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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E02

February 13, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-II. Berthed at Harbour Island, Eleuthera. Tuesday, February 13, 1725 Anno Domini

  • Aboard the Graceful Dame, Mister Lucroy explains to Sir Randel and the other members of the crew concerning the golden skull.
  • Captain Hayden retrieves letters from Mr. Friendly and turns them over to Mister Skaarup who asks if his bag of stones was taken. The crew – sans Mister Lucroy who actually took them – suspect the monkey is responsible.
  • Sir Randel and Captain Hayden decide to try to take a shortcut through a more dangerous route that has shoals. As the crew starts to split up to do their own things, a British sloop arrives, begins disgorging marines.
  • Leftenant Edmund Brace of His Majesty’s Royal Navy announces that he is there to take the crew of the Graceful Dame into custody to answer for the murder of Edward Long. Several very British interrogations ensue but the crew are released due to insufficient evidence.
  • As the sun goes down, the Graceful Dame departs, destination: Havana.

Player Notes:

  • Usually, I’m way too verbose in these, so I’m actively trying to dial back my outline.
  • Looking at the outline, it seems like not a lot actually happened. I blame all of the interrogations.
  • We determined afterward that, in-game, no one actually asked who was behind the whole investigation thing, though I think we’ve since determined that Spenser’s critical success in Law will result in him having asked during his debrief; as this would apparently have possibly changed some of Sir Randel’s reaction, we’re totally abusing Spenser’s Absent-Mindedness as an excuse. This should come up next week.
  • We’re totally going to end up wrecking in the more dangerous route we’re taking. Having both CAPT Hayden and Sir Randel be Overconfident is going to bite us in the butt…
  • The next episode will be delayed a week due to some absences next week.

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

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GURPS Swashbucklers: Sea Dogs, S2E01

February 7, 2023 No comments

Command Crew of the Graceful Dame

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II-I. Ashore at Harbour Island, Eleuthera. Monday, February 12, 1725 Anno Domini

  • Aboard the Graceful Dame, Mister Lucroy has an unusual dream regarding the golden skull in her … er … his possession. The youngster experiences a strong pull toward the Southeast, but wakes abruptly to the sound of a distant bosun’s whistle. Observing Sir Randel and company pursuing the villains who have abducted Miss Dora, Mister Lucroy snatches up some weapons and rushes to join them.
  • The Chase ultimately takes them to the beach where they discover a small boat, beached but with crew trying to push it back into the sea to catch the tide. Thinking quickly, the crew send Bewm forward with the lantern to sow chaos … which the monkey does spectacularly, and into this Leftenant Rogers adds to the confusion by shouting out orders that imply a whole company of redcoats are en route. Miss Dora is being manhandled by a pair of miscreants and Sir Randel charges madly forward, intent on rescuing her; Doctor Spenser absently mutters something in Greek and coincidentally, the two men stumble upon unseen crabs and fall, giving Miss Dora a chance to wiggle free. In the end, with no one slain on either side, the crew manage to capture the kidnapping ringleader and one of the rival sailors, then withdraw up the island with Dora.
  • Unseen by anyone, Mister Lucroy pickpockets the kidnapper, obtaining a small bag filled with odd stones and dark, wavy hair very much like that of Miss Dora.
  • Interrogation of the kidnapper reveals little beyond his name – Mikkel Skaarup, though the captured sailor refers to him as the “Hound.” Skaarup admits that he does not know who his employers are or why they want Miss Dora. In the course of the interrogation, Captain Hayden commissions “The Hound” to find his missing son.
  • The following morning aboard the ship, Mister Lucroy wakes to discover that Bewm has stolen the golden skull. A chase ensues that results in Sir Randel learning of the skull…

Player Notes:

  • Two PCs were played by different people. Nosh took over Leftenant Rogers and Mel, returning from a long hiatus, took over “Claude” … who honestly hadn’t gotten much play the first time.
  • We got a pretty late start due to two players being late, and then Nosh had to duck out a little early.
  • CommJunkee has decided that Sir Randel is of the opinion that Artegal is “sweet” on Dora. This could be fun to play, what with Spenser’s Absent-Mindedness.
  • GM Comment to Me after I had Artegal use his Coincidence power a second time: “Oh, you’re going to be a problem, aren’t you?” Or something like that.

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

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GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy, “Legends of Generica” Diversion I:I

October 4, 2021 No comments

Company of the Bere

Invitations to Court

By the end of Latewinter, 1000 AE, a couple of months after the “Harmin/portal incident” at the Capital, Ser Kenrick has received the following messages at the Stagwood House in the Capital:

Ser Kenrick has sought out advice from those he deems in-the-know about such things, including meeting with Grand Master Válaris at the Heroes’ Guild, and correspondence with his uncle, Duc Rikard, among others. The invitation letters did not give any specifics as to the intentions of his potential patrons, but there are a few well-understood reasons known for such an invitation, and he is reminded that he will have to swear the oath of fealty to that lord that grants him land, so he must choose wisely.

Arl Gudrik Bredwelle of Northelderland is known to be an upright, resolute, reasonable ruler, struggling under a heavy burden. He is not considered to be particularly powerful, and certainly not wealthy (for now). His lands on the coast of the Imperial Sea—a long-standing hub of foreign trade—are experiencing hard times, but are on the way to recovering their former prosperity. His direct liege is Duc Jakeb, who mostly stays out of his business. His enemies are mostly “internal,” robbers and bandits of various power-levels, and the occasional pissed-off nobleman, against whom he has been prevailing, little by little. Ser Kenrick has worked directly for him in the past, and could expect to be put to work fighting banditry and recruiting/training with the meagre levy, with plenty of room for advancement. Prosecution of corruption has led to some lands being lost to the Arl, who will be looking to hand those titles out to trustworthy servants.

Arl Thurston Highhorse III of Banner Hall is known for his wealth and prestige, though this may be the result of a good political advisor(s). He is a laid-back ruler—perhaps a bit of a pushover at times, but certainly no fool. He is loyal to his people and his house, down to the lowliest servants (see the Pirate Ransom Job). He is considered to be reasonably powerful, with some famous knights in his retinue. His lands are rich in history, the center of Generic chivalry and horse-breeding (home of the Valemont breed, of whom Ser Magnus is descended), but are regularly under threat of Antagonese chevauchée. His direct liege is the King, as Duc of the Crownlands, who stays far too busy with affairs of the kingdom to be a bother. He has many political rivalries amongst the other Houses, some more devious/depraved than others, and is always on the lookout for an opportunity to improve his station. Ser Kenrick has done work for him—the rescue of his spymaster, Garak Highhorse—and can expect a position of some prominence in his court, with rich reward for his efforts. It has also been noted that, in the recent past, a prominent knight died, leaving a rather grand estate to his only daughter, who is, as yet, young and unmarried.

Markis Egowe Maguttin of Westmark has a reputation for shrewd politics and intrigue—some even call him a “vile gangster”—but he’s also known for keeping his word, and paying his (considerable) debts. As chancellor to the Duc of the Highlands, his direct liege, he lives at Crowningstone and spends most of his time at the Duc’s business, leaving the management of local affairs to his appointed councillors. His lands are neither prosperous nor destitute, and not known for anything in particular (except wool trade, and a local breed of hardy sheep). He has plenty of rivals and enemies, including Antagonese rulers and nobles across the border—he is a villain to some, and to others he isn’t villainous enough. Ser Kenrick has no direct experience working for him, though he has visited his court once (during the Guffin Hall Job), and can likely expect to do some “dirty jobs” from time to time; his half-sister, Rayna certainly doesn’t have a high opinion of him. That said, the Westmark is home to the Starkweathers, and would place him in proximity to Rayna, and allow him the opportunity to learn more about his roots. Also, Ser Kenrick would undoubtedly be a beacon to those seeking justice in the Mark. It has also been noted that a prominent barony within Westmark has recently gone into escheat back to the Markis, and he may be looking to pass that on to a trustworthy individual, though there will inevitably be some manner of “strings attached.”

Player Response

Ser Kenrick accepts the Highhorse invitation and prepares to visit Banner Hall. Presuming the expectations that Arl Thurston has for him are not mad – “You need to marry my 80-year old grand-aunt who is senile and lustful. Also, I need you to eat this baby.” – then he will swear fealty to him and regretfully decline (politely!) the invitations from the other two, sending the money back to the Markis (to ensure no expectations of “I sent you this money so you need to do this one thing for me”) and advising Arl Gudrik that he hopes they can remain allies at the very least.

The thinking behind this decision is wide-ranging. He flat-out distrusts Markis Maguttin and, despite knowing that accepting his offer could likely lead to a promotion to baron, suspects that the Markis would use him in a way that offended his moral stances. On the flip side, he rather liked Arl Bredwelle and would have been quite happy to accept him as lord if Highhorse was not an option because Bredwelle struck him as an honorable and upright man. Ultimately, he chose Highhorse because that region is considered the original of chivalry and very horse-centric; further, I (Rigil) expect that Kenrick will totally be a “fish out of water” around the more established nobles so I’m expecting him to get caught up in ‘the game of houses’ and be forced to find a way to navigate them without losing sight of who he is.

Kenrick will likely head to Banner Hall as soon as spring arrives. Luckily, he owns the pack horse so he can load all of his personal belongings upon it (how sad!) and head out. If there happens to be a convenient caravan heading in that direction, say with Barlowe or one of his associates, he’ll link up with it. And if any of the other PCs want to go with, he’ll gladly bring them along and spend the trip telling them the dos and do-nots about interacting with the Highhorses.

Notes:

  • This is the basic “setup” for the “Diversion” PbP stuff, where Ser Kenrick will be given lands by his choice of liege.

Diversion I, Legends of Generica , , ,

GURPS: Dungeon Fantasy, “Legends of Generica” Session II:XII

September 28, 2021 No comments

Company of the Bere

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Year One: The Mad Wizard Job

  • Winter has arrived and the Company are at the Heroes Guild, attending the Remembrance Day ceremonies and being honored for their actions over the last year. Somehow, Harmin of Grudgehold, the Magpie himself, gains entry where he demands asylum, intending on abusing the laws of the Guild. He admits to many crimes including setting into motion a spell that will destroy the city. Outside, evil clouds gather…
  • Recognizing that Válaris is stymied and that both Ser Kenrick and Murdok are about to just cut Harmin down, Brother Getwelle makes a suggestion: what if the Hall was not part of the Guild? Master Válaris seizes this way out and sells it to Getwelle for a penny. Harmin is startled by this sudden change of events, and then he’s dead as Kenrick smites him in the skull with his pick and Murdok lashes out with the axe.
  • Outside, an evil tornado-like sky beam begins gathering over the Low Market and the whole of the Guild springs into action and charges toward the beam with the Company at their vanguard.
  • It is difficult going, with thousands of panicking civilians fleeing from the sudden attack and with increasingly difficult foes emerging. Crows attack, and then goblins, and then bone golems akin to the one the Company faced at Guffinhall, and then finally, a host of stronger, tougher goblins guarding the beam (which has something swirling within it.) These newer goblins have the same appearance as the late alchemist Brother Tonik, who the Company faced when they were hired to find him.
  • The Company attacks, with Ser Kenrick and Magnus at the fore; the knight and his steed quickly smash through the goblins, then circle around and begin dealing great mayhem in their flanks even as the other members of the Company attack. None of the Company are felled, but Ser Magnus suffers multiple injuries … though this only serves to anger the warhorse even more.
  • With the goblins downed, the Company turns to addressing the apparent teleportation conduit. Seeing a spinning Mirror at the heart of this magical tornado, they are reminded of the Mirror they saw in the Wildwood. Dustan notes also that the Key given to him by Magister Mintôr at the beginning of that Job is vibrating like mad and recalls how the Fae Mirror he touched with that Key cracked. Using magic, he apportates the Key into the heart of the beam. The spinning Mirror explodes and the beam vanishes. Soon after, the sky clears and the clouds dissipate. The Company has won.
  • Some weeks later, as the Capital continue to rebuild, the Company, along with several other members of the Heroes Guild, are summoned before King Jon who declares each of them “Defenders of the Capital,” a sort of courtesy knighthood that grants them authority during crises.
  • And thus, the Legends of Generica concludes its second season.

Player Notes:

  • Absolutely no idea when we’ll be coming back to Generica – the first run was like four freaking years ago – but when we do, both Dustan and Murdok will likely be replaced since the players inherited the characters and never really gelled with them.
  • It’s a very good thing that CommJunkee came up with the “what if the Hall wasn’t part of the Guild” idea at the beginning because Kenrick crit-failed an IQ check to know the rules of “asylum” and was about to straight-up “mete out justice” as a knight versus the Magpie, which would have resulted in his excommunicatus status. Which would have been funny.
  • For the charge through the city, we used Gigermann’s still WIP “Action Challenge System” – as I told him after the game, I understood what he was doing, but too much of it was “behind the screen” so during the game itself, I had very little idea what was going on in terms of how likely it was we were going to ‘survive’ the zone and move on. He griped during the game about their still being too much math involved and admitted after that his latest version had already massively reduced said math so I personally shudder at the thought of the previous version. We discussed ripping off the Significant Actions from Mass Combat (even though several of us have issues with that system from time to time) and perhaps having the “party leader” making the survival check ala the Battle Strategy Roll, also from that book, but … well … we’ll see what Gigermann does with it next. I’m sure he’ll expound on this on his blog at great length.
  • The final fight with the super goblins turned sideways for them once Kenrick and Magnus got into their flanks. Once that happened, he kept taking out foes with attacks from the rear hex, Telegraphed strike to the skull using the pick side of his signature weapon. By my count, he felled three of them that way – two others died in unspecified ways because we were running behind on time and the GM could see that this was a battle they couldn’t win.
  • Per the GM, since Kenrick is already a knight, in addition to the courtesy title, he will also be getting a fief, which would promote him to Baronet. Now, we just need to narrow down where the fief will be located. Gigermann has also expressed an interest in doing a “diversion” game, probably handled via Play-By-Post, detailing at least some of the realm management involved with Kenrick becoming as an established lord and leading into the season 3 proper … but that’s not something anyone’s thinking about at this moment.

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

Chapter II, Legends of Generica , , ,
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