DEMESNE CARD SYSTEM PLAYTEST-

C.'s friend, S. was in town and she dropped by and I ran them through a typical 'get to know your island' adventure, complete with Mind-Controlling Sleeper Aelbaan and Living Ancients coming to realise what they thought was to be only 3 Weeks of Cold Sleep travel turned out to be longer. 90% of the stars in the sky were simply gone, replaced with rainbowed ribons and streamers of dust and stellar fragments still spilling outward from the exploded core.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

A random hand is assigned to each player and the Demesne Hand. The house received 3 cards, while S. received 4, and C. 5. These were replenished regularly, and the total only went down. Eventually a rest spot was found in overland trekking and a new Hand total was determined with the house drawing fewer by one.

I'll skip the actual mechanics involved, save that I didn't miss dice one lick.

The battle with grotto fish people spilled out as a conjured storm helped to blot out the setting sun, as the fishies were not fond of bright light. A siege resulted in the PCs being sent out in search of a good camp for the entire community of Saltwick to fall back to. The fish-folk employed bio-weapons in the form of shellfish explosives and launched shell-dwellers, with each creature's bio-properties acting upon those affected by shrapnel.

Savannah animals in that typical close-quarters non-conflict where the prey are simply watching the predator walking by, glancing at them disinterestedly. No conflicts were encountered and the animals simply scattered or moved slowly as suited them, and the party (2 PCs, 3 NPCs) pressed on, choosing not to enter the cloud and mist-choked, rain-forest/jungle clinging to the dormant volcano inner slope.

So, then they found the ship wreckage and a nearby shaft leading down to the craft covered by layers of quick deposition sediments and ash covered by sod. Since the folk of Saltwick are/were civilised folk with Imperial Caste training, the PCs: Kether Medical/Survival, and Marrumi Ship's Weapons/Scout Services, and NPCs were not ignorant of what a bulkhead was nor that the door could potentially be cranked open.

Accidentally Activating cryo units, two blondes, and three dark-haired (2 males, 1 female) spilled out nude from their blue-goo tanks. Soon it was time for the 'older' Aelbaan woman to try and assert dominance, which failed, resulting in her death -- riddled with bullets. The three Vrun shouted for the other blonde to be killed, and the NPCs obliged them after she lunged either at them or the newly thawed Vrun-Ancients.

By utilising the cards the player/house is able to initiate conflict, or make friendly gestures, with trumping power evident by the comparison of cards. My old system from the '90's.

As S. is down from elsewhere, it is unlikely we'll soon continue, unless we run a G+ hangout game or something like that.