Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

[NightStick]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Dang it! I miss one session and all the good stuff happens!

 

I can't wait to find out what the team thinks in person!

 

But this will probably be a few weeks due to the holidays!

 

C'mon next year!

[Edsel]

Campaign Log -- Session 19

 

Had a slow couple of days at work so I managed to get the campaign log for session 19 done pretty quickly.

 

GAME SESSION NINETEEN

Actual Date: 12/9/2006

 

Thursday, March 30th

In the early morning hours, just after midnight, the Weekend Warriors return to their base with El Escorpión as an unconscious captive. Kierian takes Satella back home while Giles works his magic on the minor wounds of his teammates and their captive. Soon everyone has gone home except Choir Boy and Demolition Man who start an interrogation of their recently revived prisoner.

 

El Escorpión turns out to be fairly cooperative to their questions since they generally ask him things that he realizes they already suspect. El Escorpión and a few underlings were sent to investigate the lack of communications from Chuco and the rumors that El Azteca had heard about his cult being hijacked by an interloper. He tells them that he believes that no person named Tenoch actually existed. Instead a gringo woman known as Talisman was working with, or had bewitched Chuco, and assumed the identity of Tenoch. In the ceremonial feathered robes and head dress of an Aztec high priest she could pass as a man and many of the cultists are gangsters who would not likely follow a gringo woman. He has no idea where this Talisman woman has gotten off to.

 

It is pretty clear that the Chuco-Tenoch faction of the Los Toros have now been crushed and that those loyal to El Azteca will now be back in control. However the Los Toros have been badly hurt by this incident and it will be some time before they can once again pose a threat.

 

 

In the morning it is decided that there is little more useful information to be gained from El Escorpión. However being a member of the Durango Cartel there is an FBI reward of $50,000 posted for his capture or information leading to his capture. Rather than kill him the Weekend Warriors decide that this is a good opportunity to increase their slush fund. They get in touch with Rally (who is delighted to take custody of the fugitive and turn him in for a 10% share of the reward money). Sweeper and Ken Sedai take him over to Rally’s place. She locks him in her cell (she has one at Gunsmith Cats). Rally then calls Detective Roy Coleman to get the police to take the criminal off her hands.

 

The morning newspapers and newscasts are full of stories about the old Botanica La Esperanza church being swallowed up by a sinkhole. Obviously someone, or something, is covering up what truly happened last night. [see the news paper handout included in the “019props.pdf” file.]

 

El Escorpión lost in an encounter with the Weekend Warriors and actually survived! Goody! He may just rot in the Stew for now (Stewartsburg Penitentiary) but if I ever need to use him again I won’t have to build a substitute.

 

Samuel Nagakura departs for Baltimore on a business trip on behalf of his normal job. Also today Giles catches a flight for Minnesota. His first martial arts teacher has passed away. Although he cannot be publicly seen (his identity is completely different now) he feels it is a matter of honor that he pays his respects in person.

 

Later that afternoon Kierian Foster assumes the identity of Luke O’Connell, hops on a chopper and heads to Hannigan’s Waterfront Dive. While he is there he is asked to visit the back room that Sidewinder (Brian Kelly) is using as a temporary clubhouse. After a few preliminary questions about his recent whereabouts Sidewinder tells him that he will be needed Sunday afternoon for something big. He won’t go into any details yet but tells him to come by the Dive on Saturday morning and he’ll have more information.

 

Friday, March 31st

Tonight is the night that the Torccone heroin shipment is supposed to arrive. The Weekend Warriors are hoping to use this as a chance to get a lead on the location of Strad. Since Buckshot’s recent demise and the damage that Shango’s gang suffered, Strad has been taking advantage of the situation to increase his own power base. The Torccone’s have a deal with Strad to supply him with this drug supply in order to undercut his competition and improve his position. The Weekend Warriors want to hammer Strad to prevent him from becoming a bigger menace than he already is. The three available vigilantes start making preparations for tonight.

 

Around noon Ryan Grey takes a boat up the Stewart River and looks over the dock. He takes a few pictures as well. John Black starts studying maps and aerial photos of the area in an effort to identify the best positions for snipers in the area. In the early afternoon Kierian and Ryan inspect the dock area disguised as a dock foreman and a Hudson City Port Authority Inspector.

 

Kierian and John rig up a pair of police sirens in the saddle bags of one of the choppers they recently acquired (a throw away vehicle). The sirens are rigged with a radio remote so that they can be activated from a distance. Next they smuggle the bike into the dock area and leave it parked in an alleyway next to a warehouse. It they need to they can activate the sirens to provide a distraction once the fun begins.

 

 

The sunsets just after six o’clock and the three vigilantes arrive on the scene at eight o’clock. It is a clear night and only slightly chilly, the new moon in the sky is merely a sliver. As the night wears on more and more docks cease operation for the night and the waterfront grows dark.

 

Crucible and Choir Boy stake out the two entrances nearest the Torccone dock. D-Man in street clothes with a large backpack appears like one of the many drifters that often find part time work in the area warehouses. He sneaks into the dockyards by cutting through the fence in an out of the way area. Once he gets near the warehouse he carefully observes his surrounding. When he believes that he is not being seen he uses his swing line to scale up the side of the building and get onto the roof. From his pack he takes out a unique ghillie suit made to blend in with the materials of the warehouse roof. He assembles his massive M-400 CheyTac rifle and establishes a sniper’s nest in the ideal position overlooking the pier where the ship has recently docked. He takes his time concealing himself and then spends the next couple of hours observing with his IR monocular. He looks for other likely sniper positions and generally familiarizes himself with his surroundings.

 

The player prepared well for this mission. The ghillie suit will give him a +1 bonus for concealment. He spent extra time concealing himself as well. His IR monocular is part of the utility belt gear, it grants +6 RMod with visual PER and IR vision. The IR will become very important later. He has his tactical radio and all three of the vigilantes are in contact with each other. D-Man also has Systems Operations (communications) this will also prove valuable later.

 

At about 10:30 an alarming number of people start arriving at the dock. The two vigilantes watching the entrances see vehicles capable of carrying dozens of people arrive. D-Man is able to confirm this when he sees mafia soldiers take up posts along the dock. (They are easily recognized as men in suits and trench coats under which they conceal UZIs.) But in addition to them he sees others hiding in the area and groups of common thugs hiding in the shadows at various places. He realizes that they are intending to ambush someone. They seem to be expecting trouble.

 

At about this time his ideal sniper nest is put in jeopardy. The door to the roof rattles as someone works the lock. D-Man pulls his back-up weapon (a Springfield Armory XD-Tactical with silencer). Two men emerge onto the roof both wearing nice clothes, gloves and clear shooter’s glasses (polarized glasses granting some flash defense). One of the men has a rifle case and D-Man quickly realizes that the mafia has decided to place one of their own sniper teams on the roof. Unfortunately they start to head toward his location... the ideal location. He draws a bead on the two men and starts to try and sneak away. As soon as he moves they react to seeing him so he opens fire. Two good shots and the men are crumpled on the roof. Once again D-Man is alone.

 

He quickly makes sure of them and then searches them. He comes away with a tactical radio rig that both of them wear. Over the radio he hears various people talking in what seems to be Italian. He is able, with a little work, to patch this radio into his own and then contact Choir Boy, who speaks Italian. With D-Man using his radio to patch Choir Boy into the mafia network they are soon able to get an idea of what is going on. Apparently the Torccone drug shipment is a hoax. It is a trap that was laid to try and lure in various troublesome vigilantes that have been causing them problems lately (and bumping off the offspring of high-ranking family members, see the saga of Markus Torccone in Game Session Two).

 

With a little luck Choir Boy is able to fake the occasional radio checks that are directed at the departed sniper team and D-Man is able to re-establish his position watching the docks.

 

Several of the player characters are hunted by either the mob or “various organized crime groups.” In part this was my effort to enforce those disadvantages but the players didn’t jump pell-mell into the trap. Instead they hatched a plan to observe instead of intervene. In part this was due to their low numbers but mostly it was because they are planning ahead.

 

At just about 11:30 PM the mafia soldier at the far end of the pier dies. D-Man watches as the man’s head explodes in a mist of gore. Just over two and a half seconds later the crack of a distant rifle is heard. A second and a half after the report a second man dies. Based on the reaction of the bodies and the delay of the report D-Man soon realizes that the sniper is across the river, about half a mile away on the northern shore. He begins searching for muzzle flashes in the areas he feels are likely spots.

 

Several more mafia goons are felled by spearguns and then several frogmen are evident and a battle erupts with submachine guns and a few grenades. Apparently in addition to the potential vigilante targets, Speargun has gotten wind of this drug shipment and decided to break it up himself.

 

The ex-military sniper across the river (one of Speargun’s men) is in one of the dock cranes located there. He takes only four shots before he starts to abandon his position. It’s more than he’d normally risk but he knows that these mafia goons aren’t good enough to pose that much of a threat. He gets about 10 feet down the 80 foot structure before a .408 CheyTac round ends his career.

 

It takes four shots for D-Man to pinpoint the sniper. His opponent is using a flash suppressor but that only works against normal sight, not the Infrared monocular that D-Man is using. D-Man takes careful aim and rests his M-400 on the lip of the building. He peers through his scope and finds the target. He holds his breath and squeezes the trigger. A deafening report and a muzzle flash the size of a sofa erupts from the roof of the warehouse.

 

D-Man hits his target at a range of 481” (-14 RMod). He Braced and set on the target. His sniper rifle and scope gave him a +9 Range Modifier, bracing gave him another +2 RMod, The scope and the quality of the firearm granted a +2 OCV bonus, and Setting gave another +1 OCV. So equipment bonuses and maneuver bonuses alone made up for the -14 RMod. The target had no idea he was being shot at and so was at ½ DCV. One shot one kill.

 

Below the battle pauses... For a split second silence reigns as all eyes turn to see what sort of tank is on top of the warehouse. Even the clink of the empty casing seems to he heard in the stunned silence. Then in a heart beat the battle is back in full stride. D-Man beats a hasty retreat and narrowly avoids a hand grenade that someone blindly throws on to the roof where the muzzle flash came from. In the heat of the battle he is able to make good his escape. The vigilantes withdraw content to let Speargun and the Torccones bleed one another.

 

Saturday, April 1st

This is the date that the Hudson City Police Department’s Vigilante Activities Investigation Squad (VAIS) will officially become active. However the unit will probably not get really active until Monday. The public outcry that initiated the formation of the unit has mostly died away in light of the favorable press that the Weekend Warriors have been gaining as of late.

 

It is possible that the VAIS unit will be looking into the fight on the docks between Speargun and the Mafia, once a spent casing from a .408 CheyTac is found at the scene. It is a pretty rare cartridge and it is known that in the past a vigilante has used such a round. A possible theory is that the vigilantes somehow maneuvered a confrontation between the mob and Speargun in order to get the two groups to hurt each other. This is a reckless tactic that places the public in unwarranted danger.

 

Kierian (as Luke O’Connell) heads the Hannigan’s Waterfront Drive just before noon to meet with Sidewinder about what his plans are for Sunday. Upon his arrival he is informed that the Highway Mobsters will be carrying out a big raid on the Satanic Skulls on Sunday afternoon. Luke will be expected to participate and he should bring his own weapons. A motorcycle show and meet is slated to take place at LeMastre Park on Sunday and Sidewinder knows that a lot of the Satanic Skulls will be there. The Highway Mobsters intend to hit them there and “teach them a lesson that they’ll never recover from.” Kierian knows that the park will be full of innocent civilians attending the show to see the motorcycles, a concern that bothers Sidewinder not in the least.

 

In addition to this bit of frightening news Kierian makes other discoveries as well. While at the Dive he sees a man talking quietly with Sidewinder. This man is somewhat out of place. He is still clearly a tough guy but he’s not a biker and he isn’t a merc or paramilitary type. The man is dressed more like a mafia thug but he is a man that Kierian doesn’t recognize.

 

Kierian hangs out in the bar for a while and starts some conversation with fellow Highway Mobsters in an effort to find out more about this man. He finds out the man’s name is Mr. Garivani and he represents the Kerosene supplier, someone referred to as the Intoccabile.

 

Kierian manages to talk with Ryan when he drops by the base in the early afternoon. Ryan has been spending the day doing work on the new base. Ryan translates the Italian word intoccabile to mean untouchable. Kierian consults with him briefly and then heads home. He has a date for this afternoon and evening.

 

 

Kierian spends the late afternoon and evening with Satella. This is mostly a social date but Satella does have some useful information to relate as well. Curious about the newspaper and media coverage of the church incident Satella had her chauffeur drive her past the area. There are traces of magic there; something besides what the devil she battled would have left. Someone else is covering up the incident. The area actually does look like a sinkhole opened up there which is different from how it looked immediately after the battle. She couldn’t get close enough to tell much more.

 

Satella has spent the last couple of days palling around with Rally and Minnie-May. She even helped them run down a cat-burglar and bounty jumper named Misty Brown who turned out to be innocent of this particular crime. It turned out that Jason Ruggiero, the nephew of a city councilman (Joseph Ruggiero), was the guilty party and poor Misty was being framed. Lots of running around which was confusing but she got to see a lot more of the city. They accidentally destroyed a fire-escape but it was old and needed to be replaced anyway. She even bought this cute little pistol from Rally but it’s kind of plain so she has some of the family jewelers sprucing it up, blah, blah, blah...

 

Eventually Kierian gets her to calm down some and they have a great evening.

 

Session Wrap-up

 

Recovered Weapons & Equipment

No equipment was recovered but the team was able to gain $45,000 in reward money for El Escorpión. They also lost one of the biker gang cycles which they used as a diversion.

 

Body Count & Damage

Demolition man killed the two-man mafia sniper team and likely killed Speargun’s sniper so we’ll call it three dead. There was a good deal of carnage on the docks but that was all caused by Speargun and the Mafia fighting.

 

Experience Awards

Each character received 2 EP, broken down as follows: 1 EP for participating in the session and 1 EP for a successful mission. Ken Sedai and Sweeper were not in attendance so they gained no EP.

 

To date the EP totals of the characters are: Choir Boy 35 EP, Crucible 56 EP, and Demolition Man 46 EP. In addition some role-playing was done toward working on the base so I awarded 1 bonus EP toward its completion.

 

Closing Comments

I was trying to maneuver the group into the middle of a firefight but they played it too cool to fall for my ploy. Demolition Man was squirming for a while but that’s about it. We only had three players and we got started a little later than usual. I had another plot thread ready to go but it required that Sweeper be present. Since he couldn’t make it that bit of the story can be moved a little farther down the calendar.

 

I have been thinking about the motorcycle that the group dumped at the dockyards, the one with the sirens in it. They got the bike from some of the outlaw bikers that they ambushed and killed earlier. I wonder if bikes have VIN numbers on them? I wonder if the cops will be able to identify the bike as belonging to the murder victim from that night?

 

Since our next game night would have fallen on December 23rd it has been canceled so it will be January 6th before our next game.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

AWESOME!

 

Who is Speargun?

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Speargun is a crimelord who operates on the waterfront. For the last couple of years he and the mafia have been fighting to control crime on the docks. He is a villian out of the Predators book (page 33). An ex-SEAL who got booted from the service because of his extreme Ends Justify the Means attitude. Highly decorated his war crimes were covered up due to them occuring on black ops missions.

[Eosin]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Edsel gives us a little too much credit.

 

We didn't fall into the trap because we were more interested in getting both the drugs and the money. So, we had to be able to adapt to Strads plan rather then the plan of the mafia. We figured that we could create a bone of contention if we managed to take all the goodies.... but we didn't know if Strad was showing here for the deal or if they were meeting him somewhere else for the exchange. Hence, we were forced into a containment pattern rather than a front-and-center assault pattern. However, that made us all look smart and cool in the end. And the Torrecones end up with a manpower problem to boot.

 

PS - we taunted the Torrecones in Itialian just to let them know we were there and that they died for nothing.

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

PS - we taunted the Torrecones in Itialian just to let them know we were there and that they died for nothing.

Drats! I forgot to mention that in the campaign log. I'll try to get around to updating it and editing the post.

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

"D-Man hits his target at a range of 481” (-14 RMod). He Braced and set on the target. His sniper rifle and scope gave him a +9 Range Modifier, bracing gave him another +2 RMod, The scope and the quality of the firearm granted a +2 OCV bonus, and Setting gave another +1 OCV. So equipment bonuses and maneuver bonuses alone made up for the -14 RMod. The target had no idea he was being shot at and so was at ½ DCV. One shot one kill."

 

481 game inches = 962 meters = 3,174.6 feet = 6/10ths of a mile!!!

 

Nice shot! OMG!

 

Matt "Now-THAT'S-Impressive" Frisbee

[NightStick]

Re: Campaign Log -- Session 19

 

Since our next game night would have fallen on December 23rd it has been canceled so it will be January 6th before our next game.

 

And counting!

 

Is it possible to have "withdrawl" from a a game?

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: Campaign Log -- Session 19

 

Is it possible to have "withdrawl" from a a game?

 

Probably -- because I'm having withdrawl from the session summaries! Happy New Year, by the way, and Merry Mayhem in the game universe!

 

Matt "Recovering-from-my-annual-sinus-infection" Frisbee

[Eosin]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

The Crucible Rap

 

Lead was flyin'

People was cryin'

And the bad guys just keep on dyin'

We left the bodies lyin'

Now, we worried about the VIAS and the Intacoblie

 

 

*** Remind Crucible to never rap or recite poetry again. He has an 8- and a strong psychological disadvantage.

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Good News: I just finished the write-up for session twenty of the Weekend Warriors campaign.

 

Bad News: Since my printer is out of commission I can't print the update to do my proof reading until tomorrow, at work, during lunch. It'll be tomorrow night at the earliest before I can post the update.

 

Good News: The printer is still under warranty so HP is providing me replacement parts for free. Just have to wait on shipping until tomorrow.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Whattt??????

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

I just don't like reading it inside Word (on my computer screen). I even print off pages from acrobat documents rather than read them on the screen. Of course if one of my players would proof read it for me that'd be fine. I post it to our yahoo group for that purpose but it never seems that anyone gets around to doing a proof but me.

 

I'll print it off at lunch time tomorrow, proof read it and then post it tomorrow night.

[NightStick]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

I just got done reading the Session log and remembered how much fun it was!

 

Though there was a little more theatrics than the log states, it pretty much sums up what happened!

Sucks to be an Outlaw Biker!

 

[NightStick]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Of course if one of my players would proof read it for me that'd be fine. I post it to our yahoo group for that purpose but it never seems that anyone gets around to doing a proof but me.

 

Sometimes I resemble that remark!

 

BUT, NOT tonight!

 

I sent you a PM with the only change that I found!

 

[Edsel]

Campaign Log -- Session 20

 

With Nightstick's help I got the proof-reading done and here is the finalized version.

 

GAME SESSION TWENTY

Actual Date: 1/6/2007

 

Sunday, April 2nd

Sunday morning dawns to find the Weekend Warriors still scattered. Giles Sebastion is back in town, his plane arrived yesterday evening. Sam Nagakura is still away on business and Ryan Gray is off to Boston to nab a bounty he has a hot tip on. This means that only Sweeper, Crucible and Demolition Man are in town and active.

 

At about 8 o’clock vigilantes meet to discuss what they will do to stop the raid that the Highway Mobsters are planning. The group realizes that if they allow the outlaw bikers to wage war in the middle of the motorcycle show at LeMastre Park innocent civilians are bound to be caught in the crossfire. The group decides that the best way to prevent the raid is to hit the Highway Mobsters before they can carryout their plans. Since the bikers will be gathering at Hannigan’s Waterfront Dive it is decided that this is the place to hit them. The Weekend Warrior’s plan is to make a quick and brutal attack on the gathered bikers in the hopes that they can inflict enough damage to force the gang to abandon their plans.

 

Kierian hopes that in addition to quashing the raid they might be able to gain some more information about the new drug (kerosene) that the outlaw bikers have been pushing. Kerosene is one of the main forces driving the recent war between the Satanic Skulls and the Highway Mobsters. Both of the outlaw biker gangs have been distributing the stuff but both are apparently being supplied by the same mysterious source. The vigilantes only know that someone or some organization using the name Intoccabile is the provider and that a man known only as Mr. Garivani has been acting as the supplier’s representative to the Highway Mobsters.

 

The group decides that Kierian (playing the role of Luke O’Connell) will arrive at noon as Sidewinder (chief of the Highway Mobsters) has ordered. He will attack from within as his two compatriots launch a violent surprise attack on the bar. Realizing that in a conventional firefight the three of them would be quickly overwhelmed they hatch a plan involving some non-conventional weapons. John Black makes a call to Minnie May to see if she can supply them with a few special party favors for the noon-time bash. John and Giles head over to Gunsmith Cats to pick-up four M7A3 CS gas grenades (tear gas), while Kierian gets into his Luke ‘the biker’ disguise and prepares the team’s gear.

 

By 11 o’clock the team is ready to move out. All have tactical radios (Crucible’s is a concealed version). Crucible also has a gas mask hidden away within the large, spiked, German helmet he is wearing as part of his biker getup. Since Sweeper and D-Man will be making a straight forward attack they require no disguise, in fact the paramilitary clientele that frequents Hannigan’s Waterfront Dive will not make them standout as much as normal.

 

Crucible dons concealable body armor. His Mk23 SOCOM pistol and a single tear gas grenade are hidden away in his jacket. He also has a bag full of guns and illegal drugs that the vigilantes have been collecting over the last few months. He figures that if anyone asks him about the bag he can show them the guns and say he brought along some extras incase the gang needs them for the raid.

 

Sweeper has his trusty three-section staff and his .454 Casull pistol loaded with is normal rubber bullets. He wears his body armor and also carries a single tear gas grenade in case it’s needed. D-Man has his standard body armor, his Springfield XD Tactical .45 pistol, his MAG-10 Shotgun on a sling and the last two tear gas grenades. Both of the vigilantes also have gasmasks.

 

 

Crucible, as Luke, arrives first and is soon shown into the back room where Brian Kelly (aka Sidewinder) and his chief lieutenants are meeting. As Sidewinder begins to go over his plan all the bikers’ attention are all drawn to the map of LeMastre Park. Crucible decides that the time is right and he keys his radio to alert his friends who should be waiting outside by now.

 

Sweeper and D-Man huddle together and quickly put on their gasmasks. D-Man then firmly grasps a tear gas grenade in each hand while Sweeper pulls the pins for him. Sweeper then heads back to a window leading to the room where the bosses are meeting. D-Man walks in the front door of the bar and before anyone realizes what is happening he tosses the two grenades into the main room going for as much coverage as he can. At the same time Crucible has prepped his tear gas grenade under the table of the meeting room. He drops the grenade and it rolls into the middle of the floor hissing gas as it goes.

 

Crucible quickly backs out of the room through the doors into the kitchen which was just behind him. He quickly sheds his helmet and fits his gasmask as he hears the surprised meeting start to break down into shouts, wheezes and coughing. At about the same time the mass of people in the main room are also experiencing tear gas as a fog of the stuff rapidly fills the enclosed space. D-Man has drawn his pistol and squeezes off a pair of shots at the closest bikers who the gas has not yet reached. Crucible pops back into the meeting room with his gun drawn and starts blasting the blinded, gagging bikers. One man jumps out the nearby window in an effort to escape. He avoids the gas and any serious cuts from the glass only to meet Sweeper and rapidly acquire a few broken bones.

 

The battle is very one-sided. A large mob of blinded, tear gas addled bikers against three deadly vigilantes who are wearing gas masks. Shooting fish in a barrel is a very good analogy. In addition to bikers there are a selection of paramilitary types, who flee as best they can (since this isn’t their fight) and the employees of the Dive. Only outlaw bikers are targeted by the vigilantes and, remarkably, nobody but bikers end up getting hurt.

 

The vigilantes leave 4 dead bikers and about 16 more injured. About half of the injured have suffered gunshot wounds to the kneecaps. The Highway Mobsters are effectively left crippled (pardon the pun). Sidewinder is taken captive by the vigilantes. He was shot in the chest by Crucible but since he was wearing body armor he was not too badly hurt. Crucible also takes some time to press the fingerprints of several unconscious bikers onto the contraband guns and drugs that the group has. The cocaine that Crucible brought is left here for the police to find upon their arrival. The guns that he gets prints on are kept for possible use later as drop guns.

 

The bags of cocaine had been acquired by the Weekend Warriors during earlier crime fighting. By leaving the bags here with biker fingerprints on them it’ll likely give the authorities something to charge the bikers with. Even if the frame doesn’t work it should at least keep the bikers tied up with legal wrangling for some time. The firearms that Crucible brought along are recovered weapons, most of which may have been used by their previous owners for assorted murders. In the future the vigilantes can leave these weapons at the scenes of various encounters as a way to throw investigators off track.

 

Sidewinder was caught unprotected in the middle of a cloud of tear gas, effectively rendering him blind. Crucible then shot him in the chest with his .45 pistol. The thug’s body armor made it only a minor injury but being blind and stunned made him an easy capture for the vigilantes.

 

The vigilantes recover about 10 doses of kerosene but they are not lucky enough to encounter Mr. Garivani here. They hope that having some of the drug for themselves may allow them to get some information and perhaps Sidewinder can be persuaded to give up what he knows about the Intoccabile.

 

 

That night Brian Kelly is ruthlessly interrogated (tortured) by John Black and Kierian. They feel that they cannot let the man live since he’d just get back with his gang and continue his war with the Satanic Skulls, besides dead men don’t seek vengeance. Since his fate is sealed they resolve to get as much information from him about kerosene and the Intoccabile as possible.

 

It is confirmed that Mr. Garivani works for the Intoccabile. It is believed that the Intoccabile is a woman due to the way Mr. Garivani has talked about his employer (he’s used the word she a time or two). It is believed by Sidewinder that whoever she is she’s had ties to the Mafia in the past but not currently. His contacts in the mafia indicate that she is a competitor and a respected one at that. The Intoccabile also seems to have extensive ties to some of the tongs or directly with Southeast Asian organized crime. Some of the boxes with kerosene had labels on them. The labels had been covered with a permanent ink marker but Sidewinder’s men were able to wash it off enough to make out odd letters that one of his guys said he though was Thai. Maybe that’s where the stuff is made.

 

There may also be some sort of tie-in to Europe. Sidewinder had one of his men follow Mr. Garivani when he first contacted them. The man caught a plane bound for Girona-Costa Brava Airport. That’s somewhere in southeast Spain, near France.

 

That evening, after Brian Kelly’s passing, John Black gets to tryout the base’s new disposal facility (they bought an old veterinary crematory from a seller in South America this was talked about several sessions ago).

 

 

One last bit of intriguing information has come to the attention of John Black. That night he has a telephone conversation with his college student son, Jim. Jim tells him that there is a lunar eclipse on the evening of April 5th and that his college astronomy class will be at the Whittier Planetarium with telescopes for a watch party. John Black takes this information with a bit of apprehension, he is all too aware that the fifth book by Shane Veloric was titled Faces of the Sun, Faces of the Moon.

 

Session Wrap-up

 

Recovered Weapons & Equipment

The group didn’t bother collecting much from the scene. They wanted to leave any weapons or drugs for the cops to find. They did keep Sidewinder’s stuff (his motorcycle, a Mossburg 590 shotgun, and a Kimber PKD Pistol). In addition the vigilantes scooped up $17,850 in cash. There was bound to be more money that this in the biker’s headquarters but that was all that could be found with a quick once-over.

 

Body Count & Damage

4 KIA, about 16 wounded and about half of them were crippled. Brian Kelly captured, interrogated and eliminated.

 

Experience Awards

Each character received 2 EP, broken down as follows: 1 EP for participating in the session and 1 EP for a successful mission. Ken Sedai and Choir Boy were not in attendance so they gained no EP.

 

To date the EP totals of the characters are: Choir Boy 35 EP, Crucible 58 EP, Demolition Man 48 EP, Ken Sedai 24 EP and Sweeper 55 EP.

 

Closing Comments

We didn’t get started until later than normal. Since it was the first gathering in about a month there was a bit of social catching-up that took place. Once the game got rolling it was the big battle and afterwards it was late enough that we felt we were at a good stopping place. One member of our group (D-Man’s player) is now living in Tulsa so he is commuting from there to southwest Oklahoma City every two weeks for the game. I’d imagine he is grateful for the game not going too late.

 

Currently it is hard for me to concentrate on game prep since my interests have been on converting the old Guardians of Order, The Slayers RPG, over to Hero system.

 

Our next game is scheduled for January 20th. Now that the holidays are past we hope to return to our every-two-week routine.

[NightStick]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

The battle is very one-sided. A large mob of blinded, tear gas addled bikers against three deadly vigilantes who are wearing gas masks. Shooting fish in a barrel is a very good analogy. In addition to bikers there are a selection of paramilitary types, who flee as best they can (since this isn’t their fight) and the employees of the Dive. Only outlaw bikers are targeted by the vigilantes and, remarkably, nobody but bikers end up getting hurt.

 

Lets just say that things went (almost too) well.

 

I think that the VAIS unit will have our lunch for this little party!

 

[Trebuchet]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Great stuff as usual, Edsel! You and your crew have a lot to be proud of.

 

BTW, flash suppressors are designed to prevent the shooter from being blinded by his muzzle flash, not the target(s). And not leaving shell casings as clues is one reason most of the world uses bolt-action sniper-rifles...

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

BTW' date=' flash suppressors are designed to prevent the [i']shooter[/i] from being blinded by his muzzle flash, not the target(s). And not leaving shell casings as clues is one reason most of the world uses bolt-action sniper-rifles...

Yeah well, I've shot a lot of guns but never one with a flash supressor. I got that data out of the Dark Champions book, but it did make for a better sounding story that way.

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Excellent as always, Edsel, but yeah, it did seem like the players got off fairly easy. Just as a side note, there are people in this world who are immune to the effects of CS gas -- I think it's like one in 200 or so and its a genetic thing. Those people are usually heavy smokers, too, for some reason. One of the guys in my training unit was immune, and boy did I feel sorry for the people who had to be in the gas room extra long while the Drill Sergeants that figured out. (I volunteered to be in the first group since I had a vague idea what was coming...)

 

Matt "My-eyes-are-burning-just-remembering-gas-training" Frisbee

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

This was the first time that the players ever used anything like CS gas on anyone. However since there were numerous survivors/witnesses I will now feel justified if their opponents plan for the possibility of gas whenever they knowingly face the Weekend Warriors. Since Penny Dreadful's gang has been having a lot of run-ins with the players she will certainly make allowances for this possibility.

 

By now I imagine that most of the organized criminals in Hudson City are going to be taking precautions against snipers as well since D-Man has sniped on several occasions.

 

I don't feel too bad about letting the players get away with a new tactic at least once.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

If the players make a good plan, the plan shouldn't be hijacked unless you have a good reason.

 

It's a hard balance to strike.

[Edsel]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

The gas ploy was a good idea and that's why it worked so well. With only three players available they needed such a trump card.

 

Using CS gas in a crowded bar seemed like it ought to be really effective. The enclosed, poorly ventilated, environment made it really nasty. One of the players was hoping to find some CN-DM (tear and vomit) and I'd bet they'd give BZ (basically aerosol LSD) a try sometime if I ever let them find a source for such a thing.

 

hopefully the players will keep in mind that CS is pretty common stuff. CN-DM is much less common (therefore more traceable) and I don't even know if BZ if even made any more. Officially I think that the US destroyed what stocks they had of it.

[Matt Frisbee]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Point blank: If the PC's can use it, the villains can use it, too. Plus, pepper spray is everywhere, and it is nearly as effective. (Sometimes more so in very crowded places like that bar in Chicago last year...) But to echo what Manic Typist said, a good plan should pay off and it did. You have smart players, Edsel -- cherish them. Maybe you could offer a place to sleep for your Tulsa commuter so the late night gaming could become more of a possibility...

 

Matt "Full-of-ideas-or-something-like-them" Frisbee

[Trebuchet]

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log

 

Yeah well' date=' I've shot a lot of guns but never one with a flash supressor. I got that data out of the Dark Champions book, but it did make for a better sounding story that way.[/quote']NP. You might suggest D-Man build a suppressor (commonly called a silencer) instead. While you can't truly silence a supersonic round you can reduce the sound signature considerably; and the gas absorbing chambers in suppressors often reduce muzzle flash as well.

 

How long until the HCPD puts up gunshot detectors like Chicago now has IRL (Boston just announced similar plans)?