Session 08 — Ziptown Recon and Blacktop Saints Race Plan

Summary

In-game date: the morning of Friday, June 13th, continuing directly from Session 07’s downtime week. A lighter, mostly downtime-adjacent session: bookkeeping, a road trip out to Ziptown, and the crew’s first real scouting pass on the Blacktop Saints — the racing nomad clan allied with the Pacifica Confederacy who hold the orbital engine needed for the Moon job.

Golden Girl levels her MedTech role and commits to a second point in cryosystems, earning her own personal cryotank. Fix-it-Felix installs a subdermal grip and smartgun link, leveling Operator to rank 5. On the drive out, high on a fresh batch of Kenny’s synthcoke, Felix shares an unexpectedly dark piece of his childhood with Kenny — a story that lands very differently for each of them. Isabella insists on joining the trip for the first time rather than being left behind again.

At Ziptown, Mr. Zip’s upgraded Zipmobile is finished — new engine, three-stripe paint, bulletproof glass — and gets its first real test drive with Kenny recording performance data. Matriarch Mira Stojanovic is still losing sleep over the Blacktop Saints’ encroachment; racer Peaches, one of Zip’s life path connections, fills in details on the rival clan. Broker’s life path rival Hank Nguyen confronts him in person for the first time, accusing him of fraud over the Continental Brands fallout. A call to Ledger confirms the Blacktop Saints are practical road-builders who love racing and cheap synth beer, and that their “danger races” — night races where guns and non-explosive weapons are sanctioned — go begging for takers. The crew settles on trying a standard race first before considering anything more dangerous. Radovan buys smart glasses with a low-light optic upgrade; Kenny buys an assault rifle at full price after Felix’s haggling rolls go badly. Golden Girl picks up 100 EB patching up wounded Piranhas after an internal firefight — the gang has apparently splintered and turned on itself without Shoa Ling to lead them. The session closes with dinner, dancing, and 100 IP each; the next session is tentatively two to three weeks out.

Key Events

Bookkeeping and Character Upgrades

• Golden Girl spends 300 IP to level MedTech, choosing a second point in cryosystems over a fourth pharmaceutical unlock — gains her own personal cryotank, distinct from the campus-controlled one she previously had access to. It’s bulky but movable and can be installed anywhere (her dorm, The Second Sons’ turf, etc.); she frames it as insurance in case the crew’s work ever calls for it
• Fix-it-Felix installs a chipware socket (small humanity loss) and a subdermal grip into a cyberarm (larger humanity loss, on top of the socket) — both installations go through without incident; gets a smartgun link installed for his pistol, bringing its attack bonus to +2 (excellent weapon quality plus smartlink); spends 300 IP to level Operator to rank 5
• Retconned on the spot: the Zipmobile never actually had its own onboard agent. The “car’s agent” the crew has been interacting with since earlier sessions was Kenny’s own agent, voice-performed to sound like the vehicle — confirmed once the group worked out that a proper agent would require a communication center upgrade the car doesn’t have. The car does have basic music playback built in from before the upgrade

The Drive Out

• Kenny sends Unity an apologetic heads-up before leaving town — that he, “the boys,” and Golden Girl are heading back out to Ziptown, possibly on a job “to do with space,” and that he’s okay. Her only reply, received en route: a rolling-eyes emoji
• Kenny brews another batch of synthcoke — “shitty” like his first, but functional — and shares a bump with Felix before departure (the two still calling themselves “Bump Brothers”)
• While high, the two share an embarrassing-secret moment: Felix reveals he grew up in Germany with a family butler who introduced him to drugs and made an unwanted advance on him as a kid (“he tried to molest me, but I said no”) — which he recounts almost fondly (“I felt wanted”). Kenny’s amusement curdles into visible discomfort as the story lands; he contrasts it against his own rough childhood after his parents disappeared — plenty of “scrapes,” but he was spared “that bad touch.” He also mentions, unprompted, that Golden Girl still won’t install his bone lace
• A desperate stranger in a gaudy checkerboard suit and oversized top hat approaches, needing a “fix” to hit a work survey quota; Kenny sells him the leftover bad batch of synthcoke for 40 EB in exchange for both of them answering two of his poll questions. Kenny’s answer to “my ex left me because I had too much chrome in my ___” is scatological nonsense; Felix’s answer to “my cousin became a cyberpsycho after replacing his ___” is “wiener” — revealing he grew up with a dog in Germany that was later replaced with a cyberdog, which eventually turned
• Kenny checks in on his cyberdog Betamax, left in Unity’s care — describes playing Cyberfetch, teaching tricks, feeding him choco kibble, and walking him to a hot dog stand. An Animal Handling roll shows Betamax slowly warming up, but still visibly working through the trauma of Martin Gorsky’s abuse and abandonment
• Isabella insists on coming along this time rather than being left behind again, citing her own stake in Escalante’s business; Broker tries deflecting with a yoga invitation before relenting
• Six travelers (Kenny, Felix, Golden Girl, Mr. Zip, Broker, Isabella) pile into a borrowed panel van — Mr. Zip’s real car is still in the shop — decorated with an unexplained “Martin Van Buren” devil-head logo nobody remembers acquiring
• En route, Kenny has a brief paranoid episode, swearing someone’s repeatedly hitting him despite being seated among friends — a failed Brawling-adjacent roll that resolves as nothing physical: sunlight through his open shutter shades. Isabella and the others are visibly bewildered

Arrival at Ziptown — The New Zipmobile

• The upgraded Zipmobile is finished: new engine, three-white-stripe paint job (Radovan has to correct the camp’s AI-generated reference image, which only showed two), bulletproof glass — Vesna Ratchet’s work
• Peaches, a young racer Radovan has known since she was a kid — one of his life path connections — is thrilled to see him and the car. She’s obsessed with speed, rides a motorcycle named Cherry Bomb, and has been racing the Blacktop Saints for a while: 11 wins, 9 losses. She wants Vesna to upgrade her bike to a superbike; Vesna refuses, calling it too dangerous for her
• Test drive on dirt with Kenny and Peaches aboard: Kenny jacks in to record the car’s ECU performance data (per his usual netrunning/tech habits). First maneuver roll (DV 13, boosted +5 for dirt/gravel) fails — the car spins out in the dust, no damage, everyone shaken but fine. Second attempt lands cleanly: sharp turn, emergency brake, and a bootleg turn all succeed. Radovan installs the plastic Jesus on the dashboard partway through for good luck. Returns to camp and sticks a difficult emergency stop right in front of Vesna, impressing her

Hank Nguyen Confronts Broker

• A stranger in obviously out-of-place corporate wear tracks Broker down at Ziptown — revealed as Hank Nguyen, Broker’s life path rival, making his first in-person appearance. He accuses Broker of being a fraud who skated on the Continental Brands fallout with Alvin Partridge while more deserving people (himself) get nothing; insists he’s more qualified for Broker’s role
• Broker deflects with rehearsed motivational-seminar jargon about “synergizing with what the universe is asking for” and passes a Persuasion roll; Hank backs off but vows to prove Broker’s a fraud, delivering a long, awkward finger-point as he retreats out of sight
• Isabella, unaware of the confrontation, later overhears Broker’s group casually discussing rocket launchers for a potential “danger race” and is alarmed, assuming they mean using them on bystanders; quietly asks Golden Girl if Kenny’s okay. Broker smooths it over with the group (“sometimes we just gotta let the boys cook”)

Mira, Peaches, and Ledger — Scouting the Blacktop Saints

• Radovan meets with Mira Stojanovic, still anxious and sleepless over the Blacktop Saints’ growing presence. She has no solution to offer and defers to his judgment, calling him “a true community member”
• Peaches adds detail: the Saints maintain and toll roads, have no formal race schedule (people just show up and ask), and are reportedly building a new car nicknamed “the General”
• Felix calls Ledger for intel. Ledger describes the Blacktop Saints as practical people focused on rebuilding roads and collecting tolls — “kind of been their way of living in this post-crash world” — allied with the Pacifica Confederacy, who are trying to re-establish government along the West Coast after the First Corporate War. Confirms the Duke Boys are members. The Saints love cheap synth beer and want more “danger races” — sanctioned night races where guns and non-explosive weapons (flamethrowers, smoke, tear gas, caltrops) are allowed but explosives are banned — and can’t find enough takers
• The crew decides to try a standard race first and hold a danger race in reserve, contingent on how things go; discusses buying weapons for a possible danger race (machine gun, flamethrower) but commits to nothing this session given the cost

Shopping

• Radovan buys smart glasses (500 EB) plus a single low-light cyber-optic upgrade (500 EB, “monovision”) — 1,000 EB total, installed into the glasses rather than a full cyber-eye so it costs no humanity — letting him ignore darkness, smoke, and fog penalties. Felix’s haggling attempt fails; no discount
• Kenny buys a Sternmeyer MO4 Variable Assault Rifle through Felix’s fixer connections via Sloan Enderman at full “expensive” price — both Felix’s haggling and item-sourcing rolls go badly (“we mixed up my humanity rolls and my haggling rolls tonight”)
• Golden Girl is paid 100 EB for emergency medical work patching up wounded Piranhas after an internal firefight — some of the gang apparently refused to keep taking Vilify and turned on the rest, now leaderless and scrappy without Shoa Ling

Evening at Camp

• The crew returns to Ziptown for the night; dinner from the camp’s cook; dancing around the campfire — Mr. Zip performs a striking fire dance that never quite touches the flames, while Kenny accompanies on his Powerglove, playing the “zip zip zip zip” beat he’d sampled from Radovan’s own voice earlier in the day
• Broker fields a check-in call from Alvin Partridge, framing the desert trip as a corporate “team-building retreat” and passing it off convincingly; when Partridge brings up Hank Nguyen by name, Broker declines to discredit him outright but suggests they “keep an eye on him” — quietly protecting his own position without tipping his hand
• Each player receives 100 IP. Next session tentatively two to three weeks out — the DM and one player are both unavailable next week.

Standout Quotes

“We used to have this butler. The first time I got high was with that butler. Then he tried to molest me, but I said no.” “But I feel good about it. I’m cool. I felt wanted.” — Fix-it-Felix

“I guess it’s nice to feel wanted sometimes, but maybe not in that way… Kenny kinda grew up in a rough situation and got himself into some scrapes after his parents went missing, but I never got that bad touch and I feel pretty good about that.” — Kenny Log-ins

“I mean, uh, Goldie kinda the straight edge as far as I know… she wouldn’t even put in my bone lace.” — Kenny Log-ins

“I don’t suppose you could give me a fix for a tenor, could ya?” — unnamed desperate stranger, in a checkerboard suit and top hat

“I meant he had like this wiener dog and he replaced it with a cyber dog… he became a dick.” — Fix-it-Felix, explaining his cousin’s cyberpsychosis

“You, you! I know you. I followed you out here, you piece of shit… You’re a fraud and I’m gonna prove it. I’ve got my eyes on you.” — Hank Nguyen, confronting Broker

“Broker, what the frick are you doing with these guys? They’re talking about launching rockets at people on the street.” — Isabella

“You know, sometimes we just gotta let the boys cook a little. This is part of the process.” — Broker, to Isabella

“I would like some peace of mind. Have not slept full night for many, many weeks.” — Mira Stojanovic

“They seem to be rather practical people. They’ve always focused on rebuilding roads, charging tolls — that’s kind of been their way of living in this post-crash world.” — Ledger, on the Blacktop Saints

Open Threads

• The Blacktop Saints race plan: a standard race first, danger race held in reserve. No weapons purchased yet for the latter. (Blacktop Saints)
• Hank Nguyen is now active: his first in-person confrontation with Broker — he’s watching for another opening. (Hank Nguyen)
• The Piranhas have splintered: leaderless without Shoa Ling, apparently fighting among themselves over continued Vilify use.
• The Moon job: still no commitment made; the Pacifica Confederacy’s orbital engine and the Blacktop Saints’ territory are now directly connected via this session’s scouting.
• Kenny’s custom “smart” ammo — still pending, not addressed this session.
• Golden Girl’s roommate (unnamed, potential story hook) — still open.
• Isabella now knows something’s off with the crew’s plans for the Blacktop Saints — how far does her concern go?

Meta / Errata

• In-game date: Friday, June 13th, morning — the day after Session 07’s downtime week concludes
• IP awarded: 100 per player
• Payment: Golden Girl earned 100 EB for emergency medical work; no other crew-wide payout this session (a shopping/downtime-adjacent session)
• Rules confirmed: dirt/gravel terrain gives +5 to vehicle maneuver DVs; nomad Motorskill further reduces difficulty on driving checks; cyber-optic options installed into smart glasses count as installed once and cost no humanity, versus 2 slots and humanity loss for a full cyber-eye pair
• Retcon: the Zipmobile does not have its own onboard agent — a communication center upgrade would be required. Prior “car agent” interactions were Kenny voice-performing with his own agent
• VTT/rules note: Golden Girl’s compendium item search wasn’t functioning; items had to be found via the compendium packs list instead
• DM note: flagged this as a lighter “shopping episode,” relieved to not run short on prepared material

Player Notes

• Felix’s butler story is the first real look under his established “loner, doesn’t do emotional entanglements” exterior — delivered as a punchline but landing as something closer to real damage, mirrored by how visibly it affects Kenny rather than Felix
• Kenny’s aside about Golden Girl and the bone lace is a small, unforced note of friction in a relationship that hasn’t had much focus — worth watching
• Hank Nguyen going from background material to an on-screen confrontation escalates Broker’s corporate-plot thread for the first time since it was introduced
• The Piranhas’ collapse without Shoa Ling closes a loop that’s been dangling since Session 05 — the gang the crew’s very first job ran through is now falling apart in the background of a completely unrelated plotline
• A mostly comic, low-stakes session overall, but it quietly sets up next session’s actual race and deepens two separate simmering threads (Hank Nguyen, the Piranhas) without spending much table time on either