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Appendix F: One-Shot Module - "The Longest Night"

The players, as themselves, must navigate a sudden, city-wide blackout. The challenges are mundane and logical, but the pressure of the situation and their own innate strengths will push them to the brink, culminating in a shared, transformative experience. This module is designed to teach the Psychromattica System's rules layer by layer in a grounded, realistic setting.

Session Zero: The Setup

  1. The Concept: The Curator explains, "You are not playing a character; you are playing you. We're going to explore what happens when an extraordinary event happens to ordinary people. The choices you make should be what you would do."
  2. The Seed Keyword: The Curator says, "Everyone has a core trait, something that defines them. In this game, that is a 'Seed Keyword.' I want you to look at the list and choose one keyword that you feel represents a core part of your personality. Are you great at talking your way out of things? Maybe it's Charismatic. Are you the person who always seems to have a plan? Maybe it's Insightful. Are you incredibly stubborn and resilient? Sturdy or Survivor might fit. Briefly tell me why you chose it. This is your only special ability right now. It is important."
  3. The Scene: The Curator asks, "So, where are you all hanging out on this cool spring evening? It's about 9 PM. Are you at someone's apartment for game night? Watching a movie? Just chilling?" Let the players decide this. It's their first group decision.

Episode Template: "The Longest Night"

  • Season: 1
  • Arc: The Awakening
  • Timeline Position: Tick 1

Act 1: The Sudden Silence

Narrative: The goal of this act is to establish the players' ordinary lives and introduce the absolute core mechanic of the game (Effort Roll vs. Target Number) in a mundane, non-threatening context. The act ends when the players overcome their immediate confinement and decide to venture into the wider world.

Results: (To be filled in by the Curator after play)

Nodes:

  • Canon Node: The Blackout Event (Introduction)
  • Player Node: The Cell (Formation)
  • Supporting Node: The Apartment (Location)

Scene 1: The Familiar Room (The Hook)

  • The Hook: The players are gathered in a familiar, comfortable location of their choosing (an apartment, a house for game night, etc.) on a cool spring evening around 9 PM. The Curator asks them to describe the space and what they are doing, establishing a baseline of normalcy.
  • The Transition: Without warning, every light and electronic device dies. Not with a flicker, but a single, sharp click. The ambient hum of the city vanishes, replaced by an unnerving silence. Phones are discovered to be completely inert—not just out of battery, but like bricks of glass and plastic. The players are plunged into near-total darkness, cut off from the outside world.
  • The Decision: What is the first, immediate thing the players do? Do they search for a flashlight? Try to open a window to see outside? Huddle together? Their first choice leads directly into the next scene.

Scene 2: The Locked Door (The Challenge)

  • The Hook: The players decide they need to leave their current location to investigate the blackout. However, the primary exit is a modern door fitted with a magnetic lock, which is now completely seized and inoperable without power.
  • The Transition: The initial attempts to open the door reveal it's not just locked; it's jammed solid by the dead mag-lock mechanism. The problem isn't a key, but brute force or clever engineering. The Curator frames this as a Barrier with a Task Clock of 5 and a Target Number (TN) of 8.
  • The Decision: How does the group overcome this obstacle? This is their first mechanical test. The Curator prompts them: "Are you putting your shoulder into it to break the frame? That sounds like a Brawn roll." The players must work together, using their intuitive strengths (and conceptualizing their Seed Keyword) to deplete the clock. Success means the door groans open, leading into the uncertain hallway beyond.

Scene 3: The Echoing Hall (The Consequence)

  • The Hook: The players step out of their apartment into the building's hallway or onto the street. The scene is one of quiet chaos. Doors are ajar, people are milling about in confusion, their voices hushed and anxious. The only light comes from the moon filtering through windows.
  • The Transition: From a nearby apartment, a heated argument breaks out. A man is shouting about needing to get to his children across town, while another person tries to tell him it's too dangerous to go out. The confrontation is escalating, threatening to turn the crowd's anxiety into panic.
  • The Decision: Do the players intervene in the argument, ignore it and try to find an exit, or attempt to organize the other residents? This choice determines the nature of their first major challenge in the neighborhood.

Act 2: The Neighborhood

Narrative: This act is designed to teach the application of the core mechanic to social challenges (Social Clocks) and introduce the idea that Keywords have non-combat utility. The players must navigate the unpredictable and tense social landscape of their immediate neighborhood to reach a place of perceived safety.

Results: (To be filled in by the Curator after play)

Nodes:

  • Player Node: The Cell (Gains purpose/direction)
  • Supporting Node: The Anxious Crowd (Location/Faction)

Scene 4: The Anxious Crowd (The Social Clock)

  • The Hook: The players have made it to the street. Stalled cars clog the road. People are gathered in small, tense groups. The goal is to reach a clear objective a few blocks away (a community center, a hardware store). The path is blocked not by a monster, but by the nervous energy of the crowd.
  • The Transition: The Curator establishes this as a Social Clock representing the Crowd's Tension, starting at 10. To pass safely, the players must reduce it to 0. Any action that escalates tension (shoving, shouting) will add to the clock. This scene is a series of social micro-challenges.
    • Micro-Challenge 1: A panicked man (from the earlier argument) is blocking the path, trying to get into his dead car. Calming him down is a Social Effort Roll vs TN 8. (A Charismatic or Insightful character would excel).
    • Micro-Challenge 2: A few teenagers are opportunistically trying to break into a corner store. Intervening (through intimidation, persuasion, or distraction) is a Social Effort Roll vs TN 10. (A Brawler or Trickster might have a creative solution).
  • The Decision: After the players have made a few rolls against the Tension Clock (succeeding or failing), a woman with a megaphone begins trying to organize people. Do the players offer to help her (a cooperative roll), try to take charge themselves, or use the distraction she creates to slip away?

Scene 5: The Helper and the Hindrance (The Fork)

  • The Hook: Based on their previous decision, the players are either working with the community organizer or trying to bypass her.
  • The Transition: If they help her, she gives them a specific, useful task: find a working first-aid kit from a nearby vet clinic. This provides a clear, positive objective. If they ignore her, they find their path blocked by a new obstacle: a fallen traffic light that has created a hazardous mess of wires and broken glass, requiring a physical solution.
  • The Decision: Do the players commit to their chosen path? The "helper" path is a lower-TN challenge that may reward them with an ally or information. The "hindrance" path is a more direct but potentially more dangerous physical challenge.

Scene 6: The Safe Haven (The Goal)

  • The Hook: The players have navigated the crowd and its challenges, finally arriving at their chosen destination (the hardware store). From the outside, it looks dark and secure.
  • The Transition: As they approach, a flicker of movement is seen inside. Someone is already in there. Worse, a car has crashed into the side of the building, and the distinct, sickeningly sweet smell of gasoline hangs in the air.
  • The Decision: How do they approach the building? Do they try to make contact with the person inside, find another way in to avoid them, or deal with the immediate environmental hazard of the gas leak first? Their choice dictates the opening of the final act.

Act 3: The Breaking Point

Narrative: The final act introduces high-stakes pressure and consequences. It teaches the function of the Threat Clock and the mechanical impact of Status Tags (Impair) as a direct result of environmental interaction. The resolution of this act triggers the players' "Awakening."

Results: (To be filled in by the Curator after play)

Nodes:

  • Canon Node: The Blackout Event (Escalates)
  • Player Node: The Cell (Is tested, leading to Awakening)

Scene 7: The Ticking Clock (The Race Situation)

  • The Hook: A sparking, downed power line is dangerously close to the spreading pool of gasoline from the crashed car. The situation is a powder keg.
  • The Transition: The Curator declares this is a Race Situation and activates the Threat Clock, setting it to 10. It will decrease by 1 at the end of every "round" of actions. If it reaches 0, the gas ignites. The players must now divide their attention between two critical, simultaneous tasks.
    • Task 1 (Micro-Clock): Shut Off the Gas Main. This is a Task Clock of 6 (TN 10). The valve is rusted and requires sustained effort (Brawn or Technique).
    • Task 2 (Micro-Clock): Isolate the Power Line. This is a Task Clock of 4 (TN 12). It requires finding a non-conductive object to move the live wire. A failed roll on this delicate task results in the character gaining an Impair (Silver) Tag from the electrical jolt.
  • The Decision: Who does what? The players are forced into tactical cooperation under extreme pressure. They must use their actions and skills efficiently to resolve both clocks before the Threat Clock runs out.

Scene 8: The Moment of Truth (The Climax)

  • The Hook: The final clock is depleted. The gas valve screeches shut, or the sparking wire is safely pushed away. The immediate threat is neutralized.
  • The Transition: The players collapse in relief. In this shared moment of peak stress and success, the Curator describes the "Awakening." It's not a flash of light, but a sudden, profound shift in perception. "You can feel the potential energy in the silent power line, the kinetic force you exerted on the valve, the bond of trust between all of you. It's like you were colorblind your whole life and just saw red for the first time. The rules of the world haven't changed, but you can suddenly read the source code."
  • The Decision: This is a narrative beat. The "decision" is the players' reaction to this newfound perception. How do they process this internal change?

Scene 9: The First Dawn (The New World)

  • The Hook: As the players absorb this new reality, the city's power surges back to life with a hum. Streetlights flicker on, alarms begin to blare, and the world returns to a semblance of normalcy.
  • The Transition: Everything seems normal, except for them. They now see the world through a new lens, aware of the "source code" beneath reality. The person inside the store emerges—a frightened owner who is just as confused as they were.
  • The Decision: The immediate crisis is over. What do they do now? Their journey as "Awakened" individuals has just begun.

Episode Results:

  • Player Graduation: Each player is now Level 1. All their stats become a new baseline of 2. They each learn three new keywords.
  • Downtime Options: The first Downtime can be brief. Do they go home? Stick together? Try to understand what just happened to them?
  • Future Hooks: What caused the blackout? Are there others who Awakened? Are there entities, previously unseen, who are now drawn to the players' new power?