I just started a game with a mostly new group-- most of which are playing their first role-playing game.
Fun times for all, and they all were made very aware of my gaming policy: Commitment. A game night is regular weekly scheduled event. Everyone has managed to show for two weeks straight now, and one even cancelled a chance to work overtime.
This game is set in a campaign setting that I call the Phobiaverse. It's based in the world and around the events of this comic book universe I created over the past 18 years, so I'm pretty comfortable running it and improving as needed.
It's October 2010. PCs are a group of mercenaries who have hired on to locate a certain technological MacGuffin which is reported to be in the hands of a corporation who own a private island down in French Polynesia.
He and I construct a story:
His character is a double-agent, hired to keep tabs on Team Paranoia (the PCs) as they go about their mission. He's working for the French company CielCorp. His mission is to report regularly, and to take action neccessary to prevent his "team's" mission from being accomplished.
I told him explicitly: If the other PC's discover that you are a spy, they will likely kill you. You understand this right? I will have to take your character and make him and NPC if he is discovered, right?
Yes. Shady Carlos understood.
WEEK THREE:
Shady Carlos called two hours late asking if we were gaming. He called back ten minutes after he said he was on his way to say he wasn't making it.
The characters, were where they all had been left off, in the parking lot of a motel, where Igor/Carlos had dropped them off. Igor had refused the offer to stay with the team for safety sake that evening, and drove off. (This was what Shady had planned on doing the prior week.)
In D&D the rules are never split the party. Igor didn't listen, and was jumped while he slept, just like Miyamoto had been-- except that igor wasn't so succesful. He ended up tied and bound for (until his own Handler showed up to his apartment and freed him) courtesy of Crimson Horizon who went on to go burn down the CielCorp building the next day.
The PC's freak, and start thinking that Igor had something to do with this. He didn't. But since he's been acting so sh*tty towards his crew, they immediately start to suspect something during his absence. The start to do research into his files, to see if there is a smoking gun. They do not find one, but some more clues point to that fact that he MAY be a double agent. He speaks french and at one time was a member of the french foriegn legion. This makes him very suspicious to them.
Fearful that whoever burned down the CielCorp building would beat them to the French Ploynesian Islands, so WITHOUT Igor, the team takes a private jet down to Tahiti in hopes of finding CielCorps hidden island lab facility.
They discuss their plans to interriogate Igor if he shows up down there. They want to know for sure what side he's on....
Session was officially called off for the night due to the unavailability of two of the players. The rest of us chilled, played Guitar Hero 80's, and ran an impromptu "planning session" where they all participated in in-character discussion "while aboard the plane" that was taking them to Tahiti.
WEEK FIVE:
My notes for this session... Boring travelogue drivel--
Arrival in Tahiti
They arrive at the after traveling through six or so time zones. They left at 10:10AM (PST) from (LAX) Los Angeles, CA and after a brief layover for refueling on some Polynesian island, arrive at (PPT) Faa’a International Airport. Current (THAT) Tahitian Time is approx. 4:15PM.
They land on an older somewhat overgrown section of airstrip that is surrounded by rusting, barbed-wired topped, 10 ft chain link fence. There is a simple utility van waiting with the keys in the ignition. It is an older 1990’s style French Saviem*. PC’s are offered no help from the pilots who are faking a distress call cover story for landing on this strip. The Team has less than 10 minutes to load up and escape through a rusty side-gate.
They see a lot of mutts wandering about, and through the jungle they find their way to civilization.
boring notes
Safari Into the Island's Interior
Within the unpopulated and lush jungle-like interior of Tahiti Nui is an unspoiled world of towering waterfalls, deep flower-filled valleys, large lakes, and colossal green peaks rising over one mile above the valley floor. This hidden treasure of Tahiti is best explored by a guided 4X4 safari, breathtaking helicopter tour, or on a hiking trip led by a naturalist.
The mountainous interior shelters deep valleys, clear streams, and high waterfalls, all bathed in the green iridescence of Mother Nature's light. The flat coastal lands, edged with a rugged coastline, are home to fields of tropical flowers and most of the island's population.
Papeete
The invigorating capital city and gateway of the territory, boasts world-class resorts, spas, fine restaurants, nightclubs, and endless shopping at the vibrant markets, pearl shops, and boutiques.
For the visitor, the island of Tahiti means unlimited possibilities:
- Excitement of shopping along the energetic streets and in the Public Market of Papeete or Tahitian collectibles such as colorful pareu, wood carvings, monoi oil products, and Tahitian Cultured Pearls.
- Exploration of the pristine interior by 4x4 safari, guided nature hikes, or along the beautiful coastline by bus or rental car.
- Discovery of the lagoon waters by diving, snorkeling, sailing, surfing, canoeing, or deep-sea fishing.
- Relaxation at the surprising number of restaurants around Papeete and at Vai'ete Square along the waterfront.
- Enjoyment of the amenities, activities, spas, pools, restaurants, and Polynesian shows at the lagoon-side resorts.
Some of the most popular activities and sites for visitors include:
Shopping at Le Marché
Evenings at Vai'ete Square
Circle-Island Tour
Museum of Tahiti & Her Islands
James Norman Hall Home
The Gauguin Museum
Pearl Museum
Shopping in and around the Vaima Center
Safari Into the Island's Interior
Golfing
Hiking/Nature Tours
Diving
Horseback Riding
Bougainville Park
Botanical Garden
Point Venus
Other activities and sites
Shopping at Le Marché
Discover the true heart of Papeete at the 153 year old public market called
Le Marché. Shop from hundreds of stands filled with Tahitian-made crafts, oils, vanilla, fruits, and flowers. Located two blocks from the waterfront across from the cruise dock, the market is the perfect place to find everything imaginable from all the islands. Those visitors in Tahiti on the weekends should plan a visit on Sunday mornings where the market is the most colorful and lively.
Evenings at Vai'ete Square
A must for every visitor unfolds every evening on the waterfront at Vai'ete Square. Here, dozens of colorful roulottes, or food wagons, host a great variety of island cuisine and desert. Visitors can enjoy a unique and informal dinner or a memorable post-dinner desert in a lively setting not to be missed.
Safari Into the Island's Interior
Within the unpopulated and lush jungle-like interior of Tahiti Nui is an unspoiled world of towering waterfalls, deep flower-filled valleys, large lakes, and colossal green peaks rising over one mile above the valley floor. This hidden treasure of Tahiti is best explored by a guided 4X4 safari, breathtaking helicopter tour, or on a hiking trip led by a naturalist.
The mountainous interior shelters deep valleys, clear streams, and high waterfalls, all bathed in the green iridescence of Mother Nature's light. The flat coastal lands, edged with a rugged coastline, are home to fields of tropical flowers and most of the island's population.
Papeete
The invigorating capital city and gateway of the territory, boasts world-class resorts, spas, fine restaurants, nightclubs, and endless shopping at the vibrant markets, pearl shops, and boutiques.
For the visitor, the island of Tahiti means unlimited possibilities:
- Excitement of shopping along the energetic streets and in the Public Market of Papeete or Tahitian collectibles such as colorful pareu, wood carvings, monoi oil products, and Tahitian Cultured Pearls.
- Exploration of the pristine interior by 4x4 safari, guided nature hikes, or along the beautiful coastline by bus or rental car.
- Discovery of the lagoon waters by diving, snorkeling, sailing, surfing, canoeing, or deep-sea fishing.
- Relaxation at the surprising number of restaurants around Papeete and at Vai'ete Square along the waterfront.
- Enjoyment of the amenities, activities, spas, pools, restaurants, and Polynesian shows at the lagoon-side resorts.
Some of the most popular activities and sites for visitors include:
Shopping at Le Marché
Evenings at Vai'ete Square
Circle-Island Tour
Museum of Tahiti & Her Islands
James Norman Hall Home
The Gauguin Museum
Pearl Museum
Shopping in and around the Vaima Center
Safari Into the Island's Interior
Golfing
Hiking/Nature Tours
Diving
Horseback Riding
Bougainville Park
Botanical Garden
Point Venus
Other activities and sites
Shopping at Le Marché
Discover the true heart of Papeete at the 153 year old public market called
Le Marché. Shop from hundreds of stands filled with Tahitian-made crafts, oils, vanilla, fruits, and flowers. Located two blocks from the waterfront across from the cruise dock, the market is the perfect place to find everything imaginable from all the islands. Those visitors in Tahiti on the weekends should plan a visit on Sunday mornings where the market is the most colorful and lively.
Evenings at Vai'ete Square
A must for every visitor unfolds every evening on the waterfront at Vai'ete Square. Here, dozens of colorful roulottes, or food wagons, host a great variety of island cuisine and desert. Visitors can enjoy a unique and informal dinner or a memorable post-dinner desert in a lively setting not to be missed.
WEEK SIX:
After blowing the security guy's head off and making a quick escape from the Tahitian Capital Building, they manage to evade the police, and get down to Papeete's harbor district. It's here that they bump into a homeless man, who falls to the sidewalk in his final throws of death. Treat Injury is used to determine that the man had been VERY sick, AND had been stabbed not too long ago. Search yields an ID Card Key that just so happens to be from CIELCORP's Isle de Nior facility. No wallet is present (as this very sick guy who escape the Isle was mugged and stabbed not too long before the PC's find him.) They keep the card, and speculate on how the hell he ended up HERE.
They hightail it outta there, before they are caught with a body. Besides, they've got an Island to find. And according to the file they stole from the Records Room, they have it's coordinates.
Miyamoto and Emma pretend to be on their honeymoon and go to the task of Gathering Information on the renting of a boat. Some fishermen give them a recommend, and they rent themselves a yacht. After getting the keys, they call Terrin and Raul who've been waiting, and they load their gear up and head out to sea, after parking their wanted vehicle a couple of blocks away.
The find an archipelago, and using the coordinates, find the volcanic island they are looking for. They find only one area that they can enter due to the high cliffs along the outer edges of the island. The Island is also entirely ringed by bouys. They decide to head away and hide the ship, and wait until dark to land on the island via, Zodiac raft. They sleep, taking turns watching for trouble.
It is the early morning hours when they hit the wooden dock. A resort-style set of buildings awaits them. Finding the front doors locked by an electronic lock, and with no power to the buildings. They first try to break the glass. Then they shoot at it. It's a high-strength bulletproof glass I found online. They resort to using C4, and blow a large hole in the front of the Welcome Center building. They quickly determine that this entire area is not worth much a look, thus making my session notes useless.
They bypass the area, escaping through window at a security gate house. It's at this point they find an abandonded electric SUV, and get approached by three Smart/Dogs.
End on Cliff-hanger.
WEEK SEVEN
The abandoned SUV is electric, and is missing an important component from the mother board. While they're checking out the vehicle. They are approached by three small, dirty dogs.
The lead dog immediately begins to act as if it is hurt, whimpering, etc... The other two dogs take off in opposite flanking direction of the PCs.
Miyamoto wonders aloud... "Are these dogs flanking us?"
Yes. Miyamoto. Yes they are.
The answer comes quickly as the two dogs rush out of the dark jungle to at the PC's sides. The lead dog drops it's act, and attacks.
Terrin McCall pull out his gun and pistol whips the lead dog. The lead dog responds by successfully disarming the computer hacker, and runnning off into the jungle with his handgun. After the dog takes a moment to drop the gun in some bushes, it returns to combat.
Emma climbs to the roof of the SUV, but has difficulty picking her shots. Miyamoto kills one of the dogs with his sword.
Raul runs towards Terrin in hopes of grabbing him and tossing him up onto the vehicle, out of danger, but he fumbles and ends up flat on his face in front of one of the dogs. The other leaps onto his back. Terrin, still with no weapon, grabs Raul and pulls him quickly to his feet. They kill another dog, and the leader runs off into the jungle.
The party takes stock of what just occured, and moves on deeper into the jungle.
It begins to rain.
The team locates a building, they discover is some sort of garage maintenance building. They break in and find a pick up truck, elevated on a hydraulic lift.
They also find that the building is surrounded by at least a dozen of these smart dogs...
End Session.
While exploring the building they learn that a back-up generator for this building exists... though exactly where it is, is unknown.
The dogs outside have taken up cover behind the trees, and the PC's take a number of shots at them from one of the windows. Killing only two of them.
Miyamoto and company pull the soda machine over from the wall, and use it to climb up on the truck. They find a dead woman (dead for awhile too)... up in the cab. They peel her body off of the seat, and drop it to the ground in an uncerimonious heap. They try turning the engine over, but something seemed to be wrong with the alternator. Terrin begins work on the vehicle, trhe rest of the party continues firing off a few shots at the dogs, but unsuccessfully.
Miyamoto presents a plan to his comrades. The group is going to climb up into the bed of the pick-up, and he will open the rear door, and run back and climb up into the truck. Presumably the dogs will rush in and the group can then dispatch them en masse in complete saftey.
Good plan.
However only one dog came in. It barked at them. They shot it dead.
Then they waited.
Then...
...they waited some more.
Raul figured since he wasn't doing anything, he might as well sleep. This lasted ten minutes before he was jarred awake.
Another dog had come into the building and was creeping just out of sight around the corner, near the corpse of its buddy. It had been spying on the group, and when they noticed it, it retreated back outside.
These dogs were exhibiting some really strange uncharacteristic behavior, and the PCs were starting to really get unnerved.
Even so, it was about this time that the group decided to get down from their perch, and into the danger zone...
....
Part Two of this session to come...
The group left the safety of the vehicle, and made their way down to the garage floor. Rual picked up the dog carcass, and threw it as hard as he could out the door. The other dogs didn't respond.
No other dogs seemed interested in entering. So Miyamoto, followed by Raul explored down the hallway that led to the open outside door.
As soon as Takezo Miyamoto was within five feet of the door-- the nearest two dogs attack!
These two get cut down, and the group backs away deeper into hall. Blood splatters about, staining the bathroom doors and water fountain. They shut the inner door to the hallway, and block it.
Raul can hear the sounds of dogs moving around just outside, making a racket.
They decided to try and find the generator. Miyamoto took the gas can that they found in a closet. They filled it with some gasoline that was sitting at the bottom of a barrel.
Unblocking and opening the door, Miyamoto and Raul cream the few dogs they find in the hall. Thinking it clear, they proceed.
Miyamoto and Raul left Emma and Terrin inside, and the two ventured outside around the building in search of the generator. Raul stood about halfway between Miyamoto and kept his gun at the ready. Emma shut the outside door, and both she and terrin waited near the bathrooms in the hall.
As Miyamoto successfully blows the combination lock off of the gate standing between him and the generator, enabling him access...
... Emma and Terrin discover to their horror that a dog each had hidden away inside the two bathrooms, and both leap out the doors and attack the two unwary fools. Ha-ha! Smart/Dogs!!
Terrin and Emma both take heavy damaged as they are both mauled by these two beasts.
Terrin, falls backwards through the inner door, and kicks it shut. He crawls bleeding into a corner of the garage behind the gas barrel. He's calling for help over the Comm.Emma, now on her own and facing down two dogs realizes that she could die right here in this place. She escapes through the outer door, and slamming it shut-- but in doing so, she draws two AoO from the snarling beasts.
She collapses about twenty feet from the door to the ground, as Raul, and Miyamoto (his mission having been accomplished-- the generator is chugging away) rush to her aid.
They treat her injuries as best as they can, and help her to her feet.
Inside, Terrin has recovered enough to get around, and he begins the process of lowering the vehicle lift.
End Session.
Dude, this is freakin' awesome! How much prep time do you need for a session (on average)?
Thanks! I'm having a blast with this campaign...
It depends on how much of that time is spent throughout the week. Maps, and filling them with things that I hope are fun and/or interesting take up the most time for me. Even if I try to keep things simple. For pretty much every map I draw, there are at least 3 to 4 scrap rough drafts for it-- I guess I spend about a day in total in prep time. I try to split the work up, so I don't burn myself out. But the truth is... I'm always thinking about my games. ;)
Today, for example is my day off. I've done some minor work into this week's session by way of mid-week postings-- brainstorming on the barracks. But today is where I have to pull it all together. I've got a few errands to run this morning, but after that I get to finalize a barracks map, and slam out some of the cool encounters we all talked about, and see if I can come up with anything new as I'm commiting this stuff down.
My next session should be tomorrow.
By the way concerning the dogs any inspiration from the movie the breed?:D
Yes. Miyamoto. Yes they are.
I don't know why, but I pictured that in a deadpan voice and started laughing aloud
WEEK NINE
Player Crystal informed me that she would be not making it to the session, so we were down one player.
However, her character Emma, got the crap bitten out of her by the Smart/Dogs last session... So my solution was as follows:
Emma faints, and falls. Miyamoto grabbed her before she hit the ground. She looked pale-- perhaps her injuries were more severe than they realized. Terrin, still huddled on the ground recieves first aid.
It's still early in the morning thanks to their late night invasion of the island, approximately 8AM. They decide to secure the building, and hole up to get some sleep and allow their wounds to heal up... hopefully Emma will awaken before long.
Raul volunteers for first watch and over the course of the next four hours, in addition to the steady drone of a tropical downpour, he notices a small monkey run over to a corpse that's approximately 40 feet from the building. A body they had noticed before, but had neglected to check out. The monkey runs away, and returns a couple of times.
He wakes Terrin after his four hours were complete, and takes his place catching Z's. "By the way... there's a monkey out back."
"A monkey?"
Terrin wanders around the garage, digging through stuff, and looking at things. The rain continues, and he too notices the monkey out the rear window. Something about the monkey being there seems off to him, but he just can't recall why.
Another four hours pass, and Emma still has not stirred. However, her color is looking better. Terrin puts his hand on Miyamoto's shoulder to wake him-- Miyamoto wakes in a flash a snatches his wrist, pulling the hand away.
"You should know better Terrin. I'm up."
"Jeez, sorry about that-- Nothing much happening. Its still raining and there's a monkey that is screwing around with that body out back."
Miyamoto Takezo takes his turn at watch. The rain continues its fall throughout the afternoon, and gathers in puddles around the bodies of the fallen Smart/Dogs. No monkey is to be seen for the first hour or so, but when he returns later TWO monkeys are rummaging around at the corpse.
"Cheeky monkeys..." he mutters.
It is 8PM and the group decides to get moving. Takezo and Raul put their armor back on, while Terrin realizes with sadness that he was wearing his the whole time, and would suffer the results of Fatigue.
"Ah dammit! You guys were supposed to take it off when you Treated my Injuries!""What? Do you need us to change your diapers too?" Takezo responds. Raul chuckles.
TO BE CONTINUED...
The group prepares for departure, and as they begin leaving they decide to check one last unveiled area of the map.
And they find themselves a fuel pump. As they refule their newfound truck, they begin to hear some low noises from the direction of the man's body. No monkeys seem to be around it this time, and they are puzzled at first, and once they finish filling up the truck Miyamoto and Raul go to investigate.
The body, they discover, has been chewed on by the monkeys. A great number of bites with chunks missing mark the man's exposed flesh. They roll him over, and find that the monkeys had also had apparently feasted on the man's cheeks, nose and ears! Yum!
Cheeky monkeys indeed!
The sound squawked again, and they found a radio.
"Rouseau, êtes-vous là? Veuillez répondre. Rouseau? J'ai besoin d'aide."
None of the PC's speak French. They turned the radio off for fear that someone might be trying to listen in to them. They keep the radio, and Raul finds one of the man's missing boots. But only one. Too bad, they seemed to be his size, too. Of course, he didn't bother to keep looking either...
They return to the truck, where Terrin had been waiting with the still unconcious Emma. Raul crawls into the bed of the pickup truck, his weapon drawn and at the ready. Miyamoto climbs into the drivers seat and the get moving.
At this point, rather than continuing forward, they travel back to the Welcome Center to explore the remaining buildings.
Terrin this time joins Miyamoto, leaving Raul to sit inside the truck with a still unconcious Emma.
Darkness has firmly settled over the island, and the rain continues in a steady drizzle.
The two men climb through the shattered window in the security office. They determine that that large gate will not open for them, so they are forced to leave Raul and Emma and travel on alone.
They enter the building through a rear window in the break room. They find the structure to be mainly filled with offices. Very administrative. Miyamoto uses the restroom and the two continue up stairs...
TO BE CONTINUED...
So Terrin and Miyamoto head up the side stairs, and arrive at the second floor. Another administrative style floor. One long hallway, with rows of doors on either side.
A potted plant lays overturned, as well as scraps of documents littering the carpeted hallway. Miyamoto moved further into the hall and his flashlight illuminated a door, heavily scratched. It smelled of urine. They decided to come back to that one, checking the room next to it, which was already wide open.
This office had been trashed, by what Miyamoto was strongly starting to suspect to be monkeys. There was a door in this room that looked like it opened into the pee door room next door. This door too was heavily scratched. Crap looked to have been thrown at it. Literally.
They tried it. It was locked. They used the handy-dandy lock release gun, and click. But... the door didn't open. Like it had been jammed from inside. They tried the other door, and managed to also shove the filing cabinet that had been placed in the way as well. Inside they found the decomposing body of a woman who looks to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Meanwhile... outside back at the truck, Raul still vigilant in his watching over Emma, spots the first of the monkeys. He puts on the NVG's and finds that looking closer, in the gloom he spots another four, for a total of five.
All of them are staring at him.
End Session.
Keep these stories coming!
Will do!
Here's your monkey, Jace!
In the words of Brak...
"NEVER TRUST A MONKEY!"
HI MY NAME IS BRAAAAAK!
Meanwhile... outside back at the truck, Raul still vigilant in his watching over Emma, spots the first of the monkeys. He puts on the NVG's and finds that looking closer, in the gloom he spots another four, for a total of five.
All of them are staring at him.
SESSION TEN
Emma comes around and is shocked that she's been out for so long. She's feeling woozy, but coming around.
Raul explains the situation, and they both continue to watch out for the Monkeys.
Inside, Terrin and Miyamoto are going from room to room, clearing the building.
Terrin, hears some noise from downstairs and brings it to the attention of Miyamoto. Miyamoto, shrugs it off, as he didn't really hear anything. They continue to look around when they both hear the sound of somthing tumble down loudly from downstairs. They realize the chances of them being alone are slim at this point.
Miyamoto and Terrrin make their way to the stairway door, and shine the flashlight around. Nothing. Nada. Ziltch.
Just then the sound of a door shutting at the other end of the hallway they are in grabs their immediate attention-- They shine their light down that way, and there is nothing.
Outside and about 100 feet to the northwest Emma, and Raul are still waiting inside the truck. The rain continues to drone down upon the vehicle with a constant pattering upon the old truck's roof.
Emma using the NVG's has noticed now a change in the monkey numbers. 3 now, rather than the original 5.
"Black Wind [Miyamoto], this is Black Clover [Emma]. Be aware that we are two monkeys less out here."
"Roger that Black Clover. We're hearing some commotion around this building. They're just monkeys. I wouldn't worry about it too much."
Terrin makes a successful Int check, and he remembers now what was bothering him about the monkeys--
Monkeys are not indigenous to these islands. "Um, guys-- I just remember what I thought was unusual; monkey's aren't supposed to be living on these islands. Not wild monkeys at any rate."
"Lab monkeys."
"Great..."
[to be continued--]
Terrin makes a successful Int check, and he remembers now what was bothering him about the monkeys--
Monkeys are not indigenous to these islands. "Um, guys-- I just remember what I thought was unusual; monkey's aren't supposed to be living on these islands. Not wild monkeys at any rate."
"Lab monkeys."
"Great..."
"Alright. We need to clear this building." Miyamoto says. "All we need to do is knock out these last couple of rooms..."
Emma and Raul, hear the pitter-patter of little monkey feets upong the roof of the truck. Two monkeys hop down onto the truck's hood, and take up sitting positions, staring at the occupants.
The occupants point their weapons at the monkeys through the windshield, but the monkeys are not impressed at this show of machisimo. The monkey on Raul's side takes this time to crap on the hood of the car.
Raul starts the engine, and the monkeys hop off.
"'Thought so..." Raul says, pleased he saved the days from the evil hood-sitting monkey.
Meanwhile, back inside the Admin Building, halfway down the hallway, on the second floor...
Two monkeys appear from the stairwell on one end of the hall. Then two more come out of the stairwell at the other end.
Initiative is rolled, and the monkeys rush, screaching in a blind fury...
It is here that the PCs are formally introduced to the Monkey/Fast1/Feral. The monkeys don't do alot of damage, but they begin to wear down the PCs HPs. I'm rolling quite well the first half of the night.
Raul leaves the truck with the intent on running to the Admin building to lend assistance.
But a Fast-feral-monkey leaps on his head the moment he opens the truck door and steps outside.
Now it's times like this when I feel especially bad for combat-light PC builds.
Terrin and Emma this time in particular.
Terrin's badass computer hacking and research skills did him no good in his atruggles with the monkeys. But running from battle to hide in a bathroom did. He had 2 HPs left, and had to hold the door shut as a wild monkey scratches, pounds, and screams at it from the other side.
Emma's incredible abilities of forging documents, and using diplomacy did her no good either as she battled the monkeys. However, she Intimidated a monkey into backing off, buyinh her some time...
...until the monkey took a mega deuce in its hand and hurled it like an all-star pitcher into her face. Booyah!
She vomitted for the next three rounds, and the monkey decided to go after Raul instead, (GM pity) the monkey leaped into the vehicle next to Raul, who by this time had gotten back INTO the truck...
-- Emma was having a TERRIBLE night with rolls, and this encounter wasn't tailored to her character concept. If a player has one of these nights, I suggest taking another look at their strengths on their sheet, and see if you can tailor a soon-to-come encounter towards their abilities. It's the kind thing to do. ;)
Raul slammed the truck in gear and sped ahead as fast as he could-- Then he slammed on the breaks...
The monkey hanging onto the drivers side window went flying.
The monkey clawing at him from the passenger seat went flying as well... through the windshield.
Well, at least the monkeys were gone! Right?
Raul brought the vehicle back to where Emma was washing her face off in a puddle of water. She got back inside, and Raul ran towards the Admin building in hopes of evening the odds inside.
Miyamoto had gotten backed into a cramped office, and found out the hard way that the monkeys were REALLY tough to put down. And when you did, they sometimes would get back up. He was slashing at them with his katana at this point to avoid close-combat firearm AoOs. He was doing pretty well against them with his 22 DEF. Terrin felt the need to go help him though, despite his having only 2 HPs left.
And this is how Terrin fell to ZERO HPs soon after he left the safety of the bathroom.
Raul arrives in time to see Terrin fall, and Miyamoto put a Coupe de Grace bullet in the brainpan of a monkey laying on the floor.
It wasn't getting up again.
END SESSION
"Come on Terrin, come on buddy. Don't die on us..."
Session begins with our usual recapping of the previous week’s events. This tradition leads directly into the game, and we were left with Terrin, laying unconscious (0HP’s).
He fails his first saving throw. Lucky he passes his second a round later.
Terrin stabilizes at -1 HP.
Raul carries him back to the truck with the large monkey shaped hole in the windshield. Emma frets that she doesn’t have anymore first aid kits.
Miyamoto, in the meantime, rummages quickly through the rest of the admin building and finds a Ruger service six with ammo in a desk, a First Aid Kit is found in the break room, and a Memo written in French that looked interesting, but then again, it could be a grocery list for all he knows.
He returns to the others, and passes over the first aid kit.
Raul takes a crack, and successfully performs a Treat Injury check on Terrin, who is brought back to consciousness, and is now at 1 HP.
“Am I okay?” Terrin asks upon his return to consciousness. “You should live.” Raul says, “Only a patch job. We need to get you some help though.”
“I’m going to head back to that metal structure that was out behind the Welcome Center. Emma-- come on with me. Raul you stay here with the infirmed.
“I’m getting better.” Terrin says, cracking a Monty Python joke.
Emma and Miyamoto reenter the compound head down to investigate the Bunker Structure.
I described it as looking something like this:
He hears the sound of things coming back on all over the immediate compound. As the group leave the generator, they can see lights in the buildings. Except for the area that they blew up of course. I think a small fire is just starting in there.
Terrin hotwires the digital touchpad lock, and jimmies the large doors open, Ala Han Solo. They go in and are pleased to see lights and a working escalator. They head down. Halfway down the lights no longer work.
They switch on their flashlights, and find that the escalator empties out into a subway station platform. They head to the end, and open the door where they find a control room. They search about the room, but there is no way to restore power to the SubTram system at this time. Boo hoo.
The last thing in the world they want to do is go off on foot down the dark subtram tunnel. They decide not to. Not yet, anyway.
They head back upstairs, back to the Welcome Center compound grounds, and they head to the garage they previously had not broken into.
Terrin disables the locking mechanism, and the crew enters an empty three stall garage. Another door faces them from 50 feet away. Terrin fixes the lock, and the group explores to find another garage on the opposite side of the door, this single stall holding an electric car. It is currently plugged in, and starting to charge from a previously empty battery.
It’s around 10 PM, since they had slept a good bit of the day away, but still they needed more rest. They’ve been getting torn up.
They hole up for the next 12 hours, taking turns on watch.
Around 5AM, Miyamoto hears a crazy screeching metal grinding on metal scream... somewhere off in the distance. He doesn't like it one bit and let’s Raul know when he awakens for his shift.
The group awaken, and step outside to relieve themselves in the jungle. They load up compact electric car. Squeeze in, drive to main gate, and open it, now that power has been restored.
They drive down the winding gravel road for about 100 feet until they reach a ravine cutting directly across their path. Evidence that a bridge was once here is obvious. Also obvious is that is was blown up. But by whom or for what reason, is unknown, 60 feet down they see a rapidly flowing river. The road continues 70’ feet beyond the ravine.
Disappointed, the team drives back to the Mechanics Garage where they had faced off with the Smart/Dogs. But there was no roadway that continued beyond.
It was starting to look like the only real decent option they had left was the subtram tunnels…
They head back to Welcome Center compound. Reopen the main gate. The close and locks it once more with vehicles on the inside.
They return to the Subtram terminal, and hope down onto the tracks, staying far away from any third rail they could see. They walk through the silent darkness, noticing the distinct heat from the ground down there, for about eleven minutes before they reached another Subtram terminal.
This one display a sign with a Red Cross on it.
They go up the dead escalators, and find pair of glass doors leading into the medical facility.
Raul is about to open the door when he spots a trap.
“It’s a Trap!!!” He shouts. His voice echoing through the hallway.
“Sorry. It’s a trap” He repeated, this time in a sensible tone.
Terrin, and his 3 HPs, successfully disarms the Grenade on a Tripwire trap.
End Session.
“It’s a Trap!!!” He shouts. His voice echoing through the hallway.
:D ADMIRAL ACKBAR!!!
Should be a good one... ;)
“It’s a Trap!!!” Raul shouts. His voice echoing through the hallway.
“Sorry. It’s a trap” He repeated, this time in a sensible tone.
Terrin, and his 3 HPs, successfully disarms the ever-popular Grenade on a Tripwire trap.
Raul, who has backpeddled down the hallway about 30' says, "That's okay! Now you guys can feel free to go first."
"Ohhh... is the big bad jungle boy scared? I thought you were a Man?" Replies Emma, who in truth is played by a woman.
"Oh, hell no." Raul states, his manhood on the line, in game AND outside. He walks up to the group, and pushes past them to be the first one into the building.
He enters the waiting room, looks around and shines his flashlight around the room. He spots the chairs, loveseats, couches, tables brimming with out of date magazines, the kitchenette in the rear with the coffee machine. He continues into the medical facility and turns left down a hall.
Miyamoto, followed by Emma and Terrin come into the building next. They begin to separate from each other and explore down various halls.
Emma hears the sound of rustling from behind a door with an electronic keypad on it. She alerts the group, and they come over to the door. Then the rustling becomes the angry pinched screech of an angry fast/feral/rhesus monkey. It throws itself at the door again and again. Bouncing off with a kick , then hurtling itself back at the door in a fury.
The PC's hear this from the other side and debate what action to take next.
* Raul wants to break down the door and kill the monkey
* Terrin is willing to watch Raul kill the monkey.
* Miyamoto argues that killing the monkey has nothing to do with the reason that they are in the medical center. They are here for medicine and drugs.
* Emma reads the sign on the door. Pharmacie ... Pharmacy.
Right about this time, as the monkey still screeches in its feral fit, a voice calls out.
"Soyez tranquille, vous a damné le singe!" The female voice is weak. It came from one of the nearby rooms.
Emma thought that the voice came from within the room marked as 'Salon De Chirurgiens'. It translates Surgeons Lounge. She knocks on the door.
There is no answer.
Then after a moment, "Margot? Est-ce que c'est vous ? Aidez-moi. J'ai de grands ennuis."
It's too bad that Emma can only Read/Write French at this time (She picked it up this past level-up. She didn't select Speak because she, in-character, has had no interaction with anyone speaking french, but she HAS had heavy exposure to french documents and deciphering them with Terrin.)
With only a guess to go on, she thinks that the woman is in some sort of trouble.
They enter the room carefully. They are hit with a wave of body odor and urine. They come into the room, and around the corner they see a woman dressed in military-style clothes laying motionless on one of the many couches that are in this room. Around her body lay small medicine bottles, and syringes.
TO BE CONTINUED.
CONTINUED:
They enter the room carefully. They are hit with a wave of body odor and urine. They come into the room, and around the corner they see a woman dressed in military-style clothes laying motionless on one of the many couches that are in this room. Around her body lay small medicine bottles, and syringes.
They don't wish to approach her just yet, just in case... But they don't see any movement coming from the person.
They move in, and see that the woman is unconcious. She's covered in sweat, is festering in her own excremate, and is very, very ill.
Miyamoto tells everyone to stay away from her. That if there is something that is contagious, they don't want to accidentally catch it.
When they start to leave, she comes to and begins to speak to them in french, then to english once she heard them speaking it to each other.
She tells them that she is an operative under the employ of CielCorp, working for their security team codenamed Plaisir Sadique. Her name is Rachel DuMont. She tells the PCs that she has nothing to gain by hiding anything from them. That she is dead already, and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop that. She claims to not know where the Angel Light is located. She warns the PCs of the Monkeys, the Dogs, the Ants, and the Scientists who have gone all 'Lord of the Flies'. She hints that most of her team may still be alive. But this may be very well unlikely.
She also explains that she was attacked by the monkey trapped in the Pharmacy while she slept, and that is what has led her to this state.
Emma asks if there is anything that they could do for her. Rachel asks that the PCs bring her enough morphine to ease her suffering. Emma stays with her, while the guys move on out into the hall again. The monkey seems to have quieted down somewhat.
Terrin attempts to pop the lock, but can't. Raul and Miyamoto blast it to smithereens. They're about to kick the door in, when Raul and Miyamoto look behind them to see Terrin at the ready, with them still.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Miyamoto asks, the wounded man.
"I thought I'd kill the monkey with you guys, if you wouldn't mind?" Terrin replies.
"Go wait in the room with Emma. Watch her back." Miyamoto responds. Terrin shuffles back somewhat disappointed.
They kick the door, and get the drop on the monkey. Miyamoto fires. The slug slams into the monkeys flesh, and knocks the angry beast off its feet.
It doesn't move.
Raul attempts a Coup De Grace. He rolls poorly.
Miyamoto takes the monkey's head off with a swipe of his katana.
Raul whines about not getting to kill the monkey. Miyamoto tells him to shut up. They search the room, finding the morphine. They bring the vials and a syringe to Emma.
Emma asks Rachel if there is anything she wishes she could do for her. Any last requests, as it were. Rachel wishes for her sister Rebekka to know of her fate. Emma commits the name to memory, and administers the drug.
Rachel recites the Lord's Prayer. She doesn't finish it.
Session 12, TO BE CONTINUED.
Final Part
Raul whines about not getting to kill the monkey. Miyamoto tells him to shut up. They search the room, finding the morphine. They bring the vials and a syringe to Emma.
Emma asks Rachel if there is anything she wishes she could do for her. Any last requests, as it were. Rachel wishes for her sister Rebekka to know of her fate. Emma commits the name to memory, and administers the drug.
Rachel recites the Lord's Prayer. She doesn't finish it.
The group removes Rachel's two frag grenades. They leave the woman to rest in stasis-- who needs a good christian burial these days anyhow?
Terrin spends a number of time disabling the lock on the locked freezer unit. While he's focused on this task, Raul slips in behind him, and secretly places the severed monkey's head in Terrin's bag. He waits in the room as long as he can to witness the result of his prank, but finally he's called to assist in the clockwise exploration of the medical facility.
Terrin finally pops the lock, and opens the unit. He discovers a breadbox sized case. It contains some sort of blue liquid in syringe guns. Paperwork is included.
He alerts the other members of PARANOIA, and his instructed to definitely take it. He acknowledges, and starts to put his tools away. He finds the severed monkey's head, gives a curse, and tosses it aside. Terrin then meets up with the others in what seems to be a never-ending series of Recovery Rooms.
Raul, the former Brazilian guerilla turned corporate thug, decides to wander off in a counter-clockwise manner. He's disappointed that his search for change in the receptacles of vending machines came up empty. He opens another door, and sees a body laying in a congealed pool of of crusty blackened blood.
Further inspection reveals it to be wearing a filthy torn labcoat. It's laying face down, and there is a machete sticking out of his back.
Raul bravely inches closer... then shoots the dead man in the calf. (I didn't require any damage to be done since the body is dead, and he was disappointed when he didn't get to roll.
)The Brazilian steps closer. He twists the machete in the corpse's back. This releases a ripe stench of death and maggots from the dead man's back. Raul chokes back vomit.
He takes the machete.
On the blade it reads "traître" scrawled in rough black letters, possibly in marker.
END SESSION.
Raul looks closer at the machete, and sees that the handle is wrapped in leather and duct tape. Some feathers, dangle from the handle, and black, dried blood cakes the front of the blade.
"This is DarkScar, BlackWind do you copy?" Raul says over the radio, his voice giving off tell tale signs of his Brazilan spent life. "BlackWind be advised that I've found a dead man. He's definitely dead, and there was a machete sticking from his back. Do you want to send someone over my way?"
"Negative DarkScar" Takezo's voice came in loud and clear over the earbud radio. "I think you're fine. Body's dead."
"Um, are you sure you don't want to send anybody over, BlackWind? There are feathers hanging off of this machete and there are strange markings on it; a word written in french." Raul explains.
"Yeah DarkScar. I'm pretty sure I don't want to send anyone over your way, as I think you have the situation perfectly in hand." Takezo/BlackWind (黒い風) replys, there is a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "However, if you are asking for someone to come over, then you should actually ask. Because otherwise, Roger That and We're All Fine Here. Do you copy?"
Raul is angry at this response (only in-character though), and he stands quietly near the rotting corpse in the dark hallway.
"Er... I would like you to send someone over here. I'm by myself." Raul finally says. He was mad, but in reality, Takezo was right. He couldn't argue that.
Elsewhere in the medical bunker, Takezo, Terrin, and Emma have found the operating rooms, and are quite pleased to find Medical Kits, Surgery Kits, and some other assorted items.
Takezo asks Emma if she will go babysit Raul. She agrees and heads down the hallway back towards where Raul was purported to be. "DarkScar? BlackClover here... where the hell are ya?"
"I went through two double doors." Then he added, "Across from the monkey room."
Emma spotted where he was talking about, and entered between the double doors. Immediately the stench hit her.
She failed her Fort Save, and began to retch in the corner for the next four rounds.
"You," BLAAARR! "Could have," BBLLAAauuuuUUuuuurrrr! "Warned," BLLAARRRAAAuurrr!! "Me--!!" BLArAaaAArrrrr!!, vomited Emma.
"Sorry! I'm just so used to the stench of death, I guess." replied Raul with a smirk.
Session to be continued...
[On a Personal Note; This session fell on the 5 month anniversary of our friend Joel's death. Emma's player Crystal was Joel's g/f, and she was bumming hard this evening. By the end of the session though, she seemed like her usual self. Gaming was the escape she needed that night.]
* All translations done by BabelFish.
"You," BLAAARR! "Could have," BBLLAAauuuuUUuuuurrrr! "Warned," BLLAARRRAAAuurrr!! "Me--!!" BLArAaaAArrrrr!!, vomited Emma.
She recieved an additional 5% experience for the evening for that little scene as well!
"You," BLAAARR! "Could have," BBLLAAauuuuUUuuuurrrr! "Warned," BLLAARRRAAAuurrr!! "Me--!!" BLArAaaAArrrrr!!, vomited Emma.
"Sorry! I'm just so used to the stench of death, I guess." replied Raul with a smirk.
Searching through the rest of the rooms, everyone regroups in the medical center's eatery. They smash the glass in the snack machines, avoiding the "fuzzy" sandwiches. Terrin pops the circular lock on the Cola Machine, and tosses warm cans of soda to everyone.
Emma reads the documentation, and discovers that the hypo-guns are filled with an experimental scientific breakthrough:
Traitement-II
This baby blue liquid is a curative item, and acts as the Cure Moderate Wounds spell but without the level bonus.ShowCure Moderate Wounds
Conjuration (Healing)
Level: Acolyte 2; Components: V, S; Casting Time: Attack action; Range: Touch; Target: Creature touched; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: (harmless) (see text); Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)
The caster lays his or her hand upon a living creature and channels positive energy that cures 2d8 points of damage +1 point per caster level (up to +10).
Since undead are powered by negative energy, this spell deals damage to them instead of curing their wounds. An undead creature can attempt a Will save to take half damage.
...Raul fails a listen check, and finds himself facing two machete wielding, feral, blood-spattered, and ill-tempered, Scientist-types a moment later.
Roll Initiative.
Raul's first action was to drop his sniper rifle, which he had been carrying. His second action was to remove his shotgun from his duffle bag. This gave the two feral scientists time to come down on him, swinging their machetes. They took a couple of chunks, but not before Raul was able to retaliate with his boomstick.
The other members of PARANOIA join in the fray, and one of the two sci-types goes down. Dead.
The other Sci-type, the one with the macaroni-calculator-necklace takes his free 5' step, then bolts into the jungle.
Miyamoto Takezo tears after him.
The terrain is close, and there is a 1 in 8 chance of an obstacle, coming in the form of fallen logs, deep ruts, boulders, trees, bushes, etc... I run the chase using Hot Pursuit: On Foot, and the chase is really exciting for Takezo.
Raul attempts a number of times to get into the chase, but fails miserably. He finds himself alone in the jungle.
The feral sci-type jukes and jives as best as he can wearing worn loafers-- but he hits, and falls forwards. Takezo crit-shots him in the back of the head. He drops.
[ So much for capture and interogation. ;) ]
Takezo stands over the body, quickdraws his katana and gives a little coup de grace lovin'-- the sci-type's head rolls off. Takezo displays it on the trunk of a tree. He grabs the man's ID key card. It says that he's a researcher from "The Blender".
Raul didn't see or hear the evil monkey, even as it sprung at him from the dense jungle undergrowth. It slashed at him with it's claws, but missed. Raul didn't. He blasted the critter. He coup de grace'd off it's head with his machete. He kicked the head into the jungle like a soccer ball.
Both men returned from their little side-treks. They found the clearing much the same as it was when they had left. Both Terrin and Emma were searching the corpses of the two men. The one the scientists had killed had a ID key card that said that he was from "The Antfarm". The one that died fighting with Raul was from "The Blender".
END SESSION
I have deleted the posts that were spam or off topic.
WizO_Chaos
*takes off on her flying motorcycle*
Jace: So now they've got access to two more areas of the island. Which one do you think they'll choose first?
WizO: Thanks.
Jace: So now they've got access to two more areas of the island. Which one do you think they'll choose first?
I think that they are PROLLY heading to the Barracks still... so I'm going to need to drop some serious FILES on the PCs so they can maybe have a better idea of what they may find.
Been following the Artifact campaign notes and now just found this one. Gotta add my voice to the chorus of kudos! You really come up with interesting situations for your PCs to work in.
And those monkeys creeped my out just reading about them!
Hope you can keep the updates coming. I'll definitely be checking it out!
LT
I am running this campaign later this evening, so I shall have new tales to tell very soon...
In the meantime....
...brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm...
EDIT:
Gak! Too many things went awry for too many people today: Session postponed until next week.
"We are a hedge. Please move along."
Both men returned from their little side-treks. They found the clearing much the same as it was when they had left. Both Terrin and Emma were searching the corpses of the two men. The one the scientists had killed had a ID key card that said that he was from "The Antfarm". The one that died fighting with Raul was from "The Blender".
SESSION FOURTEEN
Le Formicarium and Le Mélangeur.
"Antfarm? Blender? " Emma says, "What? Are they trying to make drinks out here?" She gives a wink.
"Ho ho!" Terrin responds.
Miyamoto Takezo cuts the heads off the bodies of the two feral sci's. "I heard a gunshot--"
"Same here" Terrin agrees. They look towards Raul who's smile was broad and toothy.
"I killed a monkey!" Raul announced.
"Good. You've been wanting to--" Takezo said patting Raul on his shoulder. Then he directs his attention to the group. "Alright-- Let's look at our options; we can keep travelling above ground or we can return to the SubTram tunnels."
"I think the tunnels will be safer." Raul puts in. The others agree with nods of their heads.
Miyamoto checks his watch. It reads 16:18.
They sky is overcast, and rain looks like it will once again be a distinct possibility in the near future.
"Alright, well let's head back." He finally says after a moment.
PARANOIA heads through the jungle underbrush, returning once again to the small packed-gravel parking lot at the entrance to the Medical Bunker. Emma takes a quick look around and spots a signpost.
Les Casernes is shown to be up the road from here.
She returns to the group "The Barracks are also up the road from here, according the the sign over there."
They mutually decide that they should continue through the tunnel still.
They go back inside, head past the once booby-trapped Medical Center doors, and down to the SubTram Station. Once there they continue into the quiet darkness, Takezo leading the way wearing the NVG's he had never bothered to give back to Igor. Raul took up the rear, checking behind for any trouble.
He heard the sound of rapid toenails on concrete and metal. He shown the beam of his flashlight towards the sound, and the eyeshine of a single Smart/Dog barrelling towards the group. It panted heavily, but it did not bark.
Even as Raul whipped the muzzle of his shotgun towards the small beast, he could hear Takezo uttering a curse in Japanese.
Though Takezo had heard the sound too, and had drawn initiative, he also fumbled. The table said something was wrong with the slide. And so he had to take an action to clear it or whatever.
Terrin drew a bead on the Smart/Dog with his pistol. BLAM! Damage done, but not enough to exceed MAS.
Emma finishes it with a well place shot through it's eye socket. The beast drops to the ground in a growing pool of its own blood.
Hurray!
They stop, and listen for a few moments. They hear nothing but their own breathing. Deciding the coast was clear, they continued.
Five minutes later is when they discovered the cave-in. The entire tunnel had collapsed at this point. From floor to ceiling, and the group explored no further.
So they backtracked once again. Raul kicked the leg of the dead dog when they passed it. Takezo sliced it's head off.
"You really have a thing going there, don't ya?" Emma comments.
Takezo wipes his sword off on the hide of the dead beast-- or tries to. He finds that its is less bloody, but somehow more filthy from the grime and nastiness of the dogs mangy coat. He takes a rag and wipes the blade off once again.
Back through the tunnel. Up through the SubTram Station. Back passed the medical center, and once again standing in the small gravel parking lot outside the bunker.
TO BE CONTINUED:
"OFF WITH ITS HEAD!"
continues....
Before any of their booted feet touched gravel they paused to listen to the sounds of the surrounding jungle. They peered as deep as they could, into the heavy foliage, and ground-hugging mist. When they were certain they were good, they proceeded along the road towards where they believed this so-called "barracks" to be located.
Miyamoto Takezo could hear the sound of water coming from behind them-- he deduced, and correctly, that the river with the blown bridge was not far behind them.
He informed the group about it, in case they hadn't heard the sound of the water themselves. None had.
Then he realized they were making a mistake. "Get off the road. Move into the jungle, and keep going."
"What?" Raul asked. "Why?"
"Haven't you ever seen 'The Fellowship of the Ring'?" asked Terrin.
Raul shook his head.
"We will make ourselves less obvious by travelling through the jungle. We don't know what we may be up against here. We don't need to be easy targets." Takezo asserted. "You should know this Raul, considering your history."
"Sorry boss." He answered sincerly. The group moved off the road, and into the jungle alongside.
Ten minutes later. They arrived to just about 50' from the barracks. A high wall surounded the expansive compound, keeping the jungle at bay. Vines and ivy snaked up and down the wall, standing out easily against the white stucco. Takezo and Raul check for barbed wire along the top lip.
It was there.
"Alright. All of you stay put here. Raul cover me with that scope of yours." Takezo said, "I think I have the best chances of sneaking up and scouting things at the moment--"
"Hey-- I can be invisble." Emma interjected, "Back there when I was creeping up on those two scientists, I was like a freaking ghost. Don't downgrade me because Raul trips over his shoelaces and Terrin trips over his feet."
"Fine. You're good. But I'm going." And with that, Takezo creeped away from his team, and made the distance to within ten feet of the barracks wall, where the jungle ended around the structure... the some low lying shrubs and new saplings attested their eventual victory against the concrete barrier.
He peered into the guard house. It was empty.
He looked into the immediate grounds of the compound, and saw that it was clear.
He waved his crew forward.
To be continued....
They moved towards the three-story "security tower" [E. on map] for cover, as Takezo and Raul used their respctive gear to survey the area.
Something about the buildings layout reminded Takezo of a college campus--
"What the--" he looked again... he had caught some movement, at one of the entrances of the large building [A. on map]. A figure, maybe two going inside.
He relayed this to his team. About this time Raul noticed an open doorway at the building they were hiding.
"There's alot of ground to cover between here and here-- Let's take a quick look inside this place. Maybe I can get a good vantage point with my sniper rifle."
There was a pause as they thought about it-- then they went inside. Having Raul's big ass sitting up on high wasn't such a bad idea-- but it would certainly be safer if they all made the quick sweep together.
The Security building was octagonal in shape-- they found the foyer, and the adjoining office room to reminded them of some police stations they had seen in there days.
They found the third and last room of the ground floor to hold a 'Bantha Cola' machine-- a popular drink brand in this world, and a staircase going up and down.
They were considering going up, when they heard the brief sound of metal scraping against concrete... from below.
Takezo descended alone, his deadly katana drawn and at the ready.
He found a long hallway, a locked Armory, and a Jail.
"Heh heh." He said when he returned. "Those frenchies... They put an armory directly across from the jail. Anyway, let's clear this real quick."
The group entered the jail area-- a long hall, ten foot wide, with a series of 10'x10' cells along the right.
They heard another brief scuffing sound.
Takezo and Raul moved ahead, cautiously.
Heh, heh, heh... thinks the evil GM.
Oh yeah, and you never did reply back to my question on what beverages you guys serve...---
Pictures for your inspiration:
The corpse reeked of course. It had been there a while, but it was still partially juicy to smell like it did.
They also saw a metal briefcase chained to the corpse's wrist. Looking around the cell they saw a metal toilet/sink combo and a bed. Nothing else in the cell except for a few spiderwebs.
They began to move past the cell and were struck with a a sticky substance cast from within the cell itself. Takezo's finely honed reflexes allowed him to escape capture by the web, but Raul was not so lucky. He was caught, and right up against the bars as well.
Then this thing crawled down from the ceiling, where it was hiding in the dark shadows of the cell the whole time. It was hungry. It's last meal long dead and chewn through in most parts...
Takezo had pistol trouble when he tried to fire upon the beast. He spent his action trying to fix it.
Raul failed to free himself, and the creature swiped at him with it's claws... POISONED! Raul is having a crap night with rolls apparently, and is stuck and poisoned now, and he's now -2 to his DEX.
Emma sneaks up, unsure of the situation, her gun is drawn. Terrin who is closer takes a shot. "Duck!" he shouts to Raul. His shot hits the creature and the beast screams out in a shrill chirp-like screech. It clicked angrily like like the Predator.
Takezo thought he had the problem fixed on his gun. Turns out he didn't. It broke completely. Now it's needs to be repaired wuth a kit and skill and everything! Terrin fires again. The shot is Good. Raul is once again mauled, but he breaks free of the webbing. Emma pulls the trigger of her gun once again, and puts the creature down.
Shots through one of it's bulbous eyes, a black fluid flowed forth, and the creature screeched again-- It writhed and slammed it's limbs angrily against the cell bars.... then in fell to the ground. It's limbs still twitching.
END SESSION.
On an unrelated note, what's with the sudden avatar changes i've seen recently?
---
Pictures for your inspiration: /cut
Coolness-- That bottom one is sweet. reminds me of the Hall of Doom from the Superfriends cartoon.
Thank you for those pictures, but I'm leaving this thread as a Session Blog. Drop ideas and images on my Black Isle thread. (The link is in the first page of this thread.) I try to do all my development discussion and abrainstorming there.
About the avatar: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=945800
Raul failed his secondary damage-- his DEX store is now 5/-3-- Ouch!
They try to help out Raul, but there doesn't seem to be much they can do for him at this point-- He's on a slow road to recovery. His Dex USED to be 15/+3.
The group broke into the armory, and stocke up on some weapons and some ammo. (I'm not typically a 'Monty Haul' style of GM, so I basically allowed them to refresh some fo what they've expended thus far.
While Takezo is proudly holding up his newly found Smoke Grenade, Terrin and Raul, hear some noise from upstairs... the sound of footfalls. They regroup, and move towards the stairs leading back up stairs, they listen for a while, and then Takezo leads the way.
A rusty machete swings past his face, nearly cutting his medium long hair. Emma reacts first, and she shoves past Raul and Terrin to place herself right behind Takezo, she attempts to fire at the Feral Sci-Type that just swung his machete during the surprise round, he close proximity garners an attack of opportunity on her. He misses. So does she.
The long and short of it; Two feral sci's were hiding in this room, Rual dropped back down and hid in the shadows of the basement. Takezo dropped the second feral sci, who came around to attack the entrance to the stair case near his feral buddy. He has cut down, and his feral buddy took off running-- just outside the front door, the battle continued as Takezo outpaced the feral sci. This action led Terrin and Emma to the doorway, where they joined Takezo in killing this second man. Takezo crit'ed: He cut the scientist's head in half down the center straight down to the man's solar plexus. His head peeled apart and his neck opened like the petals of a grotesque parody of a flower.
Meanwhile inside, Raul came creeping up the basement stairs. He saw the inert body of the man the Takezo had dropped earlier. He poked him with the blade of his machete.
The man's head snapped in Raul's direction, dark, blood-shot eyes fixed on him, and he swung the arm holding the machete at Rual. The blade cut into Raul's ankle, but thankfully not very far. Raut cut back at the man with his own machete, but missed. The renewed feral sci stood back up, and swung again... but missed. Raul did not this second time, and the feral sci fell to the ground once again. Raul delivered a coup de grace... but the mostly dead man still hadn't gone COMPLETELY into the red. This gave his regenerative ability to do it's job.
As Raul joined the other PC's one room away, I began to count off 6 second rounds in my head, as they talk to each other about recent happenings in character.
Raul motions towards the extremely gory clothes of the men, and suggests that they use them as disguises. The other's vote down this idea. It's kinda gross. Kinda.
They go to clear the rest of the security structure. As they head past the stairs, the 2x "dead but not really" feral sci gets up to swing his blade at Takezo. Takezo cuts the man's head of in response. The head, and the body both roll down the stairs leading to the jail cells.
Takezo thought he could hear what sounded like a coconut bumping into a wall down there. ;)
They explored the next floor up, and found an interesting photo of the lab directors together.
They reached the top floor, and as they look around the large office at the top, a bullet whizzes through the window, and darts between Emma, Raul, and Terrin's heads to sink into the doorframe behind them.
Everyone drops to the ground as Emma shouts "Get down!"
END SESSION
I'm sorry I've been away for so long-- I'd been taking a break from this campaign for a while to recharge my creative batteries.
Session 15 took place back in January. Session 16 took place this past Tuesday night.
They reached the top floor, and as they look around the large office at the top, a bullet whizzes through the window, and darts between Emma, Raul, and Terrin's heads to sink into the doorframe behind them.
Everyone drops to the ground as Emma shouts "Get down!"
"Give me your sniper rifle." Miyamoto commanded a badly injured Raul.
"Here you go, boss." he replied, understanding that the weapon was useless to him. Raul wouldn't be able to hold it steady, the poison was effecting his dexerity. Muscle spasms would hit him from time to time, and it was not the thing he needed to have happen while he's squeezing off a headshot.
"Lay low-- I'm taking a look." He told the group. Through the scope, and a guessed trajectory based on the hole in the glass and the hole in the wall where the lead slug sat...
He looked across the large campus-like lawn to the dual-floored sprawling dormitory complex. He saw brief movement from behind some roof mounted A/C units. But didn't see the sniper reapear. Keeping the rooftop in his sights he said, "Alright. Stay low, and move out of this room. I'll meet you on the other side of that door."
Espionage Unit: PARANOIA did as their leader told them, and he made a quick withdrawal to follow them.
They returned the the first floor, and...
BRB.
A man slammed backwards into a window, hard enough to rattle the PC's nerves in addition to the window frame. Blood accompanied in streaks down the pane, as the man slid down towards the ground and out of sight.
There were the maddening sounds of s squirmish just outside the station. Men screaming garbbled gibberish and in pain. Metal ringing against metal as machetes deflect each other.
Miyamoto and company creep along below the desk line to a rear window, where Emma sees that the coast is clear. The action seems to be moving away towards the north at this point, and they just needed to make it 30 - 40 south straight out the front gate of the barracks compound.
They slip out the window one by one, and slide along the wall Miyamoto peered around the corner just slightly, keeping as low a profile against the building as he could. He saw a pack of feral sci-types --ragged and dirty as ever -- chasing another across the sprawling courtyard area. Then one of their heads exploded, and a second later he heard the shot that took it. The sniper's attention was on that group of feral sci's-- if he was lucky, his spotter would be also be focused there as well.
"Move it!" He commanded, then he sprinted the open distance between the security station and the gate. His team chased behind-- he heard another crack as the sniper rifle sounded. He heard the curse from one his his team behind as they no doubt had just dodge a bullet.
Faster.
Then as rushed as their sprint across the killing zone had been-- it was over, and they stood, all accounted for concealed in the jungle foliage outside of the Barracks compound.
They looked at each other, they each had that "now what" look to their faces.
"Do you hear that?" Raul asked. He turned to the northern jungles, and began to scan the trees. He saw movement.
The rest of the group took cover amongst some convenient boulders and and they could see a scruffy man, dressed in the same outfit as the dead man with the monkey-eaten cheeks, and the girl whom they administered the morphine to.
He spots them as he runs full tilt towards them, deftly leaping over fallen branches and logs.
He screams one word:
"RUUUNNNN!!!"
Behind they see a pursuing pack of dogs, at least a dozen of them, heading straight for them!
"Do you hear that?" Raul asked. He turned to the northern jungles, and began to scan the trees. He saw movement.
The rest of the group took cover amongst some convenient boulders and and they could see a scruffy man, dressed in the same outfit as the dead man with the monkey-eaten cheeks, and the girl whom they administered the morphine to.
He spots them as he runs full tilt towards them, deftly leaping over fallen branches and logs.
He screams one word:
"RUUUNNNN!!!"
Behind they see a pursuing pack of dogs, at least a dozen of them, heading straight for them!
Session 17 marks the addition of a new player to our group Tommy. He'd been wanting to game with us, but other obligations had kept him until now.
He and I discussed his character, and he is playing an operative belonging to CielCorp's private mercenary rescue team.
He's built incorporating J0lt's Traceur Adv Class.
Incidentally, his character was going to ask his long-time girlfriend, Rachel DuMont (the Dying french gilr the PC's doped up with morphine to ease her passage) to marry him. He's been on his own surviving and holing up where he can on the island. During the day he searches for his teamates, while trying to avoid the unatural denizens of Black Isle.
Today... He found the other PC's.
He ran past them, through them. They only hesitated a moment before they all took off--
I ran this encounter using the hot pursuit rules. Each PC got their own Chase Table, and I tagged them each with two Smart/Dog opponents. Even though that's a full total of 5 separate chase tables being used-- it wasn't complicated to run or keep track of in the least I found. I used each sheet as an Initiative card, and kept them in order.
More to come.
(hah hah! Thanks!)
Everyone is running. Dodging into the underbrush, weaving between trees, dodging shrubs.
Emma smacks face first into a tree-- she's immediately knocked off her feet as the dogs bear down on her. Raul, who was just slightly behind her reaches down and yanks her into the air and over his shoulder. He loses some speed, but at least Emma wouldn't now become dog food.
Far ahead of the pack and the others, the two operatives ran along side each other-- though the Frenchman was nimble, Miyamoto didn't do too bad a job keeping up.
"I didn't lead the dogs to you on purpose, if that's what you think." He says in accented english.
"Well, then I think we'll help you dispatch them." The Japanese man replied. He skidded to a halt through the long grass, withdrew his katana, and ran towards the dogs closest. The Frenchman came up beside him and the two killed the unaturally smart creatures. A few dogs chasing the others has managed to KO'd themselves by smacking headlong into a low branch or tree trunk. The group finished up the pack, Miyamoto taking their heads off one by one... "just to make sure."
The Frenchman introduced himself as Francios Tessier-- and he hasn't seen anyone from his team in a week. He tell them to come with him. He'll take them to a place to hole up--
They trek through the jungle to the south/south-east as it begins to grow dark. Tessier leading the way, brings them at least to a shuttered and sealed lab one floor lab structure.
A couple of bounds and Tessier in on the roof. He assists the rest get on top, then he leads them to a skylight. He lifts the window open, and the group descends down onto a muddy pool table.
More to come-- possibly tonight! One last section of Session 17. Then we're caught up to now-- waiting for Session 18.
Tessier explains that this building is an unused lab building. It's been his home for a couple of days. The gates on the doors and windows help to keep out the locals-- a couple gates had been bashed off at some point before he had moved in, but he had blockaded those entry points.
He also takes note of Raul's weakened and injured condition. He tells them that the stuff they found in the medical facility should cure his ills-- his team had been briefed on it-- in case of emergency.
Emma tells him about the French girl operative, who asked them to give her enough morphine to ease her passing. She was of course, his girlfriend Rachel.
*KA-REEEEEEEEEEESSSHHH--!!!* Plate glass from the skylight implodes.
Three filthy-- gore covered feral researchers plunge down into the room and leap from the pool table to attack the PC's....
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1041454 - to request it to be moved. As these forums are being thrown in the corner and stomped on.
Look and ye shall find!
Why AM I logged in as Guest when I clearly logged in as myself. WTF Gleemax?