What, I'm not late! It's still wednesday!

[winneganfake]

5 Phases, 5 Days, Part the Fourth. (Vignettes)

Look. I could keep going on about The Cog Wars, and how it's a killer setting I'm helping with writing, or the fact that it's god an incredible rules light engine, etc. I've done that for three weeks running now. Want the recap? here they are:

5 Phases, 5 days:

Part 1: Discovery

Part 2: Disruption

Part 3: Revenge

And now, to move on to Phase 4: Vignettes. This phase is all about character improvement, as players spend advantages previously earned to get ready for the final challenge. Of course, nothing truly gets those improvements to hit home quite like having to play it through:



 

The blacksmith looked up at Smythe's entrance. “Ah, I'm sorry, but you might be lost- we're a blacksmith's. Now you just follow whatever program you've got on your card and-”

“Actually,” Smythe interrupted, “This is exaclty the place I'm looking for. I was told that the 'grey hand,' may be able to help me out with something here?”

That earned a startles look from the smith. “Oh, you're one of those coggers. I see. Well, what can I do for you then guv'nor?” He placed his hammer and tongs down on the anvil and walked over to a back wall, where a number of hammers of different sizes and weights were hung. Grasping the handle of the hammer on the upper right corner, he pulled down and gave the handle a half-twist. S the entire wall began to slide back into a recess, the smith turned back to look at Smythe. “Now then, what'll it be?”

The two walked through the secret entrance into a back room that had been filled wall-to-wall with every kind of arsenal imaginable. Swords of varying styles covered an entire wall. Maces, hammers, and other blunt weapons were shelved next to that, and a small display of pikes took over another section of the room. The center, however was dominated by ranged weapons. Crossbows, springbolts, rifles, flintlocks, wheellocks, gaslocks, and even a few of the latest Repeater models were neatly racked in the middle of the room. Smythe could barely believe his optics. Never in his (admittedly short) life had he seen such a collection of weaponry!

Smythe looked at the smith. “Well, sir, I have a bit of a challenge for you.”

“Oh, something a bit hard to find you're needing then?” he replied. “Shouldn't be too hard, though it may take a few days...”

“No, no- you misunderstand me. Your collection here is more than adequate. It fact, it's perfect. I think I'd like about one of everything, but...”

“But?”

“Can you make it all fit- in here?” Smythe tapped his extended right arm with his left manipulator. “I need it to be a bit... portable.”