Pandora’s Box 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 as an 18 page Pay What You Want PDF from DriveThruRPG. Two pages are the front and rear covers, three the front matter and three the Open Game License.
The opening paragraphs explain that alien ruins have recently been discovered in a planet on the Sonora sector – the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – and a scientist involved in the excavation wants the characters to try and recover DNA samples from the aliens for him.
Patron has details on the scientist.
Complications are what’s not known and things that can go wrong.
Hipols III has some brief details on the planet.
Jarel Santos and His Plans explains what the scientist really wants to accomplish.
The Search has tables for determining buildings in the world’s cities, their condition and whether they might have DNA. It’s also explained what the DNA in each location might be.
Rebirth explains what will happen if the scientist restores a creature from DNA.
Ancient Alien Animals has tables for animals that might be restored and what abilities they might have.
Ancient Alien Prisoners has a 2d6 table of prisoners whose DNA might be recovered.
Ancient Alien Diseases has a d6 table of diseases that might be encountered.
The Ancient Alien Race has details on the former inhabitants.
The Galian has details on a dangerous monster that was imprisoned until it died and whose DNA might be recovered.
Destroying the Galian has some insights on killing it.
Worlds Nearby doesn’t look at any specific worlds.
Others Involved in Fighting the Creature looks at how others will be involved if it escapes.
Consequences explain that there are a lot of potential consequences, many of them bad to very bad.
Mission Completion looks at the characters being successful at what they were hired to do.
The final page of content has a map of the world.
Pandora’s Box in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough with enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a single column format and some minor errors were noticed. Bar the amp and covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is okay.
This is an adventure that the characters would be best advised to avoid. The employer is a single-minded fanatic who could easily do something to unleash what is essentially, as hinted at by the cover, a highly destructive kaiju. And, in such a case, the characters will also be held responsible; there are also a number of other things they might be blamed for that are bad if not as bad as that. Pandora’s Box can be found by clicking here.
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