An Unpaid Debt 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 a 15 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 the characters discover a log entry claiming that they owe a debt and not paying it will result in consequences. The debt, however, was incurred by them in the near future and needs repaying to themselves.
Patrons explains that they are technically their own patrons.
Another Experimental Adventure explains that is an idea whose premise is time travel.
Complications are things that can go wrong or which aren’t known, as well as what the characters are supposed to do.
Ningus V gives some details on this world on the edge of the Sonora sector – the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – where the characters are to collect a sealed box.
A Sealed Metal Box gives some details on this, which has the registry code of the characters’ ship on the outside.
Vajtrix Prime gives details on this world, to which the box needs transporting and giving to a specific person.
Soloman Keys gives details on the person taking the box.
Further Instructions has the characters travel to another world and pick up a passenger.
Reagey Secunda gives details on this world.
Walter Johnson gives details on the passenger.
Belator II gives details on the world they have to take the passenger to.
Customs Checks explains these on the world.
The Assassination of Charles Ninwani looks at whether this is successful.
Why Must He Die? explains this.
The Nature of the Debt explains that previously the assassination failed, the characters were taken to a prison world and met someone who offered to let them change the past, in exchange for transporting the metal box.
Random Messages from Themselves gives example communiques from the characters to their alternates.
What Happens if the Travelers Ignore the Whole Thing has some options.
Connecting the Dots explains how everything is linked.
A Time Loop explains that the characters will either eventually succeed or get executed before they can use the device again.
Mission Conclusion admits this is a bit railroady.
An Unpaid Debt 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 covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is okay.
This adventure, is, as explained, rather railroady. Time travel adventures, especially ones where the characters are interfering in their own timeline, are very difficult to pull off unless done in a game based around time travel. Whether or not this one works is going to be very much down to how the GM manages to run it. An Unpaid Debt can be found by clicking here.
Leave a Reply