PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 91

 

From S/Crusader:

Neil, I don't remember what happen to Style after L.A. I think we might

have crossed paths, but Crusader/Intercept has been played so infrequently, I

can't remember the details.

 

"I have nothing to say."; I cover quickly; "I'm just shocked that Style

is back in business. And that his peers allowed it to happen." hinting at

Nest politics and their machivellian precepts.

"But I do need any information you have on Warlord and this tracking

e-paint..."

 

From I/Arcsilver:

As Arcilver descends, he will ask MIRV for any suggestions on questions

to ask. After receiving any ideas that MIRV might have, he will land in

front of the house, and ring the doorbell, taking a few steps back so

that he is not threatening to anyone who answers the door, and can be

seen in his full constumed glory. He will ask whoever answers the door

if he can speak with Arthur Reeves. He uses a friendly, polite tone with

lots of smiles, and will not hesitate to introduce himself as "Arcsilver

of the Mavericks citizen protection group from New York."

 

------

 

From GM:

>>>Arcsilver: MIRV says, "I'd always go for polite, but direct. Ask Mr. Reeves if he'd be willing to discuss his past criminal activities, and jail term. See what he says? Appeal to the idea that he has paid his debt, and he's now a law abiding citizen. That's assuming he is one. I just wouldn't reveal too much about this new Warlord, just that the name has come up again. Other than that, play it by ear. You got a way of talking to people. Just use it. Keep your radio channel open, though. I'll be on Mute Monitor, so you won't hear me, but I'll follow your side of the conversation at least."

With that, you head down, landing near the front steps. You are impressed by the house. A tasteful use of wood, stucco and stone, the lawn is well kept and irrigated. Stone flower beds with desert flowers and cactus are carefully maintained. Ringing the doorbell you check out the cars in the parkway... a black Lexus covered in road dust, a BMW 575, and an old Fiat. About thirty seconds pass and you are about to ring again, when an older Mexican gentleman in gardening clothes peeks around a thistle hedge off to the right. He looks wide eyed at you, clutching a small garden spade to his chest. You wave and smile but just as you start to say something, the front door opens.

You turn to find yourself greeted by tanned, buxom breasts. For the longest second, you fail to register anything else and then the rest of the picture comes into view. A very beautiful woman in a blue string bikini top, with blonde hair (tastefully dyed) darkened by being wet, swept over one shoulder. A towel is tied around her supple waste, more than emphasizing her midriff and curving hips. You jerk your eyes up to her face to see dark blue, stunningly deep eyes... wide with surprise, looking back at you. Supple cheek bones and perfect lips emphasize a model quality face and for a moment you forget yourself.

"May ah help you," she says, hesitantly, turning that grating Texas drawl into a lovely lilt. You choke out your prepared greeting in a mouth suddenly gone dry, "Yes, uh... citizen of the Mavericks... group from... protecting... New York. Heh." You reach out a sweaty palmed hand, "I'm Arcsilver." She graciously takes your hand in a firm, but feminine grip. "Is... uh... Mr. Reeves home?" you ask, your voice almost cracking like an adolescent.

She smiles then and your insides turn to jelly. "Wha of course he is," she says. "Please t'meet you Mistuh Ahksilvuh. Mah name is Ann-Jolie." Her composure has returned, and she steps back gesturing you in. "Please make yo'self comfotable, whahl Ah get Ahtie for ya." She smiles again, dazzling and sincere, and lightly touches your arm as she turns to leave. If you weren't already electrically charged that touch would have been enough. You watch her walk away, each step causing a perfect shake of her perfect hips until she steps through a door, and is gone.

 

Crusader: Althea pauses for a second or two, thinking about your words, then says, slowly, "So... you say you are NOT working with Style... but he says you are..." she thinks a second more, "... and maybe it wasn't Style... not really... but it sure sounded like him... and he knew me..." Another couple of seconds. "Fuck." She looks directly at you. "I think I actually believe you aren't working with him. Which makes this whole thing a hell of lot more dangerous than I thought. Shit." She continues to consider a few things, then suddenly shakes her head and looks at you, all business again.

"Ok. Look. Marker paint is thirty years old. Security and cops use base forms of it as radioactive residue in those blue paint bombs they put in bank money or ransom drop offs. The high tech stuff you are talking about isn't real paint, but an electro-magnetic charge field that ionizes a layer of molecules on an item, and can be tracked... depending on the initial charge... from mobile hand held tracers to..." she points up, "... satellite tracking. It's good stuff, but wasn't VIPER developed. Government Spec-Ops used it first, but rumor has it that the Champion, Defender, was key in the design." She goes off track for a moment, "Now that guy's stuff I'd love to get my hands on..." Then "Anyway, it's expensive and requires some heavy resources to properly utilize. If you have a way of scanning for it... do it regularly. You'll never know if you've been painted, otherwise."

"This Warlord guy... now I've only heard the name a couple times. Arms shipments only. Haven't heard anything about any drugs but then I don't hang with junkies. Look to the Veronteses. They've got the market on guns in this town and might have some information." She thinks some more, as if weighing what to say to you, then...

"Look, John..." her voice softens for a moment, "I think I understand what you mean about LA being a second chance... but this is Style we're talking about. The man called me, put money in my account, and gave me an assignment like I was freelancing for him all over again. Didn't bother asking shit. He's pulling me back in... and he knows about you... well, something about you." She stops, "He didn't use your name, though... but he knows the suit, like I knew the suit..." More thoughts. "I don't know what Style and this Warlord have to do with each other. Maybe nothing. All I know is that New York was supposed to be a Free Zone. No VIPER action. Legit stuff only. This is Killinger's turf, and has been for years. If Style is making a move here, that could bring a war that I thought we were far away from. You've got more worries than this Warlord. Watch your back." And with that, she turns to walk away.

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 92

 

From S/Crusader:

"He didn't use your name, though... but he knows the suit, like I knew the

suit..." >>

 

"Not surprising.", I state.

 

"OK Althea. Take care of yourself. I wouldn't trust Style. And if you

need my help, contact me. I owe you big time." I reply as I walk backwards.

Then take a long look around as I casually stroll through the crowds.

Looking for a tail.

Flip open the phone, call the Mavericks HQ or Wild Heart's direct line

(if I have the number for that, if I don't then HQ should have someone around

who can give me the general whereabouts of Meggan}

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Arcsilver will stand off to the side of the room, and casually scan the

room if he can take his eyes away from the receding woman. When Reeves

shows up, he will offer the same, nice greeting and handshake.

 

-----

 

From GM:

>>>Arcsilver: You calm your breathing and relax after Ann-Jolie leaves the room. In the moment of clarity you really begin to think about the effect she had on you. You've seen plenty of beautiful women in your time, but there was something about her that was beyond that. There was an intensity to her physical presence, and a vitality to her beauty that was wholly uncommon. You literally find yourself short of breath, just thinking about her. Trying to distract yourself, you look around.

There is a sitting room to one side and a wide entry way ahead of you. Furnishing are modern versions of traditional pieces. The whole effect is very tasteful and classical. There doesn't seem to be a hint of cowboy hats or steers' horns over the mantle. It certainly doesn't meet the Texas stereotype, and briefly you catch strains of music, Coletrane it sounds like, coming from somewhere deeper in the house.

Then Arthur Reeves walks in. Again, you are startled. You'd seen an old picture of him. A mugshot

from his earlier arrest showing a handsome, square jawed man, but nothing special. This is the same man, but changed. When he steps into the room, you take an involuntary step back, and blink. Still tall, well built and square jawed, this Artie Reeves has more than that. Your eyes are drawn to him, the way he walks. Old clichés pop into your head about "his presence filled the room" because that's exactly how it feels.

"Mr. Arcsilver," he says, in a controlled, but captivating voice. No hint of an accent. Artie steps up to you with hand extended. He is dressed casually in a cotton button down and chinos. "My sister tells me you've come all the way from New York." When you shake, his grip is firm, warm and dry. Smiling comfortably and somewhat disarmingly he asks, "I have to admit it has been some time since I've seen a bonafide super hero. What can I do for you, sir?

 

Crusader: You move quickly away from the scene constantly looking out for a tail. Ten steps, you flip open your phone and punch the number for Wild Heart. Just as it begins to ring you spot him. Forty yards away, a tourist type in casual jeans and sports coat. Overcoat over his arm and camera around neck, map and NY Times under one arm. He looks exactly like he should. Nothing gives him away. Nothing, except you spent six months in training learning every move he's making. How to look without looking, carry items while keeping hands free, moving purposefully while appearing aimless. You could never explain it to anyone else, but you just KNOW, in your gut, he's VIPER.

He must have followed Althea, because he wasn't around before. Odds are he has your picture. You grit your teeth, focusing on that camera. After a few more steps he stops, turning to the side and lines up a picture of the Garden. As he snaps it the ringing in your phone cuts off with a "Hello?" in Megan's voice.<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 93

 

From S/Crusader:

Damn. Well, two can play that game. Turn a corner, line up a large

picture window on the other side of the street to keep tabs on the guy in the

reflection.

"Megan, its John. We need to talk about some matters. Soon. But right

now, I'm trying to follow up on a lead. Can you join me? I'm near Madison

Square Garden. Stay in civvies. Call when you get close to the Garden and

we can coordinate from there."

Neil, what I want to do is turn the tables on the tail. First make him

lose my trail. Not hard to do in a place like NYC. Second, tail him back

either to 1) We find the next fish, or 2) I've closed and physically near

enough to do something about the camera.

"So Megan, keep the cell phone close. I'm not sure how long I will be

here. But I will phone my movements if I move."

 

From I/Arcsilver:

"Hello, Mr. Reeves, please forgive this intrusion, I hope I'm not

bothering you. I would like to ask you some questions, however, about

some of your history, if you have the time. It seems that the name

"Warlord" has come up again, and I was hoping to pick your brain about

what this might mean..."

 

Arcsilver will be as friendly as possible, and will try to imagine Arty

in his underwear, so that he isn't too affected by the guy's Presence.

If he has a chance, he will shift momentarily to EM vision and scan the

room (I think senses are invis., no? If not, I won't). He will also

absent mindedly make sure that the radio is on, so that MIRVy is hearing

his end of the conversation.

 

-----

 

From GM:

>>>Arcsilver: Reeves' smile turns down almost immediately when you mention the Warlord. He looks defensive for a brief second, then he looks away his mind obviously racing. Finally he looks back at you again and smiles, this time though, there is a hint of sadness. Nodding to his own thoughts he says, "My first instincts were to protest that I have no involvement with this Warlord... and I would like to say that isn't true... but I can't." He looks around the rooms and up into the vaulted ceiling of the foyer, then back at you. "I'm just afraid of what this will mean," he finally says, quietly.

Gesturing back into the house, Reeves asks, "Would you like a drink while we speak? Coffee, tea, juice, or carbonated beverage of your choice?" He pauses and makes a friendly face, "I don't know if it's appropriate to offer alcohol, but I have a fully stocked bar if you wish to avail yourself." With that he leads you back through a small hallway and into a large, beautiful kitchen. Flagstone floors and a large wood fired oven are the centerpieces, fully equipped and handsomely designed.

Reeves pours and hands you the drink of your choice, then leads you to a sitting area looking out a large bay window toward the pool. The orchard is just beyond. The two of you lean back in stained wicker divans, and he starts to talk. "The most direct way to start would be to say that I am not, nor was I ever, the Warlord. Nor do I know the true identity of the man who wore... and perhaps still wears, that mask. I have met him... and I owe everything I have to him. He is the single greatest person I have ever met." He pauses. "I also hoped I would never hear of him again."

 

He turns and looks directly at you, a gravity in his tone that emanates from his whole being. "I mean this as no threat to you, but if you have made an enemy of this man, then you are alive to talk with me only at his sufferance. To believe otherwise is a fools notion."

 

Crusader: Megan replies quickly, "I'm about an hour outside the city. If you want me to come in quietly that will take time, but if it's an emergency I can be more overt and make it a lot faster. What do you need?"

 

As you speak to Megan, you slip into your own surveillance techniques, trying to watch the watcher without him knowing. He meanders a bit, stopping at a hot-dog vendor to grab a Coney and a Coke, then finds himself a public bench to sit down with his meal. As soon as he's seated, you make your move back across the street, using a stop in traffic to get into a position where he can't go anywhere without you seeing him. He's good at this, you notice. When he makes a casual glance around the area he makes no reaction to your movement, or that you've closed proximity with him. Instead he pulls out a small device from his coat pocket and flips it open. A Palm Pilot of some kind... and perhaps more. It's been some time since you've seen VIPER's current issue equipment. You do see that with a quick flick of his wrist he does something to the camera around his neck and attaches it to the Palm Pilot through a small cord.<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 94

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Arcsilver responds, taking the occasional gulp from a Jolt cola, or

whatever the nearest thing is...

 

"I understand that this might be a bit much - me showing up and asking

all of these questions and everything... but I would sure appreciate it

if you could tell me the whole story from the beginning. You say that

you have been involved with the Warlord, and that you never went by that

name, even though you served time for crimes committed by him?"

 

Throughout his discussion, Arcsilver will try to repeat as much of what

Arty says as possible, so that MIRV can tell what is happening, and maybe

even record it, if he has the ability to do so.

 

-Ilan/Arcsilver

 

From S/Crusader:

he does something to the camera around his neck,

and attaches it to the Palm Pilot.<<<<<

 

"Gotta go!"

I will jog up to him, from his blind side and run into him

pretending I'm flaging a cab. "TAXI!" I will yell, and basically, full body

slam as hard as I can, convientiently slapping his palm pilot out into the

street.

"Whoops! I'm sorry, let me get that for you." I should be able to keep

my balance due to the fact I'm 6'4" and filled with alloy. I will reach for

the palm pilot, but 'accidently' kick even further into the street, hopefully

under a by-passing car. "OH MY GOD! I"M SO SORRY!"

 

And we will see where that gets me.

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (Storn, I misread your post at first, and thought you were trying to kick the GUY under a moving car, not the Palm Pilot. I was thinking, "Jeeze! Harsh!" until I reread it. Pretty funny.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: Reeves nods, taking a sip of his iced tea, and shrugs. "The story is relatively simple. At it's most basic, I was simply hired to go to prison for the Warlord. I know it sounds strange, but I had few options at the time, and a six year stretch for assault was a small cost for a substantial reward. I was not always as..." he pauses, "... competent as I am now." He looks around the house. "The benefits have been considerable. Until now, with your arrival, the choice was clearly a good one. The wealth I have been able to obtain is only the smallest measure of my payment." He affixes you with the same deep blue eyes as his sister. "I am much more than I was then."

He then proceeds to tell how the switch was made, during a private consultation with lawyers. He had been shocked to see that the Warlord looked exactly like him, and even had matching finger prints. Obviously it had a been a plan made well in advance of his capture. The connections this Warlord must have had to pull this off indicate immense resources.

Half way through one of your repetitions for MIRV, Arty looks at you quizzically, then smiles saying, "Might I ask who you are reporting to, via your radio?"

 

Crusader: You move quickly, trying to close the distance between you and the tail. You are still twenty some yards away, so you move at a good pace, but without breaking into a full run. Ten feet from him, he glances up again, looking around for you, as he taps out some instructions on the Pilot. Not seeing you at first he twists around, catching sight of you just as you close. His eyes register surprise as you twist, holding up your hand and yelling, "TAXI!"

"Hey, watch whe...!" he begins to shout, as you barrel into him. He is hunching and twisting away from you, trying to protect his equipment, but your elbow catches him square in the back.

"Aaagghhh!" he coughs, and goes off the bench, to his knees, sprawling hard. His camera and Palm Pilot go flying, as well as his newspaper and Coke. You spring over him, trying to look awkward and surprised, while not falling down. Beneath your legs, the man smacks his face... hard... against the concrete. Blood spurts, and he lies there limply. Across the sidewalk, the crowds move back in surprise and shock, and you see the Palm Pilot skid to a stop against a business man's shoe.

Stumbling a little, as if in surprise, you swing around, going for the Palm Pilot, ""OH MY GOD! I'M SO SORRY!" you shout, as you skid punt it out into the middle of Seventh Avenue. There it smacks into the side of a passing cab, and careens under an old Buick LeSabre where it is smashed into pieces by the tires. You turn around, a sick look on your face, to see the crowd staring at you, and a couple leaning over the unmoving tail. On man looks at you, incredulously, saying, "Judas H. Priest? What th' hell did you do?"<<<

 

Full body slam. 35 Str. Cyborg. vs. normal taken by surprise. Ow.

[Speedball]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Between Neil misreading Storn's post and what actually happened to the SOB, I got a good chuckle out of this post.

I hope Viper has good medical insurance.

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 95

 

From S/Crusader:

"Jeeze! Harsh!" until I reread it. Pretty funny.) >>

 

Ok, that made me laugh out loud! Nope, trying to kick the Palm Pilot.

But after prelim reading of the post, I might as well have. Guess I should

have specified a shove or takeaway... And it is 25 STR outside of the armor,

not 35.

 

>> saying, "Judas H. Priest? What th' hell

did you do?<<

 

I slowly flip out my cell phone as I survey the poor guy. Then move

quickly up to him. "Oh hell, he must have hit his head. I'm so sorry.

Don't touch him. I'm an off-duty paramedic." (hoping my viper paramedic

training looks the same to John Q. Public). I will start to check for pulse,

neck trauma, while I quickly key in 911 into my phone, and tuck between

shoulder and neck to free up both hands. {ie. use Paramedic of 12-}

"911? I have a person down suffering from possible neck and head injury.

Location is the north corner of 35th street and 7th ave." and then hang up,

mutter to a passerby. "Shit. I just wanted a taxi. Not to kill anyone. He

isn't even a quarterback or wide receiver during a game." Look at the

bystander. "...defensive end, UCLA. Not that it exists anymore." (I'm not sure

what college/University is in the LA area, but John would, having lived there.)

 

Future Note, slightly off-topic: This whole scene actually gives me a couple

of ideas for the future. I think John needs to get to know NYC better if he

is going to fit into Sam/Crusader One's shoes. It would probably be a good

idea to have a bit of life outside of the Mavericks too.

Paramedic, working the night shift, could be a great way to get to know

the city, make contacts and get an idea of the pulse of the city. Could make

it part-time, just a couple nights a week. Goes along with the idea of being

a life preserver, instead of assassin of old.

It would take some time to implement. The way I see it, John needs to

get some KS under his belt (i.e. go to school), also, tough to go back to

college when you don't exist on paper. So an ironclad identity has to be

made. But between Dragonmist and Yuri that shouldn't be to hard.

So, during downtime, assume John is studying medical texts and stuff to

pass the GED or whatever tests he is going to have to pass to get into a

paramedic program.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Arcsilver responds, light hearted. "I'm just keeping my people informed,

that's all. You see we didn't know quite what to expect, so we took some

precautions. I have to say that this is turning out to be more pleasant

than I thought it was going to be. The thing is, why are you telling me

all this? Have you told the police? Your parolle officer (look

especially for his reaction on this), and what exactly did the Warlord

give to you? Again, sorry for all of the questions, and can i have

another coke?"

 

-Arcsilver/Ilan

 

-----

 

From GM:

>>>Arcsilver: Reeves smiles at your rapid fire questions, and immediately gets up to pour you another Coke. "I'm glad you find it pleasant. Life can be very unpleasant at times, and I see no reason to make it any more so than necessary." Reeves comes back around the kitchen counter and hands you a refilled glass. The phone rings, suddenly, and he turns toward it, puzzled. From somewhere upstairs comes Ann-Jolie's voice, saying, "Ahl get it, Ahthuh. Don't y'all wahrry." The ringing stops almost immediately.

Turning back, Reeves shrugs, then stands and looks out at the pool deck. "I'm telling you this, because it makes no sense to deny it. I'm hoping that you will simply take the information, and go. I have no further connection with the Warlord, and your difficulties with him... well... I hope to have no further part in this." He shrugs again, "Honesty usually serves me well, and I see no reason to lie." He smiles a bit, "I certainly haven't spoken to my parole officer, nor the police. They would probably try to charge me with something. Thinking back, I didn't even have to lie during the switch with the Warlord. No one ever asked me if I was the man they thought I was. We simply pleaded out the case, No Contest actually, and I did my time."

"As to what the Warlord gave me," he gazes about the beautiful house and out into the yard. "I'd have to say... opportunity. A sufficient nest egg, protection for my sister... and training..." Reeves looks back at you. "Training in how to live better, maximize my potential..." he taps his head, "...how to think critically, quickly... how to see the world."

Just as you begin to find yourself at an Anthony Robbins seminar, your ear-piece buzzes, and MIRV's voice comes in with, "I don't know what he told you about his P.O., but I was scanning the house while you chatted, and I just spotted a dead ringer for our missing Lydia Wright glancing out of an upstairs window."

 

Crusader: You kneel down over the sprawled man, and check his vitals. People around you start giving you a good New York hard time. "A paramedic, and you just creamed that guy... Christ!" That kind of thing.

A quick check of your victim shows him not to be hurt badly. He is stirring, as you look him over, but his nose is broken, there is a scrape on his forehead, and he may have a mild concussion. Phoning in the injury, the folks around you either start moving on, or chatting amongst themselves. As you joke about your fictional college past, a number of people look at you with renewed interest. "UCLA? Wow. Are you a survivor? Were you there when it went down? My sister in law lost most of the family in the quake. My cousin's gastroenterologist has never found out whether or not his brother's wife is even alive..." and a different flurry of questions and comments abounds.

"Ohh... god damb. By dose..." groans the man on the ground as he becomes conscious. A man in a suit kneels down across from you, looking at the man in concern, he takes his hand, saying, "Sir, I hope you are not seriously injured, but in light of this event..." and he presses a business card into the agents hand, "...if you wish to seek legal recourse in regards to the assault I just personally witnessed, please call me. This is my card. I'm an associate with Wolfram & Hart; a very prestigious firm." With that, he looks at you, smiles pleasantly, and stands up to leave.<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 96

 

From S/Crusader:

Geez Neil, awfully blatant swipe!

 

"Here is your camera." Assuming that it is not a digital camera, I

already flipped open the little door with my thumb to expose the film. If it

is a digital camera, I'm screwed, maybe swipe near my body with the greatest

amount of cybernetics and hope that the magnetic forces might screw with the

disk.

"I'm really sorry." And just fix the associate of W&H with a stare. Then

walk into the crowd and try to lose myself from this rotten situation.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

 

Arcsilver, trying to act nonchalant, will ask "I'm sorry, did you mean

that you didn't tell your parole officer about this, or that you haven't

spoken with her. It seems that she has been unavailable for some

time..."

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (The W&H reference was just a little pop-culture joke. Didn't mean to confuse things. It isn't a plot point, don't worry.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: Reeves seems non-plussed when he answers your question. "Ms. Wright? I've never had reason to bring this up. She's been quite polite and professional with me. We met as scheduled last week, but she did call to cancel our meeting this week. As I'm gainfully employed, ties to the community and all that, I think I can go down in her books as a success." He looks at you with mild concern. "You say that you can't reach her? I'm assuming you've tried her work at the Corrections office." He gets up, and gestures to a different part of the house. "I have her number at my desk. Would you like me to try and call her?"

You watch him carefully. The man may be phenomenal actor, but he seems to be trying to be genuinely helpful.

Back outside, toward the pool, you hear a squeal of delight from one of the women as a clean cut looking man splashes her as he jumps up out of the water. Laughing, he grabs a towel and begins drying himself off and walking toward the door... "I'll find him. Don't worry. He's probably just working, again," the man calls back to the two women still swimming. He continues to approach the back door, about twenty feet away now, rubbing his hair dry with the towel.

 

Crusader: The camera is definitely digital, and your grimace inwardly as you pretend to dust off the casing on your pants before handing it back to the man on the ground. He clutches it, looking at you with worried eyes, then struggles to get up, shoving the lawyer back. "Ged away from me..." he says, groaning at the same time. "Bod of you!" You step back as he gets to a seated position. He has no weapons on him, that you can tell, but he is clearly ignoring the lawyer and fixing you with stare.

Turning quickly, you begin to move away as some of the crowd calls out, but most just stand back. The lawyer tries to say something, but the injured man just brushes him off. In no time you find yourself thirty yards away, with no one following you. It galls you that the man likely has your picture, but you are pretty certain he had no microphone/sound sensing equipment, so he didn't get your conversation. Also, standard procedure would make it likely that the guy had no idea who you were. Just assigned to follow Althea, and photograph whomever she met with.

Two minutes pass, and you are a long block away. What's your next move?<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 97

 

From S/Crusader:

<< Two minutes pass, and you are a long block away. What's your next

move?<<< >>

 

Get out of there. Nothing more I can do now without really, really

causing a scene. Whoever he works for now knows that I will be on my guard.

Be even more paranoid than I was before, I will slip into the flow of

pedestrians, heading towards the Empire state building (34th & 5th Ave).

Soon as I get 10 minutes away, call Wild heart and let her know where I am.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Sorry for the delay again, Neil. I am very busy, but not so much that I

can't respond. I just keep thinking that I have responded when I

haven't. Again, sorry, it is the end of the semester - my last semester

of course work, as a matter of fact, so I am under some stress. I will

make sure to respond in the future, however.

 

>We met as scheduled last week, but she did

>call

>to cancel our meeting this week.

 

"Oh, I see," Arc says in a friendly tone, trying to sound nanchalante,

making conversation while getting information. "So you haven't seen her

either, then?"

 

I think I can go down in her books as a

>success."

 

"Well, it sure seems as though you are doing well. What is it that you

do now?

 

>

>Would you like me to try and call her?"

 

Yeah, sure, that would be great, Arty! Thanks, go ahead and try to get

ahold of her, that is if you think that she is in the office..."

 

>

>now, rubbing his hair dry with the towel.

 

Arc will become interested in something across the room, and cock his head to the side, saying "hey! You have one of those thingies that they're

always talking about..." He will move towards whatever thing he picked

out, looking at it. He is still at ease, but with the half-truths that

Arty is perpetrating and the approach of the other guy, Arc wants a

little space between himself and old Arty. Just to keep MIRV clued in,

Arc will distractedly look at the approaching guy, and say "I think this

guy wants your attention..."

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (No problem, Ilan. Just let us know if things get crazy. Hope the end of semester is over quickly. Good luck on all that.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: Arty starts to move away, nodding and saying, "I have her pager number as well," referring to Lydia Wright. As you point out the man coming toward the back, Arty stops and glances back, saying, "Oh, that's just my business partner, Franklin. He's wondering why I left them pool side." He smiles at you, "I'm sure he'll be quite surprised to see a genuine metahuman such as yourself in my sun room. Don't let him talk your ear off." With that, he heads down a hall. You step away from the glass doors, and back toward the kitchen wrap counter, eyeing both men suspiciously.

Franklin pulls the towel off of his head as he reaches for the door knob, shakes more water off of himself, then pulls open the door, and sticks his head inside. He squints, trying to adjust to the darker interior. "Hey Arty!" he calls out. "You need help with anything, or are you just being nice and leaving those two pretty ladies to me!? You know I'm always second fiddle to you... you stud!" He pushes himself farther inside, trying not to drip all over, when he spots you.

"Holy... !" he shouts, jumping, startled, half backing out the door again. "Whoa! uh... Who are you?" Franklin asks, instinctively covering himself with the towel. He looks you up and down, puzzled, as if trying to figure out who the geek in the bike tights is. "I'm Franklin," he says, smiling, and stepping inside. He holds out his hand to you, approaches, trying to be easy, "Uh... you startled me there, friend. Are you a... messenger, or something." Suddenly he looks eager, "Did we get that Malaysia delivery. Wasn't supposed to be until tomorrow, but if they signed everything soo..."

Behind you, out of sight of Franklin, you hear a buzzing sound that you instinctively recognize as a beeper on quiet mode. Glancing back, through the kitchen and into a side dining room, you see Lydia Wright standing there, a pistol leveled at your head, looking surprised, and glancing down at the pager attached to her waistband.

 

Crusader: You quickly make it out of the area, heading with the flow, further west on 34th St. Long blocks later, you are

passing the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Popping the phone you, call Wild Heart, who picks up in two rings. After you give her the quick run down, she asks, "Do you still need me to come in? It'll take a while. By the way, I've got a time for a meeting with your old associates. Breakfast, tomorrow, the Schurz Park Cafe. Fancy place. Do you own a suit?"

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 98

 

From S/Crusader:

Arc? Donchya just hate it when they point guns at you for no apparent

reason? Have fun!

 

>>she asks, "Do you still need me to come in? It'll take a while. By

the way, I've got a time for a meeting with your old associates. Breakfast,

tomorrow, the Schurz Park Cafe. Fancy place. Do you own a suit?"<<

 

"No,"; I reply, "lost the tail when I had to run him over like a Mac

truck."

 

"I guess I'll spend the rest of the afternoon looking for a good suit,

got any suggestions on where to go?" I ask. {I "m sure that Megan, being a

native of NY, can list about 5 places to go and get a good suit.}

 

Neil, I will assume that time passes, John gets a suit. Does a bit of

an early patrol that evening around the Village and that we just go to the

meeting at breakfast. Assuming that you have nothing nefarious planned in

mind.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Hard to tell what the situation is here, whether she seems bent on

shooting Arcy, or whether she was just covering him, or whether Arc is

able to distinguish. As long as the gun was pointing at his head, and

she said nothing, Arcsilver will err on the side of caution, and (while

she is looking down, hopefully), move sideways (behind a big TV or

something) for 1/2phase, and power up his force field while doing so (1/2

phase). While moving he will yell "Holymoly! Don't shoot!" If

possible, after he has taken cover and powered up, he will whisper into

his mic. "Lydia is here with a gun pointed at me, don't enter, MIRV, but

I need you next to the door, enter on "GO," and fire to stun."

 

I know this is a lot, so if Arc doesn't get to say the last bit, I

understand. Also, I don't remember ever having seen a picture of Lydia

Wright, except in her apartment, is that right?

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (Hopefully we'll have all four players on the same posts, by the end of the week. Matt's still out of it, but Bill and Geoff are going strong. We'll see what happens...)

 

>>>Arcsilver: Stepping back out of the way, you may be wondering exactly what Ms. Wright is up to, but you are pretty sure that leveling a gun at you is not correct police procedure. As you dodge into the kitchen and behind the refrigerator, your energy field starts sparking around you. Franklin stands wide eyed in the split second as Lydia Wright suddenly swings around the corner, gun aiming for you. A frightened, but determined look shows in her eyes, as she pulls the trigger, just before you call to MIRV.

"BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!"

She fires, but you are too fast, the bullets smack into the tile over the sink and one shatters the plate glass just above. Franklin dives for cover, "Jesus!" out of sight to the floor of the sun room. Through your head phone comes MIRV's voice, "Arcsilver! Report! What's going on? I heard gun shots!"

 

Initiative: Arcsilver (1st), badguys, Arcsilver (2nd)

 

Crusader: The rest of the evening is spent, getting a cab across town, and doing some shopping. Wild Heart sends you to the ritzy Upper East Side, to a men's clothing store, where she knows a sales person. It takes a few hours, but you get outfitted for a beautiful Bill Blass, charcoal grey (almost black) suit, dress shirt, tie and shoes. Even after the discount the man gives you... "Any friend of Megan's is a friend of mine," he says... you still can't believe how expensive it is. Back at the HQ later that evening you are mildly relieved when Megan says, "We'll call it a business expense." She looks you up and down, nodding in approval. "You clean up well, John," she comments with a smile. "Try not to break too many hearts, tomorrow, ok?"

 

After that, it's a late evening patrol, responding to a police report from the night before. "Hit the Harlem area, would you?" asked Wild Heart. "There was a witness report of a big flying guy with dreadlocks, supposedly at Onyx' place last night. Place was still unoccupied from the battle, and this guy was reported flying in an upstairs window, but nothing else was found. Lots of crackpot reports come in, but this one hits a little close to home. Can't hurt to keep an eye out."

"Don't stay out too late, though. We've got an early morning."<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 99

 

From I/Arcsilver:

"Whoops!" Arcsilver says as easily sidesteps the bullets, "Can we talk

about this?!"

 

For the first action, Arcsilver will approach her at an angle, setting

himself up so that his back is in a corner, if possible. He will then

try to slap the gun out of her hand, but as he isn't trained for this

kind of thing, he will rely on his speed. He doesn't intend to hurt her

very much, just cause knockback on that gun (not sure how this works,

been a long time for me and the Hero system). He will use his autofire

attack, targeting her hand/gun,and will use no strength open hand

slapping), so that all shots that hit will be 7d6). During this, if

possible, he will say over the comm "I need you in here, MIRV, come

around by the pool!"

 

If she still has her gun for Arc's second action, he will try to grab

her gun arm and hold on to it. If she doesn't, and she is still

fighting, he will try to arc his lightening by her face and blind her,

saying "come on, sister! let's be friends..."

 

-Ilan/Arcsilver

 

PS. Ignore my last post, and also i wouldn't mind being CC'd on the

stuff you are doing with the new guys, unless you are setting up for a

surprise...

 

From S/Crusader:

Can't hurt to keep an eye out."

"Don't stay out too late, though. We've got an early morning."<<<

 

"Good idea." I reply to Megan. "I think it would do some good to pick up

the slack for Onyx."

And I will endevor to do just that.

 

-----

 

From GM: Note how WEEKS were going to pass before we could get back to this game... always a problem with PBEM, because it takes so long to get anything to happen.)

Note: (Probably last post for a couple of weeks, as I'm off on vacation. We'll jump back in, if you are interested, with four players, when I return.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: "Roger that!" comes through from MIRV, as you jump in toward Lydia. She has a stunned look, and gasps, "So fast... !" Your hands blur, going for the gun with a charged field around them. (Note: You can do a Disarm maneuver, using STR, or you can use the HtH Attack to damage, targeting the gun, not Lydia. HtH attacks don't add to Disarm maneuvers. I'm assuming the latter, since it gives you a better chance of knocking the gun away, and won't do damage to Lydia, since you aren't hitting her, you are hitting the gun.)

Zak! Zak! Zak! You smack the gun out of her hand and juggle it into the air and across the room in less than a second. Lydia's hand jerks back as if shocked, and she steps back, amazed and afraid as you wink and say, "C'mon sister... let's be friends!"

Across the sun room, back down the hall from where he had gone, Arthur Reeves, suddenly runs back into the room, with a commanding, "What the hell is going o..." and he stops short. Obvious surprise on his face, he looks from you to Lydia and back, then says, "Officer Wright?? I just..." he glances behind him in some confusion, then back, "... paged you... but... you are..." He clearly seems disoriented. "How did you... " Then he composes himself, as Franklin pops up his head from behind a divan, "Would somebody please explain what is going on here? I see bullet holes in my kitchen! Is anyone hurt!?"

Outside, you hear the familiar sound of MIRV's incoming boot jets. Faint, but growing nearer quickly. Then...

"Oh, no one is huht... yet... brotha deah," comes the languid voice of Ann-Jolie, echoing out of thin air. Suddenly a blaze of red energy erupts from seeming nowhere, just past Franklin as he is standing up, from somewhere in the center of the sunroom. You never have a chance to move as the energy beam came out of nowhere and burns through your force field. There is no impact sensation, just an agonizing burning as you swear you feel your flesh peeling away. (9 Body, 36 Stun, Double AP, so you take 4 Body, 27 Stun (so +1 more body) You begin to crumple. As you gray out from the pain (Con stunned), you see Lydia jump back in surprise, and Artie stare in shock as the lithe form of his sister materializes out of thin air in the middle of the sun room. Ann-Jolie is no longer in a bathing suit, but is instead wrapped in tight black leather and Kevlar from the neck down, with a shimmering field around her, and high tech gear strapped on. She is holding a large black energy pistol with a wisp of smoke coming from the barrel. A dangerous smile is on her lips, as her hair falls around her shoulders. Then the scene disappears behind the kitchen counter as you slump to the floor. (Your second action will be to recover from being Con Stunned, then on to new initiatives.)

 

Crusader: You haven't been in Harlem long, when the call comes in. Perched on a rooftop on 116th, you have watched Onyx' building, and the activity on the street below, orienting yourself to this part of town. Not your usual stomping grounds, so you are scanning the rooftops and establishing how to move around with the most stealth and efficiency. Your radio breaks your concentration, as Yuri's voice comes across. "Crusader. Important transmission just being received. Scanner has picked up polize call from your Harlem area. West side, I am believing. Much west of your current position. On 111th. Reports of persons with metahuman powers attacking a house. Possible... what do they say... crack house? You should be checking it out, please."

Inside your helmet, your HUDs pop up with a map of the surrounding area, indicating an address about five blocks from where you are. One of the last enclaves of real poverty and drugs on that side of Harlem. For the most part this area has been cleaned up, but not everywhere. "Caller is to be saying gunshots are happening. Explosions as well. To be caution, please."<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 100

 

This is the post where all the threads come together. The Speedball and Impetus threads end as individual runs, and we continue as part of the same, full thread. (Don't worry, it was a bit confusing for the players at the time, too! )

 

From S/Crusader:

"Caller is to be

saying gunshots are happening. Explosions as well. To be caution,

please."<<< >>

 

"Roger that Maverick Control. On my way." To hell with stealth, I will

move as fast as I can, trying to close the distance and get into a position

to save lives.

"Maverick Control? Any word on what kind of metahuman powers are being

used? Classification?"

 

If Yuri doesn't come in with anything substantial, I will switch to

police band and listen in for 30 seconds while I close with the area. If it

sounds like police are arriving or on the scene, I will announce over the

radio my presence as soon as I'm there.

 

I want to come along rooftops. 111th street area is mostly 4 to 5 story

brownstone buildings with a lot of 3 stories thrown into the mix. However,

as I recall, there are the occasional 50 story highrise (now slum) around, so

if you wanted arena to be significantly taller, it certainly could be.

 

Also, there are two major parks to get to fairly quickly for the fleeing

paranormal. The north end of central park is only a block south and it is

covered with a lot of scrubbrush and small trees at that end. Morningside

park is also nearby which actually climbs a hill up to Columbia University.

The hill is fairly steep. On the lower elevation are basketball courts which

(when i was around) were in bad shape, but people still played on them

anyways. Morningside park always felt much more dangerous than Central to me.

 

From I/Arcsilver: Note, Ilan is right that his character takes a beating, he was relatively under-defensed for his abilities, which was hard to moderat when combats take WEEKS to unfold online.

Man, Arcsilver gets beatings like a red-headed stepchild!

 

On Arc's next action, he will reactivate his force field, and then try

a) to flash the freaky sister if she doesn't seem to have anything

covering her eyes, or try to target her gun with a 6d6 electrical

suppress, hoping that it has some kind of electrical components. While

doing this, he will say into the comm "Some kind of ambush...cough...take

out the chick in the leather..."

 

-Ilan.Arcsilver

 

PS. Have agood vacation, Neil, I'll wait for your response when you

return.

 

From G/Speedball:

"motherFUCKER! That hurts! Ohh, you're going to wish you hadn't done

that."

With tha. Speedball pivots and runs ful blast towards the goon with the

auto-rifle. He's going to lose his front teeth and a kneecap. He won't

look pretty and I'm hoping to be able to spot him in the future by his limp.

I'll use both actions taking this guy down even though I may wind up

getting shot again by his two friends. On the other hand, they may just

panic (is there such a thing a an unselfconcious presence attack? Like

morale in D&D?)

 

Sorry for the delay. Hope the two of you had nice experiences in the cold

and warm water, respectively. London was a blast. Bill--they have absynthe

there. No, I didn't try it.

 

From B/Impetus:

Impetus waves contemptuously again, this time picking up filth from

whatever's behind them and hitting them from whatever direction they're NOT

looking in. He's also carefully watching Speedball to see what his reaction

is, and if it looks fatal he's going to have to step in.

 

Geoff, I'm sorely disappointed. What happened to the young rebel I used to

know?

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (Howdy guys! I'm back from down unda' and suffering from a bit of a heat ailment. As I try to stop itching, I

thought I'd post from home, and see if you all want to start up the Mavericks

game again. All four players on the same posts, now. Characters meet up in

this one, except for Ilan/Arcsilver, who has his own problems in Austin to

take care of. It may be a bit confusing at first, but just let it play out,

and it should all make sense. Hope this works, and good to be posting to you

all again.)

 

>>>Speedball: In rage and pain, you burst up from the ground, scamper over a

table and lunge toward the gunmen, at the same time you are realizing that

the guy with the automatic rifle is already on the ground with a whole bunch

of glass and shrapnel in his back. Still pissed though, you lay into one of

the two remaining gunmen, both of whom have stopped firing and are just

staring at the big glowing guy who stands with a contemptuous sneer on his

face and pulsating energy around his outstretched hand.

 

Almost before the punk can register you coming for him, you are dribbling your cueball off his forehead, and he falls, blood spurting from his face.

 

Arcsilver: Sucking it up, you pour energy back into your protective field

and stand up. You'd fallen in the kitchen behind the counters, cutting off

your view to the sunroom, though Lydia Wright is still in front of you

looking afraid and backing away. As you look up over the counter to try to

find your attacker you see Franklin standing between you and her, half turned away from you and staring open mouthed at Ann-Jolie in her combat gear.

As you step sideways to get a shot off and number of things happen almost

simultaneously. You gasp, "Ambush!" over the comm as Lydia cries out, "He's

still alive!" Ann-Jolie tries to get a bead on you as Franklin twists around

between the two of you stunned and shocked. Artie, looking suddenly angry,

shouts, "No!" and dives toward his sister with his arms outstretched. You raise your hand, two fingers outstretched, and send a blinding arc at

Ann-Jolie's eyes.

FWASH! White hot light goes off in the leather clad assassin's eyes and

she jerks her head back with a cry. Artie, with strenght and grace, vaults the divan and tries to grab her arm, but can't get a grip because of the energy field around her. Arm rocked sideways, her trigger finger convulses and a second sizzling energy beam stabs outward.

 

Off target by about a foot, the bolt punches through Franklin's chest like wind through sawdust.

 

Lydia screams and you flinch as two thirds of Franklin's chest

disintigrate in a spray of heat and steaming blood not three feet from your head. The sick stench of burnt flesh fills your nostrils as Franklin collapses in slow motion... his eyes catch yours, filled with surprise as he drops... then the light goes out in them before he hits the floor.

 

Impetus: The fast guy is up... REALLY fast, and in the blink of an eye one

of the two remaining gunmen is down. He stands over him, a bloody cueball

spinning in his hand, and a look of rage, pain and desperation on his face as

he looks at the last enemy and also glances around the room, as if searching

for something.

With an easy twist of your hand you scoop up some loose boards in an

energy field and fling them at the gang banger who is too busy trying to

figure out what is happening to even see them. The pieces hit him hard in

the chest and legs, knocking him back across the room to lie in a heap. The

speedster doesn't even notice and you notice him looking away, across the room at some desks farther in. An involuntary whimper seems to escape him, and he murmurs, "Oh mommy!" But you can't quite see what he's looking at.

 

Crusader: Throwing caution to the wind you make it across the six blocks in

no time. Yuri has no further information because he just intercepted the

911 call from someone in the area. You are there long before any police have

a chance to respond. The only thing on the police band is a report of the

call. You are minutes ahead of any police response.

You land on top of a roof across the street from the address. It is a

bad neighborhood, with most shops borded up and most brownstones and

apartments looking rundown or deserted. A condemned thirty story high rise

is just off to your left, but you are looking down on a concrete bunker of a

building with a small group of individuals standing outside it. The front

door, up some steps from the street, is standing open... as is a second, armored door, just inside the foyer. A gang member lies on his back, clutching his head on the stoop, and you can see from your vantage, more bodies lying on the floor inside. Dust pours out of the door into the night, lit from behind by

interior lights. The building itself is four stories, but all the upstairs

windows are borded shut with heavy plywood. It's a little urban fortress

that was breached, right up the middle.

There are no obvious gun shots or explosions at the moment, but you hear

shouts and noises from deeper inside the house.

 

Speedball: Spinning about in hopped up anger you see it! Finally!

Ignoring the last punk you spot two briefcases, one standing open on a desk

behind all the crack making aparatus. White bundles in the case.

You just know it's not coke, but instead a huge supply of your precious

stuff. Your mouth waters at the sight, as behind you the punk goes suddenly

flying across the room in tumble of wood and splinters.

In the blink of an eye you are standing over the stuff, ignoring the

pain in you back, ignoring Impetus, and ignoring any thing else. Jesus Mary

and Joseph! There are kilos of the stuff! This could set you up for a LONG,

LONG time. And that's just the one case! Longingly, you look down at the

second.<<<

 

Arcsilver still has a second action, as does Ann-Jolie then the next round of

initiatives is...

Speedball (1st), Arcsilver (1st), Impetus (1st), Ann-Jolie, Crusader,

Artie Reeves, Speedball (2nd), Arcsilver (2nd), Impetus (2nd)

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 101

 

From B/Impetus:

Impetus: Since nobody's left standing, I turn around to see what the hell

the downed punk is staring at. Assuming it's the treasure trove d'drugs

that is mentioned in Geoff's timeline, and that Speedball is still staring

at it eagerly (although I AM assuming I can't quite make out the expression

on his face from here), Impetus will simply take a recovery and say:

 

"Shit. Dass a lot of drugs there. Go call the police and I'll guard here

in case there's another attack here, or one a'those crack monkies upstairs

tries to steal it; some mofo threw a damn hand grenade at me and God knows

what else they got going. I don't think you could duck a grenade, man, and

you already hurt. Plus, you move way faster than me."

 

Should be interesting to note the reaction.

 

From G/Speedball:

Speedball, standing over what he's come for, is the happiest man alive.

Before Impetus can say anything (sorry Bill, I'm not giving you the chance

to speak) Speedball closes the open case, picks them both up, turns to

Impetus and says: "give this (the unopened briefcase, which speedball tosses

 

to Impetus)to the cops when they arrive. I've got to get this other stuff

to a lab. I'll be in touch as soon as possible." (Persuasion roll, please

Neil) Without waiting for a reply, Speedball blows out of the building at

top speed, trying his best to put some distance between him and the

building, which is about to be overrun with cops and god knows what else.

When I get to a downtown train station I'll go civilian and head for home

with my sweet, sweet cargo.

 

welcome back Neil. And yes, Bill, Im aware that I'm a weenie. thanks.

-G

 

From B/Impetus:

Not a weenie; it's what I expected and it's in character. However:

 

Impetus then shrugs, looks around, and opens the briefcase to see what's

inside. Assuming it's drugs, he then walks out to hand the briefcase to the

cops when they show up; if they haven't, then he'll cheerfully call them AND

an ambulance, since the kid needs to be looked at. Assuming we're out of

combat mode, Impetus will also describe the thin, sickly-looking youth he

caught a glimpse of and explain that there was at least one other briefcase

(and possibly more) full of whatever's in here... and that the guy took it

to "a lab". If they don't know who he is and he doesn't work for them, then

I am assuming that whoever this punk is, he's with some rival gang and was

using me to get to the drugs.

 

Next time we meet it WILL be interesting. And persuasion roll or no, by

getting it to a lab you've convinced me you don't work for the police. And

those who don't work for the cops, in Impetus' mind, tend to work for the

other side. You would have done a lot better to tell me you needed some for

yourself.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

For the end of this round, Arcsilver will make a half-move to stand on

the other side from Lydia (distracting her from the normals, if

possible), and will use his second 1/2 to try to hit the gun with a

suppress, arcing out lightening to try to hit the mechanism on the gun.

If this does not work, he will try again on the next round. Either way,

he will approach her in his next round and try to punch her autofire

(full strength), and will use the final round, if he has one, to flash

her again. he will maintain whatever suppress he manages to get on that

gun.

 

Ilan/Arcsilver

 

Hey to the new players, nice to have you on board! And good to be

playing this again -- I was getting the shakes from the withdrawal!

 

From S/Crusader:

>>A gang member lies on his back, clutching his head on the stoop, and you

can see from you vantage, more bodies lying on the ground inside.<<

 

I drop down like an avenging bat out of hell, right in front of the

shaken gang member. Grab him by his flannel shirt and yank his head towards

 

me (but not lifting his body off the ground, he might have a head injury

 

I just want to scare him into some info) "WHAT IS GOING ON HOMEBOY!?!?" I

amplify through my external speaker, letting the face plate still be opaque.

While I'm Q&Aing, I will take a scan of the building, the doorway and

area of dust with each sensor bundle I have.

 

 

--storn

Welcome back Neil, Hi to Bill and Geoff, welcome to this online madness.

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (God do I have jet lag. I'm up at 3:30 this morning, after going to

sleep at 8:00 last night. Work was hell yesterday. Sorry for the late post.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm a bit confused by the

description of your actions.) You sidestep all the way into the kitchen,

keeping as much distance from Lydia as you can, and send a disrupting charge

of energy at Ann-Jolie's lethal gun. Artie is futilely trying to grapple

with her, yelling, "Damn you, sister! You've just killed Franklin!" Your

bolt strikes home, and and there is a clear "fzzzzzzrrrrsss" and the small

lights on the side of the gun dim. Artie jumps back from the crackle of

electricity. Ann-Jolie cries out... and then she simply blinks out of sight.

Gone, as if she hand never been there.

 

Speedball: In a blur of motion you snap closed the case, lift and toss the

second briefcase, and give your heartfelt speech to Impetus. Sprinting past

him before he can even reply, you zip back through the basement, and tear up

the stairs. With one hand you catch the top of the railing and spin yourself

around to face the front door, but jerk to halt for a second, as you see a

large armored person, midnight matte black, crouched over the punk laid out on

the front stoop. The figure looks up at you through a mirrored

opaque faceplate.

 

Arcsilver: Your suppress field drops, having no target all of a sudden.

Not hesitating, you vault over the kitchen counter into the sun room trying

to regain a bead on the lethal woman.

Instinctively you feel that she didn't vanish from the room, but simply from

sight, and you look for any signs...

... there, a sudden bump and shuffle of one of the rittan chairs and you

skate forward swinging widely with multiple punches...

 

...and are rewarded with a connecting blow that seems to glance off her

repelling field of energy but gets you a feminine grunt of surprise and the

rittan chair tumbles backwards. Outside, you hear the distinct roar of

MIRV's bootjets as he lands at the front door.

 

Impetus: You snap the briefcase open, then shut again. Another king's

ransom in drugs inside... not crack or coke though... most likely heroin. It

clearly seems out of place in this lab, especially because smack has been

really rare on the streets these days. News reports have talked about

Methadone clinics having a huge increase in patients, as junkies haven't

been able to get their fixes.

You move back through the building, glaring at the semi-conscious and

bleeding punks. The place is a devastated wreck, full of trashed tables, and

bullet riddled walls. You get some mild satisfaction from the carnage as

you start to head upstairs.

 

Crusader: Having dropped down and bellowed your question, the dazed and

bleeding punk looks at you in fear. But before he can answer, you see a

sudden commotion inside the building as another punk, this one in a NYU

hooded sweatshirt and baggy pants, suddenly appears farther inside past and through the long hallway that extends inward

from the front door. He is carrying a nice briefcase and seems really

jittery. You are immediately wary, because he came up and around the stairs

FAST! REALLY FAST! You almost didn't see him move.

From your position though, you clearly have the only visible exit covered.

Suddenly, from the stairs above the punk there is the loud chatter of

gunfire, and bullets begin tearing down around him.

 

Speedball: A sudden hail of bullets from above sends you darting forward

again right toward the menacing figure in armor and strange looking black

cape. He fills the doorway ahead of you as you move out of the line of fire

from upstairs. You find yourself suddenly feeling desperate, and your desire

to get the hell out of there drives you forward. Your mind races with

feelings of "ohshitI'veneverdonethisthroughapersonbefore!!!" as you sprint,

concentrate, vibrate...

...and run right through dark figure like a ghost, as he tries to shift

into a defensive stance to meet your attack!

You are then out in the street through the onlookers...

 

... breath ragged and heart thumping, you begin speeding away.

 

Arcsilver: As you move trying to keep your sense of where your invisible

opponent has gone, you see Lydia Wright turn and

run. Artie Reeves springs backward, defensively, then stops... gaping down at

the body of Franklin... and looks really shaken and pale.

Something strikes you in the gut, a hard blow accompanied by the

hiss of martial kiaup. You go down on your butt from the force of the blow,

but your field stops most of the impact (26 Stun, 8 Body 1 inch KB believe it

or not).

As you roll back and scramble to your feet there is a sudden, loud

"KRUNCH!" and you glimpse back toward the front of the house the main door smashing open as MIRV kicks it in and comes striding forward. You spring forward, where you think Ann-Jolie is and lash out again, but this time you hit only air.

 

Impetus: Again, from above, bullets rain down on you. Two hit your

field and bounce off with no effect, and you look upward into the chaos to

see at least five more punks just blazing away from the upstairs bannisters.

They are careless and sloppy. One of the guys firing from the third floor

almost takes out one of his buddies on the second floor landing with his wild

firing. You begin to float upwards then, closing toward the punks and realizing the fight isnt' quite over yet.

Out of the corner of your eye, as you raise to the first floor level, you

see a dark figure standing in the front entranceway. He is clearly in a combat

stance, seeming a little disoriented and glancing back out into the street as

well as back toward you. He has a strange, articulated caped, and black

combat armor. He looks dangerous.<<<

 

Next initiatives: Arcsilver (1st), Speedball (1st), Crusader (1st),

Ann-Jolie (1st), Impetus, punks, Arcsilver (2nd), Speedball (2nd), Crusader

(2nd), Ann-Jolie (2nd). (I will say that the double actions when others only

have one presents difficult logistics in an online game. Sorry if things

seem confusing.)

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 102

 

From S/Crusader:

<< ...and run right through dark figure like a ghost... >>

 

"Holy Shit!" as the ghost punk flows through me. I will spin and ignore

the small arms fire (my armor can absorb most of that below military grade

stuff) and will scan the young guy, do a superleap (if I have to, noncombat

is fine, I have no idea that Impetus is in the building and the punks seem to

be shooting at the speedster) over him, whereas my head goes vertical towards

the ground at the apex of the leap. This way getting a scan for as long as

possible.

 

I will tentatively state my 2nd action, I'm expecting to be run right

past or through again. I cannot pursue an unknown paranormal when there is a

gunfight going on. I will use my 2nd action to get back to the gangster

stronghold.

 

EXTRA:

<< ...and run right through dark figure like a ghost... >>

 

Since the below is happening in my helmet, and I didn't want to influence

Geoff overly much, but it might have impact on later events/ situations.

 

While scanning, I will hit RECORD as well.

over him, whereas my head goes vertical towards the ground at the apex of the

leap. This way keeping my recording on him the total time. I'm really

trying to get a shot of his face.

"Mavericks HQ?!?, definite paranormal, Speedster classification. He is

heading east {or whatever direction} on 111th street. Notify any airborne

police units in area for surveillance."

 

From B/Impetus:

Impetus swiftly whips the suitcase behind his thickly-muscled back to

protect it from the gunfire -- the last thing we need is a bunch of airborne

heroin powder spraying about the room -- and looks up at the punks firing.

He almost feels sorry for them. Almost.

 

Then he looks up, cocks his head as if he's calculating something, then

unleashes a blast tinged with an eerie purple light at the second floor.

 

(Neil, I'm aiming at the floor beneath the punks -- no number was given, so

I'm assuming there's at least two -- and purposely trying to blast the floor

out from under them so they fall to the ground. It's a spread blast of

11d6, but should be sufficient for my needs, particularly if I move in close

enough to shoot up from underneath.)

 

Any discussions from Crusader will be met with a brief "Hang on a sec", and

then we'll talk on the second action.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Arcsilver, gasping a bit, yells to MIRV "She's invisible, can you see

her at all?" He then yells to Artie "get out of here, you saw what she

did by accident!" Then, into the comm, to the Austin PD (if I can get

their band) "This is Arcsilver of the Mavericks, we are under fire at

(insert address here), and require immediate medical service for civilian

bystander! Wait at the end of the block until a sign that it is safe!"

As this is a lot to do, Arcsilver will use this action to zig zag across

the room, so that he is standing near the glass doorway (1/2 move and

dodge).

For his second action, he will try to attack, with an autoire punching

sequance if possible. If there is no sign of her, then he will spread

his NND energy blast as much as possible, and sweep the room with the

tendrils of energy, searching for where an impact might be apparent.

 

From G/Speedball:

Without another thought about Crusader, Impetus, or the remaining goons,

Speedball is around the closest corner and blocks away before Crusader

reaches the apex of his leap. There is only one thing on Speedball's mind

right now and its in the briefcase he's carrying. Later, sitting on the

subway on his trip home, he reflects that perhaps this wasn't the wisest

course of action. Yeah, he needed junk, but the people he just left behind

look like they could either cause him trouble or help him out. It might not

be a bad idea to check in with them and explain himself...when the time is

right. Until then, he's got to get to his lab. They're the good guys,

right? They're BOUND to understand.

 

 

-----

 

From GM:

>>>Arcsilver: As you dodge across the room, MIRV's voice comes across with a "Roger that! Scanning now!" as you see him move in towards you, heavy blaster rifle at port, and metal boots clunking on the tile and wood. He makes it to the door into the sunroom, directly across from where you stand by the glass doorway, and steps in, swinging right and left, looking for a target. His visor gleams red in his silver and blue helmet. "Not picking up anything! Shit! What kind of refraction field is at work here?" Then, "Christ!" when he sees Franklin's body, and "Freeze fella!" to Artie Reeves.

To your left, now, back by the kitchen counter/bar, Artie still stands over Franklin, his shock turning to a simmering anger, evident on his face. He keeps his hands out and open, unthreatening, but closes his eyes and tilts his head as if listening for something.

At that moment all three of you hear footsteps back through the kitchen into a dining room area behind Artie, but it may be Lydia Wright because that is where she came from and where she ran when Franklin was shot. There is no immediate sign of Ann-Jolie.

 

Speedball: In seconds, you are gone. At your speed and in the dark, there is nothing to stop you as you tear down the street. Behind you you sense movement up into the air, but you leave everyone behind so whatever it was is lost as well.

 

Crusader: In the split second it takes you to turn and leap the ghosting/vibrating punk is practically at the end of the block. Fast. As fast as Arcsilver, if not more-so and he doesn't leave a tell tale glow behind. You focus and zoom, trying to scan details as the figure leaves you behind, you radio in what you can see. He does kick up a swirl of dust and debris. He didn't hold the vibrating/ghosting bit for very long... just enough to get past you and into the clear.

Behind you there is a suddenl loud "KKRACK, CRUNCH!!" and the whole building shakes. There are shouts from inside as well as on the street, and the gunfire from inside stops for a moment.

 

Impetus: The structure is old, worn, and not cared for. Three or four rounds strike your field as you look for the best shot, but you don't feel them. You gesture, your energy pours out right under three of the punks just above you. The ceiling erupts in plaster dust and wood fragments as a four meter chunk of the upstairs floor buckles and then just collapses downward, carrying the three down with it in a heap of rubble.

The crash is tremendous, reverberating throughout the house, and you wonder for a second if it will bring down the more than you intended. Dust is everywhere obscuring any sights beyond a meter or so, but you clearly see the punk who lands at your feet with a thud and crunch and clutching his shoulder in pain. Shouts come from above... but the gunfire ceases.

 

Arcsilver: In desperation, you gesture for MIRV to stand back and then send crackling lighting splaying around the room. Hundreds of tiny, jagged streams of electricity leap from your hands to crackle through the air. Ozone fills the room, and Artie Reeves gasps, then fear turns to interest as he watches the tiny bolts leave no burns on the walls or furniture. Unfortunately, no invisible bodies are struck or outlined either. You clearly feel that Ann-Jolie is no longer in the room.

Artie speaks, suddenly pointing out the only remaining doorway not covered. You are in front of the glass patio door. MIRV covers the front entrance way and Artie was in front of the left exit to the dining room. He is pointing back across to the right. "She must have gone through there," he says, almost to himself. His other fist is clenched and he seems to be getting even more angry. "She had no right," he suddenly growls through clenched teeth, and starts to move across the room shouting, "SISTER!!"

 

Speedball: Putting on a burst of speed you leave the combat zone behind, tearing through the streets looking for your subway stop. People gasp and spin as you run by, but you are gone faster than they can react. You clutch the case to your chest and disappear into the night. (You are out of combat. There is nothing to stop you, so at this point you can easily make it to a subway stop many blocks away. Bear with me as this plays out back at the crack house.)

 

Crusader: Shifting, adjusting, you roll and glide back toward the crack house just a cloud of plaster dust belches from the front door. Landing just to the side of the door you look inside, barely able to make out the figure of a large, hugely built black man with dreads and a black coat, glowing a quiet purple color and floating in the air. The back stairs and landing seem to have collapsed around him and rubble has been joined by multiple sprawled forms of gang bangers. The gunfire is silent. Whoever he is may have taken them all out. (You still have a half move to close in or say something if you want.)<<<

 

Next initiatives: Arcsilver (1st), Crusader (1st), Impetus, MIRV, Ann-Jolie, punks, Artie Reeves, Arcsilver (2nd), Crusader (2nd)

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 103

 

From S/Crusader:

<< barely able to make out the

figure of a large, hugely built black man with dreads and a black coat,

glowing a quiet purple color, floating in the air. >>

 

"Oboy, Mavericks HQ? We have another Para. Big black man, glowing

purple." I report over the radio. Then switch to outside speakers; "I'm

Crusader of the Mavericks, who are you? What is going on? And now that

you've brought the house down, are you going to help me get the people inside

out?"

 

Observers (Impetus) will see Crusader take a martial art stance. What is

unusual is that his considerable bulk and battle suit (Crusader stands 6'4")

is surprisingly fluid and supple. Crusader's foot digs the street for

traction, but no sound is emitted (special patented Viper synthorubber

technology! ). No squeaks are given out has the armor flexes into the

pose. Most unusual. The articulated cape folds up into a backpack like

device, each "arm" moving quickly and quietly.

 

From B/Impetus:

"I'm

Crusader of the Mavericks, who are you? What is going on? And now that

you've brought the house down, are you going to help me get the people

inside

out?"))))

 

Impetus turns around, revealing a gleaming suitcase -- exactly like the guy

who blitzed past you. He looks at you, his black trenchcoat still rippling

in the wind and dust generated by the wall collapse, his jet-black skin

glowing under the nimbus of purple. His muscles look rock-hard, and he

doesn't really seem to be concerned about your martial arts stance; you get

the distinct feeling that he's used to blows glancing off of his skin, and

as that occurs to you, you notice the gunpowder skids of bullets that have

punched straight through his trenchcoat.

 

He cocks an eyebrow and says quietly, "They may be gang members... but

nobody deserves to die.

 

"I'm assuming that you got radio communication in that suit of yours if you

yellin' at me through speakers, so make y'sef useful and call an ambulance.

I accidentally hit some punk a little too hard and I'm worried about his

status right now. Check to see if the police are coming, too, since

somebody be flowthruin' some MAJOR horse here." He pats the suitcase

meaningfully, and thinks a bit, as if remembering something. "Oh. And

since you probably have better relations with the cops than I do, check to

see if they got a superhuman operative who's real skinny, real fast, and

runs off with a suitcase full of heroin to take to some bullshit 'lab'; I

think I just got smoked by some mad gang operative who was moving in on

these suckers' territory."

 

He walks over to the rubble and starts moving the larger chunks away gently,

looking for any trapped gangbangers and carefully extracting them -- but not

nearly as gently as he got the rocks off of them. "I'm Impetus. And if

you're who I think you are, I been lookin' for you."

 

From I/Arcsilver:

>fast as Arcsilver, if not more

>

 

HEY!

 

Arcsilver will once again speak into the com to MIRV saying "keep an

eye on Artie, MIRV, and watch my back... I'll take the lead!" Arcsilver

will then activate flight, which takes a full phase to do, using the

flight to get near the door. On his second action he will open the door

and enter the next room trying to fly behind something right away.

Because of my flight start up, Artie might beat me through the door. If

this is the case, I will follow him in, doing a half-move and a dodge.

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (Got no reply from Geoff, but it's not necessary right now, so onward...)

 

>>>Arcsilver: The doorway is an open one, nothing to open. Artie dashes across the room as you activate your flight field and yell to MIRV. "Gotcha!" he acknowledges, "Pulling back to cover the front room!" You realize that it may be possible for Ann-Jolie to circle through the west wing of the house, coming back out at the front. As you move across the room and glance behind Artie, you realize that there are dozens of possible exits from this house. Plenty of spots for an ambush as well. Taking another shot from that gun is not a something you want to go through.

 

Crusader: You wait briefly as Impetus begins to pull debris away from the bangers, looking to see if there is any further hostiles in the area. Nothing moves but a couple of groaning figures on the floor. One guy closer to you looks really hurt, but it must have happened before you got here,because he wasn't one of those brought down with the floor. There are shell casings all over, and a couple of pistols and a shotgun as well. As you step further in toward Impetus, you hear a crunch and thump through a closed door to your left. Then a voice curses under their breath.

 

Impetus: You pull the punks from the rubble easily. Only one of them seems hurt badly... the one who dislocated his shoulder. Dust covers you from head to toe, but you are used to this kind of work. Glancing upward you hear footsteps and some muttered talking as whoever was up there seems to be skipping up to the fourth floor. You can't see anyone directly, though. When you yell at the punk in your hands he just looks scared and a little confused, saying, "Impetus! Man, whateva! I don' know why you lookin' fo me, but jus' don' bus' mah head, man!"

 

Arcsilver: Artie has rushed ahead of you through a short hallway into a den/office type of room. There is an open door to a toilet off the hall and a small cubbard of towels and such. No one appears to be in the bathroom, or the den, but Artie is looking about intently and then he says, "Annie. Listen to me. You don't have to do this! We have everything we could want. There is no need to be involved anymore!"

Suddenly over the radio and echoing through the house you hear the yelp of a surprised female voice and MIRV saying, "Freeze, lady! Arcs! I've got Lydia Wright here! Drop the gun, ma'am, it won't do you any good against me! Drop it! That's right..."

You skate closer, then press up against the wall trying to maintain cover from any possible attack. You can see the den has another exit, this one heading back toward the front of the house as you suspected. Ann-Jolie's voice suddenly echoes from that direction and Artie whirls toward it. "Ahl that YOU maght want, brotha deah... but Ah wahnt SO much moah!" There is a sudden flare of energy and you catch a brief glimmer of refracted light as an energy blast like the first one explodes from the door to impact a couple feet over your head disintegrating a meter long gash in the woodwork and wall. "Stahtin' with the untahmly demahs of these meddlin' do goodahs!"

 

Your brief perception of the shot was that she was still invisible,and just poked the gun around the corner and fired but you aren't sure. You can't see exactly where that exit leads from your position, but she must be right around that corner, you think.

 

Crusader & Impetus: You guys are out of combat for the moment. Carry on your conversation, and let me know what other actions you take.

 

Speedball: You hit the train station slowing down on a dark street to saunter down the stairs like any old hanger on. You are sweating profusely under your sweatshirt as you surreptitiously pull off your mask and hood and jump the first train south. Keeping the silver case close, you hang onto a pole rather than sit down and watch the other passengers and the terminal carefully as the train pulls out. Taking a deep breath you wince at the pain in your back. Reaching behind you and under your sweatshirt, you dig with your finger at the vest underneath. You can't quite get it, but you feel a thick metal lump pressed into your back and something warm and sticky. Pulling your hand out you see blood on your fingers, though the bullet couldn't have penetrated very deeply.

Calming down a bit, you assess your energy levels. The whole attack on the house was over quickly, but you spent a good deal of juice vibrating around the place as well as getting there and away. You still feel like you've got some speed to go but nothing long term. It'll take a while to process more of your strange brew as well, but with what you have in the case, you can keep it flowing for a good long time. <<<

 

Initiative: Arcsilver (1st), Ann-Jolie (1st), Artie, Arcs (2nd), Ann-Jolie (2nd) Nobody else needs to initiatise.

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 104

 

From S/Crusader:

Pick up the guns, stick pistols in hip compartments, sling shotgun or

simply carry it. If Impetus looks at this; "For evidence, and I don't want a

new firefight breaking out." The pistols look kinda silly cause the hip

compartments aren't big enough to close over the weapons.

When the voice curses, just simply walk over and kick the door in. Scan

with IR. {I'm thinking it is someone under rubble, so count me surprised if

combat resumes}.

 

From I/Arcsilver:

Arcsilver, ducking behind the nearest piece of furniture, will yell into

his com "Holy Hotdogs!" MIRV, I can't see her at all, and she's got all

of the advantage in here. Get that woman out of here and to safety, I'm

flying above the house for a birdseye view!"

 

Assuming that MIRV is up for this, Arcsilver will fly out of the open

door and straight up as far as he can get (20+ inches?). For his second

action he will shift to EM vision, and scan the whole area around the

house. I don't think that this will be able to see through anything, but

if she leaves through any door, I am hoping that that gun emits a strong

enough EM signature so that I can track it, even if it is just a trail.

While doing this, he will speak again to MIRV: "Artie is still in the

house, as is the other guy who needs mediecal ASAP. Evac him if you

can, and I will keep watch for the woman."

 

-Ilan/Arcsilver

 

PS. I think that MIRV outranks Arcsilver in terms of seniority, and I

feel a little wierd about giving orders, yet its what the situation calls

for, and as a player I don't want to rely on leadership from an NPC. I

don't mind being seen as a little hyper and bossy, but let me know if

this presents any serious breeches in Maverisks etiquette.

 

From G/Speedball:

...clutching (the only word to describe the deasthgrip he has on it) the

case, Speedball makes the long walk back to his hovel of an apartment. The

blocks stretch out, like in a dream, making the trip seem to last even

longer and he begins to sag visibly from the effort. Tired, bleeding, and

feeling somewhat guilty, he ponders his first outing into the world of

superherodom.

The world has seen better premiers, he decides.

Upon reaching his apartment, he peels of the dirty, smelly joke of a costume

he made for himself. He needs a new tailor. Going into the bathroom, a

dank place the likes of which could only be found on the Lower East Side of

this city or in some third-world wreck, he turns to the mirror and tries to

figure out how he's going to get the goddamn bullet out of his back. Is this

what life is going to be like now? When he left the circus it wasn't this

he had in mind. He was going to make something of himself. Wel, maybe these

two he met up can help him out. He wasn't sure about the second guy, but

the big black sonovabitch seemed to have his shit WIRED. He did see bullets

bouncing off the guy...right? Looking back in the mirror, Speedball thinks

"...hmmm...maybe he can teach *me* how to do that..."

 

From B/Impetus:

"For evidence, and I don't want a

new firefight breaking out." The pistols look kinda silly cause the hip

compartments aren't big enough to close over the weapons. )))

 

"Yeah," he says with rueful amusement. "They could get themself real hurt,

they keep shootin'. Still gettin' used to this strength. You call the

amb'lance yet? I hurt that guy worse than I wanted."

 

Then I turn to the punk. "YOU, however, I ain't hurt enough yet. Tell me

everything you know about who hit Onyx. The brother's hurt, and someone set

the motherfucka up; SOMEBODY here knows somethin' because you got more H

here than I seen in a long while, and I ain't leavin' until I find out. I

think mah man Crusader here feels the same way."

 

If combat breaks out again, Impetus is not only surprised but will probably

have to make an INT check to realize it. He's really not expecting any

resistance left now.

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (Great post, Geoff. Not that everyone needs to do those kind of things all the time, but I like 'em occasionally, as a good way for you give hints to your characters motivations by describing their personal moments. Cool stuff, IMO.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: (Don't worry about the "rank" issue. The Maverick's are pretty loose, and if one member has the sit-rep to make a necessary call, then do it. If someone else thinks the call is wrong or misinformed, they'll let you know. This isn't the military operation, though occasionally it gets serious enough to warrant that kind of thinking.)

"Copy that, Arcs," comes MIRV's voice, calm as always. "Time to go, Ms. Wright," he continues and you hear his heavy boots clomping around and Lydia's panicked voice calling out, "What are you doing?? Put me dowOWWnnn!!"

You kick backwards then, flying into the sunroom again and then rolling, thrusting, and fist forwards, bursting through the big window out and over the pool in a glittering shower of glass! The two women out on the pool deck, are huddled on a lounge chair, towels and arms around each other, looking lost. They scream and fall backwards as you blast out and over them.

Arcing upwards you twist back to a facing looking at the house as you slow down and begin concentrating. Shifting your perceptions up the electro-magnetic spectrum, the world turns negative colors and shifts into the psychedelic view of normally invisible wavelengths. Below you you see the figure of MIRV as a strange green shifted blob, carrying Lydia across the front lawn, away from the line of fire. You spot the gardener from earlier, huddled in some bushes out by the low wall surrounding the front lawn. There are the two women in back... Hmmmm... no other signs of anything. Damn... could she be THAT invisible?

You hover, holding your position, scanning... five... six... seven seconds... then suddenly there is a strange FLASH! of some kind... the energy signature coming right through the roof of the house. Strange ripple effect in your vision. You've never seen anything like it.

 

Crusader: You kick open the door into a disgustingly dirty room with ratty mattresses and garbage on the floor. Crack vials crunch under your boots, and it's dimly lit from a single bulb in the ceiling. Standing in the corner fiddling with a cell phone is another gang banger. Red baseball cap on backward, naked to the waste in low hanging jeans. Lean muscled body. An old Ingram sub-machine gun is hanging over his shoulder, but he doesn't go for it as you slam into the room. Instead he jumps in surprise, turning to look at you in fear, but keeping the phone to his ear.

"Shit! I's them!" he says, into the phone. "Like you say! 'ey came! Big n***a mus' be a new one!" He grits his teeth then and just lets the Ingram slide to the floor, listening and watching to see what you will do.

 

Impetus: All the shaking in the world doesn't work to get the punk to admit something he doesn't know. "Don' know nuthin' 'bout no setup, man. Straight up. Heard th' mutha got taken down by supa freaks like yo, man. No way we did shit to tha' hardass mutha." When you ask about the heroin, though. He looks away. A hard shake brings him back to you, and then he splutters, "Talk to Red Cap, man. He 'as doin' 'at deal. Red Cap, man. I don' know wha' wassup wit'at deal. I'm bein' straight. Don' know anythin' else."

 

Speedball: Pulling off the flak vest is one of the most painful things you've done. It is penetrated in the back and stuck to your skin where the bullet hit. It's like peeling a Band-Aid off when you accidentally put the sticky part on the open cut. With a sickening "shhlllrrpp" and a half choked cry of pain, it falls to the floor in a bloody heap. Queasily you probe the wound, trying to turn and see your back in the mirror. It is a half inch tear that burns like a motherfucker, but you are heartened to find no bullet. Bending over gingerly, you look at the vest on the floor and find a bloody wad of fiber, skin and deformed lead. Pulling off the vest pulled out the bullet, which hadn't gone deeply at all. You need stitches and the bruising is already stiffening you up in a big way, but outside of infection possibilities, it isn't as bad as you thought. In fact, you might be able to hit a clinic and convince a Dr. that you fell on a fence or something. You might not have to tell them it's a bullet wound.

Then your thoughts turn to the stuff. It sits on your ratty bed, calling to you. You quickly run through the necessary ingredients and steps, realizing it's a good ten hour process to cook up your concoction. Slow heat seems to make the chemicals bond. High heat breaks down the Tac III inhibitor, making it a worthless soup. You still cringe, thinking about the batch you lost like that. Splashing some water on your face you debate... do the stuff or see a Dr.? Stuff or Dr.? At least the craving is muted right now. It'll be back full strength, soon. But for now, you are at least in control.

(By the way, if you going to the lab, describe where it is, how you know about it, who might work there, how you get in, etc.)<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 105

 

From I/Arcsilver:

"MIRV, can you go back in and get the guy with the chest wound? I can't

see her, but i am going to get around to the side. Use that heat-seeing

thingy you have, it may work!"

 

Arcsilver will take a half action to zoom to a place where he thinks he

might be able to see through a window (triangulating on that last blast),

and then dodge for the second half phase. On his next action, he is

going to take the full round once again with his tracking vision, to see

if he can at least see a trail that indicates the direction that she

went.

 

-Ilan

 

From G/Speedball:

owie owie owie!

 

The shit's going to have to wait. Hiding it under a pile of clothes that've

never been washed, Speedball heads out to get some medical attention at the

hospital on 1st ave and 8th street. Luckily it isnt a long walk and if he's

lucky the docs won't give him too hard a time about getting into a methadone

program.

 

(n.b. I've actually been to the emergency room here--the staff is good and I

didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes---and I didn't have a bleeding

wound!)

 

Thinking about the long process involved in cooking up his stuff, Speedball

thinks about the bar below, the Ludlow. Despite the owner not liking him

everyone else seems not to mind his comings and goings so long as he pays

for his occasional drinks and doesn't ask anyone for money. The place is a

holdover from old New York, when nobody cared what it was you did as long as

you didn't do it to them. Nondescript from the outside, the bar is rowdy

when it starts swinging around midnight and it certainly attracts its share

of oddballs. 'Heh,' thinks Speedball--'like I'm one to talk.'

 

In the late night hours the music gets loud as people stop talking and start

dancing. Its perfect for what he needs because as the night wears on the

bouncers pay less attention to regulars from the days like him than they do

to the faces they don't know and who they suspect will cause trouble.

 

It was about 6 months ago that Speedball first walked into the bar and about

another month after that that he discovered a forgotten room upstairs. It

was small and he could tell it had originally been part of the apartment

that took up the rest of the floor, but it had been bricked off for some

reason. Maybe it had something to do with the message that had been etched

into the wall that read "God bless Harriet Tubmann and the Underground

Railroad." He didn't know what the Hell that was all about. The room wan't

underground and the subway was blocks away. It had struck Speedball that

perhaps mind-altering substances had been around for a long time.

 

Coming outof his reverie, Speedball realized he was at the hospital--we

walked a little too fast when he wasn't paying attention and he hoped that

nobody had noticed. The last thing he needed was to attract the wrong kind

of attention when he was already near the end of his rope. Reminded, he

thought up a quick cover story for hte wound: He had simply tripped while

searching a vacant lot for recyclable bottles and had landed on a piece of

metal. The doctors at city hospitals tended to be a lot like the people

from the Ludlow--they didn't ask too many questions as long as they didin't

sense you were trying to scam them. and he wasn't looking for pain killers

today. All he needed to do was avoid the hyper-helpful social workers and

med students and get back to his bunsen burners above the Ludlow. He looked

at his shitty little watch and estimated that in 12 hours time he'd have

enough stuff to keep him going for a Hell of a long time.

 

From S/Crusader:

"Ah... I might be able to shed a bit of light on the Onyx thing. Not

much mind you." holding up a hesitant finger. "Excuse me while I check out

this room:"

 

>>"Shit! I's them!" he says, into the phone. "Like you say! 'ey came!

Big n***a mus' be a new one!" He seems to grit his teeth then, and just

lets the Ingram slide to the floor, listening, and watching to see what you

will do.

<<

 

I move as fast as I can, which should be pretty damn fast, turn up the

volume receptors on my hearing units and snatch the phone from Red Cap. "Who

is this!?!" I say forcefully as I can. Waving a finger at Red cap in a "no,

no" motion. "And why were you predicting our arrival?"

{I assume that the bastard will just hang up and that it is probably that

annoying Warlord viper scumbag, scrotumlipped, New Jersey waste of space,

doodie-head! Can you tell that he has annoyed Crusader yet }

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (No reply from Bill, so I'm going to just post around him for a moment. Also, will try to get Matt back online this week, w/Dragon Mist. Five players will be tough for me to handle, but it could be really cool. We'll see how it goes.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: "Hold on a second, Arcs," comes MIRV's voice, then, "Now you just sit here, lady, and don't try to run. Don't make things worse than they already are." Back to you, he says, "On a private line, now." Quietly, and a bit sadly, he says, "Arcs... I can go get the body... but that guy is dead. I've seen enough bodies to know... unfortunately. Just concentrate on containing the house, and seeing if we can bring down his killer. I've got the front, but who knows where she could have gone."

With that grim news, you drop back down, gliding to the right to get a focus on the interior through the east wall. It only takes you a second to figure out where you were, where Artie last was, and where Ann-Jolie fired at you. Scanning with your unique vision you read something very strange. What looks like a whirlpool, or at least the hazy, fading afterimage of a whirlpool seems to be floating and dispersing in the room. It sparkles in a weird color you have a difficult time describing. Beyond that you see a figure... probably Artie, slumped on a chair. From your point of view, there is nobody else around.

 

Crusader: Red Cap jerks back trying to sneer, trying to look tough, but obviously intimidated by your menacing armored bulk. There is a moment's silence from the phone and you are starting to think the other party has just hung up, when a deep, strong voice comes across saying, "This would be the new Crusader, I presume. You voice modulator has a distinctive vibrato that I remember from our first meeting." Another pause. Red Cap shrinks from your wagging finger. "I will be brief. I am the Warlord, and anticipating my enemies is what I do best. Your arrival there was inevitable, though it seems you brought some unanticipated allies. My congratulations on that. Continue to surprise me, and you may just earn a place in the new order. Anything else you wish to ask?... though I make no promises to answer. I will give you the truth if it suits me to answer at all. What would you know?"

 

Speedball: A nurse practitioner checks you out when you check in, stating that it's not as bad as it looks but a Dr.' should be with you soon. She asks for your medical history, how the accident happened and if you've had a Tetanus shot within the last three years. No stranger to needles you realize you are going to be getting a different injection this night, and hope it doesn't make you sick tomorrow.

The waiting room is somewhat crowded but not too bad, and you only sit for less than ten minutes, when you are called back to a surgery room. The nurse cleans up your back and asks you again how you got the wound, perhaps a little bit suspicious. She's an woman in her forties, reddish hair, and a wry smile. She doesn't press too hard, though she does frown at the track marks on your arm. At least they seem to be older, less fresh, and you haven't blown your veins to shit... yet. With the new concoction you don't shoot up nearly as much and have actually taken to eating semi-regularly. She asks you the basic questions about treatment programs, etc., but doesn't push to hard. "I haven't seen you around here before," she says, looking at your chart. Then at you, "That's a good thing. I hope I don't see more of you, eh?" she says with a "More incidents will get you a full introduction to the substance abuse counselors and maybe the cops" look. She walks out before you can reply saying, "The Dr. will be with you in a minute." You are left with your scrawny body shivering a bit in the flimsy hospital gown.

Your back begins to itch... a lot.<<<

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 106

 

From I/Arcsilver:

"Oh no..." Arcsilver mumbles into the radio,"I think we may have another

casualty, MIRV. I am on the east (?) side of the house, entering through

a bedroom window to try to help Artie. I could use your backup, can you

fly high on that side and look for any signs of her?"

 

Assuming that MIRV is up for this, Arcsilver will wait a second for MIRV

to get into position, and then blast into the room with a half move,

grabbing the slumped figure with the rest of the action. ASAP, then, he

will come out the way he came in, flying max distance before he lands and

examines Artie to look for injuries. If, by any chance, Artie is fine,

and doesn't seem to be wounded, Arc will dodge for that second 1/2 phase,

and look around the room, trying to doscover anything that might be a

clue to where she is or was.

 

From S/Crusader:

"Always nice to be recognized. I've got a few questions.", John pauses

to sort of catalog them in his mind and start the 2nd charge of his eidetic

memory, recording device;

Keeps his voice very businesslike and matter of fact. "First, what new

order are you envisioning?" Let him answer, "Hmmm. Why has your name been

linked with an up to now, invisible heroin shipment?" Let him answer.

"And what is your connection to Viper?"

 

If Impetus is still around, Crusader will wave him over and give him "I

will be with you in a sec." hand signal. Let the faceplate go transparent

and mouth "sorry" to Impetus.

 

-----

 

From GM:

Note: (Bill's really busy right now, so I'm going to post around him a little more. Matt, your stuff is at the bottom. Geoff, bear with me for a post. I'll get to you soon.)

 

>>>Arcsilver: "I've got your back, Arcs. Man! We've got to nail this psycho! She's piling up bodies left and right!" There is more emotion in MIRV's voice than usual. He is in fact starting to sound angry. In the distance you hear his boot jets kick in.

You go through the window a little slower this time, trying not spray glass all over Artie. You are immediately relieved to see that he looks unharmed. The crash of your entry causes him to jump and then cover his face, though he doesn't move from the chair. Seeing him alive and well you skid to the side, back to the wall, looking about trying to see if you can spot Ann-Jolie. Nothing stirs, except Artie looking at you and then at the broken window. Dismay on his face. He picks up a piece of shattered glass that landed on his lap, and shaking his head ruefully drops it on the floor. Watching your desperate glances he says, "She's gone, Mr. Arcsilver." He shakes his head again. "She's gone, my friend is dead, my life is likely about to go straight into the toilet, and I'm covered in shattered glass. Just great."

Artie's normally strong countenance looks as shattered as his window. You tentatively look around, still expecting Ann-Jolie to appear, but no attack is coming. MIRV blasts over the house, calling in for a sit-rep, but nothing else stirs. Then suddenly, Artie begins slamming his fist down on the arm of the chair he is in, yelling, "Damn her! Damn her! DAMN HER!" Glass flies, and on the third hit you see blood spatter where he has cut himself pounding the glass with the fleshy edge of his hand. He doesn't seem to notice.

 

Crusader: Impetus just shrugs and watches you on the phone, though his attention is caught by the gang member behind you. Impetus smiles at Red Cap in a malicious way as you wait for any replies.

The Warlord comes back on with a bit of a smile in his voice. "Good questions, my friend. In and of themselves they let me know what it is you know. I will answer them as succinctly as possible. One, I envision nothing. The new order is coming, and I only aim to be a part of it. The dam has been unleashed. The societal controls of the last century are falling away. Some may see it as Armageddon. It is simply evolution. The power shifts..." he pauses, then chuckles, saying, "...PARADIGMS change. People like you and me, Crusader... we are the new order. You are my enemy only because you seek to perpetuate the status quo. As such you must be swept away with the old order. It is nothing personal."

"As to the drugs, well, I must say... What shipment? Supply and demand, my friend. Supply and demand. Just think of it as consolidation of product and distribution. Drugs are base and ugly... but they do create a nice cash flow."

He laughs at the mention of VIPER. Not a deriding laugh, but truly amused. "I would think you would have just as many interesting answers to that questions as I, would you not? Perhaps you might share your own connections with me? Let me just say that VIPER is a dinosaur. Extinct... but hasn't realized it. It has some valuable bones though, and I would not let such resources go to waste. Its own internal struggles are hastening its end, but there are those who just don't know when they are beaten. Some think to challenge me for this city. I will deal with them summarily. You and your teammates are much more worthy foes. I'd much rather give you my full attention." He pauses. "Anything else?"

 

DRAGON MIST: The last few days have gone from bad to worse. Happy to be cut loose on your own, you had planned to spend your time seeking out Grey Spirit to see if the two of you might join together in pursuing the forces at work. The thought of her has not been far from you at all, but things have not worked out as you planned.

It began with the letter from your sister. Picking it up from your friend at Pinkerton's, you find yourself loathe to open it. It is unsettling as you realize just how distant and changed you've become since you came into possession of the sword. You and your sister used to be close, calling at least once a week with a regular get together in Toronto. Now you realize it's been months since you returned a call, and you hadn't even thought about it. So many things from your old life seem to have just been laid aside. This letter has only served to open up areas you hadn't realized you'd closed off. The rest of that day was disorienting and unproductive. You attempted to get a hold of agent Black... Erica Black... who may have some information on illegal arms deals. Perhaps a lead into the sniper rifle set up. Unfortunately she never responded to your messages. That night was just as uneventful. It was frustrating to find no new information, and Grey Spirit never responded to the candle. You begin to wonder if the damn thing works.

Taking time the next day to run some computer checks from the base, you spend most of the time compiling lists of known gun runners with possible connections to costumed supervillains or even VIPER. You fume over not getting the call back from Black as you figure you are just covering ground already searched by her or others. She never does call and you take hours eliminating names from the list as either dead, incarcerated, or otherwise accounted for. Your night time patrol of China Town is again a bust though you simply use it as an excuse to stretch your legs and get your blood pumping.

You return home in the early morning to your East River loft. You are just coming in through the roof when you sense someone is there. No one knows of this place... no one but Crusader. If he decided to barge... no... it isn't him. It feels different.

Stealthily you move into a position above the main room, looking down from the high ceiling through a jumble of support struts and dusty wooden beams. No movement but there is a smell... something sharp and unsettling...

 

...damn. It's blood. There, reflected in the moonlight from the window, a small pool, black in this light... and a trail, into your bedroom.

You drop silently to the floor unsheathing your sword without a sound and prepare to move through the door when there is a scuff and a gasp and the door opens. A figure comes through, familiar, staggering...

...and Grey Spirit collapses toward you her beautiful features pale and drained. She falls into your arms light as a feather, her arm holding her stomach. Blood seeps around her hand. Looking at you desperately, she gasps, "Poison!... can't heal... tried to stop them... too many..." she looks at you imploringly... "please... forgive my failure..." her other arm falls forward.

There is something in her hand.

"They have her..." she says..."they have her." You see then that she clutches the now blood stained unopened letter from your sister.<<<

[OddHat]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to RDU Neil again.

 

Still enjoying this thread. It's making me think about the quality of storytelling in my own online campaign.

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Post 107

 

From S/Crusader:

"Anything else?" >>

 

Realizing that I probably am giving more away than I'm learning and in

the vain hope of upsetting his happy little apple cart and trying to be just

a bit unpredictable, I hang up. No word. Nothing. Just click the receiver

(or whatever turns off this cell phone). I think *I gotta get hip to his

game and quick! The unpredictable move is always risky in hand to hand, but

it can also keep the opponent off guard*

Switching back into just helmet comm, I walk towards the open door to the

outside (to get slightly better reception). Letting Impetus watch the

gangsta. Also by turning my back on both of them, I am letting Impetus know

that I trust him for the moment.

"Wildheart? Yuri? I have a partial recording of the Warlord. What do

we have in the terms of voice analysis. 'Heart? If Yuri doesn't have any of

it, would any of your NYPD contacts allow the borrowing of a tech and some

equipment?"

 

I hold onto the phone just in case Warlord calls back. I will answer it

with "That's nice." to whatever he lays down and then counter with the

statement; "What kind on New World Order do you expect to evolve when its

built on drug money? Sounds more like Third World Order."

 

--storn "fun, fun, fun. This guy better not get too big for his britches,

or the REAL new world order will come and put the smack down on his henie. A

certain Bullheaded character comes to mind.. hee hee ."

 

From B/Impetus:

Impetus simply walks over and says, "So if the guy knew we wuz comin', you

tellin' me he just lets us walk in an' take two suitcases full of heroin?

This'a setup, man! Nobody thinks like that. And howzat help us find out

why'd he put the hit on Onyx?"

 

And, since nobody's actually done anything insofar as he can tell, and he

doesn't hear anything, he picks up the phone, dials 9-1-1 -- you notice that

he's actually having trouble not smashing the phone to pieces, and he cracks

the plastic on the first "9" -- and barks, "Some asshole's hurt! GET

SOMEONE HERE!" and hangs up.

 

From M/Dragon Mist:

After a long pause in which he composes himself, (Even Ninja need to do this

once in a while.) Dragon Mist says with a most determined look, " You could

never fail me." He takes the letter from her hand and eases Greyspirit onto the

floor. "Don't move, the first thing we need to do is take care of that stomach

of yours." Tucking the letter in his belt, he 'ports to the bathroom, grabs

the necessary items, then 'ports back. He does his best to bind her wound. "Why

hasn't your demon healed you? Is it a poison which is magical in nature or do I

need to get you to a hospital pronto?" While asking this he is preparing to

detect magic w/ his sword.

 

From S/Crusader:

Since Bill and I are having a conversation, I thought I would sneak this in

before the next step or in between phone calls, cops/ paramedics show up or

what have you.

 

>>And howzat help us find out

why'd he put the hit on Onyx?"<<<

 

Crusader answers; "I didn't say I have a lot of info, just some."

pauses, "Impetus, is it? We are dealing with a man who calls himself

Warlord. He has pulling strings all over the city. I think he has moved

into a power vacuum that Viper vacated. Warlord is believed to put the hit

on Onyx with a bunch of supernastises that he cobbled together."

Crusader nods to Impetus's confiscated Horse, "I think that a couple of

suitcase of Horse is a drop in the bucket when we are talking about Warlord's

resources. He's got Viper so scared that they want to talk with Wild Heart.

And she has hunted them for years!" {Crusader doesn't mention that the

Philly group wants to meet with him too, Impetus is too much of an unknown at the moment.}

 

{Matt, nice post! Love the fact you remember the demon and its ability

to heal. That's too cool! Welcome back to the online Maverick madness!}

 

From B/Impetus:

You see the look on Impetus' angry face -- he LOOKS like a gangbanger at

times like this -- go through several iterations. There's that hesitation,

unsureness as you see him not wanting to doubt you, but a tinge of confusion

as he tries to get his mind around the concept that two suitcases full of

heroin would be small potatoes to anybody. His lips twitch as he looks down

at the suitcase, counting up street value in his mind. Then he shakes it

off, considers something else and says:

 

"Awri'," he says guardedly, "Mebbe two suitcases of dis shit is jack to a

guy like the Warlord -- I heard of him. 'At still dunnin make sense,

tho' -- you got a guy like that an' he KNOWS you comin', he either moves it,

he sets you up... or he got some otha reason fo' you to BE here. You

tellin' me he went through alla dis so you and he could have a nice little

CHAT? I doan buy it, man, I ain' buyin' it. If he so smart, he ain't just

throwin' shit away on superhumans, man." He turns to Red Cap and cracks his

knuckles; under the colossal pressure of his turbocharged muscles, it sounds

like .22 shots going off. "So whad he tellya ta do when the muscle GOT

here, jerky?"

 

(Incidentally, Storn, if Crusader has any knowledge skills about street

gangs, especially street gang slang, make a roll.)

 

When he gets an answer, or assuming he gets one at all, he turns back to

Crusader. "Leavin' the Warlord out of it, we still got some new playa live

and on TV here -- some hyperfast junky-lookin' sonuvabitch who stole one'a

da cases here for his" -- he snorts derisively -- "his lab. Cha -- if he

doan work for blue boys, an' I think he'sa stay aroun' if that happen, he

workin' for some other rival gang. We gotta track this mufuh down to get

that case full o'heroin back befor' it end up in the veins of a bunch of

strung-out junkies. Suitcase like dat'll KILL people, fit gets out on tha

street."

 

He pauses a second, then says: "And it WAS the 'Lord who set up Onyx, huh?

So what was mah boy doin' that was so important to the Warlord? I know

fuckface had Onyx's gym bugged an' all with detcord and a lectronix, but it

seems a lot of people are scurryin' 'round lookin' to see what happened...."

 

From S/Crusader:

or he got some otha reason fo' you to BE here. >>

 

"Agreed." I reply. "I certainly don't like it."

 

>>(Incidentally, Storn, if Crusader has any knowledge skills about street

gangs, especially street gang slang, make a roll.)<<

 

I have KS: Viper on 11-, maybe Neil will allow a roll for around 8-, but

I'm from the west coast originally and traveled in the Far East. And

bizarrely, kinda had a sheltered, barracks life in my former organization.

Not that Impetus would know that.

 

>>And it WAS the 'Lord who set up Onyx, huh?

So what was mah boy doin' that was so important to the Warlord? I know

fuckface had Onyx's gym bugged an' all with detcord and a lectronix, but it

seems a lot of people are scurryin' 'round lookin' to see what happened...."

<<

 

"My teammate, Dragonmist, thinks that Onyx's famed bat might be the key."

Crusader says offhandedly, "but I'm not sure. We recovered the bat during

the fiasco at the gym." {I think we recovered it-- asking for editor's notes

here or am I misremembering?}

 

Neil, Crusader is waiting for the cops and medics like a dutiful Maverick

(under Wildheart's lead) should.

 

From B/Impetus:

Player to GM: Onyx's famed bat? What the heck do I know about it?

 

Impetus waits for the cops with Crusader, but looks distinctly at unease

while doing so: He paces in irritation, his footsteps literally cracking

the floor as his forcefield occasionally drops -- you notice that he still

acts like he's walking even when he's flying, which is kind of a strange

quirk for someone who so obviously doesn't need to walk -- and eventually

thrusts the suitcase into your hands roughly, saying, "Here. They gonna

believe you, anyway. I doan wanna bother with dat shit."

 

------

 

From GM:

Note: (Well, I had the response all typed out, waiting for Matt, and then Bill and Storn's extra bits superseded what I had written, so I had to retype everything. Also, Ilan hasn't posted, hence the delay in getting back to you. Hope this makes sense, going forward.)

 

>>>Speedball: Your time at the hospital is short and uncomfortable. The Dr. shows up after twenty minutes harried and tired. You overheard something about a stabbing and "bleeding out" so when he looks at your wound, he shrugs and says, "Good to see something not so serious." He sews you up, quickly and efficiently, then leaves with a quick tetanus shot, a pat on the back and a "Be careful where scrounge, sir. Tetanus is the least thing you have to worry about catching if you get stuck with another sharp piece of trash." Then he's out the door.

You scramble back out through the emergency room and hit the street, glad to be away from there. The night is chill but you don't notice, thinking of nothing but getting back to your hidden room and cooking up some stuff. It's quite late when you reach the bar, but the place is in full swing and you push through the crowd unnoticed. Skipping up the back stairs, you are almost out of sight when a voice calls out, "Hey, Joe. How's it hangin, man?" You cringe, hesitating before turning in response to the nasal whine. Standing below you, beer in hand and large stomach pressing through his polyester shirt, is Annoying Charlie. That's his name. Not just Charlie or Chuck... but always, Annoying Charlie. Everyone calls him that, right to his face, and he never blinks. You grasp for something to say, anything that will get rid of him, but your speed fails you and he hauls his bulk up the stairs, waving you back. His thick jowls shake into a smile as he says, "C'mon down, buddy. I'll buy you a drink. Party's rockin'! Let's have some fun!"

 

Crusader: The phone doesn't ring again, and while you are on the radio calling into Yuri, Impetus comes out, grabs it out of your hand and calls 911. He hangs up immediately, giving it back to you and stomps back in toward Red Cap. You are looking at the cracked plastic of the phone and wondering if Emergency Services has a clue where "here" is since Impetus hung up so fast... as Yuri responds. "We most certainly can send the recording to voice analysis. That is not being a problem. I am to be assuming that the situation is clear, there? The police should be arriving soon. A CAT Unit is coming, because of paranormal being involved. Wild Heart has called from hospital, and will be back soon. Are you be needing assistance?" His heavy Russian accent is broken by the sounds of chewing. "Mmmm. I have hot fresh bread for you when you return. Very good." In the distance you hear the warbling sirens of the police approaching. The crowd has grown to maybe thirty people on the street by now. It's not a well populated neighborhood. Most have moved across the street and are watching, huddled in small groups.

 

(Insert Crusader/Impetus conversation here.)

 

Impetus: Stomping back in to face Red Cap, you let him know you are still expecting a response to you question. Cringing away from you he stammers, "We's 'posed t' sell th' smack already. Deal gots put off, y'know." You continue to glare, expecting more. Outside you hear the police pull up with screeching tires. This sets off a new ruckus both on the street and in the house. Footsteps pound around upstairs and the punks coming around in the hall wake up to the sirens in a panic.

Red Cap looks around, desperate for a way out... but there is none. "Shit. Look. Th'man di'n't predic' yo bein' hea tonight or nuthin'. He jus' said th' Mav'ricks be lookin for the shit, and they'd probably fin' us, y'know. Tol' us to call if it happin', thas all." Then he looks angry, and glares back, trying to look tough. "You goin' t' bus' my ass or what? You jus' do wha you gotta. All I'm sayin' is, th' Warlord is got it all covehd... all I'm sayin'. He put th' hamma down on Onyx, he can do th' same t' yo ass. Don' caeah whas yo power is. He gonna cap yo ass, hard, n***a!"

 

Dragon Mist: Returning with cold water and towels, you try to make Grey Spirit as comfortable as possible. Beads of sweat run down her smooth cheeks and forehead. She is half delirious with pain, gritting her teeth against waves of agony that burn through her. When you peel back her tunic a rancid smell of old death escapes from the wide wound. A serrated blade of some kind. The skin is torn and won't fold closed. Something dark seems to pulse in the blood that wells up from inside her.

You desperately pour cold water into her mouth but she doesn't seem to notice. Bubbles of blood mix with the water on her lips. Wiping blood with your hand, you raise it to your nose trying to smell any toxins or acids. The stench of corruption is deep and your sword twitches. Dangerous. You know instinctively not to get the blood into your system. But is it the poison she mentioned... or the demon inside her that is the threat.

Grey Spirit is unresponsive to your questions now. You realize she was hanging on until you arrived and now she is failing, and quickly. It is unlikely that conventional medicines will save her. Something else is going on here.

You stand then, holding the sword horizontal over her twitching form. Green, sparkling mist flows out of the blade, coursing up your arm and falling lightly over her. It is a peaceful, emerald rain... that ERUPTS when it touches her body. The light mist is torn by sudden forces emanating from her, and shapes to form in the magic haze. A large, dark, hulking figure of menace and blackness. Long taloned fingers and burning red eyes. It rises up, like it is attacking but it is not coming for you. It is struggling with other shapes. The green mist reveals what look like serpents crawling all over the beast, writhing and biting him with evil, yellow fangs. His claws and teeth tear at the snakes, crushing and flaying them but they seem to be slowly overwhelming him.

 

Arcsilver: No response from Ilan, so I'll just hold here.

 

Impetus & Crusader: Two cruisers and a SWAT van pull up. The police bustle out, but seeing Crusader waiting patiently by the front door they don't storm the place automatically. There are two CAT squad agents with the SWAT members, hard vests over their flak suits with large blaster rifles at port. SWAT moves up as the patrolmen start controlling the street and moving the onlookers back. The Lt. in charge approaches Crusader. "Responding to reports of gunfire and possible meta disturbance. Mind filling me in?" You begin giving him the lowdown as the assault cops move in and Impetus steps up to the front door returning from dealing with Red Cap. The cops raise their weapons, and the lead SWAT guy yells, "FREEZE! POLICE!" From the van, the two CAT squadies start moving forward at a fast clip, dropping their visors into position. Their blasters make an audible whine as they initiate the power charges in them.<<<

 

Let me know if I've forgotten something you've mentioned or needed to know. Multiple posts from five players gets REALLY confusing.

[Chromatic]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Encore! Encore! Please post more Neil. Excellent read, and seeing the results of your initiative system has me intrigued to the point of attempting to use it in my upcoming game.

[aylwin13]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

I have to second that request, Neil. You really left me hanging with that last post. Reading this was my vicarious gaming fix. It was also giving me a lot of ideas on how to run a game.

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Wow! Ok... uh, thanks guys. I stopped because it was hard to tell if anyone was really reading the stuff. While not difficult, it does take time to edit and cut and past the posts into the boards... but if folks are enjoying it, I'll try to continue.

 

Look for more tomorrow. Gotta sleep now.

[greymankle]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Awesome Write up Neil, I'm still at the Gym Fight but I have to head out. (pg. 5) Definately a better run PBEM game thenI have every been involved in. But D&D doesn't lend itself to non-FtF well.

 

One question, Was Fury always Eric's Character? or did he go from NPC to PC? I'll read the rest soon.

[aylwin13]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Wow! Ok... uh, thanks guys. I stopped because it was hard to tell if anyone was really reading the stuff. While not difficult, it does take time to edit and cut and past the posts into the boards... but if folks are enjoying it, I'll try to continue.

 

Look for more tomorrow. Gotta sleep now.

 

Sorry I wasn't making any noise to let you know I was still out here. I was just stunned by how awesome your game (and story) were.

I'd kill to be in a game of that quality (even a PBEM). I'll try to breathe louder so that you know I'm here. Hope you got a good night's sleep.

[RDU Neil]

Re: PBEM - RDU: The Mavericks - Example & Discussion

 

Awesome Write up Neil, I'm still at the Gym Fight but I have to head out. (pg. 5) Definately a better run PBEM game thenI have every been involved in. But D&D doesn't lend itself to non-FtF well.

 

One question, Was Fury always Eric's Character? or did he go from NPC to PC? I'll read the rest soon.

 

Fury was an NPC first... appeared here, in this game first... and then later, Eric took him on as a PC... and did a great job with him, I might add.

 

More later.