[Review] Among the Dead

Written by Mark Galeotti & Loren K. Wiseman (1992, GDW)

Among the Dead is an 82-page adventure published in 1992 by GDW for the Dark Conspiracy game line. Complete with GDW’s higher-than-average quality of layout and art (at least for the time), this scenario is one of the best ever produced for DC, although it’s not without its flaws.

The one-line summary Among the Dead is “a cracking good read, bringing  Russia — at least Russia as it exists in the world of Dark Conspiracy — to life”. However, while the story begins strong, with a detailed introduction and hook, the scenario soon fades as the initial mystery is lost among a variety of competing agendas.

That said, it’s hard to do this scenario justice in one simple sentence, so let’s look at Among the Dead in a little more detail…

The Build

As a physical product, Among the Dead matches anything that was produced by any RPG company at the time. Complete with thick paper stock, and a sturdy glue binding, it is robust enough to handle being banged around in one’s carry bag (as mine was) and will sit open flat (with a little coercion) without breaking the spin. The artwork is good quality black and white line drawings, with a fair mix of half and full-page pieces from a trio of GDW regulars (Dell Harris, Ed Geier and Paul Daly). Each of the main NPCs has a headshot – as was common at the time – and the cover – while not the most evocative – is taken right out of a potential scene from the adventure.

In regards to the makeup of the book itself, the scenario is divided into seven main sections; five of which describe the core storyline and main events of the plot, while the final two detail the history and setting of the scenario’s two main locations – New York and Moscow.

The Hook

Probably one of the best, and arguably most interesting, aspects of this scenario is its hook – or how the characters get involved in the story. Here the group are approached by a rich Russian immigrant, Alexander Lobov, and is asked (or hired) to discover what has happened to his niece, Annya Makasheva. Annya is one of Lobov’s few remaining relatives, and was in New York, training as a nurse, when she suddenly vanished. While this is not an overly original introduction to an investigative adventure, it is the presentation of this initial lead — a series of handwritten letters — that brings the story to life and adds a little bit of ‘something special’ to the hook.

I’ve personally used this type of adventure hook on several occasions and it has to be, in my opinion, the best way of getting a group of players invested into a plot. The addition of something physical to hold and read not only lays out the first logical steps in the investigation but also really helps the game get over the ‘hump’ of an initial session (where the players generally are still getting into character and are usually a little lost as to where the story will take them).

The Chase

Once the characters accept the job for Lobov, they quickly discover that Roosevelt Island Children’s Hospital—the hospital where Annya worked as a nurse—is covering up some rather suspicious activities. The sections The Big Apple and The Hospital detail the investigation into these leads, and draw the characters deeper into the mystery.

Referee’s Synopsis – something dark lurks in the heart of New York… and places beyond

Suffice it to say that the party should quickly discover that Annya’s disappearance isn’t the only thing of interest going on at the hospital and that they are now on the trail of some larger, more sinister, conspiracy. Amongst such discoveries are crates labelled BPX, which will quickly become the ‘white rabbit’ (i.e. consistent lead) for the rest of the adventure. This part of the adventure also concludes with one of the ickiest revelations I’ve read in a role-playing game, and when you throw in the characters suddenly being trapped in Moscow (I won’t spoil why or how these two events occur) you can be assured that I was suitably ‘creeped out’.

Into the Light is a very brief section that deals with the direct aftermath of the characters’ arrival in Moscow. This is likely the first opportunity the group will have to draw weapons and cause a little mayhem in the adventure, although, equally, they might be a little cautious as to the motivations of the various parties they will encounter here. However, once the goals at least of one of these groups are clarified, it becomes obvious that the characters are now deep within Russia with little chance of an immediate return to New York (nor any other place in the US in general!). Probably more than a little lost, and with Annya’s trail gone cold, the characters are directed to discover the meaning of the BPX-labelled crates.

This investigation is the subject of the next section, Down Amongst the Dead Men. Again this part of the story is quite open, with many avenues of exploration available to the players. Eventually, all these clues point to one project; the upgrade of Moscow’s underground rail system by a company listed as ‘Metro 1’, and more specifically their work on the former Proletarian Square station. Once inside they, discover that something very sinister is happening underground and that the abomination that resides within the old station must be destroyed. Fortunately for the characters, there is plenty of help available to them, if they play their cards right. From Major Vladimir Samsonov, case officer of the Aliens’ Board (a representative of the only government organisation offering any hope of the party ever returning to America) and Zhao Qing, a Metro 1 employee who has become highly suspicious of the company and its goals through to others who will help to ensure that players don’t get too lost in this strange new world.

After the (likely) destruction of the Proletarian Square station, the Minion Hunters will come to the attention of the city’s controlling committee (which likes to call itself – Committee for the Salvation of the Motherland) the results of which are the subject of the section labelled Steel Angel. With the fate of the characters’ exit visas in the hands of this committee it probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that, in return for the appropriate signatures, the group is asked to undertake one further mission. This task takes the characters to Kazan (a city politically aligned to Moscow), where it is soon revealed that not only have some 200-plus citizens disappeared, but reports of real life werewolves run rampant! This portion of the scenario is much more linear than those previously presented, and the Minion Hunters quickly discover that presence of a powerful Dark Minion and the existence of a hidden Gulag are responsible for the rising fear within the city. It is therefore up to the party to again act and destroy these threats, fulfilling their side of the bargain with the Committee. Upon their eventual return to Moscow, the Hunters might be surprised to learn that their ally Samsonov has located Annya, who is unfortunately sedated in a sanatorium! Thankfully, securing the woman’s release is much easier than one might expect and with this success, the entire group can return to America (by much more conventional routes) to a successful conclusion to the adventure.

Supplement Extras

Into the Light… we’re not in New York any more, Toto!

As noted, the final couple of sections of this supplement detail aspects of the main locations presented in the adventure. The New York section notes the city’s founding and how the metroplex has grown to become New Boswash. With a focus on Manhattan Island (map included), it briefly describes the island’s key neighbourhoods and provides examples of some of the types of encounters one might have there. Further notes also detail the city’s government and law enforcement structures, as well as its transportation systems.

The Moscow section is considerably more comprehensive (which is unsurprising given that the supplement’s target audience is likely to be much more familiar with New York than  Moscow. This includes an overview of the city in the Dark Conspiracy setting (again with a large map) and describes how the Red Army is organised in running the city.

A final couple of subsections round out the book; Russian Nightmares, details six Russian legends as Darklings to add your adventures, while Weapons and Vehicles details 10 Russian weapons (some of which have previously appeared in the Twilight 2000 supplement Infantry Weapons of the World) and two Russian vehicles (the Volga Sedan and GAZ Sportabout). Both of these make good additions to the core adventure and they add much to the feeling of the Moscow setting.

Opinions

It’s hard to exactly say what I think of Among the Dead. On its surface, it is a pretty interesting mini-campaign set in a totally new location for players (with the Dark Conspiracy core rule book being very American-centric), but as much as the setting is inspiring, the actual scenario itself is less so… or perhaps I should say, that it all feels a bit too rushed. I say this, as after a top-notch introduction, the scenario breaks into what feels more like three loosely connected adventures than one consistent story; each of these sections’ having almost deserved an eighty-page supplement all to themselves. The first part of the story is definitely the strongest in my opinion, with enough investigation in New York and the hospital to make it feel as if the characters really are being lured into a ‘conspiracy’. The second section, the investigation in Moscow, is almost as good, although I’ve experienced players feeling a little lost and confused when they reach this point, especially with the sudden change of focus with the plot (i.e. no longer simply hunting for Annya). Unfortunately, the third section, that portion set in Kazan, is by far the weakest, with a story that feels overly linear and a plot line that is not very exciting to read or run. The fact that the motivation in this last portion is quite contrived (i.e. do as we demand or you don’t get home!) just adds to this feeling of disappointment and it is a rather a shame to finish up what has otherwise been a very entertaining story in such a way.

Down Among The Dead Men – Where the Minion Hunters head back into the darkness…

While that might have brought a low note to the supplement, the scenario’s worst sin in the book has to be the sudden dropping of Annya’s storyline from the main plot. From experience, this sudden change of focus just confuses the players and forces the Referee to get the players to focus on the BPX story. I get the feeling that the first section, the one I like the most, was actually added to the book after it was submitted to GDW (although don’t quote me on that, this is pure conjecture!). However, I can understand why something like this might have been added; most Minion Hunters (let alone their players) would be US-based, and getting them involved in the Russian storyline would be immensely difficult without some solid hook. Now I don’t want that to sound as if I’m dismissing the Russian portions of the adventure, as author Mark Galeotti knows his stuff (in fact looking him up on the web, it seems that he is currently Academic Chair of the Center for Global Affairs at New York University and an expert on Russian security), but these sections never quite flow as nicely – both in their depth and quality – as the first part in New York.

On a more positive note, I really do appreciate the open structure of the core story and how important information is relayed to both the Referee and the players. It rarely feels as if the plot is being fully ‘railroaded’ (apart from the ‘directive’ the Minion Hunters get from the committee, of course), with leads being made available in a natural feeling order and important plot points being presented in such a manner as to be easily inserted when and where the Referee feels they are most appropriate. It is rare (outside of Call of Cthulhu) for adventures from the 80’s or 90’s to follow this type of open storytelling structure, and here it adds much to the quality and sustainability of the product.

Finally, on a personal note, I’ve run this adventure a couple of times now, and in both instances have found it difficult to progress the story past the character’s arrival in Moscow. I don’t know why this is, perhaps being thrust unknowingly into a chaotic and corrupt Russia is too much of a shock for the players? Despite this, I heartily recommend this scenario to any Referee looking to change up the traditional Dark Conspiracy setting and take their game in a totally different direction.  Sure, I would liked to have seen a few more suggestions about other types of adventures that could have taken place in Moscow (or Russia in general), and potential Referees should probably look closely at expanding the final portions of the plot to give the mini-campaign a better overall flow, but beyond these points Among the Dead is a solid addition to the Dark Conspiracy game line.