Johnny Doppler’s Road Trip and Vision Quest
An adventure for Shadowrun

Background

Johnny has made a tutelary bond with a Free Spirit, “Tuck”, an emanation of the Car totem. He gives the spirit (which inhabits a heavily modified convertible) karma on a regular basis, and the car guides his spiritual development. Hey, for a guy who listens to loud music, takes drugs, plays videogames, is an apparent member of the “girlfriend of the week” club, and seldom bothers thinking about cosmic matters, you have to start somewhere.

Hence, the road trip, a journey across America of 2055 in a magical car.

Johnny’s own mystical experience will involve gaining understanding of the magic of roads, the domain of Hermes and (if I recall correctly) Maître Carrefour. This means psychopomps and tricksters. Roads provide a fundamental interconnectedness to a civilization, stretching across boundaries of nation and culture. Mystically the paths are themselves a place. Check out Strange Highways for Feng Shui.

Links

Road trips are nothing new, and the nation is full of offbeat tourist attractions; there’s even a magazine devoted to it. The plethora of possibilities is amazing; there’s even interest for academicians.

The Arkansas Traveler’s Roadside Attractions has some interesting spots, including a monster index. There are plenty of tourist traps in Minnesota. Long Island has the Big Duck, Wisconsin has the Giant Cow, New Jersey Lucy the Margate Elephant (also here, here, and here) and Carhenge (in Nebraska) is a must— check out this and this! Naturally, diners and road food will be a prominent part of the trip. Roadside oddities and roadside art can provide a great deal of flavor for the minicampaign. There are plenty in Canada, too. Motels will be a major part of the experience.