iadawn

This was from one of the campaigns I am running. Set in WW2 following a couple of agents who are working for N. I had planned for them to go through a something based on an old scenario called Thoth's Dagger. However, my players I think were bored so decided to go off and explore the gate spell that they had aquired whilst avoiding Nazi's and cultists in Rennes. I was happy to pursue this because how gates function is left nicely vague in the main book. This was a good chance to set some parameters for them to use it. Their main goals was to work out if they could open a gate into Hitler's bunker and drop a large bomb in there. Turns out they can't Kevin

This report outlines experimentation with a 'spell' termed 'gate' by Agents M and S. This report is submitted to N for considerations on the use of gate by SOE. Background Whilst foiling a plot to awaken an unknown entity in occupied Rennes, agents M and S, obtained a book of lore on the real enemy containing a number of 'spells'. One such spell, henceforth called 'gate', seemed to relate to the confinement of the unknown entity. As seems to be the norm for these books, the writing was criptic and laced with metaphor and allusion but seemed to point to gate being a method by which two points in space could be connected. See also the report on the D*** Y**** in Detling. Agents M and S wished to conduct some experiments on the parameters of use for gate to determine what applications may be possible. Setup For the purposes of security, an empty hanger was requsitioned at the MOD R&D facility near Colchester. Engineers constructed two separate rooms within the hanger; one 15' x 15' (origin room) the other 10' x 10' (target room). Both rooms were 8' high with no roof. The origin room was provided with a double door to allow for large animals to easily enter the room. The target room was provided with a standard sized door. A pallet and hand lifter were requsitioned to transport any carcases following the initial setup. The initial setting up of the 'spell' calls for a 'sacrifice of thy will' that must 'be given with the living blood of thy beating heart'. Having seen other instances where sacrifices did not necessarily need to be personal, nor indead from a human (see Detling report) a number of farmyard animals were sourced and available to determine what was necessary in order to set up the gate. These included rats, chickens, sheep, and cows. Should larger animals be required arrangements could be made with London Zoo. As it transpired a chicken was sufficient to power the creation of the gate between the origin room and target room. The book hints that more power is required for more distance but the equations is extremely opaque. More experiementation with distance would be necessary to determine requirements for sacrifices. On completion of the intial set up a gate appeared in both rooms. The gate was visible as a slight distortion in the air with a slight shimmer of colour, as with oil on water. Agent M was able to see Agent S through the gate. Use of gate The book warns against the flagrant abuse of gates alluding to a cost in 'reason and vital energy'. As such experimentation contined with the chickens that were available and other inanimate objects to determine how the gate might be used. The following outlines actual trials, results, and notes on the outcome. Sound Description: Agent S called quietly to Agent M through the gate Result: The sound was heard as if in the hanger, not as if Agent S was standing beside Agent M Notes: Sound does not seem to pass through the gate limiting it's use as a long range spying device. It may still be feasible for use in observation however. Coin Description: A coin was thrown at the gate Result: The coin hit the gate as if striking a wall Notes: Is the coin able to 'pay' the cost in 'reason and vital energy'? Is more force required? Grenade Description: Agent S threw a grenade at the gate Result: The grenade hit the gate as if striking a wall. Thankfully Agent S saw fit not to prime the grenade Notes: Reinforces experiment with coin and possibly limits use of gate for sowing destruction. Ensure Agent S does not have any armaments on him in future experiments. Chicken Description: A healthy chicken was thrown at the gate Result: The chicken passed through the gate (and was subsequently thrown back by Agent S). The chicken did not appear to suffer from any discomfort beyond that of being thrown around Notes: Suggests that what is passing through must be alive somehow to 'pay' the cost Chicken with a key tied to it Description: An iron key was secured to a chicken with string and all was thrown at the gate Result: The chicken and the key passed through the gate Notes: Suggests that the cost somehow covers carried items. How big though and what counts as being 'carried'? Chicken with a dummy satchel charge strapped to it Description: A dummy satchel charge was procured and strapped to a chicken securely. The chicken and satchel were thrown at the gate Result: The chicken and the charge passed through the gate Notes: Could be used on hard to reach targets to clear obstacles, cause fear, or eliminate key personel Rat with a grenade tied to it Description: A grenade was secured to a rat and the whole package was thrown at the gate Result: The rat and the grenade passed through the gate Notes: Was the rat carrying the grenade? Again, unclear on what constitues being 'carried' Rat on a stick Description: Agent S tied a rat to a stick and pushed the rat back and forth through the gate Result: The rat initially showed no signs of discomfort (beyond its irritation at being tied to a stick). After four trips through the gate the rat began to show signs of damage, initially with blood from nose. After five further trips the rat died suffering from excessive blood from nose, mouth, anus and ears. Notes: Human use may need to be monitored for any signs of trauma and stopped immediately on such signs Further experimentation could be carried out to explore larger animals and how the cost is paid. For example, if a human rode through on a horse, would both pay? If an unconscious human rode through on a horse, would only the horse pay. Reducing the cost for humans may be a valuable avenue for exploration. Closing the gate The book was unclear on how gates were closed and how long they lasted. The experimental gate lasted two days whilst being used. It proved difficult to dismiss the gate without the use of an elder sign (see Rennes report). Given the sign takes an hour to activate this introduces a risk that the gate could be used by hostile forces whilst efforts are made to close the gate. Other text speak of gates that are only usable when a gesture is made or a phrase is spoken. This was introduced successfully with subsequent gates used in this study. Positioning the terminus Subsequent experimentation moved on to determining how the target gate is positioned. Rather optimistically Agent S returned to London and took a room at the May Fair. He then telephoned Agent S and indicated which room he was in and Agent S attempted to open a gate to the room. Unfortunately targeting seems to require more precise information. N has removed the police reports regarding the incident on the grounds of national security and the unfortunate young lady residing in room 24 has been moved to the secure psychiatric facilities normally frequented by Agent M. For the next experiment on targeting, Agent M was sent to a nearby army base where a room was made available for the experiment. Agent S was provided with a map, coordinates and a thorough description of where Agent M was stationed. This seemed to be sufficient for targeting the terminus and the gate was opened successfully. In a fit of what could generously be called scientific curiousity, Agent M stepped through the gate. He described a strange feeling of flying and being sucked as if by a vaccum cleaner all over. He also felt some mild mental discomfort from the experience. Whilst he is used to this discomfort, those not so innured may need to be prepared for the experience. In his enthusiasm for the experiment, Agent M forgot that he would be required to step back through the gate to avoid the security problems of him disappearing from one secure facility and appearing in another. Conclusions Gates seem to provide an opportunity for the movement of small forces or supplies as part of other covert efforts. Large scale use may be possible but raises concerns regarding how the public my view such phenmoena. Further experimentation is required to determine what distances are possible. The difficulty of placement of terminus removes any immediate opportunities for surgical strikes but with additional reconnaissance data this may become feasible.

Bumped into this article on the Daily Mail (don't worry you don't need to read their jornalism ;)) with some fantastic 1920s photos from the New South Wales Police Department. Some really nice pictures and some of the snippets about the people are quite interesting as well. Enjoy Kevin

Hi All, Now that I finally have the physical copies of the the game (woo hoo :)), I am starting a group at my local games café to run through A Time to Harvest. I want to create a little flyer to promote the session and was wondering if using the existing imagary for this purpose is ok. Also, has anyone else done this? Cheers Kevin