More Diaspora
After the first week’s shenanigans, things kicked off into gear this week, and some. The bio-matrix was investigated but it was very high tech. Krandall estimated that it would take several months work to gain access. However documents that Lars took from the safe indicated that it had come into Bourbon on a bauxite ship from Stewart. On arrival in Stewart, the crew descended on the main remnant of the Ringworld and headed for the city of Jamestown, a grubby trading hub. It's a melting pot of the local anarchist cultures and those from other system with local steam trains cheek by jowl with interface vehicles and a rail gun launcher. Eleanor explored robosexuality with a miner from Coburg who didn't know he was that way inclined, but was persuaded.
Whilst Rab got stuck in with his contacts in Jamestown, Krandall found out about the Interstellar Guild from a barman. They stand at the starport and watch the shuttles coming and going. At their offices they traded data on ships for news of the bauxite ship, the Varney and meanwhile, Rab located their offices. Eleanor arranged a date later at the Crom Lounge with a very cute geek from the IG. Their was a brief chat with the nervous Varney broker during which a promise of help with a drug deal for the ailing company (having suffered heavy financial loss after being busted in Bourbon) in exchange for details of where they had mined the bauxite containing the matrix. At this time, some strange fluctuations were noticed in the ships personality circuits this prompted Krandall to investigate after much resistance from Eleanor and almost a crew spacing as they peeked inside the ship's mind. There seemed to be some kind of data degradation, immune to back ups and purging. It was happening at a quantum level in a way that could not be fully explained.
At this point they decided to visit Rab's homeworld with Eleanor's mood only lifted by the presence of the CGG, Sonia. Rab, it turned out, had captured one of the pirate guards last week and was taking him back home for some kind of sacrifice. This involved cutting his skin and sewing in mushrooms and then sticking him to the ceiling of the cave/dome home to live for ever as living fertiliser for their holy mushrooms. Krandall didn't like this idea and shot the sacrifice in the head. Eleanor jumped back into the interface vehicle and took off, stranding Krandall to his fate, as punishment for his earlier investigation of her circuits. Krandall was wrestled to the ground by Rab who persuaded his clan that the only way Krandall could have done this without being killed was if he was a member of the tribe. He agreed but this involved a horrible ritual with mortification and the implantation of psychedelic mushrooms under his skin. He can now see the seeping horror. Eleanor wanted to strand them but was occupied with engine repairs and girlfriend and they all got back on board.
Perhaps it was the introduction of plot, but the session seemed to be much more focussed. I think I'll have to up the ante with NPCs as so far only PCs have provided a credible threat to each other.
Last night Eleanor was preoccupied with Sonia as the Vicky flew to the bauxite mine. The miners, another shamanistic lot, relied on steam power and a book of regulations. Our heroes met with a Health and Safety trainee and obtained a temporary certificate allowing them access to the mine where the bio-matrix had been extracted, possibly by accident, and transported to Bourbon. There were the obligatory celebratory drinks at the end of which Leipzig had the willpower of a fish and Rab could not feel his legs. On examining the mine, a large object was found in a wall and a plan hatched to extract it. A prize fight was organised in which Rab would take on fighters from the red and blue shifts, our heroes being friends of the yellow shift. In an epic combat, with a bit of outside help, he triumphed in the cage fight, even though the two locals clearly ganged up on him (using a map did allow for some tactical choices which are pretty much absent in straight rolls). In the mean time, the object was extracted from the mine and transported to the interface vehicle. In the ensuing celebrations Rab discovered that his purse of half the take just covered his bar tab of a drink for everyone and Krandall's celebratory dance failed to excite the locals but did attract the attention of mob bosses under contract from Zog. There was a bit of a chase but all escaped back to the Vicky with their prize.
FATE still isn't really delivering. There are lots of situations in which we don't really know what to do to get the system to deliver what the players are trying to do. I think it's because with FATE, you have to play the FATE way. You have to do the manoeuvres to put the aspects on and it's all a bit samey. Anyway, that's it for Diaspora for a while. There was a bit of PC on PC which upset one of the players in the middle of the game so I doubt we'll play it again in a hurry.
Whilst Rab got stuck in with his contacts in Jamestown, Krandall found out about the Interstellar Guild from a barman. They stand at the starport and watch the shuttles coming and going. At their offices they traded data on ships for news of the bauxite ship, the Varney and meanwhile, Rab located their offices. Eleanor arranged a date later at the Crom Lounge with a very cute geek from the IG. Their was a brief chat with the nervous Varney broker during which a promise of help with a drug deal for the ailing company (having suffered heavy financial loss after being busted in Bourbon) in exchange for details of where they had mined the bauxite containing the matrix. At this time, some strange fluctuations were noticed in the ships personality circuits this prompted Krandall to investigate after much resistance from Eleanor and almost a crew spacing as they peeked inside the ship's mind. There seemed to be some kind of data degradation, immune to back ups and purging. It was happening at a quantum level in a way that could not be fully explained.
At this point they decided to visit Rab's homeworld with Eleanor's mood only lifted by the presence of the CGG, Sonia. Rab, it turned out, had captured one of the pirate guards last week and was taking him back home for some kind of sacrifice. This involved cutting his skin and sewing in mushrooms and then sticking him to the ceiling of the cave/dome home to live for ever as living fertiliser for their holy mushrooms. Krandall didn't like this idea and shot the sacrifice in the head. Eleanor jumped back into the interface vehicle and took off, stranding Krandall to his fate, as punishment for his earlier investigation of her circuits. Krandall was wrestled to the ground by Rab who persuaded his clan that the only way Krandall could have done this without being killed was if he was a member of the tribe. He agreed but this involved a horrible ritual with mortification and the implantation of psychedelic mushrooms under his skin. He can now see the seeping horror. Eleanor wanted to strand them but was occupied with engine repairs and girlfriend and they all got back on board.
Perhaps it was the introduction of plot, but the session seemed to be much more focussed. I think I'll have to up the ante with NPCs as so far only PCs have provided a credible threat to each other.
Last night Eleanor was preoccupied with Sonia as the Vicky flew to the bauxite mine. The miners, another shamanistic lot, relied on steam power and a book of regulations. Our heroes met with a Health and Safety trainee and obtained a temporary certificate allowing them access to the mine where the bio-matrix had been extracted, possibly by accident, and transported to Bourbon. There were the obligatory celebratory drinks at the end of which Leipzig had the willpower of a fish and Rab could not feel his legs. On examining the mine, a large object was found in a wall and a plan hatched to extract it. A prize fight was organised in which Rab would take on fighters from the red and blue shifts, our heroes being friends of the yellow shift. In an epic combat, with a bit of outside help, he triumphed in the cage fight, even though the two locals clearly ganged up on him (using a map did allow for some tactical choices which are pretty much absent in straight rolls). In the mean time, the object was extracted from the mine and transported to the interface vehicle. In the ensuing celebrations Rab discovered that his purse of half the take just covered his bar tab of a drink for everyone and Krandall's celebratory dance failed to excite the locals but did attract the attention of mob bosses under contract from Zog. There was a bit of a chase but all escaped back to the Vicky with their prize.
FATE still isn't really delivering. There are lots of situations in which we don't really know what to do to get the system to deliver what the players are trying to do. I think it's because with FATE, you have to play the FATE way. You have to do the manoeuvres to put the aspects on and it's all a bit samey. Anyway, that's it for Diaspora for a while. There was a bit of PC on PC which upset one of the players in the middle of the game so I doubt we'll play it again in a hurry.