Review 35: Escape the Organ Rail
Trains are a great device for stories-- movies, TV shows, books, games, what have you. They're a prime example of how a certain type of constraint on the environment can really easily escalate the intensity of the events that are taking place. Trains combine a lot of these kinds of constraints; a narrow physical space that a bunch of people are sharing, typically moving in a single direction (or not at all), and generally completely out of the control of the passengers. Naturally, for a western-themed game, a train adventure is an obvious next step. This week I'm talking about Escape the Organ Rail, the introductory adventure for Frontier Scum.
This adventure was written by Frontier Scum's creator, Karl Druid, with art by Skullfungus and Chalkdown, with proofreading and editing by Walton Wood. The general premise is that the PCs are prisoners on an infamous train that spews blood-red smoke from its boiler, being carried across the desert to Fort Gullet where they'll be hanged for their crimes. The PCs must escape their cell and find supplies and equipment to allow them to actually survive the desert after getting off the train. I ran this as written with some randomly generated scum.
Getting it to the Table
Since this is coming from a lot of the same minds at Stockholm Kartell (EDIT: Karl says he's not allowed in the Kartell because he doesn't live in Stockholm, and thus had to start his own black licorice-based kaball) that wrote the Mörk Borg adventures I've reviewed, there are a lot of similarities to the great layout that makes prepping for a game an easy affair. There are a couple of minor differences that made it unique while still keeping it very usable. After the introduction and a couple of full-page art pieces, we are given a flavorful rumor table and some general details about the train itself (what it's made of, what can and can't be destroyed, etc) as well as how the PCs will start the adventure (imprisoned with none of their gear except a chance for some smuggled stuff). There is also information about climbing on top of the train cars and moving along that way-- as anyone who has watched a western movie will almost certainly want to try, and will thus experience the dangers from the various flying creatures that always follow this particular train around.
The next several pages are dedicated to each train car, and they are laid out in a consistent way that makes referring to them very easy. After the name of each car we are given a concise phrase containing sensory details about the location-- for example, the starting location is the Prison Car and it is "Sauna hot, smelling of sweat and worse". Then there are bullet points detailing the key points of interest, followed by further detail where it is needed and any relevant stat blocks. Instead of the typical Stockholm Kartell mini map, we get a fairly detailed illustration of the train car in profile view, with a diagram below noting the car's position relative to the rest of the train. Most of the train cars are detailed in a single page, with the next car in sequence on the facing page, but some are larger and thus the whole spread covers the entire car. This layout combined with the special binding on the Frontier Scum book which allows it to lay flat on the table is a brilliant bit of synergy that really makes it easy to refer to at the table.
Finally, there is an "Epilogue" section with a d20 table of possible campaign hooks for further play after escaping from the train, nearly all of which result in the PCs ending up penniless, in a tough scrape, or pursued by the law. Or all three. They all tie to various places in the game's region map, so it's a very simple and effective way to help new GMs kickstart a campaign.
What Worked?
- Fantastic layout. You've got clean and concise presentation of useful information combined with detailed illustrations to help set the mood for the players.
- Trains! By virtue of being in a constrained physical space, this is a pretty linear adventure. As I've written about before, that doesn't mean it's a railroad (despite the obvious joke)-- the players have plenty of options to choose from and how they progress through the space does matter, but the drama and the danger is increased by the limitation.
- Very generous campaign hooks. That table alone is one single page in an entire rulebook, and it has 20 great game ideas. Excellent bang for your buck.
What Didn't Work?
- "In-Person Only" gimmick. To be fair, I actually love the optional suggestion in the barracks car. This area is where several guards are sleeping when the PCs enter, and there is a box in the text that reads: "Optional: Whisper in this room and see which players catch on." Later in the description, there is a mechanic for waking up the guards: "Talk Without Whispering (even in real life): Check Luck or wake the guards." This rules, and is a great way to play with expectations of a game like this, but unfortunately I have only had the opportunity to run it online with voice chat, so whispering would only result in my voice not being picked up by my microphone. The only reason I'm putting it in the "Didn't Work" section is because of this limitation.
Final Thoughts
Frontier Scum is definitely one of my favorite games to have been released in recent years, and I keep coming back to it again and again. I've played a lot of weird west games, and honestly it's a bit refreshing to have the supernatural aspects played down-- there are some bits of it in this adventure, but they're visceral and "real" enough that you can't really just chalk it up to the usual magical "wizard did it" explanation that weird west games often force in.
You can currently get Frontier Scum at Exalted Funeral, though they tend to blow through copies quickly. Thanks for reading!