[Unknown Armies] Clerks, Detroit Style: Actual Play.

[Cam]

Hi there everybody,

My group recently played the first three sessions of what we hope will become a medium length campaign of Unknown Armies (by medium length, let's say somewhere between 8 to 10 sessions). I've decided to post these notes on the sessions in order to refresh the memories of my players (and myself!). I'm also posting these notes for the interest of any and all UA fans. Comments, speculation, criticism, and "wouldn't it be cool if..." suggestions are all welcomed! Keep in mind, however, that my players will be reading this, so I won't be able to answer any "so, how do you see the campaign ending" type questions.

(Actually, I wouldn't be able to answer such questions anyway, since our game sessions are mostly improvised. The pre-game notes I made for the first session were made on a napkin in a restaurant.)

These posts are LONG, so I’ll break them up into rough scenes, to give you mental breaks/breaths while you’re reading.

Oh, one more thing before we hit the "actual play" (and is it me, or have those words always sounded vaguely pornographic? "Actual Play: Britney Spears!!! Download now!!!"). The campaign is set in the city of Detroit. It should be noted that none of my group have ever been to Detroit, and we really don't know much about it. This is, in fact, one of the reasons why we chose to set the campaign there; not knowing the "true" Detroit allows us to play around with the city, make things up, and improvise details safe in the knowledge of not being contradicted by the "facts". ("Hey, there's no abandoned motor factory on 8 Mile Road!!! I used to live near there!!!") Consider this to be a fictional take on Detroit, if you will, and not a Lonely Planet guide to the city.

The other reason we chose Detroit is because it carries a number of associations and images that we think are pretty cool and worth exploring. Detroit: a city that went boom and bust. The Motor City. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler. The home of Motown and the (arguable) home of Techno. Gangs. Rampant crime. Abandoned factories, closed down in the name of "globalization". Local communities with their economic hearts ripped out. Chain link fences. Urban decay.

So, with this in mind, I hereby present...

CLERKS, DETROIT STYLE.

SESSION ONE:

OPENING SCENE: FROM WINDSOR TO DETROIT

Windsor, Canada. Mike and John, two guys in their early twenties, are getting ready to go to a danceparty in Detroit tonight. They get dressed in casual clubbing gear, drink some beer, listen to some tunes (Detroit Techno, something from the Underground Resistance label). The tunes continue in their car, as they drive towards the bridge that spans the water between Windsor and Detroit.

The streets of Windsor are clean and well lit. As they drive by a park, they see people jogging, lovers walking arm in arm, people walking their dogs. Mike and John are excited; it's gonna be a good night.
"We gotta pick this stuff up at a corner store. Got the address right here."
"God I hate driving to this place."
"Yeah, but they got the goods and the tunes, so we gotta do what we gotta do."

They cross the bridge, drive into Detroit. The contrast is ... striking. The streets are sad lonely places, cloaked in darkness. It seems every third streetlamp is shattered, or flickers like something out of "Twin Peaks". They drive past forlorn abandoned factories, the faded former glory of Detroit. The big three. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler. All gutted. Shapes of homeless squatting in the factories, warming their hands around fires. As they drive past a park they see a circle of kids kicking a fat kid. They stop at a red light, and two homeless guys shamble towards the car.
"Cantaloupe!!! I got a cheap cantaloupe!!!"
"Wash your windscreen! One buck! Windscreen!!!"

Mike turns to John, getting creeped out.
"Can I run this red?"
John nods quickly. "Yeah, punch it Chewie."
Mike hits the pedal, and they run the red light. A few minutes later, they park their car in front of a corner store. Although the front door is open, cold bars stand across the windows, and a neon Coors sign flickers mournfully. Above the front door, another sign says “Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery”.

[Cam]

SCENE TWO: LEONG’S CORNER STORE (OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS)

Two young guys are in the parking lot; one is squatting down beside a motorcycle, working on it with a number of tools, the other is standing over him smoking a cigarette and waving his hands around as he talks.

The smoker is Alex Gustav, a college kid who’s scraped together cash from scholarships, his parents, and working long hours at Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery to put himself through medical school. Well, perhaps it’s more accurate to say he’s an ex-college kid. He’s recently dropped out due to increasing self-esteem issues, and lost his girlfriend due to a combination of the two. He hasn’t been able to bring himself to tell anyone about any of this yet.

The mechanic is Xavier Cruz, a Puerto Rican who did two years military service in order to get his U.S. citizenship. He spent most of that time in the motorpool, explaining the ease with which he works on the motorcycle in the car park. He’s been out of the military for about a year now, and in that time has been approached a number of times by one of the local gangs, a group of Puerto Ricans called “El Mortido” – “The Dead Boys”. [If any readers out there spot any mistakes with the language here, please let me know!] Xavier has been tempted to work with them, especially since it would be very easy for him to then keep an eye on his younger sister Maria who runs with El Mortido, but he’s decided to go straight since leaving the military. Nonetheless, he maintains friendly relations with the gang, and with most of the other street-level players in the local area. He does deliveries for the corner store, as well as maintaining the delivery van; an old ice-cream van that still has the oversized ice-cream cone on top. They decided to keep the ice-cream cone because they thought it had less chance of being stolen that way.

“So, when are we gonna finally meet this Laura you keep talking about?” Xavier peers at the engine as he says this.
“Lenna! Her name’s Lenna!” Alex says, waving his cigarette to make the point.
“Yeah, sorry, Lana, whatever. Thing is, you’ve been talking about her so long man that I’m starting to think she’s a figment of your imagination.”
“Lenna’s not a figment of my imagination Xavier! And that’s LENNA, not Lana! And she’s, well, been kinda, uh, busy and stuff lately and …” Alex’s voice starts to trail nervously away as he spots Mike and John walking into the corner store. “And, um, hey look! Customers! We better go in there and take care of ‘em.” Alex follows them into the store. Xavier smiles and shakes his head as he finishes screwing something onto the motorcycle, then follows Alex.

They walk pretty much smack-bang into Tina Leong, the manager of Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery. Not a difficult thing to do, considering Tina takes up the entire doorway, and more besides. Tina’s a second-generation Chinese-American somewhere in her mid to late 30’s. Tina was attractive, once. You can still see it if you look closely at her face, look beyond the fat and the fatigue-worn eyes. But now she can barely fit through the door, and her face is worn with care. Then again, maybe you’d turn to guilt driven binge eating too if your marriage had fallen through after having a one-night stand with a dead man. [This is Tina’s “trigger event”, which the player came up with. I’ll try and post that later.] Tina doesn’t miss her husband, but she still misses her son terribly. She’s come to see the local neighbourhood as her extended family, and is extremely active (and well liked) in the local community.

“Hey Alex, Xavier, I want you to keep an eye on things for a few minutes. Just gonna take this box of groceries over to Old Man Winters. And I hope you’re not gonna smoke that in the store Alex; a medical student like you should know better!” Alex bashfully stubs out the cigarette, and steps into the store with Xavier. Meanwhile, Tina starts to walk down the street, holding a small box of groceries.

[Cam]

SCENE THREE: HOME DELIVERIES AND DRUG DEALS (SUPPORTING CAST)

A series of short scenes follow, introducing a number of people that circulate in the local community, and how our clerks interact with them.

Tina walks down the darkened street, and steps into an apartment block. She knocks on Old Man Winters’ apartment door. She knows he’s home, because she can hear the television on. The television’s always on. “You’re playing for … a new car!!!” Tina can’t remember the last time she saw Winters outside of his apartment. Maybe never. Apparently, he used to work at one of the motor factories, but that was a long time ago. The only cars he sees now are the ones on game shows. She knocks on the door again.

“Go away! I’m watching my shows!” Winters yells from inside.
“It’s just me! It’s Tina! I’ve got some groceries for you!”
“My shows! I’m watching my shows!”
“Okay, I’ll just leave these outside the door for you, okay?” Tina sets down the box, and walks outside.

Meanwhile, Xavier and Alex eye off the two Canadians who have obviously arrived for a drug deal. Alex thinks they look a little nervous, so he decides to mess with their heads a little.
“So, uh, you guys gonna buy anything?”
“Uh, well, uh, yeah, uh …” Mike and John look around, “Uh, yeah, gum, we gotta buy some gum.” Alex looks at the gum, looks back at the Canadians.
“That’s three bucks a pack.”
“What!?!? Hey man, what are you tr-” Mike starts to get angry, but John quickly puts his hand out, silencing him. “We don’t want any trouble Mike; we just wanna do this, and get out quickly, okay?”
Mike nods, begrudgingly taking out money for the gum. At this moment, a member of the Oak Park Posse strolls in.

The Oak Park Posse is one of the two major gangs in the local area, along with El Mortido. The two gangs currently maintain a truce of sorts, and both gangs have also declared that Leong’s Corner Store is not to be robbed. This is because the clerks, especially Tina, are very active in the local community and are well liked. Tina’s been known to offer extremely extended credit to some of the poorer families in the neighbourhood, and has gone so far as to sometimes give away basic drugs and painkillers and medical supplies for free. (Alex helps out with this considerably, often boosting said supplies from his university campus, using his pass card, and with help from his ex-girlfriend.) If the gangs hit the local store, local sympathy for the gangs would drop dramatically. They also realize that having a trained doctor (Alex) on-hand to treat any gunshot wounds they may pick up is a good thing, and thereby don’t want to alienate such a useful resource…

Tiger, the gang member, nods casually to Alex and Xavier.
“Hey Xavier,” he drawls, “how’s it goin’ ma man?”
“Good Tiger, I’m good.” Xavier nods back. “Look man, if you’re gonna do anything, don’t do it in here, okay?”
Tiger looks at Xavier coolly, then slowly nods. He steps out of the store, into the parking lot. The two Canadians look at each other, then hurriedly step out after him. Mike nervously gives Tiger some cash. Tiger slowly counts the cash, smiles, puts a hand in a pocket, then gives Mike a handshake.

At this moment, Tina steps around the corner, headed back to the store.
“Hey!” She yells. “What are you doing? Are you dealing drugs outside of my store? I’m talking to you!” Tiger shrugs his shoulders, says nothing, trying to look cool, pretending not to hear Tina. “Listen, you get out of here! And you kids too,” Tina looks at the Canadians “get out of here!” Tiger sees the anger in Tina’s eyes, then slowly takes a step back, gives a “yeah, whatever” shrug, then slouches off down the street. The two Canadians quickly jump in their car.

Tina shakes her head as she steps back into the store.
“Goddamned drug dealers … poor kids don’t realize what they’re getting into …” she mutters as she steps into the store. She sees Xavier and Alex, and shoots them a glance that says “Why didn’t you do something about that?” Xavier sighs to himself, and goes back to restocking the shelves.

Not long after this, another familiar face appears at the corner store. It’s Dave the junky, his eyes haggard and hollow. Alex recently boosted a heap of clean needles, and has been giving them out with Tina’s blessing. Dave shambles inside, shaking and shivering.
“Hey guys … um, hey … um, Alex, I’ve just come by to pick up some … um, stuff, you know …” Alex nods.
“Sure thing” he says softly. He runs down into the basement, and grabs some clean needles from the wardrobe full of stuff he’s boosted from the university. He runs back up, and gives them to Dave. The clerks realize that what they’re doing is of dubious legality, but they sure as hell don’t see anyone in authority trying to do anything about the drugs and junkies on the streets. They know clean needles alone won’t solve anything, but they’ll hopefully keep people alive long enough to … well, to hopefully find a way out.

“Thanks man” Dave murmurs as he starts to take a packet out of his pocket.
“Woah!!!” Alex says. “Don’t do that shit here!”
“Oh … sorry man … sorry … I-”
“Look,” Alex says, his voice softening again, “here’s some brochures about that support group I told you about. I think they could really help you Dave. Why don’t we both go down there tomorrow?” Alex could’ve been a good doctor. He cares about the injured people. Pity he dropped out of college.
“Here you go Dave” Tina hands Dave some simple groceries; bread, milk, fruit juice.
“Oh, thanks … I, um, I don’t have any cash on me tonight …”
“Hey, you can pay us next time Dave, okay?”
Dave looks around at the clerks, his eyes suddenly filling with tears.
“Um … thank you, thanks … I … I’ll check out that group Alex … but, uh, I gotta do this one last thing first … just this one last thing … um, sorry … thank you …” Dave staggers out of the store, tears streaming down his face. The clerks silently watch him shamble down the street.

“You know, the mayor keeps talking about wanting to clean up Detroit, but nobody ever wants to actually help these poor bastards!” Tina says. “I mean, all we hear is, ‘Drugs are bad! Drugs are bad! There’s a war on drugs! If you take drugs you’re a loser!’ But we never see any government programs to actually help these people! If the cops bust you with some drugs, you’re more likely to go to jail than to a drug counselor! Fat lot of help that is!” Alex and Xavier nod. Tina’s getting fired up. Getting inspired. “I’m going to make a petition, asking for some kind of clean needle exchange and safe, uh, what are they called, shooting alley to be set up. I mean, it’s not the whole answer, but maybe it’s a start. I’m gonna go upstairs and make that petition. Alex, you’re working the graveyard shift, right? Well, I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Tina heads upstairs to the apartment that she shares with her parents (the previous managers of the store …it’s been in the neighbourhood for quite a long time). Xavier nods to Alex, and heads to his own room, attached to the back of the store.

Alex rubs his eyes, and settles in for the graveyard shift. It’s fairly uneventful, except for a few more junkies who crawl in for clean needles and a visit from Lonnie, the local pimp, with two of his girls, Cindy and Candy. Lonnie tells Alex to be careful; the 8 Mile Boys, the gang on the other side of Oak Park, have apparently been hassling people and businesses in the local neighbourhood. That’s unusual; the Oak Park Posse stays on this side of Oak Park, while the 8 Mile Boys stay on the other. Why are they moving into the local neighbourhood?

[Cam]

SCENE FOUR: THE RETURN OF THE MOTOR CITY, MEN IN BLACK, AND THE SAGA OF FORTY BUCKS.

It’s morning, and Tina puts her new petition and some breakfast for Alex on the front counter as he rubs his eyes. Xavier comes out of his backroom, and puts on the TV. The Mayor is giving a press conference. Accompanied by a small number of industrialists headed by entrepreneur/industrialist Holden A. Martin, the Mayor proudly outlines his new vision for Detroit. It is a program of urban renewal, a program of rebuilding. Motor factories will be reopened. The economic heart of Detroit will start beating once again. Detroit will fulfill its historical promise, and become, once again, the motor city.

The phone rings. It’s Old Man Crandle, calling himself Crandleson, because he’s owed the store well over forty bucks for well over a few months. Could the clerks bring him some milk and eggs and bread and a couple of 40’s? Tina turns to Xavier and Alex.

“Could you ask him to pay at least some of that fifty bucks he owes us? I’ve gotta pay for some new stock that’s coming in today, and things are pretty tight at the moment. I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay you guys on time this week.”
“Don’t worry!” Alex says brightly, “We’ll handle it!”

Alex and Xavier carry the groceries down the road to the apartment block (the same one where Winters lives). They both slow as they see a new, nondescript black car parked across the road from them. Two men in dark suits step out of the car, look around, and start talking to each other.
“Cars like that don’t belong in this neighbourhood,” Xavier says as he and Alex step inside.

They knock on Crandle’s door, and put the groceries down. Could Crandle settle the bill please? Well, there’s this rather large jar of pennies and crumpled up bills that he was going to use to pay his electricity bill…
“That’ll do!” Alex says brightly. Alex steps over and starts counting out the money.
“But … but …” Crandle stammers.
“What the hell is going on here?” The three men turn around, and see Laticia standing at the open doorway. Laticia’s a young mother of two, the second of which she’s currently nursing. “Are you boys bothering Crandle?”
“Well, look, he’s just paying for the bi-” Alex starts.
“They’re taking all my money away from me Laticia!!!” Crandle croaks in a broken voice.
“Well shame on you Alex and Xavier! Shame on you!” Laticia steps into the room, her voice rising in indignation. “You boys oughtta know better! You know what it’s like in this community! Hell, you are part of this community!” Alex and Xavier look at each other.
“Well, okay, look, we’ll just take a little bit for these groceries today, okay?”
Laticia nods, satisfied, then leaves.
Alex looks back at the jar again.
“Well, now that she’s gone…” he starts to reach for the jar.
“Hey!!!” Crandle croaks in disbelief.
“Alex.” Xavier says. “Look, Tina probably won’t be too happy if we leave Crandle nothing for his electricity.” Alex nods.
“Hmm, okay. But remember that you owe us a good forty bucks old man!” Crandle nods his head, then gratefully reaches into his pocket, and hands something to the clerks.
“I want you boys to have this. It’s always brought me good luck. I hope it brings you luck too.”
It’s a yellow smiley-face fridge magnet.

As the clerks step out of Crandle’s apartment, they see the two Men in Black knock on a door at the far end of the corridor.
“Go away! I’m watching my shows!” Must be Winters’ apartment. The two Men in Black shrug, move to a door further along. They knock, the door opens, they show some I.D., and then step inside.
When the clerks walk down to the lobby, they check the name on the letterbox for the apartment the two Men in Black stepped into. D. Samuels.
“Hey, isn’t that Dave? Dave the junky?” Alex says.
They walk down the road towards the corner store.
“Well, that might have been a good thing we did back there, but know how is Tina gonna pay for the new stock?” Alex asks. Xavier narrows his eyes as he sees a familiar car parked up the road from the store.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got an idea. Just go into the store and distract Tina for a few minutes.” Xavier starts jogging up the road towards the car as Alex steps into the store.

“So, what happened?” Tina asks.
“Yeah, well, uh, we got him to pay.”
“For the groceries?”
“No, no, for everything.”
“Everything? That’s fantastic Alex! Wow, I can pay for the new stock and pay you and Xavier on time this week!”

Meanwhile, Xavier jogs up to the car. His sister Maria is in the passenger’s seat, and Raoul, one of the senior El Mortido lieutenants, is in the driver’s seat. They dropped by because Maria wanted to tell Xavier to be careful. The 8 Mile Boys have been making strikes in the local neighbourhood. Xavier thanks Maria then asks for a favour. Could he borrow forty bucks? Maria looks to Raoul (whose hand is snaking a little too high on Maria’s inner thigh for Xavier’s comfort…). Raoul shrugs, and nonchalantly hands Xavier the money.

“Hey Xavier, why don’t you come by the crib tonight? We’re having a party. It’s gonna be great.”
“Maybe. We’ll see.” Xavier nods. Raoul’s eyes narrow.
“Maybe you should drop by the crib earlier tonight. Maybe you could help us with something. I mean, we just helped you; maybe you could help us. It’s only fair, no?”
Xavier looks at the money in his hand, then looks at Raoul. He knows accepting money from El Mortido could get him in trouble later on. He looks back at the store, sees Alex through the front window painfully counting out every single penny in front of Tina, buying time. He nods slowly.
“Okay, I’ll drop by the crib later.” Xavier jogs back to the store, slips the money into Alex’s hand.
“Oh, see! That’s everything!” Alex says.
“Fantastic!” Tina sighs. “Thanks guys!”
“And that’s not all!” Alex says, as he slaps the yellow smiley-face magnet on the side of the cash register.

[Cam]

SCENE FIVE: DAVE THE EX-JUNKY
As Tina is smiling and Alex and Xavier sigh, the front door opens.
“Hi guys!” The clerks turn around, to see the happy, smiling face of … Dave.
“Um, I just wanted to say thanks for everything you’ve done for me. Look,” he digs in his pocket, “here’s some cash. I’m sure I owe you more, and I’ll try and make it up later, but I just wanted to drop by and say thanks!”
Alex looks closely at Dave’s face. Dave really does look happy … and healthy. His eyes aren’t haggard and hollow. In fact, his eyes are clear. They aren’t bloodshot or dilated or anything you’d normally expect to see in the eyes of a junky. He isn’t shaking anymore. He still looks slightly weak and frail but … he looks healthy.
“Dave … what … happened to you?” Alex says slowly.
“Well, I was thinking about everything you said to me, and, well, it just suddenly struck me. Just how damned STUPID it was. Sticking needles in my arms, my legs, my – well, you don’t really need to hear that. But I just realized how stupid and pointless it all was. So, I’ve decided to stop. I’m gonna get on with my life. I’m gonna head down to that group you told me about. So, I wanted to say thanks Alex. Thanks to all of you.”
“But … but …” Alex slowly shakes his head, “you look so … good.”
“Yeah, well, you know, it’s a new day!” Dave smiles. Behind Alex, Xavier’s eyes have gone wide. Sure, Alex is (or was) a medical student who knows intellectually that such sudden recovery from hard-street drugs isn’t possible, but Xavier knows the streets pretty well. He’s seen junkies. And he knows they never recover, at least not like this, not this quickly. And not the ones as far gone as Dave. This isn’t a wonderful miracle he’s seeing. It’s something horribly horribly unnatural.
“Wow, well, um, good luck Dave!” Tina smiles, filling in the silence left by Alex and Xavier.
“No worries Tina! And thanks, thanks for everything. I gotta get going, but I’ll see you guys later, okay?” Dave smiles, steps outside into the sunshine.
“Well, uh, that’s nice isn’t it guys? He’s really-” Tina turns and sees Xavier, wide eyed. “Xavier, are you okay?” Xavier slowly shakes his head.
“No … that … that ain’t right … that …” He keeps shaking his head.

Alex agrees that it’s “highly unusual”, says he’s going home to get some sleep and to check his medical texts for any reference to Dave’s unusual condition. Xavier steps out too, giving Alex a lift home, but then deciding to stop by the El Mortido crib on the way back to the store.

[Cam]

SCENE SIX: THE SAGA OF FORTY BUCKS, CONTINUED.

While Alex and Xavier are gone, Laticia stops by the corner store to pick up some groceries. Laticia and Tina make some small talk, and Laticia mentions she’s glad that Tina extended some further credit to Old Man Crandle.
“But, hang on.” Tina says, confused, “Crandle paid for all of his bills in full today.” Laticia gets pretty angry at this point. She tells Tina what happened in Crandle’s apartment earlier.
“Well, I thought I’d helped them to see sense, but I guess they was just lying to me! They must have just taken all his money as soon as my back was turned, leaving him nothing!”
“Oh Laticia, I’m so sorry, that’s terrible! Look,” Tina says, pulling out the forty bucks that actually came from El Mortido and not from Crandle, “you take this back to the apartment and give it back to Crandle. And tell him sorry from me.”
“Thanks Tina, you’ve got a good heart.”
“Oh, and Laticia, would you like to sign this petition I have here?”
“Sure Tina.” Laticia signs, and heads back to the apartment block.

SCENE SEVEN: THE EL MORTIDO CRIB.

After dropping Alex off home, Xavier drops by the El Mortido crib. Everyone greets him warmly, and he spends some time talking to Juan and Martinez, the most senior guys in El Mortido. Could Xavier head over to a certain address and pick something up for the party tonight? Nothing dangerous, hey, the address is in the university district. Nothing dangerous at all. Just a delivery run. Xavier considers offering to just pay the forty bucks back, but he knows it’s too late for that now. He slowly nods his head, slides the address into his pocket.
“See you at the party tonight.” He says. He steps outside, gets on his bike, and rides for a while, thinking about the things he’s seen the past day.

[Cam]

SCENE EIGHT: MORE MEN IN BLACK.
Late in the afternoon, Alex and Xavier arrive back at the store. Tina isn’t happy with them. How could they take all that money from Old Man Crandle?
“I gave the forty dollars back, so I’m sorry to say that there’s no way I can pay for the deliveries and pay you guys on time this week.”
Xavier sighs, now knowing he’s gotten himself into debt with El Mortido for no good reason at all. No good deed goes unpunished.
“Hey, I was looking at some of my medical texts today,” Alex says, eager to change the topic, “and what happened with Dave should be … well, impossible. Cells can’t regenerate that quickly. It just … doesn’t happen.”
“Yeah, that is pretty strange…” Tina agrees.
“That’s not all.” Xavier says. “A little while ago, I dropped by Dave’s apartment to talk to him, and he was gone. Not only that, his apartment’s completely empty. It’s been totally cleaned out.”
“Okay, that’s weird.” Tina says. “We should really find him and talk to him. I’ll lock up the store.”

However, at this moment, the two Men in Black pull up out front, and walk into the store. Their names are Smith and Jones and their I.D.s show that they work for the City of Detroit Buildings & Safety Engineering Department (B&SE). It turns out that the Mayor, as part of his program of urban renewal, has decided to crack down on local liquor stores. No more liquor stores are to be opened in the city of Detroit, (the city currently has 338 neighborhood liquor and 379 beer/wine-only stores), and furthermore, B&SE inspectors will cite stores for signage violations (cannot cover more than 25% of wall and cannot clutter windows), dumpster enclosures, poor pavement and parking lots (including inadequate drainage), and deteriorated building conditions. And isn’t that neon Coors sign a little too big, given the new signage regulations?

“Well, is City Hall going to help us pay for these improvements, or are we going to have to do them ourselves? If not, it seems to me that the Mayor is doing all he can to put us out of business. And he thinks that’s going to clean up the city? Well, let me tell you Smith and Jones, there are much worse things than neon Coors signs on the streets these days. I mean, what about that crackhouse across from Oak Park? Why isn’t something being done about that? Or about the junkies? Or the gangs?” Tina’s getting pretty angry.

“Hmm, this is an interesting petition.” Smith (or is it Jones?) says as he picks up the petition on the front counter.
“You can sign that if you want.” Tina says.
“Hmm, perhaps ma’am.”
“Actually, if you could bring this to the attention of the mayor, I’d be grateful. If he really is concerned with cleaning up the city, that is.”
“Well, uh, we’ll make sure he sees this.” Jones (or is it Smith?) says as he pockets a page of the petition. He then hands Tina a sheaf of papers. “Here are the new signage regulations, plus everything else you need to know. Good day.”

The clerks watch the two Men in Black get into sleek car.
“You know, those two guys went into Dave’s apartment this morning.” Xavier says.
“Yeah, that’s right.” Alex says.
“Right then. We’ve got to find Dave and find out what the hell is going on.” Tina says. They lock up the store, and jump in the ice cream/delivery van.

[By the way, I got the information for this scene from the following website:
http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/mayor/releases/2003%20Releases/Crackdown%20on%20Liquor%20Stores.htm It was one of the very few websites I looked at before we played the first session, and it stuck in my mind because it seemed directly related to the plight of the clerks]

[Cam]

SCENE NINE: CRACKHOUSE RAVE.

The clerks head down the road to a record store where Dave used to work, and sometimes still hung around. Leroy, a powerfully built guy who can only be described as a music snob, runs the record store. He often criticizes his customers’ choices, and pretty much tells people what they should and shouldn’t buy. Basically, imagine the Soup Nazi from “Seinfeld” working in a record store. Posters of Detroit Techno heroes and record labels are on the walls, such as Underground Resistance, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May.

The clerks ask Leroy if he’s seen Dave lately, explaining that the ex-junky recently dropped by the corner store and paid some money he owed them. Leroy immediately checks his cash register, sighs when he sees all the money is still there, and says he hasn’t seen Dave lately. Maybe the clerks want to check out the crackhouse down across from Oak Park?

“Of course, I dunno if that’s a good idea. I mean, it’s a crackhouse. Full of junkies. Not to mention that it’s Oak Park Posse turf. And the 8 Mile Boys have been making strikes across the park lately.” Leroy looks at the clerks, especially the incredibly overweight Tina and the bookish Alex. “I know you got a good name and all, but you wanna be careful.”
“You got any Perry Como records?” Alex chimes in. Leroy fixes Alex with a long hard stare. Pauses.
“You’re joking, right? Okay. When I say, ‘you’re joking right?’ you say yes. Okay?” Leroy pauses. “You’re joking, right?”
“Actually, my parents listen to him, and he really isn’t all that ba-”
“Get out.”

The clerks drive down to the Oak Park crackhouse, park the ice-cream delivery van out front. Xavier, slightly edgy, puts a rolled up ski mask on the top of his head (so it looks like he’s wearing a wool hat). The clerks walk into the crackhouse, past the front door hanging off its hinges, and up the dirty creaking stairs. As they climb they can hear … music. Dance beats. They push open another filthy door to see … a group of about 20 or so people dancing. Smiling. Having a good time. At the far end of the room, Dave has set up a pair of turntables and is spinning some records.

The clerks look around themselves, amazed. Alex recognizes some of the junkies who have dropped by the corner store recently for clean needles. He sees some used needles thrown into corners and wonders if those are the very same needles he helped dispense.

“What’s going on here?” Alex says as he grabs a dancer. “What’s happening?”
“Hey man!” The girl pulls her arm back. “We’re having a party, is all!”
“No no! I mean, the drugs! You’re a … a junky!”
“Yeah, well…” the girl looks down, somewhat shamefaced. “I know. But Dave came by today, and a heap of us were here, and we started talking, and we just suddenly realized how USELESS it all was. You know, sticking needles in our arms. It was a total waste of our lives. So, we’ve decided to stop. And now we’re having a party to celebrate!”
“But … but … you don’t just decide to … to stop! I mean, you’re … junkies!” Alex says, wide-eyed. The girl he’s talking to is certainly gaunt, but looking into her eyes, he can see she’s healthy. He steps away from the girl who keeps dancing.

The clerks walk over to Dave, who changes records and steps over to them. He looks pretty happy. And yeah, him and his friends have all decided to stop doing junk. What about the money he paid the clerks? He borrowed that from some friends who seemed happy that Dave was turning his life around. What about those guys in suits outside the apartment? And why is the apartment totally cleaned out? Well, turns out those guys were looking to buy on behalf of the Detroit Buildings & Safety Engineering Department. And since Dave is turning his life around, he decided to sell.

“Hang on.” Tina breaks in. “You owned that apartment?”
“Well, it was actually my parents’ apartment, but it became mine after they died. I mean, in the end I didn’t pay for electricity or anything, but the fact that I actually had a room to sleep probably kept me alive longer than I should have been. Anyway, when these 2 guys show up looking to buy, I figured it was a great chance for me. I’d decided to turn my life around, and here were these guys offering me money. So, I said yes. I’m gonna visit my younger brother in L.A. I ain’t seen him in a while. And L.A.’s kinda bright and sunny, you know? It seems like a good place to start again.”
“Wow, well, that’s just … uh … good for you Dave!” Tina says.

The clerks see a commotion on the other side of the room. Jackie Z and Tiger from the Oak Park Posse have stepped into the room and are hassling one of the ex-junkies. From what the clerks can see, Jackie doesn’t like what he’s hearing.
“What the fuck do you mean? What do you fucking mean you don’t want it? You’re a fucking junky for fuck’s sake!”
Tina and Alex step over to the gang bangers. Xavier steps into the crowd, and starts slowly working his way around the other side of the room.
“Look Jackie, just calm down, okay? These people have made a decision, and you’ve gotta respect that.” Tina speaks calmly, trying to defuse the situation.
“A decision? A fucking decision? These people are not capable of making decisions!”
“They have, and they don’t want you around. You can’t just … force it onto them.”
“Oh yeah? The hell we ca-” Jackie stops, looks at Alex, then back to Tina, a look of shock, then anger, slowly creeping across his face. “What have you done to these people? What the FUCK have you DONE to them?”
“Woah, Jackie, no, we aren’t selling anything to them if that’s what you think-” Tina puts her hands out.
“I KNOW most of these junkies went by your fucking store! What the FUCK have you given them? What have you DONE to them?” Jackie puts his hand into his jacket, starts to pull out a gun … only to find that he’s staring down the barrel of a massive .454 Casull. Tina may be big, but she’s surprisingly fast when she needs to be.
“Jackie, you might wanna rethink that.”

A long moment passes. Tina sees something break in Jackie’s eyes, and Tina slowly starts to lower the gun, hoping to defuse the situation. At this moment Xavier, with the ski mask pulled down, steps behind Tiger and puts a switchblade to this throat.
“Xavier! No!” Tina gasps.
“Hey, it’s okay, we’re leaving, we’re leaving.” Jackie puts away his gun. “Come on Tiger, let’s go.” The two slowly walk towards the door. As they step through, Jackie turns and says, “This ain’t over bitch! This ain’t over!”

The clerks sigh. Xavier rolls back the ski mask.
“Thanks for using my name there Tina.”
“Hey, I didn’t-” Tina stops, thinks back over the past few seconds. “Oh, yeah. Sorry Xavier.”
“Hey guys, I am really sorry about that. So sorry.” Dave says, stepping over.
“Don’t worry Dave, it’s not your fault. But I think you and your friends better get out of here. The party’s over, you know.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Dave nods, and he starts packing things up.

The clerks head back down the stairs and start climbing into the ice-cream van as Jackie Z and about 4 other Oak Park Posse members step out of Oak Park. With guns. Guns that are pointed at the van.
“Shit! Get us out of here Xavier!” Tina yells as she slams the door and crouches down. Xavier turns the key, but the van won’t start. The Oak Park Posse start firing at the van. The window above Tina shatters, spraying the clerks with glass.
“Drive Xavier, drive!!!” Xavier tries the key again, but no go.
“I think the engine’s flooded!”
“Hey, what the hell do I pay you for?” Tina yells.
“You pay me to make deliveries, not to drive through war zones!” Xavier tries one more time, and the engine finally roars to life. The ice-cream van takes off down the road, as the Oak Park Posse put a few more shots into it.

[Cam]

SCENE TEN: CORNER STORE, UNDER SIEGE

The clerks jump out of the ice-cream van when the reach the corner store, Alex and Tina running inside and starting to pull the shutters down. Xavier, still outside, puts his hand in his pocket and feels the address Martinez gave him.

“Xavier, get inside!!!” Alex yells. Xavier takes a step, thinks, then stops.
“I gotta go. There’s something I gotta do. When I get back, I’ll bring help.”
“Help!?!?! Shit man, we need your help RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!!! C’mon!”
“Sit tight. Call the police. I won’t be long.” Xavier runs to his motorbike, and takes off.
Tina and Alex turn to each wordlessly. Then they keep closing the shutters, and call the police.

Xavier speeds into the University district, comes to a screeching halt outside a fairly nice looking middle class house. He bounds up the steps, pounds on the door. It’s opened by a young guy in his early 20s, tall, with slightly curly brown hair.
“I came by to pick something up. You got it for me?” Xavier says quickly.
“Yeah, sure. Hang on.” He steps into the house, opens a backpack, takes out a package and gives it to Xavier.
“Ben, who’s there?” A woman, unseen, yells out from somewhere inside the house.
“Just a friend Lenna, picking something up! I’ll be back in a minute!” Ben yells over his shoulder, then looks back to Xavier. “So, yeah, this stuff is going to the party tonight, right?”
“Yeah, sure, it’s for the party. Thanks Brad.” Xavier says as he rams the package into a jacket pocket, then runs down the stairs and jumps on the bike.

Meanwhile, Tina and Alex have called the police, and a patrol car has arrived. The clerks tell the cops that the Oak Park Posse is involved, and the cops ask the clerks to stay inside as they walk back to the patrol car.
“Oak Park Posse?” One of the cops says. “They’re some pretty mean motherfuckers.”
“Yeah, that they are.” The other cop nods as they look at each other, the unspoken thought “we don’t wanna die in a slum neighbourhood gang dispute” passing between them. One of the cops walks back to the corner store.
“Uh, look, you guys sit tight in there, okay? We’re gonna do a couple of patrols around the area, see if we can find these guys if they’re on their way here, okay?”
“Uh, yeah, uh, I guess.” Tina says. Tina and Alex watch the cops drive off, then look at each other. Seems like they’re in this alone. And what the hell is Xavier up to?

Xavier pulls up out the front of the El Mortido crib, and bounds up the stairs. There’s a party going on, and it looks like most of El Mortido is there.
“Hey Martinez, Juan.” Xavier says breathlessly as he pulls out the package and tosses it to them. “There ya go.”
“Hey! Good work my man!” Martinez turns to Maria. “Hey Maria, could you cut this shit up?” Maria giggles, then slumps onto a sofa. “Oh for fuck’s sake you just did the last of the old shit! Now we gotta cut this up ourselves!” Martinez gets to work on the coke.
“Hey Xavier, you okay brother?” Juan says as he sees Xavier breathing heavily.
“No. Not okay. Had a run in with the Oak Park Posse, and I think they’re headed to the corner store now.”
“Well that’s not good. Not good at all.” Juan’s eyes narrow. “Maybe some of us should head down there and have a little talk with the Oak Park pussies.”
“Yeah, that’d be appreciated man.” Xavier nods. He grabs a pistol on the way out, jumps on his bike, and takes off, closely followed by Juan, Martinez, and Raoul in a car.

Meanwhile, two cars have come to a screeching halt outside the corner store. Jackie Z and 3 of his boys jump out. Jackie pulls out a pistol, and starts firing into the corner store. Glass shatters and cans of soup explode in the store. Tina and Alex huddle under the counter. Tina grips her pistol tightly, considers leaning around the counter and taking a shot, but then decides not to. With the lead that Jackie and the rest of his boys are putting into the corner store, she doesn’t want to run the risk of catching an unlucky shot to the face if she leans around. Not to mention drawing their fire because they would then know exactly where the clerks are. So, Tina and Alex huddle, and wince every time another shot tears its way into the store.

Xavier comes screeching around the corner on his bike, closely followed by his El Mortido friends in the car. He sees Jackie Z pulling out a Molotov cocktail, a cigarette lighter in his other hand. Xavier brings his motorbike to a sliding, screaming halt as he pulls out his pistol and levels it at Jackie. The Oak Park Posse guys spin around with their own pistols, but find themselves staring down the barrels of El Mortido.
“Don’t do this Jackie, we didn’t fuck up your drug business.” Xavier coolly says.
“Yeah man! Why don’t you and your Oak Park Pussies get the fuck out of here!” Juan yells.
“Juan, we got no beef with El Mortido! These people did something to our customers!” Jackie yells, the unlit Molotov in his hand.
“That wasn’t us Jackie, we aren’t fucking with you.”
Inside, Tina and Alex peer over the counter to watch the tense standoff.
“Somebody is trying to turn us against each other. Somebody is trying to fuck us all over. Somebody is trying to make us do their dirty work for them. Now, does that sound familiar to you Jackie?” Xavier says.
“Goddamn …” Jackie says slowly. “Goddamn … it’s those 8 Mile Boys. Those fucking 8 Mile Boys! They’re turning us against each other!”
“Well, that is no good.” Juan muses, getting angry. “I mean, El Mortido and Oak Park Posse, we have an agreement. But those 8 Mile Boys are fucking around on our turf. And that is no good.”
“Hey, I got an idea,” Jackie smiles, “why don’t your posse and my posse get together, and we go down to the other side of Oak Park, we fuck those 8 Mile Boys up?”
“I like your style Jackie. Let’s go. Let’s fuck ‘em up!!!” The gang members whoop and some fire shots off into the air, pumping themselves up for the confrontation to come. As they get into their cars, Juan turns to Xavier.
“Hey brother, you coming with us, right?”
“Nah, I gotta take care of my friends.” Xavier says, taking a step towards the store.
“Naw, you can take care of them later. Right now, come and help us take care of these 8 Mile fucks. C’mon man, it’ll be cool!”
Inside the store, Tina whispers “Don’t do it Xavier! Don’t go!”
“Nah … that’s … that’s not who I am anymore. I gotta take care of my friends.”
“Hey man, you came up with this idea! You’re not gonna see it through?” Juan asks.
“Don’t worry about him Juan. I guess it’s true what Maria said about him. He really IS a pussy. C’mon, forget about him.” Raoul snorts as he taps Juan on the shoulder. Together, the gang members drive off.

Tina and Alex run out of the store. Tina puts her arm around Xavier’s shoulder.
“I’m proud of you Xavier!”
Xavier hangs his head a little, as the three clerks walk back into the store…

[Cam]

CLOSING SCENE: MIGHT AS WELL DIE WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE

It’s a few hours later. The clerks are cleaning up the store, sweeping up the broken glass, moping up the spilled soup. They’re relieved, but tired; it’s been a long, eventful day, and the adrenaline rush has long gone.
The phone rings. Alex answers, and hears Maria, crying and sobbing.
“Xavier? Xavier? Help me…”
Alex pushes the phone to Xavier.
“Maria, what’s wrong?”
“Xavier … they’re … dead … they’re all dead … oh God … I’m surrounded by bodies … oh God … oh God …” Maria starts sobbing.
Xavier puts the phone down, and runs out of the store, jumping on his bike.
“Hey!!! Where are you going now?” Alex yells, but Xavier’s gone.

Xavier pulls up out the front of the El Mortido crib. He charges up the stairs, leaping over a body that’s face down. He busts into the main room where the party was. The room is full of bodies. Members of El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse lay sprawled across the floor, across the sofas, across the coke-covered table. Maria is curled up in the middle of the room, sobbing, rocking back and forth. And as Xavier steps towards her, he realizes that none of the people have died from violent causes. There are no bullet wounds, there’s no blood, no gore. Just a crib full of dead people … all of whom have horrible enormous grins on their faces.

Back at the store, Tina sweeps the broken glass away from the cash register, taking care not to disturb the yellow smiley-face magnet…

END OF SESSION ONE.

Wow. Okay, that took me WAY longer than I thought it would. Most likely because I went into pretty fine detail. Sorry about that (then again, this is for also for myself and my players, so it’s kinda important for me to hit all the important points.) The session itself took a little less than 5 hours to play. As you can see, however, a lot happened in those 5 hours. We wanted to explore these new characters, and explore the environment they live in. So, lots of character interaction and potential plot threads!

Hmm, I think my fingers are gonna explode from all that typing. I think I’ll leave it here for the moment. However, I will hopefully be able to post the details of sessions two and three before Sunday (which is when we’re hopefully playing session four).

Oh, I should put out that session one was ran before I saw the Angel episode “Smile Time”. No, really, scout’s honour! So, actually, the opening of “Smile Time” REALLY creeped me out, because we closed our Unknown Armies session in the same way!!!

We had a lot of fun playing this session (the next two sessions were also really good … quite tense too), and I’m really digging Unknown Armies. It’s really encouraged us to bring morals, ethics, and the consequences of your actions to the forefront of this campaign.

Okay, thanks for reading this far!!!

Cheers,

Cam.

[Orsino]

Tres Nifty. I like the street-level style. Looking forward to reading more of this.

[knightsky]

Very cool. I would love to play in a campaign like this.

[Breogan]

"El Mortido" sure isnt Spanish, but for all I know Hispanic street gangs speak more Spanglish than Spanish, so...

("The Dead Boys"... could be "Los Muertos" or "Los Muertitos" to imply the young age, but that sounds to me more like a Mexican gang... "Los Muertecitos") also.

Apart from that, is one hell of a nice idea, I would love to play. In fact, if plagiarism is the highest form of flattery, I'm taking notes :-P Really, I would like to have ideas like this

Jesús Couto F.

[Thunder_God]

Interesting read! :) Actually less posts will help me keep my sanity better ;) So, what are they? Mortals? Winder could be a Videomancer I guess, heh. I remember fondly a one-shot by one of the better GMs in Israel where we played detectives who investigated a series of murders and eventually got murdered by the same "Force", their own self-loathing. Mortals in UA is fun, besides it being a rather gritty setting/system :)

[Skiorht]

Very impressive. The set-up is very conductive to tight narration, giving the PCs a lot of ties to the immediate neighbourhood. I love this sort of intense, small-scale gaming.

One thing that I might use in a situation like this would be to explore the dichotomy of Detroit vs. Windsor. Just across the river there's a different city, a different country, a different world... It could be a sanctuary, a trap, or whatever. The border crossing is symbolic in many ways. I'd probably want to shoehorn it in my game in some way.

[Jestocost]

And I'mp retty sure that you'll enter an Otherspace when you try to swim Detroit River once in a blue moon to get to Windsor. When the Windsor is reflected in th light of the moon, you've got to dive until you can't breathe anymore and you'll wind up in a strange strange world.

Just give it a try.

I was once in Detroit: And just lookng across the river was great - behind you the concrete and steel of Detroit, on the other side green, lush Canada. Perhaps that, or just Green Pasture syndrome.

[budman]

Very very cool I hope when i run UA i can run it as well.

mark.

[Future Villain Band]

As a side note, if you want a good general overview of Detroit's history, you should contact their City Council -- a buddy of mine and I ran a Vampire/Werewolf campaign series in Detroit, and we wrote to their City Council looking for info and got some really good material. You can still keep the vagueness you like, but add some info on the African-American history of the area (which is fascinating) as well as all of the cool historical sites for your Cliomancers, such as the castles.

--Eric

[SweeneyTodd]

Very nice detail, thanks!

It's funny; I had thought my UA-inspired D20 game (link (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=108911&highlight=comfort+zone)) was going to go more like this, but my players came in with ultra-competent military and investigative types. Threw me for a loop.

I'm looking forward to running some pure UA with average joes as PCs, because I think it makes it easier to push exploration of those moral and ethical issues that you're digging in this game. I'd much rather run a firefight where nobody involved is very good at shooting, and they're all scared spitless.

[Mencelus]

Heya Cam! Let me just say to all yous out there - much like Cam's thread about the Nobilis game I ran, Unknown Armies is all about actually playing the thing, rather than reading it. I had no idea how cool Nobilis was until I ran a mini-campaign with Cam and company. Now, playing U.A. is a flipping blast (I'm Alex Gustav) and is much better than just reading the well-written core book. That said, be prepared for some nastiness as (hopefully) Cam writes on about our later sessions...muhahahahaha!

[Cam]

Hey Guys!

Cheers for the feedback everyone, very glad to hear that you're enjoying the "Clerks" details! I'm also glad to hear that this kind of game appeals to people out there. When I was about two-thirds of the way through typing up the session I suddenly thought to myself "Wow. Are people actually gonna enjoy reading this? I mean, I've just typed 6000 odd words talking about ... a bunch of people talking, running a shop, making home deliveries, and looking for an ex-junky. Not the most exciting sounding of games. We were totally into it and totally in character when we were playing, and it was actually very tense at times ... but am I typing up the roleplaying equivalent of a Mike Leigh or Ken Loach movie? I mean, *I* love it, but how many people out there really dig Ken Loach?"

I sometimes wonder what kind of games I'd be playing if I weren't involved with my current group of (extremely excellent) players. From the responses I've read to this thread, it's heartening to know that there's like-minded people out there in rpg land!

I'll try and get session 2 up in about a day or so. Some very cool stuff happens, including yet another stand-off, but this time actually *inside* the corner store. Oh, and Xavier rams a pistol into someone's mouth.

Before I say anything else, I've got to give HUGE props to my players. The session was almost entirely improvised, and pretty much all of the cool stuff that happened in the game came from the players. I really wasn't exaggerating when I said the notes for the first session were written on a napkin! For example, the scene with Old Man Crandle and the ensuing saga of the 40 bucks came entirely from the players. It was because of the 40 bucks that Xavier borrowed the cash from El Mortido, which then got him in debt, which ended up with him delivering the package, which he then used to get the gang's help at the end ... it all came from my players. They totally rock. As GM, I'm just taking all the cool moments and ideas they're giving me, and trying to weave them together in a narratively tight way, with tight pacing.

To address some of the things you guys said:

Breogan, cheers for the Spanish!!! "Los Muertitos" sounds kinda cool. And, of course, oddly appropriate, because the first session ended with an awful lot of them being Dead Boys. Also, cheers for the praise! Feel free to use any and all ideas you see in the sessions I post! The vast majority of cool things I've put into pretty much ALL of the games I've ever GMed are things I've "borrowed" from other GMs and games, so there's some cool gaming karma going on if you can take something from my games!

Thunder_God, yep, the PCs in "Clerks, Detroit Style" are all normal joes, kickin' it in that down-and-dirty, gritty street-style!

Skiorht, yeah, the Detroit/Windsor dichotomy really appeals to me too. It struck me straight off as a really good framing device for an opening scene. It'd be cool to explore it some more, but that's pretty much up to the players. Right now, they're fairly immersed in their local neighbourhood, which as you pointed out is keeping things nice and tight. (And has drawn the PCs into the narrative *very* quickly.) Still, even if Windsor never gets touched on again in the campaign, I think it'll hover at the back of the players' minds because of that opening scene, reminding them that something has gone horribly horribly wrong in their neighbourhood...

Jestocost, I've gotta quote you here:
"I was once in Detroit: And just lookng across the river was great - behind you the concrete and steel of Detroit, on the other side green, lush Canada. Perhaps that, or just Green Pasture syndrome."
Wow, that's a beautiful moment man!!! I hope there's a moment like this in one of the upcoming sessions. But perhaps the clerks are actually happy to be on their side of the river. Sure, it's concrete and steel ... but it's their *home*. And damned if they're gonna leave it or give it up. (Something like that ... of course, entirely up to the players ...)

Eric ... I'm sorry, did you say CASTLES??? In DETROIT??? Woah, okay, I think I'll do a little bit of research into Detroit! Especially as regards the African-American history (good point); in the third session an older NPC made a throw-away line to "the race riots", so it'd be cool to know some of the details. Actually, I was toying with the idea of running an historical flashback episode at some point, so such research would be kinda necessary on my part. Musically as well as historically, actually; I want to get my hands on some classic Motown albums...

[By the way, and this is addressed to my players, how would you feel about that? An historical flashback session at some stage during the campaign?]

Sweeney, just read the posts on your UA inspired game. Cool stuff!!! To be honest, part of me really gets off on the whole uber-competent military/government operative thing (hmm, perhaps I should blame Delta Green for that!); the shot in your "Inside Out and Over" trailer with the dude in full battle dress going apeshit bananas with the assault rifle was totally cool! It was also really cool to see your players taking narrative control every so often, and you as the GM fully encouraging that and running with it.

You're quite right, however, about the tension that easily arises from this gritty street-level style of play. The scene when Xavier was trying to start the ice-cream van and it wouldn't start because the engine was flooded was *extremely* tense. As was the seige at the end. The guy playing Tina thought about leaning around that counter and taking a shot, but then thought better of it, because he knew what would happen if Tina took a stray shot to the face.

Furthermore, because the players were playing amateurs when it came to investigating and stuff, they just naturally started making mistakes that amateurs would! Just like when Xavier pulled the ski mask over his face, put his switchblade against Tiger's throat, and Tina gasps "Xavier!!!" And there's an absolute doozy in session 2, when the clerks park the ice-cream van outside a house to talk to some people inside, then run away because some dangerous guys come looking for them ... and then they go back and pick up the van, and drive it back to the corner store. And park it out the front. And totally forget about it when the same dangerous guys come into the store and say "Um, gee, so, have you seen such-and-such lately?" And then the clerks look through the window at the van and say "um, uh, no, uh..."

Brilliant moment.

Mencelus ... oh, hey, it's Alex Gustav himself! Yep, I'll definitely get the next two sessions up soon. Session two hopefully in the next day or so. And yes, UA is both a joy to read and play.

Actually, the greatest challenges for me in GMing this have been to avoid throwing in every totally cool thing that's in the UA corebook, and to avoid dialing the surreal weirdness up to 11 too quickly. Because, quite frankly, it's a pretty cool corebook. With heaps of good ideas and amazing plot hooks. Too many ideas and plot hooks to be put into just one campaign ... but because they're all SO COOL, my urge was to just put all of them into a blender, hit the button, and then pour an incredibly whacked out cocktail for my players, spiced up with some totally weird surreal shit straight out of a David Lynch film IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF THE CAMPAIGN.

Thankfully, reason prevailed and I didn't do that ... but seriously, it was hard, I really had to fight the urge. I've gone for a minimal approach, with only hints of weirdness in the first session (Dave the ex-junky, the smiling corpses of the gang members). Seems to be working, and we seem to be slowly turning up the surreal weirdness dial...

But, more of that in session 2. Soon to come.

Promise.

Cheers!

Cam.

[SweeneyTodd]

Originally posted by Cam

...the clerks park the ice-cream van outside a house to talk to some people inside, then run away because some dangerous guys come looking for them ... and then they go back and pick up the van, and drive it back to the corner store. And park it out the front. And totally forget about it when the same dangerous guys come into the store and say "Um, gee, so, have you seen such-and-such lately?"


Yeah, I love that stuff. If I were playing instead of GMing, I think I'd find it cathartic to screw up that badly.

I've done some bits where the players took on the roles of NPCs in flashbacks, and I was amused to see how thoroughly my players were willing to screw up if it wasn't their "main" PC. (At one point we had a bunch of soldiers in the desert in a Humvee, and one's rolling a joint on top of their GPS console while the other's using "night vision mode" to peek at Saudi women's underwear. If only I could get them to make equally bad decisions with their real PCs.)

The one upside of hyper-competent PCs is that they were all so gung-ho to resolve the situation we started off that game with (the dead guy in the bathroom) that we had a Mexican standoff between the PCs in the first five minutes. Until people finally started fishing out badges, I was sure they were going to kill each other.

Looking forward to hearing more about session two, just don't burn out on us. ;)

[Skiorht]

Originally posted by Cam
... but am I typing up the roleplaying equivalent of a Mike Leigh or Ken Loach movie? I mean, *I* love it, but how many people out there really dig Ken Loach?

*raises hand*

Actually, the greatest challenges for me in GMing this have been to avoid throwing in every totally cool thing that's in the UA corebook, and to avoid dialing the surreal weirdness up to 11 too quickly. Because, quite frankly, it's a pretty cool corebook. With heaps of good ideas and amazing plot hooks.

This is just the thing that struck me immediately when I opened the book. There is just so much good stuff it seems a shame not to use it all. I resisted the urge, and decided to let it simmer for a few months.

It was fun to read about the napkin. Most of my games are run pretty much the same way. I have a few ideas scribbled on a piece of paper, a few NPCs, and (if I'm lucky) a relationship map. Then it's pretty much up to my players. I've noticed that a reactive gamemastering style fits me better, and provides me with most fun. I love to be surprised and thrown off-balance. The only limitation I've noticed is when the setting isn't familiar enough to the players.

[ascendance]

Originally posted by Cam
The streets of Windsor are clean and well lit. As they drive by a park, they see people jogging, lovers walking arm in arm, people walking their dogs.

This, sir, is truly the stuff of fantasy. Windsor is pretty much a hole of a town. But I can see why you'd play up the contrast for dramatic reasons.

[Cam]

Hi All!

Okay, I’ll post these as I type … so expect a good half hour or so between each scene, because I type pretty slowly!!!

But, here we go … session 2 …

CLERKS, DETROIT STYLE.

SESSION TWO:

OPENING SCENE: CLEANING UP/PRESS CONFERENCE

It’s the morning after the siege at Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery, and Alex and Tina are finishing up cleaning the store as morning sunlight hesitantly creeps through the broken windows. Xavier still hasn’t returned after receiving that distressing phone call from his sister, and since he didn’t say much as he ran out of the store, Alex and Tina are getting a little worried.

Tina turns on the TV in time to see a news report detailing a horrific gang battle in Oak Park last night.

“And we cross now to Cynthia Weatherdale, reporting live from the battleground that is Oak Park. Cynthia?”
“Thank you Dan. I’m standing in the middle of what can only be described as a slaughterhouse, the site of the worst gangland massacre since the infamous St. Valentine’s Day. Right now Oak Park is running red with the blood of at least 30 gangmembers, most of whom were in their teens…”
The camera cuts wildly through Oak Park, zooming in on bloodied bodies covered in plastic sheets, ejected brass, and the small army of police officers roaming the area.
“…police sources report most of the dead as wearing the colors of the 8 Mile Boys, with a small handful of the dead in El Mortido and Oak Park Posse colors. A three-way clash with the 8 Mile Boys as the targets? Who knows. But this could very well be the start of some of the worst gangland clashes in Detroit, and possibly even American, history.”

The camera cuts back to Dan, smug in his dark blue suit, in the studio. The bottom of the screen has the tag “Gangland violence on the rise” and a silhouette of a gun.
“We cross now to a press conference being given by the Mayor.”
“- we’ll be setting up an anti-gang violence task force to look into this. We’re doing everything we can to get these gangs off the streets, and to make our streets safe. For the time being, I urge everyone in the areas surrounding Oak Park to stay indoors after sunset, and to report and all suspicious behavior using the new anti-gang violence hotline. And I promise you, these gangs will not disrupt our new program of urban renewal. If anything, these people have hastened it. They have made us realize just how important it is for us to rebuild our shattered communities. To give people real jobs and a real sense of community and belonging. To rebuild the glory of Detroit once again. Thank you.”

The Mayor steps away from the podium, nods sternly, and moves behind some curtains. He moves over to a table where a number of his advisors are sitting, including some of the industrialists behind the new urban renewal program, including Holden A. Martin.
“Well said Mr. Mayor,” Holden says, stepping up and shaking the Mayor’s hand.
“Thanks Holden. But it’s true. The sooner we get these factories reopened, the sooner we can start giving these people hope.”
“My thoughts exactly Mr. Mayor.” Holden says. Holden looks to be in his late 50s, possibly early 60s. His hair is gray, dignified. His body is thin, almost frail looking, but there’s an energy, an alertness in his eyes and face which marks him as being anything but frail. “I don’t mean to sound mercenary, but in a way this a blessing in disguise.”
“What do you mean Holden?”
“This sudden bout of gang violence has taken place near areas crucial for the urban renewal program. Factories reopened here, and this particular highway will have to redirected into here. We were planning on buying this land anyway. And after this, I can’t see any sane reason why people would choose to stay in such an area. We’ll secure the land much more cheaply, and face minimal opposition in the process.”
“Hmm, that’s a good point Holden,” the Mayor nods. “Okay, let’s get on it.”
The Mayor looks down at the map of the city Holden is pointing to. His finger is resting on a humble street corner, not far from Oak Park. Looking at the key on the side of the map shows that it’s a commercial business, probably a corner store of some kind…

[Cam]

SCENE ONE: HOME DELIVERIES (AGAIN) AND THE RETURN OF THE MEN IN BLACK

Tina’s suddenly distracted as the phone rings. She picks it up.
“Tina? Tina? Are … are you okay? I mean … are you okay? I was watching the TV and I saw this report about Oak Park and gangs and shootings and …”
“I’m fine Mr. Winters,” Tina says reassuringly, “we’re all fine.”
Alex frowns when he hears this. Where the hell is Xavier?
“Oh … oh … good! That’s good Tina! Now, could you bring me some groceries?”
“Oh, sure, no problem Mr. Winters let me grab a pen…”

A few minutes later Tina is walking down the road with a box of groceries, topped with the latest copy of TV Weekly and a red pen (she knows how Mr. Winters likes to highlight “his shows” in red). She’s a little out of breath by the time she reaches the apartment block. She looks at the stairs, but thinks better of it. She waits for the elevator, which clunks and clatters ominously. A few minutes later, she knocks on Old Man Winter’s door.
“Oh, Tina, it’s Tina! Oh, bless you Tina! Just put the box down there, thank you. And you brought the latest TV Weekly, oh bless you, thank you…”
Tina straightens her back, and looks around Old Man Winter’s kitchen. Most of the shelf space is piled high with old TV Weekly guides and shoeboxes. Winters steps over to a shoebox, and opens it, taking out a huge wad of cash and offering it to Tina.
“Ah, here you go, that should be enough.”
“Uh …” Tina counts throw the wad of cash, “actually, that’s a little too much. Here you go.” Tina gives some of the money back to Winters who idly pushes it back into the shoebox. Tina can’t help but note there’s even more money falling out of the shoebox. And exactly what’s in all those other shoeboxes anyway?
“You’ve got a good heart Tina, you’ve got a good heart. I was just so worried when I heard about that gang violence on the TV, and you’ve always looked out for me … I …I … if there’s anything I can do Tina-” he starts to shuffle back to one of the shoeboxes, but Tina stops him.
“Don’t worry Mr. Winters. I’m fine. And thank you. Anyway, I gotta get back to the store.”
A few moments after Tina steps outside and hears the locks click into place behind her, she hears the muted sounds of a game show drifting through the door…

“Tina! Hey, Tina! Hold the lift!”
Tina throws her considerable bulk in front of the closing doors, and sees Dave the ex-junky jogging down the corridor towards her. He’s got a backpack thrown across one shoulder.
“Thanks Tina!”
“Oh, hey Dave. Going somewhere?”
“Yeah, actually, I’m off to L.A.”
“Already???”
“Yeah. I called those guys, and they said they could easily send the check to L.A. And after the shit that went down in Oak Park last night, I really don’t wanna be here much longer. I mean, we both had a pretty close call with the Oak Park Posse yesterday. I don’t wanna push my luck, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Tina nods. But she doesn’t have a younger brother in L.A. she can run to. This is her home. Detroit.

The elevator doors slowly clank open, and Dave and Tina step out into the sunlight. Laticia’s on the front steps with her two kids. She smiles at Tina, looks a little suspiciously at Dave.
“So, you’re really leaving?” She says to Dave.
“Yeah.” He nods. Silence.
“Okay.” Laticia slowly nods. “I can respect that. Just don’t start with that shit again. Seen you almost flush your life down the toilet once. I’ll go all the way to L.A. and kick your goddamned ass if you do that again.”
“Yeah.” Dave nods. “Look, I’m so-”
“Hey, I don’t wanna hear that shit.” Laticia says, holding up a hand. “I’m just glad you’re startin’ again, turnin’ over a new leaf and all that shit. Good luck.” She then slowly extends her hand to Dave. He takes it, hesitantly, and shakes it.
“Yeah, good luck Dave.” Tina smiles, shakes Dave’s hand.
Dave slowly smiles, and then finally Laticia slowly smiles too. The morning sun feels warm on everyone’s skin, suggesting all the possibilities of a new day. It’s a beautiful moment. It’s like Tina can almost hear the gentle string music that accompanies the scene…

And suddenly that warmth is undercut by a sudden, sinister bass note. On cue, Tina, Dave, and Laticia look over to the other side of the street. The see a black government car parked on the curb, two men in dark suits shaking hands with none other than Willy Lomar, owner of the apartment block directly opposite. People use the word slumlord about Willy when they want to say something nice about him. He’s smiling, shaking hands with the suits. Is that Smith and Jones again?
Tina’s eyes narrow.
“Guys, I gotta get back to the store. I’ll be seeing you Laticia. Good luck Dave.”
Tina starts heading back down the road towards the store.
Meanwhile, Dave and Laticia watch the three men get in the car, and drive off. They keep watching for a while. Then Dave shakes his head.
“Wow. That was kinda weird.”
“Yeah. It was.”
“Well, I gotta get to the bus station. See ya Laticia.”
“See ya Dave.”
Dave shoulders his backpack, and starts slowly walking down the road.

[Andy K]

Wow, Cam, great stuff! You should write this up JRPG Replay-Style.

As it is, its great readings. Interestingly enough, I'm beginning a UA campaign this week as well. Can't wait to begin now!

[Cam]

SCENE TWO: RETURN TO THE EL MORTIDO CRIB

As Tina walks back to the store she sees a large car pull up in the parking lot of the corner store. She’s surprised to see Xavier step out, who then moves to the passenger’s side and gently lifts Maria out. They walk into the store, and Tina runs in after them.

“Xavier, where the hell where you ma-” Alex stops as he sees Maria. She’s pale, shivering, and looks scared as hell. “Jesus man, what the hell happened to her?”
“Tell you in a minute. I wanna get her on the cot we’ve got downstairs.”
“Hang on, let me have a look at her. I, uh, know medicine you know.” Alex steps over, looks Maria over. Her pupils are dilated.
“Is she on something?”
“Yeah.” Xavier slowly nods.
“I’ve got some tranqs that’ll help her sleep.”
They take Maria down to the cot, Alex gives her some tranqs, and they walk upstairs to where Tina’s waiting.

“Xavier, what happened man?” Alex asks.
“Well, uh …” Xavier stops.
“Hey, I heard her when she called here. Something was seriously wrong.”
“Well, I went to the El Mortido crib and … they’re dead. They’re all dead. Pretty much all of El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse. They’re all dead in the crib. Maybe the 8 Mile Boys whacked ‘em, I dunno…”
“Nah, that’s not possible man. We saw the news report. El Mortido and Oak Park Posse totally took down the 8 Mile Boys.”
“Well, then … I dunno who took these guys out, but they’re pretty much all dead. A few of them weren’t there, like Juan and Martinez and Jackie Z and Tiger, but the others …” Xavier pauses. “And the weirdest thing is, there was no blood. They weren’t shot. It was like they had all died of …” Xavier slips his hand into his pocket, his hand brushing against the slip of paper Martinez gave him last night. The slip of paper with the address on it. The address he got the package from. “Like they’d all died of a drug overdose.”

Xavier’s hand crumples around the address in his pocket. Everything clicks into place. Goddamn. Maria so easily could’ve been one of the smiling dead. It was only because she’d snorted the last of the old shit that she wasn’t. Goddamn. It could’ve been her. Goddamned sonofabitch is gonna pay.
“I’ve gotta go.” Xavier says.
“What? Hey! No! Fuck that shit man, you’ve been running out WAY too much these past 24 hours man! What’s going on?”
“I think I know who did this to them.”
“Well, shit man, let’s just call the police!”
“Alex, the police weren’t much help to us last night, remember?” Tina steps in. “Hell, the police have NEVER been much help to us. This is our community. This is our town. If someone starts messing with it, it’s our problem. And we’ve gotta help each other. We can’t just keep running off and lone wolfing it. Right?”
Alex thinks about it, slowly nods.
“Okay.” He says. “Xavier, have you called the police at all?” Xavier shakes his head. “Well, I wouldn’t mind checking this out. I mean, there’s been a lot of weird assed drug shit going on lately. I’d like to know what’s going on.”
“Okay then.” Tina says. “I’ll get my father to keep an eye on Maria and the shop.”

The clerks jump into the car (it’s one of the El Mortido cars, but hey, they don’t need it anymore), and take off. On the way, they drive past Oak Park and the crackhouse where they almost got shot yesterday. Already, government surveyors are setting up surveying equipment around the crackhouse.
“Okay, THAT was fast. Seems like the city council has got a real hard-on for buying up the local real estate.” Alex says.
“Yeah, and probably at a steal too with all this gang shit that’s going down.” Xavier nods as he drives. “You know, it wouldn’t surprise me if the city council was actually BEHIND the whole gang violence. You know, actually PAYING the 8 Mile Boys to stir up trouble here and bring down land prices.”
“Xavier, I dunno, that sounds a bit like wild conspiracy theory.” Tina frowns.
“Yeah, well, nothing seems very wild to me after the last 24 hours.”

The clerks pull up in front of the El Mortido crib. The front door is still open, the stairs inside leading up into ominous darkness. Alex jumps out, starts to walk in, then notices he’s alone.
“Ah, so you guys aren’t coming in with me?”
Xavier and Tina, still sitting in the car, shake their heads. Xavier’s seen enough and Tina … well, she’s got this thing about dead bodies. [Before posting session 3, I’ve really gotta post the clerks Trigger Events. It’s basically a shared trigger event about a dead guy who won’t stay dead…]
Alex walks through the apartment, trying not to look too hard at the horribly grinning faces of the dead gang members, their eyes glassy. A record spins endlessly on a turntable, the needle locked in the final groove, clicking, rasping, repeating. He scrapes some different samples of the coke and slowly walks back to the car, shaking just a little.

“Okay,” he says softly, “I think I’ve got enough to go on. I’d like to drop this off at my girlfriend Lenna’s place. She studies pharmacy, she’ll be able to help me analyze it.” Xavier’s eyes widen as he hears the name.
“Lenna?” He asks.
“Yeah, Lenna. I’ve mentioned her hundreds of times.”
“Yeah, right … and she’s in the university district, right?”
“Hey, yeah, that’s right!”
“Okay then,” Xavier says grimly as he starts the engine, “let’s go.”

[Spook]

Living about a mile away from detroit I have to ask... Whats Detroit Techno, and how is it different from regular techno?

[Cam]

Hi Andy!

Yah, as you can no doubt see, UA is kinda rockin' my world at the moment. :)

Let me know how your campaign goes. By the way, did you end up running one of the "One Shots" to get your crew familiar with the system? "Jail Break"?

Oh, and I'll totally send you a mail about music and stuff soon. Promise! Heaps of totally cool stuff floating around, including a new album by Squarepusher!!! :) WOOT!!!

Cheers!

Cam.

[Cam]

Hey Spook,

I'll try and give you a detailed answer soon, but I know if I do that now I'll get all excited and stop typing up the Session 2 details!

First of all, Detroit is arguably the home of techno. Early pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May were taking various influences such as electro-funk and the synth-pop of Kraftwerk and mixing it together to create something synthetic and beat-driven, but with the disco influences stripped away (from what little I know, that's much closer to House music). They pretty much created the blueprint for "techno", which of course immediately shattered and splintered into heaps of various sub-genres.

"Detroit Techno" is a recognized subgenre of techno, which, to quote www.allmusic.com "is characterized by, alternately, a dark, detached, mechanistic vibe and a smooth, bright, soulful feel (the latter deriving in part from the Motown legacy and the stock-in-trade between early techno and the Chicago-style house developing simultaneously to the southwest). While essentially designed as dance music meant to uplift, the stark, melancholy edge of early tracks by Cybotron, Model 500, Rhythm Is Rhythm, and Reese also spoke to Detroit's economic collapse in the late '70s following the city's prosperous heyday as the focal point of the American automobile industry."

I understand that every year Detroit hosts the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, a city sponsored event, so it's free of charge. Could be well worth checking out if you're at all interested in dance music.

But, basically, that's Detroit Techno. Dark, driving, mechanistic, melancholy, yet oddly uplifting as well. As such, it's been the perfect musical accompaniment for this UA session so far!!!

(I strongly recommend the "Aztec Mystic" Mix by DJ Rolando, plus pretty much anything by Jeff Mills).

Cheers!

Cam.

(Edited to fix up the allmusic url)

[Cam]

SCENE THREE: LENNA

Xavier brings the car to a screeching halt in front of Lenna’s house. The same house he visited last night to pick up the package.
“Hey, Xavier … how did you know this was Lenna’s place?” Alex asks, but Xavier’s not listening. He’s already out of the car and storming towards the front door. Alex and Tina jump out, and start hustling after him.

BAM BAM BAM!!! Xavier knocks on the front door. BAM BAM BAM!!! Alex runs up to him.
“Hey man, what are you-” The door swings open, revealing Lenna. Lenna’s in her early 20’s, with stern, slightly Slavic features. She’s attractive, with dark hair. [I imagine her as looking a bit like the Tony Soprano’s Russian mistress in “The Sopranos”.]
“Alex, what you- HEY!” Lenna is cut off in midsentence as Xavier pushes in. “Alex! What’s going on?”
“Where is he? Where’s Ben?” Xavier snarls as he stalks around the house.
“Uh, look, Lenna, I’m here with some – uh – don’t worry about Xavier, he’s a fr-, uh, who’s Ben?” Alex says, concerned, confused.
“Ben’s my boyfr-”
“Oh, okay, sorry, sorry, none of my business, really none of my-” Alex starts apologizing, holding his hands up.
“Yeah, he’s the guy who supplied the drugs that killed El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse last night.”
“WHAT?!?!” Alex and Lenna spin around at the same time. And then start talking over the top of each other.

“What are you talking about, Ben would never do such a-”
“Lenna, what’s going on, who are you involved with, who is this Be-”
“Look, who are YOU involved with Alex, who is this Xa-”
“I’m just worried about you-”
“You’re NOT my boyfriend anymore Alex, and you and your friend here are starting to scare-”
“Was Ben here last night?” Xavier cuts in.

“Well, yeah, he was … he … hang on,” Lenna says slowly, “someone came to the door last night. Ben was said it was a friend who needed to pick something up. I heard his voice. It was YOUR voice. It was you, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. And that bad shit he gave me killed a whole bunch of people last night. Are you in on this too?”
“Whoa! Xavier, just hang on a minute-” Alex starts to say.
“No no no. You both just hang on a minute.” Lenna says. “Exactly who the hell are YOU Xavier? Are you some kind of drug dealer? Drug supplier? What the hell were YOU doing picking up drugs last night?” She turns to Alex. “What kind of people are you hanging around with Alex?”

“Hang on.” Tina breaks in. “Xavier. Did YOU take this stuff to the El Mortido crib last night?”
“Well, yeah, but …”
“I thought you didn’t do stuff like that anymore Xavier. What are you doing delivering drugs for? I’m disappointed in you.”
“Look, because I did that they helped us out last night. And anyways,” he spins back towards Lenna, “I’m not the one knowingly supplying dangerous shit to people! That’s Ben!”
“No! That’s total bullshit! Ben would NEVER do something like that. I mean, he HATES drugs. His little sister died of a drug overdose. He hates drugs. He HATES them!” Lenna pleads.
“Yeah?” Xavier steps forward. “Well, MY little sister almost got killed last night because of your Ben! And-” He stops, and bites down on his anger. Takes a step back.
“Look, Alex, what’s going on?” Lenna says.

“Well, basically, a bunch of people took some really bad drugs last night, and it, um, killed them. I took a sample, and I was wondering if you could maybe help me analy-” Alex starts to pull one of the vials out of his pocket.
“Woah! Alex! No! If that’s what I think it is, then I don’t want it in here!”
Xavier snorts somewhat derisively.
“Where’s Ben?” He asks.
“I don’t know. He’s not here. Maybe at the lab, maybe at his dorm, I don’t know, I don’t know.”
“Fine.” Xavier storms out of the house. Tina looks at his retreating back, looks at Lenna and Alex, and then leaves.
“Look, Lenna, I’m sorry about-”
“I think you should go Alex.”
“I’m just worried about you. About this Ben guy.”
“Ben is … he’s not like you Alex. Ben has this … drive, this energy, this intensity. I’m sorry Alex … you just never had that.”
“Yeah … uh … yeah. I gotta go. Um, see ya.” Alex says awkwardly, then runs out to the car. The engine’s already running, and the car screeches away towards the University…

[Cam]

Hey Everyone,

Sad to say that because of my usual glacial typing speed, it's late and I've gotta take a break from recounting the details of session 2 and get some sleep (and then wake up, get dressed go to work, etc.). Which means I'll hopefully posting the rest of the details of session 2 tomorrow night (uh, that's about 17 or so hours from now for me, probably...).

So, if you're keen to see what happens to the clerks, and what happens when they finally find Ben, tune in tomorrow night!

Cheers,

Cam.

[Mencelus]

Heya Cam! It's a heck of a lot of fun to read over what we did last session - it looks as cool as it was to do (and let's one re-live one's moment vicariously, which is weird, since we were the ones who did all this...). One thing I think Cam hasn't noted is that, as players, we tend to rp the other people as well. So, for example, the discussion in the mayor's office was actually played out by the other players and myself - Cam only had a side role, sort of (GM as screen extra, hmm...).

Which brings me to my next point. Has anyone out here, playing similiar games like UA, ever found themselves in the happy position of being able to screw themselves over? As you've seen, and will see, I almost feel like the other players and me are SEARCHING for ways to screw over our own characters in-game, which makes the whole thin more interesting. Almost like a competition ("Hey, I bet I can make us suffer more!"). Fun stuff.

Great job on the write-up Cam. Keep it up and see you Sunday!

[Cam]

Hey All,

Ah, yes, quite true, that was something I hadn't pointed out yet. Most of the NPCs you've read about so far have actually been played by the players; this has led to some interesting situations where the NPCs (being played by the players) have set up plans that will make life extremely difficult for the PCs.

(The conversation in the Mayor's office being a good example).

Of course, as GM, I don't see that as the players screwing themselves over; I see it as the players making complications that will make the game interesting in the future. Creating future conflicts which, in turn, will create future drama. Needless to say, I love it, because all I have to do is thread together these future conflicts in interesting ways. Less work for me! :)

Speaking seriously, however, it's quite exciting for me, because it means that I'm GMing reactively at times; the players regularly throw curve balls that I have to catch and then thread into the game. Very exciting stuff.

Okay, posting at work, so I should sign off for now ... should be back in a couple of hours time with the final details of session 2.

Cheers!

Cam.

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Mencelus
One thing I think Cam hasn't noted is that, as players, we tend to rp the other people as well. So, for example, the discussion in the mayor's office was actually played out by the other players and myself - Cam only had a side role, sort of (GM as screen extra, hmm...).

Okay, this just made this Story Hour even more exciting. How do you actually handle this in-game? I need some more details on how you do this?

What I mean is, have you as a group, including GM, sat down prior to the campaign and talked about the main characters in the plot, and what their roles will be? Take the Mayor's conversation as an example, could you let me know how that played out? Who played who, and what background on the characters were you provided with? I'm guessing that Cam doesn't just tell you, "okay, you play this scene now" without any sort of background on the characters in the scene. I'm confused... :confused:

Love the story, just hate the fact that my group only wants to play fantasy. :mad:

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Mencelus]

Well, Cam can tell you more of his style, but essentially, when we do a kind of "cut-scene," the roles we need to play are rather self-evident. Take the mayor scene. Obviously, something bad has gone down - he's a politico, he needs to cover his rear and appear to be doing something about whatever is a current concern of the voters. The industrialists are there, so, we can usually gauge what they want - more money, right? Sterotyping? Maybe.

However, and here's the brilliant bit, because we know the base motive of the character, we also know that no one is a paper cut-out: he or she is human, reacting to a real situation. And almost no one things of themselves as evil. Everything a human does, a human tries to justify. Take the mayor scene. The mayor, on some level, actually does care about his city (played by the guy who plays Xavier). Sure, he wants to be reelected. But, somehow, he wants to help. And why not make the city a little better too? New buildings, new jobs, can't be bad, right? Method acting?

Personally, I don't think anyone doesn't have some sort of motive for what they do - there may be random instants of action, but on the whole, we have a web of reasons, or believed reasons, to act when we make moral choices. Maybe that's what UA is all about.

Now, mechanically, Cam takes whatever is the lead character. Storywise, I feel like he points in a direction, and gets something to happen that needs to happen for the story (and our enjoyment, since extensive pre-planning with our group is useless - we ALWAYS think of something weird, off the cuff, which is why I like this group ) :) We're happy campers so we play along, and as Cam mentioned, we, um, make things more interesting.

[GregStolze]

What's fascinating about players who take on NPC roles and screw themselves is that it illustrates something I've written in a couple GMming chapters now -- that there is no strict correspondence between what the character wants and what the player wants. The character seeks goal X, but the player wants a good story about the STRIVING for goal X.

It's interesting that the players in the group recognize this so consciously...

-G.

[magadog]

Hey, if someone else already mention this and I missed it, my apologies, but unless I missed something (entirely possible) Puerto Ricans do not have to do military service to get citizenship... they are born on American soil (I myself was born in a territory).

[Cam]

Hey Yokiboy!

Mencelus covered things pretty well, but I'll try and respond in greater length soon. As Mencelus pointed out, the players can usually gauge what the NPCs in a given situation want. So, in the Mayor/Industrialists example, it was not that much of a stretch for them to think about their goals.

There's also an issue of trust involved. One of the players COULD HAVE had an industrialist NPC suddenly say "Hey, let's stop this whole urban renewal thing, leave this neighbourhood to its own devices, and give our money to charity!" (A ridiculous example, I know, but just for the sake of arguement ... )

But hey, what's the fun in that? First of all, it's highly unbelievable that an Industrialist would act in such a manner. But more importantly, it deprives the players of a cool challenge for them to overcome. As Greg Stolze pointed out, the players want a good story that challenges their PCs. So, every time they play NPCs, they try to contrive ways to create those challenges.

Which then ties back into the trust thing. As a group, we trust each other to take the narrative ball, run with it, and take it to interesting, challenging, and believable places. It's taken our group a while to build up this level of trust, but I've noticed that with each game we've played (we've been playing together for about ... uh ... a couple of years now, I think ...) we've taken more and more chances.

There are some players I know that I wouldn't dream of doing this with. It could be a real opportunity for power-gamers to start stacking the odds of the game/story in their favour. But, again, what's the fun in that?

Another example of something like this happening in this UA campaign so far, was when Xavier's character came into the corner store and said that when he'd gone back to Dave's apartment he'd found it empty. This was something ENTIRELY made up by the player. He didn't even run it past me. He just turned to the other two players, and said it. Which indicated an enormous amount of trust on HIS part. Trust that I wouldn't get all high and mighty and GMy and say "hey, YOU can't make stuff up! That's MY job!" So, I just quietly sat back, thought "Cool!" and then thought "okay ... so what the fuck can THAT mean in this story?", and while the 3 players roleplayed the conversation, a part of my mind was working out various reasons why Dave's apartment would be cleaned out.

Hmmm ... am I making sense? Hmm, dunno if I've done a very good job of describing the process Yokiboy. Basically, we totally trust each other, and improv like hell. But it's taken us about 2 years to get to this stage.

Anyways, here comes a bit more on Session 2. Best of luck with trying to get your players to do something different to fantasy!

Cheers!

Cam.

[Cam]

Puerto Ricans do not have to do military service to get citizenship

Ah, we'll figure some way to retcon that, but cheers for pointing it out magadog!

Cam.

[Cam]

SCENE FOUR: BEN

Xavier turns to Alex as the car comes to a halt in a car park near one of the university dormitories.
“So, you’ve got some idea where to find this guy?”
“Yeah. This dormitory is popular with medical students. If we don’t find him there, the labs are just over that way.”
“Good.” Xavier opens the glove compartment, takes out a pistol, and jams it into his pants. Alex looks at Xavier, looks at the gun, then reaches into the glove compartment and takes out a pistol for himself. He’s pretty pissed at what this Ben guy has dragged Lenna into. In the back seat, Tina’s eyes go wide as she sees her clerks arming themselves with firearms.

There’s not much she can say as the two younger clerks jump out of the car and job into the lobby of the dorm. Tina follows after them.
“Hey, we’re lookin’ for Ben. He around?” Xavier says to a passing student in the lobby.
“Ben?”
“Yeah. Slightly curly brown hair, about this tall …”
“Oh, Ben! Yeah, I think he’s in his room. Number 305.”
The clerks take the elevator up to the third floor, knock on the door of 305.
“It’s open!” A muffled voice says.
The clerks push the door open. There’s two beds, one of either side of the room. A guy in his early 20’s lies on one, headphones around his neck.
“Yeah?” He says.
“That’s not Ben.” Xavier says to the clerks. “Where’s Ben?” he says to the guy on the bed.
“Oh, you just missed him. He got a call about a minute ago.”
“Where’s the phone?”
“Down in the lobby.”
With that, Alex and Xavier charge down the stairs. Tina knows she’ll never keep up with them, so she steps into the room.
“So … uh, I lent my Bible to Ben.” She says.
“Uh-huh.”
“Yeah, and I kinda want it back. It’s my lucky Bible. I feel bad without it. Would you mind if I looked for it?”
“Uh … uh, no, not at all. Knock yourself out, lady. I just gotta, uh, listen to these, uh, lecture notes…” The student pulls the headphones over his ears as the weird Bible lady starts looking through Ben’s side of the room. She’s looking for any drugs or anything that Ben might’ve stashed in there.

Alex and Xavier hit the lobby, and see the dormitory phone hanging from the receiver. Further ahead, the lobby door slams shut.
“Damn! The bitch called him!” Xavier barks as he starts to run. Alex shoots Xavier a look, then takes off after him. They run into the parking lot, frantically looking around them. Where’s Ben?
“Over there! The labs!” Alex yells, pointing.
Alex and Xavier sprint across the car park, and into the lab building. From the third floor window of the nearby dorm, Tina sees them run in.
They frantically run through the labs, knocking over students in the midst of experiments.
“Hey! Watch where you’re goin’ asshole!!!”
“Jesus Christ … somebody call security!!!”
They sprint around a corner in time to see a door ahead leading to the male toilets slam shut. They start running, only to run slam-bang into a student who steps out of a side door holding a pile of medical books. The clerks, student, and books go flying.
“Damn!” Alex and Xavier pick themselves up, charge into toilet. Two guys are at the washbasins, looking alarmed as the main door slams open again.
“Where did he go!” Xavier yells.
The two guys wordlessly point towards the far stall, with the door closed.
“You guys get out of here!” Alex yells, pulling his gun out. The two guys hustle. Xavier sprints towards the stalls … hears the sound of a toilet flushing … he leaps up, hauls himself over the locked stall door, and comes plummeting down on top of Ben, knocking him to the floor. Ben’s holding an empty plastic bag above the toilet. Xavier unlocks the door for Alex.

“So! What the fuck do you think you’re-” Alex starts to angrily say, but then falls silent as Xavier pulls out his gun and wordlessly rams it into Ben’s mouth.
“Oh.” Alex says.
“Did you do it?” Xavier grimly says. “Did you kill them?” Ben tries to say something around the barrel of the gun. Xavier pulls it out.
“What the hell do you care about people like that for?” Ben spits out angrily.
“Did you DO it? Did you KILL them?” Xavier repeats.
“I know you. You picked the stuff up last night, right? Well, yeah, I did it, I killed ‘em, damned straight I did!” Ben spits this out defiantly, almost proudly.
A switch clicks in Xavier’s head. He presses the pistol against Ben’s temple. His face is a mask of rage. His finger slowly starts to pull back on the trigger. The hammer on the pistol moves back ever so slowly … another fraction of an inch, and that hammer will spring forward, propelling a nine millimeter round through Ben’s head.
“Ah, Xavier?” Alex says. “Ah…” What the hell do you say in a situation like this?
The barrel, cold against Ben’s temple, starts to tremble a little.
The gang was dead. But Maria was alive.
Xavier pulled the pistol back.

“Why?” He said.
“Why? WHY?” Ben looks at the clerks, his head shaking disbelievingly. “Why? You’re talking about them as if they matter!”
“They DO matter!” Alex cuts in. “They’re people!”
“No they’re not! They’re scum! Murdering scum! I can’t believe you’re trying to defend them!”
“We’re not trying to defend them!” Alex says. “But WE don’t go around killing people, unlike YOU! You’re the murderer here, Ben!”
“NO!” Ben yells, angrily. “FUCK NO!!! They got what they fucking deserved! They kill my sister, she dies, but you think THEY have the right to go on living? NO! FUCK THAT!”
“Your sister?” Alex says, then suddenly remembers what Lenna said. Ben’s sister died of an overdose.
“Your little sister…” Xavier says slowly, thinking of his own sister. He puts his gun away. “Right. We’re turning you in.”
“What? What are you talking about? The evidence is probably swimming between Detroit and Canada by now.”
“Oh yeah?” Alex says, taking out the vials of coke he’d collected, and dropping them into Ben’s open shirt pocket. “What about that?”
“Get serious guys.” Ben says. “Who are the police gonna believe? The upstanding college guy, or the two guys who just burst into the labs with guns? And one of those guys seems to have gang connections.” Ben looks at Xavier as he says the last of this. “Yeah, real smart play guys, real smart.”
Xavier looks at Ben, looks at Alex. He viciously smashes Ben across the side of the head with the butt of his pistol, takes the drugs back out of Ben’s pocket, and leaves.

Meanwhile, Tina’s overturning Ben’s belongings, yelling “Praise Jesus! But where’s my Bible?” She looks out the window, and sees two campus security guards dash into the labs. “Oh boy.” She says under her breath. “Ah, sorry. Guess the Bible isn’t here!” She lumbers out of the apartment, takes the lift down to the lobby, and walks back to the car. As she climbs in, she finds Alex and Xavier crouching down in the back seat, sweating and breathing heavily.

“Tina, get us the hell out of here.”

[Cam]

CUT SCENE: SURVIVORS ON THE WARPATH

Juan, Martinez, Jackie Z, and Tiger are standing in the El Mortido crib. Surrounded by the horribly grinning bodies of their followers. Dead. All dead.
“What the fuck happened here? We sent them all here to party hard to celebrate our victory in Oak Park, while we went and had a little conference. What the FUCK happened?”
“8 Mile Boys?”
“We just fucking KILLED the 8 Mile Boys!”
After some debate, the gang leaders realize the drugs are somehow responsible. So, who brought the drugs? Well, there’s Xavier. And there’s the guy Xavier picked them up from.
“You got that guy’s address?”
“Yeah, right here.”
“Who the fuck is he?”
“New kid on the scene. My regular supplier was out, and he put me in touch with this new kid. I took some of his stuff a couple of times, and it was amazing. Like, I could almost see Jesus or something like that. So I put in a special order for the party last night.”
“Okay then. Let’s work our way up this list. Let’s start with Xavier. He’s probably at that shitty corner store.”
“Okay. We gotta stick together on this guys. We’re ALL that’s left. Let’s do it.”
They nod grimly to each other, load up on weapons, and walk out of the apartment.

[Cam]

SCENE FIVE: MORAL DEBATES AND BURGER KING

The clerks are driving back to the corner store, with Xavier now at the wheel. And they’re having a SERIOUS debate about Ben’s actions. Alex is unhappy that Lenna has been dragged into the situation, but he can almost understand why Ben did what he did.
“Okay, look, I can understand that he was cut up about his sister’s death.” Tina says. “But that doesn’t give him the right to just KILL people! And to just say ‘oh, these people are scum, they’re nothing better than scum, therefore I have the right to kill them’, it’s just … it’s just repugnant! And self-serving and self-justifying! ‘I shall call these people scum, and therefore treat them like scum’? That’s bullshit! That just sets up an ever-spiraling cycle of bullshit! I mean, sure, they’re gang members, but if everyone just says they’re scum and then treats them like scum and never gives them an honest chance, things will NEVER change! You don’t change things by killing people! You change things by giving people a chance and HELPING people!”
They drive a bit further.

“Wait! Stop the car! Stop the car!” Tina yells. Xavier hits the brakes.
“Shit! What is it?”
“Oh, nothing to be worried about, we were just passing a Burger King and I realized I was hungry. Let’s hit the drive-thru.”
Xavier sighs, and the clerks hit the drive-thru.
“So, what about Ben?” Alex asks.
“He won’t be around much longer.” Xavier says.
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t see Juan, Martinez, Jackie Z, and Tiger at the El Mortido crib. I figure they’re probably still alive. And if they were alive … Ben wouldn’t be for much longer. They’ll put two and two together.”
“But if that’s the case …” Alex is thinking, “Ben was dealing out of Lenna’s place … HOLY FUCK! That could lead them to Lenna!”

Alex leaps out of the car in the drive-thru, and runs to a pay-phone. He calls Lenna’s place, and only gets the answering machine.
“Lenna, this is Alex! Get out! Get the hell out! You could be in danger! Alex has put you in danger! Get out! Get out now!” The second beep cuts him off, and he heads back to the car.
“She’s probably taken off by now already.” Xavier says. “I wouldn’t worry about it man.”

[Cam]

Oh, and I just broke 100 posts and became an "Enlightened One"!!! Yay me!!! :)

Cheers,

Cam.

[Cam]

SCENE SIX: A VISIT FROM THE SURIVIVORS … AND WHERE’S MARIA?

The clerks pull up in front of the grocery store, jump out of the car. Tina’s father is behind the cash register.
“Thanks Dad,” she says. Dad walks back upstairs and starts complaining to his wife about how ungrateful Tina can be sometimes.
Xavier heads downstairs to see how Maria’s doing. Maria’s gone. Xavier runs upstairs.
“Maria’s gone.”
How could she have gotten out without Tina’s father noticing? Maybe he had his back turned or something. The clerks head into the basement. There’s a sliver of a window that’s been pushed open, which is equal to street level. Maybe she squeezed her way through there? But that’s a pretty thin opening … sure, Maria’s young, thin, and flexible, but … could she have really squeezed through there? Either way, it doesn’t matter. Gone is gone.
The clerks head back up the stairs to the store.
“I gotta find her,” Xavier says. “She’s coming down from some bad drugs, and she’s probably scared as hell. I gotta find her.”

At this moment, the survivors of El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse arrive.
“Man, I’m so glad you guys are okay.” Xavier says.
“Yeah, us too. And, hey, we’re glad you’re doing okay too.” There’s zero warmth when they say this. They’re suspicious of Xavier. He doesn’t like that.
“Hey, I was just the delivery boy. YOU set this up Martinez! YOU’RE the one who pressed that address into my hand! What would I have to gain from that? Man, my SISTER was at that party!”
“Oh … shit … sorry Xavier. Are you okay?” Martinez softens.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, she’s fine too, she was the only one still alive-”
“What? How?” Martinez is suspicious again.
“Hey, she snorted the last of that old shit, remember?”
“Yeah.” Martinez nods slowly. “I remember.” His eyes are narrowed, however. Pretty lucky that Maria just so happened to have the last of the old shit…
“Look, you’ve gotta think about your suppliers man. This Ben guy. He’s the one you want. I’m sure of it.”
“Hmm … okay Xavier. Thanks for your help. We’ll go pay a visit to this Ben.”
“Oh, guys.” Xavier says. “Maria’s gone. She was here, I was taking care of her, but she’s gone. I’m trying to find her man, but … she’s out there somewhere, she’s coming down, she’s scared shitless … look, can you help me find her?” The gang members look at each other. There’s payback to be served, and this guy wants to find his sister? “Hey, she’s El Mortido too, remember?” Juan and Martinez nod slowly.
“Yeah … you’re right, we gotta look after our own. Okay, we’ll look for Maria. Then we’ll pay a visit to Ben.”
“Thanks guys.”

After the survivors leave, Alex turns to Tina and Xavier, worry in his eyes.
“They’re probably gonna think Ben’s at Lenna’s place, right?” Alex asks. Xavier nods. “Well, if that’s the case, and Lenna is still there … I gotta get over there and warn her!” Alex runs to the phone, tries Lenna’s place again, gets her answering machine again, and this time starts leaving an even more disturbing message.
“Just get out NOW Lenna, if you’re listening, please, just get out NOW! There’s these guys, and they’re coming over, and they’re dangerous and they’re-”
“Alex?” Lenna says, picking up the phone. “Stop this; you’re scaring me.”
“Lenna! Thank God! Please get out now. JUST GET OUT NOW!!! Lenna-!”
Lenna hangs up.
Alex tries again, just gets the answering machine.
“C’mon!” He says, running to the ice-cream van. Tina runs after him, but Xavier shakes his head.
“I gotta find Maria. I gotta find her. I shoulda been here for her, I … I gotta find her.”
Alex knows there’s no time for debate. He jumps in the van with Tina. They take off.
Xavier locks up the store, and starts to look for Maria.

[Cam]

SCENE SEVEN: LENNA AND BEN

The ice-cream delivery van pulls up outside Lenna’s place. Alex dashes to the front door and Tina lumbers after him. Alex bangs on the door.
“Lenna! It’s me! Alex!”
The door swings open. Lenna is standing there, with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.
“I don’t understand what’s going on Alex, but you had better not be full of shit.”
As Tina stands on the front stairs, she feels something ominous building … a sense of foreboding … a sinister bass note that’s welling up from deep within. And it builds the more she looks at the street in front of the house.
“Guys, we gotta get off these front stairs!” She suddenly says. “I think they’re coming! C’mon!” Tina starts to run around the side of the house.
“But … aren’t they looking for Maria?” Alex asks.
“They’ve obviously re-evaluated their priorities!” Tina yells over her shoulder as she runs into the backyard … and slam-bam into a wild-eyed young man in his early 20s. With slightly curly brown hair. He looks around wildly, looks at the back of the house, then looks at Tina.

“Um, hi.” Tina says.
“Hi.” He says. “I’ve come here to help my girlfriend, I think she’s in trouble … and … um … oh fuck, I think I’ve put her in danger … and uh, um, oh fuck, I did it, I did it, I did it, I didn’t mean to put her in danger, I didn’t mean to do it” He puts his hands in his hair, starts to pull, tears forming in his eyes. “Oh, fuck, oh … fuck …”
“Oh … you’re … oh!” Tina suddenly realizes she’s talking to Ben. Well, watching Ben disintegrate, to be more precise. Tina takes a step backwards.
“Um, I’ll be going now…”

Alex and Lenna are walking down the side of the house when they hear a car come to a screeching halt out the front.
“God, she’s right!” Alex whispers, and starts to run. “C’mon!” He whispers over his shoulder to Lenna as he runs into the backyard, and slam-bang into Tina’s back as she slowly backs away from Ben.

“Ben?” Lenna says as she runs around the corner.
“Ben!” Alex says angrily.
“Yeah, I think this is Ben,” Tina says.
“Oh God, oh fuck, Lenna, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry about this, I’m so sorry about all of this and-” Alex steps forward and slaps Ben across the face.
“Calm down and keep it together!”
Ben’s eyes go wide. Very wide. His nostrils flare as he breathes very very deeply.
“I’m calm,” he says. “I’m calm, I’m calm, I’m calm.”
“Okay then, good.” Alex says. “So, what are we gonna do now?”
They suddenly hear the sound of the front door of the house being kicked in. They hear people running into the house. Breaking things. Firing gunshots in frustration.
Lenna takes control.
“Follow me,” she says, leading them further into the backyard, over the fence, into the adjoining backyard. They hide in the bushes for a while, and after a few minutes they hear a car drive off with a screech.

“Okay, I think they’re gone.” She says.
“Right. Let’s get out of here.” Alex says. They run through the bushes again, and jump in the ice-cream van, Alex behind the wheel and Tina in the passenger’s seat. Ben and Lenna jump in the back.
As Alex starts the engine, and Tina looks down the road, she suddenly feels that bass note again, building, as she looks to the left, but not to the right …
“Alex, go right!”
“What? Uh, okay.”
Alex pulls into the street, turns right. As they drive towards the intersection, Tina feels another ominous, cello-like bass note building, this time to the right of the intersection…
“LEFT! Go left!” Alex pulls the wheel to the left. Sure enough, just after they make the turn, they see a police car turn into Lenna’s street in the rear vision mirror. If they’d turned right, they’d have run straight into the cops.
As Alex drives further and then turns onto the highway, the ominous bass note fades away…

“Tina, how did you know which way to go?” Alex asks.
“Uh … I dunno … I … Jesus, how DID I know which way to go!?!?” Tina gasps, her eyes wide open. “How did I know! How did I know!” Tina starts freaking out.
Ben leans around from the back of the van, holds Tina back, looks into her eyes.
“Calm down lady, just calm down!!!”
Tina looks into Ben’s eyes, sees that they’re incredibly dilated. Alex looks around, sees this too.
“Jesus! You’re as high as a kite! Tina, take the wheel!” Alex climbs into the back with Ben and Lenna as Tina struggles with the wheel from the passenger’s side. Considering her, well, considerable bulk, it’s difficult for her to just slide on over. She’s having some trouble, so the van starts to weave a little on the highway.

“Good God Ben!” Alex says as he starts rummaging through his personal medical kit in the van. “I think your heart’s gonna give out if you keep straining yourself like this. Here, let me give you this tranquilizer-” As Alex starts to turn around with the needle, Ben recoils in horror.
“NO! No no no no no!!! Don’t give me that man! Don’t give me that!” He shrieks.
“Ben, you’ve placed your body under enormous strain. Let me take care of you!”
“NO!” Ben yells. “You see, there’s a balance, a finely honed chemical balance, and if you inject me with that you totally FUCK UP THE BALANCE!”
”Ben, you’re high, you’re delusional, you don’t know what you’re talking about! Here-”
“NO!” Ben shrinks into a corner of the van, eyes wide with horror. “Please please please no-”
“Alex. Don’t do this.” Lenna says.
“This is for his own good Lenna.”
“You don’t know that Alex. He says he doesn’t want it. You have no idea what kind of chemical reaction could happen if you inject him with that.”
“CHEMICAL REACTION? Lenna, I am a trained DOCTOR! You’re just some … pharmacist! What do YOU know!”
“I know,” Lenna says icily, “that a trained doctor would be in full possession of the facts of his case before acting. And you are NOT in full possession of the facts. You do not know what is in-” she pauses, clearly unhappy with the fact that her boyfriend is high, “what is in Ben’s veins right now. Inject him with that, and it could create a lethal chemical cocktail.”
“You know, Lenna,” Alex says angrily, “it was always you. You never thought I was good enough. You always doubted me.”
“No Alex,” she says evenly. “You doubted yourself.”

This verbal punch to the guts stops Alex cold. He slowly puts the needle back in the medical kit.
Meanwhile, outside, as the ice-cream van speed along the highway, Tina sees some surveyors setting up equipment on the side. It almost looks like one of them is pointing towards her neighbourhood…
Everyone in the van is silent as they pull up in front of the corner store.

[I should put out that in this scene Lenna was played by Xavier’s player. He did a totally fantastic job here, and pulled out the best verbal punch in the guts I’ve ever heard in a game. As GM, I was playing Ben, so I was basically making with the wild eyes, deep breaths, and freak outs…]

[Cam]

SCENE EIGHT: THE HEART OF DETROIT

While Tina and Alex are running from gang members and hiding in bushes, Xavier is looking for Maria. After a while, despondent, he returns to the store, reopens it. He walks down into the basement … and finds Maria curled up on the cot. She’s shaking, rocking backwards and forwards. Again.

“Maria! What’s wrong? Are you okay? Where were you?” Xavier holds Maria to his body, hugging her, willing her to be okay.
“I – I – I woke up … and I was so scared … and so I wandered through that door in the corner …” Maria points to the corner of the room. There is no door there. There has never been a door there. It’s just a corner. Where two walls meet.
“And, I – I – I walked through, and I was near this factory, and I could hear this pounding, this horrible pounding, this mechanical pounding, like a – a – a horrible mechanical heartbeat. It was like a heartbeat. And it was so loud, and I came running back here…”
Maria starts sobbing again. Xavier cradles her in his arms as he thinks about what she said.
“The heartbeat … the heart of Detroit …” he whispers to himself.

A little while later, Xavier hears people walking into the shop upstairs. It sounds like Tina and Alex. Xavier walks up the stairs...

[Haunted Froud]

Wow this is a great read.

How did you setup the Players to play the bad guys. I mean did you tell them the plot, give them clues or just give them a few lines and let it take off.

Cam or the players could probably answer this one.

Can't wait to read more. Now I really want to get the Unknown armies books. I may sneak out on my lunch hour and grab it.

[Cam]

SCENE NINE: SHOWDOWN AT LEONG’S CORNER STORE AND DELIVERY

Tina, Alex, Lenna, and Ben step out of the ice-cream van in front of the corner store. Tina and Lenna walk inside. Ben is about to follow them, but Alex grabs his shoulder.
“Ben.” Alex pauses. “Take care of her. Okay. She’s a good person. Just … take care of her.”
Ben nods slowly.
“I … I promise Alex. I promise.”
A silent moment.
Alex nods, and then starts to walk into the store, his shoulders slumped just a little.
“Alex, wait.” Ben says. “You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
“Seen what?”
“You’ve seen it work, haven’t you? What I did. What I’ve done. You know it works, don’t you?”
“I’ve seen the people you killed.”
“Not only that. The people I’ve saved. I’ve SAVED people.”
“The junkies.” Alex’s eyes widen. “You’re talking about the junkies.”
“You know. I can see it in your eyes. You KNOW. You KNOW it works.”
“But … but … that’s not … it’s not possible. It’s not natural.”
“It’s TOTALLY natural Alex. It makes total sense. Chemicals. The philosopher’s stone. Force of will. IT WORKS. And now you know it.”
“But …” Alex stops. Shakes his head. Then walks inside.

“What the fuck is HE doing here?” Xavier says, nodding his head towards Ben as he walks up from the basement.
“We just gotta figure things out. But I think it’s best if Ben and Lenna hide in the basement.” Alex says.
“Sure, just keep him the fuck away from Maria.”
“Maria’s back?” Tina asks.
“Yeah … she’s … she’s back. I’ll talk about it later.”
Ben and Lenna head into the basement.

“So, what exactly happened out there?” Xavier asks.
But there’s no time to tell the story, because there’s a screech of brakes as a car pulls up out the front. The clerks see Juan, Martinez, Jackie Z, and Tiger step out of the car. Martinez pulls out a pistol as they walk into the store.
The clerks’ eyes widen.

“Hey, Xavier! So good to see you again my man!” Martinez says, mockingly.
“Yeah, good to see you too.”
“So … uh, we’re on the case of this Ben guy … and … you haven’t seen him lately, have you? Know where he is?”
“No and no.”
“Oh. Okay then. Guess we’ll just be going then. Guess that’s everything.” The survivors start to turn around, start to walk out. The clerks heave a sigh of relief. Then Martinez stops at the door. Looks outside. Looks at the ice-cream delivery van parked out the front of the store.

“You know something? THAT van looks kinda familiar. I think I’ve seen that somewhere before …” Martinez turns around, starting to level his gun at Xavier. “Xavier, Xavier, Xavier … why did you do it man? Why did you fuck your very own brothers and sis-”
Martinez is denied his moment of gloating as Tina whips out her .454 Cassul with practiced lightning speed from behind the counter. She’s actually only fired it a few times down at the range, but she’s practiced whipping it out as fast as she can plenty of times. She’s always figured that’s all she needs to do. Whip out the old hand cannon before a robber can blink.

Turns out she’s right.

“Martinez. That’s a nine-millimeter you’ve got. Let’s be realistic. That’s probably not gonna do much to this flabby body of mine. This is a .454. It’s gonna drive a hole right through your chest. Mine is bigger than yours, Martinez. And it’s true what they say; SIZE DOES MATTER.”

Martinez pauses. Blinks. Slowly lowers his pistol.

“Okay. Okay lady. That’s the way you wanna play it … okay, okay. We’re cool.” Martinez backs out of the store. The clerks heave another sigh of relief.

“Hey!” The clerks hear from further inside the store. “You looking for me!”
The clerks spin around to see Ben. He’s come up from the basement. And he’s walking through the store to the front door.
“Yeah, that’s right! Here I am, you fucks! You cowardly goddammned fucks! C’mon!”
The clerks’ eyes widen again.

Martinez and the survivors turn around, pull out their guns. Start walking towards Ben.
“Are you loco? Are you fucking loco man? Are you fucking with us? Are you the guy?”
“Yeah, that’s right! I’m the guy! I’m the guy who took out all your tough guys! You think you’re so damned tough …” Ben’s getting angrier and angrier. His breathing is getting wild, erratic. “Big man with a gun. Nah, just a LITTLE man with a gun, that’s all you’ll ever be.”
“Oh yeah?” Martinez smiles, levels the gun at Ben’s face. “Well, at least I’ve got the gun.”
Ben steps forward. And puts his mouth around the barrel of the gun.
Martinez’s eyes widen, ever so slightly.

He pulls the trigger.

The back of Ben’s head blows out, spraying the store in blood, brain and bone matter. Tina shrieks, drops behind the counter. Xavier reflexively drops down there too. Alex stands, and watches in fascinated horror.

Ben, mouth still around the barrel, reaches out, puts both hands on Martinez’s head, and twists. Martinez’s neck snaps. He drops dead. Ben turns to Juan, Tiger, and Jackie Z. They start unloading into Ben. Ejected brass sprays onto the corner store floor. Ben steps forward, breaks Juan’s neck. Tiger’s reloading, but he’s not fast enough. Ben picks up Juan’s pistol, and beats Tiger’s brains out with it.

Alex’s eyes are wide with horror. This shouldn’t be happening. This isn’t a PCP freakout. PCP freakouts don’t happen when most of your goddamned brain is sprayed on the floor behind you. This is … something else.

Lenna runs up the stairs in slow motion. Tina sobs behinds the counter. Xavier tenses up with every gunshot, with every wet crushing sound the pistol butt makes when it hits Tiger’s head.

Ben starts to stagger towards Jackie Z. Jackie Z is trying to reload. His fingers are shaking. He drops his gun. He runs. And keeps running.

Ben stops, then collapses onto his knees. Lenna runs up, and cradles him in her arms. Alex looks down, his eyes still wide. Tina and Xavier peer out from over the counter.

“I’m sorry,” Ben gasps. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, oh God, oh God, I’m sorry,” tears and blood well up in his eyes, stream down his face, as he looks around at Lenna and the three clerks, “I’m just sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-” Ben suddenly stops, slumps back, dead.

Lenna gently lays Ben down, kisses him on the cheek, and puts her jacket over her face.
“That’s … that’s … not possible.” Alex says.
“It was PCP.” Lenna says, looking up at Alex.
“No … no NO! That was NOT PCP! That was … not possible … not possible … but … he DID it, it WORKS, it can work, it can work, but it’s not possible … it’s not …”
Alex walks in circles around the store, repeating this to himself.
Lenna kneels beside the broken body of her lover, whispering “PCP” to herself.
In the basement, Maria lies curled on the cot, sobbing.
Tina and Xavier look at each other, wide eyed.
On the cash register beside them, the yellow smiley-face magnet is sprayed in blood.

END OF SESSION TWO.

[Cam]

Hey Haunted Froud!

Glad you're digging the thread ... hope you enjoy the finale of session 2! Suitably grim and violent, I thought! In terms of the game system, the PCs are starting to rack up some hardened and failed notches on the ol' Violence meter ... plus a few on Unnatural as well! :)

As for the players playing NPCs who are antagonistic to the PCs, it's pretty much improv. The players can usually discern the NPCs' motivations from the context that they're in, and then I usually say a few lines as one of the NPCs, and then everyone just goes from there.

So, for example, when the 4 survivors were in the El Mortido crib, I just said something like "So what the FUCK happened here?" and everyone jumped on from there.

If it's a situation where the NPCs are being introduced for the very first time, and their goals might be uncertain, then I'll take the role of the lead NPC. After a few lines, the players key in pretty quickly, and run with the ball from there.

By the way, the moment when they went to check on Maria and she was gone, was another moment contributed entirely by the players. The player didn't run it past me, he just came out with it. And it's led to a very nice piece of surreal weirdness indeed, what with the door in the corner of the basement.

So, that's it for session 2. I'll try and get session 3 up in the next few days. The surreal weirdness meter gets dialled up a little bit more in session 3! :) And session 4 is on Sunday, so, hopefully moe to come very very soon.

Session 2 was a great character session for Alex. He became much more defined after going through the trials and tribulations of this session. Lenna turned out to be a FANTASTIC NPC - I hope we see more of her. I could really feel the tension when we played out the scene in the back of the ice-cream van.

As GM, I was a little sad to see Ben die ... he struck me as a very tragic kind of figure ... of course, now he's dead, plenty of mysteries have been left in his wake. And what's Alex gonna do now?

All this and more in session 3!!!

Cheers!

Cam.

[Skiorht]

Wow, Cam! This is some very tight shit. I'm even more impressed. This is so good I'm printing it so my platyers can read it. Damn, this makes me want to start an UA campaign tomorrow - too bad we are already committed to some Lacuna & Paranoia stuff in addtion to our regular campaign...

The Burger King visit was fun - I presume this was a player call. As a GM I'd probably still asked if Tina would prefer the Scotsman... Also, looking for a Bible - hee! Dave the Reformed Junkie has a scent of a future PC in a spin-off campaign.

As a GM, I'm a bit of two minds about Ben's death. He seemed like a great NPC, but the timing and the manner of his death was really dramatic and powerful. I just hope Lenna doesn't get offed too soon. I already like her.

I noticed both Xavier and Alex have very close connections with central NPCs, but Tina's father seems more distant. Could it be that the whole neighbourhood is her family... perhaps her children?

OK, then a few questions. I gather you are using scene framing, but how aggressive and explicit is it? Also, is it GM driven, or do the players have a say in framing the scenes?

Thanks for taking the trouble of typing all this stuff and keeping us entertained & informed (and perhaps even a bit moved).

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Mencelus
Personally, I don't think anyone doesn't have some sort of motive for what they do - there may be random instants of action, but on the whole, we have a web of reasons, or believed reasons, to act when we make moral choices. Maybe that's what UA is all about.

Okay Mencelus, how do I get you to join my gaming group? :D

Seriously though, nice job all of you! I'm off to flog some sense into my collection of power gamers and hanger-ons. :p

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by GregStolze
The character seeks goal X, but the player wants a good story about the STRIVING for goal X.

Well put Greg, and I agree whole heartedly, but how do I get a group of power gamers to come to the same realization? :confused:

Oh and great game Greg, simply put one of the best RPGs I've ever read. It is so full of flavor you're just dying to play it while reading the book. Thanks! :)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
the players can usually gauge what the NPCs in a given situation want. So, in the Mayor/Industrialists example, it was not that much of a stretch for them to think about their goals.
Okay, but how do you set up these cut scenes? Do you simply set the stage, introduce the main protagonists and then tell the players which player plays which NPC, or can they chose themselves?


Originally posted by Cam
As Greg Stolze pointed out, the players want a good story that challenges their PCs. So, every time they play NPCs, they try to contrive ways to create those challenges.
That's the most mature gaming group I've heard of, I'm crying tears of jealousy here... Or that should be tears of joy for your luck - you deserve it! :)


Originally posted by Cam
Hmmm ... am I making sense? Hmm, dunno if I've done a very good job of describing the process Yokiboy. Basically, we totally trust each other, and improv like hell. But it's taken us about 2 years to get to this stage.
Two years of playing together or two years of roleplaying period? If you say it's the latter I'm hanging up my GM boots! ;)

I have tried to get more creative input from my players, but without success so far, I must adopt a few of your tricks and see if it pays off.

How do you handle regular NPCs, are they always played by the same player? What about when they interact with the player characters, do you play the NPCs then?

My head is spinning with ideas and I am so looking forward to reading the rest of this story hour.

Thanks Cam,

Yokiboy

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
SCENE SEVEN: LENNA AND BEN
[I should put out that in this scene Lenna was played by Xavier’s player. He did a totally fantastic job here, and pulled out the best verbal punch in the guts I’ve ever heard in a game. As GM, I was playing Ben, so I was basically making with the wild eyes, deep breaths, and freak outs…]

I love this part, thanks for sharing. It gives us readers more insight into the actual gaming that takes place behind the story.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Mencelus]

Here there Yokiboy! Sure, love to join your group...from what you're saying, you guys could use a shot of weirdness. Though I'm a bit tamer than others. Just philisophical. In fact, I'll just invite my whole group. They're all wacked weirdos anyway, so, is easy, no?

But seriously, like Cam said, it did take us a bit to get this far. I think it started a while ago, maybe 2 years ago? We were playing a game of AFMBE I believe, set in medieval times. And something was going on, and the players were talking to a servant and one of the other players just suddenly started talking AS the servant...no one expected that one, or at least, I didn't. He really got into it, and then I think myself and a player did something similar (a betting match between two guards, or was that 7th Sea?). Anyway, it gets fuzzy from there. But it was something that became a regular part of the group, and damn enjoyable.

I do sorta feel bad for "Ben" too. Great NPC, but his death was totally appropriate and heavily dramatic - it pushed Alex to do some real evaluation. And of course there's Alex's feeling for Lenna to consider...

[committed hero]

Originally posted by Cam
The mechanic is Xavier Cruz, a Puerto Rican who did two years military service in order to get his U.S. citizenship.

Were his parents Buddhist missionaries from Europe? Or maybe he was born outside of Puerto Rico to NOT have been a citizen from the get go - as a matter of fact, the main reason that Puerto Ricans got US citizenship was to stick them in the Army!

[Eduardoh]

WOW! Suberp, just wish my players were like yours! :D

Hey Cam, would you mind to post the PCs sheets, so we could take a look at them? Inow I´d like to! ;)

Keep up with the good game.

See ya!

Eduardo

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Eduardoh
Hey Cam, would you mind to post the PCs sheets, so we could take a look at them? Inow I´d like to! ;)

I'm with Eduardoh (love the nick!), I'd love to see the character stats, especially their obsessions and passions.

Damn, I can hardly wait to read the rest of this story, it is too cool, and I am psyched at seeing what you'll come up with next.

Keep it up,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

Howdy All!

Wow, many thanks for the kind words! Glad to see you're digging the thread, and are also interested in the gaming processes behind the story.

Okay, to address a few things that have popped up...

the main reason that Puerto Ricans got US citizenship was to stick them in the Army!

Not to worry; I'll have a chat with Xavier's player tomorrow, and we'll no doubt be able to retcon the "did military service for citizenship" thing pretty easily. Maybe Xavier did military service as a way to get away from El Mortido and the other gangs? Perhaps he felt it was his only way to get some skills and then go straight?

Hey Cam, would you mind to post the PCs sheets, so we could take a look at them? Inow I´d like to!

Okay! I've got some notes on the characters with me, so I'll post some of the basic details (obsessions, passions) soon. When we play again tomorrow I'll be able to post full details.

I love this part, thanks for sharing. It gives us readers more insight into the actual gaming that takes place behind the story.

Yokiboy, I'll make sure to include more [here's what the players did in this scene] moments! I actually never thought that people might be interested in the gaming processes behind the story. Now that I know people are interested, I'll make sure to touch on this in future posts. And if I have time, I'll go back and look at the stuff I've already posted, and give you some details on how the players actually played out some of the key scenes.

Really glad to hear you're digging the thread! Did you enjoy the suitably grim/violent/tragic ending?

Two years of playing together or two years of roleplaying period? If you say it's the latter I'm hanging up my GM boots!

Oh, yeah, just two years of roleplaying period! Totally! ;)

Well, okay, to be honest, I've been gaming for about 18 years now. I've been gaming with this current group for about 2 years or so. They're great guys, and very switched on gamers. Actually, I've been pretty damned lucky with ALL of the groups I've played in over these past 18 years; that said, my current UA group are hands down the most adventurous gamers I've ever played with. We've really encouraged and pushed each other to try new things, and to go out on those proverbial limbs. It's been exciting, and as you can see in this thread, that experimentation is really paying off now.

Thanks for taking the trouble of typing all this stuff and keeping us entertained & informed (and perhaps even a bit moved).

Skiorht, that's quite possibly the nicest thing anyone has said to me this year! You know, I was just typing this stuff up and getting it out there ... I had no idea that people were not only reading it and enjoying it, but also feeling it. Wow. That's fantastic. And you've just totally motivated me to continue posting the session details!

My initial reason for posting the session details is my, uh, fading memory. No, seriously. With my UA group alone, over the past 2 years we've played some seriously cool, enjoyable games. Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, Feng Shui, Wraith, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, 7th Sea (actually, Xavier's player wasn't there for that one, but the composition of the group was very close to the current one), Nobilis ... And the scary thing is, I've actually started to forget some of the great moments in those games. I realized I wanted to hang on to some of those memories, so I decided to start keeping details of the sessions.

I actually started to do so with the Nobilis campaign we played, but I only managed to write up the first session (which is still kicking around here, I think ... look for threads started by Cam, and you should be able to find it). But my glacial typing speed combined with the crazy-assed pace of life in Tokyo prevented me from typing up the rest of the sessions (and I so totally should have, because it was a great campaign ... I mean, at the end, there we were, ready to throw down against this bad-ass Excrucian in a hard-core battle that would have been totally epic and most likely would have taken out at least one of the PCs ... and we talked him out of it. I mean, we defused the bad guy's plans by talking to him . It was amazing, and totally unexpected.).

Anyways, I vow to type up all my gaming sessions from now on! I wanna hang on to these memories! :)

The Burger King visit was fun - I presume this was a player call. As a GM I'd probably still asked if Tina would prefer the Scotsman... Also, looking for a Bible - hee! Dave the Reformed Junkie has a scent of a future PC in a spin-off campaign.

Yeah, I actually came to really like Dave the ex-junky (and for some reason I never tire of saying "the ex-junky"). Good luck to him in LA!

Oh, and yeah, the Burger King visit was TOTALLY a player call. And very well timed too, in the middle of a very serious debate. We ALL thought (myself, the GM, included) that the player had suddenly put 2 and 2 together and had some kinda revelation. But, nope, it was just the siren song of fast food! :)

As a GM, I'm a bit of two minds about Ben's death. He seemed like a great NPC, but the timing and the manner of his death was really dramatic and powerful. I just hope Lenna doesn't get offed too soon. I already like her.

Yeah, I was actually quite sad to see Ben go. When we were playing out that final scene, and Ben was about to increase the tension and push it, a little voice at the back of my mind said "you know, this can only end in Ben's death." And at that moment, I almost pulled back. But then I realized that if I pulled back, I'd have been copping out. Not seeing the situation through to its logical (and very bitter) end. And everyone would have known it. So, in order to give the game the emotional climax it needed, I needed to "kill my darlings".

Still, I was sad to see him go ... but, as you pointed out, it was as dramatic and powerful as hell.

As for Lenna, yeah, I like her A LOT. I hope she hangs around for a while too. Actually, also she really strikes me as a possible PC in a spin-off campaign.

Actually, I was also really sorry to see El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse go too. They never really struck me as BAD guys ... well, uh, okay, they were gonna kill the PCs ... but that's ONLY because they thought the PCs were behind the mass murder of their gangs.

I noticed both Xavier and Alex have very close connections with central NPCs, but Tina's father seems more distant. Could it be that the whole neighbourhood is her family... perhaps her children?

Yep, got it in one! This actually gets focused on in session 3; Tina and her connection to the community was the main plot thread for that session. Unfortunately for Tina, her rather passionate desire to defend the community actually led to some really nasty shit going down. That led to some real soul-searching on Tina's part (in game terms, let's just say a Self check was called for!). I'll try and post the details of session 3 soon!

Okay, now to address some of the "behind the scenes" game stuff:

OK, then a few questions. I gather you are using scene framing, but how aggressive and explicit is it? Also, is it GM driven, or do the players have a say in framing the scenes?

Okay, but how do you set up these cut scenes? Do you simply set the stage, introduce the main protagonists and then tell the players which player plays which NPC, or can they chose themselves?

These are kinda related, so I'll address them at the same time.
A majority of the scenes are set up the GM, at the very very beginning that is. I play it pretty fast and loose, so if a player wants to add something while I'm setting up/framing the scene I'll never say "NO". What usually happens, however, is that I'll frame the opening of a scene, and then sit back.

If there are NPCs involved in the scene, one of two things will happen. If the scene is a "cut scene" with only NPCs, I as GM start the scene rolling by playing one of those NPCs. Then I start turning to the other players, talking directly to them as if they were the other NPCs in the scene. Pretty quickly, the players will start playing out the other NPCs in the scene. For the group at this stage, it's instinctive; I don't have to say "okay, you're Juan, and you're Tiger, and you're Jackie Z."

However, the first few times we did such cut scenes (a couple of years ago), yeah, I did have to say "okay, you're the guard and you're his friend". So, Yokiboy, if you want to try it out, at first you'll have to be explicit about who plays which NPC. Also, the first few times you do it, have it happen in scenes that won't totally destroy the story if the players decide to get wacky and suddenly say "hey, the guard stabs his best friend for the hell of it!!!" Just try out cool little side-scenes. If your players dig it, and get into it, then start slowly having them play out NPCs in cut scene that will have a definite impact on the main PCs.

If the NPCs are re-occuring, then, yeah, I have the same player play them. So, in this game, the Mayor is always played by Xavier's player.

Now, that's dealing with cut scenes that have ONLY NPCs. The other situation is in a scene with both PCs and NPCs. That's actually easier. If all 3 of the PCs are present, well, they just play them, and I play the NPCs. However, if one of more of the PCs are "off camera" (so to speak), then their players will play the NPCs. A good example is when Alex and Tina were in the van with Ben and Lenna. Xavier was actually back at the store, looking for Maria. It would've been really boring for the player to just sit back and watch myself and the other two players play out the van scene ... so, instead, he gets to play Lenna and join in the scene.

The beauty of your players playing NPCs is that it's less work for you as the GM. ;)
Actually, the real beauty of it is that the players get to maximise their gaming time. They're not just sitting back twiddling their thumbs ... they're involved almost ALL of the time. With this current group, my talking time as GM is pretty damned low!!!

So, Yokiboy, I fully encourage you to give it a go. But, as I said, first try it out with cool little cut scenes that won't totally destroy the game if the players do something wacky. Say, for example, you're playing a Zombie game set in the middle ages and the PCs are inside their castle. Instead of suddenly having the zombies come crashing into the feasting hall where the PCs are, run a scene where a couple of NPC guards are outside the main gate ... they see some of their friends from the town come stumbling up the road towards them ... it's dark ... turn to the players and say "okay, you're guard number 1 and you're guard number 2 ... are your friends okay?" And then sit back and see what happens!

To curve back to the bit about the GM framing scenes, I said that the majority of the scenes are framed by the GM. Not all. Often, in the opening scenes, I like to turn to the players and say "okay, what's Tina doing right now?" And the player will tell me what Tina's doing. Most likely the player will have ideas that are five times cooler than mine, so I just take a mental note of the coolest one, and then start to thread something onto that. "So, okay Tina, while you're doing that Laticia walks in and ..."

And BANG, the game's off and racing!

Okay, I think that's everything ... I'll look around for those notes and post the major details of the PCs ...

And then I might get around to posting session 3 ... maybe ... because I've got to sit down and think about session 4 which kicks off tomorrow...

Cheers!

Cam.

[Erick Wujcik]

As others have pointed out, this is high-quality role-playing... Good Job!

I'm just sticking my nose in because (A) I've lived in Detroit most of my life -- that's in Detroit, not in the *$%Y@ 'burbs -- and (B) naturally enough, I've Game Mastered countless scenarios in my home town. I'm not looking to correct anything, just hoping to add in some extra realism should anyone decide to replicate Cam's scenario:

The campaign is set in the city of Detroit. It should be noted that none of my group have ever been to Detroit, and we really don't know much about it. This is, in fact, one of the reasons why we chose to set the campaign there; not knowing the "true" Detroit allows us to play around with the city, make things up, and improvise details safe in the knowledge of not being contradicted by the "facts". ("Hey, there's no abandoned motor factory on 8 Mile Road!!! I used to live near there!!!") Consider this to be a fictional take on Detroit, if you will, and not a Lonely Planet guide to the city.

Good attitude...

By the by, the movie "8 Mile" is a very good, very accurate visual reference (though skewed toward the east and northeast portions of the city). Including hispanics would tend to put you 'downriver' in the southwest, right near the Ambassador Bridge.

8 Mile Road is an east-west road that forms Detroit's northern border. On the south is the decay of Detroit, and just across the road (in most, but not all, places) is the much more healthy environment of the suburbs. Oak Park, by the way, is one of the suburbs just north of Detroit, the other side of 8 Mile. It used to be the main Jewish community, and is still home to a lot of orthodox Jews, and quite a few Jewish bakeries, restaurants and Kosher groceries...

Woodward Avenue, a (more or less) north-south road, is Detroit's main drag, and divides the city into East Side (more ethnic, more Italian and Polish, and with older, smaller houses, now mostly black) and West Side (always more prosperous, with more German/Scandanavian and Jewish, larger houses, and also now almost entirely black).

To the far east and south are the Grosse Points (rich suburbs; see the movie, "Grosse Point Blank"). To the far west is Dearborn (home to Ford Motor Co., and now the biggest Arab/Middle Eastern community in the U.S.).

The other reason we chose Detroit is because it carries a number of associations and images that we think are pretty cool and worth exploring. Detroit: a city that went boom and bust. The Motor City. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler.

Between 1900 and 1924 there were over 240 different car companies in Detroit, and plus countless 'job shops' and 'parts suppliers,' so there are abandoned factories of every size and description, ranging from 19th century brick, through WWII concrete. Some are huge complexes, but most, scattered everywhere, were more modest.

The home of Motown and the (arguable) home of Techno.

Absolutely! Still is the home of 'Detroit Techno' and there are bars and clubs in the most unlikely places (including some of those abandoned factories).

Gangs. Rampant crime.

Bear in mind that most of the crime in Detroit is pretty UNorganized. Unlike, say, New York, Boston, or L.A., the 'gangs' in Detroit are splintered and ragtag. The recent movie, "City of God," from Brazil is a good reference.

Abandoned factories, closed down in the name of "globalization".

Actually, closed long, long before globalization. The corporate gang war that allowed Ford, GM and Chrysler to eat all the competition devastaged huge parts of Detroit. By the time NAFTA and globalization showed up, Detroit was already in ruins, and most automotive production had either localized in huge modern plants (Rouge, Poletown, a couple of others), or moved far out of the city, even beyond the expanding residential suburbs.

Local communities with their economic hearts ripped out.

Yeah, and Detroit is geographically huge! There are hundreds of dead neighborhoods, mostly filled with rotting single family residences (starting in the 1960's we had 'red-lining' where banks stopped making home equity loans, or giving out mortgages, to any neighborhood that 'went black,' all the while encouraging 'white flight' to the 'burbs and pumping massive bucks into new home building -- the result was a rolling wave of urban decay).

Downtown is also a bizarre ghost town.

True Fact: When the Republican National Convention was held in Detroit, to first nominate Ronald Reagan as candidate for president (1980), an effort was put in to 'beautify' the downtown. To cover up the ugliness of the abandoned skyscrapers (we're talking 25+ story buildings, office buildings, apartment buildings, hotels, etc.) they put up colorful awnings so as to disguise the broken and empty windows... Believe it or not, the awnings are still there, just broken frames and tatters of cloth, the buildings still empty but for the most desperate vagrants...

Chain link fences. Urban decay.

You got that right.

Late in the summer in Detroit, you've got to be alert when the wind kicks up, since we actually have tumbleweeds interfering with trafic.

And, speaking of traffic, note that some of the worst, oldest, most damaged vehicles in the world are still in active use in Detroit... I was kind of stunned to hear that in the rest of the country people actually had to have their cars subjected to a yearly safety inspection...

...another piece of 'color' are my mechanics, Buck and Al, and whatever kids are working for them these days. For as long as I've known 'em, since the 1970s, they have always been armed, with pistols in plain sight.


The streets of Windsor are clean and well lit. As they drive by a park, they see people jogging, lovers walking arm in arm, people walking their dogs.

Coming from Detroit, that is absolutely the way I see Windsor. Erie Street, for example, is the Italian neighborhood, which is always filled with people, and the long, long riverfront park (which has a lot of nice sculpture near the Bridge) always has people out in good weather.

They cross the bridge, drive into Detroit. The contrast is ... striking. The streets are sad lonely places, cloaked in darkness. It seems every third streetlamp is shattered, or flickers like something out of "Twin Peaks".

Um... that part about shattered streetlamps...

Actually, entire electrical grids are knocked out for weeks at a time (right now, where I'm living, in a very nice neighborhood, we're going on our 4th week without streetlights). One night, back in the early 90s, when I had to run a lot of nighttime errands, I counted fourteen different areas without streetlights, each at least a square mile.

So what you end up with is one or two 'private' streetlights, attached to a pole, or high on someone's house, and the rest of a huge block in total darkness...

...and an estimated 60,000 'Crack Houses' - houses that are drug dens, ranging from abandoned houses taken over by vagrants, to higher-end houses bought with drug money, and 'fixed up' with steel bars and doors.

They drive past forlorn abandoned factories, the faded former glory of Detroit. The big three. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler. All gutted. Shapes of homeless squatting in the factories, warming their hands around fires. As they drive past a park they see a circle of kids kicking a fat kid.

Yup... And worse...

They stop at a red light, and two homeless guys shamble towards the car.
"Cantaloupe!!! I got a cheap cantaloupe!!!"
"Wash your windscreen! One buck! Windscreen!!!"

Nope. That wouldn't happen in Detroit.

Homeless people are very polite, since a large percentage of drivers are armed, and more than a little crazy.

I've never, never had anyone try to clean a windshield in the city.

On the other hand, people with cardboard signs ('homeless, hungry') are typical at every major intersection.

“Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery”.

Again, and you'd never know this unless you spent time here... There are very, very few Asians inside the city limits. Lots in the 'burbs, especially out along the John R. corridor (that's north, and a bit east of 8 Mile). In the city there are a few ragged Chinese Carry-Out Places, but not very many, and 'Chinatown' -- which now consists of exactly one restaurant, 'Chung's' and abandoned buildings.

Almost all the 'Party Stores' (that's what we call 'em) are run by Middle Easterners (Chaldean -- Christians from Iraq, Lebanon, etc.). They're almost all family run, and most have plexiglas barriers.

Hey, if someone else already mention this and I missed it, my apologies, but unless I missed something (entirely possible) Puerto Ricans do not have to do military service to get citizenship... they are born on American soil (I myself was born in a territory).

Yup, as the guy says, all Puerto Ricans are already U.S. citizens.

However, in spite of the fact that there are plenty of Puerto Ricans in Detroit, most Detroiters are pig ignorant about it. In fact, I've had Puerto Rican friends stopped when coming back from Canada, by U.S. Border Guards, and asked for their 'Puerto Rican Passport.' No kidding, I'm not making this up... So it wouldn't be surprising if a Puerto Rican told someone he was in the army for citizenship, since it's easier to show someone a military I.D. (military service is also traditional in a lot of Detroit families).

More factoids:

Virtually all bullet wound victims, and anyone injured in police custody, are brought to 'Detroit Receiving Hospital' -- known as one of the main 'gun trauma' E.R.s in the country (Level I Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons). I spent a night there myself, hanging out with a sick friend in one 14-bed room (there were many more) where one third of patients were hand-cuffed to their beds. The staff is highly professional, and very good at what they do. Here are some Game Master notes:

* The waiting room is always packed with at least 200 people, sometimes many, many more. It can also be an interesting place when relatives and friends clash over who shot who first.

* Gunshot victims are admitted at a steady pace, but you'll also see plenty of stab wounds, head wounds, and a massive number of automobile accident victims. I saw a guy with his head wrapped in a bloody towel, blood just running down and soaking his clothes... and he had to wait over an hour because there were 'more serious cases' ahead of him.

* On average two people die every day in Detroit from gunshots, but there are many times that many injuries.

* The Detroit Receiving E.R. receives around 300 patients per day, and you can figure about 10%-20% are pretty serious.

* There will always be many times more car crash victims in Detroit than gunshot victims.

* Don't forget pedestrian injuries and fatalities: "...Detroit had a higher rate than other large cities... experts say a lack of sidewalks and crosswalks, as well as urban sprawl, are making Detroit roads among the most dangerous in the nation for walkers... result from drivers' attitudes toward pedestrians... "There are some states where pedestrians come first, and Michigan isn't one of them..." Detroit Pedestrian Fatalities (http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/ped22_20030422.htm)

* Detroit Receiving is just one building in a huge medical complex... which also includes all the structures of the Wayne State University Medical School (one of the largest in the U.S.).

Finally, most brutally:

* "The violent death rate in Detroit over this period (1972-2003) — 17,000 killed out of a population of one million—is greater than that of Lebanon during its civil war, when 44,000 died out of a population of nearly four million. The rate is higher than in the 20-year civil war in Sri Lanka, in which an estimated 64,000 have died out of a population of 19 million. The death toll in Detroit is five times the number killed in Northern Ireland during the same period of time—3,300 people out of a population half again as large as Detroit’s."

Erick

[Cam]

Hey Erick!

Cheers for giving us the local perspective! Fascinating and sobering reading. For example, the tumbleweeds being traffic hazards ... a totally gutted Downtown full of abandoned skyscrapers ... entire grids of the city cloaked in darkness ... to be honest, words fail me. I just ... can't get my head around that being real. Surreal, amazing stuff that totally deserves to be in fiction (such as, say, an Unknown Armies game!) ... but in a First World city? Wow, I ... honestly, words fail me.

Some *excellent* factoids as well, thank you! I wouldn't be surprised if the Detroit Receiving Hospital makes an appearance in a later session...

I've been meaning to check out "8 Mile", and you've just motivated me to do so. Sounds like it's a fantastic visual reference. Actually, do you know of any other great Detroit visual references, be they in films, books, or on this here internet?

(And hey, "Grosse Point Blank"! I loved that film!)

Cheers!

Cam.

[Cam]

Oh, I should point out that I'm Australian who has never been to the United States ... so if the stuff that I mentioned as being totally surreal and hard for me to believe as being true are things that most Americans would actually be aware of ... well, keep in mind that I'm not American!

Cheers!

Cam.

[Cam]

Okay, here are some of the basics on the clerks!

ALEX GUSTAV

Obsession: To be as good as his M.D. qualification implies.
Rage Stimulus: Others doubting his intelligence
Fear Stimulus: Being inadequate/useless (Self?)
Noble Stimulus: To help the "injured"

Current Obsession Skill: Doctoring 30%
(I say "current" because, as you'll see in the session 3 details, this could well be changing...)

TINA LEONG

Obsession: Not defined yet, but I have a feeling it'll be connected to the neighbourhood/community.
Rage Stimulus: People taking advantage of others
Fear Stimulus: Dead Bodies (I think...)
Noble Stimulus: To clean up the streets

Obsession Skill: Know the Neighbourhood 45%

XAVIER CRUZ

Obsession: Take care of sister, Maria
Rage Stimulus: Racism directed at Peurto Ricans
Fear Stimulus: (Not defined as yet ... will hopefully come out soon in play)
Noble Stimulus: Looking out for the underdog

Obsession Skill: Not in my notes!


I'll give more details tomorrow after I see everyone's character sheets. Also, you might be surprised that, say, Xavier's Fear Stimulus isn't clear yet ... with our group we often play a couple of sessions before we write down things like that, because the characters aren't clear in our heads yet. It's sometimes only after 2 or 3 sessions that we "find" the core of the characters ... and then we can decide on those kind of things.

Okay, expect to see session 3 (and possibly even session 4) in the next day or so!!!

Cheers,

Cam

[GregStolze]

Suddenly, I'm reminded of the two great Detroit jokes from "The Kentucky Fried Movie..."

"His stronghold is in the Claw mountains -- a terrain so treacherous, so barren and inimical to human life that no nation will claim them."

"Worse than Detroit?"

"I'm afraid so."

# # #

...and later in the movie...

"Ahhh, and what have you told your friends in the CIA? Hm?"

"You'll get nothing from me, you filthy, cowardly bastard! Go on, torture me! Do your worst! I'll never crack!"

(Pause) "Take him to Detroit."

"NOOOOOO! I'll tell you everything!"

-G.

Who's now tempted to make "take him to Detroit" a catchphrase for... for something or other...

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by Cam
...the tumbleweeds being traffic hazards ... a totally gutted Downtown full of abandoned skyscrapers ... entire grids of the city cloaked in darkness ... to be honest, words fail me. I just ... can't get my head around that being real. Surreal, amazing stuff that totally deserves to be in fiction (such as, say, an Unknown Armies game!) ... but in a First World city? Wow, I ... honestly, words fail me.

Yeah... I was in Australia in September of 2003, walking around the 'mean streets' of Sydney and Melbourne, and kind of stunned at how nice everything is...

Originally posted by Cam
...I wouldn't be surprised if the Detroit Receiving Hospital makes an appearance in a later session...

One more detail.

All the female staff touch everyone who comes in. Criminal or cop, victim or visitor, they make sure that you are firmly held, either by the hand, the arm, or around your shoulders or waist. Since I was standing around for hours, I noted that it was very deliberate; sort of a calculated way to defuse anger, aggression, fear, by making sure you are touched, and that you see that everyone else is likewise touched...

Originally posted by Cam
...I've been meaning to check out "8 Mile", and you've just motivated me to do so. Sounds like it's a fantastic visual reference. Actually, do you know of any other great Detroit visual references, be they in films, books, or on this here internet?

I caught 8 Mile after I'd been in Hong Kong for several months, and it brought Detroit back with a bang. Not only does it accurately record the landscape (watch carefully for the parking structure interior of a building that used to be a theatrical palace!), but also the personalities of the 'Average Joe Detroit.' There's really nothing else like it.

Other movies about Detroit are just nonsense.

There are a lot of interesting photographs on the web. Try searching for photographs, and use keywords like 'Detroit' 'Hamtramck' (a city completely surrounded by Detroit, once home to a huge Polish population), 'Highland Park' (another city completely surrounded by Detroit, now in complete rack and ruin), and other location names (which you can find on mapquest.com).

As for books, I'm told that Elmore Leonard accurately describes Detroit dialogue (but once Hollywood gets his stuff, it turns into nothing like Detroit).

For day-to-day news and great editorials, check out Detroit Metro Times (http://www.metrotimes.com/) (Jack Lessenberry's columns are very insightful...).

There are (supposedly, but not really) two daily newspapers in Detroit:
www.freep.com
www.detnews.com

Here's a recent piece: http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/ejeff19_20040319.htm

Originally posted by Cam
(And hey, "Grosse Point Blank"! I loved that film!)

I agree! It's also a good contrast to Detroit.

For years our gaming groups met at the 'Detroit Gaming Center,' at the Lighthouse Center, located in a riverside park, right at the border of Detroit and the Grosse Pointes (there are actually four different municipalities, Groose Pointe City, Grosse Pointe Farms, etc.). The dividing line meant (along one of the east side's many canals), meant rot to the west and prosperity to the east.

Speaking of the canals, built so the home owners could have a boat, sailboat, or yacht in their backyard, and easily slip down to the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair, perhaps for a picnic on one of the islands... the area is a strange mix. Empty lots, abandoned houses, houses with poor familes, and right in among them are 'forts.' Nice houses, with a boathouse/dock in the back, but surrounded by high walls, topped with coils of razor wire and surveillance cameras. Some are legit, but it would be a great place to put the leader of a drug cartel, or some other evil-doer...

Erick

[Mencelus]

Wow, good to see all the extra info. Thanks Eric. In truth though, the two Americans in our group haven't been to Detroit either, so, neither of us have added much (actually, didn't know anything about Puerto Ricans and their citizenship either, this despite the fact that I knew a guy back in AFOTC that had told me about it - posters here reminded me of it).

I think Cam mentioned earlier that Detroit was chosen on purpose - none of us knew it and so, couldn't spend silly amounts of time trying to contradict him - and yes, I've run a game where that did happen, though not with this group.

About that Nobilis game...I ran it, and it was the best thing I've ever been privledged enough to do. The group, as Cam says, IS top notch. I did very little work and the ending of the campaign was as much a surprise to me as to them, I think. I remember going over my notes, planning the "slam-bang grudge match" between the PCs and the Excrusian bad-ass. I even had the whole scene set up with a cool locale that the PCs had never interacted with in quite the way they were about to. And then the finale they actually did was...well...beautiful. One of those times as a GM you're glad what you had thought was going to happen didn't - what they came up with was much better, much more poetic, than I could have.

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
Yokiboy, I'll make sure to include more [here's what the players did in this scene] moments! I actually never thought that people might be interested in the gaming processes behind the story. Now that I know people are interested, I'll make sure to touch on this in future posts. And if I have time, I'll go back and look at the stuff I've already posted, and give you some details on how the players actually played out some of the key scenes.

Really glad to hear you're digging the thread! Did you enjoy the suitably grim/violent/tragic ending?I love the story, and I will definitely appreciate glimpses into what happened at the actual gaming table. You should probably keep such comments at the end of your regular posts, or perhaps in separate posts, to not break up the story.

I loved the end to Session 2, very cool. Alex' bafflement had me applauding the roleplaying efforts, and it felt real. The story is very touching, which is why I really want to follow this story to the campaigns end.

Originally posted by Cam
Oh, yeah, just two years of roleplaying period! Totally! ;)

Well, okay, to be honest, I've been gaming for about 18 years now. I've been gaming with this current group for about 2 years or so. I've been gaming for 19 years with few breaks, whereas the rest of my gaming group had a sabattical while I moved from Sweden to the US for 8 years. Upon my return we got most of our old group back together and infused some new blood into it as well, in the form of a younger cousin and his friend.

The issue might be that only 2 of us, my 12 years younger cousin and I, have ever GM'ed much. The rest are quite set in their roles as casual gamers, with a few exceptions. I do see potential in them though, and must just get them to realize that they can contribute much more even if just during our gaming sessions.

Originally posted by Cam
I had no idea that people were not only reading it and enjoying it, but also feeling it. Wow. That's fantastic. And you've just totally motivated me to continue posting the session details!That's why I love modern games like UA and Over the Edge, where you can quite easily feature evocative stories that people can connect to and recognize. Nobody "feels" much for a goblin. :D

Originally posted by Cam
If there are NPCs involved in the scene, one of two things will happen. If the scene is a "cut scene" with only NPCs, I as GM start the scene rolling by playing one of those NPCs. Then I start turning to the other players, talking directly to them as if they were the other NPCs in the scene.Okay, that's interesting.

Originally posted by Cam
However, the first few times we did such cut scenes (a couple of years ago), yeah, I did have to say "okay, you're the guard and you're his friend". So, Yokiboy, if you want to try it out, at first you'll have to be explicit about who plays which NPC.That is a great idea, and the scene you described from the zombie inspired game is a great example. I actually have a few scenes in my upcoming Conan the RPG session, next Saturday, that could be handled this way, rather than me describing the findings to the players post-factum. Way cool! Thanks for the tip. :)

I'll also try to involve off-screen characters in the ongoing plot by following your example of letting them play NPCs met by the active players. This will keep everyone involved and interested.

Originally posted by Cam
Often, in the opening scenes, I like to turn to the players and say "okay, what's Tina doing right now?" And the player will tell me what Tina's doing. Most likely the player will have ideas that are five times cooler than mine, so I just take a mental note of the coolest one, and then start to thread something onto that. "So, okay Tina, while you're doing that Laticia walks in and ..."

And BANG, the game's off and racing!I can see this working out very well after the group gets used to this way of gaming. I might use this for an upcoming Conan the RPG campaign, as I wanted to run it as an episodic campaign, where each session is a stand-alone story, and the next session might find the party half-way cross the world.

Originally posted by Cam
And then I might get around to posting session 3 ... maybe ... because I've got to sit down and think about session 4 which kicks off tomorrow...Thanks for the hard work, I've tried documenting our current Kingdoms of Kalamar D&D campaign online, but quickly lost track. I was too new to d20 and trying to keep the campaign going was more important than documenting our efforts. Unfortunately what I have documented is in Swedish so not worth much to most of you (as we game in Swedish, documenting the game in any other language feels sort of weird).

Please keep up the hard work, it's much appreciated. :)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Yer killing me, here.

Let's have some more!

Thuvasa

[jamasiel]

Holy frijoles, I must get this game.

J.~!

[Yokiboy]

Where did it go? I need my fix... Dave, what's the cure, I need it bad... :D

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

[Cam looks up, somewhat startled...]

Oh, hi everyone!

Sorry, was letting time slip away from me there...

Anyways, cheers for the wake-up call! Sad to say that I won't be posting anything tonight (gotta get some sleep in a minute) ... however, I'll definitely get some stuff up in the next few days.

There's a few things to tell you all about. First of all, it's time to talk a little about the Trigger Events of our clerks. They all involve a dead man who won't stay dead. It's important to tell you about that now, because he pops up in Session 3...

Then there's Session 3. A bar is about to be closed down. An almost-riot happens. Tina runs through a mysterious door in the basement. Hilarity ensues.

Followed up by Session 4, which we played a little over a week ago. Tina drives a bulldozer. A dead man starts calling the corner store. Alex meets Ben in the basement. Xavier has a romantic kiss, then gets his face slapped. One of the clerks takes a bullet!!! (Fatal or not ... I'll let you know soon!) One of the clerks kills someone!!! (Start placing your bets on which one of the clerks did this...) Hilarity ensues.

Yokiboy, did you try out any of those cut scene techniques with your Conan group? Hopefully your players enjoyed it (after no doubt getting thrown for a loop for a few minutes ... "hang on, we're NOT playing our own characters? We're playing some guards in front of a castle?")!

Erick, if you're still around, I just wanted to say that final factoid you gave about the nurses very deliberately touching *everyone* who came in was fantastic. Well, actually, I don't mean it's fantastic that the nurses have to defuse the anger/fear/aggression of people who are in a terribly tense situation. I mean it's an amazing detail that I would never have known about. The kinda detail that *will* make its way into one of my games someday. The kinda detail that has such a ring of truth to it. Many thanks for sharing this with us Erick.

Okay, off to bed, but will be back with more later!

Cheers!

Cam.

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
[Cam looks up, somewhat startled...]

Yokiboy, did you try out any of those cut scene techniques with your Conan group? Hopefully your players enjoyed it (after no doubt getting thrown for a loop for a few minutes ... "hang on, we're NOT playing our own characters? We're playing some guards in front of a castle?")!

Cam.

Okay, those previews made my heart race, now I want the real thing. Btw Cam, are you really in Tokyo, for some reason I thought you were in Australia?

I haven't yet had the chance to play Conan the RPG, after I decided to try some cut scenes I just got too carried away and didn't have time to complete the adventure. We continued our Kingdoms of Kalamar D&D campaign instead and had a great time doing it.

Still hoping I can convince my group to play Unknown Armies though...

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by Cam
Erick, if you're still around... thanks for sharing this with us...

Thinking of this post, the other night, when I had to drive through Detroit, I decided to take surface streets, and take a few notes.

First off, mostly people drive through Detroit on the expressways, which are all 'ditch' style, so you really can't see much of city. I-94 is the main east-west expressway, going all the way to Chicago and beyond to the west, and to Port Huron (where there's a different bridge to Canada) east of Detroit. I-75 is one of the most used expressways in the U.S., heading north out of Detroit as a major artery to the northern/richer suburbs, and then all the way to the bridge connecting the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan; to the south I-75 connects up with Detroit Ambassador Bridge to Canada, and then through a number of downriver suburbs, down south to Toledo, Ohio (where they still make jeeps for Daimler Chrysler), and continuing all the way south to the Florida Keys. Other expressways include the Lodge (from downtown Detroit to the northwest), the Southfield (north-south, connecting Dearborn and Ford Motor Co., through the western part of Detroit, out to the northwestern suburbs of Oakland County), plus I-96 (downtown, northwest, and then west to Ann Arbor), while I-696 is an east-west that's completely north of the city of Detroit.

For my late-night ride, I stuck to the surface streets, so I could get a good 3:00 am view of the city.

First off, at 3:00 am there isn't much traffic of any kind (bars in Michigan close as 2:00 am). I saw exactly six (6) living beings including, one guy in a bright silver wheelchair, one wild rabbit (oddly, in the middle of the street), one woman down in the trucker zone near the bridge (I'm assuming a hooker... around four feet tall and well over forty... and not good-looking by anyone's measure), two black women waiting for a ride (by the way, I saw zero buses of any kind)... plus the guard inside the Penobscot Building, when I stopped to pick up the mail from my P.O. Box (happily, along with the main post office, open 24 hours).

Second, the only businesses I saw open were gas stations. All neon, all well-lit, all with convinience stores inside. Here are the types: Amoco, Citgo, Sunoco, Marathon, Clark and BP (I guess you could roll a d6)... plus three Coney Islands...

And so, a note on "Coney Island."

One of the native delicacies of Detroit is what we call a 'Coney Island,' or a 'Coney Dog' or a 'Death Dog.' It's a hog dog, on a hot dog bun, covered with a generous helping of a particular kind of chilli sauce, covered by a layer of raw chopped onions, and then a goodly squirt of yellow american mustard. As far as I know, they're unique to Detroit, and you can usually find a 24 hour 'Coney' place every couple of miles on main roads. We like 'em, just like we like "Vernor's Ginger Ale" (which is nothing like anything you'll find anywhere outside of Detroit), but strangers often complain of stomach ailments after consuming 'em...

And, on the subject of Coney Islands... In downtown Detroit there are two Coney places, right next to each other, where Michigan Avenue intersects with West Lafayette and Griswold. One is 'Lafayette Coney Island' and the other is 'American Coney Island.' Each is famous, each is visited by regulars... who include newsmen from the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, and the Detroit Metro Times, by policemen and security guards, by sports figures and sports fans, by hookers and pimps, rappers and gangsters, and by everyone else who spends time downtown. Thing is, there are Lafayette Coney people, and there are American Coney people. My father took me to Lafayette Coney when I was seven or eight, and that's where I go... and, to be honest, I don't exactly trust the people who go to American Coney Island...

By the way, for those of you outside of Detroit. You can easily check any part of Detroit on www.mapquest.com. If you enter the zip code, 48201, it'll center you on downtown Detroit.

The first part of the trip was took me from Green Acres (a subdivision at the very northern edge of Detroit, bounded by 8 mile, Livernois and Woodward; mostly two family houses - either upper & lower, or 'duplexes'), through Sherwood Forest (fancy mansion-style houses; a neighborhood with a full-time private security patrol, with 'Sherwood Forest' cars and 'Sherwood Forest' uniforms). down to Seven Mile Road (an east-west road that parallels Eight Mile, exactly one mile south). Over to Hamilton, and south through the disaster zone of Highland Park (a separate city INSIDE Detroit), and through horendous devastation... most buildings are crumbling ruins.

I stayed on Hamilton all the way down to Edison... and then drove through Boston-Edison. This is a small neighborhood with absolutely magnificent houses and mansions (including, on the corner of Hamilton, the Berry Gordy mansion, owned by the founder of MoTown Records, that looks like a miniature Versailles, complete with outbuildings... my cousin was once a waiter there, and served the strangest meal of his career, to Berry Gordy and Michael Jackson; just the two of them!).

Jagged over to Woodward, and continued the remaining three miles to downtown, past Grand Boulevard (still a commercial area), past the cultural center (with the maginificent Detroit Art Institute to the left, and the equally magnificent Detroit Main Library to the right), past another mile or so of devastation (on the left, the Detroit Medical Center, later on the right there's an island of civilization where the Vietnam Veterans have set up their main center). Finally into downtown, with Comerica Park on the left (there are huge stone tigers prowling around!)...

After picking up my mail from the beautiful Penobscot Building (one of perhaps seven downtown buildings that survive; another is the Guardian Building, the place that was once home to the 'Arsenal of Democracy,' that organized all the war production during WWII), I take Fort Street off to the west. That takes me through more devastation and huge crumbling buildings and factory yards... under the Ambassador Bridge, and then through the trucker section... and then on for miles and miles...

Until I get completely lost and turned around in the vast chemical plant that dominates the western border of the city... Which included a trip over a modern drawbridge across the Rouge River (declared dead many years ago, when the river, no kidding, actually caught fire)... I pause on the bridge to look down at the oily sludge...

Anyway, just a taste.

There weren't nearly as many lights out as I thought... only three districts that I could count...

Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Odd, that bit about the hotdogs. I live in Kentucky, and we have chili-dogs called Coney's. Also with chili, a layer of raw onion, and American yellow mustard.

However, coney places are not wide-spread. There is a particular chain of restaurants (Gold Star Chili) whose Chili has a rather distinctive taste. I wonder if it's the same.

Thuvasa3

EDIT: Do the detroit dogs usually have cheese or not? Non- Gold Star Chili dogs usually don't, Gold star usually do!

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by UnregisteredThuvasa
Odd, that bit about the hotdogs. I live in Kentucky, and we have chili-dogs called Coney's. Also with chili, a layer of raw onion, and American yellow mustard.

However, coney places are not wide-spread. There is a particular chain of restaurants (Gold Star Chili) whose Chili has a rather distinctive taste. I wonder if it's the same.

Thuvasa3

EDIT: Do the detroit dogs usually have cheese or not? Non- Gold Star Chili dogs usually don't, Gold star usually do!

No, no, no!

Kentucky has been infested by the Cincinnati 'Chile' -- which is actually a bizarre Italian concoction, the 'distinctive' taste you describe. Quite different from the Detroit formula.

...and no cheese, ever! Not on Detroit coneys...

Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Interesting. I don't like cheese on my dogs. And you're right, Cincinnati chili is prevalent. I had forgotten about that. There's a chain that specializes in just that...Skyline Chili, I think it's called. Can't really remember though.

However, when we make our own, (and we do), there is no cheese, and it's not "Cincinnati" chili. Speaking of Cincin chili, how do they make it taste that way?

Can you provide some commentary on the nature of the chili? For example, "city" chili (like what you would find in a school cafeteria, etc.) is full of noodles. "Real" chili is almost totally ground beef and beans (heavier on the beef).

A similar food difference is in green beans. "City beans" actually have no beans--it's the bean pods only, where as "real" green beens have both the pods and the bean.

As an aside--"real" food is labelled as such rather than "country" or "rural" because eaters of "city" food are generally unaware of it.

Thuvasa3

p.s. TMNT and Other Strangeness was the first rpg I ever played, and I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen! *sigh* And now I realize that I was 8, and that was 19 years ago... ughh.

[jamasiel]

To keep on the tangent, but essentially to bump the thread:
Cincinnati chili has chocolate/cocoa and cinnamon in it.

And Vernor's is widely available, but not as mass marketed as Canada Dry, etc. -- and it does rock mightily.


Waiting for more of the UA story...! :)
J.~

edited because I can't spelled cinsinatty.

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Speaking of ginger ale. Anyone ever had Ale 81? (pronounced ale eight one?)

That's Kentucky's local ginger ale. I love it, but drink too much and the heartburn is killer. Caffeine load is something else, too.

Thuvasa

EDIT: Mostly as a bump--but, the reason I am so interested comparing Detroit/Kentucky foods/cultures is because, after the area was pretty well killed by the predations of the coal and timber companies, many people in East Kentucky went to Detroit to work in the factories. However, it was apparently a fairly widespread practice to drive all night after the last shift on Friday in order to get home for the weekend. I wondered about culture brought back from Detroit to this area. Etc.

[Ry Guy]

Hi everyone, I'm another one of the players for this game. Someone earlier requested the character sheets for the characters so here is Tina, for your enjoyment.

Name: Tina Leong

Obsession: Cleaning up the streets so her family will come back
Rage Stimulus: People taking advantage of others
Fear Stimulus: Dead bodies
Noble Stimulus: Clean up the streets

Body (Wide): 38
Athletics 23%
Struggle 20%
Mountain of Flab 25%

Speed (Light on her feet): 62
Dodge 20%
Drive 15%
Initiative 36%
Gun 18%
Fastdraw 40%

Mind (Get's There): 58
General Ed 15%
Notice 20%
Conceal 15%
Speak Mandarin 30%
Store Management 20%

Soul (Intiutive): 65
Charm 20%
Lying 25%
Calming Voice 20%
KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD 45%

Crazy Points: Tina hasn't been doing well in the crazy department. With a mind of 58, that means she has only a 58% chance of not snapping when the shit hits the mystical fan. So, she has a total of 5 hardened and 6 failed, with unnatural leading the pack at 3 failed notches, and self a close second.

And that's all there is to Tina stats-wise. As you can see, the game is pretty minimal in regards to rules. For those unfamiliar with the system, in a non-stressful situation, your character can succeed at a skill if they roll under the relevant stat. So if Tina were shooting at a taget on a sunny day, she would have a 62% chance of hitting the target. If it is a stressful situation, then you must roll under your appropriate skill. So when the shit comes down and Tina has to break out the cassul she has a pitiful 18% chance of hitting something.
So now you can see why when things get crazy, Tina keeps her head down. Actually her skill was at 15%, but I bumped it up last time because Tina actually had to fire her hand cannon!
Tina's obsession skill is "Know the neighborhood". I decided to make Tina have an interest in the community. When we were brainstorming what kind of game we wanted to play, it became clear that none of wanted to play combat gods. I had just come from a game of L5R so I had pretty muched sated my bloodlust there. So as players we all wanted to have oddball characters. As a group, we always make sure that the bonds are tight between all the players, so we decided to make a store and have that serve as our common bond. I piped up I wanted to be the manager, and Leong's Grocery was born. We started hashing out ideas about what we wanted to do and the idea of community seemed to be a common thread. Perhaps it's because we live in Tokyo, which has no community spirit what-so-ever. :)
At any rate, we needed a way to get the players out the the store as well, so the idea of 24 hour delivery was born. Being in a poor neighborhood, two of the players decided to have ethnic characters, although Tina is decidedly American.

Background Story: Tina used to be quite pretty. She had a nice life, managing a corner store, had a son and a husband. Life was good, perhaps too good, or perhaps boring. So Tina self-destructed in a gloriou way. She had an affair at home. Her husband found out about it and filed for divorce. He got custody of the child because of the dangerous area where Tina lived. It was just too dangerous according to the judge, and in fact I'm pretty sure that Tina has no visiting rights to her son.
So far this hasn't popped up mush in the story and in fact both Alex and Xavier have stronger personal connections than Tina. Thus her connection to the community. Tina has also let herself go, becoming quite overweight. When I made Tina, it was the first time I had made a femal character, and an ethnic one. I wanted someone that would be a challenge to roleplay, but still be a complete character.
I'll try to post her trigger event in the next few...

[Yokiboy]

Thanks Ry Guy,

That's a very nice character, I cannot help but love Unknown Armies characters. They just seem so alive. Would you please nudge the other two players to share their characters with us?

TTFN,

Yokiboy

P.S. I cannot help but read your nick as "Rye Guy" thinking of someone who loves his whiskey. :D

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Bump!

More, Please?

Thuvasa

[Insect King]

This is one of the best things I've read in a while.

Put some more up.

Cheers,

Chris.

[Cam]

[Looks up, startled yet again, head swivelling around rapidly...]

Oh, hey everyone!

Sorry about the silence, I've been a bit swamped lately ... feels like just the other day I was typing my "I'll post more very soon!" message ... argh, life and stuff fell on top of me!!!

However, I'm going to try and claw back some time soon ... hopefully Saturday or Sunday night ... or Monday at the latest. [Ahem] Promise!

We're playing session 5 this Sunday ... so that plus sessions 3 and 4, *and* the Clerks' trigger events ... lots to post!

Huge thanks by the way for the "bumps" on this thread ... Insect King, Yokiboy, Thuvasa, Jamasiel ... thank you!!! It's heartening to know people are out there, diggin' this.

(Yokiboy, in answer to your questions ... yeah, I'm currently in Tokyo. Born and raised in Australia, I've been over here in Tokyo coming on six years now. And "rye guy" ... well, he *did* bring a bottle of Blue Label Johnnie Walker over to the game for session 4, which went down very smoothly indeed... :) )

Even huger thanks goes out to Erick Wujcik ("even huger" ... and I call myself an English teacher ... sheesh!!!) for going above and beyond for giving us his "up close and personal" travelogues of his home city, Detroit. Erick, are you still following this thread? If so, here's a few things I wanted to comment on:

Erick said:
"I saw exactly six (6) living beings including, one guy in a bright silver wheelchair, one wild rabbit (oddly, in the middle of the street)..."

Wow. The image of the guy in the bright silver wheelchair, on the streets of Detroit at 3AM ... I find that sad and creepy in equal measures. And the wild rabbit in the middle of the street. Totally surreal!

Erick later said:
"And so, a note on "Coney Island." "

Hey, I recently picked up the October 2003 issue of Mojo (a British music magazine) because it has a 50-page special on the Detroit music scene ... and they actually talk about Coney Island!!! Here's a quote from the mag:

"...the originals are American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island ... We singled out Lafayette because it's where Patti and Fred 'Sonic' Smith first locked eyeballs, and where Sir Mack Rick claims to've written Mustang Sally."

You said you were a Lafayette man, right? You've been eating in the place where Mustang Sally was born ... how cool is that!

Anyways, it's a pretty good special, with feature articles on Motown (of course), Parliament/Funkadelic, Detroit techno, a personal view of Detroit written by one of the guys from the MC5, and a lengthy Iggy Pop interview conducted by Jack White (of The White Stripes fame).

The Iggy Pop interview includes quotes such as:
JACK: How aware of God were you when you were younger?
IGGY: My main awareness of God was that I would take some sort of drug and go, Wooaahhh!

Actually, Iggy and the recently reformed Stooges passed through Tokyo just a few weeks ago, and I was lucky enough to get a ticket and see the show. Jesus Christ. They rocked harder and tighter than kids half their age. I only hope I still have the strength to stage-dive and climb speaker-stacks (and then hump them) when *I'm* 56!!!

Erick, the Stooges are from Ann Arbor ... in the minds of local Detroiters does this mean that Iggy and The Stooges are considered "outsiders?" Or are they considered as a Detroit band? I've been listening to a fair bit of Stooges and MC5 when I've been thinking about the Clerks: Detroit Style game, so I'm just curious how Detroit they really are...

A few more things from Erick's travelogue:
"Over to Hamilton, and south through the disaster zone of Highland Park (a separate city INSIDE Detroit), and through horendous devastation... most buildings are crumbling ruins."

Okay, THIS I have to ask about. Highland Park? A city inside a city? Devastated? Crumbling ruins? Man oh man ... what's the story? Actually, it could be quite a long one, and I should just Google myself (oh, that sounded kinda kinky), but I'm really appreciating the "insider view" that you're giving us.

Back to music:
"the Berry Gordy mansion, owned by the founder of MoTown Records, that looks like a miniature Versailles, complete with outbuildings... my cousin was once a waiter there, and served the strangest meal of his career, to Berry Gordy and Michael Jackson; just the two of them!"

I've been reading a bit about Gordy in that Mojo special ... man, that is SUCH a cool story!!! Waiting on Gordy and Michael Jackson in the middle of a mansion...

And, just to give this a totally UA spin, but am I the only one thinking that Michael Jackson was totally going for a seat in the Invisible Clergy as the "King of Pop"? Of course, he would've been going up against the current Clergy member ... obviously none other than the King of Rock and Roll himself. Hence, Jackson's need to rewrite the archetype for the end of the 20th century ... the King of Pop. But his quest for Ascension went badly pear-shaped when the current King's earthly agents went to work on Jackson's credibility...

Okay, sorry, potential for a massive tangent there. Still, I'm kinda curious if anybody else has thought about that...

Anyways, Erick, many thanks for taking the time to give us a look at Detroit!!!

Okay, got an early start in the morning ... so yes, I have to "love you and leave you" again. However, I'll totally try and claw back that time soon, and bring you all up to speed on sessions 3 and 4 and possibly even this Sunday's session 5 as well.

So, now I'm off to Google myself...

Cheers!

Cam.

[Edited just a teeny bit for some grammar...]

[Erick Wujcik]

I'm behind on a deadline, but I wanted to reply, very quickly, to a couple of things...

Originally posted by Cam
Even huger thanks goes out to Erick Wujcik ("even huger" ... and I call myself an English teacher ... sheesh!!!) for going above and beyond for giving us his "up close and personal" travelogues of his home city, Detroit. Erick, are you still following this thread?

Yup, it's pretty interesting. I've even taken a few notes, based on some other things I've seen... I'll post 'em eventually.

Originally posted by Cam
Erick said:
"I saw exactly six (6) living beings including, one guy in a bright silver wheelchair, one wild rabbit (oddly, in the middle of the street)..."

Wow. The image of the guy in the bright silver wheelchair, on the streets of Detroit at 3AM ... I find that sad and creepy in equal measures.

It was creepy. The guy was small and thin and spindly, with thin white hair, and sitting bolt-upright, and it was a rather dated wheelchair, from before they made 'em 'sporty.'

Originally posted by Cam
"...the originals are American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island ... We singled out Lafayette because it's where Patti and Fred 'Sonic' Smith first locked eyeballs, and where Sir Mack Rick claims to've written Mustang Sally."

You said you were a Lafayette man, right? You've been eating in the place where Mustang Sally was born ... how cool is that!

As I said, Lafayette is the more... something... of the two places. When I worked the midnight shift at The Detroit News (back when it was an indepedent paper, with a daily circulation of one million plus), I used to meet people who when to American, but nobody I liked... and I remember running into a policeman buddy in Lafayette, at around three in the morning, and while we were talking, I noticed there were a couple of cop cars outside, but that he was in Lafayette alone... and we had this totally non-verbal communication, with me gesturing to the cars, and him gesturing next door, and both of us kind of grimacing and shrugging, and me just knowing that he wasn't with his regular partner that night, and was more than a little on edge...

Both Lafayette and American occupy the pointy end of a triangular block in downtown Detroit (American has the point itself), and both have doors facing out in two directions (Michigan and Lafayette).

The blunt end was once a main courtroom/legal buiding (I actually served on a jury down there, years ago), around 26 stories tall... beautiful place... and completely abandoned. I remember when the gorgeous windows started disappearing, one by one, starting from the top (stolen and sold). Now it's still there, boarded up on the bottom two floors, with gaping, ragged (exposed concrete and steel girders) windows all the rest of the way up... and nearly always one of the ground floor doors or windows have been broken...

Directly across Grand River from the doors of the Lafayette/American is a vacant lot. Used to be another triangular building, which was occupied by Detroit's main old-time pharmacy... open 24/365. It was a great place, and I remember it fondly (lots of dentist offices in the upper five floors), but it was bought out by one of the national chains, basically so they could destroy the competition... so that left another gaping hole in Detroit's infrastructure.

Across from the Lafeyette Avenue doors of Lafayette/American, is something that used to be a stunning building (one of the most beautiful in the U.S.!), which was eventually taken over by the Scientologists, and then left to rot... It's also boarded up, but it would be a great setting for something bizarre and supernatural...

Originally posted by Cam
...a personal view of Detroit written by one of the guys from the MC5...

MC5? Wow!

This is going to date me, but I was actually at the live “Kick Out the Jams!" (http://www.gregoryego.com/WayneKramer.htm) concert recording session (man, I couldn't hear for over two week afterwards, and it was the last live rock concert I ever attended).

It was down at the old Grandy Ballroom, off Grand River Avenue (runs on an angle, north and west from downtown, all the way out). Even back then, that neighborhood was frightening, with abandoned buildings, and complete poverty (basically, for my whole life, I've watched the city decay from downtown, all the way out along Grand River Avenue, and it's not quite finished...)... and my folks used to talk about the dances at the Grandy pre- and post- WWII...

A few years ago I had a chance to spend some time with the guy who ran the Grandy in the MC5 days... he ended up as a teacher
Originally posted by Cam
Erick, the Stooges are from Ann Arbor ... in the minds of local Detroiters does this mean that Iggy and The Stooges are considered "outsiders?" Or are they considered as a Detroit band? I've been listening to a fair bit of Stooges and MC5 when I've been thinking about the Clerks: Detroit Style game, so I'm just curious how Detroit they really are...

Naw, just about anyone from south and east in Michigan is considered 'Detroit.'

By the way, you should also check out the web for 'Insane Clown Posse...' (ICP, Juggalos, etc.) they're pretty authentic as well (and my ex-bouncer cousin remembers when they were young punks, and he'd have to kick 'em out of places).

Originally posted by Cam A few more things from Erick's travelogue:
"Over to Hamilton, and south through the disaster zone of Highland Park (a separate city INSIDE Detroit), and through horendous devastation... most buildings are crumbling ruins."

Okay, THIS I have to ask about. Highland Park? A city inside a city?[/B]

There are two 'cities' that are completely encircled by Detroit. One is 'Highland Park,' which had some manufacturing, but which was mostly an upper end 'bedroom' community, filled with single family houses (I can remember when my Uncle Ed and his family lived there, in a huge place... but they were Catholic, with 12 kids... and at the time he was Highland Park's Civil Engineer). Now, it's just a disaster, even worse than the surrounding city... and 95% low income black.

The other one, on the east side of Woodward (Highland Part is on the west), is Hamtramck. At one time the biggest Polish community outside of Warsaw. It's got problems, but it also has a very large immigrant community (recent folks from Poland, all over Eastern Europe, plus a lot of Indian, Pakistani, etc.), mixed with lower class white, and middle class black, and it's a really popular place for young people to get their first apartment (most of the housing is two-family: with the owner living below, and the renter in the upper floor)... and Hamtramck still has some great old restaurants, bakeries, coffee houses, etc... plus a bouncy music scene all its own.

More next week...

Erick

p.s.: Very cool that you're in Japan!

[The Radioactivist]

Yup - you guys pretty much captured the picture. Driving home on I-75 the other night, I reflected on how "lonely" the city feels at night. Almost deserted unless you are in the entertainment areas...of course, you can't see a lot from the highway.

On the south side of Detroit down I-75 is a HUGE industrial area (Fort St. and Lincoln Park come to mind) which puts out a horrendous smell of chemical nasties 24-7. It sometimes looks like the Bladerunner scene - with stacks belching fire and smoke. Wild. Never been INTO that district, but you sure can't miss it.

To be fair, white suburbanites like me only visit very select sections of the city. Call it racism, classism or simply fear of PERCEIVED crime, but that's how it goes. Some whites do live downtown and take a (perverse?) pride in their realness. To be fair, they are saavy and smart and much more open-minded then the rest of the city. The metro area is HEAVILY segregated - not by law, but by econonomics. The suburbs and city are currently fighting over water rates and some border demarcations.

Ask older non-blacks from Detroit and they will pine about the days they could go down to Hudson's wearing white gloves and Sunday best - around 50+ years ago. Detroit has had it's periods of ups and downs - the reason for the huge black population was its magnificent industries which drew people from the South.

But the declines of the 60s and Rust Belt effect of the 70s has sapped alot of vitality. Many people have opinions how it can be 'fixed' and the past couple mayors have been fairly good. The one who proceeded them - Colman (sic) Young, was quite reknowned for his 'take a hike' attitude towards white suburbanites - something that pissed them off (and their $$) to no end. OTOH - he instilled a lot of pride among residents, althought his economic policies sucked.

Detroit is an odd mix or contrasts. Poor and rich, black and white, crumbling and gleaming, sad yet prideful, great music scene, cool restuarants, and fear of turning down the wrong street trying to get to the highway. Ask anyone and they'll say a weird thing is the residents of one block will keep it immaculate, but one block over its trashed. Just...odd.

I have no doubts the city will renaissance someday - there is just too much potential. You look at some of these magnificiant buildings and streets and think "if only..."

Layfayette all the way. Especially for breakfast.

"Detroit: Where the Weak are Killed and Eaten" is a rather sardonic saying mixed equally of pride and fear.

Being from the burbs I can tell you this: variation also, but more vanilla. Rich folks live in Farmington Hills (large office parks, huge houses), Novi (falsetto town), Birmingham (used to be nice, now very snobby, nice 2-lane downtown), Eastpointe (used to be East Detroit, bedrooms) and Grosse Pointe (mansions, boats). Middle income and lower all over - each resident of a particular town can tell you what is "wrong" with the bars, girls, shopping or cops of any other town.

Oh - and we have a huge percentage of ugly, overweight men and attractive women. Go figure.


Game idea: there are 2 (or three) military bases along Eight Mile Road and what used to be the tank command on Van Dyke in Warren (a rather large industrial town). The tank place is now an industrial park and the military posts are closed. Eerie looking with shuttered panes and deserted watchtowers. OH! There also a working joint operations base called Selfridge about 30 miles to the north in a waterfront suburb called Harrison Township. They still deploy out of that one.

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by chipjamieson
"Detroit: Where the Weak are Killed and Eaten"

Great post!

I'll add a few more details when I get a chance, but you really captured it... and I actually drove into that chemical maze under I-75 at one point; very, very strange...

Nearby, along the river there is something called "Zug Island," which is possibly the closest place to hell on Earth, solid chemical plants, waste, and jets of burning residue...

Erick

[Gilbetron]

Coney Island, in spite of sharing the name with the Brookly, NY Island, apparently was created in Jackson, at least according to this http://www.todoroffs.com/history.htm - the chili used is more of a "chili sauce". It uses very finely ground beef, but otherwise tastes similar to basic chili.

Vernors was created in Detroit ( http://www.dpsu.com/vernors.html ) but has since moved down south, although I hear that the recipe is a bit different. It is ... unique. Yet tasty, in small amounts.

While for those from out side of Michigan (or even northern michigan) Ann Arbor is part of Detroit, but, generally speaking, those from South East Michigan see them as being very seperate. Ann Arbor is a very liberal college town - called the Berkeley of the Mid West by some. I live there, although I am not from there. It is quite different from Detroit and the other Suburbs - more pretentious, more weird, more liberal, and a lot more foreign cars. Heavy asian population, too. However, it is slowly becoming a bit more "Detroit Suburb"ish as the lawyers, doctors, and executives buy up real estate and bring their morals and life outlook to the city.

As for Detroit, Erick has it spot on, much better than me. I have a few stories, but only a few. "fireworks" on New Years, desolation during the weekend and at nights, etc. A good friend of mine works in a law office right down town, across from where the Hudson Building was, and was there when it was demolished. He claimed it was as impressive as the Shuttle Launching.

I loved the statistics, Erick. An eye opener even for a Michigander...

[Erick Wujcik]

Lafayette & American Picture (http://www.jankaulins.com/p40.html)

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
(Yokiboy, in answer to your questions ... yeah, I'm currently in Tokyo. Born and raised in Australia, I've been over here in Tokyo coming on six years now. And "rye guy" ... well, he *did* bring a bottle of Blue Label Johnnie Walker over to the game for session 4, which went down very smoothly indeed... :) )

And, just to give this a totally UA spin, but am I the only one thinking that Michael Jackson was totally going for a seat in the Invisible Clergy as the "King of Pop"? Of course, he would've been going up against the current Clergy member ... obviously none other than the King of Rock and Roll himself. Hence, Jackson's need to rewrite the archetype for the end of the 20th century ... the King of Pop. But his quest for Ascension went badly pear-shaped when the current King's earthly agents went to work on Jackson's credibility...

Heh heh, for the game you're running Cam, I think whiskey must be a perfect fit. ;)

I think your Michael Jackson tangent is spot on. I mean he even married a Presley for the extra mojo. :D

Glad to have you back and really looking forward to some more of the story! :)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

Hey everyone!

Yes, back again, finally with some action for you to chew on. First of all, here are the three trigger events for our clerks. I’ll keep them kinda brief, in case my players want to post more about them. After all, these trigger events were entirely created by them (in the course of an afternoon during the initial character creation jam). I pretty much just sat and nodded!

TRIGGER EVENTS
TINA LEONG

This is a few years ago now, maybe four or five years before the present day. This is back when Tina had a good figure. This is back when Tina had a husband and a son.

She’d been arguing with her husband for a while. He wanted to get out of the neighbourhood, get out of Detroit. He said it was no place for their son. He wanted to go somewhere better, somewhere that wasn’t a hollowed out shell of itself.

Tina disagreed. This is where she grew up, where her family business was. She’d grown up in the corner store; why couldn’t their son?

Tina’s husband and son were away on a trip, visiting her parents-in-law. The last words that had passed between them were blistering, part of yet another argument over leaving the neighbourhood.

Tina was at a party. She starts talking to a guy in his thirties. He’s pretty cool, in a slightly old-fashioned kinda way. He wears a long coat and a hat that would’ve been popular in the fifties or sixties. Like a fedora, or a pork-pie hat. She isn’t exactly sure, but he has a kind of retro-cool to him. She was drunk, angry with her husband, and attracted to this guy she was talking to.

Next thing she knows, they’re back at her place, totally going for it. It’s amazing. Tina’s on top, eyes tightly shut, living purely in the moment. She then notices that the guy underneath her is unresponsive. She opens her eyes, looks down, starts to ask him what the matter is …

And he’s dead. That’s what the matter is. One second he was alive, completely into it, and then he was dead. It wasn’t like he suddenly seized up, or clenched his heart to his chest, or anything like that. It’s like he was always dead. Especially with pale, bloodless skin like that. His eyes wide, staring at nothing. His skin cold. He’s dead. And he looks like he’s been dead for a long time.

Tina screams, leaps off the body, off the bed, and runs into the bathroom, locks the door, starts crying, shaking, rocking back and forth…

Sometime later she hears the sounds of someone walking around the bedroom, a zip being fastened, shoes being slipped on. Tina shakes and rocks back and forth. She hears the footsteps head towards the apartment door, hears the apartment door open and close.

Her husband found her in the bathroom the next day.

They separated not long after that. He took the son. Tina started guilt-driven binge eating.

Tina’s had a fear of dead bodies ever since.

[Cam]

XAVIER CRUZ
It’s not long after Xavier started working at the store. He’d just gotten out of the army, and wanted to stay on the “straight and narrow”. He didn’t want to go back to the gangs, and he wanted to stay out of trouble with the law.

Which is how he found himself taking a box of groceries up the stairs of an apartment building one night. He knocked on the door of the apartment, which was slightly ajar. Nobody answered. Xavier knocked again. This time the door swung open as he knocked on it. Looking inside, Xavier can see someone seated on a couch in front of a TV.

Xavier puts the groceries down, asks for the money he’s owed. The figure on the coach doesn’t answer. Xavier walks up to the guy … and sees he’s dead. Xavier’s eyes widen. He doesn’t want any trouble with the law. He panics. He picks up the phone in the apartment. Instead of calling the police, he calls the corner store and speaks to his co-worker, Alex.

A few minutes later Alex and Tina come running into the apartment. Tina sees the dead guy, and freaks out. She knows him. He’s the guy she picked up at that party a few years ago. Tina runs out of the apartment. Alex checks the guy’s pulse, confirms he’s dead (he looks like he’s been dead for quite a while), then runs after Tina. Xavier runs after him.

Alex is trying to calm Tina down. He thinks Xavier should call the police straight away. There was no sign of a violent struggle, and Xavier was going there for a legitimate reason. Xavier nods, runs back to the apartment to use the phone again … and sees the body is gone. He looks around, and hears a car starting from the street below. Xavier runs to the window, looks out, and sees the body driving off at the wheel of a ‘60s-looking car…

[Cam]

ALEX GUSTAV
It’s not long before the present day. Alex is on his way to work at the corner store, riding his pushbike down the street. A ‘60s-looking car drives past him, takes the corner pretty quickly … a second later there is the sickening sound of metal crumpling, screeching, glass shattering.

Alex rides around the corner, and sees the car has slammed into a telegraph pole. He jumps off the bike, runs up the driver’s side of the car … the driver is slumped back in his seat, eyes wide open, face covered in blood. It’s too late.

A hat that would’ve been popular in the ‘60s rests on the passenger’s seat. And there’s something familiar about the driver, Alex is sure he knows him from somewhere.

Alex leaps onto his bike, rides to the corner store, and calls the police. He rides back to the crash, knowing the police will ask him questions. When he arrives at the crash, he sees the driver’s side door is open … and the car is empty. A little further up the road Alex sees a bus pull up to a bus stop, and a man in a long coat and ‘60s-looking hat steps onto the bus. Alex pedals hard after the bus, almost catching up to the back of it … the figure in the long coat walks to the back of the bus, sits down … and then turns around to look at Alex. Alex knows him. It’s the driver. It’s the body Xavier found a couple of years ago.

As Alex’s eyes widen with shock and his legs go weak, the bus picks up speed and roars off into the distance…

[Cam]

CLERKS, DETROIT STYLE

SESSION THREE

OPENING MONTAGE SEQUENCE
[Set to the tune of “Dirt” by The Stooges]
It’s been a month since the tragic shoot-out at Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery. We start out with a montage sequence, revealing what’s been happening in the clerks’ lives…

[First shot]
The clerks are standing in the lobby of the police station, the police having finally finished questioning them over the deaths of Ben, Martinez, Juan, and Tiger. One of the cops hands Tina a card.
“Here. You’ve all been through a pretty traumatic 24 hours. This is someone you can talk to. Help you figure things out. At a time like this … well, it’s just good to talk to someone, you know? Take care.” The cop walks away.
Tina angrily crumples up the card, drops it onto the floor.
“We don’t need you. Don’t need your help or your pity.” She says to herself. “C’mon guys,” she says to Xavier and Alex, “let’s get out of here.”

[Second shot – Tina]
Tina’s worried about the mayor’s recently revealed plans for “urban renewal”. She’s taking action. She’s making petitions, collecting signatures, trying to get people to care about their local community … before that very community is taken away from them.

[Third shot – Xavier]
Xavier’s sister, Maria, was pretty shaken up by what she saw in the basement. Xavier convinces her to go to a rehab group, and get off the coke and other substances. Xavier spends his days working at the store and then taking Maria to the evening rehab meetings. He’s keeping a pretty close eye on her.

[Fourth shot – Alex]
Alex goes to the university labs, starts talking to Ben’s classmates, starts looking through the labs where Ben studied. Alex finds one of Ben’s notebooks, all scrawled chemical symbols and disjointed ramblings on the transformative and redemptive powers of chemicals. Alex spends the month poring over the notebook, desperately trying to figure out exactly how Ben cured the junkies and walked around with the back of his head blown out. And while it’s obvious that Ben was highly emotional, quite probably emotionally unstable, Alex can’t help but see that what he has written makes some kind of sense…

“Ooh, I've been hurt
And I don't care
Ooh, I've been hurt
And I don't care
Cause I'm burning inside
I'm just a dreaming this life
And do you feel it?
Said do you feel it when you touch me?
Said do you feel it when you touch me?
There's a fire
Well, it's a fire” (“Dirt” 1970)

[Cam]

SCENE ONE: MARCH ON CITY HALL
[Set to the tune of “T.V. Eye” by The Stooges]

It’s an average day at Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery. Tina’s taking stock, Xavier’s stacking shelves, and Alex has his nose in a medical textbook (pharmacology, by the looks of it…).

The door bursts open as Laticia runs in, breathless.
“Guys! Guys! You’ve gotta come quick! Bub’s gone crazy!”
“What?” Tina says. “Bub from Bub’s bar?”
“Yeah! He’s totally lost it! He’s giving away free beer, and he’s crying and laughing and crying and laughing again and … and … he’s totally lost it! He says he’s getting closed down!”
“Where is he?” Tina says, getting concerned.
“At his bar; that’s where he’s giving away all his booze! And let me tell you, there’s a pretty big crowd and it’s only growing! C’mon!”
“Okay.” Tina nods. “Xavier, get the van ready. I’ll get my father to mind the store.”

Tina runs upstairs. Her father is watching a baseball game.
“Dad, I need you to look after the store for a little while.” She says in English.
“Look after the store?” He says in Mandarin. “What is it now?”
“There’s some sort of problem down at Bub’s bar.” Tina switches to Mandarin.
“Bub’s bar? You know, I was looking after this store in the riots of ’67! I didn’t go running off to get a drink in the middle of that!”
“Dad dad … I’m not running off to get a drink; there’s some kind of problem. Look, please, just keep an eye on the store for a little while.”
“Hmmm … okay.”

Tina heads downstairs to the delivery van where Alex and Xavier are waiting. (Yes, it still has the ice-cream cone on top.) They drive down the street to where Bub’s bar is. Bub’s bar is a local institution; it’s where people have drowned their sorrows for decades. The front doors are open, and a crowd has spilled out onto the street. Some people are laughing, others are shaking their heads sadly, but everyone is drinking.

The clerks push their way inside, and see Bubs standing on top of the bar. He’s laughing and crying at the same time. He looks … well, he looks hysterical. Everyone in the bar is helping themselves to as much booze as they handle, and then some.

“Bubs! Bubs, what the hell is going on?” Tina yells.
“Hey Tina! Get yourself a drink!”
“I don’t wanna drink! I wanna know what’s going on!”
“We’re celebrating the end! They’re shuttin’ my bar down!”
“Who? What? Why?” Tina has to yell over the noise the crowd is making.
“I got a notice from the City of Detroit Buildings & Safety Engineering Department. They say I’m in violation of their new fancy-shmancy signage regulations. They say I gotta pay 15 000 bucks in fines. Well, guess what? I don’t HAVE 15 000 bucks! So you know what happens one day later? I get an offer from another department in City Hall, asking to buy my property for 15 000 bucks!!! So this way the pencil-pushing geeks get to take my bar, my LIFE away from me without paying a goddamned cent!!!” At this, Bubs drops to his knees on the bar, weeping uncontrollably.

Tina’s hands ball up into fists.
“Those bastards think they can just walk right over us.” She says to herself. “Not in my neighbourhood. Not without a fight.”
Tina shakily starts to climb onto one of the barstools, which threatens to topple under her considerable bulk.
“Uh, Alex, Xavier, give me hand here!”
Alex and Xavier shoot questioning glances at each other, then help Tina onto the stool. From there she jumps onto the bar beside Bubs.
“Everybody!” She yells. “Listen to me! This is Bub!” Tina points to Bub beside her. “And this is Bub’s bar! This place has been here for as long as I can remember! Andy, how long have you been drinking here?” Tina asks, pointing to someone in the crowd.
“Uh, ever since I lost my job at Ford ten years ago.”
“Right! And how about you Lenny?”
“About twenty years now.”
“Right! And those BASTARDS at City Hall want to take it away from you! Do you want that?”
“No!” Some people in the crowd yell.
“I said ‘DO YOU WANT THAT?’” Tina yells.
“NO!” The crowd yells.
“Well c’mon then! Let’s head to City Hall together and tell ‘em what’s on our minds!”
“YEAH!” The crowd yells.
“Oh, but what about the free beer?” Andy asks.
“Oh … Xavier, Alex, grab those kegs and put ‘em in the back of the delivery van!”

Xavier and Alex shot each other another questioning glance, then load the kegs into the back of the van. Tina takes Bubs by the arm and leads him into the van. The van starts slowly driving down the street, not much faster than walking speed, with the back doors and the side window (once used for serving ice-cream). Bubs is working the keg, and Tina is handing cups of beer out the back and side window.
“C’mon!” Tina yells. “Let’s show them there’s some heart in this community!”

The van drives by the apartment building opposite Laticia’s building. People are moving out their furniture, carrying out their meager personal belongings in boxes.
“Hey, you guys!” Tina yells to them. “That scumbag Willy Lomar kicked you out of your homes, right?”
They nod, despondent.
“Well come on! We’re heading to City Hall to tell ‘em what we think about that!”

Some of them fall in behind the van, join the ever-growing crowd. Tina turns to Alex in the van.
“Alex, this isn’t going to work unless we get some media coverage. Head over to that payphone, and call the local stations.”
Alex nods, jumps out of the van, and runs over to the phone.

“Yeah, that’s right, we’re marching on City Hall. We’re angry about the Mayor’s urban renewal plans. We’re heading down there right now to make our voices heard.” Alex says.
“Interesting” says the secretary. “And what’s your current location? Uh-huh … okay … right … okay sir, thank you for your call.”
The secretary hangs up the phone, then immediately calls the news producer.
“Yeah, some kind of spontaneous demonstration. Just got a call from one of the protestors. They want the media attention, so it sounds like they might be willing to do something radical.”
“Hmm, interesting” says the producer. “Where are they now? Uh huh … and what part of town did they come from? Oh … really … that’s a pretty blighted part of town, that means they might be pretty desperate.”
“Do you want me to call the police?” The secretary asks.
“Hmm … no, let them find out when we air the story. We don’t want them to shut this down too quickly. And get the ‘Eye in the Sky’ team over there now.”

Meanwhile, Alex jogs back to the van.
“Okay, I made the calls.” He says, climbing back in.
“Great!” Tina says, continuing to hand out beer.
Before too long, there’s a news helicopter hovering overhead and news crews are assembling at City Hall…

“Lord
See that cat
Yeah I do mean you
See that cat
Yeah I do mean you
She got a TV eye on me
She got a TV eye
She got a TV eye on me, oh” (“T.V. Eye” 1970)

[Cam]

SCENE TWO: RIOT, INTERRUPTED
[To the tune of “Kick Out The Jams” by The MC5]

At City Hall, one of the advisors to the Mayor comes running into the Mayor’s office.
“Mr. Mayor, I think you should see this.” He turns on the TV. They see shots of an ever-growing crowd marching through the streets of Detroit, headed straight for City Hall, with an ice-cream van leading the charge.
“Is that rather large woman handing out beer?”
“Ah, yes, I do believe so Mr. Mayor.”
“Have the police been notified?”
“Yes Mr. Mayor. But they’ve got precious little time to prepare. They won’t be able to stop the march before it gets here. However, they say they might be able to make it here in time.”
“Might make it in time?” The Mayor thinks for a moment. “Get my limo ready. We’re getting out of here.”

The ice-cream van is almost at City Hall. The crowd’s drunk and angry. They’re mad as hell and they’re not gonna take it anymore. Least of all Tina. She’s leading the charge, channeling the righteous fury of her community like a spear, aimed at the heart of City Hall.

At a number of police stations officers are climbing into riot gear, grabbing batons, grabbing tear gas, jumping into vans.
“Don’t worry guys,” one of the sergeants says, “I was in L.A. back in ’92. I know how to deal with these kinda people. Hit ‘em hard, hit ‘em fast, have ‘em pissin’ in their pants with fear.”

At the back of City Hall, the Mayor climbs into his limo. It pulls away and starts to drive down the street. The limo’s phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Mayor, this is Holden.”
“How can I help you Mr. Martin?”
“Have you seen the news?”
“Yes, in fact we’re leaving City Hall right now.”
“Leaving? Mr. Mayor, the way I see it, you’re the best man to defuse this situation.”
“How so?”
“Right now I can see the makings of an angry mob on my TV right now. Those police coming through the streets aren’t going to make matters any better. You’re a respected man, Mr. Mayor. You can talk to these people. Calm them down. Make them see reason. My sources tell me that they’ve organized some sort of local meeting for tomorrow night. Perhaps you can promise them an appearance at that meeting.”
“Hmm …”
“Mr. Mayor, for the urban renewal to go ahead smoothly, we need these people on our side.”
“You’ve got a point Holden. I’ll talk to you later.” The Mayor hangs up the phone, and orders the driver to take him back to City Hall.

Meanwhile, the ice-cream van has arrived at City Hall. The protestors are all over the front steps, angrily demanding to see the Mayor. Tina and Alex are talking to the various news crews that are already on the scene, desperately trying to get their side of the story heard. Tina frowns as she feels a sudden, deep, bass note of menace from deep within her bones. She looks up to see a horde of cops forming at the base of the City Hall steps, armed with batons and riot shields. An officer steps to the front with a megaphone.

“This is an illegal gathering! Please disperse immediately!”
“Wait! Everybody wait! Listen to me!” Another amplified voice cuts across the crowd, this time coming from one of the balconies on City Hall. Everyone turns around to see the Mayor standing on a balcony, holding a megaphone of his own.

“I can see you’re angry, but this is not the way to express your anger!”
Tina walks down the steps to the cop holding the megaphone, and pulls it from his hands.
“Hey lady, you can’t ju-”
“No! You listen to ME Mr. Mayor!” Tina yells into her new megaphone. “We ARE angry, and we ARE expressing that anger! What you’re doing is WRONG! You’re tearing the heart out of our neighbourhood! Is that what a good Mayor should do?”
Tina walks up the steps, Xavier right behind her. Xavier’s worried, looking around in all directions. This could explode at any moment. What was Tina thinking?

“I understand you’re having a town meeting tomorrow night. Let me come to that. Let me talk to you then. Let me explain how this plan will benefit your community, and not harm it.”
“I don’t think you’re hearing what we’re saying! This plan is ALREADY harming the community!”

At the base of the steps the drunken protestors start jostling with the cops. Nervous, the cops start pushing back. One of the protestors falls over. The other protestors get angry. Someone throws a punch. Someone swings a baton.

And it begins.

The Mayor’s eyes widen in horror as he sees the City Hall stairs erupt into violence. Tina hurls the megaphone at some cops running up the steps, then she turns to run. Xavier drops to the ground, and sweep kicks the two cops to the ground. He gets up and starts to run after Tina. Alex desperately tries to keep up with Tina and Xavier, but the surging crowd quickly cuts him off from them. The protestor beside him goes down, clubbed across the side of the head. Alex stumbles, barely staying on his feet as a cop and protestor, hands locked around each other’s throats, come rolling down the stairs straight at him.

Tina turns around, sees the scene in slow motion. Sees Bub clubbed across the side of the head. Sees the crowd surging, clawing, biting, like a desperate animal.

And then everything shudders. The ground shakes. Everybody stumbles, stops fighting, and looks around fearfully as the buildings around them sway. For about 20 seconds everything shakes, promising something stronger, harder …

Then there’s a pregnant pause. Everything stops. The cops and protestors look at each other wide-eyed. Look at the buildings around them that are slowly coming to a stop. Look at the people sprawled on the ground, injured.

“We need some medics here! We need some help!” Someone yells. Shaken by the realization of what was about to happen, the cops and protestors slowly start helping each other up from the ground, and medics start to treat the injured. Alex steps over to some of the injured protestors and starts helping them. One of the medics steps over to Bub, sprawled on the ground … but it’s too late. When he was clubbed he fell and cracked his head on the steps. He’s dead.

Tina and Xavier look at each other, look at the crowd that has regained its senses … thanks to a freak earthquake in the heart of Detroit. They see some of the protestors surreptitiously leaving the scene down some back alleys. They slip away and run after them…

“And right now, right now, right now it's time to
KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHER FUCKERS!
Yea!
I, I, I, I, I'm gonna
I'M GONNA KICK 'EM OUT!” (“Kick Out The Jams” 1968)

[Cam]

Hey Everyone,

Hmmm, halfway through Session 3, but since I've been typing at my usual glacial speed, it's almost 3A.M. here ... sad to say I'll have to call it night for now.

Will hopefully jump on again soon and finish off Session 3. After the very human horror of a riot (interrupted) in the first half, we take a sudden detour into somewhat more surreal yet equally disturbing territory in the second half.

Then there's Session 4, featuring yet more headshots (something of a reoccuring image in the campaign!) and even more weirdness.

And yesterday we played Session 5, which sees some of the true powers of the neighbourhood revealed...

So, more to come!

Cheers,

Cam.

PS Erick, I just wanted to say ... man, you were actually at the MC5 gig??? That's totally freaking historic!!! Sad to hear it was the last gig you went to, but on the other hand ... what a gig to finish up on! Kick out the jams indeed...

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
Hey everyone!

Yes, back again, finally with some action for you to chew on. First of all, here are the three trigger events for our clerks. I’ll keep them kinda brief, in case my players want to post more about them. After all, these trigger events were entirely created by them (in the course of an afternoon during the initial character creation jam). I pretty much just sat and nodded!

Did they come up with these trigger events together? I love them, way cool! And talk about full of hooks you can use to get a game going. Damn, I so want to play Unknown Armies. :)

Glad to have you back Cam, if you don't check in regularly I will need that cure Dave got - it's safe right? ;)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[jamasiel]

Sweet. I know precious little about the magic systems in UA just yet, but damn if " channeling the righteous fury of her community like a spear, aimed at the heart of City Hall. " doesn't sound like a ritual of ~some~ sort.

Wooha!
J.~

[Ry Guy]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jamasiel
[B]Sweet. I know precious little about the magic systems in UA just yet, but damn if " channeling the righteous fury of her community like a spear, aimed at the heart of City Hall. " doesn't sound like a ritual of ~some~ sort.

I don't know if it was actually Tina that caused that earthquake though. Now that you mention it there was a lot of anger going on there, but I think the person who did it was someone else.

The UA magic system is actually pretty awesome. No memorizing or dice rolls really. You just get "charges" by staying true to your magic. There are three types of charges: minor, significant and major. To reap a major charge, which is required to cause an earthquake in the middle of town, you'd have to do something pretty radical. Leading a riot onto the steps of city hall might do the trick tough. We'll have to see.

I also wanted to say that as a group, we had great fun roleplaying the media in this situation. While we were leading the mob downtown, there really wasn't much to do. Si instead, we started with the "eye in the sky" traffic coptors reporting their interpretation of what was happening. Basically, they focused on the fact we were a enraged group of drunks. When I say "they" I mean we as the players. Again, none of this was scripted. It was a great way actually to put perspective on what we as characters were doing and that there were consequnces to what was happening in the outside world. It keeps things real and makes the players achievements seem more monumental.
Some memorable lines from the media were "Any indication of the ethnicity of the rioters, Ted?" and "We now bring in Dr. Kristofsky, the world renowned expert on mob mentality, tell me Dr. Kastoffkey, what is your take on the situation?" "Well, in these sitations, an angry mob liek this can easily escalate..." <Reporter cuts off the doctor> "There you have it Ted, it's an angry mob and this situation is only going to excalate!"
We also had a bit of fun playing the riot police and creating a lot of tension by showing one of the police as being quite blood thirsty. Then it was revealed that he was leading the operation.
I think it all goes back to what I think Erick said earlier on. The characters' motivations and the players' motivations are quite different. As players, we enjoy "screwing over" our PCs because that's more fun. And we can trust each other that the sitation will get better, but first it's got to get a whole lot worse. We also trust that as players, we won't use the information we learn to help out our PCs. Since we're making it all up on the fly, it would be counter-intuitive. This reminds me of the game "De Profundis: letters from the abyss" by Michael Oracz. In it he had an article on "Psychodrama", which was a freeform style of roleplaying where the "Players" just sit in a circle and tell a story without a GM script. In fact there is no GM. In it, he said that basically the game naturally tends to work out where the players first throw tons of obstacles in their way. They don't WANT things to be resolved easily. Especially when you take away the motivation of XP. Anyways, it's a New Style Game by Hogshead and I recommend you pick it up.
Anyways, on the topic of trust, one of the reasons why I like this group so much is because we do trust each other. I was running an Amber game recently and a great (I thought) situation came up. I notced that neither of the players really communicated with each other and oftern "Knew" things about what happened to the other character even when they weren't there and their PCs probably wouldn't have shared the information. Anyways, the situation was this. The characters are being pursued through shadow by Benedict (big strong military leader). They've just had their ass handed to them in a huge naval battle (did quite well, but lost in the end) so they are fleeing on a ship. One of the characters is a shapeshifter, and he decides to change into a water elemental and harass the pursuing ships. Great idea. He does this and it's effective. The the "leader" PC gets a Trump call (phone call) from Benedict. She is downstairs in the cabin, and she starts engineering a truce. While that's happening, I tell the other player, there is a shape in the water. It turns out to be a group of water elementals. He changes into a water elemental to better communcate with them. The leader character manages to engineer a truce with Benedict and as she does that the water elemental PC's new friends offer to destroy the pursuing ships. As a player, he knew that there was a truce and that destroying the ships wasn't a good idea, but as a PC, he knew he was probably dead if he didn't get those ships off his tail. I thought this would be a great chance for some cool mix-ups. But the player just politely refused and went back on the ship. The reason, he didn't trust me yet as a GM (it was a newly formed group).
If we didn't trust each other, then there would be no way to play the kind of game were playing now.

[Mencelus]

Yep, gotta agree 100 percent with Ry Guy here. Our group is totally built on mutual trust. As I mentioned WAY back in the posts and as Ry Guy mentiuoned just now, we do actively try to "screw" ourselves up in the game with the little side scenes of other characters, all in the hope that the game gets more interesting. In that riot scene, we actually played the cops coming out of the police riot van. While making the usual hang-tough-there-soldier talk, we managed to roleplay the cops so that they decided to angle for "that fat lady up there on the steps leading the mob." Which naturally led to the we-run-away-when-the-riot-stops thing. Great stuff.

That said, I also agree that if you have a group without much trust, or a new group just learning to trust, then you end up missing opportunities - but that takes time, as we all know. I consider myself lucky to be in the group with Ry Guy and Cam - pure chance that we met and vibed together, after all. I myself had just come off running a 3rd D+D mini-campaign (and burned out as a result - God I hate Attacks of Opportunity rules) and ran a mini Star Wars campaign that died after the first game due to player problems (i.e., we had a problem player in the group).

Which leads to my last rambling note. To get that group that works well together, that meshes and jams off each other, it may be necessary to "weed out" those who cause disturbances in the force. I don't mean awkward roleplayers; I mean those that actually cause you to waste time during the game on trivial things that don't add to anyone's enjoyment. We gamers are precious few, no doubt, but we can be selective. My two cents anyway.

(Note - Don't take this to mean I'm some sort of Nazi-purest gamer. I'm not. It's just that I am a very busy person who considers the time he gets to spend with friends at the gaming table important and even theraputic against the little traumas of modern adult life. To reach the heights of gaming that we have would not have been possible without discernment).

[Cam]

Hey Everyone!

Don't take this to mean I'm some sort of Nazi-purest gamer...

Yes you are!!! Yes you are!!! You're a Nazi-purest gamer!!! Nazi-purest!!! Nazi-purest!!! :p

Okay, sorry, I'll get serious now...

In the main Sorcerer rulebook Ron Edwards says that getting a good gaming group together is like getting a good live band together. I personally feel that's a really good analogy. I mean, I like "music", and Joe down the road likes "music", but you sure as hell couldn't put us in the same band together, because I like quiet minimal piano melodies in the style of Satie while Joe loves rockin' out and trying to capture the feel of AC/DC's "Back In Black". Putting us together in a band would suck. Neither of us would be happy, because both of us would be compromising for each other, and in the end neither of us is playing what we really wanna play.

Same thing in gaming. If me and Joe both love gaming, but I wanna do indepth character studies in an urban hell while Joe wants to kick arse and take names, then me and Joe probably shouldn't game together. We should probably smile politely, shake hands, and try and find some gamers who play in a similar style.

I've noticed, however, that a lot of gamers stick together even if they know deep down that they don't form a very good "band" together. It's just that, well, gamers are few and far between anyways!

Still, my group over here took some chances, really looked around for gamers who fit our style, and actually parted ways with one member who really just didn't fit the group (and let me tell you, THAT WAS DIFFICULT). And now, after many "jam sessions" together, we've got what I think is a pretty good band. :) In my humble opinion, of course...

Sweet. I know precious little about the magic systems in UA just yet, but damn if " channeling the righteous fury of her community like a spear, aimed at the heart of City Hall. " doesn't sound like a ritual of ~some~ sort.

Heh heh heh ... yeah, it does, doesn't it? ;) Ry Guy said he didn't think so ... but he did note that there was a lot of anger flying around then ... and Tina certainly was acting like some sort of focal point for that anger ...

One thing that Ry didn't mention about the magic systems in UA is that it's quite possible to be channeling mystic powers and not even be realizing that you're doing so! How so? Well, basically, there are a number of archetypes that are embedded in the collective consciousness of humanity. For example, The Mother, The Warrior, The Fool, The Messenger, The True King. We see these archetypes popping up again and again in cultures the world over. So much so, that the tremendous weight of mass consciousness behind these archetypes gives these archetypes power. And if you start following in the footsteps of such an archetype, either knowingly or unknowingly, you will start to channel the mystic energy of that archetype.

In other words, start acting like a quintessential Mother, and the universe will bend ever so slightly around you to make your mothering duties easier. Start acting like a quintessential Warrior, and reality likewise slightly bends to make you a better fighter. And so on.

So, that's one way to channel mystic forces in UA and not even be aware of it. Furthermore, in UA symbols and symbolism are incredibly important; ritual magick in UA is often all about creating some kind of sympathetic link between the caster and the target (if there is a target). So, if you just so happened to be performing some kind of heavily symbolic action in a neighbourhood that was somehow heavily mystically charged, then you might unwittingly release that mystical power.

This is one of the reasons why I dig UA so much; what you DO, your ACTIONS ... THEY MATTER. They have consequences. They MEAN SOMETHING.

So ... jamasiel you're quite right when you say that Tina's actions sound like a ritual. Did she unknowingly unleash something that day in front of city hall??? Did she somehow tap into the mystical forces surrounding her neighbourhood, and wasn't even aware of it??? (Yeah, it's pretty safe to say by now that there are mystical forces in the clerks' neighbourhood!!!) Perhaps. Or maybe there was another force at work there ...

More to be revealed later!!! :)

Did they come up with these trigger events together? I love them, way cool! And talk about full of hooks you can use to get a game going.

Hey Yokiboy! Yeah, they totally came up with them themselves in a character jam session. I just sat and nodded. And keep reading the threads, because that dead guy is about to pop up again...

Cheers!

Cam.

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by Cam
...Erick, are you still following this thread?

It's been a particularly sad week in Detroit:

April 14, 2004:
Even Detroit cops are shocked at the crime (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/rob14_20040414.htm)

"Police found Donald Dillon, 44, of Hamtramck on Tuesday morning... Dillon was a passenger in a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier that collided with a Dodge Caravan at 2:12 a.m. in northeast Detroit, police said. The driver, Carl Oates, 54, of Detroit, was also killed and had to be extricated from the car... Dillon was ejected from the Cavalier and... as his body lay motionless in the street, someone went through his pockets. Police found the ransacked wallet next to the body..."

April 13, 2004:

A black penny loafer and rain-soaked papers the judge carried marked the spot... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/judge13_20040413.htm)

"Thirty-Sixth District Court Judge John R. Perry was killed by a hit-and-run driver Monday night as he crossed East Lafayette on Detroit's near east side... Perry, 73, who served on the court more than 20 years, was struck about 9 p.m. by a speeding dark-colored vehicle and was dead on arrival at Detroit Receiving Hospital... Witnesses told police that Perry rolled onto the hood of the car and the driver swerved several times to shake him off before speeding away.... Perry was dragged 100-125 feet before he was thrown from the the car... this is the third hit-and-run crash this week in Detroit."

April 9, 2004:

City razes homeless man's shack... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shack9_20040409.htm)

"Neighbors wept and wondered: With all of Detroit's problems, why did city officials suddenly decide to pick on the man some affectionately call Old Ralph? ...bulldozers showed up and plowed through his home... "I don't see how I was bothering anybody," he said, while loading up his belongings. "I've been through 11 winters here..." city officials did not return phone calls... "He's a neighbor, not just a homeless guy who came from nowhere," Talab said... Thomas lived in a boarding house on Vinewood about two decades ago. When the boarding house closed, he built the shanty, which grew to four rooms... the shanty blended into the ramshackle neighborhood, which has a number of abandoned homes... Some people said the city sold the property last month, but that could not be confirmed."

April 8, 2004:

...streets will remain dark as the City Council again delayed a decision on hiring a contractor to replace up to 5,000 broken streetlights... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/wlight8_20040408.htm)

"...council members questioned why the city's Public Lighting Department wants to pay an outside contractor $1.8 million to do the work of city employees... But Public Lighting Department Director Mark Petty told the council on Wednesday that the department can't keep up with the need for light repairs... Union members who attended the session argued that city workers could replace the lights if the city provided sufficient equipment... Peavy Horton, a 20-year employee in streetlight maintenance, said the department hasn't had the appropriate lightbulbs in stock for several months... council has held up the streetlight contract since February..."

April 8, 2004:

FUNERAL FOR DETROIT FAMILY OF 5 (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/murd8_20040408.htm)

William Parker Sr. walked into the sanctuary... Inside was his son, William Parker Jr., 16. The senior Parker hugged and kissed his son, and then -- with the help of a woman holding him up -- proceeded to his 14-year-old daughter Wrandell's coffin. He kissed her, too, and moved a few steps to the right to the children's mother and his former wife, Lisa Shelton, 33, who was to be buried in a pink suit jacket... good-bye to his youngest daughter, WaNee, 12, and Shelton's last child, AuShanai Thompson, 9... It took him 33 steps to walk past the five white coffins -- the girls' trimmed in pink and William Jr.'s in blue...

The family was killed in their east-side home at 153 Minnesota last Thursday. Shelton was strangled. The children were beaten in the head with a pipe... This year, 105 people have been killed in the city -- five of them children. A toddler was shot by her caretaker four days before Shelton and her children were killed.

Wayne County prosecutors have charged Shelton's boyfriend and AuShanai's father, Roger Thompson, 36, with five counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths... Police said they believe Shelton and Thompson were arguing because Shelton bought computers to start a printing company -- in part, to publish some of her poetry... Carol Svatora, a teacher at Kosciusko Middle School where William Jr., Wrandell and WaNee attended, said she was proud to have an autographed copy of a book of poetry Shelton published. She also said her school has never experienced such grief... The service also included some of Shelton's poetry, including one she wrote about her love of her children. She described William as an artist and Wrandell as the comedian who "will make you laugh in a heartbeat..." she called WaNee a singer, saying she would ask her daughter to sing when she felt down... She wrote that her children are "my closest, dearest friends, who love me no matter what, my encouragement to win..."

The family was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Detroit.


To sum up, from another Detroit Free Press story: "So far... the quintuple homicide on Minnesota Street... the shooting of two young police officers... a toddler shot in the head by her caretaker... two triple homicides... the mauling of a child by a dog... this year, Detroit has recorded 110 homicides, compared with about 75 at this time last year..."

Erick

[Cam]

SCENE THREE: GUILT

Tina and Xavier are back at the corner store. They are staring at the TV on the front counter, watching news stories about the riot that was stopped at the last minute by a sudden freak earth tremor that was centered in the very heart of Detroit. Tina’s eyes are wide, her head shaking slowly.

“I … I can’t believe it. I can’t believe they did that to us. They just came in with their batons and their shields and they just … started hitting … and …” Tina’s voice trails off.
“Tina,” Xavier says softly and slowly, “I know this is hard … but … what did you expect to happen? We led a group of drunken angry people in the heat of the moment. We led them to what they see as the enemy. No one was going to talk Tina. That was never going to happen. WE set this up. WE are responsible for this mess. WE did it.”
“No!” Tina says. “No! That’s not true! Because … they … they …” Tears start to stream from Tina’s eyes. “Oh God. We did it. I did it. Oh my God … I’m a monster.” Tina runs upstairs, crying.

Xavier looks around, awkwardly, unsure of what to do. He settles in behind the counter. After a while Alex arrives.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“You know … I saw a funny thing on the way back here. I passed by the old crackhouse across from Oak Park.”
“Yeah, the place where we had that run-in with Jackie Z. What about it?”
“Well, they’ve totally torn the place down. They were laying concrete. And the weird thing is, when they were laying the concrete, I coulda sworn I saw one of the construction guys put a piece of machinery, like an automotive part, into the wet concrete!”
“Doesn’t sound too weird to me Alex; they put metal poles and girders and shit in there to make it stable.”
“Yeah, but … I’m sure this looked like an automotive part. Like I’ve seen you working with on the van or your bike.”
“Hmm.” Xavier’s not convinced. And he’s got more important things on his mind.
“Tina okay?”
“Yeah, she’s upstairs, but you shouldn’t disturb her.”
“Okay.”
Alex starts wordlessly stocking shelves. Xavier wordlessly watches out from behind the counter.

Upstairs, Tina wordlessly stares out of the window, her eyes blank. Her father gently puts a cup of tea down beside her.
“Well, it’s not like 1967 … but I know how you feel.” He says. Tina keeps staring out of the window…

Alex is stocking shelves. He turns around to see Lenna walking into the store, a concerned look on her face.
“Lenna?”
“Alex, are you okay?”
“Uh, oh, I’m fine, just fine. Why?”
“Why?” Lenna looks confused, a little hurt even. “I saw the news. That mess down at City Hall. I saw you talking to reporters, and then you were somewhere in the middle of that … that mess.” She pauses. “I was worried.”
“Oh … oh, well, thanks Lenna.”
Lenna steps a little further into the store, taking care to avoid the floor just in front of the counter. (“That’s where she saw her lover die” Xavier thinks from behind the counter…)
“Alex, is everything okay? I … I haven’t heard from you much lately, not since Ben’s … funeral.”
“Um, me? Oh, um, I’m fine, I’m just fine, I’ve been … really busy, you know. Really busy.” This is unusual. This isn’t Alex’s usual nervousness around Lenna. This isn’t Alex’s low self-esteem crippling his ability to talk to her. It almost seems like … Alex is unsure of how he usually talks to her. Everything he says sounds like an experiment to his own ears.
“Oh.” Lenna takes a step back, sensing that Alex isn’t himself. “Okay then. Um, well, I gotta get going then. I gotta … yeah.” Lenna turns and walks out the front door. As she steps onto the sidewalk she passes Maria.
“Hey” Maria says, nodding to Lenna. Lenna nods, keeps walking.

“What the fuck were you doing out there, brother?” Maria spits this out at Xavier as soon as she sets foot in the store.
“Hey, Maria, calm down.”
“No way man! You give me this bullshit about caring about people, caring about the community, and what do you fuckin’ well do? You led them to City Hall to have a riot! Brother, I do NOT understand you! That’s some fucked up shit!”
“Look, Maria, I …” Xavier pauses, looks at Maria. He slowly shakes his head.
“Yeah, well, look brother, I just came here to say fuck that noise, and fuck rehab. I ain’t going no more.”
“WHAT!?”
“It’s bullshit man, it’s total fuckin’ bullshit! Sit around in a circle and talk about how we didn’t get hugged enough as children! Fuck that man! I don’t need that, and I don’t need your help!”
“Whoa! Maria! You’ve gotta keep going to rehab! It’s important. Remember what happened to El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse.”
“Yeah well … that’s different. That was different. That was someone with a vendetta against the gangs. But no one’s got a vendetta against me! I’m fine!”
“Bullshit Maria.” Xavier’s voice is stern. “You ARE going to rehab with me tonight.”
“BullSHIT Xavier. I AIN’T goin’ to rehab with you.”
Maria and Xavier lock stares.

“You know,” Alex says quietly, “there’s another way to do this.”
Maria and Xavier turn to Alex.
“There’s a treatment I know of, something you can take to help you get totally clean, something to help you totally kick it.”
“Really?” Maria says, sounding interested. “Well, hey, what is it, that sounds great.”
“Yeah …” Xavier says slowly, suspiciously, “what is it?”
“Well, it’s a pretty much proven chemical treatment that helps totally clean out your system. Sounds like exactly what you need.”
“Yeah!” Maria nods. “Sign me up for some of that college boy!”
“Whoa whoa whoa!!!” Xavier says. “Exactly what the hell are you talking about Al-”
“No, don’t worry Xavier, I wanna try this treatment, don’t tell me what to do!” Maria turns to Alex. “Alright, sign me up, I’m in!”
“Alex…”
“Look Xavier; it WORKS. We’ve seen it work. We know it works. It could really help Maria.”
“Are you talking about that shit Ben says he gave the junkies?”
“Xavier, I’ve been reading Ben’s notes, and I think I might be able to figure out how to replicate it-” Alex starts to say excitedly.
“Ben’s notes? Replicate? No way Alex. You are NOT turning my sister into a guinea pig for homebrew street drugs!”
“Guinea pig?” Maria says, suddenly concerned.
“No no no, that’s not what I mean Xavier.”
“No way Alex. NO WAY.”
Maria’s eyes are wide, flicking between Alex and Xavier.
“Maria. You’re coming with me to rehab. Now.” Xavier keeps staring at Alex as he says this. Maria slowly nods, backs out the front door. Xavier backs out after her, staring at Alex, slowly shaking his head.

After they leave, Alex slowly shakes his head back and forth.
“Damn, I just wanted to … help. To help. I … damn … what am I doing?”


[Actual Play notes: At this point we agreed that Alex could cross off 2 failed notches in Self. His weird conversation with Lenna and his offer to "help" Maria by pumping her full of drugs were very much "un"Alex moments. They were great moments, because we all realized that at this moment Alex's character has been put on the start of a slow downward spiral. At the end of this spiral he MAY break through the other side of obsession and find some kind of magickal power, the same power that Ben had ... but at what price? His friends? His sanity? His view of his very self? At the start of the session we all had a long chat about this, and I basically turned to Alex's player and said "it's up to you ... but if you go for it, it's gonna be heavy, and Alex will NEVER be the same again."]

[Cam]

Hey Erick,

Man, that's just ... that's just so totally and utterly fucking grim. Last Sunday night, after we finished up session 5, my players and I sat around chatting about the Detroit of our campaign and the true Detroit that you're posting about. We found it incredible that even though we sat down and said "okay, for the purposes of this game, we're gonna think of a city that's run down and is in a really bad way" ... well, even though we tried to do that, we came nowhere near the reality of the situation.

It was pretty sobering. I felt so damned ... sheltered. Naive, even. I mean, I grew up in Brisbane, and have spent the last 6 years living in Tokyo; both places are not famed for their "mean streets". Because, well, they don't really have any. Nothing like what you've been telling us about.

"Neighbors wept and wondered: With all of Detroit's problems, why did city officials suddenly decide to pick on the man some affectionately call Old Ralph?

You know ... I kinda really really really wanna put this into the game ... but I feel kinda ... I dunno ... ghoulish about doing something like that. I mean, me and my friends are making things up to create a moving, involving story. But this ... well, it's real. Using someone's real-life misery for MY entertainment. Dunno if I feel right about doing that...

Once again, many many many thanks for posting this stuff Erick. It truly and honestly is an education for me.

Take care,

Cam.

[Cam]

SCENE FOUR: FUNHOUSE
[To the tune of “Funhouse” by The Stooges]

It’s later, in the evening, and Maria and Xavier are walking back from rehab. Xavier’s feeling pretty good that he’s managed to get his sister back onto the straight and narrow again. Maria’s in pretty high spirits too.

As they walk down the darkened streets, past abandoned factories, they hear a sound echoing out from one of the empty factories … a pounding … a beat … the sound of metal on metal. A constant, thudding, thumping beat.

“Hey!” Maria says brightly. “There must be one of those warehouse raves going on around here!”
“What?” Xavier says.
“Warehouse raves. You know! Raves in abandoned warehouses. Keeps the costs low ‘cos you don’t have to pay for the space. Man, there must be one going on in one of these warehouses! C’mon! Let’s try to find it!” Maria starts excitedly looking around.
“Maria, I dunno, let’s just get back to the store…”
“Aw, c’mon brother! I’ve been a good girl today! We should party a little tonight!” Maria dashes forward, and squeezes herself through a hole in a chain-link fence.
“Maria! Hey!”
“C’mon Xavier! These parties are, like, so exclusive! We’re so lucky! C’mon!”
Xavier climbs the fence and runs after his sister. Maria dashes inside one of the shells of the abandoned factories, an expectant smile on her face.
Xavier runs after her, and almost slams into her back. Maria’s stopped, looking around her with a worried, scared look on her face. Xavier looks up, and sees what she’s looking at.

Back at the corner store, Alex goes upstairs with some more tea for Tina. Tina gratefully accepts it.
“Thanks Alex. Actually, could you get me some – oh, I’ll get ‘em myself.”
“Sorry? Can I help?”
“No no no, I’m fine thanks Alex.” Tina is slowly becoming her normal self again, taking charge, taking control. “I’m just gonna get some crackers. Stay here and keep an eye on my folks, okay?”
“Uh, okay.”
Tina walks down to the store for the crackers. She can’t find the ones she’s looking for, so she walks down the steps to the basement where the extra stock is kept. She starts to grab the crackers, but then she looks up and notices a hat and coat have been thrown onto the cot that Xavier sometimes sleeps on. It’s an old fashioned kind of hat and coat too …
“Okay. That’s strange.” Tina says to herself. And then she notices what’s REALLY strange in here.
There’s a door on the far side of the room.

This room only has one door.

Tina’s eyes widen.

She walks past the cot, towards the new door.
She hears a noise behind her. A footstep.
She looks over her shoulder, sees a man behind her stepping onto the staircase leading back up to the store, pushing his hat down onto his head.
He looks kinda familiar.

Tina screams, and runs for the OTHER door. The new door. THE DOOR THAT SHOULDN’T BE THERE.

Back at the abandoned factory, Xavier looks around him. He sees about thirty homeless guys pounding out a mechanical beat with pieces of steel and iron. They keep perfect time. All of them. The beat is slow, pounding, regular … like a heartbeat.

As if on cue, one of the homeless guys turns to face them and growls “the heartbeat of Detroit.”

Maria breaks and runs. Xavier runs after her, the metal heartbeat echoing in his ears.

Back at the corner store, Alex hears Tina scream from downstairs. He pounds down the stairs, almost tripping over the dead body in front of the counter. Alex’s eyes widen as he looks down to see familiar face of a man he’s seen dead twice … make that three times now. Sprawled on the floor, his hat rolled off his head, his eyes staring up at nothing. What’s more, he’s lying on the precise spot where Ben died.
“Oh God…” Alex says, then turns and runs down the stairs to the basement. “Tina! Tina!” Alex yells. But Tina isn’t in the basement. There’s nothing in the basement. There’s only Alex. And there’s only one door out; the same door Alex came through. Confused, Alex charges back up the steps … and the body’s gone.

Meanwhile, Tina is running. The door she’s opened has taken her into some kind of horrific industrial wasteland, where the sound of a mechanical heartbeat chases her. Wild-eyed hobos surround her, pounding out primal pulses on iron and steel.
Her eyes wide, Tina runs through them, runs out of the shell of a factory, runs through a hole in a chain-link fence (scratching herself in the process), and running down the street.

Xavier stops running and turns around when he hears someone chasing him and Maria; he’s astonished to see Tina come charging out of the factory. He holds open the hole in the chain-link fence as much as he can for her, but she still scratches herself on it. Tina, terrified, doesn’t even see him or Maria. As she runs down the street, Xavier and Maria give chase, the pounding echoing in all their ears.

Tina turns a corner, runs towards another factory. She opens a side door and goes running through. Xavier and Maria run after her, run through the door … and find themselves in the basement of the corner shop. Tina has barely registered this, and she’s charging up the stairs. Xavier and Maria run after her.

Alex turns around with a gasp as he hears someone pounding up the steps from the basement. After all, that’s impossible. There was no-one in the basement when he went down there, and no other way into the basement. He’s astonished to see Tina come sprinting up the steps, closely followed by Xavier and Maria.

Tina, back in a familiar environment, starts to calm down.
Alex, however, starts to freak out.
“What the-! How did you-! That’s not-! Who the fuck ARE YOU PEOPLE!?!?! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?!?!”
“Calm down Alex, just calm down-”
“Don’t you fuckin’ well tell me to fuckin’ well calm down Xavier! If that’s who you really are!!! You’re at fuckin’ rehab! How the fuck did you get here!”
“Look, I don’t know, I don’t understand, we just ran through this door, and we suddenly found ourselves-”
“What’s that?” Tina points to the counter.
On the front counter there’s a note, held to the side of cash register by the yellow smiley face magnet Old Man Crandle gave to them about a month ago.

I’M SORRY.

The clerks stare at each other, their eyes wide…

“Callin' from the fun house with my song.
we been separated baby far too long…
do i care to show you what i'm dreamin' of.
do i dare to whoop ya with my love.
every little baby knows just what i mean livin' in division in a shiftin' scene.
hold me tight -- callin' from the fun house.
hold me tight -- callin' from the fun house.
yeah, i came to play.
i came to play.
we been separated.
we been separated.” (“Funhouse” 1970)

[Actual Play notes: Maria was played by Ry in both this scene and scene 3, the scene where Alex tries to get her to use the “miracle cure”. Ry didn’t feel anything bad was going to happen when Tina walked into the basement alone … which of course made it THE PERFECT TIME for something weird to happen!!! As soon as Tina saw the coat and hat on the cot, Ry was like “Oh no!!!” The tension was fantastic at this point; everyone new something freaky was about to go down. As GM, I tried to keep it creepy, surreal, but not too “in-yer-face”. This was the first time the clerks had seen some real unexplainable weirdness. (You could try and explain Ben as being on PCP…) I didn’t want to dial the weirdness level too high for this first time. Everybody said they found the “I’m sorry” note to be the creepiest part of it…]

[Edited to fix up some slightly confusing grammar/spelling errors...]

[Cam]

Hey Everyone,

That's pretty much it for Session 3, although there is a little epilogue scene which I'll post soon. Basically, the community has their first town meeting, and the Mayor and one of the Industrialists comes along.

I'll write that up soon ... but it's pretty much time for me to head off to bed again ... so you'll have to wait a little bit longer!

But, you can start to see the weirdness making its way into the campaign now. And sessions 4 and 5 only get creepier... :)

Cheers and thanks for reading!

Cam.

PS Please feel free to post more questions, ideas, comments, and theories!!!

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by Cam
Using someone's real-life misery for MY entertainment. Dunno if I feel right about doing that...

Go for it!

Seriously, the story of 'Old Ralph' was unusual simply because it made it into the newspaper. Things like this happen constantly, and the human suffering is endless.

A few weeks ago there was a similar story, about a woman who had, with the permission of a city employee, moved into an abandoned house (they are everywhere, sometimes dozens on a single block), put thousands into repairs and then, along with her grandchildren, was forcibly evicted. Why? So they could bulldoze... even though there were other burned-out hulks a few steps away...

As for how the houses ended up empty, there are ten thousand reason. Aside from crime, fear and terror, I've know of people who moved because the city 'condemned' the pavement in front of their house, and then billed them US$12,000 for required repairs (of course, to be performed by a 'city authorized contractor').

Here are a few more links:

Driving through the deadlands of Detroit, is like a trip through limbo, or maybe even as far as hell: workers' detached family houses abandoned, used as crack houses, or burnt out... The only visible trade is the drug trade, and an occasional slaughterhouse... (http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/~as0bgr/rust/journ.html)

...law requires that dancers be registered voters, or have a green card... (http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=6086)

...daily sales from his dope houses averaged $3,000 and ranged from $2,000 to $10,000... (http://www.atf.gov/press/fy04press/field/032504det_mansentenced.htm)

...Nicknamed The Doll House, it was dedicated to all children that were abused... (http://www.findadeath.com/funstuff/Doll%20House/doll.htm)

...we went over and painted the place. Pink, blue, yellow, white and purple dots and squared all over it. Up there on the roof we stuck a baby doll and that bright blue inner tube, and on the porch we put a doghouse with a watchdog inside...Now all day long people drive by and stop to stare at the place...Believe me, in front of an audience like that, nobody's going to sell crack out of that house anymore... (http://www.heidelberg.org/Tyreebio.htm)

NOTE: Last I heard, the city had 'cleaned up' (bulldozed) a number of Guyton's art houses... (http://www.heidelberg.org/guyton/artist.html)

Erick

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
[Actual Play notes: At this point we agreed that Alex could cross off 2 failed notches in Self.

You know ... I kinda really really really wanna put this into the game ... but I feel kinda ... I dunno ... ghoulish about doing something like that. I mean, me and my friends are making things up to create a moving, involving story. But this ... well, it's real. Using someone's real-life misery for MY entertainment. Dunno if I feel right about doing that...


First, Alex is starting down a very strange track... I hope he knows what he's getting into. Actually - screw that - I just want to be told a good story, let him suffer some more for my entertainment. :D

Secondly, I would go for using that story about the homeless guy. You can change a few parts of it to ease your consciousness, but it so fits your campaign. ;)

Oh, if you couldn't tell, I am so happy to see you posting the continued story about my favorite clerks. :)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
Tina walks down to the store for the crackers. She can’t find the ones she’s looking for, so she walks down the steps to the basement where the extra stock is kept. She starts to grab the crackers, but then she looks up and notices a hat and coat have been thrown onto the cot that Xavier sometimes sleeps on. It’s an old fashioned kind of hat and coat too …
“Okay. That’s strange.” Tina says to herself. And then she notices what’s REALLY strange in here.
There’s a door on the far side of the room.
Reading this sent chills down my spine in all honesty. I'm up in the middle of the night, and had to check behind my back as I just felt too creeped out! :eek:

Great story, keep it up guys.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Erick Wujcik]

More news from another sad week in Detroit, with a follow-up on the judge killing from last week:

April 15, 2004:

Home explodes (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/blast15_20040415.htm)

"Mirrors shattered three blocks away, roof debris shot 100 feet in all directions, and neighbors described a towering fireball and blast louder than a thunder clap after a house exploded in Taylor early Wednesday... Luckily, the resident, Angela Finstrom, 28, was out bowling with friends, and her three children -- ages 6, 4 and 3 -- were at their father's house... The blast came a week after a natural gas explosion destroyed a home on Ellwood in Berkley... Scott Simons, a spokesman for DTE Energy, which operates MichCon, a natural gas utility, said the company investigated about 30 house explosions across Michigan last year... Last month, a dog is believed to have opened a gas valve that caused an explosion in Warren... A gas blast destroyed three houses on Wisconsin in Detroit in September... A scorched boxspring sat atop a neighboring house; pieces of roof were caught in tree branches and children's toys covered nearby front lawns. A minivan was buried among the debris."

April 15, 2004:

Guns are everywhere in Detroit (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/guns15_20040415.htm)

"...it seem the city's worst-kept secret is that virtually everyone knows how they get here... During a four-hour span Tuesday night, Detroit police said nine people were shot... AK47s, AR15s, MAC11s, along with sawed-off shotguns and semiautomatic pistols are flooding communities, say law enforcement officials... Cops and crooks agree that the majority of guns are either stolen or purchased from gun shows by so-called straw purchasers, or the guns come from neighboring states that have looser gun laws. They also acknowledge the ease with which guns are available to anyone -- regardless of age -- who wants them... The Detroit Police Department recovered 3,495 firearms from city streets last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Of those weapons, more than 80 percent were crime guns -- firearms used in or related to a police investigation... One recent example is the case of an armored truck robbery that took place in Detroit on Feb. 18. Attackers ambushed the truck as it was making a pickup at a Comerica Bank branch on the city's east side... There were 3,771 homicide victims in Detroit from 1995 to 2003, according to a report by David Martin, director of the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University... In Detroit, having a gun, particularly a new one, is a sign of respect and power for many people, young and old... Guns have become a status symbol, like a nice car or the latest jewelry, and an integral part of some young people's identities... Schoolchildren as young as 12 are able to distinguish between a .25-caliber and a .38-caliber pistol; a Street Sweeper versus a TEC DC9, according to police. They can even tell you where to get a gun and how much it will cost..."

April 15, 2004:

4 die in violent Detroit night (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shot15_20040415.htm)

"A woman who fatally shot a man who allegedly tried to force his way into her home at gunpoint... among nine shootings that occurred in a four-hour period Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in Detroit. Four people were killed in the first two hours, and five more were injured by Wednesday morning... An 11-year-old boy also shot himself in the ankle... At 9:45 p.m., two men were shot when they refused to give up their car to a would-be robber, police said. A 25-year-old man died and a 27-year-old man was shot in the leg... At 10 p.m. someone fired shots into a home in the 7500 block of Elmhurst, killing two people and injuring two others... About an hour later, a man was shot in the thigh and groin area. Around midnight Wednesday, a man was shot in the knee at a gas station while making a telephone call."

April 17, 2004:

Detroit man charged with the hit-and-run death of 36th District Court Judge John Perry (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/perry17_20040417.htm)

"...stopped by police 14 times since 1998 for various traffic violations... the couple was traveling in a 2001 Dodge Neon on East Lafayette near Rivard around 9:15 p.m. Monday when the car struck the 73-year-old judge... The couple then traveled north on Rivard, police said, and ended up in the 2500 block of Orleans in Eastern Market. There, police said, Gadzinski torched the Neon. Shortly after that, the two went to the 5th (Jefferson) Precinct and told police they had been carjacked... Officers found the burned-out car within hours of the crash and linked it to the suspects."

April 17, 2004:

6 million trees in six counties of the area are estimated to be infested or dead (http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1568_2390_18298-68970--,00.html)

"As you drive through Southeast Michigan you can see the unfortunate evidence of a new exotic insect from Asia — the Emerald Ash Borer... To date, the exotic pest has decimated ash tree population in parts of Michigan and Windsor, Ontario..."

April 19, 2004:

Families' feud leads to 3 shootings in Detroit (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shot19_20040419.htm)

"A 2-month-old feud between two families prompted the shootings of two men and a woman Sunday afternoon on Detroit's east side... the feud began about two months ago when her niece called a 40-year-old woman from the other family "ugly..." about 5 a.m. Sunday, a late-model Buick in front of the mother's home in the 4100 block of Grandy near East Willis went up in flames... about 12:50 p.m... preparing a barbecue when the 20-year-old and a 41-year-old man drove up and began shooting at the home on Grandy... Sheronda Howell, was shot and someone inside the house returned fire, hitting the two men..."

Erick

[Arbane the Terrible]

:eek:

Why in Mammon's name does ANYONE live there?

[Erick Wujcik]

I wrote this is reply to another thread, "Good Generic American Information for Modern games," and thought you guys would like to see it...

As others have pointed out, the situation varies enormously from state to state (and Washington D.C. is completely, utterly baffling; since it's a mix of City Police and a dozen different Federal Government agencies).

In my home town of Detroit, we've got overlaping jurisdictions of Michigan State Patrolmen, Wayne County Sherif's Deputies, Detroit City Policepersons, plus FBI agents, various Federal officers; Border Patrol Agents & Customs Service Agents (Detroit borders on Windor, Ontario, Canada -- so both agencies are represented), plus a very large force of ATF Agents (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, numbering in the 100s), and a smattering of Secret Service, CIA, NSA (National Security Administration), FEMA (U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency)... heck, even the U.S. Park Service has their own uniformed/armed police force, as well as the Michigan Park Service... and, oops, I forgot about the Coast Guard, as well as the Military Police operated by our local Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine units... plus, there are completely separate police forces operating from the 'inburbs' of Highland Park and Hamtramck (these cities are completely surrounded by Detroit), and all the surrounding suburbs, including very large police forces in Warren, Hazel Park, Ferndale, Oak Park (both the City of Oak Park and the Township of Oak Park, both bordering Detroit, each with different uniformed police), Southfield, Dearborn (as the home to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn Police are huge... and are supplemented by some quasi-official Ford Security Agents)... and, Oops!, I left out the fact that all the various courts and jails each have their own uniformed/armed police... and I also left out the many private police, who also have armed and uniformed officers, also patrolling in 'police' cars.

"8 Mile Road" (made famous by the movie), in addition to being the northern border of Detroit, is also the northern boder of Wayne County, with Oakland County being north and west, and Macomb County being north and east, also each with sizable County Sherif Departments.

So, on to 'Generic' notes for role-players, especially for our overseas brethren...

1. Uniforms. Every law enforcement agency has a unique uniform, with a unique badge, identification card, ornamentation, medals, etc. Odd things I've noticed: State and County uniforms tend to have contrasting stripes on their trousers, while city cops tend not. Hats are also very distinctive ('Should I get my hat?' is a question all law enforcement officers know... it means 'Is this an official inquiry?'). Highway patrol guys (from whatever agency) love their leather jackets.

2. CARS: VERY IMPORTANT! I stress this because I've noticed this is not the case in many countries outside the U.S. Every car, operated by every U.S. law enforcement agency, has a utterly beautiful, totally unique, decoration. Even the K-9 car in a podunk town has special paint/decals/colorizing to make it stand out from all the others. While there are a certain number of 'plain clothes' automobiles, they are the exception, and a 'joint force' operation will draw dozens of different 'police cars' each with differing color, designs and decals. Same with motorcycles.

Detroit Note: Lately I'm seeing more and more SUVs with police markings, lights, etc...

3. Guns. Each agency has a standard-issue sidearm (yes, they all carry guns; some all the time, all at least part of the time). Revolvers are common, but those who deal with lots of drug problems have usually converted to automatics (Browning 9mm, for example). In spite of the 'official' sidearm, there are individuals who carry their own weapons (rules vary)... and note that it is against the law for certain officers to ever appear in public without a gun, even when off-duty and in civilian clothing (true for Detroit police).

4. Horses. Not as rare as you might think. Horse-mounted police are still very common, especially in cities that have large parklands (most U.S. cities). They are almost always high prestigue positions, given only to very experienced officers. We still have them in Detroit (also used for crowd control), and in many parts of Michigan...

5. Non-Law Enforcement Officers. At any crime scene you might also expect fire fighters; again, different departments and different uniforms, but all locally based. Here's an odd fact: Ferndale, a relatively small suburb of Detroit, operates two different fire houses, each with a separate staff, because the city is cut by a railway line, and they can't risk a stalled train cutting them off... In spite of the fact that every surrounding community (it's urban in every direction, and flat as a pancake) has its own operating fire department. EMS (Emergency Medical Services - ambulances) is usually, but not always, a separate agency.

Certain situations lead to 'law enforcement pile up' where a horrible mish-mash of uniforms will show up. Here are the biggies, from an RPG point of view:

1. Major Drug Bust. In Detroit, where a big Drug Bust usually means nailing someone who is importing from outside the country, this can not only have dozens of U.S. officers, but also a smattering of those from Canada -- RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- Canada's federal law enforcement), Windsor Police and the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police).

2. Kidnapping. Since the Lindberg baby, kidnapping has been a federal offence. Any high profile kidnapping, especially if it involves a child, and particularly if the family is high profile (celebrities, politicians, etc.), will result in massive cross-agency coordination (or lack of same).

Other Detroit Area Police Departments: Grosse Pointe Park, the City of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Eastpointe, Harper Woods, Warren, Hazel Park, Ferndale, Township of Oak Park, Oak Park City, Southfield, Redford, Livonia, Garden City, Dearborn, River Rouge, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Wyandotte, Birmingham, Troy, Madison Heights... Because of the placement of many courts in downtown Detroit, you'll often see cars or vans from the surrounding municipalities in Detroit.

Erick

[Erick Wujcik]

Amid all the other bad news, I'm pleased to report that the city currently has a terrific Chief of Police:

Detroit Chief of Police (http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/police/police/chief_of_police.htm)

Quite a contrast... The last one was busted at the airport for carrying an unregistered, concealed handgun... and a few years ago, there was the case of the Chief who was having his kitchen repaired; when the workmen punched a hole in the ceiling, wads of $20 bills came pouring out...

The website is also handy for organizational charts, precinct maps, pictures and lots of other cool Detroit stuff.

Royal Oak Police Department (http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/police/police.html)

Ferndale Police Department (note nice car picture) (http://www.ferndale-mi.com/Services/Police/PoliceOverview.htm)

Dearborn Police Patrol Unit (http://www.cityofdearborn.org/police/PatrolDivision.htm)

21 Pages of Police Car Marking Common in the U.S.! (http://www.graphicimaginationinc.com/vehicle_mrk.asp)

Erick

[Erick Wujcik]

Oops!

Forgot to mention that in the heart of Detroit is Wayne State University, which fields another complete police force, and which overlaps for a few blocks with the surrounding Detroit neighborhoods.

Department of Public Safety (http://sun.science.wayne.edu/~dps/)

Blue Light Safety System (http://sun.science.wayne.edu/~dps/bluelt.html)

"The Department is comprised of Police Officers who are Commissioned by the City of Detroit and have full Police authority. They patrol the Wayne State University area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A group of civilian cadets also patrols the area on foot, keeping radio contact with the Officers."

The Public Safety Officers are armed, while the civilian cadets are not...

University of Detroit/Mercy (a multiple campus institution) likewise has its own police, and there may be others in Detroit that I don't recall offhand...

Erick

[jamasiel]

The name "University of Detroit/Mercy" sounds yummily weird to me in this context.

J.~

[Insect King]

Originally posted by Erick Wujcik
The last one was busted at the airport for carrying an unregistered, concealed handguy...

It seems everyone is smuggling pirate copies of homunculi these days. Everyone and their uncles has one of those Little Men.

Pshaw! What's this world coming to.

Chris, who only has licenced handguys.

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
SCENE FOUR: FUNHOUSE

I’M SORRY.

The clerks stare at each other, their eyes wide…

And what's next? Consider this a big-time bump, I want more! :D

Hope all is fine and the game is progressing nicely.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Incognito Professor]

I want more too - and I teach at Wayne State University! The only crime I have to deal with is student plagiarism, though.

This game sounds phenomenal, and I've greatly appreciated learning about my new town (well, OK, so I'm living over in Ypsi, but I'm in town to teach 3-4 times per week) from Erick as well.

[Erick Wujcik]

Will it never end? Also includes a follow-up on Old Ralph...

April 20, 2004:

Detroit officer shoots unarmed man (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/cops20_20040420.htm)

"Two officers responded to the call and found two men arguing over a parking space... Floyd, who the officers believed was armed, did not comply with police orders when confronted and moved toward the officers... One of the officers, whom police would not name, shot Floyd twice, striking him at least once in the chest... Police had not recovered a weapon as of Monday afternoon, officials said..."

April 21, 2004:

Southgate couple suspected of killing a 6-month-old child then committing suicide... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/baby21_20040421.htm)

April 22, 2004:

Homicide cop charges a murder cover-up at Mayor's Mansion (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/mano22_20040422.htm)

"Detroit police lieutenant sued Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and other top city officials Wednesday, alleging that he was transferred to thwart his investigation into the killing of a woman linked to rumors of a wild party at the Manoogian Mansion... Bowman said he was transferred April 6 for investigating the killing of Tamara Greene, a 27-year-old exotic dancer known as Strawberry. Greene, who was shot to death about 3:40 a.m. on April 30, 2003, was rumored to have stripped at a wild party at the Manoogian Mansion, the mayor's official residence on Detroit's east side... The Greene case remains unsolved."

April 23, 2004:

Larry Hughes Jr., 20, was charged Thursday with two counts of manslaughter by motor vehicle in connection with the crash last month that killed his sisters, Teila Holder, 16, and Sharnita Holder, 13... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/crash23_20040423.htm)

April 23, 2004:

Shanty razed to make way for parking lot (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/ralph23_20040423.htm)

"Detroit city records indicate the lot where Ralph Thomas squatted for a decade and built his makeshift shanty was purchased March 3 for $24,000 and will become a parking lot... At the time, city officials would not comment on why the site was cleared. No one knows where Thomas, 56, has gone... the city approved sale of a property at 3701 Michigan Ave. for $24,000 to Paragon Investments LLC. The buyer proposed to build a paved surface parking lot for the storage of licensed operable vehicles. Paragon did not return calls seeking comment... Local business boosters had been pushing for a grocery store. Now, they are livid about the plan and how police booted Thomas from the property."

April 23, 2004:

convent will go silent after 122 years... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/nuns23_20040423.htm)

April 23, 2004:

Detroit kids were playing with guns (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shot23x_20040423.htm)

"Locked inside his Detroit home, a panicked 12-year-old boy made a desperate attempt to get help for his 8-year-old brother, who police said was shot in the neck Thursday afternoon while the two were playing with guns... Police said 12-year-old Steven Simpkins broke out a pane from a front window before finally finding keys to get out of the two-story brick house in the 19200 block of Annchester on the city's west side... by then, it was too late to save 8-year-old Deaire Simpkins, known to his friends and neighbors as Tugga... The death was the sixth since Jan. 1 in Detroit among children under age 16... An ambulance never arrived, Allen said. Instead, police took Deaire's body from the home, put him in a patrol car and drove away..."

Follow-Up: April 24, 2004:

A handgun used in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old Detroit boy belonged to the boy's stepfather, who was slain in December (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shot24_20040424.htm)

"Deaire Simpkins, an Emerson Elementary School student, accidentally shot and killed himself Thursday afternoon with a .357-caliber gun, which had belonged to his stepfather, Martin Blake, and was kept loaded in a bedroom closet drawer... Blake was shot and killed Dec. 7, as he left a liquor store on West McNichols and Ardmore, police said. Two men pulled up in a minivan and shot Blake, 28, in the neck with an automatic assault rifle, killing him, then fled the scene... Police said Deaire's mother, Latrice Simpkins, 30, found Blake's gun in their home on the 19200 block of Annchester after his death. She kept it for protection and once used it to thwart a break-in attempt at the west-side Detroit home, relatives said..."

Role-Playing Note: Due to extreme fear, quite a few houses in Detroit are 'fortified' with bars over all the doors and windows. Death from being trapped inside is becoming more and more common, especially in the case of fire...

Erick

[Erick Wujcik]

A brilliant piece on Highland Park (the city completely encircled by Detroit) from the brilliant Jack Lessenberry, one of the few who understand Detroit:

April 28, 2004:

Highland Park represents everything wrong with the best economic and political system the world has ever known (http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=6170)

"What most of Highland Park looks like, basically, is some little town overrun by the Nazis in World War II... Many houses are burned out. Some still inhabited ones don’t seem to have been painted for decades... Nearly half of their children live below the poverty line. Unemployment is at Great Depression levels... The showcase window of Highland Park, Woodward Avenue, the only street in Michigan to be designated a “National Scenic Byway,” doesn’t look so good either... Three years ago, Harriet Saperstein, who runs HP Devco, the economic development organization that has fought gallantly to breathe some life back into the little city, pointed out the old, long-abandoned Ford Administration building. It was surrounded by scrub trees behind a faded historical marker, but there was one good sign... “See, none of the windows are broken,” she said. “When windows are left broken in a building like that, things deteriorate pretty quickly...” There are lots of broken windows in Henry Ford’s old building today... the immense, long-deserted factory which, from 1908 to 1927, built 15 million Model T Fords and put America on wheels... This is what we’ve let happen to the town that is, literally, the cradle of our modern civilization, the birthplace of the mass-produced automobile. Nobody else in the civilized world would have let this happen. Nobody but our country..."

I highly recommend reading Jack Lessenberry's previous columns, available on-line, for a more complete picture of Detroit...

Erick

[Cam]

Hi Everyone!

Okay, back again ... many thanks for the comments (and the bumps!). I'll get around to responding to your comments individually a little bit later, but for now, let's get back to the main event ... the Clerks Actual Play!!!

So, here we go, with the Epilogue to Session Three:

SESSION THREE:
EPILOGUE: TOWN MEETING

It’s the night after the almost-riot, the night after Alex saw a dead man in the corner store and Tina ran through a door in the basement that normally doesn’t exist. It’s the night of the town meeting at a local school-hall, and both the Mayor and Holden A. Martin are attending, but for some reason the clerks’ hearts just aren’t in it. They already feel beaten down. They already know that this is nothing more than City Hall attempting to pacify them, to shut them up.

But that doesn’t stop Tina from trying her best.

“How can you honestly say that this will benefit the community? How can you say that? This plan will destroy the very community you claim it will save!”
“We understand your anger Tina, but this plan is actually attempting to tackle the root causes of some of the problems plaguing our communities. Rampant unemployment, the feeling of hopelessness, urban decay; this plan will tackle those problems head-on by giving people what they really need. Things like decent jobs and a good infrastructure.”
“Infrastructure? What about those people who are being strong-armed out of their apartments NOW? Those people have got nowhere to go!”
“Housing will be found for those people, I promise you…”

And so it goes. The Mayor and the industrialist make promises to do everything they can do improve the city, to help Detroit fully realize its glory (“to help Detroit truly become the Motor City” to quote Holden), and to increase the number of cops on the streets in the neighbourhood.

“Great.” Xavier murmurs under his breath to Alex. “Just what we needed right now. More cops on the streets. More cops to keep an eye on us now that they think we’re a menace to society. Great. Just great.”

The Mayor and Holden smile as they climb back into their black limo and drive off. Tina shakes her head sadly as Xavier, Alex, and Laticia stand around her.
“We just got marginalized.” Tina says quietly.
“Well, what are we gonna do now Tina?” Laticia asks. “I mean, we’re not giving up, are we?”
“Hell no!” Tina says.
“Still … we can’t take on City Hall by ourselves,” Laticia pauses, “can we?”
Everyone looks at Tina. She slowly looks around herself, looks at her friends, her neighbours, her customers … her people. They’re all looking to Tina for guidance. And slowly, but surely, they see a look of resolve return to Tina’s eyes…

END OF SESSION THREE

[Cam]

CLERKS, DETROIT STYLE

SESSION FOUR
SCENE ONE: BUB’S BAR, BULLDOZED.
[Pretty much the entirety of session four was set to the Plastikman album “Consumed”. Excellent moody, dark, minimal electronics. While not technically a Detroit artist, Plastikman grew up in Windsor, just across the river from Detroit, and was heavily influenced by what was going on there.]

It’s a month after the almost riot, after the almost-earthquake. (The scientists are still trying to work that out, but point out that it’s not unheard of. Countries far away from major fault-lines, like Australia for example, have been known to experience earthquakes once in a blue moon.)

There’s a ring of flowers and candles outside Bub’s bar, a fragile barricade of petals and flickering flames. A crowd of locals stand to the side, taking a last look at Bub’s bar, saying their goodbyes to the place where they washed away their sorrows for the past 40 or so years. Old retired and fired auto-factory workers stand around, sadly, wordlessly looking at each other, at the bar, and at the yellow bulldozer that sits in front of the memorial of flowers and candles. Old Man Crandle is there, looking slightly emotional. Laticia is there, comforting her friends and trying to keep their spirits high.

And the clerks are there.

Everyone is looking at the bulldozer. Surely the driver isn’t heartless enough to drive over Bub’s makeshift memorial of flowers and candles?

The bulldozer starts up. Slowly rolls forward. Crushes the flowers and candles and Bub’s photo underneath its tracks.

Tina’s had enough. She’s watching the hammer start to fall on her community, and she’s doing nothing. Screw that. And screw City Hall.

Tina lumbers up to the back of the bulldozer, and hauls herself onto the back of it. “Get out, get out, get out!!!” She yells at the driver as she uses her considerable bulk to force him out of the driver’s seat. Xavier and Alex look at each other, nod, then run forward and help pull the driver out of the bulldozer.

“Hey, what the fuck are you people doing!?” he yells as he picks himself off of the ground.

“Xavier, how do I turn this thing around?” Tina yells. Xavier looks at the controls, remembers driving a couple of these back when he was with the army motor pool. He leans forward and points to a couple of levers.
“Pull that one towards you, and push that one away … good. Now press both of those forward.”
The bulldozer turns, pointing down the road now, pointing in the direction of where the rest of the demolition guys are.
“Okay, how do we make this thing go faster!” Tina yells, hoping to plow the bulldozer into the demolition crew.
“Uh, we’re actually at top speed Tina.”
“Well … you guys are obviously slowin’ this thing down! Jump off!”
Alex and Xavier shoot a quick look at each other, look back at Tina (who is pretty ... big), then jump off. Not surprisingly, the bulldozer doesn’t go any faster. Tina takes off a shoe, lodges it against one of the pedals, and climbs off the bulldozer herself.

The machine lumbers forward towards the demolition crew, most of whom are having lunch.
“Hey, Jimmy, why’s that bulldozer comin’ straight at us? Shouldn’t it be, like, demolishing that bar?”
“Yeah, that’s odd. And … hey, it looks like no one’s driving!”
“Yeah, you’re right! Hang on a minute.” The demolition guy runs up to the bulldozer, climbs on, and pulls out Tina’s shoe. The bulldozer comes to a halt a few meters from the demolition crew. One of the guys nonchalantly rests his drink on the side of the newly arrived machine. Everyone shrugs their shoulders.

Further up the road, Tina drops to her knees in tears, overcome by a sense of powerlessness. Powerful men with powerful machines seem to be surrounding her community from all sides, and there’s not a damn thing she can do about it. Tina pounds her fist on the cracked road, shaking with both sorrow and rage.

“C’mon Tina, let’s get out of here,” Alex says. “We’ve done all we can here. It’s just the beginning; we haven’t lost yet.” Alex and Xavier help Tina up, slowly take her to the ice-cream delivery van. As the clerks climb in, they’re closely watched by a group of police about 200 meters up the road. One of the cops leans into this car, grabs out the radio.
“Yeah … yeah … I can see ‘em now. Yeah … yeah … you want us to pick ‘em up for disturbance of the peace?”

At City Hall, one of the Mayor’s aides turns around, a phone in his hand.
“Mr. Mayor, police officers have found Ms. Leong at a public protest. It seems like she might be attempting to cause another civil disturbance. Would you like her to be picked up? She certainly seemed to have something to do with that mob a month ago.”
The Mayor pauses, looks thoughtful.
“No … leave her be for now. Everyone in the community seems to look up to her. The last thing I want to do right now is to make her a martyr for the cause. No, there’s got to be another way, some way to reason with her; try to find some way to get her to support us. If we can do that, then the whole community will support us.”
“Excellent idea Mr. Mayor!” Holden says as he walks into the room. “Actually, I was thinking of having a private conversation with Ms. Leong sometime soon in order to help her to see things our way. Would you object if I set up such a meeting?”
“Not at all Holden, not at all. She might listen to you more, since you’re not an obvious authority figure like me.”
“I’ll get right on it Mr. Mayor.”

Meanwhile, the police watch the clerks climb into the van, Tina still shaking a little, and continue to watch as the van drives away, back to the corner store.

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by Cam
...after the almost-earthquake. (The scientists are still trying to work that out, but point out that it’s not unheard of. Countries far away from major fault-lines, like Australia for example, have been known to experience earthquakes once in a blue moon...

While not well known, nor frequent, Detroit has certainly been known to experience earthquakes:

Earthquake History of Michigan (http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/states/michigan/michigan_history.html)

The most recent significant earthquake in Detroit was November 9, 1968, but historically:

Between 1872 and 1883 a number of moderate earthquakes were centered within Michigan... Reports from Redford and Greenfield Village, not far from Detroit, indicated a minor earthquake occurred on August 17, 1877. It was noted that horses were frightened during this shock. Some persons reported hearing a noise like a train...

Erick

[Cam]

SCENE TWO: IN WHICH A SERIES OF PHONE CALLS ARE MADE…

The clerks are back at the corner store, talking strategy. Xavier and Alex try to buoy up Tina’s spirits, although Alex is a little unsure of what to say.

“What would Alex say in a situation like this?” Alex thinks to himself. “What should Alex say in a situation like this?” He doesn’t think it’s odd that he’s thinking about himself in the third person.

The phone rings.

“Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery, can I help you?” Tina says, picking up the phone. At first, she hears only silence … and then, gradually, she hears a sound, a distorted sound, a muffled sound. Like the sound of white noise filtered through a seashell held up to your ear.
“Hello?” Tina asks. The white noise fades out, then fades in again, almost like waves washing onto a distant gray shore. As it fades in, she hears a faint voice…
“Tina?”
“Yes.”
“Tina … you’re getting close … are you ready?”
Tina’s eyes widen as she recognizes the voice. The voice of the dead man she slept with.
“Are you ready to walk those hidden streets with secret names?”
“Y-yes.” Tina stammers.
“You’re not. You have to cut the source of his power. You have to find the source of his power, and cut it.”
“H-holden?” Tina stammers again.
“Cut the source Tina. It’s the only way.” The white noise faded out, then suddenly faded in again, rushing forward, and this time it sounded like the white noise was made up of a thousand whispered voices, all desperate to be heard…
“The source? I don’t understand-”
“I have to go, they’re coming for me, I have to go.” The dead man was speaking quicker now, but the sound of rushing white noise was getting louder. “They’re coming, but I’ll try to contact you later. I have to go. I’m sorry Tina, I’m sorry, I’m so-”
The phone suddenly cuts out in Tina’s hand, and all she’s listening to is a dial tone.

Tina slowly, numbly starts to put the phone back in its cradle.
The second she puts it down, it rings again.
Tina jumps a little, then slowly brings the phone to her ear.
“Hello?” She says, nervously.
“Ms. Leong, this is Holden A. Martin. I’m one of the industrialists involved in the urban renewal project. I was at the town meeting about a month ago. Do you remember me?”
“Uh, uh, yes, I remember you.” Tina says this slowly, warily. What does this guy want?
“Well, I was hoping to have a chance to talk to yourself and your clerks sometime soon. I really feel we got things off on the wrong foot, and I’m hoping we can change that. There are really no bad guys in this situation, just people who want the best for their community. I’d like to meet you and help explain how we can do that together.”
“Okay … what do you suggest?”
“How about dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel tomorrow night? My treat. I’ll have someone pick you and your friends up.”
Tina thinks about this, thinks about the Four Seasons Hotel. She realizes she’d be way out of her depth there. She needs to move this back to territory she’s familiar with.
“Well, actually, since we’re talking about the community, why don’t we have it somewhere local? How about at Maury’s Bagel Shop?”
Holden pauses for a moment, breathes in. Breathes out.
“Sure, I know the place. How about eight tomorrow night?”
“Great, I’ll see you there.”
“Good, I’m looking forward to it Ti-”

In his office, Holden stares at the phone in his hand, beeping its disconnected tone. He frowns for a moment, then presses some buttons on the phone.
“This is Holden. Get me Gavin. Now.”

Back at the corner store, Tina sighs, and slowly puts the phone down.
It rings again.
“Yes hello?” Tina says, a little snappy.
“Oh … Tina … hello Tina, it’s me Tina, it’s Winters, um, uh, I was wonderin’ if you could bring me some deliveries and, uh, my TV Guide, and…”
Tina takes a deep breath, relaxes.
“Sure, no problem Mr. Winters. What do you need?”
A couple of minutes later Tina puts the phone down, and starts putting together a box of groceries for Old Man Winters.

And the phone rings again.
Tina looks at the phone, and then continues packing the groceries. The phone keeps ringing. Alex steps over to the phone, picks it up.
“Hello?” He says.
“Mom? Mommy? Mom?” A child’s voice.
“What? Mom? Who do you want?”
On the other side of the store Tina looks up, starts lumbering towards the phone, hand outstretched.
“Give me that!!!”
“Mom?” Alex hears another voice on the line, an older, male voice. “Hey, what are you doing son? Put that dow-”
Tina wrenches the phone out of Alex’s hand, presses it desperately to her ear … and hears the disconsolate disconnected tone.
“You!” Tina points at Alex, angrier than he’s ever seen her before. “You don’t answer the phone here anymore! Nobody does! Only me! Only I answer the phone here! Okay! YOU GOT THAT!!!”
Alex nods mutely, stunned.
Tina turns, starts to storm down the stairs to the basement, then stops. Maybe that door will be downstairs again. Tina turns around, and storms up the stairs to her bedroom.

In the store, Alex looks around, still stunned.
“I … I just picked up the phone, and there was this kid, and … that’s all I did Xavier …”
“Hey, don’t worry about it man, she’s wound pretty tight these days.”
“Yeah, but I mean he … I mean I … I …”
“Look, I gotta get these groceries to Old Man Winter’s place, and then I’m off for the night. But I’ll check in a little bit later, okay?”
Xavier picks up the box, walks outside.
Alex stands behind the counter, completely unsure of what he did wrong. All of his actions seem kind of strange to him lately …

[Cam]

Hey Erick!

Ah, so an earthquake in Detroit, while unusual, would not be considered to be too freakishly unnatural or anything like that...

Still, it's interesting that the shocks took place at exactly the same time as the riot was about to explode. Hmm, quite a coincidence!!! ;)

Cheers!

Cam.

[Edited some spelling...]

[Cam]

CUT SCENE: IN WHICH HOLDEN MAKES A CALL

Back at Holden’s office, the industrialist raises the phone to his ear.
“Gavin, are you there?”
“‘Ang on ‘alf a tick. Be right with you.”
In New York, Gavin gently puts the mobile phone down on a windowsill, then peers through his sniper’s scope again. A gentleman of possible Middle Eastern extraction steps out of the bank on the other side of the street. Gavin positions the crosshairs on the man’s forehead, then swiftly pulls the trigger three times. As screams and cries for help echo up from the street below, Gavin pulls back the sniper rifle, calmly disassembles it, and puts it into a tasteful looking briefcase. He straightens his tie, slips on a suit jacket, and picks up the mobile phone with his left hand, carrying the briefcase in his right.

“Mr. ‘olden! Always a pleasure to ‘ear from you!” Gavin says with a genuine smile as he walks through an office building.
“Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything Gavin.”
“Don’t you worry about that! I was just dropping someone off at the bank.”
“Excellent. Gavin, I’d like you to come down to Detroit tomorrow night. I’ve got a job for you. Just a simple security job, purely a precautionary measure, but I’d like you to keep an eye out for me down here.”
“Alright Mr. ‘olden, I’m on my way! Looking forward to working with you again!”
“Me too Gavin, me too.”
Gavin smiles as he steps out into the New York sunshine. He takes a deep breath, enjoying the air as five cop cars go screaming past him. He climbs into a taxi, and heads for the airport…

[If this were a film, I imagine Gavin being played by Vinnie Jones from “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”…]

[Cam]

CUT SCENE: JACKIE Z AND THE HEARBEAT OF DETROIT

Jackie Z’s frightened. He’s been on the run for the past month after his entire gang was killed, and he saw a man with a hole in the back of his head kill his friends with his bare hands. Jackie’s not actually sure what he’s running from anymore, but he’s still running.

In his nightmares every night, everyone has a horrible grin with the back of their head blown out.

Jackie’s in another abandoned factory. This one isn’t as abandoned as the others, however. A group of 20 or so homeless guys are standing around, holding metal bars, pounding out a metallic beat with incredible precision.

Jackie looks around, his eyes wide with fear as he hears the heartbeat of Detroit.

And he understands who made this happen, who was responsible for everything going wrong. So obvious, really. They were at the center of everything. The heartbeat tells him so.

Jackie nods, smiling. He pulls out a pistol, checks the clip, checks the slide.

“I … I KNOW!!! I know now! I know who did it … I know … I KNOW WHO DID IT!!! THEY DID IT!!! And those bastards are gonna pay … I’M GONNA GET THOSE BASTARDS!!!”

Jackie runs out of the factory.
And the beat goes on.

[Cam]

"And the beat goes on..."

Okay, trying really really hard hear to not start quoting Talking Heads! Hey, not that that's a bad thing... :)

Sad to say, as usual, that because of my glacial typing speed it's time to go to bed, half way through session four.

Stay tuned, however, because, coming up in this session...

* Not one, but TWO romantic clinches!!!
* The return of the mysterious door in the basement
* Someone COMES THROUGH THE DOOR...
* One of the clerks gets shot!!!
* And one of the clerks KILLS SOMEBODY!!! :eek:

I'll hopefully be able to get the rest of session four up in the next day or so.

That just leaves session five, and session six which we just played last Sunday (session six was an historical flashback session). However, session six certainly isn't the end ... more to come!

Thanks for reading, and as always comments and questions are welcomed!!!

Cheers,

Cam.

[Cam]

Oh, just an Actual Play moment you might be interested in...

Gavin being an assassin was something that came ENTIRELY FROM THE PLAYERS!!! All I said in the cut-scene was "So, Holden gets on the phone and calls Gavin..."

And one of the player stepped in and said "Right, Gavin's pointing a sniper rifle at this Middle Eastern dude who's stepping out of a bank ..."

Of course, needless to say, I just smiled and nodded. So, thanks to my players, Gavin is now a stone-cold killer!!! A big shout out to my players ... you guys rock!!! :) By the way, you totally don't need me as a GM; you come up with something like 95% of the drama and conflict ALL BY YOURSELVES!!! You don't need me for that!!! I'm, like, totally redundant at the gaming table!!! :eek:

Cheers!

Cam.

[Erick Wujcik]

Another couple of news postings:

April 29, 2004:

21 Detroit police officers provide around-the-clock protection for the mayor and his family. Kilpatrick's proposed fiscal 2004-2005 budget calls for six more officers and increases the cost of his security team from $2 million to $3 million... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/cops29_20040429.htm)

May 1, 2004:

In the latest scandal to hit the federal Department of Homeland Security in Detroit... latest in a string of corruption cases and investigations that have plagued Detroit's immigration office. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/immig1_20040501.htm)

Erick

[Cam]

Hey Everyone!

Back again … Erick, cheers for the Detroit updates! Man, please tell me that *something* good happens in that city!!! My mental image of the place is fast becoming a fairly dark and dire one!

Even though I’ve got bullet-point notes on Sessions 4, 5, and 6 right in front of me, my memory of them is fading fast, so I’ll get the fully-fleshed actual play notes posted before I forget! So, I’ll get around to more individual responses later.

And now, let’s turn back to our favourite clerks…

SCENE THREE: HOME DELIVERIES (AIN’T AN EASY JOB TO DO…)

Xavier steps out of the corner store holding the box of groceries for Winters, puts the box into his van, and drives down the road to Winters’ apartment building. As he slows to a stop he sees a young man and a young woman, perhaps in their early twenties, standing outside the apartment building. They’re having a heated argument.

“I can’t take this anymore!” The girl yells waving her arms in the air. “You make me so goddamned mad!”
“Hey, you make me absolutely crazy!” The man passionately yells in return. “I just can’t understand you woman! What the hell you want from me?”
“Want?” The girl yells, incredulous. “What do I want from you? I can’t believe this! Are you so totally stupid?”
“Are you so totally fucked in the head?”
“GOD! I can’t STAND you!”
“Well, I can’t stand YOU!”
“I HATE YOU!”
“I HATE YOU TOO!”
They stop for a moment, wordless, shaking with passionate rage.
The girl suddenly throws herself into the young man’s arms, starts kissing him passionately. He gathers her up in his arms, returns the passionate kiss.
“I love you!”
“I love you too!”
“I can’t believe I was so stupid. I love you so much!”
“No no no, I love YOU…”
The young man sweeps the girl off her feet, carries her into the apartment building.

Xavier slowly climbs out of his van, grabs the box of groceries. He looks around him, a very perplexed expression on his face.
“Well, that was …” he stops and shrugs, unsure of how to even finish his sentence. He carries the box into the building, takes the stairs to the third floor, and knocks on Winters’ door. From the other side, Xavier can hear the muffled sounds of daytime television. He knocks on the door.
“Winters, I’ve got your groceries!”
“Go away! I’m watching my shows!”
“It’s Xavier man! I’ve got your groceries!”
“My shows! My shows! I’m watching my shows!”
Xavier sighs.
“Okay man, look … I’ll just leave ‘em right here, right by your door, okay?”
“Yes! Just go away!”
Xavier sighs, puts the box down, starts to walk away … when he notices two kids playing with a basketball at the end of the corridor. The two kids slowly pass the basketball between each other, not really interested in their game, not even keeping their eyes on the ball … because their eyes are on the box of groceries waiting outside Winters’ door.

Xavier sighs again, turns back to Winters’ door.
“Look man, just come to the door and get the groceries!”
“NO! Watching my shows!”
At the end of the corridor, the kids keep passing the basketball, their eyes locked on the groceries.
Xavier cannot believe that delivering a box of groceries is turning into a drama.

“Alright Winters! How about I wait right here, and you come and get the groceries in the next ad break! Okay?” Man, bargaining with an old crazy man to open a door, to make sure a couple of kids don’t steal the latest TV Guide and some cookies…
“Uh … okay!”
“Alright then, I’ll be right here!” Xavier slumps against the wall, starts waiting. The kids bounce the ball between them, nervously glancing down the corridor to Xavier. After a few minutes, Xavier hears a muffled “…and we’ll be right back after these important messages!” Xavier sighs, straightens up, waits for Winters to open the door. And waits. And waits. After a few minutes, he hears a muffled “…and welcome back! Now we’ve got a lightning round! Ready contestants?”
Xavier stamps a foot in the corridor.
“Fuck! You goddamned stupid old…” Xavier angrily murmurs to himself. He looks at the box, looks at the closed door in front of him, looks at the two kids at the end of the corridor. “Fuck it.” Xavier starts angrily striding down the corridor towards the stairs, passes the two kids … and stops. He turns and looks down at the two kids.
“You touch that box and I’ll fuckin’ ram that basketball up both your asses.” Xavier snarls. The kids’ eyes go wide with fear. Xavier glares at them. They run. Xavier sighs, walks down the stairs, and climbs back into his van.

“Nice goin’ tough guy.” He whispers to himself. “I made sure a crazy old man got his latest TV Guide by scaring two kids shitless. Nice goin’.” Xavier shakes his head. “Fuck it. Time to get things done. Time to get pro-active. Time to go to City Hall.”
Xavier starts the engine, and starts driving towards City Hall.

[Cam]

SCENE FOUR: IN WHICH XAVIER GETS A SECOND JOB … AT CITY HALL.

Xavier parks the van near City Hall, and walks to the service employees’ entrance. He sees his aunt, Rosa, having a cigarette by the loading dock.
“Hey Aunt Rosa! Thanks for letting me see you down here.”
“Yeah, well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it Xavier? You haven’t called in a while.”
Xavier sighs. He knows what’s coming.
“Well, Rosa, I’ve been busy with the corner store and-”
“Busy busy busy! Xavier’s always busy! Always too busy to call! You were too busy to call your poor mother, God rest her soul, when you busy running with your gang-friends. She worried about you so much Xavier. Running with that gang, it just broke her heart.”
“Rosa, look, I’m not with those guys anymore; I joined the army and went straight.”
“Well she never got to see any of that Xavier! She spent her time worrying you were going to die in some stupid drive-by! And Maria, poor Maria; your mother was so worried about Maria.”
“Hey!” Xavier says, finally getting a little angry. “She’s out of the gangs now, and I’m taking care of her! I’ve fulfilled that promise!”
Aunt Rosa sighs, takes a drag on her cigarette.

“So … you’re here for a job.” She says.
“Yeah.”
Rosa takes another drag on her cigarette. Thinks about it.
“This is a good job for me Xavier. I’ve worked hard here. HARD. This is what puts food on your cousins’ table.” Rosa points the cigarette at Xavier. “Don’t fuck this up for me Xavier. Don’t fuck it up for me.”
Xavier nods quietly.
Rosa sighs, drops her cigarette, grinds the butt under her heel.
“Okay, follow me.”

Rosa leads Xavier through the bowels of City Hall. They walk into a stockroom where they see a Puerto Rican in his 40s. His dark hair has grey streaks, and his face is deeply lined, but Xavier can see that this guy was once pretty strong and well-built.
“Hey Rosa,” he says, “this your nephew?”
“Hey Jesus. Yeah, this is my nephew, Xavier. He’s looking for a job.”
Jesus steps up to Xavier, cocks his head, looks Xavier full in the face.
“So … you wanna be a cleaner, huh?”
“I just want a job, man.”
“Yeah? Lots of people want jobs. Not everyone gets one. Not these days.”
Xavier is quiet.
“Your Aunt Rosa tells me you were in the army. So you got discipline, right?”
Xavier nods.
“That’s good. Kids these days, they don’t got discipline. You do drugs? You do the crack?”
Xavier shakes his head.
“Roll up your sleeves. Let me see.”
Xavier slowly rolls up his sleeves. Jesus narrows his eyes as he looks at Xavier’s arms. He doesn’t see any track marks, but he sees something else.
“That a gang tattoo? You in the gangs?”
“No man.” Xavier shakes his head. “I got that back with my army unit.”
“Nah … I know that tattoo; that’s an El Mortido tattoo.”
Xavier drops his eyes to the ground. Fuck. His past is always catching up with him.
“Hey, look at this.” Jesus rolls up his own sleeves, points at an old tattoo. “I used to run with the gangs once too. Then I got smart.” Jesus taps the side of his head to make the point. “Maybe you’re getting smart too Xavier.”
Xavier nods. Wonders if he’s looking at himself in 20 years time.
“Okay Xavier, I’ll give you a chance. It’s gonna be hard. You’re gonna get the shitty jobs.”
Xavier nods.
“Okay then.” Jesus picks up a toilet plunger and some bleach, hands them to Xavier. “Let’s get to work.”

[Cam]

SCENE FIVE: CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND ROMANTIC CLINCH 1.

Back at the corner store, there’s a tense silence. Alex stares at the cash register, trying not to look at Tina who’s stocking the shelves in stony silence. This has been going on for some time now.

“And that’s another thing, Alex,” Tina suddenly says, turning around to face him, “you’re getting really rude these days with the customers. You don’t seem to have any patience anymore. It’s like you’re pre-occupied, or on-edge, or something.”
“What? Hey, no, that’s not true, I’m not rude.”
“Alex, you are. You’re coming late to work, you’re tetchy with the customers … you just aren’t yourself these days.”
Alex stops for a second, thinks. Is he himself these days? Exactly what is he doing these days?

The door opens as a customer steps in.
“Whaddya want?” Alex snaps.
“Uh … I, uh, just wanted some bread and milk.” It’s a man in his 50s.
“Over there by the magazines.” Alex spits, not even bothering to point. Tina is wide-eyed as the customer nervously picks up some bread and milk, pays, and leaves.
“Yeah, have a nice day, *buddy*!” Alex laughs mockingly as the customer leaves.
“Alex. What the HELL are you doing?” Tina spits. “You just haven’t been the same since,” Tina pauses, looks at the floor in front of the cash register, “since Ben died.”

As Tina says this she remembers Ben standing in the doorway of the corner store, angry, defiant, insane. His mouth around the barrel of Martinez’s gun. Martinez pulling the trigger, the bullet flying out of the barrel, punching through the back of Ben’s head in slow-motion as blood, bone, and brains come spraying out. The bullet, still flying in slow motion, through the store, slamming into the side of the air-conditioner. The air-conditioner hasn’t worked since then.

The strange thing is, Tina actually sees this all in her mind, in slow motion, vividly clear, as if it were happening again. And she sees it all from the perspective of the bullet; bullet-time. And Alex sees exactly the same thing.

Tina and Alex turn to each other, wide-eyed and shaken. They both turn to look at the broken air-conditioner at the same time.
“It’s that … that bullet in that air-conditioner.” Tina whispers. “That’s it. That’s got to be it…”

The front door swings open again. Alex looks around, ready to deal with the new customer … his face softens when he sees Lenna step in.
“Oh, uh, hi Lenna.”
“Hey Alex.” Lenna walks into the store, carefully avoids the spot where Ben died, and stands near Alex. “Hey Tina.”
Tina nods at Lenna, takes her cue as she starts to walk towards the stairs leading up to her apartment and parents. As Tina puts her foot on the first step, she has a strange feeling … a feeling like a bass note that’s building from somewhere behind her, back in the store. The bass note transforms into a sad, melancholic, yet somewhat tragically romantic tune. As Tina walks up the stairs, she feels the tune fade. She stops, and takes a few steps back down the steps, back to where Alex and Lenna are talking. The music increases a little.

Tina’s eyes widen as she realizes that this is something only she can hear.

“So, uh, how’s it going Lenna?”
“Well, you know, it’s been a tough month. You?”
“Yeah, well, um, it’s, it’s been busy … here. It’s been busy here.”
“Yeah. There’s a lot of cops on the streets. I don’t want to sound crazy, but … I could almost swear a cop car was following me on the way here.”
Alex looks up at this, concerned.
“Anyway Alex, I just … I’ve been thinking about things, and thinking about life and … death and …” Lenna pulls a sealed envelope out of her handbag, thrusts it towards Alex. “This is for you. It seemed easier for me to put it in writing. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m ready for you to actually read it now but … it just seemed important that I write it. And, I *do* want you to read it. But …” Lenna shakes her head sadly.
“Look, just be careful Alex, just be careful.”
Alex looks at Lenna, looks at the envelope in his hand. He can smell her perfume from the other side of the cash register. He sees her long fingers trembling, sees the swell of her breasts under her sweater, sees her eyelashes flutter as she blinks away tears ….

Alex does something he’s never done before. He confidently steps around the counter, puts his hands on Lenna’s shoulders.
“Lenna, you talk too much.” He kisses her passionately. After a moment, Lenna kisses back.

On the staircase, Tina can feel the tragic/romantic soundtrack soar.

Lenna pulls back for a moment, her eyes wide.
“Alex?” She says, in an almost disbelieving way.
Alex smiles, leans forward, kisses her again.
“Hey, look, you better get out of her, okay Lenna? Considering what you said about the cops, you might wanna steer clear of the neighbourhood for a while, okay?”
Lenna nods.
“But, Alex, are you … are you gonna be okay?”
Alex smiles, nods.
“Yeah, we’re all gonna be fine here.”
Lenna nods, regains her composure.
“Okay Alex. I’ll … I’ll see you.”
Lenna steps outside, walks to her car. She shakes her head, still a little unsure about what’s just happened. Alex, confident? An unexpected romantic clinch? And that conversation just seemed so … *scripted*. Lenna starts the car and drives away.

As Tina stands on the staircase, hearing the sounds of the tragic/romantic music fade away, Alex stands in the store, holding the unopened envelope, and smiles. It’s gonna be okay. Everything is gonna be okay.

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by Cam
Erick, cheers for the Detroit updates! Man, please tell me that *something* good happens in that city!!! My mental image of the place is fast becoming a fairly dark and dire one!

Okay...

Yesterday I took a little detour and visited one of my old stomping grounds on Detroit's west side, exiting north on Lonyo off of I-94.

Take Lonyo south, and past Michigan Avenue, before you get to the rail yards, is the neighborhood where my old buddy, Dan LaFleche, and I had a small business. We were both going to Wayne State University, both in the science fiction club, both in to games, and we thought it would be cool to run a little grocery/candy store, and live in the attached house. It wasn't much from a business point of view, but we had great games, great parties, and great times, for a time...

Lonyo, north of McGraw, back in the 1980s, was the old headquarters of Palladium Books (Kevin Siembieda owned a huge two-family house; he and his family lived downstairs, and the business was in the upstairs flat).

Anyway, I took a drive around and found that there were actually some improvements in the neighborhood!

It seems that a new wave of immigrants, mostly Mexican, have adopted the area. A large number of abandoned buildings have been fixed up, and some are now painted in bright colors (a contrast the old Eastern European grey and white), and there are fresh businesses, including some great looking Mexican restaurants.

The old Proctor Bakery (Polish) has been replaced by the 'Lombardia Mexican Bakey' run by a cheerful family (Enrique & Carmen, according to their business card), and I had a nice chat in English and Spanish with, I assume, somebody's grandmother, while I purchased a loaf of Russian bread (they clearly still cater to some of the old residents!), and some wonderful baked cinnamon sticks.

In not so cheerful news:

May 6, 2004:

14-year-old freshman at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy was arrested Wednesday after the school's dean of students found two loaded handguns in the student's locker... a .25-caliber Raven and a .22-caliber derringer... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/guns6_20040506.htm)

Wayne County and the City of Detroit are considering joining a national movement among local governments that require companies that do business with them to search their corporate histories and disclose links to or profits from slavery. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/slave6_20040506.htm)

The Detroit company with the most complicated history when it comes to slavery is likely the city's oldest business -- the Free Press... the paper's principal financiers -- Joseph Campau and John R. Williams -- had owned slaves... became infamous for the shrill tone and racist content of its coverage of the slavery issue, especially in the 1850s and 1860s... if considered in terms of the 1850s, it would be difficult to find another northern editor who so frequently and consistently reached so low to discredit the Negro. Even southern journals which defended slavery rarely engaged in such unremitting assaults upon the Negro as a human being..." the Free Press continued to oppose the freeing of the slaves. The anti-black tone continued for the rest of the century. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/free6_20040506.htm)

Tyrone Allen, 41, of Detroit, reached over and shook the man lying next to him on a gurney. "Hey, hey. You awake?" When the other patient didn't respond, Lant said Allen pulled back the sheet covering the man -- "then, with one hand, peeled off the watch..." (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/rob6_20040506.htm)

May 7, 2004

More than $3 million worth of marijuana was seized Thursday from a Detroit warehouse... Officers from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the Drug Enforcement Administration, Michigan State Police and Hamtramck police... 4,000 pounds of pot and drug-packaging materials.. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/pot7_20040507.htm)

seized yacht... taken from drug suspect is now offered at auction... "an orgy boat..." The boat weighs 40,400 pounds, has two inboard diesel engines, a galley, three bedrooms, bathrooms and a washer and dryer... Bidding will start at $220,500... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/boat7_20040507.htm)

Andre Harden Jr., 6, and his 8-year-old sister, Brittany Skinner, were with their father in a black Chevrolet Lumina on Ferris, near Oakland, at 2:15 a.m. when someone fired 55 rounds into the car from an AK47, killing him and another man. A second shooter fired five shots from a shotgun... The victims were the father, Andre Harden Sr., 29, of Detroit and his friend Christopher Dixon, 28, of Highland Park... Andre Harden Jr. was shot in both legs. His sister was shot in the arm. They are in serious condition at Children's Hospital in Detroit... Wayne County Family Court records indicate the Wayne County Sheriff's Department's child rescue unit assisted the state Family Independence Agency in removing the children from their Detroit home in May 2000 after allegations that Harden physically abused the children... The children remained in foster care until November, when they were returned to their parents.. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shoot7_20040507.htm)

Erick

[Yokiboy]

I'm so glad to have you back Cam! Great story, just great. I wish I could help you type it, as I'm a very good typer. I like how all the characters are evolving, you can tell that they're getting hardened and rather disturbed by what's going on.

I am looking forward to seeing the next few sessions.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Yokiboy]

Originally posted by Cam
Gavin being an assassin was something that came ENTIRELY FROM THE PLAYERS!!! All I said in the cut-scene was "So, Holden gets on the phone and calls Gavin..."

And one of the player stepped in and said "Right, Gavin's pointing a sniper rifle at this Middle Eastern dude who's stepping out of a bank ..."
That is just beautiful! You gotta have so much fun GMing this campaign, as it seems you get as much as you give.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

Hey Yokiboy, nice to see you too! Yeah, sad to say I'm a damned slow typer. The last part of the game I posted with Alex thinking "everything's gonna be okay" sounds like it was the end of Session 4 (seems like a nice up-beat way to finish the session), but, actually, it isn't the end! There's about 3 or 4 more scenes from Session 4 left to type up, and it ends in a much less up-beat way!!!

I'll try and get around to posting the rest of Session 4 over the coming weekend; there's also Session 5, Session 6 (which is an historical flashback session), and Session 7 which we just played last Sunday. You'll see *a lot* of character development in those sessions, especially Session 7. "Hardened and rather disturbed", oh, yes indeed!!!

It is indeed a lot of fun to GM, but it's also getting pretty intense. I was having a chat to the other guys, and we all agreed that when this campaign ends we're gonna have to take a break from all this seriousness and heaviness and cut loose with something fun and goofy like Feng Shui or Extreme Vengeance.

That said, whatever genre we play, these guys always throw in as much as the GM does. To be honest, there have been times in this UA campaign where they've given much more than I have! I've had long moments of just sitting back and listening to my players roleplaying, and I just say nothing and nod my head and make mental notes. They make my role as GM incredibly easy.

Erick, the Mexican area you described sounds cool! Sounds like there's a nice community vibe going on, which is something that my group has been focusing on in the campaign. It seems like the Mexican immigrants have really managed to improve the area with optimism and hardwork. I love the idea of fixing up the abandoned houses and painting them in bright, gay colours. Very optimistic. If gaming can reflect reality, there's hope for my Clerks yet!

Hope to be posting more over the coming weekend ... watch this space!!!

Cheers,

Cam.

[Calithena]

Detroit has an interesting arts scene. Aside from the electronic music and hip-hop stuff that's more on the pop-cultural radar, there are a variety of interesting artists working in Detroit. Do a web search on Tyree Guyton and the Heidelberg Project to get a sense for some of it.

Also, Greektown, despite the casinos, is quite beautiful, in a somewhat sanitized and upscale sort of way. I don't like it as well for dining out as the Greek areas in Brooklyn NYC but the fact that one can make comparisons speaks highly for the experience there.

In general, though, Erick's depressing news is pretty true to a lot of the character of the city from what I can tell. In a way, Detroit is the United States' first great ruin: its population today is still half what it was thirty years ago, when it was the fourth biggest city in the country.

[Ry Guy]

Originally posted by Yokiboy
I'm so glad to have you back Cam! Great story, just great. I wish I could help you type it, as I'm a very good typer. I like how all the characters are evolving, you can tell that they're getting hardened and rather disturbed by what's going on.


TTFN,

Yokiboy

Actually, yeah, it's been fun trying to think of how all these changes have affected the character. And there have been some big changes, especially in the area of violence. When we first started playing, a gunfight consisted of someone shooting, and the PCs ducking or running like mad. Now though, we've had a few fights under our belt and it shows. In the lastest game, we've decided to get proactive and start taking the fight to Holden. Some decisions made wouldn't have been made by the trio who started playing the game. Especially since we had a meet with Holden and drew some lines in the sand. :)

Next session should be pretty sweet. Cam, get some more up if you can. :>

[Mencelus]

Yeah lazy Cam, get some up if you can! It's a cool way to review what we've done so far for us too you know...

Like Ry Guy said, we're getting a heck of a lot more proactive now. Before, we spent out time reacting to events, getting mad (I mean both sorts) and generally being pushed around by various "mysterious forces." Now, WE'RE becoming the mysterious force. I think. We're still figuring that out (next session ya'll!)

[Yokiboy]

I really wish I could help you type up the rest of the story, but being in Sweden and you in Japan doesn't make that easy. Could we possibly see another scene posted, please?

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Ry Guy]

Yeah, Cam has been burning the candle at both ends and the middle and it's catching up to him, so we probably won't be seeing a post for a couple more days.
Incidentally, Cam and I were just talking about the madness system in UA and we both appreciate the differences it has from the CoC system. UA is about people and even crazy people are still somewhat functionable in sociaty and heck, you have to go crazy to even get any magick (Or do you just live in a world of your own delustions...?). The CoC system, on the other hand deals with those things unknown that will shatter your mind into itty bitty pieces.
BTW, anyone know of a Unkown Armies version of CoC?

[Insect King]

Originally posted by Ry Guy
The CoC system, on the other hand deals with those things unknown that will shatter your mind into itty bitty pieces.
BTW, anyone know of a Unkown Armies version of CoC?

That's what you get in UA with five blown notches in one to five gauges.

There was a guy who ported the UA sanity system over to his CoC/Delta Green game. He added a bunch of extra stresses ontop of the usual five: Mythos Gods, Aliens and Mythos Races. I believe this is what he did. I still think he should have left it with five and blown the Unnatural meter.

There's a lot of good ideas in Delta Green that can be ported over to UA.

Cheers,

Chris.

[Erick Wujcik]

May 21, 2004:

Seven people were shot -- two fatally -- in two incidents late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, Detroit police said... The first shooting happened in front of Harpos Concert Theatre on Harper on the city's east side, when someone shot three people in a car at about 9:30 p.m. A 31-year-old man who was in the car was pronounced dead... A second man was killed about four hours later during a fight at a northwest Detroit nightclub where he was celebrating his 27th birthday. A man was walking out of a bathroom at Bobby G's Lounge on West Chicago when, police say, he grabbed a woman's buttocks. The woman's boyfriend said something to the man and an altercation ensued. The man fired several shots at the woman's boyfriend, killing him. The shooter also hit three other people who were listed in serious condition... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/dshot21_20040521.htm)

May 22, 2004:

two men were arguing at a home in the 9000 block of Thaddeus. One of the men, a 51-year-old Detroiter... returned with a shotgun... and began shooting into the house. An off-duty officer... saw the man with a shotgun, announced that he was an officer and told the man to drop his weapon... The man refused... That prompted the officer to fire several times, striking the man at least once in the abdomen, police said... On Thursday night, another off-duty officer was in his car picking up his girlfriend at a club near 7 Mile and Outer Drive... Someone pulled up in a silver Jeep Cherokee and, police said, tried to rob him... began shooting into the officer's car, striking him in the face... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/cops22_20040522.htm)

May 24, 2004:

Essence Felton, 9, was fatally shot in the head while playing in her friend's bedroom... Police said the shooting happened around 12:45 a.m. Saturday in the 5300 block of Spokane, near Tireman and I-96... a 17-year-old... was visiting the home and had brought a gun inside the house. He was handling the weapon when Essence was struck... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/girl24_20040524.htm)


Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Erick,

I think you're turning me into a proponent of gun control.

Thuvasa

[Cam]

Woah! Detroit Clerks are back on the front page of rpg.net, and I haven't posted anything in a while!

(Guilt kicking in right about now...)

Sorry everyone, as Ry pointed out my hectic devil-may-care lifestyle has finally caught up with me. (Hey, if the shop sells me a candle which I can burn at both ends, then why on Earth *won't* I burn that sucker at both ends!!! I BLAME THE CANDLE DAMMIT!!!)

But I think I'm getting better now.

Unfortunately I won't be posting anything tonight, but really really hope to do so sometime over the next few days. There's the rest of session 4, then session 5, then the historical flashback session 6, and the rip-roaring doozy of session 7. We should hopefully be playing session 8 this weekend.

And it's funny that the last two posts have been about guns, because there's a bit of gunplay about to come up in session 4, and in session 7 there is one hell of a brutal shootout...

Peace out,

Cam.

[Erick Wujcik]

[B]May 27, 2004:

Dujuan O'Neal saw $29,000 in cash and 40 pounds of marijuana and decided it was worth three lives... after O'Neal shot the victims in the head, he went out to buy the chain saw and returned to the Vermont Street home and used it on the arms, legs and head of 22-year-old Christopher Kasshamoun. The engine seized, though, because O'Neal had failed to add oil. O'Neal left to buy gasoline, came back and set the home on fire. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/chain27_20040527.htm)

Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

*looks around.*

MORE DETROIT CLERKS!

Thuv

EDIT: I meant to say, "Please." Okay, not really. I meant to say "NOW!"

Yeah, I know. I'm a two year old. But you want more too.

[Erick Wujcik]

June 4, 2004:

Detroit Board of Police Commissioners backed the chief's decision to suspend an officer suspected of shooting seven rounds while driving drunk through neighborhoods in southwest Detroit... Sanchez left the Diamond Motel on Fort Street about 1 a.m. May 12 in a silver Ford Expedition... chasing a red pickup, firing several rounds... Sanchez's blood-alcohol level was 0.14 percent, nearly twice Michigan's legal limit of 0.08 percent... The department had already restricted Sanchez's use of his police-issued weapon... He was carrying a personal weapon at the time of the incident... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/cop4_20040604.htm)

June 4, 2004:

Gunmen spraying bullets with high-powered weapons... are driving up Detroit's homicide rate. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shoot4_20040604.htm)

"Detroit police call it the new gangster mentality. The haphazard shooters kill more than one person in an effort to leave no witnesses behind or to send messages of dominance without regard to who is in the bullets' paths... Such manic gunplay is the latest trend in one of America's most violent cities, according to Detroit police, national experts and a Free Press analysis of homicide statistics over the past 2 1/2 years.

* About 60 multiple-victim shootings through May 31 of this year. In 17 of those cases, more than one person died, compared with seven such deaths at this time last year.

* The practice of shooting up homes, cars and yards is catching children in the cross fire, contributing to child homicides.

* Of the nation's 10 largest cities, Detroit -- ranked 10th -- experienced the greatest increase in homicides in the first five months of this year -- in large part, because of multiple-victim shootings.

But Detroit police say one of the biggest culprits in multiple-victim homicides is rival drug dealers... "There is a drug war in this city. It's not an organized war; it's a guerrilla war," said a Detroit homicide detective, who asked not to be named because he feared retaliation for speaking without department permission. Criminologists say they do not know of any other city that is experiencing as many multiple-victim shootings and related homicides as Detroit. According to police in the nine other largest cities, such shootings are rare.

In the span of five months, the city homicide rate has seen three surges, Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings said... The first uptick was in January, when 18 people were killed in a six-day period -- including a triple and three double homicides.The homicide rate surged again in mid-February... The rate climbed again throughout much of April, when about 40 people were killed. In one week in April, there were four multiple-victim shootings...

James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University criminologist, said there has been a slight increase in gang-related homicides nationally, led by Los Angeles and Chicago. But Detroit is not plagued by organized gangs.

For Detroit's homicide detectives, the dog days of summer could heat up this year -- especially during the weekends. The city typically experiences most of its shootings and homicides on Fridays and Saturdays in July and August..."

June 4, 2004:

HOMICIDE VICTIMS (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/sside4_20040604.htm)

"60 percent of those killed in the Motor City are involved in the drug trade. They say 15 percent of Detroit homicides are domestic incidents, 15 percent are robbery-related, and the remaining 10 percent result from miscellaneous fights... Aside from shooting deaths, those killed in Detroit are burned, dismembered, stabbed, choked and beaten... 85 percent of homicide victims are black and 83 percent are male. Of those black men killed, 85 percent die of gunshot wounds... The city's population is about 83-percent black... killers typically target someone older than them... average age of a killer is 28; victims, on average, are 33..."

June 3, 2004:

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who once boasted that he would knock down 5,000 abandoned buildings... last year set a 20-year low for razing dilapidated structures (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/demo3_20040603.htm)

"... a philanthropist who pledged $10 million last year to remove 1,400 decrepit buildings was so discouraged by cuts in Detroit's demolition budget that he has not sent the city a dime... 2,250 buildings were torn down in fiscal year 2001-02... In fiscal 2002-03, Kilpatrick's first full year in office, demolitions dropped to 783... Mayor Coleman Young, who started Detroit's first large-scale demolition program, called abandoned buildings 'one of the most pernicious problems plaguing our neighborhoods . . . they are a cancer . . . serving as breeding grounds for illicit drugs, other crime and rats and as a prime target for arson.'"

Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

I don't think I can take any more Detroit news. It's about the most depressing place I've ever heard of.

Oh yeah. BUMP!

Thuv

[Epengar]

I'm a sheltered dweller in the ivory tower in Ann Arbor, so I don't have much of a right to comment, but not every bit of news from Detroit is bad. There have been a few positive notes. Here's a quote from a CNN.com story, I just clipped the good news at the end, the full story is here:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/01/09/changing.detroit.ap/

and the Fabulous Ruins of Detroit site is here:

http://www.detroityes.com/


"Among the physical changes in the past year is the opening of a new music center, which includes the restoration of the historic Orchestra Hall with its near-flawless acoustics. Compuware moved its headquarters from suburban Farmington Hills to downtown Detroit. Its new building, where about 4,000 people work, also houses a Borders bookstore and a Hard Rock Cafe, both of which opened to great fanfare in November.

These latest additions are part of a recent period of development that has included General Motors' 1996 purchase of the Renaissance Center skyscrapers for its headquarters, the opening of two new stadiums, an opera house and three casinos, and the conversion of many old buildings into lofts.

"For us who've been around here through the dark days, it's like day and night," said Lowell Boileau, an artist whose online exhibit of photographs, "The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit" chronicles both decay and rebirth. "Five to seven years ago, you basically could have shot a cannon (through downtown) and not hit anybody."

Sorin Ratiu, a resident of nearby Sterling Heights, said the city seemed cleaner to him as he showed his visiting mother around on a recent afternoon. But Ratiu, 40, said Detroit was still "a bit desolate" and that he avoids it at night.

More changes have been promised in the coming years. A small park with a fountain is being built in front of the Compuware building. Plans are in the works for a system of connected parks along the riverfront. The 2006 Super Bowl, to be hosted by Detroit, is a target date for much of the work.

Karla Zimmerman, who wrote the Great Lakes section of the upcoming edition of Lonely Planet's U.S. guide, said Detroit's "post-apocalyptic feel," combined with several renowned museums, make it a fascinating destination.

"If you're from a different country and you're trying to get a feel for what the U.S.A. is like, Detroit is kind of a nice bite," she said."

[Erick Wujcik]

No, it's not all bad...

Originally posted by Epengar ...and the Fabulous Ruins of Detroit site is here:

http://www.detroityes.com/



Be sure to take the "Book Cadillac" photographic tour. It's beautiful!

...and bear in mind that better than half the buildings you see from the windows and roof (from the photos near the end of the tour) have similar interiors...

Originally posted by Epengar Plans are in the works for a system of connected parks along the riverfront...

Sorry, but I had to comment about this...

Y'see, when casinos were approved for Detroit by the voters of Michigan (after the citizens of Detroit had themselves voted down casinos in election after election), it was decided that a appropriate place on the riverfront would be designated a center for all the new casinos.

Enthusiastically, the city declared 'eminent domain' and bulldozed (legally and literaly) quite a bit of the eastside riverfront.

Among others, the Woodbridge Tavern, Soup Kitchen Saloon, Franklin Street Beer Co. and Rhinoceros Club, among the most prosperous businesses in the city, were all closed, along with dozens of other small fry.

The Woodbridge was particularly poignant, since it had been a family-owned business since the late 19th century, and had keep its neighborhood from decay by heroic measures. For many Detroit suburbanites, the Woodbridge was the only reason for venturing down into the city...

In a classic bit of Detroit 'planning,' last year it was decided that, shucks, turns out we're not going to put the casinos in that location after all. Funny thing, but with all the stores and restaurants gone, there just wasn't enough traffic!

So, now we've got the lame announcement, which we've heard countless times over the last 100 years, about new riverfront parks...

Erick

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by UnregisteredThuvasa
I don't think I can take any more Detroit news. It's about the most depressing place I've ever heard of.

It only gets worse...

Aside from the usual murders, including the senseless murder of a Sterling Heights policeman, here's the latest:


June 7, 2004:

Betty Sryniawski, 75, has seen a lot during 44 years as a resident of southwest Detroit. But a bullet whizzing through her living room was a first. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/min7_20040607.htm)

QUESTION: What happened?

ANSWER: I just went to bed and I was watching TV. . . . I heard my walker fall over. How can a walker fall over when it's late and it's propped up against the wall? And I went in there and -- I was so dumb -- I looked; I seen the walker lying on the floor here and I went back to bed. And I thought to myself, 'Well, you dumb broad . . . that would never fall down by itself; it's been sitting there for a year.' And I come back in here and looked and I seen all the dust and the hole in the wall.

Q: Did you hear a gunshot?

A: Oh, yes, I did. . . . I thought Al Capone was back.

Q: There's a dent from the bullet in your walker.

A: I'm glad that walker was there because it would have went straight through my dresser and my mirror or something in the bedroom.

Q: And you say you found the bullet in your couch cushions?

A: I always sit here like this (gestures to couch), watch the kids and stuff go by. It was only 10, five minutes before that I went to bed. I would have been sitting here. I would not be here today.

Q: Will you fix the hole?

A: They said fill out this form and get an estimate. Nobody's gonna be able to fix that. They'd have to fix the whole wall.

Q: Did the police say they were sorry?

A: Nope.

Q: Has your house been shot before?

A: No. Neither have I. (Laughs).

Q: But you have had other problems, like gang graffiti on the garages around here?

A: We ain't going to paint them no more because they'll come back and they'll do it again.

See the June 4 piece about Officer Sanchez, above, for more details about the stray bullet...


June 8, 2004:

For the fourth time in less than a month, dozens of Detroit Public Schools were shut because of power line failures (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/pld8_20040608.htm)

The outage Monday closed 61 schools, four police precincts and a handful of municipal buildings... "In this particular situation, it has nothing to do with an 80-year-old system," said mayoral spokesman Howard Hughey. "It is a power issue."


June 9, 2004:

City fails to clean mountains of trash (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/dump9_20040609.htm)

Cynthia Sams has complained about the broken toilets, tires, abandoned cars and rusting boat behind her home in the 700 block of Liddesdale, between Pleasant and Sanders streets, for years... "Nothing much has changed," said Sams, 52. "I feel terrible. Listen, even if they put a fence up or something, it would be a little better..." Sebastian Taylor, assistant supervisor for the solid waste division of the DPW, who toured the dump site behind Sams' home Tuesday called it the worst he's seen in his 33 years with the department... "They brought out Dumpsters and brooms and did a little something, but the the stuff we've got behind the house hasn't been touched," said Sams. "Just two nights ago, they found two dead pit-bull dogs skinned alive back there."


Note: The following is yet another sad story from Detroit, but this isn't for the faint at heart. Read at your own risk. (http://www.freep.com/news/metro/jump8_20040608.htm)

Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Oddly, the skinned bull-dogs are really on-topic, as that's a weird UA-type thing you'd expect to find.

Thuv, still unregistered

[Cam]

Hey Everyone!

Thuvasa, cheers for the bumps and the clerks "love"! Yes, I too want more, and I want it now. Unfortunately, erm, it ain't gonna be tonight, 'cos I gotta get some sleep before work tomorrow...

*However*, I have some free time on Monday, and I'm gonna make an effort to post as much as I can then. We're playing again this Sunday (session 9, actually, and we've all got a feeling that we're racing towards a climax...), so I'll hopefully be taking the session's energy and post-game "buzz" and pouring it into some interesting actual play posts.

Erick, cheers for the Detroit updates; everything I read both inspires details for my gaming sessions and generally makes me feel pretty shitty about the state of the world!!! (Actually, they also have the effect of making me feel damned lucky...)

The story about the Mayor vowing to demolish 5000 abandoned houses is awesome; total fodder for my campaign, but also speaks volumes about the vast swathes of urban decay in the city. It really helps establish the "character" of Detroit (i.e. a ruin, a modern day ghost-town).

As for the skinned bull dogs ... woah, yeah, *totally* Unknown Armies. Someone's laying down some spooky mojo there...

I actually found the final link, the one about suicides, to be oddly hopeful. Maybe I'm just reading hope into it. But I found the actions of Prause and Kurowski to be incredibly heroic in a very human way. And I found that to be ... kinda hopeful.

(It was Prause's quote "...it's also my obligation as a human -- I can't allow you to do this" that really made me feel this way.)

I also found that it evokes one of the themes of Unknown Armies that really appeals to me; the idea that *people matter*. People *can make a difference*. For better or for worse? Well, that's your choice to make in the game ... but at the end of the day, the choices you make have consequences. And if you try hard enough, those consequences just might be good. You just might save someone. You just might make the world seem a better place for one person.

Sometimes that's enough.

(Heroism on a microscale, if you will!)

Of course, the clerks in the campaign are now running into the question that follows closely on the heels of that first theme. That question being "how far will you go to achieve your goals?" What price power?

To give you a hint of how things *might* be going in the campaign, one of the clerks in session 7 seriously suggested cold blooded murder as a means to achieving their goals...

Okay, actual play posts on Monday!!!

Cheers,

Cam.

Edited to insert the Prause quote and fix up a bit of grammar.

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by UnregisteredThuvasa
Oddly, the skinned bull-dogs are really on-topic...

Um... Since this is Detroit, we are not talking about 'bull-dogs' or 'bulldogs' here.

No, these are 'Pit Bull Terriers,' or 'American Pitbull Terriers,' about which the following articles will testify. Suffice to say, there is a difference...

Sometime in the 1990s:

Detroit and Inkster police have collectively seized hundreds of pit bulls from organized drug and dog-fighting rings in undercover raids. (http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/articles/garrettart.html)

Whether they're used to fight or train other dogs, pit bulls most commonly are confiscated by local authorities. The muscular animals in packs once fought lions and bears in staged events. Dog fighters say the dogs show more "game" than any other animal, meaning they can often fight to the death without losing tenacity. Livonia Police Lt. Ben McDermott said a videotape he viewed showed pit bulls engaged in ferocious, bloody fighting. Jones said one legendary pit bull owned by an alleged Detroit drug dealer could outlast his opponents well beyond human endurance. The drug dealer was killed in a dispute over dogs, Jones said. "(The dog) could fight up to two hours...


August 7, 2001:

On the east side of Detroit, in a working-class neighborhood with narrow plots of land, Dewayne Carter has a backyard teeming with pit bulls. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/pit7_20010807.htm)

"I take good care of my dogs," said Carter, a muscular man with a shaved head and the word "PAIN" tattooed on his right arm in gothic letters. "I only got one mean one back there.... But that's my kids' favorite dog."


August 25, 2003:

Attack on boy spurs plan to ban pit bulls in state. (http://www.detnews.com/2003/metro/0308/25/b01-253007.htm)


May 21, 2004:

The owner of a pit bull that last month attacked and killed the woman's 16-month-old grandson will not be charged with a crime... (http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0405/21/d02-159573.htm)


Also...

Pit Bulls on the Web (http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/)

Pit Bull Fiction, but clearly written by someone who knows Detroit... (http://brokennewz.com/usnews/homelessattack.asp)

A google search on 'pit bull detroit' yielded over 9,000 hits...


As usual, it's hard to explain the reality of Detroit.


Erick

[Cith]

Grr... those articles remind me that there are a lot of human beings who need to be euthanized.

[Joe Saul]

Since Erick's in this thread, I assume someone's mentioned the abandoned salt mines under the city?

The huge, abandoned, former railway station in the middle of much smaller buildings that glares down at downtown? (This has to be seen to be believed, really.)

The oddly thriving and hopeful Hispanic neighborhood just down the street from it?

[Joe Saul]

Also, does the game system make use of geomancy? If so, you could do a lot with that, and the fact that the city has been hacked into pieces by poorly-planned freeways.

[Yokiboy]

Cam, may the Force be with you! :D

I really would like to find out what happens to the clerks, please!

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Since Erick's in this thread, I assume someone's mentioned the abandoned salt mines under the city?

The huge, abandoned, former railway station in the middle of much smaller buildings that glares down at downtown? (This has to be seen to be believed, really.)



Hehe. Yeah, I know the difference between a pit-bull and a bull-dog, it was just a typo which unfortunately got duplicated. Like playing "telephone" I guess, where one person whispers something, and the next person whispers it to the next person and at the end "two skinned pit-bulls" has become "enchi-taco combo," or some such.

Anyway, to the quote! Salt mines? And can we get a picture of that railway station?

Thuvasa

[Erick Wujcik]

Originally posted by UnregisteredThuvasa
Salt mines?

I thought we had covered that in an earlier post... but I guess not.

Yes, there are vast salt mines, deep, deep, deep under Detroit. For most Detroiters it's just one of those obscure facts... although it does explain why so many of the cars in Detroit are rusted out junkers; the cheapest way to deal with Detroit's winter snow is the heavy use of salt on the roads...

Detroit Salt Company (http://www.detroitsalt.com/)

Detroit News article on the Detroit Salt Mines (http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=17&category=business)

Erick

[UnregisteredThuvasa]

Posted like the ungrateful brat that I am:

Cam promised us Monday, and now it's Tuesday, and no clerks!

Thuv, The Ungrateful Brat

Seriously, though--Cam, we'd love to hear more, but keep in mind the cardinal rule: "Real life comes first." :D So no worries!

[Thuvasa3]

I finally registered and now I can't edit my old unregistered posts. (I'm sure I could if I tried logging out or some such, but i'm *very* lazy).

Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for the salt mine links. I especially enjoyed this picture, which I find oddly moving in a religious sort of way.

http://www.detroitsalt.com/Pictures/Current/Pictures/img0003.jpg

Thuv

EDIT: BUMP!

[Yokiboy]

Should I give up hope, Cam? Any chance we could at least get a quick summary of the rest of the campaign?

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

Hey Guys!

No, don't give up hope!!! Sorry, I keep getting dragged back by stuff ... but, don't worry, you WILL see the rest of the campaign posted on here!!! Actually, we played session 10 last Sunday (I mean, the one a little over a week ago), and it turned out to be the climax and conclusion of the campaign.

So, yeah, I definitely want to get it posted before it all fades away in my mind...

Unfortunately, off to bed for now before I earn my daily bread...

Cheers!

Cam.

[Thuvasa3]

I think Cam should skip a day of work and spend the whole day typing up the rest of the UA sessions!

Thuv

[Cam]

I quite agree Thuvasa!!! In the meantime, however, I've managed to type up 2 more scenes from Session 4; not quite bringing us to the end of that session, but close. I'd love to type more, but I gotta head off to bed in a minute ... hopefully these 2 scenes will give you something to chew over until I can post some more (most likely Monday)!!!

You might want to re-read the details of Session 4 back on pages 13 and 14, just to bring yourselves back up to speed.

Also, please forgive my incessant quoting of Radiohead songs in these next 2 posts; I've been listening to a fair bit of Radiohead lately, and it's gotten into my, erm, head.

Cheers!

Cam.

[Cam]

SCENE SIX: IN WHICH XAVIER SLEUTHS HIS WAY THROUGH CITY HALL.

“Investments and dealers,
Investments and dealers,
Cold wives and mistresses…
Someone else is gonna come & clean it up
Born and raised for the job,
Someone always does…”
(Radiohead “A Wolf at the Door”, 2003)

It’s almost dusk now, and Xavier’s pushing a cart full of cleaning products through the marbled corridors of City Hall. Suited officials dash past him, eager to be home for the evening, not evening noticing him. Why should they? Puerto Rican in a service role. Puerto Rican cleaning up their shit.

“I’m just doin’ what I gotta do,” Xavier thinks to himself. “This ain’t me. This ain’t really me. I’m just gettin’ proactive…”

Xavier and his cart of cleaning products slow down as he approaches the Mayor’s office. His secretary is still seated at her desk outside the office. Xavier starts innocently cleaning a little further down the corridor, stealing glances over his shoulder.

A suit strolls up to the secretary with a lopsided grin. She smiles back, a little flirtatiously. He laughs, they flirt, she smiles. They go through the motions. And few minutes later, they run together across the corridor to a stock room.

Xavier’s eyes are wide with disbelief. It was like … something out of a movie. Or TV. The suit and his mistress running out for a quickie, giving him a chance to slip into the Mayor’s office. And sure enough, in her haste, the secretary has forgotten her keys and left them on the desk. Now that’s *really* like something out of a movie.

Xavier takes his chance. Grabs the keys, runs into the Mayor’s office. Not sure what he’s looking for, looking for plans, something to do with urban renewal … a folder catches his eye full of maps of Detroit, a map with various locations circled, a map with plans for a highway … a highway that goes right through Leong’s Corner Store and Delivery.

“You bastard.” Xavier whispers.

Xavier hits the photocopier, hastily makes a few copies, and stuffs the originals back into the folder on the Mayor’s desk. Catches sight of a photo of the Mayor with his wife and child. They look happy, and the kid’s cute. Xavier considers that maybe the Mayor genuinely believes he is doing the right thing for Detroit. That maybe the Mayor is really their “enemy”. Is there even an “enemy” at all in a situation like this?

“Fuck it, they still wanna bulldoze my neighborhood.” Xavier slips out of the office, drops the keys on the desk, and heads back to the store.

[Cam]

SCENE SEVEN: ALEX ALONE IN THE BASEMENT, AND ROMANTIC CLINCH 2.

“In pitch dark
I go walking in
Your landscape…
Just because you feel it
Doesn’t mean it’s there
Just because you feel it
Doesn’t mean it’s there…
We are accidents
Waiting
Waiting to happen.”
(Radiohead “There There”, 2003)

Xavier walks back into the store to find Tina and Alex standing in front of the air conditioner, staring at it intently.

“Xavier, where have you been all this time?” Tina says quickly as she turns around.
“Well, actually, I’ve -” Xavier starts to pull the pile of photocopied plans from his jacket.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry, it doesn’t matter,” Tina says, talking very quickly, almost nervously, as she takes Xavier by the arm and guides him to the air conditioner, “you’ve gotta fix this.”
“What?” Xavier’s a little confused. He’s just come back victorious from his James Bond mission, and Tina and Alex are all excited about the broken down air conditioner.
“Yeah yeah yeah, you’ve gotta fix it. It hasn’t been the same since it’s been broken, since-” Tina pauses, “since Ben died. Look right here. It’s the bullet that killed Ben. It’s GOT to be.”
Xavier’s still a little confused. He gives Tina a look that says “So?”
“You’ve got to get it out and get rid of it. Some creepy stuff has been happening around here lately. Maybe, just maybe, it’s because of that bullet. Maybe it’s haunted.”
Xavier nods slowly. “Riiight. Haunted.” He pauses. “Just give me a minute, and I’ll get my tools.”

“Haunted bullet, my ass” Xavier mutters as he grabs his tools and gets to work.

Some quiet moments pass in the store. Xavier works on the air conditioner. Tina stocks the shelves. Alex stands at the cash register, a confident smile on his face as he thinks about Lenna.

“Hey Alex, we’re out of toilet paper. Could you go downstairs and get some more?” Tina asks. Alex shrugs.
“Uh, yeah, okay.”
Tina turns back, continues stocking the shelves. Xavier continues working on the air conditioner.

Alex slowly walks to the top of the stairs. The stairs that head down into the basement. The basement that Tina and Xavier and Maria somehow came running out of *when it wasn’t physically possible for them to do so.*

Alex slowly walks down the stairs. He pushes the door at the bottom of the stairs open with a slight creak. It’s dark inside. He steps in, flicks the light switch and –

SNAP.

The light bulb blows.
Darkness.
A thin sliver of light coming down the stairs from behind Alex.
And … the sound of a door slowly creaking open.
Not the door Alex came through.
Alex’s eyes widen.
He slowly puts his hand out. In the direction of the sound.
He slowly walks forward, his hand stretched out.
Right about now, he knows he should touch the wall.
He doesn’t.
His hand reaches out into the dark, empty space…

Suddenly a cold hand clutches his own. Pulls tight.
Absolute terror screams through Alex’s veins.
Fight or flight?
FIGHT!!!
Alex freaks out, and pulls back tightly. He feels someone crash into him, and Alex pulls tightly. His assailant falls on top on him, and Alex is screaming and punching, rolling across the floor of the basement.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck you!” Alex screams as he rolls across the floor, into the thin sliver of light coming down the stairs, and sees his assailant, now sitting on top of him. It’s Ben. Complete with a hole in the back of the head. Ben looks down at Alex, blood and brain matter running out of his ruined mouth onto Alex’s face.
“Do you SEE now Alex? Do you SEE now? Do you?”
“ARGH!!!” Alex screams, punching, and the two roll back into the darkness.
A few more seconds of struggle, and they roll back.
And this time the assailant has changed.
Now, it’s the guy. The dead guy who keeps turning up.
He looks down at Alex.
“I’m sorry” he says, and flops dead on top of Alex.

Alex, almost hyperventilating with terror, pushes the corpse off of him, and starts crawling up the stairs.

“Alex! Alex! What’s wrong?” Tina yells, running for the top of the stairs as Alex comes crawling up, covered in blood. Alex is in no mood for talking however. He tries to crawl past Tina, still trying to scream, but his throat is too dry now, so all he produces are terrified wheezes and gasps.
“Alex! Alex! Fuck, Alex, Jesus, you’re hurt! Let me help you!”
But Alex still isn’t listening, as he tries to push Tina away from him.

Tina decides to get physical. Using her considerable personal bulk, she restrains Alex. Well, actually, she sits on him as he crawls across the floor in blind terror. She looks up at Xavier. “What the fuck is down there Xavier?”

Xavier raises his eyebrows in a “who, me?” fashion. Grabs a wrench and walks down the stairs. Flicks the switch. Darkness. Xavier slowly backs up the stairs, grabs a flashlight, and walks back down. Xavier clicks on the flashlight, and shines it around the basement. He doesn’t see anything unusual …

Except for a trail of blood, leading from the bottom of the stairs to a corner of the room. The trail comes right up to the corner, and then stops. Almost as if the trail had somehow gone through…

Xavier runs back up the stairs.
“No one’s down there Tina.”
“And this isn’t his blood. He doesn’t look injured at all.” Tina replies, still sitting on Alex, but looking him over for injuries. “Alex, can you talk to me? It’s okay, there’s nobody down there.”
Alex looks around, eyes still wide with fear, his breathing still rapid.

As if on cue, both Tina and Xavier look up at the same time to see Laticia just about to step through the front door. She’s holding a pile of papers; looks like the petition to protest the urban renewal plan that Tina started.

Tina looks up at Xavier with a “do something!” look on her face.

Xavier runs to the door, and steps out, quickly talking to Laticia.
And as he’s talking, he’s never noticed Laticia looking so fine before…

Inside, as Tina speaks calmly, soothingly to Alex, she suddenly feels/hears a romantic surge of music. She looks up to see Xavier and Laticia kissing. Laticia pulls back, a look of surprise on her face. Xavier looks kind of surprised too. Laticia leans in for another kiss, and then suddenly pulls back, turns, and runs down the street.

Xavier steps back into the store with a “who’s the man!” smile on his face.
A few minutes later, he’s finished digging the bullet out of the air conditioner, and thrown it out the back door where it comes to rest under a tree. Tina is pretty insistent on this being done quickly, especially after Alex gasps that he met Ben in the basement.

And a few minutes after that, as Alex finally calms down and Tina helps wash the blood off of his face, Xavier locks and then padlocks the basement door. He walks back up the stairs.

“It’s done,” he says. The clerks look at each other, then look down the stairs at the double-locked door…

[Thuvasa3]

Hurrah!

Thuvasa

p.s. Yeah, it's really a bump, because I'm a selfish in-grate who doesn't like to wait for anything.

But you did good, Cam. And I wish I could play in your game. Sounds unbelievable.

[Erick Wujcik]

Since people have been asking about the "good news" that might come from Detroit, I'll pass over reporting about the recent shooting spree (9 Shot (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/hart25_20040625.htm) & Eyes (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/chap25_20040625.htm)) , and just mention that:

1. We've been having the most gorgeous weather lately. Mild, breezy and just delightful. Makes you grateful to be alive.

2. One great thing about Detroit are the gorgeous skies. Since the city is so flat, we've got a huge horizon, and the exotic polution (unlike, say, in Los Angeles, where it's just a yellow haze), lends all kinds of extravagant colors to the endlessly complex interactions of clouds. Visitors to Belle Isle are often treated to glorious interactions when different fronts collide over Detroit's downtown towers. Just this morning, for example, before sunrise, I saw the most beautiful red formations off to the east. Heart stopping!

Erick

[Thuvasa3]

It's depressing as all get out that after all the bad news coming out of Detroit, the best that you can give us for good news is that the weather has been good lately.

In other news, there is a coney place in Lexington, KY (nearly hidden, I have no idea how it stays in business) that claims to have Detroit coneys.

If you're ever in the neighborhood, you'll have to try one out, maybe vouch for their authenticity.

Thuv

[Yokiboy]

Great to have you back Cam. I'm still enjoying the story and look forward to reading the rest of it. :)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Erick Wujcik]

June 30, 2004:

Police were on the hunt for a gunman early this morning following a shooting on Detroit's east side that left three people dead, including a teenage boy, and three others injured... the second day in a row there was a multiple shooting in the city... Monday, four were shot and one was killed on the west side... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shot30x_20040630.htm)

July 1, 2004:

She was single, had five children and was pregnant with a sixth. She was still mourning the loss of her son Isaiah, who was born with a disability and not quite 2 years old when he died... For reasons that even the judge on her case could not explain, the Wayne County Friend of the Court began garnisheeing Murphey's paychecks... taking $248 from her roughly $900 biweekly paychecks... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/mom1_20040701.htm)

Liquid hazardous waste pumped 4,000 feet below Romulus' streets will stay put for at least 10,000 years, say federal regulators who have all but OK'd the state's first commercial hazardous waste injection wells... "Under no circumstances do we want Michigan to be a regional, national or international repository for commercial hazardous waste," said (Michigan Governor) Jennifer Granholm...** (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/haz1_20040701.htm)

** Notes: 1. Romulus is west of Detroit, but still part of Wayne County and is home to Detroit Metro Airport, but is mostly residential. 2. All State and Local officials oppose the "Injection Waste Dumping," as well as scientists and environmentalists... only the Federal Officials, currently under the control of President George W. Bush, are backing the plan.

On a personal note... Police came to where I've been staying in Detroit this morning, engaged in a house to house search for the suspect who had (1) stabbed a man to death in a nearby house, then (2) chased a woman from the house and raped her in a neighbor's yard.

Erick

[Erick Wujcik]

Detroit police arrested a man Thursday who they say fatally stabbed a Detroit teen, then raped and stabbed the teen's sister.... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/rape2_20040702.htm)

...news from my immediate neighborhood.

Erick

[Thuvasa3]

Is there a reason you stay in Detroit? It sounds like Hell.

Thuv

[Cam]

Hey Everyone!

Back again with some more Clerks action ... and it's interesting that Erick's posted a number of shootings, because you're about to see some gunplay. Of course, since this is UA, it's not terribly glamorous. Before reading, however, you might want to go back to the Cut Scene in this session called "Jackie Z and the heartbeat of Detroit". You're gonna see Jackie again, really soon...

Cheers,

Cam.

[Cam]

SCENE EIGHT: SCATTERBRAIN

“I’m walking out
In a force ten gale
Birds thrown around
Bullets for hail …

Yesterday’s headlines
Blown by the wind
Yesterday’s people
End up
SCATTERBRAIN…

A moving target
In a firing range
Somewhere I’m not
Scatterbrain
Somewhere I’m not
Scatterbrain”
(Radiohead “Scatterbrain” 2003)

Tina’s standing at the front door of the corner store, staring out in the Detroit night. Street lamps flicker uncertainly a few hundred meters down the road. Not a soul can be seen on the streets. Tina sighs heavily. It’s been about an hour since the madness of the basement, but it’s only now that everything seems to be returning to normal.

Or is it?

Tina looks up at the sky, but for half a second she doesn’t see the night sky of Detroit. Instead, she sees a distant ceiling studded with tracklighting and spotlights, much like what you’d see in a television studio. Tina blinks rapidly, rubs her eyes, and the night sky of Detroit is back again.

“It really has been a long day,” Tina says to herself, rubbing her eyes.
At this moment, Tina sees a young man in his 20s step around the corner across the road from her. He’s holding one of those clapperboards people use in movies and television to mark scenes. He dramatically holds it up and clicks it, saying “Aaaaaaaaand … ACTION!” He then steps back around the corner, out of sight.

Tina blinks, rubs her eyes again.

“Hey Tina, I’m exhausted,” Xavier says from behind her, stepping through the doorway, “I’m gonna drive Alex back to his place, then come back and get some sleep.”
“Uh, yeah, sure thing Xavier. It’s been a long day. I think I’m starting to see thi-”

Tina doesn’t get to finish her sentence as a different figure steps out from around the corner. This time, however, it’s not the mysterious clapperboard man. It’s Jackie Z. With his eyes wide. With a gun in his trembling hand.

“It’s YOU!” Jackie yells, angrily, accusatorily. “YOU! YOU did it! You’re ruining everything! Well, I’m not gonna let you!” With that, Jackie points his pistol at Tina and Xavier, and starts pulling the trigger. The glass door shatters as rounds smash through it. Tina, surprisingly light on her feet, leaps back into the store. Xavier, however, isn’t so lucky. There’s a sudden spray of crimson from the side of Xavier’s head as his body slumps halfway through the door.

“NO!!!” Tina screams. She runs to the cash register as more lead tears through the glass door and windows. She grabs her trusty .454 Cassul from behind the cash register, and runs back to the glass door, her face twisted into a mask of fury. From behind her, Alex crawls across the floor to Xavier’s body.

Tina steps out of the door as another shot whizzes past her. Jackie points his pistol at her and pulls the trigger. Click. He’s empty. He throws the gun down and starts to run back towards the corner.

BOOM!
Tina pulls the trigger on the .454 with a deafening roar. The recoil almost kicks her arms above her head. A large hole opens in the rundown wooden building Jackie’s running past. Tina takes a moment to re-aim her gun.

BOOM!
Another round punches into the wooden building, the recoil again kicking Tina’s arms right back. Jackie’s almost around the corner.

BOOM!
A window explodes as Jackie sprints around the corner.
Tina, in a rage, points the .454 at the edge of the corner Jackie has run around, and pulls the trigger again.

BOOM!
And everything goes in slow motion. Tina sees the round fly from the muzzle of the gun, sees it racing towards the corner. Her perspective suddenly changes, and she finds her point of view following right behind the bullet. Just like in the movies or on TV. Bullet cam. With her “bullet cam” perspective, Tina follows the round as it approaches the corner, then smashes into the wood. She follows it as it flies a meter or so through the deserted house, then it strikes the wood again, coming out back out into the street, but this time on the other side of the corner.

The side of the corner that Jackie Z is on.

Tina’s vision follows the round as it rapidly closes towards the back of Jackie’s head. There’s a horrific crunching sound as her vision slams into the back of his head … then a wet sound … everything black … then light again as her vision punches through the front of Jackie’s forehead accompanied with a another crunching sound, and the bullet bursts free and flies down the street, ever so briefly followed by Jackie’s blood and brains.

Tina’s vision suddenly shifts back to normal.
Her eyes wide, her gun smoking in her hand, she walks out into the street and approaches the corner that she just shot through. She steps around the corner. Sure enough, Jackie Z’s body is lying on the other side, his leg twitching, blood and brains sprayed out in front of him.
For half a second Tina starts to feel sick, but that sickness is carried away by another feeling. A feeling of … satisfaction.
“Fuck you,” Tina says to the twitching corpse. “You fucking deserved it.”
Tina’s eyes are cold.

Back in the store, Alex has crawled beside Xavier’s body.
“Oh man, oh no…” Alex says as he tilts Xavier’s head to the side.
“Urgh…” Xavier moans.
“Holy shit!!! You’re alive!!!” Alex gasps. For half a second he remembers the last time somebody got shot in the head here and didn’t die. Ben.
But Alex looks closer at the wound and sees that Xavier has been lucky. The bullet has only grazed the side of his head.
“Oh man, it’s a miracle! You are so lucky!”
“Urgh … feels like I’ve been hit by a truck.”
“Yo Tina! Xavier’s alive!”
Tina, still staring at Jackie’s corpse, turns and runs back to the store.
“What?” She says.
“It’s just a graze! He’s gonna be fine!” Alex says excitedly, grabbing some bandages from the shelves. Tina looks down at Xavier, who’s still a little groggy. Tina smiles at Xavier, relief flooding through her. At the same time she doesn’t regret her recent actions. She feels like a lioness that has been defending her young.
“And I’d do it again” she thinks to herself.

Far in the distance, the clerks can hear police sirens…

[Cam]

CUT SCENE: REACTION AT CITY HALL

The Mayor and a number of people involved with the urban renewal project are having a strategy session that’s gone into the evening. Holden briefly excuses himself as him cell phone rings.
“Yeah?”
“This is Peterson, down at the 3rd Precinct. That woman you’ve told us to keep an eye on, Tina Leong, has been brought down here. Seems like she shot some crazy gangbanger that was shooting up her store.”
“She wasn’t injured in the shooting?”
“No, but one of her employees was. He’s being looked at in Detroit Receiving Hospital right now, but I think he’ll live.”
“So …” Holden’s mind is turning over the possibilities, thinking of how he can use this. “It looks like she did this in self-defense?”
“Pretty much. Well, it kinda seems like she actually shot this guy in the back as he was running away, but he shot up her store pretty good first. Actually, get this, it looks like she fired blind through a corner and nailed this guy in the back of the head!”
“She … she did that?” Holden’s blood turns cold.
“Well, yeah, that’s what the boys on the scene said. 'Course, they could be exaggerating. Anyway, looks like they’re almost done with questioning her down here, and they’re probably gonna let her go for the time being. You want me to do anything about that? Charge her for manslaughter?”

Holden thinks about it. Could it get this woman out of his hair? Then again, he had a meeting planned with her in a few nights time. He really wanted to sit down with this woman, try and figure out what makes her tick. Why is she so opposed to the urban renewal project? It will ultimately benefit Detroit in the end. There had to be some way of convincing her of that. No way that was gonna happen with her in a jail cell.

“No, let her go for the time being Peterson. Of course, give her the whole speech about her not being able to leave the city until investigations are fully completed, etcetera. I want her where I can keep my eye on her.”
“Yes sir.”

Holden closes his cell phone. Thinks for a few minutes. He looks worried.
“She shot right through a wall…” he whispers to himself.
Who exactly were these clerks?
Holden opens his cell phone again, dials a number.

“Mr. ‘Olden, always a pleasure to ‘ear from you!” Gavin says.
“Gavin, I have a meeting in a few nights time with that woman you’re watching for me. I want you with me for that meeting. I want you to be close to me. These people could be dangerous. I’d like you to operate in a bodyguard capacity for me, as you have before.”
“Alright, I can do that.” Gavin is on a rooftop across from a police station. Through his rifle scope he can see an exhausted Tina being led out of the police station by Alex. They’re heading towards a van with an ice-cream cone on the top of it. “I could take care of ‘er right now, if you want me to.”

Holden pauses. It’s tempting … but then he’d be denied the chance of convincing Tina that what he was doing, the whole urban renewal plan, was for the ultimate good of Detroit. The Motor City. And he didn't sanction killing. Not unless he absolutely had to. Not unless there was no other choice.

“No. Meet me at City Hall.” Holden closed the cell phone and sighed. Then he walked back into the office where the Mayor was.

[Cam]

You may notice a bit of a "retcon" in the above Cut Scene. I had previously stated that Holden had set up a meeting with Tina for the very next night (and that's what we had said when we played out that original scene where Holden calls Tina up on the phone and arranged the meeting).

When we were playing the above cut scene, however, we somehow pushed the meeting date back a few days. Hey, you make these kind of continuity errors when you're improvising so madly!!! :p

Anyways, as you'll see in the Actual Play notes for Session 5, it actually makes a lot more sense that some time has passed between the madness of Alex in the basement/the shooting of Jackie Z, and the meeting with Holden.

Cheers!

Cam.

[Cam]

SCENE NINE: SO TINA, WHAT’S YOUR MOTIVATION?

It’s late, and Alex is driving in the van back to the corner store. Tina and Xavier sit silently in the back. It’s been a long day. After picking Tina up at the police station they had gone down to Detroit Receiving to wait for Xavier. That took forever; since he had a “minor wound” Xavier was not a priority. Alex and Tina had sat around for hours watching broken and bloodied people being brought in on stretchers, screaming in pain. Part of Alex had desperately wanted to jump up and help these people; to try and use what medical skills he had. Another part of him wanted to be far away from the pain and the screaming, in a warm place where everything that had happened today made sense.

Some really good hash could probably help with that.

Alex parked the van in front of the store, rubbing his eyes as he climbed out. It was late. Early in the morning late. Sun coming up in an hour or two late.

Tina and Xavier climbed out of the back of the van, Tina swaying on her feet.
“Hey, let me help you there Tina,” Xavier said, putting an arm around Tina’s shoulder.
“Sorry Xavier … it’s been just a long day, and I’m just so exhausted …”
“Alex, can you give me a hand here!”
Alex ran around, supported Tina from the other side.
“How are you feeling Xavier?” Alex asked.
“Like I’ve been shot in the head” Xavier deadpanned with a wry smile.
“Hey, I’ve got some painkillers that are better than what they gave you back at Receiving.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, totally. Really good stuff.”
“Thanks man” Xavier nods. They help Tina into the store, where she slumps on the counter.

“I feel terrible.” She says.
“Tina,” Alex says, “I can give you something to help you sleep soundly. You know, some relaxants to help you get a good night’s rest.”
“Uh, yeah, thanks Alex, very kind of you.” Tina says wearily.
Alex grabs his bag from behind the counter, and takes out a number of prescription pills, tablets, and a razor blade. He starts carefully yet quickly taking apart a few of the tablets, pouring out their contents, and chopping up a tablet with the razor blade.
“What are you doing?” Xavier asks.
“Well, you see, they tend to dilute a lot of this stuff for commercial release. It’s often not half as effective as it could be. I’m just making sure it’s what Tina needs for a good night’s sleep.” Alex chops and grinds the powder, and then wraps it up in a cigarette wrapper. “Take this Tina.”
Tina grabs a Coke from the freezer, washes down the little bundle Alex has given her.

“Could you guys help me up the stairs?”
“Yeah, sure, no problem.”
As Alex and Xavier help Tina up the stairs, she feels herself getting woozy.
The clerks help Tina through a door at the top of the stairs.

A bright light shines into their eyes.
“Woah…” Tina says, blinking rapidly. She looks around, but suddenly realizes they aren’t above the store.
It looks like they’re in a television studio.
Tina can see tracklighting attached to the studio ceiling far above her. A number of cardboard props are standing around her. Some of the props look like storefronts in Detroit. Cables snake and criss-cross across the floor, leading to … a camera. The camera is pointed at them, with a bright light on it.
Someone is standing behind the camera.

“Great scene guys, great scene!” He yells.
“Uh … thanks.” Tina says, looking around, dumbfounded.
“So, how do you think it’s all coming together?” He says from behind the camera.
“Uh … what?” Tina says, confused.
“The story. The narrative. The plot. How do you think it’s all coming together?”
“Well, uh, it’s going well. I guess.”
“And where do you think your character is going?”
“What?”
“Your character. Where is she going? What’s her motivation? After all, Tina actually killed somebody today. She hasn’t done that before.”
“Well,” Xavier says, stepping over to a catering table with a pile of sandwiches, “I think Tina was protecting her neighborhood, and protecting the people she cares about. That’s totally in character. What we saw today was a very dramatic example of that. By the way, can I have one of these?” Xavier picks up a sandwich.
“Sure, no problem.” He says from behind the camera. “So where do you think Tina’s character is going now?”
“The way I see it,” Alex says, “Tina’s crossed a line today. What she did was definitely in character, she wants to protect the neighborhood, but I think from now on she’ll be much more aggressive in pursuing her goals.”
“Great, great,” he says from behind the camera, nodding enthusiastically, “that’s great, really great stuff. Very dramatic. Tina as leader and protector. We can work on that. And what about the narrative from this point on?”
“Uh, well,” Tina says, getting into swing of things, “things definitely seem to be pointing towards us protecting our store and protecting our neighborhood. That’s what everything seems to have been about, uh, thematically speaking. So, uh, I guess that’s the direction we’re gonna keep going in.”
“Great, excellent!” He says, nodding his head again. “So, what about foreshadowing? What about various visual keys that have been repeated throughout the story?”

Everyone stops and thinks for a moment.
“Well, uh, there’s that heartbeat thing.” Xavier offers.
“Great!” An enthusiastic nod from behind the camera. “Yep, there’s the heartbeat thing! Anything else?”
“Uh … factories?” Alex asks.
“Yes, true, factories, especially in relation to the heartbeat thing. Anything else? Any other visual clues, foreshadowing?”
Tina looks around the television studio. Yeah, there’s something else, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. It seems to be right in front of her too…

“Let’s talk about character again,” he says. “Alex, you seem to be headed in a very interesting direction.”
“Yeah, well, it seems like the right way for Alex to go. I mean, it’s gonna be something for him to believe in. And if earlier foreshadowing is to be believed, it could actually mean Alex might be quite powerful.”
“True, true,” nods from behind the camera, “but Alex could pay a very high price for that power. And what about when Tina and Xavier find out?”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna like it when I find out,” Xavier says, “considering what happened to El Mortido and the Oak Park Posse.”
“Hey, don’t worry, I’m not gonna be like that!” Alex says reassuringly.
Xavier, however, narrows his eyes as he looks at Alex.
“You better not get into any ‘ends justify the means’ bullshit.” Xavier warns.
“Hey, great, some potential for future conflict! Excellent!” He says from behind the camera. “So, remember, keep doing what you’ve been doing before. Just keep playing your roles; you’re all doing great jobs! Remember the foreshadowing; keep following the plot, and everything’ll work out fine. Okay?” The clerks nod. “Good. And Tina,” Tina feels him looking right at her, “remember: none of this is real.”

Above the corner store, Alex and Xavier carry Tina through the doorway at the top of the stairs, into her apartment, and put her on her bed.
“Man she’s heavy!” Xavier says. “What did you put in that mixture Alex? She passed out halfway up those steps.”
“I just put in everything she needs for a good night’s rest. She’s gonna be fine. Just fine.” Alex turns out the light in Tina’s bedroom. As he closes the door behind him, Tina turns a little on the bed, and starts talking in her sleep.
“ACT 4, SCENE 7, Alex meets something in the basement. ACT 4, SCENE 8, Xavier gets shot. ACT 4, SCENE 9…”

END OF SESSION 4.

[Ry Guy]

Speaking as the player character who plays Tina, it was a pretty wild scene when suddenly all this director stuff starts happening. This happened with out any promting and the guys who play Alex and Xavier both just rolled with it and started talking about motivation and such. So we all started getting into it and then Cam says, okay, Alex and Xavier, you put Tina into bed and go back downstairs...and that's when we realized that wasn't a shared hallucination, that was only Tina's vision. Quite a cool scene, but definately left me wondering...

And if anyone is curious, the shot I took at Jackie Z through the wall... I said I was aiming through the wall to where he would be with my gun, then Cam said "not much chance of that happening" But I nailed it with a 01. We don't use a lot of dice in the game, but the geek in me still loves those critical moments when you have to roll well and you do. :)

[Cam]

Yah, dice are fun randomizers! An interesting thing is that during various moments of gunplay throughout the entire campaign THREE "01 Critical Hits" were rolled. Tina's was the first, and you'll see the other two later on. To be honest, I never thought there'd be any!

The really cool thing is that all of those criticals came up at dramatically appropriate moments. I mean, if Tina hadn't gotten a critical on that attack, then we wouldn't have had the ubercool bullet-cam shot!!! :)

Needless to say, Tina wasn't expecting that to happen! :eek:

Yes, lots of cool WTF moments in the campaign, now that the weirdness is warming up...

Cheers!
Cam.

[Erick Wujcik]

Fouth of July Weekend in Detroit:

July 6, 2004:

In Detroit, 7 shootings, 1 stabbing mark holiday weekend... (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/guns6_20040706.htm)

One man was shot while sitting in a car. Another man was shot outside his house. Yet another man was shot in the back at an unknown location and dropped off at a hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A woman was stabbed and died on a sidewalk... And at a block party celebrating the Fourth of July, three people were shot after an argument over a plate of chicken...

Belle Ille Deer Euthanized (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/deer6_20040706.htm)

For more than a century, deer have lived on the 2.5-mile-long, 985-acre city park. About 50 years ago, Detroit Zoo officials released the European fallow deer... the herd ballooned to about 400, too many for the island to sustain... Overpopulation and a sickly herd forced the City of Detroit and the Detroit Zoo to round up the deer, enclose some of the animals in the island's shuttered zoo, ship others out of state and euthanatize the rest.

July 3, 2004:

Mary Ann Lambert and Teresa Ann Davis... went to a drug house in Detroit on Monday to buy a $10 packet of heroin... After taking the heroin, Lambert began sweating and passed out... Davis... panicked when she couldn't feel Lambert's pulse... then went into her house and went to sleep. "She could have called EMS and have her friend revived, but she chose to go home and not report it..." She is charged with improper disposal of a dead body, a 90-day misdemeanor. (http://www.freep.com/news/locmac/body3_20040703.htm)

Erick

[Erick Wujcik]

Is there a reason you stay in Detroit? It sounds like Hell.

I'll be leaving soon for a wonderful new job in Shanghai, China.

Even so, I feel bad about leaving.

Probably in much the same way a soldier would feel bad about leaving his buddies on the front line of a war... It's not that you want to stay, but more that you hate to abandon your friends and family...

Erick

[Thuvasa3]

Great update, Cam!

Thuv

p.s. Erick, I took some of your news stories and made a flavor handout for my soon to start UA game. Once I've found a place to host it, I'll post a link so you can check it out.

[LSS]

Wow. Just finished reading this thread. This is really great stuff.

Now... I need more. :D

[Thuvasa3]

As promised, here's the link to the handout.

Thuvasa

http://tinypic.com/od1z

[Ry Guy]

I like the handout man. Very creepy. Did you actually type it out on lined paper with an old typewriter? I guess you couldn't ahve because of the font change. But it looks really authentic. Good job!

[Thuvasa3]

Thanks! I'm kind of proud of it.

Hehe. The short answer is that I was out of printer paper but I wanted to see how it looked. So I used a sheet of notebook paper, (torn from a notebook, so it's slightly smaller than 8x11).

I was so pleased w/ the result that I decided to go with it as is.

Thuv

EDIT: Do you think I should change "What would you give to change the world?" to "What would you risk to change the world?"

It's subtle, but there is a certain difference in what each thing means.

[Ry Guy]

I have another suggestion for you. How about "What would you give up to change the world?"

[Mattias Östklint]

This is absolutely fabulous. I can see this entire thread, as is + some of the pages it links to, being printed out as a UA sourcebook to Detroit. I mean, apart from a map (there probably is in one of these links) this is all I need...

[Cam]

Hey Everyone!

Thuvasa, I wanna say that your handout seriously rocks! If a GM handed me that and said "so, do you wanna play a game about this?" I'd be totally psyched!

The typewriter font on the lined notepaper looks excellent; something some crazy adept living in a shack in the woods would come up with! It's very evocative, so that would really spark my interest.

The content would also really spark my interest; snapshots of urban nightmares punctuated by the accusation YOU DID IT. That neatly suggests that everyone is somehow complicit in the horrors of the world. From how we vote on election day to what brand name sneakers we choose to buy, we somehow, in some way, help contribute to the ever growing pile of human misery in this world.

Yet the heading "WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE TO CHANGE THE WORLD?" suggests that maybe, just maybe, there's something you can do about it. Faintly hopeful. I like that. It's something that came out in the Clerks campaign. Yet ... it's also suggestive of the price you'll pay in order to make that change.

All in all, very good work!

Erick, good luck in Shanghai man! And I understand what you mean about leaving Detroit; sometimes you wanna fight to make things better for your friends and family and your neighbours and the people around you. Yet, you've also gotta look after yourself. Anyways, good luck, and I hope everything goes well in your new home! (By the way, what are you gonna be doing in Shanghai?)

Mattias, welcome aboard! Glad to hear you're enjoying the thread! I've been a bit quiet of late ... but hopefully in a week or so I'll be posting details of session 5. A very interesting session in which Alex goes on a "trip"... ;)

As for this being the UA guide to Detroit ... well, you're definitely going to enjoy session 6. A historical flashback session in which we find out a little more about everyone's favourite mysterious dead guy, Klondike. And when I wrap the thread up, I'll post full (and final) stats for all of the major players and NPCs. Who knows? Maybe some players out there will find them interesting NPC Dukes!

Cheers!
Cam.

[Thuvasa3]

Hehe. Thanks for the complements, Cam!

Of course, you're not in any way off the hook for posting more updates ASAP! :P

Thuvasa

[Cam]

Okay, some more actual play notes!!!

SESSION FIVE
SCENE ONE: IN CARS: GM Pontiac GTOs, Holden Monaros.

“Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars…
Here in my car
I know I've started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars.”
Gary Numan, “Cars”, 1979.

Alex is in his bedroom at his parents’ place. He’s half-listening to the television in his room, a documentary about Native American Indians and the substances they ingested to go on vision quests. The rest of his attention is focused on the pills he is carefully slicing up with a razor blade and the beaker full of boiling water that sits on the Bunsen burner in front of him.

Apart from the desk where he works, Alex’s apartment is a mess.

It’s been about a week since Xavier was shot, Jackie Z was killed, and Alex struggled with a dead man in the basement. A week since the basement was boarded up. Alex had been using the corner store’s basement as a lab of sorts, using Ben’s scrawled notes and various supplies “borrowed” from the university. Unfortunately, Alex didn’t have time to grab his supplies before Xavier boarded up the basement, and he hasn’t been willing to go back in there. None of the clerks has been willing to go back down there.

So Alex’s bedroom has become his new place of experimentation. Alex is pushing hard; he can almost make sense of what Ben was attempting to express in his notes. But there’s something eluding him…

“…powerful psychoactive substances such as peyote enabled the Native Americans to begin their Vision Quests …”

Alex’s head jerks up as the phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Alex, it’s Tina. Is everything okay?”
“Um … yeah, sure, everything’s fine. Why?”
“Well, your shift started here 30 minutes ago.”
“Oh! Oh, sorry Tina, uh, sorry, I totally forgot, I’ll, uh, be right down there…”

Alex runs through the house, barely noticing the worried looks from his parents, jumps on his pushbike and starts pedaling towards the corner store. As he’s pedaling, he starts thinking about Tina, and about how a course of diet pills could really help her shed some weight. Some diet pills are basically amphetamine derivatives, so if there was some way that Alex could up the dosage with some pure, pharmacy grade amphetamines…

“Yeah, yeah, I could totally do that…” Alex is muttering to himself as he jumps off his pushbike outside the corner store. There’s a delivery van parked outside, and Alex can see Dave the delivery guy carrying some boxes. Tina and Xavier are helping him.

“Tina, sorry I’m late!” Alex says as he comes in.
“Well, Alex, this isn’t the first time you’ve forgotten about your shift lately. I know you’ve got your studies and all, and things have been stressful lately, but we’ve still got a store to run. It’s certainly not like you to skip out on your responsibilities.”
Alex flinches ever so slightly as Tina mentions the studies he’s dropped out of. On the other hand, he thinks to himself, he definitely seems to be on the trail of something far more important, far bigger than anything he could have learnt at university…
“Yeah, sorry Tina, it won’t happen again.”
“Okay. Anyway, come over here and help Dave with the stock delivery.”

Alex walks out to the delivery van, starts unloading some boxes.
“Hey, Tina, where do you want this stuff?” Dave asks.
“Oh, just put in there on the basement stairs.”
Dave, box in his hands, looks at the stairs. They’re already stacked pretty high with boxes. And it looks like the basement has been padlocked shut…
“Uh, it looks a bit crowded here. Shouldn’t I just put all this stuff in the basement where it usually goes?” Dave asks.
“No!” Tina shouts. “Uh, I mean, um, no thanks Dave, we’ll take care of that.” Tina lowers her voice, but she can see Dave is little creeped out by her reaction.
“Uh, sure thing Tina.” Dave puts the boxes down, straightens his back, and glances over at the magazine rack.
“Hey, Xavier, have you seen the new Pontiac GTO?” Dave asks, pointing to one of the magazines.
“Yeah, it looks pretty sweet.” Xavier says, picking up the magazine in question.
“Yeah … but you know the sad thing about it? It’s not even American.”
“What?” Xavier says.
“Yeah, it ain’t American. I mean, sure it’s GM, but it’s actually Australian.”
“Australian?” Xavier asks in disbelief.
“Yeah, you see GM has this Australian subsidiary, and they design their own cars. They designed this car called the Monaro, and GM liked it so much that they’ve brought it over here, slightly modified, as the new Pontiac GTO. So, you’re not really driving a GM Pontiac, you’re driving a Holden Monaro.”

At this point all of the clerks suddenly pay attention.
“Hang on,” Xavier says, “did you just say Holden?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s the name of the GM subsidiary in Australia. So, anyway-”
“Holden!?” Alex blurts out. “No way! No fuckin’ way!”
“Do you think that our Holden could be the same Holden? Like, part of the company?” Tina asks.
“I don’t know. Holden, a GM subsidiary in Australia. Our Holden, a guy who wants to knock down our neighborhood to start up some old GM factories. Could be a coincidence, or it could be a connection. Either way, it seems to me that we don’t know much at all about this Holden guy.” Xavier says.
“Well, we’d better start learning fast.” Tina says. “We’re supposed to be meeting him tonight at the bagel store.”
Dave’s looking around, slightly confused by the flurry of excited conversation that the name Holden has started.
“Uh, Dave, we can take care of things from here. Thanks.” Tina smiles.
Dave nods, and with something of a sigh of relief climbs into his van and takes off.

There’s a flurry of research from the clerks as this point. It doesn’t take them too long to find out that the GM subsidiary was started in Australia back in the 1950’s by Holden B. Martin, a GM executive from Detroit. Seems that Holden A. Martin is this guy’s son.

“Okay … so what does this exactly mean?” Tina asks after the clerks have gotten back together and compared notes.
“Well, it means …” Xavier pauses. “Actually, I have no fuckin’ clue. Holden’s an industrialist. We knew that already. We know now that he’s hooked up to GM by blood. The car industry is in this guy’s blood. And his cars are gonna be on American roads soon.” Xavier shrugs. “So what?”
“Look, we’ve gotta take this opportunity tonight to figure this guy out. Get him to open up to us.” Tina says.
“I can do that.” Alex says.
Tina and Xavier turn and look at Alex.
“How?” Xavier asks.
“Look man, it’s no secret that people loosen up and open up when they feel relaxed. A time honored way to relax is to, you know, indulge in a few relaxing substances. Like, you know, a drink or two. Although that’s pretty mild. There are also … you know, other substances to help people relax and loosen up a lot faster.” Everyone pauses after Alex says this.
“So … you wanna get him drunk?” Tina asks.
“I think Alex wants to slip him some drugs.” Xavier says.
“Hey, isn’t that kinda dangerous?” Tina asks. “Not to mention illegal.”
“Hey hey hey! I’m not talking about jacking him up with Ecstasy or anything like that! I’m just talking about, you know, a mild sedative or something. A relaxant. Totally legit.”
Tina and Xavier look at each other, thinking it over.
“Do you have something like that?” Tina asks.
“Well … I could head over to the university and try to, uh, you know, borrow some stuff, and of course I’d wanna, you know, uh, tweak it a little to be more effective. But that’d take some time. I also have pretty much everything I need in …” Alex pauses and looks down the stairs at the padlocked basement door, “in there.”

The clerks think about it. Start thinking of ways that Xavier could maybe get Alex across town quickly. But what about a safe place for Alex to do his work, to “tweak” the materials to be more effective?

“Fuck it.” Tina says. She’s standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at the basement door. “FUCK IT.” She says stronger. “This is OUR place. That is OUR basement. I’m not gonna let those, those, fuckers take it away from us. It’s OURS.” Tina turns to face Alex and Xavier. “Let’s take it back.”
Alex and Xavier glance nervously at each other, silent.
“Guys, we haven’t said ANYTHING about what happened last week. We’ve said nothing about it. As if it never happened. But it DID happen. Something, I don’t know what, but something happened down there. Something … unnatural. And we’re trying to ignore it. Trying to forget it happened. But look at us. Look at what it’s doing to us. We’re tiptoeing around in our very own store. Fuck that! We’ve gotta stop ignoring shit and start taking notice of shit. We’ve gotta go down there and face this thing down, whatever it is! Because if we can’t take care of our own goddamn basement, then we sure as shit cannot take care of this neighborhood!”

Alex and Xavier look at each other, then back to Tina. They slowly nod. Silently, Alex and Xavier find some crowbars. Tina picks up a flashlight. Together, they clear away the pile of boxes in front of the door. Tina nods, holding the flashlight steady. Alex unlocks the padlock, while Xavier holds his crowbar ready.

The door creaks open, slowly.
Darkness inside.
Alex reflexively reaches for the light switch, then remembers that it won’t work. The light bulb blew out the last time he came down here, and they didn’t bother replacing it before they padlocked the door.
The clerks step in slowly, crowbars held ready as Tina sweeps the flashlight from side to side. Tina can feel her heart in her mouth. Alex’s mouth has gone dry. Xavier grips his crowbar tightly.
Tina points the beam of light towards the far corner. The corner where THE DOOR sometimes is.
There’s nothing there. No door. No mysterious dead guy. No Ben.
The clerks sigh, and then Tina smiles.
“See guys, this is OUR place. OUR basement.” Everyone’s relieved. “Alex, do you have what you need down here?”
“Yeah, everything’s here, right where I left it. It’ll take me a few hours, but I think I can work something out.”
“Great. But you wanna run upstairs and get a new light bulb.”
Alex nods, and runs up the stairs. Xavier looks around, nods, then follows Alex.
Tina is just about to step out of the room when something catches her eye. She points the flashlight at the cot where Xavier used to sleep. It looks like it’s been slept in. Of course, the cot could have been that way when they locked up the basement …
As Tina turns to go up the stairs, she sees it.
A hat, in a style that was popular in the ‘60s, perched on top of a stack of shelves. A hat that she’s seen before. That guy was wearing it …
With her heart in her mouth, she reaches out, and grabs the hat. She turns it over in her hands, and sees a small card tucked inside the band. She takes it out and looks at it. It says KLONDIKE 25-93-26. Like an old style phone number. Tina slides the card into the pocket of her muumuu, and then walks up the stairs.


[GM note: The stuff about the Pontiac GTO pretty much being the Australian Holden Monaro is true: http://autozine.kyul.net/html/Holden.htm
Scroll down to the bottom of that page.
The history of the GM subsidiary, Holden, is a little different to what I described:
http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/jsp/corporateinfo/history/history.jsp?link=historical
The real Holden car company is a lot older, and was actually a fully Australian owned company that merged with GM back in 1931. My apologies to any Australian car lovers out there!!! :) ]

[Thuvasa3]

Coolness. :D

In other news, my own game should be starting relatively soon, so maybe you can pester me for a while about posting summaries.

Thuv

[Thuvasa3]

Well, for some reason I can't edit my old post. Anyway, consider it bumped.

And my game is going to be set in Birmingham, Alabama, if you're curious.

Thuv

[Thuvasa3]

Well, for some reason I can't edit my old post. Anyway, consider it bumped.

And my game is going to be set in Birmingham, Alabama, if you're curious.

Thuv

Whatever happened to Cam? Did he find out his whole life was nothing but a weird soap opera taped for the amusement of the gods and stop posting his campaign log?

Thuvasa

[Thuvasa3]

I still can't edit my posts. I'm sure it has something to do with cookies. Anway, I found out what happened to Cam.

He died.





I'm just kidding! He's on vacation in France. He said he should be back around September 10th, and we should have more clerky goodness soon to follow!

Thuv

[Yokiboy]

Thuvasa3, that joke about Cam having passed on was just not funny! :eek:

Anyhow, I hope France treated you well Cam, but isn't it time you got back to your keyboard? :D

I still love this story, although I hadn't read the last few scenes up until now. Great stuff overall and I'm excited to see how the story turns out.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Thuvasa3]

Cam should be back today! Cam! Cam! Cam!

Thuv

[Cam]

Hey Everyone!
If I may begin by quoting Mark Twain, “reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”! ;) I am indeed back from France, back on the mean streets of Tokyo. Although it feels like I left part of my brain back in Europe; hmm, must be the jetlag…

Anyway, enough about me; it’s time for more Clerks! Hurrah!

You know, it strikes me that I’ve gotta get economical with my writing style; short and punchy. Like Hemingway. Or James Ellroy. Yeah, Ellroy. By God that man can write; sentences so damn sharp they cut. That said, I’m certainly enjoying writing out the sessions in full detail, but due to my glacial typing speed (not to mention my hectic social life!) I’m not putting up the posts as quickly as I’d like to. Hmm.

Okay, I’ll try to get punchy with the next couple of posts and see how they turn out. Knowing me, they’ll probably be really long anyway; I’m a terrible over-writer!

SESSION FIVE:
SCENE TWO: IN WHICH TINA TAKES A MESSAGE FROM A DEAD MAN.
Alex is in the basement, hard at work on making something to help Holden “loosen up” at their planned meeting at the bagel shop tonight. He’s in a world of his own, a world of chemicals and chemical reactions; a world where human feelings are ultimately chemical. After all, aren’t emotions just different kinds of chemicals flooding the brain? Find just the right chemical, trigger just the right reaction, and you can feel anything…

Upstairs in the corner store, Tina turns the card over in her hands. KLONDIKE 25-93-26. A name, a number. Like in the old days. Like when she was a kid; like when before she was born. What would happen if she dialed the number? Slowly, reluctantly, Tina reaches for the phone, asks for an operator, directory assistance.

“KLONDIKE 25-93-26” Tina says. A pause.
“Connecting you now.”
A dial tone, very distant and faint, and then the sound Tina has heard before on the phone. Waves crashing on a faraway shore. White static. And then, very faint, a man’s voice.
“Hello?”
“It’s Tina.”
“How did you get this number?”
“You left your hat in the basement.”

A pause.
“Oh. Sorry about that.”
“Who are you? What do you want? What the hell are you doing in my basement?” Tina asks.
“I … want to help.”
“Well, you’d better start helping, because I don’t understand what the hell is going on here!”
“Okay, but Tina, are you ready? Are you ready to walk those paths? Are you are ready to walk those streets with secret names?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” Tina says firmly. “But what do I do?”
“You’re at a nexus Tina. Right now everything’s focused on you and the store. You’ve got to cut the source of his power.”
“The source of his power?” Tina repeats, a little confused. “What’s that?”
“I dunno, but it’s something he cares about. It’s always something they care about. Find what he cares about and cut him off from it.”
“Well…” Tina pauses, thinking, “it seems that all Holden cares about is this neighborhood and this urban renewal project. But we’re meeting him tonight so maybe that’s a good chance for us to find out what he cares about.”
“Who says I was talking about Holden?”
“Wha-?” Tina stops, really confused. “Well, hang on, if we haven’t been talking about Holden then who the hell have we been talking about?”
“Look, like I said before, you’re at a nexus. There’s a few different avenues of power focused on you, although you’ve already cut one.”
“We have?”
“Ben.”

Tina pauses, looks at the spot on the floor near her where Ben died.
“Ben.” She repeats quietly.
“Yeah, Ben. Look Tina, I’m sorry, I gotta go in minute or they’ll notice I’m gone, but I was talking to Ben recently.”
“You were … talking to Ben?” Tina asks quietly, unbelieving.
“Yeah, I see him here sometimes. Anyway, he’s got a message for Alex. He says keep going. He says Alex is almost there. Just keep going. Can you give him that message?”
“Ah, yeah, sure, just keep going, yeah, thanks, bye.” Tina says quietly, slowly, hanging up the phone.
“Look, I’ve gotta go now Tina or the Cruel Ones are gonna notice I’m not-”.
But Tina doesn’t hear these final words as she hangs up the phone.

Tina slowly walks down the stairs to the basement, where Alex is hard at work. She notices that Alex has produced two small vials of liquid, one of which has a small label with a star on it. Alex barely notices her entrance.
“Um, Alex, I was on the phone to, uh, someone and they said, uh, Ben had a message for you.”
Alex turns around.
“A message?”
“Uh, yeah. He, uh, said keep going. He said you’re almost there and keep going.”
Tina glances around the basement nervously, then looks back at Alex.
“Uh … okay.” Alex slowly says, starting to pick up on Tina’s nervousness. Tina nods and slowly, almost robotically, walks back up the steps. Alex turns back to the vials in front of him, picks them up. He slides the one marked with a star into his pocket, keeps the other in his hand.
“Keep going.” He softly says to himself as he walks up the stairs...

[Cam]

SCENE THREE: SLAPS IN THE FACE.
Meanwhile, Xavier is working on the delivery van outside the corner store. He looks up with a slight smile on his face when he sees Laticia walking down the street towards the store. She’s walking fast, moving with a purpose.

“Hey Laticia,” he says with an easy smile, “how’s it goi-”
SLAP!
Laticia slaps Xavier hard across the face, then points an angry finger at him.
“Just who in the hell do you think you are? Playing all cool and smooth, and then you suddenly kiss me, and then you let me walk away, and now you’re playing all cool and smooth again! What’s up with that? What game are you playing? ‘cos I do not play games Xavier! No, I do not! Don’t think you can go messin’ around with a woman’s heart like that!”
Laticia turns sharply on her heel and striding back down the street again. Xavier slowly puts his hand to his face, slightly shocked, then comes back to reality.
“Hey, Laticia, wait!” He says, running down the street after her. He runs past her and then turns around to face her.
“Hey, look, I know there’s been a lot of crazy stuff goin’ on these days, but …” he pauses, searching for the right words, “but it’s gonna be alright. Everything’s gonna be alright. And I’m gonna make sure that you’re alright too, alright? I wanna make sure you’re alright.” Xavier steps forward and gently puts a hand on Laticia’s shoulder. “Okay?”
Laticia looks hard at Xavier, then sighs heavily. Gives him a slight smile.
“Okay.” She says. “Well, I better get back to the kids.”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, I better hear from you soon.” Laticia raises her eyebrows playfully.
“You will, don’t worry.” Xavier nods.
Laticia pauses, slightly unsure of what she should do; kiss him, hug him, shake his hand? Instead she just nods, smiles, and walks back down the street.

“Wow.” Xavier says to himself as he walks back to the van. Alex walks out of the corner store, walks up to Xavier and gives him a small vial of liquid.
“What’s this?” Xavier asks.
“Make sure this ends up in whatever Holden drinks at the bagel shop tonight. It’ll open him up.”
Xavier eyes the vial in his hand suspiciously, then slowly nods and slips it into his pocket.
“I think I might know a way to make that happen. I’ll pick up a couple of tools on the way.” Xavier says as he climbs into the van, then drives away.

* * *

About half an hour Xavier pulls up outside Maury’s Bagel Shop. Outside the bagel shop he says a young couple having what appears to be an argument. Xavier recognizes them as the young man and woman who passionately kissed outside Winters’ apartment block back in Session 4 Scene 3.
“I just, I just … I just can’t believe it!” The young man says in utter shock.
“I know it’s unbelievable … but it’s true!” The young woman says.
“But I love you!!!” He says passionately, desperately.
“And I love you too, but it’s wrong!”
“I know it’s wrong! But I love you!”
“But you’re my-”
“No! Don’t say it! It can’t be true!”
“You’re my brother!!!”
“NOOOOOO!!!”

Xavier’s eyes widen at this shocking revelation.

SLAP!
“Snap out of it!” She says, slapping the young man across the face. “I’m your sister! We can’t be together! Not the way you want us to be together.” The young man collapses to his knees in tears.

“Hmm, whole lotta slapping goin’ around today…” Xavier murmurs to himself as he walks to the door. He stops to let a very large, very well-built man with a crew cut step out through the door.
“Excuse me mate,” the large man says with a distinct cockney accent. Xavier can’t help but notice that the man walks with something of a military step (remember that Xavier did a few years in the U.S. Army motor pool).
Xavier steps into the bagel store, and gives old man Maury behind the counter a nod and a smile. Looking around he sees Maury’s seventeen-year old granddaughter, Lisa, cleaning up one of the tables. Xavier walks up to Lisa and gives her a casual smile.

“Hey Lisa, how you been?”
“Xavier!” Lisa’s face lights up with a smile. “It’s been ages! What brings you down here?”
“Well, let’s just say it ain’t the bagels.”
Lisa smiles in response and they both take a seat at the table.
“Look, I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while, but I need you to do a favor for me Lisa.”
“A favor? Hey, why should I do you any favors?” Lisa says, both slightly playfully and angrily.
“Well…” Xavier slides a hand into his pocket, and slides his hand under the table. Lisa reaches under and excitedly grips his hand. After a moment she pulls her hand away, and looks down at the tab of Ecstasy Xavier has dropped into her palm. Her face suddenly lights up.
“Alright!” She says. “What do you need?”
Xavier tells her an important old guy called Holden is coming in for a bagel tonight, and he wants Lisa to slip something into his drink. Xavier assures her it’s nothing dangerous, just something that’ll loosen him up. Xavier passes the vial under the table to Lisa, and she reaches under the table with both hands; one hand grabbing the vial and the other giving Xavier a playful squeeze on the thigh.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you tonight Lisa,” Xavier says with a smile, standing up and turning around to see Laticia walking into the bagel shop. Laticia sees Xavier and her eyes widen. Lisa looks up with a slightly coquettish smile. Laticia’s eyes suddenly burn with anger, and she steps over and slaps Xavier across the face.
“Hey, look, I-” Xavier starts to say, but Laticia interrupts him.
“No! I don’t wanna hear it Xavier! I don’t wanna hear it!” She turns sharply away from him and strides up to the bagel counter, placing an order.
“Oh man.” Xavier says softly to himself, rubbing his sore face as he walks out the front door, climbs into the van, and drives back to the corner store…

[Cam]

That's all for tonight everyone! Will hopefully post the final two scenes of the session very soon (the meeting with Holden, and Alex's trip).

Take it easy!
Cam.

[Thuvasa3]

Hehe. :D Glad to have you back! Of course you know that we won't be pacified until you've finished the whole thing.

Thuvasa

[Yokiboy]

Great to have you back Cam, I can't wait for the conclusion to the campaign.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Erick Wujcik]

Erick here, writing from Shanghai, but I'm still checking out the news from Detroit, from time to time. Here's a couple of interesting items from the last week...

22 September 2004:

"Downtown Detroit remains one of the safest areas around," said Detroit Police Cmdr. Craig Schwartz... Anthony Roberson stepped out of a nightclub in downtown Detroit and noticed a local hip-hop celebrity... Antonio Caddell, 32, lead man in a local rap group, Eastside Chedda Boyz... Seconds later, both men lay dying on the street... At least two gunmen ran up and opened fire, leaving the men sprawled on Woodward Avenue and touching off chaos in Detroit's burgeoning loft/retail/restaurant district. (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/rapper22e_20040922.htm)

http://themasonic.com/grphcs/2004building.jpg

27 September 2004:

Six stories above the Detroit streets, the Olympic-sized swimming pool lay unfinished, a black pit surrounded by exposed bricks oozing mortar and a decrepit ceiling virtually untouched since it was erected eight decades ago... The never-completed spectacle, with steam rooms and marble-lined showers, was just one of the private areas of Detroit's Masonic Temple -- the largest in the world -- boasts 1,037 rooms, at least those that are discussed... decorated in any of a selection of styles, including Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Egyptian, Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine... A secret floor exists among the building's 14 stories. In addition, undisclosed passageways ribbon through parts of the monolithic structure, such as the "tiler's passage..." (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/masonic27e_20040927.htm)

More on Detroit's Masonic Temple:
The Masonic (http://themasonic.com/)
Detroit's Masonic History (http://www.woodwardheritage.com/historicalsites/detroit.masonic.temple.html)

Erick

[Thuvasa3]

Interesting article. The tiler is the guy that stands at the door with a sword during the meetings, if anyone was curious. :D

Thuv

EDIT:

Cam! Cam! Cam!

The natives grow restless.

[Thuvasa3]

I wonder what Cam is doing? I wish he would post some more of his campaign. Sigh.

Thuv

[Yokiboy]

So do I Thuv...

Oh yeah, bump! :D

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Thuvasa3]

I've been meaning to ask...what does TTFN stand for?

Thuv

[Ry Guy]

Okay, I'll bump. :D

TTFN = ta ta for now
It's what Tigger always says, isn't it?

As for Cam, I don't think there'll be any updates coming for the next little while as he seems to be pretty busy these days. :(

I'm seeing him this weekend so I'll put the bug in his ear. :)

[Ry Guy]

Hey All, since Cam won't be posting anything for a while, here is a tasty tidbit to tie you over.
This is from Session 4, scene 2. I thought it might be fun to record a game session to see if what we were doing was really entertaining. I don’t know if this ruins the “magic” of the game, but this is a word by word transcription of what went on. The focus of this scene is mostly Tina, and it lasted about 5 minutes. It isn’t exactly as Cam wrote it on page 13, but its close. (Brackets are put around my impressions, not things that were directly said.

Cam: Cuts back to you guys in the store.
Ryan: Umm, what are we doin’? Ok, Umm. Tina pulls out a piece of paper, a wrinkled piece of paper out of her pocket. It’s got a phone number written on it. (presumably with the number for her family written on it, there were some complaints that everyone else got thrown into the wringer last time except for Tina, so we decided she needed to contact her estranged family) She walks over to the phone on the wa..
Cam: (cuts in) The phone rings.
Ryan: Really? Oh no!
Stan: (enjoying this) Freaky! Hahahaa
Ryan: “Leung’s Grocery and 24 hour delivery. We’ll deliver anywhere. Even if the delivery guy’s alone.” (Xavier is the delivery guy, played by Cornelius)
Corn: You’re a fucking biyatch!
Cam: Ok, you can hear this (makes creepy sound like static, or the ocean in a seashell)
Ryan: “Hello?” What does it sound like?
Cam : It kinda sounds like winds whispering through a vast, vacant, hollow space.
Ryan: “Hello, this is Tina Leung. Can I help you?”
Cam: “Tina.”
Ryan: “Who’s this?”
Cam: “I’m sorry about this.”
Ryan: “Is this…is this Bill?”
Cam: “Do you think you’re ready?”
Ryan: Um…um
(definite sounds of enjoyment from Stan and Corn as they know Tina is about to be put through the wringer)
Cam: “Are you ready to walk the secret streets?”
Ryan: “Who…who is this?”

[Ry Guy]

Cam: (making that creepy sound again) “I…”
Ryan: “If you were talking about that thing earlier…”(still thinking it’s Bill)
Cam: “I can’t talk long. They’re coming soon. You think you’re ready to take him on?”
Stan: (yelling, as Alex) “Hey Tina, the ice machines on the blink again.”
Ryan: (to Alex) “hold on a sec”
Cam: “You’re not.”
Ryan: (to Klondike) “I’m ready.”
Cam: “You’ve got to find their weakness. He has a weakness. They always have a weakness.”
Ryan: “I’ll find it then.”
Stan: (yelling) “Fuck, a lot of this stuff melted.”
Cam: (panicked voice) Oh shi..I gotta…they’re comin…oh shit.. I’m sorry (click)
Ryan: I hang up the phone.
Cam: That voice was awfully familiar, by the way.
Ryan: I roll to disbelieve. 97. Nooooo!! (sorry, geek moment )
Cam: Sounded a lot like that guy. (referring to Klondike, who if you don’t remember, has done some really creepy things, including turning dead in the middle of a sexual act with Tina)
Stan: My God, noooo! (chuckles)
Ryan: Noooo! Really? (hoping the answer will be “no”)
Cam: (deadpan) yes.
Ryan, Stan, Corn: Noooooo!
Stan: (singsong taunting voice) I’m glad I didn’t answer the phone. (This was a revenge moment for Stan since me and Corn had left him alone one time to answer the door in CoC)
Ryan: Tina’s just standing there, staring at the telephone.
Stan: (yelling) “Hey Tina, you hear me, I said the Goddamn ice…(concerned voice) Tina, you ok? What happened? Fucking Krandall again?”
Corn: “Hey, if that box is ready for Krandall, I’ll get it and take it over.”
Ryan: (as if snapping out of a dream) “Uh, yeah, uh, um, ok, bring him over some crackers too. He looked a bit thin. Umm, could you bring over this shipment to Old Man Winters as well?”
Corn: “Oh man, Winters?”(groan)
Ryan: “I know he doesn’t like you but..”
Corn: (under his breath) “He’s always making those Puerto Rican Jokes.” (remember Xavier is Puerto Rican)
Ryan: “Haha, some of them are funny!!!”
Corn: “I don’t think you know what you’re saying…”
Ryan: (obliviously) “Like ’Why does the Puerto Rican cross the road?’ “
Corn: “Don’t go there.” (resigned that Tina is an idiot at times…)
Stan: “ ‘How many does it take to plug in a light bulb. ‘”
Ryan: “Haha, that’s my favourite!”
Stan: “That is definitely my favourite”
Corn: (in a huff) “Gimme the damn crackers.” (grumble, grumble)
Ryan: (continuing) “ ‘What’s the difference between a Pueto Rican whore and a whore with a Puerto Rican?’ Ahh,my favourite. I know they’re taboo and all that, but it’s funny!”
Corn: (half-jokingly) “Respect for your family is the only reason I don’t slit your throats.”
Ryan: “Haha, you always make that joke.”
(Stan & Ryan laugh heartily) (apologies to any Puerto Ricans out there. This scene was meant as a camaraderie moment between friends close enough that you could joke about their ethnicity and they wouldn’t get pissed off. We really weren’t trying to be racist.)
Ryan: Yeah, so anyway, what should we send over. Let’s give him the cheapest shit we got here. Um.” Tina looks at “Drano,no. Lysol, no. Vanilla, no”
Cam: Okay, yes, yes. You’re packing up the groceries. (if Cam doesn’t cut in, we’ll role-play tying our shoes)
Stan: I’m mopping up.
Ryan: As you mop up, your mop picks up a piece of wrinkled paper. It floats in the mop bucket water for a moment. Then it’s gone…(and so is Tina’s only way of contacting her family. Tina says, “Let me take a look at that machine…”

End Scene.

[Yokiboy]

Thanks for the posts Ry Guy, very nice!

Give Cam our best if you talk to him, damn shame we won't get the end of the story - for now at least. Any chance of a quick recap, in just a paragraph or two, or is that doing the whole story line a disservice?

Oh, and you're right about the TTFN.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Thuvasa3]

With a rebel yell, they cried more, more, more?

Thuv

[Cam]

[Okay, if this were a movie, we'd have a shot of me rapidly bringing my head up, turning from side to side with wide confused eyes ... a bit like this maybe: :eek: ]

Woah! Bumps galore! Thuvasa, Yokiboy, Erick safely in Shanghai, and Tokyo's very own RyGuy (and is it a terrible pun for me to suggest you change your user name to "WryGuy"? ;) )! Good to see you guys!

Sorry about the lack of updates ... it really has been a while ... I don't know where the time goes ... as Ryan mentioned, a bunch of shit happened, which I've hopefully mostly resolved.

Yokiboy, Thuvasa, I will indeed be posting more (I'm hoping for this weekend coming up). And although it's tempting to give you a brief 3 or so paragraph summary of what happened in the next few sessions, I'll resist the temptation. Why? Well, if I do that some part of me will feel that the tale has been told, and I might lose that little voice in my head that says "you know you really must post some more Clerks updates...". Also, as Yokiboy said, it might do the whole story a disservice. Kinda like skimming through the climax of a novel; sure, you find out how it ends, but you don't really feel the emotional impact (and believe me, there's a series of emotional impacts by the end of Clerks, Detroit Style! :D )Finally, well, I'm personally enjoying replaying the story in fine detail. It reminds me of a lot of the cool moments myself and the other players had together, and for me that was one of the major reasons for starting this thread.

Which brings me to Ryan's transcript. Awesome!!! I forgot about you recording that session! Reading it makes me wish you'd recorded more of them (of course that would mean you spending hours typing them out after...); it's a great way of capturing the truly collaborative nature of gaming, not to mention the heaps of fun we had doing Clerks.

Yes, that's right home viewers! As gritty as the story got, don't think we spent entire sessions intensely method acting! Sure, we got serious when we needed to, but there was a lot of joking around too. I totally forgot Cornelius saying “Respect for your family is the only reason I don’t slit your throats.” Honestly laughed out loud when I read that one! :p

I quite liked this bit too:
Ryan: Noooo! Really? (hoping the answer will be “no”)
Cam: (deadpan) yes.
Ryan, Stan, Corn: Noooooo!

Oh, and:
Stan: (singsong taunting voice) I’m glad I didn’t answer the phone. (This was a revenge moment for Stan since me and Corn had left him alone one time to answer the door in CoC)
Yeah, there was a lot of laughing when the players realized that one of the PCs (not theirs) was about to get seriously screwed over! Of course, the victim in question would then figure out some way to manipulate the plot so that another PC would soon get screwed over ... and so on, and so on. It got to the point where I, as GM, barely had to do anything to challenge the lives of the clerks: they were too busy doing it to themselves!!! :D

Oh, this reminded me of another excellent moment of in-character dialogue, towards the end (actually, I think it was the final session) when Xavier comes out of the basement to find Tina jacked up on speed (Alex gave Tina something "to help stay awake" ... and yes, as you can guess from this, characters started to seriously spiral downwards by the end of this campaign!) talking at a hundred miles an hour about what the best Adam Sandler film is. I recall Tina saying something like:

"Big Daddy or The Waterboy? What do you think? Whaddyathink whaddyathink whaddyathink? Waterboy? Xavier, Waterboy? Come on c'mon c'mon! That scene in Big Daddy when he's peeing against the wall is goddamnfrigginghilarious! Hey, Xavier, wanna play some pool after we figure all this shit out? Or snooker? Some people call it snooker you know. Hey, that sounds pretty funny. Snooker. C'mon, say it with me: snooker. Snookersnookersnooker."

Ah, good times! :)

So, check in this coming weekend guys, and I'll hopefully have the next few installments of everyone's favourite Detroit clerks ready!

Cheers!
Cam.

PS Thuvasa, I recently discovered that Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" makes a great karaoke tune!

[Yokiboy]

Great news Cam,

I'll keep my eyes peeled on this spot then. :)

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Thuvasa3]

LOL. I have a feeling there is a funny story about how you found that out, Cam.

:D

Thuv

[Erick Wujcik]

The Detroit Free Press has just published a series of three excellent articles about 'Urban Exploration' of abandoned buildings in Detroit. Check it out!

03 November 2004:

Finding Beauty Among the Ruins: "A wooden board studded with rusty nails covered a shattered window, but a crowbar made it just an inconvenience." (http://www.freep.com/news/locway/spelunking3e_20041103.htm)

http://www.forgottendetroit.com/stcyrils/images/2003-19.jpg

Links listed in the articles:
http://http://www.forgottendetroit.com
http://http://www.forgottenmichigan.com
http://http://www.uer.ca
http://http://www.northville-tunnels.com
http://http://www.infiltration.org


As for me, I'm settled in my new job at Ubisoft China, and in my new apartment here in Shanghai. We're hiring, so if you know any experienced electronic game folks, who are looking for a great job, in an awesome location, feel free to pass along my e-mail...

Erick

[Cam]

Session Five
Scene Four: Holden and Bagels

It’s a few hours later and the three clerks are sitting nervously at a table in Maury’s Bagel Shop. Alex and Xavier’s bagels sit untouched, and even Tina is eating her bagel a little slower than normal. Not only are they meeting with the guy who wants to bulldoze their neighbourhood, they’re going to try and drug him as well.

The clerks look up and Tina quickly finishes off her bagel as the door swings open and Holden steps in, wearing a tastefully conservative grey suit. He’s followed by a large well-built man with a crew-cut in a dark suit; Xavier isn’t at all surprised to recognize him from when he visited the bagel store a few hours ago. “Makes sense that he’d send his bodyguard in to scope out the place” Xavier thinks to himself.

Holden walks up to the counter, an easy smile on his face.
“Hey Maury, how ya doin’?” The clerks are surprised by the almost working class accent that has slipped into Holden’s voice. “Been a long time.”
“Hey, Mr. Martin! Been a long time indeed! Whaddya want, the usual?”
“Yeah, that’d be great Maury. And you don’t need to call me Mr. Martin.”

Back at their table, the clerks shoot worried glances at each other.
“The usual?” Alex whispers frantically. “The fucking usual? I thought we picked this place because it’d be our territory and not his. He fucking well knows Maury? What the fuck is going on? We’re getting played.”
“Take it easy Alex,” Tina hisses, although it’s obvious she’s just as thrown by the turn of events.

“Good evening Ms. Leong,” Holden says stepping over to the clerks, “thank you for meeting with me tonight. Mr. Gustav, Mr. Cruz, good to see you again.” Holden gives everyone an easy smile. “This is my associate, Mr. Gavin Underwood.”
“’allo” Gavin smiles at the clerks, remains standing while Holden takes a seat. Lisa walks over to the table and sets down some bagels and a cup of coffee for Holden, giving Xavier a playful wink. Holden takes a swig of coffee, a bite of a bagel (“hmm, still good!” he murmurs), and begins talking to Tina in a very earnest tone of voice.

“Well, Ms. Leong, Tina – is it okay if I call you Tina? – I can’t help feeling that we got off on the wrong foot at the town planning meeting a little over a month a-”
“No” Tina cuts in.
“-go. Uh, sorry?”
“No. It’s not okay if you call me Tina.” Tina says frostily. “I’m not your friend. I’m not some politician you can schmooze.”

Holden pauses, takes a deep breath.
“Well, okay then Ms. Leong, as I was saying we kind of got off on the wrong foot at that town meeting. I think perhaps some ideas were not communicated very clearly and some needless tension has built up between us as a result.”
“Really?” Tina says, raising an eyebrow.
“Tina, you’re a passionate individual, a pillar of the community. People here look up to you because you care. You want what’s best for this community. And that’s great, because I do too. Both of us want what’s best for this city; there’s no reason we can’t be working together on this.”
“You mean you want what’s best for your corporation and stock options, right? Hell, I know how you help this community. You close down factories here and outsource the labor to countries like fuckin’ Australia!”
“Hey, that was a long time ago Ms. Leong! I was young and those were my father’s decisions! And I stayed here, I stayed here in Detroit!”

Alex and Xavier are a little surprised to see Holden becoming a little heated over this. Holden takes a breath, calming himself. “I love this city. The best years of my life were spent here in Detroit. And now I have the chance to give something back to Detroit. You can help me do that.”
“Help? How does bulldozing whole communities help? How does turning people out onto the street help? You’re just pouring concrete over everything Holden, and it’s not going to help anyone. You’ve got to help the people here Holden.”
“Ms. Leong, I understand that there will be an awkward period of re-adjustment for the people here, but ultimately it will be for the better. I know you’re worried about issues such as drug abuse and associated crimes. You wanna know the best way to get people off drugs? You wanna know the best way to stop crime?”
“Enlighten me.”
“Give people jobs. Give people employment. Give people hope. That’s what we’re trying to do Ms. Leong. Re-open the factories. Give people a purpose and give this city life. Make the heart of Detroit beat again. Make Detroit what it once was, what it could have been.” Holden is speaking quickly, earnestly.
(“Almost as if he believes this line of crap he’s trying to sell me”, Tina thinks)

Alex raises his eyebrows as Holden says this. There was something odd about what Holden just said. The heart of Detroit, someone had said that before, it meant something. Meanwhile, the tension between Tina and Holden is increasing. They aren’t raising their voices, but their voices are low and tense.

“But you’re not giving them any of that Holden! You’re taking everything away from them! And for what? Factories that might re-open? What guarantee is there that the workers for those factories are gonna be Detroit locals? What’s stopping you from bringing in some transient workforce who are willing to work for minimum wage, or less?”
“Ms. Leong, that’s not the plan, that’s not why I want to do this-”
“Profit is the only thing you’re interested in Holden, the only thing you’re interested in! You don’t give a damn about this city-”
“This city is my home, Ms. Leong. I had the best years of my life out on those streets-”
“Well you don’t know those streets anymore Holden!”

Holden looks like he’s suddenly been slapped in the face. His eyes widen and his nostrils flare. He takes a deep breath, looks at Tina coolly. Tries a new tack.
“So”, Holden says evenly, “taken any shooting lessons recently?”
“What?” Tina says sharply.
“Well, that was an impressive piece of shooting you pulled off about a week ago. You shot through a building and killed a man with a single bullet.”
“He was threatening me and my people. So yeah, I killed him. And you know what?” Tina leans across the table, looking Holden dead in the eyes with a slight smile on her face. “I’d do it again.”
“Ex-excuse me?” Holden swallows.
“You heard me.” Tina leans back with her eyes locked on Holden, the slight smile still on her face. Holden’s eyes are wide, taking in the implications of Tina’s words. In this tense moment, nobody notices Gavin slowly put his hand into his jacket.

The tension is suddenly broken as Lisa walks up to the table, a huge smile on her face. She puts a cup of coffee down in front of Xaiver. She tilts her head smiling at him for a few moments.
“Hi Xavier.” She finally says.
“Um … hi” he answers. Tina and Holden look up at Lisa, then look at Xavier. Lisa keeps smiling beatifically.
“You know, it’s like, really really really good that you came in here again. I really missed you!”
“Yeah, well, I missed you too Lisa,” Xavier looks nervously around at the clerks, at Holden, at Gavin, with a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

[At this point we have a tiny cut scene of Lisa preparing the cup of coffee for Holden. She takes out the vial Xavier gave her earlier, and pours most of it into the coffee. Then, with a smile she pours the rest into a Coke and drinks it herself. And then takes the ecstasy pill Xavier gave her for good measure.]

“You know, I’m ready to finish work in a few minutes and I think I’m gonna go out and party or something, and it’d be great if you could come with me.”
“Well, that’s a great idea Lisa, but I’m kinda in the middle of something here.”
“Yeah yeah,” Lisa’s obviously not listening, “I remember that one time in the back alley with you; man, I haven’t come that hard in-”
“Woah! Okay, hey, let’s get you back to the kitchen Lisa, okay!” Xavier quickly stands up and starts guiding Lisa into the kitchen. “You guys keep talking without me, okay?”

Tina and Holden watch Xavier guide Lisa to the kitchen with slightly shocked looks on their faces. Alex, meanwhile, stares intently at Holden. Almost as if his eyes could cut right through Holden, cut right through to his heart.
“The heart of Detroit” Alex murmurs to himself.

[At this point we have another quick cut scene. Before Alex walks into the bagel shop he takes the vial marked with a star out of his pocket, and swallows the liquid. And, in game terms, Alex scratches off the 5th failed notch on his Self chart…]

“Well.” Holden says quietly. “Ms. Leong. I want to make it clear to you that I only have the best interests of this city at heart.”
“And I think you don’t. I think you don’t give a damn about this city or the people in it. You don’t help a city by ripping its heart out!”
Alex’s eyes widen at the continued usage of the word "heart".
“Ms. Leong, I think it’s evident that the heart of Detroit is dead! And it’s time it started beating again! It’s time for Detroit to fulfill its promise of the past. It’s time for Detroit to become The Motor City.”
Alex’s eyes, flicking frantically between Tina and Holden, become full of fear as Holden says this. Alex doesn't know why these words have filled him with fear, but the feeling is undeniable...

“I won’t let you tear the heart out of this city, Holden. I won’t let you.” Tina’s voice is hard, uncompromising.
“Ms. Leong, I … I honestly don’t understand. I don’t understand how you can’t see that the urban renewal project will help this city. I thought we could work together on this.”
“You thought wrong Holden. We’re not here to work with you. We’re not here to make a deal with you. We just came down here to find out who you are. And I think I’ve got a pretty good idea how you think now.”
“Well.” Holden says quietly. “I guess there’s nothing more to say then, is there?”
“You’ve got that right.”
Holden nods, a little sadly. “Okay. Well, I’d like to finish my bagel.” Holden gestures at the bagel in front of him.
“And you’re in my way.” Tina says icily.
Holden looks at Tina, looks at the bagel. He can see now that Tina is going to fight him all the way on this one. Even when it comes to who will stand up first.
“Mr. Underwood, would you kindly move this table to the side and give Ms. Leong a hand leaving the store?”
“Certainly sir!” Gavin says cheerfully as he effortlessly pulls the table to one side, clearing a way for Tina. Tina glares at Holden and Gavin, then stands and slowly walks out. Alex stares at Holden for a few moments, still wide eyed, and then scrambles out after her. Gavin slides the table back in, and Holden picks up his bagel with a sigh. A few minutes later Xavier walks out and joins them by the ice-cream van.

“Well, that went well,” Xavier murmurs as the clerks climb into the ice-cream van.
“That arrogant goddamned-son-of-a-bitch!” Tina curses. She’s got her blood up now. “He was so … smug! It’s like he’s playing God with this community and he’s got all the answers!”
“Uh-huh. Good thing we threatened to shoot him then.” Xavier says, starting to drive down the road.
“Well he doesn’t!” Tina says, not having heard Xavier’s comment.
“I know” Xavier nods.
“Hey hey hey! Wait! Stop the van! Stop the van!” Alex suddenly yells from the back.
“Sure Alex, what’s the problem?” Xavier says bringing the van to a stop.
“I’ve got an idea. When they come out of the shop, let’s follow them!”
“What?” Xavier says.
“Follow them! Let’s follow them and see what they do! Where they go! I mean, we all agreed we gotta find out more about Holden, right? So, let’s follow them!” Alex’s eyes are wide and excited.
“Uh, Alex, I hate to say it brother, but this van ain’t exactly the stealth-mobile. I think Holden’s gonna spot a second-hand ice-cream van tailing him pretty quickly.” Xavier points out.
“Well, then, let’s, like, get another car or something!”
“Did you see that guy he had with him Alex? I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that guy is ex-military of some kind. He’s probably packing a pistol and wouldn’t think twice about capping us if we do anything remotely suspicious! And with City Hall in Holden’s pocket, I’m sure the cops would write it up all nice and legal!”
“Oh come on Xavier! This is our chance! Don’t be so chickenshit about it!”
“Hey man, I am NOT chickensh-”
“Alex, Xavier is right.” Tina says over her shoulder. “Anyway, we’ve gotta get back to the corner store. You remember the corner store, right? The place where we work?”
“The corner store? The corner goddamned store? What the fuck are you talking about Tina? Here we have a chance to learn something about these guys, and you wanna go back to the store? Fuck that!”
“What did you say Alex?” Tina turns around sharply.
“I said fuck that!” Alex spits out, almost angrily.

There’s a moment of silence in the van.
“Alex, I think you should get out of the van and clear your head a bit.” Tina says quietly. “Maybe take the rest of the night off. Do some walking. It’s up to you. But stop acting like a jerk.”
“You know what Tina, I’ll do just that!” Alex says, nodding and climbing out of the van. “I’ll do some walking, and I’ll see some things, and you guys can go back to the store!” Alex slams the door shut and the van drives away into the night.
As the taillights fade away, Alex looks around. Looks at the abandoned storefronts. Looks at the broken and flickering streetlights. Looks at the cracked pavement under his feet. And as he looks, he begins to see. And as he begins to see, he begins to laugh…

[Cam]

Hey Guys,

Sorry it's been so long since posts (again!). I'll try and get scene 5 up sometime during the weekend, which is the final scene of session 5. Alex stumbles through the streets of Detroit with a head full of chemicals. Hilarity ensues!

I'll try and get session 6 up this weekend too, which is a flashback session.

Erick, cheers for those Detroit photos. I had images like those in my head when I was running Clerks, but it's incredible to see such decay in a First World city. Glad to hear that Shanghai and the new job are treating you well!

Yokiboy and Thuvasa, many many thanks as always for the bumps and prods! Hope you guys are well and life is being good to you.

Oh, and yeah, there is a story connected to Billy Idol's "Dancing with myself" and karaoke. Basically, it involves a karaoke booth and some beer and some duct tape and - uh - you know, it's getting kinda late ... maybe I'll tell that story next time!

Cheers!
Cam.

[mattiasostklint]

Yay yay yay yay yay yay!!!!!!!! :D

He's back!!!!!!

Ok, I don't care what you do or how you do it, but pretty please, get the next installment before christmas? Is that to much to ask?

Not trying to push you or anything (bullshit :) )

Mattias

[Erick Wujcik]

Here's the latest from Detroit:

28 November 2004:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/danger22e_20041122.htm We're number two?? In murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft Detroit loses its first place ranking.

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/reputation23e_20041123.htmOverview of Detroit's Decline.

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/lighting23e_20041123.htm City claims lights are on; residents beg to differ...

This last one seems to have been written/investigated by a total newcomer, since there's no mention of the whole grids being continuously knocked out.

Erick

[Yokiboy]

Yokiboy and Thuvasa, many many thanks as always for the bumps and prods! Hope you guys are well and life is being good to you.
Wow! I'm surprised, very pleasantly so, to see the story continue. Thanks a ton Cam.

I enjoyed your use of cut-scenes, and how you pointed out some of the in-game mechanics.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

Hi Guys!
But wait, there's more! Yes, that's right, you don't have to wait until Christmas for the next Scene of Clerks, Detroit Style!!!

Session Five
Scene Five: In which Alex takes a trip ... or goes tripping

Alex stands alone on the cold Detroit street. He walks in a circle, taking in the lonely urban landscape. He giggles as everything takes on a subtle air of unreality. He looks above him at the stars in the sky, and for half a second when he blinks the stars are gone, replaced by the kind of track lighting that you see in TV and movie studios.
"Just like in The Truman Show" Alex giggles to himself. The buildings on the street suddenly all look fake to him, like props on a movie set. He gets the feeling that if he just stepped around the corner he could look behind those props, see the bits of wood holding up the fake storefronts, and see what is lurking there...
The sound of a car starting distracts Alex from the storefronts. He spins around to see Holden and Gavin in a car further down the street. Alex is a little surprised to see that it's a classic 1964 Pontiac GTO, and that Holden climbs behind the wheel.
"Hey, yeah, I've totally gotta, like, follow those guys..." Alex starts to stumble down the street after the GTO, but the musclecar quickly tears off down the street.
"Oh." Alex says this, sounding mildly disappointed that he somehow couldn't keep up with the car. He hears sounds of casual chit-chat from the bagel store, so he shrugs and walks into the building.

The same people are in there as before; Maury, Lisa, a handful of other customers. They're all sitting around one of the tables in very relaxed poses, sipping on coffees, smoking cigarettes, chatting with each other in a relaxed amiable fashion. At first glance it seems like business as usual, but Alex suddenly realizes that everything's changed. Little things at first; Maury's smoking, but Alex thought he was a non-smoker. Maury and Lisa's body language is different; they're holding themselves differently. Lisa, for that matter, is talking in a very lucid fashion; she's not at all acting like someone who's coming up on a hit of ecstasy. And then Alex notices the big things.
Like Lisa talking with a British accent.
Like the power cables that criss-cross all over the floor.
Like the fat stack of hand-typed papers everyone has in front of them.
Like everyone talking as if they're actors only playing the parts of Lisa and Maury and the customers.
"You know, I was in a few crowd scenes in Buffy." One of the "customers" says.
"No way!" says the other "customer", "What were the scenes?"
"Oh, I was mostly in the club scenes, you know, The Bronze."
"Right, right. Did you meet SMG?"
"Yeah, and man let me tell you she was a bi-"
"Hey! What are you doing here?" "Maury" yells to Alex as he suddenly notices him standing at the door.
"Uh ... wha?" Alex confusedly mumbles as he walks over to the table.
"I mean, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here. The bagel scene's over man. You gotta move on to your next scene."
"Ah ... my next scene?"
"Episode 5, scene 6. It's right here in the script, see?" "Lisa" says helpfully, opening her stack of hand-typed papers. Alex looks down and sees what looks suspiciously like a script in front of him.
"What is this place?" He says, looking around with wide eyes. He suddenly notices a large television camera, like the kind used in TV studios, standing in a corner of the restaurant.
"Hey, buddy, are you trying to look behind the camera?" "Maury" says. "Because you shouldn't look behind the camera. I mean, they really don't like you looking behind the camera."
"Why not?" Alex asks.
"It's one of the rules. Right here." One of the "customers" taps a notice taped to the wall. "Rule number one: never look behind the camera. The Cruel Ones really hate it when you look behind the camera."
"The Cruel Ones?" Alex repeats, confused.
"The Cruel Ones?" "Lisa" says quickly, "Did we say The Cruel Ones? Sorry, we meant the Crew Ones. You know, uh, the film crew. The Crew Ones." Alex looks at her sharply. Even in his current state of mind he can tell that she's covering something. "Anyway," she says moving on quickly, "you've gotta be back at the Corner Store for the tragic/romantic scene with Lenna."
"What?" That gets Alex's attention fast. "What do you mean?"
"It's right here," Lisa says tapping the script, "tragic/romantic scene with Alex and Lenna. Should start filming in a few minutes."
Alex's eyes widen. Lenna. A tragic scene with Lenna.
"Oh no!" He whispers, then runs out of the shop, and starts running down the street...

As Alex sprints frantically down the street a taxi slowly cruises past him. Ben is in the back seat, waving to Alex in slow-motion. "Keep going Alex" he mouths to Alex, and when he opens his mouth Alex can see clear through, right through the hole in the back of his head. "Keep going" Ben mouths again and waves, smiling.
Alex runs even harder...

[Thuvasa3]

Schweet!

Of course you know that you have only whet our appetites and must now post even more! :D

Thuvasa

[Erick Wujcik]

Another bad week in Detroit:

1 December 2004:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/village1e_20041201.htm Arson in Indian Village. I include this mostly because it's a good description of one of Detroit's odd little enclaves -- a high-end neighborhood surrounded by destruction and chaos.

2 December 2004:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shoot2e_20041202.htm Child dies because of a video game feud.

3 December 2004:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/coney3e_20041203.htm Shooting & death in a crowded restaurant...

Erick

[Yokiboy]

Session 5, Scene 5, kicked ass! Great job Cam, but now you got me addicted again. You must keep supplying more of this stuff or I'll go bonkers, and as it's almost Christmas and all... puh-lease? :D

Seriously, I love the story and would greatly enjoy to see where the campaign ends up. I have finally gotten around to reading Unknown Armies 2nd edition, and find that it is indeed a very nice game and looks like a solid improvement over 1st edition - which is saying something!

What campaign level did you use for Clerks, Detroit Style? Is it a Street Level campaign, or a Global one? It seems close enough to the street, but Alex is showing signs of being/becoming an adept. Could you share how you set about designing the campaign?

Thanks again,

Yokiboy

[Joshua Dyal]

The other reason we chose Detroit is because it carries a number of associations and images that we think are pretty cool and worth exploring. Detroit: a city that went boom and bust. The Motor City. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler. The home of Motown and the (arguable) home of Techno. Gangs. Rampant crime. Abandoned factories, closed down in the name of "globalization". Local communities with their economic hearts ripped out. Chain link fences. Urban decay.
Sounds about right to me. The first time my folks came to visit after moving here, we took them downtown to ride "the People Mover" (also known as the Mugger Mover), an elevated monorail that does a little loop through downtown. My dad's comment? "Is this a leftover set from Mad Max?"

[Thuvasa3]

Great updates, Cam!

I know the game is over, but I came across this Distillers song that has a verse that reminds me so much of your game, I thought I'd share it.

The song is called "Drain the Blood." The verse:

In a city
that swells with so much hate
you seem to rise above
and take its place
the heart pumps until it dies
drain the blood, the heart is wise


Anyway, that reminded me a ton of all of the "heart of detroit" stuff, right down to the weird stuff the suits are doing, etc. :D

Thuv

[d3nial]

Hey Cam

I'm only up to p. 5 so far (still reading); this thread rocks like dolphin on toast!

Here's a useful little link with images of "The Heart of Detroit"
http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2001/08-downriver/01-downriverzug.htm

d3

EDIT: Nice Aussie GM-Holden reference too BTW.

[Thuvasa3]

Cam! Cam! Cam!

Actually, I posted not only to bump and make Cam finish, but to say that I ran Bill in Three Persons the other day. It was great fun (and the first time for me to run/play UA). :D

Thuv

[Erick Wujcik]

Yikes!:

14 December 2004:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/marshall14e_20041214.htm ...Maybe he shot and killed two Detroit Police officers because a prostitute had just told him she wouldn't accept his money for sex... According to testimony during the weeklong trial, Marshall fired into the patrol car, instantly killing Fettig, 26... returned and opened fire again when he saw that Bowens, 21, had rolled from the car and was trying to help his partner... "two bullets slammed into the back of his head, he dropped like a rock. But Eric Marshall wasn't through. He walked over, put his gun to his abdomen, below where the bulletproof vest was, and shot Officer Bowens again..." (Marshall) during the trial punched one of the witnesses and frequently yelled out expletives...

Erick

[samtheuberman]

Cam! Buddy, where are you? Bump for something!

[Cam]

Oh, hi everybody!

Sorry, it's been a month since I last posted, coming off of a busy month ... I've got a bit of free time over New Year's, so I'll hopefully get some updates up in the next week or so. Thanks for the posts and bumps everyone (trust me, those bumps do motivate me to keep updating ... uh, just at my usual glacial speed!).

Anyways, is late now, must sleep, will update soon, and will respond to specific comments and questions soon too (such as Yokiboy's question about campaign design ... oh, and Thuvasa, congrats on running Bill in 3 Persons! I'll ask you more about that soon...)

Happy New Year Everyone!
Cam.

[Cam]

Hi Everyone,

I'm sad to say it looks like the updates to the Clerks thread will be a little later than promised. I'm going through a break-up with my girlfriend at the moment, and so my heart's really not in anything at the moment. Check back every so often, however, as more Clerks posts will come (just, not for a little while...).

Cheers, Happy New Year, and take it easy everyone,

Cam.

[Yokiboy]

Sad to hear about your troubles Cam, best of luck to you and hope to hear from you soon.

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Erick Wujcik]

Another Detroit Update:

4 December 2004:

Sorry I missed this before. It's a 'must read' collection of pieces from the Detroit Free Press on Homicide in Detroit:

Through November, there were 1,279 people shot in Detroit -- 247 more than in all of 2003 -- and 341 people have been killed.

Why is this city killing itself? What has it done to the community's soul?

That's what the Free Press wants to show you, in this special series by staff writer Jeff Seidel and photographer Eric Seals.

After you meet the victims, after you travel with the detectives and see their frustrations and successes, after you walk through the neighborhoods and feel the tension and fear, you will find some surprises.

http://www.freep.com/news/metro/homicide2004.htm


8 January 2005:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/safe8e_20050108.htm "The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is investigating a possible theft of guns, drugs, cash and jewelry from a safe in the former Highland Park Department of Public Safety offices."

Note: Highland Park is basically a loophole in the law. A 'city' surrounded on all sides by Detroit, but with even larger problems.


11 January 2005:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/arson11e_20050111.htm Enraged that a neighbor stiffed her for a $10 rock of crack cocaine, a 46-year-old Detroit woman left her apartment, bought gasoline, returned home and set fire to her building's stairwell, police said Monday... That single piece of crack now has a body count: A 3-year-old boy and a 19-year-old woman, who died when the blaze raged through the complex, on Merton near Palmer Park.


11 January 2005:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/carfire11e_20050111.htm Detroit firefighters discovered the bodies of two people inside a burning car Monday evening on the city's west side... The fire in the 2700 block of Tuxedo so severely burned the bodies that the sex of the victims and other identifying factors were hard to determine...

Erick

[Thuvasa3]

There is no spoon.

Thuv

[DannyK]

Best wishes, Cam. Erick, thanks for all the Detroit updates! I'm working on a urban-wasteland game of Buffy set in Gary, Indiana, and I'll be pillaging liberally from both of you.

[Thuvasa3]

bump bump bump.

Thuvasa

[Thuvasa3]

bump bump bump.

Thuvasa

Thuvasa twists Cam's arm.

Thuv

[Cam]

Ouch, my arm!!! :p

Hi everyone. Clerks will return shortly. I'm picking myself up off of the floor and getting back into the rhythm of daily life and stuff. Caught myself thinking about Clerks the other day, which is a good sign that I'll be posting more updates soon!

Peace out,
Cam.

[Thuvasa3]

If you don't finish Detroit, Clerks, then I can't start posting my actual play log of Bill in Three Persons. Nor will I be able to post the log from our upcoming session, which will be John Tynes' scenario, "A Few of My Favorite Things." You'll also miss out on my very minor and small segue into the scenario, "How we gone get there? We ain't got no ride!"


So there! How's *that* for motivation?

Thuv

EDIT: bump

[Yokiboy]

Just to help out Thuvasa3, and because I'd love to read the end of this great story, here's a big, fat bump! :D

TTFN,

Yokiboy

[Cam]

Hi Guys!

Cheers for the bumps, fantastic to hear from you, as always!

Sad to say life kinda knocked me back down again there for a bit; the situation with my (now) ex-girlfriend has taken a very messy turn and my head's gone all scatterbrained again. If I were to use smilies, my current state of mind could be summed up thusly: :confused: :( :eek:

Things are kind of settling back down again, I think, so I'll be posting again soon. Believe me, I want you guys to know the end of Detroit Clerks as much as I want to tell it!

Thuvasa, please feel free to post your "Bill in 3P"/"Favorite Things" reports! I'd love to hear how it went. Always been curious about how "Bill in 3P" would run. The only official UA game I've run was "Jailbreak" (which does indeed rock the house). So please post! RPG.net needs more Unknown Armies actual play threads! :)

Cheers!
Cam.