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Marvel Database
317,242
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in: Novels, 1985, TSR, Inc./Publisher,
and 76 more

Sudden Dawn

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Appearances

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Plot

1944. The Red Skull aims to steal information from Project: Manhattan. Following his orders, Baron Blood sends several agents to the US, aiming to build their own bomb. British Intelligence has discovered of this mission, including the fact that the Globe Press building in New York City is a target, and they send the Spirit of '76, who was in UK, to help. "Six" arrives too late to warn anyone, and simply helps other superheroes of the Liberty Legion confronting Agent Axis and his disguised soldiers - who are trying to steal a number of documents about dividing the atom. Axis has hired some local thugs to rob a jewelry store just before Axis's heist, so as to keep the authorities busy; and he also has an experimental flame-tank ready for support.

After Axis's attack, the US Army contact the Legion and Six for a classified mission. After swearing to secrecy, the heroes hear a little bit about Manhattan: Project -they are not told the details of the weapon they are building, only it is very destructive, and that it is divided in different autonomous departments. The Army believes that Hitler has a similar project (although Hitler is admittedly skeptic about it, but he allows funding it) and, lacking a prototype, he's trying to steal information from the Americans to fill in his gaps. The Army suspects that two other seats are going to be attacked very soon, and they want the Legion to protect them.

The first target is a secret lab under Stagg Football Field, University of Chicago (As the dean is not a football fan, he allows the Army to hide stuff under the field). Master Man, Warrior Woman and eight soldiers in plainclothes attack.

The following target is the Barcley Research Center. It has been already evacuated (except for the pet dog), but they can't move the huge machinery in time, in one of the buildings, and they ask the Legion to protect it against attack. The attackers are twelve naval-based infantry soldiers from an U-boat, and also rogue Atlantean U-Man, who wants to take over the throne of Atlantis with Nazi support. Their mission was to steal secret files, take photos of the machines, then destroy it. They all try to capture any hero, to obtain prestige and respect of their superiors.

After the attack, an Army General reports that Barcley had been a feint: The Nazis had attacked New Jersey coast, stealing an experimental prototype of the Manhattan Project weapon and kidnapping a scientist, Dr. Horatio Martin - They used a dense fog to cover the area so they security was hindered; and two guards were hospitalized with severe anemia and injured necks.

Then, among storm clouds in New York City, Baron Blood takes control of the highest floor (35th) of the Empire state Hotel and hijacks the radio signal. He says he has a weapon that could destroy the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and he'd activate it in 24 hours; only he could stop him (he claimed, but that was false), and demanded that American troops retreated from Great Britain and Africa, and that the US government started negotiations of peace with the Axis. The President, the Governor and the Mayor refuse, and ask the heroes to stop the threat. The heroes discover that the hotel's elevator had been sabotaged, and that Blood was using hypnosis on his 16 SS troops (distributed throughout the hotel) and on Dr. Martin. Supervillain Iron Cross (who is not hypnotized, nor he knows about the details of the bomb) is watching in case the heroes try to approach by air. If confronted, Baron Blood will fight to the bitter end, but he'll also try to turn any heroes into vampires - especially Miss Marvel, who has useful flight powers and is attractive; Blood would not mind keeping her as a minion.

If the heroes prevail, the Army asks them to be discreet about the details.

Notes

  • Baron Blood's bomb in chapter 4 is more powerful if the player characters have failed, in the previous chapter, to stop Blood's agents, because in that case Blood has access to information he uses to make the bomb stronger. There is an exception: The Army had secretly included false books in the Barcley research center. If the Nazis had managed to steal those book or information from them, then the bomb is less effective.
  • In the first chapter, the documents that Agent Axis try to steal are too complex to be understood by most people - except for Red Raven and Thin Man, who are trained enough in physics.
  • The text specifies that Barcley Research Center is a fictional place, but existing in Marvel during WW2 (apparently having appeared in some comic-books).
  • Instead of giving maps for the Barcley Center and the Empire State Hotel, the story recommends using existing maps from previous RPG publications, respectively the riverfront city map from New York, New York (with a translation of what is each building), and the Manchester Hotel's Penthouse Suite Level (changing only the room numbers).
  • Baron Blood's bomb is a primitive fission device looking like a 400-pound large, wired-up crate. It can be defused in two turns, unless Baron Blood presses the button to make it explode, in which case it requires a hero with electrical expertise who succeeds at a roll, and spends more turns. If the Baron presses the button, he immediately commands all of his men to escape in the VTOL vehicle, but he'll drop Dr. Martin from the roof, so that he cannot be convinced to deactivate the bomb.
  • If the heroes lose and the bomb explodes, it kills dozens of people and injures hundreds. This will enrage the Americans, prompting them to confront the Axis with even more heart and soul. The Manhattan Project will try to build a bomb to drop it on Berlin by late 1944.

Trivia

  • Published in Dragon magazine #104.
  • Credits:
    • Designed by Wild William Tracy
    • Edited and developed by Rickety Roger Moore, with proofreading assistance by Pugnacious Pat Price.
    • Illustrations by the Mighty Marvel Bullpen and Jumbo Jeff Butler.
    • Production work by Rapid Roger Raupp and Kwik Kim Lindau.
    • Special assistance from Indiana Harold Johnson and Delightful Deborah Highley.

See Also

Links and References

References

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