HyveMynd
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Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Apr 24, 2017 20:00:16 GMT -8
The Tannhäuser Job Working on the details for our second mission (but third session). I asked the group what sort of jobs a team consisting of a Killer, Pusher, and Hacker would take, and was told "wetwork". OK then.
////MISSION DIRECTIVES: When you accept the mission, mark experience.
When you decide how to get into the Hyatt Regency Barbasquillo, mark experience.
When you transmit the signed documents, mark experience.
When you transmit proof of Tannhäuser's "accidental" death, mark experience.
When the mission ends, mark experience. ////END
This is a pretty straightforward job. The team is hired to assassinate Elizabeth Tannhäuser, the major shareholder of a small construction corp after a merger deal goes bad. The fixer knows where the target is staying, the Hyatt Regency Barbasquillo, but Tannhäuser will be there for less than 24-hours. The team needs to get into the hotel, get the target to sign some documents (a will dictating where her shares will go upon her death), then eliminate her so that things look like an accident.
There's a twist though. The Corp hiring the team is Real Bad News. Once proof of Tannhäuser's death is transmitted, a second team in another part of the city is greenlit to fire off a few Kawasaki Heavy Industry Type-01 LMAT anti-tank missiles. The attack will obliterate any evidence of shady dealings (including the team), damage a major property of a rival Corp, and get blamed on anti-robot radicals. That'll allow the hiring corp to look like heroes when they send in the prisec teams to "clean up" the slums the missiles were fired from.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2017 22:17:21 GMT -8
A couple things:
"When you decide how to get into the Hyatt Regency Barbasquillo, mark experience."
This directive is supposed to signal the beginning of the action phase, yet it leaves room for more legwork, which in my mind makes it a bad directive. You should update it so that the whole run must be planned, thus making it clear when to transition to action.
"There's a twist though."
It's good to have ideas about what a twist might be, but the sprawl is a game where you play to find out. Part of that is tied up in the "Get Paid" move. Thus your players control if a double cross will even be an option for you. Additionally, unless you don't want to GM anymore (in which case do the adult thing and tell them instead of killing them), maybe firing off anti tank missiles at the team is a bad idea, especially if they have no way to know it is going to happen.
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Apr 25, 2017 23:41:07 GMT -8
A couple things: "When you decide how to get into the Hyatt Regency Barbasquillo, mark experience." This directive is supposed to signal the beginning of the action phase, yet it leaves room for more legwork, which in my mind makes it a bad directive. You should update it so that the whole run must be planned, thus making it clear when to transition to action. I thought this was similar to the "When you decide when and where to take Kurosawa, mark experience." and "When you find the VP, mark experience." directives in the sample missions in the book. As the team's employer provides the location of Tannhäuser, the Legwork phase should be focused on how to deal with hotel security to get into the target's room. I was going for a directive that essentially says "When you're done planning, mark experience." While the team could do more Legwork after achieving that directive, they don't necessarily need to. It's good to have ideas about what a twist might be, but the sprawl is a game where you play to find out. Part of that is tied up in the "Get Paid" move. Thus your players control if a double cross will even be an option for you. Additionally, unless you don't want to GM anymore (in which case do the adult thing and tell them instead of killing them), maybe firing off anti tank missiles at the team is a bad idea, especially if they have no way to know it is going to happen. The Sprawl, like most (all?) PbtA games is indeed a "play to find out" game. That doesn't mean the MC can't plan things though. The Corp the team is dealing with is well known for its ruthless, scorched earth tactics. This isn't a doublecross, this is insurance. A way to tie up loose ends, damage a rival corp, and misdirect all in one neat little package. The Corp isn't aiming those KHI Type-01 LMAT anti-tank missiles at the team; they're being aimed at the room.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 21:37:49 GMT -8
You are violating a specific move. You only have access to the employer screwing the team if they don't pick the option that prohibits it when they get paid. The moves are the social contract of the game. PbtA, unlike most games, provides rules for the MC. Not guidelines. Not suggestions. Rules. Ignore them at your own peril. That is what you are doing by having the corp who hired the team attack them before or in spite of the results of Get Paid.
I can't stop you from running your game whatever way you want. All I can say is that I think you are doing it wrong.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 23:00:31 GMT -8
What? Where does it say that the getting paid move is the only time that they can get screwed over?
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Apr 30, 2017 18:43:20 GMT -8
I will respectfully, but strongly, disagree that the team's employer can only screw over the characters as a result of the Get Paid move. The fact you think I am "playing incorrectly" is also noted, though again, I disagree.
No idea when the next session will be, but I'll post a recap afterwards.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2017 22:16:58 GMT -8
I will respectfully, but strongly, disagree that the team's employer can only screw over the characters as a result of the Get Paid move. The fact you think I am "playing incorrectly" is also noted, though again, I disagree. No idea when the next session will be, but I'll post a recap afterwards. Hope it goes well. Looking forward to the report.
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on May 14, 2017 18:38:37 GMT -8
////UPDATE: We still haven't played this mission; real life has gotten in the way a number of times, and I've had to reschedule the game. We should be playing this Friday evening, unless something else happens. But I've been thinking about things, and perhaps those Kawasaki Heavy Industry Type-01 LMAT anti-tank missiles are a tad bit much.
My whole reasoning here is that the corp that's hired the team does. Not. Fuck. Around. (It's the Weyland Consortium from Fantasy Flight Games' Android: Netrunner setting in case people are familiar.) This sprawling conglomeration is known for playing hardball, even among the other Corps, and I wanted to show that in game. But blowing up the hotel the PCs will be in with no warning is possibly a dick move.
So I'm turning the missile launch into a Threat Clock. Each time the Legwork Clock or Action Clock advances, so does the Missile Launch Threat Clock. If the Threat Clock fills all the way up to 0000, the missiles will launch as soon as the team transmits proof of Tannhäuser's death. They've made too much noise, and the Corp is just going to "clean everything up". The more unfilled Threat Clock segments, the more time the team has between transmitting proof of death and the missile launch.
////THREAT CLOCK: MISSILE LAUNCH 1200 Missiles launch two hours after proof of death transmission. 1500 Missiles launch one hour after proof of death transmission. 1800 Missiles launch thirty minutes after proof of death transmission. 2100 Missiles launch fifteen minutes after proof of death transmission. 2200 Missiles launch ten minutes after proof of death transmission. 2300 Missiles launch five minutes after proof of death transmission. 0000 Missiles launch immediately after proof of death transmission.
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D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
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Post by D.T. Pints on May 15, 2017 6:30:21 GMT -8
Jackercon. Run it dude.
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on May 15, 2017 17:43:36 GMT -8
Oh jeeze. Much as I'd like to, I doubt that'll happen. My daughter will be coming him at the beginning of June, and I am anticipating my gaming time, in-person or otherwise, to dry up like the Sahara.
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D.T. Pints
Instigator
JACKERCON 2018: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY June 22-July 1st
Posts: 2,857
Currently Playing: D&D 5e, Pathfinder, DUNGEONWORLD, Star Wars Edge of the Empire
Currently Running: DUNGEONWORLD, PATHFINDER
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Post by D.T. Pints on May 16, 2017 8:25:07 GMT -8
I do believe you anticipate correctly 😄...but I'd love to have you get in on my GURPS game! Although I also believe the only fail forward mechanic is dying a bloody death and failing forward into character gen.
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