GM Valen's SFS Quests - Into the Unknown (PbP) (Inactive)

Game Master Lysle

I've played this once or twice before, but it was a fair bit ago. I only remember the general plot. Whatever you'd prefer seems good to me.

I have not played this particular scenario before.

Hey GM - I'll be traveling for the next week or so. I hope to be able to check in a couple times a day, but you never know where you'll find internet on the road. I've left some botting instructions on Vchk's profile, please don't hesitate to bot me if I'm absent for a day.

@Vchk - I hope all is well. Please let me know when you have returned. Otherwise, since you have not posted since your notice regarding travelling above, which was more than a day ago, I understand that I have your permission to continue to bot Vchk until I hear otherwise from you. Now that the numbers strongly favor the PCs, my present intention is to keep your character on delay until your return.

If I do not hear back from you prior to the beginning of the next Quest, we will begin it without Vchk, though he may "appear" in the scenario if it has not been substantially completed. There are 4 more quests to go and you can gain XP, boons, and credits without completing all 5, so if you miss one, it would not have too much impact (and you can always play the missing quest later).

Thanks for your patience, everybody - I am back in the land of internet (I expected the western half of the US to have internet somewhere, but I couldn't find it). Looks like I missed out on a fun fight! I think I've made it back in time to start the second Quest, yeah? I should be around for the foreseeable future.

Welcome back! We'll be moving on to quest two later today so good timing!

I need to know who will have what starship role when the crew is approaches the coordinates of the Endless Threnody and then also in combat (if the two are not the same).

Trying to determine starship roles, I came up with the following, essentially plugging in the highest number for each role in descending order. As different areas of the ship may be considered more important/strategic than others, the proposed assignments may not be considered optimal. Feel free to switch these up, but I would like to try and finalize the order by the time the briefing is over. Remember, you can switch things around at the beginning of each round of combat.

I'll leave it up to you whether you will allow anyone who goes by the name Zapp Brannigan to serve as Captain.

Captain Zapp +7(+1d6)
Pilot Harqen +9
Engineer Wats +6,
Science Neon +4
Gunner (turret) Vchk +4
Gunner secondary Ozei +3

Engineering sounds good to me.

Worry not, as captain I will lead this crew to glory. It will be safe, too; for no one will dare raise arms against us.

Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Toldja!

This arrangement looks good to me! It looks like our ship is fairly agile, so hopefully we should be able to dance around the Eoxian freighter without too much difficulty. We can either engage from short range with the turret and one of the light laser cannons (as long as we keep them off our aft) or we can pepper them with the turret from long range. Captain's choice. We're all gonna die.

Do each of these quests reset or does Watdems still have the Azimuth laser pistol she took off the Eoxian?.

I am operating under the assumption that you all still have the loot, including the credits taken from the mercenaries. My understanding is that the PC retains all items acquired from the quest until a chronicle sheet is issued for the PC (either when the PC bows out of the next quest or all five quests are completed). Likewise, my understanding is that a PC retains all damage/hit point loss/conditions acquired during the quest as well until a chronicle sheet is issued. Since acquired loot can be sold during the quests, items restoring hit points, etc. can be purchased so that it is unlikely that a PC needs to start a scenario without hit points. The only exception to this is death, which is not permanent for quests that provide 0 XP per page 46 of the SFS Guide, which states if you die in one such quest, your character can return in the next with no negative consequence other than the loss of any boon attached to that quest. Since you all survived the first quest, each additional quest provides you with 0 XP.

Once you get a chronicle sheet, then the "reset" happens.

Retaining loot then is a potential benefit of playing the quests in a series rather than individually, where you would have to purchase loot after each quest in order to have it for the next (but then you get “healed” for free so it would seem to be a trade off).

If you believe any or all of my conclusions above are incorrect, I am happy to be wrong. Feel free to contact a Venture Officer or point me to the post with the correct info. I could not find a definitive answer on this, though admittedly my search fu may be lacking, so I would appreciate any corrections , particularly as I am slated to run this series at a face-to-face convention next month. ”Kubla!”

Speaking of loot, I count (3) azimuth laser pistols with standard batteries, (2) assault hammers, and 250 credits (let me know if I missed anything).

I know that Wat and I claimed a pair of the pistols, and I grabbed one of the hammers. Unless anyone else wants the rest, shall we sell it off and split the cash? If so, that should be a total of 294 credits, or 49 credits per person.

Loot= 3 pistols with batteries, 3 hammers, 500 credits, datapad, and if you want to remove it, a flight suit, total.

Hello guys, just a question on the firing arcs. Can the secondary Gunner Ozei +3 use all three arcs (Port, Starboard, Forward) to shoot or does the secondary gunner have to choose which arc they sit in and then can only shoot that arc?!

And the turret can shoot anything anywhere, right?

And what exactly did Neon Punk do? Did he assist flying the ship as he wrote "sending the Loreseeker along the optimal path to reach their target."

Thanks!

Yup, a gunner can use any gun they wish (as long as two gunners don't use the same gun in the same round), and the turret can fire into any arc.

The science officer's check revealed the spoilered info a few posts up, it wasn't a standard science officer action.

The GM specified that the science officer needed to make a DC10 Computers check to locate the enemy vessel, so that was the check I made.

Since I have to choose the placement/orientation of the ships, what are the group's preferences on those? Would you all prefer to approach from a certain side?

Can we approach fro the aft arc?

Well, we know nothing of the Endless Threnody's armaments, but it's generally a good rule of thumb to approach from the aft if you can.

Harqen, it might be best to stay at long range (greater than 10 but less than 20 hexes away) until our science officer can scan the enemy vessel and learn more about what we're up against while peppering them with the coilgun. Or you can go full bore and do some daring short range (less than 5 hexes away) passes to utilize the Loreseeker's full firepower. It's your call, pilot.

While I was posting in Gameplay, I missed the above going on.

I updated the map to reflect starting positions and the undead ship's first move. I assumed that the "optimal path" mentioned by Neon Punk was to approach, head-on from directly within the enemy's rear arc - Harqen and Vschk seem to second this above. If my assumption is incorrect, please let me know so I can re-adjust the enemy's movement.

Otherwise, if you are fine with the initial placement, then, since I have already posted the enemy's movement, you may fly (and fire) at will for this round.

@ All - Just an FYI, but expect my post rate to be minimal this week. I have a sick little one and a number of family activities planned. Should be ready to return to full speed Monday-ish.

I know the wait may seem a long time to wait, but playing undead has made me appreciate patience.

Of course! Have fun! Great RP with the undead! :-D

What Harqen said. :-)

Good luck! Hope the kiddo feels better soon. Also, pun game is on point with these boneheads.

No worries, take your time!

Can't say I didn't post because I knew all was well, it was more like me being silly and forgetting. I'd say we can keep the former as a record, though.

Thanks for all the encouragement. The little one is feeling better today. We have a busy family day ahead tomorrow, so Monday looks likely for the round recap.

Sorry for the delay. I appreciate again all of your kind words and understanding.

Next round has been posted.

GM wrote:

Mister Skullu

I don't often literally LOL, but you got me here.

Credit where credit is due - I also made a stifled chuckle in my office when I read this one.

one of the players (with the exception of the captain or pilot) could have declared himself to be a third gunner last round and then could have fired a third weapon, one from a different firing arc, as a result of Tarqen’s successful fly-by attack.

That's (I think) what I was trying to say originally, but then this was said in response:

@ Ozei - My interpretation of the text you cited is that the maneuver does NOT grant an extra attack, but only allows one to avoid a "free attack" and reduce range penalties.

Color me "confused".

GM wrote:

one of the players (with the exception of the captain or pilot) could have declared himself to be a third gunner last round and then could have fired a third weapon, one from a different firing arc, as a result of Tarqen’s successful fly-by attack.

That's (I think) what I was trying to say originally, but then this was said in response:

GM wrote:

@ Ozei - My interpretation of the text you cited is that the maneuver does NOT grant an extra attack, but only allows one to avoid a "free attack" and reduce range penalties.

Color me "confused".

I apologize for the confusion. I (wrongly) thought you were asking if a single player could attack twice in the same round - once as the ship does its fly-by and the other once it reaches its end position.

I don't see a need to do any "redos" as I don't think it will make a difference in this combat. However, I appreciate you seeking further clarification now as it may have an impact in the future of the scenario.

Groovy. Thanks for the explanation.

GM Valen! Excellent space battle and really great RP!!!

@ All - I don't expect to start the next quest until Monday due to a number of other life obligations, some of which I neglected posting so much yesterday. At our usual posting rate, I'd estimate from there that we will be complete in about two weeks. Feel free to post any in-character "fluff" during the party's "downtime". Otherwise, enjoy your weekend!

I am really sorry. Unexpected workload is preventing me from playing properly at today. :-(

Can please one the players bot Harqen. Thanks a lot!!

GM, I just wanted you to know that it is so much fun to read your posts. You are very creative and portray the opponents so well. Also our actions are reflected so nicely! Really, really great! Just as feedback because I was laughing again when reading your posts!! ;-)

GM, I just wanted you to know that it is so much fun to read your posts. You are very creative and portray the opponents so well. Also our actions are reflected so nicely! Really, really great! Just as feedback because I was laughing again when reading your posts!! ;-)

@ Harqen - I really appreciate the encouragement and I am glad that my, rather lengthy at times, text is being read. Composing them can take a good deal of time (more than a man who bills by the hour probably should be spending), so I am thankful for the feedback.

Definitely GM! Really fun and thanks for the time you are investing in this game!

Hi team, I will only be able to post again on Tuesday.

Can you please choose one of you to bot me until then.

Thanks!

Only have posts from half the party. I've noticed post rates down across all of my games the past few days. Are folks waiting on Harqen? If so, feel free to bot as Harqen requested. Otherwise, I am fine with waiting for his return

Please note that I will be traveling starting Wednesday,and will be not back to my regular routine until May 30th. I will try to get posts in if I can, but I think it unlikely. So there is likely to be a week long hiatus in the middle of this battle.

I hope you all had a great weekend+! I am now back home and slowly catching up on work stuff.

I think we are still waiting on posts from Zapp and Neon this round, but either way, I will not be getting a summary up before tomorrow. The next day it is the kids' last day of school, so likely a single round summary this week and then back to regular post rate/schedule next.

If someone really needs to free up their PC let me know. If you are using this quest for the Alien Archive boon, I anticipate having a chronicle to you in advance of the deadline.

Oh, crap! I completely forgot about posting, that was on me. I don't think it changed too much, though.

Oh, crap! I completely forgot about posting, that was on me. I don't think it changed too much, though.

It's all good. Due to the positions of the ships and their status in relationship to one another, I figured resolving posted actions "as is" was not going to have much impact on the battle.

The current round quite likely is.

I PM'd Neon Punk as no post for a couple of days. If I don't get a response prior to my next post, which will be when schedule permits within the next 24 hours, I will bot him.

I expect to complete these quests by end of this week.

Watdems, I'm really enjoying your character. If you see a similar character later on, remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Haha Thanks! I am going to try and race her to Tier 4 Second Seekers for the Rising Star Boon.

Hoping to submit her so one day she can appear as an in-game Venture-Captain or preferably the First Seeker for all of the Starfinders. :)

I would follow you anywhere, Watdems. :-)

Defitinely!!! ;-) Watdems rulz!

Watdems will always be a rising star in my book! Although, for some reason, I associate her more with an unintentional moon...

I'd like to play out the debriefing with VC Arvin, but you have all successfully completed the Quests. Well done!

This run has been a lot of fun and I contemplating running another evergreen, perhaps the Commencement or Ashes of Discovery, in the same style a--a month or so from now. You'd each have a spot at the table if you want it. You guys really got into the spirit and made this--for me, at least--a great run!

I had a blast. Thanks to everyone, but especially GM Valen - your writing is an absolute delight, and I look forward to playing with you again!

Yes GM Valen, thank you so much! We all can learn a lot from you as a GM!

I had a great time! ;-)

Thanks for the great game GM!

Agreed. Well done, GM. Thanks for running!