Yes, exactly that. Probably leave my next-most-senior officer outside to handle the public relations, and take two or three others with buckets with me to tour the interior, try to find those points of heaviest damage where the fire might have started.
Harry's Game
(1350 posts) (7 voices)-
It looks like the fire started on the second floor and was working its way up. Although it can't be said with certain, it looks as if there was a bedwarmer that set fire to some bedding before anyone was in the bed, and it spread through the second level and started taking out the ceiling. The interior walls will need to be rebuilt, and a few of the support beams for the third floor will need reinforcing, and the third floor should be refloored almost entirely for safety, but there's no reason people can't live in the building as long as they stay off the third floor until that's finished.
You splash a bit of water here and there, but mostly the job is complete.
--M. J. Young
Sat Aug 21 2010 5:15 am # -
You return to the firehouse and work with your tired team cleaning and restocking the equipment in preparation for the next fire. At the end of shift, you're pretty tired as you head for home.
--M. J. Young
Tue Aug 24 2010 6:32 am # -
Dinner is ready, and so is Arabella. She comments that you smell of smoke, but it doesn't seem to bother her that you do.
Work returns to same-old-same-old, as you spend most of your shifts on drills and equipment readiness. The rest of your equipment gets here; the season is shifting toward the cooler months, but you're told that you're far enough south that you won't see much snow. You do get more rain, and some thunderstorms, but nothing exceptional.
Arabella asks you about tales of your adventures aboard the Piper, and what you did before that. She reciprocates by telling you of her boring life as daughter of a wealthy textile baron, which she admits was a lot more comfortable than that of many other people, but doesn't give her much in the way of interesting stories to tell.
--M. J. Young
Fri Aug 27 2010 2:32 am # -
johnosevens
Member"Such is work," I say, and pepper her with kisses anyway, "If it bothers you, I'll arrange a bath."
Once the rainy season starts, I'll order myself a nice waterproof cloak in Watch colors.
I'll tell Arabella about the business with the pirates. And the business with the fruit. And that impossible shot at the enemy helmsman. And I'll listen attentively to her stories, since they will probably give me some insight into Durnmist society.
Fri Aug 27 2010 3:01 am # -
"I certainly don't want to wait that long for you," she says coquettishly.
A few weeks later you take your wife to a restaurant down by the waterfront. You've started your meal when suddenly a rather large man is standing next to your table. Arabella stops eating, and looks at him, but he is looking at you.
"I know you," he says. "You killed a dozen of my men and sent us packing."
He draws a dagger and a pistol from somewhere; you realize that you're unarmed, and your fish didn't come with so much as a sharp knife.
--M. J. Young
Sat Aug 28 2010 2:31 am # -
johnosevens
MemberI'll attempt to throw my fish in his face, then disarm him of his knife, trying to get my hand-to-hand style on. I'll say my 'going into battle' prayer to Thor if I have the time, but mostly it's a matter of trying to hurt him first.
Out of game, I want to Verse out. In game, I'm not actually suicidal enough to let this mook shoot me in front of my wife.
Mon Aug 30 2010 8:15 pm # -
Looks good, but I have some questions along with some answers.
I'll attempt to throw my fish in his face....
This looks like a new skill to me, but before I start crunching numbers I thought I should determine which of two things you are attempting to do:
- Use an ordinary object in your immediate environment as a thrown weapon to attack your opponent (improvised missile weapon skill);
- Use objects in your environment tactically to gain an advantage such as stealing initiative, bonusing your next attack, or penalizing his next attack.
...then disarm him of his knife, trying to get my hand-to-hand style on.
I take that style to be:
1@6 Military Hand-to-Hand Combat (specialty in disarming maneuvers) Bod 7@1
You succeed in getting into style.
I think we've not used it to this point, and it raises all the questions that go with a martial arts style:
- Slow or fast?
- Aggressive or defensive?
- Weapon-utilizing or weapon averse? (Obviously not weapon-dependent.)
I'm also noting that the skill specifically says it supports disarming maneuvers. The disarming maneuver or maneuvers will be one or more separate skills, but I'll list it or them at the same SAL as the style. You should tell me if there are different disarming techniques that you would identify individually, or whether it's all just "disarm". I am also contemplating whether to give the style itself an extra bonus that applies to disarming maneuvers only; let me know if you think that appropriate. It would be something like damage points, that you spend ten points that could have been used as a +10 sit-mod on all attacks and instead get a +20 sit-mod on disarming attacks.
Before you ask how many points you have to spend, I'll repeat that the answer depends on how many attacks you have in the minute--the fast you're attacking, the less you can spend on bonuses.
You should also tell me if there are other "maneuvers" connected to the style, and what they are. You can of course use any maneuvers that are not weapon-dependent from the other style.
I'll say my 'going into battle' prayer to Thor if I have the time, but mostly it's a matter of trying to hurt him first.
I was going to roll this, but then I realized that I don't know which of these it is:
- 1@2 Bonus Strike M1@2 0:06 whispered prayer "Thor guide me. Put strength in my hands and rage in my heart, to defend my friends and break my enemies" while holding intended weapon in weapon hand RS/10 minute duration RS/10 bonus to attacks with weapon +6SM
- 1@2 Defensive Bonus M+1@2 penalize all incoming attacks by RS/10 for one minute, TF 0:06, say "Thor protect me", -5SM, +10 if prayed before/while engaging in a risky action in honorable combat (for +5SM total)
- 1@3 Reduce Attack Success M+1@2 say "Thor Protect Me" sword in hand during battle, RF1 Duration RS/4 penalizes incoming attacks RS/10 +0SM
You've got a couple others that are mass battle blessings that take a long time and cover a lot of people, so I'm excluding those. You could use any one of these as an "instant activation" defense, but you couldn't do all three in that time. (Obviously, the first bonuses your attack. Technically, the second increases your defense while the third penalizes your adversaries' attacks.)
--M. J. Young
Thu Sep 2 2010 3:52 am # -
johnosevens
MemberI'm attempting to blind him. The intended effect overall is twofold:
1: It should disorient him enough that I get the drop on him (steal initiative).
2: If that fails and he still goes first, he should be so blinded/disoriented that he's not likely to hit me.
This is a "tactical use of whatever is at hand", as per your #2.We should come up with a structure that gives us a number of attacks per minute (base, 1, 2, or if weapon-averse possibly 3) and the bonuses on attacks and defenses. Note that the slower the style the more points it has for attacks/defenses; also that if you use the points as damage points you get twice as many as if you use them as sit-mods. (That is, if you are doing dangerous damage with a 50% chance of success, a +10 sit-mod gives you a 60% chance of doing 1 to 6 intensities of damage, but a +20 damage mod for the same "price" gives you a 50% chance of doing 3 to 7 intensities.)
I'm also noting that the skill specifically says it supports disarming maneuvers. The disarming maneuver or maneuvers will be one or more separate skills, but I'll list it or them at the same SAL as the style. You should tell me if there are different disarming techniques that you would identify individually, or whether it's all just "disarm". I am also contemplating whether to give the style itself an extra bonus that applies to disarming maneuvers only; let me know if you think that appropriate. It would be something like damage points, that you spend ten points that could have been used as a +10 sit-mod on all attacks and instead get a +20 sit-mod on disarming attacks.Before you ask how many points you have to spend, I'll repeat that the answer depends on how many attacks you have in the minute--the fast you're attacking, the less you can spend on bonuses.
You should also tell me if there are other "maneuvers" connected to the style, and what they are. You can of course use any maneuvers that are not weapon-dependent from the other style.
Yes that's the style I mean.
Fast / Aggressive / Weapon-Utilizing. This is a style meant to overwhelm an opponent with its sheer brutality. It's not fancy, there are no flourishes, I just hit you in the weak spots until you quit fighting back. There is a defensive element to it, but even that includes an element of dealing damage. A 'parry' is really more like 'stop him and then break his wrist in one hit,' a 'grapple escape' is really more like 'break his ankle and then throw him over your shoulder and step on his collarbone.' That kind of thing.
There are four disarm skills that I would identify, based on where your opponent is (in front of you or to your rear) and what kind of weapon he's using, because disarming a firearm is different from disarming a knife or club:
Front Melee Disarm
Rear Melee Disarm
Front Firearm/Ranged-Weapon Disarm
Rear Firearm/Ranger-Weapon DisarmThe only other maneuvers I can think of involve specific 'called shots'. Things like kicks to the knees, joint locks, and such, that are more a damage-enhancing quality of the skill overall, rather than separate techniques - that kind of thing is just how the style itself works.
Mostly I would balance the bonuses towards damage. The style itself doesn't make you accurate or good, only your skill does that. The style itself makes it hurt more when you get it right.I was going to roll this, but then I realized that I don't know which of these it is:
Well, being pounced at lunch isn't 'honorable combat' so that one is out. I don't have my sword, so that one is out. Must be the only one legal for me to use right now, the first one.
Thu Sep 2 2010 5:03 pm # -
The new skill listings are behind the screens (or will be when I'm finished). On the disarming maneuvers, I've indicated that a successful roll above fifty gives you control of the weapon, below that knocks the weapon away. Do you agree that that's realistic?
On the called shots, I note that with a "poke" style the point is to hit the vital area to cause pain, so those are the normal attacks. I don't think we need to have individual attacks for each vulnerable point. I would consider, though, whether there are attacks which are designed to be incapacitating--if successful, the victim is in such pain that a will power check is required to move, or if successful the victim loses the use of the affected body part temporarily.
I don't know that you can't engage in honorable combat if you are ambushed. That is, to my mind, honorable combat means that your conduct is honorable, not that your opponent's necessarily is. You used that skill fighting pirates; they weren't usually honorable. As Jack Sparrow would say, "Pirate." However, since you can only use one and you've chosen one, we'll go with that.
You toss your plate at him, and manage to land a solid blow; but he nicks you with the dagger on the return.
I recommend reading up on the newly listed skills before proceeding.
--M. J. Young
Sat Sep 4 2010 2:31 am # -
johnosevens
MemberI'll read them over presently.
Yes I agree that's realistic.
Yes, there are some. Attacks to the elbows and wrists are designed to cripple the arms and hands, and attacks to the knees are designed to cripple the afflicted leg. In either case the idea is to disable the limb, not to cause excessive pain (though this tends to be a useful side-effect).
------------------
Having read up on the new skills, I'll use the new Front Martial Weapon Disarm to try and take his dagger.
Is Arabella doing anything? Yelling for help? Breaking a wine bottle over his head? etc. etc. (Out of game I don't mind if she chickens out in the face of her first actual fight. In game it would be nice if my wife were hard-core enough to blackjack someone with a wine bottle.)
Wed Sep 8 2010 8:17 pm # -
At the moment, Arabella is flustered and boxed out; the other guests are starting to scramble for cover, creating confusion all around you.
Before you can grab for his knife, he lunges awkwardly at you, sliding in the grease from the fish. You try to catch his weapon arm, but he has spun to keep his balance. Your cup hits the floor, spilling wine into the mess, and for a moment he has his back to you. It's still your move.
--M. J. Young
Fri Sep 10 2010 1:12 am # -
He manages to keep turning and move out of the way; you are now facing him again. A few tables have been knocked over, and the guest are mostly along the walls, but for Arabella, who is standing on the other side of your table looking a bit worried and a bit thoughtful, like she's trying to think of some way to help that won't make matters worse.
What's your next move as you move into the next minute?
--M. J. Young
Tue Sep 14 2010 2:05 am # -
The pirate comes in fast with the dagger, but you dodge it easily and land the kick. It connects solidly, and your opponent blanches and collapses, bleeding from the groin and holding his hands to his crotch.
Someone screams; it's not Arabella.
After a moment, she says to you, "Are you all right?"
--M. J. Young
Thu Sep 16 2010 6:36 am # -
johnosevens
Member"Shaken, not stirred..." is all that comes to mind. I'll put an arm around her shoulders and let her help me sit somewhere until the Watch show up to book this guy.
Since he didn't bother to fire it, I'll hold him 'on point' with his own gun, just to be sure.
Thu Sep 16 2010 6:04 pm # -
The gun is not immediately in sight; he must have dropped it when you connected with his sensitive parts. Scanning the floor you don't see it, but there are tables and a couple overturned or upright chairs in the immediate vicinity.
The waiter rushes over now that the fight has ended to ask whether you are all right and to apologize for the upset. He has no idea how such a brigand wound up in the restaurant, although for that the man is dressed as well as or better than most sailors on shore leave, and since Durnmist does not forbid weapons there are other armed sailors in the building.
--M. J. Young
Sun Sep 19 2010 11:24 pm # -
johnosevens
MemberI tell the waiter it's alright - I'm not badly hurt, and I'm just glad nobody else is either.
I'll spend the time until the Watch arrives curled up with my wife, keeping an eye on the pirate. (If it seems like he's going to be down for a good bit of time, I'll pick up his knife and go get the gun, so that they're not lying around. If it looks like he's going to be a threat any time soon, I'll ask the waiter to fetch the gun from over there for me.)
Mon Sep 20 2010 8:08 pm # -
He's largely incapacitated and probably isn't going to stand for a while, but he's not unconscious and he's certainly not quiet.
You easily retrieve the knife, but you don't see the gun.
--M. J. Young
Tue Sep 21 2010 2:11 am # -
When you move to the fallen man's right, you see that the gun slid under the table to his left--perhaps a foot or so beyond easy reach were he to stretch his arm. It would be awkward for you to crawl under the table for it, but would require more of your attention away from him to move the table.
--M. J. Young
Tue Sep 21 2010 10:40 pm # -
I don't know that you can blame the watch--it hasn't been three minutes since the fight ended, and I don't see where you blew your watchman's whistle or heard one blown, so it's been a matter of some citizen reaching the watch and bringing him to you.
The waiter signals a few others, and together they shift the table. The pirate's eyes dart between the pistol and you, more than once; he's clearly thinking about whether he can beat you to it.
--M. J. Young
Mon Sep 27 2010 3:56 am # -
johnosevens
MemberI'll stand in between him and the pistol, still keeping him on point with his own knife (i.e. if he moves, he'll be moving into my immediate stab in the ribs).
Sounding a Watchman's whistle indoors would be mean to everyone else in here, who is disrupted enough already without leaving their ears ringing, especially since I've got this basically taken care of, and I'm just waiting for a mop-up.
Also, it feels longer.
Mon Sep 27 2010 8:16 pm # -
The table is moved and the pistol is now in plain sight. You position yourself between the pirate and the pistol.
It is still a couple minutes, but the pirate seems to have surrendered any expectation of getting the gun. Then you hear a loud voice from the direction of the door.
"All right, all right, what seems to be the trouble?"
Several voices respond, making it apparent that this is someone from the local watch responding, probably in response to someone running up to him on the street and telling him of the trouble.
I would assume that you would carry your whistle and cord of office whenever you leave the house, given your experience so far, so I'll assume you have them but are not wearing them.
--M. J. Young
Tue Sep 28 2010 3:07 am # -
johnosevens
MemberOnce the people start giving the Watchman the too-many-cooks approach, I'll give a short tweet on my whistle to signal them to shut the hell up. Then I'll tell the responder what happened, and show my cord of office when I introduce myself.
This will all end with, "And now, seeing as I'm off duty, and as my lovely wife's evening has been interrupted long enough, I'll leave this ruffian to your tender mercy," and, to the pirate, "Give Captain Jack my best."
After all, Captain Jack should be in jail by now as well, if that trap I set up with my last Watch office worked while I wasn't looking.
Tue Sep 28 2010 1:07 pm # -
"You was behind that, too? Shoulda figured. Yeah, I'll be sure to let him know. You've got a rep, you know. I won't be the last pirate who recognizes you, and whoever manages to get you will have braggin' rights for life."
The watchman is duly deferential. "Yes sir, commander. Sorry your dinner was disrupted so. Come along," he says to the pirate. "The only rep you're gonna have will be decided by my capp'n."
The waiters move to attempt to restore order.
"Our sincere apologies, sir," the headwaiter says. "Can I settle you and your lovely companion at another table and order fresh food for you both?"
Arabella nods approval in your direction, so I presume you accept the offer. After you are seated, she says, perhaps a bit flirtatiously, "I knew I'd married a promising hero of the watch, but I didn't realize he was already a known pirate fighter."
--M. J. Young
Wed Sep 29 2010 1:23 am # -
johnosevens
Member"Anyone who can take me down deserves 'em."
I give the Watchman a proper salute and tell him not to worry about it. Not like he's the one I had to slap with a fish, after all, right?
Since she wants to finish dinner, I'll pull out a seat for Arabella and see her seated, then join her. Her being flirtatious still makes me blush a bit even though she is my wife and all. "Well, yeah, there is that. It was my first case and... well, technically my second pirate ship..." If she really wants the story I'll tell it, otherwise I'll follow her in the direction of 'romantic banter' and show her just how romance-novel heroic I can be when I get her home.
Wed Sep 29 2010 8:16 pm # -
Indeed, she mixes romantic banter with wheedling the details of your adventures out of you.
"So, how did you come to be a sailor anyway, and why did you leave to settle here in Durnmist? Funny, you know--I don't really know where you're from, originally."
--M. J. Young
Thu Sep 30 2010 4:51 am # -
johnosevens
Member"Where I'm from originally is kindof a long story, actually. As for how I became a sailor, you might say I dropped in on my Captain and he decided to let me work for him, and it's been high adventure ever since. I decided to settle here because I like Durnmist - it's not as restrictive as some towns, not as noisy as Sardic... and when I met you that just sealed the deal. I knew I had to stay."
Thu Sep 30 2010 3:05 pm # -
"Well, I guess a girl has to be flattered to know that she's the main reason her husband decided to move to her home town. I do expect to get that long story out of you someday, Mr. Sevenwinds, man of mystery." She is teasing, but she is not therefore not serious.
My last recollection on your rental property is that you were seeking tenants but hadn't found one. Did I forget something, or should I be considering tenants for your property?
--M. J. Young
Sat Oct 2 2010 10:04 pm # -
johnosevens
MemberYou should be considering tenants. I posted a "For Rent" sign months ago and my neighbors know to point anyone who comes calling to either Arabella or the station house.
"Some day, and some day soon, but not tonight..." Time to finish dinner. Maybe celebrate another victory with a bottle of nice wine. And then take my wife home. And hope she doesn't start to catch on to the whole 'can't have kids' thing...
Note to self: Consider researching life-creation magic if I ever reach a high-magic Verse. A sample of my blood, a sample of hers, and the right spells might be able to get around this...
Sun Oct 3 2010 12:57 am # -
Yeah, I wondered how long it would be before someone decided they could find an end-run around the no issue issue.
You return to work and find that word of your pirate capture has spread--you're something of a hero. There's already a commendation in your file, even the captain wants to hear your version of events, and there's talk of an award.
--M. J. Young
Sun Oct 3 2010 9:50 pm # -
johnosevens
MemberThis never gets less embarrassing...
I'll tell him my version: I got attacked at dinner, hit the guy with a fish, scuffled, and won. And sent him off to jail with a snarky one-liner ringing in his ears. And he's one of Captain Jack's brethren, too.
Find a player it means enough to, and he'll figure out a way.
Sun Oct 3 2010 11:04 pm # -
I'm glad you were entertained, Brock, and I like knowing when people laugh at my side jokes, and I personally don't mind extraneous posts in game threads; but some people do (I don't think Harry is one of them, but I don't know that it's been mentioned), and that's why Kyler started the Peanut Gallery thread. Besides, if you laugh there about a joke here, more people will hear it.
You are on your way out the door to work one morning a few days later when someone looking lost on the street calls to you. "Hey, Mister! There's supposed to be a place for rent around here somewhere. Can you point me to it?" He looks like a sailor, dressed in the familiarly tattered work clothes most of your deck hands wore most of the time.
--M. J. Young
Wed Oct 6 2010 4:41 am # -
He eyes you suspiciously, picking up your weapons.
"Aye, I just happen to have stumbled on the landlord, and he just happens to be armed for a fight. How do I know you're him?"
--M. J. Young
Thu Oct 7 2010 2:56 am # -
johnosevens
Member"You can ask my wife, if you like," I answer, nodding toward my own front door, just around the corner from his. "Commander John Sevenwind, at your service. As it happens I'm on my way to work at the moment, but if you care to walk with me we can talk, and I'll show you the place this afternoon when I get off duty."
While I'm talking with him, I'll put on my cord of office and my whistle, too, so he'll know I'm telling the truth.
Thu Oct 7 2010 12:03 pm # -
"Oh--beggin' your pardon, officer, er, captain. I didn't mean--well, anyway, tell me about this place you've got."
--M. J. Young
Thu Oct 7 2010 11:17 pm # -
johnosevens
Member"Sure. It's actually the other half of my house, a two-family place just here, so I'm right here if you need anything. I just finished fixing it up before I put it up for rent, so, everything is new, or refinished, and quite cozy..."
I have to get to work, but I'll offer him the grand tour if he wants to come back when I'm done.
Mon Oct 11 2010 12:18 am # -
He asks the price.
--M. J. Young
Tue Oct 12 2010 3:40 am #
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