The Ronin have found the secret hideout of Sheng’s cult and have called in the authorities for a final assault on the notorious terrorist group ‘Empty Five’. Despite the attack helicopters and platoons of heavily armed soldiers on their side, the Ronin know that victory or death will come in their own skills and preparation. They know they have the right weapons and as much knowledge as they can bear, but Sheng always seems to have a secret or two up his sleeve. Then there’s the matter of an Iron-Banded Box….
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have I mentioned before that “the Long Vault in the Dark” is the most terrifying name for anything ever? I think it every time you guys say it.
I loved the deductive reasoning behind paradox nixing (“well…we can’t observe it happening, but time travel does exist, so we’re pretty sure it must happen”). and I’m still convinced that Xing is Nyarlathotep, being called home to pipe for Azathoth. would sticking him in the Vault work, though? it’d depend on how his reincarnation worked, right? if he just killed himself and reincarnated outside, especially if he doesn’t have to start over as a kid, it seems conceivable that he could still spawn the apocalypse. I dunno, it deserves to work just because it’s an awesome image.
“Bushido is realized in the presence of death. This means choosing death whenever there is a choice between life and death. There is not other reasoning.”
–Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Maybe?
I’m a bit confused about how putting Sheng into the Long Vault paradoxes him out of existence, myself. Sheng in the future doesn’t know what’s in the Long Vault, he just knows it’s his ace in the hole to solve his Mara problem. He knows this because he told his past self to do this. But he’s never observed what’s in it, so would him revealing that the content of the Vault is the corpse of a past incarnation of him… do anything?
It creates a paradox if Sheng is alive in the vault when it is opened or if sheng’s spirit can’t escape the vault to reincarnate because the long vault is warded with magic to remain outside of time and space until it is opened.
Ah, that works. I didn’t think the Long Vault would block him from reincarnating outside it, but that makes sense given the context. On another note, I really like how all the cosmic fantastic revelations tied into the main spy game. This could be the end of a CoC or fantasy scenario but the players are combating it with master spy techniques.
Time travel stuff was cool. The thing that stood out for me was amidst all gathering of assault weapons, sniper rifles, choppers and time traveling schemes…time was taken out to get a samurai sword. Lovely.
This was a really good session. Everybody participated well, Tom got to do some SERIOUS sniping, and Caleb got to do a little more fat ol’ man runnin’. And that was an awesome plan for the attack on the village.
I really liked the implication that their mysterious contact was a Yithian. And I enjoyed the cameo appearance by a certain Great Old One. Now, if only they could cook up a scheme to sic a Hound of Tindalos on ol’ Sheng, that would really nail him good. 🙂
Ross, what would have been the consequences of blowing up the gate?
Campaign over, basically. The gate was the only way to get to the Long Vault.
@Ross That is a dicey pivot point. This either speaks to your players or you that the were just paranoid enough to not blow it up.
I was in the party. OF COURSE we were too paranoid to blow it up. I don’t like even going into combat in RPGs unless the enemy’s gun is made of c4 and I have the detanator. No way we could let Sheng play around in his pocket dimension and see what happens. Ross played me based on my personality, as all good GMs should.
But I was just crazy enough to try it…
I just wanted a Star Gate….
I heart Yithians so much, that’s just turning a good game better. Also I like the take on time travel and paradox.
Blowing the gate would be cool but not really thrill seeking, I mean there were thrills all over already and going through… that’d be a hell of a rush.
Also did I hear Aaron say his motivation was collector? Doesn’t that mean he’s trying to get back in with his agency?
a great, fun game. Just enough flaws in the plan to make it very interesting, helicopter crashes, fifty cals, etc.
Admittedly I didn’t follow half the causality conversation, but I followed the same course of logic Caleb did, to make Sheng suffer the causality penalty.
What was this Conti quick response van that you mentioned, Caleb?
Cameo appearance by a Great Old One, Ethan? Are we talking about the “dragon” or did I miss something?
Can’t wait to listen to the Finale.