The Black Campbell

Well…not really.  I convinced the girlfriend to try gaming this weekend, and fired off a character and a solo one-shot adventure in Hollow Earth Expedition — a simple spy story set during the IV Winter Olympics in Germany.

The adventure was a straightforward spy story:  she runs into her old friend Col. Stringer, who is here working for MI6’s Z Section (although she doesn’t know this, at first.)  She goes to the ski chalet at the top of the Kreuzeck for lunch with the colonel, but he isn’t there — instead, he is skiing away, with a couple of goons in tow.  She gets some skis and gives chase only to see him apparently ski off a cliff face to his death.  Investigating, she finds out it’s the Gestapo that was chasing him, and through her cousin Sir George Paget — a British consul here for the Olympics — that he was working for His Majesty’s Government, and that he had vital intelligence on Nazi activities that the service was hoping to convince the recalcitrant British government of the dangers of Hitler and his cronies.  She finds a key, either a locker or safety deposit key, that the SS missed when sweeping his room and goes through the process of checking it with locers on the Kreuzeck, finally finding out that it is for safe deposit boxes on the Zugspitzekopf — the tallest peak surrounding Garmisch, and where Hitler is having a big party for the Olympic winners and other guests.  She has to wrangle an invitation to get to the Zugspitekopf (this was accomplished through the Mitford sisters, Diana and Unity, who were closely tied to Hitler and his friends) when she finds a small camera that Sir George insists she must get to him, or to the consulate in Innsbruch, 25 miles away in Austria.

The adventure was set up for ski chase action (the Kreuzeck sequence), for a possible attempt to search the colonel’s room before the Nazis (the player forwent that in favor of seducing and staying close to the lead investigator and stringing him along), and for discovery of her spy mission while on the Zugspitze (she does arouse suspicion, but not immediately).  I had panned for a fight sequence on the long tram line to the Zugspitzekopf, and for a possible horse-drawn carriage or car chase int he snowy streets of Garmisch.  The player almost got away without suspicion but a few bad rolls and she raises the suspicion of the Gestapo officer, who was taking her for a visit to the police station.  She managed to avoid this by starting the car and driving away, with the officer on the running board and trying to get to her.  She purposefully sideswiped a fountain in the town square, injuring the officer badly and making her escape into Austria before the police could catch her.

It was a 4 hour deal, start-to-finish, and played very well.  With some tweaking, it could work well for any system or espionage setting.

LADY ELIZABETH “BETTY” PAGET SAINT

Archetype: Adventuress     Motivation: Thrillseeker

ATTRIBUTES:   Body 2, Dexterity 3, Strength 2, Charisma 3, Intelligence 3, Willpower 3

Secondary Attributes:  Size 0, Move 5, Perception 6, Initiative 6, Defense 5, Stun 2, Health 5, Style 5

SKILLS: Acrobatics 2 (5), Athletics 2 (4), Brawl 2 (4), Bureaucracy 1 (4), Con 3 (6), Diplomacy 3 (6), Drive 2 (5), Firearms 2 (5), Investigation 2 (5), Larceny 1 (4), Linguistics 3 (6), Melee 2 (4), Performance 1 (4), Ride 1 (4), Stealth 1 (4), Streetwise 2 (5), Survival 2 (5)

RESOURCES & TRAITS:  Artifact 1: Bugatti 57 Coupe (blue/black), Attractive, Refuge 2: Plantation home in Kenya on the shore of Lake Victoria, Status 2

FLAWS: Addiction — tobacco, Danger Magnet, Hedonist, Thrillseeker

LANGUAGES: English (native), French, German, Italian, Swahili

HISTORY:  Lady Elizabeth is the only child of Lord Thomas Saint and Lady Helen Paget.  She was born on the Kenyan family plantation 1 June, 1910.  Her father was killed in action in East Africa during the Great War leading African volunteers against German troops on the border of German East Africa.  Her mother provided a base of operations for British troops on Lake Victoria and the plantation was attacked by German gunboats and sailors in 1916, but swiftly rescued by elements of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (led by Cpt. Michael Stringer.)  They were evacuated to England shortly afterward.

After the war, Lady Helen and Betty settled in Paddington, West London, and Betty attended St. Mary’s School for Girls from 1918-1926.  Her mother died shortly after she graduated from school and Betty inherited the family fortune.  She had her interests hit hard in 1929, but still has enough income from her investments to live comfortably.  She has traveled extensively, making a name for herself as an explorer and hunter. She is a woman of action, perpetually on the move and trying new things.

She also has a reputation as a fast woman — many of her friends being part of the “Happy Valley Set” of colonials living in Kenya, where many of her hunter expeditions were based out of.

Lady Elizabeth is 5’6″, 130 lbs, with dark hair and eyes.  She has a flat in Hammersmith.