Friday Night Game Report - Airship Pirates Session 6
Home from work, and getting ready to head out for geology class tonight. Figured I would post this up while I have the chance, and give rpg folks some food for thought.
Relatively late in the week, again, is the write-up of the latest Friday night's game session of the Abney Park's Airship Pirates roleplaying game. You can read about the previous game session in this journal entry. Since this post is quite long, I've put it behind a cut for those who don't want to read about the roleplaying game campaigns that I'm running.
March 17th, 2150 AD
Accompanying the San Ramos tribe members, the player characters have no difficulty entering the community of San Reyaan. The characters are quite impressed with the community, as it is built into the side of the supposedly extinct volcano, but don't have time to ooh and ahh over things. Michael San Ramos gives the characters some advice on where to sleep for the night, recommending a place called the Volcano's Ash, that serves relatively cheap food and drink, and offers rooms to sleep at a reasonable price. He tells the characters that he and the San Ramos tribe are so grateful to them for their help with the hogtrikes, other vehicles, and wagons, that he will take their trade goods and sell them, taking only a 5% margin for himself and the tribe, but Jeanette Storm refuses the offer on behalf of the player characters, saying that she wants to trade them to the Oakendales.
Somewhat insulted, the San Ramos depart the player characters, leaving them stranded with their goods. They are approached by a man named Alexander, who says he couldn't help but overhear them and that he can help them if they have business with the Oakendales. Arthur Quentin-Smythe asks what business it is of his, and Alexander replies that he is a small trader who has had some dealings with the Oakendales. He is willing to lend them a pair of oxen and a small cart to haul their goods for a small fee, and will direct them to one of the Oakendale trade houses. The characters debate the matter, and agree to the deal, Jeanette Storm haggling his price down somewhat.
The characters arrive at the Haffik Oakendale Trade House to find the place is extremely busy, but Alexander (he tells them his last name is Foxhound) eases their transit time, and the characters meet with Haffik relatively quickly. Haley Deuce becomes the target of attention for two young rakes of the Cantard family, but Emily Harrington-Boothe and Arthur Quentin-Smythe deflect them away from the target of their affection when it becomes obvious that Haley is quite uncomfortable with their affections. Meanwhile, Jeanette and Peter Bear Redwood meet with Haffik Oakendale, and he expresses an interest in their goods. Haffik tells them that they sound like pirate or privateer folk and questions them somewhat about their origins, but they manage to deflect his questions. They haggle over the price for a good half hour or so, but Jeanette is pleased with the He400 that they gain for the trade stuffs.
After leaving the Trade House, the player characters make their way to the Volcano's Ash, with the assistance of Alexander Foxhound. The place sounds to be more boisterous than what they were looking for, but Alexander assures them that it is an excellent place for them to stay during their time in San Reyaan. The characters are met by the establishment's owner, Conrad Hammerdyne, a Neovictorian Misbegotten with an extra pair of arms and a strong, stubborn disposition. Hammerdyne gives them several rooms for a reasonable rate, and the characters proceed to sit down with Alexander and have their evening meal. Alexander tells them a little about himself during the course of the meal, explaining how his Neobedouin tribe was wiped out some ten years ago by airship pirates off a vessel called the Daedalus, and how he was taken in by a family of Neobedouins who had settled down here in the community of San Reyaan. During the course of the meal, Peter and Emily notice that the two rakes who had ardently pursued Haley are present in the alehouse's common room, watching the party and Haley in particular. Peter and Jeanette do catch wind of several characters talking about a new shipment of goods that Cecil Oakendale is expecting in the next day or so. The characters enjoy the evening in the Volcano's Ash and engage in some lascivious behaviour and dancing, but fail to see and hear the moment when the drunken Arthur says too much about the party and their affiliation with the Bountiful Queen.
The characters' drunken and restful night's sleep is interrupted by an attack by a group of ruffians in the characters' rooms. Each of the player characters puts up a good fight, although Peter and Arthur suffer several bad wounds. They manage to capture one of the ruffians as he attempts to flee out the window, and are told that the men were paid by Scurvy Jack Flanagan-Cumulus, who heard the characters were in town, due to a birdie singing in his drink too much. The player characters decide that the next day they need to find Scurvy Jack as well as try and find out where the new shipment of goods for Cecil Oakendale is coming in. The injured characters have their wounds treated before they return to their rooms.
Morning arrives with the characters feeling the depredations of their previous night's drinking and feasting. Andrew, Jeanette, and Arthur head down to the docks to find out what they can from the harbourmaster about the arrival of Scurvy Jack and his crew. With a bit of bribery, fast talk, and sheer bullshitting, they learn that the Scurvy Princess is in dock as well as which mooring port, and discover that he has gone into town this day for some shopping. They cautiously approach the dock area where the Scurvy Princess is mooored, and scout it out, learning and seeing what they can. Afterwards, they head back for the others to tell them what they've learned.
Meanwhile, Emily, Peter, and Haley head for the marketplace of San Reyaan and inquire about any news about a series of new goods that the Oakendales are planning to market, but also keep their ears out for gossip. Their questions about the Oakendales' business attracts attention of the unwanted kind, but the characters are wise to the fact that they are being followed as they wander the marketplace. The player characters learn that the new Oakendale shipment of goods are rumoured to be coming off the Scurvy Princess even as they speak, will be stored in one of the Oakendale warehouses that Scurvy Jack and his crew of dogs rents for the purpose down by the docks, and that once Cecil Oakendale buys them, will be distributed by him from there through "the usual routes". The three characters are unable to learn which of the dockside warehouses Scurvy Jack and his crew rent, and return to meet up with the rest of the characters.
Emily, Peter, Andrew, Jeanette, Haley, and Arthur return to the Volcano's Ash, to find Calliandra Shade is sitting (actually working) in the common room, awaiting their return. She has a self-satisfied look on her face. Haley and Peter are quite annoyed with her, but as they hear her story, the player characters become quite different in attitude. Calli had managed to sneak off the Bountiful Queen after the player characters left with some basic supplies, and followed the characters at a discreet distance. She was able to merge with the San Ramos tribefolk while the characters travelled with them, and when they obtained the wagon for the trade goods, managed to stow herself in among them. Once the characters had managed to see Haffik Oakendale, she emerged from the trade goods and worked as a common servant to move the goods around. In the meantime, she listened with her ears and asked a few discreet questions, and then made her way down to the docks, and learned which of the warehouses belonged to Scurvy Jack. While she tried to do a bit of scouting there, she wasn't successful - too many guards - and then returned to the Volcano's Ash. Thinking she was just a cute street urchin, Hammerdyne let her stay the night in exchange for some work in the kitchens, and she's been doing her best to stay inconspicuous ever since.
Hammerdyne comes over to see why his newest serving girl is bothering the paying customers, and Emily, Peter, and Haley set him straight on Calli's status. They reach a new agreement on accommodation for the girl, and the characters sit down with Calli, learn a bit more about the lay of the land, and make their plans for the next morning.
This session of the game went extremely well, with lots of good roleplaying and some really fast moments of combat. The players all had a good time with the Abney Park's Airship Pirates rpg this week, most of them enjoying my goddaughter's play as Calliandra. The final summing up in the second to last paragraph about what Calli did was actually played out as and during the times when the characters did their own stuff separate from her, but Kathy suggested that I write it up with the approach that I've taken here. Overall, a great session of gaming.
Relatively late in the week, again, is the write-up of the latest Friday night's game session of the Abney Park's Airship Pirates roleplaying game. You can read about the previous game session in this journal entry. Since this post is quite long, I've put it behind a cut for those who don't want to read about the roleplaying game campaigns that I'm running.
March 17th, 2150 AD
Accompanying the San Ramos tribe members, the player characters have no difficulty entering the community of San Reyaan. The characters are quite impressed with the community, as it is built into the side of the supposedly extinct volcano, but don't have time to ooh and ahh over things. Michael San Ramos gives the characters some advice on where to sleep for the night, recommending a place called the Volcano's Ash, that serves relatively cheap food and drink, and offers rooms to sleep at a reasonable price. He tells the characters that he and the San Ramos tribe are so grateful to them for their help with the hogtrikes, other vehicles, and wagons, that he will take their trade goods and sell them, taking only a 5% margin for himself and the tribe, but Jeanette Storm refuses the offer on behalf of the player characters, saying that she wants to trade them to the Oakendales.
Somewhat insulted, the San Ramos depart the player characters, leaving them stranded with their goods. They are approached by a man named Alexander, who says he couldn't help but overhear them and that he can help them if they have business with the Oakendales. Arthur Quentin-Smythe asks what business it is of his, and Alexander replies that he is a small trader who has had some dealings with the Oakendales. He is willing to lend them a pair of oxen and a small cart to haul their goods for a small fee, and will direct them to one of the Oakendale trade houses. The characters debate the matter, and agree to the deal, Jeanette Storm haggling his price down somewhat.
The characters arrive at the Haffik Oakendale Trade House to find the place is extremely busy, but Alexander (he tells them his last name is Foxhound) eases their transit time, and the characters meet with Haffik relatively quickly. Haley Deuce becomes the target of attention for two young rakes of the Cantard family, but Emily Harrington-Boothe and Arthur Quentin-Smythe deflect them away from the target of their affection when it becomes obvious that Haley is quite uncomfortable with their affections. Meanwhile, Jeanette and Peter Bear Redwood meet with Haffik Oakendale, and he expresses an interest in their goods. Haffik tells them that they sound like pirate or privateer folk and questions them somewhat about their origins, but they manage to deflect his questions. They haggle over the price for a good half hour or so, but Jeanette is pleased with the He400 that they gain for the trade stuffs.
After leaving the Trade House, the player characters make their way to the Volcano's Ash, with the assistance of Alexander Foxhound. The place sounds to be more boisterous than what they were looking for, but Alexander assures them that it is an excellent place for them to stay during their time in San Reyaan. The characters are met by the establishment's owner, Conrad Hammerdyne, a Neovictorian Misbegotten with an extra pair of arms and a strong, stubborn disposition. Hammerdyne gives them several rooms for a reasonable rate, and the characters proceed to sit down with Alexander and have their evening meal. Alexander tells them a little about himself during the course of the meal, explaining how his Neobedouin tribe was wiped out some ten years ago by airship pirates off a vessel called the Daedalus, and how he was taken in by a family of Neobedouins who had settled down here in the community of San Reyaan. During the course of the meal, Peter and Emily notice that the two rakes who had ardently pursued Haley are present in the alehouse's common room, watching the party and Haley in particular. Peter and Jeanette do catch wind of several characters talking about a new shipment of goods that Cecil Oakendale is expecting in the next day or so. The characters enjoy the evening in the Volcano's Ash and engage in some lascivious behaviour and dancing, but fail to see and hear the moment when the drunken Arthur says too much about the party and their affiliation with the Bountiful Queen.
The characters' drunken and restful night's sleep is interrupted by an attack by a group of ruffians in the characters' rooms. Each of the player characters puts up a good fight, although Peter and Arthur suffer several bad wounds. They manage to capture one of the ruffians as he attempts to flee out the window, and are told that the men were paid by Scurvy Jack Flanagan-Cumulus, who heard the characters were in town, due to a birdie singing in his drink too much. The player characters decide that the next day they need to find Scurvy Jack as well as try and find out where the new shipment of goods for Cecil Oakendale is coming in. The injured characters have their wounds treated before they return to their rooms.
Morning arrives with the characters feeling the depredations of their previous night's drinking and feasting. Andrew, Jeanette, and Arthur head down to the docks to find out what they can from the harbourmaster about the arrival of Scurvy Jack and his crew. With a bit of bribery, fast talk, and sheer bullshitting, they learn that the Scurvy Princess is in dock as well as which mooring port, and discover that he has gone into town this day for some shopping. They cautiously approach the dock area where the Scurvy Princess is mooored, and scout it out, learning and seeing what they can. Afterwards, they head back for the others to tell them what they've learned.
Meanwhile, Emily, Peter, and Haley head for the marketplace of San Reyaan and inquire about any news about a series of new goods that the Oakendales are planning to market, but also keep their ears out for gossip. Their questions about the Oakendales' business attracts attention of the unwanted kind, but the characters are wise to the fact that they are being followed as they wander the marketplace. The player characters learn that the new Oakendale shipment of goods are rumoured to be coming off the Scurvy Princess even as they speak, will be stored in one of the Oakendale warehouses that Scurvy Jack and his crew of dogs rents for the purpose down by the docks, and that once Cecil Oakendale buys them, will be distributed by him from there through "the usual routes". The three characters are unable to learn which of the dockside warehouses Scurvy Jack and his crew rent, and return to meet up with the rest of the characters.
Emily, Peter, Andrew, Jeanette, Haley, and Arthur return to the Volcano's Ash, to find Calliandra Shade is sitting (actually working) in the common room, awaiting their return. She has a self-satisfied look on her face. Haley and Peter are quite annoyed with her, but as they hear her story, the player characters become quite different in attitude. Calli had managed to sneak off the Bountiful Queen after the player characters left with some basic supplies, and followed the characters at a discreet distance. She was able to merge with the San Ramos tribefolk while the characters travelled with them, and when they obtained the wagon for the trade goods, managed to stow herself in among them. Once the characters had managed to see Haffik Oakendale, she emerged from the trade goods and worked as a common servant to move the goods around. In the meantime, she listened with her ears and asked a few discreet questions, and then made her way down to the docks, and learned which of the warehouses belonged to Scurvy Jack. While she tried to do a bit of scouting there, she wasn't successful - too many guards - and then returned to the Volcano's Ash. Thinking she was just a cute street urchin, Hammerdyne let her stay the night in exchange for some work in the kitchens, and she's been doing her best to stay inconspicuous ever since.
Hammerdyne comes over to see why his newest serving girl is bothering the paying customers, and Emily, Peter, and Haley set him straight on Calli's status. They reach a new agreement on accommodation for the girl, and the characters sit down with Calli, learn a bit more about the lay of the land, and make their plans for the next morning.
This session of the game went extremely well, with lots of good roleplaying and some really fast moments of combat. The players all had a good time with the Abney Park's Airship Pirates rpg this week, most of them enjoying my goddaughter's play as Calliandra. The final summing up in the second to last paragraph about what Calli did was actually played out as and during the times when the characters did their own stuff separate from her, but Kathy suggested that I write it up with the approach that I've taken here. Overall, a great session of gaming.