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Bossko B.
England Brierley Hill The Black Country
Finally started Role-Playing again!!!
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Terror of the Delph
Player Characters Holmes - Time Lord who escaped the Time War Dorian Craze - Victorian Soldier working for the Torchwood Institute Trixx - a Vinvocci tech working for the Torchwood Institute
Deep down a coal mine a lone miner with only his hardhat lamp to give him light is startled by a strange sound. "John," he calls out, "I told you ‘bout messin’ about." But the sound gets louder and as the man turns he screams in sheer TERROR!
[Cue the opening Theme - except my battery ran out on my mobile, oh rabbits! (as Tegan would say)]
The TARDIS drifts gently, for a change, through the space/time vortex. Dorian Craze and Trixx explored the TARDIS, though they had been warned not to wander too far. With the first time to relax since his regeneration Holmes was in the Wardrobe Room choosing a more fitting outfit. His eventual choice was similar to the cricketing outfit worn by the 5th Doctor, but with a coat much like the 10th’s.
As Holmes entered the console room the TARDIS materialised [cue sound effects - oh, phone is still dead!] The readout says they are on the moon in the 54th Century, although the damage caused by Moriarty’s exploding time-ship (see 2Minutes - http://rpg.geekdo.com/thread/486140/doctor-who-2-minutes) had messed with the readouts somewhat. Holmes activated the visual scanner, 50" plasma screen with 5.1 surround, and was given the view of a wooden fence. The group decided the best thing was to just go outside, and they found that the TARDIS had materialised in the back garden of a new looking terraced house. It was a joint back garden but neither resident was in; there was an ally between the houses. [GM note: one of the players had already sussed out that this was in fact my house] They could tell it was early morning. They walked down the ally and found them selves in a street, a slight hill, with terraced houses on either side. It was now they noticed the thick smoke in the air indicating some form of heavy industry in the area.
A couple of miners were walking down the road, John and Alfred. Holmes was pleasant and found out they were in the town of Brierley Hill in the Black Country, England. The road is Delph Road and leads down towards one of the many collieries of the area. The year is 1910, and it is March 14th.
History lesson: Brierley Hill is in an area known as the Black Country. The area got its name due to the heavy industry in the area. There used to be many collieries and steel works. And an unrelated note, it was believed to be the inspiration for Mordor in Lord of the Rings.
John, a rough looking fellow in his 30’s, questioned why they were by Jones’s house. Holmes made excuses they were old friends. This caused John and Alfred to revela that Jones had moved aware after there had been a couple of unexplained deaths in the pit, that and the rumours of monsters. Alfred, who was no more than 17, seemed to believe in the monsters while John dismissed such things claiming folk just couldn’t hold their beer.
John and Alfred continue to work, and after a short discussion Holmes and his companions decide to investigate. As they reach the bottom of the Delph (Delph Road, it’s knows as the Delph) the colliery entrance is near the first of nine locks along the nearby canal. Dorian sees a squaddie by the side of the lock and goes to investigate. As he does he sees that he is just a Private, and there is tarpaulin covering something up the other side of the lock. Rather than investigate Dorian wakes the Private and chastises him for being asleep. Despite the Private accepting Dorian’s rank of Lt. colonel he says he still cannot let him see under the tarpaulin. Eventually Trixx & Homes walk over and Dorian tries his Torchwood credentials. Surprisingly the Private says Torchwood were expected and then lets them look. All that is under the tarpaulin is the wreckage of a barge. The group examine it and Holmes discovers that the pattern of the burn marks could only have been caused by a high intensity heat weapon, certainly nothing mankind has at current technology levels. The Private says that Captain Wainwright will want to see them, he is using a local primary school, Mount Pleasant, as a base of operations.
The group trek back up the Delph and find Mount Pleasant School. There are warning signs on the doors and windows advising parents the school is closed for health reasons, a cover story for the military.
More history: in 1910 Mount Pleasant School was indeed closed due to a diphtheria outbreak.
The School Hall is the base of operations and the group are greeted by the Scottish Sgt. Shaw who introduces them to Captain Wainwight. The Captain is a tall thin man, his uniform impeccable. After formal greeting the group learn that this military operation is under Torchwood control. They were sent here to investigate the two deaths and underground movement. The Captain has a high tech device much like a radar scope, another piece of technology out of time, this time provided by the Torchwood Institute. Holmes offers his help and the Captain asks if he can learn more from one of the miners who saw something but is now keeping quiet. Holmes agrees.
Sgt Shaw goes with the group as they travel in a new Dennis army van back down the Delph and down Brettell Lane where Mr. Smith lives with his wife next to the grocers. Mrs. Smith is friendly and puts on a pot of tea, but Mr. Smith just sits in his armchair before a flickering open fire staring into nothing. Holmes tries simple talk at first to no avail. Then he reaches over and touches Mr. Smith on the forehead [spending a story point to activate his latent Time Lord telepathy powers]. Mr. Smith’s attitude changes and he describes the monster he saw. He says that the mines open up into a series of large caves. The creature he describes is very much that of a Triceratops dinosaur!
The group travel back to the school with the intention of suggesting to Captain Wainwright that they search the mines. But when the arrive the Captain has just hung up the phone. "Mr. Holmes," say the Captain, "Dudley Wood Colliery. There has been another murder!"
[cue the... oh.. my phone is still dead. We’ll hum it; dum dum dee dum, dum dum dee dum... ] 
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Eric Dodd
New Zealand Martinborough Wairarapa
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I like the way you've stuck your local history into the scenario, very neat.
I suspect the Monsters of the Week might be:
Spoiler (mouseover to reveal): Silurians!
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Bossko B.
England Brierley Hill The Black Country
Finally started Role-Playing again!!!
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he he... that they may well be.
But the DELPH itslf has yet to show.
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Gordy Crozier
United Kingdom
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Have to say reading your adventures makes me want to play this. I have the starter set but alas have yet to talk my gaming group into giving it a go!
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Bossko B.
England Brierley Hill The Black Country
Finally started Role-Playing again!!!
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One thing is not to let your gaming group dwell on it being Doctor Who. I'm going to try and write up tonights one-off adventure I ran down the local games club. A couple of the players were not avid DW viewers but a great time was had by all.
It's a great story-teller system really and the emphasis is taken away from combat - mainly because shooting most monsters does nothing anyway. It's about player ingenuity, and believe me, when they have to every player will come up with some inventive ideas.
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