TiGGR: Tour des Alpes

or, Der Klang der Kurbel

In honor of their ambient-industrial masterpiece, the members of Autobahn undertake a cycling tour across Europe. They seek resonance, ritual, and maybe a lost demo tape hidden in an Alpine yodel.

RULES OF TiGGR (Tiny Game for Generalized Roleplaying)

Stats: Body, Mind, Charm. Distribute 3 points (e.g. 2/1/0).
Rolls: Roll 2d6 + relevant stat.
Easy = 6, Medium = 8, Hard = 10
Attack: 2d6 + Body vs. 8
Defend (Main characters only): 2d6 + Body vs. 8
If hit, take 1d6 damage.
Zero HP = knocked out, fainted, stars for eyes, pick it back up next scene.
Players: 5 HP, Goons and minions: 1-3, no defense rolls.
Vehicles (mecha, spaceships, special sidekicks): 10 HP
Special Abilities: 1 use per scene. Boosts a stat roll or triggers a cool effect.
Gear: +3 to a roll or damage (usually once per scenario).
Optional: After a session, tweak 1 stat or evolve your Special to match the story.

TONE & VIBE

Deadpan, scenic, and glacially paced until something truly bizarre happens.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

DER TAKT (The Drummer / Pulse Maintainer)

Stats: Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0

Special: Unbroken Rhythm — Once per scene, reroll a failed check if it follows a previous success (maintain tempo).

Gear: Pedal-Sync Drum Box (+3 Body when resisting disruption or triggering percussive events).

Vibe: Unblinking. Once kept perfect time for a power plant. May be part machine.

FRAU MODULATOR (The Synthesist / Emotional Core)

Stats: Mind 2, Charm 1, Body 0

Special: Harmonic Interference — +1 Mind to decode signals, atmospheres, or emotional undercurrents.

Gear: Ribbon Oscillator Gloves (+3 Mind once per scenario when interacting with analog devices).

Vibe: Graceful and unreadable. Her bike emits a low hum that shifts with altitude.

DER GANGSCHALTER (The Engineer / Navigator)

Stats: Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 0

Special: Route Memory — Once per scene, declare a shortcut or tactical shift in terrain understanding.

Gear: Cyborg Compass (+3 Mind for route-related or tech-alignment checks).

Vibe: Grease-smudged glasses. Never takes the helmet off. May have mapped the Alps in his dreams.

DER SPIEGEL (The Face / Media Interface)

Stats: Charm 2, Mind 1, Body 0

Special: Reflective Presence — +1 Charm when confronting outsiders, evading attention, or disrupting narrative control.

Gear: Mirrored Visor (+3 Charm once when breaking or altering perception).

Vibe: Their face is never seen. They appear in every photo taken of the band, even retroactively.

PROGRAM 1: THE GEARS MUST TURN

Scene: A lonely Swiss border crossing, nestled in a valley where the air hums with faint cowbell echoes and the distant rumble of avalanches. A squat concrete booth sits under a flickering neon sign: Zoll / Douane. The road ahead snakes into the Alps, shrouded in mist. It’s dawn, and the sky is the color of a worn-out synth pad.

Goal: Begin the ceremonial ride across the Alpine route mapped in their fictional 1978 LP, Tour des Alpes.

Complication: The customs officer Hans produces a cassette labeled “Tour des Alpes: Outtakes” and demands they authenticate it. The tape, a prank by rivals Sturmlicht, plays polka-infused yodel-core.

Actions:

1. Mind 8: Frau Modulator uses vocoder bluff.
2. Charm 6: Der Spiegel offers silent merch bribe.
3. Gear: Der Gangschalter deploys the Analog Visa Stamp (+3 Mind).

Twist: Fail a check and Hans demands a live performance over the Outtakes tape.

Resolution: They pass into the Alps as rumors of their avant-garde phase spread.

PROGRAM 2: THE MOUNTAIN SINGS

Scene: A desolate switchback climb near Mont Blanc. The summit recording station is their goal.

Twist: Sturmlicht has occupied the station, remixing Autobahn’s legacy into a screeching polka-industrial avalanche. A sonic landslide ensues.

Actions:

1. Body 8: Der Takt leads an escape from the landslide.
2. Mind 6: Frau Modulator scrambles the feedback loop.
3. Charm 10: Der Spiegel convinces a disillusioned Sturmlicht fan to sabotage the signal.

Wild Moment: “This is what happens when you meet a stranger in the Alps!” booms through the mountains.

Resolution: The band seizes the ruined station and retunes the Alpine Frequency.

PROGRAM 3: THE LOST TRACK EMERGES

Scene: A fog-drenched lakeside chapel converted into a synth shrine. It’s midnight. The ritual begins.

Goal: Perform a live analog ritual to reveal “Alpenglühen in D Minor,” the lost track.

Obstacle: The ghost of Herr Puls, their former rhythm box, now haunts the chapel.

Actions:

1. Charm 8: Der Spiegel reconciles with Herr Puls using the Moog Rosary.
2. Mind 10: Frau Modulator retunes the chapel acoustics.
3. Body 6: Der Takt and Der Gangschalter power the ritual with tandem pedaling.

Climax: The band performs the ritual. The track emerges—mournful, haunting, and alive.

ADDITIONAL FLAVOR (PICK ONE PER SCENE)

• The static clears for a moment—someone whispers your name.
• The signal warps the world around you—trees flicker between seasons.
• A paceline of cyclists rides silently past. No logos, no gear, no numbers. Just featureless helmets.
• The brake cables feel like they’re pulsing—like a heartbeat.
• The radio screams. You swear it’s your own voice.
• A milestone marker reads your exact current location—down to the minute.
• The road ahead looks normal, but every cyclist’s GPS insists they’re going in circles.

ENDINGS (CHOOSE ONE)

Transmission: They rig the chapel’s antennas, beaming Tour des Alpes—complete with the lost B-side—into deep space. Static crackles on ham radios worldwide as the signal escapes Earth’s grasp, a gift to the cosmos.

Vanishing: The final note rings out, and the band rolls into the fog. Dawn breaks; the chapel’s empty, save for tire tracks and a humming reel-to-reel tape looping “Alpenglühen.” Locals swear they hear pedals in the wind.

Frequency Shift: They remove their sunglasses—just once. Der Spiegel’s visor lifts, revealing eyes like twin oscilloscopes; the others follow. The chapel’s hum spikes, and the world’s frequency shifts—colors sharpen, clocks slow, and every radio plays Autobahn for a fleeting minute.

NOTES

Inspiration and Gratitude: Kraftwerk, The Big Lebowski, the Mandela Effect, Boards of Canada, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tangerine Dream, Wendy Carlos.