The Story Begins | Episode 1 - Actual Play | The Ghost in the Shell Tabletop RPG | Mantic Games

Right. And so it begins. Hello everybody. Uh we're here to do a bit of recording on the on the Ghost in the Shell tabletop role playing game. So we have convened in this uh filming studio with Sam, our GM and Dylan, myself, Alesia, and then we have Andy and and Chris. So uh we'll be making characters. We'll be playing a couple of scenes depending on how how long it takes because we have a day to film and uh hopefully you guys will appreciate how exciting and fun this is. I mean, we we were part of the play test groups and we enjoyed play testing it. Obviously, I'm a bit biased being the guy that wrote it, but um I hope you'll you'll agree with this. And I will now pass I leave uh I leave Sam to tell you more about the ghost in the shell because he's going to jam it and loves it as much as I do. And so I was going to give you a little introduction if you don't know the ghost in the shell. Sam, >> well, I'm not going to tell anyone what Ghost in the Shell cuz that is up to you. It's different for everybody. Uh but the setting is um in the near future. Um it's not particularly [music] post-apocalyptic, but the world has gone through a lot of problems. um food riots, several world wars and emerging out of all of that, Japan has firmly cemented itself as the core uh geopolitical force. Obviously, Japan well known for its technology advancements, breakthrough after breakthrough has occurred in the melting pot that is Newport city. Um wherever technology and power rises, the government rises to match. Uh and Japan has a selection of um public and semi-public and totally private organizations um that vary from serving the uh the emperor's chair so to speak in some ways down to government medical research in section two. Um but we are playing with section 9. the operatives who uh openly are a counterterrorism hostage rescue unit but um having a certain degree of autonomy take it upon themselves to investigate corruption at all levels of politics. Um [music] and that is who your operatives today will be playing. a new group of recruits that are coming through the system as there is always a need for more people to investigate more problems as power grows. Um, cool. So, that's uh that's what we're here to do. If you're not getting your mics on, turn your mics on, chaps, as now it's up to you as I ask you the hardest question in the entirety of roleplay. Have you made a name up? >> Yes. [laughter] >> Right. So, we'll start by um >> voting my boat face is not allowed. [laughter] >> That's number one on the public vote at the moment. >> I think I'll put my my character sheet here so maybe we get to see it. But, so I'll start with the name. So, for example, uh I think something short, Japanese, and friend of mine, Kazu. Kazu would be me. So, we've all got our sheets. Get them out. Get a pencil. Come up with a name. You don't have to come up with a name. immediately. It just generally helps everything hang together >> by your name. Oh, well that is easy. >> Hopefully you know who you are yourselves. >> Uh now section 9 being who they are. Uh they do not just take people from the internal training. Um they need people from all walks of life because crime has to be investigated in all avenues of life. So you could be playing a career government enforcer. You could be playing a hacker who used to mess around with the high school stuff and was just so good they recruited you. You could be an ex-criminal, an ex policeman. Everybody from all walks of lives are needed. Uh so start to jazz up a bit of backstory about who you want to be, what what that's all about as we move on um to stats, which uh is delightfully simple in this game, which is a big plus point to me. Um, everyone's equal. So, all of your stats, ghost, your shell, and your cyber brain. We have got awareness and presence, which is the ghost, the more mental side of things. We got things around our shell, our physicality of muscle and reflexes. Then we have our cyber brain, which is where the hacking and the firewalls sit. Um, in each of those six boxes, which I'm not going to point at cuz I need to remain relatively stationary. Uh we start off with a D6 in everything apart from our barrier which is just a flat number six. If you want to be a particularly large piece of muscle, you could pump your muscle up to a D8, but you will need to drop off uh something else to a D4 uh to represent [music] your leaning into one aspect of your personality over another. >> And we can do that for any stat, can't we? >> Any stat in any situation. Um, you can even raise barrier to an 80 if you particularly feel like it. It just means you've got more uh onboard >> uh yeah, >> cyber protection. And whilst everyone is chiseling in those numbers, I will go off into the actual dimensions of the dice. So, um it's a stepped dice system. Um D4, D6 all the way up to D20. The better you are, the bigger the dice you roll. Um, various things can affect the rolls that you're going to be making. Um, if you're in a shootout and you may have a laser pointer on your gun, it may increase your dice one step. So, if you're shooting with a a d6, you'll go up to a d8. If you're having a firefight whilst driving down a uh the highway, we're going to be dropping those dice from like a D8 D6 down one level to a D4 because it's super hard to shoot a moving object whilst driving at 60 mph in rush hour traffic. >> It's more fun though. >> It's an awful It is an awful lot of fun and particularly cinematic. And I like cinematic because it's it's the comics and it's those smashing through the glass scenes that uh I as a GM look to live with you in your story. Uh so do not be afraid to try and take those moments from the comic book panels and bring them to life. That's I really like that. So those are the dice. Um and echoing on from those exploding panels on the comic book, anytime you roll the maximum on your dice. So, if I roll a d6 and it comes up with a big gorgeous six, as well as being a large number, that dice starts to explode. You are then allowed to pick up the very next dice uh in the size gradient, which would be a d8, and you roll it. And in that instance, I've got a six. So, six is my number. If I rolled low, like a four, I would keep the six from my d6. Uh if I rolled up and got a nice seven, excellent. My my success number is seven. If through some amazing chance of randomity, I roll an eight. The comic panel keeps exploding. The frames go across the page as the major dives through a window, not only shooting her enemy, but taking out a nearby moo. And we would explode up to a d10. >> I've just gone up to a nine. So, those are the major explosion. These are the comic book moments that that this game for me tries to capture. And I like that cinema cinematography as it all comes together. >> That clearly proves that we are living in a simulation because clearly you wanted a higher result. >> I wanted of course that's the [snorts] uh >> or video actually made with AI. We're not [laughter] real dice. >> Count my fingers, folks. Count my fingers. >> So that that's the dice system that we're going to be using. I'll come back to that in a bit when we get into skills. But are we all have we all decided whether we're musly, whether we're clever, whether we want to be leaning into our hacking and such. Should I should we start introducing our characters? >> Yeah. So, now that we've got a rough idea, let's go round the table and uh we will start to pencil in. So, have we got a a name roughly who we are? >> Uh character name is Sikai. Uh S E I K A I. And I've decided to bump up my reflexes to a D8. Uh and to do so, I've reduced my hacking to a D4. >> What kind of character do you have in mind? >> I'm expecting an ex riot police potentially kind of crowd control basis. So has some understanding of the organizations and the government processes but is a bit entrenched in the system. >> There is a lot of rioting in Newport city with all the influx of refugees. So clearly you have stood out in some manner to section 9. >> Are we doing uh synthesis right now or? >> No, we'll come right with a brief explanation. >> Okay. So my name is Kazu. Uh I I imagine Kazu to be very much of an introvert. um very much into his IT, computers, programming and so a bit of a a hacker really uh but with clear le a life of isolation and is kind of finds it difficult to interact with people uh but is really really good at hacking and so I guess I play that angle of the of the introvert that once really would love to be you know with people and interact with people but doesn't really understand people sometimes is almost not sure whether he's still in the in the in the net or not or in reality the the the line is a bit blurred for him. >> A little bit blurred. Where does this where does the ghost end and when does your intuition start speaking or rather the same thing >> to represent that I put my hacking down up to D8 and my muscle down to D4? I don't see him as very fit. >> I've pretty much gone with the opposite idea. Um so I'm Anderson. I'm going to be an ex-military character. Big brute of a guy. um had some trouble in the military and since leaving the military has got involved with some uh nefarious people uh and got into this little bit of trouble and has um been offered to join section 9 as a way of using his talents and kind of getting away from that trouble. So, as a big brute for person, I've upgraded my muscle. But then on the reverse thing, I'm not particularly technology savvy. I'm more of a brute of a character. I've downgraded my hacking ability. >> You're a foreigner. You're not Japanese. >> Yeah. Well, I'm going to say like I'm [clears throat] half Japanese. >> Japan. >> Half half on the on the good side, but um yeah, I'm going to be I think a big Dutch Viking kind of bow and that that kind of >> blonde hair in Japan. >> Yeah, those jeans have come through a little bit. Um, and so yeah, I'm unruly big for this. >> Maybe, >> yeah, there'll be a drawback you can take where you stand out in the crowd due to your size. That might be quite >> Yes, I had looked at that and it was exactly what I >> finally in the corner we have >> hero. >> Hero [laughter] of course >> section nine as as issues, you know, with with the socials and things like that. people are probably not very approving of the government work. So they decided on a reality moment to take an exjeer and insert him in to section 9. >> Beautiful. So a bit of an influence, a bit of an athlete. >> Yes, very much so. Very much so. Bit of positivity, a bit of focus. So people think yes, he was someone that performed outstandingly well for not just in the National League but internationally as well. So therefore, with that presence, they hope to up their image from being very negative to only slightly negative. [laughter] >> And you've downgraded two stats. >> Yeah. >> He's always the kind of person that goes all in. >> You've downgraded three stats and upgraded two. Interesting. >> All right. So, I need to upgrade one more, don't I? [laughter] >> Technically, you can only do one and one, but I think the the GM can allow whatever. >> So, I'm assuming that our presence has has gone up because you are a force. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> of nature and personality. >> Yeah. And I would have upgraded reflex if it's if that was possible. >> I'm I'm a relaxed kind of GM. It's the story. >> If you want to bring two up and drop two down. >> Oh, right. Okay. There we go. [laughter] >> I'll stick with it. >> Good. We got the conformist side of the table. [laughter] >> Entrenched in my system. >> I like it. Stick with the character. Well, I mean a little aside on the rules. We as we play tested it, we all remember a different version of the rules. So, was it this version, that version, or that version, or the version that actually made it into the final in the final draft. So, guys, don't pick us up on, oh, I think you'll find that that rule was actually different. You played it wrong because we will we will enjoy with us the fun of it and the flexibility is a roleplay game, so you know, rules are guidance. So, for example, you know, like this thing we just did. So, we decided to change it on the on the fly, which is fine. >> So, would it be acceptable if I put my barrier down and put my muscle up to a 10 to really go on the >> strength? I think >> I'm taking fine with that to not I mean the So, the the barrier represents the standard default cyber brain you are given for being a an operative in in the government sections. Uh, so there's going to you need a little bit reason about why they couldn't install the full firewall program to keep you defended. Uh, so yeah, I'm fine with that happening, but you're we're going to give you like a genetic condition or you've >> I think maybe if we go with um having seen several people injured in their heads and several cyber injuries before, I'm very paranoid about things going into my head. >> So I might be all right with body parts. But I mean, there's a there's a rule later when we're making a character. If you take another set back, you you get points to use on skills instead. Maybe you can use them on your trades. Yeah. Take remember to take another setback. >> Yep. That's cool. So, you've seen a lot of head head injuries and you've seen some surgeries gone wrong. Maybe some of the maybe some of the military hack doctors you've served with weren't as good as you had hoped they might be. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, previous trauma from my ex-military thing and seeing that going on. That's cool. >> I always do like actually when I've done previous characteration, always having a couple of setbacks. I think it kind of makes the character more interesting. [laughter] >> I like that player goes, "How many setbacks am I allowed to take?" [laughter] I like all of them. >> Take more. Yeah. Stack up the setbacks just to make my character more interesting and more [laughter] difficult to deal with when we're actually playing the game. Yeah. Brilliant. >> Best character is always flawed. >> It's not difficult. It's the story you're choosing to tell. And that's what why I enjoy being on this side of the screen. So, we've got a nice feel for who we are. We've got a general feel for our physicality, our body, um you know, our core person from being. And the next thing we go into is that core person of being. Um one of my favorite things that when I play tested this game was uh the synthesis conflict, the two aspects of your personality. Um in the comics, this is this has played out incredibly well. Um Tigus is probably the easiest example. He he struggles between his family. Is it a young daughter or a boy? His daughter, isn't it? He's got a young daughter. Uh, but he's also the new guy on the block and desperate to prove himself and he struggles between that duty and that family. Um, and everybody has that conflicting side of their nature. I've got friends who are desperate to be perceived as being good, but they're also quite a little bit greedy. Um, and they they they have that conflict of personality. Now, in the game, this does play out. Uh, for me as a GM, I I lean into this quite a bit if I can. Um, if we just take as an example, um, he's got his two struggling things. His family might be a D6 and let's say his duty is at D10 because he's done a lot of stakeouts recently. He's really been pounding his duty and that number's been going up. There are two ways or two main ways we can play with this aspect. one, you can say, "I know I've just been ordered to do this, but I'm going to disregard the order because I' i've got to do a video call with my daughter. It's her birthday, and so I am going to choose not to go on this steak out and go over here." And so, you can you can bring it into play to do certain things. Um, and that's a great roleplay way of doing it. Um, the other side of it is you can ask for it to come in and give you an effect in the game. So, let's say he's been told off for having too much time off with his family and he's desperately trying to get his head back in the game. If you're doing a stakeout and you're super focused on making sure you spot the bad guy uh/gal coming in and out the building, you can ask to add your duty D10 into your perception role or your stamina. So, your um your muscle to stay awake role. You see, you can see I'm really leaning into my duty. I've got to perform as well as I can. Every time you do choose to do that, that stat will go up and up and up. And if it gets too high, we can get into a synthesis conflict where you have to mentally resolve that one thing has come heavily out of Kimbo and it's really dominating personality. Secondly, on my side, um I will use it when I want to fruit up a situation. Uh, so let's say you're going into an opium den uh to bust a do some kind of bust and and arrest somebody. If one of you has a synthesis conflict around um joy or experience or you choose to write your own synthesis, which a player did on one of my test games and I absolutely adored it. Uh um I will ask you there's a there's a lit pipe over there. You you can smell some incredibly high new provocative drugs that you've never seen before. And your character is a hedonist and you do you want to go and do that and you can either go with it [music] and possibly not help your friends your your your operatives with a shootout or be late to the party or you can just lean into it and go, "Yeah, that's where my story is going. I'm going to take a I'm going to slide a baggie of that into my back pocket and maybe try it out later. Um, and I will I'll throw that in here and there to to fruity up. But you can always go No, no, no, no, no, no. Cuz it's your story. I see what you're trying to do there. But no, I'm going to I'm going to stick with duty this time. I'm not going to pocket some drugs on the side. >> Um, does that make sense? >> Rocking. So, the I really love this aspect of the game. Um, it's about story development and that's what I that's what I think this this game leans into heavily. So on page 30, is it 38? 19, sorry, 19 or 20, you got the aspects. >> I think it's again another one of those things that sort of leans into your character, isn't it? And flaws and things of the character. >> Yeah, exactly. The flaws, you know, it's >> a deck has got a hacker's got that kind of classic technology versus their internal humanity. Or you might want to lean into I'm a real introvert. So you might go for individuality versus the team, the need for group play. >> I was going for that belonging versus solitude. >> Yeah, the belonging versus solitude. The desperation for a team, but you are most comfortable sitting in a chair in the back of the the stakeout van alone. >> I don't work with people. Yes. >> So you have gone and I will write that down because there's no way I'm going to remember all of that. All right. So Kazu has gone for individuality. Write the name. >> Anderson is sorry. Belonging there. Belonging >> and hero. H I R O. Right. >> That's right. Spot on. >> Andrean. >> Yeah. [laughter] I thought I was a bit of a poor man with my name. Andre Saki. What are you? What have you? >> So I've made my own. I've gone with conformance versus innovation. So is he sticking with the system or trying something new? >> Sticking with the orders in the tried andrusted way of dealing with the royal academy or you know trying to do something different maybe not just following orders >> or an innovative route. Give them free ice creams. That's common. [laughter] That's one way to deal for Newport Crisis to deal with any crisis. I think isn't >> especially as an ice cream vendor. I mean, you make a lot out of it. [laughter] >> Two years into the campaign, no riots, but everyone's like massively on ice creams as a huge import export industry. Uh Anderson, how are how are you going to lean into this personal? >> So, I'm going with um detachment versus compassion. So having seen a lot of people die sometime I try and cut myself off from that being a bit of a killer and murdering myself but then sometimes after seeing friends die of that ultimate compassion. So um I've got those two sort of conflicting things which sometimes will play into one or the other depending on what's happening. >> Cool. I like it. That definitely plays back into this ex-military guy who's seen some some stuff go bad. And hero you you modern age influencer of of the ether realms. So naturally, freedom versus power. [laughter] >> Freedom versus power. >> Let's not go political. [laughter] So having been involved in in the biggest sport in the world, understanding what power that enables you to do from obviously having millions, tens of millions of followers and being able to do that, but then the freedom that you can do as uh as has been highlighted, it's about my role in section 9 and that's the reason that I've been placed in there because of having that. But can I elicit the freedoms I've had before within that environment? Okay. So, it's kind of your former and current career knowing that they're both needed. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Yeah. So, that's a Yeah. So, that isn't that isn't about power and corruption. It's about balancing. >> Corruption. Is there is there that as well? >> So, yeah. Kind of [laughter] social versus the government need to take care of people. That's okay. That's quite a cool way of dealing with that. Okay. I like it. So, on your sheets, you need to put a big fat X in both of those D4s. and one of them uh is more dominant than the other. So you need to put a single line in either your uh your first or your second aspect. >> Solitude. >> So solitude [laughter] is you spend a lot of time in the back of the van. Um I don't I don't need to that's your choice about where you are. But uh so anytime if you go I need to do something and I'm going to walk away from everyone. I need to solely focus myself on this task. You could say, "I would like to flex my solitude here because it's just better if I do this alone." And the rest of the team has a pint in the bar and decide that you're not a team player. >> I find it really awkward to have pints in the bar. >> That's the reality of No, no, no. [laughter] >> Your own bar in your own home. It's fine. >> No one else around. >> All right. And I will take that piece of paper. So, this is just how this is just a DM GM thing that I do. I just like got everyone's names, your job, and then all these things so that if ever I see a situation developing, I can go, "Oh, I can just slide this in nicely here." >> Rock and roller, just remind me of your character again. >> Uh, Seikai, s e i k a i. Uh, x crowd control for riot police. Uh, synthesis conflict is performance versus innovation. And I'm ingring towards conformance. Uh, coming kind of fresh from the service, still very much following how he was taught. Cool. I started taking notes after you introduced your character and then realized it was probably a good idea. [laughter] [clears throat] >> Next is skills. What have you learned? What have you trained? Where are you in the world? >> Oh, yes. >> Always fun. Let me just find the page for that. >> Uh 50. There's the list. >> Jet me. You're all like, look at you paper lit. I'm here digital, man. >> There you go. [laughter] >> I've spent so long trying to doing stuff digitally now. I've It's It's kind of sad, actually, that I've stepped away from the books. I've done so many kind of uh online virtual tabletops. I've just got to that point now where I've I never thought I would cross away from putting a book down and being able to scroll through a PDF, and I've now got to that point where the PDF has almost become primary for me. Um I do miss books in so right. So, you've got skills. You get given 12 skill points. No skill can go above three. And Hero is just going to briefly pause before we start spending everything. Uh cuz we need to do a little bit more discussion on skills before we start blowing all of our points everywhere. [laughter] >> So, we've got our standard skills. You got 12 points. We also then have setbacks such as I really don't like doctors coming near my head or I was smeared in a media campaign. Um, things like that. Um, there's a nice list of setbacks. Huge is a classic one uh that you might want to go to. You stand out in a crowd. Hero, you might have come out of the bad influencer scandal hugely in debt. Debt is one of these setbacks. Setbacks can be used at any time. Um, such as if you're in a steak out and you're buying pizza, hero is always going to be asking other people to to like to splash out on the on the pizzas, that kind of stuff. If you're making a a stealth tailing roll, uh, Anderson, you're going to have a real problem. You do not want to be the guy. I'm >> not a stealthy person. >> A stealthy station. [laughter] >> So, those setbacks. Now, um, if you take a setback, you get two is you get two more skill points. >> Take a second step back. >> Take a second stat back. So, yes, we'd like everyone to have a setback. If you choose to have two setbacks, you can gain another two skill points. >> Yep. >> Which I will. >> You are also going to do a similar thing and take three. [laughter] >> No, I have I have never got that number in of setbacks in my life. [laughter] >> You're also because you are working for the government. They take care of you. If there are injuries, they replace things. They have invested a huge amount of time and money in you. You are important. And also, they don't want lots of people running around with secrets. They'd like to minimize that. You will also be given one piece of cyberware each. You can, if you want to, choose to not be cyber enhanced. This will give you two more skill points to spend, but uh you know, the people with cyber legs are going to be moving incredibly fast. Um you might have uh BTO's infrared eyes as standard. You know, we you can there's stuff in the book. You can be inventive if there's something you particularly want. It's a very [music] free format game. it's, you know, it's up to you. Uh, and that openness is an attractive part of the system for me. Um, there are also things like specialtity skills. So, I might choose to have uh deceptive at two. Um, but then and that would uh two would be the second dice. That would be a d6. So if I if hero has uh well clearly hero is going to go deception three and his presence is already set at d8. So if if I ask hero to make some kind of deception roll to distract somebody so that uh sakai can sneak around the back, he would pick up his presence d8 and his deception d8. He would roll both of them. He would take the highest number, which in this instance would be a five, which is a pretty okay success. Um, four is a general target number. Harder situations, shooting somebody uh whilst going down a a tobogan run in a Bond film uh might be a target number of 10. Who knows? Um, if either dice explodes, we get to roll up to a d8. So, that is how the skills work. the the standard skills, the specialtity skills um do take a little bit of reading. And I'm not going to go through all of them in the live stream because that would be a massive amount of talking. You get very bored of my voice. Um at least my wife is always bored of my voice. But I'll take nimble as an example. The the specialist skills gives you very specific snacky capabilities. Nimble, for example, makes it harder for you to be hit. And getting hit is a very real thing in this game. combat uh is can be very deadly. Um the speciality skill of alert means it's incredibly hard for anyone to get the drop on you and surprise you in combat. Um the specialist skill of martial art allows you to do real damage with your punches and your kicks. Um so the specialtity skills do not give you dice or particularly give you dice. They are gameaffecting changes. Um, and you will need to remember whatever it is that you're after. Um, so I'll let you think through all of that as you hit patter out your 12 points >> or 14. If we've got two setbacks, >> if you go for a second setback, you can have 14. If you choose to not have cyber a cyber item, you could go up to 16 and be an incredible uh skill monkey. The specialtity skills are cool and they really lean into your concept of who you want to be and how you want it to go. >> Yeah. So I've taken squad leader two so I can order the rest round kind of for a teamwork aspect of >> maybe not as a leader as such but kind of trying to point out you know where the team can work together best >> how to gain advantage in tactical situations. >> Yeah, >> as a GM that strikes fear into my heart that there might be tactics in combat. I'm not sure I uh >> No, no tactics. So I have contact with the enemy >> and the enemy case being with players. Make a plan. Act the plan. The plan goes wrong. Forget the plan. >> Indeed. >> Having at least a point in a firearm skill uh is useful uh so you don't shoot yourself in the foot. I literally just put a figuratively [laughter] >> just put two points in pistols just because I imagine this guy had to be trained. He either he didn't want to. He doesn't like weapons, etc. But Battle, I'm sure, is taught him how to at least the pistol. >> Shoot down the range. >> Yes. >> Come on. You got to be able to shoot. >> Ah, there's different. So, firearms for machine guns. Yes. >> A separate one. firearms expert for pistols, SMGs, and a third one, firearms expert for rifles and shotguns. >> Yes. Are you up close, a spray and prey, or are you someone that is a bit more standoffish, but possibly sniper overwatch? Um or the well, the alternative, which is shotguns, which is kick the door open and >> Yeah. >> choke as wide as it goes. [snorts] >> Now, that's best for uh for my image. Shotguns. Yep. Definitely the public like that and that's what matters. >> Like the shotguns. >> Yeah. Yeah. They I I've already had, you know, so many uh likes based on that. So that's going to confirm that along with obviously my setback of being distinctive. Everyone knows me. >> Yes. Yes. >> Does. >> Who doesn't recognize a heavy set football star with a shotgun slung over his back? Uh >> it's got film written all over it. >> No. No branding on your shotgun or merchandise. [laughter] Section 9 draws the line at uh >> how the hell cost me a fortune. Could have got a franchise faz for all your neighborhood community concerns. >> Generic shotgun three. [laughter] >> And the cybernetics we get one of our choice unless we sacrifice it for points. Don't we? >> Yeah. I I went for fingers because I remember the scenes, you know, where where the people have the new things displayed at adore type at the speed of light and interact with machines and stuff like that. >> There's one, if you look at the detail on the I forget which p which comic it is, >> but he's got one hand on the normal querty keyboard and he's got another one typing hexam small machine code in on a different I love that >> that kind of thing. So as a hacker I think clearly having those type of fingers would be a useful thing. So, whilst I'm not taking it, just checking the first cybernetic we get is lifelike over armored cuz I have a feeling our uh Norse uh soldier over there might be wanting to take an armored cybernetic. [laughter] >> Uh yeah, in general all cyberware that you would be given is lifelike um because they need you to pass. Uh but then if you you know again look into the comics Barto's eyes are in no way lifelike. Um >> I think yeah the lifelike is the kind of yeah arm leg cranium and body senses. >> Oh right >> separate internal organs. >> Yeah they give you less armor but they are obviously people can't really tell normally unless they're expert in the field they will not tell that that's a cyber part. I went set max loner and dissociative [laughter] like this reality. Okay. >> Yep. Scales of this is all tech expert counter hacker forger digital forger particular. >> Yeah. I've gone very much trying to go for the uh backtory for character. So setbacks went for compliant >> orders. trauma maybe saw a riot go rather messy. Then for skills took squad leader, demolitions expert, uh tactician, firearms expert with rifle and shotgun alert and athletics at varying ranks. Uh then for cyberics went for internal organs. Um maybe he briefed in a little bit too much of his own tier gas down the line. >> I like it. Yeah, quite. Yeah, why not? People get your fa your uh gas mark ripped off. Internalize the lung pro the lungs. So it's not a problem. >> Uh KZ, what did you go for on your setbacks? >> Uh loner and dissociate. >> Disassociate. >> Remember your character name [laughter] >> Anderson. Where did you where did you go? >> Huge. Obviously >> obviously had to huge. Um, but also reckless because >> reckless. >> I'm just >> Yes. [laughter] >> So, what I'm hearing is you're going to be sat by yourself in a bar or in the van just kind of phasing out the world. I like, okay, this is what we need to do. And we've already ran off. [laughter] >> Let's go. >> He's got a camera. >> We filmed we're filming this already. Let's go. Let's go. Let's [laughter] go. Oh dear. >> Do it for >> Do it for the likes. >> Oh dear me. And finally, hero. Dare I ask all >> I've got [laughter] three reckless obviously. >> I'll be in for it. Distinctive. Well, I'm a star. >> Uh, an old wound as well. You know that. >> Oh, did the knee get taken [laughter] out? You retired. Oh, it's gone. It's gone. It's where my glory is. The cruc that's what it's what retired me eventually from the game. Right. >> Not the tabloids. [laughter] >> One more point. >> So if I go for no cybernetics, I can have 16 and two. >> You could have another. Obviously, you do have to have the cyber brain because as that's just how the world, you cannot survive in the modern world without the ability to order online to be able to integrate with cybernetically. The only people that don't have cyber brains are the refugees. And that's why they're refugees. they can't get themselves out of the streets. They can't get jobs because they can't operate machinery because all machinery is handled through Wi-Fi connections. Um, you know, the idea of physically turning on uh, you know, a lathe to do any kind of machining, no, it's it's all controlled mentally. The software to run the lathe is is in your head. You Wi-Fi in, Bluetooth in, connect to it. And uh that is why the refugees stay poor and that is why there is a lot of rioting in Newport city. A lot of civil unrest which will come to the four in the game. >> Actually three extra points if you don't have any cybernetic just check up to three since the last time we played. >> So that would take me up to 17. [laughter] >> So I can go up to 17 skill points. >> 17 skill points >> as an ex-military person. I'm going to be highly trained in beating people up, shooting things, and blowing stuff up. [laughter] Other types of military careers are available. >> Not for this guy. [laughter] >> However, it it is clear when looking around when Bar was forming this team, he said, "No, no, I need someone that's going to take care of them." [laughter] >> Got it. Call sign babysitter. >> Yes. Yeah. So I went completely brainy in the sense except for the firearm pistols that battle has taught me. Everything else is tech expert, counter hacker, forger, academic on it and cyber and cyber technology and logical as in deduction and investigation. >> Another question is was it battle training or just loads and loads of video games? >> Both actually. Yes. >> I cannot tell. [laughter] I'm so worried about this dissociative member of mine. Deposit. Yes. Push the fingers. Tech fingers. Cyber finger. Interesting to point out the tech finger thing are not in the list of tech technology or in a way could be cyber senses under touch sense of touch but it's something that you know you can indeed like you were saying you know >> build up your thing >> it's free it's not a huge prescriptive list of cybernetics it's it's you comic and what you want to be having >> and we imagine that will give you bonuses in the situation where you know that would apply whenever applies you can call for the desk like oh I want to apply Yes, [snorts] >> of course. Y and Z. >> Have we all spent our outrageous amount of skill points? >> Yes, absolutely. >> You don't want to try and squeeze another point or two out of something in some way with more time. [laughter] >> Never once roll a D4. [laughter] >> I don't like the D4. It's Yeah. >> Oh, if it's hacking and stuff maybe. But yeah, I'm going to leave that to the expert. to get you pissify yourself of make him have to hack out of a problem [laughter] check in the invisible notebook. >> Awesome. Right. Obviously, another core mechanic of any TTRPG is equipment. Um, however, this game uh delightfully handles it incredibly differently. Uh, which is another hugely attractive point to me. Um it it's not concerned with picking up uh ridiculously large amounts of equipment. Um you work for a government situation. You are sent into situations and they're not going to send you in to deal with a submarine hijacking and go off you go have fun if you don't have scuba gear. Uh so it is very much you turn up, you requisition equipment, uh you go out on the mission with your requisitioned equipment and perhaps after rescuing dealing with the people on the submarine, you discover that uh a few missiles are stolen and they're now in the middle of the slums of Newport city. You have to recover them. So, you would be given a chance to resupply, change your requisitioned items, uh go more into the covert surveillance situation so you can track down and find uh the equipment. You won't always get to do a resupply. You know, life puts you into situations you just have to deal with them. But, um you get 12 requisition points. Uh you'll find the equipment in the game. There is a fairly reasonable list of stuff which has a lot of uh so there is a lot of stuff. Each of them have a cost. >> You you don't have to spend just your 12. You are a team. Um we're not going to >> Don't start choosing just until you because you know what the missions that you're going to get. >> Um >> it's what the public wants me to get. That's what's important. [laughter] >> Right. So you just can start a stream in front of the armory. >> Flat six people flit six in cameras. Uh two points for a makeup team. A van to follow around with a wardrobe change. [laughter] >> Are you going to go in in your football gear? >> Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I got with my with my number on the back. >> I will I will give you your football gear as a free as [laughter] to do all the to do all the PR of this super secretive government association. Okay. [laughter] Uh yeah, here's the body cam of the hostage rescue. Um you better hope his body cam is doing lots of legal stuff when you do the hostage rescue. Um >> uh but maybe that is one maybe that's why they've got you here. Uh but God, it's just can't mention other IP. It really is. Uh [laughter] dear gosh, cut that bit. So you you you will always start a game with a briefing unless someone's doing some a DM is doing something very radical uh with how they're starting their game. Maybe you've been burned and you're on the run. But you'll be given a briefing. You'll then uh the way I like to do it is get the briefing from whichever officer, senior operative is there and then you jump in the lift to get down to the basement uh where the supply depot is. And during that lift travel, uh that lift journey, you would all look at each other and go, I think, uh we all need scuba gear because we're going to go into a submarine situation. Uh we should have zero firearms that fire projectile weapons. We're going to go full stun and uh we should use a lot of gas gas canisters and and tasering >> and knives >> and knives and sharp sticks. So that you you know you'd have a discussion about how you're going to head out to deal with that thing because you are a group of highly professional operatives apart from hero. >> It's all about the game. >> Um and you don't have to spend the 12 points just on your own equipment. You could decide that you're that three of you are going to go everyone buy scuba gear and then everyone's going to buy something. But here goes this isn't really my kind of mission. I don't need all the equipment for cameras. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to take four gas masks and then give them out. So, it's you you primarily they're your points, but you can choose as you would discuss in the lift. No, we don't need the sniper rifle this mission cuz that's normally what I'd spend five points on. I'll take all the gas masks for everyone [music] and just take a knife. And uh I really really like that stuff. And should a mission go well and you start to gain rank, you are allowed to requisition more things >> like fuchas, but not yet. [laughter] >> The think the think tanks are are there. You can get them, but maybe not on our first time out on the street. >> I imagine we're not trusted with that yet as new recruits. No, >> I think that as well. >> We're not not trusted with >> not trusted with the big expensive toys yet. >> That'll be in the next season of the show. >> Yes. >> Is that how we're seeing it? I I do like that bit as well because you know our success depends on you know that almost 50 points of equipment for it and because we're spending the 50 points if you see it like that but as a character you might I need this cuz that's intrinsic to who I am and that's me as well. I need that but those extra two or three points that get distributed through everyone could mean we have a much greater chance of success. >> Okay. >> Anderson will want a sword. I'm pretty sure he always does. Maybe this time he's not going to go for the sword. did check. Ronnie said no swords. >> But he did make it plural, so I'm allowed one. [laughter] >> Of course. Of course. >> So if I get one and I give it to you, [laughter] >> dual wield. >> Yeah, that's right. >> What could possibly go wrong? [laughter] >> Oh, ghost whispers. Of course. Four ghost whispers, everybody. Pardon? >> Four ghost whispers. >> Oh, yes. Ghost whispers. I I said I'd I'd come back to that and I haven't. Um, lots of systems have got mechanics [music] to allow players to to tell the story that they want to be telling to succeed at those critical moments uh to gain insight. Um, uh, and and this game has its own mechanic echoing straight out of the comic books, the major frequent I say she's frequently, but at critical moments, she just has a very brief moment where she thinks to herself about situations. She says she's talking to the whispers of her ghost. Now, for her, that's the the dichotomy between her her humanity and all of the code that is running through her cyber brain, and they whisper to her. Um, other people are listening to their gut instinct, depending on how much the comic books, you know, uh, is it called the Empress Seat, have got psychics that that observe and navigate certain situations. And it could be um that one of those [music] clandestine powers really needs you to do something in a certain situation and you might choose to spend some ghost whisper points and it could be those psychics just gently nudging you, turning your head so you see someone uh trying to sneak out of a fire escape. You get four ghost whisper points. Um you can get more uh making everybody laugh. Key dramatic moments massively leaning into your drug addiction. Uh not that anyone's taking drug addiction. uh choosing in a massive uh in a huge chase scene that your wound plays up and you're going to drop out. Really leaning into stuff, even if it could be seen as bad for the group because you're not going to succeed. That will bring you more ghost pistol points. They can be spent in a number of ways. Um we might make a chase roll on our dice and we roll double one and we go, "Oh, I really don't need that. This would be really bad. I would [music] like to succeed in jumping across this alley and not plummet to my death." Four stories. The ghost whisper point you spend there would allow you a full reroll. You might want to spend a whisperer. So, it gets you out of trouble. You may wish to definitely succeed. So, you could spend a ghost whisper point or two to upgrade one of your dice from a d4 to a d6 cuz you really need to get out of these handcuffs with an escape artist. Um, or you could just blow lots of them all at once. So, you are going to upgrade the dice from a d6 to a d8 and you're going to start off with a maximum of eight, which means you'd immediately explode up to a d10. So, you can just go all in at certain moments. And again, this is back to that comic book scene where at certain moments the characters do just pull things off uh uh for uh the dramatic hijinks. And who doesn't like hijinks? >> There's a way of also kind of turning you into the hero of the story as well, isn't it? I think, isn't it? Because yeah, exactly. >> Actually, a lot of times the baddies and those are fairly evenly matched. This gives us an edge. >> Yes. Often when you're hitting the head, because obviously there's a there's a hit location, the bodies don't have gosper points normally to change to change it to their torso kind of thing. >> So other people can be hero then. >> That's not [laughter] a good >> switch off the mic. [laughter] >> Can you hear me still? Can you Hello. Hello. Who invited you? [laughter] >> You just came in off the street. Uh there we go. Um >> so we've got the ghost whispers hit points. That is That is a good point. Um we'll go into combat and the mechanics later. Not that I'm saying that there will be combat, but there'll be combat. >> We'll [laughter] get into that. But that that is the game. That is the setup. Do we all feel that we've formed our characters? We know who we are. We've got a good feeling for it and we can actually remember our own character names. Casey. [snorts] Awesome. Then without much to do, we will we will roll into your first briefing. Everyone good? Any questions? Game the heck on. So, there's going to be combat, right? >> Yeah. >> Congratulations. [laughter] First briefing. We're all attending one of hero social events. >> It's a compressing [laughter] to bug someone. >> Let's make friends with playing four separate press briefings. [laughter] >> It's going to melt down cuz [laughter] >> more than six people. I can't have more than six people. beefing gala dinner. >> I'll just I'll now hand uh the mic over to my tech expert for the 2,000 person expo explanation. >> Freak out. Oh dear. Uh right, where are we? It is a a hot, dry day in Newport city. Um it's midsummer. Uh the rain hasn't poured down for some time. There are concerns about drought uh rippling through the streets. Um, Newport city, its population is so massive, the infrastructure of Japan can only bring in so much water. Um, and that tension is layered on top of the food problems, constant um, influx of more refugees desperate for a job in the hope that they may get a cyber barrier enhancements or even just to work on the black market or as just high-risk labor to put up a skyscraper. that people are always coming to Newport city and it is and has been for the last several months a key significant issues. Riots have been on the increase um which is probably how uh you've come to to be uh picked out as Sakai. Um media teams are everywhere probably why you've been brought into this hero. The need for everything that the government does to be seen in a positive manner. We can't be triggering more riots. Anderson, violence is rife. There are riots. There are muggings that heighten. It's >> not all me. >> It's not [laughter] triggered by you. But again, this is re a reason why Bart would have brought you in. and and in the the near future of [laughter] of the age of the ghost uh and the the the matrix and the internet and the explosion of cyber uh violence, you can't exist as a a section 9 operative team without a a hacker, which is a case who's been brought in here. Barto has been your training officer. Um he is a large chap. He is very firm. He expects a lot from you, but he is fair. Um and he will give you a begrudging nod of the head when you know that you've done well. Um it's a regular day. You pull into the office as and when you feel like it. Unless you are told to come in because there is an opera operation that is needed. You are expected to look after yourselves, keep your skills honed. Uh and that is exactly what has happened. In your head, report into office. Mission briefing. [music] BTO, commanding officer, level 42, 10 minutes. >> I will point out that what you just did is is a cool thing that we we tended to do is when you speak with your mind connection, we tend to do that as like this calm type thing, right? Well, actually, if you don't do it, we assume you're actually speaking aloud to each other. [music] This is just a simple way of going. [laughter] Yes, I'm using inner connection. >> I'll let my public know that I'm going to be there in [laughter] 10 minutes. 10 minutes I'll be outside section 9 headquarters the secret mega corp environment. What's up bar time? Victory [laughter] baby. Yeah, this is the uh the R&D area. >> Oh, you find that your your com is not working. >> He'd rather burn out than fade away. [laughter] Hero rolls in with a compact in one hand just quickly dabbing up a bit of eye makeup. [snorts] Uh I assume everyone else rocks out of the restroom in good order and rolls up y >> to the briefing chamber. >> I sit in a corner. >> Uh bar two is not sitting behind uh the desk of the the big man. He's currently out dealing with whatever bureaucracy that is always rife at the top of section 9, dealing with inter uh interdep department politics. Uh he is very good at it. He sits off to the side in one of the larger chairs. Uh as you walk in, he motions and a hollow projector shoots up uh out of the ground. Uh and it displays a street um uh in the middle of Newport uh city, one of the upper end areas. Um, gentlemen, uh, we've got an immediate hostage situation. The van's waiting. I'm going to need you downstairs, out the door in under 5 minutes. This is going to be a short, sharp, brief. It is time critical situation. Been a lot of riots, a lot of problems. I'm sure you're aware of that. That's why you're here. You're here. We need to deal with it in the correct manner, which is why you're here and Kazu is here because there is always a need for hacking in these situations. uh with the upcoming arrival of Elliot Lloyd Cook uh a English uh diplomat who is uh here to do a trade deal for some new think tank uh with uh experimental riot foam that can solidify on contact to in case people various other stuff. I don't have the technical readouts on the new tank yet. It's all wrapped up tight. That's why the major isn't here at the moment. She's acquiring the plans. Um riots have happened and a hostage situation has evolved. One of the diplomats uh one of the trade negotiations sorry for the Japanese contingent has uh been kidnapped um by [music] uh a radical group that have decided that we need to stop um buying external uh guns influence. We need to look after ourselves. Um and they have kidnapped the daughter of uh the head of office. Uh her name is Eliki uh Eliki Hzuru. Um her father is a senior senior dignitary in the industrial corporation with heavy ties of the politics. Um she was um hosting a a sweet 18th birthday party in a private suite at a hotel called the uh Astral Heights. Uh, you would know the Astral Heights hero. You've had parties there before. It's a tall tower block. Um, quite exclusive. Um, maybe one or two, possibly three, suites per floor, top end bedrooms, internalized bars, you know, hollow disco rooms. You've you've had some after parties after winning the Super Bowl there. [music] Um, they've broken in. The streets been cordoned off. Uh we've got uh riot barriers top and bottom. Um the police are not going in due to the industrial nature and the government instigation. Section 9 has been sent in. This is an above board operation. You are hostage rescue [music] counterterrorism. This is your bread and butter. I've seen you down the shooting range. Not as often as I'd like. >> I'm sorry, sir. >> I live there. >> Yes. I need I've had to dial back my nose sensors. You might want to clean the sulfur off of your coat. It's it's it's an it's a perfume, Anderson. Um maybe the ladies like it. I do. Any questions? It's on the fourth floor. Uh so quite low down. Um the Astral Heights here you would know is a 20 floor skyscraper. Um yeah, they're on the fourth floor. Uh they've got the street suite. Um we know that there is at least four upwards [music] to eight operative uh eight terrorists there that are part of this situation that have been cited. Questions? There are probably a bunch of other sweet 18 invites. I'm going to be harsh. She's the one we need out. She's the one they've they've captured. I don't know what's happened to the others. Obviously, we don't want collateral damage and we want everybody rescued, especially if anything's happening on the cameras. That is a must. Um, so make sure the footage is docked if something happens. >> No live streaming. >> Yeah, [laughter] as always, you submit your footage to the C uh to the to section three before anything goes out onto the the wider wire mainframe. Yes, >> absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. [laughter] Yeah, >> I will snap you like a twig, hero. [laughter] I'll start with your left knee cuz it's already busted. >> I can feel the twinge right now. >> Yeah, I would. >> Yeah. >> Submit all footage for review to section three before anything is publicized. >> Yeah. Do we know anything about what they're equipped with or how they took control of the situation? >> Um, we've got security footage. Uh, he makes a motion. um video camera footage comes up from behind a reception looking forward at these gorgeous front doors. Uh lots of blues and silvers, you know, the kind of the astral concept of deep space uh is the theme of the hotel. Um there's no cameras uh readily available within any of the suites. Exclusive stuff happens there and so anonymity is key to those sort of parties. He gives Hero a side eye. Um, four people come bundling through. Um, small submachine guns. Uh, they're wearing uh, flack vests. Um, they got some strange crimson pattern, but it's a bit indistinct at the speed that they're moving. Um, make a uh, awareness um, perceptiony roll. Yeah. So, just awareness for a d6. Don't think any of my skills here will attribute, so it'll be a four. Four. Yeah, there's no obvious cyber wearing on any of them. You know, no clearly metallic limbs. Um, two of them have got gas masks hanging off their hip, but they're not being worn. They're all [snorts] wearing flack on the on the body. Um, it it's not military level armor that you're dealing with. And they're these are small SMGs, the kind that you could hide in a briefcase. They're not heavily heavily armored. Um, yeah, no obvious cyberware. Uh, yeah, they come in, they lay down suppressive fire. The receptionist takes it straight to the chest because the receptionist has a gun under the counter and then they just they take out the they do shoot out the camera. They do not hack out the camera. >> Good detail. Have they made any requests? >> Uh yes, they have uh their request lists. I need just quickly mentally here we go. Yes. uh they have u that Elliot Lloyd Cook must immediately uh leave Japan. The government must immediately signed a uh tax embargo deal uh with all trade firms in Europe that we will not import riot equipment and that uh oh it's some dril about the police and how riots are handled and rights for the people, food for the refugees. That's not our department. Our department is that she comes out alive. >> You ready to get geared up? >> Have we got a time scale for this that they've said if they set they need to done within 6 hours we will kill her. >> Not interested. Get going. I want this done now. >> Okay. The doors open and the lift awaits your discussion as you head down to the requisition basement. >> Right. So, anybody here good with sniper rifles? [laughter] Just just because it's always a good cover. [snorts] >> I am good with rifles, but I'm not interested in that. I want to be in at the detail. >> Right. So, I want going to be in breaking some heads as Anderson cracks his knuckles. >> You You uh Yeah. You get into the lift, it's a bit cramped. Anderson's a large chap. Uh, and his overpowering musk of of sulfur [laughter] and gunfumes and oil is is a heady smell. >> It's on me so much I don't even smell it anymore. >> Right. Right. Okay. So, no sniper. >> We all had smell. >> No, I'm no sniper. I've not >> Yeah. I'll equip myself with uh tech that will allow me hopefully to get control of internal security cameras and you know try to get us a better view if there are any in the corridors. There are none in the rooms they said but maybe the corridors I don't know. Uh maybe the lights I can control some of that so we could try to go >> and even maybe hear their communications between each other. >> Yes, they can. Yep. Yep. I mean they said there was no cameras in there cuz stealthy things go on. Maybe there's some covert cameras in there that you could have a look at. >> Yeah, interesting. They shot the cameras, so they're probably not at the top of their u of their game in terms of their barriers and cyber brains. So maybe there's a chance of trying to get them. >> Yeah, I've I've taken a shotgun. That's uh my that's been voted on like by miles 80%. >> Obviously obviously unless they are in closed mode. So when obviously if they're operating close mode it's difficult for me to to to to attack them. >> Yeah. >> But you know I'll equip myself with maybe attack coupling and something if I can get close enough maybe I can plug in. That's the hope. I need you to help me [laughter] cuz I'm not good at that. [laughter] I'll stay behind you. Right. Equipment. >> Equipment. Anybody going for [snorts] thermoptical camouflage? That's very expensive. >> No, I I've decided to take the tide tried and trusted uh riot equipment I'm used to. So, uh I've gone with a ballistic vest, gas mask, grenade launcher with some flash and some extra gas grenades. So, go full crowd. I've tried to go as uh gentle as possible. We're in a hostage situation. We probably want as few bullets flying as possible. >> Okay. Okay. Right. Mhm. Let's uh I'll write it from this side. >> So, we're all going to need gas mask then. [laughter] >> Gas mask. Okay. Gas mask. Yeah. Yep. >> Gas mask. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Part of is whether we're going to go in stealthily or just smash the doors and and just go room by room will probably be those extra bits of equipment we need for it. >> Well, room could be very dangerous for her. I think we should try to get to the room cuz >> kind of do the old pizza pizza delivery or sorry I got >> negotiation. Well, I I got invited to the party. Uh >> I'm just here late. [laughter] >> How very unusual. come straight through the lobby bullet holes. >> Exactly like that. And I'll just go, "Okay, floor four. Let's get in the lift. Go on the floor." And then just surprise them and be like, "Well, you know who I am, so [laughter] obviously I'm in for the party." >> Are you famous? Literally. People would know who you are. >> People Yeah, I'm distinctive. Yeah, that's my setback. >> So, you can't be our pretend negotiator. Could you be a pretend negotiator? >> No, I mean I'm sure I have some experience of that from police. maybe not as uh enforced as section 9 agents but dealing with uh unruly individuals. >> So that could be a way of approaching closer by yeah >> pretending a negotiation thing. There is no plato didn't say that there's a negotiation. >> No, there's no there's no negotiator. >> Yeah. Yeah. Right. So that could be an angle. >> I could get myself I'm I'm quite persuasive. If I could get myself in the room and saying if I probably turn up my foot football kit >> and you could be my film crew. >> Oh my. [laughter] >> And uh and we we could just walk in just like that as a this is kind of like Yeah. brilliant. And uh >> it' be a >> and see whether they would sort of accept that. And then we we find out where she is, lock her down, and then >> wow >> ask the others to leave quietly cuz they're not invited to the party. >> [laughter] >> Yes. The fact that the roads cordoned off with police >> would absolutely not >> far too important for that kind of thing. >> I just paid the police off. I >> Yeah, exactly. [laughter] Do you know who I am for that? >> I don't know. I didn't see I don't look at the feeds, the social feeds I get anything like that. That's for other people. It's part of the team. >> Gas mask is there. Yeah, the gas mask is there. [snorts] Oh, two [snorts] points. Yep. >> I'm half expecting Anderson to go, can I take a step back so I have more requisition points? [laughter] >> He's a deeply flawed person. >> I'm a deeply flawed person. >> I was going to go down the [laughter] other route. Have a lot of stuff. Imply that I am a huge guy and can carry a lot of stuff. So maybe I could go with some more heavy things, but >> I think I think the 12 is how trusted you are rather than how capable you are carrying it. [laughter] Following which I think hero has two requisition. >> Yeah. [laughter] Here we go. >> Don't forget armor if you're going in. >> Smart we ballistic suit. Yeah, I've taken a um yeah, ballistic vest to uh try and avoid any of the the the core items getting hurt. >> I I don't buy any immediate death. >> My plan is is the >> be the helmet. [laughter] >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> I don't have enough points for a helmet. >> Yes. Combat is short and violent. And if there is one thing you have been trained on, it is take cover. Cover is your friend in any gunfight. >> Take take cover. Uh, how much was for deployable barricades? >> You you could you could physically carry a large sofa around with you if you felt like it. [laughter] >> You laugh. I've run a game where someone did that. >> Was it you? [laughter] >> Yes. Yeah. [snorts] >> Uh >> he carried a massive old elven throne made of wood on his back for 3 months of game like in character game time across the continent. >> He just he could not grasp the concept of encumbrance. My strength's high enough. I can do it. >> Do you understand the concept of bulky? No, it's under my strength. I can do it. It doesn't matter. >> It's a numbers game. >> It's a number. It was a numbers game. Bless his little cotton socks. >> [snorts] >> Never want to underestimate the guidance of the GM. I've decided to take cover and I bring in a deployable barricade. A >> great item. >> Great item. >> One one less gas grenade to hurt my friend. >> One less gas grenade. >> So the the deployable barricade doesn't have a a specific I am 15.2 m wide. It's just a case of like very much like >> it down sit behind the face. >> You you it's a it's a big carrying suitcase or and it can slung up in your back. You bang it down, hit the button, and it shoots out. Um, as minimum, it's going to come up to your waist, not our huge friend's waist. >> Yeah, that's fine. >> So, you'll be able to duck down and get full cover, but a huge person, this is the drawback for all his extra skill points he wanted. >> It is harder to take cover. >> Yeah, that's more than fair. >> Clunking it back together takes a little longer than a button press, but they can be uh recovered and redeployed if you get into a rolling gunfight situation. >> Fair. How is the This is the longest lift ride ever down to a 40 second story. So >> yeah, that's true. Yeah, 40 seconds. You're not in the express, so it might take a while to >> And every so often people get on, people get off, people get on. [laughter] Do we need to like this music? We get down to 374. The lift's out. We have to walk for rest. >> Yes. It's an express covert mission. Agatha from accounting gets on. Get Yeah. and has a go at us for spending so much money last time and reminds us not to spend so much this time everyone ice creams. >> I went with a gas mask considering what you guys are talking about. Clearly don't you know I'll catch the the gas mask for sure. Uh a pistol because of course we have to carry weapons. Um so the smallest pistol I can find and on the other end a nice harpoon that launches and connects to my universal advanced coupling link. So, the idea is that if I can by pure luck hit somebody's port at the back with this cable, I can connect from a distance. I'm sure it will work out fine. >> Guys, that's not the hardest shot. I mean, yeah. >> If only you had spent more time at the shooting range. >> I'll do all right with the >> You could shoot it near and then if I'm up close, I'll put him [laughter] >> this little I'll slap them and just put it in for you. And this little file which this silvery substance which is an interceptor nano that should be useful at some point. >> Also this motion scanner beep beep beep picks up movement including clocked people. >> Very nice. We've got the gas uh mask routine over here. Uh Sakai clearly knows how they are going to approach this situation. >> So they're going to I think they sound a lot conventional to me. to lock doors and stuff like that. Have we got a ways of getting through doors and stuff? >> I believe his foot. Your foot. You're good. >> I'm actually taking a breaching hammer. >> Great. Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. >> You see there's a web for it. >> What is more Norse/Danish than [snorts] a huge giant with blonde hair and a massive breaching ham over his shoulder? [laughter] >> The aesthetic. >> I'm going to have some fun. >> And for some reason, he has this weird thing about only those who are worthy can use it. >> Yeah. You can't pick it up. Uh, >> I passed you. [laughter] Hold this for a second. >> It's too heavy. It's too heavy. I can't pick it up. >> Here, Kazu. He's >> just mumbling whenever he says it's crunches. [laughter] [clears throat] >> Can I ask a quick question about grenades? >> You can ask. >> Uh, so it does. If I just Is it one point for one? If I put one point, I get one. It's one for one. The grenade launcher is six points but gives you four grenades of one type. >> And they will go further >> cuz you you you throw them uh unless you have taken one of the speciality skills pitcher I think it is. >> Uh which is quite cool. You can throw them further. So the grenade launcher is a bit extra cuz it gives you more range. >> Cracking. Uh I'm taking a stimpack. >> Whoa, whoa, whoa. Medic [laughter] medic. You know those allegations of doping will never go away. [laughter] >> I'm just healing myself. >> Healing myself. Yeah, you saw that tackle in the circle. >> Yeah. Was that a combat a combat drug? Didn't he was snoring me there? Performance-enhancing drugs >> again. That I got retired. I retired. I I didn't I retired. Yes, I retired from my career. Okay. I wasn't forced out. >> My own free will and of course there were no allegations. my yellow. >> Are we Are we there to go up? >> Excellent. >> The equipments are in your hand. You exit the lift door. >> Uh there is a van laid on for you as is a classic black SUV style event. Bulletproof glass. Uh auto driver is already engaged. You just get in and down the streets you go. >> Can we just check what has everyone gone with? So, uh, I've gone with grenade launcher with four flash grenades, one gas grenade, ballistic vest, gas mask, and a deployable barricade. [laughter] >> How do we do it? Pistol, gas mask, interceptor, nanites, universal advanced coupling upgraded to be able to fire as well as plugging in manually, and motion scanner. Beep beep. >> Brilliant. >> Uh, shotgun, gas mask, smartweave, ballistic suit, uh, armor piercing ammunition, and stimpack. >> Fantastic. [laughter] The crowds will love it. Um, >> I know I'm being subtle here. >> So, did you say unpiercing in a shotgun? >> Yeah. [laughter] >> Yeah, it is a it is an option. >> The gun range quartermaster must love you. >> Next target, please. Boom. >> I'm going with a full-on armored suit, preaching hammer. I've got a sword. Just one. So, Riley Safy, uh, assault rifle, and some flashbangs. >> Assault rifle, sword. Yeah. So, I'm going in fully tank protective protective you get you in close. >> I'm a real soft spot for flashbangs, man. >> Uh I have not taken a gas mask um because I'm I realized that the baddies have some. So, I'm going to just take one off of one of them. Appreciate [laughter] >> that's my plan. >> That is that is how it works. >> Uh you jump in the auto drive down the streets you go. Immediately you arrive at this road barricaded off top bottom as you can see on my incredibly uh play detailed map. I'm not an artist. Uh >> I'm not sure what I am to be fair. Uh >> you should see some of the iterative ones we had doing play testing as well on our side. It wasn't much better. [gasps] >> Um yeah, map. There we go. Uh you can see on this side um I'm going to just call it uh Sakai side. You've got the Astral Heights. It is uh its own uh skyscraper that shoots up, as I said, about 40 odd stories tall. Individual layers, no more than two or three apartments per level. Uh it is a very high-end exclusive area. People go to have these host these very special birthday parties, you know, winning the baseball, still big in Japan, all they love the baseball, all that kind of stuff. Very exclusive. Um uh directly opposite as you'd expect in a high high-end area, you have the uh Electrum Cocktails Bar. Um what you can't get there, drink there, buy there uh for extracurricular purposes isn't worth putting down on a postcard. And then you have the Aussium fashions. Uh wherever there are rich people having partying, there are people selling even more outrageously expensive clothes. These are opposite. Um >> can I just check on the is there any buildings this side? >> Uh those those two doors that I have just quickly uh drawn on the side are fire doors. Uh there are no adjacent buildings. It is entirely freestanding. >> So there would be a building but other way it's a small alleyway. There are >> my plan from jumping from an adjacent building. >> No no you could jump building to building but you'd have to go through the glass and the walls. There are no handy dandy fire escapes. >> [music] >> uh as uh some films always seem to have lying around. Um I will briefly go into range and how the game handles range at this point. So uh a pistol has a range of one. That means you can shoot people in the area you are currently standing in and you can shoot them in an area one area away. Yep. Sniper rifle or assault rifle will have a range of four. You can shoot somebody up to four areas away. Um, this map is quite large scale. Um, but you can see that we have got multiple areas kind of pointed out. So, if you were in the stairs here and you were trying to shoot into the street, that' be one, two areas. Yeah. Um, sometimes inside buildings and rooms, I will use a dotted line because the reception uh has a nice wall for you to hide behind where all the equipment is that receptions have. I I kind of classify that as a separate area. It makes sword play far easier because we otherwise we could have somebody coming through the doors having a sword fight with somebody behind the reception which is a little bit doesn't quite work from the aesthetic point of view. So the dotted lines indicate additional areas. So if you were in reception and you wanted to shoot the road that would be two areas. Yeah. Um give me my pawns back please. There we go. As I say, the cordons at the top and the bottom. Various drones are in the sky being kept back by uh police oversight drones. Um there's no riot van here particularly. Uh but the police have got a strong presence. There are multiple camera crews uh here because word has very quickly gotten out that it is one of the um the industrial delegates here to trade with Elliot Lloyd Cook who his daughter at a sweet 18th has been nabbed. Um so there are plenty of crews down here. There are a few people with placards uh demanding that um Elliot Lloyd Cook go home. We don't want you here. More oppressive power to the government uh with anti- riot technology. Um there's a few people starting to build up, but it hasn't really had chance to get going yet. Uh as you have arrived here incredibly quickly. I'm going to say you're all down the far end over there. Um >> behind the big guy. >> Check. [laughter] Uh, check. >> Very ob check check mate. Uh, very obvious and for free. Um, the Astral Heights is the tallest building in this area. Um, you won't be able to get onto its roof without a helicopter. However, the Aussie fashions and electum cocktails. Both do go up to the fifth story, so you can see in across the street, assuming the windows have not been tinted. This is a high-end area and people don't have these kind of naked parties uh with football stars with windows that are not tinted. >> Are they tinted one way hero sometimes? [laughter] >> Checking if they can see out as well as >> Yeah, they'll be able to see out of it. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Mostly tinted to stop people looking in with cameras whilst you might be getting up to whatever it is that football stars get up to in the offse. Um, [snorts] you get out the SUV, the police mostly ignore you. Um, they must know who you are, although it is a bit odd. >> Obviously, they know who I am. >> Although, though it is a bit a little it is a little bit odd how little attention they give you. You seem to have free reign to go where you want and do what you would like. >> I just call a comfort break. >> Yes, that is pro. Now is probably a good time just to go pause.