Smallville: That Midnight Bomber

8 PM: Smallville: That Midnight Bomber

This game used the Smallville system, but none of the characters. All of the PCs were pregenerated, so we did not get to make a relationship map, although we did get to define the Midnight Bomber. As Brian Rogers and I noted in email, he's had a chance to make the relationship map, but not to see how the system works, while I've seen how the system works, but not how the relationship map is generated.

GM: Jeff Collyer

Roger: Captain Astonishing, the superhero assigned to babysit supervillains rehabilitating themselves in a halfway house.

Me: Dr. Death, a former demon summoner, with a Ph.D., now flipping burgers in a fast food joint. Jeff noted that he tended to be the moral center of the team, something I understood better after the game.

Andrew Cook: Joannie, a troubled teen with voices in her head urging her to use her pyromancy to set things on fire.

John Farris: Pheromone, a femme fatale who used her pheromone powers to manipulate people, currently working in a perfume factory

The two PCs who were not chosen were Seth, a vegan social worker who was part fey and who wanted to free all the animals; and William Brushwood, an ordinary human caseworker for the supervillains in rehab.

Trouble dice for the GM started at 2d6. My notes say:

Never count a 1 in total. GM can give you a plot point and add a trouble die. Spend plot point -- give to GM or to player if this is against a player's PC.

Collaborating to make up the Mad Bomber, we established the following:

He has a Secret Identity.
He is Pheromone's ex-boyfriend. Well, he thinks "boyfriend". She thinks "minion".
Joannie sees him as a role model.
Captain Astonishing's last big fight was with him. Captain Astonishing was 
greatly injured, and the bomber escaped. Captain Astonishing: And that's why I'm 
babysitting supervillains.
Dr. Death was trying to get some insight into the bomber's pattern, and he understood 
that there was a ritual reason for some of the actions. I think I was originally 
thinking more demonic / magical, but as we played, it became clear that the mad bomber's 
rituals were rituals in the sense of a serial killer wanting to control all of the details.

Roger: The bomber's secret identity was Carlos Noche.
John: He's a fireman, obviously.
Andrew: He has a side profession of modeling. He's vain.
GM: So, he's an insane architecture critic. He doesn't like the way the buildings look.
Me: He studies Feng Shui.
One of us: His power is he blows things up. It's not very much of a power.

The first scene was in the halfway house. William was doing paperwork. It was the morning after the Mad Bomber had struck, and the news was on the television.

Joannie (watching news): Can you believe this?

Captain Astonishing: Of course I believe it! He's done it before!

Joannie: The passion!

Captain Astonishing: It's Evil!

Pheromone: He always blows at just the right time.

William, played as an NPC, tried to hustle his charges along -- Dr. Death to his burger flipping, Joannie to school, and Pheromone to her job at the perfume factory.

Pheromone wanted to convince William that she didn't have to be at work at 9 am. For this, John rolled the value Power and the relationship Pheromone had with William, as well as Manipulation. He got an 8 with a 1. This meant that he got a plot point which he could spend on a future conflict, but not this one.

William had to choose between giving or reacting. The GM decided that William would react, e.g., oppose. Value used: Duty. Relationship used: William's relationship with Pheromone. He also used In Over His Head. I think the GM rolled an 8 with a 1, but I forget what options he had, as William was an NPC, and I just don't remember if the rules are identical for NPCs Regardless, the role was a tie.

Ties go to the stake setter. So, Pheromone didn't get what she wanted, BUT William took stress. For this, he the GM rolled his die pool. The highest number was on the d6, and he decided to put it into Insecure. IIRC, this means that some other player or the GM can use it against that PC in a conflict.

Pheromone's parting shot to William: We all have complications. And, by the way, how's your ex-wife?

The Complication would be either that her boss was more irate than normal _or_ that there were police in office because of Pheromone's known relationship with bomber.

The opening credits rolled. The GM noted that normally, one would have a bit more action first.

Dr. Death arrived at his job making fast food burgers. The Ph.D. holding former supervillain's boss was 17-year-old Avery, tapping his watch and saying that Dr. Death was five minutes late. Dr. Death said that Avery's watch was wrong, managing to make his point in the conflict that followed, and gaining a temporary d8 relationship: d8 - Avery - Kids These Days.

Captain Astonishing went to the blast site, which was a bank. The Mad Bomber did not take any of the money. We agreed that Mad Bomber Carlos likes to visit scene and see improvements he has made in the architecture of the city. And he's a fireman. He commiserated with Captain Astonishing on the hero's failure to capture the criminal.

Carlos: But I do think the _sky_line looks prettier.

Captain Astonishing: Wasn't there a security guard inside?

Captain Astonishing searched the rubble for survivors. He rolled Glory and his relationship with Pheromone.

Captain Astonishing: I hope she will see me on the news and admire me.

He also had an Asset: Infrared goggles. His total was 6 vs the GM's Trouble total of 5. It was a great photo op!

John: Cape or No Cape?

Answer: No Cape!

Joannie was at school. The class bitch made snide comments about Joannie's shoes.

Voices: Set her shoes on fire.

My notes indicate that three d8 were rolled. No values were involved -- the first d8 was because of her ability, which was powerful. The second d8 was also for that ability, noting that it was _really_ powerful. The third, if my notes are correct, was for her relationship with herself. I'm not sure my notes are correct.

Regardless, Joannie set the class bitch's shoes on fire. The math teacher grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the girl.

Teacher: Office!

Joannie: But -

Teacher: Office!

Joannie: She's framing me! I was just gazing absent mindedly out the window, ignoring your class!

Joannie rolled Duty, seeing this as her duty to anarchists, and her Relationship with the voices in her head, as well as her Impulsive trait. She rolled a total of 7, including a 1 which generated a plot point, vs the School's total of 11. The player gave in and paid a plot point. Principal Spellman contacted Captain Astonishing.

Pheromone showed up to work at 11:30. Her boss was very stressed because investors were coming. If I read my notes right, Pheromone said, "Calm down. Let's get the people out." But, it could also be a reference to purple. I also have a note about "this nice red that's almost human!"

The perfume company, we decided, was Scentsational: A division of Viridian Dynamics. The investor had a jacket with the name Molly. At noon, Pheromone made her play to impress the investors. She rolled the value Power plus her Manipulation skill, and John decided that there was no relationship involved here. He rolled an 8 vs the Company's roll of 10.

Pheromone took d6 stress, which John placed in Angry. He paid a plot point.

Pheromone (using her Scent Control): You like my work. You're very happy. Invest some money and get out of my lab!

Captain Astonishing came to the principal's office at Joannie's school.

Captain Astonishing: You failed to control your powers.

Joannie: I didn't fail to control my powers -- she failed to control her mouth!

Joannie and Captain Astonishing had a Conflict.

GM: What is Joannie trying to accomplish?

Joannie's player: Get Captain Astonishing off my back.

She rolled her Power value plus her relationship with Captain Astonishing and her Smartass trait for an 8. I don't have a note on what Captain Astonishing rolled, but he gave in and took a phone call. Possibly he didn't roll at all, but chose to give in. I don't remember.

The call was about the Mad Bomber's latest move.

Caller: We want you to look into this (Captain Astonishing poses proudly) -- with your _team_. (Captain Astonishing is disgruntled).

The GM or Joannie's player asked if this were on speakerphone.

Captain Astonishing's player: Of course! Because I want everyone to hear how important it is!

Meanwhile, Dr. Death was not having a good day. Back when he was a supervillain, he had summoned a demon, Kobal. That demon was now in the fast food joint, possessing a homeless guy. Dr. Death managed to get permission to take his break early.

Avery: I'm timing you! (taps his watch)

Kobal wanted souls. Crunchy, tasty souls. He even offered to eat Avery's. Dr. Death somehow managed to stall him, but it was clear that if he didn't get orders from Dr. Death about which souls to eat, Kobal would choose for himself.

Pheromone was at her job, sunbathing. The police came by to ask her some questions about the Mad Bomber, given her past relationship with him. Had she contacted him?

Pheromone: _Why_ would I want to contact him?

Policeman: If you don't mind, ma'am, I'll ask the questions.

Captain Astonishing (choosing that moment to arrive): I'll take over here! I'm Captain Astonishing!

Pheromone: They're interrupting my work! (gesturing to herself) I'm very busy at work!

I think this lead to a conflict between Captain Astonishing and Pheromone. Each had a relationship with the other, of course. Captain Astonishing was rolling Duty, while Pheromone was rolling Glory, as she was obviously working on a team beneath her. I think she also had Looks, but she also had Anger stress, which was used against her. And, Joannie helped Captain Astonishing.

Pheromone took d8 Stress, which we thought might make her too exhausted to argue. She did try to use Joannie, hoping to get the teenager just upset enough to distract Captain Astonishing to exit the scene.

Pheromone: In the field of villainy, I was second only to the Planet Smasher! What do _you_ have?

Joannie: Youth and beauty -- which is fading from you with every passing year.

Pheromone paid a plot point to give in.

I forget exactly how it happened, but Pheromone managed to meet with the Mad Bomber, aka Carlos.

Carlos: It's rarely boring in _my_ line of work.

Pheromone: I hear business is booming.

Carlos: Exploding, you might say! Have you seen my work?

Pheromone explained that she was lying low for a while.

Carlos: Lying _low_ with Astonishing? My dear --

Pheromone: Not _that_ kind of lying low!

Carlos: I was going to _say_! Where will he be tomorrow night?

Carlos clearly expected adulation. He felt that he had improved since Pheromone had last seen him.

Carlos: I'm more _organized_ now -- you know how I was before. Now, I have a _day_ planner.

And he explained some of his aesthetic.

Carlos: The 50s were such an ugly time for modern architecture.

He and Pheromone agreed to meet at 11:30 pm at the hospital on 34th, in two days.

Plot Point from Captain Astonishing: Pheromone was Tailed by FBI, although I'm not sure whether they heard anything or not.

I think Joannie also saw Carlos.

Joannie: Who is that?

Pheromone: Oh, an old friend.

Joannie (watching with appreciation as he departs)L He doesn't look that old.

I have a note that in a Conflict, a difference of more than 5 means the winner can stress the loser out of the current scene, though not out of any of the rest of the episode.

Dr. Death figured out that there were about three places where the Mad Bomber might strike next. These included the hospital and a museum, if I remember correctly. A plan was made to split the party and stake out the city. Pheromone and Joannie would go together, and Dr. Death and Captain Astonishing would go together.

Dr. Death told Joannie about his problem with Kobal.

Joannie: Did you try finding him a demon lover?

Dr. Death: Do you think that'd work?

Joannie: Everyone wants love!

Kobal had already killed the homeless guy he had possessed. Dr. Death went to his lab, which, I said, aspired to the high level of grunge Harry Dresden's lab has achieved. He managed to bind Kobal as a captive, just for the night. We all agreed that Kobal should break free at the dramatically appropriate time.

Joannie's voices told her to take Pheromone's phone. She resisted the voices and got a plot point.

Captain Astonishing astonished everyone by coming into the halfway house with a body-shaped box. Pheromone tried to get him to cough up what was in the box, using as Truth as her value.

John: A new one with Pheromone.

IIRC, the box had an automaton.

Captain Astonishing: It flies! It's fireproof!

Pheromone: Sounds like you don't _trust_ Joannie

Pheromone and Joannie staked out the museum. Carlos arrived, and Pheromone introduced him to Joannie, both by name and as the Mad Bomber. I think they discussed Pheromone's situation with Captain Astonishing.

Carlos: You want him to love the Natural You before you destroy him.

Pheromone: I _know_ darling -- and I look good doing it, too!

Carlos: You do, too.

Carlos tried to have some time alone with Pheromone.

Carlos (to Joannie): Run along! There's some prices less artifacts. Do steal them, because in half an hour -- they won't be there any more!

Joannie was furious to be dismissed and treated like a child, so she got into a fight with Pheromone, choosing to challenge her relationship with the older woman. This meant that she got to roll three relationship dice, instead of one, but it also meant that, for the rest of the episode, future rolls involving that relationship involved a die one step smaller (d8 becomes d6, d6 becomes d4). The value she rolled was Love.

Carlos (watching): Women fighting over me again! It's a _perfect_ evening!

Pheromone paid a plot point and tried to make Joannie so angry that the teenager would set her own hair on fire. I think Joannie rolled a 19 to Pheromone's 9. The whole building wound up on fire, and Pheromone took d6 stress, which she put into Injured.

I think Captain Astonishing had Preparedness trait, which his player used to get him and Dr. Death to the scene. The fire department was there as well.

I think a rescued baby may have made a cameo appearance, given the following exchange from my notes:

I am not a babysitter!

It starts moving and starts crying!

Joannie was furious and vowed vengeance on the Mad Bomber.

Joannie: I'll burn him like he burned my heart!

The group planned to stake out the hospital. Before joining them, Dr. Death went to check on Kobal, where he found no magic circle, no demon, and a note that said "See you tonight!" with three fanged smiley faces.

The automaton figured into the final battle, I think. At the start, Joannie and Captain Astonishing were fighting against Pheromone and the Mad Bomber. The latter had the edge. Then, Dr. Death arrived, and Joannie helped him against the Mad Bomber.

Dr. Death told Kobal that he could eat the Mad Bomber's soul, and Kobal gleefully did just that. Captain Astonishing tried to look good for the cameras, but in a conflict with Pheromone, she was the one better at posing and looking like she was fighting the Mad Bomber.

So, we moved to the denouement, deciding what happened to the characters.

Everyone knew that the Mad Bomber's bombing had stopped. Surely he had been blown up by his own bomb in the fight with Captain Astonishing's team.

Two days after that, Joannie and Pheromone made up. After all, Joannie was a teenager. And, Pheromone influenced her with her scent control power. Joannie decided that she wanted to go to law school.

Captain Astonishing gave a press conference the next day, with Dr. Death. Captain Astonishing tried to take all of the credit for ending the Mad Bomber's reign.

But, the tabloids told the truth, or at least, some variant on it that was different from Captain Astonishing's version. More press went to Pheromone, and she got an early release from her parole.

Dr. Death left his job and the halfway house, convinced that he was a villain. After all, he had utterly failed to control Kobal and had allowed the demon to consume a man's soul. He knew he was a bad, bad person.

Pheromone: It's okay -- we can keep in touch.

Dr. Death (feeling that, if she wanted this, perhaps things weren't so bleak): I'd like that!

What I had not realized until the game ended and we talked about our characters was that Captain Astonishing was not a good person. He wanted the supervillains to fail, and he was a glory hound. As the GM said, Dr. Death really was the moral center of the team -- to the degree it had one. All of the men wanted to impress Pheromone, which may or may not have been in any way encouraged by her power.

The previous night's game had a very different Mad Bomber. He was Joannie's brother, and after he was killed, I think also by Kobal, Joannie became the new Mad Bomber.

I'm not sure that Kobal should be an answer to the Mad Bomber problem, but given that this answer comes with moral baggage, there is a certain appeal to it.