"I'll take anything you got spare.  I'll raise enough Cain that they forget all about you." August remains crouched close by the stake, leaving it safely resting in the ground to avoid unwanted notice.  Things are coming together, and he's sure he can pull this off.  He's always been lucky, hasn't he?  Still, Dr. Franklin might be a loose end.

"Don't take this wrong, doc, but when this comes down to ridin' like the devil, are you gonna be able to handle yourself?  Looks to me like you're missin' your spectacles," he adds, with a helpful gesture towards his own nose.

Dr. Franklin looks down and blushes furiously. "Er, yes, well...I must admit that I do not have much in the way of skill at equine-human relations, which is how I wound up losing my spectacles in the first place and, indeed, what got me into this very situation. I was rather hoping I could just ride along with you rather than having to try and command one of those foul-tempered beasts myself."

"I hear ya, Doctor.  If you can get me twenty clear minutes like you're sayin', I'll do whatever I can around here.  When things get hairy, you just try and get some distance from the rest of 'em, I'll come get you the hell out of there.  Deal?"

((OOC: Starting to think August is going to get Dr. Franklin killed.  Feeling pretty bad about it.  If the kid could lie to save his life (literally) he'd have a lot more options...  So I'll blame the hindrances if this goes horribly wrong, and not my own planning.  Yup.))

((OOC: Given that he's got a large amount of chips right now, I wouldn't be too worried. A little worried, yes, but not an automatic death sequence.

So, do you have a rough outline of August's plan? I need to know this so I can start figuring out the rolls.))

((OOC: Circumstances permitting, the plan is a) try to get his hands on a knife, ideally a gun as well, his own gear if he can find it. b) cut the horses loose if they're hitched, cut or loosen their tack (assuming they're saddled), find one for himself. c) set fire to anything flammable and use the explosive chemicals to panic the horses and hopefully the Comanches. d) charge in to rescue the doctor and ride for town at high speed.))

Dr. Franklin slips August a couple of bottles. "This is what I can spare." He says. "I wish you good luck!" He then moves over to the fence and calls for attention. He starts speaking in some Indian language that August doesn't understand. A warrior comes by and removes him from the cell. He can see August fetching a pair of cameras and pointing at various places...time to get moving.

((OOC: Alright. I'll be handling this via Dramatic Task, which means you need to accumulate 5 successes (and Raises) in 5 "actions." It looks to me that you plan will hinge on how well you can hide, so the Skill that's the skill we'll be using for each step of this. Also, for each action you'll need to draw a card. If you draw a Club, a complication has cropped up that gives you an additional -2 penalty to your roll. In addition, I'll add my own little wrinkle.

Let the games begin! raw your first card and first roll, please.))

Time to put his money where his mouth is.  August tightens his grip on the stake and slides it out of the damp ground, then quickly heads to the farthest side of the pen from Oswald and moves to climb out without banging the stake against the fence.

((OOC: Oh, he's aces at hiding.  Yup.  I'm typing this before I roll the dice, that's how confident I am.

17:30, Today: August Colby drew the single card: AD using the Deadlands system. Dramatic task, action 1.
17:31, Today: August Colby rolled 3,2 using 1d4-2,1d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+1)5,4. Dramatic task, action 1 - Stealth.
17:33, Today: August Colby rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Red chip.

So that's... a pass, kinda... and you can have a chip.  Good start.

Or do I need to get a raise on every single action?  (I don't think there's enough chips in the world.)))

In reply to August Colby (msg #26):

He manages to slip out without raising any heads. As he moves about the tipis, he can see Dr. Franklin gathering the Comanche troops around. he has them facing him and away from Augustus, which should help a little. Now to look for some actual weapons!

((OOC: Nope, just normal successes...raises add to your total and can help offset failures, but it's 5 total successes and/or raises.

Next roll! Notice to find weapons.))

 August thinks on the move, trying to recall any clues as to where they stashed his gear. It ain't like he's in a position to be picky, though - he'll take anything he can find.

  ((09:05, Today: August Colby drew the single card: 9C using the Deadlands system. Dramatic task, action 2.

09:08, Today: August Colby rolled 1,3 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5. Dramatic task 2 - Notice (no Awareness) .

That's a complication and a pass if Awareness counts, otherwise I'll white chip it.))

August sneaks into one of the tipis, the one he's seen the Comanche storing their weapons in.

He enters and looks around. he can't find his won equipment, but there are plenty of furs, some of those pale buckskin shirts he's seen the warriors wearing, and weapons of all shapes and sizes. Most are stone clubs, knives, hatchets and spears, as well as bows and arrows, but there's also an old Spencer rifle set against one of the racks.

August can hear Dr. Franklin speaking to the gathered Indians outside. "Now in order for this to work, I'm going to need you to anoint yourselves in war paint mixed with bovine excrement and the essential oil of a serpent..."

He's so engrossed in listening to D.r Franklin spinning bullshit and snake oil that he almost misses the footsteps heading right for the tent he's in! He hears just in time, though, and manages to make it beneath some furs before the tent flap opens.

The indian who enters isn't Comanche. He's a powerfully build Apache, standing 5'10" and weighing about 250lbs, dressed in buckskin leggings, moccasins, a beat-up Confederate army coat with all the insignia ripped off, and a homespun shirt. He's missing a tooth in his lower jaw, and has scars down the side of his face that look like scratches from some wild animal. He has a stripe of red war paint across his eyes and read teardrops down his face. His hands are stained black.

It's Charging Bear.

"Heya, heya, heya." He mutters to himself as he looks around the tent. "Where'dcha go, paleface? Gonna find ya, you know. Gonna catch'um, have some fun..."

Then he beings to sing.

"All around the Indian camp the Apache chased the pale face...the Apache though 'twas all good fun...POP goes the paleface!"

He giggles at his little ditty, then slinks out of the tent, leaving August shivering beneath the furs.

((OOC: The bonus from Alertness does apply, yes, so that's one more success toward your total. The complication? Charging Bear is aware of you and is searching for you!

There are mostly melee weapons around, but there's also a Spencer Carbine among them.

The next roll you need to make is Stealth, assumign you're heaving to make your distraction next. Or were you headed for the horses?))

August stays hidden a few moments longer, listening for any sign of Charging Bear lurking nearby, then gets back to work.  "Of all the Indians..." he breathes, then shakes his head.

He helps himself to a knife, quietly using it to cut the strap that had tethered him to the stake, then takes a look at the Spencer.

((OOC: He'll check whether the rifle is loaded and in decent condition.  And yeah, he was going to head for the horses next, to try and forestall the pursuit later and hopefully delay the attack on Blackthorn.))

The rifle is in serviceable condition. It's old, though, and could use a good cleaning. It isn't being kept loaded, but there's 10 bullets nearby, enough to fully load it and have a few spares.

((OOC: Weapon stats:

Knife (Str+d4), El Cheapo Spencer Carbine (20/40/80, 2d8, RoF 1, 7 shots, AP 2, fails on a natural 1 on the shooting die).

To get to the Horses without being noticed will take a Stealth roll. Draw your card and make your roll.))

August pulls a buckskin shirt on over his own damp clothes - it wouldn't fool anyone with the sense they were born with, but maybe it'll buy him a second or two before somebody recognizes him.

He takes a deep breath before stepping back out of the tipi, readying himself for trouble in case goddamn crazy Charging Bear is still nearby.

((OOC: 07:27, Today: August Colby drew the single card: KC using the Deadlands system. Dramatic task, action 3.
07:28, Today: August Colby rolled -3,-3 using d4-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,1. Dramatic task 3 - Stealth (sonofa...).
08:13, Today: August Colby rolled -2,-1 using 1d4-4,1d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. White chip .
08:31, Today: August Colby rolled 3,-3 using d4-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of (4+3)7,1. White chip #2, last try.
08:32, Today: August Colby rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. Red chip, am terrible gambler .

So, another complication, a chip for you, but I managed a 7. And am down to one chip.))
This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Mon 12 Dec 2011.

The pale buckskin shirt goes on over August's other clothes easily. It looks like this:



It's actually quite comfortable.

August sneaks out of the tent and over to the herd of horses...but he's not alone there.

Several braves are keeping an eye out on the herd...and Charging Bear is with them, speaking to them. He seems to be giving them orders. Fun.

But August is quiet like the gopher as he sneaks into the pen...and spies his own horse there, milling among the rest of the herd!

((OOC: So with the braves there keeping an eye on things, sneaking your horse out will be difficult. What's your plan now?))

((OOC: August is a lunatic.  But a lunatic in a cool shirt, at least.

Has he reached the horses themselves, or will it be another Sneak test to get past the guards first?  If the latter, is there anything nearby that could be used to cause a localised distraction, whether it involves setting things on fire (default plan) or something more sophisticated?))

((OOC: Getting to the horses would require another sneak test, yes. Causing a distraction would be good for a +2 bonus, though.

The closest things available for an impromptu distraction would be cookfires and tipis. An explosion in a cookfire would be short-lived, but might be scary enough to draw the guards away. Setting someone's home on fire would be a much more immediate threat, since it's not raining hard enough to put out a blaze and there's the chance it could set the whole camp on fire. But setting what amounts to someone's house on fire is also likely to be seen as an act of war and would draw aggro like no other.

So it's a choice between short-term scare and long-term hornet-nest kicking. Either way, setting it up without being seen will require a Smarts check. also, you'll need to draw a card so see if there are any complications.))

August reaches for one of the bottles Dr. Franklin left with him, reminding himself not to let any rain get into it.

((OOC: 06:37, Today: August Colby drew the single card: AS using the Deadlands system. Dramatic task, action 4.
06:38, Today: August Colby rolled 1,7 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+1)7. Dramatic task 4 - Smarts.

Looking to cause one of the cookfires to explode without standing right next to it like a dunce.))

Some Mood Music

Luckily for August, there's a waterskin nearby. Mixing some of the chemicals into the waterskin, tossing the skin in the fire, then scampering away and letting the skin burn until the chemicals inside ignite turns the cookfire into a fantastic pyrotechnic display. Multicolored flames shoot out of the fire, drawing shouts of panic and running figures from all around the camp.

This includes the guards around the horses. If August's luck holds out, he can get in and out without being noticed.

((OOC: Time for your last roll. Draw a card to check for complication, and roll stealth, +2 from the distraction. Everything's riding on this.))

August sees his moment and moves quickly towards the horses, confident that his luck will hold.  Somebody's looking over him today.

((OOC:
06:59, Today: August Colby drew the single card: KC using the Deadlands system. Dramatic task, action 5.
 07:01, Today: August Colby rolled 5,-1 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (4+3)7,1. DT 5 - Stealth, nothing goes smoothly.
Another complication (three clubs in five cards, why not?) but a decent roll!))
This message was last edited by the player at 07:18, Tue 13 Dec 2011.

August sneaks through the chaos and gets hsi horse, who is very happy to see him. He's managed to get the horse out of the pen when he spots Charging Bear again.

And this time, Charging Bear spots him, too. He tilts his head back and cries out, his call sounding a lot like the shriek of a hunting hawk. No one is paying any attention to him at the moment, but that's cold comfort as he starts running toward August and his horse. It's time to grab Dr. Franklin and get the hell out of here!

August hesitates for a moment, part of him wanting to take a shot at the son-of-a-bitch.  It's only a moment, though; the Comanches had kept him alive and fed while he was their captive, and he doesn't want to repay forbearance with murder unless he has to.

Besides, he's no time to waste before Dr. Franklin's audience starts to catch on.  It's time to ride.

((OOC: Red Dead Redemption did have a great soundtrack.

Do you want Ride or Agility for mounting up in a hurry?  In either case, while I'm thinking of it, he'll throw the rest of the chemicals into a fire at the first opportunity, as long as it's far enough from his horse to not completely startle / terrify it.

And reconsidering the above - if Charging Bear is close enough that August can't realistically get away, e.g. if he'll be in 'leap onto the back of August's horse and smash his head open' range shortly, he'll take a shot first.))
This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Tue 13 Dec 2011.

((OOC: So did Red Dead Revolver, which used a lot of actual Spaghetti Western scores. But Redemption is great game music.

Ride, I think, with a -2 penalty. It will be an Agility check from horseback to throw the chemicals in a fire, and an Agility check to grab Dr. Franklin when you find him (both of these will be at -2 unless you have Steady Hands).

Charging Bear isn't that close, no...he'd have to chase you down to get to you.))

August half-scrambles, half-leaps into the saddle and digs his heels into the horse's flanks, urging her on.

A moment later, he lets go of the reins with one hand and lobs a bottle of Dr. Franklin's chemicals back in the direction of Crazy Charging Bear.

((OOC: I didn't play Red Dead Revolver, will have to give the music a listen.

19:43, Today: August Colby rolled 3,1 using d6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3. Ride.
20:23, Today: August Colby rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. Red chipping to... get on a horse.

I am the worst teammate.  Have another chip, sir.

20:25, Today: August Colby rolled 4,1 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 6,3. Agility, throwing stuff from horse.

If there's a partial bottle and a full bottle left, throw the partial one; if there's only one left, throw it anyway, upcoming-situation-where-it-might-be-helpful be damned.))

Some Mood Music

There's a flash as the half-full bottle of stuff hits the fire, sending a bright pule of heat and light up into the sky. There's a cry of shock and pain from Charging Bear, who covers his eyes...apparently the flash has him temporarily blinded.

August can see mass confusion in the center of the camp now...it's hard to find anyone, let alone the good Doctor Franklin...

((OOC: I'm treating the chemicals-in-the-fire as an Agility Trick, except Itza-chu will attempt to resist with Vigor (because he's so close to the blast) instead of Agility.

20:17, Today: Itza-Chu rolled 0,0 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Vigor. Yeah, that means the Trick makes him Shaken. Go August and his crazy schemes!

Roll Notice to find Dr. Franklin.  You have one full bottle of photography development chemicals left.))

August grins tightly as he sees Charging Bear stumble, then quickly turns in the saddle to focus on the crowd in the centre of the camp.  He doesn't have much time before everyone catches on and things get a whole lot less comfortable.  So here the hell is Dr. Franklin?

((OOC: 06:46, Today: August Colby rolled 6,6 using d6+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4. Notice, including Alertness.))