The Adventures of Becky - The Mean Streets of Penrith

 

The first episode in the Adventures of Becky, following her father’s footsteps into unknown perils, and so on to Penrith, that well known haunt of sheep rustlers, jay walkers and even after hours drinkers.

Complying with her father’s wishes Becky catches the train to Penrith to try and find George Phelpps and collect her father’s legacy, but this is no ordinary legacy, and will lead her into considerable danger. The 1st post setting the background is here http://vagabondswargamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/the-adventures-of-becky-red-jade-budha.html

This is a re-post of the 1^st part of  Becky’s story that I posted on the LAF back in  Jan 2016 so if you saw it then I would advise you to continue reading, because if your memory is anything like mine you will have forgotten it all by now...

Before I start this post I just want to thank you guy's who have been so welcoming into the blogosphere Martin, Frank, Bryan, Roy, Greg, d.G.G. Idle, Joe, Doug, Mark, A.B. and Unknown!!!!

When I knew I would have regular internet and the time to be able to follow some of the new (to me) Blogs that I had come across, as well as old ones I knew, it seemed the right time to start my own Blog, My intent was just to put all my game reports in one place and have a place to get notifications of your new posts at the same time.

The thing I hadn't even considered was that there would be dialogue - contact with like minded mad beings and as a solo wargamer I am finding that invigorating, instructive, interesting, and enjoyable.

So I suppose that's it - THANKS

Game Conditions

If you are not interested in this go straight to the start of the game at the 1^st Photo.

Becky arrives in Penrith, a rough market town in the north of England and has to work her way from the train station to the local Post Office where she hopes to get the address and directions to George Phelpps house, there are a number of encounters on the way down the board which if friendly enough may also have this information but may not be all they seem. 

Possible Encounters

There are 10 encounter markers on the table, using a shuffled pack of 10 playing cards that corresponds to the following:-

Ace - Meet a biker gang, Roll 1d6 = 1 to 6 members, Roll a 2nd D6 and a roll of 1 = Friendly will help if asked. 2 = Friendly but will not help. 3 = Neutral with no help. 4 = Unfriendly and no help. 5 = Unfriendly and will attack. 6 = Very Unfriendly and will attack.

2 – Have a run in with a drunk, Roll 1D6 and 1 = amorous. 2 = noisy. 3/4 = Aggressive. 5/6 = Very Aggressive, and calls on 1 to 3 other drunks to help. To do what I hadn’t decided.

3 – Meet local gang, Roll 1/2D6 to give 1 to 3 members, 1 = Friendly and will help if asked. 2 = Friendly but no help. 3 = Neutral and no help. 4 = Unfriendly and no help. 5 = Unfriendly and will attack. 6 = Very Unfriendly and will attack.

4 – Meet local Law, Roll 1/2D6 to give 1, 2, 3 officers, pass Charisma roll to avoid confrontation.

5 – Nothing happens

6 – Meet a little old lady who tells her where George lives.

7 – Find local post office who tells her where George lives.

8 – Nothing happens

9 – Meet George, who takes her home and gives her Henrys books and papers on the Red Jade Buddha, although he does not know what they are because they are wrapped and sealed with a wax seal.

10 – Nothing happens

For each encounter roll yet another D6 to see if they are in the pay of Count Jacques Spaarks and if so they will inform him as soon as possible.
On a dice roll of 1/2 they are good citizens and speak to no one. 3/4, they will pass on information to anyone who asks but do not work for the Count. 5/6 they are actually in the pay of Count Jacques Spaarks and will inform him of the encounter as soon as possible.



The Game

Overview of Penrith town centre, Becky has to traverse down the road from the near to the far side, the final building on the right hand is the post office.

Penrith’s High Street, the encounter markers are the small pieces of card marked 1.

At the far end of town the Oriental couple are outside the post office. Augustus Dingle on the left has just staggered out of the hotel bar, he needs that umbrella, not for the rain but to keep himself upright as the pavement seems to be moving under his feet.
Sidney the portly gentleman is closely examining a very nice Alfa Romeo, I’m not sure if it’s his or he is looking to steal it. We may find out later.
Slightly out of focus in the centre (Augustus is my usual camera man) are a couple of local land owners and a rather disreputable looking seafarer.

A nice moody shot of them.

Enough of this artistic stuff, down to business - here’s Becky walking down the High Street, you can just make out the 1st card encounter marker in front of her.

It turns out to be a rough looking biker, Fat Willie, there could have been up to 6 bikers so a good result for Becky with a 1 thrown. She asks him if he knows of a George Phelpps in town but although he is friendly enough, her long blond hair probably helped here, he says he doesn’t know of the man but gives her directions to the post office which is only just down the street.

There is another encounter marker across the street and she sashays over to it, watched by most of the townsfolk.

This turns out to be a mean mother of a gangsta. Hummm shouldn’t that be a mean mother's son of a gangsta, or should it be a mother's son and a mean gangsta. Well you get the drift.

Everyone is watching intently, Big Willie hasn’t taken his eyes off Becky, I wonder why.
Rufus ‘Bling’ King has been having a very intense conversation with Amelia Frost the local historian about Celtic remains found just beyond the town. No - not really he is the only supplier of weed in Penrith and her local dealer.

Becky approaches him and naively asks the same question, soon everyone will know the stranger in town is looking for George Phelpps, Rufus is helpful. Yes I know of Phelpps and he gives her directions to get there. As she is a young woman she listens to what he says and has no trouble in finding the house.
Of course if she had been me she would have glazed over the moment he started speaking, nodded a few times out of politeness and gone off, striding out purposefully but actually none the wiser where she should go.
Well that’s what my wife thinks is the difference between men and women when asking directions. I know better, there’s no way in hell that a man would ask directions in the 1st place.

Becky striding down the road towards George’s house, she does seem to be turning heads, even Sidney has stopped admiring the Alfa.

Sorry but I had to include this shot of Augustus with his monocle popping out of his eye.

Epilogue
George is pleased to meets her once he has verified that she is indeed Henry’s daughter and invites her to stay overnight but she has booked the night train to Inverness in Scotland to meet up with her school friend Roxanne. They have a brief conversation about her father and George gives her the package he has been keeping for Henry.
Becky then makes her way back to the train station and heads north.

Unbeknown to her, asking complete strangers on the street where George Phelpps lives has triggered alarms and one of the men was actually in the pay of Count Jaques to keep an eye on George in case anyone came asking for him. This will probably have repercussions.

 

The 1st Encounter has gone well for Becky, she is armed and has Henry’s notebook, she has already made contact with Roxanne and Gabrielle and they will meet to discuss her father’s strange letter and see what if anything they should do about it.

The game was quite short the two encounters she had were the most dangerous ones, bikers and gangstas but she was lucky to throw the right dice at the right time and not get into any trouble, which really satisfied my criteria for the game. On to the next scene.

If there's anybody out there please let me know and if you are still here - Thanks for reading.