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Messages - Jim Crocker

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1
Monsterhearts / Re: New skin: the Mummy
« on: May 02, 2012, 01:45:41 AM »
I like the general idea, though I'd change the name to something more generic than 'mummy', which tends to say 'Egyptian' to most Americans, I think. The Awoken? The Ancient Dead? The Sleeper?

I dig the idea that you're obsessively looking for your reincarnated beloved. It seems to me that your Darkest Self is indulging your appetite to recapture your ancient glory, going overboard with treating your modern-day friends and enemies as you would have back in the old days when you ruled all you surveyed.

This is the germ of a potentially really coll skin, keep working on it!

2
Dungeon World / Re: AP: The Goblin Hole
« on: January 16, 2012, 01:34:11 AM »
Cool, thanks, John.

-Jim C.

3
Dungeon World / Re: AP: The Goblin Hole
« on: January 11, 2012, 10:01:19 PM »
Whew!

Glad everyone liked it! It was a somewhat intimidating bunch to run for, very smart and involved gamers.

So, um... when does my Guild membership take effect? : )


4
Dungeon World / AP: The Goblin Hole, Conclusion
« on: January 11, 2012, 06:37:54 PM »
Surrounded by a horde of rats intent on dragging one of them away for lunch, the party fights back:

Bug lashes out with his rapier at one of the rats closing on him [Hack & Slash=11, 4 damage] and skewers it through the eye socket before it can climb up onto him.

Brunhilda Grabs a torch from her pack, lights it, and hurls it towards the shattered barrel of liquor, where it explodes into flame, sealing off that end of the corridor from more rats arriving.

Brinton step towards Uri waving his staff, prepared to assist him in fending off the rats [Defend=6/7, Hold 1], as Mrs Fell steps in to make sure nothing comes at him from behind [Aid, 10+].

Uri presses the two half-stars tattooed on his hands together and a glowing blue disk of serrated steel forms between them, which whizzes out at the rat biting down on him [Cast: Magic Missile=11, 7 Damage] and shears it in half.

Brunhilda grips Orkblut again and brings it around on a rat closing with her [Hack & Slash=7, 6 Damage] and cleaves off its hindquarters just as it sinks its teeth into her boot [2 Damage, 1P]

Mrs Fell sees that the rats are retreating and smashes down with her hammer at the tail of one as it tries to escape into a tunnel [Hack & Slash=7, 4 Damage, no counter-attack because it was fleeing]

With the rats fled back into the tunnels in search of easier pickings, Brunhilda turns her attention to Uri's injured leg and wraps it tightly in a clean bandage from her pack [Heals 4 Damage], much to his relief.

Unsure of exactly where to go next, Brinton takes up a couple of the dead, burning rats, and makes a formal offering of them to Mogrim, appealing to him to reveal the secret of where the children are hidden. [Divine Guidance= Petition: Offering; Domain: Knowledge and Hidden Things] A small wooden knot forms on the sealed stone door, indicating their next course.

The party forms before the door, as Bug examines the lever and determines that a carefully placed wedge can keep the counterweights inside the wall from falling and closing the door behind them [Tricks of the Trade=11] and does so without incident. As the rest of the party prepares for what may lay beyond, Mrs Fell throws her weight into the lever [Bend Bars=10] and the door swings smoothly up into the chamber beyond, and the soft crying suddenly explodes into terrified sobbing.

The party confronts a bizarre sight: a large octagonal chamber with marble murals all along its walls. The artwork depicts the history of Silverhome, from the discovery of the first nugget of silver, to the establishing of the village, through many prosperous years until the silver ran thin, then ran out altogether, culminating in a depiction of the last, tiny gem extracted from the mine before it is closed and sealed, the unlucky foreman on duty at the time interred in its depths, his spirit charged with guarding the place.

Broad polished granite steps lead up to a wide funerary-looking Dwarven throne and a small group of nasty little green humanoids wearing patchwork leather and skins look on, makeshift spears gripped in big-knuckled hands. Sprawled on the floor in front of the throne is a Dwarven skeleton dressed in still-immaculate scale mail, clearly the body that once sat in the throne, now cast aside on the ground.

The throne-ridden patriarch of the goblins, slumped and staring, drools as a simple iron crown that once sat atop the Dwarf lists almost comically around his brow.

An ancient goblin with a rat-skin hood and a bone rattle seems to be consulting with a talking bird skull on a string: it babbles at him in the gutteral language of goblinkind as he points it first at the mesmerized goblin clan leader, then back at two hollow-eyed children in a cage made of apple tree limbs and birch ties, a thing so flimsy it holds them only because they are both clearly ill: running greenish sores cover their faces and hands, and they are obviously terrified.

{PROBLEM: As with other discussions we've had on the Forum, establishing exactly who goes when without just following simple turn-taking was a bit of a challenge. In this case, given the 'starting line' type situation, just asking everyone what they were doing, THEN resolving all their actions in sequence, while allowing people who had already declared to modify as other declared, worked really well. Some more proscriptive advice on this would be good, I think, because Initiative plays such a  MAJOR role in every iteration of D&D...}

Brunhilda shouts a Dwarven war cry and charges the guards, bringing Orkblut around at them in a wicked arc as soon as she is within reach [Hack & Slash=8, 7 Damage], burying it firmly in the body of one of them, his ribs collapsing and his smashed heart exploding in a shower of gore. One of the others manages to jam a spear into her side, drawing blood [Counter=4 damage].

{PROBLEM: It's very easy to forget that any time a PC takes damage from a high-level enemy they need to save, presumably including when they 7-9 on Hack & slash, right? Looking back I realize there should have been a lot more Saving Throws, I tended to only do them when it was one of my Moves that caused the damage or effect, and in hindsight I am pretty sure that's not right...}

Uri once again summons the blue steel disc between his hands [Cast: Magic Missile=10, 4 damage] and hurls it at the top of the cage, shearing it off and causing the whole thing to tumble open, freeing the kids.

Brinton sprints up the steps, dodging past the guards to try and reach the children in the cage [Defy Danger=7, Hard Bargain (Get hit by a goblin on the way by)] ignoring the sharp pain in his leg [Goblin deals 4 damage] as he stands over the kids, protecting them from any further danger from the goblins. [Defend=10, Hold 3]

Mrs. Fell grimly hefts her maul and tries to shove through the phalanx of spearmen to reach the goblin orkaster [Defy Danger=7, Ugly Choice]. She chooses to press on through them and be stabbed in the arm rather than stand the line with Brunhilda [Goblin deals 4 Damage]. Shrugging the wound off, she tries to bring her hammer down on the shaman's head [Hack and Slash=7, 4 damage] and striked him a glancing blow even as he screeches a curse at her and spits a mouthful of nasty green spit in her face [Goblin attack=Cast Inflict Disease]. Her skin starts to bubble and fester, but she manages to keep on her feet and fight on [Saving Throw=12].

{PROBLEM: I wasn't entirely clear on a soft hit Hack-N-Slash whether that means monsters just deals its listed damage, or could use non-strike attacks listed under their Moves as well; I went ahead and did it because it was interesting, but some clarification here would be helpful as well.}

Bug sights the Shaman along the top of an arrow and lets fly [Volley=10, 3 damage] and hits the orkaster's shoulder.

He nocks another arrow and sidesteps for a clear shot before sending a second arrow after the first [Volley=7, 2 damage] , this one sinking into the orkaster's eye socket as he tumbles forward and snaps the haft as he hits the granite [Lose 1 Ammo].

Brunhilda spins on the three goblins now surrounding her and lashes out with Orkblut at one of them [Hack & Slash=8, 9 damage], lopping his head off in a fountain of blood as another shoves its spear into her guts [Goblin deals 4 damage].

Now that Brunhilda has the guards' full attention, Uri moves along the far wall to the cage where the kids are, even as one of them, crying for her mother, tries to clamber up Brinton's robes and bury its face in his chest. Brinton frantically clutches at the kid to keep her from infecting him [Defy Danger=10] and manages to get a good grip on her, holding her safely in place.

Mrs Fell spins on the goblin patriarch and bring her hammer into his chest [Hack & Slash=6]. It's only a glancing blow, but the impact jars the crown and the boy suddenly rushes wild-eyed towards the crown, arms outstretched as it calls to him. [MC: Dungeon Move: Use a threat from an existing creature (Whispers of Evil)]

Brinton holds out his holy symbol and invokes the protection of Mogrim [Defend: Redirect attack to himself, Halve the effect or damage] and despite the distant whispers suggesting all sorts of blasphemous indulgence, commands the spirit in the crown to move on [Turn Undead=8, 9 damage] and the crown rusts away to dust in a coppery burst.

 {PROBLEM: No soft hit complication, or hard hit bonus for Turn/Command Undead? Any particular reason it's flat from 7+?}

Meanwhile, Brunhilda, Bug, and Uri easily slay the last two terrified goblins [MC fiat, no rolls].

Uri takes up the Raven skull to identify it, whereupon it immediately asks him what sort of Wizard he's supposed to be with shoddy robes like that. “Obviously, you've got a lot to learn, kid. Stick with me and maybe we can make you respectable...”

Mrs Fell pulls a small rabbit totem from the body of the slain orkaster, even as Bug unceremoniously shoves his rapier through the chest of the just-waking goblin leader.

Brunhilda claimed the dwarven mail and carried it out with her.

They return through the tunnels to the village, where they are met outside the town by one of the search parties organized to find the missing kids. Greeted as heroes, the village takes its best cider out from storage, and a feast is held in their honor!

CAROUSE:
Bug=10 (Rumor, information, no risk)
Brinton=8 (no risk)
Uri=8 (info)
Mrs Fell=4
Brunhilda=11 (Friend, information, no risk)

Well, that was the Goblin Hole! We did not bother with post-game Bond increases because it was late. Experience ended up working out pretty well, though I would love to try the fiction-based system sometime:
Mrs Fell=6 (I dropped the ball here, and should have suggested a couple of Parley rolls for her when she was interacting with other PCs; I forget that's an option...)
Brinton=Level 2, 1 xp (Picked Chosen One move for lvl 2)
Bug= Level 2, 1 xp (Picked Venom for lvl 2)
Brunhilda= Level 2, 2 xp (Picked Heirloom for lvl 2)
Uri=9 xp

5
Dungeon World / AP: The Goblin Hole, Part 2: Down the Hole
« on: January 11, 2012, 01:27:53 AM »
The party arrives in the town of Silverlost to find a prosperous cider mill and large fields of orchards. The lad Justin leads them to the mill where the Miller tells them about the goblin sightings.

Miller offers the party some of the apple liquor to take with them, so Uri rolls up his sleeve and the skeletal arm tattooed on it detaches itself and carefully lifts a barrel of the applejack to bring on their investigation [Cast a Spell:Unseen Servant=10+], causing the workers in the mill to back away and Miller suggest they get moving.

Justin leads them up the hill towards one of the highest fields, with an edge that trail off to the side of the steep slope that runs up towards the Drakespire Mountains. He point to where the goblins were reported seen and then heads back to town.

Brunhilda sniffs the air and looks for any sign that goblins have been lurking about [Discern Realities= 8, 'What Here is Useful or Valuable?'] and does not find any actual tracks, but happens upon what was once a Dwarven rock hammer that has been fitted with a longish and crude wooden handle. Bug notes aloud that [Spout Lore=7, Something Interesting] it's properly sized for a being of roughly his stature to use as a pick-axe if they wanted to.

Uri hefts the little pick-axe and concentrates on it, staring at the words on the back of his right hand. [Cast: Identify=10+] and the words warp and shift, telling the story of the object: it was the tool of a dwarf named Felin, lost in the mine, and eventually found centuries later by a goblin named Kink.

Walking a bit further, the adventurers pass beyond the edge of the orchard to discover an ancient, huge oak tree. Several yards wide, there is a spot in the lee of two big roots where they discover a hole in the dirt just big enough for a man to pass through. The dirt appears to have been pushed up from beneath the ground to form the hole.

Brinton picks up an egg-sized rock and appeals to Mogrim to reveal the secrets below [Cast: Light=6] and it begins to glow with a soft, golden light. For a moment, the wind subsides and she can hear the intermittent sobs of a child somewhere below [MC=Show Signs of Doom].

{PROBLEM: I was entirely unsure what effect a miss on a spell-casting roll had? In this case I let the spell work and made a Move; every Move having an explicit 'what happens on a Miss' entry would be a real help!}

As Bug dropped easily into the hole, followed immediately by a crawling Mrs Fell, Uri touched the tip of his staff with a tattoo of a lantern [Cast: Light=10+] and a soft white light sprang from it.

Bug and Mrs Fell find themselves in a large hollowed-out space under the tree. Passages in various sizes exit the place and there is a thick, sweet-smelling, smoke filling the air. Bug carefully examines the floors and ceilings to make sure they're safe [Trap Expert=9/10, Hold-1(=2)] and determines that one of the passageways out of this place conceals a precipitous drop-off, not quite a pit, but a tunnel to somewhere else entirely.  Mrs Fell helps him [Assist=7] by holding the light, freeing his hands, but potentially exposing herself as a target. [MC=Expose to danger]

Meanwhile above, Brunhilda sets about enlarging the hole using Orkblut. [Bend Bars=10+] She digs out the hole quickly, fairly quietly, and without messing up her weapon at all, though the hole will not easily be filled back in. The others follow Bug and Mrs Fell inside and find themselves somewhat closely packed in the tight space.

Mrs Fell removes her helm and listens carefully to find the source of the crying [Discern=7, 'What here is not what it appears to be?'] and realizes that the appearance of the sound coming from all directions is  a trick of the walls, and points the real way towards the sound.

Brinton sniffs at the heavy smell and tries to figure out what it is [Discern=8, 'What Happened Here Recently?'] and sees that the passage to the outside world was just recently pushed open here, and that's what's drawing the smoke out this way.

Uri is feeling a bit light-headed, so he waves a tattooed arm in the air in a scrubbing gesture [Cast: Prestidigitation=7; 'Draw Unwanted Attention'] and cleans the air in the little chamber, revealing a small nest concealed in some roots. Within sits a hairless, blind rabbit in a hutch. Its ears are huge, as large as its body and it seems nearly comatose with fear.

Bug takes it down and Mrs Fell immediately says they ought to kill it, but Uri places a hand against it to see if can determine its true nature... [Cast: Identify=6] Instead of the usual information, green, scratchy writing starts to writhe across the back of Uri's hand. The spell is forcibly ripped from his mind in a babble of strange words, and the rabbit immediately wakes up, and its ears stand on end and swivel to point directly at Uri. [MC=Goblin Move, Sound the Alarm] Bug promptly snaps the neck of the little creature.

Uri theorizes [Spout Lore=8, Something Interesting] that these critters are the inbred progeny of small creatures that Dwarves used to leave in chambers to make sure the air stayed clear and free of pests.

The group proceeds down the narrow tunnel towards the direction of the crying. Bug sees the natural tunnel emerge though pried-away stone blocks into a much wider and better-maintained mining tunnel. Carefully examining the entrance [Trap Expert Hold-1(=1)] and notices that what seems to be a loose root laid across the opening is attached to a heavy, boar tusk-covered log swinging in from above. He determines that he will need to stand on his toes and detach the log from the trigger to disarm it [Trap Expert Hold -1(=0)].

As Bug carefully reaches up to try and disable the mechanism [Defy Danger=8], he looks down to realize that there is a beady-eyes feral rat about the size of a house cat reaching up to grab his pouch full of rations [MC=Ugly Choice]. He decides not to provoke it and finish the task as the cunning creature snatches his rations and retreats into the darkness.

The party emerges into a much wider and better-maintained tunnel, held up by sturdy stone joists with walls showing centuries-old evidence of some pretty serious extraction. They travel through the darkness, the smoke getting a bit thicker and the crying growing in volume until they find themselves at a large intersection. In one direction there is what seems to be a carefully and deliberately collapsed tunnel that leads in the direction deeper under the mountain. Another leads off into darkness while a third ends a few hundred feet away at a large stone valve closed over the mouth of the hall.

Brunhilda taps Orkblut along the wall [Discern=8, 'What is useful here?'] and finds a stone that opens to reveal a heavy lever that will open the door but not hold it there.

Mrs Fell thinks back to the knowledge her Order holds on goblins [Spout Lore=6/6] but can't think of anything useful about their rituals. Uri tries to recall something another wizard might have mentioned about them as well [Aid=6], but is interrupted by the sudden sharp pain of a rat gnawing on his leg as it tires to knock him down and drag him into the darkness. It turns out that while the adventurers rested and planned, the rats scurried about and surrounded them [MC= Rat Move, Overrun someone or someplace] before  biting into Uri [MC=Deal Damage (Cave Rat)].

As Uri screams, his Unseen Servant drops the barrel of liquor he has been toting diligently along behind them in the darkness, and the battle with the horde of chittering scavengers is joined!

6
Dungeon World / Re: AP: The Goblin Hole
« on: January 10, 2012, 10:20:57 PM »
How did you come about the situation at hand Jim? Was it a group authored thing through asking the questions from the goblin hole starter? Or did you introduce a snippet or two of your own and let the players run with it? Or something else entirely? Anyways, the situation is sweet. I really like the 'reclaimed' apple orchard vibe. It gives the whole ancient dwarven mine thang a certain humble mystique.
...
Any maps? Any Dangers or Fronts in mind as you set up the Goblin Hole?

The first thing I should mention is that we were pretty sure this would be a one-shot, so we didn't get to involved in world-building off the PCs. I took a bunch of the Impressions and Custom Moves and built a general idea of the dangers the Goblin Hole hid and we jumped in.

Maps were really, really simple, literally a hand-drawn overhead map of passages and a throne room both done in simple crayon to give a feel for the directions. I did have a couple of Fronts in mind, but I mostly wanted to see which way they went and go from there.


7
Dungeon World AP: The Goblin Hole

Roster:

Me, Jim Crocker, as DM. I've played and run Apocalypse World reasonably extensively, but this was my first play experience with DW, though I did try to read this entire sub-forum for prep beforehand.

Seb (younger (mid-teens) player with RPG experience, but none with AW) played Uri the Elvish Wizard, (known to other spellcasters as 'Bluesteel') a scraggly-looking self-taught Elvish Mage whose spell book was tattooed all over his body. His parents were killed by a demon summoned by another magic-user named 'Redrune' His desire to conquer his fear of demons led him to seek to confront them, thus his adventuring career.
 {Spells: Identify and Magic Missile, NEUTRAL Alignment}

Kate (experienced story gamer with no AW or DW experience) played Mrs. Fell, the human Paladin. A small-framed but wiry and steely-eyed, silver-haired woman of indeterminate middle age, she serves the Order of Cahaustus, a mysterious and aloof knightly order who perform charitable deeds.She wears functional worn scale mail and a dinged but well-maintained helm and carries a simple but very effective maul into battle.
{Knightly Order has many secrets and values charity; Surplus: Knowledge and Petition: Money, GOOD Alignment}

Meg (a story game author and long-time gamer with a LOT of AW experience as both a player and MC, though none with DW) played Brinton the human Cleric. A somewhat simple lad sent off to the Monastery of Mogrim the Obscure, his mop of ginger hair and flabby frame conceal a gentle soul. He confronts evil in simple leather armor wielding a stout staff and the twisted tree-root symbol of the Patron of knowledge and health.
{Deity Domain: Healing & Restoration, Knowlege & Secrets; Petition: Gaining Secrets and Offering. Prepped Spell: Cure Light Wounds and Sanctuary, GOOD Alignment}

Sam (experienced story gamer and AW player with no DW play) chose Bug, the Halfling thief. He was asked to leave Halfling society fairly early in his life due to a certain moral flexibility, and has since found work as a thug and cut purse. He takes no great glee in his larcenous activities, nor does he find them distasteful, they are a way to make a good living doing something he has learned to be good at. His compact Halfling bow deals with the foes his blackened leather armored protects him from.
{EVIL Alignment}

Finally, Emily (also a story game author and long-time player with plenty of AW playtime though no DW play) was Brunhilda the Dwarven Fighter. Taught traditional Dwarven axe katas by her mother, she inherited the great axe-hammer Orkblut and a stout set of Dwarven chain.
{Weapon: Axe, Reach, Huge (+messy,+forceful), Well-Crafted (-1 Weight), Blood-Stained (Steel tinted red from centuries of goblin blood!), NEUTRAL alignment}

{We took some time for everyone to build PC per the rules, and I asked some background questions about family, outlook, and everyone told a bit about how they ended up associated with the party. There seemed to be some eagerness to jump the GM on bonds, but making sure we did a good round or two of question and answer really focused the eventual Bond-building!}

BONDS:

BUG:
Bug stole something from Mrs Fell (a relic from one of her Order's monasteries).
Brunhilda has Bug's back when things go wrong. (she gets him out of scrapes when they go drinking).
Uri knows incriminating details about Bug (he saw Bug lift the relic!).
Brunhilda and Bug have a con running. (Though Brunhilda doesn't know it; her good nature and loyalty to him helps cover his nasty habits pretty well).

BRINTON:
Bug has insulted  Brinton's deity (with his contempt for knowledge and occasional brutality).
Mrs Fell is a good and faithful person Brinton trusts implicitly (they have traveled together for some time now).
Brinton worries about Uri's ability to survive (given his strange magics and tales of demon summoners after him).
Brinton is working on converting Brunhilda to his faith (she is a good and loyal person who would be well-served by the grace of Mogrim).

BRUNHILDA:
Bug owes Brunhilda his life, whether he admits it or not (after she came to his aid in an alleyway fight where he was outnumbered).
Brunhilda has sworn to protect Uri (from the evil summoner Redrune).
Brunhilda worries about the ability of Brinton to survive in the deluge on (with only a staff and some happy words to protect him from monsters!).
Mrs Fell is soft, but Brunhilda will make her hard (by fattening her up and getting her to hit things with a blade!)!

MRS FELL:
Mrs Fell worries about the soul of Bug (she senses darkness there and has seen his casual larceny).
Brinton has stood by Mrs Fell in battle and is one of her closest friends (they have traveled together for some time, and shared harrowing adventures!).
Mrs Fell respects the beliefs of Brinton, but hopes hat he will someday see the true way (and perhaps leave the restrictions of the Clericy to join her Order).
Uri is a brave soul, and Mrs Fell has learned much from him (His knowledge of magic and demonic lore has helped her accomplish missions for the Order, and he perseveres in the face of a grave threat from a powerful enemy).

URI:
Bug will play an important role in events to come, Uri has foreseen it (spirits have told Uri that Bug will help him find the summoner Redrune).
Mrs Fell is keeping an important secret from Uri (She asks many questions, but reveals so little of herself, her Order and her history; she must be hiding something!).
Brinton is woefully misinformed about the world; Uri will teach him all that he can (He is too trusting and does not comprehend the dark forces that are all around that his God can't protect him from).

{With Bonds, and the connected background color, established, we highlighted stats:
Uri had INT and WIS
Mrs Fell had STR and CHA
Brunhilda had STR and CON
Brinton had CON and WIS
Bug had DEX and CHA}

A young human named Justin accosted the party in a river port town. The lad reported that goblins had been sighted lurking in the orchards of his home, a prosperous town to the North called Silverlost, a modestly-sized human settlement known for the applejack liquor it exported to the world. The settlement itself was something of a reclamation project; humans had moved into an abandoned Dwarven mining village, left behind when the silver ran out centuries ago. The mines were sealed and the Dwarves moved on, leaving behind sturdy stone houses and a deep well that were eventually cleaned out and put to good use.

The lad displayed ten gold coins bearing a centuries-old Dwarven stamp, and a tiny gem found amongst the apple trees as inducement, with promise of fair payment if the party helped root out the goblin threat.They agreed, and set off for Silverlost.

-----------------






8
Dungeon World / AP: The Goblin Hole
« on: January 08, 2012, 02:34:58 AM »
We played DW tonight, with an intrepid party of FIVE descending to explore the goblins' trap-infested warrens and confront their possessed king!

Full write up in the next few days, featuring Uri the Elf Wizard, Brinton the Human Cleric, Bug the Halfling Thief, Brunhilda the Dwarf Fighter, and Mrs. Fell the Human Paladin!

It was a great game, with lots to talk about.

9
Apocalypse World / Re: Why I hate Apocalypse World
« on: November 09, 2011, 11:17:17 PM »
So the provocative title of the thread bespeaks the problem of AW being such a tease.

Which it is, even after you've played through a 16-17 session campaign, really.

I hate Apocalypse World because I had to move to another state.

-JC

10
Apocalypse World / Re: Extended Mediography
« on: October 19, 2011, 11:52:58 PM »
For anyone in NYC this coming weekend, an Apocalyptic Film Festival!

http://io9.com/5851554/come-to-the-doomsday-film-festival-a-movie-party-devoted-to-the-apocalypse

-JC

11
Apocalypse World / Re: A couple questions about the Operator
« on: August 05, 2011, 12:26:08 AM »
That's helpful, yes!

Here's the question I am unclear on, and that's why anyone would actively seek to roll on Obligation gigs?

My best guess is that because if you do and get a hit, that means that whatever that gig is about can't bother you at all this session, while if you ignore it, the MC has it available as a threat to call in if one of her Moves allows? Otherwise, it seems like you'd never bother, because why risk it?

-JC

12
Apocalypse World / AP: Decimation City: Portrait!
« on: August 04, 2011, 02:54:55 AM »
And here's an amazing portrait of the PCs (and a troll!) by Bryant, who plays Jones the Brainer.


13
Apocalypse World / AP: Decimation City, Session 7
« on: August 04, 2011, 02:53:03 AM »
Six weeks have passed since the attack on the Tomorrow! building to rescue Adele.

Trout’s new Hardhold is not without its difficulties: {Wealth Roll=9, 1-Barter, Want-Disease}

Damson’s efforts to shore up the Sunset have met with few problems: {Moonlighting Roll=10, 2-Barter}

Adele wakes up alert and ready to be where she’s needed {Bonefeel Roll=8, Hold 1}

As the day begins, each of our heroes has to deal with their own problems:

Jones deals with the nocturnal intrusion of Foster by filling his brain with banal images and succeeds in boring through to wrench knowledge form his attacker {Love Letter Roll=10, Ask 3 Questions}.

Who is Foster working for? ‘The Psychonauts’
What information is he probing Jones’ brain to find? Whether the Psychonauts can use Jones in their machine.
Where can Jones find the Psychonauts? At Downtown Mercy Hospital

Adelethinks fast and manages to convince the Robotics Lab security system that she’s the mysterious Eliza {Love Letter Roll=12, Gain ‘Skilled Labor’ perk for Workspace} and secures the services of the other Orphans, Annie, Harry, and Bruce, small AI helper bots similar to Oliver.

Hammer is rattled by the coordinated attack of the Crocs and Trolls and can’t manage to toss the bomb far enough before it goes off {Love Letter Roll=6}. All of the Trolls are either killed or dive off the Bridge so that none are taken alive, and one of them makes it to the top of the Downtown Tower and blows himself up, destroying the top 20 feet of the tower and seriously damaging the structure of the Bridge along with killing Stinky.

Damson elects to just let the soothing tones of the PSAs wash over him and not fight at all. {Love Letter, no Roll}

Trout steps in and smacks down Layla but not before getting an elbow to the face himself, leaving a bruise bigger than a dinner plate. {Love Letter Roll=8, Take 1-Harm AP}

The new girls, Audry and Annette, turn out to be a couple of malnourished skinny jailbait from Spider’s crew. After getting fed, they explain that a week or so ago a crazy bitch with a mask came by and told Spider to get out of the party business. He laughed her out, and last night the entire theater collapsed into itself into the ground in huge cloud of dust, apparently killing everyone inside. They only survived because they were outside, and came here to see if Trout could shelter them. Trout agrees to keep them safe and sends them to go work in the Garden on the roof.

Meanwhile, Damson needs to find something for Ruby’s pregnancy-related pains and heads over to the Rainbow Bridge.

Jones tells Tavi not to worry about his nightmare, and with her blessing heads out to the Bridge himself after selecting his formal straight jacket {Seduce/Manip=10}

Hammer has left the Valkyries in Hooch’s capable hands and heads out to seek advice from ‘the Wizard’, and they all encounter each other in the streets near the Bridge. Damson is sent on to the Valks by Hammer, who has no narcotics on him at that particular moment. When he arrives, he passes on Hammer’s request to Domino, who rousts the Valks to scare up some painkillers for him with no real difficulty. {Hammer, Fucking Thieves=11}

In her lab, Adele takes stock of her new helpers: Bruce is a manipulator ’bot, with multiple legs and hands capable of fine motor control; Harry is anteater-like, long and sinuous with a prehensile tongue and highly flexible tail; Annie is a hummingbird-sized flying sensor ’bot. She sets them to work on the mysterious suitcase that apparently belonged to Tony Stark.

When she heads downstairs to speak to Ruby, she finds her mesmerized by one of Watcher’s Patterns on the TV. She resists the hypnotic effect of the swirling images {Custom Move: Resist a PSA, Roll=10, Immune to this Pattern} and takes stock of her options {Read a Sitch=11}. She comes to the conclusion that she better wake Ruby up right away [What to Look Out For?], that she might be able to hack the signals the PSAs are going out on [Where is the Enemy Vulnerable?], and that they’re almost certainly coordinating all this from the main Emergency Broadcasting Network Facility in the old City Center [What’s the enemy’s true position].

So she sends Annie off to find Trout and get him to send help to snap Ruby out of it without hurting her baby.

Jones and Hammer cross paths and they agree that a trip Downtown is in order. Jones wants to strike fear into their enemies, so decks Hammer out in a Wizard’s costume, complete with point hat. The Valks are very dubious, but Hammer convinces them to come along {Pack Alpha Roll=10}, so they mount up: Satan, Domino, Shooter, Crille, and Bullet, with Layla, Grace, and Heron tagging along.

The robot arrives at Tomorrow!, where it is greeted with suspicion by little Sister Squirt, who gets Trout when it asks for him. He listens to Adele’s message and corrals Sister Mary (a Midwife) to go help her, but something about Sister Mary’s attitude makes him hesitate {Read a Person=8} and he realizes as he ask her aout going to help Adele that she views the Savvyhead as a ‘Machine Priestess’ who trucks with aspects of the Apocalypse better left undisturbed [What is she Really Thinking]. After patiently reminding the Sister that Adele is why they have electricity, he sends her over to SPECTOR to help.

Damson returns to the Sunset to see Ruby transfixed by the TV and Adele trying to figure out how to help. He catches a glimpse of the TV {Custom Move=9, Take -1 Ongoing}, but Adele snaps him out of it before he gets too deeply involved {Assist Roll=10, Damson 9>10, so Immune to this PSA}. Damson walks to Ruby and touches her, then concentrates with all his might on her and their daughter {Open Your Brain Roll=9}. Adele sees him doing this and does her best to block the signal from the TV to help him concentrate {Assist Roll=12, Damson 9>10, so Good Detail on the Current Situation}. He manages to break through the Maelstrom to communicate with the singular intelligence that inhabits his unborn child. She asks him “What If this world is not all there is? There are many possible paths, and I have seen others. But if we leave, together, we will be free, but you friends will be less able to combat the Call of the Watchers.” Damson decides that safety for Ruby and his little girl are tantamount, and agrees to let her carry them away to another Possibility. Adele blinks, unable to recall why she came downstairs to the boarded-up and deserted first-floor restaurant. {Damson, Retire to Safety}.

At that moment, Philo awakes in his Cabinet of Curiosities shop and goes about his day, touching up, dusting, and generally getting a feel for what might look good in the shop. The Room of Restraints lets him know it really wants one of those blow-up collars they put on the crazies Downtown. {Horde Hunger Roll=8, 1 Hold, spent to Name a Thing Present}, so Philo suits up to head out and try to find one.

Trout sends a message through the Tubes (one seems to have been in his office all along without his noticing it) to Adele telling her that Sister Mary in on the way {Custom Move, Send a Tube Message Roll= 11, It arrives quickly and without any changes}, and the message arrives promptly. As it is whisked away, Little Sister Sprite arrives to breathlessly tattle to Trout that Rabbit and Must are about to kill one of the new girls. He arrives to find them holding Annette over the edge by her hair, insisting she is a ‘little junkie whore’ who tried to steal some drugs off of her. Trout calmly asks the girls who amongst them hasn’t sinned a bit and gets them to agree to let her live, just this once, after he assures them he’ll kill her himself is she steps out of line again {Seduce/Manipulate, Roll=11}, then turns Annette over to Sister Superior for a session of forced detox.

As the day wanes, Philo heads towards Bifrost to ask the Valks about a trip downtown, even as they ready themselves for an assault on the Hospital, Trout goes to check on the other new girl, and Adele sees the stern Sister Mary arrive at SPECTOR with some kind of pamphlet in her hand.

14
Apocalypse World / Re: AP ephemera: Appalachia, Windmills, Treehouses
« on: July 17, 2011, 02:43:43 AM »
Crap! Am I the only player in the game who can't draw?

Should I post up the pics I found and tweaked for the 'Jack's, Meg?

-JC

15
Apocalypse World / Re: Most and least popular playbooks?
« on: June 17, 2011, 01:53:42 AM »

Windmills - Hardholder turned Touchstone, Chopper turned Hardholder, Brainer turned Angel, Skinner turned Maestro'D.

The Chopper is actually still a Chopper, he just has a Holding. : )

-JC

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