I don’t want to bog you down in the details of how we got here, but the short version is a combo of Mythic Variant 1 rolls and Chat GPT. If anyone ever reads this and wants more info I’ll do an actual blog post about the process but chances are I am writing this for my own benefit alone at this stage. And right now I’m growing tired of all the prep work and want to just get into a game already.
Why am I here? Mythic Rolls: 22 befriend, 68 rumours. Mace is infiltrating somewhere to try and get an ally. The mission, get an informant or defector onto the side of ORCHID. Easy done!
What’s the scene? Mythic rolls, 2 themes- 5 Action! And 24 Remote Event!
Okay cool, what’s our overarching story gonna be called? I had previously generated a big list of names with ChatGPT and sorted them into thematically grouped sets. I randomly determined set 3 title 1 (Scarlet/Red themed) and conveniently the first one on that list, “Scarlet Mirage.” When I think 60s era spy stuff and I see the words red, it’s gotta be a cold war/russian driven story, right? Haha. And Scarlet Mirage works amazingly with the Sinoper Viper Alliance. (Sinoper is also red, right?)
Okay, so in summary: Mace needs to infiltrate a “remote location” to “befriend” someone with “rumours”. It has to be full of “Action!” and be the first step in the journey of uncovering the “Scarlet Mirage.” Sounds like a great setup.
I hit up Chat GPT and give it the info and ask for it to generate 4 things. 1, the location which has to be exotic and uniquely suitable for some kind of spy nonsense. 2, the informant. I want their description and motivations and what they do. 3, A thorough description of the location including its purpose and what it looks like. And finally 4, I ask for 3 obstacles to get in Mace’s way. Here are the results.
Welcome to The Zvezdan Kamen Magnetic Research Facility. (Chatgpt generated the name that translates into star stone which is pretty cool) It is a Brutalist masterpiece carved into a jagged limestone cliff. The building’s angular concrete facades are punctuated by steel-framed windows, glowing faintly with the hum of scientific equipment. Surrounding it is a barren, windswept plateau dotted with weather-beaten shrubs and rocky outcrops, with the Adriatic Sea visible as a shimmering strip in the distance.
The Purpose of the Facility? The facility studies geomagnetic anomalies and their effects on the Earth’s ionosphere, seeking potential applications in long-range communication and energy harnessing technologies. The scientists aim to use their findings to pioneer advancements in clean energy transmission, though rumours of its covert military uses abound.
I am meeting with Elena Dubrovnik, a disgruntled Soviet Scientist. More on her later. First I have to get close to her. What challenges are in the way I hear you ask?
Chat GPT throws up some interesting responses.
First, a by-the-numbers Security Checkpoint: A heavily-armed checkpoint guards the winding access road to the facility. I feel like Mace would have done the homework to get infiltrated and be talking to Elena over the course of some weeks. As such I feel like the gatehouse is less about getting in and more about getting out as far as a challenge goes. Remember Mace is a faceman. It’s all about the long con for him.
Second, and I love this for a spy game, Magnetic Interference: The facility’s experimental equipment creates sporadic geomagnetic anomalies, disabling electronic devices and compasses. This complicates navigation and communication, forcing reliance on intuition and memory. Personally I never would have come up with that idea. It also means Mace is on his own. No gadgets, no comms. But on the upside what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. I think the way we deal with this is give it a percentage chance that stuff works or doesn’t. I think given the nature of the research station a 2 in 3 chance that EMP nonsense messes with tech is a great set of odds.
Finally, something I wasn’t expecting but that works great. A Suspicious Scientist: Dr. Igor Milyutin, a paranoid overseer, intercepts your character under the guise of friendly curiosity. He is adept at detecting lies and must be deceived or distracted to continue the mission. Now this is actually really cool because Mace isn’t James Bond. His deal isn’t the fast in and out insurgency strike like we see in Golden Eye. He is a player of the long con, so having a “pretending to be curious but actually sussing you out” character is an amazing coincidence that will come in handy later. [Insert Mickey Mouse with the surprise tool meme here]
To get us started I tell ChatGPT that my character has been working incognito as a cleaner and that I need a scene with Action in it to get me started. It gives me the spiel below nad we get into our game.
We aren’t here to futz with ChatGPT readouts, we are here to roll some damn dice you…. Remember this scene is “Action!” So let’s get to acting.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
The day begins like any other, with your character dutifully pushing a mop across the dimly lit corridors of the Zvezdan Kamen facility, the faint hum of machinery and the occasional chatter of scientists filling the air. Just as you round the corner into the main atrium, the floor beneath you shudders violently, and a piercing klaxon erupts, echoing off the concrete walls. The green emergency lights flicker erratically, casting the scene in a surreal, strobing glow, as overhead speakers crackle with panicked announcements about “containment breach protocols.” Through the glass of a nearby observation room, a massive, experimental magnetic coil begins to spark uncontrollably, arcs of electricity dancing wildly toward the surrounding equipment. Suddenly, the reinforced doors leading to the lower laboratories hiss open, and a wave of pressurised air knocks over equipment, sending papers and tools flying as chaos erupts around you.
A pressure blast with arcs of electricity. Now that’s more like it! If I were a GM i would call for a reflex save … and good news. I am the gm, so Mace has to make a reflex save. I set the dc by rolling a d6 and adding 10, i get a 2. Reflex is Mace’s worst save at -1 to his roll. He needs a 13. He almost fumbles with a 2. Hes gonna take d6 electrical damage. I get lucky with a 1.
As Mace gets fried on the floor Dr. Elena and Dr. Igor come rushing over to contain the breach. I roll for each of them to try to stop the experiment. Dr. Elena gets an 18 and Dr. Igor gets a 12. Thanks to Elena the magnetic coils are powered down. Dr. Igor, somewhat embarrassed by not knowing what to do decides to use Mace’s Injury as an excuse to slip away to the infirmary. Not the result Mace was hoping for, prefering to have a private word with Elena. But hey, what’s a guy to do.
Dr. Igor takes Mace to the medical bay. I roll on the Fate chart to see how likely it is that Mace thought to create a medical file for himself. The Fate chart says i need a 25% or less. I roll a 95%. Uh oh. The Doctor is looking for Mace’s file but can’t seem to find it. I roll to see if he thinks this is suspicious with a sense motive check. He gets a 7 which is less than the 10 I chose as the DC. He figures its just an admin error. Mace is new, this stuff happens all the time. Dr. Igor also rolls and gets a 4. I think the Doc reassuring him helps things. The Doc does his medical exam and diagnoses the injury as a minor electrocution but nothing to worry about. It’s back to work for Mace the cleaner.
Mace returns to the scene of the explosion. Dr. Elena is still there fixing things. Mace is going to roll Diplomacy to make some small talk whilst he gets to work. If this check succeeds he can have a +1 for each 5 points he succeeds by to future conversations with Elena and a -1 per 5 if it fails. The DC will be 10. He rolls an 18, he has +5 skill, that’s 23 and 13 above the DC so +2 for the future.
Mace asks Elena what she thinks went wrong. (ChatGPT also asked) And she responds “The Primary Magnetic Coil destabilised after a harmonic resonance cascade in the ionosphere simulation field. It has overloaded the containment matrix. If I hadn’t recalibrated the flux inhibitors the whole station could have imploded into a localised geomagnetic anomaly.”
“Wow, we are lucky to have you here then.” Mace says.
“I’m sure Dr. Milyutin would have handled it.” Elena replies.
“I don’t think Dr. Igor knew how to handle it from what I saw.” Mace flatters her.
She ponders this for a moment.
Mace is going to try and sense her motive. He Rolls a 9 plus his skill of 4, plus his bonus 2 from before. 15 is enough to notice there’s something wrong. He asks her what it is.
Elena explains that this sort of explosion is very concerning to her. When she got into this project she was very excited by the possibilities it had to offer. Harnessing geomagnetic energy from the Ionosphere has the potential to allow free clean energy, liberating society. Burning coal or nuclear options are not sustainable in the long term and she envisions a Russia in the future where people who come from families like hers don’t have to dig in the ground for fossil fuels. This would make the USSR the most powerful and productive superpower in the world. But when she sees these experiments become dangerous like this she knows it os not going to get used to liberate the poor people like her family. She knows it’s going to be used to create bombs and weapons that will be sent against soldiers. And what is worse, Dr. Milyutin is going to take all the credit as the project supervisor despite the fact that he doesn’t understand how to control it. The project is unsafe in his hands.
Mace sees this as his opportunity. He is going to roll innuendo to suggest she defect and take her knowledge for how to contain this technology to others. Its a more difficult check so I am making the DC a 20. Mace had a +4, and his previous bonus of +2. He needs a 14. He gets a 19.
Mace suggests she defect in a way that does not arouse suspicion. Elena mentions that the thought had crossed her mind, but she knows that doing so not only puts her life at risk. It also puts the project entirely under the control of Milyutin. So long as Igor is alive, the project is a danger to all.
Mace asks her if Igor was stopped, would she consider defecting with him. She agrees.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Next, Taking down Dr. Igor.
