Fast-Forward - Session 2 - Some are Born to Sweet Delight, Part 1
I'm writing a cyberpunk game based on Zaibatsu, Sprawl Goons and Classic Traveller.
It's still very much WIP, might post about it later. In the mean time, have a session report:
Characters - motivated by crippling debt and running from their past in Chiba
• Emmanuel "Manny" Cruz - Street Doc (fixed people)
• "Fish-Faced" Min - Ex-Corporate Handyman (cut deals)
• Kholwé "Mayweather" Mbani - Ex-Corporate Enforcer (broke knees)
What Happened
• Crew got a job from Big Mo' & Lil' Tyler (dealer and his cloned chain-smoking silverback gorilla): there's a girl - Allison Wonderland - VR porn actress / high-class escort out there who owes two thousand nuyen to the client, who paid for her simsense rig. They can wreck her shit and keep half the money but not kill her.
• Heading to her flat, they witness a man carrying a briefcase get rammed by a car. Manny drags him intoa side-alley while Min and Mayweather act cool, waiting for whoever's coming. Clowns are coming.
• Three psychotic clowns with machettes, though they're not hostile yet and ask about the man who just flew around here. Min bullshits them, grabbing their attention for a few minutes, allowing Manny to stabilize the dying guy's condition - he also realizes dying guy works for the Templars Cartel, his sworn enemies! But he also sworn "a goddamn hypocratic oath".
• The clown leader eventually figures out what's going on and tries to parlay with Manny. He gets shot. Min distracts another dude that Mayweather bashes into the ground with his cyber-arm. Last clown makes one step too many towards Min and gets an arm blown off with a shotgun. One clown escapes and says the Picadilly Gang won't forget this. The crew goes to Doc Orwell's Legit Clinic to check out the briefcase and make sure the Templar guy doesn't die, since they went through all this trouble.
• Turns out there's a lot of cocaine in that briefcase, and a tracker. Latter goes in the trash, former goes in Min's duffel bag (with the shotgun). We also learn that the Templars recently set up a business in Chiba, with Tony Morales at their head (guy grew up with Manny, is an asshole). Mayweather asks for metro ticket, Doc Orwell begrudgingly accepts. There's also mention of a future favor since he spent medical supplies helping that dude the crew doesn't know.
• They get to the flat after that. It's depressing and empty, save for some hidden drugs, half-eaten noodles and a box of cassettes for the simsense rig. Also a password-locked computer. They spend some time trying passwords, make a list of what they're looting for extra cash and make note of a particularly well-worn cassette. Can't use this rig without the computer though. They decide to wait for her all night after taking some anti-sleep pills from Mayweather's stash. She doesn't show up.
• In the early morning, they go to the Black Box - a nightclub where Allison is known to hang out at. Questioning the locals, Mayweather learns about a white-suit "Swede" mystery client who said he'd treat Miss Wonderland to a massage, while Min locates the hotel where she usually meets her clients - the Sweet Delight. They go there.
• Convincing the reception boy to talk through a mix of police impersonation and gratuitious violence, they get access to the security footage and confirm that Allison left the hotel last night around midnight with "the Swede". Also that someone's been taping all feeds with Allison in it. Further questioning lets them know of an obese NEET guy living in a nearby coffin hotel. Apparently he's been stalking the girl, and the reception boy works with him.
• They quickly check the nearest massage parlour - Hishimi, but all they find is a creepy sex bot. They go to the coffin hotel and easily learn where the NEET lives as the lady at the reception has beef with him and is all but happy to tell his exact location to a bunch of scary looking guys.
• Lockpicking his door, they draw open the coffin-drawer-room, only to find his somewhat fresh corpse.
Post-Session Thoughts
• Three to four players feels ideal for this kind of game. Things moved on somewhat fast, with a good mix of atmosphere/scene-setting and pacing. Definitely feeling the lessons from playing solitaire these last months.
• Combat is brutal, and with the latest revision, it's going to be about as violent but also quicker to resolve. I like that. Made the first potential threats idiots with melee weapons so the players could get a feel for how combat is resolved. Initiative (aka Surprise since turns are simultaneous) is key. More on that when I post Fast-Forward 2.0.
• Man I missed Cyberpunk! It's way easier to write adventures for a setting that's close to contemporary - the sci-fi bits are a bonus, though I try to make them relevant to stick to the cyberpunk themes. Will probably put out this adventure on itch.io once it's done.
It's still very much WIP, might post about it later. In the mean time, have a session report:
Characters - motivated by crippling debt and running from their past in Chiba
• Emmanuel "Manny" Cruz - Street Doc (fixed people)
• "Fish-Faced" Min - Ex-Corporate Handyman (cut deals)
• Kholwé "Mayweather" Mbani - Ex-Corporate Enforcer (broke knees)
What Happened
• Crew got a job from Big Mo' & Lil' Tyler (dealer and his cloned chain-smoking silverback gorilla): there's a girl - Allison Wonderland - VR porn actress / high-class escort out there who owes two thousand nuyen to the client, who paid for her simsense rig. They can wreck her shit and keep half the money but not kill her.
• Heading to her flat, they witness a man carrying a briefcase get rammed by a car. Manny drags him intoa side-alley while Min and Mayweather act cool, waiting for whoever's coming. Clowns are coming.
• Three psychotic clowns with machettes, though they're not hostile yet and ask about the man who just flew around here. Min bullshits them, grabbing their attention for a few minutes, allowing Manny to stabilize the dying guy's condition - he also realizes dying guy works for the Templars Cartel, his sworn enemies! But he also sworn "a goddamn hypocratic oath".
• The clown leader eventually figures out what's going on and tries to parlay with Manny. He gets shot. Min distracts another dude that Mayweather bashes into the ground with his cyber-arm. Last clown makes one step too many towards Min and gets an arm blown off with a shotgun. One clown escapes and says the Picadilly Gang won't forget this. The crew goes to Doc Orwell's Legit Clinic to check out the briefcase and make sure the Templar guy doesn't die, since they went through all this trouble.
• Turns out there's a lot of cocaine in that briefcase, and a tracker. Latter goes in the trash, former goes in Min's duffel bag (with the shotgun). We also learn that the Templars recently set up a business in Chiba, with Tony Morales at their head (guy grew up with Manny, is an asshole). Mayweather asks for metro ticket, Doc Orwell begrudgingly accepts. There's also mention of a future favor since he spent medical supplies helping that dude the crew doesn't know.
• They get to the flat after that. It's depressing and empty, save for some hidden drugs, half-eaten noodles and a box of cassettes for the simsense rig. Also a password-locked computer. They spend some time trying passwords, make a list of what they're looting for extra cash and make note of a particularly well-worn cassette. Can't use this rig without the computer though. They decide to wait for her all night after taking some anti-sleep pills from Mayweather's stash. She doesn't show up.
• In the early morning, they go to the Black Box - a nightclub where Allison is known to hang out at. Questioning the locals, Mayweather learns about a white-suit "Swede" mystery client who said he'd treat Miss Wonderland to a massage, while Min locates the hotel where she usually meets her clients - the Sweet Delight. They go there.
• Convincing the reception boy to talk through a mix of police impersonation and gratuitious violence, they get access to the security footage and confirm that Allison left the hotel last night around midnight with "the Swede". Also that someone's been taping all feeds with Allison in it. Further questioning lets them know of an obese NEET guy living in a nearby coffin hotel. Apparently he's been stalking the girl, and the reception boy works with him.
• They quickly check the nearest massage parlour - Hishimi, but all they find is a creepy sex bot. They go to the coffin hotel and easily learn where the NEET lives as the lady at the reception has beef with him and is all but happy to tell his exact location to a bunch of scary looking guys.
• Lockpicking his door, they draw open the coffin-drawer-room, only to find his somewhat fresh corpse.
Post-Session Thoughts
• Three to four players feels ideal for this kind of game. Things moved on somewhat fast, with a good mix of atmosphere/scene-setting and pacing. Definitely feeling the lessons from playing solitaire these last months.
• Combat is brutal, and with the latest revision, it's going to be about as violent but also quicker to resolve. I like that. Made the first potential threats idiots with melee weapons so the players could get a feel for how combat is resolved. Initiative (aka Surprise since turns are simultaneous) is key. More on that when I post Fast-Forward 2.0.
• Man I missed Cyberpunk! It's way easier to write adventures for a setting that's close to contemporary - the sci-fi bits are a bonus, though I try to make them relevant to stick to the cyberpunk themes. Will probably put out this adventure on itch.io once it's done.
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