Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Chapter 3 Episode 3 Meanwhile In Cairo


The Team is assembled at the Commission HQ to go over the action plan that the high command has come up with to thwart the Thule Society and their plan to summon … something of great power. Various Ideas are tossed around but an action plan to hit them hard is adopted. The Team equips up including explosives to undertake the job. Hurriedly as the sun is setting, the team heads out to the edge of the city in 2 trucks.


“Hey sarge, can you slow this thing down some? Geez the road is rougher than hell.”

“You said you wanted to be there with the sun up and its going to be close.”
 
The 3 building complex is at a crossroad of sorts and is approached at speed by the truck convoy. As they near the complex they see scattered dead people, torn to ribbons! The various members making a last check of their weapons when the lead vehicle is taken under fire from a sub machine gun!



(figures beside the trucks are the drivers and front passengers.)
The fire slightly damages the lead truck but the driver is hit and passes out, causing the truck to swerve out of control but it rolls to a stop. The following truck sees the fire and the driver yells for the riders to bail out before he has to drive through the burst himself!

 

The lead truck swerves to it left out of the intersection and a group of Cultists take it under fire. The second truck swerves through the Burst template and takes damage to the engine and steering, causing it to careen off to its right and it crashes into the Thule’s parked sedan rendering the remaining rider downed but the driver bails out.


 

 

The Sun sets at that moment!

 

 

Night Gaunts appear and close in!


 

Combined fire allows Sarge to finish one of the devils off!

 

One lands on top of the truck involved in the pile up and it takes down one agent after a short brawling. Amanda invokes Mystical Fires and attempts to burn it down… to no avail (made all its health checks) Then she remembers they attacked only with the coming of darkness and whips her flash bulb camera up and takes a shot, the Flash startles the beast into flying off!

The search for documents scattered about the area until a crashing sound alerts them that they are still not alone. From the rubble of the buildings, 2 creatures emerge, composed of teeth and claws, long sharp claws.

 

Sarge makes for a parked car but hasn’t time to search for keys, instead he throws a grenade hoping to stop its approach.

 

Other agents add to the carnage to try to help Sarge. He gets into the vehicle and searches for the keys (random peril).

 

Sarge plays a timely Trip Up to get the last bit of time he needs to get away from the creature.


 

The rest of the team pile into the remaining truck and barely make good their get away, leaving the Thule’s failed summoning to be dealt with by someone else!

 
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Game setting pic

Friday, May 16, 2014

The Pulp Alley Team!

Here they are:

Leader Robert Howard (side kick is Margret Howard) (sitting), Professor Ice (sidekick is Iron Kidney Joe),  Atchison Thomas Moore III (side kick is David Barrow Smith), Amanda Smyth(the one and only!), Franz (side kick is "Sarge"), and new to the team is Lily Hanley.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Chapter 3 Episode 2: AAR Sand in Their Shoes a Pulp Alley AAR

The Team has been dispatched to Cairo to rally with support elements already in place. Team leader Robert Howard (Bob) studied the sigils on the stele from the park from photographic copies on file with the Parks Service. His hope is that what they might mean is the basis of what the Thule Society was up to at the Park Site.

So this flight is to Egypt to explore and get more of the sigils recorded so they might possibly be translated and crack the case. To aide in this effort, Amanda Smyth has been attached to the team as an archivist/linguist and just happens to be the niece of one of the largest monetary backers of the Commission.

After a long boring flight they were met by a equally bored minor official, Ahkmed, from the Cairo Headquarters.

Upon their arrival in Cairo, Ahkmed walked them through customs and had organized transport to the local Commission HQ, a small building stuck in a side street. As the team enters the building they find it is under staffed with only a handful of people working there. The staff provides Bob with a map….. a papyrus map and a scroll case for it. The map is rather sparse on details with a general outline of some mountains, major gullies as land marks and an X with the name Thosus.

“What or where is this Thosus, Ahkmed?”
“Information on Thosus is from legendary sources that it once was an outpost of a pre-Sudanese people. Nothing much is left but a few crumbling ruins that the natives refuse to go near, claiming it is “Cursed by the Gods”… rather than by “God”.  There is reported to be a temple there with a stone Idol and sigils inscribed on it as well as on the temple walls. The hills around it team with nomadic people that care little for the laws of Egypt.”

“How long to get there?”
“ It is 230 miles or so to the southwest of Cairo. I have arranged supplies and 2 Trucks with petrol to be ready in the morning for you.”
“Any chance of a local guide to go with us?”
“Attempts to secure a local guide have proven fruitless when the destination is known. I am sorry.”

The morning of the departure, the Leader and side kicks roll out early and the agents straggle in.

Morning sees the Team assemble to depart except to two agents that have come down “sick” and are in the infirmary, out of action. Ahkmed provides 2 replacement agents of dubious quality but assures Bob that they can drive, shoot and are “reliable”…..

Driving slowly across mostly arid desert countryside for 12 hours, the Team decides to make camp, having covered half the distance to the site. Camp is pitched, food prepped and watches assigned. Deep into the night a Nomad group surges out of the darkness and attacks the camp.

Margret Howard, primary assistant to Bob sees the shadowy forms swarming towards the camp in the crescent moon feeble light and opens fire with her rifle, missing her target but alerting the camp to the attack by “something”.

The sleeping members of the team swarm out of the tent and scatter in various directions! Sarge shouts “which truck are the bloody grenades in??!!”

Atchison dashes to a truck and plans to mount up and fire it up, possibly to hurl it into the attacking mobs….but fumbles his keys! (peril check fail)

Bob dashes around the side of one of the boulders and opens fire with a burst of smg fire…. Taking down many of the attackers. Others pour in their rifle and pistol fire… to little avail as the Nomads close to hand to hand fighting, wielding no more than finger nails and filed teeth!!!

But the weight of fire winnows them down and the last Nomad is pummeled down.  Examination of the “nomads” shows they have slightly scaly skin, sharp teeth and rudimentary clothing… The two agents filling in claim to have no knowledge of what they are, only that they are some of the people Ahkmed warned them about.

Next morning they break camp earlier than was their plan and continue on to the site of the ruins, arriving a couple hours before nightfall, having been delayed somewhat by having to carefully traverse some serious gullies along the way. (Peril check passed)

Arriving, they establish their camp adjacent to the ruins and begin an examination of them, Amanda setting of nearly continuous flashes from her camera. While this is going on a creature breaks out of the sandy soil and charges into the camp…. Atchison sees the beast and recoils from it, emptying his revolver at it! Sarge and Bob open fire, slowing the beast and then finishing it out before it could come to grips with any team member!
Amanda deciphers most of the sigils and runes but the crucial last bit has been lost to the wall having collapsed but it seems there is another copy underground in the caverns below that may still be intact!! (Major Peril passed)

The entrance is found by Amanda’s fiddling with the stele and then almost falling into the dark hole (peril check passed) it reveals while the team dispatches the beasty.
Flashlights and ammo are passed around, and they spiral down into the depths. Arriving at the base of the stairs Sarge warns them to “stay alert and maybe we get out of here alive!”…. To which Amanda snaps a photo…. Setting off a powerful Flash!  (She was taking pictures all the time, calling POOF!! (signifying when she sets off the power full Flash Bulbs.) Now and again, leaving several players groaning…or laughing most of the game.)
Amanda proves to be a bit flighty (she was an assigned continuing Minor Peril point!) She spotted something moving on the wall and screamed, bolting away from it and towards the front of the party. (another member failed their random peril check to “save her” ..)
Meanwhile the form that moved on the wall slid to the floor and began oozing towards the party! Doctor Ice engaged it with his pistol to little effect! Sarge opened fire with an SMG burst and tears it apart…. But the firing has a side effect, echoing in the cavern passages and alerts a larger threat that there is a source of ….. food coming!
Amanda shrieks again and an agent saves her from a vicious spider (peril check passed: Amanda vocal calls for help and shrieks was played by my lovely half, Mrs Alfrik)  Suddenly a huge creature ambles out of the shadows towards them, clacking its paws(Huh?) at them, which is too much for one of the Cairo agents who screams “run for your lives! This place is Cursed!!!!” He breaks and runs back towards the entrance, …. Never to be seen by the team again! Amanda fires her camera and a small pepper-pot pistol as she hastily backs away and manages not to fall down.
Bob calls for everyone to open fire at the beasty, Bob taking the time to load his “special ammo” (a special Gear added to the list that requires a random peril check to see if it will add more shooting dice to the attack due to its Special ingredients or not) and then open fire, finding that the special loads have a better effect than standard bullets!! He’s rightly thankful to the research department and the slugs slam into the creature. (red rings are dice level reductions)
Its downed but stumbles back up, where upon Sarge yells “to hell with this” and chucks a grenade at it while Bob unleashes another burst of smg fire! It’s Down and now out.
Amanda and the team in turn do find the other set of sigils and runes where upon she takes pictures and notes…
“What’s it all mean Amanda?” asked Bob.

“I have to finish the translation when I can get my hands on several books back at the HQ, I just don’t have enough here to finish it other than I can tell you the “newest” language there is an early cuneiform, the next is a Antiluvean language, the last line is the sigil language, so let’s head back as soon as we can!”

The intrepid adventurers head back towards Cairo.

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Addendum:

Dearest Archibald,

I am so glad our Fathers allowed me to go with this group of Specialists. I have seen amazing things! I have incredible pictures that the headquarters assures me they will use in the article I am composing in a prestigious Scientific Journal. My journalistic adventure and career is off to an amazing start!
Assure our fathers that their investments are being put to good use and I’m sure many things will be brought back for the Museums and their private collections.
I do wish that the accommodations were better than the tents I have had to use so far. They don’t even carry a bath! Well, some sacrifice must be met for History. I suppose a river swim is in order later.

Love. Your devoted fiancĂ©,  Amanda.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Chapter 3, Episode 1: A Walk In The Park



Setting: Commission Headquarters Germany, city Munich, outskirts of, this building overlooks one of the local city park.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mission: During an evenings debrief of their latest action the teams are in the second story of the HQ attending a meeting when out the windows, in the small but ancient city park, strange lights are seen. The Commission Lead opens the window to hear a Woman's screams for help.... The Teams leap into action.

 


 

Leader Jorge shouts to the assembled agents (includes sidekicks) to grab what they can from the downstairs armory and don't forget some Flashlights!

Exiting the HQ, (long greystone building in the far picture edge) they fan out into the street, with the woman still screaming for help in the near distance. Night time, with a light mist rising and limited street lights reduces clear vision.  As they approach the park, they get a clearer idea of what it is, rather than just some quaint patch of green with an old statue they have driven past numerous times without a second thought.

Suddenly the woman’s scream is cut off with a horrible gurgling sound. The agents swarm into the park as the ground vibrates and a hole appears in the ground before them, down which two robbed figures flee.

Advancing across the grass, Jorge notices that there are now glowing greenish lines on the ground, some strange sigils or such, in front of the ancient stele stone. The body of the hapless victim is bound to the base of the stele, her blood pooling into the sigils.

 

"Take them down!" Jorge bellows, and stops short as a Hairy beast breaks from cover and with a great roar charges the leading agents, wielding wicked talons! From across the street a lone cultist cackles with glee as he rushes into range with his SMG and opens fire on the bunched agents!

"Fan Out You Lunk Heads!!! Remember your training!"  Franz vaults over the wall and unfortunately slips on the slimy moss covered stone fence and he performs a face plant on the turf to the laughter of some of his fellow agents.

A cultist goes down the fists of "Iron Kidney Joe", a devastating flurry (followed with Out of Action). Joe eyes up the beast and charges in. They exchange blows without regard to defense or blocking! Joe is knocked down but also dislodges the head piece of the cultist costume, revealing it’s all for show with a big burly brawler trying to scare off the weak willed!!

Further blows take out the faux-beast as a local contact runs in and adds a round of pistol fire into the costumed cultist, a courageous act for such a one as he.

 

The hole in the ground reveals a set of stairs, the local young agent calls out "its dark down there, we need li" his sentence cut short as tentacles shoot out and wrap about him, his weak struggles to free himself of no avail!  He's yanked from sight, his screams fading, fading into the stygian darkness of the depths.

 


"Okay men, if we want to save your fellow that got yanked down there, and find out just what the devil is going on here, we can either fall back to the armory and lose time or just go on with what we have."  Murmuring of voices sides with pushing on!

Down they spiral for a distance till the stairs end and a series of caverns are revealed. The walls have a series of statues along them, though hard to make out.(pitch black reduces visibility to 12") They push on, finding a large pile of Huge humanoid skulls, strangely misshapen (minor plot point) One of the young agents picks one up and looks into its eye sockets muttering "their so deep,.... deep...." and has to be slapped about to get him back to the here and now.

 


In the inky darkness they hear Clik Clik....... Clik Clik, not a metallic sound but… something, and its getting closer. Sarge takes point and is the first to make out the forms advancing on them.



Huge insectoid humanoids sway as they shamble down the cavern towards them.  Sarge lets off with a burst from his SMG, to no apparent effect. Uh oh! He falls back to the main group who join the fire fight, which only seems to slow them down. 
 

"Fall back! We don't have what we need here!"

 


A hasty retreat leaves the things in darkness but the Clik Clik sound becomes a staccato of cliks, as the band of agents falls back to the stairs only to see 2 of the monsters have cut them off and are advancing.

Jorge has the 2 SMGs overlap their bursts, those with a rifle or pistol open up as well, staggering one of the creatures. The other barely wounded, advances on the trapped agents until it gets close to Sarge, whose jaw drops (failed finesse check=scenario temp loss of 1D finesse) and whimpers about his mom before he rallies enough to not get eaten.

 
Joe leaps in to pummel the monster and knocks it down but starts to drool a bit and looks about frantically for a way out. He bolts for the stairs, dodging the other creature’s grab for him with a long sucking snout coming out of its head!

 


"Up the stairs if you want to live" screams an agent and they push and shove their way up to more sane climes.

"Go to the HQ and get your sedan, Franz and bring it back here, NOW!" 

 Franz returns in a minute from where he parked his Bentley and Jorge directs him until the front end blocks the hole to the stairs.

Reporting back to the HQ, the Commission Commander is called and advised. He orders a large explosive from the armory to be lowered down the hole and blown to seal the passage.

Most of the park, the stele and the glowing sigils collapse into the crater, leaving the populace unaware of the terrors that had lain beneath the city.

(((I purposely hurried the players to make decisions, which were for the most part on par with their needs, not knowing what awaited them, but 3 characters only had knives or bare fists, several had pistols, 2 rifles and 2 smgs....one taken from the fallen cultist.  When they decided to go or fall back to the armory, the penalty would have been, fall back = lose action cards in hand to that point, push on = keep action cards already held.

Falling back on the old  "sanity check" required when they got to with in 6 inches of a creature, They needed 2 success to adapt to seeing the creature, fail meant -1D for the rest of the scenario and additional checks till they passed one or ran out of Finesse dice. Out of dice meant that the would bolt to the safest direction they could. If they had only 1D finesse, they needed to pass that to just "hold on man!" but could not get a the required 2 to adapt to the presence of the creatures...and would most likely break and run away" The Creatures are Dreamblade figures pressed into service, I gave them 1D12 health, and 3D10 brawl, they could spring 24 inches if Unseen and then 6 inches as they approached their prey.

This Chapter has the teams pitted against the Thule Society at locations around the world as they attempt to thwart the Society and their allies from what ever their dastardly plan is!