[Savage Worlds] Super Hero actual play thread!

[grubman]

After two weeks of planning and "work" I got to run Nullifiers Demands Issue #1 last night.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is the adventure development thread.  You can also view all the character and NPC stats as well as miniature conversion pics:  http://www.peginc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15146&sid=9af6410d5cd38d87081331743d1adeb4

After assembling all my trappings (My big book of grubman's adventures, 3 copies of the rules, 2 maps, 14 converted minis, Deck of Batman Cards, 2 sets of dice, templates, and beny/shaken/wounded markers) and I was out the door to Peters house.


Me at my house before leaving to go to Peters.  Two weeks of hard work and this is all I have to show for it?

All 3 players had gotten there before me, Mike, Justin, and Peter (pictured in order).


The guys file in to try a double shot of something new, Savage Worlds and Super Hero role playing.

I started the session by asking which of my intrepid adventurers had had time in the last two weeks to read through the quick start rules.  In classic player fashion, they all started around the room at anything but me as I was met with silence.  We would be starting from scratch.  I explained the core of the rules as basically as I could.  I'm probably not the best (but not the worst) teacher, and it was a bit to swallow at one pop, but being a good group, they picked up pretty fast.

As can be expected, the biggest problem with gronking the rules were some of the "wonky" rules aspects.  It took a while for them to get the hang of using the wild die.  It also took a few times to notice aces (once they realized how killer it made their characters, they picked up on it pretty fast!).  By the end of the night I was still supervising rolls, but they had pretty much gotten it.  Another session or two and I would be able to relax into the GMs chair without putting on the extra hat of teacher.

Of course, I had to go and change the core rules for the first session by having them start by playing themselves, and as extras, instead of Wild Cards.  This actually went pretty well, as they didn't have near as many rules to learn right off the bat.

The fight at Target went really well.  The PCs jumped the first Butane Boy who was beating on the old lady, and after a little scuffle beat the crap out of him (at which point Peters wife came upstairs to find out what the "sex" noises where.  We had to explain that that was me imitating the old lady getting kicked in the ribs.).  Two more Butane Boys came running up, and the PCs had similar luck in dispatching them.  They took to scenery and tactics right away.  Justin even tried a" trick" by jumping on a stock shelf and launching himself at one of the Butane Boys WWF wrestler style.  He succeeded in the trick, and hit, but rolled pathetic on damage (a problem that would plague him all night).

At this point, Max Firepower came zipping up.  As planned (to show the PCs how pathetic mere mortals are and how desperate the situation is) he kicked the PCs butts.  Max had the initiative and hit Mike with a blast of fire; easily incapacitating him (the look on his face was priceless).  Peter went next, and made the fatal move of trying land a punch on him, but, when he moved into base to base it activated Max's First Strike ability and it surrounded Peter in Flame, rendering him incapacitated.  Justin grabbed a box of CDs off the shelf and lobbed it at Max and took off for the emergency exit.  He burst through the door with Max hot on his trail.  Somehow Max failed to zap Justin in the back, and he let him go running off screaming like a little girl, taunting him by calling him a wuss, pussy, and other appropriate names.


Notice Justin running off the map out the back door with Max Firepower hot on his heals...and everyone else lying about the floor.  

The role playing scenes went pretty much according to plan, with a lot of jokes made at my expense (since I wasn't there for game night and later found in a comatose condition).  I think they were generally surprised to actually find out I was Blue Ice, I don't think they saw it coming (which shocked me).  Once they found the door, they immediately shuffled through the minis and found the key.  Thought it would take them longer to figure that one out.


The reaction from my players toward their beloved Game Master when they find out I'm near death in a coma.  Gotta love players!

Mike was the first to sacrifice himself and step in the chamber.  When I imitated his gut retching scream we got another visit from Peters Wife to find out what the hell that was .  After the other two saw mike get super powers and transform into Shadow Vigilante, they were tripping over themselves to get in the chamber.

Once everyone had their powers and was geared up, we took a quick look at the character sheets, and I explained the new abilities, and gave them bennys (they were wild cards now).  Now that they new the rules, this was surprisingly easy.  The new abilities really didn't add much "complication" and I think they were all really happy with their characters.  I hadn't shown them the characters or miniatures in advance, because I wanted them to be surprised.


We're SUPER now!  Yay!

I debated running a little fight against some robots in the training room, to get them used to their powers, but it was getting "late" so I went ahead and gave them the call for the police chief.  Needles to say, they rose to the occasion, and volunteered to go to the Credit Union and take on the unknown mutant.  At first they were going to take the jet/shuttle/submarine, but when they realized that none of them could fly it, and Robot Girl would have to shuffle them around like kids, they opted to Fly, Run, and Teleport there.  I'm glad they choose that route, because it was much more dramatic and fun.

The fight at the bank went really well.  At first they were messing around with the back door, thinking about the stealthy approach.  In the end they got the plan that Displacer Beast would set off the back door alarm to distract the villains, while Shadow Vigilante and Striker (Justin didn't like the name Blacklight, so renamed his character) would blast the front door and burst in.


The PCs bust into the Credit Union to face Swarmaster and his Drone.

The Drones were surprised, but Swarmaster wasn't.  When the PCs busted in he sent the first swarm hurling at Shadow Vigilante.  It was ineffective, and would prove to be the last action this great hero would get!  The PCs went right for blood.  I expected them to try and pick off the Drone first, but they targeted the unfortunate Swarmaster right away, and it spelled doom for him in two rounds.  Shadow Vigilante ran around to a safe location, and blasted Swarmaster in the back twice!  This resulted in a wound each time, and Swarmaster spent two benys soaking the wounds.  Striker was blocked from Swarmaster by a drone, and attacked it, but rolled pathetic for damage and didn't harm the mindless creature.  Displacer Beast used his action to run up to the Drive through window, and Teleport in next to a lobby table which he hurled at Swarmaster.  He got a critical miss (snake eyes), so the table flew past its target and hit one of the innocent hostages square in the nose!


Dave doesn't just run the dungeon...he becomes the dungeon!  Here I am getting into the role of Swarmaster...Ok, so he looks a lot cooler...but I control the dice!

The next round Displacer Beast was dealt the Joker.  He teleported next to Swarmaster, used his frenzy ability along with the Wild Attack option, and deal the Swarmaster a massive blow with his first attack, causing him 3 wounds.  Swarmaster attempted to soak, and failed.  The next hit was similarly massive, and when the Swarmaster made his roll on the new Knockout Blow table (from SW Express) he rolled snake eyes!  Out of Benys, my big bad villain went down like a sack of potatoes, the Drone dissipated into swarms and flew out of any crevice in the credit union, and the PCs had won.


A crit failure on the most important roll of the game?!  What are the chances!? (well, 1 in 48, but you know what I mean!)

When it came time to meet the press, the PCs wimped out on the dramatic role playing and ran away!  I was wondering how they were going to handle this role playing aspect.  I was a little disappointed they didn't try to ham it up, but, in a way, this worked out just as well.  Needless to say, they say the news that night.  Most of the stations were positive, but Kat's was very negative, raising the question of the validity of these new super heroes, and showing the destruction within the credit union.  Of course, the guy Displace Beast busted in the nose was on her show.

All in all the session went pretty well.  I was rusty with the rules, and the players were totally new to them, but things went along well, and everyone had a good time.  Justin (who was plagued by all the bad rolls of the night) was totally sold on the system, and is planning on picking up a copy.  He's wanted to try his hand at GMing, and decided this was the system he wanted to use!  Good news for me.


Justin rolled terrible all night...but he was sold on the system nonetheless, so, it's all good.

At the end of the night we "voted" on what to continue playing after  the lucky bastards Peter and Mike who get to go Gen Con get back.  We could continue with our Star Wars Saga Campaign (I'm also GMing that, and we are about half way through the main story, with about 9 more sessions to go) or continue with the Nullifier story arc I started (two more parts in this arc, but a lead-in to the next arc).  I stated I was neutral, as I would enjoy running/writing either.  There was actually a bit of debate, but in the end, Peter and Mike decided to finish our Star Wars Campaign.  Justin was interested in continuing the supers game, but was "outvoted" two to one (although they all do want to finish this story too, just at a later time).  Perhaps I'll have time to run Justin through a solo while the other guys are at Gen Con.


During the game I glanced over at the couch I was using as my improvised GMs table.  I'm normally an organizational freak, and this just looked so messy that I had to take a picture.  Notice the copy of the PDF adventure ...available soon, I promise!

[Danger]

Impressed as always with your prodigous fortitude, your tremendous creativity, and your boundless enthusiasm for this singular hobby of ours.

Thank you.

[Seanchai]

Definitely cool (especially getting a glimpse into how others game).

Seanchai

[grubman]

Impressed as always with your prodigous fortitude, your tremendous creativity, and your boundless enthusiasm for this singular hobby of ours.

Thank you.

I've never been described with such big words before :haw: Most the words that describe me are one syllable