Friday, December 20, 2013

Wordslingin'

Look, ma, Our Heroes (tm) attended a party and nobody died! How novel!


[Georges the GM gives a brief recap of last session.]
Georges the GM: "Regarding Bhakir, after looking into it and calling on your connections, i.e.--"
Julie: "Radsley?"
Georges the GM: "Also Bill."

[As you might recall, there's a fancy party going on for the Olympic sponsors, which we would like to attend.]
Georges the GM: "Now, you did not supply for the Olympics, but..."
Julie: "But we could supply for their next party!"
Georges the GM: "Yes. So long as money is involved, you could get in."

[Tickets to get into the party are quite expensive: 10,000 dinar a plate. On the other hand...]
Brock: "Not everybody who goes has to eat."

[With regards to the expensive entry tickets.]
Brock: "I'll call Radsley and let him know we need 20,000 dinar."
Georges the GM: "He suggests you find another way in."

[We contemplate other ways to get in.]
Zac: "So, wait, we're gonna be escorts?"
Georges the GM: "None of you is pretty enough to be an escort."

[Back to Plan A for getting in.]
Brock: "We're gonna save effort by spending money."

[The plan shall be that Lyta and Lukas get tickets, while Fennec and Torgath pretend to be our staff. But what sort of staff should they be?]
Georges the GM: "Do you have the drive skill?"
Zac: "No."
Georges the GM: "Then you won't be a very good getaway driver."
Zac: "Where I come from, we don't have roads..."

[Meanwhile, we send Torgath and Fennec to scout the home where the party is being held. They immediately encounter a small obstacle.]
Georges the GM: "There are fences about a half-kilometer away from the house."
Ariel: "So what you're saying is we need to paraglide in."

[Georges the GM describes the obstacle.]
Georges the GM: "It's pointy at the top and it's tall."
Brock: "The two things you want in a fence!"

[The walls are pretty much the only security feature around the perimeter, which is better than it might have been, at least for us.]
Ariel: "Aside from terrorists, she doesn't have much to worry about."

[Having scouted the venue, we decide to see if there's a way to dead-drop some equipment nearby, just in case. The ideas get a little bit... interesting.]
Brock: "Robots that bring us our gear! It is the future!"
Georges the GM: "The robot could be a dirigible with a GPS tracker."
Zac: "I like that idea."
Georges the GM: "Use it as your own!"

[Fennec is a bit concerned about the equipment we're placing in our dirigible drone.]
Fennec: "Are we going to a party or to war?"
Lyta: "The two aren't as separate as you might think."
Fennec: "So this is how you party, huh?"
Lyta: "There's a reason I have a flak corset."

[We continue to plan for the equipment to go in our dirigible.]
Julie: "I'm gonna suggest that if we need gas masks, things have gone horribly, horribly wrong?"
Brock: "Yes."
Georges the GM: "If you don't bring them, you'll definitely need them."

[We're getting to the end of our 8 kg of dirigible payload.]
Zac: "Do we still have an unclaimed kilogram in our dirigible?"
Georges the GM: "You do."
Zac: "Can we fill it with..."
Georges the GM: "Snacks?"

[Next issue: how to arrive? All the rental limousines have already been rented by other people.]
Lukas: "We don't have a car."
Fennec: "We could drive up in our jeep!"
Lukas: "Yeah, no."

[Lyta remembers that there are horses and carriages available to rent at the Olympic facility.]
Brock: "Forget this carriage thing -- get me chariots!"
Zac: "We're going 'Hunger Games,' aren't we?"

[Lyta goes to get a horse and carriage.]
Lyta: "What's my budget?"
Lukas: "In a rare twist, less is more."

[We try to figure out what's up with the bottles that we have been told will be delivered tonight.]
Brock: "The bottles could be gifts, they could be part of the service, or they could be used for some other purpose, though I don't know what."
Julie: "They don't have red labels, so they're probably not explosive."

[We get dressed for the party.]
Brock: "We're going with Badlands country gentlefolk clothes."
Zac: "So the fancy flak?"

[More of the same.]
Georges the GM: "The flak corset gives 10 points of armor."
Brock: "The rest of you, don't get shot."

[Fennec doesn't really have armor for the occasion. Thankfully, there are other alternatives.]
Georges the GM: "Fennec is Build 0, so she could fit in Lyta's flak."
Zac: "Whew! Now I can get shot!"

[In addition to getting dressed, we also get disguised.]
Brock: "Disguise check of 7."
Ariel: "So now you don't even have pock-marks?"
Brock: "Nope! I look like Riker!"

[We prepare to enter the party. It's a big meet-and-greet networking event for people who want to do business in the Humanist Alliance, and supplying the Olympics in particular.]
Zac: "You should use this for legitimate business purposes."
Ariel: "If only we had a legitimate business."
Brock: "We do."
Ariel: "I mean a profitable business."
Brock: "That's next."

[We arrive at the party. There's quite a lot of discreet security, but nothing overt.]
Georges the GM: "It leaves you all at ease... or at least it's meant to."

[Fennec brings our horse and carriage around back, acting as our groom.]
Zac: "I just wanted to confirm what the plan was, now that we're in the midst of it. As usual."

[The plan is for Fennec to scout the servants' areas and Torgath to scout the public areas, and then to meet up to access our hostess's private computer.]
Zac: "So whether he's done scouting or not, we'll meet at that time?"
Brock: "He will be done by then. Because he'll be efficient."

[Fennec begins her part of the plan.]
Zac: "I mingle with the common folk, who are probably still less common than I am."

[Fennec catches sight of Bhakir in the guise of a caterer. There are three other people with him.]
Georges the GM: "You can't tell much about the other people. They..."
Julie: "Are not Build 3."

[Downstairs in the main building is a sort of club scene, with a DJ playing electronica and women in high-cut skirts.]
Ariel: "Is this the sexiest party we've ever been to?"
Julie: "Well, in the Humanist Alliance."

[We notice that there is relatively little by way of cameras or surveillance on the inside of the building.]
Brock: "You know they're criminals."
Julie: "Or deal with criminals."
Brock: "Which makes them criminals."

[Fennec and Torgath rendezvous to share information... what little they have of it.]
Fennec: "Do we have a location on the computer?"
Torgath: "Uh... the second floor?"

[Brock reminds Zac and Ariel what the plan was.]
Brock: "You were supposed to collaborate, as our resident thief and our resident sneaky person."

[More of the same.]
Brock: "This is the part where you guys do this part of the mission."

[Fennec scouts the east wing of the main building to see if there's an easy entry point.]
Zac: "I'm gonna casually sneak to that side..."

[Fennec reaches the east wing. There are far fewer people here, just a young couple making out, whom Fennec avoids.]
Georges the GM: "You can hear the geese-like sound of crowds to the north and south."

[The good news is there's a balcony on the east wing. The bad news is there's no convenient way to reach it.]
Ariel: "Clearly you need to MacGyver a ladder out of deck chairs and young people clothing."

[Meanwhile, Torgath is trying to get a view of the servants' entrance to the main building, where we suspect there may be a secondary staircase to the upper floor. Sadly, access is proving more difficult than anticipated.]
Servant: "I'm sorry, sir, the main entrance is back that way."
Zac: (to Ariel) "You forgot your clipboard!"

[Attempt #2: Torgath enters the butler's kitchen under the ruse of needing to talk to the head waiter about his boss's shellfish allergy.]
Ariel: "Once I identify who I need to speak to, I intentionally go the other direction."

[Torgath is eventually approached by the head waiter.]
Ariel: "I'll... do the thing about shellfish."

[Torgath is being his usual obtuse self.]
Brock: "Y'know, if you're gonna create a scene, you should coordinate with Fennec."

[The waiter is losing patience with Torgath.]
Torgath: "Anglic?"
Head Waiter: "Yes, I understand Anglic. Do you speak it?"
Torgath: "...Sometimes."

[Torgath asks about shellfish in the food.]
Head Waiter: "Is there someone with a dietary restriction?"
Torgath: "I don't know. I was just supposed to ask it."

[Sadly, all the Torgath really takes away from his conversation with the waiter is that the platters are color-coded based on the type of food they contain. He excitedly reports back to Lukas.]
Torgath: "This reminds of Gang War, where the gangs wear different colors, but this is more useful!"

[More of the same.]
Torgath: "This is so smart!"
Lukas: "So, I notice you're not on the second floor."

[Torgath and Fennec yet again reconvene.]
Ariel: "I'll tell Fennec everything I learned. The one thing I learned."
Georges the GM: "About the dishes being color-coded?"

[Georges the GM gives us an idea for a distraction. It's not necessarily a good idea.]
Georges the GM: "Since it's a well-known fact that all NPCs run toward explosions..."

[The plan is for Torgath to be a distraction to allow Fennec to get up the servants' stairs.]
Zac: "I think Grizz needs to be clumsy and infuriating."
Ariel: "Which is not difficult for me."
Brock: "You need to insist on something he will never provide."

[Torgath goes back to speak to the head waiter.]
Georges the GM: "Roll theatrics."
Brock: "Theatrics is required for lying. I'm not sure being a pain in the ass requires theatrics."

[Fennec slips up the stairs as Torgath distracts the head waiter.]
Georges the GM: "At the top of the stairs you find a guard."
Zac: "Is he aware of my presence?"
Georges the GM: "He is now."

[Fennec plays the 'I'm nauseous and need a bathroom' card. For a moment, the guard seems to buy it.]
Georges the GM: "He goes for his walkie-talkie. Roll initiative."

[Fennec considers her options.]
Zac: "How easy is it to knock someone out in this system?"
Julie: "What's your Hand-to-Hand?"
Zac: "2/+2."
Julie: "You can't do it."

[Fennec is still considering what to do about the guard.]
Zac: "This could go very badly. You guys are used to things going very badly."
Brock: "We always win! This is your moment of glory!"

[From the department of running jokes...]
Brock: (to Zac) "Take off your top!"
Julie: "You guarantee it won't fail?"

[We contemplate Fennec's chances if this turns to combat.]
Brock: "If he's a Protector, he's gonna kick your ass."

[Fennec pretends that she's going to throw up RIGHT NOW.]
Georges the GM: "He puts his arm under Fennec and leads her to a bathroom."
Zac: "All right! Now he can beat me up in the bathroom!"

[Fennec tries to grab the guard's gun from its holster.]
Zac: "I'm not so concerned about him noticing, so long as he notices after it's in my hand."

[Fennec grabs the guard's gun. Georges the GM isn't sure if the guard notices. It's a near thing.]
Georges the GM: "Give me a moment. I'm gonna look at the GM guide on mooks."

[Fennec has the gun. She attempts to shoot the guard. He dodges.]
Zac: "On the plus side, at least I still have the gun."
Brock: "Which is always better than not having one."

[Combat ensues.]
Zac: "We can have a close-quarters Jason Bourne fight in the bathroom."
Brock: "Sadly, you're not Jason Bourne."

[Because the sfika pistol must penetrate the guard's armor, Fennec is having a hard time getting a dart to connect properly.]
Zac: "Wow, it's getting so you can't hit someone in a small room anymore!"

[Fennec is getting frustrated with her inability to dart the guard.]
Zac: "Why does everyone wear flak in this world?!"
Brock: "For exactly this reason."

[Fennec continues to fail to knock out the guard.]
Brock: "Keep doing what you're doing."
Julie: "This is still the plan."

[The fight has now gone on for 20-25 seconds, with Fennec still failing to knock out the guard.]
Georges the GM: "I want to share an idea -- it may not be a good one."
Zac: "Have I just become the distraction?"
Brock: "I will point out that you're winning."

[The fight continues.]
Brock: "You cannot count on mooks to surrender in reasonable circumstances, like when you're holding a gun to his head. That has been our experience."

[At long last, Fennec knocks out the guard and begins searching for the computer. Meanwhile, Lukas and Lyta have noticed Benelice at the party.]
Benelice Matu: "Remind me, have we met before?"
Lukas: "I don't think so."

[Conversation ensues.]
Benelice Matu: "I see you are a man who choses his words very specifically."
Lukas: "I try to be... representative."
Benelice Matu: "Not accurate?"
Lukas: "Accuracy can be relative."

[We request for Benelice to introduce us to our hostess, Theresa Vendar. Georges the GM double-checks his notes.]
Georges the GM: "Theresa Vendar... late 40s... pretentious and vulgar..."

[The conversation with Ms. Vendar is very brief.]
Lukas: "We're actually looking to expand our retail operation."
Theresa Vendar: (dismissively) "I'm sure that's very interesting. Benelice, nice seeing you. Enjoy the hors d'oeuvres." *leaves*
Benelice Matu: "...As you can see, a charming lady."

[Upstairs, Fennec has had some luck.]
Zac: "I'll send a text informing them that I've found a football... or our lunch."

[Lukas decides to cause a distraction with the waitstaff to allow Torgath to slip upstairs and help Fennec. Sadly, he doesn't roll very well on his distractingness.]
Brock: "I'll be more belligerent than Todd was."
Georges the GM: "Of course you are, but they're more used to that, so it's easier to ignore."

[Fennec has found the computer and is attempting to find the information she needs on it.]
Zac: "I'll spend another die like they're going out of style."

[Fennec hits what she thinks is paydirt.]
Georges the GM: "You find a voice recording."
Brock: "'Evil plan.'"

[Sadly, just as Fennec is finishing up with the computer, the guard she knocked out is spotted by other members of the security team.]
Fennec: (by text) "The hens have been spooked."
Lukas: "Grab something valuable, then leave."
Lyta: "Don't get caught."

[Torgath is discovered by the guards. He still has his back to them. He considers his next move.]
Brock: "Why wouldn't you just leave?"
Ariel: "...Okay."

[Torgath and Fennec jump off the second-floor balcony. They now have a half-kilometer to reach the walls.]
Zac: "We never have an exfil plan, do we?"

[Torgath and Fennec make a run for it.]
Georges the GM: "It's dark, and they don't have hounds to release on you."

[Meanwhile, Lyta and Lukas are still at the party. They don't want to leave too soon, lest they appear suspicious. Also...]
Ariel: "You dropped 20k on plates."
Zac: "I hope you at least ate."


And that's it for now. Join us in the new year when it's time for yet another party, this one for the volunteers of the Olympics. On the up-side, it's less high-brow. On the down-side, we have no reason to be there. Oh, well. I'm sure it'll work itself out.




Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game

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