Session 1.1:
The Curious Case of the Absent Heirs
The Call to Adventure
You made the mistake of answering the strange advert you saw in the classified section of the newspaper. You found yourself in training to become Psychonauts as described, and vaguely wondering if you’d signed up for a cult. But after weeks of nothing but weird psychedelic talk, now you find yourself about to make your first Incursion into the depths of the Shadowlands of myth and story.
Your mission, as described by the enigmatic and slightly ridiculous Professor Harbinger, is to enter the layer of the Shadowlands known as the Ring and obtain the Key to the Foglands. You know that you must uncover the secret to the tale of The Flight from Glass Tower, and then enact that story in order to uncover the Key.
The problem is, of course, that you have no idea what the story of The Flight from Glass Tower is exactly. You also have no idea where in the Ring the Key might be, and no idea how to use it once you’ve got it. So no pressure.
Storyteller Synopsis
This is the first Arc in the Five Part Incursion known as: Into the Ring. Here the Storyteller will take the rookie Psychonauts through their first jaunt into the Depths of the Shadowlands. They will seek out the Key to the Foglands and discover that the process of obtaining the Key is much more complicated than they were previously led to believe.
Hook
The Psychonauts are introduced to the fact that the Missing Prince and Princess is driving the plot of the Story.
Path
The Path for this Incursion is: The Flight from Glass Tower. The Psychonauts have been given no information regarding the Path by the instructor. In the first Session the Psychonauts will learn that the Last Princes and the Crown Prince have been discovered missing from the Glass Tower and the Men of Black and White have been sent out to Search for them.
Plot
The Psychonauts are sent to the Ring to obtain the Key to the Foglands, but the key is missing from its place. And they must find a clue to its whereabouts before the Men of Black and White capture them or worse.
Ultra Simple Overview
This is meant to give the Storyteller a bird’s eye view of the Incursion and how the story should flow.
Setup
The Psychonuats receive their first field assignment, obtain the Key to the Foglands. Located in the Ring- a liminal realm at the upper edge of the Depths of the Shadowlands- the Key to the Foglands will enable the Psychonauts to venture deeper still into the Shadowlands.
Act 1
Psychonauts meet the Cosmonaut dogs who ask for help. Psychonauts need to know the location of the key. The Dogs provide this.
Act 2
The Key is not where it should be, and the evidence suggests that the people who stole the dogs’ home have the key.
Act 3
The Psychonauts (willingly or not) confront the Men of Black and White in the Dogs’ home and a final showdown ensues.
Resolution
The Dogs regain their home. The Key is not present, but evidence suggests that a Psychonaut named Bobby Indra has the Key and the Dogs indicate he is still trapped in the Ring.
The Deck of Fire used in 1.1 Act by Act
Blood Red Dreaming uses two decks of cards in play: The Deck of Void and the Deck of Fire. The Deck of Void is used for action resolution, taking the place that dice occupy in most tabletop games. The Deck of Fire is used to clarify story elements and help guide the action. Unlike the Deck of Void, the Deck of Fire features expansions and most Incursion Books will include new cards for the Deck of Fire. Storytellers can create their own Incursions by using the existing card for the Deck of Fire to create new Incursion templates quickly and easily.
| A1-Sc1
Mythos: Cosmonaut Dogs |
A1-Sc1
Challenge: Void Gnomon, New Mask Voidlings |
A1-Sc1
Major: The Threshold |
| A2-Sc1
Mythos: The Men of Black and White |
A2-Sc1
Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Bloom |
A2-Sc1
Major: The Lotus Garden |
| A2-Sc2
Mythos: The Men of Black and White |
A2-Sc2
Challenge: Water Bears, Blossoming Spores |
A2-Sc2
Major: The Lotus Garden |
| A2-Sc3
Mythos: The Men of Black and White |
A2-Sc3
Challenge: Hunters, Pursuit Team |
A2-Sc3
Major: The Lotus Garden |
| A3-Sc1
Mythos: Cosmonaut Dogs |
A3-Sc1
Challenge: The Purifiers, Purge Team |
A3-Sc1
Major: Void House |
| A3-Sc2
Mythos: Brewmaster Bobby Indra |
A3-Sc2
Challenge: The Purifiers, Purge Team |
A3-Sc2
Major: Void House |
The cards in the Deck of Fire fall into three broad categories: Narrative Cards, Challenge Cards, and Setting Cards. Narrative Cards are either Mythos Cards, or Scenario Cards. Setting Cards are either Major Setting Cards or Minor Setting Cards. Challenge Cards have no subtypes.
Narrative Cards
Mythos Cards
Cosmonaut Dogs
Inhabitants of the First Capsule. Representatives of the cultural memory of those animals who were sent into space before the first manned test flights, the Cosmonaut Dogs are inhabitants of the Ring. They are friendly, loyal, and cautious.
The Men of Black and White
One of the most pervasive archetypes in the Hungry Empire, the mask of a soldier and secret police and the callous bureaucrat. They are them, they are the faceless and interchangeable hands of the empire and you may wear their mask in your job and never know it.
Brewmaster Bobby Indra
An Echonaut of the Rookie Psychonaut Bobby Indra. Bobby is will known as a tale amongst the Psychonaut community. Not known for his skill as a psychonaut, but for his skill at surviving his own failures- Bobby is a genial survivor in the face of disaster and jolly coward in the face of impossible odds.
Scenario Cards
A Plea for Help
The Psychonauts are faced with a cry of distress, a call for assistancee, a plea for help! Without the Psychonauts, they are doomed.
A Mystery Unfolds
The Psychonauts are faced with a mystery, layers of deception and subterfuge disguise the truth. Tread carefully, the truth is hidden here.
The MacGuffin is Missing!
The Psychonauts need a MacGuffin, an essential plot element. But it is missing! Not where it should be! Where has it gone? Has somebody taken it? Has something else befallen it?
Challenge Cards
Void Gnomon, New Mask Voidlings
A fledgling Fair Folk: they control gravity immediately around their body and dance through the air and the void of the Ring. They mean no harm, but can cause much mischief.
Water Bears, Blossoming Spores
A lesser monster with a varied life cycle. In this earlier form they float together in clouds, barely visible spores that far too many psychonauts have inhaled by accident.
Ghost Lotus, The Bloom
Drifting on the breeze, the Ghost Lotus spreads pollen that can leave a Psychonaut in a daze or even lost in a waking dream.
Inquisitors, Investigation Team
Every secret police has investigators. The Knights of Unity are no different. The Inquisitors investigate first, but they do not hesitate to purify second. Be wary.
Hunters, Pursuit Team
A division of the Knights of Unity, this secret police force is concerned with the capture of dissidents. They do not care for guilty or innocent, only caught or still fleeing.
The Purifiers, Purge Team
The Knights of Unity do not exist primarily to purify. They have the Knights of Purity for that. But sometimes, it’s good to have in house specialists.
Setting Cards
Major Setting Cards
The Threshold
The Gateway to the Ring, and thus to all of the Shadowlands. The Ring catches the sounds from the rest of the Ring, giving Psychonauts an eerie preview of of future encounters.
The Lotus Garden
A Fractal map of the Major Realm of Arcadia, the Lotus Garden is a twisting confusing maze filled with dangers and wonders. Treadly carefully.
Stellar House
Home and Shrine of Lady of Fire, and also the Hound. Stellar House stands as an altar to astronomy and is typically a safe place for Psychonauts to rest. Typically…
Minor Setting Cards
The Windswept Arena
Visited more often than any location in the Ring, the Ring is the only section of the Threshold accessible to rookie psychonauts. Normally empty, the winds keep this arena clean.
The Maze
Although the Lotus Garden is more than the great maze, that twisted labyrinth certainly dominates the geography of the garden, blocking sight lines and hiding dangers.
The Guide Room
At the heart of the Lotus Garden sits the Guide Room, lost space age technology whose Holographic AI can answer all manner of queries, with proper security clearance.
The Atrium
Center piece of Stellar House and one part temple, one part observatory, the Atrium’s vast clear dome gives visitors a view of Lady of Fire’s beloved stars.
The First Capsule
A quiet shrine to the sacrifices made by those other than humans who made space travel a reality. Fittingly, this little spacecraft is larger on the inside.
Setting up for the Incursion Session
You will need to decide who is going to be the Storyteller. The Storyteller should switch every session, and it’s best if you plan out who is going to be the Storyteller for all sections in a single incursion before you run any incursion sessions. Also since the second option one session will include the storytellers of the other sessions, storytellers should avoid reading ahead in the incursion.
Non Gaming Materials. Odds and Ends
All players, whether Storyteller or psychonaut, will want to write things down. Paper and pencils, or pens Etc should be present during a session. Storyteller in particular should be making notes regarding how the session goes, what events take place, what story threads are resolved and which ones remain loose. And which things the next Storyteller will need to address and or remember.
The Gaming Table
Where you game doesn’t have to be a table, it can easily just be a sitting room or even just a patch of grass under a tree. But it is a good idea that you arranged for a flat surface to lay out a deck of fire and the deck avoid during the arc cycle. Psychonauts will also need a place to log the condition of their aura and it is generally best if this is out in the open so that all Psychonauts can see the conditions of their compatriots. As with many tabletop role-playing games, the Storyteller may wish to have a screen to hide their notes. This is optional, but can be very useful especially if the Storyteller has a lot of bits they don’t wish the psychonauts to see ahead of time. The campaign logbook in particular can give the whole game away if left where the Psychonauts can see it.
Time Keeping
Although not required, many storytellers find using a timer can be invaluable in keeping the story moving. Blood red dreaming is designed so that each session takes between 1 and 3 hours of play. Psychonauts used to playing in other tabletop role-playing games where 15 seconds of combat can take 3 6 hour sessions of play, may find this a little bit surprising at first. Likewise, since the Psychonauts will be directing the actions of their avatars on a much broader scale, rather than micromanaging every individual finger twitch as they might in a more traditional role playing game oh, it is important for the Storyteller to maintain control of the flow of the game. This can be achieved with a visible timer. The Storyteller simply set the timer for whatever length of time they think the Psychonauts should have as a maximum time to decide on a course of action. And if the timer runs out before the Psychonauts set alarm on a course of action, the story comes to them and the Storyteller tells them how the second thoughts get caught flat-footed by the events of the story and the Psychonauts must make a snap judgment on how to respond. If a Storyteller tends to do this, the timer must be clearly visible, and the second thoughts must be informed of this at the beginning of the session. Do not Ambush the Psychonauts with this tactic for it will feel unfair.
Mood
We live in the era of information. It is entirely possible to have an array of instrumental background music available as soundtracks during play.stortelle4s may find this as well as atmospheric background noise invaluable in sitting in maintaining the mood of a story. In addition, by using soundtracks of set length, the Storyteller may use the music as a timer as well. Be sure to warn Psychonauts if you are going to do this. And to make sure that you do not set the volume so high that it interferes with the flow of conversation.
Scheduling
One of the big advantages to Blood Red Dreaming as an RPG, is that each session is a complete story. And we can see that the game is set up so that each session is a single incursion into the Shadowlands. This means that if one player cannot make a particular gaming session it simply means that this Psychonauts was not present for that incursion. Unlike other ttrpgs, the party does not simply stick a pin in the Gameplay and come back at the same point in the next play session. If the players feel that they must stop play and end the session, then the incursion has ended and their avatars have been withdrawn from the Shadowlands. And they will have to attempt the incursion again next time.
Incursion 1.1 Act by Act
Set Up
Needed Materials
- Deck of Void: the Ugly Deck is available free as a printable download online
- The Incursion Session: The Incursion Book is available free as a printable download online
- The Incursion Deck of Fire: the Ugly Deck is available free as a printable download online
- The Campaign Book: You make this yourself. Either a physical book or an online document or some sort. You will need it.
- Incursion Sheets for the Psychonauts: These are available free as a printable downloads online
- The Story Progression Sheet: available free as a printable download online
- The Quick Reference Guide: available free as a printable download online
- Pencils and some tokens as well.
Act One – The Bazaar
Scene 1 – The Call
- Mythos: Cosmonaut Dogs
- Scenario: A Plea for Help
- Major Challenge: Void Gnomon, New Mask Voidlings
- Minor Challenge: Water Bears, Blossoming Spores
- Major Setting: The Threshold
- Minor Setting: The Windswept Arena
Storyteller Opening Narration
The summoning paper crackles with electricity and suddenly your avatar is standing somewhere else. Your body is sitting here, listening to the story, but you can feel your avatar projected down deep into the story realms.
You stand on the stones of the Windswept Arena staring through a stone archway into the Ring. The wind howls around and and stings the face of your avatar. In the distance you can three great spires in the distance, one to the far left, one to the far right and one directly in front of you.
Ahead, you notice a trio of four legged forms wearing archaic spacesuits. You realize that they are domestic dogs, wearing space suits with the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union. One of the dogs approaches cautiously, tail wagging slowly.
“You are Psychonauts, yes? Because we three are needing the aid of somebody brave and good. Our home has been taken and we are driven out. Please help us.”
Stage Direction
You’ve arrived in the Ring, the highest level of the Depths and gateway to the rest of the Shadowlands. You’ve been tasked by your mentor with obtaining the Key to the Foglands, and you can’t continue your training or journey deeper into the Shadowlands until you obtain it.
The Windswept Arena is overrun with Void Gnomes dancing through the air, playing with gravity as they do and pushing around Water Bear Spores in the the process. Whatever you plan to do will require getting through both the Gnomes and the Spores.
Storyteller Transition Direction
So your ultimate goal is the Key to the Foglands. The Cosmonaut dogs have asked for your help, and have offered to help you no strings attached either way. The Men of Black and White are about in the Ring and will likely not appreciate Psychonauts snooping around.
You’ve outdistanced the Void Gnomes, but ahead of you is the Maze, with the Blooming Ghost Lotus and the Men of Black and White. What is your plan?
Act Two – The Pursuit
Scene 2 – The Threshold
- Mythos: The Men of Black and White
- Scenario: A Mystery Unfolds
- Major Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Bloom
- Minor Challenge: Inquisitors, Investigation Team
- Major Setting: The Lotus Garden
- Minor Setting: The Maze
Storyteller Opening Narration
You’ve left the windswept Threshold, crossing the empty bridge into the Lotus Garden- entering the Maze. The walls of the Maze are a mix of marble and crumbling sandstone, the whole place seems built out of the ruins of ancient civilizations. Moss and grass is growing on any available surface, and there is a whiff of pollen in the air. To your left and right you can see that you have drawn even with two of the three spires. The one to your left is supposedly Stellar House. One of the Cosmonaut Dogs whines nervously.
Ahead you see a mass of flowers floating in the air, drifting on the leftover breeze from the Threshold. And in the distance you can hear the chatter of voices speaking with tones that suggest soldiers or government agents, harsh and abrupt.
Stage Direction
You’ve entered the Lotus Garden, the largest section of the Ring, and find yourself in the middle of the Maze that dominates the Garden. Somewhere in here is supposed to the Key to the Foglands. The Maze is full of blooming Ghost Lotus, and the Men of Black and white, so be wary.
Storyteller Transition Narration
You’re heading deeper into the Lotus Garden, looking for the Key to the Foglands. Don’t forget that the Cosmonaut Dogs still need help. So what are you doing?
Scene 3 – The Crossing
- Mythos: The Men of Black and White
- Scenario: The MacGuffin is Missing!
- Major Challenge: Water Bears, Blossoming Spores
- Minor Challenge: Void Gnomon, New Mask Voidlings
- Major Setting: The Lotus Garden
- Minor Setting: The Guide Room
Storyteller Opening Narration
In the middle of the Maze, as the center of the Lotus Garden, the dogs lead you to the Guide Room. Out of place in the midst of fallen sandstone pillars, the Guide Room is a futuristic chrome and polymer pod of a room, with an circular iris door that dilates open as you approach.
The inside of the Gate Room gleams with chrome and light up display panels. There is a slightly lemony chemical clean smell as you step inside and the room hums with sounds of machines in the background. Ahead of you is what looks like a display case, empty. And beside the case is what looks like a stage with cameras under a glass floor.
The floor mounted cameras flash to life, and a holographic humanoid projection appears shimmering blue before you. But the movement and lights have stirred something and you notice a cluster of Water Bear spores pouring out from seems in the walls of the Room.
Stage Direction
You’ve arrived at the Guide Room, a room at the center of the Lotus Garden. You had been told the Key to the Foglands would be here, but the Guide Room is overrun with Water Bear Spores and even a few Void Gnomes.
Storyteller Transition Narration
The Key to the Foglands was supposed to be here, but it’s missing! So, you are in the center of the Ring, in the middle of the Maze, surrounded by ghost lotus and very aggravated Men of Black and White. But the Cosmonaut Dogs still need help, and you’re out of other leads. What do you want to do?
Scene 4 – The Twist
- Mythos: The Men of Black and White
- Scenario: A Mystery Unfolds
- Major Challenge: Hunters, Pursuit Team
- Minor Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Bloom
- Major Setting: The Lotus Garden
- Minor Setting: The Maze
Storyteller Opening Narration
You have left the Guide Room and re-entered the Maze, but without the Key to the Foglands- which is not where it ought to be.
Back in the sandstone confines of the Maze, you see the spire marking Stellar House in the distance. You hear a gunshot, and then several more, and the crackle of radio static in the distance. A bloom of ghost lotus rises up behind you, white against the blackness of the sky.
You can hear the sounds of the Men in Black and White, speaking to each other via their earpieces, and you catch snatches of conversation across pillars and over walls. They are hunting for somebody, and the descriptions sound like you.
Stage Direction
You need to find the Key to the Foglands, but it wasn’t in the Guide Room. The Cosmonaut Dogs think that the Men of Black and White might have it. So you’ve left the Guide Room.You’re back in the Maze, and the Men of Black and White have a Hunter team out searching for something, and apparently you are part of that something.
Storyteller Transition Narration
You’re still looking for the Key. It’s going missing. The Men of Black and White are searching for the missing heirs to the Throne of the Hungry Empire, you’re almost certainly suspects just by virtue of being nearby. The Cosmonaut Dogs home has been occupied, and the only people that might have the key are the Men of Black and White themselves. What do you plan to do about it?
Act Three – The Showdown
Scene 5 – The Ordeal
- Mythos: Cosmonaut Dogs
- Scenario: A Plea for Help
- Major Challenge: The Purifiers, Purge Team
- Minor Challenge: Void Gnomon, New Mask Voidlings
- Major Setting: Stellar House
- Minor Setting: The Atrium
Storyteller Opening Narration
The bridge is behind you, and you enter the Stellar House home to the lady of Fire, the Cosmonaut Dogs- and at the moment, also the Men of Black and White.
You enter the Atrium, which looks like a cross between an observatory and a museum. The Men of Black and White have set of olive drab military tents and piled ammunition boxes everywhere. Radio antenna jut out from piles of wires and everywhere the sound of boots echo off stone and polished oak display cases.
The Men of Black and White have pretty comprehensively occupied the area, and you will have to deal with their Purge Teams if you continue to trespass. But they haven’t managed to rid the area completely of void gnomon and they too could be a problem.
Stage Direction
You’re in Stellar House, and the The Men of Black and White have made a field outpost here while they search for the Crown Prince and their Last Princess. The Cosmonaut Dogs have asked you to reclaim their home in the First Capsule, and suggested that the Men of Black and White may have the Key to the Foglands you seek.
Storyteller Transition Narration
You’re approaching the First Capsule in Stellar House, the home of the Cosmonaut Dogs, pursued by a Purge Team. You’re deep into occupied territory, and there’s no turning back now. How will you meet this challenge?
Scene 6 – The Confrontation
- Mythos: Brewmaster Bobby Indra
- Scenario: The MacGuffin is Missing!
- Major Challenge: The Purifiers, Purge Team
- Minor Challenge: Ghost Lotus, The Bloom
- Major Setting: Stellar House
- Minor Setting: The First Capsule
Storyteller Opening Narration
Off to the side of the Atrium, through a heavy door, is the first capsule. Looking like an Gemini command module interpreted by Soviet state concept artists, the capsule gleams with 1950s glamour and a proud hammer and sickle decal on the metal skin of the capsule.
The Purge Team is still on the Hunt, and since the capsule is not inside Stellare House proper, Ghost Lotus blooms have drifted over from the Maze. No pressure.
Stage Direction
This is the Cosmonaut Dog’s home, the First Capsule. The Purifiers have you surrounded, and a few ghost lotus have drifted in as their bloom spreads. If the Key to the Foglands isn’t here, you’re out of leads and out of options. How will you end this?
Storyteller Transition Narration
You’ve found the Flask of Bobby Indra. The Dogs remember his Incursion team finding the Key. But the Dogs recall seeing Bobby in the RIng as an echonaut, a ghostly shadow of a Psychonaut whose Aura shattered. And so he is your only lead. Next time, you seek Bobby Indra, answers, and the Key to the Foglands!
Resolution
The key to finishing the Session is to end on both a cliff hanger while also giving a sense of closure. The Psychonauts need to feel as though the simple little mission they started has ballooned into a much large quest.
Give them the gratitude of the Cosmonaut Dogs, because they will almost certainly have liberated the Cosmonaut Dogs’ home for them. GIve them the reveal of a solid tangible clue in the flask, and have the Dogs give them the reward of new and useful information.
But them cut them short as they start to brainstorm and plan their next move. Tell them that all shall be revealed (or not) in THE NEXT CHAPTER! Or episode, or session, or whatever method suits your style.
And remember to add your notes to the Campaign Book so the next Storyteller can remember the big moments, especially the ones that moved the story along.
Transition to 1.2
You’ve played the first Session. It’s time for somebody else to play the Storyteller role.
Transitioning from 1.1 to 1.2 is the first transition. As such, expect it to be messy and expect to miss stuff. That’s fine, you’ll get the hang of it. Roll with it, nothing is perfect and it doesn’t need to be.
Outgoing Storyteller Duties
- The Psychonauts will have had interactions with the Men of Black and White and the Cosmonaut Dogs, and should remind the Incoming Storyteller of these interactions.
- The Psychonauts may have earned a Glyph during the last session, and the Sotryteller should note this in the Campaign book (or whatever document or file is being used)
- The Outgoing Storyteller should never try to tell the Incoming Storyteller how to handle the next Incursion. Each Storyteller will have their own style, nobody taktes precedence in that regard.
Incoming Storyteller Duties
- The Incoming Storyteller should confer with the Outgoing Storyteller regarding the events and relevant events from the last session.
- The Incoming Storyteller should review the campaign book and read the Session Notes in the Incursion Book for the next session ONLY
- The Incoming Storyteller should NOT read ahead in the incursion book. Obviously this is impossible if you are taking new psychonauts through an Incursion you have previously played. That’s fine.
Threads to Retain
The necessary threads here are the Key to the Foglands, and the Flight from Glass Tower. The Storytellers should keep track of both what the psychonauts know about the location (and status) of the Key to the Foglands. The Storytellers should also keep track of what the Psychonauts have learned about the Flight from Glass Tower.
Information that the Psychonauts ought to have about…
The Key to the Foglands
- The Key normally resides in the Guide Room in the center of the Lotus Garden.
- The Key is not there right now.
- The last person known to have the Key was Bobby Indra
The Flight from Glass Tower
- The Crown Prince and the Last Princess of the Hungry Empire have gone missing
- The Men of Black and White are looking for the Prince and Princess
Professor Harbinger's School for Villains 