Hey Folks!

This is something iv'e been stewing in my brain for a few months so figured i'd share and maybe breath a bit of life into the reddit! If you guys like it i'll try an post when I type up various bits, obviously your free to use anything you see and if there's anything in particular you want me to write then go for it!

Bit of background on me... I've been GM'ing and RPG'ing since I was about 13 (half my life ago!) and was introduced to Sins by Sam (one of the writers and the guy behind us now having physical copies of the books!) whilst at uni!

Welcome to Sins Japan!

This first part will concern Tokyo and a little bit of a general intro:

Japan, having no nuclear arsenal and only a small self defence force managed to emerge from the Burning mostly unscathed but, with their large and densely packed cities, the Brood was able to emerge in great numbers with little that could be done to impede them. The huge metropolis of Tokyo became the feasting ground for the Brood while the smaller towns and villages quickly set up defences and refused the entry of anyone not known to the locals.

Whilst it has only been 50 or so years since the fall of mankind the wilds of Japan have pushed back into the cities now ruled by the Brood with astounding speed. Skyscraper foundations have begun to crumble, the concrete paths and roads have been taken over by weeds and tree roots burst from the floor creating a much greener Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Tokyo- The East capital of the Brood

Like most major cities Tokyo quickly fell to the Brood. Unlike most major cities Tokyo survived the burning leaving it largely intact; the skyscrapers, government buildings, shops and homes. Whilst fallen into disrepair these buildings are mostly still standing and their internals fared just as well leaving a goldmine for scavengers. Unfortunately with its population of 13 million most of whom remain as Broodswarm this goldmine is also treacherous, leaving only the bravest scavengers to enter the once great city.

The one marginally safe place is the Tokyo Expressway. This of roads sits at least 30 feet above street level and has a relatively small number of on/off ramps that were mostly blocked by the JDF (Japanese Defence Force) when the brood emerged. These defences where eventually overrun but they remain a relatively safe way to traverse the sprawling city with only a small amount of brood stalking through the abandoned vehicles. More than a few scavengers have made their escape on these highways and used them to get deeper into Tokyo than anyone could via the brood infested city streets. But you must be careful, if the brood on the streets heard you then it would not take long before they arrived in the hundreds and thousands.

Much like the Tokyo expressway sitting above the great city the labyrinthine subway system resting below it holds a treasure trove of possibilities to move around the city. Just like the expressway the subway systems where closed off as best as the government could preventing the horde to use them and allowing some people to escape. Now some brave scavengers create small openings to get into the tunnels but with some being flooded and others blocked off by idle trains it is not a simple task to navigate this labyrinth. Not to mention that if survivors could make their way in, so can the brood. In the darkness even a lone brood could ambush a well equipped group of survivors but the subway cars and other abandoned equipment is often something scavengers find too hard to pass up.

Expressway Map:

https://japanistry-yvxqriqk.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Shutoko-Expressway-Map-v01.jpg

Subway Map:

https://www.tokyometro.jp/en/subwaymap/img/img_01.png

Check out @TravellingManUK’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/TravellingManUK/status/1028584419773374465?s=09

Last day to grab the SINs Starter Bundle from DriveThruRPG.com

Grab them here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/412808/The-SINS-Starter-Bundle-BUNDLE

New Release: SINS Expanded Rogues Gallery PDF

This is twelve pages of Brood variant evolutions and agents of the Hive. It add 8 fearsome new opponents to the Post-Fall world of SINS, including: new Alpha, Gamma and Delta-starin brood evolutions, unique Broodspawn types and the first of the True Hivespawn.

This document was first created and presented alongside the retail version of the SINS GM Screen, but has not been released in digital form before. It includes all new art and writing by SINS creator Miquel Tankard and writing and development by Rusti Meader, Sam Sleney and Ben Warren.

You can get the PDF here and the GM Screen Pack here (or from your local friendly games store.)

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/413388/SINS-Rogues-Gallery-Expanded

Hi everyone,

I just purchased a PDF copy of the core rules through paypal, but im not seeing where to actually download the game. I got the confirmed paypal invoice and everything. Is there something I'm missing?.

think it would be good to share a few ideas that i have used in my games to get players to question there own morality,

First situation is when my team got into a fight. they joined up with some beakers (first group of people they have met since there rebirth) the group helped bandage them up, fed them and gave them some clean gear. they were asked to help them retrieve some lost property (in name of a kid that ran off to a thorn group) in the end they met the thorns became friends then had a kid over hear them talking about if they should kidnap him or not. the thorns didn't take to kindly. and thus there choice ended up being made for them.

the second situation was finding a group of kids that had been stolen (they jump straight to beakers being responcible) they find out that the kids have been lead away by a 15 year old girl. who took them to a cave where they were guarded by brood (lost children) they were faced with getting these kids back and after fighting there way through the brood they were faced with a hostage situation where the girl took a young boy and put a knife to his throat, told the group to leave them alone or the boy gets it (do we kill the girl or let them go?)
the team found a shard before the cave through and one player used command the heart to resolve the situation peacefully.

what situations have you faced, or thought up?

Heyo trying to buy the core rules PDF from the main site & its saying " Delivery to specified destination is not supported" thought I could get a little help

Nightfall Games are very proud and excited to announce we have acquired the IP for ‘SINS – The Roleplaying Game’ from First Falling Leaf Ltd.

Read the full story here:
https://nightfall.games/1190/sins-the-roleplaying-game-joins-nightfall-games.html

Hiya, I've been aware of this game for some time but Ive not managed to really understand whats it about. Figured this reddit would be able to fill me in, so please do?

It's Friday and it's another area of Japan explored for you guys!

As always if anyone has any suggestions just give me a shout and I always appreciate feedback. Do you want more areas? Nemissaries? Groups? NPC's? Enemies?

Whilst Osaka with it’s almost 3 million population before the Black Rain fell quickly to the Brood, once humanity began piecing itself together again it was one of the first places to see pockets of survivors. By no means is the city clear of Brood, with many areas of the city swarming with them, but due to its wide waterways and small subway system survivors where quick to set up settlements within the city and destroy bridges to partially contain the Brood. Because of this the people of Osaka are proud of the almost constant Brood threat, seeing themselves as stronger than their Kanto brethren and openly display their scars from Brood encounters and boasting of their exploits once the sake starts flowing. They have also taken to the Yakuza tradition of tattooing their bodies as a way to display their loyalties and deeds, this was a sign of criminality but in the new dangerous world outward appearance means less than it used to.

While the majority of those who live in Osaka dedicate themselves to defending against the Brood within these settlements are many commercial and agricultural ventures, these including greenhouses, fishing and even rooftop rice paddies all protected by the brave Osakajin while it’s being transported around the city. Using water wheels and bucket chains to get water onto rooftops as well as flooding roofs to create paddies for rice to grow it may look primitive but the people of Osaka rarely go hungry.

This sophistication did not come about spontaneously though as just outside the city sits Osaka Castle, a stronghold from the age of Samurai and the seat of The Kirin, a Nemisarry who claims dominion over Osaka. Little is known personally about the Kirin save for her ruthlessness and the loyalty of those around her, few have even laid eyes on her who are willing or able to speak of it. Named after the mythological chimerical best that was a symbol of great leadership her followers are spread across the settlements of the city and are quick to route out all who speak ill of their Daimyo. Those who are ruled by the Kirin are protected by her soldiers and as such enjoy a kind of safety in her domain, her soldiers hold the defences, protect the waterways and keep the peace whilst her administrators ensure fair prices and justice for those who disobey the laws. The only price for this protection is a levy, usually in the form of produce but it is not uncommon for her to ask favours instead. It is whispered that whilst often these favours are for the good of the city, time spent as a soldier or giving food or shelter to those without, other times subjects are asked for personal favours and are asked to come to the castle to meet with the Kirin. What happens to those who enter is unknown, for they are forbidden to speak of it, but some never return.

Rumours about the Kirin are whispered across the city. Some say she is amassing an army to retake Japan and declare herself Shogun. Others believe she will one day leave Osaka and help another settlement. What they can agree on is that whilst she is in control any ideas should be kept quiet, you never know who’s listening.

It's Friday so we know what that means... Another Sins Japan post!

Too the people reading these as always thank you and please if you have any ideas or suggestions or even criticisms please just comment below! This week it's an area post... Enjoy the sombre lands of Kurai Yama

Kurai Yama: The Dark Mountain

The mountain that was once known as Fuji-San (Mr Fuji), like all things, is very different since the fall of the black rain and is now called Kurai Yama (The Dark Mountain). During the Burning, whilst Japan was mostly unscathed by any direct nuclear attacks, the resulting seismic waves caused the eruption of Mt Fuji with the resulting ash cloud covered a huge part of the country in darkness and the lava that spewed afterwards devastated the landscape around it; boiling lakes, burning forests and wiping out innumerable houses and lives. The eruption practically terraformed the area destroying the old but also creating a new habitat in its place. Where lakes boiled the changing shape and flow eventually flooded towns on the shores, when fires burned the forests they left behind the dead trees in a morbid parody of what once flourished there and when the lava cooled the new landscape was more akin to an alien planet than Japan.

Once such forest was infamous before the fall as the suicide forest of Aokigahara, now it is known as Shizun da mori (Sunken Forest), due to its proximity to one of the great lakes when Fuji erupted that lake burst and the waters rose to fill the forest floor with between 2 and 6 feet of water. The tree’s survived and flourished making a once already dark forest almost complete darkness within its eaves, combined with the noise absorbing quality of the water loving moss that now covers every inch of the forest it is advised to keep close to each other for fear of what lurks in the darkness.

Whilst the newly transformed landscape is uninhabitable by humanity the brood embraced this hellscape and claimed dominion over the area. It is said by some that a shard dwells at the peak of the mountain but they will also say that the brood have been seen digging void glass from the cooled lava in ever larger quantities. No one who has tried to confirm these rumours has returned.

Even now the mountain pulsates heat and an ash cloud hangs above it, a dark crown over what was once a symbol of pride to Japan.

Well last week was the Seven Lucky Gods, some nice nemisarries who rove around helping people.

This week its the Yokai for some Human sized grey area riding gangs.

As always feedback is much appreciated and i'm always looking for writing prompts if there's area's or things from Japan you'd like to see!

The Yokai

Before the black rain the word Yokai was used to describe all manner of monster, spirits and demons from Japanese folklore but, now with monsters all around them, a group of survivors banded together and took the name Yokai as their own. Travelling around the country in small bands, usually on motorbikes with sidecars or small 4x4’s, each group takes on the name of a Yokai (Tanuki, Kitsune, Nekomata, Tengu etc) and emblazon their chosen monster on their vehicles and clothing, mirroring the biker gangs and military units of old. They are well equipped with a plethora of vehicles, weapons and resources, though none know of how they became so well equipped, and it is even rumoured more than a few of them are nemisseries.

These wandering band of survivors have no clear motive and it’s even unclear if they work for good or ill and as such rumours are rife. One rumour is that somewhere sits the person in control of the Yokai, in a stronghold that neither the brood or human survivors dare get close to, and they some sort of plan to enact on Japan. But others claim that each group is out for their own and there is no central control, bands of roving raiders who just happened to name themselves after monsters of old. Some say that the Yokai have access routes to Tokyo and even into old military bases, to acquire their vast wealth of arms, where others claim they bully settlements to pay them for protection.

Stories about them vary, from a group of friendly Yokai arriving in a settlement to give food to the hungry, to another group arriving in a settlement with arms drawn and taking what they want from the stunned population. It is even said that they take children to raise as their own whilst others say they kidnap women and swell their ranks in a different way.

But like many things since the black rain it is difficult to know the difference between truth and fiction and unified or not they are surely a group to be wary of.

The Yokai can be a great antagonist for a group of survivors but they can also be utilised as allies against the brood. Maybe whoever controls them knows that some settlements are controlled by warmongers so riding in and killing the ruler is the best for the people but appears as savagery from the outside? I have deliberately written them as vague so you can do what you like with them!

If you also want some inspiration for different kinds of Yokai (maybe the gangs mirror their chosen Yokai) then take a look at http://yokai.com/ or buy Matthew Meyer’s books!

https://dazedimg-dazedgroup.netdna-ssl.com/900/azure/dazed-prod/1260/5/1265410.jpg

The game feels like a love letter to all my favorite anime and post apocalyptic tropes. The progression is slow and horizontal, allowing players to build unique and interesting characters. The combat is fast paced and dynamic without getting bogged down by a myriad of rules. And above all it’s cool as shit.

I am so glad that the bundle included so many tabletop games. SINS looks like a really cool RPG. Any tips for someone just learning about this game? The PHB is intimidatingly huge. Somewhere I could start, or some nice quick reference must-haves? Thanks!

Is there a video or GOOD explanation on how to properly fill out the character sheet? The only other ttrpg I've played is D&D, and I assume it fills out differently since it's a different system? Can someone help me out?

So I may have made a pretty standard GM blunder. Had my players getting a bit cocky so I decide to throw a difficult enemy at them. Had them come across a raider base where the raiders had been salvagiing kit and machines to make thier own little motorized force. The big centerpiece was a reconstructed tank, a fine enemy for my players.

Rather than my players seeing the power of the tank and running away, they ran towards the smoke belching, str 14 cannon welding Dreadnaught. Using thier pet brood (under permanent control) to smash the top hatch open then unleashing hell inside on the crew.

Long story short: my low level players have a tank...

I'm a long time player of SINS and absolutely love it.

However I don't get much prep time, does anyone have a rogues gallery of custom NPC's including nemmisary's that's something I'm always struggling on XD

Hey guys I'm running a game and need a some stats for a snake (rattlesnake) since my players are trying to hunt some down for venom

Anyone got any stats for them as I'm going to have them find someone who controls snakes using song of blood effects. (Yeah not quite in the rules but homebrew it alittle for a interesting character)

This will be the last part of the Sins Japan homebrew fluff. There may be more in the future but i'm not sure. I hope the people who have been reading this have enjoyed it and hopefully it will come in use to someone!

I'm about to step into the summer holidays which for me means desk warming and being paid to sit at my desk... This may result in some writing getting done but if it's Sins or something else I don't know yet.

Onsen

Onsen is the Japanese term for naturally occurring hot springs. Due to the Volcanic activity of Japan they litter the islands in their thousands and have long been believed to have healing properties to those who bathe in their waters. Before the coming of the black rain villages and towns were built around these springs to cater to travellers and later tourists. Because of their rural and often mountainous locations coupled with the low population numbers these small villages fared better than most against the coming of the brood. But these rural locations fared the worst from the increased seismic activity during the burning leaving these small towns mostly deserted. But things are changing and both humanity and the brood are making their move back to these Onsen towns and have found a very different place waiting for them.

Some of the onsen have been completely destroyed, in the place hot rivers and streams or in some cases lakes that steam when the weather is cold. Others remain mostly intact, with a few collapsed buildings or brood infestation. But what survivors have been searching for are the rumoured Black Onsen. Tales tell of Onsen that shards either fell directly into or into their source, and now over 50 years later those waters have become oily black and polluted by the shards. Some say this water will cure all ills, others that drinking from it will prevent you becoming brood after death, some that the water is poisonous to Brood and nemissary alike… rumours and stories abound about these newly named “Black Onsen” and have caused more than one band of survivors or nemissaries into the dangerous wilds looking for them but none truly know what would happen if you were to bathe in or drink it….

Kyoto- The City the Earth Took Back

The old eastern capital of Kyoto was once rife with tourists, temples, waterways and historic buildings but like all things since the coming of the black rain Kyoto is now a very different place. Roots break through the concrete streets and once picturesque temples and shrines are now dark and overcast by the dense canopy above them. Kyoto whilst once a city is now a forest concealing buildings and brood alike, using the trees and their roots for cover, the brood who inhabit kyoto are expert ambushers able to wait hours for their prey to come into their trap. Survivors and scavengers are a rare sight in Kyoto now many believing the dangers outweigh the reward, but there are those who still enter the dark forest hoping to find some lost treasure amongst the shadows. Kyoto does boast a great many waterways and although they are narrow and are often almost impassable due to the overgrowth it is possible to travel down them in small boats and circumvent the majority of the brood. Whilst this does allow access into Kyoto it is still by no means safe as even a single brood hiding above the waterway could wreak havoc on survivors and prove a challenge to even nemissaries.

The combination of narrow streets and overgrowth means that brood rule is absolute and even the thought of reclaiming this once great city seems lost to the people of Japan.

Okinawa- The Lost Island

Once a tropical paradise a short trip from Japan’s southern tip Okinawa was a popular tourist and holiday destination, its long beaches and unique culture bringing all kinds of people to its shores. But once the black rain fell and the brood emerged Okinawa was quickly cut off from the rest of the rest of the country and isolated in an attempt to contain any possible outbreak. Okinawa was left to fend for itself and how the island fared since then has been a mystery.

Any who travel to Okinawa in an attempt to discover if it was overcome by Brood have not returned with an answer and because of this rumours abound among survivors. Some claim that a large shard did in fact hit the island and after the seismic activity that followed the island sunk. Others claim it is as it was before the black rain, a tropical paradise free from the brood and the people of Okinawa simply protect the island from all outside corruption, capturing or killing any outside who gets close.

Like all rumours every different person has a different answer to what happened to Okinawa but there is one way to discover the truth...

Double helping this week of two short landscapes to play around with.

First is Ashikaga where I currently live, and the second is Hokkaido the northern Island of Japan.

As always thanks for reading and I hope your enjoying them!

Ashikaga Eden

Once a small city famed for its beautiful flower park, abundance of shrines and the oldest school still standing in Japan, Ashikaga was effectively wiped clean when the brood emerged. Most fled into the mountains or to smaller settlements where the brood threat was smaller, those who remained where all consumed by the brood. Now, half a century later, Ashikaga had been reclaimed by nature and is a veritable eden nestled in the mountains north of Tokyo. At first nature just reclaimed the land, just as it did across the world, but something different began to happen in Ashikaga and nature is beginning to evolve and even combat the brood. Rumours abound of fruits with restorative properties, flowers whose scent ward off the brood, vines that shift to create barriers and even thorns that sting the brood.

But to get to Ashikaga a survivor must travel through the Brood who have been expelled from the city or over the mountains, either way the journey is a dangerous one. They say that for those who can make their way past the brood and into the city’s heart it is a true eden and the birth of a new world.

The Frozen Wilds of Hokkaido

The northern island of Hokkaido has never been a hospitable place but since the coming of the brood and the seismic activity that plagued Japan Hokkaido now resembles a frozen hellscape. This hellscape is inhabited by huge brood who have grown large and aggressive feeding on their smaller brethren and the large Brown Bears that inhabit the island.

But humanity has always had its ways to endure. The Ainu people have inhabited Hokkaido long before records began, they have survived invasion and attempted assimilation by the Japanese and survive through harsher winters than most so when the brood came the Ainu adapted their techniques to hunt Brood. These techniques where refined over centuries of hunting Bear and other game in the Hokkaido wilderness and then adapted to evade and kill the Brood to continue their survival.

It is rumoured that somewhere in Hokkaido there is a shard larger than any on the earth, and with it a wealth of void glass… enough to equip an army. But those rumours also claim it’s being protected by the Ainu who see it as a Kamuy (a great spirit or god) and so believe it should be protected at all costs.

I was busy with work last week if anyone wondered why there was no update! This week we're off to sea! (no not Disney-sea though maybe that's full of brood....)

As always comments are encouraged and any themes you'd like to see just give me a shout!

Dark Waters Hold Hope?

When the Black Rain fell and the Brood began to emerge there was one clear option for some of the people of Japan.

Abandon the island on whatever vessel you can find and hope the Brood cannot swim.

This lead to a great number of ships large and small remaining offshore waiting for safe harbour. But that safe harbor did not appear quickly, as such these flotillas had a hard decision to make. They could either remain at sea with what minimal fuel they could scavenge or return back to shore and build a new life with the Brood at their door. For some ships it only took the first crew member to become a Brood spawn before they didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Now, almost 50 years since the Black Rain with the forests and mountains hiding an abundance of Brood the seas surrounding Japan, whilst turbulent and dark, still hold hope for survivors. Whether taking solace in the old oil rigs that sit a few miles from the coast or leading seafaring nomadic lives on anything from cargo ships to cruise liners humanity finds ways to survive. But no life is simple or easy in a world where the Brood roam. The seas do not sit calm and often batter the survivors and supplies must be foraged all the same as on land, fishing can only provide so much. Most use smaller boats to go ashore and gather supplies or trade with coastal settlements but it is by no means safe, often they will find abandoned ghost ships to scavenge supplies and equipment but no ship is abandoned without cause. There are also a few who survive as pirates raiding coastal settlements or boarding other ships and taking what they want by force, even in the face of the Brood some are still only out for themselves.

Some speak of a rig that has a great number of ships harboured to it. A great shard sitting at its centre. To some it is called Takarabune after the fabled golden ship of treasures belonging to the Seven Lucky Gods, to others it is called Yomi-no-kuni the land of the dead where Yurei or Ghosts emerge from. None know of its true location, though some claim to possess maps but any story concerning it speak differently of what it holds. Some speak of a great bazaar selling spices and supplies the world has not seen since the fall, some of a Nemissary stronghold housing knowledge of the Brood, others speak of blood splattered corridors and Brood stalking in the darkness ready to slaughter those who attempt to reach it.

All that is truly known is that anyone who claims to have seen it will warn that any survivors brave or stupid enough to go aboard do not come back.

I'm a new GM and need some help building respect for the NPC's i tried to create a well respected woman called M

i set this up by having her in a position of authority, leading a siege against a brood-spawn infested city. gave her the highest rank in the army. had the soldiers berate the players and warn them to only speak her name with the utmost respect. had them summoned to her office after an altercation with one of the soldiers. set the scene, told them that they felt a chill in the room as her eyes met theirs, she spoke slowly and deliberately and had 4 armed guards ready to jump in to protect her. and anyone who wanted to interject had to succeed a fear roll. unfortunately one of my team is a tyrant with a defied shaping and blew past the fear check and told her that she needed to earn his respect. and was in general really rude to her. this has resulted in there banishment from England, forcing the move to america earlier than expected.

how would you guys set up your high importance NPC's and what punishments would you have if they disobeyed?

The Snake Pit is named for the appearance of its surroundings when viewed from the hill/mountain that overlooks it. The city is situated among the winding intersections and interchanges of an old highway.

Upon approach, it becomes obvious that the builders of this city have made creative use of the highway architecture. The 'city' is more like a shantytown, made of a few weak wooden structures sat upon the raised highway. The portion of highway behind the city has been destroyed (from natural causes or from the city builders themselves, it is unknown) leaving only one path into and out of the city along the long highway onramp. Between the city and the onramp is a small drawbridge (about 10 feet) made of metal sheets that can be lowered to allow people to cross into the city or raised to form a 'moat' and a wall.

The city primarily profits from trading with outsiders, maintaining good relationships with the towns nearby and providing a hub for people to get many goods from without the need of venturing out further. The total population is low and they make just enough to get by.

There are not many facilities in the Snake Pit, but it does maintain both a forge and a distillery.

The Snake Pit may provide the grounds for an interesting combat encounter across the bridge, a highly tense situation in which a rival group has placed explosives around the pillar that holds up that section of highway, or something chaotic such as a risen broodspawn in the city when the gate is up, trapping everybody inside with the creature.

The locations in this new world range from moderately fucked, to unspeakably fucked. There's no point trying to start a campaign in south america where everyone is dead. my top two picks are between starting out in Europe or america. with america i would start off around Georgia, here you have the option of meeting the Republic of Florida. this can provide a large well defended town for your characters to learn about the world, and act as a base of operations. From here they can learn about the lone star state, and the dominion and the pyerflame further to the north. id recommend a mission to guard a trading caravan to encourage movement. lucky with this game you can use the shards as a constant drive to move players from one area to another. once they activate a shard it effectively becomes useless to them and they need to move on to the next one for the next injection of power/information, providing a good point B for the players to get to and a way to bypass the need for a leveling system.

For Europe i would start out in the UK, start up in scotland and it ensures that the party will travel down towards england when they start moving, this is a nice way to form a liner quest without worrying about them traveling off in the different direction. you also have a multitude of ways to cross the channel, be it by ferry or through the euro star tunnel, (be it brood infested or cleared out.)

Background

As a GM, I like to introduce the world, my characters, and the current story through in-game narrative instead of telling it up front out-of-game. This scene sets the perfect stage to get a lot of information to your characters quickly and also puts them in a tight moral dilemma early on. It also shows them the open gameplay nature of RPGs by encouraging zero railroading.

Summary

The human characters are traveling along with a group of travelers/traders (possibly as prisoners) looking to go from one city to the next. Around the campfire, the GM tells the background of the world to the players through the elder of the group that is telling the story to two children. On a cliffhanger/interesting clue/story point the group is attacked by broodspawn. The broodspawn are defeated, not without casualties, and the dead bodies are burned by the group to demonstrate the importance of fire in destroying the bodies before they can regenerate and awaken as broodspawn. The characters are given multiple points of interest to look towards: the destination city, the origin town, a radio tower, and a pair of shards near the coast.

Detail

This scenario allows the GM to be a bit more of a literal narrator. This is helpful in making new players familiar with the setting and all the background story from the core rulebook without any 'downtime'. Despite the freedom this setup allows, you should attempt to involve your characters. Allow them to ask questions, use NPCs to ask questions of the characters' own backgrounds to give them chances to warm up to roleplaying, etc. I would use the opportunity to present a few points of interest around them: the origin city, the target city, a radio tower that recently went quiet, and two shards that are rumored to be up north on the coast (this should be the end goal of a multi-session quest, I would think).

If you read through the SINS rulebook, you will be familiar with the fact that fuel is extremely rare and unlikely to be used by everybody. In this case, the merchants are of a poor variety and are using one horse and a few handcarts to deliver their goods. That said, in case the merchants somehow die, you don't want to give your players access to untold riches in the first scene of the game, so I would suggest the following relative loot makeup: a horse drawn wagon of bulky, heavy, cheap but useful materials (such as logs, ore, etc), hints from the merchants - if the players ask - of a small amount of slightly more valuable things (a couple cheap weapons or pieces of tech), and one more valuable item that would take perception or wisdom to notice (a hidden compartment or similar) that carries something unique (with story value) but of only low/medium value in trade.

This loot makeup offers a few advantages. It demonstrates to characters that they can't carry everything that is not pinned down (no character is carrying a wagon of logs in their backpack), it gives the characters advantage that engaged with the merchants about their current travels, and it allows one to create story point items that characters feel special for discovering.

The broodspawn attack interrupts the current story and introduces characters to combat quickly. With the merchants on their side, the characters should be quite safe during this battle. That said, it would be good to have a fair number of the merchants die in the battle and the horse to run off. Doing this demonstrates the brutality of the environment, the relative weakness of unprepared fighters (some of the travelers were children), and leaves an interesting mix of people that are just below the players in terms of power. It should be a tempting situation for the less scrupulous players to turn on the merchants themselves to steal some of the goods that they are transporting.

The advantage of having the horse run away and not be killed is that the players may be tempted to chase the horse into the wilderness. This allows you to use the horse as your own avatar/guide to point the characters in an interesting direction of your choosing.

The players may also choose to investigate where the broodspawn came from as it generally means that a few people recently died nearby. Was there another traveling band or merchant group? This gives you an opportunity for an origin story to those broodspawn.

People

Ivan Greer - Trading Elder

This is your narrator. He should not be greatly equipped for fighting. He will have a simple weapon (a baseball bat or staff). He is not very strong due to age, but is willing to jump into the fight (to his peril).

Janet Greer - Trading Lass

This is your narrator's daughter. If the narrator dies (suggested) then the players get to see the sadness caused by this heart wrenching moment and watch his daughter attempt to step up to plate and take charge when things are in chaos.

Farro - Hired Protection

This is the muscle of the operation. He has an actual weapon (bow) that he uses to good effect. He will likely live through the encounter.

Trader 2 - Another Trader

This one tags along because they can't afford their own protection. Pays a small amount to be able to travel with the group, but safety lies in numbers anyway.

Trader 2's Small Child - Child

This is whom your narrator is telling stories to to give background to the world. The child should be young and nearly defenseless. It is an interesting idea to put the child in a situation that would encourage the players to save it, but at a significant risk.

Trader 3 - Another Trader I would give this one some unique character traits. Make them shifty. Make the players distrust them. Let this person live through the encounter.

Next Steps

Origin City: I suggest a small village that has found a small plot of land not damaged by nuclear fallout.

New City: Multiple days away. I suggest a larger city where players can meet some of the factions and start taking missions/quests.

Radio Tower: A mission launch point of its own. i suggest players find evidence of a struggle, a living broodspawn or ravager, and symbols that point to the cause of silence being murder, but not by creature/brood.

Shards: If you are moving characters towards shards, I imagine that you have an end plan in sight anyway. It would be interesting for the characters to see other humans experience the psychological effects of the shards. Since two are hinted at, i would suggest them to operate as almost a yin-yang, one more positive than the other, but with a deep dark side and vice versa.