Atlantis Segun Theosofista Madame BlavatskyActual Play - Lacuna IAtlantis Segun Theosofista Madame Blavatsky

[Actual play] Lacuna I
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03-20-2004,
12:09 PM
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#1
Apr 2003 NYC 4,903
Skiorht
wide awake in America Validated User

Hello, everybody. I encountered Lacuna.I, the Creation of the Mystery, and the Girl from the Blue City a few weeks ago, when I finally got around to reading the Winter 2004 issue of Daedalus magazine. I was instantly hooked, and shamelessly plugged the game to all my gaming buddies. To my slight surprise, their reception was almost as enthusiastic as mine. All we needed was an opportunity to take this baby for a spin. Last week four of my regular Hrnmaster players were unable to show up for Thursday's session, so I had a perfect opportunity to run Lacuna (for brevity's sake) for the three players who could make it. I suddenly realised that I actually had to design a scenario. I'm a lazy-ass GM who doesn't normally do too much preparation, as I prefer to run character-driven games. Now I was preparing to run a game where character generation takes about a minute, and the Agents have about as much personality as a halibut. I ended up spending three hours with Google image search using nonsensical search terms. Then it was photoshop time. I finalised my masterpiece by filling three pages with cryptic and pretentious fragments and imagery. All that remained was for me to channel J.G. Ballard, Jeff Noon, and Franz Kafka. I was all set. About two hours before we were supposed to start I realised that in Lacuna, there is absolutely no provision for the GM to roll any dice. I was at the mercy of my players! None of my NPCs would have a single attribute for me to hang on to. I decided to play it cool, but I can't say I weren't a bit nervous when the players showed up. Anyway, here's the session... It's very long, so it's been broken into several parts roughly corresponding to our scenes. I have included some GM commentary [in brackets]. All the dice rolls in the game are marked with *. I'll be posting some impressions about the system later.
Last edited by Skiorht; 03-20-2004 at 12:16 PM.
skiorht
"Das Endziel ist mir nichts, die Bewegung ist mir alles." Running: ACKS/Dwimmermount, D&D 4E Playing: Boardgames
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03-20-2004,
12:13 PM
#2
Apr 2003 NYC 4,903
Skiorht
All the dreams that we have had are gonna prove that we're all mad and that's OK The Divine Comedy - Mastermind
From the report of agent Walker, team leader, team 31b: Team 31b, comprising of agents Walker, Palmer, and Archer, was on call for back-up duty. At 02.34 the team received a priority assignment. Team 119a had been conducting a routine green-level
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trawl on subject E41047 (Troy R. Ashcroft). The subject was considered a low-risk threat, being a suspect of accidental manslaughter. As described in agent Shepherd's report (15-119a), the team was lured into the Blue City, where junior agent Fuller was lost in an ambush by the Hostile Personality. Team 31b was briefed on our way to the Operations Theatre. Agent Shepherd's team had tracked the HP down to the power plant by the river (picture enclosed), but that was all the information we had to go on. I requested immediate insertion, as I knew that the trail was getting colder every second. Senior Technician Wurtz and her team performed their duties with commendable skill and speed. [I gave the players a handout of Ashcroft's case file, a picture of the power station (a photoshopped rendition of the Battersea power station), and a crossword puzzle filled with gibberish. The whole briefing/preparation stage lasted only two minutes.] As usual, the team leader was the first agent to be inserted. The coordinates were clear, and both agents Palmer and Archer were duly inserted in the same location. The team found itself in a hallway of an old apartment building. After exiting the building, we found ourselves in a small cobblestone square, lined with grey buildings. Apart from a few old-fashioned automobiles (reminiscent of French designs of the 1950's) passing us, there were no Personalities in immediate vicinity. Agent Archer suggested that we should make our way to the river. He said that he had a "hunch" about the right direction.* Following agents Archer's lead, we managed to make our way to a large park where we caught a glimpse of the river and the embankment. [At first, the players were slightly confused, since I gave them absolutely no clues about their whereabouts, merely describing the scene. Soon one of the players decided to head downhill for the river, prompting the first roll of the game.] The park was crowded with personalities, largely children of ages 6 to 12. After some communication difficulties, I managed to gain information on the whereabouts of the power station.* Apparently we had several routes to choose from, ranging from taking the underground to crossing the river by the bridge. Alternatively, we could take the tunnel. While I debated our choices with agent Palmer, agent Archer had decided to take the initiative and procured a vehicle - an ancient car resembling a Citroen 2CV.* The car was rather cramped for three agents, but finally we managed to get agent Palmer to the backseat. [I tossed the park at the players, because I wanted to see them interact with children. BTW, the kids were dressed in late 50's to early 60's clothing. After a few false starts, the players found a crippled girl in a red dress. She was unable to run away, so the agents got some information. Archer's player simply swiped the first car he found unlocked.] Soon we spotted the outline of the power station on the opposite bank. Agent Archer managed to find the entrance of the tunnel, and despite agent Palmer's misgivings, we emerged on the other side of the river.* The power station was clearly visible at this point, and soon the car stopped in front of the massive building. The main gate was open, and we made our way to the great turbine hall. By this time it was evident that the power station had been shut down for quite some time. One of the massive turbines had been cut open, and apparently the place acted now as some kind of museum. I gave orders to conduct a fast sweep of the hall.* Agent Palmer spotted a series of photographs documenting the history of the plant. Some of the latest pictures featured Ashcroft, apparently in some sort of management role. We examined the pictures for additional information, but unfortunately, all the photographer's and frame-worker's imprints were illegible, as usual in the Blue City. Still, now we had a solid lead on Ashcroft. [At this point, I had to make a call about text and other symbols in the Blue City. I ruled that any letters or numbers are gibberish to the agents. They would have no problem with simple symbols like most traffic signs. This would prove very important later on. By now, it was time for a short break. I let the players discuss the game for a few minutes, and then offered a few observations of my own. It's been a while since we last played a game with scene resolution, so I reminded that each roll in Lacuna is a pretty big thing, encompassing a lot of stuff. Turns out they got my message loud and clear.]
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skiorht
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03-20-2004,
12:14 PM
#3
Apr 2003 NYC 4,903
Skiorht
The plant was evidently still maintained, so we set out to find someone who could tell us more about the place.* After a frustrating search, we managed to find the caretaker of the building. He was able to confirm that Ashcroft had been here earlier, and that he had heard several gunshots. Ashcroft had then exited the building from the rear entrance. The team followed the clue, and soon we found ourselves in the car park behind the plant. A dull roar of engines filled the air, and agent Archer noticed that were very close to the Ring Road. The cars in the parking lot were of a far more modern design than the ones we had previously encountered. Agent Palmer noticed that a green sedan had a recent scratch, and there were skid marks next to it.* There was some silvery paint on the scratch, so now we had a lead on Ashcroft's car. The places were apparently reserved for the cars of the management, and we removed the plaque with (presumably) Ashcroft's licence number. Agent Archer again took the wheel as we requisitioned the green sedan. There was some debate on whether to contact the authorities in effort to track down the car, and we decided to head for the nearest police station to report an accident. [Here the players started to explore their creative rights. "There's not too much dust here, right? There has to be a caretaker around, maybe he knows something." When they got to the car park: "He was pursued, so he must've been in a hurry. Any tracks? How about those plaques on the wall?"] Our search was interrupted when we encountered a military parade blocking the road. The road was lined with thousands of personalities cheering the soldiers. We found out that this was the Victory Day parade, celebrating the victory over the Enemy. Agent Palmer spotted a Ferris wheel nearby.* Citing the Manual, he proposed that we should head to the funfair. [This was a turning point. Palmer's player said something about fun fairs being important symbols. Ergo, the agents have standing orders to investigate.] The funfair was a curious, ramshackle affair. A short, stocky, moustachioed man trying incessantly pestered us, trying to sell us "Uncle Joes' Man of Steel Cotton Candy". Agent Palmer visited the Soothsayer.* There was some confusion about payment, luckily agent Archer somehow happened to have enough spare change. The Soothsayer told agent Palmer that "the girls have been crying in the horizontal house". She also warned him: "A multitude of eyes is upon you." The team had a brief conference. I was convinced that "the Fattest Man on Earth" held some answers, and we attended the show. It took some persuading, but soon we managed to interview the Fat Man.* He readily admitted that he knew Ashcroft, and they lived in the same building - even in the same corridor. Ashcroft's address was apartment 314, the Horizontal House. The Fat man also said that Ashcroft was not a nice man, evidenced by his refusal to swap apartments, even though he knew how important apartment 314 would have been to the Fat Man. We received directions to the Horizontal House. The easiest way there would be to take tram 4 from the Market Square. [This was great fun for me. I realised that I could introduce the Horizontal House here. As soon as the players heard about the house, Walker's player declared that they would go see the Fat Man. (In
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Finnish "the Horizontal House" can also mean "the House of Scales") The players pulled this one out of thin air, as I hadn't even thought about a Fat Man. It was much better than anything I had in store, so I decided to roll with it.] Finding the tram stop took some time. Seemingly, tram route 4 would take us up to the Castle, but we should get off a few stops earlier. While waiting for the tram, we observed two young men with dreadlocks scattering some sort of flyers around. Agent Archer retrieved one of the flyers. Apart from the usual gibberish, there was an intricate geometric green symbol [see appendix C]. Very soon a cream-coloured car with inversely angled rear window chased the two men. I decided not to investigate the matter, as the tram was approaching the stop. On the tram we engaged several Personalities in discussion.* Apparently this was a mistake, as at least one Personality got off the tram, and immediately raced to the nearest phone booth. [The two guys with flyers (and their spidermen pursuers) were originally something to be thrown at the players if the action got bogged down. By now I was pretty confident that we were on the right track, so I tossed it in for colour and possible future use.] We reached the Horizontal House, and I decided to make an interim report to the Control from a nearby phone booth.* I received basic information on the Horizontal House, and a warning not to use horizontal elevators C or D, and to avoid upper floors. I also requested additional funds. [The Horizontal House is my own recurring dream, so I was on very firm ground here. I hinted at some elevators being Deep Blue territory, and noted that the house is one of the more "stable" locations in the Blue City. I gave the players a basic layout of the place, in case they decided to go all tactical on me. Luckily, it didn't turn out that way.]
skiorht
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03-20-2004,
12:15 PM
#4
Apr 2003 NYC 4,903
Skiorht
The team entered the Horizontal House, and noticed that the foyer was in its secondary configuration (according to our data). As suggested by the Control, we used the main staircase to get to the Cafe the first floor. The huge converted factory floor was full of Personalities eating, drinking, reading, and socialising. We headed for the counter and ordered coffee. Cassavetes, the proprietor of the Cafe, handed me a wad of banknotes as change. He also suggested that we take a table, as he would join us soon. Cassavetes confirmed that Ashcroft was a resident of the Horizontal House, and told us he was a frequent visitor to the Cafe at night. Ashcroft was often accompanied by pretty young girls, but Cassavetes was unable to tell more. He suggested that we could wait for the DJ, as he knew much more about the Cafe at night. The team decided to investigate the third floor immediately. [Here's another call I had to make. I originally toyed with the idea that the Control would just send resources to the agents. I decided that it would be more fun if the process would be more tied in with the setting itself. Here the agents received their requested cash as change. I was slightly disappointed that the players didn't wait for the DJ, but I'm sure I can use him another time.] We reached the third floor using the horizontal elevator A. Agent Archer lead a brief reconnaissance of the corridor, but we were unable to decipher the names and numbers on the doors. We headed for the bookstore in the third floor hall. I managed to find a Personality called Petersen, who was
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Ashcroft's next-door neighbour.* After a small amount of cash changed hands, Petersen showed us to the door of apartment 314. Agent Palmer heard a rhythmical, pulsing sound from the apartment. [Walker's player kept talking about Petersen for some reason. Nobody had mentioned the name, but he kept on about Petersen this and Petersen that. This was the only time I explicitly called out for a roll. As the player succeeded nicely, I introduced Petersen (who will now be a recurring Personality). I was kinda miffed that none of the players made the connection between apartment 314 and pi.] Agent Palmer set about to opening the door*, while Agent Archer scouted the surroundings.* Archer declared that the place seemed secure, but that he was uneasy for some reason. However, agent Palmer had already picked the lock open, and disappeared into the hallway. We had no choice but to follow him inside. Palmer led us stealthily to the living room, where we saw Ashcroft lying on the sofa. He had apparently been wounded earlier, as the carpet was stained with blood. On the table was a pump-action shotgun. [Here the players started using Risk Multipliers. Palmer made his, while Archer blew his Instinct roll, giving me a perfect opportunity to introduce the Spidermen.] Agent Palmer lunged for the gun*, while Agent Archer and I covered him. Palmer managed to grab the gun, and kicked Ashcroft backwards. Instead of falling, Ashcroft broke into pieces like a porcelain figure, and the Hostile Personality was exposed. A thick, syrupy mass of dark liquid started to flow up the wall. A tentacle-like protuberance lashed out at Palmer, scoring a row of small, weeping wounds on his shoulder and face. I called out to Archer to cover me, and tried to attach the Lacuna Device to the HP.* I managed to attach the device, but was unable to activate it, as the HP sent me flying though the window. I managed to grab a hold of the window frame, though being severely injured in the process. I glanced down, and spotted two cream-coloured cars parked in front of the building. Agents Archer and Palmer coordinated their efforts,* and Palmer succeeded in activating his Lacuna Device, while Archer was thrown to the floor, cracking most of his teeth. The HP was dispatched to the Lacuna, as per protocol. [The fight in the apartment was awesome. The guys really went to town with Risk Multipliers. The whole thing took us about a minute to run, and people were actually standing up from their seats.] The mission was complete, but agent Palmer informed us that he had caught a disturbing glimpse of a brown uniform in the hallway. We decided to risk a dash to the hallway payphone for a more reliable ejection. I lead the way, and reached the phone without incident. As I was dialling the Control's number*, I was knocked down by a group of Personalities fleeing from the main stairway. Agents Archer and Palmer took up the phone, and ejected effortlessly*. I was trying to get my bearings when three Spidermen, led by one wearing an officer's cap, stepped into the corridor. Before they could react, I succeeded in an emergency eject.* [I would have been content with the mere threat of the Spidermen, but as Walker blew his ejection roll so splendidly (4d6 results: 2,1,1,1), I felt compelled to make it very hairy for him. he got lucky, and easily aced the second Access roll, and ejected with a final HR of 216]
skiorht
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03-20-2004,
12:48 PM
#5
Apr 2003 NYC 4,903
Skiorht
Debriefing:
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The whole session lasted only slightly more than three hours, with a fifteen-minute break after an hour of play. The play was incredibly focused and tight, at least compared to our usual fare (though having three players instead of seven or eight probably had something to do with it). I was utterly exhausted mentally, and the players seemed to share the feeling. The players' reactions were overwhelmingly enthusiastic. One of the commented that it was like the first sessions he ever played - the sense of wonder was back. Everybody was ready to have another go soon. One of the players expressed interest in running Lacuna for another group. I can't see myself running a lengthy campaign, but the game has potential for more sessions. It would make a perfect game fo cons. The system had some very nice twists, some which were not immediately obvious from just reading them. The way creative responsibility & narration rights switched from player to player as their Heart Rates went up was very nifty. As the older, and presumably more senior agents, have lower Target Heart Rates, they are more useful and powerful in the earlier stages. The younger agents come to their own in the end, when action heats up. Each action initiated by an agent raises HR, so there is an incentive to share the responsibility, giving each agent a moment in the sun (figuratively, of course). The tension when the Agents' HR started to hit 150 was palpable - one of my players is a physician, and he kept measuring his own heart rate, and told that it went up at pretty much the same pace as his agent's. ...and oh yeah, nobody saw the girl, really...
skiorht
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03-20-2004,
12:58 PM
#7
First thing: I can't believe ya played the damn thing. Second thing: Amazing! Great write-up...the game sounds like it went really well (amazing in its own right). I'm curious how the mechanics worked. I have never run or played the game and never had anyone playtest it. Did any of the agents eject? Were they in danger of dying? How did the heart rate system work in play (I was afraid that people would zoom into the maximum rate too rapidly). Did they use meditations at all? And last of all, character write ups! I wanna know who the Mentors were. Man! You crazy Finns with your death metal and your licorice and your mad, mad roleplaying! -J
Originally posted by Jared A. Sorensen
First thing: I can't believe ya played the damn thing. You design it, they will come. The setting is so cool it practically screams out to be played. I had no trouble getting players interested.
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The game did really go really well. One thing that helped was that we had all played a lot of Cthulhu Dreamlands stuff and some very gritty Paranoia. Blue City seemed like a logical step. Funnily enough, I had no clear mental picture of Blue City before the session. Somehow it ended up a composite of Paris, London, Prague, Tallinn, and Tampere, our home city. I'm curious how the mechanics worked. I have never run or played the game and never had anyone playtest it. Did any of the agents eject? Were they in danger of dying? How did the heart rate system work in play (I was afraid that people would zoom into the maximum rate too rapidly). Did they use meditations at all? The mechanics worked surprisingly well. All the agents ejected in the end - Walker failing his first roll. I had them roll at Risk Multiplier x2, since there were Spidermen in the Horizontal House. I was a bit worried about HRs climbing rapidly, but we discussed the matter before we started to play. (This was the only thing we talked about before the game - I wanted to do this as an experiment). We simply adjusted the pace so that each action encompassed a rather large portion of the story. As a result, the agents hit their maximum rates at the climax. Even the ejection roll didn't push Palmer over his limit, but both Archer and Walker did cross the limit. If Walker had blown his last roll, he would have died. Meditations weren't used, since by the time they encountered the HP, it was do or die. The players declared Risk Multipliers for every action in the end. And last of all, character write ups! I wanna know who the Mentors were. OK, here we go: Agent Archer: Age 50, Mentor: Agent Gardiner Force: - (easily tired) Talent: 0 Instict: + (has hunches) Access: 0 Psychological Symptoms: Kleptomaniac Agent Palmer: Age 32, Mentor: Agent Gardiner Force: 0 Talent: + (nimble digits) Instict: 0 Access: - (lacks confidence) Psychological Symptoms: Can't touch anything directly Agent Walker: Age 51, Mentor: Senior Instructor Snyder Force: + (relentless) Talent: 0 Instict: - (hidebound) Access: 0 Psychological Symptoms: Compulsive cracking of joints. I gave a cue to Walker to contact his mentor, but the player said that they were in a hurry.
skiorht
"Das Endziel ist mir nichts, die Bewegung ist mir alles."
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Running: ACKS/Dwimmermount, D&D 4E Playing: Boardgames
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Atlantis Segun Theosofista Madame BlavatskyActual Play - Lacuna IAtlantis Segun Theosofista Madame Blavatsky

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Atlantis Segun Theosofista Madame BlavatskyActual Play - Lacuna IAtlantis Segun Theosofista Madame Blavatsky

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[Actual play] Lacuna I

wide awake in America Validated User

[Actual play] Lacuna I

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[Actual play] Lacuna I

[Actual play] Lacuna I

Last edited by Skiorht; 03-20-2004 at 12:16 PM.

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wide awake in America Validated User

[Actual play] Lacuna I

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wide awake in America Validated User

[Actual play] Lacuna I

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[Actual play] Lacuna I

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Originally posted by Jared A. Sorensen

[Actual play] Lacuna I

[Actual play] Lacuna I

Running: ACKS/Dwimmermount, D&D 4E Playing: Boardgames

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