of 
  the store and small TV, which Ellen is often distracted-
  ly glued to watching a movie. 
  Behind the counter hangs an old translucent plastic 
  cover with red splashes, a tribute to the shower curtain 
  scene from Psycho. It covers a doorway which leads to 
  the mythical world of the storeroom area beyond, whe-
  re the “adult movies” are kept from the Kids’ prying 
  eyes. All the allure in here is wiped out by a big sign in 
  front of the empty shelves, that reads “Closed by order 
  of the Parent Teacher Association.” The movies in here 
  have instead been stacked in sealed boxes. 
  Although it is closed, the activity in the store is 
  high, with many from the PTA moving in and out. Oc-
  casionally, they come here to collect videos and more 
  flyers, now stacked on the counter. The store is full of 
  “unacceptable” movies, which can break the program-
  ming. This is why Jeanette [Janet] has claimed for this 
  action. In addition to sealing off prohibited content, 
  several of the video cassette players here are being used 
  to make copies of the promotional video (with the re-
  programming subliminal message). The visiting adults 
  usually come in pairs and stay for about 30 minutes 
  at a time.
  TROUBLE
  The characters can try to get in when adults are there 
  to see what's going on. They can sneak in through the 
  main door, and hide between the shelves. PCs also see 
  that the adults enter a room behind the counter, sepa-
  rated by a curtain. Usually, the PTA tries to ensure that 
  at least one guard is outside on watch.
   
  ■
  BREAK-IN: When the shop is empty the door will be 
  locked. A very difficult tinker roll would allow the 
  Kids to pick the lock, or they can use FORCE to 
  prop a window open without breaking it. Bonus 
  effects can be used to do it quietly, so that no adult 
  comes to investigate.
   
  ■
  ADDITIONAL DETAILS: An investigate roll will disclose 
  that there is a side door from the nearby hairdres-
  sing salon, but it requires a sneak or charm roll to 
  get past its owner Margit [Margo]. There is also an 
  The■Video■Store
  0■ 1■
  2■
  3■
  4■
  5■meter
  Office
  Cashier
  Emergency■Exit
  Door■to
  Barbershop
  Store
  Entrance
  39
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  
  CHAPTER O3
  Poltergeist, and Alien. With an investigate roll, the 
  characters see that the poster from Alien seems to 
  be unusually bent at the corners. Behind it there is a 
  secret space containing Ellen’s hidden things.
   
  ■
  ELLEN’S POSTER: In the enclosed space behind the Alien 
  poster is a box stamped with USCSS NOSTROMO 
  (the ship in Alien, a promotion piece Ellen got for the 
  store, but kept for herself). There are more syringes, 
  but these ones are unused. They are of the same kind 
  as the one found by the PTA in the bathroom. Parts 
  of the label reads “Hormone - Estrogen.” They find 
  a postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge with a rainbow 
  flag and the message "Hope to see you someday" 
  with a smudged lipstick kiss on the back. The final 
  item is a letter stating that “The National Board of 
  Health and Welfare has hereby approved the applica-
  tion for a name change and enclosed a new personal 
  certificate.” The characters could use comprehend if 
  they want to understand that Ellen is transgender, but 
  it could be more interesting to leave it up to the play-
  ers on how they want to respond to the information. 
  This can provide an interesting scene for the Kids to 
  talk about and reflect on the meaning of what they 
  have found.
   
  ■
  WALKIE-TALKIE: If the adults are still in the store, the 
  characters can use an investigate roll to overhear 
  when the walkie-talkie receives a message about 
  "the runaway" that has been spotted near Stavs-
  borg’s Factory [Pumping Plant One, Hemenway 
  Pass]. If the reprogrammed adults are no longer in 
  the store, the Kids may instead find this informa-
  tion written down on a note next to the checkout 
  counter. It has been written in beautiful, old-fa-
  shioned handwriting (by Jeanette) [Janet]. If you 
  want to play it as a dramatic scene, especially if the 
  store is empty, then two reprogrammed adults can 
  suddenly show up. They are dressed in camouflage 
  [desert camouflage] jackets with logos of birds, wi-
  de-brimmed hats, and green [brown] rubber boots. 
  Both have binoculars around their necks and wal-
  kie-talkies in their belts. The PCs can hear the in-
  coming message about "the runaway" from these 
  mysterious birdwatchers.
   
  ■
  BIRDWATCHER’S LODGE: When the adults in camou-
  flage leave, the characters can try to follow using 
  sneak to avoid detection. A successful comprehend 
  emergency exit at the back of video store's office, 
  which can be used to let in the others, if a Kid has 
  already entered the store.
  CLUES
   
  ■
  THE SHELVES: Once inside the store, the Kids see 
  how the shelves around the “Suspense” section 
  are virtually empty and that most of the tapes in 
  the “Thriller” and “Action” sections are missing. 
  Many of them can be found in a large supermarket 
  cart, also containing flyers from the PTA.
   
  ■
  VIDEO EQUIPMENT: If the PCs enter the area behind 
  the curtain, they see that several video devices are 
  connected to each other in a sea of cables. The ori-
  ginal seems to be some kind of promotional video 
  for Stenhamra [Boulder City] that is playing on a 
  small TV on the main counter. Scattered on the floor 
  are movie cases of raunchy rom-coms and clever co-
  medies (movies not prohibited by the PTA’s ban).
   
  ■
  THE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO: The short video focuses 
  on Stenhamra [Boulder City] and tries to picture 
  it in an idyllic state. In the background, the coo-
  ling towers from the Bona reactor can be seen in 
  the colorful sunlight, but a closer look reveals that 
  it’s just a painted backdrop and studio spotlights. 
  The actors playing the neighbors appear stiff and 
  smile all the time, with bleached white teeth and 
  emotionless eyes. Everyone attempts to sound mo-
  dern, but the dialog comes off as awkwardly stiff. 
  Many words are emphasized in the video, both 
  as text on the screen and emphasis in the actors’ 
  voices; words like “community,” “conform” and 
  “idyllic.” This is the function of Jeanette’s [Janet’s] 
  software, but luckily the reprogramming doesn’t 
  work on children, although it still makes them feel 
  ill at ease and a bit drowsy afterwards. The video 
  ends with all the actors in the video turning to face 
  the camera, laughing, blinking, and in unison say-
  ing the phrase “Stenhamra – The Swedish Dream” 
  [“Boulder – The American Dream”].
   
  ■
  COPIES: An investigate or calculate roll allows the 
  Kids to realize that copies of the hypnotic video are 
  being recorded to replace the trailers at the begin-
  ning of various non-prohibited movies.
   
  ■
  POSTER: In the workroom there are several posters 
  with motifs from films like Escape from New York, 
  40
  
  or empathize roll can reveal that the clothes, bino-
  culars, and logos on the jackets mean they are 
  birdwatchers, and rumors say that the local bird-
  watchers association has a lodge near Stavsborg’s 
  old factory [Pumping Plant One].
  LOCATION 2: FACTORY
  Stavsborg’s factory [Pumping Plant One] is about half 
  an hour's bike ride from Stenhamra [on the outskirts 
  of Hemingway Pass]. It's a mysterious and deserted old 
  factory that has been used by the Defense Research In-
  stitute (FOA) [DARPA] before it was decommissioned. 
  Nobody really knows if it’s back in use again, but the-
  re are rumors: It is said that criminal gangs are based 
  here, and that you can hear strange people performing 
  occult rituals at night. The surrounding areas are fore-
  most fields and small forests, [deserts, rocks, and old 
  abandoned industrial junk], with many great hideouts. 
  The area is currently being patrolled by several repro-
  grammed adults tasked with finding and catching El-
  len – “the runaway.” The fake birdwatchers are spread 
  out, some in groups, all with walkie-talkies and bino-
  culars. If the Kids talk to any of the adults, they will 
  say that the factory is a hideout for bad people and 
  make accusing comments like “Do your parents know 
  that you are so far away from home?”
  TROUBLE
  To enter the factory area, the characters can use a sneak 
  roll to get past the reprogrammed adults undetected, or 
  if they want to be more direct (or are discovered), roll 
  for force or move. If they do an investigate roll to figu-
  re out a pattern in the patrols’ routes they'll get a +1 
  modification to their roll and may use any additional 
  successes as bonus dice for the sneak or move rolls.
  They can also try to talk to the adults. An empathize 
  roll allows the PCs to notice that the patrols seem to 
  be looking for something that isn’t birds. With com-
  prehend the Kids also notice that the bird names they 
  mention are clearly made up. Any bonus effect whi-
  le interacting with the adults can be used to confuse 
  the birdwatchers – enough to let the children leave. 
  You can also try charm, or a contact roll to disco-
  ver that one of the birdwatchers is a classmate’s pa-
  rent, or an older sibling. The person allows the Kids 
  to slip through. Failure means that the PCs risk further 
  trouble – perhaps one of the birdwatchers calls a pa-
  The■Factory
  0■
  10■
  20■meters
  Empty■
  Ware-
  house
  Factory
  Abandonded■Construction
  Loading■Entrance
  Broken■Fence
  Broken■Fence
  Broken■Fence
  Country■Road
  Country■Road■
  Main■Entrance
  Factory
  Hall
  Parking
  Loading
  Area
  Test
  Area
  41
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  
  CHAPTER O3
  ELLEN’S■REPORT
  One■evening■as■she■was■locking■up■
  the■video■store,■someone■attacked■
  and■kidnapped■her.■When■she■woke■up■
  she■was■in■a■room■at■a■place■which■
  later,■during■her■escape,■she■re-
  cognized■as■Stenhamraskolan■[Boulder■
  City■High■School].■In■front■of■her■
  stood■a■woman■she■recognized■from■
  the■local■newspaper.■Jeanette■[Ja-
  net]■had■an■advanced■computer■and■a■
  strange■machine■that■she■used.■It■
  was■connected■to■a■TV■and■a■VCR.■El-
  len■was■forced■to■watch■some■strange■
  Stenhamra■[Boulder■City]■commercial.■
  Some■of■the■words■from■it■echoed■in■
  her■head■and■she■felt■a■tremendous■
  headache,■but■after■several■repea-
  ted■viewings■it■became■evident■that■
  the■message■would■not■take■hold.■The■
  others■in■the■room,■some■standing,■
  others■tied■to■chairs,■seemed■capti-
  vated■by■the■message.■She■heard■the■
  woman,■who■seemed■to■be■the■group’s■
  leader,■say:■"It■doesn’t■work,■her■
  brain■is■already■too■affected■by■
  unwanted■thoughts".■After■that,■El-
  len■managed■to■break■free■from■her■
  chair,■evade■the■sluggish■guards,■
  and■escape■from■the■school,■and■from■
  Stenhamra■[Boulder■City].
  rent that has already been reprogrammed. However, 
  don’t make failure too debilitating. Allow your players 
  to reach the factory, and use conditions to make them 
  feel the consequences of their actions. 
  CLUES
   
  ■
  ABANDONED: Inside, the factory area is abandoned. 
  It is rumored that criminals gather here and the 
  place has an eerie and empty feel to it. Above, a 
  faint twitter of birds can be heard, and the murky 
  water puddles are completely still. The entrance’s 
  iron doors lead into a dark maze of concrete and 
  shattered glass. There is almost no light as the Kids 
  navigate through long and empty corridors with 
  boarded up windows. The feeling is that of a haun-
  ted house, or the most deserted parts of the ship 
  Nostromo in the movie Alien. Any sudden sound 
  can lead to lurking danger.
   
  ■
  TRACKS: After a while the PCs notice clues that 
  point towards people actually living here. The 
  smaller rooms have remains of recent fires, 
  sleeping bags, camping gear and the like, much 
  of it tucked away in the corners or in old cabinets 
  and lockers.
   
  ■
  OUT OF THE WALLS: At long last, the PCs reach the 
  main room in the factory, a large open space with a 
  grated steel-staircase leading up to an office section 
  marked “Administration.” The PCs can see streaks 
  42
  
  of light piercing the darkness through the boarded 
  windows above. Every step echoes dread, and an 
  intrusive feeling rises: The fear of being grabbed 
  and pulled into the dark at any moment! Suddenly, 
  their fears come true. When they are in the middle 
  of the room, closing in on the staircase, the walls 
  and shadows begin to move. Just like in Aliens: 
  “They're coming outta the goddamn walls!”
   
  ■
  SURROUNDED: The characters are surrounded by 
  moving shadows connected to the darkness in the 
  room, shadows that they can’t identify. There is a 
  whirlwind of movement and shouting, truly a cha-
  otic moment – words, questions aimed at the Kids, 
  are being yelled, about who they are and what they 
  want. The PCs can use charm to earn the “Sha-
  dow People’s” trust. Regardless if the Kids succeed 
  in persuading them or not, the shadows move out 
  into the light…
   
  ■
  THE SHADOW PEOPLE: The shapes appear as people 
  of different ages, several quite young. They are not 
  at all dangerous, terrible, or deformed. Most look 
  like men and women, others are harder to define. 
  Many of them are holding hands, a few are immig-
  rants, some have crutches or have other disabilities. 
  They tell the Kids that they all chose exile, afraid of 
  what Stenhamra [Boulder City] was turning into. 
  They have created a haven here for anyone who is 
  “unwanted” and persecuted. Many fled as a result 
  of the PTA’s recent raid. They call themselves the 
  Shadow People. They tell their stories, for those 
  who want to listen: “He was shunned because he 
  fell in love with another man,” “She got beat up 
  because she had a different skin color,” “She was 
  bullied because she could not walk well.”
   
  ■
  RUMORS: They themselves spread many of the ru-
  mors about criminals living here. All they want is 
  to be accepted, but since that is not how the world 
  works, they at least hope to be left alone – for the 
  persecution to stop. They got help from kind al-
  lies in town who used to come with food, gear and 
  other necessities. But those nightly excursions were 
  branded as "satanic rituals" and now almost eve-
  ryone has left Stenhamra [Boulder City]. Jeanette 
  [Janet] calls them the “Army of the Abandoned.”
   
  ■
  ELLEN: If the PCs ask about Ellen, one of the Sha-
  dow People leaves. Shortly thereafter Ellen enters. 
  Her eyes are red from crying, she is wearing a "The 
  Thing" T-shirt, and her glasses have a cracked lens. 
  She is pale, scared, and stutters as she tries to spe-
  ak. With the knowledge of what Jeanette [Janet] 
  is planning and the PTA members at her heels, she 
  has not dared to talk to anyone else yet. She fears 
  her passion for horror movies and her vivid ima-
  gination would make others doubt her story. The 
  Kids can try to make a lead roll to comfort her (all 
  her conditions are checked and she is considered 
  Broken). Failure leads to a condition for the PCs. 
  They get sucked into her paranoia – Scared, An-
  gry or utterly Exhausted. When Ellen finally opens 
  up, she tells them what happened to her, and what 
  she saw at Jeanette's [Janet’s] PTA-meeting at the 
  school (see Ellen’s report).
   
  ■
  DIRECTIONS: The Parent Teacher Association is 
  gathered in one of the schools and something with 
  Jeanette’s [Janet’s] video is very strange. Ellen can 
  give the Kids the exact location of where in the 
  school the room is located, and how many people 
  are patrolling it. She will now count as a contact 
  giving +2 to any relevant rolls.
   
  ■
  ALLIES: If the PCs have been nice to the Shadow Pe-
  ople, and tell them of any plans they have, the pe-
  ople here at the factory [plant] will offer their help 
  (+1 to all actions where several people are needed, 
  in addition to any bonus from Ellen).
  43
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  
  CHAPTER O3
  LOCATION 3: THE PTA 
  HEADQUARTERS
  After receiving Ellen’s information, it’s time for the 
  Kids to enter the PTA headquarters at Stenhamrasko-
  lan [Boulder City High School]. The school is normal-
  ly a crowded and lively place, but summer break has 
  transformed it into empty and desolate corridors. A 
  few classrooms near the principal’s office are now in 
  use by the PTA while they plan the upcoming cultural 
  festival, which in practice has turned the place into a 
  well-guarded dungeon. The PTA’s main classroom is 
  filled with chairs with restraint harness belts as well as 
  old arts and crafts decorations. Also in the room are all 
  the components of the supercomputer as well as some 
  televisions and video recorders – as well as the sealed 
  boxes of programming-breaking tapes from Stenhamra 
  Video [Hoover’s Video Rental].
  TROUBLE
  Seen from the outside, the school seems empty. Jeanette 
  [Janet] doesn’t want any attention, so she can keep her 
  secret machine, and devious plans out of harm’s way. 
  Entering the school requires a calculate roll to under-
  stand the locking mechanisms in the doors and either 
  a tinker to pick it, or a program roll to bypass any of 
  the newer code locks. The windows are locked from 
  the inside, but a move roll can be used to climb up onto 
  the roof and down into the janitor’s office. Using con-
  tact the Kids can also find someone with a set of keys. 
  Inside the school several reprogrammed adults patrol 
  the hallways and the PCs may need to use sneak, fight, 
  or move to get pass them, depending on the situation. 
  Use the patrols primarily as a complication if the initial 
  rolls to get inside are unsuccessful (drawing attention 
  to themselves). Potential conditions gained here are 
  Scared and Exhausted.
  CLUES
  One of the classrooms, now marked with a “Parent 
  Teacher Association” sign, currently serves as Jeanet-
  te’s [Janet’s] headquarters.
   
  ■
  BRAINWASHING: Amidst the pastel colored decora-
  tions of the festival there is evidence of a darker 
  motif. TVs have been rolled in and lined up side 
  by side. In front of each stands a chair, complete 
  with straps and restraints for holding Jeannette’s 
  [Janet’s] victims. Connected to the TVs are cables 
  Stenhamraskolan
  [Boulder■City
  Highschool]
  0■ 10■ 20■ 30■ 40■meters
  44
  Crafts■Hall
  North■Wing
  Delivery■
  Entrence
  Main■■
  Entrance
  PTA■Room
  South■Wing
  Solbacka■Road
  Parking
  Library
  Dining
  Hall
  Recreation
  Center
  School■■
  Expedition
  Sports■Hall
  
  which wind their way back to a large computer by 
  the teacher's desk.
   
  ■
  PROMOTIONAL VIDEO: If a Kid turns on the TV, they 
  see that the movie is the same “idyllic neighbor-
  hood” video that was being copied in the video sto-
  re. When the characters play the video they see the 
  computer activating, different words flickering on 
  screen – unreadable. With a calculate roll they can 
  figure out that the subliminal information is being 
  recorded onto the tapes through an algorithm de-
  signed to induce a hypnotic state in the watcher’s 
  brain. The result can be seen on all the screens 
  and as the messages sync up with the actors' mo-
  vements, and the generated phrases echo on after 
  appearing – words like "new era", "obedience" 
  and "fit in".
   
  ■
  CLASSIFIED: Next to the computer is a folder full 
  of note written in a neat handwriting. The folder 
  is labeled “Jeanette Adolfsson, Hypnotic Program-
  mer, FOA” [Janet Thompson, Hypnotic Program-
  mer, DARPA] as well as "CLASSIFIED" in all caps 
  letters in red ink. The Kids can read the notes with 
  a comprehend and realize that Jeanette [Janet] has 
  developed a system and a software that puts people 
  into a hypnotic state when watching TV. Notes 
  from her tests show that the control may be broken 
  by strong emotional impressions (examples are gi-
  ven on specific activities, movies and music).
   
  ■
  COMPUTER: If the players want to investigate the 
  computer, they need to make an Extremely Difficult 
  program roll. They will find the same information 
  contained in the notes above, but here the program-
  ming is explained in more detail. The information ga-
  ined should primarily help the Kids understand any 
  uncertain details that may exist regarding what has 
  happened and how they can stop it, but bonus effects 
  can also be saved for any future rolls in handling the 
  software or the machine – for example, when making 
  a computer virus that can break Jeanette’s [Janet’s] 
  control of the victims. The program’s goal is to create 
  “an idyllic and perfect Stenhamra [Boulder], without 
  any unwanted elements.”
   
  ■
  PROJECTOR: With a investigate roll, the PCs can find 
  a receipt for a newly purchased video projector. On 
  tables and in opened boxes all around the room, 
  there are several stacks of “approved” films, genres 
  that won’t break the programming, on which the 
  trailer sections of the tapes have been replaced with 
  the subliminal video. The Kids can either destroy 
  them, or use a comprehend or calculate roll to rea-
  lize that a strong magnet would clean all the tapes.
   
  ■
  MAGNETIC HORROR: A magnet can obviously be 
  found in one of the science classrooms further down 
  the hallway. Here, stacks and boxes of “unwan-
  ted” horror, thriller, erotic and action movies can 
  be found as well. The PTA had the same idea and 
  have attempted to eradicate the “cure”. Some of 
  the more offensive covers have even been burnt to 
  ashes in the chemistry lab next door.
   
  ■
  FESTIVAL PROGRAM: The PCs find, pinned to an an-
  nouncement board in the hallway, and covered in 
  glitter, the Stenhamra Cultural Festival’s [Boulder 
  City Culture Festival’s] program. It states that the 
  next event is the “The Future of Stenhamra [Boul-
  der City] – Speech and an inspirational video by the 
  PTA’s Chairman Jeanette Adolfsson [Janet Thomp-
  son] at Stenhamra torg [outside City Hall].” This is 
  the final step in Jeanette's [Janet’s] plan: Arranging 
  a mass hypnosis, filmed by the local cable network, 
  and reprogramming most of the remaining adults.
  SHOWDOWN
  Jeanette’s [Janet’s] plan is to project the video on a 
  huge movie screen for all the adults in attendance and 
  to thereby reprogram all of Stenhamra [Boulder City]. 
  She can hopefully spread the message country- [state-] 
  wide via the local cable network and their live bro-
  adcast of the event. Obviously, it is up to the Kids to 
  stop all of this. The speech will be held at the Cultural 
  Festival Center from the large stage built in the middle 
  of Stenhamra’s main square [the park on the other side 
  of California Avenue, outside City Hall].
   
  ■
  FESTIVAL AREA: The stage is big and pompous, impo-
  sing and scary, with large loudspeakers positioned 
  along the sides like tall prison towers. A big banner 
  in the middle reads “Stenhamra Cultural Festival” 
  [Boulder Cultural Festival], written in pastel colors, 
  in a way that feels welcoming and kind. There are 
  marching bands and music as theater performances 
  from different cultural schools in the city take the 
  stage. The performing students range from those 
  45
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  
  CHAPTER O3
  who clearly love to be on stage, to some who look 
  like they are serving a prison sentence. In several 
  small plastic tents around the festival small exhi-
  bitions are open to the public, arranged by local 
  artists or the schools’ most dedicated students. The 
  festival is crowded with visitors. Virtually everyone 
  from the Stenhamra [Boulder City] has shown up 
  for this joyous occasion, and some have even tra-
  veled from nearby towns. Several of the already re-
  programmed adults are standing guard as Jeanette 
  [Janet] prepares to take the stage.
   
  ■
  CONTROL CENTER: Opposite the stage, in the middle 
  of the crowded street, there is a small control deck 
  raised from the ground. From here everything is 
  being monitored and controlled. There is a mixer 
  table for all the sound, controls for the light rigs, 
  as well as the projector and the computer that will 
  play Jeanette’s [Janet’s] video after her speech is over. 
  The deck is manned by a reprogrammed adult who 
  manages the projector and a computer with the pro-
  gram connected to it. If any of the Kids’ relatives are 
  reprogrammed, they are probably in this area.
   
  ■
  THE NUMBER: Jeanette’s [Janet’s] speech will focus 
  on how this is a new era in Stenhamra [Boulder 
  City], how their town shows a cultural community 
  in symbiosis – all working to reach and uphold the 
  same goal, in accordance with the same values. She 
  concludes by introducing her video, a film that will 
  show everyone her dream for Stenhamra [Boulder 
  City]: "The Dream We'll All Create Together!"
  EXTENDED TROUBLE
  To stop Jeanette’s [Janet’s] plan, the PCs need to turn 
  off the video as well as break the programming of the 
  affected adults. But, they also need to succeed befo-
  re Jeanette [Janet] finishes her speech and plays the 
  movie! 
  Without outside assistance, this is treated as an Ex-
  tended Trouble, with a Hard Threat Level (3 x Num-
  ber of players). The PCs can roll for contact before 
  the scene starts to enlist the help of the Shadow People. 
  This would lower the difficulty to Normal Threat Level 
  (2 x number of players).
  The Kids have to take action and succeeded 
  with their plan to stop Jeanette [Janet]. They can 
  easily disappear in the large crowd and, if they can 
  distract the guards, climb onto the control deck and 
  the projector control station unnoticed. After a brief 
  Festival■Area
  0■
  5■
  10■
  15■
  20■meters
  Restaurant
  Tent
  Tent
  Tent
  Control
  Center
  Scene
  46
  
  search the Kids find the projector’s connection to a 
  video player and the empty case of one of the edited 
  movies, “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy. 
  The VCR can of course be turned off, or even smas-
  hed, but if the roll isn’t successful the reprogrammed 
  adults will still obey their programming and try to 
  start or replace it.
  The Kids can also replace the video and play any 
  of the "forbidden” media, such as a horror movie or 
  hard rock through the speakers). This would break 
  the hypnotic state of the adults, including Jeanet-
  te [Janet], thus permanently putting an end to her 
  plans. If the software and the computer survives, and 
  the Kids don’t quite succeed (for example if they are 
  forced to compromise) you can create a scene where 
  the hypnotic program enslaves someone new in the 
  Epilogue.
  AFTERMATH
  The Kids now each get a scene from their Everyday 
  Life to end the Mystery with. These scenes can include 
  changes that take place in Stenhamra [Boulder City] 
  after the cultural festival:
  IDYLL
  If the Kids fail, Jeanette’s [Janet’s] plan will succeed 
  and most adults in Stenhamra [Boulder City] are re-
  programmed. The town turns into the “idyllic com-
  munity” that Jeanette [Janet] envisioned. Everyone 
  dresses and behaves the same way and smiles empty, 
  whitened smiles as they pass each other in the streets. 
  The PTA will become even more influential, with Jea-
  nette [Janet] as the new school director. All Kids will be 
  shown the video and be reprogrammed as they get old 
  enough. The Shadow People are left in the factory, at 
  the outskirts of society. As their numbers increase, they 
  slowly but surely hatch their own plans to strike back 
  at the conformed society.
  A NEW DAY
  Hopefully, the Kids will save the day. The adults who 
  have been reprogrammed wake up from their mass hyp-
  nosis and have no recollection of what has happened. 
  Most of them sluggishly return to their everyday routi-
  nes, ignoring the lack of memory from the past few days 
  or weeks. Collectively it is considered better to ignore 
  and bury what has happened than to seek help.
  Jeanette [Janet] is confused. The last thing she 
  remembers is herself, neck deep in work as she pro-
  grammed her new software algorithm – about a month 
  ago. If the characters succeed in explaining exactly 
  what she has done, she will show regret and destroy all 
  her research. She leaves a report to her director at FOA 
  [DARPA] stating that her research was a failure. This 
  in turn leads to a less significant desktop job as she 
  resigns as chairman [president] of the Parent Teacher 
  Association.
  47
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  
  CHAPTER O3
  SHADOW PEOPLE
  The “Shadow People” return to Stenhamra [Boulder 
  City] one after another as they realize there’s no longer 
  a threat of persecution, at least no more than usual. 
  They take their place in the outskirts of society, now in 
  the shadows shaped by the ignorance of all.
  NPCS AND CREATURES
  Here are the NPC characters central to the Mystery. 
  They have special attributes that can either increase the 
  threat level the characters are facing, or give bonuses 
  as allies.
  JEANETTE ADOLFSSON 
  [JANET THOMPSON]
  “Think of your children. We must stand united against 
  violence and filth!”
  Jeanette [Janet] is a 46 year old researcher at FOA 
  [DARPA]. She studied psychology 3 for a long time, and 
  has always been interested in hypnosis. Her major 
  breakthrough came when she found an algorithm for 
  machine-induced hypnosis. She settled down in Sten-
  hamra [Boulder City], close to the Loop, to further ex-
  pand her research. Jeanette [Janet] had high hopes 
  for her discovery – to further understand the mea-
  ning of humanity. This was not agreed upon with her 
  employer, who’d rather see her research used in the 
  pursuit of sleeper agents and infiltrators.
  Ever since she moved there, she has also been very 
  active in the community of Stenhamra [Boulder City] 
  ELLEN’S■RECOMMENDATIONS
  ■
  ■
  THE■FLY■–■David■Cronenberg
  ■
  ■
  ALIENS■–■James■Cameron
  ■
  ■
  THE■LOST■BOYS■–■Joel■Schumacher
  ■
  ■
  PRINCE■OF■DARKNESS■–■John■Carpenter
  where she runs the local Parent Teacher Association. 
  She is the go to person when organizing events, organize 
  3, and her name therefore carries great weight. Under 
  her watch, Stenhamra [Boulder City] will not remain a 
  sleepy suburb in the shadow of the Bona reactor [DART 
  reactor], but instead thrive and transform into an idyll 
  of conformity. 
  Investigating her house during the Mystery reveals 
  that she is not at home, and hasn’t been for quite 
  some time. Ever since her accidental reprogramming, 
  she has worked tirelessly. The real Jeanette [Janet] is 
  far from the “obsessed tyrant” that she appears to be. 
  What happened to her is the result of good intentions 
  gotten way, way out of hand.
  ELLEN SKOOGH [ELLEN WOODS]
  “Nothing further then he uttered, not a feather then he 
  fluttered, Till I scarcely more than muttered – Other 
  friends have flown before...”
  Ellen is a young 26-year-old woman. Her complexion is 
  pale, the dark hair is a bit shabby, and she wears big 
  glasses and shirts with rock band or horror movie motifs. 
  48
  
  She recently moved to Stenhamra [Boulder City], whe-
  re she took over as manager for the local video rental 
  place Stenhamra Video [Hoover’s Video Rental]. She 
  has run the place for about half a year now and her 
  personal interest in horror, sci-fi, and action films have 
  increasingly changed the availability of these genres. 
  She is transsexual and has recently undergone gender 
  correction. The move to Stenhamra was meant to give 
  her a fresh start, and some peace and quiet from her 
  old life. She is terrified of being singled out or shunned.
  Ellen absolutely loves watching and talking about 
  horror movies. She respects the parental guidance 
  and does not usually allow children to rent R-rated 
  movies without first consulting their parents. However, 
  she has a soft spot for some of the Kids in town, and is 
  sometimes persuaded to bend the rules a little.
  Ellen is childish 2, which means that she under-
  stands, more than other adults, the situation and eve-
  ryday life of the Kids. She easily relates to teenagers, 
  partly because of her own longing for a childhood 
  she never really had. This childish curiosity is what pro-
  tects her from being reprogrammed – Ellen simply isn’t 
  “grown-up enough” to be able to share Jeanette’s [Ja-
  net’s] vision of a conformed society.
  If the Kids were to call her, the answering machine 
  has some kind of recorded movie quote like: “Leave 
  a message before it gets dark, because they mostly 
  come at night… mostly.”
  49
  HORROR MOVIE 
  MAYHEM
  
  O4
  CHAPTER
  Bredäng. Gray and March. The snow is gone and the trees have not 
  started to bud.   The world is gray and gloomy. To top it off, a fog 
  covers Lake Malar. There are old American horror movies playing on 
  television. It's an unusual atmosphere and gives the plauer characters 
  something to talk about. Somewhere, there are rumors that a  
  mummy has been seen in Bredäng and the nearby Sätra.
  THE MUMMY
  IN THE MIST
  THE TRUTH OF THE MYSTERY 
  51
  BREDÄNG 
  53
  BOULDER CITY 
  55
  INTRODUCING THE KIDS 
  55
  INTRODUCING THE MYSTERY 
  55
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY 
  56
  LOCATION 1: THE ELEMENTARY  
  SCHOOL 
  56
  LOCATION 2:  THE BEACH 
  58
  LOCATION 3: THE CAMPSITE 
  59
  LOCATION 4:  THE HIGH SCHOOL 
  60
  LOCATION 5: THE MUMMY’S DEN 
  61
  LOCATION 6: OVER THE ICE 
  63
  SHOWDOWN 
  63
  AFTER THE SHOWDOWN 
  64
  CHANGE 
  64
  NPCS AND CREATURES 
  62
  
  51
  This plot will develop into two interconnected mys-
  teries: a mummy mystery and the DIM mystery. The 
  mysteries occur in the Stockholm suburb of Bredäng, 
  but if necessary, they can be moved to another suburb 
  or alternatively placed on the Mälaren Islands with a 
  little work from the GM.
  THE TRUTH OF THE MYSTERY
  Walter Bohm is a West German guest researcher in 
  Slingan. Bohm came to Sweden a half-year ago, re-
  cently divorced and with alcohol problems, but things 
  did not improve living in a Riksenergi barracks-like 
  apartment hotel on Adelsö. After a few minor scan-
  dals, Bohm moved out of the hotel and ended up in an 
  apartment on Ålgrytevägen in Bredäng on the outskirts 
  of Stockholm [alternatively in a townhouse near the 
  Hemenway Pass in Boulder City]. In connection with 
  the move, Bohm brought a few “borrowed” appliances 
  from work, appliances he rigged up in the apartment 
  and used for experiments on the effect of magnetron 
  phenomena on light. At the end of February, Bohm 
  badly burned himself during an experiment on the face, 
  hands, arms and upper body. The burns healed faster 
  than they should have, but the affected parts have now 
  become vague. Almost transparent. They do not reflect 
  light and the condition is worsening. Bohm fears that 
  his upper body will become invisible within a month.
  Bohm's burns do not hurt, but they are very hot 
  and he often goes out late in the evenings to cool down. 
  He enjoys going to Mälarhöjden Beach [Boulder Be-
  ach] for the cold of the dune banks that drift over the 
  lake. He sometimes walks on the beach, his invisible 
  upper body wrapped in gauze.
  
  It is Bohm’s nightly walks that have given rise to ru-
  mors that there is a mummy in the woods between 
  Bredäng and Mälaren [the descent between Hemenway 
  and Boulder Beach].
  DIM-9S
  Lake Mälaren is wrapped in fog and covered with thin 
  ice. The phenomenon is often attributed to its proximity 
  to the Loop, but in truth, there are encounters between 
  Riksenergi [DART] and creatures from another dimen-
  Björksätra■
  School
  Mälarhöjden■
  Beach
  The■Camping
  The■Mummy's■
  Den
  Annika■Älg
  Bredäng■
  School
  Introducing■
  the■Mystery
  SHOWDOWN
  sion. These are the strange creatures behind the weird 
  weather phenomena taking place in Lake Mälaren 
  [Lake Mead] lately. The temperature rises up and down 
  tens of degrees, it is foggy and Lake Mälaren is covered 
  with ice. The meetings taking place on the small island 
  of Kungshatt [around the Alpha Gate] are so far very 
  rare, and Riksenergi keeps them secret to keep pressure 
  from the government and other groups off them.
  The foreign beings are called “DIM-9” by Riksen-
  ergi, simply because they are believed to come from a 
  52
  CHAPTER O4
  
  ninth dimension. The current problem is that the DIM-
  9s are stuck in our dimension and starting to feel rest-
  less and hungry about something that is unclear. There 
  is also something at the Mälarhöjden Beach [Boulder 
  Beach] (across the water from Kungshatt) that attracts 
  them. Something they think can help them get home. 
  BREDÄNG
  Bredäng is a suburb of Stockholm that is almost 
  twenty years old. Bredäng is mostly populated by 
  construction workers, nurses and post officers who 
  find that it is much better to own an outhouse through 
  the housing projects than living in the slums of Sö-
  Mäla
  r
  en
  Bensinmack
  TV-torn
  Sätra
  idrottsplats
  Industriområde
  Ica
  Tempo
  Sätra
  båtsällskap
  Mälarhöjdens
  ridskola
  Restaurang
  Konditori Lyran
  SÄTRA
  SEGELTORP
  MÄLAR-
  HÖJDEN
  BREDÄNG
  FLÄSKET
  SÄTRADALEN
  SKRÄDDAR-
  HOLMEN
  Bredäng 
  Camping
  Bredäng School
  Björksätra
    School
  Mälarhöjden 
  Beach
  The Mummy's Den
  Bredängsvägen
  Bredängs allé
  Ålgrytevägen
  Björksätravägen
  Skärholmsvägen
  Bredängs-
  parken
  Gröns 
  stugans park
  E4
  53
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  F Å
  G
  E
  L
  Ö
  N
  K
  U
  N
  G
  S
  H
  A T
  T
  SKÄRHOLMEN
  
  54
  CHAPTER O4
  dermalm. The suburb abounds with families with 
  children and you can always find children cycling 
  everywhere, playing hockey and Star Wars. In Bred-
  äng's center, there is everything you could wish for: 
  the Post Office, several banks, two major food sto-
  res, liquor stores, libraries, a pastry shop, and even 
  a swimming pool. On top of the Tempo there is a bi-
  stro serving various barbecue dishes that overlooks 
  a parking garage. If you want to go shopping, go to 
  the nearby mall, in the center of Skärholm, where 
  there are a lot of toys, a Chinese restaurant and a 
  cinema called Vågen (The Wave). (At this time only 
  IKEA’s round and vaguely futuristic building can be 
  found in Kungens Kurva).
  Bredäng is socially homogeneous. Nobody stands 
  out and almost everyone has a job, no matter if their 
  name is Svensson, Sivonen or Stefanovic. There is no 
  big team to root for in the town and the worst evening 
  news stories are mostly about events in Kungsträdgår-
  den [in Las Vegas].
  H e m e
  n w
  a y  H a r b o r
  B O U L D E R  C I T Y
  93
  93
  Red Mountain
  DARPA
  FACILITY
  Seven Dry
  Falls
  River
  Mountains
  Lake Mead
  Marina
  Hoover Dam
  Lodge
  Great Basin Hwy
  Great Basin Hwy
  Canyon Rd
  Lakeshore Rd
  Hemenway
  Park
  Hemenway
  Pass
  ECHO GATE
  CHARLIE GATE
  FOXTROT GATE
  MAIN REACTOR
  Cooling
  Towers
  Boulder City
  High School
  Boulder Beach
  Campground
  The Mummy's 
  Den
  Boulder Beach
  Mitchell 
  Elementary
  School
  
  55
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  BREDÄNG’S GEOGRAPHY
  Bredäng is bordered on the north by a mountainous 
  forest that spreads down towards Mälaren and on 
  the south by Skärholmsvägen and the industrial area 
  down the highway. To the west, Bredäng merges into 
  Sätra, which then merges into Skärholmen. To the east, 
  towards the town, you’ll find the big TV tower on a 
  rocky knoll at Bredängsvägen. Bredäng children do not 
  cross towards Bredängsvägen. On the other side resi-
  des the old villa of Mälarhöjden. It is an unspoken rule 
  that the children from Mälarhöjden also refrain from 
  crossing into Bredäng.
  BOULDER CITY
  The mystery fits well in Boulder City, but will require 
  minor changes. For natural reasons, there will never be 
  ice on Lake Mead so the last part of the mystery will be 
  replaced with dense fog and boats that can navigate the 
  surface of the lake. In the same way as in the rule book, 
  we have chosen to write U.S. versions of names and 
  places in [parentheses] after the Swedish. This is inten-
  ded as an aid instead of a definitive statement. Part of 
  the benefit of Tales of the Loop is customizability of 
  every mystery to fit wherever you and your group are 
  playing.
  INTRODUCING THE KIDS
  Set a scene for each of the Kids in their Everyday Li-
  ves with or without Trouble. Take your time setting the 
  mood. Allow the Kids to be curious about the strange 
  phenomena and to follow the story bread crumbs. From 
  the familiar and safe down towards the unknown.
  It’s a normal day, the radio is blaring out something 
  about that Reagan fellow in the United States. The world 
  looks roughly the same whether you live in a townhouse 
  or an apartment. Talk about your Everyday Life without 
  any games or mobile phones. BMX bikes are in and older 
  Kids listen to AC/DC, Run DMC and Van Halen.
  Allow each player to describe at least one featu-
  re or quirk that his Kid has in addition to his pride, 
  such as  constantly blabbering about the Tre Kronor 
  [USA national ice hockey team]; is obsessed with Star 
  Wars; or spends all of his waking time playing with a 
  toy horse or reading comics. In addition, let each Kid 
  talk about his anchor, or any other important person in 
  their lives, in addition to their peers. For example, the 
  scout leader Frasse [Frenton], the cute school librarian, 
  or Leffe [Lou] who trains the Handball Club's team.
  INTRODUCING THE  
  MYSTERY
  There have been rumors among children in recent 
  weeks about a mummy that has been seen in Bredäng 
  and Sätra [around Hemenway Park]. A real mummy, 
  not someone playing a prank pretending to be one. 
  This is not something Kids bring to the attention of 
  any adults, partly because adults can force them to stay 
  indoors, and partly because adults may make a con-
  nection between the mummy and the violent American 
  horror videos circulating among the youngsters and 
  decide that they should not be watching them.
  How exactly you should get the Kids involved 
  depends a little on the Kids themselves, but there are 
  several different ways – engaging in curiosity, being ad-
  venturous or even vanity. The important thing is to get 
  the characters away and into the nearest forest in the 
  morning or after school. It is important that it is light 
  outside for the first encounter.
  CLUES
  In the forest, by an area where the trees have no leaves, 
  the characters find some gauze hanging on a bush. The 
  wrappings are dirty and have a strong smell of detergent. 
  Visible in the area are tracks. These could be real mummy 
  tracks, but they could also belong to high schoolers that 
  sometimes hang out in the area. It's hard to know.
  TROUBLE
  You can keep the Kids on edge with odd noises and 
  birds darting out of bushes when they are up late, then 
  you can have them meet Annika Älg [Anna Acker]. An-
  nika is a couple of years older than the oldest Kid, a 
  little weird, and incredibly annoying. She has seen the 
  Kids sneaking around and obviously wants to know 
  what they are up to. When Annika understands that 
  the characters are on a mummy hunt, she tells them 
  that a mummy has been spotted at Mälarhöjden Beach 
  [Boulder Beach].
  
  The meeting with Annika will put the Kid’s skills to the 
  test. Kids can impress Annika with a CHARM roll; if 
  they fail, she instead exposes something about them to 
  get them to go on the mummy hunt through blackmail 
  (preferably through Upset or Scared). Whichever the 
  case may be, they have to go out on the mummy hunt 
  down to the campsite and Mälarhöjden Beach [Boul-
  der Beach] tonight as they have now suddenly promi-
  sed. Perhaps Annika may help one of the Kids ask out 
  someone he or she likes in exchange for investigating 
  the mystery, or maybe she may knows some embarras-
  sing secret the character wishes to keep quiet. There is 
  no threat of violence. The characters all know that An-
  nika is on good footing with the hard-working siblings 
  Eva and Björne Strömdahl [Erica and Ben Sanders] and 
  can count on them if it would come to trouble.
  Annika also wants to know if there is a bicycle on 
  the ice at the Mälarhöjden Beach tower. If so, what 
  color is it? And is it a boy’s or a girl’s bike?
  SOLVING THE MYSTERY
  The mystery unfolds in and around Bredäng [Boulder 
  City and Hemenway Park]. The Kids are searching 
  for the Sätra Mummy, but find something even more 
  strange at the Mälarhöjden Beach. Riksenergi Security 
  [DART Security] do everything to keep people from 
  the beaches at night as strange creatures move in and 
  out of the ice [in the lake]. In the end, the characters 
  will realize that these two phenomena are connected. 
  The mummy is drawn to the creatures on the ice, and 
  vice versa. An encounter between the two is inevitable.
  LOCATION 1: THE  
  ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  All children go to the Björksätra School in Bredäng 
  [Mitchell Elementary School in Boulder]. (For those 
  who want to use modern maps, the school no longer 
  exists today. It lies on a piece of land between Sätra’s 
  Sport Stadium and the subway.) The school consists 
  of a number of two-storey buildings of yellow brick. 
  During the sixties, many schools around Stockholm 
  were built out of old barracks. Björksätra is an average 
  school without particularly high demand for students. 
  There are three to four classes and a small extra class 
  for children with special needs from each grade.
  One of the school’s cooks is Mona, who has a 
  strong resemblance to with Sue Ellen (Linda Gray) 
  from the TV series Dallas. Everyone is terrified of the 
  aging Swedish teacher, Mrs Molnbäck, [Miss Mayber-
  COUNTDOWN
  Use■the■events■below■to■increase■the■
  pressure■on■the■Kids■and■set■the■
  mood■in■Bredäng.
  1.■The■mummy■follows■members■of■the■
  handball■team■as■they■run■away.■
  One■of■the■team■members,■Jerker■
  Andersson■[Jerry■Andersen],■runs■
  away■terrified■and■trips■over■a■
  rocky■edge■and■breaks■both■legs.■
  According■to■rumor,■it■was■the■
  mummy■that■threw■Jerker.
  2.■Bredängsskolan■[The■Mitchell■Ele-
  mentary■School]■is■visited■by■po-
  lice■officers.■The■Kids■flock■around■
  the■schoolyard■around■a■beauti-
  ful■blue-white■Volvo.■The■police■
  constables■Larsson■and■Benderman■
  [Larsen and Benderman]■visit■the■
  Kids’■classroom■and■urge■the■class■
  not■to■go■out■to■or■on■the■ice■
  under■any■circumstances■since■it■
  is■treacherous■and■dangerous.■When■
  Constable■Benderman■says■this,■he■
  looks■straight■at■the■Kids.■He■se-
  ems■to■be■on■to■them.
  3.■Riksenergi■expands■its■presence■
  along■the■Mälarhöjden■Beach■[Boul-
  der■Beach].■Three■orange■Riksen-
  ergi■vehicles■park■at■the■beach■
  and■half■a■dozen■guards■are■on■the■
  lookout■in■the■area.■One■of■the■
  cars■travels■back■and■forth■along■
  the■roads■between■Bredäng■and■
  Sätra■and■guards■carrying■torches■
  are■seen■wandering■in■the■woods.■
  It■is■clear■they■are■searching■for■
  something.■
  56
  CHAPTER O4
  
  ON■THE■WAY■TO■SCHOOL
  You■can■use■one■or■more■of■these■
  events■on■your■way■to■the■Björksätra■
  school.■Do■not■forget■that■it■is■Mar-
  ch■and■the■weather■is■harsh■and■the■
  trees■have■no■leaves■left■on■them.■
  ■
  ■
  Traces■of■the■mummy.■Several■me-
  ters■of■dirty■gauze■hang■on■a■
  tree.
  ■
  ■
  Marcus■Nilsson■[Mark■Newman]■is■ri-
  ding■a■BMX■bike.■He■stops■to■brag■
  that■his■eldest■brother■purchased■
  the■most■expensive■Tyco■car.■He■
  then■rides■away.■
  ■
  ■
  There■are■frozen■spots■on■the■
  street.■The■Kids■hear■adults■men-
  tion■that■they■“do■something■about■
  the■Loop.”
  ■
  ■
  Leffe■[Louie]■in■class■4B■comes■
  by.■He■tells■the■Kids■that■yester-
  day■there■was■so■much■ice■on■Lake■
  Mälaren■that■a■military■icebreaker■
  had■to■come■and■open■a■lane■[and■
  so■much■fog■over■Lake■Mead■that■
  the■military■put■out■light■posts].
  ■
  ■
  The■TV■Tower■sings.■A■loud■noise,■
  something■between■a■foghorn■and■a■
  distressed■cow,■is■sometimes■heard■
  from■the■TV■tower.■It■has■so-
  mething■to■do■with■the■Loop.
  ry]. A hall in one of the barracks houses the theater 
  club, which does its best to recruit rebel students whe-
  rever it can.
  TROUBLE
  Elaka Eva and Björne Strömdahl [Erica and Ben San-
  ders]. The Strömdahl twins are in sixth grade and 
  consider themselves rulers of Björksätra School. One 
  of them pops up (accompanied by their gang) and is 
  ruthless towards one of the characters. Depending 
  on how the event develops, the Kids can use fight or 
  charm to de-escalate the situation. Regardless, a group 
  of children will look at the way the Kids solve the situ-
  ation which will have subsequent ramifications.
  CLUES
  The school tries to drown rumors of the mummy. Here 
  are some that the Kids can pick up.
   
  ■
  RIDING STABLES: A couple of sixth graders tell you 
  that a mummy was indeed at the Sätra Stables last 
  night. It frightened several horses into a panic. One 
  of the girls’ big sisters was tossed from her horse. 
  The horse then bolted towards the woods. (If you 
  look into this rumor, it turns out that a girl really 
  was tossed by a horse. But it was down at Mälar-
  höjden Beach [Boulder Beach]. It was foggy and a 
  white-haired man scared the horse. She did not see 
  his face.)
   
  ■
  THE FUGITIVE: Anders Gran [Andy Geller] in 5a, 
  whose father is a policeman, says he heard his dad 
  say that the mummy is probably someone who ran 
  away from Sätra sjukhus [Boulder City Hospital]. 
  (This is not actually the case.)
  57
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  
  The mooing noise in the Mälaren becomes louder and 
  stronger the longer the scene goes on, until finally there 
  is a glimpse of something out in the mist. A huge sha-
  dow, as big as a bus. Riksenergi employees are now in 
  even more of a hurry to chase away the Kids.
  TROUBLE
  Riksenergi’s patrols can be a problem for the charac-
  ters. They may have to roll for stealth to avoid detec-
  tion, or charm to come up with a good reason to be 
  poking around.
  The guards are harsh and determined, but will not 
  fight children. In the event of a failure, the situation be-
  comes complicated:   they capture the Kids in their ho-
  vercraft, where they will be interrogated by Maj-Britt 
  Sundwall [Mary L Bloomington]. She knows nothing 
  about any bike gang or mummy. She warns the charac-
  ters to stay out of Riksenergi’s way and then sends them 
  home. With a successful charm roll, she will reveal that 
  Riksenergi is looking for an abandoned animal. There is 
  something on the beach that attracts the animal.
  Fooling the guards and running away from them can 
  be accomplished with a move roll. Failure gives a condi-
  tion, such as Exhausted or Damaged, but the characters 
  are able to escape. The guards do not really take the Kids 
  seriously and are (although the characters do not under-
  stand it) satisfied that their job is done, to Maj-Britt Sund-
  wall’s [Mary L Bloomington’s] displeasure. 
  EVENT: THE MUMMY
  When the Kids finally escape the patrol’s grasp, they go 
  from the frying pan and into the fire. On the hilltop up 
  near the campsite, they see a strange human silhouette 
  against the black sky.
  The Sätra Mummy.
  It was not just a rumor. Fifty meters away is a fi-
  gure wearing only a pair of pants while its upper body 
  and face are wrapped in long white rags. The mummy 
  hears the characters coming through the thicket and 
  stops. It listens for a second before turning around and 
  heading back to the campsite, then disappears among 
  caravans and trees.
  CLUES
  Once the Kids have escaped the patrol and seen the 
  mummy, they will have lots to talk about. 
   
  ■
  FOG: Someone (it’s always unclear who) has seen 
  the mummy running along the dams down at 
  the bay Mälarhöjden Beach [Boulder Beach]. He 
  shouted strange things in Egyptian. (True, but he 
  was yelling in German.)
   
  ■
  SEA: Something odd is happening on Lake Mälaren. 
  (True.) This is where the mummy has been seen. 
  (Not true.) [Lake Mead is covered in dense Fog]
   
  ■
  CAMPING: The mummy has been sighted inside the 
  closed campsite. There are several guards patrol-
  ling here. (True).
   
  ■
  IN LOVE: The mummy is looking for a woman it fell 
  in love with. The woman is usually someone fami-
  liar to whoever is telling the story. (Does not matter 
  in any way.)
   
  ■
  THE FOREST: A girl who is a member of the "Gus-
  tav Wasa" - Bredäng Scouts [Boulders Girl Guides] 
  tells that the scouts [girl guides] nowadays avoid 
  the forest around the campsite. (Scout leader Frasse 
  [Frannie] will deny this.)
  LOCATION 2:  THE BEACH
  A large swimming area located at Lake Mälaren, 
  below the campsite. There is a sandy beach, a number 
  of jetties and a ten-meter diving tower. All of them are 
  now covered in a thick, cold fog. You can find mummy 
  rags in several places.
  There is a thin ice layer on Lake Mälaren. The fog 
  densely covers the beach and you can only see for a few 
  tens of meters. Every now and then, loud noises are 
  heard from the ice.
  Down at the diving tower there is no path over 
  the ice. On the other hand, a patrol from Riksenergi 
  [DART] can be seen walking along the beach. The five 
  men are led by a woman (Maj-Britt Sundvall) [Mary 
  L Bloomington]. They are looking for something and 
  do not look friendly. The woman talks about traces 
  and “the offense” into a big walkie talkie. (They are 
  looking for a DIM-9 that has deviated from Kungshatt 
  [Alpha Gate].)
  The patrol has come to the beach on hovercraft 
  which can easily travel over water as well as ice. If they 
  find any Kids, they will interrogate them before sen-
  ding them on their way. They will do the same to the 
  bike gang if they find them.
  58
  CHAPTER O4
  
   
  ■
  TRACK: Players using investigate to track the mummy 
  can see that the tracks lead towards the Ålgryteback 
  [Hemenway Park] (see the Mummy's Den on page 
  61).
   
  ■
  REPORTING BACK: The Kids need to talk to Annika 
  Älg [Anna Acker] the following day (at Bredang 
  School [Boulder City High School], page 60). The 
  exact when and how is up to the players. Make it 
  clear that Annika will be very anxious and impa-
  tient unless you talk to her.
   
  ■
  WRITE: If the Kids tell anyone about what they see, 
  they are met with some respect by middle school 
  children and with skepticism by adults. It's not a 
  good idea to blame the police, because they will 
  turn to the Kid’s parents. Riksenergi will deny all 
  knowledge of people at Mälarhöjden Beach.
  LOCATION 3: THE  
  CAMPSITE
  The large campsite in Bredäng is located by the fo-
  rest down towards Mälaren. It is fenced and for the 
  moment deserted. There are a couple of cabins with 
  showers and toilets and a closed and fully flooded 
  kiosk. On the forest side, the fence is so broken that 
  it is possible to go inside unchallenged. In the woods 
  behind the campground, lies the narrow path along 
  which Walter Bohm walks as he heads down to Mä-
  larhöjden Beach [Boulder Beach] to cool his burning 
  body. There are several washable mummy bindings in 
  the bushes.
  There is a light flurry of snow falling on the camp-
  site, though it is not particularly cold. The characters 
  find fresh mummy rags, and not long after they see the 
  mummy itself not far away. The mummy is either on 
  its way down to stand by the beach at Mälarhöjden 
  and wander into the fog, or it is on its way to Ålgry-
  tebacken [Hemenway Park]. At Ålgryteback it disap-
  pears into a port.
  TROUBLE
  When the characters are wandering through the camp-
  site, they suddenly hear incoming mopeds. You choose 
  The■Campsite
  0■
  20■ 40■meters
  Fence
  Fence
  Kiosk
  Storage
  Gate
  Ålsten■Road
  Stora■Sällskapet■Road
  Hole■in■Fence
  Cut■Fence
  Path■to■Beach
  Bicycle■
  Shed
  Waste■Disposal
  Showers■&■■Toilets
  Showers■&■Toilets
  Showers■&■Toilets
  Fence
  Main■■
  Building
  Main■Gate
  59
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  
  if this event happens automatically, or whether it is a 
  complication for a failed roll during the Kid’s survey 
  of the location.
  Benny Jönsson leads [Billy Jenkins] his gang 
  through a cut out hole in the fence. Kalle Karlberg 
  [Charlie Carr] has attached a boombox to the base of 
  his moped and the gang travels in circles blasting Def 
  Leppard and Hands to the Sky. All of a sudden, Benny 
  and the gang spots one of the characters and drives 
  after them, surrounding them and driving in circles. 
  Benny and the gang are cowardly but threatening, and 
  want to know why the Kids are sneaking around at 
  the campsite. How it all develops depends on what the 
  player Kids do. They can choose to face the moped 
  gang or try a charm roll against the leader Benny or 
  his lackey Kalle. (Keep in mind that the gang are in the 
  ninth grade and are therefore older than most of the 
  Kids.) A character can also impress the moped gang by 
  using tinker to fix something on a moped. Benny and 
  his gang can be antagonists who can come back later in 
  the mystery, or they can become valuable allies! Extra 
  successes can be used as bonuses at the next meeting 
  with the moped gang in school, or the conversation 
  with Annika.
   
  ■
  STAIRCASE: There is some detective work required 
  to calculate that the mummy is living on the second 
  floor, and is actually named Walter Bohm. The cha-
  racters can either make a extremely difficult (two 
  successes required) roll to comprehend, thus re-
  cognizing Walter's walking style, or investigate the 
  staircase that leads to Walter's door.
  CLUES
  Different clues may appear depending on whether the 
  characters follow the mummy or handle the conflict 
  with the moped thread.
   
  ■
  STAIRCASE: The mummy’s tracks lead out towards 
  the rowhouse at Ålgrytebacken [the rowhouse at 
  Hemenway Park] (see the Mummy's Den, page 61).
   
  ■
  BACKGROUND: Benny and the moped gang know 
  that something strange is happening on the ice, 
  as they have seen strange shadows move out 
  there, know that Riksenergi [DART] cars are 
  moving around in the neighborhood. They have 
  not bothered to investigate it, but maybe the 
  Kids can pursue them or bring them along on 
  this adventure?
  LOCATION 4:  THE HIGH 
  SCHOOL
  The next day: The Bredäng School [Boulder City High 
  School] is a modern education institution located in Bred-
  ängs Centrum. There are five or six classes in each grade. 
  The schoolyard is considerably higher than the town cen-
  ter and smoke rises out of every pipe. The youth at school 
  are skeptical of the mummy rumors. The school's worst 
  bullies are the large brothers Robin and Roger [Reed and 
  Roger] (both of whom are dating the sporty girls Carina 
  and Camilla [Casey and Camille].
  TROUBLE
  In school the Kids will encounter Benny Jönsson [Billy 
  Jenkins] and his moped gang. If they have already met 
  them at the campsite (see above), the events will, of 
  course, be colored by how the meeting went. If, on the 
  other hand, they are meeting for the first time, Ben-
  ny and the gang will surround the Kids and wonder 
  what some “little snots like you” are doing at Bred-
  ängs School and asks them if they want   to wash their 
  heads and hair in the school's nice toilets? See previous 
  trouble with the Moped gang (page 59) in case of con-
  flict with the gang.
  A fact that can complicate it all is if the characters 
  mention they are there to meet Annika Älg [Anna Ack-
  ers]. Benny is deeply in love with Annika and becomes 
  either reluctant or jealous when he learns this informa-
  tion. If the players make successful charm rolls, then may-
  be he decides to help the Kids in order to impress her. 
  Annika Älg [Anna Ackers] holds a table in a recre-
  ation room in Bredängs School. It's hard to tell if she's 
  alone by choice or because people are afraid of her.
  Annika seems both unpleasant and unstable and is 
  looking forward to getting the characters out of the 
  school (or at least it seems that way to the Kids). She 
  accepts the characters’ apologies but insists that the 
  bike must be picked up. And this time Annika is tag-
  ging along. Tonight.
  CLUES
  Annika [Anna] is upset and impatient. She really wants 
  to find the bike.
  60
  CHAPTER O4
  
   
  ■
  FORCED: With a successful blow to empathize, the 
  characters slowly understand that Annika is in a 
  bind and not at all as dangerous as she first seemed. 
  She is harshly disciplined at home and a couple of 
  older children at school have taken her bike as re-
  venge for something she did. They know she will be 
  punished for this.
   
  ■
  GHOSTHUNTERS: On the way from school, the cha-
  racters notice that a Riksenergi machine has been 
  set up in the parking garage behind the center. A 
  man and a woman are setting it up. If the play-
  er Kids ask what the machine is for, the woman 
  (Margareta Koskinen) [Maria Gonzalez] answers 
  that it is used to speak with the “crazy ghosts.” 
  The “ghosts” are just the mooing noises at Lake 
  Mälaren [Lake Mead].
  LOCATION 5: THE  
  MUMMY’S DEN
  Who is this Walter Bohm now? If his neighbors are 
  asked this question (using charm or contact), they say 
  that Walter Bohm is a foreigner, probably German. 
  61
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  
  They also learn that he is a hermit and a curmudgeon. 
  He does not have a TV at all, but sometimes there 
  is crying and screaming coming from his apartment. 
  Typically in a foreign language. He has lived here for 
  half a year. With some luck (one roll of comprehend), 
  the player Kids can also find out that Bohm works for 
  Riksenergi [DART].
  TROUBLE
  Bold Kids can climb up to Bohm's balcony (using 
  move) on the second floor. On the balcony, there are 
  signs that Bohm often sits there on a folding chair and 
  smokes as he watches the mist over Mälaren. To A 
  move roll is required to get around here unnoticed,  but 
  if the Kids try to make a diversion (for example, a roll 
  of charm or some such), they may get bonuses. Inside 
  the apartment, an assortment of laboratory equipment 
  can be found.
  In the event of a complication arising during this 
  sequence, such as by accessing one of the machines 
  here or being captured by Walter Bohm, one of the 
  Kids is somehow exposed to Walter Bohm's affliction, 
  and the character’s hand becomes somewhat diapha-
  The■Mummy's■Den■
  (Ålgryte■Road■8,■Second■Floor)
  KUNGSHATT■[ALPHA■GATE]
  Riksenergi■meets■the■DIM-9s■on■the■
  small■island■of■Kungshatt■within■
  the■mist■of■Lake■Mälaren■[around■the■
  Alpha■Gate■at■Lake■Mead].■The■five■DIM■
  9s■are■held■in■a■"hedge"■by■means■of■
  barricade■tape■which,■for■some■re-
  ason,■they■refuse■to■cross.■(Some■
  are■attributed■to■have■escaped■when■
  some■strips■broke).■The■island■is■
  Margareta■Koskinens■[Maria■Gonzalez]■
  domain■and■she■controls■her■as■she■
  wants.
  It■is■not■meant■for■the■players■
  to■reach■Kungshatt,■but■they■may■
  end■up■there■for■unclear■reasons.■A■
  half-kilometer■hike■over■the■ice■is■
  indeed■a■suicide■mission.
  Do■not■forget■that■neither■Rikse-
  nergi■nor■DIM-9s■are■after■anything■
  bad.■But■the■Kids■don’t■know■that.
  62
  CHAPTER O4
  0■
  1■
  2■
  3■
  4■
  5■meters
  Bathroom
  Study
  Laboratory
  (Living■Room)
  Kitchen
  Hallway
  Toilet
  Dining■Room
  Balcony
  Bedroom
  
  nous. However, Walter becomes almost happy and is 
  now friendly towards the character. He will introduce 
  the characters to his friends in the fog. He has no idea 
  how to cure the infection, but perhaps his new friends 
  may know.
  CLUES
   
  ■
  MUMMY: If the Kids knock on Walter Bohm’s door 
  he will answer. He is half invisible and fully drunk. 
  He is at the end of his wits, which is why he does 
  not bother to hide that he is invisible. If the play-
  ers come up with a reasonable story (a charm roll) 
  then he opens up to the Kids and confides in them 
  his secret.
   
  ■
  INFECTION: He has been infected with something 
  in the magnetic field that is making him invisible. 
  His last attempt to reverse his transformation has 
  failed.
   
  ■
  THE CALL: There is something down at Mälarhöj-
  den Beach [Boulder Beach], which calls to Walter 
  Bohm. He unsure exactly what it is, but he is cer-
  tain that there is something out on the ice that will 
  be able to cure him.
  If the characters are friendly to Bohm, or contract his aff-
  liction, he will invite them to the ice to meet the "ama-
  zing" ones. He has no apprehensions about bringing a 
  group of schoolchildren wandering out onto the ice other 
  than seeing it as a friendly gesture or a game. Perhaps 
  they can help him keep an eye out for the annoying gu-
  ards from Riksenergi. Maybe then he would be happy.
  LOCATION 6: OVER  
  THE ICE
  Walter Bohm goes out to the ice with the Kids, or they 
  follow him (sneak). If Walter discovers the children, he 
  will invite them to come with him with enthusiasm. Out 
  on the ice, the fog is dense and it is easy to lose your 
  way. It does not take long before the Kids lose the already 
  semi-invisible Bohm. However, his footsteps can found 
  with an investigate roll. Failure gives the Kids the con-
  ditions Fear or Exhausted, but the tracks are still found. 
  The ice is cracking and the only thing that is encountered 
  is the DIM-9's ruler at Kungshatt [Alpha Gate]. The Kids 
  MEET■THE■STAR
  The■star■researcher■Margareta■Koski-
  nen■[Maria■Gonzalez]■is■the■GM’s■ace■
  in■the■sleeve.■She■can■be■counted■on■
  to■solve■different■situations.■She■
  can■save■the■characters■from■the■nasty■
  Sundwall■[Bloomington];■she■can■get■
  on■the■ice■with■her■own■hovercraft;■
  or■rescue■the■Kids■from■a■complicated■
  situation■at■Kungshatt.■The■DIM-9■re-
  spond■to■her■and■she■has■access■to■the■
  cure■for■invisibility.■The■cure■is■a■
  heavy■injection■and■a■couple■of■hours■
  of■light■cramps.■Koskinen■[Gonzalez]■
  has■been■familiar■with■the■phenomenon■
  for■a■long■time,■and■has■no■idea■why■
  Walter■Bohm■wasn’t.
  are eventually lost and their feet and bodies are covered 
  in something wet and nasty.
  Suddenly, from somewhere out in the ice a DIM-9 gli-
  des into view. It is completely silent and huge, yet the ice 
  holds its weight without breaking. It stops for a moment 
  when it comes within view of the Kids. It is clear that it 
  sees the Kids. Then it emits what sounds like a moo and 
  glides towards Kungshatt. The characters then see that 
  Walter is sitting on his back completely unafraid. 
  SHOWDOWN
  There is something about Walter Bohm's composition 
  that attracts the DIM-9s. Likewise something about 
  the DIM-9's convinced Walter that they (whoever 
  “they” are) can cure him. When Walter goes out to the 
  ice the following events start to occur:
   
  ■
  At Kungshatt, the DIM-9 leaves the barricade 
  (straight through the tear) and goes out on the ice. 
  Riksenergi's people are searching for it on hovercraft.
   
  ■
  A DIM-9 begins to search for Walter while the others 
  slide towards Stockholm and Essingeleden. Riskser-
  63
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  
  gi's hovercraft boats are circling and using lights to 
  try to corral the DIM-9s back to the barricade area.
   
  ■
  Then a single DIM-9 finds Walter and attracts the rest 
  of the flock to him. They gather on the ice,forming a 
  ring around Walter, while Riksenergi watches.
   
  ■
  Annika Älg [Anna Ackers] has a camera with her 
  and steps out onto the ice to photograph a DIM-9. 
  Perhaps in order to prove that monsters took her 
  bike so that her dad would not get angry. She dis-
  appears into the mist. Maybe she meets a DIM-9, 
  or perhaps she is captured by Riksenergi’s patrols. 
  This may be the set-up leading to the final scene.
   
  ■
  A DIM-9 sees the characters and approaches them. 
  It's a horrible scary sight to see this shadow-like 
  marvel heading straight towards them. But then so-
  mething happens. The Kids suddenly start levitating 
  off the ground, as if the creature were carrying them 
  on an invisible tendril. Suddenly, it's like they're 
  in another world, and the DIM-9 communicates 
  straight into their minds using images and visions: 
  The beings come from another world (another 
  dimension to be more precise). And they want to 
  return home!
  With Walter's help they can finally get there. 
  But they are chased by little people in orange over-
  alls and wielding flashlights.
  The DIM-9 wants the Kids to mislead Rikse-
  nergi's patrols long enough to allow Walter to get 
  the DIM-9s back home.
   
  ■
  Then the characters drop slowly to the ground aga-
  in and the giant creature disappears into the fog. 
  Further away, the engine from one of Riksenergi's 
  hovercraft is heard. Walter takes off his clothes and 
  is now completely invisible.
   
  ■
  The DIM-9 approaches him in a way that can be 
  perceived as threatening.
  EXTENDED TROUBLE
  The scene can take different turns depending on what 
  the players do:
   
  ■
  HELP THE CREATURES: If they choose to help the DIM-
  9s, they need to mislead Riksenergi’s patrols so that 
  they do not interfere with the DIM-9s’ return home 
  (see below). The Kids are out on the ice with only the 
  clothes they wear and the equipment they have. Let 
  the players come up with a plan and implement it as 
  an Extended Trouble. The threat level is very difficult 
  (3 x the number of Kids); if the player Kids do not 
  have any help you can allow a third party to interfere 
  in the scene, such as Benny Jönsson [Billy Jenkins] 
  and his moped gang! In that case, this lowers the Th-
  reat Level to Normal (2 x number of Kids).
   
  ■
  HELP THE AGENTS: If the player Kids choose instead 
  to stop the DIM-9s and “save” Walter, then they 
  can do so with the help of the patrols. This can 
  be a matter of leading the creatures back and con-
  taining them inside Kungshatt's [Alpha Gate], all 
  while Riksenergi’s [DART’s] agents catch Walter. In 
  order to act before Walter is broken, the characters 
  must succeed with a Threat Level that is almost im-
  possible (4 x the number of Kids).
  If the creatures are successful, either through the Kids’ aid 
  or their failure to stop them while aiding the patrols, the 
  DIM-9s move towards Walter where he is standing with 
  arms stretched out. They stand around the invisible man. 
  Then they tear him to pieces and feed themselves with 
  his body. The creatures start to fade, their color looking 
  matted. And just like that, they are all gone. Totally gone.
  AFTER THE SHOWDOWN
  Desolation. Only darkness, fog and headlights from Rik-
  senergi's hovercraft boats. Be sure to get the player Kids 
  off the ice one way or another and send them home. Their 
  relationship with Annika Älg [Anna Ackers] should be 
  positive. Riksenergi is now ignoring the Kids unless they 
  are drowning or are in need of immediate help.
  If the creatures were caught, they are gone the next 
  morning, Riksenergi managed to move them into the 
  Slingans underground complex for further experimen-
  tation.
  CHANGE
  When the fog finally lifts, both Walter Bohm and the 
  DIM-9s have disappeared. Everything returns to nor-
  mal, yet things are not the same. Annika Älg will have a 
  newfound respect for the Kids, and maybe even Benny 
  Jönsson and his gang will also. As for Riksenergi, they 
  will keep a watchful eye on the Kids in the future. Per-
  haps a representative will come to school to let them 
  64
  CHAPTER O4
  
  know they are keeping an eye on them. Perhaps one 
  of Kids’ parents receives a notice from the authorities.
  NPCS AND CREATURES
  Here are the various characters who play a particularly 
  important role in the mystery. Several of them have special 
  attributes that can raise the threat level the characters face 
  in the specific scenes, but can also provide a bonus to the 
  Kids’ activities if any of them become allies of the Kids.
  ANNIKA ÄLG [ANNA ACKERS]
  "I saw everything. I will tell."
  Annika Älg went to middle and secondary school at the 
  Björksätraskolan [Mitchell Elementary School] and is cur-
  rently in seventh grade at Bredäng School [Boulder City 
  High]. She still keeps an eye on what is happening in her 
  old school. She collects gossip and malicious rumors.
  Annika lives in a rowhouse on Tankebyggarbacken 
  [Canyon Road].
  Annika seems to live on chewing gum. She is incre-
  dibly annoying, ordinary, and bossy. Her mother says 
  she is like Shirley Temple. Annika owns a camera. 
  RIKSENERGI GUARDS [DART GUARDS]
  “What is going on here?”
  A collection of the best guards available. Competent, 
  accurate, and basically nice. They wear vague uni-
  form-like clothes in dark orange. They are all men, can 
  tell endless stories and all have a complicated rela-
  tionship with Maj-Britt Sundvall [Mary L Bloomington]. 
  They are all equipped with batons, handcuffs, solid 
  flashlights, and all have the attribute physically fit 2, for 
  all physical melee.
  MARGARETA KOSKINEN [MARIA GONZALEZ]
  "Imagine what they could tell us."
  Margareta Koskinen [Maria Gonzalez] holds docto-
  rates in linguistics and biology and holds the world's 
  only professorship in the doctrine of alien beings. She 
  usually works at Karolinska Institutet, but has spent a 
  full month trying to talk to the DIM-9s at Kungshatt [at 
  Alpha Gate]. She is excited, enthusiastic and almost 
  blessed to be where she is right now. Anything other 
  than contacting the DIM-9s is of no importance to her.
  Margareta lives on Odenplan [at Wilbur Squa-
  re] with a neglected husband and family. She is ra-
  rely home, but deep down may still have a soft spot 
  towards children.
  Margareta is tall, restless, and a chain smoker. She 
  is so intelligent that everyday things bore her. She spe-
  aks Finnish-Swedish [Maria Gonzalez speaks English as 
  a native language].
  Margareta has 3 in her linguistic skill. 
  WALTER BOHM, THE MUMMY
  “I shall be visible again.”
  Walter once had a promising career as a scientist 
  ahead of him. Now he lacks self-esteem and ambition. 
  Walter drinks periodically. He is sober for a few days 
  and works, then loses a day or two to the bottle. The 
  more sorry for himself he feels, the more he drinks and 
  unfortunately he has also discovered that drinking ma-
  kes him slightly more visible. Unfortunately, at this point 
  Walter is hopeless as a researcher.
  Walter lives as on Ålgrytevägen [Hemenway Park] 
  65
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  
  and hates Bredäng. He has an idea that "the outsiders 
  on the ice" (DIM-9s, which he knows nothing about) 
  call to him. And that they are able to cure him. It's his 
  last chance and he's desperate, but without being ag-
  gressive. He has the traits fanatic 2 and invisible 2.
  Walter will seem old and tired to the players’ Kids. 
  He is thin, gray-haired and a little short-sighted. He 
  wears a shirt and tie and carries cigarettes. He speaks 
  an understandable but broken Swedish. The Kids will 
  find him a little disgusting.
  Walter has a death wish. 
  MAJ-BRITT SUNDVALL 
  [MARY L BLOOMINGTON]
  “This will hurt you more than it will hurt me.”
  Maj-Britt [Mary] was a lawyer at Riksenergi [DART] 
  and is deeply characterized by being an ambitious 
  woman in a cruel man’s world. She climbed the lad-
  der by cleaning up after various incidents around the 
  Loop and is now the "operational security director", 
  a position that involves few meetings and many inte-
  resting excursions on the Mälar Islands. She is not a 
  violent person, but has no scruples when it comes to 
  protecting Riksenergi's interests. She is responsible for 
  keeping the existence of the DIM-9s at Kungshatt [at 
  Alpha Gate] a secret from the public.
  Maj-Britt [Mary] lives alone in a desolate apart-
  ment at Brommaplan [in Boulder City]. She has no fa-
  mily and has no friends. Just the way she likes it.
  Maj-Britt [Mary] is a tough, broad-shouldered,  short 
  woman some fifty years  old. She can make a rabid dog 
  submit with only a stare. She wears vague uniform-like 
  clothes of the same kind as the Riksenergi patrols, alt-
  hough hers is a little bit more elaborate. Children find her 
  scary. She is a harsh leader 2, and is emotionless 2.
  COMMUNICATOR: Maj-Britt [Mary] has a prototype de-
  vice, much like an old movie camera, that allows her 
  to communicate with the DIM-9s. It groans when acti-
  vated and does not work well. Understanding how it 
  works is a very hard roll for calculate, but can better be 
  accomplished through a successful roll for tinker, whe-
  re every additional success will become a permanent 
  bonus (up to a +3).
  DIM-9S
  “Iah-ia”
  The ninth-dimension creatures look like giant rats on 
  their backs, and have the big as a tree trait at 3 and are 
  composed of greenish jelly. The green jelly produces 
  narrow tentacles 2 when needed and they speak with 
  unpleasant clicking sounds until they suddenly give 
  out a whining whistle. They are intelligent 3 and feed on 
  large amounts of sulfur.
  66
  CHAPTER O4
  
  67
  THE MUMMY IN 
  THE MIST
  
  O5
  KAPITEL
  The ‘80s is the decade when music mostly is consumed via cas-
  settes, and the homemade mixtape reigns supreme. In the mixtape 
  of mysteries in this chapter, you will encounter dreaming robots, 
  a satanic conspiracy, two immortal youths, horror movies turn-
  ing into reality and a very strange cult hiding underground. Just 
  rewind and press play.
  MIXTAPE OF 
  MYSTERIES
  SWEET DREAMS 
  69
  EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE 
  72
  GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN 
  74
  WHERE IS MY MIND 
  76
  NIGHTRAIN 
  78
  FOREVER YOUNG 
  80
  THRILLER 
  82
  HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH 
  84
  
  69
  These eight Locations can be used as a Mystery Lands-
  cape, but can also be extended into a series of Mystery 
  Stories, or tied together into a campaign. Each of the 
  sites is inspired by a famous 1980s song. 
  SWEET DREAMS
  ”Sweet dreams are made of this
  Who am I to disagree?
  I travel the world
  And the seven seas
  Everybody’s looking for something”
  ”sweet dreams (are made of this)” – eurythmics
  A wave of irritation, discontent and negligence spreads 
  across the islands. Bus drivers miss their routes, teach-
  ers fight with their students, police officers arrest the 
  SIDE■A
  1.■”Sweet■Dreams■(Are■Made■of■This)”■
  -■Eurythmics
  2.■”Every■Breath■You■Take”■-■The■Po-
  lice
  3.■”Girls■Just■Want■to■Have■Fun”■-■
  Cyndi■Lauper
  4.■”Where■Is■My■Mind”■-■Pixies
  SIDE■B
  1.■”Night■Train”■-■Guns■‘N■Roses
  2.■”Forever■Young”-■Alphaville
  3.■”Thriller”■-■Michael■Jackson
  4.■”Heaven■Is■a■Place■On■Earth”■-■
  Belinda■Carlisle
  
  wrong people, and parents overreact to their children's 
  disobedience. What’s more, many say that they are still 
  tired when they wake up. And some even remember a 
  white noise from their dreams.
  THE TRUTH
  The robots AN-1 and DAV-4 have managed to esca-
  pe from an experimental laboratory where they were 
  manufactured with an advanced form of artificial in-
  telligence. They have been hiding in Eldgarnsö north 
  of Svartsjölandet [on Black Island north of Black Rock 
  Point] for several months and decided to free more ro-
  bots and build their own society. Their goal is to be 
  able to claim before humanity that they are entitled 
  to live in freedom. But AN-1 and DAV-4 have reali-
  zed they must become smarter, more experienced and 
  more emotionally mature to be able to implement their 
  plans. The Mälaren Islands’ [Boulder] people have the 
  experience and knowledge they need.
  The robots have built a huge satellite dish that they 
  use to steal people’s dreams in order to improve themsel-
  ves. AN-1 and DAV-4 have been completely captivated by 
  the dreams of humans as a new world that has opened up 
  to them. During the day, they collect items from everyday 
  NIGHTRAIN:
  Tony Andréns
  Hideout
  HEAVEN IS A  
  PLACE ON EARTH:
  The Sect's 
  Temple
  GIRLS JUST  
  WANNA HAVE FUN:
  Östra Vik Estate 
  THRILLER:
  Gunilla  
  Petersén's
  Cellar
  WHERE IS MY MIND:
  Mierzwiaks 
  Practice
  FOREVER YOUNG:
  Villa of the 
  Twins
  SWEET DREAMS:
  The Robot's
  Hideout
  EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE:
  The Abandonded 
  House
  70
  CHAPTER O5
  
  human life and try to recreate what was revealed in the 
  dreams. Because they are only dreams though, the result 
  has been an exaggerated and surreal version of human 
  co-habitation. AN-1 and DAV-4 have initiated something 
  that resembles a romantic relationship, filled with roman-
  ce and passionate arguments. They do not really know 
  what true love, is but are improvising from the dreams.
  The people targeted by the dream-antenna have 
  their dreams stolen. Instead, experience a white noise, 
  reminiscent of the static noise from old tv sets. They 
  get no rest and wake up more tired than they were 
  when they went to bed. Because AN-1 and DAV-4 are 
  constantly enhancing and improving their dream-an-
  tenna, more and more people are being affected and 
  the effects are getting stronger
  AN-1 and DAV-4 live in the woods on the north side 
  of Eldgarnsö [Black Island]. They have built several hou-
  ses that vaguely resemble human dwellings and have fil-
  led them with items they have stolen or salvaged. Here 
  you will find hats, old strollers, clothes, gardening tools, 
  water-damaged books and toys. In the largest house there 
  is a robot baby built by AN-1 and DAV-4. They have not, 
  however, managed to bring the small GR-2 to life. After 
  seeing all the violence and sadism found in the dreams of 
  humans, the robots have decided to defend their island. 
  On the coasts, there are surveillance cameras and alarms 
  that will warn them of anyone reaching the island. If they 
  are discovered by the Kids, they will try primarily to get 
  the characters to leave the island by declaring that they 
  are entitled to live in freedom. If that does not work, they 
  will engage their weapons.
  If the Kids do not break or shut the dream-antenna 
  down, AN-1 and DAV-4 will turn it off, and in a few 
  weeks the situation will appear to have been resolved. 
  During this time, AN-1 and DAV-4 liberate about ten ro-
  bots that they brought to Eldgarnsö [Black Island] and 
  connect to the dream-antenna, which is then re-powered.
  The company that “lost” AN-1 and DAV-4 is look-
  ing for the robots, but have no idea where they are. 
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  Some of the characters are affected by the dre-
  am-antenna and wake up with memories of white 
  noise from their dreams.
   
  ■
  The parents of the Kids are getting more angry, ag-
  gressive, and neglectful. 
   
  ■
  Several of the teachers in school fall asleep in the 
  middle of the day.
  COUNTDOWN
  1. The sleep deprivation caused by the dream-anten-
  na makes people aggressive and irritated. Fights 
  break out in shops and parking lots. Some become 
  depressed and anxious because of the sleep depri-
  vation. Several fires occur because of carelessness.
  2. The dream-antenna drives some people into 
  psychosis, depression, and severe anxiety. A num-
  ber of car accidents happen, as well as accidents at 
  home, and children are forgotten on playgrounds. 
  The local newspaper writes that a mistake was 
  made in the Loop that could have caused the Gra-
  vitron to explode.
  3. The dream-antenna makes a lot of people skip 
  work and stay home. Several marriages collapse. 
  A number of people try to end their lives and a 
  temporary psychiatric emergency reception facility 
  is established in the islands. Two hunters shoot at 
  each other in the supermarket. The school is closed 
  for unclear reasons.
  AN-1 AND DAV-4
  "What's the difference between a kiss and a wife? Both 
  go on water! He. He. He. "
  If AN-1 and DAV-4 have ever had personalities, these 
  have been blurred and replaced by a variety of iden-
  tities that they have copied from the dreams, identities 
  which they keep s witching back and forth from. This 
  means that they regularly change how they talk, their 
  movement patterns and temperament. The Kids can 
  very well recognize their parents’ or friends’ voices and 
  ways of expressing themselves. Something that is still 
  stable is that AN-1 has taken a traditional female role 
  in their “romantic relationship” and DAV-4 is the male. 
  DAV-4 mostly orders AN-1 to clean things up while ma-
  king jokes about women, to which he then laughs 
  mechanically. AN-1 cares for "her husband" and tries 
  to bring to life their jointly made robot baby GR-2. The 
  robots are not aggressive, except in their recreation of 
  human relations. If they are threatened, they first try to 
  71
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  72
  CHAPTER O5
  explain their situation before they defend themselves 
  with violence.
  AN-1 is a tall humanoid robot with a white body and 
  an orange head. With less than successful results, she tri-
  ed to apply makeup to her mechanical face. AN-1 wears 
  a floral dress and she has a handbag in which she keeps 
  a revolver. DAV-4 is a short and powerful robot of white 
  and red plastic and metal. He wears a beige trench coat 
  and has a pipe in his hand. DAV-4 has a shotgun that he 
  picks up if he has to deal with an intruder.
  A wave of paranoia has spread among the students in 
  the Mälaren Islands. They huddle silently in groups in 
  the school yard, hurry home quickly when school days 
  are over and whisper that someone is watching them. 
  It is being said that armed teens wearing gas masks are 
  chasing children. Along bike trails and on abandoned 
  houses is sprayed the phrase, “BIG BROTHER SEES 
  YOU,” and a symbol representing a goshawk.
  THE TRUTH
  In a deserted village on Adelsö [Red Mountain] lives the 
  sadistic teenager Donald Karlsson [Donald Carson]. He 
  is on the run after having killed his parents. Donald has 
  decided to take control of the children of Lake Mälaren 
  [Boulder City] and make them obey him. He has attrac-
  ted a group of runaways that obey him and call him "Big 
  Brother". Donald has gotten them to secretly install ca-
  meras and recording equipment at schools, libraries and 
  homes across the Mälar Islands [Boulder]. From his vil-
  lage, Donald can spy on everything that goes on, and he 
  records all the secrets, students cheating on tests, unfaith-
  fulness and anything else that can embarrass someone, so 
  that Donald can later use it to extort people.
  The students whom Donald approaches must 
  either pay for ”patronage,” or join him and become an 
  informer with the task of digging up dirt about others. 
  Donald forces his victims to have parties when their 
  parents are out of town. He then does as he wishes 
  with the "guests", but also rummages through the hou-
  se to steal valuables and find things that he can use to 
  later extort the parents.
  Those who dare go against Donald receive visits 
  from Donald's runaways, his "agents". Donald has 
  equipped them with iron pipes and knives and provi-
  ded them with long, black leather trenchcoats and gas 
  masks that he stole from a warehouse belonging to one 
  of the gangs. The agents have the symbol of a goshawk 
  that they wear on a patch on their sleeves.
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  A large number of doodles depicting “Big Brother” 
  appear on walls. A classmate becomes silent and 
  sad. The Kids see that she gives money to agents 
  for protection.
   
  ■
  One of the Kids’ elder siblings disappears from 
  home. She has become Donald's new favorite toy.
  EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE
  ”Every breath you take and every move you make
  Every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be wat-
  ching you
  Every single day and every word you say
  Every game you play, every night you stay, I’ll be wat-
  ching you”
  the police - ”every breath you take”
  
  73
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
   
  ■
  The Kids find teenager Jonas Andersson [John An-
  drews] beaten in a ditch. He is one of the few who 
  dared to defy Donald and has been attacked by 
  his agents. Jonas is thinking about telling the Kids 
  what happened to his mother Kerstin [Cheryl], 
  who is a journalist, and seeking advice. 
  COUNTDOWN
  1. Donald forces one of the most popular girls in 
  school, Jenny Andersson [Jenny Andrews], to be-
  come his girlfriend.
  2. Donald has a house party where one of his "ga-
  mes" gets out of hand, leading to the death of Jen-
  ny. The body is hidden in a landfill.
  3. Jennys little brother Jonas [John] suspects that his 
  big sister is a prisoner of Donald. He is able to sne-
  ak in and find out that Donald is "Big Brother" and 
  that he lives in Adelsö [on Red Mountain]. Jonas 
  contacts Donald and threatens to reveal what he 
  knows to his mother who is a journalist unless Jen-
  ny is released. Donald's agents bully Jonas.
  4. Jenny is found and a police investigation is opened. 
  During the interrogation, some students state what 
  they know about "Big Brother". The next day tho-
  se students get hit by a car and end up in a hospital. 
  After that, nobody wants to testify.
  5. Jonas’s [John’s] mother Kerstin [Cheryl] writes an 
  article in the local newspaper about Donald. A few 
  nights later, the family’s house is burned down. The 
  police succeed in apprehending the culprits, all stu-
  dents, who were forced to carry out the deed.
  6. Kerstin [Cheryl] writes another article, this time in 
  a national newspaper. A television news show from 
  Stockholm [Las Vegas] will report on the situation 
  at the schools in the Mälaren Islands [in Boulder 
  City]. Jonas [John] is killed and left on the stairs of 
  the family's temporary residence.
  7. The police are able to trace Donald's hideout and 
  plan to capture Donald. Donald has equipped seve-
  ral of his agents with firearms, and when the police 
  are forced to pull their weapons, the situation turns 
  into a firefight. By this time, Donald has already 
  fled by motorboat. 
  DONALD "BIG BROTHER" KARLSSON 
  [DONALD CARSON]
  "You will do as I say, one way or another."
  Donald Karlsson [Donald Carson] grew up as an only 
  child to parents who loved him and did everything for 
  him. Still, he was still under 10 years old when he had al-
  ready become a full-blooded psychopath with a taste 
  for sadism. His parents moved around hoping that the 
  next school would help Donald to become like other 
  children. But the situation only grew worse. Donald ha-
  rassed his peers, interrupted class and made the other 
  
  children participate in sadistic "games" targeted at the 
  weakest students. When Donald was sixteen, his father 
  secretly installed an extensive surveillance system 
  in the house. With the help of camera recordings, his 
  parents managed to produce evidence that Donald 
  regularly forced students home to harass and humilia-
  te them. His father confronted him with the recordings 
  and notified the police. The night before the police in-
  terrogation, Donald killed his parents. He loaded the 
  family car with cameras, computers and all the money 
  and valuables that were in the house and drove to the 
  Mälar Islands [Boulder City] to settle in a deserted villa-
  ge on Adelsö [Red Mountain].
  Donald is a very intelligent seventeen-year-old who 
  is an expert at reading what others think and feel, and 
  knows how to use it to make them do what he wants. 
  He enjoys acts of violence, suffering and shame. Do-
  nald has blond, almost white, hair, a dark voice and 
  a confident smile. He wears a light brown uniform he 
  forced his mother to sew, and is always armed with 
  a revolver in a holster. Donald has a tame goshawk 
  (maybe the goshawk from “Summer Break and Killer 
  Birds”) which has also become the symbol of the Big 
  Brother and his agents.
  GIRLS JUST WANNA  
  HAVE FUN
  “The phone rings in the middle of the night
  My father yells what you gonna do with your life
  Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one
  But girls they want to have fun
  Oh girls just want to have fun”
  cyndi lauper – ”girls just want to have fun”
  Women and girls are being invited to dinners, parties 
  and other activities on the beautiful estate of Östra Vik 
  [East Bay Manor] on southeastern Munsö [at Boulder 
  Harbor]. No men or boys are welcome. Some of the 
  men say that their wives have changed since they were 
  on Östra Vik [East Bay Manor]. They have become 
  capricious, defiant, unfaithful and sexually unbound. 
  Young girls visiting the estate come back with bolste-
  red self-confidence and refuse to say what they have 
  been involved in. The property is said to be a safe 
  haven for women exposed to sexual violence. Others 
  say that drugs are being sold at Östra Vik [East Bay 
  Manor], and that the basement has been converted to 
  a drug lab. The estate’s former owner, Daniel Horn, 
  claims that he has been robbed of Östra Vik by the 
  three witches who live there now, the same that have 
  enchanted the women of the Mälaren Islands [in and 
  around Boulder City]. In fact, several women who vi-
  sited the property confirmed that the women who live 
  there have magic powers.
  THE TRUTH
  Daniel Horn was the former owner of Östra Vik [East 
  Bay Manor], and was most famous for his long overseas 
  vacations, his reluctance to stay in touch with the inha-
  bitants of the islands and the high walls he built around 
  the estate. He is a devoted satanist who believes that 
  man should let go and embrace his animal urges, sexua-
  lity, joy and destructiveness. Daniel has made a fortune 
  producing drugs in his laboratory in the basement of the 
  estate and selling them to groups of like-minded people 
  at seances and orgies around the world.
  Some time ago, Daniel allowed three women from 
  his satanic church to move in to Östra Vik [East Bay 
  Manor]. He did not know that the women, Alexandra, 
  Michaela and Suzanna, plotted to take over the estate 
  and kick him out. They soon succeeded in getting Da-
  niel to tell them that he had cheated several mobsters 
  out of money, and used that information to coerce Da-
  niel into signing over Östra Vik to them.
  Alexandra, Michaela and Suzanna have decided 
  to establish their own satanic congregation by gathe-
  ring the female population of the Mälaren Islands 
  [Boulder] by arranging lavish festivals on Östra Vik 
  [East Bay Manor]. Moreover, the grown-up guests 
  drink and take drugs to allow them to let go of their 
  inhibitions and make them dependent on returning to 
  the estate. The women will then gradually be initiated 
  into the satanic faith and give in to indulgence and 
  hedonism.
  The festivities held at Östra Vik [East Bay Manor] 
  are extremely wild and lavish, with large amounts of 
  champagne, hired rock groups with female musicians 
  and free food for all. But there are also book circles, 
  sewing circles and even tutoring for school girls. Alex-
  andra, Michaela and Suzanna use the technological 
  74
  CHAPTER O5
  
  inventions that Daniel left behind to make their visito-
  rs think they are witches and have magic powers. The 
  Levitation belts allow them to float freely in the air, 
  they enchant women with the help of a hypnotic crys-
  tal ball that causes the victim to disclose their secrets, 
  and microscopic drones equipped with sharp tips that 
  are used to convince people that they can hurt men 
  when sticking needles into a doll. 
  Daniel does not dare to disclose that that the wo-
  men are satanists or that they manufacture drugs, as 
  this may come back to hurt him. He has instead de-
  cided to whip up an anti-feminist mood and attract 
  bitter, single men whom he has convinced to blame all 
  their misgivings on women in general, but particularly 
  those at Östra Vik [East Bay Manor]. Daniel will try to 
  use the men to chase away the women and take back 
  Östra Vik [East Bay Manor].
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  The Kids see two men sitting in a tree-top outside 
  of Östra Vik [East Bay Manor] and spying over the 
  wall with binoculars.
   
  ■
  A lot of graffiti of inverted crosses appears in 
  school. Three students, Lina, Sandra and Therese, 
  paint the crosses.
   
  ■
  A Kid’s mother or sister moves into Östra Vik [East 
  Bay Manor]. The father is soon invited to attend 
  Daniel Horn's men’s meetings.
  COUNTDOWN
  1. The three shy and bullied students, Anna, Sandra 
  and Theresa, attend several of the events at the esta-
  te. They look up to the estate owners Alexandra, Mi-
  chaela and Suzanna, and decide to stay with them. 
  Against their parents' will, the three girls move into 
  the estate and receive earrings of inverted crosses. At 
  school, they begin to talk back to teachers and a guy 
  who bullied them gets laxatives in his milk.
  2. Sandra, Anna and Theresa are uninvited to a class-
  mate's birthday party. They crash the party and put 
  on loud music, dance, break stuff and try to get 
  the others at the party to do the same. It is evident 
  that the girls are on drugs. When the parents of the 
  classmate try to make them leave the house, they 
  refuse. Not until the police arrive do they leave the 
  house and it turns out that the girls stole valuables.
  3. Alexandra, Michaela and Suzanna hold a big sa-
  tanic party at Östra Vik [East Bay Manor] with 
  female satanists coming from all over the world. 
  Anna, Sandra and Therese are supposed to be wai-
  tresses, but during the evening are inducted to the 
  satanic faith through a series of rituals. The estate 
  is filled with red candles, black fabrics, big bowls 
  of cherries, devil figures, and dramatic music that 
  swells in the various rooms. At the same time, Da-
  niel Horn and his group of offended men prepare 
  to get into the estate and throw the women out.
  75
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  difficulties that you do not want to talk about. Doctor 
  Isak Mierzwiak is a psychiatrist and engineer who has 
  created a therapy in which he uses machines for cures 
  to maladies such as alcoholism, marital difficulties, de-
  pression, video game addictions, gambling addiction, 
  grief, learning disabilities and oppositional defiance 
  disorder. The treatment method is still under develop-
  ment despite being used now for several years, and the 
  general consensus is that the relief the treatment provi-
  des has more to do with Doctor Mierzwiak’s empathe-
  tic listening than with the 10-20 treatment sessions the 
  doctor performs with the help of his devices while the 
  patients are asleep and dreaming. Recently, several ca-
  ses of severe mental illness have occurred on the islands 
  [in and around Boulder City]. People have fallen ill 
  overnight and began to babble gibberish and become 
  incapable of taking care of themselves. They no long-
  er recognize their family and friends. Perhaps Doctor 
  Mierzwiak’s techno-therapy can offer a solution?
  THE TRUTH
  The reason Doctor Mierzwiak moved to the Mälaren 
  Islands [Boulder City] and opened his clinic in the 
  southern part of Adelsö [near Hoover Dam Lodge] 
  was to help his wife Henrietta distance herself from 
  her former life as an addict. The couple run the busi-
  ness together while raising their daughter, Lena. A year 
  ago, the couple employed an assistant, Patrick Ring 
  [Patrick Reyes]. What they did not know was that Pa-
  trick, despite his innocent appearance, was himself an 
  addict who soon seduced Henrietta and convinced her 
  to start using with him and to steal from the company.
  Henrietta has accumulated a lot of debt, but Pa-
  trick found a solution. The American company Brain 
  Tech is looking for a way to create advanced AIs for 
  robots and machines by copying human conscious-
  ness. Brain Tech has helped Henrietta to secretly in-
  stall a duplicator in Doctor Mierzwiak’s machines, 
  which copies the consciousness of the patients being 
  treated into cassette tapes that Patrick then sells to 
  Brain Tech. At least, that was the plan. As they later 
  found out, the duplicator does not just copy consci-
  ousness but instead steals them and leaves a person a 
  husk, a maniac who cannot form a coherent thought.
  Henrietta can turn the duplicator on and off with 
  a lever on the bottom of one of the machines. She only 
  ALEXANDRA, MICHAELA AND SUZANNA
  "Satan is real, unlike God. She lives within you, in 
  your love, in your desire to crush your enemy and in 
  your euphoric joy. "
  The three friends found each other in a shelter for wo-
  men who were subjected to domestic abuse, and they 
  decided never to let anyone else hold power over 
  them. They bought a house together and helped each 
  other stand against, and have their revenge on, their 
  former spouses. Alexandra, the philosopher and the le-
  ader, introduced the others to the satanic faith. Micha-
  ela, the performer and the engineer, realized that they 
  needed a lot of money to truly become independent 
  of men and society. Suzanna, the charmer and actress, 
  contacted Daniel Horn on the Mälaren Islands [in Boul-
  der], whom they decided to trick into signing away his 
  estate and money. The three women are fiercely loyal 
  to each other, but not to anyone else. They think that 
  everyone is responsible for themselves.
  Alexandra is a short-haired woman with black hair 
  and tattoos all over her body. She likes to discuss philo-
  sophy and faith and is the one calling the shots. Micha-
  ela is a tall red-haired woman with a laugh that can 
  be heard all over the estate. She is responsible for the 
  laboratory in the basement where the drugs are be-
  ing produced, as well as for the technological devices 
  the women use to make it seem as if they are witches. 
  Suzanna is a large woman with a deep voice and big 
  eyes. She is constantly talking and loves to get to know 
  new people. She welcomes all new arrivals and listens 
  carefully to what they are saying.
  WHERE IS MY MIND
  ”With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
  Try this trick and spin it, yeah
  Your head will collapse
  But there's nothing in it
  And you'll ask yourself
  Where is my mind?” 
  pixies - ”where is my mind”
  It is a well-known secret that you can go to Doctor 
  Mierzwiak’s Clinic for Techno-Therapy if you have 
  76
  CHAPTER O5
  
  seldom activates it during treatments, which means 
  that most patients are not affected. Therefore, nobo-
  dy has yet realized that all the people who have gone 
  mad have also been patients of Doctor Mierzwiak. It 
  is still unclear if uploading people's awareness into 
  robots would work or not in order to create an AI. 
  Perhaps the people whose minds were stolen will 
  wake up as advanced AIs in mechanical bodies?
  Henrietta and Isak Mierzwiak’s farm is located in 
  the southeastern part of Adelsö [close to Hoover Dam 
  Lodge]. The easiest way to get there is by boat. The 
  house is large with a huge garden filled with bushes 
  trimmed to resemble animals and objects. Shaping the 
  plants is Doctor Mierzwiak's hobby. The house has 
  three stories with a huge basement. The treatments 
  are performed on the top floor. Everywhere in the 
  treatment room are the machines that connect to the 
  patients. Patrick lives in a secluded part of the base-
  ment. He has hidden the cassette tapes with stolen 
  consciousnesses in a box under the bed, along with 
  his stash of drugs.
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  One of the Kid’s' parents informs the Kid they will 
  be receiving treatment from Dr. Mierzwiak for a 
  problem, such as lack of obedience or difficulty to 
  concentrate.
   
  ■
  A journalist writes about the madness of the is-
  lands.
   
  ■
  A group of students try to kill Lena Mierzwiak 
  (Henrietta and Isak's daughter) in school. They be-
  lieve that her dad is guilty for one of their parents 
  going crazy.
  COUNTDOWN
  1. One person the Kids know gets treated by Doctor 
  Mierzwiak and goes crazy.
  2. More people are losing their minds and eve-
  rything from water pollutants to violent video 
  games are suspected as the cause.
  3. The Kid see Lena Mierzwiak sitting by herself cry-
  ing. She knows that the people that went crazy 
  were her dad’s patients. But Doctor Mierzwiak 
  does not want to see the evidence in front of him.
  4. Doctor Mierzwiak has discovered that Henriet-
  ta is being unfaithful and abusing drugs again. 
  He decides to secretly cure her and connects her 
  to the machines as she sleeps. What he does not 
  know is that the duplicator is actually on. Hen-
  rietta's mind is transmitted to a cassette tape and 
  when she wakes up she is crazy. Doctor Mier-
  zwiak refuses to realize/accept what has happe-
  ned and claims that her madness is an effect of 
  the drugs leaving her body.
  5. The police arrests Doctor Mierzwiak and accuse 
  him of deliberately harming his patients. Patrick 
  holds the cassette tapes with the AI's, Lena is ta-
  ken care of by social services and Henrietta is 
  placed in the mental hospital.
  PATRICK RING [PATRICK REYES]
  "Give back those cassette tapes, you brats, they are 
  mine!"
  Patrick has used the fact that he has an innocent 
  appearance with big blue eyes and an infectious 
  laughter to his advantage for his entire life. Due to his 
  appearance, he has escaped youth care and prison 
  defenses, despite the fact that he began to commit 
  crimes early in life to fund an expensive addiction. A 
  year ago, he owed money to a criminal gang, and for 
  the first time, his looks and honeyed words did not get 
  him out of trouble. Patrick was forced to leave Stock-
  holm [Las Vegas] and was employed as an assistant 
  77
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  at Doctor Mierzwiak’s and Henrietta’s practice. He 
  seduced Henrietta and got her into using drugs and 
  stealing money from the company. Now he is convin-
  ced that the cassette tapes with the consciousnesses 
  will make him one of the richest people in the world. 
  Patrick is selfish and arrogant, but an expert at main-
  taining a poker face. He has the innocent eyes 2 spe-
  cial ability, which requires two successes for all social 
  blows against him. If Patrick notes that he is about to 
  be revealed, he will blame it all on Henrietta. Patrick 
  is a short man in his thirties, with curly brown hair and 
  big blue eyes.
  NIGHTRAIN
  ”Said I'm a mean machine
  Been drinkin' gasoline
  And honey you can make my motor hum
  I got one chance left
  In a nine live cat
  I got a dog eat dog sly smile
  I got a Molotov Cocktail
  With a match to go
  I smoke my cigarette with style
  And I can tell you honey
  You can make my money tonight”
  guns n´roses  - ”nightrain” 
  An unpleasant, dirty and long-haired man has appea-
  red in town. It is rumored that he lives under bridges 
  and that he rummages through people's garbage. So-
  metimes melancholic melodies are heard playing from 
  his guitar and it is said that children and teenagers seek 
  him and are drawn to him. There has been a string of 
  burglaries lately.
  THE TRUTH
  Tony Andrén [Tony Alders] is a homeless man who 
  travels from city to city. He is also a self-taught mecha-
  nic who invents strange objects. One of his most suc-
  cessful creations is a flamenco guitar he built with a 
  battery-powered amplifier containing an experimental 
  mood-affecting vibraphone he stole. When Tony plays 
  the guitar, children and young people under the effects 
  of the vibraphone want to run away from their homes 
  and parents and instead seek out Tony. They see him as 
  their real parent. The power of the guitar is not strong 
  enough to affect those who have a good relationship 
  with their parents, and Tony therefore focuses on 
  children and youths who are having trouble at home. 
  He calls them to him and makes them live with him 
  and steal for him. Tony calls them his “little chickens.”
  Tony has invented a lot of things, all more or less 
  broken with cords hanging loose, rusty and discolored 
  pieces, and with a bad smell. When Tony sends out his 
  little chickens to steal, he equips them with night vision 
  goggles, suction plugs that allow them to climb walls, 
  stilts, nets that can be thrown on those trying to stop 
  them, saw blades to make holes in windows and flying 
  Drones that can be used to spy inside houses.
  Currently, Tony lives with his little chickens in two 
  abandoned cars near Dalby on Adelsö [close to Hem-
  enway Pass]. Here he keeps his stolen goods as well 
  and also makes his own wine. On the coast towards 
  Munsö [Lake Mead Beach], Tony has a boat that he 
  built himself, which he uses to move himself and his 
  little chickens between the islands.
  One of the few people who has denounced Tony’s 
  activities is the principal Greta Eliasson [Margaret Al-
  len], who works at one of the schools in the Mälaren 
  Islands. She thinks Tony attracts youngsters with drugs 
  and has decided to chase him out from the islands.
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  One of the Kids’ friends disappears after having 
  trouble with her parents for several weeks. She has 
  joined Tony's little chickens.
   
  ■
  One of the Kids is entranced by Tony’s guitar.
   
  ■
  Tony's little chickens are breaking into one of the 
  Kids’ houses. The Kids recognize one of the thieves.
  COUNTDOWN
  1. Tony attracts several children and youths who run 
  away to live with him as his "chicks". Tony gets the 
  chicks to break into homes.
  2. Principal Greta Eliasson [Margaret Allen] tries to 
  convince the little chickens to return to their pa-
  rents, but fails. However, she gets one of the little 
  chickens to blab about Tony.
  3. Greta [Margaret] gets the police to take Tony in 
  for interrogation. The local newspaper publishes a 
  78
  CHAPTER O5
  
  TONY ANDRÉN [TONY ALDERS]
  "Is this all you got, you brat? If you don’t do better 
  tonight, you’ll see what happens. "
  Tony goes from city to city collecting little chickens to 
  steal for him. He has never had any real friends. Instead, 
  he forces his little chickens to fulfill his constant need for 
  praise, encouragement and company, while "raising" 
  them with sadistic strictness and draconian rules. The litt-
  le chickens have to steal a lot to win his affection. There 
  are always one or more little chickens around him. Tony 
  is an alcoholic, but never loses control of himself.
  strongly worded negative article about him. Due to 
  lack of evidence, Tony is released.
  4. Tony punishes the child’s betrayal by forcing him to 
  throw a molotov cocktail into his parents’ house. 
  The little chicken is forced to leave Tony, although 
  she is still being affected by the guitar and sees 
  Tony as her true father.
  5. Tony gets the little chickens to throw Molotov 
  cocktails at the school, Greta's [Margaret’s] house, 
  and the local newspaper's building.
  6. Tony steals a truck and disappears from the islands. 
  He brings his little chickens with him.
  NIGHTRAIN:
  Tony Alders
  Hideout
  HEAVEN IS A  
  PLACE ON EARTH:
  The Sect's 
  Temple
  GIRLS JUST  
  WANNA HAVE FUN:
  East Bay Manor
   
  THRILLER:
  Carrie
  Petersen's
  Cellar
  WHERE IS MY MIND:
  Mierzwiaks 
  Clinic
  FOREVER YOUNG:
  Villa of the 
  Twins
  SWEET DREAMS:
  The Robot's
  Hideout
  79
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE:
  The Abandonded 
  House
  
  Tony has the traits of paranoid 2 and sharp eye 2, which 
  require two successes to override, sneak past, or fool 
  him. Should he use his guitar against any of the Kids, 
  the player must succeed with Heart not to be affected 
  by the guitar’s influence. Failing means the Kid beco-
  mes loyal to Tony. Only children and adolescents who 
  have troubled family relationships can be influenced 
  by the guitar’s song. The effects decrease after a day.
  Tony is an obese forty-year old man with long black 
  hair and a beard. He wears a leather jacket, a black top 
  hat, black boots, and always has a bottle of wine in one 
  hand and a cigarette in the other. Tony has a bright and 
  ghastly voice and he is cocky, unpleasant and swears 
  all the time.
  FOREVER YOUNG
  “Forever young, I want to be forever young
  Do you really want to live forever, forever and ever?
  Forever young, I want to be forever young
  Do you really want to live forever? 
  Forever young”
  alphaville – “forever young”
  Two new transfer students join one of the Kids’ classes, 
  the Polish-born siblings Daniel and Izolda Bukowski. 
  With their talents, worldliness and beauty, they soon 
  become the school’s center of attention. Additionally, 
  they seem to be wealthy enough to live in a villa in the 
  south of Adelsö, and drive to school by boat [they live 
  in a villa at Lake Mead Marina and have their own 
  driver]. Daniel keeps other students at arm’s length 
  while Izolda seeks contact, apparently against Daniel's 
  will. Rumors say their parents hid them in the Mälaren 
  Islands [in Boulder City] and their father is a high-ran-
  king KGB agent who infiltrated the West German intel-
  ligence service but whose cover was blown, or that they 
  are Pope Johannes Paul II's children with a Swedish 
  [American] mistress. The wildest rumors claim that a 
  group of foreign men are looking for the siblings, as-
  sassins sent by the Turkish nationalist group, the Gray 
  Wolves, who tried to kill the pope in 1981.
  THE TRUTH
  The Bukowski “siblings” are neither siblings nor 
  young. Izolda’s father, a Jewish researcher employed 
  at the University of Warzawa, was forced to resi-
  gn from his work due to an anti-Semitic campaign 
  in Poland in the 1960’s and was forced to work for 
  KGB agent Cseslaw Rog. Cseslaw was scared of 
  aging and dying, and forced Izolda's father to invent 
  a machine that would inhibit aging. Izolda's father 
  succeeded in producing such a machine; he called it 
  Moses-I, and was then murdered by Cseslaw. Mo-
  ses-I works by extracting healthy cells from children 
  or adolescents, killing them in the process, and injec-
  ting them into the person whose age is to be halted.
  Cseslaw decided that Izolda and her boyfriend 
  Daniel would be the first victims of the machine but 
  they managed to flee, and have the Moses-I with 
  them. The siblings have since used the machine on 
  themselves to preserve their original age. They have 
  invested in stocks, making them economically inde-
  pendent, living for a few years in different places, 
  pretending to be siblings, and moving on when Mo-
  ses-I generated enough corpses to make people sus-
  picious. 
  In recent years, the conscience of Izolda has 
  caught up to her, and she has grown tired of eter-
  nal adolescent life. She wants to break away from 
  80
  CHAPTER O5
  
  Daniel, destroy the machine, and live the rest of her 
  life as a normal person. But Daniel is terribly afraid 
  of being left alone and aging and always keeps an 
  eye on her. Izolda has had neither friendships nor 
  romantic relationships with anyone other than Da-
  niel in twenty years and she longs for contact with 
  others, even though she has almost forgotten how to 
  do so. Should she find someone she trusts, she will 
  confess to them what she has been doing and try to 
  put an end to the meaningless struggle against time.
  However, the matter is complicated by the fact 
  that Cseslaw Rog is still looking for Daniel and 
  Izolda, and has traced them to the Mälaren Islands 
  [Boulder City]. Now he is living in a Stenhamra 
  hotel [in a hotel at Wilbur Square] with two KGB 
  agents and is searching for the “siblings” to take 
  back the Moses-I so as to prevent his sixty-year old 
  body from aging and dying. Cseslaw Rog has cha-
  racteristics that require 2 successes from any skills if 
  the characters try to defeat him.
  The Bukowski’s house is a three-story villa with 
  large terraces, swimming pools, and all sorts of 
  possible luxuries. The house is filled with Izolda's 
  paintings that she has drawn over the years, which 
  depict her and Daniel at their actual age. In the lock-
  ed basement is the Moses-I, a bulky machine with 
  tie straps and wires to a control unit. In a corner 
  lie lugs and weights, so as to get rid of the bodies 
  of their victims by throwing them in the water and 
  letting them sink to the bottom. In a cabinet, there is 
  a rifle, a pair of guns and a Kalashnikov. Should the 
  Moses-I be destroyed, Izolda and Daniel will imme-
  diately age to their true age.
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  Izolda and Daniel start in one of the Kids’ classes. 
  Daniel keeps himself at a distance, but Izolda talks 
  to everyone.
   
  ■
  While Izolda is talking to one of the characters, Da-
  niel rudely interrupts. The siblings have a conversa-
  tion in Polish while visibly upset, and then Daniel 
  gives the Kid five hundred crowns [50 dollars] and 
  asks him or her to stay away.
   
  ■
  Cseslaw Rog and his agents ask the Kids about Bu-
  kowski. They are angered if they do not get the 
  answers they seek.
  COUNTDOWN
  1. A schoolmate is found dead in a body bag on the 
  beach. She has aged to death.
  2. Izolda tries to befriend one of the Kids. Cseslaw 
  and his agents get into the school to get the sib-
  lings out, but they leave when the principal calls 
  the police.
  3. A fisherman finds another body that has been 
  thrown into the water.
  4. Izolda tells the characters that she and Daniel did 
  something terrible and wants help destroying the 
  machine in their basement. Daniel and Cseslaw are 
  looking for Izolda.
  5. Izolda breaks into the cellar of their house (with or 
  without the Kids’ help) to destroy the  Moses-I, but 
  Daniel has set a trap. If the Kids are involved, he 
  decides they will be the next victims of the machi-
  ne.
  6. Cseslaw and his agents break into the house and 
  descend into the basement. They take the machine 
  and use it to steal the "siblings" as well as the Kids’ 
  youth and lives.
  DANIEL AND IZOLDA BUKOWSKI
  "Excuse me, but I would like to say that the occupa-
  tion of Poland in 1939 was more complex than that."
  Daniel and Izolda have known each other since they 
  were children. Izolda was the daughter of survivors 
  from a Nazi concentration camp and Daniel was the 
  only child of an entrepreneur who made big money 
  by making clothes during the war. Daniel left eve-
  rything for Izolda when she was forced to flee, and it 
  was she who persuaded him to start using Moses-I. He 
  has decided to end the murders on several occasions, 
  but has been pressured to continue by the more cha-
  rismatic Izolda. When Izolda begins to doubt what they 
  are doing, Daniel becomes insane and controlling. He 
  has given up his soul for her.
  Daniel is tall and slim, with a beautiful face with 
  androgynous features and long, dark eyelashes. He 
  speaks several languages, is very well-read, and con-
  fident. Daniel smokes Polish cigarettes and studies fi-
  nancial newspapers in several languages. He suspects 
  81
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  that Cseslaw is closing in on them and always keeps 
  an eye open for him. Izolda is well-dressed with black, 
  short hair and dark intense eyes. She is very intelligent 
  and good at getting others to do what she wants. Both 
  Izolda and Daniel have the comprehend 2 and charm 2 
  special attributes, which means that 2 successes are 
  required to persuade, trick or outdo them.
  THRILLER
  ”It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in 
  the dark
  Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops 
  your heart
  You try to scream but terror takes the sound before 
  you make it
  You start to freeze as horror looks you right between 
  the eyes, 
  You're paralyzed
  'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
  And no one's gonna save you from the beast about to 
  strike”
  michael jackson- “thriller”
  During the last couple of weeks of constant rain, 
  storms, and thunder, low budget pirated horror films 
  have been appearing throughout the islands. Rumors 
  spread that the monsters in the movies show up when 
  the VHS tapes are viewed. Young people whisper 
  about shadows that can be seen outside their windows, 
  strangers trying to break in through the front door and 
  strange phone calls. The pirated movies are said to 
  come from a teenager who never leaves their parents' 
  basement, and is nicknamed "Scarecrow".
  THE TRUTH
  ”Scarecrow,” aka Gunilla Petersén [Carrie Petersen], 
  lives in her parents' basement. She loves movies, es-
  pecially horror movies, and the only times she leaves 
  her "video bunker" in the basement is when she visits 
  her best friend. Max. who works as a projectionist in 
  the cinema. Gunilla [Carrie] has built a state-of-the-art 
  home theater system in her bunker and tapped into the 
  cable television's horror channels. By accident, she also 
  discovered wires going through the family's land asso-
  ciated with the Loop. She has managed to hack into 
  the system and uses the Loop’s powerful computers to 
  create VHS recordings of incredibly high quality and 
  then sells them to young people in the area.
  The last few weeks have seen heavy thunderstorms 
  throughout the islands, during which a lightning strike 
  damaged Gunilla’s [Carrie’s] connection to the Loop's 
  computers. Following this, creatures resembling the 
  monsters from Gunilla's films crawled out of under-
  ground service tunnels and sewers and headed towards 
  the town at night.
  The monsters are attracted to the places where Gu-
  nilla’s [Carrie’s] pirated movies are being or have been 
  watched. They stalk around the houses, try to force 
  their way in, make eerie phone calls, and are threa-
  tening in a number of other ways. The monsters never 
  appear in daylight, and they usually stay in the area 
  near Gunilla's house. They will do whatever they can 
  to prevent the connection between Gunilla's computers 
  and the Loop’s computer from being severed.
  The lightning strike made the Loop's powerful com-
  puters and underground factory start producing robot 
  copies of the monsters from Gunilla’s movies, program-
  ming them to behave like the creatures from the movies. 
  The robots are not intelligent, but simply mimic their 
  movie counterparts. They will be threatening and mena-
  cing, but stop short of attacking and will haunt/trouble 
  teens and children who go out alone in the dark.
  82
  CHAPTER O5
  
  If the characters destroy a monster, they will discover that 
  it's a robot. If the connection between Gunilla's computer 
  and the Loop is broken, the robots will become complete-
  ly still for a few minutes, as if they were broken, and then 
  will head underground to be destroyed.
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  The Kids get to watch one of Gunilla’s movies. While 
  they are watching the movie, the phone rings and a 
  voice at the other end say that they all will be dead 
  before dawn the next day. They see shadows in the 
  garden, and when morning comes they discover that 
  someone has broken down a door and left tracks in-
  side the house.
   
  ■
  A horrified friend knocks on a Kid’s door or win-
  dow in the middle of the night and claims that a 
  person with a high power drill is chasing her.
   
  ■
  There are rumors in school that some teenagers 
  dress up like monsters from horror movies and 
  chase and beat smaller kids. The only one that re-
  ally has experienced this is a quiet girl who insists 
  it was a real monster, not a teenager in a costume.
  COUNTDOWN
  1. The Kids borrow one of Gunilla's films. While wat-
  ching the movie, the phone rings and someone at 
  the other end tells them they will be dead before 
  dawn. They see shadows meandering in the garden, 
  GUNILLA’S■[CARRIE’S]■■
  FAVORITE■MOVIES■
  ■
  ■
  ■
  Hellraiser
  ■
  ■
  The■Texas■Chainsaw■Massacre
  ■
  ■
  An■American■Werewolf■in■London
  ■
  ■
  Re-animator
  ■
  ■
  The■Fly
  ■
  ■
  Child’s■Play
  ■
  ■
  A■Nightmare■on■Elm■Street
  ■
  ■
  The■Shining
  and come the morning they discover someone bro-
  ke into the house and left footprints.
  2. A terrified friend knocks on one of the Kids’ door 
  in the middle of the night, saying that a figure with 
  a drill chased her.
  3. There’s a rumor at school that teenagers are dres-
  sing up as monsters from horror movies and chas-
  ing and harassing younger children. The only one 
  who’s been accidentally hurt is a quiet girl and she 
  is convinced that it really was a monster that at-
  tacked her, not a disguised teenager.
  GUNILLA "SCARECROW" PETERSÉN 
  [CARRIE PETERS]
  "We all have a part within us that enjoys sadism that 
  we hide because we are ashamed. Through a fictional 
  character in a movie, a monster, we can enjoy the feel-
  ing without being embarrassed. "
  Gunilla [Carrie] was born with a skin condition that 
  causes her to be self-conscious about her appea-
  rance. One year ago, she quit school and moved 
  into her parents’ basement to engage in her favori-
  te interest, horror movies. When she goes out to visit 
  her friend, Max, at the cinema or to sell her movies, 
  she dresses in full-bodied clothes that conceal her 
  83
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  features. (Almost like some of the monsters she lo-
  ves so well.) Gunilla has no idea that her movies are 
  creating monsters. She is a nice person who wants 
  to be liked. Gunilla's room is filled with videotapes, 
  televisions, video devices, computers, and books on 
  film and psychology.
  Gunilla is a pale girl with curly blond hair, and flaky 
  reddish skin. She wears costumes and is often seen with 
  a VHS cassette in her hand.
  HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON 
  EARTH
  ”In this world we're just beginning
  To understand the miracle of living
  Baby, I was afraid before
  But I'm not afraid anymore
  Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth?
  Ooh, heaven is a place on earth”
  belinda carlisle - ”heaven is a place on earth”
  Folks dressed all in white and bearing happy smiles 
  arrive at the Mälaren Islands [Boulder City], live a 
  couple of nights at a hotel and then disappear. At the 
  same time, something is disturbing the electrical ma-
  ins, the lights flicker, the television goes out, and the 
  sound from the ventilation ceases. After a few seconds, 
  everything is back to normal. In schools and in shops, 
  people are talking about Pastor Kruse, who is said to 
  have an underground congregation that challenges Old 
  Testament beliefs. But where is she and how do you get 
  in touch with her?
  THE TRUTH
  The self-appointed "pastor" Katarina Kruse [Cathe-
  rine Cruise] has managed to spread her message all 
  over the world that the Gravitron was not created by 
  man. She believes that the Gravitron is a fragment of 
  the kingdom of Heaven that, after a battle between 
  angels in prehistoric times, fell to Earth and drilled 
  down deep into the ground. According to Kruse, it is 
  possible to "awaken" the Gravitron and create para-
  dise on Earth. But the researchers at the Loop have 
  instead chosen to keep it from the public and take 
  advantage of its power for their own purposes.
  Kruse has managed to gain access to a service tunnel 
  on Adelsö [under River Mountain] and moved her 
  congregation underground. They have built a temple 
  in a space that Kruse claims is part of the heavenly 
  spacecraft that followed the Gravitron’s fall down to 
  Earth. New supporters arrive every day from all over 
  the world, attracted by Kruse's message that paradise 
  is here on Earth and that they can leave their sorrows 
  behind them. About thirty people currently live in the 
  temple along with Kruse.
  Kruse is trying to find a way to get into the Gra-
  vitron. She believes that it will wake up by feeling the 
  presence of Kruse's consciousness. Kruse is training her 
  followers in guerrilla warfare so that they can get past 
  the Loop's security guards, use explosives and hack 
  into the Loop’s computers. All to create chaos and eli-
  minate any obstacles on the way to paradise.
  The way down to the temple is located in northern 
  Adelsö, near the Sätra Juvenile Detention Center [Boulder 
  Youth Correctional Facility]. The temple hall is filled with 
  computers, monitors and wires (the space was previously 
  used as a cooling tower control station). Members of the 
  church have decorated the hall with fabrics, pictures with 
  Christian motifs, crosses and statues. It smells strongly of 
  incense and the members of the congregation take turns 
  playing sacred music on their instruments. A number of 
  languages are being spoken in this underground temple. 
  The members are armed with guns and automatic rifles. 
  They have access to five homemade bombs and a dozen 
  hand grenades. Five of the members of the assembly have 
  refused to be armed. They have tried to convince Kruse 
  that they must open the way to paradise without violen-
  ce, but Kruse does not want to listen to them and the 
  arguments are heating up.
  HOOKS
   
  ■
  The power comes and goes for several days, and 
  the researchers at the Loop have no explanation.
   
  ■
  People dressed in white appear in town shopping 
  for food and other necessities, then disappear into 
  the forest. Nobody knows where they live.
   
  ■
  Johanna [Joanne], one of the youngsters at the 
  Sätra Juvenile Detention Center [Boulder Youth 
  Correctional Facility], seems to have escaped and 
  vanishes. The other youths in the institution claim 
  that she found a way underground.
  84
  CHAPTER O5
  
  COUNTDOWN
  1. A girl named Johanna [Joanne] has recently dis-
  appeared from the Sätra Juvenile Detention Cen-
  ter [Boulder Youth Correctional Facility] and a 
  “Wanted” ad with her picture is published on milk 
  cartons. She now sneaks around school, dressed in 
  white to spread Pastor Kruse's message and recruit 
  people into the church. At the same time, power 
  outages are being reported throughout town.  
  2. The arguments in the congregation have escalated and 
  Johanna [Joanne] witnessed how one of the members 
  shot another. She fled and is now terrified and hiding 
  near the one of the Kids’ home. Johanna is ready to 
  tell them everything she knows if they promise not to 
  report her, so that she is not forced back into the de-
  tention facility. At the same time, the town continues 
  to suffer from prolonged power outages and all sorts 
  of technical problems. It is rumored that viruses from 
  foreign powers have infected the Loop.
  3. Pastor Kruse sends some members of her congre-
  gation to fetch Johanna [Joanne]. She knows too 
  much to be allowed to remain free. Meanwhile, the 
  town is shocked by an explosion. Members of the 
  congregation have accidentally detonated a bomb 
  underground. Bomb disposal specialists and first 
  responders arrive within a few hours.
  4. Pastor Kruse contacts a local tv channel and sends 
  a recorded manifesto stating who she is and what 
  she's about to do. After the broadcast, she closes 
  off all power on the islands [in Boulder City] and 
  her followers attack the Loop security guards to get 
  into the Gravitron. In the town, emergency sirens go 
  off, while in the darkness people call out for anyone 
  with flashlights to help the emergency teams.
  5. After a bloody fight and many deaths, Pastor Kruse 
  takes over the Gravitron. She steps into the interi-
  or and disappears. Immediately afterwards, power 
  returns again.
  PASTOR KATARINA KRUSE 
  [CATHERINE CRUISE]
  "When we encounter the surreal world that stretches 
  beyond the laws of physics, our natural impulse is to 
  say NO, and deny it. So it is with the message from 
  the Lord, Jesus and salvation, There are many of His 
  wonders, and the Gravitron is one of them. You here in 
  the temple have found the power to stretch beyond this 
  NO, and embrace YES, the way to salvation, not just 
  for us but for everyone on Earth. "
  With a father who died in the French Foreign Legion 
  and a grandfather who was shot during the Spanish 
  Civil War, it was no wonder that Katarina decided ear-
  ly on to become a soldier. Katarina's mother, who joi-
  ned the cult later in life, tried to change her mind at 
  first, but this only led to Katarina stealing her uncle's 
  hunting rifle to go training in the woods. In her teens, 
  she decided to enlist, but was crushed when she found 
  out she was too short. Instead, she traveled around the 
  world and on her travels, she came to a series of reve-
  lations that made her realize she was chosen by God 
  to bring humanity to a paradise on Earth. Katarina 
  returned home to Sweden [USA] as a self-appointed 
  Pastor, and converted her mother into the first member 
  of her congregation. Together they found the service 
  tunnel at Adelsö [below River Mountain] and began 
  spreading Katarina's message through her mother's 
  contacts in different religious societies. Katarina is an 
  extremely energetic woman who is never quiet. She is 
  action oriented, fast-paced, and ruthless in implemen-
  ting what she has decided upon. Katarina is extremely 
  short, has short brown hair, and a dazzling smile.
  85
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  86
  CHAPTER O5
  
  87
  MIXTAPE OF
  MYSTERIES
  
  O6
  CHAPTER
  The machines are part of our everyday life. Always working in the 
  background, they make our life comfortable. The television, the 
  telephone and the computer have revolutionized modern living in a 
  tangible way. But it is easy to forget that society also is dependent on 
  innovations such as the self-balancing machine (also called robot) and 
  magnetrine technology. Without these fantastic machines, we would 
  all be poorer.
  MACHINE
  BLUEPRINTS
  ALTA ABM100 AUTONOMOUS 
  FIRE-FIGHTING MACHINE 
  90
  PAARHUFER MK 79 SEMI- 
  AUTONOMOUS SERVICE UNIT 
  92
  LIEBER-ALTA M75 LOCOMOTIVE SHIP 
  94
  MG/S SIERRA NEVADA 
  96
  
  89
  In this chapter we will get acquainted with four ico-
  nic machines used by government agencies, corpo-
  rations and organizations around the world. These 
  machines can be used can be used to spice up exis-
  ting mysteries or to base entire mysteries on.
   
  ■
  ALTA ABM100: The so called “fire watchers” of Alta 
  were made to order by Riksenergi to patrol the 
  area around the Loop. The ABM100s are known 
  for zealously monitoring the area for any fires, 
  but also because their powerful sensors are often 
  fooled by local youth in elaborate pranks.
   
  ■
  PAARHUFER MK 79: A popular service and mainte-
  nance robot often used by Riksenergi and other 
  organizations. The MK 79 is known for its re-
  liability and robust construction. It can operate 
  independently and perform simple programmed 
  tasks. For more advanced operations, it is con-
  trolled by a remote glove.
   
  ■
  LIEBER-ALTA M75 LOCOMOTIVE SHIP: One of the most 
  common vehicles in the area around the Loop is 
  Lieber Alta’s classic workhorse M75. This mag-
  netrine ship is most commonly used for trans-
  port of raw materials and industrial machines, 
  but is sometimes fitted for personnel transport 
  and towing.
   
  ■
  MG/S AURORA BOREALIS: A fine example of a larger 
  magnetrine vessel is the bulk freighter Aurora 
  Borealis. With its 172-meter-long hull, it attracts 
  attention wherever it docks. The Aurora Borealis 
  is one of many magnetrine freighters that have 
  revolutionized cargo traffic to remote locations 
  such as Novosibirsk.
  
  21.5
  14
  9.5
  18
  MANUFACTURER: ALTA Robotteknik AB, Västerås, Sweden
  HEIGHT: 72 feet (21.5 meters)
  WEIGHT: 94 metric tons (fully loaded)
  POWER SOURCES: 4x ALTA A120 + 3x ALTA AX230  
  Electrohydraulic engines
  SPEED: 12.5 mph (20 kph) (patrol), 34 mph (55 kph) (sprint)
  RUN TIME: 36 hours (patrol)
  CONTROL UNIT: ALTA Computech AC2000 Computer Unit
  ALTA
  ABM100
  Autonomous  
  Fire-Fighting Machine
  ALTA
  Robotteknik AB,
  Västerås
  90
  CHAPTER O6
  
  TWO ABM100’S WERE BUILT BY ALTA, commissioned by 
  Riksenergi, and were completed in the autumn of 
  1984. They were initially deployed on the outskirts of 
  Kungsberga, mainly on the Jäsängen fields, for reasons 
  unknown to the public. Soon it was discovered that 
  they fought the fires that could sometimes occurred 
  spontaneously in the area, without anyone knowing 
  why. It did not take long before the youngsters of the 
  neighborhood realized that they were able to tease 
  the robots with fire. Their favorite trick was to drive 
  past them in a car, waving an emergency flare to lure 
  them to pursue the car. Then it was all about avoiding 
  the water jet. Riksenergi soon got tired of this, and in 
  the spring of 1985 the robots were moved to the area 
  around the Bona reactor on Munsö. The addition of a 
  smelly liquid in the extinguishing water put a definite 
  stop to the teasing of the robots. They are known local-
  ly as “The Fireguards.”
  Riksenergi ordered a series of six ABM, on the sur-
  face almost indistinguishable from the ABM100, but 
  with improved sensor equipment, which received the 
  model name ABM110. DART in Boulder City, USA, 
  was interested in the robot and ordered a pair as part 
  of a technology exchange. These were introduced 
  in the autumn of 1985, and are usually seen patrol-
  ling along the stretch of the particle accelerator, but 
  without entering the built-up areas. There they can be 
  observed extinguishing fires that can start without ap-
  parent cause, even outside of the hot summer months 
  (May – September).
  The ABM100 and its successors are unmanned and 
  completely autonomous. There is a small cockpit in the 
  “head” for manual steering while servicing the robot, 
  but it can only be reached with a basket lift. Instead, 
  the robot is controlled by a self-learning ALTA Com-
  putech computer. It is programmed to memorize ter-
  rain and obstacles, such as buildings and power lines. 
  The sensor equipment consists of TV cameras, thermal 
  cameras, laser rangefinders, and microphones. The in-
  struments can detect a fire the size of a campfire at up 
  to 1,100 yards (1,000 meters) away. The robots are 
  shielded from anything but the most powerful Gödel 
  pulses. There is a remote-controlled safety switch if the 
  robot should malfunction.
  The main function of the robots is to fight small 
  and medium-sized fires. For this, each robot carries 
  6,700 US gallons (25 cubic meters) of water, as well 
  as the same amount of extinguishing foam for fuel and 
  electronic fires. The robot can refill its water reservoir 
  by itself by lowering a hose into a suitable source of 
  water. Its sensor equipment and height also make it an 
  excellent surveillance robot, and the ABM110 is equip-
  ped with a networking unit that makes it capable of 
  controlling up to eight smaller ALTA SASU110 guard 
  robots. Together, such a surveillance squad constitutes 
  a challenging guard unit.
  The ABM100 series is still a rare sight outside 
  of the Mälaren Islands and Boulder City, but ALTA 
  is confident that their product will appeal to a larger 
  international market. An export version will be pre-
  sented at the International Industrial Fair in Hanover, 
  West Germany, in April 1987.
  SUGGESTED MYSTERIES:
   
  ■
  What causes the fires that the “Fireguards” fight?
   
  ■
  Some older teens have plans to trick a robot to 
  wreck the school on Saturday night. How will the 
  characters stop them?
   
  ■
  The characters come too close to a restricted 
  area. A robot detects them. A game of cat-and-
  mouse ensues. Why doesn’t an adult discover that 
  the robot is chasing them? To complicate things, 
  a couple of strange animals approach from the 
  other direction...
  91
  MACHINE
  BLUEPRINTS
  
  6.2
  3.7
  2.3
  4
  MANUFACTURER: Paarhufer Industrie GmbH, Düsseldorf, 
  West Germany
  HEIGHT: 20.5 feet (6.2 meters)
  WEIGHT: 5 tons
  POWER SOURCES: 4 Ziegler-Strohm 552-X electric motors 
  + gasoline-powered emergency drive
  SPEED: 7.5 mph (12 kph) (patrol), 22 mph (35 kph) 
  (sprint)
  WALKING TIME: 6 hours (patrol)
  LIFTING CAPACITY GRIP CLAW: max 1,750 lbs (800 kg)
  CONTROL UNIT: remote gauntlet, range 550 yards  
  (500 meters). Weight of backpack unit + remote  
  gauntlet: 15.5 lbs (7 kg)
  PAARHUFER 
  MK 79 
  Semi-Autonomous  
  Service Unit
  BACKPACK UNIT + REMOTE GAUNTLET
  Paarhufer Industrie GmbH, 
  Düsseldorf, West Germany
  92
  CHAPTER O6
  .
  
  PAARHUFER MK 79 is a maintenance robot that can hand-
  le simpler routine tasks independently, but can also be 
  used by an operator with a remote-control unit (“re-
  mote gauntlet”). Since its introduction in 1982, this 
  model has become commonplace in the Loop area 
  and in the rest of the industrialized world, used, for 
  example, on construction sites and in forestry. It needs 
  relatively even ground for moving around, but is dura-
  ble and enduring in most environments. It is available 
  in both a civilian and a military version, but the latter 
  is not used by the Swedish Army.
  The robot is ideal for work in radioactive or chemi-
  cally contaminated environments, and the electronics 
  are protected from anything but the most powerful 
  Gödel pulses. It is programmed to look for a charging 
  station when the battery charge drops below 10%, but 
  if it stops before that, an operator can manually start 
  an emergency drive so that the robot can reach the ne-
  arest charging station.
  The remote gauntlet has a transmission range of 
  550 yards (500 meters), but for practical reasons, the 
  operator rarely stays further away than 110 yards (100 
  meters) in order to see what he is doing. The sensor 
  units consist of TV and thermal vision cameras, and 
  the programming allows the robot to detect if a person 
  is in danger zone. To avoid personal injury, the robot 
  is paused when someone is within 10’ (3 meters) in a 
  30-degree sector in front of it, but if the remote gaunt-
  let is used, the safety function is switched off. A sensor 
  in the back can detect obstacles, but it is poor at detec-
  ting humans. A pair of forward-looking headlamps are 
  used for work in the dark and poor lighting conditions.
  The main tool is a claw for heavy lifting, but it can 
  be replaced with, for example, a felling and delimbing 
  attachment for forest harvesting. A newer version, the 
  Mk 81, was introduced in 1984, and has two robotic 
  arms for improved manipulation capability, and conse-
  quently has two remote gauntlets connected to the con-
  trol unit. This version is equipped with a camera and 
  can be remote controlled from a control center up to 3 
  miles (5 kilometers) away.
  Paarhufer Mk 79 is a successful design, and is ex-
  pected to be in service for many years to come. New 
  versions are planned, but economically advantageous 
  upgrade packages can also extend the working life of 
  older robots.
  SUGGESTED MYSTERIES
   
  ■
  It’s Friday and school is out for the weekend. The 
  characters find a service robot. In an unlocked shed 
  next to it, is the remote control unit. The robot is 
  out of charge, and needs to be connected to the 
  nearby charging post. Will anyone miss the robot 
  before Monday?
   
  ■
  A Paarhufer runs amok in town. It wrecks cars 
  and people flee in panic. Somebody has to stand 
  somewhere and control the robot with a remote 
  gauntlet. Who does it and why?
   
  ■
  The characters are out in the woods when they 
  encounter a smoking service robot. There’s a large 
  metal box with warning text in its claw. There is no 
  sign of any operator. If you work it for a while, the 
  box can be pried from the grip of the claw. What 
  might it hold?
  93
  MACHINE
  BLUEPRINTS
  
  7.8
  4.6
  3,2
  15.9
  MANUFACTURER: Lieber-ALTA Magnetrinindustri AB, 
  Kalmar, Sweden
  LENGTH: 15.9 meters
  HEIGHT: 6.5 meters
  WEIGHT: 65 tons
  POWER SOURCE: Sulzer T44 diesel turbine engine
  SPEED (WITHOUT LOAD): 85 kph (53 mph)
  ACCELERATION: 0-85 kph in 55 seconds
  BRAKING DISTANCE: approximately 150 m (165 yards) 
  at 85 kph
  LOAD CAPACITY: max 15 tons
  CREW: 2
  Lieber-ALTA
  M75
  LOCOMOTIVE SHIP 
  Lieber-ALTA Magnetrinindustri AB, Kalmar, Sweden
  S E R I E S
  Towbar and winch 
  equipment
  Cockpit
  Cargo Hatch
  Light ramp 
  range  
  280 meters
  Radar
  94
  CHAPTER O6
  
  LIEBER-ALTA’S M75 locomotive ship is typical of its class, 
  and a common sight in magnetrine ship ports and indu-
  strial areas. Locomotive ships were introduced in 1960-
  61 in the Soviet Union, West Germany and Sweden, and 
  have become an indispensable part of the magnetrine 
  vehicle fleet. They perform multiple functions, such as 
  towing magnetrine barges, light transport, personal 
  transport, and as tugboats. Lieber-ALTA is an internatio-
  nal industrial group with manufacturing in West Germa-
  ny, Switzerland and Sweden, and with retailers all over 
  the world. A US assembly plant is located in Baltimore, 
  Maryland.
  Like most locomotive ships, the M75 has a remo-
  te-controlled ladder for entry of the vehicle. It’s usually 
  retracted in the aft end of the ship, and extended by a 
  signal from a remote control that’s coupled with the igni-
  tion key. An entry hatch opens simultaneously, allowing 
  you to enter a space with a ladder to the bridge, as well as 
  a door to the engine room and the common cargo space. 
  For loading, the cargo ship has a lifting crane, which is 
  recessed in the hull while in transit. Usually, the locomo-
  tive ship also has a coupler at the back for connection to 
  magnetrine barges and towing cables. A parked ship is 
  usually 2–5 meters (7’–17’) above ground level.
  The locomotive sinter discs are powered by a ge-
  nerator, which in turn is powered by a diesel engine. A 
  locomotive ship usually has about twenty discs, which 
  are controlled by a central unit connected to magnetic 
  field sensors. By reading the local magnetic field, the 
  disks tilt for maximum lift and drive ability. To dri-
  ve the ship, the disks are activated in sequential order, 
  with fast polarity shifts to create a pulling/pushing ef-
  fect that creates forward motion. The exhaust from the 
  diesel turbine is boosted by a turbo aggregate and is 
  used for course corrections, and on some locomotive 
  ships and larger magnetrine ships, there are also rud-
  ders that are used to control the exhaust and thus help 
  steer the ship.
  Like their larger counterparts, all locomotive ships 
  are equipped with VHF radio for communications. In ad-
  dition to magnetic field sensors, they also have radar, and 
  a TV camera in the bow facilitates maneuvering in diffi-
  cult situations. Locomotive ships used for longer routes 
  are equipped with a radio direction finder and autopilot, 
  as the shipping lanes have radio beacons used for naviga-
  tion and as checkpoints when the autopilot is switched 
  on. The locomotive ships that operate near the Loop are 
  shielded from Gödel pulses of light to medium severity.
  The M75 follows the main trend when it comes to 
  design and layout. The bridge houses control, navigation, 
  and communication equipment. A small cabin with a 
  couple of bunk beds offers overnight accommodation. A 
  kitchenette is available for light cooking, and a free-fall 
  toilet (a seat with a hole open to the ground below) ta-
  kes care of the rest of the crew's needs. The engine room 
  contains the diesel turbine and the generator, with the fuel 
  tank placed amidships. The cargo hold has a volume cor-
  responding to a half-load container (25 cubic meters, or 
  880 cubic feet), and can be switched to passenger trans-
  port by mounting simple seats.
  The M75 locomotive ship from Lieber-ALTA is a reli-
  able construction, and is a workhorse that we will see for 
  many years to come.
  SUGGESTED MYSTERIES
   
  ■
  It’s a after school, maybe even summer holiday. 
  The characters roam the countryside in search of 
  something interesting to do, when they find a se-
  emingly abandoned locomotive ship. It is unatten-
  ded and unlocked, with the ladder extended and 
  the engine switched off. If the characters go on 
  board, they will find a pair of coffee mugs on the 
  ship’s bridge. The coffee is still hot. There are no 
  signs of a struggle. What has happened?
   
  ■
  When the characters are investigating the ship, a 
  surveillance robot suddenly appears outside. Will 
  they hide in the ship, and maybe start it to escape?
   
  ■
  From the bridge, the characters can see a perfect-
  ly circular pit a hundred yards away, as if a giant 
  had scooped up the earth and the grass. The tracks 
  of two people lead towards the pit, where they 
  abruptly end.
   
  ■
  A shoe is found a short distance from the ship, 
  and fresh blood is visible on the ground. Tracks 
  of one or more large animals lead toward a small, 
  forested area.
   
  ■
  On the bridge there is an evening newspaper. The 
  date of it is one week later than today’s date, and 
  the front page has a big headline about a serious 
  accident at the Loop. How did it get here? How 
  did the entire locomotive ship get back in time? Is 
  it possible to prevent the accident?
  95
  MACHINE
  BLUEPRINTS
  
  81
  58
  33
  172
  OPERATOR: Southern Magnetrine Shipping, Inc.
  TYPE: Magnetrine cargo vessel
  CLASS: Magmid
  BUILDER: Harris & Logan Magnetrine Shipyards, San 
  Diego, California, USA
  LENGTH OVER ALL: 172 meters
  BEAM: 32 meters
  HEIGHT: 81 meters
  TONNAGE: 25,000 deadweight tons
  POWER SOURCE: 2 Pantarei 568 Diesel turbine engi-
  nes, 2 Stahlhagen G-38/U gas turbine engines
  SPEED: 26 knots (48 kph)
  CREW: 26
  Mg/S Aurora
  Borealis
  MAGNETRINE CARGO VESSEL 
  MAGMID 
  Harris & Logan Magnetrine Shipyards, 
  San Diego, California, USA
  Captain
  Radar Operator
  First Mate
  Radio Operator
  Navigator
  Second Mate
  96
  CHAPTER O6
  
  MG/S SIERRA NEVADA is the first ship of its class built by 
  Harris & Logan Magnetrine Shipyards. She has been 
  followed by twelve sister ships, which mostly travel the 
  Trans-Am shipping lane from Los Angeles to Boston. 
  The Nevada combines load carrying capacity with re-
  liability and operating economy. Some of the ships are 
  bulk carriers (iron ore, coal, timber, etc), while others 
  are adapted for shipping containers or car transport.
  The twelve massive sinter disks are powered by six 
  generators, which are in turn powered by the Diesel engi-
  nes. Another dozen smaller disks are used for adjustment 
  of lifting power. All disks are controlled by means of two 
  central units connected to a series of magnetic field sen-
  sors. The local magnetic field is constantly measured by 
  the sensors, and servo motors angle the discs for opti-
  mum lift and drive ability. To drive the ship, the disks are 
  activated sequentially, with fast polarity shifts to create 
  a pulling/pushing effect, which in turn creates forward 
  motion. A pair of gas turbine engines contribute to pro-
  pulsion through jet exhaust. The exhaust from the gas 
  turbines is also used in conjunction with a pair of rudders 
  for steering.
  The bridge is the ship’s nerve center. Here the captain, 
  the first mate, the second mate, the signal man, the navi-
  gation officer, and the sensor operator work. Controls, 
  radar and sensor screens, and communication equipment 
  cover all surfaces. Magnetrine ships are equipped with 
  radio direction finders and autopilot, as the shipping la-
  nes have radio beacons used for navigation and when the 
  autopilot is engaged. In the galley, the ship’s cook works, 
  aided by an assistant. Next to the galley there are a cold 
  storage room and pantries for food and drink. The mess 
  is divided, with one part for the ship’s officers and one 
  for the rest of the crew. A bosun and seven mates consti-
  tute the deck crew. The captain and other senior officers 
  have their cabins on the same deck as the bridge, while 
  the other crew live in cabins on the deck below. A coup-
  le of cabins are available for extra crew and passengers. 
  A common room with TV, bookshelf, pool table, and 
  coffeemaker are available for off-duty crew. Toilets and 
  shower rooms complete the crew quarters.
  In the engine room work the technical chief, the first 
  engineer, the magnetrine engineer, a pair of second engi-
  neers, four motormen, and the ship’s electrician. Next to 
  the engine room is a workshop, power central, and fuel 
  tanks. The cargo holds are configured depending on the 
  load the ship is intended for. The Sierra Nevada is adap-
  ted for freight containers, which can be taken on board 
  by cargo doors in the sides of the ship, a bow ramp, or lo-
  ading hatches on the underside. Cranes and traverses lift 
  and distribute containers in the cargo holds, which have 
  a volume of some 1.77 million cubic feet (50,000 cubic 
  meters) and are capable of containing up to a thousand 
  20-foot shipping containers.
  The ship’s deck has a helipad. For boarding, doors 
  can be used just below the bridge if the ship is in port 
  and is connected to the shore by gangways, or by cargo 
  lifts that pass through openings in the bottom of the crew 
  module. If the ship is subject to acute danger, such as a 
  fire that can’t be put out, the crew can be evacuated using 
  parachuted escape pods, which also work as lifeboats if 
  they land in water.
  Magnetrine ships like Mg/S Sierra Nevada are a com-
  mon sight along the shipping lanes that connect the ports 
  of the Northern Hemisphere. Their importance to inter-
  national trade will only increase in the future, and auto-
  mation will result in larger vessels that can be monitored 
  by a handful of crew members. The magnetrine ships are 
  here to stay.
  SUGGESTED MYSTERY
  The parents of one of the characters are going to Las 
  Vegas, and won’t be back until midnight. The charac-
  ter is tasked with baby-sitting a younger sibling. The 
  character has invited his/her friends for some gaming, 
  and before you know it, the sibling is gone. Tracks lead 
  to an echo sphere that has been quietly rusting for a 
  few weeks in a small wood behind the house. The pro-
  blem is that the sphere can be seen being loaded onto a 
  vehicle, which drives off to the port and a waiting mag-
  netrine ship. Will the characters manage to enter the 
  area, sneak aboard the ship and find the sphere with 
  the sibling before the ship leaves the port, and will they 
  succeed before the parents get home?
  97
  MACHINE
  BLUEPRINTS
  
  O7
  CHAPTER
  Tales from the Loop is about solving mysteries in small towns or 
  communities. The two official settings for the game, included in the 
  core rulebook, are the Mälaren Islands in Sweden and Boulder City 
  in Nevada, USA. The reason why we chose these two are simple: 
  Simon Stålenhag’s art depicts these two settings. He grew up on the 
  Mälaren Islands outside of Stockholm and his paintings from there 
  reflect his childhood and his memories. But Tales from the Loop 
  is your game now, so why not make it about your hometown and 
  your memories? This is what this chapter is all about.
  HOMETOWN 
  HACK
  WHY HACK YOUR HOMETOWN? 
  99
  CHOOSE YOUR TOWN 
  99
  DEFINE THE AREA 
  100
  PREPARE THE MAP 
  100
  PLACE THE LOOP 
  100
  PREPARE AND PLACE THE AGENCY 
  101
  PLACE SCHOOLS, POLICE, AND  
  OTHER INSTITUTIONS 
  104
  CREATE A SHORT SUMMARY 
  104
  WRAP THINGS UP 
  104
  
  99
  WHY HACK YOUR  
  HOMETOWN?
  There are many reasons why you should adapt your 
  own hometown as a setting for Tales from the Loop. 
  Here are a few:
   
  ■
  It’s fun! Setting the game in a town you know 
  brings a whole new dimension to the table.
   
  ■
  It helps players relate. Providing they actually have 
  a relation to your town, they will be able to envi-
  sion it and its surroundings much better. 
   
  ■
  You get to relive your past – with a twist. Recrea-
  ting one’s hometown from the past can be a nostal-
  gic and sometimes bittersweet experience.
   
  ■
  It’s easier for new roleplayers. Using a familiar set-
  ting, you will have an easier time getting new play-
  ers into roleplaying.
   
  ■
  You will know the town better. Regardless of 
  whether you are recreating your hometown or cre-
  ating one from scratch, the very process of shaping 
  it will help you know it inside and out.
  CHOOSE YOUR TOWN
  First of all, you need to choose the town to be the 
  setting for your game. The most obvious solution is 
  to simply pick the town you and your friends grew 
  up in. If you all come from the same small town, you 
  have the perfect opportunity to create an interesting 
  and gameable setting using your shared memories and 
  experiences. However, chances are that you might 
  come from different parts of the country, or maybe 
  you grew up in a big city? Fear not, Tales from the 
  Loop is a very flexible game. You can set a game in a 
  
  100
  CHAPTER O7
  city of any size, you just need to focus the game on a 
  smaller part of it.
  So, what is the perfect town for a Tales game? Let’s 
  list a few criteria:
   
  ■
  It should be a small town with a population in the 
  thousands (or tens of thousands at the most). 
   
  ■
  It should have some basic facilities like a police sta-
  tion, a school, supermarkets and places to hang out at.
   
  ■
  It should be easily accessible for Kids. As most charac-
  ters will be getting around by foot or bike, that means 
  it should not be spread out over too big an area.
   
  ■
  It should have interesting countryside surrounding it, 
  ideally several different types: forests, mountains, de-
  sert, marshes or other features. 
   
  ■
  It should preferably have a large body of water nearby. 
  Several of the prewritten mysteries relate to a lake or 
  the sea in some way.
   
  ■
  It needs to have a place for the Loop and its installa-
  tions. As the loop is 26 kilometers in diameter, you 
  need a town with surroundings that are at least this 
  big (it needs to fit on a map of the setting).
   
  ■
  It should be a town you or your players have a rela-
  tionship to. 
  EXAMPLE
  We asked our friends at Modiphius Entertain-
  ment to create a British setting for the game. 
  Some them come from East Anglia, especially 
  Norfolk and Suffolk, so they decided on an 
  area they all knew well – The Norfolk Broads. 
  The nearby town of Great Yarmouth is small 
  and has all the basic facilities required. The 
  town and neighboring villages are connected 
  by bus routes (one of the most used ways for 
  kids to get around in the UK in the 80s) and 
  paths and lanes if you are lucky enough to 
  own a BMX. The area around Great Yar-
  mouth is defined by The Broads – rivers and 
  lakes that can mostly be gotten around on in a 
  small boat. However, the land of The Broads 
  is often wet and covered in reeds, making wal-
  king around it a bit trickier, unless you stick to 
  the paths. Kids exploring might also find large 
  areas of farmland, as well as woods and long 
  beaches composed of sand and pebbles.
  DEFINE THE AREA
  Once you have chosen your town, the next step is to 
  define the exact size of the town and its surroundings. 
  To do this, pull out the core rule book and have a look 
  at the maps of Mälaren Islands and Boulder City. Then 
  open a map of your chosen town using an online tool 
  such as Google Maps or similar. Zoom in and out, take 
  a few screenshots, to find the right area to use as a basis 
  for your map. Maybe print the map in different sizes. 
  Get a feel for it, add the Loop and a few installations 
  and see where they fit. There is no exact science to how 
  your map should look. You just need to give the Kids 
  enough space to roam the town and countryside.
  EXAMPLE
  We have a look at Google Maps and settle for 
  an area roughly 16 kilometers across. Smaller 
  than the Mälaren Islands and Boulder City 
  maps, but enough space to house the Loop 
  and a countryside full of adventures.
  PREPARE THE MAP
  Ok, so now that you have a town and you have defined 
  the map area, it’s time to create the actual map! Take a 
  screenshot of the area you’ve decided on, then import 
  it into an image editor of your choice for the finishing 
  touches. You can also try out services like Snazzymaps 
  or Openstreetmap to give your map a little more flair. 
  A little digging on the internet goes a long way towards 
  finding the map style that suits you.
  PLACE THE LOOP
  You’ve got a town and a map, the next step is to place the 
  actual Loop in a suitable location. Remember, the Loop is 
  a huge underground accelerator and need lots of space. If 
  you study the Loops of the Mälaren Islands and Boulder 
  City you will see that it consists of these elements:
   
  ■
  The reactor core in the center of the Loop
   
  ■
  The main accelerator tunnel (the largest circle)
   
  ■
  One or two auxiliary accelerator tunnels
   
  ■
  A small number of outflux routes
   
  ■
  Four gates that provide entry to the Loop
   
  ■
  A number of service and transport tunnels
  
  101
  HOMETOWN
  HACK
  The exact composition of these elements is not important, 
  just make sure that it follows roughly the same model as 
  the Swedish and American versions. Remember that the 
  reactor core should preferably be located outside of po-
  pulated areas, where access to it can be tightly controlled. 
  The accelerator tunnels however can, and will, probably 
  go underneath the actual town. This is a good thing. The 
  Loop is a generator of mysteries after all. 
  Using image editing software, you should easily be 
  able to create concentric circles and label them accor-
  dingly. Then add the other elements with text or icons.
  PREPARE AND PLACE THE 
  AGENCY
  Now that the Loop is in place, we need to determine 
  which agency actually controls it. In Sweden, it’s Rik-
  senergi, and in the US, it’s DARPA. Use either of those, 
  or create your own relevant for your country. Both the 
  Swedish and American ones are modeled after actual 
  government agencies.
  Use these simple steps to create an agency for your 
  game:
  1. Name it. Acronyms are your friend here. Check 
  lists of actual research agencies or ’80s movies for 
  inspiration.
  2. Define its responsibility and resources. What is its 
  mission? What kind of resources and authority can 
  it bring to bear to fulfill this task?
  3. Define its purpose for building the Loop. What 
  kinds of experiments are performed there?
  4. Define the relationship between the Agency, the 
  town and its residents, and with other local autho-
  rities such as the police. 
  EXAMPLE
  For who controls The Broads Loop, we 
  wanted to combine two things from the UK in 
  the  eighties – government ministries, as well 
  as a reference to one of the most well-known 
  TV shows of the time. So, we decided that, 
  as far as the public is aware, the Loop is a 
  governmental center looking into agricultural 
  research and environmental issues. This public 
  facing side of the Loop falls under the remit of 
  MAFF – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries 
  and Food. 
  However, the real work going on at the 
  Loop is undertaken by a secret division of the 
  Department of Defence called ReGIS (RE-
  gional Geomagnetic Information Sciences). 
  The research beingundertaken there involves 
  some combination of the natural water of the 
  area and magnetism, but is otherwise not fully 
  understood outside of the managers of the 
  facility. Rumors persist that astrange natural 
  phenomena have been discovered in waterlog-
  ged caves underneath the area.
  The Broads Reactor is known as a supp-
  lier of surprisingly clean energy (a welcome 
  counterpoint to the Sizewell Nuclear Power 
  Station in nearby Suffolk). However, the 
  Broads Reactor produces a smaller amount of 
  energy, meaning it’s still regarded primarily as 
  a niche interest. As well as producing power, 
  the public facing part of the facility works on 
  environmental matters in the area.
  Behind the scenes, experiments include ioni-
  zation and magnetism for many purposes. Tests 
  are often carried out on the Broads, or even out 
  over the North Sea – with any strange lights 
  explained as weather monitoring equipment 
  used by MAFF, or a harmless by-product of the 
  reactor’s clean energy production. The marshy 
  fens of the Broads hide many strange machi-
  nes and vehicles, lost as part of the tests, and 
  equally strange occurrences such as lights and 
  mists, leading many to believe that parts of the 
  area are haunted. The majority of the townsfolk 
  find the reactor an eyesore – and if that’s not 
  enough, the next proposed expansion of the 
  facility is a windfarm out on the North Sea. 
  Despite the not-in-my-back-garden attitude 
  of most of the adult residents, they cannot ar-
  gue with the benefits it brings, including ener-
  gy and jobs at a time when the closure of coal 
  mines in other parts of the UK are producing 
  large scale unemployment. Kids from the area, 
  however, find the reactor exciting in ways that 
  the beaches and summer tourists will never be.
  
  THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE,
  FISHERIES AND FOOD
  Agriculture, Fisheries And Food Division, Print n.3
  Mid-Yare
  National
  Nature Reserve
  Tunstall
  Reedham
  Freethorpe
  Halvergate
  Cantley
  Hassingham
  Buckenham
  Strupshaw
  Brundall
  Lingwood
  Blofield
  Fishley
  Upton
  Acle
  Claxton
  Rockland
  St Mary
  Hellington
  Surlingham
  Limpenhoe
  Billockby
  Moulton
  St Mary
  KNEALE GATE
  ANDERSON G
  OUTFLUX SOUTH
  102
  CHAPTER O7
  C
  E
  L
  E R
  A
  T
  O R
   
  P R
  I
  M  
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   2
  NORFOLKS BROADS
  AREA MAP
  0 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  km 
  Forest 
  Cultivated land 
  Populated Area 
  THE LOOP
  111402
  Service Tunnel 
  Ferry Route 
  Transport Tunnel 
  Civilian Road
  River Yare
  A C
  C E
  L E
  R A
  T O
  R  
  P R
  I M
   -
   1
  A c
  c e
  l e
  
  N
  O
  R
  T
  H
   
  S
  E
  A
  The information in this map may be protected from disclosure by the  
  THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD [MAPP].  
  No copies will be made without permission.
  The Broads
  GREAT
  YARMOUTH
  GORLESTON
  -ON-SEA
  CAISTER -ON-SEA
  Bradwell
  Burgh Castle
  Belton
  Ormesby
  St Michael
  Ormesby 
  St Margret
  Browston
  Green
  Mautby
  Stokesby
  Clippesby
  TE
  WYNDHAM GATE
  ADAMS GATE
  DARBYSHIRE
  GATE
  OUTFLUX EAST
  OUTFLUX NORTH
  103
  HOMETOWN
  HACK
  A
  LY63-1300
  THE BROADS
  REACTOR
  Cooling 
  towers
  River Yare
  River Yare
  Filby Broad
  Rollersby Broad
  River Yare
  A
  C
  C
  E
  L
  E
  R
  A
  T
  O
  R
   
  A
  U
  X
   
  -
   
  1
   a
  t o
  r  
  P  
  -  
  1
  
  PLACE SCHOOLS, POLICE, 
  AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS
  Every town in Tales from the Loop is a microcosm 
  of society, and your town should be too. In this step, 
  simply place the following elements on the map. You 
  don’t need to use them all, use your judgement as to 
  what is reasonable to be found in your town.
   
  ■
  One or more elementary schools
   
  ■
  One or more high schools
   
  ■
  A police station
   
  ■
  A fire station
   
  ■
  A military base
   
  ■
  A hospital
  EXAMPLE
  For the setting of The Broads we settle for 
  these institutions:
   
  ■
  Grove Hill – Comprehensive School
   
  ■
  Cycle Grove – Primary School
   
  ■
  Sun Road Station – Police Station
   
  ■
  Fire Station
   
  ■
  Military Base
   
  ■
  Hospital
   
  ■
  Acle Straight (the long, straight road from 
  Acle, towards Great Yarmouth – known 
  for being a great place to race a BMX)
  CREATE A SHORT  
  SUMMARY
  You’re almost there! Now that you know the lay of 
  the land, it’s time to write down a short overview of 
  the town. Use the setting texts in the core rulebook as 
  inspiration, or just write down a summary using bullet 
  points:
   
  ■
  What is the history of the town?
   
  ■
  What is it like to live in the town?
   
  ■
  Which are the most common meeting places?
   
  ■
  Which are the most significant buildings?
   
  ■
  How do Kids get around the area? What transpor-
  tation is available?
   
  ■
  What is the relation between the townspeople and 
  the Loop agency like?
   
  ■
  What do Kids do to pass the time in this town?
  WRAP THINGS UP
  You have created your town. The stage is set and ready 
  to be filled with dreams and memories. Now is the time 
  to fill it with mysteries and introduce your players to 
  it. Maybe you want to send out a prepared document 
  to your players ahead of the first session, or you could 
  spend some time at the table to get everyone acqua-
  inted with the town you will explore and experience 
  together.
  104
  CHAPTER O7
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Tales from the Loop RPG (Year Zero Engine) [multi]/Tales from the Loop - Our Friends The Machines & Other Mysteries {MUH051314}.pdf