ATTG Season 1, Session 7 Snap, Krackle, Pop!

 

Casting

• Adelphin "Adel" Jean-Baptiste (Laurie) Domains (Death and Magic), child of  Werethekau and Baron Samedi. Machiavellian meddler. Power unto herself. Adelphin can kill with a glance, manipulate magic as if she were born to it (she was), and doesn't seem to be able to actually die. Tagline: "I'm not the devil, but betray me and I will show you hell".
• Siv (NPC) Child of Odin, handed to Adelphin for protection.
• Cosmos aka Management (Ally), an unusual cat that is her hotel manager.
• Rui Qui (Ally) Theogenic demigod, hacker, magician.
• Liam O'Shea (Randy) Domain (Strength) and child of Dagda. A huge, powerful, and deadly warrior. A druid and generally a likeable guy. Taught the old ways but is comfortable with the modern. He's traveled much of the world and is looking to see even more. Tagline: "I told you I wouldn't fit."
• Mitzidu Ito (Rory) Domains (Business, Hearth/kitchen), child of Inari and Kojin. The teams business guru, event planner and entertainer. Taglines: "Life never tasted this good before!" and "The Hearth is the heart of the home, but food is the soul of a community"
• Suveer Patel (Christian) Domain (Clearing Obstructions), child of Ganesh.  Martial artist and student of a thousand styles, Suveer is one of the teams upfront fighters with fists or his gauda (mace). He can get past any obstacle put before him. Tagline: "You are in front of me and no obstacle can stop me. Find a better place to be."
• Yannis Papadopoulos aka The Courier (Chris D.) Domains (Communication, Secrets, Rainbows), child of Harpocrates and Arke. Team sneaker and postman. If you see him, its already too late, your package has been delivered. Tagline: "The thirty minutes or less policy is for those that like to live dangerously."
• Chad (NPC), child of Cupid

We Have Questions! (Snap)

We took the one Spartan trooper left alive back for holding and interrogation, let him stew about a week for an interrogation bonus. 

Meantime we did some much needed combat practice and sparing with each other, led by Rui Qui who is a master swordsman.

When it came time for the interrogation Rui Qui did it with assistance from Adelphin and Mitzadu and essentially absorbed the contents of the subjects brain (Domain (Knowledge)) and then typed a report on his computer. 

After that Liam broke his neck.

Auriol (The Lady in Red) had woken up and was quizzed about her circumstances. She knew as soon as she was woken up that her daughter had been captured due to the spell placed on her.

It was quite a bit of info and pretty much brought the entire party up to speed and on the same page for the first time in the campaign. We were told the Spartans had a Red List of priority kill targets and Adelphin and any associated with her were on it. Mitzadu was also on it for having survived two previous Harrowings as that made him potentially dangerous despite not having a combat related domain or one typically thought of as dangerous. Liam was not on the list yet as he had just started associating with Mitzadu and neither was Chad. The Spartans had detailed dossiers on most of the group so we should have trouble surprising them with our capabilities. Auriol gave her personal history and told us that Poseidon had fathered a child on her in a very abusive relationship and she had eventually gotten away and hid the daughter, no mean feat that!

She was recently commissioned to bring a package to Poseidon and in return he would give up on the child. She balked at that when after getting the package she saw what it was, One of three pieces of the Sword of Chronus which is capable of killing a god. Apparently it has been used in a few times then broken up and parts locked away then reforged as needed for use - rinse repeat.  Currently Poseidon has one piece, the other is in Tartarus and she has the remaining piece. She explained he has gone quite insane and plans to kill Zeus with it.

A Bit of Krackle...

Mitzadu called an old friend, Michelle Lilly (daughter of Chloris/Flora) to warn her she was on the Red List, though as she was outcast from the Olympian pantheon awhile back he figured she already was and knew it.

She was glad to hear from him, yes she knew about the list - and had he heard she was getting married? She invited him to the wedding, he offered to cater it which she obviously expected<g> and said her fiancé Stephane had been hoping for that and offered him some Golden Apples as she was the daughter of Idunn.

Mitzadu immediately started salivating at what he could prepare with THAT ingredient!  He noticed his phone was about to die so said he would call back.

And Pop!

While some of the group considered the information and mulled ideas, Liam deciding that since he was not on the kill list and this was all a bit beyond him (being a very young godling after all) drove over to Mitzadus Summerlin home for some rest and to enjoy the gardens. However as soon as he arrived he was accosted by gunmen who had already disabled security (likely through magic) and killed his staff.

Liam tried to take cover in the bushes and call Mitzadu for help but Mitzadus phone chose that moment to lose its charge so he was on his own. Had he been able to reach anyone we could have gated there in I think 3 different ways.

Unfortunately someone has the Cursed disadvantage...

Liam expended a considerable amount of magical and aetheric power, as well as bodily fluids to survive but escaped through a Plane Shift spell. Liam wasn't on the Red list before but he certainly is now!

Post Session Meetings

So after hearing what happened to his home Mitzadu is pretty angry, though you would have to know him real well to tell. He is the type that gets cold and calculating rather than yell or start hitting things.  The Spartans killed his staff, the gardener, chef, security guard, and two maids. The chef was a young man he was mentoring, the guard a pleasant old Marine vet who was good with people, the maids a nice pair of witches more comfortable with magic than actually good at, and the gardener a pleasant enough though somewhat surly old native American who supervised the contractors for the pools and grounds more than did any hard labor - they slit his throat and shot the rest. After Liam escaped they set the house on fire and the fire department was unable to save it from pretty much burning to the ground.

It appears to just have been spite, unlike the trap with Maki, because if the purpose was to kill him they would have staked out the place. Instead they expended resources and risk just to annoy him and try to force him to stay at the Karnival hotel where he is harder to attack.

Also, now he has nothing to lose. With a death mark on him and any who associate with him, they backed him into a corner. No way out except through them and he knows he cant win against the Olympians, he is just a minor godling after all. So literally nothing to lose as the same fate awaits him either way. He is sad at the loss of his friends and staff, but if the desire was to send him into hopeless depression they misread him. He has lived hundreds of years and survived 4 harrowings, death is an old companion he knows can arrive at any time. He heard from Adelphin that Liam ios hurt but safe in Otherworld.

So he sets some things into motion, tries to gather some info and said his goodbyes to his parents.

Gnome Multimedia

Mitzadu used his Busnessman! skill and Domain (Business) to set up this company and several shell companies to hide its true ownership. Though one of those shell companies is barely hidden and he expects to be found pretty easily - its called Eris Consolidated and he hopes that name will cause dissension, confusion, and of course Discord within the pantheon. The neat trick here is that the goddess Eris is likely to actually appreciate being given credit for its activities so less likely to vehemently deny it. Even better if she does deny it there will be doubts as its definitely within her wheelhouse.

The purpose of Gnome Multimedia is to create memes that make certain gods look ridiculous and generally annoy them by making people think of them as jokes.  Poseidon is of course the primary target and he set up the idea of a "My Blue Pony" campaign where Poseidon is a cute tap dancing pony who plays beach volleyball with young boys and girls. He gets chased around by a goose named Heus and a crab named Karkinos who is always trying to snap at his feet and trip him. Planned is a internet short, a movie, and to start off a set of Blue Pony birthday cards and other merchandise for young girls.

In the setting belief helps shape the gods, though this wont reach a wide enough audience and it will take decades for the young girls to grow up and pass along thier toys to daughters it could hurt a little. At the least most of the pantheon are very insecure and prone to being easily offended and hurt by any perceived slight.

Police Chief Tracy Benoit

Mitzadu got a Very Good reaction roll with her and it was decided this was in part from his standing in the community (Status 2, Filthy Rich, known philanthropist) and being an exceptionally skilled lawyer. When he called her office he was put right through, possibly his home being the victim of a terrorist's attack lent some urgency to her response.

She was likely expecting an outraged constituent, casting blame, making threats, and calling the police force incompetent. What she got was a surprisingly calm and collected person who politely expressed his dissatisfaction and worry for the community and the possible effects on local business and politicians if people were afraid to come to town. Also he was offering help. Mitzadu offered to have a fundraiser for outfitting and equipping an expanded SWAT and anti-terrorism task force and get the ball rolling with his own money.  He just needed her on board and to pitch the idea to the Mayor and city counsel but with known private backing it should be an easy sell. Unsaid, but clearly understood was a lot of people would not be reelected if the issue was not quickly and dramatically resolved.  Also her status would be elevated and she is up for reelection.

Though she happened to bring up the latter.

She offered a security detail, he gratefully declined asking the money be used to protect others less well off and able to protect themselves.

Overall a very good meeting that might yield some inconvenience to the Thule Society (already in trouble because of C-Teams work) and the Spartans.

Family Affairs

Next up Mitzadu cast his Seek Greater Kami spell to reach his mother Inari.

She responded by summoning him to her home where he watched her tend the garden for twenty minutes before talking with him. She knew much of what was going on and remarked how he had been "busy". Also he should call more.

He expressed his apologies and informed her of Poseidon plans to assemble the sword and kill Zeus, and the concern that he wouldnt stop there. Especially since according to one source he had gone quite insane. Also the Spartans had quite an army and seemed out to kill any godling who might be a threat to a full Olympian ascension through the upcoming harrowing.

She informed him that she new some of this and couldnt help or directly interfere but that some of agents could interfere with their agents.

Poor mother, she actually thought he came to ask for help rather than to warn her and thus the other Kami and godlings.

He thanked her and informed her of the upcoming wedding and asked her to consider coming, one of the brides being a daughter of Idunn he felt it especially appropriate.

She then handed him his samurai armor, apparently having pulled it out of his house and some weapons, a Katana, Tanto blade and a Wakizashi. He politely and gratefully accepted (though he has his own magnificent blade he crafted decades ago so this seems weird). She then mentioned he should see his father as a form of dismissal.

Kojin was working at the stove, greeted Mitzadu warmly and they briefly and idly chatted about nothing. He sent Mitzadu on his way with two gourds of sake and a bento box. Father seemed to get the real reason for the visit, a goodbye.

Mitzadu then appeared back on earth with his gifts and headed home to put them away.

Some side notes...

It was suggested that he visit the Oracle if he can find her, she is in Los Vegas.

Maki has had her magic temporarily blocked, they are working on it.

Two Old Warriors

Next up Mitzadu tried to call Ares, having met him at the party and been complimented and thanked for providing such great food they had at least a speaking terms relationship.  Also both warriors so Mitzadu felt certain things could be said and asked, if not answered through a common soldiers bond.

Ares was apparently off earth so a spell was improvised to reach him. Ares knocked back and told Mitzadu to meet him on the street downstairs.

They greeted each other politely and Ares said he knew what this was about.

Mitzadu acknowledged that and quietly informed him about Poseidon's apparent plans and how he likely would not stop with one kill but finish off any he saw as a rival or threat. Ares should watch his back. Mitzadu was trying to get a feeling for Ares involvement, though not expecting a firm answer either way. Ares was guarded but polite and hopefully appreciated Mitzadu's discretion at not naming names or relics - they were on the street after all and not secure from scrying. Ares told him that he shouldn't even be speaking with him, but wow that was really good bacon! Mitzadu thanked him for the compliments and said he would happily feed him any time.

Next the issue of the Spartans was brought up and Mitzadu was less circumspect here as the issue posed far less risk to Ares. Ares declined to directly answer if the Spartans were solely under Poseidon's control but did acknowledge the efforts to cull godlings before the harrowing. He seemed less than comfortable about it and the two commiserated a bit about politicians and cowards. Mitzadu explained he knew he could not win or survive but that a blood debt was owed and he would do his best to collect and go down fighting, making his death as costly ass he could. Ares seemed to understand and respect that and they parted with Ares saying he hoped if anyone took his head it would be him. Mitzadu respectfully promised to try and at least bloody him and make the fight worthwhile.

No Answer

Last on the list, though certainly on the list was Hades. The spell was cast bit reaction roll only neutral and thus declined. Mitzadu will ask for Adelphins help at another attempt but I wont post the goal here as the GM told me he would prefer to improvise and be surprised.

Afterthoughts

That was a long post! It was the game session and a followup one on one and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

The last session did not go really well as some people felt they have been getting too little screen time and there is crosstalk interrupting them.  I made some suggestions and acknowledged some aditional effortts I can make to try and help but emotions were high and it did not really take. So I created a new series of posts called Gaming Advice (linked in the headers above and the search tag labels to the right) that put my thoughts on the issue (sanitized for objectivity) as not only could they potentially help our group they are common issues and I hope helpful advice to others.

A new microphone was ordered and hopefully arrive before the next game! I think that will help a lot.

Having a Better Game - Screentime and Roles

 Everyone wants a chance to shine though some people may find it embarrassing and best in small doses.  A lot of gamers are introverts or at best nerds and many of us weak on social skills.  So many gamers are not used to a lot of attention and can get flustered.

A game is a cooperative venture.

One way to insure screen time is niche protection - where everyone has a specific role and does it well. This works in some genres better than others, in many situations a generalist will be better and you should have some redundancy for important tasks.

Certain roles are cooperative and others tend towards solo play. This is important to consider when building your character as a solo role means your screen time is harder to share so you'll get les of it and at the expense of other players. That said sometimes those roles are essential!

Generally everyone should be capable at a cooperative task, typically combat. This kind of activity will be the bulk of most games and allow everyone to be involved.

Lets take a look at some typical roles...

• Detective: Gatherer of intel, essential in a mystery campaign.  Generally solo but they can work together or have others around as backup. Involves a lot of GM exposition or the player asking questions. Can be boring to watch and if that is the case try to speed it up. This goes for GMs too, dont make players roll dice for everything - that takes time. Also try to prepare ahead of time and send the player a note with what they found. I like multiple paragraphs with each one progressively better and based on margin of success. I just need to snip what they didnt get because of a bad roll and send it along. However, a simple die roll tends to be unsatisfying so add color like your writing a scene in a book.
• Face: Social activity is key to most campaigns success, at least a little part. If one player they can take up a LOT of time conversing so this is very tricky to run. Multiple characters able to participate in the same conversation, say a party or group interrogation or maybe a talker and an observer, NPC's can really make your campaign feel alive - think about your favorite fiction. Likely you appreciated good dialogue and its the same in game. I use notes to help me track NPC's and details about them. I tend to improvise and add details as the players interact, also recycle fun NPC's with some minor changes. The campaign in-joke of the stereotyped NPC can be a lot of fun too. This subject could be a supplement all by itself but you get the idea. The key is to make such interaction fun for everyone and not take too long on one person.  Also its a lot of work!
• Inventor/Enchanter: Supplies the party with gadgets and spends time in the lab or shop. A useful but often background role. Generally it is best left to a few die rolls and possible quests for materials. It doesn't have to be magical materials either, send others to deal with a shady tradesman or rummage through a scrapyard.
• Muscle: Combat is typical in most campaigns and generally a group activity. Its helpful to have different aspects of combat covered among the group so your able to handle most situations.
• Netrunner/Hacker: Usually a solo activity but depends on the setting and rules used. A simple die rol is rarely enough and things tend to be risky and contested so it usually needs to be played out. So try to make it fun to watch and not take too long. Be descriptive!
• Researcher: Pretty much same as detective but usually les interactive so its often not a good primary role. But the GM can add flair to what was discovered, the note thing from detective can be a treat for the player. Bonus points if you stick a few other plot hooks for later in the findings!
• Rigger/Driver: Usually just a go from here to there and a background thing.  But sometimes there is a chase scene, if so others usually present so give them something to do or react to. These guys can realy help the group get around but often its expensive so they suffer in other areas and this should be compensated somehow - usually screen time. Some occasional die rolls with an interesting scene like avoiding an accident, airplane landing on the road, etc. It doesn't have to be long or often just fun.
• Scientist: Kind of like the detective, the scientist is there to solve a puzzle or come up with a weird science solution. Be descriptive and fun but watch your audience for boredom.
• Scout: This guy often travels ahead of the party or sneaks into the camp. The more people sneaking around the harder it is to avoid notice so this tends to be a solo thing. An advantage here is the group is looking for information likely to be immediately useful and just before combat. Sometimes it can be part of an investigation or other thing though. Keep it short and hopefully exciting.  Try to avoid a lot of die rolls, they add tension so a few are good but too many and things odds of failure increase plus tension drops.

Managing Screen Time

This is a very very important thing for GMs to learn, but players should also keep this in mind and work at it as well.

The most important thing is to keep the entire group in mind and pay attention to them. If they start to get fidgety you should warp it up or change it up. Try to keep in mind this is a show and invoke things that inspire the imagination of everyone, not just the ones on screen. As a player your on screen and part of the show so make it a good one!

But don't be a ham, or glory hog.  Also watch out of character activity as its disruptive to the atmosphere. If you can roleplay it in an interesting manner, if you cant do that try to be brief so your not boring and hope your better next time. Sometimes were just not into it.

Also this is something that gets better with practice and work and the rewards are well worth it. Some of my best gaming memories are from such scenes, as player, GM, and observer.

Having a Better Game - Party & Player Dynamics

 Party make up has a huge impact on a campaign, but so does player make up.  Nothing is really right or wrong here but I review things to consider and take into account for better gaming.

Party Dynamics

The makeup of a given party is important. Everyone should have something to do that helps the party succeed at its goals and everyone have fun.

The most common thing that comes to mind here is niche protection.  The idea being that everyone has something that they are special at and can shine when its their turn.  However that need not always be the case!

Every character should meaningfully contribute to the party and its goals.  In most cases multiple skills or other abilities will be needed to achieve the goal, though you often want some redundancy. If combat is a thing everyone should be useful in combat, does not matter if your the best, but if you can help your contributing to the parties success -not sitting around bored. For mystery campaigns everyone should be able to gather information, and for social ones everyone should be able to converse without things always turning out bad.  Definitely try to avoid situations and builds where your character hurts the parties chances of success!

Some things are of so little use if multiple people can do them that such redundancies should be minimized, though typically you'll still want a little.  Wheelmen for example, one person able to get everyone around is usually plenty. But if they are unavailable backup transportation is useful.

Some roles work well with multiple people doing them, others one is plenty. This varies on the campaign focus so plan for that.

A good GM will anticipate party needs and help players build appropriate characters. Some players strongly prefer specific roles so others need to adapt for everyone to have fun, this is usually fine but works best with a group that knows each others preferences and has a mix of preferences.

Player Dynamics

Were all at the table to have fun! However different people have fun in different ways or doing different stuff. Communication and honesty is key here!

If you like to minimax or power game, be upfront about it so others dont find out later. Maybe that works in your group or maybe you need to find a different group.

Everyone likes a chance to shine, but some more than others and some prefer the background.

As a GM my preference has been 5 people; 2 leaders and the rest active but not really interested in leading they just want to do something. I prefer two leaders as GM because it saves me a lot of work and as the group debates and decides who to follow in a situation it gives me time to set things up or adapt to changing circumstances. Everyone needs to get along and once a decision is made fully support it for the good of the party. If it goes sideways you can playfully jibe the leader with an "I told you" or something bur be mindful if they are sensitive and easily frustrated or hurt.

A good GM and party leader will try to include everyone if at all possible, even a little time is often better than none at all and above all listen to everyone!  Also if your ideas are not used or your character fails at a task, dont take it hard or be resentful. This stuff happens, get better, adapt and work towards a happier group.  Everyone should have a good time, including you but dont be selfish about it and remember the other players also want to have fun.

Speaking of fun, remember people find different things fun! Some love to plan and work out all the details for a carefully thought out masterplan that wins the day. Others get bored with that and prefer to just charge in. Try to work it such that everyone is happy most of the time rather than one person happy all the time at the expense of others.

The best way to do this is good communication and observation, figure out what your fellow players prefer and try to set it up so they can do the things they like while you also get your fun.

Solo activity is usually more fun for the person doing than the people watching.  If your doing something alone try to be entertaining about it so the other can sit back and enjoy the show. And try to get it done expeditiously but not so fast you fail or dont have any fun, a good GM will help here but this is more an art than science and takes practice.  Also some people simply better at it than others! But if other people enjoy watching you work than the whole game is better for it.

Party leaders should take all the above into account and plan not just for a successful mission but people having fun at it. If your the leader give everyone a voice (even those who don't want it usually like being asked or acknowledged) and a job to do.

Group activity should be fun for everyone, be prepared when its your turn, ask for help if you need it, and try to be efficient for improved gameplay. But also try to be interesting! Dont just say I attack but describe the attack. Your an actor in a play or a character in a book and the rest of the table is the audience when its your turn - so put on a good show!  Just don't ham it up too much! Unless your playing TOON or its otherwise appropriate.

Having a Better Game - Crosstalk

 This is the first in what will be an irregular series.  The idea is tips to help make your gaming sessions better, every group has its own quirks and these will not fit everyone but I think are useful to at least consider and possibly try out if your group has these issues.

Crosstalk

Every group has this problem, but successful ones either accept and embrace it or learn how to curb it.\

RPG gaming is a social experience and people handle social activities in different ways. Crosstalk is when players talk over each other and is a distraction and can keep people from being heard.

This tends to be far worse online than in person.

In person you can see everyone and rely on visual cues to know when someone is about to start talking or when they are getting ready to stop. People usually inhale just before they start to speak and this can be observed.  Also we often make physical gestures as part of our communication and speaker and audience alike can use those as part of the conversation - typically a tone setting under current.

Online you might have video chat but everyone is smaller and less clear. Your seeing less of them and they are less distinct so physical queues are harder to pick up on. Worse, if the camera shifts to the speaker rather than a gallery view. Also your doing other stuff online such as looking at character sheets, maps, gaming apps, rulebooks, etc and these all tend to take focus away from the camera view.  So its much harder to tell when someone is about to speak or whether they are done talking or just catching their breath.

Online also has a bit of lag and some people have low bandwidth or poor audio setups that exacerbate the problem.

Essentially online conversations tend to be less interactive and more like a series or exchange of short speeches. This has a very different tone and flavor.

How to Address This?

• The larger the group the more it will happen, so manage group size.
• Use Right of Way: If someone is talking dont interrupt unless you really have to and that generally should just be the GM. If you think they are done because they paused for breath or whatever apologize with a word once you realize and let them continue.
• Dont Abuse Your Right of Way: While your talking no one else should be and they often have things to contribute as well.  So try to make your point quickly and dont hog the microphone.
• Sidetalk: In person, side conversations can be whispered with some distraction but depending on seating it can allow for multiple conversations around the table or room. Online, this isn't an option as if one person can hear you clearly than everyone can.
• When someone starts to talk over you they may not have realized you werent finished. Accept the apology and move on but be mindful that they had a thought they wanted to express or question they wanted to ask so give them the opportunity as soon as you can. One of the worst things you can do is be offended and go on a diatribe about it. If it happens often, discuss it later.
• The GM is there to run all the NPCs, describe the world, and basically run the game. This includes steering conversations as well as plot and should be an effective and fair moderator. Sometimes part of this can be delegated to a party leader though, effective party leaders can keep the game pace moving.
• Audio issues. Two people in the same room can create feedback as the microphones pick up both conversations and the people in the room seem to be talking twice. This can also happen with poor equipment (or set wrong) and if a player is not using headphones and the mic pics up the computer output and plays it back. These issues can be very annoying so fix them quickly. Headphones, directional mics, and good software (the latter is typically very expensive) can all resolve the issue.
• Background noise: A/C, family, pets, even noise from the street can all be picked up and broadcast. Adjusting microphone sensitivity will help, but sometimes you need to use the mute button. Be mindful of the noise from your end. This gets worse the more people have it - like a roomful of whispering.
• When its your turn to talk be ready. Pay attention to the combat or other activity and try to figure out what your going to do.  Sometimes things change right before its your turn and you have to adapt or even scrap your plan but most of the time you should be able to anticipate what your going to do.
• Know the rules: The longer you have played the game the easier this is, also a bunch of house rules can confuse the issue but try to learn the relevant rules well enough that you know your options.  Sometimes others may offer a suggestion, welcome the help even if you opt not to take it. If their are modifiers like range or lighting penalties try to figure them pout in advance so no one is waiting on you to do the math. Its ok if you need help (try private messaging sometimes it will help) and everyone was new sometime. However players who wont learn the basic rules or never ready when its their turn can be a pain. Think of a game like a play or movie and how much more enjoyable it is when the action flows smoothly rather than actors constantly using exposition or forgetting their lines.
• Talk in character and keep out of character talk to a minimum. This helps everyone be more immersed in the campaign and reduces crosstalk.  Though in character crosstalk is sometimes appropriate (like arguments, debate and interrupts such as "Watch out!"), out of character crosstalk rarely is.
• Be Ready!  This was addressed in Know The Rules but beyond that you should pay attention and be ready for your turn, even if it came up early. For example two characters may be having a conversation and suddenly ask your input. Not paying attention can be just as rude online as it is in person and will also slow the game down as everyone waits for you to catch up.
• Snacking:  Gaming is a social activity and often includes snacking. In person this can be a pizza break or bowl of chips but you should have food that can be shared. Online the kitchen is often close by and you may eat when not talking. Be mindful of the noise and use mute if your a noisy eater or have a sensitive mic. Also dont put that bag of chips next to the mic!

Not all of these will apply to your group and not all are as easily implemented. Plus even if everyone tries crosstalk WILL still happen, but if its dealt with gracefully and quickly your games should be better and more enjoyable.

Designers Notes: Secret Masters (Pyramid Scheme: Modern Action Issue)

 With the latest GURPS Kickstarter coming to a close and currently shy just $515 and 96 backers to unlock the final streatch goals I thought it a good time to do my designers notes for one of the things you can get as an add-on.

Edit: That is now just $253 and 77 backers to go as I finish and submit this post to the internet.

The Pyramid Scheme was three issues of a dozen articles and is available again at the $15 pledge value, getting you 36 great articles plus all the new supplements!

Secret Masters

This was my article for the Modern Action issue of the Pyramid Scheme Kickstarter.

GURPS Conspiracy Resources

Steve Jackson Games has long been know for a fondness of conspiracy and behind the scenes games, board games, card games, and RPGs all have had their share of fun conspiracy related themes.

GURPS Illuminati was for GURPS Third Edition and this article was a way to adapt some of it to Fourth Edition and add a fresh twist.  Instead of just being aware and part of a conspiracy the character can be in charge of one!

GURPS Fourth Edition includes the advantage Illuminated which I think we first saw in GURPS Illuminati but was also included in GURPS Voodoo another great conspiracy setting. This advantage lets you be aware of the conspiracy and grants some nice benefits.  GURPS Social Engineering (pretty much the entire series). GURPS Boardroom and Curia helps give simple stat sheets to organizations and GURPS Realm Management helps with running a country or town.  Supported by some Pyramid articles as seen here.

This is all great for players running organizations or player characters being pawns or members of such, but what I felt was lacking was being a mover and shaker.

Illuminated Master

The core idea behind this article was using existing resources and rules as much as possible. I created one new advantage, though its essentially just an Unusual Background.

This allows the player to buy Rank in an organization without actually being a member of it. The advantage includes some other stuff and the article a lot of suggestions I wont go into here (Buy it) but the concept and gist is that Rank gives you limited authority in an organization but typically requires a Duty, and required skills or other advantages and significantly accountability! However when your not the CEO or General but have them in your pocket (or at least can call in favors) you can get stuff done. I also briefly suggest options for non-supernatural advantages. After all you dont need magical powers to manipulate people!

And some genre ideas for existing advantages, skills, and techniques as well as book recommendations.

What is Left?

Articles are very tight word count and I left out a lot of potential ideas that could have been done in a supplement.  Recently I started in a campaign where I am playing a godling with Business as a domain and Businessman! for a wildcard. Manipulating corporations seemed a good for him so I proposed this advantage and article to the GM (Christopher Rice). He countered with buying Rank with Cosmic which is a good option, especially for controlling one or just a few organizations. I'll add my proposed ideas to that response here. Mind you these are proposed and have not yet been submitted or accepted and he may have differing opinions or ideas.

• Cosmic (Rank (Organization Name, Unattached), +50%): Your Rank is unofficial and does not require you to have a Duty or obligation to the organization. Your a known associate, perhaps retired or a benefactor and people will know about your relationship.
• Cosmic (Rank Organization Name, Stealth), +100%: You have effective Rank in the organization but your orders and requests are effectively "Black Box" and not traceable directly to you or even a specific associate.  This cinematic capability can represent the work of a department that can issue commands or requests without accountability or people desiring to look into the directives. It can also represent fake identities, shell companies holding assets, or simply a network of contacts through which requests can be made without holding a single valued asset responsible. Includes the Unattached level and commands can be obviously from your or untraceable at your discretion.
• Cosmic (Rank, (Organization Name, Illuminated), +300%: This godlike tricks level has all the advantages of Stealth above, but extraordinary access as well. Orders can be issued with absurdly fast reaction times as you bypass normal channels and procedure and no one really knows who or why such directives were made. While the organization may be held accountable by others, internally no one can be properly assigned responsibility. Its up to the effects and GM to see if this results in finger pointing a scapegoat (personal rivals for example) or closing ranks to present a unified front.

Rank can be normal, Informal, -50% (GURPS Power-Ups 8: Limitations, p. 15), or Courtesy - though the limitations of Courtesy Rank (p. B29) still apply in that most non trivial requests will be denied as you have respect, but without authority.

The GM's other suggestion was Rank! a wildcard version. That could look something like this.

Rank! (20/level)

You have extraordinary leadership and social presence and people tend to listen to you even when they probably shouldn't. This can come from extreme social skills such as Talker! or knowledge within various fields and about organizations.  This could allow any 5 point power (per level) the GM approves, including different types of Rank. The powers must be plausible uses of Rank and if they are limited use traits (Contact, Serendipity, etc.) that trait is unavailable for the normal duration. This is similar to how traits like Blessed work under Divine Favor.

* Compare to alternative abilities which would get you up to 16 instances of Rank per level for the same 20 points. Though you could have different levels of Rank in differing organizations, instead of the same in 16 organizations. Its more expensive (that is a LOT of organizations!) but more versatile and certainly easier bookkeeping!

Mitzadu would likely take it with Aspected (Merchant), -20% and Costs CP as an aspect of his godly Domain (Business), though if he had Domain (Leadership) or something similar it would be without the Aspected modifier.

Anyhow I hope you found this useful or at least interesting and even better if you like the concept enough to add that Pyramid to your pledge.  And there is more material I could add, including many more examples should a full supplement be requested,

ATTG Season 1, Session 6 Die Spartans!

 GMs Recap

Casting

• Adelphin "Adel" Jean-Baptiste (Laurie) Domains (Death and Magic), child of  Werethekau and Baron Samedi. Machiavellian meddler. Power unto herself. Adelphin can kill with a glance, manipulate magic as if she were born to it (she was), and doesn't seem to be able to actually die. Tagline: "I'm not the devil, but betray me and I will show you hell".
• Siv (NPC) Child of Odin, handed to Adelphin for protection.
• Cosmos aka Management (Ally), an unusual cat that is her hotel manager.
• Rui Qui (Ally) Theogenic demigod, hacker, magician.
• Liam O'Shea (Randy) Domain (Strength) and child of Dagda. A huge, powerful, and deadly warrior. A druid and generally a likeable guy. Taught the old ways but is comfortable with the modern. He's traveled much of the world and is looking to see even more. Tagline: "I told you I wouldn't fit."
• Mitzidu Ito (Rory) Domains (Business, Hearth/kitchen), child of Inari and Kojin. The teams business guru, event planner and entertainer. Taglines: "Life never tasted this good before!" and "The Hearth is the heart of the home, but food is the soul of a community"
• Suveer Patel (Christian) Domain (Clearing Obstructions), child of Ganesh.  Martial artist and student of a thousand styles, Suveer is one of the teams upfront fighters with fists or his gauda (mace). He can get past any obstacle put before him. Tagline: "You are in front of me and no obstacle can stop me. Find a better place to be."
• Yannis Papadopoulos aka The Courier (Chris D.) Domains (Communication, Secrets, Rainbows), child of Harpocrates and Arke. Team sneaker and postman. If you see him, its already too late, your package has been delivered. Tagline: "The thirty minutes or less policy is for those that like to live dangerously."
• Chad (NPC), child of Cupid

 Ready, Set, Fight!

After having rescued Maki the group opted to finish the kidnappers off to keep them from trying again and passing along a message to others who might be considering going after the group.

Awaiting a signal from Yanninis everyone but Liam is on the roof preparing to jump in through a skylight. 

Unfortunately the group showed its newness in working together and communication pus several tactical errors were made.

Rui breaks into the skylight over the far end of the boxing ring and jumps down, followed by Adelphin. Liam busts down the door (Hey big guy, it was unlocked!) with a dramatic "Oh, Yeah!" Garret (one of the three enemy demigods) activates a power (dont think we ever noticed what it was). Suveer drops down from the skylight over the near side of the boxing ring and middle of the building, landing on a cultist. Mitzidu realizes that its a pretty far jump (25 feet) onto concrete and heads towards the next skylight where Suveer went in. Yannis stalls trying to figure out the best action.

The cultists let loose with automatic weapons and enchanted guns, taking out Liam and Chad and crippling Suveers leg.  Yannis shoots Paul (the mage demigod) through the heart with a deadly rainbow and is overloaded by absorbing the godlings power. Mitzidu notes that someone (likely he or Adellphin) should have made sure the younger godlings new about that backlash from permanently killing another godling. Adelphin uses her deathgaze on Garret, killing him. Mitzadu leaps down into the ring, opting to land on Chad to break his fall (apprentices are supposed to be abused right?) and with his Acrobatics takes no damage. Suveer scuttles under the ring to avoid all the gunfire. The cultists shoot more, the group avoids most of the bullets, though only Mitzidu and Adelphin are unscathed. Apparently the cultist near Liam really liked that door as he continues to empty his gun into the already dead Liam, reloads and does it again. And again.

Rui heads upstairs to the office to eliminate the snipers while Adelphin raise dead cultists as zombies then decides to finish off the godling she already took out. She knocks herself out in the process. Mitzadu wondered why, maybe shes too obsessed with death? Surely shes not trying to ascend and in any case would have trusted the others not to take her kill.

At this point only Rui, a crippled Suveer, and Mitzadu are in the fight and several cultists are still shooting at us, along with Mary the remaining demigod who trades sword blows with Mitzadu.

Mitzadu is actually disarmed by Mary who easily saw through his feint and leaps back to avoid her blow while getting closer to the two remaining cultists shooting at him. Suveer finishes off the cultist who went after him, Liam bleeds more, Adelphin and Yannis take a nap, and Mitzadu summons his sword from the ground and beheads the two cultists just as he had the first one to shoot at him. As he turns to face Mary in hopes of a solid sword duel Suveer throws his cultist at her and then leaps and slams into her breaking her legs. Rui slept the guy unloading into Liam (He really had a mad on about that door!) and Mitzadu shakes the blood off his sword before sheathing it and stepping past Mary to go heal the wounded comrades.

Aftermath

We searched the building and questioned the survivors but aside from learning they were Spartans (Greek black Ops group) nothing much seemed to be had.

Suveer finished off Mary, though he asked the group first which Mitzadu appreciated but there was no honor in him taking her head.

The group called in cleaners to take care of the mess and noted that as no police had arrived, despite all the gunfire they had probably bribed the locals.

Mitzadu used a lot of his mana reserves, including that in his sword to heal everyone up and with her help Gated Maki back to Tokyo. The rest headed back to the hotel to clean up, stopping for fast food on the way.

AfterThoughts

We had a tense fight and the GM made some very lucky die rolls and the players (except for Adelphin) also made several critical failures. We also made some very poor tactical choices.

1. I think Mitzadu was the only one who had prepared charms ahead of time and used them (Lesser Celerity and Safeguard) and they helped keep him alive.
2. Liam, Adelphin, and Mitzadu should have had some combat charms prepared in advance and handed out.  If not we still had time before the fight to cast at least a couple of spells.
3. Relying on the infiltrator/stealth guy to give your signal has some drawbacks.
4. We should have positioned ourselves better, primarily Mitzadu. The player forgot Jumping did not reduce fall damage, only Acrobatics and he had to be in human form to use that. That cost him two turns once the fight started.
5. Finishing off the enemy godlings in the fight was a really bad idea. No fault to Yannis who didnt know, and the rest of us should have not assumed he knew.  I think I was the only player who anticipated a Highlander type Quickening and distraction and even I didnt anticipate you would go unconscious, figured Mental Stun which would still allow active defense, albeit at -4.  Not sure why Adelphin went for the kill. Both our character's should have known what was going on, the players should have thought to ask the GM and then tell the younger ones who had not gone through a harrowing yet. OTH the GM wanted it to be a dramatic reveal.
6. Liam opting to not take a reroll was a bad tactical choice but a respected role-playing choice. His foe crit hit him and he crit failed the HT check and could have used a wildcard point for the latter but figured the Fates or Norns were telling him something.

So lessons hopefully learned. The group needs to communicate better and be proactive with spells and charms.  Some body armor wouldn't hurt either. Ironically the only one not hurt was Mitzadu who had DR 0, but a bad Dodge roll and that would have changed.

The group is getting a powerup to spend saved experience from the last 6 games and 3 players also got a boost from killing demigods.  Armed with that and our battle experience hopefully were better prepared for4 the next fight.

It was a fun game though!

A Thousand Tiny Gods, Session 5: Save the Maiden!

 GM Recap

Casting

• Adelphin "Adel" Jean-Baptiste (Laurie) Domains (Death and Magic), child of  Werethekau and Baron Samedi. Machiavellian meddler. Power unto herself. Adelphin can kill with a glance, manipulate magic as if she were born to it (she was), and doesn't seem to be able to actually die. Tagline: "I'm not the devil, but betray me and I will show you hell".
• Liam O'Shea (Randy) Domain (Strength) and child of Dagda. A huge, powerful, and deadly warrior. A druid and generally a likeable guy. Taught the old ways but is comfortable with the modern. He's traveled much of the world and is looking to see even more. Tagline: "I told you I wouldn't fit."
• Mitzidu Ito (Rory) Domains (Business, Hearth/kitchen), child of Inari and Kojin. The teams business guru, event planner and entertainer. Taglines: "Life never tasted this good before!" and "The Hearth is the heart of the home, but food is the soul of a community"
• Suveer Patel (Christian) Domain (Clearing Obstructions), child of Ganesh.  Martial artist and student of a thousand styles, Suveer is one of the teams upfront fighters with fists or his gauda (mace). He can get past any obstacle put before him. Tagline: "You are in front of me and no obstacle can stop me. Find a better place to be."
• Yannis Papadopoulos aka The Courier (Chris D.) Domains (Communication, Secrets, Rainbows), child of Harpocrates and Arke. Team sneaker and postman. If you see him, its already too late, your package has been delivered. Tagline: "The thirty minutes or less policy is for those that like to live dangerously."
• Siv (NPC) Child of Odin, handed to Adelphin for protection.
• Chad (NPC), child of Cupid

Save Maki!

Everyone came to help Mitzidu save Maki, for which he was grateful. He rode his bike, following the foxfire and the rest followed him in one of Adelphins cars.

She was apparently captured and being held in a closed boxing gym. The group scattered to scout, each in their own way.

• Mitzidu turned into a fox and Liam threw him on the roof.
• Liam and Yannis went to the back door.
• Adelphin, Suveer, and an employee also went for the roof.

Yannis hid herself and went in to explore while the rest waited for a signal.  Than he decided to just rescue Mika and get her out of the building with an illusion covering her absence. Having her safe the group decided to send a message and dispatch the members of what is presumably a black lodge and the two demigods present.  Also its possible they are part of a larger plot rather than just a standard sacrificial ritual.  Finding out what was going on could be just as important as sending a message.

Break

We ended the session there for personal reasons and will picvk up the fight next time.

A Thousand Tiny Gods: Session 4 A Meeting

 GM Recap

Casting

• Adelphin "Adel" Jean-Baptiste (Laurie) Domains (Death and Magic), child of  Werethekau and Baron Samedi. Machiavellian meddler. Power unto herself. Adelphin can kill with a glance, manipulate magic as if she were born to it (she was), and doesn't seem to be able to actually die. Tagline: "I'm not the devil, but betray me and I will show you hell".
• Liam O'Shea (Randy) Domain (Strength) and child of Dagda. A huge, powerful, and deadly warrior. A druid and generally a likeable guy. Taught the old ways but is comfortable with the modern. He's traveled much of the world and is looking to see even more. Tagline: "I told you I wouldn't fit."
• Mitzidu Ito (Rory) Domains (Business, Hearth/kitchen), child of Inari and Kojin. The teams business guru, event planner and entertainer. Taglines: "Life never tasted this good before!" and "The Hearth is the heart of the home, but food is the soul of a community"
• Suveer Patel (Christian) Domain (Clearing Obstructions), child of Ganesh.  Martial artist and student of a thousand styles, Suveer is one of the teams upfront fighters with fists or his gauda (mace). He can get past any obstacle put before him. Tagline: "You are in front of me and no obstacle can stop me. Find a better place to be."
• Yannis Papadopoulos aka The Courier (Chris D.) Domains (Communication, Secrets, Rainbows), child of Harpocrates and Arke. Team sneaker and postman. If you see him, its already too late, your package has been delivered. Tagline: "The thirty minutes or less policy is for those that like to live dangerously."
• Siv (NPC) Child of Odin, handed to Adelphin for protection.
• Chad (NPC), child of Cupid

The Breakfast Club

Adelphin called for a breakfast meeting, Mitzidu and Liam decided to attend out of curiosity. Notes were shared, though not much new was to be had. Adelphin had one of her employees brief everyone on his research and he had found three groups, probably lodges operating in the area. Poseidon had retrieved his child and it appeared the Greek pantheon was up to something.  Also someone, likely a black lodge had cast a city wide spell that made people feel anxious which could be to help them draw energy.

Adelphin was asked to go outside and check on the spell and Mitzidu went to initate some research on new leases and purchases to help find out where groups might be operating out of.

As Mitzidu walked to his bike a foxfire buzzed his head and Maki Enko whispered in his head that she had been captured and to follow it to where she was.  He called the others to see if they would help.

Afterthoughts

Most of the game was us chatting around the breakfast table, the info was pretty quick but it felt like things had gone on too long so I had Mitzidu leave to get us to the next phase. We also had a shortened game.