Escape From Refaso 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 29 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 Olonsean Empire – the adventure is set in the Frontiers of Space – uses the world of Refaso as a penal planet and the characters have been caught and sent there for 20 years, an almost certain death sentence.
Game Master Note explains that this seems like a railroad, and that it is, in a way, but the adventure should be used when the characters have been caught for something, and that it can easily be placed in another setting or campaign.
Complications are all the things that can go wrong.
Refaso is a brief paragraph on the world.
Encounters/Events Within the Mines has a 2d6 table of events and encounters with them detailed.
The Olonseans has some details on the aliens who live in the Sonora sector and their current war with the Ilsuni Directorate.
Key to the Mines details the various locations.
Mining for Thorium has tables for mining and what can be found.
Secret Doors Within the Prison details these.
Medical Treatment covers the doctor.
Prison Gangs lists the three gangs.
Becoming an Informer covers this.
Once Outside the Mines has a 2d6 table of encounters on the planet.
Encounters in Space While Trying to Escape has a table of ships that could be encountered and who they belong to.
Thorium Exposure explains the effects of this.
Possible Methods of Escape has a number of ways the characters could do this.
Roster of Guards has stats for guards.
Roster of Administrators has important people who may visit.
Roster of Prisoners has stats for prisoners.
The final page of content has a map of the mines.
Escape From Refaso in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough with enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation could be better. The text maintains a single column format and some minor errors were noticed. Bar the map and covers, there are no illustrations. Presentation is adequate.
The adventure gets around the standard problem of a prison escape adventure, that of forcing the characters to be captured, by making it usable when they have already been captured, thereby avoiding most of the railroad from such. It is also, as mentioned, easy enough to drop into other settings with a few changes. It also feels like it was partly inspired by Star Trek VI. The NPC stats, as is common in these supplements, are far too detailed. In some cases, general stats and a name would have sufficed; in others, descriptions and a few sets of stats. Escape From Refaso can be found by clicking here.
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