Search This Blog

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Mutants of Marnharnna Pt. 02-

The Humanoids, under orders by their boss, Qaj'wl (pronounced: 'Kashool'), stayed behind to protect the girls in the cabinet and were being soundly plinked by Raylyss the Reptilmalian-Vrun, and Phlavius the Yellow Ghoul, while poor 'Rocky' was facing two opponents in Melee.

Only due to the Abbekqorru Sgt.'s rising ire against his (now-) former leader, did he cease the fight, but not before Rocky managed to significantly injure one Humanoid (who literally gave up the fight and cowardly lay himself down upon the ground), and then killed another from behind.
--The Abbekqorru then brokered a peace agreement based upon mutual disdain for Qaj'wl (who had deserted them), and the girls were set free into the combined group's care.
---The coward was speared and then thrown onto the fire, while the fallen warrior was ritually-consumed by his comrades as is the Abbekqorru way.
----(It was also determined that the Garrison's spin on what had happened with this break-away group was not entirely true. The real reason the Humanoids had broken away was that the Sgt. felt that the Garrison would be as much a deathtrap as it had been for the WI Vrun they had wrest it from 80 years ago, and a guerilla war was to be waged against the mounting numbers of Vrun military).

The three were aged roughly 12, 09, and 06 years of age, and varied from nearly pure reptilmalian appearance to nearly purely human. The eldest had enough wherewithal to aid her younger sisters to deal with the changing circumstances, which was aided by Raylyss' more-familiar appearance. It was learnt that the elder brother was by a different father, and was apparently Vrun, and had set out years ago to join the Marnharnnan Defence Agency's military.

Given the Vrun xenophobia and almost guaranteed deadly policy toward Aberrants, it was agreed by the expanded group to transport the girls to the tree-fort, after retrieving goods from the (cleaned-up) homestead.

Along the way, at dusk, a herd of wild animals (about the size of an ox, armour plated like Rhinos, and possessing an impressive rack of muck-raking horns) from the northern plains moved in a steady stream bisecting the PC's path. Phlavius and two Humanoids had travelled ahead of them to do the cleaning-up and burying (having found the mother's reproductive organs in a canopic jar in Qaj'wl's backpack), and were unaware of the critters.
--Rocky and Raylyss, the girls, and the other Humanoids moved to higher ground to avoid the animals, and found the rough terrain to be ancient ruins (foundations, steps, fragments of walls, etc.). The vibrations from the passing herd apparently weakened the ground, and the youngest fell a good distance. Once this was realised, another Abbekqorru slid down the chimney, followed by Rocky's swooping-down to effect a rescue.

There, they encountered an arachoid creature (Mini-Cooper-sized tail-less scorpion, with ratcheting, sliding pincers), bent on collecting the girl. The sub-terrain was a buckled and now-terraced basement or subducted room, from whence more would arrive once the first one was handily dispatched by the two fighters. In this instance (flanking front and back), I allowed the two to combine their Fight Dice versus its 3d6.
--With Raylyss' TK Grip on the girl (and his becoming Stunned through the accumulated DP use), the two fighters wisely decided to beat-feet up the uncoiled rope. However, the Abbekqorru was then attacked by one of the arachnoids which fired an actual net-gun, which entangled him. Only the combined efforts of his allies allowed his escape, whereupon the Sgt. rolled a boulder over the shaft's opening and the group made its way down from the ruins.

Yellow Ghoul and buddies returned and the group set off again toward the homestead.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Pre-Release Errata .pdf Link-

It has come to my attention that at least three pages (or so) were omitted by the Kinko's employees that assembled the Pre-Release Manual for the NTRPG Con.

It won't likely be very interesting otherwise, but it is available for download, HERE.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Mutants of Marnharnna Map 01-



  • Hill hex 44.30 is the location of the Humanoid Garrison
  • Forested Hill 41.30 is the location of the PCs' treehouse-fort
  • They entered 41.31 and then travelled to
  • 40.31 where they found the homestead (barn and domicile)
  • 39.31 where two had a little swim before travelling on to
  • 40.32 where they encountered the Humanoid camp and entered into combat

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Mutants of Marnharnna-

I surprised the Weekly Crew with blank character sheets, and a request that we put the Aberrations & Powers tables through their paces.

We now have:

* A yellow-green Reptimalian-Vrun with 'super-stealth', TK Grip, Void Blast, and something else that escapes me at 2:25 AM. He has the best fighting capability, provided by his tail, to which he has affixed a double-headed hatchet.

* A Cadaverously-skinny, True Yellow-skinned, Anti-Vampire with Levitation, Dismiss Conjuration, and double-strength Elemental Defence.

* A green-skinned, Aquamarine-haired super-stealthed, conjuration-dismissing, mind-scanning, (?), glider-membrane guy.


They decided to start play in eastern central Marnharnna, roughly 1,800 miles from Kelzsyn's bluff (new territory :D ), having grown-up in the whereabouts of a former WI Vrun garrison, later conquered by the Humanoids that surrounded it. As Aberrant Vrun, the PCs were very low on the social ladder, and were more tolerated than valued. However, they were each given a document (they were told only one was genuine), and sent as a group to try and broker a martial deal with a group of nomadic Aberrants nearby (five days walk). Two other groups had left in different directions over previous days that week.

They were warned that a traitorous Half-Abbekqorru and eight of his lackeys had, ten days ago, escaped from the garrison after he had murdered his XO, and it was understood that he collaborated with Humans (using his Humanesque edge) as a mercenary, and that he would be hunting for the PCs' message(s).

A Vrun homestead was found in shambles and a dying mind was detected by Glider-guy, Zander. Upon inspection, a blunderbuss loaded with quartz shards struck True Yellow corpse-guy in the right leg for a nasty amount, while Zander avoided being entangled in a barbed and weighted net, both in the barn. The dying creature was some sort of reptilian Humanoid or Monstrous Being, dressed in WI Vrun male finery. Its dying breath were the words, "The Pearl! The Pearl!", which Zander saw as the Pearl employed by Ashta Shomel in the other game-thread. A combination Chronometric-Musical Companion was found on his body, as well as a sort of clip-on ring with an interesting sigil as its decoration.
-- A sealed chest was found in the loft with him (he had sustained multiple Abbekqorru arrows |2d6+1 damage in GW terms| ), containing two larger-than-ostrich eggs (one highly decorated, the other plain, both in some sort of advanced swamp biotech incubator that included other animals' life cycles in the process). It was resealed, but left there.

In the domicile, a grisly sight awaited them: a violated, partially eaten, and hysterectomy'd (apparently) Human splayed out upon the dining room table. Signs of three young girls abduction were also evident.
--After the yellow ghoul skinned, dressed, and started the smoking process on the reptile they had found, the PCs set out at night (under a full moon) after having discovered tracks with deep impressions leading almost perfectly South West out of the area.

Fiddling about, a secondary encounter was skipped by cloaking Yellow, and the party reached the encampment of the raiders. It became evident that the girls were alive, having been carried in a large three-sectioned work-bench/cabinet thing lifted from the barn, and they were being fed scraps of meat by a full Abbekqorru while most of the remaining five rested or actually slept. Since the super-stealth covers everything not specifically created to find that particular critter (-5 to be detected even when unconscious), the party were able to walk into their midst without detection, and then a Surprise Round of combat ensued.
--The Abbekqorru was pin-cushioned but not badly wounded, and the mysterious arrows materialising out of thin air, as it were, gave away the general location of Reptimalian, and Yellow, while Zander tried to assassinate the 'Halfsie'. That didn't go well for Zander, and he was forced prone with the creature (looking mostly human) pinning him and beginning to transform into its true form, the equivalent of a more 'mundane' Jackalwere (and not a Half-Abbekqorru at all) as his troops closed in on the party.

Uh-oh!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Mapping Urutsk Pt. 01-

Hi, All,

I have been busy using a variety of software to get the right mix of photo-realistic and hex-based maps (currently of the Marnharnnan continent), and I recently purchased Hexographer.
--My first map (too small) worked our pretty well, but I'm almost certainly going to use Photoshop and others to edit the coastlines, detail the rivers, and generally gussy-up the hexes a bit so that clusters of the same terrain type icon will still have individual differences.

Population Migration maps, political maps, etc.
--And these will then be handed over in some/many cases to other artists better known for their cartography.

EDIT:

Rob 'Bat in the Attic' Conley's, as well as the Welsh Piper's write-ups have been very helpful.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Bad Vibes on the Bayou #2 (cross-post)-

LINK
===

Urutsk: Bad vibes on the bayou #2











Following Bad vibes on the bayou, here are Stephen Laidlaw's GM notes:

By the session the players had figured out which system we were using - TSR's Amazing Engine (which isn't really). I'd not used it in years but it wasn't too much bother.

During the game I relied upon encounter and reaction tables, but beforehand I had established what had happened to the characters before the first session. The characters had been fed certain images and memories which the players can either work with or ignore. They may prove to be important depending on the party's actions.

The session proved to be full of player paranoia as character secrets were not being shared, though the bouts of nausea telegraphed the fact that all the party were regaining memories.

Over the two sessions the players have missed out on finding/utilising equipment but as the game doesn't hinge on these items for completion I've no reason to drop hints to help them.

Generating the adventure as we game, reacting to the PCs actions but being aware of the actions/agendas of NPCs has made the sessions very interesting for me as I feel I'm exploring the setting with them. Some stuff I do just make up - the look of the Humanoids for instance, which usually leads to further questions to get my mind around.

The material Kyrinn has provided had been invaluable, as they contain the tools for hex-crawling as well as 'the big picture'. A working knowledge of the setting is enough to aid the GM in interpreting the rolled outcomes of the tables so as the game seems Urutskan rather than just generic play.

I have no game outcome in mind, no objective for the characters - but their actions or inaction will have consequences. Events will unfold and the players are aware that I'm rolling for the reactions/actions of others as things are happening in the wider world.

Thanks to Dave, Sean, Sue and Tony for their mad confidence in me.

Another atmospheric song used was 'In Dark Trees' :



Now we're off to watch Germany vs Spain down the pub.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Urutsk: Bad vibes on the bayou #1 (cross-post)-

Here's the LINK to Sean Wills' blog account of the second Urutsk game he's participated in as a player.
===

Urutsk: Bad vibes on the bayou #1


(following Memory and Mangrove)

Riverboat journey - party travel with the merchant Kariq and his three boathands - cargo of spirits, medicinal herbs, hides, cages of small beaked marsupials, and a triptych of painted metal panels depicted a comet streaking over the wetlands. Night falls - much chittering of creatures and gaseous light forms(fae?) follow at a distance - exhausted PCs cannot stay awake - in the long hours before dawn mud-encrusted bark-armoured humanoids (very primitive) attack from overhanging trees and coracles with spearsticks and blowpipes - party and crew fight them off but not without injury (all PCs bar Mouwles) and death (Kariq and 1 boathand). Boat reaches military stockade after fraught journey - boat impounded at gunpoint as officer disbelieves account of Kariq's death (or chooses to disbelieve it). PCs and crew put in lockup - separted in morning - PCs to travel under armed guard to Fort Stalwart via airship that arrives at midday. It seems the PCs are of interest to someone of importance. Future of 2 boathands looks grim, slavery perhaps. The session ended.

Much of the session was taken up with the battle. By now we'd sussed out that Stephen had us statted up using TSR's clunky 'Amazing Engine' ruleset. After receiving the pre-release version of the Vrun Player's Module from Timeshadows I wish we'd swapped over straight away as I would've loved to utilise the cool unarmed combat and ranged fire rules. The biggest in-game discussion was as to whether we took the boat to the stockade or not, player knowledge vs. playing in role.

And yes..more bits of paper passed to the players, but we all seem to be keeping things to ourselves !

(Riverboat trip was accompanied by Dr John's wonderful 'Gris-gris' album)



(more to come plus *ahem, Stephen* GM's notes)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Vrun Players' Module Update-

I am busy editing the Aberrations & Powers section, and then the Vrun locations need to be integrated with the Cultural data, so I am still hoping for a mid-to late-July release to .pdf, with print on demand following.