The NEW Vanguard Issue #2 - Frostbite/Silver Sentinel/Lionheart - All quiet on the western front?

"What do we do now Mr sentinel?"

"hmm" 'think fast dam it.' "well we can rescue them if we don't know where they are 'or if they are still even alive.' Andy if i make a life form scanner of sorts can you boost the signal strength, I've done it before but it had little range?

IC: not sure what we can do after we find you guys....that's if we do. Blasting you out will be dangerous but digging will take time. Don't suppose sentinel can sense iron ore in the mountain and can just lift the top off.....nope didn't think so lol

OOC Sentinel cooks up a 'life scanner' device with the ruins of a Necro Borgs ECU unit. Metal Manipulation Check - 2d10 → [5,10] = (15) Passed. Fabricate Check, Body 14, Life Sense 15 (target number 11). Roll 2d10 → [10,6] = (16) Passed, Reliability#5 and item lasts 2 minutes before reverting to a pile of scrap.

Silver Sentinel furrows his brow, picks up a charred section of Necro Borg innards and picks about at the wires

It all looks like gobbledigook to him but that was the beauty of his power - he didn't have to know how things worked, only that his amazing power would take care of it.

Android Andy paused rather than asking what was happening. His amazing synthetic mind could see the changes taking place in the metal in front of him but even he couldn't guess as to the gadgets function. The smooth clean rounded lines of the millimeters slim device, a black slab of 7" gloss black metal that lit up with tiny projector lights onto the surface forming a picture of the heroes friends.

OOC Life Sense check is AUTOMATIC (no dice roll required) if the target isn't resisting.

The scene was dark, rubble strewn and dusty. Frostbite, the target of Sentinels check, lay unconscious on the floor with the Dwarf Wandafar knelt beside him. The chestplate pulsed softly blue so Sentinel hoped that his friend still lived. Indeed the symbols on the side of the holographic display reveal a strong heartbeat on each of the three in the enclosed room.

=========

Lionheart frowned. He had the strangest feeling of being watched, but didn't feel in danger.

With a shrug he gathered Frostbites limp form then looped an arm around Wandafars waist. Whilst rocks shifted and cracked above their heads the trio floated down through the access hatch and into the natural caverns below.

=========

Android Andy moved heavy looking rocks and stood in the shallow stream gazing into the darkness of a gap between a number of boulders from which water trickled. "Are you sure this is where the machine you created indicated the presence of your friends?"

Silver Sentinel held the 'tablet' in his hand, knowing its power was almost out. It had been a couple of minutes since he'd seen Lionheart on the move and he'd used the machine to track the groups progress deep under the earth. Now, a mile or so away, a shallow stream pouring from a large collection of fallen boulders on the side of a hill showed where he hoped his friends would emerge.

"Listen" he said as distant echoing voices were heard.

"...telling you ve hef been zis vay before. You may have lots of fancy pants powers und be super strong und fast and all zet but I hef a photographic memory! And not zet type zet remembers all ze useless stuff you get in pub quizzes! Although it hes to be said I em ze champion down et my local."

Android Andy leaned towards the rocks, turned to Silver Sentinel and shrugged. Then he started hefting boulders, helped by Sentinel.

=========

"Ve must go beck. Zis is another dead end. Ve hef been... Ach! Light! Vas ist... oh. Bum. Okay you vere right zis time. Lucky guess." said Wandafar

Lionheart stifled a grin as he stepped towards the light and the hole made by Silver Sentinel and Android Andy. Having flown through the narrow and twisting natural caverns under the mountain and followed several trails of water he'd found the way out, despite Wandafars constant griping. He had almost gone down other tunnels, but that danger sense of him suggested otherwise. Sure enough the ring of explosive charges through the tunnels suggested whatever mysterious organisation had set this operation up were determined that if they couldn't have it, no one could! Behind them, in their wake, more explosions and crashing of falling rock rang out and put the heroes in no doubt that hanging around longer than they needed to might have resulted in their doom!

Now they stepped out into the dim moonlight and stood in a valley floor whilst dust billowed in clouds from behind them.

Wandafar stumbled out, brushing himself off before he looked at Silver Sentinel and ... "Android Andy! You are making ze sight for sore eyes! How are you? Did those modifications vork? I must admit ze emotion algorithm vos written while I watching Ze only vay is Essex. Sorry about ze accent."

Android Andy stepped forward and crouched to shake the smaller mans hand "I changed it soon after. It is good to see you alive my friend. I am forever in your dent and was lucky that you have other, powerful, friends such as these." He said referring to Silver Sentinel, Frostbite and Lionheart. "But what, pray tell, was all that about?"

As he spoke the group looked back at the mountain that had been the base of the Necro Borg. Dust clouds rose and distant explosions rang out. Whatever or whoever had set that base up had decided to cut their losses. Millions of tons of rock would ensure that its secrets remained crushed and lost.

OOC This is not the last you will hear of the Necro Borg! Dr Necropolis (good name by the way Dave M) will return and seek his revenge! An epilogue next but feel free to chit chat between characters. Frostbite gets a recovery 1 hour after going down, so depending on whether the heroes decide to make good their exit with all intact and accounted for (the bad guys who were hooked up to the machines don't count!) and a good job well done - to nip in the bud a plot to unleash an undead cyborg army on an unsuspecting Britain...

Admin wrote:OOC This is not the last you will hear of the Necro Borg! Dr Necropolis (good name by the way Dave M) will return and seek his revenge! An epilogue next but feel free to chit chat between characters. Frostbite gets a recovery 1 hour after going down, so depending on whether the heroes decide to make good their exit with all intact and accounted for (the bad guys who were hooked up to the machines don't count!) and a good job well done - to nip in the bud a plot to unleash an undead cyborg army on an unsuspecting Britain...

Lionheart filled in the others in but kept to himself the suspicion about who was really behind this.  After all he only had conjecture, no actual proof.  But he could help but think that Frostbite might also wonder who he knew that might behind such foul creatures as the Necro Borgs.  

Looking across to his friend he realise that without the dark powers that once lived within, he wasn't half as strong as he once knew him to be.  But then neither was he so dangerous either.  Something they all could be thankful for.  

Dusting off his uniform Lionheart realised they had a lot to learn about this time line, this period and what on earth they'd got themselves into this time.  Moving over to Wandafar he jokingly put an arm around his shoulders and innocently asked, "So Soaps, want to fill me in!"  


2O minutes later, Wandafar still in full flow didn't even notice Lionheart slip away his face a picture.  

Sj

OOC Yay. The stars have fallen into alignment. Actual working internet connection? Check (shhh, might jinx it.) Finished 11 hour night shift? Check. No kids climbing all over me? Check. Gonna shut up and get on with it now before the pc bursts into flames or something.

Somewhere else, later...

A darkened room, light shining down on a single figure who covers his eyes. The light glints from a metallic arm, and anyone nearby would gag from the stench of death hanging around the decrepit form...

"Dr Necropolis. Report." echoed a voice from around the chamber, source unknown.

The man referred to as the Doctor looked about, his mind quickly ascertaining what had happened. "You... detonated pre-set charges? You could have... heh... killed me." He chuckled, mirthless. "Why? I had the situation under control!"

"The facility was compromised. We have analysed data from the scanners. The metahumans do not appear on any of our data, save for the Android. One is Class 5. They were able to find and infiltrate a heavily protected secret facility and retrieve from you that which we had labelled a vital target. In addition two others were lost in the mess. What do you know of the intruders?"

Necropolis, his one good eye narrowing, looked about with the other, scanning through infra red, ultra violet and other ranges with the blood red camera inserted into the eye socket. "What I know is my own business! I shall have my revenge! I shall..."

"SHALL DO NOTHING! You are alive but for our good graces Doctor. The facility and resources we provided. They are lost to us, at a considerable monetary value..."

"Money? Pah! Why are you interested in money when you can simply ta... Ackkkk!!!"

Electricity lanced through the Doctors form, leaving him stunned and smouldering on the floor. He looked up, malevolence in his gaze. "I feel that I may have been hasty. You have been generous to me. My ... apologies. However my genius willbe enough to ensure that you... Acckkkkkk!!!!"

The charge was prolonged this time, and the Doctors cyborg form cracked and popped as systems failed. The chamber filled with the smell of burning flesh! On the current flowed into the spasm racked body until finally, mercifully, it ceased. "Speak." said the disembodied voice, echoing through the chamber.

"The... 'Class 5' is a time traveller. His genetic code unlocks the secrets that will enable me... us... to clone an army of superhumans. The others are his companions. What they lack in apparent power now was not always so. You would do well to beware them. Despite their apparent power drop they are resourceful and determined. I have underestimated them. It shall not happen again."

Silence followed, and the Doctor wondered if they would kill him. Death held no fear for him. Indeed, he'd been 'to the other side' and come back... improved. He looked down at the tarnished metal limbs, the sparking and popping electrics, the non functioning systems of his cyborg form, married to a shrivelled and ancient failing flesh half. Just then a side door opened, bright light shining forth. Metal clad boots clomped in as burly figures advanced towards the injured body.

"Wait! WAIT! I can help you! My mind is... wait! STOPPPPPP!!!!"

Admin wrote:"Wait! WAIT! I can help you! My mind is... wait! STOPPPPPP!!!!"

Wow wheels within wheels, how intriguing.

Sj

Back at the mansion Wandafar looked about. "Justin is going to be less than happy" he said, wincing at the holes in the great old house and the churned grounds with their smashed defences. A broken robot lay in pieces across the lawn.

He turned to Lionheart, the now awakened Frostbite, complete with flannel on his head, Silver Sentinel and Android Andy. "I thenk you. You hef saved my life. Zis place is not safe. Zere is a need to make ze new base. Somewhere more secure. It vill probably cost Justin a bomb. He is not going to be happy. Again."

In the hours that followed the superhumans put their considerable talents to the clean up operation. Wandafar set to packing up all the sensitive and unique equipment up into crates and Android Andy split himself into dozens of smaller bots to help shift them. On the outside of the mansion the heroes cleaned up as best they could, and when dawn came they stood back, looking at the jury rigged repairs that ensured the bills Justin St John would face for the repairs to his ancestral home would be minimal. Not so the cost in human lives, and a number of staff at the great old house had been injured, some fatally so.

Finally, when an articulated lorry had been loaded to the brim with equipment from the cellars, the group gathered again.

"Here." said Wandafar. He passed over a slip of paper. It revealed the address of a house some 45 minutes drive from London, or mere seconds to some of the fastest fliers on the team. 'House' was perhaps the wrong word for it. Sat in 200 acres of its own estate, St Johns hall was one of several investments made by Justin St Johns and restored at vast cost to its current crowning glory.

"It's still being renovated. You need a place to stay." he handed over the keys. "I sink zere are... 20 bedrooms, so zere should be room. It vill do for now. I vill tell Justin all zet hes happened, und he vill hef to meet you all. I owe you my life, so I vill vouch for you. I owe Justin..." he waved about the smashed mansion "About 50 Bazillion pounds."

He shrugged and sighed. "Sometimes I am sinking zet I do more crazy sings zen good sings, but zis time round is not my fault, I feel. Still... I am target now, und need to make like ze road runner und meep meep avay. For now. Settle in. I vill arrange for ze cards of credit und cash money to spend to change clothes. Ze staff at ze mansion vill look human but are all life model decoys - androids. Justin alvays vanted ze human touch here... sadly it hes been ze tragedy und I feel somevat to blame. I hef many enemies, not just those online vich I argue about Eastenders on ze forums, zo I tell you some of zose are crazy swines. No, from my days in ze Executive, finest superheroes in Britain, zere vere many bad peoples lining up to get revenge. Zis smells like zat. Zey hef trecked me down, und now I must varn ze others. Retribution can look after himself. Steeplejeck, Iron Lady... Toni... ze others. All vill need to know zet someone is making ze play on zem, even zo Executive vas more zen ten years pest. Some crazy swines never forget."

"So for now, a day or two, settle in. Justin vill come und see you und I vill smooth zis over, und hopefully he will forgive. Myself I sink vill take longer time to forgive." said the little man, turning away as his eyes filled with tears.

The little man shrugged, huffed and turned about with a grin, eyes glistening. "Still, being ze hero is all about getting up when punching is happening on chin und taking more punches in ze hope your chin vill vare out ze other guys knuckles or he will get bored und go home. So it goes. I vill rebuild... I vill make place secure for heroes... I vill give you place to stay, to use as you vish. In return... I ask of you only vun sing. Help me get zese swines und put zem behind bars... or vorse, vich is not heroic but sometimes ven you feel bed it feels good." As an aside he grabbed a brochure from a table, which leaned and crashed to the floor, thanks to shattered legs. "Here. Ze place. St John Hall."



OOC Had to open my big mouth (in the previous post). Currently struggling along with my dongle to finish the post as ... yes, you guessed it, broadband down again. Paying for the fastest broadband available, getting... well, nothing. Thankfully the dongle still works, albeit slowly.

This is a wrap on the first part of this adventure. I will dole out hero points and give some basic instruction on their use in the next issue, which sees the heroes settling into a new home. Need to catch up with Dune and his meeting with Justin St Johns, and bring the various ends together (Retribution, British Bulldog, Yeoman, Haunt, Stormbringer) with you guys to form the nucleus of a team. My spotty posting rate over the last few weeks has slowed us right down - not much I can do unfortunately as work hasn't let up (5 days, 55 hours this week). Throw in the internet problems and usual real life stuff and it means our gaming suffers.

On the flip side I kind of feel that the DC Heroes system is not quite the best fit for play by post. It's good, my favourite system, but when its sometimes days between posts the fast paced rolling and spending of hero points maybe doesn't work as well as on a tabletop. I don't want to chop and change you guys all the time, but we've only really used two systems - Golden Heroes and now DC Heroes/Blood of Heroes. My gut says Golden Heroes had its faults but the combat system was more exciting and DC/Blood of heroes is better for the sheer breadth of powers and the scaling system, but dice are REALLY swingy and can make or break a fight with but a single roll. That can feel unsatisfying and completely ruin the pace of the game, but maybe the hero points will change that.

Still, I bet Frostbite ends up burning through his stash the fastest  

Oh and that house is actually real, and for sale. Got more pics to post up, but it's yours for a price of... *looking* POA. And the houses below that go for £20,000,000  (million) so don't expect a lot of change from £25 million or so. And it 'only' has 9 Bedrooms.

If you're after something truly bonkers, check out This flat in Hyde park Yours for *drum roll* £68 million quid. For a flat. 

Admin wrote:On the flip side I kind of feel that the DC Heroes system is not quite the best fit for play by post. It's good, my favourite system, but when its sometimes days between posts the fast paced rolling and spending of hero points maybe doesn't work as well as on a tabletop. I don't want to chop and change you guys all the time, but we've only really used two systems - Golden Heroes and now DC Heroes/Blood of Heroes. My gut says Golden Heroes had its faults but the combat system was more exciting and DC/Blood of heroes is better for the sheer breadth of powers and the scaling system, but dice are REALLY swingy and can make or break a fight with but a single roll. That can feel unsatisfying and completely ruin the pace of the game, but maybe the hero points will change that.

Still, I bet Frostbite ends up burning through his stash the fastest  

Oh and that house is actually real, and for sale. Got more pics to post up, but it's yours for a price of... *looking* POA. And the houses below that go for £20,000,000  (million) so don't expect a lot of change from £25 million or so. And it 'only' has 9 Bedrooms.

If you're after something truly bonkers, check out This flat in Hyde park Yours for *drum roll* £68 million quid. For a flat. 

I'm hoping that the hero point thing, will offset some of the swingyness of the game.  I to like the GH rules for combat, but not things like energy dice, argh.  That was so bad.  

Anyway love the new site, hope we don't break it.  I can't believe that you've got such good broadband, but such spotty service.  We only get a maximum of 8 meg but its reliable.  However out of town it can drop to below 1 meg.  Ross, when we play online constantly struggles in our G+ Pathfinder game.  Or that might be his computer .  We've no fibre down here, still a good few years away I imagine.  

Anyway no worries about time, pace and what not.  Been around this long, God willing, I'm not gonna be leaving. 

Sj

You know, I don't think it's so bad with this system. As everyone gets a better handle on it through use we'll be able to make use of some of the more intricate things that make it interesting. As for Hero Point spending, I really don't think it was so bad without them. Even when Frostbite KOed himself it was appropriate to what he was trying to do. And it's perfectly normal (and adds more excitement I find) to have people take a pounding during an adventure, particularily something as large scale as stopping a cyborg-zombie army from taking over the entier world. Especially when said zombies like to explode once defeated.

In shorthand, I'd rather we stick with the BoH rules we're using. They work great. Now I just need to catch up on my posting  

Admin wrote:OOC Right, this is a crunchy bit and you don't need to take too much notice it's more for my book keeping.

Total Hero Points for characters:

Lionheart 123
Frostbite 123
Silver Sentinel 123

Excellent...

Sj

"So we have saved the day again.....now what? We are in another possible future i presume. What is the long term plan chaps?" sentinel asked sipping his stiff drink again and not paying any attention of what time of day it was for surely he had earned it.