# Read Aloud The heavy metal door slides open with a hiss of escaping air. Beyond lies a chamber unlike anything you have seen before. The walls are formed from seamless black metal that reflects your torchlight like polished glass. Thin lines of blue light pulse beneath the floor in slow rhythmic patterns, converging on a raised circular dais at the centre of the room. Mounted upon the dais is a wide metallic console covered in coloured buttons, crystal lights, three vertical sliders and a large rotary dial. None of the controls bear words, symbols or markings you recognise. Everything appears to have been designed for an entirely different civilisation. Behind the console stands a sealed circular doorway. A narrow crystal mounted above it glows with a steady red light. The room is silent except for a low mechanical hum. --- # The Room The chamber contains: - One central alien control console. - Twelve coloured buttons. - Three vertical sliders. - One rotary dial with four positions. - Six indicator lights. - A crystal display screen. - One sealed northern door. The players have no idea what any control does. --- # The Control Panel ``` ▲ ■ ● ★ ⬢ ◆ ◉ ⬟ ⬣ ⬡ ⬤ ◈ ⬥ ═══════════════ Rotary Dial ═══════════════ ███████████████ LEFT SLIDER ███████████████ MIDDLE SLIDER ███████████████ RIGHT SLIDER ``` --- # Indicator Lights Six crystal lights sit along the top of the console. ``` ● ● ● ● ● ● ``` Each light can display one of four colours. |Colour|Meaning| |---|---| |Red|Incorrect configuration| |Amber|Partial progress| |Green|Correct subsystem configured| |Blue|Puzzle Complete| --- # The Rotary Dial The dial has four positions. | Position | What Players Hear | | -------- | ------------------------------- | | I | Static and electronic crackling | | II | Strange tones | | III | A synthetic Alien voice | | IV | Loud warning sirens | The players do **not** know these meanings until they experiment. --- # The Sliders ## Left Slider — Power Range: 0–3 |Setting|Result| |---|---| |0|Machine dormant| |1|Minimal power| |2|Stable power| |3|Power overload (sparks erupt from the console, operator takes 2d6 Lightning damage and one green indicator resets to red)| --- ## Middle Slider — Access Range: 0–5 Only one value is correct. |Setting|Feedback| |---|---| |0–2|Crystal above the door remains red| |3|Crystal changes to amber| |4–5|Machine emits warning tones and resets the access level| --- ## Right Slider — Environment Range: -3 to +3 |Setting|Result| |---|---| |-3|Artificial gravity weakens| |-2|Objects become noticeably lighter| |-1|No significant effect| |0|Normal operation| |+1|Gravity increases slightly| |+2|Movement speed is halved for one round| |+3|Loose metal objects slam to the floor| This slider is mostly a distraction. --- # Button Functions | Button | Appearance | Function | Feedback | | ------ | ------------------ | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | A | Red Hexagon | Emergency Lockdown | Door seals tighter. Alarm sounds. One indicator turns red. | | B | Green Triangle | Attempt Door Access | Only succeeds if Access is correctly configured. | | C | Blue Circle | Power Auxiliary Systems | Viewport activates showing another section of the complex. | | D | Black Square | Deploy Security Drone | One security construct activates. | | E | Yellow Circle | Internal Lighting | Lights switch off for one round. | | F | Silver Oval | Broadcast Signal | Machine emits a beacon. Three rounds later another construct arrives. | | G | White Rectangle | Diagnostic Display | Shows current slider status on the crystal screen. | | H | Orange Star | Magnetic Field | Metal equipment is pulled upward. DC 15 Strength save or drop held metal items. | | I | Purple Square | Communications | Alien speech plays. If the dial is on Position III | | J | Small Green Square | Cancel Lockdown | Removes the effects of Button A. | | K | Red Circle | Power Discharge | Operator suffers 3d6 Lightning damage. | | L | Blue Diamond | Calibration Pulse | Does nothing obvious unless the dial is on Position III. | --- # Diagnostic Display Pressing the **White Rectangle** displays: ``` POWER ██░░ ACCESS ███░ STATUS ERROR ``` The display changes as sliders are adjusted. When the Left Slider is set to **2**: ``` POWER ████ ``` When the Middle Slider is set to **3**: ``` ACCESS ████ ``` When both are correct: ``` STATUS READY ``` # Solving the Puzzle To safely open the northern door the players must: 1. Set the **Left Slider** to **2**. 2. Set the **Middle Slider** to **3**. 3. Leave the **Right Slider** at **0** (or any harmless value). 4. Turn the **Dial** to **Position III**. 5. Press the **Purple Square** to activate the AI. 6. Press the **Green Triangle**. The AI announces: > "Access Granted." The six indicator lights turn blue. The crystal above the door changes from amber to green. The circular door slowly irises open. --- # Failure States |Mistake|Result| |---|---| |Power Slider set to 3|2d6 Lightning damage. Power resets.| |Access Slider above 3|Access resets to 0.| |Emergency Lockdown pressed|Door locks for one minute until Button J is pressed.| |Security Button pressed|A security construct activates.| |Distress Signal pressed|Additional construct arrives after three rounds.| |Repeated random button presses|After every fifth incorrect input, another indicator turns permanently red. When all six are red, the room enters full lockdown and releases all remaining security constructs.| --- # Investigation |Check|DC|Information| |---|---|---| |Investigation|13|Buttons are arranged in colour groups rather than randomly.| |Investigation|16|The sliders influence the console more than the buttons.| |Arcana|15|The machine appears technological rather than magical.| |Perception|14|The crystal above the door changes colour when the Middle Slider moves.| |Intelligence|14|The console gives immediate feedback after every input, suggesting experimentation rather than guessing.| --- # Player Clues Each successful observation gives the players another piece of the solution. - The crystal above the door changes colour only when the Middle Slider moves. - The diagnostic display reacts to slider adjustments. - The AI becomes understandable only on Dial Position III. - The AI repeatedly mentions **power** before **access**. - The Green Triangle never causes harm—it simply fails until the console is correctly configured. --- # DM Quick Reference |Objective|Correct Setting| |---|---| |Power|Left Slider = 2| |Access|Middle Slider = 3| |Environment|Ignore| |Dial|Position III| |AI|Purple Square| |Open Door|Green Triangle| The puzzle is designed so that every interaction provides feedback. The players should feel they are learning how an alien machine operates rather than blindly searching for a hidden combination. Incorrect actions slow progress or create complications, but almost every action reveals information that brings them closer to the solution.