Rough Beasts pt. 2
Solo RPG actual play of my trimmed down rules for Ironsworn. For session one see here. For the rules I’m developing see the first post.
Okay picking this up again where we left off, we've agreed to retrieve a set of supplies for the group of people hidden in the catacombs, we also gave them our Dragon's Breath round to help them survive whatever we disturbed.
We also have some traits!
Trencher:
Hit the Deck: take +1 when you go for cover, make an escape, or fight from a defensive position
Seen Some Shit: you have Quality (2) experience with the horrors of war and at least some of the lesser horrors of The Red Death.
As I read this I realized this needs to be a quality thing you can track
Leech
Medic: Take +1 when you treat the wounded, including yourself. If you have safety and supplies take +2.
Okay so we need to make our way to the church. We have a rough map and knowledge from people in the are, which I think gives us some potency. Quality is already in our favor. Obviously I think the biggest thing we face is the dangers of the city. We know there are mutated monsters and maddened people of the town. We're currently still in the catacombs but we'd like to work our way to Beggars Square.
We see Maria as she moves through the catacombs, these levels are lit, at least in places. Strings of electric lights buzz overhead in places. In others it's gas lamps. Still others house oil storm candles that barely provide enough light to see by. When it's dark, Maria uses her chemical lantern. But mostly she tries to remain hidden.
Take Action: Make progress to the church
Shadow (3) + 2 = 5 vs 9/1 = Weak Hit.
Let's see what the oracle says is here.
Ask the Oracle: What is the obstacle here?
Obstacle: Mystical Weapon (Double zero!)
There's nothing mystical in our world (or nothing we're aware of) so it isn't mystical, but clearly attached to The Red Death… if it's a weapon it's probably something that uses the evil super science of The Red Death. So this is not like a zombie or a ganado, but like a Licker or Hunter.
Here's what I see it as.
Maria carefully opens the wrought iron gate to the crypts and emerges into the weak light straining to filter through a heavy grey cloud cover. Snow falls on the streets, but it's whiteness is stained red in spots. There are bodies here, rent and torn like they had been fed through a machine. Limbs lopped of. Torsos split with huge ragged wounds. Maria, kneels to examine one of the bodies and sees a huge booted footprint, as wide across as her outstretched hand. There are many boot prints here, and the snow has only just began to fill them. Whatever killed these people is nearby.
Basically, this is chainsaw guy. My experiences with Chainsaw Guy in RE4 were so intense that I actually still feel my adrenaline kick up a notch when I hear a chainsaw start up. I don't think our badguy here has a chainsaw, but he clearly has some sort of big bladed weapon
Ask the Oracle: What is the Opportunity here?
Opportunity: Deep Breach.
This one doesn't make as much sense so I roll on the Action/Theme oracle and I get Hunt/Health. Suddenly it makes sense….
These bodes are broken outside of what Maria recognizes as a clinic by the tattered caduceus flags hanging over the door. The security gates is closed and barred over the front of the building, but it seems like something massive crashed in through one of the windows. The bars are torn away. So is some of the brickwork. This kind of damage almost looks like an explosion, but there's no ash or char marks… The brick work is crushed inwards. It looks like a truck or a tank hit the building, but there's no sign of it in the snow…
So a hospital could have supplies in it, useful for our medic. So… do I want to explore this place for supplies is the question… Sure. But there is another open question
Ask the Oracle: Does whatever is here know of my presence?
No but… Its actively patrolling the area and will know I'm here shortly unless I do something about it.
Alright, well, let's search this place and see if we can find any supplies.
I think we know what we're looking for, and I think if any place had it this would be the place. I think the main danger we've already laid out: It's the big scary dude who is butchering people in the streets. A crazed doctor, tainted by the infection perhaps.
Take Action
Wits (2) + 1 = 3 vs 7/9 Failure… I guess lets see what's here
Ask the Oracle:
Active Denizen
Awww shit…
Maria enters the building and finds an entire floor collapsed above her. A stairwell runs up to the upper story but it ends nearly 10 feet above the floor. There are other hallways that lead off from this place but they are unlit. Maria sees another hallway that runs off from the upper story just out of view.
Suddenly she hears the sound of metal on stone and the crunch of snow beneath heavy boots. She swerves inside the building just as a massive figure steps around the corner and onto the street she just left. Muscled like a horse and carrying an ax as big as long as she is tall. The head of the ax is a ragged piece of steel, maybe a fragment from a shell. Someone had beaten it roughly flat and bound it to the ax-haft with barbed wire. Maria can't help but watch as it stops at her footprints. It's body is mostly bare, grey skinned and clad in torn rags and a tattered cloak of sorts. A hood covers most of its face, but Maria can see bloody bandages hide what remains. Only yellowed teeth and one bloodshot eye can be seen clearly.
The creature scents stops and, leaning on the ax haft, kneels to her footprints and sniffs them like a dog. Then it stands and begins stalking along her path, dragging the blade of it's massive ax behind it.
Okay. Time to move. I'd like to climb up to that upper section. But I don't have any Ready slots for rope and grapnel. Can I get the out before this thing gets to me or should I just try and bolt down one of the halls.
Ask the Oracle: Can I get my rope and grapnel out before this thing closes the distance?
Hard no. Well shit.
Take Action: Maria darts for the safety of one of the hallways ahead, hoping to lose this thing in the smaller space.
Edge (4) + 6 = 10 vs 7/2 Full success.
Maria ducks around the corner and then around another corner and into what seemed like it was some sort of office. Ten or more empty desks are abandoned in a wide room. This must have been where the hospitals administrative staff worked. Papers are scattered all over the floor. The windows are boarded up. Most everything has been stripped bare or destroyed. The sour smell of iodine and alcohol fills the air here and Maria sees deep yellow stains spilled out across the floor in front of a supply cabinet.
Maria ducks into the cabinet just as the behemoth forces itself into the room behind her. She crouches and peers through the key hole and watches the beast force its way down the hallway and deeper into the building. The smell of the chemicals in the air must have made it hard for the thing to track her. It can barely shift its ax in the hallway ahead. Maria waits for a long minute until she can't hear the thing anymore.
So, from a GM perspective we haven't removed the threat, but it's no longer immediately on top of us. This guy might pop up at any time. But for now he's gone.
Ask the Oracle: Anything useful here?
Unlikely, if there was it wouldn't have been cleared out: 6 = No…
Do we want to keep searching? Well with big ugly gone I feel like we could double back and examine that upper level. Since time isn't of the issue at this exact moment, we'll remain hidden in the closet and unpack our rope and grapnel. Then we'll just double back and climb up to the upper level looking for supplies.
Maria doubles back and looking carefully around for the brute she slings a grappling hook and climbs it to the upper level.
There's no need to roll for this, we’ve already established that the brute has lost her for now and she's more than capable enough to make this climb with the tools she has. So let's find out what's here…
Ask the Oracle: What is the Obstacle here?
Obstacle: Moving Prisoner
As Maria pulls herself up to the next story she hears the slap of bare feet running away down the hallway at the top of the stairs. She looks, but too late to see who it was…
Opportunity: I actually kinda know what I want here. I want there to be someone like Iosefka from Bloodborne. A potential ally with a secure location. Probably not actually evil. Probably.
