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Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>41370655
>Dive out from behind the bed and fire at the shooter, Max Payne style.

Rolled 6, 7 = 13 (2d20)

>>41370689
Single Player mode it is, your lucky numbers are...

Writing...

File: maxpayne3.jpg (1.12 MB, 2560x1556)

1.12 MB JPG

((As I experiment with new ways to do things I've decided to switch to an average of 3 system instead of a best of 3 system, just so you know.))

Rolls averaged to 10

You need to get a handle on the situation right the fuck now! If the gunman knows you're there, he'll be expecting you to pop up over the top of the bed, so you dive out to the side, gun blazing. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work like in the movies and performing the maneuver plays merry hell with your aim. Fortunately the gunman doesn't keep his cool and flinches as your first few shots hit the door frame around him. This gives you a moment to correct your aim and put several rounds into the guy's center of mass. Even though you're military trained you've never really fought without several cm of armour plate between you and the enemy. As a result you get a little too excited and fire off more bullets than you originally intended.

Now you're lying on your side prone with two corpses on your hands. Lev is still cowering behind the bed, shocked by this recent turn of events.

Now would be a good time to... (Roll 1 d20)
>Stay where you are for a few moments and keep the door covered, the gunman may have friends.
>Get up! Quickly, you need to move.
>Get up and loot the corpses.in true RPG fashion
>Crawl back behind the bed.
>Write in

While your at maybe you should...
>Try to calm Lev down.
>Tell him to stop freaking out and DO SOMETHING!
>"..." Silent Protagonist Option
>Write in

>>41371468
>>Get up and loot the corpses.in true RPG fashion
>Tell him to stop freaking out and DO SOMETHING!

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>41371468
>>Get up and loot the corpses.in true RPG fashion
>Try to calm Lev down.

averages are shit btw.

Rolled 2 + 2 (1d2 + 2)

>>41371506
>>41371565
Alright another player, let's hope more join as the night rolls on. D2 time, also your lucky numbers are...

>>4137156506
Yeah well with the way one of the Cognis's weapons work, best out of three kinda breaks one of it's weapons. I will think on this later.

Writing...

File: Uzi-shooting.jpg (39 KB, 331x351)

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Rolls averaged to 10

You quickly get to your feet with the intention of grabbing the gunman's SMG, but first thing's first: you lean over and grab Lev.

"Lev, I need you to focus." He's still breathing heavily and shaking slightly. You snap your fingers to get his attention. "Look at me Lev, now we're in a dangerous situation, but if you stay calm and do everything I say, maybe, just maybe we might..."

You don't get to finish the sentence. Turns out the gunman did have a buddy, you see him out of the corner of your eye as he steps through the door frame. You have a split second to shove Lev aside and bring your own weapon up before he starts spraying. Apparantly these thugs are from the Godfather school of marksmanship i.e. point an automatic weapon at the target and empty the clip into it, no discipline. The irony is lost on you as you empty your own clip in the guy's general direction; there was no time to aim anyway.

As luck would have it you first shot hit's him in the shoulder, sending his aim wide. That decided it. The rest of your shots were merely a formality. By the time your gun clicks empty your attacker is very dead.

Behind you Lev is getting to his feet, still wide eyed and trembling but he seems to have more presence of mind now. He fumbles in his pockets and eventually pulls out a dinky little holdout revolver... you really hope he knows how to use that thing.

Struggling to manage your own adrenaline rush you fumble through reloading your pistol. This is youre last magazine and you can't afford another sloppy encounter like that.

Time to...(Roll 1d20)
>Tell Lev to cover you while you grab one of the fallen gunmen's SMGs
>Cover Lev and tell him to grab an SMG.
>Write in

Then...
>Exit the room via the window.
>Exit via the hallway
>Write in

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>41372270
>>Tell Lev to cover you while you grab one of the fallen gunmen's SMGs
>Exit via the hallway

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>41372270
>>Cover Lev and tell him to grab an SMG.
>Exit the room via the window.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>41372270
>>Tell Lev to cover you while you grab one of the fallen gunmen's SMGs
>Exit via the hallway

>>41372293
>>41372321
>>41372414
Hooray, finally enough players to vote on stuff.
Looks like we're looting the body ourselves and exiting via the hallway.

Writing...

File: ShootShootShoot.gif (375 KB, 500x282)

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Rolls average to 17

"Lev, cover me while I grab a better weapon."

Lev nods and stiffly raises his gun, pointing it down the hallway while you crouch next to the bodies of the gunmen. They were both using small submachine guns, more like machine pistols really. You pick one up and realise that it's unlikely to have much ammo left in the magazine; a side effect of the thug's spray and pray style. Holstering your pistol you rumage through the corpse looking for a fresh magazine. As you do another gunman comes up the stairs.

To his credit Lev quickly puts a bullet in the guy's chest, but then just gawks as the guy staggers forward trying to raise his own weapon.

"SHOOT HIM AGIN DUMBASS!"

To your adrenaline heightened senses Lev's actions seem painfully slow. A second hits the gunman's shoulder while a third hits the chest again and sends him stumbling backwards to fall down the stairs. You glare at Lev as your reload your new SMG.

"When shooting at someone who's trying to kill you, you don't stop until you're sure they're down."

You slowly move down the stairs, panning your gun left and right. No more enemies are encountered as you reach the main club area. Most of the patrons have fled although some have taken cover behind the bar and various upturned tables.

Where to next...
>Just walk out the front.
>Sneak out the back.
>Write in

Also
>Give Lev your service pistol, he needs a big-boy gun.
>Remind him to reload, that holdout pistol he has can't have more than 6 cylinders.
>Write in

>>41372913
>Sneak out the back.
>Remind him to reload, that holdout pistol he has can't have more than 6 cylinders.
offer him a second weapon taken from all the corpses

>>41372913
>>Sneak out the back.
>Remind him to reload, that holdout pistol he has can't have more than 6 cylinders.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>41372913
>>Sneak out the back.
>Remind him to reload, that holdout pistol he has can't have more than 6 cylinders.

dat hivemind

>>41373092
Well there weren't many options at this juncture, although I do wonder at the mindset of my players during the skirmish segments of the quest.

*shrugs* At the end of the day I serve the will of the Players.

Writing...

File: back_alley.jpg (8 KB, 277x182)

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Seeing no immediate danger you tell Lev to cover you and rush back up stairs to grab another SMG and ammo.

"Hey Lev, think you can handle a bigger gun?"

Lev looks apprehensively at the SMG before gingerly taking it. You take the opportunity to dispense some more basic firearms lessons.

"Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot, when you do pull the trigger and fire in short bursts, a gun like this can run away with you if you let it."

Lev gulps then nods. You don't think he'll remember half of it but you figure he's ready(barely) for more firepower.

Nobody challenges you as move behind the bar, and through the kitchen. You open the back door and step out into the cold night air. You're now in a back alley/ cul de sac the only light is coming from a fixture above the doorway. In the shadows you think you see a figure moving.

>Shoot first, ask questions later.
>Train your gun on the figure and tell him to come out.
>Take cover behind a nearby dumpster.
>Write in

>>41373507
>>Train your gun on the figure and tell him to come out.

>>41373507
>>Train your gun on the figure and tell him to come out.

>>41373507
>>Train your gun on the figure and tell him to come out.

>>41373516
>>41373535
>>41373598
All three players present and correct let's get on with the game.

Writing...

((Quick post for a quick decision.))

You raise your weapon and train it on the figure.

"Whoever you are, come out where I can see you!"

The figure hesitates for a second then runs toward the main street.

Roll 1d20
>Fuck it, shoot him.
>Give chase.
>Let him go.
>Write in

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>41373755
>Let him go.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>41373755
>>Fuck it, shoot him.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>41373755
>Give chase.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>41373755
>>Fuck it, shoot him.
in the leg

>>41373784
>>41373814
>>41373821
the hivemind has failed us

>>41373784
>>41373814
>>41373821
>>41373837
And just like that consensus is no longer unanimous. And here I was thinking wondering if I made some choices look obviously better than others.

Writing...

Rolls average to 10 ((Not high enough for that leg shot.))

Your initial burst misses, your second one catches him in the back and sends him down just short of the exit to the main road. That's what he gets for being a dumbass and running when someone already has a weapon trained on him. You run up to the body and find out that he's still alive... barely. Multiple shots through the lungs, he's not long for this world. You might have time interrogate him before he expires.

Off in the distance you can hear the wail of sirens. You cannot be here when the police come sniffing around.

What to do about this guy?
>Ask a question (Write in)
>Put him out of his misery
>Leave him and get out of here

How to leave? Roll 1d20
>Ditch the SMGs and just calmly walk out into the street as if you were just passers by.
>Run and don't look back.
>Be stealthy, stick to the shadows as much as possible.

>>41374232
>>Put him out of his misery and check his pockets.
>Ditch the SMGs and just calmly walk out into the street as if you were just passers by.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>41374282
Crapbaskets phone ate the roll.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>41374232
>>Put him out of his misery
CHeck pockets.
>Ditch the SMGs and just calmly walk out into the street as if you were just passers by.

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>41374232
>Ask a question (Write in)
"Who sent you?"
>Be stealthy, stick to the shadows as much as possible.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>41374232
>>Put him out of his misery
loot
>Ditch the SMGs and just calmly walk out into the street as if you were just passers by.

>>41374282
>>41374316
>>41374317
>>41374344
>>41374349

Kill, Lewt then act like nothing happened.

Writing

Rolls average to 9

Your target landed face down, you grab him now and turn him towards you, he's already begining to choke on his own blood.

"Who sent you!?" you hiss.

The guy weakly gives you the finger before coughing up blood all over your shirt and expiring. Shit! How are you supposed to walk away from the Po-po with blood on you!?

>Stay cool. Just button up your jacket and stick with the original plan.
>Do the old "hide in the dumpster trick."
>Mess yourself up and pretend to be hobos, Lev already looks the part.
>Write in

>>41374590
>>Stay cool. Just button up your jacket and stick with the original plan.

>>41374590
>Stay cool. Just button up your jacket and stick with the original plan.

>>41374590
>>Stay cool. Just button up your jacket and stick with the original plan.

Hive mind is back

>>41374652
>>41374666
>>41374677
Consensus returns!

Writing...

File: CoolFace.jpg (126 KB, 563x1024)

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You button up your jacket right to the collar and toss your SMG in the nearest dumpster, gesturing for Lev to do the same.

"Okay, we're gonna casually walk out of here as if we were just a couple of random guys passing by. Just stay act normal and let me do the talking."

Lev just nods his head vigourously as he tries to stop himself from shivering. A few seconds after you step out of the alley a pair of police officers round the corner.

"You two, stop!"

You turn around blinking at the glare of the flash light one of the cops is pointing at you. You put on your best shit eating grin.
"Evening officer, is there a problem?"

"We received reports of gunshots and armed thugs at this location, do you know anything about that?"

"Me and my buddy here were on our way home from a bar crawl, yeah we heard some loud bangs but just kept on walking. You know what they say about gunshots actually being cars backfiring."

The officer isn't entirely convinced. "What's wrong with your friend?"

Lev is breathing heavily, his face is pale and he's sweating bullets.

"Oh, he's not handling his drink well, I think some of the food we got was off as well."

The officer sniffs. "What is that smell? Smells like blo..."

Before he can complete his thought Lev pukes all over the cop's legs. The cop swears and his partner chuckles while Lev continues to dry heavy, strings of drool dangling from his mouth. Any scent the cop was picking up on has now smothered by the stench of stomach juices. The irony, if Lev had been battle hardened the cops might have actually seen through your cover.

"Aww shit, the poor guy. I better..."

The cop waves you off. "Just...just get out of here."

You don't need to be told twice.

>cont

>>41375380
The walk back to the warehouse is uneventful and the night air helps you cam down. Thinking back to what happened you were damn lucky to get out alive. It seemed like those guys were a bunch of hired goons, not a proper black ops team, maybe their presence had nothing to do with the Cognis and they were targeting Dvorak. Either way you'll feel a lot safer when you get back in a cockpit.

Lev has managed to regain his composure, but he still looks like shit.

Bonding time with Lev?
>"..."You don't say much do you?
>Ask a question (Write in)
>Pep talk (Write in)
>Let him open up to you. Manly men aren't afraid to share their feelings
>Tough Love (Write in)
>(Oh fuck it, everything is write in so if you wanna say anything just write!)

>>41375450
Hey LEv I know it's rough buddy, but we pulled through. This sort of crap is going to keep happening while have the cognis.

>>41375450
>>Let him open up to you.

>>41375450
>Pep talk
"Good job out there Lev, I'd probably be dead or in jail right now if it weren't for you."

>>41375493
>>41375631
>>41375647
Time for some manly feels!

Writing...

File: Ersatz_Lev.jpg (20 KB, 356x200)

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Maybe a bit of LEVity would help the situation...by the Saint that was awful.

"Good job out there Lev, I'd probably be dead or in jail right now if it weren't for you."

Lev gives a hollow chuckle and a weak smile.

"Yeah...who would have thought me losing my lunch would save our asses...heh." Damn the guy seems really shaken up.

"Hey Lev I know it's rough buddy, but we pulled through. This sort of crap is going to keep happening while have the Cognis."

"I know Sergei, I just didn't...oh man I just..." is he crying? "I killed a man Sergei. I knew we'd have to do dirty things when we stole the Cognis but I had these stupid ideas in my head. I thought it would be just like one of those heist movies and we'd be a pair of puckish rogues who get rich in the end and laugh it all off-and-and."

He was starting to blubber, you weren't sure how to handle this, you read in a medical handbook somewhere that "physical reassurance" was one possible treatment for emotional breakdowns. You awkwardly wrap your arm around Lev and pull him in close.

"You're coming down off an adrenaline high Lev, you're gonna be feeling weak, unsure and generally fucked up, but I need you to hold together alright? You do that for me and I promise you that no matter what happens: one day we'll laugh it all off."

Lev dries his eyes and nods. "Yeah...thanks Sergei."

((And that's the end of the session. I will stick around for a bit of Q&A. How do you all like the quest? It looks like I'm finally attracting an audience. For those of you getting tired of all this intermission stuff, next session will see a return to mecha skirmish action!))

>>41376097
I liked the out of the mech arc, hopefully you'll do more of that from time to time to not make it become "routine"

>>41376097
Really liked it. Sorry I didn't participate... was late to it

Still, I like the out-of-mech experience. Maybe even have us get out of it for emergency repairs and shit. Sounds like a lot of things that could happen

>>41376309
>>41376369
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to know there are people who are enjoying the non-mech segments. This quest is primarily meant to be a mecha skirmish quest but I can't do that all the time without context. It's good to know that some people enjoy the intermissions rather than seeing them as something to sit through before we get back in the Cognis.

On a side note I'm starting to see why averages are shit, at least in d20 system. I'll be rethinking my crunch before the next session.

>>41376609
We said it before but don't be discouraged if you have a low number of players.

>>41376309
There will likely be non mech segments between each "mission" to give you a chance to repair and re-arm. This format is not set in stone though and it depends where the story goes.