Full Example of Play with Combat
about 4 years ago
– Fri, Apr 17, 2020 at 03:20:22 PM
Hi everyone! Here's a full Example of Play with Tick-based tactical Combat included. I was going to publish 10 pages, but decided to give more examples and explain more, so we've got a whopping 14 pages for you to digest here!
Of course, in real life, players and Game Masters won't be explaining everything every step of the way, so there will be a lot more emphasis on the actual ROLE playing, but this being an Example of Play, we included a lot of exposition. I'll also post a version with less exposition and a version with the faster Group Combat rules over the weekend. The Group Combat speeds up play a lot, but obviously is way less tactical, without really changing the core rules, so if you you're not into more tactical combat, you're bound to dig Group Combat a lot better.
I'll also be posting an edited version with notes in the sidelines so you'll be able to interpret what's going on a little bit better.
Friday night, seven pm: Game Master Marc and his players, Lucy, Darren, Michael and Michonne have just started their Iron Sky gaming session. It’s the third session in the campaign and they’ve having a blast. Last week, the four friends were hot on the trail of a suspect who may have kidnapped an acquaintance of them, Professor Gerhardt Shröder, who had been on the verge of publishing a book about supposed Nazi space technology schematics dating back to World Word II. They’ve now driving up to the outskirts of Chicago’s West 14th Street.
Lucy is playing metal singer and fashionista Anne LeBoeuve, Darren has donned the persona of cocky martial artist Rick Morales, Michael is wealthy anthropologist Lucia Lester and Michonne switched gender as taxi driver-turned-business adviser and closet psychopath ‘Smiley’ Dave. Before actual play started, Dave asked if anyone would like to recap last week’s gaming session and Michonne has just done a brilliant job recounting the events as Anne.
Michonne (as Dave): … So I’m driving everyone up here, blasting some thrash metal out of the speakers to get Anne into the mood.
Lucy (as Anne): Hey, I had to cancel a gig to get here!
Darren (as Rick): Yes, and you’ve been nagging about it for the last few days or so.
Lucy (as Anne): I have not [laughter].
Michonne (as Dave): You kind of have.
Lucy (as Anne): Anyway: Dave, that’s not thrash metal, that’s Youthanasia, one of Megadeth’s most commercial albums. It’s great, but I wouldn’t call it…
Marc [breaking up the conversation]: Anyway, that was a brilliant recap, Michonne. Here’s an Awesome Point for Dave.
Michonne: Yessss!
Michael: I’ve actually drawn one of last session’s most iconic scenes. Here it is.
Marc [looking at the Michael’s drawing]: That’s amazing, Michael! Cool! Here’s an Awesome Point for you as well.
Michael: Yeah!
Marc: So, everyone ready to start the next session?
Michonne: Of course we are!
Marc: Now, we’ve played Iron Sky as Pulp Adventure so far, but I’ve been toying with the idea of making the campaign a little darker, at least for a few sessions. Is it OK for everyone if we switch to Pulp Horror?
Michael: Oh oh.
Lucy: I guess that means we’re run into some major trouble soon, right?
Marc: It might, but the Genre has more to do with the general atmosphere we’ll be creating, not necessarily with specific Scenes I have in mind.
Michonne: Let’s give it a shot!
Marc: OK, there’s 4 of you, so you’ll all be starting with 4 new Awesome Points. Don’t forget you can’t keep hold of those after the game session. Also, since the Genre is going to be Pulp Horror today, they’re not worth double if you’re trying to do something heroic anymore.
Michael: Anything new we’ll be able to do with them?
Marc: Yes: you can still use Awesome Points to make up a Contact, but you lose the ability to reach out to him or her almost automatically. You also won’t be able to use any Awesome Points in combat.
Michonne: But that’s exactly what saved us last time!
Marc: U-hu.
Darren: Anything new we can use Awesome Points for?
Marc: Sure. Awesome Points now count double when you use them to sense things. That includes all senses and intuition. They’re also doubled when you’re spending them on researching past facts or news items. I’ll be keeping the Genre Trope to myself until it comes into play.
Darren: Cool Let’s do this!
Marc: Great. So, Dave, you’ve just round the bend. The location you were given by Caleb the Mad Arab should be to the left of you. This is a bad part of town, guys: there’s an empty construction site to your right and a run-down bar to your left. The bar’s neon sign looks like it might fall to the pavement at any moment and only half of the signs are still lit-up in a fluorescent green, reading ‘Twd Whes’ instead of ‘Twisted Wheels’. Outside are six well-kept motorcycles: four Harleys, a Shadow and a Ninja. They’re well-kept and glistening in the sunlight – in stark contrast to their surroundings. There’s only four buildings to the right of the bar, each of them two stories high, until the street trails off. Each of hem looks like they’re abandoned. The first buildings down the road are a hundred meters or so away.
Michonne (as Dave): Do the directions lead to any of those buildings?
Marc: Yup, the last one.
Michonne (as Dave): And there’s nowhere I can park out of sight, right?
Marc: Not unless you back up or park further away.
Michael (as Lucia): We would have to walk up there anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.
Darren (as Ricky): I say we just park the car in front of the building.
Michael (as Lucia): Yes, if we have to get away…
Darren (as Ricky): I’m not thinking of getting away! I never run. Ever.
Michonne (as Dave): Remember who had to save your ass last time, Ricky?
Darren (as Ricky): I could have taken those thugs.
Michael (as Lucia): Talking to them worked just as well and we didn’t have to get into a fight.
Darren (as Ricky): You gave them money!
Lucy (as Anne): Stop fighting, guys. I definitely wanna check out that bar…
Michael (as Lucia): Wait a minute. Marc, is there anything particular about the address we were given?
Michonne (as Dave): I’ll drive past it very slowly so I can stop next to it if we don’t see anything too strange.
Marc: OK, that’ll be a Senses + Sense roll for everyone. Don’t forget to divide the result by two.
Darren: I have +4S in Senses, but only +0 in Sense.
Marc: +0 is still excellent. +4 and +0 averages out to +2, which is significantly above average.
Darren: So I need to roll 252 or higher, right?
Marc: Yes, unless there’s a Shift Penalty.
Michonne: But you’re not gonna tell us.
Marc: Exactly! [Marc knows there’s a -2S Penalty associated with the action, essentially negating Darren’t Shift Bonus, so a 500 or higher roll is needed].
Darren: I rolled a 419! If there’s no Penalty, I just got a Margin of Success of 2 Shifts!
Marc: Let’s wait and see.
Michonne: My S+1 Senses and S-1 Sense average out to S+0, so I need to roll 500 or higher, right?
Marc: If there’s no…
Michonne: … Shift Penalty, I know. Urgh… 321. Didn’t make it.
Michael: S+1 Senses and S-4 Sense for me.
Marc: That translates to -2S, but don’t forget you’re allowed a Bump if you would have succeeded with an average of -1S.
Michael: Because we round down fractions, right?
Marc: That’s it.
Michael: Yes! I rolled 859! That should be enough.
Marc: Well, with a -2S, you would have needed 748 without modifiers… We’ll see.
Lucy: Ugh… I have S+0 Senses and S-6 Sense…Luy
Marc: That’s an average of -3S, so you would need to roll 841 or higher without mods.
Lucy: 981!
Marc: Nice. So, you all see the building is pretty run-down. The marrow-white paint is cracked in random places, exposing the old, reddish-brown bricks underneath. The solitary, weary door must have once painted minty green, but the peelings have taken on all kinds of different shades because of exposure to the sun. The one window next to it and the two windows on the first floor have been boarded up with scaffolding wood. There’s some space between many of the planks, though.
[Since there was a -2S Penalty to their Senses/Sense checks, Darren and Michonne failed, but Michael is allowed a Bump and Lucy actually succeeded with a S+2 Margin of Success, which Marc is going to be taking into account while continuing his description.]
Lucia, you’re pretty sure trying to peer through wouldn’t work, as there’s not enough sunlight to lit up anything that might be inside… but you might be able to see something if you use a flashlight. Anne, you see a flash of red light coming from the left top window! It’s short, just a fraction of a second, but you’re sure you saw it.
Lucy (as Anne): Shit! Guys, I just saw a red light flash in and out of existence.
Michael (as Lucia): Where?
Lucy (as Anne): The top window. Left.
Darren (as Ricky): OK, that’s it! Let’s go in!
Michonne (as Dave): Wo-hooow! Wait! It’s not like anyone can run out of the building without us seeing him. Time is on our side. Preparation is key.
Darren (as Ricky): Someone is missing, Dave. Every second counts. And if there’s someone inside, he must have seen our car stop – almost in front of the building!
Michael (as Lucia): You’re both right. Does anyone have a flashlight? I think it’d allow us to peer in.
Michonne: We can’t use Awesome Points to make sure we have one with us, right?
Marc: No. We switched to Pulp Horror and being prepared for almost anything doesn’t suit the Genre.
[Lucy remembers she bought a flashlight during Character Creation. She checks her Equipment List and it’s right there, stored in her handbag.]
Lucy (as Anne): Don’t worry, I have one with me. There’s bound to be a small flashlight on our mobile phones as well, of course.
Michael: Marc, my parents were real estate brokers in this city and I know a lot about real estate as well. Is there anything I know about this neighborhood?
Marc: That’s acquired knowledge, so you’d only need to roll a Business & Economics check in order to recall that information. However: your family was dealing in expensive properties and this location wouldn’t be very profitable to them, so you’ll have to deal with a -2S Penalty.
Lucy: Why are you telling us what the Penalty is now? You didn’t before.
Marc: Because Lucia knows it’s unlikely her parents would do business in this part of town, while none of you could have known how easy or difficult it would be to spot something inside of the house.
Lucy: Makes sense.
Michael: The -2S Penalty pulls down my +2S to +0S, so I need a 500 and I roll… 647! That’s +2S Margins of Success.
Marc: Cool. Well, you know this whole neighborhood fell into squalor about a decade ago, mainly because of Der Arm von Odin, a right-wing biker gang that established a base of operations here around that time. You don’t now much about the gang itself, but you do know they scared away most of the people living here after they got accused of burning down the home of an African American family not too far away from where you’re all standing now. You’re pretty sure the gang hasn’t been active for a couple of years, though.
Michael (as Lucia): Guys, there’s something I should tell you. There used to be a right-wing biker gang active in this part of town. Der… Uh…
Marc: Arm von Odin.
Michael (as Lucia): Der Arm von Odin.
Lucy (as Anne): Well, there’s still a bar around here… Let’s go in.
Michael (as Lucia): What?
Lucy (as Anne): Bikers usually listen to blues, hard rock and metal. Maybe they’ll recognize me. I’m pretty famous, guys.
Darren (as Ricky): With Metalianne, a female-fronted metal band! Aren’t they bound to listen more to, like, Motörhead or something?
Lucy (as Anne): That’s so small-minded of you!
Darren (as Ricky): Just stating the obvious. Anyway, if you wanna pick a fight with a bunch of bikers first, I’ll go in with you.
Michonne (as Dave): Same here. Besides, racist nutjobs deserve to get punished.
Michael (as Lucia): Guys, aren’t you getting a little distracted? I mean, the clues lead us to this building, not the biker bar, right?
Lucy (as Anne): What do you propose we should do? There’s motorcycles outside, so there’s bound to be people inside. If we’d break into that house…
Michael (as Lucia): Wait a minute, break into that house? Why not try something totally outrageous first? Like – I don’t know – knocking on the door?
Michonne (as Dave): Come’on, Lucia, the entire building is boarded up. If there is someone inside…
Lucy (as Anne): There is.
Michonne (as Dave): Well, not likely he or she’d want to talk to us.
Lucy (as Anne): Sigh. Okay. Let’s get out of the car.
Michael: I get out.
Lucy: Same here.
Michonne: I guess we’re all getting out. I wait for the others to do so before turning off the engine and opening the door.
Marc: Sure. Only a few moments after you have, the door to the bar opens, creaking. There’s heavy music playing inside, but, surprisingly, the volume is pretty low, so you weren’t able to hear it now…
Lucy: Ooh, do I recognize the song? I’ve got +6 in Perform, which pairs with Personal…
Marc: Nope, that’s a Procedural Skill. You’ll need Performing Arts or, alternatively, Hobbies & Recreation, and since this is purely knowledge recall, you don’t pair it with an Attribute.
Lucy: Ouch. I forgot I don’t listen to other music all that much since I don’t want it to influence my own songwriting. Only got -6 in that Skill… But it’s clear from my background that I am into metal music, so if they’re playing heavy stuff, I may stand a better chance of recognizing the song.
Marc: Well, if we had been using the Advanced Rules, Music probably would have been a Specialization of yours…
Lucy: And metal would have been a Focus.
Marc: Yeah. So I’ll give you a +4S on your roll. The band isn’t famous in the US but these guys certainly aren’t unpopular either, so no bonuses or penalties associated with that.
Lucy: Great. So I needed to roll 977 or higher, but that Shifts to 748… 871!
Marc: Nice. That’s a Margin of Success of 2 Shifts. Not only do you recognize the band, you also know what song is playing. It’s Ausländerby Rammstein, which isn’t about foreigners per se – it’s about life on the road.
Lucy: OK, so nothing that indicates these guys are white supremacists, then.
Marc: Nope. Anyway, three men and two women are appearing through the door. They’re all wearing denim pants, rock and metal T-shirts and denim vests with metal band patches stitched on them. In a sense, they couldn’t be more stereotypical: all three men have beards and long hair, the two women both sport long, raven-black hair and all six of them are wearing combat boots. However, none of them look particularly muscly or out of shape. They don’t look tense or excited, either. The man in the front, a gruff-looking fortysomething sporting a baseball cap made out of something that looks like snake leather, approaches you while the others stay in front of the door. (as Ludwig): Howdy, strangers.
Michonne: I wave my hand at him, smiling. (as Dave): Hi.
Marc (as Ludwig): So, what brings you all to this part o’ town?
Michonne (as Dave, shrugging): Just passing by and we all need a drink.
Marc (as Ludwig): Well, you would’ve come to the right place… If you’d been a member.
Michonne (as Dave): Of what?
Marc: He points at the sign.
Michael (as Lucia): Twisted Wheels? This is a… uh… private club?
Marc (as Ludwig): Sort o’.
Michael (as Lucia): Your group is called The Twisted Wheels?
Marc (as Ludwig, laughing): Nah! That’d be a stupid name.
Michael (as Lucia): Uh…
Darren: Marc, can I size up these guys? Do they look like they have any combat experience? Can I see weapons on them?
Marc: That would be a Sports roll, coupled with Senses.
Darren: Sports? Why not Fight – Hand to Hand or Fight – Melee?
Marc: Because those are Procedural Skills. It’s easy: if it’s an action you’re performing yourself, it’s a Procedural Skill. If it’s more about what kind of knowledge you’ve acquired, it’s gonna be a Declarative Skill. There’s a lot of people who love to watch martial arts films or who really like martial arts without actually practicing themselves. Conversely, there’s a lot of people who just practice martial arts without delving into their background all to much…
Darren: But most martial artists will do both.
Marc: Exactly. By the way: if you hadn’t included your experience as a martial artist in your Background, you wouldn’t have been able to use Sports in this way.
Darren: Can I call on Synergy because I’m an actual martial artist and I’m well-versed in both Fighting Skills?
Marc: Well, we agreed to use the Basic rules for this session and that’s an Advanced rule… But if they practice martial arts you’re into yourself, you’ll definitely get a bonus. I won’t tell you unless you succeed at your roll, though.
Darren: Makes sense. If you’d tell me…
Marc: You would know.
Darren: OK. That leaves me with a +4S Senses and -4S Sports, which balances each other out, so I need to roll 500 or higher. Hmm… 514!
Marc: That’s a 1 Shift Margin of Success. OK, by the way they’re standing, you don’t figure any of them practice martial arts – or have combat experience, for that matter. Half of them have their hands in their pockets, none of them are distributing their weight on their feet like well-trained combatants would do…
Darren: Got it.
Michael: Can we see if any of these guys are carrying concealed weapons?
Marc: Sure. That’s a Senses + Sense roll again.
[Everyone rolls. Lucy and Michonne make their Skill Checks with 1 and 7 Shift Margins of Success, respectively, while Darren and Michael both fail, with 7 and 2 Shift Margins of Failure, respectively.]
Anne, you don’t think any of these bikers have concealed weapons on them. Dave, there’s actually no doubt in your mind they’re all clean. Lucia, you have no idea… But Rick, you’re absolutely convinced they’re packing. Big time.
Michael: Wait a minute… Darren failed his roll, so why would he be convinced?
Marc: Because he failed with more than six Shift Margins. That’s bad. Like, real bad.
Michael: Oooooh. Ouch.
Lucy: Oh no. Why does it have to be Ricky?
Darren: Shit’s gonna hit the fa-aaaan!
Lucy: Aargh. I point at their patches. (as Anne):Listen, whatever group or organization you belong to, we’re all metalheads, right?
Marc: They all stare at you.
Lucy (as Anne): Well, you may know me. I’m Anne!
[Marc stares at Lucy]
Lucy (as Anne): From Metalianne?
[Marc could now make 5 Performing Arts or Hobbies & Recreations rolls for the NPCs, but decides the game needs to pick up some speed and he doesn’t want to bog it down any more than it already has, to he only rolls for Ludwig, who has S-1 in the Skill. The others all have S-4, which is enough to contribute to the Group Pool, so he has a few Margins of Failure leeway, but fails with a 6 Shift MoF – not a Critical Failure for the Group, but an obvious failure nonetheless, so he decides to keep staring blankly at Lucy.]
Lucy (as Anne): Uh… Metalianne? The band? The metalband?
Marc (as Ludwig): Listen, lady, I don’t know of any band called called Metalyan and it’s not like yar in Nickelback or anything…
Lucy (as Anne): Nickel? Back? Seriously? Uuurgh…
Michael (as Lucia): Shhht!
Marc (as Ludwig): … But, still, it were up to me, I’d let you in. You, not your female friend there.
Michael (as Lucia): Hey!
Lucy (as Anne): That sounds racist. You do realize that Rammstein isn’t…
Marc (as Ludwig): Don’t care. Anyway, it’s not up to me. So, yeah, what I’m tryin’ to say is, just… scram.
Michonne: I step in front of them. (as Dave): We don’t want any trouble. We’re not even interested in your bar. Could you just tell us…
Marc: One of the women at the door yells (as the biker girl): What does he mean, they’re not interested in our bar? The guy next to her says (as the biker): Yeah! They thinkin’ our bar ain’t good enough for ‘em?
Michael (as Lucia): Shit. Uh, no. That’s not what Dave meant…
Michonne (as Dave): You know what? It is what I meant!
Michael (as Lucia): Damn it.
Michonne (as Dave): We don’t care about your stupid backwards little drinking hole or about you racist assholes.
Darren (as Ricky): Exactly! Besides, I’m pretty sure we could easily beat you all in a fight. Every single one of you. We just had some questions about this neighborhood.
Michael (as Lucia): Sigh. Great diplomacy, Dave and Ricky.
Marc: The guy in front grins broadly – it’s even a little unsettling to see how he’s able to smile from ear to ear. (as Ludwig): So, y’all think ya can take us on? Ya know what? If you can beat just one of us, we’ll tell ya whatever ya wanna know. Deal?
Darren (as Ricky): Deal!
Marc: He turns towards the door. (as Ludwig):Earle! Come on out, man!
Darren (as Ricky): Earle?
Marc: The bikers at the door all take a step to the side as a huge hulking brute appears. He’s wearing tattered jeans and a short-sleeved checkered shirt which looks like his barrel-chested torso might tear through it at any time. His bulging, muscled arms sport numerous tattoos, some of them depicting grizzly scenes of mass murder, others focusing on more intimate torture. Earl looks at you, smiling as he closes the door behind him.
Darren (as Ricky): Oh. Shit.
Marc: As he steps down to the pavement, he flexes his massive shoulders and wraps his hands into each other, cracking his knuckles. (as Earle): Howdy.
Darren (as Ricky): Uh. Hi.
Michonne (as Dave): Come on, Ricky, you can take this guy.
Michael (as Lucia): Told you this was a bad idea.
Marc (as Earle): I’m the owner of this bar. Couldn’t help but overhearing y’all. Seems like my fine establishment ain’t good enough for yar party, huh?
Lucy (as Anne): We were misunderstood. We…
Marc (as Earle): With all due respect, ma’am, I was talkin’ to him.
Darren: Marc,I’m going to try to size this guy up as well.
Marc: Sure. That’s a Senses + Sports roll again.
Darren: S+4 and S-4 still equals S+0. And I roll a… 781! That’s 3 Shift Margins of Success!
Marc: Great… But I do have some bad news for you. This guy is battle-trained. Big time. We’re talking elite troops here. From footwork, you can tell he practices Muay Thai, but there’s more. He’s keeping his arms slightly bent, probably because of Brazilian Jujutsu training… and judging by the way he’s keeping his hands open, you figure he also knows Krav Maga or maybe Jeet Kune Do.
Darren: Do I know what kind of special troops he may have been part of?
Marc: You don’t have any Shifts in Military, right?
Darren: ‘Fraid so.
Marc: Nah. That knowledge would be too specialized for you. (as Earle): So, as I said, y’all hate my little business here, huh?
Darren (as Ricky): Ah, come on, let’s cut the crap here. We all know you’re just picking a fight, so why not get on with it?
Michonne (as Dave): You have poor impulse control, my friend.
Marc (as Earle): I’ll fight you, little man. I win, you all leave.
Darren (as Ricky): And if I win, we can ask you some questions while drinking a few shots of pepper vodka.
Michael (as Lucia): Come on, everyone, there’s no need to hurt each other… (as himself): Marc, can I use my Feels People Advantage to figure out why these guys would rather pick a fight than let us in?
Marc: Sort of. Most Advantages and Disadvantages work like very specific modifiers. A successful roll will get you some insights, but it doesn’t work like telepathy or anything, so you’ll have to piece whatever them together yourself.
Michael: Sure I do. Can I use Personal and Social Sciences for this?
Marc: Hm. I’ll allow it.
Michael: Great. So that’s a +3 and a +7, which averages out to +5. And I get a +3S bonus because of my Feels People Advantage, right?
Marc: That’s right.
Michael: OK, so I only need to roll 4 or higher? On a d1000?
Marc: Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on whether they’re trying to hide something from you and whether they’ll well versed in lying.
Michael: But… what if they have a negative Shift?
Marc: That would mean they’re worse at it than most people. That kind of transparency would help anyone to see through them – assuming they are hiding something, of course.
Michael: Understood… 801! That would give me a whopping 11 Shift Margins of Success!
Marc: Well, I can tell you it’s not gonna be 11… but it’s still a lot. So: As you look at the gang members, you can feel a shiver run down your spine. There’s something about them… The animosity is palpable, but it’s just really weird only a few of them have said something up until now. There’s six of them and you’ve only heard two of them say more than a few words. They even hav That requires a lot of discipline – or maybe they all feel like they’ve got too much to hide.
Michael: You mean, like they’re afraid they’d give themselves away if they were to talk?
Marc: Possibly. Either way, it doesn’t feel like they want to stop you from entering the bar, necessarily.
Michael: They want us to leave because they figure they might divulge too much information if we’d start talking to them.
Marc: Maybe.
Michael: Hmmm… I look at the nearest gang member who hasn’t talked yet.
Marc: That would be a blonde-haired man with golden earrings.
Michael (as Lucia): You there. Could you please tell your friend he shouldn’t be doing this? There really is no need to be violent…
Marc: The guy just looks at you. If anything you just said has registered, it certainly doesn’t show. The big dude is clearly getting annoyed, though – no need for a roll. (as Earle): Hey, Ludwig, I think them strangers here are stalling. (as Ludwig): Yeah. Seems like they’re too chickenshit to fight me. Har har har!
Darren (as Ricky): OK, that’s enough! (as himself): I somersault over the big guy and follow up with a rear kick;
Marc: Not so fast, we’re not doing Group Initiative just yet. Still, you’re definitely starting something here, so let’s roll Initiative. You’re all very much aware of what’s happening, so you’re going to roll Body against S+0.
Michael: 278. Damn. That’s 3 Shift Margins of Failure.
Marc: Well, a 1 to 5 Shift MoF starts to declare at Tick 3.
Lucy: 431 for me. That’s a 2 Shift MoF.
Marc: Which means you also start to declare at Tick 3.
Michonne: 756! That’s 3 Shift Margins of Success for me.
Marc: Excellent! You’ll be declaring at Tick 2.
Darren: 819! The dice are my friends today!
Marc: Wow. That’s 9 Margins of Succes! You’re gonna be first to declare at Tick 1. Your brawny adversary seems to be slower than you, so go ahead.
Darren: As I said, I’ll be somersaulting over this guy’s head so I can land behind his back.
Marc: OK. That’ll take you 10 Ticks to complete, so we’re looking at Tick 11 here.
Darren: I do have a Move Skill of S+2 and S+6 Body, which averages out to S+4…
Marc: I stand corrected. Tick 10 it is. We’re on to Tick 2. Michonne?
Michonne: I’m going to reach for my concealed knife – subtly. Don’t want to pull it out just yet, I only want to lay my hand on it without anyone noticing.
Marc: OK. Since you want to do this without anyone noticing, would you like to Double your Ticks?
Michonne: Definitely.
Marc: That’ll make 4 Ticks instead of 2, then, which means you will be ready by Tick 6. Now, the big guy is also at Tick 2, but he rolled lower than you did, so I’m gonna declare for him now. He’s Reacting to Ricky’s somersault! Let’s see… Ow. It did take him by surprise, so he lost 2 Ticks there and it’ll be another 2 Ticks to React. He’s not swiveling around, though: he takes a step back in the hopes of throwing Ricky out of balance in mid-air! That’s gonna be 2 Ticks as well, so he’ll act at Tick 8, which is a split second before Rick lands.
Darren: Oooh, that sucks. Can I React to his Reaction?
Marc: Well, if you hadn’t been somersaulting… It’s really difficult to Sense what he’s doing while you’re in mid-air. Michael, what are you doing while all of this is going on?
Michael: I’m gonna sit this one out for now.
Marc: You’re Waiting?
Michael: Yup.
Marc: Don’t forget that anything you might wanna React to typically adds 2 Ticks to your Tick Count.
Michael: I know.
Lucy: I’m just backing up until I’m standing right in front of the car. The duel is between Rick and Mister Biker over there. I don’t want to motivate the other gang members to get involved.
Marc: No problem. Movement can occur simultaneously with Actions and everyone can Move every Tick. It’ll take you 20 Ticks to get to the car while walking backwards, though… So, next one up is Dave at Tick 6. Michonne, could you make a Body + Manipulate Object Skill Check?
Michonne: Could I make a Senses + Fight - Melee Skill Check instead?
Marc: If you can explain to me why you would use Senses, yes.
Michonne: Well, I’m not really using sleight of hand here, I’m mainly looking at the gang members and when I’m sure no-one’s looking at me, I move my hand towards the knife – so I’m mainly being observant here. Also, because I am combat-trained, I know what it looks like when someone’s going for a weapon… and I want to avoid doing something that might cause others to realize I’m getting ready to draw a knife.
Marc: Fair enough. Now let’s see what happens.
Michonne: Well, my S+1 in Senses and my S+3in Hand to Hand – Melee average out to S+2. Obviously I’m rolling against the gang members here, so chances are I won’t just need to roll 252 or higher, right?
Marc: Exactly. Still, there’s always a good possibility their Senses + Sense average is lower than S+0, which would actually make your roll even easier.
Michonne: That’d come in handy. Let’s see… 502! That’s 3 Shift Margins of Success… If they have zero Shifts, that is.
Marc: Well, they certainly don’t seem to notice.
Michonne: Can I make an Aptitudes + Life Sciences roll to see if they did notice? Or Aptitudes + Sense? Or Senses + Sense?
Marc: That’s gonna take you 2 Ticks. Noticing something is like a Reaction, it’s not instantaneous, exactly. Anything else you’d like to do?
Michonne: Nope.
Marc: OK, since no-one other than Richie and the biker is doing anything, you can make your roll at Tick 8. Senses + Sense works for me but it’ll just give you some raw information on their behavior, it won’t let you interpret anything. You’ll need an Aptitudes + Life Sciences roll afterwards to interpret, which will also take you 2 Ticks. Of course, you can also go by my description instead of rolling twice.
Michonne: Great. 289. One Shift MoS.
Marc: Well, two of them are looking at Anne, who’s walking towards the car. Backwards. Both of them are frowning. The others are looking at the fight. They’re all smiling, by the way.
Michonne: Smug little bastards. OK, I’m not gonna roll again. Just waiting it out.
Marc: Sure. Ricky, the big guy is trying to push you backwards with his own back while your feet are still off the ground. He’s putting a lot of weight in it. He kinda knows where you’re going to land, but he can’t see you and everything’s going really fast, so I figure the Bonuses and Penalties pretty much cancel each other out here. Let’s make a roll… (Marc rolls the dice in front of everyone) Ouch! 013!
Lucy: Yes!
Darren: That’s just has to be a Critical Failure!
Marc: It is. He stumbles and loses his balance a little bit. It’s gonna be an extra 2 Ticks before he can declare anything again. Which brings us to Tick 10. Ricky, your Initiative roll was higher than your enemy’s, so… You land on your feet, gracefully. The guy you’re fighting doesn’t seem to be as agile as you are, though. He misjudged the distance and almost sidestepped you, but he’s close enough for you to smell spilled beer on his clothes.
Darren: Excellent! I grab him, plant my foot on his lower back and pull him backwards while falling to my back, like an inverse sacrifice throw or something.
Marc: That’s a Combo Move that would normally cost you 15 Ticks. With your training, though, it’ll only be 13 Ticks. However, since it’s a Combo Move…
Darren: I Grab him earlier, right?
Marc: Yeah, it’s just common sense. It only matters if he acts earlier than you do, though.
Darren: Does he?
Marc: Yup. He’s turning towards you, trying to hit you with a spinning elbow. He’s in Grappling Range, so he’s too close to throw a spinning backhand.
Darren: So, that’s 10 Ticks?
Marc: He’s combat-trained… This is gonna take him 9 Ticks.
Darren: But the Grab part of my Combo move connects at…
Marc: Tick 16 without training, but Tick 15 in your case. He’ll be connecting at Tick 18.
Darren: Great! So I get to roll the average of my Body, which is +1, and my Fight – Hand to Hand, which is +2. That’s +1 with the possibility a Bump. I need to roll 369 or higher to make it against S+0 and I roll… 503! Is 2 Shift MoS enough to grab this guy? He’s bound to have a Defense Penalty with that move.
Marc: He does, but he’s good.You partially Grab hold of his sleeve. It’s tough to get a good hold on him while he’s spinning around, though. You’re getting a Bump, but no Interrupt.
Darren: OK, so that breaks off my sacrifice throw. I latch on to him as well as I can and use the momentum of his spinning backfist to take him down. Instead of planting my in his lower back, I’m going to drop to a crouch and throw him over me.
Marc: That’s another Combo Move and 2 extra Ticks because you need to switch moves mid-way. It’s faster, : 10 Ticks, 9 with your training, and you’re not Blocking or Dodging.
Darren: So I’ll finish my move at Tick 24.
Marc: That’s it. Now for his punch… Oooh! 501! He wasn’t able to see you before, though, which Shifts him to 1 Margin of Failure. Let’s see if he still hits you somewhere.
Darren: Here’s the Silhouette and the Crosshairs.
Marc: OK. We’ll use the Medium Crosshairs over the 2 Meters Silhouette. Hmmm… If I cover your right temple with the bullseye, it covers about half of your face. 501 hits Sector 01, which still is your face.
Darren: Oh, fuck.
Marc: Yeah, this is gonna hurt, but it’s a glancing blow, which means the Damage is Shifted to the left.
Darren: A Bruise.
Marc: To the head. His knuckles glance off your forehead while you’re both twisting and turning. You’ll be at an S-1 Penalty for the next 10 Ticks. He’s going to try to follow up with a Smash Drop, dropping his weight on you... That would normally take up 8 Ticks, but it’ll be 7 Ticks with his training.
Darren: Which puts him at Tick 25. I still get to go first!
Marc: Actually, Anne gets to go first. She reaches the car on Tick 23. Anne, you’re backed up against the vehicle.
Anne: With several gang members looking at me, I know. I just grab the car handle behind my back.
Marc: Sure, that’ll be on Tick 27. Darren?
Darren: So, I’m dropping to one knee and trying to throw this guy.
Marc: He’s big.
Darren: I know, but I’m using his own momentum and I’m using my Bump. Let’s roll! Yes! 921!
Marc: Wow! That’s 5 Margins of Success! Since you rolled a Success, your Bump gets you another Shift, which is 6 MoS.
Darren: So, 3 Damage Shifts to the right!
Marc: Exactly, but… He’s Aborted his next move in order to pull away from you. With his Body, he’s got a major advantage over you.
Darren: Uuurgh…
Marc: And I roll a… 121! Which actually is a 2 Shift Margin of Failure. That gives you an extra Damage Shift to the right.
Darren: Hahaha! I anticipate him pulling away from me and shift my weight just a little bit. I throw him over my shoulder as he flips over in mid-air, his feet above his head, before I pull him down onto the ground again.
Marc: And he lands on his head! You hear a harsh crushing sound as his nose splinters on the concrete pavement...
Lucy: That's pretty cool! Here's one of my Awesome Points for you!
Darren: Thanks!
Marc: The big guy doesn't move anymore. Blood gushes out of his nostrils as his eyes go blank.
Darren: Uuuh… As his eyes go blank? Uuuuuhm…
Michonne: Time to get out that knife. Guys, maybe you should all stop Waiting…
