Describe your last RPG session in more than 5 words.

[aramis erak]

Wed TFT:
cancelled - illness, illness, out of town for work

Sun Jackals:
Brutalizing the bandits, including leader.
They're headed north so one can become a caster. En route they find an ambush, the hard way.
They end the bandits, follow their path back to camp, and end the rest of the camp.
They killed 6 on the road, 2 at the door, and 1 in the cave, counted 10 beds, and were convinced they had 3 missing.
They got some magic out of it, but are scared of the ramifications of blood magic...
A light
A dagger that does damage of a sword
magic cloth armor (given to the slaves the bandit kept.)
A brass shirt of chain. (Not great protection, but VERY pretty.)

 

[Reynard]

D&D 2024

The 2nd level party just obliterated an ogre named Urglif that was demanding tribute at a ford not far from Grimmgate. Among his belongings, they found a few young dragon teeth, as well as evidence of him traveling from his camp deeper into the forest. they decided to follow that trail and discovered a fen in a bowl on top of a hill where there was a cave entrance just above water level. They investigated and decided that the ogre must have been trading loot from those he waylaid to the dragon for some of its teeth (I say that dragon teeth come out often and are replaced, like shark teeth).

I am so proud of them. After briefly considering going in the cave, they decided "We'll come back later."

From there, they traveled until they found their actual goal: the Elder Temple of Law now consumed by Chaos. They aren't really heroic, but they want to make Grimmgate their home and base of operations, so they need to cleanse that temple. they also have a long term goal of gaining power and wealth enough to take out the Usurper Wizard King, and the best way to do that is to adventure!

 

[Golden Bee]

Travel to Flatlantis / “Prairie Dogs Ripped My Flesh!” By Jesse Pingenot
“Gee whiz,” said the hayseed. “I ain’t never fired from a turret before. But I bet I’m a quick learner.”

New player, new GM, and a fun new character this week. The newest member of our group plays "Cousin Clara,” a 19-year-old aw-shucks West Virginian who is a bit too good with a rifle. Whose cousin is she? Why, Captain Semya Ivanova. Those two didn't tangle in this session, but when they do, expect fireworks.

This week, Clara, Xiao Yun, Rafe Lancaster and Devika were on call. Their old "pal," Henry Starkweather, had been sending letters and telegrams, insisting that he had found a route to Atlantis. If they joined him in Greenland, all would be revealed.

The group figured that discovering Atlantis could mean big headlines and big bucks, so they flew over… only to find Starkweather stark-raving mad. He had built a submarine that followed an underground river to a strange new ocean. Unfortunately, the players were not alone, and entered combat against Italian subs! Clara tore one into pieces with the ship’s turret, but the other escaped.

It turned out Atlantis had been cursed by the sea gods, and had escaped their sanction by finding a massive, narrow cave… and magically transforming their society into two dimensions! The foursome were invited to visit, which was disorienting… Less so for Rafe and Debbie, who had entered a cartoon delusion in the adventure “Stretch and Pan!”

The head Italian operative tried to take the head of Atlantis hostage, which was a bad move against such a dangerous group. Lancaster used his knowledge of blueprints to fold the city like a piece of paper, allowing the group to ambush Mussolini's finest. Of course, the group hadn’t discovered Flatlantis: there was even a tourism shop. Also disappointing: all of the souvenirs ended up being two-dimensional.
***
Devi and Xiao Yun were busy for the next adventure, so they tagged in Thaza O'Rourke, the cat burglar raised by apes.

Murcie Illinois offered big bucks to anyone willing to do a hard week’s work and deal with their prairie dog infestation. The rural town was suspicious, and the players were on guard… but maybe not enough! On day two of the task, they were using dynamite and buckshot to handle the vicious critters. Suddenly the explosives blew open an underground tunnel! After a few minutes of exploring it, the walls began to shake and tremble… That was enough for everyone to turn tail and get out of there.

As they tried to flee the town, they discovered that some of the prairie dogs were the size of a VW bug! Thaza combined two and two to make four. The town was offering a ridiculous amount of money because they wanted idiots to feed their infestation.

The group doubled back, eager to get even. Rafe raided the general store to create a vinegar bomb, keeping the creatures at bay. Thaza decided to rob the post office/bank, filling up burlap sacks with dollar signs on them. The group barely escaped in an old Model T, which is where the adventure might end… if the group didn't have Rafe Lancaster.

Rafael has a stunt called "The Power Company" which allows him to use Lancaster Industries as an entity. While exploring ancient tombs, that's not particularly useful. While trying to destroy an evil town, there's nothing better.

The group headed to Chicago, took dinner with the DA, and systematically crushed the prairie dog scheme. They got town leaders arrested; they broke up the smuggling ring. Rafe even enjoyed a porterhouse steak, which he never gets to do around his Hindu bestie Devika. The town tried to respond… but mysteriously short on funds, weren't even able to dent the reputation of the adventuring industrialist.
Back at base, the ZSS debriefed.

“I’m kind of scared,” said Devika, “that you’re as dangerous with a telephone as a stick of dynamite.”
“That’s interesting,” replied her mentor. “I don’t get scared.”
“You must find Halloween very boring.”

Art by Arten Stokolya, Frederic Remington, Jesse White.

 

[The Soloist]

Fantasy AGE 2e RPG:
A new solo campaign begins. Dorgan, the fighter-hunter, and Berinda, the thief-assassin, are bounty hunters. From the capital, Casopolis, they track a gnome magician who fled south on her mount (a boar). She is accused of stealing a magical object from her Master Mage. It's pretty amusing what random tables can produce in terms of story.

Randomly generated kingdom map with a d6. The red cube indicates where the companions are on the map.


My solo installation. I put the illustrations from the master's screen on my side; it's more inspiring.


Two highwaymen attempt to rob the bounty hunters during Dorgan's watch. It ends very badly for the bandits. The pair pockets 50 silver pieces. The bandits have a raven tattoo on their forearms. This means nothing to the two bounty hunters. Berinda writes it down in her notebook and reproduces the tattoo.

 

[Golden Bee]

The Beautiful Blue Danube / Seven Deadly by Simon Lucas
“Is Koval your first or your last name?" Ava asked the royal bodyguard.
“Is name.”
“And when were you born?" Devi asked.
“1887.”
Ava spun her rifle idly. “That’s a boring tombstone. Koval, 1887 to 1935.”

Normally, these stories tell the tales of brave men and women, gallivanting and putting aside their differences to save the world. This week’s main adventure was about a bunch of jealous teenagers.

Former white Russian Polina invited the rest of the HAGS, a.k.a. the Honorable Association of Girl Socialites, to see her perform in Vienna. The event was the Vienna Opera Ball, the epitome of classy spectacle. So of course Devika brought her Aspergian best friend Ava, prissy daughter-of-a-diplomat Alice, and Texan stunt pilot Rosie.

The girls behaved themselves (as well as could be expected), until the debutante part of the evening. Devi, being from Hyderabad, was confused about the difference between this and a bride auction. Pollina was very confused that she was announced as fiancé to her beloved Pyotr, and also the empress of the Russian government in exile. Some sneaky investigating found out that this imperialist Russian scheme was funded with Nazi money. Ava astutely pointed out that Germany had killed Austria's Chancellor last year, and that the right people to tell about this would be the police. Especially since they (the girls) were all wearing fancy dresses. Not wanting to beat up a bunch of grown men, the group agreed, skulking and sneaking and turning a fancy night out into a diplomatic incident.

Rosie helped the group escape the police cordon, and the group headed (with the rescued Polina) to the airport. Alice took a few minutes and, with utmost diplomacy, made sure the Austrian army was prepared against a white Russian invasion. At the airfield, the HAGS were extremely surprised to see the mad monk Rasputin. Especially since they didn't all know who he was. Rosie alleged he was just a weird drowned-looking guy. Devi, even though she was jealous of all the attention Polina had gotten, refused his offer to serve as 'queen under the waters'.

That's when the Austrian military arrived, demanding the weirdo surrender. Instead, he escaped by turning into a puddle of water, which is a very weirdo thing to do.

---
September, La Cuesta Encantada! Hearst Castle to the rabble, in the seat of Pacific power to anyone smart enough to open a newspaper. William Randolph Hearst was there, and he was pissed, because he wasn't the mayor of LA.

Despite a full-court press in the press, he had been beaten by the unknown RK Stoner by 20 points. And as the most reported-on detective agency in the world, he knew the ZSS could handle it.
(Even if they had sent some of their odder members: starlet stunt woman Lala Santaella, millionaire (but poorer than Hearst) Rafe Lancaster, and two mob-affiliated females, Thaza O'Rourke and New Jersey's answer to Merlin, Gia CM.)

The group hit the street, finding out that Mayor Stoner had previously been an editor at RKO Pictures. And besides that, he had produced a movie right before the election. Our quartet might not be the greatest in a fight, but when it comes to schmoozing, there were a few better. A little flirting with the gate guard, some fraudulent screening forms, and the group was watching an original print of Seduction.

The picture, a morality tale with Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles, was pretty dull… Except to Gia. As a master of misdirection, she noticed the movie had subliminal messaging. Autocrats bad: nerds like Stoner, good. In fact, Hizzoner had given himself a cameo as a diligent storekeeper who sacrificed everything for his small town. Also noteworthy was the executive producer, Dr. Robert Sutton. (How many doctors of film are there?) Thaza, ace burglar, made sure to grab the film prints, and with some flirting, the group got all the canisters past the gate guard.

The group marshaled their facts and got an invite to LA City Hall. While they got everything short of a confession, they played it too cute. The mayor didn't like being threatened, but he did like sending the LAPD Vice Squad after troublemakers.

Fortunately, the brute squad peeled off their “subtle” pursuit as our foursome left the city for Xanadu. Once there, Hearst was eager to meet them. They all sat down at his private screening room to verify the story, when news broke over the radio. Dr Sutton had been found dead at his house in Los Feliz. Well, more dead on his front lawn, with glass shards stabbed into his heart and an acrostic poem that spelled AVARICE.

 

[The Soloist]

Fantasy AGE 2e RPG, Solo, Bounty Hunters, continued

The bounty hunters capture Svariz the gnome magician in the town of Clear-Cider, but she frees herself and escapes during the night. The hunt continues the next day. She is found on the road and ordered to surrender. The gnome pays her bounty with a gold bracelet she stole in town. The unscrupulous bounty hunters accept the payment. They hire a scribe to write a letter stating that the gnome drowned while trying to cross the river near Clear-Cider. The letter will be sent to the Master Mage by courier in the coming days. The gnome continues south. Dorgan and Berinda decide to stay in the village for a week.

THE END

Had lots of fun playing Svariz, the gnome mage. She was very resourceful. My next solo adventure will be about her.

 

[John Dallman]

GURPS occult WWII, neutral countries strand:

Windsor is tempted, not us

We're still trying to get the Duke & Duchess of Windsor to the Bahamas. It's a trying quest. We were all ready to fly them out of Bathurst, Gambia, to Freetown, Sierra Leone, when we went to collect them from the hotel, and found that the Duke had sneaked off and headed "Up country" with a local British expatriate, Gambia consists of one river valley, and we rapidly learned they'd gone by powerboat. So we hired the other powerboat and pilot in town, hastily assembled supplies, fuel, weapons, and etc, got vaccinated against cholera and yellow fever and set off after them.

The next day we found their boat parked in a small town, asked where they'd gone, which was the Senegambian stone circles, and went after them on foot, equipped with plentiful supplies of gin, whisky and cigarettes. There are a lot of stone circles, and in this campaign, they are somewhat magical (there only seems to be one basic type of magic, although it is used in many different ways). An Aura ritual revealed that there are spirits within each stone circle, and there was a funeral going on. The Duke and his party were watching, and what we did was diplomatically suggest that watching respectfully from a distance was a much better idea than intruding and asking questions.

We kept them distracted with drink and tobacco until the funeral was finished, at which point we were able to convince the Duke that the weather would be favourable the day after tomorrow and, the next day, escort them back to Bathurst.

We did not go for any of the GM's temptations. We want to get the Duke to his destination, and then have a holiday. He's a lose cannon, thinking only of his own pleasures. Just like the historical version.

 

[Golden Bee]

LA LA LANDslide!​

Two murders, the destruction of 30% of a civic landmark, a bloody foot chase that ended up breaking asphalt, a public scandal, and dozens of traffic violations.

At the end of last session, the players were chased out of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, one of their persons of interest had just been murdered, so the group had to drive back. Laying low, they returned to their home away from home: the old Pasadena residence of former team member Maude Brown. Miss Brown had long ago sold the house to her groundskeeper, Herr Steiner, the Grandmaster of the Church of the Silver Cross. But they were extremely friendly for a cult, and made them welcome. The players were joined by their longtime buddy Zelda Saeki, who had been hired mostly because the group of investigators didn't have anyone good at ‘investigating’. She and Thaza O'Rourke snuck to the crime scene, where they slipped past the lone LAPD patrol officer and examined the area.

Whoever had done-in the victim had been able to hurl them through a glass window, at least 20 yards onto the grass below. Equally odd was the fact that all the footprints at the crime scene were barefoot. Thaza looked down at her feet, noticing that she was also barefoot.

The group was extremely well-connected, and decided to reach out to their sources to find out the political realities of Southern California.

The breakdown:
Mayor Stoner had gotten elected thanks to subliminal images in his latest movie, Seduction.

Nobody told him as an outsider he would be doing the whims of The Combination, which was police chief "Two Gun" Davis and his crooked cops, teaming up with the Bugsy Siegel outfit.

Meanwhile, the O’Rourkes wanted in on the action, with Thaza’s mentor Naomi making a play for the USS Rex, one of the gambling boats that skirted the law in SoCal, sending gangsters and fun-seekers on a joyful tour of International Waters. Thaza got an invite, causing friction when she didn't warn them that one of her pals was a private investigator with a camera in her hat. (Zelda, when discovered, was banished to the nickel poker table.)

Naomi had a surprise for her favorite gangster. As her foot soldiers gathered around the radio, they heard KTLA announce that Bugsy Siegel had been killed exiting the Pantry Diner in downtown LA, by a bearded wild man with a spear! What a crazy coincidence, that the enemies of the O’Rourkes kept dying to a mysterious serial killer who didn’t speak any English.

“Not the worst luck in the world,” suggested Rafe.

Thaza realized who Naomi sent. Back in THE PAPER CHASE!, there was a wild man being brought into the family. Instead of freeing him, Thaza had convinced him that the criminal life was great. Oops.

This revelation split the group. Saeki and Lancaster wanted to apprehend the killer. Thaza, Lala and Gia, already under the suspicion of the LAPD, were more interested in getting past the roadblocks.

***
Downtown, Zelda and the millionaire followed the trail into Grand Central Market. Dozens of eateries, all under one roof, still busy at this time of night. The bare footprints led to the meat locker of a Jamaican stall.
***
Back west, Lala took her Chevy to the limit, hitting the redline as she reached downtown Santa Monica. The city's finest had numbers on their side though, and were keeping pace… so Gia tried some psychology. She ordered the stuntwoman to drive more and more dangerously, seeing how the pursuers reacted. When she knew their appetite for risk, she explained her plan. They were going to drive the wrong way up the beach boardwalk.
***
Blood dripped out of the locker, nearly spilling on Rafe's Wels. Atsuko of the Apes was trapped, until he hurled a side of beef into the detective and scampered away. Rafe showed exceptional athleticism, chasing the killer across countertops as passerby gaped. Lancaster dropped back as the two reached the street, pulled out his pistol, and almost took the man out. The wild gangster responded by throwing his spear, which slashed Rafe’s arm and sent up shards of sidewalk!
***
Out on the coast, Lala slalomed between pedestrians and art stalls. Thaza pointed out an alley, and the stuntwoman parked instantly, killed the lights, and watched as patrol cars passed by unknowingly.
***
The next morning, breakfast was tense. Rafe, arm bandaged, demanded they find the killer. Gia, natural confidante, explained the situation. Thaza was a Ferrari, in control of what the mob wanted for her. Atsuko was more like a delivery truck that had been aimed at a brick wall.

“You're not being exploited. He is.”

It was raining hard when they got to their contact: the gorillas in Griffith Park Zoo. Thaza reasoned (correctly) that these were the only people Atsuko could’ve opened up to. The gorillas were helpful, telling New York's best cat burglar that her companion was "swinging on the big shapes”.

What they meant was, Atsuko was doing destructive gymnastics on the back of the Hollywoodland sign! Thaza growled and beat her chest, convincing the man that he needed to run away… Until the damaged N was struck by lightning! Lala dove and rescued the killer, before the L A N & D started careening down the muddy hillside! Never willing to let a natural disaster go to waste, the players used this opportunity to fake Atsuko’s death!
***
That left only the political problems. It turned out that the mayor and Rafe Lancaster were both Marshall College men, so the group scored invites to a charity golfing event at Beverly Hills Country Club. Once there, they ran into a few obstacles: General Saeki, Cardinal Fuzz, and Chief Davis himself. But our quintet were skilled prevaricators, playing the ends against the middle. and once things were at a boiling point, they brought in their guest of honor: the new number one man in crime, Mickey Cohen. Thaza locked the Chief’s pistols together as Mickey strolled up to the mayor's table, greeted him sarcastically, and put his feet up.
***
The next day, the group was being honored at San Simeon. Hearst couldn't thank investigators enough. This drama was better than getting elected. It was going to sell enough papers to buy a second castle.

As he passed the crépe spade, he cut into the cake shaped like his latest front page. Did anyone want a piece of MAYOR MICKEY?

 

[Golden Bee]

Château of the Colossus
“I think we need to decide between booze and finding out what’s going on,” said the Captain.
“I’ll drink to that,” said Kochev.

Love, exciting and new! This time, our heroes were taking a well-deserved vacation on a tiny island near Ithaca, Greece. Joining Xiao Yun, JP Diamond and Captain Semya Ivanova were two new characters. The first was Ivo Kochev, the world's preeminent "distributor of rare and remarkable artifacts from civilizations both famed and forgotten". Second was the group's new marketing maven, "Uptown" Bonnie Tuttle. She put the ad in adventure: Bonnie had actually run away from the circus, to Madison Avenue. Who wouldn't want a press agent who could shake hands in Harlem and throw hands in the Bowery?

The island was a five-star paradise, gorgeous and dedicated to helping people from all over the world find love. Not just the rich: there was a generous scholarship program that attracted a few familiar faces, like Lorna Geary from New Orleans and Valeria Esparza (secretary of the Jade Jaguar, Tácito Uriel Velasco).

The group alternated between relaxation and investigation. For example: Captain Ivanova, an expert explorer, set a land speed record sprint-hiking the nature trail. Xiao had some steamy moments learning Greek pottery, and Bonnie met Jasper Crocus, a jazz club owner from the Motor City. They had immediate chemistry, and after dinner, biology. And although she met a gorgeous boy from Hong Kong, Xiao had to admit, though:

“My beloved isn’t on this island, because they’re thousands of years old. My true love is China!”

Ivanova explained that a true woman of the world didn’t have to choose between love and duty. It was a surprising heart-to-heart between the fearsome super patriots.

The vacationing five stopped relaxing long enough to look into the mystery. In the basement of the château was a heavy bronze door the staff wouldn’t discuss. So the five spread a lie that Captain Ivanova had been inside and stolen the artifact. Which few believed… but the employees still checked. And when they did, stealthy Ivo snuck in behind, discovering something no one could have expected… the head of the Colossus of Rhodes!

With the staff cagey, and the alcohol overflowing, the group enjoyed their relaxation time… Until the Picoulos, a Greek warship, arrived. On it, hundreds of sailors, eager to spread the news: Greece was now a military dictatorship, and they needed the island. Why? Well, They wouldn’t say, but a lot of digging revealed the truth. Because it was improper for Greeks to execute one another, they planned to leave leftist dissidents on abandoned islands! (This is a real historical fact.)

The shifty owner of the resort agreed, as long as the guests could be safely evacuated. Guess which ardent Soviet wasn't amenable to the plan?

In fact, one of the traitors was Alexsander Bauer, a contact of the Captain’s from her adventures with Dr. Freud (during Vienna Waits For No One)! Instead of letting a countryman be slain, the Captain let everyone know where she stood. Facing three hallways full of soldiers, she told the assembled:

“You know who I am and you know what I do. Anyone who injures a fellow traveler won’t step one foot off this island.”

Her fiancé added, “And I will spend the remainder of my long existence making sure none of those feet are connected to your calves.”

Still, some foolish soldiers reached for their guns, at which point Bonnie dove at them fist-first. Her strikes shattered limbs with the unmatched efficiency of a former carnie. In the chaos, the activities director of the island reached out for Alexsander Bauer… and transformed him into a recently discovered animal, the Ankylosaur.

Yes, the island was owned by a cult of Circe!

Ivo provided a distraction, and the group split up. Xiao rescued the guests, the captain protected the leftists, and the others had to open the bronze door!

They battled to the owner’s office, grabbed the key and ran through the twisting hallways. In the basement, the activities director spilled the hot blood of Bonnie and Jasper, the most loving people available on short notice, and bid the Colossus to rise.

They had the head. But what was its body?
***
Xiao and Semya felt the building quiver and quake. It turns out the entire resort was a weapon! With a fiery gaze, its mirrored brow proved worship stronger than warship. Any soldiers who avoided the calamity were transformed into ducks and geese. Once again, Circe had defeated Picoulos.

It was lucky that the group had an Ottoman smuggler: escaping the military dictatorship presented a challenge. Even harder would be getting a refund.

Bonnie Tuttle:

 

[aramis erak]

Wed TFT:
Gates to everywhere but home.

They were exploring gates to trying to find a way home...
Cidri, the standard setting for TFT is a world united/divided by many gates... it may not even be one world... (In my Cidri, it's a rosette of 6, twice the diameter of earth, but much lower density, built by the Mnoren...)
So, this "adventure" is really a hex-crawl and exploration to get back to the nice human and halfling farming village, Each was a bit of a puzzle.
they are currently basing out of a village called Fullmug. Halflings aplenty, and some prootwaddles. Friendly. Not overly religious, unlike the ones in the first village this side of the one-way gate.
While two found work in town to make some silver, the third figured out the gate hopping. They found one interesting (read as, the human wasn't strong enough to open the door himself), and so they went through as a group... The Centaur woodsman, the Human Wizard, the Elven Alchemist.
I realized that I needed to house rule the jobs table...
There's no common skilled labor outside construction...
The centaur was tanning pigskin for $50/week. The Elf was gathering herbs for the village chemist.
The Human was hopping gates, with a risk of getting lost - he narrowly avoided a lava pit. The gates were in the ceilings, and the halflings not curious enough to climb up; most coming throug died from the 20m fall... He came out one that was several hundred meters into the air.... he created an illusion (TFT illusions are capable of being used as what they appear, but I, as a longstanding house rule, limit their strength to the Caster's lower of ST or IQ...) of some wings to carry him back up... He encountered several physical hazards and "where did I enter?" cases, one dragon (4 Hx), who was annoyed, but easily bribed. And one reëncounter with last week's riding lizard...

Herbalist 4/17 $50 Naturalist.
Tanner 3/16 $50 Tanner.