Contact Information:

jay@vanishingtowerpress.com

Tuesday, April 27

Cut through the Crack House Supers Tool

 Superheroes are going to end up in a crack house. They are just going to. For any number of reasons. The Superheroes in the current "house" game of the Vanishing Tower Press, Even Heroes Bleed, they eventually end up in a crack house. 

Question is, how not to make it boring? I am starting simple with a short list of denizens to be found in said crack house. I also map out a crack house, but you can procedurally generate your rooms as the session plays out. My list of important deniziens in the crack house looks like this;

OG,     Original Gangster, violence.

WH    Whore, helpful and smart.

A       Addict, random reaction.

S        Soldier, violence

M       Meat, the McGuffin.

Room descriptions are a must for a crack house, there are so many rich details accessible to everyone's imagination a GM who lays it on thick is going to start off the encounter as tense as you are going to get it. Here is the split-tabIe I put together; 

1. Wet Drywall        Only Support                       Wracking Cough

2. Urine                   Unstable stairs up/down    Creaking and snapping wood

3. Gasoline             Open Window                     Hysterical Laughter

4. Rotten Carpet     Stuck Door                           Low Whispering

5. Cat Litter             Table set with a meal          Cry for help

6. Burnt Electrical    Mean Dog                            A challenge  

Okay, I worked and expanded these lists a little bit and made your single result button to click below. Click on the link and get a quick description of squalor!


 

You Find in the Crack House



Wednesday, April 21

Arsonist Arrested! Blood of Heroes Session Report

 This is the wrap-up from the previous post. 

The conclusion of our latest issue of Even Heroes Bleed had Mettle spinning about the city like a whirling dervish. 

She convinced the Nubians the principles behind the warring Civil Guard's actions is currently at Hannigan's Irish Bar & Grill. She also stresses the arsonist, this insano calling himself Jury, should be found there as well. Mettle lays out to Jimmy Mac the support of the biker gang by city police and now is the chance to cut off the head of the snake. Without a radical White Supremacist biker gang at their disposal it will be much harder for the police to get more minority neighborhoods burned down! Mettle even throws in the dead White Patriot's car, sans hood, a 1968 Ford Shelby Mustange. "You park that in front of Hannigan's and start playing Rap on the radio you are sure to flush them out."



The heroes get in touch with a different television news station and hand over their Go-Pro coverage of their fight with Jury and Wotan. Mettle also suggests, anonymously, the arsonist terrorizing the city is about to be arrested at Hannigan's Bar & Grill in the next hour. The last tip-off the dynamic duo makes is to the Federal Bureau of Enhanced Entities Capitol City HQ. They are actually trying to reach Superfrog. The power Wotan displayed has made Bug and Mettle desirious of a superhero with aproximately the same strength and damage capacity. Phillip Madhur, Special Agent in Charge (Garvick Nurse is missing) says the green superhero is not available but happy to take a message.

Madhur does his best to talk Mettle into coming into FBEE HQ's. He wants to see her get on the right side of the law. With the powers displayed downtown during the BLM attacks she is breaking the law by not getting registered. Mettle declines. Madhur does take her tip on the arsonist seriously and rolls three Chevy Suburbans stuffed with armed agents and heads for RedHill where the bar is located.

Bug is babysitting the bar, expecting to have to throw down if either of the dangerous supervillains is present. The Nubians park the mustang and start laying down some loud tracks. Not disappointing, angry bikers with pistols and AR's spill out of Hannigan's and start shooting at the Nubians, taking cover behind some parked pick up trucks. Nubians fire back with their pistols and shotguns. As soon as Jury leaps out into the street to wipe out the Nubians Bug drops down onto the street and confronts the Living Flame, that which Wotan transformed the arsonist into, a liuving embodiment of elemental fire.


The searing heat and flames streaming out of Jury's arms almost overwhelms Bug, but the insect-mimicking powers he possesses gives him the hardened protection he needs to stay alive. Bug's devistating punch sends Jury across the street and into a pick up truck. Jury hit so hard the pick up truck tips on its side before settling back down. The driver side of the vehicle punched in by the impact of Jury's body. The enhanced entity of Jury is knocked senseless at the hands of Bug again. 

At this point the Feds roll on the scene and gangsters on both sides flee. Some on foot, some in a nearby vehicle. The feds surround the still flame-flickering Jury and start blocking off the crime scene. With the arrival of the press it looks like the city will learn of the fire-bug who has burning down their homes. The FBEE will be able to put a feather in their cap with this high-profile arrest!

Mettle and Bug are disappointed Wotan (disguised as the Civil Guard leader Reico) was not there. This means the dangerous enhanced entity is still out there and capable of attacking the PCs with deadly force. Bug and Mettle settle in for the evening and begin planning their next step...


Sunday, April 18

Leave Your Guns at Home, Even Heroes Bleed Issue #4 part 1.

 If you don’t hit the record button you will not record the game session. Passed all sound checks, but yeah, jumped into the game without hitting record. Here is your session report for the latest issue of Even Heroes Bleed.

Mettle sets up some more Go-Pros and Bug Sits down at the end of the street by the open commercial space he hopes will provide a safe enough place to throw around super hero stuff. The high tech flame thrower is in Bug’s lap. First a biker shows up on his ride and then right after a ’68 Ford Mustang rolls up. White with blue racing stripes, it was White Patriot’s car, but since Superfrog killed his ass “Fire Bug” has been driving it. 


 He has been referred to as Tank Boy, Fire Bug, Gun Bunny, names the superheroes of the city have been calling him for lack of anything else. And this is really “bugging” Bug. And this is the first thing Bug asks the pair as they walk up and demand the gun be turned over. The masked pyromaniac says he is the Jury and the Jury has reached a verdict. “The Jury finds you guilty and the judge has passed a sentence of death!” Acting nonplused, Bug sits there and takes Jury’s best punches. Bugs insect-mimicry powers allows him to take a tremendous beating so he only bruises his fists. He turns and gives the biker dude a “what-do-you-want-me-to-do-now” look. The grumbling, burly biker possibly has only one good eye. A black patch, cloth, covers his left eye. His bare arms are wreathed in Nordic and Celtic tattoos. Bug stands up and swats Jury fifteen feet and the pyro hits the gravel with a crunch and a yelp. Reico, who is believed to be the leader of the Civil Guard is angered his “disciple” has been pushed around, steps forward and with blue crackling energy emitting from his fist gives Bug a terrific blow. 

“How can you stand the power of my ensorcelled fist? Reico states surprised. If Bug had any witty banter he quipped back with, I missed it.

“Just smoke him, why don’t we just smoke ’em Reico? Jury pulls a gun from his jacket pocket.

“No, this man has some form of power. What I need is my avatar, my champion to deal with such insignificance as this, this… Hedge Wizard. He grabs both Jury’s arms. You will serve me as the true chaotic flame you are. I pass on to you the spirit of ever-living fire, I give you the essence of the great Fire Giant Surtr!” Reico’s hands and arms go a vivid grey blue. A blue fire rims his eyes and Jury is enveloped in a wreath of explosive fire. Jury screams in agony and collapses to the ground. Reico turns to Bug. Now he is growing larger, his muscles are rippling and his arms and face are grey-blue. Electrical energy crackles around him. “You will now feel the wrath of Wotan the purifier and now my avatar will unleash a cleansing fire!”

Jury is no longer screaming. He slowly rises to his feet, still wreathed in flame. The whipping red flames sing with the fearful souls of those he has burned to death in this city. He is laughing hysterically and blasts Bug with gouts of flame from his hands. Bug feels the sting of this unnatural gout of flame bathing him. In desperation he lashes out with the power of a Rhino Beetle and sends Jury flying 80'. The force of his blow renders the pyromaniac unconscious in a heap on the ground. 

Wotan roars in frustration and attempts to rend Bug with his bare, blue, and grey veined hands. The hero and villain dodge and weave. Wotan fighting as a highly skilled warrior would, Bug sort of letting his insect-mimicry powers make him float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! Bug lands some solid blows, but Wotan laughs them off. "You give me good sport little man." I have not had a good wrestling contest since I last visited Utgard!”

Bug manifests the stinging poison of the Murder Wasp and his chitin-tipped fingers sink into Wotan’s pulsing skin. The blue of his arm turns purple from the venom and Wotan flings Bug from himself. Witnessing the unfolding stalemate, Mettle uses her magnetic powers to rip the hood off the Mustang (dude!) and wraps it around Wotan in a vice-like grip. Arms pinned, Wotan roars with rage and insult. Unable to defend himself effectively Bug lands another solid, insect-enhanced punch. Spittle flies from Wotan’s mouth, he is inarticulate from his rage of being denied the punishment he wishes to inflict. Mettle wastes no time and hurls the metal-wrapped supervillain a ¼ mile in the air.

Bug follows with a giant leap of his own and tries to enhance Wotan’s journey into the pavement over a hundred and fifty feet below. A loud crunch follows Wotan’s plummet into the street. Asphalt is pulverized under him leaving a two-foot depression. But Wotan shakes it off! Now there is murder in his eyes! “I have no time for these foolish games. I have my champion again, so I now ride on Valkyrie wings to my destiny!” The giant blue man with one eye and bone beads in his hair scoops up his unconscious companion. With one gigantic leap he clears the nearby buildings. Bug and Mettle pass on chasing the transformed biker and collect their GoPros. Mettle is excited about the footage she believes was caught.

“I think we have our city arsonist on film flaming away. We are much closer to seeing some people in prison now.” Mettle says satisfied. “Some positive IDs and the Feds at least can come down on these two.