Attribute Auction - 1/1/03
Now, the auction of the Attributes is one of the funnest parts of the game. Everyone is expectant and excited, and everyone has his or her own 'strategy' regarding how to build the best character. From my point of view, it seemed that Craig (new to the game) was sitting comfortable. He seemed pretty confident with how he was going to go about this. He was cool, calm and collected.
Chris, on the other hand, seemed anxious. He seemed to have a 'working strategy' on that little piece of paper he continually glanced at as we chatted before the auction. I think he had a very general concept of what he wanted, and that little paper had on it the 'wish list' of things he wanted … and possibly how much he was willing to pay for each. I still haven't seen that piece of paper, nor his completed character, so I am unsure how close he came to his dream.
Caroline didn't seem to sure which way was north, let alone what she was getting herself in for … bless her little heart. I think she kinda figured that she would just do a leap of faith into the rapid waters and see where they swept her. I kinda wish I could have given her a liferaft of some kind.
Dave, of course, seemed eager to leap in head first … without checking for underlying logs and sandbanks. As usual, he knew exactly what he wanted, and what he was willing to sacrifice it to get absolutely anything that took his fancy during the auction. Bless his little heart, too. And then there was Annette … the viper lurking in the background. Much to her style, she seemed almost to slip from view … silently waiting for the kill. If anyone knew exactly what she wanted, and how to get it, it was the secret Ant … you could see it in those beady eye's. As for myself … I sat back and soaked up the atmosphere. I had several concepts in mind … and almost any outcome of this auction would fit with one of them. So all I had to do was ride the wave to wherever it took me, then check out which concept worked. Me, I had the winning strategy … no doubt about it.

· And so it came to pass …

Frank, our illustrious and most exalted of Storytellers, swung in fast with the auction for Psyche … caution soon gave way to embittered challenge, as the race for everyone's' favourite attribute progressed. Eventually, Caroline made it clear to all, and especially Chris (her valiant contender) that she intended her character to be first in this category. By this time, Dave and Annette had fallen by the wayside. Criag had not even entered a bid … and I had remained just long enough to ensure that the attribute didn't sell for less than 10 points. As should be expected with the attribute of Psyche: Caroline won through sheer force of will and stubbornness.

Without further ado, Frank moved us onto the attribute of Strength. Once again, caution was the word with first bids … which is just about where it ended. Very few players took an interest in Strength: Sean (yours truly) taking it for a song.

With disappointment at the poor showing for Strength, Frank forged on into the realms of Endurance. Caution continued, and once again no flurry of bids caused any form of excitement. Bidding came a little stronger than for its predecessor, but nowhere near the enthusiasm shown for Psyche. I get the feeling that Chris, Annette and particularly Caroline had spent their fair share of points on that most coveted attribute, and were reluctant to enter any bidding war here. Craig remained the dark horse … holding back with a determined set in his eyes. It seemed apparent to me that he was either going to Blitzkreig the warfare ranking … or go for the complete mystery man approach. At the end of the auction for Endurance: Sean walked away for the table with a second 1st on his character sheet. Something that surprised the hell out of me more than anyone else, I suspect.

The locals stirred as we moved into the auction for Warfare. Cautions steps again led to hesitant ones, as it appeared that warfare might go as cheaply as Strength. I stepped to the lead, only to find hesitant opposition. And that's the way the opposion to my controlling three attributes stayed. With a measly expenditure, I attained myself the 1st ranking in Warfare: Sean now possessing a character with first in three attributes. If you thought I was surprised having gained Endurance as my second, you could have knocked me over at the end of it all.

· And so it came to pass …


Session 1 - 1/1/03
Prelude:
(I am going to get from Frank the little precept speech he gave us, and place it here)

The Cast:
As Wilhelm's gang pulled away from the curb, he could see that the Café was well packed this day. It hadn't been this bad last time he was here … 10 years ago. Nor had it been so the 10 years before that. But today, it seemed rather packed.

Wilhelm looked over towards the lake in the centre of the park. He wondered if any of the ducks there were the ones he had fed when last he was there … he was pretty sure all the children playing nearby where new. 10 years has that effect. Actually, he wondered how many of them belonged to the couples he saw making out back then.

John and William were already in the café, having arrived 'on time' on doubt, and had grabbed a small booth in one corner for our regular get together. John, the tall lanky one, still wore that highly unfashionable suit that is proscribed by the various government agencies he moved between. He still had that strange green tinge to his hair that would make everyone stop and take another look, just to check their eye's hadn't deceived them on the first glance. But it was those intense green eye's that really drew attention to him. Sure, he usually hid them behind sunglasses, but when you got to see them … well, there was something strangely transfixing about them.

William sat opposite him.

If John looked strange sitting in that crowded café, having William sitting across from him made the booth even more conspicuous. While Johns hair had that strange greeny tint … William obviously dyed his hair some form of neon Blue. It has been that way for as many decades any any of the group could remember.

Joined now by the leather-clad biker … carrying a baseball bat openly, mind you … the three got more than their share of looks from the café staff and patrons. The point of note, most women in the place just enjoyed having a reason to look. Every one of these men, each in their own style, was striking in appearance … a family trait, one looking on might suspect.

Within a few minutes, three others joined them. The first; a tall and beautiful woman. Anna has been, on many occasions, described as 'healthy and curvy'. When she walked in to the café, even guy who was pissed at his girl looking at the unusual men in the corner forgot his anger, and feasted his eyes upon Anna. Dressed in a nice light blouse and pants, Anna made walking look like the sexiest act in existence. She made her way over to the booth in the corner, accompanied by her Cocker Spaniel … and made herself comfortable.

Kaleb arrived in his usual fashion … wondering in with this traveling stick in one hand, and the slip of cloth that he used for a hat in the other hand. With hair whiter than that of the biker, his first port of call was the counter … to order himself a huge Turkish coffee and a cake (whole!). Looking on him, those gathered already at the table had to take the time to figure out whether it was the same flannelette shirt he wore here a decade ago, or whether he had managed to find somewhere in this wide world that still sold them. Somehow, though, it was clear to all present which table he was destined for. While different again from his companions, Kaleb shared that same attractive appearance … in somewhat of a rugged way.

Then came Miranda. A mere 5' something, she was a slender and sultry dream. Other than Anna, Miranda was without doubt the most attractive woman in the room. Jaws dropped as she joined the gathering at the table.

The plot:
At last, the effortlessly clumsy Malcolm managed to outperform any street entertainer just on his way to the table. With both feet firmly in his mouth, and his hand on some innocent young ladies breast, Malcome managed to get himself seated among his companions.

With little ado, and lots of cake, the conversation started to flow. The gathered few shared notes about their respective decades, and where they were right now.
Malcolm, eager to share his thoughts, leapt straight in with what was to turn everyone's head. It seems that our dear young friend met someone very special of late … someone a little to special for us to ignore.
He met her in a bar, down in ol' Soho … where they drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola.

In his infatuated and … less than sober … state, he had accompanied her back to her place. A nice little townhouse (or some such), apparently … with an entirely new world encompassed within her living room. Now, the gathered didn't put much faith into this, for it was obvious that our Malcolm hadn't been fully of his senses at the time. But as he spoke more of his encounter, each slowly was drawn into his story, until the table sat in silence. It wasn't so much the 'fantasy' world of which he spoke that caught their attention, moreso it was his descriptions of the girl … and how much she seemed to know about each of the gathered.

The way Malcolm put it, this strange young lady (with a world in her living room) had spoken with him at length about each of them, asking Malcolm about what each was up to these days. What made it worse was that it wasn't just what Malcolm told her about each, but what she already knew. Malcolm, it seems, was even made privy to photo and such of each that dated back many centuries.

Now, Malcolm was telling this because he had forgotten her name … and wanted his companions help to find her again. His companions, however, now had other reasons for wanting to find the woman.

For a little privacy, the group took Malcolm for a little walk down to sit by the nearby duck lake. There, Malcolm was strongly urged to reiterate his points … mostly those revolving around the woman, her knowledge of each of them, and what else Malcolm had shared with her.

While Malcolm went for a quick swim, a quick discussion took place. By the time he returned, it seemed unanimous that the group was going to help him find again this woman of his dreams … each was interested in asking her a few things themselves.