Dresden Files: Minor Talents, Major Problems

7 Aug 2011: 10 am: Games on Demand: Dresden Files: Minor Talents, Major Problem

• GM: Morgan Ellis
• Tracy Barnett: Oswald Ingolfson
• Jeremy (Jerry): Charlene "Char"
• Jim (James): Ryan Raines
• Me: Nicholas Skinman

This was theoretically supposed to be a four hour game, but Tracy only had about two hours. He did say that it would be all right to bump off his PC.

Morgan: You let me know when I need to die, and we'll make it happen.

My notes also say that Dodge is a Reflexive Action; i.e., you can always dodge.

Morgan explained Aspects, citing Return of the Jedi, where Luke clearly has an Aspect of Robotic Hand Like My Father...

Terry: That sound you hear? That's me falling in love.

So, this scenario focused on people in the Paranet, those who had only minor magical talents.

Morgan: But you guys are the PCs -- the creme of the crop.

We wondered whether he meant to say "creme of the crap". But, the PCs were actually quite good.

There were six PCs available. The ones we did not pick were:

1. Mike Lynch, whose Apsects included:
Clued in Cop With Sight
3rd Eye Wide Open
I Bleed NYPL Blue

Mike had Cassandra's Tears, if I recall correctly, which meant that he regularly made prophecies no one believed. Morgan used him as an NPC to give the PCs some evidence that Never Came From Him.

2. Margaret Castellano, who had successfully infiltrated the Paranet:
Venitor Umbrum Field Agent (I don't recall what Venitor Umbrum is, but I 
suspect it's from the books. Morgan said to think of the folks in this group 
as Masons with Machine Guns and Flame Throwers.)
Supposed to be Behind Desk
Dojo Princess
Insurance Investigator -- Odd Claims
Adrenaline Junkie

I think she was there as an NPC, but didn't actually do anything. When I asked Morgan how few players he'd run a session with, he said he'd go as low as two. He also noted that if the two players chose the above two characters for this scenario, the scenario would likely be both darker and more challenging.

I suspect that Margaret is likely to come into play only with five or six players because she is a spy. Sure, she's a benevolent one, as far as I can tell, but in some ways, that cuts back on drama potential (as in, "I'm not really part of the group, but this doesn't actually mean anything in play").

I'm not sure if she'd get chosen before or after the cop, as the cop's abilities are slightly redundant with Nicholas's. That is, with five players, I'd expect either Mike or Nicholas not to be chosen, but I could be wrong.

The characters we did choose were:

1. Oswald Ingolfson, whose Aspects were:
Demigod Poseur (High Concept)
Delusions of Grandeur (Trouble Aspect)
I'm, like, 1/64 Aesir (which I'd heard as "I'm, like, 1/64 a Seer"), which Morgan 
created after hearing one person too many say something like "I'm 1/64 Cherokee" and 
wondering exactly what that was supposed to mean.
Sword of Weyland the Smith
TechnoViking!
The SCA and Arcanos Have Taught Me Well

In addition, Oswald was hard to hurt when he was on a Quest, and he could arrive where he wanted to, fortuitously, without spending a Fate point. These last two were stunts / powers, not aspects.

2. Nicholas Skinman, whose Aspects were:
Psychic Museum Curate (High Concept)
My Gift is a Curse (Trouble Aspect)
I Feel Dead People
People Don't Want the Truth
Powerful Vibes
I'm More than Just Psychic

Nicholas is the kind of psychic character I love to play. Far from being all powerful, he comes with a "Mess With Me, Please!" label.

3. Charlene "Char", Beasley, whose Aspects were:
Troubled Runaway Pyromaniac (High Concept)
Uncontrollable Emotions and Power (Trouble Aspect)
Trailer Park Hellion
You Wouldn't Like to See Me Mad!
The NYC Paranet Is My Family Now

It seems that every urban level group has to have a young female pyromancer. And, somehow, it never gets old.

4. Ryan Raines, whose Aspects were:
Sorcerous Street Magician (High Concept)
I Get My Friends Killed (Trouble Aspect)
I Found Some Real Magic Tricks
Scared Straight
Arcane Trickster
Something Up My Sleeve

Ryan was basically a younger, American John Constantine, perhaps a bit less powerful and less messed up.

Those were the aspects the characters all started with. In addition, we each added one more, connecting our PC with at least one other.

My notes say "Aspect Addition: NYC Paranet", but I'm not sure what that means.

Oswald's player considered taking "Old Flame" for Charlene, or perhaps "Burning Itch" or "Lamenations of the Flame Princess" or "I Pine for You", but settled on taking an Aspect involving Nicholas instead. Given that Nicholas can read vibes by touching objects, and given that Oswald's always claimed that he found the Sword of Weyland the Smith in a tent at an SCA event that wasn't there a moment later, the player figured that Oswald might not actually want Nicholas touching the sword to verify or disprove this. So, the aspect was: No one touches the sword.

Charlene's player also took an aspect involving Nicholas: I wish Steinman was my dad.

So, clearly, Nicholas Steinman's aspect should relate to Ryan. I chose: Stop dragging me into things, Ryan!

Ryan's player reciprocated, choosing: I need to protect Nick from the _real_ dangers!

And speaking of dangers, the session's threat was: There's a Paranet Stalker, a Ritual Serial Killer

The characters were in a bar in NYC. NYC had the following Aspects:

• The Crossroads of the World
• The City That Never Sleeps
• Paranet Stalker

The bar was Stranger's Bar in Greenwich, at 177A Bleeker Street (rivals McSorley? No record). It had the following Aspects:

• Accorded Neutral Ground
• Well-Stocked Bar
• Changeling Barkeep (Steven)
• Irish Wake

Previous victims of the Paranet stalker had been a Voodoo priestess and a druid who worshipped skyclad. The wake was for the latest victim, Hyacinth, the twin sister of the leader of a Wiccan coven, Belladonna.

GM (turning to Ryan's player): So, how'd you get her killed?

Ryan's player: I was on a date with Belladonna. Usually, they protect one another.

The GM pronounced this the best answer he'd yet gotten and thanked all of the players for being so awesome.

My notes mention "star types and distilled angel tears".

Nicholas: I'm not touching that. No, I'm not _touching_ that.

Father Martinez, Church of Most Sacred Blood was present. And, at this point, Morgan asked what we all looked like.

Ryan: A bit overweight. Black leather coat -- everyone has one. I don't want to stand out.

Guy with tinfoil hat: Oh, you have the same coat, too.

Nicholas: Like Nicholas Cage, rolled up sleeves, gloves, slicked back hair, glasses, maybe a small ponytail.

Oswald: Young Kevin Bacon, sword -- like Mjolnir, but a sword. Viking Claymore. He was debating ancestry with someone.

Guy with a Brooklyn accent: Look, man, there is no way you're related to me. I'm full Asgard.

Char: Dressed nice, where nice = slutty. She was trying to weasel her way into the coven, though at the moment, she was comforting Belladonna.

GM: Not trying to pick up a guy?

Char: Not yet. She looks real sad.

Belladonna was having none of it.

Belladonna: This is just like you, Ryan -- it's all your fault. That frothy foolishness you gave her was crap. (I think that referred to a charm he'd given Hyacinth to protect her.)

Ryan: I'd have invited her along, but I thought you'd get mad.

Belladonna hauled off and hit Ryan or tried to. Hey, it's a wake!

Ryan (quickly): I was _asking_ for that!

The bar was Accorded Neutral Ground, and Ryan didn't want Belladonna to get into trouble, hence his attempting to, ah, rules lawyer the Accord. Charming though that was, in its way, Belladonna was not impressed, and her blow landed. Ryan took a Mild Consequence: That'll leave a mark.

I compelled Nicholas's Aspect of My Gift is My Curse. Ryan fell back into Nicholas's arms, which caused skin contact, given that I'd already described Nicholas as having his sleeves rolled up.

The GM ruled that Nicholas got a glimpse of Hyacinth's last moments, I think as seen by Ryan. He then put a card labeled "Hyacinth's Murder Scene" on the table, as this could be tagged.

Char tried to calm Belladonna down with Rapport, tagging Irish Wake. Alas, this did not work.

Belladonna: Screw you, Char!

Char's player: Char puts her hands over her mouth in shock at the language, then <sock!> hauls off and hits her.

This involved invoking her aspect of You wouldn't want to see me mad!

Oswald: The SCA and Arcanis have trained me well! Tavern fight! That's how all good quests begin!

I think there was some question about invoking Old Flame, although my notes are confusing. But, I wrote this:

GM: I'll give you 2, cuz I'm gonna try to kill you real hard later.

I noted that Oswald had made a classic mistake: He tried to get in the middle of a chick fight. Well, actually, he decided to tackle the rest of the coven.

GM: You're not trying to break it up?

Ryan and Nicholas: No, that'd be too easy!

A shillelagh was thumped down very heavily on the bar, one that seemed to have blood on it. It was being held by the bar's owner.

Steven: All right! You've had your fun!

Father Martinez used his talent to create instant calm. No one was in trouble for breaking the Accord, as no one had decided that the Accord had been broken. But, Belladonna stormed out after denouncing the rest of the Paranet members in the bar useless. Her coven went with her.

Oswald: Wait -- this sounds like a quest!

Someone, possibly the GM: You have that thing -- you can be there went needed.

Oswald: I'll be there when you need me, ladies!

I have a list of Aspects that I think Nicholas picked up from his vision of Hyacinth's death:

• Drained of Blood
• Ritual Symbol
• Inverted Sun Symbol
• Protection Ritual

These could all be tapped, just like scene Aspects. They were all supplied by Morgan, giving us more information and more mechanical Fun Buttons to press without either resorting to Mother May I? or Read the GM's Mind.

Somehow, the subject of online handles, I think for chat rooms, came up.

Someone (about Oswald): It's not seer164?

Oswald's player: It is now.

Char's player: Char's is countrygurlxxx69

Oswald reiterated that he was 1/64 Aesir (which I still heard as "a seer).

Me: We need the other 63/64s.

Morgan explained the bar's address to us. I'd not realized that 177A Bleeker Street was the address for Stephen Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

Meanwhile, Mike, the PC cop being played as an NPC, handed Nicholas an evidence envelope that contained one of Hyacinth's earrings.

Mike: If you need it, you didn't get it from me.

As Nicholas looked at the earing and steeled himself to touch it, the bar cleared except for the four companions, Stephen, and a lean figure, all dressed in black, who was finally done shooting pool.

Ryan recognized him as Jeremy Heimwitz, from Ryan's old circle. He was now a Black Court Vampire, a type of vampire that does burn well. Char started flicking her lighter.

Oswald: A stranger from the back of the bar is never good. This is obviously a confrontation scene.

Someone, possibly Oswald (possibly using an ability): What's this guy's deal?

GM: His deal is he's monologuing.

Nicholas removed a glove and touched the earring and realized that Jeremy had killed Hyacinth -- and Belladonna would be next!

Jeremy boasted about how he was systematically protecting himself against the Black Court's traditional weaknesses. He was working on the daylight thing. He also made some attempt to recruit Ryan, but Ryan wasn't interested. My notes are a little confusing about Jeremy leaving, saying something about Char and a cold black flame drawing back, and "just not there any more", which I assume meant Jeremy.

Oswald's player asked for a new Aspect: Bond With Party. He wanted to extend Oswald's power of fortuitous arrival to the group. I forget whether the GM let him swap out an Aspect or just let him add it on the grounds that this was a one shot being played at speed.

The group hurried to the Coven's Loft, which had the following Aspects:

• 6th Floor Walk Up
• Circle of Power
• Active Tracking Spell

Ryan did something involving his aspect of Something Up My Sleeve to produce an Elevator Key for the Freight Elevator. Didn't know there was a freight elevator? That's okay; neither did the GM until that happened. Yet, when we rolled initiative, Ryan, the only one who'd gone to the elevator, was a bit slower than the rest.

GM: There's a reason they don't use it!

That made sense. It was probably a rickety old elevator.

Regardless, everyone spilled into the coven's loft, where the coven, sans Belladonna, was being attacked by the lackeys of the Black Court vampire.

I asked the GM if I could use Nicholas's aspect "I feel dead people" to let Hyacinth possess him. The GM okayed this and noted that this meant that Nicholas / Hyacinth could use Hyacinth's magic to attack. That was awesome.

Char was also awesome, in a very, very scary way.

Char: Anybody's who's made out of kindling better get out of the way real fast!

Char tapped into the Circle of Power. She may also have used The NYC Paranet Is My Family Now.

Char: This is the Coven's loft. I've been to parties here -- I love these people!

Char was quite effective, but also took the Moderate consequence: Uncontrolled Rage: Seeing Red.

GM: Why are you so angry?

Oswald: Why do I love her?

GM: Cuz she's hot.

Oswald: How many are left?

GM: A fair number are left, cuz I don't want to ruin your fun.

Oswald: I've got the sword of Weyland the Smith, motherfucker! (to his companions) We are gonna be an epic fucking party! 2 wizards! I'm the meat shield!

Nicholas / Hyacinth: Ryan, you asshole, if my sister dies, I am gonna fucking kill you!

Normally, the fight in the loft would be followed by tracking down Jeremy via the Aspect of Active Tracking Spell. But, we were running at speed, so the tracking spell showed that Jeremy, and hence, Belladonna, were On the Roof. The coven's tracking pentacle was hovering.

This led to the showdown with Jeremy.

Jeremy (to Oswald, unimpressed) Yeah, yeah, we'll get to you later, fan club. (to Ryan) Hey, man, you can totally help us out with this ritual -- all you have to do is kill her.

Ryan's player: I'm trying to go so red I burn a hold straight through him. No words, which is not good to focus magic.

The player's goal was to have Ryan accidentally tap into Hellfire, as an Extreme Consequence. But, this didn't happen, partly because he didn't tell the GM this, and partly because of how the conflict was going, I think.

Jeremy was an awesome opponent. His Aspects included:

• I've Read That Book, Too
• I'm a Fucking SuperVampire!

He had made himself a suit of anti-anti-vampire armor, which included titanium breast and back plates, a neck brace, a bulletproof vest, and so on.

He also had an Aspect of "I've Run This Module". Basically, he was as smart as a gamer because he was a gamer.

Of course, Oswald was also a gamer. Jeremy took a Mild Consequence, either from Ryan's attack or from Oswald's: Chink in the Armor.

And Oswald did something to increase his own buffness.

GM: Your Thews Become Mighty!

This aspect: Mighty Thews translated into a +2, aka Inhuman Strength, something factored into Dresden Files, with its various supernatural creatures.

Oswald: By the Power of Greyskull!

Jeremy: Prince Adam -- Bring it, He-Man!

If I read my notes correctly, Oswald did 11 stress and had some kind of Monster Slayer ability that bypasses catches, but is not specifically anti-vampire.

Jeremy now had the Severe Consequence: Skewered!

Jeremy: Holy shit, that thing's fucking real?!

Oswald: I'm like 1/64 Aesir!

Jeremy: Yeah? Well, that was pretty fucking metal! My turn now!

Oswald's player (to the GM): I've got that thing says "Riposte".

The GM said that this meant Oswald's defense became his offense, but that he couldn't attack next round, and the player was all right with that. He tagged the aspect of The Paranet Stalker, which the GM had put on the table at the beginning of the game, saying, "I know this guy's deal."

Jeremy had Superhuman Strength, or, as the GM put it, "_His_ Thews are even Mightier!" He dealt Oswald 4 stress.

But, Oswald was On a Quest! So, he was protected from much of the stress, which looked like it would leave him with a mild consequence of Cleaved. But, he really wanted to use the Riposte, so he tagged the Inverted Sun Symbol, which we agreed the vampire was trying to protect.

At this point, there was a sort of double layer fun going on. Not only were we winning the fight in terms of story; we were having a blast making the numbers go ever higher!

So, Jeremy's defense agsint Oswald's riposte was 5 to Oswald's 7, according to my notes. They also say that someone is trained in Martial Arts, which brought something up to a 7. Logically, that would be Jeremy, but I'm not sure.

Oswald's riposte hit, doing 4 damage to start with. Oswald tagged Skewered, which raised that to 6, and his own The SCA and Arcanis Have Taught Me Well, raising it to 8.

I then have a note that says "(Ry?) He has to turn the blade." I have no idea what that means.

The 8 damage was reduced by the titanium neck brace to 5, but that still left Jeremy with the major consequence of Nearly Headless.

Jeremy: It's fucking real!

Oswald: Yeah.

And then, Char blasted Jeremy. Oh my.

GM: How big would you like to go?

Char: Huge!

Someone asked me about going up to 11 in "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll". We didn't do that in that scenario, but Char more than made up for it here.

I think the blaze started at 3. But, it quickly reached 11 with a Severe Consequence for Char: All of her hair went up in flames. In other words, she got +6 for Head on Fire. (Yes, I know 3+6=9. I'm not sure where the other two came from. Maybe it was tapping an earlier consequence.)

But it got bigger.

Char: He is now Seeing Me Mad.

And, she invoked Trailer Park Hellion.

And she tagged City That Never Sleeps -- this was a Big fire.

And she tagged Crossroads of the World, which the player described as Tapping into Ley Lines +2. We agreed that this was the reason the coven lived in that particular building.

And she tagged the coven's Circle of Power and her own consequence of Seeing Red.

In short, the Entire Skyline was lit up with the strength of her blaze. Fire departments were being called for miles around, and normal people figured that a gas main must have burst.

When all was said and done, Char had a result of +18, which Morgan described as twice above Legendary, and then +1 above _that_!

Jeremy had 2 free tags he could use, which added 4 to his initial 4 for a total of 8.

GM: With Vampire Armor _and_ an Extreme Consequence --

Player (misunderstanding): You said that you weren't giving him an Extreme Consequence --

GM (finishing the sentence): -- this would _still_ kill him.

Oswald (who was quite close to Jeremy): What happens to me?

GM: That's a very good question. You might want to dodge.

My notes say "18 on control", presumably Char's control of her fire. The flame stopped right in front of Oswald's face.

Jeremy: Fucking metal! (dies)

Sure, the scenario could have lasted four hours without feeling padded, but the two hour at speed run was a blast. And, the group was impressed with my chocolate, which I had bought from a local Turkish grocery store.

Someone: Chocolate with an Umlaut!