Five Parsecs from Home: Battle 1

With the initial phases complete, it’s time for some action! Our heroes enter from the top left of the map, where the private transport from IMEC has dropped them.  The supply depot is quiet for now…

Our heroes enter top left...

 

At the centre of the depot is a small site hut surrounded by supply crates.

The supply depot.

An old robot stands slowly rusting behind barrels and machinery.

Supply depot and data terminal.

More crates, a computer console and some more machinery provide extra cover.

Supply depot.

Drock's contact approaches the rendez-vous.

Processing station.

A processing station sits on the hillside above the depot.

Processing station.

An additional processor is located on the small plateau nearby.

A small vent.

A small vent stack can be reached along a narrow walkway overlooking the depot.

Drock's buddy with some additional rumour for them.

The IMEC employee has some important papers that lend credence to the information they already have in Chotaar Tonn's notebook.

Depot site office.

The crew's objecive is to get to the depot and hold off the punks who intend to loot it.  The local authorities will be alerted when gunfire is heard, so the fighting needs to be concluded quickly.  2D6 is rolled each turn, if the number is equal or below the turn number, the game ends immediately and inconclusively.

The Misfortune's crew move in.

After the IMEC transport drops them off, the crew of the Misfortune approach on foot. Chotaar Tonn (a GZG Crusty is standing in for him today) is armed with a colony rifle with attached assault blade.  C4-RG0 carries a blast pistol and has a concealed blad mounted in his arm.  Cradling his autorifle, Corvash Drock cuts off to the side to find a good vantage point overlooking the depot. C-2P6 carries a colony rifle, as does Torv Galliash, though his boarding sabre is missing thanks to TRM-9's gambling.  TRM-9 has a simple handgun and tries to keep out of Torv's way. 

Punks advance ready to steal some supplies.

From the hills on the other side of the depot, the punks approach.  Their lieutenant is armed with a handgun and blade.  2 specialists are armed with a clingfire pistol and blade, handgun and ripper sword. The remaining 5 are armed with a mixture of colony rifles, scrap pistol, shotgun and military rifle.  All have a blade as a backup weapon.  Though aggressive, they are poor shots and can easily panic (1-3 on a D6).

The punks advance down the hill.

The punks spread out as they make their way down the slope.

The majority of the crew dash towards the depot.

Drock sets up his autorifle on its bipod from the cover of a small rise.  He settles his battle visor in place.  The rest of the crew dash down the hill into the cover of some trees.

Drock takes aim at the punks from behind a small rise.

Drock draws a bead on the punks and gently strokes the trigger.

Blam! Blam! Drock's shots take down 2 punks.

As the punks descend, the leader's head suddenly snaps back in a spray of blood. The specialist punk alongside barely has time to turn in surprise before he is thrown backwards, the report of the first gunshot arriving at the same time as Drock's second bullet.  A third punk falls to a shot from Torv Galiash.  At her cry of pain, the punks waver for a moment but recover their resolve and dash forwards.

Chotaar Tonn approaches the centre of the depot.

Chotaar Tonn dashes all the way to the edge of the depot.  Their contact is visible, making his way towards them.

The punks move into cover overlooking the depot

Acting aggresively, the punks charge down the slope to a cliff overlooking the depot.

The crew are entering the depot from the ther side.

While Drock remains on the hill rattling off shots with his autorifle, the others rapidly move downslope.  C-2P6 and C4-RG0 follow Chotaar into the edge of the depot.

The remainder of the crew prepare to give covering fire.

Torv stays in the cover of the trees with his rifle trained on the punks.  TRM-9 is dawdling behind the others, he isn't really built for this terrain, or for combat, and he only has a pistol.

The two sides close rapidly.

Though at long range at present, the two sides will soon be within pistol range.

One of the punks approaches C4-RG0.

C4-RG0 dashes across the depot to the cover of the site office. One of the punks jumps down the rock face and approaches around the side of the building.  The other punks clamber down to a lower cliff immediately behind the depot.

Will there be melee combat soon?

C4-RG0 is in an isolated position, will the others be able to support him?

Torv Galliash is stunned by an enemy bullet.

Though poor shots, the punks are firing enough that they are bound to hit someone sooner later, purely through luck.  In this instance, it's Torv Galliash who takes the bullet from the long-ranged military rifle carried by one of the punks.  Fortunately he is only stunned.

One of the punks is stunned by return fire from Drock.

Drock keeps up his supporting fire.  Although he doesn't replicate the success of his opening volley, he wings one of the punks, leaving him stunned.

More of the crew move through the depot.

C-2P6 enters the depot. Chotaar is already in contact with Drock's IMEC acquaintance.

The notebook is handed over.

The documents are handed over.  Another clue for our heroes!  Now they just need to stay alive and defeat the punks before the local cops arrive.

C4-RG0's concealed blade downs the nearest punk.

C4-RG0's auditory sensors hear the thudding footsteps as the punk dashes towards him. He leans around the corner of the site office and flicks his concealed blade across the gap.  The startled punk gapes at the blade protruding from his chest before collapsing to the ground.  Their attention focussed on their enemies elsewhere, the remaining punks don't react to their companion's demise.

Drock's autorifle stuns another punk.

The stunned punk on the cliff shakes his head and steadies his weapon... only for Drock's next burst of supporting fire to catch him and stun him once more.

More punks leap down the rocks and into the depot.

Continuing their aggressive response, 2 more of the punks jump down into the depot.

Gunfire from the crew eliminates 2 more punks.

The documents tucked safely in his jacket, Chotaar charges forwards and eliminates one of the punks with a well-aimed shot.  From the cover of some crates, C-2P6 fires at the cliff and another punk collapses.

The 2 surviving punks flee the field.

The 2 surviving punks have had enough.  Abandoning their 6 comrades, they flee the field, leaving our heroes in control.

The surviving punks have fled, leaving only bodies behind them.

The punks have been defeated and our the crew of the Misfortune hold the field.  A check of the bodies scattered across the depot and hillside yields a handgun and a blade.  A Nerve adjuster is also found, this could come in handy in the future (gives the user a 5+to avoid a stun result).

With the field theirs, the crew are victorious.

 With their first mission successfully completed, it's time to get paid.  5 Credits plus an extra 3 credits of danger pay gives a good start for their adventure...

Five Parsecs from Home - introduction and campaign turn 1

I recently pre-ordered the new 3rd edition of Five Parsecs from Home.  5PH is a solo semi-roleplayng wargame with a detailed campaign structure and, like Rogue Stars, it's a system that allows you to use all sorts of models from your collection that maybe don't see the light of day often enough.  It's also an excuse to buy lots more models paint up some of those figures that I haven't yet got around to.

Without further ado, let's meet the crew of the Misfortune, a retired scout ship with only a few thousand light-years on the clock...

 [Chotaar Tonn is still awaiting painting...*EDIT - now he's finished, so I've added him here*]

Chotaar Tonn

Chotaar Tonn is a petty criminal.  A Nagrican, he hails from a proud warrior race (K'Erin in the rulebook but I'm substituting an alien from Nagrica), he grew up on an industrial world where there was little opportunity to demonstrate his prowess.  Travelling to the local hyperspace hub of Falgan brought new opportunities, but falling into the wrong company, he seemed set for a life of low-level crime.  Until, that is, he came into possession of a certain notebook of evidence that may rock the Neo-Colonial Commonwealth and offer a true chance for glory.  Chotaar Tonn is a Horgosi from Loud Ninja Games/Alternative Armies pack RAP021

C-2P6

C-2P6 is a protocol droid, stolen and reprogrammed by Chotaar for a scam that never got started.  See-two constantly complains about how he misses his old life...  C-2P6 is a servant droid from GZG pack SG15-V16.

Corvash Drock

Corvash Drock is a local enforcer.  Growing up in a lower class megacity on Falgan, Drock's parents instilled in him a sense of honour and tolerance that left him feeling out of place amongst a lot of the local gangs.  Law enforcement seemed the logical career path.  His acceptance of others led to him being one of the few enforcers willing to work with the mutant Torv Galliash.  Drock is a bit of a gadget man and is always on the lookout for a bit of new tech that might come in useful.  Corvash Drock is a mercenary from GZG SG15-M04.

C4-RG0

C4-RG0 is another robot, this time cargo handling droid.  Cargo handlers get a lot of knocks and Seefour is a tough cookie with something of an explosive temperament, as befits his name.  Chotaar picked him up at a bargain price whilst looking for an extra crew member.  C4-RG0 also comes from GZG pack SG15-V16.

TRM-9

TRM-9 is a technical repair and maintenance robot and helps Chotaar keep the Misfortune running smoothly, though its lack of social skills mean that personal relationships can run somewhat less smoothly...  TRM-9 is a workbot from GZG pack SG15-V13.

Torv Galliash

Torv Galliash is a mutant, also a local enforcer from a lower-class megacity on Falgan.  He and Drock have known each other for a long time and are firm friends.  Shunned by many because of his disfigurement, Galiash often wears a mask and rarely mixes with others (not permitted to look for patron or recruit new cre members).  Galliash has dreamt of escaping the slums for adventure in the stars and it was he who saw the opportunity represented by Chotaar Tonn's notebook.  Torv Galliash is a GZG civilian/colonist with a gas-mask headswap (from GZG extra heads pack).

The group came together when Drock and Galliash questioned Chotaar Tonn in relation to a couple of recent incidents involving illegally reprogrammed robots suspiciously similar to those on Tonn's ship.  Whilst frisking Tonn for weapons, they discovered the notebook and on flicking through it,Galliash was stunned by the information within.  He has been instrumental in bringing the group together and persuading them that this is an opportunity they can't pass up.  He and Drock feel betrayed by the government they serve and Tonn's search for glory and adventure will become their own.

Falgan is a major transport hub in the Neo-Colonial Commonwealth and it's rare to find someone who hasn't heard of Falgan Transport and Logistics.  "Get your package there fast - send it FTL!".  Falgan is an expensive world (high cost - extra 2 credits upkeep to keep the crew fed or oiled & charged) and a Freelancer's Licence (5 credits) is needed for independent contractors to operate in-system.

Before selecting a mission, the crew do some work.  TRM-9 tries to forge a Freelancer's licence but fails, so they have to sell a couple of scrap pistols in order to stump up the cash for permissions.  They have no money left so they need to come up with a plan quickly.  If they can find a local job, they might earn enough to keep them going but the increased cost of living on Falgan will be a drain on their resources.  What they really need to do is earn enough to make a break for it and travel to a different star system.  The crew split up to carry out a range of tasks.

TRM-9 tries his hand manipulatory appendage at gambling but proves miserably inept and loses a prized boarding sabre belonging to Torv Galliash. It's not all doom and gloom though, the crew get a bipod (+1 to hit at ranges over 8" when aiming or firing from cover) for Drock's autorifle and he also acquires a battle visor (reroll any 1s on the firing die).  C4-RG0 manages to obtain a deflector field whilst trading.  Another crew member provides him with a concealed blade that can be built into his bulky forearm.  Chotaar Tonn fits an assault blade to his colony rifle (gains melee trait, damage +1 and wins combat on a draw). C2-P6 doesn't find anything useful for the crew, but decides that Falgan is actually somewhere that he might want to stay, even if the others leave.  It's a nice place, and outside the slums around the starport it's much more cultured and there are plenty of opportunities for a 'bot of his abilities.  Torv Galliash makes a contact who seems to know something about Chotaar Tonn's notebook (+1 rumour) and suggests that additional clues might be found in another star system.

Corvash Drock happens to have an old buddy in IMEC who has heard of Drock's hopes of leaving the system and has pulled a few strings.  The Interstellar Mining & Extraction Consortium has operations in scores of systems and sometimes hire local muscle if their own security teams need to be augmented or replaced.  In this instance, a group of local punks has been looting a small depot just outside the city limits.

Punks ready for a bit of raiding.

IMEC would like the punks to be discouraged during their next raid - "discouraged with extreme prejudice" was the actual phrase that was used.  This is a one-time offer, IMEC need to maintain plausible deniability and they won't make any further contact with the crew.  To reflect this, they're willing to pay good danger money (+3 credits plus roll twice and choose highest roll for mission pay), good enough to get the Misfortune fuelled and on course for adventure off-world.  IMEC will also provide private transport for the crew, allowing them to get to the depot unobserved.  Local authorities will be on the scene soon (brief engagement - roll 2D6 each turn to see if game ends) so the crew need to deal with the punks quickly and efficiently.  Drock's friend (a person of interest) has agreed to meet them on site to provide some additional information (+1 story point).  He has also come into possession of a second notebook (+1 rumour) which offers additional tantalising clues for our heroes.  He's done his best to help Drock, so the crew had better move fast to eliminate the punks and take full advantage of this opportunity.  This is their chance to earn enough credits to make it off-world!