Actual Play – DSS: Storm Chasers! (7/3/2017)

GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Karen Twelves, Eric Fattig, and Adrienne Mueller
System: Blades in the Dark

Note that applies to the next six months of Actual Play reports: I fell way behind on my AP reports so these are written many moons later based off my notes. The accuracy will likely vary greatly! Also, this is just transcribed from my notes. Things may be out of order!

Arquo’s energies blasted to the void, the crew had to figure out what to do without him.

• Wend took over as Ro’s vice purveyor (providing a hot bath and other luxuries available a lord’s manor)
• Wester and Thistle (Spectral Defenders) repaired the Hive’s boat which had been damaged on their way into the manor.
• Ro told the guards at the entrance Anselm and Katya that they were outside the gate because they are Storm Chasers (as per the lightning storms that just struck), which worked a little too well. Anselm became fascinated and wanted to know all about it from Ro!

NPCs Present:

• Griggs, (chief Whisper of the Gondoliers, strange, ruthless, haunted). Told the crew she wanted this manor (and really all of the lost district) restored to the providence of the Gondoliers.
• Roric (Ghost, ex-leader of the Crows, calculating, secretive, sophisticated). Looking out for himself and not keen to break his deal with Corro, but willing to turn on Sukur if the offer is right! Using the Circle of Flame as a stepping stone into Doskvol politics and the Hive to re-establish temporal power.
• Bedford (reconciled ghost possessing Lord Wentworh, a guest of Sukur, enigmatic, cavalier, territorial)

Downtime

Wend patches up Ro and Jadvyga (Recovery)

Student Patrol acted like things were normal in Doskvol (Reduce Heat)

The Gills brought 3 coin in for the Crew!

The Score: Taking turf in the Lost District!

The Spectral Society parlayed with Roric to get him on their side. They wanted Sukurs manor to claim as their own and were offering his body. The would destroy the ghost that possessed him and let Roric take up shop inside if he let them run the district.

Agreed in their purpose, they met with Sukur, distracted Wentworth/Bedford long enough to get Sukur alone and then attacked Lady Sukur (the ghost that possessed him) and destroyed her. Roric took up shop in his body and the DSS took up shop in the Lost District.

What Rocked

Storm Chasers!

Steam baths!

The Double cross!

What could have improved

Man, I really over extended my “muahhahahaaaa” level master plan. I had some idea about Corro blackmailing Grigs to help him get Roric out of the city so as to prevent Djera from being distracted by him and at the same time giving Sukur the Hand of Kotar so that he could join the Circle of the Flame in exchange for killing Karth Orris (Corro’s rival).

It was bad for a couple reasons. First, some of these motivations don’t make sense. Does Corro care of Djera is distracted by Roric? Why? What does her focus serve him? He’s not a team player so the “good of the Hive” really doesn’t add up. Second, how did he blackmail Griggs, and what was she even doing in this in the first place? I put her and Roric together as unlikely bedfellows (he needed a Spirit Well that she had access too, but what did she get from him? It came across as her just wanting to help him, which may be believable, but why? Helpfulness isn’t one of her known characteristics). When motivations don’t make sense to me, I lose track of how to play the NPC and in this game all of them were pretty much open to the crew’s plans because they didn’t have clear goals of their own.

Second, and this one took me several sessions to dial back from, at some point I started moving clocks for the high tier factions in Doskvol (Hive, Reconciled, Ministry of Preservation, Leviathan Hunters, City Council, etc). The Society had touched these organizations so I started asking what they were up to and settled on a major play for seats on the council. Due to all the internal rivalry, other factions realize there will be an opening soon and they are trying to position their leaders to take it. That’s all fine and cool and great, but it isn’t the focus of the Spectral Society game. By dwelling on those dynamics I moved the spotlight away from where it should have been.