Five Parsecs From Home: The Voyage of the Power Cruiser - Battle 3: Underground Complex

"Hey Boss, how much longer are we going to wait?"

 Arel glanced across at the mercenary who had spoken.  Eandyne was adjusting the combat blade on his infantry laser, trying to project an image of calm and collected professionalism, but obviously keyed up for action.

 Checking his chrono, Arel saw that a whole 12 seconds had elapsed since he last checked it.  Still over 30 minutes since the time they'd all agreed to meet.  They needed to move.  They were loitering out of sight of the main entrance to the Hirst Base tunnel complex, but someone was bound to notice them sooner or later.  Heavily armed, they were breaking several laws he knew of, and probably several more that he didn't, and they couldn't afford to get picked up by local security.  They wanted to get into the tunnels, grab anything expensive-looking and easily portable, and get out again before they were discovered.  The place was supposed to be almost empty because of the recent animal troubles, only a few brave or foolhardy souls still using the complex.  Sooner or later, the animals would be exterminated and it would be crowded again, and time was ticking away.

"We're going in now."  Arel stood up, spent a couple of seconds straightening the sling of his infantry laser, and looked expectantly at the rest of the crew.  "Dennio knew where and when we were meeting and we can't hold off any longer.  He can either catch up or meet us back at the ship."

Eandyne grunted his approval, finished with the combat blade and stood up.  Behind him, Larry hefted his colony rifle, while Hany checked the safety on his military rifle.  Eandyne could be trusted in a fight, but neither of the others had the same combat experience.  Despite that, Arel had to admit that they were a good addition to the crew.  Hany had contributed some much needed funds and Larry had a knack with technology that had already proven useful, and would no doubt do so again.  Arel absently patted the new jump belt that he wore, freshly repaired by Larry.  Larry spotted the movement.

"Yeah, maybe don't try it in the tunnels?" he suggested, "I like you captain, and I don't want to be scraping you off the ceiling."

 Arel chuckled and gave an "OK" signal.  He turned towards the tunnel entrance, and saw Gordi already poised to take the lead.  The graceful precursor had suprised him, using her speed to spearhead their first two missions together to deadly effect.  She was rapidly building in confidence and ability and had been training hard with her blast pistol and infantry laser.

An inquisitive bleeping noise made him turn to the last member of their little team.  The dustbin-shaped blue and white robot was a hanger-on that had turned up when they were trading some scrap after the last job.  There was a chance that it could come in useful, the Power Cruiser is old and battered, so having a robot to make external repairs in hard vacuum could come in useful.  The little manipulator arms sprouting from the rotund torso didn't look strong enough to hold the shotgun Dennio had given it, let alone aim it.  Well, time would tell.

Gordi leading the way, the group moved cautiously into the tunnel complex...

 After the fun with the polystyrene caves, I was asked to pull my boxes of Hirst Arts dungeon from their cupboard so that the crew could have an adventure in these.

Our next adventure will take place in Hirst Base, an underground complex constructed by some of the first settlers of Lissen to provide shelter in emergencies.  Unlike the caverns visited in the previous adventure, the complex is still in use today, providing storage, a couple of places to eat and a few traders.  There have been some recent incidents with local fauna which has apparently decided that the complex will make a nice den.  Perhaps this is an opportunity to help out the locals, get some goodwill and perhaps a small profit, too?  As "somewhat honourable bandits", there might be the odd item that they can, ahem, "liberate" on their way through the complex.

Pre-game sequence 

Because R2-D2 joined the crew after the last battle, they have 7 members and now need to pay 2 upkeep.

They pay off another 5 credits on their ship debt, gain another credit interest to leave them owing 8 credits.  They have only 1 credit remaining, so they need to earn somthing soon.

The crew prepare for their tasks:
Larry gets to work repairing the broken jump belt they traded for the salvage.  With his newly improved savvy of +2 and the +1 assistance of his repair bot, he easily gets the equipment fixed.

Arel goes trading and acquires a glare sword.

Eandyne also trades and brings goods aboard that will be worth 1D6 credits on another world (roll on delivery: on a roll of 1 they have expired).

Dennio goes exploring but gets lost!

Gordi trains more, as does Hany. Both gain 1 XP.

R2-D2 explores and overhears a RUMOUR.  He gets a tip from a contact.

Looking over their rumours, a QUEST begins!

Although no decoy was attempted, luck is with the crew and none of their rivals manage to locate them.

 Having decided not to seek any patron this turn, the crew decide on an opportunity battle. The Hirst Base undergound complex dates back to the early years of the Lissen colony.  It has been having some trouble with the local wildlife, the crew will move through, attempting to eliminate the threat on the way, plus stealing anything nice that isn't nailed down.  They've also heard about a peculiar item somewhere in the complex which should be worth a look.

The underground complex.

The far end of the complex includes a bunk room.

Bunk room.

Beyond the bunk room are cryocapsules, a refuge of last resort for the early colonists.

Cryo capsules.

Many of the rooms are rarely used now, other than for occasional miscellaneous storage.

Storage area.

The peculiar item is located in the depths of the complex.

"Peculiar Item." 

The entrance is more regularly used, and includes some public access terminals, a few seats and tables and some storage.

Entrance.

The old mess room is still sometimes used for meals.

Mess hall.

The battle

The crew gather... all except Dennio, who doesn't show.  They wait half an hour, but need to get started, so press on into the complex without him.
 

The crew prepare, just out of sight of the entrance.

 Hopefully Dennio will catch up with them in due course.

Dennio Arciark got lost and won't participate!

Deep within the complex, glistening bodies emerge from the underground river that passes through.  These are Krorg, with a speed of 5", +2 combat, +2 damage from their fearsome claws, toughness 6, a bonus of +1 to brawling if they initiate the attack, and a 5+ save for their tough hide.  Their size makes them easy targets though, giving opponents +1 to hit them.

The opponents.

6 of the beasts emerge into the corridors and rapidly seek prey... [Number Two Son liked the look of various other aliens in the box, so more than 6 are visible at times - the crew only needed to fight 6 of them.]

They flow through the storage room and to the entrance of the recreation room.  The occupants of the room freeze in horror as they see the beasts emerge.

The crew prepare to enter the complex, Gordi taking the lead as usual.

The crew prepare to move inside.

They move into the entrance.  Crowding robots and bystanders make it difficult to push their way through.

Gordi slips nimbly through the doorway, her blast pistol at the ready.

Gordi leads the way.

Deep within Hirst Base, fearsome creatures pursue some of the civilans through the corridors.

The creatures push further into the complex.

The beasts are gaining on some of the unluckier locals. 

Civilians flee before the beasts,

Two turn in horror as they hear the scratching of clawed feet behind them.  Can our heroes arrive in time to save them?

Some are not fast enough.

Nearer the entrance, some of the beasts are about to pounce on a diminutive alien trader.

Alas, our heroes are nowhere near enough to help the first two, so they get eaten.

Hearing the scuffle in the tunnels nearby and the screams of fear, Gordi leaps onto the nearest table and levels her blast pistol at the closest threat.

The beasts enter the mess hall.

 Slightly behind her, the rest of the crew have reached the anteroom between the entrance and the mess room.  Larry edges ahead and hunts for a target for his colony rifle.

Gordi's first shot has stuns the lead creature, offering the 2 fleeing civilians a chance to escape.

Gordi and the crew open fire.

 More fleeing civilians (and robots) jostle our heroes.  They need to spread out and help Gordi.

Battle event: Seize the moment!  Gordi gets to act in the Quick and Slow phases and manages to kill the first creature.  She moves back to put some distance (and a table) between her the the beasts.

Arel and Eandyne cut across to a different doorway to try and catch the creatures in a crossfire.  Even though Dennio is absent, his shotgun isn't.  R2-D2 has been given the weapon, and makes good use of it now, stunning another of the creatures.  Arel and Eandyne's fire is accurate and stuns it twice more, taking it out of the fight.

A third beast lopes out of the corridor and leaps at Arel.  Seeing its approach, Arel lets his infantry laser fall loose on its sling and activates his new glare sword.

Despite the beast's lashing tail and sharp claws, Arel is able to deflect the attacks with the flickering energy blade and stuns the beast.

In the mess hall, another of the creatures springs towards R2-D2.  The poor robot is totally outmatched and is knocked over backwards with a crash.

Seeing their new crew-mate fall, Larry and Gordi open fire, both hitting the creature and knocking it stunned back out of the mess room and into the corridor,

They keep firing, Hany joining them, and the beast is taken out of action before it is able to recover.

With a roar, two more creatures burst through the swirling gunsmoke and leap over the tables towards Hany and Gordi.

Look out!

Back in the corridor, the stunned beast tries to shake off the hit and renews its attack on Arel and Eandyne.

Gordi and Hany are both attacked by the creatures, but their position on top of the table must have done them some good, because somehow, incredibly, they both fight off the enemy!

Gordi, Han and Larry catch the beasts in a crossfire, stunning one and killing the other.

Arel and the creature fight, and this time it's Arel who is pushed back and stunned.

In the mess hall, the action comes to a head as the 3 crew members combine their fire on the remaining beast they can see, which soon succumbs to the fusilade of shots.

Eandyne provides good backup for Arel to recover, his infantry laser stunning the beast for a second time.

Taking the view that the best form of defence is offence, Arel and Eandyne both leap the the attack, glare sword and assault blade swinging into action.

Arel & Eandyne leap into melee combat.

A draw! The creature is saved by its tough hide, but both crew members go down, victims to the slashing claws and viciously whipping tail.

Gordi and Hany realise that they need to press the attack to save their comrades.  Vaulting over the tables, they dash round from the mess room, pursuing the beast as it flees past the water tank, towards Larry.

Larry keeps his calm and scores a hit on the approaching monster.  Gordi dashes into the tank room and chances another shot from behind the beast.

Caught in the crossfire.

Gordi gets close enough for a final shot and the creature is stunned into unconsciousness.

The last beast is taken down.

The crew gather by the doorway of the tank room, eager to check on Arel and Eandyne and try to move the casualties through the complex and back to the ship.

As they emerged into the daylight on the far side of Hirst Base, Dennio stood up from the rock next to the entrance, where he was sitting. "Well, thanks for nothing," he began agrily, "I've been waiting here since... since.... uh." He stuttered to a stop when he saw Eanyne's limp form being lugged by the others.  Annoyance turned to surprise, then shock, and finally guilt as he realised there were actually two entrances to Hirst Base.  He muttered an apology and hastened to help with Eandyne.

 

Phew!  That was a worrying game at times!  The creatures were incredibly tough, only one was killed outright, the toughness of 6 (and a lot of bad die rolls) and the 5+ save meant that the rest were only eliminated by piling up enough stuns to render them unconscious.  I did forget to give them their +1 attack bonus when they initiated melee combat, but I also forgot to give the crew +1 to hit the monsters, so it probably evened out.  Most of the rolls were either obvious hits or terrible misses anyway, very few near misses on either side.

We didn't play the entire game to its conclusion, but with all 6 of the creatures eliminated (ignoring the extra ones elsewhere in the complex), the crew would be free to stroll through as required, stopping off at the peculiar item as they go, so victory criteria would be fulfilled.

 Post-battle sequence

The crew pick up 5 credits from the bodies they find deeper into the tunnels.  As they made their way through the complex, they also picked up debris worth 3 credits on the scrap market.  They grab a couple of stimpacks they spot in a case of med supplies.

 

Casualties: 

Arel is lucky, he only has a minor injury.

After Eandyne's miraculous escape in the previous battle, his luck has run out.  He has a serious injury and will spend 4 turns out of action. 

R2-D2 just has a few dents and is fine once he is tipped upright again.

 

Experience: 

Arel gains 1XP for becoming a casualty, giving him 7XP.  He uses 5 to increase his speed to 5", leaving him with 2XP saved.

Eandyne gains 1XP and now has a total of 2XP.

Dennio gets nothing because he missed the fight. He has only 2XP.

Larry earns 3XP for surviving the battle, plus another 2XP for finding the peculiar item (random roll to see which survivor found it), so now has 6XP.  The extra knowledge that he gained allows him to improve his Savvy to +3.  With his repair bot giving him an extra +1, he is an absolute technical whizz now.  1XP is saved.

Gordi earned 3XP, plus another 1XP for causing the first casualty, so now has 8XP.  Her reactions are improved to 2, with 1XP left over to use another day.

Hany gains 3XP, giving him a total of 6XP.  All this action is toughening him up.  An increase to toughness 4 leaves him with no XP to carry over.

R2-D2 is a robot, so doesn't earn any XP.

 

Campaign event: As the crew wearily trudge back into the Power Cruiser, they notice a slightly odd smell.  A check of the environmentals uncovers a fault in the life support system.  They're OK here on the surface of Lissen, where they can cycle fresh air in from outside.  If they want to make space, they'll have to repair life support, and further investigation reveals that the entire system is shot.  They'll have to spend 6 credits getting it repaired.  That's what comes from having an unreliable merchant cruiser!

Character event: Gordi makes a local friend in Uphrois, the small alien that she rescued from the beasts in the tunnels.  Meeting up with it again in Hirst Base, Uphrois can't give anything other than thanks, but Gordi gains 1XP as a result.

Gordi and Uphrois talk.

Faction Event: Armed to the Teeth.  The Export Cartel are rumoured to have made a deal with smugglers to arm their enforcers with improved weaponry, increasing their power (Influence 4, Power 3). [I was late introducing the factions from the 5PH Compendium.  I've updated the previous Power Cruiser entries for Lissen (Introduction, Battle 1 & Battle 2) with some background.  There hasn't been any effect upon the campaign yet, but it will give some extra opportunities going forward.]

 Unknown to Gordi, a shadowy figure watched her meeting with Uphrais from across the room.  It giggled quietly and fingered the scrap pistol hidden inside its ragged jacket. "She's hereherehere, yes, yes, here, here. But get the others, they will want to know, heehee!"  It turned and slipped away down the corridor, into the gloom...

Five Parsecs From Home: The Voyage of the Power Cruiser - Battle 2: Salvage Job

I brought my polystyrene caverns out of the loft last weekend and Number 2 Son requested that we play a game in them.  He jumped at the chance to find out what happens in the next adventure of the crew of the Power Cruiser, and liked the sound of a salvage job exploring the mysterious tunnels...

Pre-game sequence

The crew pay their upkeep of 1 credit for food and lodging.  They still owe 21 credits on the Power Cruiser, they pay off 10 but 1 interest is due, so the remaining debt is 12 credits.  The crew also decide to spend an extra 4 credits on additional medical care for Dennio.  He won't be able to do anything for a few hours (can't be assigned a crew task), but at least he'll be able to join the crew on their next mission.

Arel and Larry are wary of the various rivals pursuing them, so head out to lay a few false trails as a decoy. Eandyne tries a little trading and acquires a stimpack that should come in useful.  Gordi trains with her infantry laser and blast pistol (+1XP).  Hany explores and makes a contact who wants a package delivered offworld (the crew will earn 3 credits on delivery; roll a D6, 1-2 the crew will gain a new rival but earn a story point).

Turns out Arel and Larry wasted their time - none of the rivals even show up in town to find the false leads, but no-one is complaining about that. 

The Power Cruiser's crew have heard about some old caves in the Iron Mountains, probably used by smugglers but rumoured to be abandoned now.  There could be something useful in there, so they decide to investigate, see if there's any interesting or profitable salvage.  Dennio still looks pretty rough, should he even be with them?  

 The Iron Mountains are so named for their high iron content, oxidation giving the rocks a reddish hue.  There are rumoured to be several cave complexes in the mountain foothills where the air is thin but still breathable without a mask, natural formations that have been adapted and expanded by smugglers and other ne'er-do-wells.  Far enough from the initial colony to have little chance of being disturbed, but close enough to make supply runs easy, they were the ideal base for anyone wanting to maintin a low profile.  As the colony expanded and foragers into the surrounding wilderness became more common than was comfortable, many of the smugglers moved on, leaving their caves abandoned.  Sometimes they left a few interesting items behind...

They split into 2 teams and start the next adventure.

 The battle 

Arel, Dennio and Larry set out for the what appears to be an old control centre in the main cavern near their entrance tunnel.  Blank display screens reflect their handbeams back as they cautiously enter the cavern.  Dust lies thick across the dead panels, but the floor shows signs of disturbance.  Small animals seeking shelter, other treasure hunters, it's hard to tell what has made the tracks or how long ago.  They proceed with caution.

 

Eandyne, Gordi and Hany come in through another tunnel, aiming for a small store room nearby.  Their handbeams pick out some crates and other stores against the red rock walls.

 

 Sensors have picked up 4 points of interest within the caves (green counters).  There are also 4 salvage items (gold counters). 

 In the control centre, Arel makes an interesting find at their first objective. They'll examine it in more detail after they get back to the ship but for now, Arel just grabs the long, metallic object lying on the control panel and shoves it in his bag.  Shortly afterwards, Hany Flemer locates the second item in the store room.  It turns out to be a secure stoage box.  Hany fiddles with the lock and manages to release it, revealing some useful ship parts (worth 4 credits off a ship upgrade).  He marks the crate with a glow-patch to retrieve on their way out.

 Contact! Gordi hears something down a side tunnel.  She switches off her handbeam and listens carefully, slinging her infantry laser and stealthily drawing her blast pistol, which will be more use in this confined space.  It's definitely footsteps approaching...

 Out of the gloom appear Colonial Mlitia, armed with colony rifles - but what are they doing here?  These caves are supposed to be abandoned.

Colonial Militia: Panic 1; Speed 4"; Combat +0; Toughness 3; AI Cautious 

 The militia seem surprised to see anyone in the tunnels and stand frozen as Gordi illuminates them.  She fires her blast pistol at short range and stuns the lead militiaman.  Eandyne moves up, takes a shot and misses.  Hany peers round the corner and squeezes off a shot with his military rifle and the second militiaman slumps against the wall. 

 Arrel and Dennio move through the control centre.  Hearing the sound of combat echoing through the tunnels, Larry splits off from their group, moving towards what looks like a connecting passageway that should take him to reinforce the other team. 

Gordi gets the drop on the already stunned militiaman, and this time her blast pistol finishes the job.

The other two crew members move quickly down the tunnel, stepping over the bodies to check round the corner.  3 more militia are moving through the caves towards them, though more cautiously after hearing the gunfire.  The pilot light for a hand flamer flickers menacingly across the tunnel walls.

The crew open fire, stunning the lead trooper.

Eandyne rushes forward.  The assault blade attached to his infantry laser flashes once in the light from their handbeams and the lead trooper falls to the ground with a muffled cry.

Obviously rattled, the second trooper fires but misses.  Eandyne quickly reverses his blade and cuts to the opposite side and the trooper won't get another chance.

The remaining militiaman brings up his weapon and Eandyne vanishes as a roaring gout of flame fills the corridor.  Luckily the others are just outside the area of effect and suffer nothing more than a few very nervous seconds!  As the flames die down and darkness returns, Hany dashes recklessly forwards and a lucky shot finds the militiaman, who keels over.

In the eerily empty caverns on the other side of the board, Dennio and Arel have each picked up some salvage.  They move back towards the larger cavern nearby.

 Arel cautiously makes his way through what appears to be some sort of sleeping quarters and common area.  His objective is in a storage room just round the next corner.  His handbeam picks out bunks along the rough walls of the chamber, dust-covered, vermin-nibbled and long-unused.  He edges around battered picnic tables, past beaten and rusted lockers.  There's a slightly unpleaseant smell in the stale air, long-spoiled food, maybe?  This place gives him the creeps, though he can't let the crew see that their captain is nervous!

Dennio takes a side corridor to explore the tunnels further, see if he can meet up with the others. Sudden bursts of gunfire and running feet echo from somewhere nearby.  Meanwhile, Gordi has located the fourth and final objective, which turns out to be an environmental threat.  Recognising the precariously balanced chemical cannisters dislodged by the militia in the recent skirmish, she carefully moves them to a safer position, thus preventing any hazardous spills that could affect the crew.  With the cannisters secure, she lets out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding.  As she turns away from the pile of stores, a rectangular, flat object lodged against the side of one of the crates catches her eye.  She tucks it in a pocket to be checked out when she's in a safer, more relaxed environment.

Arel locates the next objective.  Uh-oh... a distant crash echoes through the tunnels.  That doesn't sound like militia, there must be someone else down here too.

A Converted Acquisition Team has turned up!  3 Converted appear in the farthest depths of the caves near some abandoned machinery.  The lead Converted takes a pot shot at Gordi's distant sillhouette, but misses.

Comverted Acquisition Team: Panic 0; Speed 4"; Combat +0; Toughness 5; AI Aggressive 

3 more Converted are moving in from a neighbouring tunnel.

Having explored the 4 objectives and collected 3 items of salvage, the crew decide that discretion is the better part of valour and start to withdraw towards the exit.  They don't want to fight their way past 3-6 converted plus whatever contact lies between them and that final salvage.

Three of the Converted storm down the corridor towards the salvage.  The contact in their path turns out to be 3 more militia.  With no way out of the dead-end tunnel, things don't look good for those militia.

The crew quickly retrace their footsteps back through the tunnels.  Gunfire roars and distant screams echo from behind them, encouraging them to up the pace.  Larry and Hany scoop up Eandyne as they pass, his dragging heels leaving twin trails through the dirt and blood of the tunnel floor.

The crew have put enough distance between themselves and the converted.  They'll easily make it to the exit tunnels before they're in weapon range again.  As Larry and Hany stagger towards daylight and the thin, but fresh air, Eandyne begins to stir.  Turns out he was just knocked out - a hazard of tunnel fighting.  The flamer consumed so much oxygen that even though he wasn't badly injured, Eandyne still passed out.  Other than a few blisters and some slightly singed clothing, he's fine.

Post-battle sequence

Having escaped safely, the crew check their spoils.  Half the points of interest turn out to be junk, but underneath the ship parts in the box he found, Hany discovers some rare crystals which are worth 6 credits.  Gordi found a dataslate, maybe it was already in the corridor, but maybe it was dropped by one of the militia?  Whatever the reason, it is a rumour they can follow up.  Arel checks out the item that he found.  After cleaning it up and replacing the power cell, it turns out to be a Suppression Maul, which should come in handy for any future "close encounters".

Some local scrappers back in [starport] are willing to trade some items for their salvage.  The crew swap 2 salvage bundles for a broken jump belt that Larry thinks he can repair, but hang onto the remaining salvage.

Larry gains 3XP for surviving the battle on the winning side, bringing him up to 6.  He spends 5 and improves his Savvy by +1.

Eandyne only gains 1XP for becoming a casualty, but now he has 6 he uses 5 and improves his speed by 1".

Dennio gains 3XP to give 8, Gordi gains 3XP to give 9.  Both improve their combat skill by +1.

Arel gains 3XP to give a total of 6, and decides to save his XP.

Hany gains 4XP (3 for surviving plus 1 for causing the first casualty) and improves his toughness to 4.

Campaign event: While trading their scrap, the crew encounter an ownerless robot who agrees to join them in return for power and shelter.  R2-D2 is now a crew member.

 Character event: Dennio and Gordi have a heart to heart talk. Gordi feels that she isn't pulling her weight which is why she's been training on her marksmanship.  Dennio thinks he's cost the crew a lot of money in medical care but hasn't contributed much in return.  They're both reassured to find that they are mistaken and are both valued members of the crew.  Both gain 1XP

Faction event: The local merchant cartel gain public support, resulting in increased influence (Influence 4, Power 3).

That was very different from my previous salvage job, in which almost the entire crew was wiped out.  Although that was the playtest rules, I don't think there has been a huge change in the published rules, it was just luck in the number of contacts that appeared this time and during the fighting.  I didn't play all the way to the conclusion because it was clear that there was no way that any of the enemies could catch the crew before they escaped from the tunnels.  I've been asked to get the Hirst Arts dungeon out next, so that will be the destination for the next adventure.  Stay tuned for the further advebntures of the Power Cruiser!