THE MONTAUK PROJECT

The story of Duncan Cameron Jr. is a confusing one. According to the authors of the book The Montauk Project, Duncan was a sailor aboard the USS Eldridge when the Philadelphia Experiment was conducted. The Experiment resulted in his being catapulted forward in time to arrive at Montauk base in 1983. He then became involved in the Montauk Project, and was bounced about the time stream before being returned to 1943 in an attempt to stop the experiment that started it all. Confused? I haven't even gotten started...

To try and explain Duncan's confusing life would probably take another ten pages of text, text most people wouldn't care to read. The best option is to sum up his amazing adventures through space and time as follows:

In 1943, Duncan and his brother Edward were stationed on board the Eldridge. They worked in the control room housing many of the experimental generators used to power the Tesla coils that created the electromagnetic fields around the ship. Since they were deep inside the ship, protected by layers of steel shielding, Duncan and Edward were untouched by the horrible side effects that ravaged the rest of the crew.

The first actual experiment conducted on the Eldridge apparently took place July 20, 1943. At this time, the ship vanished from sight for 15 minutes. The fields created made many crewmen nauseous and gave psychological problems to others. A second test was then set up for August 12th, with the object to obtain radar invisibility and not optical invisibility. According to the authors of The Montauk Project three UFOs appeared over the ship six days before the August 12th test. When the test was conducted, one of these UFOs was sucked through the resulting hole in time and space and ended up underground at Montauk Base.

When the August 12th test was conducted, the two brothers were once again in the control room. For a short time (the first five minutes or so) the test seemed to be working as planned. Then, the ship vanished from sight. Duncan and Edward could see that the experiment was failing (due to the affects on the other crewmen). They tried to shut down the various generators and transmitters, but nothing seemed to be working. They then decided that the safest course of action was to abandon ship. Jumping overboard, they fell through a time tunnel and ended up at Montauk in the year 1983.

Found by members of the Montauk Project, the two brothers were then escorted into one of the buildings on base. There, they met Dr. John von Neumann, the man who had been behind many aspects of the Montauk Project since 1943. He informed them that he had been waiting for the two to appear, and that Duncan and Edward needed to return to 1943 to turn off the generators and end the experiment being conducted on the Eldridge.

Both Duncan and Edward agreed to this plan, making a number of time trips for the Montauk researchers before returning for good to 1943. Finally, the bothers reappeared on the Eldridge and managed to shut off the generators, mainly by smashing transmitters and cutting any cables they could find.

Just before the Eldridge returned to its proper place in the time stream, Duncan went back through the time portal and returned to Montauk in 1983. Ii is unknown why he did so, although it’s suggested that he may have been "programmed" to. Once in 1983 for good, Duncan found himself severed from the time stream. He grew old at a fantastic rate and began to die from the effects of extreme aging.

Using unspecified techniques, the Montauk scientists managed to save Duncan by transferring his mind (or "signature") to a new body. This new body was obtained through the help of Duncan Cameron Sr., the father of Duncan Jr. and Edward. Using a time portal, Montauk personnel contacted Duncan Sr. in 1947, informing him of their need to save his son's life. The solution was for Duncan Sr. to have another son.

In 1951, the second Duncan Cameron Jr. was born. In 1963, when this Duncan was 12, the Montauk scientists transferred the old Duncan's mind into the child's body. This forced the second Duncan "out," a fate that remains unexplained.

Meanwhile, Edward remained with the Eldridge. A final test was run with the ship in October of 1943. This experiment used an unmanned vessel, with all controls located on a secondary ship. After the test it was discovered that a large amount of equipment was missing, including transmitters and generators. The experiment was then abandoned for good. Edward continued on with his naval career afterwards, becoming involved with a number of experiments dealing with "free energy" vehicles and devices. At some port he was made to forget all he had seen and done in connection with the Philadelphia Experiment.

Edward's final fate may be even more bizarre than his brother's. He was apparently put through a series of age regression procedures that reduced him to the age of a small infant. He was then sent to live with the Bielek family to replace their baby boy, who had recently died. Given the name of Al Bielek, he grew up ignorant of his true past until certain events in the late 1980's triggered his memories. He now devotes his time to researching the Philadelphia Experiment in an attempt to uncover the truth.

The big question facing a prospective Game Master after reading this little "history" is "how does this all fit together?." Well, it doesn't. According to the history of the Montauk Project, the shutting down of the August 12th experiment forced the project to be terminated. If that is the case, then how did Duncan and Edward travel through time to return to 1943? Not once, but multiple times. It is also said that Duncan was being used in Montauk Project experiments as of 1971, this would make him only 20, a rather young, although not impossible, age for such testing. Then there’s the question of who regressed Edward, when they did this and why. Of course, considering the claims made in the book, perhaps it’s wisest to simply ignore this paradoxes and get to the heart of the matter, using Duncan (or a character like him) in one's campaign.

Duncan should be used not as an master villain, but more as the tool of a villain (or a villainous agency). He can act as a spy, move troops to distant places, control minds (especially of troublesome officials and enemy agents), and harass the enemies of the agency from the safety of his Montauk Chair. He certainly shouldn't be the mastermind behind the entire operation, that role should be given to someone more sinister, someone with more of a megalomaniac bent—Duncan seems to come across as a less then self-assure individual. If Duncan is used as a member of a villainous corporation or agency (such as VIPER or PSI), it would probably be best for him to have some strong measure of loyalty to that organization, unless his eventual defection is an important part of the game Master's plot.

Physically, Duncan shouldn't be a superhuman out of the Chair. He should have unusual psychic powers, but these should be more like the psychic effects first described in Pulp Hero, not the typical full-blown abilities given to most comic book mentalists. However, in the chair, Duncan's psychic abilities should be devastating.

Below I present a possible character sheet for Duncan Cameron. A great deal of attention is given his powers, while less is detail is given for his history and personality, since these elements of the character are very GM dependent.

Background/History: The character sheet given here is not for "the" Duncan Cameron, but for "a" Duncan Cameron. It presumes Duncan is a member of the Montauk Project and has been working with the Project for some time. His exact origins are left up to the GM; he could be ex-Navy (much like the original Duncan), a former operative for the CIA, a Project scientist, or simply a promising young psychic recruited by the company backing the Montauk Project. Note this character sheet presumes the Project has witnessed most—if not all—of the events given for the history of the Montauk Project.

Personality/Motivation: This version of Duncan Cameron is presumed to be lacking in any serious consideration of right and wrong. He enjoys the sense of power the Chair brings him and is addicted to its use. He also looks down on those he manipulates, considering them little more than playthings for him to toy with. The experiments with mind control and the manipulation of time have affected thousands of lives, some of them adversely, but none of this matters to Duncan, all he is concerned with is the advancement of science and the further exploration of the Montauk Chair's abilities.

When in the Chair, Duncan's primitive mind is allowed to surface. This mind operates off of primal emotions, and is rather unsubtle in its actions. Due to the strong emotional content of this mind, Duncan is very suggestible and can be talked into actions he normally wouldn't do. Scientists at the Montauk Project have discovered this fact and take advantage of it by having Duncan perform some of the more dangerous experiments (such as manipulating time and space) while his primitive mind is active.

Quote: "This chair allows me to control time and space. Imagine what could be done with such power!"

Powers/Tactics: Duncan is a psychic who's innate power has been pushed to its fullest potential by the amplification process of the Montauk Chair. Out of the Chair, Duncan is fairly normal, although he does possess several useful psychic gifts. These powers include the ability to see another's "aura," which gives Duncan a good idea of a person's personality and mental well being. He also can read the psychic impressions of people by handling objects they have once owned. This talent is especially useful when it’s used to find targets for Duncan's "The Seeing Eye" power. Finally, Duncan is especially sensitive to the use of psychic powers similar to his own and can usually detect those powers if they are used in his general vicinity. This last ability doesn't have much range however, and requires Duncan be rather close to the person using their psychic abilities in order for him to detect the use of those abilities.

Once in the Chair, Duncan gains access to a whole host of powers. He can control minds—both singly and in small groups, read minds, and "rewrite" a person's memories, covering over actual memories with false ones. He can also sense for desired minds at great distances, a useful power since the Chair is effectively immobile. A useful side effect of these powers is the fact they cannot be detected by the person targeted. Although a person affect by the Duncan's Chair-enhanced powers may be aware some sort of mental intrusion has taken place, they will be unable to trace back this attack to the Montauk Project and Duncan himself. Duncan is also careful to try and use extra dice in his Mind Control and Telepathy attacks to ensure the target is unaware the attack ever took place (or thinks any results of a Mind Control attempt were their own idea to begin with).

The telepathic aspects of the Chair can also be used to view the world through a target's senses. This power (called "The Seeing Eye") requires an object of some sort from the target—such as a lock of hair—in order to operate. When The Seeing Eye is being used, Duncan can see, hear, and feel whatever the target person is experiencing. This power can be used on anyone all over the world. Duncan can also manifest a limited form of Telekinesis while in the chair.

One of Duncan's more impressive powers is the ability to create tunnels though time and space. He can connect to almost any time in history and can even open a gateway between Earth and Mars. The gates are quite large, allowing trucks to pass though, although any large vehicles must do so slowly.

side from being able to project thoughts to control other's actions, Duncan can also make his thoughts come real. Usually, his uses this power to create objects. These objects are limited to modern day technology, since although he can visualize such items from the past of the future, his subconscious doesn't "understand" such items sufficiently to allow him to make them "real." The activation roll is used to determine if the object remains real or if it fades immediately. Duncan can also summon his subconscious mind and make it come to life. This aspect of his mind manifests as a huge monster or beast. For more information on Duncan's Beast From The Id, see the next entry.

Appearance: Duncan is of average appearance and height, standing 5'9" and weighing 180 pounds. His hair is brownish-blond and falls to his shoulders. Duncan has a normal build for someone of his height and weight. He dresses in casual clothing, although when using the Montauk Chair he tends to wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Duncan Cameron's Hero Designer File.