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Fifteen years of being a Game Master, and I keep this blog alive so my favorite players can access the latest scenarios—and, more importantly, reminisce about epic campaigns played long ago. If you’ve got any fond memories from years back, this is where you relive them!
On the Rails: Steam, Danger, and Intrigue
After sobering up from a heavy night, Seth suggested to Commander Richard that they should leave someone behind in Turin to act as a contact and spy. The commander agreed, and the Major carefully reviewed his team. After calling back a few people, he finally presented his pick for the mission: Anaïs Mirepoix. Loaded with just enough info and a protocol for contacting the train, she stayed in Turin, ready to serve the cause.
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Pierre and Gabin scanned the map together, estimating the journey. Pierre focused on how many stops their mammoths Manni and Diego would need for a stretch; Gabin did the math on coal. The Chief Engineer straightened up and got to work—he called in the other ‘Coal Priests’, and together they built up steam. The train shuddered softly as pipes carried energy down each carriage and, slowly at first, it pulled out of Turin. Gabin kept an eye on every gauge as the speed climbed; the machine began obeying more smoothly, and he gave himself a brief internal high-five.
Meanwhile, the team was in high spirits. Bricks, Amanda, and Seth organized games and contests on board. You could hear roars of victory and groans of defeat as the crew staked their earnings. Seth glimpsed one woman raking in some winnings—he made a mental note: she needed looking into.
The Book of Merrick and Sudden Alarms
Anthony sat in his cabin, working through a translation of Merrick’s journal. It was all ‘global warming’ this and ‘nuclear fusion’ that—most of it made zero sense to him. An illustration titled ‘nuclear bomb’ caught his eye, even if he had no idea how it worked. Another showed a gigantic fireball floating in a black void—a caption simply identified it as the Sun. A priest he often debated the book with had told him a few cycles ago:
“The power to thaw the world rests in knowledge lost to time.”
That phrase was stuck in Anthony’s head as he took a moment to reflect, staring at the array of indicator lights displaying the train’s status. Suddenly, the train’s comm system crackled, jarring him from his thoughts—someone was about to speak. He leaned in and pressed the button.
When he was finished listening, he raised a brow—it sounded like nonsense, not alarming or threatening, just odd. And it weirdly reminded him of a woman he’d never been able to track down after Balkash.
—Gabin speaking, calmly and firmly: “If there’s a problem with this train, find it and fix it. Fast.”
Feeling edgy, Commander Richard decided it was time to show he wasn’t scared of the situation. Maybe, by walking the length of the train, he’d find some peace. Gabin, on the other hand, grew even more anxious. He called all his coal priests—including those off-duty. The comm buzzed again with yet another almost-worrying but gentle message…
Life Onboard: Games, Investigation, and Unrest
The commander, to his surprise, found the crew pretty calm. Or, looked at another way, nobody showed signs of panic—when he got to the mess hall he figured out why. No one had heard the message over their rowdy cheering, arm wrestling and mock combat. Annoyed at their lack of discipline, Anthony continued on to the stables, where he found Pierre quietly polishing Diego’s tusks.
“Usually,” Pierre said, “I hear useful info, or orders, or requests for backup. But never in a language this impossible. Plus, it’s always a guy talking, not a woman.”
Anthony turned right around and went back. All that walking just made things worse. Back at the locomotive, Gabin was grinning from ear to ear. One of the coal priests had deciphered the mystery message: it wasn’t about their train at all, but a TGV (high-speed train) that was late. And as ‘Première Aube’ was definitely not a TGV, it was no big deal, especially since the messages abruptly stopped. The Commander cut Gabin off, still feeling uneasy, and returned to his quarters.
Later, Amanda radioed in from the lookout: there was a crowd spotted in the snow—it looked like a trading group. Commander Richard ordered a stop as close as possible, much to his satisfaction. Seth, binoculars in hand, announced—anger tinting his voice—that there were mutations afoot in this gang of traders.
Trading, Trouble, and Survival
The misshapen men who approached were well armed. They weren’t overtly threatening, but you wouldn’t trust them with the keys to your pantry. One presented himself as chief of the clan and confirmed the Major’s suspicions: he had ‘meat’ to sell—meaning able-bodied fighters, and maybe some family members. Fully aware of how thin his military personnel were stretched, Richard agreed to buy a batch, but only those able to fight. The price? 8 baks per head. Not wanting to waste time, they closed the deal and added about fifty to the crew—at the cost of 400 baks for the mutant clan.
Gabin got the train running again. The new passengers barely had time to realize they’d been saved—and formally joined the ranks of ‘the Ambivalents’—when a blaring siren swept through the cars. Anthony dashed for the lookout, Pierre for the stables, Amanda and Bricks wrung their hands—there was nothing left for them to do except wait. As Pierre readied the mammoths for a boarding action, the Commander heard the watch’s report: a heavily armed red train was in pursuit! Wrenching the binoculars from an unlucky guard, Richard scanned the horizon. The pursuing train not only flew the Viking Union’s banners but also had its cannons leveled at ‘Première Aube,’ and was closing second by second. With a furious gesture, he grabbed the communicator and mashed out a call to Gabin.
With a look of steely resolve and a private thought—“She and I, we understand each other now. The machine will answer my call…”—Gabin gave the orders. His team needed no further explanation. The pressure built; steam screamed, the needles twitched into the red. The machine, for a moment, seemed to have a mind of its own. But their gamble paid off—barely. And so begins the next twist in the journey…
