Session 2 of the Glitter Ponies – The fire of the dockers.
So I wanted to post the second session my group of smugglers, who decided to name themselves the Glitter Ponies had.
As with before its about a group of six, made up of various workmates working with me in the tech industry and due to that people are often late or cant make it.
Operant – Cutter – Terrence
Ghost – Lurk – Charlie
Grandma – Cutter – Patrick
Drake – Spider – ANtonio
Crow – Whisper – Nicko
Professor – Leech – Nick
The scene opens at the boat house, the crew boat (which is counted as a cohort with the flaw of distinct), the Millennium Dolphin clearly in shot with a mural across it of the professor along the theme of the mural on Kreigger’s van from archer (either like: http://simhq.com/forum/files/usergals/2015/06/full-93-105180-18emyuph3tmzwjpg.jpg or https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c1/30/e2/c130e2cd13a3b153b074f06c5fd46e17.jpg we are not sure). With the words “The Professor’s totally leggit science vessel” printed along the top.
We cut to the crew discussing the raid on the derailed train that they decided on last night. Crow and Professor are no where to be seen and the crew are worried.
Grandma, “Im not saying it’s a bad idea to go into the deathlands which are filled with ghosts and demons with no whisper or leech, but those dockers messed with us I want break some of their heads.”
Without the characters who do the spooky stuff the crew was starting to have second thoughts about heading into a wasteland filled with ghosts and demons. Also only the Professor could drive his boat as is was finicky and miss behaved without him at the wheel.
The crew remembered dockers trying to shake them down as the complication last session and decided they wanted to kick their heads in instead. They decided to knock over a docker import holding imports.
Ghost, “I know this Tycheros guy, another displaced noble with fled with us with us out of Tycheros to avoid the mob, good guy, he might be able to help us.”
Cut to Drake, “Yeah I can help you out I know just the guy.”
Drake and Ghost’s families fled Tychoros when their noble families ended on the wrong side of court politics, flying to duskvol for their lives. The two struck up a friendship and although side immigrating to duskvol their lives have taken different turns they have never lost contact.
Drake’s contact was August, a senior architect. years earlier August was competing with another architect Jonny. Drake used his connections with the other nobles to spread rumors that Jonny was a pediphile, making August a shoe in for the role. August has owned Drake ever since.
Drake met his August, in a fancy restaurant (for which he made August pay) to get information about the Dockers holding warehouses..
He crit his consort. so I asked him what kind of success he wanted from that. We decided the August not only had the blue prints, he also bitterly complained that they “Ruined the beautiful flow of my building by forcing those awful secret rooms into the floor above throwing the energy of the whole place off”.
Not happy with just the plans Ghost went to prowl to observe the ware house. He noticed that there are no standard guards just a group of dockers smoking and talking around each of the entrances. He also noted that where ever a shipment came in, there would be a rush of chaos as the dockers bring stock into the clear house.
The crew decided this would be the best time to strike.
Just as they were about to start the player who plays the whisper arrived, the crew decided to stick to the new plan.
The plan was to load up crates with false tops hidden in the bottoms, oily rags and over the top they spread a coin worth of treasure.
They would then enter we a shipment came in claiming to be sent it to put the treasure in the back room (as they knew exactly where the secret room was).
Setting up some kind of fire to cover their tracks.
The crew got inside the warehouse with no problems, However when they started heading up to restricted area at the top of the stairs. They were confronted by the overseer, who wanted to know who they were and why they were there. The crew told him that the ‘captain’ told them bring the stuff in. They convinced him, but I started a clock as they told a devils bargain that he would find this ‘captain’ and confirm their story.
From there they found the secret room quickly.
Crow wanted to atune to find any spirit essences, I made a fortune roll “where the bodies are buried”, to see if there are any angry ghosts as a result of the dealings. I got a six. So I said there were which would make the attune a desperate roll, if the desparate consequence being they would wake the angry ghosts who would try and posses the whisper. The spider, Drake used his foresight ability to give another dice saying that he had looked into the history of the place and found rumors that an entire crew of sailors had gone missing around here while the warehouse was being built and the rumors are they construction was used as cover for their mass grave.
Crow then made his atune roll and found a crate of spirit essences.
The crew grabbed the spirit essences and looted what coin they could find, starting a small fire.
Crow decided he wanted to ‘help’ the fire. He poured the entire contents of his oil lamp on the fire. Again I rolled a fortune roll, “burn baby burn” I got a six. The result was the fire flared out singeing (level 1 harm which the crew resisted) the entire crew and setting the fire to be out of control.
After than the crew started to try and sneak out. It all went well until they where noticed by a door guard. The Operant tried to bluff his way past, taking the devils bargain that the guard would remember him.
We succeeded with the consequences that after they got past that he would notice there was something strange with the crates and follow them to investigate (with a gang of thug in hand).
The Operant went to resist this, unfortunately maxing his stress. As mechanically he couldn’t be in the encounter, but the resist meaning they were free to go, I ruled he threw his create of treasure at the guard and ran off leading them on a chase.
As a result of this the Operant is now paranoid that people are after him. As an interesting side note after the score Terence, the player who plays the Operant then commented I’m starting to think this game is too easy (despite the fact that he all ready had one trauma by the second session)
To reduce heat the crew framed the guard (setup action prowl and then sway to convince the blue coats it was him). The dockers caught up with him, tortured him and his family to death. The guard couldn’t give up who his follow conspirators where (because he was framed) but as he recognized the Operant he gave him up before he died.
The blue coats then to questioned the Operant who broke down into a paranoid gibbering mess bribing them with three coin to just leave him be.
Conclusions:
Even though everyone is still learning the system I think everyone had fun.
The players started to show an interest in a wider story and getting to know more about the world.
I plan on starting faction clocks and added extra depth to the world to make it more of a breathing living thing that my players are interacting with.
Lessons learned:
If you dont care about trauma and just burn through stress apparently it is easy.
Stressing to the players that they are in control and I will respond to them leads to some fun roleplay.
حلو كلش كلشكلش