While watching a new movie the other day, I had an idea for a campaign strike me right there in the theatre: Rock & Roll on Scintilla

Taking a scene from history, I'm thinking a new craze of music starts to run rampant through the under, lower, and middle classes of the sector's capitol. The Nobility are demanding action as their children seem to have all taken to slumming to get in on this, the administratum and ministorum are strongly against this as it seems to be inducing all sorts of odd thoughts and actions in the populace. Attempts to stop it are useless, as every bust and massacre only drives it deeper in the hives, only to reappear shortly after with even more attitude.

Due to mounting pressure, the Inquisition has finally deigned to do something, in the form of allowing throne agents to volunteer to root out this "filth." While no Inquisitor takes this threat seriously enough to investigate themselves, some have sent agents (for various reasons) to investigate. My groups Inquisitor sends them because his far-seering has not revealed anything relating to this, and as such they will have 3 months to determine if this is a threat warranting the Inquisition's attention, while he tends to real heresy elsewhere.

Little does anyone suspect that at the heart of the scene is actually a Slanneshi pleasure cult dedicated to three of the prince of pleasure's favourite things: sex, drugs and rock & roll.

The questions of "will this work" hinges on two things

1: What is music like in the 41st millenium? Or at least, what is it like on Scintilla? I kinda assumed it was all opera, orchestras and gregorian chant choirs. If this isn't the case, then Rock & Roll might not be different enough. (If it isn't, would techno or dubstep be as heretical in the future as it is now? )

2: Does an undercover investigative campaign as a Rock and Roll superstar sound like fun? (including the full range of groupies: hot to dangerous. a stunning array of drugs, I intend to use EVERY noncombat drug, and invent a few more. making heavy use of the performer and charm skills - carouse as well. and as many bar fights as my parents remember being normal back in the 80's)

As I remember, back in Eisenhorn's day there was a hard thrash beat called simply "Pound" which was quite analagous to a very heavy rock and roll and contained most of the staples of todays rock with a bit of extra percussion and a ton more bass.

It was rather pervasive in the low hives during Eisenhorn's books, maybe Ravenor's though I didn't tend to notice it there much. Suffice to say there is already a low hive equivalent to what you're working with however as far as I can tell it's not widely popularized amongst the mid hivers and most litterally Underground so getting rock god status on par with today's megastars would be as best a pipe dream.

Heh, just did a sex drugs and rock and roll adventure a month ago, are you reading my mind? Or is this a rock of ages tie in?

General useage of the word is as a noun I think. A line from one inquisitorial acolyte to a mutant sub hiver during an investigation at a seedy night spot went "Kickin Pound ey twist?"

I'll admit, this idea hit me about halfway through "rock of ages."

Pound sounds like a good starting point for the rock I'm thinking of, and seeing how it grew from the low and underhive culture it would almost assuredly be something the ruling classes would be against.

And on the note of becoming "rock gods," I was aiming more for infamy than fame, the kind of twisted allure that makes people attracted to serial killers and criminals. And some help from Slaanesh would sure help the odds of the first few cultists who hijacked the craze and took it to the middlehive.

Personally I think it's a very cool idea for a campaign. In a game of Feng Shui that I played several years back, our party's investigation led us to a rock concert were we found mystical artifacts in the speakers that were influencing the crowd, and we would up having a running battle on the stage, ducking behind drum kits, etc for cover. The type of music that would fit in my opinion is either aggro or perhaps heavy industrial, which is pretty similar to the way Pound is described. For examples, in case you're not already familiar with the genre, see below, with warnings for language and violent imagery.

Combichrist - "Get Your Body Beat"

Suicide Commando - "Die Mother F***er Die" -

Psyclon Nine - "Parasitic" -

For reference, the Combichrist tune was in the movie The Gene Generation, clips of which comprise the video. That whole movie had a very under-hive look and feel to it. I could totally imagine the video imagery from the Psyclon Nine song in a club in the 40k universe.

Another thought that crossed my mind was in regards to the background. Depending on how familiar your players and/or their characters are with the Ruinous Powers, Slaanesh might potentially be the "obvious" choice. Perhaps for a twist it could all be a thread in one of Tzeentch's grand designs. Again though, depends on how your players would think about it.

At any rate, sounds like a grand idea! Definitely a story that I would enjoy personally.

Hiya,

I ran a similar adventure at the start of a campaign. The group were sent to investigate a new phenomena that had hit the lower hive. A metal band called EMPEROR'S FURY were packing out a stadium sized venue each night. Part of the problem was that the music was so popular that some people weren't working as effectively as they bunked off to queue early etc. The group bought tickets to see one of the gig's themselves. The place basically became one huge mosh pit with people making willpower tests not to get carried away and join in (which of course they all failed eventually). When they come too with a huge buzz people are filing out and wanting more. The group goes on a huge tour leaving their music playing each night in the stadium gradually addicting people to it so the workforce is gradually crippled.

I described the music itself as a combination between stuff like Slipknot, Korn and Rammstein mostly so I could play it in the background to set the scene. The band were all masked so that the lineup could keep changing without people noticing, and so that one of the PCs could be kidnapped and placed in the band, without the others being able to rescue them easily. I didn't see it as music that wasn't in general popular in the Imperium but more that this had grown bigger than normal because it was so addicitive (due to sorcery). I would imagine this as the type of music that the masses are into but that there isn't enough money where there aren't nobles involved for it to go anywhere.

The idea of a whole grassroots movement including the sex, drugs and R&R is a great IMO. And the fact that upper hive kids are getting sucked in is ideal. Maybe the PCs can get hired to investigate where a noble's kid has gone missing only to find that he is moshing every night rather than having been kidnapped as a intro into the scene?

This sounds like a good idea for a fun game. My mind went to the part of Eisenhorn where they were dealing with Pound as well, it seemed to me to be described as pretty simiar to trance or dubstep. I also remember reading (I think in Fulgrim, but not totally sure) that much of the music in the Imperium tends towards bombastic. Keep in mind that the galaxy is a massive place with all types and levels of societies, so there will be operas and symphonies in the upper hive. but there will also be hip hop and acoustic soft rock and industrial metal, people are still people and tastes will run all directions.

There was an episode of the tv show Criminal Minds where a charachter was a musician who played a vampire on stage, and a fan killed a bunch of people and made it look like a vampire to bring attention to the musician, so thematically there is precedent for this type of story.Not to mention how this actually happened in the "50s and "60s, and even today to some degree. Also Helter Skelter was a pretty innocuous song before being a plan to start a race war through cold blooded murder. And that was real life!

Bottom line, this would be a blast to play. I would have fun with little nuggets like writing a few song lyrics with clues for the players to figure out, maybe incorporating some actual music into the scenario itself and taking stuff from it to make into clues or hints for the players. Go nuts with the footloose refrences and don't forget to roofie at least one of your players, ideally the most conservative one. They should wake up with no memory and some interesting marks, I think. Have fun with it and let us know how it pans out!!

Thanks for the feedback and ideas guys.

As for the choice of music, I was thinking of having them investigate several different groups that are popular in the hive, and each group would have a distinct sound. To represent this I was thinking of playing just one band's music to represent each in-game band. I'm hoping if my players get into it I won't even have to tell them where they are, they can just listen and figure it out.

Hey guys, got an update on this. I've been typing out the mission briefing that I will give my players and I want to know what you guys think. More specifically: Does any of it not fit with the 41st millenium (speech patterns or terms), does it appropriately set the tone (which is "it's probably nothing, but better play it safe and get a bit of positive PR") and do the redactions and errors make it too difficult to follow? or do they add appropriate mystery and secrecy?

anyhow, here it is (minus the planetary data, which is straight from the book)

CLASSIFICATION: Dark Zeta
DATE: 5301593.M41
SUBJECT: ‘Disturbing’ Trends on Scintilla
My loyal Acolytes,
Contained herein this astropathic message is a brief report on the state of Scintilla, as reviewed and edit my mine self after recieval from the Tricorn Palace in Hive Sibellus and relevant planetary data. The majority of your cell should be familiar with the customs and culture of Hive Sibellus, after their investigation of The Joyous Choir and the origins of the drug Farcosia, which is still in circulation in the lower hives despite Arbite and Ordo efforts.
You may be aware that such matters as those you are to investigate are normally below the attention of the Holy Ordos, however there has been a dramatic increase in pressure from the resident Nobility and Mercantile cartels to “do something” about the situation. Also, should unrest on the capitol world increase, it may leave us weak to outside attack and lower our political effectiveness outside the sector.
This action is entirely voluntary on my part, as the Tricorn would not insult any of our number by assigning them such a menial task. This matter concerns me only by the fact that my @~~@REDACTED@~~@ @~~@ERROR@~~@ seem to be blocked, for which there are two probable explanations. The first of which is a planet-wide null field, such as that being developed by @~~@REDACTED@~~~@ and @~~@REDACTED@~~~@ at the @~~@REDACTED@~~~@. The second is active blocking by those beholden to the dark powers. The first matter is being investigated by my Interrogator, Xarl. As such you are to investigate the second matter for no more than two Scintillan standard months. Infiltrate the growing sub-culture and determine if there is indeed a @~@ERROR@~@ cult at the heart of it. I recommend establishing yourself as performers yourself, to more quickly ascend the ranks and reach the powers behind the pound. After such time, if you believe further action is needed we shall convene at the Tricorn to decide what action, if any, is necessary. You shall not be issued the rosette for this assignment; however you may retain your Ordo identification credentials should the authorities detain you.
Go with my blessing,
HEIDRICH KRAUHAUSEN

+++
ORDO SUMMATION REPORT
SOURCE: @~~@CLASSIFIED@~~@
SUBJECT: Civil Unrest on Scintilla
SUMMARY:
A subculture, first confirmed on 3301593.M41, began emerging in the underhives of Scintilla. This group was based around a form of primitive music called “Pound” that was little more than an assortment of vox and percussion devices. Approximately 10 segmentum standard years ago, a prominent string player in the Sibellus Hive Orchestra was kidnapped while walking the streets in the evening. 3 months after the incident, pound music, before confined to the underhive, slowly moved to the low hive of Sibellus. Pound was confirmed to now include crude string instruments in addition to the ludicrous amounts of percussion. This so called music did not extol the virtues of the Imperium and its saints, but rather endorses personal freedom and responsibility, as well as romanticizing the relations between men and women well beyond approved auditory listening standards.
This initial wave only moderately affected the work force, and due to the sub-primal location, was largely ignored. Soon after the trend reached the middle hive, changing again by adding yet more strings and reducing the percussions. This second wave became entrenched in the middle hive, greatly affecting the work force; they began cutting their generously short 14 hour work days even shorter to attend pound gatherings, some even stopped reporting altogether. The nobility and mercantile cartels began having the Magistratum (local policing force) break these gathering up and imprison any found organizing such a gathering. But despite this the music would not be stopped, and soon the Arbites were employed to assist. Even the noble Adeptus Arbites could not stamp out the pound.
Excited by the danger, young noble scions began slumming in the middle hive more often, becoming a part of this heinous movement. There were two consequences of the young nobles becoming embroiled with the pound scene: The pound scene now had access to more resources and began building more elaborate, better hidden haunts; and the Nobility began sending their personal forces to combat the pound.
The Nobles actions lead to a vast increase in the deaths of pound affiliates, and the righteous enforcement of the law and decency only galvanized them further and drove them to greater heights of rebellion.
Groups of pound players began cropping up, each with distinct sound profiles and identities, calling themselves “bands” in mockery of proper musical ensembles. The pound, while still united, now has multiple factions that are fanatically loyal to their band, and will risk even death to protect and hear their sound.

Sound's good. The redactions and errors are a nice touch. I like it.

So I had a new idea for this adventure. First though, an update on play: my characters have witnessed a pound gathering in the middle hive, and beat up skrillex. They then stole his show the next night (they kept him under) and got invited to play at bigger event, being put on by Siprit Daneen and Elsergy Krin. All of my players bought the performer skill, and only one of them is in disguise (because only one of them met Krin before). They are set to enter the middle ranks of the pound scene (slumming nobles and the middle class) and all the insanity that comes with it..

My new ideas are: Drugs in the effects & Narcotic Interrogation

Drugs in the effects: Someone showed me pictures of a "foam party" once, which immediately made me think "they should put LSD in that stuff." I'm also thinking smoke machines should be drugged too. I lost my handy spreadsheet with all the drugs and poisons in it, so I want to know what you guys would suggest I use here

Narcotic Interrogation: Torture is painful, but what if it wasn't? I got this idea from watching an episode of "the unit," where one of them was tortured for information by being shot up with heroin. I'm thinking of subjecting one of my players to this, as getting kidnapped in the confusion of a party being destroyed by the police and tortured after seems like another good idea. What is a good drug to use here? Preferably one that isn't too rare or debilitating.

Also, which player should I have go through the drug hell? options are:

A) the newly awakened psyker (was/is a guardsmen) with no disorders or malignancies, and is the best role-player

B) The shooty assassin who has a special torture in store for him at a later date, has the best understanding of the 41st millenium

C) The voidmaster that has an intense fear of fruit. Also the newest player and a 40k newb.

FYI: I have the Farcosia in circulation for this campaign, it's hard to find and being cracked down on by the arbites and inquisition

Any addictive narcotic would work for this. The idea is to make someone so dependant that they will do anything to get a fix. This also happened in the episode "The fix" of Starsky and Hutch. As for who I wouldn't choose the assassin if you already have something planned. Either of the other two would work but probably you should think about which character do the bad guys think will have the info they want.

This may sound silly, but…. What if music itself was addictive?

You ever get a song stuck in your head, and it tends to be a song that you really dislike? Well, what if that effect were to play out in the 41st millennium involving an infectious song.

Anyone who hears it, begins repeating it.. humming it to themselves, and they can't stop singing this song, slowly going insane… they hum/sing it louder, until someone else hears it and gets it stuck in their head. An epidemic breaks out in the lower hives. Once it starts to spread, it spreads quickly.

Ultimately, the insane are being controlled by subconscious messages in the song, imparted by one of the ruinous powers to open warp gates.

Heh, a couple years ago I had an idea with a Rock Band in it. Your topic here inspired me to summarize it up, so if you want to grab some ideas form it go right ahead. Click on the link below this to read the summarized campaign.

www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp

The music I based it off of sounded like the Fifth Elements Opera scene. Don't ask me why, I sounded like a good idea at the time.

To listen to hit it, go here --->

Noctivagent, I like your idea a lot. I think I'll have my players come in at its' first introduction to the public, and use it in their torture (the addictive sound).

Although I wonder if I could make the sound more? perhaps it is not only addictive, but it can alter their brains. Perhaps listening will give a temporary beneficial effect at the cost of corruption and/or insanity points?

And another idea came to me. There are almost no "good" warp entities, but what if this craze and the new addictive music spawned a neutral warp beast of sound? a beast that isn't a threat at first, but exposure to men corrupts it and transforms it into a daemon? Perhaps this exposure is exactly what a certain group of heretics is banking on…

I decided to run a mission that involved getting into a Punk scene that has sprung up in Sibellus in order to return a 16 year noble to his family. They obviously had to go in undercover as a new band. This immediately sparked about half an hour of coming up with comedy band names etc.

They settled on Gene Steeler and the Horny Gaunts.

I've decided that instead of the music or most of the people being corrupt in some way that the theme will be about how people have to change in order to be successful and how the fame is all a lie, and therefore how Tzeentch loves rock music. My players have all already changed how they dress and act in order to 'become sucessful' and get noticed.

The idea needs expanding on though if anyone has any suggestions.

BrotherKane, for Tzeentch to really love it the change would need to be constant and futile (like in real life). Accelerating the need for change in your game would likely get this point across. I kinda like this idea, I might run with it a bit myself.

As the entity is becoming corrupt by exposure to humanity, it latches onto certain notes, in turn corrupting the associated sound wave.

For example, the musical tritone, AKA the Devil's interval, had evil connotations in medieval times and beyond. To give you an idea, "dark" or "gloomy" music can be attributed largely to the musical tritone.

It then starts to spread, to where almost all notes sound dissonant, even though traditionally the music would have been enjoyable. It could culminate into every note holding a very powerful resonance that could make ears bleed, rupture organs, splinter bones, etc. Meanwhile, humans are becoming obsessed with this new style of music, addicted even to the point that they would risk death to experience it again. The entity becomes empowered by these spectacles of cacophony, possibly becoming powerful enough to create new wavelengths of sound. These soundwaves would certainly cause insanity, as human ears/minds cannot comprehend additional notes.

Heidrich Krauhausen said:

Yes I agree. I plan to have the players 'manager' (who knows they are acolytes and is being forced into helping them get into the scene) keep working on them to change in order to become more and more successful and therefore gain the access they need. Hopefully at some point the characters will start to enjoy the fame etc. Then they will become more and more willing to make changes. Before they know it they are comepletely different people.

The point being that even if they become the most famous punk band in the hive they will still have to continue changing forever to maintain their popularity. One thing I want to emphasise with this adventure is a longer timescale than normal assignments. Whilst if their assignements have involved travel they have been long the actual action of most of their missions have been a couple of weeks max. But to break into the music scene they are taking more time. They will have been undercover for a long time once this is over.

And at the end of the day they may realise they were originally risking their souls just to find some rich kid!

Hi guys, got another question for ya. Originally this adventure was to be played by ear, but I find myself wanting to add things that are relevant to the greater plot I'm weaving. One of these things will be the "Slenderman." I haven't decided what it will be yet, but the thing creeped me out and I think it would add to the horror of the setting. (you can read about it here: www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Slender+Man ) I think it would be fun to have this thing follow them around for 2 reasons

1: it's kinda scary

2: I don't have to make it do anything right away (my players know that I will throw useless info at them, and that they have a destiny of sorts in which big things happen)

Should I add this in? or do you think it would take away from the feel that this was supposed to be a "make-work" job for them?

Music-based heresy? I'm surprised no one's mentioned Slaanesh's Noise Marines yet.

I could imagine the band members are inspired by some Eldritch chord they were given by a mysterious stranger, or finding a small piece of the cursed symphony Maraviglia and adapting it to their musical tastes. (For those that don't know, the Maraviglia was a Slaanesh-inspired piece that caused demonic-possession of some orchestra members, but also caused a violent and bloody orgy among the audience. Some space marines in attendance noted that the instruments used would be useful in battle, and with the Horus Heresy, the Noise Marines were born.) If that music is played often enough, the ruinous powers could swarm on that planet, and create a symphony of destruction the Calixis Sector would hear throughout the eons.

or this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloomy_Sunday

and to hear it

Gloomy Sunday, nice.

Also, I kinda think noise marines would be hard to sneak onto the capitol world of a sector.

Noise marines are awesome, but look back even earlier to their roots and you will find the Warsingers of Istvaan. They are featured in the Horus Heresy series of books, and essentially they were able to use sound and a sort of "music" to control troops and they could also form the waves into concussive blasts. I think, since they have an established history, it may be possible to bring them back. Nobody knows how they got from place to place, but they've popped up more than once. They were "destroyed" by the Raven Guard marines, and then later were found to be behind a planet-wide cult somewhere else completely. Perhaps there's a daemonic entity that attracts worshipers by starting small.

In any case, the descriptions are so vague that they will allow plenty of room for you to interpret, and they are not super human 7 foot tall towers of baroque pink and black ceramite with studded leather leggings and speaker-mouths, so yeah, they might be easier to sneak into the sector unnoticed.