Brainwashed
From: 12 to Midnight, Inc
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Brainwashed is a new d20 Modern Horror Adventure PDF from 12 to Midnight, Inc.
From the website:
“East Texas is an unlikely spot for a commune, but Harmony Farm has a long-standing reputation in the community as a place for kooks and weirdos.”
Brainwashed is intended for use with the 12 to Midnight, Inc, product Fear Effects (… a quick, easy, and flexible system for incorporating the effects of extreme fear into your modern game…), but it is not required. The adventure is available in both d20 Modern (d20M) and Savage World system by Great White Games. In this adventure, the characters are contacted by a concerned father about his son. His son has apparently joined a cult called the Harmonists and severed all ties to his friends and family. The father requests help finding his son, and if he is in trouble then he is to be removed from the cult, willingly or unwillingly. The author claims the adventure “combines the classic style of H.P. Lovecraft with a little Hellboy thrown in for good measure.” Brainwashed is a modern horror adventure for four 4th-level heroes.
This adventure starts out expressing the importance of mood. Horror games are a mood-critical genre, in most cases. This adventure is one of those types of games. Set in the modern remote regions of Texas, visions of the Waco Branch Davidians siege ran through my mind. On a remote farm home to many Harmonist cultists since 1969, something strange has happened. Until now, the cult was slowly devolving into a shelter for outcasts and homeless, but after a mysterious earthquake that baffled geologists, the cult began to change.
From page 5-6:
“The flesh harvester hovered over its victim. It had not intended to deal a deathblow, but these new creatures were soft and weak.”
The players are simple friends or general thugs hired by a man named Jim Simpson. His son, Russell joined the cult some time ago and the father wishes to perform an intervention. He has already contacted a “deprogrammer.” Through their investigation they discover not only the cult’s original relatively innocent nature, but also the dark and shadowy changes that have come over Harmony Farm. The adventure takes the characters from an un-named Texas university campus to the remote Harmony Farm, where the cults reside. I will not give away anymore about the plot, but it definitely sets up some great opportunities to creep and scare your players. Not only is the premise creepy, but the creatures are too.
In conclusion, I am almost driven to run this adventure. It is good, right up my alley. Well written, I like the complete synopsis in the beginning. It is definitely an inspiring story written by someone who has an appreciation for modern horror and modern horror role playing. Well done.
For more details on 12 to Midnight, Inc and their new d20 Modern Horror Adventure PDF “Brainwashed ” check them out at their website http://www.12tomidnight.com.
Brainwashed
From: 12 to Midnight, Inc
Type of Game: d20 Modern Horror Adventure PDF
Edited by: Gerald Blakemore, Trey Gorden, & Ed Wetterman
Cover by: Nicole Cardiff
Maps by: Craig Largent
Interior Artwork by: Steve Bentley
Playtested by: Cory Bluhm and Jason Chapman
Number of Pages: 39
Game Components Included: 1 PDF File
Game Components Not Included: Core d20 Modern Rulesbooks
Retail Price: $6.00 (US)
Item Number: TWL 0017
Website: www.12tomidnight.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
