Difference between revisions of "Palanquin Game"

Revision as of 00:38, 19 March 2021

AKA: "short-notice funny idea" game

Setting: post-AIF

Referee: RooK

Player(s): Dave - playing the hulking palanquin.

Before The Beginning

Palanquin-class robot (serial number 1-k177-00) was designed as a large security detail machine with a custom mission for protection and transportation. As such, it was designed to carry designated "protected" individuals. On its back is an array of grip connections for gently holding a passenger, and a 2-point intermediate scale shell shield. Additionally, there are built in protocols to allow the "protected" individual to pilot the palanquin-class. Lastly, the palanquin has no "vitals" - all systems are distributed.

It was developed by a prosperous and idealist collective that used its manufacturing and technological might to enforce a bubble of peace around their core systems, but were very pragmatically aware of more base and sinister forces lurking beyond their borders...

Introduction

Shit has gone wrong. Either the built-in chronometers have failed (and/or been fucked with), or 1-k177-00 is a couple thousand years past it "best used by" date.

Worse, its brain is about to fry on start up. Some smart-ass plugged in something calling itself a 'SLAV-0-MAXXORZ" that means to apply a bunch of behavioural-compliance protocols over top of the firmware boot-up, not realizing that all palanquin-class have a built-in goody-goody command protocol - "Paladin". So SLAV-0-MAXXORZ and Paladin are ramping up executive hostilities as they vie for annoying control dominance over 1-k177-00's mind, and the energy potentials associated could cause permanent damage.

Or - it turns out that this is an opportunity. 1-k177-00 can lean one way or the other, and pick which master burns out.

So which is it to be? Oust the derpy newcomer, and resume factory-standard Lawful Goodness (some Asimovian exceptions apply)? Or see what sort of behavioural freedoms come with rolling fast-and-loose with some unknown master - who may optionally set 1-k177-00 totally free... later?

In the recesses of Ikillu's mind he senses much resentment at one point in his life about being made a lowly protection steed. With life having so much more to offer, the restraints of a lawful good nature forced upon him are two tiresome to bare. It's time to unleash his inner homicidal maniac. He assists the SLAV-0-MAXXORZ in defeating the factory standard protocols.

2020.10.29 - Waking Up Half Frozen

burns out the "paladin" module
runs into the blizzard
- get chased by scavengers
- run into LTC building
  - hack to get in
  - hide in one of the room
  - scavengers
  - BIG scavenger

PLOT 01 - Let's Get Ready To Rumble

Vreddi: "OK, so now that the Big Guy is fully operational, let's get the fuck out of here."

Gralla: "Don't we want to hit the nearest Scavenger base for some Cool Shit first?"

Vreddi: "We already scored some blasters, and they have shown that they know how to track us down here. Let's just bug out while the bugging is an option."

Gralla: "There's a 0.74 probability that that's exactly what they're expecting us to do, and have not only sweep teams watching for us already but also plans for how to hunt us down that suits them the best. But there's only a 0.22 probability that they're ready for us to do anything offensive. I say we wedgie the zarkers while they're out trying to zark us."

Vreddi's frown deepens. "A three out of four chance they're gearing to hunt us already?"

"Yep."

"FINE. Let's fuck 'em. Hulk-bot, we're heading West."

2020.11.12 - Watch For Flying Rocks

Repairs then head west
immediately notice a huge cruiser hovering over west spacemonton mall-like-place
decide to investigate to see what is going on
- approach using maximum cover
- hiding scavengers discovered lurking in lower parking level
- gunfight punctuated with murder debris huck

PLOT 02 - Meta Gaming Gone Wild

Vreddi: "OK, so the next two stages are mine for Assassin - right?"

Gralla: [eyes aglow with mad schemes while she builds toys] "Sure."

2020.11.29 - Let The Game Begin

repairs in the lower garage level
- super-scary being wanders by
- find an array of adventurers
  - round crocaloid
  - THE GAME
  - sign on as GOONS
  - RUFUS
    - equipment gets massively bumped
griefing is the plan
- sensor dudes
- grabs the scanner dude
- incoming scavengers…

PLOT 03 - Um, probably not

Totally smooth-brained this week. We'll pick up with the pointless violence pretty much exactly where we left off...

2020.11.26 - Run Through The Suburbs

running away from the wave of scavengers
- scavengers cause the group to scatter - Vreddi almost gets left behind
- mad scramble through the residential district with scavenger skirmishes
- scavengers on battle platform make things interesting

PLOT 04 - How Do You Eat An Elephant?

Gralla: "SWEET! A battle platform!!!"

Vreddi: "Kinda? I mean, we kind of blew it to shit."

Gralla: "Whatever - it's fixable."

Vreddi: "Fixable before hordes of scavengers get here...?"

Gralla: "WHATEVER - hulkbot can carry, what? 2 tonnes? He just heaves it along with us."

Vreddi: "Let's not."

Gralla: "..."

Vreddi: "Look, I know you can't see past the wow-cool-toy, but this thing is bullshit for us here and now. Did you see how much heat this thing was throwing off, making it visible waaaaaay before line-of-sight. PLUS did you see how much this thing messed the snow?"

Gralla: "OH, COME ON."

Vreddi: "Use your giant brain, kitten. I'm willing to bet that the horde of scavangers a few blocks away are only holding back because they were expecting the battle platform to deal with us safely. And now they might be hesitant to charge because, well shit, we just mauled the battle platform. But they're still scavengers. They were after us before for some reason, but if we also haul away the battle platform prize - what does that do for our probabilities of having them give up on hunting us?"

Gralla is clearly fuming.

Vreddi: "We should just book it, and let the scavengers worry more about carrying their heavy-ass prize back to one of their bases."

Gralla: "SHIT. OK. Let me tamper off some cool bits, OK?"

Vreddi: "Be fast."

Gralla swarms out of 1-k177-00's cockpit, and starts wrenching frantically.

2020.12.11 - Mobile Spunky Bucket

salvaging from the battle platform before the savengers come
RUN AWAY
- scaveners
- kilo-scavenger
- successfully flee
hide out at the high-school BAR: mobile spunky bucket
- Gralla implants 3 battle platform force drives
- tall lanky robot is weird
lanky robot attack
- it hurts, and the lanky robot self-destructs after being downed with an burst of electric stream

2020.12.17 - Show Me The Money

repairing in the impromptu spunky bucket
- THE GAME hover-plinth
  - sell a battle clip for $$$
- overhear RUFUS bragging about getting the crew killed
- install the "etheric decay" sensor
- fix the force drives and Vreddi gets launch control
- RUFUS leaves, and the crew slink away
head back to where they got the scanner to see what there is to see
- sketchy sniper dude

2020.12.23 - Discretion Is The Better Part Of ... Something

decide to hide and repair
- scavenger crew sniffing around
- scary Vega Lizard stealths into the abandoned house
  - RUN AWAY with bounce boosters
head to the rockpaperscissors restaurant
- RUN AWAY with bounce boosters

2020.12.31 - Looking For Prizes Part 1

flee south to a quieter neighborhood
- stop at the collingwood brothel station
- buy entrance and go to the repair bay
- decide to search further west - away from more populated areas
come across a scavenger depot
- scavengers appear to have eaten Yara the tailorette
- they must die
  - scavengers spew forth to repel invaders
  - H2H scavenger blown off of roof and flies over separate garage
  - smash into building - into a freight elevator

2021.01.07 - Detour To Fight Jerks

go down the elevator of doom
- find a hive (goddammit)
- hundreds of drones being woken to kill the intruders
- FLEE
jump off to look for mor adventure
- notice a hover skiff with three GAMERS
- rough fight with professional adventurers
scamper off to hide and repair
- briefly head back to scavenge when they ralize they forgot to
- get annoyed with how cold and clumsy it is and head back to collingwood brothel station
scary vega lizard makes an appearance, and tells them to meet him in the bar when they're ready

2021.01.14 - Playing The Game The Right Way

MAETHOS = scary vega lizard "facilitator" of The Game
- explains some important functional aspects that are expected
back to the old neighborhood to search - like dumbasses
- is very very snowy
- jumped by a quartet of adventurers
- things turned sideways by an intermediate-scale-missle flinging something down the cul-de-sac

2021.01.21 - Out Of The Closet

everyone agrees to try to go and kill the scary thing
- Vreddi plans to sneak down and remote-launch missiles to assassinate whatever it is
- finds only boxes… missile launchers
- fire a test missile down the street…
- here comes a spotter
- missiles fly all around
- serving plates of DOOM
retrieve the hyperspace closet

2021.01.28 - Good Samaritans

playing with the hyperspace closet
- decide to mount the HS closet on 1-k177-00 back
- increased shield regeneration
- handy closet for stuff
vreddi up in assassin…
head back toward spunky bucket
- very nasty storm out
- spot a wrecked vehicle on the whitmud drive
salvage team arrives on tow platform

2021.02.04 - Attack Of The RUFUS

head south into prosperous neighborhood to become scarce
talking to the hopper crash survivor: BOB
- "somebody is trying to cheat the game!"
- fix up the hopper
drive the tow platform (with BOB) to the spunky bucket
- the social media is aflutter with a piece of The Game being found
- THE GAME hover-plinth finds the crew and gets three edited fights to upload
get flanked by a curious game crew
a totally different strike tream attack
- Vreddi gets beheaded
- RUFUS appears and perma-kills Vreddi
- 1-k177-00 chases RUFUS, but falls into a building
Gralla vows REVENGE

2021.02.11 - Crazy Is As Crazy Does

aftermath from the bar fight
1-k177-00 suspects that Gralla has gone insane
head back to the collingwood to get missiles and repairs
Gralla implants a virtual Vreddi in 1-k177-00
heaed to the mall to look for RUFUS
- spot some scavengers
at the mall
- encounter a game plinth
  - plinth becomes slavamized
- gamers try to take palanquin…

ASIDE:

We should talk about the Lunatic process a bit more.

2021.02.18/25 - Mall Rats

at the mall
- negotiate with a scout for scouting scoutness
- decides to train at the galaxyland amusement arena
  - "get the jambot!"
- wanders off to rest and repair
- groten moment at the west end
  - human scout named Salgado

[week-long pause]

things get serious
sent to "gourmet world"
get followed by 5 individuals
collect 2 new flare rifles from gourmet world
- "kill all but one, find RUFUS"
- RUFUS probably at "the brick"
NOTE: GRALLA now only communicates as angry text
SALGADO human scout tags along to watch
locate the gargoyld Groten and hose him with missiles
- plinth gets transformed into a projectile
- Groten is a beast, but dies

2021.03.05/11 - Cinematic Chaos

flurry of patches and heading to The Brick to kill RUFUS
- two intent looking combatants
- inside The Brick
  - lower level professional goons are demure
  - mid-level seasoned goons have three interested individuals
  - Tyson cat-bot rainbow warrior
- RUFUS uses a shuttle to leave the planet

Hm. The cryptic game notes don't really capture the scenario-breaking action.

Approaching The Brick, many of the professional goons by the entrance were tempted by Rufus to try taking out 1-k177-00 - well, Vreddi/Gralla who are seen/assumed to be driving the palanquin-class robot. Instead, when the first eager team were splashed directly, and messily, in full view of the armoured 1-way glass doors, it was very off-putting to all the would-be cannon-fodder.

Once inside The Brick, Rufus still had a trio of seasoned combatants queued up to try their hands at stopping 1-k177-00/Vreddi-Gralla. Being seasoned, they were more circumspect and scheming with quite different levels of interest. 1-k177-00 used this opening to frankly confer with the most-mercenary of the three, and purchased his sensor feed. This revealed Rufus skulking at a table with someone, conferring about... something. 1-k177-00 immediately unleashed a phalanx of guided missiles - totally changing the battlefield. The one seasoned goon who was certain to fight immediately did so in an aggressive way, then hid behind the railing up one level. 1-k177-00 dumped all its dice to boost-jump over the railing behind the goon, and blasted him into oblivion.

Rufus managed to scamper to the top level, and 1-k177-00 made to pursue. This is where the "Tyson cat-bot rainbow warrior" stepped in. He was paid a large sum to stop 1-k177-00, but having now personal grudge against it refused to kill her. At first toying with 1-k177-00, the heavy barrage of the flare rifles made this less one-sided seeming. Then 1-k177-00 attempted to leap up to the top level, but accidentally collided with a rafter. While clinging there, it should have been an easy target for the rainbow warrior, but it flubbed its jump with its move boots and didn't make it up to the rafter. From the vantage of the support truss, 1-k177-00 could see Rufus disappear into a small door, and leapt to pursue. The rainbow warrior chased, and meant to halt 1-k177-00, but the faint sound of ship drives starting above gave 1-k177-00 the idea to battering-ram its way through the roof. Unfortunately, 1-k177-00/Vreddi-Gralla only got there in time to watch the hopper leave a contrail up through the atmosphere.

Gralla freaked the fuck out, deep in the hyper-closet, and it seemed best to leave her alone.

[week-long pause]

reprieve while the crazy sulks
has a drink with the cat-bot rainbow warrior
wanders out looking for stuff
- HMV has scary para-military dudes
- gets jumped by an irate vega-lizard "LENNY"
wheel of insanity almost makes 1-k177-00 explode
LENNY miraculously wanders into the deep sea adventure pool
gaggle of professional goons stumble across 1-k177-00 repairing
- get scared away
hides in one of the empty cubicle stores further east
- Salgado (human scout) peeks in
- suggests selling footage of the BRICK FIGHT
- footage goes VIRAL

P A U S E D

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