Star Wars - Echoes in the Snow. A TTRPG One-Shot Outline.
Title: Echoes in the Snow
Crawl:
It is a time of uneasy quiet. The galaxy lies in fragile balance after the fall of the Empire. Yet, dark remnants of the past linger in the forgotten corners of the galaxy, haunting those who dare to explore them.
In the icy wasteland of the planet Hoth, a group of explorers has ventured to the abandoned Rebel base, seeking relics of the Rebellion and remnants of lost technology. But something sinister waits within the frost-covered halls...
As they move deeper into the base, they uncover strange phenomena: ghostly visions of fallen soldiers, flickering echoes of the past, and a malevolent presence growing stronger with each passing moment.
Guided by R2-D2, whose sensors have picked up strange signals, the team must unravel the mystery of the haunted Echo Base. What begins as a simple mission of discovery soon becomes a desperate battle to escape the chilling grip of a dark Force that refuses to die...
Setting: The abandoned Echo Base on Hoth. After the Battle of Hoth, the Rebel Alliance was forced to flee, leaving behind a labyrinth of ice-cold tunnels and rooms filled with echoes of the past. The Empire has shown little interest in the frozen wasteland since then, making it an eerie, undisturbed place to hide… or explore.
Overview: This Star Wars adventure draws heavily from the chilling themes of The Shining, set within the abandoned Echo Base, and is especially inspired by the R2 and R5 Droids picture below. A small crew of explorers, scavengers, or even Jedi trainees (the players) comes to Echo Base seeking supplies, knowledge, or simply refuge. But what they find is a dark force that lingers in the icy corridors, growing stronger with every moment they remain.
Characters:
R2-D2 as Danny Torrence: R2 has returned to Echo Base with a group of explorers. But he soon begins to sense the presence of dark forces, picking up strange signals and “visions” through his sensors, warning him of danger. R2 is also in telepathic contact with an ancient, ghostly Jedi who reaches out to him in times of need, guiding him to safety.
Two R5-D4 Units as the Little Twins: The abandoned R5 droids once served on Hoth as part of the Rebel support crew, but after the evacuation, they were forgotten. Now, they roam the halls, inexplicably powered by a malevolent energy. They occasionally appear in pairs, speaking in distorted tones, luring the explorers deeper into the base with cryptic warnings.
The Dark Presence (as Jack Torrance): A long-dead Imperial officer who perished in Echo Base during a covert mission after the evacuation. His spirit was consumed by the darkness of the Force, now seeking to drive anyone within the base to madness, compelling them to stay forever.
Adventure Outline:
Act 1: Arrival at Echo Base
The explorers arrive on Hoth, having heard rumors of valuable Rebel technology left behind. They are eager to explore the abandoned base and perhaps collect salvageable parts.
R2-D2 begins to receive strange, faint transmissions upon arrival—echoes of old communications, laughter, and even screams from long-forgotten battles. As they move deeper, the droid begins to pick up strange energy signatures.
They come across two malfunctioning R5-D4 units that seem eerily synchronized. The R5s stutter and repeat phrases in monotone: “Come play with us,” or “We’ve been waiting…” before powering down unexpectedly.
Act 2: Unearthing the Secrets
As the explorers delve deeper, R2-D2 finds himself mysteriously drawn to certain areas of the base, guided by unseen forces. His sensors reveal visions of past battles and frightened Rebels fleeing the Imperial officer's attack.
The explorers experience strange events: lights flicker, temperatures drop, and distant echoes of voices and footsteps fill the halls. The walls themselves seem to whisper as they pass.
They come across a mess hall, where they discover holo-projections of the base’s past inhabitants repeating disturbing and violent events. The two R5-D4 units reappear and lead them down a corridor toward the officer's quarters, where they encounter the lingering spirit of the Imperial officer.
Act 3: Confronting the Dark Presence
As the explorers approach the officer’s quarters, the spirit manifests, seeking to possess one of the party members. He speaks of his obsession with the Force and how he’s forever bound to the base, trapping souls within his icy prison.
R2-D2, guided by visions from the ancient Jedi, must locate a control room containing the base's power core. The Jedi urges him to initiate a system overload, which could purge the malevolent presence from the base.
However, the two R5-D4 droids attempt to thwart R2 and the party by locking doors, rerouting power, and even triggering traps.
Final Showdown:
In a tense, final confrontation in the power core room, the explorers must battle both the malevolent spirit and the corrupted R5 droids. R2-D2 interfaces with the power core, attempting to overload it while the party fends off the droids.
As the system overloads, the spirit is drawn toward the energy, screaming in anger as the Force energy dissipates it. The two R5-D4 droids power down for the final time, their presence linked to the malevolent spirit.
The adventurers narrowly escape as parts of the base begin to collapse, managing to flee back to their ship. The echoes and horrors of Echo Base will remain with them, a chilling reminder of the base’s dark past.
Conclusion:
As the explorers depart Hoth, R2-D2 emits one last faint transmission, almost as if the base itself is saying goodbye. They leave with lingering questions about what really happened at Echo Base, but thankful to have escaped with their lives… and their sanity.
Adventure Hooks:
The Shining Force: R2-D2 might display newfound sensitivity to the Force after this adventure, manifesting through brief visions or flashes of insight in future missions.
Twin Droids: The two R5-D4 units’ memories, found on the data cores, hint at a lost archive somewhere in the Hoth system, where the Rebels once conducted secret Jedi experiments.
Echoes of the Past: Future encounters might bring up stories of other Imperial officers haunting abandoned bases, suggesting the existence of a dark force, similar to the one in Echo Base, in other parts of the galaxy.
