For a few days, I have soloed an adventure using A.C.E. #1: Awfully Cheerful Engine! (39 pages). This d6 dice pool system is described as a cinematic tabletop roleplaying game of comedic action . The adventure I used was designed for this system, A.C.E. #4, Strange Science (36 pages). I used a 43 card Magic The Gathering deck as the solo engine. Here are the highlights. So, I started with four fifteen year old PCs and one older brother, Carl. He is 21 years old, is a college student (scientist), and owns a car. He is always driving the other four around.
The first location was the high school. They picked up several clues here and had lots of choices on where to go next. They decided on New-Trition because the pod-people love the drink that is only available there. The second location was the new health food store. It was being operated by a pod-person. It was difficult to converse with them because they are new to the English language and use strange word combinations. Luckily, they are so new that they have no idea how to lie. It was here they found out where Fit Juice is made. The third location was the Osterman Lab. Carl discovered that he could hypnotize the pod-people with his silver crucifix necklace. More questions were asked and more clues were found. Carl made two bombs. The clues led them to the fourth location, the caverns below. They killed the alien-vine-thing with fire. The entire thing turned to ash and the connected alien was killed at the very bottom. It was here they got to see the two gates (different sizes). Carl attached a bomb to the dead alien, set the timer, and threw it through the smaller portal. The portal disappeared. Next, they started killing pod-people. Some did escape (with the food source gone they all eventually died).
The last location was the local radio station where the pod-people had altered the equipment. It was sending out subliminal messages to those humans listening to that station. After parking the car there they met Dunwood (another scientist and an adult). He told them he had seen Men In Black taking out a strange looking artifact. The radio waves were okay now. The PCs told Dunwood about the second portal and where it was. They warned him about the pod-people left alive. They also put him in charge and were done with this world-saving-stuff. It was time to go to bed. Give this a try! I am sure your playthrough will be different.
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