(Gamma World) Not a Test #121 - Stage Four Vanishing Act

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  They have stopped in Fair-Town, for municipal meetings, bread-encrusted sausages .... and now are searching for answers after Squiggles the worm was kidnapped and tortured, and his worm breeding partner, Ubenda, murdered.  

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Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.   Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust.  Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock.   Just received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.

Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.   Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"

Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.   Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places,  and finding it often.   He  has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair.  Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group and is still recovering.

and two new additions....

Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest. 

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A single day, two night stay in Fair-Town was getting dragged on longer and longer, as there were still too many questions about the kidnapping and attack on Squiggles and his breeding partner, Ubenda, and unsatisfactory answers. They were on day three of their visit, with the limited window to get downriver to the Wildlands.  

Squiggles had miraculously been re-hydrated, but he was still piecing together what occurred through flashes of trauma.  

The angry dogs.

The bald man with glasses.  

Ubenda ready to mate.

And now a pair of jugglers, mocking him as he walked to Ubenda's mound. 

"That's a furry worm on a mission.  Don't do anything we wouldn't do!"

"We've never mated with worms..."

"Hahahahaha..."

Still, so many gaps.  

Squiggles with the thousand yard stare.

Sonny had been along the Driftwood section of town, getting medical information from "Mr Holt" of the White Hand.   His next mission was back near the Wrong Celery, for a bookish man, Trivian "Trip" Dalston.   He was found in the hall of records, his eyes behind glasses with green and clear lenses, putting together an extremely crude map from stacks of records. 

Trivian "Trip" Dalston

The presence of a giant sunflower and two 4 1/2 foot tall worms with muskets get his undivided attention.  

Trip had an alibi, not a very good one, especially that he wasn't outside the town gates exploring.  It relied on the testimony of someone he just called "Old Man" Fenswick. 

It was Speedy that did make not that Trip definitely had hair, rather than the balding image scarred in Squiggles' mind.   Sonny believed Trip, but would wander the back alleys to find this man.  

Sonny decided to finish his other projects first, starting with a dead-end search for Ubenda's body for a proper autopsy... and burial.

The problem?   Ubenda's body was missing.  There was zero record that the body was received by town officials.  He confirmed with others that after the White Hand was done with her body, the town guard should have carried the body inside town, they transferred to an official, or worst case, a crew of laborers to bury the body.  

Meanwhile Lathar avoided asking more questions, but used his time wisely, buying more supplies to get down to KIA Academy and beyond.   He did used his position on town council to observe the town laborers trying to repair and reconstruct the fallen wall.

Pete was still focused outside of town, looking at the large canine tracks...  He finally went back into town to the Third Comfort Inn, and compared notes with Sonny and the others.  Finding Ubenda's body became Pete's mission in life for that moment. 

The next day (Day 4!)

Squiggles was physically recovered, but mentally, he was muttering vengeance.

Sonny did make a solo visit to Old Man Fenswick, a retired and deluded tinker.  

Old Man Fenswick

It was short conversation, but the Old Man held it together long enough to confirm an alibi for Trip.  He mumbled a bunch of nonsense, such as   "The reeds speak when no one listens".

Pete took Lathar over to the Downriver gate to get answer.  It was a frustrating circular series of questions.  

The town guard on site had been ordered to dispatch the growing crowd, and once that was completed, there had been no further orders, and they all assumed their normal order, taking their proper positions along the wall.  No one recalled a body, a sheet, or anyone else wandering the area beyond the wall.  

The did learn that they weren't the first people to question the guards that morning.  A trio of persons had escorted Sergeant Malvek Trenholm, the head guard in charge that night, to  somewhere else in town.    The other guards quickly concocted that he was going to be the scapegoat, as he was supposed have cleaned up the crime scene, after everything was said and done.  

They kept pressing the guard, threatening write-ups and reports.  The guard was non-plussed.

"Do what you need to, if Malvek is indisposed, go talk to his boss, Brom Holloway."  

Brom Holloway, Captain of the Guard, and fellow town councilman with Lathar.  

They continued to ask what the proper procedure was with a body appearing outside the wall.  A two man detail should have carried the body to Tower 14, where bodies were deposited before other officials showed up.  

Lathar and Pete walked directly to Tower 14.  The towers were large enough for cover in the rain, and a pipe chimney sticking out of the roof.  The lone guard walking that section of the wall rolled his eyes from the duo's command, and descended the steps into the tower.  

The door open, and both were hit with  simply putrid blast of air.  

Pete staggered to the wall, lowered to the ground, overcome with the stench. 

Lathar took over, looking at the collected refuse in the room.    The guard confirmed that no bodies had been delivered... in weeks. 

So it was time to revisit Brom, in his office. 

Next: #122 - A Weasel in My Meat Attic

Big Boy isn't a Guy at My Gaming Table

 After a great Saturday and good night's sleep, I went on an quest to chase Big Boy.

No, I haven't changed my persuasion, nor is he a rival competitive eater.   "Big Boy" refers to the 4-8-8-4 massive locomotives the Union Pacific ran from the late 40's to the early 60's.  Union Pacific 4104 was completely refurbished and has been running excursions.  As part of the nation's birthday, it's been attracting crowds heading east, ultimately stopping at Philadelphia for July 4th, and heading through the classic Horseshoe Curve near Altoona the week after, on its return journey home.  

Big Boy was escorted by local excursion steam locomotive trains between Pittston and Jim Thorpe, spending Saturday night in Nesquehoning, before coming back up to Pittston with excursions, and traveling to Steamtown National Historical Site for a short display until it's ready to travel to Philly.  

An extended delay allowed me to straighten up the apartment before heading where I used to live, Mountain Top.    It seemed like an extended stay, so  perfect time to drive up Penobscot Mountain and find parking. 

It was a beautiful madhouse, cars parked everywhere and traffic jammed six mile or so through town.  A quick swing on to the Interstate and I started taking back roads as I tried to follow, catch up, and ultimately find the pair of locomotives as they descended the mountain.  

I didn't see my first glimpse of it... I HEARD it.   I was trying to find a vantage point in Pittston, and there's bridge construction I'm way too familiar.  Except I never added two and two together and realized it's as the base of the ascent/descent for the mountain.  As I cross the narrow bridge... I could hear a blast of the Big Boys whistle, over a quarter mile away.  It was terrifying.  I don't know what wouldn't leave the state, much less get off the track.  

The second glimpse was from a vantage point high above a popular crossing. The Big Boy Train, ran parallel , just ahead of the 2-8-0 Reading & Northern #2102.  The 2102 is a good sized train I've seen a few times and watching them in the crossing, it was like a Lionel train running alongside an HO model.

I actually caught the excursion train twice, as the dual tracks merged into one at Dupont/Duryea.  And upon checking the UP tracker, I realized the Big Boy was stopped  and needed to wait for the excursion train to unloaded before in itself to the Reading & Northern terminal.  I parked at a local grocery store's lot, walked up the hill, and waited twenty minutes until the gate crossing lit up and bars dropped.  I found a spot away from the people filling, but definitely within the 25-ft distance the railroad folk recommended we stay OUT of. 

I have no pictures or videos of it. I fumbled with my phone under 10% power before saying screw it and just absorbing it's majesty.  

It's biblical in scale. Terrifying in close proximity.  The 2102 2-8-0 makes the ground rumble as it passes.   Big Boy make the ground freaking shake.  The pictures and videos do not do it justice.  It is an amazing piece of American engineering, and I'm so happy to get to witness it in full motion. 

The video is from Friday and Saturday, but it's pretty epic... the video makes the train look small. 

The Society of Boring Men Meet, Nothing to Report

For most of the year, at least one day of the weekend, I'm driving down to handle yard work and run errands for my mother.  Most of the time it's an afternoon of cutting grass, trimming, raking... changing light bulbs and batteries, keeping things tidy, occasionally scrubbing through what's now decades of nicotine and living alone. 

The fringe benefits of the trip is usually visiting the numerous game and hobby stores in the Lehigh Valley.  Between Trains and Lanes, Cloud City, and Mythic Beasts and Brews, just those three alone were withing bike-riding distance when I was a youngin.  There's not much I'm buying when I visit, but happy to turn over cash when there is...

In my trip to Mythic Beasts last week, for some spicy watermelon concoction that hit the spot (and my algorithm apparently), I got a quick text, a blast from the past.  

 "Hey you could have said hello if you were in the area."

My buddy Brian, not the Battletech playing Wooly, but another long-term friend, a regular in my Hackmaster and 20's Cthulhu games, a regular at the last game store I ran, Griffon Game, during *cough cough* the turn of the century.  Heck, for years, I'd finish work around noon and with our schedules, we'd grab lunch somewhere and hit a series of games stores, sometimes the ones out to Allentown, sometimes into New Jersey. 

An all around good guy that I've only seen for conversations at Historicon when we each have a moment.  

And he kinda knows I'm down there most weekends... and I should text him more...

So we arranged for to meet for lunch and talk things over some chain restaurant beers. 

After yard work all morning (and a random spat of genealogical questions from my cousin while I recovered... involving affairs, occult, and the Lindbergh baby kidnapping,) that beer was frickin' delicious!  

The good news is that after COVID broke up the in person gaming, within 10 minutes we were talking about the same old stuff, like nothing change  (minus my divorce, the kids moving three hours away, and their imminent graduations.  

A wonderful simple Society of Boring Men. 

No gaming was on the docket, although talk of future stuff was started, and the usual pipe-dream of restarting that Hackmaster game from 2001 to 2004, The Burning Trogs Rule!  

The official t-shirt, nearly 25 years old.  

I'm just pissed his still fits....

The Power Structure of Death Planet Iota

After completing the Mos Eisley Cantina Scenario, I did begin the process of numbering my figures in the Galactic Heroes/Death Planet Iota campaign.   Whether it's gangs/warbands/squads, or lone figures used as objectives or filler, I'd like to develop a power structure on the planet, if only in the main setting of the town of Carf. 

And I did promise to go back into previous Fistful of Lead games, then Planet 28, to try and retroactively see what the most powerful characters or factions are.  It was a fun rabbit hole to go down, and just in pulling pictures for this posts, I found a few more games!

First off, a reminder for the dear reader, that Death Planet Iota (DPI) is a dumping group of a number of teleporters, wormholes, and dimensional rifts.  As if the life on the planet wasn't tough enough, dropping in hell-beasts and hellions from multiple dimensions means only the strong survive.. or those who can band together sometimes. (Which makes the fact that only a Gotal died during the Cantina even more impressive. 

Major Factions

1. The Gnomish Space Marines 

The largest military faction on the planet by far.   Army, artillery, air support, but the GSM military leaders let the civilians control inside the town.  

2. The Chaos Space Gnomes - 

The GSM don't even mention them by name.  They arrived in town in the middle of some gang war, simply embedded themselves in the ruins of the old droid factory.    They used local representatives to trade and (rarely) negotiate.  The heavens need to forbid if this group gets involved in politics.

3. The Jawa Hordes

The only thing saving Carf from being completely overrun by these little jerks is that they all seem to appear well out into the deserts, and their tech and gadgets aren't arriving with them. 

Thanks to their sheer numbers and indomitable fortitude, plus a knack with every world's tech, they make shit happy with the craziest of parts.  They're usually a nuisance within the walls of Carf...

4. The United Nations of Earth and the Machines

There are plenty of groups of people that call themselves humans, even a number of folks who claim to be arrived from Earth directly.  Thus far we cannot confirm either of the size the fire power or the year that these folks have come in, they are not light commandos. Everyone is in some form of power armor although their weapon is rapid fire more suitable for quarters it seems that with their arrival they also brought their phones, simply named Machines:  diabolical robots hell-bent on destroying anything they  consider a life form. Their only saving grace is that they're comfortably connected to some sort of AI that’s restricting them from going forward.

5.  The Blue Martians

It's unsure when the alleged "Blue Martians" arrived on DPI, but numerous strains of their genetics have plagued civilization. A few of the race have become more civilized, using "modern weaponry," going into negotiations, heck a few even frequent Carf itself. These more advanced groups have even discovered the concept of kidnapping and ransoming more prominent citizens in Carf... and not getting killed over it.

In-Town “Gangs”

1. The Chimneysweeps

The Gnomish Space Marines are well respected across the planet.  Their choice of in-town police force has much left to be desired.  

The town police, nicknamed the Chimneysweeps, is wildly corrupt and sometimes incompetent, but the mere threat of reaching out to their more competent gnome-kin to lay down complete and utter justice to all who don't fall sway with their demands. 

2.  The Robot Alliance Liberation Front (RALF)

Robots, droids, living metal...artificial life forms, every neighborhood in Carf used service bots for rudimentary jobs.  Heck, some of them even had light weaponry on them for protection against the bandits and raiders.   But the bots have developed a purpose, a survival instinct beyond their programming.  

They are prominent, they are difficult to take out, and if their programming gets more advanced, Carf could be welcoming their robot overlords. 

3.  The Lightning Bug

This crew is named for their lost ship,   This group of definite humans came through a wormhole crashed and settled in.  They were marooned on this  planet, even if they had the technology to get through the atmosphere and all the hazards there.

Captain Reynolds is a dashing gentleman known for an erratic, almost random style sometimes known for jumping Palisades known for getting captured cementing. Their maroon status was recently guaranteed with the death of their pilot, Dry.  They have embraced others on the planet, grabbing some sort of animal trainer, named Keeper Trejo, who had been part of a prisoner exchange and they liked him so much they kept him on even after Reynolds returned to the group unscathed.  They have some heavy weapons and one of the few human techs on the planet.

4.  Morr's Bounty Hunters 

Everyone in Carf has a beef with someone else, and most have something valuable to trade for services, so Morr's Mercenary Bounty Hunters were a pretty dominant group. The Rodian bounty hunter's group is not the group they used to be, but they are easily able to recruit a new crew and keep the name.

5. The Rebellion/The New Republic

The Rebellion/New Republic is a group of largely humans that can confirm  that they both came from same  galaxy far far away, but how long ago is of a question that hasn't been resolved.  The Rebels are a scrappy bunch, even if they are ill-equipped.  The New Republic "volunteers" that wander in from the wilderness with weapons and supplies, but an absolute deficit in leadership.   

A lot of folks from each group have hung their uniforms up on a peg and found "normal" employement where they could find it.  

6. Daybreaker's Army

Everyone knows Crash Daybreaker, famed sportsball dude from some Earth, with a complete lack of teamwork.  After a few failed solo missions, he's put together a crew with a worse loyalty record than an impressed Jawa division.  

(Kickstarter) Space Dwarves Auto Rifles 2nd Squad by Macrocosm

I've already sung the praises of Macrocosm through their webstore, they go out and start up yet another one of their efficient Kickstarters.  

Space Dwarves Auto Rifles 2nd Squad by Macrocosm is simply six more resin figures to augment my Gnomish Space Mar... er... your sci-fi army of choice. 

As I always mention, Macrocosm is my favorite, perhaps only, manufacturer I trust from that side of the pond.  Large or small, I have a great track record getting my rewards safely to Pennsylvania. 

(Gamma World) Not a Test #120 - The Theft of Worm Fluids

Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father.  They have stopped in Fair-Town, for municipal meetings, bread-encrusted sausages, and random encounters with your first litter's breeding partner.... And now Squiggles, the furry mutant worm... is missing.

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Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend.  He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters.  Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does.   Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust.  Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock.   Just received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.

Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout.  Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers.   Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"

Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable,  but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades.   Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows. 

Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places,  and finding it often.   He  has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair.  Recently gave birth to another pile of baby worms. 

and two new additions....

Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest. 

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Despite the best efforts of the De Facto Explorers, they could not get the young worms, Speedy and Poppy, to calm down about their "Manchi" Squiggles missing for a considerable amount of time. 

Sonny:  "Kids, this is what your Manchi does when he's in this town.  It's a thing."

Pete: "See, nothing to worry about."

Lathar: "I don't worry about Squiggles, he's the luckiest guy among all of us.  He disappears and just shows up happy and slippery afterwards..."

Pete: "A little disgusting with all that fur..."

But Sonny realized Squiggles' "benders" happened in the early summer... and the fact that his first breeding partner was in town, and talk of her place "under" the town wall, made the sunflower conflicted.

"Okay, the last time someone wandered around the wall with a female equivalent, they ended up strapped to the front of a vehicle being used as bait for a monster... if it was anyone else I'd start right now, but let's give him the evening and we'll hunt him down tomorrow morning."

Lathar: "We might need a protocol... even we're going to a bender or an orgy, we should probably let the rest of us know."

Sonny: "I'm amazed with you animals sometimes..."

In the morning, Sonny , top hat balancing on his head, lead the group along the inside of the tall stone wall protecting three sides of Fair-Town.  

Along the upriver side of the wall, they came upon a group of folks staring at a collapsed portion of the wall.  Some neighborhood bystanders were looking from a distance, but most appeared to be guards or town laborers.   Most of the stones collapsed inward, but the 10-foot tall sunflower was tall enough to peer over the others and see a crater on the outside of the wall.  

The guards told them of reports of an explosion, but no other signs of foul play.  

Squiggles children were alarmed, but wanted to keep walking along the wall, just in case this wasn't the spot.  

They stretched their legs around edges of Fair-Town, past the Kirothian enclave, past the Joust grounds, past the Bug-Mart, and back around to the downriver gate, where a commotion was occurring.   The biggest surprise, and discouragement was the appearance of the White Hand... multiple White Hand members rushing out the gate.

Sonny inquired to what happened.

"They found bodies... monsters, outside."

Sonny made the children stay their with the others, and the sunflower pushed his way passed the crowds around the gate and out towards the group of folks 150 meters down the road. 

One body, covered with a sheet, was visible.  A second uncovered body was white, furry, with numerous syringe needles sticking out of him.  

Sonny was relieved and even more troubled. "Is he alive?"

The White Hand responded, "He's alive... I don't think he's actually injured.... it's like someone used the needles to draw a LOT of fluid out of him."

Sonny peaked under the sheet.  He assumed it was his breeding partner, Ubenda.  She too was stuck with numerous needles, but far more desiccated than Squiggles.

Squiggles begin to wake up, wincing in pain, "That... wasn't right."

Sonny: "I don't know about worm physiology, but most animals need to stay hydrated for happy time."

Squiggles: "I'm not exactly sure that's what happened. What are all of these things sticking out of me?"

Squiggles... just add arms, legs, and a coat of white fur. 

Sonny: "Medical needles, someone has taken out whatever they extracted."

Squiggles: "Somebody took stuff out of me???"

Sonny: "I've got some bad news about your girlfriend...."

The White Hand did the best they could to hydrate the worm, and remove the syringes from his body.  Squiggles moved on his own power, but he just wanted to go back to the inn and rest... after a quick reunion with his very relieved children. 

Once back at the Triple Comfort Inn, Squiggles sits at the bar, still sipping... well water...  much thinner than a few hours earlier. 

Lathar, Town Councilman Lathar, was now the target of local citizens complaining about various town issues. 

Pete used his complete lack of bedside manner to pepper Squiggles with questions. 

Pete: "What's the last thing you remember, Squiggles?"

Squiggles: "Drinking water with you guys..."  

There were few answers, just flashes of memories.

Dogs... very scary, very massive dogs,  face to face with him...

And one human, bald... with round glasses, staring at him with the faintest of wicked smiles. 

The next morning, there was debate whether to send the worm children back to Riverbend.   Squiggles felt and looked better, but had flash nightmares of Ubenda, and the dogs and the guy in glasses, now in body armor, then more dogs.   There were accusations of their acquittance Razorback might have known the dogs... Lathar vehemently defended the mutant wolf, who might be somewhere in town. 

It was agreed to ask more  questions around town ...  Pete took to tracking the outside of the wall.  Large dog tracks were everywhere, heavy, multiple, and moving incredibly fast.   Heading downriver towards KIA Academy.  

"A different species of podog... with a human."

Lathar made some inquiries with the town guard, particularly humans wearing glasses in town.  Most of the probable suspects were... other members of town council.... and local historian/scientist/hermit, Trivian Dalston.  Almost all had hair, though...

Sonny took the worm children and went to the Driftwood Inn to see to the White Hand from the day before.  Vekram Holt. 

The Driftwood is to the right of the marooned boat  marking Fair-Town along the Big River

• "Mr Holt" didn't know where they took Ubenda's body.
• He hadn't seen anything involving syringes before.
• The rudimentary tests on Squiggles had... changed. He wasn't familiar with with all his tests with worm, but Squiggles could be pregnant?

GM Notes: There was long conversation about various reproductive practices of worms and sunflowers, and why Pete is the only weasel in the world.  

Next: #121 -  A Stage Four Vanishing Act

Space Dwarf Servo Unit by Macrocosm Miniatures

 After completing the Mos Eisley Cantina set, my thoughts have been focused to a number of smaller projects, most notably the  fun little Monsters and Hunters set from Macrocosm Miniatures' last Kickstarter. 

I love Macrocosm, I've participated in at least nine of their Kickstarters.  The figures are fantastic, and in the last decade of total chaos of shipping in-country and around the world, they have always been fast and reliable, surpassing even some companies here in the States.  

I've been waiting patiently for the next Kickstarter, but then they turned around and announced new figures right onto their website.  

Who knew this was even possible? 

The Space Dwarf Servo Unit are three of the cheeky little buggers in full armor suits, with a variation on the arms.

Space Dwarf Servo 3

Space Dwarf Servo #2

Space Dwarf Servo #1

The set of three is £12.00 (roughly $16.00) with individuals for $4 ($5.33). Of course, shipping via Royal Mail is abysmal, so I'll need to see how my Historicon funds are before placing a larger order, but I will know I'll get everything fast.