Board Game: Spirit Island

Didn't wind up playing Blades in the Dark last night due to being down a player (and with only four players, I really prefer not to have anyone missing), so we opted for a board game instead.

The Game: Spirit Island
The Publisher: Greater Than Games
Time: It took us nearly 3 hours, but it's a complex game; a second playthrough would be a lot faster
Players: Me, Michelle, Amanda, Toasty

The bare island

Game Play: I'll say this: The game warns you up front that it's got a lot of moving parts and advises some modifications on your first time playing (we used most of them, we should have used all of them, so I'll just say if you're playing this game for the first time, play it like the manual says).

The basic premise is that invaders have come to the island of the Dahan, and you're playing the spirits of the island trying to drive said invaders back into the sea. Problem is, the invaders multiply like rabbits, and they bring blight with them, which destroys the spirits' presence.

Now, that all sounds very simple, but the game is not. It progresses in multiple phases, each of which has multiple sub-phases. As the spirit, you have to track several difference resources. Check it:

That's my spirit board. The yellow thingies are my presence, which get added to the island board to track where my spirit has influence. As they get taken off the board, I get more energy every turn, or I can play more cards per turn, depending on which track I take them from. I can take cards to gain more powers, and then I spend energy to activate powers, and the powers generate elements, which then fuel my innate powers. And all of that is just shit I have to keep track of, none of that even gets into the invaders.

These fuckers here.

Invaders get added to the board every turn, they ravage the land, killing natives (those little wooden mushroom-looking things), and adding blight. The spirits can kill them, depending on what powers they use, but it's impossible to prevent blight from spreading entirely, and once blight spreads too far the island becomes blighted, which can have nasty effects each turn. Eventually, you run out of blight entirely and then the game ends. Or, the blight destroys all of a given spirit's presence, and the game ends.

That there is the invader board. That weird stack of turtle-looking things is the supply of Fear Markers (we just called them "fear turtles"). Fear is a good thing; you're putting the fear into the invaders, and once all the little turtles get moved down into the green area (the turtle moves), you get a fear card, which has a detrimental effect on the invaders.

We...did not win.

Opinions: I like this game, but holy shit, it is not something you can play if you're not going to pay attention and learn how it works. The players really need to keep watch on what the other players are doing, and you need to talk out your strategy turn to turn. I suspect it'd be difficult to master even before you start adding in some of the options, like Adversaries or Scenarios.

But for all that, it's a lot of fun, and it's very satisfying to move the little turtles as a representation of scaring the hell out of invading colonizers.

Keep? Yep.

The Strange: Appraising the Brewster Mansion

Yesterday I ran the first session in our new The Strange game (now that Night's Black Agents finished up. So, let's us do the set-up kinda stuff. We once again used the Spark method of picking a game:

• Glen chose Storm Front for the horror/serial killer angle. 
• Michelle chose Murder on the Orient Express for how everyone has an interconnected motivation, and in an extreme environment that forces their actions. 
• I chose Mother Night for the notion that you can pretend to be something so hard that it doesn’t matter what you really are. 
• Karafa chose Lucifer TV series. Likes the interplay between a supposedly evil character, being blamed for being the one to punish people for sin. 
• Morgan chose Firefly - character-focused heavily invested in relationships, but also with nonstandard genre. 
• Al chose the music of Five Finger Death Punch - action and surprising emotion and connection. 

I brought them four possibilities: Belly of the Beast, Summerland, The Strange, and Shadow of the Demon Lord. In the end, obviously, we opted for The Strange. So, characters! All of them are recruits of the Estate, an organization that works to manage Strange phenomena and keep other recursions from doing terrible things on Earth.

• Al plays Carmen Steele (Clever Pardox who Operates Undercover): She owns an antique shop, and was awarded the Fellowship for skill in appraisal. She's secretly a spymaster for hire, particularly on the Strange. Edward always sees through her disguises. 
• Karafa plays Edward Sawyer (Skeptical Paradox who Solves Mysteries): Awarded the Fellowship for debunking psychics. Illusionist and expert in sleight of hand. 
• Michelle plays Prof. Roxanne McPherson (Intelligent Spinner who Entertains). She was awarded the Fellowship after publishing a book about how Things Mean Stuff in Literature (Michelle swears she's not playing herself). A TV deal in the making! 
• Morgan plays Arnauld Jones (Strange Vector who Works the System): South African hacker, broke a security challenge, was awarded the Fellowship. 
• Glen plays Alexander Oakley (Strong Vector that Is Licensed to Carry): Awarded the Fellowship for advances in marksmanship. Great-great-grandson of Annie Oakley.

We open with the characters meeting with Vernon Belding, their handler in the Estate. Belding translates into Earth as a panhandler, so they meet him on a particular corner and take him to a diner. Belding tells them that they need to go to the Brewster mansion (jokes about "Punky" and "Millions" abounded), because the Estate has evidence of an inapposite gate somewhere on the ground. Such gates allow anything from other recursions to enter Earth, so it's important to investigate them and monitor them; they don't tend to last long. 

The Brewster mansion is owned by Mrs. Penelope Brewster; her husband John made his fortune in scrap metal, but he died 20 years ago. Arnauld does some hacking into financial records and discovers that the mansion only has three full-time employees; Edward Norris, Desmond White, and Brian Priestly. Priestly has been there the longest (over 20 years), but all of them have at least a decade under their belts. The house is far too big for three people to manage it, though, so there must be other employees. 

The character have cover - they're there to appraise antiques and books (meaning Roxanne and Carmen have the real expertise, and the others can just be their staff). Belding notes, though that they probably don't need to have too much contact with the other folks - just find the gate. Of course, the grounds are huge, so this might take some time.

They head out and ring the bell. Norris answers and admits them, and his eyes kind of light up when they tell him why they're there. He show them to the library so Roxanne can start working, and tells them to ring if they need anything. They pass several people cleaning on the way, so Arnauld goes and finds one of them and chats her up. He learns that Norris hires a rotating staff of folks, under the table, every few days so that the place stays maintained. It's not as much money as she'd make if Norris actually hired an agency, but it's tax free and in cash, so that's nice. 

Roxanne, for her part, notices that there are books missing. The bookshelves have been arranged to hide the omissions, but there have definitely been some removed, and based on the books that are there, they're pretty valuable. She asks Norris if there are any other books, and he mentions that there's a study upstairs that has some, but they're mostly law texts (one John's family was a lawyer). 

Arnauld and Oakley go outside and chat with one of the gardeners, who tells them that it's basically the same for him - Priestly comes out and hires folks from parking lots. They walk around the building and find Priestly working on a truck. Oakley chats with him. He seems amiable enough, and shows interest in what the characters are doing. He mentions being sure they go to the basement - there's stuff down there that hasn't seen daylight in a long time. 

Arnauld, meanwhile, does some more research and learns that the Brewsters were not exactly a passionate couple, but weren't dogged by scandal, either. Talking to staff, he learns that there's tension in the house - Brewster likes to threaten to cut people out of her will and give everything to the Debenhem Foundation (a conservative PAC), so it makes sense that her longtime staff are looking to cash in where they can.

Carmen asks Norris for admission to the basement. Edward, though, not wanting to wait, finds a wooden door, picks the lock, and has Arnauld and Oakley meet him. They go downstairs and find a lot of stuff covered in sheets. They poke around a bit, and Edward finds a stone in the corner. It's not part of the stonework in the basement - indeed, it has moss on it, so it looks like it was brought here from outside. Arnauld finds a cypher (a Remembering) - they show up in the darndest places. 

Norris, meanwhile, asks the characters if they're planning to stay; there's plenty of room, and this is going to be a multi-day endeavor. They agree, and Norris sets the staff to making up some rooms as the sun begins to set.

Character Creation: Rune

Well, can't watch The Flash on Netflix all evening.

The Game: Rune
The Publisher: Atlas Games
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one.

 

I didn't know when I picked up Rune to read it that it's another Viking game, but since we're here, let's do this (if I had read the back of the book, I'd have known it, of course). Rune presents itself as a really slimmed-down version of D&D; it's all about the hackin' and slashin', and it purports to solve the main problem of beer n' pretzels hack n' slash games.

No, not that they're basically jumped-up board games that only marginally deserve the title of "RPG." The real problem, which is that after GMing them for too long, the experience of creating dungeon crawls becomes less than rewarding for the GM. Rune solves that problem not by encouraging players to pick up any of the literally hundreds of interesting, innovative RPGs that were available in 2001 (the year Rune was published), but by having everyone make a character, then having everyone also take turns creating the dungeons and acting as GM. When it's your go as GM, someone else plays your character.

Now, I'm never going to tell anyone that they're RPing "wrong," but I will say that this particular setup doesn't appeal to me much. Nevertheless, I'd still rather play this than, say, Archangel, so that's a win.

On we go! Character creation is a simple six-step process, and the sixth one is "start playing," so it's really five steps for my purposes. Step One is Name Your Hero. I need a "suitably Norse name," says the text. I choose Hrolf the Howler, so called because he tends to howl in pain when he's wounded, howl in rage when he's fighting, or howl with gusto when he's drunk.

Step Two: Buy Characteristics. I get 60 Creation Points (which has to cover Characteristics and Abilities). Physical Characteristics are more expensive than non-physical ones, because this game is refreshing honest about what it is. I think Hrolf needs to be strong and tough, though I don't think Dexterity and Quickness need to be as high. So I'll blow 16 and raise Strength and Stamina to 2, I'll leave Dexterity at 0, I'll spend 4 to bump Quickness to 1, I'll bump Intelligence down to -1 (which nets me 2 points back), I'll bump Perception to 2, and I'll leave Presence and Communication at 0. I've only spent 22, meaning I have 28 more to spend on Abilities.

Step Three: Buy Abilities. My dog has knocked the couch cushion off the couch and is nesting in the hollow. Thought you'd like to know. Anyway. There are far too many Abilities in this game. Primary ones cost 2, Secondary cost one, on we go.

Well, I picture Hrolf as the large weapon kinda guy...and Great Weapons key off of Dexterity, because of course they do. You know, because you always see lean, stringy, thin dudes wielding giant fucking axes. Actually, I'll take Longshaft Weapons because spears are fun. I'll spend 6 and buy it at 3 points.

Brawling also sounds good; I'll spend 2 and take it at 1. And 1 point of Single Weapon, how about. I've spend 10 so far.

Awareness is a good bet; I'll spend 2 for a rating of 1. Bravery, shit yeah, I'll spend 3 for a rating of 3. I'll spend 4 for a rating of 2 in Climb and Jump, and 1 for a point in Ride. I'll buy Sing at 3, and that'll do me, I think. I have 5 left.

Step Four: Weapons. I get 3 common weapons to start. I'll take a spear, a dagger, and a mace. Boom.

Step Five: Other Important Numbers. I start with 52 hit points, and then I'll dump my remaining 5 points in, giving me 82 total. Geez.

My Wound Threshold is 15. Encumbrance doesn't make any sense, so I'll skip it. My Move is 15. My soak is my Stamina + armor, so it's 2 because I don't feel like opening the book again to find armor.

And that's it! Hrolf is ready to howl! ARROOOOO!

Character Creation: Noumenon

Man, this game's weird. I like it.

The Game: Noumenon
The Publisher: Abstract Nova
Degree of Familiarity: None, though the book is surprisingly accessible
Books Required: Just the one.

 

In Noumenon, you play weird insect-human hybrids called Sarcophagi, born into a strange dimension called the Silhouette Rouge, searching for experience and enlightenment. The game is designed as a kind of Rorschach test, in that the symbolism and "truth" of it isn't really explained. Noumenon is from the same company as Exquisite Replicas and Aletheia, both of which have elements of the weird, reality-is-not-quite-reality going.

In some ways, Noumenon reminds me of Nobilis, in that it leans into its strangeness and doesn't try to be much like a trad RPG, but it's much easier to understand (probably because it takes the time to tell the reader what's going on). I like it, might even run it, if I can scare up some dominoes.

Yeah, the task resolution is based on dominoes. Told ya: weird.

Character creation is really straightforward, though. Sarcophagi are all born as blank slates, so there's not really much personality conceptualization going on. Some things come standard: Compound eyes, four arms, two legs, and so on. First thing, though, I choose a Birthright, just some little bug feature that makes me different. I shall take Spinneret; I have a web-shooter on my arm.

Now I give myself a rating of 1 in all nine Traits, and I get 9 points to either boost Traits or buy more Birthrights. Hmm. Having a 1 in something isn't cataclysmic, because the idea is that a group of Sarcophagi (or a "colony") will be working together as much as possible. In other words, if I'm shit at something, someone else should be decent at it.

Well, are there any other Birthrights I would like? I kinda like the idea of having a kind of "weaver of reality's webs" thing going on, so I think I'll take Sensilla, which makes me more perceptive. Weaving reality is actually something you can do in this game and it keys off of the Metamorphosis trait, so I'll bump that to 4. Five points remaining; I'll put them evenly into Awareness, Wisdom, Personality, Communion, and Rapport (I'm no great shakes physically, but I can weave a web if need be!). Although, casting webs is a Violence action, so maybe I'll keep Personality at 1 and bump Violence to 2.

Last thing, I choose a Principle at Oracle level. Let's see. Ooh, I like Time; at Oracle of Time, I can see into the future or the past.

And that's actually it. Interestingly, the book doesn't say anything about names, and the colony communicates telepathically, so I don't know if names are a thing. I'll say that my bug is called "Weaver," for my purposes.

And that's about it. On to the quest given to my colony by the elephant-headed guy in a suit! (No, really.)

Character Creation: Bubblegumshoe

Alas, the lonely life, just me and some dogs for the week.

(Michelle's out of town for the week.)

The Game: Bubblegumshoe
The Publisher: Evil Hat Productions
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular game, though I'm well familiar with Gumshoe and I'm pretty familiar with the teen detective genre
Books Required: Just the one.

 

I'll say this about Bubblegumshoe - it is readable as hell. A lot of RPGs aren't. "Readable" doesn't always equal "fun at the table," but a lot of times it does, just because the more accessible a game is the more I can visualize how it would play, which is kinda the first step toward putting it on my "I should run this" list.

(All of this to say, I could totally run Bubblegumshoe.)

Anyway, making a character here isn't entirely unlike making a character for We Used to Be Friends, though of course the systems are very different and WUTBF, in general, leans a little more adult in tone. We start off by figuring out some sort of concept. I wanna play a lifeguard. His name is Dean Cullen (no vampire jokes, thanks), and during the summer you find him with sunscreen on his bod and shades on his eyes, making sure no one drowns at the municipal water park and rec center. During the school year, he's on the swim team at JFK High. I picture Dean as being lean (swimmer's build), tanned all year round, black hair, green eyes, freckles all around his nose. That's a good enough start, let's do some Investigative abilities!

Well, if I were playing this, I'm sure there would be at least 5 players, so I get 5 Academic points, 8 Interpersonal, and 12 Relationship. For Academic, I go 1 each in Fashion, Notice, Pop Culture, and Town Lore, and Outdoors (Dean is not the fellow you call when it's time to do historical research). For Interpersonal, I'll take one each in BS Detector, Flirting, Gossip, Grownup Face, Reassurance, and Taunt, and the other two in Intimidation ("NO RUNNING, GUYS!").

General Abilities are actually before Relationships. I get 40 points, and 4 free in Cool (which doubles as Health in this game, because hurting teens isn't the point in this genre). I want Dean to be cool as hell, so I'll dump 6 points and boost his Cool to 10 (athlete, hot bod, lifeguard, and freckles? c'mon). I have 34 left. I'll put 8 into Athletics, 6 into First Aid, 4 into Driving, 4 into Repair, 4 into Sneaking, and 6 into Throwdown (social combat). Two left, I'll put 'em into Athletics, making my rating 10.

Relationships are next; I get 12 points. If I were going to play this, I'd leave some points free because you can use Relationship points to create relationships on the fly. I may do that (I note with some displeasure, however, that there's no slot for unspent points on the sheet).

Well, I think that the rec center would be an important place in the town, so I'll take Mr. Vaughn as a Like. Vaughn is the groundskeeper and general handyman at the rec center, and Dean shovels his walk during the winter. I choose an Ability that Vaughn can lend Dean; I'll choose Repair. I'll put 4 points into that. Oh, wait, it's supposed to be an Ability not on the list. Hmm. Let's say Mechanics (sub-specialty of Repair).

Dean needs a girlfriend or two, I think. I'll take Myra Hopkins as a Love - she and Dean have been on-again, off-again sweethearts for the last couple of years. I'll make her Location her house, and her Ability is Russian (her mother is Russian, and she grew up speaking both languages). I'll put 2 points there.

That leaves 5 points remaining. Do I want any more relationships? I don't think I do, but I'll add one if I think of a good one.

Now I do Class, Club, and Clique. I'll say that Dean is Upper Class (yeah, he works, but he doesn't need to). Clique and Club need to be different; I shouldn't say his Clique is "Jocks" and his Club is "Swim Team."

Hmm. Is his Clique the Jocks? I think maybe it is. Dean mostly hangs out with other swimmers. But then what for his Club? I'll say Dean sings baritone in the Church Choir. He's not necessarily devout (he's very clear on where he falls on the subject of, say, the sins of the flesh), but he's been going to church since he was a boy and he likes the choir. It's fun to do something that's not physically exhausting. And hell, while I'm at it I'll add the Reverend as a Relationship (Rev. Loy, Like (cool uncle figure), 3 points, his Location is the church and his Ability is History).

And then I need a Drive; this is what compels Dean to get involved in mysteries. I'm gonna say that Dean is Protective - he probably wouldn't admit it, but it's why he's a lifeguard and why he always keeps his CPR training fresh. He wants people to be safe.

Finally, I need a Story Arc. This is jut a goal for Dean that doesn't involve the mystery at hand, whatever that might. I'll say that Dean wants to figure things out with Myra. If that means they're just friends, fine, if it means they're a couple, fine, but this on-again, off-again is bugging him.

And that'll do it!

Movie #512: ParaNorman

ParaNorman is an animated (stop-motion) movie from Laika (same studio as Coraline and Kubo & The Two Strings), starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Christophe Mintz-Plasse, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Tucker Albrizzi, Jodelle Ferland, and Leslie Mann.

Norman (Smit-McPhee) is a young boy who can see and hear ghosts, which are all over the damn place in his New England town of Blithe Hollow. His father (Garlin) is loud, intolerant, and borderline homophobic (he refers to his son's predilection for horror movies and the supernatural as "limp-wristed" in a throwaway line), and his mother (Mann) is worried for him. Rightly so - turns out his estranged uncle (Goodman) has been keeping the town safe for years by annually reading from a book at the site of the witch's grave. Said witch was executed in Colonial times by the town's elders, whom she cursed, or so the legend goes.

When Uncle dies, it falls to Norman to take up the task, but he fails (not knowing where the witch was actually buried) and the dead town elders rise and walk as zombies. With some help from his sister Courtney (Kendrick), her crush Mitch (Affleck), his little brother Neal (Abrizzi), and the town bully Alvin (Mintz-Plasse), they discover that the "witch" was actually a little girl named Aggie (Ferland), possessed of powers similar to Norman's, who just wanted to be left alone.

This movie has a lot going for it, and not just clever references to horror movies. The central message isn't so much the standard kid-movie "don't judge a book by its cover," but more "people do stupid things when they're scared and angry and that's understandable, but you still have to own it." Likewise, dad's homophobia is interesting when you note that the movie actually does contain an openly gay character - Mitch, who refers to his boyfriend (one thing I like: Courtney, who's been openly crushing on Mitch the whole time, isn't disgusted by this revelation, just a little disappointed).

All in all, it's one of Laika's best, and it's a good way to show kids a "scary" movie without actually scaring them.

My Grade: A-
Rewatch Value: High

Next up: The Parent Trap

Chill: Revolving Doors on Hospitals

Actually, hospitals usually do have revolving doors, so it's not quite as evocative as I thought. Anyway. Last time, the envoys wrapped up a case, but three of them (Jeannie, BB, and Jennifer) were in the hospital after being mauled by a "bear" (actually a sasquatch).

Today, Monday March 5th, BB and Jeannie, who are roomed together, receive a visit from one Arliss Hatler, an Oregon state trooper. He's following up on the strange car accident that happened about a month ago, in which the characters (plus a few others) and a pickup belonging to one Casey Lynch wound up off the road and then on fire (this all happened here). Hatler isn't looking to make trouble for the characters, he's just concerned because Lynch went missing after the accident, and he wants to make sure the characters don't know anything useful. He talks to BB and Jeannie, and then to Jennifer (who's doped up enough that she's not terribly useful yet), and then heads out to find Dylan.

He finds Dylan, indeed, finishing up his Monday class, and asks him about Lynch. Dylan mentions something the others didn't - Lynch brandished a gun and seemed very angry at the characters after the accident (which is true, although of course there's some very important context missing), and Hatler notes this and confirms that Lynch was a Marine Corp vet. He leaves, and Dylan goes to the hospital to talk to the others, picking up Beth Anne on the way.

They all hunker down in Jennifer's room to talk. Lynch going missing is a concern; it might not be Unknown-related, but then, they told him about SAVE in an attempt to keep him from telling the police that they, y'know, set a dude on fire in front of him. They figure they should look into it, but Jeannie points out that they really need a solid base of operations first, and the ranch is still compromised. They decide to call in help - Jordan and Willa - and have Dylan, Jordan, Willa, and Beth Anne go out to the ranch and see how the land lays. Jeannie, Jennifer, and BB are still laid up, although Jennifer and BB are quite capable of doing research, so they'll see what they dredge up about Lynch and his disappearance from here.

The four envoys head out to the ranch, and right away see trouble - Chet's car is here. Everyone else who lives at the ranch - Chet, Darnell, and Ruth - were told to stay away. Dylan immediately raises a Mental Shield over the four of them. They go in, cautiously, and call out, and Chet responds. He comes downstairs with a duffel bag, and tells the envoys that he needed to get some stuff.

Jordan, who is both a Protector and remembers what the xaxog is capable of (she was part of the team that encountered it back at the university), uses Disrupt on Chet. He blinks for a moment, and agrees to leave. Jordan checks his duffel and notes that it contains tools - screwdriver, wrench, crowbar - as well as a couple of pistols. She asks what he needs this stuff for, and he responds that he doesn't know, it just seemed like what he needed to get.

They go outside, and Jordan notices Chet sway a little, so she hits him with Disrupt again. Dylan also notices that the Mental Shield has fallen - something is here. Chet says that he had a sudden urge to take his truck and drive around the access road that leads to the base of the missile silo (reminder: the ranch sits on a decommissioned missile silo; the silo doubles as the HQ's panic room). And then he lurches at Dylan, trying to punch him in the face. Willa trips him, and Beth Anne grabs a wooden owl decoration off the porch and bashes him in the face. He sits down heavily, blood pouring out of his nose, but seems to be less inclined to punch people.

Jordan tends to him (his nose is broken and one of his front teeth is loose, but he doesn't seem to be concussed), and draws a Line of Defense around him. The envoys decide to investigate the access road Chet was going to take, but leave Beth Anne there to watch him (and note that if he has to, he can leave the circle; he's not a creature of the Unknown, just under the influence of one). They get in the SUV and head down the road through the snow.

When they leave, though, Chet, talking with Beth Anne, sees something in the house behind her. She turns and spots something duck out of view. She goes in to investigate, and sees it - a humanoid creature, chalk white, no hair, and wearing normal human clothes (Boise State sweatshirt and jeans), which somehow just makes it all worse. She asks it what it is, and it tells her - "xaxog."

It tells her how much it loved the look of confusion on Chet's face when she bashed him in the face. She asks what it's doing, why all the dreams, and it smiles and says that they're missing one very obvious and important clue, which it is happier to share - if she lets it kiss her hand. She refuses (Beth Anne knows that if it wants to touch her, there's a reason for that, and in any case there's no guarantee it would tell the truth). It sighs, and says that while it doesn't usually like to get its hands dirty like this, sometimes there's nothing for it. And then it grabs a fireplace poker and swings.

Beth Anne tries to duck, but she can't quite seem to get her bearings. It strikes her in the shoulder, ripping out a chunk of flesh. She screams in pain, and Chet comes rushing in...which means he leaves the circle. He holds a gun on the xaxog, but then moves and points it at Beth Anne.

Down at the silo, the characters enter the panic room, and find it in disarray. The food packets have been opened, nibbled, and cast aside, the clothes have been rifled through, but the beds are untouched. Jorden concludes that this creature has at least some need of food, though maybe not rest, and that it's corporeal, which is probably good. The whole area, though, has a strong Unknown feel, even though the creature itself doesn't seem to be present.

They also find a notebook with all of their names in it, as well as some extra notes (that Jordan and Dylan are Protectors, that Emily suffers from PTSD, and so on). The creature is apparently interested in making this personal, at least to some extent. They decide to put a ward on the room, preventing the creature from coming back, at least until sunrise. Dylan draws the sigil...and his phone rings. It's Beth Anne.

Well, Beth Anne's phone, anyway. The xaxog tells Dylan to take off the ward or he'll shoot Beth Anne in the head. Dylan, boxed in, wipes the ward, and the three envoys whisper to each other, deciding that they'll leave (the xaxog's next demand), but one will stay behind and recreate the ward. They all three leave, and Jordan stays behind, waiting until the others drive away.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Jennifer and BB do some digging. Jennifer discovers that Casey Lynch was indeed a Marine, saw combat in Somalia and Iraq, and was honorably discharged not quite a year ago. He's from Bend, OR, but currently lives in Burns, which isn't far from Lawen, the tiny little town where the accident happened. BB figures he might go to a VA, and finds one in Seneca, OR, about 60 miles north of Burns. Jennifer finds check-ins on Lynch's Facebook in Seneca, so he apparently visits occasionally. She also finds that a woman named Miranda Houston went missing while hiking in Seneca a couple of days ago, and the search is being called off.

Jennifer calls the police department in Seneca and asks about Lynch. She learns that they hadn't realized he was missing (he didn't go missing in Seneca, after all), but the detective tells her that it's odd that Houston disappeared - she was an experienced hiker and wouldn't have wandered off into an unsafe area or gone out without supplies. However, he notes, accidents happen to anyone, and besides, unpleasant as it is to consider, there have been a lot of reports of coyotes lately. Not that anyone has seen them, but they've been finding animal carcasses, and pets have been going missing.

Jennifer thanks him, and BB calls the VA. They tell him that while Lynch didn't come there much, he did come up and accompany a buddy of his. Said friend passed away a few months ago, though. Lynch still comes to Seneca periodically; the fellow from the VA remembers Lynch mentioning that his family used to camp in the Malheur National Forest, which surrounds Seneca.

BB and Jennifer agree that this is enough to investigate; someone ought to go to Seneca. And how are things going at the ranch?

Not good, as it happens. Dylan and Willa get back to the lodge and find Beth Anne and Chet in the kitchen. Chet is holding pressure on the wound on Beth Anne's arm. Dylan immediately raises a Mental Shield over all of them, and Beth Anne tell them that Chet has a gun in his jacket (which Chet confirms, but is confused as to why he put it there). They disarm him and bandage Beth Anne's arm.

Meanwhile, though, down at the silo, Jordan draws a Line of Defense around herself to avoid the creature messing with her, and then makes a run for the door. She slips and falls, though, her coordination failing her. The xaxog emerges and brains her with a tree branch, but she runs on adrenaline and makes it in the door. Her vision and hearing instantly fail her, and the creature hits her again. He strength fading, she raises a Sphere of Protection, and with her last bit of will, she scrawls a sigil on the floor, warding the room. And then she passes out.

Next time, we'll see if she survives, and what else the xaxog might be capable of.

Blades in the Dark: Fishing for People

Last night was Blades, and once again, there were some tentacles. Hmm. Last time, tentacles and all, here.

The crew gets right to work on their new job, undertaken on behalf of Ulf Ironborn - pick up some Skovs from the Old North Port, transport them to Crow's Foot. Easy-peasy? Not so muchsy. The Old North Port is outside of the lightning barrier, and then there's the Void Sea to deal with. The crew decides to hug the coast and get to the Port, and then just do the same thing going back until they get into the Barrowcleft Canal and from there into Crow's Foot.

They take two boats, the Black Lotus and one of the boats that their crew of Rovers uses. Siren and Cage ride that boat, while Copper and One-Eye take the Lotus (obviously, since One-Eye is the only one that can drive the Lotus successfully). They cruise down the canal to the lighting barrier and One-Eye produces permits to get through. The guard takes the permits to examine them...and returns with half a dozen buddies, all pointing guns. They demand that the crew surrender Cyrene Daeva, or "Siren," as she's known.

Siren demands to know why she's being arrested, and the guards say that high-ranking members of the Church of Ecstasy have sworn out complaints against her. Siren, figuring that this doesn't end with her having tea and laughing over this misunderstanding, draws her guns and starts firing. The guards fire back, and Cage calls upon his newly acquired tempest move to call down lightning and fry 'em. The backlash singes the crew a bit, but the bigger problem is that that lightning barrier is still down.

However, Siren thought of that, and dispatched two Rovers to sneak up into the tower and lower the barrier. The barrier falls, and the boats zip out into the ocean. Someone on the other tower fires a projectile at them, which Cage manages to deflect, but it still makes the water glowy. One-Eye, using a ridiculously long blowgun, fires a shadow-essence dart at the tower and blots it out, allowing the crew to move down the coast.

The watchtowers along the coast are all lit up and the lights are searching the water. Cage summons fog to hide the boats, but they get separated. Copper uses a lantern to signal to the other boat and gets a response back, and the boats finally see each other and the dock. They pull up and see a bunch of Skovs waiting for them, backlit by pervasive light from the radiant energy farms and the lightning barrier.

One-Eye, as the only one who speaks Skov, talks to an old fella who's become the de facto leader of the refugees, wanting to know what Ulf wants all these folks for. He says that Ulf has work for them - lifting, carrying, who knows. One-Eye, still paranoid, presses, and Copper notices that the nearby lightning wall has gone down in one section. She yells a warning, and soldiers charge out, firing at the crew and the Skovs alike. One-Eye yells for everyone to get on the boat or she's leaving, and Copper grabs a couple of people and runs for the boats. Everyone climbs aboard, along with as many Skovs as possible, and Siren returns fire with a cannon. The boats pull out, and the crew sees Skovs trying to swim after them.

Copper, horrified, throws a net and pulls as many people as she can out of the drink, but of course it's not enough. People swim...until they tire and sink or something pulls them under. The crew heads back toward Doskovol...but more problems are in the offing.

A young Skov tugs on Cage's sleeve and speaks to him, but Cage doesn't speak Skov. He follows the man and finds that the man's wife has been shot and is bleeding out. Cage does his best, but the woman wakes up and screams, and One-Eye, hearing the screams, pilots the Lotus over, hops out, and stabilizes her. She asks if anyone else is hurt, and of course a couple more are, so she gets to work putting them together (after all, Ulf established early on that he was only paying for live people).

Meanwhile, though, the folks on the Lotus (where Copper is now alone) are talking heatedly. Copper doesn't understand them, but she can see something's brewing. She tries to pacify them with a bottle of booze and some commands, but they rush her, trying to toss her overboard. She calls for help and Siren runs over and draws a gun to scare them, but then the boats drift apart, leaving Siren to drive the Lotus, which remember is finicky. One-Eye pulls out a sparkcraft voice amplifier and tells everyone, in Skov, that anybody who doesn't sit the hell down is gonna swim home. That works, and the terrified Skovs grudgingly leave off the mutiny.

The crew steers the boats toward the land, but the towers are still lit up and there are a bunch of boats around the entrance to the Barrowcleft Canal. They decide to make the risky move to head further out into the Void Sea and go around. Siren is nervous, as are the Skovs (who huddle together and start chanting a prayer), but it's the best idea they have.

As they get into deeper water, Siren's forehead starts itching. She sees a woman in the distance, standing on the waves, and heads toward her. Copper tries to get her to stop, but Siren is obsessed, and Copper has to wrench the wheel away, damaging the steer mechanism. Copper calls for help and the boats reconnect, and One-Eye gets back on the Lotus (annoyed at the damage). Siren recenters herself, but the boats are still on the Void Sea, miles from land, and the waves are moving strangely languidly.

Next time, we'll see if the crew makes it back safely and whether they have any Skovs left.

Movie #511: Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fantasy/drama directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, and Álex Angulo.

Ofelia (Baquero) and her mother Carmen (Gil) move to a remote fort in Spain, where Carmen's new husband Captain Vidal (López) is hunting down rebels. Vidal is cruel, sadistic, and strict, and Carmen is clearly in this marriage because she can't afford to keep herself and Ofelia on her own (also she's pregnant with Vidal's son and sick). Ofelia quickly meets a fairy that leads her into a labyrinth, where she meets a faun (Jones) who tells her she's really Princess Moanna and sends her on three quests to verify her royal pedigree and be allowed to return to her true parents (she's reincarnated, you see).

Of course, this being a del Toro film, the fantasy is intercut with plotlines in the real world. The rebels are closing in and have spies in the fort in the persons of a cook/housekeeper Mercedes (Verdú) and Dr. Ferriero (Angulo). Vidal's "shoot first, think later" policy leads him to murder the doctor, which leaves Carmen without a doctor when her baby comes, which winds up with her dead.

In the end, the rebels take the fort and kill Vidal (after Mercedes thoroughly fucks him up with a paring knife, which is hard to watch but oh so satisfying - does Sergi López always play a scumbag?), but not before he shoots Ofelia. She, however, is welcomed home by her true parents, so we get the happiness of that reunion, shot in reds and golds, intercut with Mercedes weeping over her body, shot in soft blue light.

So, I don't know if this is del Toro's best work, but damn, it's close. A lot of the themes present in Devil's Backbone and the later Shape of Water are here, but the balance between fantasy and the harsh reality of Franco's Spain make for a beautiful and tragic fairy tale. Also, as usual, del Toro doesn't sexualize the violence or make it fun or flashy. Vidal kills a young man with a bottle, methodically beating his face in, while his father watches, but there's no music behind it, just the stark depiction of what happens.

Meanwhile, Doug Jones shows off his fantastic ability at movement as both the faun and the horrific Pale Man (he goes on to play the fish-creature in Shape of Water), imbuing both characters with life, kindness, and menace as appropriate. And, of course, Baquero holds it all together as Ofelia, a girl who just wants to read some books and be a kid stuck in the middle of two horribly traumatic situations.

All in all, it's a beautiful film, and I really hope that del Toro gets around to doing his rumored third Spanish Civil War film.

My Grade: A
Rewatch Value: Medium-high

Next up: Paranorman

Character Creation: Hobomancer

Been a while, but at least "been a while" is shaking out to be two weeks and not several months.

The Game: Hobomancer
The Publisher: Hex Games
Degree of Familiarity: None. I've read it and I've done some reading on hobo culture and history for unrelated reasons 
Books Required: Hobomancer and QAGS 2nd Ed, which I have in PDF

QAGS (or Quick-Ass Game System) has two methods of chargen; you can do point-buy or you can use the "Qik Start Rules" and do a bunch of it randomly. Since I did point-buy last time I made a QAGS character, I think I'll do it randomly this time. I start by generating some numbers by rolling a d20, dividing the result in half, and then adding 6, five times. That gives me: 15, 8, 12, 13, 6 (I rolled a 1 on that last one and you round down, so like, yuk).

I now sort those numbers into Body, Brain, Nerve, Job, and Gimmick. My Job is Hobomancer, obviously, so I'll put my 13 there. Now, I should think a little about concept.

My hobo's name is Slicer Beefcake McGrew (the name "Slicer Beefcake" has been stuck in my head for a few weeks now, and I think it came from watching Pacific Rim and thinking of rejected Jaeger names, but I don't remember). Slicer used to be a butcher in his old life, but then bad luck befell him. A couple of 'bos came by looking for work, which he was happy to provide (carcasses are heavy) and the three of them did a hard day's work slaughtering, moving, and breaking down some meat, and then they all sat out back and had a smoke. They only had one match between them, and so they all lit from it, and Slicer was the last one. Little did he know that if a match lights three cigarettes, the man who lit the last one will soon suffer an injury. (The 'bos did know that, but each of them thought the other was going to say something and by the time they realized, it was too late.)

Slicer lost his hand in a knife accident the next day, and as he had no family or close friends to help him out (the 'bos had already moved on), he lost the shop. He hit the rails, intending to go to the next town and find work, but he caught up with the 'bos that had worked with him and they felt right awful about what happened, so they took him on for a few states and taught him the Hobo Code. And somewhere along the way, Slicer had a chat with the Kind Lady and heard the Song, and here we are.

OK, back to numbers. I feel like butchers are strong, so Slicer's Body ought to be kind of high. I guess the immediate question is where to put that sodding 6. I think I'll put it in Gimmick, because although that means my Gimmick kinda sucks, it also means my Weakness is low (since Weakness starts equal to Gimmick). I need to think of a Gimmick, however, so I'll let that sit a minute.

For the other three, I'll put my 15 in Body, my 12 in Nerve, and my 8 in Brain. My Weakness is One Hand 6, so that's easy. His Old Job (which is actually "Old Life" on the sheet) is equal to (16-Job)/2, but the example characters in the book with Job 13 have Old Life +2, so whatever, I have Butcher +2.

Now I get 3 Skills at +3, +2, and +1. Skills are something that fall out of line with one's Job (or Old Life, in the case of hobos). I kind of want Slicer to be good at talking with folks and putting people at ease, so I'll take Chatting at +2. I'll take Knifeplay at +1, and for my +3 I'll take Harmonica (you can play it with only one hand, see).

Right, still need a Gimmick. Um. It's not gonna work very often, whatever it is; I'd have to roll under a 6 on a d20 (barring any help from Skills). I'll think I'll say that Slicer has the Devil's Attention - sometimes he can play the harmonica and Ol' Scratch will tune in. That's not always a good thing, but for whatever reason the Devil seems to want Slicer alive.

Cool, now I get a Hobo Power. There are a bunch of examples, and a lot of them are pretty cool, but I can make one up if I want. It's tempting to do something with knives or butchering, but that's Slicer's old life. I think, though, that something that familiarizes him with death or killing is appropriate, since he was used to that. I'll say that Slicer is a Haint Caller, someone who talks with ghosts and other dead-things and helps them to move along. I need a vow, too, so I'll say that Slicer's Vow is "Never Spill the Blood of a Man Who Has Done You No Harm."

Only number-related thing left is how many Yum-Yums I start with, which is 1d20/5. I roll a 13, so I get 2 (round down).

Now, three more bits of flavor: WWPHITM (Who Would Play Him in the Movie?), Tag Line, and Dumb Fact.

For the Dumb Fact, I'll say that Slicer keeps his own knucklebones in a bag around his neck (eek). For Tag Line, I'll say "How 'bout a tune, fellars?" And as for who'd play him...need someone kinda beefy. Someone with one hand would be ideal, but a quick search doesn't show me a lot of one-handed actors (missing legs seem to be more common), so I guess we're doing that with special effects. Ooh, but how about someone who actually plays harmonica? I'm gonna say Bruce Willis. Check this out, I think it'd work:

And that'll do it!

All Flesh Must be Eaten: Girl Can't Help It, etc. - The Finale

And then yesterday, we finished our All Flesh Must Be Eaten game, set during the 90s and inspired, in part, by Journey's Greatest Hits. I have a silly life.

Last time, Mia was killed by zombies, and Heather, Daisy, and Patricia wound up in the woods near a burning bus.

They start walking, and eventually wind up on the edge of Lucille's aunt's property. They start calling out to attract her attention (figuring someone might shoot them if they just wander onto the property), and Lucille and her ninja-like aunt Bonita come to find them. They take the girls inside, listen to the sad end of Mia and how Daisy and Heather had to kill their father and Kyle, and give them dinner. Everyone beds down for the night - it's been a long day.

And then they wake up with a start to find the power has gone out. Bonita isn't there, neither is Sgt. Priest. Lucille wakes the others and they gear up, deciding to go out and try and track down the others. Lucille warns the others to step where she steps, but avoiding traps turns out to be a problem, although no one is seriously injured. They find a couple of zombie corpses, but one of them has a handful of flesh in its hand and in its mouth. A few yards away, they find a military issue pistol.

Just then, Heather trips a deadfall and winds up with her foot trapped. Three zombies, including Priest, appear, but Lucille hefts the deadfall log and hurls it at a couple of them, and Daisy incinerates Priest with her power. They decide to fall back to the house, and Lucille grabs a walkie-talkie to contact Bonita.

She finds her, but Bonita says that she ran afoul of some zombies and one of them caught her brachial artery. She's bleeding out.

Lucille tries to get her to reveal her location, but Bonita refuses, and tells Lucille to clear the house, or, if that's impossible, take the truck and go. Lucille and Patrica check the back door while the Bitcherman sisters guard the front, but the zombies get the drop on them. Literally, in the case of Lucille and Patricia - they drop down from the roof. More run up from the basement and attack the sisters, two of them tackling Daisy and tearing her open. Patricia runs in to try and save them (Lucille is quite capable of holding her own), but she gets there just in time to see the zombies rip Daisy's heart out.

Heather freezes up, staring at her sister's corpse, and Lucille runs in, grabs both Heather and Patricia, and kicks the front door out. They all run to the truck and start heading out, with zombies emerging from the house, Daisy included.

They head north, possibly heading for an Army bunker that Priest mentioned, leaving the city behind, to an uncertain future.

 FIN

Belly of the Beast: Delicious Marrow

The other night I finally ran a game of Belly of the Beast; I'd been wanting to for a while. Check it out.

The characters!

• Travis played Cerebix, a mutant left to die as a baby in the Myelin Web. He merged with it, becoming overgrown with white matter and has a sense of the Beast and those within it. 
• Morgan played Kip, a sailor and diver from across the Lymph Sea. Expert at holding his breath and boatcraft.
• Michelle played Pera, an alchemist who turned to scavenging for survival purposes.
• Kai played Joven, a naturalist and botanist, born before the Devouring (but just barely).
• Jerry played Zilch, a greedy tinkerer and machine expert. 

The characters are a scavenging company in Marrow's Peak, a community built near the shores of the Lymph Sea. The nicer buildings are constructed of bone, while the rest are daubed together from tissue and lymph. Mo, the founder, was an expert architect, but his son and heir, now known as Big Mo, doesn't quite have the same knack and some of the buildings are started to crumble.

Worse, the hogs haven't produced litters as much as they should, and the mushroom harvest came in light. The community needs a source of food quickly to make up the difference, and Big Mo has made promises of lavish bone houses to anyone that can deliver. The scavengers get together and decide to use the resource they have that others don't: A boat.

They get on the boat and head out over the Lymph Sea. They note, too, that the sea level is dropping, exposing a tributary that they haven't seen before. They decide to take it, and see wild hogs on the shore. Figuring that if there are hogs, they must be eating something, they beach the boat and get out.

They note evidence of people, too - waste and tuber rinds. They determine that these folks are likely nomadic, since this area has been under "water" until pretty recently. They start looking around and Kip tries tracking the people, but as they climbs up a nearby rise Cerebix slices his hand on something.

The "something" in question turns out to be a bony growth; these are pretty common. The characters work to dislodge the growth (might be useful!), but they hear a strange sound approaching. They don't have to wait long - parasites, like huge thousand-leggers (Google it if you want), skitter at them. Joven recognizes these things, they're attracted to blood, but they're quite happy to rip people open to get at that blood if need be. 

Joven stabs one and kills it, as does Zilch. Pera takes a hog-tallow candle and gets it warm enough to shape, and uses it to cover Cerebix' wound. Cerebix himself takes the veins from the growth they've pulled out and tries to squeeze them at the parasites, but manages to screw that up and spray himself with the fluid. The characters finally decide to fall back and jump into the shallows, covering themselves with lymph. The parasites mill around a bit, then leave. 

The scavengers press on, and as they crest the rise they see a group of people around a fire. Cerebix and Kip approach, and make overtures for bargaining. The group is allowed to come and sit; these folks aren't cannibals or reavers. They tell the characters that they recently tried to get to "the Exposed Rib" and harvest some marrow, a small amount of which is rich enough to sustain an adult for days. The problem is that a group of cannibals has taken up residence around it, so approaching it directly is unwise.

There is, however, a sphincter that leads through some tubes to the other side of the Rib (look, you gotta know what you're getting into with this game). It is, at present, under a lake of acid, however. The characters figure that between Kip, an experienced diver with a hog-bladder suit, and Cerebix, who is bileborn, they can perhaps manage to open the aperture. 

They find the pool of acid and Kip suits up, and the two of them submerge (Pera, meanwhile, takes a jarful of the acid with her). Cerebix is able to withstand the acid, but Kip's suit immediately disintegrates and the acid starts burning his flesh. They reach the bottom and try to open the sphincter, but it's not happening. Kip on the verge of death, Cerebix stabs the tissue, figuring that what's underneath it might not be acid resistant. He's right - the whole area shudders and the opening widens, the acid draining away. The scavengers can continue. 

They enter the tubes and push their way through, and then find a place where it widens. The walls have some odd white circles, and Zilch and Kip go to check it out. A couple of the circles shudder and rupture, spewing sticky material over them and sticking them fast (although Cerebix, loyal to the last, yanks Kip out of the way and gets stuck instead). The others cut them free, losing knives in the process, and very carefully move along.

They exit the interior at the base of an impossibly large rib bone. Pera splashes the sample of the acid she took on the edge of the bone, and Zilch starts chiseling his way in (Zilch is especially expert at breaking and deconstructing things). The others keep watch, but don't see the cannibal tethered to the rib running around above them. He throws hunks of metal and injures Joven and Pera, but Joven yanks out the weapon and hurls it straight back, killing their assailant. Cerebix taps into the nervous system for all he's worth and snarls at the approaching cannibals, scaring the everloving hell out of them. Meanwhile, Zilch has broken through to the marrow, and the scavengers harvest all they can and get out.

They meet up with the nomads nearby, who escort them back to their boat in exchange for a small amount of marrow. They return to the (now) aptly-named Marrow's Peak with a solution to their problem, and Big Mo promises them bone-carved homes! (Whether this is a promise he can keep is quite another matter.)

And that's the story! I like Belly, it's a great setting and lends itself to a particular brand of horror. Not 100% on the system, but I'd need to dig in a little more to know for sure.

Blue Rose: The Academy

Last night was Blue Rose, after a bit of a hiatus due to scheduling stuff. Here we go!

The party heads to the market for a brief stop; the blacksmith works with Whirlpool to get his cestae fitted and Kisha buys some fancy clothes, and then they all head off to Warrior's Rest Academy.

The Academy, now open for visitors (it was closed when Kisha came here yesterday on Hearth Day) receives them, and a student named Lonen acts as a guide. He answers their questions and offers to show them around as they'd like; they can go basically anywhere on campus, they're just not to open doors without asking.

They ask to go to the library, and Kisha asks the librarian for information about the history of the Academy, the war, and the Ebban family. Meanwhile, the others split up and go to speak with the three Headmasters - Whirlpool goes to speak with Duallin, Arlen with Memne, and Dobbin with Vistul.

Arlen is led downstairs into a circular classroom where Memne is instructing students in staff-fighting forms. Class lets out, and Arlen chats with Memne about the Academy and the party's situation. Memne asks if the characters have an advocate, and hints that the justice system here can be deceptively friendly.

Dobbin is led outside, and she and her guide pass a couple of students heading in, one of whom has an arrow through his hand. Dobbin watches the "lesson" that Vistul is teaching - arrow combat with real arrows, and relying on healing magic if (when) students get hurt. Class breaks, and Vistul is initially guarded and sharp with Dobbin, but warms a bit after Dobbin talks about her origins in the Central Valley. She has Dobbin fire an arrow and immediately opines that Dobbin wouldn't have shot Bescek, not at that distance. She, too, mentions that the party should really have an advocate, and talks a little about her life growing up in Verdaunen. Her father was a veteran of the war, a master swordsman, killed by a Kernish sorcerer before he was even able to draw his weapon on the battlefield.

Vistul asserts that magic is draining in a way that isn't quite natural - a hard day's work is exhausting, but leaves you feeling righteous. Magic, not so much. She feels that the appropriate place for magic is in a supporting role to those that do the real work.

Whirlpool is led to a grove of fruit trees, under which sit Duallin and his students, practicing light-shaping magic. Whirlpool watches them, and then joins Duallin, who seems happy to chat with him and hear his story. He mentions that he is from Aldis, and that his cariad is still there. He mentions, too, that if it's swashbuckling and flashy swordplay Whirlpool is after, perhaps he could use his ability to water-shape in service to that goal?

In the library, Kisha looks into the history of Ebban and finds more or less what she knew; Ebban was a noble who lived in the Pavin Weald and was thought to have been lost to the Shadow, but was never actually found. Kisha suspects he might be the lich the party has heard stories of. The librarian mentions that Vistul is something of a scholar of the war, and so might have some insight, though probably it shouldn't be Kisha that asks her (Vistul isn't crazy about Kerns). He does mention, too, that Vistul is local, while Duallin is from Aldis, and Memne, while he grew up in Verdaunen, is half-Kernish by his mother.

The characters regroup and talk a bit about what they've found. Kisha suspects Duallin, since his power over light-shaping would make him able to use illusion to his advantage, but freely admits she doesn't really have enough evidence. Dobbin sends a message to Vistul and asks to come back and talk with her, and is told that she'll be free after dinner. The characters leave the Academy to get some lunch at the Inn, and Dobbin asks Magni about getting an advocate. He tells her that anyone in Verdaunen can technically act as an advocate, but you really want someone who knows the law. Best place to get more information is the temple of Aulora, the goddess of law and justice.

Dobbin heads to the temple, while Arlen and Kisha go to visit the house of Eleria, the noble family that employed Bescek (Magni mentioned she has a fondness for vata and for prophecy). Whirlpool stays behind and snoozes.

At the temple, Dobbin sees other people wearing amulets like hers, and talks with a priestess. What she learns isn't exactly heartening. The party has two options - they can waive their right to advocacy and have their issue resolved quickly, but that might not go their way. Or, they can procure and advocate and have someone argue on their behalf. Problem is, professional advocates are expensive, and while the temple provides advocates to those that need them, they're overstretched it might be months before one is free. At least, she says, the characters are free to live and work in Verdaunen while their case is awaiting them. Dobbin is somewhat nonplussed, but does admit this is better than waiting in a cell.

Meanwhile, Arlen and Kisha meet Dysia of Eleria, the young noblewoman who formerly employed Bescek as an envoy. They learn that Dysia and Bescek both applied to the Academy the same year, but neither was accepted - Dysia's father was a graduate of the Academy himself and studied heavily under Duallin. She knew Bescek and mourns him, but their stations kept them from becoming too close.

Arlen asks about prophecy, and Dysia says that when she was born, her mother spoke a passage in a tongue no one there understood. Her midwife transcribed it and Dysia memorized it, and she happily recites it for the characters. Kisha recognizes it as Old Kernish, but is unable to catch much of it (it's not a dialect she understands, and Dysia's pronunciation is poor to say the least). She does catch the word "false" used a couple of times, once in the phrase "false light."

They take their leave of the lady and head back to the inn to have dinner. There, they decide to split up: Dobbin and Kisha will head back to the Academy (Dobbin to talk to Vistul, Kisha to visit the library again); Arlen will go to see Lady Dysia again or, if that seems too forward, find some work and earn some money; Whirlpool opts to stay at the inn and help Magni with the cooking.

Next time, we'll see what awaits our heroes.

Blades in the Dark: Tentacled Horror!

Last night, as promised, was Blades. Here we go!

Last time, the crew completed a score pretty seamlessly. Tonight, One-Eye is out sampling various drugs (like she do), when she is approached by her associate, Jul, the blood dealer (he first appeared way back here). Jul offers One-Eye a job - transport a large quantity of blood to a cult called the Yellow Kings. One-Eye asks why that's a job she should take, and Jul says that their crew has a reputation for transporting weird shit, and he doesn't feel like offending a cult (they tend to overreact).

Copper, meantime, is trying to sell Master Vreen on the idea of goat-racing, when she is approached by Ulf Ironborn. Ulf tells her that there are some folks arriving at Old North Port soon, people who recently of Skovland. He'd like them transported to Crow's Foot, and he'll pay two Coin a head. These folks aren't exactly in Duskwall legally, though, hence his desire to hire the crew.

The crew convenes and Copper and One-Eye present their jobs. Copper is disturbed by the notion of transporting blood - if it's human, that's a lot of people who are missing their blood. One-Eye, meanwhile, isn't necessarily keen on the idea of bringing former prisoners or revolutionaries into the city, but on the other hand, the pay is good. Copper and Siren go to talk to Ulf to learn a little more, and find out that the people coming in are folks who have done time, either in Akoros or Skovland. He's expecting 15-20 people, max, but of course he doesn't know how many survived the crossing.

Meanwhile, One-Eye and Cage go to visit Jul. They learn that the blood is mostly goat or hog, probably some human, and it's been treated with various herbs and so forth. Jul doesn't know what kind of ritual the Kings want it for. One-Eye does realize, though, that Jul really wants Widdershins specifically to take this job, but figures that's because he knows they can handle it.

The crew reconvenes, and decides to take on Jul's job first, since it should be quick. Things don't go smooth, however.

As they're loading the blood onto their boat, they get approached by two Bluecoats. One-Eye shows them (forged) papers allowing transport of goods, but the Bluecoat sees through it and releases a ghost from a charm, presumably to go and get backup. Cage traps the ghost, however. The Bluecoats attempt to arrest the crew, but One-Eye blows a handful of trance powder into one of their faces. The other one runs, but Cage hits him with a bola and downs him. They wind up paying him off, and finally get the blood on the boat and into Six Towers.

They hold their breath as they pass Scurlock Manor, and arrive at another dilapidated mansion, where they are admitted by men in robes. One of them tells the crew to be seated and wait to be paid, and they tip the blood into a big basin in the middle of the room. A young man emerges from a side room, smiling beatifically, disrobes, and then submerges. (Copper, soft-hearted perhaps to fault, vomits.)

And then tentacles emerge. The man has changed into a slimy, horrific creature, a mass of tentacles and too many legs. It charges at the characters and wraps a tentacle around Siren's leg. She shoots at it, but doesn't do any real damage. Cage yanks her back but the creature breaks her leg in the process. The cultists move to the periphery of the room and lock arms to prevent anyone leaving, but Copper punches through the line and Cage follows, helping Siren. One-Eye injects the monster with a paralysis toxin, but it only slows it down.

Copper draws a sword and starts hacking away, but the creature wraps tentacles around her legs and holds her in place. Cage notes that Siren's eyes are glowing, and Siren demands that he make contact with Kotar for help. Cage, reluctantly, does so, and finds himself standing with Siren and a mostly-formless man on a white plain.

Kotar tells them that he can help, but he'll need to take over Siren's body and Cage will need to hold her soul in stasis so it doesn't get nudged out entirely. They agree, and Siren loses consciousness.

Meanwhile, One-Eye is trying to shoot the creature in the face, but gets sprayed with acidic ichor that eats through her armor. Siren appears, though, eyes glowing, draws two knives, and says in a voice not her own, "move."

One-Eye and Copper oblige, and Siren throws the knives, now imbued with some weird crackling energy. They strike the creature and it shrieks, curls in itself, and starts to twitch. Kotar retreats into Siren's mind and Cage, who has masterfully head Siren's soul in place, lets her go. The crew flees.

They get back to the lair, and the next day the three of them (not Siren, who's injured) go to pay Jul a visit. He claims that he knew nothing about the attack, but that he was always supposed to pay them, meaning that the "sit on the bench and wait for money" was a ruse. He pays them, and gives Copper a vial of blood to make her feel better (advising her to dilute it with alcohol to cut the taste).

The crew falls back, collects their money, pays off the Bluecoats to stop harassing Vreen (probably fallout from their encounter by the boat), and goes about their usual business. The heal, One-Eye works with the Unseen to direct attention away from the crew and finally lower their Wanted Level a bit, and the crew prepares for their next score.

Character Creation: Rotted Capes

I swear, the next post I make won't be chargen.

(I mean, probably. I'm running Blades tonight, as far as I know, so likely that'll be the post. Not like there's anyone hanging on my every word anyway, but y'know.)

The Game: Rotted Capes
The Publisher: Paradigm Concepts
Degree of Familiarity: Not much, but not none. I played it at Origins some years back.
Books Required: Just the one.

Rotted Capes is essentially "Marvel Zombies: The RPG". It's your standard four-color supers setting, and then there was a zombie plague. Infected supers keep their powers and intelligence, but now they're zombies, and hungry for flesh.

PCs are assumed to be "B-listers," sidekicks, newbs, and minor heroes who survived Z-day and are now protecting small enclaves of survivors. I like the game; the system is involved but works well at the table. I just read over my write-up for the Origins game (it's here, if you care) and one niggle I had was that my character had trouble inflicting damage, but as it's been six years (good lord), I have no idea if that's something that would be pervasive.

Anyway, I have a concept. I want to play a character who can turn his body into stone, but only for as long as he can hold his breath. I think that's a nice balance between a super who's invulnerable to the zombies' bites...but isn't really invulnerable. Let's see if I can actually make such a character.

Step One is to pick a Power Source, which is basically, in very broad strokes, where you powers come from: inborn, skills, or tech. I want to be Super-Human, which gives me a +1 to Vigor. I also get to add a free rank to one of my starting powers, but if I were playing this character, I couldn't buy new powers without GM permission and a big in-game event. Cool.

Step Two is to choose an Archetype, which is basically what kind of powers you have access to based on a broad theme. I think my guy should be a Heavy; basically a Hulk/Thing sort of character. I get a bonus to Might or Vigor, and I have a bunch of powers that I can choose from when it comes time to do so.

Step Three is Disadvantages; these give me back points. I don't really like them, so I'm not gonna take any.

Step Four is to choose a Personality Flaw and a Tagline. I think it's funny that making up a catchphrase is a defined step, but making up a name isn't. Ah, well. I can take more than one Flaw if I want. In play they can be activated to give me Plot Dice. Let's see. I'll take Survivor's Guilt; we'll say my guy got caught out in a zombie swarm that claimed the lives of a bunch of innocent people, including his former mentor, Azul. He managed to hold his breath and stay in rock form, but he couldn't get to Azul before the zombies torn him apart.

Tagline, though. Hmm. My character isn't going to do a lot of talking in combat because he has to hold his breath to maintain his rock form. The temptation to make it "Let's rock!" (or perhaps "Rock, rock on!") is great, but I dunno if I really want to get that punny. I think I'll let that sit for a while and come back to it.

Step Five: Purchase Attributes. Okey-day. Attributes start at 3 (except Vigor, which starts at 4), and cost (next level) to buy up. I have 150 points in total, by the way. Oh, and I get a bonus to Might or Vigor - when does that happen? I guess now. I'll put it in Might, I guess.

OK, so I know I want high Might and Vigor. The level of an Attribute determines your base die; at 3 it's a d8, and it crests to a d10 at 7. If I want a d12, it's 11, though it looks like my max might be 9. Boosting Might and Vigor to 7 costs 36. Boosting Quickness to 5 costs 9 (45 spent). Kinda want Prowess up a little so I'm better at throwing; 9 more (54 spent), and I'll spend 4 and boost Insight to 4 (58). I'll leave the others (Charisma, Logic, and Resolve) at 3.

Step Six is Skills. Skills cost the same as Attribute, except you don't start with any. I can also buy skill sets, which give a suite of Skills for a price break. At this point I really need to conceptualize a little more.

OK, we know our hero was in the hero biz before Z-day. Let's say that he was a surveyor working for the city (which city? The City Where This is Set) and got caught in the crossfire between Azul and a villain called the Golden Ram.

This guy. Art by Pat Loboyko

My character got knocked to the bottom of a rocky crevasse and buried. He still isn't entirely sure how his powers manifested - something inborn, or something about the quarry? In either case, Azul took him under his wings and was training him in the fine art of super-heroics when Z-Day happened.

OK, with that in mind, I'll take the Student skill set, as I think it covers the basics of what he'd know.  That nets me Academics 3 (focus in Mathematics), Athletics 2, Linguistics 2 (each point gives me an additional language, so we'll say he speaks Mandarin and Urdu), Science (Geology) 2, and Technology (Radio Broadcasting) 2. That costs me 10 (68 spent).

I can buy more if I'd like. I think I'd better take Melee at 3, which costs 6. That puts me up to 74 spent; just about half. I may come back and buy more, but I want to do powers first.

But next step is Advantages. Advantages cost 5 points each, so let's see if I love any.

Oh, here's a thing: There's no slot for Advantages on the sheet, but there is one for Talents...which are not mentioned in the book. Oops. I assume that was just something they forgot to change on the sheet. Anyway, I like Toughness, so I'll drop 5 on that. Again, might come back later, but that's all for now (79 spent).

Ooooh, Step Eight! Powers! Woo! OK, first thing's first, let's figure out how to do my rock transformation. I could do this a couple of different ways; I could call it Armor, Invulnerability, or Resistance. Let me see if I can figure out the difference.

OK, so Armor gives me an armor rating. Invulnerability only kicks in when I take "massive damage," which is basically enough to stagger or throw me. Resistance is just highly specialized armor (I question the level of granularity, here). It looks like Armor gives me what I want, though - high resistance to damage. I also want super strength and extra hand damage, though, and I want all of this to only be available in rock-form, so let's figure this out.

I want Armor enough to suck up most incoming attacks, which means that my AR needs to be at least 10. The Armor power grants an AR equal to its passive modifier plus my Vigor's passive modifier. My Vigor's passive modifier is, at the moment, 3, meaning I'd have to buy Armor 17 to get to 10. But lo, I can also buy Enhanced Attribute! I'd still have to buy Armor at 12 to get a passive of 5, though. Is that feasible? If I put my bonus point into Armor (which happens after chargen, I checked) I could just buy it to 11. That would cost...66 points. That's maybe a bit steep, especially considering I have only 71 left. But if I don't buy it to 11, there's no point buying it higher than 8, which is where the passive mod changes to 4.

You know, let's try it. If I spent 66 and by Armor 11, I have 5 points left. OK, I'm trying to figure out Enhanced Attack and it makes no goddamn sense to me. All the power says is that if you're using it to augment a melee attack it does the base damage die of damage for the primary Attribute (Might, in this case), which is...I think what I'd do anyway? Like, where's the "Enhanced" part? I see that if it enhances a weapon, it bumps the die type up, but for hand damage it doesn't make sense, and the example characters are no fucking help.

OK, reading the combat section, maybe it adds that die? But if that's the case, why do you need to buy levels in it? Oh, wait, I think I figured it out. It's actually base power die (primary attribute), which should mean you multiply them, but it actually means you add them. As such, if I buy Enhanced Attack at, say, 3 ranks, I would add a d6 to my damage roll when punching a dude with my mighty rock fists. I...kinda want more, but bumping it to a d8 would require 4 ranks, which would cost 10 points, which is double what I have left, and I still want other stuff.

Ugh, I think I might have to reduce my Armor. Don't wanna. OK, fine. I'll drop Armor to 8. That only costs 36, meaning I'd still have 35 left. If I want Enhanced Attack at 4, that'd cost 10, so I have 26. If I want to buy Enhanced Might and Vigor at, say, 5 each, that'd cost 30, so I'd be 4 over. However, I want to apply the Linked Flaw to these powers, which I thought reduced the cost, but it actually bumps up the ranks (holy shit). So if I put my Armor at 7, I save myself 7 points, so I have 42 left. That means I can buy all of the Enhanced I want (Attack, Might, and Vigor) at 4, and still have 12 left. Jesus. I think, too, that the requirement that I hold my breath is a Limitation. Normally the GM would determined how many ranks that's worth. I kinda think it ought to be 2, but considering I can hold my breath for a number of ticks equal to Vigor x 10, that's a pretty good length. Of course I can't talk during that time, either...OK, we'll just say 1 rank. That means I get another free rank for each power, plus another free rank to one power once all is said and done.

(I am officially never going to be able to run this game for any of my groups unless I make the characters. Too much math.)

All right, so, from the top: Armor 9 costs 45. Enhanced Attack 5 costs 15. Enhanced Might 5 costs 15, Enhanced Vigor 5 costs 15. All of that together is 90...fuck, too much, I only have 71 going into this stage, so I need to pare down 19 points. Well, if I drop Enhanced Attack down to 2, that only costs me 3, so I save 12 points. Just need to save 7 more. Hmm. Could drop my normal Vigor down to 6, which would save me the 7 I need. OK, let's do that.

FUCK ME. That's a lot. Now I add a bunch of things, and I wind up with this:

Armor 12
Enhanced Attack 4
Enhanced Might 5
Enhanced Vigor 5

OK, so I fill in my Derivative traits, that's easy enough. Gear is next. And hey, I get specific stuff! Yay! I get a single firearm or archaic ranged weapon; I'll say I have a pistol, but it's only for emergencies. I get a melee weapon, and then I get a starter pack. Hmm. I'll take the Bystander survival pack, and as far as a melee weapon goes, I'll skip it - my guy would rather punch.

Awesome, just need a name and some personal details. His real name is Burhan Bao (his mother was Pakistani and his father was Chinese, but he grew up in the US and considers English his native language). He has black hair and dark skin, and looks more like his mother. His superhero uniform is loose-fitting gray cargo pants, gray slip-on boots, and a sturdy windbreak that he casts off when he's ready to go into rock-form. He calls himself Stratum; when he goes into rock form, he's striped like layers of rock in a quarry. His Tagline is just a deep breath, followed by the crackle of him becoming rock.

And that's me (finally) done!