#ttrpg session notes

[chaoticincompetent]

It's been a while since I did a weekly D&D drawing, but a lot happened last session. So here are a couple of silly ones.

Spil (my goblin artificer) saw something which cannot be unseen.

And the party finally met the Big Bad of this part of the campaign... a living nightmare which has been locked up for 50'000 years and gone completely mad. So we attempted to rehabilitate it into society via a spontaneous therapy session :)

It was not impressed. We now have eight hours to give in to its demands of release or Terrible Things TM will start happening.

(The evil quori was a very quick picture based on the official artwork but "if it were more cartoony and also completely incredulous at being asked about its feelings". No regrets.)

[cicadako]

begging you on my knees to tell us more about the girls in the new comic and the concept and any random behind the scenes. if you'd like

( am in love with it)

They were playing tabletop rpg

[heybiji]

hi!!! i just wanted to say i really love all of your MASKS stuff. i'm something of a newbie when it comes to the TTRPG community, but MASKS seems to be not very well-known and i think that's a real shame. i'm a huge fan of old-school superhero-adjacent stuff, especially the silver- and bronze-age ones!

by the way, i was wondering if you'd be willing to share some tips for a first-time GM? you don't have to if you'd rather not! i just figured i'd try asking since i was planning on GMing a MASKS campaign for some of my friends later, but despite my decade's worth of roleplaying experience i've never been in a TTRPG campaign nor a GM (or similar) role before

Thank you so much!! I was just lamenting about how I felt bad for the MASKS tag because it is now flooded with all my npc nonsense hahah so this is really nice to hear.

It's awesome you're planning on running a MASKS game for your friends!! There is an indispensable post on twitter I saw that has a LOT of great tips for running MASKS that I recommend checking out. But for my own personal tips that are just me things, here's what I got. Sorry it's gonna be extremely long-winded, it may take a few months to read through it.

(Note: I am also hugely into RP and probably put more into it than what is necessary, especially with MASKS which is meant to be able to be played out of the box. It was definitely not played out of the box in our case because I require a lot out of myself and everyone else to feel good about running something. if anyone else wants to continue seeing me as a normal human being please don't click the Keep Reading)

Since you're running it, make the world interesting to you. If the world runs around themes you're personally interested in then you'll have a much easier time coming up with answers on the fly. For me, themes I'm interested in that lend themselves well to a superhero world: money, power, family, celebrity, media, the 24 hour news cycle and the desensitization of violence. Because I'm interested in this stuff anyway, wrapping a world around them makes it much simpler for me to figure out how the world ticks and thus how the characters fit into it and how the world reacts to them, and I am DESPERATE to find out how the characters react to all the questions and expectations the world is imposing upon them.

Make sure your players have a good grasp of the tone of story so they can make characters that gel well within it. For me the tone is a lil more adult because I'm not personally into younger morality tale stories in tone, it's pretty grounded, and I think comedy and tragedy work hand in hand so I lean into them.

Talk. A lot. Talk about the characters, talk about the world. MASKS is fun because it's a LOT of talking and figuring out the narrative together. It's not a lot of crunchy mechanics, it's all around seeing how the characters react to the world narratively, all hurt and comfort and emotions which (for me) requires people to have a good grasp on their characters and the world. I like to give my players "homework" where I ask them a question involving their characters in some way like "what hero did your character look up to as a child?" so they get to come up with past heroes, or "How does your character feel about _____?" etc etc. The only fans are gonna be your table and fans love to talk so be the biggest fans of the PCs!!

Figure out your framing. I know in MASKS they suggest framing it like a comic book, and basically talking about the frames on screen. For me, because I'm more into movies and tv than comics, I frame it like that. So I have an active "camera" in play during sessions and will ask things like "would anyone like to grab the camera?" to encourage the players to put the character into a scene or "what does the audience see as the camera focuses in on your character in this emotional moment?" There is a LOT of playing up to the camera and framing the sessions as episodes of a show, so it's like, okay, you have several options but what is going to be interesting for the audience to see? I find this encourages the players to have their characters take bigger swings and feel comfortable letting us into how their character is feeling because it all looks GREAT on camera. The camera loves it. The PCs are the story after all.

Because I frame it a show, I also like to play individual ending songs over the "credits" at the end of each episode. So I asked my players to make playlists for their characters so if I feel an episode had a lot of emotional focus on one character in particular, I can play one of their songs at the end of the episode! I also made a general MASKS playlist with a bunch of songs from the era we set it in (2004) to pull from. It's a fun little addition that I really enjoy and that I hope makes it all feel more special.

The Dino Donut Effect: create landmarks in your world. (OK THIS IS GONNA BE LONG BUT WORK WITH ME HERE) They don't have to be locations, more solid landmarks of the story that the characters can refer back to and lean on to make the world feel more "real." I call it the Dino Donut Effect because in our world the thing that made everything click into place was talking out the backstory of one of the PC's figuring out they had the power negation ability. We were talking one night trying to figure it out; we wanted the character to fall out of a building and be caught by a flying superhero and accidentally turn off their powers, so they toss the kid to another flying supe whose powers also get turned off. But we were like... holy shit what is the height of a building needed that can handle this much action in the air without them hitting the ground in 3 seconds. So after a long night of talking about terminal velocity and looking at Splat Calculators we figured out the height of the building, and we needed them to crash into something that wouldn't fuckin kill them. The first suggestion was a truck full of bananas. Nah. We landed on a giant balloon that could take the impact. And the balloon became a giant T-Rex holding a donut that was the mascot of the city's beloved decades old donut shop Dino Donut. And so we decided that one of the two flying supes grabbed onto the kid and the other and flew into the giant balloon to try and keep them all alive, which destroyed the balloon, which was a city institution, and there was a crowd of children there that day that saw their friend Dino Donut die. Killed by a superhero. The balloon deflated loudly so it sounded like Dino Donut was screaming in agony. All the kids were traumatized (screaming crying throwing up), the city was furious because everyone loved Dino Donut, it was constantly in the news cycle, and it ruined the career of the supe that "killed Dino Donut." AND THEN THEY REPLACED THE DINO DONUT BALLOON WITH A LAME "UPDATED DESIGN" DINO DONUT STATUE which everyone hates and people consider to be a memorial to the old Dino Donut. ANYWAY, the Dino Donut effect is that now all the PCs have one single incident to refer back to that they all have feelings about. A couple of them were there that day and heard Dino Donut scream, one is now the protege of the disgraced superhero that killed Dino Donut so she feels uncomfortable talking about it, there's the kid that was saved that day but was sworn to secrecy by the supe so no one would find out about his power negation ability, and then there's the kid that wasn't there because she's an alien that just arrived to earth and now the kids have to explain the incident to her with all their varying opinions. Now the PCs' meeting spot is at a Dino Donut. Having this one solid incident that is both funny and kind of goes into the themes of the world has been an absolute treat. Creating "landmarks" like that in the world has done so much and now I'm like okay I'm gonna try to do this moving forward with any other thing I run.

anyway these are my extremely specific to me tips. my RP standards are kind of high which makes me a bit of a terror but also when the flowers bloom from it it feels GREAT. i'm not sure if this will help but hopefully there is something there that can be useful!

MASKS is fun and simple once you get the hang of it, though, so I'm sure whatever you do you and your players will have a lot of fun! especially if you're someone who is into RP which is the background I'm coming from too; MASKS is extremely narrative! i'll be looking in the tag for your game hehe

(The Day Dino Donut Died art by JD)

[nobylu]

We're 3 sessions into Lancer and it is wonderful.

What began in session 0 as an accidental scary origin story of being collectively stranded on an arid mountainous tomb world with little atmospheric UV protection only to be saved by a mysterious monolith got derailed by said monolith becoming a cute floating mascot that spits out 5 word prompts that lead to moderate income.

The train then got caught on geometry and clipped out of existence with the snowballing idea of "let's use our Jericho Deployable Shields as snow sleds" and the subsequent and logical follow-up "let's blow up a mountain to cause an avalanche to unbalance a giant snow monster and also ride that avalanche via Jericho-Brand Snowboard so we can pull off a group grapple before shooting the monster in the head."

We also realized a second into Session 1 that none of us made a character suitable to being The Face of the party.

Ash loves friendly fire too much and exudes the kind of spontaneous danger that a live bomb possesses, Brick is strikingly stoic, Jacques might be technically a bard but his only love is conspiracies and ghost signals, Hendrick is a waifu-obsessed basement dweller, Viv is too busy making sure nobody dies, and Diederik (my boy) is too busy planning his death thanks to his ability to feel joy being kneecapped by a traumatic head injury "fixed" by hitchhiking Balor nanites.

[auspex]

[nosferslotu]

Watching an NPC absolutely obliterate your current plotline with a single roll/action

I MADE you. Why did you not tell me about this beforehand?!

[africanmorning]

Since learning Spanish, I put question marks at the beginning of questions I write in my notes now (sometimes inverted, sometimes not, depends on my mood).

Genuinely recommend. It visually sets your questions apart from the rest of your notes and makes them easier to find during review without using signifiers that would lump them in with important, non-question information (like all caps, underlining, or setting apart from the rest of the text).

As for what writing questions in your notes is good for, I use them as headings for information I am actively brainstorming in the moment (as opposed to information that's already decided/settled) and to quickly jot down stuff that I do need to figure out at some point, but I can't look into at the time of writing because it is too tangential.

[radicalshadow]

Journal Entries, Session 5

[REDACTED FOR BREVITY] 

02:00 - Recreo woke up and headed outside. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

02:30 - High-pitched screech, followed by the sound of an explosion. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

02:45 - My bag begins to squirm, so I open it. The Grimoire of Platinum flies out. It looks somewhat different--see addendum for description. It greets me, and states that I am 'less weird' of a sight than darkness. It also states that it has been a "long time since [it's] had a body this deluxe". It asks me if I would like to learn "terrible rituals or open a portal to the Distortion World." I deny the need for any of this, and confirm with it that it is a Pokemon. This is a useful development; catching it will ensure that the others cannot easily see that the Grimoire of the Renegade is in my possession, and this Pokemon is clearly able to read its own contents. It would be useful to keep it in a Poke Ball. I tell it that I may have use for it in the future, if it would travel with me. It agrees. I locate a Safari Ball and it willingly enters it. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

03:05 - I ask Amaria what that book became. She calls it a 'Grimoraunt', phantasms that possess books. Libraries in Johto used to be full of them. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

03:45 - Must have fallen asleep. Nightmare still playing in head. See addendum for description. Hands sticky. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

[REDACTED FOR BREVITY] 

08:00 - The broadcast about the 22 Sacred Beasts plays outside, where Recreo was. It wakes up Harper and Hontono. Both of them are upset by this. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:10 - The others greet each other, and I make sure my Eevee's injuries are healing correctly. Harper approaches me and greets me. I mention needing to ensure my Eevee recovers and thus keeping sitrus berries on hand. Harper promises me that she will save extra for him. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:15 - Phoebe wakes up and is confused about where she is. The Latias flies up into her face with a panicking expression. Phoebe recognizes Harper. Harper asks her about her father (she states his name is Atticus). Phoebe met him recently; he's alright, but his original Swampert is dead. However, he has another Swampert; the conversation moves to regional forms (due to this being what the other Swampert is), which excites Recreo. His deceased Swampert was named Lunker, and the newer one outlived him. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:20 - We tell Phoebe about the situation with the RARAT, and that we must go to Mt. Chimney. She claims that she will be okay, and she is used to difficult journeys. However, there is a reason that she hasn't gone there, although she doesn't explain what it is. Harper convinces her to come after she mentions Maudie was kidnapped. She also mentions that traveling in a group will be better due to us acting as a buffer from the ghosts that haunt her. She clearly does not understand how much of a hinderance such a buffer is. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

08:23 - The Latios is complaining about not wanting to go to Mt. Chimney, as he is scared by it. He states that the mountain doesn't want us to be there--Phoebe, who had told us that she planted the berries in the Safari Zone, states that he is correct: something will know that we are coming, and Pokemon will have to hide. I recommend that Pokemon go into their poke balls when we reach the mountain. Ruby flinches at this. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:30 - Recreo asks about ride Pokemon. When Hontono expresses confusion in the belief that we will be flying to the mountain, I clarify for him: we will be traveling on the ground. He squints at me. It's likely due to me dropping my 'Emma' act. A necessary sacrifice; I need to preserve energy. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:35 - I ask the Latias to use Heal Pulse on my arm. There's no point in letting it heal naturally, and while normally I would wait until we were on the RARAT so I could recover my energy, it is best to not risk operating at half my normal efficiency. She does so; it's painful, but nothing I haven't felt before. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:40 - Everyone else leaves the Safari Zone Building. I briefly stay behind so I can give my Eevee a sitrus berry, which he eats. Consistent administering of this berry should help expedite his recovery. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

08:43 - I head outside (appearance of Route matches Addendum). We decide on Ride Pokemon arrangements. Hontono offers that Phoebe ride on her Latios, and that she can walk beside them. I point out that she will not be able to keep up, which she seems to take offense to. See addendum for specifics on the argument. This is unnecessary. She clearly can't see logic. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

08:50 - Recreo caught a Doduo, which he offers for Hontono to ride. Harper rides on her Latias, and Phoebe rides on the Latios. I choose to send out Type: Null; faster travel will have to take priority over keeping them a secret. Everyone else rides on the "See No Evil". Recreo is staring at me and Type: Null. I can imagine he has never seen one before. Hopefully, he doesn't askCoat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

09:00 - We travel down Route 121. My skin is crawling from sitting on NullThe Latios is speeding ahead and conducting unnecessary maneuvers in the air. There's tire tracks in the sand were the RARAT was. I'm able to connect it to the Apocalypse Gang that we met during the Rattlerail fight. Hontono knows them, describes them as annoying. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

[REDACTED FOR BREVITY] 

09:50 - Outside Route 120, between it and Route 119. The wilderness here is dense--see addendum for complete description. A path was made clear by the RARAT, and there is evidence that it exploded some Sudowoodo. Recreo expresses anger about the destruction of Pokemon habitats. Sometimes this is necessary, although whether the path helps or hinders us in recovering our vehicle will remain to be seen. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

[REDACTED FOR BREVITY] 

10:20 - Hontono asks if we can kill the leader of the Apocalypse Gang, who she states is named Justy. Recreo seems to recognize this name. I tell her that we should avoid murder if possible; it's messy. This garners her suspicion, and I clarify that I read a lot of mystery novels. She doesn't seem too convinced. I'll have to remedy this. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

10:50 - Hontono tells Harper that she can start working on a Mega Stone if she gets back to the RARAT. Apparently, the others found a raw chunk. Recreo asks if this is something she needed specific training for, and Hontono describes her geology background. Harper brings up that she seems to be the odd one out amongst the four of us; Recreo is an archeologist, I am a psychologist, and Hontono is a geologist. I point out that she is an Ace Trainer, which is a profession in of itself. She denies this. Her humbleness is getting excessiveCoat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

11:20 - Route 119. The sandstorm is gone. See addendum for description. The Latias stops at the edge of it, and everyone else follows suit. I continue forward; their nervousness isn't a delay I can entertain at the moment. There are lights on in the house nearby. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

11:30 - I double back, as the others still have not moved. The legendary dragons both sense what Harper describes for them as "bad vibes". Meenah leaves the house and expresses her surprise for seeing us, as she had spotted the RARAT earlier. We explain the situation to her. She explains why she is here: she found someone who was half-dead from dehydration in the house she exited. He is fine now, but he may be insane. He has been rambling that all of this is a game called "Pokemon". Harper offers that Ruby talk to him, and Hontono starts recapping to Meenah about everything that happened. This is unecessaryMeenah wonders how "that Slimy Weavile" got the RARAT, which Recreo and his Sneasel take offense to. It's understandable why, as Recreo was raised by that Sneasel. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

11:45 - Recreo asks me if I am okay, as he has noticed that I am acting differently from normal. I explain that I am simply tired and going through caffeine withdrawal, which everyone seems to accept. I'll have to keep this lie going. I head to the house, with Harper and her Latias following. Recreo runs up soon after. He appears distressed. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

11:50 - The four of us enter the house. See addendum for description. Inside is a man, presumably the one that Meenah described (see addendum for description). He immediately recognized Harper's Latias as a Latias, and commented about the Pokemon following 'movie logic'. Seems genuine. He describes that he woke up here about a week ago, and comments that Hoenn seems to have "more sand than when he played Ruby". This results in some confusion from the Latias. The others waste some time on this conversation. We inform the man about the calamity that befell Hoenn five years ago. Standing here is unnecessary, so I recommend that we talk on the road. The man agrees, and he comes with us. He introduces himself as Geno, and then comments about how he wishes he had access to a Pokedex. Recreo offers to lend it to him when necessary. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

12:05 - Route 119, appearance matches addendum. Hontono offers that Meenah travels with us, but she declines; she has a delivery to make at Sea Mauville. Geno, after being offered the option of either Harper's Flygon or Hontono's Claydol, selects the former to ride on. He is also confused by the existence of Recreo's Ursaluna, so Recreo explains what it is. We return to traveling finally. Harper leads the way, and decides that it would be easier to reach Mauville City through Route 118. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

12:15 - Route 118, see addendum for appearance. Hontono and Harper discuss Geno; the Latias is able to read memories, based on Harper's description (see addendum). This could be a problem--I'll have to make sure that she's never motivated to read mine. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

12:20 - There's someone riding a bird Pokemon above Mauville City. To the south of it is a radio tower. Harper states that it is new, and theorizes that it may be the source of the daily morning broadcasts. It's something to investigate later. We also find some salac berries. I pick a few; they're covered in sand, but I should be able to make coffee with them. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

12:35 - Recreo spotted something from atop his See No Evil. He has Hontono investigate; it's a Fire Stone, which Harper takes. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

12:40 - We all dismount our Pokemon, as we've reached the edge of Mauville City. Recreo asks if Hontono is okay, as she seems worried. She just states that she's anxious about Mt. Chimney, expressing that it is too cold for her. Harper agrees. I ask Harper how she managed Hoenn, and she states that she mostly stayed in the south. Type: Null warns me that they have detected unusual readings, and advises caution. I warn the others. Hontono returns Recreo's Doduo to him and gives it some berries as a thanks. She shouldn't be wasting resources. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

12:50 - I enter Mauville City. See addendum for appearance. Behind me, Recreo and Geno have a conversation about Geno's first time flying on a Pokemon. The Latios also interacts with Geno; Geno considers him to be too high energy. He is.Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

13:00 - The others enter Mauville City. The bird Pokemon circling above us is a Braviary; the person riding him pauses, then lands in front of us. See addendum for description of her and her Pokemon. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

13:10 - The woman asks us about why we're here, and we state that we need cold weather clothes for Mt. Chimney. She also warns us about the radioactive Jolteon after I mention the dangerous readings. Recreo prepares to retrieve his Pokedex. We mention that we normally travel on the RARAT, but have to retrieve it as it was stolen by Justy. She saw us at the Weather Institute. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

13:15 - The woman introduces herself as Rhea, the Scoutmaster of Team Grimiore. Apparently this is a title that someone else came up for her. She has a Commander name. I will have to confirm if Team Grimiore is connected to the others. She gives Sneasel a poffin, and warns us that while we are welcome to scavenge for winter wear in the PokeMart, there is a "big electric-type spider" inside. She also guides me to the Pokemon Center, as it has a coffee machine. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

13:20 - Inside the Pokemon Center. See addendum for appearance. Rhea shows me where the coffee machine is. I'll need to create grounds out of the salac berries I gathered, and she points me in the direction of where I may be able to find a mortar and pestle. I ask Rhea what she knows of Team Galactic. She expresses confusion, and I point out that her name is that of a 'Commander name'. She states that she simply chose the name to match her spouse, which confirms it to be an alias. I introduce myself as Mercury, which she recognizes. She states that the person that has mostly spoken of me described me as a "buzzkill". Saturn has to stop influencing people's perceptions of mI ask her why she is here. She states that Team Grimiore is gathering materials for their energy source. After I inquire if it is about the Shadow Pokemon experiments, she states that it is to simply "keep the lights on" so people can "live their lives". This is a waste, and I tell Rhea as much. She informs me that I am a "rude lady" as I leave. I cannot focus on making good impressions now; I can remedy this later if necessary. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

13:40 - Old pharmacy that Rhea pointed out to me. See addendum for appearance. It takes some searching, but eventually I find a mortar and pestle. I head back to the group. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

13:50 - I return to the group outside the old PokeMart. Recreo asks me if I was able to locate what I need, and I report that I found a mortar and pestle. Rhea gets pulled away from the group after hearing people call for help from her. Harper follows, as do I; 'Team Grimiore' is undoubtedly Team Galactic. I will do whatever I need to help them. They're outside a building; a ruined sign (see addendum for appearance) nearby reveals it to be a Gym. Three people in what I assume are Team Grimiore's 'Grunt'-rank uniform (see addendum for appearance) are cornered by three Pokemon that appear to be Jolteon (see addendum for appearance). Rhea confirms that they are, and that they mutated when the gym's generator exploded. I send out Type: Null; they're immune to radiation, and they manage to scare off one of the Jolteon with a Crush Claw. Harper's Latias scares away another. Our display threatens the final one, who uses Thunderbolt on the Latias. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

14:05 - The grunts escape through the opening Type: Null and the Latias created. They recognize my voice, and one whispers to me that it is a pleasure to be working with me again. They should focus less on attempts of flattery and more on their jobs, but at least I did not have to jump through hoops to verify my identity this time. I nod in response, then command Type: Null to use Giga Impact on the last Jolteon. It gets scared and runs away. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

14:10 - Rhea asks the Grunts for a collection report. They collected wiring that they needed, but no panels. Rhea tells them to go back and get them. Harper asks Rhea what she and the Grunts are doing. Rhea informs her that Team Grimoire is getting materials for their electrical infrastructure in Dewford Town. She and Harper chat about the town--Rhea states that it is "pretty nice" now. Harper also brings up Atticus, who Rhea recognized. He is butting heads with "one of her friends". My immediate thought is that this is Mars, but Commander Saturn may also be the guilty party. He also apparently has an apprentice titled the "Ghost of Hoenn": a green-haired trainer with a mask and a Gallade hands sticky who steals things from the team. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

14:20 - A Galvantula crashes through the wall of the PokeMart and crashes into a building on the other side of the street. Rhea, Harper, the Grunts, and I head back to the main square of Mauville City (appearance matches addendum). Rhea tells the Grunts to return home, but she will accompany us. I'm unsure why, but I won't deny reinforcements. She orders the Grunts to tell 'her' that she will be back soon--apparently, not doing so would worry 'her'. I have my theories as to who Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

14:35 - I sit down against the PokeMart and start grinding the salac berries with the mortar and pestle. I explain this to Rhea after she asks me what I am doing. She has been informed that I am the 'coffee addict' by one of the others. It's unfortunatea necessary trade-off so I can work as much as possible. She also asks me if it is true that I was thrown through a window by a Pokemon. I state that it had been by multiple Pokemon, multiple times. I am unsure why people wouldCoat black, hands gloved in cloth.

14:50 - I head inside the PokeMart (see addendum for appearance), where everyone is picking out winterwear. Harper is wearing... six separate shirts. This seems excessive, even for her apparentI put on a second layer of gloves, a scarf, and a hat. Recreo and I discuss Harper's outfit, and Rhea points out that Harper can also rely on a Fire Type Pokemon, if she has. Harper sends out her Blaziken (appearance matches addendum). Rhea gets excited, and proclaims that they are "bird friends." If this endears her to the party, then it may be useful. We all head outside, and Geno questions if Rhea is part of an evil team as she "has a 'G' plastered on her chest." Rhea states that he is mean. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

15:05 - I return to the Pokemon Center (appearance matches addendum) and make coffee. I can tell without drinking it that it will be extremely bitter. This is extremely unforI hold my nose and manage to get most of it down, along with some sand. I feel nauseous, but at least I'll be caffeinated. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 1

5:10 - Outside the Pokemon Center (appearance matches addendum). It's snowing. I return to the group, where Rhea is helping Harper put on a winter coat over all of her layers. Rhea states that it is not meant to be snowing here. Geno spots the See No Evil, and states that it is "interesting." We set out to Mount Chimney, with our riding arrangements the same with the exception of Hontono; she brought out her Absol. He doesn't seem to have noticed Master Cyrus this time. I have to stare at him. My coat is black. Hands gloved in cloth.

15:15 - Harper overheard me muttering, and expressed her concern. I assured her I'll be fine. I am fine. Repeated exposure must purify me. We start traveling down Route 111; see addendum for appearance. The snow gets heavier as we continue. I am on a Type: Null, not an Absol. The Absol is not mine. My coat is black. The Absol is not him. My hands are gloved. I don't have an Absol. I don't have an Absol. Coat white. I'm dressed for the cold. 

15:20 - It's cold. The wind is howling. I have to keep an eye out for avalanches. Absol's fur is as soft as ever. Master Cyrus is close by, just as I warned he should be. The snow is only going to keep getting heavier. Coat white. I'm dressed for the cold. 

15:25 - We've reached the peak. I can see the lake. Coat white. I'm dressed for the cold. 

15:26 - I'm not riding on an Ursaluna, and neither is Master Cyrus. Who is riding on an Ursaluna? Coat white. I'm dressed for the cold. 

15:27 - Route 111 (see addendum for description). We're in front of a cable car station that's still intact. An Alolan Ninetales is staring down at us. The car has no power, but Harper mentions that her Blaziken knows Thunder Punch. I offer to provide my knowledge of technology (with the help of Master Cyrus, of course), and Hontono also offers her skills. The two legendary dragons are visibly uncomfortable by the cold. I recommend that they return to their poke balls. The Latios does, but the Latias refuses. My coat is black. I have to keep staring at the Absol. I'm wearing cloth gloves.

15:28 - Recreo's Sneasel is making snow angels. She should know bettThe Alolan Ninetales looks angry that we're here. Recreo translates for it; it states that we "will all be prey of the Dragon King", who apparently rules this land. We head inside the cable car station (see addendum for description) regardless. Hontono, Cyrus, and I offer guidance, and the car is able to function after a successful charge from Thunder Punch. The Blaziken and Absol both run up the mountain. I'm wearing black. My hands are gloved in cloth. 

15:30 - Cable car (see addendum for description). It's cramped. Skin crawling. I can barely write. Coat black. Hands gloved in cloth. 

15:35 - Master Cyrus warns me from below the car that it's about to derail. I brace myself. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

15:36 - The fall is still rough, but I'm just bruised. See addendum for description of the area--based on where we were before, I would assume this to be the Jagged Path. Hontono gets more injured, so Recreo and I look her over. She's fine. A roar echoes behind us, and it begins to buzz. It's frigid here. I turn; the RARAT is lodged into the side of the wall; the entrance near the front is hidden. I head to the other entrance. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

15:40 - Inside the RARAT common area (appearance matches addendum). It's empty, but I still expect there to be hostiles. I send out Type: Null and Grimoraunt; I need to ask Grimoraunt what moves it knows. Amaria appears behind me before I can. I recall my Pokemon; there is no need to fight if I can get her to handle it for me. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

15:45 - Something strikes the RARAT, and it slides down the Jagged Path. A roar sounds out again. I can understand it: "Children of Man, you've crossed me once more." It is buzzing again. Amaria mentions the movement, and asks me what we have to do. I tell her that the culprits of the people who stole the RARAT are likely here. She says that she will clear them out, and heads into the hallway. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

15:47 - Amaria teleported behind one of the Bikers and cut his head off. Hands stickyThe other Biker is terrified. Amaria teleports behind him and decapitates him as well. Arms sticky. Appearance of the hallway does not maThere is a deafening noise and a massive flash outside. I walk through the hallway and meet her. Coat white, hands ungloved. 

15:50 - My offiNo, the RARAT’s control room (appearance matches addendum). The windshield is broken. There is a Magniyena and a Gliscor. Amaria takes care of them nonlethally. I search for the other inhabitants, and find Maudie and the Castform in a closet. Maudie looks injured; I have the Castform leave so I can examine her. Her leg is dislocated at the hip, but it should be safe to move her so I can properly take a look at her. My coat is black, and I'm wearing cloth gloves. 

16:00 - I carry Maudie to her room (appearance matches addendum). Rhea calls over and states that Phoebe is bleeding from the head. I tell her to bring Phoebe here; Geno carries her over. Both Phoebe and Maudie are placed on Maudie's bed. I look at Maudie first; her life is safe, but she may never walk again unless she gets surgery. I focus on Phoebe first; she just needs bandages and rest. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

16:10 - I close and lock the door, then send out Grimoraunt. I ask it if there is a ritual that could heal Maudie. It tells me that I would need someone to transfer the injuries to--someone alive. This would get the attention of Amaria at least, and potentially everyone else. I return it and unlock and open the door. I have another idea. It makes my hands stiIt's necessary. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

16:15 - I step outside Maudie's room (appearance of control room matches addendum) and tell Harper the situation. She's relieved that Maudie is safe, but gets worried about the fact that she may not walk again. I describe the procedure that I can perform. It takes some convincing of her and her Latias, but with Amaria offering to nullify the pain they agree to allow me to conduct it. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth. 

16:20 - I head to the storage room (hallway appearance matches addendum--Geno and Recreo are talking). Appearance matches addendum. There's a Biker cowering in here. I lower my voice to a threatening level, and tell him to leave now. He runs away. I get the drill and screws (the drill feels heavy in m my hands are so sti hands covered in bl, and return to Maudie's bedroom (appearance of hallway, control room, and her bedroom all match the addendum). Amaria, Harper, and her Latias are already inside. Amaria moves Phoebe away. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

16:30 - Amaria uses her power over Aura to nullify all the pain Maudie will feel for an hour. I take in a deep breath. This is a routine procedure. I just have to focus. I am not weak. I am not weak. My surgical mask and safety goggles are on. I'm wearing white. My gloves are nylon. The light is on overhead, and there are others nearby in case things go violently. I am ready. 

16:50 - It's done. 

16:51 - I start cleaning up. 

16:52 - How did Harper get in myMaudie's bedroom. She gave Maudie's hand a squeeze. I leave Maudie's bedroom (appearance of control room matches addendum). There is a child here (see addendum for appearance) with a Glaceon (see addendum for appearance). I do not think there is time to ask anyone why a child is here. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

17:00 - There's the sound of something landing on the RARAT's platform outside. Coat black, hands gloved in cloth.

[paperpatchnotes]

City of Ghosts Session #7

After dangling an NPC (Sir Tristan) in front of them for weeks, the party has finally met one of my best pieces of work. Additionally we are burning through downtime at an excellent pace. The last couple sessions have covered the events of a couple weeks, which is fine by me.

The next segment I will be running them through a modification of Heart: The City Beneath. I've hacked WWN System Strain into stress, made some numbers tweaks, shaved off the deadliness a bit, and we'll see how it runs. I think it's actually going to be really really fun.

After summoning the spirit of Ethel, Starlight's lover, the party is faced with a strangely red tinted specter. Ethel seems aggressive, but when she passes into the aura of Murdrus' protection from possession and feeds on Star, she calms down. She does, however, talk somewhat enthusiastically about the City Below, how beautiful and red it is, and filled with teeth.

The party finds this offputting, even Star, but ask their questions. Murdrus asks where the Von Wiess estate is, and Cady asks about the door to Sterling's lair. They get vague (but more useful than they realize) descriptions.

After this the party entered downtime.

Wanting to make good on their deal with the Crimson Daggers, Ally reached out to Cady and the girls went to Star to see about spying on Sir Tristan, one of the inner circle of Blackthorn's ruling government.

They find him at the Magistrate's office, making judgements and hearing complaints. He is in full plate armor, that he never takes off even in Cady's vision, and he takes Goat Theft and Tax fraud very seriously. After posing a fake crime (egging of houses) to speak to him, he calls them on it and they leave.

They then tail him, confirming he does not take off the helmet and feeds stray kittens.

Meanwhile Meta calls on Cornelia for an afternoon visit. They talk necromancy and work life balance, and Cornelia invites him to join the Inheritors, only for him to decline.

Murdrus, whose been watching her, sees the meeting and breaks into Cornelia's home. He finds her flush with magic items, but her security, while subtle, is omnipresent. He leaves her place untouched, even the mirror he knows is a portal to the Inheritor's headquarters.

Finally, once they have done everything they needed, the party gathers to head into the Undercity.

[stilettobite]

🥀 ooc. nothing gets me more excited for my ttrpg notes than colour-coding that shit-

[chaoticincompetent]

Last week's D&D session illustration is a bit late, as life got in the way.

Having found the correct hiding-place just in time, the Volcano Team waited to see if the quori would believe Rook's lies about freeing it.

What they didn't know here is that their bard was about to accidentally lock himself behind a forcefield with the furious nightmare - and they'd all be trapped on the other side, unable to help him.

There may have been a small amount of panic.

[bitchy-gamemaster]

Femme Fatales Session 0.0-0.2

Mira, a Elvish Druid and Allison, a Kitsune Bard made an unlikely pair. They'd come across each other on occasion when Allison would bring her customers to the druids' market but, they rarely exchanged pleasantries. After a few visits with customers, she started to come to the markets on her own, always stopping by Shale's (Mira's sister's) stand. This did not sit well with Mira. First, bringing tourists to gawk and now making regular visits to see her, herself.

While rubbed the wrong way, Mira felt there was little reason to act, until Shale was given a gift. That's when she noticed the signs that her little sister, missed. Mira would make more time to stand between the two of them, feeling that she was another pretend suitor, who wanted to romantically possess her little sister, one of the believed last lamia to be living. The two butting heads quickly made Shale uncomfortable. She requested they stop bickering because, she cared deeply for both of them.

They agreed to no longer argue (in front of Shale), this led to them begrudgingly helping each other. After a performance of Allison's held near the druid market, on their stage Mira learned of a danger threatening her sister. A few of the druids in her village sought to remove her since she was adopted by a missing elder, long presumed dead. Mira didn't like Allison but, didn't question for a second that she would be the side of protecting Shale. She tried to ask for help but, lacking any sort of respect for the bard in front of her, they agreed to drink ALOT before continuing their conversation.

Here Allison was sitting across from one of (what she considered to be) the most disrespectful women she's ever run into. Which is saying a lot since she was raised in a hidden, conservative dwarfish city atop the mountains. She really liked Mira's fire despite not always liking her as a person. Allison had only lived in-city for a few years, now. She manages to feign an upper-class lifestyle while working two jobs, and going to school. Most nights she works has a s*x worker or tour guide for the local vampire's den but on weekends you might catch her singing in a lounge.

Allison spent months bringing tourists around the area before ever noticing or nearing Shale. She picked up medication from the druids on occasion, and met Shale when she commissioned a wooden mask, with smooth beautiful carvings to better hide her missing eyes. Shale treated her with respect and kindness making Allison avoid her at first. She quickly overheard how other druids outcast Shale, and felt more willing to be open, stopping by more frequently to just converse with Shale, at first buying nothing. This brought the unwanted attention of one of the leaders of the market, Mira. While Shale's kindness made her shy, Mira's aggressiveness made her spiteful so, soon enough she created any reason to spend time with Shale. Including, asking the Master Druid, Hemmlock to host their midterm performance for Bard college, at the druid's stage, just outside the market place.

That night, Allison would accidentally embarrass Shale, forced her in unwanted spotlight. She made quick distance to the sea where she began to look for some rocks and washed up treasures. Allison finished her performance and ran to the sea, looking to apologize. She tried to admit feeling amourous but, Shale just did not understand the metaphor. Before Allison could explain, Mira interrupted, with information that couldn't wait.

The two of them took booze from the after-party and made their way to Allison's abode where a few drinks got them talking and a few-too-many-drinks made them remember very little of the talking. They knew one thing for sure: The people in the encampment, trying to remove Shale are dangerous and need to be stopped. The two set a meeting with Hemmlock to discuss their resources. Shale was safe as long as Hemmlock was still in power, that much the two of them had settled. While in his home, Allison felt the land over the map, having explored it, she noticed something missing from the map.

After the meeting, Allison returned home, avoiding the druids for a few days. Focusing on what was strange to her about the map. Mira spent time with her sister, and visiting a few of her lovers, while thinking of next steps. One afternoon, while managing the market Allison returned proclaiming she needed to speak with Hemmlock, right away. Mira, upset about how Allison hasn't returned to speak to Shale yet at first was non-compliant but, Allison's tone struck fear into her. They hurried to catch Hemmlock before he ventured back into the nearby woods and pulled him into his home.

Allison asked to return to the room with them map. He led them there and Allison ran her hands over the terrain map. "You're missing a city...here." She stopped on the spot where her village should've been. Disgruntled the archdruid was inclined to argue. "I grew up here. You're also missing a shrine." Allison could tell by the markings and raised key in the corner where other shrines in the land had been marked. She couldn't tell them who the shrine was to but, she recognized the shrine symbol from a pile of rocks with glass panes from childhood.

"Finding the lost shrine in this land could mean great things for the druids. This cannot leave this room. You must go there, and reclaim the shrine, activate it again and it'll appear on this map." Hemmlock asked. Allison agreed that is was suspicious and in hopes it would lead to more clues to the plot against Shale, Allison agreed to lead Mira back to her hometown as long as Mira kept any secrets she learned about Allison, while drunk. They agreed to these terms and decided to meet outside the druid market, in three days.

Allison sought Shale to watch over her pet snake, and paid her months' rent, removing any food that might go bad while she's gone, taking leaves from her jobs, and checking her adventurer's gear twice. Mira had a pleasurable goodbye with one of her favorite lovers, Fletcher where she ask him to watch over Shale during her absence. He agreed. Some of her close ones are throwing a little bonfire, tonight the night before they leave for their adventure but, they two've realized, by themselves they might be in over their heads. Mira and Allison had a short list of viable women they'd want to adventure with and very little time to find her though, they knew no matter what happened, tomorrow morning they'd planned to meet up at the market, at dawn to set forward on their journey.

[medb-mead]

Me updating my Lancer campaign notes.

Scott if you read this, you saw nothing.

victoria 3 also has some fun patch notes

[nobylu]

Lancer session 4 started off with the gang realizing that between a hostage in the med bay, a broken NHP casket, and the size three monster corpse that we obtained via snowboarding avalanche grapple and bullet to the head, that we were running out of ways to carry our shit. Luckily our avalanche brought us back to the crater that we found the NHP casket in, so we treated it as a pre-made hole to put our treasures. We slapped a mono-Chan LLC sticker on the monster corpse and buried it in some snow before returning to our actual quest: finding some lost mechs. We then realized that we were too focused on getting hot chocolate and meditation tracks for our mission and that we forgot to ask literally anything about the mechs we're supposed to be finding, which means they could all be 1/2 size mechs in the belly of our slain monster. We scan it and find nothing but we do find out that it got shot with lasers.

We proceed up a mountain and get whacked with a snowstorm. We carry on despite 3 hex visibility and 10 hex max sensor range, before we stumble across a field of broken mechs and dead pilots. We hear someone asking for help, right before the broken mechs begin to rise. Battle ensues: mono-Chan LLC V Zombie Mechs.

Highlights of this ongoing battle: Viv focused on finding the hurt pilot by scanning quadrants. Brick, Ash, Hendrick, and Diederik were lit on fire by nanite swarms reminiscent of a Balor - Diederik had a mental breakdown over that and his personal swarm threw a fit over the chassis of their chassis being damaged. Diederik used his superheavy to destroy an armored mech that got summoned by a witch mech and accidentally crit, dealing a whopping 20 damage reduced to 17 by its 3 armor. Brick put himself in the hands of Ash who unleashed a barrage of missiles around him after he went on a killing spree, as is the right of an honest, working class man like Brick. Jacques used his core ability to help keep some safe.

[esteemedcrackpot]

Complete Notes from a Session of End of the Line; or, An Observation of Genre. 2023, pen on novelty sticky note.

[thahellyeeaaah]