Our heroes begin their investigation into the Giant's laboratory, hoping to get to it and gather it's secrets before the other factions can. They seek information from an information broker named Itch. Itch investigates and brings down the might of the Red Reavers upon them. The Reavers send the Butcher Brothers, three bugbear thugs, after Itch and by association the players. After a vicous fight Sim is down and one of the brothers is murdered in the street. The two remaining brothers flee the scene and vow vengeance. The players, after a bit of recuperation, the heroes make tehre way into the deep tunnels beneath Sharn.
So this week we had a scene where the villains really harsh to the players characters. And we got to play out a recovery scene. I am not sure how well it all went, we shall see. Here is the recording of the game, should you wish to watch.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Time Heroes: Beathoven is a Beast!
So two days ago I got to play a scenario for Time Heroes run by +Andrew Goenner the creator of the hack. The characters were all pregenerated. there were some interesting ones, a plumber from the future, and indiana jones knock off, a gunslinger, and all that kind of stuff. Looking through them I found a couple I liked and was about to pick the Janitor when I saw the last entry,
Beethoven.That's right, how could I say no to a magic using fist fighting master composer, well I couldn't. I Talked with Andrew and made a few changes, I raised his fighting to three and lowered his will to two. I played him as a master of Capoeira. I saw him like the old Shaw brothers films style master, they had blind kung fu masters, I had a deaf Capoeira master. It works. No seriously it does. Why does no one believe me?
I kind of played him like a rage monster he was always intimidating always terrifying and always moving. The real issue was the dice were not with me during the game, I failed at damn near everything I did in that game. It was a comedy of errors, as they say.
I felt a little wierd, as I sometimes felt lik I was dominating the fiction, but the other player seemed to enjoy himself so maybe that was just me misreading the situation. There was a use of a Contest in the game and I think I may be finally starting to get them, we shall see if that turns out to be true.
Here is the recording of teh Game should you wish to watch it:
 |
| I. Am. Beethoven! |
Beethoven.That's right, how could I say no to a magic using fist fighting master composer, well I couldn't. I Talked with Andrew and made a few changes, I raised his fighting to three and lowered his will to two. I played him as a master of Capoeira. I saw him like the old Shaw brothers films style master, they had blind kung fu masters, I had a deaf Capoeira master. It works. No seriously it does. Why does no one believe me?
I kind of played him like a rage monster he was always intimidating always terrifying and always moving. The real issue was the dice were not with me during the game, I failed at damn near everything I did in that game. It was a comedy of errors, as they say.
I felt a little wierd, as I sometimes felt lik I was dominating the fiction, but the other player seemed to enjoy himself so maybe that was just me misreading the situation. There was a use of a Contest in the game and I think I may be finally starting to get them, we shall see if that turns out to be true.
Here is the recording of teh Game should you wish to watch it:
FATE Core: Important Links
I decided that I need a master list of all the Fate Core hacks I know of. Well, need is a bit strong, but I would like it. And I figured that if I would like it others may as well. I will be updating this as the weeks go by, so if you have a hack that I missed/don't have yet let me know. these are in no particular order.
Epub DOwnload of +Robert Hanz's Fate Thoughts of the Day.
Fate SRD site: Check it out!
1. Fate Core Cheat Sheet
2. Conflict Outline
3. Rob's Guide to Writing Good Aspects
4. Winner of the first Fate Core Contest
5. A discussion of Temporary Aspects that I think is useful
6. Discussion of Intent and Task
7. Fate Core Folio(iPad App)
8. Fate Core Cheat Sheet
9. Fate Core GM Playbook
10. Fate Doesn't Have a Damage System
11. Fractal Adventure Design
12. Dresden Style Evocation
13. Fate Actions and Aspects Quick Reference
14. A discussion of consequences and how to fix them
15. Discussion of consequences and environment
16. Weapons, Armor, and Narrative Weight
17. Ideas for MHR's Doom Pool in Fate
18. Cool thoughts on how to handle ancient lore
19. Secret Societies
20. Using Cortex+ Rules in Fate
21. Discussion of using Fate Core for Wuxia style action
22. A Spark In Fate Core
23. Fate Core Bestiary
24. Rob Discusses His GM Style
25. Discussion of Mind Control in Fate
26. Rant on Magic in Fate
27. Modeling a dungeon as a character
28. Refresh when you don't have "sessions"
29. Discussion of scene aspects by Michael
30. Rob Talks About Create Advantage
31. Thoughts on using Stunts to alter the scale of an action
32. Discussion of "Bad Touch" Effects in Fate
33. Demystifying the Fate Fractal, and the Nature of Aspects
34. Robert's thoughts on Failure in Fate
35. Calibration: Dial without the Dial
36. David Goodwin's Social Mechanics
37. Thoughts on a Reputation Mechanic
38. Splitting Actions
39. Thoughts on Magic and Costs
40. Rules For Create Extra Action By Dan
Create Extra Rules final
41. Goal Based Advancement
42. Setting up Sessions as Contests, a discussion
43. Discussion of Hacking Fate and what you use
44. A New Way To Handle Consequences
45. Character Creation as layered Template selection
46. D&D style Domain Management in Fate Core
47. The most impactful changes to Fate introduced in Fate Core
48. Discussion of Expertise skills in Fate
49. Using Fate and other RPGs in the classroom
50. Companions as stunts
51. Discussion of Spiffy Powers
52. The difference between Lying and Persuasion
53. Discussion on how to do research time in game
54. Interesting ideas on unwinnable fights
55. GM Approaches
56. Robert has a discussion about Conflicts (as well as Contests and Challenges) as campaign/scenario-level pacing structures
57. Discussion About Healing
58. A pretty great discussion on consequences
59. Discussion of how to do low powered Urban Fantasy
60. Discussion of Fate Core Elder Scrolls
61. Fate Core Matrix Discussion
62. Discussion of Weapon Extras
63. Revisiting Power Tiers In Fate
64. NPCs can Concede
65. Poison and Disease
66. Contests with more than two sides
67. Active vs Passive opposition
68. Big Honking Discussion on Taken Out
69. Dan's thoughts on doing Horror in Fate
70. Another discussion on horror
71. Alternate Dice rolling Conversation
72. Ideas on implementing Wraith
73. Attacking with situation aspects
74. big discussion of specializations
75. Discussion of Rewards in Fate
76. Rob Wielands discussion on the beginings of a Shadowrun FAE hack
77. Rob asks a pertanent question
Character Sheets
1. Star Trek Fate Quick Play Sheet
2. Scenario Design Work Sheet
3. PDF and Source File For the Fate Core Character Worksheet
4. Form Fillable FAE Sheet
5. FAE Sheet(French)
6. Steampunk Sheet
7. Fate Character Folio
8. Noir Style Sheet
9. Apocalyptic FAE Fate Core
10. Pirate FAE Fate Core
11. Fate Freeport Character sheet
12. Another Freeport Sheet
13. With corruption
14. Another Freeport
15. Scifi Sheet
16. A slightly different scifi Sheet
17. Post Apocalypse
18. No Exit Character Sheets
19. Vampire the Requiem character sheet
20. Cartoon Character Sheet
FATE Core Hacks
1. Time Heroes
2. The Island
3. Tekumel
4. TrekCore
5. Urban Fantasy
6. Steam Punk
7. Fate, Blood, & 7 Sins
8. Club Babylon
9. FATE of Earthdawn
10. Dirty Street Magic
11. Fate of the Five Rings
12. Tournament Magi Crash Orb-Scenario
13. Two Worlds
14. Mechwarrior
15. Apocolithic
16. Star Wars
17. Phaser Chase
18. Ravenloft: Masque of the Red Death
19. Fate Core NPCiary
20. Exalted
21. Farscape
22. Fate of the City of Doors
23. Grimm Tales
24. Star Trek Fate
25. Fate Core Fading Suns
26. Star Trek FATE
27. Robotech
FAE Version
28. In Nomine
29. Alpha Quadrant
30. Mythos Madness
31. Rainbow D6
32. Fate Amber
33. 500 Kingdoms
34. Dishonored
35. Ghost Busters Part 1 Part 2
A discussion of how to do ghost busters started by Rob
Ghostbusters Final
36. Transformers Optimus Prime Bumblebee Arcee, Wheeljack Ironhide
Mostly Secret of Nihm Conversion to Fate
37. Into the Woods: Post apocalyptic fairy tale
38. Fate: Orchids and Steel
39. Some Thoughts on How to do Exalted
40. Gaslight
41. FATE: Black Amazon of Mars
42. Interesting Supers Hack
Also V1.1
Also V1.2
43. Conan Red Nails
44. Fate: NCIS
45. Fate of Virmary(Tribe 8)
46. Fate: Apotheosis Drive X - Neon Genesis Cybertron
47. Basic Fate Fantasy
48. Fate: Blake's 7
49. FAE Moon Moon the Werewolf
50. Little Science Lab of Botanical Horror
51. Xeno: An FAE One-Shot
52. Fate Accelerated - PPV (Pro Wrestling Hack)
53. Shining On The Battlefield
54. Star Frontiers
55. Roozerball
56. Modesty Blase(my second favorite spy thriller)
57. Dresden Files Hack
58. ZOMBIES!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!
59. Allomancy...the basics
60. Discussion on how to do the Matrix in Fate
61. The Infinite Lighthouse(bioshock Infinite)
62. Magic Of Krynn
63. Legends of Hyrule
64. Justice League(pregens)
65. Avengers(pregens)
66. Fate Core Secret of NIHM
67. In the Untouched Land of Gloriana
68. Mythos Skill for Fate Core
69. War of Souls(In Nomine Conversion)
70. Fate of the Galaxy:Starship Rules
71. ARIA Armor
72. Dinosaur Companion Extra
73. Care Bears FAE
74. Hijinx FAE
75. Magic:The Gathering
76. Dragonlance Fate Skills Dragonlance Fate Racial Stunts
77. Rogue Trader Fate Hack
The New version/link
78. FAE Tyranids
79. Classic AD&D Character Creation in Fate
80. Superhuman Adjective Ladder
81. Marvel Heroes Statted up in Fate and FAE
82. Dinosaurs
83. Shin Megami Tensei
84. Rules for Lost Civilazations
85. Schism
86. Rob Wieland's thoughts on Shadowrun
87. Fate of Amber
88. Werewolf Extra
89. Emporer's Nightengale an adventure for FAE
90. Adventure: Mountains of GUILT
91. Shadowrun Ten Archetypes for Fate Core
92. Street Part 1 Part 2
93. FAE Convention Sci Fi Pregen Characters
94. Fate LARP
95. Fate Core Glorantha
96. Fate Bestiary
97. Fate Exalted Conversion Rules
98. The Big Red Couch has some Fae and other Fate conversions check 'em out!
99. Fate of the Dragon Throne(Game of Thrones)
100. Accelerated Guard Mice Burning(FAE Mouseguard)
101. Extra: the Force
103. Psionics From Yesteryear
104. Fate Accelerated Doctor Who
105. The Crash Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
106. Magic The Gathering Fate
107. Fate of Budayeen: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,
108. Fate of the Flat Track(Rollerderby! WOOOOO!): Part 1, Part 2
109. Fate Xpanded(Work In Progress)
110. A discussion on doing Runelords in Fate
111. Bruce Baugh Discusses doing D&D 4th in Fate Core Part 1, Part 2
112. Yet another Magic System
113. Pathfinder Magic System
114. Star Wars Rise of Cthulu
114. Amazo
115. Fate of Kingdoms, Eave
116. Futurama Characters
117. Amazo...again!
118. Atlantians and Lemurians
119. Rogue...you know from the X-men...the comic!
120. Lost Magic
121. Star Wars...This time its personal
122. Another Rogue...stil from the X-men
123. FATERIP
124. Rob Wieland's FAE 7th Sea hack
125. Fate of the Fadeing Suns
126. Fate Star Wars
127. Serpents Fall
Part 2
128. Fate Accelerated Dungeon Delve
139. Biomes, and a FAE version
140. Fate 40K
141. Cybernetics
Friday, February 22, 2013
Writing Problems
The last couple of days I have not been posting much. I have been writing, I just don't have anything even close to finished. I have started a couple of projects, and I just can't seem to get into them. I still would like to do three more adventures for Space Opera, bringing in something like the Lens from Lensman and some weird political stuff, as well as adding a few more planets and some more alien races. I also have half a discussion on Star Trek Tansporters and the weird implications that brings to the world. There is a DBZ hack for FATE Core I started, and I have a good bit done. I also have a half completed full D&D hack for FATE Core. I would also like to sit down and do up a couple of first draft finished products(pdf) of some of my earlier projects.
I am working on all of that, all while trying to finish my Lighting Design for a show that will open in less than a week(plus side is that the looks are really starting to come together, people will be impressed). I think I may be overreaching, so my posts will slow down for a bit. I will continue to try and write everyday, but there may not necessarily be a post every day.
I am working on all of that, all while trying to finish my Lighting Design for a show that will open in less than a week(plus side is that the looks are really starting to come together, people will be impressed). I think I may be overreaching, so my posts will slow down for a bit. I will continue to try and write everyday, but there may not necessarily be a post every day.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Space Opera: Things I may have missed
So in discussing my adventure design and world I realized there are a few things I have not added to the world that I need to. So in this post I will hopefully fix some of those issues, as well as add some more content to the universe of Space Opera. I also would like to add a few more planets and races as well as some notes on technology and some new stunts.
Space Ships
I have posted previously that I think ships in my game should not have a stress track. I still enjoy that concept the best. However I have been thinking on it and I will put an optional rule for stress tracks here. I will be calling the stress track Shields. This will be variable amount depending on the quality and size of the ship. You average civilian ship has one Shield box. Military Vessels have between two and four Shield boxes. The primary skills used for interacting with ships are Pilot(piloting obviously), Technology(for sensors and ECM), and Firefight(for firing the big guns).
Hyperspace Gates
Faster than light travel is accomplished by using hyperspace gates. These are massive constructed circles in space. They create wormholes between them. the only other way to create a stable wormhole is to use a massive hyperspace engine. Hyperspace engines take up so much space that it leaves little room for a crew or cargo. they are generally used to arrive at an ungated system and begin construction of a new Gate. This takes a while as they have to manufacture much of the equipment in system. They will build a small gate that will allow a few work ships through. Those ship will then construct a proper Hyperspace Gate. Often those old smaller gates are decommissioned, but not always. some times they are forgotten like old subway stations. they become a secret way into and out of the system.
Espers
Esp is called many things by many species: psi, magic, wyrd, or many other things. Espers have formed a few philosophies and movements throughout the galaxies. The two most known and influential being the Deija Empire and the Pou'ah Priesthood. The Deija used to be a fringe cult in the Nonaligned Worlds. Thirty years ago they instigated a coup on a planet and turned that into the beginnings of empire. within the Empire only Espers can hold office, they believe that knowledge is power and Esp give them the most knowledge, therefore they should have the power. The Pou'ah Priesthood is the single largest organization of Espers outside of the Deija Empire. They are ostensibly a peaceful group of Espers seeking union with the greater universe. They will teach anyone willing to learn, so many people seeking power will join the priesthood just long enough to learn the secrets of Esp. Think of it like Shaolin Monks, where the nobles would send there kids to the monastery to learn the martial arts.
Stunts and Weapons
There are two weapons that are the icons of the Deija. The Nano-whip and the Slick Sword. Both of these require the Close Combat stunt, Deija Weapon Training.
(Close Combat)Deija Weapon Training: You are able to use both the Nano-whip and the Slick Sword without danger of harming yourself. This stunt also requires the Esp skill at +1 or greater to use.
(Esp)Predictive Combat: You can use Esp in place of fighting when using a Nano-whip or a Slick Sword.
Nano-whip: It is a line of ultra dense cable only a molecule thick with a small weight at the end. It is normally stored in the handle on a spool. with the flick of a switch the line extends and you can attack with it. When swung it tends to crack like a whip and it will cut through just about anything.
Weapon: 4
Slick Sword: This is a sword with a blade only only one atom wide. It has a core of iron or steel to give it mass. these swords can cut through damn near anything. they are not sheathed in a normal sheath. There are two varieties of sheath for this weapon. The first uses a magnet to hold the blade steady so that it does not cut right through. the other is a special hilt that locks into the sheath and keeps the blade away from the edges of the sheath.
Weapon: 4
Each of these weapons is very difficult to use. If you fail the attack roll you take one stress. If you fail the attack roll by three or more you do weapon damage in stress to you. Taking the training stunt
Sukar
There were a couple of suggestions about the Sukar in my adventure. The first was if the Sukar were to capture the PCs what would they do? The Sukar are a vicious and xenophobic race that hates all life not them. they are mixture of the Reapers, the Daleks, and the Mechanoids. They are hate and destruction wrapped in a metal shell and layered with more weaponry than a tank battalion.
The other question had to do with the stats and description of the Sukar. I would prefer to leave the stats of the Sukar up to the individual GMs running them. What I will do instead is give a few notes on ideas for special abilities for the various body forms of the Sukar.
Screamers
Aspect: Flying Terror Machine
Aspect: Death Scream
They come in swarms of between five and ten. They use repulsor jets to hover and fly, it gives them a great deal of speed and maneuverability in the air. the normal high-pitched whine there is the roar of the jets, making for a terrifying sound right before the attack. They have the normal Sukar hexapod body type, each of the limbs is tipped with a weapon(ranged or close combat, up to the GM)
They have a flight ability which lets them use Momentum to fly. this allows them to create advantages relating to flight and ignore obstacles that flight would negate.
Ghosts
Aspect: Nearly Invisible to the Naked Eye
Aspect: Lonely Assassin
They are the solo stealth specialists. they have a specialized skin treatment that allows for an active camouflage effect. they do not emit a high pitched whine as the other Sukar do. They also tend to be solo hunters with a great deal of autonomy. their best trait is stealth and they have the Back stab stunt, allowing them to use Stealth to attack when no one is aware of their presence. These should be serious threat to the player characters.
Fury
Aspect: Reanimated Horror
Aspect: Fast Attack Shock Troops
When the Sukar kill a non-Sukar they remove the head and replace it with a robotic "brain-box" that will cause the corpse to animate and they can control them remotely. They use them to soak up damage from the more dangerous threats(armies and such). It is also a terror weapon, as it is demoralizing to see the horrible leftovers of your fellow beings rushing down the field of battle toward you. They do not have much in the way of defenses, and their hands have been replaced with weapons(usually claws, though guns are possible). Furies do not have shields.
Space Ships
I have posted previously that I think ships in my game should not have a stress track. I still enjoy that concept the best. However I have been thinking on it and I will put an optional rule for stress tracks here. I will be calling the stress track Shields. This will be variable amount depending on the quality and size of the ship. You average civilian ship has one Shield box. Military Vessels have between two and four Shield boxes. The primary skills used for interacting with ships are Pilot(piloting obviously), Technology(for sensors and ECM), and Firefight(for firing the big guns).
Hyperspace Gates
Faster than light travel is accomplished by using hyperspace gates. These are massive constructed circles in space. They create wormholes between them. the only other way to create a stable wormhole is to use a massive hyperspace engine. Hyperspace engines take up so much space that it leaves little room for a crew or cargo. they are generally used to arrive at an ungated system and begin construction of a new Gate. This takes a while as they have to manufacture much of the equipment in system. They will build a small gate that will allow a few work ships through. Those ship will then construct a proper Hyperspace Gate. Often those old smaller gates are decommissioned, but not always. some times they are forgotten like old subway stations. they become a secret way into and out of the system.
Espers
Esp is called many things by many species: psi, magic, wyrd, or many other things. Espers have formed a few philosophies and movements throughout the galaxies. The two most known and influential being the Deija Empire and the Pou'ah Priesthood. The Deija used to be a fringe cult in the Nonaligned Worlds. Thirty years ago they instigated a coup on a planet and turned that into the beginnings of empire. within the Empire only Espers can hold office, they believe that knowledge is power and Esp give them the most knowledge, therefore they should have the power. The Pou'ah Priesthood is the single largest organization of Espers outside of the Deija Empire. They are ostensibly a peaceful group of Espers seeking union with the greater universe. They will teach anyone willing to learn, so many people seeking power will join the priesthood just long enough to learn the secrets of Esp. Think of it like Shaolin Monks, where the nobles would send there kids to the monastery to learn the martial arts.
Stunts and Weapons
There are two weapons that are the icons of the Deija. The Nano-whip and the Slick Sword. Both of these require the Close Combat stunt, Deija Weapon Training.
(Close Combat)Deija Weapon Training: You are able to use both the Nano-whip and the Slick Sword without danger of harming yourself. This stunt also requires the Esp skill at +1 or greater to use.
(Esp)Predictive Combat: You can use Esp in place of fighting when using a Nano-whip or a Slick Sword.
Nano-whip: It is a line of ultra dense cable only a molecule thick with a small weight at the end. It is normally stored in the handle on a spool. with the flick of a switch the line extends and you can attack with it. When swung it tends to crack like a whip and it will cut through just about anything.
Weapon: 4
Slick Sword: This is a sword with a blade only only one atom wide. It has a core of iron or steel to give it mass. these swords can cut through damn near anything. they are not sheathed in a normal sheath. There are two varieties of sheath for this weapon. The first uses a magnet to hold the blade steady so that it does not cut right through. the other is a special hilt that locks into the sheath and keeps the blade away from the edges of the sheath.
Weapon: 4
Each of these weapons is very difficult to use. If you fail the attack roll you take one stress. If you fail the attack roll by three or more you do weapon damage in stress to you. Taking the training stunt
Sukar
There were a couple of suggestions about the Sukar in my adventure. The first was if the Sukar were to capture the PCs what would they do? The Sukar are a vicious and xenophobic race that hates all life not them. they are mixture of the Reapers, the Daleks, and the Mechanoids. They are hate and destruction wrapped in a metal shell and layered with more weaponry than a tank battalion.
The other question had to do with the stats and description of the Sukar. I would prefer to leave the stats of the Sukar up to the individual GMs running them. What I will do instead is give a few notes on ideas for special abilities for the various body forms of the Sukar.
Screamers
Aspect: Flying Terror Machine
Aspect: Death Scream
They come in swarms of between five and ten. They use repulsor jets to hover and fly, it gives them a great deal of speed and maneuverability in the air. the normal high-pitched whine there is the roar of the jets, making for a terrifying sound right before the attack. They have the normal Sukar hexapod body type, each of the limbs is tipped with a weapon(ranged or close combat, up to the GM)
They have a flight ability which lets them use Momentum to fly. this allows them to create advantages relating to flight and ignore obstacles that flight would negate.
Ghosts
Aspect: Nearly Invisible to the Naked Eye
Aspect: Lonely Assassin
They are the solo stealth specialists. they have a specialized skin treatment that allows for an active camouflage effect. they do not emit a high pitched whine as the other Sukar do. They also tend to be solo hunters with a great deal of autonomy. their best trait is stealth and they have the Back stab stunt, allowing them to use Stealth to attack when no one is aware of their presence. These should be serious threat to the player characters.
Fury
Aspect: Reanimated Horror
Aspect: Fast Attack Shock Troops
When the Sukar kill a non-Sukar they remove the head and replace it with a robotic "brain-box" that will cause the corpse to animate and they can control them remotely. They use them to soak up damage from the more dangerous threats(armies and such). It is also a terror weapon, as it is demoralizing to see the horrible leftovers of your fellow beings rushing down the field of battle toward you. They do not have much in the way of defenses, and their hands have been replaced with weapons(usually claws, though guns are possible). Furies do not have shields.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Space Opera: Silence Falls Addendum
After getting some feedback on my first adventure I realized there were a few things I could have done differently. I also had a few thoughts on the previous adventure I would like to add to it. So here goes.
So in the previous post the adventure follows the path of the heroes landing on the planet of Silence and dealing with the problems from that end. In this installment we will look at what might happen should the players decide to try and take out/board the attacking alien ship.
The mission itself will be quite a bit more difficult than the ground mission. That does not mean it cannot be done, just way harder.
The attack run
The players will have to come up with a plan to either board or destroy(or board and destroy) the Sukar Destroyer. Getting in will be difficult. Unless they can figure a way to approach with stealth or subterfuge the Sukar will see them coming. They can use stealth, Technology, or Deceit(make this a pretty high difficulty) to create an advantage. Reconnoiter and Investigation could also aid in this plan. Then you must actually get in close enough to dock with or attack the Destroyer.
Many of the rolls for this will be Pilot and Technology. This will start as a contest between the Sukar and the PCs. If the Players win without the Sukar gaining a single success, then they make it without a hitch. For Every Success the Sukar get in the contest that is either a chase(separate contest) or a combat that occurs.
Finding the Weakness
Provided the Players make it to the ship they have a couple of options they can attempt to destroy it directly. The ship has six stress boxes and the standard consequences. It also will disgorge fifteen fighters a round to attack the player characters.This is not an optimal situation. The players can discover an obvious weakness, the armor plate does not cover certain parts of the ship. It defends with its armor skill, this skill is two higher than the highest pilot roll of the player characters.
Docking
Docking with the ship will require a very difficult Technology overcome roll, as this ship is a complete unknown and the technology in it is ancient. If the players succeed with style, no problems. If they succeed normally, the ship takes a minor consequence. If you tie the ship takes a minor consequence and the ship gains a free use of a new advantage(Alert to Intrusion) that will stay on the Destroyer for the rest of the conflict. If the roll is failed the character's ship takes a moderate consequence. Once docked the players must find a vital location and take advantage of it and get free of the station.
Making it to a vital location
there are a couple of key locations on the ship. The Control Room is in the center of the ship. If the players gain control of it they can do as they like with the ship. It is the best guarded and hardest to gain control of. The ships engines are also well guarded, but it will be easier than the Control Room. If you could set a cascade explosion within the hangar bays the combined explosives of all the fighters would cripple the ship. This is probably the easiest of the locations to get to, and the hardest to set up.
there are many ways to go about getting to the locations and attaining your goals, so I will not try to calculate all the different things that can be done. I will be just hitting the basics of this. Sneaking in will be a series of overcome rolls involving Stealth, or any other skill that makes sense. there is always teh direct approach, getting into larger and larger fights until you get to the location you wish. Also if your players have some kind of leverage on the Sukar they could try and negotiate.
Getting free alive
Escaping the ship will be difficult. If they have succeeded in sabotaging the ship then they must outrun the damage they have done to the ship. if they have failed in sabotaging the ship, or if they did not sabotage the ship then it becomes a contest to get free of the ship unnoticed. Again they could fight their way out of the ship, but this will get more and more difficult with each battle as more Sukar become aware of the problem on board.
OK, so that was a bit more on the previous adventure as well as some more rules and some clarifications. I hope this makes the game easier to play. I would appreciate any thoughts on how this could be improved, or any ideas on things I should add or rules you would like to see in the future.
The mission itself will be quite a bit more difficult than the ground mission. That does not mean it cannot be done, just way harder.
The attack run
The players will have to come up with a plan to either board or destroy(or board and destroy) the Sukar Destroyer. Getting in will be difficult. Unless they can figure a way to approach with stealth or subterfuge the Sukar will see them coming. They can use stealth, Technology, or Deceit(make this a pretty high difficulty) to create an advantage. Reconnoiter and Investigation could also aid in this plan. Then you must actually get in close enough to dock with or attack the Destroyer.
Many of the rolls for this will be Pilot and Technology. This will start as a contest between the Sukar and the PCs. If the Players win without the Sukar gaining a single success, then they make it without a hitch. For Every Success the Sukar get in the contest that is either a chase(separate contest) or a combat that occurs. Finding the Weakness
Provided the Players make it to the ship they have a couple of options they can attempt to destroy it directly. The ship has six stress boxes and the standard consequences. It also will disgorge fifteen fighters a round to attack the player characters.This is not an optimal situation. The players can discover an obvious weakness, the armor plate does not cover certain parts of the ship. It defends with its armor skill, this skill is two higher than the highest pilot roll of the player characters.
Docking
Docking with the ship will require a very difficult Technology overcome roll, as this ship is a complete unknown and the technology in it is ancient. If the players succeed with style, no problems. If they succeed normally, the ship takes a minor consequence. If you tie the ship takes a minor consequence and the ship gains a free use of a new advantage(Alert to Intrusion) that will stay on the Destroyer for the rest of the conflict. If the roll is failed the character's ship takes a moderate consequence. Once docked the players must find a vital location and take advantage of it and get free of the station.
Making it to a vital locationthere are a couple of key locations on the ship. The Control Room is in the center of the ship. If the players gain control of it they can do as they like with the ship. It is the best guarded and hardest to gain control of. The ships engines are also well guarded, but it will be easier than the Control Room. If you could set a cascade explosion within the hangar bays the combined explosives of all the fighters would cripple the ship. This is probably the easiest of the locations to get to, and the hardest to set up.
there are many ways to go about getting to the locations and attaining your goals, so I will not try to calculate all the different things that can be done. I will be just hitting the basics of this. Sneaking in will be a series of overcome rolls involving Stealth, or any other skill that makes sense. there is always teh direct approach, getting into larger and larger fights until you get to the location you wish. Also if your players have some kind of leverage on the Sukar they could try and negotiate.
Getting free alive
Escaping the ship will be difficult. If they have succeeded in sabotaging the ship then they must outrun the damage they have done to the ship. if they have failed in sabotaging the ship, or if they did not sabotage the ship then it becomes a contest to get free of the ship unnoticed. Again they could fight their way out of the ship, but this will get more and more difficult with each battle as more Sukar become aware of the problem on board.
OK, so that was a bit more on the previous adventure as well as some more rules and some clarifications. I hope this makes the game easier to play. I would appreciate any thoughts on how this could be improved, or any ideas on things I should add or rules you would like to see in the future.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Space Opera: Silence Falls
Introduction
Silence was Humanity's greatest accomplishment, a peaceful and prosperous colony world as beautiful as any in the whole of the known space. Something has gone wrong in paradise.
Overview
This is the first adventure in a campaign dealing with an ancient alien threat. This adventure is a bit linear, so be prepared for that. The adventure starts with the character's receiving a distress call from the colony world of Silence. Upon investigating they find that the colony is under attack by an unknown menace, apparently robots. They are systematically searching the colony world for something, killing all in their way. These beings are being led by an ex-task force member who has gone rogue in a big way. Can you discover what these hostiles want? Will you be able to stop them? Can you convince the rogue agent to turn back to the side of angels?
Scenes
The Terran Majority has received word of a discovery on Silence. They found something buried deep during a mine expansion. It is a piece of technology, ancient and of unknown design. The Majority, seeking to gain favor, has brought this news to the Charter of Allied Worlds(Space UN, thanks +Storm Bringer for that). The Charter has sent you, members of Shadow Legion(Special task force dealing with information and threat prevention), to investigate this piece of technology.
As you drop through the space gate warning klaxons blare, and the crew begins rushing about to battle stations. Upon investigation, the sensors show a massive ship in orbit of the planet and many small landing craft raining down upon the planet. There is a communications block upon the planet and the surrounding area. You are the only ship in range and the massive ship is of unknown origin. It is far larger than any ship in the Charter's fleet.
At this point there are several reasons for the players to want to go in and help/investigate. There is an unknown enemy attacking a Charter world. They could try and protect people. Try and shut down the jamming device to get word out to the rest of the Charter. They could try to gain information of many kinds about this new threat. Also the technology found in the mine could be in danger.
This is also a good time to create advantages and gain information to help in the coming scenes. A sensor check of Good(+3) or better will find the location on the planet they are attacking. they are attacking the capitol city, Serenity a mining town built at the base of a vast mountain range.
If there is a character of a piloting bent, they can make a piloting roll vs a difficulty of Great(+4). Succeed with style and the ship can drop you on the planet with no damage. Success means the ship has a mild consequence, if you tie you take a major and a mild consequence, if you fail the ship crashes but you are alright. If no one wishes to pilot the ship then the landing is made with as much or as little difficulty as deemed appropriate for the method of entry the players have chosen.
Beyond theGates
Upon making landing the players are now in a battle for life and death to seek out what this threat is and why they are attacking. depending on how well hidden the landing was, the characters could be attacked within moments of their arrival. the scenes of the city are all of fire and burning and bloody massacre. These aliens have, for some barbarous reason placed heads on tall spikes all around the city. When the players first find the aliens they are robotic looking hexapods, running on six legs for speed two legs for attack. When they are in groups there is a constant high pitched keening sound that comes from them, this is how they communicate. These are the Sukar an ancient and malevolent race. they are seeking the artifact and they are methodically killing everyone in the city.
Discovering what they are after is fairly easy. An Average(+1) Investigation roll will reveal that the Sukar are moving toward the mines steadily. A Good(+3) technology check on aSukar corpse will also reveal this. Also an Education roll versus a difficulty of Fair(+2) will show that these are not robots at all, but a cybernetic alien race.
A few scenes you can add in here:
A family on the run from a pack of Sukar. Make this as desperate and crazy as you can. This could be a combat scene, but then the Sukar will cut the family down. If the players would rather save the people rather than kill Sukar, it becomes a contest. Success means that the family gets clear, for every Sukar success in the contest one of the family members dies.
There are some people trapped in a collapsed building. Should the players wish to help them it is a Challenge scene. Some of the rolls that may be used to defeat this challenge are presented. A Fair(+2) Physique roll will clear some rubble. A Good(+3) Technology roll will free the stuck door. A Great(+4) Rapport roll will calm the people inside so they do not injure themselves in their hurry to leave. A Good(+3) Security roll will allow you to get into tight spots and find the best path out. there may be others as well, who knows how a player's mind may work.
A pack of Sukar set upon the characters. that is all there is to this scene. Just a fight. Use interesting zones and such.
The Tower
The Jamming device. It is a well guarded Tower setup on the outskirts of town. It is heavily guarded(at least triple the characters number in Sukar). There are many ways to try and take it out, as it is a fixed position. Should the players destroy it, there will be many distress calls going out, and the players will have access to their communication with the ship. Taking out the jamming Tower is the only way to let the ship know to come pick up the player characters. basically the adventure can't end until this tower is taken out.
The leader of the attack party is here as well. D'shavi Tu'rao, a former member of the Shadow Legion seems to be leading the Sukar into combat. If the characters have already seen the artifact then they will know that the Sukar hate all other sentient life in the galaxy, so this is a bit odd. If they get a chance to talk with him alone, they may find out much. He found them a while ago and they captured and interrogated him. He told them everything he knows of galactic civilization, he wants to live. they were about to kill him when they heard of the Artifact found on Silence. the technology resonated with certain scanners they have set up throughout the galaxy. he managed to convince them he would serve better as the leader of the attack party on Silence. He would do whatever they say so long as they didn't kill him. Somehow he convinced them.
The Artifact
At the heart of the city lies in the entrance to the mines. These are the most advanced mines in all of human space. it is a maze of giant tunnels seventy feet around. Great boring machines and haulers are parked near the entrance. the Sukar have taken complete control of the mines. the players will have to sneak by or fight there way in. Once inside it is a maze of tunnels, but it is orderly so if they have a map or are willing to roll Reconnoiter vs a difficulty of fair(+2) the characters can make there way to the new areas of the mine in short order. If they have any advantages relating to the mine system or the Technological artifact they can use them here. Have as many combat scenes or stealth scenes as you think appropriate down here. Awesome consequences for battle here is tunnel collapse, methane buildup and other underground dangers. eventually the characters will find themselves in the Artifact chamber.
That Noise in My Mind
the artifact is a large dome with dim lights glowing in moving patterns accross its surface. When the players get near to it it reacts. Any of the players with Esp can roll defense against it, otherwise the players are each given a mild consequence(Terrible foreboding) as they are forced to witness the death of a whole species.
The Artifact was known to its builders as the Archive. It was the collected knowledge of the entire race, known as the Nesseme. They were fighting a great enemy known as the Sukar. In th final days of the conflict they hid the Archive away, so that future races would not face the same fate as they did. Knowledge of the war and how it ended floods the characters minds. this is what causes the damage. Minds were not meant to process data this quickly.
Once that is over the Archive melts down. It is very old and fragile. the players got too close and it tried to transmit its data. It overloaded itself.
NPCs
D'shavi Tu'rao: A Gura of great renown as a galactic peacekeeper. He is one of the best fighters in the galaxy. He is self serving and logical. He tries to remove all emotion from his decisions. he believes in nothing but survival. It has given him the reputation of a bully.
Stats: Make him big enough to be challenging to your party, he will also have a high Deciet, he was able to convince the Sukar to believe him.
Aspect: Cowardly Genius Mercenary
Aspect: Love of self
Aspect: True Gura in heart and in mind
Aspect: Dead Men tell no tales
Aspect: Logical Brutality
The Sukar: a race that genetically engineered itself to near perfection(in its own view) they removed all emotions save for hate and a sense of racial superiority. They reached the limits of biology and began to augment them selves mechanically. Now they are as much as machine as a living thing. Powerful and enigmatic they destroy all suficiently advanced technological civilzations, as they might become a threat to the Sukar. Now the upon Silence an artifact was found, and archive of one of the Sukar's first enemies. They fear the information that might be discovered and have started the purge early.
Aspect: You are not one of us
Aspect: Control, Channel, Eliminate
Silence was Humanity's greatest accomplishment, a peaceful and prosperous colony world as beautiful as any in the whole of the known space. Something has gone wrong in paradise.
Overview
Scenes
The Terran Majority has received word of a discovery on Silence. They found something buried deep during a mine expansion. It is a piece of technology, ancient and of unknown design. The Majority, seeking to gain favor, has brought this news to the Charter of Allied Worlds(Space UN, thanks +Storm Bringer for that). The Charter has sent you, members of Shadow Legion(Special task force dealing with information and threat prevention), to investigate this piece of technology.
As you drop through the space gate warning klaxons blare, and the crew begins rushing about to battle stations. Upon investigation, the sensors show a massive ship in orbit of the planet and many small landing craft raining down upon the planet. There is a communications block upon the planet and the surrounding area. You are the only ship in range and the massive ship is of unknown origin. It is far larger than any ship in the Charter's fleet.
At this point there are several reasons for the players to want to go in and help/investigate. There is an unknown enemy attacking a Charter world. They could try and protect people. Try and shut down the jamming device to get word out to the rest of the Charter. They could try to gain information of many kinds about this new threat. Also the technology found in the mine could be in danger.
This is also a good time to create advantages and gain information to help in the coming scenes. A sensor check of Good(+3) or better will find the location on the planet they are attacking. they are attacking the capitol city, Serenity a mining town built at the base of a vast mountain range.
If there is a character of a piloting bent, they can make a piloting roll vs a difficulty of Great(+4). Succeed with style and the ship can drop you on the planet with no damage. Success means the ship has a mild consequence, if you tie you take a major and a mild consequence, if you fail the ship crashes but you are alright. If no one wishes to pilot the ship then the landing is made with as much or as little difficulty as deemed appropriate for the method of entry the players have chosen.
Beyond theGates
Upon making landing the players are now in a battle for life and death to seek out what this threat is and why they are attacking. depending on how well hidden the landing was, the characters could be attacked within moments of their arrival. the scenes of the city are all of fire and burning and bloody massacre. These aliens have, for some barbarous reason placed heads on tall spikes all around the city. When the players first find the aliens they are robotic looking hexapods, running on six legs for speed two legs for attack. When they are in groups there is a constant high pitched keening sound that comes from them, this is how they communicate. These are the Sukar an ancient and malevolent race. they are seeking the artifact and they are methodically killing everyone in the city.
Discovering what they are after is fairly easy. An Average(+1) Investigation roll will reveal that the Sukar are moving toward the mines steadily. A Good(+3) technology check on aSukar corpse will also reveal this. Also an Education roll versus a difficulty of Fair(+2) will show that these are not robots at all, but a cybernetic alien race.
A few scenes you can add in here:
A family on the run from a pack of Sukar. Make this as desperate and crazy as you can. This could be a combat scene, but then the Sukar will cut the family down. If the players would rather save the people rather than kill Sukar, it becomes a contest. Success means that the family gets clear, for every Sukar success in the contest one of the family members dies.
There are some people trapped in a collapsed building. Should the players wish to help them it is a Challenge scene. Some of the rolls that may be used to defeat this challenge are presented. A Fair(+2) Physique roll will clear some rubble. A Good(+3) Technology roll will free the stuck door. A Great(+4) Rapport roll will calm the people inside so they do not injure themselves in their hurry to leave. A Good(+3) Security roll will allow you to get into tight spots and find the best path out. there may be others as well, who knows how a player's mind may work.
A pack of Sukar set upon the characters. that is all there is to this scene. Just a fight. Use interesting zones and such.
The Tower
The Jamming device. It is a well guarded Tower setup on the outskirts of town. It is heavily guarded(at least triple the characters number in Sukar). There are many ways to try and take it out, as it is a fixed position. Should the players destroy it, there will be many distress calls going out, and the players will have access to their communication with the ship. Taking out the jamming Tower is the only way to let the ship know to come pick up the player characters. basically the adventure can't end until this tower is taken out.
The leader of the attack party is here as well. D'shavi Tu'rao, a former member of the Shadow Legion seems to be leading the Sukar into combat. If the characters have already seen the artifact then they will know that the Sukar hate all other sentient life in the galaxy, so this is a bit odd. If they get a chance to talk with him alone, they may find out much. He found them a while ago and they captured and interrogated him. He told them everything he knows of galactic civilization, he wants to live. they were about to kill him when they heard of the Artifact found on Silence. the technology resonated with certain scanners they have set up throughout the galaxy. he managed to convince them he would serve better as the leader of the attack party on Silence. He would do whatever they say so long as they didn't kill him. Somehow he convinced them.
The Artifact
At the heart of the city lies in the entrance to the mines. These are the most advanced mines in all of human space. it is a maze of giant tunnels seventy feet around. Great boring machines and haulers are parked near the entrance. the Sukar have taken complete control of the mines. the players will have to sneak by or fight there way in. Once inside it is a maze of tunnels, but it is orderly so if they have a map or are willing to roll Reconnoiter vs a difficulty of fair(+2) the characters can make there way to the new areas of the mine in short order. If they have any advantages relating to the mine system or the Technological artifact they can use them here. Have as many combat scenes or stealth scenes as you think appropriate down here. Awesome consequences for battle here is tunnel collapse, methane buildup and other underground dangers. eventually the characters will find themselves in the Artifact chamber.
the artifact is a large dome with dim lights glowing in moving patterns accross its surface. When the players get near to it it reacts. Any of the players with Esp can roll defense against it, otherwise the players are each given a mild consequence(Terrible foreboding) as they are forced to witness the death of a whole species.
The Artifact was known to its builders as the Archive. It was the collected knowledge of the entire race, known as the Nesseme. They were fighting a great enemy known as the Sukar. In th final days of the conflict they hid the Archive away, so that future races would not face the same fate as they did. Knowledge of the war and how it ended floods the characters minds. this is what causes the damage. Minds were not meant to process data this quickly.
Once that is over the Archive melts down. It is very old and fragile. the players got too close and it tried to transmit its data. It overloaded itself.
NPCs
D'shavi Tu'rao: A Gura of great renown as a galactic peacekeeper. He is one of the best fighters in the galaxy. He is self serving and logical. He tries to remove all emotion from his decisions. he believes in nothing but survival. It has given him the reputation of a bully.
Stats: Make him big enough to be challenging to your party, he will also have a high Deciet, he was able to convince the Sukar to believe him.
Aspect: Cowardly Genius Mercenary
Aspect: Love of self
Aspect: True Gura in heart and in mind
Aspect: Dead Men tell no tales
Aspect: Logical Brutality
The Sukar: a race that genetically engineered itself to near perfection(in its own view) they removed all emotions save for hate and a sense of racial superiority. They reached the limits of biology and began to augment them selves mechanically. Now they are as much as machine as a living thing. Powerful and enigmatic they destroy all suficiently advanced technological civilzations, as they might become a threat to the Sukar. Now the upon Silence an artifact was found, and archive of one of the Sukar's first enemies. They fear the information that might be discovered and have started the purge early.
Aspect: You are not one of us
Aspect: Control, Channel, Eliminate
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