GM Tarondor's Path of Tears Campaign - Traveller: The New Era (Inactive)

Game Master Tarondor

You're firing a TL 7 Assault Rifle. It has the Trait "Auto 2".

Auto X: These weapons fire multiple rounds with every pull of the trigger, filling the air with a hail of fire. A weapon with the Auto trait can make attacks in three fire

modes: single, burst, and full auto.

Single: Attacks are made using the normal combat rules.

Burst: Add the Auto score to damage. This uses a number of rounds equal to the Auto score.

Full Auto: Make a number of attacks equal to the Auto score. These attacks can be made against separate targets so long as they are all within six metres of one another. Full auto uses a number of rounds equal to three times the Auto score.

A weapon cannot use the Auto trait in the same action as the Scope trait or aiming action.

So be aware of the Burst and Full Auto possibilities.

As it is, you get to roll 3d6 for damage, because even in cover, that's a hit.

Seems like I can use aim with burst fire. Let's do that.

Damage: 3d6 + 2 ⇒ (3, 6, 3) + 2 = 14

Nope. It doesn't say you can't use Full Auto with aim, it says you can't use the Auto trait with aim. Since you aimed, you can only make a normal (single) attack. So that's 12 points of damage.

READ THIS: We've been using a simplified version of combat and skills for so long I forgot we were doing it. Now we're going to add two other factors: Effect and Cover.

Cover is very simple, so we'll start there. Not only does it make you harder to hit, it can add to your armor.

Cover Bonus..........Armour
Vegetation...........+2
Tree Trunk...........+6
Stone Wall...........+8
Civilian Vehicle.....+10
Armoured Vehicle.....+15
Fortifications.......+20

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For most situations, the only thing that needs to be determined is whether or not the Traveller succeeds. If the Traveller’s total throw after applying all Dice Modifiers equals or exceeds the target difficulty (eight or more for an Average check), he succeeds. If it is less, he fails.

Often, though, it is important to know how well the Traveller did – or how bad. To do this, subtract the target number from dice roll of the check, including any modifiers. This margin of success (or failure) is the Effect which can be consulted on the Effect Results Table. This is also used in combat to calculate damage (see page 74).

For example, if a Traveller rolls a 4 and a 3 for an Average (8+) check, then applies DM+3 for a total of 10, his Effect is (10 – 8) 2.

AND...

Damage and Effect
The Effect of an attack roll is always applied to the damage of a weapon unless the weapon is Destructive or a weapon is being used on a target of a smaller scale (See page 157).

I'm giving the embankment a +3 cover rating. Since Mascot rolled a 13 and the Target number was 11 (the usual 8, with a +3 DM), the Effect was 2. So despite not firing on burst fire, Mascot's Damage was still 3d6+2, but the total is lessened to 11 by the embankment.

Gotta run. I'll take my turn later.

FYI, at the moment, only Flatfoot has cover.

Mascot's first shot hits the heavy weaponeer squarely center-mass. The man pitches forward onto his face, dead or unconscious before he hits the ground.

The attackers throw themselves to the ground, firing with reasonable skill. Two shoot towards the camp while one returns fire toward Mascot.

I'm giving Spider and Mascot "vegetation cover". They can move 20 meters to their left and get behind some trees if they want.

Autorifle on vs. Mascot and cover vegetation: 2d6 + 1 + 0 ⇒ (6, 6) + 1 + 0 = 13
Damage plus 3 Effect-cover vegetation - RCES Body Sleeve: 3d6 + 3 - 2 - 1 ⇒ (6, 5, 6) + 3 - 2 - 1 = 17

Uh-oh.
That blows through Mascot's Endurance and Strength, reducing both to 0. He is Unconscious.

The return shot is either highly skilled or very lucky. It hits Mascot in the shoulder and hurls him back. He falls unconscious and bleeding not far from Spider. His last thought is of Bypass on Isis.

Everyone, go!

Clarification requests: (a) you said "Two shoot towards the camp while one returns fire toward Mascot", but Mascot took one down, so there is only one firing towards the camp, correct? And (b) in my previous post, I had Spider lean up against a tree before firing a (wildly inaccurate) shot. Does he currently have "tree cover" or "vegitation cover"

A: There were four (three men and a woman). Mascot took down one, leaving three. I only rolled for one because Flatfoot is under cover and I'm handwaving NPCs for now!

B: I hadn't pictured any trees where you were, but sure. There's one there I didn't notice. You have tree cover.

Mascot bleeds.

Ah, I missed the "and a woman" part earlier. Spider was coming up behind Mascot, so he might have stopped at the trees you described as 20m to the left

"S!!@!" Spider checks and sees he has 8 shots left. Peering around the tree, he takes aim at the one who shot Mascot, and fires.

Minor action to aim; fire energy pistol at the attacker who shot Mascot

Energy Pistol + Dex + Aim - range: 2d6 + 1 - 1 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (1, 4) + 1 - 1 + 1 - 1 = 5

I had posted an action on June 30 but don't see it mentioned in the DM post. Do I need to post again?

I might have missed it, Flatfoot. Sorry!

You made it into the camp next to Harlan. Then you said you are moving closer. There is no cover between you and the shooters other than what you're behind right now. Moving forward will expose you (other than "vegetation cover".) Is that still what you want to do?

Drifter goes prone to try and get what cover he can and then quickly aims and fires a shot.

Aimed (No bonus added for this yet) Rife (Laser)+Dex: 2d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3, 4) + 1 + 1 = 9

Laser Rifle Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 2, 6, 1) = 18

Aiming sounds good. I go prone hoping for some vegetation cover and then aim as a minor action if I can after going prone and fire at whoever I have the best shot at of the baddies.

Changing Flatfoot's action

Croushing behind the boxes near Harlan, Flatfoot steadies his pistol before firing at the nearest of the attackers.

Dex(0)+Gun Combat(1+1): 2d6 + 0 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3, 1) + 0 + 1 + 1 = 6

Spider, distracted by Mascot bleeding nearby in the grass, misses his shot. Drifter drops prone and his first shot takes the female attacker in the throat, killing her instantly. Keeping to cover amidst a hail of bullets, Flatfoot's shot goes wide of the mark.

The two remaining attackers, now shocked to find themselves ambushed, throw themselves into the shallow ravine of the river where for a moment you can't see them and they can't see you. You hear a rumbling in the distance. Looking east (in Spider's direction - 3:00 on the imaginary clock), you see a pair of open vehicles with heavy weapons mounted on top rushing toward you. They will arrive in weapons range in under a minute.

Drifter looks around for a rocky outcropping to get some cover and begins making his way painfully to it while avoiding line of sight to the ravine if possible.

How much father away from Spider did the two remaining attackers move? What is the terrain like between him and them? Any cover he can advance to?

Flatfoot hurries across the camp towards the ravine, in pursuit of the attackers. If nothing else, the ravine will provide better cover from the heavy weapons than what he is now behind.

"Those vehicles might be what passes for the law around here!

The two attackers were near the riverbank and only rolled about three meters to get down behind the cover of the bank, which is about a meter tall, but fairly solid and rocky. The river itself is only a few inches deep along the banks, so they're likely kneeling or laying in mud.

In the absence of any solid rock, Drifter belly-crawls backwards to a slight swale in the ground, no more than half a meter below the surrounding ground and rolls into that. If he keeps his head down, he can stay out of the line of fire.

Meanwhile, Flatfoot leaves Harlan behind and runs for the riverbank. He spots several non-combatants, including Paka, laying in the tall grass behind a small log. Tapdance is with them, armed only with a machete.

Introducing a new rule. It's a strange time to introduce a new rule, but I think you guys could use it. In addition to various die modifiers, the GM can give you BANES or BOONS depending on the situation. A BOON gives you an extra die to roll, and you drop the lowest. A BANE gives you an extra die to roll, and you drop the highest.

The reason I bring this up is that the Leadership skill can grant Boons in Combat:

LEADERSHIP

The Traveller can pass orders, commands and suggestions to comrades fighting on the same side. To do this, the Traveller makes a Leadership check. The Effect of this check is the number of Boons the Traveller can give to any skill checks (including attack rolls) to other Travellers on the same side. The Traveller must be able to freely communicate to another Traveller in order to grant a Boon.

However, bad leadership can end a battle quicker than good leadership can win one. If the Effect of the Leadership check is negative, the opposing side may inflict a number of Banes equal to the Effect to combatants on the Traveller’s side.

Normally, you'd just roll that at the start of the battle, but I'm just learning now about the differences between 1st and 2nd Edition. So go ahead and roll it now, if you want to. It's a Minor Action.

Spider, go.

Let's see if Flatfoot notices anything ...

Recon(no skill, so -3) + Int(0): 2d6 - 3 + 0 ⇒ (3, 1) - 3 + 0 = 1

Laser pistol at the ready, Spider moves towards the fallen attackers and the dropped grenade launcher. If either of the attackers pops his head up from behind the riverbank, Spider will take a shot.

not sure how combat movement works, but I am assuming Spider can't cover the entire 35 meters to the grenade launcher in a round

The Traveller may move a number of metres up to his Movement score (for humans and most humanoid

Travellers, this will be 6 metres). Difficult terrain, such as ruins or mud will halve a Traveller’s Movement. Being prone will also quarter a Traveller’s Movement score.

You understood I was giving you a free Leadership check, right, Spider?

With Mascot down I didn't think anyone was close enough to Spider to be led. Or is this retroactive to his actions before the group split?

Leadership + SOC: 2d6 + 1 + 0 ⇒ (6, 4) + 1 + 0 = 11

If EDU is the more appropriate characteristic, then add one to the roll for a 12

Yes, it's retroactive. Also, they just have to be able to see or hear you, so I assume you can use hand signals to set up a better situation.

Neither EDU nor SOC is appropriate here. In an emerging situation like this, it's INT. So your effect is 3, meaning you can hand out three Boons to any of your team members. You can choose to give them out now (like 1 each, maybe) or later, but they have to be given before the team member makes the check.

I'll give one boon each to Flatfoot and Drifter, and hold onto the last for now. I assume Spider can't use one himself?

Yes he can. He's using good leadership to set up his team (including himself) to do well.

The two attackers keep their heads down for the moment, and the vehicles, though distant, continue to approach rapidly from the east. They're certainly out to shoot someone, even if you're not sure whom. They'll be within weapons range in about forty-five seconds.

Spider Recon+Int: 2d6 - 3 + 1 ⇒ (5, 1) - 3 + 1 = 4
Drifter Recon+Int: 2d6 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (4, 4) + 1 - 1 = 8
Flatfoot Recon+Int: 2d6 - 3 + 0 ⇒ (6, 1) - 3 + 0 = 4

Everyon hears the roar of engines coming from the West. Drifter realizes what's making that sound. It's a starship coming in hot.

Everyone, go!

Spider continues to move towards the grenade launcher while keeping his pistol trained on the riverbank.

He'll shoot if a target appears above the riverbank. should I just continue to hold the roll I made last post, or re-roll?

The previous roll is fine. Just waiting for everyone else to post.

Drifter and Flatfoot?

Can I see anyone from my cover? If not I want to just ready a shot for when I have someone to shoot.

Flatfoot reverses direction, going back towards Paka. And Sandman, too, for that matter.

There are too many groups converging on the camp and Flatfoot wants to protect what is likely everyone's target. And, he feels responsible for bringing Paka into this mess and wants to be beside her.

The two surviving gunmen remain behind the protection of the riverbank as the two vehicles race forward.

Then, thunder shakes the sky and lightning fills the air, forcing everyone to grab some dirt. When you can look up again, the two vehicles are smoking ruins and the two gunmen are holding their hands over their heads.

The noise is tremendous as a beat-up old Far Trader hovers overhead, its laser cannons facing the gunman. A woman's voice booms out over the ship's loudspeaker. "Don't just lay there sucking dirt! Disarm those two!"

Drifter will limp forward to disarm the last two men and force them to walk towards the camp.

Spider continues towards the riverbank with his gun trained on the area. He stops to pick up the grenade launcher before continuing onward to help disarm the two attackers.

His companions seeming to have the situation in hand, Flatfoot moves to Paka.

"I think this might be our ride out of here. Ready to get back into space?"

LATER...

It's been three days since the fight at the lake-front. You were rescued by Captain Branu Stigman of the Far Trader Bon Chance and Leslie Langeron, leader of the Black January Brigade and brought back to Black January's encampment further north along Freedom Lake. Archie survived with minor injuries, but "Jessica" is in a coma. Dylea died in the grenade blast. Mascot and Drifter are both alive, but hurt. Muscles and four of your small troupe all died in the attack. Tapdance and Paka both came through unscathed, as did Robert 571.

"I don't know anything about a Coalition ship," Stigman tells you. "I just make runs here and there, and try to bring things in to these people when I can. I can't believe what you people survived."

"I can take you home if you don't mind a slow trip. She's only rated for Jump-2. Plus I can't afford to just take a 12-week vacation to Trybec. This is a working ship and I need to keep it working. Still, I expect you won't mind some down time, am I right?"

I'm going to let you wrap up any loose ends you'd like on Promise, but your long nightmare is just about over. Let me know when you're ready to move on!

Faltfoot stays with Paka immediately after the fight, originally to protect her which turns to relief when they realize that their means to get off Promise has arrived.

"Are you willing to stick with me?," he asks sometime later. "I am still in the RCES, so my time won't always be my own. Or do you want time to think about it?"

On vacation for a week.

Paka gives Flatfoot a weary smile. "You're going to get back home and realize how pretty the girls your age are, James. But yes, I'll come. Let me see what the mighty Star Vikings are like at home."

"....mighty star vikings..." Mascot's weak voice rises from the stretcher that he's resting on. He raises a fist as a symbol of that unbreakable strength.

Did the doc survive?

Yep! Doctor Sirkaa survived!

I'm going to wrap this up soon and give you guys some choices unless anyone has anything to add at this stage.

"A slow trip will be fine, Captain. And those of us who are healthy can pull our weight keeping your boat working." Spider offers Stigman his hand, "Thank you."

Q: If you agree the Virus presents such a threat to humanity, doesn't it make sense to wipe it out?

Sandman: Every species has the inalienable right of self-defense. The legitimate exercise of the right of self-defense becomes criminal genocide only when actions against threatening organisms are broadened into a general policy aimed at the elimination of an entire race or species without regard to the threat posed by each individual member of the group.

This is a pivotal moment in the history of both our species, but the choice is entirely yours. You may choose genocide, but there is another way.

- First interview with the Virus "Sandman"
Part V (22/XII/1202), RCSA Archives

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RETURN FROM PROMISE

The Bon Chance is an A2 Far Trader, one of the most common vessels in space. Basically just an A1 Free Trader with less cargo space and bigger jump engines. About three centuries old, the ship was old and battered when the Final Imperium was still bright and shiny. It can carry a complement of ten as well as six low berths (cryogenically frozen passengers). Those wanting passage are you four, Tapdance, Paka, Dr. Sirkaa, Harlan and several others. Leslie Langeron tells you that Black January can't care for "Jessica", so you decide to put her in a low berth to see if RC doctors can heal her.

So it is with a full crew and all low berths filled that the aged tramp merchant takes off from Promise with the artificial AI intelligence Sandman stored in the hold.

Six weeks later, Bon Chance arrives in Lefiguura, a system with no gas giants and whose world is controlled by a dangerous Technologically-Elevated Dictator (TED). Nonetheless, the ship settles down to a remote island and takes on seawater to convert to fuel. Everyone gets out gratefully to stretch their legs and breathe some fresh air. After a pleasant picnic on the beach (for those capable of enjoying it), the ship returns to orbit and is making for the 100-diameter limit when its sensors detect a ship moving through the system.

After several tense minutes, it is resolved as RCS Suleiman Victrix an Aurora class Reformation Navy clipper on routine patrol from Trybec to Davao. After receiving the correct codes from Spider, the ship's captain comes on the viewer. She is a stern-looking woman of Asian descent with high cheekbones and a military bearing. "Commander Webb? I'm Captain Wen. it's quite a surprise to hear from you. How is your crew? I've just opened orders concerning you and it seems that any ship that encounters you or any member of your crew is to take you aboard and turn for base. Captain Stigman, if you will heave to, I will send over a cutter, sir. Then if you will please make your way to Trybec Naval Base, authorities there will wish to debrief you and, no doubt, reward you."

Aboard Suleiman Victrix, Drifter and Mascot receive excellent medical care. Those in low berths are left frozen for unfreezing at Trybec. Two weeks of good food and real beds later, you are all beginning to feel a bit more normal. The ship celebrates a return to the Reformation Coalition by planting a broom on the bridge, a sign of a "Clean Sweep".

Anything you'd like to share with Captain Wen before heading into Reformation Coalition territory?

"Has there been any word from the Riggins Victrix?"

Captain Wen hands Spider a cup of coffee in her ready room. Clean and shaved, Spider nonetheless fits his jumpsuit like a scarecrow, all bones and angles from having lost so much weight. "Yours is the first word we've had since Riggins Victrix jumped out at Davao nearly a year ago. From your story I assume she's now a Vampire ship. They'll find it hard to convert her. As you probably know, the yards worked hard to isolate the computer from everything and to make the computer itself so dumb it couldn't hold a full AI. I suppose they could retrofit one in with some time in a yard like the one you describe at Promise."

"It's no wonder the Navy issued orders for your immediate return if found, but I have to tell you, Commander, you and yours have been on the Presumed Destroyed list for some time now."

"You all have a funeral for us and everything?" Mascot asks from his wheelchair. The regenerators on his legs ensured that the tissue was healing properly in between autodoc sessions, but it meant the marine was confined to the chair for a few weeks. "I just imagine lots of weepy women. Maybe posthumous honors. Hey, if I'm dead, does that mean I don't have to pay any taxes?"

He glances towards the cargo compartments. "Uh, Captain, what do you think RCES will do with Sandman? I mean, I'm all for jettisoning the damned thing into the nearest star, but he did hold up his end of the bargain."

Did we tell this guy about our cargo? I think this is really a less known is better thing?

That's kind of what I was getting at. Did you tell the Captain about Sandman, or are you going to bring the Virus right into the RC's biggest naval port without warning?