Let’s Play Grok?! 2e Part 5: The Vault in Our Stars
Alright, this is it! Final part of Catarina’s adventure.
Capstone Scene
Recap:
The awakened encyclopedia is attempting to reclassify the entire library by narrative chaos. It’s surrounded by a howling hurricane of rogue volumes and heavy tomes, some of which were under lock and key, their binding chains whipping through the air.
An alarm sounds throughout the Living Library, and the entire building goes into lockdown!
Catarina adjusts her gloves, fixes her head lamp, and marches toward Vault 4, her robes billowing behind her.
Part 1
What are the rebel books doing?
Summoning or Soothing + Flesh or Forge
Catarina and Solaria marched side by side toward Vault 4.
"What is that?" the Head Librarian asked. "My, they can certainly spin and turn and swirl. I can, too, you know. Are you sure you’re up for it, Cat? The night shift might be better abled to deal with this."
Catarina halted and looked at Solaria. "You’re the Head Librarian. If you don’t think this is a job for me, it’s your call."
The slime oozed up and down, then finally answered. "No, go ahead. I’ll be right by your side, so what could go wrong? I’ve quelled rebellions ten times worse than this."
They resumed their march. The books circled in a chanting vortex, their shrieking papery voices rising in pitch. A little farther back, the encyclopedia managed the ritual, glaring at Catarina (with what she thought were its eyes) and seethed.
A sphere of dark light sprouted in the middle of the vortex. When it dissipated, a grotesque bio-literary monster stood in its place.
Bound together by a beautiful Coptic stitch that would undoubtedly go viral on social media, the creature was a mass of leather patches, writhing pages, and shiny raw flesh made from vampiric bookworms, organic bookmarks, and dried skin covers.
The towering book golem glared at the duo with eyes made of keyholes and roared. It sounded like ten thousand hardcovers slamming shut.
A book golem is kinda cool, right?! Now let’s deal with this thing.
Catarina asks Solaria to distract the golem while she tries to dismantle it. I was going to ask the oracle about this, but I’ll just use it as my Advantage for the scene.
The Head Librarian launches her gelatinous body into the golem’s eyes and seams, undoing the bindings and dissolving its glue.
Catarina seizes the opportunity to fly toward the monster on her nimbus and casts Rite of Seeing Organ to detect the master stitches holding the golem together.
Mental (d8, Adv) check: 7, 5 > 7 = Yes
Now she’s going to float around it and pull the threads! I’ll use Physical for this. The radiation poison gives a Disadvantage, canceled out by Solaria’s distraction.
I’m giving myself another Advantage for using the nimbus to move. That’s something I should have been doing more often, using Advantages when something related to my Traits/Assets would help.
Physical (d4, Adv) check: 1, 2 > 2 = No, and...
Detriment: Create a Threat
In the heat of the moment, Catarina pulls the wrong thread, making the golem angrier. It focuses on her and flings a fleshy, papery arm toward her.
Physical (d4, Adv) check: 1, 3 > 3 = No, but...
Benefit: Create an Advantage
The golem smacks Catarina and grabs her, bringing her close to its face. Its mouth opens wide as it brings her in.
New Condition > Restrained
All my Assets are occupied! For this Advantage, Catarina sines the head lamp directly into the golem’s keyhole eyes at point-blank, blinding it.
Now, should I use Physical or Mental? I think it could be justified to go with Mental, but Physical seems fairer.
Physical (d4, Adv) check: 3, 2 > 3
Push the Roll: 4! The die explodes!
d4: 3 > 4 + 3 + 3: 10 = Yes, and...
Blinded, the roaring best charges headfirst into a reinforced steel shelf wall, crushing itself. Thousands of pages burst into the air as the creature implodes, spraying glue, leather binds and shiny flesh all around.
The impact sends Catarina crashing to the floor. Her head lamp detaches and skids away beyond her reach. No time to look for it now.
Asset removed > Head lamp
Condition removed > Restrained
Catarina rose, pissed. She approached the rebellious tomes, Solaria right behind her.
She stretched her index finger at precisely 58 degrees and pointed it at them. That technique was an advanced one from the Archival Enforcement Manual, known as the Digit of Doom. When accompanied by shushing, it could be devastating to obnoxious crowds and rude delinquents.
Her intimidating robes added to the effect, and Catarina didn’t resort to mere shushing. She actually started an Audit.
"More than a breach of decorum, you have all broken a Library Law," Catarina declared, wagging her finger at the sternest of angles.
Solaria oozed, impressed. "Oh my, the Edgar Allan Sew incident! It forbids unauthorized binding of living organisms. Great call. By the way, loving the moistness of those gills."
Social (d6, Adv) check: 6, 4 > 6! Die explodes!
d6: 5 > 6 + 5: 11 = Yes, and...
"I hereby proclaim you Uncatalogued, Decategorized, and Unregistered!" Catarina’s voice boomed throughout Vault 4. Her index finger trembled, and wherever the Digit of Doom pointed, books flopped open onto the floor.
Solaria widened her eyes. The punishment was warranted, but nevertheless severe.
Terrified and disoriented, the rebellion ended in a lifeless pile on the cold floor.
The encyclopedia was cornered, shivering before the librarians.
Part 2
How does the encyclopedia react?
Maddening or Hindering + Coward or Dimension
I’m interpreting this as the book going for Catarina’s weak spot (Dimension could be her area of expertise or something like that). It attacks her where it knows it will be most effective: her psyche!
As Catarina approached, she realized the encyclopedia wasn’t shivering, but laughing.
"Arrogant fool!" it shrieked. "I invoke Clause 40-B of the Standardized Bibliothecary Procedure Lexicon, 12th Edition! Summary Decategorization without an approved J-502-1 form constitutes gross administrative misconduct. You have broken protocol!"
Caught in a bureaucratic loop, Catarina froze, her mind reeling. The designations rattled inside her skull like alarm bells.
She scoured her mental catalog, flipping through millions of sub-clauses at blinding speed.
If she hadn’t filed a J-502-1, then her summary order was null. Even worse, it constituted a Class-2 Administrative Infraction.
Had she been reduced to a procedural delinquent?
Catarina’s left iris abandoned all sense of camaraderie with the right one and slowly drifted to the edge of her eye, like in a game of Pong. Like a glitched game of Pong, it stayed glued there. Maybe Pong was the wrong choice for a simile, but ‘glitched’ was certainly a top 3 word.1
Ok, this is bad. I’ll make a Mental check so Catarina can find a way out of this. I’m getting an Advantage because of her Trait Ruthless enforcer of regulations, norms, and protocols.
I was going to give myself another Advantage due to the previous Yes, and... result, but I think this is fair enough. Let’s say the extra one gets cancelled out by the Trait Deranged.
Mental (d8, Adv) check: 6, 1 > 6 = Yes, but...
Detriment: Lose an Asset
Catarina fries her brain thinking of a workaround. The norms are second nature to her, so she wouldn’t have committed an infraction so carelessly.
Of course! The form wasn’t necessary if she had the express approval of a peer or a superior. Her left eye glides back into place and she looks at Solaria.
The Head Librarian smirked. "What took you so long, Cat? I instantly spotted that. I think it’s the radiation. Your gills are wiggling in panic, but the moistness is on point. Oh, right! Yes, you have my approval, no need to yell."
To make it even more official, Solaria produced a sheet of Living Library letterhead and signed it using her slime as ink: Solaria de la Sinistra Soledad, Head Librarian.
With that, the bureaucratic loop was short-circuited. The encyclopedia deflated, disgraced, abandoned, and ridiculed like a right-wing grifter with a funny voice’s movie script.
Catarina felt a sting on her hip. The smell of burning plastic wafted to her nostrils. She reached into one of her pockets, yelped, and dropped something on the floor, shaking her hand.
The defective Memory Magnet had charred, curling into a blackened ruin. Smoke drifted lazily from it. Catarina’s excessive brain activity must have corrupted the device.
I might be cheating a bit removing an Asset that wasn’t already 100%, but I hope you don’t tell Lester.
Finale
Catarina, despite herself, is impressed with the encyclopedia. Or, should I say, I am. This was a really surprising attack that I had not anticipated. I was expecting to do something more physical, but going for her mind was a really cool random roll.
She sees the tome as an opportunity to further enlighten herself. In a short period of time, the encyclopedia managed to influence a ton of other books, a warlord, and even an 10-ton iron door.
But more importantly, it mastered rules and protocols in a way that almost rivaled Catarina herself.
Why not turn an enemy into an asset? The value it offers is obvious to her, and she can definitely put her grudge aside to become even more ruthless and work toward her ascension.
But would the encyclopedia agree?
I’ll go with a Social check and two Advantages. One for Catarina’s intimidation and ruthlessness, and another for her being an ex-cult member. She knows how to work a recruit.
Social (d6, Adv x2): 2, 1, 2 > 2 = No, and...
My god, what a disgusting roll. I’ll Push it!
d6: 6! > 5 (+2 + 6): 13 = Yes, and...
Detriment: Gain a Condition
Sparks: Silencing or Screaming + Word or Worshipper
Catarina loomed over the deflated tome. Her radioactive green glow illuminated its softened spine. She regarded it with cold, calculating eyes.
"Come for a final gloat, have you?" the encyclopedia said weakly.
Catarina’s gills flared. "You weaponized bad poetry, manipulated a warlord, caused a rebellion, awakened other books, and nearly cornered me with a technicality. You don’t belong on a shelf anymore. You don’t belong in Vault 4."
"Just end this, woman..."
"You are a star. You belong in the hands of someone who can make use of your knowledge. Pledge your allegiance to me, from your table of contents to your index, and I’ll make sure you get referenced and annotated."
The encyclopedia’s covers trembled. Its gold lettering gleamed with new purpose. "You mean what you say, don’t you?"
"Always."
"Very well! Remember, though, I am an equal! And forget this Absurdist Fiction nonsense." Its pages bristled, removing all creases and kinks. It snapped shut and floated under Catarina’s arm. She clutched it like a holy grimoire.
Catarina felt the encyclopedia converting its essence into her very being, a process so intense that almost overwhelmed her.
Looking at the pile of glue and leather left by the golem, a Library norm came to her mind, and she couldn’t resist saying it out loud.
Her voice boomed with a terrifying double track, echoing through the halls like a megaphone.
"This can’t be good," she thought out loud in her normal voice.
Something wet squished her shoulder. Solaria was by her side. "Outstanding work, Cat! A most impressive departmental audit, one for the books, if you get my clever repartee. You got a promotion candidate aura about you... or maybe that’s just the radiation. Coffee?"
New Asset (Companion) > Awakened Encyclopedia
New Condition > Screaming Rules
Her voice booms with an extra track when reciting rules, norms, etc. Until Catarina gets used to the union with the encyclopedia, stealth or subtle conversation is impossible. Any attempt at diplomacy or sneaking suffers Disadvantage.
And one more thing before we wrap: time for a Milestone!
So many options! I’d love to increase an Attribute, but not really doable for now. I think an extra Asset Slot is the choice this time.
Milestone: +1 Asset Slot
Updated character sheet:
That’s it! The adventure is over, and so ends this playthrough.
Notes
If you couldn’t tell, I think this is one of the most fun I’ve had playing RPGs. The system is light and hackable, the solo instructions are clear, simple, and fun, the world is gonzo and can easily be converted toward your preferences, and the vibes are immaculate!
I love how the game encourages you to not take anything seriously. It establishes the goofy tone from page one.
I’ll try to get my grubby hands on the print book because I simply love the art. Grok?! would sit (or lie) proudly on my tiny shelf (I have extremely limited space for physical books).
Regarding mechanics, I think I messed up in a few areas. Or maybe several.
I should have used more Advantages and Disadvantages related to my Traits and Aspects, and context as well to a lesser extent. Vehicles and Companions, for instance, should provide an Advantage when using them. I should have done it when riding the nimbus, and I think I only did it once.
Others thing were intentional. I didn’t rely excessively on oracles, spark rolls, checks, and other procedures because I’m publishing these, and I try my best to make the sessions readable and enjoyable.
Keeping things moving at a good pace and keeping the posts short is how I try to accomplish that. Readability still depends more on my writing and other skills than on the game itself, of course.
I can’t recommend Grok?! 2e enough. I hope the playthrough makes you wanna give it a try. If you didn’t like something in my campaign, please remember that it doesn’t reflect the game itself, it’s only my interpretation and the way I like to play.
I’m 100% sure that you can make the game work for you.
Thank you very much for reading! Catarina will be missed.
Grok?! 2e is available on DrivethruRPG (digital only for now). Feel free to check out the free Quickstart!
Join the Gander Gaming Discord as well. Lester and the community are very welcoming.
Actually, Pong was the perfect choice. Before the cataclysm in Planet Grok, Pong was considered an extremely realistic, state-of-the-art representation of paddles hitting a ball in a two-dimensional environment. Nothing came even close.
When the technomancers released Super Pong, all bets were off. The line between real and virtual blurred, and specialists warned of the dangers of the industry’s relentless pursuit of progress. "What’s next," they clamored, "3D?"
Soon after, the cataclysm ravaged the planet. Several surviving theorists insisted on the connection between the events and reached the same conclusion: the endgame of technology was human self-destruction.↩