Dodger's WFRP2e Game

The Butcher · May 23, 2012, 05:18:26 PM

Quote from: Drohem;541402Moibur nods in agreement with Dirty Hugo, and says, "bushwhacking the mark in broad daylight on busy streets should be the fall back plan."

The dwarf turns to Dieter, "unless you know the watchmen patrol schedules? I'm new to the city so I have no clue. Are they at regular intervals? Will we have enough time to do the job and scoot out?"

Well, GM, do I?

By the way, here's that Int test. Not my best moment, no sir. :mad:

Errata: My Int is actually 34. Still a failure by 2 degrees.

Dodger · May 24, 2012, 08:38:31 PM

Quote from: The Butcher;541534Well, GM, do I?

You don't know the watch patrol schedules.

However you do know that watch patrols are more frequent in the districts north of Nuln's internal wall (including the Kaufman district, where Tödenhofer lives). You also know that the Granaries are well-protected.

QuoteBy the way, here's that Int test. Not my best moment, no sir. :mad:

You can't think of any place by the walls that would be particularly suitable for surprising Tödenhofer.

You'd asked about alleys - as with many wealthy estates and houses, Tödenhofer's place has alleys between it and the surrounding properties. Such alleys provide access to the servants' and tradesmen's entrance.

The Butcher · May 24, 2012, 10:27:37 PM

"Perhaps we could gain the trust of a servant, and contrive to keep Tödenhofer inside his estate for at least an hour past his appointment? Violence would be out of the question, as he'd be very well protected. But maybe some emergency, like a fire... I'm not sure Moibur or I would much look the part, but you, Hugo, might find your way to the kitchens and work from there. Now, what sort of distraction might we create?"

Drohem · May 25, 2012, 12:16:39 PM

"Yes," Moibur says thoughtfully, "sabotage of some sort might just do the trick. Perhaps we can sneak into his barn tonight and disable the carriage to delay him in the morning? Dieter and I can stage a fight outside the servants' entrance if we need a distraction for Hugo to sneak inside."

misterguignol · May 25, 2012, 01:00:14 PM

Quote from: Drohem;542283"Yes," Moibur says thoughtfully, "sabotage of some sort might just do the trick. Perhaps we can sneak into his barn tonight and disable the carriage to delay him in the morning? Dieter and I can stage a fight outside the servants' entrance if we need a distraction for Hugo to sneak inside."

Hugo looks thoughtful. "Hmm, if we just disable the carriage he'll probably just ride the rest of the way to the meeting. What if we take a multi-layed approach: disable the carriage, start a fire, with an ambush as a last resort?"

Drohem · May 25, 2012, 01:17:19 PM

"Never rely on just one casting, me Da always said," Moibur says with a smile at Hugo's idea.

The Butcher · May 25, 2012, 03:29:30 PM

Dieter smiles a satisfied, yet predatory grin. "I like the way you gentlemen think, truly, I do. I feel we are kindred spirits, the three of us, and I sense this association will be even more to our benefit than I imagined at first. Hugo, can you sneak in, and disable the carriage, and start the fire, while Moibur and I lurk outside? And if things go sour inside, how could you signal to us that you're in trouble?"

Dodger · May 25, 2012, 08:51:56 PM

Can everyone give me an Int test?

misterguignol · May 25, 2012, 09:39:53 PM

Quote from: Dodger;542460Can everyone give me an Int test?

Hugo's roll.

The Butcher · May 27, 2012, 09:48:03 AM

What do you know, I passed: here.

Dodger · May 27, 2012, 11:22:37 AM

Quote from: The Butcher;542875What do you know, I passed: here.

Okay, for your eyes only:

Spoiler

This talk of disabling of disabling Tödenhofer's carriage reminds you that Sly Rudy mentioned that Tödenhofer travels by hackney carriage. A hackney carriage is like a modern-day taxi cab - they typically park up in a square or another busy, central-ish space. Nobles and rich merchants will typically send one of their minions go summon a carriage when they want to go somewhere. So, the idea of disabling Tödenhofer's carriage is a bit of a non-starter.

Drohem · May 27, 2012, 12:42:37 PM

Intelligence Test passed with 1 success!

The Butcher · May 27, 2012, 12:56:18 PM

Thanks, Dodger. I had no effin' idea what a hackney carriage was, and thought this was unimportant. :duh:

Dieter scowls. "Jim's horrible ale must be clouding my faculties", he says. "Tödenhofer travels by hackney carriage. We can't really disable his carriage since he won't use it."

The scowl contorts into a wicked grin. "Of course, this also means we can commandeer a hackney for ourselves, and lead the good merchant and his entourage on a little ride."

How would we go about hijacking a hackney? Do they stay in one place waiting for customers, or do they go around town expecting to be hailed?

Also, how could we make sure that Tödenhofer's servant picks us? If hackneys are hailed, it's just a matter of positioning and timing. But if he has a go-to hackney service, we have to find that out and work our way in.

Also, for those wondering: yes, Dieter has only three facial expressions: grin, scowl and poker face. Imagine him played by the cheesy actor of your choice.

Dodger · May 28, 2012, 01:08:20 PM

Quote from: Drohem;542896Intelligence Test passed with 1 success!

You noted the same thing that Dieter realised - in Nuln, only the richest as most ostentatious nobles and merchants would use their own carriage for short journeys around town. Most use hackney carriages - similar to a modern-day taxi cab.

Quote from: The Butcher;542897Thanks, Dodger. I had no effin' idea what a hackney carriage was, and thought this was unimportant. :duh:

Sorry, my bad - I shouldn't have assumed that you would know what it was...

QuoteHow would we go about hijacking a hackney? Do they stay in one place waiting for customers, or do they go around town expecting to be hailed?

They typically wait in busy, central locations where there are likely to be lots of punters. Such locations can be permanent (e.g. in a major square) or temporary (e.g. at the docks when a ship comes in or outside a noble's house where a well-attended ball is being held). Hackney drivers develop a nose for the best places to find business and they constantly exchange information with other drivers by shouting at one another as they pass in the street.

During your scouting trip, you noticed a queue of carriages in the small square at the northern end of Banker's Row, about five minutes from Tödenhofer's house.

They can occasionally also be hailed in the street, if they are returning empty from dropping off a customer, or if the driver has grown tired of waiting in a queue and has decided to drive around aimlessly for a while, but that's more a question of luck.

QuoteAlso, how could we make sure that Tödenhofer's servant picks us?

Well, that's your challenge!

QuoteIf hackneys are hailed, it's just a matter of positioning and timing. But if he has a go-to hackney service, we have to find that out and work our way in.

There are no hackney services in the sense that we have taxi-cab services today. If someone requires a carriage, they will simply despatch a servant to summon one. The servant will head for a likely location, hire a carriage and return with it to where the customer is waiting. If a customer is making a short (i.e. less than about an hour) visit somewhere, it's quite common for them to pay for the hackney carriage to wait for them, rather than face the hassle of having to find another carriage when they want to leave.

It's not unheard of to make an appointment with a carriage driver (e.g. "Return to pick me up here at noon.") or for an enterprising carriage driver to make note of the fact that a customer makes regular journeys at a particular time and to turn up at that time, to get the business, but that would be more the exception, than the rule.

I should write up a new career for hackney carriage drivers.

The Angry Shark grows busier as the evening progresses. Outside, the sky has clouded over and grown steadily darker, to the colour of a purple bruise, and the rumble of thunder is growing closer. Around you, must of the talk is about the weather. The prospect of a storm is greeted with more approval than you might expect - the Reik has sunk to such a low level that ships risk running aground on the stretch between Nuln and Altdorf. Hence, the dockworkers and stevedores who normally earn their living loading and unloading ships, are instead idle and unpaid. Rain is a welcome prospect, as it heralds the prospect of a return to work.

The Butcher · May 28, 2012, 07:40:23 PM

Are hackney carriages open? I mean, if you're standing on the street and a hackney goes by, can you see who's inside? Or are they "closed" like fancy carriages?