Thursday, May 23, 2013
The WoD Timeline
A timeline for my World of Darkness chronicles. Probably missing some things, but if I ever get some free time I'll fix that.
Promethean: Death in the Junkyard
Gotta start doing these the day after. It'll be easier over the summer.
OK, first, dinner!
I swear to god, I'm so sick of carrots.
Anyway, I made a batter out of some (gluten-free) flour, some orange pop I had left over, and the hot sauce. I batter-fried the fish. I cooked off the orzo and made a lemon-basil butter for it. And then I wrap the baby carrots in foil with some grapeseed oil, some bourbon, salt and pepper and put 'em in the over.
Good stuff. The rockfish wasn't universally loved, but that was more down to individual tastes, I think.
OK, so, the characters went to the junkyard. They got there in the middle of night, and Matt and Grimm walked the perimeter. Big fence, guard dogs, a house in one corner, a tower of cars stacked in a circle, and a big mobile crane with a magnet. They'd brought along some butcher bones, and Feather figured she'd climb the fence, and toss the bones to the dogs, maybe make friends.
She climbed the fence to land on the kennel...and went right through the roof of it. The dogs came running in from the junkyard. She tossed a bone, and one of them went for it, but the other attacked.
The other characters started heading over the fence. Skip jumped up to the roof of the garage (I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the junkyard, I just forgot. Maybe next time, since I still have it drawn on my map). Enoch climbed the fence, as did Matt and Grim. Skip went to the other dog and tried to make friends, but it snapped at him. Enoch tried to touch the dog with his poisoned hand, but missed and touched Skip instead, giving him the Poisoned Tilt (off a failure converted to a dramatic failure for the Beat, and that was not the last time). Grimm came over and tried to pistol-whip the dog, but missed and broke Enoch's nose (see?). The dog snapped at them, but Skip punched it and broke something, and it ran, yelping, into the junkyard.
Avalon, meanwhile, stayed on the other side of the fence, watching the house, making sure they weren't going to get jumped.
Feather grappled the remaining dog and tried to established dominance, but failed, and it bit her up pretty good. Enoch walked over and touched it, killing it.
That bit of excitement over, the characters spread out, looking for whatever it was they were supposed to find. Nergal wasn't being forthcoming (or maybe he just wasn't asked). Skip heard something behind him, but didn't see anything. Matt looked at the crane - it was well-used and maintained.
Feather and Enoch popped the hoods on some of the cars there from towing (rather than being junked) and drained their batteries to heal up. That made some sparks and noise. Avalon used Transformation to turn a window in the garage to water, and then pushed over the object blocking it...which crashed to the ground and made a lot of noise. The lights on the house went on. Avalon approached, and a boy of about 15 opened the back door, armed with a rifle. Avalon told him she'd lost her keys (a milestone for her: Tell a Lie), and he told her to come in while he got a metal detector. He opened the basement door, and Avalon, Trusting and Optimistic (her Vice and Virtue, respectively), didn't realize what was happening until he'd thrown her downstairs and slammed and bolted the door. In the dark, she heard "Hello?"
Out in the yard, things were going about as well. Skip searched for the source of the noise, and found a man hiding in the stacks of cars...who promptly shot him with a shotgun. Skip tried to strike back, but didn't manage to do much. Grimm and the others sprinted over, and Grimm shot at the man, but he shot Skip again (nearly killing him) and retreated back into the yard. Matt, standing on the crane's cab (to get a better look), jumped off the crane toward the fight, and something shot at him, but missed. The Prometheans rounded the stack (not Skip, who was taking over and heading for the untouched car batteries, because he had no desire to die again), and the man shot at them...but Grimm shot him down. And then the sniper on the house roof shot Grimm, and Feather, grievously wounded them both.
They ran between the stacks to get cover. Matt, figuring he could use the crane to do some good, here, started it up and tried to drive it. However, the roll failed, and (again) the player took the dramatic failure.
The magnet swung low, knocking over a stack of cars. Grimm jumped clear. Feather did not.
In the basement, Avalon felt Feather's Azoth vanish. She also found four people down there - two men, two women - some of whom had been there months. They told her that they'd been thrown down and then giving the choice to chain themselves to the wall, or letting the others starve. Avalon, able to maneuver somewhat in the dark by using the people's auras, touched the chains and rusted them with Transformation, and had the people pull themselves free. They started up the stairs, and Avalon realized the door was reinforced with metal. She could destroy it, of course, but then they heard gunfire outside. "We'll be fine," said Avalon. "My friends are coming."
Outside, Matt saw what he had done and entered Torment (as it happens, Succumb to Torment is a milestone for him). His Torment consisted of his Azoth inverting itself, growing cold and dark, and drinking in Pyros around him.
The sniper shot Grimm again, and he entered Torment, becoming horribly and viciously spiteful. He was going to kill that fucker. He picked his way around the house, using the cars as cover, and shot out the lights on the house.
Meanwhile, Enoch, Skip and Matt approached from the other side. Skip ran behind the crane, but failed a Perception roll and took the Beat, and fell into a hole, concealed, up to then, by the crane. He found himself in a steel "cauldron." Nergal woke up, gleeful, and told him to wet his finger and touch the edge. He did...blood. This thing had been filled with blood. The others helped him out, and they continued around the yard toward the house.
Matt charged the door, and the boy stepped out and shot at him (but missed). Enoch grabbed the dead dog and used his Chimera Transmutation to take its form, though he kept his frog-like coloration (Feather's player: "Damn, that's a striped-ass collie.").
Grimm, meanwhile, managed to draw a bead on the sniper and shoot him in the head. He fell off the roof and smashed onto a car.
The Prometheans entered the kitchen, and the boy was there, with a gun. But he gave up when they entered. Matt used Nameless Dread on him (which he'd learned from the milestone) and Enoch approached him in dog form, and changed up to human form as he did, which well and truly broke the boy. They opened the basement and let Avalon and the prisoners out. The boy said that his father (Red Odell) kept people in the basement, and then once a year he took them out into the yard. Grimm, still in Torment, informed the boy that his father and brother were both dead.
But...is dead, dead?
In the Underworld, Feather appeared on the banks of a river. Next to her was Red Odell. They talked a little, but he made it clear that he was going back; this wasn't the end for him. He wouldn't say how that worked, though, nor was he the least bit apologetic. The only thing that seemed to get to him was when Feather reminded him that he had kids, and what he did hurt them, too (she wasn't aware that his son was dead, of course). But at that moment, he started bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, and said, "Well, here I go."
Feather, not one to be fucked with, kicked him into the River of Woe. His face turned from rage to regret and despair, and he floated away. She made a milestone (Win a Fight By Herself), and then, just out of curiosity, tasted the water. We'll get to that.
Back at the house, Skip searched Red's room and found a leather-bound book, obviously not written by him, in which the construction of the steel cauldron and the principle of immortality was described. Once a year, "on the eve of your greatest woe," the bather had to immerse himself in pure blood. If he did, "death shall have no hold on him." Enoch, reading this (Skip hadn't), asked the boy what night the ritual took place. "May 16."
"What happened that night?"
"That was night my mom died."
The boy asked the characters to just kill him, but they refused. What they did do was put him in the basement, and give the prisoners medical attention. They weren't quite ready to call the cops just yet, though. They still needed to figure this place out.
Grimm used Sense Pyros and felt a tingle from inside the ring of cars. He, Enoch, Matt and Skip wriggled in, and Grimm found a Pilgrim Mark - enlightenment. There was a hole below a car, leading to a cavern - small, but Enoch used Procrustean Shape and slipped in. What he saw made his jaw drop...but we'll see it next time.
Up in the ring, the others felt a massive flare of Azoth from the pileup of cars Matt had caused. Feather was back from the dead.
OK, first, dinner!
 |
| Rockfish, Frank's Hot Sauce, orzo, baby carrots. |
I swear to god, I'm so sick of carrots.
Anyway, I made a batter out of some (gluten-free) flour, some orange pop I had left over, and the hot sauce. I batter-fried the fish. I cooked off the orzo and made a lemon-basil butter for it. And then I wrap the baby carrots in foil with some grapeseed oil, some bourbon, salt and pepper and put 'em in the over.
Good stuff. The rockfish wasn't universally loved, but that was more down to individual tastes, I think.
OK, so, the characters went to the junkyard. They got there in the middle of night, and Matt and Grimm walked the perimeter. Big fence, guard dogs, a house in one corner, a tower of cars stacked in a circle, and a big mobile crane with a magnet. They'd brought along some butcher bones, and Feather figured she'd climb the fence, and toss the bones to the dogs, maybe make friends.
She climbed the fence to land on the kennel...and went right through the roof of it. The dogs came running in from the junkyard. She tossed a bone, and one of them went for it, but the other attacked.
The other characters started heading over the fence. Skip jumped up to the roof of the garage (I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the junkyard, I just forgot. Maybe next time, since I still have it drawn on my map). Enoch climbed the fence, as did Matt and Grim. Skip went to the other dog and tried to make friends, but it snapped at him. Enoch tried to touch the dog with his poisoned hand, but missed and touched Skip instead, giving him the Poisoned Tilt (off a failure converted to a dramatic failure for the Beat, and that was not the last time). Grimm came over and tried to pistol-whip the dog, but missed and broke Enoch's nose (see?). The dog snapped at them, but Skip punched it and broke something, and it ran, yelping, into the junkyard.
Avalon, meanwhile, stayed on the other side of the fence, watching the house, making sure they weren't going to get jumped.
Feather grappled the remaining dog and tried to established dominance, but failed, and it bit her up pretty good. Enoch walked over and touched it, killing it.
That bit of excitement over, the characters spread out, looking for whatever it was they were supposed to find. Nergal wasn't being forthcoming (or maybe he just wasn't asked). Skip heard something behind him, but didn't see anything. Matt looked at the crane - it was well-used and maintained.
Feather and Enoch popped the hoods on some of the cars there from towing (rather than being junked) and drained their batteries to heal up. That made some sparks and noise. Avalon used Transformation to turn a window in the garage to water, and then pushed over the object blocking it...which crashed to the ground and made a lot of noise. The lights on the house went on. Avalon approached, and a boy of about 15 opened the back door, armed with a rifle. Avalon told him she'd lost her keys (a milestone for her: Tell a Lie), and he told her to come in while he got a metal detector. He opened the basement door, and Avalon, Trusting and Optimistic (her Vice and Virtue, respectively), didn't realize what was happening until he'd thrown her downstairs and slammed and bolted the door. In the dark, she heard "Hello?"
Out in the yard, things were going about as well. Skip searched for the source of the noise, and found a man hiding in the stacks of cars...who promptly shot him with a shotgun. Skip tried to strike back, but didn't manage to do much. Grimm and the others sprinted over, and Grimm shot at the man, but he shot Skip again (nearly killing him) and retreated back into the yard. Matt, standing on the crane's cab (to get a better look), jumped off the crane toward the fight, and something shot at him, but missed. The Prometheans rounded the stack (not Skip, who was taking over and heading for the untouched car batteries, because he had no desire to die again), and the man shot at them...but Grimm shot him down. And then the sniper on the house roof shot Grimm, and Feather, grievously wounded them both.
They ran between the stacks to get cover. Matt, figuring he could use the crane to do some good, here, started it up and tried to drive it. However, the roll failed, and (again) the player took the dramatic failure.
The magnet swung low, knocking over a stack of cars. Grimm jumped clear. Feather did not.
In the basement, Avalon felt Feather's Azoth vanish. She also found four people down there - two men, two women - some of whom had been there months. They told her that they'd been thrown down and then giving the choice to chain themselves to the wall, or letting the others starve. Avalon, able to maneuver somewhat in the dark by using the people's auras, touched the chains and rusted them with Transformation, and had the people pull themselves free. They started up the stairs, and Avalon realized the door was reinforced with metal. She could destroy it, of course, but then they heard gunfire outside. "We'll be fine," said Avalon. "My friends are coming."
Outside, Matt saw what he had done and entered Torment (as it happens, Succumb to Torment is a milestone for him). His Torment consisted of his Azoth inverting itself, growing cold and dark, and drinking in Pyros around him.
The sniper shot Grimm again, and he entered Torment, becoming horribly and viciously spiteful. He was going to kill that fucker. He picked his way around the house, using the cars as cover, and shot out the lights on the house.
Meanwhile, Enoch, Skip and Matt approached from the other side. Skip ran behind the crane, but failed a Perception roll and took the Beat, and fell into a hole, concealed, up to then, by the crane. He found himself in a steel "cauldron." Nergal woke up, gleeful, and told him to wet his finger and touch the edge. He did...blood. This thing had been filled with blood. The others helped him out, and they continued around the yard toward the house.
Matt charged the door, and the boy stepped out and shot at him (but missed). Enoch grabbed the dead dog and used his Chimera Transmutation to take its form, though he kept his frog-like coloration (Feather's player: "Damn, that's a striped-ass collie.").
Grimm, meanwhile, managed to draw a bead on the sniper and shoot him in the head. He fell off the roof and smashed onto a car.
The Prometheans entered the kitchen, and the boy was there, with a gun. But he gave up when they entered. Matt used Nameless Dread on him (which he'd learned from the milestone) and Enoch approached him in dog form, and changed up to human form as he did, which well and truly broke the boy. They opened the basement and let Avalon and the prisoners out. The boy said that his father (Red Odell) kept people in the basement, and then once a year he took them out into the yard. Grimm, still in Torment, informed the boy that his father and brother were both dead.
But...is dead, dead?
In the Underworld, Feather appeared on the banks of a river. Next to her was Red Odell. They talked a little, but he made it clear that he was going back; this wasn't the end for him. He wouldn't say how that worked, though, nor was he the least bit apologetic. The only thing that seemed to get to him was when Feather reminded him that he had kids, and what he did hurt them, too (she wasn't aware that his son was dead, of course). But at that moment, he started bleeding from the eyes, ears and nose, and said, "Well, here I go."
Feather, not one to be fucked with, kicked him into the River of Woe. His face turned from rage to regret and despair, and he floated away. She made a milestone (Win a Fight By Herself), and then, just out of curiosity, tasted the water. We'll get to that.
Back at the house, Skip searched Red's room and found a leather-bound book, obviously not written by him, in which the construction of the steel cauldron and the principle of immortality was described. Once a year, "on the eve of your greatest woe," the bather had to immerse himself in pure blood. If he did, "death shall have no hold on him." Enoch, reading this (Skip hadn't), asked the boy what night the ritual took place. "May 16."
"What happened that night?"
"That was night my mom died."
The boy asked the characters to just kill him, but they refused. What they did do was put him in the basement, and give the prisoners medical attention. They weren't quite ready to call the cops just yet, though. They still needed to figure this place out.
Grimm used Sense Pyros and felt a tingle from inside the ring of cars. He, Enoch, Matt and Skip wriggled in, and Grimm found a Pilgrim Mark - enlightenment. There was a hole below a car, leading to a cavern - small, but Enoch used Procrustean Shape and slipped in. What he saw made his jaw drop...but we'll see it next time.
Up in the ring, the others felt a massive flare of Azoth from the pileup of cars Matt had caused. Feather was back from the dead.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Race is Run
Yesterday was the final session of my Dresden Files game, Let It Ride. Let's watch, shall we?
The day of the race, everyone prepares. Lou, his job nearly done, relaxes at the casino. Georgina Valentine approaches him and asks for, effectively, early access to the race, to check out the horses. Lou, knowing something's amiss, denies her, but eventually tells her when the horses will be presented and when the security folks (Rusty and Clive) will be around.
At the race, Opal puts a contract together, stating that the signatories will not interfere with the other contestant and that everyone's to keep it sociable. Lou tells the security boys not to admit the Valentines, and folks start arriving. Alice is in the stables with Bo, who's nervously awaiting his jockey (and his transformation).
Billy Ray arrives just after sundown, and cheerfully signs the contract (it protects him as much as anyone). The Fae Ladies arrive from the NeverNever at the same moment, and glower a little at each other before signing, but they do. Albert, Leroy, Jeannine, and Anthony Lucredi arrive, one by one, and signed (Jeannie obviously out of her element).
Arthur Bingham arrives...with the Valentines. Opal tells him that they aren't allowed in, and he effectively threatens to pull his horse from the race. She calls Lou, who eventually says that if they sign the contract, things should be OK. They do, and things proceed.
In the stables, Leroy arrives, and Alice recites the incantation and turns Bo into a horse. She heads up to the VIP booth, with the other folks, and the horses take their marks.
The starter pistol sounds, and bang! The Fae Horses take a quick lead! As the horses run up to the first turn, Clive, who's there watching for shenanigans, feels Phobos urging him to stay visible (trying to spook the horses). He doesn't fight it, and the horses shy away a little. Warden's Wings (the White Council horse) and April Showers (Arthur Bingham's) falter and back off, losing enough ground that they're effectively out.
But then Phobos gets more aggressive. He wants Fireball, the Black Court's horse to win, because that will put the fear into Lexington. Clive decides this is quite enough, and fights the spirit's attempt at possession. The spirit beats up Clive pretty good, mentally, giving him the Tempted, Confused and finally Ridden consequences, but Clive literally punches himself in the head and stuns the spirit long enough for the horses to ride on.
Now on the second half, Alice sees Bo start to falter...and change back into human form. Knowing that he'll be crushed if that happens, she runs up to the announcer's booth and yells into the mic, "The bridle, the saddle, the bit in your teeth!" and changes him back. But he's stumbled, and lost too much ground. (Fun fact: If she'd spent a Fate chip for another +2, she'd have kept him in the race. She chose to let him lose, to keep him safe.)
Now rounding the third turn, the horses run toward where Lou and Rusty are standing. But then, Shuck, the giant fae-wolf, leaps the fence and charges at the horses. Rusty changes to wolf form and runs at it, but doesn't quite make it before it reaches the horses.
It bites and guts Veni Vidi Vici (the White Court horse), and the others scatter around it. Rusty slams into it, and bites at it, but it bites at him right back. Lou shoots it, and Clive runs down from the other end of the field and grabs the wolf in a big bear hug, and the heaves it over the fence.
Lou, having had enough weirdness, activates the circle he set up earlier. Magic stops flowing into the place. The Winter Court horse has lost enough ground that it's effectively out - now it's down to Derek's Fall (Jeannine), Sleipnir (Albert), Inferno (Summer Court) and Fireball (Black Court).
Derek's Fall and Inferno fall back, suddenly, as their jockeys clutch their heads. The fairy ladies turn to Opal and glare at her. Clarence, furious, asks her what's going on (but Opal doesn't know what Lou did). Clarence says that without magic from the NeverNever, the fairy horses don't have the power to race. Opal, thinking quickly, opens a gateway into the NeverNever herself, and lets magic rush in.
Lou, seeing, this, figures she's got it under control and breaks the circle.
The last four horses race for the finish line. I made some rolls, but let the players spend Fate chips and tap aspects to affect those rolls. Opal pushes to Sleipnir, Clive for Fireball, but Rusty pushes for Derek's Fall and the other folks push Fireball back. Derek's Fall races across the finish line.
The fairy ladies are pretty pissed off. Opal tells them they're welcome to file a complaint, but they're not amused. Albert gets his father and the other mortals out, figuring things are about to get nasty. But the fairy ladies just leave, perhaps each secretly glad that the other didn't win. Billy Ray, too, doesn't look too hurt. And the Valentines bet on Derek's Fall (so did Rusty), which is a nice payout.
Jeannine realizes that she's won. Shuck, over the fence, collapses into fur and dust. Every tree around the track bursts into bloom. The 99 Year Race is over.
The characters go out to the Horse & Barrel for whiskey and dinner, and Jeannine asks what she should do. The characters mention that she could probably improve her own station a bit, at the very least. She says that, otherwise, she just wants things to change.
And on that note, we leave the characters, toasting Jeannine with bourbon (apple juice, in Alice's case).
And that's a wrap! We may revisit these folks again, as the players were interested to meet Alice's kid and follow that plotline.
The day of the race, everyone prepares. Lou, his job nearly done, relaxes at the casino. Georgina Valentine approaches him and asks for, effectively, early access to the race, to check out the horses. Lou, knowing something's amiss, denies her, but eventually tells her when the horses will be presented and when the security folks (Rusty and Clive) will be around.
At the race, Opal puts a contract together, stating that the signatories will not interfere with the other contestant and that everyone's to keep it sociable. Lou tells the security boys not to admit the Valentines, and folks start arriving. Alice is in the stables with Bo, who's nervously awaiting his jockey (and his transformation).
Billy Ray arrives just after sundown, and cheerfully signs the contract (it protects him as much as anyone). The Fae Ladies arrive from the NeverNever at the same moment, and glower a little at each other before signing, but they do. Albert, Leroy, Jeannine, and Anthony Lucredi arrive, one by one, and signed (Jeannie obviously out of her element).
Arthur Bingham arrives...with the Valentines. Opal tells him that they aren't allowed in, and he effectively threatens to pull his horse from the race. She calls Lou, who eventually says that if they sign the contract, things should be OK. They do, and things proceed.
In the stables, Leroy arrives, and Alice recites the incantation and turns Bo into a horse. She heads up to the VIP booth, with the other folks, and the horses take their marks.
The starter pistol sounds, and bang! The Fae Horses take a quick lead! As the horses run up to the first turn, Clive, who's there watching for shenanigans, feels Phobos urging him to stay visible (trying to spook the horses). He doesn't fight it, and the horses shy away a little. Warden's Wings (the White Council horse) and April Showers (Arthur Bingham's) falter and back off, losing enough ground that they're effectively out.
But then Phobos gets more aggressive. He wants Fireball, the Black Court's horse to win, because that will put the fear into Lexington. Clive decides this is quite enough, and fights the spirit's attempt at possession. The spirit beats up Clive pretty good, mentally, giving him the Tempted, Confused and finally Ridden consequences, but Clive literally punches himself in the head and stuns the spirit long enough for the horses to ride on.
Now on the second half, Alice sees Bo start to falter...and change back into human form. Knowing that he'll be crushed if that happens, she runs up to the announcer's booth and yells into the mic, "The bridle, the saddle, the bit in your teeth!" and changes him back. But he's stumbled, and lost too much ground. (Fun fact: If she'd spent a Fate chip for another +2, she'd have kept him in the race. She chose to let him lose, to keep him safe.)
Now rounding the third turn, the horses run toward where Lou and Rusty are standing. But then, Shuck, the giant fae-wolf, leaps the fence and charges at the horses. Rusty changes to wolf form and runs at it, but doesn't quite make it before it reaches the horses.
It bites and guts Veni Vidi Vici (the White Court horse), and the others scatter around it. Rusty slams into it, and bites at it, but it bites at him right back. Lou shoots it, and Clive runs down from the other end of the field and grabs the wolf in a big bear hug, and the heaves it over the fence.
Lou, having had enough weirdness, activates the circle he set up earlier. Magic stops flowing into the place. The Winter Court horse has lost enough ground that it's effectively out - now it's down to Derek's Fall (Jeannine), Sleipnir (Albert), Inferno (Summer Court) and Fireball (Black Court).
Derek's Fall and Inferno fall back, suddenly, as their jockeys clutch their heads. The fairy ladies turn to Opal and glare at her. Clarence, furious, asks her what's going on (but Opal doesn't know what Lou did). Clarence says that without magic from the NeverNever, the fairy horses don't have the power to race. Opal, thinking quickly, opens a gateway into the NeverNever herself, and lets magic rush in.
Lou, seeing, this, figures she's got it under control and breaks the circle.
The last four horses race for the finish line. I made some rolls, but let the players spend Fate chips and tap aspects to affect those rolls. Opal pushes to Sleipnir, Clive for Fireball, but Rusty pushes for Derek's Fall and the other folks push Fireball back. Derek's Fall races across the finish line.
The fairy ladies are pretty pissed off. Opal tells them they're welcome to file a complaint, but they're not amused. Albert gets his father and the other mortals out, figuring things are about to get nasty. But the fairy ladies just leave, perhaps each secretly glad that the other didn't win. Billy Ray, too, doesn't look too hurt. And the Valentines bet on Derek's Fall (so did Rusty), which is a nice payout.
Jeannine realizes that she's won. Shuck, over the fence, collapses into fur and dust. Every tree around the track bursts into bloom. The 99 Year Race is over.
The characters go out to the Horse & Barrel for whiskey and dinner, and Jeannine asks what she should do. The characters mention that she could probably improve her own station a bit, at the very least. She says that, otherwise, she just wants things to change.
And on that note, we leave the characters, toasting Jeannine with bourbon (apple juice, in Alice's case).
And that's a wrap! We may revisit these folks again, as the players were interested to meet Alice's kid and follow that plotline.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Game Prep!
Changes in gaming afoot!
John got a real job, so he'll be dropping out of the Monday group (working nights). That'll mean changes for Promethean, but I've got a few weeks before it becomes relevant.
Today should be the exciting conclusion of Let It Ride, so that's really what I need to focus on. Let's do that!
John got a real job, so he'll be dropping out of the Monday group (working nights). That'll mean changes for Promethean, but I've got a few weeks before it becomes relevant.
Today should be the exciting conclusion of Let It Ride, so that's really what I need to focus on. Let's do that!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Movie #191: The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep is a 1946 detective movie starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and a whole bunch of other people who aren't quite as well known anymore.
Bogart plays Philip Marlowe, hired by a rich old dude named Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to find out who's blackmailing his youngest daughter, Carmen (Martha Vickers). Carmen, as it happens, is flighty and has trouble with gambling, drugs and liquor. Her older sister, Vivian (Bacall), has her own issues with gambling, and maybe the blackmailer knows her, too?
The movie, from there, spirals into an absolutely labyrinthine mess of subplots, characters, murder, crime and general noir-ishness. The knots don't get untangled so much as more tightly wound around Marlowe. If you want to know the plots, go read the wiki or read the novel, because no way am I qualified to explain it after one viewing.
What you need to know is that it's really well scripted and acted, and although it's busy as hell, it doesn't feel confusing (even though it is). It reminded me in some ways of L.A. Confidential (I suspect the screenwriters of that movie were, kind of successfully, looking to emulate Chandler). And Bogey and Bacall have some fun dialog and chemistry like whoa, so it's very much worth your time.
My grade: A
Rewatch value: Medium
Next up: Ghost
Bogart plays Philip Marlowe, hired by a rich old dude named Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to find out who's blackmailing his youngest daughter, Carmen (Martha Vickers). Carmen, as it happens, is flighty and has trouble with gambling, drugs and liquor. Her older sister, Vivian (Bacall), has her own issues with gambling, and maybe the blackmailer knows her, too?
The movie, from there, spirals into an absolutely labyrinthine mess of subplots, characters, murder, crime and general noir-ishness. The knots don't get untangled so much as more tightly wound around Marlowe. If you want to know the plots, go read the wiki or read the novel, because no way am I qualified to explain it after one viewing.
What you need to know is that it's really well scripted and acted, and although it's busy as hell, it doesn't feel confusing (even though it is). It reminded me in some ways of L.A. Confidential (I suspect the screenwriters of that movie were, kind of successfully, looking to emulate Chandler). And Bogey and Bacall have some fun dialog and chemistry like whoa, so it's very much worth your time.
My grade: A
Rewatch value: Medium
Next up: Ghost
Monday, May 13, 2013
How an Angel Dies, Part 3: Into the Past!
So! Last time, the characters met Comrade West, learned that they had an angel en route that they could theoretically jack, and learned that they could travel back in time.
Yeah, that last one was kind of weird for everyone.
Well, the next evening (I'm a big fan of treating games like TV series, so fading out and then fading back in when it would be most interesting, rather than tracking every minute of the characters' lives), they all got together at the bar again. Jamie called up Comrade West and asked him about the portal to the 60s. He came to the bar, rather than talk about it on the phone.
West strolled in, wearing a new Cover (he later mentioned that he goes through Covers like some people go through condoms), and talked with the characters about the portal. He told them that Seattle has a few of these "fractures," places that allowed for travel into the past - but it wasn't really time travel. These places seemed to go in cycles, and folks in these pasts can't change things in the present, because the fractures reset themselves (for example, in 1962 it's always the World's Fair). West did say, though, that some manipulation of the past is possible - a clever demon can established a generational aspect to a Cover, making the Cover harder to blow. The demons discussed the implications of all this, but it sounds very God-Machine-y to them.
But if this "Simon" character is going into the past and shoring up an apocalyptic cult (the Fellowship of the Final Awakening), that probably bears investigation, because nothing good ever comes of doomsday cults. The characters therefore spend some time hunting down vintage clothing, and then head down to the Troll.
There, they find a couple of tourists climbing on the Troll and taking pictures. Jamie and Saskia grab cameras and start taking pictures. Jamie winds up taking a dramatic failure on a roll for a Beat, and when Saskia takes her picture on her smartphone, a man in a black suit walks around the corner, wearing shades. He doesn't speak, and the characters realize that he's probably an angel (remember that Jamie has the Flagged Condition from the little incident on the bridge, last session).
Everyone else Spoofs, appearing human to the angel, but Jamie doesn't risk it (she also has to convince it that she's human without Spoofing to resolve the Condition). She takes its picture, and sees, instead of skin, a blue circuitry pattern - definitely an angel. Will, noting this, puts a hand on his gun, but Jamie is chatty and vivacious and eventually the angel leaves, apparently believing that they're all human.
During all this, Edgar notices a ticket stub on the ground. Picking it up, he sees it's from the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, dated September 2, 1962. It's got some grime on it, looks like it's been here a while (but not 50 years). This might give the characters a starting place.
The couple leaves, and they crawl through the window of the Beetle into yesterday. Now they're in Fremont, which in 1962 is pretty unpleasant. They walk up the hill into a more civilized area and find a newspaper - it's Saturday, September 1st, 1962. The ballet is tomorrow night. Edgar uses In My Pocket to pull out some money from the era, and they hop a cab to the World's Far. Jamie uses Lucky Break as they enter a hotel lobby - someone just cancelled their reservation, allowing Edgar to book a room. With accommodations handled, they head to a bar and start drinking.
Saskia finds a rich-looking business man and chats him up. As they talk, she uses Addictive Presence on him, fascinating him (but not completely addicting him yet, because it's an extended roll). The businessman, named Roland Wright, is here from Chicago scouting new technology for his company. This, to the characters, seems like a good person to follow, since they're worried that members of the Fellowship in the 60s might wind up being influential people in the modern day.
Will talks with the bartender, and learns that a guy was in here earlier looking for a bodyguard (Will asked the bartender if he knew of anyone looking for such). The bartender produces the guy's card. It just says a name and a number.
Saskia goes upstairs with Roland, the others share their suit. The next day, they decide, they'll head to the Fair and scout around. They do that, and Saskia finds Roland talking with some other businessmen. She goes over to talk with him, and Roland is pretty mortified and doesn't speak with her (giving Saskia an unfortunate lesson in the social mores and gender roles of the day).
The demons go up to the observation deck of the Space Needle, and several of them sense something weird. Not Aether, just...odd. Trying to pinpoint it, they realize it's coming from a window on the lower deck. Amy feigns a fainting spell, and Luke (a doctor, remember) and the others draw the crowd around her. Edgar, meanwhile, opens the lock, opens the window, and sticks his head out.
He's looking out over modern-day Seattle...but only with his head through the window. The window is another portal, but not an easy on to access, apparently. Edgar can't fly, and doesn't wish to crawl out and climb down, so he closes the window, Amy "recovers," and life goes on.
Saskia had asked Roland to get them all tickets to the ballet, but when she goes back to the room (he gave her a key in the morning), he's moved his stuff out. Feeling perhaps a little salty, she rejoins the others, and they go to procure their own tickets. That's easy enough, though they wind up split, three on one side of the auditorium and three on the other, but now they need evening wear.
They head to the Bon Marche, get fitted for tuxes and gowns, and Jamie goes up to pay, and uses Lucky Break. She's only charged for her dress, which is good, as the characters don't have enough old-timey money for everything, but they also don't have a huge ethical problem with this, so they take their clothes and go.
That night, at the show, Amy, Jamie and Will sit on house left, while Edgar, Luke and Saskia sit house right. They watch the show, and Luke spends a point of Aether and sends out a "ping," looking for other demons (this is risky, because if there are angels around they might notice, but they figure it's a calculated risk). A man in the center of the house, near the front, perks up and starts looking around. Edgar activates Sense the Angelic, but doesn't sense anything, so they figure the man is either stigmatic or some other kind of sensitive. Jamie uses Across a Crowded Room to whisper to Luke "Everything OK?" Luke signs back (since demons all know sign language, as we realized yesterday) that the man in question seemed to notice the Aetheric "ping."
Intermission comes. The man gets up, and the characters notice that he's apparently talking with a half-dozen other folks sitting with him. He walks out, followed by a younger, tougher-looking guy - Will figures this is the guy that was looking for a bodyguard yesterday. They follow him out, and into the men's room, but the bodyguard is just standing watch.
Jamie talks with a couple of the other guys at the bar, and winds up Spoofing instinctively (meaning one of them has a way to check her for being non-human). They don't say anything useful, though, and then head back to their seats. Amy uses Eavesdrop on the group, and realizes that one of them is concerned that this ballet will take too long. But no, the older one reassures him, they'll have plenty of time to get to the site in time for the ritual.
Oh. This, then, would be the Fellowship of the Final Awakening. But what "ritual" are they performing? And does it have anything to do with the Lesser Key of Solomon? Will theorizes that the 35th demon, Marchosias, is the one to watch because JFK (currently in office) is the 35th president.
We shall see.
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