<br />Talien's Tower<br /><br />

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Saturday, September 11

In Media Res: Conclusion

Morowitz had the dream again about his sister. He learned to love and hate the dream at the same time, yearning for closeness with the only relative he ever really knew but loathing the inevitable pain that came with it.

But this time a man in the suit was there. His sister was gone.

"Wow, now this is one interesting dream." He walked over, only partially visible through the leather mask Morowitz was wearing. "That can't be comfortable. Is it?"

Morowitz shook his head.

"Here." The man took the mask off of Morowitz, then released his other bindings so he was no longer strapped to the chair. "That's better." He was very tan, sleekly handsome, impeccably dressed.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Morowitz rubbed his wrists.

"Hurt you? Oh I should think not!" The man pulled up his own chair and sat down across from him. "I'm here to recruit you."

"Recruit me?" squeaked Morowitz. He was still a twelve-year-old boy in his dreams. "Who ARE you?"

The man smirked. "You can call me…The Opener of the Way. Way for short. I suppose you could call me The Opener…" he mused, "but really that's a little weird, don't you think?" more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 11:05 PM | 0 comments

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Friday, September 10

In Media Res: Part 7 – Morgan's Plan

Morowitz's plan, if he even had one, was dumb. But what Morgan watched Bean do to Jones was far, far worse.

The thrum of a police helicopter filled the air. A spotlight danced over the road, leading up to the cabin. A dark shape loped ahead of it. It had to be Morowitz.

Morgan shook his head. Dumb plan. He deserved to die.

Morgan remembered them all now. Johnny "The Smasher" Morowitz was the muscle, known for crushing skulls with his bare hands. Billy "Taste-Test" Bean was a serial killer who was fond of eating the brains of his victims. George "Incinerator" Jones was a pyromaniac…

Morgan looked around. Pyromaniac! Even in death perhaps Jones' skills could be put to good use. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 10:58 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, September 9

In Media Res: Part 6 – Tightening the Noose

Morowitz ran. The spotlight danced behind him, unhindered by brush or bruises from the car crash. It was all he could do, huffing and puffing, to stay ahead of it. The dirt road, tightly enclosed by brush, led an incriminating trail back to the cabin.

The light lingered mercifully on the car crash and what was left of Jones' corpse. It bought Morowitz time to get back to the cabin.

Morowitz's thoughts raced around in circles. He was a caged animal, trapped. He couldn't fight his way out of this one. There was nowhere to go.

His sister laughed at him from the dining room. What the hell was that? more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 7:00 AM | 0 comments

Wednesday, September 8

In Media Res: Part 5 – The Hunters Return

Jones looked back and forth between Morgan, who had his pistol drawn, and Morowitz, whose eyes fluttered wildly, knife still at the ready.

"Guys," said Jones. "There's a car coming!"

Morowitz snapped out of it, gasping. He looked around.

"We have to get out of here." Morowitz turned his back on the pistol-wielding Morgan and sat in the driver's seat. "You coming?"

Morgan didn't move. Bean was gone. Jones hopped in the passenger seat.

A full-size Chevy pickup truck towing a camper wound its way down the dirt road towards the cabin.

Morowitz stomped the gas pedal.

The sedan lurched forward, lights off, a dust cloud in the fading light.

"What are you doing?" shouted Jones, who realized at that moment he hadn't put on his seat belt. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 8:57 PM | 0 comments

Tuesday, September 7

In Media Res: Part 4 – Power and Pain

Morgan stepped out into the doorway of the cabin, cleaner and dressed differently. The clothes didn't fit perfectly but they would do. The others were looking at him strangely. He knew something was up.

Morgan kept one hand on the pistol but didn't pull it out. "What?"

Morowitz stabbed an accusing finger in the direction of the open trunk. "Did you do this s**t?"

Morgan peered into it. "Dead bodies, huh?"

"One shot to the head each," said Bean. "Clean. Quick."

"Maybe I did," said Morgan. "So what?"

"So what?" asked Morowitz. The big butcher knife was in his hand. "Maybe I don't trust someone who shoots little girls with a gun. Hand it over."

Morgan backed up. "No."

"I'm not gonna ask again, little man." Morowitz took another menacing step forward. "Hand it over or I will inflict a world of hurt…"

And then Morowitz remembered too… more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:47 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, September 5

In Media Res: Part 2 – The Thing in the Trunk

Outside, there was a barn with a fenced in yard about forty yards from the house. Neighing indicated that there were horses inside. Morowitz shook his head in disgust at just how rural their surroundings really were and made a beeline to the car.

It was wedged tightly into the ditch. Morowitz put his bulk behind it and gave it an experimental shove. It moved, but not by much.

"Well don't just stand there m***erf****ers!" He shouted. "Get to it!"

Bean, pocketed his knife. Jones placed the homemade explosive down by the entry to the house. They both put their shoulders to the car and shoved along with Morowitz.

Shrieking and groaning, the vehicle slowly made its way out of the ditch. When it finally was level again, Morowitz checked the ignition.

"Keys are still in it," he grunted, pleased.

"Did we drive this car here?" asked Jones.

"Maybe."

"Uh, guys…" said Bean. "You may want to take a look at this."

The trunk had partially opened in their efforts to dislodge the vehicle. In the darkness, a single unblinking eye stared up at them, illuminated in the waning light.

Morowitz lifted up the trunk. "S**t."

Inside were two women, dead. The younger was just a teenager, not more than sixteen. The other was probably her mother, judging from the family resemblance. They shared more than looks – each had a red bullet hole in their forehead. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 9:29 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, September 4

In Media Res: Part 1 – …Said the Spider to the Fly

A reporter stood in front of the wreckage of a large bus labeled "Liberty Center for the Criminally Insane," across which rescue workers clambered and scuttled.

"The unprecedented flooding and earthquakes that shook the nation yesterday have been further complicated by yet another tragedy that has let four dangerous convicts escape a maximum security facility. Liberty Center inmates were transported by bus out of the flood zone when the earthquake struck, flipping several prison transports. Four inmates took advantage of the confusion and escape with a hostage, one Dennis Gelon. The fugitives are considered armed and dangerous. Police advise residents to stay indoors and avoid walking anywhere…"

Morgan grunted. "Now we know who we are." more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 7:43 AM | 0 comments

In Media Res: Prologue

Morowitz rubbed his forehead. "All right. I'm not good at this planning s**t. I'm guessing one of you is and that's how we got here. So start talking."

Morgan shrugged. "Looks like we're inmates." He rifled through the dead guard's possessions. He pocketed the contents of the wallet after taking out a nametag, which he tossed on the table between the dead man's feet.

"Dennis Gelon," read Jones. "A guard at the Liberty Center for the…" he trailed off.

"Criminally Insane," said Morgan ruefully. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 7:36 AM | 0 comments

Monday, April 5

Grace Under Pressure: Conclusion

Guppy wept. Cthulhu was visible as a dim glow off in the distance, approaching swiftly.

"That's it then," said Guppy. "It's over."

He put the Wallaby on cruise. There was no point in fleeing. There would be nowhere on Earth they could escape to.

Hammer didn't say anything. He just kept staring at Jim-Bean's heart monitor, listening to the mechanical whine heralding his death.

Cthulhu reached the Horseshoe. With slow, ponderous deliberation it rent the submarine, tearing great gouts in its hull.

Beep. Jim-Bean's heart monitor beeped once.

"Guppy," Hammer said slowly.

"What?" asked Guppy.

Hammer pointed at Jim-Bean's heart monitor. His suit had lost pressure and the sensors were completely missing on one arm, meaning he'd probably lost a limb. But the heart monitor still worked.

Huge bubbles fled to the surface as sparks and flaring light from electrical systems lit the scene of the Horseshoe's demise.

Beep-beep. Jim-Bean's heart monitor bleeped again.

"I think you'd better speed up," said Hammer. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 8:41 PM | 0 comments

Grace Under Pressure: Part 8 – The End of the Beginning

Jim-Bean was dying. No more pain. No more worry.

The light faded. Jim-Bean was already blind, his eyeballs long since destroyed from the radiation, but there was a light within his own mind that shone brightly. Even that was fading. He was falling, falling, falling…

He deserved peace, didn't he? Jim-Bean had been abandoned, experimented on, treated like a dog. He had been betrayed, violated, and used. He was crazy anyway, increasingly losing his grip on reality.

Stupid humans. They could fend for themselves from now on. It was better this way.

And yet. And yet.

Jenny was in his mind's eye, straining. The babies were being born. His babies. His children. Boys and girls all jumbled together. Nurses whisked them away, except for one. One of them, only one, was stillborn.

The doctor said something to Jenny, holding the limp little creature up for her to see. She wailed a scream of anguish that woke Jim-Bean up out of his stupor. Dead? Dead!

No, not dead. The other six were alive. But the doctors were hiding it from Jenny, hiding it from him. Those were his children. This was his future. They were the inheritors of the earth, and Majestic was trying to cover it up.

Jim-Bean forced himself back into consciousness. He took a deep breath, and found that gills had formed in what was left of his chest.

The virus! The PI virus had infected him, turned him. Now he was one of them. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:19 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, April 3

Righteous Triad Fists: Part 7 – …and Hand Grenades

Jim-Bean and Hammer were dressed in pressure suits, which were sturdier than the diving suits. The Horseshoe had largely depressurized. Water streamed everywhere. They moved past dead bodies floating face up in cramped corridors.

Hammer's cistron was hooked into the HUD in his suit. "According to the deck plans, this is the entrance to the reactor." They both grabbed hold of the huge wheel on the door. Nuclear warning signs were plastered everywhere in bright yellow.

It wouldn't budge.

"The pressure from outside must be too great," said Hammer. "We'll have to blow it."

"We don't have enough explosives to blow it!" shouted Jim-Bean. He was always shouting now, because there was a roaring in his ears.

"That's the only way. We'll have to make do—look out!"

Jim-Bean turned slowly as Hammer extended one pistol and fired past him. A Deep One's head exploded. Deep Ones crept down the corridor, hopping along walls, jumping from pipe to pipe, swarming like ants down a tunnel.

Hammer raked the area with gunfire. Suddenly red warning lights began to swirl and klaxons shrieked behind him.

The Deep One corpses piled up. Hammer spared a glance over his shoulder. The outer door to the reactor had just slammed shut again.

"Jimmy! Jimmy, are you nuts? You can't survive in there!"

"Maybe not." Jim-Bean's voice betrayed no hint of concern for his plight over the comm. "But I can certainly handle it better than you can."

Hammer reloaded, fumbling with the pistols in the darkness. The suit's limited visibility and the gloved fingers made it difficult.

"Damn it, Jimmy!"

He didn't get a chance to say more. The Deep Ones, finding their courage, launched another assault. More of them plunged down the hallway. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 7:21 AM | 0 comments

Friday, April 2

Grace Under Pressure: Part 6 – Horseshoes…

The agents were all battered and bruised. Caprice lay unconscious on the floor with a bloody head wound, a strip of gauze over one eye. Archive sat rolled up in a ball, whispering to himself over and over: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!" Guppy was in the pilot's seat. Hammer sat at the co-pilot's seat next to Guppy, but he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

Ho had it the worst. He just laughed and laughed and laughed.

Behind them, Jim-Bean languidly kept one arm on each chair. He stared in fascination at the collapsing black mountain. Something was emerging from it, wings unfurling like a butterfly exiting a cocoon. It was so alien and yet strangely beautiful to him.

The psychic pressure was pounding now, like a heartbeat. Jim-Bean had trouble focusing.

The comm. crackled. "Mayday! Mayday! This is the RSV Horseshoe, we need immediate help, is anyone there? Christ!" There was the sound of banging in the background. "…They're outside now…listen, we're under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!" There was a muffled explosion. "Wallaby! Wallaby!" A sudden crack. Then a couple of heavy thumps and static.

Guppy yanked the wheel hard as the Horseshoe, still sparking and falling into the subterranean depths, suddenly loomed into view. The Wallaby skidded off the side as the huge metal form slid past as the Horseshoe sank into the depths, down towards the thing that was assuredly coming for them all.

"That's it!" Hammer turned to Guppy. "The Horseshoe is nuclear powered, right?"

Guppy blinked. "Yes, but…"

"Guppy, that thing can't reach the surface. We've got to stop it. No matter what it takes…"

Hammer and Guppy exchanged a look. They had their differences in the past. Guppy had threatened to kill Hammer; Hammer had Guppy committed. But in that moment they weren't enemies, or allies, or fellow agents. They were all that stood between humanity and the end of the world. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 8:41 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, April 1

Grace Under Pressure: Part 5 – Who's There?

"No!" shouted Hammer.

Cho Chu-Tsao was momentarily distracted, turning to look at the satchel tumbling down towards the altar. Her defenses lowered, Hammer fired a bullet between her eyes. She slumped backwards, mouth open in surprise.

The ensuing explosion blasted the plinths off their bases. Guppy was nearly beheaded by one of the rocks as it whistled through the air.

The shockwave stunned the agents. In the ensuing dust and debris it was clear that the altar had been ruined. Hammer, Archive, Guppy, and Caprice struggled to their feet.

A figure strode towards them out of the cloud of dust. Hammer's pistols were up in a flash.

It was Jim-Bean. He dusted his hands. "Great, so now that's over…"

The rubble shuddered. A huge piece of stone slid off the back of the Deep One bodyguard. It was bloody and battered, with one goggle eye smashed in. In its arms was the frail Ko, looking like nothing more than a sickly child in its arms.

"The stars are right again," Ko whispered as he expired. "What we failed to do by design…you did…by accident…"

He died with a smile on his lips.

The bodyguard made a low moan. But it was not mourning over the dead man in its arms. As the dust settled, a horrible fact became clear: the door was open.

By blood and force, the seal had been penetrated, its doors blasted open. In the darkness, a mountainous mass pulsed softly with the same unnatural glow as the rest of R'lyeh.

Jim-Bean's mouth fell open. For once, he was without words.

"Run…" whispered Hammer, straining to tear his eyes away from the slumbering mass at the center of the dome. "Run!" more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:30 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, March 30

Grace Under Pressue: Part 4 – Knock, Knock…

They swam into darkness through weird black coral, rising up in tightly clustered poles that hindered their progress. Hammer gasped out of the pool, sucking in a stale lungful of air.

The other agents emerged behind him in a massive chamber. The ceiling, if there was one, was concealed by mist.

At the center was a subterranean dome. Before it were five oddly shaped tombstones, each with a symbol in Aklo engraved upon it. A raised altar with an Elder Sign at its center pulsed in time with the glowing symbols.

A huge doorway jutted from the surface of the dome. It had the features of Cthulhu's head, a skull-faced beast with tentacles for a mouth. Three figures stood at the portal.

Cho Chu-Tsau, arms raised, was chanting in time with the pulsing symbols. Next to her, reading aloud the chants from a book and swathed in ceremonial robes, was the frail Dr. Ko. But the third figure was what disturbed the agents most.

It was a fish that walked like a man. Its giant, catfish-like head was somehow part of a purplish, malformed humanoid body. Two of its whiskers rose up over its head like horns, and two others dropped like a moustache over its gaping mouth. It had a distinct oriental cast, stripped to its waist in pants and sandals. A huge cannon was strapped across its back, a wicked-looking sword dangling from its belt.

Hammer called them all to a halt. The room's darkness was complete. The agents had an advantage, as all eyes were trained on the portal.

"Archive, Hammer, you take out Chu-Tsao. Guppy, Caprice, you're on Ko. Jim-Bean, you and I will take out…"

Jim-Bean was gone.

Hammer swore. "Move!" more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:35 AM | 0 comments

Monday, March 29

Grace Under Pressure: Part 3 – In the Mouth of Madness

The agents entered into the labyrinthine passageways of the sunken nightmare city.

"From what I could decipher from the laptop on the Joey," began Guppy, "there's three cultists down here. Cho Chu-Tsao, Agent Powers, and William Davis Ko."

"So Powers wasn't the only defector," said Caprice.

"No. In fact, it looks like Majestic ended up funding Ko's research. They gave him access to some piscid humanoids, codenamed BLUE HADES, retrieved from PROJECT JENNIFER—"

"Deep Ones," corrected Archive.

Guppy looked at him. "Okay, sure. Ko got his hands on some Deep One DNA."

Hammer nodded, his eyes tracking signs of Chu-Tsao's passage. "That explains the fish-hybrids we found in Chicago. Tiger Transit was originally funding Ko's work."

The trail led through broad and high corridors overgrown with dimly glowing algae and fungi. Mysterious reliefs on the walls depicted nightmarish horrors.

"Right," said Guppy. "And I think Majestic-12 wanted access to Ko's experiments. But I guess he was a double agent."

"So Ko's research for Majestic-12 picked up right where he left off with Tiger Transit?" asked Caprice.

"Yeah," said Guppy. "Worse, actually. He stumbled upon a flu-virus under PROJECT PI. The Pi prion can convert human DNA to Deep One DNA in a matter of hours."

Jim-Bean paused for a moment, coughing.

"You okay Jimmy?" asked Hammer.

"I'm fine," said Jim-Bean. He kept walking.

"They tested it on the native population," continued Guppy. "And from the gist of the emails, they were going to unleash it on Ho's men too."

"So we did Ho a favor!" laughed Jim-Bean.

"Yeah," said Caprice slowly. "A favor."

The twisting trail led to a stone slab hallway that descended at a slight grade as it proceeded into a small hillock. There were signs of a lot of traffic in and out of the temple. The agents filed inside, weapons ready.

The entrance opened into a passageway nearly ten feet wide and fourteen feet tall. Toward the bottom, where the walls were better protected from the elements, strange hieroglyphics covered them. The floor sloped at a nearly twenty degree angle.

"So what are the cultists up to?" asked Hammer. "They want to turn the whole world into a bunch of fish people?"

Archive shook his head. "That's not enough. They need a leader."

"Or a god," said Jim-Bean. He pointed ahead of them. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:27 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, March 28

Grace Under Pressure: Part 2 – Losing Powers

As the Wallaby approached the dark mountain, a massive opening revealed itself to be navigable. It led into a kind of pool in a huge cavern.

"Sensors indicate a breathable atmosphere," said Caprice. "But we'll need to put on pressure suits—"

Guppy sighed as a warning light flickered on his console. "Jim-Bean just opened the airlock."

Jim-Bean gave the Wallaby's cameras a thumbs-up.

"Caprice, you watch Ho. I don't want him out of your sight."

Feng Ho, if he was aware of his plight, didn't show it. He watched Jim-Bean curiously on the monitor, like a puppy wondering when its master would return.

Caprice rolled his eyes. "I get to watch the mind-controlled zombie? Great." more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 7:18 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, March 27

Grace Under Pressure: Part 1 – Welcome to R'lyeh

"Is that fallen masonry?" asked Hammer.

The chunks passing beneath the Wallaby were larger and larger, and had different shapes. Cubes, rectangles, then columns, octagons...it was clear that they were not natural.

"No," said Archive gravely. "R'lyeh."

At first irregular and far between, the glowing patches increased in number and size, eventually flowing together into a soft latticework across the sea floor. While nowhere near as bright as the Wallaby's spotlights, the glow did serve to illuminate contours and shapes in the dim water beyond the light.

The coral grew thin, with only a few stalks clumped here and there. In its place lay the rudiments of buildings.

It became clear that they were are at the beginning of a broad canyon-like avenue, lined with squat structures revealed by the spotlights and the sickly glow that was increasingly widespread. The buildings became more elaborate the further that the Wallaby went. Very quickly, the tops of the structures were beyond the range of the spotlights, and their height could only be guessed at by the faint phosphorescence that coated them. They were enclosed by mammoth towers, stolid halls, all cracked and dim, showing the wear of centuries, perhaps millennia. The architecture was of ancient origin, but showed traits found in nearly every style ever produced by man.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn," whispered Archive.

"What?" asked Hammer, irritated by Archive's odd behavior.

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming," whispered Archive, hugging himself. "We are in a very bad place." more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 10:57 PM | 0 comments

Friday, March 26

Grace Under Pressure: Prologue

30,000 FEET BENEATH THE PACIFIC OCEAN—The agents were in hot pursuit of Cho Chu-Tsao's smaller mini-sub, the Joey. It was difficult to tell if they were actually overtaking her in the Wallaby, though, as the pings they got back from her homing beacon were erratic.

There was a hideous wrenching noise and then the power flickered. The Wallaby swerved to starboard.

"What was that?" asked Hammer.

"We lost the starboard impeller!" shouted Guppy, struggling with the controls.

"Can you tell me where the problem is?" asked Jim-Bean. "If so I can probably take a look."

Caprice brought up a map of the Wallaby. It really did look like the Millennium Falcon. A starboard section blinked red. "There."

Jim-Bean grunted. "I think I'm close enough…" He took a few steps towards the back of the bridge. "Yep, I can see it."

His eyes glazed. "Looks like…looks like there's something stuck in the impeller. Muck and debris fouled up the blades. The grill at the front of the impeller tube has been smashed in."

"The muck must have closed over the grill completely. That'll cause the impeller to create a vacuum that pulls the loose corner of the grill inwards," said Caprice.

"Do something fast!" shouted Guppy. "We're spinning in circles here!" more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:27 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, March 25

Chapter 53: Grace Under Pressure - Introduction

This story hour is from "Grace Under Pressure" by Jeff Barber and John Tynes and "Project Pi" by Peer Kroger from Worlds of Cthulhu #1. You can read more about Delta Green at http://www.delta-green.com. Please note: This story hour contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

Game Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
Joseph “Archive” Fontaine (Dedicated Hero/Acolyte) played by Joe Lalumia
Jim “Jim-Bean” Baxter (Charismatic Hero) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://jeremyrobertortiz.blogspot.com)
Hank “Guppy” Gupta (Smart Hero/Field Scientist) played by Joseph Tresca (http://www.eyeballistic.com)
Kurtis “Hammer” Grange (Fast/Dedicated Hero/Gunslinger) played by George Webster
Sebastian “Caprice” Creed (Fast/Charismatic/Smart Hero/Techie) played by Bill Countiss

Grace Under Pressure is a perfect fit for Project Pi, combining a deep sea submarine expedition with the excitement of heavily armed SEALs. While I was really attracted to running Grace Under Pressure with miniatures, time didn't allow for it. Events moved quickly, as the agents are still in pursuit of Cho Chu-Tsao, there's a giant submarine tumbling into the depths behind them, and they're about to descend into R'lyeh.

In R'lyeh, our old friend Dr. William Davis Ko is back – turns out he's a traitor to Majestic-12 and continued to fund his Deep One research in conjunction with the Pi Virus. John Powers, also a traitor to Majestic-12, was icing on the cake. From there, it was just a matter of having Cho Chu-Tsao, Ko, and Ko's bodyguard duke it out in front of Fat Dragon's nifty temple which my two-year-old son helped me put together.

I knew this scenario was trouble though. I even mentioned it on Nebulos' story hour, who ran it as a d20 Modern game like I did. The problem is that the scenario doesn't really have a survival conclusion. Basically, the PCs have a very high chance of getting "Deep One on them" with the only solution being a tradeoff with the final villain in front of the Cthulhu shrine. Assuming the agents sell out to save their lives, it leaves the little matter of Cthulhu awakening.

The resolution, as implied by the scenario, involves nuclear subs might firing a missile at Cthulhu. We didn't have a nuclear missile because I changed the scenario around. But I did have a nuclear-powered submarine.

Both scenarios are concerned about avoiding awakening Cthulhu, which just seems silly to me. I mean, seriously, you can't beat a Star Spawn of Cthulhu in combat, so if you're going to blow one up with a plot device, why not just use the Big Guy himself?

So I used the Star Spawn as the Big Scary Monster you THINK is the final boss but isn't. My brother even asked, "why do they call this game Call of Cthulhu? Do we ever get to meet him?"

And then he did.

I had my Call of Cthulhu action figure from SOTA toys, which I used in my Arcanis story hour. It's been a couple of years, so the players completely forgot about it. In fact, I was careful to bundle him up in a plastic bag so that nobody accidentally discovered him before his big reveal. It had exactly the effect I hoped. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:41 AM | 0 comments

Wednesday, March 24

Righteous Triad Fists: Conclusion

Guppy sat down on the bridge of the Wallaby. His eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store as he switched the power on. It hummed to life with all the fanfare of a Mac computer. "I recognize this…this is the submersible that was stolen from an Australian facility!"

Caprice sat down on the chair opposite him. "Yeah I heard of the Wallaby. It keeps pressure equalized at any depth."

"The Wallaby can operate under its own power for two weeks," said Guppy. He flipped more switches as the diagnostics whirred to life.

"It looks the Millenium Falcon to me," said Hammer, standing behind Guppy.

"Better," said Guppy, grinning for the first time in awhile. "The Wallaby has combination of pontoons and ballast, a single set of impeller motors, and a mini-sub cradle."

"The Joeys," said Ho robotically. "There are two. Tsao took one."

"I've got her signal," said Caprice. "We can track her."

The horseshoe shuddered again. "Let's get the hell out of here," said Hammer.

"Aye, aye, captain!" said Guppy. He pushed a lever forward and the sounds of couplers disconnecting rumbled the perimeter of the Wallaby.

The Wallaby pulled away, spinning as it caught in the current and propelled itself quickly away from the larger ship.

"I just realized," said Jim-Bean, laughing to himself. "If the mini-subs are Joeys and this thing is the Wallaby, then that Horseshoe thing is…" he broke out into fits of laughter. "…a KANGAROO! HA!"

Jim-Bean's hysterical laughter was all that echoed throughout the Wallaby as they descended into a deep sea trench. more

Labels: d20 modern

posted by Mike Tresca at 6:44 AM | 0 comments

In Media Res: Conclusion

In Media Res: Part 7 – Morgan's Plan

In Media Res: Part 6 – Tightening the Noose

In Media Res: Part 5 – The Hunters Return

In Media Res: Part 4 – Power and Pain

In Media Res: Part 2 – The Thing in the Trunk

In Media Res: Part 1 – …Said the Spider to the Fly

In Media Res: Prologue

Grace Under Pressure: Conclusion

Grace Under Pressure: Part 8 – The End of the Beginning

Righteous Triad Fists: Part 7 – …and Hand Grenades

Grace Under Pressure: Part 6 – Horseshoes…

Grace Under Pressure: Part 5 – Who's There?

Grace Under Pressue: Part 4 – Knock, Knock…

Grace Under Pressure: Part 3 – In the Mouth of Madness

Grace Under Pressure: Part 2 – Losing Powers

Grace Under Pressure: Part 1 – Welcome to R'lyeh

Grace Under Pressure: Prologue

Chapter 53: Grace Under Pressure - Introduction

Righteous Triad Fists: Conclusion

Links

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