Adventure 2 - Scotsmen and Squids
Today's game was a good lesson in that you cannot always predict what people will do next. I thought I had set up quite a cliffhanger and puzzle for the heroes, but they sidestepped it early on. When we had last checked in on them our heroes were on the Shepherd Isles outside of Fallen London. They were carousing with the locals and were enjoying a moment of success. Everyone was song and drink until a monster suddenly made its appearance; only to vanish into the water.
I had intended that last note to present a challenge for the heroes. I thought they would buckle down together and come up with a big plan to drive off the giant squid just around the corner. But their immediate thought wasn't to confront, or ask for aid but instead to retreat. They detoured from what I had prepared and instead made their way off the map.
The game lagged for a little bit after that. I have spoken before about the importance of player choice. For a time it looked like the only meaningful choice the players had made was to get away safely. Nothing meaningful happened for about and hour of game-play. Then I gave the heroes the direct challenge, to go back in and clean up the mess. They rose to the occasion.
When first they ran away from the monstrous Kraken they witnessed another boat get pulverized. The Giant Squid cracked its hull and ate all the crew. But, I contract was given to our intrepid heroes to return with the boat, it sat derelict and the Royal navy wanted it back!
The heroes took some money from the Collyer Job and bought new weapons for the boat. Harpoon gun in hand, they sailed back to the Shepherd Isles in their tugboat, watching out the monster. They managed to connect the tugboat to the derelict Navy vessel and started making their way back to London. Midway through their journey they discovered they had been dragging the Giant Squid along with them!
Intense action broke out as the heroes fired upon the beast to drive it off. They shot, chopped, and blinded the creature until it gave up and returned to the sea.
Only after they heroes were positive that no chase would be given did they closer at the vessel they pulled. Countless egg sacs lay inside the hull. Mucus stitching the ruined ship together. Together they marveled at what sort of a creature they had dealt with and what they were doing now. Not wanting to ignore their duty they returned the Navy ship to the Navy. It was put into dry dock and the "barnacles" were removed.
One of our more self-assured heroes kept a single egg sac for himself.
So ended the story for today. The heroes were allowed a short breather, before they return to the Zee. Adventure awaits next month!
Adventure 1 — Adventure 2 — Adventure 3 — Adventure 4 — Adventure 5 — Adventure 6 — Adventure 7 —Adventure 8 — Adventure 9 — Epilogue