Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
TimeWatch RPG Playtest Story Hour (Updated 9-2-14)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ladybird" data-source="post: 6250220" data-attributes="member: 10689"><p><strong>Episode 1, Chapter 4. Queens, Knights, Prime Ministers, and Pits</strong></p><p></p><p>"We have already failed?" Michel asks. "What do you mean?"</p><p></p><p>Elizabeth shakes her head. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I've already caused too much paradox as it is - if I told you what happened, it would cause even more."</p><p></p><p>The more Elizabeth speaks, the more her accent nags at Kat. She just can't place it - and for Kat, with her theater training, that's unusual. "Elizabeth," Kat ventures slowly, "where are you from? I'm sorry, but I don't remember that, either."</p><p></p><p>Elizabeth winces a little at the question, but she's getting used to it by now. "It's all right," she says, reaching over to squeeze Kat's hand again. "I'm from Boston, in 2014." For TimeWatch agents, 'where are you from?' always means 'when' as well.</p><p></p><p>Now Kat knows for certain that something is off, because Elizabeth's accent really doesn't sound like any variety of 21st-century Boston that she's heard. That's when Kat remembers one of the other things that can make someone Fade as badly as Elizabeth had: if your timeline gets erased. It nearly happened to Kat herself, before TimeWatch rescued her.</p><p></p><p>"You're American, then?" Kat asks. "2014 - that would be…President Obama?"</p><p></p><p>Elizabeth gives Kat a curious look. "That's an odd way of putting it."</p><p></p><p>Kat rephrases, around the sinking feeling. "How would you put it, then?"</p><p></p><p>"Well, <em>Prime Minister</em> Obama," Elizabeth says, as if it should be obvious.</p><p></p><p>Except to us, it isn't. That's not a title that we've ever heard attached to that person. It looks like there are <em>three</em> timelines in play: the one we came from, the disrupted one that we're trying to fix, and Elizabeth's.</p><p></p><p>"Prime Minister?" Michel repeats. "Does that mean that the American colonies never fought for their independence? Then what happened in 1776?"</p><p></p><p>"Um," Elizabeth flounders. "Not much? It was the middle of the Falklands War, I know that, but I'm not very good at history."</p><p></p><p>The Falklands War? That draws blank looks everyone else - if that phrase means anything at all to any of the other agents, it's a minor war in the 1980s, not the 1770s.</p><p></p><p>What else is different about Elizabeth's timeline? "Who reigns in England in 2014?" Edward asks, because of course Edward would ask that.</p><p></p><p>"Queen Anne," Elizabeth answers at once.</p><p></p><p>Edward blinks. "What? What happened to Elizabeth II? And Charles?"</p><p></p><p>Elizabeth shakes her head apologetically over her namesake. "They both died a long time before I was born. I'm sorry - as I said, I'm not good at history."</p><p></p><p>Hypatia says "So it would seem that we need to look even farther back than we are now to see where this timeline diverges."</p><p></p><p>"Wait!" says Edward. "I want to talk more about the English royal succession!"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, you would," says Hypatia dryly.</p><p></p><p>But something <em>is</em> off about this, and Edward keeps puzzling it over in his mind. In a royal dynasty that's otherwise known for being long-lived, in a time when science and medicine are very advanced, a monarch and her heir both die young?</p><p></p><p>The others are right, though: we need to look farther back, because the timeline that Elizabeth left diverged before 1776, which means it was long before where we are now in 1796.</p><p></p><p>But for our current timeline problem, we decide to stay in 1796 and start investigating. If we've already failed here, maybe we can fix it the second time around; if our previous selves are still here, maybe we can give ourselves backup so that we won't fail again.</p><p></p><p>Just then, we hear a noise in the distance - footsteps pounding, and men's voices shouting. At the sound, Elizabeth's eyes fill with terror. "It's the knights!"she gasps.</p><p></p><p>Edward perks up again. "Knights?" he asks hopefully. He really shouldn't be that hopeful, though - if there actually were knights in Georgia in 1796, it would mean that the timeline had been even more disrupted.</p><p></p><p>"Not real knights!" Elizabeth has already grabbed Kat's hand again, and is trying to pull Kat after her down the path. "They just call themselves that. They're - they're - never mind! We need to run!"</p><p></p><p>The running footsteps get closer, until they emerge through the trees. The 'knights' are Klansmen: half a dozen white men in white robes. There shouldn't be any Klan at all in the eighteenth century; it wasn't formed until after the Civil War. These Klansmen are even more out of place, though. They're carrying guns that were clearly made in the 23rd century, and are only lightly disguised as 18th-century muskets.</p><p></p><p>"<em>They</em> are calling themselves knights?" Edward froths, with the chivalric indignation that only a young medieval aristocrat can muster. "They spread hatred and bigotry and they call themselves <em>knights</em>? That's a travesty! That isn't what chivalry is supposed to be!"</p><p></p><p>Michel has no time for froth - he takes off down the trail after Elizabeth and Kat.</p><p></p><p>But Hypatia does not run, because she is Very Prepared. So prepared, in fact, that she figured that the agents might be pursued. So, just after we arrived, she set up a pit trap along the trail and covered it in vines. The trap is there, waiting for the Klansmen.</p><p></p><p>Rules Sidebar:</p><p>[sblock]Because really, what good is it to have infinite amounts of time travel if you can't do wacky stunts like this? </p><p></p><p>One of the General Skills in TimeWatch is Preparedness. Unlike Investigative Skill points, which are only spent to do extra-special big things, General Skill points are spent relatively frequently. If you have a high enough Preparedness score, you can do Flashbacks: you are <em>so</em> prepared that you can say 'Actually, I knew that this was going to happen, so I made sure to bring that with me;' or 'Two days ago, I set that up…'[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>Right on cue, the Klansmen charge down the trail - and with shouts of surprise and anger, they all plummet down through the vines and into the pit trap.</p><p></p><p>"You dare call yourselves knights?" Edward shouts as a parting shot, as we all escape to safety.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ladybird, post: 6250220, member: 10689"] [b]Episode 1, Chapter 4. Queens, Knights, Prime Ministers, and Pits[/b] "We have already failed?" Michel asks. "What do you mean?" Elizabeth shakes her head. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I've already caused too much paradox as it is - if I told you what happened, it would cause even more." The more Elizabeth speaks, the more her accent nags at Kat. She just can't place it - and for Kat, with her theater training, that's unusual. "Elizabeth," Kat ventures slowly, "where are you from? I'm sorry, but I don't remember that, either." Elizabeth winces a little at the question, but she's getting used to it by now. "It's all right," she says, reaching over to squeeze Kat's hand again. "I'm from Boston, in 2014." For TimeWatch agents, 'where are you from?' always means 'when' as well. Now Kat knows for certain that something is off, because Elizabeth's accent really doesn't sound like any variety of 21st-century Boston that she's heard. That's when Kat remembers one of the other things that can make someone Fade as badly as Elizabeth had: if your timeline gets erased. It nearly happened to Kat herself, before TimeWatch rescued her. "You're American, then?" Kat asks. "2014 - that would be…President Obama?" Elizabeth gives Kat a curious look. "That's an odd way of putting it." Kat rephrases, around the sinking feeling. "How would you put it, then?" "Well, [i]Prime Minister[/i] Obama," Elizabeth says, as if it should be obvious. Except to us, it isn't. That's not a title that we've ever heard attached to that person. It looks like there are [i]three[/i] timelines in play: the one we came from, the disrupted one that we're trying to fix, and Elizabeth's. "Prime Minister?" Michel repeats. "Does that mean that the American colonies never fought for their independence? Then what happened in 1776?" "Um," Elizabeth flounders. "Not much? It was the middle of the Falklands War, I know that, but I'm not very good at history." The Falklands War? That draws blank looks everyone else - if that phrase means anything at all to any of the other agents, it's a minor war in the 1980s, not the 1770s. What else is different about Elizabeth's timeline? "Who reigns in England in 2014?" Edward asks, because of course Edward would ask that. "Queen Anne," Elizabeth answers at once. Edward blinks. "What? What happened to Elizabeth II? And Charles?" Elizabeth shakes her head apologetically over her namesake. "They both died a long time before I was born. I'm sorry - as I said, I'm not good at history." Hypatia says "So it would seem that we need to look even farther back than we are now to see where this timeline diverges." "Wait!" says Edward. "I want to talk more about the English royal succession!" "Yes, you would," says Hypatia dryly. But something [i]is[/i] off about this, and Edward keeps puzzling it over in his mind. In a royal dynasty that's otherwise known for being long-lived, in a time when science and medicine are very advanced, a monarch and her heir both die young? The others are right, though: we need to look farther back, because the timeline that Elizabeth left diverged before 1776, which means it was long before where we are now in 1796. But for our current timeline problem, we decide to stay in 1796 and start investigating. If we've already failed here, maybe we can fix it the second time around; if our previous selves are still here, maybe we can give ourselves backup so that we won't fail again. Just then, we hear a noise in the distance - footsteps pounding, and men's voices shouting. At the sound, Elizabeth's eyes fill with terror. "It's the knights!"she gasps. Edward perks up again. "Knights?" he asks hopefully. He really shouldn't be that hopeful, though - if there actually were knights in Georgia in 1796, it would mean that the timeline had been even more disrupted. "Not real knights!" Elizabeth has already grabbed Kat's hand again, and is trying to pull Kat after her down the path. "They just call themselves that. They're - they're - never mind! We need to run!" The running footsteps get closer, until they emerge through the trees. The 'knights' are Klansmen: half a dozen white men in white robes. There shouldn't be any Klan at all in the eighteenth century; it wasn't formed until after the Civil War. These Klansmen are even more out of place, though. They're carrying guns that were clearly made in the 23rd century, and are only lightly disguised as 18th-century muskets. "[i]They[/i] are calling themselves knights?" Edward froths, with the chivalric indignation that only a young medieval aristocrat can muster. "They spread hatred and bigotry and they call themselves [i]knights[/i]? That's a travesty! That isn't what chivalry is supposed to be!" Michel has no time for froth - he takes off down the trail after Elizabeth and Kat. But Hypatia does not run, because she is Very Prepared. So prepared, in fact, that she figured that the agents might be pursued. So, just after we arrived, she set up a pit trap along the trail and covered it in vines. The trap is there, waiting for the Klansmen. Rules Sidebar: [sblock]Because really, what good is it to have infinite amounts of time travel if you can't do wacky stunts like this? One of the General Skills in TimeWatch is Preparedness. Unlike Investigative Skill points, which are only spent to do extra-special big things, General Skill points are spent relatively frequently. If you have a high enough Preparedness score, you can do Flashbacks: you are [i]so[/i] prepared that you can say 'Actually, I knew that this was going to happen, so I made sure to bring that with me;' or 'Two days ago, I set that up…'[/sblock] Right on cue, the Klansmen charge down the trail - and with shouts of surprise and anger, they all plummet down through the vines and into the pit trap. "You dare call yourselves knights?" Edward shouts as a parting shot, as we all escape to safety. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
TimeWatch RPG Playtest Story Hour (Updated 9-2-14)
Top