7th Sea: The Trap Is Set: A Scarlet Pimpernel Adventure

Wednesday, 22 June 2011, 8 am: The Trap is Set: A Scarlet Pimpernel Adventure using the 7th Sea system

GM; Jason Hoskins

Jason explained that he wanted to make sure that everyone had at least read or seen some version of _The Scarlet Pimpernel_ -- any version. People without that background had thrown things off by saying, "Who's Armand? I don't really care about saving him." (For anyone who doesn't know who Armand is, fear not. This will be explained below.)

I listed the versions of the movie I'd seen, as well as two versions of the Broadway musical (an early one and one where some of the material had been rewritten and was the stronger for it), and I listed which of the novels I'd read (The Scarlet Pimpernel, I Will Repay!, Eldorado, Sir Percy Hits Back, and Sir Tony's Wife).

GM: You're playing Sir Percy, then.

Fortunately for me, this really was an ensemble piece, and the important thing was to be Witty.

The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel:

• Me: Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel himself
• Martin Shutter: Lord Edward Hasting
• Sam Schmidt: Lord Anthony Dewhurst, who is not simply pretending to be a fop. He is a fop.
• ???: Sir Andrew Ffoulkes
• ???: Sir Edward Mackenzie
• Ann Sheaffer: Lord John Bathurst

We began in media res, with the League breaking a prisoner out of La Force. They did run into a spot of trouble with some guards, and Percy's quick thinking convinced the guards that the disguised League were also guards for long enough for the group to deal with them.

Sir Anthony, aka Sir Tony (to a downed guard): Don't get up on my account.

The League and the rescued man went to a safe house where there was already a party in progress. All joined in the festivities.

When a knock came, Sir Percy went downstairs to answer it, followed by another member of the League. He greeted the soldiers cheerfully and offered them wine. This momentarily confused them, as they were not used to being greeted happily, but as they asked questions, one of the men recognized Sir Percy from the prison. Naturally, a fight broke out. I believe one League Member either hit a very large soldier with a wine bottle or poured out the contents of the wine bottle on his head from a second story window.

Soldier: Grrrrr! Citizen...

League Member: You looked thirsty!

The rest of the League quickly joined the fight. Well, most of them did.

Sir John: I look at all the lovely ladies -- alone! Ladies, I will take care of you!

(Player rolls a 31 for the attempt to sweet talk the ladies. 15 is the usual TN for a very basic success.)

GM: I'm going to pull John off the initiative roll, because he's busy Protecting the Ladies.

Our heroes did take their licks.

GM (as one blow strikes home): It's not going to hurt a bit. It's going to hurt a _lot_.

Sir Percy (while bleeding from a blow): You missed.

He proceeded to disable at least one of his foes, while the League tackled others.

League Member (successfully shooting someone another League member consistently missed): See? Nothing to it!

Eventually, the League triumphed.

League Member: John, time to break up the party.

Sir John joined his comrades.

Sir John: I make sure none of the ladies follow us. After all, we don't want them to get hurt!

The League found somewhere to remain for the rest of the night and have their wounds tended to.

League Member: Don't drink the wine!

Sir Percy (looking at the bottle of wine he'd offered to the soldiers): That bad?

League Member: That bad.

Sir Percy: No wonder they tried to arrest me!

The next day, the League and the rescued man went to meet the ship that was to take them to England and safety. The ship pulled in. As the League members talked with the captain, they spotted soldiers spotting them.

Captain: So, how soon do you want to leave?

The League allowed as how Right Now would be a Very Good Idea. The captain, not entirely surprised, pulled in the gang plank as soon as everyone boarded and vacated the berth in which he had just docked the ship.

Someone: Oh! Sorry, wrong port!

So, our heroes made it safely home to England, where they explained their absence as an Utterly Necessary trip to France for the latest fashions and frou-frou. Everyone made rolls to see how fashionable they looked. Remember, the standard TN is 15.

Sir Percy: 30
Sir John: 35
Sir Tony: 51

Sir Tony: I have committed the ultimate faux pas! No woman is going to look as good as me!

And indeed, the various ladies were not pleased, particularly Sir Tony's wife.

Sir Tony: Did I just invent the sequin?

GM: Your outfit is made of the stuff sequins want to be -- real gemstones.

Sir Tony: The next time we go to France, they will be wearing what I --

GM: What you started in Wales.

League Member: Jeeves, what was the lie I told my wife last time?

Sir John: See, I have an agreement with my wife. She doesn't ask me where I've been, and I don't ask her how much she spent at the beauty parlor.

As the gentlemen mingled with their peers in society, Sir Percy's wife, the lovely Marguerite, was talking with a French gentleman named Chauvelin, whose name Sir Percy made sure to mispronounce. After Chauvelin left, Marguerite told her husband, in great dismay, that her brother, Armand, had been arrested by Chauvelin and thrown into La Force. His life was in deadly peril!

Sir Percy promised that he would rescue his wife's brother by, er, diplomatic means, yes. While she was somewhat skeptical as to his competence, not knowing that her husband was the famed and infamous Scarlet Pimpernel, she was convinced that he was taking Armand's plight seriously and that he meant it when he promised that her brother would return safely to her.

Sir Percy quickly gathered the members of the League and told them of their new mission.

League Member: La Force. Why is it always _there_?

Sir Tony: Because they burned down the Bastille.

And so, barely had the gentlemen returned to their homeland when they had to leave again. Yes, er, Sir Tony's wife was highly displeased, and the only way to mollify her was clearly to bring her back clothing as stunning as her husband's!

And so, the gentlemen disembarked from a ship and were questioned by soldiers.

Soldier: Why are you here?

Sir Tony (folding his hands and bowing his head): Forgiveness. (rolls a 47 while explaining the fashion fiasco)

Soldier (who has a wife of his own): Welcome to France.

And, the soldiers let the gentlemen know where they might find sympathetic female companionship. The League, of course, was more interested in buying fast horses, but they saw no need to enlighten the soldiers.

League Member (to a man with horses for sale): Your finest horses!

Sir John: I would like one with spirit!

Sir Tony: What's your roughest ride?

Someone (making the obvious joke): Her name is Maria and she's...

As I recall, there was a coach pulled by horses, and tone or two League members riding on horses outside the coach, including Sir John.

Meanwhile, I passed a note around to let people know The Cunning Plan: Armand would not go into the coach. It would merely be made to seem that way. Instead, there would be two members of the League posing as Indolent Fops, and Armand would be disguised in some other way. We turned out not to need this Plan, likely because of time constraints, but it was fun to make it anyway, even if I had no idea of the exact details of how it was to be carried out.

But first, the group had to reach La Force, despite an ambush along the way.

GM: Don't you love bandits?

Me: Hey, we're doing Chauvelin's job for him.

GM: Yes, you are.

The League was able to get into La Force via a warehouse with a secret tunnel. While I forget the details, one of the players came up with an explanation about why it was used when it was, but not earlier. My notes just say: "Warehouse -- bribes". But, the GM was pleased.

GM (handling player a Drama point): Thanks for supplying me with backstory!

The tunnel led to a group of cells with prisoners wanting to be rescued as soon as they saw the League. Sir Percy decided to free them all. Someone pointed out that this would mean revealing the existence of the secret tunnel, but one of the other players noted that his PC had an ability that allowed him to pay a drama point and say "I've already planned that out to the last detail." So, the prisoners escaped.

The League saw the shadow of a guard stationed at the top of the landing and pondered strategies.

League Member (eyeing empty cell): We could call for help and say the Pimpernel put us in here!

Sir Anthony, still in his most fashionable suit, offered to be a distraction.

Someone: Sir Anthony'll distract anyone.

Sir Anthony (coming up the stairs in full sight of the now very baffled guard): Sir? Sir? My cell isn't to my liking! Might I have another?

Guard: Citizen! Citizen, you must go back down to your cell.

Sir Anthony: It's just so _crowded_ down there!

I forget the context of these two, but they no doubt occurred during the quick silencing of the guard, and may well have been spoken by Sir Anthony -- or any other member of the League:

You just got gunpowder on my jacket!

I think there's a jail break going on!

The guard was quickly rendered unconscious. Sir Anthony stayed behind to exchange clothes with him and to lock him into one of the cells.

GM: You are putting clothing on a limp body.

Sir Tony: I am putting very _fashionable_ clothing on a limp body.

The rest of the League located and rescued Armand, but Chauvelin naturally got away. Then, the gentleman with the gift for planning handed in a drama point to ensure a clean getaway, coinciding with about when we had to end the session.