Change Places

Gotham PD has charged Jervis Tetch with kidnapping on three separate occasions, but no judge will let the case go to trial (for some reason). The Cap’ wants the PCs to conduct an illegal search of Tetch’s home and, if that doesn’t turn up any useful evidence, wage a campaign of terror against him. The ultimate goal is to scare him into running to where ever he’s keeping his victims, be they dead or alive.

As you may have guessed, there’s no useful evidence in Jervis’ townhouse. However, the PCs will find another burglar at work: Benjamin Ward. He’s trying desperately to track down the technology Jervis stole from Wayne Enterprises. He’ll run, of course, and you should milk the foot chase for all it’s worth! If caught, Ward will claim that Tetch kidnapped his daughter and he was just trying to get her back.

Outside, the PCs might catch a glimpse of The Fifth Column’s operatives surveilling the house. (The future-tech belonged to the Thule Society before the U.S. government stole it and pawned it off to Wayne Enterprises.) Mary Miller isn’t on the scene, but you can stage a quick run-in with the Black Dragon or Fiend to introduce them as recurring villains. Let your players know that these guys have plot immunity, so that their survival and escape doesn’t become a source of too much frustration.

After that, it’s all up to your players. They can wage that campaign of terror any way they see fit. Once everyone’s happy with the result, Tetch will bolt for his warehouse out on the docks. If you can work it in as a car chase, more power to you!

Examining the ground floor and all those crates marked “Property of Wayne Enterprises” should take them a few minutes, which gives Tetch enough time to get downstairs and change into his formal attire. He knows the PCs won’t want to hurt the kidnapped girls, so he’ll use them as his first wave of attack. After that, his hobo “pawns” will put up a good mook fight. Jervis himself isn’t much of a threat… unless he manages to infect a PC with those mind-control nanites!

(If you cameo the Joker, he can just sit and watch. Refer to him only as the Cheshire Cat, but be sure to mention the freakishly wide grin.)

When the heros finally emerge victorious, they’ll find the warehouse cleaned out. While they were busy, Benjamin Ward and/or the Fifth Column was able to grab their goods and get outta Dodge. If you want to let a PC play around with Virtual Animism (see Wyrd-Fu), go ahead and leave a single pair of cyberspecs behind.

Recommended Opener: Stick your players right in the middle of a fight against the Red Queen, on a human-sized chessboard with the Mad Hatter watching from a throne-like chair. Don’t explain any more than you have to. “Off with their heads!” makes a great opening line, and you can fade to black when the Hatter screams, “Change places!”