SCRPG - White-Out (Menagerie Annual #3)

Dave · September 27, 2024, 2:08pm

ISSUE 51+

GG missing … Concord reality shift … Radiance has joined the team.

Mountains of Vermont. Ski lodge “Slippery Slopes Ski Result” (“Technology Inter-Enterprises Annual Conference”).

Jason used to this sort of rich tech folk investment-grifting sort of thing.
Leo …really didn’t want to go. But Aria said the alternative would be asking Jason for money (and you know he’d say yes).

Leo impatient.

Inside … Pietro’s dad/mom couldn’t make it, but trust to rep the family. To both invest and to be invested in. “Smile and make nice to the other rich people”.

Spots Jason/Leo, follows.
Pietro did behave well at the dance with Charlotte.
But still, in past, tried to buy Leo’s LINK suit from him. Leo has no patience for him, and threatns to punch him in the face.

Booths. No QF stuff (this year, at least).
Presentation stage for more elaborate demos.

Leo … tech that catches eye? Particle projector.
Jason – this is a bunch of business guys / gals looking to invest in something that will make them money, not top science. This is a chance to see what’s going on, and maybe gets some ideas that Joe Bigpockets won’t think of.

There is a Mancini booth … but Pietro’s job is repping the family, note what seems popular.
Flagged down by Warner Smith, of Smith Envionmentals (teddy bear of a guy), old family friend. Project he’s proud of – communications, bounce signals faster than radio. Revolutionary! Particle projection! Oh, here’s Leo and Jason again.

Jason - Principle of Science. Might work on city scale, nothing larger, signal attenuation – and therefore the power of the beam seems a bit more dangerous. Weapons that Chin would have used.
Company doing this: Signal Solutions. Have never heard before.

Pietro – business research about the company. Mr Smith, here’s the majority investor: Rosa Rook. (Some banter.)

Aneka DeGroot (Rosa assocaite): Attenuation? More than made up for by low latency.

More barbed banter. Rosa - off to a presentation to prep, but will mention to Pietro’s father he’s hanging out with ruffians like Leo and Jason.
Pietro says somethign neutral and non-confrontational.
“Say hi to your dad for me,” Leo says to her. She leaves.

Rook owns 57% of Signal Solutions.

Yeah, definitely a scalable offensive weapon.
(Not unsual for this kind of thing – military funding!)

Leo - if this thing is dangerous, why market it as a communication gizmo? Because of export restrictions?
Pietro - ubiquitous usage.
Leo - Pietro, you would show off a cool weapon, not lie.

Pietro - people taking bets on the next big thing.
Plenty of money with Rook … why put it forward here? Showing it off to somebody(s).

LOUD CRASH IN THE LOBBY! And yelling!

Very snowy outside! But it was not an hour ago!
Really cold draft!
No, not a draft.

Broken Windows task.
Mass Panic! task.
Medical Emergency!
Kitchen Fire!

Leo has the X-12 in a suitcase.
Jason - Leave some Nanos on the Particle beam (Pietro suggestion),
Pietro - suit is in the booth.

1
L - Lobby - grappling into the Lobby. power emergency shutters on the windows. Gearhead. Shutters beginning to activate, but straining the motors. Shorted out the sprinklers in the staff area.
J - Hero+Banter - calm people. Succeed at stopping the Mass Panic, but can see Annika video recording the proceedings in the Ballroom.
P - Power suit (rocket assisted jumps) to the Staff Area (fire) by way of ceilings. Fight fire with fire! (Creativity). (HUD reroll) Succeed! And hinder the fire!
Environment - Fire attacks Pietro

2
P - Against fire - Succeed with minor twist. Hesitate as suit is heating up, injuring the cook who started the fire. But fire is out!
J - Nanojump to the lobby - seal off the gap with nanobots, removing the cold condition. Crowds blocking door - mid hinder for moving to another zone.
L - What caused this? Basic - calculator, connections … previously, realizing saw a Coldroid outside
E - YELLOW! Panicked crowds! Lobby!

3
E - Press! Crowding around us! +1 for Link, -2 for Pietro and Jason.
J - Turn the Tables - turn -2 to +2. Growth and Maturity!
L - Chatting with Aria. Dunno what to do! “Calm down and connect them.” They calm and pay attention to him, but it wears on him (Calculator to D6)
P - Jump to the Rec Room – using Fire and Tech to heat up the room for the frostbite victims. Coldroids enter the room!

4
L - Hand off attention of the crowd to Jason. Construction – grab electricity to supercharge for a boost - +2.
J - “Make a hole!” Nanojump into the Rec Area, and Nanite Attack on a Coldroid (take one of them out)_.
P - Explosive Attack on the remaining Coldroid, taking it out.
E - Twist: intruding figure attafcks LInk - 6, but armor soaks 2.
??? - Armored figure breaks in … You! You killed my father! Now I’ll kill you! (to Warner Smith).
Also, two more Coldroids in the kitchen! And the Rec Room! And the Ballroom!

5
??? -
Battlesuit guy: (busts in dramatically)
Leo: (punching) Coat check, asshole!

garrett · September 27, 2024, 3:38pm

It’s say hi to MY dad - Rossum, the criminal mastermind Rook had working for her.

Dave · September 27, 2024, 3:39pm

Ah. That makes much more sense.

insomn14 · September 27, 2024, 10:15pm

Art from this session:

Leo’s portrait was taken from the outfit sheets I’ve been doing to give the Menagerie characters more consistent outfits when I’m drawing them. The token art is from the same sheet.

Jason’s portrait reuses art from Phase Two that I did for hypothetical cover for the Golden Fleece. His token uses the same art.

Pietro’s art is new for this game. I could probably have represented the “Pietro bleaches his hair but is starting to let it grow out” detail a bit better, but I like it well enough.

Warren Smith
Warren’s a brand new character, and so his art is also new for this game.

Rosa’s art is brand new for this game, based on the design I’m planning to use for Rita Reigns in upcoming SotM decks.

This art for Annika de Groot (who first appeared in The Cold Equations) is a crop from Unmute’s A Gift From Our Sponsors card art, which also retroactively casts Annika as the person who hooked up Unmute with her cybernetic upgrades. Top tier Rook executive baddie.

Coldroid
Our antagonist for this issue, who will be named Coldhearted next session, along with his minion. I’m not taking credit for that background, it’s not mine.

While not used in this game, I also prepped a portrait and icon for Aria, which use art from the same project as Leo’s.

garrett · September 28, 2024, 7:09am

It’s as good a place as any to mention this, since she’s on the scene:

There’s two types of Rook/Tyran Enterprises managers: the ones like Annika de Groot who are out there plugging away with small but effective plans that don’t upset the status quo too badly, and the ones like Devon Crowninshield who aim high and don’t survive the episode. We don’t know where Prescott Burke (director of the Stellar Six program in Phase 3) will end up, for example, but he’s definitely one of these two types.

“Empower a new villain” is a great de Groot move. The “High Tension Thinkers” program is Rook’s hypergenius research, but that means they manage the inventors on their roster, and that means they’ll be an endless source of superweapons, troubled cyborgs, and scary hit squads trying to bring in some kid who shows promise. If Annika ever tries to punch above her weight, the universe will probably punch back. But she probably won’t, in spite of her ambition.

Dave · September 28, 2024, 5:13pm

A reminder (thinking on my comment on this phrase) that it is annoying to know that Jason Quill is no better at witty banter than I am.

Alycia is easy – she stares quietly at people who can imagine her removing their spleen without anesthetic, or else murmurs at a perfect carrying pitch some something terse and threatening.

Jason is the sort of person who should be able to think of witty ripostes and bantering insults – or at least thinks he should – so when I am unable to, it makes him come across as a bit goofy and hapless. Which is fine and that is sort of the character in these kind of situations, but the problem is I want to be able to whip off those comments in a live (vs. written) setting. Harrumph, I say.

I suppose it is a comfort (to everyone else) that I am much closer to being Jason than Alycia.

Maybe next time I should craft someone who’s really into Dad Jokes.

garrett · September 28, 2024, 5:22pm

Jason dialed it down after Alycia tossed off “quit the Quill quips” effortlessly while under fire one time, and hasn’t looked back since.

More seriously, you’re very good at the other key aspects of Jason’s character and should be proud of all that.

Dave · September 28, 2024, 7:42pm

That’s because I’m more Jason (or vice versa) than I’m fully comfortable with in so far as he feels he should be smart, witty, urbane, grown-up, heroic, decisive, in control of every situation, always sure of how to use his power, what to say, what to do, and a leader of men, and he/I struggle with all of those. Made for a very authentic character and also a reason why I was happy to shift over into the easier Alycia character/tropes when the time came.

It’s kind of fascinating to return to him here and feel those discomfort points again.

(And not nearly as traumatic as the above might imply. Just interesting, to me.)

Dave · October 4, 2024, 1:56pm

Part 2!

You! You killed my father!
And Warner Smith said, Oh, shit. Wait, “I haven’t killed anybody!”
“You didn’t pull the trigger, but you’re fully responsible! And you, too!” to Rosa Rook.
“Oh, Dr. Max’s boy. Always a shame when you types get suited up for vengeance.”

Leo stands aside … yeah, no. “Coat check, asshole,” body-checking him.

L - Defend … close combat … Def 5, attack 1 … he reacts, pinpoint defense.
Coldroids - kitchen ones come down to the lobby –
… two harrassing Rosa and Warner.
… one attacking Pietro (1), one attacking Jason (5, but take as Kinetic bonus)
Environment - no threats left, so a twist! Pietro, it’s so steamy and the ice cannon interact with it, and so freezing up on P’s suit!
P - Exposive attack with Fire, Trust Fund Baby! Takes out the two Coldroids, and damages himself a bonus (Plasma Conduit).
J - Blasts into Lobby, Nanite attack, 5 dmg, 1 hinder.

L - Grappler attack against 2 in the Ballroom, 1 in the Lobby. 5/5/5!
P - Lands through the roof to the Lobby. Explosive Atack - a +2 and PC +1 … hits CH, reduces a droid, reduces the other.
J - Nanite Attack on CH, with bonus. 9! And restrained
Environment - CH flew back into the glass sulpture.,
CD - … harrasses Warner, injuring him … the CD6 does a Freeze vs. Jason. -2 Chilled. CD4 Frost on Link, Chilled -1.
CH - Cold Cannon on Jason. Hindered down to 4; J kinetic converts to eliminating Chill.

CD … against Rosa, injuring her. … CD6 vc Pietro, cold 4; CD4 vs Link, attacks, 1.
P - Principle of Science! Cold in the ballroom from droid, plus lightning calculator to suck debris in … uses his HUD to re-roll. Cleans up the challenge, J’s Nanites are
L - Grapplers vs CD4 (2 okay), CD6 in ballroom (2 okay, but d4), and Coldhearted (9) (hindered)
J - Release Restraint! Strike him. Get a persistent +3 bonus.
Environment - Emergency staff help with the injured civvies; CD goes after prisoners; Pietro intercepts, gets frostburn on face.
CH - Not feeling it! Not how it was supposed to be! Rerouting power to try and escape. Def with a 1, boosting with Power Suit

P - Overcome … know the people in this room … using the +2 bonus, vs frostburn … triage, warm in the pool, coordinate the staff … succeed!!!
J -Nanite attack – draw back the nanites on the particle weapon … big slam on CH, stripping his defenses.
L - Grapple – CH (10, Pinpoint Def.; hinder, so becomes a 9, gives 1 dmg.), both CDs eliminated.

WE WIN!

CD - Pietro stands in front of the people who he saved … taking adulation … CD comes in, and a BOLT OF ENERGY strikes it down. Annika with the Particle Projector. Nearly hitting Link and Jason.

Huh. Yeah, it’s a weapon.
Annika - yes, if manipulated. But that was to everyone’s benefit.

L - to P, Saw you putting out fires in the kitchen area.
J - thumbs up. Getting too old for this.

CH - Alan Maxx, son of Dr Maxx, part of the creative team putting together the Particle Projector before he tragically took his own life disgraced.
Perp walked out of the building.

Annika and Rosa checking out the Coldroids …

Banter about tech business conferences. And still being too young for the open bar.