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Welcome to Act 2 of the Winter Soldier event!
This Act uses many of the characters from Act 1 (datafiles in this post and this post), as well as the Player Unlockables found in that Act. Doom Unlockables for this Act are distributed among the relevant Action Scenes. You can play this adventure as a stand-alone adventure or as a follow-up to the previous adventure, either way is completely fine.
Throughout this adventure, Scene Distinctions are shown in (BLUE CAPS) and other traits are shown in “Blue Quotes.” Links to character datafiles will reference the appropriate location in the previous posts: Dramatis Personae and Datafiles Addendum: Serpent Society.
- Dramatis Personae (Initial post)
- Act 1: Kriegsfurien (previous post)
- Setup
- Action: Castle Patrols
- Action: Super-Apes
- Transition: Heinrich the Monster Dog
- Action: Red Ghost Getaway
- Wrap-up
- Act 2: Necrosis Germ (current post)
Operation Brubaker
Act 2: The Necrosis Germ
This Act has the heroes tracking down Viper in NYC, before she can fulfill her terror plot involving the fast-acting flesh-eating microbe known as the “Necrosis Germ.” Depending on how the last Act went for the heroes, Red Ghost may be in NYC to aid Viper in her plot.
Setting: NYC
New York City is the home of many superheroes in the Marvel Universe. It is here that Viper will attempt to unveil the Necrosis Germ in her terror strike against the US.
Prominent Locations
Here are some of the locations in the city that should be central to the Act.
Helicarrier: There is a Helicarrier hovering (HIGH ABOVE THE CITY). It is from here that Nick Fury (or Maria Hill) directs the search for Viper. The Helicarrier features (HUGE PROPELLERS) to keep it aloft. The operation is run inside from the (COMMAND CENTER).
Shady Bars & Hangouts: It is in places like these that heroes can begin to track down clues and informants. All these places are (SMOKE FILLED) and (POORLY LIT). Most feature (POOL TABLES) or a (BACK ROOM POKER GAME). Here heroes can learn that there is an active Hydra cell in NYC, and also that the Serpent Society has partially reformed and occupies a hideout in the city. Heroes will know that Viper has worked with the Serpent Society in the past, and that either of these leads may be worth following up in their search for Viper.
Derelict Freighter (Damocles): This derelict freighter off the Jersey Shore is the temporary HQ of a few Serpent Society members. The deck is accessible from shore via a (GANGPLANK). On the deck is a (CRANE) and a few abandoned (FREIGHT CONTAINERS.)
Below decks the ship has (NARROW CORRIDORS) leading to various (CONFINED SPACES).
Investigating the freighter’s interior or defeating and questioning the Serpent Society reveals that Viper has ordered the Serpent Society to cause a distraction in Manhattan on the day of her terror plot. This gives heroes the date that she plans something, and the biggest event happening on that date is WrestlePalooza XXIV at MetLife stadium.
Holland Tunnel: The Holland Tunnel is a highway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting the island of Manhattan in New York City with Jersey City, New Jersey at Interstate 78 on the mainland. Below the Holland Tunnel, accessed via a maintenance door, is a Hydra Cell HQ. The tunnel itself is filled with (SPEEDING TRAFFIC). The Hydra HQ consists of (MAINTENANCE TUNNELS) from which can be heard (MUFFLED TRAFFIC NOISE).
Investigating the HQ’s interior reveals blueprints and specifications for MetLife stadium. Scrawled on one of the blueprints is the name “Bonesaw McGraw”, a popular professional wrestler.
MetLife Stadium: MetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York Metropolitan Area, part of the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It has a max capacity of 82,566 fans. On the night of WrestlePalooza XXIV, the stadium has (HUGE CROWDS) of fans filling the rows of seats. In the center is a (WRESTLING RING) surrounded by many (BRIGHT LIGHTS AND STAGE EFFECTS).
Hook: Viper on the Loose!
Viper (aka Madame Hydra) has arrived in NYC with a quantity of Hydra’s new fast-acting, airborne, flesh-eating bacteria which they have dubbed the Necrosis Germ. The heroes have limited time to help S.H.I.E.L.D. locate her and neutralize her plans before she commits an act of terror with the weapon.
Watcher Note: If The Red Ghost escaped in Act 1, he will also be at large in NYC at this time, aiding Viper in her plans. It is largely up to individual Watchers to decide when and how to incorporate him into the plot. If the heroes captured and questioned him in the last Act, they may begin this Act already knowing of either the Hydra HQ or the Serpent Society HQ.
Buildup
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier hovers high above the city. From it Nick Fury (or Maria Hill if the Watcher prefers) directs the heroes in the search for Viper.
Getting into the story: The Watcher should allow the heroes to use PP’s to buy any Resources that they want, and then frame an action scene around the initial search for clues to Hydra activity in shady bars and criminal hangouts. The heroes are beating the streets looking for information.
Action: The Enforcers
While the heroes are hitting the local criminal hangouts looking for information, they may draw the attention of The Enforcers, a local group of thugs for hire. The Enforcers will at first try to intimidate the heroes to leave, but if that fails they will attempt to beat them up and rob them. They usually focus on a single target, with Montana attempting to put a lasso complication on the target, and Fancy Dan giving a support die to Ox for the big hit. Ox can also attempt to hold a hero in place by putting a “grappled” complication on the hero.
The Watcher may spend a d8 Doom to have the fight attract a mob of criminals to help the Enforcers.
Mob of Criminals:
Team 3d6 (about 10 criminals)
Distinctions: Street Toughs, Disorganized
Thug Gear: Club d6, Knife d6
SFX: Focus. If a pool includes a Thug Gear power, you may replace two dice of equal size with one die +1 step larger.
SFX: Area Attack. Add a d6 and keep an additional effect die for each additional target.
Limit: Cowards. Add d6 Doom and step up emotional stress due to fear or intimidation.
The Watcher may also spend a d8 Doom to add the Scene Distinction (POLICE SIRENS) to the scene. After a few turns he may change this to (POLICE) as the cops arrive on the scene.
Action: Hydra!
While investigating the Hydra HQ in the Holland Tunnel the heroes will more than likely have to deal with the Hydra agents there. In any one area, the heroes will only encounter about 3 or 4 Hydra agents (use the Hydra Soldier specialty character), but if trouble occurs a Hydra Squad will quickly join the fight. Use every opportunity to grow the Doom Pool here and then spend it on more Hydra for the fight! If the heroes don’t contain the problem, they will soon find themselves swarmed with Hydra goons.
The Watcher may spend d8 Doom to add another Hydra Squad, or d10 Doom to add either a Flamethrower or a Dreadnaught.
Action: Serpent Society
Either while investigating the derelict freighter or during the terror attack, the heroes will likely encounter the Serpent Society team. On the ship, the Serpents will attempt to separate the heroes. The Watcher can spend Doom for this as per the OM17. They can do this by slamming hatches and moving through portholes, etc. King Cobra will attempt to hold a hero while Cottonmouth puts the bite on the grappled do-gooder.
If the Serpents have not been dealt with before the terror event at the stadium, they will be on the streets in Manhattan afterward, causing a distraction by firing a “Rocket Launcher d6” at a movie theater, causing complications of “Trapped Victims d10” and “Fire d8.” The Serpents will engage any heroes that arrive in a brief fight, and then attempt to flee.
Transition: Helicarrier
At any point the heroes may visit the Helicarrier for stress recovery, and/or resource assets. There should only be time for one, or at a maximum two of these visits during this Act. While aboard the Helicarrier, any heroes who contact friends or loved ones will learn that those characters have obtained tickets to WrestlePalooza XXIV. The Watcher can frame the scene around the heroes hearing this news, with the friend or loved one trying to get the hero to join them at the event, or acting incredibly enthusiastic about seeing Bonesaw McGraw live.
Action: WrestlePalooza XXIV
Viper is at the MetLife stadium for the WrestlePalooza XXIV event. She plans on releasing the Necrosis Germ on the full-capacity crowd during the finale of the event, the match between Bonesaw McGraw and The Mad Mohican. The Watcher should be sure to describe the stadium and the event and the full-capacity crowd in the framing of the scene.
For the final match, Bonesaw McGraw is supposed to knock the Mad Mohican into a giant lighting display which explodes with showers of sparks and pyrotechnic rockets. The heroes find these rockets still unused in their crates, and realize that they have been replaced with Viper’s deadly germ rockets.
As Bonesaw fights Mad Mohican, the heroes make their way towards the wrestling ring before the deadly finale! Viper and 2 squads of Hydra agents will try to stop anyone attempting to reach the germ-filled rockets. If Red Ghost was not defeated in Act 1, this is a great place to add him and his apes as opposition for the heroes as well.
Along the way, the Watcher may spend d10 Doom to add a “Security d10” complication to the scene, as stadium security moves to stop the heroes from disrupting the show.
Bonesaw McGraw and Mad Mohican, being great improv entertainers, will attempt to battle any heroes that make it to the ring to stop the event.
Bonesaw McGraw and Mad Mohican (Specialty Characters, Stressed out with d10)
Wrestler d8, Solo d8, Buddy d6, Team d4, Stage Props d6
Aftermath
If the rockets launch and explode over the crowd, Viper and crew vacate, and the Necrosis Germ dissolves the crowd. Viper will use the act of terror to put fear of the Necrosis Germ into the population and make demands for the release of various supercriminals.
If the plot fails, but Viper escapes, she goes into hiding, waiting to rise again one day soon with a new plot of mass destruction… or perhaps revenge on the heroes who thwarted her this time.
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