Continuum Phase 1 GM's Notes

The following is my notes from Phase 1 of the Continuum Campaign I ran last year. They'll be of most interest if you played in that campaign, but anyone with an interest in Continuum or time-travel RPGs could find this entertaining or useful. I'd rather not take the time to edit it, so it'll be a really long post...

First session begins at 16:00 hours on Sunday 5/28/06. Everything goes crazy from there. Because they can time travel, 5/28/06 is actually the middle of the dates Phase 1 covered, and the plot was well underway before the game began.

Late spring 2005:
Pam’s high-school nemesis tricks her with the vandalized dress. Pam eventually destroys the dress in a great bonfire. Elder Pam comes back in time, steals it and replaces it with a fake, heads up to 5/27/06 with it, returns back to 2005 and puts it back so she can burn it frag-free.

August 2005:
Chairs recquisitioned for lab336 building for new year. ProfG/E places a hidden luger in each chair of the batch. Every chair in the lab has a gun hidden in it.

Monday, 5/15/06
8:33 - Kelly and Lana meet at a Bar. Hit it off. All goes really well. She likes his sense of humor.
Last call - Kelly and Lana go back to Lana’s place. Stay there all night, then all day on...

Tuesday, 5/16/06
Kelly & Lana at her place, all day. Lana skips all her classes. Gives Kelly a copy of her apartment key. Mention that Lana is an Insomniac - when she finally catches an hour of sleep, she has wierd dreams.

Friday, 5/19/06
9:00 to 13:00 - Lana in Prof G/E’s class. Determines final project about statistical polling.
14:00-15:00 - Pam takes a pop quiz in Prof G/E’s class. She’s very confident.
20:20 - Kelly meets Lana at a party, and doesn’t recognize her. In Lana’s timeline, they slept together recently, so she’s very upset with him.

Saturday, 5/20/06
9:00 - Kelly and Elizabeth arrive at L336, spanning from 5/29.
10:00 - Elizabeth arrives at Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall near campus. Spots likely tree, scopes out buildings, spans ahead to broom closet in said building on 5/21.
12:15 - Mailman drops off mail at Shaun’s dorm. Kelly is in lobby, interacts with Junior Shaun. Kelly claims stopped because of cramp. Shaun says: “That’s probably a side effect of your estrogen pills”. Kelly heads outside to observe from safer distance.
12:42 - Kelly observes student worker drop off envelope #1. Tails student worker to admin button, where student starts making copies and doing filing. Kelly heads to strip club.
15:30 - Shaun finds photo #1 rolled up and scrunched in his mailbox.
16:00 - Shaun throws envelope #1 in trash.

Sunday, 5/21/06
5:00 - Pam arrives L336, note inside kelly’s room. spans off for a nap.
7:55 - On way to class, Shaun takes out his trash.
8:30 - kelly arrives l336
10:30 - emily, Kail, arrives l336
11:00 - Elizabeth spans in to broom closet at Kingdom Hall, makes a racket, heads out to corner.
11:00 - Emily visits Jennifer at apartment (on floor below where the MG-42 shows up in a fragging action vs Shaun and PCs). Elder Kelly arrives at same apartment complex, gains roof access, waits with dartgun full of ketamine. Plants note from Pam for Prof G/E. Kail is waiting 2 blocks away in van. Emily commits to attending a party on friday.
11:30 - Kelly walks over to the Kingdom Hall, meets up with Elizabeth. Camera is already in the tree.
11:40 - Elder Prof G/E arrives on apartment roof with MG42. Falls off, spans home. Spans back, falls again. GM curses his dice. Spans back, falls again, but catches self. Misses seeing Pam’s note because of all the falling. Starts setting up MG, gets darted. Taken by Em, Kail & Elder Kelly.
In process of all this, a random sleezeball hits on emily, says he’ll be at the party.
11:45 - Prof G/E’s TA grades Pam’s Quiz - “A.” Prof G/E never looks at it or grade book.
12:05 - Shaun, looking haggard, drives up with map and flyers. 12:12 - Drops lots of cash to ice cream man, starts argument with him and church workers, photo snaps. Shaun clearly knows where the camera is. Shaun buys icecream for church workers, drives away.
12:15 - Emily, Kelly, Kail, Drugged Prof G/E, Roger arrive L336. Prof G/E handed off to Roger by Emily and Kelly. Tie him to chair in Dale’s office and span out. Roger spans 100 years forward with Prof G/E before he can recover from drugs.
12:30 - Lana walks past Kelly & Elizabeth, Elizabeth shouts “you gave me Syphalis” at Kelly. Kelly wanders off. Lana gets camera from tree, strikes up conversationwith Elizabeth. They trade stories about Kelly.
13:00 - Elizabeth and Lana part company. Lana heads into Math Department, Eliz heads around back of building.
13:15 - Lana catches Kelly following her in Math Department. Calls him a stalker, and a few nastier insults. He improvs visiting Prof G/E, but that’s where she’s heading too. Kelly time questions Lana, she tells him the actual time. G/E answers kelly’s bogus question, Elizabeth is outside window. Both PCs fail observation checks. G/E time questions Kelly, who blows it and reveals that he’s a spanner and suspicious of G/E. Kelly flees G/E’s office.
13:38 - Kelly and Elizabeth span to 5/26.
aprox 15:00 - shaun passes blood drive pamphlets, feels frag because he now knows he really did intentionally skip something in his Yet. He lets it build for most a week, getting worse and worse before he goes to Pam for help on 5/28 (starting the game)
16:00 - Pam fixes her test score, spans out.

Monday, 5/22/06
14:00 - Pam in Prof G/E’s class. Gets her quiz back, it’s an “A”.

Wednesday, 5/24/06
19:00 - Shaun finds photo #2 under his door. Alarmed ‘cause team will kick his butt if they think he’s a commie.

Thursday, 5/25/06
15:29 - Shaun appears outside senator’s office with commie sandwich board and hand-outs, is filmed. L.H.Oswald reference.

Friday, 5/26/06
2:00 - Kelly, Aaron & Elizabeth span to Park across from middle school. All blow roll, takes a few minutes to find each other.
2:15 - Pam spans to Park (she botched Quick roll). Lands on homeless man, who stabs her hand - superficial wound. Pam shouts “I am the Muffin Man! Muffins! Muffins! Muffins!” Group reunites, heads to convenience store for bandages and Chai. Homeless man shouts “You aliens won’t take me this time!”
2:35 - Kelly & Elizabeth span to 5/20.
2:50 - planned rendezvous time.
3:38 they get on the bus
3:42:30 - roger gets off the bus “Thanks for the Frune”.
3:48 - Kelly/Aaron/Pam/Eliz get off the bus - 23 minutes at starbucks - span out at 4:17
19:00 - party at jennifers apartment. Social commitment for elder Emily, but not guaranteed to be in her Yet. Jennifer will be there, so will random sleezeball who hit on Emily on 5/21.
22:15 - Shaun finds photo #3 under his door. The one he didn’t show to anyone but Pam and Dale. Checks hallway, it’s empty. Considers spanning back a few moments, but fears he’ll frag himself.

Saturday, 5/27/06
12:12 - Photo # 3 is taken. Shaun & Pam in foreground. Unclear location (just outside L336). Pam is wearing her prom dress, which took some serious efforts a year down to retrieve.

Sunday, 5/28/06
10:00 - photo 4 delivered. shaun doesn’t get home to find it for hours.
12:00 - kelly gets crowbar and plastique
15:00: Aaron Northridge arrives at Gallery Opening.
15:00 - Kelly spans into l336, delivers picture and heads out
16:00 - Shaun finds photo #4 under his door. He finally decides to do something. Dresses up as a mime. Brings photos 1, 2, and 4 to Pam, since she’s in photo 3 with him. Does not mention photo 3. Talks past 17:06, fragging himself.
17:06: Two Shauns are in the Gallery. One gets thrown out while trying to find a picture of a big black butt. The second uses the diversion to kiss butt while dressed as a mime. Photo snaps. Security descends and Shaun spans out. Somewhere in the midst of it, Aaron spans back 2 minutes to get a better view.
17:25 - Aaron arrrives at L336, where Kelly, Calvin and Dale already are. Dale attempts to explain span boxes, but frags himself - double slipshank, plus a note from himself. Aaron shares about mimeness. Agree to rendezvous 5/29 by 13:38:20.
18:00 - Aaron, Calvin, Kelly go to antagonize Shaun. Shaun hit in head with lacrosse puck - black eye. Gather Pam, who has made a complex mathematical chart. All head to a pizza place.
19:00 - Talk a lot about what’s happening over Pizza and Beer. Get Shaun drunk.
22:15 - Prof G/E spans to Lana’s apartment. Pushes the buzzer, but says nothing. Lana heads downstairs and checks it out. No one’s visible - Prof G/E is watching from across the street, with a stopwatch.
22:16-22:18 - Prof G/E spans into Lana’s apartment. Grabs photos. To cover theft, Prof G/E grabs her panty drawer and leaves a trail of panties out the window.
22:19 - Lana heads back upstairs, notices panties missing. Calls Kelly, but there’s no answer.
23:00 - Kelly walks Shaun home. Both drunk, they fail to notice picture is just inside doorway.

Monday, 5/29/06
8:00 - Pam spans in, checks photo 4 before Shaun affects it.
8:00 - Aaron replaces all laxatives at walgreens with chai.
11:00 - Dale Dubois arrives at L336
12:20 - Shaun Hanover gets up and discovers photo # 5 under his door
12:42 - Shaun Hanover arrives at L336. Brings photos # 1, 2, 4 and 5 with him.
12:45 - Prof G/E arrives at coffee shop on campus. Drinks standing near counter and interacting with staff so as to intercept Aaron’s Chai order.
12:54 - Calvin arrives at coffee shop on campus.
13:04 - Aaron calls in to-go order. Prof G/E and Calvin both hear and see it.
13:09 - Prof G/E distracts staff and puts laxatives in waiting chai. He then heads to bathroom, spans out. Aaron is just walking in, so Calvin now can’t spill it without fragging Aaron and himself.
13:18-13:28 - Prof G/E is outside the building that Lab 336 is in. Probes with Time Question, identifies Prof Aaron Northridge and Pam Turner. Doesn’t probe Kelly Hanlan.
13:24 - Aaron Northridge arrives in L336
13:25 - Kelly & Pam arrive L336
13:30 - Elizabeth arrives L336
13:38 - Roger, not Diane, arrives L336, with Dossier. “Further Info...”
13:25 - Prof G/E spans into Kelly’s dorm room. Throws Lana’s panties everywhere.
14:37 - Dale & Shaun step to side room, others decide what to do. Aaron, Kelly, Pam, Elizabeth span to 5/26 at 2 am.
14:40-14:45 - Aaron, Kelly, Pam, Elizabeth return. Dale was saying in side room to Shaun “And then she said ‘I can’t hear you, I’ve got a banana up my ass.’” Story about the Countess Isabela, love of his life who he never saw again.
14:58 - Shaun, Aaron, Kelly, Pam, Elizabeth at Crazy Phil’s used car lot. Picture snapped. Kelly is holding crowbar, Pam’s hand is bandaged. Shaun is in the open trunk of a car, naked. Written on his chest is “I kiss (unflattering term that clearly denotes Pam due to Prom dress episode)”.
15:00 - Lana will approach car lot - conflict with Kelly. “Did you take my panties? I knew I should have gotten my key back from you!” Conversation ends with her waving a taser at him, and taking his notebook.
15:18 - PCs scatter to start time combat.
15:30 PC rendezvous time for Elizabeth - everyone else ended up rerouted. Any who return level find ultimatum taped to door. Izzie is waiting, and she’ll direct her to 6/3/06 hotel in Santa Barbara.
15:45 - Lana goes to a bar to unwind.
16:00 - kelly spans down.
16:02 kelly spans in
18:00 - Lana gets home, decides to work on project. Finds pictures gone. Gives desperate phone calls to Kelly, and to Prof G/E’s office. No answers?

Tuesday, 5/30
6:00 - Rendezvous at L336 - Aaron, Calvin, Pam, Dale, Lee. Dale is NOT in buckskins.
6:15 - kail arrives L336
6:25 - Elder dale and emily arrive L336. Elder Dale says this is the last one to be dropped off, and that he has no more dossiers in his yet. He leaves to do battle in the 1800’s.
6:57 - break for first sweep, rendezvous set for 5/31 at 6:00
8:30 - Emily asks time of Prof G/E - Kail watches. Inconclusive.
8:30 - the time Kelly has promised to return Lana’s stuff to her. Missing items include Camera and all her panties. Also includes her pictures for her big project, because she hadn’t noticed them missing when last she saw Shaun. Kelly fails to return to span here and return the panties at any point in the campaign. Lana now REALLY hates him.

Wednesday, 5/31/06
6:00 - Rendezvous at L336 - Aaron, Calvin, Pam, Dale, Lee, Kail, Emily.
Everyone spans off seperately.
Lee goes to watch campus security videos.
Kail learns security, plants camera in L337 truck, tech problems ruin reception, but at least the camera isn’t found by badguys.
Dale stays level, and gets magnesium for Kelly’s breaching charge.
Shaun goes to 5/27/06 to kiss Pam
Pam heads down a year to get her promdress, then meets up with Shaun on 5/27/06.
Aaron went where? RIT? Fruning?

Thursday, 6/1/06
6:00 - Rendezvous at L336 - Dale, Lee, Kail, Emily, Kelly, lee
7:00 - emily, kelly & kail walk to get disposable cellphones, and check out the apartment building where Prof G/E tries the fragging trick with the machine gun.
Lee stays behind with recordings of Prof G/E on security cameras. Makes dossiers for everyone for proposed rubber chicken isolate.
12:00 - Kail arrives l336, drops off a dozen rubber chickens.
18:00 - Pam shows up at L336, is told “Oops, you missed the meeting 12 hours ago. Writes note for the rooftop, spans down to 5/21/06 at 5 am.
20:00 - Emily spans in L336.
21:00 - Lee heads home levelly to get a good nights rest.

Friday, 6/2/06
6:00 rendezvous - Dale, Kelly, Emily, Pam, Kail, Lee. Discuss how the rooftop played out.
6:15 - Roger shows up in Dale’s office. With him is Elder Kelly and at least one other unnamed Elder PC. Elder PCs are cleaning Dale’s office. Roger wheels out the rolly chair from 5/21/06 with Prof G/E tied to it.
Prof G/E is wearing a futuristic neural inhibitor - it slows down brain activity, prevents spanning, and forces him to tell the truth.
PCs begin interrogating, Lee starts a recorder taping on the table. ProfG/E can’t lie, but does surprise them by saying “further information is not available” about Lab337.
Kail steps out to the restroom, rigs up chicken toilet prank since they wont be needed for the Prof.
They ask questions about Brock, and learn that he abducts or abducted several of the PCs. That’s when Roger steps in and says “Further Info...”.
Roger puts neural inhibitor into sleep mode. Starts wheeling Prof G/E away. Door opened to reveal Elder Kelly was listening in.
Kelly shoots Roger with ketamine dart. Long mortified pause as Roger slumps to the ground.
Dale has little choice. He slipshanks a wheellock and tells Kelly to stand down. Kelly won’t. Emily steps between them. Elder Kelly draws gun, aims at Dale’s back, Dale is unaware.
Lee gets up to refill his tea. Flings scalding water at younger Kelly. Younger Kelly fires. Kail leaps to knock Dale to safety. Elder Kelly fires. Dale fires.
Dale spans, taking Elder Kelly’s bullet, Dale’s wheellock ball, and Kail with him.
Younger Kelly’s dart hits Emily. Ketamine drops her.
Lee panics, spans away. His tape recorder is still running on the table.
Elder Kelly closes door, tells everyone in other room it’s all okay, further info..., Elders get quiet, presumably spanning away.
Younger Kelly wheels Prof G/E back over. Unable to operate the inhibitor, he just pulls it off him. Prof G/E starts coming around. Tells Kelly, Pam and drugged Emily that Roger had tortured him, feels like he’d shoved something up his nose, too. Starts looking around. Asks where he is, but no one will tell him. Asks what time it is, gets him nowhere either. Tries to figure out how to Slipshank in a place he knows nothing about. Decides his best chance is the chair - there’ll be an invoice for it in the school’s system, and he knows it’s here on 5/21/06. Picks it up, rips the covering off the bottom, pulls out a luger and shoots drugged Roger in the head.
Pam spans out.
Now the conversation gets real. Prof G/E lays it all on the line for Kelly. Nazi’s, fake Hitlers, Brocks’ predations, Roger in an SS Uniform, Antedessertium, Continuum working for Aliens who enslave the earth, the whole paranoia-driven nine yards.
This talk of aliens impacts emily’s hallucination. She stands up, thinking she’s being helped by a little gray man with big black eyes. Maybe she really is, their tech is so good.
Kelly tells Prof how many and which photos have been delivered. Kelly and Prof G/E agree to a truce. Prof G/E says assuming that there’s no attacks from this corner for at least one month of his Age, he’ll deliver the remaining pictures on time and engage in no further fraggings. Prof G/E spans away, taking Roger’s coat, the Luger he shot him with, and the chair.
Kelly puts Emily in her room, then spans away. Lab is empty except passed out em by 8:30 am.
The tape recorder caught all of it, it’s sitting on the table still.
1:30 - emily sobers up, spans home, and drives to clubmed.

Friday, 6/3/06
5:00 - Kail spans in L336
6:00 - Pam & Lee spans in L336
6:30 - Emily spans in L336
6:50 - b0mb
Span out at 8:00
9:00 - bathrooms at smoky crater - er L336
10:00 - leave robs apt for 9:00
11:00 - After shutting off anti-spanning tech, PCs span out of L337, blowing it up behind them.
level span to 11:00 on 6/3/06 at Lee’s Apt in Santa Barbara. this is the new rendezvous
12:19 - out of hotel
13:00 - kelly to storage
13:03 -span to the van
13:05 - knock on storage door
13:48 - kail spans out
14:26 - Izzy & Pam solve Pams Frag (spans to 6/3/07, then to 5/21/06, then here).
Izzy & Aaron solve Aarons Frag (span to 6/10/07, then to 5/29/06, then here)
All span to 6/3/2106, to Rochester Clinic, courtesy of Izzy.

Beyond 2006:
After this the PCs span around in a much wider range of dates, going back thousands of years, and my notes for Phase II were kept in a different file, which I may post some other time.