Freelance Traveller

Cascadia Adventures 2: The Lost Girl

reviewed by Megan Robertson

This review originally appeared on rpg-resource.org.uk in July 2016, and was reprinted in the January/February 2020 issue. This product and the other two Cascadia Adventure products are now available as a single product called “The Cascadia Adventures”.

Cascadia Adventures 2: The Lost Girl. Colin Dunn.
Gypsy Knights Games https://www.gypsyknightsgames.com
41pp., PDF
No longer available as a separate product.

The second in a series of loosely-connected adventures set in the Cascadia Sub-Sector of Gypsy Knights Games’ Traveller setting, there is some duplicated material from the first adventure (Save Our Ship) as a convenience especially for those who do not have a copy of that adventure. This includes the ship and pre-generated characters provided—they are worth considering as everything is neatly linked in to the setting and plot. However, if you have your own characters and ship the story will work equally well with a little thought, and it can be translated into your own preferred location without much difficulty.

The adventure starts at the Razz Casino on the planet Chance in the Cascadia Sub-Sector. The casino’s owner has been asked by a former employee for help in finding his daughter, who has gone missing and hasn't been heard from for the better part of a year… and so the party has been called in to render assistance. If you are using the pre-generated characters, there’s ample reason for them to be asked to help; you will have to come up with your own reasons for why the casino owner should turn to the party otherwise, though some suggestions are given.

In a scene at the Razz Casino, the party gets its briefing: to find Frida Moskalawicz. A neat trick is the use of different types of scene within the adventure: there are ‘essential scenes’ which need to take place for the adventure to progress, ‘optional scenes’ which provide added colour and role-playing opportunites but can be safely ignored without risk to the story, and ‘contact scenes’ specifically set up to allow the party to gather necessary information. The default is to use the extensive network of contacts each of the pre-generated characters has, but each of these is provided in sufficient detail to run as an NPC and you can find your own ways to work them in relatively easily if your party doesn’t already know them. Those who wish to may engage in optional scenes of drinking, gambling and watching shows whilst they are at the casino as well as talking to those who have useful information.

It is likely that the party will proceed to Gagnon, the planet where Frida Moskalawicz had been a university student. They will need to refuel along the way, the most efficient route takes them to a planet called Slaren—oh, and they’ve been given a voucher for fuel to redeem there. While there, they have the opportunity to get a bite to eat (with several restaurants being available) and hear that there’s a lot of pirate activity at the moment.

Then on to Gagnon and the core of the investigation. Various avenues are provided to aid you in running this, and the party ought to be able to figure out what has happened reasonably easily. Location and NPC descriptions are excellent giving a good feel of the places and people involved.

The climax of the adventure involves a raid on a well-guarded establishment… and there’s a good chance of having to use violence, although stealth may also work, depending on what your party prefers. The conclusion of the adventure covers several alternatives, depending on what the party manages to do… and they might end up with an extremely powerful enemy!

A well-presented and resourced adventure, if a bit linear and straightforward. Good fun to run…