GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Karen Twelves, Eric Fattig, and Adrienne Mueller
System: Blades in 68′
We started the session with a bit of Session 0 recap and went over a few setting elements that I hadn’t covered last name:
- The Hull Directive – The Lusk Reform Technique turns a criminal into one of the Reformed and produces a hull to boot; is it a clever, efficient form of managing the criminal population, or is it a horrific crime against humanity? This is a big theme of the game so I wanted to make sure everyone, especially Adrienne who is playing a Hull was down with this being in the game.
- Espionage – Last time we talked about spy agencies and I realized that I hadn’t introduced the three major factions in play: Anixis Field Unit, Blackthorn Park, and The Palace. We discussed it a bit and decided that the Dirt Barons are, at least for now, independent agents and don’t have faction status with any of the these factions. At the end of the session we noticed that as the Operative, Nav has her own private affiliation, so it make sense for her to be connected with Anixis, despite her parents protests.
I also introduced some cards I printed for their contacts and crew upgrades:
Opening Scene
It had been a month so I reread the cold open:
It’s a beautiful day, with a bright blue sky above. You’re in a yellow autopod soaring through the air over Candle Bridge, Crowfoot. Behind you is a psychedelic bloom of colors. An anomaly eruption, an explosive tear in reality.
Nav, you’re in the back seat. You’re holding a heavy canister filled with a glowing, pulsating, viscous liquid. Pure alluvium, the very substance of the resonance field; quantum instability in physical form. Rare, unstable, valuable.
Paolo, you’re driving. You have the location for the client handoff pinned to the dashboard, scrawled on a piece of paper. The handwriting disappears before your very eyes, and from your memory at the same time. Anomaly eruptions are a hell of a thing.
None of you remember the first half of the score. Reality has been altered. The client no longer exists, and neither does the handoff.
Forget the past
Each of the scoundrels had another memory that was erased. We went around the table and they described what was lost. Writing it on their character sheet and then crossing it out. Even Delta got a memory (albeit one they lost):
- Delta forgot being on boat outside of Doskvol. There was a friend present but their face was lost to the anomaly.
- Nav forgot her parents at her graduation ceremony, beaming with pride.
- Paolo forgot seeing Three-Fingers perform. It was a happier time.
Glimpse into the Future
They also saw glimpses of their possible futures and ways that they changed.
- Paolo saw himself wearing a fancy signet ring
- Nav was fitted with a bejeweled eye patch
- Delta had a skin graft covering part of their neck.
Your autopod slams back to earth and hurtles towards the end of the bridge. Two autocycles appear, one on each side, the riders pulling pistols. The one on the driver side is Marlow from the Tomorrow Program (the same people you stole a security device from). He looks surprised at first and then narrows his eyes. “Give it back Paolo, or this means war!” Up ahead is a roadblock manned by thugs in jumpsuits. Chago, The leader of the Scorpion Syndicate leans casually against a pick autopod. He gestures and one of his crew pulls a Heavy Coilgun from the bed of a truck and aims it at you. You hear the wail of sirens; three Bluecoat autopods giving chase behind you, lead by Sergeant Vran.
The scoundrels had three objectives: get out of there alive, find a new buy, and complete the handoff.
Handbrake Turn
Paulo saw the roadblock and and decided the best way through was going back in the other direction! He sent a quick quip to Marlowe to lighten up, wrenched the handbrake, cranked the wheel and spun his autopod around, then accelerated to go back where they came right into the three oncoming Bluecoat interceptors. Traffic was everywhere and he smashed into an oncoming car, jarring both Nav and the cannister of Alluvium inside [Mixed result on a risky/standard finesse roll. He spun around (adding 2 ticks to the escaping from the Tomorrow Program) but the car was damaged in the process]
In the back seat, Nav shoved the Alluvium between two seat cushions and hung out the window to take a shot at the Syndicate good who was just about to fire. She clipped the gunner and the shots went wild but when Paolo jerked the car left, Nav lost hold of her sniper rifle… but snatched out back out of the air just before it slipped away [Mixed result on a Risky/Limited Finesse roll to make the perfect shot. Consequence was dripping the gun, but Nav resisted and caught it just in time).
As Paulo broke free of the car that he crashed into, it scraped along the side of his ride, destroying the paint job and rifling the chassis with dents. Paolo’s trunk flew open and Delta popped out. They quickly surveyed the situation and drove their metal fist through the hood the other car and manually cranked the drive axel to turn the wheels of the car and send it crashing into the Tomorrow Program Autocycle that had spun around and gave chase. The both went crashing off the bridge into the The Great Canal below. [Mixed result on a Controlled/Standard Wreck Roll, aided by Delta’s Powerhouse ability. Delta’s chassis would have been damaged by the rending of metal, but Adrienne expended armor to resist it. Two more ticks on the the clock to evade the Tomorrow Project].
From behind Nav and Delta could see Chago look with surprise and amusement. He pulled a radio from his car and spoke into it. Shortly after the SCORPION syndicate airship Storm Surge, piloted by Hurricane, was see in the B.L.U.E. skies above.
Confidence is Key
Paolo was racing towards the three oncoming Bluecoat interceptors and tried to see which one of them would flinch first. Bluecoats are know for their laziness and apathy about their work, but something seemed different when he looked in the eyes of these officers. Maybe it was because of the Alluvium, making it was Sergeant Vran’s leadership, but they seemed incensed and determined. [1-3 result on a Fortune roll to gather information by surveying them].
Not sure which car to play chicken with, Paolo felt much better when Nav yelled confidently from the back seat “That one!” He stopped, revved the engine, and then charged for the Bluecoat on the left. The two drivers started wide eyed into one another as their cars crushed into each other with impossible force.
- Delta was thrown from the trunk into the Great Canal below.
- Nav was cut by shards of broken glass, one just narrowly missing her eye.
- Paolo broke his collar bone on the impact of the wheel
- The car engine was smashed in and it started leaking plasmoleum.
- And the car would have been stopped dead in it’s tracks, if not for Paulo’s sheer determination to break free!
[1-3 result on a Desperate/Standard Wreck roll. I piled on a lot of consequences because they all seemed very fitting for the action. The only one resisted was the car being stopped]
Nav shouted to keep driving, they had a rendezvous planned with Delta already [1 stress flashback to have meeting place at 8th and Clerk Street]. She leveled her sniper rifle at the engine block of the Bluecoat interceptor that was still trying to hold them back [By resisting, they had reduced “Stopped” to “Slowed” and this was going to get them free completely]. Nav’s single shot tore through the already damaged engine block and stopped the Bluecoat cold. That was too much for them, only Sergeant Vran was continuing the chase [Crit on a Risky/Standard Finesse action. Added 3 ticks to the evading the authorities clock]
Escape in Sight
As their now very mangled autopod (broken and impaired) crested the Candle Street bridge they saw a large student protest in Jayan park. The students carried signs and repeated chants protesting the Hull Directive, which mandates that criminals have their souls extracted and put to good use as reformed Hulls. The proliferation has of Hulls have already put the Rail Jacks and the Gondoliers out of business. The next to be replaced are the Bluecoats.
Down below in the Great Canal, Delta-968s heated metal components steamed in the water and while the clockwork gears were not failing, they were slowing down. Delta’s optical and auditory sensors failed to pierce the murk at the bottom of the canal, but they did sense something present. A resonance echo? A old memory returning? A friend on a boat? It whispered (?) to them “come home”. [As one of the consequences of falling in the canal, I offered Delta two ticks on their memory clock if they agreed to be compelled to go to an unknown location later on. Accepted!]
Confused and disoriented, Delta tried to use their relative understanding of everyone’s relative positioning and then expended their energy reserves to launch out of the canal and (hopefully) into Vran’s interceptor, disabling it. Due to all of the interference they missed by the smallest degree and ended up punching a hole in the hood of Vran’s interceptor and landing the back seat, their left arm nearly cleaved off in the process [1-3 result on a Desperate Wreck roll, using the Powerhouse ability to make it possible. Level 3 harm (arm lost), but resisted it twice to bring it down to Level 1 harm (damaged elbow joint). Delta wasn’t technically “captured” in the back for Vran’s car, but the Bluecoat was undeterred.]
Paolo planned to evade Sergeant Vran by weaving around the protest and using them for cover, but just as they got to the end of Candle bridge, his autopod died. The plasmoleum had all leaked out and it sputtered and heaved until eventually the engine seized up completely. As they were rolling forward they felt a terrible slam as Vran’s interceptor rammed them from behind. Vran hopped out and tried to wrench Paolo out of the car to cuff him but only got Paolo’s cravat and the scoundrel slipped away [1-3 result on a Risky/Standard Finesse roll to evade Vran. Paolo resisted by cuffed]
Nav didn’t miss a beat, she scrambled out of the car, grabbed her sniper rifle in one hand and the Alluvium in the other, and shouted at Paolo to follow her into the crowd. The ditched Vran but not before he got a very good look at Paolo. He would have sized up Nav as well if not for her training to avoid notice [4-5 result on a Risky/Standard Prowl roll to evade Vran. Consequence was +2 Heat (seeing both of their faces) but Nav resisted that down to +1]
After he lost then Vran went to go back to his interceptor to call in reinforcements but Delta had climbed into the front of the car, jammed a metal finger into the ignition and stole the car. Vran was left with nothing but Paolo’s cravat and a growing hatred for the Dirt Barons. [I think I could have called for an action roll, Adrienne was ready to roll Wrench, but I didn’t see a real obstacle here. In my mind Vran wouldn’t have remembered to take the keys out of the ignition because he was in such hot pursuit of the Alluvium.
8th and Clerk Street
Delta ditched the Bluecoat interceptor and made their way on foot through the protest to the appointed meeting location. Deep in the student protest Delta could see a street sweeping hull GRD-9 looks extremely nervous and uncomfortable being surrounded by students who were drawing hearts and flowers on his chassis.
The now injured, stressed, and drained Dirt Barons reconvened in the shadowy alley at the corner of 8th and Clerk. The sky flickered above and the B.L.U.E. scattered and became an array of psychedelic colors indicating that day was done and that there would be another few hours of “evening” as the array shut down.
Finally having a chance to catch their breath and recalibrate their sensors, the crew discussion options of what to do with this illicit Alluvium. The decided to try to sell it to the Mirror House, a group of rogue scientist who explore anomalies and just happen to be working on cornering the market on Alluvium trade. They had an in with the Mirror House, their contact Catton had given Mirror House info that the Dirt Barons provided before, so it seemed like the safest best [+1 faction status with Mirror House].
Getting to The Blue Baths (where they knew they could contact Karstas, one of the lead experimentalists) wasn’t hard but it was tiring. The cabbie did want a Hull in his car and complained about it the whole time. He took them to the Blue Baths, but wasn’t happy about it. On the ride Delta started feeling nauseous (Hulls don’t feel nausea) and started remembering time with a friend at sea. Alluvium is a hell of a thing!
The Blue Baths. An ancient bathing and leisure complex. Steaming water is delivered by stone aqueducts to a variety of pools and baths. Although New Horizon is typically shunned, clientele come from all over Doskvol to enjoy these famous healing waters. More specialized leisure pursuits are available to VIP members behind closed doors.
An Invitation to the Party
The Blue Baths doesn’t people in without appointments, but it just so happens that Paolo had a card from the Mirror House that he got from Catton [It’s gear on the swinger playbook, but also it was so cool that Tim had made business cards for the factions, so I handed him a card as a prop!] The receptionist accepted the card and told Paolo that they were welcome to enter and enjoy the amenities in the ante-room, but that someone had arrived just before them to us the private baths. Paolo spied the card she had collected and saw it was from the Tomorrow Program. Quickly he called out “Sedrick Larkins, the famous poet. Oh, I would love to meet him!” [4-5 result on a Risky/Great Sway roll. They made it in and would have a meeting with Karstas, but not before one of the Tomorrow Project got to talk to him. I told them he saw Sedrick and Paolo resisted by calling him out and flattering him. It was brilliant]
Sleepy Time
Inside the ante room, the crew scrambled to buy time. Sedric didn’t seem to realize they were the ones with the stolen Alluvium (Delta had it in one of their hidden compartments) and he was quite vulnerable to flattery. Paolo told him about favorite of Secric’s poems and meanwhile the whole crew did a clever handoff to drug his spa water with a sleeping pill. Nav palmed it from Paolo’s pocked and slipped it into the drink Delta was serving. They all tipped back their glasses and suddenly people were collapsing into the comfortable couches. Mirror House had pre-poisoned the water to knock out Sedric in the first pace. Paolo was only saved by a quick lunge from Delta to knock the drink out of his hands [1-3 result on a Risky/Standard Finesse group action. Paolo getting knocked unconscious resisted by Delta].
Karstas, clad in a reflective suit and mask, entered the waiting room and Paolo said “We have something you might want.” Just then Delta chest panels slid open revealing the canister of Alluvium within!
What Rocked
I mean, is it cheating if I say “the whole game”? Though it was touch on the stress and harm tracks I felt like this was a great example of scoundrels persevering even when things are constantly conspiring to go against them. It felt like Die Hard or Indiana Jones, constantly just barely scraping by one adversity before being hit with another….and a lot of Fast and the Furious style car chases too!
I loved seeing some of the initial character dynamics coming into play. Nav showing no sentiment or hesitation leaving Delta behind (knowing they had a plan to regroup). Paolo bantering with Marlowe and escaping from Vran because his cravat came loose. Delta’s memories being just at the edge of consciousness and sensing some kind of presence deep in the canals.
I’m really enjoying bringing this world to life. There are a lot of little details (a fair number I’ve gotten wrong) but it’s fun to keep populating it and making it feel real.
Folks liked being able to resist multiple times and it came up in game. Happy that worked! Also, Keys were great. I loved seeing everyone play into theirs! I want Delta to get one soon 🙂
Having props was a delight. I’ve used the cars in the previous games, but adding the business cards and the portraits was really fun. The table started getting a little dense with props but it was easy enough to only have those present that were in the scene.
What could have improved
I think it’s always tough for players when you roll a bunch of misses. Not only do you have consequences but you don’t achieve your goal. From talking to John, I have some alternative ideas about how action rolls could be handled but I decided not to playtest experimental Blades mechanics while also trying to playtest Blades in 68′. Too many variables make it impossible to track what worked and what didn’t.
I forgot (as I always do) to remind folks about harm affecting their dice rolls.
I said the Blue Baths were in Six Towers and got that wrong, it’s in New Horizons.
The final scene I wasn’t expecting the scoundrels to get a 1-3 result and made up something that I wasn’t really pleased with. Instead of knocking out Sedrick Larkins, they were all knocked out by the sleeping powder their drinks were mixed with by Mirror House. I think if I had spent a bit more time reading the character descriptions (Sedrick is suspicious, self-centered, and brilliant) I would have had the result mean he swapped the drinks and Paolo was knocked out. I think we’ve got an option to retcon it at the start of next session (Delta resisted the consequence so Paolo is still conscious, but I think it will be more fun and make more sense of Sedrick is alert and active as well).
I should have remembered Vran’s disposition about Hulls (he doesn’t like them) when Delta crashed into the back of his car.
Idea: I think transport autopods have “Hull Hooks” on the back for hulls to ride on like bike racks.
