Save Science City - Session 1, August 1st, 1947

Due to Raven's pre-game exploits, the party started with a lot of information on what Zinkmann Inc, and therefore Zolana Zinkmann have been up to.  It seems that she has an entire underground factory beneath her above-ground plant.  The players are aware of her submarine, the battle suits, and the fact that mercenaries are liberally mixed in with her security forces.  None of which says "ignore this NPC, they just aren't important".

Also, because more than half the party is now federal agents (and ZERO want to be in the Trans-Atlantic League of Superheroes), the reason for the heroes to be in Science City changes.  Uncle Sam (the federal government) has cycled the agents into Science City as part of a "routine force rotation".  Naturally, the federal government can't be seen catering to the whims of terrorists, but if the agents just happen to resolve the issues in Science City, that would just be great.  Twenty minor agents are also rotated in, hand picked by the PCs themselves.

The reason for this becomes obvious, as non-Federal NPCs are able to charm and bluff their way into the local FBI office.  As GM, I pointed out to the players that this is not acceptable conduct; the local FBI agents appear to be the expendable slackers of the bureau.  PCs grumbled, but no arrests ensued. 

But, they do decide to start small and expand outward.  By small, they mean:

• Anduin Wessex and the Professor go to visit Salvadore Marcone, don of the Marcone Family.  He expresses a willingness to "go straight", but he must do so from a position of wealth and strength, or else he'll just be a big fat target for the remaining underworld.  He expresses that he does not think Science City can be saved, but would rather die at home than abandon it.
• Trinket and Mave decide to put the word out in the Locks that they want to meet with the vigilante Hamatsuke.  A South Korean child hands them a napkin with Japanese on it.  They tip the child $10, a small fortune in 1947.  The child mocks them for giving her such a fortune, and runs away.  Trinket and Mave realize neither of them can read Japanese, and take the message to the Professor.
• Reece, John, and Genevar go to research the Sunset Boys.  They learn that the Boys have expanded into the drug trade, which they share with the Black Tiger Tong.  After learning several unsavory things, and establishing that a hotel without blinds is an excellent place for a sniper to target, John just walks by the hotel, using his power to see through shadows to get a map of the entire place, and a count of 37, counting the leaders of the Sunset Boys.
• The entire troupe of FBI agents has been assigned to "gather files" on EVERYONE.  Not just criminals, not city notables, not the movers and shakers.  Everyone.  So, I cheated, found out how fast such research could be done back in 1947, and put together what information twenty agents could compile in a day.

In the afternoon:

• The Professor learns that Hamatsuke wants to meet with Mave in three days, in the afternoon, in the Japanese Garden in Four Corners.
• Trinket decides to visit the Raven Base and install stealth systems into all the vehicles kept there.
• The Professor and Anduin Wessex learn that the shipyard in the Crucible is lacking only in orders, there is plenty of labor available, courtesy of the Markone Family.  After a failed attempt to construct tourist boats, they hit on the idea of approaching Kelvinator to make refrigerated cargo vessels for produce.  Kelvinator is EXCITED by the project, but declines to build their own, explaining that their funds are already heavily invested in the new technologies of air conditioning and refrigerators (electronic ice boxes).
• While attempting to unite the farmer's market of Greymark and foreign foods market in Four Corners, Mave learns that there is bad blood between the two; during the War, Japanese people entrusted their farms to be tenanted by their neighbors, but several unscrupulous people had them actually sign away their lands.  About sixteen farms were stolen in this manner.  After FAILING to obtain the support of Running Heron, ace lawyer, Mave decides to use her pheremone powers and BLUFF skill.  Tearful farmers recant their evil ways, and return the farmland.
• Having resolved one of the issues causing racial tensions, and a poor save by said racial tensions, it weakens to the point where the expenditure of hero points will remove the disadvantage from Four Corners.  All the players jump on the chance to improve the city on day one.  This bodes well or poorly for the future, as will be seen later.

Finishing touches:

• Due to an excessive skill level, Mave Green realizes she can write up to four articles in a day, and with a little midnight oil prints out another article on the refrigerated ships, and how much money is to be made by entering a new market at the ground floor.  In response, Harold Turpin, acting CEO of Odin Industries, lays in contracts for a dozen of the new vessels.  
• Realizing that their hero points can make the disadvantages make harder saves, this event and a fire hose of hero points remove the disadvantages of Poverty and Hopelessness from the Crucible as the Markone Family makes sure that the "right" people get the new jobs at the docks.
• Mave Green learns what her paper knows about Justice Cleo Preston.  Also through hero points, she removes the judge from the thrall of Oriflamme, but learns that there is more work to be done to redeem the Chief Justice.

Lessons Learned:

• The players made a LOT of progress, especially for this first session.  Three of twenty one initial disadvantages are just down for the count, in part because the players WANT to use their hero points where violence isn't the best answer.  I no longer think it's even going to be close - the players have this, unless they do something like arrest all the local cops.
• Spotlight control was an issue; realizing that their level 5 characters can REALLY MANIPULATE level 1 and 2 NPCs, they cut loose on the social rules.  AND they split up into small groups, all of whom wanted to get THEIR stuff done, because of course they did.
• Allowing players to buy up wealth just because the character generation tool allows it was a mistake.  Just ask Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, and Tony Stark - WEALTH is the best super power.
• Never let the players buy a sniper rifle.  Immediately after acquiring one, the player will think that all issues are resolved by said sniper rifle, or their knife.  To be fair, I know their past GM has abused them in Shadowrun, and I still let them purchase this.  I foresee a lot of Sunset Boys ending up in the morgue rather than the slammer.
• Any delusions I had of recording this campaign for YouTube went the way of the dodo.  Background noise and audio problems were the order of the night.  Honestly, I may go with Zoom or Google Meet for the next session - typing everything because I could not be heard slowed this session terribly.

What Went Right:

• Players rapidly realized that they had SKILLS, and that their bonuses in said skills were higher than those of the average NPC.  This led to players using their skills, even if they weren't the bestest in the party at something.
• The separate groups informed each other what they were doing, and had pre-arranged meet up times.  This little bit of genius meant the groups coordinated, and collectively got more done.  This also led to them getting portable radios, so physical meet-ups weren't required.
• Players used their powers with subtlety, so as to NOT announce to all the villains in the city that certain do-gooders were around, and maybe needed to be made an example of.
• Okay, maybe too many gamers watch the Godfather series of movies - once Sense Motive checks verified that Salvadore Marcone was willing to consider going straight, the players almost universally decided that was what was happening.
• Without crossing the borders of Line Cards, Veil Cards, or X-Cards, the players rapidly realized that the Sunset Boys were non mucho hombres grandes, and needed to go down.  Hard.  And, not being bulletproof, they did their reconnaissance, generated a map, and got an accurate count and measure of hostile forces, and even worked out a plan that works even with one player using a sniper rifle.
• Both the players and I are excited about the upcoming session, and agree the campaign is off to a great start.