“Strange Tales From Chicago,” Session 4 — “Earl of crime”

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for our fourth “Drop Squad” telecom session, which was held on Sunday, 10 November 2013:

Player Characters for “Strange Tales From Chicago,” Geoff C.’s street-level superhero game, using FATE Accelerated Edition (FAE), Skype, and an online dice roller:

“Fightin’ Fritz” [Gene D.]-male human, flashy Tank, wants to pound knuckleheads, knows all the brawlers about town
“Capt. Grommet” [Beruk A.]-machine whisperer, wants to get back at the man; knows lots of techies
“The Crocodile” [Byron V.O.]-old tough guy, wants to clean up the city and get paid
“Dr. Occult” [Josh C.]-master of occult, seeking enlightenment; knows stage magicians
“Angel of the Night” [Sara F.]-gargoyle-themed guardian of the city, lives above a library

Chicago, “4 to 6 October 1982:” After chasing leads across the city, the flamboyant private investigators had connected a case of tainted drugs to a mysterious shapeshifter named Earl and the Giovanni crime family.

The team discusses its next moves at the “Drop Spot.” Capt. Grommet contacts Officer Fine, who says that he can hold Earl only temporarily because of circumstantial evidence. Fine also explains that the police can’t raid a mob warehouse because of some “prior arrangement.”

The “Drop Squad” still decides to return to the warehouse where guards had shot at the Angel of the Night. The crime-fighting consultants suit up, with Fightin’ Fritz and Dr. Occult putting on capes and their companions grabbing guns to end things “the Chicago way.”

The team stops for “cheezeborgers” at the Billy Goat Tavern on the way. The Crocodile parks a block away from the warehouse in question so Grommet and Angel can scout ahead. The gargoyle-themed adventuress stealthily climbs to the roof, while the machine whisperer interferes with security cameras.

Capt. Grommet uses a grapple gun to follow Angel. He then uses a yo-yo to ensnare a sentry, dangling him over the side of the building before tying him up and gagging him. The daring duo then peeks into the Giovanni warehouse and sees about 20 men inside. Some are in suits and head into a meeting room, while others wait near parked town cars and a truck.

Fritz, Dr. Occult, and Croc wait out in the car and listen to Grommet and Angel’s progress via walkie-talkie. Angel creates a diversion by climbing up to a smoke detector and setting off a fire alarm and sprinklers.

The Crocodile and Fightin’ Fritz shove some dumpsters to try to block vehicles from leaving the warehouse. The Angel of the Night searches crates but finds only packing peanuts. Capt. Grommet jumps onto the moving truck, as goons pull guns.

The men in suits start to drive off, and clever Dr. Occult throws powder onto their windshields. Croc happily hurls cinderblocks to slow the getaway cars, and mighty Fritz pounds knuckleheads, who soon surround him.

Gadgeteer Grommet throws marbles, but the mobsters evade them. Agile Angel ducks under one auto to slash its tires. Fritz gets winged but uses one henchman as a shield against potential gunshots. Dr. Occult ends up on top of the same car as Croc, who is unable to pull a criminal out the window.

Several felonious minions tackle Fritz, and Capt. Grommet takes out a gunsel with his ball-bearing pistol. They overhear a radio squawking that “the canary has left.” Fritz throws off one of his attackers and radios Angel to search the area.

Meanwhile, Croc and Dr. Occult try to hang on as one Mafioso tries to drive off. Dr. Occult manages to choke him out, and Croc throws rocks at the remaining guards. Capt. Grommet grabs a car and runs down some of the goons.

Fritz switches “dance partners” and is grateful when Capt. Grommet and Angel come to his aid. Croc and Dr. Occult drive in with another seized vehicle and knock down the last batch of bad guys.

The “Drop Squad” ties up the suspects and leaves them in vans for the police. Luigi Giovanni reveals under Dr. Occult’s hypnosis that the five of his men who got away are heading to a major pharmaceutical factory with Earl and high-grade toxins.

Dr. Occult calls Officer Fine, and the P.I.s pile into the “Dropmobile.” Capt. Grommet burns rubber to get to the facility. There, they find Earl ranting about how the entire city must suffer because his friend, a well-known philanthropist, was shot by police in a raid gone wrong.

Fightin’ Fritz engages Earl in conversation while the Crocodile circles around. Capt. Grommet shuts off a valve on a vat, and Dr. Occult looks for more mobsters or local security. The Angel of the Night tries to sneak up to the catwalk, but Earl grabs her and slams her down.

Fritz flips up, but Earl tosses him aside. The shapeshifter drops vials into the vat, which is secure but still starts emitting noxious fumes. Croc kicks Earl in the chest, but the man, who alternates in appearance from a burly blond to a slight Asian-American, seems unaffected.

Capt. Grommet finally figures out how Earl keeps changing his appearance and disrupts his hologram generator. Earl is revealed as a blobby green alien! Mostly unfazed, the “Drop Squad” tries to capture the malefactor.

Croc hits Earl with a wrench, but the creature easily dodges it. Fritz drops to the floor and kicks out the catwalk support in the hope of dumping Earl into the vat. Dr. Occult tries to swing clear but gets caught on the edge of the vat. Angel heads to his rescue with a salvaged pool cue.

Dr. Occult feels the chemicals burning through his shoes, and Angel helps him to safety. Croc tries to block Earl’s escape and is slimed for his efforts. Fritz kicks out a second catwalk, but Earl slithers out a second-story window toward blinking lights.

Croc dives after the alien and into its spherical, liquid-filled craft. Fritz crashes out a window, as Dr. Occult throws a rope around the spaceship. Unfortunately, both it and Croc pass through the gelatinous mess.

Good nyborg, dude! — Spherical space ship

Earl swears revenge and flies away. Officer Fine arrives to take custody of the mobsters, and the “Drop Squad” goes to the police station to talk to the Earl in lockup. He — or more properly, his suit — melts away.

While the vigilantes have solved the mystery of the adulterated drugs and prevented the city from being poisoned, they have little to show for their success. Their reward money goes to pay for damages at the pharmaceutical factory, and though there are fewer mobsters in the warehouse district, they have made an alien enemy….

Thanks again, Geoff, for the fun scenario! I thought it was a good demonstration of the “FAE” rules, and the retro feel worked well. I wouldn’t be surprised if we returned to these heroes at some point….

In the meantime, I’ll see some of you at tonight’s “Star Wars: Dark Times” game, and I look forward to starting our “Vanished Lands: A New Dawn” fantasy telecom campaign next Sunday, Nov. 17.

“Strange Tales From Chicago” Session 3 — Chasing Earls

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for the third “Drop Squad” telecom session, which was held on Sunday, 3 November 2013:

Player Characters for “Strange Tales From Chicago,” Geoff C.’s street-level superhero game, using FATE Accelerated Edition, Skype, and an online dice roller:

“Fightin’ Fritz” [Gene D.]-male human, flashy Tank, wants to pound knuckleheads, knows all the brawlers about town
“Capt. Grommet” [Beruk A.]-machine whisperer, wants to get back at the man; knows lots of techies
“The Crocodile” [Byron V.O.]-old tough guy, wants to clean up the city and get paid
“Dr. Occult” [Josh C.]-master of occult, seeking enlightenment; knows stage magicians
“Angel of the Night” [Sara F.]-gargoyle-themed guardian of the city, lives above a library

>>Chicago, “3 to 4 October 1982:” The “Drop Squad,” an eccentric group of private investigators, had helped the Chicago police look into tainted medicine. Our would-be heroes had followed leads from a pharmacy to the warehouse district.

The team followed four goons from the “Salty Dog” bar and confronted them. The quartet claimed that someone named “Earl” had hired them. However, the well-dressed man proved difficult to find because witness descriptions didn’t match between official records of charity events, Bernie’s Diner, and the “Old Watch House,” a high-end brothel.

The Drop Squad finally catches a break, spotting Earl at Bernie’s Diner. Figthin’ Fritz and Capt. Grommet head to their car, while the Crocodile steps outside and throws a ketchup bottle. Unfortunately, he hits an old woman on the crowded city streets.

The Angel of the Night, who has been watching from a nearby rooftop, jumps and glides in pursuit of the man in the suit. Dr. Occult gives chase on foot, following Earl into an alley.

Croc hops into the “Dropmobile,” which weaves through evening rush-hour traffic in an attempt to outmaneuver the suspect. Dr. Occult throws a lasso, but Earl is slippery. Angel climbs a wall to get the drop on the blond man.

Fritz, Croc, and Capt. Grommet smash through a pane of glass, knock over a fruit stand, and catch some air as their car burns rubber through Chicago’s streets. Croc hurls a set of headphones at Earl, who simply slides over the hood.

Earl enters a building, and Grommet takes the wheel so that Fritz and Croc can get out. Croc rips open a door, and he and Dr. Occult head to the basement. Fritz circles around the block to keep an eye on rear exits, while Angel descends.

Despite sporadic walkie-talkie contact, the P.I.s tighten their noose. Dr. Occult briefly slows Earl, as Croc runs down a spiral staircase to join them.

Meanwhile, outside, Fritz finds an acquaintance named Steve who mentions that there is an off-limits door from the basement leading into the sewers. Fritz and Angel head down.

Dr. Occult and Croc jump on Earl and tie him up. However, he now appears to be a slight Asian-American, if in the same suit! Earl recognizes Dr. Occult from one of his charity gigs, but nobody can explain the shift in appearance.

Croc, Dr. Occult, and Capt. Grommet take Earl to Office Fine at the police station. Fritz and Angel follow Steve’s directions into the sewers. Their hunch that Earl knew of it as a getaway route prove correct when they reach an outlet into the bay.

Croc watches Earl’s interrogation, but the suspect isn’t communicative. Capt. Grommet confirms the sewer route after talking with some engineer friends, and he and Dr. Occult meet Fritz and Angel back on the street.

At Croc’s request, Officer Fine has threads from Earl’s suit tested, but they reveal nothing about his strange ability to change appearance. When Earl asks for his lawyer, the Chicago police have no evidence to hold him.

The Drop Squad picks up another lead and visits Irwin Reginald, a civil servant and the brother of accountant Irwin Regis. He admits approving incomplete forms for public events for Earl, who bribed him regularly. Irwin’s description of his benefactor is yet another version.

Mr. Giovanni escorts the suspect back to freedom, and Dr. Occult is disturbed by so many Earls. However, the Drop Squad soon learns that Earl’s lawyer is a member of a local crime family, at whose warehouse guards fired at Angel a few nights before.

In addition, Lucille from the “Old Watch House” contacts Croc. She says that Earl had been doing public relations for the mob and that he left a bag at the brothel. The group picks it up and finds medicine bottles, which it immediately turns over to the police lab.

The Drop Squad prepares to return to the warehouse district in the hope of tracking down the tainted drugs and the mystery of the multiple Earls….

“Strange Tales From Chicago” session notes

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for our latest miniseries, which I enjoyed, despite a late start and unfamiliarity with the “FAE” system:

Player Characters for “Strange Tales From Chicago” Geoff C.’s street-level superhero game, using FATE Accelerated Edition, Skype, and an online dice roller, Sunday, 20 October 2013:

“Fightin’ Fritz” [Gene D.]-male human, flashy Tank, wants to pound knuckleheads, knows all the brawlers about town (see also City of Heroes MMORPG)
“Capt. Grommet” [Beruk A.]-machine whisperer, wants to get back at the man; knows lots of techies
“The Crocodile” [Byron V.O.]-old tough guy, wants to clean up the city and get paid
“Dr. Occult” [Josh C.]-master of occult, seeking enlightenment; knows stage magicians
“Angel of the Night” [Sara F.]-gargoyle-themed guardian of the city, lives above a library

Chicago, “30 Sept. 1982:” Officer Fine visits the “Drop Squad,” a private investigation agency. He tells the group that five unrelated people have been poisoned by arsenic in Tylenol capsules over the past few days. The Chicago Police Department is looking for all the help it can get, he says.

The team agrees to check out the pharmacy in return for access to official lab reports. The do-gooders pile into a Chevy, crank up some tunes, and head to Main Street in a working-class neighborhood.

Capt. Grommet and Dr. Occult go inside to talk with manager Robbie, whose wife offers them honeycomb toffee. The private detectives take the candy for later analysis and learn that some extra medicine bottles somehow showed up on the shelves. The druggist also mentions that “no-good thugs” broke in a few weeks before.

Meanwhile, Fightin’ Fritz and the Crocodile walk around the pharmacy to look for signs of other break-ins, drug deals, or more suspicious activity. They then walk a few blocks away to visit Fritz’s pal Joey in some public housing. He complains about drunk sailors but says that nobody else unusual has been in the neighborhood.

The Angel of the Night climbs up a building, getting applause from bystanders for the feat. She keeps an eye on things but sees no tracks. Capt. Grommet and Dr. Occult learn that an apartment above the pharmacy has been vacant for several months and leave a note for landlord Finnegan Brogan.

Grommit and Fritz debate the merits of recent movies as they head back to the office. The group also checks in with Officer Fine on more toxicology reports, including for the toffee.

On Oct. 1, the gumshoes follow leads to the harbor and a warehouse district. The flamboyant Fritz and man of mystery Dr. Occult attract some attention from the dock workers leaving their shift, as Angel watches from another rooftop. Grommet and Croc go for a lower profile.

At the “Salty Dog,” the second bar the private dicks visit, they spot some of the thugs described by the pharmacist. Fritz offers to buy a round of drinks, but they rudely reject his offer. Angel shadows the suspects, and the group follows her to another building….

I look forward to continuing our investigation next Sunday! Bruce and Dexter, I hope that you’ll be able to join us. I also hope that we’ll be able to put the finishing touches on the P.C.s before the start of the “Vanished Lands: A New Dawn” fantasy game.