[Capes] Rough Justice #4 - Unmasked!

[LordSmerf]

For those who have been following our adventure in Rough Justice, the most recent (and final) session can be found here (In Character) and here (Out of Character).

One interesting thing is that the title (which we assigned before play got underway, but after we had determined initial Events) seems a little out of place since it did not really play as big a part as we had first assumed.

There is a lot to say, since i am going to try to comment upon the experience as a whole (five sessions, 4 "Issues").

For a recap check out:

Issue 1: New Beginnings
Issue 2: Poisoned Ground (first half)
Issue 2: Poisoned Ground (second half)
Issue 3: Enter the Specter

The final session was quite emotionally draining, the Gray Ghost breaking and Zip's tremendous personal sacrifice(s) really took it out of me.  In the end i was extremely pleased with the outcomes of the game specifically and the story accross the five sessions.  I am saddenned that Tony will not be able to continue playing with Gray Ghost because he is in such an interesting position (he has Debt in Hope that is triple the value of his Drive).  That said, i think that Zip has developed incredibly well.  He went from a sort of happy-go-lucky character to this tragic sacrificial hero.  I really liked the way we saw this range of characterization from him.

Probably the most fascinating things about the system was the way the dice drove the story.  In the final two Issues of the story the Heroes rolled pretty badly and the Villains tended to roll well.  This, i believe, is what made the story so tragic.  We knew that the heroes would eventually "win", but the numbers dictated a Phyrric victory.

Another thing that playing through Capes seemed to indicate, especially as we adapted each session to allow for the rules changes that Tony wanted to try out, is that it does things well.  I kept seeing hints at something more peeking out.  This sense that, when everything is finally done, this game will rock.  Each change seemed to bring us a little closer to that point.

There is a lot more i want to say about the game, but i am still somewhat overwhelmed by it all.  Hopefully i will be able to return to the topic in a day or two once i have had the chance to assimilate everything...

Thomas

[LordSmerf]

I want to highlight the two things that "hit" me the hardest emotionally, they occurred almost back to back.

The first is right after the Gray Ghost has lost a key Event and ends up with 6 Debt in Hope (with a Drive of 2, this is crippling).  The Specter is pushing for an Admission of Defeat (the Event in question) and Gray Ghost brokenly responds with:

"I admit it," Gray Ghost grates, lying in pain on the floor.  He looks sadly at Zip. "You're right... I thought he had it in him... but I guess this whole hero business is played out...."

This hurt, it was a kick in the stomach, and it was immediately followed by Zip's response:

Zip stands back up. "Never... say... die..."  He drags himself forward a step... reaches out... and grabs the swinging blade.  His hand, holding it, the blade imbedded an inch or more in it.

Either one of these alone is powerful thematically, especially in conjunction with the game's stated Premise ("Power is fun, but do you deserve it?"), but together they pretty much drained me.  It was a good thing that this was the end of the session because i am not sure i could have handled much more...

Thomas