for the tabletop ask meme, I guess I'm most interested in 5 and 15
5.) Which system did you grow up with?
Answered here, but no worries. I actually didn't play a ttrpg until I was in college: pathfinder 1e. I played pretend, I played with my siblings, I made up games and rules all through my childhood.
15.) Your most epic death.
I self sacrificed a one shot character and then also got petty revenge on all the other pcs that were rude to her.
It was the first game I played with my Exalted ST. And it was not exalted. We were playing Dread. John had pulled or crafted this one shot for a bunch of the other touring actors and technicians. When we started, there were 13 players. If you know anything about how to play dread- that number drops quick.
Dread is a game played with a Jenga tower. To preform skill checks, the Storyteller asks the players to pull blocks from the tower. The more pulls, the more difficult the task. As the tale goes on, the tower gets less and less stable. If the tower falls on your pull, your character dies. However, there is an interesting extra mechanic- and I'm not certain if this is Dread itself or if this is something he incorporated. If you knock over the tower on your turn on purpose, you will still die- but you succeed at the task in the best way possible in your moment of self sacrifice.
I was playing a Junkrat Pilot with a love for little space rodents (space hamster jokes here). I dont even remember her name. All I do remember is that our group had hired her to fly the ship to this base that had appeared. They wanted to investigate what it was. Normally, she would never have taken this job. But 30 million parcoins- up front... that feeds her and the rats and fuels the ship for a year.
Transit was rough. The passengers that paid her were often outright rude, sticking their noses into private quarters, and one definitely ate one of the space hamsters. She was angry. But- 30 million.
When we finally arrived, the scholar and historian recognized what this base was. It was a terrible weapon. A la the Death star, It possessed some sort of laser But when fired it does not just make the massive planet explode. It changes the molecular structures of the atmosphere and crust (if it has one). This utterly blights the land and suffocates living things that need to respirate. Once done, it can harvest the organic matter that had expired. And once that's done, can harvest the energy at the core of the planet (if any).
Most of the people that come on the trek decided that they had to figure out a way to destroy this awful thing.
Junkrat pilot was adamant about staying with the ship but our Blight Star superweapon had a security system- a microbial and macro one. The micro one initiated. The interior air lock gates slowly began to shut, and the crew dashed to safety. I barely made it out, barely sliding under the door, watching the Jenga tower wobble with each pull. We turned and watched as other crew members crumbled and molted from whatever was released.
Macrobiome security measures initiated.
There was a skittering. Something lurked in a room over. Upon entering, we could see the fine strings that coated everything in a sticky substance. Junkrat ran her finger along the threads, it easily sliced through her skin. The threads were razor wire. The skittering became a chitter, as an enormous spider with spindly glass-like legs approached us. A vibrant purplish venom salivated from its pincers, it was excited for new prey.
Our shoes had become tangled in these sticky sharp threads. The party began to delicately try and pry themselves free.
The scholar takes his feet from his shoes and daringly leaps back to the door. He almost crosses the threshold, just barely unable to jump the full distance. Wires tear at his skin. His feet now pour blood, leaving red stains where he walks.
The tower wobbled. The spider steps closer.
The mechanical engineer sacrifices a finger to pry her shoes free from the webs. The spider excitedly gobbles the clean cut appendage- hungry for more. While its distracted, the mechanical engineer looks to the soldier and the pilot. She could carry one to safety if they stepped out of their shoes.
The tower rocks as she pulls a block.
The Mechanical engineer apologizes and rescues the soldier, hoping the brawn could keep them alive for whatever other horrors lurk in the next room over.
There are two others needing to cross the threshold. I'm gazing at the listing tower, held steadfast by three blocks- knowing I'd have to pull one. I look at my storyteller. He is excitedly pretending to be a spider.
I steel my nerves. And knock over the tower. Pieces crumble and scatter. John is beaming with that storytellers evil grin.
Junkrat pilot tangles herself in webs and feels the wires dig deep into her as she purposefully squirms. The spider crawls towards her, jaw unhinging. The wires tighten, slicing through bone. The two others escape, and shut the door behind them.
My storyteller looks at me and asks, "do you have any last words?"
And I smile, a little choked up but relieved because for me- it was over. "I have the keys to the ship in my pocket. Good luck getting home, fuckers."
