Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)

[x] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.
 
No! Vista, what are you doing? Now is not the time for this!
Sorry, my characters are, uh, doing their own thing at the moment.

...Well then. Missy's dissatisfaction choose an inconvenient moment to finally boil over. Hope that awkward situation we've inadvertently caused can be smoothed over.

An interesting, but not exactly surprising turn of events. Namely, interesting that (whether its risk of being compromised or just didn't think of it), Taylor didn't think up or plan to recruit Chevalier as a result of our vote, other factors brought him along.

But that Vista and Chevvy would have some sort of clash? Exactly what I said would happen. Less explosions that i feared, both with the new combat arm (but then, he knew she had a prosthetic already...he doesn't know yet about the internal rebuild or just whats in the arm besides /armor/, which is the trait he emphasized) and her ultimatum.... while yeah he can't force her to stay a Ward, and its hard to keep a space-warper from running away with a teleporter, its obvious what team she'd go to and it'd make trouble for us. But enough of a threat to delay his hand and come along to keep her safe, evidently.

And I know there's no way I can convince anyone to save Tats and keep her around for the Mage Roll,

Me, pick me! :V I mean, go back and reread the clash with Tattletale (First Impact 2.4? and 2.6). In-character Samantha told us in detail how we went wrong there....and while one read of the vote was "give an example to reassure that we aren't crazy, a crazy would overreact to her power" the way it played out was pretty sudden-hostile to someone showing up offering a warning on a mistake we were about to get involved with. Which is to say, I can certainly see Taylor being willing to apologize and try to salvage it.... as long as the attack on us wasn't a matter of Tattletale getting revenge for the slights and Samantha's warning failing. We already know Coil keeps her at gunpoint and forces her to use her power for him, and now she's a Containment-escapee AND all that prior influence.

I'm not sure that Silently Watches wants to have to deal with the impact of Tattletale's power on the protagonist side :p But Its possible she didn't have a choice to reveal our home, and possible Taylor would be sympathetic if we could prove it. Also possible IAE decides to "recruit" such a useful ally to make this appear true...if its got capabilities like he had with us, and with Sam while making the GB

Well... If Calvert is in a meeting, then he might not be able to respond quickly to Bakuda getting taken down.

This is one reason to think Bakuda is safe. We know he likes hidden cameras and controlling assets, but with how IAE seems able to pierce tough defenses we can likely scout for a wide range of alert-systems before any strike. If we do things quickly he may not get a chance to react before we move to phase 2. And honestly, even then, we've had decent luck tracking him down.... now he'll be short a bomb tinker, possibly short other assets, aaand even fleeing means he loses any of the Calvert-connected resources to fall back on and goes full time cape. WAS gives us a lot of potential to chase down a possible escape attempt, moreso if Dragon can say... spare a spy drone or two to watch the building for him leaving meeting. (Extremely sexy if Unison-Dragon has been able to give her drones ability to convey remotely her own Wide-Area-Search power, if she has it...but that may be too hopeful :p )

But really, look at the evidence we have on hand. Most everything is already known to the Protectorate and PRT. The biggest new-crime we have to present is breaching Unwritten Rules to attack our civvie identity... do we really want the mess and fallout of doing it to him? With Chevalier tagging along even? Like...maybe we try to arrest him in person, but even if Chevalier can testify about his unreported powers and we do things like show video of the gun-buy (which uh....seems like evidence of a crime on our side? >_>) or other villain activities, its far riskier of actuaally making anything stick. But attacking him the way he attacked us.... highly risky if we get caught at all. And he's got too many assets and contingencies to want to gamble on getting away completely clean.

So, lets take out his City-Nuking bomb tinker, the one known to be more than a little crazy and loyal to her patrons (and this likely being a much better patron than Lung) , see if we can get any extra intel from that raid, and chase down Coil/Calvert once thats secured. Even if he did get away (and while SW seemed to want his plot thread ended in this arc, theres room to fear this is similar to past delays) , Bakuda is a more dangerous threat hero/victims wise and Coil will be greatly reduced by the loss of her and Calvert-resources and who knows what else (who wants to work with him if he gets outed AND its known Calamity is gunning for him on a personal grudge? He'd be radioactive figuratively speaking before we even made it literal! :V )

[x] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.
 
[x] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.

We know what Bakuda does when she is off her leash and the people of Chicago do not deserve that, also while this will give Coil time to prepare I feel giving Bakuda (a tinker) time to prepare a far worse choice.
 
[x] Calvert – Coil wants to attack you at home when you're out of costume? You can return the favor. Hit him in the one place he isn't looking: his own civilian identity.
 
[x] Calvert – Coil wants to attack you at home when you're out of costume? You can return the favor. Hit him in the one place he isn't looking: his own civilian identity.

The decapitation strike is the best bet. I just hope the plan emphasizes this:
"Like literally unmasking him. Bring Coil in in full costume, then pull off the mask to show Calvert's face. It would be hard to argue against that, particularly with both Dragon and myself standing right behind you."
 
The decapitation strike is the best bet. I just hope the plan emphasizes this:

"Calvert" is currently expected to be in a meeting. More than that, how exactly do you intend to go after "Calvert" but present him in full Coil costume for unmasking, compared to doing so after going after "Coil" ?

I took going after Calvert to be something in relation to this meeting, or otherwise when hes out and about publicly (does he really have a normal house with a picket fence and zero villain-lair defenses, that he actually uses?)

What do you see as being the difference between Calvert-vote and Coil-vote, give your pick and reasons?
 
And I know there's no way I can convince anyone to save Tats and keep her around for the Mage Roll, so this works out nicely.

I actually don't think that it's all that impossible really. I mean, I'm open for doing it.

And it'll be good character development if Lisa turns out not to willingly be helping Coil and Taylor decides to take her in. Granted, it'll be a bit tougher to do so in Vista and Chevalier's presence, but it is possible.

That, and I still don't believe that Lisa is willingly helping Coil. It would be kinda weird for her to do so, tbh. Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't think she won't throw someone else that she doesn't like under the bus, but meh.
 
An interesting, but not exactly surprising turn of events. Namely, interesting that (whether its risk of being compromised or just didn't think of it), Taylor didn't think up or plan to recruit Chevalier as a result of our vote, other factors brought him along.

I like to think this is a nod to the whole 'adding him as a technicality because the GM was being nice and let us fill the slots with a vote change' thing. I think it turned out pretty well.
 
As other people have said; both Coil options are traps. Chevalier makes it quite clear in the update:
"That makes things more difficult, but there were a few debriefings here that Calvert wasn't physically present for. He would just call in and talk over the phone. There's no way to know if he does things the same in Chicago or if he avoided the meetings here because he knew I would be present."
Coil avoided being in Chevalier's presence by using his power to split along whether he attended the meeting in person or via phone call. While it's certainly possible he's not doing the same in Chicago that is pretty much exactly his modus operandi so I'd be surprised if he wasn't.

That means, counter-intuitively, that whichever Coil/Calvert vote ends up winning we'll end up doing the opposite since he won't be at where ever we show up.



On the Vista thing I just wanted to highlight this line:
"Then I'll just quit." You blink at her in shock, and the leader of the Protectorate is caught equally off-guard at that comment. "I'm one of eleven Shaker 9s in North America, and I have four years of experience being a cape. If the Protectorate doesn't want my skills, I'm sure I can find another team that will, and you'd be rid of a troublesome Ward who won't stop complaining about how things are being run. Problem solved."
because I find it hilariously appropriate for Vista to say seeing as there is a good chance both Calamity Witch and Samantha are considered Shaker 9s because of Recursion Field. Even if they aren't Calamity Witch is absolutely Shaker 9 territory already, though the PRT might not know that.

Heh; if Vista ends up joining she'd be the third 9+ rated member of the team. Which as a reminder means:
Nearly any threat rating of a nine technically calls for inter-city ballistic missiles to take down, but the only time that protocol has actually been used was for a Shaker 9 in Iowa.
 
But really, look at the evidence we have on hand. Most everything is already known to the Protectorate and PRT.
No, most of that evidence was actually sealed. Remember from 10.1 that the information about what happened in Ellisburg was covered up, and then Coil murdered the PRT officials who knew about it.
The decapitation strike is the best bet. I just hope the plan emphasizes this:
Uh, if you want to capture Coil and unmask him, you should be voting to go after Coil. Going after Calvert means you and your team are going after Thomas J. Calvert, PRT consultant. He'd be out of costume.
An interesting, but not exactly surprising turn of events. Namely, interesting that (whether its risk of being compromised or just didn't think of it), Taylor didn't think up or plan to recruit Chevalier as a result of our vote, other factors brought him along.
I like to think this is a nod to the whole 'adding him as a technicality because the GM was being nice and let us fill the slots with a vote change' thing. I think it turned out pretty well.
Correct. Because Chevalier squeaked by so narrowly, he is an accidental companion.

What vote wins is obviously the most important aspect of writing a chapter, but what the discussion is regarding that vote and how the winning vote got there are also things I take into account. It's why sometimes you'll see an option that didn't win get mentioned in the relevant chapter.
because I find it hilariously appropriate for Vista to say seeing as there is a good chance both Calamity Witch and Samantha are considered Shaker 9s because of Recursion Field. Even if they aren't Calamity Witch is absolutely Shaker 9 territory already, though the PRT might not know that.
Recursion Field gets more of a middling Shaker rating because 1) nothing that happens in RF applies to the real world and 2) the pocket dimension is also added to their flight and teleportation and all together gets them their Mover 10 rating.
 
Most everything is already known to the Protectorate and PRT. The biggest new-crime we have to present is breaching Unwritten Rules to attack our civvie identity... do we really want the mess and fallout of doing it to him?
The unwritten rules are a social contract, it only applies to you as much as you uphold it yourself. Thats always been the stick... if you break them, they no longer protect you. Going after a villain's CID after they hit our CID is the expected response... and the fact that well gut him like a pigrough him up before we hand him over to the PRT when we find him is also to be expected. Its why you dont break the rules. You kill, and people will kill you. You go after their CID, and they are free to go after yours.

The only fallout we are likely to expect from this is from ruffling the PRT's feathers by pointing out their incompetence. Not from going Hunterkillerarrester on Coils ass.
 
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Recursion Field gets more of a middling Shaker rating because 1) nothing that happens in RF applies to the real world and 2) the pocket dimension is also added to their flight and teleportation and all together gets them their Mover 10 rating.
Okay so that means poor Sam misses about but Calamity Witch definitely deserves a Shaker rating, although the PRT may not know it yet. We've got Telekinesis, a force field (Strong Shield), and an AoE Timewarp (Temporal Sludge) all on top of Recursion Field. Depending upon what we end up showing in this fight I could see them rejiggering her ratings again.
 
[x] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.

Take out the biggest threat to the city before going for Coil.
 
Additionally, we really really should not go after Calvert in his civ ID even if we did have a guarantee of catching him. Why? Because as Chevy said, it wouldn't hold. We need something ironclad to charge him with, which means we need to catch him -as Coil- if we're going to do it.

Bakuda is the far more immediate threat, and a far more dangerous one overall.

[X] Bakuda.
 
Uh, if you want to capture Coil and unmask him, you should be voting to go after Coil. Going after Calvert means you and your team are going after Thomas J. Calvert, PRT consultant. He'd be out of costume.

My argument is taking the glove fit / mask fits approach. Rather than unmasking Coil, prove that Calvert is the one putting on the mask. Finding a crime they can accuse Calvert of that could bring him down rather than the traditional unmasking scene. Such as proving that only Calvert could have committed a crime that might have been attributed to Coil. For shits and giggles you might not even acknowledge Coil exists. Just paint him as an organized crime figure.
 
And it'll be good character development if Lisa turns out not to willingly be helping Coil and Taylor decides to take her in. Granted, it'll be a bit tougher to do so in Vista and Chevalier's presence, but it is possible.
I wouldn't worry so much about Chevalier, Lisa's story is really damn sympathetic. The problem is, between her regular personalty (that people love or hate) how our votes have reflected in SW's writing, we're particularly hostile to her and unlikely to listen, offer or vote on/for it.

In a significant manner at least.
 
[X] Calvert – Coil wants to attack you at home when you're out of costume? You can return the favor. Hit him in the one place he isn't looking: his own civilian identity.

This is the sane option, even if the consequences are potentially disastrous. We're already known for associating with the bad kind of vigilantes (i.e, the Privateers). Honestly, this is a good time for Taylor to realize Earth Bet is fucked up enough, that the PRT and Protecotrate are corrupt enough, that being the hero that gets things done means uprooting the established rules.
 
[X] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.
 
I wonder if we can get vista to ask clockblocker to freeze Calavert for a little while...

[X] Calvert – Coil wants to attack you at home when you're out of costume? You can return the favor. Hit him in the one place he isn't looking: his own civilian identity.
 
[X] Coil – You may have been hurt by Coil's dirty trick, but there are rules for capes, and you won't stoop to his level. Bring him to his knees and pretend to be surprised about who he really is.

Attacking Bakuda is the worst idea ever. Of all time. Pressuring Coil without letting Calvert know that we know, however, would lead to him being under pressure, which we can then leverage into making him slip up. If Tattles isn't Dinahed and she has her own best interest at heart, she'll cover us while we deal with him. At the very least, she would tell him we only know about Coil.
 
[X] Calvert – Coil wants to attack you at home when you're out of costume? You can return the favor. Hit him in the one place he isn't looking: his own civilian identity.

IMHO, the best way to catch him will be to catch him off guard; If we let him know that we're onto him, then he can attempt to find a way to escape with his powers.

Granted, we kinda mess with said powers, and Bakuda is very dangerous, but I think Coil is more dangerous long-term.

Edit: All that said, I'm willing to be talked into another option, if the argument is well-reasoned.
 
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[x] Calvert – Coil wants to attack you at home when you're out of costume? You can return the favor. Hit him in the one place he isn't looking: his own civilian identity.

I'm of the opinion that Bakuda might actually be glad to be out from under someone else's thumb? Maybe?

I mean... We'd still need to hunt her down, but she might not go on a bombing spree since she doesn't have a gang to take over or territory to re-secure...
 
[X] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.

Coil is a known quantity, we know his identity and he's not going anywhere. And even if he did run that would cost him his anonymity all his PRT contacts and that's what really makes him dangerous.

In comparison, Bakuda is a wildcard, we have no idea what she will do. At the moment we can hope that coil has her on a leash but the moment she is free to do what she wants the city is going to explode
 
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[X ] Bakuda – Of your enemies right now, Bakuda is the most immediately dangerous (that you know of). Put the mad bomber down before Coil knows you're out for his blood.

Coil is a known quantity, we know his identity and he's not going anywhere. And even if he did run that would cost him his anonymity all his PRT contacts and that's what really makes him dangerous.

In comparison, Bakuda is a wildcard, we have no idea what she will do. At the moment we can hope that coil has her on a leash but the moment she is free to do what she wants the city is going to explode
Your vote is broken
 
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