M.A/C.C - Beta test - Session 1

We had the first, non-char creation session of the M.A/C.C beta test last night. it was a bit of an addled session, everyone seemed to be fragged mentally, but stuff still happened. First full session is probably fine for everyone to be fragged anyhow, since it is essentially just getting to know your character. Anyhow, without further ado.


The Cast
Tully Mayhew/Argus - Tully is a gunsmith of moderate reknown, working in a shop that was bought out by someone with a much better head for business. As a child Tully came to the realization that his family wasn't his own, the investigation into his real family brought him into contact with the Gideons who opened his eyes to some of what is really going on. Tully now works to prove that the Supers are running everything for their own ends, using people as sheep to keep them in power.

Max Putherford/Dioxin - A chemist working for the Powered Police Department, Max came into contact with the Gideons after a super hero accidentally killed his kid sister. A member of the Gideons was near by and protected Max from the brain scrambling that happens to clean up the messes caused by the supers on occasion. He now plays a dangerous game, working within the PPD by day while working from the outside at night to try and reveal what is behind the curtain.

James Taylor/Black Hood - A one time amateur boxer who has since retired. James' parents vanished under mysterious circumstances that never quite held or stuck for the young man. An attempt to break into a Powered Police Department looking for answers brought him into contact with Tully. James was recruited and while he does not share some of the conspiratorial views of Tully, is in to help out and show what is going on.

Percival McMann/Gadget - Another person with parents who disappeared under strange circumstances, Percy is a bit of a gadget freak and computer whiz. Also recruited into the Gideons, Percy isn't as sure about what is going on aside from that there is 'something' going on. He is also the most cautious of the group currently.

Max ?/Heimdal - A firefighter for the city, when Max was young his class took a fieldtrip that they never came back from. Luck put the Gideons in contact with him before the PPD got him to change his memories of what exactly has happened. Max is devoted to the sword, and intent to use it for the good of those around him. (Player still deciding on a last name)

The Session
 Heimdal's player wasn't able to make it today due to job constraints.

The session began on a Sunday evening with the group of people in their base. Tully having just finished work on his primary weapon, a low-lethality, low penetration, but high impact shotgun, wanted to test it out and see about helping some people. The group agreed, and so the four of them headed out into the southern area of the district they were in. Trouble wasn't particularly hard to find, and in short order they came across a group of 9 people beating up on 2 others. The group divided the work amongst them, each taking down two, with Black Hood by virtue of being the closest took down the third. The final result? The shotgun was really loud, but other than that worked great. With perhaps some tweaking needed on the weaponry of the others.

The group continued along, breaking up a few more fights and putting down a few more crimes. It didn't take long though for the repeated shotgun blasts to get the police alerted to something going down, and the group decided to head back home for the evening. Once at the base they had a conversation about how they should do more to help people than just stop violent crimes. Find out who needs help by paying more attention in their daily lives. If someone has a flat tire, help them change it. Help the person with their groceries. Just help people. Most think it is a good idea, though there is some confusion on Gadget's part, which comes to a head the next day when he goes out in costume to ask people what they might need help with. An act that gets him in the papers and dubbed as the Helpful Hobo, with the latter part of the name a direct result of his bad hygiene issues.

Also in the paper the next day, aside from the report of the arrests made by a vigilante armed with a shotgun, is word that one of the major banks in downtown was robbed. The robbers having apparently melted through the vault door, and then exited by melting a hole through the wall at the other end of the vault. The group, again after some discussion, decides that they should investigate and once again heads out. At the bank they see a couple of PPD members on guard duty, but Dioxin wants a sample to see what exactly they are dealing with that ate through the wall of the vault and the bank. With Argus and Gadget on overwatch, Black Hood and Dioxin sneak down and expertly avoid the attention of the guards.

The two heroes freeze just outside of the hole in the wall as they hear talking and see moving light from inside. Two members of the PPD inside talking about the robbery. The robbers were apparently supers, one of which blasted the door and wall open for them. There were three of them, and apparently they didn't take all that much. Dioxin waits for the guards to leave before grabbing his samples and Black Hood and he head back to the others. A quick chat about what happened, and they decide to go back and check their various sources. Argus curious to see how much the papers will lie the next day with Supers being the bank robbers. Something that is quickly explained away as "of course they told the truth, it makes them look good" when the news gives out all the information that they had gathered so far without changing anything.

Gadget does further investigation via computer, hacking in and checking out what the bank reported as stolen. The robbery is interesting, the robbers having only taken roughly 30,000 dollars worth of cash and jewelery when the option to take much much more was there before them. A check into the stock market and other things for signs of money laundering that amount or just new attempts at it turns up nothing.

Tully asks around in the Weapon Smith business, getting some speculation, but not much else as to what is going on. Several people commenting further ont he very low amount that was taken as being strange (one of them works for the PPD and overheard). either the robbers were amateurs, or they were looking for something very specific.

Black Hood meanwhile is hitting the streets and asking people in the seedier parts of town. He is crossing a street to do just that when he hears the screech of tires. Looking, he sees a car coming down right on top ofhim, a car he recognizes. Someone has stolen dioxin's "work" car, and is now racing it towards him. Or maybe it is the driver's girlfriend who is holding the wheel and positioned so that she could be holding down the gas. Black Hood freezes in the headlights for a moment before jumping to the side. The car crashes into a wall, and the wall wins, smooshing the car into something much thinner, a splatter of blood showing what happened to the occupants. Something that the door being knocked open seems to deny, especially with the girl climbing out looking none the worse for wear aside from some damage to her clothes.

Hood leaps into action, punching the girl to no effect. She stumbles a bit and catches herself on his shoulders. Coughing more from the smoke. Ever the helpful soul, Hood pats the fire out on her back.  "Where's Thomas?" She asks
"He's dead"
"Oh good, he was a prick..."
"You can't just kill people!"
"But he cheated on me."
"That doesn't make it right."
"Are you cute under that mask?"
"No, I'm ugly"
"That means your cute. Let me see"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You just killed that man."
"He hit my little sister"
"A moment ago you said he cheated on you"
"he did both, and I told him very clearly that if he ever cheated on me or hurt my little sister I'd kill him. you have to do what you say you're going to do, otherwise your word is no good. And without your word, you're really not anything. That's what daddy always says"

The conversation continues as such for a little bit, the girl implying she also has super strength when Hood threatens to arrest her. He ends up leaving her alone, watching in shock as she shakily walks on her heeled shoes to a car, smashes the window open and gets in to hot wire it. She asks for his name, he gives her Black Hood, she sayss he is Jessica and asks for his name again. He refuses and so she sighs and goes to leave, throwing a phone at him as she does so.

The phone rings just as Black Hood is almost back to base, the girl asking his name and complaining that she can't ask him out without his name. He asks for two days and she agrees to 48 hours. Black continues back to the base and tells the rest of the group. Dioxin and Gadget run the phone through various forensic stuff, finding that there are prints but no record as to whose prints they are, and also that the girl is definitely a super. The phone has called the recently robbed bank a few times, as well as some other pre-bought numbers. All the phones had been paid for with cash though, from a local mall's kiosk. The group decides that Hood should go on the date to find more, something Tully isn't happy with but mostly because the girl has powers and is clearly in on it. Dioxin points out that Hood is doing the exact same thing that Tully is with his current girlfriend Nikki, something Dioxin finds incredibly amusing.

48 hours from the previous call, the phone rings again. Hood says his name is james and agrees to go on the date. They go to a movie, and Jessica is quiet the entire way through. Afterwards she says she liked the fight scenes, and James says he'll show her how much better a real fight is, bringing her to a boxing match. They talk there, with James trying to find a way to work around to the bank. eventually he just asks her bluntly. She called the bank to speak to a Loan Officer McKenzie about a loan for a car, the man was really nice. He asks if she knows who the robbers were, she says she did it but won't say with who, because Thomas (the guy she killed) needed the money. James lets it go at that for the time being, and she gets a phone call from her dad telling her to come home now. James walks her home, and I called game.

Thoughts
As I said, everyone was addle brained so not much happened. I'm also REALLY bad at beginnings and need to find a way to hook people into the adventure and give them a reason to do things. The system held up well still, and we almost had a PC death when James' player froze up with the car barreling down on him.

Hopefully next session will be better though.