RE: Adventure idea (help wanted)

["Eric Benson" <ebenson@xxxxxxxx>]

> Iowa State University adventure

> Hey guys, I’m thinking of an adventure idea and I wanted some input.  I
live in Ames, Iowa and I wanted
> to do an adventure that took place on the campus of Iowa State University.
There’s lots of potential here,
> but the one idea that most intrigues me would involve the old Manhattan
Project stuff that used to take
> place here.  I know back in the 1940’s ISU was one of the key research
places for the Manhattan Project, and
> that just recently they tore down the old reactors and whatnot.  Does
anybody know where I can find out more
> information about this?

I think it's a good idea, especially if you play it with players from the
area.  I've played two campaigns that were centered around the University
and they both were a lot of fun.  It's always interesting how the players
react to certain things.  For some reason, certain frat houses and bars
tended to burn down a lot.  In a different game, the Technocracy was
operating out of the research think tank on campus.  Things really went
badly when the characters accidentally summoned a demon.  Whoops!  Who would
have known?

I don't know if you have enough material to run a protracted game around
Ames or just as a single adventure.  Is it a full fledged BE/BE cell or the
just the ME game system?

Having said that, I'd check to see if ISU has an archive section.  That's
probably the best place to start to learn about the history of the
University's involvement in the project.  You might uncover some other
interesting tidbits to throw into a game as well.

A couple of places on the web to look for more information.
General information on the project:
http://nuclearfiles.org/docs/manhattan.html

Listing of costs and sites involved:
http://www.brook.edu/FP/PROJECTS/NUCWCOST/MANHATTN.HTM

Hanford was one of the primary sites in the Manhattan project.  The
Hanford.gov page includes some good historical background.  While ISU's
systems were undoubtably different, no one in the game will be able to tell
the difference.
http://www.hanford.gov/doe/culres/historic/index.htm

Incidentally, the Ames laboratory was established in 1947, so it is a post
war site.  I don't know if that changes your concept at all, but...
http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/nucwcost/sites.htm

The Ames laboratory homepage:
http://www.ameslab.gov/

> I know back in the 1940’s ISU was one of the key research places for the
Manhattan Project, and that just recently they
> tore down the old reactors and whatnot.  Does anybody know where I can
find out more information about this?

Tearing down the reactors would also appear in the local and student papers.

> The WIJ (or someone else) steals a few components of this reactor as it
was being dismantled,
> the University, horribly embarrassed by the whole situation, hires BE/BE
to get it back.

The question is what could they use the reactor for?  If it's 1940's
technology, it's horribly out of date.  The material from the reactor is
undoubtedly toxic, but can they actually use it as a weapon?  Probably not.

> The copy shop where I work (www.copyworks.com) has several rooms down in
the basement.  Way, way in the back is old
> storage. I got the idea that tunneling could easily take place here, one
could tunnel all the way to an engineering
> building (I don’t even know which building this old reactor was in, I need
to do some research!) and then smuggle
> parts of the reactor.

The University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign uses steam tunnels to
provide heat for almost all of the buildings.  From time to time, you always
hear of students going down there (typically while drunk) and wandering
around for a while.  I assume ISU uses the same type of system.

We also have/had a reactor.  I've heard that they are thinking about getting
rid of it, although the links still indicate that it's active.

> I figure once the shipment leaves Ames, it’s pretty damn impossible to
recover them.

Not really.  In this day in age, if you know the tracking number on the
package, you can find it.

The difficult part would be getting it back.  Some cells might try to
intercept the package at UPS, others would wait outside the destination for
the Big Brown Truck (tm) to show up.  Again, both events could be fun to
run.  Who hasn't wanted to ambush the UPS truck?  Of course, they would be
ambushing the UPS man carrying nuclear reactor parts outside a WIJ
safehouse, so...

I wouldn't make it definite that they have *lost* if the package escapes
Ames.  I'd probably let them make an attempt at intercepting it before it
gets to the final destination.  The WIG (or whoever) hop in a nameless,
nondescript car (Ford Tarus) and get on the highway.  Good luck finding
them.

> Every morning at 7am an armored car pulls up to our store and empties out
the ATM machine that’s on the wall outside of my
> store.

What would happen if the characters were at the place when the armored car
was attacked?  Players being who they are, they would assume that the attack
is directed at them.  Keep them guessing.  The characters only have to think
that it's the WIJ (or whoever).

-Eric