Happy New Year everyone! I still have over four hours left here in the States, but I want to copy over a tradition from the PbP site I own/run (GotEXP), where I've posted gaming-related, New Years Resolutions for the past 10 years. Before I jump into it, I want to take a moment and thank every one of you who reads this blog. I've never been a consistent blogger and was surprised I actually kept up with it for three months, when I revived the blog back in June. Work and personal life got the better of me for the last four, yet I still noticed activity here and readers checking out my posts despite my inactivity, so I want to keep at it and thank all of you again for reading.
I hope 2015 brings you all joy, the best of luck, and happy gaming!
Now, let's see what resolutions I put down for 2014 and what I accomplished, before I list my goals for 2015:
New Years Resolutions for 2014 1. Run a game of Dungeon World, where at least one PC reaches level 10 2. Have a PC in Dungeon World reach level 10 3. Run and/or play Inverse World and Pirate World 4. See some of my submissions for Pirate World make it into the book 5. Play Mouse Guard, Torchbearer, and Burning Wheel 6. Play Lady Blackbird 7. Play The Quiet Year 8. Play Fiasco and Durance 9. Play FAE and/or FATE Core 10. Play Star Wars: Edge of the Empire 11. Illustrate a scene from one of the Dungeon World/Planet games I play/run 12. Have my PC become chief of the Orc tribe and make a pact with a hobgoblin
1-2. No and no, I haven't ran or played a DW game where any PC has reached Level 10. I still play DW, though, and I'd love to see that happen! 3. No, Inverse World and Pirate World still haven't happened. I almost ran/played IW, but almost doesn't count, heh. 4. Maybe (pending). For those of you who have been following Pirate World's development, it took a plunge for a little while, but the guys behind the Kickstarter are back on it, and Iain Chantler (James Hawthorne on G+) just announced yesterday that the text is all finished. I'm not sure if my submissions made it into the book or not, but either way, I'm still excited to read it and play it! 5. Yes, yes, and yes (sort of), hehe. I played a one-shot, Mouse Guard game who my friend, +Lloyd Gyan, ran at Jackercon IV (http://youtu.be/OFHWbmuVnv4). Lloyd also ran six sessions of Torchbearer (two APs can be found here), which I played in, though the game sadly fizzled out. We've been trying to get at least one more session in to finish up the adventure, but it hasn't happened yet. Finally, I said, "kind of," to Burning Wheel, because I got to play a scripted battle, though I haven't officially played the game through character creation or even a single session. 6. Yes! Lloyd ran a live, Lady Blackbird game via Hangouts one day when Torchbearer didn't happen. It was fantastic! I even started a Lady Blackbird PbP on GotEXP, but it fizzled out and hasn't seen activity since the beginning of the month. 7. No. I tried to get a game in the past, two weeks, but it didn't happen. +Riley Adamson, over on GotEXP, says he's interested in trying out a PbP version, so hopefully that'll happen in 2015. 8. No and no. :( I did get an awesome, Fiasco shirt though, and I still really want to play it and Durance. 9. Yes and no. I finally got to play FAE this past week! It was a one-shot, space noir run by, you guessed it, Lloyd, and it was awesome! I want to try Fate Core next. I should also add that earlier this year, I played a few sessions of Dresden Files with the old, Fate rules run by +James Savko, though it doesn't really count toward the resolution. 10. No, but Lloyd said he'll run a game for me in the future. All I have to do is make a character. I want to make that happen soon. 11. Yes (sort of). I haven't had time to illustrate full scenes, but I did illustrate some characters (including two space gnomes from the Dungeon Planet PbP I'm running who are standing next to a Dalek). You can check them all out here, [url]mishapolonsky.tumblr.com[/url]. 12. Yes and yes. Huzzah! My Orc Fighter, Nok, did become Chief in a Number Appearing/Dungeon World PbP game on GotEXP, the Hobgoblin Barbarian PC did join Chief Nok's Inner Circle, so I certainly consider that a pact!
All in all, I accomplished 5/12 of my 2014 resolutions. That's not too shabby, considering that last year, I accomplished about 1/13 resolutions for 2013. Though, as an added bonus, GotEXP finally got its own dice roller this year which was part of the 2013 list.
Anyway, here is my list for 2015: A Gamer's New Year Resolutions for 2015 1. Run and/or play a Storium game. 2. Run and/or play a Dungeon World game, where a PC reaches level 10. 3. Run Mouse Guard and/or Torchbearer. 4. Create a character for Burning Wheel and play at least one session. 5. Run another 12-13 episodes (game sessions) for the 2nd season of the Tears of a Machine game I ran this past summer (Tales of the Arx Jericho) and post APs for them here. 6. Create and release a supplement for Tears of a Machine. 7. Create and release an adventure module and/or supplement for Dungeon World and/or Adventures on Dungeon Planet. 8. Finish running the current session of the Dungeon Planet PbP I'm running on GotEXP (226: Story of the Year 3443). 9. Finish running the DW PbP adventure, Sagas of Mahr-En (as in see the PCs complete their quest of imprisoning the Bone Wand of Beshi or die trying). 10. Play at least one of the following games: Inverse World, Pirate World, Apocalypse World (via Hangouts or in person), Ryuutama, Numenera, Lords of Gossamer & Shadow, Scarlet Heroes, any World of Darkness with the updated, God Machine Chronicles rules (especially Demon: the Fallen), Urban Shadows, Monsterhearts, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, WH40k Dark Heresy, Iron Kingdoms, Serpent’s Tooth, Fate Core, Fiasco, Durance, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Savage Worlds, D&D 5e, Microscope (to completion), Apocalypse World: Dark Ages (at least a few sessions real-time or further exploration if PbP, since our play tests fizzled out), Wield, The Clay That Woke, and more. 11. Be more active on GotEXP, G+, and the RPG communities than I have been this year. 12. Avoid month-long hiatuses for GotEXP games and/or my blog. Hopefully I can complete at least half of these goals or more!
What are your gaming New Years Resolutions for 2015?
Previously
The CRC facility has only eight minutes left until self-destruction. Meanwhile, the Arx Jericho is still under lockdown, and the Mayzor have landed an assault on the Arx itself.
Dr. Johnson takes Rick, Serena, and Opsie to suit up in their Prophets, while Jason takes point on overwriting the self-destruct sequence. With his teammates supporting him, he's successful, and AK-47 leads them outside toward HQ, where Jason, Sarah, Strudel, Billy, and Joanne suit up to board their SAInts and defend the Arx against the enemy.
While Rick, Serena, and Opsie free Kazuhiro, Laurie, and their other classmates from the cafeteria, Sarah leads the others to free Miguel and Raspberry from the dorms, Bala and Lieke from the simulation building, and Stephanie from the classrooms.
All the while, the Prophet and SAInt pilots fight off a hoard of Locusts: including the usual Soldiers, Brawlers, and Archers, and two, new classes of aerial-based Locusts (Choppers which resemble dragonflies and Bombers which look like giant moths hovering in the sky).
After Rick, Serena, and Opsie secure the cafeteria, they proceed to Dr. Harris's office and take flight to take out one of the Bombers.
Suddenly, the MetaTron exhibits the same static the pilots experienced in New Alamo. Their fears that the Mayzor have hacked in are confirmed, when Commander Yamasuka's voice starts ordering SAInts to target Robbies and military vehicles. What happens next shocks the pilots even more, as Sarah witnesses Strudel draw his shotgun on Joanne, while she prepares to fire off her rocket launcher back at point blank range.
"We can't control this! Help!" Joanne tries to communicate through the MetaTron, amidst the static.
It seems neither of the pilots can control their frenzying SAInts.
"Joanne!" Rick calls out telepathically.
Sarah and Billy rush in to restrain her, while Strudel runs off toward HQ.
Meanwhile, Commander Yamasuka's real voice comes through the network, and she's telling the frenzying SAInts to ignore her previous orders and stand down.
They don't respond.
Finally, Dr. Johnson hails Rick on a private channel.
Tuesday, September 2nd 2031
18:10
"Rick, can you hear me?" Dr. Johnson asks over the MetaTron, despite the static.
"Yeah, I can hear you," Rick replies.
Dr. Johnson asks Rick for a status report on the MetaTron hacking, the frenzying SAInts, and Commander Yamasuka's false orders. He also says the CRC facility is surrounded by Locusts and needs an extraction to get to Operations.
Rick answers his questions truthfully and sends Serena and Opsie to go get him. Serena is hesitant, but Opsie quickly takes advantage of the situation to make herself look good and says, "Come on Serena, I've got a plan!"
Plethora of Problems
The Bombers hovering high above the Arx weapons turrets begin firing their high-powered, particle beams straight down.
Commander Yamasuka coordinates with Commander McGarry of the military who agrees that they need to raise the Arx defensive shields to maximum power, even if that means taking the weapons, Operation's computers, and the MetaTron offline.
While Sarah and Billy continue to restrain Joanne, Rick asks AK-47 for a solution to deal with the hacked SAInts. AK-47 relays the Commanders' plan but is hesitant to shut the MetaTron offline, so Jason, Sarah, Billy, and Serena all chime in to convince her otherwise.
Meanwhile, a group of Choppers fly toward the engines to take them out, and warning sounds blare across the Arx.
Rick flies off after them and calls out to Joanne one last time before the MetaTron goes offline: "Joanne, if you can hear me, hang in there!"
Joanne replies with a sinister laugh, followed by, "Come join me for a Kendo match, Rick!"
All communication throughout the MetaTron halts abruptly, and the frenzied SAInts return to normal, but the Robbies and military continue to fire at them.
Rick grows angry at Joanne's response, as he passes by. Sarah calls out to him directly through her SAInt's speakers and asks him to tell the military to stand down and focus on Locusts.
Sarah and Billy relinquish their hold on Joanne, and Sarah asks her if she's alright.
"Yeah, Sarah, let's kick the Mayzor's ass right now! I'm ready to fight! Let's get em!" Joanne replies over the speakers, and as she asks Sarah what the plan is, a great lightning bolt flashes down from the sky and lands atop a helipad at the center of the Arx.
Terrified faces look up to bear witness to one of the oldest and most powerful Magnas the world has ever known.
Asmodeus: This Magnas is the most feared and despised that has been faced by Preservation Forces. Asmodeus is the largest and most misshapen of its rank. It was one of the original robots launched in the first Mayzor assaults and has been on numerous deployments since then. Asmodeus stands over 280 feet tall and individual limbs have branched and braided together into two huge arms sprouting from the shoulders of a tapering trunk-like body. Clusters of wings lash like thorn tendrils over its bult. Its head is a pyramid of howling beastly faces crowned with a huge broken mask with a contented smile on its lips. The most horrifying feature of Asmodeus are the "corpses" of three SAInts impaled on its body, crucified victims of the Magnas.
- Excerpt from Tears of a Machine, pp. 181
Aerials in the Sky
Jason starts moving toward the bow of the Arx and targets a Bomber above the fore, weapon turret at High Ballistics (HB) range with his EZK-L Particle Beam sniper. It explodes, as groups of Chopper reinforcements come buzzing out of the Wormwood in the central garden. Three of them head for the engines, three head toward Asmodeus, and the last two target the turret closest to Sarah and Jason.
Rick reaches the engines and faces a total of six Choppers at Firearms (FA) range. He fires his Levic Pistol at one of them, and it explodes on the side of the Arx. The remaining five continue to fire at the engines.
With the Choppers at the front in FA range of the SAInt pilots, Jason fires off his Levic Pistol, while Sarah uses her RDav Combat Rifle, or "Giant Killer." The Chopper that Jason hits spirals off course and crashes into the side of the cafeteria building, while Sarah's mark explodes into pieces just before reaching the turret.
On the other side of the Arx, a mixed group of aerial Locusts successfully destroy another weapon turret.
Rick continues to go after the Choppers attacking the engines, but he's inhibited by a flood of ghastly, wailing, young voices begging to be saved. It turns out Asmodeus has found a way to penetrate the SAInt, telepathic network by keeping the pilots of the crucified SAInts alive in torment. Fortunately, most of the SAInt pilots are unaffected due to the disabled MetaTron, but the Prophets' psychic, communication channels are still disrupted. Rick fails to hit the Choppers this time, and they take out the backup generators.
Sarah, Jason, Joanne, and Billy rush back toward the dorms. Before annihilating the rest of the Bombers and Choppers, they want to prevent any more reinforcements from surprising them by eliminating the Wormwood in the garden. Sarah targets it with her Tiamat Multiple Missile System, but the projectiles wipe out the entire garden along with the Wormwood in a great display of fireworks, just as a lightning bolt comes down to beam up whatever scorched remains are left of the spherical capsule.
Most of the SAInt pilots are in awe. Allen is too, as he drops the Twins off at HQ. Inside the hangar, Kazuhiro and Laurie are gearing up for deployment, and back at the dorms, Jason reloads his rifle while running toward the remaining, aerial Locusts to take them down.
By now, Opsie and Serena have brought Dr. Johnson to HQ, and they regroup with Rick. He changes distance to get into Close Quarters (CQ) range of the Choppers and takes out two simultaneously with his dual 'Arc Swords.
Jason snipes down one of the last, two, remaining Bombers with Joanne's help, while Sarah and Billy take out the other one.
After the Bombers are destroyed, the SAInts near HQ inform Operations, and within minutes, the defensive shields go back down and the surviving, weapon turrets are online and operational.
Finally, with Serena and Opsie's help, Rick activates his Prophet's supreme, Vanquish protocol which taps into the Mayzor, telepathic network to seize control of the self-repair, nano-machine systems of the remaining Choppers in order to dismantle them via telepathic command. The last, three Choppers suddenly unravel, and millions of pieces plummet toward the earth.
Now that the engines are safe, the Prophets return to HQ to meet up with the SAInts so that they can take out the remaining Locusts and focus their efforts on Asmodeus.
Last of the Locusts
While the pilots of Alpha and Bravo Company get into their positions, and Jason mans the turret he's been dying to get his SAInt's hands onto, they all take cover from Asmodeus's deadly lasers, while Blue Company wipes out the last, remaining Locusts threatening HQ.
Serena helps Rick engage the two, closest Brawlers at CQ range, and he swoops down to impale them both with his swords.
Next, Laurie helps Rick engage two Soldiers at CQ, and he slices their tails off before destroying them.
Finally, Rick targets the last, remaining Archer with his pistol, but the cries emanating from Asmodeus's crucified SAInts startles him again, but he's able to defeat the Archer with Opsie's help. She, of course, takes credit for the kill and proceeds to showboat, but at least HQ is saved.
As the Robbies and military attack the last Locusts outside the CRC facility, the Prophets and SAInts face off against one, last, enormous threat.
All Hope Seems Lost
"Make a hole!" Rick cries out, as he engages Asmodeus at CQ range with Jason, Sarah, and Billy helping him out. Unfortunately, the Magnas is much too powerful, and even though Rick ends up where he wants, Asmodeus's lasers tear through his SAInt, and he loses Resolve on top of that. Sarah, Jason, and Billy are all injured as well, though Sarah's SAM-L Shield prevents some of her damage.
Jason fires at Asmodeus from his turret but misses. Sarah, Strudel, Joanne, and Billy miss as well, and they all take another round of damage, as lasers shoot through their porcelain bodies and expose their inner structure.
Rick attempts to attack Asmodeus with his double, 'Arc Swords, but even with help from Serena, Opsie, and Laurie, he's unable to land a decent hit. Asmodeus retaliates, and Rick is practically crushed to the ground, as he loses more Resolve.
The pilots scramble to catch their bearings and figure out how they'll take Asmodeus down.
Will they fail? Will they die? If they do, will they take the Magnas down with them?
All hope seems lost for the people of the Arx Jericho, but the pilots can't give up.
They won't give up.
Altogether Now
"Alright guys, follow this in!" Sarah yells through her speakers, as she takes point and fires off her last set of Tiamat missiles in an all-out, coordinated attack against Asmodeus which finally connects.
Jason blasts it with his big ass, turret gun.
Rick flies around it, slashing its limbs and clipping its wings off with his swords.
Joanne screams, "DIE!" as she fires her rocket launcher.
All the other SAInts and Prophets join in the fight and go all out with their respective weapons.
The three SAInts crucified to the Magnas explode. Its wings crumble to dust. Its trunk-like legs and huge, braided arms collapse and tear apart. Its head flies into the air with a contented smile still plastered over its lips, and its body crushes the scorched remains of the garden, as the head and self-destructing core explode simultaneously, and the citizens of the Arx Jericho witness the greatest blast they have ever seen.
Image used without permission.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/q5tqg3t
The air grows silent in the aftermath of the explosion, and the sight of the damaged Arx is quite surreal.
After the pilots return to HQ, the Operation's computers and MetaTron network go online again and a debriefing ensues. The pilots responsible in taking down Asmodeus are awarded special medals, and the pilots of Blue Company and Alpha Company go on to receive higher accolades and become worldwide celebrities in the following months.
The Arx Jericho instantly begins repairing itself, and the Preservation Forces are already discussing future plans with the CRC. The SAInts have preserved humanity once again, but an important lesson has been learned. The people of Earth can not wait around any longer in shelter or hiding, while the Mayzor continue to attack indefinitely.
It's high time for Earth to fight back and go after the Mayzor mother ship, Tartarus.
It's time to unleash Operation: Blue Moon.
Image used without permission. Source unknown.
I take absolutely no credit for this image.
End of Episode 13
End of Season 1
Director Commentary
Phew! Holy moly, what a season!
First off, I apologize that I'm posting this AP incredibly late, but four months is still better than no AP at all! Two, quick notes. First, Blue Company is a term I came up with months after running Episode 13 to describe the special ops company of Prophets which include Rick, Serena, and Opsie. Second, I quoted an except from the Tears of a Machine book and paraphrased several other lines regarding equipment and Asmodeus's cries. All credit for those names and explanations belongs to Russell Collins, author of the book and creator of the game.
As always, here's the actual, YouTube recording of the Hangouts on Air.
NOTE: I now keep all of the APs on my channel unlisted due to my animation/portfolio work that's on there (I still like keeping everything in one channel), so if you cannot view the video, please let me know, and I'll fix it!
When we finished this game back in August, I asked the players if they wanted a second season in the near future, and the unanimous decision was a definite yes. However, we felt we needed a break, so I suggested trying to start the game up again after the New Year. Well, it's been almost five months now, and earlier this month, I brought up the idea of running Season 2. Not only was everyone still on board from the original cast, but two more players have decided to join the party! Tales of the Arx Jericho, Season 2, Episode 01 kicks off in a little less than two weeks. Our first game is scheduled for Sunday, January 4th 2015, while in-game, it'll also be a new year (Sunday, January 4th 2032). Go ahead and look up the date! Pretty cool, right? Here's the link for the G+ Hangouts on Air event for the game, in case you're interested in checking it out. https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c498vnt8nicb8ea0929dodl5850?authkey=CN3Hh8LywfDxKQ +Robert Ruthven, +Wolfie Fang, and +David Andrews will reprise their roles as Rick Hunter, Sarah Werner, and Jason Reyes respectively. We also have +Lloyd Gyan joining us with Esteban "Spearhead" Knowles of Alpha Company and +Russell Collins (creator of Tears of a Machine) joining us with Martin "Skitz" Oiseleur of Alpha Company as well. It looks like we're shooting for weekly, Sunday games, so if you've been following the story so far, you certainly don't want to miss what's in store for Season 2!
Season 2 Teaser
Four months have passed since the Battle of Jericho, and far too much has happened in so little time. Not only has the Arx Jericho nearly completed its repairs, it's made incredible advancements to its design and infrastructure, enabling it to take flight into space and become the first Arx to exist outside of Earth. The Preservation Forces and the CRC have outfitted all the SAInts and their equipment to operate in zero G and low gravity environments. All citizens aboard the Arx Jericho have received rigorous training to survive and function properly whilst orbiting in space, and the SAInt pilots have received even more, specialized training to undergo a set of missions prepared for them under the classified codename, Operation: Blue Moon. The SAInt Program has expanded to include five, full companies (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo), as well as a special ops team called Blue Company which is now comprised of four, Prophet pilots including: Rick, Serena, Opsie, and Sarah. Their first destination is to the moon in order to secure a base of operations before targeting Tartarus and leading humanity's first, and hopefully only, counter attack against the Mayzor. Meanwhile, many of the pilots' lives have changed dramatically in the past, four months. Opsie, Serena, Rick, Sarah, Jason, Strudel, and Joanne are the most famous, SAInt pilots on Earth. Some of their relationships have changed, while others haven't. Billy retired from the SAInt Program just three weeks short of his 18th birthday and has joined the Preservation Forces under Dr. Johnson's wing. He's being groomed as the new, Junior Head of Security. With all these changes, many questions still remain: • Will Operation: Blue Moon be successful? • How vulnerable will the Arx Jericho be orbiting in space? • Will the Mayzor continue to attack Earth despite the oncoming, counter attack? • Is Rafe Hunter actually a Mayzor General, and what does that mean? • Are there other, Mayzor agents still on Earth, disguised as humans? • Is Dr. Johnson actually friend or foe? • Will Rick and Serena Hunter ever see their captured mother? Will Jason Reyes see his? • Will the new companies get along with the old ones? • Will the rearranged companies be able to thrive and work together as a team? • What new Mayzor and dangers await our heroes? Tune in, as we play to find out! PER SCIENTAM VICTORIA - Through Knowledge, Victory And as always, May the SAInts preserve us.
