New Villain Arc [ID: 60118]

[cranebump]

Bounty on a Mutiny [L25-29, Villainous] 

After stealing Protean's funds*, you set up a new base with a special device that puts you in the employ of Operative Feliz, who's looking to root out Arachnos traitors -- a prime opportunity that comes with...complications.

*See Leonard's arc Good Villains Never Die

You may view this arc on Twitch, right here.

 

Design Notes:

• In a nod to our favorite supporter of SFMA work, @LordRassilon (aka Twitch's superheroic film-buff and all-around-nice-Canadian [yeah...that sounds redundant, doesn't it?]) Mollymauk, we present a play on classic film, with mish titles from one of our fav musicians (and also a Canuck) Bruce Cockburn (though we just couldn't find a place to use If I Had a Rocket Launcher**).
• Began as a prospective "branching arc," wherein you played through, then chose which arc to proceed to. Realizing it costs arc slots to actually do that, settled instead on a turn of events, putting YOU in the driver's seat (well, sorta...this IS AE, y'know).
• Main test mode run: used an Inc Tank, running at 0/x8. I actually got my ass handed to me. Quite a few times. I suspect if I had a bit of backup (or could, you know, get INSP drops in test mode), this wouldn't have been the case. Nevertheless, if you run at higher solo settings, you have been warned. At this level range, it might be a bear (you can never tell, with different AT types and such).
• Definitely LF feedback, and will resume additional runs with different ATs, checking on how it plays out at default settings.
• It looks like it may be typo free, but no prmoises.:-)

 

**not to worry - some of the bad guys have them.:-)

 

Spoiler stuff, for afterward, if anyone's interested:

Spoiler

• INSPIRATION: Obviously Mutiny on the Bounty. I liked the inverted title and went from there.
• IN-GAME LINKS TO MotB: Wilhelm Zorgloss/Guillermo Feliz is a play on William Bligh. The two NPC operatives that were his (backstoried) partners are a play on Fletcher Christian (Pfielmacher=arrow maker; Xhristin=...I think you can figure that one out). Other than the name drops, any link to the actual story/movie(s) end(s).
• THEMATIC ELEMENTS AND SUNDRY DESIGN THOUGHTS: Originally, the idea was you get double-crossed by Feliz (who has also double-crossed Arachnos (via the lab situation), his former partners, and his employer (the 5th Column). After meeting Kreischer, you would then decide whether to work for him or Ruben. This just got too complicated the more I thought about it. In the end, I opted for the PC standing on the mountaintop by screwing everyone over (except Asa Ronan, whom I just like [and had been waiting to re-introduce for some time]). It's basically a series of double-crosses (maybe a quadruple-cross by the end? I lost count). Anyway, once I settled on that premise, it was just a matter of figuring out how it could be done. Some liberties there, basically assuming the PC has superior skills in hacking/programming and, let's call it "costuming/disguise." Shit happens, no witnesses, Weber sort of gets fingered, and PC goes free (more or less...there's groundwork for a follow up that I'm not sure I'll get to [probably not--feels like a one-shot])
• POWERSETS AND SUCH: I had the first 4 mishes done, and the basic intro/send off/complete test done for the finale mish. Page 7 dropped, so I reset my ideas for Zorgloss's guards and incorporated some of the powersets we just got access to in the designer. Didn't mess around much with new costume pieces, except for using the plague mask. Now, I have no idea who these folks are that Zorgloss hired. I don't think anyone's going to care, however. 
• LORE: I'm taking all sorts of liberties with Nictus/Shadow Crystals, etc. My explanation for how they're used is a complete narrative workaround. Apologies if you're a purist. I thought it was an interesting add, though. There's no real reason for Zorg and others to be inhabited by a Nic, other than to perhaps justify his power tripping. And to add an element of surprise in there. For awhile, I was going to surround him with possessed bad guys (i.e., Nictus-inhabited minions). Settled on the appearance of 1 additional nameless co-conspirator, just to keep the vibe at the forefront (though this NPC is a nameless boss who can be bypassed, so "forefront" is relative here). Eliminated. It served absolutely no purpose.
• THE BIG BAD: Zorgloss is on a power trip. I figure what he does is some combo of his own ambition, pushed by the Niccy inside him. Thinks he'll be able to take on Requiem or some shit (eventually). Of course, he doesn't get a chance, after this.
• KILL 'EM ALL: Not that I don't have stories where the PC actually kills people, but this one DOES eliminate key NPCs. Hence, the villainous ethos. It's a bit double-cross. You do what you gotta do in the Isles.
• THE SPY RING: By the end of this thing, the 5C spy ring can be assumed to be intact. This leaves open the possibility of continuing the story from the Arachnos side, esp. if there's some additional use of/threat from whatever Weber was working on. I doubt I'll pursue it, but it is something to think about.
• THE ACER: Used to allow for multiple mish contacts. Also, I have an old ACER laptop I use for scripting this stuff, so it's sort of a backhanded homage to the machine).

 

Thanks for allowing me to indulge here. I usually do these additional notes mainly as a memo to self. Hope the arc was good, if you ran it. Or at least competent. (I don't aim too high on these things -- makes for more fun and fewer disappointments.:-)

 

Visualize Whirled Peas,

Crane

 

Edited February 26 by cranebump

[cranebump]

Just tested with aL29 SS/Invul tank, who uses primarily DO's. Cruised, save for my usual END issues. Boss fights required some INSPS, but it was fairly easy. Now to try with a squish.

[Clave Dark 5]

7 hours ago, cranebump said:

Realizing it costs arc slots to actually do that

You know you can get basically unlimited arcs now for the asking right?  😃 

[cranebump]

8 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

You know you can get basically unlimited arcs now for the asking right?  😃 

I do. But it pains me to beg.:-) 

 

I did just receive 5 new slots. But spending 3 to produce 7 mishes just…it hurt to think about. So I just couldn’t do it.

Edited February 24 by cranebump

[Clave Dark 5]

It's not a beg!  Simple support ticket, "Hi can I please have three more AE arcs to be awarded by our talented and attractive Devs?" and boom.

[cranebump]

2 minutes ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

It's not a beg!  Simple support ticket, "Hi can I please have three more AE arcs to be awarded by our talented and attractive Devs?" and boom.

See above for the REAL reason.