Fringe Space: Makavan 007 - Find, Part 2

“Plans are all right sometimes," I said. "And sometimes just stirring things up is all right - if you're tough enough to survive, and keep your eyes open so you'll see what you want when it comes to the top.” ― Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest

New Hope, Early April '01

Makavan was pounding the street in the Pub & Rec district when he noticed a group of women yelling at each other; judging by the clothing, one very rich and two very much not. None of them were armed, and he couldn't tell which side to join in on, so he decided not to join in at all and kept walking.

New Hope, Later April '01

Makavan was hanging out in the Green at the west end of the Pub & Rec district, trying to make one cup of hot brown liquid last all morning, when Ribeiro sat down opposite.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Of course not," he smiled. "Welcome back. How was your trip?"

She made a dismissive gesture to indicate it was all behind her now and anyway it was none of his business.

"I hear you're looking for a hishen," she said. "Name of Crezzi."

"You're well-informed," he commented, making a face which could've been due to the taste of his drink.

"I make it my business to be," she said. "Captain Makavan, if you're going to work for Adrasaia - any razor, really - you need to be more discreet in your enquiries. The hishen has information she wants, and there are a number of other parties who also want it. As you seem to be new at this, here's a suggestion; three, really. First, look around the warehouses in Little Hisha. Second, think about why Adrasaia wants you blundering around New Hope City drawing fire. Third, think about how you can persuade those parties that you're an asset and not just another loose end."

"Thank you," he said, and meant it. "That's good advice." She rose and turned to leave, and he rose too, out of politeness.

"One more thing," she said, and frowned. "And I don't know whether you should thank me for this or not... I've been seen with you several times. You will inevitably be considered linked to me somehow. It may affect how people deal with you in future, but I can't predict how."

"Ah," said Simon. "I see. Your rivals might wish to deprive you of an asset, or - if I am fortunate - they may decide I am under your protection. Your friends may decide I am trustworthy, or may begin to wonder if I am part of a plan, and whether it will benefit them or not."

"Just so," she said, pleased at the demonstration that he knew how movers and shakers played the game. "You are not a player, not yet anyway; but perhaps you are no longer a pawn, either. Good luck, Captain."

He needed it; he was ambushed twice on the way to Little Hisha.

The pair of upper-class humans ran as soon as he drew his pistol, calling for the police; they hadn't thought they'd need anything more substantial than a slight edge in numbers and their manicured fists. The burly zhuh-zhuh labourer he actually had to shoot, several times; that one brought a crowbar to a gunfight, but knew enough to back off once burned badly enough, which told Makavan this wasn't a matter of principle, just a zhuh paid to deliver a message.

So. What did the hishen know that everybody wanted to find out? It seemed likely that the razor and the grath who had both tried to hire him were working for different factions, and unlikely he would wind up friendly with both. Either could have had tonight's shakers or zhuh-zhuh on the payroll. Presumably the hishen represented a third faction, which might just be him but probably included other hishen.

Then there was Ribeiro. Where did she fit in? Was she with the hishen, or with another faction entirely? Was her involvement linked to the xeogs somehow? If so, had his encounter with xeogs at the nightclub been a deliberate attempt to distract him, or just their usual wide-ranging hedonism?

He decided that while all this was interesting to speculate on, it didn't change his next step; find Crezzi.

Status at Mid April '01

• IRD/DRD: +5 (Find Job, pending completion), +2 (successful further interaction. Total: +2 (+5 pending).
• 5150 Stats: Rep: 5. Current IRD: Pending month end. Lifetime IRD: 10.
• SWADE Stats: Bennies: 3. Wounds: 0. Advances: None.

GM Notes

Motivation is lacking this week, so I've zoomed out to Quick Encounters and Networking on the rules front; it generally takes a little while before a new solo campaign gathers enough speed to keep going by itself, and during that time it's important to keep the rules-related cognitive load light so my mind can focus on the story.

I've also decided it's time to move on from using Turkish names for everything and spread my wings a little; hishen are now using randomly-generated names for Lord of the Rings Orcs, and razors ones for lamia, both courtesy of the Fantasy Name Generator. Anyway, this week's 5150 encounters...

Involuntary Encounter: Confrontation (5150NL p. 34). Walk in on a fight between a Mover (Rep 5 Patron, unarmed) and a pair of Joes Labour (Rep 3 Manufacturing, unarmed). Simon walks away, and the dice tell me there is no blowback from that.

Voluntary Encounter: Find (5150NL p. 40). 3 PEFs to resolve this time; Networking on the first (Rep 4 Mover, oh surely that must be Ribeiro) gives Success and a Raise, so Simon gets a Clue, but the second and third lead to Confrontations, and the wording of the rules shows he needs to fight through them. I decide that each Raise on the Quick Encounter is worth one defeated enemy, to a limit of three (as there can't be more than that against a lone PC). Simon gets a Success each time, so victory but no defeated enemies; given the frequency of morale checks in 5150, they probably ran away.

Then, there is a final PEF which is the NPC we're after; a die roll tells us this leads to a Raid Encounter, which we'll process next time. I think that should be a proper fight with tokens and a battlemat, but still count as part of April '01.

I've read that when the designer of Savage Worlds runs convention scenarios, he will often use Quick Encounters for the early part of the game, leading up to a full-on tactical combat for the grand finale. If I stay low on spoons like this, that might be a good way to do things.