Storm of Time 4: Conclusion of the Pilot: No Piloting Yet, But Time Travel Has Cool Implications [PTA]

In this last showing of the Storm of Time, picked up from Part 1 of the pilot, we open in the Rumpus Room at the Golden Dragon. The Professor had gone there to search out why he found himself bound for trouble, after wasting the time of a genial prostitute. The lads begin a ruckus when Rullar attempted to cross the threshold, in spite of the warning Cheng and Ming had given after what happened last time. After a certain amount of whanging and banging, the Professor, a highly valued customer, ended in the basement bound to be tortured (again, see part 1). Rullar closes his night in the street. The torture consists of, first, injection of the Professor with a horrifically potent nerve toxin that enhanced tactile sensation, particularly pain, by 10,000 times. Then, feathers.

We learn the next day that the Professor successfully remembers, even in spite the Forget Me paste he’d ingested to end last night, that he had spilled his guts about the location of the Gyroscopic X-Ring. This was due to having dosed himself every morning with a cocktail of prophylactic poison. (“Here, Mako!”) Or course, being the Professor, he lied to Terror Lily [actually, I don't recall her name], chief courtesan and expert interrogator of the Floating Dragon, and fingered out the Man in White as the present possessor of the G. X-Ring.

After Marlin and Rullar arrive at the Man in White’s creepy palatial pad, Rullar in supporting sniper position of course, the Professor just wanders in. As he and his associates make their way, Rullar notes that who should be chatting conspiratorily with the Man in White but the Professor’s rival (Nemesis according to PTA jargon) and assistant Summer de Winter, sister of Dr. Marlin’s long (?) lost love. After an ineffectual duel of wits, the smell of smoke from downstairs heightens and the tension tightens as Cheng and Ming’s hapless pajama clad force assaults the penthouse. The Professor, armed with his trademark nonlethal cane, dashingly dances to the sword song of the Man in White as Rullar kills everything else that moves. At last the Professor stumbles on a staircase, catches himself on a chandelier, and fumbles his parry just enough so that the Man in White’s backsword slashes him over the hip. Incidentally, the pain intensifier of the day before has enough zing to incapacitate the good Professor.

Just when all seems lost, the Man in White falls to one of Rullar’s enormous gun p0rnish rifle bullets. The white clad villain has only time to gasp one last cryptic phrase, which the Professor of course immediately recognizes being, after all, a Professor of Curiousities such as this.

Meanwhile, Rullar rappels in to save the only woman he’s ever loved, or at least been more interested than she, from certain death in the conflagration about to ensue. He of course strips her of her fetters after finishing the foolish henchman who dares to stand in his way, of course snatching the mysterious file innocently sitting by itself next to her. Only after the lads retreat from the flaming building do the police show up, just in time for the feckless crew to be covered in immobilizing, anti inflammable foam. After Rullar and Marlin quietly discuss the situation with the importunate officers, leaving no more than three of the cops with broken bones, the police sergeant–who turns out to be Pepe, Rullar’s snitch!–of course sets them at their freedom.

They return to ship, only to find a cleaning robot escapes a closet, piercing Rullar near to perishing. Meanwhile the Marlin Institute’s spy Sophie’s on board! Summer gives chase, and is abducted. We cut to Sophie and Summer fighting desperately at the far future Marlin Institute.

The curtain falls, with the audience wondering:

What did the Man in White say to Professor Marlin?

Will Rullar’s only love ever return his affection, or even warm his cold, calloused heart?

Will the crew of the Peregrine ever leave port?

These questions, and more, will be answered in Season 1 of Storm of Time!

Sneak Peek from Next Season (Season 1):

1. The plucky lads, and associates, are in the midst of a monstrous horde of zombies, blasting away. How will they ever escape the wrath of the moaning hordes of undead?

2. Professor Marlin berates the cleaning robot that narrowly missed ending Mr. Rullar by surprise harpooning: “Fail again, and be eternally discombobulated!”

3. The Director to Sophie from a darkened room in the Marlin Institute: “My dear, bring the liniment. My thigh is aching.”

Easy Paella Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces

 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 lemons, zested

 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

 DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
4. Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.

Our Feature Presentation…

After last night’s really beautiful Primetime Adventures game with Will, Jared, and John I’m thinking a lot about building on the concepts of Primetime Adventures to create a game that emulates a really amazing feature film, or a trilogy of films. As much as I love PTA, I’m not really satisfied with it because it doesn’t focus on intercharacter conflict. The game that really does that for me is In A Wicked Age, but the mechanics aren’t my bag…which is my way of saying I don’t understand them.

The roleplaying games I’m familiar with focus on a character’s strengths and skills to provide bonuses during conflicts. It would be interesting to build a game that focused on a character’s flaws and weaknesses to give the other characters bonuses when using someone’s flaws against them.

I think it’s time to go to the bookstore and raid the screenwriting section.

- Brennen

In a Dark Forest

In a Dark Forest is a short campaign I’m running with a customized build of Risus: The Anything RPG using the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop.

In a dark forest, there is a small village which sits next to a river. The village was settled originally by Puritans, but over the past decade others began to settle as well. Most of these others are trappers, frontiersmen, or the downtrodden looking for some sort of stability. The Elders tolerate them, barely, but are unhappy about the worldy aspects their village has begun to take on. Strangely, the village has begun to reveal unworldly aspects as well…

Our first chapter began during the late afternoon, as the merchants were closing their stores for the evening.
Dukker is a young urchin who is shoveling manure in Goodman Bartholemew’s stables in excange for a place to sleep for the night. He is wanted for theft, and the soldiers are ordered to arrest him.

William Scott Kingston is a low-ranking British officer who is assigned to keep order in the village. He has only just arrived and is having trouble adjusting to the politics and seclusion of the village. Kingston is drilling his subordinates and inspecting their equipment.

A woman’s scream stops the village in its tracks. Several men drop their tools and carts and run off in the direction of the scream, including Bartholemew, Kingston and Dukker.

They arrive at the edge of the forest to find Hester Goodwin, one of the village girls who has fallen from grace, stumbling around and mumbling incoherently, save for one word, “Patience,” which is revealed to be the name of her bastard daughter. She is holding the girl’s muddy doll, but the girl is nowhere to be found.

Kingston orders his men to take Hester back to the barracks, and take care of her. Goodman Bartholemew, used to giving the orders himself, attempts to thwart Kingston’s authority and humiliate him in front of his men. Bartholemew tells the men to disregard Kingston’s orders and to ignore the woman and her lost daughter, as the loss of a bastard child is of no consequence to the village. Kingston stares Bartholemew square in the eyes and tell him to return to his business as Kingston will see to the King’s. So humbled, Bartholemew does as he is told and returns to the village with his (metaphorical) tail between his legs.

The soldiers return to the village with Hester as ordered.

Meanwhile, Dukker has picked the Goodman’s pockets and found among his meager loot a strange coin unlike the others: ancient silver and of indeterminate origin.

Dukker asks Kingston if they will be searching for the girl. Kingston recognizes Dukker and realizes that he has likely stolen from Goodman Bartholemew. Impressed with the boy’s selflessness (and perhaps recognizing that the boy might have useful, if ill-gained skills), Kingston offers Dukker a temporary amnesty if he will help search for the girl, Patience.

…and so ends chapter one.

Snap. Pop. Fizzle. Bang!

The night before last, we tried to push through, “So what do you want to play?” to actual story gaming.

As an aside, I suggest a heuristic: if no one has a passionate preference for a game (at least ideas on 3/5 of Setting, Character, Situation, Color, and System), let’s play board or card games or what movies instead of story gaming. I think midweek emails are our friend re having a clear idea of what’s at least on the docket if not an agenda. OTOH, I’m sensitive to an implied criticism of not planning too much before playing; I just think some planning is necessary.

We made a list, and started talking, and just to get the ball rolling we use Brennen’s current iteration of his universal system. It’s inspired by Fate.

We got a gothic swamp, in Whosiana. It has telephones and electric lights for at least some, and neither of those for others. The action took place on an a secluded manor with attached village and associated travelin’ carnival. We had a hoodoo woman who’ll tell your fortune and if you pay double might tell the truth (Brennen), an aspiring failed master chef (Will), and a Librarian Lecter-alike named Virgo (Jared).

We chose to try collaborative GMing, but without defined roles. So our conflicts limped along for a couple of scenes per character, and then we went outside at Sarah, Brennen’s lady wife’s suggestion, to see the orange colored sky (yes, that is a swing reference). And we didn’t pick up when we came back inside.

The good news was, we learned a lot about what we like and what we don’t, and we had some interesting bit characters in scenes. Brennen does an amazing ignorant hick, and Jared, we learned, is “good with children.” Also Brennen and Jared do a mean tag team on homicidal inanimate object dialogue.

All in all, I’d have called it a fair in high school. The awesome thing is, before this session we laid a little groundwork for possible long-term play, and afterward we got on one page for a Sorcerer session.

Storm of Time: Part 3 – The Story So Far

The Dozen board the Peregrine, but are quickly subdued by the crew.

There is a meeting between Peter, The Professor, and The Man in White. TMiW declares that he has kidnapped (name goes here), a tavern-wench sweetheart of Peter’s to ensure that the Peregrine delivers a shipment of Unobtanium to TMiW.

Peter squeezes Pepe for information, and is told that the girl was indeed kidnapped and taken away in a car matching the description of the one owned by TMiW.

There is a cut scene in which it is revealed that The Marlin Institute, founded by the Professor, decides to hunt him down in the past and reaquire the Gyroscopic X-Ring for an exhibit honoring him in the future. The exibit will be great for fundraising for The Institute.

The Professor is seduced by Sophie Moreau, and she ties him up in his salon, then steals the Gyroscopic X-Ring. But why does she spare his life?

Next week…

…a cat fight between Summer and Sophie, Peter is impaled (once again) with a harpoon, and crosshairs aimed at the green-haired head of Helen De Winter.

Storm of Time – Part 2: Cast of Characters

The Peregrine/The Albatross

A particularly well equipped Time Ship, owned (temporarily, at least) by Professor Marlin.

Professor Marlin

A professor of curiosities, and the current owner of The Peregrine.

Peter Rullar

A jaded adventurer who has “been there, done that.”

Helen de Winter

The lost lover of Professor Marlin.

Summer de Winter

Sister of Helen, and the Professor’s intellectual nemesis.

Schön

Professor Marlin’s feckless student.

Mako

Professor Marlin’s humble, faithful manservant. A master of martial arts.

Pepe Gonzales

A small time con-man and Peter Rullar’s informant.

The Man in White

A major crime boss on The Turtle who deals in Unobtainium and The White Lady.

The Dozen

A band of mercenaries who number 12. Since the pay and the benefits are so good (full medical and dental, and if it comes to it…retirement), employment as a member is highly sought after. A current member must die in order to create a vacancy.

The Director

The head of The Marlin Institute for the Research of Curiosities.

Sofie Moreau

The Director’s beautiful and deadly second.

Reflecting on My Life with Master

I just finished playing a 2.5-hour session of My Life with Master with Phil, Bryan, and John from the Four Ugly Monsters community. We’re using Ventrilo and Fantasy Grounds. Our master is none other than the Blood Countess herself, Erzebet Bathory.

My Life with Master is a story game by Paul Czege that places the players in the role of minions for an evil master. The mechanics directly influence the story, and the story directly influences the mechanics. It is a prime example of the theory that “system matters.”

We had a short discussion about this and I attempted to illustrate it: you cannot play My Life with Master without narrative; the mechanics of the game are designed to create a tale of horror and despair, and do so very well.

D20, on the other hand, requires absolutely no storytelling or roleplaying. The roleplaying aspect of a D20 session is completely separate from the game, almost as if you are playing two games simultaneously.

Next week, perhaps the much abused minions will finally destroy their evil mistress.

Storm Time – Part 1: Setting

Last night, Will, Jared and I began a Primetime Adventures season of indeterminate length. After brainstorming a healthy number of ideas, we finally settled on a show about time-traveling thrill seekers searching for the ultimate prize: happiness.

Brainstorming

We began our ideation by brainstorming concepts that’s we’d like to play:

• Jazz-age Paris (inspired by Django Reinhardt playing in the background)
• Jerusalem 10 A.D.
• Cro-Magnon vs. Homo Sapiens
• Grifters and Drifters (Steinbeck meets Flannery O’Connor)
• Universe 3050 A.D. (Star Trek)
• Pirates, Ninjas, Cowboys
• Roman Empire in Space
• White Trash Doctor Who (the Tardis is a Port-a-let)
• Cat Drama

After an interval we began crosspollenating these ideas by mixing them together or adding Zombies to the mix. Among the mongrel premises we concocted were Zombies in Jazz Age Paris, and Cats vs. Aliens.

The real gem was found, however, by mixing almost all of these concepts together (I don’t think we quite integrated cats). Our final concept is the still tentatively titled Sailing the Seas of Time.

Setting

In the middle of an unknown ocean is an island built on the wreckage of lost ships from all eras. This island is known as The Turtle. It is a lawless place, ruled by the violent and the clever, and is populated by the survivors of lost ships, both seafaring and spacefaring. Whenever a vessel is lost at sea without explanation, it will eventually drift into sight of The Turtle.

The Turtle exists in a temporal limbo. A few days out to sea, there is a storm which encircles the entire island. If one sails in any direction, eventually he will find a port to in which to dock, for there are an infinite number of ports. The catch is this: they are all ports to the same city for a given ship, only in different times.

Time Ships

Time Ships are gradually pieced together from the wreckage of ships lost in the storm of time. Each addition to the ship results in opening up new routes through time, while closing others. Some believe that choosing the right combination of parts is an art, others believe it is a science, but most believe that it is completely random.

The trade in salvage, especially from newly wrecked ships, is fierce and highly competive.

Unobtainium

Time Ships are fueled by a strange substance known simply as Unobtainium. Its source is unknown, but somehow there are semi-regular shipments to various bosses on The Turtle.

Prolonged exposure to unobtainium causes a type of brain poisoning which manifests in symptoms such as increasingly frequent blackouts, then insatiable carnal lust, then cannibalistic hunger, and finally post-mortem animation.

The White Fairy

The temporary antidote for Unobtainium poisoning is a distillation of an opium poppy native to The Turtle. This distillation is known as The White Fairy or The White Lady, and is administered by smoking or injection into the bloodstream. The poppy grows quite freely on the island, but the method for producing its distillate is a very well kept secret.

Use of The White Fairy is quite addictive itself, and causes hallucinations and an overall sense of euphoria. At most, an addict can survive a week without the drug before going through withdrawal. The detox period for someone addicted to the substance is usually fatal, and those who survive it invariably succumb to the symptoms of Unobtainium poisoning.

Xanadu

Legends tell of a perfect city, a hedonist’s paradise, called Xanadu. In Xanadu, a man (or woman) may find everything that he has ever desired, or at the very least forget that he ever desired anything he doesn’t find. It is said that with the perfect combination of parts, and perhaps some forbidden knowledge, one may sail into the Port of Xanadu. Most people consider Xanadu a myth at best, and a dangerous obsession at worst.