Break Out! by Joseph Mohr is a role playing game supplement published by Old School Role Playing for use with Cepheus Engine. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
The supplement is available from DriveThruRPG as a Pay What You Want 27-page PDF. Two pages are the front and rear covers, three pages are the front matter and three are the Open Game License.
The opening paragraphs explain that the Olonsean Empire owns a desert world that is used as a prison world and that a mega corporation owns and operates several prions on the planet. The characters are approached by someone who wants their dying father broken out of prison; he was imprisoned for failing to join in a whale hunt that he didn’t know he was supposed to participate in.
Game Master Notes explains that this is in the Frontiers of Space setting, but can easily be placed on any desert world. Listed in this section are the various important bits of information that have been left out of the characters’ briefing and a lot of complications.
Important Non Player Characters for this Adventure gives the stats and details on five NPCs.
Refason provides some brief details on the desert planet.
The Area Around the Prison briefly mentions the surrounding area with some stats for guards and nomads.
Approaching the Prison has a d6 encounter table, with guards, security drones and a sandstorm.
The Prison details the prison itself with stats for inhabitants and guards.
Guards Table for Random Determination has a table for guards encountered.
Prisoners Table for Random Determination is similar, but covers prisoners.
Conditions for Success explains these – basically, none. No-one intends to fulfil their agreements.
Finally, there is a map of the planet and one of the prison.
Break Out! in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough that these would have been useful. Navigation is poor. The text maintains a single column format and the primary fault, possibly an error, was the duplication of NPC stats. Four NPC prisoners have their stats and descriptions in two places; the prison’s warden has their stats and description in three. This seems like needless duplication. Bar the covers, the only illustrations are the colour maps. Unfortunately, the prison map lacks a player friendly version. Presentation is okay.
Players may well not appreciate this adventure. The amount of lies they are told, and will be told, means that they are not going to profit as well as they thought from this adventure, and through no fault of their own. They are going to get double-crossed and cannot prevent this at all nor, for some elements, change what is going to happen. Surviving is going to be the main goal. Frankly, they would be advised to simply say no to this adventure; there’s no real benefit for doing it. Break Out! as an adventure does make the players’ actions irrelevant to a degree and it can be found by clicking here.
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