Character Creation: Worlds in Peril

Was actually planning on doing this yesterday, but POTS interfered. I'm actually feeling it tonight, too, but it's not as bad. So here we go.

The Game: Worlds in Peril
The Publisher: Samjoko Publishing
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular game; it's a PbtA game, though.
Books Required: Just the one.

 

As I have mentioned, I love superhero games, and one of the things I love about indie supers games in particular is what aspects of the genre they choose to focus on. More traditional games go in for modeling the physics - how much can a super-strong character lift? How fast can a speedster run? What's the range of a laser blast? And so forth. Indie games tend to look at the story and think about what happens there, with the result that games like With Great Power... and Masks and Marvel Heroic all feel very different, but feel like real superhero experiences.

Worlds in Peril is, like Masks, a PbtA expression of the genre, and I was interested to note that it doesn't really use playbooks. Instead, it has Drive and Origin as things you choose, and they give you some moves, but you're not playing an archetype the way you often do in PbtA games, which is fine. The game's text says that it focuses on thwarting villains in the city, and on the team aspect of being a superhero, which sounds pretty cool to me.

So, starting off, we'd build a team if I had a "we". Fortunately, there's nothing in the team-building questions or process that I need in order to proceed. I'll just assume a superhero in a four-color kind of setting. That means I can just jump ahead to the Hero Profile.

I've got a concept already, at least for my powers. I want some super-speed, but I don't want to be a runner like the Flash. Instead, I want my hero to have the power to move at incredible speeds but over very short distances; it almost works like a very short-range teleport. I also want him to be able to cause a sonic boom by moving his body fast enough to break the sound barrier. I don't have a lot of thoughts about backstory, though, so I'll do that as I go.

Codename: I want my hero to go by "Hummingbird."

Real Name: Orin Bruce. I note, however, that there's nowhere on the hero profile to write this.

(I also note that the example of character creation in the book is unapologetically Arrow from the show of the same name, and, worse, there's this kind of half-assed energy to it. Not a fan, though I'm happy they did the example at all.)

Basic stats, then. We've got five stats: Smash (for direct, forceful action), Influence (for swaying opinions), Maneuver (for being stealthy or speedy), Protect (for being defensive), and Investigate (for being thinky). I get -1, 0, +1, +1, +2 to distribute. Of note: Some moves don't use dice at all, some don't add stats, and some can theoretically use any stat, so it's not a matter of looking at the moves I want to be good at and allocating accordingly.

Well, I think that Hummingbird, being a speedster, would benefit from have a good Maneuver. I also think that he's capable of direct action, even if it's maybe not his first go-to. I think I'll put my +2 in Maneuver, my +1s in Smash and Protect, my 0 in Influence, and my -1 in Investigate. Hummingbird is just too unfocused to be really good at thinking things through.

Next up is Powers Summary. I'm meant to list everything I want Hummingbird to be able to do, even if he can't do it yet. I might also think about how he got his powers (bitten by a radioactive hummingbird?).

Hrm. The PDF is fillable, but the text doesn't wrap, so I can't type more than sentence in the powers section. Nice going, guys. Well, I want "Brief bursts of supersonic speed," anyway. I think that's a pretty apt description of his powers, for now. I think that Hummingbird doesn't rely on gadgets (they tend to break apart at the speeds he moves at, anyway). He's immune to friction, of course, but that's more a side effect than anything he could use as a secondary power.

It's important to note that he doesn't use gadgets because those are a separate form of power called Advantages; the main difference is that they can be taken away.

Right, on to the Powers Profile. I like this - it asks me to consider what kind of thing is simple (easy and common), difficult (possible but takes some effort), borderline (when pushed to the limit), possible (things I could do in theory), and impossible (shit that Hummingbird just can't do).

Well, I'm actually gonna start at the bottom - Hummingbird can't move more than a short distance at speed. I think I'd like to keep it no more specific than "a short distance," because it feels like the kind of thing that should stay narrative. A hypothetical EIC (Editor-in-Chief) might disagree, but I ain't got one, so nyah.

For simple, I'll say "move within a short distance instantly." For difficult, I'll say "cause a small-scale sonic boom to stun an opponent." For borderline, I'll say "strike multiple opponents in less than a second" ("strike" here might also mean "disarm" or something). For possible, I'll say "run up vertical surfaces."

Next step is "further defining and limiting powers." What it really is, though, is that I need to determine how well I fit in with normal people, and that determines Bonds but also can grant me more powers. I think that Orin can get along with people pretty well, and his life is only occasionally difficult because of his powers. That means I get one extra "simple" use of my powers, and I get 6 Bonds. (My Bond Threshold would normally be the number of players other than me + 6, but it's just me, so it's just 6 to keep things simple.)

For my extra simple power, I'll say "dodge any incoming physical attack." Obviously it doesn't work for things like explosions that cover a wide area, since Hummingbird can't move out of way fast enough.

OK, now we choose an Origin book! Despite being called "books," they're really only a page or so. I do need to think about how Hummingbird got his powers, though.

Oh, no, wait, this isn't the origin of my powers, it's why I became a superhero. OK, well, I still do need to think about the how, but I'll think about the why first.

I think I'll pick The Accident (Hummingbird was a normal person before It Happened). The other options are too dark or just off-brand for this character, I think. As part of this, I need to complete some sentences:

The accident changed me by giving me superpowers, obviously. Also, I think Hummingbird used to be really focused and meticulous, and now he can't quite seem to keep his thoughts together. He has a hard time paying attention for long periods of time, and he's easily distracted. That's frustrating as hell, because he used to be able to wait patiently and be highly organized.

The future effects on my body are still unknown, but what could happen is Orin could continue to lose the ability to focus until he can no longer form memories or attachment, leaving him completely in the moment and without cognition.

An enemy I made because of the accident is Captain Wachs. He, like Hummingbird, was a volunteer for this military experiment (I've just decided that Orin was in the Army, but was pretty low-ranked). Wachs and Orin were both given an injection, but one got the real stuff (Orin) and one got saline (Wachs). Wachs saw what happened to Orin - he got this fantastic ability, but he became flighty and weak, and Wachs vowed to show him what training and patience could do, even without powers.

That pretty much makes Captain Wachs my foe. I kinda want him to have some glue or wax-based powers, so he can be Captain Wax, but that's probably at least partially up to the EIC.

And now we choose a Drive Book (again, not a book). This is the character's goal and driving force. I think I'll say that Hummingbird's Drive is to Figure Out Who I Am (He Is). "Who he is" has been fundamentally changed by the accident and his subsequent discharge from the military, and he's trying to reconcile that and his changing mental prowess.

Last thing: Bonds. I get 6 Bonds to split up (normally I'd also get 1 point for each other PC). I have to put one into the City and one into Law Enforcement, and then I put down a sentence for each Bond describing my relationship. Oh, wait, do I need to put one into those? I have the Bonds, but maybe they can be at zero. The example character doesn't take one with law enforcement. Hmm.

I guess I'll put one into City and Law Enforcement. I'll put 2 into a Bond with General Franklin Pollock; Gen. Pollock was the brass overseeing Project Jackrabbit. I'll put 1 into a Bond with Ricardo, the owner of a little Cuban restaurant near Orin's apartment (Orin eats a lot because he burns calories, and Ricardo is happy to sell him whatever's left at the end of the day cheap). Finally, I'll put 1 into a Bond with Orin's sister Jenny (yeah, Jenny Bruce, she's already heard the jokes). They were estranged because Jenny was incensed when Orin enlisted, but she recognized him from news coverage and they're rebuilding their relationship.

And that's pretty much it. I picture Hummingbird as pretty short, maybe 5'4", slight (he used to be stocky and he's lost a lot of weight), shaved head, bold nose, blue eyes. He wears a yellow and black costume with a stylized hummingbird emblem on the chest, a black hood and mask, and black boots.

Sounds good!

Night's Black Agents: The Endgame

Yesterday was Night's Black Agents, and normally I'd be running Blades in the Dark about now, but illness laid one of my players low, so we're dark this week, alas.

Anyway, last time, the characters took out Vilmos Hajnal, probably the most powerful crime boss in Europe. This time, as they hide out in their safe house in Munich, they monitor the fallout - and it's considerable.

Known criminals all over the continent are being arrested or killed as police call in old debts and favors and generally cover their asses. Nikita Utkin, the head of Rus-Bel Air (the Belarus-based airline that Hajnal and the conspiracy used), is assassinated barely 12 hours after news of Hajnal's death breaks. The conspiracy's criminal end is breaking down as the characters watch...and that means they need to act fast, because the last two remaining vampires are probably going to go to ground.

The IFEA's website has been scrubbed, and someone (the characters determine with a bit of hacking) has been gradually emptying their accounts. Since there's no known connection between Hajnal's organization and the IFEA, those assets aren't frozen, but the withdrawals are large enough to raise eyebrows. A bit more hacking, and the characters confirm it's Ioan Koltay who's been pulling out the cash, in Budapest.

Doing a bit of investigation and a bit of social engineering, the agents determine which of the bank branches Koltay is going to visit next. Carlsson has a buddy who runs security for this bank, and calls him up for a favor. If Koltay comes into the bank, he's to delay him.

The agents head to Budapest and stake out the bank. Koltay enters, and is delayed long enough for the characters to get there. Parker, watching from a nearby bus stop, notes two SUVs in the parking lot and some goons waiting outside the bank - Koltay has a bit of hired muscle.

Unfortunately, money talks, and Firinci has some handy. He does some quick digging and finds that these guys answer to Ormos Valka, a local mid-level gangster, and buys off the goons. He has them just act normal for now. Koltay gets his money, gets in the SUV, and they all head back to a parking garage, whereupon he tells one of the goons to go to his flat, grab his bags, and come back down. Apparently Koltay is leaving town.

Firinci has the goons wait until Koltay is in the SUV, and then try to subdue him (this lets the agents get in place, too). When they make their move, though, the SUV shakes a moment, and the Koltay kicks out the back down and runs, covered in blood.

Parker shoots him in the back of the knee, staggering him, and MacAteer tackles him. Koltay, predictably, unleashes his tentacles and stabs MacAteer twice, draining a lot of blood, but Carlsson runs up and swings and ax at him. Koltay lashes out and knocks Carlsson away. The other goons see this and most of them panic and run, but one shoots at Koltay, as do Parker and Firinci.

Carlsson drags MacAteer back and he passes out, and Parker hits Koltay in the spine with an ax. He falls, and the agents shoot him some more, and then take off his leg. He's not going anywhere.

But the police are on their way! The agents split up, taking Koltay with them, and drive off. The police pursue, but the agents escape, and Firinci calls Valka for a safe location for interrogation. He sends them to a meat parking house. Firinci apologizes for the men who died and offers to make restitution, and Valka (who, while he might not know about the conspiracy, knows that everything is in flux and he's best off not making too many waves) accepts this.

They string Koltay up by his feet (well, foot), and Parker questions him. Koltay reveals that Tesla is in Belgrade, but scheduled to fly out to the US soon. He was meant to meet Tesla with the money. He also reveals that all of this is "apotheosis," and apotheosis has stages - Tesla was one, the vampires like Koltay and Sas were another, the vampires like Kingsilver were a third...and MacAteer is the newest. He reveals that MacAteer is changing, but even he doesn't know into what...though he'd like to find out.

Parker asks why Koltay betrayed Sedillo, and he responds that he didn't, one of the agents did (that was Gambone, you'll recall). Parker acknowledges this, and asks Koltay if he'd like to go fast or slow. Koltay says "fast," and Parker shoots him in the head.

The agents know where they're going, and they have one final vampire to go. Of course, that vampire is the original, and they don't know what to expect.

Blue Rose: Tanglewood Concluded

Yesterday we finished the Shadows of Tanglewood scenario in Blue Rose. Everyone seems to be enjoying the game, and I'm really liking it system-wise, so we're gonna keep it up. Here's the story.

Last time, the party was exploring the ruins of Ebban Manor, and had only the shrine to go, but realized it was getting dark. They rested for the night in what was once the master bedroom.

In the morning, they check the traps they'd set. None are disturbed, but one of them is rigged with crushed glass to cut anyone that tries to take it down. They suspect the mechanical sprites, but nothing is in evidence, so they proceed with their search.

At the other end of the manor, they find another bedroom, but this one is clearly still in use. Candles, recently lit, still burn, and a pile of rags in the corner points to the presence of a pet. Looking closer, though, Arlen realizes that there are bootprints by that pile - a human(oid) has been sleeping there like a dog. Dobbin finds a cloak amongst the rags - Dartis'.

The adventurers find a door leading into the next room, which by their reckoning is the shrine. Never one for subtlety, Whirlpool kicks in the door. The shrine there is dedicated (or perhaps rededicated) to the seven Exarchs of Shadow, and in front of the niche to the exarch of greed, they see Dartis. He's sitting on the floor wearing that awful mask that Talalaith told them about, and whispering in his ear is a faun with red eyes and matted, mossy fur.

The adventurers enter the room, and there is, perhaps, some thought of conversation, but Whirlpool draws back his knife to throw it. Dartis leaps to his feet and points at Whirlpool, afflicting him with a psychic blast, and the faun starts playing his pipes, forcing Whirlpool and Kisha to dance (Arlen and Dobbin resist).

Dobbin calls to Pansy to howl, distracting the faun and breaking the spell. Arlen jumps forward and strikes the faun with his staff, and Dartis yells "No! Deridez!" in fear. By this point, though, Kisha is free. She strikes at Dartis with her punch-dagger. She doesn't penetrate his armor, but flicks her wrist up and knocks off the mask. Arlen rushes over and hits the mask with his staff, hoping to destroy it, but it bends and warps like water and then snaps back into place - apparently it's not going to be that simple.

Dartis blinks and stumbles, and then draws his longsword and squares off against Deridez. Deridez, for his part, calls out, and the party hears approaching, buzzing wings. Arlen calls up magic and vanishes, while Whirlpool retrieves his dagger. Dobbin fires arrows at Deridez, and Whirlpool charges in with his trident, stabbing the corrupted faun. Dartis yells "Left horn!", and Kisha strikes with her staff, snapping the faun's horn and driving the stump into his head, felling him. Arlen strikes him again just to be sure, and the mechanical sprites, which had been buzzing around the room getting ready to attack, flee.

Dartis collapses, and the characters assist him. He warns them not to touch the mask, and that its very presence is corruptive. They need to transport it to Aldis so that it can be cataloged and, hopefully, destroyed. The characters wrap it in Dartis' cloak (which he happily donates to the cause), and take him back to the watch station to be reunited with his cariad.

The adventurers have a long road ahead of them, carrying something dangerous that they don't fully understand, but they've rescued Dartis and removed the corruption from Ebban Manor, and escaped Tanglewood.

Character Creation: Full Moon

I felt like doing a character for a Fate game today, and lo.

The Game: Full Moon
The Publisher: Nothing Ventured Games
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular game, but I'm well familiar with Fate
Books Required: Just the one, as it predates the Fate Core/Accelerated books

 

Full Moon was one of the first projects I backed on Kickstarter (long about 2012, I think?) and it's been something I've been meaning to run ever since. Often when I schedule one-shots, I'll include it as an option, and it tends to get just edged out by other games. I'll get around to it one day.

The short pitch for the game is "Deadwood on the moon," which I can't read without starting to sing it in the cadence of "whalers on the moon."

Anyway, the basic idea is that humanity has colonized the moon and you're up there for some reason. Part of play is establishing a community, and I have to say the "establish a community" section of the book could be a little better defined. As it is, if I were to run it I'd probably take a cue from Dresden Files and build the community that way, but there's a sample community in the book that I like just fine, so I'ma use that.

The rules of this game are Fate pre-Core, but post-Diaspora, so I don't have to worry about 10 different Aspects. The game does want me to do Skills first, though, which is fine. Well, actually, the first thing I do is come up with a concept.

In the sample setting at the end, the idea is that mining concerns came up, built this city-like structure called Cernan Station, but then the bottom fell out and the biggest corp basically left but leased everything to independent mining concerns and prospectors. Cernan Station has a central population, but a lot of folks live out on the lunar surface in their own structures (no word on whether they have bee-yoo-tiful robot daughters). One of the factions in Cernan Station are the "Big Dogs," remainders of a former mining concern called Sirius. Sirius is gone, but the Big Dogs remain as freelance peacekeepers and workers, and I kinda like them. It'd be fun to play a square-jawed, ethical type in this quasi-Western setting. I want my character to have family in Cernan Station, and to be generally well-liked by those that know him, but to have some darker roots and ties to the uglier history of the community. His name is Algernon Coombs, but folks call him "Allie."

I'm meant to answer five questions about Allie in order to get the basis of a concept (there is no spot on the sheet to write these, booo).

• What is my character good at? Allie is useful in a dust-up, knows his way around most machinery, is a decent card player, and if you're looking for a chili recipe you could do worse. He's kind of a jack-of-all-trades, but he's known to be dependable and honest.
• What kind of background does my character come from? I'm gonna say that Allie is a lunar native (Cernan Station is about 40 years old, but hit financial trouble 25 years ago, so I'll say he was about 5 when shit started to fall apart). His family worked for Sirius, and his dad died in a mining accident when he was 5 and his brother was 10. His family toughed it out for a few more years, but then his mother got sick and went back to Earth. His brother, then 16, kept Allie around, and Allie hasn't seen his mom since. 
• What drives my character? Allie started working for Sirius at age 8 (what, there are no child labor laws up here). He's always been dependable because he needed to be - he had to help support his family. That sense of responsibility is still his driving force, even though he and his brother are a lot better off just because they don't have anyone else to support.
• What stands in my character's way? When Allie was a kid, he wound up doing some work for Sirius on the lower levels of Cernan Station, what's now the Gray (maybe even Black?) levels where no one goes anymore. The work he did was mostly carrying stuff from one place to another, but there was also, towards the end there, some "crawl into this small space and get [thing]." Allie has weird, half-formed memories of this time, of people in blue hazmat suits with a logo that was decidedly not Sirius.
• How is my character connected to the other characters? This would normally involve other PCs, but of course it's just me, so I'll just note that Allie's big brother Josiah "Joey" Coombs is also a Big Dog and does the same kind of work Allie does. Joey, though, winds up taking work for the McKenna crime family sometimes - nothing horrible, of course, but it's not exactly savory either. 

Now Skills. I get 17 points to spend on Skills, and every Skill starts at Mediocre. So if I want two skills at Great, this eats 8 of my points. I don't have to worry about a pyramid like I do in other Fate games, apparently, so that's nice. However, I also have to spend these points on stunts and specialties, if I want. Hmm. 

Well, there's no equivalent of Contacts or Resources in this system, so I don't have to worry about that. I want Allie to be good in a scrap, but I don't need it at Great necessarily. I think I'll put Fighting and Athletics at Good. Actually, I think Mechanics needs to be Good at well. That's 9 of my points. 

I'll put Persuasion at Fair (11 points), Protocol and Survival at Average (13 points), and Vehicles at Fair (15 points). That leaves two more points, so I could buy stunts and specialties. Actually, I'll spend one of those points to put Investigation to Average, and then I'll put a Dependable Speciality in Persuasion and buy a stunt for Athletics (Joint Lock: If he gets spin on an attack roll to grapple, he can automatically put an aspect on the target.)

And that takes me around to Aspects! I get five, and they're supposed to line up roughly with the five questions from earlier. My first one should be Big Dog Jack-of-All-Trades, since that establishes me in the faction. To play off my background, I'll take Roots in the Community. 

An Aspect off my third question (what drives me) is a little trickier; it really should refer to family, but I know I'll wind up with another one about Joey later and he's my only real family. I'll take You Can Count on Me instead, that's good for getting into trouble.

Speaking of trouble, I'll take Saw the Black Levels to represent that I know something that someone doesn't want me to know.

Finally, I need an Aspect to represent my relationship with Joey. I'll call it We're Coombs, not McKennas (something that Allie reminds Joey of frequently). 

Allie is about 30 now, good shape, thick arms. He got a Sirius "Big Dog" tattoo on his shoulder when he turned 16, but hasn't gotten any more ink. He has a young face and bright blue eyes, and sandy brown hair. He doesn't carry weapons unless he's expecting to use them, but he and his brother have a small selection of firearms if he needs them.

And that's it!

Movie #493: Oliver & Company

Oliver & Company is animated version of Oliver! with animals, starring Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Dom DeLuise, Robert Loggia, Cheech Marin, Richard Mulligan, Roscoe Lee Browne, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Natalie Gregory.

Oliver (Laurence) is a tiny kitten abandoned on the mean streets of New York. He hooks up with a streetwise dog named Dodger (Joel), and then falls in with a gang of dogs led by a pathetic human thief called Fagin (DeLuise). Fagin owes money to a loan shark named Sykes (Loggia), and plans to get it by...having his dogs pick pockets? It's not remotely clear.

But then Oliver gets adopted by a little girl (Gregory), Sykes winds up kidnapping her, a mad chase over the train tracks ensures, Sykes meets fiery doom, Oliver goes back to Jenny and Fagin and his dogs had back to their ill-defined criminal enterprise.

So like, it's a cute movie, and if you know Oliver Twist or the associated musical, it feels familiar enough that you don't question the stuff they leave out. But since I overthink things, there's a lot that doesn't make sense. Fagin's gang is fun and friendly, but with the exception of Tito (Marin) as the hyperactive chihuahua, none of them really have much personality. DeLuise is appropriately frantic and maudlin as Fagin, and if you need someone to voice a scary mobster, you could do a lot worse than Robert Loggia, but since their relationship is only sketched in, it never really feels real.

Likewise, for a movie about a tiny kitten finding a home, it get jarringly dark at times - not only does Sykes meet his demise by running his car into a fucking train, but his two Dobermans fall off said car and get electrocuted.

All in all, the idea of Oliver! with dogs is a good one, but this is very much a pre-Little Mermaid Disney flick.

My Grade: C-
Rewatch value: Low

Next up: The Omen

Character Creation: Trollbabe

Well, it's been a fucking awful couple of weeks, but if you're reading this you probably know that. I might not be a game designer anymore, but I'm still running games and I have no plans to stop, and I still like making characters. So here we go.

The Game: Trollbabe
The Publisher: Adept Press
Degree of Familiarity: None, but I'm reading it.
Books Required: Just the one.

 

I got this PDF in a bundle at some point. Judging from its position on the list, it had to be within the last couple of years, but I wanted to do a quick character today and holy cats, this chargen is quick.

The book assures us that thinking too much about the origins of the trollbabes isn't necessary, and chargen should roll straight into playing the game. The game is really sparse on setting, and really long (long-winded, even) on theory, which is kinda appropriate (it's a Ron Edwards game). Lots of talk about the roles of the GM and the players, stakes, scenes, and the other meta-level stuff that roleplaying is made of.

And hey, I ain't knocking it. That kind of game can be a lot of fun with a group that wants to deal with the meta-principles of RPGs. Of course, that kind of game can also be tedious as shit with a group that doesn't want to do that kind of work, but again, that's said with no judgment - I find D&D tedious as shit, partially because it lacks that kind of play.

So, on we go.

Creating a trollbabe is really simple. I start out by choosing her number. This is a number from 2 to 9. To succeed at magic, I need to roll higher than my number, to succeed at fighting, I need to roll lower, and to succeed at social stuff, I take the worse of those two options but include my number. So the question is, do I wish to be better at magic, fighting, or have a roughly equal skill at both?

I think my trollbabe is something of a scavenger, so I'll go middle-of-the-road for her number and say it's 6 (so a slightly better chance of fighting than magic-ing).

Next step, I pick a listed term for the impressions for each area. For fighting, I pick hand-held weapons. For magic, I pick human magic (the other option is troll magic). For social, I pick fierce.

Step three is to add some visual details. My trollbabe is skinny and wiry. Her hair is blue and stringy, and tends to get matted. She has tiny nub-like horns (bad nutrition, your horns don't grow in).

Step four, I describe two items she carries, one human, one trollish. For the human, she carries a magic amulet (it's how she's better with human magic). For trollish, I'll say she wears of set of bone wrist-bracers, made from mainly femurs, but there's one gigantic fang in there.

Last step is just to choose simple equipment or weapon. She carries a small dagger, worn tied to her left bracer. I'm also meant to choose a destination by looking at the map (the game always begins with the trollbabes going somewhere), but the example characters don't list that, so I'll skip it. I name my trollbabe Felda.

And that's it! Told ya, very quick.

Chill: Murder in a Field

Yesterday we finished up a Chill case; I think it's actually the longest one we've had so far (at four sessions). And again, all of the envoys came out alive, though by no means unscathed. The last session is here.

We pick up with the envoys driving the "man" known various as Jack Gordon or Franklin Wray out of town. Beth Anne is in the cab of his truck, Darnell is driving (pro tip - never let the NPC drive). Emily and BB are in the bed of the truck with Wray, who is cuffed and blindfolded. Jennifer, Jeanie, and Dylan are in an SUV following them.

The mood is tense. BB still believes that Wray might be saveable. Emily has been very clear in her desire to put a bullet in his head. The others have varying opinions, but no one is looking forward to this confrontation.

They're on a two-lane highway in between two barren fields (it's February, remember). Another pickup pulls up behind them, then swings left to pass. Darnell suddenly looks panicked, and looks over to Beth Anne. He's struggling to control the wheel, which suddenly whips left, slamming into the other pickup.

Jeanie, driving the other car, manages to slam on the brakes, and so she and the others in the SUV are unharmed. Both pickups leave the road. The stranger's just comes to rest in a ditch, but Darnell loses control entirely and rolls the truck. Beth Anne is largely unharmed, but BB, Emily, and Wray are thrown from the truck. Both envoys employ their Resilience discipline to prevent the worst of it, but both and injured.

Emily shoots Wray with her handgun, and Wray dives for cover. BB helps Beth Anne get out of the truck, and Dylan runs over to help Darnell, who's bleeding from the head and dazed. Jennifer and Jeanie likewise run to the truck.

BB, seeing that Darnell is being handled, runs over to tackle Wray, but realizes suddenly that Wray has found the shotgun that Emily had in the back of the truck. Only his Resilience discipline saves him from death or serious injury. Emily, now without a clear shot, starts to head over to the fray, but finds herself unable to coordinate her movements and falls down. Beth Anne, not knowing what's happening, runs to help steady her.

Meanwhile, the other driver gets out of his car and very reasonable asks what the fuck is going on. Jennifer runs over to try and keep him from doing something reasonable, like calling the cops.

BB tackles Wray and knocks the shotgun away, and Jeanie runs up and whacks his (Wray's) hand with her staff to keep him from grabbing it. Wray grins and produces a pistol (BB's!), and shoots him in the stomach. But now Emily has regained her composure, runs up, and snap's Wray's arm. Beth Anne picks up the shotgun, nudges BB back, and shoots Wray in the chest, and then the head. He finally dies.

(I want to note, too, that I tried to use the Torture discipline on these envoys like four separate times during the fight, and it never worked once. They always rolled better than me on that one particular roll. Very frustrating for Wray.)

The fight is over, but the problems are just beginning. Jennifer managed to talk the stranger out of calling the police, but he's seen the envoys faces and seen them murder a man. If the cops come, or if they go to a hospital, BB and probably Jeanie and Dylan are absolutely going to prison, and the others probably aren't coming out very well either. But BB is gut-shot and bleeding, and several of the others are injured to varying degrees.

Dylan and Jennifer manage to talk the stranger out of calling the police, but they do that by telling him about SAVE and sounding utterly cultishly crazy, so he crouches behind his truck and keeps his gun out (of course he's got a gun). They finally realize they aren't going to talk him into anything else, so they burn the bloodied section of the field, wrap Wray's body in blankets, load up into the SUV, and take off. They get to the ranch and Dee scolds them for, well, all this, but does know a doctor that will help them discreetly (of course she does, she knows everyone).

The envoys take stock. A bunch of them are injured (remember, this case started with Jordan, Mohammed, and Blake, and they're all still in hospital). They learn from the news that the field-fire was found with two trucks. One was reported stolen years ago. The other belonged to an Idaho man who is now missing. That's probably going to bear some further attention.