Through the Breach RPG - The 'Miner Problem' Job - Part One

When last we left our 'heroes' they'd managed to half-arse their way to success in their last mission...

For those of you interested the groups somewhat traumatic introduction to one another can be found here and their first 'job' together can be found here.

My narrative parts are in normal text, the original notes of our GM that he's sent me are in italics and any additional notes from me are in purple italics. If  your only interest is the narrative then you can ignore the purple bits completely...they're just rules explanations and some insight into some parts that I thought required a bit of elaboration, lol.

Overview.

Oscar has a two-part task for the group namely deliver the soulstones obtained on the last job to a contact of his as payment for some undisclosed service and then sort out a little problem that the contact is having with the pump station at which he's employed...

You all spend a restless night in Oscars apartments preparing for travel. Oscar has let little slip about where you’re going. You are each summoned to the dining hall before dawn...you are to head north to pump station beta to meet up with Oscars contact. 

...a coach is provided...it's quite spacious...Ron still needs to ride on the back though...it's not that spacious...

Editors Note - At this point during the campaign several people who had expressed an interest in joining and were apparently coming to this session...then didn't (for various reasons). Therefore our GM (Citizen_W) decided that as much of the rest of the campaign was to be set in the location we were visiting then all the people that were up to now 'in the background' would be joining us on the coach trip so they would be in the general area should their respective players manage to actually turn up for once, lol.

Oscar seems to have used this job to empty his home of all it's 'guests' (both recently inflicted upon him and a few previous ones) and the inside of the carriage was quite crowded. Ron had perched himself upon a seat at the rear, Marcus was riding Shotgun and a coachman named Garaldina had been provided and was in the appropriate driving position...

Editors Note - One of the people unable to turn up's coachman character was logically going to be driving the coach so instead we drafted a 'Magic the Gathering' player called Gary who was too slow to escape us to play the coachman role...he jokingly said that the characters name was Garaldina...and being as we're all basically ass-holes we made him keep it. We'll also more than likely keep the coach as our characters are ass-holes as well... 

The coach ride out of the city is tense. small groups of guild guard still patrol the streets. Marcus has the distinct feeling that they are being followed...

Before long you are out of the city, the air instantly smells cleaner free from the smell of the city but also of some indescribable taint. The bushy tundra gives way to desolates wastes covered in thin patches of snow as you move further north. The dirt road takes you along side freshly laid rails. 

Did That Tree Move?
Suddenly several of the trees along the path move to intercept the coach and despite the uniqueness of the situation Garaldina keeps her nerve and manages to keep the horses under control but the coach unfortunately is now unable to continue by virtue of their being animated trees in the way. Marcus cleverly realises that he's out of range and then stupidly decides to close the range with the trees by leaping from the coach and moving closer to them, Garaldina draws her carbine and Ron hops from the back of the coach...other than noting that the coach has now stopped suddenly the passengers inside are blissfully unaware of the events outside...of course the noise from a sawn-off shotgun letting loose both barrels a few yards from the carriage is about to alert them that some trouble may be occurring...

Marcus's opening salvo reduces one of the strange monsters to splinters, Garaldina takes careful aim and puts several large holes in a second though it continues it's advance while Ron charges the third and reduces it to matchsticks with a combination of a single devastating steam piston enhanced first blow and an un-enhanced but no less deadly second. This mayhem alerts the passengers inside and being the first to act Verity and Maverick finish the job that Garaldina started on the unfortunate second tree creature...

Editors Note - Yes, they were Waldgeists but none of the characters know what they were so for narrative purposes they're tree creatures, lol. Martins character Ron as mentioned previously has a pneumatic arm (he gets a certain amount to spend on pneumatic upgrades due to his starting Pursuit (career) selection) that as a full limb can take up to two augments (upgrades) and currently has one augment that ups his Might stat to 5 for the first 'duel of any encounter which both ups his chance to hit and makes the likelihood of severe damage much higher.

Pump Station Beta.

Pump station beta rises from the snow dusted hills north of Malifaux. The revealed girders and joists look as though a great clockwork beast long derelict has chosen the spot to end it's existence. 

Various work crews are moving around carrying spare parts and tools

Editors Note - Some notes are distributed. Marcus is informed that many markings relating to the Ten Thunders are on various buildings and equipment and I'm guessing from the convoluted load of mine related jargon that Martin's character Ron then treats us too that his contained a lot of info on mine-workings due to his engineering Skills...

Those of our group not immediately needed for the job in question head off to what passes for a bar in the mine camp.

Editors Note - Yes, that means that all the miscellaneous player characters that are temporarily NPC's belonging to the absentees have been moved conveniently out of the way...

Ron then treats us to an informative monologue on mine-works and pump stations that we all find fascinating before we begin to ask around for the location of our contact Jager. Marcus tries to have a quiet word with some of the oriental mine workers under the guise of asking for Jager but they're not very forthcoming to the point of being suspiciously evasive. Eventually we're given some directions to a selection of shacks that allegedly contain  our target though this probably has more to do with Verity and Sabrina being quite attractive than by virtue of our conversation skills...In fact Verity has quite a knack for acquiring items from men she meets...a talent that will come in useful shortly...

After meeting up with Jager and handing over the package from Oscar he tasks us with sorting out an issue he's having deep within the mine. Workers are reporting strange lights and noises from deep within the new shaft, several have disappeared or died mysteriously and generally work has come to a standstill. Oscar has informed him that this is the sort of task that we're perfectly suited to...

Ron also manages to negotiate us brief access to the supply hut while Verity and Sabrina see what other useful items she can acquire from the workers in the bar...a bit later the rest of the team check out the bar to make sure the ladies are fine and to try out the local beverages (the ladies are fine...the booze is terrible...)

Editors Note - If you were wondering why the two female characters find acquiring items from men so easy then it's obviously because one is a skilled negotiator and the other is a highly talented thief and nothing to do with the fact that the two pictures used to represent them are the following...I've left the logo on the pictures as I don't like removing peoples official info but just be warned that some of their photoshoots are of the 'clothes optional' variety...

...also as Verity is a prostitute some of her procurement methods are implied rather than explicitly role-played as there's certain things we're quite happy to happen 'off screen'...

Too Hot to Handle...or Punch...
Now fully equipped with lamps, some basic tools, a re-stock of ammunition and some dynamite we set off to investigate the unusual occurrences. Garaldina decides that she feels much safer with her passengers than staying in the camp on her own..this may turn out be one of the poorest decisions she's ever made...

A handy lift is available to facilitate the journey downwards...

As is becoming the norm, Marcus is volunteered to go up front as he has the best 'room clearer' weapon and Ron is bringing up the rear because of his ability to absorb damage due to a combination of natural toughness and heavy armour with every-one else in between sharing lamp holding and covering fire duties. After several fruitless investigation of side passages and a few detours successfully ignored due to Ron's extensive knowledge of both mining and engineering we all began to notice a significant increase in temperature that was particularly uncomfortable for any-one who chooses to wear a massive coat filled with armour plates...that uncomfortable feeling of being followed was also occurring...the journey ended at a large chamber...

The heat emanating from the chamber was almost too much to bear, strange creatures seemingly made of flame were cavorting around a pool of fire within. If ever there was a time that drawing attention to yourself was a bad idea then this was it...unfortunately...

A brace of disc shaped projectiles appear as if by magic from the darkness though they seem to change course at the last minute and fail to hit even the unprepared rear guard. Garaldina reacts by firing her carbine into the darkness and the sound echoes alarmingly around the corridor. Before any-one could react the creatures turned as one and hurled a number of firey projectiles towards the party...

Marcus attempted to shield Verity and Sabrina by pushing them from the missiles path and succeeded far more spectacularly than he could have hoped to. Ron just stepped between the balls of flame and the remaining party members and turned around. Several more razor sharp discs emerged from the darkness though with far reduced force than previously and Garaldina hoping that this was some terrible case of mistaken identity made the rather interesting decision to run towards the source of the discs while protesting her innocence. These protests were silenced by virtue of a dagger through the abdomen...apparently Torakage assassins don't accept apologies from those who have just shot them...even if that shot was technically in self defence...

Editors Note - Sabrina has a number of magical abilities that allow her to move objects but none of the party characters actually know about this...which is why Marcus still believes that he heroically saved Sabrina and Verity from the fireballs and Verity believes the same...I also have absolutely no idea why Gary thought 'lets apologise to the ninja' was a viable strategy...

In the aftermath of the wall of flaming death the group scrambled to their respective feet and returned fire with whatever weapons they had to hand...Ron just used his hand...

The projectile weapons they had available seemed only partially effective as even combined they only destroyed a pair of the flaming creatures and damaged another. Ron also discovered that bludgeoning things made of fire still hurts even if your arm is made of tubes and cogs as rather unfortunately the rest of him was still quite flammable...and then he remembered the dynamite...

To Be Continued...

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.