The Battle of the Bands – A Hijinx (or d20 Modern) Adventure

A long time ago, Dungeon Magazine (Issue 99 - Jun 2003) introduced a mini-game based on teen pop music shows of the late 60s and early 70s called Hijinx.  It was like d20 Modern but your instrument was your character class (Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer, etc.).  If you are in the mood for something light you should check it out.  Without going into a lot more detail, I was at work the other night when a single sentence popped into my head.  That sentence was...

“This is Riverdale, not Sunnydale.  People don’t get mauled by werewolves here.”

The rest of the night was spent looking up everything I could about the town of Riverdale - population of roughly 20,000, most likely located in New York State not far from the towns of Midvale (home to Josie and the Pussycats) and Greendale (home to Sabrina the Teenage Witch).  I pondered and jotted notes and threw some things together for my own use but I am curious as to what You, Dear Reader, would do so I am sharing this adventure seed with you.  It goes a little something like this...

The Set-Up:

In the wake of the Subliminal Messaging Scandal, Mega Records’ stock and reputation plummeted as public opinion turned against them.  The company now finds itself in desperate financial straits.  The media circus surrounding the arrest and subsequent trials of record producer Wyatt Frame and executive Fiona cast further suspicions on the company.  Mega Records, in an attempt to attract new talent and salvage its image, has announced that they will be hosting a “Battle of the Bands” at the Riverdale Amphitheater with the winner being awarded a recording contract.

Musical acts are coming from all over New York, but especially from Rockland County (where the town of Riverdale is located), to compete.  Three days ago, contest host and organizer “Brash” Pat Williams was attacked in his dressing room by what he claims was a werewolf.  The sheriff has begun a half-hearted investigation believing that the monster was a drug or alcohol-induced hallucination.  Brash is threatening to back out of the contest and Mega Records does not have time to find a replacement and cannot afford to reschedule at a different venue.

The Story:

The PC’s band arrives in Riverdale and learns of the attack.  Not wanting to miss a shot at what could be their “big break”, they immediately launch an investigation of their own.  There are plenty of suspects to choose from and only a limited amount of time to sort through the possible culprit or culprits.

There are several other bands, some of whom have reputations for being troublemakers in attendance, as well as record executives, roadies, tv producers, cameramen, sound-men, and all manner of technicians.  Any of them could be this mysterious werewolf.

Who the werewolf actually is, and whether or not the werewolf is even actually a werewolf is completely up to you.  If you want to remain true to the Hanna-Barbara inspired style, then the villain is most likely someone in a mask pretending to be a werewolf to scare off would-be competitors for their own personal gain.  If you want to go somewhere darker, then definitely let the werewolf BE a real werewolf.  Maybe a member of one of the bands got bit last month, maybe they were on a bender somewhere, and passed out in a forest after drinking water from a paw print in the moonlight.  The how doesn’t really matter unless you want to spin this scenario into a full-on adventure instead of just a short and simple one-off to kill time between your regularly scheduled gaming sessions. 

No matter what way you decide to go with this, I hope you have a good time and I want to hear how everything turns out in your version of this story!