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Post by JohnK on Feb 4, 2010 16:00:41 GMT
Hullo, Null and Void, Thank you. Much appreciated that someone is reading those posts of mine. Concerning Story Points. My players are still getting the hang of them... they are extremely reluctant to hinder themselves. They also seem to believe that paying a single story point should allow them to succeed at anything.... they haven't quite grasped the 'levels of success' concept quite yet. I can't say that I'm surprised by the fact that the players are still struggling to get the hang of the use of Story Points, and having to get into a frame of mind where they're willing to hinder their characters. I guess it's really an adjustment to some extent for some players. Depends on the type of games they've played in the past. The "Levels of Success" is another matter entirely. I think they're pretty intuitive, but that's my personal gaming experience speaking. I'll detail more in my write up. But it looks like you had a good time with your game, with a lot of success. Well done and Karma... Look forward to reading your post about the write-up. Will comment there on the whole Story Points thing, depending what you say about it there. I'm just glad that I got through alive and well from unning my first DW: AiTaS scenario. Some real challenges to running this game system, for sure. As for me, the next two scenarios I'm running are going to be difficult... My Friday night gaming group are playing a UNIT outfit, whereas my Sunday group consists of a Time Lord and his companions. The two scenarios, "The Phoenix Murders" and "The Spores of Death" (I'm still not sure I like the title of the latter) are connected in the sense that one's a sort of prequel to the other. "Phoenix" is set on a spaceship in the 24th century, whereas "Spores" is set on Earth. 2002 AD.
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Post by ugavine on Feb 5, 2010 15:28:56 GMT
Just wanted to say that that's a great write-up. Felt like a classic Doctor Who story.
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Post by JohnK on Feb 5, 2010 15:58:52 GMT
Hullo, Ugavine, Just wanted to say that that's a great write-up. Felt like a classic Doctor Who story. Thank you. In some respects, I guess it is, although I wasn't going out of my way to do a Classic Who story. I take that as a compliment.
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Post by JohnK on Mar 8, 2010 21:48:57 GMT
Hullo, folks,
Yes, I know I've been horribly remiss in my postings of the Friday night game sessions and all. This will be fixed in the next little while, as I've got several sessions written up that I'm going to add here, but will start with the first session that followed immediately on from "Ghosts in the Machine". So here's the first...
The Spores of Death
by
John M. Kahane
Episode One
Prologue - May 1st, 2000 In Manderley Gardens, located near the village of Havendale in Devon, a gardener, Hal Daniels, is working away at one of the plots of gorgeous fuschias. There is a shuffling sound in the background, and when he looks around he sees nothing unusual. The gardener continues his work, and a shadow falls over him. Looking up, he sees something horrible and screams. A cloud of pollen seems to hover in the air momentarily after he falls to the ground...
June 4th, 2002 AD
It has been roughly a week and a half since the player characters dealt with with the business at Nordstrom Security, and it has been an eventful week as the characters have received their basic indoctrination into their work as a UNIT Crash Team (Crash Team 5, to be specific).
Gayle Tarrant goes to pay a visit to her mentor, Professor Chronotis. He is somewhat short and abrupt with her, telling her that time is in flux, and that the perturbations signify something happening in the temporal fields. She doesn't really understand his meaning, but leaves with a sense of dread. Lt. Edward Blake, newly promoted and heading up Crash Team 5, is discovering one of the less mentioned joys of Crash Team and team leader duties - paperwork. He decides that the team requires a medical type, and manages to acquire the services of Dr. Hannah Wilerton. On their first meeting, Wilerton and Blake do not get along, but she agrees to give it a go. David Anderson III encounters some resistance from his blueblood family about his assignment to one of the Crash Teams, but his sister, Winifred, says that it will be good for him. Callously, she says that she hopes the danger that he finds himself in as part of his new duties will temper his curiosity. Either that, or he'll be dead, and she'll inherit the family estate when mama and papa finally expire. Thomas Magnuson, the Boer soldier out of time, decides that it is time that he did some research into the outcome of certain events from his own time, and much to his surprise, learns that he has several descendants living in the UK. He is hesitant about seeing them, but desires to do so given that they are his family. Kelasa Vostune is approached by several of the UNIT higher ups, who tell her that they are worried about her. Her aloofness is straining her UNIT relationships, and she seems to have several psychological problems. Kelasa rebutts these claims, and explains that part of this has to do with her amnesia concerning her last moments on the 26th Century space station. She says that she feels she has no real connection to 21st Century Earth, and they can see that she is quite upset about this at the moment.
Edward Blake gets in touch with his Crash Team personnel, and tells them that they have received their first assignment as a CT. There are some strange goings-on down at the Manderley Estates, near a small burgh called Havendale in Devon. Blake introduces the team to their newest "member", Dr. Hannah Wilerton. She is fascinated by both Thomas Magnuson and Kelasa Vostune, but Blake says that this will have to wait. They are to gather their gear and any other items they feel they might need, and prepare for the trip down to Devon. Before leaving UNIT HQ, Kelasa does a bit of computer research about Havendale and Manderley Gardens, and learns a bit about the odd events that occurred there back in 1923.
The members of Crash Team 5 arrive in the small village of Havendale in the middle of the evening, and immediately throw the town into something akin to turmoil. Edward Blake and his UNIT superiors have arranged to commandeer a small house that once belonged to a David Whiler, Whiler having sold the property back in 1979 to the city for reasons that remain unclear, and the UNIT team settles into their new digs for the next while. The player characters go to the local pub, The Cock and Crow, for their evening meal, leaving a small contingent of UNIT men at the house to settle into their bivouac. The pub landlord, Aaron Hales, is pleased to see the Crash Team personnel, as he says that perhaps now the problems plaguing the village" will be dealt with. Hales refuses to say more to them, and the group of characters sit down for their evening meal in peace. One of the pretty barmaids, Maggie (call her "Megs"), takes a shine to Thomas Magnuson, much to the irritation of David Anderson III.
The group of Crash Team 5 members discuss the assignment they are on, and Kelasa tells Edward and the others what she has learned about the village of Havendale, Manderley Gardens, and the happenings of 1923. Edward asks one of the serving girls, Andie, about the village and what happened in 1923, but she says that she knows nought. Gayle tells him the girl is lying, and that she seems afraid. Meanwhile, Thomas notices a group of people at one of the tables, dressed casually but radiating an aura of authority and urbane nature, and learns from Aaron Hales that they are a group of representatives and scientists from a company of some sort interested in botanical aspects. He learns more about the current situation in Havendale from Megs, and some of the strange happenings (6 disappearances in three months, the fact that Jeffrey Manderley has not been seen of or heard from in some time and that his wife, Emily, has taken over the Manderley Gardens business, and other "little" things); Megs says that the villagers are afraid, but much of that stems from losing the tourist business here if it continues to get out of hand.
The woman sitting at the table of urbane business types comes over to the UNIT personnel, and introduces herself as Annabelle Tempest. She asks what the UNIT personnel are doing in the village, and expresses concern over the disappearance of the Havendale people, but says that it is none of her concern. She is a botanist come to Havendale to visit Manderley ZGardens, but refuses to tell Edward Blake what she wants there. When she leaves, Gayle Tarrant says that she doesn't trust the woman...there's something rotten about her, and she's not talking plant decomposition.
The next morning, Edward Blake calls the Crash Team together, and maps out what he plans to have them do. Gayle Tarrant heads out into the village ostensibly to do a bit of shopping for the team, and meets and greets several of the villagers. Several of the villagers express concern over the fate of Jeffrey Manderley, and contend that the problems started when he decided to re-open Manderley Gardens after the "business in '23". The older villagers refuse too tell her what happened back then, citing a superstitious fear and dread. She also learns that someone representing a company called BotOrganics has been making a lot of inquiries in the village the last few weeks or so, and the description of the person she is given seems to match that of Annabelle Tempest. She also learns that one of the most favourite gardeners in the area, a Derek Walsh, hasn't been seen in months. A widower, he was, and presumed to have left to tend to his daughter's gardens and plants in Manchester.
David Anderson III goes to the quaint Havendale Tours offices, where he plans to make inquiries about the tours of Manderley Gardens and the disappearances of several of the tourists. Paul Gaunhey, the owner of the tour company, is not well disposed to the blueblood and dislikes the UNIT people, as they are only a "para-military organization". Despite this, David Anderson learns that the primary business of the tour company is offering tours of Manderley Gardens (*the* flora attraction in southern England), and that several of the disappearances of the tourists occurred in or near Manderley Gardens itself. They refuse to stop the tour service, as it provides their lifeblood during the spring through fall seasons.
Edward Blake informs the new doctor, Hannah Wilerton, that she will start her duties by accompanying him to Manderley Manor. The two take one of the UNIT jeeps, and depart. At Manderley Manor, the butler tells them that they cannot see Mrs. Manderley, as she talks to people through appointment only. Blake insists, and the butler checks with Mrs. Manderley and returns to tell him that she will see him presently. After a 45-minute wait during which time Blake and Hannah Wilerton become better acquainted, they are escorted to the office in he house. Emily Manderley tells them that she has taken on the business of the household, seeing as her husband has seemingly vanished. When he asks about the most recent disappearances, Emily tells him that she has no real concerns on the matter; gardeners are easily replaced, and tourists are...expendable. He is able to learn no more from her, but before they leave Dr. Wilerton notices a strange aroma in the room, sweet yet sour, that she cannot quite identify. The two head back for the UNIT base.
Thomas Magnuson goes down to the pub, and learns that Megs is on her day off. He goes to court and woo her, although he's also going to get her to take him on a recon of the village. Flattered by his attention, Megs heads off with him, taking him on a tour of the village. The two see a good deal of the village, and Thomas is able to learn much of what Gayle had learned. He is also told that the disappearances actually started some two years ago. A gardener by the name of Hal Daniels was the first to disappear. He learns of his employment at Manderley Gardens, and the fact that the older villagers keep hinting that it has something to do with the events of 1923.
Meanwhile, Kelasa Vostune is on a recon of the village, but is also exploring Havendale, as she has become quite enchanted with the place (given her extraterrestrial origins). She talks and speaks with several of the villagers, each of whom directs her to Mad Hal's hovel. Given directions to it, she goes to the northern end of the village and finds the small "shack", abandoned, but when she checks it out, she smells the reek of death and compost, and finds what appears to be organic detritus, almost like a compost heap. Heading behind the shack, she spots a trail and decides to follow it, first radioing Edward Blake with what she has found. Blake tells her to be cautious. As Kelasa follows the trail, she gets the feeling that she is being followed. Emerging at the edge of a small clearing near a stream, Kelasa is horrified to see a group of menacing, dirty looking haggard villagers approaching her, armed with hoes, axes, and small knives. They charge towards her...
TO BE CONTINUED
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Post by da professor on Mar 9, 2010 18:21:52 GMT
Good stuff. Karma. Eagerly awaiting episode 2
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Post by JohnK on Mar 10, 2010 15:33:04 GMT
Hullo, daprofessor, Good stuff. Karma. Eagerly awaiting episode 2 Thanks for the kind comments on this, and for the Karma. The second part of "Spores" will be up some time today, soon as I get a chance to do so.
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Post by JohnK on Mar 10, 2010 16:06:16 GMT
Hullo, folks,
Here's the second episode of "Spores". For the record, the first session of this ran on February 5th, and this one ran on February 12th. Allons-y!
The Spores of Death
by
John M. Kahane
Episode Two
Realising she's got nowhere to run and is outnumbered, Kelasa decides to take a gamble and she fires her pistol, hitting the ground in front of the lead villagers. They stop their attack, intimidated by the gun, and ask who she is and what she wants. Kelasa learns that the haggard villagers are actually farmers and gardeners from the area who have fallen on hard times. They were hired by someone they won't identify who works for a botanical company, and are pledged not to let anyone near the new greenhouses that the company has built in the area. Kelasa is able to cajole their leader, Hank Newirth, into taking her to see the greenhouses.
Edward Blake is concerned about Kelasa, but Hannah Wilerton says that she's sure the young woman can take care of herself. Wilerton tells him that she overheard some talk in the village earlier in the morning. There are rumours that a corporation is going to take over the operation of Manderley Gardens, and the villagers are concerned about their livelihood and their welfare. The two decide to go over to the pub once more and talk to the locals again. Aaron Hales tells them that he's heard talk of this as well. He figures that it can only affect him positively, as even the corporate types will need somewhere to eat and drink a pint. He tells Edward that the woman he spoke to the evening before, Annabelle Tempest, works for the company whose name is BotOrganics. Somewhat surprised, Edward asks Hales what he can tell him of the Manderleys and the Gardens. He learns a bit of information about them, but is told that to be honest, the villagers resent the UNIT personnel's presence. Sure, they're concerned about the disappearances, but truth be told, it's attracted even more tourists to Havendale.
David Anderson III is walking through the village when he is approached by a couple of young, attractive women in village garb. They introduce themselves as Edina and Sandra, and tell him that they need him to come with them, they have something to show him, as something "bad has happened" in the village. Anderson is bemused by this, but decides to humour the women. The two lead him to the mill at the edge of town.
Thomas Magnuson and Megs return to the Cock and Crow, and meet up with Edward and Hannah Wilerton. Magnuson tells them that he found out a bit more about the village and Manderley Gardens, and proceeds to tell them what he knows. Megs is a bit put out to learn that she's been doing recon with him, but he assures her that it's more than that. When asked, Megs tells the player characters that the Manderleys are not inclined to sell to BotOrganics, at least from what she has overheard in the pub. The villagers are pretty much divided on the matter. Gayle Tarrant joins the characters at the pub, having not found them back at the UNIT temporary HQ. She tells them of what she learned about BotOrganics, and about Derek Walsh, the gardener. Megs says that he was a highly respected gardener in Havendale, and a true horticulturist.
Meanwhile, a somewhat tired Kelasa Vostune has been led by Hank Newirth and the other villagers to what appears to be an ultra-modern greenhouse. The symbol of BotOrganics, a leafy plant and stem with the BO logo merged into it, is clear on the outside. As are the three security guards. Kelasa tries to gain access to the greenhouse, to speak to someone in charge, but the guards refuse to allow her into the structure or anywhere near it for that matter. As she tries to get a glimpse of what's inside the greenhouse, she sees a shadowy figure, seemingly a plant, moving inside the structure! Kelasa tells Hank and his people that she's got to get back to Havendale and tell her UNIT friends what she has seen, and while Hank is reluctant to let her go (she's the first person that these villagers have had contact with in some time), he says that he and his people will be their eyes and ears.
Anderson notices that the mill is quiet, the water wheel and other devices not moving. He tells the two women to wait outside for him, and enters the mill to investigate further. There are signs that the mill has been attacked though there is no obvious (to him) physical damage, and he finds the body of the miller and two of his apprentices on the ground - seemingly dead, but covered in a strange fungal material. There is a sweet odour in the air that he can't quite place, but he's resolute enough that he manages to exit the mill. He learns from Sandra that the miller, Harry, has a wife, decides that discretion is the better part and all. He radios back to the temporary HQ, and they get in touch with Edward Blake.
Back at the pub, several of the villagers are talking to the player characters when there is a disturbance. Three individuals wearing outlandish (touristy) clothes approach the UNIT personnel and demand to know who is in charge. Blake says that he is, and they introduce themselves as the Hengists. They've been in the village for a couple of days, and took the tour of Manderley Gardens the day before. They demand that Blake and his people investigate the disappearance of their daughter, Anna. They say that Anna disappeared the day before yesterday while on the tour, and that the village authorities have done very little to find their daughter (in their estimation). Edward Blake tells them that he will look into it, and decides to go in search of the local sheriff, leaving Hannah and the others to get more information out of the Hengists. They are interrupted by the call from David Anderson III, and the UNIT personnel leave the pub, followed by several of the villagers. Gayle expresses concern over the fact that they have not heard from Kelasa.
Kelasa continues her trip back to the village proper, but decides to stop at the "abandoned" shack once more, as something there wasn't right. As she looks around and checks things out again, she comes upon what appear to be several small mounds that barely conceal two bodies. On closer inspection, the two bodies can be seen to be in a state of decomposition... but there is a thick fungus on the rotting limbs that are visible that seems unusual. Using her technical skills, Kelasa cautiously takes a sample of the fungus in a small tube... Concentrating on her work to get the fungus into the tube, she fails to see the figure that is approaching her from behind...
Blake and his people make their way to the outskirts of the village, where they find Anderson and the two young women keeping an eye on things. Anderson comments to Blake that he doesn't know what happened inside, but that something bad is going on. Blake asks the villagers to remain outside, and he and the UNIT personnel minus Kelasa go into the mill. The eerie stillness and quiet in the mill spooks the characters somewhat as Anderson leads them back to where he found the miller and his two apprentices. The bodies aren't there, just some organic material, and Anderson can't understand what's going on. Blake orders the group to an alert status, while Wilerton examines the organic residue that is on the ground. As the characters look around, three vaguely half-human, half-plant creatures shamble out of the shadows towards them...
TO BE CONTINUED
GM's Notes
For me, this was probably the first session that I was somewhat dissatisfied with. The game session was very much a talky game session, with little in the way of combat of any type. In a couple of cases, the player for Kelasa used Story Points to turn confrontations in her favour somewhat, the intimidating of the gardeners at the beginning with her gun shot being a good example of this.
The business at the mill has a half-complete feel to it, and I'm still not happy all that much with that series of events. The two women leading Anderson to the mill in the first place doesn't feel right to me, even if I knew what's going on with them (as you will find out in Episode Three), but to be honest, it seemed to lack...something.
The creatures of this piece, the Dionae (see their write-up in the Creeatures section of the forums) are being downplayed very much in the scenario, because they are so tough to deal with. However, that's coming - trust me on this! <evil g>
The village/town constabulary have been conspicuously absent in these write-ups you'll have noticed; the players haven't really involved themselves with the constabulary, primarily because they have left the business to the UNIT personnel and because the sheriff and his men are few to begin with.
However, overall I was quite pleased with the whole scenario, and the way it's developed to this point. Anyone have thoughts or comments on stuff so far?
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Post by JohnK on Mar 18, 2010 20:08:55 GMT
Hullo, folks, Finally have a bit of time to get another session up here. I didn't run the game on February 19th due to illness in the group (that nasty sinus infection that was going around), but got back to the game on February 26th. You'll find some Footnotes in this one, referenced at the bottom of the page. GM Notes on the session will follow in the next post. Anyway, here's the third part of "Spores". Enjoy! The Spores of Death
by
John M. Kahane
Episode ThreeSeeing the shambling half-human, half-Dionae (drones) coming towards them, Edward Blake orders his people to shoot them down, as they can't allow them to harm any of the people outside. Weapons blazing, the Crash Team members bring the creatures down in a hail of gunfire (1). In the aftermath of the attack, Blake tells the stunned and horrified Hannah Wilerton that this is part of life in UNIT, and she'd better get used to it. They also notice that the two young women have disappeared. Elsewhere, Kelasa Vostune turns at the sound of crunching leaves and detritus, and finds that a woman with the BotOrganics logo is standing behind her. She recognizes the woman from their meeting the first night at the village pub, and the woman tells her that she is Annabelle Tempest. She demands to know from Kelasa what she's found, and Kelasa doesn't see the small handgun that Tempest has behind her back. Kelasa shows her the two decomposing bodies, and Tempest feigns disgust, and says that perhaps she had better escort Kelasa back to the village, as she looks a bit ill. Kelasa protests, but Tempest decides to deal with matters here and now, and knocks Kelasa out with the gun. (2) At the mill, Blake and Dr. Wilerton approach the bodies with a modicum of caution, and Wilerton is somewhat baffled at the transformation; she tells Blake that she specializes in *human* medicine, not botany, but he tells her that she's to determine whatever she can about the bodies. He goes over to Anderson to talk to him, and learns from Anderson and the two young women, Sandra and Edina, that the two obscene humanoid attackers are the miller and his wife! Sandra says that the miller also has a son, Edwin, but there is no sign of him. Edward Blake orders Thomas Magnuson and Gayle Tarrant to see if they can find the boy in the mill, but that they are to take no changes. The two head out. Kelasa wakes to find that she is tied hand and foot to a small table in the "abandoned" hut that she had explored previously. Annabelle Tempest is present with one of her men, and she apologises for Kelasa's current circumstances, but she has to be absolutely sure that Kelasa and the other UNIT personnel do not represent a threat to the BotOrganics operation in Havendale. When asked, Annabelle explains to Kelasa that she and her agents are in Havendale to purchase the Manderley Gardens business from the Manderleys, as there is something in the gardens that they want, some "cultivated experiment" that BotOrganics very badly desires. Kelasa says that the UNIT people are there to find out the cause behind the disappearances of tourists and villagers alike, and they represent no threat to the BotOrganics operation. However, if she doesn't release her, Kelasa vows that the UNIT Crash Team will make it their business to find out what's going on. Tempest laughs, and says that even Kelasa must realize that she can't let her go now. Gayle and Thomas go in search of the miller's son, but find no sign of him in the mill. Exiting the mill and following along the stream, they come across some odd foot prints. Thomas cannot identify the prints, but he tells Gayle that he doesn't think they are human. The two attempt to follow the prints some ways, despite Gayle's protests, but the two lose the trail about half a mile further on, although the trail appeared to be heading west, towards the Manderley Estate (and the Gardens). The two decide to return quickly to the mill and report what they have found. Back at the mill, Blake and the others await the return of Gayle and Thomas. Blake is accosted by Fred Hawkins, the sheriff of Havendale, who demands to know what's going on, as he's got worried citizens who've just heard the sounds of gunfire coming from the mill. Blake tells Hawkins and his two deputies what occurred, and shows them the two bodies. Hawkins sees the two young women, Sandra and Edina, and is quite surprised to see them. He tells them they need to go home, and Blake and the others learn that these are the Manderley girls. Wilerton completes her assessment of the two bodies just as Blake is coming over, and tells him that they need to get the bodies back to the mobile UNIT lab. There's real trouble afoot. Blake radios Gayle and Thomas, and tells them to call off the search, and report back to the UNIT field HQ. They acknowledge this. Back at the mill, Blake and the others await the return of Gayle and Thomas. Blake is accosted by Fred Hawkins, the sheriff of Havendale, who demands to know what's going on, as he's got worried citizens who've just heard the sounds of gunfire coming from the mill. Blake tells Hawkins and his two deputies what occurred, and shows them the two bodies. Wilerton completes her assessment of the two bodies just as Blake is coming over, and tells him that they need to get the bodies back to the mobile UNIT lab. There's real trouble afoot. Blake radios Gayle and Thomas, and tells them to call off the search, and report back to the UNIT field HQ. They acknowledge this. Meanwhile, Annabelle Tempest has decided to take Kelasa Vostune back to the BO greenhouse. Under armed supervision from the agent accompanying her, Tempest leads Kelasa to the greenhouse. When Kelasa asks her about the shape that was moving about inside earlier, Tempest dismisses it as one of the plant projects, but Kelasa isn't convinced. As they enter past the security guards, Kelasa attempts to commit to memory all of the keycodes she sees Tempest entering. (3) Entering the vast greenhouse, Kelasa sees that they are growing a lot fo plants that seem...odd. Tempest says that this is correct, though she hadn't taken Kelasa for a botanist. Kelasa says she's not, but even she recognises when plants are "wrong". Tempest escorts her to the offices and small laboratory inside the greenhouse complex, and introduces her to one of her co-conspirators, Eric Talman. They take Kelasa and chain her to a large post, where she can observe some of them work. Tempest assigns one of the agents to keep an eye on her. Back at the UNIT field HQ, Blake, Gayle, and David find that Kelasa has not returned to the house, and are concerned. Blake dispatches David and Gayle, along with a pair of UNIT troopers, to go and find her. They start off into town, and learn the general direction in which she went. Arriving at what they presume is Mad Hal's hovel, they find Kelasa's walkie-talkie and her gun, discarded. There are no real signs of a struggle, but David radios back to Blake what they have found to this point. He tells them to do a bit of recon, and then to report back. David and Gayle head out into the surrounding countryside, and eventually follow several trails and come upon the BotOrganics greenhouse complex. They quickly head back for Mad Hal's hovel, in order to report back to Blake at the temporary UNIT HQ. Blake puts together a group of four soldiers, led by himself and Thomas Magnuson, and they set out for the area near Mad Hal's hovel. The group arrive at the "abandoned" hut to find that Gayle and David just returning from their recon. They describe the layout of the greenhouse area, and the fact that it has guards. Blake decides that the BO greenhouse people can't be as well armed as the UNIT personnel, and the group heads for the BotOrganics greenhouse, David and Gayle leading the way. Blake intends to recover Kelasa at all costs. At the BO greenhouse, Kelasa talks with Eric Talman, and learns that while Annabelle Tempest isn't evil or anything like that, "it's just a business deal", he does feel that there's something else going on in the area of Havendale and the Manderley Gardens. Kelasa tells him that UNIT is trying to help the villagers find out what is going on and who or what is responsible for the disappearances, and then is able to convince him to release her. (4) Eric does so, stating that Tempest will have his head for this, but that he has to do what's right. Kelasa starts to make her way towards the building's main exit, but Eric tells her that it's safer if he takes her out through one of the greenhouse entrances. No guards that way. Blake, Thomas, Gayle, and David arrive at the BotOrganics greenhouse, and are met by several guards. He tells them that he's there to see Annabelle Tempest, and that he wants her to release Kelasa Vostune, or he's coming in to get her. Tempest tells him that they don't have Kelasa there, but Blake says he knows that she's lying. They appear to reach an impasse, but Tempest points out that the BO greenhouse is a corporate owned facility and that he will need to get a warrant to come in and search. Blake says that he will do just that. Kelasa makes her way through the BO greenhouse, led by Eric Talman. The area is relatively bright, and Talman comments that there is something strange about the facility, as it seems...messy...somehow, as if someone has disrupted the greenhouse in some fashion. The two arrive at one of the maintenance doors to the greenhouse none too soon. However, as Talman leads her the last fifty feet or so, a hideous plant-like creature shambles out of the nearby growth, and menaces the two of them, its Venus flytrap like protrusions snapping hungrily open and shut and open and shut... TO BE CONTINUED Footnotes:(1) And a few Story Points spent here and there. (2) I had Tempest spend a couple of Story Points to manipulate the scene here, but it wasn't enough. Joanne, playing Kelasa decided she like the idea of this, and contributed another Story Point to make the deed happen. (3) She actually spent a Story Point here and there, three times, to get the codes committed to memory. (4) Kelasa used her Presence of 3 and Convince of 2, with a bonus of +2 for the Attractive Trait, and threw in a couple of Story Points for good measure. I didn't want her to get free, but I thought it was a good ploy on her part, and the roleplaying element clinched it for me. So I let it stand.
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Post by JohnK on Mar 18, 2010 20:10:43 GMT
Hullo, folks, And here's the GM Notes on Episode Three. GM Notes:This game session was much better than the previous one, which i found was let-down, and the players commented that things are going really well with this, and they have no idea what is going on - other than it having something to do with Manderley Gardens. They liked the pacing on this one much more, and found there was more to do for each character than there had been. Joanne, Kelasa's player, when we got to the cliffhanger commented, "Why me?" ;D The sub-plot with Annabelle Tempest and BotOrganics is coming to the fore now, and this is working out rather well, though a couple of the players commented that they figured Annabelle Tempest was somehow involved in the mess. You may have noticed that Mad Hal hasn't been about. Or has he? There's a few more surprises coming to the player characters yet, you know. The players have adapted well to the use of Story Points. Amazing what can happen when you run the game long enough that players get used to such an integral mechanic of the game. During the two fights, with the half-plants and the one at the BotOrganics greenhouse, Story Points got used, and Kelasa has been eating them up. On the other hand, she's also been getting them back as well. The players have also done a good job playing off their character Traits, and making these work for them. I was used to them handling this really well in HOLLOW EARTH EXPEDITION, but DW: AiTaS isn't exactly an action-adventure kind of rpg, and the Traits work differently than their equivalents do in HEX. So far, so good. Hope everyone's enjoying this stuff.
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Post by da professor on Mar 20, 2010 13:06:34 GMT
Hope everyone's enjoying this stuff. I, for one, am enjoying it tremendously. Hence the Karma. Keep up the good work and I'll try not to get too impatient for the next chapter.
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Post by JohnK on Mar 20, 2010 14:34:12 GMT
Hullo, daprofessor, Hope everyone's enjoying this stuff. I, for one, am enjoying it tremendously. Hence the Karma. Keep up the good work and I'll try not to get too impatient for the next chapter. Thanks for the Karma, and for the vote of confidence (so to speak). I'm having a blast with the Friday night game, but between a bit of illness and my need to do some playtesting of convention scenarios, they've missed a couple of Fridays. Episode Four should be up some time within the next couple of days, if I get a chance.
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