Chrome Hammer: Ascension - Campaign Turns 2 & 3 (Rescue & Astral Pain)

 

Hoi, Humans (and Meta-Humans)!

Last mission was successful, but Sarge (the Ork Shadow) was captured by the Corporation!  Technically, Sarge can sit in limbo until I get around to trying to set up a rescue, but I'm impatient and want my cool Ork back, so despite not getting paid, I'm setting out to rescue our captured Crew member!

There's also a follow up Astral Pain mission.  We'll see how Shuffle does on his own.

So let's get to it!

The Crew is basically the same as before, but swapping Sarge for Dusty the N00b, of course.  Sarge is being held in that NCPD building at the back.

This probably ought to be my Facebook cover image.

But first, the Campaign Turn:

//Upkeep: I get lucky, and costs are low.  Just two GB.

//City Events: Addiction!  Looks like "Ghost" has a su-monkey on her back! :(

//The Plan: Obviously, the Plan is to get Sarge back.

//Downtime: Honestly, this was a week ago, and I can't remember who did what.  I imagine there was some Legwork and Partying.

//The Job: I roll for a Glitch and get "Two-Factor" again.  Boo!  There's a security system (accessible from the console at table center) that needs to be disabled before we can get Sarge out of the PD building.

Jen, mia tablo.

Alas, my notes are pretty soft here, but this is certainly Turn 1.  Most of the Crew bolts up the middle as the quickest path to both the Two-Factor Objective and the main Objective.  Grimm makes for the DataTerminal behind that green pharmacy, but he's caught out in the open when two Guards show up to scan him!

Grimm inadvertently creates a distraction.

The low wall slows Grimm down a bit, but he's at least at the DataTerminal.  M decides to try for the loot crate in the back where there are fewer Guards.  Ghost decides to try Hot-Wiring the security system this time.  Apparently a Juiced Guard was called in at this point as well, heading directly for Ghost.

Gotta disable the alarms before we free Sarge.
The Juiced Guard is in white.

Ghost is having trouble Hot-Wiring the security system, but Dusty belies his N00bness and comes up behind her to "well actually" the thing, disabling the alarms. (Not cool, Dusty. Ghost could totally murder you.)

Meanwhile, Grimm also hacks his DataTerminal, collecting a PayData, but is Exposed in the process!  The Corp gets the "Gloaming" Protocol, and things get dark and weird.  Everybody recovers some Stealth, but the enemies are now more dangerous (+1 Damage).

Crap.  Gloaming. [Tales from the Darkside theme music]

Grimm quickly loses what little Stealth he recovered and gets cut up pretty badly by the two Guards, but he takes the forced retreat as an opportunity to get away.

Well, at least he scored some PayData!

What Turn is this?  Time is fleeting on a Fey Lord compound.  M screws up on the Loot Box and softens himself up for the attacks from the Guard and Juiced Guard.  Down he goes!  All of this ruckus also calls in a squad of Juiced Stormtroopers (not shown).

M gets Fragged again!

But I Ghost is at the PD doors!  How did she get there so fast?  Shuffle tossed her over there with a Teleport spell!  He took 3 damage from Casting, but I think it was a good use of his time.

"Ew.  These doors make me look fat!"

Sarge started with a bit of Stealth, but lost it quickly.  Since Sarge IS an Objective of sorts, he's a prime target, and he starts out injured, so this is dangerous.  Unfortunately, he's also pretty much surrounded.  That's when Shuffle does it again!  A perfect Cast (no Damage) and he jumps Sarge forward 10 inches to (relative) safety!

Run, Sarge, run! Pump those Orky legs!
There's the Juiced Stormtroopers!

Grimm, meanwhile, is engaged in a fighting retreat, not quite making it to safety this Turn.

"Look, guys, I'm practically out already.  Just think
about all of the paperwork you'll avoid."

Grimm does escape, though, but that just means that Sarge has even more Guards focused on him.  He's sort of safe behind that crate for the moment, but it's too far to the exit for a standard move.  A Move Out might get him there, but if it doesn't, he'll be wide open.

Sarge considers his chances.  Move Out, or not to Move Out?

Yay!  He made it!  Now Dusty is sort of in the same position.  At least he's Hidden, though.

Dusty is kind of cornered.

With everyone on the table either Fragged or Hidden again, it just takes another Turn or two to get the remainder to the exit.

Whew!  They made it! (Well, except M.)

//Recovery: Nice!  M manages to crawl away to safety!

//Get Paid: Nope!  Well, everyone but M gets Rep.  That's something.

//PayData: It's another "2".  Not very productive, but since it's a match, I can sell it next Campaign Turn if I need to.

//Character Advancement: Sarge actually comes out of this with enough Rep for a die of Street Cred.  There are some cool Edges, but Street Cred is an easy choice, and it's a nice foil to the occasional Overrun.

As an aside, here's a cool piece of setting-specific terrain! :)

Check out this sweet Murder Mittens banner!

And the backside of it.

Look!  It's Campaign Turn 3!

Why isn't this its own blog post?  It's pretty short and I didn't document things well, so here it is.  Again, I don't remember exactly who did what.  Upkeep is low, though Ghost's Addiction costs us an extra GB.  Rolling for Jobs I get boxcars.  So it's Astral Pain or nothing.  I hope Shuffle is up to it.

I roll on some of the random tables and got "Hacker" as a target.  I imagine I'm trying get passcodes from a hacker's dream.  Hacking a hacker's dreams!  Hack-ception!

EDIT: To be clear, the Node is that blue and tan reactor-looking thing under the standing stones in the back.  Well, it's that and the standing stones, I guess.

The Astral Plane is weird, man.  Is that a dinosaur?

Shuffle runs as fast as his little Dwarf legs will carry him, trying to avoid the Auras, but he keeps rolling sixes to Move Out, drawing them toward him.  One makes contact, and it's a Realignment, sending the Node back to the place he just left! Grr!

Shuffle dodges the Auras, but then the
Node blorps to the other side of the table!

He runs back to it and Casts into it.  The first Cast is easy, though he takes a lot of Damage (5) from the strain.  Aaand, then the Node teleports aaaaall the way back to its original position.  Shuffle shuffles back to it, picking up a Smothering Spirit along the way.  Which could be worse.  It only wants to help, after all, healing Shuffle for 2 HP.  Don't get too comfortable, Shuffle!

Shuffle is hounded by a Smothering Spirit!
The Aura behind him is a Smothering Spirit, too!

With that, Shuffle makes it out.  He scores a fat paycheck and some Rep, and nobody was Lost to time and space.

I'll try to take better notes on the next one.

Ĝis la revido!

Jason "Ludanto" Smith C;E