Surviving the Odds (Legacy) – 4 – Jeansen Vaars' Fiction House

Recap

Retaking this Legacy: Life Among Ruins, after a long break. Kyle, Ida, and Adam, approach an industrial complex from the before, as they were seeking for a Power Node (like some sort of power cell), to replace the almost exhausted one from their vehicle.

Their original plan was to follow up Adam’s grandpa, as he was acting weird recently, delving often into the wasteland. Rumors indicating he is meddling with an old, ancient race of robots simply known as the Machines. Somewhere along the road, a plasma grenade (which came out of nowhere, and without any following consequences, exhausted their vehicle).

Now, the teenagers, roaming out of their enclave, are on foot, in the vast empty wasteland of… Legacy.

Adjusting to PUM Plot Nodes (V7-Preview)

Plot nodes

Dice	World aspects	Relevant Actors	Story Troubles	Active leads
1-2	The fall left many clues behind	Adam’s mysterious Grandpa	Wasteland hazards	There has to be a Power Node
3-4	Physical anomalies and lights	Someone from the enclave	Wandering machines	Grandpa repeating same old route
5-6	Machines are waking up, grandpa says	Choose one or reroll	Cargo raiders	Cargo Raiders may be hunting Machines too
7-8	Choose one or reroll	Choose one or reroll	Choose one or reroll	The Machines are looking for power nodes too
9-10	Add new or reroll	Choose one or reroll	Choose one or reroll	Add new or reroll

Plot track

Exposition	Confrontation	Resolution
[X] [X] [X]	[X] [O] [O] [O] [O] [O] [O] [O]	[O] [O] [O]

Playing song

Scene 1

Kyle, Ida, and Adam walk into an old industrial complex from the times of the before. The weather is mainly humid, and the ground is muddy and wet. Despite cast with dark clouds, there is no sign of rain, and the silence is abrasive, making room only for the wind to be heard.

Kyle: Is this the place where you last found an Energy Core?
Adam: Yeah
Kyle: Any troubles to be aware of?

Oracle → dice: 1d10 → ‘Yes, of course’

Adam: Last time, we had to smash one security drone, and disable a few electrified fences. Stay alert.

Adam is typically cocky, but reliable. The council tends to include him in any mission where smashing things and acting pragmatic is necessary. Though they keep him out when missions need a delicate hand or a silver tongue.

Scene beat → dice: 1d10 → Reflect a world aspect
World aspect → dice: 1d10 → “The fall left many clues behind”
What is it about? → dice: 1d100 and dice: d100 and dice: d100 → Gather forgotten politics

Exposition	Confrontation	Resolution
[X] [X] [X]	[X] [X] [O] [O] [O] [O] [O] [O]	[O] [O] [O]

The characters cross by an already broken fence. Adam knew this path already. With a little bit of help and holding the fence upwards, they make enough space to come through by crouching just enough.

As Ida looks down, she observes a big dump of posters with propaganda figures, motivational phrases, and military recruitment flyers: “Make humanity strong”, “It is now, or never”, “Drive the strongest giants”

Ida: Giants… they called them. What were they?
Kyle: Mechanical robots that were driven by humans, before the fall
Ida: Were they autonomous? Like the machines?
Kyle: Nobody knows…

Ida picks up one of the flyers, which calls her attention. It talks about the construction procedures of the giants, and fortunately, how they assembled and stored their Power Nodes.

Ida: Hey, you might want to look at this. I think it may show where Power Nodes were stored

Where? dice: 2d100 → Legendary Lonely

Kyle: The “Famous Vaults”, yeah. Good luck to find one of them
Ida: You have ever seen one before?
Kyle: No.
Ida: Then where did you…
Adam: Equipped or mounted in animated robots (interrupts Adam, while paying attention to the surroundings). You are right though, if we are to find a Power Node, they should be in those vaults. Very likely, underground in one of these buildings around here.

Kyle looks around, to spot for potential main buildings in this complex of old and rotten factories.

Character move “Architectural Eye” → dice: 2d6+2 (Hold 3)

Kyle: I would start over there, that one.

GUM, location by feature → dice: 1d20 →Bloody, scary
GUM, location by purpose → dice: 1d20 → Rituals, sacrifice

Ida: What’s that…?

The characters spot at the entrance of a large, rectangular metallic building, a circular rite preparation area, with heads on poles…

Adam: That… wasn’t there before. Be careful. (Raises his mask up, and the other two follow)

Scene 2

The characters approach the ritualistic area, but very carefully, and from the flanks. Passing over debris and other junk on their way there, with their boots full of mud.

Modified proposal → dice: 1d10 → Add sadness, or tragedy
Is there anyone? (subjective) → dice: 1d10 → No, and…

Exposition	Confrontation	Resolution
[X] [X] [X]	[X] [X] [X] [O] [O] [O] [O] [O]	[O] [O] [O]

It begins to rain, softly. The water of the rain washes the blood of a recent sacrifice… or murder. But there is nobody to be seen, beast to be slain. Just… heads, on a spike.

Kyle looks for an alternative way to get into the building without crossing the ritual area into the main double door of the front, which is also painted in a symbol drafted in blood.

Any other entrances? (subjective) → dice: 1d10 Yes, but…

Kyle: We have the grappling hook, don’t we?
Adam: Yeah…

SUM, GM action → dice: 1d100 → Enemies show up for conflict
Story troubles → dice: 1d10 → Cargo raiders

Raider: Who the hell is in there?

Did they spot us yet? Or do we have a chance? (subjective) → dice: 1d10 → it depends… (on skill)
+steel → dice: 2d6+2 Success at a cost

Raider: Hmm… can’t see squat. But I don’t like this, go and take a look. Close all doors.

Adam hurries up to throw the hook into a small, yet open window on the side of the building. They’re all hiding behind a trash container. Two raiders go out of the building to explore the surroundings…

Fortunately, and in time, the characters make it into the first floor of the building, which apparently is flooded with enemies…