Child's Play I Player Information Hand-Out

You're an orphan. You've lived all your life in the Rockhauser Home for Orphaned Children. It's a dirty brick building in a tired city. How old are you? Oh, about ten, you suppose. You're not exactly sure. Birthdays aren't allowed at the RHOC. How many of you are there? Maybe thirty. It changes from week to week. Some kids come, some kids go.

Other kids, that is. You and your section always remain.

RHOC Layout

The RHOC has five floors. You eat on the first floor, in the cafeteria. If you get into really hot water, you get sent to the Proctor's Office. There's other stuff down there, you're sure, but you've never seen it. On the second floor is a pretty cool gymnasium, complete with a pool. The Infirmary is there, too. Kids get sent there if they get hurt, if they get sick, and if they misbehave.

The third floor is classrooms, except where the second story of the gym pokes up. There are some windows that look down into the gym. On the fourth floor is where you and the other orphans live: the dorms. You all live in one room with a washroom attached: there are two other such dorms where the other kids live. The fifth floor is empty, or at least no one ever goes there. Some say there are ghosts up there, others say that's where the really bad kids go. Most assume that's where old furniture and stuff is stored.

There is an elevator, but that's not for kids. Mostly old Gary, the custodian, uses it. Two stairwells go all the way up and down, one on each end of the building. On the ground floor the stairwells let out to the playground, which is pretty thoroughly fenced in, "to keep the bad people away," as the Proctor says.

Outside the RHOC

To the north is an empty lot, and on the far side of that is a tall fence covered with a faded advertisement for something called Burma Wave. To the south is a 3-story building, also made of brick. To the west is an alley, and another fence. To the east is a quiet street, and facing the RHOC are half a dozen closed shops, all boarded up. Beyond these details all that you can see out of the windows are rooftops and smog.

Rules at the RHOC

Take all the rules present in a military basic training camp, a church-owned boarding school/summer camp, and a highly regimented high school, then roll them all together.

RHOC Faculty and Staff
Title	Name	Nickname/Known As*
Proctor	Stevens	"Proctor Stevens"
Assistant Proctor	Herman Iglund	"Iggy"
Instructor: Humanities	Ted Gorst	"Doc"
Instructor: Mathematics	Harry Ambaugh	"Hairy"
Instructor: Sciences	Alex Mayhew	"Spots"
Instructor: Arts / Crafts	Mary Kahane	"Mrs. Kahane"
Instructor: Physical Ed.	Joe Smithers	"Coach"
Nurse	Jack Simkins	"Nurse Simkins"
Custodian	Gary Hennessy	"Jingles"
*Officially, of course, staff are to be addressed as "Mr." or "Mrs." as appropriate. The Proctor doesn't have a quaint nickname (he's too scary), and Coach is called "Coach" by everybody. Mrs. Kahane is too nice and too new to have a nickname.

6:30 AM 6:50 AM 7:00 AM 7:45 AM 8:00 AM 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 10:00 PM

RHOC Daily Schedule
Time	Activity Comments
Wake-Up	Always one of the male staff, except for cust/nurse.
Bunk Inspection	Shower, dress, clean area, make bed, etc.
Breakfast	It's an Orphanage; of course it's Porridge
Free time	In Dorms, but beds must be neat at 8 Sharp!
Period One	Until 9:50. Your section studies Math.
Period Two	Until 11:50. Your section studies the Humanities.
Lunch	Until 12:50. Wiggly Jello is lunch specialty.
Recess	Until 1:50. Coach runs a game sometimes.
Period Three	Until 3:50. Your section studies Science.
Period Four	Until 5:50. Your section studies Arts / Crafts.
Dinner	Meal plus all-school meeting stuff, until 7:20.
Period Five	Coach owns everybody until 9:20.
Bunk Call	Everybody in the Dorms
Lights Out	Bed time.

Child's Play I: Character Development Handout

Character Name:

Nickname:

Player Name:

Nature:

Kid Lingo:

Define It:

King Of:

why?

Get Away!

why?

Looks:

Pals:

Icon:

Grab bag:

Child's Play I: GM's Character Data Grid

Name:

Icon:

Realm +:

Realm - :

Pals:

G/B/N

Notes:

Faculty and Staff

GMs will have to base the personalities of these folks on the slim descriptions enclosed. Note the nicknames, and also note that Mrs. Kahane is by far the nicest of the teachers and the most approachable (say by an orphan having funny dreams).

Other Kids

These are trained circus midgets, kids with extensive instructions about talking out of turn, or whatever the GM feels is appropriate. The other two "dorms" full of kids are window dressing: the staff is particularly observant when it comes to keeping them safe from the "Aliens." While they might play a peripheral role (in delivering a "Clew", for example), they should not be a big part of the adventure.

Kids Aren't Adults

GMs should be careful to maintain a fun, child-like atmosphere. The minute the players start acting like their characters are miniature adults, the game will become very dull. Encourage playfulness: characters should do kid stuff to each other as a matter of course. Short-sheet each other's beds. Find ants on the playground and put them in their pocket "to eat later." Get themselves a cool nail by pulling it out of a windowsill with their teeth, but then slip up and mention they have it when the Assistant Proctor is giving them a hard time about not going to sleep after lights-out.

Sure, these kids might be smart enough to do calculus at age ten, but they're still kids!

Extrapolate

Where detail isn't provided, GMs must extrapolate. If the characters manage to toss the Proctor's office, for example, sometime during Phase III, they could find files containing some of the history detailed earlier in the adventure.

Helpful Playtesters

Thanks to the following folks who played Child's Play I and II at DexCon 5 and helped playtest the scenario: Tom Dunn, Christine Fravil, Christine Kenny, Eilene Kleva, Mike Quigley, Glen Seymour, Stephan Wenis.

Child's Play Part 1: Introduction
Child's Play Part 1: Plot
Child's Play Part 1: Hand-Outs