Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Legionnaire on December 21, 2023, 09:12:35 PM
-
I've had my eyes on the ruleset for some time. I finally took the plunge and bought it. As it's only for my own amusement, I have ordered some Corvus Belli card scenery and printed out some 30mm scale miniatures.
The crew:
Archibald Dhosh-Whonga (Human/ Captain)
Disgraced noble. His family tired of his loafing around and cut his allowance. Uncle Rufus lent him an old diplomatic vessel and now he has to make his way in a vast galaxy.
Sister Barbarita (Empath/ Councellor)
Uncle Rufus hopes she will have better luck guiding Alistair than his own family. As a nun of the Holy Order Muckmuck, she carries a high tech energy blade. It can cut through most things but she prefers to talk to people. Her Mother Superior gave her a mysterious Crystal...
Atlas Copco (Engineer/ Ship Mechanic)
Atlas can talk to machines and has spent most of his adult life in one military service or another. Now he feels he needs a change of environment. The only crew member with any combat experience.
Hyacinth Begonia (Human/ Agent)
She proclaims she's a librarian and few people even remember she was there. A great skill to have when you're a government agent on the run!
Daphnee Rubenstein (Human/ Ad Hoc Medic)
She grew up in the gutter and with determination she has left her humble beginnings behind. A one-way ticket to the stars and she has just mustered on. She dreams of becoming a doctor one day.
-
FIRST CAMPAIGN TURN
"Zygnus VII... what a dump!" Archibald thought as he waited impatiently in the customs queue. When the offical informed him that he had to a) have a license to ply his trade and b) the obscene sum to buy said license, Hyacinth smoothly produced a document from her briefcase. The official seemed to scrutinize the document forever but finally he grunted and handed it back, waving them through.
(License required, costing SIX credits :o, I rolled for Forgery and of course the spy on the run has got one handy lol)
When they were all together they considered their options. There seemed to be a lot of restrictions on a lot of things, travel outside of the city centre was heavy regulated.
(Travel Restrictions, only one crew member per Campaign Turn can Explore)
Archibald, being a friendly sort, soon managed to interest a young man, Torbein, in helping them out. He said it could be dangerous but the young only smiled and said "Ja, ja, zat's ok!"
Atlas, ever being the quartermaster, decided to check out the market for some useful goods. For this purpose he had "borrowed" Alistair's last bottle of Finlordian Konjak. He got a very good deal and put the money into procuring some much needed medical supplies. They needed those more than a bottle of 35 year old brandy...
Sister Barbarita went to talk to those that uncle Rufus had sent a letter of introduction to, to help young Alistair on his way. She was also told by Hyacinth that she "knew some people here", so she spoke eloquently with both parties.
Hyacinth "went for a walk", and when she came back she spoke at great length in hushed tones with Sister Barbarita. The nun mulled things over and turned that peculiar crystal over in her hand...
Daphnee, not one for dragging her feet, spent the day at the gym and the shooting range. She was determined to make a good impression and showing herself capable.
(Archibald Recruited one crew member, Atlas Traded, Sister Barbarita looked for Patron and found 2! Hyacinth Explored and purchased 2 Rumours from an Info Broker, total of 3 Rumours now! Last but not least, Daphnee Trained and earned 1 XP).
Sister Barbarita had much to tell. There was no shortage of job offers and there also was a matter of... personal interest.
(2 Patrons offered Jobs. One Private Organisation, Move Through Scenario against 4 Guild Troopers and with Bitter Struggle special conditions, has to be done in the next 3 Turns.
The other, Corporation, with some better Danger Pay, Protect Scenario against 8 Space Pirates with Caught Off-Guard special condition. Has to be done THIS Turn. Also the scenario I'll go with.
With 3 Rumours, I roll a 2 and get a Quest! Rolling it up I decide that'll have to wait until we are more experienced...
Bitter Struggle, Acquire Scenario against 4 Krorg! (Mean armoured bear beasts that can rip you apart...)
If all goes according to plan, first ever game taking place this weekend. Looking forward to that :D
-
Sounds great! I purchased and read through the rules/campaign rules earlier this year. I would love to meld the campaign onto another set of rules (Galactic Heroes from Wiley Games). And I'd also like to make it a large enough crew that each player could control 2-3 figures.
Either way, I love the way 5 Parsecs grafts a continuing storyline onto a series of encounters. Great idea, and I wish more skirmish rules sets did this. I'm interested in hearing how the crew fares on their expedition.
Mike Demana
-
Sounds great! I purchased and read through the rules/campaign rules earlier this year. I would love to meld the campaign onto another set of rules (Galactic Heroes from Wiley Games). And I'd also like to make it a large enough crew that each player could control 2-3 figures.
Either way, I love the way 5 Parsecs grafts a continuing storyline onto a series of encounters. Great idea, and I wish more skirmish rules sets did this. I'm interested in hearing how the crew fares on their expedition.
Mike Demana
Thank you kindly Sir!
I do get my gaming fix on an irregular basis, mostly due to work interfering. I always have an idea kicking about for a game, but then it can take a long time before I get it realised. This little rule set fits me nicely, although I already had a couple of ideas regarding the crew so I took a few liberties lol, mainly about their background.
I'm very much looking forward to getting stuck in, already have the fluff for the first mission sorted out.
-
Those characters are great artwork.
-
Those characters are great artwork.
They are made by a gentleman called David Okum, he has a LOT of different artworks on drivethrurpg and patreon I believe. Suitable for almost any kind of games you can imagine playing.
-
Homemade stat cards and most of the relevant information so I won't lose track of things that might turn out to save the day lol.
Discovered I had done it wrong so had to re-roll most of the crew's starting equipment. As Atlas Copco is the only one with any kind of combat experience (ex Mercenary and grew up in a military environment), he is now armed with a beast of a gun :o. Auto Rifle (think GPMG), with Bipod, Assault Blade and Tracking Sight...
-
Always nice to see another 5 Parsecs campaign on the go.
I like both the card characters and the character cards! Great ideas.
My own campaign has stalled for about a year due to Real Life (tm) but I still intend to get the crew of Freetrader: Destiny's Child back in (20mm) action.
It's a lovely game system and the new compendium will make it even better.
Since it's solo there's no one to complain if I invoke "rules are for the advice of wise men and the adherence of fools" to make a better story! :)
Sounds great! I purchased and read through the rules/campaign rules earlier this year. I would love to meld the campaign onto another set of rules (Galactic Heroes from Wiley Games). And I'd also like to make it a large enough crew that each player could control 2-3 figures.
Mike, there are rules for co-op games with multiple ship crews, though you'd be looking at 5 or 6 figures each rather than 2-3. That said, I don't think it would be beyond the bounds of possibility to run crews of 3 opposed by half the standard number of opponents per player.
I have to say I like the 5 Parsecs combat system. Quick and brutal ... but not regularly fatal!
-
First game played! I like how quick it moves along, still scope for tactics, different AI behaviour for enemies. I do like how easy it is to resolve what happens (are you hit? how bad is it?). I was a little concerned when the Captain took a stray shot in round 1 (Stun) and Daphnee got Injured in round 2, but luckily I had 2 Stim packs so used one. I can see how valuable they are going to be...
Tables there are an abundance of, but I like that you rarely have to look anything up once you've started playing. I have stat cards and the enemy sheet at hand and then you're basically ready to go. The tables are for fleshing out the story before and after.
I also like the Morale system, nice and easy and I think it makes a lot of sense; Pirates bailing on 1-3 aren't the bravest troops around so it was lucky for us 3 enemies backed out. With a starting number of 8, with TWO Auto Rifles and the rest armed with Military Rifles, they had a LOT of firepower. But like us, mostly hits on 6's (or a total of 6+). Cover IS your friend :). Atlas, having Combat +1 and an Auto Rifle equipped with Tripod, Assault Blade AND Tracking Sight could potentially hit an enemy in Cover on a 3+ :o. Glad he's on my team...
And of course, the approach that once you've purchased the game, you can do what you like with it is very appealing. I had a few ideas about the backgrounds of some members, so I picked the things from the list that were closest instead of rolling, which worked very well.
All in all, I'm VERY impressed with this little gem.
AFTERMATH
Protect scenario solved within 4 rounds, +2 Credits bonus for efficiency.
4 Credits
+2 for Danger Pay.
Total of 8 Credits.
No Crew member in Sick Bay (have a Nano Doc on standby)
A curious data stick (+1 Rumour or +1 Quest Rumour)
Deflector Shield
Needle Rifle in need of Repair (for Atlas to sort)
Shell Gun in need of Repair (for Atlas to sort)
The Crew has now got the GaoXing LaoPai (Happy Old Geezer) Corporation as Patron. Hyacinth has ties to them so they are some sort of shady data gathering organization, posing as a noodles and rice/ food company.
Everyone got 3 XP
Atlas earned +1 XP for having the first kill on the team
The crew overheard something interesting prior to the fight (+1 Rumour)
Hyacinth can't mask herself as a librarian anymore so she put on her Security Bureau uniform (she's an intelligence operative on the run)
-
Good looking game and nice commentary.
Glad the crew came out intact and they gathered a decent haul of creds and equipment as well as some useful XP and a rumour. Great start.
I look forward to the crew's future progress.
-
Good looking game and nice commentary.
Glad the crew came out intact and they gathered a decent haul of creds and equipment as well as some useful XP and a rumour. Great start.
I look forward to the crew's future progress.
Thank you kindly Sir!
Mostly Corvus Belli scenery pack, very affordable preprinted card scenery, less than £9 for some of them. A car wreck from Fallout Wasteland Warfare I bought of a chap who'd painted it nicely, some other bits and bobs and hey presto. That wrecked Protectron is a very nice piece, made by the same chap who did the car wreck.
I have a Quest "activated" but as I don't think we are hard enough yet to tackle it, I put it on the back burner. I think one level or two needs to be had before I try this on. Enemies Toughness 6, Armour 5+, Morale 0... I think right now they will spit us out without even chewing lol.
Totally agree. With most combatants, on either side, hitting on only a straight up 6, it could go either way. We could've ended up taking a casualty or two, maybe they had held on for longer (higher Morale checks) and then it'd be a totally different game. Having the Auto Rifle was a BIG BIG help, two shots and a decent chance to hit. Hitting same target OR a target up to 3" away, well, this one is a keeper lol
I think my first training priority is to give Daphnee Medic Training. I always like to have options to come back when things go south :D
-
While the iron's hot and I have time on my hands.
FIRST BATTLE INTERLUDE
Flush with both success and cold hard cash, the team went on a well deserved night out. Waking up in the morning the day after, SOMEONE had bought a Duplicator, but it was unclear who had done it. Archibald felt a new found responsibility and put some money towards paying off the debt of the space ship.
(Spent 3 credits and received a Duplicator, paid 1 credit upkeep and spent another 4 in total to bring the debt down by 3 credits after tax. Total 8 credits spent, 6 left in the bank account.)
When the crew had been fed and watered, there was lots of work to do. Atlas tinkered most of the day with the faulty Needle Rifle and Shell Gun, but was only able to make the Needle Rifle fit for service, the Shell Gun needed some replace parts that he was waiting for.
Captain Archibald scored some assorted trade goods and locked them up safely but hoped they wouldn't perish waiting for a customer.
Sister Barbarita spent most of the day socializing and getting to know many people in the city, she heard many interesting life stories.
Hyacinth talked to Mr Sorensen, who happened to have another job for the "competent" crew. He was well impressed with their work so far and happy to pay extra for their time.
Torbein, the newest crew member went to the shooting range and did some working out, never hurts to show the paying bosses you're on top of things.
Daphnee went shopping and impressed everyone when she came back with a large collection of repair parts for the ship, which would no doubt come in handy in the near future.
(Atlas tried to Repair the two broken weapons but only succeeded on the Needle Rifle. Archibald and Daphnee Traded. Archibald got some Trade Goods, worth 1D6 if travelling to another planet but on a 1 it's worthless and has perished. Daphnee managed to score 6 Credits worth of Starship Repair Parts. Sister Barbarita Explored and earned 1 Story Point. Hyacinth went to the Patron, Mr Sorensen, manager at GaoXing LaoPai Corporation and got a Patron Mission. Torbein Trained.)
Mr Sorensen needed a data extraction unit delivered to an industrial site. The mission was complicated by the unhealthy environment and some mercenaries in the vicinity, unclear what they were doing there. However, one of the mercenaries, a Talbot Grumm, was of interest to GaoXing Laopai, and if they would eliminate this person, they would earn a significant bonus. It was not an urgent matter but they would appreciate if it was being done within the next week or two.
(Patron mission, +2 Cr Danger Pay, otherwise nothing extra. Toxic Environment and Priority Target. Deliver mission.
Facing off against 6 Unknown Mercenaries, 4 Mercs, 1 Specialist and one Lieutenant. Mercs armed with Hand Lasers, Specialist Rattle Gun and Lieutenant Auto Rifle. One of the 6 mercs will randomly be designated Talbot Grumm. That figure has Toughness 5 and is if eliminated worth 1D3 Credits as a bonus. The mission has to be done this Turn or the following 2).
-
Excellent stuff.
You are inspiring me to get back into my campaign.
-
Excellent stuff.
You are inspiring me to get back into my campaign.
Thank you kind sir.
I am initially trying out 10 campaign Turns to see what happens and I aim to play one game a week when I can, which should be doable. Too often work and life interferes and stalls things but I have recently bought a small collapsible table so I can have things set up for a day or two if I'm on a roll, which should be easier to motivate. More gaming later today!
-
"How wonderful to see you again," Mr Sorensen beamed at them in his cozy office and indicated that they should take a seat.
"As it happens, I have another little matter that I would appreciate if you had the time to sort out for me. It's not urgent, in the next couple of weeks is fine."
"We haven't got anything better to do at the moment Mr Sorensen, so we are all ears," Archibald made himself comfortable in a large chair.
"Splendid! This is a data unit, encrypted of course, and I need you to head here," he brought up a picture of what more looked like the city dump than a habitable area on the vid screen.
"Look at those environment readings," Daphnee whispered.
"They are off the scale, it's a toxic soup there. Don't want to get any of that nasty soup in your lungs."
"True," Mr Sorensen acknowledged.
"But nevertheless, I need some data gathered. There's a jackpoint here," a point on the vidscreen lit up.
"There's also the small matter of a personal request. Amongst the mercenaries inhabiting the area, there's a man called Talbot Grumm," Mr Sorensen looked like he had bit into a lemon. The statement was followed by the picture of a pockmarked man with a thin moustache.
"If you made sure that this specimen couldn't sully our streets with his presence anymore, I'd be ever so grateful and give you a substantial bonus, paid out of my own pockets." That got everyone's attention, it's very rare for a corpo rep to pay with their own money, he really didn't like Talbot, that much was clear!
"Consider it done Mr Sorensen!" Archibald rose and shook his hand, sealing the deal the old fashioned way.
"Thank you. Now, I'm sure you have lots of preparations to undertake so I shall take up no more of your valuable time. I hope to hear of your success very soon," Mr Sorensen smiled at them again and they were escorted out by the secretary.
(Battle number TWO. The Patron GaoXing LaoPai Corporation has got a Delivery Mission. Within the next 3 Turns, but I do it now as it's the best on offer this turn. Toxic Environment and Priority Target. Opposition is 4 Unknown Mercenaries with Hand Lasers, 1 Specialist with Rattle Gun and 1 Lieutenant with Auto Rifle.)
POST BATTLE SEQUENCE
8 Credits (roll of 4, Danger Pay +2 and Priority Target +2 Credits)
Seeker Sight (given to Archiebald to be fit on his new Needle Rifle)
Due to the Environment Hazard Event in Turn 2 which injured both Sister Barbarita and Hyacinth, I ruled that the Stimpack was not available and both got sent to Sick Bay. I had one Nano Bot so Hyacinth got immediate treatment. I was lucky and Sister Barbarita had only suffered minor injuries, 1 Campaign Turn in Sick Bay so no Campaign Job for her.
After all the XP had been handed out, these are the improvements the crew made:
Atlas +1 Toughness (Toughness 3 as he's a frail Engineer)
Daphnee +1 Combat
Torbein +1 Combat
The tax man takes an interest in the ship and leaves Archibald gasping for air as he's ordered to pay SIX Credits :o in excess taxes OR having the ship impounded! Grumbling he makes the transfer, nearly wiping out the crew's profits :-[.
More disaster follows, Torbein is injured while working on the ship, he has to spend 1 Campaign Turn in Sick Bay and the ship is also damaged in the process (1 Hull Point), That is fixed with the repair parts Daphnee procured earlier.
-
Nice battle report and storyline. That's what I like about Five Parsecs, is the way everything is placed into a proper story. Sounds like a tough run of luck, though.
Keep up the reports!
Mike Demana
-
Nice battle report and storyline. That's what I like about Five Parsecs, is the way everything is placed into a proper story. Sounds like a tough run of luck, though.
Keep up the reports!
Mike Demana
Thank you Sir!
I really enjoy this little ruleset! The tables give me a rough idea, then I have the satisfaction to put a spin on it so it makes sense in a storyline perspective. For me, most times I play any game, the priority is having FUN doing so, not necessarily to win.
When start of Turn 2 came around, there was this Battlefield Event, Environmental Hazard. I randomly decided which piece of terrain would explode, anything having figures close to it, both mine and the enemy's and groaned when this happened! Two crew members down and out, just like that! Soldiering on with resolve (and better dice rolls lol) I managed to turn the tide. But I really like how quickly this plays without actually being too simple. Most things is what you make of it. The mercenaries were seasoned operatives and I tried to give them tactically sound decisions. Take advantage of range, and the mercenaries, for most part, being armed with Hand Lasers (12" range) HAD to get in closer. My side having more longer range options used that to their best advantage.
I haven't used any of the Story Points so far, but I'm sure I have to soon :).
-
Merry Christmas everyone!
I'm in between night shifts and picked up both The Trailblazer's Toolkit and The Freelancer's Handbook, which open up a LOT of nifty options and tweaks for any Five Parsecs From Home campaign. Mainly I will add variants to Enemy AI, I'm definitely going with the Dramatic Combat optional rule and Weapons tweaks with other things that catches my eye. Psionics is almost a must, but I haven't decided that for definite yet. Salvage Missions will be something I really look forward to run as well. Lots of goodies in those PDF's.
"No, no, no. THIS is a Wentura Arms GT-601. THOSE are parts for a Wentura Arms GT-600. They are NOT compatible!" Atlas was uncustomarily raising his voice at the poor delivery person who was quaking in his boots and mumbled. "Wasn't my fault guv! I'm ever so sorry! Please don't shoot me!" Atlas harrumphed and shook his head in disbelief and let the poor guy go with a stern look.
Daphnee took an immense pride in taking care of Sister Barbarita and Torbein. Under her watchful eye they bounced back very quickly. She must've run every possible test there is on them and used every piece of equipment in sick bay. The girl was a natural though, they had to admit.
Hyacinth spent a few hours under the Nano Bot. With a stern face she later on slipped out to the shooting range. She was NOT going to be caught out like this ever again. She still vividly remembered when the cover just exploded without warning.
Daphnee nips out to the market with some home cooked food and a stash of fine liquor. The culinary offerings, or rather, the lack of it, makes an older lady, Miko, tut and roll up her sleeves. She invites herself to sort out the crews dietary needs and enrols as a chef.
Archibald goes for a walk and comes across a gentleman that's obviously in the know about a lot of things. But money being tight now after the hefty "emergency tax", he is forced to decline the man's generous offerings.
(Atlas tried to repair the Boom Rifle again, but failed. Sister Barbarita and Torbein spent the Campaign Turn in Sick Bay but were ready for duty after this step. Hyacinth did some training, earning 1 XP. Daphnee traded and was rewarded with an additional Crew member. They are now 7 and bigger paychecks has to be paid :o. Archibald Explored but I decided to hold on to the measly 5 Credits the crew have. The only silver lining at this moment is that they are doing well on the Debt front, only 8 Credits left to pay before they own the ship!)
The intercom buzzed suddenly and everyone looked at each other, they didn't expect anyone. They were a little jumpy after tangling with the mercenaries so it took a moment before Archibald answered.
"I am Councilwoman Farina, I am an appointed representative of the local government and I'm sure that you can make some space in your calendar for a little chat. Now."
The woman on the holovid was tall and elegantly dressed. Archibald knew the type well, he had spent most of his life amongst them. The privileged, the rich and the big shots. He sighed and let her in. She commanded the presence in the room immediately.
"Thank you for seeing me so quickly," the councilwoman fired off a smile worthy of a toothpaste commercial but it didn't reach her eyes, which were cold and calculating, like a shark's. She surveyed the room and apparently decided that no place was clean enough for her to sit, so she remained standing.
"We have a mutual acquaintance, Crusty. Well, you know him as Mr Sorensen. And if he vouches for your efficiency, I am definitely listening and taking notes. The thing is, as a lot of people say, I could need your help." She looked very capable and whatever she had on offer, Archibald felt that it was more like sticking your hand into a nest full of venomous adders than normal business. But he nodded for her to continue. You had to keep the local government sweet and appear cooperative.
"Harwin's World," she wasted no time in drawing up a holomap of a planet in the system.
"A quaint backwater planet, mostly agriculture and quite dull I'm sure. Up until recently. We have received concerning reports that the Converted have infiltrated the settlement." There were gasps of alarms all around! The Converted was a species that stopped at NOTHING implanting conquered worlds with their technology, assimilating them in their vast horde of interconnected half-machine beings!
"Let me guess. You need US to go out there, ascertain the situation and deal with it," Archibald leaned against the bulkhead, the heavy Beam Pistol in a low slung hip holster.
"In a nutshell, absolutely correct! Bravo!" Councilwoman Farina gave a slight applause.
"We would normally not consider freelancers like yourselves for this, we prefer more... reliable and established actors. However, as I said, Crusty vouched for you so I'm willing to take a gamble."
"And it also gives you 100% deniability if things go pearshaped," Archibald thought.
"We will pay well but more to the point. We can do carrot or the stick, I'm equally happy with either. But I find people work less well and are far less dependable if you employ the stick. So... I'm sure you're happy to work for the Government and earn it's thanks. In return, things might be easier for you. Say fuel costs, docking fees, licenses... Let's work together in the nicest friendliest ways and I won't have to employ that VERY big stick I have at my disposal!" There came that bright flashing dead smile again.
With those words, the Councilwoman apparently had stayed long enough in this dump and saw herself out...
(Rolling up the next Encounters, I thought, storywise it makes a lot more sense like this: The Local Government has an INVASION threat and that kind of trumps anything else that is on offer! :o. Looking into the details: The Danger Pay +1Cr, has to be done within 1-2 Turns, Condition was Previous Successful Patron Mission, hence Mr Sorensen reference.
The opposition is 4 Converted Infiltrators. But to make it more interesting, I shall pre-battle send off Hyacinth, who's a Security Bureau Agent on a recce solo mission supported by the added complexity rules. IF she succeeds, she will be placed in Infiltration position at start of Turn 1 on the table, failure she'll be a captive and needed rescuing! I will set aside a pool of 2 Storypoints for this little thing.)
-
Really enjoying this tale, and the frequency with which you're playing is putting me to shame :(
Couple of things - what did you use for the custom cards? They got me looking for software, and I found nanDeck, which I'd never heard of, but looks interesting - https://www.nandeck.com/
Also, there is a third pdf if you're looking to complete the set - https://www.modiphius.net/products/five-parsecs-from-home-expansion-3-fixer-s-guidebook-pdf
Looking forward to the next instalment :D
-
Really enjoying this tale, and the frequency with which you're playing is putting me to shame :(
Couple of things - what did you use for the custom cards? They got me looking for software, and I found nanDeck, which I'd never heard of, but looks interesting - https://www.nandeck.com/
Also, there is a third pdf if you're looking to complete the set - https://www.modiphius.net/products/five-parsecs-from-home-expansion-3-fixer-s-guidebook-pdf
Looking forward to the next instalment :D
Thank you for your kind words Sir!
When I play a game I am usually more interested in putting the games together in a fun narrative, and this ruleset is tailored to do that remarkably well!
As for the frequency. I had some unusually long "me" time over the past days so made the most of it. Striking while the iron's hot and all that. I hope that I can manage one game per week and aim to initially do 10 Campaign turns to see how it goes. It takes a little while to generate and roll on the tables and put the story together. But the games themselves run fairly quickly so it all works well together.
For the character cards you mean? I have a very old freeware which is called Magic Set Editor. Very basic but works incredibly well for this purpose. You can basically put in whatever you like, scan a picture in and job's a good 'un.
I am aware of the Fixer's Guidebook. However, it seems to be more geared towards "gang and criminals" so I decided to give it a miss this time around, maybe for the next run.
Thanks for the encouragements and stay tuned :).
-
Another great game. I'm loving these.
On the fixer's handbook et al, there's a hard copy of the existing three additional rule books coming in early 2024. Modiphius are taking advance orders at the moment.
I've paid up for it and got the pdf's of the existing stuff as a bonus with both hard copy and pdf of the new compendium promised for March 2024 iirc.
That said, I have enough trouble remembering the rules from the main book!
-
The story continues to entice, and darn it if you aren't making me want to go back into my library and pull out my copy of the rules, again...! lol
Keep the adventures coming...
Mike Demana
-
Another great game. I'm loving these.
On the fixer's handbook et al, there's a hard copy of the existing three additional rule books coming in early 2024. Modiphius are taking advance orders at the moment.
I've paid up for it and got the pdf's of the existing stuff as a bonus with both hard copy and pdf of the new compendium promised for March 2024 iirc.
That said, I have enough trouble remembering the rules from the main book!
Thank you kindly, glad you're enjoying the crew's adventures. Many thanks for the encouragements.
Regarding the rulebooks, I wasn't aware of this. Do you know what the new compendium is going to contain perchance?
I actually think that there are not that many rules. I like the freedom and room to maneuver but the rules that are there do a very good job without having to flick through the book to check up some obscure condition hidden on page umpteenth...
-
The story continues to entice, and darn it if you aren't making me want to go back into my library and pull out my copy of the rules, again...! lol
Keep the adventures coming...
Mike Demana
Thank you very much Mike! I enjoy playing the games and putting together the narrative and especially glad you're feeling a little inspired :).
I will indeed. There will another adventure later this week hopefully.
-
The Arbiter, a sleek ship with minimal armaments. More suited to comfort and style than combat. She had served with distinction in the Diplomatic Corps, and as such was fitted with luxurious and aesthetic environs. Archibald had a list as long as his arm with "improvements" suggested by Atlas. Archibald's uncle Rufus had kindly lent him this vessel when the young man was forced to seek employment to support himself.
They had plotted a course for Harwin's World, and as it still was in the same system the journey shouldn't take too long. Everyone were enjoying the peace and quiet, settling in comfortably. Suddenly, the comms warbled and a distorted panic stricken voice came through...
"...DAY...MAY... This... erchant...el... The Demure... aken met...r hit... Reactor...elt..down... please assist! MAYDAY...Merchant vessel..." static cut the communication short.
"Captain," Hyacinth spoke from the helm, she happened to have a full piloting license.
"the vessel The Demure is on our way and it sounds like they are in deep trouble."
"What are we waiting for? Full speed ahead Hyacinth. Engage!"
The Arbiter shuddered slightly as Hyacinth plotted a new course and opened up the throttle...
(The Harwin's World lies in the same star system so I decided to pay a measly 1 Credit for fuel and maintenance, but I still rolled on the Starship Travel Events Table. Distress Call with a 5 on the D6. Drive malfunction and a crew member must succeed on a Savvy 7+ Test. Three tries but if I fail the ship explodes and my ship get's damaged...)
Hyacinth smoothly docked with the merchant vessel The Demure. The airlock hissed as Atlas, toolkit in hand was boarding the other ship. Injured panic stricken crew members pointed him in the right direction and he wasted no time. He established a commlink with the main computer and analyzed the situation. Skillfully and calmly he shut down the overheated coils and rerouted the excess heat to the engines to be dispersed of into space. The alarms quiet down and the danger passed.
The overjoyed crew all shook their hands and the captain presented them with gifts, he wouldn't take no for an answer. After the parted ways and resumed their course for Harwin's World, the crew opened up the coffers and were very pleased with the gifts presented to them! They definitely would come in handy!
(Atlas, an Engineer, gets +2 to rolls when he tries to repair something, so he was the most logical choice for this, even though Hyacinth also have +2 due to a higher Savvy. I need to roll 7+ to succeed but have three tries. For story reasons, Atlas was more suitable. He managed to save the day and the crew received 3 rolls on the Gear Loot table as thanks!
1 Hover Board (9" move but can't take a combat action in that round)
2 Combat Armour (Armour Save 5+, most welcome!)
Not long after, Harwin's World comes into view. A lush small planet with some settlements, mainly of agricultural value. Hyacinth parks the ship well out of the way and enters orbit on a trajectory which will minimize the risk that their approach is detected.
"With no disrespect, this is MY job," Hyacinth declares as-a-matter-of-fact.
"I finished among the top FIVE of graduates at the Academy in my year and my speciality is Deep Undercover/ Intelligence Gathering. Neither of you have any training in situations like these. You will give me 72 standard hours to integrate myself amongst the population, pick up the trail and find the infiltrators hideout. I will provide wellfare checks every 12 hours and if I have missed two check-ins in a row, assume the worst!"
She made some quick but very effective changes to her appearance, clothing and her whole demeanor changed. Before them stood now a farmer, weary and tired but happy with their work and contributions to the society. Hyacinth tucked her vibroblade away and hid her Military Rifle amongst her belongings.
The crew waited nervously and were cooped up for three long days. Hyacinth had given them very brief information, she was homing in on the infiltrators and couldn't risk discovery.
"I'm in position! It looks like they are getting ready to make a move now! You have to make haste! I have set up a pulse beacon, home in on my signal. I will create a diversion to cover your approach. You have 15 minutes so get moving before they suspect anything!"...
(I decided that, to infiltrate the Converted Infiltrator group was Very Difficult (7+), they are alert and machine beings, kind of like the Borg in Star Trek. I had set 2 Story Points aside for re-rolls. If she succeeded, Hyacinth would be set up in Cover, 12" from the centre of the table in Ambush position. If she failed, she would be captured and needing freeing! I spent one Story Point on a re-roll and had a success!!!
Next time, BATTLE 3!!!!
-
Regarding the rulebooks, I wasn't aware of this. Do you know what the new compendium is going to contain perchance?
The compendium is available here - https://www.modiphius.net/collections/adventure-wargame-winter-collection/products/five-parsecs-from-home-compendium-bug-hunt
The bug hunt stuff is new, but otherwise it just looks like a collection of the existing PDFs
YOU WILL RECEIVE INDIVIDUAL PDFS FOR EACH OF THE COMPENDIUM SECTIONS INITIALLY, AND THE FINAL COMPILED PDF WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE SENT OUT TO YOU IN JANUARY 2024.
You’ve seen the stars, but have you ever wondered what is truly possible when we are out there in the black among alien suns?
The Five Parsecs From Home Compendium gives you all three expansions for Five Parsecs From Home collected into a single print volume for the first time, along with the fully updated standalone game Bug Hunt.
The new edition of Bug Hunt includes all the mechanics from the original, updated to fit into the core game rules. This includes features like alien spawn points, alien sub types like the spitter and screamer and alien leaders like the driver or lancer. With 6 sub-types, 6 leader types and 16 alien species to fight, there is a lot of scope for players who enjoy painting, building and converting cool miniatures.
Your troopers can be supported by any of 12 support units from the scientific survey team to a team of tough K’Erin assault troops.
Bug Hunt is a full campaign game with character progression as your troopers advance through their careers. You can even carry over characters from both games - take your crew members from Five Parsecs From Home on a Bug Hunt or vice versa, allowing your characters to experience a whole new level of adventures.
The only question that remains is whether you forgot to activate the security grid. They do say the vent crawlers are active in this sector...
The three expansions for Five Parsecs From Home allow you to experience a wide range of new adventures but also tailor the game to fit your vision of space beyond the Fringe, offering new characters, new mechanics, new options and new missions.
Trailblazer’s Toolkit offers a new introductory campaign, random name tables, new options to tailor the difficulty of the game, PVP and player co-op scenarios, new AI action tables, enemy deployment variables, escalating battles and the fearsome elite-level enemies.
Freelancer’s Handbook offers two new alien species: The Krag and the Skulkers, psionics, new equipment, non-miniatures combat rules. Expanded missions and quest rules, fringe world strife mechanics, expanded ship loan rules and the salvage job scenario type.
Fixer’s Guidebook offers terrain tables, additional rules for injuries both on and off the battlefield, a grid based movement system, faction mechanics and the stealth and street fight scenario types.
228 pages. Full-colour. Royal-size. Hardcover.
-
Loving the narrative mate! 🚀
-
Loving the narrative mate! 🚀
Cheers mate! More to come in a day or two!
I really enjoy playing the games and see what awaits the crew of The Arbiter :D.
-
great stuff all 'round.
-
"A job well done," Councilwoman Farina said with a smile on the holoscreen.
"your effort is sure to send a clear message to the Hive Mind of the Converted, that Harwin's World is NOT something they can have. There will probably be more incidents, but the situation is stable, for now. The agreed upon sum is transferred to your account as we speak." Councilwoman Farina dropped the call.
"That went rather well, I wonder who this belongs to though," Archibald bemused, holding a holophotograph of a young man and an older lady, mother and son perhaps?
Coming back from Harwin's World, Daphnee encountered a lady who wanted her to retrieve something of hers if she happened to be in the neighbourhood and Sister Barbarita had a stern gentleman producing a file of someone. Stabbing an angry finger at the file, the man promised a significant monetary reward if she could see to it that this particular individual got eliminated.
Archibald spent most of his spare time looking for more items to his spacerock collection, that was small but growing.
The enemy Lost Heart in Turn 2, and storywise it makes sense that being a scout/ recce unit they are not supposed to get into protracted battle situations.
The crew earned 6 Credits in total.
Personal Trinket was found on the battlefield. Worth 2 Credits if the crew passes a 9+ check when going to a new planet and finding the owner of it.
Both Daphnee and Sister Barbarita got a roll on the Exploration Table as the crew had lots of free time (Campaign Event).
Archibald picked up an Unusual Hobby (Character Event) and earned 1 Story Point.
With all the XP, Archibald, Daphnee and Sister Barbarita got +1 Combat, Atlas got +1 Toughness (now max 4 for an Engineer).
-
Having dealt with the threat from the Converted Infiltrator, the crew of the Arbiter had to deal with more mundane yet vital tasks. Diligently Archibald paid off some of the debt on the ship and gave the crew their earnings.
Archibald picked up some info that an archeologist was interested in procuring some material from the monoliths where they were going. A possible rival to the previous one?
Atlas was grinning from ear to ear: "Isn't she a beaut? Look at this craftmanship! Wentura Arms GT-601, the finest grenade launcher you could possibly own!"
Sister Barbarita and the cook, Mrs Haxwell, put in some time at the shooting range and the gym.
Hyacinth, Daphnee and Torbein went together to the local markets. Hyacinth sold some cargo and made a decent profit. Daphnee closed a deal on some pharmaceuticals and Torbein exchanged some fancy luxury items for a big box of medical supplies.
In Campaign Turn 4, I paid off some of the debt, 6 Credits left to pay off so nearly there.
Alistair went Exploring (only one crew member can Explore per Campaign Turn on Zygnus VII due to Travel Restrictions) and got Reward, bring member into contact with a random piece of Terrain, spend Combat Action and earn 2 Credits.
Atlas finally repaired the Shell Gun!
Sister Barbarita and the cook Trained.
Hyacinth procured 2 Credits.
Daphnee got a Stim Pack.
Torbein exchanged a Luxury Trinket for 2 Stim Packs and 2 Med Patches.
They didn't find the owner of the Personal Trinket (2D6 9+ when going to a world).
The crew have 7 Credits, 3 Patrons, 6 Story Points.
4 Stim Packs
4 Med Patches
Data Stick (+1 Quest Rumour)
Personal Trinket (2D6 9+ to find owner when travelling to a world)
"Now, I've been meaning to tell you about THIS for some time", Sister Barbarita produced an odd coloured crystal to Alistair. It glinted and reflected in a very peculiar way.
This is an old storage unit from my order, it registers peoples thoughts and was given to me by Mother Superior when I left. I didn't know what it meant then, but I think I do now, behold!"
She touched the crystal and images suddenly became visible on the ship's sleek hull. It showed a desert landscape, ancient stones and monoliths. Huge beasts roaming along with heavily armed individuals.
"Those are Krorg's, they can rip a man apart without breaking a sweat and they are incredibly sturdy and tough, difficult to penetrate their hide." The beasts were massive and looked very impressive and menacing.
"Those are Guardians, devout servants of the Dark to protect their twisted ideologies and temples," the heavily armed people were alert and patrolled the area.
"I know where that is now, and I have been tasked with doing this for my Order. We need to survey the area and see what lies at the other side. Will you help me, please?"
Alistair mulled this over for a moment. This looked very dangerous indeed, but he also felt a thrill. This could be fun and beneficial to them all.
"One of those looks like the POI that we have in our files, doesn't it? And those ancient carvings? I'm sure these two archeologists will be very pleased if we could bring back samples for them to study! Yes, we are in!"
Quest Mission! Move Through scenario.
4 Krorg
2 Anarchists (1 is Target and if taken out, worth 2 Credits)
2 Pieces of Terrain are worth 2 Credits each if a crew member is in base to base and spend a Combat Action surveying it.
-
GAME 4 POST BATTLE EVENTS
+6 Credits for the fulfilled Objectives
+4 Credits for resolving the Quest (Dead End)
Personal Trinket found (2D6 9+ to find owner when travelling to planet)
Beam Light Gun Sight acquired
Hyacinth Begonia increased Savvy +1 (+3)
Torbein and Daphnee increased Toughness +1 (Torbein 4 and Daphnee 5)
Spent 2 Story Points to reroll Campaign Events, got Rival (Pirates) so the goons from game 1 are looking to have a rematch lol
Archibald reflected upon all the adventures and earned 2 XP for that :)
The crew has currently 17 Credits, 4 Story Points, 3 Patrons and 1 Rival. The Quest continues...
-
Nice to see the crew doing well.
In 5 Parsecs, as in life I guess, success tends to breed success.
More power to their respective elbows!
-
Looks fun - thanks for the battle report!
Mike Demana
-
Nice to see the crew doing well.
In 5 Parsecs, as in life I guess, success tends to breed success.
More power to their respective elbows!
Indeed!
I had a couple of close calls this game though. Archibald the Captain took a hit, but was saved by his 1 Luck. Torbein took a hit as well and had been out of the game, but as I had 4 Stim Packs at my disposal, one came in very handy.
I have set myself the goal to play 10 Campaign Turns to see how we get on, but really happy with how the story has played out so far :).
-
Looks fun - thanks for the battle report!
Mike Demana
I'm very happy that people are enjoying my little musings, so thank you very much for commenting Sir!
It was fun, and a couple of close calls this game which makes it more exciting :).
-
"Hold it right there, what are YOU doing here?" Torbein put his hand on the butt of his blaster and challenged the intruder, sitting in the Captain's chair!
"My dear boy, I'm sure there's no need to resort to violence. I used to OWN this ship and have my own keys, so please fetch my nephew, the captain." The older gentleman smiled and looked very comfortable there. Torbein found himself doing exactly that, the gentleman had a certain air about him.
"Uncle Rufus, what in the Seven Moons are you doing here? I thought you were negotiating with the Lebarans?" Archibald smiled and greeted the man with warmth and affection, the older gentleman was obviously pleased to see him as well. The whole crew had gathered, the ship was small and they were a bit curious as Archibald hadn't told them a lot about his past.
"Look at you," Uncle Rufus, or more accurately, His Grace, Roofelius Augustus Martingate-Quang, Viscount of Barsoom, Unity Diplomatic Corps. (Ret) held him at arms length,
"I have to say, I do believe my sister made the right decision." Archibald felt an embarrassing heat flash upon his cheeks.
"Well," he coughed and looked into the floor.
"Sometimes you just need a kick up the backside to get on the right track. Isn't that what you said when you lent me this ship?"
"Indeed, and it seems like this kick has done you a LOT of good. I hear you have done some work for the local government," Uncle Rufus positively beemed.
"Well, you know how it is, one tries and all that," but Archibald couldn't hide a smile of pride.
"But that still doesn't explain what you are doing here Uncle?"
"Oh, well. With you having done so well for yourselves I thought the occasion warranted a more personal touch than a simple Vidcall." Uncle Rufus handed over a tech pad.
"What's this?" Archibald scrolled down the open document.
"This, dear nephew, is a transfer of the ownership of The Arbiter. Your debt to me is paid in full and she is all yours from now on. Here are my spare keys as well."
"I... I... I don't know what to say uncle" Archibald looked slightly shocked and held the deed in his trembling hands.
"No need to say anything, just promise me that you will take good care of her. She never let me down but the government insisted on me having an upgrade. And you have to excuse me, but I have to be off to negotiate with the Lebarans now about the trade sanctions. They brought me out of retirement especially for this."
Archibald, a disgraced noble had his allowance cut off and his family tasked him with doing something worthwhile instead of tarnishing the family's good name. His uncle Rufus lent him an ex Diplomatic Vessel to get him started. Now, the debt is paid off in full and all money they earn is sheer profit :o!!
When his relative had gone, they had a modest party to mark the occasion and everyone got a bonus for a job well done. Archibald looked at the registration in his name several times and still couldn't believe it. HIS ship! The following days there were many tasks to be done, but the crew had a newfound spring in their step and worked harder than before with a smile.
Sister Barbarita and Atlas put in some serious work at the shooting range and the gym, honing their edge.
Archibald closed a deal to some fuel rods that certainly would come in handy for the next flight.
Daphnee was approached by an individual that was looking to get a package off planet and transported. They were quite vague why they couldn't use traditional courier service, and Daphnee was told it was a "delicate" situation but not urgent.
Torbein came back from the market all excited, he had bought a very odd looking device and with Atlas' help they spent a few hours putting it together. The disappointment on Torbein's face when it turned out it had all been a hoax and it wasn't even good for spare parts!
Mrs Haxwell, the chef, hears some VERY interesting rumours regarding the peculiar crystals that Sister Barbarita is tracking. Some can allegedly be found in an old industrial district, rife with pollution and according to the word on the street, infested with giant bugs!
Hyacinth with her excellent connections in the intelligence community gets wind of that the chapter manager for the Twilight Suns, a pirate outfit, has taken their involvement in the retrieval of the computer information personally. The crew is following up on the lead on the crystals and don't want any spanners in the works from some hooligans, so Hyacinth leads the poor devil's on a merry chase with nothing to show for it to throw their scent off. She almost feels sorry for them, almost.
Archibald traded and got Fuel worth 2 Credits, handy for a Travel step.
Sister Barbarita and Atlas Copco Train.
Hyacinth acts as a Decoy, with only 1 Rival it's easy.
Daphnee Explore and get's a Package Delivery to another system, worth 3 Credits upon delivery)
Torbein Trades, get's an Odd Device and spend 1 Credit buying it. On a 6, he'd get a Loot, 1-5 it's a worthless bit of junk. 3...
The Cook (7th crew member) picks up a Hot Tip, adding +1 Quest Rumour.
I go to the Quest first to see if I can pick up the trail this Turn, otherwise I'd check Patron/ Opportunity as per normal. I have 2 Quest Rumours and roll a 2! The next Quest step after the the Dead End is up!
Toxic Environment, 1 Peculiar Item (worth 2 XP). Move Through scenario against 8 Large Bugs!
Stay tuned!
-
"Your Order sure knows how to pick your assignments, Sister Barbarita," Torbein said with a wry smile.
"Prime holiday location with stunning scenery and lots of activities for all the family."
The crew looked over the place where the Order had sent them on their latest errand, a junkyard filled with steaming piles of toxic ooze.
"I wouldn't breathe in any of those fumes if I was you," Daphnee looked at the spiking atmo readings on her scanner.
"Look at those bugs, they are absolutely ginormous," whispered Hyacinth and cradled her Military Rifle.
"I don't like this one bit," Atlas grumbled and studied the critters with his macrobinocs.
"These breed faster than you can spit and I wonder where the rest are. Also, THAT one," he indicated a magnificent creature with a red head plume,
"is a Brood Queen. Royalty practically as far as the bugs are concerned. They will do ANYTHING to protect it. And THAT one is a grizzled old veteran, look at the blaster scorch marks on its carapace. Don't let them get too close, they'll rip you in two with those mandibles, trust me."
"Ok everyone. You've heard the man, proceed with caution and safety off. We need to get out on the far side for us to pick up the scientific research that the Order has left there a long time ago. Move out," Archibald flipped the safety off and the crew got moving."
Quest Mission in Toxic Environment. As I'm using the Elite Enemies rules from the Trailblazers Toolkit, they are facing 11 Large Bugs and Infiltration as alternate deployment! One Specialist, One Lieutenant and One Captain (Brood Queen). As if that wasn't bad enough, one is a Unique Enemy with Combat +3, Save 5+ and Toughness 6! When a Large Bug has been eliminated, on a 5+ a new one will enter as reinforcement on a random edge AND if any Large Bug runs away due to Panic, they will automatically be replaced with one enemy at the end of the Turn! This is going to be carnage!
While Sister Barbarita, Torbein and Daphnee advanced, Archibald, Atlas Copco and Hyacinth took up positions to provide covering fire. The critters stirred and seemed to have sensed their presence.
"Firing!" Atlas shouted and his Auto Rifle spewed gunfire, raking down the Brood Queen, a prime target. The critter shrieked and bits of it were shot off by Atlas' accurate shooting, but when he readjusted his gunsight, she was still standing and VERY VERY angry! Archibald let off shots from his Needle Rifle, on target. The needles penetrated the battle hardened bugs' carapace like hot knife through butter but he only managed to make it even more angry, the critter bellowed a challenge and the earth shook with its charge!
The bugs sprang forwards, they moved swiftly and decisively, chattering agitated to each other. Daphnee peeked around the corner and took steady aim with her Handgun at one of the monstrosities. She fired off several rounds, concentrated, deadly fire. The pistol bucked in her hand each time but her aim was true. The critter shuddered as each round found its goal and it collapsed with a head blown to smithereens, oozing green gunk!
"What the fu...??!!! BEHIND YOU!!!" Archibald glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened in terror. A small group of bugs had snuck up behind Atlas and Hyacinth, led by a hardened veteran. Atlas spun in place and brought up his Shell Gun, firing off a round from the hip. The enemy was only a dozen yards away and the shell blasted several but none fell, they were at best a bit shaken about. Archibald fired his Needle Rifle and took one of them out of commission. Hyacinth and Atlas were quickly swamped by the advancing agitated bugs and were reeling with the relentless attacks against them. Atlas' Assault Blade on the Auto Rife spun and cut but he could barely hold off against the horde! Sister Barbarita cut one bug down in a display of lethal grace with her Glare Sword and Daphnee's pistol barked again as she slowed one of the critters down. Hyacinth is cutting and thrusting with her blade, she takes the enemy out but in turn she's run through with a mandible and she is barely conscious enough to administer a Stim Pack, the anasthetic is kicking in and she feels alive.
At the edge of the battlefield they can see several more bugs joining in, they must have heard this groups distress! The enemy seems to renew their efforts, the crew can't get any breathing room!
Hyacinth and the enemy had same Melee result so both inflicted 1 Hit on the other, both Toughness or more in damage! Renewed Effort, so a random enemy gets an extra Move OR Combat Action EACH round!
Atlas is overrun by the bugs and in a heroic display of bravado, he is taking one out! Hyacinth is wounding one of the bugs with accurate fire from her Military Rifle, despite the fact that she's barely able to stand. Atlas is swamped with bugs and rendered asunder, a shaking hand and barely conscious he manages to administer a Stim Pack. Archibald is having bugs closing in for the kill, but his trusted Blast Pistol cuts one of them down at 10 paces as he swiftly draws it from the low hanging holster on his hip! The crew can hear more bugs arriving! Daphnee goes toe to toe with a monstrosity and keeps it at bay with her Handgun, Torbein nabs the
object of interest on top of the building and learns a lot from the ancient data shard! Daphnee is skewered on the mandibles and injects herself with the last Stim Pack that the crew has to be able to continue. Wherever Archibald is turning there's a mean bug lashing out after him, they strike, cut and tear at him, but elegantly he dodges all of their efforts and finds a bit of breathing room!
Turn 3 things were really heating up! Two of my crew took hits that'd take them out of the battle, but Stim Packs kept them in for a little longer. The bugs were relentless and Archibald was only saved by his 1 point of Luck!
Then, things went south pretty fast! First, Atlas was overrun by the bugs and left in the dirt, then Hyacinth was taken out. The Brood Queen herself eliminated Daphnee without breaking her stride. Torbein's Handgun barked and at 10 paces he cut down one bug that had climbed onto the roof to eat him up no doubt. Sister Barbarita's Glare Sword cuts one bug in twain but more are on their way! Archibald, against all odds, holds his ground with only a Blast Pistol like some archaic gunfighter holding off against a superior force! All of a sudden, the bugs clear out, leaving a bewildered and decimated crew dragging their wounded to safety.
"THAT was way too close," Archibald breathed hard.
Three of the crew got "killed" but as luck would have it, the battle event in Turn 4 declared that the bugs have had enough they will leave the battlefield at end of Turn 5! Too close for comfort :o
-
TURN 5 POST BATTLE
When the injured crew members had been taken to sick bay, they examined the ancient data. It was obvious that this would take some SERIOUS work in decipher, the dialect was archaic and the data was not in the best shape.
(Expanded Quest Mission resolution in Freelancers Handbook. Need 20 Research Points before I can progress this Quest. Total of crew Savvy +1D6 each Campaign Turn. Rolled a 1 so have 6...)
Atlas Copco had only gotten knocked about a bit, nothing some plasters and stiches couldn't sort out. Daphnee's Colonial Rifle had broken during the scuffle but Hyacinth needed life saving surgery! She was rushed to a trauma centre and given the best medical treatment money can buy!
(Atlas Minor Injury and applied Med Patch so he's good again, Daphnee had Broken equipment and Hyacinth had to pay 4 Cr or receive -1 to attribute! Also 3 Turns in Intensive Care after Med Patch applied)
Amongst the ruins they found some old medical supplies, some experimental drugs and a Chameleon suit!
(1 Med Patch, 2 Booster Pills and a Stealth Gear in Loot)
Returning home, Archibald found Mr Rasmussen from the IRS waiting, grumbling he paid the fines in "excessive earnings" and Hyacinth feels like she had had Cosmic Luck pulling through, she could've been dead!
(Campaign Event Tax Man, costing 4 credits OR ship will be impounded! I paid grumblingly and Hyacinth gains Luck 1!)
Almost ALL my profit was eaten up this turn by the Tax Man and Hyacinth's hospital treatment. I couldn't really afford to let her rest on her laurels so paid 12 Credits to get her back in tip-top shape.
CAMPAIGN TURN 6
The crew poured for days over the ancient information making lots of progress. (Research at 18/20 points)
Hyacinth was given the best medical treatment money can buy (12 Credits!)
Archibald explored and found a trainer (+2 XP)
Sister Barbarita found a Patron, Unified Composites, which had a very lucrative and attractive offer to give them. They would provide Health Insurance AND Private Transport during works for them. (2 Turns less in Sick Bay and Rivals can't Track the crew during Campaign Turns for the corporation, all very good!)
Atlas repaired Daphnee's broken Colony Rifle.
Hyacinth was giving out red herrings and false leads to keep Twilight Sun's occupied and wasting time.
Daphnee got hold of a contact that could provide them with jobs in the future.
Torbein sold some weapons to a shady revolutionary at extortionate prices and then proceeded to buy the same ones back at a much better rate lol (could sell weapons, as long as they aren't broken, at 2 Credits a piece. Sold Blades and Handguns, then bought them back at the standard rate of 1 Credit a piece. Earned 5 Credits that way)
Mrs Haxwell, the Cook, Trained.
-
Wow, as a Five Parsecs fan, I am impressed!
Love the paper minis (as well as the wonderful terrain)!
Keep up the good work
-
And here's what the crew of the Arbiter, an old Diplomatic vessel, looks like after 6 Campaign Turns. There's a 7th crew member, Mrs Haxwell the cook, who'll be fielded ONLY when I can't field these six.
-
Wow, as a Five Parsecs fan, I am impressed!
Love the paper minis (as well as the wonderful terrain)!
Keep up the good work
Thank you very much for your kind words! I really love the ruleset, it's really hitting the spot for me :).
As it's for my own amusement and with time, health and space to consider, paper minis is certainly doing the trick for me. I could use tiddlywinks but paper minis is more appealing lol. I take what I have, again, I favour terrain that I can use for more than one type of game so I have options.
-
Eek! A close run thing!
Good job the bugs decided they needed to be elsewhere!
Nice write up. Thanks.
-
Eek! A close run thing!
Good job the bugs decided they needed to be elsewhere!
Nice write up. Thanks.
Indeed!
I have to say, these rules are just keep on impressing me! With the Trailblazers Toolkit and the Freelancer's Handbook, the possibilities are, not endless, but certainly vast! Tweaking the behaviour of the AI, ramping up the challenge, I might try the time limit scenarios in a bit. So far, no game of mine has lasted longer than 5 turns, but I can see more time consuming games in the near future. I also play with the Dramatic Combat option and Duck Back rules, which makes the scenarios a lot more dynamic.
This time, I really got the feel of the relentless onslaught from the bugs and their nearly inexhaustible forces. Take one out and many times another one would pop back in it's place. They were closing in FAST and I only managed to get a shot or two off before they were upon me. I had 3 Stim Packs at the start of the scenario. By round 3, I had none! :o
I appreciate you enjoyed the write up, which is half the fun of the game, building that story from seemingly random encounters to something that would make a bit more sense.
Before I had to spend 16 Credits in hospital care and tax payments (rolled that Event twice in six Campaign Turns :-[) I was tempted to either send Daphnee to med school or getting a ship upgrade (Research Database in one form or another looked very appealing). I'm now down to 6 Credits so have to start saving again...
-
Before I had to spend 16 Credits in hospital care and tax payments (rolled that Event twice in six Campaign Turns :-[) I was tempted to either send Daphnee to med school or getting a ship upgrade (Research Database in one form or another looked very appealing). I'm now down to 6 Credits so have to start saving again...
And that's the part that makes the appeal of Five Parsecs. They way the lives of the characters get embedded in the scenarios. Although I have yet to play any of the Five ____ series, I definitely want to incorporate that storytelling into my games.
Mike Demana
-
Work, life and health have all affected my gaming, but here's the 6th mission in my Five Parsecs From Home solo campaign! Hope you'll enjoy this latest installment lol.
"Captain Dhosh-Wongha, I am Executive De Palma," the smartly dressed gentleman of indeterminate age had a firm handshake and his teeth gleamed like a toothpaste commercial.
"I represent United Composites and we have heard much good about you and your competent crew. We would like to offer you a job opportunity!"
Archibald sat down in his comfortable chair in the captain's quarters and toyed with a laser stylus, letting the man sweat for a few seconds.
"I see, Executive De Palma, but what makes you think we would consider your offer?" Archiebald shrugged his shoulders and leant back.
"I am reliably informed that, although you've mostly been acting in the interests of one of your competitors, the local government has also enjoyed your services on at least one occasion."
Archibald hesitated for only a split second, damn! This was far from public knowledge, obviously Executive De Palma had some very good sources!
"But, if you allow me Captain," Captain, yes, Archibald liked to be called Captain...
"You can be rest assured that none of our business will interfere with any other business you may conduct. We simply would like to retrieve a drone unit that was lost 48hrs ago in a cargo district." He efficiently produced some holopics of a robot unit.
"The matter is complicated by a large unit of Abductor Raiders in the area," The Executive visibly shuddered.
"We simply can't risk any of our own valuable personnel being caught by them, the information and secrets they potentially could gain... but let me put it bluntly, you and your crew are expendable."
"In return for your services, we are prepared to offer a highly trained stand-by Trauma Team, strictly off the books of course. And along with a more than decent paycheck, we can also offer one of our rapid deployment shuttles to transport you to the operations area and they will also extract you when you've fulfilled the mission. There will be no records of this flight whatsoever, so there is no risk that anyone will be able to find out your involvement in this. Because if things go sideways... the whole planet may be at risk of an invasion from those abominations!!!"
Archibald let the words sink in. The Abductors were an alien race, rumours of horrible twisted experiments performed on other sentient beings and several worlds overrun by them. That was a big risk to take, but after looking over the contract, the rewards were generous and the support from United Composites was worth 5 stars!
"I'll brief my team Executive De Palma. We will be ready within the hour." They shook hands once more and Archibald gathered himself for delivering the news...
Patron Mission
Bitter Struggle
+2 Credits Danger Pay
Curious Item on the battlefield worth +1 CR
Secure Mission
UNITED COMPOSITES BENEFITS (ALWAYS FOR A MISSION FOR THEM)
Health Insurance (mark down 2 Campaign Turns of Injury Recovery assigned as I see fit)
Private Transport (Rivals can't Track me this Campaign Turn)
6 Abductor Raiders (Colony Rifles)
2 Abductor Raiders Specialists (Power Claw)
1 Abductor Raider Lieutenant (Shotgun + Blade)
1 Abductor Raider Veteran (Military Rifle)
The unmarked shuttle barely touched the ground dropping them off before it flew away again in the fading light. The crew spread out and took up positions amongst the smell of fuel, grease and metal. Atlas and Archibald got up on top and levelled their guns at the courtyard, safeties off.
"I see movement," Atlas whispered and he braced the big Auto Rifle on the bipod against the parapet. He briefly held his breath and squeezed the trigger. The DAKKADAKKADAKKA when he fired was deafening. A big headed figure danced a macabre dance and fell!
"Here they come, be ready. Fire at will!" Archibald shouted as the whole courtyard seemed to come alive with people everywhere!!!
Enemies were firing from all around, bullets pinged off the parapet where Atlas were, inches from his face and Sister Barbarita got some plaster splash into her eyes, giving her momentarily pause. But she raced ahead, swiftly, determined on the Hover Board. It went too fast for her to do anything else, but it brought her within just a few feet of the downed drone! Now, they only needed a short while to extract the information...
"No eyes on target, holding!" Archibald and Daphnee reported, scanning the area. There were footsteps echoing all around but they couldn't see anyone. Torbein and Hyacinth moved forwards.
There were shouts from the courtyard in a strange alien language. Despite losing a raider so quickly, it didn't seem to bother the Abductors at all, rather spurring them on and making them more resolute! Hyacinth has a scarred veteran coming into her view, he's big and mean so she aims carefully but to her dismay, her shot goes wild! Atlas readjusts his aim and opens up fire with the Auto Rifle, a second raider is crying out in pain and then lies still. Atlas is once more coming under fire and decides to hunker down behind the parapet, those bullets were too close for comfort! The grim veteran returns fire at Hyacinth, but thanks to her black stealth suit, the bullets misses their intended target! Daphnee grips the butt of her Colony Rifle and fires at one of the raiders but the bullets only manage to make ragged holes in the wall. Archibald takes careful aim with his Needle Rifle and squeezes off a shot at the veteran. He sees him stagger from the impact of the shot but he grits his teeth and keep on coming! Sister Barbarita draws her Handgun and fires off several rounds that makes one of the raiders pause and reflect upon the situation. Torbein fires at an enemy but the bullets ricochet away. The enemies put on a burst of speed and closes the gap swiftly, the crew is taken by surprise by this.
"Stop them, take them out! Do whatever you have to or we'll be run over!" Archibald shouted.
"On it Captain," Atlas shouts back, already calculating optimal tactical choice.
Atlas swaps loadout and brings the Shellgun to bear, the grenade PLOMP's off and detonates, but as the dust settles only one of the raiders seems to be affected, he's reeling from side to side and shakes his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears. Archibald fires his Needle Rifle again and this time one of the Power Claw wielding specialists bites the dust. Sister Barbarita comes under fire and decides to seek cover behind the car wreack. Hyacinth is coming under heavy fire, the apparent leader is brandishing a nasty Shotgun but luckily the car wreck takes the majority of the hit and the veteran fires an accurate shot at her... only to be disintegrated by the Deflector Screen she's wearing! She smiles and gives him the Finger before ducking behind the car wreck. The bullets riddle the car wreck where Hyacinth stood a second before. The raiders probably didn't like her gesture...
Atlas feeds another shell into the breech and fires again. This time both the veteran and one of the raiders get caught in the explosion and neither is moving after the dust settles! Torbein double taps one of the raiders and the abductor falls mortally wounded. Daphnee takes careful aim with her Colonial Rifle but misses her intended target! Sister Barbarita surges forward, igniting her Glare Sword. The raider makes big fearful eyes and turns to run when she cuts him down, severing his spine with one swipe!
"Look out! More incoming!" Torbein glances over the edge of the roof and sees two more raiders trying to sneak up on him!
The raider forces are heavily decimated, having taken heavy casualties. Out of the original 10 enemies, only the Lieutenant and one of the grunts remain, reinforced with two more that had almost managed to ambush them.
"Why won't they just simply give up?" Torbein wondered...
Torbein jumps down from the roof and shoots at a raider but misses. The Lieutenant wields a wicked curved blade and goes toe to toe with Hyacinth, who holds her own and manages to draw first blood! Everyone else of the enemies seems to bear a grudge against Sister Barbarita and in a hail of gunfire she hides behind the car, putting her arms over her head as metal and glass rain down over her! Hyacinth fights back and gives the Lieutenant a second cut with her own blade! She breaks away and seeing the space, Archibald takes the opportunity! He fires once and the Lieutenant collapses riddled with needles, his unseeing eyes gazing up at the sky. Atlas gathers his gear and jumps to the ground, the crew pushing forwards as the raiders keep falling around them!
There are only three raiders left standing now, with no leadership. Atlas' Shell Gun booms and one of the raiders redecorate the wall. Hyacinth fires her Military Rifle and another raider is injured, holding his bleeding leg. The raider make a last futile attempt at defiance but their shots go wild. Torbein steps out from behind the corner and double taps one of the raiders at ten feet, the raider moves no more after that. Daphnee fires her Colonial Rifle and shoots the last remaining raider in the shoulder whilst Sister Barbarita rushes her shot. Daphnee takes a moment to readjust and finally pumps a single bullet through the raider's forehead. There's a quiet over the scene and the crew relaxes slowly as the adrenaline is leaving them. 12 fallen raiders on the ground and none of the crew have any serious injuries! A perfect, or maybe just a lucky mission!
With the area secured, the crew can take their time dealing with the drone and the curious object. It turns out the object could be worth something to a collector...
AFTERMATH
The Curious Item was worth +1 CR
Payout for the mission was 6+2 (Danger Pay) 8CR
Nothing of value on the battlefield... :o
Invasion Threath, roll of 8 so no Invasion but close...
Steel Boots Loot
After all the XP awards, both Atlas and Archibald increased their Reactions (both at 3!), I very rarely get more than 1 crew member to activate in the Quick Phase :(.
Campaign Event, Sold cargo worth 6 CR!
Torbein changes style (Character Event)
Bought 3 Blades for 3 Credits.
The Crew has now got the necessary 20 Analysis Points to continue their Quest, so that's probably my next Mission.
Credits 18!!!
Patrons 3
Rivals 1 (Twilight Suns Pirates)
Story Points 5
1x Trade Goods (worth 1D6 CR when visiting other planet)
3x Med Patches
2x Personal Trinkets (worth CR on 9+ visiting other planet)
2x Booster Pills
Vital Info
5 Spare Parts (can be used to repair ship)
Fuel Rods (worth 2 CR Fuel Cost)
Hover Board (9" movement but can't use Combat Action in the round you move)
-
As ever, a good looking game and a great AAR.
"Nothing of value on the battlefield... " - always a bummer!
-
As ever, a good looking game and a great AAR.
"Nothing of value on the battlefield... " - always a bummer!
Thank you mate! It was nice to have time to return to the adventures once more :).
I have been quite fortunate so far with my findings, and I raked in a total of 15 Credits this turn so I can live with this :D.
I think I've rolled "Change Style" on Personal Event at least twice out of six times ::)
-
Sounds like a furious battle. Your crew is tough and deadly to opponents!
Mike Demana
-
Sounds like a furious battle. Your crew is tough and deadly to opponents!
Mike Demana
It certainly was! We were outnumbered 10-6 at the start, but it did help that most of the enemies had no bonuses to attacks and LOTS of 1's rolled, on both sides ::).
I finally got lucky with one of the three Shell Gun shots (hits on a straight up 4+) but I don't think I've EVER rolled this poorly in general on Damage rolls.
I was concerned until the tide turned in our favour by Turn 4. My initial battle plan was for Sister Barbarita to swoop in as quickly as possible on the Hover Board to the Objective. She had to be within 2" of it for TWO consecutive Turns with no enemy within 6" to achieve the objective. With enemies swarming everywhere, that wasn't feasible. Also, thanks to them becoming Fearless by end of Turn 2, I had to do it the hard way...
The really good news are, with 18 Credits in the bank, I am now looking at finally giving Daphnee the Medic Training, which was one of my Goals right from the start before even playing the first game lol.
I'm also going to look over the loadouts for the crew and do some rearrangements and tweaks.
-
CAMPAIGN TURN 7
"Torbein, gather everyone in the galley in 15 minutes. I have several things to go over with the crew." Captain Alistair Dhosh-Whonga signed off on the intercom.
"My dear friends. YOU have made me proud being your captain! We started out with not much more than this indebted ship and the clothes on our backs not so long ago," Captain Alistair smiled warmly at them.
"We have been through some tough scrapes together. But because you all are supporting each other, we are now having a very bright future ahead of us. I have several things that I'd like to share with you." They were looking relaxed in their comfortable chairs, sipping the offered drinks and enjoying the nibbles provided. They really deserved a treat!
"First, I'd like to announce, due to all your hard work and efforts, we are now officially debt free! We OWN The Arbiter to 100%! And..." he paused for a moment to let the applause and the shouts die down.
"we have managed to put aside not an insignificant sum. Therefore, I'd like you to come forward, Daphnee."
The slender red hair looked around bewildered and pointed at herself looking very dumbstruck. Alistair encouraged her and she finally stood up.
"I remember, it seems so long ago. But I remember the first time I spoke to you Daphnee, do you remember what you told me?" The young woman was silent for a moment and looked into the floor.
"You told me, you had left your family and EVERYTHING behind, and you hoped to one day become a... what Daphnee?"
"A... a doctor captain," her voice was soft and barely audible.
"A doctor! What a noble pursuit. Therefore, it is with great pleasure I can now tell you that I have, on your behalf, sent in an application for you to enrol in Med School!"
"What?... How?... But why?..." the poor girl struggled to find the right words and looked like she was going to pass out.
"Because you deserve it dear! Now, the classes don't start until later this cycle, but that gives you time to prep doesn't it!" Daphnee gave him such a forceful hug she nearly took his breath away.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou... I will not disappoint you.." Her face was lit up with pure joy and she gave him one more squeeze before returning to her seat, being congratulated by the rest of the crew.
"You do right by me, and I will do right by you! It's as simple as that! And even though Daphnee is soon off to save lives, our time together has taught us that violence is never far away! We have managed so far, but sometimes we've just been lucky. Chief Atlas and I have discussed some improvements to our ways to operate."
"First off. Chief Atlas has time and time again proved himself in the face of battle and he's keeping The Arbiter running flawlessly. Therefore, he's now assuming the role of First Mate. Any concerns you have you may raise with him."
"Secondly. Hyacinth, you have proven to be a VERY resourceful and reliable lady. No doubt that Unity Security Bureau training has come in handy. You will be our designated Helmsman, or maybe it should be Helmswoman."
"Thirdly. Sister Barbarita, with the latest research, we have found out that our next possible unearthing of your Order's Ancient Writings don't lay here, but on Friden's Valley. Therefore, tomorrow we will embark on a journey there to hopefully resolve your Geas."
"Fourthly, and last. I think to boost our chances for continued survival, I have taken the liberty to upgrade some of your equipment so we can be better prepared for things to come. Protection has proven to be difficult to come by for independent traders, but at least I have managed to procure some new armaments! Please gather around."
With a flourish he unveiled a couple of covered metal boxes, proving to contain some Colonial Rifles and swords. They were distributed amongst Sister Barbarita, Torbein and Daphnee.
Credits have been put aside to enrol Daphnee into Med School.
Swapped some of the Handguns for Colonial Rifles and gave everyone with no melee weapon a Blade.
The following day they set course for Friden's Valley, a planet a short jump away. Hyacinth plotted in the course and the ship shuddered lightly, as if eager to be on the way. Only hours into the journey the intercom came alive:
"Captain, we have three incoming vessels. Small flyers, pirates most likely. What action shall we take?" Hyacinth spoke from the helm.
"Let's hear what they want first, our ship isn't really equipped for fight, so let's avoid that as much as possible. I'll be down on the bridge shortly."
"The Arbiter, this is Jeron Binks. You know you are trespassing on our domain so we will have to ask you to pay a tribute for that," the man looked confident and smiled on the holo screen.
"Jeron Binks, I am Agent Begonia of the USB," Hyacinth snapped as soon as he had stopped talking. Her whole demeanour changed. There was no doubt that she was in charge here. The man's eyes popped wide open.
"I am on a highly sensitive mission and I have no time for delays. I'm sure the USB will take GREAT interest in you and your affairs if I have to report WHY this mission failed." She cocked an eyebrow and it was satisfying to see the man sweat profusely.
"Agent Begonia... forgive me... I had NO idea... Please continue."
Hyacinth killed the transmission and swivelled her chair around.
"By the time they figure out that all my clearances have been revoked, we will be long gone."
"So let's step on it, no need to linger here any longer. Engage." Captain Alistair commanded.
En route to Friden's Valley they had a Pirate encounter, but Hyacinth with Savvy 3 and a past in the intelligence community smoothly turned them away.
"Everyone needs a license to work on Friden's Valley, you think you could whip something up Hyacinth?"
"Sure Captain, no problem at all. Give me half an hour. They wouldn't know the difference from a real permit."
Friden's Valley requires a License which would cost 2 Credits. But I didn't feel like paying, so Hyacinth made one. Having an ex spy in your employee comes in handy now and then :D.
The crew soon discovered that Friden's Valley was a bit of a popular resort, it had beaches, forests, mountains and lots of space. It was very clean, technologically advanced and run efficiently. In the port, the crew had already a buyer lined up for some goods they've kept for just this purpose.
The planet has Technological Knowledge, which gives +1 to all Repair rolls. They earned 5 Credits for the goods.
As they were familiarising themselves with the new environments, they divided the chores. Sister Barbarita and Mrs Haxwell the cook dressed up in their best and went looking for job opportunities. Hyacinth, Captain Archibald and Torbein took to the streets to get the lay of the land and Daphnee and Chief Atlas went to the markets. They also discovered that the research to fulfill Sister Barbarita's Geas led to a weasly little man who demanded a hefty sum for giving them some very cryptic answers.
The result on the Expanded Quest Resolutions from the Freelancer's Handbook gave that I had to pay 4 Credits to gain another Quest Rumour. I paid and have now a total of 3 Quest Rumours.
Sister Barbarita and Mrs Haxwell found TWO patrons, both Private Organisations, same Danger Pay but one of the Patrons is Persistent so went with that one.
Hyacinth Begonia picked up a tip about pirates in the area. I could automatically evade Rivals this turn.
Captain Archibald was offered a Small Job. Eliminate a random figure in next battle and earn 2 Credits.
Torbein met an interesting character and picked up a Quest Rumour.
Atlas traded and came over a "Pre-Owned" Duelling Pistol that needs repair.
Daphnee traded and managed to procure Medical Reserves, 2 Stim Packs and 2 Med Patches. Handy stuff.
The Private Company Extra-Solar Resolutions had a Mission for us that has to be done NOW this Turn! They provide +2 Cr in Danger Pay and are also Persistent, which mean I don't lose them when I travel to another planet.
It's a Fight Off scenario vs 8 Security Bots (Defensive AI)
5 regular with Military Rifles
2 Specialists with Shotguns
1 Lieutenant Clingfire Pistol and Blade
They are Fearless, Reckless and have Armour Save 6+
Chance for reinforcements. If they've taken casualties, roll 1D6. If it's equal to or less than the number of rounds played, 1 enemy will enter the table. From round 6 and onwards, there'll be one enemy EVERY turn guaranteed...
A Loot Cache will be present.
This will be very interesting as I have mostly met Aggressive and Rampaging enemies so far. One encounter was with Tactical enemies.
-
Good to see the crew getting a chance to enjoy their successes and make advancements!
I hope that one day I can assemble a crew and follow in their footsteps...!
Mike Demana
-
Good to see the crew getting a chance to enjoy their successes and make advancements!
I hope that one day I can assemble a crew and follow in their footsteps...!
Mike Demana
Cheers Mate. I usually have a few ideas already in place before playing a game, so sometimes I tweak it slightly to fit. Like Sister Barbarita, as the Councillor onboard, she's an Empath and "needed" a Lightsabre so I gave her a Glare Sword right from the start lol. Also, every good ship needs a doctor, hence Daphnee's aspirations.
It has proven that it takes you a good few games to earn some money and paying off the debts. Even though you roll on tables, your choices MATTERS very much what you spend money on. Important to try to keep a buffer for "unexpected expenses" (I've rolled Tax Man twice and both times it cost me a lot of credits :-[)
I really, really like this rulesystem. It fits my time available to play a game, with just enough rules to make every game interesting and unpredictable enough. I have been saved several times by having Stim Packs available.
I incorporate several rules from the Trailblazer's Toolkit and the Freelancer's Handbook, which really makes an already very good game even better. The Dramatic Combat option is a given in my opinion, with both crew and enemies potentially ducking back after being shot upon, making the combat more dynamic and "alive". Also the tweaks to the weapons is almost a must-have. I haven't bought the Fixer's book but might do that in the near future.
I also really like the options for deployment variables for the enemies and escalating battles. I prep the whole scenario with Battlefield Conditions, Escalating Battles, Deployment Variables etc and note them down before playing a scenario. That way, I don't have to interrupt the "flow" playing the game to stop and look up table x, y or z, forgetting what I was doing returning to the game lol. I just pretend that that "Ambush" in Turn 3 was totally unexpected and carry on :D.
The games themselves rarely take longer than an hour to play. But taking notes, pictures usually doubles that time, then the AAR writing another hour or so. 3-4 hours entertainment of a game, not too bad if you ask me ;).