Isle of the Satyrs

It’s been, shamefully, almost a month since our last adventure. I’d been kind of hoping I’d get a chance to finish the ships before forging ahead, but I’ve realized we could be waiting a long time for that…

In this adventure the ship (yet to be named) arrived at a small isle – which had a small bay and a village by the shore which the captain thought might be a good place to pick up fresh water and supplies and perhaps do some trade.

When they walked into the village they found it to be eerily quiet – almost like it was abandoned – though they saw the smoke rising from cooking fires and the occasional face peering out through the darkened windows.

When Athis entered a home she found a couple terrified and filled with despair. A group of Satyrs from the nearby woods had stolen all the villages children and were holding them hostage and demanding the villagers turn over half of all the food they harvested.

Our heroes said “fear not! We shall return your children! Just point us in the direction of the woods!”

Athis turned out to be an exceptional tracker (Keria just kept acing and scored raise after raise, with every tracking roll all game!). They found and followed a track into the woods that the Satyrs were clearly using to go back and forth to the village to haul away their booty.

AS they pressed on through the woods Dionysophenes spotted some lookouts in the bushes ahead (Finnegan was likewise hot with the notice rolls – despite the Satyrs being woodsmen, and in cover, and acing their stealth rolls, Finnegan just kept rolling better!? I’d initially planned to have a aroow whistle out of the bush and have the satyrs taunting/intimidating them from unseen hiding spots in the bush… no such luck)

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Finnegan (Dionysophenes) and Keira (Athis) – excited to be playing Savage Worlds again (thought yesterday we did play a game of Hordes of the Things).

As Dion pointed out the Satyrs hiding in the bush one of them scarpered and the others loosed off arrows at Dion and Athis.

Dion was hit and shaken!

Dion and Athis charged and dispatched the two Satyrs before they could even flee!

The others rushed up to try and catch the other, but he was long gone…

The though they should follow him but when I called for another tracking roll and Keira rattled out a couple more raises I pointed out that the main trail they’d been following went off in the opposite direction – should they follow the main path or chase after the fleeing lookout? They chose (wisely) to follow the main path. When I then gave them the option of following it as hastily as they could or slowly and cautiously and stealthily they chose the latter – had they chose the former I would have said they got to the Satyr camp before the lookout got back and may have taken them by surprise.

As it was they Satyrs were aware of their approach and ready for them…

Athis rushed into the clearing (having the highest card), and the Satyrs tried to turn her into a pincushion (having the next two highest cards) – after a soak roll she escaped with only being shaken… As she took cover in the bush the others rushed forward to help – one was downed by and arrow from the leader of the Satyrs. Dion had the good sense to try and skirt around the clearing under cover.

Unfortunately the sneaky Satyrs spotted him and headed him off – both hit wounding Dion grievously.  He slumped into cover and remained there for pretty much the rest of the game – unable to remove the painful arrow in his arm (unable to recover from being shaken)

Athis recovered and rushed out followed by one of their friends and attacked the leader of the Satyrs.

Athis cut him down and he tried to flee (I think doing five wounds!?) – spear through the heart. This prompted and morale test from the Satyrs which the failed!

The tables turned…

Athis and one of their friends rushed the Satyrs in the woods and cut down three of them, Their other friend the archer exchanged shots with another and eventually brought him down. The remaining two Satyr archers fled.

There was another Satyr in the clearing – who turned out to be very friendly. He had been taking care of the children and explained that it was the thuggish leaders idea to kidnap the children and most of the others went along with it. He could have helped the kids escape but it would have meant his own death and the thugs would have just gone straight back to the village and carried them off again – and they wouldn’t have been cared for nearly so well…

Our heroes friend that had been shot by the arrow, turned out to have just been knocked out and wasn’t seriously injured at all.

Upon their return to the village with the children there was much rejoicing. A festival was held in the heroes honour and their ship was provisioned with the finest foods and wines the islanders had to offer.

Of the other Satyrs one died, two were seriously wounded, and the other three lightly wounded. Though all had been taught a serious lesson and would not likely be trying anything like that again. 

At Your Door

The Saturday Savages started At Your Door this week. Curtis and Jackson actually showed up this week and made characters (Sheriff Carter Jones and Dr. William Blake, respectively). 

WARNING: SPOILERS CONTAINED WITHIN

If ever you think you might play this adventure, read no further! 

The game started Friday, 13 July 2012, with Lord Stang receiving an e-mail from Robert Jatik of Full Wilderness (an environmental organization dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of protected wilderness reserves) who claimed to have an unusual and sensitive situation requiring his particular skills… so, over the weekend, Stang and his most trusted advisors (Joey Roberts, Leonard Tipple, and Dr. Blake) flew to Samson California. Before leaving however, Stang made a call to Sheriff Jones, to let him know they would be in the country and if he could help out they could pay him handsomely.

On Monday morning (16 July 2012) they met with Jatik who explained that he had reason to believe a company his organization funds research at was actually using their money to conduct illegal and potentially very dangerous genetic research (not what they were hired to do!). His evidence turned out to be some sort of strange, almost alien creature with many mouth-like orifices and tentacles…

Unfortunately the researcher that provided them with the specimen has also disappeared…

The first task, however, Jatik required of them was to escort the specimen to another laboratory to determine what exactly it was that they HAD!?

Along the way they were ambushed. Two truck and two motorcycles cut them off and a dozen, heavily armed men jumped out and demanded that they open up the back of the truck containing the specimen.



When Lord Stang made a move to go for cover and pull out his pistol the man covering him shot – everyone else went for their guns and an extremely short, extremely violent gun-battle broke out on a downtown street of Samson, California. Six of the attackers were wounded in the battle, and miraculously NONE of the players characters… Dr. Blake shot three of them himself!?

With half their number down the remaining baddies skedaddled.

The players' characters spent the rest of the afternoon answering questions for the police – who seemed more than a little suspicious… Their weapons were seized and they were told not to leave town… They were eventually able to deliver the specimen to the lab… and that’s pretty much where we left off.

Unfortunately we won’t likely be playing again for a couple weeks… 

Leonard “Tips” Tipple

Leonard “Tips” Tipple – Wild Card Forensic Accountant/Investigator (Dave)

Ag d4, Sm d10, Sp d10, St d6, Vg d6,

Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5

Skills: Fighting d4, Shooting d4, Notice d4, Stealth d4, Intvestigation d10, Streetwise d8, Accounting d10, Knowledge (Computers/Hacking) d10

Edges: Investigator, Luck

Hindrances: Anemic, Bad Eyes

Gear: Clothes, Trench Coat, Cell Phone, Shotgun (Range: 12/24/48, ROF 1, Damage: 1-3d6) , Knife (Str+d4), Laptop

Since starting to work for Lord Stang six months ago, Leonard Tipple has been trying out some new lines … “They call me Tipple. Leonard Tipple. But you can call me Tips.“ He never imagined that accounting could be so cool. Well, actually, he had imagined it plenty, but never thought it would actually happen. Leonard is thrilled with his new job – a huge pay increase, top of the line computer equipment, control of a huge portfolio, and the opportunity for plenty of adventure. Compared to his years working at Grant Thornton in downtown London, this was like being in a James Bond movie.

  

Tipple had been one of several accountants assigned to Lord Stang’s portfolio at Grant Thornton. His deep knowledge of computers and a passion for reading fraud and commercial crime case histories led him to quickly uncover systematic skimming of hundreds of thousands of pounds from Lord Stang’s accounts. When Tipple contacted Stang privately and brought these irregularities to his attention, Stang was so impressed that he immediately hired Tipple as his personal accountant/investigator. Now, Tipple works full time looking into anything Stang invests money in and acting as a general get-information-for-me-guy. Stang turned out to be a bit of a gun aficionado, and had insisted on weapons training for Leonard and all his other staff. Despite his best efforts, Leonard’s complete lack of coordination and poor eyesight made him completely ineffective with anything except a shot gun.

  

Little Lenny Tipple had grown up in London, and though a bit scrawny and easily winded, he’d spent a lot of time in back lanes exploring with his buddies. His parents, Martha and Terrence, live in a 3rd floor walk-up apartment, and both work in retail in downtown London. They are proud of Leonard, their only child, though they are a little worried that at 29, he still hasn’t had a serious girlfriend. Martha is eager for grandchildren.

Joey Roberts

Joey Roberts – Wild card Streetwise Teen (Patrick)

Ag d10, Sm d6, Sp d8, St d6, Vg d6,

Pace 6, Parry 5, Toughness 5

Skills: Fighting d10, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8, Lockpicking d6, Knowledge Electronics d6, climbing d4

Edges: Quick, Acrobat

Hindrances: Enemy (Minor: London Street Gang), Wanted (Metropolitan Police: Outstanding warrants for various crimes)

Gear: Clothes, Skateboard (run=d10, Improvised weapon Str+d4, -1 to hit), Submachinegun (Range: 10/20/40, ROF 3, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1)

TEEN KILLED AFTER GANGLAND PARTY SHOOTOUT

 Bob Smith

London Tribune

Late last night members of the gang the Peckham Boys attacked and killed Daniel Thompson, 17 years of age. Thompson had been at a party where tension between two factions of youth led to violence. Shots were fired, but no one was seriously wounded. The use of weaponry sparked panic and people quickly fled the scene. Thompson took shelter from pursuers in a store but then decided against it, leaving the building through a back door; unfortunately the group that was searching for Thompson was just outside and assaulted him at the nearby bicycle racks. The attack lasted no more than a minute but in that small amount of time Thompson suffered multiple stab wounds. Bystanders tried to help Thompson but he perished despite their efforts.

The press got it mostly right I guess, but there’s more to it than that. I’m Joey Roberts, and if the Peckham Boys had done what they’d set out to do, I’d be the one dead in an alley. Here’s why…

The story starts before I had even heard of the Peckham Boys. My mother, Mary, is a very loving woman. At one point, February in 1994, most, if not all, of this love was directed to one man.  He loved her like she deserved for that month but then he left, no goodbye, no money, no anything. I had scared him away. I was born on October 18th that same year. My mom was busy with me and had a lot of difficulty finding hours that she could work but managed to get on as a nighttime janitor with various businesses on Lye Avenue and to secure a flat on Bournemouth Close. Between raising a child and working nights she didn’t get a lot of sleep but regardless of how tired she was she always put lots of love and care into both duties. This was noticed by her employers over the years, and by the time I was five the owner of a small grocer, Mr. Stanley Roberts, had offered her a much better paying job as a full time employee in his store.

A few weeks after my seventh birthday Mr. Roberts came and found me to ask me a question. He told me that my mother had been working for him for two years now and that it was going quite well. I told him that I already knew this, I wasn’t oblivious to what my mom did during the day and Mr. Roberts son Gabriel, who was two years older than me, and I often talked when we played football with the other kids. Then he told me that he was going to ask my mother to marry him. Mr. Robert’s wife had died a quite a few years ago from and he seemed honestly interested in being married again. I gave him a lame lecture about how he had to treat my mom nicely, lame because I didn’t believe that he would. I was right.

Five years later it was 2006, and my twelfth birthday. My parents Stanley and Mary and my brother Gabe got me a skateboard. It was awesome, and a lot of afternoons and evenings from then on were spent riding back and forth on Bournemouth close, attempting various stunts. I donated quite a lot of skin to the Bournemouth Asphalt Foundation.

Over the next few years other grocery stores moved into the area and were gaining popularity. By 2010 business was declining for my parents so it was mutually agreed that I get a job. Gabe was unable to work because he was studying Business Administration at Greenwich University. I couldn’t find work at first and I didn’t want to let my family down, so I turned to crime, none of my offences were more than petty theft, just enough to make it look like I had a minimum wage job. It was during this time that I got to know the Peckham Boys, who was involved and what their territory was, I had to be careful where and who I stole from.  I had a few close calls with the police and it was only a matter of time until I got caught. Luckily for me I had kept looking for work.

I was hired by Hermes Couriers, and started work quite promptly. Within six months I had risen through the ranks and was getting more difficult but more rewarding jobs. I carried important documents for various businesses in central London and eventually was even carrying messages and documents for nobility. There was this one man, Lord Stang, who often had papers and packages delivered to and from obscure locations. He’d need a document delivered to an apparent drunk at King’s Cross station one day and then an amazingly heavy package would be sent to him from an accountant the next. I never asked questions, though I did wonder. I just rode between destinations and dropped off the package or envelope. Though sometimes it took a little work and a few questions to find the places Stang sent and received stuff from. Anyway, Stang took notice to my punctuality and offered me a job. He wasn’t specific on the job details, but it was a good offer and I needed the money.

Now, the reason that the Peckham Boys don’t like me. Stang is eccentric, he likes the superhero save the day kind of stuff, and he was looking into some gang activity in central London. So, I told him what I knew about the Peckham Boys. With this information Stang was able to uncover a major drug house and put a few people in jail, which is great. The only problem is that the Peckham Boys found out it was me who told him. Now, they’re on the lookout for me. Stang’s been able to arrange pretty good protection for my family so they’re safe for now.

What I’m really saying is maybe Daniel Thompson was at the wrong party, but that’s not why he’s dead. He’s dead because he was going to hide in a grocery store owned by the parents of an ex-criminal who ratted out some of the Peckham Boys and looks a lot like him.

Lord Stang

Lord Stang – Wildcard Playboy, Millionaire British Lord (Rick)

Ag d10, Sm d4, Sp d8, St d6, Vg d8,

Pace 6, Parry 6 (+1) , Toughness 5, Charisma +2

Skills: Fighting d10, Shooting d10, Notice d4, Stealth d6, Investigation d4, Persuasion d4, Driving d8, Knowledge: Occult d4, Piloting d4

Edges: Filthy Rich, Noble

Hindrances: Code of Honour

Gear: Clothes, Hat, Glock (Range: 6/12/24, ROF 1, Damage: 2d6, AP: 1), ‘Brolly Sword ( Str+d4, Parry +1), cell phone, fancy cars, etc, etc…

Lord Stang is a playboy, multi-millionaire British lord (Filthy Rich, Noble) that fancies himself a British Secret Agent type (like John Steed or James Bond). He also identifies with Bruce Wayne, although he finds the Batman costume a little gauche.  But he's really a bit of an airhead - not the sharpest knife in the drawer. 

Not that that's slowing him down.  He's thrown his not insubstantial financial resources behind his investigative fancies.  Luckily for him, he's been fortunate enough to have some more capable associates - Leonard Tipple and Joey Roberts - who carry him (and keep him alive) through their various (mis)adventures.  Of course, Lord Stang thinks (incorrectly) that he's played a major role in leading their successes, and lets the press know about it regularly.

He's also put significant effort into acquiring a few of the gentleman sports.  He's put a lot of money into shooting, fencing, fisticuffs, and driving expensive cars.  His success in those pursuits is definitely due more to a certain natural agility - not due to mental abilities.

Lord Stang is a member of the British Paranormal Society - though his membership was granted more because of his wealth and title than because of any genuine knowledge of the occult or supernatural, which (so far) is superficial, at best.  As a member, in the early 1990's he actually met Professor Trevor Bruttenholm - a past society member of note (and founder of the Bureau for Paranormanl Research and Defense). 

Escape From Athens

I started a new Savage Worlds Campaign with the kids today. We’ve been planning it for some time, but just never seemed to get around to kicking it off. Hopefully now that we’ve got it started we’ll find time to sit down and play a bit more regularly.

Finnegan is playing Dionysophenes, a place guard in the court of King Aegeas of Athens. Keira is playing Athis, a daughter of King Aegeas who was raised among the Amazons.

Queen Medea was fiercely jealous of the young princess and plotted to kill here while King Aegeas was away. Dion happened to be the guard she ordered to do the deed. He could not and told Athis of the plot and offered to help her escape from Athens.

I gave the kids the option of simply stealing away alone in the night and by passage on some merchant ship to wherever it was going or trying to recruit some friends/followers to go along with them. I told them if they recruited enough they could steal a war ship… To recruit guards required a successful persuasion roll. Raises would recruit additional guards. Three failures (or a bust – rolling one on the persuasion die) would mean Medea was on to them and they would have to flee at once.

Now Athis had only d4 persuasion and Dion was completely unskilled at such things (and so tried at d4-2). Athis however being a Noble had +2 due to her charisma bonus and quickly recruited three followers. Dion in that same time failed three times and they had to steal away in the middle of the night.

The assasins were a bit better with the noticing than they were with the stealthing so as they turned down the last dark street in Piraeus that lead to the waiting ship their way was blocked by some of Medea’s men…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Some of Medea’s men called on the other guards to give up the princess – telling them it was futile to go against eh queens will, that she would track them to the ends of the earth if need be…. This was an attempt to intimidate the hero’s followers into leaving or rejoining them. I’d said if they got TWO raises on the intimidate roll the followers would switch sides again.

The one trying to intimidate the archer with Dion and Athis just kept acing – ending up with a total of 17 (6, 6, 5) – looked like he might be switching sides right then and there and shooting someone in the back! Then Finnegan rolled for the archer (6, 6, 6, 4) – “nothing doing” says the archer and let fly with an arrow at one of the would-be assassins….

The rushed those blocking their way to the front, two others rushed the archer taking up the rear.

Athis took out the first of the assasins with a spear to the throat.

The archer was doing well – he’s only gotten one shot off (which wildly missed it’s mark in the dark street) – he didn’t even have time to draw his sword before two attackers were upon him. he held them off for two or three turns..

The skirmish raged on – things going progressively worse for the archer – shaken…

Eventually the archer was overwhelmed and taken down.

Around that time this finished off another of the attackers and Dion had knocked down one himself.

They rushed the other two attackers (that had been fighting the archer) and took them down as well. When they checked on their archer friend they discovered his wounds were not grave and so helped him down to the ship and were away before first light…

A Good quick introduction to the campaign and refresher of Savage Worlds for the kids (it’s been a few months since we last played).

Coming soon on Savage Timmy’s Playhouse:

The Saturday Savages will, hopefully, be beginning their campaign in earnest this week. With any luck we shall see Dion and Athis in action again shortly as well! 

Athis

Athis - Wild Card Amazon (Keira)

Ag d8, Sm dX, Sp dX, St d10, Vg dX,

Pace 6, Parry 6 (8), Toughness 5 (7)

Skills: Fighting d8, Shooting d4, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Investigation d4, Climbing d6, Survival d4, Tracking d4, Persuasion d4, Riding d10, Swimming d4

Edges: Noble, Attractive

Hindrances: Loyal, Minor Enemy,

Gear: Traveling Clothes, Fancy formal Clothes, Superior Medium Armour, Superior Large Shield, Short Sword, Spear,

Athis’ mother came from Thessaly originally but had left and wandered to the land of the Amanzons to raise her. When she became a woman Her mother told her of her father – King Aegieas of Athens – and gave her a dagger he had given her. She wished to meet her father and set out on a long journey over land and sea and eventually came to the city of Athens. Ageas, when he saw her, welcomed him into his palace as a daughter and princess of Athens. Medea, who he was married to at the time, was extremely jealous of the young womans and plotted to have her killed when Ageas was away. Her guard Dion, whom Medea had told to kill her, could not go through with it and offered to help her escape from Athens.