Organised GM

So I am a tad organised - 'a place for everything and everything in it's place'.
My games do have more and more handouts and props.

In my Firefly games for example I give the players paper money that their characters would have as well as name badges, weapon cards, computer readouts and deck plans.

Here is the table layout:



The different denominations of money pile up on my left, character sheets in the purple folder, two large d20s, a pile of handouts in the centre, 'Multi-pass' badges for the characters next to the handouts, pencils and a sharpener, computer screen printouts on my right, and some drink in easy reach.
Nice!

Opening Credits for my Firefly/Serenity game

So I have put together some opening credits for my Firefly HeroQuest game, just like as if it were a real TV series. The player characters are the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection, they are the better part of that film. It was written by Joss Whedon so there does seem to be a darker echo of the Serenity crew.




The music is the theme from the Black Hole by John Barry.


'Echoes in the Black' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Firefly: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.

"Ta Ma Duh! Why can't we stick to the gorram plan!
I wanted simple, in and out and everything shiny.
The job was good, the idents were perfect and the feds were away from the Skyplex.
Then everything has gone south.
Something has been following The Betty.
They are keeping their distance, so they aint purple bellies and everytime time we avert course they disappear like echoes in the black. The question is who are they, what do they want and why are they messing up my gorram job?"

Midweek Character - DeStephano

So here is the last of The Betty crew members. DeStephano was one character I added later to the mix. A martial character who is AWOL from the Alliance military who also has some experience of the dodgy dealings that the Alliance commits in secret research. This is important for the plot line in my 'Left For Dead' story arc.

DeStephano's Story

“I thought you were dead.”
“Begging your pardon, Sir, but F*CK YOU!”

Vincent DiStephano is the recent convert to the crew of The Betty. He was veteran Alliance soldier on protection detail to ‘Special Military Research’ at secret bases on remote planets.

DiStephano is strong and physically fit and socially privileged. He is familiar with Parliament conspiracies having seen many unfold. When one of these backfired, despite conflicting loyalties he allied with the Betty who was bringing in illicit cargo to the base he was guarding at the time. He owes Elgyn his life as he rescued him when base the destroyed by the Alliance. He fears his past will catch up with him so doesn’t get emotionally attached to anyone.

Words 109

Keywords

Former Alliance Trooper 5M

Smuggler 12

Flaws

Conflicting Loyalties 15M

Fears Past Will Catch Up 5M2

Relationships

Alliance Space Corps [Contacts] 8M

Special Military Research [Adversary] 3M

Alliance Admiralty [Adversary] 15M

Parliament [Adversary] 5M2

Battle Unit [Former Member of] 5M

Former Comrades [Mourns] 5M

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 13

Underworld [Contacts] 13

Elgyn Rane [Indebted to] 12M

Personality

Brave 5M

Callous 12

Cunning 13

Devil-May-Care 12

Emotionally Detached 20

Hates Alliance 5M

Loyal 5M

Self-Centered 17

Obedient 5M

Resilient 15M

Abilities

Distrusts Researchers/Scientists 5M

Guard Cargo 5M

Handle Illicit Cargo 19

Identify Foe 15M

Knows Parliament Conspiracies 19

Knows Remote Planets 19

Knows Secret Bases 1M

Lookout 5M

Owes Elgyn His Life 10M

Physically Fit 9M

Protection Detail Tactics 5M

Seen Conspiracies Unfold 10M

Scouting 10M

Socially Privileged 20

Strong 8M

Use Newtech Weapons 15M

Veteran 19

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Newtech Pistol, Spare Ammo.

ITEMS:- Ident Card, Fake Permits, Old Uniform & Insignia.

Midweek Character - Vriess

I haven't posted for a while but I will give you another of The Betty crew from the film Alien: Resurrection.
Vriess is the engineer aboard The Betty. Vriess was disabled from the waist down as a result of shrapnel injuries sustained on the swamp planet Kawlang and was bound to a motorised wheelchair. Despite being handicapped, Vriess still remains a valuable member to the crew of The Betty, such as using his wheelchair to smuggle weapons and stealing parts to maintain the ship.

Vriess’ Story

“Wanna check the chair?”

“They never check the chair”

“The Kawlang Manoeuvre, right?”

Vriess is the Betty's chief mechanic. Though his legs are paralysed, he hasn't allowed this infirmity to interfere with his work. Vriess has strong arms with that he climbs and crawls over the hidden parts of the ship. Vriess uses his re-vamped, motorised wheelchair that has hidden weapons and guns concealed within its workings. He is not above using his vulnerability to gain ill-placed sympathy to get his way but he never tricks his crewmates.

Vriess has a murky past from that he still keeps many criminal contacts.

In stressful situations Vriess provides comic relief, something that helps him deal with his unrequited love for his friend Call.

108 words.

KeyWords

Chief Mechanic 5M

Murky Past 15

Flaws

Legs Paralysed 5M2

Never Tricks Crewmates 1M

Unrequited Love for Call 5M

Personality

Curious 5M

Cunning 15

Inspired 5M

Meticulous 5M

Patient 5M

Suspicious 15

Tinkerer 5M

Relationships

Gang [Former-Member of] 17

Former Comrades [Friends of] 17

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 15

Underworld [Contacts] 15

Criminal Boss [Contacts] 15

Parts Supplier [Contacts] 5M

Junkyard Owner [Contacts] 5M

Trusted By Elgyn 10M

Abilities

Adapt Technology 15M

Climbs 4M

Comic Relief 19

Conceal Weapon 19

Crawls 19

Deals with Stressful Situations 19

Kawlang Manoeuvre 19

Knows Hidden Parts of Ship 5M

Nothing Interferes with Work 15M

Overcome Infirmity 5M

Repair Anything 20M

Strong Arms 5M

Take out Frustration on Objects 15M

Understand Function 5M2

Uses Vulnerability to Gain Ill-placed Sympathy 19

Wheelchair

Re-Vamped Motor 19

Weapons concealed in its workings 19

Tough 19

Speedy 5M

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Hidden Guns, Hidden Weapons, Knife, Wrench.

ITEMS:- Fake Papers, Assortment of Loot, Assorted Tools, Spare Parts, Overalls, Wheelchair

Freeform Serenity: Showboat

My good friend Simon has written another Serenity freegame for 32 players that we will run at Tentacles Omega convention that takes place in a castle above the Rhine Valley in Germany this weekend.

I have assisted with the writing, along with Colin, as well as producing of some of the props and items for the game.
Trouble is Simon has just out-classed us all with those masks below that he has made today!

Here is the blurb for the game:
Serenity/Firefly: Showboat!
by Simon Bray, Darran Sims and Colin Driver

In the inky dark of the Black a small transport ship drifts into view alongside a huge cruise ship bound for the Rim.
"Out in the black it's not all broken down boats, Reavers and space dust, hell that's only half of any story. Not all the high and mighty Core dwellers stay at home you know, some come out here into the Rim, looking for adventure and beauty away from the sterility that the Alliance has to offer. All aboard their fine showboats and cruise ships they ride out in the lap of luxury. They bring with them shiny purses full of credits, cases full of fancy medicines and a might of other secrets to. Of course such a pretty little box of goodies comes with a lock or two, all as you need is the right key," said the Captain. He grinned at the beautiful courtesan at his side who returned his smile with a petulant sneer.
"I would expect no less from you, this is my business, not yours," she gracefully snarled as she stormed from the room.
"Then again some boxes are just pure trouble when they are opened, just look at that one of Pandora's. I would say that a ship full of tourists, parliamentary lobbyists, alliance guards and such forth, looks like a mighty box of trouble," said the older man from the doorway clutching his chest; the Doctor stood looking worried as usual at his side.
The Captain just smiled his boyish grin, "You know how much I was hoping you would say that old friend?"
"Are we there yet? I thought you said you could get me there on time," said the passenger from the top of the gantry. "I have very important business, and must not be late. Also I want to discuss a refund, this ship is infested if you ask me."
"Cleanest ship in the Verse!" snapped the Captain defensively "Tell him Doc!"
"We're just *cough!* about to dock *cough!* sir," choked the pilot.
All aboard the luxury cruise ship "Venturer", where the rich, famous and fortunate live like kings in the height of luxury. On this very ship the Alliance is conducting a passionate debate to decide the future of the Verse. But riches and politics attract less wholesome folks like flies around honey.

Play a space rogue, courtesan, politician, special agent or valiant captain in this game of daring exploits, devious politics and deadly secrets. This is a game of good role-playing; newcomers are always welcome but only if they are coming to chew scenery and make this game go with a bang. Costuming a necessity and turning up on the day even more so



Reaver Masks by Simon Bray

Nice!
Hopefully it will not give too much plot away by showing these!

Midweek Character - Sabra Hillard

So I have realised that I haven't posted up a HeroQuest character for a while so without further ado I post another female character.
This is Sabra Hillard, pilot of The Betty, from Alien: Resurrection film, written by Joss Whedon.
Though the character had a small part in the film she does play a big role in the game. As pilot she controls the ship but also she is heart of the group. When her character is absent the group does seem to be more aggressive and commit more atrocities [part of the fun of the games is committing atrocities of one sort or another].

She also has a good dose of Badass!

Hillard's Story
"Nobody is left behind. Not even you Johner!”

“No, There’s got to be another way”

Sabra Hillard is the Betty's pilot. A feisty, captivating woman, she is also tender and dignified. Flying is in her blood as she was trained as a commercial pilot before enrolling into the Alliance military, piloting every known class of ship. Hillard knows every operating tactic and procedure and how to circumnavigate them as well as out-manoeuvring and escaping any other flyer.

Hillard served with Elgyn but like him she refused to commit the atrocities ordered by the Admiralty command. She cherishes the freedom that being a freelancer brings almost as much as she loves Elgyn; she shares both the perils and the rewards of their current smuggling lifestyle.

109 words.

KeyWords

Former Alliance Pilot 17

Smuggler 15

Flaws

Refused to Commit Atrocities 15M

Hates Being Confined 12M

Personality

Conceited 1M

Dignified 19

Feisty 5M

Impetuous 17

Loyal 8M

Rash 17

Relaxed 17

Superior 17

Relationships

Alliance Pilots [Contacts] 19

Commercial Pilots [Associates] 19

Alliance Admiralty [Adversary] 19

Battle Unit [Former -Member of] 17

Former Comrades [Friends of] 17

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 15

Underworld [Contacts] 15

Elgyn Rane [Lover ] 20M

Abilities

Captivating 19

Cherishes Freedom 19

Circumnavigate Enemy Tactics 1M

Commendable War Service 19

Dirty Fighin’ 12M

Enrolled into Alliance Military 19

Escape Pursuit 5M

Flying is in Her Blood 19

Knows Every Class of Ship 19

Knows Every Operating Tactic 19

Knows Operating Procedures 5M

Know Ship’s Capabilities 5M

Knows Smuggling Lifestyle 19

Out-manoeuvre Other Flyer 19

Persuasive 18M

Pilot Spaceship 15M

Served with Elgyn 15M

Shares the Perils 19

Shares the Rewards 19

Think Quickly 15M

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Pistol, Shotgun, SMG, Spare Ammo..

ITEMS:- Ident Card, Fake Permits, Assortment of loot, Pilots Licence, G-suit

Midweek Character - Captain Elgyn

So the next Midweek Character is Captain Elgyn. Portrayed by Michael Wincott in the dark and moody Alien: Resurrection film, written by Joss Whedon, he is a larger than life character.
Though he is the leader of the group he is flawed with avoiding endangering the crew as well as his own incompetent manner. Also trying to reign-in the other characters is a job and a half, just keeping Johner away from the weapons locker is a tough!
He is often the first choice for the games as most players prefer him over the other player characters.

Elgyn’s Story

“Hey son, I’ll give you my authorisation code. Its E-A-T-M-E.”

“Drink, Elgyn?” “Constantly.”

“Hey, don’t cut thrust till about 600 metres. We’ll give ‘em a little scare.”

Elgyn Rane is the captain of The Betty and has the kind of authority that doesn't need to flaunt itself. Smart, resourceful and charismatic, he is a former Alliance officer who discovered more challenge and profit in the murky world of space smuggling. Elgyn has used his commendable war service with the Alliance Space Corps, his associates in the Alliance Civilian Guard and his contacts with the Alliance Admiralty to gain lucrative jobs.

With his network connections he evades capture but is mistrusted by the criminal underworld of the rim.

It is his loyalty to his crew that stops Elgyn taking on the more dangerous missions.

106 words.

KeyWords

Former Alliance Officer 15

Smuggler 17

Flaws

Mistrusted by Criminals 12M

Avoid Endangering Crew 12M

Personality

Arrogant 15

Brave 1M

Callous 1M

Charismatic 19

Cunning 17

Devil-May-Care 17

Loyality To Crew 5M

Resourceful 19

Self-Centered 17

Self-Confident 15

Smart 19

Relationships

Alliance Space Corps [Contacts] 8M

Alliance Civilian Guard [Associates] 3M

Alliance Admiralty [Contacts] 19

Battle Unit [Former Member of] 15

Former Comrades [Friends of] 15

The Betty’s Crew [Loyal to] 19

Black Market [Contacts] 17

Underworld [Contacts] 17

Sabra Hillard [Lover] 12M

Abilities

Assess Situation 15M

Authority that doesn't Flaunt 10M

Avoid Endangering Crew 10M

Charismatic 19

Commendable War Service 5M

Conceal Contraband 5M

Dirty Fighin’ 8M

Discover Challenges 19

Evade Capture 19

Exert Authority 20M

Gain Lucrative Jobs 19

Hates Dangerous Missions 15M

Issue Orders 5M

Kind Authority 19

Knows Murky World 9M

Loves Profit 19

Mistrusted by Underworld 19

Network Connections 1M

Wealth

Standard of Living: Common 13

WEAPONS:- Knife, Pistol, Shotgun, SMG, Spare Ammo..

ITEMS:- Ident Card, Fake Permits, Assortment of loot, Bill of Ownership of The Betty.

Dragonmeet 2008 Con Report

What another great convention!
It seems so short but sweet.
For the first time in a few years I didn't run two games back to back only running a single game in the morning slot only.
I spent most of the afternoon attending the seminars or catching up too briefly with people.

It was an early start with catching the 05:00 AM train to London but I was able to get to Kensington Town Hall without getting swamped in the crowds. Most of the traders got to the venue early so it didn't take long to get them all loaded into the main hall. Pushing a few trollies in and out is one of my ways of giving back to the con. Also stuffing the Goodie Bags with the programme books and other goodies was a big help.


The Main Trade Hall

I then set up my table, located on the upper floor in a little sealed off area, ready for my game. The sign-up sheet was filled in very fast as soon as the doors opened!

I ran the latest episode in my Serenity: HeroQuest saga titled 'Rocks and Hard Places'
It was the first time I had ran this episode and I hadn't really finalised the plot. I was hoping that the players themselves would direct where and when the action would take place as I would follow their lead more.
I started the game in Deadwood, just as in the HBO series of the same name as I think it would fit in the 'verse no problem. Channelling Al Swearengen proved to be a problem, possibly due to the early morning, and the start of the game floundered a bit. Also I did expect there to be a shoot-out in deadwood but the players [with one notable exception] seemed to want to avoid any violence at any cost.
There was a lot of role-playing in character which over-ran a little so I had to rush the ending a little. The addition plot points and distractions worked well with the players getting paranoid over the conspiracies. All the players were very surprised by the big reveal and manufactured their own surprise ending involving the whole crew leaving Johner behind to have a shootout with all the Feds at his insistence.
I did record this game so expect it soon to be podcast on One Man and His Dice.com.

I spent the afternoon attending the seminars.
I walked into John Wick's Seminar halfway through so I was unable to record that one. Very interesting and it seems I share similar GM style and theories. I will have to look up his 'Houses of the Blooded' as only then was it explained to me what it was about despite asking on a few forums.


John Wick

I then spent the next half hour wandering about the whole complex taking photos of the gaming groups. There were some fantastic looking games. The Phoenix Games club had a great looking Dungeon game in action, the Shadow Warriors had a Great War biplane battle game that just simply gorgeous, there was a very detailed Camelot diorama, a BattleStar Galactica board game that looked cool, and many more excellent models and games.

I then went to the Robin Laws and Kenneth Hite seminar that I did manage to record. It didn't have an overall theme, just an open Question & Answer session and didn't suffer for it. Some excellent questions were answered and there was some great discussion that was very interesting.


Robin Laws and Kenneth Hite

That was followed by a Guest of Honour free-for-all seminar. At first there was only Robin Laws and John Wick but then Kenneth Hite and James Wallis each joined later.
A great seminar that by accident seemed to focus on the fantastic work of Greg Stafford.
We also learnt how each guest started off into this hobby of ours with some funny results.
Again I managed to record this and it will be podcast on One Man and His Dice.com.


Kenneth Hite, Robin Laws, John Wick and James Wallis

So a very good convention where I got to catch up with a few people though unfortunately far too briefly and run a good game. I do have a few recordings that I hope to get up over the next couple of weeks.

More photos at:
Dragonmeet 2008 photo set on my Flickr Site

My Games at Tentacles Déjà Vu.

Here are my games that I’ll be running at Tentacles Déjà Vu, Catle Stahleck, Germany on Friday 9th - Monday 12th May 2008.

A centrepiece part of the convention in the form of a multi-player Freeform game as well as three different HeroQuest games – one Gloranthan, one a Firefly plus Alien: Resurrection hybrid and one based on the Sit-Com Dad’s Army.

Gloranthan Freeform

This game draws upon one of the oldest stories of the Holy Country and an on going theme of Gloranthan mythos , the Tournamet of Luck and Death. Even before the game RuneQuest, there has always been the Masters of Luck and Death, mooted as a boardgame, It has also been the title of TWO Gloranthan supplements and the official name for the HeroQuest demonstration team.

Now it is back, using Greg Stafford’s original notes as reference as well as a strong hint of <<cough!>> X Factor.

I am really looking forward to running this with Simon and Colin though this is only the second time I have ran a freeform game. Freeforms seem to run very well in Germany. It most be the fact we actually play inside A CASTLE!

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'The Masters of Luck and Death'

by Simon Bray, Colin Driver and Darran Sims

A Gloranthan Freeform Game.

The God-King is dying, his corporeal body falls into decay, but do not fear - instead rejoice!

From across the Holy Country come the greatest heroes of the land, fiery warriors from Caladraland, wise earth-women of Esrolia, stormy and passionate Heortlings, sea-blessed islanders of Pelaskos, the soulless sorcerers of God Forgot and the dark and brooding trolls of the Shadow Plateau. Each comes to take part in the greatest challenge in all Glorantha, a series of contests, trials and quests that stretch across this blessed land. They shall be watched by the God-King's fearsome judges and tested by their gods, friends and enemies alike. The victor will receive ascension to the hero plane - they will be worshipped and loved, whilst their useless flesh shall give the glorious God-King new life. So come one, come all to the Masters of Luck and Death!

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[HeroQuest] Serenity / Firefly

These are games based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The player characters will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship.

The first game, 'Echoes in the Black', has been run twenty times now at various conventions and has always been over-subscribed.

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'Echoes in the Black' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.

Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.

Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Ta Ma Duh! Why can't we stick to the gorram plan!

I wanted simple, in and out and everything shiny.

The job was good, the idents were perfect and the feds were away from the Skyplex.

Then everything has gone south.

Something has been following The Betty.

They are keeping their distance, so they aint purple bellies and everytime time we avert course they disappear like echoes in the black. The question is who are they, what do they want and why are they messing up my gorram job?"

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'[HeroQuest] Dad’s Army.'

This is a new game based on a very popular TV series in the UK. A role-play heavy game though very much a 'beer & pretzel' game played for some laughs. The session will involve recreating an actual episode of Britain’s best ever Sit-Com.

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'We are the Boys...' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.

HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.

Newcomers very welcome. [im-]Maturity preferred.

“Excuse me, er, attention men. If you kindly all fall in, that would be rather nice. Thank you.”

“Right men, GHQ has organised a series of military exercises, under the watchful eyes of Colonel Pritchard, to test the Walmington-on-Sea platoon’s ‘fighting fitness’ and to see if we can use diverse tactics and strategies in the field.

“Well, that is a given of course with my experience, but there is a little nuisance in that we are paired off against the Eastgate platoon. We must deal with their Colonel Blimp mentality...”

“His name is Captain Square, a Rotarian you know?”

“Thank you Wilson!

“Well men, I think that you will not let me down? Corporal Jones get the platoon to fall out. Wilson, WILSON come with me!”

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[HeroQuest] Glorantha

The return of some of my Gloranthan games to the convention scene.

Lots of Orlanthi themes to run with as there are raids, counter raids, clan moots and clan rituals to contend with. Though ‘Raid upon Hellbreak’ has some strong martial elements there is plenty of mystery and dilemma to this story as well.

This episode is an old favourite of mine due to the fact that most players panic near the end of the dilemma and do not know what to do.

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'Raid upon Hellbreak' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.

HeroQuest adventure for up to 7 players.

Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

Having been constantly attacked and raided by the Hruling clan the Elders of the White Ram clan now seek vengeance and gather their warriors to launch a counter-raid. The sacred village of 'Hellbreak' is the chosen target and the brave band of raiders set off to deliver retribution, however things do not go as planned.

They have to deal with roving guards, an Iphara mist and the enigmatic Lord in the Tower before even getting to the village.

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The East Midlands D&D Meet UP Groups' March Monthly Meet

Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest game on Saturday 8th March 2008

As part of The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group March Monthly Meeting I will be running one of my Serenity:HeroQuest games as detailed below. The meet up starts at 13:00 on Saturday 8th March 2008 at the Brunswick Inn, right next to the Derby Railway Station.
Anyone interested should reply or PM me.

The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.


“Money, money, money!”


“I got the Gatling gun!”


Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest.
The game is based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The crew will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship. Each game is a one shot with pre-gen characters. There are seven player characters and the game should last four hours.





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Saturday 8th March 2008 @ 14:00.
'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like taking candy from a baby.
"Just don't use sensors as you approach," he said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science' on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

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Past reports of the other games

For a report on August's game click here and and for September's game click here for details of this months game and RSPV click here.
_________________

My games at Conception 2008.

0 Conception 2008. Naish Holiday Village, Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset, UK.
Wednesday 30th January - Sunday 3rd February 2008.
http://www.conceptionuk.org/

These are my games that I am running at Conception 2008.

HeroQuest:Heroes
Using some of the cast of the TV show Heroes as player characters set right after where season 1 ends this game debuts at Conception 2008. This setting was voted the winner in a poll here, beating Ultraviolet [the Channel 4 TV Series], The Shield [The channel 5 TV series], Battlestar Galactica [the new TV series], More and newer episodes of Sereinty/Firefly, and some old fashioned Glorantha gaming.




Slot 3 - Thursday 10:00 - 14:00
'Double Ascension' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
A Heroes HeroQuest adventure for 5 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

With Nathan’s self sacrifice to save the city, Peter gone for good and Matt taken to hospital in an ambulance; the survivors look to one another amongst the aftermath of Kirby Plaza. With the remnants of the nuclear explosion drifting down on New York City, in the sudden dark after the brightness of day, there hangs a question.
A blood trail leads to an open manhole cover and the body of the boogeyman is missing.
All that is left in the wake are a few scribbled sketches of what has past, what is and what is yet to come.
So why does everybody feel that they are being watched?

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Serenity/FireFly: HeroQuest
These are games based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The player characters will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship.



The first game, 'Echoes in the Black', has been run twenty times now at various conventions and has always been over-subscribed.

The sequel, 'The Quick and the Dead', has only been run seven times and has now been extended with extra dilemmas.

The second sequel [or is that threequel?] debuted at Conception 2007 and has only been ran once more at Dragonmeet 2007. I am running it again especially for Conception 2008. 'Dead Reckoning' is the third in the series of Serenity:HeroQuest games and is completely brand new [though certain parts of the plot my be similar to the other games!]. It still uses the crew of The Betty but puts them in more perilous and immoral situations. Included with more silly props!

Debuted at Furnace 2007 and only ran once so is completely new is the fourth in the series called 'No Power in the 'verse'. This is payback time and the Alliance and Blue Sun will suffer when the crew of The Betty discover the darkest secret yet and will try to bring an end to their evil plots.

Due to the popular demand of these games a seventh player character has been added to all games. The games can be played in order to experience the full epic narrative arc but each game is also complete in itself and can be played as a one-off.

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Slot 6 - Friday 10:00 - 14:00
'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like taking candy from a baby. "Just don't use sensors as you approach," he said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science' on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

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Slot 12 - Sunday 10:00 - 14:00
'No Power in the 'verse' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Well, they have hurt me jobs, hurt my pay, hurt my ship, hurt my crew and now they are hurting my head.
Well I say 'no more!'
I ain't sitting back on this one, no sir. I am goin' to take it to them. Hurt them hard. See how they like that! I coming at them straight and true.
No power in the 'verse can stop me!"

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'We are the Boys...'
This is a new game based on a very popular TV series in the UK. This will not only stretch my scenario writing ability and my GM style but the HeroQuest games mechanic as well. Very much a 'beer & pretzel' game played for some laughs. I hope that it goes well.



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Slot 9 - Saturday 10:00 - 14:00
'We are the Boys...' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. [im-]Maturity preferred.

It is the dark summer of 1940 and the storm clouds of war still hang over Europe. Nazi Germany is poised to do Hitler's bidding and invade this green and pleasant land. The Local Defence Volunteers will be the last bastion of England when the invasion comes; if they fail then the country will be under the Nazi jackboot and all freedom lost.
And where will the Nazi vanguard attack?
Walmington-on-Sea!

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Darran's Games at Dragonmeet 2007.

0 Dragonmeet 2007. Kensington Town Hall, London, UK.
Saturday 1st December 2007.
http://dragonmeet.co.uk/

These are my games that I am running at Dragonmeet 2007.

Serenity/FireFly: HeroQuest
These are games based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by
Buffy's Joss Whedon. The player characters will be the crew of The
Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit
crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship.



The first game, 'Echoes in the Black', has been run twenty times now
at various conventions and has always been over-subscribed.

The sequel, 'The Quick and the Dead', has only been run six times and
has now been extended with extra dilemmas.

The second sequel [or is that threequel?] debuted at Conception 2007
and has only been ran once. I am running it again especially for
Dragonmeet 2007. 'Dead Reckoning' is the third in the series of
Serenity:HeroQuest games and is completely brand new [though certain
parts of the plot my be similar to the other games!]. It still uses
the crew of The Betty but puts them in more perilous and immoral
situations. Included with more silly props!

Due to the popular demand of these games a seventh player character
has been added to all games. The games can be played in order to
experience the full epic narrative arc but each game is also complete
in itself and can be played as a one-off.

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Saturday 10:00 - 14:00
'Dead Reckoning' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Feh Feh Pi Goh! This job should have been shiny!
Here we are floating in the black about to make a move on the 'verse's
easiest mark, a Research & Rescue vessel doing 'science' well away
from civilisation. The Guay Tuh Guay Nown patron said it would be like
taking candy from a baby. "Just don't use sensors as you approach," he
said, "use dead reckoning to get in close."
Not only have we just seen what they are actually doing the 'science'
on but we have just learnt who the Lao Buhn is who is bankrolling this
caper.
A certain Crime Lord with his own Skyplex and a very nasty rep.
Dead Reckoning indeed!"

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'We are the Boys?'
This is a new game based on a very popular TV series in the UK. This
will not only stretch my scenario writing ability and my GM style but
the HeroQuest games mechanic as well. Very much a 'beer & pretzel'
game played for some laughs. I hope that it goes well.



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Saturday 14:00 - 17:00
'We are the Boys?' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
HeroQuest adventure for 6 players.
Newcomers very welcome. [im-]Maturity preferred.

It is the dark summer of 1940 and the storm clouds of war still hang
over Europe. Nazi Germany is poised to do Hitler's bidding and invade
this green and pleasant land. The Local Defence Volunteers will be the
last bastion of England when the invasion comes; if they fail then the
country will be under the Nazi jackboot and all freedom lost.
And where will the Nazi vanguard attack?
Walmington-on-Sea!

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September's EMD&DMUG Monthly Meet Up Report.

September's EMD&DMUG Monthly Meet Up Report.


The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group September Monthly Meeting
Saturday 8th September 2007
The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.

So this was just my second meet of the EMD&DMUG monthly meets and again I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

A few problems at the start as traffic coming into Derby was all snarled up so quite a few people were late arriving, though strangely enough the centre of Derby was very quiet. During my walk from the Assembly Rooms to the Brunswick through the city centre I noticed that there was hardly anyone around on that Saturday afternoon so most of the trouble would have been outside the city.
At the Brunswick we were told that the upstairs room would be used for showing the England football match at 5pm, so we all hightailed it to the Family Parlour before anyone else got in.

As we were still waiting on the GMs of the other games to turn up by half past two I decided to start my game and rope-in some of the players waiting around. I managed to get six players [though I can take a total of seven], more than enough for my games.


The players of the HeroQuest Serenity games ‘The Quick & the Dead’.

I let the players choose their characters and handed out the [little bit of] money and their gun cards. I also explained the HeroQuest rules very briefly and took them through the character sheets.
Most of the players were aware of Firefly or Serenity or Alien: Resurrection and one had played ‘Echoes in the Black’ before so was well aware of my play style and the way I had twisted the ‘verse.
Happy with that I began the scenario.


Christie’s Mini pistols that are hidden up his sleeves.


Johner’s Gun-in-a-Thermos.


The 1 Cred note.

‘The Quick and the Dead’ is the sequel to my other game though can very easily be played as a one off. I start straight after the action of the first scenario where they have successfully pulled off a massive heist.
I then physically dropped, right into the middle of the gaming table, a copious stack of 1000 Cred notes!
BHAM!!!
“This is what you have got!” I said, “lots of money. You emptied a whole bank vault and you have made it into the big time!”
“You have enough money here to buy yourselves a small moon if you so desired or buy each of you all a brand new ship each.”
The players all beam up at me, happy that they start on a high note.


One of the 1000 Cred notes. Shiny!

“However,” I begin to quash their hopes, “this money is hot. Very hot in more ways than one. Not only is this money easily traced, so trying to spend this money is going to be very difficult, but it is also radioactive, its readings go off the scale on a Geiger counter.”
The players sat there dumbfounded.
“You are also wanted by the Alliance for doing the heist in the first place, a wave has gone out all over the cortex describing you as the culprits. Spending this money anywhere will get you spaced, a common punishment for this kind of thing.”
A collective “Oh!”
“Now you need to get this money uncontaminated, laundered by some organised crime syndicate so that you can spend it. You need to find a well connected fence to do this for you. The trouble is you are currently cut off from any of the boarder worlds where you would normally ‘remove this heat’ so you need to find someone new.”

One of your contacts has pointed out there are two fences capable of dealing with this kinda heat in Nightlife City on Thucydides. He doesn’t know their names but you should be able to find them easy enough as Nightlife City is quite small.


Thucydides. Note the city in the large crater at the terminator between night & day.

Now Thucydides is a tidal-locked planetoid, it doesn’t rotate about its axis [apart from very, very imperceptibly] so one side is always facing the burning sun and the other is eternally night. Right on the terminator is a huge crater that is cast in deep shadow. In the crater is Nightlife City, once a mining colony it has been transformed into a tourist attraction with the bright lights of casinos and all-night clubs. Visitors from all walks of life but especially those from the core worlds come here because of its ‘rough & ready’ reputation; it’s a little bit naughty to come here and try to win some money and do the things they can’t do back at home.
The casinos run the city and nothing happens in the casino’s district, called the Tourist Trap or more simply ‘The Trap’, without their say so. They keep the Alliance law enforcement out but also ensure that every tourist is kept safe. It is also a good place to launder money if you find the right people.
Now Nightlife City is under a death sentence. In ten years time Thucydides would have rotated enough that the sunlight would stream over the crater wall and burn the city up. Hence everybody parties like it’s the end of the world [it will be!] so all and sundry turns a blind eye to some of the more dubious deals that carry on. Already part of the city has been evacuated, and is now a slum area, as the sunlight has crept over the crater wall and burnt the top of the towers there.

The crew of the Betty decide to give it a go and get their money cleaned up.
They land on the sunny side of Thucydides, bypassing the customs checks they would have had to go through if they landed in The Trap. They then walk across the burning desert in their spacesuits heading for a tunnel in the crater wall. Inside the cool tunnel they stow their spacesuits and meet with the guard who was under the employ of their contact. He quizzed them on who they were, my little trick to get the players to introduce their characters to each other, and to issue them their Idents.

So they head out into Nightlife City, through its suburbs. They see the top of the towers burning in the sunlight and the rest of the area looks derelict; for the most part it is desolate and deserted. They can see the bright lights of the Trap in the distance so head that way down one of the main thoroughfares. They see signs of battle damage to some of the buildings and grenade craters in the road. There has been a fire fight here, though by the looks of it, it was some time ago.

As they travel deeper into the slums they notice more and more signs of past conflicts, usually at intersections. They also notice more and more graffiti; different gang tags that have been ‘erased’ and covered by just one gang’s tag; the Black Panthers!
There must have been a large gang war and the victor, the Black Panthers, has seized all the territory.

As the players realise this they notice that they are being shadowed by two people following them. One is a little eight year old girl skipping along and the other is an old lady pushing a decrepit shopping trolley.

The players duck into alleyways and catch the two shadows following them to see who sent them. They reveal ‘the Boss’ has sent them to watch over them to make sure they are not up to no good. It also keeps them safe from the over-zealous patrols that wander the streets. Elgyn is incensed that they are being followed by just a little girl and an old lady. He wants to be followed by ‘proper’ gang members as benefits their status as wanted criminals!
He spanks the little girl while Johner struggles to avoid being chatted up by the old lady.

This brings them to the attention of a patrol of Black Panthers, toting submachine guns. Call ducks into a doorway for cover and Elgyn insists that they take them now to see the Boss. Obligingly and under gunpoint the Black Panthers escort them all to the Boss’s tower near the Trap, shadowed by Call keeping an eye on them.

As they get to the Boss’s tower they see an identical one across the road opposite, patrolled by different gang whose colours where primary red. Each side of the street was mirrored on the other, the Black Panthers on one side and as one of their escorts revealed, the Red Lotuses on the other side. The only people to cross the road where the tourists; oblivious to what was going on.


Nightlife City, Thucydides.

The players are escorted up to see the Boss, with Call crawling through the air ventilation system to check on the Boss’s cronies.
The Boss offers to launder their money for them for the fantastic price of 4 cents to the dollar. All the players protest loudly and try to push up the percentage.
The Boss then offers 8% but only if they carry out a little job for him.
A job that involves a certain luxury liner called BHS Orisis and the removal of six attaché cases from its vault. He also offers to pay them 8% of any money they take from that vault, a very fair price, no? No one else can offer a better deal in the ‘verse.


The BHS Orisis as compared to The Betty.

Call in the mean time has discovered that the Boss’s men are getting their weapons ready to burst in on the players if they reject the Boss’s offer. Call manages to lock them in and warns the rest of the crew via their hidden comms link.

They mull it over but decide to take the job, though they expect a double cross somewhere down the line. The Boss is pleased and explains that all the planning for the job has already been done; all that The Betty’s crew have to do is play their part, walk in and pick up the goods. Easy in, easy out as they say.
The Boss explains that he was going to use his own boys to do the job but he is worried that his rival may notice them missing and his ship whilst on the job. The Betty’s crew will be so much better.


Side view of the BHS Orisis.

“The BHS Orisis, a 20,000 capacity luxury liner, will be travelling towards the Spectrum Corridor in the Major Asteroid Belt. The Spectrum Corridor is a clear path through the belt, originally done for the space miners but is a chosen destination of the liners as the tourists love the play of the rainbow colours in the dust cloud of the belt. The corridor itself is kept clear of all hazards to navigation by two unmanned stations at either end. You will dock The Betty with the Beta Station and you will pose as maintenance workers checking out the station.”
“Right on cue the BHS Orisis will develop engine problems when about halfway through the corridor. Also by clever ‘coincidence’ all the engineers on board will be incapacitated by a stomach bug, both shifts, so there will be no one else to fix the problems. They will call for help and you will negotiate with them for a good price to come over and fix their engines as if you were a real maintenance crew. You will then go over, fix their engines and at the same time empty their vault!”
“The engine problems will just be their compressor coils, they have the same ones on the station, so it will be just like changing a light. You can control all the ships systems from engineering so you should be able to open the vault and disable the security systems. However there is a secondary security system in the vault with its own power source. You will have to disable that as well but I haven’t got any information on it so you will have to sort that out in situ so to speak. Shouldn’t be a problem for you lot with your experience now should it?”


The deck plans of the Engineering Section of the BHS Orisis.

“I’ll give you the coordinates of BHS Orisis, blueprints of the engineering deck, the access codes for the stations in Spectrum Corridor, the spare parts including the compressor coils, boxes of tools, the paperwork for the maintenance crew, six attaché cases identical to the ones you are going to steal, and even the proper hazmat suits the maintenance crew wear.”

So they took the job, got into position and waited for the BHS Orisis to arrive and for its engines to fail.
They got on board and carried out the heist [and the repairs!]. I hit them with several dilemmas at once that had all the player squirming in their seats as well as hitting them with the shocking ending.

A great game with some great players!


More photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darran/sets/72157601417033593/

And
http://dnd.meetup.com/700/photos/?photoAlbumId=213265

Serenity:HeroQuest game in Derby Saturday 8th September 2007.

As part of The East Midlands Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group September Monthly Meeting I will be running one of my Serenity:HeroQuest games as detailed below. The meet up starts at 13:00 on Saturday 8th September 2007 at the Brunswick Inn, right next to the Derby Railway Station.
Anyone interested should reply to me.

The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU.

Serenity/Firefly:HeroQuest.
The game is based on the series FireFly and the film Serenity by Buffy's Joss Whedon. The crew will be the crew of The Betty from Alien: Resurrection; Joss Whedon's first stab at a misfit crew of smugglers onboard an old, broken-down ship. Each game is a one shot with pre-gen characters. There are seven player characters and the game should last four hours.
 


Saturday 8th September 2007 14:00 – 18:00.
'The Quick and the Dead' by Darran Sims narrated by Darran Sims.
Serenity: HeroQuest adventure for 7 players.
Newcomers very welcome. Maturity preferred.

"Emergency! Emergency! This is the Passenger Liner 'BHS Orisis'. We have lost all power, our engineering team is incapacitated and we are adrift in space. Any available craft please respond. Emergency! Emergency! This is the Passenger Liner 'BHS Orisis' ... ... ..."
<Sometime later>
"Oh thank the gods! How shiny you look. Civilian vessel, ... err? ... 'The Betty' please dock in our main hanger deck, you may be able to assist us in restoring power to our engines. Do you have an engineer on board?
"It is fortunate that you are in this empty, quiet sector of the black, we thought we were lost for good. Hello? Hello? Are you there?"

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For a report on August's game click here and for details of this months game and RSPV click here.