RPG Thoughts; The Skinner

I've been thinking about the World of Darkness. Again, its because of the gamer ADD. The thing I keep coming back to is how wonderfully integrated the Classic version is. That integration is never better exemplified then with The Skinner- Samuel Haight.

Haight was unique, he was a Garou with an Awakened Soul, and was a Ghoul with Disciplines. Eek. That's a lot of capital letters, which means that they are specific game terms. To boil it down, he was a Werewolf Mage with Vampire powers! He was the cross over baddies to end all cross over baddies. He represented what each one of the groups absolutely hated. The Skinner appeared as a villain in an adventure for each of the big three games, culminating in the mega-adventure 'Chaos Factor', which was technically a Mage game, but usable by any of the three games. Background wise, he was the big bad of the first editions of the games, and 'Chaos Factor' was (I believe) the last thing released for the first edition.

Samuel Haight, The Skinner, had a wonderful character arc, to be honest. He started out as a normal human who had Werewolf relatives (a Kinfolk). Envious of his Garou cousins, he became a big game hunter, until he got bored with it. Then he moved on to hunting Vampires. Managed to kill one, drink its blood and get some Vampire powers, and learn some Vampire magic (Thaumaturgy). He managed to then learn a bunch of magic rites, one of which would allow him to kill Garou sew their pelts together and become a werewolf himself. Which is what he did in his first appearance in 'The Valkenberg Project'. So a Garou with Thaumaturgy, already pretty dangerous, he then was out and about and managed to kill a Dreamspeaker (Mage shaman) and steal his magic powers. So then he was a Garou with Thaumaturgy and an Arete rating (Mage magic). He then decided to try and become a god and drink the blood of an ancient vampire, which is where his story ended in 'Chaos Factor'.

However, while The Skinner was the in-game big bad, he was also something of an allegory for the players. I think that he was something the designers put in as a teaching tool. There were multiple references in game about hating people telling the designers about their character ('Subsidiaries- A Guide to Pentex' had the most obvious references). The thing is that I think he was created in the very earliest Werewolf supplements when the idea of the crossover game was starting as an allegory of why things work the way they do, and why one groups powers do not cross over to another games' inhabitants. He was designed to be the ultimate piece of cheese, twink, power gamer, meta-thought. He is everything that the designers hated, over the top, power heavy, and had a unique place. Hell, even his name is Haight, which if you say it quickly is a homophone of hate! He was a cautionary tale, if you want to do this stuff, this is where everything ends up.

'Chaos Factor' involved probably the most stated-out character in WoD history, Shaitan, a 4th gen Baali vampire. This thing was basically the Tarrasque of WoD. That was really the only thing that could stop him. No PC had the power to stop something of that magnitude, and the end was a dues ex machina. He blew up and took the ancient Vampire with him. Even when White Wolf published their Armageddon books, the ones that ended the lines of the Classic World of Darkness, they didn't give the stats of anything so powerful. The Skinner, Samuel Haight, was in and of himself a power spiral. Clearly with The Skinner, the fine people over at White Wolf were painting a broad story in strokes of the epic over what NOT to do as a character in the World of Darkness. Which was wonderful, and I wish more games would include this type of in-game lesson. The problem was once the 2nd editions and the revised editions came out, he was regulated to the back story (being dead and all). A piece of game history that should have been remembered and painted across all the games to serve as a warning. He was a sign post saying 'This way lies Madness'.

Mordheim Campaign Bat Rep: Round 2 Session 2

Round Two Session Two

Well, its the first week to play again since we have been busy at work lately. Fortuitously we were able to clear off a slightly larger space then what we have been using, so it makes things a bit more interesting. Not that we pariticularly used that extra space. It was a pretty good couple of games, even though halfway through my game the computer I was using Blue Screen of Deathed me, so I lost all the notes I had for my game. Please forgive the state of these notes, they are just what I jotted down during the match. As for the pics, this time I'm not busting out of the borders here, but I'm not too satisfied with the size. This time I'm thinking that its too small.

Tom Dwarves(WBR 131) vs. Megan Orcs & Goblins(WBR 200)

Megan's O&G Setup.


Tom's Dwarf Setup.


OT1:
Two gobs fail animosity, one of them stuns a 3rd gob.



DT1:
Move forward


OT2:
Two gobs fail animosity, but do nothing. Move forward


DT2:
Move Forward


OT3:
One gobs fails animosity and WAAGH's. Another goblins grabs a wyrdstone counter.
DT3:
Dwarfs move forward. Engineer fires and hits and wounds goblin, who is knocked down.

OT4:
One gob fails animosity and does nothing. O&G move and fortify themselves.


DT4:
Dwarves move up. Engineer fires and takes out gobbo.


OT5:
One fails animosity does nothing, Big Un 1 grabs wyrdstone.

DT5:
Move, engineer shoots and misses

OT6:
Passed all animosity, one with spear charges Dwarf Noble, one with spear charges thunderer. Shooting: 3 gob archers miss. CC: Gob 1 misses, Dwarf noble criticals and stuns gob. thunderer hits and knocks down.


DT6:
Bit of movement. Shooting. THunderer kills OB, CC: Noble curb stomps gob. Thunderer gets over toughness.

OT7:
OB fails animosity and stands, move forward, shooting: shaman spell suceeds for the very first time on thunderer, 2 fail, 1 hits, and knocks down. one gobbo crits on noble takes him to stunned.


DT7:
recovery, mov up, Shooting: thunderer miss via lucky charm, engineer misses troll


OT8:
charges, Dwarf Noble survives with his 3+ gromril armor and shield, boss takes out already wounded dude, troll knocks down other guy.


DT8:
movement, charges. Shooting: Thunderer shoots big un, does not wound. CC: thunderer vs. gobo does nothing, noble vs shaman nothing.


OT9:
gob that was going to charge failed animosity and fought another gob. troll takes out beardling.

DT10:
orange hair takes out orc boss


OT10
Shaman takes out noble
orange hair takes out gob
II takes out thunderer
I gets a curb stomp
DT10:
needs rout check fails rout.

The Quick Score Sheet:

1. Who Killed Who:

Engineer kills gobbo
Gobbo grabs wyrdstone
Big Un 1 grabs wyrdstone
Noble curb stomps gob
Thunderer kills gob
orange hair takes out orc boss
Shaman takes out noble
orange hair takes out gob
Big Un II takes out thunderer
Big Un I gets a curb stomp


2. Injury Results

Dwarf Noble: snake eyes dead
beardling with hammer is dead

Orc Cheif: full recovery
orc boy dead
2 gobs with spears dead.


3. XP gained.
tom: +2
engineer: 3 (20 total: +1 str)
orange hair: +4 (17 total: 2 rolls, 1 +1 attack, skill)
white hair +2 (15 +1 ws)
thunderers: (that lad's got talent, skill, the other +1WS)

Chieftain: 3: (36: skill)
Shaman: 2 (15: +1 Attack)
BU1: 3 (26)
BU2: 2 (24- skill)
OBS: +1 Ld


4. Exploration results

4432: +1 wyrd dwarf = total of 4 wyrdstone (straggler, get +1 die on next exploration phase)
33224: double 2 shop (6 GC), 3 wyrdstones

5. Recruiting
Tom: 2 XP: thunderer with handgun.
Megan: 7 available


6. New standings.
Tom:
Megan: 203

Tom left early, so I didn't figure out what the new total was, and Megan did not tell me what she bought.

Jim Undead(WBR 149) vs. LAZ Skaven(WBR153)

Here's our set up:


My Right Flank: That's a termagaunt standing in for a Giant Rat.


My left Flank:


My Eshin Sorcerer in the building. I love this shot, its kinda arty.


Turn 1: My advance



Jim Advance



Turn 2: My ill thought out charge. I didn't take anyone out.


Jim's counter charge, led by the Vampire.

Jim's advance on my other flank.


This is where we ended up on the left flank.


This is where we ended up on the right flank.


1. Who Killed Who:

Eshin Sorceror got wyrdstone
Black Skaven I: killed a dreg

Vampire got wyrdstone
ballless dreg killed BS II
Vampire killed verminkin


2. Injury Results
Undead all survive

1 verminkin dead
black skaven full recovery

3. XP gained.

Vampire: +4 (total 37: +1 WS)
Necro: +1 (total 14: new skill)
Painted: +1 (total 7)
With Ball: +1 (total 7)
Ballless: +2 (total 8- +1 str)
Super Ghoul: +1 (total 6- +1 str)
ghoul group: +1

eshin sorceror: +2 (17skill)
BS1: +1 (total 18)
BS 2: +2 (21 skill)
Pierced Tail: +1 (3)

Verminkin A: 8
Verminkin B: 3

4. Exploration results

S: 444: fletcher: 3 wyrdstone, 3 Bows. (60 +15 GC)
U: 66521: 4 wyrdstone, (ruined hovels 5 gc), (60 GC)

5. Recruiting:
Jim XP pool: 6
LAZ XP pool: 11

6. New standings.
Jim: 160
LAZ: 179