Thursday, October 30, 2014

Chapter 5 Finale Volcano God Appeasment!

So, the team needed to rescue one of their own from the Pygmy Tribe before she could be sacrificed to the Volcano God!  Setting out from their ramshackle rooms at Trader Joe's Beach Side Resort they trekked through the jungle, beating off some giant snakes, and proceeded to enter the Cave of Tunnels that led to the Volcano's top where the sacrifice was to be held.

Traveling through the winding tunnels, they mostly managed to avoid the perilous collapsing floor sections that would have dropped them into a lower tunnel over run with .... creatures!

Arriving at the top of the Volcano Cone ... Behold:

Team Bob is to the right, Lily is on the alter to the left. Statues of Lava Men are to the top and bottom of the huge Lava pool. As they moved closer, the could spot the Pygmy's dancing and chanting. At first Chip opened fire on one of the statues of the Lava Men to find that ... they were statues of stone and nothing else!

Moving around the south end of the Lava pool they drew the notice of the Real Lava Men in the pool!

The Pygmy's offer little resistance as they prepare to throw Lily into the fire! As they get her to the lip of the pit her clothing starts to smolder and she screams as the heat gets intense!  Then, the Idol of the Volcano God stirs and attacks Amanda and Sarge, who have moved past it to take out the remaining pygmy's.

They realize the Lava Men cannot leave the pool! They finish off the last Pygmy but fail to take out the Shaman who disappears in a cloud of smoke!  "PARLEY!"  ... The Volcano God speaks with his only voice and all the team members have to take an Extreme Peril Check! and with the In action, the Idol goes dormant!!!

Lily is saved!
An action shot of some of the group working for Lily's rescue! The lady on the right played her first game as the captive Lily..... I had prepared a script for her to voice act for the group during the action... often breaking everyone up... she did rather well after we explained the format... Saturday afternoon matinee of the action hero's girlfriend in danger type situations!   Laugh Laugh

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Tug Boat Mystery

So we applied a different approach to our regular game. A mystery killing of one of the crewmen on the Tug Boat Team Bob is traveling on.

3 colors of poker chips with 3 each of that color. Each color was marked with a Who, What or Where clue. These I scattered through out the boat. Players could travel 6 inches a turn. Black chips represented an unknown encounter but not a peril check.  When a player was sure he had found the pertinent clue for a color of chip he could ignore any he had not checked out and search others, thereby making it possible to not have to check all 9 chips.

Unknown encounter was the shadowy suspect who had 4D10 shooting and was triggered when a player announced he was going to cross over a black chip that blocked the passage way. He would roll and the players could attempt to dodge only, make any required health checks, then he "disappeared into the shadows".............(Players were not allowed recovery checks or cards that allowed them to recover!)

What Chips:   Wrench, Club, Bloody Knife  : easy to figure which was used for the crime
Who  :  Hapless Crewman , Clueless Crewman,  No Alibi
Where:  Tidy work space,  All in Order, Signs of a fight

The WHO chips had to be interrogated using Cunning or Finesse with 2 Success or 2 health checks when the subject got violent for a bit, though in the next turn you could put him to the question again as you didn't get to roll attacks on him.

So, traveling about the ship, collecting clues and sometimes some damage Chip (sidekick of Lily) ran afoul of the Shadowy Suspect and was gunned down.  Atchison took a beating and Amanda a black eye. Bob called Finished! First and was right, Sarge second and was right, Amanda 3rd and was wrong.....

The pictured pieces all stack up and assemble into the complete Tug Boat.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Chapter 5, Episode 3, Denizens in the Deep!

((preamble, deep sea diving suits pose a risk to the players, if they get a puncture they have to make a simple peril check of one success on their finesse or they are auto Knocked out of action. Also each had to chose what to take down, a hauling hook and a knife...the hook for attaching to a chest to be hauled up or a spear gun only. Also, once under water the players are given dry erase boards and a pen to write/communicate with one another... heh))

On a recovery mission Team Bob is sent off the island a short ways to deep water to recover scattered metal locker boxes from the bottom.
Movement was 3 inches a turn as they slogged along, locating boxes till.... duh duh doooooo
The sharks get closer and closer, then one attacks! then another !  Chip's suit is punctured and .... uh oh, he fails his check and is KOA!! Amanda makes her save as does Iron Kidney Joe! Sharks are speared and knifed till only a few are left ... and they are feeding on all the dead sharks.

Recovery of cases continues until they get to close to a set of ruins....
Iron Kidney Joe is grappled and being pulled into the giant maw of the horror!  He makes his Might check and breaks free, signaling to the ship above to pull him in. The rest of the team decides now is a good time to head up as well!!!  As they start their assent they notice bodies floating down to the depths ... dead bodies of natives and ships crew!!!

Stay Tuned for the next exciting episode!!!