[HoE] Some notes on Something/Sword...

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

Just to share my own tales of woe about this adventure...

I'm a week or so behind the other gentleman.  Our group consists of:

1 Doomsayer - big Shaq O'Neille looking guy.  Takes a rather ambivalent view 
towards Green-Robes (If they ain't pillaging norms, I ain't going to bother 
'em.").

1 Huckster/Vet of Weird West.  Heroic.

1 Law Dog.  heroic.  Often at odds with the Templar.

1 Templar.  Harsher variety.  If anyone remembers my "Let's kill the 
innocent kid to stop the servitor" example, that would be him.

1 Syker, pre-war Earth variety.  Just joined the group tonight.

Anyhoo, they had arrived in Last Chance last week.  Tom promised to tell 
them about Burke once they "proved" themselves (i.e., worked at the commune 
for the day).  They avoid killing Glory (the Doomsayer actually befriends 
her).  The LD player is absent, and rest of male characters are "out of 
position" so no one meets Myra and Blossom.  I could have had them do so, 
but figure the challenges later at Burke's will be a little tougher, and 
they've already got the "easy as pie" hint from Glory.

As outlined, the group is introduced at the meeting hall that night, and as 
written Glory hears the approaching mutants (apparently out of nowhere with 
no audio clues to hear! this isn't explained very well in the adventure).

What ensues is a really pathetic battle.  Pathetic in a "as outlined" kinda 
way.  Party goes to south barrier on the highway, Doomsayer with Geiger 
Vision easily spots approaching 24 mutants.  No real statement is given of 
how far away they are.  I figure 100 yards seems reasonable. Alas, range 
computations and stuff and their impact on combat are not my Marshalling 
strongpoints.

Well, forget any decent opposition at that point.  20 of the mutants have no 
ranged weapons!  The two "overseers" have shotguns.  They can't move further 
than, say, about 16 yards a round (the grunts actual move 12).  The 
Doomsayer drops a Nuke and takes out about...8 of the 24 (I did spread them 
out).  The two opposing priests drop a Nuke each.  Since they're targeting 
the running Syker (see below), he takes seven wounds of Massive Damage to 
the chest.  Good thing he drew a Blue and 2 Reds for his starting chips 
tonight.

The Huckster and Doomsayer than huddle down behind an Aegis Wall (Huckster 
selectively Soul Blasting, and for five consecutive castings doesn't 
Backlash!  *party sighs in relief*), the Syker goes on a run and get close 
enough (50 yards) to Arson the surviving muties.  The Templar never really 
gets there to engage in his forte (hand-to-hand, not surprisingly).  Since 
the Law Dog player isn't here, he's guarding the non-combatants at the 
meeting house.

Battle over.  I hate ranged combat.  I could have given the attacking 
mutants better and/or ranged weapons, but given the ranges involved, it 
seems kind of pointless since range modifiers and night-time conditions 
would have made very little difference.  I'ze _hates_ rolling "Oh, I need at 
least an Ace to hit" type combat rolls.

Anyhoo, I don't bother running the combat for the other 12 mutants breaking 
through the SE fence gap.  The party Doomsayer does get ahold of one of the 
other doomsayers military radios and he and the main Doombringer (Mathias?) 
exchange threats.

Anyhoo, Tom gives them the Eliot background story (which contradicts the 
story earlier in the book about how Eliot's family died, by the way - 
whoops).  They are recognized as heroes, the Templar heals a few wounded 
(although everyone at Last Chance still complains that he's "not as good as 
Ritter" - a running gag that just KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY DAMNED TIME 
*slipping into Bettlejuice mode - sorry*).

Next day, they're off to Burke's place.  Hmmm, no map of the entire layout 
of the scenario and locations in relation to each other, and its location in 
Chapter 3 seems to contradict the map in Chapter 1 at Ritter's church.  Oh 
well, fudge a bit (I'd originally placed it NW of Last Chance), flip the map 
of Burke's complex 90 degrees, and we're off.

The group figures out the first puzzle, but doesn't know what symbol means 
Change.  Break out the Huckster and the TN 11 Knowledge roll.  I've give 
them partial "figure it out without a roll" credit for this one.

The scenario then obligingly assumes that everyone will follow the 
booby-trapped path.  No rules for going off the path through the cacti, but 
fortunately the group assumes the robots will attack them if they do.  I 
don't correct this assumption, and probably woudl have gone with it if they 
had.  The templar takes the first run.  Remember, they didn't meet with Myra 
and Blossom, so they have no clue as to which stones are safe.

Much hilarity ensues as he sets off the junk guns.  It's not clear how long 
it'll take him to get to the house, so I give him three rounds.  The Junk 
Guns between them take about 12 shots at him total.  He has Guardian Angel 
and they shoot at 2d8.  Despite this, I actual Ace decently.

Funny note here;  remember, we've discussed this guy before.  He _thinks_ he 
has the Armor of the Saints greater gift.  So he's got Leather.  And Armor 
of the Saints Lvl 5.  And (being a Greenie) he puts up a Force Field).  So 
everytime I ask for his protection by location, it's some number like "-20, 
and one level of Armor."  Since the guns do 3d10, I chuckle ominously every 
time he says this and hope one of these shots will actually get past the -20 
and then I can explain to him he ain't getting the Armor 1, so then Stern 
can show up in a dream and explain why.  No such luck.  Between dodging and 
low damage rolls on my part, doesn't happen.

The Templar does set off a few of the brown "land mines" stones while 
dodging, but on 2d10 I never roll high enough to get to the point where the 
armor (or lack thereof) makes a difference either.

Meanwhile, the Doomsayer Quantum Leaps bypassing the whole deathtrap thing.  
You think Sykers can ruin an adventure, try a Doomsayer with Quantum Leap, 
X-Ray Vision, and Geiger Vision.

Our poor newbie Syker takes the next run, sets off some traps, gets kinda 
burnt.  A chip or two is loaned to him.

The Huckster then takes the run.  Whoops, guess she forgot to use Corporeal 
Tweak on the Syker, but she remembers it for herself.  Also uses Bodyguard.  
Doesn't matter - she makes the Nimbleness checks and emerges unscathed.

They get through to the "pie lock" on the door, and pretty much figure this 
out.  There's no real penalty for failure here, so despite forgetting to 
round up for the fourth digit (they enter 3.1415), they quickly kinda 
realize it should be 3.141_6_ and get in.  As the Jeeves guardian robot 
("You rang??" in best Lurch voice) greets them rather ominously, we cut to 
end of the session...





---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/

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