Roos tracks the sniper to a the old robot arena and here meets an unexpected ally while learning of a new cause for alarm. Also, I work on the two main oracles used in the campaign.
[RECAP] A Quick Recap of Session 2
Willem and the other members of his team went to the marketplace to find Lon Kylus but were beset by haaikodils, an alien beast between a shark and a crocodile.
Surviving that encounter with notable injuries, a marketplace seller named Saskia showed them the under-city where the original settlers lived...and there are hints that the structure pre-dates humans coming to Tartan.
Finally finding Lon, an unknown assassin shot the scrap seller with a strange viral bullet. Willem has just been able to save Lon's life -- by removing his arm -- while Roos is trying to track the shooter.
[DESIGN] Slight Tweak to My Image Oracle Tool
I'm really enjoying using my online implementation of the Tricube Tales image oracles for "Interstellar Bounty Hunters" and will likely expand this to other Tricube Tales games I play.
With some future sight, I spent the entire first half of this session making some tweaks before it gets too cumbersome to fix. The basic gist is that all the Game-Icons.net icons that I plan to use will go into a single folder rather than be separated out. Then, rather than have an array tracking file names, an array tracking title, and an array tracking illustrator I have combined that into a single field:
"crosshair.png | crosshair.png | Delapouite",
The advantages are that I can now build up a "database" of such lines and then be re-used. I only have to add new ones.
In order to keep a "splash of color," I will pick a new but harmonious color per each new batch.
I'd consider it now at BETA but I want to build in some pre-caching and other elements to finish it out so it reloads smoother without requiring any great amount of work.
SCENE SIX [Roos P.O.V.]
A chase scene. If it works, it works. If not: there will be a follow-up scene somewhere else decided by chance.
{Wooden Crate + Canister} Otherwise the scene will be set at Hard Agile and need 3 Effort. The first failure is the loss of a trail but does not eat Resolve.
If the chase fails, which it likely will, there will be a clue.
Roos moves almost inhumanly fast as she clears the obstacles in her way: people, tables, boxes, a fountain. All just data to be analyzed and overcome.
Following an almost non-existent trail of falling boxes. Scattered cannisters. Quickly leaving the market behind.
If people are shocked by her speed the black leather of her hunting outfit, she does not register that. She travels with a bird-man and a modified war-bot. Normal barely factors into any of this.
- {Hard Agile} >> 6, 2, 6 >> 2 Successes. Look at her go, improbably.
She is not sure how she knows, but she knows she is making up lost distance. The way people turn their head like they just witnessed something a bit outrageous to take in her, a second event in a row.
She is now running through a street of old buildings where much of the tartanite clay has given way. Windows have cracked from dust storms. Humidity controls have been rerouted, giving a better glance of what life would be like on Tartan without the Terraforming Engines. The only stalls here are the poorest. People who live in human-made caves and rebuilt shanties. Where a box emptied of goods makes a good, affordable home.
- {Hard Agile} 1, 4, 2 >> The trail is finally lost.
However, in the decay of old Tartan, the trail is going cold. The people here are less reactionary to strange events. Rubble falling off decaying buildings hides noises of her fleeing prey. Too easy to cut through any of a dozen paths compared to the relative density where Lon's stand was set up.
Roos turns to a man who seems to be selling dried flowers though she is not sure if it is for medicinal, culinary, or decorative purposes.
ROOS: Did you see someone running past right before me? Someone running like they were being hunted?
- Did he? (Likely, 3+) >> [5], 5, 6 >> Yes changing to No. The change here is a strange one but I'm going to say that he noticed something up but later would have convinced himself it was nothing.
The old man is nervous at first but nods. He then turns and points towards the...
- I want this to be a new location. {Arena | Battle Ruins | Processing Plant} >> Battle Ruins.
...ruins of an old arena in the distance.
Roos flicks him a few NB creddisks and sets off the way at a slower pace, wary of traps.
SCENE SEVEN [Roos P.O.V.]
{Skull Crossed Bones + Mushroom Cloud} {6 Brawny + Crafty} {5 Normal}
There *will* be a trap. An explosion that goes off as she enters the old Robot Arena.
O.T. Kerven is here, the NBOB [Nieuwe België Onderzoeksbureau] operative who has been tracking CorpWar tech trades on the planet. We know that Kerven has been suspicions of Laisa and Lon. Since "Ancient Ruins" is an emergent concept, it now seems likely that Laisa has found proof of the ruins and is for some reason keeping them hush. This means O.T. *might* have been the one who shot at Lon.
- Did O.T. shoot Lon with the nano-virus? (4+) >> [5], 3, 1 >> No.
TWIST CHECK [d6] >> (4), [3], [3] >> As Expected.
Roos is being wary as she walks up the steps into the crumbling structure.
- {Normal Crafty} >> 5,3 >> 1 Success.
She stops when she sees a prox-mine beeping away.
STRANGER: Hol' off, Jonge!. 'Less uw find explosie leuke!1
Roos gets her straalpistool up and faces down the large man in hard-leather gear of the top only worn by those who go out into the true-wastes beyond the TFZ. Despite him having an sp of his own, dangling from his belt, he does not reach for it. Instead, he holds up his hands.
STRANGER: Nee, nee. Zakk, zakk. Geen pistols. Ben ik vriend, ja? Heet O.T. En you? 2
ROOS: I am Roos Ellis, of the Nieuwe België Onderzoeksbureau premiejagers. I am hunting a suspect who was identified as coming this way and [*points to proxi-mine*] if that's not yours, you need to get out of this area.
O.T.: Ho! Ook NBOB!3 [*pulls a card from a hidden pocket*]
With this, the two shout from either side of the proxi-mine's range. Roos explains what happened.
- Does O.T. know the virus? (4+) >> [5], 6, 3 >> Yes.
- Is it used on Tartan? (4+) >> [6],5,3 >> Yes, and...
- Is it Kionite in origin? (4+) >> [2],3,5 >> No. Therefore the "and..." might mean he knows someone who uses it.
- Is it the signature of a particular assassin? (4+) >> [4],4,3 >> Yes.
- Someone new to the campaign? (3+) >> [5],1,2 >> No!
- {Lon | Kayla | Laisa | O.T. | Children} >> The Children.
- The "...and" we'll say is because it is something {stolen from O.T. | something cultivated in the CorpWar wastes} >> CorpWar waste...a thing he was trying to track.
He gestures for her to go back down the stairs and to come through another side entrance. When they are together a few minutes later, he talks about the virus — a nano-viral pathogen that retro-evolves cells4 — that was tested during the CorpWar in a trial-run here on Tartan. It was deemed too erratic for actual use and banned. However, a few canisters of it were located. O.T. has destroyed all but one, which might be enough to manufacture more.
ROOS: Why Lon, though?
- Does O.T. know why Lon might be hit by the Children? (4+) >> [6],1,2 >> No, but... he does know that Lon/Laisa have been scouring the wastes.
He explains a bit about Lon/Laisa and his suspicions that Laisa has found something big and undocumented.
Roos calls up Willem and gives him a brief description of what she has seen.
[DESIGN] A Tweak to the Oracle of Changes
Turns out I really like for things to have some degree of likelihood BUT there isn't a great way to bake it into the Oracle of Changes without altering the Oracle. There are roughly two different approaches I see working:
- Add in 1-2 'Vantage dice. They either replace yes or no depending if they are Ad- or Disad-.
- Change a scale per die so that your average "yes" is 4+ but it alters as things are more or less likely (rather than even/odd):
- Very Likely: 2+
- Likely: 3+
- Normal: 4+
- Unlikely: 5+
- Very Unlikely: 6.
In this latter version, the one I'm trying out for now, the "and/but" trigger is 1 and 6 instead of 3 and 4. If the swing die shows a 1|6 then it matching or being the opposite of the overall thing is what trigger the condition.
The problem with both versions is that any increase of "yes" or "no" also increases the chance of a changing line. While you could cut changing lines out, no problem, it is part of the flavor of this.
Only thing I can think to do is to to treat 3 dice showing 4+ being "changing into No" and 3 dice showing <4 being "changing into Yes" even if the answer is already yes or no. Since this should only show up when things are likely or unlikely, it could be read as "No, becoming moreso" and "Yes, becoming moreso." That's not too bad.
I also want to add in that 3x the same number = Twist. We'll leave it there, for now.
[NOTES] Doug's Commentary
Most of this session, and then some, were in re-designing the tools. Such things happen with my games. Game Design is a bit part of my solo play, though I am being perhaps a bit more obvious with it, this time.
The narrative continues to build towards the Children of Tartan and the ancient [pre-?]Kionite ruins. Eventually we'll figure what's up with the robots and the running amok, thing, I'm sure.
Next time we'll switch back to Willem's POV and have at least a little talk with Lon. After that, I'll try and get Laisa into the picture so we have all the main characters minus the Kionites. That might be one more session down the road.