Tuesday Mar 19, 2024

Surviving the Odds (Legacy) – 1

Playing with the Game Unfolding Machine

Full moon grandfather

🎲 Call hook: 1d20 = 14 → A paid job, there’s a lot of wealth involved
🎲 Grand oracle: 3d100: [32, 47, 56] = Detect + Innocent + Meeting

The moon is bright, I am in the meeting spot. But I can’t see Ida. Didn’t she see the full moon yet?

🎲 Describe the Valley of Lights (Feature, Looks) → 2d20: [9, 17] = Sabotaged, Relaxing

Valley of Lights

A junk wasteland separates the two enclaves. Since both enclaves are made of very tall, rusty and huge buildings, built from the Before time, they call the plains in between The Valley of Lights. The name came up because on full moon, the amount of metal junk in there, causes a straining dance of lights, that reflects all around the area, as if hundreds of mirrors would be pointing to each other, multiplying the sources of light.

I wander about, moving some old scraps of metal, a bit of trash here and there. I feel like today, the valley is more full of trash than the usual. Did anyone bring new junk? Anyway, where is Ida?

Eventually, she’s there. She’s running.

Kyle: “What happened?”
Ida: “Ugh, sorry. I had an argument with my brother, Leon”
Kyle: “What about?”
Ida: “He is grounded. Father won’t let him get out of the house. So Leon was asking me to do something for him, right now”
Kyle: “What does he want?”
Ida: “He discovered that our grandfather, Berndt, meets with The Machines from time to time. And he is meeting the Machines today”
Kyle: “What? You knew this?”
Ida: “No! He told me. My father found out, so Berndt is grounded. But they don’t know that I know!”
Kyle: “Fuck… What are you going to do? Now I know, too! Fuck.”
Ida: “Berndt says that he is willing to lend us his APC Armored Car if we go and check, and we can keep it”
Kyle: “What? Really? That would be awesome! I mean… Really?”
Ida: “Really. I have the keys, and two replacement power-nodes to charge it”

🎲 The mission → 2d20: [12, 13] = We have to transport someone safely. We know where, but it is hard to get there

Kyle: “So what are we supposed to do? Go and spy on your grandfather?”
Ida: “No, you silly! We have to pick up my brother with the APC and take him to the Dawn of Sorrows
Kyle: “What?”
Ida: “Yes, he wants to figure how our grandfather talks to the machines. It is forbidden knowledge for us!”
Kyle: “It’s way too risky… we could be in danger, we could endanger our families. It could trigger a big fight, to say the least…”
Ida: “Yes, but it’s that, or we stay here scavenging metal-sheet leftovers, forever!”

Kyle: “So, what’s the plan? Recharge the APC and storm in the enclave, as if no one would notice?”
Ida: “haha. No. Charge the APC, have it ready. Infiltrate our house and get him out. I can get in, you can have the APC ready. Would you help me?”
Kyle: “eerr…”
Ida: “Please?”
Kyle: “Damn it…”

The Junkrawler

That’s how Ida’s brother, Leon, calls this APC vehicle. A 6-wheeled vehicle that can go through a lot. And by that, I mean A LOT.

The Junkrawler APC

How am I supposed to recharge its batteries? Ida did not give any instructions… I guess she had no idea. Well, let’s figure this out. While she goes and rescues his brother, I have to get this thing going and ready.

🎲 Steel+2 → 2d6+2 = 9

“I can’t say the Power-node fit exactly well… it might have lost some power in the process. And maybe a few screws are a bit loose, but I had to do it that way for it to prevent strong pressure from the sides on it. I’d rather have it moving than cracking out of pressure… anyway, I think I am late now.”

🎲 Plan check (Risky) → 1d20 = 1 → Cancelled, because of a problem
🎲 Plan check (Problem) → 1d20 = 4 → Gone for good

As I start the engine of the beast, the roaring motor is a joy. The vibration, the reinforced-leather chair hitting the back of your neck. The steering wheel peeling your finger skin off. It’s… so beautiful.

Wait, where’s the replacement Power Node?

I get down as fast as I can from the Junkrawler, the engine still roaring. But I can’t find the second Power Node Ida gave. They were two Power Nodes, right? Not just one? Maybe it was just one? No, she said two. Where is it?

Wait, one thing is for a whole Nucleus to disappear, which is a 3 meters tall Power Node. THAT is indeed insane, but losing a standard, power node? Must be around here. Right? RIGHT?!

Getting Leon out of there

Ida went back to the Enclave of Code, her home. Her brother grounded, inside the large tower their family mainly resides in. It is likely they are the only ones in hundreds of kilometers to have an actual running elevator in a building.

🎲 Meta-tool → 1d20 = 11 → Object (something here reveals a lead, information, intel, or clue)
🎲 Plot discovery (clues, intel) → 1d20 = 9 → a hope confirmed

Fortunately, Ida’s father was not there, there’s actually nobody at the building. Which at the same time was a little weird, but convenient.

“Leon! Are you there? It’s me, Ida. Can you hear me?”

🎲 Does he respond? → 1d20 = 16 → Yes

Leon: “Ida? So glad you are back. Hurry, Mom and Dad left!”
Ida: “Where did they go? do you know?”

🎲 Character question → 1d20 = 12 → “It’s complicated”

Leon: “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you on the way, something happened.”
Ida: “But are they alright?”

🎲 GM question → 1d20: 20 → Strong yes

Leon: “Yes, you silly! Now get me out of here!”

Is it easy to get Leon out of his locked room?
🎲 In character → 1d20: 14 → Yes, but

Ida: “This thing has an alarm, Leon. I can open it, but it’s going to sound loud, are you sure?”

🎲 Character question → 1d20: 7 → “I doubt it, but not sure”

Leon: “I have no idea!! They set it up recently. I don’t even know who does it alarm to! I don’t think it’s going to mean anything, they’re not here!”
Ida: “Fine, 3… 2… 1…”

🎲 Plan check (Tense) → 1d20: 13 = Carried on as you expected

An alarm sounded for like… some eternal 30 seconds. Then stopped. We stood there in silence. But nothing happened. Phew. We ran out, taking the back door of the main tower.

Leon: “The Junkrawler, is it ready?”
Ida: “Yes! Kyle is working on it”
Leon: “Cool, did you tell him to safely secure the extra-power node? We will need it”
Ida: “Well… I didn’t tell him to be EXTRA careful. But it’s a power node, he’ll be careful”
Leon: “yeah…”

To be continued…

JeansenVaars

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