r-102

Early signs of unrest!  Meg pegs Savage Worlds’ flaws in this one, though it takes the rest of us a few more games to come around.

Important minor characters in this session:

Felix

Evander

In this session, the preamble goes on for a while.  To get right to the game itself  just ctrl+f “***”

Megadoptorous: Hey.
Fortinbras: What it is.
Megadoptorous: Lovin’. It’s what I got.
Fortinbras: ¡Hola! Two to go. Hope Max gets his thing sorted.
spindingo: Yeah, do not want to miss the fireworks!
Megadoptorous: I would help Max with his things.
Fortinbras: Heyhey.
Megadoptorous: Hello, suckas.
Fortinbras: He says he thinks it’s the router. Not sure if that means he’s going out to buy a new router now, or he’s just gonna plug directly into modem.
spindingo: At least it is not the modem that’s out.
Fortinbras: Yeah.
spindingo: Now if I could only make MapTools an Android app.
Megadoptorous: It’s jsut a flash application.
Megadoptorous: Er, java
Amordea: Does Android not have Java support?
Amordea: Although the tiny screen size would be pretty horrible even if you did get it to run.
Amordea: Might be workable on one of those little tablets.
Amordea: It was ok on my netbook, though not great.
Fortinbras: Yeah, be weird to work with.
spindingo: Yeah, tablet might be better, .pdf referencing would be a pain too.
Amordea: Hah, yeah. My phone can read pdf’s but it’s not fun by any means.
Amordea: I’d do it if I had to, but definitely not for casual reading.
Fortinbras: It’s one of the two things my laptop screen is perfectly sized for. Exactly the right size for widescreen movies, and can fit initiative+chat+map on, each at just the right size.
Fortinbras: Everything else, “boy I wish I could turn you sideways.”
spindingo: Had to pull up a 115 page printer repair manual on mine once. That was a pain in the neck.
Amordea: Oh gods, yuck.
Fortinbras: Sumbitch. Yeah.
Fortinbras: Still running the old timiest cell you ever saw, myself.
Megadoptorous: I bet it’s adorable.
spindingo: I don’t do repair for that out source group anymore.
spindingo: Heh, do people mistake it for a burner?
Fortinbras: I think most peg me pretty cleanly as a dude who don’t care about his phone much.
Megadoptorous: By your muttered ramblings about the soon-coming end times?
Fortinbras: That’s a big part of it.
Megadoptorous: “These are good people to have with you in a crisis.”
Fortinbras: Hope Max’ll be back and routered up soon. You guys cool waitin’ on it? We left off at a moment where he was, well, a bit essential.
spindingo: Got all evenin’.
Megadoptorous: Um. I have videoes I really should return…
Amordea: No problem here.
Improvidence: Yeah, fine by me.
Fortinbras: Think it’ll be a quick job?
Amordea: I’ll be butchering people in TB in the meantime.
Megadoptorous: It shouldn’t take more then… 15 minutes from when I go.
Fortinbras: Cool, I say go for it.
Fortinbras: We did figure we’d start a little late tonight, so!
Megadoptorous: Once community ends.
Fortinbras: Hah, okay.
Fortinbras: Watching TV on TV and getting movies from a video store. This year begins with a 2, man!
Megadoptorous: I also keep my car on the ground and my robots know their place!
Fortinbras: Rereading Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Making a tabletop campaign in the style of *that* would be interesting.
Megadoptorous: BRB SUCKAS!
Fortinbras: See you soon!
Improvidence: Reading about Eve Online. Thinking I should look up some futuristic pen and paper systems.
Fortinbras: I don’t know of any specifically futuristic ones. Ages ago wanted to run something with mechs in, but never got past musing about it.
spindingo: I tried playing Eve a couple times. I like the idea but without being able to walk around bothered me a lot more than I thought it would.
Fortinbras: For a while I kept thinking, “spaceship MMO! Sounds neat!” Then I’d remember everything I’d ever heard about it and let it go.
Improvidence: It’s pretty interesting, the way the developers don’t seem to care if people are dicks to each other. But I don’t think I’d actually enjoy that as much as I enjoy reading about it.
Fortinbras: Hahaha.
Amordea: I read about the game model and was immediately turned off. Sounds like you log in, select a skill to raise and log out until it’s raised some days/weeks later. Which means someone who has an old account is always going to be ahead of you.
Amordea: It’s like somebody took Progress Quest seriously.
Amordea: And made it into an MMO.
Improvidence: Yeah, I think that’s gone away, but that was exactly how it worked for a while.
spindingo: Been a while since I read about it. Thought they had an ambitious plan to combine it with two other MMOs. One was an FPS styled one shootin’ dudes on planets.
Amordea: Oh they changed that?
Amordea: My knowledge is outdated then.
Improvidence: The most interesting thing to me is how stuff that would be bannable on any other MMO is seemingly encouraged by the developers. There was a trailer a few months ago that talked about how you can lie and get your way into an organization, and then cheat them, steal their resources, and bring about their downfall.
Fortinbras: hahahah. yeah, that’d be a fucking scandal in WoW.
spindingo: Mortal Online is like the fantasy version of Eve Online.
spindingo: It’s all one big pvp zone with full looting.
Improvidence: Hah. Sounds horrible.
spindingo: Gives crafters work to do.
Fortinbras: I wonder if it would end up with society developing, on account of everyone being pissed off at being griefed. Small percentage goes around fucking with people, as in real society, and most people just… hope not to be murdered.
spindingo: Yeah, saw some guy soliciting lumber for miners for “protection” from other pvpers.
Fortinbras: Hah! Wow.
spindingo: That’s kind of like a government.
spindingo: Miners would stick together too. Sometimes for self defense, sometimes to beat the pvper to the looting.
spindingo: Odds were better together than going solo.
Amordea: I gotta admit…UO felt more like a community when there was danger just outside of every city.
Fortinbras: Hello again!
Megadoptorous: Back I am back
Megadoptorous: No max stillz?
Fortinbras: Fraid not.
Amordea: He opted for the former option instead of the latter.
Megadoptorous: Any ETA?
Fortinbras: Nah, he’s incommunicado. Hopefully not much longer.
Megadoptorous: Ok.
Megadoptorous: I can wait.
Megadoptorous: Also, I love you, new Avatar.
Megadoptorous: avatart*. no need to cap.
Fortinbras: He lives a little far from like, things. Places. But like I say, hopefully not much longer.
Fortinbras: I like it also!
Megadoptorous: Doesn’t he live in the midwest, where it is legally mandated that there be 1 mile between each individual thing, and all land is divided into perfect squares?
Fortinbras: Exactly.
Megadoptorous: There is a reason why the Piligrams started settling in New England.
Fortinbras: He’s home now.
Megadoptorous: It is just the best place in America.
Fortinbras: Maybe they just had to choose between fighting bears and fighting lobsters, and figured “the big bugs are easier to deal with.”
Megadoptorous: :”Huh. one of these places is full of colleges, and the other is full of…. Screaming nothingness like staring into the void of space.”
Fortinbras: The colleges were there when they got there?
Megadoptorous: I assume.
Fortinbras: Love text messages from Max. Same cadence as most other texts I get, but perfect spelling and punctuation.
Megadoptorous: Haha.
Fortinbras: Excellent!
Amordea: Hooray!
Megadoptorous: Wooooooooooooooooooooooooo. It’s my second favorite type of gram!
Fortinbras: So, things of note. 1: unless you’re shitty at this, you’re getting a level tonight. Information about what that means can be found on page 59 of the PDF. Last week, among all the other things I forgot, there’s one more: for each benny left over at the end of a session, you roll a d6. For each 5 or 6 you get, you (personally, not the team) get an extra experience point.
Grammaticus: I was laboring under the misconception that my old router was Netgear. It was actually Belkin, so I am of the same camp as you now, Amordea.
Megadoptorous: Oh, neats.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6 => 1

Megadoptorous: i don’t
Fortinbras: 2: the definitive description of agility contests on held actions. The winner goes first, then the loser, unless the winner’s action shakes the loser or otherwise prevents them from being able to act.
Amordea: Belkins are de debil.
Fortinbras: 3: remember the people you meet! Never know who’ll be able to help you later, whether directly or by namedropping them to someone else.
Fortinbras: Mine’s a dlink.
Amordea: They make quality cables though.
spindingo: ’bout all they can do anymore. Used to have the best darn NICs in the business.
Fortinbras: Routers seem to die really easily, for how simple their job seems to me to be.
Fortinbras: So, right! Care for a bitta bitta recappin’?
Amordea: I’d like this thing.

***

Fortinbras: LAST WEEK ON… THIS THING!: A gang tried to shoot Bill Brogden down in his home. Fortunately for him he had a couple of visitors, one cautious in the extreme and one not quite so. She might actually be offended at the idea of caution, we think. Bill, his assistant Evander, and his visitors Jonathan Walker and Heidi St Louis fought them off, but they burnt his motel down. Kept together by mutual fear and presumed necessity, they spent an icy night in the back of a semi trailer, then laid that trailer across a busted bridge and filled the rest of the gap with very, very conveniently available ladders.
Fortinbras: They went looking for high ground to look out over their next obstacle, a staggering wall of buildings, bodies and debris that fills the southern limit of Portland, and instead found a man who plans to build a door through that wall, Victor Gall, and his quietly menacing travelling companion Robert Arnsdale. Mysterious men. With a shared goal and tenuous trust they’ve all set out toward the Wave, and the city beyond.
Fortinbras: But, of course, there’s that little catch. Victor needs a detonator, and he was just about to explain the options as he sees them when the curtain closed last week. Spoiler: one of them is wandering around the town looking for another remote detonator.
Fortinbras: Over to you, Vic!
* Victor Gall had just left off on the word “laptop?” with a hopeful look at Brogden. “Saved from your, ah, scuffle?”
Evander: Ah yeah, I got that.
* Evander offers it over to Bill, mostly seeming apologetic for keeping it so long.
* Bill Brogden grabs the laptop with frustrated gratitude. Bill Brogden: One of the few things, couple meals and our health.
Bill Brogden: Looking for some internet, you said?
Victor Gall: “Y-yes, exactly. I could detonate the charges remotely with it.”
* Robert Arnsdale stands off to the side a bit, watching the exchange with dim interest, seeming to have accepted these strangers aren’t an immediate threat and looking elsewhere for trouble brewing with his dull blue gaze. Heidi St Louis: Is… There going to be signal around here?
Fortinbras: There would’ve been before Bill’s relay got scrapped. Now it might be problematic.
* Bill Brogden begrudgingly concedes to the idea of someone else using the laptop. “Well, if it saves some time. Give me a minute to lock things down here.”
* Victor Gall smiles unevenly, and adjusts his glasses. “That is, unfortunately, the m-million dollar question, isn’t it?” Bill Brogden: You know, don’t want -them- tracking us.
Heidi St Louis: And… Is there some other type of detonator? Like, could we pull a blasting cap outta something aroudn here? Where would one find a blasting cap?
* Jonathan Walker picks idly at the smouldering remains of the demolished grocery stands, not really expecting to find anything of use.
Fortinbras: Clippy says: the charges Victor is using can connect to the internet, or a LAN. You will, however, need an app for that. Somebody could write something real quick using a knowledge(electronics) check.
* Bill Brogden laughs a little. “Might have to boost our reciever, find some high ground. Think we can find some ol’ internet.” Fortinbras: Jon: there’s a torn open can of sardines in tomato sauce. It looks strangely inverted, like some shrapnel got wounded by blood and guts.
Amordea: Rob perks up at the odd remark Bill made and ventures to ask in his husky voice after a moment of pensive silence, “You bein’ followed?”
Bill Brogden: We’re all being followed. This is one giant people farm.
* Bill Brogden slips out casually as he continues typing.
* Victor Gall ‘s eyes dart from Robert to Bill. He knots his brow, nonplussed. Heidi St Louis: Yeah, ignore him. The only thing following us is wolves. And nothing. Mostly nothing.
Amordea: Rob doesn’t say anything to that, recognizing the aloof remark for what it is, but taking it to mean there is no immediate danger, he accepts it in silence.
* Evander shakes his head, at the same time taking a long slow breath. “Bill’s got these ideas about the government, you know? I’m not going to say the man’s wrong, hell, I work for him, but if the government is following us they just bound to keep following and not causing trouble, at this point.”
* Bill Brogden pulls back the display to share with Victor. “All right, young demo man. What do you know about these things?”
Fortinbras: Bill: care to make us a knowledge of electronics roll to slap that program together?

* spindingo rolls: 1d8 => 8

* Heidi St Louis starts to kick over a bit of the rubble, whistling as she does it. Victor Gall: “Well. In the event we couldn’t find a signal, we could set off the charges manually. That’s what I was here for, looking for anything to use. You never know what people leave behind in the stores, these days. Obviously not food, but.”

* spindingo rolls: 1d8 => 6

Fortinbras: Hoshit! We gonna call that a work of art.
Grammaticus: Hah!
Bill Brogden: Nevermind, how’s this work for ya?
Bill Brogden: Don’t even need internet, really. Local’ll do.
* Bill Brogden explains his plan.
Fortinbras: The last click falls into place and the program is made. It looks effortlessly lovely, easy to use. A little kid could set these bombs off.
Heidi St Louis: Do we have the wire for that? I mean, I assume we’re going to not want to be near this thing.
* Victor Gall ‘s brow unfurrows with slow appreciation. “You are a dangerous man, Brogden.” spindingo: (keep forgetting to add the e, by the time I finally get used to it I’ll be doing it on D&D rolls)
Amordea: haha, exploding d20′s
* Evander looks over Bill’s shoulder at the screen. “If I got this figured right, it shouldn’t be no trouble to connect ‘em wirelessly. Just got to get close enough.” Bill Brogden: They made me a monster, and now they call me one.
Bill Brogden: .. a’yep, that’s right.
* Victor Gall stoops to pick up his briefcase. “Well! What are we waiting for?”
Evander: Real cool. …how close is “close enough,” William?
Bill Brogden: Straight shot? Think we could get behind a building.. well, most of us.
* Evander nods along. Uncomfortably. “Sure, awright.”
Bill Brogden: Someone has to do the final click. Ah..
Bill Brogden: I’ll add a delay for ya.
Fortinbras: Victor is quite right. When you’re ready, we’ll head to the wave!
* Bill Brogden smiles a crooked smile, not having a dentist around is a bitch.
Fortinbras: All set?
spindingo: Gewd
Megadoptorous: Hey, what’s this a graph of?
Megadoptorous: My guess….. Pinapple prices.
spindingo: Hooray for summer.
Amordea: Hah.
Grammaticus: Huh. Why the picture change, Heidi?
Megadoptorous: I liked this one more, mostly.
Amordea: I’m curious to see if Heidi’s look will dramatically change every session.
spindingo: I kind of hope so.
Megadoptorous: The last one was also a little too… Fashion-y. Also? Re-casting after a post-pilot delay in filming.
Fortinbras: Bill’s program is better than he could’ve hoped. The crew heads out, walking the length of the towering wave of debris, and when they get close to the spot where Vic says he laid his charges, the program picks them up and you’re able to connect. It’s ready to blow at will. Around the same time though, you hear a scuffle. And, taking cover behind a standing wall – a shattered toilet has to be pushed aside for everyone to get close – you can see what’s happening through a window.
Fortinbras: (take a little look to the west)
Megadoptorous: (Can I get the map centered?
Fortinbras: It’s hard to decipher what’s going on. A writhing mass of ragged humanity, clearly presenting menace and fear but all too washed out to determine any sides right away.
Amordea: Do any of them have firearms?
Fortinbras: Quite a few of them do, out and ready too.
Fortinbras: Roll me some initiative, and anyone who wants to make a Notice roll to try to figure out more of this scene can do so.
* Megadoptorous rolls: d6 => 5

Megadoptorous: That’s my notice.

* spindingo rolls: 1d8e => 6
* spindingo rolls: 1d6e => 4

spindingo: That’s mah notice.

* Amordea rolls: d4e => 2
* Amordea rolls: d6e => 4
Amordea: And here’s my init:

* Amordea rolls: d20 => 11
* Megadoptorous rolls: d20 => 9
* spindingo rolls: d20 => 19

Grammaticus: Ach, sec. Forgot to bring my sheet up in all the router business.
spindingo: Hot rolls tonight.

* Improvidence rolls: d20 => 2
* Grammaticus rolls: d8e Notice => 2

Grammaticus: woo
Improvidence: Rerolling.

* Improvidence rolls: 1d20 => 4
* Grammaticus rolls: d20 Initiative => 16
Improvidence: Again!

* Improvidence rolls: 1d20 => 19

Grammaticus: Hahahah.
Improvidence: Theeere we are.
Fortinbras: That… is a good edge.
Grammaticus: Oh, wild die.
Amordea: Bein’ quick is sweet.

* Grammaticus rolls: d6e Notice => 3

Grammaticus: woooo

* Improvidence rolls: 1d6e notice => 3
* Improvidence rolls: 1d6e notice => 7

Amordea: If it fit Rob at all I’d seriously contemplate it.
Grammaticus: Oh, nice.
spindingo: Potent stuff, but yeah.
spindingo: Sure it has some prereqs.
Fortinbras: Bill and John, roll me a d20 each.

* spindingo rolls: 1d20 => 12
* Improvidence rolls: 1d20 => 11

spindingo: Is that rectangle in the lazy L our boom-booms?
Fortinbras: Right! You’ve deciphered a bit more of the scene: some of these folks are… if not quite expert, then as experienced in their field as the ones who attacked Bill’s place. They’re not full on raiders but they’re used to doing this.
Fortinbras: Haha, the rectangle in the lazy L is a bathtub in two walls of an otherwise busted down house. This was the second map I made.
Fortinbras: And the radius of your bombs is thus:
Megadoptorous: That is good for us.
Fortinbras: The other people in this equation are not so experienced. Travelers. They’re not dead scared, maybe just too tired to be, but they don’t know how to fight, that’s for sure.
Bill Brogden has received initiative.
Fortinbras: They’re probably open to suggestions from any sympathetic voice. (That is to say, you control them in this battle.)
spindingo: Ah, neat.
Fortinbras: And they rolled a 20 on their initiative, so this turn, they get to act whenever they want, with a +2 to any trait tests. Lucky? folks.
Megadoptorous: Wow, that’s neat.
Amordea: What do they have that the robbers could want?
Fortinbras: Bit of food, maybe. Doesn’t take much.
Megadoptorous: Bed Bath and Beyond gift certificates?
Fortinbras: Or that, certainly.
spindingo: Bill has the mind to persuade them to back off.
spindingo: At least give ‘em the warning.
Fortinbras: (The ones you control are the ones you’ve got stats for!)
Fortinbras: He could certainly give it a go!
Fortinbras: An old man trying to intimidate a gang into running away would have a lot of trouble with that… unless, you know, he could do something to show he meant business.
* Bill Brogden sticks his head out. “Ladies and gentlemen! You’re standing in a demolition zone. Take cover if you value your lives! “
spindingo: Mostly concerned with getting the other guys to move.
Amordea: Heh, as true as that is…
Amordea: I wonder if they could possibly believe that.
* Shooter 1 sticks his head out to trace the source of the voice. He yells back to the gang.
Shooter 1: SOME OLD MAN!

* spindingo rolls: 1d6e => 5

Amordea: lawl.
* Jonathan Walker reaches over and places his finger on the button. Safety precaution, of course.
Grammaticus: Hahahah.

* spindingo rolls: 1d6e => 5

spindingo: Ah well.
spindingo: and he moves back
Fortinbras: Your intimidate rolls are being made at -5 right now. They don’t seem to take you very seriously. But now that you’ve made yourself known, you can yell commands to the people in trouble.
spindingo: Long as it is within my turn~
* Victor Gall drops his briefcase again and fidgets nervously with the blanket bandle.
spindingo: That was a Persuasion roll
spindingo: For the people that will listen.
spindingo: Intimidate is also a d6.
Fortinbras: Oh, yep. You can choose to move them when you like.
spindingo: All right, what say you, noble tacticians?
spindingo: Move the guys then make with the booming?
Fortinbras: Relevant tip: if the only thing you’re doing during a turn is moving, you can Defend for +2 Parry.
Fortinbras: Figure it’s okay to say stuff like this at this stage, errbody still learnin’ the system.
spindingo: Sorry for fudging this up.
Fortinbras: ‘sok!
spindingo: So, no need for Persuasion.
spindingo: So I could do an intimidation afterall.
spindingo: Ain’t got much, but..
spindingo: Might make life easier for those guys out there.
Fortinbras: Was gonna have you make yourselves known in order to get control of those guys anyway.
Amordea: Isn’t Taunt what you’re good at?
spindingo: Yeah, was going to Taunt them.
spindingo: Needed to have a little of both.
spindingo: So, a Taunt!

* spindingo rolls: 1d8+2 => 3 + 2 = 5

spindingo: Ah vell.
Fortinbras: Got a target in mind?
spindingo: The Batman #4.
Fortinbras: Good call.
Fortinbras: He’s well taunted. Not even smart enough to say nothin’ back, just leers your way.
Bill Brogden: You’ll be sneezing out your asshole in a few seconds if you don’t get out!
spindingo: Guys want to help me move our dudes and go for an early boom?
Grammaticus: Do you, like, just have a list of these ready to go? Because they’re pretty great.
Fortinbras: I know, right?
Improvidence: Hahah.
spindingo: No, just kinda going tourettes.
Grammaticus: Also, I presume the northern jagged line blocks line of sight?
Megadoptorous: Who’s turn is it?
Jonathan Walker has received initiative.
spindingo: These guys have a movement of 5?
spindingo: Or 6? Some of them look old like bill.
Fortinbras: Hahah. They’ve got a 6.
Improvidence: So, Jon is in favor of pressing buttons first and eliminating a whole pile of trouble ASAP. We should have these guys move first.
Fortinbras: Gram: yeah, you won’t be able to shoot through to, say, Bat Man 4.
spindingo: Risk their “OA”s and gtfo.
Fortinbras: Haha.
Megadoptorous: Well, they do get to act first.
Fortinbras: Feel free to move them as you like.
Amordea: Defend and run?
Megadoptorous: Yeah
Amordea: If we can get them all out of the blast radius, we can definitely clean up a whole mess of these very quickly.
Amordea: And very likely scare off what survives.
Fortinbras: Ho! That guy gets lucky, neither OA hits him.
Fortinbras: Although, oh, can’t move through enemy units. Gonna have to lay on another from the crone…
spindingo: Poor AE1.
Megadoptorous: Yeah.
Amordea: Can’t move diagonal through them either I assume?
Fortinbras: She scrapes him as he runs past. He’s shaken, but *can* get just barely out of the radius, I believe.
Fortinbras: Yeah, gonna go with D&D’s precedent for this.
Megadoptorous: That’s 3.
Megadoptorous: AE 2 takes an OA.
Fortinbras: Ah, can you do that for me again?
Megadoptorous: She was there.
Fortinbras: She’s lucky, she’s got a clean run!
Fortinbras: On to the next one~
Amordea: Ah, Meg, if you hit spacebar while moving it sets a waypoint which the icon has to cross through.
Megadoptorous: Really?
Megadoptorous: That’s neat.
Fortinbras: Yep!
Fortinbras: Who wants to move the bleached men?
Megadoptorous: Erm, I guess I’ll continue.
Amordea: Think he might be able to avoid a lot of those.
Megadoptorous: How?
Megadoptorous: Do it up.
spindingo: Go right one more
spindingo: Then go
Amordea: Yeah, like that.
Megadoptorous: Ok.
Fortinbras: He’s lucky he defended–I think someone said they were all defending–because both of those attacks would’ve hit if he hadn’t!
Megadoptorous: Yes.
spindingo: Good thing the tanky type person read up on their stuff to share it.
Fortinbras: Two to go. Very close to being all clear.
Amordea: Fort suggested it.
Amordea: Well BM3 doesn’t have far to go at least.
Fortinbras: The luck of these guys is staggering! He gets away without even an attack on him.
Amordea: AE1 has a lot of OA’s to suffer.
Amordea: Who does?
Fortinbras: Bleached Man 3, assuming the only one is from the batman.
Amordea: Ah, yes.
Fortinbras: Now for the tough one.
Amordea: I don’t know how we’ll move her.
spindingo: I bet AE1 is going to be the cool unlockable character if we did this on difficult mode.
Fortinbras: Hahah.
Amordea: Hah!
spindingo: Going to have to take 3 hits.
Amordea: The only possible path is riddled with OA’s
spindingo: eer, 4!
Amordea: I’m counting 5.
Megadoptorous: Look, she’s gonna die from shrew bites.
Amordea: That’s the path I see.
Amordea: Anyone else?
spindingo: Let us pray.
Fortinbras: She’s looking, sad and with a touch of the cruelty felt by a person whose friends have run ahead of them, after her friends.
Fortinbras: She takes…
Fortinbras: I count 3, because in most of those cases she didn’t actually move away from anybody, just past.
Megadoptorous: SHREW BITES SHREW BITES SHREW BITES
Grammaticus: She’s gonna even out the statistics. Torn to bits!
spindingo: (at least now we are justified, right?)
Amordea: Oh I see.
Amordea: Didn’t know it worked like that.
spindingo: Hey, don’t hit her! KILL THEM
Fortinbras: Well holy hell. This scene was supposed to involve tragic and inevitable deaths, but sometimes luck is on the side of the righteous, or at least the endangered.
Fortinbras: She gets by!
Amordea: !
Megadoptorous: GASP
spindingo: KILL THEM ANYWAYS!
Grammaticus: Inconceivable!
Improvidence: buttonbuttonbutton
Fortinbras: Jon, it’s your turn. There’s a man with a laptop next to you.
spindingo: Spam the button, best way to compensate for lag.
Improvidence: Throwing the switch!
Fortinbras: Spin: you’re lucky your intimidation tactics didn’t work. If they’d believed you about there being bombs, they’d have a chance to make an agility roll at -2 in order to dive away from it.
spindingo: Heh, Double Fake-Out.
Amordea: The good news is they might believe anything you say now.
Amordea: No matter how outrageous.
Fortinbras: As it is, they just… well… it’s a fucking explosion. The bat men at the edge came close, they only took 3d10 instead of 6d10 from the overlaps, but even they are gone with the blastwave.
Improvidence: Yeah, I don’t really intimidate well, but suggesting that we have bombs elsewhere around here might make this end pretty quick-like.
Fortinbras: You dynamited that god damned wall!
Fortinbras: I need to do some complicated drawing and revealing because I wasn’t very smart at maps when I made this, so enjoy the explosion for a second.
Amordea: I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended right now.
spindingo: I’ll go for it on my turn if someone doesn’t go for it.
Improvidence: Gonna AFK briefly, myself. My turns done. I’m not going to expose myself if I don’t have to.
Fortinbras: oh son of a bastard
Megadoptorous: What the zip?
spindingo: Gonna second that afk with my own. brb
Megadoptorous: Hey, look. An exploded area.
Grammaticus: Mad smashed.
Megadoptorous: Exploded like a hurricane.
Fortinbras: The wall you’re hiding behind ends in a door hanging on its hinges. It gets knocked right off those hinges by, hang on, what? Another door. More debris is raining, some of it much heavier than doors. I swear to you these locations were planned ahead of time, it’s not just theatrics:
Amordea: Hahah, is AE1 getting crushed?
Amordea: After all that?
Amordea: Because lol.
Megadoptorous: Supes lawls.
Fortinbras: Well, let’s roll and find out. She’s got a bit of agility, she might be okay!
Amordea: haha
Fortinbras: No, she’s not going to be entirely okay.
Grammaticus: cringe
Megadoptorous: No… Sigh.
* Fortinbras rolls: 2d12 => 16
Megadoptorous: ow
Megadoptorous: that is
Megadoptorous: exploded.
Amordea: That would even wound mighty Robert.
Fortinbras: The other guys are equally not okay. Those pieces of wall and infrastructure crushed these guys like… well. Giant pieces of wall that got blown into the sky and then landed on human beings.
Megadoptorous: That’s a sad story.
Fortinbras: She got to feel a moment of relief before the end, at least.
spindingo: God, Victor. Why did you let us do that!?
spindingo: Next trn.
Amordea: Jon’s just racking up the kills.
Fortinbras: Yep. Anything left on your agenda, Jon? Youc an move, maybe do something at -2.
Amordea: He just doubled them.
Fortinbras: He’s ruthless!
Grammaticus: I didn’t know! I didn’t knoooooow!
spindingo: Sounded like he wasn’t going to risk anything and may still be afk.
Amordea: Yeah that’s what he said.
Megadoptorous: Yeah, he mentioned specifically
Fortinbras: Alrighty.
Improvidence: Nah, I’m cool behind the wall, here, until the debris is done raining down.
Fortinbras: Caught the AFK, but not the not doing anything. Okay. The one surviving robber!
Victor Gall has received initiative.
Fortinbras: Defends and flees.
Grammaticus: Gonna hold and let them flee, if that’s their intention.
Grammaticus: I suppose ready an action in the event someone fires on us, or moves to assault one of the refugees.
Fortinbras: Solid.
Robert Arnsdale has received initiative.
Amordea: Exact same as Vic.
Fortinbras: The crones aim to save what years they’ve got left.
Fortinbras: They’re getting out of the area.
Heidi St Louis has received initiative.
Megadoptorous: I am going to MOVE FORWARD WITH SNEAKING
Amordea: Oh, I have a question…
Fortinbras: Sure,

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e => 7
* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e => 2

Amordea: Are these guys possibly part of a bigger gang?
Grammaticus: That’s some sneaking.
spindingo: Explosion makes good cover too.
spindingo: What with the dust and blood spray.
Megadoptorous: Generalized immigrant mist makes the best smoke bomb.
Fortinbras: They don’t seem like gang members. They seem like people whose options have run out. If you want to know if you know anything about the real gangs in the city, a general knowledge roll will suffice.
Fortinbras: Oh, god. Immigrant mist.
Grammaticus: Vaporized people particulates.
Fortinbras: Oh, by the way! Bill, I meant to give you a benny for yelling at that one guy.
Fortinbras: You yelled the hell out of him.
Megadoptorous: You yelled at him so hard? He exploded.
spindingo: Like a torn can of sardines in tomato sauce, these are the days of our lives.
Fortinbras: hah.
Fortinbras: Anything else, Heidi, or are you done?
Megadoptorous: I… do not shoot bleached man.
Fortinbras: Hah.
spindingo: But you sooo could.
Megadoptorous: I defend.
Fortinbras: From behind this wall, the gang’s spotter peeks out. Made of different stuff, it would seem. Or at least confident that the stuff he’s made of is going to stay in one place. Because he don’t look scared, he looks mad as fuck. He murmurs something evocative of Yosemite Sam’s nonsense cursing.
Fortinbras: He takes a shot at Heidi with a rifle that looks older than he is. He continues cursing when it goes wide, and ducks back behind the wall.
Amordea: Do Vic and I get to shoot ‘im?
Fortinbras: Sure do.
Megadoptorous: Can I shoot him? With the shooting?
Fortinbras: ‘Fraid not, Megwad.
Megadoptorous: argh!
Fortinbras: Opposed agility rolls!
Amordea: Ewgod, 16 squares with the shotgun?

* Grammaticus rolls: d6e => 5

Amordea: I take that back.
spindingo: Over Victor’s head? GG
Fortinbras: It’s okay. Victor… can make up for that.

* Grammaticus rolls: d6e Wild => 11

Amordea: Yeah, I’ll let Vic handle the shootin’. I’ll shoot something that gets…closer.
Fortinbras: Shit, nice! He rolled a 2.
Megadoptorous: That’s a good idea, for the formatting.
Grammaticus: Hahah.
Fortinbras: Show him how much bigger yer gun is.
spindingo: Wild indeed.
* Victor Gall finally gets the sheet untangled, and it crumbles around his feet in a lump, revealing a long rifle, obsessively pristine. He crouches and crackes open the door.
Grammaticus: Oh, question.
Fortinbras: Ask.
Grammaticus: With the held/readied action, since I haven’t moved, does it count as an Aimed shot?
Megadoptorous: I think aiming is an action on its own.
spindingo: Good one.
Fortinbras: Afraid not. You gotta actually spend the turn going, “I am aiming.”
Grammaticus: Ahhh.
Grammaticus: Righto.
Amordea: Yeah that’s what I’d say too.
Fortinbras: Meg’s got it.
Amordea: You’d have to be aiming specifically /at/ something.
Megadoptorous: That is also true.
Grammaticus: In -that- case, am I incurring some snapfire penalty?
Fortinbras: Yes, or at least carefully selecting your shot.
Fortinbras: Nope. Only if you move.
Grammaticus: Aha.
Megadoptorous: Not for drawing?
Grammaticus: Then!
Grammaticus: Oh, yes, it wasn’t as though the gun was out.
Megadoptorous: Isn’t there some sort of quick draw merit that specifically avoids that -2?
Fortinbras: yeah, there’s a quickdraw edge. You do get a -2 for not having your weapon drawn, but… you roll a d12, motherfucker. Deal with it. *sunglasses descend from ceiling.*

* Grammaticus rolls: d12e – 2 => 6 – 2 = 4

Megadoptorous: Ha.
Megadoptorous: Holy shit your roll a d12 for shooting?!
Fortinbras: Well, it’s a success!
Fortinbras: He’s interesting. Brutal damage, but kinda has to stay still for it to be worth it.
Grammaticus: This is a thing I do. Victor shoots with SCIENCE. He’s also a complete coward.
Fortinbras: And use very specific weapons.
Bill Brogden: Goddamn! What the hell are you packing? Got us a ringer here, gents!

* Grammaticus rolls: 2d10e => 14

Megadoptorous: Holy hell are you using an anti-material rifle?!
Fortinbras: Not yet.
Megadoptorous: haha
Grammaticus: That’s just the default sniper rifle deal. I would gladly accept some sort of anti-tank gun, though.
spindingo: Oh, damage dice explode too?
Fortinbras: Yep!
spindingo: Beautiful.
Fortinbras: Oh, when you succeed an attack roll with a raise, you get to roll an extra d6. For future reference.
Fortinbras: That is VERY important to future progress, as weapons and armor and rolls improve.
* Victor Gall mutters to himself the while, corrections and observations, in a rapid, nervous, rattling off, most of which is inaudible.
Fortinbras: Anyhow, remember the man who came out to shoot at you? He meant to disappear back behind that wall, but he disappears a little sooner. Dissipates, it’s more accurate to say. Goner!
Bill Brogden has received initiative.
* Bill Brogden dances around his laptop in a circle, pumping his fists into sky.
Fortinbras: Now that one of the travelers has died, they each make a spirit roll. If they fail it, they won’t be taking your advice for a little while.
Fortinbras: Hahahah.
Fortinbras: They’re all terribly despirited by the loss of their friend, it seems.
Amordea: Rob flinches through the shot which ends the robber’s life, distantly watching the daring but now dead fellow fall into a silent heap amid the blasted rocks.
Fortinbras: One simply sits down on the ground. The others huddle in behind what cover they can find.
Amordea: Well is that the end of it then?
Fortinbras: It may as well be. Moving on into the city?
Fortinbras: Or, well, moving out of cover?
Amordea: I figure we should talk to these poor fellows first? Well, what are we going to do with them?
Fortinbras: Indeed.
spindingo: Sure, only going to to persuade them to let us by without incident on my turn.
Grammaticus: Mounts. Piggy-back rides for all.
Amordea: Dang.
spindingo: Unless someone wants to do anything else.
Megadoptorous: Like golden retrievers.
Fortinbras: That’s gonna be rough for whoever has to carry Rob.
Amordea: Haha.
Fortinbras: Once the debris stops falling, you head down to talk to the people you saved.
Megadoptorous: Walking walking walky walk.
Fortinbras: The man sitting in the dust is immobile. The rest are looking from him to the approaching people and back.
Bleached Man 3: Thankyou.
* Victor Gall sits down in the dust and carefully folds his blanket back around the rifle.
Amordea: Rob heads forward with his allies, remaining vigilant to any further danger; shotgun in hand, but lowered towards the ground, just in case there’s trouble.
* Bleached Man 3 expresses his gratitude in a familiar voice. It’s a person in a supermarket’s voice, disinterested, going through motions. He means it, but he’s not invested, cannot be.
Bill Brogden: Was a mighty brave thing your friend had done there, may as well saved you all by getting in the thick of it.
Bill Brogden: We aren’t soldiers, afraid we did not have any other way about it.
* Megadoptorous plants her guns back in the holsters at her hips. “How’d you get holed up by them?”
* Jonathan Walker follows behind, shotgun similarly in hand, but in a non-threatening position. Bleached Man 3: Followin the wall. Thinkin it safer te have … not to be in the open.
Aeonian Emigrant 2: They came from the ruins and we couldn’t go anywhere, anywhere.
* Heidi St Louis watches the robbers run, a low whistle coming out. “Wonder how they got here before us? We didn’t exactly go slow.”
* Aeonian Emigrant 2 glances back toward the wall her traveling companion is underneath and looks away. No notion of saving her, it fell like a flyswatter of god.
Aeonian Emigrant 2: They say they wait in places like this for hours. Instead of foraging… somebody has to come by some time, and then…
* Jonathan Walker forces a straight face as he surveys the rubble and gore, doing his best to remain convinced that he took the best course of action.
Fortinbras: The bleached man raises himself up and, after an awkwardly silent moment, hugs Heidi.
Fortinbras: Notice roll.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e => 1

Amordea: May I?

* spindingo rolls: 1d8e+2 => 4 + 2 = 6
* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e WILD!!! => 2

Fortinbras: Sure.

* Amordea rolls: d6e => 2
* Amordea rolls: d6e => 2
Amordea: nope nothing to see here

* spindingo rolls: 1d6e +2 Wild => 5 + 2 = 7

* Heidi St Louis returns the hug, though it’s equally awkward and stilted.

* Improvidence rolls: 1d6e => 3
* Grammaticus rolls: d8e => 7
* Improvidence rolls: 1d63 Wild => 61
Improvidence: What
Heidi St Louis: That is… not right
Improvidence: no

* Grammaticus rolls: d6e Wild => 3

Grammaticus: Hahahahah.
Fortinbras: d63, huh?

* Improvidence rolls: 1d6e Wild => 5

Improvidence: A 3 is kind of like an e.
spindingo: Impressive, still.
Fortinbras: Anyway, Bill, you notice a flick of pocket knife and the strap on Heidi’s canteen falling from her shoulder.
Amordea: Rob is watching the fleeing robbers during the hug, seeming more interested in whether they have any more tricks in store than in the hug.
spindingo: Bill doesn’t address it.
Fortinbras: He pulls away from the hug and nods at each of you.
Bill Brogden: Our destination is pretty obvious, you want in on the convoy you can follow.
Bleached Man 3: I’m, we’re, all of us, real grateful. We got to be goin on though. Got to be stayin quiet. You folks don’t seem quiet sorts.
Heidi St Louis: Are you guys sure? We’ve got a little extra food with us, even.
* Victor Gall laughs in two short hiccups. He adjusts his glasses.
Bleached Man 3: No, lord, couldn’t ask th-
Bill Brogden: Your cost.
Aeonian Emigrant 2: That would suit us fine.
* Heidi St Louis tosses her ruck sack on the ground, and starts to look through it. She comes out with a pair of the MREs from the house fire, and hands them over to the hungry woman.
Fortinbras: Speaking of food, you’ll notice all of your tokens have food and water measures on them now.
Megadoptorous: They do?
Fortinbras: Yep. Doubleclick to see.
spindingo: That they do.
* Jonathan Walker frowns as he looks on Heidi’s generosity, and tightens his grip on his own pack.
Megadoptorous: Oooo.
Megadoptorous: Is that two I have post sharing or pre?
Megadoptorous: I thought I had at least 4.
Fortinbras: You had 5.
Megadoptorous: Ok.
Fortinbras: I updated it for ya.
Megadoptorous: Thanks.
* Robert Arnsdale gives the strangers an unfriendly, unwelcoming stare, seeming to make it clear he doesn’t appreciate their presence very much.
spindingo: Stole one, and gave two?
Megadoptorous: Yup.
Fortinbras: The two men go to lift their friend up. The woman stays, and her look of gratitude lingers as long as she can stand not to eat. Before long she peels the packaging open and has a few bites, eating with her hands.
* Heidi St Louis starts to walk toward the new hole in the Wave. “Let’s get going,” she starts to whistle, shouldering her rucksack again.
Aeonian Emigrant 2: He’s not like to move soon. He’s never had much by way of constitution, and that’s his wife’s just died. But you believe me, we’ll be alright. You go on now.
* Aeonian Emigrant 2 closes up the package. It’s an immense act of will, not eating any more. Amordea: Rob starts heading for the hole.
Amordea: He’s glad to get away from this mess.
Fortinbras: Evander’s quick to follow.
spindingo: Heh, Bill likes the idea of staying by beefy and Evander.
* Victor Gall seems amused by the entire event, but does not say anything. He hurries to keep in tow, looking with appreciation at the chasm blown by the bombs.
Fortinbras: Passing through the crumbled section of wave–there’s some climbing and seeking of footholds involved–you find the immediate city… not terrible.
Heidi St Louis: Hey, where’d you find all those explosives, anyway?
Fortinbras: You’re in downtown Portland now. Washed out banners are still waving in the breeze.
Victor Gall: (brief afk)
Megadoptorous: Are we in ‘travel montage’ mode?
Fortinbras: Hahah. Nah, feel free to chat a bit after that fight. You’re cautiously having a look around the first few streets you’ve found, deciding your next move. Which, the in-character question becomes: where is everybody headed now?
Fortinbras: And did anyone want to make that general knowledge (smarts die) roll to see what they know about the larger gangs around?
Amordea: No idea where to go, although Rob wouldn’t make that decision anyway. Seemed like Vic had a reason for heading here though?

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e => 2
* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e => 9
* Amordea rolls: d4e => 1

Megadoptorous: I know things!

* Amordea rolls: d6e => 3

Amordea: i dunno nuffin

* spindingo rolls: 1d10e => 5
* Improvidence rolls: d6e => 2
* spindingo rolls: 1d6e Wild => 10
* Improvidence rolls: d6e Wild => 4

Fortinbras: That’s a very good one. This roll was made at -2, so Heidi and Bill are, unsurprisingly really, the ones who know what’s been going on in the city.
Fortinbras: Any gang cooperative enough or the right kind of insane enough is known to get swept in with the raiders. While everybody else makes a point of blending, seeming if they can to be one with the concrete – even gangs tend this way – the raiders enjoy extravagance. They like wearing mad masks, and violence, and making life challenging.
spindingo: Bill would probably share freely what he knows, peppering the blanks with supsicious military activity.
Amordea: Hahah, love that Bill.
Fortinbras: Bill got a raise, so he knows a little more. He’s noticed that reports of raiders on the net tend to come from people around the Willamette River. He figures there’s a lot of ‘em there.
spindingo: Let’s not go there yet.
Megadoptorous: Heidi will correct anything she sees as dangerously incorrect, which may included the fact that the military is completely destroyed.
Fortinbras: Hahahah.
Fortinbras: OH!
spindingo: Bill knows some guys. If no one else knows guys he’s going to suggest visiting an old pizza joint. Knows a trade facilitator.
Fortinbras: I forgot this week’s epigraph, which I suppose is appropriate enough at this moment. That fight went a bit long to be considered opening action, but it does fit.
Megadoptorous: Heidi is owed stuff, so she’s sticking with Bill.
Fortinbras: “I’ll be the axe that clears the forest.” From Murder By Death’s “Rum Brave.”
Fortinbras: That pizza joint is, unfortunately, across the river. On this side, there’s the Portland Golf Club. They’re pretty skittish about visitors there. Shoot on sight skittish.
Megadoptorous: So it really hasn’t changed much?
Fortinbras: But he knows ‘em well. If he can get in touch- HA!- they’ll probably receive him.
spindingo: Yeah, they are his kind of audience, but.. they are his kind of audience. Have to tread carefully.
Amordea: Rob growls a bit at Bill’s suggestion. He murmurs to Vic although loudly enough that everyone can hear, “There someplace we goin’ here, Vic?”
Victor Gall: (back)
Evander: How bout we find us some gear, William? Lost a lot to that fire. Girl with the guns, how you feel about incurring some more debt from us?
Amordea: Actually I’m not sure how Victor introduced himself to Rob…
Amordea: Would he prefer Dr. Gall?
* Victor Gall has worn an immovable frown since the news about the Willamette River. Grammaticus: Nah, Vic’s good.
Amordea: Ok.
Bill Brogden: I’m not rushing headlong into anything. If someone has an idea, let’s put it on the table.
Heidi St Louis: Sounds like fun. Also, it’s Heidi. Or Miss St. Louis.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d8e Survival => 2

Fortinbras: If Vic wants across the river, he might suggest working something out to get over there.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e Wild => 2

Megadoptorous: This roller is all about fits and starts.
Fortinbras: Heheh.
Amordea: Oh, Survival?
Amordea: What’s prompted this?
spindingo: Rolling for a good idea on where not to die?
Amordea: Oh I see.

* Victor Gall squints to the north, as though he can just make it out. “R-reed College. It’s over the river.”
Megadoptorous: Actually, some scavenging as we move through the city.
Fortinbras: Ah, yes! It’s midday and you’ve got a world of stuff before you. Would you like to scav for anything?
spindingo: Man’s gotta eat.
Fortinbras: Another protip: you can look for specific stuff that will grant temporary bonuses, if you think you can spare the roll.
Amordea: Well Rob’s got a bit of skill in that too. Can’t live in the apocalypse without knowing how to scavenge.
Fortinbras: Standards are lower these days. Toothpaste, soap and BO stick would give you a +1 to charisma for a week or so.
Amordea: He’ll help find some grub.
Grammaticus: You can make friends with Rob.
Fortinbras: Evander’s out to find dinner too.

* Amordea rolls: d4e => 5
* Fortinbras rolls: d6e => 1

Grammaticus: (ffs nother afk)

* Amordea rolls: d6e => 5
* Fortinbras rolls: d6e => 3

Amordea: I’ll take the 5.

* spindingo rolls: 1d4e FOOD => 1

Grammaticus: but survival!
spindingo: I hunger.

* Grammaticus rolls: d6e => 4
* Grammaticus rolls: d6e wild => 1
* spindingo rolls: 1d6e Wild => 2

spindingo: Tough breaks. Better luck for dinner!

* Improvidence rolls: 1d4e Foods => 10
* Improvidence rolls: 1d6e Wild => 3

Megadoptorous: Damn. Glad one of us can roll.
Fortinbras: Jon comes back with a bit of food for everybody. +1 to each person’s food supply if they can carry it, and if they can’t they can throw it on Robert’s back. He can carry a lot, twice his str in food.
Megadoptorous: Yay!
Grammaticus: And back.
Grammaticus: And wow. 10 on a D4.
Amordea: He can also carry two days’ worth in his stomach.
Fortinbras: Rob and Vic each find a bit to eat too, +1 to their respective food supplies. But with all the 1s that are going around, it figures that while you’re out, you find a little something more. It’s not gunfire this time, at least. It’s voices. Free, open, vaguely hostile laughter.
spindingo: Heh, don’t want to be in a scenario where Robert has to mamma bird feed me.
Amordea: So +2 for me?
Fortinbras: Correct!
Amordea: And does anyone need me to carry anything?
spindingo: So far, so good. Got 1 pound/unit/thing to spare.
Megadoptorous: Am good.
Grammaticus: I think I must have missed the complete weight tutorial.
Amordea: You can carry your strength value in days worth of food and water.
Amordea: Unless you’re me.
Fortinbras: You can carry your str die in food and water. Go above that, you get a -1 to all trait tests.
Amordea: But you’re not.
Grammaticus: I see!
Fortinbras: Rob can carry… well, a lot. Because of an edge, he carries twice his str.
Grammaticus: If you don’t mind taking an extra ration, I’m one over.
Amordea: Sure.
Fortinbras: You’re in what was once a pretty nice area. It’s a bit more beat up now though, and on the horizon looking a *lot* more beat up. Just on the border of downtown’s most “urban sprawly” district, there are nice restaurants and cafes and, wherefrom the mean laughter emanates, an art gallery with one wall down.
Fortinbras: You’re at a distance, so it’s only an occasional burst you hear. No words yet. There’s a lot of cover around, if you want to move in and have a listen.
Megadoptorous: Is there any chance a map is made?
Fortinbras: Suuure is. By a lot of cover though, I kinda mean one building, on paper.
spindingo: (quick afk, feel free to roll for me, back in 3 minutes)
* Heidi St Louis creeps forward, one pistol out. Moving around the rear of the house, slowly ducking toward the speaking individuals.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e Stealth => 3
* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e Wild => 1

Megadoptorous: Oh jesus, seriously?
Fortinbras: Nah, no need for that. You’re still at a distance here.
Megadoptorous: Ok.
Grammaticus: Hahah.
Fortinbras: Lucky you.
Grammaticus: You step on five cymbals and a tripwire.
Amordea: haha
Megadoptorous: 25% chance of failure and i manage to fail 5 out of 6 times.
spindingo: Ask me about Arnir.
Amordea: Is the narrow section a broken wall?
Fortinbras: It is, yeah. Provides decent cover.
spindingo: Stealthing is horribly unreliable for low level characters in every game I’ve played.
Amordea: Can I move Rob here?
Fortinbras: Sure can.
Fortinbras: You’re all safe, but Heidi’s failed stealth roll got them on edge. Any future stealth rolls will be opposed.
Amordea: He keeps behind the tall wall while Heidi stealths ahead–Rob is terrible at going unseen, but he wants to be in a position where he can jump out and shoot if needed.
Megadoptorous: This situation is exactly why I dislike systems in which you roll small numbers of dice.
Megadoptorous: But that is a conversation for a different time.
Smile 1: You’re some kind of son of a bitch, Negredo.

* Smile 1 cackles. “All up in that tower. Fuckin… knock on the… ha!”
Felix: Heheh, for sure, man. It’s uh, for sure, gonna be a walk in the uh park.
Fortinbras: They’re not friendly looking folks.
Amordea: Can I jump/climb over the broken part of the wall easily enough if needed?
Fortinbras: Gonna call it three squares of movement OR a climbing roll to get over. It’s about waist level, so takes a couple seconds to bypass, in standard turn terms.
Amordea: Too much. Can I have Rob move up here with his head ducked down below the wall? He wants to be ready to jump out in case Heidi gets caught.
Fortinbras: If you move him back one he’ll be alright.
Amordea: I’ll take that.
Fortinbras: They’re at a table in what seems to have been turned into a bit of a patio bar. Couple paintings ground into the dust beneath their feet.
Smile 1: What time, what the fuck time, kid? When?
Felix: Just got to take it easy cause they will *be here.* Okay? Okay. Okay.
Smile 1: Shut f– okay. I gotta “go,” naw mean?
Felix: Leave me outta this.
Fortinbras: He walks, slowly, out of the room.
Fortinbras: Doesn’t seem to’ve noticed anyone yet.
Amordea: Gonna start moving back a bit I think.
* Heidi St Louis springs into action! With a motion of her hand, she encourages Rob to move away! Fortinbras: Hahah.
Fortinbras: Initiative me?

* Megadoptorous rolls: d20 => 10
* Amordea rolls: d20 => 16
* spindingo rolls: d20 => 19

* Victor Gall seems distinctly uneasy and displeased to be here.
spindingo: Rob gives it all away.
Fortinbras: Bill is spry.

* Grammaticus rolls: d20 => 1
* Improvidence rolls: d20 => 18

Grammaticus: -That- uneasy.
Fortinbras: Now, there’s gonna be a moment to hold at very shortly. Do you want to do that and resume later, or keep going?
Fortinbras: This is a gimmickless combat, but not a huge one.
Amordea: I’m good to keep going here.
Grammaticus: I got time.
Heidi St Louis: I’d like to hold, because I may be getting a call to DD within the hour, and my adult-ness is telling me midnight is bedtime.
Megadoptorous: Also, that’s OOC.
Amordea: Fine by me. Are we picking back up on Sunday?
Fortinbras: Hah. Alright.
Fortinbras: Could do, if you’re not runnin’ your game then.
Amordea: No plans to.
Fortinbras: I think sundays are the primo D&D day.
spindingo: Well, it is Thursday, why the hell not.
spindingo: Sunday works.
Megadoptorous: I could prolly do Sunday.
Grammaticus: Same.
Fortinbras: Cool. Okay, let’s finish this one up!
Bill Brogden has received initiative.
* Bill Brogden nods to Robert. “Gotcha covered.”
spindingo: Going to hold.
* Evander whispers, ducked down into a corner, “the fuck kinda lunatic business is this?”
spindingo: Taunt whoever draws hate up on Robert.
Jonathan Walker has received initiative.
Improvidence: I’ll hold as well. Wait and see quite how this is going to go before interjecting my shotgun into this.
Robert Arnsdale has received initiative.
Amordea: Rob’s going to move into a spot he’ll be better unseen.
Amordea: Here seems good. He keeps his ears open for trouble, ready to stand up and shoot if something goes wrong.
Amordea: That work?
Fortinbras: Sure.
Amordea: Done.
Heidi St Louis has received initiative.
* Heidi St Louis keeps down, using one hand to draw her other gun, and preparing the other to fire. Just in case.
Amordea: Oh boy.
Smile 1: A voyeur!
Fortinbras: Felix perks up at that.
Amordea: Can I stand up now?
Heidi St Louis: Bang.
Fortinbras: Ah, didn’t realize you meant to hold. Afraid you can’t move and then hold, but yeah, you can go prone/stand up pretty much automatically in this game.
Amordea: Ah, yeah I did.
Amordea: Oh well, bummer.
Megadoptorous: I would like to shot him before he draws his weaponage.
Amordea: Dunno that I would’ve moved if I’d known that though.
Smile 1: You waiting for me to whip it out? That’s a shitty line, they say that in action movies.
Fortinbras: Okay, you can undo the move.
Amordea: Yeah, Rob gets up and cocks the hammers back on both barrels of his shotgun pointedly for attention-grabbing.
Heidi St Louis: Yeah. They say it cause it’s awesome.
Amordea: Barrels staring right down at Smile.
Amordea: He won’t shoot unless Smile tries something though.
Fortinbras: Anyway, yeah, he’s got a knife in one hand and a grenade in the other. And he’s going to whip both, if you guys don’t win this agility contest!

* Megadoptorous rolls: d10e => 9
* Amordea rolls: d6e => 7
* Amordea rolls: d6e => 3

spindingo: Smooth moves.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e => 1

Fortinbras: He does not beat Meg.
spindingo: Glad Ol’ Bill has you two around.
Fortinbras: He came out even with Rob, so their actions happen simultaneously.
Amordea: Armed with a grenade, he’s entitled himself to both barrels of this shotgun.
Megadoptorous: I only have one gun drawn, so, Fort I’m gonna ask for a ruling on this: Can I shoot with one gun unpenalized (with my Ambi. and Two Fisted) and the other at the -2 for drawing?
Fortinbras: I’m on the wall with this one. How about we split it this once, and call it -1 to both? Not as a precedent, but I’ll look at the book and figure out how it should go for next time.
Megadoptorous: Sounds fine.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d8e-1 => 5 – 1 = 4

Fortinbras: Okay. Riddle’m fulla bullets.

* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e-1 => 3 – 1 = 2
* Megadoptorous rolls: d8e-1 => 1 – 1 = 0
* Megadoptorous rolls: d6e-1 => 4 – 1 = 3

Amordea: Wild die!
Amordea: aw.
Fortinbras: You get one shot on him!
Amordea: Whew.
Amordea: Hope you shaken him.

* Megadoptorous rolls: 2d6+1 => 2 + 1 = 3

Megadoptorous: …. c’mon, seriously?
Amordea: :(
Fortinbras: Harsh!
spindingo: Serious Lee.
Megadoptorous: Can I use a bennie on that?
Fortinbras: Absolutely yes.
Amordea: Good call.

* Megadoptorous rolls: 2d6+1 => 7 + 1 = 8

Megadoptorous: This die roller wants me dead, seriously.
Amordea: It does seem to hate players.
Amordea: All players.
Fortinbras: Hey, you got a 26 or something crazy last time.
spindingo: Players in combat, then.
Fortinbras: He’s shaken, but I’m going to spend one of the two general use GM bennies I get on this one.
Megadoptorous: I’ve missed more then 50% of all my shots, the thing I am best at.
Amordea: nuuu.
Fortinbras: Eradicate that shaken status out the gate.
Fortinbras: He throws his knife at Heidi and his grenade at Robert, both at -2.
Amordea: Motherf–
Fortinbras: The knife hits Heidi, but hardly puts a scratch on her.
Megadoptorous: Yay.
Fortinbras: The grenade deviates from its course, but not by much.
Amordea: I can do something about this grenade yeah?
spindingo: Throwbackery?
Fortinbras: Yep, agility roll at -2 will let you dive out of the way.
Amordea: Like kick it hopefully.
Fortinbras: I think there is something for throwing them back, but damn if I can remember it.
Grammaticus: Note for future melee guy: include tennis racket.
spindingo: Remember skimming it over, because I though gernades or bouncing betties would be cool for Bill.
spindingo: Haha
spindingo: Bat Man’s off-hand.
Fortinbras: Maybe I’ll call it throwing -2?
spindingo: Complete the Casey Jones from Ninja Turtles.
Amordea: My throwing is worse than my agility.
Amordea: Not by much.
Fortinbras: Haha.
Amordea: And throwing it back at him would probably put Heidi in danger.
Fortinbras: There’s that as well.
Megadoptorous: Definitely.
Fortinbras: Might just wanna clear outta there.
Amordea: Guess I’ll go with agility option.

* Amordea rolls: d6e => 11
* Amordea rolls: d6e => 4

Amordea: hooray
Fortinbras: Ho shit! Nice! Place yourself anywhere outside of its radius.
Improvidence: So, tell me that Robert gets to shoot while diving through the air.
Amordea: Any chance of shooting still?
Fortinbras: Robert dives. The ground shakes. These things might or might not be related.
Amordea: Or is that gone now?
Fortinbras: Yes, you get to shoot at him.
Fortinbras: *while flying through the air.* We cool like that,
Amordea: Awesome.
Amordea: Urgh. This might not have been the best direction to move.
Amordea: Do I have any chance of hitting Heidi with my shotgun blast?
Grammaticus: Robert Arnsdale is: The last action hero.
Fortinbras: Only if you get a 1 on the shootin’ roll.
Amordea: I’d benny that. Gonna take my chances then!
Fortinbras: Woo!
Amordea: Both barrels.

* Amordea rolls: d6e => 4
* Amordea rolls: d6e => 4

Amordea: And I get a +2 on that roll.
Amordea: So 6.
Fortinbras: Nice!
Fortinbras: TN to hit anyone at range is 4, so you hit.
Amordea: Both barrels, so…

* Amordea rolls: 6d6 => 23

Fortinbras: Lord!
Amordea: Dude is fubar’d.
Megadoptorous: Ow.
Grammaticus: That’s gruesome.
Fortinbras: Wow, wow.
spindingo: How’s that Smile mist taste, Heidi?
Fortinbras: yes, there’s no way he can survive that. You killed your first raider. He was supposed to be scary.
Amordea: lawl.
Improvidence: I don’t know why all of you didn’t get shotguns.
spindingo: Starburst or Skittles?
Victor Gall has received initiative.
Amordea: Shotguns do have the pointed disadvantage of requiring you to reroll them often.
Megadoptorous: Yeah, they seem to be totally devistating. I’m using huge pistols and they do NOTHING like shotgun damage.
spindingo: Weight was the big reason.
Amordea: But I’m counting on you guys to get the other mug.
Amordea: Er, reload*
Amordea: not reroll.
Megadoptorous: In fact, they do similar damage to tiny pistols.
Fortinbras: With Robert diving out of the way of that grenade, we hit the point I’d planned to pause at.
Megadoptorous: Sounds good.
spindingo: Fair ‘nough. Other guy might be all for talking.
Fortinbras: Felix is looking ready to run, but if anyone got a glimpse of him before, they might note that he *always* looked ready to run.
Grammaticus: Victor cringes, and stays cringed, crouching low, wrestling his sniper rifle free, and backing off from the ill-defined front line.
Grammaticus: Oh! Can only go so far that way.
Fortinbras: Heh, I’ll reveal more for you.
Grammaticus: Nah, s’allright. This way’s got more stuff between it and grenades anyhow.
Fortinbras: See you Sunday then? God, I need to make these fights harder.
Amordea: snrk.
Grammaticus: Hahahah.
Megadoptorous: I’m finding a lot of things I dislike about this system, actually using it.
Fortinbras: Also: I think the “bennies can be traded for experience” thing should go. Causes people to do a kind of calculation I’m not a fan of, and encourages uneven leveling.
Amordea: I agree.
Fortinbras: Aw, you just been a bit unlucky.
Megadoptorous: Agree.
spindingo: ^^^^^
spindingo: But you are DM’ing the tables great.
Fortinbras: I think the wild dice are a pretty good balancer for the low rolls. Stick with it for a bit, you’ll probably have a turn in your luck.
Grammaticus: Alternately, like me, you will become known for ruining everyone’s plans by your awful rolls at critical times.
Fortinbras: Ha!
Amordea: Heheh.
Megadoptorous: Well, it’s that with so few dice rolled, luck plays a larger part. In addition, I’m not seeing a huge benefit to having a balanced sheet- the wild die means I’m not much more likely to succede or fail until my skills are super high.
spindingo: We could blame MapTool instead of the system, but I bet the dice would still be cruel to me as the real thing.
spindingo: Not too different that D&D 4E. Luck runs the tables early on. Kind of balances out once you get to the second and third tiers.
Fortinbras: I like a lot about SW though. If you do have any ideas for balancing stuff, lay ‘em on me. I’m happy to mangle the original book in favor of something very homebrewy.
Megadoptorous: If I come up with anything, I’ll make it known.
spindingo: The speed and resolution of it is grand.
Fortinbras: I think you’re meant to be a bit shaky at low levels. We’ll see how you do with a couple more under your belt, I bet Heidi’s gonna rip shit up.
Amordea: Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too.
spindingo: Yeah, and she’s established a unique role too, no one else here is going to be able to even attempt what she is doing now in a few levels.
Fortinbras: Any objections to points being doled out on Sunday? It’s been a pretty short session, in all.
Fortinbras: Also what time you wanna assemble?
Amordea: Sounds fine to me.
Megadoptorous: I’m not complaining about m character or like, anything specific that has happened- though my consistantly awful rolling is annoying- more things I notice about the system in general, and experience from other games.
Amordea: Earlier the better I’d say. I’d love these sessions lasting a bit longer.
Grammaticus: What Amordea said. My day’s pretty wide open.
spindingo: I’m fine with that and with the whole bennie/experience trade thing being slaughtered.
Megadoptorous: I will have to get back to you on a time. I think I have most of the day if I write in the background.
Fortinbras: Alrighty. I’m gonna offer the fucking lamest spoiler/preview ever: you’re going to meet actual characters on Sunday! And wow, I’m… kinda glad to end at this point. Rob leaping away from a grenade and blasting a guy to bits? Awesome exit.
Amordea: Yeah, I thought that gaming model was dinosaur’d a while back. Was surprised to see it crop back up.
Megadoptorous: 7th Sea is, I think, the last thing I saw it until this and that died in 2001.
spindingo: Heh, thanks for sharing that material by the way.
spindingo: 7th Sea looked like good fun.
Megadoptorous: It’s a great setting wedded to a challenging system.
Fortinbras: I’m not actually against switching to something else midgame, but this system is really gentle on me. My experience DMing so far is much like my experience with drawing: trying to compensate for lack of training or natural aptitude with pure cleverness. Simple system is nice to learn with. Give it a while, see if we can fall in love with it.
spindingo: I was mostly absorbed by the settings, I can barely remember the game mechanics now.
Amordea: I like these line-drawn maps. They are simple but once explained they are easy to follow.
Megadoptorous: The games I’ve enjoyed most are the games where I’ve touched dice least.
Amordea: Leaves a lot to the imagination, which is good I’d say.
Fortinbras: There’s some non-dice-touching coming up. It’s just these intro sessions that are loaded with this stuff. Soon I’ll have a feel for the balance between roleplaying and dice.
spindingo: Yeah, even the 4E D&D games are fine when we can toggle between RP session and combat session.
Fortinbras: There’s one thing from the book that I’m rigorously set in ignoring: a numerical system for how willing people are to help you.
Megadoptorous: I should probably buy at least a die of Persuasion, where I did buy attractive
Grammaticus: Leveling up in the face.
Fortinbras: Haha. Yeah, it’ll come in handy. I’m hoping to find novel uses for charisma. But that’s enough of revealing my- hah!- projected techniques!
Fortinbras: And re: the simple maps: yeah, my hope has been that raw narrative talent would make them just perfect for my purposes.
spindingo: Attractive beats a dice or two in Persuasion.
Amordea: Oh, what time was decided on Sunday? Or is that yet to be decided?
Fortinbras: We’re not sure yet. But maybe we can hope for 4 or 5?
Amordea: Would work for me. Let me know.
spindingo: *thumbs up*
Amordea: Thanks for the fun, fellas!
Fortinbras: Lovely lovely.
Megadoptorous: Yeah, see. I’m wondering why I want to buy dice in Persuasion. I could just lean on my d6 Spirit and attractive.
Megadoptorous: I like the simple maps a lot.
Fortinbras: :D
Fortinbras: One FINAL thing.
Fortinbras: Victor, Notice roll.
spindingo: Fuuuu
Amordea: uh oh
Improvidence: Yeah, as was said, they tell you what you need to know and let you figure out the rest in your head.
Megadoptorous: And they don’t take a year to create.
Fortinbras: Yes!

* Grammaticus rolls: d8e => 6
* Grammaticus rolls: d6e => 2

Fortinbras: There are cars all along the streets in this part of town, simply abandoned, then later stripped by passers through. They get very dense in intersections. Under some of the cars here, you can see dirty sneakers shifting uneasily.
Fortinbras: Goodnight.
Grammaticus: yipe
Amordea: Haha, goodnight.
Grammaticus: Good night!
spindingo: Later fellahs.