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TTRPG Tuesday: Even more of The DOLLIE Extraction

Ok, so I figured I’d freeform some general notes for The DOLLIE Extraction today, as I did two blog posts last week but no actual dedicated game design.  So! I resolve, once again, to try to do one 20-minute writing session, and one twenty-minute building session, separate from this blog post.  Here’s hoping that I have better luck this coming week.  Actually, fuck luck, I just need to make time instead of watching yet another pilot for a show I ultimately won’t go for.  Anyway, here are some more notes for The DOLLIE Extraction.


  • There should be non-combat-capable clones hooked up as human computers for research processing.  Possible to work that interface in as part of the hacking approach?
  • Look up the proper names for cruiseliner decks, but here are the general ideas for locations: Bottom deck, we’ve got (from aft to fore) an engine room that also contains the Engineering division, leading into the primary Frames Barracks, with the Experimental/Research Barracks below the prow.  Above that is the base of the command tower, then the living quarters for the Numbered, and then a gathering place for musters, inspections, announcements, limited political things, etc.  Above that, the command tower continues, leading up to the Shepherdess’ Council Chamber (where Nali is kept), and a helipad.  At the top of the command tower is the bridge of the ship.  So two ship-long decks, and then two more tiers of command tower and a helipad.  Not all of these sections will have something going on at all times, but they will all be involved in the actions mentioned below.
  • There is an attempted coup taking place during the mission.  A faction of the Numbered, secretly supported by a disguised Dr. Halliyal, are attempting to free Nali and escape the ship.  The infighting may make certain things easier for the Employees, but in almost all situations both sides will prioritize removing intruders over helping them.  The coup takes the form of certain events happening in certain sections, with alternate sequences of events based on the consequences of the players’ actions.  As a result, the situation that the Employees find themselves in is much more chaotic than a standard infiltration, with unexpected reprieves and dynamic hazards.  This will also justify more supplies being readily lying around.
  • Possible twists: If any Employee is injured, and later encounters a Shepherdess, they may encounter Frames made using not Dr. Halliyal’s DNA, but their own; Dr. Halliyal has hidden her identity behind a few obscuring modifications, but still has all the permissions and access she held before, it’s just more convenient for her experiments if she maintains her anonymity; When the Employees do make their escape from the ship, they are pursued by amphibious Frogframes carrying explosives.


Alright that’ll do it for this week’s TTRPG Tuesday.  Til next time!

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