Train Busters game thread

Sep 29, 2015 11:36 pm
The East is already far behind you; you're in Omaha, boarding the train headed west across the wilderness to the Golden State of California. What will you find there? How will the journey be?

You don't have to wait long to find out, as the conductor yells out "All aboard!!" You make your way to a passenger car with wide leather benches for seating. The train car is full, but you manage to find a place for yourself squeezed between two other passengers. There is a blast of steam, a lurch, a series of crashing noises, and finally a squeak of distressed metal, the train lumbers into motion down the track.

You're finally on your way!
Oct 1, 2015 7:38 pm
Clutching his valise filled with the tools and chemicals of his trade, Saul finds himself in between a prospector and a typewriter salesman. Naturally gregarious, he strikes up polite conversation with both men, but his mind is far away. Those outlaws crossed the wrong man. Steal my wagon...my livelihood...at gunpoint! Why, it’s enough to drive a man to extremes! I’ll show them. The long arm of the law hasn’t got to them but Saul Balsam knows a trick or two, yessir! I know at least one of those vermin is on this train. I'll make them pay if it's the last thing I do!
Last edited October 1, 2015 8:08 pm
Oct 2, 2015 4:22 pm
To my left, a young woman looking out the window, probably bored out of her mind. There's nothing but sand, rock and cacti to see. To my right, a small boy with a wooden train, spitting, sputtering and making the best of the situation. As the train gets rolling I look around. No one I recognize in this car, which is good because I'm likely to be recognized at some point, but it's best if the heist is already under way when that happens. Satisfied, I stand up.

Bubblegum - 8

Rolls

Mundane - Standing Up - (1d10)

(8) = 8

Oct 2, 2015 5:23 pm
Frank is looking around for any signs of dust He can be heard muttering to himself as he moves from table to table, accidentally interrupting meals with his poking about, "I know that blasted dust must be here somewhere. they sure are sneaky!"
Last edited October 2, 2015 6:39 pm
Oct 3, 2015 10:43 am
Bonnie, Frank, Saul, Tombstone, Persimmon and Chhun all still have 8 gum.

Saul now knows more than he ever wanted to about the new Remington typewriter, while the prospector has been going on and on about Maggie May, a woman he's going to marry once he strikes it rich in California. Saul realizes that it's about lunch time and not only is he hungry, but wealthier potential suckers - uh, clientele - would be in the dining car. He begins to make his way forward and notices two striking women: a confident one with a fierce expression striding purposefully down the aisle (Bonny), and a voluptuous one looking at Saul with a saucy expression (Persimmon, the NPC).

(OOC: Candi, if I had thought about it beforehand, I would have created an experience system whereby characters get XP for successful mundane rolls. But I didn't before we started, so maybe next time.)
Bonny sees Saul and, behind him, a slightly queasy-looking Chinaman (Chhun, the other NPC) swaying as he attempts to navigate the aisle. No one here looks particularly prosperous, other than the tarted-up fern girl with the pearls at her neck (Persimmon, again). Bonny might notice something else; try a mundane roll, too.

Frank has made his way through car after car, looking for dust, and he's now ended up in the dining car. A trolley with supplies on it needs to trundle past; Frank is forced to sit at a table to make way. The person at the table looks strangely familiar to him. Roll a mundane roll to see if Frank can put a name to the face.

Tombstone finishes re-reading his daddy's letter. Gold! Can it be true? Ezekiel is just happy at the prospect of seeing his daddy again. He was prepared to help with the Lincoln County business when the letter arrived; family won out over duty...this time. When Tombstone has finished folding up the letter, he looks up and may roll a mundane roll to see who he recognizes.
Oct 3, 2015 4:26 pm
Frank tilts his head to the side as he tries to remember this person's name and where he's seen this person before.

Rolls

Mundane, recognizing a face - (1d10)

(8) = 8

Oct 3, 2015 5:19 pm
I stride confidently forward, hoping the grifter of a salesman I robbed the week before doesn't take notice, and scanning the others carefully for anything of note. I take heed of the woman with the pearls, while I have a bigger target, it's good to have options.

Rolls

Mundane - looking around - (1d10)

(4) = 4

Oct 4, 2015 4:14 am
"Do my eyes deceive me? Is that...?

Rolls

Mundane roll vs 8 to recognize - (1d10)

(6) = 6

Oct 4, 2015 6:43 am
Frank (8 gum): Your eyes widen as you see through the cheap disguise that Thomas is wearing. You haven't seen him for ages, and you're surprised to see him this far from Menlo Park, New Jersey. Edison seems to be horrified to see you at first, but then relaxes as you do nothing but stare back at him in astonishment.
"Frank - oh, Frank - I thought you were one of them for a moment! What a relief to see a friendly face!"

Saul (8 gum) sees the confident woman lean over the saucy one to look searchingly out the window. Perhaps they're in cahoots? He notices the fat string of pearls around the saucy one's neck.

Bonny (8 gum), sauntering casually down the aisle with her long gun under her duster, glances outside and then peers more closely out the window past Persimmon. She sees a number of mounted men riding past in the direction of the locomotive, wildly waving rifles.
Despite their cavalry uniforms, Bonny recognizes how they ride bareback and identifies them as Injuns.

Ezekiel (8 gum) simultaneously recognizes two outlaws in this very car: Chop Sing, wanted fer the death of three white men back in Jackson, and William Bonney, wanted fer participatin' in all that murder bizness down in Lincoln County.
Oct 4, 2015 9:01 am
Frank leans in and whispers to Edison, "Tommy, my boy, you seem worried, have you landed yourself in some trouble again?"
Oct 5, 2015 3:38 pm
Thomas replies to Frank:
"No, no, no, it's nothing like what happened with the mole men. It's far more serious - they've taken my lab!"
Oct 5, 2015 3:43 pm
At about this time, everyone hears the unmistakable sound of gun fire further forward on the train.
Oct 5, 2015 8:51 pm
Dammit. I curse under my breath, this is MY train. I turn, popping a flat piece of something pink and powdery into my mouth and begin chewing. I try to push past those in the aisle, shoving my way towards the front of the car, and the front of the train. The aisle is too slow, I quickly become frustrated and make to leap up on the seat and vault my way to the end of the car.

This just got real! Let's lose some Bubblegum!
Last edited October 5, 2015 9:19 pm

Rolls

Kicking Ass (or, doing something non-mundane) - (1d10)

(5) = 5

Oct 5, 2015 9:14 pm
Frank's eyes open wide at the sound of gunfire and he gets down and grabs Thomas' arm to pull him under the table as well, "Did you upset the mole men again? and WHO took your lab?" he sits and thinks for a moment and gets a serene look on his face, "And have you seen any dust?"

Rolls

Mundane (Leading Thomas under the table) - (1d10)

(8) = 8

Oct 6, 2015 5:40 am
Saul puts his show face on when he spots Persimmon. "I had resigned myself to a long, dreary, utterly boring trip, but I do believe you have saved me from it, madam. Saul Balsam, at your service!" He bows and takes her be-ringed hand to kiss it but the sound of gunfire rings out. The oulaws! I must get to them! It occurs to Saul that he hasn't quite worked out exactly how he plans to exact his revenge on the bandits who wronged him. He helps Persimmon duck for cover in between the train seats. He sees the other, vaguely familiar woman rush for the exit. That's when recognition clicks: I remember now! The bandit leader was a woman! A scarf covered half her face but I could tell she was beautiful! This has got to be her and her band is taking the train right now! Saul turns to Persimmon, "Madam, stay here where it's safe. I'm going to see what trouble has befallen this train and what can be done to help." He takes his valise, cane, and hat, and rushes after Bonny.

Rolls

Mundanely rushing after Bonny - (1d10)

(8) = 8

Oct 7, 2015 1:25 am
Persimmon bats her eyes at Saul and purrs her appreciation for his attention to him, while trying to pick his pocket as his attention is diverted, first by her decolletage and then by the sight of Bonny fleeing down the aisle. Unfortunately, she was not expecting that Saul would jump to his feet when the gunfire broke out, and her hand deep in his waistcoat yanks her off of her feet, and she falls headlong into the aisle. The force of Saul's leap and the weight of Ms. Flagella combined tear Saul's coat in half, spilling small vials of snake oil (extras in his coat pocket) that roll and clatter all over the floor of the train car.

Persimmon: 7 gum

Rolls

Mundane vs. 8 (pick pocket) - (1d10)

(9) = 9

Oct 7, 2015 1:36 am
Chhun, seeing Tombstone's hostile recognition, leaps to his feet just as Bonny leaps atop the back of his chair. He manages to mostly dodge the crazy woman; she barely grazes him as she loses her balance and flies over his head to take down a crowd of people like a professional wrestler. Bottles of Saul's snake oil roll past the writhing, flailing bodies. As Bonny falls, she contacts someone's skin, and has a brief, absolutely horrible vision of mountains on fire, cackling bat-winged shadow beasts, chanting people in purple robes, and this very train descending into the vast gaping mouth of a hideous rapacious monster of unimaginable size. The vision is momentary, but so vivid that Bonny is convinced that someone in the eight or so people that fell with her is more evil than she ever imagined possible for a person to be. She finds herself on the floor of the train, tangled with some very irritated and scared passengers as the sound of gunfire continues.

Chhun: 8 gum
Bonny: 7 gum


Saul catches up to the crowd of tangled bodies, but can't reach Bonny right away.

Rolls

Attempting to stand (mundane vs 8) - (1d10)

(7) = 7

Oct 7, 2015 1:42 am
Ezekiel "Tombstone" sees Chhun - Chop Sing - recognize him and leap to his feet, and then catch Bonny the Bandit's foot as she soars past him. William Bonney - Billy the Kid - has leapt to his feet with his eyes on the forward door; he has not noticed the lawman behind him yet.

Meanwhile, in the dining car (next car forward in the train): Frank and Thomas are crouched under the table, where Frank is enthralled to find quite a bit of dust. There is quite a commotion in the train car as Edison explains: "You know that I am the real Thomas Alva Edison, but everyone else thinks that impostor is actually me. They tried to kill me, back in Atlantic City, but I slipped out of the manacles and swam to the mainland." He shows you the scabs on his wrists, dimly seen in the shadows under the table. "No one but you and I know that the real Thomas Alva Edison is still alive."

Luke has been busily collecting cash at another table in the dining car, cleaning up dealing games of faro. He's got a banker, a French chef, and a newspaperman eating out of his hand when the gunfire rings out. He notices that the banker reaches for his valise, the newspaperman reaches for his breast pocket, and the chef leaps up in consternation.

Clarence is busy smoking a cigar in the dining car, idly drawing architectural designs on some sheets of paper without really concentrating on it. This is a practice he's developed over the last few years, which he calls Automatic Depiction. He's come up with many of his more fanciful building designs while letting his Muse guide his hands while he enjoys a good smoke. Then he spends weeks or months deciphering what he's written, translating what his hands designed into something that can actually be constructed. His reverie is interrupted by the loud reports of gun shots ringing out, and the screams of alarm from other passengers in the dining car.

Someone pulls the brakes on the train, which lurches and begins to slow to a stop with a long screech.
Oct 7, 2015 11:55 am
"Hell's bells, a man can't even take a vacation without the scum of the earth stirring up a fuss all roundabout him! I reckon it's time these bastards receive a little justice for disturbing my peace."
Tombstone carefully places the letter back in his pocket and draws his massive handgun from it's holster as he stands and strides up directly behind Billy the Kid. He kicks out the back of his knee to drop him down on his knees, and places the gun against the back of his head.
"When you see St. Peter, tell 'im Tombstone sent ya."

Okay, if it's not too much escalation too early I'd like to surrender a bubblegum to automatically succeed this kick ass roll and blow Billy the Kid's brains out (presuming he isn't a player character). If that's not acceptable I'll do something else lol.
Last edited October 7, 2015 11:56 am
Oct 7, 2015 3:28 pm
The young man drops to his knees, completely flat-footed by the lawman. Billy the Kid snarls and brings his gun halfway around to fire in the time it takes Ezekiel to pull the trigger. Billy's fast...but not that fast. Billy's move is interrupted by a bullet, and his finger reflexively pulls his trigger wide of the mark. The sound of the two shots in the close confines of the railroad car is deafening. Sunlight streams through two new holes in the side of the train, making shining beams of light trailing through the cloud of gun smoke. As the smoke clears, everyone can see the ruin of the outlaw man's face, much of it spread across the seats and along the windows on the right side of the train.

If people were panicked before, the passengers in the train car now go berserk with terror. The noise is so loud that only Ezekiel hears the soft "Oh...oh, no...!" from another young man behind and across the aisle from him, as the young man eyes the hole in his coat where Billy's shot hit him. Then the young man slumps bonelessly to the floor of the aisle behind Ezekiel.

Ezekiel: 7 gum
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