Convergence, Session 1
General Summary
Colliding Realities
Three identical cars collide at a crossroads near an abandoned warehouse. As a sheriff with a sling surveys the mess, we see the car park of the building. A torch rolls along the ground, casting light against the wall. For the briefest moment, the light forms a perfect circle. In a flash, you are there, together. You stand in a circle, looking inwards. As your eyes adjust to the environment, you make out faint traces of the remnants of lines of pure light connecting you. You are absolutely certain that you are friends, despite being strangers. The sheriff approaches: “We need some help here. There’s been an accident.”The Convergence Player Characters are transported from their own realities to meet at night, in the car park of an abandoned warehouse. Their surroundings seem like a modern day US town. Three identical cars crash at the neighbouring crossroads, and a sheriff with his left arm in a sling asks for the group's help in retrieving the drivers. The three drivers are identical, the group realise as they are pulling them from the wreckage. Sheriff Ragoczy mentions Bill Toge just before the wrecked cars explode.
"I just knew it. It’s that damn Bill Toge again."
The light and sound of the explosion overwhelm the group's senses for a moment.
Nil Escaping Alpha Complex
The group find themselves in a bunker of some sort, with one Bill Toge (with a bag of cash). Friend Computer, an AI that seems to be in control of the bunker, asks them to escort Bill Toge to a Termination Chamber. Cyprian Kernow asks his compact mirror (a Cypher) the true identity of Bill Toge. It states that Bill has three identities - one is a criminal, one is a flesh mage and one is a cult leader. The group work through some challenges, ultimately defeating Friend Computer's programming (Dvorak Four Six becomes recognised as a High Programmer) and destroying it. They take some Cyphers from a room labelled R&D and talk their way past some guards and out of the area. They suddenly end up back at the car park. One car is fine, with Bill Toge driving away (with a clone(?) of Taxi Varlik in the passenger seat). Sheriff Ragoczy seems confused for a while, but then repeats the line about Bill Toge as the wreck explodes again.In Media Jailbreak
The group end up on the porch of a farmhouse in a terrible hailstorm. Inside is a dog that seems alive but is discovered to be some kind of magic / robot. Also, another Bill Toge is there. He is standing over a man laying on the dining table, whose face is fused shut. A big inkblot is on the wall, painted in blood.Rewards Granted
- 8 Manifest Cyphers
- 4 XP
Missions/Quests Completed
- Dealing with the first Bill Toge.
- Destroying Friend Computer.
Character(s) interacted with
Created Content
The a clone(?) of Taxi Varlik is new content - it fits nicely with her timeline-hopping abilities. I can find a way to work this in later.
Notes
Space for Discussion
The players / PCs might need a little more time to discuss their unusual circumstances. They noticed their strange new items (Cyphers) and started asking some questions, but had to continue to deal with their current situation.Unexpected Action
I hadn't planned for the way the players overcame the challenges in the bunker - hacking the systems and effectively negating many of the barriers. But this led to some nice emergent play. It also allowed for skipping over some stuff that would have slowed play down (the Danger Room) to allow for what the players seemed more interested in (destroying servers and uncovering information). It was nice to just let the players solve the problems however they wanted, with the abilities they have, and I think this is the intended experience of the system. They also worked around both the fights I'd planned in quite fun ways (webbing then forcing a surrender, then using "logic" to persuade).Reflections on the System
Cypher System seems to have some great potential. The first session is always rough as we learn the ropes and I realise which parts of the game I've been falsely assuming that the players know. Despite this, I think play was relatively smooth - rolls are nice. If a player wants their character to do a cool thing, it's as easy as me selecting a difficulty and then asking for a roll - the small number of bonuses from Skills and Assets are relatively quick / easy to determine from context and the Effort spent is up to the player. Then the roll happens and the action continues. The initiative order took some getting used to - PCs go either before or after NPCs, depending on their rolls, but precise order is up to the players. I think we'll get used to it fairly quickly though.Player Spirits
Spirits were high - the players seemed to genuinely enjoy the session and they seem excited for the future of the campaign. They appreciated the remixing of previous elements and the surprise inclusion of Friend Computer seemed to go down well - especially because I let them destroy it.Giving Out Information
I botched a lot of the giving out of information - both gameplay- / rules-related and flavour / description. I think that this was because of not feeling quite prepared - this Campaign: Convergence is a bit ambitious / experimental, and we're using an entirely new system. It was a lot to try to get my head around before the session, along with designing the stories and so on. Combined with my personal circumstances leading to less energy and free time, this resulted in me having less focus and energy (and preparedness) in the session than I would usually expect.
Report Date
16 Mar 2021
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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