Saturday 24 October 2015

Crime

This is an extension of the basic Scenario Generator. The list expands the Crime option from that original list, and was written by the amazing Rudolph Aligierski (who translated Mecha Mice into Polish).

Roll 1D6:
  1. Theft
  2. Arson
  3. Murder
  4. Sabotage
  5. Burglary
  6. Combine two of the above
Keep in mind that solving crime is not within regular Mecha-Corp jurisdiction, and might cause friction with local Cops. On the one hand - tensions, frictions, and conflicts are what makes a good game session. On the other - knowing about potential conflict with the law enforcement players might be hesitant to engage. That's why the crime must be an offense to the honour of the Corp (honour and face being the foundation of mice society).

If it's theft - the item stolen is one of the Mecha-Suits. If it's murder - make the victim one of their own - member of the Corp or a relative.

Incidentally it is not murder which is most severe crime on the list. Given the thousand enemies mice are used to death. Death in the hand of their own is repulsive, but hardly shocking. As the basis of the Community is work for the brighter future, work done by many for many, it is sabotage and arson directed against someone else's efforts, that are most angering and traumatic to mice society.




Wednesday 7 October 2015

Lost-cape's Patrol

Red-paw and Sticky-mud sat on the sand looking out across the bay while munching the morning meal. Lost-cape was standing a few lengths up the beach on overwatch. Her eyes constantly flicking from sky, to sea, and to the trees behind. There wasn't much chance of a problem or threat here on the island, but that was because the Corp was here, and this patrol was one of the reasons the island was so safe.

Sticky-mud popped the last seed into his mouth. "Well, I guess we'd better get moving, they'll be expecting us in Small-on-sea by now."

"No." Lost-cape's one word put the other two mice on alert. They jumped to their feet as she continued. "There's a snake out there."

The snake wove across the water towards them. Red-paw's eyes narrowed. He slammed his visor closed and sprinted for the water. As he jumped out into the sea the other two moved to the water's edge unslung their power staffs.

The snake will be tired, thought Red-paw, it will want to get to land. It will strike, it will not hurt, I must not let it reach the beach. The snake saw him, veered away to one side trying to bypass him. Red-paw kicked hard and moved in its path. The snake kept coming, its tongue flicking out.

Red-paw couldn't get in front of it, he was moving too slow but he kicked harder anyway. With one gauntleted hand he pulled his bolas free. All within a half breath the snake's body was corrugating passed his visor, he swung the bolas over his head and it splashed down over the snake. With a dive Red-paw was under the snake and grasping for the other end of the bolas trying to create reins. His bemetalled claws brushed the weighted bolas before they bobbed out of reach. The snake slid on, he flailed, struggling to get a grasp on its slick surface but his suits paws found no purchase. With a yell of frustration he threw a punch at its tail before it passed out of reach, but if the snake noticed, it didn't show. Unwilling to give up, he kicked hard swimming after the enemy.

Lost-cape stepped to her left placing herself directly in the path of the snake, Sticky-mud took a position ten lengths to her side. Without taking his eyes from the oncoming enemy he slipped his bolas from their pouch and tied one end to his staff.

As the snake writhed from the water Lost-cape leaped at its face. It opened it's mouth flexing its fangs, but it didn't have time to strike before Lost-cape struck with her staff, driving the end into the beasts mouth sliding it up a wet fang. The staff discharged, the snakes poison sack pulsed splashing her mecha suit with poison. Sticky-mud was there too. With a mighty yell he swung his staff, the bolas tied to the end flailed for the snake's head. The bolas struck one of its eyes making it blink just as it lashed out at Lost-cape. With the shock the strike was misdirected and punched Lost-cape, sending her tumbling across the sand.

Sticky-mud struck again, and the snake slid away. It was trying to get away and across the beach. Running up the beach he put himself between the snake and the grassland above. The snake pulled back for a strike but suddenly flexed turning back to the water as Red-paw discharged his staff onto its tail. The snake's head whipped out at him and the impact sent him surging under the water.

When the beast turned back to the beach it found two Mecha Corp mice standing staunchly blocking its path. It wavered for a second undecided if it should attack or flee. When it slithered to its left, the mice matched its move blocking it.  In frustration it made a half hearted strike towards Lost-cape but it didn't connect. It moved left again, and again the mice matched it. There was a splashing to the snakes right and it's eyes flicked that way to see a third mecha emerge from the water. Red-paw marched up the sand and joined the others damning the way up the beach.
The snake suddenly back flipped into the water and started swimming for the opposite shore. Lost-cape issued orders, and Red-paw set off to warn the community of Small-on-sea while Sticky-mud found a high point from to track the snake's departure.

Friday 2 October 2015

The Small-on-sea community

Small-on-sea is a small community on the opposite side of Searbay island from Carlyle. It is a wildly different place to Carlyle in a number of respects.

The community here is not built of mice that all share the commune-vision of mousedom. The mice of Small-on-sea are those that find they can't fit into a tight knit community. They include both mice invited to the island but who disposition can't cope with too many mice, and those born on the island who find it difficult to fit in.

The buildings of Small-on-sea are smaller, with many dug into the soil and widely spread with wide gaps between them. Few mice live within the notional borders of the town, instead they tend to live in more natural family groups spread throughout the nearby woods.

The mice that opt to live in or near Small-on-sea tend to be more solitary and self reliant, gruff to strangers and even occasionally aggressive towards strangers. There are families too of rugged mice that prefer the less crowded life. The fact that the town exists shows that as a group they see the benefits of some level of community cooperation but just prefer to spend most of their time away from crowds.

The town does have a contingent of Carlyle Cops that are regularly changed. All of the Cops are given strict hands-off instructions before setting out for Small-on-sea. For new recruits this can sometimes be a challenge as the social norms and attitudes in the town differ so widely from those they are used to in Carlyle.

There are warehouses and stores within the town and the surrounding families often contribute to the community so that in times of need they will have something to fall back on. To most though the town is a place that's necessary, just get goods now and then, but a place they'd rather avoid.

The town is on one of the standard patrol routes of the Mecha Corp and they tend to pass through the town or along the beach in front of it every couple of days. The local Cop contingent are expected to alert the patrol if there are any problems they need to deal with. By tradition, this has become a formal report-process that is mostly carried out for the sake of form and honour. On a number of occasions this has led to real problems when the Cops decided they could handle a problem better suited to the Corp.