DresdenFiles: Cities On Flame With Rock and Roll
25 June 11, Saturday: 2 pm: Dresden Files Fate, Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll
The PCs were a Changeling Rockband called Otherworld's Orphans, a band with an often changing roster.
Morgan Ellis: GM
Morgan Hatfield: Gunther Stenborg (with umlauts) -- half svart alfar rhythm guitarist. "Svart alfar" was defined as "Norse dark elf or dwarf". Gunther was a fairy tinker and had no problem with cold iron. His Trouble Aspect was: Uncomfortable in Spotlight. Other aspects included: Really More of a Roadie, Face for Radio, and Heavy Metal Worker. He was good at hiding in shadows, though not so much in the sunlight, and hard to hurt.
Me: Nancy Nitro -- half banshee Queen of Scream. Her Trouble: Punk Rock Prima Donna. This was likely the reason the membership of the band fluctuated. Well, that and her aspect It's _My_ Band. She also had a Bad Reputation, and her motto (and another aspect) was Never Sell Out, Never Say Die! She also had Cassandra's Tears, which meant that she got prophetic visions, but was not always believed when she mentioned them. I'm never quite sure how much the "not believed" part should be played, but it wasn't a problem here as Cassandra's Tears were used only once, as the plot device they are intended to be.
Sam Schardt (He played Lord Tony in the Scarlet Pimpernel 7th Sea game): Tom Llewellyn -- half Cait Sidhe drummer. His aspects included Real Wild One, Stray Cat Strut, Terminally Handsome, and Cool Cat
Sam: Llewellyn -- Can I Buy a Vowel?
A woman whose name I didn't spot (I think the first letter on the name badge was "H"): Mac Sterling -- sidhe lord scion lead guitarist. His Trouble Aspect: Am I my talent or am I my power? He could incite envy and work glamours. His other aspects included Guitar Godling, Fortunate Son, and Ticket to Paradise.
Jim: Stella Drake -- half ogre bassist. Her Trouble: Only Hurts the Ones She Loves. I'm not sure if that came up in game. Other aspects included Backbone of the Band, Brutally Pretty, and Even Tougher Than She Looks.
For those unfamiliar with the Dresden Files universe, Changelings are part fae, and, at some point in their life, will likely choose either to become fully human or to become fully fae. The latter choice takes a PC out of the game. Humans have choices. Beings like the Fae have natures and cannot choose to act against them. In a one shot convention scenario, this is not an issue the way it might be in a campaign.
We each created two aspects for our PCs. The first covered what the character used to do before joining Otherworld's Orphans, while the second described a relationship either with the band as a whole or with at least one other member.
- Mac: Hollywood Babylon, My Star's on the Rise
- Gunter: Not As Bad As I Look, Mac's Taught Me All Three Chords (We're Working the 4th -- It's a Minor)
- Nancy: Drives Like a Crazy EMT, Mac Thinks It's All So Easy
- Tom: Down and Out in Beverley Hills (dovetails nicely with Mac's), Cat Scratch Fever (originally "Nancy Has Cat Scratch Fever", but changed when GM noted it had to define Tom's relationship, not another PC's)
- Stella: That's the Way the Baby Bounces (i.e., she was a bouncer, iirc), We Are Family -- Gunther Used to Date My Sister
Aspects can be used for or against a character. Also, scenes have aspects too. So, the GM had a lot of index cards to track these. The first use of any scene aspect was free. As the game was set in NYC, the first set of aspects were:
New York City: The Crossroads of the World The City that Never Sleeps Living on the Edge --of Society -- of Sup Changeling's Choice
[I have no idea what "Sup" in my notes means.]
The game opened with a looming helicopter shot of NYC which zeroed in on Greenwich Village at night, with kids flocking to the club where the band was playing, called, iirc, Desolation Row.
Desolation Row: The End of the Alley DIY Punk Altered States
And, the band was playing. I think anything of +0 or higher counted as a success, and allowed the PC to create an aspect.
Nancy opened, shrieking into the Mike. Aspect: This is _Our_ crowd! +6
Tom came next. He was in a black suit with a stringy black tie. His hair was shocking white, a natural color, but no one believed that. He came in with the bass: Boom Boom Boom. Aspect: Heavy Beat +5
Stella was tall, over 6' 5", wearing a black jacket. She provided the bass line. Aspect: Laying Out the Beat +2
Gunther was: 6', wearing huge black boots, so he looked almost as tall as Stella.
Gunther: Like the elves in Kellogg's. As long as you look at me, you can't tell I can't play for crap. I'm tapping DIY Punk, because I definitely Did It Myself.
He stomped, causing (pre-arranged, technical, not magical, iirc) sparks. Aspect: FlashBang! +0
Mac: A little too pretty, with wild blond hair and tight black pants. He decided to steal the spotlight, tapping My Star's On the Rise. Aspect: That's a Sweet Riff +7, which, to Nancy's annoyance, was indeed enough to steal the spotlight.
So, the total was Nancy's +3 (I'm not quite sure where the +3 came from) and +2 for each aspect for a total of +3 + (+2 x 5) = 3 + 10 = 13.
After their very successful set, their manager, Davy Fry, told them someone wanted to see them. Davy had an aspect Owns the Van, but he was not a changeling or In the Know. He thought the band was just a regular group of weird musicians. And, he wanted them to meet with Ian Summerland of Silverhand Studios.
As the band ate pizza and beer, saving some for the pixies, they reviewed what they knew about Summerland and Silverhand; i.e., we rolled some dice. Ian Summerland was one of the studio's main talent scouts. The studio tended to back bands that had a lot of people In the Know, and bands with supernatural folks. There was Ragnarok, a black metal band, and Whyte Noise, gothpunk teen idols and total sellouts.
Gunther: He owes me money.
Indeed, one of Gunther's ancestors crafted a silver hand for a sidhe lord who lost his in battle. The lord never quite paid for the hand.
At this point, Morgan asked to which court the PCs belonged. We decided that Stella, Tom, Mac were from the Summer Court, while Gunther and Nancy were from the Winter Court.
The band agreed to meet with Ian. He said that Silverhand Studios wanted Otherworld's Orphans to be the opening act for Whyte Noise in Washington Square Park, where there would be an audience of thousands. The original opening act, Ragnarok, had an... accident
Gunther, Stella, and Mac liked the idea.
Davy: I like the idea of not sleeping in the van this month.
Mac: I agree.
Nancy (sarcastically): Oh, sorry the van's so hard on your soft skin, honey.
It's not that she wasn't tempted. But, as Morgan reminded me, Fate point in hand, her motto was Never Sell Out, Never Say Die! I took the Fate point, and Nancy told Ian that she wasn't interested. That's when the vision hit.
Nancy had a vision that was or had its own aspect: City on Fire. She tried to warn Ian, but he agreed that yes, of course the city would be on fire -- with the music that would be played in Washington Square Park. And again, Morgan offered a Fate point compel.
I was a little confused, as I'd taken the Fate point for the earlier compel, but Morgan didn't see this as a contradiction. Nancy had stood up for her principles. This wasn't about selling out. It was about keeping the city from burning -- or perhaps about getting a Fate point in return for letting the GM drop a vision on one's PC. So, I took the Fate point, and Nancy changed her mind about the gig.
This delighted Davy, Mac, Stella, and Gunther, but Tom wasn't thrilled. Anyone else Nancy might have told to take a hike, but Tom had been with her since the beginning. He said it was her band, which she didn't deny, but she pointed out that he was his own cat, and she wasn't about to say she owned _him_. Reluctantly, he agreed to the gig. After all, he had cat scratch fever for her. Nancy, of course, had a fiercely unacknowledged crush on Mac.
For Ian, the important thing was that they had a deal, and everyone agreed that A Deal's a Deal. This became an aspect on the table.
Oh yes, Ian Summerland was the son of Lugh Silverhand (aka Lou Silver of Silverhand Studios), boss and proprietor of Silverhand Studios. He was also Mac's Brother by Another Mother, which was an aspect. In other words, Ian and Mac were half brothers, and both were sons of Lugh Silverhand. Ian, who didn't get to be a rock star, was useful to his father because he had enough of the Sight to tell what the next big thing on the music scene would be.
Ian invited the band to a party, and left to meet them there. Davy left to bring the van around. The pixies claimed their slice of pizza and can of beer, but warned the band that Washington Square Park belonged to the pixie king Ratbite. No one was allowed to play there without his permission.
Nancy asked if the pixies could set up a meeting with the king. Zip, a pixie who was Bold, Brassy, and All of Six Inches Tall, agreed after Nancy offered her a second slice of pizza, which vanished with astonishing speed. The meeting was set for noon, at Hangman's Elm.
The next scene was:
Silverhand Studio's Party: Life in the Fast Lane Outrageous Party Beautifully Empty People
Stella was On the Lookout for trouble. IIRC, this was a maneuver, putting the aspect On the Lookout on herself.
Gunther, 2 champagne glasses in one hand, looked for a silverhanded lord.
Tom caught the eye of one of the members of Whyte Noise.
Tom: Male or female?
GM: Ah, well, that's the problem.
Whyte Noise was Gorgeously Androgynous and Ambiguously Incestuous. The three members (Raven, Rook, and Stardust, according to my notes) were also White Court Vampires, vampires who feed on emotions like lust and despair. And indeed, Stardust from Whyte Noise latched on to Tom, who now had the aspect Overcome with Lust.
Stella spotted this.
GM: Are you starting something?
Tom: I can fly alone here.
Stella's initiative was 3, Tom's 7, and Whyte Noise's 9. Whyte Noise also had a free compel on Tom, who was Taken Out. Stella was not affected, nor was she amused.
Gunther tried to explain to Mr. Silverhand about the debt until he and Nancy noticed what was going on.
Nancy (to Silverhand): I gotta put the younger kids to bed. You inherited the hand? (Silverhand confirms this.) You inherited the debt as well. (walks off)
The GM noted that while this was a nice bit of repartee and roleplaying, there was no die roll involved, hence no mechanics, hence no mechanical effect. If I want something like Nancy's line to score a social hit, I need to initiate social combat and roll the dice.
Meanwhile, Mac tried to come to Tom's rescue, but took damage from a maneuver by Raven, who made a crack about Mac getting as far as he did just because of whose son he was. In other words, Raven had put an aspect on Mac: I'm Just a Pretty Face. I forget whether Raven made physical contact or not.
I think Stella managed to land a blow on Rook, along with the consequence of Bloody Nose. Rook's blood was whyte -- er, white and silvery.
Gunther (to Stella): You got this?
Gunther's Player (explaining): I'm asking if I can dance. Formally.
Me: Yeah, he's got manners.
Nancy threw back her head and screamed. I don't recall my description, which was the point the GM made. I had a total effect of +9, which is Legendary +1. He suggested not merely every bottle or glass in the room shattering, but something far more dramatic, like the members of Whyte Noise being hurled back behind the bar and into the bottles by the force of Nancy's scream. This I get, and it's something I can try to work on. Description is often something I could stand to improve in.
I think he also noted that I really didn't need to raise the effect higher. After all, we're talking +9, Legendary +1. And, I do see where he's coming from. I sympathize and I empathize because this one's a trickier battle to fight.
We want the awesome. We want a certain amount of immersion, even if that only means "Visualize the scene like a movie" and "Don't worry about getting every last plus on the dice."
The problem is that the words don't matter. I don't care whether the effect is called Legendary, Epic, Thrice Legendary, or something even more impressive. This doesn't matter to the result. What matters are the numbers, mine and my opponents'. How much bigger is my number? How much bigger do I need it to be? If my opponents get a +8 or a +10, my +9 isn't that impressive, whatever you call it.
And, until the fight was over, I had no way of knowing whether this would be a big fight -- whether the PCs were in real danger of winding up drained to the point of missing their meeting with the Pixie King, or worse, their promised performance, whether they were in danger of becoming enthralled to Whyte Noise. I had no idea what Whyte Noise's stats were, or how far the band was willing to take things.
This lack of knowledge is not, in itself, a problem. It makes the scene edgier, which I think is good. The party was a social minefield, and Otherworld's Orphans was not on its home ground. The two men Nancy was in a love triangle with were in very real peril. This is great stuff!
But, it does mean that, unless the GM tells me outright not to worry about it, yes, I do want every goddang plus I can get. I have no idea what the strength of the opposition is, and the words describing the effect are meaningless if I don't roll high enough.
This is not the GM's fault. This is the GM's dilemma. I'm not sure what can be done about it.
In this case, the GM's description got things back on track, and I think he referred to the skirmish as a rumble.
Tom's player: If I may correct: A ballroom blitz.
[I have a note that says "Morgan's mod: Faerie based skill". I have no idea what it means.]
Mr. Silverhand was not pleased. _This_ was the group Ian thought could open for Whyte Noise?
Nancy: Whyte Noise started it!
Otherworld's Orphans made a hasty retreat from the battlefield, er, party, carrying Tom. They met Davy outside. The poor guy had just parked the van and was looking forward to the party.
In a longer slot, playing out a bit of the aftermath would have been interesting, but as no one felt it necessary, we moved to the next scene.
The Northeast Side of Washington Square Park
Hangman's Elm: The Court of the Pixie King The Hangman's Elm The Chess Piece Throne Can You Count Suckers?
Pixies, the GM explained, claimed the various parks of NYC, except for Central Park, which is too big for one gang to rule. Yes, we had Pixie Gangs of New York! They rumbled in the parks. It was always about turf and wanting to expand.
The band appeared before His Grace Ratbite, Duke of Washington Square Park, Castellan of the Hangman's Elm, Lord of the Chess Piece Throne, Marquis of The West 4th Street Courts, Count of NYU, Earl of Cooper Square, Baron of Gold Swan Garden, Laird of Astor Place, Bleeker Street, 8th street, 9th Street, and West 4th Street Stations, and Knight Protector of McSorley's Old Ale House and Strangers Bar.
He was impressive. One of his aspects was: By This Straight Razor I Rule. At 13" tall, he was indeed The Biggest Fucking Pixie the group had ever seen. To quote the description Morgan sent me after the convention:
-- -- -- His clothes and long jacket are sewn together rat skins, he wears necklaces and bracelets made from the teeth of his trophies (rat teeth, cat teeth, and bird beaks predominate) and other bits of urban detritus, the mantel of his coat is made from the iridescent neck feathers of pigeons, and two pauldrons fashioned from bottle caps protect his shoulders. He also wears a wide kidney belt that is decorated/armored with old NYC subway tokens of various eras. He has a large mane dusty grey green hair that is done up in various top knots and braids, and again decorated with trophies. His face bears the scars of his long years of battle and one of his eyes has been rendered a milky white by scar that cuts down from his forehead to his cheek. The end of one of his long powerful dragonfly wings has been ravaged and it has a jagged cut short tip, however the sound of his wings still roars like a tiny furious buzzsaw when he's flying at speed. -- -- --
This was a king who never sold out! Nancy's opening offer was to get the court pizza from every shop in the city, but she soon realized that he would never go that cheaply. He wanted to help his people.
Gunter: Battle axe?
He made a weapon, I forget exactly what, scaled properly for the king. The king said that he would give the band permission to busk if all of his subjects were so armed. Indeed, one of his aspects was You Here Busk At My Pleasure.
GM (I think): Iron for an army of pixies -- we're talking a trip to Staples.
And, Tom and Nancy agreed, they should write a battle anthem. They called it The Coming of the Pixie King. How good a song was it? Well, +9 which went up to +11 with Nancy's Punk Rock Prima Donna aspect.
It costs a Fate point to use your character's aspects to boost your roll, so the GM checked to see if anyone was feeling unduly depleted of Fate points, and gave folks a chance to earn a couple by figuring out what aspects they could compel. Then, we went to the next scene, on the eve of the concert.
Backstage: Craft Services Wires Everywhere Backstage Passes
The band confronted Ian, asking him just what had happened to Ragnarok. Ian said that it was a band of sorcerers who fried themselves while trying to tap into the power of the crowd.
At this point, we were in social combat. The band realized that Ian was lying, and this became an aspect someone could tag. This led to enough stress to put a minor consequence on him: Ian was scared.
Mac got a +4 from his Presence roll, and to this he added Brother from Another Mother, and, I think, tapped the Scared consequence, getting a total of 8 as he tried the "I already know what's going on -- Dad told me" line.
This led to a Moderate Consequence of Shocked Disbelief.
Ian: You know he's going to sacrifice you?
Ian elaborated. Lugh Silverhand needed to have his blood on stage, i.e., Mac, and to sacrifice it to get power, becoming king again. Pity the city would burn as a result, but so it goes.
Ian: You're actually okay with this?
Mac; No, we're going to stop him.
The rest of the band cheerfully confirmed this. I don't know if Ian was always meant to be a potential ally, but I suspect so. He stared at the group in disbelief, and then realized that yes, Otherworld's Orphans really were ready to take on Lord Silverhand and Whyte Noise. And, Whyte Noise was a band of poseurs, White Court Vampires feeding on negative emotions. They weren't about _real_ mojo.
Ian: You guys can actually rock!
The band was forced to agree that, yes, they could totally rock. Ian agreed to help them behind the scenes, as much as he dared. After all, once they appeared on stage, he'd met his obligations.
Gunther examined the wiring, realizing that it was designed to channel power for Silverhand's ritual. The player used I'm Really More of a Roadie.
Gunther: Do I know where to put the fork?
GM: You know exactly where to put the fork!
Gunther created a great aspect: THE BUTTON!
Tom: There's a reason I wanted our song to be acoustic.
And, the band moved to perform in the next scene.
Battle of the Bands Walls of Sound Pyrotechnics Under the Arch
Somewhere in there, we had the aspect Another Stage Bites the Dust, likely from the musical battle. Tom's player tagged Craft Services to make the beer better, earning the aspect of Buzzed for Tom. Tom also put the aspect of Copy Cat on Stardust, which I think refers to some musical fact of which I should be aware, but am not.
The battle was as much against the crowd as against Silverhand or Whyte Noise, and the crowd had a stress track. And, this was a crowd of Whyte Noise fans, with a couple of aspects reflecting that.
Mac rolled a 6 to the crowd's 4, and the crowd took 3 stress.
Tom on drums rolled a 6 to the crowd's 7, then started pulling in aspects:
A Deal's a Deal Half Cait Sidhe Drummer City that Never Sleeps
The crowd took a Consequence: They're Not Bad.
Then Gunther came in, tapping one of his aspects.
Gunther: Mac taught me all 3 chords, and I'm using all of them!
The crowd tapped Rabid Whyte Noise Addicts.
Stella came in tapping Backbone of the Band and Half Ogre Bassist. She also tagged Wall of Sound and They're Not Bad, for a result of +12 (aka Legendary +4).
The crowd took a Moderate Consequence: Who _Are_ These Guys?
Clearly, whoever they are, they were good!
Nancy came in, tagging Who _Are_ These Guys for a total of 6. The crowd had 5, but tagged Teenage Fan Club to go up to 7. Nancy tagged Under the Arch and Pyrotechniques to go up to 10. (You see what I mean about the names being irrelevant here? We're talking Epic vs Legendary +3. This is noise, especially given the high rolls and aspect tagging all around. What matters is 7 vs 10.)
This lead to a Severe Consequence: Wow! Who is She?
Me: Yes!!
But, we agreed that a better way to phrase that was not to make it all about Nancy, whatever she might want, but rather, thus: Wow, That Rocked!
Nancy (I think): They ain't used to real magic!
Whyte Noise wasn't sure what to do, as this was not going according to The Plan. Lugh Silverhand came onstage with his silver harp. To the crowd of mortals, it looked like an Awesome Guitar.
Mac made the Changeling's Choice and became fully human. This meant that he lost his fey powers, but gained two Fate points to spend.
Starting with 5, he added:
Battle of the Bands Wow, That Rocked! +2 My Star's on the Rise
for a total of +11.
And the crowd's stress track was filled to overflowing, but it could not take any further conditions. The Crowd was Taken Out!
This meant that there were now twenty thousand people feeling good emotions. Whyte Noise ran off the stage, literally burning.
Silverhand was not pleased and told the now human Mac that he would die as a human. Nancy tried to stop Silverhand's attack. In mechanical terms, she used her scream to put up a block, taking the Minor Consequence Heart on My Sleeve to ensure her control of the effects.
I think some damage did get through the block, but I'm not sure from my notes. It was a level 9 block against an attack roll of 7. But, Silverhand tapped his aspect Legendary Harpist +2, and for ties, weapons damage does get through the block. Mac dodged with Athletics, rolling a 5, and adding 2 for Fortunate Son, for a total of 7.
Stella tried to punch Lugh Silverhand. She got a 2 to his 5, then tapped Tougher than She Looks for a reroll, which, alas, gave the same result.
Gunther: I Have a Cunning Plan!
And he made the Changeling's Choice, becoming pure fey. He changed his Axe to a real axe, and tagged THE BUTTON, as he pushed it, killing the lights over himself. This left him in the dark, where he had a serious advantage.
Gunther: I'm gonna break his harp with my axe!
GM: Spend 'em if you got 'em, cuz you won't have Fate points ever again!
An item of power is hard to break, but Gunther managed to bash the harp out of Silverhand's hands and cut the strings.
Gunther also changed his aspect Not as Bad as I Look to Yes, I _AM_ as Evil as I Look.
Tom came in with his Song for the Pixie King, tagging that Aspect at +2. This was a duet with the woman he had Cat Scratch Fever For, and Tom himself was a Cool Cat.
It looked as if small flames were flying through the air to the stage. These were, of course, the pixies.
Lord Lugh (to Gunther): You broke my fucking harp! I'm going to kill you!
Pixie King (to Lugh Silverhand): You _dare_ come in my domain? You busk at my pleasure!
And the pixies made short work of him, no pun intended. He had gotten permission for Whyte Noise to play, but not for himself, and indeed had, iirc, told Ratbite that he was not going to play. Ian might possibly have been responsible for Ratbite learning that Lord Silverhand had taken the stage after all.
The audience knew none of this, just seeing the Best Stage Show Ever! And, while Gunther never did get paid for the silver hand, one suspects he was not displeased that Ratbite claimed it. It was like another throne in his realm.
Nancy never did go fully fey, but if she had, Ratbite was the king she would have served. And he now has a scarily well armed legion of pixies.
As for the band, who knows? One fully fey member, one fully human member who really does seem to be the most awesome musician in it, and twenty thousand new fans. Ian joined the band as well, not replacing Davy as the manager, but supplementing him when Otherworld's Orphans played for more supernatural patrons. Ian may also have decided to take up an instrument himself, as, iirc, he'd always wanted to do.
