Just finished running a game of PIE at the local shop. We ran the first adventure “Easy as PIE” and everyone was new to mini-six/D6 so there was a steep learning curve, but overall everyone picked it up really quickly … although there were calls to let people use skills for strange things that I allowed to a certain extent. The entire adventure took about an hour and a half with one break and some explanation of rules like the use of Hero Points as both health risky die pool.
The PIE team had struggled to get the local NEPA Franchise started due to the city’s high tax rate, and questions from the main branch about needing another PIE franchise so close to the main branch in NYC. After some negotiation with the local government the PIE team agreed to eventually investigate the Masonic Temple and city library for free and to neither dismiss or endorse the current mayor in the next campaign.
After setting up shop in an old electrical station the team enjoys several weeks of media attention and appearances at local events before the whole thing dies off leveling them bored and clientless. After a dozen or so prank calls the team finally gets a gig up in the back woods of “nearby” Hawley. The owner of a local gas station wants to hire the team to investigate a bunch of weird happenings in his gas station over the last six months. He doesn’t believe in ghosts or any of that “Crap” and thinks the employees are secretly trying to unionize. However, last night his 3rd-shifter was nearly drowned by his own mop bucket and the entire staff has refused to come in because of it. The owner, Lewis Digby, promises to pay double the going rate to get the issue taken care of and his employees back on the job, ASAP.
After some minor debate (who the hell wants to willingly go to Hawley?) the team suits up and heads out, arriving at the gas station well beyond the setting of the sun. Lewis is there waiting for the players when they arrive. Unfortunately before anyone has a chance to talk a giant dog-like creature built out of burning gasoline forms from the four gas pumps and after attempting to scare the Team (causing the youngest member to break for the car) goes after Digby.
“We should help him.”
“nope, he hired us to investigate the gas station, not the parking lot.”
“Dude if he dies we don’t get paid!”
“And he faxed the accidental death waiver, we’ll still get paid!”
The two Walk over to the doors to the gas station and find them locked. After more arguing they decide that Lewis probably has the key and the it would melt if the dog should eat him. So charging up their electron blasters they let lose!
(This was the first issue we had. Combat was clunky and mildly confusing. nothing not easily handled by a master of the d6 system … which I am not).
During the time leading up to deciding on attacking the beast, Digby had gotten to his SUV but wasn’t fast enough to get going. As the team joins the battle the great hound is using the SUV as a chew toy. The gas pumps blow up, the pole sign gets destroyed and Digby and his SUV get through a block away.
(A lot of Hero Points/Brownie Points were lost in the course of this battle!)
After the smoke clears the players find Digby in the forest heading under a bramble of poison ivy. He swears to play triple and leaves in search of his SUV after handing the team the keys to the store front. Entering the station the players are greeted by floating objects that seem to take a keen interest in attempting to beat the player’s heads in.
After some investigation into the slimified sluishie maker and the players destroying it with a blast of their electron blasters the team finds its way to the bathrooms, where two of them were grabbed and swirlied by toilets and losing one point each to their Charm rolls. After this some news paper clippings and an old lunch, all about a dead mechanic named John was found and the freezer (containing a second ghost attack) invented.
Making it to the garage and the final battle the players spent ALL of their brownie to convince the spirit haunting the place to try and get his boss caught smuggling drugs and letting him (the ghost) move on. The ghost agrees and the team spends a week gathering evidence away from Digby. Finally the man is arrested and the ghost passes on, but not before telling the team of a small safe under the gas station with 10s of thousands of doller stored in it.
All in all a good game … I know I have some things to work on for future but over all very fun!
Now bed!
