Bullets Flying Everywhere Session 1 Heat Lightning

This session was played 05/15/2022.

The Foreword

This was my first time running the game. I did everything wrong but I'm taking this review as an opportunity to learn from my mistakes. Those points will be marked in red.

The Trailer

When a completely insane secret agent is dealing smack on the streets of Oakland, the local gang needs to step up and do what the authorities can't be bothered to do. This is, Heat Lightning!

The Solitary Big Bad

 He served his country under a clandestine agency you've never heard. We owed him a debt that can never be paid, and he's here to collect. 

Special ability: Bulletproof.  The bad guy is invulnerable to ranged fire of any type. He can only be hurt by melee attacks and explosions. (Ranged weapons fired at point blank count as melee.)

 If the big bad is solitary, he always rolls three dice for dramatic actions and can only perform one dramatic task at a time. I missed this rule and I think I had him rolling one die. 

A solitary big bad’s starting level is equal to the number of player characters x3, minimum 6. I played him as a level 6, but with 3 players he should have been level nine. You live and you learn. Unless you're a severely handicapped evil spy. 

The Players

The Leader, The Demo Expert, The Girl.

My players all decided to play as eastern Europeans. I can't remember their names, but neither can they. They were something suitably badass like Boris, Dragonov, and Masha.

The Session

The players began by with an investigation dramatic action. They contacted their friends in the Russian Mob and uncovered when and where the evil plot would be going down. In this case the evil plot was a shipment of contraband was being delivered at the docks later that night. I had the evil plot set to go off at time segment 8, but I should have rolled a skill check to see how much faster it could have been completed. The players used the information from their investigation to set up an ambush. They went down to the docks and fortified it. I was only calling for a single check on these actions instead of allowing each player to conduct an action or help.

I gave the demolitions expert a free RPG. Any specifically listed equipment require a Requisition dramatic action. I initiated combat without either side completing a confront task and I gave the players surprise, automatically, without a roll. I missed the Ambusher rule. The big bad wandered in and got immediately lit up by the demolitions expert with the rocket launcher. I counted stuns as hits. What can I say, I started my team out on easy mode. The solitary big bad was very close to death after a single shot. The other players opened fire but they couldn't get past his bulletproof special ability. The big bad passed his guts check and laid down suppressing fire. This forced the demo expert and the girl to run for cover, but the leader used his movement to close into melee. The showdown was on. Leader vs Big Bad, Mano a Mano. This fight really could have still gone either way. They had used their explosive device and bullets wouldn't work against this guy. It was do or die and the leader did it, against all odds. The big bad was knocked out cold and the team dragged him back to face justice.

Pertinent rules I missed.

Fortify

"At the fortified location, the characters 

begin combat as ambushers for the purpose of 

surprise and fight as if one level higher."

Ambushes

" If one crew ambushes another, the ambushed crew starts in one position. After they are placed the ambushers place themselves in up to two groups around them up to a distance of up to 2 sprints. "

Checking for Surprise

 "When hostilities are about to begin, each character must pass a hustle check to determine if he is eligible to act during the surprise round. Bonuses or penalties apply to this check based on a character’s activity prior to the surprise round. There are seven dispositions that affect the surprise round hustle check. If the mission begins with combat, in the very first scene, it is an initial encounter and each character checks at their standard skill level with no adjustments.

 After the first scene, the only way that combat begins is by a crew completing a confront task. If a character is a protector, he checks at his standard skill level with no adjustments, unless the crew he is protecting has completed a fortify dramatic task, in which case he counts as an ambusher. A character not working on a particular task before combat always counts as a protector. A character on a crew that has completed a fortify dramatic task counts as an ambusher. Ambushers make hustle checks with a +1 skill bonus."

Requisition

"The crew searches for an item, like a car, tank, rocket launcher, etc."