>>37874059
>Call the agency. You're not getting jerked around any more.

>Call the agency. You're not getting jerked around any more.

>>37874059
>Maybe you're in the wrong place. Get looking in the diner, even if it means a little B&E.

>>37874059
Changing >>37874105 to
>Maybe you're in the wrong place. Get looking in the diner, even if it means a little B&E.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

1=phone home 2=trespassing

Night is falling- at least ad hoc burglary'll get you out of the wind chill.

You head for the diner, stopping only at your car to grab a flashlight. Don't need it yet, but it never hurts to have.

The diner's boarded up, a sign hanging in the dirty window apologizing for being closed. A padlock and chain are around the handles to the door on the inside. Beyond the glass all you see are the signs of a shuttered business. Empty shelves and cobwebs. You walk around the store, see an outdoor restroom, and an equally padlocked back door. Don't see anything in there that suggests there was anyone coming or going in this place.

Graffiti covers the walls and mirrors of the restroom, and the the porcelain's seen better days. Still a quick turn of the tap proves there's water running. Hot and clean. Lot of bootstains on the floor too. Maybe from the vandals. Nothing else in the bathroom aside from the usual garbage.

At the edge of the grounds it slopes down in to a gully leading to a creek surrounded by the woods. Nothing looks back that you can see peeking around there. A sewer pipe drains in to the creek, but nothing else of interest there.

The rest of the grounds seem ordinary. You come back to the gas station. Lotta glass. Glass was easy to break. But maybe, if you knew how to pick locks and had the right equipment, you could get in easier.

>As it happens, you do have that subtle touch. Get the picks from your car, get in through the back.
>You're used to throwing your weight around. Grab the tire iron from the boot, break glass and pry wood until you get in.
>Go down to the sewer pipe. Long shot, and you're going to eat valuable daylight, but maybe...
>Other.

>>37874378
>As it happens, you do have that subtle touch. Get the picks from your car, get in through the back.

>>37874378
>As it happens... picks.

>>37874378
>Go down to the sewer pipe. Long shot, and you're going to eat valuable daylight, but maybe...

>>37874378
>You're used to throwing your weight around. Grab the tire iron from the boot, break glass and pry wood until you get in.

>>37874378
>As it happens, you do have that subtle touch. Get the picks from your car, get in through the back.

>>37874378
>>As it happens, you do have that subtle touch. Get the picks from your car, get in through the back.

Overwhelmingly for lockpicking. Writing.

>>37874059
I just found this, please get a twitter, very interested in seeing how this goes

You grab your other tools from the car. Probably should have grabbed them earlier, but it didn't seem a good idea to have your first meeting with a criminal's tools in hand. A nice leather roll of shining steel implements fit well in your coat.

You have to take your gloves off, and even then your cold numbed fingers make you flub your first attempt. You succeed in the second. You pull the padlock free, and gently push on the door. Resistant. You're about to put your shoulder in to it by instinct, but catch yourself. You run your fingers along the door jamb, scraping out the ice to peek in the gap. A wire of some kind. You manage to fish at it with your tools, and with a bit of luck and some adrenaline, catch a soup can of ball bearings before they clatter to the floor and make enough noise to draw even more attention to you.

Too obvious. You set the can down on the snow behind you, turning it around as it rattles softly. Security a very poor man would turn to, but there were more effective cheap alarms.

Taking it slowly and carefully, you leverage open the door just enough to slip in, and shut it behind you. Still cold. You pull your gloves on, take in the back room. An old pallet covered in canned beans still in their packaging, a pile of newspapers, a safe half open spilling out sheafs of records, a pile of rebar, and the door on the other side leading in to the gas station proper you guess.

Pretty elaborate test, if this were one.

>Take it slow. Investigate every nook and cranny. What do the papers have on them? Anything hidden under the pallet?
>You think this test is timed. Get to the other door, peek in there.
>You're starting to doubt this is a test. Grab the rebar before checking the door on the other side. Test taker can forgive you for playing it safe.
>Other.

>>37874529
Well. It's two posts in. I'd reserve judgement personally for after the first thread is over, but here you go.

https://twitter.com/HandlerQuest

>>37874654
>Take it slow. Investigate every nook and cranny. What do the papers have on them? Anything hidden under the pallet?

>>37874654
>Take it slow. Investigate every nook and cranny. What do the papers have on them? Anything hidden under the pallet?
then
>You're starting to doubt this is a test. Grab the rebar before checking the door on the other side. Test taker can forgive you for playing it safe.

>>37874654
>You're starting to doubt this is a test. Grab the rebar before checking the door on the other side. Test taker can forgive you for playing it safe.
Safety first. Once we know the area is clear we can investigate thoroughly.
>>37874684
This seems to be one of those exclusive choices.

>>37874684
>>37874694
It's a not so subtle character creation via choices thing, but I can be flexible with multiples. The rebar can honestly be tacked on to whatever else.

>>37874703
then in that case I'll switch the order of my votes in >>37874684 to getting the rebar first, then we can investigate

>>37874654
>You're starting to doubt this is a test. Grab the rebar before checking the door on the other side. Test taker can forgive you for playing it safe.
>Take it slow. Investigate every nook and cranny. What do the papers have on them? Anything hidden under the pallet?

Safety and then searching. Writing.

I just imagine a CIA guy would be too paranoid to immediately make himself at home. Makes sense for him to clear the area first.

Wasn't exactly a gun, but it'd have to do. You grab the nearest piece of rebar that had a good weight to size ratio and turn your attention to the rest of the room.

It's hard to search well without causing too much noise, but you do your absolute best to work with one hand. The beans were expired, the newspapers dated back to 1955, and the papers spilling out of the safe were a disorganized mess of receipts and shipping orders. As fascinating as gas station accounting was, you quickly decide that any test which included performing a stealth audit of a failed business was one that you didn't particularly want to pass. At least you found a nickel.

Moving the pallet does reveal something interesting. A pair of small, finger sized holes in the tile floor, about two inches apart.

You take an experimental peek and see nothing. Just dark.

The light is fading from the windows. It'll be after dark soon at this rate.

>Use rebar to try to poke at the holes, see if there's anything blocking it.
>Laying down face first and ass up in the air in a house that's not clear already doesn't seem the best idea. Check the other room first.
>Shine your flashlight through the holes. Try to see if there's anything down there.
>Actually, I AM interested in gas station accounting! Carefully examine the last days of this business's financial records.
>Other.

>>37874851
>Laying down face first and ass up in the air in a house that's not clear already doesn't seem the best idea. Check the other room first.

>>37874851
>Laying down face first and ass up in the air in a house that's not clear already doesn't seem the best idea. Check the other room first.
then
>Shine your flashlight through the holes. Try to see if there's anything down there.

>>37874851
>Laying down face first and ass up in the air in a house that's not clear already doesn't seem the best idea. Check the other room first.

>>37874851
>Laying down face first and ass up in the air in a house that's not clear already doesn't seem the best idea. Check the other room first.
Underground dungeon? Spooky. Let's check that out after.

>>37874851
>Shine your flashlight through the holes. Try to see if there's anything down there.

Seems overwhelmingly in favor of search and clear first. Writing.

Keeping a hand on your rebar, you go to the door, test the knob carefully. Another lock, another pick. You pry open the door a hair, look through. In the dying light, it's hard to see anything. A haze of dust in the air, dirty floors, and not much else. You open the door the rest of the way, step through.

You're behind the counter, and you see a sawed off shotgun resting on the drawer under the cash register. Cobwebbed and dust covered. Running theme in this place The register catches your eye. A nice and new shiny one- sure, it looked grimy. But a place closed in '55 wouldn't have had an electronic register.

Course, the real interesting thing that caught your eye was the dolls hanging off of the ceiling by black roofing nails. Little burlap sack dolls, filled with stuffing, buttons hanging off by little black threads. Nice little frilly dresses made in felt. Seven in all hanging up there, at all different levels. Strange decoration for a gas station. You put it from your mind, pace the floor.

Sure enough, one of the shelves against the wall has scratches in the floor next to it swinging out from a side of it. A bit too obvious, you wonder, but you give it a tug- locked in place. You should have expected.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Nice shiny new register, scratched up floor. Some kind of electric lock? Shame you don't know the password.

You check the sawed off shotgun. No shells in the barrels.

First decision:
>Leave the shotgun. It's useless, it'll only escalate matters if you take it.
>Take the shotgun. People don't have to know it's unloaded.

Then:

>Fiddle with this register. You've gone to college, you're smart. Might be able to figure this out.
>You didn't have time for college growing up- you had other more pressing matters. Take a few jabs, see if you get lucky (Roll 1d100).
>Seems clear. Go into the back. Investigate holes.
>Try to brute force the shelf. (Roll required. Unknown difficulty.)
>Other.

>>37875139
>Take the shotgun. People don't have to know it's unloaded.
>Fiddle with this register. You've gone to college, you're smart. Might be able to figure this out.

>>37875139
>Leave the shotgun. It's useless, it'll only escalate matters if you take it.

>Try to brute force the shelf. (Roll required. Unknown difficulty.)

>>37875139
>Leave the shotgun. It's useless, it'll only escalate matters if you take it.
>Fiddle with this register. You've gone to college, you're smart. Might be able to figure this out.

>>37875139
>Leave the shotgun. It's useless, it'll only escalate matters if you take it.
>Seems clear. Go into the back. Investigate holes.

>>37875139
>Leave the shotgun. It's useless, it'll only escalate matters if you take it.

>Fiddle with this register. You've gone to college, you're smart. Might be able to figure this out.

Leave the shotgun. If we find someone they might lunge for the empty shotgun and we can take that chance to whack them.

>>37875139
>Leave Shotgun

>Seams clear. Go into the back. Investigate holes.

>>37875139
>Leave the shotgun.
Let's not get shot by our recruiters.
>Try to brute foce the shelf.
Let's not go to college so we can be based vietnam vet like the first go around.

>>37875139
Leave shottie.
Go back to check out spooky dungeon.

>>37875197
>Let's not go to college so we can be based vietnam vet like the first go around.
can still be both anon, they ain't mutually exclusive, and please don't metagame like that

Tie.

I'll give it another three minutes then roll a 1d2.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Leaving shotgun.
1=Investigate holes.
2=Try to futz with the register.

You give a few experimental taps at the register. The light doesn't come on. You look over it, find a cord going in to the wall, and with a few experimental plugs in an unplugs, deduce it doesn't have power from that at least. Real solidly attached to the counter though.

It takes some time to prise the cover off, but soon enough you're looking at the thing's innards. Huh. You weren't an electrical engineer, but judging from that wire...

It takes some time, but eventually you find the live wire and jab it at enough stuff that a spark flies and smoke fills your nostrils. Not a pretty solution, but as you tug at the now wheeled shelf, one you can live with. A hole is on the other side, and you can see steep, rickety looking stairs down that take a severe left just a little while ahead. Perfect place for someone to wait.

You can't see what's around the corner, and the wooden stairs scream that any pressure on them will make them squeal loud and noisy. It'll be hard to be subtle on the way down, but you're guessing you're past that point. This was turning in to a bargain bin thriller as it is.

You could go back to the peephole in the back room (If that's what it was) and try to take a peek at what you were walking in to. Course, that might alert whoever you were walking in on. The stairs would be a bit more difficult to be quiet on, but you could try.

Or you could take the initiative. Get down there fast and hard, ready for whatever was around the corner.

>Recon. Check those peepholes first.
>Sneak. Hope you can pull off quiet.
>Rush. Hit whatever's waiting for you before they know what's coming.
>Other.

>>37875450
>>Sneak. Hope you can pull off quiet.
"This is a sneaking mission"

>>37875450
>Recon. Check those peepholes first.

>>37875450
>Recon. Check those peepholes first.
Then just rush down the stairs.

>>37875450
>>Recon. Check those peepholes first.

>>37875450
>Recon. Check those peepholes first.

>>37875450
>Recon. Check those peepholes first.

Recon. Writing.

>another HQR quest
Fuck. We have too many repeated acronymns.

>>37875537
Is something going to actually happen now, or is the gas station one giant goose chase?

>>37875730
I'm enjoying this goose chase.

Look before you leap. Good philosophy, especially when it involves the CIA and trespassing. You leave the secret door for now, heading back to the back room. By now, night had fallen. You could swear you heard fireworks in the distance.

Just as you had left it. You try poking the rebar in the holes first- no, they go on through. That'd involve the flash light then. You turn it on, look down.

Lot of plastic sheeting. A concrete floor. A work bench, a toolbox, a flashlight, a pair of men's shoes. A pistol left on the bench. And you hear another chair scrape, somewhere down below you and to the left, and then the sound of footsteps out of your vision.

Well, you tipped someone off- but they didn't grab the gun. Either they're already armed with something better, or they're coming up empty handed. Or preparing somewhere else for you to come down.

Were they just sitting down there in the dark the whole time? Didn't see a flashlight. Night vision goggles?

You look at the rest of the room with what little you can see- seems to be a briefcase in the corner with a lot of papers, a phone left next to it. A small fridge. An american flag in the far corner. Weird room.

You stand from the peephole, glancing around. Frustrating lack of choices. You give an experimental stomp, yeah, the floor's solid. Nothing for it.

Somebody's waiting down there below.

>Go downstairs cautious. Maintain the same pace.
>Go downstairs hard and quick, assuming there'll be a fight.
>Go down amicable. Try not to put anybody on edge.
>This is getting weird. Call the agency.
>Other.

>>37875754
I'm tired, but I don't want to go to bed before finding out what this quest is ACTUALLY about, and it's been running for three and a half fucking hours and not a single god damn thing has happened.
It's probably going to be shit and I'm probably just going to drop it, but I'll be fucked if I give up before finding out for sure.

>>37875787
>Go downstairs cautious. Maintain the same pace.

>>37875787
>go down amicable. Try not tpo put anybody on edge.

As amicable we can be with a piece of rebar in our mits.

>>37875787
>Go down amicable. Try not to put anybody on edge.

>>37875787
>>Go down amicable. Try not to put anybody on edge.

>>37875787
>This is getting weird. Call the agency.

Amicable armed. Picking up the pace.

>>37875789
Sorry, first time QM.

>>37875789
It's just the sort of thing I've been missing. Really a breath of fresh air.

>>37875831
OP keep in mind that the first thread is your first impression to your players, you need to hook them in, give them a good handle on the MC, get them to understand the world their in and what the quest is about, and so far all I know is apparently we're a clerk for the CIA and this gas station is odd, I don't really know anything at all about this quest and what it will be about or like.

Well, the ruse has gone on long enough. You keep your hand on the rebar, but stroll to the door. You hear the guy creaking up the stairs as you approach, good pace to him. He seemed eager to meet you.

You round the corner just in time to see him look up. Squashed face, beady eyes, high widow's peak, thinning hair. T-shirt, suspenders, slacks. Bandaid on his knuckles. About your age even, which surprises you. He narrows his eyes at the sight of you.

Amicable. Be amicable. He's stepping up to you. You put on a smile.

"Hi. I'm new here- agent, got a transfer, told to come here?"

He continues to clomp up the stairs. Getting closer. Got a lot of muscle on him- heavier than you. You can feel the stairs shake with his every step.

"CIA agent? Ringing a bell down there?"

Few more steps, and he'll be in range of you. Empty handed.

>Back up. Give ground, keep talking. Maintain your distance.
>Stand your ground. Don't show weakness. Just another test, you're sure. Keep talking to him though.
>Strike first. You gave him a chance.
>Other.

>>37875917
>Stand your ground. Don't show weakness. Just another test, you're sure. Keep talking to him though.

>>37875897
I don't feel it that way. I'm enjoying myself immensely at the moment, so maybe it';s just you.

>>37875917
>Stand your ground. Don't show weakness. Just another test, you're sure. Keep talking to him though

>>37875917
> Stand your ground

>>37875933
I didn't mean to say I'm not enjoying it anon, I am, and I'm very interested in seeing where this is going and what it will end up being, but at the moment I'm a little in the dark here.

Standing. Writing.

>>37875967
Just a tip, you might want to give about 10-15 minutes for the voting period in case there are any slower players/reader, seeing as you're writing speed is pretty damn fast you don't need to worry about taking too long with votes.

>>37875897
We don't need everything spelled out right away. I've been hooked by this enigma quite effectively. Not every quest needs to be run the same way. There's this dogma about how quests should be run. The nice, new work comes from those who ignore it. Besides, we're getting a steady four votes per prompt, which is about ideal.
>>37875917
>Stand your ground. Don't show weakness. Just another test, you're sure. Keep talking to him though.
Worst comes to worst we bash this fuckhead with the rebar and push him down the stairs. I hope he's just fucking with us. There was the flag down there. Hopefully he's actually a patriot.

You stay still as he approaches. Try not to focus.

"Alright, maybe you don't know about that," You keep your arm with the rebar behind you, "That's fine too. Look, maybe I got the wrong directions, that's fine. Sorry I interrupted- whatever the fuck you were doing out here. Let's start from square one, huh?"

He continues to approach undeterred. A few steps away below you, and he stops.He's eye to eye with you. Big guy.

You don't move. Keep staring right on back.

An uncomfortable few seconds, before he jerks his head back down the stairs.

"After you."

First words he speaks, and they're strangely higher pitched than you expected. There's a few barren lightbulbs down there, so you're not fumbling in the dark at least. You think you see the gleam of plastic sheeting at the bottom of the stairs.

>Go on down. If he wanted to hurt you, he would've done it now.
>"Nah, I'll let you lead the way." Don't turn your back on the gorilla.
>"Sure. By the way, what's your name pal?" Be sociable. The less he thinks of you as a stranger, the safer you'll be.
>Other.

>>37876051
>Go on down. If he wanted to hurt you, he would've done it now.

>>37876051
>>"Sure. By the way, what's your name pal?" Be sociable. The less he thinks of you as a stranger, the safer you'll be.

>>37876051
>"Nah, I'll let you lead the way." Don't turn your back on the gorilla.

>>37876051
>"Sure. By the way, what's your name pal?" Be sociable. The less he thinks of you as a stranger, the safer you'll be.

>>37876051
>Go on down. If he wanted to hurt you, he would've done it now.

>>37876051
>"Sure. By the way, what's your name pal?" Be sociable. The less he thinks of you as a stranger, the safer you'll be.
It's time to be SOCIAL!

>>37876051
>"Nah, I'll let you lead the way." Don't turn your back on the gorilla.
>"By the way, what's your name pal?" Be sociable. The less he thinks of you as a stranger, the safer you'll be.

>>37876051
Or maybe he just wants to hurt us in a situation where his victory is assured. This is sketchy as fuck.
>"Nah, I'll let you lead the way." Don't turn your back on the gorilla.

>Go down: 2
>no u: 3
>chit chat: 4

Social butterfly. Writing.

Also, apparently I'm really shit at identifying cakes. Fucking captcha.

>>37876160
captcha is also shit at identifying cakes, it accepted a beer as a cake.

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11 KB JPG

>>37876160
I know what you mean mang.
fuck cakes.

Also, here is a cake for you. Might help you to identify them better next time.

>>37876051
>>"nah, I'll let you lead the way"
Guy is nothing short of creepy, turning our back to him doesn't sound healthy

"Sure, sure," You linger a bit, trying to gauge him. He looks for your gaze- guy's got some kind of dominance issues you're guessing from the way he's trying to stare you down. Not willing to attack you first though, "Whatever you say pal- what's your name anyway?"

"After you," He repeats. Not the most confidence inspiring moment. If he was going to repeat himself, you wouldn't get anywhere.

"As much fun as walking down a dark set of stairs with a stranger at my back is, I'll pass. At least tell me your name?"

Delaying the decision is probably agitating him. You don't want to get in to a fight, but you do your best to keep your rebar close, but out of his reach. He's staring you square on. He glances back a moment down the stairs, then shakes his head.

"Don't feel like sharing. Come on," He points, "Let's get this over with."
"Get what over with?"
He furrows his brow, thinks. A neuron must have made a connection, as his eyes widen a bit and he nods, tips his chin at you.

"Lemme see your badge."

Occupying one of your hands, and your attention. But again, he was bigger than you. If he wanted to kick your ass here, he would have done it by now. Unless he wanted to make sure it was a sure kill.

>Show.
>Back away.
>Push past.
>Strike first.
>Other.

>>37876291
>Show.

>>37876291
>Show.

>>37876291
>Show

Show. Writing.

>>37876291
>Strike first.

You reach in your coat, keeping an eye on ugly. He's watching you back just as carefully. You take it out, pass it to him. He snatches it from you, skims it over. Nods slowly.

"Okay pal," He looks up, darkly, "Follow me. And, would you mind dropping the rebar?"
"Yes?"

He gives you a look. Reluctantly, you put the rebar down.

He turns and walks down the stairs with some reluctance. He looks over his shoulder seemingly on every step. Guess he had the same thoughts as you.

The basement is surprisingly warm. The crinkling plastic sheets are all you see of the room before the large man flicks a light switch. You flinch at the bright lights, your eyes trying to play catch up.

"Thanks, 'agent,'" You feel something flap into your chest and fall on the floor. You tense and look up to see your antagonist going over to the mini fridge. Continuing to give you a death glare. Guess that was just his standard face, "Was waiting for you to show up."

"Usually people wait for people some place they can be seen," You rub your eyes back in to focus, snatch up your badge and find a wall opposite of him to lean against. There was another door out of this room. Nice shiny metal door with a metal slot to see in or out of. The man pulls a pepsi out of the fridge, shrugs.

"My job's to wait here until I hear an alarm, or see a light," He gives a smirk, "Just had to look through there, huh?" He points up to the ceiling.

"Yeah, yeah, you sure got me," You decide not to mention your cash register related activities, "So, you do this a lot Mister...?"

Man waves his hands, "No names. Not yet anyway-" He downs another swallow of the soda, sets it on the work bench, "I handle security here. Wanted to make sure you were who we expected. Can't be too careful."

>"So, what am I here for anyway?" Amicable.
>"Great. Get to the point." Direct.
>"You know you scared the shit out of me earlier? You couldn't say 'hi' first?" Antagonize.
>"There were others coming through here?" Socialize.
>Other.

>>37876664
>>"There were others coming through here?" Socialize.

>>37876664
>"Great. Get to the point." Direct.

>>37876664
>"There were others coming through here?" Socialize.
>"So, what am I here for anyway?" Amicable.

>>37876664
>"So, what am I here for anyway?" Amicable.

>>37876664
"So what exactly am I doing here then?"

>>37876664
>"So, what am I here for anyway?" Amicable.

>>37876664
>>"So, what am I here for anyway?" Amicable.

>>37876664
>"There were others coming through here?" Socialize.

Amiable. writing.

Swear to god I posted this earlier, sorry.

When he mentioned the plastic, part of me thought it was a kill room. Our boss sent us here to get rid of us! Of course if they wanted to do that it would probably be less dramatic.

"So, what am I here for anyway?"

He shoots a glare at you. The guy seems to take anything informal, anything that's not a direct threat from you as a poisoned dagger.

"You're here because some idiot thought you'd fit in. Something about your profile," Big guy walks over to the papers you saw earlier. Grabs a folder, walks back to your reading from it, "'Adaptable... talented at infiltration... capable of independent action... persistent...' Lotta praise here, for a soft, two bit crook," He looks down his nose at you, "You don't impress me. You're afraid of a fight?"

"Just those that I don't need to fight."

"You're going to have to be ready for this job."
"I'm plenty ready- and I'm sorry, you lost me. We're still talking about the same agency, right? Central Intelligence Agency? A lot of spies and snooping and creeping, right? You're this mad I didn't set off any alarms?"

You realize he's starting to get to you a bit, bite back. Find your cool again. Big guy sniffs at that, goes back to his file.

"You'll have to be ready for it- ideally, it won't happen, but this isn't an ordinary job. You'll have to be ready for anything."

"Throw me a bone then. Let me be ready for something. What am I doing here?"

"Scientific Intelligence Division," He flips through your folder- lingers on a page. Probably the bad years- all those managers lingered on those pages. Who knows what they kept track of there? "Spin off of the GONDOLA WISH program. Project ANTIGONE."
"Cool. Lot of code words I haven't heard of-"
"Cutting edge of technology, son. Bleeding edge. Guess that's why they want a college kid," He seems to spit 'college' like it were a dirty word, "Soviets spending billions of rubles on psychotronics. We're keeping up."

"Psychotronics?"

"What major you take?"
"I'm sure if you read-"
"Humor me."

>"Double major actually. Sociology and psychology."
>"Art."
>"Biology."
>"If you read the rest, you'd see I dropped out."
>Other.

>>37877181
>"Biology."

>>37877181
>"Biology."

>>37877181
>"Double major actually. Sociology and psychology."
Seems a fit for the HUMINT sort.

>>37877181
> Other
Mathematics and econometrics double major

>>37877181
>Other.
Psycholo-

Actually >>37877234

>>37877181
>Other.
Women's studies and Russian language.

>>37877234
>>37877181
Sociology a shit, but this

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102 KB JPG

>>37877243
Anon pls.

>>37877256
>>37877239
>>37877234
Writing.

"Double major actually. Sociology and psychology."
"Bet you never get tired of saying that."

You don't answer. He nods, wandering over to the bench, and closer to the pistol, eyes still stuck on the page.

"Never really held truck with that psychological mumbo jumbo bullshit. Sweet gig though, getting somebody to pay out the nose to tell 'em they want to fuck their mothers."

"Yeah. So, what's ANTIGONE then?" You wonder again why all these special projects were written in all caps.

"Cutting edge tech."
"You already said that."
"You haven't got the job yet," He's still looking at your folder, but he's ranging closer to the pistol now, "Loose lips sink ships. We're pretty big on keeping our mouths shut."
"Okay. Let me make some guesses: my majors are both human intelligence. Means I'm going to be dealing with people. But, aside from some pidgin French I remember from Casablanca, I know no foreign languages. Means I'm not going overseas. I've been CIA six months, so I've not had a chance to pick up anything else. And you mentioned Scientific Intelligence Division. Meaning-"

"Shut up."

The man's a little bit quieter. But he's got a new look in his eyes. You were getting close to something. He gives you another look, then opens his folder.

"You caught our eye. Anything you can think of you did after graduation that might be the cause?"

"I don't know. There's a lot of possibilities."

>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.
>Caught Redhanded. You ended up being somewhere you shouldn't have been. Stealth boost.
>Pure luck. You won't have to deal with any of the fallout of the above.
>Other.

>...starting to lose it. qming is hard. tired. Just a while longer.

>>37877704
>>Other.
Serial murder

>>37877704
>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.

>>37877704
>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.
>Caught Redhanded. You ended up being somewhere you shouldn't have been. Stealth boost.
>Pure luck. You won't have to deal with any of the fallout of the above.

There *IS* a lot of possibilities. Especially when you choose "All of the above"

>>37877704
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.
MKULTRA a go.
Wouldn't complain about the Army background though.
>>37877741
Buddy, you can't choose everything.

>>37877704
>>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.
you're doing good for a first thread OP, is the next post going to be the last before you collapse asleep?

>>37877704
Other

Catching that serial killer once. It was obviousl really, once you see the evidence. It was clear where he was gonna strike next.

>>37877720
>>37877827
The CIA don't recruit serial murderers or detectives

>>37877704
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.

>>37877741
>>37877704
YES YES YES

>>37877741
>>37877704
Seconding this or

>>37877720
>>37877827
Both of these

>>37877704
>Assassination

You got hired onto the CIA because you were able to stop someone from poisoning a senator. It was done so quietly, even the senator didn't know what was happening until afterwards. Most people claim it was pure luck, you being in the right place at the right time.

The bullet wound in your leg, which still hurts a bit six months later, tells it was more than luck.

((Improved analytic ability and instincts, skilled at data extrapolation.))

>>37877704
>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.
If possible, if not then just Army Intelligence.

>>37877784
Both that and Army would be cool and make sense, they got us because of our brain and while with them we got into the questionable ethics stuff.

>>37877704
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.

>>37877730
>>37877784
>>37877843

>Stanford Prison Experiment

>>37877704
>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.

Or >>37877741

>>37877879
How is that assassination? That's the opposite of it...

>>37877867
Don't be a speshul snowflake.

>>37877704
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.

>>37877741
This

>>37877704
The quest is amazing for a first timer, if you really are one, and top-notch even if you aren't. Definitely following it. Feel free to end it if you're over-fatigued.
>>37877845
Come on, guys. We've talked about this. You people would try to find a third answer to a yes or no question. Left or right? You can't go both ways and get all the damn perks.

>>37877917
Then OP can veto it if he so wishes. But he hasn't

>>37877704
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.

>>37877917
>You can't go both ways and get all the damn perks.
Sure you can, you just got to put in the effort for it. After all whats the point of getting a cake if you can't eat it?

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I'm counting votes hang on a fucking bit.

>>37877704
>Army Intelligence. You've actually received some basic training.

>>37877704
>Experiment of Questionable Ethical Basis. You actually can follow some of the scientific bullshit you're going to be exposed to.

>>37877741
second

>>37877949
It looks like Army Intelligence and the Experiment are tied, though it seems someones samefagging for the Experiment

>>37877944
There is only 24 hours in a day. If you try to do three things at once instead of focusing on one thing, you're going to be shit at all three things.
>>37877930
It's so fucking obvious that you don't need a veto to understand it's ridiculous and not viable. The exclusivity is implied in the choices he gave us. There was no, "Master thief assassin military science researcher" option. You have to specialize.

>>37877991
Actually, >>37877741 almost seems to be winning

>We did experiments on soldiers
>We were the guy who injected their balls with some combination of smallpox and steroids and watched what happens

>>37878022
Stop trying to argue with them. Questers by and large have a chronic desire to be able to do everything, even if "do" is taken very loosely. Nevermind that the reality is being kinda shit at everything from spreading thin and ultimately having a harder time accomplishing what you could with specialization, we gotta be the Jack of All Trades!

>>37878027
That's not even a valid option.
>>37878071
It's more like 2 of all trades.

>>37878092
>That's not even a valid option.
Says who?

>>37878092
>2 of all trades
kek

Army Int: 4
Mad Science: 5
fukkin' everything apparently: 5

I'm tired.

So, I'm going to play QM fiat and go with single background instead of die rolling. Since it'll be simpler for me. My apologies.

Writing. Then going to sleep. Super tired, losing ability to count.

>>37878127
can't go Army Int and Mad Science?

>>37878152
No. We Eugenics now.

>>37878169
well fuck, thanks alot samefag

>>37878184
Hopefully we at least get some basic skills in the future or at least know how to use a gun and do first aid properly, would be fucking shit if we didn't.

>>37878184
>samefag
no thanks fag. I'm the fag that suggested detective

>>37878152
I'd have to balance it with a major disadvantage. If you're willing to take that, then sure. Writing mad science for now, but if enough are willing it'll be easy to modify. Lack of sleep impairing decision making.

>>37878225
that wasn't directed at you, just the samefag voting for mad science every minute and even past the voting cutoff.

>>37878238
how would having basic skills necessitate a major disadvantage?

>>37878238
>major disadvantage
such as...?

>>37878253
Probably being so completely unlikely everyone we meet wants to punch our face in or something. Maybe we Sheldon Cooper then

>>37878238
Why a major disadvantage? the Army Int option gave us 'basic' skills, that doesn't really seem worth a major disadvantage just because we understand some science and know how to use guns.

Doesn't the CIA already put people through a sort of basic training? I don't really understand why the military option was a thing at all. Maybe if he got some kind of specialized skill out of it, like being really fucking good at shooting stuff or whatever, but it just seems kinda odd to me with how it was presented.

>>37878207
Come on bud. It's point and click. Or point and pull your finger, whatever. We're not gonna be doing some crazy wilderness SERE shit. And the military isn't really an environment for a researcher to work within the confines of, so no mixing.
What's more important than the training received is just the quality of the individual. We're resourceful. You're not some delicate flower just because you aren't military.

Let's not mix fruit and cake here. Just go on with the science. Don't torture the poor QM.
>>37878292
Well, it could be a background. Lots of former military go on to work for the CIA

>>37878292
It does if you're an Agent, which doesn't make sense for us to be one without having those skills, people who aren't Agent's don't go into the field or given those skills, they sit behind desks.

So yeah, would have thought that would have been stuff we already have but apparently we're the most unqualified CIA Agent in history, who somehow bumbled into this job.

>/tg/ complains about Mary Sues that have all the powers and experience
>/tg/ then bitches that the QM won't let them have all the powers and experience

>>37878307
>Come on bud. It's point and click. Or point and pull your finger, whatever.
Thank you for demonstrating you've never used a firearm before.

> And the military isn't really an environment for a researcher to work within the confines of
Thank you for further displaying your complete lack of knowledge, who the fuck do you think does their R&D work?

>>37878292
My thoughts too.

>>37878317
Good job not even reading let alone comprehending the situation.

>>37878307
>Well, it could be a background.
Doesn't make much sense unless we're just being reassigned to another deskjob.

>>37878360
I'm pretty sure our job is to babysit psychics and write reports about them later.

>>37878380
I'm pretty sure we're doing a hell of a lot more then that, and also, Agent is a rank and position, one that comes with standards, if they wanted another researcher, we wouldn't be an Agent.

>>37878360
>>37878388
I'm getting the feeling you're not one of the people who read the original pitch.

>>37878417
I'm one of those anons and I was in the original version of the quest.

>>37878417
The original HQ wasn't a deskjob so don't know what you're talking about.

>>37878334
I was being somewhat tongue and cheek, but guns really are that simple to use. We just pretend it's more complicated so idiots don't go around shooting everyone by accident. But really. Any moderately intelligent person can learn all they need to know with a bit of time on the internet.

Researchers don't work under the military chain of command. They are civilians. Military intelligence is, well, military. They're soldiers. Soldiers are not the guys doing research. Their environment is just not suited for it.

>>37878417
I read this thread. In which, we have picked a lock, disarmed an alarm, and opened a secret door by hacking a register. This seems like it is gonna have some hands on stuff to do.

>>37878459
Simple to use yes, easy to be proficient with? No. There is a massive difference between the two.

>We just pretend it's more complicated so idiots don't go around shooting everyone by accident. But really. Any moderately intelligent person can learn all they need to know with a bit of time on the internet.
This is why retards in murika keep shooting themselves or family members by accident...

>>37878459
>Researchers don't work under the military chain of command.
Yeah they do, all branches of the US armed forces have their own researches should they deem them necessary, though the Marines usually only have them to look cool or just because the Navy has them.

You might want to actually know what you're talking about first anon, lest you look like a fool, because you look like a fool right now.

>>37878491
Well it's safe to say the main character of this quest isn't a retard. I trust him to have learned something as simple as firearm safety.
>>37878519
They have their research done, but the folks doing it aren't military. They aren't fucking soldiers like Army Intelligence, they're civilians the military hires. They don't really work within what people think of as the military environment. Your 35F is not gonna be submitting a scientific research proposal. The army will hire specialists to do the research that needs to be done, but they're not military.

>>37878561
How hard is it to understand that the Military has scientists and research staff in their employ in the chain of command when they require it? Being in the Military does not make you a soldier and in many cases, the work the Military wants R&D people to do is classified and restricted such that only their own people can do the work, seriously, stop thinking you know everything, and go and look at how they actually do things. Yes they do contract plenty out, but they do as much R&D work in their own service branches.

>>37878561
Right then, so all those commissioned officers working for the Navy's railgun projects are not actually Military people and are somehow magically civilians because their job isn't shooting people...

Go educate yourself you idiot.

>>37874059
>>37878238
Solid Q so far QM, especially if it's your first.
I might even make a note of the twitter handle to check up on.

Good form.

>want to go to sleep
>don't want to miss it when we finally get to the part of the quest we all came here for

"Nothing interesting?" He pulls a page out, holds it up. Photocopy of your paper. And the pictures. Alex and Harris. Alex, missing his fingers. Harris on the ground, fetal position, "Still trying to put themselves together again."

"There was a pool of thirty four, and those were the most severe cases."
"One guy chewed his fingers off, the other reduced to a mental infant. The rest weren't much better. Nightmares, memory loss, loss of feeling in the extremities- I gotta tell you man, don't know why you didn't go for a doctorate. You'd a gone real far."
"There were mistakes, but the results were-" You try to keep your voice level. Stop taking the bait. It was easy to look at the results without any of the accompanying data and just dismiss your work. The wealth of knowledge you got from the sympathetic feedback alone deserved a Nobel, not a lecture from this neanderthal. You just had bad luck with your subjects was all.

He looks at you, eyebrow raised. You say nothing else. He gives a nod.

"Right, that's what I thought. Hope you learned how not to fuck a head up."

Well, you had learned under very controlled and entirely out of the norm lab conditions thousands upon thousands of dollars of experimental equipment could do to traumatize a person, but you imagined that's not what the man was looking for answer wise. You give a short nod.

"Anything else in my profile there that causes concern? Or are we done here?"

"Still reading...Unattached, no wife, no kids. Father in Florida, mother dead, no brother's or sisters...So far, so good. Anything else you can remember?"

>Add army background at a cost of disadvantage.
>>PTSD. You were in 'Nam. 'Nam still hasn't left you.
>>Easily exhausted. War wound, exposure to some kind of toxin, who knows. Something's fucked up your stamina.
>>Major enemy. As in literally a major in the US Army enemy. What happened between you two is between you two, but you can be sure he won't forget.
>"Nothing else."

>I'll explain next post.

>Justification for making basic training/mad science combo more expensive:

>Army training is less 'know how to pull trigger" in my mind and more mental conditioning of what to do in a gunfight, how to cope. Sure, point and shooty rooty tooty is easy. But shooting a guy is different. Trying to out draw a guy aiming to kill you is different. Knowing how to bind a wound, dive for cover, making sure your safety is off and not flinching in the face of death is something else. I shouldn't have phrased it as 'basic training' perhaps, but I was cramped on characters (Like I am right now so separate post we go) and I (foolishly) assumed that basic training would be interpreted as being a capable combatant. My bad.

>Just my opinion. If you feel that's unfair, I'm sorry. I wanted to have a few archetypes to choose from. Sure, man trained to kill+science man is valid and all. But I wanted each to have strengths and weaknesses. Gamey, but that's how I felt running this. Sorry guys. Putting my foot down there. Wanna do both, I'm gonna inflict a disadvantage.

>>37878802
>"Nothing else."

>>37878802
>>PTSD. You were in 'Nam. 'Nam still hasn't left you.

>>37878827
You're right. It was foolish to assume people would get what you actually meant from calling it "basic training". Tons of people who go through basic aren't like that.

>>37878802
>>>"Nothing else."

>>37878802
>Nothing else.

>>37878802
>PTSD. You were in 'Nam. 'Nam still hasn't left you.

>>37878827
>But shooting a guy is different. Trying to out draw a guy aiming to kill you is different. Knowing how to bind a wound, dive for cover, making sure your safety is off and not flinching in the face of death is something else
That is basic training and that is whats given to Agents...

>>37878940
Jesus Christ just get over it.

>>37878827
>I (foolishly) assumed that basic training would be interpreted as being a capable combatant.
The only difference between those is experience in the field under fire, I can understand if you meant that option to imply that experience, but those basic skills are things we should already have been run through.

>>37878940
I think he meant it as some kind of above average level of proficiency / unflinchingness / willingness to do what need do.

Or I'm completely wrong and the mc lacks any kind of training and is Special Agent Incompento

>>37878827
>PTSD. You were in 'Nam. 'Nam still hasn't left you.

>>37878802
>>"Nothing else."

>>37878984
Well I just hope to fuckingtoncome that we have that basic average proficiency.

>>37878827
>>37878802
Doing good OP.

>"Nothing else."
The only way you'd get that Mad Scientist flavour in alongside proper Army experience would be as an actual MKULTRA field-test scientist, and that's pushing it really...

>>37878827
It looks like you really don't do well while sleepy.

How did you not think to just call that option "Military Experience. Everybody may get some basic training, but you have been tested and honed in the field."

I'm a shitter QM and even I thought of that.

Army background isn't worth the 'Nam drawback if we're just going to PTSD breakdowns every time we go into a firefight.

>>37879025
>and that's pushing it really...
Not really, how else do you think they got their data in field trials and such? they didn't sit around in labs all day long.

>>37878981
Yeah, experience under fire. Going with that. The end.

>>37879008
>>37878915
>>37878901
>>37878861
Nothing else. Writing.

>>37878827
So do we actually have those basic skills but not the mental conditioning if we don't pick that background? I get what you're saying we would have it we pick it, but not if we DON'T pick it.

>>37879065
It's safe to assume we have basic skills. We just aren't a hardened warrior.
>>37879027
Don't be a dick.

>>37879043
Good thing that option didn't win then. Though I do think that view on PTSD in quests persists because in the past QM's and players have had no idea what its actually like and just assume the MC is a bee's dick away from exploding or breaking down at any second, it tends to condition players against it.

>>37879065
I think what he's saying is that we're some dude who did the basic agent training. We know shit, but we're not Rambo.

>>37879044
I meant that someone with that kind of experience is probably not going to be a desk nerd that's only just getting field work for the CIA - he's probably doing some more hardcore brainraping in some subterranean gubmint lab.

>>37879027
Oh, stop being a tit.

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>>37876051
>He continues to approach undeterred. A few steps away below you, and he stops.He's eye to eye with you. Big guy.
>Big guy
Jesus Christ we were doing this pose, right?
>"After you."

>>37879392
pfthahahaha oh man we so need to have that outfit.

I gotta conk out and get some sleep now, thanks for running OP, I'm liking this quest so far so keep up the good work. Please keep us updated on twitter.

"Nothing else."

"Good. Seem just the right man for our work."

"Which is?"
"Weapons research. That's what we do here at Project ANTIGONE," The man flips through the pages one last time, then sets it down on the work bench, "That's it then. Wanted to make sure we didn't have any unpleasant surprises. Not to mention we've probably spent enough time in here for the final bit."

The man crosses to the metal door, scooping up his pistol and tucking it in to his waistband. He gives a few sharp knocks on the door. The slot slides open.

"He clear?"

It surprises you somewhat that he's asking the door that. You thought he was security. You hear a muffled question.

"Anna says she believes him."
"Used formula 6?"
"With and without, she says he's safe."

A woman's voice. You raise a questioning eyebrow to the man. He waves you off.

"Good," He looks over at you, jerks his head, "Come on. Take a look what we've made. You can call me Warren, by the by."

"Thank you Warren," You're a bit relieved that your brains weren't going to be spattered across easy to clean plastic, "And, these weapons have something to do with my work?"
"Something," The door squeals open on rusted hinges, and Warren stands to the side, leaving a hand out, "After you."

You step inside- a lot better lit, this room, and better furnished. Three people are standing within. One woman, dressed formally in a suit, glasses up, hair in a tight bun, arms crossed, and looking at you like a particularly unpleasant spot that won't come out of the rug. A pair of soldiers, rifles slung on their backs, staring impassively as you enter.

And the last, in a nice plush chair completely out of place in the barren concrete of the room, feet dangling over the edge, dressed in an overlarge orange jumpsuit with one sleeve exposed, needle marks covering the slim, tiny arm, a girl no more than twelve years old. Pale stringy hair hanging across her scalp, eyes staring up at you.

Her corneas are non-existent. Just little black pinprick pupils in her eyes that give you vertigo at the sight.

"Welcome to ANTIGONE. This is one of our weapons, Anna."

You feel something crawl up your teeth- feel a splitting headache in your temples for a bit, a little stroke of lightning from end to end around your eyes, and wince. You felt that once before- but only with enough juice to destroy a grant's worth of lab equipment. Not from a child.

Anna looks away from you, done to the floor, and the feeling passes. The clap of Warren's hand on your shoulder brings you back to reality.

"Welcome to the cutting edge, agent. You're gonna make sure these little pioneers of psychic warfare do our country proud. Test their capabilities, make sure they don't fall to enemy hands, and do your best to improve them. You're probably the best man for the job."

Warren leans past you, and you see a corner of his mouth turn down noticing something about Anna. He nods at the woman, and she crosses over to the little girl, drawing something orange in a syringe from her pocket. That's all you glimpse before Warren turns you away, talking further, "We've all admired your work. Truly revolutionary- it'd be criminal to let you rot in the civilian field."

The woman behind you makes a shushing noise, and you hear the slight whisper of a plunger on a syringe being pushed in.

"You'll find your work with Project ANTIGONE to be much more rewarding. Welcome home, agent."

>And finish. Gotta go do living things. Next session date and time will be posted to twitter.

>>37879392
Why do you wear the suspenders?

>>37879718
Thanks for running OP

>>37879718
Great quest.

>>37879718
thanks for the thread ACSI, let us know when the next will be, hopefully soon, this is looking fun

Someone want to archive this?

>>37879899
I know how, what tags or description?

>>37879912
Description: Not reading this quest would be vey painful.
Tags: collective game, handler quest redux, big guys

>>37879912
done

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Handler%20Quest%20Redux

>>37880031
Looks good to me.

>>37879718
What is the time period?

>>37880277
Read the OP.

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Fuckken Ace, OP. Sad I couldn't be here earlier. 10/10 props from me.
> street sign captchas are back
COME OOOOON! Stop making me feel like a bad person, Google.