[OOC] Sudden Payback

Wow, big stuff! Congratulations on the move and new job!

Thanks! New place is about 90% organized now. Still have 3 more weekend days I have to work but everything should settle down soon!

Taking Grit R1 for 5 and using July XP for Knack for It Rank 2 Deception and Streetwise. Does that work?

Yeah, that's fine.

Hey, folks! Just a head's up that I'll be on vacation this coming week (Saturday to Saturday). I'm not sure what the Internet situation is going to be yet, so my posting may be reduced.

We're still waiting on Marv and Max to take actions, so y'all go ahead and do what you're gonna do!

Enjoy!

How do I stop grappling? I'd planned on just breaking out of the grapple, but gained a neutral position instead. Can I choose to make a different attack, either while we're grappling or after escaping?

The Ready... Fight rules say another opposed Brawl (Grappling) check is needed to do so. But I think that sounds like overkill. From a neutral position, I don't see why you can't just declare that you're disengaging, spend a maneuver, and disengage.

By the way, can we call the Pantones in? We didn't really cover that, but I'd guess they'd have either planned to come when the cops swarmed, or we'd set up a signal or something. Does someone need to spend a maneuver or story point to send the signal?

Yeah, I'd say calling them up is going to take a maneuver to take your phone out, and a second to place the call. Same for a text. But note that they're far enough away that they likely wouldn't arrive until several minutes had passed.

Y'all, I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but this is feeling like a losing battle.

Well, you'd assume it's going to be a bit harder to breath soon, at least. The fight's not meant to be unwinnable, but I do think you'll need to think about strategy when next round is likely to see some pepper balls enter the fray.

It'll take a while to type up but Max adjusts glasses.

By the way, can somebody get to the rope to set off the weight trap now that cops are at the back door? Hank's got his hands full at the moment. :)

That was training for the next time the Mayor has a press conference and people attack the gym in the efforts to cause mayhem or kidnap the mayor... Maybe I can get a workshop with Homeland Security in what to do when someone is trying to kidnap the mayor and make a guide... *adjust glasses*

Before we progress any further, I wanted to reiterate a core premise of this game: The cops are corrupt, and many of them are bad guys.

I bring this up, because I think Max's approach makes sense from a character angle, but it's going to be very, very difficult for him to convince the six SWAT cops to back down, or to convince Lance or Jimmy to just surrender. Ultimately, I suspect that this experience may be a huge wake-up call to Max that he's one of a select few clean cops in this town.

I also bring this up to make sure you're on the same page, Remnant. I don't want to step on you trying to play this as a police procedural. If there's a fundamental disconnect in our assumptions, I wanted to make mine clear. My inspiration here includes some action cops flick, but it's more The Warriors than anything else.

Agree the heavies came loaded for bear, but what's that saying...? Cut off the head of the snake and... The body consumes the head to avoid accountability?

I mean on the meta it makes sense but ICly Max has no reason to know which cops or penial system employees are on the take unless it's blatant. If I get black balled even by my captain for the Meta I just Karen my way out of it don't I? Submit my complaint to my Captain and the Mayor. Dime them out to media. Go knock on the US Marshals' door or make it a Federal case possibly both maybe put in an application. Procedurally I'm saying lets handle this the right way. If they say no and I get a fat lip I did my due diligence.

Eventually Max will put himself behind the Justicemobile with authority to start running over bad cops and associates I figure it just may not be in this gym. XD

Also it's blatant and suspect if someone states the right thing to do and you show up with shovels and body bags with your safety off on firearms. You can't 'mistakingly' do things like shot them. Plus yeah how else to you fight your way through armed full battle rattle swat cops that throw down more bullets then paperwork.

Yeah, that all makes sense. I just wanted to make sure it was a PC disconnect, and not a player one. We'll resolve Max's cop-ese in the IC.

In the meantime, happy August! Everyone gets +5 XP that you are welcome to spend or bank. Let me know if you buy something with it.

I'll let someone else go first. If Max or Marv isn't grappled/engaged and can get to the rope, I think it'd be good to spring the trap and hit the cops at the back door. Of course, Jimmy is there too, but maybe he's better able to dodge since he's off the soapy ground now?

And for the record, Hank is still hanging on surprisingly well for the moment, but not sure if Marv would know that.