RiseAndShine.Exe - November Patreon Post

Jasper Francis Cropsey

Referee Forward: I built this as a way of introducing people to Eclipse Phase blind - use a simulation to run folks through character generation and the basic mechanics without overloading them on rules and setting fluff. Still works with people who know what they are getting into, but I want to experiment with those who don’t and see how it works out (This is as-yet untested, by-the-by.)

Basically, as the players progress through this scenario they will be posed questions. Their answers will determine the skill packages (background, career, interest, and faction) that will make up their character on the outside.

Treat everyone as having a 30 or 40 in all skills. Don’t worry about what packages give people until session 2 - those will be determined by how they answer the questions of the locks. (See the core 2e rulebook for those)


The Players: Modern-day vacationers (In reality the infomorphs of Firewall agents)
The Setting: A secluded campsite; rustic cabins around a mountain lake. A summer evening.
The Hook: There’s a cry from down at the beach: a corpse has washed ashore.

Before Everything Begins

All players should answer the following question and take the appropriate aptitude template. If this is a meatspace game, I suggest putting this front and center on the character sheet / index card.

Stats are Cognition / Intuition / Reflexes / Savvy / Somatics / Will

I would describe myself as…

• Physical and athletic - 10/15/20/10/20/15
• Extroverted and outgoing - 10/20/15/20/15/10
• Good at planning and organizing - 15/15/10/20/10/20
• Never really sticking out - 15/15/15/15/15/15
• Creative and inquisitive - 20/20/10/15/10/15
• Hardy and adaptable - 15/10/15/10/20/20
• Adventurous and thrill-seeking - 20/10/20/15/15/10

The Corpse

A pale, waterlogged man, chained to a steamer trunk sealed with five sturdy locks. There is a heavy iron key tied to his wrist.

When the first lock is opened, the players will all receive a text message (if they do not have their phones on them, which is likely, they have appeared in their pockets)

First Question: What was your childhood like?

• We wanted to start a new life somewhere else (Colonist)
• We had a safe and stable life (Enclaver)
• We moved around a lot (Freelancer)
• My parents had gigantic debts they couldn’t pay off (Indenture)
• I spent most of my time online (Infolife)
• My parents were never around (Lost)
• We were always just scraping by (Underclass)
• I got a lot of shit for who I was (Uplift)

The Phone Call

After the question is answered, one of the phones rings. No one should be getting service up here. Caller ID is blank. It keeps ringing until it is picked up.

“You are in danger. Get that chest open as soon as possible. The keys are around here. I promise it will make sense as soon as you open up that chest.”

The Campground

Ten rustic cabins, clustered on one side of the egg-shaped lake. No cell reception. If the players try to leave by car, the batteries are dead. Also of note:

• An old fire-tower.
• An island in the middle of the lake. A bonfire appears there after the phone call.
• A small ranger’s cabin.

The Four Remaining Keys

These may be found and used in any order.

• At the top of the fire tower.
• A player will have to climb up a rusty, unstable ladder without falling. The edges are sharp and will injure their hands without protection (difficult to hold or grab things).
• In a computer-controlled safe in the ranger’s cabin.
• The computer can be hacked, or with more time the lock can be picked (triggers monster).
• On a 12’ tall pole in the center of the bonfire on the island.
• Attempting to put out the bonfire will take enough time to trigger the monster
• Hanging from the belt of the monster.
• The monster will appear after the third key is found, or when triggered.

The Monster

A huge, slow, hunchbacked thing with a single red eye like an ember, dragging a heavy maul behind it.

It can always be outrun, but has a tendency to show up out of nowhere.

Can be distracted, tripped up, snuck up upon, etc. It can smash down walls and recover, but it will always take a second blow.

It is scared of being burned, but not so scared that it ceases to be a threat at all.

A successful hit will cripple / incapacitate a player. A second will kill. We’re not worried much about HP at this point.

Dead players are, of course, not actually dead. They can communicate with other players via their cellphones. Any questions not answered will be randomly rolled.

Questions of the Keys

Each new key will ask a new question of the players

Second Question: Tell me how you see yourself.

No matter their answer,  roll 2d5

• 11 -Arachnoid
• 12 - Bouncer
• 13 - Dragonfly
• 14 - Exalt
• 15 - Fury
• 21 - Futura
• 22 - Galatea
• 23 - Ghost
• 24 - Hibernoid
• 25 - Menton
• 31 - Neo-Avian
• 32 - Neo-Ape (1. Chimp / 2. Bonobo / 3. Gorilla / 4. Orangutan)
• 33 - Neo-Neanderthal
• 34 - Neo-Octopus
• 35 - Neotenic
• 41 - Novacrab
• 42 - Olympian
• 43 - Pleasure Pod
• 44 - Ruster
• 45 - Security Pod
• 51 - Slitheroid
• 52 - Splicer
• 53 - Steel Morph
• 54 - Sylph
• 55 - Synth

Third Question: Which statement do you agree with most?

• I love teaching people new knowledge and skills (Academic)
• I like working behind the scenes (Covert Ops)
• Sometimes you have to be rough to get things done (Enforcer)
• I like going new places (Explorer)
• I like meeting new people (Face)
• I like studying plants and animals (Genehacker)
• People come to me to fix their computer (Hacker)
• I like solving difficult problems (Investigator)
• Healthy living is a priority (Medic)
• I want to know how people think (Mindhacker)
• One man’s trash is you know the rest (Scavenger)
• I’m always looking to discover and learn (Scientist)
• It’s important to protect your country (Soldier)
• I like tinkering with things and seeing how they work (Techie)

Fourth Question: Which have you done recently?

• Got a new pet (Animal Handler)
• Made something beautiful (Artist / Icon)
• Experienced an altered mental state (Async)
• Led people on a project (Commander)
• Practiced a martial art (Fighter)
• Solved a puzzle (Forensics)
• Drifted along your own way (Jack of All Trades)
• Raced drones (Jammer)
• Met and talked to new people (Networker)
• Saved someone’s life (Paramedic)
• Flew a plane (Pilot)
• Lied to someone (Rogue)
• Sat around and played video games (Slacker)
• Went starwatching (Spacer)
• Went back to school (Student)
• Took a long, difficult camping trip (Survivalist)

Fifth Question: What of these do you value the most?

• Community (Anarchist)
• Scientific inquiry (Argonaut)
• Freedom from oppression (Barsoomian)
• Introspection and distance (Brinker)
• Me, myself, and my money (Criminal)
• Self-reliance (Extropian)
• Exerting power (Hypercorp)
• Security (Jovian)
• Cultural heritage (Lunar/Orbital)
• The right to self-define (Mercurial)
• The study and safekeeping of history (Reclaimer)
• Hedonism (Scum)
• Living the high life (Socialite)
• Civic duty (Titanian)
• The status quo (Venusian)
• Local politics (Regional)

Final Question

The chest is open.

Option 1) “Are you afraid to die?” - The chest is empty. Scene pans to outside the simulation, where the players’ main bodies are just about the destroy the server containing their illegal, compromised forks.

Option 2) “Do you remember who you are now?” - The players are sucked into the chest, taken out of the simulation, and sleeved into the bodies rolled for question 2.