We've got ourselves a convoy
Rolling out of the Chikkinobbs factory with three truck loads of chicken, the convoy trundles up a highway, one side blocked by cars, bumper to bumper escaping a long distant threat. The robot drive trucks, with mounted machine guns (due to the current economic climate) are being guided to Barter Town.
Yexil's on the roof.
A road side garage provides a break in the monotony of the highway and perched on the roof are two Yexils, large winged lions. Tabatha is sent in to speak 'cat-to-cat' and soon realises the one emblazoned with a Zoopremacist symbol isn't rational and has been sent by a mysterious 'Stalin' character to attack the group. Although they could have been bribed with some cloth, a short fight ensues, with first one then the other Yexil pounded into mush and Claw reveals his true nature - no mercy, no surrender. A quick loot of the gas station returns some gas, a smiley face t-shirt, a pair of snow boots and some pajamas!!
A bug in the baggage
As the convoy trundles on, the off ramp leads to the ruins of the airport and a short debate leads the group to detour off and investigate. In the distance their ship, piloted by Zig-Zag is seen sailing towards the end of the runway, which abruptly ends in Crater Lake. None of the planes seem serviceable, their wings rusted and broken. However, in a small hanger they spy a X800 Flit Car, with faux leather seat, top speed of 200mph, a single seat sports aircar which seems to be in good condition. Not believing their luck, they dispatch the animatronic toys in to scout the area and soon discover it is the lair of a Parn (Sword beetle). Sending in Claw to talk 'insect-to-insect' with it, they soon realise that it has no interest in them except as dinner. Zeek explodes in fiery doom, Tabbatha blinds the beast and Claw hurls the creature across the room, leading to its being literally squashed under foot. Some Omega tech later, including the discovery of the Black Ray Gun:
The Stepford town?
The group then proceeds onto Barter Town, a larger shopping mall with broad expanse of parking, where they are given a (surprisingly) warm welcome. The Queen of Dreams thanks them for the food as the town folk unload the lorries. They establish that they will supply food to the town but recognise a competitor has set up a Soylent supply as an alternative! The TVs show the arrival of the group with the ticker revealing that Barter town has had 50 days of freedom from crime courtesy of 'Victory Pacific'.
Exploring Barter Town markets, every time Tabbatha goes near a shop keeper they put on a tin-foil hat (because it worked in a film they saw so must be true). The place is full of bartered and looted goods, but also quiet and peaceful. The TVs are blaring out the latest episode of 'Iron Town Empires' the story of life in factory town and the tickers read 'Victory through Work', and 'Victory through Peace'. Zeek and Tabbatha hear that you can buy a TV and seek out the 'Sony' shop, bartering a silver tea service and other items for their 42" plasma TV. Meanwhile, Rocky/Claw was becoming suspicious of the TV pacifying affect on the people of Barter Town and when he sees that they have 'bought' a TV, proceeds to smash it. A brief, heated discussion ensues about the nature of the influence with Rocky arguing that the TV was corrupting people and Zeek forcefully pointing out that he wasn't watching the TV because Rocky smashed it before he had the chance. The argument caused some consternation in the populace who kept whispering 'The Ministry of Love'. Satisfying himself that he still had the remote and skybox, Zeek persuaded Rocky to visit the Church of TV to satisfy him that the TVs were not the cause of the pacified nature of the people.
Being taken to the island that holds the Church, they pass through the corridor that leads to the viewing area and can see, through the glass the holy producers and beyond them the 'live' news broadcast being underway. Tabbatha is looking around with her jaw open while Zeek summons a producer to talk to Rocky. The producer gives vague and meaningless answers, so Zeek takes Rocky to a private viewing of all the previous news broadcasts, as Tabbatha curls up and sleeps in a chair. They discover the peaceful nature of the populace seems to have occurred the day after they left Barter Town for the Zoo and that a subsequent news report about their exploits at the dam painted them in a bad light. Through questioning they discovered the base of 'Victory Pacific' was in the old cinema complex, although who or what it was remained a mystery.
The animatronic toy was deployed to explore the cinema, revealing that it had two guards at the entrance but was otherwise empty. However, Rocky and Tabbatha succumbed to the same effect as the towns people. On a roof top away from the cinema, Zeek and the others where captured, hooded and knocked out. Zeek wakes in room 101, strapped to a heat proof chair in front of a bank of TV screens, with image after image flowing across them. Zeek activates his two minds card and 'Spike' returns, helping him outwit the brainwashing attempt but revealing his greatest fear is paralysis. Rocky is up next and reveals his is being petrified - literally - but is soon believing that the 'Queen is right, the Queen is Wise, the Queen knows all, the Queen defends all'. Tabbatha is shown images of being trapped out in the rain, with the snuffling of a dog invisible in the background. However, her mind is to difficult to pin down and she resists the attempt to compel her and escapes the lethargy - no-one tells a cat what to do!
Returning to her cell, Tabbatha rubberises her skeleton, escaping from the bonds and releasing Zeek and Rocky. Rocky's lethargy concerns Zeek so he uses the hypno-ray to break Rocky's pacified nature but Spike steps in at this point planting the suggestion that Rocky is the best person to be running Barter Town - perhaps even King Rocky. A quick blast and the prison door is no more, an exiting the chamber they meet a beagle who they recognise as one of the former town councilmen. He points the group towards where 'Victory Pacific' is and they need no urging to head off to destroy it.
Breaking into the chambers of the Dream Queen, they meet two of the guards dressed in medieval armour, and lay into them. One manages to withdraw, the other being wrecked and scattering components across the floor. Rounding the corner, they meet another guard and the fight progresses along the corridor towards the main chamber, with gradually the robot guards being taken down. Rocky is the first to reach the chamber, a vast oval room with a brain in a vat of radioactive plasma - 'Victory Pacific' and the Dream Queen lets loose her shotgun at Rocky but a nifty swap places act means her shot hits her guard instead. Being blasted by radioactive beams, Rocky struggles towards the Queen as Tabbatha nips into the battle area only to have the Queen command Rocky to 'knock the cat into the plasma' which he proceeded to do! Blasting away at the Queen with the black ray gun Rocky misses and Tabbatha melees with her. Using his recharge power, his second shot with the black ray gun sends the dream Queen into unconsciousness. Tabbatha coup-de-gras the Queen by ripping her head off, sending white control fluid spraying everywhere and her eyes flicker open and say 'You have made me more powerful than before' as the android 'dies'.
Using the broadcast equipment in the area, Rocky makes a play for taking over the town but not succeeding, leaving him to scheme about how he will one day rule Barter Town and the voice of Spike echoing in his mind. Looting the area, they gain a new TV and two Omega tech cards each. Deciding a business empire is the way to go, they plan to head towards Industry town to expand the Chikkinobbs franchise.
Deep in the heart of the Robot King's factories a vat bubbles and the form of the Dream Queen rises from the pool. The King's voice echoes from the speaker, 'Welcome back and your upgrade is now complete'.
Deep within a domed structure, a girl is seen scrambling behind an overturned metal table, her pistol smoking in the cold air. Calling to someone nearby she says 'we have to hold the galley, it's all we have left' and then she pops up from behind the table firing off into the distance.
2 comments:
I love Gamma world with its quirky races and mad robots. The unpredictability of the game and that even the innocuous looking things can be hazardous. The card system is new to me and adds a random element that I would probably find tricky to ref with, however the way the game is depicted this seems to work well with the characters being able to use their powers to help like Rocky's use of the recharge power.
I love Gamma world with its quirky races and mad robots. The unpredictability of the game and that even the innocuous looking things can be hazardous. The card system is new to me and adds a random element that I would probably find tricky to ref with, however the way the game is depicted this seems to work well with the characters being able to use their powers to help like Rocky's use of the recharge power.
Andrew
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