And the Children Shall Lead
GM NOTES
A Tale from the Time of Departure for 5 players
by Jeff and Jordan Diewald
Tale Materials
The Tale requires the following characters:
| Characters | ||||
| Name | Species | Race | Summary | |
| 1.01 | Deep Dark | Software | Sentient Starship | Child |
| 1.02 | Equations Of Insight | Hardware | Eosian Robot | New Four Law robot with insatiable curiosity, carries the Alien Gizmö |
| 1.03 | Lapislazuli | Wetware | Morphic Steev | Young Under-Defender of the Morphic |
| 1.04 | Ultramarine | Wetware | Morphic Steev | Noble of the Overmorph, Defender of the Morphic |
| 1.05 | Vortex of Chaos | Software | Sentient Starship | Mother of Deep Dark, Fleet Command |
The Tale requires the following materials:
| Component | Copies | Copies to: |
| The Childrens' Tale | 3 | Deep Dark, Equations of Insight, Lapislazuli |
| The Parents' Tale | 2 | Ultramarine, Vortex of Chaos |
IMPORTANT NOTE: Most Tales only need a single Tale document. This has two very different perspectives leading into the Tale. Jeff and Jordan have not written a Tale requiring more than two Tale documents; that way lies madness.
Framing Text (Read Before the Tale)
Plans were planned. Supplies were supplied. The Fleet gathered, an armada of cooperation and coalition from across the civilizations of the Galaxy. There were ceremonies and toasts, speeches and boasts, and then gathering at posts. The launch was planned, down to the millisecond, so that all would be first, all would be equal... except there were some missing. Children. Three of them, who must be found. And thus the Children Shall Lead.
Location of the Tale
On the surface of Crouse 4454β+02, an unremarkable tidally-locked desert world, under an unremarkable red sun, about eight light years from the amassed Fleet launch point.
Props
The Alien Gizmö, starting with Equations Of Insight. Anything that looks alien, weird, or steampunkish will do just fine. A spatula will do in a pinch.
GM Notes
The name is from one of the worst Star Trek: TOS episodes ever produced, as voted by many fans in many polls. It's about children given super powers by an alien entity, in order that the entity can escape its world. This is about children with super powers going to an alien world, finding evidence of an ancient alien entity.
It's also a Biblical reference, but that's not relevant here.
Safety Concerns
Classic SF mind control
References
Jeff and Jordan Diewald evolved this idea out of the need for an initial Tale and their love of Deep Dark. Deep Dark is the brain child of Julie Diewald and Peter Vander Giessen, as described in the credits for this LARP.