Let's Play... Black Widow & Captain America

[BaronVonStevie]

A simple play test in the same style as the X-Men vs SHIELD example. I'll be writing this as if it were a session between a Watcher and two players. The point of this is to help me learn how to put adventures together with this system. You all can read along as this goes up. Enjoy...

Watcher: All right. Crossbones has orchestrated an attack on American soil. He tries to blow up a major shopping mall (grandstanding: solo d8, brutal merc d8, menace master d10; result 17/effect d8) against Cap or Black Widow’s intelligence gathering ability (Widow in this case, and this time Crossbones seems to have caught SHIELD off guard: buddy d8, Russian superspy d4, covert master d10; 10/d4… +1 PP, effect die steps up +1 as the Doom Pool grows by d10). SHIELD never sees it coming. An explosion rips through the shopping mall as Crossbones and his mercenaries conduct their attack. There are two scene distinctions; DEBRIS EVERYWHERE and TERRIFIED BYSTANDERS.

Cap and Black Widow, you spring into action but the damage is already done. There are mercenaries patrolling the ground and, presumably, holding hostages. What do you do?

[BaronVonStevie]

Captain America: This is bad. We’ve got to gain entry and put a stop to this at once. We’ll attempt to get inside without being detected. This sounds like Black Widow’s territory. Go ahead…

Black Widow: I get inside and try to gather some Intel on exactly what we’re dealing with (solo d10, Russian superspy d8, 2d8 covert; watcher pays 1 PP for an opportunity, result 14/effect d8). I’m attempting to create an asset via support action.

Watcher: Let’s see if Crossbones got what he paid for with his mercs (3d6 team, d8 terrified bystanders; d6 from the doom pool, 11/d6). You’ve got a d8 sized asset.

Black Widow: Let’s call it “PLAN OF ATTACK”. I also get an 1XP for my milestone. Your move, Cap.

Captain America: Let’s let the shield fly. I take the shot Black Widow sets up for me with a well placed throw (buddy d8, sentinel of liberty d8, weapon d8, combat master d10, plan of attack d8; result 16/effect d8).

Watcher: You reduce the mercs team die from 3d6 to 2d6 (about a dozen to a handful). KAPOW! The shield zings around and takes out some of them.

Captain America: Cool. I leap into the air and catch it, somersault, then roll back up to my feet.

Watcher: *laughs* yeah… okay. Good for you.

as it stands right now, everything is at...

Doom Pool (High Stakes, grandstanding): 2d8, 1d10
Crossbones:
Mercs: 2d6, d8 weapon, d8 Plan of Attack
Black Widow: 3pp, 1XP
Cap: 1pp

[BaronVonStevie]

Watcher: Don’t forget, you also get 1XP for your mentor the hero milestone! Okay time for the mercs. There are two floors in this mall; the second overlooks the first. There are kiosks overturned and smashed shops all over the place. The bystanders are huddled together and on the floor. The mercs scramble and open fire on Captain America. Most of the mercs are on the ground, running to and from all the debris, and one is on the second floor as a sniper (mercs opening fire here: 2d6 team, 1d8 debris everywhere, d8 weapon; d6 extra to the result from the doom pool, result 12/effect d8).

Captain America: Now that I got my shield back… I wade through the gunfire (buddy d8, lead by example d8, durability d12, d10 combat; 14/d10). Cap’s up to the job. I leap over a random bench as the bullets fly. I start to reassure the bystanders. “You’re going to get through this. Just stay down!”

Watcher: It’s Black Widow’s turn.

Black Widow: I maneuver over to the sniper and drop out of the ceiling and attack the mercs (d8 buddy, d8 russian superspy, d8 electric blast, d10 acrobatics, d8 plan of attack; 1pp to include two d8 effects). I land on the sniper’s shoulders, spin around and break his neck with my legs, then dive over the balcony and blast the other mercs in mid air with my widow’s bite. “Spokoinoi nochi, comrades!”

Captain America: From Russia, with love!

Watcher: That’s it for the mercs. Crossbones makes his move. I spend a d6 to interrupt Cap’s action. He grandstands over the mall’s intercom “good evening heroes… I have a bomb; one powerful enough to level the entire building. Every man, woman, and child here will die if you are weak…” (d8 solo, d8 brutal merc, d10 menace master; result 7/effect d4, d4 gets added to the doom pool). Cross bones rolled a couple opportunities. Care to use them?

Captain America: I can’t afford it. Nah.

Black Widow: I can. I activate his limit for a PP.

Watcher: Cool. You guys caught him off guard. He’s as much trying to scare you as he is trying to buy himself time. He needs to suit up; you actually caught him in the act of selecting his arsenal which is laid out before him. He spends a d6 to rush a suit up scene and get his gear back. Go, Cap…

Captain America: I need to find Crossbones. Black Widow should go after that bomb… if there even is one. Cap doesn’t really know anything about 21st century shopping malls, so feel free to use my man out of time as a negative distinction.

Watcher: Roll against the Doom Pool. Cap, you stalk through the wreckage of the mall searching (d6 solo, d4 man out of time, d8 covert; +1pp to add a d6 to the doom pool from an opportunity, result 9/effect d4). The Doom Pool rolls (result 12/effect d6). I jump on that failed roll, spend a d6 from the doom pool, and inflict d6 emotional stress on cap. Cap’s getting frustrated and his time is running out…

Captain America: I shout out “Crossbones! Show yourself!!”

Watcher: Crossbones lets an explosive charge rip through the mall behind you. Glass goes flying. Things are getting even worse…


As it stands...

Doom Pool (High Stakes): 1d4, 1d10
Crossbones:
Mercs: all out.
Black Widow: 1pp, 1XP
Cap: 2pp, 1XP, 1d6 emotional stress

[BaronVonStevie]

Watcher: Black Widow! Your turn.

Black Widow: I’m after that bomb. I break off from Cap and scour the mall myself, but there’s all this… debris everywhere (spends 1PP: d10 solo, d4 debris everywhere, d6 push; +1PP, 13 result/d4 effect).

Watcher: Needle in a haystack time. I’ll roll the doom pool against you (12 result/d4 effect). Widow finds the bomb, but doesn’t succeed in disposing of it (the doom pool reduces by d4). Cap’s turn?

Black Widow: Go ahead.

Captain America: I’ll try to aid Natasha with an asset using my covert specialty. Cap has intel on the kind of bomb Crossbones uses typically (1PP stunt: buddy d8, lead by example d8, d8 covert, d8 stunt; Watcher pays Cap a PP for a step up in the doom pool, 15 result/d8 effect).

Watcher: Let’s see what the doom pool has to say about this (7/d8). Cap’s asset really paid off. You get it and it’s stepped up to d10.

Captain America: Let’s call this asset d10 MUNITIONS INTEL. I’m done.

Watcher: Crossbones leaps out of the darkness and comes at you with a butterfly knife (solo d8, muscle bound d8, combat knife d6, combat master d10, d6 emotional stress; 16 result/d8 effect).

Captain America: Bring it! I swing around and let the shield take it (d6 solo, d8 sentinel of liberty, d12 durability, d10 combat master; 1PP for three result dice, result 12/d10 effect). He got me, but I turned away some of the assault.

Watcher: Good thing too. That was a vicious attack. He spins his knife on his fingers with bloodlust in his eyes. Time for the bomb scenario to play out on Black Widow. I roll the doom pool as time continues to waste away (result 5/d4 effect).

Black Widow: Probably dealing with some potential emotional stress (d10 solo, d4 debris everywhere; result 3/effect d4). Not good…

Watcher: Doom pool steps up +1. You take d4 emotional stress too. At least you got a PP. Go ahead Black Widow.

Black Widow: Time to put this munitions intel to good use (d10 solo, d8 russian superspy, d10 munitions intel; 1 opportunity, 12 result/d4 effect).

Watcher: Another little boost for the doom pool. It rolls against you (9/d8). Your reaction is stepped back and has no effect.

Black Widow: Yikes. Go Cap…

Captain America: I intend to. I let this jerk eat some fist for lunch (d6 solo, d8 sentinel of liberty, d8 strength, d10 combat; PP for a third result die, 19 result/d8 effect).

Watcher: Crossbones is not having a good day (d6 from doom pool: d8 solo, d8 muscle bound, d10 combat, d6 doom; result 9/effect d10). Crossbones just got thwacked. You send him crashing through a mall fountain… and when I say “through a fountain” I mean “it’s made of stone and you just put him through it”. He’s trying to shake the cobwebs loose. His turn. He pulls his crossbow and tries to aim through bloodied vision (add d8 from doom pool: d8 solo, d8 brutal merc, d6 crossbow, d10 combat, d6 physical stress, d8 doom; 12 result/d8 effect).

Captain America: My shield should easily stop this (solo d6, sentinel of liberty d8, d12 durability, d10 combat; 2 opportunities, 2 result/d12 effect). Oh no!

Watcher: Give yourself 1 PP for a d8 added to the doom pool. A crossbow bolt goes right through one of your knees. He caught you while you were blocking too high with your shield. He isn’t one of your deadliest enemies for nothing! About to roll the doom pool next… this is getting really tense.

it stands currently...

Doom Pool (High Stakes): 1d4, 2d6
Crossbones: d12 physical stress
Mercs: all out.
Black Widow: 1PP, 1XP, d10 munitions intel asset, d4 emotional stress
Cap: 1PP, 1XP, 1d6 emotional stress, 1d12 physical stress

[head58]

Great stuff! A big help as I'm trying to learn the system. I have a question though How do you determine when Widow has disarmed the bomb? By exhausting the Doom Pool? Or is she piling up "stress" against a target number or something?

[Duck Call Lass]

Captain America: My shield should easily stop this (solo d6, sentinel of liberty d8, d12 durability, d10 combat; 2 opportunities, 2 result/d12 effect). Oh no!

Watcher: Give yourself 2 PP for a d8 added to the doom pool.

You mean 1 PP, as per OM13.

[BaronVonStevie]

You mean 1 PP, as per OM13.

corrected!

By exhausting the Doom Pool?

yep. also corrected since I missed my initial doom pool reduction in the last post.

[Thunderstrike]

In your game you have:

Black Widow: Time to put this munitions intel to good use (d10 solo, d8 russian superspy, d10 munitions intel; 1 opportunity, 12 result/d4 effect).

Watcher: Another little boost for the doom pool. It rolls against you (12/d8). No dice. I spend a d8 from the pool to inflict the reaction effect against you. More emotional stress; you’re now at d8.

In the book it states:
If the reaction total is equal to or lower than your action total, your action succeeds.

Black Widow had a 12 and so did the doom pool. Since Widow was the attacker, she actually won that action.

[BaronVonStevie]

Black Widow had a 12 and so did the doom pool. Since Widow was the attacker, she actually won that action.

ah! that's a big deal, then. corrected.

[BaronVonStevie]

Watcher: The bomb is ticking away (doom pool: result 9/d6 effect).

Black Widow: Oh man. I wish Iron Man was here… (d10 solo, d8 russian super spy; 4/d4).

Watcher: The doom pool effect steps up. Take d8 emotional stress. Your turn.

Black Widow: Here goes nothing. I try again to disarm it (solo d10, Russian super spy d8, d10 munitions intel; 12/d10). Not bad! Probably sweating bullets by now.

Watcher: Yeah. Let’s see how you did (12/d4). You just finished the bomb off! You snip the right wire and the countdown freezes. Holy moly that was close. Good thing too. I was *this close* to interrupting Cap’s action. Go ahead, Cap.

Captain America: Haha… thanks. Cap stumbles from the crossbow bolt going through his leg. He’ll come up with a mighty toss of his shield (Ricochet SFX: d6 solo, d8 sentinel of liberty, d8 weapon, d12 physical stress; keeps a third die, drops the highest rolling, result 20/effect d8). I throw it at a coke machine for product placement and then have it bounce off with extra speed straight for Crossbone’s head.

Watcher: Gotta pay those bills. Crossbones looks like he’s in trouble (d8 solo, d8 musclebound, d10 combat; 11/d4). KLANG!!! Crossbones eats it and it out cold. Your shield comes back to you.

Captain America: That’s what you get for messing with America. Hell yeah.

all's said and done...

Doom Pool (High Stakes): spent.
Crossbones: stressed out (physical)
Mercs: all out.
Black Widow: 1PP, 1XP, d10 munitions intel asset, d8 emotional stress
Cap: 0PP, 1XP, 1d6 emotional stress, 1d12 physical stress