Question on tires at the start - Most teams chose to start on slicks, though cold and dampness on the track let McLaren and some of the backmarkers to start on inters. Two additional formation laps were called, and Oscar told the pit several times that he believed they were a mistake. Lando gets a great start and pulls into P1. Oscar, however, drops back to P5 at the start. Oscar pitted on lap 2 for mediums. The gamble on inters didn't pay off, as Lando loses P1 to Antonelli on lap 3 and was called to the pit lane for medium tires as well.
Lando gets lapped, sits back with popcorn - Both Mercedes lapped Lando, and he sat back and watched as the leading teammates raced each other fiercely until Russell ran wide, damaging his car and retiring. Neither McLaren pits under the VSC, though with them being a lap down, there was not the same advantage to this as if there'd been a full safety car that would have allowed them to unlap after pitting.
McLaren rides the strugglebus - Fighting back from the early pit stop, Oscar closed on Albon in lap 13, unable to take evasive action, damaging his nosebox and causing Albon to retire. Oscar ended up taking a 10 second penalty for the collision, which he served on a pit stop during a lap 53 VSC. About a lap after Oscar's collision, Lando had a clogged keel duct from running over grass, and also had to pit again. By lap 41, Lando had to retire with a gearbox issue after once again battling back into the points.
Race of attrition - Only 16 cars finished with retirements from collisions, reliability issues, and damage plaguing teams from top to bottom of the field, including Lando's second Canadian Grand Prix in a row with a DNF.
Exciting late-race battle between Verstappen and Hamilton - The two drivers battled for P2, with Verstappen nearly having a brush with the Wall of Champions. It was exciting racing to watch for several laps as Hamilton kept the gap inside of a second, taking advantage of overtake mode and the faster pace of the Ferrari over the Red Bull ultimately helped him overtake.
Hadjar battered by penalties - There was a 10-second penalty for changing directions more than once and later a stop and go penalty for a yellow flag infringement. The stewards were handing out really harsh penalties today.
Fourth in a row for Antonelli - No driver in the history in the sport has had his first four wins consecutively. Antonelli continues to make history this season. We'll see if the kid is actually fueled by titanium dioxide when the European stint starts in a couple weeks. He's got the car and the talent if he can just keep his head.
Full Results
Formula 1 Race Live Blog | Formula 1 Race recap
McLaren Race recap
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The other weekend, in the wake of a suddenly-scuttled plan for D&D, I got my friends to play a session of Low Stakes instead.
This is a What We Do in the Shadows-inspired, GM-less, rules-light RPG. You play supernatural roommates in mundane situations, to absurd effect.
We had:
The very haughty ghost of Elizabeth Bathory, who had no understanding of modern society or money but who could possess people.
A very minor mystic who was a huge stickler (me). The roommates had agreed to a plan, and by god she was going to see it through.
A formerly-powerful wizard who had lost his powers in a duel with a witch. He was fixated on finding that witch and eating her eye to get his powers back.
A people-pleasing were-"wolf" who actually just turned into a Golden Retriever.
The Setup: Having agreed to rent out our historic, picturesque, slightly dilapidated mansion as an event space, we were hosting a wedding reception for a totally normal couple. This scheme was our best hope for making our mortgage payments. (Elizabeth Bathory did not understand what a mortgage was.)
The Results:
Through possession (and murder), Elizabeth broke up at least two couples. She also possessed the bride's aunt and pretended to be her mother, with the help of my crude illusions. It went...okay.
The former wizard ate a lot of eyes that did not, it turned out, belong to witches.
We hid several bodies.
We will not be able to host that catering company again, in the event any of them are still alive.
Tim the not-wizard still does not have his powers back.
Verdict: This was a fun game and very easy to run over voice chat with no pre-planning. You just need some d6s and character sheets. Character creation is fast and simple. You don't need maps or note cards, and it's okay if only one person can see the few rolling tables. However, it is not very structured, so it's best for players that are comfortable improvising and who can play Calvinball well together.
The first session with everyone present felt like a big challenge at the start. I needed to introduce all my characters, old and new.
So on one hand, we had a new player that was playing Hematoma. I had already talked with the player on how to go about it and I was getting a lot of "unhinged velociraptor on a leash" vibes when I talked to the player. Ideally, I should introduce this character when all the other characters are together in a room. Also, I have an authority figure NPC in my other campaign that would love a leashed velociraptor. That other campaign shares a time and universe with this one, so I could borrow the NPC from there. So the choice was easy: Introduce Hematoma last with that NPC.
The past four sessions we had a steady core of three players who showed up every session, who wouldn't need a lot of briefing on the current situation, so I decided to introduce them really quickly. Rampage could awaken from her reconstructive surgery and be briefed on the situation. Rose and Vestige could be briefed on the next mission: To get better funding and to relax public scrutiny, the girls would be invited to a gala ball in a big city in Neo-Norway. The press, the politicians, the investors, they would all be there.
Handler Anika is confident that Rose, Rampage, MAUBAWR and Vestige can make a great impression. Rose is a perfectly well-behaved soldier. Rampage got a biblical glow-up and seemed eager to remain the ace of the cadre. Vestige was currently being eaten up by mountains of guilt for hitting Rampage in the last mission and would surely just listen to whatever Handler Anika tells it to do and if all else fails, Vestige can be dosed up with enough sedatives to prevent her from blabbing to the press. MAUBAWR could be a bit of a wildcard, but at heart she is a huge people pleaser, so that shouldn't be an issue.
I had MAUBAWR arrive via helicopter along with director Donnovan, its father and owner and also the maecenas that was keeping the Foundation operations running in neo-Norway. MAUBAWR was briefed and introduced to Vestige and Rampage who had never seen it before. I enjoy the tension there, as Vestige and Rampage are strongly characterised as soldiers that have to go along with a farce. MAUBAWR, however, is characterised as a sex doll that has to play at being a soldier.
I don't give the players a lot of time to ruminate on this as everyone has to get together to greet a special guest.
I will outline her more later, but Colonel Anastasiya Misheva Lilianova is a cruel and charismatic Handler that mostly focuses on training up new pilots and hunting rebels (as an excuse to just have her appear wherever is needed.)
I like showing another Handler to the players who is more unhinged and plausibly more capable than their current Handler. This sends the message that killing the current Handler won't necessarily solve any of their problems and that indeed things could be worse.
Colonel Misheva's here to deliver the last player character. Hematoma is delivered in a large crate that is covered by a tarp. While Misheva and Anika exchange pleasantries, the crate hums and growls ominously. It shakes. The technicians and soldiers that pulled it out of the cargo carrier look worried. And eventually Misheva does her grand reveal: A new pilot, barely a human, animalistic, strangely violent and really only beholden to the Handler that is about to abandon it: Hematoma.
Funnily enough, its MAUBAWR that has the easiest time not flinching and keeping a straight face. The other pilots, flinch, cower or reach for their firearm. This disappoints colonel Misheva who outranks Anika. This makes Anika look bad, something that needs to be carried forward when she has the opportunity to reprimand her pilots. She also informed Vestige quietly that a talk would be needed later about its mission performance and its apparent cowardice.
Then we roll for downtime. MAUBAWR needed to please an investor and I had just the scene in mind for that AND I could connect it to Hematoma's first scene as well. The other players rolled for normal downtime basically.
Before the scene starts, I give MAUBAWR's player the following info:
MAUBAWR was told to put on some clothes that matched Anika's attire.
MAUBAWR was asked by Anika if the two could be sisters for the day, to which MAUBAWR happily agreed to please its investor.
The scene starts with MAUBAWR sitting on the corner of Anika's desk.
Scene starts, we have Hematoma brought in by essentially one of Misheva's leather daddy's. We crowdsourced what he looked like. Crowdsourcing NPC's tends to have mixed results and gives a more comedic bent to sessions. I don't necessarily mind this. Hence, Fyodor was created. He is tall, skinny and missing a few fingers, but what's a few fingers amongst friends? Tasty, tasty friends.
I like to do a skit for new pilots where the Handler has to fill in these inane questionnaires that will decide the pilot's rank in the cadre. Hematoma, due to its inability to form coherent sentences, did poorly. When asked to rate its own skills and attractiveness, it said best. When asked about its past, it seemed to say random words. Anika told Hematoma that it was completely delusional and a stupid mutt, that it would attend the gala straightjacketed and muzzled and that she fully expects it not to say a single word to anyone there. MAUBAWR made some helpful suggestions along the way, such as teaching Hematoma one-word command phrases, which Anika graciously accepted.
Anika then called up Fyodor to collect Hematoma. Following from there, Anika had a heart-to-heart with her "sister" and the many frustrations she has with her sister, her job and herself, after which she made out with MAUBAWR, brutally assaulted MAUBAWR and then offered to bathe MAUBAWR and that they should sleep in the same bed together. Maubawr asked if it would need to top. Anika said yes. At least for today.
I started out trying to describe the scene in detail and build it with MAUBAWR's player, which went well I think. Near the end I did a fade to black. I should do a separate post about describing scenes like these in detail, but overall I think it was good. There was enough detail to get the point across and I don't think it was so long that it bored everyone.
Vestige had a scene with Rampage, trying to tighten their bond during sparring. They fought together many times, even though Vestige's memory is mostly shot. Rampage seemed mostly ambivalent about Vestige's previous failures and decided to play it cool, but not too distant.
Rampage asked Anika for pointers about the upcoming Gala and Misheva was there too. Misheva is aware that Saint is in the cockpit of Vestige's frame and kindly advised Rampage to take a look inside, one of these days. Perhaps they could take a tour together?
The final scene of the session is Rose's, wandering the facility, meeting up with Hematoma in its own bunk. I really liked this as a closing scene, because it was a strong character moment for both characters.
Every time Hematoma's player rolls for Bad at Being A Person, she doesn't take full sentences, so the communication is stilted and awkward, but the pilots managed to make some sort of connection. Hematoma revealed that parts of itself deep inside were monstrous (Hematoma can unfold it's neck and chest to show a monstrous tongue.) and managed to convey to Rose that Rose and Hematoma were made of the same stuff and Rose accepted that. Rose maybe even liked that idea?
Afterwards, I rolled for strain. The most important trigger was the budget strain. Due to budget strain all bunks needed to be consolidated. The players were VERY KEEN on all sharing one bunk and I decided to let that happen. If they wanted any interactions to happen there, they could play it out in play by post and we could pick up the game next week.
Overall this was a good "First session with everyone together" and I had a lot of character beats that I liked and that I can build on. I feel that both Rampage and Vestige were a little neglected, but that is difficult to avoid with 5 players in a 3 hour session. I have some thoughts on the sex scene and about how I have been crowdsourcing NPC's and I should make my own posts about those. The takeaway for next session is that I should drive the drama a little more with Vestige and Rampage.
Nether signing off. Love y'all.
Gamma World: Beta Principle โ Game 21 Session Saga is now live.
The lake is dead.
The Radboleth has retreated into the glowing heart of an Ancient reactor.
And Melkath itself is beginning to unravel.
After the chaos of the drained Safari Boat Ride, the Gamma Knights return to the grieving Sleeth camp, where Thisshish โ now dressed for war โ offers them a bitter truth: their victory may have doomed the last peaceful corner of this cursed place.
Then comes the summons.
In the impossible beauty of the Garden of Steel, they finally meet Waldis โ the enigmatic master of Melkath. What he offers is not kindness, but a terrible bargain: ancient Depthstrider suits and a suicide mission into radioactive hell.
But as night falls, the real horror begins.
The Drill Tooth swarms are coming.
Game 21: โPerfect Strangersโ
Our story arrives at the traditional two-part end-of-season finale-type wham episode. It wasn't planned this way, but it turned out I'd overplanned slightly and there was a knot of "I know what you need to know but I can't tell you what to ask for" we needed to pick our way past to resolve things and we were all too sleepy, so we split this session right down the middle and it was the correct decision to make. Oh lord, was it ever the correct decision to make.
This is gonna run long. Put a brew on. Make one for me while you're in there - Earl Grey, oat milk, no sugar. Big mug. No, the big mug - there you go. Perfect.
We begin in the monastery of St. Lawrence, on Petrin Hill, where Brother Marsillius is tending to the wounded knight and also sipping from his dressings because the Lord helps those who help themselves. Said knight has regained consciousness, and introduces himself as Christof, a second son on his way to join the muster of the Sword Brethren for crusade into pagan Livonia.
Alas, he was waylaid in the woods outside Prague: some demon, with great paws and a scaled hide and baleful red eyes, set upon him and gouged him without mercy. Marsillius recognised this as a vodnik - a water creature that comes in many forms and does not usually attack travellers without provocation. Christof confessed he might have swung first, but - he is here to fight the enemies of the Lord, is he not?
Christof thanked him for his ministrations and asked if, perhaps, now that he could walk again, there was some small duty he could do? Even if not the sword, some work to which he might put his idle hands?
Marsillius also saw an opportunity, or perhaps experienced a craving. Seeking permission from his sire, he produced a potion of sorts - a muddle of herbs and vitae that would, he swore, aid noble Christof in his recovery. In return, said Garinol, Christof was to visit the Cathedral of St. Vitus and transcribe the inscription from a reliquary that Garinol could not bear to handle.
Marsillius and Christof experienced a very godly and heterosexual moment. That's what the notes say.
We needed a brief moment of OOC time here, to re-establish exactly why everyone was going to Vysehrad. It helps to keep everyone aware of all the threads and stakes going into a resolution, and also to refresh the memory of decisions made weeks ago in real time.
To summarise: Marsillius' premonition suggested he should go to the mountain and Alzbeta was going too, to pray with him. Theodericus was worried about his friends, and Libussa, and Shaagra. Mariam needed to prove there was nothing evil in the ghetto, and to confirm her Compulsion-induced belief that All This Shit Was Connected, and also her cat was up that mountain somewhere.
As Mariam and Marsillius had an awkward conversation - she can't read him at all, but no doctrine on either of their parts says they can't be friends. This was the first time, I think, that she'd admitted these people were her friends. She wanted to make right what she'd done to Katya, or caused to be done - nobody deserves to live forever as a tongueless, silent possession. Alzbeta arrived, and then Theodericus, and gosh, when he walks up with his travelling cloak and his chainmail, his long sword and his short sword and his eating knife with their lion's head pommels, suddenly it's possible to take him seriously. The age of chivalry is almost upon us, and the stories are already starting to be told; Mariam was genuinely awed by the sight of this actual knight.
The coterie made their way along the south road, by the banks of the Vitava, sneaking out of the city without lights to avoid the Prince hearing of their departure. A mist was rising off the river, and the going was hard. I should add, at this point, that it's a long and tricky enough walk to Vyserhad, on a short summer night, that nobody had a chance to feed before they left - so Alzbeta was sharply hungry at 4, and nobody was below 2.
Along the road they passed a decrepit watermill, and the two Cainites leading the way - Mariam with Eyes of the Beast, Alzbeta with Heightened Senses - pulled up sharp. Something was watching. Something in the rafters with eyes as red as either of theirs. Mariam stared it down, sheer heft and silent fury incarnate, and when she showed a Messy Critical, the watcher's will broke first; something tumbled, and fell into the stream, and was gone into the river proper in a flash. Some vast and terrible fish. Something Marsillius also recognised; the vodnik is said to take many forms, among them a pawed and scaled fiend, an old man with a ragged beard and a green felt hat, and a pike of unusual size.
The lights of Vyserhad were visible, ahead and above - so many lights. Torches and candles lining the crenellations, the battlements carved from the living mountain. A path, winding to and fro up and up. A gatehouse, and atop it a grotesque, a winged shape with vast owlish eyes, seven feet tall and not even standing upright, and - it was moving. It knew they were coming.
In the end, it was Theodericus that stepped up: they were guests and, as such, must introduce themselves. Such courtesy (and dots in Etiquette, dump skill my ass) did not go unrewarded. Szarka, warlord of the Fiends, descended with a powerful leap and greeted the visitors; trifold jaws and a foot-long tongue choked out a welcome. Mariam's lack of respect for the Prince, and Alzbeta's talk of visions, were the deciders; Szarka took them in.
Through the winding streets of Vyserhad, the Citadel; dense and shuttered, flickering candles and restless dreams all around. To the square before the immense Gothic basilica, the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, the most nodular and extravagant architecture in the city: as though the stone itself wished for a more outlandish shape.
In the square before it, a dead tree hung with climbing orange flowers. At the foot of the tree, bare earth, and on that earth a throne, and on that earth, barefoot and languid, Libussa. Theodericus took a knee and Alzbeta dropped a curtsey before Mariam and Marsillius could even ask who this was.
She was attended by guards - orange surcoats and splinted leather, or the wide hats and staves of the wandering Chods - and by a second Fiend. This Depolt, tall and rangy, arms hanging a foot longer than is normal and four more twitching within his robes, bade them welcome in a voice semi-consistently resembling that of David Warner, and extended to them the hospitality of Clan Tzimisce.
Nervous, Marsillius chose to Sense the Unseen, and lord, did he ever sense it! The comforting light-without-light, warmth-without-warmth of the Basilica ahead, and all around, all around, beneath and below, the mountain - dark, watchful, aware, seeing him and them through every flame. Our poor boy bare shat himself, had he but been living, and tried to sneak into the Basilica to be with his God.
Libussa's head snapped round, and a voice not quite her own asked what he was about. He spoke to her of visions; of a calling from God that brought him to this mountain, and his need to pray. Alzbeta spoke of experiences much the same. And Libussa asked them if she was the royal nun the rumours spoke of (she is not; that honour belongs to Sister Agnes), and if he had seen what she had seen; been seen by what saw her.
Here follows a break between sessions. We wrapped up by establishing everyone's immediate Desires for next time. Alzbeta was discovering things about herself and God, and she wanted to know more of the Tzimisce and their ways. Marsillius was afraid, mortally afraid, and wanted to get onto consecrated ground where he was safe. Mariam was disgruntled; none of these people save for Szarka spoke plainly, and she wanted to speak to Szarka, protector to protector. Theodericus was concerned: although the Tzimisce didn't seem as monstrous and horrible as he'd been warned, Libussa still seemed ill-treated, and he wanted to ensure her well being. She was, after all, a queen. And everyone wanted more meat crimes; it was felt that I could be going harder. I still find Koldunic Sorcery more interesting than Vicissitude, but let it not be said that ol' Relleytrots doesn't take feedback...
To ease the pressure and create some better scenes, oh some absolute scenes, we (I) divided the coterie. Depolt sensed the Hunger radiating off Alzbeta, and invited her and Theodericus to dine with him; what kind of host would he be if he did not?
Libussa rose from her throne and expressed, to the air at large, that she was so tired, may she rest now? thus confirming to Marsillius that she was not in control of her own form. He recalled that she often slept on sacred ground, and asked if they could see inside the Basilica. Alas; no. Ground sacred to the White Christ is not for Tzimisce to walk upon. But Marsillius was free to try, and the Tzimisce looked... expectant. Anticipatory, even.
This left Mariam alone with Szarka, whose form imploded on itself, buckling and collapsing into a body more human, a little shorter than Mariam, patagia wings indistinguishable from sleeves, that furry mass behind her shoulders merely a fine stole, ignore that her dress is the flushed red of a blush and that her tongue is still a foot long.
Marsillius first, inside the Gothic magnificence of the Basilica, seeing and feeling Libussa's steps become lighter and more hesitant with every stair they climbed. He ended up carrying her to the altar, laying her down before Peter and Paul and Christ, and asking her, in hesitant tones: who is doing this to her?
And Libussa answered, clearer than she'd ever been before: magna mater, blood of my blood, queen of my world, the goddess Shaagra, the Dragon of Prague. She who gave Libussa the gift of prophecy; she who claimed two older sisters and two eldest sons. She whose blood was the Premsyl blood, and the secret of Libussa's four hundred years of life. And Libussa was - is - so old. So tired. May she not rest? Is there not more toil?
Marsillius, tormented - for this is how he preys, and this is the Lord's work that he does, to feed upon the dying and ease their passage from the world - asked: can she be stopped? If she is waking, can Shaagra be stopped?
Libussa does not know why you would want that. Libussa must sleep, now.
Smash cut. Mariam and Szarka, outside. The realisation that I've fucked myself with Szarka and Shaagra and, in everyone's consciousness, Sorcha. I should have used Valasca, but I got so hooked on the murder valley...
Mariam and Szarka had their heart to heart. It was a beautiful conversation: long silences and long thought, speaking true and from the heart. Mariam wanted to know if there was evil in the Josefov, or threat to it and to her people; to those she called friends; to the people of Prague. Szarka took her time to answer carefully, for hers is the Road of the Beast - she does not dissemble.
Evil in the Josefov? Not of her doing or her family's. Threat to the Josefov? Not by her will; no grievance there. Threat to the city? To others? Who can say? When the Dragon wakes, she will be hungry, but her hunger will be sated first in Vysehrad.
If it comes to blows, these two will be enemies, but they were able, here and now, to talk as kindred spirits. Mariam expressed her concern that Prince Brandl thought the threat to Prague was coming from her clan and people, and Szarka explained that he has always feared and mistrusted Zvi and the Jews; that if he spilled their blood it would not be on the hands of the Tzimisce.
There followed a discussion of who owns the city. Szarka, maiden of Valasca's revolt, warlord to Libussa the first princess of Prague, saw the city as theirs - that is to say, the Tzimisce's. Mariam, a farmer's daughter, saw a continuity: those lands she grew up tilling would never be hers again, they are her father's, and will be his son's, and their son's. What was is passed. What was built by you is not yours forever.
Both of them acknowledged they sounded like their sires. Perhaps there's something there.
For now, their conversation was over, and Mariam went inside the Basilica.
Meanwhile, by the Devil's Column on the north face of the mountain, Depolt and Alzbeta shared stories - Depolt told the tale of how the Devil was cheated and threw down this pillar on the mountainside in rage, and Alzbeta explained how her mother, in madness and fear, had pushed her into the fire to make her form less desirable to men. There was some sympathy there; perhaps she was merely mad.
Depolt explained that he could take those scars - if she wished it - but he understood if she did not wish it, if the body was where the memory was written. There followed a discussion of Disciplines, of moulding the mind and body, and a demonstration of the particularly visceral Feral Weapons to which Depolt had access. These two also have a spark between them - a tendency toward philosophy.
But then the men in splinted leather brought out a family from their home; a woman and her adult sons. A test for both visitors; Alzbeta, the Consensualist, and Theodericus, the Ventrue. Both took their lumps; Alzbeta two Stains, for doing what she did even with a prayer for the prey and letting Theodericus do the same, and Theodericus two Willpower hits, for the weight of his Bane descending. He confided, as they walked back to the square, that he found biting people like that - just like that - rather cruel, and rather crass, and most untidy. Alzbeta, shaking, could not discuss it, and fearing she would have another vision, Theodericus bore her with haste to the Basilica.
Here was Marsillius, and here was Libussa, so very tired. Would he do what he felt bound to do? But here was Mariam, walking in alarmed, saying he and Alzbeta had been right. There was something waking in the mountain, and it was dangerous, but was it something they did not want? Would they let whatever came come, and deal with the aftermath? Would fighting only make things worse?
Marsillius wondered aloud if they should warn the Prince, evacuate the city, at least warn him to quit the city - but if he did, said Mariam, he would come back and find it in others' hands and besiege it, and that would be worse. Prince Brandl was bound to do something stupid, and to blame his rivals, and the visionaries - Alzbeta and Marsillius - were complicit in that, to a degree.
What if they simply removed Prince Brandl? Would they be better off, asked Mariam?
Marsillius looked down at Libussa, maddened and weary, ancient and possessed, and asked in answer: "do you think this is better?"
Stirring in her sleep, Libussa seemed to recognise that Mariam was Jewish - they'd mentioned the rabbi in their conversation - and murmured something about that poor old man, about the Prophet of Kupala, about what she'd seen that night in May-time. That got Mariam worked up, and she strode out, intent on asking the Tzimisce which of you is Kupala's prophet -
Instead, she found Theodericus and the worrying Alzbeta, and as they hastened back inside to confer, Alzbeta dropped her bombshell: "the Prophet of Kupala is my sire."
She described him as resembling Brother Marsillius in passing - older, more haggard, less well kept - and as Marsillius spoke of his desire to save Libussa somehow, to take her from this place or grant her rest with the Kiss, Alzbeta broke down fully. She had already fed here. She had not been able to quiet that scratching dry Hunger in her throat. She had fed upon the unwilling, and - was she damned? was she evil?
That question, in this place, and the concurrent loss of Humanity? That changed things. Libussa rose, and intoned her prophecy in a voice they had not heard before:
Faith defiled shall lead you to me. Innocent blood shall lead me to you.
And within the foundations of the Basilica, within the bowels of that sacred place, they all heard it - crack.
Exit coterie, pursued by a fear. Mariam racing to warn the Jews. Alzbeta and Marsillius, clinging to each others' hands in fear of God and something worse. Theodericus, with Libussa in her arms, convinced at last that she needed to be saved - and, as the players remarked as the tension bled, they'd need her.
Here ends Act II - She Only Speaks In Exposition
Join us next week for Act III - We Gotta Kill The Prince Yesterday
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Weโve had our first two sessions for a new campaign of DIE. I wanted to write up a session report for thoseโ to keep things fresh in my mind and maybe offer ideas for other GMs.
The first part of this talks about how the game was set upโ and differs a little from the default DIE setting.ย In it I drew on my own experiences in gaming in the early days and our local shop. One of the greatest strengths of DIE is that while you've got a sharp, rich and concrete set of player archetypes there's flexibility in the set up to both make the setting your own and draw on your past gaming experiences. By you here I mean the GM and the table-- for example, we're drawing a lot more on JRPGs in our world building.
The second part of the post is the events of the first full play session-- showing how the characters get introduced to the elements and set up.
A write-up of the first two sessions for a new campaign of the DIE RPG. Covers the set up, initial incident, and first full session of play.
Cecilia Estrella Genevieve Aralynn-Merromโs Personal Journal
โYet again, I am awoken by Bianca having a fitful sleep. Her groans of displeasure seem to always wake me at the worst possible moments. I guess this is what I get for rooming with her, although I had no possible way of knowing her sleeping habits before we selected our room. Nevertheless, I suppose I will take this opportunity to think back on what has happened so far.
Bandits seemed like a good first mission and I was correct in that assumption. My parents may have handled the situation better, but I must remind myself that they arenโt here and neither are the prying eyes of their peers. In fact, no one seems to recognize me at all, giving me ample opportunity to build a reputation for myself.
Ah, I am getting off track. The bandits. They themselves were no issue of course. The bandits were easily apprehended by my fellow adventurers, and we even managed to capture three of the higher ups in their bandit hierarchy. Odd to think bandits have a code.
Bianca has shifted once again and is mumbling in her sleep. She continually repeats the words โStay back.โ Curious.....
Anyhow, my fellow adventurers were exceptional in battle. Fatinki and his mechanical armor is as interesting as it is powerful. I must remember to ask him further on how his mechanics work.
A.R.C. is an interesting one for sure. Heโs quite the curious one and seems to take everything he is told at face value, including whether one is of royal decent or married to another. At this point I am not sure if he is doing so to frustrate those of us on purpose or because he genuinely does not know better.
Lastly, as I have to mention him, is Damian. Damian is far too excitable for his own good and talks big. Heโs a damn fool and I refuse to let his ego get too big for his head. He was once a pirate and makes sure that everyone knows. He couldnโt keep his own ship though, so what kind of pirate is he? His frustrating attitude and need to immediately plunder every last bit of anything valuable is the most annoying thing I have ever had to deal with. And he treats me like a child! Not everyone can be over 200 years old Damian! Plus itโs not my fault that-
......ah, Bianca is awaking. I had begun ranting and forgotten about her night terrors. Once again she gasps awake and reaches for a black book that seems full of blank pages that I swear sheโs written in a thousand times. I shall save the rest of my rant on that of one Damian Moonriver and do my companion a favor and make her some tea.โย
Looks like we're scrapbooking this week! When the car is struggling, it's important to provide your drivers with other enrichment activities.
(If you enjoy these reports and think I've earned it, you can leave me a tip!)
The 2026 Austrian Grand Prix marks the 40th grand prix held at this circuit, with the first having been held in 1970 when it was known as the รsterreichring. The race is 307.018 km over 71 laps on a 4.326 km long circuit. The Red Bull Ring isn't the shortest circuit by distance on the calendar, but its layout makes for the shortest lap by time. It has the fewest turns of any circuit on the current calendar (just 10!) and at around 660 m above sea level, it is the highest elevation grand prix in Europe and the second highest on the schedule (after Mexico City).
The circuit has a combination of fast, medium, and slow corners and is characterized by its multiple long straights. Four straight mode sections are designated on this rather short track. The circuit sees a significant elevation change of around 63 m, with most of that climb happening between the start/finish line and turn 3. Turns 3 and 4 are generally considered the best for overtaking opportunities. Track limits have also historically been an issue at this circuit, though after some line repainting and addition of gravel traps ahead of last year's grand prix, the issue has decreased significantly, owing to better visual contrast for stewards and the presence of gravel instilling a bit more caution among drivers when seeking the limit through the most offending parts of the circuit.
The combination of the altitude, elevation changes, and the short length of the circuit poses a number of challenges to the drivers and puts some unique stressors on the car. Higher altitude means less downforce, less grip, and a greater difficulty cooling the engine--all a result of the lower air pressure. When air pressure is lower, there are literally fewer air molecules to contend with. While this does technically mean less head-on resistance, it also means less air pushes down on the car, and less air is moving through the car's cooling systems. Most cars are already running the largest spec rear wings possible to contend with the overall lower downforce of this generation of cars, but you may spot other aerodynamic tweaks similar to what we saw in Monaco to maximize downforce. You can also expect to see lots of louvers on the engine covers to maximize the air flow available to the engines. This is doubly important this weekend given the expected high temperatures.
Speaking of the weather, more about that, tires, and some additional technical tidbits behind the cut!
Weather
The weather across the weekend is expected to be sunny and hot with lows in the very early morning around 15ยฐC and highs expected to be 32-33ยฐC by early afternoon. With these temperatures, a heat hazard has been declared, according to FIA regulations. This means that teams must fit the cars with the core components of the driver cooling system, though it is still up to the individual drivers as to whether they choose to use it. Drivers who opt to go without are required to add up to 0.5 kg of ballast to make up for the components of the system (such as the cooling vest itself) that are not on board.
Some forecast models show an approximately 30% chance of rain in the afternoon on Friday and Saturday that could spit a little on the track during FP2 and Qualifying, but the amounts would likely be rather small.
Winds are predicted to be light to moderate throughout the weekend. Sustained winds are predicted to be 5-10 kph throughout the weekend, gusting to a maximum of 20-25 kph. Winds will come from the east on Friday, shifting to coming from the south-southeast on Friday and from the southwest on Sunday.
Most models do not predict rain for Sunday, but a front is expected to bring rain and cooler temperatures across Europe next week, and the shifting wind pattern in the forecast indicates that rain chances for Sunday afternoon could still be in flux. I personally wouldn't rule it out.
Tires
Red Bull Ring, owing to its elevation, is a fairly low-grip circuit. As a result, the three softest compounds have been selected for this race, with the C3 being designated as the hard tire, the C4 as the medium, and the C5 as the soft. Given the expected high temperatures, however, the track is expected to exceed 50ยฐC for most, if not all, sessions across the weekend. Combined with the medium-high abrasiveness of the track surface, thermal wear is the biggest concern, making this race certainly a minimum two-stopper, with the possibility of some teams running a three-stop strategy, depending on how tire performance looks during practice sessions.
The stop-and-go nature of the circuit, with its long straights and interspersed slow corners, makes the rear tires the limiting factor for degradation. Other physical considerations include the downhill portion of the circuit from the exit of turn 3 onwards, which some drivers have likened to a sort of downhill roller coaster. Braking on these portions can place stress on the front axle, and the combination of the decreased grip and the power unit delivery may cause lockups, resulting in unplanned wear to the front tires.
Upgrades, upgrades, upgrades
Several teams are bringing notable upgrades to Austria, including Red Bull, Cadillac, and Ferrari. The team's second major upgrade package has been characterized as "important but not extreme," though the nature of Red Bull's upgrades have remained secret. One rumor suggests that hardly any part of the car has remained untouched. When asked about his feelings about the upgrades, Verstappen sounded optimistic about the performance boost they could provide for the team's home race.
Cadillac's major upgrades include a revised floor and sidepods, along with some other aerodynamic improvements. Meanwhile, Ferrari becomes the second team to roll out engine upgrades under ADUO. Audi rolled out its first allotted upgrade in Barcelona. Ferrari characterized their upgrade as a minor performance improvement, the "result of the work completed in recent weeks to transfer improvements from our development programme to the track." The upgrade is part of the team's stated philosophy of "deploying gains at the earlies opportunity," though they don't expect the upgrade to be significant enough to change the pecking order just yet.
Most other teams are bringing minor upgrades or will be testing components during practice sessions. One notable exception is Aston Martin. Instead of drip-feeding incremental upgrades throughout the first half of the season, as most teams have been doing, team principle Adrian Newey has stated that the team will be bringing one large upgrade package around the time of the summer break.
What's McLaren up to?
McLaren will be testing their own version of a rotating rear wing during FP1 this weekend. Oscar confirmed today that the wing will be installed on Lando's car during the first practice on Friday, and the wing will not be raced in Austria. This makes McLaren the third team to introduce such a wing, first debuted in the preseason by Ferrari and also referred to as a "macarena" or "flip-flop" wing. Red Bull introduced their own version of the wing in Miami, and both teams have been running it as part of their race package since that race.
McLaren are not bringing significant upgrades this weekend, but they have introduced some aerodynamic tweaks to the rear portion of the car and have stated that the package they plan to race with in Austria is lighter than their recent ones, suggesting that the planned weight reduction on the car is proceeding apace.
Austria has been a strong circuit for McLaren in recent years, with Lando achieving his first podium here in 2020, and the team achieving a 1-2 finish their last time out. Though the car's performance still doesn't appear to be at the level it needs to be to properly challenge Ferrari and Mercedes for a win, this is clearly a comfortable circuit for both Lando and Oscar, which may allow one or both drivers to outperform the car and challenge for a podium.
