Content Warnings: school, kidnapping, disappearance and death of minors, grief, losing control of one’s body, abusive teaching staff, grooming, medical horror

BEACON Academy, Oldhaven

The “Prison” Circumstance

Beacon Academy is situated in Oldhaven, an isolated coastal town. The setting of this scenario includes both the school and parts of the town.

Most residents of Oldhaven have lived here for their whole life, and people rarely leave. As teenagers studying in Beacon Academy, you can’t help but feel that every adult in Oldhaven either judges you, or has certain expectations of you. Many of you long to leave Oldhaven. But in order to do so, one would have to do well at school AND take out a huge loan to go to university. Also, not all of you would want to leave your family behind.

Like most schools, Beacon Academy aims to train students to be productive workers of the society. Students are taught how to answer questions but rarely how to ask them.

In recent years, there has been a string of missing persons cases involving students of Beacon Academy, but the police have found no foul play involved.

Prompts:

• When someone visits a new place, describe the environment
• Present the Convicted with an activity (compulsory or otherwise)
• Suggest town locations for the Convicted to visit out of school
• Show someone they are being watched

Example school activities: Classes, recess/lunch break, after-school club, detention, school festival, school play

Example town locations: An inexpensive restaurant, lighthouse, bowling alley, medical museum, a park where the misfits dwell, pleasure pier

The Guards

The Guards in this scenario are the teaching staff at school and adults in town who think they can boss the youth around. They are here to make sure the students follow the rules and societal norms. Give them names and personalities.

At Beacon Academy, the teachers expect the students to follow the rules without complain. The students are required to pay attention in class at all times, only allow to eat in lunch break, and only allow to pee if they get a teacher’s permission during class.

In town, self-important adults think they can impose themselves on the youth just because of their seniority. Some assume the students are up to no good unless proven otherwise. Some are bitter because they have never lived freely in their life, and want the youth to suffer like them.

Prompts:

• Tell someone a rule they are expected to follow
• Reprimand a rule-breaker
• Have an adult abuse their authority to get what they want

The Gangs

The Gangs in this scenario are the other students at school and the misfits in town. When a new character is introduced, give them a name and a CONVICTION (Any). Give them a GENDER when the narrative calls for it. Any player can pick up a minor character and play them.

Students in Beacon Academy can be friends or foes to the Convicted, sometimes even both! They may present the Convicted with problems that need fixing, or they might be bullies who want to assert their dominance.

Outside of school, the Convicted may choose to hang out with the misfits in town. Many misfits are good people who struggle to conform to the system. However, there are also wicked individuals who prey on the vulnerable.

Prompts:

• Introduce someone who needs help
• Introduce someone with dubious motive
• Have an existing character inconvenience the Convicted at a bad moment

The Economy

The students don’t have much money. If a student needs something badly, they would have to pay a price for it.

Prompts:

• Offer what someone needs, at a cost
• Offer something for free, but let the recipient knows there is a catch
• Punish those who give charity

Fate/Karma

Cause determines effect, action leads to consequence—are we mere prisoners to our fate?

Prompts:

• Show someone a dark omen
• Develop a recurring motif
• Reveal consequence of an earlier action

The Bizarre

The Bizarre manifests itself in several ways—supernatural elements, campiness and horror.

Prompts:

• Introduce a supernatural element to the story
• Have someone (including the Convicted you control) engage in theatrics and/or take a mundane situation way too seriously
• Unveil an unexpected horror element of the story (building up on what is established earlier)

Dr. Monroe

The Warden Circumstance

Dr. Monroe (they/them) is a biology teacher at Beacon Academy. They are admired by many in the school for their lively classes and friendly personality. They have extensive knowledge on human anatomy and is a part-time curator of Oldhaven’s medical museum.

They are also the person responsible for the strings of disappearances in Beacon Academy. They use their position to scout out students who won’t be missed if they were to go missing. Dr. Monroe then kidnaps their prey and add them to their collection of specimens. Parts of the missing students may show up in the biology class or the medical museum.

(By default, Dr. Monroe murders their victims and harvest their body parts as biological specimens. For groups who want a lighter tone, the missing students are put into a kind of stasis by ACID HOUSE’s ability and stored as a whole, which can be rescued by the Convicted once Dr. Monroe is defeated.)

CONVICTION (Belief): The beauty of youth needs to be preserved

GENDER: ACID HOUSE (Put someone into a trance)

Each Convicted has a personal tie with the Warden, which is written on the Convicted playbooks for this scenario. (The Convicted do not know the true identity of the Warden at the start.)

The Warden has 6 Plot Armour points.

Special Prompt—After a Convicted has spent token(s) on a Prompt, you may place them here to cancel its effect and describe how the Warden is one step ahead. (Cannot exceed Plot Armour)

Prompts:

• Act with CONVICTION
• Hide behind your persona and take advantage of your authority
• Get out of a sticky situation scot-free
• Scheme with other Circumstances
• Do a quirky thing
• Kill a minor character
• Assign someone a new CONVICTION
• (Holding 4+ tokens) Evolve your GENDER
• (Holding 4+ tokens) Kill a Convicted with their player’s permission

Polaris (she/her)

A science student and a creative at heart, Polaris is an avid photographer. She dropped out of art class after realising she could only make what her teacher wanted her to make. Most teachers at Beacon Academy tell her that she would have been a better student if she pays more attention in class, except for Dr. Monroe who is always supportive. Polaris is not a popular kid at school, and she hangs out with other misfits and outcasts like her. She is very protective towards those she consider her friends, and can be a bit too much of a people pleaser.

CONVICTION (Belief): I have to save my friends!

CONVICTION (Crime): Too much of a day-dreamer in class

GENDER: STAR REACHER
      Turn back time for several seconds

Vulnerable Prompts (Gain a token and mark exp.)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION
• Get into danger trying to help a friend
• Overthink things and suffer for your indecision

Tough Prompts (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION
• Save a friend’s life
• Come up with an ingenious solution for a problem

Standard Prompt (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER Prompt (Spend 2 tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

Bonds:

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them?

Tie with the Warden:

• Polaris has been making friends with the “undesirables” of Beacon Academy, which makes her an obstacle for Dr. Monroe. Dr. Monroe thus makes it a priority to get rid of her.

Ash (they/she)

To the adults, Ash is just another rebel without a cause, a “punk” who causes trouble for the sake of it. To Ash, punk is much more than a rebellious attitude; it is life itself. One of their earliest memories is them seeing a weed sprouting out of a crack in concrete, and their mother commenting that “Life always find a way, no matter how restrictive the environment is”. They took it to heart, finding beauty in non-conformity.

CONVICTION (Belief): No one can tell me what to do!

CONVICTION (Crime): Disobeying teachers and authorities

GENDER: PUNK ROCK
      Turn small rocks into plant life

Vulnerable Prompts (Gain a token and mark exp.)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION
• Get into danger by doing the exact opposite of what someone told you to do
• Get into trouble with an authority figure

Tough Prompts (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION
• Achieve something that other people say you can’t do
• Make an authority figure back down by force or wit

Standard Prompt (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER Prompt (Spend 2 tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

Bonds:

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them? Tie with the Warden:
• As someone who distrusts authority, Ash finds Dr. Monroe way too nice. They may do some nosing around to see what is under the facade.

Faith (e/em/eir)

Faith is a wanderer who loves exploring abandoned buildings and getting lost in the woods surrounding the town of Oldhaven. That puts em at odds with the rich townsfolk who own the land and label Faith as a trespasser. While Faith comes across as a loner and a weirdo, eir best friend Hope is the exact opposite—a popular student adored by their classmates and the teachers. Hope has gone missing recently and Faith is going to do whatever it takes to find them.

CONVICTION (Belief): I have to find my missing friend!

CONVICTION (Crime): Trespassing

GENDER: INVISIBLE STRING
      Summon a string only visible to you that guides you to your heart’s desire

Vulnerable Prompts (Gain a token and mark exp.)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION
• Your quest to find your missing friend leads you into danger
• You are being caught somewhere you shouldn’t be

Tough Prompts (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION
• Gain a clue to what happened to your missing friend
• Get into somewhere you are not allowed with ease

Standard Prompt (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER Prompt (Spend 2 tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

Bonds:

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them?

Tie with the Warden:

• Faith’s friend Hope has been missing for a week, and the string e summons would not lead em to them. What Faith doesn’t know is that Dr. Monroe is the kidnapper.

Wade (they/he)

Wade thinks that life is too short to not try everything at least once. They love surfing and parkour, and were caught swimming naked in the lake next to the campus. Wade don’t understand why the self-important adults have to tell them to be careful with their life, when it is the adults who are too scared to live life to its fullest. Lately, they have been struggling with science homework, and is grateful that Dr. Monroe is offering them extra help.

CONVICTION (Belief): You only live once!

CONVICTION (Crime): Skinny-dipping

GENDER: SYNTHWAVE
      Redirect the flow of fluid

Vulnerable Prompts (Gain a token and mark exp.)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION
• Act recklessly and get into danger
• Lose something important to perform a daring act

Tough Prompts (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION
• Triumph over a difficult situation with your bravery
• Impress someone with a daring feat

Standard Prompt (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER Prompt (Spend 2 tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

Bonds:

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them?

Tie with the Warden:

• Wade’s recklessness makes them a good target for Dr. Monroe, as their disappearance is likely to be treated as an accident.

Lily (ta/any)

Lily is a street artist, labelled as a vandal by the adults. To Lily, the plain walls of the town are so boring and oppressive, but ta sees the beauty that can be unlocked with tade spray cans and marker pens. Ta hopes to break down barriers with tade art, and make Oldhaven a more liveable place for everyone.

CONVICTION (Belief): Unlock the true beauty of the world

CONVICTION (Crime): Vandalism

GENDER: BROKEN CHORD       Break down and rearrange an object

Vulnerable Prompts (Gain a token and mark exp.)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION
• Lose something important for your art
• Get caught in an act of vandalism

Tough Prompts (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION
• Create an inspiring artwork
• Remove an obstacle or create a barricade

Standard Prompt (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER Prompt (Spend 2 tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

Bonds:

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them?

Tie with the Warden:

• While Lily was out painting graffiti last week, ta barely escaped a kidnapping attempt by Dr. Monroe. Ta had no idea who the would-be kidnapper was.

Embry (ze/zir)

Embry feels trapped in Oldhaven and desperately want to get out. Ze once tried stealing a car and driving away, but ze was caught after the fuel runs out. Embry realised that ze needs a more solid plan, and the answer came a few months ago when ze saw a caravan in the junkyard. Since then, ze has been trying to repair the caravan, and dream of escaping Oldhaven in it. Still, a lot more work needs to be done before the vehicle is road-worthy.

CONVICTION (Belief): I will get out of Oldhaven one day!

CONVICTION (Crime): Joyriding

GENDER: OUT OF MY HEAD
      Induce a change in air current

Vulnerable Prompts (Gain a token and mark exp.)

• Get into trouble with your CONVICTION
• Tempted by a false solution to escape, you put yourself in danger
• Get into trouble by attempting to steal a car

Tough Prompts (Spend a token)

• Overcome adversity with your CONVICTION
• Overcome obstacle to find a piece of solution to your escape plan
• Discover or show up in a getaway vehicle at an opportune moment

Standard Prompt (Do any time)

• Take action and open yourself to consequences

GENDER Prompt (Spend 2 tokens)

• Achieve an extraordinary feat with your GENDER

Bonds:

• Pick a Convicted that either is someone you have failed in the past or reminds you of them. You promise yourself that you would make it right this time.
• Pick a Convicted you can rely on or seek solace in. What makes you trust them?

Tie with the Warden:

• Dr. Monroe is a descendent of Dr. Frankenstein, and Embry a descendent of Mary Shelly. Descendants of the two bloodlines are destined to become mortal enemies.