Okay, so here's my latest session report. We have a new character, Lenny (Leonard de Rossi), the Iron Alchemist: a flashy, showy focused practioner who knows more about alchemy than just about anyone. Unfortunately, he thinks he knows more than he does. He just finished a major project, a potion of the living death, for the city's local wizard, John Whitfield. John sent the order in by mail, and now that he's finished the order, Lenny wants to collect. (GM Spoiler: John didn't actually order the potion. It was someone else in John's name.) Lenny's also a Collector of Rare Junk (the player later changed the aspect to Collector of McGuffins) and was hunting for the gris gris bag once owned by Marie Laveau the voodoo queen of New Orleans (Twenty bucks says she was a powerful spellcaster. And a hairdresser to boot, so double ouch for thaumaturgic symbolic links.) I threw a compel Lenny's way to get him to go after the bag and get him into the adventure.
Lenny goes over to the seller's house, to find it in a state of disrepair. The old man from whom Lenny was going to buy Laveau's old voodoo bag sees him, tells him how a band of thugs came over and wrecked his place, took his things. Lenny, the soul of tact and a Ruthless Competitor, tells the guy that if he doesn't have the bag, he's not going to pay him the money. Obviously. The old man tells Lenny that the leader of the thugs was some guy named Jimbo, and asks Lenny to break Jimbo's legs. Lenny happily agrees to that request, at least. Using his contacts, Lenny learns that Jimbo's gang is having some dealings with that FEMA SOB Simon Walters, and that the two groups have arranged a meeting. Lenny decides to show up, see what's going on, and take back his rare junk.
By some massive coincidence (aka b/c the plot demands it), Lefleur hears about the same meeting from Simon's secretary (he's a WCV, I'll let you figure out how). He also knows that Walters isn't going to be there, but a briefcase full of cash will. Lefleur wants money. So he tells Temper about the meeting, and how they can gather information and disrupt Walters's dealings. Temper's game, of course, so on to the meeting.
It takes place on a deserted outdoor basketball court in the Ninth Ward, the two parties each parking on different sides. A bunch of motorbikes and pickup trucks on one side, dark sedans on the other. They're walking towards each other, meeting in the middle of the courts. Lefleur shows up in his 93 Firebird (which may be stolen), Lenny in a windowless van with his company's logo painted on the side (which we hereafter jokingly referred to a kidnap van), and Temper on her bicycle. Much laughter ensues at Temper's expense, as well as quotes from Burn After Reading. ("You think that's a Schwinn!")
The two sides meet, some threats are exchanged, but the suits drop off the cash to the hillbilly's. Evidently, the plan emerges: Walters is using the gang as a way to lower the property values in the reason, and convince people to sell. Just like a Western (it doesn't matter which one, they're basically ALL like that). I'm so creative sometimes. Temper and Lefleur each hide from each side, Lefleur "pretending" to be a bum. (The bumness is fake; the whiskey is real). Lenny, master of subtlety, just wanders onto the court, says he also has a meeting with Jimbo. The suits agree to let him be there as long as he doesn't make any sudden moves.
The meeting goes well, with Jimbo's boys taking the cash and leaving. But Jimbo isn't there! And Lefleur wants that cash. So he fires off a shot towards the suits, , causing a massive firefight as each side thinks the other started shooting first. Deceit is Lefleur's best skill, after all, and it was pretty hilarious. Temper and Lenny take cover, while Lefleur uses the opportunity to shoot out the tires on one of the pickup trucks...he has a plan.
Temper's idea of cover, as it turns out, is a playground slide. The two sides continue to fight, and one of the suits is wounded. Each side is withdrawing. Lenny grabs the wounded guy and starts to drag him to his kidnap van. I think maybe he was trying to help him, or something. Who knows. Anyway, one of the mercs notices, and starts firing at Lenny, forcing him to retreat. Lefleur enacts his master plan, jumping into the bed of the other, undamaged pickup and hiding there. The thugs and mercs each leave, content to retreat. A problem quickly emerges: Temper wants to follow the thugs in case Lefleur needs backup, but she isn't going to be catching up to a truck on her Schwinn. So Lefleur throws his keys out the bed of the truck, so Temper can follow. Lenny wants to find Jimbo, or at least Laveau's old voodoo bag, so he follows the pickup truck as well.
The car chase is on! It's not much of a chase, however. One of the thugs hops into the bed as the truck pulls away, noticing Lefleur. Lefleur moves to shoot the guy, the guy turns into a gator. As it turns out, Jimbo Hill leads a gang of weregators. A wrestling match ensues, with Temper and Lenny each trying to catch up. Temper blows a driving check (I guess she's used to her Schwinn), damaging Lefleur's car in the chase. Lefleur, meanwhile, is trying to subdue the weregator, grab the briefcase of cash stowed in the cab, and get out with his skin intact.
Lenny realizes that perhaps car chases aren't his forte, so he wants to stop the thugs' truck. With Sovereign Glue. I compel his "This Works in Theory" aspect, causing a massive car accident as the truck flips over, knocking end over end, taking out the two guys in the cab. The weregator and Lefleur both take a lot of stress, and Lefleur has to take a Moderate Concussion consequence. Poor Lefleur...he didn't even get the FP. Comments on that? It was Lenny's trouble, but it screwed over the vampire. Lefleur grabs the case, gets into the F-bird, and the duo drives away. Temper can't help but notice, however, that Lefleur is more than your ordinary everyday con man. He also talks about needing to Feed. Uh oh. Too bad her high Lore Wizard buddy never told her she was working with a WCV. Kind of important, don't you think?
Lenny grabs one of the wounded guys, intent on finding out the whereabouts of his McGuffin, and drags him into his kidnap van. I had intended for the three to be united with some common goals, but instead the Iron Alchemist nearly killed the sex vampire. You know, I'm not sure how fair his Trouble really is. It causes more problems for everyone else down the line. I guess as long as it's entertaining, it's okay. Lefleur has even more things go badly for him in the second part of this update, taking a Severe Consequence.
In a way, the Musts he has kind of screw him: he has Inhuman Strength, but none of his skills really use it. Maybe I should allow him not to take some of his Musts, for a better character (require additional expenditures of Refresh, perhaps, getting higher in the Incite Emotion tree).
Victim, otoh, suggests, that Lefleur uses a bow instead of a gun, since it nets a +1 damage. Kind of. Considering the size of a bow, it's really more comparable with an AK-47 than a Glock. Otoh, the example bow we've seen (used by the 3 ft. tall Keebler elves) is more of a shortbow/horsebow than one of the big Longbow models. Lefleur could be even more like the Robin Hood figure he pretends to be!
And just from this first session, Lenny is bad ass. He's got an armor item with 3 uses, a Weapon 7 attack with 3 uses (universal solvent), a weapon 5 zone attack with 3 uses (exploding flask), and 3 uses of his sovereign glue that imposes the stuck aspect on the target for 2 exchanges. As I said, Bad Ass. And he's got like 5 potion slots, and Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility. He's also got Great Weapons, and carries a baseball bat that he uses to surprising effect. Bam! He really Kicks Things Up a Notch!
Part Two to come later, when it's not so damn late.