Infiltrating the Imperial Base. A Star Wars/CR3.1 Game

This continues our recent adventure . . . 

"Shh," Hathis said, "There could be guards everywhere."

She entered the Imperial bunker, while wasn't far from the now-destroyed shield generator, along with Duro tech specialist Rorrk (Rep 4) and troops Frace and Nelis (both Rep 3).  Using a comlink from a fallen storm trooper, they had tracked the runaway shock trooper, whose name they found out was Col. Krast, to this very bunker, and they hoped to eliminate him before he could alert reinforcements.

Listening to the comlink, Rorrk pointed.  "He is in a control room."  Looking around the storage shed, he motioned to a door.  "I believe that way."

Entering the weapons locker, they stocked up on what they could carry.  Hathis began pocketing some thermal detonators when she heard a electronic speech from the next room.  Raising her hand in a caution sign, she peeked around the corner.

Two storm troopers conversed with an Imperial technician while a third stood guard over a bridge.  Wasting no time (and winning In Sight), Hathis pulled out her pistol and opened fire, catching one trooper in the chest.  Rorrk followed by taking out the second trooper, while Nelis eliminated the tech.

The last trooper spun around and charged forward.  He scored a shot on Nellis, but before he could rdo anymore damage, Frace gunned him down, causing the trooper to Wilhelm scream into the pit below.

Pulling out the comlink again, Rorrk listened and then fiddled with some controls.  "According to this, Col. Krast is not far."

They proceeded down a corridor and found the control room.  Krast, his rocket launcher attached to his back, spoke to a tech who stood just outside the room.

"Now's our chance," Hathis whispered, as they attempted to sneak up on the trooper.

(In Sight check.)

(FAILED!)

Spinning around, Krast pulled out his pistol and fired, with Hathis and Rorrk diving for cover.

"Try and Flank 'em!"  Hathis yelled.  Ducking around the corner, she fired a few shots, but only hit the nearby wall.  Krast backed into the corridor, covering himself with his pistol.

"He flees again," Rorrk said.

Another storm trooper suddenly bolted out, firing wildly, but Hathis, who hid behind the wall, ducked out and dropped him.

"We can't let him get away! "

Hathis fired into the corridor to distract Krast while Frace and Rorrk slipped into a nearby hallway and fired on him.  They managed to drop the tech, while Krast ducked behind some crates.

"That was easy enough," Rorrk said.

Suddenly and explosion sent both him and Frace through the air as Krast appeared again with his rocket launcher out.

Frace took the blast head-on and was dead before he hit the ground, while the blast sent Rorrk hurtling into the bulkhead.  (OOF)

"You son of a-"  Hathis lunged forward, and before Krast could get his gun turned around, she slammed into him.  She tried to wrestle the gun from him, but he smashed her in the jaw with it and shoved her away.

She hit the ground with her head spinning and rolled out of the way just as a rocket exploded near her head.  (Star Power prevented an OD.)

She fired a few more shots before rolling along the wall and pulling out a thermal detonator.  Just as Krast peeked around the corner, the tossed it.  She heard him curse as he leaped out of the way, but the explosion still did its job.

Running over, she checked on him and found the trooper was still breathing.  (OOF, though how he survived that, I have no idea!).  Slapping some cuffs on him, she took away his weapons, and then ran to find Rorrk.

(Recovery check:  Passed 2d6).

She found her friend groaning on the ground and burned on his arms and part of his face.

"Are you all right?"

He held his head.  "I shall need some aid for the pain but I believe I will survive."  He stood with her help.  "Did you stop him?"

"Yeah," she answered, "and he's alive so we can take him back to base for questioning."

"I am curious about the computers, though," he said.  "I wonder if they still hold valuable information."

Returning to the control room, Hathis stood guard as Rorrk opened the computer program.

(Mental Challenge:  Passed 2d6.)

"Interesting," he said, "it appears part of the fleet fled to the Hoth system to reorganize."

"They must be planning to use Echo base as a temporary HQ," Hathis said.  "We better return to base. Alert Admiral Ackbar about this place and that we'll be returning soon."  Glacning back at their fallen foe, she added, "And let them know we have a prisoner to interrogate."

(Advancement Rolls:  Hathis passed and advanced to Rep 6.  Rorrk passed and advanced to Rep 5.)

CR3 and Star Wars

Here's a game I ran use my Star Wars minis.  While I loved the minis, I didn't like the actual game rules since they didn't allow for solo play.  With Chain Reaction, from Tho Hour Wargames, I finally have my chance.

Anyway, here are my heroes:

Hathis (Star):  Rep 5 Female Human.  Repeating Pistol.
Beedon:  Rep 4 Male Rodian.  Rocket Launcher and Pistol.
Loab:  Rep 3 Human Male.  Rifle.
Goom:  Rep 3 Male Human.  Rifle.
Fizt:  Rep 3 Male Ewok.  Bow.
Rorst:  Rep 3 Female Ewok.  Bow.

The morning after the battle of Endor, the Death Star is destroyed, the Empire is driven off, and the heroes enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Well, most of them . . . 

Hathis shook her head, which only made it pound worse.  Thanks to drawing the short straw, she and her squad got stuck with guard duty, ensuring no rogue Imperial forces remained in the area.  As she watched two ewoks play on a broken speeder bike, Hathis thought about asking if either had any medicine for her head, and her stomach.

Then they heard the rumbling.

A rogue Imperial force approached with an AT-St walker, probably intent on sneak-attacking the resting rebels.

"Grab your gear!"  Hathis yelled as she and her troops bolted down the hill.  (The army men in these pictures represent trees and foliage while also helping to separate map sections.)  Shouting to the ewoks, the group hid behind bushes and scouted their opponents.

Loab rushed to get a closer look at the walker, while Goom slipped and ended up right in the sights of several troopers.  Rifle already in hand, Goom opened fire and dropped the first trooper, while the other two slipped back behind nearby trees.

Meanwhile, Hathis, Beedon, Fizt, and Rorst snuck around and attempt to flank the enemy forces.  Beedon dropped one with his pistol, while Rorst took down another.  Hathis opened fire but missed, and a lone shock trooper disappeared into the brush (left the map completely).

"Why isn't the walker moving yet?"  Beedon asked.

As if in response, the monstrous AT-ST came to life and opened fire, sending Loab airborne as it approached the brush.

The scout trooper took advantage of the distraction to shoot Goom in the chest, dropping him from the battle.

"You're up," Hathis told Beedon, and the rodian pulled out his rocket launcher and tried to sneak around to shoot the walker.  Unfortunately, the walker's pilot saw him and blasted the poor soldier and the tree he hid behind.

Hathis sighed.  "Well this is going just great."  She turned to her two smaller companions and pointed.  "Distract that thing while I get Beedon's gun."

Apparently they understood enough because the two nodded and slipped through the brush and began pelting the walker with arrows.  Unfortunately, the pilot caught on and fired at the brushed itself, causing Fizt and Rorst to dive out into the open.

Their guards dropped, the walker fired again, mercilessly roasting to the two diminutive rebels.  It then seemed to ignore Hathis and make a beeline for the rebel and ewok camp.

Taking advantage of its lack of interest. Hathis burst through the brush, slipped behind the trees, and found Beedon's body, his fingers still grasping his rocket launcher.  Retrieving the weapon, she flanked the walker and opened fire, striking against its left leg.

That got its attention!  The walker turned as she fired again but missed.  Returning fire, it struck a nearby tree, hurtling Hathis through the air,  She landed on some fallen brush and groaned in pain.  Luckily nothing was broken though (Star Power saved her from getting incinerated!) , so she rolled aside, picked up her gun again, and fired again on the walker.

She hit the cockpit, and the beast stumbled for a moment before firing back.  Luckily, it missed completely (the pilot was probably still shaken after that last blast), but then it began to march forward.  Time to finish you off, she thought, as she lifted the gun for one more blast.

It jammed!  (Failed activation)  "Really?  You have got to be @$%#$@$%## kidding me!"  As the walker inched closer, Hathis kicked the rocket launcher and fought against the stuck trigger.  "Work you #%$@#%%#$% piece of #%%#!  Work!"

Click.  Finally, she thought as a huge shadow suddenly swallowed her.  Gazing up, she saw the walker above, its guns pointed directly at her.  No doubt, its pilot was pausing just long enough for a sinister chuckle.

Lifting the gun again, she fired one more time and could only gape in shock as the rocket sailed right inside the walker's cockpit.  Following a series of explosions, Hathis rolled out of way as the beast toppled and crashed to the ground.

Sighing, she reported back to base on her comlink, retrieved gear from her fallen allies, and took off into the woods.  One lone trooper survived, and she intended to track him down and complete her mission.

Rory Story Cubes and THW Games

I've had Rory Story Cubes for a while, but I've never been able to figure out how to work them into my games.  I recently, though, came up with an idea, combined with the Adventure Generator from my Two Hour Fantasy game.  But first . . .


WHAT ARE RORY STORY CUBES?

Rory Story Cubes resemble d6.  However, instead of numbers, they have pictures on each side.  They can be used for creating storie, story-like games, etc.  The rules, those that exist, are rather open-ended, and the creator encourages people to use them in any creative fashion that they see fit.


After playing games like Mythic and Fate, I was trying to come up with ways to bring the story-like random events to my THW games.  This is my attempt with the Rory Story Cubes.


HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

I tried to keep the rules simple so gameplay wouldn't slow down.


STEP 1:

When you roll doubles during Activation, look at each individual number.  We'll call this the Activation Number, or A# for now.  Now, roll that many Rory Story Cubes (I'll call them RSC from here on since it's easier, and because I'm lazy).  Going by the first cubes you look at, put together the event.

For example . . . 

Muzzl the troll and Cameron the elf are wandering through a town when they encounter three members of the Mages of the Blue Stars.  To keep things simple, I'm going to pretend no one passed the In Sight test.  Now on to Activation . . . 

Both scored a 3, resulting in a random event.  This also tells me that I'll be rolling 3RSC.  


Now, if you wish to keep things simple, you can simply roll the story cubes and go with the event.

Here, I rolled a clock, a door lock and a pad lock.  I'm interpreting this as sundown and Muzzl and Cameron busted the mages trying to break into the building.  This doesn't give either the advantage, but it does paint a picture of events.  Considering no one won In Sight, it makes one wonder why they didn't designate a look-out.  Then again, in a twist of irony, the Mages of the Blue Stars may not be very bright!


ADVANCED RULES:

These rules add a few more details to your random events.

• First, roll a second d6.  If it is Even, the event is positive.  If it is odd, it is negative.
• Now roll 1d6 for each character in the section.  Whoever rolls highest is affected by the event.  
• If more than one character rolls highest, those who tied scored highest.
• However, if no one rolled higher than the Second d6, the event affects someone or something else.

After rerolling the story cubes and getting a magic wand, set of scales, and boogyman, I roll a second d6 and get a 6; a positive event.  Rolling 1d6 for each character, it turns out Muzzl, Cameron, and Mage #1 scored highest.  They are affected by the event.  Interpreting the story cubes, I'm guessing it's a battle of wills.  Are our heroes intimidated by the magical beings or are the magical beings intimidated by our heroes?  Who gets the mental edge in the fantastic face-off?


EVENTS THAT AFFECT GAMEPLAY:

These events usually only give you more details about the current situation.  However, they can also influence gameplay, if you wish for them to.  Here's how it works:

• If only one side is affected, those on that side make an unopposed Skill Check.
• If characters on both sides are affected, make opposed checks against opponents closest to their Reps.
• If one side outnumbers the other, the character with the highest Rep makes a second check.
• For unopposed checks, the difficulty is equal to the Activation #.  If it's less than a character's Rep, it's considered Easy.  If it's higher, it's considered Hard.

In this case, the characters make opposed checks, with Muzzl (Rep 5) making two checks against the Rep 3 mages, while Cameron (Rep 4) makes only one.  Muzzl and Cameron both pass.  Narrowing his eyes, Cameron aims his bow while Muzzle simply growls, dark eyes boring into his opponents.  And if the mages weren't wearing brown pants before, they are now!  Dropping their staves, they turn tail and bolt down the street.

And that's an example of how to use Rory Story Cubes in your THW games.  You can find the story cubes at Amazon.com and Walmart.  

Swordplay, along with Chain Reaction, Larger than Life, Two Hour Dungeon Crawl are available at:

www.twohourwargames.com

Y'ALL MEET IN A BAR - fantasy AAR

I was using this to try out an encounter for my above-ground Two Hour Dungeon Crawl rules.  The encounter takes the place of a normal meeting in a tavern or other location and simulates the behaviors of non-players.  For the sake of simplicity though, I'm not using class attributes, only Rep and races, and only humans (1-4) or dwarves (5-6) appear.

My two characters (both stars):

Ibash Urskul - Human Rep 5 (Fighter).  Giant Hammer 2H.

Yugo Thudd - Dwarf Rep 5 (Rogue).  Sling shot (2 Imp).

Ibash enters turn 1.  Yugo enters turn 5.

Ibash Urskul entered the Bloody Oak Tavern to find a small group already involved in their own activities.  As he approached the bar, he was greeted by the bartender, a tall, fit woman, whose smile betrayed the fact that she could tear your arm off.

T-La - Human female Rep 4.  Adventurer/Law, friendly.

"Morning, Bash," she said.  "The usual?"

Bash nodded and she sent a mug his way.  Taking a drink, Bash noted the two patrons already seated at the bar beside him.  A pale-skin man with a sword attached to his back, and another strong woman, though noticeably shorter, and armed with twin blades that hung from her belt.

Crys:  Human Male Rep 3.  Adv, friendly with 3.  1H sword.

Dawn:  Human female Rep 3, Adven, friendly with 5.  two 1h swords.

In the corner sat a short man with a ring of dark hair around his head who was leaning on his staff, watching the group.  

Nom:  Human Male.  Rep 5.  Trade/Crim.  Unfriendly with 1.  Armed with staff (2H weapon).

Next to Bash, the woman slammed her mug on the table.  "Got anything stronger?"

(Talk the talk:  T-La 1 - 4 Dawn.  Pass 1d6 on Hostility table:  verbal only).

"Yeah," T-La said, rolling her eyes, "poison."

Dawn smirked and placed some coins on the counter.  "Then more of this . . . please."

Crys and Bash watched the display with amusement.  

Bash then turned to Dawn.  "So what's your poison?"  (3-2 Bash on Talk test)

"Crimson ale," she said, "yours?"

"Female blacksmiths," he answered, drawing a smile from the woman.

"Speaking of blacksmiths," Crys said, flashing T-La what he thought was a charming smile, "how are you with a blade?"  (Talk test:  3-1 T-La)

"Well enough to make your head fly across the room," she said.  

 No one seemed to notice Nom, who subtly strolled behind Bash.

"I'm guessing you like to quest for shinies," the man said, tapping Bash on the shoulder with his staff.  "I can show you some gems just like the one I own here  Just look at the glow from this emerald."

(Talk the talk:  Bash passes 4-1.  Pass 2d6 on Hostility table.)

"It's fake, friend," Bash replied, not even looking back.  "Emeralds aren't purple."

Nom shrugged.  "Suit yourself, friend."

As he turned away, Bash turned and caught his shoulder.  "And I'd like my wallet back. please"

(IS check:  tie)

Nom suddenly swung his staff, but Bash blocked it and pushed the smaller man away.  

(Since Crys is friendly with Nom, I then had him attack Dawn.)

Dawn leaped to her feat and pulled her blades out, but Crys already had his out, jabbed into the woman's back.  "I wouldn't do that, sweetie."

(IS check - tie.  Activation - heroes go first).

Dawn swung around, knocking the man's blade aside and jamming the other under his chin.  "You really want to try that, bright eyes?"

T-La  then jumped the bar, her own weapon out.  "Back away, sir," she said to Crys.

T-La swung her weapon but missed.  Dawn struck at Crys, but her evaded.  Meanwhile, Bash attacked Nom and the two ended up even.  

(Turn 5.  Yugo Thudd enters.)

Suddenly a rock flew by Nom's head (Crisis test:  pass 2d6), and a dwarf entered, armed with a sling. 

"That's my friend you're threatening, bald one."

Nom suddenly swung his staff, barely missing Yugo's skull (Star Dice).  But he forgot about Bash, who brought his hammer over his head and down onto Nom's (5 Impact, rolled a 1).

(Man down test for Crys - pass 2d6).

Crys took advantage of the sound to send his blade into Dawn's chest.  Clutching the counter, she dropped her sword and collapsed (OOF).

(Crisis test for T-La:  passed 2d6)

T-La tried to flank Crys, but he evaded the attack and smashed the hilt of his blade into her skull,  She stumbled back (hurt +1), shaking her head to clear it.

Bash then lunged forward, taking Crys completely by surprise with an overhead swipe.  Crys barely avoided the attack, which took a chunk of skin off his shoulder (Hurt +1).

Countering with a low kick, Crys tried to stab his new opponent, but Bash slipped to the side, the blade finding his hip but nothing more (Star dice turned dead result into hurt +1).

T-La joined in the fight again, but Crys sliced her across the chest, and she fell to the floor (OOF).

Enraged that his favorite bartender was injured, Bash swung his hammer, but Crys blocked it with his blade.  Unfortunately, this put his back completely to Yugo, who sent a rock crashing into his skull.  Bash leaped aside as Crys tumbled forward, his chin hitting the bar top as he fell (OOF).

Afterwards, the two tended to T-La and Dawn.

T-La was on her feet pretty fast (Pass 2d6 on Recovery table), and as guards dragged Nom and Crys's bodies out, she yelled, "Empty their pockets!  They're paying for the damages!  And return Bash's wallet!"  She then turned to Yugo and Bash, who were kneeling over Dawn.  "How is she?"

(Pass 1d6 on Recovery table).  "She's lost quite some blood," Yugo said.  "She might live, hopefully."

"I know some friends who can help her," she replied.  "What about you two?"

"We're fine," said Bash, "but I think we need to train more if we has this much trouble with two thugs."

(Rolled to raise Rep.  Failed for both.)

"First," Yugo said, "can I get that drink you owe me?  That's why I came here in the first place."

Corey Orlando and the Elusive Instructor (An LTL adventure!)

Corey rushed to Professor Green's office to deliver her essay on time.  Unfortunately, her instructor was missing with her office in shambles.  Searching the office, Corey found Green's journal, mentioning field notes for her latest project.

(Mission - find person.  First scene - find object.  Object held by criminal in house.)

Looking through the security feeds, she sees the person take off with the notes.  Through a quick computer search, she finds the person's house and heads out.

(Lower city part - Day - 2 PEF's encountered at the same time.)

As Corey approached a group she saw two people lying on the ground while a cop and another person stood over them with pistols drawn.  Questioning them, she learned that a professor, his wife, and their attorney had assaulted the cop and PI because the PI had been investigating underground dealings  at the university.  

Arriving at the house, she found police escorting the thief out.  sneaking in, she found some of her instructor's notes.

(Next scene - object - motel - civilian.)

Overhearing the thief tell police he had stolen the info from Green's friend (who was staying in a nearby hotel), Corey set off for there.

Stopping in a corner store (PEF - Service), she bought some food and a drink) but found the roads were blocked by a traffic accident (Safe challenge).  Slipping through the traffic, she found (2 PEF's at motel) a reporter arguing with the PI from before for not releasing any useful information.  Using the distraction, Corey moved past them into the motel.  The friend wasn't present, but Corey found more of Prof. Green's notes, including mention of a nearby bar.

Corey got to the bar without incident and met Green's friend, and accountant, who had seen Green the night before being threatened by Big Louie and his gang (At this point, I learned the Big Bad was a gangster).  Learning that the friend left more notes under the motel bed, Corey returned, but ran into Big Louie's gang.  She got into a shootout with the gang, before a gangster snuck up and knocked her out.

(Capture scene)

Big Louie had Corey tied up and began telling her that the info Prof. Green found could have drastic changes to the city once the public found out.

(Interrogation - passed)

Corey:  "You do know Prof. Green's a Philosophy instructor, right?  What info could possibly be worth so much?"

Big Louie:  "She found Nietzsche's lost writings.  You know what that's worth?"

Corey:  "You're actually looking for more of Nietzsche?  You're safer finding the Necronomicon."

(Escaping, she jumped onto a bus.)

Corey:  "**** this, I'm outa here!"

(Chase scene - passed).

Hiding on the bus, Corey looked through the notes and saw that Green was planning to visit a warehouse (Big surprise there!).  She ran into a street thief , Tara, who tried to mug her, but Corey offered to not turn the girl in if she helped her.

The two found the warehouse and got into a shoot-out with Big Louie and his men.  Then to her surprise, Prof. Green appeared, revealing to be in a relationship with Louie.  Pulling her twin BAP's out, Corey and Tara shot the mooks, causing Green to take off running.  For the next few minutes, the three exchanged bullets (never running out once, don't ask me how!) while ducking behind various pillars.  

After what seemed like an eternity, Louie got tired (ran out of BB Star Power), and Corey dropped him with a bullet to the chest.  She then grabbed the book just as the police arrived, but they weren't interested in the two of them since they had been looking for a reason to arrest Louie for a while.  Thanking Corey for her help, they found and arrested Green as well.

Corey returned to the campus to find a substitute instructor in Green's office.  She offered to turn in her paper, but the instructor said it was late.  Then, seeing the book, he offered to accept her paper as on-time if she gave him the book as well.  She did, and he immediately left to hide Nietzsche's book in the basement of the library, for the betterment of human sanity.

(Rolled to raise Rep - failed.)

Corey Orlando, and the quest for a grade

Here's my latest adventure with my newest character. I rolled her up at random, got Acadamia/Female, and decided to make her a student. This is what I ended up with:

Corey Orlando: Rep 5; Hard as Nails, Steely Eyed (rolled at random). Shaker - student.


Anyway, on to the adventure . . .

Monday morning, Corey was meeting her Humanities instructor about her paper that was due. Because of the previous night's adventure (i.e. she was part of a zombie paintball game), Corey forgot to complete her assignment and now was in danger of failing. Not wanting to repeat such a boring course, she asked her instructor if there was any way to make up the grade. He answered in fact there was. Either she could A.)search the city for a rare book called, 'The Trembel Tribe Legend,' or B.) she could meet said instructor in his office for 'private tutoring.' Knowing exactly what he meant by the latter, Corey opted to find the book.

Dejectedly, he sent her to a used bookstore on the west side (Item), and Corey was on her way. Unfortunately, a traffic accident blocked the road, forcing her to search for another path (easy challenge). Spotting a nearby alley, she darted through and entered the store.

Inside, she met a reporter (PEF), who told her he had seen some people dressed up in some weird costumes. Approaching the counter, she asked the clerk if he had seen the book, and he claimed he had. However, he had recently sold it. As she started to leave, Corey ran into some kid (street urchin).

Kid: "Hey lady-"
Corey: "Lady? I'm not much older than you."
Kid: "Whatever. I don't know nothin, but the person who bought the book dropped this receipt."
Corey: "So you know more than 'nothin.'"
Kid: "Hey, you want this or not? 10 bucks!"
Corey: "5."
Kid: "8."
Corey: "6."
Kid: "7."
Corey: "5, and I won't tell the cops about what you swiped when that person 'dropped' that receipt.'
Kid (panicking): "Sold. So how did you know I swiped the watch?"
Corey: "You just told me."

(Next scene: Item) On the back of the receipt was an address. Since it wasn't far (still middle Met), she took off immediately (No travel encounters).

A few minutes later, she entered another book shop where the clerk (Civilian, service) mentioned that he indeed had bought the book. Returning his watch and receipt, Corey asked for the book, but the clerk claimed he had sold it to some rich woman (trophy wife). Since she was well known, Corey set off to look for her.

(Travel encounter: none). Next scene - person

After passing a greeting random people and bolting across 4 lanes of traffic (Terrain challenge: Hazard - Passed.), Corey arrived at a bank, where the woman, Lydia St. John, wife to multimillionaire August St. John, was being interviewed by a reporter (PEF) about being recently robbed. When Corey questioned her, she claimed the persons were dressed in strange clothing, and she saw them run north (lower side - met map).

(As this was my final clue, I rolled up Native as my BB).

Racing down the street, Corey noticed men in tribal clothing entering a warehouse. As she approached though, she heard a, 'Whoosh' sound and ducked just as a dart hit the wall above her head (PEF resolved as 2 natives, who won IS). Spinning, she saw two natives nearby, one with a blowgun. The other raised his spear and charged. He struck at her with his spear, but she ducked and kicked his feet our from under him before stomping him in the face. Then she grabbed her shotgun (which had been slung over her shoulder) and shot the other.

She got to the warehouse but the door was locked (obstacle - puzzle). Using techniques she learned from a lock-picking class, she bypassed the old lock with little trouble. Entering the warehouse, she walked into 2 natives and their chief.
Chief: "What are you doing here?"
Corey: "I'm here for the book."
Chief: "You can't have it. It makes us look bad. It even said we're cannibals. We should sue!"
Corey: "And what are those teeth around your neck from?"
Chief: "Um, tourist shop? Shark teeth? Oh **** it! Get her!"

(The natives won IS again, but all attacks missed Corey. And to make matters worse, they won Activation.)

The chief lunged toward Corey and stabbed at her with his spear, but she ducked and slammed the butt of her gun into his temple (-1 Rep). The second native fired his blowgun but missed, and the third lunged toward her with spear in hand, but she shot him. Training her gun on the chief (the natives rolled too high to activate), she fired and dropped the chief with a shot to the chest. The remaining native leaped behind a table and fired again but missed. aiming, Corey dropped the final native with a shot to the shoulder, then approached the fallen chief, who was still barely conscious.

Corey: "Where's the book?"
Chief: (weakly pointing to a chest in the corner.) "Why you need it so bad?"
Corey: "My grade's riding on it!"

The police showed up and arrested the natives, noting that the group had terrorized that part of town for several weeks. They offered Corey a reward, but all she wanted was the book. Returning to her instructor, she gave him the book and he offered her a C, stating he'd be willing to raise her grade to a B or A, depending on how 'willing' she was. To his disappointment, she opted for the C and went home. On her way, she remembered that because she was busy searching for the book, she had forgotten to complete her assignment for another class.

The things some people do for a grade . . .

(Rolling afterward, I raised her Rep to a 6.)

Cirque de Pain: an ATZ Tales of Dread AAR

(Here's my newest AAR, covering a recent adventure using the, 'Bloody Big Top' scenario from ATZ Tales of Dread. The four humans (all citizens) try to escape the circus before become lunch for zombie clowns. Also, to show some of the new features in TOD, I'm playing as the zombies, or more specificially, Giggles the monster clown.

The rules in TOD are easy to modify to make games more or less thrilling. For more of a challenge, I'm not using any Special Zombies (except Giggle, of course!) and the only zeds who appear on the board do so either through PEF's or Defining moments (when entering buildings). Oh yeah, two normal zeds do guard the gate as well. In addition, all rolls that would spawn a Special Zed on the Contact Table instead spawn 1d6 normal zeds.

And the humans . . .

Alan: Rep 4, Sav 2, Pep 3, Rage, improvised weapon
Brad: Rep 4, Sav 3, Pep 2, Poser, imp. weapon, visual distraction (flashlight)
Callie: Rep 4, Sav 3, Pep 2, Attractive, imp. weapon, sound distraction (cell phone)
Dory: Rep 4, Savy 2, Pep 3, Free Spirit, imp. weapon, trap component (sharp)



The four woke up inside a deserted big top to find the seats covered with blood.

"What happened?" Dory asked.

Brad jumped and spun around as he heard hidious laughter in the distance. "I remember hearing that before we blacked out."

"Me too," callie said, "but this time it sounds . . . deeper . . . bigger."

Alan picked up a board, weilding like a club. "Well I don't give a $&%# what that is; bring 'em on !"

"Wait a minute," said Callie, searching the bleachers, "Where's my brother, Joey?"

Brad thought for a moment. "Right before we blacked out, I remember you telling him to run."

Callie jumped to her feet and headed for the tent's opening. "We've gotta find him!" (To balance the lack-of-zeds challenge, I'm using the, "Where's Joey" option.)

(Giggles will spawn in 3 turns.)

Two of the PEF's leave their buildings and move away from the humans. The last moves directly towards them.

"Maybe we should split up," Alan said. "We can cover more ground."

"You mean, 'with blood?'" Brad asked. "Forget it."

(Roll on Choice Table: Pass 2d6.)

"Brad's right," Dory said, "We're better off staying together."

"Yeah, we don't have a clue what's out here," Callie agreed.

"So which way should we go," Alan asked, "toward or away from the weird sounds?"

(Choice Table: Pass 2d6).

"Away, duh!" Brad said.

(The group explored the first building away from the sounds (Section 4). No items, no zeds, no Joey.)

First PEF approaches. Pass 1d6.

"Look at this," Alan said," pointing to the walls of the building as they stepped back outside.

Dory shuddered. "That's a lot of blood, and it's still wet. Whatever caused it is still out there."

(Giggles Spawns in 2 turns.)

(The group moved to Section 5 and inspected the buildings there. Again, no items, zeds, or Joey.)

Second PEF approaches. Pass 1d6. ER raised to 5.

The four spun around as their heard laughter in the air.

Callie wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "It's getting closer."

(Giggles spawns in 1 turn.)

Final PEF approaches and spawns as 2 zombies.

Dory pointed. "Look!"

The four froze in their tracks as two clowns approached. But these weren't ordinary clowns. Thei skin seemed rubbery and dark pale, and they spat blood between cackles.

Humans win Activation but don't activate (5-2). Zeds attack first with one taking Callie OOF.

"Callie!" Brad yelled as his girlfriend was tackled by one of the clowns. Alan lunged forward and slammed his club into its face. Blood and make-up splattered as the creature's head snapped back and it fell to the ground.

Second zed lunges, but Dory impaled it with metal pipe.

Brad rushed to Callie's side. (Recovery table - pass 2d6) "Are you okay?"

Callie slowly sat up, rubbing her head. ('Are you okay?' test - FAIL!) "Why Brad, dear, I'm hungry. Give us a kiss."

She lunged toward her boyfriend, but Alan decapitated her with his club.

"Sorry, man," Alan said, "she wasn't her anymore."

Searching her body and taking her cell phone, Brad glared at his friend. "If we get out of this alive, you're a #%#@@%%$@@ dead man!"

Dory suddenly looked up as the tent door opened. "What's that?"



"Hello, kiddies," Giggles said. "You need to laugh more, or rather I need to laugh more."

Tie on Activation. 2 more zeds spawn.

"Look!" Brad pointed as two more clowns approached. (Zeds win Activation.) The three started backing away when Dory looked around.

"Where's the big clown?"



"Right here! Giggles cackled as he shoved a woopie cushion into her face, smothering her to death.

Brad took off running while Alan spun to face the monster. "That was my girlfriend, you son of a %^#&*!"

(Both end up neutral in melee. The other zombies attack, but Alan kills them, breaks off melee (barely avoiding Giggles' attack, and takes off running.)

Alan bolted (fast travel to 3), keeping the various buildings between him and the creatures in pursuit, but after a few minutes, the laughter was all but distant in the wind. Catching his breath (Humans win Activation), he entered a lone structure and looked around. Hearing movement inside, he lifted his club.

(Search for Joey . . . )



"Joey!" Alan rushed forward and took the boy in his arms. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?"

Shivering, little Joey nodded.

Nodding, Alan opened the door. "Let's go home." Spotting Brad as the other man appeared from behind a building, Alan yelled, "Brad, I found Joey!"

Zeds win activation.



Suddenly, Giggles appeared behind Alan. "And lookie who I found!" Knocking Alan to the ground, he dragged him to the dunking booth. "Care for a swim?" Not waiting for an answer, he lifted the man up and dropped him in head-first. "I promise you'll float . . . unless, of course, I hold you under . . . and pile rocks on your head . . . and seal you inside . . . "

Brad saw all of this but turning, he could see the front gates of the circus, guared by two more clowns.

(Choice Table with escape being the best choice and rescuing Joey being the worsy - Pass 2d6)

"I'll come back for you kid," Brad said as he bolted for the gates, "even if I have to bring the army with me."

(Tie on Activation Twice in a row. Two zeds appear in 1 and 1 appears in 2.)

Pulling out his flashlight, Brad turned it on and locked its setting (Savvy test - Pass 2d6). He threw it to the side (toward Section 2) (Physical test - Pass 2d6) away from the gates. Following the light with their life-less eyes, the clowns took off after it.

With the gates clear, Brad rushed to them and tried to open them. (Physical test - pass 1d6, pass 1d6 - Fail). But even with all his might, he couldn't get them to open.



"Yes," Giggles said as he suddenly appeared, "wear yourself out, little one. My turn's next!"

Pulling out his girlfriend's cellphone, Brad turned it on (Savvy test - Pass 2d6), and tried to throw it (Physical test - Pass 1d6), but out of strength, he simply dropped it on the ground. The clowns rushed forward and pounced the phone, giving Brad a few more seconds to make one more attempt on the gates.

(Physical test - FAIL!)

Zeds win Activation.

"Oh well, you tried," Giggles whispered over Brad's shoulder, before grabbing his shirt and throwing him to the ground. He then threw a pie in his face. "But my friends are hungry . . . and so am I!"

Brad shoved the pie pieces out of his face and looked up in horror as a 'rubber' mallet came crashing down over his head.

Alan, Brad, Callie, and Dory were never heard from again, and no one thought to search the circus, which was believed to be abandoned for years. As for little Joey . . .



Let's just say Giggle found a new friend.

THE END