Eradico Pravus |
Rook, can I double-check what the team knows with regard to players in the tourney?
1 Wardja as Odo Wimarc
2 Thul as spire noble
3 Leprade-Arbite betrayer
4 Trizo-Yellowback chaos minion
5 Lady Czinzia, who has some sort of connection to Thul (Wardja heard this via vox-traffic)
6 Suspensor-assisted blob Fulcusian agri-magnate (why am I seeing Baron Harknonnen?)
7 Rogue Trader Jeremiah BlitzIs everyone on the acolyte team privy to this info?
I guess I should change my last question to, "Is everyone [at the casino location] on the acolyte team privy to this info?"
Rookseye |
Rook, can I double-check what the team knows with regard to players in the tourney?
1 Wardja as Odo Wimarc
2 Thul as spire noble
3 Leprade-Arbite betrayer
4 Trizo-Yellowback chaos minion
5 Lady Czinzia, who has some sort of connection to Thul (Wardja heard this via vox-traffic)
6 Suspensor-assisted blob Fulcusian agri-magnate (why am I seeing Baron Harknonnen?)
7 Rogue Trader Jeremiah BlitzIs everyone on the acolyte team privy to this info?
I guess I should change my last question to, "Is everyone [at the casino location] on the acolyte team privy to this info?"
Eradico, first, thanks for saving me the effort of summarizing the list of players revealed thus far, I was planning on doing so in OOC anyway.
The list is accurate, and seven of the nine are now known to the acolytes. Outside of Leprade and Trizo, you know very little about the other three, save for what you have uncovered so far through interaction (in the case of Lady Czinia) and researched intelligence available (Jashar dol Geim, Jeremiah Blitz).
I have to say that my descriptions must be decently evocative, as I was picturing the Baron a bit as well when describing Jashar dol Geim!
To answer your second question, everyone in the acolyte team (yes, with the exception of poor Kaltos who I have quite unfairly kept confined to a hole for the space of a few RL months) is now aware of the players that have been identified.
Rookseye |
Ryuk will take:
the body glove,
lamp pack
microbead
respirator/gas mask
combat ration packs x5
the forcesword (is this best quality by any chance?)
some number of grenades as Vincent
and the laspistol with 3 reloads.Oh Ryuk would like to have cloak for that new look hehehe
Sorry for the delay.
OK, noted, Rad.
The force sword is of Best Quality (+10 to WS and +1 to damage).
Did you intend to take the other weapons recommended to you by Launce in IC, or are you going to travel light? The choice is yours, but it does matter, so please let me know.
Rookseye |
OK, Rad.
Also, you are welcome. Consider it fair recompense for being confined to the Oubliette for so long so that the campaign could build some dramatic tension.
Cripe! I guess that sets a precedent of sorts for Kaltos now, LOL. With keeping all these characters in holes I'm starting to feel like Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs.
You know the quote:
Kaltos Havelock |
lol humm I just hope to win the fight ;-).
If the person seems to be a big hitter I would like to do the tire him out routine while I use the arenas energy to keep myself going with the Electrical succor. Primaryly keeping it as bay with my staff going defensive. On the other hand if they are light quick fighter I will try to end it quickly.
Rookseye |
lol humm I just hope to win the fight ;-).
If the person seems to be a big hitter I would like to do the tire him out routine while I use the arenas energy to keep myself going with the Electrical succor. Primaryly keeping it as bay with my staff going defensive. On the other hand if they are light quick fighter I will try to end it quickly.
A defensive stance will be an option, Kaltos, don't worry.
Balfic-graa |
No worries Rook. Got slammed at work myself, and finally taking a break. Definitely looking forward to getting back into some action game wise.
As a side note came across this on the BL site. http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/the-serpent-beneath-mp3.html
Found it real interesting considering the background of our DH game. Can't wait till it comes out to see how many parallels there are.
Rookseye |
Just making some summary/reminder posts for the upcoming (and long-awaited) Pinnacle of Pearl Tournament. This encounter has the potential to have a lot of things happen, and a lot of moving parts, so I just want to have a few listings of where things current stand and special situations that might be in play.
Firstly,
The Players:
- [1] Savalos Thul: Disguised as an Upspire nobleman, currently using the alias of Savalos Dawnstar, his deceased mother Ariella's former family.
- [2] Swinthosa Wardja: Disguised as Odo Wimarc a senior Comptroller of the Skaelen-Har Hegemony, a massive corporation and consortium whose members follow a philosophical practice, known as the Concordium, whose adherents voluntarily pare away their emotions and outward humanity to become better businessmen.
- [3] Dowager-Marcheza Cinzia dol Vingere: Spinster noblewoman and inheritor of the dol Vingere fortunes, as well as, ironically, the Dawnstar family holdings, including Spire 7, the Dawnspindle. These belonged to her husband, the Marchez of Dannigaça, who purchased them at auction following the tragedy that befell Savalos' mother's family at the hands of the Eviscerator in his incarnation as Waldrimm. Savalos strongly suspects that the Marchez of Dannigaça was some incarnation of the timeless Desius Krade.
- [4] Senior Intelligencer Poul Leprade: Corrupted arbitrator and ally of Trizo dol Soulard, the leader of the Yellobouros gang. Leprade's machinations have corrupted many of the once-loyal Arbites of Vaxus District and led to the fall of the Duct Wolves and ascension of the Yellobouros.
- [5] Trizo dol Soulard: The leader of the Yellobouros gang, the dominant hive-gang in Vaxus District and the Grey Way, and for that matter the entirety of Orcut VII's underhive. He murdered Savalos' father and many of his Duct Wolf friends in the purge of level 119. Consorting and allying with Tzeentchian daemons through his pet witch of the Withdrawn Veil, he has made an alliance of sorts with the Changeling to further his own voraciously selfish interests.
- [6] Jashar dol Geim: Bloated and obese from his excesses, this suspensor-assisted agri-magnate and nobleman hails from Fulcus Hive and is the owner of one of Oremor's largest agri-business manufacturing collectives. Judging by all the gossip, he is a degenerate gambler and lecher of notorious reputation.
- [7] Jeremiah Blitz: Rakish and fearless rogue trader of the Koronus Expanse, and a very successful gambler in his own right, Blitz is rumored to have obtained his Warrant of Trade in a high stakes card game not dissimilar to the one about to be played.
- [8] Juan Rico, "Johnnie"/The Changeling: Former Duct Wolf, Arbitrator and Inquisitorial Acolyte, Juan Rico is now the daemonhost for the Tzeentchian daemon known as the Changeling. It cannot be said whether it is the iron-will of their former ally seeking redemption and deliverance for his love, Quincus Dauln, or some inscrutable machination of the daemon within him that has compelled this dual-being to join in the tournament.
- [9] "The Hollow Man": The most unknown of the players; a red robed old man with weathered, sallow skin, a coarse beard, and utterly emotionless features who has arrived last to the festivities in the wake of the distraction wrought by the disconcerting appearance of the Changeling. He carries a deck of cards that may very well be the remainder of the deck whose placards Savalos has found throughout their time on Oremor thus far.
More posts will follow, I hope to have the positions of each faction's material support and allies noted, as well as the mechanical rules for use with the Tournament up by tomorrow with the post that will initiate the competition. If anyone has any questions so far about how things are arrayed prior to the first hand, please post below.
Balfic-graa |
Definitely will be the most uncomfortable card game Sav has ever been in.
Feels like its going to a game of the old west's Devil's Poker.
Rook
Sav still didn't know who killed his father. It was still a mystery. All he knew was that his father went after Waldrimm and never returned.
Rookseye |
Well at least I didn't spoil the ultimate surprise in character, Bal.
;-)
Sometimes with the length of this game I find I can forget what I've revealed when consulting my notes. There are still details about the how and the why that should make for some surprises, though, Waldrimm is only part of the equation.
Thanks for letting me know before I let slip more...heh
Eradico Pravus |
Hey Rook,
Once you forwarded the scene to the casino level of the Gran Pallazzar, it was disclosed that Wardja was under the guise of the Skaelan-Har. Since their members literally give up part of their body, I don't think Wardja has a very good disguise by simply wearing gloves. In hindsight I wish I would have posted that Wardja had some sort of fake augmented eyeball jury-rigged by Dunkan. Can we say that Dunkan did make an fake augmented hand--currently hidden by Wardja's gloves--in case someone's calls for Wardja to take them off?
In other words over Wardja's hand is some sort of thin metallic fitting that gives the appearance of a qualitative augmented cybernetic hand, but no one can see that right now due to his thin dress-gloves.
Don't know if it will come into play or not. I guess I'm being sufficiently paranoid befitting Dark Heresy play. :)
Thanks,
Eradico
Rookseye |
Don't worry Eradico, the choice for the disguise was improvised a bit during the beginning of the Pinnacle of Pearl scene, so I'm perfectly OK with Wardja sporting a faux augmetic (most likely a hand) that would pass muster for a cursory examination. Between Dunkan's technical acumen and Astrid's penchant for concocting disguises, this works for me.
Oh, and you can never be sufficiently paranoid for a Dark Heresy campaign, especially this one.
Rookseye |
Rook
Wouldn't Sav be immune to the effects of the fear test since he still has the Golden Aquila?
Sav, while the golden aquila is still in your possession, it does not eliminate the need for a Fear test, however it reduces the difficulty of the test by one degree, so the test for Sav would be Disturbing, with a test modifier of [+0].
Also, please hold off on rolling the results of any failed tests. Failed tests will instead have a special result in the context of the present situation.
Rookseye |
The second part of the summary/reminder posts addresses what human, material, and logistic support the players have, and what their potential opposition is among the patrons of the Pinnacle of Pearl.
The Acolytes Support (Your Hand):
In the Pinnacle of Pearl Proper:
Astrid Beij and Sgt. Einhardt, presently disguised as hospitality workers working for the Gran Pallazzar.
Logistical Support in the Gran Pallazzar:
Support outside the Gran Pallazzar Casino:
Other potential support, presently outside of proximity for direct aid:
The Opposition (The Opponent's Hand):
In the Pinnacle of Pearl Proper:
Inside the Gran Pallazzar:
Presently Unaligned Individuals Groups (Wild Cards):
Inside the Gran Pallazzar:
OK hopefully this accounts for everyone/everything, if I've forgotten anyone/anything please post below.
Balfic-graa |
Extensive list. Only other people who could potentially play a role are
Srina the smile girl-since you said I already spotted her.
P.I Dorsaunt-Who told me he was investigating disappearances at The Pearl
Champion of the Pit-a giant wielding a chain scythe can't be ignored.
Rookseye |
Thanks Sav, added Srina and Dohor to the list, as she may yet play a role.
The list is indeed pretty extensive, and that is why I wanted to make certain that I had everything in one place for easy reference.
Tomorrow I will be posting the game rules that we will be using to play out the Heretic's Wake Tournament. It is essentially an expanded sub-system of the Gambling skill that both Savalos and Wardja possess, with the inclusion of additional skills (Deceive, Scrutiny, etc.) that will play a role in the outcome of the tournament. I also have some additional surprises yet in store. Long story short, this encounter (and Vincent's ultimate escape from Ylesium Claustrum) have been on my mind and germinating for a long time, so I'm hoping they will be as epic as I've envisioned.
I plan on posting the rules and structure tomorrow, but wanted to give you guys the opportunity to post anything you'd like to see included rule-wise for the Tournament of Cassilda. This could be Skills, Talents, or other mechanics you could employ that I may overlook.
Balfic-graa |
I would like to see Common Lore: Underworld, Trade: Soothsayer, Charm, and Awareness play a role.
Common Lore: Underworld-cause not everyone is honest. Will help me spot hand signals, code words/table talk, slight of hand.
Charm-Never hurts being the gentlemen gambler. Never know when someone will fold a hand early, or a bystander will give an unexpected tip/spilt/ drink blocks sight of some hand signaler trying to give a head up of whats in your hand to another player.
Trade: Soothsayer-We are playing with a Heretics Wake Deck. Depending which cards are kept and folded whole conversations can be had without uttering a word.
Awareness-While Sav can't read a bluff to save his life. (Low Scrutiny) Awareness will help him pick up slight of hand. People changing position. Using reflection off drinking glasses, mirrors, reading glasses etc to gain an advantage. Will also give me a heads up of how many people are packing at the table and who needs to be shot first when the table is flipped and all the chips are on the floor.
Eradico Pravus |
One "card" to add to the player's hand: Leprade is currently wired w/the vox bug, thus the acolytes are privy to words spoken by him.
As for the game, it sounds great! For sure Awareness and Scrutiny should play a big role. And just an idea--If Wardja gets the chance to "chat up" an opponent, maybe he'll get a chance to use inquiry too? Like to find out info from player "X" about player "Y"?
Rookseye |
The third part of the summary/reminder posts addresses the basic game rules for Heretic's Wake and some of its history, along with relevant skill tests that can be used to ascertain more about the game.
First some common knowledge about the origin, history, and structure of the Tournament of Cassilda, or as it is referred to colloquially, the 'Heretic's Wake'.
A Brief History of the Heretic's Wake Deck:
Centuries ago, following the founding of the Calixis sector and the settlement of the agri-world of Oremor, a curious variation of the traditional Emperor's Tarot evolved, known as the Heretic's Wake Deck. Despite incessant efforts by the nascent Ministorum in the sector to stamp out the heresy, a popular following for this proscribed card game emerged, in spite of, or perhaps fueled by the Ecclesiarchy's efforts to eradicate it. Popular mythology alleges that the crime of possessing or using such a deck was to "have one's fingers dipped into molten gold", for the blasphemy of holding with such lies and wickedness, as the cards were often (but not always) debased or twisted interpretations of the sacred Emperor's Tarot, a revered component of the Ministorum's divinatory practices.
Among the less pious and devout of the Emperor's citizenry, particularly those of the Underhive, conscripts, or those serving lifetime tours aboard Chartist vessels, the game evolved into a guilty pleasure, and given the increasingly lax enforcement of the game's inherent heresy (no doubt a result of the Inquisition's innumerable other priorities in the Sector Calixis), the game is largely accepted as something of a harmless diversion in less than polite society, and even amongst the those who claim adherence to the Imperial Faith.
- You can attempt a Challenging [+0] Trade (Soothsayer), an Ordinary [+10] Common Lore (Imperium) or Routine [+20] Common Lore (Imperial Creed) skill test to ascertain more details about the Emperor's Tarot.
- You can attempt a Challenging [+0] Forbidden Lore (Heresy or Inquisition) test to understand more about the origin and originators of the Heretic Wake deck.
- You can attempt a Ordinary [+10] Common Lore (Underworld) skill test to learn more about how the Heretic's Wake deck is used within the darker recesses of the Calixis Sector, or its specific connections to the Gran Pallazzar Casino in the Underhive of Oremor's Orcut VII hive.
- You can attempt a Routine [+20] Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites) skill test to recall the enforcement doctrine, punishments, and legal history of the Heretic's Wake deck over the course of its existence in the Calixis sector.
- You can attempt a Challenging [+0] Forbidden Lore (Daemonology) skill test to recall some of the more heretical and/or blasphemous connotations of the Heretic's Wake deck.
Alternately, any of the above skill tests can be 'emulated' with a Hard [-20] Intelligence characteristic test.
These skill tests need not all be made by the players in the tournament, Uriah, for example, could make a skill test to provide information and then transmit it by way of secure microbead to one of the acolytes at the table.
Playing Heretic's Wake:
- A successful Easy [+30] Gambling skill test will allow you to recall all of the basic rules, nuances, and protocol of a Heretic's Wake match, this is a mandatory skill test for the players in the tournament. Failure of this skill test will result in a -10 degree of difficulty penalty for all a subsequent Gambling skill tests when playing the game. After each concluded round of play, another Easy [+30] Gambling test can be attempt to 'remember' the relevant information on gameplay.
The Basics:
- Heretic's Wake is, in many ways, similar to the old Terran game 'Poker'. It is an individualistic style of card game that involves incremental betting and determining the winner of each round by who holds the most valuable hand, comprised of a combination/hierarchy of cards of variable value.
- Each deck is comprised of 78 distinct placards, each individual card associated with one of a diverse range of elements from life within the Imperium, in almost every case abstractions of persons, places, and things. Example cards include, "The God-Emperor", "The Daemon", "The Shattered World", and the "Titan". Although many of the cards in the Heretic Wake deck are duplicates or facsimiles of cards within the Emperor's Tarot, there are also cards that significantly modify or exist solely within the Heretic's Wake deck.
- A traditional Heretic's Wake hand consists of six cards, dealt face-down to each player. These cards can be examined by each individual player, while the remaining cards remain facedown in a stack in the center of the playing area, and are known as the "Draw", although this pile can also be colloquially referred to as the "Source", "Well", or "Void" depending on the cultural and/or belief systems of the players. A players fortunes are measured in currency, such as Throne Gelt, or by representative markers, chits, or chips, often nine-sided.
- After the initial hand is dealt, a specified ante is wagered and players assess the value of their given hand. This is followed by the first player (often the dealer, but in the case of a non-player dealer, it is often the eldest player at a given table) either folding, calling the stakes, or raising the stakes. Each player in turn (moving counter-clockwise) then has the opportunity to fold, or 'call' the raised stakes, thus remaining in the game.
- After one round of betting, each player is entitled to exchange any three cards in their current hand for an identical amount of cards from the "Draw". It is important to note that the cards remaining in the "Draw" after all cards are dealt, are all that remain. Heretic's Wake is never played with more than 78 cards, thereby the traditional limit to players at any given table is nine. A table with nine players, therefore draws 54 cards of the deck into their respective hands, leaving only 24 in the "Draw" for exchanges. The total in the "Draw", however, is supplemented by the cards discarded by each player. Discards are made face-up and are known to all at the table. Immediately after a discard leaves a player's hand, his new cards are drawn from the existing "Draw", while his discarded cards enter the "Draw" and are then eligible to be drawn by each succeeding player for the duration of the hand.
- A second round of betting then commences, with each player in turn allowed to either fold, call, or raise the stakes on their own. This cycles back to the first player indefinitely (as resources permit) until such time as they choose to cease raising the stakes and call.
- The hands are then revealed, and the winner is the player with most valuable hand.
- The strategy in Heretic's Wake is complex, but essentially stems from the myriad combinations of cards and their respective effects on end value of other cards. Some cards increase in value when paired with certain other cards, while there are also cards held in hand that have the ability to negate the value of cards in opponent's revealed hands. The ability to "count" cards and retain a mental accounting of what cards remain in the "Draw" and what cards are in play usually determines the ultimate winner of each hand.
- This can lead to some very dramatic reversals and surprises as each final hand is revealed in turn, and is the driving entertainment behind the continuing popularity of Heretic's Wake through the centuries.
- Following the first hand, the "First Player" becomes the player to the immediate right of the original "First Player", pattern that continues counter-clockwise after each hand.
- As players wealth is exhausted, they are eliminated from the game.
- The game concludes when a single player remains, having amassed all of the resources of his opponents. It is important to note that traditionally players may not resign from a Heretic's Wake table. Once a set of stakes is forwarded to the table, it is expected of the player to remain playing until his resources are gone. In the event of a player needing to leave the table for any reason, his remaining stakes are forfeited and rolled into the wealth of the match's eventual winner.
Rookseye |
Thanks for the praise Eradico! This game, for the quality of the players and the entertainment it has given me is well worth the extra effort.
I don't know how well it would translate into a published adventure given that a lot of it is predicated upon the interpersonal interactions and agendas of the characters (I like to think a lot of my creativity in this campaign was inspired and directed by player character development), but it would certainly be interesting to write for one of the 40K RPGs.
Eradico Pravus |
I don't know how well it would translate into a published adventure given that a lot of it is predicated upon the interpersonal interactions and agendas of the characters (I like to think a lot of my creativity in this campaign was inspired and directed by player character development), but it would certainly be interesting to write for one of the 40K RPGs.
You make a good point about the translation but the core story/background/antagonists are all great!
BTW, I agree that you are very adaptable to player input and direction. That is one aspect (of many) of your games that I really enjoy. I hope to emulate that if/when I get a campaign up and running.
Speaking of which, everyone: nobody read Eleventh Hour when it comes out. I still want to run a campaign for Only War once it finally is in print.
Balfic-graa |
No worries Eradico. I am so far behind on my Warhammer reading its not even on my purchase list yet.
I agree translating our campaign across to being a DH Adventure would be difficult. But I do think it would translate nicely into a Black Library Series. =)