Viva Las Vegas

First of all, Jay is here and we are gaming again! We chose to play a Dresden game that would be set in Las Vegas. Last Sunday was the first gaming session and things are starting off quite well. In this game, Las Vegas is it's own world, with it's own rules. I won't go too much into that; Lana does a great job of that in her blog. With that being said, on to the characters!

Jason is playing a gentleman by the name of Brandon. Okay, gentleman may not be the word to describe him. A more truthful term would be douche bag...maybe even more truthful would be effing douche bag. He is pretty average in looks, has shoulder length brown hair, and favors jeans and t-shirts. He is a magic user and runs his own magic shop, dealing in both the mundane and not so mundane magical items.

Jay's character is a pure human known as Neil. The best words to describe his persona are slick, charming, and confident. He stands about six feet tall with an average build and favors nice suits. He is a card shark and has a desire to work his way up the power hierarchy in the city.

My character is a focus practitioner known as Shade. She runs her own tattoo shop in the Downtown area. Tattoos are how she makes her living and manifests her power. She is of average height and weight with black hair (dyed) and brown eyes. She is also very, very, very pretty....so I'm vain, sue me, I like to make attractive characters. She sports numerous tattoos; most prominent being a full length sleeve on her right arm.

* I will now invite the guys to send me a more in-depth analysis/description of their characters, if they wish. I will post them here if they do.

When making a character for the Dresdenverse, you have a high concept, a trouble, and aspects. The most interesting seems to be the trouble. Shade's trouble is temptations of power. Not that she has any at this level but...Right now, she is an unnoticed cog in the machinery that is Las Vegas and she likes it that way. She wants to run her business, have fun with friends, date, and enjoy her life. She has done some tattoo work for the higher ups (both Supernatural and mortal) and has seen the way they live. They have political, social, and magical power. They have money and they have influence. They get every whim fulfilled. To her, there is a headiness to all that power. Especially when business is slow and she is trying to make ends meet. There is the lure of just how far up the power chain her ability could take her. Could she really have that penthouse at the Luxor? Could she sit on the Council and help shape the future of the city? Could she walk into a room and have everyone there know and respect her? However, she also has seen the price they pay. There is the constant maneuvering to maintain that level of power. There is the constant looking around, making sure someone isn't going to rise higher, especially at your expense. The lack of a certain freedom. And, yes, even the responsibility that being a Power in the city brings. She isn't sure she wants to sacrifice what she has for that, even with all the perks.

Now, on to the night's session!

The game started with Neil paying Shade a visit at her shop. He had some questions about a tattoo he saw, or rather, a tattoo he saw and then didn't see. He had been playing in a card game with Brandon and a guy named Frankie. He noticed that Frankie had a tattoo that mysteriously disappeared by the end of the game. A few asked questions led to Shade, who explained to him a little bit about what she did and what was the real Las Vegas. After Neil left, another person dropped by. This one was not as welcome as Neil was. She was a true Las Vegas blond...big hair, big jewelry, big (fake) breasts. She had a message from the Warden, as it turned out. Apparently, Frankie had gone missing, possibly dead. This was not good. Killing with magic is greatly frowned upon. As in 'we'll behead you' frowned upon. Per the Warden's suggestion, ie order, she was told to find out what happened. After she left, Shade looked the tattoo she made for Frankie over and saw that is was not just an enhancement. It might have summoned a spirit to possess him.

Meanwhile, Brandon was in his shop when a big guy comes in. After a bit of conversation, the guy (named Max Torelli) brought up a card game. Brandon suggested they head to the back to continue the conversation. In back, Max expanded on what he wanted. He wanted to make an impression on/send a message to Someone. He needed to win and, to make sure that happened, he needed a ringer. He had heard about Brandon from a friend. He also asked about the possibility of Brandon knowing someone else who would fit what he needed. The deal was sweetened when Max told Brandon that he and whomever could split the pot. Money wasn't important. Brandon agreed to play and told Max he would get in touch with the other player. Max gave him the address and time for the game and then left.

After Max, Brandon had a visit from Shade. Since both need to find people, they head out. At a local hot dog vendor, both find what they need. Shade learned that Frankie was hanging out with a Max Torelli at the Mirage and Brandon found Neil. Shade left the boys to talk business. Brandon told Neil about the game and what they would be doing. It sounded good, especially the money part, to Neil and they decided they would do it. Having come to that decision, they went to get something to eat and then headed to the Luxor where the game was being played.

Meanwhile, Shade headed over to the Mirage and spotted a likely candidate for Max. She went over and introduced herself. He seemed impressed that she had the balls to just come up to the table. He invited her to sit down, which she did. Shade asked if he knew a Frankie; he said he didn't. He then started asking questions about her tattoos. She chatted about them for awhile. The conversation ended with Max asking her out on a date for the next night. She agreed to dinner at a local lounge called Book and Stage.

Getting to the Luxor a bit early, Brandon and Neil had the opportunity to size up the other players. Two instantly stood out. One was a gentleman (Uriel White) wearing a black suit who was with an exceptionally attractive female (Melinda). Neil and Brandon began to mingle with the crowd, getting a feel for the other players. Neil ended up near Uri and introduced himself. As he did, he could have sworn that he saw red in his eyes. They made small talk, mainly about suits. Brandon found himself talking with Melinda. When he touched her, he realized that she was a succubus. They started talking and social combat ensued. Melinda asked Brandon about how he heard of the game, who gave Neil and him their stake. Brandon did his best but he was no match for her seductive ways. He eventually spilled everything to her. Then, the game began! The first few rounds were spent assessing the skill level and tells of the seven players. After a couple of rounds, two of the players were out. That left Uri, Brandon, Neil, and one other player. Eventually, through social combat and much aspect placing, Uri was taken out. The end shot was that Brandon won the game but he was helped with that by Neil throwing the game his way a bit. Afterwards, Neil and Brandon split the 70,000$ pot and went their separate ways.

Shade's night wasn't quite as interesting. She was having dinner at Snick's when her vision blurred and she briefly sensed something. It had a sense of capriciousness or manic glee about it. She also saw an image of the Strip. She headed out and eventually matched the neon lights to what she saw in her vision. While in the area, she came across an eviscerated pigeon and felt an echo from the Nevernever. Needing information, she headed to Legends, a piano bar where a Fey friend of hers worked. She asked if he would find someone to help her identify just what the creature was and how to get rid of it.

The next day Brandon, flush with cash, went car shopping. The rest of his day was spent doing his usual thing, working.

Neil started his day putting out the word that he has a stake and is looking for a game. He also spent some time asking about Frankie. While asking, a guy came up to him and told Neil he thought the Frankie had a room at the Mirage. So, Neil headed straight over there. Using his charm, and some cash, he found out that Frankie had a room on the seventh floor.

Shade spent her day at the shop, working. She closed a bit early and, dressing up a bit, headed out to meet Max for their date. They had a pleasant evening together. However, once again, Max denied knowing Frankie when she asked him. He also offered her help with her problem but Shade politely declined. The date ended with Max taking Shade home. Other then the Frankie subterfuge, he was a perfect gentleman.

Neil's night was a bit more dangerous, at least it seemed so at first. He had gone back to the Mirage and was talking to the kitchen staff, trying to pin down Frankie's room. After, he headed out front where two guys he had noticed earlier approached him. They asked him to go with them. He did so and they drove him to the Luxor. Can you guess just where he ended up? Yep, he was shown into where the game took place. Uri was there. A few different topics were brought up, among the Torelli and Frankie. Uri asked Neil to look into the disappearance of Frankie. Apparently, a certain young lady did a very bad thing and it involved the tattoo (take one guess who he means).

Thus ended the first gaming session. Much more social combat in this game then the New Orleans game. It will be very interesting to see how it goes. Cannot wait for this Sunday!