AP:Longneck

So, what happened this game:

Something weird is going on with the Maelstrom. Proust blacked out and when he woke up he was covered in these static maggots. Ozair goes into the maelstrom to find out whats going on and gets trapped inside a black and white TV. He pushes his way out of the TV and into some different Maelstrom paradigm and ends up getting the shit kicked out of him by a crew of stockbroker looking guys.

Sorrow goes into the Maelstrom after him and drags him out, but they bring some of the stockbrokers with them somehow and they appear as static phantoms.

Meanwhile Proust is confronted by Amalia about being in cahoots with a slaver, so Proust confronts Fleece about it and calls her out. No more slavery. Fleece makes a not-so-subtle threat.

Ozair, back relatively safe, uses the iCoils in his workshop to make Longneck safe from the psychic maelstrom. It's not going to hold up, but it'll work until things can get fixed.

Proust, Sorrow, Iris, and Ozair start scheming to deal with Fleece. Sorrow gets a disguise and is planning a trip to Criner's hardhold to get his follower's back. Iris is going to use her connection to Norvell and maybe get some in-brain puppet strings. Though her connetion to Norvell might be a bit fuzzy after they got it on and psychic feedback made Norvell have a seizure and gave her a nosebleed.

So, out of game, I've recognized I'm having a problem ratcheting up intensity. I've talked to a couple of the players about it and reviewed the rules, and I think my problem is primarily with the Moves Snowball and using moves to set up harder moves. I suspect I do a lot of announcing future badness with no follow-through. I'm gonna start looking at moves as initiation a series of moves rather than one-offs and before I drop one at least consider how it could be used to make a much harder move.

We have about two more games left before Ozair's player leaves us. Then we'll see what happens.

Well, Bret keeps bringing the epic tension to the table. Last night was once again awesome.

So anyway, Proust and Sorrow have decided to follow Ozair's critically awful advice and head to Crine's hardhold, where they hope to free Sorrow's former followers. Proust has patched things up with Amalia and Jesus, and the four manage to sneak out past Fleece's increasing patrols.

Iris wants to try and patch things up with Norvell, but Norvell isn't having any of that bullshit: "normally when I fuck someone I don't get a 6-hour nosebleed afterward! Leave me alone! I'm cleaning my guns!"

Ozair encounters the mysterious "static man" again and convinces him -- after Proust and Sorrow have left, mind you -- he convinces the static man to go and invade the people at Crine's hardhold and leave Long Neck alone.

So when Proust and Sorrow arrive at the slavers' fortress, they're besieged by three people apparently possessed by more of the static men. Proust is relieved to find that they're afraid of his big-ass magnum, and he waves them back. Sorrow opens his brain to the maelstrom, and he can see dozens of these weird beings climbing the holding walls, inhabiting other bodies, etc.

Criner, it turns out, has heard of Proust. Because you know, Proust has a reputation and stuff. It also turns out that he's heard of Sorrow and thinks maybe he should just throw Sorrow off the roof of the tower. Sorrow tries to convince Criner that these invisible static men are invading his home, and says, well, if this is true, then maybe I won't kill you.

Iris goes to try and convince Fleece that Crine's hardhold is a threat and she should attack them, but Fleece isn't having any of that. What she does want is for Iris to find out about this robot that Ozair's been building. She wants it from him.

Ozair finishes the robot and announces to the crowd that it's for sale, to which Jackabacka says I beg your fucking pardon, this is mine. Fleece's expression is unreadable.

I probably forgot a few things.

 

Next session will be our wrap-up session! Then we'll probably be starting a new campaign. I am excited about next session and also about the new game.

Last night: TEH FINALE!!1

Sorrow's player wasn't able to make it until very late, so poor Proust (poor, poor Proust, oh woe) is basically in among the crazy slavers all by his lonesome. So he manages to convince Criner to ride out to Long Neck and demand tribute, with his whole gang.

By the way, I  wish AW had a "they believe the lie" move. We were talking about this in play. There's no way to convince an NPC or another player.  I mean, you can read a person and find out if they're lying, but there's nothing that sweetens the deal for believing what they say. Maybe nobody in AW trusts anyone by default, but how do I play a smooth talker without having to be one?

Anyway, so Proust ALSO convinces Criner that the slaves he got from Long Neck would probably gladly fight by his side if it gave them the chance to exact revenge. So his gang is bolstered by a good 40 people, all like fuck yeah let's kill those fuckers.

Back in Long Neck, Fleece has captured Baa, who knows way too much about Ozair and Iris' plans. Fleece tells Iris to scan his brain and find out the truth. Iris sees all the hate in Baa's soul, how he wants Proust to suffer, like, a lot. So she uses that info to spin a lie (another lie to sell) about how Baa is just trying to take revenge and mess everything up in Long Neck.

Iris goes and buys a fancy thing and gives it to Norvell in the hope that it will convince Norvell to take her back. And it does. No matter what the MC thinks.

So here's this big motorcade of death, rolling up on Long Neck, and Criner says to Proust, go and be my herald. So Proust rides up on his motorcycle, with Amalia riding behind him (if you picture that as looking totally hot, you're picturing it right). Just as he pulls up and takes in the situation, some jackass former follower of Sorrow gets antsy and starts shooting, and OMG it all just goes to shit. Proust tries to make a break for it, all "RRRRRRRR" on the motorcycle, but Amalia takes a hit and falls off, so he has to turn around and go back for her. And there he is, in the middle of a fucking battle, crouched behind some old industrial A/C unit.

Iris is up in one of the towers with Norvell and Fleece, and she unleashes some fuckery on those who would try to storm the tower. Let's just say when you try to climb up the ladder, you put yourself and your fingers and eyes in a very scalpely position.

Proust sees that Amalia is fucking dying! Dying! So he can't just sit out the battle. He grabs her, throws her over his shoulder and charges toward the wall, toward the only medic he knows, inside Long Neck. He gets shot up a bit but manages to get through a weak point during the fighting, where Joe's Girl finds him, and just as Ozair shows up and does his neat Angel-style healing.

Ozair tells Proust that both leaders need to die or this is all for nothing, so Proust heads back toward the battle. Criner is at the foot of the tower where Fleece is entrenched, and Ozair fires a couple pot shots at Criner so Proust can sneak around and flank.

Sorrow's player shows up at just the right time and makes his move, frenzying his loyal followers to deliver Fleece unto him! Proust jumps out of cover and tries to blast Criner, but Criner ducks inside a tent.

Ozair fires up the robot and tries to go after Criner, but Isle, Criner's #2, jumps onto the robot and is all hacking at Ozair with a big knife. Proust says fuck it and charges into the tent, guns a blazing. Criner jumps him and they struggle, but Proust manages to shoot Criner dead.

At this point, with both hardholders dead, Proust marks experience and chooses his sixth move: a new playbook. He becomes the new hardholder of Criner's old place with Amalia as his queen, or something like that.

When Fleece, Norvell and Iris are captured, Iris says "fuck this shit" and fights her way out with Norvell. They end up roaming the wasteland happily ever after.

Ozair leaves Long Neck in the hands of Sorrow and joins Proust at his new hardhold to help make it a functional, non-slavey kind of place.

THE END!

I felt like there were too many happy endings, but you should have seen how these guys were rolling. There were only 3 rolls the whole game that were not a 10+. It was crazy.

I am trying to convince Carly to scan the drawings she did of chibi Iris and Norvell.

I felt like there were too many happy endings

Man, I dunno. I think we earned it. I didn't think Proust's life was in much danger, as PCs are pretty tough, but I worried that Amalia would die, and I think Iris worried about Norvell.

That's my takeaway for the wednesday game. Don't aim directly at the characters. Aim next to them.

Oh, I think you earned it too. And I was happy the dice were in your favor when it counted.

Also, I forgot the goddamn harm moves again.

I love it when you manage to time that last advancement so that you can turn a situation into something really cool - like becoming the new Hardholder with the old ones dead!

Bret, it's useful seeing you fret about the things you think you're doing wrong.  Thanks!

Hahaha. Oh geez.

Last night: TEH FINALE!!1
By the way, I  wish AW had a "they believe the lie" move. We were talking about this in play. There's no way to convince an NPC or another player.  I mean, you can read a person and find out if they're lying, but there's nothing that sweetens the deal for believing what they say. Maybe nobody in AW trusts anyone by default, but how do I play a smooth talker without having to be one?

"Seduce or manipulate" wouldn't work?  The leverage might be the NPC asking the PC to go with him.

The way we've been doing it is either a manipulate or an act under fire (where the fire is the NPCs discerning ear for bullshit) depending on what the PC is trying to accomplish.