new horizon adventure - the ghost train

8/2/2019 New Horizon Adventure - The Ghost Train

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New Horizon Roleplaying GameNew Horizon Game Studios

www.newhorizonrpg.com

The Ghost Train Adventureusing

Volt 3.3 Rule System



2

Story The adventure begins just after the dis-

appearance of a fourth small town. This

time there were witnesses. A few people

were on their way to the town when they

caught sight of an unmarked train. The

train itself was an older model, the kind

that went out of commission at least

fty years ago. There are no markings on

the train, and no sign of a driver. Wit-

nesses claimed the passenger compart-

ments were black as night, and strange

smoke billowed out of the wheels. Some

witnesses claim that the train wasn’t even

following the railway.

Where to Start The most likely spot for this adventure

to begin is in Trapper Town. Disappear-ances of this scale always nd their way

back to the local law enforcement. Play-

ers can hear about the disappearances

in any number of ways. The rumors are

spreading through the town in everyday

conversation, with wildly exaggerated

stories that run the gamut from attacks

by the Rusty Stars to grim stalker. How-

ever they nd out about the disappear-

ances, the players should eventually

make their way to Berrik the local Rail

Marshall who will direct them on their

way. The two most likely paths to Ber-rik are talking to Alabaster or Kaleb.

Alternatively, the players may just decide

to seek out Berrik on their own. See the

NPC section for information on these

three individuals.

Alabaster As High Marshall of the Walk of Man,

Alabaster is concerned for the safety of

his people. These strange disappearances

threaten to put people in a panic, some-

thing he doesn’t need right now since

he is already dealing with the everyday

issues of enforcing such a large faction

and dealing with the Rusty Stars threat.

He can be found at the sheriff ’s ofce

where he will give as much information

as he can to anyone willing to help. His

information consists mostly of popula-

tion size and possible armaments in the

towns that have disappeared. Alabas-

ter doesn’t know what to believe about

the rumors of a ghost train and super-

natural phenomena. He admits there is

a possibility, but would rather see this as

the work of criminals. He will eventu-

ally send the players to talk to Berrik for

more information.

Kaleb As a former outlaw himself, Kaleb has

no doubt in his mind that this is the work

of some very clever outlaws. Though he

can’t guess as to what their overall plan

is, he applauds the ruse, and in fact may

seem a little envious. Kaleb can be found

at Captain Booze’s Bar where the local

color is constantly discussing the disap-pearances. Kaleb doesn’t have much in-

formation beyond what the players can

get from Alabaster, but he does men-

tion that there are a lot of old rails out

in the foothills that lead to dead towns

and mines. He will eventually send the

players to talk to Berrik for more infor-

mation.

Berrik Berrik lives a few blocks from Captain

Booze’s Bar, in a house that is entirely

decked out in train memorabilia. The

front door has a sign taken from an

old train depot and the inside is home

to a massive model train set that runsthrough every room in the house. Berrick

can be found sitting at a table in an outt

reminiscent of old train conductors back

on earth. He is meticulously construct-

ing a new train set. Berrik is a friendly,

though socially awkward, individual. He

is nervous around females, but can talk

forever about anything related to trains.

The information he has to give involves

the train in question.

There was a project at one time for

automated trains, allowing them to be

guided by transmitted signals. The proj-ect didn’t meet with wide success as there

were too many variables without linking

the entire train network wirelessly. A few

of the prototypes were bought by private

collectors, and have since disappeared

from most people’s knowledge. The

system can be rigged to take commands

from a short wave radio transmission.

As they talk, the conversation should

eventually turn toward the towns which

have disappeared. At this point, Berrik

will point out that his model set is a scale

replica of the entire Walk of Man railsystem, complete with every rail line that

he knows. Examination of the towns

that have disappeared shows that they

are all within radio range of an aban-

doned line that leads off into the foot-

hills of the Azuremar mountains.

On the Trail Players can take the next train and get

off a day’s trek from the abandoned

rail line. The GM is free to change their

method of transportation to whatever

they wish, and possibly sprinkle in some

side adventures along the way. Possible

encounters include a run in with ravag-

ers. If the GM feels like throwing in a

sign the players are on the right track, the

ravagers can be feeding on the remains

of settlers from the towns that disap-

peared.

The Ghost Train News often travels slow in the Walk of Man once one gets outside the boundaries of the

larger cities. Most news comes in the form of rumors brought in by train passengers and

hunters returning home after expeditions on the plains. The latest rumors have taken a

dark turn. Smaller settlements across the Walk have been found deserted. Most look as

if the people just packed up and left. Nothing of value has been left behind, except for the larger permanent buildings. Three towns have disappeared so far with no one left dead or

alive, and no one seems to have any clue as to what is going on. Smaller towns are getting

scared, and the citizens are arming themselves more than usual against whatever strange

events are taking place.



3

Whatever happens along the way, the

players eventually nd themselves at

the end of the rail line, or at least the

original end. It appears that sometime

recently, someone has added new rails

and extended the line into the hills. Fol-

lowing the line leads to what appears to

be a mining camp. Portable buildings,probably taken from the towns, serve as

shelter and living space. The mine looks

new, with fresh ore and tracks out front.

The Ghost Train is currently absent.

At the MineIf they can stay out of sight, the play-

ers will be able to see that the people

who disappeared have apparently been

chained together and forced to work in

the mine. The individuals holding them

hostage look like a ragtag band of para-

military types and rabble-rousers. TheGM is free to extend this scene as much

as they wish. The more guards they put

around the place, the harder things will

be for the players. Different areas where

encounters may happen include: Narrow

streets between the buildings, in areas of

new construction with dangerous unn-

ished work, the mess hall, labor barracks,

guard barracks, and the mouth of the

mine. There can also be multiple levels in

the mine, each with guards watching the

workers. Freeing the workers may result

in some help for the players.

Ending the Mission When the GM wants to end the mis-

sion, they simply have the Ghost Train

make it’s appearance. The train is back

from harvesting fresh workers, and

brings with it the brains of the opera-

tion. The nal encounter will likely take

place on the train itself, and can vary

from in the cars to outside on the lad-

ders or upper railing. The entire opera-

tion is masterminded by a vanir by the

name of Rykus. If the players manage

to stop him without killing him, Rykus

confesses that he and his men were

once Rusty Stars, but they defected

when they found a rich charonium de-

posit and decided to go into business

for themselves. If Rykus is killed, play-

ers can nd out this information from

a different source, such as a soldier or

someone’s journal.

RewardsStandard criminal bounty, plus daily wage of 100 geodites, plus a completion bonus

of 1,000 geodites.

NPCs The NPCs you need for this adventure are: Alabaster, Kaleb, Berrik, Rykus, the Ge-

neric Bandit and the Generic Worker.

Armor

Alabaster

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

7

8

9

9

8

7

8

5

8

9

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

7

3

3

3

5

8

5

7

Backgrounds & TraitsLaw Enforcement Agent:

Mesa Trapper:

Aesir Wafan:

Ambidexterity:

Contact:

Sense of Orientation & Time:

Duties:

Enemy:

Silent Machinery:

Swiftness:

8

7

3p

1p

3p

2p

-1p

-3p

1p

1p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

8

13

18

23

28

0

-3

-5

5

11

18

24

30

Stun InjuryL e g s :

A r m s :

Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow:

Regnant Jacket 11 4 6 11

Encumbrance15 30 75

0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Ultrasound Blaster:

EMP Blaster:

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

6

4

8

7

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e / A

u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/ A i m

e d :

G u ar d

/ Di r e

c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

8

7

2

0

9

9

12

11

11

7

8

7

5

8

1

10

4

5

BP

28

30

25

27

27

22

24

17

19

25

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

2

3

3

3

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

-2

-1

0



4

Armor

Berrik

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

7

5

5

9

9

7

7

9

3

5

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

7

3

3

3

3

3

5

7

Backgrounds & TraitsContact:

Duties:

1p

-1p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

6

11

16

21

25

0

-3

-5

3

9

15

22

28


A r m s :


Thick Leather Armor 16 3 6 10

Encumbrance15 30 75

0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Cold Swift:

Dagger (slash):

Dagger (thrust):

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

4

9

10

8

7

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e /

A u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/

A i m e d :

G u ar d

/ D

i r e c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

6

2

3

2

0

7

13

14

12

11

11

5

6

6

7

5

8

4

1

5

4

5

BP

12

13

20

25

27

27

24

27

25

17

19

25

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

2 2

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

-2

-1

0

Armor

Kaleb

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

9

8

9

9

8

7

5

7

3

5

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

5

5

3

5

3

8

8

8

Backgrounds & TraitsBounty Hunter:

Law Enforcement Agent:

Mercenary:

Vanir Wafan:

Contact:


Dark Secret:

Duties:

Enemy:

Vanir Armor:

7

7

5

3p

1p

2p

-2p

-1p

-1p

1p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

8

13

19

24

28

0

-3

-5

6

12

18

24

30


A r m s :


Reinforced Area (hard) 9 8 14 17

Heavy Vanir Armor 18 6 8 13

Encumbrance25 50 125

0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Silent Thunder (unique rifle):

Knife (slash):

Knife (thrust):

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

4

12

11

11

10

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e /

A u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/

A i m e d :

G u ar d

/ D

i r e c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

11

4

5

5

3

13

15

16

14

13

13

10

8

8

9

7

10

10

3

6

6

7

BP

16

15

21

27

29

29

32

28

26

19

21

27

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

4 5

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

1

1

1



5

Armor

Generic Bandit (Olympian)

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

7

5

8

7

7

5

5

3

3

5

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

3

3

3

3

3

3

7

3



Natural Resistance:

3

2p

1p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

6

11

16

22

26

-1

-4

-8

4

10

17

23

29


A r m s :


Synthetic Fibre Vest 7 3 4 6

Encumbrance15 30 75

0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Combat Knife (slash):

Combat Knife (thrust):

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

11

11

10

9

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e /

A u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/

A i m e d :

G u ar d

/ D

i r e c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

4

5

4

2

15

15

13

12

12

7

7

8

6

9

3

6

5

6

BP

15

21

26

28

28

28

26

18

20

26

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

0

0

-4

Armor

Generic Bandit (Promethean)

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

9

7

7

7

7

5

5

5

3

3

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

3

3

3

3

3

3

7

3


Cybernetic Limb (arm):

Combat Claws:

5

1p

1p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

6

12

17

22

26

-1

-4

-8

5

11

17

23

29


A r m s :


Ravager Vest 7 3 5 7


0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Combat Claws:

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

11

10

9

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e /

A u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/

A i m e d :

G u ar d

/ D

i r e c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

5

4

2

16

14

13

13

10

9

7

10

9

6

7

BP

18

27

29

29

33

19

21

27

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

0

1

-4



Armor

Rykus

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

8

8

7

8

5

5

7

5

5

5

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

3

3

3

3

3

3

8

8

Backgrounds & TraitsSense of Orientation & Time:

Vanir Armor:

2p

1p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

7

12

17

22

27

-1

-3

-6

5

11

17

23

29


A r m s :


Reinforced Area (hard) 9 7 11 14

Medium Vanir Armor 17 5 7 11


0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Ophion F-30:

Sword (cut):

Sword (thrust):

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

5

14

14

11

10

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e /

A u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/

A i m e d :

G u ar d

/ D

i r e c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

8

7

7

5

3

10

12

14

13

13

8

6

7

9

7

10

4

6

7

6

7

BP

10

26

24

27

29

29

24

31

29

19

21

27

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

4 3

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

1

1

1

Difficulty: Average

Armor

Generic Worker

AttributesStrength:

Constitution:

Toughness:

Willpower:

Movement:

Agility:

Perception:

Stealth:

Acting:

Speaking:

7

5

5

5

5

3

5

3

3

5

Humanities:

Science:

Medicine:

Repair:

Animal Ken:

Driving:

Close Combat:

Ranged Combat:

3

3

3

3

3

3

5

5

Backgrounds & TraitsClumsy (optional):

Coward (optional):

-3p

-2p

Damage thresholds

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

Negligible

Minor

Moderate

Serious

Severe

4

9

14

20

24

-2

-5

-10

3

9

15

22

28


A r m s :


Armor Jacket 10 2 3 6

Encumbrance15 30 75

0: -2: -5:

DamageAttacks

Ares Pistol:

Knife (slash):

Knife (thrust):

Punch:

Kick:

Wrestling:

Chance to Hit

3

9

8

8

7

I n j ur y :

S t un:

P i er c

e:

D ef en

s e /

A u t o:

Gr a

p pl e

/

A i m e d :

G u ar d

/ D

i r e c t e d :

S t r i k e / S n

a p S h

o t :

3

1

2

2

0

6

13

14

12

11

11

4

6

6

7

5

8

4

1

4

4

5

BP

10

13

19

25

27

27

24

26

24

17

19

25

R an

g e:

A t t a c k

s :

2 3

Ranges1

2

3

4

5

10 m

20 m

50 m

100 m

200 m

6

7

8

9

500 m

1000 m

2000 m

5000 m

Fence:

Power:

Precision:

-2

-1

2

6



7

The Rusty StarsEvery culture goes through hard times,

some of them are harder than others. At

times the entire younger generation can

be left twisting in the wind so the older

established generations can manage to

remain stable and provide for them andtheirs. However where does that leave

the young folks in their twenties and

thirties, desperate to leave the nest but

unable and ostracized or scorned for

their lack of jobs? The Walk of Man,

always an old fashioned place run by

some well to do senior gentry of the

blue collar variety, have always been op-

posed to unnecessary modernization.

In the face of the Walk of Man losing

business to more modernized, albeit

less plentiful, resource gathering op-

erations countless orders for resources were shifted to regions that could pro-

vide them more quickly, like Aquilons

deep water mining operations.

In the face of the modern leader-

ships stubborn refusal to modernize

and expand, many young folks were

beginning to question the wisdom of

their elders, believing that they, in fact,

may have lost perspective on what’s re-

ally important, placing their generations

values ahead of the well being of the

current generation. To that end, an or-

ganization called The Shining Stars wasfounded to protest the so called Voice

of the West’s system. Their many pro-

tests went unanswered, and one day

after nearly a year, when their protests

reached a fever pitch, as they assailed

the Council of the Voices headquarters

with over a thousand protesters, speak-

ing from bullhorns, their leader person-

ally called out Avery Savern, the cur-

rent public representative of the voice.

Their yelled arguments reached a fever

pitch, and a line was crossed, guns were

pulled, and one man was left dead. But with Saverns death, the local constables

had no absolutely no choice but to clear

the streets by force.

Alabaster, the towns Sheriff yelled at

them through his megaphone, calling

them “you damned fools are noth-

ing but rusty stars,” forever changing

how these young folks were viewed.

They were driven from the streets, ar-

rested by the dozens, high ranking of-

cers tracked down and arrested. Theirleader, a young Olympian named Jebe-

dia Kamerer. stood trial, a virtual kan-

garoo court trial, and was convicted of

the murder in less than a week. Though

due process was dubious, the video evi-

dence was absolutely irrefutable.

In the wake of Jebediahs hanging,

the men now called the Rusty Stars faced

difcult decisions without the benet

of their level headed leadership. Many

now favored direct actions and those

few that still favored rational discourse

were quickly shouted down by the oth-ers who’d lost family and friends due to

what they were calling The Purge. The

change began with acts of vandalism,

then theft of government property but

with the governments dismissive de-

nouncement of them as nothing more

than petty criminals, it quickly spread

to acts of arson and sabotage. With

this change to a more violent standing,

a new leader emerged. A disenchanted

Vanir woman named Olga Redstream.

Hailing from Cork, Olga was believed

to have been the lover of Jebediah Ka-merer. Her actions began leading the so

called Rusty Stars down a dark and an-

gry path. Reform was not forgotten, but

revenge seemed to be a much stronger

goal for many of their actions than any

real sort of social justice.

Spurred on by their seeming law-

lessness, many gangs of bandits, and in-

dividual highwayman became far bolder

and began rearing their ugly heads. Small

groups of extra-national criminals were

even beginning to suspect that the Walk

was unable, or even unwilling to expendthe resources to protect themselves.

Lawlessness was running rampant in

the walk. This led to the current proc-

lamation of open war on outlaws, the s

called ‘Season of Gunshots.’ With the

somewhat reluctant proclamation of

the bounty on outlaws, the Rusty Stars

only stepped up their aggression.

The typical rusty star agent wears cheap

imported body armor when on mission,

wearing a bandana of Red or white

around their neck, pulled up over their

faces on missions. Beyond that, they’ve

got little in the way of formal uniforms.

Their weapons are primarily imported

semi automatic weapons, and full autosif they can get them. A few more elite

soldiers in their group will carry heavier

ordnance or impressive melee weapons.

The leaders of their ‘freedom ght-

er’ groups are often simply called Leads,

and their regular recruits called ‘the

padfoots.’ A Lead will usually be slightly

better armored and armed, as well as

more experienced, and may be accom-

panied by an especially tough body

guard, the duty usually falling to quick

response trained Vanirs or Medeans.

They have a few especially eliteunits, often extremely talented merce-

naries, who they utilize for quick strike

raids and guards for their crucial fa-

cilities where they hide their growing

stocks of weapons and vehicles.

Rust Stars tend to hole up anywhere

they can, sometimes even taking over

industrial facilities, and continuing their

output for their own purposes, some-

times even feigning to continue ship-

ments and maintaining the illusion of

their bases standard operation as long

as possible.However, they often go out of their

way not to hurt the occupants if at all

possible, often keeping them guarded

for as long as they can, before pulling

out with their ill gotten goods, but a

few Rust Stars take liberties with their

prisoners, or even kill them outright for

‘supporting a system that doesn’t work.’

Few other stars condone this.



WeaponsChance to hit Damage

Snapshot Directed Aimed Range Pierce• Stun• Injury•

Strike Guard Grapple•• Deense••

Unarmed

Ranges

1 10m

2 20m

3 50m

4 100m

5 200m

6 500m

7 1000m

8 2000m

9 5000m

Armor

Stop Slow None Coverage

5 10 15 20

5 10 15 20

5 10 15 20

5 10 15 20

5 10 15 20

5 10 15 20

Wound thresholdsStun Injury Arm Leg

Critical +20

Severe +15

Serious +10

Moderate +5

Minor

Damage modifer •

Grappling modifer ••

StrengthConstitution

Toughness

Willpower

Movement

Agility

Perception

Stealth

Presence

Persuasion

HumanitiesScience

Medicine

Repair

Driving

Animal Ken

Close combat

Ranged combat

4 6 8 9 10 11 12 1314 15

-5 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Traits

Character name

Player name

4 6 8 9 10 11 12 1314 15

Backgrounds

Attributes

new horizon adventure - the ghost train

Documents