Part of the 55-year-old alcoholic's problem is that Zelda is too soft on the bad ones, and she never knows which ones the bad ones are—at least, that's what she tells herself. The truth is that she is too soft on the bad ones, but she knows which ones they are. Her problem is that she won't stay away from them, and so finds herself in the middle of other peoples' problems too often for the law to leave her in peace.
Zelda's house on the outskirts of Robinsville has been turned into a halfway house or flophouse where PCs can find a rundown hole-in-the-wall to use as a bolthole or in a pinch. The rent is taken daily and is $100, flat. Zelda doesn't mind company, but she wasn't born yesterday, and it's $100 for each extra person after 11:00pm. There's a 40% chance of law enforcement patrolling the house overnight, but only a 10% chance during the day. The lot is overgrown, so Concealment of 25% is automatic. PCs stand a good chance of evading is the point.
The TV is constantly on; Zelda likes "the company." The radio in the kitchen is constantly on and tuned to the local talk radio station, WXPO, just in case any in-game exposition needs to be delivered or the players need to be reminded of their characters' latest exploits. There are a lot of wastebaskets and a lot of empty beer and wine bottles, there are also ashtrays everywhere. As she used to be a reader, piles of old magazines are fanned on coffeetables and surfaces around the house.
True to her nature, there is a 30% chance of a stray dog or cat on the premises that Zelda is feeding. It may not stay long or it may stick around, it just depends on how long the characters stay. There are also ants and some cockroaches, though only a few mice. Sadly, the carpet is shag and sticky. The kitchen linoleum is hopelessly stained and badly in need of mopping, but the entire house is covered in a layer of dust and grime that would take a team to remove.
Zelda can be fun to drink with, but only to a point; after that, her mood swings sharply depending on the subject being discussed, the music that's playing, the atmosphere... she is an alcoholic with few redeeming qualities, but not a bad or mean person. She has a pretty firm rule against hard drugs and trafficking, and will immediately eject anyone she discovers engaging in such activity.
Finally, there is a 35% chance of d3 other NPCs co-habitating Zelda's Flophouse at the same time. Draw a card for their demeanor and give each one attribute at 3-4 and one stand-out skill at 1 or 2. Their RES should match their demeanor, but give each only one random Treasure roll plus pocket loot.
Zelda 9♥
EMP 1
CHA 3
Business 1
Human Empathy 1
Brunette, Curly,
Mid-length
Slight, Aged
(Alcoholic, Smoker)
Dentures, Worn
Clothes usually T-Shirts and Sweatpants with Sneakers
Little Make-Up
Phone contains d3
Contacts (Bounty Hunter, Law Enforcement, Factory Worker)
Purse contains
Pocket Loot (Random)
Zelda still wears a
ring a former boarder and ex-lover stole for her, she is still in
love with him even though he is long dead 25¥
She
has d100¥
PCs should be dissuaded from dispatching Zelda; they can pilfer whatever they want or need off of her after she passes out. Getting her blind drunk is easier than killing her. She makes a great Contact/Information Source (T) and leads to many other good Contacts, including Bounty Hunters, Law Enforcement, and Proles.
Other NPCs you might possibly encounter include local homeless and pr*stitutes, both of whom visit even when they aren't utilizing Zelda's flophouse.
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COPYSCAPE NOTICE: I have previously written-up Zelda's Flophouse: It appeared in a sidebar on The Weirding dot Net for more than 15 years. I do not wish to lose it, and I hope others can use it for whatever system they are running.
© The Weirding, 2024
