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GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, Company Log

July 8, 2023 No comments

Date Course Knots NM Notes
31 Dec 1724 Ashore
Refit complete; ship christened Graceful Dame, launched, anchored in Kingston Bay
1 Jan 1725 Ashore
Ventured inland to query Old Tom regarding Morgan’s Coin
2 Jan 1725 Ashore
Dove in Port Royal for Morgan’s Coin; began provisioning for voyage
3 Jan 1725 Ashore
Provisioning, continued
4 Jan 1725 SE 4 72
Cleared Kingston and put to sea in AM
5 Jan 1725 SE-NE 4-2½ 84 At sea
6 Jan 1725 NE 2½ 62
Arrived at île-à-Vache before noon; entered Ferret Bay and went ashore
Ashore
Rumjack entered port after noon; Mr. Ned Long threatened company with death.
Rescued Ms. “Dora,” fled bay during confusion
SE 4 35½
Departed Île-à-Vache in PM
7 Jan 1725 SE 3½ 83½
Hove-to for guardacosta inspection
8 Jan 1725 SE-NE 4 94
Favorable weather. Passed S of Isle de la Beata in AM
9 Jan 1725 NE 3½ 89
Passed French schooner in PM, headed W. Shifted torn sail for spare.
10 Jan 1725 Ashore
Arrived at Santo Domingo around midnight
11 Jan 1725 Ashore
Shifty hanged in AM.
12 Jan 1725 Ashore
Took on provisions; cleared port after noon
EbSE 5¾ 63
Mr. Moggridge on light duty due to illness
13 Jan 1725 EbSE 5¾ 132
Sail sighted ahead at noon, Princess Mary, hailed for news.
Mr. Moggridge on light duty due to illness
14 Jan 1725 EbSE 6¼ 150
Performed divine service. Mr. Moggridge on light duty due to illness.
Strange man from the sea leapt aboard, and leapt away
15 Jan 1725 EbSE 6¼ 150
Mr. Bold employed fixing hull leak.
Mr. Moggridge on light duty due to illness
16 Jan 1725 EbSE 6 144
Favorable wind shift.
Mr. Moggridge on light duty due to illness
17 Jan 1725 EbSE-NNE 6-4½ 89
Tacked NNE in AM. Winds shifting unfavorably.
Mr. Moggridge on light duty due to illness
18 Jan 1725 Ashore
Arrived at Barbados very early AM; waited for sunrise to enter port. Rumjack entered port in PM.
19 Jan 1725 Ashore
Purchased 2 tuns cotton for sale at St. Kitts, 1 tun spiced rum.
A shore expedition (Sir Randel, Dr. Spenser, Mr. Palange, and Mr. Lucroy – visit the ‘devil’s house’ where they have a strange encounter
Cpt. Hayden & LT Rogers meet with Cpt. Lockhart
20 Jan 1725 Ashore
Departed Bridgetown in convoy with Princess Mary afternoon
NbNW 5½ 62¼
21 Jan 1725 NbNW-W 5½ 116½
Rescued Cpt. Dufresne & Crew in a.m.
in p.m., encounter Charon (?), observe Pelican take Rumjack (now dead ship)
22 Jan 1725 NbNW 6¾ 142
Arrived at Saint Kitts very early in a.m
23 Jan 1725 Ashore
Sold 2 tuns cotton; purchased 2 tuns goods for sale at Port-de-Paix
24 Jan 1725 Ashore
Took aboard passenger, Geoffrey de Saloman
25 Jan 1725 WNW 10½ 177½
Departed St. Kitts in AM. Light rain AM, and Evening.
Passed S of St. Thomas, N coast Puerto Rico
Dutch flute sighted heading SW
26 Jan 1725 WNW 7½ 182¾
27 Jan 1725 W/WNW 6¼ 146½
On middle watch, narrowly avoided uncharted reef
28 Jan 1725 W/WNW 7½ 196¼
Arrived at Port-de-Paix after midnight, anchored until AM
29 Jan 1725 Ashore
Accompanied Mr. de Saloman to duel Dutchman (?), Falko Rijnders, at nearby island; Dr. Spenser meets Mdme Cassandra
30 Jan 1725 Ashore
31 Jan 1725 Ashore
Sir Randel, Dr Spenser, Lt. Rogers and Cpt. Hayden attend a party
1 Feb 1725 WbNW 4¼ 72½
2 Feb 1725 WbNW 4 94½
3 Feb 1725
WbNW-NNW
 6 148½
Encountered British schooner under-manned due to impressment by Navy vessel; Geoffrey de Saloman agreed to captain for them, departed company
4 Feb 1725 NNW 8¾ 210¾
Arrived at Nassau just before midnight
5 Feb 1725 Ashore
Delivered message to Raynard Adler, who paid agreed-upon 1s
Rescued merchant’s daughter, Rogers and Bold injured
Discovered Cpt. Doyle as behind the attack
6 Feb 1725 Ashore
La Dame Blanche at port; Sir Randel joins Mr. Boissonade at meeting with Captain Morgan expert, discovered to be “Handsome Ned” Long, who is apparently not dead
7 Feb 1725 Ashore
8 Feb 1725 Ashore
9 Feb 1725 Ashore
Ms. Dora recovered her former captain’s pocketwatch from a local sailor
10 Feb 1725 Ashore
11 Feb 1725 Ashore
La Dame Blanche departed in AM
12 Feb 1725 NW
Departed Nassau in AM; winds increasingly gusty
Ashore
Arrived at Harbour Island in PM; secured for bad weather
Dora kidnapped, rescued
13 Feb 1725 Ashore
Detained for questioning by Lt. Brace of the Hazard, and released
SWbW 8¾ 52¼
Put to sea in PM
14 Feb 1725 SWbW 7¾
WNW 10½
Entered Gt. Bahama Bank
SWbW 7¾ 175¾
Evaded pursuit by unknown vessel in eve
15 Feb 1725 WbSW 5-8 107
In Florida Channel current. Nearly becalmed around midday
16 Feb 1725 WbSW 3¼ 31½
Ashore
Arrived at Havana late AM
17 Feb 1725 Ashore
18 Feb 1725 Ashore
19 Feb 1725 Ashore
20 Feb 1725
Cleared port before noon, with passenger, Amira Inara Muñoz
Stranded Spanish sloop sighted. Did not assist-appeared capable
21 Feb 1725
22 Feb 1725
23 Feb 1725
24 Feb 1725
Arrived at Campeche before sundown
25 Feb 1725 Ashore
Dinner with Gordon Reade, Maurice Boissonade, and company
Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E11

June 3, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-XI. Ashore in the Yucatán. Sunday, March 4, 1725 Anno Domini

  • Having discovered what he thinks is the entrance to the Treasury, Sir Randel advises the members of his company and then arranges for everyone to go to that hole the following morning in small groups or individually so as to not draw attention.
  • On Monday morning, March 4, the crew rappel down into the cave and begin exploring. Their explorations lead them to what seems to be a small construction buried deep within the cave; within is a single, small strongbox filled with old coins. A treasure, indeed, but not that impressive of a haul.
  • As the crew are discussing next actions, everything shifts around them without them noticing. There is suddenly a large solid gold two-headed snake statue. Each member of the crew has a sudden and intense flash of future individual memory that was bought by a mountain of gold.
  • As they are recovering and bickering, one of the many shadows coalesces into Mister Gordon Reade who rambles about how he is the Steward of this treasure and none of it will leave this place. More shadows seem to gain human-like shape and the crew begins to withdraw toward a doorway … that might not have been there before.
  • The flight of the expedition leads them into a stone maze of some sort, during which there is a quick scuffle between Misters Lucroy and Palange who have been more badly affected by the intense greed that afflicts the entire crew; blood is drawn and the image of Mister Reade cackles. Good! The Treasury requires a blood sacrifice! Sir Randel snaps at the two, intent on shouting some sense back into them.
  • With the faceless shadows still pursuing them, the crew enters a vast treasure room which Mister Lucroy all but dives into. The others alternately pick some pieces or look for another exit.
  • To Doctor Spenser’s eyes, each member of the expedition have barely visible two-headed snakes wrapped around their necks, which he takes to be a curse of some sort. Recalling the Irish faerie tales he frequently reads, he murmurs something in old Gaelic and then, serendipitously discovers an old leather bottle filled with druid water. He splashes some upon himself, feeling the curse lift immediately.
  • Mister Reade reappears while this is happening, and Sir Randel, unsure how to proceed any further, calls out a challenge. As the two men are approaching one another, though, Mister Palange fires The Gun at Mister Reade and the shot seems to blow the man apart like he was a shadow!
  • Having been splashed by the rapidly dwindling druid water, the crew are once more back in control of their senses and begin looking for a way to escape. Once more, the two-headed snake statue is present, now next to a great pit filled with corpses of varying ages. After some discussion, the crew decide to simply toss the statue into the pit, even as they can sense that it disapproves. The moment the statue strikes the bottom, the entire Treasury trembles and begins to shake. It is definitely time to flee!
  • The crew flee back toward the large pile of treasure, with some of them pausing briefly to grab several handfuls, before darting toward the tunnel they hope will lead to safety. Behind them, the ceiling begins falling in and the crew must run faster! They emerge once in that small construction within the cave, nearly tripping over the small strongbox which is quickly snatched up.
  • Outside the small building, they are surprised to discover Mister Reade’s body. He is clutching at his chest and has an agonized look on his face.
  • Retracing their steps to the hole, they are surprised to discover Mister Long loitering above them. He informs them that his Master is going to be very displeased at what they’ve done before he instructs some unseen helpers to begin.
  • And to the horror of the crew, an immense stone slab is slid over the top of the hole, cutting off all light. The crew … is trapped.

Player Notes:

  • Full house for a change.
  • As mentioned previously, I’ve skipped over a lot of stuff in an attempt to keep the outline short … and even still, its too long.
  • The “druid water” stuff I pulled out of nowhere came from an Irish faerie tale I discovered called “The Greedy Fox” – it didn’t really go into any crazy detail about what “druid water” is or does, but the GM rolled with it and let it remove the magical Greed. I used the last of the water in the game by pouring it on the statue (though that did nothing), but Spenser is absolutely keeping the bottle.
  • I think CommJunkee was mildly irked at Andricus for stealing his moment with the gunshot even though it made perfect sense.
  • Gigermann grumbled that the final escape was as life-threatening as he anticipated, but based on Spenser’s encumbrance levels – he was literally a half pound from entering Light – I calculated that if he’d grabbed the basic lift of treasure like everyone else, he’d have been shifted into Medium encumbrance, which would reduce his Move to 3 … which meant the collapsing ceiling would have buried him. So it was a good thing Spenser didn’t grab any treasure apart from what he already had…
  • I think the hard cut-off time and late start messed with Gigermann’s plan – I was expecting a fight of some sort and I think that might have made things flow a little better? Not sure.
  • Gigermann has mentioned maybe doing a one-off session 12 later in the year to act as a denouement or follow-up to properly end the season. Time will tell.
  • Next week we’re doing a Session 0 for our impending GURPS Star Wars game.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E10

May 26, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-X. Ashore at Campeche, Yucatán. Wednesday, March 1, 1725 Anno Domini

  • The night before the expedition sets out, Mister Lucroy has an odd Dream about the Old Man. Monsieur Boissonade is present in the dream as well, though Mister Lucroy cannot interact with him.
  • The expedition sets out with a Señor Juan Chipahua as their guide. They have multiple porters and donkeys.
  • Late in the day, a pair of skulkers ambush them with a rudimentary cannon, firing a burst of grapeshot into the middle of their party. Three of the porters are hit and Mister Davino is narrowly missed. Even as Doctor Spenser scrambles toward the porters to triage their injuries, the other members of the expedition seek cover in expectations of a second barrage while Mister Davino charges toward the attackers, his blood up. The ambushers opt to flee but one of them is dropped with a spectacular shot by Captain Hayden. Once he is stabilized and interrogated, they learn only that a fellow going by the name “Fish” hired them to delay the expedition.
  • Following the overnight camp, it is decided to send the wounded back on donkeys, even though Doctor Spenser greatly dislikes this. From there, the rest of the expedition continues onward, eventually reaching a cenote camping site. That evening, while Captain Hayden is on watch, he hears a splash and sees Señor Chipahua floating in the water, facedown. The alarm is raised, Sir Randel and Doctor Spenser retrieve Señor Chipahua, and the doctor is able to stabilise him. In the process, he is able to determine that Señor Chipahua is suffering from snake poison, but there are no signs of a snake bite though it could be a dart. The expedition looks for a dart but finds none.
  • In the morning, Sir Randel talks the porters out of abandoning the trip. Doctor Spenser notes that one of the men seems suspiciously uncomfortable.
  • It is another long day of hiking. Doctor Spenser has a … moment, where he finds himself back in Bedlam being pressured to sign a document admitting that he is mad in order to see his wife, but he refuses, and the doctor morphs into the Master of Crows who mocks him and states that no one will trust him now. And indeed, the rest of the expedition is there, staring at him in confusion as he rants at a tree stump.
  • Sir Randel engages the suspicious fellow during a stop, pressuring the man to admit that he too was paid by the “Fish” person to use a blowgun against Señor Chipahua. Mister Lucroy discovers the blowgun in the man’s pack, and the porter flees. Sir Randel gets off an expertly placed leg shot, though it only seems a glancing strike at first (though the amount of blood is worrying). Monsieur Auclair’s temper flares and charges into the jungle, bellowing that he’s going to kill the traitor; he returns soon after, claiming the man seems to have bled out. Doctor Spenser follows-up on this and, indeed, Sir Randel’s shot seems to have struck an artery. The expedition does not simply leave the body in the open; instead giving him a proper Christian burial with Captain Hayden speaking some words over the body.
  • They continue on the following day, reaching what they presume to be The Treasury late. Monsieur Boissonade has his own destination to seek and Sir Randel follows his intuition, using the Compass to identify where he thinks the Treasury entrance is. With Doctor Spenser tagging along behind him, they find an open hole in the ground … and see the glint of gold…

Player Notes:

  • Full house.
  • Really late recap. I have no real excuse apart from laziness. Again, trying to minimize the size of these recaps … could probably cut some stuff out of this one as well be see before-mentioned laziness.
  • During the flashback section at the beginning, it is established the Mister Lucroy discovered and decided to keep the Ring that Doctor Spenser abandoned.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E09

May 3, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-IX. Ashore at Campeche, Yucatán. Sunday, February 25, 1725 Anno Domini

  • The command crew are summoned to the Graceful Dame in the wake of the shark-man attack. As far as Doctor Spenser can tell, this is just a shark even though Mister Davino is insistent that it was a man when he shot it.
  • Back at Mister Reade’s hacienda, strange noises wake several members of the crew, with Sir Randel and Captain Hayden investigating first and discovering a group of arsonists trying to burn down the house! A fight ensues, with Sir Randel expertly dropping several of the foes while looking positively awesome as Captain Hayden drops one with a well-placed gunshot. Doctor Spenser enters the fray but it is already basically over at that point.
  • Interrogating the survivors reveals that they were hired by “Benito the Fence” which further enrages Mister Reade. He offers to pay for the entire expedition if they can bring Benito to him.
  • The following day, while Captain Hayden and Doctor Spenser plot the expedition’s route inland along with Mister Reade’s maps, Sir Randel and Leftenant Rogers seek out Benito … and easily capture him. From him they learn that he was hired by the tall, ugly man (who apparently turned into a shark and is now dead) and a woman that the crew also saw.
  • The crew spend several days preparing for the expedition and, on the morning of March 1, Captain Hayden does not wake…

Player Notes:

  • Down both Claude (Mel) and Davino’s (Andricus) players. Mel was out due to Herodian’s abrupt passing.
  • As before, I’m actively trying to minimize these outlines to avoid writing a novel. This time I have seriously managed to trim it down!
  • Nosh’s decision to have Leftenant Rogers remain aboard the ship caught the GM by surprise and forced him to take a brief intermission to recalculate some stuff.
  • As we flipped over into March, Captain Hayden had to make a HT check due to Terminally Ill … and critically failed! We thought that he was going to straight up die, but evidently Gigermann had previously adjusted the Basic mechanics for the Terminally Ill Disadvantage to make it a little more “effective” during the campaign. See here for details. As I understand it, Captain Hayden will lose 1 FP and his Chronic Pain is increased from mild to severe.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E08

April 27, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-VIII. Ashore at Campeche, Yucatán. Sunday, February 25, 1725 Anno Domini

  • Arriving at the specified hacienda, the command crew of the Graceful Dame meet Mister Gordon Reade who is attended by Monsieur Boissonade and his own command crew. Dinner is served.
  • Mister Reade is evidently the sole survivor of an expedition to find the Treasury and is greatly interested in Sir Randel’s plans as well as that of Monsieur Boissonade. He even goes so far as to suggest the two men join forces, something that sits poorly on them.
  • Following the dinner, Doctor Spenser abruptly experiences a powerful headache and momentarily sees a two-headed snake wrapped around Mister Reade’s neck, though he does not know what to think of that.
  • After a game of billiards and some additional chat, Mister Reade extends an offer for the command crew to remain in his hacienda, an offer he’s already extended to Monsieur Boissonade.
  • The following morning, the crew depart the hacienda to accomplish individual goals, intending on attempting to solve the riddle that Sir Randel has regarding the Treasury. Along the way, they observe a corpse being hauled from the bay, victim of a shark attack it seems, and recognize him as one of Monsieur Boissonade’s crew.
  • Following a brief visitor to the collector, Imran Wasil Ferrón, who examines Mister Davino’s massive gun and copies pertinent logs, the command crew put their heads together to solve the riddle which points them toward a nearby fort. To ensure they are not followed, Leftenant Rogers puts them through some counter-surveillance techniques.
  • At the fort just before the sun sets, they manage to convince the guards to allow them in and Sir Randel secures the Compass in the appropriate location. This leads them to notice an odd reflection deeper into the interior and they take note of the location … and then, on the opposite side of the fort at the beach, several of them observe Mister Ned Long, the strange woman and the ugly, tall man waiting … as a fourth figure emerges from the ocean, naked and just as ugly as the third. This new quartet disappears out of sight soon after.
  • Later that evening, Mister Davino is back aboard the Dame on watch when he hears a loud thump and finds himself frozen into place somehow. The great ugly man snatches Misericordia from him, then taunts him when he shoves the weapon back in his hand. Mister Davino fires once and the man collapses, a fire seeming to burn from within. In seconds, the man is gone … and only a great, dead shark is now on the deck!

Player Notes:

  • Down Claude’s player as she recovered from outpatient surgery.
  • The party ended up being a bit more confusing than I think it was intended, mostly due to the players apparently not quite understanding what our objective was. That was, probably, a fail on both sides as the players didn’t think it through and the GM thought we had.
  • This was the first time that Spenser has seen magical effects after having gained some minor “spells” … I’m still leaning toward Spirit Communication being his next one but I’m not wholly positive if that’s what it’ll end up being…
  • Amusingly, Davino’s player will be out next week, right after he blasted his first real supernatural critter.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E07

April 12, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-VII. Ashore at Campeche, Yucatán. Sunday, February 25, 1725 Anno Domini

  • With Sir Randel visibly fighting the impulse to draw his pistol and shoot Ned Long once more, Miss Inara takes initiative and intercepts the Mercurio’s captain, claiming to be a relative of the Lieutenant Captain-General sent to check for any mail. Using a pretty smile, fluttering eyelashes and innate charm, she obtains the damning letter and returns to Sir Randel.
  • Meanwhile, Sir Randel intercepts Mister Long and warns him not to cause more trouble, though the man feigns ignorance and pretends to not know him. Mister Long does react oddly at the sight of another unfamiliar woman who is watching the whole encounter.
  • The crew split to accomplish individual tasks. Leftenant Rogers is intercepted by a servant who is seeking out Sir Randel to deliver an invitation to dinner from Master Gordon Reade. Mister Palange attends Mass at the Catholic church, noting first the presence of a visiting red-garbed priest named Juan Fernando de Prado and then Mister Moggridge who discreetly asks that he not mention his presence here to any of the crew as it would go poorly for the sailor to be revealed as a Papist. Later, Mister Davino will link up with Doctor Spenser to examine and determine which two of the four pound guns they will be making the attempt to sell.
  • Leftenant Rogers returns to the ship just in time for Mister Hooper to announce to Captain Hayden that the ‘big, ugly guy’ he saw watching the ship at Harbour Island is back. The captain decides to take Leftenant Rogers, Doctor Spenser, Mister Palange and Mister Hooper to intercept this stranger in order to determine why the man appears to be following them. They find him with a strange woman (who will later be identified as the one that caused Ned Long to react oddly), but upon their approach, the ugly man simply looks at them … and sends Leftenant Rogers, Doctor Spenser and Mister Hooper fleeing in unexpected terror. Mister Palange draws his weapon and nearly shoots at the man, but does not at the captain’s order. The crew withdraw in baffled confusion, with Doctor Spenser insisting that they were just assaulted by magic.
  • Sir Randel meets a collector named Imran Wasil Ferrón who is very interested in the sword … and Geoffrey de Saloman’s activities. He pays a substantial amount of money for both, and then makes a subtle inquiry about The Gun that Mister Palange possesses, though Sir Randel pretends to be ignorant.
  • Sir Randel and Miss Inara return to the ship in the aftermath of the strange encounter with the two strangers on the beach, and the former extends the offer for the partners to join him at the dinner. He looks for Mister Lucroy who has mysteriously disappeared. The partners separate to prepare for dinner.
  • In his room at the hotel, Doctor Spenser is cleaning up his clothes as much as possible when a young mulatto woman knocks on his door. She strikes up a conversation and the doctor quickly realizes that this is Madam Cassandra … somehow in a different body. They converse, with him mentioning Damian Rush as he shows her the ring which she recoils from upon touching; now he – Rush – knows where she is! She claims to represent an order of reason attempting to help humanity determine its own destiny and not be slaves to supernatural forces, but as before, she generally answers his questions with riddles though she does warn him against trusting Damien Rush. As she exits, she tells him that he’ll need to rescue his friend and indeed, he finds Miss Dora staring confusedly at a young man kneeling before her and pledging his undying love and appreciation. Doctor Spenser sends the youngster along.
  • The partners gather, along with Miss Inara and Miss Dora but not Mister Lucroy who has managed to stay hidden, and head to the hacidenda for this dinner. Inside, they are escorted to a large dining room. At the table is sitting a smirking Maurice Boissonade and Mister Reade stands. He would honored if they would join him.

Player Notes:

  • Full house for a change. And amusingly, no game next week as Ronnke, the guy who handles the streaming, is out due to work and the slacker GM pounced on that as a chance to have a bye week so he ould “catch up.”
  • As mentioned previously, I’ve skipped over a lot of stuff in an attempt to keep the outline short … and even still, its too long.
  • Payne’s player mentioned trying to turn Lucroy into a sort of batman or aide, but (s)he has quirk-level Shyness and was thus elsewhere when the time came to go to the party. We’ve also consistently joked that Claudia would eventually be revealed to be Payne’s daughter, but the GM keeps resisting this.
  • As a player, I’m guessing the dude on the beach had the Terror advantage, but that whole encounter didn’t play out like any of us expected. Will be interested to see what’s going on with those individuals.
  • As Spenser’s player, I’m curious about my general decision to trust Cassandra but not Rush. Realistically, he shouldn’t trust either of them because they speak in riddles and are clearly trying to use him for their own means. I’m going to try & keep that in mind the next time Spenser meets with either of them.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E06

April 6, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-VI. Havana, Cuba. Tuesday, February 20, 1725 Anno Domini

  • The crew of the Graceful Dame, sans Sir Randel who has not yet joined them, prepare to set sail.
  • Sir Randel finally arrives, in a terrible mood, he immediately begins ranting to Doctor Spenser about his rival, Maurice Boissonade, and how that miserable Frenchman used the lovely and innocent Miss Amira. Doctor Spenser reads over the unopened missive that the Frenchman left. Holding the letter over a candle to better make it out, Doctor Spenser accidentally causes the letter to catch fire. It combusts rather quickly. Doctor Spenser apologizes, then states how unlikely it is that Sir Randel will encounter the young woman again …
  • And Henry Hooper sticks his head in, declaring that Sir Randel’s ladyfriend is on the docks and seems to be in some sort of distress! Sir Randel acts quickly upon seeing her be accosted by several ruffians and snatches an appropriate line that allows him to get much closer. He intimidates the men trying to “put her back to work” into backing off, then invites her aboard the ship, fully intending on bringing her along.
  • From Miss Amira – whose real name is evidently Inara – he learns that Don Marco, the man that Sir Randel verbally humiliated some days ago, has sent a letter to the Lieutenant Captain-General of the Yucatan in Campeche that accuses the crew of the Graceful Dame of smuggling. This could lead to prison and the seizure of the ship! And the ship this letter is on is just now departing!
  • Sir Randel tells Inara to remain aboard before grabbing Doctor Spenser and heads to the Customs building to expedite their departure; they spin a concerning tale about sickness on the ship and are quickly cut loose. Once back aboard, they set sail…
  • The crew discuss options, deciding to simply beat the Mercurio to Campeche where Sir Randel intends to sway the appropriate authorities before the letter arrives. Intercepting the letter upon arrival is also an option.
  • Under Captain Hayden’s expert seamanship, the Graceful Dame blows past the Mercurio and reaches Campeche in five days where the crew begin making plans on how best to intercept the letter. Many options are suggested and discarded.
  • A day later, the Mercurio arrives early in the morning. A pair of ship’s boats are rowed in, one containing (presumably) the Mercurio’s captain and the other has the not-so late Ned Long in it!

Player Notes:

  • Rogers’ player was out due to vacation. Ironically, he was actually in Cuba while we were just pretending to be there!
  • As I’ve done previously, I left most of the actual travel prep and travel out of the outline because that’d be pretty boring to read.
  • It amused the GM, me (Spenser’s player) and Payne’s player alike to have Spenser not reveal the contents of the letter from Payne’s rival.
  • Payne’s player opted to take “Inara” as a joint Ally/Dependent, which is something Gigermann has allowed in other campaigns. This will obviously adjust his “One in Every Port” quirk.
  • The race against the Mercurio was intended by the GM to be more challenging, but once again, we blew it out of the water (metaphorically).
  • Handsome Ned making a reappearance is certainly … unexpected.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E05

March 29, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-V. Havana, Cuba. Friday, February 17, 1725 Anno Domini

  • Leftenant Rogers, having just seen Pickford Rodney make good his escape, returns to Havana and begins formulating a plan to find the man once more. Recognizing that he will again need a translator, he begins looking for the doctor…
  • …who at that moment is climbing into Damian Rush’s carriage with Miss Dora. Mister Rush goes into great detail about the Spanish treasure fleet, but Doctor Spenser barely pays attention due to both his absent-mindedness and a terrible headache. Further, Mister Rush suggests that the doctor seek out Erasmus Wolf’s private library in Portobello, Panama to seek out a book entitled Nine Gates to the Kingdom of Shadows, which he insists is far more useful than the book of faerie tales that Doctor Spenser possesses. To expedite this, he provides an odd ring that the doctor hesitantly accepts. Offer of payment is declined; this is a gift. The coach stops soon after near Leftenant Rogers and Mister Rush disappears when no one is looking; the coachman is surprised and asks if there was someone else in there with Doctor Spenser and Miss Dora.
  • At Captain Hayden’s request, Mister Lucroy manages to successfully extend the invitation for coffee to Capitaine du Pré. It will take place noon the following day.
  • Sir Randel meets with Miss Amira, having recessed appropriately for a hunt, but she informs him that it is regretfully canceled. They instead go out of town and enjoy a lovely picnic. Shyly, Miss Amira invites Sir Randel to her home.
  • Unsure if Captain du Pré is bilingual, Captain Hayden brings Mister Lucroy to the coffee house, but allows the seaman to withdraw when the French captain speaks English. They exchange pleasantries, with both finding out that they are mostly seeking the same thing, though Captain Hayden’s interest is solely with his son, Matthew, and Captain du Pré is interested in the ship. They part, with the French captain providing a contact name should his English counterpart find something of interest.
  • The following morning, business is conducted. Doctor Spenser is able to offload their cargo, earning a tidy profit, but decides against purchasing a cargo of tobacco as it is so common here and is perishable. During this, a Spaniard throws himself at Miss Dora’s feet and begs her forgiveness; initially, she seems angered but seems to move past it and he backs away. Doctor Spenser expresses his confusion but she simply shrugs.
  • At the townhouse, Miss Amira receives a letter and declares with much sadness that her father has arranged for her to be married. Sir Randel consoles her and the scene most assuredly fades to black.
  • Having narrowed down the most likely places for Mister Rodney to resurface, Leftenant Rogers stakes them out and sees the man arriving late in the day. He intervenes, providing Mister Rodney both food and drink, then interrogates the man, learning something about the painting which points to the artist Cristobal himself in San Juan. According to Mister Rodney, he was quite thoroughly interrogated by a Spanish-looking fellow whose name might have been Kane who also had some strumpet with him that he referred to as “the Princess.” The leftenant decides to pay for lodging for Mister Rodney overnight.
  • Come morning, most of the crew assemble at the ship to discuss next steps. Sir Randel’s absence is notable. At the same time, Miss Amira convinces Sir Randel to linger a bit longer and they have a very pleasant day indeed.
  • Leftenant Rogers returns to Mister Rodney and convinces the man to accompany him back to the Graceful Dame with a promise to smuggle him out of Cuba. He then visits his hotel room ashore, receives a missive pointing him to the proper tavern, and heads there to meet with his contact. He successfully discharges his mission to have the letter captured in Port-de-Paix delivered to the appropriate party without revealing that it had been intercepted at all.
  • As the day draws to a close still without any sign of Sir Randel, Doctor Spenser and Mister Hooper go ashore to seek him out. At the townhouse, they discover that Sir Randel is … unavailable, and the doctor leaves a message for his friend.
  • That evening, Leftenant Rogers wakes while aboard the ship to the sound of fervent movement and investigates, discovering that Mister Sherd and Mister Rodney are ashore, the latter having worked his verbal magic upon the former. The leftenant bellows at Mister Sherd and in that moment, Mister Rodney flees once more. Exasperated and tired of dealing with him, Leftenant Rogers orders Mister Sherd to capture the man, and then returns to his bunk. As expected, Mister Rodney has escaped.
  • Early the next morning, Sir Randel wakes to discover Miss Amira is gone and she has left him two letters; one is address to Mi Amor and the other has Maurice Boissonade’s seal upon it…

Player Notes:

  • Damian Rush first appeared back in season 1, episode 5 where Doctor Spenser grew suspicious that the man was actually Fae. Nothing that happened has entirely convinced Spenser otherwise, though Rush’s ability to handle iron and silver and his ability to offer something without receiving payment has given him pause. GM also made an error regarding Mistress Cassandra from Episode 1.10 warning Artegal to stay away from Rush. I joked offline that this scene was cut from the “show” but then was shown in the “Previously On…” at the beginning like they did so frequently with nu-Battlestar Galactica. So … not sure if we’re retconning which part.
  • We kept joking that Amira’s father would turn out to be “Handsome Ned” (who Payne shot in the head & then somehow showed back up again later. Alas, that was not to be.
  • The Kane and Princess references were totally from the old Buck Rogers show. I wonder how many people even got that…

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E04

March 22, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-IV. Havana, Cuba. Friday, February 17, 1725 Anno Domini

  • We dial back a day earlier to handle some shore business that was missed. During this time, Captain Hayden and Sir Randel go seeking records, principally for the captain’s son, Matthew with Sir Randel serving as a translator; Mister Lucroy begins asking around about Phillipe and has a brief interaction with Captain Alain Eberard du Pré, of the Le Chasseur, unaware that this man has also come up in Captain Hayden’s investigation; and, of course, the previously established escapades of Leftenant Rogers seeking information with Doctor Spenser serving as his translator. Later in the day, Sir Randel breaks off by himself, seeking out a high society gathering; here he meets the lovely Miss Amira Mercedes de Luna and helps her out of an awkward social situation. She seems charmed and agrees to meet him the following day at noon.
  • Cutting back to the scene with which the previous session ended, Leftenant Rogers tries to glean more information, but his lack of proficiency with the language makes this quite difficult and he ultimately withdraws, having learned only that the warden seems to have been involved. He makes his way back to the city proper, intent on finding the doctor again.
  • Doctor Spenser is conducting the initial merchanting duties, having traveled to one of the outlying plantations to discuss the selling of goods. He is also delighted to see a substantial library and the owner reveals that several of his fellow land owners have been attacked by mysterious figures in black robes and cowls who have ransacked their libraries!
  • Sir Randel meets with Miss Amira and agrees to give her a tour of the Graceful Dame. She then invites him to another soiree that evening, which he eagerly accepts.
  • Captain Hayden conducts normal ship business as is his wont and then goes ashore, intent on seeking out the identity of the mysterious Captain du Pré in the hopes of finding out why the man was also looking into Matthew Sumner, before discovering that Mister Lucroy is watching a lovely French brig. They have a conversation where Mister Lucroy reveals the previous day’s conversation with Captain du Pré.
  • Upon returning to the city proper, Doctor Spenser is again pressed into translator duties for Leftenant Rogers. With Dora tagging along, they return to the prison, confirm that the warden evidently departed with several soldiers and an unidentified man, likely the very Mister Rodney that the leftenant is seeking. Eventually, they discover a ring of soldiers (and an officer) surrounding an Englishman digging a deep hole. Miss Dora approaches openly, which causes all of the Spanish soldiers to wheel around to face her … and the man digging the hole takes this momentary distraction to flee. A foot chase ensues, with Leftenant Rogers quickly darting farward while Doctor Spenser and Miss Dora fall way behind. The man who might be Mister Rodney manages to escape astride a horse that he steals, leaving exhausted soldiers in his wake. Leftenant Rogers is quite frustrated.
  • Sir Randel meets Miss Amira and escorts her to the social gathering where his smooth tongue quickly has everyone fascinated and impressed in equal measure. He intentionally praises Miss Amira as the ‘belle of the ball.’ Sir Randel is also faced with a choice: an expert treasure hunter familiar with Campeche he would like to meet is leaving Havana tomorrow but Miss Amira has been invited to a hunt she would like him to accompany her as the odious miscreant from their first meeting will likely be there. Sir Randel quickly declares that he would be honored to escort her.
  • Having gotten quite turned around during this chase, Doctor Spenser and Miss Dora begin making their way back to the city proper when a carriage approaches. The door opens, revealing … Damian Rush.

Player Notes:

  • Usually, I’m way too verbose in these, so I’m actively trying to dial back my outline. Unfortunately, this one got a little out of hand…
  • Still down Davino’s Player. He’s also scheduled to be out next week as well.
  • Damian Rush first appeared back in season 1, episode 5 where Doctor Spenser grew suspicious that the man was actually Fae. Still, it’ll be more interesting now as Spenser has gained some detect magic abilities, although he can’t quite control them (Uncontrollable modifier.)

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,

GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E03

March 14, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-III. Under way in the Northwest Providence Channel, Bahamas. Tuesday, February 13, 1725 Anno Domini

  • The Graceful Dame, finally sets sail, destination: Havana.
  • Late on the second day as they are traversing the dangerous shoals, a sail is sighted. The sloop in question is heading in the opposite direction but begins wheeling around quite suspiciously, so Captain Hayden orders more sail to ensure they cannot catch the Dame. Due to positioning and expert sailing, there is no actual incident.
  • Mister Lucroy has an unusual dream about the “Old Man” on the third day which indicates that he has died and that other people are looking for the second skull. Mister Lucroy relates this information to Sir Randel.
  • On the fourth day, they reach Havana ahead of schedule, just in time to see the La Dame Blanche departing. Sir Randel glowers darkly at the ship of his despised rival.
  • Customs are dealt with quickly before multiple parties go ashore. The current plan is to be here for a minumum of 2 days with an eye toward 4 so shore leave is available. Leftenant Rogers has a need for a translator as he does not speak Spanish, so Doctor Spenser accompanies him, accompanied by Miss Dora to whom he chatters away in Dutch.
  • On their second day in Havana, Leftenant Rogers goes alone to the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro which is serving as the city prison. Here he is hoping to speak to a Mister Pickford Rodney, who owned the painting that has now passed on to the leftenant. Unfortunately, the guard tells him he is too late and points toward the gallows … just as a man is dropped…

Player Notes:

  • Usually, I’m way too verbose in these, so I’m actively trying to dial back my outline.
  • Most of the session was populated by sea travel, hence the general shortness of said outline as I only covered the major bits.
  • We blew the Chase out of the water (pun intended), mostly in the first round. That static maneuver was a killer for the (possible) piratical types.
  • I was actually disappointed we didn’t hit a shoal and get stuck for a while.
  • Looks like Davino will be NPCed for the next couple of sessions due to his player going out of state to celebrate his marriage, then moving into a new house.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.

Campaign Logs, Sea Dogs , ,
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