Static. A disjoint in time, and perhaps space. Venus is a thread in another wisp of memory. I see red and grey skies over the maglev as it speeds toward the city of Ashoka through the dry, rocky Martian desert. I used to be Hokusai the neo-octopus artist, on the run from Nine Lives the soul stealing crime cartel. Now I walk on two legs in a ghost morph, in a physical body optimised for stealth operations. With me is the female async Quill, her telepathic mind percolating with a thousand paper cranes. Back in Valles-New Shanghai, we are the only two members of Fastball Express hypercorp who answer the VR call from one Mr. Miyazaki. He gives us the time and invitation for an upcoming Zanzibar marketplace that would occur in 30 hours in Ashoka. There a neo-gorilla named Winston will be attempting to sell something valuable and rare: […]
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The Trianii, the droid and the Trandoshan
The blog tag collects all the posts related directly or sometimes tangentially to the Gamers of Kuala Lumpur, a group of friends who accepted me into their RPG-playing ranks and helped me regain my sanity when I needed it…
EOTE: The Azurite City Requiem
Modesty Blazing 07 The Azurite City Requiem *** In this game I thought I could finish this arc of the campaign in the second session. I failed. Previously on Modesty Blazing… Hello and Goodbye As explosions wrecked the peaceful evening at Azurite City, the team began to regroup. The Duros spy Vendrik told them that he had received an encrypted communiqué via the public channels. It was a code phrase ordering him to leave the planet. The team started to object. They would need his help if things went bad. Vendrik said, “I can’t get involved now when the Empire appear to be using underhanded tactics to take over the system. They really want this system. If they knew that the Rebel Alliance is involved with their opposition, they’ll call for a Base Delta Zero orbital bombardment killing everyone and everything on the surface of Ghyel. I know because I’ve […]
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EOTE: An Ode to Backwater Politics
Modesty Blazing 06 An Ode to Backwater Politics *** After saving the life of the long-frozen PRINCE ZALO HAI of the GHYEL system, the crew of the MODESTY BLAZE has found themselves contracted by Prince Zalo’s descendant LORD ARANI HAI, a Ghyel loyalist. The GALACTIC EMPIRE, unsatisfied with Ghyel providing raw materials and manufactured goods to them, has bolstered an Imperialist faction against the Hais’ loyalists with Ghyel as their endgame. Meanwhile, as the Prince is reintroduced to his people, DARTER KEL, QILLIAN RYN and VAX-11/750 await the return of JOHN TRAY’ESSEK and NORA ROMANOVA back into to their fold at AZURITE CITY SPACEPORT… It’s been awhile since I gamemastered six players in a political intrigue session. Political intrigue is hard. More so when you don’t gamemaster the campaign that often. So let’s get down to it! Previously on Modesty Blazing… A Gozanti cruiser modified to be an unarmed commercial […]
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Warbirds RPG: East or West, Bombs are Best
I played for the first time in GOKL’s still-new Warbirds RPG campaign yesterday. Warbirds is a dieselpunk role-playing game where players are mercenary pilots who fly alternate-universe versions of circa-1940 combat fighters among the Caribbean Islands. But this version of the Caribbean Islands – including the parts of the Yucatan and Florida – were enveloped by a strange devastating storm in 1807. When the storm abated, the islands found themselves floating in mid-air over a sea of murky clouds. At night, the stars are different than the ones the survivors are used to on Earth. The world was called Azure. After more than a century, the islands have formed new nations and new alliances. Using local exotic material known as floatstones, hovering ships were created as vehicles to travel between the islands. A mercenary group known as the Esteemed Guild of Combat Aviators was formed to fight to gain fortune among […]
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EOTE: The Prince In Carbonite
Modesty Blazing 05 The Prince In Carbonite *** Previously, on Star Wars: Modesty Blazing… After disposing of the twisted IG-series assassin droid that took over the Imperial Biomedical Base on the icy world of Khov and freeing the captured prisoners at Smallberries Skystation on Hypori, the Modesty Blaze returned to the deserted outpost with a contractor to quickly salvage and sell off what they can. The hired gun Tray’Essek the Trandoshan opted to remain at Smallberries Station to ensure the prisoners’ release properly. The Tinhub Brothers Salvage Corporation employees first helped the droid 41-VEX, Zeltron explorer Darter Kel and Trianii bounty hunter Qilian Ryn modify the Blaze by increasing her manoeuvrability and replacing her dorsal cannon with one of two anti-aircraft quadcannons that was protecting the base. Occasionally, tremors shook the walls and floor of the bay as they worked. The crew allowed the Tinhub Brothers team to take apart one Lambda-class shuttle and one […]
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EOTE: Droid-like Typing Detected
Modesty Blazing 04 Droid-like Typing Detected *** The Zeltron pilot Darter Kel had been detained for questioning by the authorities of Smallberries Skystation on Hypori. After all he was the one who dealt with and was up close with the former Captain Razi Sunmote. The errant Captain Sunmote used a droid caller to muster an attack force made of dormant battle droids. The droids had been reactivated from salvage taken from the Hypori. After dealing death and destruction within Section 12 of the skystation, Sunmote and his droid force jettisoned their captured section and jumped into hyperspace on a desperate mission of vengeance. But Darter’s shipmates, the droid 41-VEX, the Trianii bounty hunter Qillian Ryn and Trandoshan hired gun John Tray’Essek, were released on their own recognizance, after a good word from the entrepreneur they rescued, Gir Tashkent. The crew of the Modesty Blaze was waiting for Darter’s questioning to end when a […]
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EOTE: Skyfall
Modesty Blazing 03 Skyfall *** Note: This GOKL campaign follows the Star Wars Edge of the Empire Beginners Game that started with GOKL Escapes Mos Shuuta and continued with GOKL Escapes The Insurmountable Ned. Now that the former Krayt Fang has been renamed Modesty Blaze (after a short stint as Babymetal before retcon renaming) after its major refitting on Rodia, the campaign will now be named “Modesty Blazing.” No Obligation roll just because. Initial Destiny pool rolls resulted in this: Ord Throsol Ord Throsol was a white dwarf system with multiple asteroid fields and thick cometary clouds. The airless planetoid known as Ord Throsol was centre of mining refinery and manufacturing. The Modesty Blaze is berthed alongside the scout vessel, the YV-929 armed freighter Veracity Slush. The Blaze crew had just been commissioned to deliver machine parts to Gir Tashkent of Spacewell Manufacturing Inc. on Smallberries Skystation in the Hypori system. But first, Zeltron pilot Darter Kel, the droid 41-VEX, the Trianii assassin […]
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Night’s Black Agents: Let Slip The Ovcharkas of War
Last time on Night’s Black Agents: Jacob Novazembla, Nikolai Kaidanovsky, Sami Härkönen, Brendan, Shiina “Misha” Mikado and Zlatan Kljujic were finally reunited at the heavily fortified ranch of King Valentin the “Devil’s Husband” after extracting his love, the Romani vampire Vienna “Vin” Cesarescu from the deadly R-Team, Inish Medical‘s special operations team. Leaving Faris Barrar and his men stranded in Bucharest, Romania, they fled across the Bulgarian border and the Danube river near Ruse and Shtraklevo. Day 05 Monday: Very Early Morning Brunch Planning It was late after midnight after everyone had some hours of catching up, rest and planning. Since Vin needed the Inish serum to function in daytime without adverse effects from the sun and going on a bloodlust, Nikolai – a former Russian GRU operative who was also a medical doctor – went immediately to work at the ranch’s lab trying to analyse the vial she entrusted them with. She kept the other one, […]
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Night’s Black Agents: A Sunny Day in Pripyat
Previously in Bucharest, Nikolai Kaidanovsky, Sami Härkönen, Shiina “Misha” Mikado and Zlatan Kljujic were joined by the cleaner only known as Brendan. Their recent recruit, the French thief Marcel Clouseau was lost to the bite of thousands of vampire puppies and a well-placed thermobaric warhead near Lake Titan. Nikolai, who was about to extract their ally Vienna “Vin” Cesarescu, suddenly found things at the Sunrise Hotel to be chaotic. Face to face with the lethal R-Team, Inish Medical’s operatives sent to East Europe for a job, Vin’s quick thinking saved Nikolai telling the others that he was a member of Julian Dragani‘s police cadre on their pay. But he found himself in a car fleeing the hotel with the driver Gregor, Faris Barrar, Mr. Chow and other members of Inish Medical’s R-Team operatives. The agents’ tacnet still active, they began planning. Misha and Brendan were to go directly to their teammate […]
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Eclipse Phase: The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
Last time on Eclipse Phase: Clouds of a Morning Star… Location: Sacajawea Patera caldera in Ishtar Terra, the surface of Venus. Active Gamera Security (GamSec) Personnel: The infomorph DANAI in a q-morph, the other infomorph Wandering Ina in a Venusian flyer morph, Billy Cable Jr. paranoid terrorist in a neotenic pod morph and Hokusai Tarnungshaut – neo-octopus artist in another q-morph. Then The Venusian chapter of Fastball Express, under the cover name of Gamera Security, had been commissioned by Morningstar Constellation security executive Kage Musha to investigate possible terrorist activity among the aerostats of Venus. They began operating on the orbital habitat Gerlach, then established a branch in a dirigible docked in the aerostat Aphrodite Prime. Their investigations brought to light that the orbital habitat Timothea Bush-Kennedy, also known as Timbuk3, had been attacked by TITANs during the Fall more than a decade ago, broke up and crashed into the […]
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Eclipse Phase: At the Bottom of the Gravity Well
Last time on Eclipse Phase: Clouds of a Morning Star… Location: Lucifer, Venus. Active Gamera Security (GamSec) Personnel: DANAI and Wandering Ina the infomorphs, William Cable Jr. – paranoid terrorist in a neotenic pod morph and Hokusai Tarnungshaut – neo-octopus artist in a slitheroid morph. In Transit to Altitude 40km The mining aerostat Lucifer was a bustle of activity. Miners. Support staff. Security. Tethered over Ishtar Terra close to the north polar region it was being assailed by gale force winds generated by a Venusian polar vortex. The aerostat appeared from a distance to be listing although tethers allowed it to maintain station keeping. But Lucifer was their destination, tracking a terrorist signal from the city aerostat of Aphrodite Prime that was bounced off a mirror assembly on the superstructure of the orbital habitat Gerlach. GamSec descended upon Lucifer via an elevator from the floating high altitude docks. Their patron […]
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Night’s Black Agents: Attack On Titan
Previously, Nikolai Kaidanovsky, Sami Härkönen, Shiina “Misha” Mikado and Zlatan Kljujic were joined by the French thief Marcel Clouseau in Bucharest who once dealt with Inish Medical before their exile fro Romania. (Clouseau has been relegated to a non-player character as his player had moved out of town.) At midnight, the agents met up with the freelance cleaner Brendan, who had worked with Misha and MI6 before in Eastern European black ops. Plenty of codewords were exchanged at the café between Misha and Brendan before trustworthiness was established. In the end though no one could tell if a codeword was being used. Brendan said, “Thank you, I’ll leave now.” Misha paused for a second then asked, “Is that a code phrase or are you actually leaving?” “Yes.” DAY 04 Sunday Before Dawn Sami and Zlatan prepared to support Clouseau’s undercover dog-catching job at the Harmony Wings apartment building near Lake […]
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Eclipse Phase: Thanks for the Memories
I missed two roleplaying sessions of Eclipse Phase since the last game. Location: Aphrodite Prime, Venus. Active Gamera Security (GamSec) Personnel: DANAI and Wandering Ina the infomorphs, William Cable Jr. – paranoid terrorist in a neotenic pod morph and Hokusai Tarnungshaut – neo-octopus artist in a slitheroid morph. Hokusai-free Session 01: Don’t Play Koi With Me, Cable A more detailed write up of this session can be found on Obsidian Portal. After the Cumulus Hotel caper, Hokusai stayed on their dirigible while Cable, Ina and DANAI went out into the field. As Cable was viewing the flying gasbags that they’d saved from destruction at the Aviary, the animals began falling and crashing onto the deck dead. Kage Musha their patron in Morningstar Constellation called for GamSec to chew them out. How could have the Aviary animals be poisoned? There was a danger of Kage punishing GamSec by resleeving their egos […]
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Night’s Black Agents: A Romanian Rendezvous
Previously, the Agents completed a week-long mission at Inish Medical, a multinational medical corporation that was using the haemocanis serum derived from blood of certain East European dog breeds to give vampiric abilities to their subjects. Inish appeared to have larger, more diabolical plans for the serum application. It was up to them to discover what. The Agents began a new mission: to gather intel on Romania. Inish took interest in criminal underworld in Bucharest, who helped them acquire special breeds of dogs in Romania before the Heimdall débâcle. They also had a secondary mission: to extract their ally Vienna “Vin” Cesarescu from Inish’s task force – the R-Team – that had a job to do in Romania. Vin was a Romani woman who displayed vampiric symptoms and abilities even before Inish abducted her and forced her to work for them. R-Team would be arriving in Bucharest on Saturday. DAY […]
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Eclipse Phase: The Standoff at the Cumulus Hotel
Eclipse Phase: Clouds of a Morning Star continued from the previous session. Location: Aphrodite Prime, about 50 km above Venus’ surface. Active Gamera Security (GamSec) Personnel: DANAI and Wandering Ina (and Wandering Ina-α) the infomorphs, William Cable Jr. – paranoid terrorist in a neotenic pod morph and Hokusai Tarnungshaut – neo-octopus artist in a slitheroid morph Inactive Personnel: Badal Jones – Lunar Lagrange Alliance (LLA) envoy and Boris Ivanov Rasputin the Second – a neo-hominid lawyer in the shaper morph. Mission: To provide security and investigative services to Badal’s superior the LLA’s ambassador during an art show at the Cumulus Hotel, where reclusive posthuman artist Marquis d’Homem-Christos from the asteroid 163693 Atira would be showcasing alien sculptures he collected from the extraterrestrial Factors. LLA had intercepted a vague communique about a terrorist attack during the event and would like the attack thwarted. Their secondary mission was to help Gretchen Ambelina of […]
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Night’s Black Agents: The Quiet Week At Brentford
I missed the last two Night’s Black Agents RPG sessions. Since infiltrating the freighter Heimdall in the Irish Sea, Nikolai Kaidanovsky, Sami Harkonen, Shiina “Misha” Mikado, Zlatan Kljulic and Abraham von Helsing the Russian borzoi hound (all wearing keffiyehs – even Abe) escaped and sank the ship killing the vampire hounds in the cargo compartment. They abducted the surviving technician Jones who told them everything he knew about the Emartech Pharmaceuticals‘ and Inish Medical Group‘s plans to use the haemocanis parasite-infected blood from Eastern Europe dogs for nefarious purposes. Before returning to London, Jones had to take a walk with Zlatan because he knew too much and could identify the agents. It was time to stake out Inish. They rendezvous with Jacob Novazembla – who had returned from Italy – at their headquarters, while Misha had to forego the mission to visit her daughter. Before heading to Brentford in Ealing, […]
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