I recently ran a “teaser” session of Hollow Earth Expedition, since one of the major character’s player was away on a cruise this week and we could finish the Battlestar Galactica game we’re running. The adventure was set in 1933, about three to four years before the main campaign will be taking place. The adventure was called Tequileros.

Background stuff: At some point, to give people an idea of what’s going on in the world, I dropped a bunch of newspaper headlines… Germany has withdrawn from the League of Nations and World Disarmament Conference after allies refused their request to increase their defenses in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The United Boeing 247 that was destroyed over Chesterton, Indiana appears to have been due to a bomb. “Machine Gun” George Kelly and his wife Kate have been convicted of the federal crime, under the LIndbergh Law, for kidnapping oilman Charles F Urschel and Kelly is to be one of the first inmates of the new prison the feds just took over from the army — Alcatraz. Congress is considering the effort to amend the Constitution to end Prohibition. Willy Post has done the first solo circumnavigation of the Earth by plane in just under eight days.

The characters are in San Diego County, California for whatever reason. They will at some point be at a restaurant or public space where they will be asked by Treasury Agent Dennis Dunn and San Diego County Sheriff Matt Mitchell to form a posse. They have word that one of the big bootleggers in the city is about to receive a massive shipment of tequila from Tijuana. The tequileros are trying to avoid interception by moving the booze over the border out in the desert to the east of town.

They will need to track down the most likely avenue of approach, either through talking to the Mexican zoot suiters (it a bit early for them, but it’s too good a flavor to not use) or by combing the desert using tracking skills. Eventually, they’ll find Lucas Saavedra, the local bootlegger, out in the middle of the desert with a big bag full of cash and four mooks that are there to take possession of the trucks the Mexicans are bringing over. Two Ford BBs or a similar 1.5-2 ton pickup will come over the line in a dry wash with a driver and a “shotgunner” — probably armed with a pistol and shotgun — and 4-6 of mounted and armed guards for protection. Saavedra and his mooks will be similarly armed, but if you need to bump up the difficulty, give someone a BAR or a Tommy Gun. (It’s pre-1935 gun regulations.)

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