Friday, March 16, 2012

Wordslingin'

Last night's mission, should we choose to accept it: Find Bradwick, former CFO of WestCorp, and pump him for information. Naturally, nothing is ever that simple. While waiting for specific coordinates, we passed the time getting hazed by a regional gang. Once on the train, we were faced with the inopportune discovery of the bodies of Bradwick's bodyguards and Lyta's near-capture by Northern MILICIA forces. So, all in a day's work...

[We receive our mission briefing from Ti Corovan: find Bradwick, neutralize his Forzi protection, and pump him for information. Of course, one always needs specific clarification...]
Torgath: "Is it okay if some of the Forzi accidentally fall on bullets?"

[We are very good at gunslinging, to the point where we often kill our targets instead of wounding them.]
Georges the GM: "You guys should start taking called shots."
Brock: "We should practice this. Shoot Ti."

[We are flown out to a little town called Nicely, which is mostly used by smugglers and other ne'er-do-wells.]
Julie: "Is this a private charter?"
Georges the GM: "Yes."
Julie: "Then we take guns."

[The price for a motel room in Nicely seems higher than we'd normally pay.]
Torgath: "How much for sleeping on your roof?"

[The only place of note in town is a micro-brew called the Confectionery. When we go in for breakfast, there are about 30-35 patrons, including a small contingent of GRELs.]
Brock: "We will steer Lyta to the table furthest from the GRELs."
Julie: "Good plan, good plan..."

[Slick, the owner/waiter, comes to take our order.]
Lukas: "What do the people who don't ask for the special get?"
Slick: "Usually the liquefied nutro-protein shake."
Lukas: "...We'll have the special all around."

[Having breakfast, we're approached by a teen girl called Candy, though her real name is Calisteria, named after the protagonist from one of the books Torgath has read.]
Ariel: "What's the character of Calisteria like?"
Georges the GM: "Sort of the strong, silent..."
Julie: "So totally unlike the girl at our table?"
Georges the GM: "Yeah."

[We're approached by a local ruffian named Pinky, who decides to start picking on Lukas.]
Pinky: "Candy, I'll tell your ma you've been hanging out with this type o' folk. What type o' folk are you, anyway?
Lukas: "Private folk."

[Lukas is getting annoyed with Pinky's bullying.]
Brock: "I want to stand up, gun on him, and deliver a monologue."

[Lukas delivers his monologue.]
Lukas: "Now, I don't want to kill you, but I will, 'cause I like my breakfast. And I get downright ornery if I don't get my breakfast."

[Lukas offers Pinky the opportunity to join us at breakfast instead of getting into a shootout. He accepts.]
Pinky: "You're a gentleman, offerin' me the chance not to watch you die and stuff."

[We inform Pinky that we're in town looking for work.]
Pinky: "What kinda work you lookin' for?"
Lukas: "The kind that pays."

[Later that night, we return to the Confectionery. I'm using my tea mug as a prop, but clearly I've misjudged.]
Calisteria: "Can I get you a drink?"
Lyta: "I thought this was a drink."
Calisteria: "That's a girl's drink."
Torgath: "She is a girl."

[The local gang offers us a chance to go through "The Challenge" to be accepted into their ranks.]
Calisteria: "...And hopefully no one gets hurt."
Lyta: "I find that unlikely."
Lukas: "I think someone getting hurt is inevitable."

[We are introduced to Tatsugoro, the master of ceremonies, who explains more about The Challenge.]
Tatsugoro: "The challenge is of skill, luck, and audacity. You must pass all three."
Lukas: "Sounds like it was made for us. Except the luck part."

[First up, Torgath. Some prickly pears are placed in Calisteria's outstretched hands and on her head, and Torgath must skewer them with a throwing knife.]
Pinky: "Aim for the prickly pears, not the pretty girl."
Torgath: "So what are the rules?"
Lukas: "I think that was them."

[Lyta's challenge is "pool cue jousting" on tables, the aim of the game being to pull out a handkerchief from your opponent's back pocket. Thankfully, pool cues are very close to quarterstaves...]
Brock: "It's always nice when the other team chooses a challenge that you have a specialization in."
Georges the GM: "The other team does try to be accommodating like that."

[Lyta is pool cue jousting against Tatsugoro, who is very good. Maybe even as good as Lyta. Pinky offers Lukas a bet.]
Lukas: "You want to bet against my sister? You're braver than you look."

[Having decided that Torgath's was the test of audacity and Lyta's the test of skill, that leaves only Lukas with the test of luck.]
Brock: "Luck is my only weakness... other than appearance."

[Lukas' challenge is to win the shell game against Slick. He catches Slick palming an extra ball.]
Tatsugoro: "Are you suggesting that he cheated you?"
Lukas: "I'm suggesting I wasn't aware of all the rules of this challenge."

[Calisteria plucks Torgath's spiffy dart pistol from his holster.]
Calisteria: "I've never seen one of these before."
Torgath: "Me either. Can I have it back, please?"

[Because breakfast was so horrible, we take extras from dinner to eat in the morning.]
Ariel: "We use the secret Koreshi preserving techniques."
Brock: "We wrap it in tin foil."

[We are informed that Bradwick is on a train to Mainz. After we board, Calisteria calls us to let us know we have a tail: four Kolsons who probably mean us no good.]
Lyta: "Well, that complicates things."
Lukas: "How much does it complicate things?"
Lyta: "Depends on how discreet we're trying to be."

[It turns out that Tatsugoro is on the same train as we are. He offers us a job in his courier company.]
Ariel: "It's funny: we're always looking for jobs, but jobs are never lacking. Maybe we should stop looking."

[Lyta informs Tatsugoro of our Kolson tail.]
Tatsugoro: "Why are the Kolsons after you?"
Lyta: "Because they don't like us."
Tatsugoro: "What have you done?"
Lyta: "...Stuff that makes them not like us."

[The bodies of two men -- likely Bradwick's escort -- are found in one of the first-class cars. As the PCs try to decide what to do, the cars are occupied by the Northern MILICIA and put into lockdown.]
Lukas: "There we are, losing the initiative."

[Lyta climbs up on to the roof of the train car to try to get a look into the various rooms. Torgath tries to follow but isn't as acrobatically skilled. He returns to the PCs' room.]
Torgath: "Is there anything else I can be doing?"
Lukas: "Pray. Pray that nothing else goes wrong."

[Lyta slips into the room we suspect Bradwick may have been using, even though he is no longer there. Sadly, she is spotted escaping by one of the MILICIA men, and then proceeds to roll horribly on her "getting out of there" acrobatics checks to get back to our room.]
Brock: "If you fall off the train, I guess they won't find you."

[Lyta finally returns to the PCs' room, quickly changes clothes, and stuffs the clothes she's been spotted in into her duffel bag.]
Ariel: "If they check our duffel bags, we're fucked."
Julie: "If they check our duffel bags, they'll find the assault weapons."
Ariel: "That's what I meant."


And that's it for this week. Next week: The thrilling heroics continue! Hopefully with less botching!



Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game

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