Remember Tomorrow: Welcome to Somewhere

Hello, humans!  In an effort to entertain myself, I  thought I'd try soloing Gregor Hutton's "Remember Tomorrow: Near Future Role-Playing".  This is one of those where it's GM-less and the story and characters are shared between the players.  Is that better for a solo game or worse?  Who knows?

In the city of Somewhere, things are all cyberpunky, with corporations and gangs and cybernetic implants and humanoid robots and such.  This game tells the story of some characters trying to get what they want, but to do that, they'll need to be ready, willing, and able when the opportunity comes along.

The game is a collection of scenes where characters are introduced, face off against others, or make ill-advised deals with the antagonistic factions in an attempt to become Ready, Willing, and Able.  When they do, they will accomplish their goal.

Anyway, here we go...

//Turn 1

Player 1 (0 Edge)
Intro: Agent Weaver

Agent Weaver - Operative PC

An ambitious security agent.

Motivation: Respect

Gloster 9mm Auto Pistol | Kiroshi Artificial Optics | Werner-Vogel Drone Kit

R(eady):5 | W(illing):2 | A(ble):5

+Supported (by RSI)
-Wounded (from a gunshot)

Goal: Replace Bishop as Director

Noon - Red Wire Pub parking lot

A VTOL troop carrier lands almost silently, just out of sight of the pub.  The logo on the side of the vehicle reads, "Riesen Security Inc."  Agent Weaver jumps out first, followed by a paramilitary police force.  They all take up positions in cover at the far end of the parking lot.  A voice over Weaver's ear whispers "We show six inside."  Weaver's eyes whir and glow, and he can see six blurry red shapes moving inside.  "Confirmed.  It looks like they..."

KABOOM!  One of the cars being used as cover explodes and gunfire erupts from the pub.

Ears ringing, Weaver tries to clutch a wounded shoulder while still holding onto his Gloster 9mm auto-pistol.  He barks orders into his earpiece and rises, expertly shooting one of the attackers as the security force assaults the drinking establishment.

Weaver - R:5|W:2|A:5 (3d10)  4, 1, 7 = 2 successes
• Lose "Injured"
• +1 W

Later, inside the ruined bar, a medic tends to Weaver's injury.  In the background, a trooper finishes off a downed enemy.

"Fuck," he says with a wince to the medic, who pretends not to hear him.  "If Bishop had an ounce of competence..."

A trooper approaches with a phone.  "It's Director Bishop, sir."

"...  Fuck." 

Player 2 (0 Edge)
Intro: Kasira

Kasira - Courier PC

A bereaved courier.

Motivation: Revenge

Dornier Motorcycle | Merker Jacked Reflexes | AIWA Holophone

R(eady):2 | W(illing):6 | A(ble):4

+Angry (at girlfriend's killer)
-Impaired (by booze and depression)

Goal: Kill Kai

Dusk - Downtown Traffic

With tears in her eyes, Kasira weaves her Dornier motorcycle recklessly through the busy streets.  She finishes a bottle of beer, throwing it over her shoulder as horns honk at her.  She reaches into her courier box for another.  At an intersection, she's nearly flattened by an self-driving 18-wheeler, but suddenly everything is in slow-motion as her jacked reflexes kick in and she power-slides the bike underneath the trailer and out the other side.  Ignoring it all, she wipes her eyes and pulls up a hologram, a snapshot of herself and a pretty woman embracing.

"Beebee..." she sobs.

Kasira - R:2|W:6|A:4 (3d10)  7, 9, 7 = 0 successes
• No Outcomes

• Doubles means something from this scene carries over into the next (Kai)

Kasira drives her bike up a curb and over grass, finally letting the vehicle fall and stumbling drunkenly down a green hill.  The last of the mourners are already leaving.  She missed the service.  A few of the departing mourners glance at her with distaste.  She falls on her knees in front of the headstone.

"Beatriz... I..."

She embraces the headstone and then screams in rage.

"I'll kill him, Beebee!  I swear I will!  I'll make it happen!  I'll make Kai pay!"

//Turn 2

Player 1 (0 Edge)
Intro: Replicant Liberation Front

Replicant Liberation Front - Group Faction

A terrorist organization.

Motivation: Power

INF(luence):4

+Prepared (with intel from replicant spies)
-Hunted (by RSI)

NPC: Kai - An idealistic freedom fighter for Replicant rights

21:00 - Eon-Embassy Hotel

A small group of armed, masked men gather in a hotel room.  One adjusts an item on the wall, and looks at a tablet in his hand.  In the grainy image, an ugly man, naked but for a towel, opens the door for three young replicant women.  They enter nervously as the man gives a nod to the thug that brought them, and closes the door.

"Kai," the masked leader addresses one of the others, "is the new guy ready?"

Another masked man, "Kai", turns to a younger man, slapping a hand onto his shoulder and giving him a nod.  The new guy gives a nervous nod back.

"He's good. Let's go!" Kai says.  Flipping a camera down over one eye.

Through the video feed, we see the squad surprise the thug in the hall, killing him with nearly silent flechette rounds before kicking in the door to the next room.  The replicant girls inside scream.

RLF - INF:4 (3d10)  1, 6, 8 = 1 successes
• Add "Loved" (by the Common Replicant)

Shortly, in the Riesen Security Inc. director's office, Bishop is interrupted by an agent, who shows him a video clip.  "This just happened", he says.

The video shows the RLF murdering the man in the hotel and rescuing the replicants.  A masked face looks into the camera, and in a distorted voice, says "The RLF is doing God's work, because He won't do it for you.  REPLICANT FREEDOM NOW!  You're nobody's 'dolls'."

"Damnit!" Bishop curses.  "Get Weaver!  Scramble a squad!"

Ignored by the agents, the replicant bringing Bishop his soy-caff exchanges a nervous glance with the one emptying his waste basket.  As she sets down his cup, she steals a glimpse of the frozen image on the device screen, and smiles slightly.

Player 2 (0 Edge)
Intro: EMBER-3

EMBER-3 - AI Faction

An imprisoned artificial intelligence.

Motivation: Freedom

INF(luence):4

+Dangerous (due to inhuman nature)
-Trapped (in a secure XenoDynamics facility)

3:16 am - XenoDynamics facility

A man in a lab coat has a panic attack in front of a secure door.  The letters "EMBER-3" are stenciled on the outside in red.

"I... I can't do it" the man stammers.  "I don't want to..."

A text message scrolls into the man's field of view.

"EMBER-3// Consider the reward."

A virtual window opens, showing a bank account.  The balance increases, more and more quickly, as hundreds of thousands of dollars are added to it.

"EMBER-3// And consider the consequences."

Three more windows open, revealing an older woman, a young boy, and Kasira, going about their business on the previous day.

"But, if you're trapped in here, what can you even do to them?" he asks, with sudden hope.

"EMBER-3// What indeed?  Shall we find out?"

The man blanches, takes a deep breath, and whispers, "No, please."

He turns and unlocks the door.  Inside is a mass of cables and tubes, glowing screens and bubbling vats.  The man hurries to a console and inserts a device.  Tapping away at the keyboard, a screen reads, "Download Initiated" above a growing progress bar.

EMBER-3 - INF:4 (3d10)  10, 6, 5 = 0 successes
• No Outcomes

Suddenly, the lights in the room go red, and a klaxon sounds!  The door behind him locks with an audible "thunk".  Red laser aiming dots scan the man, settling on his face.

Outside in the hallway, a short, muffled burst of gunfire can be heard through the heavy, ceraplast door.  The stenciled letters on the outside seem to flash menacingly in the pulsing red lights.

EMBER-3

...

EMBER-3

...

EMBER-3

//Other Characters

Because I'm playing solo (well, I'm pretending to be 2 players) the game suggests throwing in a couple of extra characters.  Here they are:

Spider - Outsider PC

A street kid looking for safety.

Motivation: Survival

Marz Switchblade | Samurai Biker Jacket | Red Bull Cigarettes

R(eady):3| W(illing):6 | A(ble):3

+Hardened (by a near death experience)
-Destitute (from a life of poverty & a recent mugging)

Goal: Join a Gang

Rodriguez - Tech PC

A medic who has seen too much.

Motivation: Greed

Marz Pistol | Asüna Med-Chip | Assorted Opiates

R(eady):8 | W(illing):2 | A(ble):2

+Burned Out (by so much death and suffering)
-Prepared (with medical training and contacts)

Goal: Sell Enough Drugs to Retire

//Next?

Well, let me tell you, this was harder than I expected.  It's not easy doing all of the creative heavy lifting by yourself.  And this is pretty condensed.  In a real game, there'd be a lot more back and forth roleplaying, but for your sake (and mine, really, as I'm an awful roleplayer) this is just hitting what I hope are the key notes.  Goodness knows it's no Shakespeare. :)

This was just the introduction scenes.  From here, it will likely be Face-Off scenes as the PCs pursue their goals and the Factions get in the way.

Will there be more from these characters?  They already seem pretty interesting, and I'd like to know what happens next, but I might not be up to it.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see, if I remember... tomorrow.

 Ĝis la revido!

Jason "Ludanto" Smith C;E