Wasters No 3: "Just a 'Jack"

Played 20 Dec 2020 (On-line)

 

We played another session of Wasters, the cyberpunk hack of Old School Essentials.  This was only my second session; Rodrigo had played several times (and had awful luck – in each of the last two sessions, he had lost three characters); it was Sigurd’s first time. 

 

Attempt 1 

 

Seph	Games Master
Me	“Two-Brains” - Level 1 Analyst	Retainer - “Yellow Dog” Level 2 Analyst
Sigurd	Hajime – Level 1 Ronin	Retainer – Robin, Level 1 Sentinel
Rodrigo	Ophelia – Level 1 Infiltrator	Retainer – Olaf, Level 0 character

 

As ever, our group gathered in Club Lavender, the dive in the Safe Zone where dodgy deals are done.  The job we picked up this time was to travel into the Wastes and steal a muscle-car, the prized possession of the Butch Killers, one of the gangs who we’d had some previous brush-ins with. 

 

The Butch Killers' pride and joy

Before setting out, we hired retainers.  Yellow Dog was still employed by Two-Brains following an earlier job.  Hajime hired Robin, a Sentinel, whereas Ophelia went for fresh meat – Olaf, a wantabe from the slums. 

 

Having already mapped out the areas closest to the Safe Zone, we planned a circuitous route that we hoped would avoid trouble from the Gangs.  

 

The first day’s travel went well.  We were able to divert to avoid an encounter, and spent an undisturbed night in camp. 

 

"Don't worry, they've only got swords!"

Next day, however, we hadn’t gone far before we were challenged from an alleyway by a couple of unknowns, demanding a toll to pass through their territory.  Gambling that these were mere punks, Ophelia gave a short, defiant answer.  Unfortunately for us, the ‘punks’ turned out to be fully-fledged members of the Butch Killers.  They made short work of Olaf and wounded Two-Brains.  Our fighting retreat turned into a rout, with Robin and Yellow Dog being hacked to pieces.  Soon, Two-Brains and Hajime followed, leaving only Ophelia alive. 

 

By some miracle, she made it back to the Safe Zone. 

 

Attempt 2 

 

Seph	Games Master
Me	Mieville – Level 1 Sentinel
Sigurd	Jiro – Level 1 Infiltrator
Rodrigo	Ophelia – Level 1 Infiltrator

 

Ophelia was able to find a couple of losers desperate enough to join her on a second attempt to steal the muscle-car, but no retainers were available to join this obvious Jonah. 

 

Perhaps spooked by her brush with death, Ophelia led the new crew with ultra-caution, evading all encounters on the first day.  During our night’s rest, the camp was disturbed by a group of six waifs, keen to beg or steal whatever they could.  Meaning to show them that we would have none of that, Ophelia beat one, only to find that the orphans of the Wastes were rather fragile.  Seeing one of their number killed, the rest fled! 

 

One the second day of travel, we were surprised by a warning shot from a lone gunman who insisted that we back out of his territory.  This we did, but only so far as to allow Jiro to take up a sniping position.  A gunfight ensued, but in the end our superior numbers won through.  Looting the body, Jiro found that they gunman had a stash of hyper-velocity rifle ammo. 

 

Rather than pressing on to the next block, we decided to scout out the surrounding area before spending the night in this (relatively) safer one.  We found a promising-looking residential building, which the infiltrators wanted to check-out.  Entering by an upper window, we first encountered a guard-dog, which was distracted by rations and then hit the mother-lode – an abandoned stash in an apartment! 

 

In fact, it was an embarrassment of riches.  With both hard cash, circuit boards and tech, there was more that the three of us could carry.  The plan to jack the muscle-car was immediately abandoned, and we took what we could (carefully noting the location of what we left). 

 

Heavily laden and ultra-cautious, the return to the Safe Zone was slow-going.  We avoided all prospects of trouble, diverting from a pack of feral boar and, fortunately, spotting four members of the Fast Dogs gang before they saw us. 

 

On return to Club Lavendar, the haul was sufficient to wipe out Ophelia’s reputation as a Jonah and Mieville was able to kit himself out with a Cybernetic Sensor Suite in anticipation of returning for the rest of the loot.