This is an adventure for the Tales from The Loop tabletop role-playing game by Free League. It can be played as a one-shot, or maybe over a few sessions.

The setting is a science camp on a small island off the coast, not anywhere near where the kids live. During their stay, the kids will encounter a mysterious old man, and some harrowing creatures from a distant pasts.

The scenario is not particularly tied to the US or Swedish (or any other) setting, and can easily be adapted. Everything you need to play the adventure is included, but you do need the main rulebook for the basic rules of the game.

Running the adventure

About the island

The island where the kids will spend a week-long science camp is an ancient stronghold that has long ago lost its strategic significance. The first castle was built in the 13th century. Since then it has transformed from a fortified position to a vacation home for the nobility from the late 17th century onwards, to the site of an advanced research company called ROTOR.

That company went out of business about ten years ago, in the mid-seventies, and the island has been left largely abandoned since then, vegetation slowly taking over.

Recently, a youth organization has been given the opportunity to use the island for science camps. They have refurbished some of the old labs in the castle, and have turned the coachhouse into dorms.

Starting the scenario

The start of the adventure finds the kids on the island's shuttle boat, piloted by the island's house warden Gustaf. They travel together with the camp counselors, who welcome them and make their first acquaintances on the boat.

As they arrive and settle in, they will get a quick tour of the coachhouse and the castle, but not the entire island. Have an everyday life scene about how everyone settles into the dorm rooms after their first evening meal. Maybe there is some hot cocoa and board games to finish off the first night?

The next day, the kids will start their activities under the guidance of the camp counselors. Maybe have them meet Elise for the first time?

But not all is as it seems...

The first sign that something is amiss on the island will be sightings of Tiberius, lurking about.

Giant spiders, scorpions, dragonflies and centipedes will start to roam around on the island, in ever increasing numbers, and becoming increasingly dangerous.

The adults (camp counselors) will of course generally dismiss this as overactive imaginations of the kids, or some normal harmless natural variety.

Refer to the countdown for how the kids get drawn into the adventure further and how their time runs out.

The Truth

The research company that used to be housed on the island was called ROTOR, and went out of business about ten years ago, shortly after they fired their lead scientist (Walter Tiberius). He conducted unsanctioned time-portal experiments in a hidden lab he had constructed without the knowledge of management. The company desperately tried to stay afloat after this incident, but ultimately failed.

Tiberius' time portal experiments were indeed succesful, and he managed to build a gate to prehistory. After his firing, the management of ROTOR was unable to safely control the portal, and chose to clumsily power it down and abandon the project. The financial strain and the bad press and speculation due to Tiberius' departure led to their bankruptcy.

Tiberius was shunned by the scientific community and became a recluse. He derived some pleasure from seeing the former site of ROTOR descend into ruin.

When the science camps started being organised a few years ago, Tiberius worried that someone would discover his secred lab and the -presumably- intact portal. He decided to go take a closer look and guard the castle against snoopers. He has set up camp in the old ice cellar and lurks about monitoring the children, whenever there is a camp. He doesn't want to destroy his work, he mainly wants it to be preserved and doesn't want anyone tampering with it.

Tiberius travels to the island in a small boat and hides it on a small beach at the southeastern coast, whenever there is a science camp. On one previous occasion, he has hidden a small handgun under the eastern bridge, for emergency use.

The house warden (Gustaf) was already there at the heyday of ROTOR and knows that there is something boarded up in the attic of the mansion. But he doesn't know the ins and outs, as he is not a scientist. He also knows Tiberius from when he worked at ROTOR, but would have a hard time recognizing him after all these years. He has heard rumors of someone lurking around on the island sometimes, but has dismissed it as kids' overly active imaginations. Nothing has been stolen or has gone missing.

Kids from the previous science camp were snooping around in the castle on their own and discovered the old lab, but not the portal. They powered the lab up and played around with the computers and equipment, inadvertently activating the portal in the attic, which leads to a prehistoric time when giant insects and arachnids roamed the earth. Since then, these frightening creatures have been slowly finding their way to our world and have been making a home on the island. Some are rather harmless, but others actively hunt for prey. Gustaf and Elise have noticed some small signs of this, like vegetables getting eaten, some strange sounds, and oversized insect parts that are hard to interpret.

Tiberius will frantically try to close the portal again, but he is unable to do so by himself. Eventually, he will get trapped on the roof.

Gustaf will go exploring some noise or other incident at some point, and will be captured and cocooned by a spider.

One of the kids' friends might also be taken away by a spider, sedated and cocooned in its nest, or even killed by one of the other creatures.

Resolving the crisis

Gustaf should be found and freed, probably with the help of Elise. The spider has taken its victim to its nest, which can be located by following the spider's tracks through the thick vegetation.

The portal must be closed somehow, or the giant insects will completely overwhelm the island, and possibly migrate to the outside world too, wreaking havoc. The players might work together with Tiberius on that.

Showdown

When the kids end up at the portal and try to shut it down, they are faced with one or more giant insects and spiders who hinder their efforts, along with the complexity of Tiberius' setup. Combining their skills can overcome this Extended Trouble. Any documentation they've discovered on Tiberius' research will certainly help them, as will any help they get from Tiberius, Gustaf, Elise or others.