After a long hiatus I am finally updating my blog again 🙂
Whenever I take a long hiatus from solo role-playing you can usually blame Elite: Dangerous for this. And when I then in turn take a break from Elite my solo rpg itch needs scratching.
So I finished my Edge of the Empire game using So1um and Miso and had a chance to test out some self-made starship combat rules in the final encounter of the Beginner Game Adventure.
The adventure continues with our heroes racing through the streets towards the docking bay…
Encounter 6: All aboard
Option B: The docking bay is guarded by stormtrooper squads (2 of them with three troopers each) instead of security droids. Trex is alerted and has taken up a defensive position inside the docking bay. A wins 7 to 2, by the book.
-As we race towards bay Aurek I use my last stimpack on myself to recover from the blaster burn I suffered during the stormtrooper encounter (regain 4 hp, back at 5). Oskara uses one of her stimpacks as well, since she still has pain (regain 4 hp, back at 7, one stimpack left).
-The large circular structure ahead has a giant letter aurek stenciled onto the building’s side. It’s the landing bay! The bay doors are open and I can see the YT-1300 transport inside. The loading ramp is lowered and guarded by two security droids. Two more security droids stand guard at the entrance to the bay.
-I signal Oskara to halt, we take cover in a doorway and watch the bay for a few moments, thinking about a plan to get in.
Out of character remarks:
At this point in the adventure it becomes apparent that the adventure is actually not well thought out if you read the options given for the PCs in the book. I mean Mos Shuuta is probably not a very big city with only two landing bays. Teemo is the Hutt crime lord that runs the place and has his residence there, meaning he will have eyes and ears on the streets and knows what is going on. The characters have all worked for Teemo in the past and for a while, so their faces are probably familiar to Teemo’s men and even if not, after they decided to leave his services he will have put the word out to look for them, as implied by encounter one and two.
So, so far the characters have killed or seriously injured a few of Teemo’s Gamorreans, then they (apparently) robbed a junk dealer using force and killed a total of six stormtroopers, that were also looking for them. The starport control encounter also had the option for using force. At this point one would expect the heroes’s faces plastered all over the place on holo broadcasts etc.
Even if the security droids are “neutral” starport guards and not Teemo’s droids I would expect them to be updated with the newest local wanted lists, including pictures. So in my book, walking up to the droids and making some kind of story should have no chance of success whatsoever and the droids should immediately recognize the heroes as the current most wanted criminals.
Then again, it could be that it all happens so fast that the local security can’t keep up with all the events.
However, I do know that the adventure is primarily designed to ease new players and GMs into roleplaying and teach the mechanics, so it certainly does a good job at that.
Now back to the game…
-“As I see it, we have only two options: Fight our way in or try to find a different entrance. Since we don’t have anything to lose I suggest we scout out the area first, the fighting does not run away.”
-Oskara agrees. We decide that I will cover her from here while she takes a quiet look around.
-Stealth check (Body) vs. the droid’s Mind of 2: 5, 4, 2 vs. 5, 2, draw, roll off: Oskara 1 vs. Droids 5, fail.
-Time for some stats: Security Droid: B: 2, M: 2, C: 1, HP 2, Damage 1 (built in blaster pistol)
-Determine initiative: Pash 5, 4, 3, 1, pass; Oskara 4, 2, 1, pass, so Pash, Oskara, Droids
-Round 1:
-The security droids have noticed Oskara and move to intercept. I fire at the nearby droid: 3, 1, a miss, damn!
-Oskara is alerted by the shooting and turns to fire as well: 6, 2, 1, 1, a hit, 2 damage, one droid goes down.
-One droid goes down as the second one fires at Oskara: 3, 3, miss, the shots go wide. The droids from inside the bay move outside to assist (move) and also fire at her (action): 6, 1, a hit and 3, 2, a miss (difficulty is 4 since target is nearby). Oskara takes one damage and is at 6 hp.
-Oskara manages to dodge the last split second, the bolt grazes her armor.
-Round 2:
-I fire at the closest droid: 4, 1, hit, 1 damage, one droid at 1 hp.
-Oskara shoots a different droid: 4, 3, 2, 2, a hit, 2 damage, droid goes down.
-Two droids are still standing. One of them turns to fire at me: 4, 1, a hit, 1 damage, Pash at 4 hitpoints. The shot grazes my jacket and leaves a burn mark. The other one fires at Oskara: 6, 4, hit, 1 damage, Oskara at 5 hp.
-Round 3:
-I fire at the droid that I hit before: 4, 3, hit, 1 damage, droid goes down. I hit it square in it’s metal chest and it goes down. I then race towards the loading ramp of the freighter inside the bay.
-Oskara shoots the last remaining droid: 6, 6, 4, 3, hit, 2 damage, droid down. The last droid goes down and she races to join me.
-I reach the loading ramp but come to a sudden stop as a blaster bolt hits the ground in front of me. At the upper end of the ramp is a tough looking Trandoshan, armed with a blaster rifle and wearing battle armor. It’s Trex! (Stats: B: 3, M: 2, C: 1, HP: 7, Damage 2 (ranged/melee), Cliches: ruthless slaver, cruel bounty hunter
-Round 4:
-I duck behind a loading ramp strut and fire at Trex who is nearby: 4, 4, hit, 1 damage, Trex at 6 hp.
-Oskara takes up position behind the other strut (move) and fires: 6, 3, 2, 1, hit, 2 damage, Trex at 4 hp.
-Trex moves to engage us in melee combat (move) and attacks me with his vicious claws. However, I manage to sidestep, use the strut for leverage and swing around it to kick him in the side! Trex failed the check so he took damage, he is down to 3.
-Round 5:
-I have no intention of fighting this Trandoshan in melee so I try to disengage and withdraw up the ramp (1d6: 5, odd, failure). However, he grabs me and drags me back down. I try to shoot him at point blank range (difficulty 6): 2, 4, miss.
-Oskara tries to get a shot in as well (difficulty 6 as well since engaged): 4, 3, 3, 1, miss.
-Trex continues to slash at me with his claws. He wins with 9 (Rule of 6) vs. 4. I take 2 damage (down to 2).
-Round 6:
-I am desperate and try again to get away (move, 3, failure). As that fails I try to shoot him: 5, 2, a miss.
-Oskara tries to withdraw up the ramp (move, 1, failure) but he can keep both of us in the infight. Oskara tries to bring her rifle to bear: 6, 5, 2, 1, a hit!, 2 damage, Trex at 1 hp.
-Trex slashes at me: He fails and takes damage and goes down!
-I block his blow and kick him off the loading ramp. He lands on his back and stays down.
-Quick! Into the ship. Let’s get out of here…
Continuing my playthrough of the Beginner Box adventure I present encounter 5, in which our intrepid heroes fight off two squads of imperial stormtroopers. I was very pleased with the combat rules in action.
The adventure continues as the heroes try to gain access to starport control in order to release the docking clamps that hold the ship in place…
The adventure continues with the intrepid heroes leaving the cantina and heading for the junk shop to aquire a spare part needed to repair the hyperdrive of the ship they eventually plan to steal. However, you have to put up with handwritten notes again.
Encounter 3: The junk shop
I really like the quick and elegant so1um rules created by Matt Jackson so I tinkered with them a little and did some brainstorming for a slightly more complex but not necessarily more complicated variant. Even though it is little more than mental notes at the moment I decided to try a few concepts playing through the published adventure that came with the Edge of the Empire Beginner Game. I never played it, so I decided to go ahead and try it out, using the Miso RPG along with the GM apprentice deck to keep a little surprise for the solo player.
So here are the first two encounters:
Characters:
Pash – Human smuggler: Body 1, Mind 3, Charm 2, Hitpoints 5, Damage 1, Cliche: Lucky Smuggler
Oskara – Twi’lek bounty hunter: Body 3, Mind 2, Charm 1, Hitpoints 7, Damage 2, Cliche: Efficient Bounty Hunter
Setup:
The heroes are racing through the streets of Mos Shuuta on the desert planet Tatooine. They are on the run from a group of thugs in the employ of Teemo the Hutt, a local crime boss. They have decided to resign their service with Teemo’s organisation without asking him for permission, so they need to make a quick getaway. Unfortunately, the only way out of Mos Shuuta is by starship, which the heroes need to aquire somehow…
During the adventure I will document the events through the eyes of the smuggler Pash.
I will also use the technique of rewriting the adventure on the fly using the Miso RPG approach to retain some element of surprise for the solo player:
The scenario outlined in the published adventure will always be option A with a d10 assigned for odds and I will come up with a slightly different scenario that fits the context which will always be option B with a d6 assigned for odds.
When the encounter starts, I will roll off the options, higher roll wins, to see what is going on. If I need some sort of GM emulation or oracle I will use the GM apprentice card deck as randomizer.
Check it out here:
And the Miso RPG here:
Encounter 1: On the run
Option B: The patrons in the bar work for Teemo and have been warned by Teemo’s thugs by comlink that we are coming, since the Gamorreans have spotted us heading for the cantina. A wins 9 to 1, so it goes by the book.
-As we race through the sandy streets of this rathole of a spaceport I spot a cantina ahead. “Quick Oskara…in there! Maybe this place has a backdoor to slip away unnoticed.” We head for the entrance.
-The air inside the room is cool, a few patrons are in the room and most of them including the bartender stare at us. In the back, behind a dancing stage, I spot a doorway and point at it: “That’s our exit!”
-We race for the exit, the stage is occupied by a Twi’lek dancing girl. I try to convice her to let us pass and get backstage. Charm (2) vs. difficulty of 3 (easy, since that is what the adventure suggests and because I have a fellow Twi’lek with me): 6, 3, success.
-The dancing girl nods and moves aside: “Quick, in here, I try to distract whoever is coming for you.”
-Only moments after we slip through the door the Gamorreans arrive, look around, squeak at each other and then turn to leave. The perfect moment to strike has come…
Encounter 2: A gang of Gamorreans
Option B: The Gamorreans are not only armed with melee weapons but also with blasters and a few of the patrons take side for them, since they fear Teemo. A wins 7 to 2, so by the book again.
-We can surprise them. I take aim with my blaster pistol, Oskara with her blaster carbine. “On my mark…the one that is closer…” I whisper.
-Time for some stats: Gamorrean thugs: B: 3, M: 1, C: 1, HP: 3 each, steel club (melee, damage 2)
-A ranged attack against a target that is nearby, Body + cliche vs. 4: Pash 6, 2, hit; Oskara 1, 5, 4, 3, hit. Our two blaster bolts strike the closest Gamorrean. He goes down, he never knew what hit him.
-Does the remaining Gamorrean press the attack? (even odds, GM apprentice draw) No, he decides to flee. He sprints out of the cantina.
-I try to get one last shot in, I want to wound him and aim for his leg (called shot, difficulty 6: 4, 3, miss). My shot goes wide. “Quick Oskara, don’t let him get away!”
-She shoots: 3, 3, 5, 5, miss. Her shots miss by only a hair but the Gamorrean gets away.
-We shouldn’t stick around to long, let’s get out of here.
-As we hop off stage the bartender signals for us: “If I were you I would get the hell out of Mos Shuuta now. To bad that the only ship in town at the moment is owned by a Trandoshan named Trex who is in the employ of Teemo. It is also unfortunate that the ship has a broken hyperdrive. Anyhow, it is in bay Aurek right now, I don’t know for how long. Now get out of my cantina!”
To be continued…
A member of the G+ Lone Wolf Roleplaying community whipped up a nice little rules-light solo system called so1um. You can get the latest version here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNLRuUwmjklNUo0YzZ0ZllEWnc/view
Credits go to Matt Jackson for creating it and sharing it with the community.
Unfortunately I have to bother you with hand written notes again, since I played on the train and during small stolen moments of time during which jotting down a few notes is just faster than firing up the laptop. So I hope you are familiar with my messy handwriting by now. If you can’t read it, try saving the pictures on your machine and zooming in.
Dear readers,
a member of the G+ Lone Wolf Roleplaying asked me to write a short summary of the final session that ended Cane Selcam’s mission.
I know my handwriting is hard to read so I will gladly comply:
After the encounter with the aggressive birds Cane set-up camp within the forest and decided to rest.
At this point it was time to determine what the installation actually was so that I had an idea about what to expect as the story progresses. So I whipped up a quick table with six possibilities and rolled. The result: The installation was a deep space scanning post, it didn’t have surface to air defenses and no TIE-fighter launch facilities but a landing pad on the roof of the compound. It’s surrounding defenses consisted of regular speeder bike patrols with scout troopers (all determined randomly).
While making camp Cane was attacked by a boarlike creature that was protecting it’s territory (random encounter). He managed to defeat it but suffered a minor wound.
After sundown the next day Cane moved closer and observed the base from all sides, took pictures and noted troop movements. The base had four large sensor dishes and a small building with a landing pad on the roof. All the time he had to avoid several patrols which he did thanks to some good rolls, his high level, skill and camo poncho.
After the recon was done he withdrew and headed for the pick up point, which was a three day march.
During the march I made random encounter checks. On the third day, shorty before Cane reached the pick up point, he encountered a small group of native savage-looking centaur-like horsepeople. They had long braided hear and muscular tatooed bodies. Cane decided it was not a good idea to stick around and managed to hide once again.
Since he had to wait at the pick-up coordinates for a while (I didn’t track the exact number of days but I figured the mission so far took about 12 days or so: 4 days march to the installation, 3 days march to the pick up point, and around 5 days resting and scouting) he set-up a more permanent camp and waited. I make one final encounter check and the check indicated an encounter. Cane encountered another group of native horsepeople, obviously on a war path. He heard the sound of war drums and a group of armed and tatooed horsepeople marched directly towards his camp. He managed to move his camp out of the way just in time and followed the group, who met the other group on a battlefield and it appeared to be some sort of clan feud. Cane decided to stay out of it and returned to the pick-up site.
Staying true to my principle “always give yourself a chance to fail” I made a final check, however with a 90% success chance, to see if the alliance would pick me up and they did.
Because of the weak defenses and the small troop contingent, the alliance decided to raid the base for information, technology and supplies after the mission debriefing.
Dear readers, I have to be hard on your eyes again. I went to visit my parents in Berlin, Germany and had time for solo role-playing during the five hour train ride from Cologne, Germany to Berlin.
Even though I have my laptop with me I decided on an old school approach and used a classic notepad, a pen and my android phone with a dice rolling app and the app called Tales of Mobile Entertainment or Tome, which is basically the Mythic GME with some extra functions for Android devices. I didn’t want to clutter my seat and table to much and I like this method of documentation as well.
So here is the final session of Cane’s mission. Oh, I also converted him to the ruleset I whipped up to test that as well and managed to advance to level 3 (I figured the advancement that he already had put him at level 2). However, a bonus of +5 with skill and equipment (camo clothing) is pretty high. Pretty hard to fail completely. But that’s alright since the original rules that I used state that you can’t fail if you have a skill. My rules make it hard to fail but not impossible, if you have a skill.
So here is the final session of Cane Selcam’s mission:
Cal Selcam’s mission continues as he marches forward towards his destination…
-After six hours of rest I continue my march under the cover of the night. Wisdom roll to notice shadowsnake: 7 total. Partial success. Shadowsnake stats: HP 8, Armor 2, 1d6 damage bite and spit poison: Con roll or blinded.
-Out of the dark waters a large snakelike creature with a pitchblack body and a cobra-like head emerges. The thick snakebody is supported by two muscular legs that help the upper body to stand up while the lower body slithers around on the ground in a snakelike fashion.
-The creature hisses and spits a substance at me, I manage to dodge out of the way while drawing my vibroblade in an attempt to behead the creature. I strike true but at the same time, one of it’s clawed legs slashes at me.
-Cane hits for 5 damage after armor, reducing the creature to 3 points but suffers 4 points of damage himself (8 hp left).
-I press the attack while trying to dodge its head that darts forward and tries to bite me while sporadically spitting some sort of poison. Dex roll: 12 total, lucky me, 4 damage after armor, enough to kill the creature.
-I manage to dodge out of the way and with a precise slash my combat vibroblade cuts the creature’s skull in half. I had only a minor scratch. Lucky for me the creature’s teeth were not covered with poison.
-According to my map it will take me a march of four days to reach the vicinity of the installation. I will handle the march with four encounter checks, one per day including rest with a 50/50 chance: a total of two encounters during the march.
-Encounter 1: scheduled imperial patrol (inspired by two story cubes): On the second day of my march (regenerate 1d6 hp: 1 hp, so back to 9) I hear the distinctive noise of repulsor engines again. The noise draws near. It looks like I have entered the imperial patrol radius. I quickly hide in the underbrush…(Stealth roll with Dexterity: 8 total, partial success).
-I manage to hide quick enough but didn’t have time to pay to close attention to the terrain: I am stuck in a muddy swamphole! Str roll with Athletics to get out: Natural 12! 13 total, lucky me. My advancement rule: A natural 12 means I get to make an advancement roll for the ability used, in this case strength. I have to roll 1d6 and roll over the current value, in this case over 1. If I manage the advancement roll I get to increase the ability by one, get to pick an additional skill and gain +2 hp. I am limited to one advancement roll per session.
-Alright, roll a d6: A 4, success, Strength increases to +2, I get +2 hp and are now at 11 from 17 and for the additional skill I pick Perception.
-Encounter 2: I am attacked by a swarm of large birdlike airborne predators on day 4 at the edge of the forest (6 of them). Stats for the Swarm (act as group): 12 hp, 1d6+2 damage (razor sharp talons and beaks).
-Past midnight on the fourth day of my march I could see the outline of the forest in the moonlit night ahead. As I came closer, 6 black objects flew into the air from one of the treetops.
-I got out my macrobinoculars, turned on the nightvision and get a look. Looks like a swarm of giant eaglelike birds. This is a strange planet indeed.
-The birds circle for a while and I march further towards the forest. Suddenly they screech and divebomb towards me!
-Do I get my blaster carbine up quick enough? Dex roll: 9 total (6+3). Almost…
-I quickly bring my blaster carbine and fire three quick shots of deadly red bolts of light into the sky (6 damage total, 6 hp left). The bolts hit and three dead birds hit the ground as the other three come at my with razor sharp talons. I dive for cover into the grass but to late, they got me (5 damage, 6 hp left).
-I can feel the deep cut. It’s not over yet…I roll over onto my back, carbine at the ready, and shoot…(11 total, success, 4 damage, two more birds dead). I hit two more of them…the last one gains altitude and…
-A: makes another pass, 1d6
-B: flys back into it’s tree lair, 1d8
…dives at me once more. I dodge and shoot…(yes! natural 11, 14 total, 2 damage minimum so I kill it) and the last bird drops down dead.
-A: The blaster bolts going up into the air were witnessed by imperial patrols. 1d10
-B: I was lucky and it stays quiet. 1d6
-B wins 5 to 2, lucky me.
-After this unpleasant encounter I am again in not so good shape. I don’t have a medpac anymore, just the basic medical supplies in my survival gear to clean and staple the cuts.
-I decide to press onward until I reach the edge of the forest and find a secluded resting place for a makeshift camp.
To be continued…
A quick look behind the scenes: Here is the map of the mission area I created randomly. I just drew up some terrain section outlines and rolled 1d6 per section to determine the terrain in that section. Nothing special and works for the adventure just fine:
solospelunking 