Saturday 31 March 2018

Outer Worlds Investigations

FOR INVESTIGATOR PAUL UNSWORTH EYE'S ONLY
DO NOT OPEN UNTIL ARRIVAL ON OUTER WORLD JUNO IV
IT IS AN OFFENCE FOR ANYONE OTHER THEN AUTHORIZED PERSON TO OPEN.

Investigator Unsworth,
The following is a brief on your mission.

It has come to the attention of the Central Investigation Bureau, that  Commandant Mark Orr has been recently seen in the company of  Urlock Neaster at the Beast's Head, what dealings a highly decorated military officer like Commandant Orr would have with someone of the colorful back round of Neaster is of interest to C.I.B.

Attached are files on the pair which you & your team should study in detail before deciding what action to take, but keep in mind your target of investigation is Orr not Neaster.
I trust that you will be successful in this your first mission as a newly inducted Investigator & await your report upon completion of the case.

Regards
Chief Investigator Rose Weston
This & the pictures below are from the recon of the base.
So it was that newly appointed Investigator Unsworth & his team of novices had their first case, making up that team was Andrea Raponi, Charlie Makay, Ford Lapin & Julian Carter, all straight out of rookie school.

This was standard practice for C.I.B, where a new Investigator was joined by a team made up of recently trained Agents. The idea behind this was that they would be assigned low risk cases & given time to grow as a group gaining experience & evolving into a crack team of Investigators,of coarse some of them wouldn't make it but C.I.B deemed it better for a novice mistake to bring about the death of an inexperience Investigator then an experience one.

The file on Commandant Orr reviled that he had a very decorated military career, having come up through the ranks & been twice awarded the merit of gallantry for deeds of outstanding acts of valor.
After his last successful campaign in the Halos System it was decided that due to his advancing age that he would be assigned to Juno IV a sleepy backwater world in the outer rim.

Orr had a wife named Ann now deceased & two sons, the older one also named Paul & Liam, Paul owns what seems a very successful antique's & rare items business & has a wife Carol & daughter  Janice, Liam is a mathematics teacher & single.

Neaster's file was a lot more interesting, Among the many business's he has, one is a registered freight business but it is C.I.B's belief that it is only a front for more unsavory going on's with smuggling been chief among them, many a time his transports have been found to have goods not registered on them but no blame could ever be laid at Neaster's door, added to this is his close association with many for the criminal kingpins on the other worlds & his liking for the finer things in life chief of which is a collection of rare & priceless objects from many a different world.

Unsworth"Well everyone what do you think ? The Commandant we must assume has done wrong at this point, but for a man of his position mixing with the likes of Neaster is a bit out of the ordinary  to say the least"

Carter"If I may sir ?
Unsworth" By all means carry on Julian"
Carter" Thank you Sir, well what I was thinking was if as C.I.B suspects Neaster is indeed smuggling then having  the Commandant in the loop would be a very useful thing, but how he would have gone about doing so is a mystery giving the Commandant's record"

Makay"That's the thing isn't it ? while it would make sense from Neaster's end why would Orr at this stage of his life risk all to get into some underhanded business with Neaster ? His credit account show he is comfortable enough & his close family at first glance would appear to be above board"

Unsworth" Still something doesn't seem right here & it's been my experience over the years that in most cases when something doesn't seem right its not, we've two starting points for this investigation the Beast Head & the Base where Orr is stationed.

Raponi" If we could gain assess to Orr' personal computer we might find something there that might help us, should me try to hack it for here ?"

Unsworth"Your right Andrea, getting into Orr's computer is something that might give us an insight as to what's going on, but it might be best to do that on his  computer instead of trying it from afar, I'm thinking if we could somehow get into his office at the base & do it."
"He'd also have a safe so we could kill two birds at the same time by getting in there"

Makay" That might be easier said then done Sir, after all it is a military base"
Lapin, who had been rolling a cigarette spoke for the first time"I' think we should just walk in through the gate"
They all turned to look at him to see if he was making some kind of joke
Unsworth" Would you care to explain Ford ?
Lapin" I lived before I joined C.I.B close to a military base & if there one thing I know its that there is always some guardsman looking for credits, now if I'm right they get their credits at the end of the month, two days from now."
"This is what I have in mind sir, on that night we head down to the Beasts Head as they have gambling tables there, we can snoop around & also keep an eye on the tables to see if any of the guys lose heavily, it might need a couple of nights but my guess would be that some of them will lose all they have, then we approach one of them with a story about how we want a couple of guard uniforms for a night to play a prank on a friend & that if he could get them for us we pay him well & return everything the next day"


Unsworth" I see where your coming from Ford, if we'd some uniforms & papers we'd be able to enter the base in disguise."
Lapin"Exactly sir, once pass the main gate we're just more guardsmen among many"
Carter"But if it becomes noticed that someone was in the base the guard would know it was us"
Lapin" It won't mater because he couldn't say anything without explaining how he knew & he's not likely to do that"


Unsworth"I think Ford's plan is our best shot, if we can get three uniforms then Ford, Andrea & Julian should go in, while Charlie & myself act as back up in case something goes wrong"

Four days later & with a successful recon done of the base, they had the uniforms & where ready to go, just as Lapin had say there's always a Guardsman in need of credits, while at the Beasts Head they learned that something was to go down in just over a weeks time, but what it was or where it might take place they no idea.

Designers note, this is a new thing I'm trying out & is closer to an RPG then a normal table top game but solo, how do you play an RPG solo Frank your asking ? tbh I've an idea but how it will work out I've no real clue, how does that turn into a movie ? hopefully very easy but again the proof of the pudding is in the eating so we'll have to see :)

That's a rap for this post, as always my thanks for dropping in & if you'd care to leave a comment it would be welcomed :)


 


 

Thursday 22 March 2018

Guardian at the Gate & Forbidden City Pulp Alley Solo AAR's

                                                      NICKEL & DIME PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
                                                                      Perilous Island
                                                        A story by Dave Phipps at Pulp Alley
                                               

                                                                      Chapters 9 & 10
Moore" I've got to say Delbert I not to happy about this siding with Jerry"
Collins"No choice old boy if these notes are right its the only way we're going to follow Forbes "
Dowl" well keep your eye's peeled guys as you know they'll backstab us first chance they get"
To get the gate to open the three plot points must be all completed in the same turn, hence the need for the two sides to work together, at the end of turn 6 if the gate hasn't been opened & someone gotten through it has to be played out again.
To make things a little bit more interesting there is a guardian to try & stop anyone from getting in.
Everyone takes up their places.
Clunk Collins completes the first PP
The second one doesn't go so well & an electric discharge sends Brown crashing to the ground.
They'll have to start again.
This time they fail at the first attempt & Dowl in sent flying.
Clunk, the first one is done, Clunk goes more bolts in the gate as the second one is complete.
Confident that Hess will complete the third one Helga & Fritz run forward, but no such luck & Fritz is very close to the guardian.
Who rushes him lashing out, but somehow Fritz manages to keep him at bay.
With time just up it now or never to get the gate open.
Clunk as Hess does his bit, Clunk as Collins does his
but Moore fails his & feels a shock, leaving all on Grace.
Clunk & the gate swings open
Helga & Muller run through as Fritz gets beaten to a pulp
Gloup who also made a run for the gate is now facing the gaurdian
but fares no better then his comrade.
Racing a head of the others Helga closely followed be Fritz
enter the the forbidden city
just as Forbes finds the Elder Stone
Rushing from the temple Helga draws a line on him & raises her pistol.
Hess has been joined by reinforcements how have brought Harriet along with them.
Seen the Blue Blooded who have been joined by two of Forbes team & Zome, she dodges away from her capture's & runs towards them, but stops dead as she spots her Father, "Daddy" she yell turning to run to him.
But before her very eye's something happens to him.
As he is transformed into some hulking monstrosity,
Moore comes to her side "look away Miss look away" he tells her.
Running forward the BB's come under fire from Helga
who drops Dowl, it looks like the ceasefire is at an end.
With the wind picking up Helga spins & drops one of the members of Forbes expedition.
Seen his friend fall the other one rushes Helga.
Hess leads the German charge but with the skies darking & the ground starting to shake violently  Gloup is taking him from his feet.
As is Muller.
Now the earth is raising up with what once was Forbes riding a large clump as its hurled skywards.
With confusing spreading like wildfire Helga backs away from her assailant.
Collins leaps on to a clump of earth, I've got to reach Forbes he thinks.
He's followed by Grace, with Zome & Harriet just behind.
"Stay as you are Captain"orders Dowl "Just let Delbert take it from here shall we ?"
Even in all this madness people still want to settle old scores
& above the howling of the wind gunshots can still be heard ringing out.
Hess with Dowl struggling to keep his feet follows after Collins as some of his man fall around him & still the gunfire continues as one of his men fire on Grace
to his cost but Grace takes a wound slowing her down.
"Quick climb up here Zome" calls out Harriet as
a bullet rips into Dowl.
Zome climbs up beside Harriet but can't keep her feet,
falling back into the abyss.
Collins has made it to the thing that once was his friend but it pays him no heed.
Seen the Elder Stone glowing inside him Collins drives his two fists into the creature, grabbing hold of the stone & pulling it from its body.
 With the stone removed Forbes returns to himself,
falling to the ground he sights his Daughter & a smile crosses his lips"Harriet" he whispers with his dying breath, as the Elder Stone turns to dust in Collins's hands, as Collins turns his now empty hands over he see for the first time the weird making's on his palms that will be there for the rest of his life.
  •    
An ear splitting sound turns everyone's head to look as the volcano that has lay dormant for millenniums suddenly bursts into life.
 "Time to begone from here Delbert" Grace says as they all turn to run.
Cut. Designers note, a double feature a real throw back to days of old I'm spoiling you guys :)
The two games couldn't have been any different, with one really a race against time & the second one just mayhem but both very enjoyable none the less. Can our hero's escape as the Island is blowing apart ? does anyone even care ? be sure to join us for the end game Escape.
The picture of the volcano used above was done so with out the owners consent & I lay no claims to it.

Well that's it for this post, my thanks to Dave https://store.pulpalley.com/  for the script & as always to you guys for dropping in & if you'd care to leave a comment it would be welcomed. :)

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