Gaming Outpost Discussions » Topic: Simian Circus: James joins the game

Gaming Outpost Discussions » Topic: Simian Circus: James joins the game http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game Gaming Outpost Discussions » Topic: Simian Circus: James joins the game en-US Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:11:16 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/search.php WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-6340 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:15:38 +0000 WilliamTWodium 6340@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Long time no play. To cut a potentially long summary short, James spent a little over three months with Mr. Kite's Celebrated Scientific Circus, in part as the Astounding Hairless Ape, but primarily as the newest addition to the tech crew. He learned a little bit about a lot of things, from sewing and set construction to small-scale steam power and primitive hydraulics. All the while the circus's path roughly followed his long-suffering equipment vector, until finally – thanks to the wagons' circular approach to the city – James discovered that his remaining gear was somewhere inside the Captial, where the circus would spend an entire month as part of the royally sponsored Summer Festival. Specifically, it was somewhere in the slums. James decided against retrieving it on his own. There followed a suspenseful series of events (beginning with James's discovery of the bludgeoned corpse of Henry the Horse on the very first evening, inside a tent which Maxwell had just left), and, again cutting things short, James was soon killed by the murderously insane Mighty Maxwell (and his Scintillating Silver Hammer!). The adventures of James Marsh continue in his next thread, <a href="http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/dragons-welcome">Dragons Welcome</a>. __ Skill changes: 1@4 Acting M0@2 (improved from 1@2) 1@5 Circus Repair Package TX@X (includes . . .) W2 Added equipment: On-person: Circus workman's outfit – includes knickers, undershirt, vest, boots; no apron Light cloak with hood, wool, dark brown Off-person: Stage makeup, 12"x6"x3" wooden box Tool belt, leather, space for twelve tools "Essential" hand-tools (7), all on belt: - claw hammer, - two kinds of wrench, - 'Gizmo' (square/level/protractor/tape measure), - pliers/cutters, - C-clamp, - sew-kit (4"x1" steel cylinder, contains needle and spooled thread; closing kit cuts the thread), - rubber hand-pump JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-2880 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:12:15 +0000 JTM 2880@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ I will return to the wagon and attempt to find where i should sleep. WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1941 Thu, 22 Nov 2007 04:26:04 +0000 WilliamTWodium 1941@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ "Splendid." Over the next ten seconds or so, his enthusiasm drains away â€“ as if it had been tiring him and is no longer necessary. "We'll set you up in the tech wagon tonight, and you can get acquainted with the crew on the ride tomorrow. It's that one, there." He points with his right hand, the left being far too busy with his watch-chain. "G'night to you." ___ The gathering has mostly died away, but there are still a few lanterns lit and handful of chimps out and about. Your things are still in the wagon you rode in on (with Rose and Tom and the rest), and you're still wearing the clothes you put on yesterday, in Charlotte. Or was it the day before? JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1822 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:37:09 +0000 JTM 1822@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ "okay, that sounds good to me" WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1624 Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:08:52 +0000 WilliamTWodium 1624@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Also, for the first week after you've made a post, there's a tiny green text link at the bottom of it that reads "EDIT". It's easy to skim over, but it's there. You know more about the Wright flyer than I do, even after you shamed me into checking Wikipedia. That's more than enough for the purposes of your cover story. ___ <blockquote>"Well, no, although I've always thought it would be interesting." </blockquote> "Hah!" His laugh sounds like it hurts, too. "Well, it is that. "We'll be coming up on Gloomy Hollow in a day or two. Most of my people are performers and engineers, but you are what we in the business call 'a natural,' so. We can slap something together for you â€“ a cage, a costume â€“ and you can start work right away. You can work on building a real Act from there once we're on the move again. Room, board, free travel, and we'll talk about money once you have an act. How's that, hm?" M. J. Young on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1551 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:06:58 +0000 M. J. Young 1551@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Tags: see the sticky <a href="http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/coding-on-this-board?replies=7">Coding On This Board</a> for information. --M. J. Young JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1541 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:39:03 +0000 JTM 1541@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ [I] gah, bad HTML tags in the above post [/I] JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1540 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:37:58 +0000 JTM 1540@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ [i] i know what the wright flyer looks like, how it takes off, what it's made of, and the general operating principles of the engine [/i] "well, no, although I've always thought it would be interesting. WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1360 Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:42:12 +0000 WilliamTWodium 1360@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ We'll go with that. I'm marking down 1@3 for your Persuasion. You don't appear to convince them you're telling the truth â€“ not the whole truth, anyway, you're obviously hiding something - but once someone claims that a machine like that couldn't possibly work, the focus of the discussion shifts away from you and your past with amazing rapidity. (Incidentally, how much do you know about the Wright flyer?) Gunter turns out to be a grizzled old chimp with six fingers on his left hand. He constantly plays with the silver watch-chain hanging out of his left coat pocket. When dinner dies down a bit, he pulls you aside. "Good evening to you. I'm Gunter. I run the freak show." He coughs. "I'm not as young as I was, so I won't waste time leading up to it," he says, with the brusque manner of someone whose throat hurts when he talks. "Have you ever thought of working in a circus, lad?" ___ With a 1@3 Persuasion, you need less than 13 on 2d20 to succeed at an unmodified "simple" attribute check. Twenty-six isn't in there. On the one hand, you've pegged the sort of story that might work; on the other, they've heard a lot more of this kind of story than you have, and there are a few holes in yours (at least some of which are deliberate). Failure means they don't buy it, but at least you've deflected the inquiry. JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1332 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:44:58 +0000 JTM 1332@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ i'd say threeish. WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-1184 Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:45:34 +0000 WilliamTWodium 1184@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Before I adjudicate how well you convince these people that your lies are truth, I'll need to know how persuasive you are generally. On a scale from one to ten (where one is "abysmal," ten is "exceptional, but not at or above the 98th percentile," and five is "as good as the next guy, but not any better"), where would you rate your ability to persuade, argue, browbeat, win over, or otherwise convince other people of your point of view or chosen course of action? (Think back to all that group work you did in school where everyone else's ideas were all stupid compared to yours.) JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-920 Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:46:58 +0000 JTM 920@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ i will make vague refrences to an experimental flying machine and a faulty compass, and state that i don't know how the machine worked if asked. if i am asked what it looked like, i will describe the wright flyer WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-592 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 03:12:33 +0000 WilliamTWodium 592@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ "Ha! Well, that's a stroke of luck for you, then, i'n'it? Or I dare say you heard we were coming this way and camped out on the road, 's what I'd have done in your place. Well, you couldn't have picked a finer circus. Best show on the road, this, at least in these parts. You'll want to talk to Gunter. He'll be out in a bit. In the meantime, I'm Pete; I'd stay and chat, but they can't put soup on without the pot, now can they?" He gives you a wink with his monocled eye and hurries off toward the center of the ring, where it appears a cookfire is being prepared. __ Over the next half hour or so while the sun sets, dinner will be prepared by the performers and technicians of Mr. Kite's Celebrated Scientific Circus. You will see several strange characters, among them an enormous chimp with a shiny metal mallet and a horse apparently allowed to eat inside the wagon ring with the primates, and you will be served soup. A number of chimpanzees will ask you a number of repetitive questions regarding who you are, where you're from, and how you came to by lying in the road. What sort of story are you weaving for them (or if you're evading the questions, what sort of evasions are you employing)? Once we've cleared that up (along with any questions you might have or points you want more detail on), we'll move on to your heavily-foreshadowed interview with Old Gunter, who will pull you aside after the meal. JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-456 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:25:23 +0000 JTM 456@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ "No, I was just picked up off the road," I respond. WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-446 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:51:01 +0000 WilliamTWodium 446@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ You step outside into the reddening sunlight. The wagons are arranged in a ring on a grassy area a little ways off the dirt road. From every wagon, chimps in old-fashioned British costume are climbing out, busily securing the wagons with ropes and stakes, untying the horses to let them graze, unloading mundane gear, and carrying out other tasks with the practiced ease of daily routine. Each wagon is decorated differently; one that catches your eye reads, in giant letters: <blockquote>Mr. Kite's Celebrated SCIENTIFIC CIRCUS! </blockquote> A tall, thin chimp carrying a large iron pot almost walks past you, but stops. "I say," he says, balancing the pot on one knee for a moment so he can adjust his monocle with one hand, "I haven't seen you before, have I?" He's smiling at you, but you can't tell if it's friendly or bemused. JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-268 Mon, 03 Sep 2007 06:34:48 +0000 JTM 268@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ I'll get out with them, I won't mention my gear. WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-232 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:07:33 +0000 WilliamTWodium 232@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ It's difficult to imagine that they've missed the existence of your things, but they don't seem to have paid them any particular attention. It is a little dim in the wagon, so perhaps they simply haven't noticed the material of your bag, or perhaps your own hairless nature distracted them from your things when you first arrived and they haven't spared the time to look you over since. Whatever the reason, it seems your gear won't be the object of attention unless you call attention to it yourself. You gather from the conversation in the wagon that your companions are performers; Rose is an acrobat, doing tightrope walking and such, Edmund (a young and cocky chimp) throws knives, and Tom is something like an actor, as are the others (Laura, Remington, and a silver-back named Moses). After a few hours ride, the wagons circle up and your companions begin to get out. The quality of the light tells you it's sunset. GE roll: 25 (on 3d10), "Remarkably bad but not totally surprising." JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-214 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:45:51 +0000 JTM 214@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ noticed and unusual WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-184 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:33:13 +0000 WilliamTWodium 184@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Before I answer that question, I'd like to know which you would prefer - that the items be noticed and unusual, unnoticed and commonplace, unnoticed despite being unusual, or noticed despite being commonplace? I will say that up to the point that Tom was encouraged to finish his story, nothing had been said directly concerning your things. JTM on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-180 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:21:33 +0000 JTM 180@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ Have any of them noticed my artificial bag or blowtorch as being out of place? WilliamTWodium on "Simian Circus: James joins the game" http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/topic/simian-circus-james-joins-the-game#post-47 Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:40:49 +0000 WilliamTWodium 47@http://gamingoutpost.com/discussions/ We had just finished summarizing the live-play introduction of James Marsh in the archived thread, <a href="http://discussions.gamingoutpost.com/index.php?showtopic=83114">Planet of the 'Panzees</a>. I'll reprint my last post here. <blockquote>Superbly summarized. Mentions have also been made (alliteration aside) that you'll probably want to talk with Old Gunther. At least two individuals have said this independently of each other (once on the road and once in the wagon), apparently when the subject has come around to idea of you traveling with the chimps for a little while. You have not seen or been introduced to Gunter as far as you know. I've forgotten all the names but one (Tom's), so I'll make them up again now unless you remember them yourself. We'll call the lady chimp who took you from the road into the wagon Rose; she's also the one who did you the favor of changing the subject away from your origin and back to the story that was being told before you arrived. The orangutan's name is Tom, and he apparently managed to track down and capture the ne'er-do-well tinkerer by means a steam-beetle and "Geiger's new device," despite having broken both of his legs in the fall from the balloon and spending the final week of the chase laid up in a hotel. He still received credit for the capture, however, and consequently got a share of the reward money. "And that's how I got this hat, Nathan: reward money." That's as far as we got. Before I push on, do you have any questions, clarifications, or immediate actions? The attention in the wagon is off of you, for the most part, so unless you get involved in the conversation or otherwise draw attention to yourself you need not interact with your companions if you don't want to. There's no telling how long the ride will be, but it's currently early afternoon. Your bag and blowtorch, as you noted, are with you. The sense that you left something somewhere points generally in the wagon train's direction of travel. </blockquote>