Friday, July 26, 2013

Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign

Here's a puzzle for you. Your band of merry mutants have been scavenging the ruins of a Bygone laboratory complex. You're collected quite a few technological artifacts and can't wait to see what they fetch at Barter John's. You turn a corner and see a single door at the end of the hallway. Stenciled on the door is this emblem:

What do you do? Open the door and investigate? Walk away and hope your caution is merited? Does the sign warn of danger? Of more tech miracles waiting to be discovered?

Nik May shared a set of Warning Signs from the Future in a Google Plus entry earlier this week, and the images have really set my imagination running. The typical warning signs -- radiation hazard, lazers in use, biohazard, flammable, etc. -- are fairly well known and won't give your players a moment of pause if they encounter them in a dangerous situation. But will they recognize the warning sign for "Cold Fusion"? "Memory Hazard"? "Reality Manipulation Device"? "Unstable Wormhole"? Rather than just explaining the hazards within that unexplored room or that mysterious box, slap a few placards on it and let them decide if the risk is worth it. Here's a preview (but you should click the link above for a bigger, better version):


Oh and if you opened the door marked with the earlier placard? You and your party were just sucked into the "Contained Black Hole."

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