OTE Decks 2: Big Government, Mad Science!, Atlantean Baboon Cannon

This is the second post about On The Edge CCG decks, specifically, what is in the ones we were using the last several CCG Days I held.  The format is the deck’s name, followed by some explanatory text, and then the cards in the deck.

Note: These are not necessarily the most optimal versions of these decks as I don’t have an unlimited number of cards, just a lot of cards.  You may be able to improve on these by adding rare cards I didn't have or didn't have a lot of.  Early distribution of cards was pretty awful.

Big Government

This deck’s goal is to show the other conspiracies who is in charge on this island with a solid mix of Government agents, bureaucrats, and hired assassins.  It really needs Monique D’Aubaine, but I didn’t have a spare one to put in it (I keep a separate collection from my playing cards).  Again, the original boosters had terrible distribution.

Name	Card Number	Number of them
Bad Luck	31	1
Julio Beitleiro	34	1
Blackmail	39	1
Breakage	46	1
Akorra Encombi	85	1
Friends in Arms Barrio	93	5
Friends in Broken Wings Barrio	94	3
Gang A-Gley	102	1
Good Luck	105	2
Fabrissa Melors	150	1
Dr. Fürchtegott Nusbaum	170	1
Simon Xin	220	1
Guglielmo Vigneto	261	1
Wiretap	268	1
Melinda Amduat	A12	1
Peach Angelic	A14	1
CPC Headquarters	A38	1
Kiyoteru Wakai	A78	1
Eugene Krebbs	A79	1
Djibril Maougal	A89	1
Anima Nee-Owoo	A99	1
Excel Quitlong	C68	1
Isil Ziya	C90	1
Rixa Bekker	D15	1
Contacts in the CPC	D20	1
Betty Frenum	D36	1
Julie Grouse	D41	1
Thunder Gruen	D42	1
Heating Up	D50	1
Jerry Heckle	D51	1
Alonzo Rubio	D79	1
Norton Rumple	D80	1

Mad Science!

This deck uses the Gladsteins backed by the Dog Faces, because where would Mad Science be without experimental monkeys?  Use gear and conditions to boost both your hitters and pullers to be near unbeatable.  There is plenty of Weird Radiation to go around.  This deck also is one of the few to use NO expansion set cards.

Name	Card Number	Number of them
Jagannath Adhi	11	1
Sunshine Allarha	14	1
Fahd Amaq	17	1
Blackmail	39	1
Rodger Chalk	53	1
Chikutorpl	55	1
Akorra Encombi	85	1
Friends in Broken Wings Barrio	94	4
Friends in Four Points	96	1
Umar Halleen	110	1
Hypno-Disc	122	1
Loyalty Conditioning	144	1
Mind Control Messages	152	1
Mole	153	1
Akio Morimoto	157	1
Marla Ocean	171	2
Oppenheimer Contacts	172	5
Martin Oumage	173	1
Patrol Baboon	174	2
Cherri Robinson	200	1
J.S. Rocket	201	1
Randy Rogers	203	1
Veronica Sellers	215	1
Sneak	226	1
Sub-Sonics	237	1
Super-Vitamin Diet	239	2
Total Taxi	246	1
Andrea Vernon	260	1
Weird Radiation	264	4

Atlantean Baboon Cannon

This deck takes a little explanation and some luck to get it set up, but once it is running, it is pretty terrifying.  The key is Andrew Banks (D14).  Get him in your back rank and put a Patrol Baboon in front of him (into the cannon as it were).  Crank Andrew Banks to make the Patrol Baboon a 10 AP hitter with Bulldoze.  It will pop after combat, so drop another Patrol Baboon in front of Andrew Banks to block or be in position for next turn (reloading the cannon).

To make this even more frightening, in the file next to Andrew Banks, place one of the baboon handlers with two more Patrol Baboons in front of the handler and adjacent to the one in front of Andrew Banks.  When Andrew Banks is cranked to enhance the baboon in front of him, have that baboon attack the baboon in the adjacent file [yes, attack your own conspiracy - the rules allow it] and then play Cheap Baboon Trick.  The two baboons Gang-Up, providing a 15 AP Bulldoze attack that nothing can stand against, including Pharaohs!  The enhanced baboon pops after combat, the adjacent baboon isn’t, and you probably have yet another baboon in your hand to drop in front of Andrew Banks, reloading the cannon for next turn.  Boom.

Eventually you bring Molly or Chikutorpl into play and gain enough Influence to win.  The Atlantean cards let you enhance the cannon or interfere with the other player’s attempt to disrupt the cannon on their turn.

Name	Card Number	Number of them
Sunshine Allarha	14	1
Chikutorpl	55	1
Friends in Broken Wings Barrio	94	3
Friends in Four Points	96	4
Fury	101	2
Good Luck	105	1
Joey Ko	134	1
Molly, Queen Mother of Baboons	154	2
Patrol Baboon	174	6
Psychic Sensitivity	183	3
Sneak	226	1
Wheeler Stein	232	1
Weegzon	263	1
Atlanteans’ Secret	A1	1
Blind Spot	A27	1
Harmattan	A67	1
Triple Henderson	A71	1
Bulk Hertzog	A72	1
Athena Iakatos	A73	1
Iron Skin	A74	1
Eugene Krebbs	A79	1
Kunimatsu Kozo	A80	1
Cheb mehenni	A94	1
Leila Noureddin	A106	1
Islam Petri	A113	1
Eileen Pitchford	A114	1
Sephira	A127	1
Spackle	A136	1
Telekinetic Punch	A141	1
Steno Topic	A144	1
Ellen Wu	A149	1
Cheap Baboon Trick	C17	2
Andrew Banks	D14	1
Heating Up	D50	1
Aniela Stansky	D89	2

Link to:

OTE Decks 1

Session Report – Barrowmaze – Session 26

[The Revengers decide to infiltrate the Temple of Set using the (little) intel they received from the patrol leader and the robes they took.  How far will they make it?  Read on!]

[Also?  SPOILERS!  This series will spoil what’s in Barrowmaze, so take that into consideration before reading.]

PCs (The Revengers)
Daphne – female human Blade-Adept (6th level Bladedancer)
Boris the Fighter – male human Exemplar (5th level Fighter)
Adam – male human Thaumaturge (5th level Mage)
Hrglclxin [pronounced her-gull-klack sin] – male human Forester (3rd level Explorer)

NPCs
Dergos – male human guide, still sold on the glory of adventuring, hired by Boris
‘Len – professional torchbearer, full name is Morgullen but he never uses it, hired by Boris
Vorgand – female human porter, a university student earning coin, hired by Daphne
Nolig – male human porter, hired by Hrglclxin
Verya [pronounced Vir-uh] – female human Woman-at-Arms (1st level Fighter) , hired for 1/3 share of any treasure


Magusday, July 23rd, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
Adam traveled from Helix to Ironguard Motte to visit the bookshop there.  He bought the Web scroll he requested and picked up a Fireball scroll as well.  He plans to spend time committing both to his repertoire in the future, but wanted them both available for when that time comes.

Cromsday, July 24th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
Adam traveled back to Helix with his scrolls.  The rest of the Revengers alerted their various hirelings that the group would be heading out in the morning.  Daphne verified that Verya was also available.

Freysday, July 25th, 1st year of the reign of King Vladik the Gamesman
Early in the morning the Revengers and gathered at the Mercenary Guild building and met up with their guide, torchbearer, and porters along with Verya.  After apportioning spare equipment to the porters, the group headed south into the moors.  On the way to the field of barrows, the group spotted a hunting party of eight trolls.  Not wanting to fight this threat, the group relied on Hrglclxin’s abilities to get them around the threat safely.

Four hours after setting out from Helix, the group arrived at Barrow 35, just outside of the field of barrows.  They entered the barrow and used the stairs down inside to access Barrowmaze itself.  There they put on the stolen necromancer robes.  They had enough for everyone but one and chose Nolig to pretend to be a captive.  Nolig was not thrilled, but also did not want to be left alone in the dungeon to wait.

Once everyone was in the stolen robes, the group went around the corner into the first room [Room 189].  Boris opened the secret door, triggering the Exploding Rune on the door.  Again.  Adam examined the remains of the rune and suggested that a password would likely have bypassed it.  The group made note to try that on the next secret door they found.

Past the secret door six skeletons with black inverted triangles on their foreheads advanced to attack.  Daphne turned three of them and Boris advanced to destroy the rest.  He cut through the first one…and it exploded into bone shards!  Daphne turned the remaining two, who fled back into the room they had emerged from [Room 206] where the first three were cowering.  Hrglclxin then plinked them safely from a distance with his bow until they were all detonated.

Hoping no one heard the skeletons detonating [a not unreasonable hope], the adventurers opened the secret door in that room, gaining access to the room with the portcullis.  Not only was the portcullis up, but a patrol of necromancers was coming through it.  They were all staring at the adventurers.  Adam spoke up and spoke with the leader of the outgoing patrol, convincing him the adventurers were another patrol returning.  [I rolled a d20 to see if the cultist bought it and rolled a "1" - hook, line, and sinker.]  The leader of the outgoing patrol waved the adventurers in, telling them to hurry up so the portcullis could be closed.  The adventurers complied and entered unopposed.

Once the adventurers were in the room with the portcullis control [Room 208], the guard there lowered the portcullis and waved them into the next room [Room 213].  There the guards were setting up some zombies and skeletons as a defensive line.  The guards told the disguised adventurers to move along so they could finish.  With shrugs, the adventurers exited the room through a door on the east wall, entering a long corridor.

Once the door was closed behind them, the adventurers discussed what to do next.  Adam spoke the password out loud to see what would happen and a nearby secret door popped open.  Accepting their good fortune, the adventurers went through the secret door and down the corridor behind it, Adam periodically repeating the password out loud, just in case.  Near the end of the corridor was a pair of double doors before the hallway turned left.  Not wanting to leave any potential enemies behind them, the Revengers opened the double doors and found the Temple of Set [Room 215].

With no obvious threats, the adventurers were not certain exactly what to do next.  They quietly debated their next course of action until the high priest of Set, along with his black skeleton bodyguards, walked out from behind a curtain closing off a back section of the temple and noticed them.  When the high priest demanded to know who they were, Adam replied with the password, which confused the high priest a moment.  He then call out an alarm and set the two brass jackal constructs in the corners of the temple and all of his bodyguard skeletons after the players.  The Revengers stood to fight until the black skeletons hit Boris and Adam, causing Fear in both of them.  [They both blew their saving throws against the attacks.]  Both Boris and Adam turned and fled with the rest of the Revengers following their lead.  [In fact, Hrglclxin was already running...]

During the retreat, Daphne cast Protection from Evil, Sustaining, which kept the jackals from being able to attack any of the adventurers or their hirelings during the retreat.  Hrglclxin had the fastest movement and was able to open doors and the portcullis for the fleeing Adam and Boris, much to the flabbergasted guard’s amazement.  The party ran back the way they came until they reached the surface again.  Boris and Adam kept running for a while after that, but the rest of the adventurers stopped at the surface when they realized that none of the undead nor the brass jackals were pursuing them anymore.

Eventually the fear effect wore off and Boris and Adam returned to Barrow 35, rejoining the other adventurers.  Once they returned, the entire group decided to head back to town to recuperate and heal.  They had no encounters on the way back to Helix.  [I chose not to roll as it was late by this point and we needed to wrap up.]

End of Session

[So Godric and his henchman Proximo keep appearing and dropping out because the player is a concert musician and the holidays are a busy time for him.  This is unfortunate for the game (Godric is a healer and mini-tank, both things the party could use), but good for his career, so I don’t blame him one bit.  I’ve always held that real life trumps the game every time, especially when it comes to paying your bills and putting food on your table.  So I will always hold a seat for him or any of my players while they take care of business, even if I’d rather they be at the game.]

[Also, at this point I should mention that the writer of Barrowmaze combines Set and Anubis together in his world, so all the Set-related decorations and symbology in Barrowmaze have the Anubis jackal head for Set and not the proper Set Beast head.  I noticed and emailed him to ask before springing it on my players.  If you or your players are Egyptology purists, it might be distracting but get over it or pay someone to redraw all the art yourself.  This is still a damn fine dungeon.]


The Motley Crew
Session 1: The Start
…
Session 11: TPK

The Revengers
Session 12: Rise of the Revengers
…
Session 22
Session 23
Session 24
Session 25

Session 27