Friends, thanks again for your support as Janice and I moved on relatively short notice. After a few weeks in which we hunted for a new apartment, sold or donated various items, and packed, our relocation was tiring but not as difficult as it could have been.
Janice had to work on Friday, 24 February 2012, so I dealt with the professional movers from Gentle Giant, which we had used before. They efficiently loaded our furniture, numerous boxes of books, electronics, and bags of clothing from the duplex in Needham Heights, Massachusetts, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. I definitely couldn’t do it all myself (or even with friends and family) anymore.
I then met the movers at our new townhouse in Waltham, Mass., where they had to contend with more stairs as they worked from about 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. Of course, it was the one day in an unseasonably mild February when it snowed and rained. I met Janice for an early dinner at Stone Hearth Pizza, and we got soaked bringing a few carloads of odds and ends north that evening.
The next day, Janice’s parents, her youngest sister Melinda, and Melinda’s son Joshua came from Upstate New York to help set up our kitchen and clean out the old place. Janice and I sold a few more items, such as our refrigerator and carpets, and we junked our old TV and entertainment center (we finally got a flat-screen and a new stand for it).
Josh was disappointed that he couldn’t play with more of my toys, but most were still packed in my now-crowded study because it also had much of the contents of the basement space we gave up. Janice’s folks also brought barbeque (sloppy Joes) and funny cake.
We got the kitchen, master bedroom, and much of the living/dining room set up. Janice and I later checked the Needham site one last time and returned unused boxesto U-Haul. We also discovered that our unit is in a dead zone for cell phone service because of surrounding buildings. Once our land line is up, that’s not a problem, but it was while we were waiting to meet people!
Janice had a shorter commute to work yesterday, while I waited for a technician from Verizon to reinstall our FiOS (telephone, cable television, and Internet) service. (We’re still trying to get our DVD and VHS players and Wii to work.) Fortunately, I had enough boxes to deal with that I hardly noticed their absence, even during the Oscars. I’m glad that The Artist won the Academy Award for Best Picture, since it’s the one nominee that I had seen.
We still have a lot of unpacking to do, mainly for the two offices. Having more bathrooms is nice, as is a more modern space with a patio. I’ll have to get used to parking again in a crowded lot and to my new routes to work. I hope our higher rent and incidental expenses — I still need to get to a hardware store, buy more bookcases, and find outdoor storage for snow shovels — will be offset by more reliable maintenance.
>>FATE 3e “Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the “Appomattox:”
-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot
-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C.]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco
-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter
-“Mr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C.]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber
-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A./absent]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert
-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L./absent]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker
>>”22 to 24 November 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” Upon returning to Earth, the crew of the Appomattox investigated its cargo of Vatican relics, traded castaways to Ru’ulok contacts, and threw a house party that went awry when agents from Systemes de Recuperation Executif Cie (SRE, or Executive Retrieval Systems Inc.) tried to take control of their ship.
Capt. Gabriel Adams stumbles out of the “Gabriel’s Rebellion” (the latest false registry for the space yacht) and rejoins ARTHERR at an estate near Atlanta. The robot tranquilizes the partygoers with gas. Jasmine sends her boyfriend Darsii to carry drunken con artist Richmond Garret back to the ship while she helps search for Hector Chavez in the mansion.
ARTHERR uses the Appomattox‘s scanners and finds four life signs in the manor’s basement. Acrobatic Gabriel leads the way across a trapped room with a tilting floor, aided by ARTHERR as a counterweight. Jasmine smells fellow “Synths” (synthetic or genetically engineered humanoids). The trio tracks Hector to a room behind a heavy door.
Gabriel tries to lure a Martian Ursoid (“Uplifted” bear) guard away from the door, but Marco Sparks ignores most of his jabs with a broken tequila bottle. Onetime wrestler Jasmine jumps Sparks, as Gabriel and ARTHERR run into a nearby garage.
The S.R.E. Ursoid is a worthy match for Jasmine’s tiger strength, so ARTHERR pours some lubricant on the floor. Capt. Adams finds a hovercycle and rams it into the locked door, igniting the oil and crashing into a wall in the next room!
Mighty Jasmine’s choke hold renders Marco unconscious, and she follows Gabriel and ARTHERR through the blazing doorway. They confront an android with whirring blade hands and a near-human menacing Hector.
Courier Gabriel dodges shots from Glenn Alexandrov’s revolver, while ARTHERR distracts fellow droid Gensu 3k. Intimidating Jasmine knocks Glenn down and disarms the S.R.E. cyborg of his sonic shotgun. Gabriel finds a vibroknife to free Hector from his bonds.
Jasmine shoots at Gensu 3k, whom ARTHERR tries to stun and reprogram with old songs. Gabriel stabs at the robot, disabling it. Jasmine and Hector look for a getaway truck, but Capt. Adams steals a rare 1967Shelbyconvertible from the garage.
Curious ARTHERR partially reactivates Gensu 3k to take back to the Appomattox. Jasmine picks up Hector, who is upset that S.R.E. got the drop on him while planetside. Upon returning to their ship, the members of “MarSoupAiL” (shell company Mars Soup Aid Lenders Ltd.) find that the two women who fought with Gabriel have escaped!
Darsii explains that he saw Nero Bartholomew, chef and onetime owner of the “Fortune’s Fool,” and reptilian Synth deckhand Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko leaving with retrieval agents Jeanie Belveaux and Lisa Panko. Richmond and Gabriel are furious with the deserters, but ARTHERR has brought Gensu 3k, and former spy Hector notes that he wasn’t aboard at the time and that the adventuring party has multiple enemies near Earth.
The Appomattox takes off, with Gabriel considering headings in search of fortune and glory. He and Hector send messages to their contacts for potential gigs. ARTHERR prepares to reprogram the newest crew member, and Darsii reminds Jasmine of her offer to help rescue Synth Liberation Front supporters from the United Ecumenical Movement’s temple on Mars’ moon Phobos….
Meanwhile, about 40 parsecs from the Sol system, the crew of the “Blackbird” lies low after shooting up a shady establishment run by the Encegulans. The explorers and would-be diplomats continue their searches for a missing Kharvamid agent and a way to use a Precursorjumpgate, but they encounter a Zurmiz Krott at Oasis Station….
I hope that the various scenarios that other Game Masters run while we’re taking a break from my regular “Vortex” and Pathfinder/Skype: “the Uncommon Companions” games go well! We’ll have to look at alternate locations as Josh & Sara and Janice and I settle in after our moves.
Yesterday, Janice and I picked up the keys to our new apartment. The previous evening, more boxes were delivered for our move, and we enjoyed a Valentine’s Day dinner at Acropolis, our favorite Greek restaurant in Needham, Mass.
As we continue packing and trying to sell excess items — with breaks for the annual Westminster dog show — here’s a quick look back at the places I’ve lived.
I have hazy but fond memories of growing up in New York. The cosmopolitan mix of cultures and cuisines, including immigrants like my parents, made me who I am. I also recall the eventual spread of urban blight as pleasant parks filled with refuse and noisy gangs, especially around the summer of 1977.
Although my brother spent more of his formative years here than I did, I recall hours spent biking around, hanging out with other kids on Westerly Street, and discovering my lifelong hobbies with high school friends. Most of the people I knew then were of Irish, Italian, or Central European descent. My “Vanished Lands” fantasy campaign setting and “Vortex” space opera date back to this period.
College in Upstate New York, post-grad year back downstate
Not only did I meet Janice and other friends during this exciting period, but my most rewarding (if least paying) job was teaching urban studies as a community organizer in Flushing. I recall walking through rain, my then-lightning metabolism helping digest dining hall fare, and late-night conversations about life, the universe, and everything.
Grad school, first adult jobs, and marriage around Washington, D.C.
The Clinton years were prosperous. After getting my master’s in international affairs, I spent a few years working my way up from being a file clerk to a copy editor. Our apartment was small, but we were within walking distance of restaurants, Metro rail, and comic book and game shops. Several college friends and my family also moved south.
Janice and I first visited Boston during our honeymoon in November 1995. We liked the compact, historic neighborhoods and then-plentiful bookshops, and the information technology boom later provided both of us jobs. While I’ve gone through career and health ups and downs since then, we like living back in the U.S. Northeast, and we hope to continue exploring New England!
Fellow role-players, here is my update for Session T3.41 of the latest adventuring party in my “Vanished Lands” heroic fantasy campaign setting. The teleconferencing team met on Saturday, 4 February 2012, and has been using Pathfinder, Skype, and an online dice roller.
In one ancient world, there was a region where strange majicks and demihuman races thrived. After “Holy Steel‘s” journey to the distant empire of Khemet, another group of adventurers gathered in the northwestern “Vanished Lands” to explore a world full of perils and wonders.
After meeting in the Wisalef Forest, the “Uncommon Companions” encountered the Centaur followers of the mysterious Vappu Lahja and Unseelie Fey in the increasingly dangerous borderlands….
>>Telecom party Player Character roster, as of spring 2012:
-“Asish Chen Ti” [Byron V.O.]-male Tsucharim human archer (Mongol-style Ranger), escaped from Gokuri; owner of Akita dog Genghis and horses Onimusha and Gashmu; NGl, Age 20, Lvl. 4
-“Jovinda Halflight” [Sammy H.]-female Half-Elf (Grugach/Saganim) Cleric of Mekkil, goddess of nature; has horses Wyth-Amoi and Meth-Fenna and falcon Ana-Quessahr; NGl, Age 23, Lvl. 4
-“Kazuo Takenaga” [Taum D’A.]-male Nezumi (Rat-kin) Monk from the Zedu kingdom in the Therud Forest; LNg, Age 20, Lvl. 4
-“Hateem Shisakli” [Josh C.]-male Suthern human Dervish (proto-Arabic Bard/Battledancer) visiting the cold north; Lvl. 4
-“Gawain Keary” [Paul J./absent]-male Saganim human Illusionist (proto-Celtic Wizard); NGc, Age 20, Lvl. 3
-“Kovar” [Beruk A./absent]-male Half-Orc/Saganim human Paladin of Mithras, god of contracts and brotherhood; LGn, Lvl. 3
-“Davven ‘Digger’ Hollysharp” [Robert A.S./absent]-male Faldine Halfling archaeologist (Tallfellow Rogue) from a pipeweed farm in Tarken; CGn, Age 45, Lvl. 3
>>”16 November 1229 B.C.E.:” After recovering from their long journey across the Plains of Sathendo, the travelers continued exploring the city of Alfendi in the Waletku kingdom of the Elves. After asking around about where other easterners may be found, they visited the tea house of Bamboo Spirit Folk (eastern Sylvan Elf) Seng Shiu Jun.
Asish recognizes a tea ceremony in one paper-walled alcove and orders wulong with honey. Jovinda asks for white tea and observes Sylvan Elves in kimonos. Kazuo is reminded of the scents of his distant homeland and orders green tea. Hateem, who is from far to the southwest, asks the confused wait staff for a hookah.
The adventuring party discusses what it has learned so far in Alfendi, including Ranger Asish‘s training with Nannuattan (eastern Dark Elf) exile “Thalissa” [John Z.G./Non-Player Character] and his upcoming dinner date with Saganim/Shengtese human Rogue “Jade Xi Aschent” [Sammy/N.P.C.]. Cleric Jovinda is unsure of how investigating abandoned border forts will help in thwarting Vappu Lahja’s intolerant followers on the Plains of Sathendo.
Monk Kazuo is not interested in more shopping in the city, while Dervish Hateem is pleased when he is eventually brought a small and rare hookah. They wonder how a small establishment in the western Wisalef Forest manages to trade tea with Tong Sheng and the Zedu kingdom despite the barbaric Gusorin Confederation and oppressive Gokuri being in between.
The group orders dim sum, including dow sa bow (red bean paste buns), wu tao go (taro root pudding), larp cheung guen (steamed sausage rolls), and gow gee (dumplings). Kazuo agrees to help guide Asish in the martial arts, on the condition that he abstain from meat and alcohol.
As hostess Seng Shiu Jun greets each of her guests, Asish overhears a woman asking for safe haven in Shengtese, but he unable to see the speaker. The Tsucharim horseman feels honor-bound to offer aid, but his companions recommend caution.
Some of Asish’s questions are soon answered as the fugitive prepares to leave the tea house. She is a Tengu with black and white feathers, blue eyes, robes, and several pouches hanging from her belt. Rather than draw more attention to themselves, the group and shy Suki go outside to talk. However, she sees someone trying to steal Jun, her Axebeak steed!
Swift Kazuo runs after the would-be thief, as Bard Hateem maneuvers to keep up. Archer Asish draws his bow and fires two leaf-headed arrows, hitting his quarry. Sorceress Suki casts Magic Missile. Jovinda, priestess of nature goddess Mekkil, calls Ana-Quessahr (Sun Wing). The falcon tries to rake Jun’s rider with his claws.
The thief spurs the Axebeak, and Nezumi Kazuo’s Stunning Fist misses. Suthern human Hateem casts Grease, but he trips Kazuo rather than Suki’s steed. Asish whistles for his dog Genghis and horse Onimusha and fires more arrows. Half-Elf Jovinda casts Spiritual Weapon, summoning a staff to whack at the thief.
Fortunately, his flight is interrupted when the Axebeak slips, and the rider jumps clear. Kazuo circles around the slippery spot to fight him, and Hateem swings his scimitar. Genghis tries to bite the assassin, who strikes Kazuo with a poisoned blowgun dart.
Suki’s Magic Missiles eventually finish off the thief. Asish offers to take Kazuo on Onimush to the Chalice of Healing near the temple district, but the Monk declines, insisting on limping there alongside the Ranger. Hateem questions Kazuo’s state of mind, but he and Kovinda search the assassin’s body. Suki tends to her mount.
Jovinda identifies a vial as Black Smear poison. Weakened, Kazuo manages to get to the local hospital, where Asish consults Halfling dentist Glechi Drax. Quelanthi (High Elf/Eladrin) physician Meredemario asks for a sample of the poison for antidote and payment. Asish sends runner Laenvin to report to Aldarion at the Rangers’ Guild.
Back in the alley by the tea house, Hateem finds 200 crowns (gold pieces) and a masterwork dagger and thieves’ tools. Suki claims a disguise kit and notes that Ninjas have been pursuing her. They are surprised when the thief’s visage changes from that of a Sylvan Elf to the blank features of a Changeling!
Asish and Kazuo return to the alley in time to give statements to High Elf guard Gavalaraen, who promises to investigate the possibility of infiltration by spies from the nefarious kingdom of Gokuri. The city watch won’t press charges against Suki for self-defense, and the “Uncommon Companions” go back to the “Unicorn Moon” inn, where they see a chrysanthemum delivery….
Welcome, Sara, to this telecom game! I look forward to our next regular session on Sunday, Feb. 12, our last before you and Josh — and Janice and I — move! I expect my campaigns, including the FATE 3e “Vortex” space opera, to resume in early March.
Gene's Worlds 