Friday Night Game Report - The Troubleshooters RPG, Session 1
Last night, the Friday night gaming group came out to continue their current campaign of The Troubleshooters RPG set against a game world based on Franco-Belgian comics. You can read about the previous session, Session 0, by following the link. This post is somewhat long, so I've put it behind a cut so that folks who don't want to read any detailed rpg posts don't have to.
CHARACTERS:
Katriona Ducharme (Kathy) - Art Gallery Salesperson
Samantha Ralecourt (Angela) - Professional Dancer
Andrea Romanova (Ellison) - Botany Student
Marco Quintana III (Mark) - Romantic/Amateur Hiker
Peter Davies-Roussel (Peter) - Cropduster Pilot
Saturday, April 8th, 1963
The player characters begin the game session on an early spring day on Saturday, April 8th, 1963 in the city of Paris. At his home in Neuilly, Marco Quintana III is enjoying a leisurely breakfast when a message is delivered to his home by courier. He learns that it is from an old friend of his, Alain Vincoeur, whose family owns a winery in northern France. The note requests that they meet for lunch at the Jardin des Érables restaurant on the Rue Racine that day around 1:00pm. Marco jots off a quick reply and dispatches it back to Alain at his hotel using the same courier, giving him a generous tip in the process. He ponders what Alain can want, since he's not heard from him in some time. Marco comments to no one in particular that he senses something is afoot, as the British say. He makes arrangements to head out to the Jardin des Érables.
At the Raspoutine nightclub near the Arc de Triomphe, Samantha Ralecourt has come in early to pick up some of her stage clothes for cleaning, and practice a little bit for the evening's show at the club. One of the doormen tells her that she has a visitor, Tom Rogerton, and she goes to greet him at the entrance. They move into an alcove, and Rogerton [who works for the British agency that employs her] gives her a hug, and tells her that "they need her help." He explains that a couple of their best men have given away some secrets that they should not have. Both agents in question reported that they seem to have fallen victim to (hypnotic) suggestion to spill some of the beans, and there is only one thing that the two agents had in common: they had both drunk a red wine made by a small winery called Les Vignobles de Vincoeur. He tells her she needs to go up to the winery in the small town of Loisier, just outside of Reims, and see what she can learn. He hands her a small, thin file with what they know of the matter, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, heads out. Realising that she can't go to the winery on her own, she smiles to herself as she figures out who among her friends she can take with her. She peruses the file given her for a bit, and then proceeds to get ready for the evening's performance.
Marco Quintana III shows up at Le Jardin des Érables a bit early, and waits for the arrival of Alain Vincoeur. He orders a glass of wine, and is pleased that they actually have some of the Vincoeur wines available and in stock. In due course, Alain Vincoeur arrives. The two exchange pleasantries and talk for a bit over some wine. Alain is pleased that the restaurant carries some of the Vincoeur wines, and they discuss their love lives and several other subjects. After ordering their lunch, Alain gets to the point of the meeting. Alain tells Marco that six months ago, the winery master at the Vignobles de Vincoeur noticed that some bottles of wine had gone missing. The problem seems to have accelerated somewhat, and since then more wine (both individual bottles and crates) have gone missing. He doesn't know the exact circumstances of the wine disappearances, but says that Marco can learn more at the winery and vineyards when he goes there. Alain says that he can pay Marco in a case or three of one of his favourites of the Vincoeur vintages, the 1932 white wine. Marco thinks about it, and then tells Alain that he's been wanting to get out of Paris for a bit, as it's been something of a dull winter, and agrees to go to Loisier. He asks Alain if it's all right if he brings some friends with him, assuming they're available, and the Vincoeur scion is amenable. They should be able to pay his friends for their services with some bottles of wine as well. Marco says that he and his friends should be able to get to Loisier early in the week, perhaps even by Monday. [The two men are unaware that they are being watched by an attractive, red-haired woman and her male accomplice at a nearby table.]
The next morning, the player characters meet up for a late brunch at the Jardin des Érables restaurant on the Rue Racine around 11:00am. Katriona Ducharme inquires of the others how they've been since they last met about a week ago. Samantha tells the others that her job has kept her busy of late, but something has come up that may interest the others. Andrea Romanova tells them that her studies have kept her quite busy, but that she's due for a break, so a "distraction" is just what she needs. Marco tells the group that there's something that he could use their help with, at least some of them, and pointedly looks at Katriona and Samantha. Peter Davies-Roussel says that cropdusting is non-existent at this time of year, and that while he's making decent money on some of the tours he's guiding, a break would be well appreciated. He needs to exercise some of his "non-flying" skills again. And given what he knows of Marco, perhaps he might also be of service to him. Marco tells the others about the Vignobles de Vincoeur and the problems they are having with the disappearance of the wines. He tells Katriona, Samantha, Andrea, and Peter that he's going up to the small town of Loisier to investigate the matter as a favour to his friend, Alain Vincoeur, and feels that Samantha and Katriona might have skills useful to him. Before Samantha can say anything about her own investigation into the matter, Andrea points out that she knows only "a little bit" about wines, but that her botany skills might come in useful. Peter says he doesn't know where Loisier is exactly, though Marco tells him it's near Reims, and Peter says he might be able to arrange air transportation north. Unless the characters prefer to drive up to Loisier. Marco touches his arm in thanks, and says that he'd appreciate that. The player characters agree to go with Marco on this little "wine vacation," though Marco says that he can only guarantee them a bottle of wine or two each from the vineyard's stock. Andrea laughs delightedly, saying that "I'm going to add to my botany skills during this trip - and drink a good deal of good wine, I hope!" The group agrees to head to Loisier the next day, if Peter can arrange for them to fly north, and the others depart to make arrangements for the trip. Peter tells them that he will contact them one way or the other by the evening to let them know whether the plan will work out.
After the others have left but before Marco can leave the Jardin des Érables, Samantha stops him and tells him she needs to talk to him. They sit down at the table again, and Samantha says that she is going to Loisier on government business. She says that her employers are concerned because several of their agents have fallen victim to (hypnotic) suggestion to spill some national secrets, and the agents only had one thing in common: they had both drunk a red wine made by Les Vignobles de Vincoeur. She shows him the file her contact gave her, and he learns what he can about Loisier, and what is known about the circumstances surrounding the two agents, and a bit of history about the winery. Marco is intrigued by the matter, and Samantha asks him how much he trusts Alain Vincoeur. "With my life," Marco tells her, saying that Alain saved his life once upon a time during his wilder days in the jetset scene, but won't give her details. It's not something he wants to remember. She's inclined to believe him [successfully making a Subterfuge check], and says that's good enough for her. The two say their good-byes, and depart the restaurant.
Peter Davies-Roussel goes to Le Bourget airport, looking for a friend of his, and after asking around at the airport [using his Contacts Skill], learns that he's out in the private planes part of the airport, working on his plane, naturally. Peter heads that way, being familiar with the route to take, and finds his friend, Yves Fournier, in one of the private hangers working on a plane. Fournier is thrilled to see his cropduster friend again, and they chat for a bit about various matters. He tells Peter that the plane is a Moynet M 360 Jupiter that seats seven, and that he's just doing some routine maintenance. Peter says he needs a favour from Fournier, and when the pilot asks what it is, Peter says that he and a few friends wonder if Fournier would fly them north, up to Reims. Fournier asks when, and Peter says that tomorrow would be good. Fournier says the plane could be ready by mid-afternoon to fly again, and agrees to take the group up to Reims. He tells Peter that he owes him too much from their days lost in the mountains when it was Peter's survival abilities that kept him alive. Fournier tells Peter that they should be able to leave for Reims around 3:00pm the next afternoon. Peter is very pleased at this news, and tells Fournier that he doesn't know how to repay him for this act of kindness. "There is some good wine made up in the north. Perhaps a case in return for the flight?" Fournier says, smiling. [Neither Peter nor Fournier notice as a shadowy figure slips away from the plane, and leaves the hangar via one of the side doors.] Peter heads back into the airport, and sends the news along to Marco and Andrea, asking Marco to pass the information about the flight, what time to be at Le Bourget, and where in the airport to go, along to the other characters.
The next morning, Monday, the various player characters having learned about their trip that afternoon to Reims and beyond, make their arrangements for the trip, pack some clothes and what they feel they might need, and then take care of more mundane business. Not knowing of the information that Samantha has about the situation, Katriona goes to the Musée de l'Histoire de France, and looks up what she can find out about Loisier and the Vignobles de Vincoeur winery in the newspapers and the like. While there is nothing beyond the basics about Loisier, Katriona does learn a good deal about the winery. It is a relatively small winery located some 80 kms northwest of Reim in the small town of Loisier. Established in 1908 by David Vincoeur, a local wine merchant who developed an interest in some of the hilly terrain nearby that seemed to have good soil, he turned out a fine vintage of wines with excellent, but varying, flavours due to the soil and the secretive techniques he used to grow the grapes and age the wines. Never a large winery, the Vignobles came to the attention of several rich nobles in the late 1920s, and the Vincoeur wines developed a following that spread little by little. The Vignobles de Vincoeur are currently run and operated by Jacques Vincoeur, the great grandson of David, and have a good market now in France, with some customers in foreign countries as well as word of their wines has spread. One newspaper mentions that about six months ago, a theft of some wine was reported to the Loisier police, but she can find no other information about the wine thefts or what was turned up by the investigation. Realising that it's getting late, Katriona returns home and prepares to head for Le Bourget airport.
Meanwhile, Andrea goes to the Bibliothèque de la Sorbonne, and does some rearch on wine, winemaking, and the community of Loisier. She learns that Loisier was founded in 1856 by the Conte Michel de Loisier, a noble who lived in Reims but wanted a bit more autonomy and felt that the area where Loisier was to be built had rich soil for farming and the like. Given the dispensation by the French government, Loisier's beliefs turned out true and soon Loisier became a thriving community that subsisted on agriculture and the like. Lying some 80 kms northwest of Reims, with a population of 1,100 people at present, Loisier is home to a mixed population of everyday people, some nobility, and even hosts a small contingent of Italians who arrived in the area in the hope of growing grapes. This didn't work out for them, due to the pressure put on them by David Vincoeur not to interfere with the already existing wine industry, but there are several areas of notes in the town, including a venerable cathedral, an excellent art gallery devoted to wine and winemaking, a small library, and a few other businesses with quaint interests. Some interest in winemaking peaked late in the 19th Century, and several wineries opened in the area, the most notable being the Vignobles de Vincoeur, that turned into a thriving business in its own right, causing the opening of several taverns and the like in the area and one wine bar of note, Le Clione. Her research on wine and winemaking turns up some very basic material, since most wineries keep secret their methods and techniques, but she gains a basic grasp of how wine is made and some of the more common grapes used for the purpose. Realising it is starting to get late in the morning, Andrea returns home and prepares to head for Le Bourget airport.
That afternoon, Katriona, Samantha, Andrea and Marco arrive at Le Bourget airport, and making their way to the private plane area of the airport, find Peter waiting for them with another man. Peter introduces them to Yves Fournier, and after the player characters introduce themselves, Fournier leads them out through Gate 14-b and onto the tarmac and service area near the gate where their plane awaits. The aircraft is a Moynet M 360 Jupiter that seats seven, and it's in the process of being fuelled and having some maintenance done pre-flight. The player characters head back into the airport, Fournier telling them that he'll call them when the plane is ready. Once back inside Le Bourget airport's main building, the player characters talk among themselves for a bit, and Peter tell them a bit about Fournier's past and how he knows the pilot. Fournier usually transports cargo between smaller towns in France, and also undertakes several trips a month carrying passengers as well who can't or won't pay for small commercial flight services. Andrea goes back to the gate itself, and looks out at the plane - and is horrified to see Yves Fournier under attack by a couple of men dressed in Le Bourget maintenance personnel uniforms! She shouts for the others, and dashes through the gate and out towards Fournier and the plane.
As Andrea charges towards Fournier and the two men, one of them sees her coming towards them and shouts to his pal. He comes towards Andrea, carrying a wrench in one hand, but suddenly sees Marco, Katriona, and Samantha coming out through the gate. As Samantha heads for the fake maintenance men, Marco and Peter rush towards the down Yves Fournier. The two fake maintenance men decide the odds are not in their favour, and take off across the maintenance area and out to the edge of the tarmac. One of the men throws the wrench he's holding at Samantha as she closes on him, and she loses a bit of ground as she is forced to dodge out of the way. The two fake maintenance men dodge and weave through the area, using vehicles and people in the way as obstacles to throw in the player characters' way. Andrea puts on a burst of speed and grabs one of the two maintenance men [she flips a dice roll of 92 to 29 on her Melee check], but he manages to escape her grasp. His maintenance uniform partially tears away, and he is revealed to be wearing a purple jumpsuit or top underneath the maintenance uniform [his Octopus uniform]. He races away from Andrea, as she is joined by Samantha and Katriona, and the two continue to pursue the attackers. As they round a corner in pursuit of the two attackers, they hear the roar of a vehicle and Katriona shouts a warning as a large blue car [a Citroen] bears down on them. The women scatter out of the way as the vehicle races past them, and Samantha catches sight of the man behind the wheel; she thinks she recognises him, but her dodging out of the way takes priority. As the car races away from them, the three female characters realise they've lost the two fake maintenance men. Katriona says they have other problems, as the three women are approached by airport security men.
Back at the area near Gate 14-b, Marco and Peter find that while Yves Fournier has been bruised somewhat, he's in good condition. The two fake maintenance men had only just started in on him when Andrea's shout and the player characters' coming to his rescue prevented them from doing any serious damage. When Peter asks him what happened, Fournier tells them that he spotted the two men attempting something with his plane, and since he didn't recognise them demanded to know who they were. That's when they came after him, and he retreated and the player characters arrived on the scene. Peter asks him if he's well enough to continue with plans for the flight, and Fournier assures him that he is. Fournier says he's going to check the plane where he spotted the two fake maintenance men and see what they were doing. Peter says that he and Marco should go after Andrea, Samantha, and Katriona, but Marco says that Samantha is quite capable of handling things with the other two. They're better served by staying with Fournier and keeping an eye on things there.
Some time later, Marco and Peter are a bit surprised to see Katriona, Samantha, and Andrea approaching them, accompanied by airport security. Samantha tells them that everything is under control, and explains that she told the security men what happened. The man in charge, Gabriel Lefcourt, tells them that Le Bourget security will look into the matter in detail, and goes to talk to Fournier. Surprisingly, he tells Lefcourt that he doesn't intend to press charges, saying that he doesn't know why they attacked him, and that the two men didn't do any damage to his aircraft. When Lefcourt insists on investigating what happened, Peter intervenes along with Samantha and Lefcourt agrees to drop the case, though he's not happy about the "distraction" that occurred at the airport. However, since it didn't interfere with normal airport operations, he's willing to let the matter go since Fournier and the player characters don't seem intent on pursuing the matter.
Once the player characters are convinced by Fournier that nothing was damaged or sabotaged on the aircraft, they are content to continue with their planned trip to Reims. When they go back into the airport proper to gather the rest of their belongings and luggage, Andrea tells the others about the colour of the clothing that one of the attackers was wearing underneath the Le Bourget maintenance uniform. Samantha and the others don't know the significance of that, but Samantha files it away mentally for later. Fournier comes into the airport and helps them with the last of their luggage, and doesn't seem the worse for wear from the earlier incident. The player characters help Fournier load their belongings and the like [except for some signature gear] into the plane's cargo hold. Samantha notices [she made a Good Karma roll on her Search check] two wine crates in the cargo hold that bear the stylised "V" logo of the Vincoeur winery. She doesn't mention this to the others, but is determined to bring the matter up with Fournier when the opportunity presents itself.
Eventually, Fournier declares that the aircraft is fuelled and ready to depart, and the player characters board the Moynet M 360 Jupiter, surprised to find that the seating is quite roomy and comfortable for such a small plane. Fournier asks Peter if he wishes to join him in the cockpit for the flight, but Peter declines saying that it's Fournier's plane and show and that he's just a passenger. The player characters buckle themselves in, Fournier receives permission to take off, and after taxiing to the appropriate runway, Fournier lifts the plane off flawlessly and the Moynet M 360 Jupiter heads for Reims.
Friday night's game session of The Troubleshooters was a fun romp that I rather enjoyed. The game session had a little bit of everything in it, other than pure physical combat, but the chase scene at the airport proved to be full of good roleplaying, some excellent tactics on the part of the players (even if they weren't successful), and a few surprises that will play out in future sessions of the game. The players told me that they rather enjoyed themselves, and loved the chase scene at the airport which had that action, heart-pounding feel to it without having any real physical violence to it. They're intrigued with the plot about the disappearing wine, and are wondering whether some of the other stuff is red herrings, so it seems I've got them hooked (no pun intended) on where the plot is going.
I'm looking forward to the next session of the game, but am not sure when we'll be gaming again, as next weekend is the Christmas weekend and the one after that is the New Year's Eve weekend. Hopefully I'll get to run another session of the game before the end of 2021. Can't wait! :)
CHARACTERS:
Katriona Ducharme (Kathy) - Art Gallery Salesperson
Samantha Ralecourt (Angela) - Professional Dancer
Andrea Romanova (Ellison) - Botany Student
Marco Quintana III (Mark) - Romantic/Amateur Hiker
Peter Davies-Roussel (Peter) - Cropduster Pilot
Saturday, April 8th, 1963
The player characters begin the game session on an early spring day on Saturday, April 8th, 1963 in the city of Paris. At his home in Neuilly, Marco Quintana III is enjoying a leisurely breakfast when a message is delivered to his home by courier. He learns that it is from an old friend of his, Alain Vincoeur, whose family owns a winery in northern France. The note requests that they meet for lunch at the Jardin des Érables restaurant on the Rue Racine that day around 1:00pm. Marco jots off a quick reply and dispatches it back to Alain at his hotel using the same courier, giving him a generous tip in the process. He ponders what Alain can want, since he's not heard from him in some time. Marco comments to no one in particular that he senses something is afoot, as the British say. He makes arrangements to head out to the Jardin des Érables.
At the Raspoutine nightclub near the Arc de Triomphe, Samantha Ralecourt has come in early to pick up some of her stage clothes for cleaning, and practice a little bit for the evening's show at the club. One of the doormen tells her that she has a visitor, Tom Rogerton, and she goes to greet him at the entrance. They move into an alcove, and Rogerton [who works for the British agency that employs her] gives her a hug, and tells her that "they need her help." He explains that a couple of their best men have given away some secrets that they should not have. Both agents in question reported that they seem to have fallen victim to (hypnotic) suggestion to spill some of the beans, and there is only one thing that the two agents had in common: they had both drunk a red wine made by a small winery called Les Vignobles de Vincoeur. He tells her she needs to go up to the winery in the small town of Loisier, just outside of Reims, and see what she can learn. He hands her a small, thin file with what they know of the matter, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, heads out. Realising that she can't go to the winery on her own, she smiles to herself as she figures out who among her friends she can take with her. She peruses the file given her for a bit, and then proceeds to get ready for the evening's performance.
Marco Quintana III shows up at Le Jardin des Érables a bit early, and waits for the arrival of Alain Vincoeur. He orders a glass of wine, and is pleased that they actually have some of the Vincoeur wines available and in stock. In due course, Alain Vincoeur arrives. The two exchange pleasantries and talk for a bit over some wine. Alain is pleased that the restaurant carries some of the Vincoeur wines, and they discuss their love lives and several other subjects. After ordering their lunch, Alain gets to the point of the meeting. Alain tells Marco that six months ago, the winery master at the Vignobles de Vincoeur noticed that some bottles of wine had gone missing. The problem seems to have accelerated somewhat, and since then more wine (both individual bottles and crates) have gone missing. He doesn't know the exact circumstances of the wine disappearances, but says that Marco can learn more at the winery and vineyards when he goes there. Alain says that he can pay Marco in a case or three of one of his favourites of the Vincoeur vintages, the 1932 white wine. Marco thinks about it, and then tells Alain that he's been wanting to get out of Paris for a bit, as it's been something of a dull winter, and agrees to go to Loisier. He asks Alain if it's all right if he brings some friends with him, assuming they're available, and the Vincoeur scion is amenable. They should be able to pay his friends for their services with some bottles of wine as well. Marco says that he and his friends should be able to get to Loisier early in the week, perhaps even by Monday. [The two men are unaware that they are being watched by an attractive, red-haired woman and her male accomplice at a nearby table.]
The next morning, the player characters meet up for a late brunch at the Jardin des Érables restaurant on the Rue Racine around 11:00am. Katriona Ducharme inquires of the others how they've been since they last met about a week ago. Samantha tells the others that her job has kept her busy of late, but something has come up that may interest the others. Andrea Romanova tells them that her studies have kept her quite busy, but that she's due for a break, so a "distraction" is just what she needs. Marco tells the group that there's something that he could use their help with, at least some of them, and pointedly looks at Katriona and Samantha. Peter Davies-Roussel says that cropdusting is non-existent at this time of year, and that while he's making decent money on some of the tours he's guiding, a break would be well appreciated. He needs to exercise some of his "non-flying" skills again. And given what he knows of Marco, perhaps he might also be of service to him. Marco tells the others about the Vignobles de Vincoeur and the problems they are having with the disappearance of the wines. He tells Katriona, Samantha, Andrea, and Peter that he's going up to the small town of Loisier to investigate the matter as a favour to his friend, Alain Vincoeur, and feels that Samantha and Katriona might have skills useful to him. Before Samantha can say anything about her own investigation into the matter, Andrea points out that she knows only "a little bit" about wines, but that her botany skills might come in useful. Peter says he doesn't know where Loisier is exactly, though Marco tells him it's near Reims, and Peter says he might be able to arrange air transportation north. Unless the characters prefer to drive up to Loisier. Marco touches his arm in thanks, and says that he'd appreciate that. The player characters agree to go with Marco on this little "wine vacation," though Marco says that he can only guarantee them a bottle of wine or two each from the vineyard's stock. Andrea laughs delightedly, saying that "I'm going to add to my botany skills during this trip - and drink a good deal of good wine, I hope!" The group agrees to head to Loisier the next day, if Peter can arrange for them to fly north, and the others depart to make arrangements for the trip. Peter tells them that he will contact them one way or the other by the evening to let them know whether the plan will work out.
After the others have left but before Marco can leave the Jardin des Érables, Samantha stops him and tells him she needs to talk to him. They sit down at the table again, and Samantha says that she is going to Loisier on government business. She says that her employers are concerned because several of their agents have fallen victim to (hypnotic) suggestion to spill some national secrets, and the agents only had one thing in common: they had both drunk a red wine made by Les Vignobles de Vincoeur. She shows him the file her contact gave her, and he learns what he can about Loisier, and what is known about the circumstances surrounding the two agents, and a bit of history about the winery. Marco is intrigued by the matter, and Samantha asks him how much he trusts Alain Vincoeur. "With my life," Marco tells her, saying that Alain saved his life once upon a time during his wilder days in the jetset scene, but won't give her details. It's not something he wants to remember. She's inclined to believe him [successfully making a Subterfuge check], and says that's good enough for her. The two say their good-byes, and depart the restaurant.
Peter Davies-Roussel goes to Le Bourget airport, looking for a friend of his, and after asking around at the airport [using his Contacts Skill], learns that he's out in the private planes part of the airport, working on his plane, naturally. Peter heads that way, being familiar with the route to take, and finds his friend, Yves Fournier, in one of the private hangers working on a plane. Fournier is thrilled to see his cropduster friend again, and they chat for a bit about various matters. He tells Peter that the plane is a Moynet M 360 Jupiter that seats seven, and that he's just doing some routine maintenance. Peter says he needs a favour from Fournier, and when the pilot asks what it is, Peter says that he and a few friends wonder if Fournier would fly them north, up to Reims. Fournier asks when, and Peter says that tomorrow would be good. Fournier says the plane could be ready by mid-afternoon to fly again, and agrees to take the group up to Reims. He tells Peter that he owes him too much from their days lost in the mountains when it was Peter's survival abilities that kept him alive. Fournier tells Peter that they should be able to leave for Reims around 3:00pm the next afternoon. Peter is very pleased at this news, and tells Fournier that he doesn't know how to repay him for this act of kindness. "There is some good wine made up in the north. Perhaps a case in return for the flight?" Fournier says, smiling. [Neither Peter nor Fournier notice as a shadowy figure slips away from the plane, and leaves the hangar via one of the side doors.] Peter heads back into the airport, and sends the news along to Marco and Andrea, asking Marco to pass the information about the flight, what time to be at Le Bourget, and where in the airport to go, along to the other characters.
The next morning, Monday, the various player characters having learned about their trip that afternoon to Reims and beyond, make their arrangements for the trip, pack some clothes and what they feel they might need, and then take care of more mundane business. Not knowing of the information that Samantha has about the situation, Katriona goes to the Musée de l'Histoire de France, and looks up what she can find out about Loisier and the Vignobles de Vincoeur winery in the newspapers and the like. While there is nothing beyond the basics about Loisier, Katriona does learn a good deal about the winery. It is a relatively small winery located some 80 kms northwest of Reim in the small town of Loisier. Established in 1908 by David Vincoeur, a local wine merchant who developed an interest in some of the hilly terrain nearby that seemed to have good soil, he turned out a fine vintage of wines with excellent, but varying, flavours due to the soil and the secretive techniques he used to grow the grapes and age the wines. Never a large winery, the Vignobles came to the attention of several rich nobles in the late 1920s, and the Vincoeur wines developed a following that spread little by little. The Vignobles de Vincoeur are currently run and operated by Jacques Vincoeur, the great grandson of David, and have a good market now in France, with some customers in foreign countries as well as word of their wines has spread. One newspaper mentions that about six months ago, a theft of some wine was reported to the Loisier police, but she can find no other information about the wine thefts or what was turned up by the investigation. Realising that it's getting late, Katriona returns home and prepares to head for Le Bourget airport.
Meanwhile, Andrea goes to the Bibliothèque de la Sorbonne, and does some rearch on wine, winemaking, and the community of Loisier. She learns that Loisier was founded in 1856 by the Conte Michel de Loisier, a noble who lived in Reims but wanted a bit more autonomy and felt that the area where Loisier was to be built had rich soil for farming and the like. Given the dispensation by the French government, Loisier's beliefs turned out true and soon Loisier became a thriving community that subsisted on agriculture and the like. Lying some 80 kms northwest of Reims, with a population of 1,100 people at present, Loisier is home to a mixed population of everyday people, some nobility, and even hosts a small contingent of Italians who arrived in the area in the hope of growing grapes. This didn't work out for them, due to the pressure put on them by David Vincoeur not to interfere with the already existing wine industry, but there are several areas of notes in the town, including a venerable cathedral, an excellent art gallery devoted to wine and winemaking, a small library, and a few other businesses with quaint interests. Some interest in winemaking peaked late in the 19th Century, and several wineries opened in the area, the most notable being the Vignobles de Vincoeur, that turned into a thriving business in its own right, causing the opening of several taverns and the like in the area and one wine bar of note, Le Clione. Her research on wine and winemaking turns up some very basic material, since most wineries keep secret their methods and techniques, but she gains a basic grasp of how wine is made and some of the more common grapes used for the purpose. Realising it is starting to get late in the morning, Andrea returns home and prepares to head for Le Bourget airport.
That afternoon, Katriona, Samantha, Andrea and Marco arrive at Le Bourget airport, and making their way to the private plane area of the airport, find Peter waiting for them with another man. Peter introduces them to Yves Fournier, and after the player characters introduce themselves, Fournier leads them out through Gate 14-b and onto the tarmac and service area near the gate where their plane awaits. The aircraft is a Moynet M 360 Jupiter that seats seven, and it's in the process of being fuelled and having some maintenance done pre-flight. The player characters head back into the airport, Fournier telling them that he'll call them when the plane is ready. Once back inside Le Bourget airport's main building, the player characters talk among themselves for a bit, and Peter tell them a bit about Fournier's past and how he knows the pilot. Fournier usually transports cargo between smaller towns in France, and also undertakes several trips a month carrying passengers as well who can't or won't pay for small commercial flight services. Andrea goes back to the gate itself, and looks out at the plane - and is horrified to see Yves Fournier under attack by a couple of men dressed in Le Bourget maintenance personnel uniforms! She shouts for the others, and dashes through the gate and out towards Fournier and the plane.
As Andrea charges towards Fournier and the two men, one of them sees her coming towards them and shouts to his pal. He comes towards Andrea, carrying a wrench in one hand, but suddenly sees Marco, Katriona, and Samantha coming out through the gate. As Samantha heads for the fake maintenance men, Marco and Peter rush towards the down Yves Fournier. The two fake maintenance men decide the odds are not in their favour, and take off across the maintenance area and out to the edge of the tarmac. One of the men throws the wrench he's holding at Samantha as she closes on him, and she loses a bit of ground as she is forced to dodge out of the way. The two fake maintenance men dodge and weave through the area, using vehicles and people in the way as obstacles to throw in the player characters' way. Andrea puts on a burst of speed and grabs one of the two maintenance men [she flips a dice roll of 92 to 29 on her Melee check], but he manages to escape her grasp. His maintenance uniform partially tears away, and he is revealed to be wearing a purple jumpsuit or top underneath the maintenance uniform [his Octopus uniform]. He races away from Andrea, as she is joined by Samantha and Katriona, and the two continue to pursue the attackers. As they round a corner in pursuit of the two attackers, they hear the roar of a vehicle and Katriona shouts a warning as a large blue car [a Citroen] bears down on them. The women scatter out of the way as the vehicle races past them, and Samantha catches sight of the man behind the wheel; she thinks she recognises him, but her dodging out of the way takes priority. As the car races away from them, the three female characters realise they've lost the two fake maintenance men. Katriona says they have other problems, as the three women are approached by airport security men.
Back at the area near Gate 14-b, Marco and Peter find that while Yves Fournier has been bruised somewhat, he's in good condition. The two fake maintenance men had only just started in on him when Andrea's shout and the player characters' coming to his rescue prevented them from doing any serious damage. When Peter asks him what happened, Fournier tells them that he spotted the two men attempting something with his plane, and since he didn't recognise them demanded to know who they were. That's when they came after him, and he retreated and the player characters arrived on the scene. Peter asks him if he's well enough to continue with plans for the flight, and Fournier assures him that he is. Fournier says he's going to check the plane where he spotted the two fake maintenance men and see what they were doing. Peter says that he and Marco should go after Andrea, Samantha, and Katriona, but Marco says that Samantha is quite capable of handling things with the other two. They're better served by staying with Fournier and keeping an eye on things there.
Some time later, Marco and Peter are a bit surprised to see Katriona, Samantha, and Andrea approaching them, accompanied by airport security. Samantha tells them that everything is under control, and explains that she told the security men what happened. The man in charge, Gabriel Lefcourt, tells them that Le Bourget security will look into the matter in detail, and goes to talk to Fournier. Surprisingly, he tells Lefcourt that he doesn't intend to press charges, saying that he doesn't know why they attacked him, and that the two men didn't do any damage to his aircraft. When Lefcourt insists on investigating what happened, Peter intervenes along with Samantha and Lefcourt agrees to drop the case, though he's not happy about the "distraction" that occurred at the airport. However, since it didn't interfere with normal airport operations, he's willing to let the matter go since Fournier and the player characters don't seem intent on pursuing the matter.
Once the player characters are convinced by Fournier that nothing was damaged or sabotaged on the aircraft, they are content to continue with their planned trip to Reims. When they go back into the airport proper to gather the rest of their belongings and luggage, Andrea tells the others about the colour of the clothing that one of the attackers was wearing underneath the Le Bourget maintenance uniform. Samantha and the others don't know the significance of that, but Samantha files it away mentally for later. Fournier comes into the airport and helps them with the last of their luggage, and doesn't seem the worse for wear from the earlier incident. The player characters help Fournier load their belongings and the like [except for some signature gear] into the plane's cargo hold. Samantha notices [she made a Good Karma roll on her Search check] two wine crates in the cargo hold that bear the stylised "V" logo of the Vincoeur winery. She doesn't mention this to the others, but is determined to bring the matter up with Fournier when the opportunity presents itself.
Eventually, Fournier declares that the aircraft is fuelled and ready to depart, and the player characters board the Moynet M 360 Jupiter, surprised to find that the seating is quite roomy and comfortable for such a small plane. Fournier asks Peter if he wishes to join him in the cockpit for the flight, but Peter declines saying that it's Fournier's plane and show and that he's just a passenger. The player characters buckle themselves in, Fournier receives permission to take off, and after taxiing to the appropriate runway, Fournier lifts the plane off flawlessly and the Moynet M 360 Jupiter heads for Reims.
Friday night's game session of The Troubleshooters was a fun romp that I rather enjoyed. The game session had a little bit of everything in it, other than pure physical combat, but the chase scene at the airport proved to be full of good roleplaying, some excellent tactics on the part of the players (even if they weren't successful), and a few surprises that will play out in future sessions of the game. The players told me that they rather enjoyed themselves, and loved the chase scene at the airport which had that action, heart-pounding feel to it without having any real physical violence to it. They're intrigued with the plot about the disappearing wine, and are wondering whether some of the other stuff is red herrings, so it seems I've got them hooked (no pun intended) on where the plot is going.
I'm looking forward to the next session of the game, but am not sure when we'll be gaming again, as next weekend is the Christmas weekend and the one after that is the New Year's Eve weekend. Hopefully I'll get to run another session of the game before the end of 2021. Can't wait! :)