Today’s post is a report of Undercity Noir game 2, session 2. I will keep the review free (or mostly free) of spoilers. I won’t be strict about chronology since the session was largely split party where the sequence of events is not entirely unclear and because it makes for a more coherent summary.

As with last time, I will focus on my character, Astanya Xakkithe (Xaka), since I know his perspective the best.

Gleep’s player was out, so Gleep went early to pursue Cherry.

Dealing with the Secrets

Blake and Xaka discussed some mission details. Blake used Prognostication to have a vision about Xaka’s near future while Xaka viewed the vision with Keleni Telepathy. Psi-Wars visions are symbolic, but it appears that Blake will be pushing some sort of Imperial propaganda to rewrite Kronos history. Two of the professors will be quite upset. The dean will be pleased. And the ranathim in particular will not like it. The figure from the previous vision also appeared in the second part of the vision. The details are redacted, but it was ominous.

Fast Talking and a Fated Encounter

Simon needed a place to stay and asked one of his trader associates. She was distracted, and Simon startled her (but not her bots). They had a quick (pun intended) conversation where Simon learned some important details related to the job and decided on a hotel.

At the hotel, Simon met an old bounty hunter acquaintance who elicited some information and gave some in return. I suspect we will see more of him later.

At some point, Simon spent some time to analyze the intelligence he gained using his Digital Oracle, one of his Neo Rationalist abilities. (As a side note, this confirmed to me that Xaka has the higher Intelligence Analysis skill level while Simon has a cool ability that gives it extra uses; we could make a great team)

Some time either before, during or after the analysis, Simon received an urgent message from Blake.

The Cat, the Creep and the Crime Scene

Blake went to some Imperial law enforcement station to request a mind shield. As an asrathi, she was dismissed as being a criminal (there is an asrathi mafia, therefore all asrathi are mafia) and was to be subjected to mountains of paperwork to prove her identity and need when a certain familiar figure came to her aid and offered her a choice of mind-shielded jewelry. Something is off about him (I have my suspicions, but Xaka hasn’t met him yet).

After receiving the mind shield, Blake went to a certain place. When she arrived, something was off. There was a witch outside who gave Blake an ominous prediction. Blake called Simon for backup. After speaking with the witch for a bit, Blake entered and found that she was at a murder scene. She found some redacted items that may be important (I recognized one of the items, and I believe Xaka would were he to see it). She also saw an asrathi duck into a room. Simon arrived, but the assailant escaped. The cops arrived, the witch left out the back, and Blake exited toward the front. After dropping the Emperor’s name, Blake left with a promise to answer questions she was authorized to answer some time in the future.

Bureaucracy, a Warning and Research

Xaka was called into the dean’s office and informed of some Imperial history rewriting project. Xaka took the abuse and threats against his job and delivered a few somewhat veiled blows in return. Back at his office, two other professors were waiting for him (one left the dean’s office before Xaka). The half-human half-ranathim professor warned Xaka of some impending doom. Xaka used some of that information to assist in his research and found some useful information.

Before Xaka began his research, he was interrupted by a student whose grades had been slipping. Xaka’s Ancestral Guide informed him that this student is psychic and that Xaka needs to train her. Xaka detected signs of ergokinetic activity and activated an EVP device. She appears to be infatuated by some ranathim boy/young man.

Another Cat, Another Creep and More Cops

Anastasia spent some time dancing and gained the attention of a different creep. She promised to meet him later but said she was busy at the moment. She also gave the man burner contact information.

Anastasia was the first to arrive not far from the meeting location where she stopped at a food stall where a gaunt was selling Shinjurai Sushi and good luck charms (the sushi was definitely not made with dead flesh). Xaka arrived shortly after, and the gaunt seemed to recognize him, so I assume they were acquaintances.

Some “allegedly” crazy keleni prophet that Xaka knew caused a disturbance and disparaged the Empire and the Emperor. The constables/security agents went to detain him, but the temple master came to collect the prophet and take him away and asked the security to be lenient with the old man.

Shortly after that, a certain event occurred that led a chase and a cry about Anastasia’s force sword. The session was nearly over, and Xaka had personal reasons for wanting to catch the quarry with minimal trouble, so he short circuited the chase with Sleep and a free, 1/session Impulse Buy point. The quarry was dazed, and Blake arrived in time to partially resolve part of the chase, but the quarry got away.

After the chase, constables arrived ready to detain Anastasia for having a force sword without a license. “I’m a princess. Why shouldn’t I have a force sword, nyan?” Blake’s position and Xaka’s diplomacy settled the issue with minimal trouble. Anastasia gave the cops burner contact info and promised not to cause any trouble.

Thoughts

The party started split on session 1 but ended together. In session 2, the party split again and finally met (besides Gleep) at the end. I would not be displeased to have a starting scene recapping Gleep’s actions, but it will be nice to to have some more multi PC scenes if only for time management purposes.

In general, the crew seems to have a decent amount of synergy. It will be nice to make use of it.

One important rules detail that came out of this session is a reminder that characters do not need to improve techniques (including psionic techniques) in order to attempt them. They simply need to take the action with the appropriate penalty (and FP cost if applicable). I didn’t mention this in the discussion, but characters who need to use a psi technique but cannot afford the skill penalty can offset the penalty with an additional FP cost. See Psionic Powers p. 8 for details.

Another interesting rule that manifested during the session was that Xaka succeeded by 5 on his Diplomacy to deal with the cops, but I insisted on a Reaction Roll as well and rolled 17. I am not sure if that made much of a difference, but it was a good example of how good Diplomacy can be.

Xaka should speak with Simon after the meeting with Mortimer Sallow. Together, they should have a decent amount of information and intelligence analysis capability. Convincing Simon that supernatural powers beyond normal psychic phenomenon abound and could complicate things may be difficult, but at least Simon is open to the possibility of psionics.

As much as Xaka wouldn’t want a fight, it will be nice when Anastasia gets some scenario to make use of her stealth and/or combat capabilities. I anticipate something during the heist, but some pre-heist stealth opportunity at the very least would be helpful.

Due to the specific details of the chase, I would have ruled that the Dazed effect from Sleep lead to a wipeout rather than the quarry stopping (although I write this with hindsight). The wipeout would likely end the effect. That wouldn’t have short circuited the chase entirely and would have allowed Anastasia the opportunity to chase with a major advantage, but I suspect the chase would have ended fairly quickly.