Let's Play: Monstrosity - Solo Horror RPG - Act 1: Repair the Engine (Game Notes)

Act 1 – Stuck on a space ship

Mission – Repair the Engine, 6 hex distance

Cole set off through the slightly ajar door entering into the surgery. He made note that the surgery equipment was functional and could assist if necessary, but the door at the other end of the room was jammed and would not open. Searching through the room, Cole discovered a data recorder with a memory card (+1 Data).

Cole went back through the HIC.

Cole next entered the crew quarters. Blood and chunks of body parts lay strewn around the room, bunks knocked over, telltale signs that something bad happened here. Overhead lights flicker and flash, the door panels blink on and off, with an inconsistent power supply.

Cole moves through the door to the right into a corridor. The door at the far end is faulty and opens & closes seemingly at random. Cole attempts to rewire the door to make the pattern more predictable, or to remain open long enough for him to pass. He thinks he did well, but as he passes through the door, it slams shut on his heel, bruising it and causing +1 Strain.

Cole enters what appears to be a clear corridor, but as he approaches the door at the far end, the Monstrosity lowers itself from the ceiling behind him, and attacks. Cole must enter the passcode to bypass the door, and then close and lock it. Cole manages to get the door open, get through, but as it is closing, the monster swipes him with it’s claws, injuring him, but he manages to get the door closed. He attempts to lock the monster in the other corridor, and succeeds, but not for long. It seems to be clawing it’s way through. (+2 strain)

The corridor on the other side is in a Gravity dead spot, and Cole floats his way to the next exit, using 1 energy to activate his mag boots. The monstrosity manages to get the door open and continues it’s assault. Cole uses the lack of gravity to his advantage to try and stay out of the way of the monster, but is hit in the shoulder as he escapes through the door. He is damaged by the creature. That’s going to leave a mark.

The corridor splits into three paths, but one is blocked by debris. Cole checks the other two and finds the engine room in the center door. He enters the room and repairs the engine, even with his damaged shoulder.

End Act I.

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Campaign Journal - The Wrapup

...We arrive at Colucci's, but instead of the mountain of a man we saw before, a tree of an African human in an even nicer suit sits behind the table. This guy just exudes Corporate. He ain't no Johnson.

"I am Mr. Johnson's boss."

Well, that's not good.

IX

How often do you meet the boss of the Johnson? I never have. I mean, I ain't been a runner but a couple years, but I never met the money's boss. This midnight shaded giant was an enigma, that's for sure.

He invites us to sit, but unlike Johnson, Blacktree is all business. He doesn't wait until after dinner.

"I am Mr. Johnson's boss. Mr. Johnson was extracted on Thursday morning. We believe he was a willing target. We received word that your packeage was inserted successfully and the package has been integrated into the facility. I'm here to pay you the amount you were promised."

Five black credsticks slide into the center of the empty table.

"Please stay. I have a job for you that will double the nuyen you just earned."

We look at each other. This payday was no wage slave salary. We're painted pretty. He wants to double it?

We each chime in our agreement. He nods.

"Anthony Munson--" the name of Johnson falling from his tongue sets us all back. If this guy is being doxed, he's got nothing coming, "--may have set up his own extraction. Many specific files were missing from his office--files that would be recognized only by an insider. Most of these concern Miss Che. We are afraid for Miss Che's safety. She has been a loyal operative and is not likely to cooperate with Munson. We are concerned that Munson may reveal her to Proteus to gather favor with his new corporation, Brackhaven Investments. You already know the facility. We'll pay you double the last job to go back in and get her."

Frakk. Going back in to that place isn't going to be easy. Did I mention that I sicced the eco-terrorists on them as we left? Drekk was all over the news, security been bumped, it's going to be a nightmare. I had my doubts. What if she was out in the offshore? We gotta fight our way in, fight our way down to the tunnel, and take the tram across and hope they don't flood the tube. This just doesn't sound promising. I obviously have my reservations, but I don't want to let the team know that.

"I'm in," I say.

Jacob grins, "Maybe now we get to kill something. I'm in."

All around the table, the team nods or pitches their agreement. I'm sure they have the same reservations, but they ain't gonna look like choobs.

Blacktree nods, "My work here is done. When you have her, call Colucci's--make a reservation for Johnson, party of seven. I will meet you here with your full payment. you can trust this establishment. It is neutral territory, and my corporation will not risk any kind of syndicate war. The border registration for your vehicle has been renewed for another week." He pulls a blue credstick and leaves it on the table and adds, "Please order lunch. It'll be on my tab."

When Blacktree is gone and lunch is ordered, Salestra starts the planning. "Well, are we headed back north?"

Jamundi waves his hand, "I don't think we need to do that. I can do a seeking."

Salestra raises an eyebrow, "What's that mean?"

"Means I meditate for a while and know exactly where she is."

"You can do that?" I ask. This guy is so full of surprises. How did we ever get through a job without him?

He nods. I can see that everyone is impressed. Except Wardancer, she looks a little sullen. It's been awhile since she's gotten to melt a face, probably itching to.

"Okay. Then I guess we plan after you sleep on it."

Lunch is amazing.

X

Saturday morning I'm in the middle of some code when Salestra's icon buzzes at my consciousness.

"Hey, Chummer. Jamundi says he got her."

"Aces," I jack out and head over to the meet.

We're waiting in the din of some drekk of an empty warehouse in the middle of nowhere, trying not to get gonoherpasyphilaids, when Jamundi strolls through the door.


"You like it?"

"What?" asks Chester.

"The warehouse," Jamundi says, "I been talking to a broker. Think I'm gonna buy it."

Our appreciation for the place grows, and we start imagining converting the space into something useful. Wardancer cringes as she spooks a rat that was creeping nearby. Eventually it'll be cool, just not now.

"So?" I ask, "Did you find her?"

He nods, "Yup."

Jacob fingers the pommel of his hawk, "C'mon, choombaka, don't leave us in suspense. We goin' to the offshore?"

Jamundi shakes his head, "Nope. She's at her apartment."

Jacob's laugh echoes off the walls like a thunderstorm.

"Well," I say, "Let's go get her."

Forty-five minutes later Chester pulls us into the parking lot of her apartment complex. He leaves the van to idle, I kick my feet onto the dash and turn on my trid player to watch the latest episode of Siren's Song. Jacob, Wardancer, and Jamundi go up to get her.

Yeah, we didn't scout the area. We didn't send up a drone. We got sloppy.

"Turn that down a bit, will ya?" Chester says.

"You ain't the boss of me," I shoot back.

"It's myvan, baka. Turn it down or walk back to Tacoma."

I glare at him and turn down the volume just as the windshield explodes. Chester's face is a mix of pain and rage as he grabs his shoulder to stop the sudden plume of blood that geysered out of it.

"Oh, drekk--"

A second shot punches a hole right in front of me and grazes my head, stuffing from the seat rest poofs like an exploding chicken, and I duck down into the foot well, hoping the engine will keep those big bullets from hitting me any more. As I go down I see three metas in black riot gear and long coats walking our way, subs in their hands.

Chester rolls into the aisle and grunts in pain.

I draw my Predator III and fire blindly over the dash. Don't lecture me on civie casualties in a firefight. "Uh, guys?" I say over the comm, "I hope you got her, we're pinned down here, sniper and some goons."

"We hear the gunfire," Salistra says, "On our way."

A moment later gunfire erupts from behind us as the rest of the team join in the fight. I can't see drekk with Chester's blackout windows in his kidnapper van. Chester fires up his control rig and launches a drone out the roof of the van. He trips the monitors, I assume so I can watch the carnage. I see the guys out front of the van still and fire a couple more cover shots over the dash. Don't think i hit anything, but the Predator III makes a big boom. I'm sure somebody ducked.

Jacob and Salistra are lighting up the parking lot like fireworks, Wardancer is doing her best to melt someone's face off, and Jamundi, well that baka is just meditating. He points and grins, the sniper shots stop. The monitor shows two people on a building across the street stand up, one holding a long rifle. They step off the edge and fall to the ground.

Jacob swings the back door open and uses it as cover, firing his bow at one of the guidos. I peak over the dash to survey the damage, just as the one that took an arrow in his ribs--well, his head explodes. The brain mist seems to settle in the shape of a figure standing next to him, but then fades. I shake my head, clearing the fog. That shot to the head must have been more serious than i thought.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" shouts a booming voice, and the gunfire trails off, echoing through the Seattle streets.

I crawl to the back and peek around the door.

Munson, the fate meat, stands next to an elf shaman, his hands raised like he's frakking Jesus come to rescue us from the Romans. "We just want the girl. Turn her over and you can go. I'll pay you.

There might have been some consideration, for like, zero-point six-eight seconds.

Salistra shoots him in the stomach.

He looked surprised as he slumped to the ground. Can't imagine why.

We go back to our killing.

In a few moments we clean up the three thugs and are quite surprised when the two that stepped off the building limp up to us. Jacob is about to chop them into bits with his tomahawk, when Salistra holds up his hand and approaches the sniper. "Gimme that rifle."

The sniper hands it to him. They look dazed, confused, and broken from the two story fall.

Jamundi points to them with that look he gets, "Wait for the badges, tell them what you've done." I can't get over this guy.

I look around, "Where's the girl?"

The glamour drops and she's standing about five feet from me, a heavy pistol in her hand, and that spatter of blood and brain painting her face. That explains a lot.

There is a groan from Munson. Wardancer lights up those fires in her hands. "No, wait," I tell her, "We need him. This is gonna be a good day for us. Jamundi, can you do your Jedi mind trick on this baka?"

Jamundi grins and waves his hand. Munson gets up and crawls, bleeding, into the back of the van. Chester mumbles something about the state his van is in, but we don't have a lot of time for that, because we hear the sirens as the shadowriders bear down upon us.

Chester triggers something on his control unit and we burn back to Colucci's. I ring the waitress and make reservations for 8.

XI

The waitress seems unfazed by the scent of blood and gunpowder that wafts around us in a cloud as we walk through the door. Tiny, the troll that no one wants to see angry, takes our weapons with what we hope is a smile, and we are ushered to the table in the back.

Blacktree has lost all bearing as we approach. Che runs to him and embraces him. I guess they've worked together for awhile. I'm glad Chester had some wet wipes to clean her face, because brain on Armante is a horrifying thought.

Jamundi gestures and Munson flops into a chair that creaks under his bulk.

"You... you are a surprise," says Blacktree.

"I know who to call if I need another insertion," says Che.

Salistra shrugs, "Think we deserve a bonus?" We all nod.

Blacktree grins, "Do you realize what a relief it is that you have wrapped up this... train wreck in under 24 hours? I tell you what. I work for a biotech firm. I grant you a piece of bioware of your choice, installed, and access to our Delta clinic. You can keep the truck."

Chester frowns, "I thought that was part of the last deal. I already had it rigged."

Blacktree's face shows no surprise. He reaches into his pocket and places the credsticks on the table.

I can't help myself. "We get lunch, too, right?"

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Teaching D&D to Matthias and Stephanie

I wanted to play a game with my family on the weekends the kids are home from their dad's. Since Anna plays Wardancer in our Shadowrun game I thought it would be fun to continue some Shadowrun at home, so as not to switch rulesets on her, but the overly complicated character generation of SR was daunting when I sat down with Matthias, my 14yo stepson. So, taking a feather from the cap of Dungeon Craft, I had he and Stephanie (my wife) roll up super-fast characters.

Choose ability scores on a net +7, don't worry about the scores, they're never used anyway. Just assign the modifiers. (This is based on the pregen characters from the box set of D&D5E, where all premades have a net +7 modifier score)

Pick an occupation from a random list. Stephanie picked conman, Matthias picked warrior.

I assigned them equipment, a leather shirt and a short sword. I put them on the road, the warrior became a city guard, the conman his prisoner for breaking the law.

Boom. Character creation done, playing, in less than 10 minutes.

I set them up with a common situation, on the road to the next city that actually has a jail, they come upon a coach beset with bandits. The bandits are just finishing up, and when they see a city guard they take off, a young woman over their shoulder.

Matt and Stephanie go to see what is going on, and find a man with his head bleeding. Matt tries to offer aid, but the man yells that they took  his daughter! go find them!

Stephanie asks to be cut free so she can help, the guard says no. He pulls her through the brush until they hear arguing, the woman is berating the men. Matt tries to sneak up and watch, Stephanie bursts through the brush and falls to the ground, hollering that she is being chased and needs someone to help her.

The bandits distracted, the woman takes off. One bandit chases, the other advances on Stephanie. Matt steps out and knocks the man out with a headbutt.

Stephanie scoots over and cuts herself free. She says they have to go after the woman. Matt insists that they have to go to the city. She tackles him and tries to tie him to a tree, but he breaks free. She runs off into the forest, but instead of trying to follow the woman, backtracks to the road.

Matt gets hopelessly turned around and lost for several hours.

Stephanie finds the man on the road, and wants to rob him. She has the sword of the bandit. The man pulls a small knife and attacks, she rolls max damage and kills him dead.

She rifles through the carriage, taking some nice clothing and a signet ring, and heads back to town, a new ploy brewing.

Matt is lost for hours, finds a stream, follows it, is attacked by a boar, barely manages to kill it, eats, climbs a tree, finds the direction back to his town, and returns.

Stephanie gets a room at the Inn, Matt has to explain to his guard captain how he lost a prisoner.

The next day, Stephanie heads out, back on the road, to the city.

Matt takes a leisure start, sleeps in, has mead for breakfast, grabs his horse and then heads back out to the woods to see if he can find the woman. He gets hopelessly lost again, this time wandering into the village of cannibal goblins. He is attacked, has his legs badly cut up by goblin daggers, tied, and thrown into a hut. He manages to break the terrible ropes of the goblins, smashes through the side of the hut Koolaid Man style, grabs his horse and takes off before the goblins can get him again.

Stephanie makes it to the city, dressed and disguised in men's clothes, passing as a man, and shows the signet around until she finds someone who recognizes it and gives her directions to the estate. She shows up there, bearing the terrible news of the death of the master, offering to watch the house while they go look for the daughter, which is shot down, but she is offered a pallet in the barn to sleep on. She manages to convince the stable boy to steal borrow her some things from the house to sell, and kidnap him and go with her on her adventure.

Matt makes it back to the road, and decides to see what he can find in the city. He is almost dead, and it shows when he gets to the city. The guards direct him to the temple district, and he wanders into the temple of Pelor, the Sun God. The priest is empathetic, but asks him if he is a follower of Pelor. When he says no, they name a healing sum greater than he has, but tell him if he enters into service of Pelor they will heal him and give him a place to belong (he will become a cleric of Pelor).

+++

After testing out the super-fast character creation process, I love it. two characters, less than 10 minutes, straight into play. All skill checks were just ability checks, with target numbers reasonable and made up in my head. This for sure won't work for Shadowrun, where you are expected to be an expert in your field from the beginning. But for D&D, works great.

Props to Professor Dungeon Master from Dungeon Craft on his simplified rules. Watch his videos for some great content. Like, Share, Subscribe.

Happy gaming!

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Campaign Journal - Agent Insertion

Agent Insertion

I

A tuna can that drops from nowhere and rolls to my feet. A school of fish burst from it's top and swarm in my vision, circling in front of me. The center of the circle is a whirlpool that forms into a very large and very hungry looking shark. It speaks.

"Pharaoh."

"You're blocking the view, Volgren. What's up?"

Volgren's fish swim to the side, and I continue the analysis of the node I'm working on.

"I got a job for you," he says, "Big pay, should be milk for you and a few chummers."

I slide the node to the side, "Okay, you got my bandwidth. What are we doing?"

The shark snaps at a passing fish on it's side of the whirlpool and spits it through. I catch it. It transforms into an address. "Johnson will meet you there with the details. Dress nice and come hungry, it's aces. Bring your team."

I nod, pulling a map of the location. Colucci's. Mob restaurant. Aces.

The fish bordering the whirlpool swim faster, and burst out in all directions and become fireworks, popping and snapping, sparkles settling to a suggested floor where they dim and fade. The whirlpool and the massive shark are gone.

I call the team.

An hour later we walk into Colucci's, dressed to kill, and are directed back to the Johnson. Chummer must be six hundred pounds, five-eight in both directions, and got seven plates of food in front of him.

The scent of real meat attacks my nostrils and it must have been a pulse since I ate, because my stomach starts elbowing my ribs, hard.

Johnson offers us whatever we want off the menu, and drekk, the food was aces, no soypro here. I must have put away a month's rent in that sitting, as did most of the rest of the team. Running the shadows may be lucrative, but cyberware and top rate utilities don't fill the belly.

Johnson looks right at me and throws the offer: two hundred Gs to take some chika to a bunker up north and get her in a room. That's it. Cake, right? And to make it easier, he throws in a map, a Ford Bison RV with registration across the border, and a datapad with the chika's paydat. Tells us the chika got the rest of the data.

Aces. We negotiate for dessert, and accept.

II

In most pickups, the hideout is a dive, some slum in Redmond with an H user on every corner. You gotta come fully loaded or some joegang will jack your 'ware as you step on the street. Not this place.

The building is in Downtown Seattle; quiet, peaceful. Neighborhood must be home to some tridstars. It's a good thing we're wearing our suits. In shadoware we'd stick out like a script kiddie in a Red-10.

We head to the third floor, the talking elevator creaking under the weight of Jacob's steel. Room 319. We knock, the door creaks open, and inside it looks like the place has been tossed. We draw weapons and breech, clearing the area. Except it isn't clear, it's a total mess. Clothes are strewn all over, electronic parts, soy-snack wrappers, old Chinatown takeout containers tipped over. A hairdryer sounds from the bathroom.

No one tossed this place, she's just a slob. I cover the big stuffy chair with the clean side of some clothing and sit. Salestra heads towards the bathroom. I hear a scream, the hairdryer drops, and I just hope she hasn't killed our contact.

Salestra strolls around the corner and flops onto the couch, a satisfied grin on her face. Seconds later a wet haired Chinese woman in a towel and carrying a Browning heavy pistol rounds the corner and levels her pistol at each of us in turn. "Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment?"

"It's okay, chika. Settle. Johnson sent us. You know Johnson, right? Big as a house, great taste in food and clothing."

She lowers the gun slightly, but remains at the ready. "I thought insertion was Sunday."

"Sure," I say, "But we need a plan, and Johnson said you got extra intel."

She relaxes, letting the pistol drop to her side, "Wait here. I'm going to get dressed."

A few moments later she's telling us her story of why she needs inserted, describing what she knows of the building, and is providing me an access key to the matrix node and throwing out ideas like a Runner. Some scientist.

III

Saturday is a day of planning and driving. We jump in the Bison and head north, working on the details. The facility is known as Proteus AG, a German megacorp researching biotech and naval tech, and they're paranoid as drekk. They've had some run-ins with an eco-terrorist group in the area, but manage to avoid confrontation.

"How we doin this, choombats? Ideas." I ask.

"Go in as a camera crew? Pretend to be news." says Jacob Stone, the giant Native with an equally giant tomahawk on his side.

Salestra, always the most direct, "Drive a truck through the front door and melt faces?" Frag, chika.

"That's more our style," Jacob laughs.

I try to steer the direction more civil, "This run seems more scalpel than axe."

"Jamundi has a bunch of tricks, don't even know what they all are," says Salestra, "You mentioned mass mind control? Make them all flee the building, we just go in like salmon?"

Jamundi nods, "I can do that, or an aura of invisibility, cameras won't even see her."

I like that, "That's aces."

"I like the mind control," says Salestra, "All the non-mages leave then we only need to kill the mages..."

That, I don't like so much, "Where's the gaze gonna point? Still sounds like an axe."

She shrugs, "Eco gang."

I nod, "I want them involved."

"We hide in the crowd, let them soak bullets as we take out the turrets. Jamundi mass-minds, all eco survivors and us run in. Get to basement, throw the girl in the room, we leave before reinforcements arrive."

"Sounds plausible," says Jacob.

Salistra thinks for a moment, "Maybe the gang has explosives. Make more than one way in?"

I glance at the map Johnson gave us, "Roof is a way in."

Salistra considers that, "How high up, and how do we climb it without setting off all alarms, and fighting the entire security staff on the roof, where the only escape is down?"

"I can fly us."

We all look at Jamundi.

"You can make us fly?"

He nods, "Yeah. Well, not all at once, but yeah."

"We still need to avoid the cameras," says Jacob.

Chester calls back from the driver's seat, "True, I do have surveillance drones. I just wonder if we can conceal them from the cameras."

I nod, "Your drones might work out there, but Corp deckers are gonna know something's up unless I can burn them first."

Jacob, "We should make it look like another corp was looking for info, point the blame elsewhere."

"Yeah," I say, "Good scan."

Salestra says to me, "How do we get you jacked in?"

"I'll rattle the windows tonight, see what I can figure out. They got a net, just don't connect to the little room. Mayhaps I can run security overwatch. That's my mastery, not scratch and grab like last time. Too much meat space."

"Too bad we can't pull off a jail scene like Star Wars," says Jacob.

I scoff, "Old trids. Not even holo."

Jacob looks offended, "I like the old trids. Classics."

"Rupture the underwater team line?" asks Salestra.

Holy drekk.

"Thought you were the sneaky type, chika," I am continually surprised by her.

She shrugs, "Surveillance puts a damper on it. Also, no one is stealthy enough to go in with me."

I laugh, "Green on that."

Jacob still looks offended, "I'm stealthy."

"Well," I point out, "I get in and burn their deckers, I'm the surveillance."

"Pharaoh and I come in through the roof?" she asks, "Open the front door?"

"I'm sneaky," Chester calls from the front.

"So," I say, "You three stealthy, but Jamundi and the chika? Chika, maybe. She gotta tiptoe around that drekkhole of an apartment. I don't scan she so sneaky."

"I can be stealthy," says Jamundi.

Salestra sums up, "Jamundi, Pharaoh, Chester and myself go in through the roof, while the others hide in the woods with the eco gang, to make a distraction if things go wrong inside?"

Everyone nods.

"Guess it depends on what I find out about the facility tonight. What data do we need?" I ask.

"Approximate number of security personnel would be helpful, and security contingencies," says Jacob.

"Can we get tear gas and masks?" asks Salestra, "No-no time. Check for an alternate passage in?"

"See what I can find."

Jacob chuckles, shakes his head, and looks at Salestra, "You always want to make things complicated. Sometimes simpler is better. Less things that can go wrong."

She grins, "I'm just throwing stuff out. I'm not invested in any of them." She turns back to me, "Layout of internal security surveillance."

Chester calls out, "Better layout of the building, more details on where the office she has to get to is."

I nod, "Security and maps is good. Those were on my short list."

"We should also consider egress-- nothing ever goes as planned," Salestra points out.

I laugh, "Ain't that green."

"Also number of employees and guards on site," says Chester.

Jacob glances to the front and mutters under his breath, "I already said that."

"Right," I say, "Guard list and locs. That's a must." I give Jacob a knowing look and smile.

"Maybe a map of the ventillation system?" suggests Chester, "I could send in a drone that's basically a smoke bomb. It'll be there if things go wrong and we need help with a distraction."

I nod, "Good scan."

"And any security measures in the vents," says Jacob. I nod.

"Also a possible route for Miss Chi," says Salestra.

Was that her name? For a guy that works with data all day, you'd think I'd remember that. Think I've been unplugged too long. "We know where the stairs are. That's a start."

"We could leave her with a couple good bruises to help take heat off her for the break in," Salestra suggests.

"Frag, chika," I just can't stop myself.

"I'm serious. If they're that paranoid..." she lets it trail off.

"Let's try to get her in without scratching the paint."

Jacob laughs his big hearty laugh, "Take the fun out of it."

"Not for me," I say, "Okay. That's some good stuff. If anyone thinks of other things, speak up. We can finalize after I check the matrix tonight."

IV

A couple hours later, Chester pulls off the road at a rest stop and we set off through the trees. Why the frag am I doing this? This is way too much meat space for me. I'm getting nature all over me. Frag. I can't belie--

I hear something. Something big. "Uh, chummers. I think we got comp--"

That's when it attacks. This huge cross between a troll and a boulder smashes through the trees and takes a swing at Salestra. She dodges, drawing her pistol in a lightning fast move and firing two rounds into it's chest. The bullets seem to do little.

In a tenth of a second Jacob lands an arrow in it's neck. The troll-rock breaks it off. Chester opens up full auto on the thing, it stumbes to the side, but a bullet grazes Salestra's scalp. She shakes it off, "Watch it, baka!" she shouts.

Chester grins, "You can take it."

It is dark as an empty data drive, and I fire two rounds off in the direction of a new sound, though I can't really say that I hit anything but a tree. Take that, Nature.

But I must have been close. A second one steps out of the shadows and swings at Jacob. He drops his bow and pulls that Tommy, knocking the blow to the side and chopping down into the beast's skull. It roars and smashes a fist into his chest.

Jamundi and Wardancer begin weaving spells, flashes and streaks of magic fly, and the rock trolls go down. We take a moment to breathe, still on our toes for more.

But more were unnecessary, because these two get back up. Holy Frag.

Jacob opens up with that Tomahawk like a beast unleashed. He smashes it down on the troll-thing's shoulder, near severing it, before hitting it to the side of the neck, almost severing the head. He spins and chops at it's knee, dropping it to the ground, and leaps, two handed overhead swing, completing the cut to take off the head.

Salestra, Chester, and the two spell flingers unleash on the other one before it finishes recovering, and knock it against a tree, then we all unload an entire clip into it's chest, reload, and stand there, our hearts pounding like mad, just waiting for it to twitch.

Sonnova.. I gotta make this thing into an IC. It'd scare any script kiddie.

Salestra pulls a knife and her datapad, snapping a pic and taking a trophy.

I say nothing, and we continue toward the facility, now hyper aware of our situation. Nature is scarier than Redmond any day.

V

We come to the edge of the trees and I realize that it's a good thing we had the map. The building is  void-black, no lights except the leds blinking on cameras on the roof. Like a gate to Shadowrunner's hell.

We lay low and watch for two hours to get the guard patrol. Pattern. Perfect. I code notes on my PA.

We see a weakness on the north side. There is a 10 minute window where guards can't see, and a side door that leads to a hallway and the stairs. Cameras, but that's what I'm handling tonight.

A ten foot fence with monowire at the top, and some strange black boxes every few feet that appear to be lights. We step back into the dark and trek to the Bison, considering the situation.

Back on the road, we finalize plans.

"Okay, the side door on the north wall. I think that's our way in. Can we go around the fence?" I ask.

"No way," says Jamundi, "You don't want to know what I saw in the water. That isn't an option."

That sounds scary. "Alright, you can fly us over the fence?"

He nods.

"Great. Who's going? I don't think we need everyone. That might pique some interest we don't want." Wardancer asks.

Salestra offers sniper overwatch.

Chester offers to drive get-away.

Wardancer says she'll go.

"I think just Jacob, myself, and the girl," I say. What am I thinking? I should be jacked in, comfy and cozy, back home in Seattle, security overwatch. "I'll slice the door, Jacob runs guard."

"You can take my smoke drone," says Chester.

Rigger has the right idea. Baka me.

VI

I cinch the ropes on the old lady whose apartment I just co-opted for her matrix connection, and check the gag. Good enough. I swing the bathroom door closed and turn on some music to muffle her cries. 

I use a throwaway ID to log on and follow the address the chika gave me. She also gave me an access code, but I want to test the system first.

The node projects as a huge aquarium.

I attempt a logon. 

Failed. 

What the frag? I run it again. 

Failed.

How secure is this system?

A huge shark swims out from nowhere and lunges at me. I thrash it with my IC killer and log off.

Fine, I'll use the key.

I reconnect with a new throwaway and bounce through another few connections to scatter my trail, and use the key. Feels like cheating, but frag, this system is locked down tight. 

I scan the systems. High level, all of them. This is going to take every bit of skill I have. 

In what feels like 15 minutes but is actually about 10 seconds of real time I upload a script to loop the cameras starting at 6:45p, download the map, personnel log, and do a quick search for paydat. 

Usually high security nodes like this have a ton of stuff that's worth something, but these guys must have it well secured, i only find 2 points, and start the download, though this attracts the attention of another security shark and a probe. I ignore the probe, ice the shark, and finish my download, jacking out.

I'm pretty sure the key will get flagged after the fight, so I don't think i'm doing security overwatch. I just hope my script succeeds, or this is going to fall apart quick.

VII

Sunday afternoon we pick up the chika, drive to the woods, skirt the edge to avoid rock trolls, and watch for the moment. I set the loop up for a 30 minute window. We should be in and out in that much time.

I check my chrono. The cameras should be looped. The guards walk around the corner and Jacob, myself, and the chika start sprinting for the fence.

I feel myself grabbed up and launched through the air, over the fence, and set gently on the ground in front of the door. The lock is also high security, and it takes several minutes to slice. I'm sweating and getting pissed but get it.

Jacob swings the door open and checks the hall. Clear. We enter and short line for the stairs. I notice the cameras and cringe, but I don't hear the stomping of boots, so I cross my fingers and try to control my heart which is about to burst through my chest.

We escort her to the room, which opens easily. She smiles, says thanks, and closes the door behind her, leaving us standing in the hall. I look at Jacob. "Think it's going to be that easy to get out?"

He grins. "I hope not."

But it is. We leave, I replace the cover on the lock, Jamundi flies us back to the tree line, and we melt into the dark.

That was too easy. This can't be real, can it?

VIII

Friday comes none too soon. Most of us have blown through the advance and are already making plans for the rest of the cut. We arrive at Colucci's, but instead of the mountain of a man we saw before, a tree of an African human in an even nicer suit sits behind the table. This guy just exudes Corporate. He ain't no Johnson.

"I am Mr. Johnson's boss."

Well, that's not good.

(To be continued...)

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Shadowrun is Awesome, Part II

Meanwhile, as I am getting fitted into the security rig, team 2 has found the subject. A man lays on a gurney, attached to a multitude of machines. They just start piling the machinery on top of the cart, unplugging from the wall jacks, but leaving it intact, just in case one of these things is keeping the poor bastard alive.

I get the rig on and fire up the monitors. Everything is red. Reinforcements inbound, we have like 2 minutes, and there are guards heading right for team 2. Some decker bakas tries to bounce me out of the securinet, but a couple data spikes feed back into their decks and they're smoked. Two guards come out of a break room, and our team is pushed into a firefight. I radio to the twos to wrap up and burn out, and dump the rig to help out my team.

I can hear assault rifle fire coming from the hall, but drekk is a blur, as the mage and the gunslinger rip the two guards to shreds. I drop the last one on the way out with my Doby, and we head out the door, team 2 right on our heels, wheeling the gurney and all the med tech.

We throw the gear in the van and burn out, passing Badges that were going to bleed us, and meet back at the needle. Johnson seems impressed that we have a live subject with the prototype.

That was a good day.

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Everything I needed to know about DM'ing I learned in Prison

Ok, let's talk about this. When I was out before, we played once per week, and I did my best to put on a good game, to come up with interesting challenges, and have some fun. But I did so at a severe disadvantage: I played once per week.
When you only play once per week, you don't necessarily have time to compile the lessons learned from previous sessions.
Its like watching a tv series one episode per week as compared to marathoning the whole thing back to back in an afternoon. Little things you didn't notice before just jump out at you.
So when I went to prison and found a few players, they wanted to play every-freaking day. So we did. I had a lot of chances to try out new things and learn what works and what doesn't, to put together a long term cohesive game, and grow at an amazing rate.
How fast of a rate, you might ask?
Let's do the math:
I used to play 1x/week, and depending on the day, for 3 to 10 hours in that one week. Lets average it to 6.
While inside, I played six days per week for 4 hours per day.
So in one year, on the old math, at 52 weeks times 6 hrs per week, we played 312 hours.
In one year, inside, at 4 hours per day for six days for 52 weeks, we played 1248 hours.

Here are some of the lessons I learned:

• Stick with point system or basic set - (15,14,13,12,10,8) or, for a more powerful game, (16,15,14,14,13,10). That's it. Don't do 4d6, reroll 1's. Someone will end up with low scores, someone will end up with (3) 18's, and someone will feel like the other players are superfluous and treat them badly, with many comments about, "Stop sucking."
• Keep challenge ratings appropriate. - Yes, its fun to get your ass handed to you and feel like you came out on top. But not in every encounter. Some encounters should be simple, some a decent challenge, and boss fights should almost kill you, but in the end you can overcome. If every fight is about to kill your players, then the players feel like it is only dumb luck or DM fudge rolls that are saving them, and discouragement happens.
• Take copious notes - I created little booklets that I could jot down notes on player questions, wish lists, investigation things that had to come back to them, etc. This way at night when I was preparing for tomorrow's game, I could come up with the answers to keep them on the trail (or throw them off). Yes, out here I can go to the store and buy a small spiral notebook for 35cents. In there I had to make them.
• Don't give away lots of magic and gold - It is fun for the players to find treasure. When you try to be nice and hand out cool stuff, it comes back to bite you in the end. Yes, they should have something special about their character, such as an awesome droid, a special weapon, a power that no one else has, but keep it small and retain balance in your game.
• Hold something back - Don't make all the powers available at the beginning. Don't have all the gear available, even if it is in the player's manual. Hold it back as a reward for later on. If they ask about it, tell them it isn't available, or they will have to find someone that knows it to learn it from them. Holding back will give them something to search for and give them a goal.
• Throw in a treasure hunt, even if you aren't sure what the treasure is yet - I had a random encounter with a derelict freighter that had obviously been in a pirate raid. The players searched the captain's quarters and found a datapad that had notes about a lost treasure, and included three possible locations. No matter which location they went to in what order, the third one had the next clue. After 9 locations, and they were to the place where the treasure should be, that's when I had to decide what it was, and I picked something that would help them in the final battle against the Sith Lord, a few crates of clone embryos. Now they can have their own troops to lead against the Shadow Lord's armies.
• Create custom prestige classes that are designed just for them. - I'll post mine later, but that was a big hit. I created a special prestige class designed specifically for each of my players that made them unique designed around something that happened to them in the game, such as Konan becoming a Werewolf Lord, or Lone Wolf becoming a Dragon Rider.
  In prison I did not have the books, and it was actually against the rules to play, so we had to make up everything. If some of these prestige classes exist in books, I didn't have them, and I'm sure mine are quite different.
• Sometimes what makes a player happy to play his character is a simple boon - Try giving him a 'Frost Giant' bloodline, so he gets a Cold Resistance 2. Simple, but it helps the player feel special, different, and adds to background.
• Try playing without the books - As I mentioned, I didn't have access to the books, and if I wanted anything, like Spell Descriptions or class abilities, I had to spend 3.50$ and call Skipp and hope he stopped talking about Warhammer long enough to look up what I needed before the end of the call. Monsters, had to make them up. Locations, had to make them up. Vehicles, had to make them up. We made up new spells, items, powers, equipment, modifications, rules, everything. Our game was loosely based on 3.5, with a twist of pathfinder, and we were constantly tweaking and testing new rules to find what works. Creativity flourishes when you don't have resources. Try it.

Well, those prolly aren't all the things I learned, but its a good amount of them. I hope someone learns something, and if you don't agree, that's okay. These are the things I learned after finding that it didn't work out, and came back to bite me in the ass.

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Game Theory - The Total Rewrite

This phrase really freaked me out when I first heard it. What could be cooler than a theory of games? But you know what? It isn't the cool new college course that all the design publishers are looking for, its actually military strategy. Which kinda works, if you're playing Total Annihilation. But I'm not talking about military strategem, or TA. I'm talking about design.

My first major campaign for Star Wars Saga Edition is going on. We are up to the third episode, and since I didn't care for the original RPGA written episode 3, I'm rewriting it.

Now, I've got to tell you, this is not just an easy throw something together thing. There is real thought and planning behind building an episode for an existing established campaign. I wanted to keep some of the same elements in the game so that key things that took place in the original will still happen in the rewrite, but will fit my new setting and events.

But it doesn't work to just cut and paste areas of the text, because they are very different in content.

For example, I just couldn't bring myself to put my very aggressive players thru four days of playing cards. It just wouldn't have worked. They would have been killing random npcs by the second day. So that had to go. But there is a purchase / exchange that happens during the card game. Now I have to have that purchase / exchange go down anyway, but in a diffent manner, and to where the players discover it anyway, and make it more interesting than hiding in shadows evesdropping or sitting somewhere high up and watching thru macrobinoculars.

So. For the first installment of my new RPG focused hobby blog, here we have:

Episode 3. Rewriting the Adventure.

1. Keep the NPCs the same, just change their role. Rather than your Rodian being a scoundrel card sharp, throw him in position of the Noble. Dress him up in fancy clothes and give him an entourage.


2. Keep the setting similar, just change the location. The original may take place on Jabba's Sail Barge over the dune sea. But that doesn't fit your new setting, since you aren't including Jabba, or the Tatoonian Dune Sea. How about a five day-six night stay aboard the luxury star cruise Correlian Star Resorts Cruise & Travel.


3. Keep the main plot of the episode, just change the detail. The original was a rescue of the princess from the evil Empire's new space station detention facility before she's executed. Well, perhaps in your game, the Empire's base is an underground facility, and the rescue of the princess is freeing slaves. Plot: Rescue. Details: location / rescuee.


4. Add in new stuff that makes your game different, but similar. Basically not all the encounters from the original episode are going to work in your new location/setting/goal. But coming up with interesting encounters can be a challenge. You don't want your episode rewrite to be the same. you want to give it your own flare and creativity. Let's say in the original the heroes were going to come across a datapad that would lead them to an NPC that knew what they were looking for. Well, that's a data encounter. How about instead, your hero's droid slices into the central station computer and that data that was going to be provided from the NPC is available there.


5. Make it exciting. No matter how much you didn't like the original write, something about it made it exciting to the writers. Try to capture that element. It's okay to borrow from their example to do it. Just as the heroes save the princess and disable the tractor beam, escape from the big bad evil super villain (BBESV), they blast off into space only to discover their hyperdrive has been disabled. Dun dun DUN! Now they have to fight off waves of TIE fighters and fix the hyperdrive at the same time before the shields give out!

Yeah, keep that part.

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