Well it's somewhat arbitrary. Somewhere in the back of your mind you realize that things are extra bad now.
Survival is overrated, I say we crank that baby to the max!
Running may not quite be the answer either, considering we have nowhere to run to. With some clever traps, we might be able to get the upper hand on them. Armor can't stop everything, afterall. One or two invisible shooters with shotguns at close range could be pretty brutal.
Well I'll let you all decide what you want to do. The story is at this point yours. There are no more scripted events that are not started by your decisions. Try to form some consensus on your next course of action. Running or looting seem to be top contenders at the moment. You could also try to maybe ambush these goons with the possibility of interrogating them.
Also, valkun said that you have no where to run to. That's not exactly right. There isn't anywhere obvious to run to but there are options. I'll reserve spilling them out at the moment but if you walk the same direction long enough you are bound to hit a roadway.
My vote is running. We have no exit strategy, are outnumbered and outgunned, and surprise and deception has been spent heavily. We can't rely on either to bring us through so many soldiers unscathed.
Running may not quite be the answer either, considering we have nowhere to run to. With some clever traps, we might be able to get the upper hand on them. Armor can't stop everything, afterall. One or two invisible shooters with shotguns at close range could be pretty brutal.
That's a good point. If we can catch the groups while they're split up, we might actually stand a good chance.
I'm worried about our actual options here. Obviously, we can't stick around, and with no road in sight, the going will be tough. Do we even know which way to go in the first place?
These dudes had to come from somewhere, though, but we can't very well scour the woods for their transportation while they're after us.
EDIT:
Ahh, beaten to the point. It all still stands, though.
I'm for running. We caught the first set of goons pretty well, but the rest of them are going to be looking for us now, especially with the phantasm dropped. They can also turn their artillery on the woods now that they know the mansion is clear, so hunkering down might just get us blown up.
It looks like more of you are for running than against it.
That's probably (is) the wisest choice here. Even with one squad down you are still outnumbered by a margin just shy of 2-1. Let's also remember that they've got combat armor and better weapons than most of you. This isn't really a fight designed for you to win. . I will go ahead say that the next wave is a total of not 8 but 12. I was a little vague about the numbers of the southern group because I wanted to keep you guys guessing. One combat round after that they'll be joined by a group of 4 that is currently inside the ruined mansion looking for survivors.
This might seem a little metagamey but you guys spotted the five groups earlier and it's practically common sense information at this point.
Now all that aside, you do have a very capable group and with some good tactics you might be able to apprehend a goon a little later. If they know anything at all is another matter entirely.
I'm all for rabbiting... uh, sorry Ill. I mean running. A little walk hurts far less than high velocity bits of lead. Did the shooters have any distinctive markings/insignia?
LockeJaw on
"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it."- Robert A. Heinlein
They had some markings that looked spray painted onto their armor some of them had some bumper stickers but it's anyone's guess what they're supposed to mean though.
OK, how's this for a plan: Lets lead the next squad into the woods a bit, separate them from the others . Then pick one of them off for some info, and carry him with us as we make a break for the road.
Lumiere can dump a bunch of stunbolts to give squaddies penalties at Line Of Sight range, so that should help us not get hit. I like `slowly kill them all' as a strategy.
"That went surprisingly well, but more are coming. We need to get lost in a hurry. Where do we go?" Blindside thinks for a moment, still breathing a little heavily from the sprint. "What about that guy you hooked up with, Mrhoggh? Do you think he can give us a place to hide while this blows over, or at least feed us some information about what might be happening?"
Blindside is very much in favor of all-out fleeing, seeing no reason to risk his pretty face fighting a small army even after his comrades' impressive display a moment ago. He'll defer to the obvious combat expertise of his fellows if the vote turns against him, however.
IAmUnaware on
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JohnnyCacheStarting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered Userregular
edited May 2010
running's fine with me. we get them into the woods, alistair and I can pick off any number of them you want. Or I guess if you don't want them in medium sized, drippy chunks - Lumiere can stun one.
It's hard to say shushnik. They've all got body armor and helmets on so you would have to check out a corpse or talk to them.
At this point I think it's safe to say that running holds a lead in votes so I'll move things along.
You dash off as fast as you can to north. The lodge, now in flames, fading behind you until you can only see a faint glowing in the distance. After trying to chase you on foot becomes a lost cause the goons seem to have given you. Then you hear the whine of some number of off-road bikes they're probably screening the area for you. If there was ever a time for an ambush this would be it. It'll risk alerting the other goons though, and on bike it won't take long for them to regroup. Maybe if you lay low they'll zip right by without seeing you.
Ok this time the goons have spread out to screen the woods, if you keep running they'll see you for sure, so you could try some magic tricks, try to kill one or two with making much noise, try to capture one, or just hit the deck and hope you don't get ran over. Or anything else you could think of .
I haven't forgotten that you all are trained killers. I'm not sure that you thinking it though all the way here though. Lets say you do knock one out or kill one; his unpiloted bike will certainly crash in the woods making all kinds of noise and giving your position away. However, if you want an extended battle, and extended battle you shall receive.
The dudes are coming along just fast enough to catch up but they can't hit top speed in the woods. There are 16 of them total and they're spread out approx 10m apart as the move to the north.
We gotta lay low, right now. We canno' outrun dem bikes an' we canno' win dis fight. We gotta hide, and when dey pass us, circle back. I don' like it any betta den you do, but it be our only option.
De mansion may have vehicles, and if we get time to look, it be our best chance."
Provided I get some agreement, I'll cast improved invis on myself.
Morgan looks warily at the surrounding trees and grasses, "I don't know how much cover we can get in the trees. Some of us can't magically disappear. I was thinking of taking a swim downstream until we're below the lodge. The don't expect us to be back there. Whatever the case, we need to do something NOW."
LockeJaw on
"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it."- Robert A. Heinlein
With a moment to breath and recollect themselves, Cross thinks for a moment as the sound of engines roar through the forest. "Alright, I'm going to stay here and watch. If we lose each other, let's meet up in Dublin. There's a trashy bar we can use, Lumiere and the dwarf can tell you about it." As he speaks, he kicks dirt and leaves over the briefcase and places his guns back into their holsters.
Athletics to climb tree: 5,14,4,5. That should be more than enough.
Stealth to hide in tree: 9,2,1,4. Target number 9 to spot.
Kicking off the trunk, he grabs a hold of low hanging branch and launches himself up into the canopy. "I'll try to grab something off those stiffs if they clear out of here." Kneeling down on a particularly sturdy piece of wood, the priest watches the world through the leaves. So the wait begins.
Has anyone else noticed the paradox with shotguns? They get stronger the further away you are. With enough skill + combat pool, you can simply out success someone's resistance roll. You just need more Shotgun than they have Body, which is pretty likely.
Tank looks dumbfounded as he tries to decide between hiding, which he isn't particularly good at, climbing, which he's probably too heavy for, and swimming, which pretty much scares the shit out of him. Finally, he looks around for the heaviest tree he can find and prays to whoever might be listening that he won't fall on his ass.
Athletics to climb tree: 4, 4, 4, 5, 2 Stealth if that was enough to get up there: 5, 4, 5, 5, 3, 10
If nothing else I'll serve as a meaty distraction while the rest of you get away.
Ok folks here's how we do this. If yer hiding, roll stealth, if you are going to jump into a stream and try swimming off roll me some athletics, if you just wanna fight I'll take an init. Shushnik you want to roll for the imp invis?
Cross scales the tree with impunity moving up to a commanding location as Morgan starts talking options. Gabriel can't remember seeing any vehicles back at the lodge aside from the choppers. There may be a dock with a boat nearby, but there definitely was not a garage.
The rhythmic sound of a pair of helicopters can be heard now over the sound of the approaching bikes. Cross spots two more Hughes Stallions coming in low over the trees. They're heading for the burning rubble of the mansion.
"We should either be moving, or killing."
Alistair shrugged, staring nervously into the trees ahead of them.
"But there is no point in coming to contention about that, and our chances of getting out of here in one piece dwindle rapidly while these thugs remain around.”
He gestured to a spot several meters away, and broke off from the group. His teeth clenched tightly at the unmistakable sound of the approaching choppers, and he glanced back over his shoulder to see what was going on. They were, at least, not yet overhead of them, so he continued on.
Crouching low, he leapt upwards gracefully, like great cat, grabbing onto a branch and swinging himself around on top of it in one fluid motion, creeping slowly backwards on the limb until he was pressed against the trunk of the tree. Focusing ahead, he unfastened the clasp that kept the whip coiled neatly around his wrist, and pulled tight, ready and waiting.
Blindside's going to try to hide. Stealth test = 3, 2, 2, 2 So... crap.
Spending my point of karma pool to reroll one die from an open test: Reroll = 5
Maybe they won't notice. Anyway, if they spot me due to my inability to hide despite being very short and dressed in black, I'll sprint for the river and try to lead them off. Here's an Athletics test for that: Athletics test = 5, 11, 1
Also, keeping the slivergun holstered and the predator in my hand.
Blindside attempts to dive behind some underbrush, hoping that the darkness will shield him from sight. Unfortunately, his frame is a little bulkier than he thinks, and he's sticking out more than he'd like.
First guy to come within line of sight for Lumiere takes 5D stun damage; Willpower vs TN: 5 to resist (possibly penalised by riding bikes through woodland).
The target of Lumiere's stunbolt manages to ward off some magical energy of her attack but is wracked with pain. He loses control of his bike. He tumbles into some brush as his bike leans to the side and sides for a few yards before coming to a halt in some brush. The dude isn't getting up too fast at all. His ally's note his crash and some number of them reroute to aid him. The others begin to circle around their fallen comrade searching for his attacker. A couple of times the orbiting bike riding goons come too close for comfort but you are confident they haven't spotted you all yet.
The target of Lumiere's stunbolt manages to ward off some magical energy of her attack but is wracked with pain. He loses control of his bike. He tumbles into some brush as his bike leans to the side and sides for a few yards before coming to a halt in some brush. The dude isn't getting up too fast at all. His ally's note his crash and some number of them reroute to aid him. The others begin to circle around their fallen comrade searching for his attacker. A couple of times the orbiting bike riding goons come too close for comfort but you are confident they haven't spotted you all yet.
Blackstone, relatively safe behind his tree pays close attention to the bikers.
You estimate there are some dozen or so orbiting the crashed goon. Range is anywhere from 150m to 40m.
The pair of thugs near the downed biker-goon attempt to wake him up and get him back on a bike. They seem to have noticed the extra choppers too. Looks like they are trying to clear out now. They attempt to get the unconscious goon to lean just the right way behind another rider but he falls off as soon as the bike gets moving. With a shrug they leave him in the dirt and decomposing leaves and ride off to the west.
If that isn't back up for the goons it could only be the police or the party MacSweenery and Rosenberg were conducting business with. Either way you figure they'll not be very friendly if they find you here. As the sound of the off-road bikes fades off to the west you realize that there's no way they could have recovered the bike. It could be worth doubling back for.
If it's safe, one of the faster and smarter of us should go check out that goon. Maybe we can get his gear and, I don't know, do something with it. Also interrogate him to find out wtf is going on.
Watching the bikers ride off and listening as the noise of their rides gets further and further away, Morgan looks anxiously at the form of the unconscious goon. He begins to run towards the downed figure attempting to make use of any cover between himself and the 15 departing, armed figures. If this guy can be made to talk, answers may be comming soon...
Posts
Also, valkun said that you have no where to run to. That's not exactly right. There isn't anywhere obvious to run to but there are options. I'll reserve spilling them out at the moment but if you walk the same direction long enough you are bound to hit a roadway.
I'm worried about our actual options here. Obviously, we can't stick around, and with no road in sight, the going will be tough. Do we even know which way to go in the first place?
These dudes had to come from somewhere, though, but we can't very well scour the woods for their transportation while they're after us.
EDIT:
It looks like more of you are for running than against it.
That's probably (is) the wisest choice here. Even with one squad down you are still outnumbered by a margin just shy of 2-1. Let's also remember that they've got combat armor and better weapons than most of you. This isn't really a fight designed for you to win. . I will go ahead say that the next wave is a total of not 8 but 12. I was a little vague about the numbers of the southern group because I wanted to keep you guys guessing. One combat round after that they'll be joined by a group of 4 that is currently inside the ruined mansion looking for survivors.
This might seem a little metagamey but you guys spotted the five groups earlier and it's practically common sense information at this point.
Now all that aside, you do have a very capable group and with some good tactics you might be able to apprehend a goon a little later. If they know anything at all is another matter entirely.
I host a podcast about movies.
At this point I think it's safe to say that running holds a lead in votes so I'll move things along.
You dash off as fast as you can to north. The lodge, now in flames, fading behind you until you can only see a faint glowing in the distance. After trying to chase you on foot becomes a lost cause the goons seem to have given you. Then you hear the whine of some number of off-road bikes they're probably screening the area for you. If there was ever a time for an ambush this would be it. It'll risk alerting the other goons though, and on bike it won't take long for them to regroup. Maybe if you lay low they'll zip right by without seeing you.
I'm just saying.
A Force 5D Stunbolt - 7d6 used for the success vs. Willpower. Leaving 12d6 to remove 8 boxes of stun vs TN: 2
So...if they have spread out, they are basically toast.
That much I should be able to easy distinguish at 20 meters, right?
The dudes are coming along just fast enough to catch up but they can't hit top speed in the woods. There are 16 of them total and they're spread out approx 10m apart as the move to the north.
We gotta lay low, right now. We canno' outrun dem bikes an' we canno' win dis fight. We gotta hide, and when dey pass us, circle back. I don' like it any betta den you do, but it be our only option.
De mansion may have vehicles, and if we get time to look, it be our best chance."
Stealth to hide in tree: 9,2,1,4. Target number 9 to spot.
Kicking off the trunk, he grabs a hold of low hanging branch and launches himself up into the canopy. "I'll try to grab something off those stiffs if they clear out of here." Kneeling down on a particularly sturdy piece of wood, the priest watches the world through the leaves. So the wait begins.
Stealth if that was enough to get up there: 5, 4, 5, 5, 3, 10
If nothing else I'll serve as a meaty distraction while the rest of you get away.
Cross scales the tree with impunity moving up to a commanding location as Morgan starts talking options. Gabriel can't remember seeing any vehicles back at the lodge aside from the choppers. There may be a dock with a boat nearby, but there definitely was not a garage.
The rhythmic sound of a pair of helicopters can be heard now over the sound of the approaching bikes. Cross spots two more Hughes Stallions coming in low over the trees. They're heading for the burning rubble of the mansion.
Drain check: No damage
Gabriel will hide directly behind a tree.
Alistair shrugged, staring nervously into the trees ahead of them.
"But there is no point in coming to contention about that, and our chances of getting out of here in one piece dwindle rapidly while these thugs remain around.”
He gestured to a spot several meters away, and broke off from the group. His teeth clenched tightly at the unmistakable sound of the approaching choppers, and he glanced back over his shoulder to see what was going on. They were, at least, not yet overhead of them, so he continued on.
Crouching low, he leapt upwards gracefully, like great cat, grabbing onto a branch and swinging himself around on top of it in one fluid motion, creeping slowly backwards on the limb until he was pressed against the trunk of the tree. Focusing ahead, he unfastened the clasp that kept the whip coiled neatly around his wrist, and pulled tight, ready and waiting.
Stealth: 11, 9, 5, 5, 3
Putting the pistol away, readying the mono whip for the explicit purpose of dropping from this tree and ruining somebody’s shit.
Stealth test = 3, 2, 2, 2 So... crap.
Spending my point of karma pool to reroll one die from an open test: Reroll = 5
Maybe they won't notice. Anyway, if they spot me due to my inability to hide despite being very short and dressed in black, I'll sprint for the river and try to lead them off. Here's an Athletics test for that: Athletics test = 5, 11, 1
Also, keeping the slivergun holstered and the predator in my hand.
Blindside attempts to dive behind some underbrush, hoping that the darkness will shield him from sight. Unfortunately, his frame is a little bulkier than he thinks, and he's sticking out more than he'd like.
I'm confused. Are we trying to get away and take revenge on MacNamra? Or are we just trying to kill everyone thats not us and have fun?
I'm OK with either plan, I suppose. I just think I missed the consensus.
Keeping low and in as much cover as is feasible, Lumiere sets her eyes on the first rider she can see and donate a bit of pain.
"Perhaps someone may wish to steal the next fellow's things", she mentions quietly to the others seeking cover.
NOTE: This is at line of sight range. If I can see them, I can hit them.
Dice rolling to cast Stunbolt @ Force 5 -
Sorcery Test: Spellcasting (7) + Spell Pool (1) vs TN: Willpower+1 - assuming Willpower is 4 or lower, 2 successes. If higher, 1 success - 5D damage
Drain Resistance: Willpower (6) + Spell Pool (3) + Power Focus (2) vs 2D = 9 successes - no drain taken
First guy to come within line of sight for Lumiere takes 5D stun damage; Willpower vs TN: 5 to resist (possibly penalised by riding bikes through woodland).
I go check dat soldier, y'all betta beat feet outta here"
Gabriel darts from tree to tree, heading back towards the lodge.
Blackstone, relatively safe behind his tree pays close attention to the bikers.
Whats the range?
The pair of thugs near the downed biker-goon attempt to wake him up and get him back on a bike. They seem to have noticed the extra choppers too. Looks like they are trying to clear out now. They attempt to get the unconscious goon to lean just the right way behind another rider but he falls off as soon as the bike gets moving. With a shrug they leave him in the dirt and decomposing leaves and ride off to the west.
If that isn't back up for the goons it could only be the police or the party MacSweenery and Rosenberg were conducting business with. Either way you figure they'll not be very friendly if they find you here. As the sound of the off-road bikes fades off to the west you realize that there's no way they could have recovered the bike. It could be worth doubling back for.
And just in case it's needed: Athletics 2, 8, 1, 2