graiae66

Re: New campaign, new member here... The writeup from adventure 3...by Weylan Game 2: A Prairie Home Companion Road Trip Game Date: April 3, 2006 Real Date: September 15, 2006 PCs: Aaron Roth, aka Nemesis (Stealth/Mentalist/Power Mimic) Tetsumito Kogashi, aka Bladerunner (Stealth/Speed/Martial Arts) “Mariah”(Mentalist?) NPCs: Professor Corbin Ellis (former para): Adjunct in Math, NC State Lumilla Rasakov (Enhanced perception, dexterity): Cat burglar Dr. Bernard Westendorf Game Summary Now ensconced in one of Netwalker’s safe houses that is serving as their base of operations, the resistance cell decides to abscond with some of the Hyche vaccine as well as data and notes on its use. After some research, they decide on the Genetics Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As they make preparations, they decide to question someone who had taken the vaccine. Tetsumito (in the clever guise of college student, uh, Tetsumito) questions Professor Corbin Ellis at NC State about the vaccine process, who said said it was an all-day affair; he was pretty loopy so he doesn’t remember much except they gave the vaccine to him through an IV drip. Ellis was nervous when the student told him of his unregistered status, and then indignant when Tetsumito questioned him about his choice of the vaccine. Ellis called in the PRA as soon as the student left. The group went northward on the 4th, tooling along in a Honda Accord provided by Netwalker to meet a contact also provided by Netwalker. At the swanky Lorenzo’s in Chicago, they meet with Lumilla Rasakov, an unregistered para and cat burglar. They outline the plan, and she agrees to help for a vial of the vaccine. Lumilla give them a detailed list of electronics and other equipment, and they spend several hours going to multiple stores to pick everything up. Mayo Clinic In Rochester, the group gets a motel, and stakes out the Mayo Clinic. Nemesis and Bladerunner case the parking lot while Mariah sits in the waiting room of the Genetic Center and notes the names of the staff. With some internet access and deduction, they get a basic profile of five doctors who might have access to such things as codes and procedures. The group stakes out the homes of two; unfortunately, both have numerous kids and a dog. They finally decide to catch one, Bernard Westendorf, while he rides his bike through a park. Mariah plays a jogger, but while she plans to trip and collide with the doctor, she misses and bangs her knees. As Westendorf stops to help her, Bladerunner zips out of the woods and injects the victim with a tranq using a small needle. After a few moments, he gets woozy and collapses. Maria sifts through his memories for access codes, procedures, security and layouts, while the other two get retinal photos and a handprint. Among other things, they find the process is a day-long affair, and usually requires two vials of vaccine mixed into Ringers solution. The doctor wakes a short while later with Maria bent over him looking concerned. With all the necessary intel, they contact Lumilla. At two in the morning, they make their move, slipping past various electronic security measures. Lumilla loads two flash drives with data from Dr. Westendorf’s computer, and the others get into the refrigerated vault and get all six vials of vaccine, and manage to get out without killing or even alerting the security guard. They give Lumilla two vials, and she gives them one of the flash drives and leaves. They take a leisurely drive back to the safehouse, where Mariah begins working on analysis of the vaccine. Among the files, they find a list of names of people who have taken the vaccine. The list shows a 92% success rate, 4% failure; 3% develop autoimmune disorders but keep their powers, and !% die immediately. Several of the successes have since disappeared. When this last bit was reported to Netwalker, he/she/it seemed quite perturbed. The next day, when Aaron gave Prototype two vials of vaccine and a copy of the flash drive, she likewise seemed rather nervous. He shadowed her to a house similar to the group’s safehouse, only with more security. Netwalker says that to make up for the shortfall in manpower, the PRA is trying to recruit implanted paras, without much success. The Upshot: The super-secret vaccine has been compromised and is being studied by multiple sources. The PRA, which was stretched thin, has even more places it is trying to cover. Aaron knows where another safehouse is, although whether that is Netwalker’s base or just Prototype’s hideout isn’t known. Ramifications: The Bad -Security at PRA complexes has improved; now the vaccine centers will be upgraded as well. PAUS teams will modify their tactics. -It won’t take a wild leap of intuition to connect a sword-wielding killer ninja with a Japanese student who is an unregistered para, even if his passport is a cover. The Good: -The vaccine is now being analyzed. The figures show that side effects have been covered up by the manufacturer and possibly the FDA. This info can be useful against the anti-paras. -PRA and PAUS forces are spread thin. Quoteworthy Nemesis: “I thought ninjas were supposed to be subtle.” Bladerunner: “I am when I have the suit on.” – after the interview at NC State

Re: New campaign, new member here... Mercifully, Weylan took the XP bait and wrote up session 2. We play again on the 15th. Dee Game 2: Lunatic in my Head Game Date: March 17, 2006 Real Date: September 1, 2006 PCs: Aaron Roth, aka Nemesis (Stealth/Mentalist/Power Mimic) Tetsumito Kogashi, aka Bladerunner (Stealth/Speed/Martial Arts) “Mariah”(Mentalist?) NPCs: Firebrand (Energy projector/Flight) Synthesis (Telepath) Cracker (Gadgeteer/ “Technopath”) Cal/Madog (shapeshifter) PAUS team Well trained security guards Game Summary Aaron Roth, aka Nemesis, was waiting for a contact at a bar when the TV flashed to a paranormal attack on the FBI building in Raleigh. The structure was ablaze when a PAUS team showed up and engaged the perpetrators. Roth was on the move when he got a call from the modulated voice of Netwalker, who asked if he could meet the attackers and get an assessment of the situation. A short while later, Nemesis picks up Bladerunner, and they head to a construction site near Duke University. Two vans, one looking rather well-worn, were parked inside the 8’ fence. Inside the nicer van is a woman feverishly trying to stop a patient’s bleeding while another woman watches anxiously; a very large wolf paces the fence. These three--the wolf, the wounded female, and the anxious woman--are apparently the people who attacked the FBI building: Firebrand, Madog, and Cracker. Everyone is initially somewhat mistrustful (except Cracker, who is unconscious and critically wounded), but dropping Netwalker’s name seems to make the group more reasonable. After Mariah stabilizes the woman, they go to the terrorists’ hideout a few miles out of town. Mariah continues working; thoughts of settling in are fleeting, as the Durham crowd finds out that one of the terrorists –a telepath – was captured. Netwalker supplies them with a safe house in which to regroup and take stock. Firebrand, the hot-headed leader of the cell, says that the PAUS team probably wouldn’t have been in the city if it hadn’t been for the series of bank robberies the previous month. When she leaves Cracker’s side, Mariah is briefly but probingly questioned about her paranormal status by Nemesis; she is quite reluctant to discuss matters. It is decided that they must free the para prisoner, despite the hazards. Together, the locals cook up a plan, using the two functional strangers to draw off some or all of the PAUS team; Firebrand and Madog go to start a ruckus at a BATF facility (a logical target). Netwalker procures an ambulance, and manages to zap a technician in the PRA building and fields the resulting 911 call. The ambulance enters the compound, and the Durham team (in nondescript but professional-looking coveralls and billed caps – the men sporting fake mustaches and dark glasses) are escorted into a lab in the basement level. As Mariah appears to check on the injured man, Bladerunner throws shuriken to disable the cameras and Nemesis punches the security guard escorting them. The guard turns and shoots him in the arm. In moments, an ice-caster appears from the elevator and shatters the glass wall of the lab. Then, two more para agents come out of the lab next door, and general violence ensues. In addition to the woman wielding ice powers, one PAUS agent is able to alter the environment while the other seems to have astonishing luck and perhaps even alters probability matrices. Each member of the team manages to slow PAUS agents down enough for Bladerunner to rush in and cut them down with his sword. With the agents dead or bleeding, the team recovers the unconscious telepath in the next lab. Samples had already been sent off, and the two scientists cowering in the corner are of little help. Still, the Durham group collect the prisoner and (with Bladerunner assisting the wounded Mariah) head up the elevator. Instead of getting out on the first floor or top floor, they exit onto the second floor, break a window, and jump onto the ambulance roof. Once they leave the scene, they cut the lights and drive sedately for a mile or so before ditching the vehicle and walking back to the safe house. Firebrand and Madog are battered, but they were successful in torching the BATF building and drawing off three PAUS agents from the PRA facility; one, a telepath, is dead. Nemesis berates Firebrand for the initial attack (which Netwalker had no knowledge of), saying it was senseless and only hurt the para cause. He tells her to let Netwalker do the planning from now on. Firebrand’s team determines to leave the city as soon as all are well enough to travel; they will carry Netwalker’s secure cell phones but won’t reveal where they are going. The Upshot: Three of the six-member PAUS team are dead (the telepath from BATF, the environment changer from the PRA building, and the probability changer from the PRA building). The FBI and BATF offices are in flames. The PRA has some physical data from the captured para and descriptions of all the terrorists, and probably have rough descriptions of the Durham cell. Firebrand’s team escaped. Ramifications: The Bad -Security at PRA complexes will improve. PAUS teams will modify their tactics. -The existence of active paras in the Triangle is confirmed. The PRA have some descriptions of the people involved, and they know someone has O negative blood. (But it’s not clear to the PCs if the PRA knows exactly whose blood it is). -Firebrand’s action will be a boon to anti-para factions, who will likely play up the notion of an imminent para terrorism threat. The Good: -Other paras might take notice; this might aid in the formation of the resistance movement or the strengthening of the fledgling movement that already exists. -If they move quickly, pro-para factions might be able to spin this into a civil rights issue rather than a terrorism issue.

Re: New campaign, new member here... I'd meant to try and get this posted much earlier. We finally seem to have our lives settled enough for the two regular PCs and a new PC to join the game and keep it rolling on a regular basis (for us, that's about twice a month--luckily we're neighbors and married to each other--one PC to me, the other two PCs to each other, handily enough). Anyway, here is the log from Adventure 1. The lazy players didn't take the extra XP bait, but I think they will do the writing from here on out. dee

Re: New campaign, new member here... And *ultimately* that is why she is doing it--altruism and wanting to do the right thing. There are now some, hmmm, complicating factors, but at heart, Prototype is a caring do-good type. Dee

Re: New campaign, new member here... Thanks, and you make a fine point. It would be boring of me to make Merck totally without some kind of remorse and/or ameliorating factors. I'm not quite sure what those will be, but it's given me something to think about. I believe the day I worked on the Merck part of the campaign was when NPR broke the bit about how the company had KNOWN the adverse effects of Vioxx...and released it anyway, but kept the side effects quiet. What ARE they doing with the HPV vaccine anyway? Isn't that the one that some scientists are suggesting be given to girls as young as 9 and 10 (hopefully before they are sexually active) to prevent cervical cancer? Or am I wrong? Science isn't my strong suit... I'm all for stopping cervical cancer. I would worry, though, about long-range effects in such a young population. dee

Re: New campaign, new member here...

Re: New campaign, new member here... In fact, she tipped the heroes off to this very suspicion last game...now they have to find the hard evidence. One of the questions is, why is the number of paras being hidden? Why is the truth being kept hush hush? All things the players should be wondering...

Re: Black Widow revisited Aha, I like the Ryan connection! Amazing what history professors can do sometimes...;0

Re: New campaign, new member here... Thanks, everyone, for the ideas. To answer Ephelides' question, we're still working on the rest of the world. One player is writing up Britain, the other Japan, and we'll fill in the rest of the holes gradually, I think. Ultimately, Prototype IS a good guy. She has a desire to help, no megalomania, and definitely hasn't the training or inclination to hurt paranormals. I took several ideas from y'all, and kind of rolled them into her personality profile. I finished her stats and such a couple days ago, but I'm still working on her complete background. So I very much appreciate all the help with brainstorming. I asked Weylan if he'd write up the first adventure log and post it, so maybe he'll find the time to do that soon. Thanks again, Dee

Re: New campaign, new member here... OK, well, back to brainstorming. One NPC the players have met (so yeah, it's all right for me to talk about her on here) is a normal who helps out paranormals. Her code name is Prototype, and it was from her POV that the player handout was made. (No, she's not a lawyer OR a history professor ) She acts as a go-between, for example, and is as good as Sidney Bristow at disguising her appearance when she wants to do so. (Do you remember the Alias episode with the color hairspray and the animal print sticky contact paper "skirt"? Amazing). I have some ideas why a normal would want to help paranormals in such a way--she is risking her life--but they're all kind of trite ("My mommy was a para and they took her away and left me all alone" or "I believe in a greater good" stuff). I'm looking for a new spin on things. Any thoughts? dee

Re: Campaign Log: The J-Crew Well, it has the right Whedonesque feel. So this is a defunct campaign? Too bad. What sorts of things are you running these days?

Re: New campaign, new member here... I was referring not to the present in that statement, but to the past...Yes, by WW II, Hawaii was an official territory. Doesn't excuse the fact that the legitimate government years before had been usurped by the US. Anti-intellectual? In many ways, yes. But there was also a tremendous push for education in the math, sciences and foreign languages to keep up with the Russians in the Cold War/Space Race (which most historians agree started around 1946-48). And the US Congress has done some really foolish decision making over the years. FWIW, a lot of people did NOT support McCarthy, and although a lot of lives were ruined, he did finally get knocked down pretty hard in the end. Maybe so, but the writer is looking at it in retrospect, giving her own historiographical spin on things. Again, bending/twisting some real history for the game...Stanford greatly improved on Rhine's track record, but I didn't dwell overlong on that. But I'll certainly give CSICOP a look. (Just did) I'd certainly appreciate more information. I'm not a lawyer. I got the idea from the way Julian May set up the law for parapsychics in her "Intervention" and "Galactic Milieu" books. I liked the model, so I borrowed it. Total points on skills, in case someone wants to come up with a small power, lots of skills... I'm a little dismayed that you didn't realize that I was NOT trying to write down a completely accurate history of the US from the 1920s to the present, and then sticking in paranormals on the side. I was trying to take a skeleton of US history, and then change things so that the existence of heroes and the present state of paranormal affairs would come to the point (for the start of the game) that I wanted. Again, if I implied in any way that I was writing accurate and real world history, I apologize. Vassoom essentially summed it up nicely--I tweaked historical realism to make it fit the world I wanted. IF you want the real history, let's see, I teach US to 1865 on MW and US from 1865 on TR. Dee

Re: Campaign Log: The J-Crew I'm loving this, especially (as Vasoom said), the episode titles. Are you Joss Whedon slumming? The blend is pretty unique. I'll definitely keep reading. dee

Re: Weekend Warriors -- Campaign Log WOW. I've just had to skim and get the gist of things, but way to go on running such a regular and detailed campaign. I'm jealous! Totally agree with keeping all the records, like you said. I keep a database of all NPCs (the players help me out), and it's indispensible. Ditto on the game log, though ours are not as nice and detailed. Dee

Re: New campaign, new member here... Points well taken, and everyone is right about the stupid players. Even I've been a stupid player on occasion. About the Owens-Parr Act, points well taken--One of the things I am working on is drafting the actual legislation, but the intent of the law was never to define paranormals "automatically" as hostile simply because they had odd abilities--yet that's exactly what happened. (I thought I might even have one of the pair, Owen or Parr, backtrack on the law's passage at some point, stating "I never meant it to be that way!" Too late, dude). The interpretation of the law went awry, overboard, and too far in a "better be safe than sorry" direction, spearheaded (behind the scenes, actually) by the PRA. The model I was looking at, if it wasn't already apparent, was based on the sorts of things that started happening in Nazi Germany. The government took little steps at first--curfews, limits on public transport, etc. Then, the effects on various members of the population became much more brutal and harsh and then finally genocidal because of religious beliefs, sexual preferences, or even national/ethnic origin. (And I'm not letting the US off the hook--between the treatment of the Nisei and various other ethnic groups in this country, we've done some pretty awful things). Anyway, bottom line is that I agree--there are two separate issues at work here that need addressing. My short term goal is getting the players involved in the "underground" which Prototype and some colleagues are leading. Thanks for reading-I'll keep you posted! Dee