GURPS Autoduel: Session One preamble

The surly woman with the purple pixie snarled, “You Bobby Blandell?"

 

The young man nodded.

 

The woman held out her hand, “I’m Striker, and you’re late.  Have a seat next to the girl and we’ll start the orientation as soon as Billy gets here."

 

She pointed to an empty chair next to an impossibly cute young lady in pink.  The young lady smiled and held out her hand, “Haney.  I guess we’ll be working together."

 

“Bobby,” he said, “Guess so.  Are you new here?"

 

“Yes, I just got hired yesterday,” she nodded, "Didn’t think the interview went well.  She's like, y'know, kinda scary."

 

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “I got that impression just talking to her on the phone."

 

The surly woman came back into the room and sat on her desk in front of the two.  “Okay, Billy is just parking his bike, he’ll be shuffling his way up in a minute,” she announced.  

 

Grabbing a clipboard, she said, “In the meantime, I need to confirm a few details,” and proceeded to rattle off a number of questions.

 

“Haney!  Own your own bike?” (Yes)

 

“Bobby, same question.”  (Yes)

 

"Gas or electric?” (Electric, Electric)

 

“Good, not many gas stations in town, and it’s getting expensive.”

 

“Do you have current, up-to-date Light Courier licenses and insurance?”  (Yes, Yes)

 

“Bikes armed?”  (No, No)

 

“Good.  Pursuant to city ordinance number blah-blah-blah, Light Couriers are forbidden from driving any armed vehicle, sidearms permitted, in city limits while on the job.  Follow the laws and obey the speed limits.  You pay any tickets, fines, cleanup, and damages incurred from combat.  Keep it clean and don’t start any trouble.  I’ll help with legal costs where I can, but it’ll be a loan.  Got it?” (Yes, Yes)

 

“You guys packing?”  (Yes, Yes)

 

“Good.  Self-defense only.  I don’t need yet another wannabe duellist on my team."

 

A knock came at the door, and in shuffled a young man in punk gear, mohawk and everything.  His arm was in a sling, and he looked a little worse for wear.

 

“Hey, Billy,” she greeted him, “how ya feelin’?"

 

“Arm’s killing me,” he sneered, “these my replacements?"

 

Bobby and Haney looked at each other uncomfortably.

 

The punk looked them over before breaking into a broad grin, holding out his left hand, “Billy.” 

 

The two nervously shook hands and introduced themselves.  (Haney Lansing, Bobby Blandell)

 

Billy turned to Striker, asking, “So, where are we at?"

 

“Just finished the checklist,” she said, “and I’m about to give them the spiel."

 

Billy plunked himself onto the desk next to Striker.

 

“So, we’re a little short-handed at the moment,” Striker said, “Billy’s out of commission, and my other two drivers are dead, which is why you’re here."

 

“Eeek!” said Haney.

 

Billy laughed, “Don’t worry, none of this was work related."

 

Striker clarified, “Yeah, one got himself killed last week in his first Amateur Night duel, the other owed the wroooonnnng people money.  Billy here got beat up by dregs in the South End."

 

“Comin’ home from the tavern,” he explained, “Ever been to Hustle’s Tavern?”

 

Both newbies shook their heads.

 

“Great place, it’s where most of us couriers hang out after work,” Billy said, “I’ll meet you there Monday after your shift."

 

“OK, getting back on track,” Striker continued, “Billy can barely drive as is, so he’s going to be working dispatch for me this week while I handle your training.  Normally, I’d pair you off with an established courier for a week, but we’re obviously quite shorthanded.  So, the two of you will shadow me for a week and learn the ropes.  Cool?"

 

Both nodded.

 

“Good,” she smiled, “to repeat what I said in your interviews: I hire owner/operators only.  Money ain’t raining from the sky, meanin’ I can’t afford a fleet of company bikes, so 'no bike, no work'.  I'll reimburse you for your recharges, but you pay for your own repairs, sidearms, and upkeep.  You're paid by the piece and off the meter, with danger pay.  You go where I tell you, when I tell you, I’ll keep things reasonable.  Dashcam is to be running all the time for insurance and evidence purposes.  Look presentable, bike and clothes.  Get signatures for everything.  EVERYTHING.  Keep your receipts and keep track of your mileage, you can write it all off at tax time.  Got it?"

 

Both nodded again.

 

“Haney,” Billy started, “Striker tells me you’re new to town but not new to the game.  You know your way around yet?"

 

Haney nodded, “I’ve studied the maps and gone for a few rides around town.  I think I’ve got a feel for the place."

 

“Cool.  How ‘bout you, Blandell?” he asked.

 

“Born and raised here,” Bobby said, “I know this town like the back of my hand."

 

“Good,” Billy said, “can you navigate on a tight schedule if needed?"

 

“Huh?”  Bobby asked.

 

Striker answered, “What he means is, are you able to optimize your route on the fly?  When you’re a courier, you don’t always do your pickups or deliveries in the order they come in.  You have to make the most efficient use of your time and cargo space, so you gotta prioritize things by distance and travel time.  Group your pickups and deliveries by their relative location and pick the most efficient routes, remembering that the clock is always ticking and there’s always traffic."

 

“A lot of that comes with experience,” Billy laughed, “but don’t worry, you’ll have a whole week to figure it out."

 

“A whole week, huh?” said Bobby.

 

“You’ll pick it up quick,” Billy reassured.

 

“Any questions?” Striker asked.

 

“What happens if we run into like, y’know, trouble?” Haney asked.

 

“What kind of trouble?” Billy asked.

 

“Like, when I was working in the big city,” Haney clarified, "we used to get ambushed by dregs a lot.  Sometimes they’d even place fake calls then rob you when you showed up. Othertimes we’d get caught in a crossfire."

 

“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Striker said, “that happens here, too, mostly in the South End and The Waterfront, but it can happen anywhere.  My policy is this:  Get away as quick as you can and radio in to me ASAFP.  If you can’t get away, hit your buzzer - emergency beacon, get to cover, and stay there.  Radio or phone me when it's safe to do so.  Defend yourself when you feel it’s necessary.  Don't be a hero.  If you can keep your cargo safe, great.  If not, we’re insured."

 

“Couriers are a pretty close-knit community here,” Billy added, “we have a sort-of mutual assistance agreement with most of the other outfits in town.  Striker will put out the call once she hears you’re in trouble or picks up your buzzer.  She’ll also put out an APB if another courier is in trouble.  Failing that, we’ll call the cops."

 

“Don’t rely on the cops,” Striker warned, “most of them are in the pocket of the Chamber of Commerce and firmly on the side of Big Business and the developers.  They don’t care much for small, independent contractors such as yourselves because there’s no profit in it.  They’ll go through the motions of keeping public order, might even put in a show of effort or force if someone middle-class phones, but don’t expect them to put their lives on the line for you."

 

“Nice…” said Bobby.

 

“That answer your question, kiddo?” Striker asked.

 

Haney shrugged, “Sounds like what I’m, like, used to."

 

“Cool,” Striker smiled, “Rule is, if you’re near a distress call, you help.  Period.  Even if it’s your arch-rival, childhood bully, or the guy who kicked your dog.  Even if you’re carrying the Hope Diamond.  You go.  They'll do the same for you."

 

“Got it?” asked Billy.

 

The two nodded.

 

“Alright,” Striker said, standing from her desk, “Welcome to Striker Courier.  Be here at 7:30 sharp Monday morning.  We’re on the road at 8.  I’ll buy lunch."

 

“Great meeting you two,” Billy grinned, “see you Monday morning."

 

 

---

 

Most of this was role-played with Haney, Bobby, and Billy’s players ahead of time as part of Session Zero.  Every game session will start with an episodic preamble similar to the above, to serve as both a recap of the last session, as well as a briefing for the next.  None of us have gamed consistently for over 30 years, so we’re still finding our flow.

 

Tomorrow’s gaming session will be spent getting Haney and Bobby’s players (and myself as GM) accustomed to the GURPS vehicle movement system.  They’ll be following Striker on a series of small courier runs throughout the city, dodging daily traffic and pedestrians.  I’ll be generating random traffic with a system based on the Rush Hour scenario from Autoduel Quarterly 2/3 and stocked with “daily driver” type vehicles culled from the three AADA Vehicle Guides, and converted to GURPS 4e stats using a method recently posted on the Steve Jackson Games GURPS forum.

 

Billy’s player won’t be joining us for a few weeks due to work commitments, thus his character is currently an injured NPC.  In addition, we have two other players who will be joining us next week.  Their PCs, Acey and Thumper, will be established couriers driving for another company.

 

It’s taken three long years to convince my friends to try GURPS for roleplaying instead of Car Wars.  I’m hoping it goes well.