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We can run with it. technically, Barbara is already fully healed, the GG took the brunt of the damage and Bart healed her up nicely. This is the RP portion of that, as it takes 20 minutes. I figured you would want to get on your way after that.

Yes, a Repair roll would technically be needed to fix Barbara's cyberware. Since you are on the road and she is by the rules fully healed, you can roleplay it out.

@Terry- The Healing Power is essentially like the Healing skill. Success heals a Wound, Raise heals two Wounds. It just costs power points. (3 if I recall). As I mentioned though, no roll required, only RP

All, everyone should now have two ectra Bennies from the RP and Interludes. You can also spend this time sharing about your characters with the new team. I'll repost the arrival below so when you are finished, we can be ready.

Sunday, December 29th, 109 PA (2395CE). 1523 hours. 34 Degrees F (1 Degrees C), Light Wind (2 mph (3 Kph), Wintry Mix). Northern Arkansas Territory, Castle Refuge. (Lead Hill, AR)

Knowing the route you took to get here, Josiah expertly pilots Elsie through the intervening terrain and over the hills and valleys that make up most of the southeastern territories of the Coalition. Though their hold is tenuous at best, their presence is still felt in many areas. It is this presence that gnaws at you as maintain vigilance heading back to Castle Refuge, a place of relative safety and for the charges with you, the possibility of a new life.

The prisoners are another matter. They are mostly tight lipped about their work with the Coalition and most of what you get out of them is about how much money they were getting paid to collect the slaves, especially the blue ones. However, the mercenaries do not know what the Coalition is doing with them. There is one thing that their leader mentions that sparks a bit of interest. Apparently, some of the soldiers had markings on their armor that the mercenaries hadn't seen before. They were marked with RCSG. Some of you may have heard of it.

After sending Elsie and the Glitter Girl to maintenance, you get some dirty looks from the mechanics as to the state that they are in. You know they will be in good hands though and continue to the briefing rooms.

Lt. McDare is nowhere to be found when you report in, but Major Grimjack certainly is and his usual gruff dwarven demeanor is more abrasive than the norm. "I suppose you yahoos finally found something useful. Else, why are you darkening my office door?"

Glad to hear you are on the mend Terry!

No worries, Terry. Get yourself healed up first. @Barbara- very nice and quite visceral. Well done. Two bennies to you.

Nice! Two Bennies to Ounce and Gummitch, one for the stories and one for Terry's Joker. Anyone else?

Elsie's command suite has that capability. Looks like most of the party agrees to head back. Let's see if something turns up along the way...Nothing of interest, so it is Interlude time: Anyone who wants to tell a story can gain a Benny by choosing either Downtime (what you do in the quiet moments, Backstory (a bit of your history) or Trek (something happens along the way). I am not going to write all out the choices, as they are in the main book, but I can explain certain ones if you like. Here are the draws for each of you:

Interlude Draws:
Burgurk:Spades
Barbara:Spades
Terry:Joker- Everyone Gets a Benny and you can tell any story you want!
Bart:Spades
Ounce: Clubs
Gummitch: Diamonds
I think that is all of our active characters. This is the time to get to know each other in character. When that's done, the arrival is below.

Sunday, December 29th, 109 PA (2395CE). 1523 hours. 34 Degrees F (1 Degrees C), Light Wind (2 mph (3 Kph), Wintry Mix). Northern Arkansas Territory, Castle Refuge. (Lead Hill, AR)

Knowing the route you took to get here, Josiah expertly pilots Elsie through the intervening terrain and over the hills and valleys that make up most of the southeastern territories of the Coalition. Though their hold is tenuous at best, their presence is still felt in many areas. It is this presence that gnaws at you as maintain vigilance heading back to Castle Refuge, a place of relative safety and for the charges with you, the possibility of a new life.

The prisoners are another matter. They are mostly tight lipped about their work with the Coalition and most of what you get out of them is about how much money they were getting paid to collect the slaves, especially the blue ones. However, the mercenaries do not know what the Coalition is doing with them. There is one thing that their leader mentions that sparks a bit of interest. Apparently, some of the soldiers had markings on their armor that the mercenaries hadn't seen before. They were marked with RCSG. Some of you may have heard of it.

After sending Elsie and the Glitter Girl to maintenance, you get some dirty looks from the mechanics as to the state that they are in. You know they will be in good hands though and continue to the briefing rooms.

Lt. McDare is nowhere to be found when you report in, but Major Grimjack certainly is and his usual gruff dwarven demeanor is more abrasive than the norm. "I suppose you yahoos finally found something useful. Else, why are you darkening my office door?"

I sent a PM to Khamul but haven't heard back. Not sure if he will be rejoining us soon or not.

The Big Bertha itself can haul most of the slaves and prisoners and the trailers can haul several hundred tons. You have plenty of room to spare.

Are we basically ready to move on to the trip home or did we want to stop somewhere along the way?

The GG can still move, it's main problem is the boom gun and some of the armor. Yes, the Bertha can carry it, but also remember you have a few slaves and some prisoners from the mercenary group to move as well.

Unfortunately for Gummitch, the GG weighs over 1.2 tons, far more than his supernatural d12+2 Strength can carry easily. As I mentioned though, once Burgurk inroduces you to Josiah and Elsie, the Big Bertha can haul it.

The Glitter Girl can still move, but it's going to be very slow going. Though the player hasn't been seen in a bit, Elsie, the Big Bertha Hover Truck, is still here. With some work, she can haul the GG back to base.

Doctor Bart assesses Barbara's wounds Remember that this takes 20 minutes. and realizes that most of them are related to cuts and abrasions she received from the impact of the rail gun rounds into her Glitter Girl and the accompanying shock. The armor saved her life and Doctor Bart believes that over the next few days, the scrapes will heal with no scars.

Barbara, after the requisite 20 minutes, will be fully healed, no wounds.

Fair enough, I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed something. A day or two isn't too much of an issue, considering how slowly I myself post.

Have we come to an agreement for dealing with Lady X?

@Burgurk- You have -6 cover, as does Gold Squad, you would not have been able to hit them, so I had you hit the remainder of Verdant Squad, which only recently entered the area as they were trying to get to the safety of the APC. To hit all 4 of them took an LBT, but it took out the rest of them, so Verdant Squad is out of the picture. If it had raised, the only extra damage would have been from the spell itself, which is essentially the same as the +1d6 from non-power raises.

Burgurk's extreme telekinetic ability shows when half of the tall rock formation explodes and sends falling rock and debris onto the heads of what is left of Verdant squad. They will not be getting back up from that.

Ounce attempts to help the wildly excited dragon flying around, but he is busy enjoying his game of cat and mouse in the air.

The Coalition troops, seeing that they are being slowly mopped up and with the Skull Walker out of commission, decide that they are leaving. Gold Squad breaks for the APC as the APC sends out fire in all directions to keep anyone from getting too close. Other than Terry, who remains atop it. The remaining Sky Cycles veer off with Sentry chasing them down. All that remains is the APC, which is quickly attempting to get away.

The CS is breaking off. If you wish to continue to fight them, you may, in which case it will turn into a "normal" chase. Otherwise, you can let them go. Up to you guys. If you act, all of you may go first for Round 8.

Repairs and reloads are free back at base. You guys aren't playing mercenaries. The Legion has your back. As soon as you make it back to base...

Faelerin Group Healing: 1d8 ⇒ 61d6 ⇒ 4

Barbara disengages from her damaged armor, hoping that her smaller form will be less likely to be targeted by the Coalition. Luckily, they have
their hands full with the rest of the team. While she floats in and out of consciousness, Barbara sees the blue people sling their rifles on their backs and hold hands in a circle around her. She feels a strange energy go over her body as her wounds begin to close and the pain starts to subside. You have only two wounds now.

@Burgurk, that is correct, most of the Coalition is now concentrated in D1. You still have an action this turn.
@All- I haven't seen Sentry post in a bit, so I am going to pull him from the active initiative and assume that he is keeping the Sky Cycles occupied (Distracted -2). I will hold on the CS's actions until Burgurk posts an action, but Ounce, you may go now as well.

The GG is not dead, only needs some fixin' up. I have read many times that many players think they are one trick ponies, but I feel like it being damaged does two things: allows you to show your character's other strengths and creates a new dilemma for the group to come up with a solution to.

It is never my intent to purposely hand tie characters with a certain schtick, but I am also one to let the dice where they may, as Burgurk pointed out. The APC hit you pretty hard and you did roll a Critical Failure, which in Rifts is an automatic Technical Difficulties roll. As you may have noticed, much of the team has come to your rescue to try and get you out of the mess. If that's not good story and team work, I don't know what is.

As Ounce said, Verdant squad is about out of the fight. They can't hit anything really, as they just recovered and there is only four three left.The Skull Walker only has Hunter squad in it now, they have neutralized the pilots and are working to take it over. Also, I thought there was a selective power modifier so you could do exactly that, Burgurk. However, as Ounce said, she and Gummitch are not in melee range of Verdant squad.

Terry charges the APC, its side lasers trying to defend it from his charge. Narrative license He leaps through the fire and lands atop the APC, hacking away at the railguns on top, but its armor is too strong for his psi-sword and he is only able to keep it from targeting anyone else.

The remaining members of Verdant squad try to hoof it back to the APC, not wanting to tangle with an invisible dragon and someone casting spells at them. They make a run for the safety of the APC, not knowing that the APC is being attacked directly. One of them gets blasted from a bolt of lightning out of nowhere, pushing the others to move faster.

With the Sky Cycles distracted, Bart tries to help Barbara, but the damage is quite severe. While the feed is indeed damaged, so is the shell casing port and the drum roller. It's going to take some work to get it going again, something that Bart may need a shop to do. While it can still fire, it is dangerous to do so.

I believe that leaves Barbara and Burgurk up!

The dice have been harsh to you guys lately (this whole fight really) and, as Ounce put it, it makes sense story wise, as none of you are really familiar with the area, let alone working as a team together. As you know, I'm all about the story.

I like your idea better, Burgurk. If you take the roll to move and get a raise, it becomes a free action. Risk/ Reward, right? To answer your question, by RAW, the grid movement is strictly orthogonal for these kinds of chases.

To summarize: Move 1 square- free, no roll

Move 2 squares- Action, Maneuver roll
Critical Failure- Stay Put
Failure-still get to move 1 square, but it is an action
Success- Two squares as an action
Raise- two squares as a free action.

Sound good everyone?

CS Verdant Squad Group Recover from Stun, Spirit: 1d6 ⇒ 51d6 ⇒ 1

As Terry moves towards the APC, the remaining troops of Verdant Squad try to get themselves back to fighting form.

Since he is in a different square, I will let Terry decide how to attack the APC, but also Bart, Barbara and Gummitch are also up!

No worries, but since movement of one square is a Free action, you still have your action left. Gold Squad and the APC are in this square. What did you have in mind to disable it?

It was earlier in this thread.

That said, if the others weigh in with similar thoughts about it, I will concede and make it an automatic success if you take the Free Action to move.

Essentially, one square is a free action, no roll. Two squares is an action with a roll, failure means you still get one square free. Critical failure you stay put. Raise I will allow diagonal movement. Sound good?

I will allow you to move into place so we can get to the end. Most combats in Savage Worlds are not meant to exceed ten rounds.

@Terry? You are up. Verdant squad is down to half strength and Stunned until their next turn. If you want to finish another one off, you technically have the drop on them because of Stun.

@All- I will bot Terry later if he doesn't post.

Looking over the note from Mayor Grobaras, you see that it is written out for the sum of two hundred gold bars, which you quickly calculate to be about ten thousand gold pieces, to be shared amongst your crew. You also recall that a thousand of that is supposed to go to Lady X.

A lot of interesting thoughts about Clashes

I would think that the combat objective here would simply be to escape with the slaves, whereas the CS's objective would be to recapture them.

Clashes are meant for big set piece battles and I feel it would be a middle ground between full combat rules and quick combats. You are right in that chases add a bit more to the rules and can sometimes take from the F3 (fast,furious,fun) concept, as do clashes. However, this fight I consider meaningful in the story, else I think a quick combat would have sufficed. Plus, I wanted the new characters to get a chance to flex their muscles as it were and see what they can do. Though Bart is right, the maneuvering hasn't been the easiest.

As for using regular combat rules, keeping track of where everyone is exactly would have been difficult at best, considering the ranges you were all at. Some of you wouldn't have been able to participate in the fight until the ranges were much shorter. Thus, my decision to use square chase rules.

To answer your question, yes, Clash would get rid of the grid entirely, as it is meant to be more abstract and your positioning is left to the luck of the draw. However, maneuvering rolls would have meaning, as they get you something (tokens), whereas in a square chase, they simply move you from place to place. Something else to consider though is that ONLY players can get Clash Tokens in a Clash. They are not available for NPCs, not even bad guy Wild Cards.

I was not planning on switching to clash in the middle of this fight, but it does look like others are on board with the move along rule. Therefore, as I said before, I will concede to ruling that moving a square no longer requires a roll unless you want to move two squares. If you fail the roll, you still get to move one square.

In thinking about what we discussed with speeding up game play, I have been pondering using the Clash rules from the Science Fiction companion. While they are meant specifically for vehicles, they can be adapted for normal use. There is no maneuvering unless you want to get Clash points and range is determined by your place in Initiative. Thoughts?

Grobaras strokes his extra chins. ”I knew something was wrong with Ironbriar. He was always a thorn in my side, but his work was impeccable, until recently. Mind control explains it, but it’s not something I can tell the public..” He goes on for good couple of minutes about politics and his image before returning to the subject at hand. ”I don’t know who this Lady or Mistress X or whatever is, but I can not have her meddling in the affairs of this city, let alone some strange creature under the streets. I don’t like the idea of any one working for me also working for them, but I can see that I can trust you because you brought this to me first. That and probably the coin I am offering.” He stops and goes to his desk to get out a piece of parchment and an ink pen and begins to write. ”No one but us will know about this deal, but whatever you do, try to keep it clean. The less mess I have to cover up, the better. This note will get you your payment from the Abadar Vaults. Make this as quick as you can. The sooner our fair city is rid of these two carbuncles, the better.” He hands you the note after he stamps it with his seal.

Feel better soon, Khamul.

For Barbara’s I used the Technical Difficulties table in the Tomorrow Legion Player’s Guide. If someone gets a Critical Failure using any technical equipment, they roll on that table to see how bad it is. Rolling a six on that table is never good. Another critical failure and the Boom Gun is down until it can be taken to a shop.

For Griffin Squad, it is from the Chase rules in the main book. They are on foot. A critical failure for a maneuver check results in odd: fatigue or even, lose the rest of their turn.

Technical Difficulties: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Severe Damage, -4 to Using the Boom Gun until fixed

Barbara goes to fire another volley of high velocity shells at one of the remaining Sky Cycles, but suddenly realizes that the ammunition feed has become stuck. Her Glitter Girl will need some work before she can become combat effective with it.

Group Maneuver Athletics: 1d8 ⇒ 11d6 ⇒ 1
Critical Maneuver Failure: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Odd=Fatigue
Griiffin Squad, having finished off the rest of the Coaltion’s Crimson Squad, begins to move towards the Skull Walker in order to support Hunter Squad in taking it over. However, their morale is low after slaughtering the walking wounded and they have a difficult time becoming motivated to keep fighting. For the rest of the fight, unless someone comes along to inspire them, Griffin Squad will be making their way back to Elsie.

Hunter Squad Group Fire at Skull Walker Crew, Light Cover, Jingu Support, ROF1/3: 1d8 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) - 2 + 1 = 41d6 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) - 2 + 1 = 4
Hunter Squad Group Fire at Skull Walker Crew, Light Cover, Jingu Support, ROF2/3: 1d8 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (4) - 2 + 1 = 31d6 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) - 2 + 1 = 5
Ace!: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Hunter Squad Group Fire at Skull Walker Crew, Light Cover, Jingu Support, ROF3/3: 1d8 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) - 2 + 1 = 61d6 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) - 2 + 1 = 2
Two Hits, One Raise
Hit 1 Damage, AP2: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 5) = 14
Ace!: 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16
Hit 2 Damage, AP2: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 5) = 12
Ace!: 1d6 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16
Hit w Raise Damage, AP2: 3d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 2) + (2) = 14
Ace!: 1d6 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15

Hunter Squad, after taking some losses, is able to push ahead and take out the crew of the Coalition Skull Walker. It is now out of commission and out of the fight.

Meanwhile, Terry closes in on the remaining members of the Coalition squad near him that are standing around, unable to gain focus due to Gummitch’s spell.

Terry is up!

No spell snipers, but if you happen to get into a fight outdoors, the wind could be an issue. Plus, immersion...
Grobaras is the only one in the room with you, as this was to be a clandestine operation.

Mayor Grobaras raises an eyebrow as he listens. "We are alone, of that I can assure you," he says, twisting one of the rings on his amply sized finger. "Do we know who created this monstrosity? I cannot fathom that such a beast would also be able to orchestrate the murders of several prominent citizens."

I can see your point, especially with a large number of combatants. Even though I am following the Chase rules as closely as I can, with the timing of PbP, it tends to take a bit from the excitement of it, especially when it takes me a literal hour to write up a combat post when it is the Coalition's turn. On the flip side of that, moving is a Free action, assuming you accept the -2 to your maneuver roll. Getting a raise on the roll allows for two squares of movement. The abstract part comes into play with such large ranges, as it does not take seconds in real life to go as far as one full square. The rules are meant to simulate the constant maneuvering and jockeying for position that usually occurs in real battles.

I am not one, usually, to change the rules in mid combat unless there is a glaring issue. That said, if the others weigh in with similar thoughts about it, I will concede and make it an automatic success if you take the Free Action to move.

The Laughing Dragon is raucous and lively tonight, a complete turn from where you were. The frivolity helps you forget, even for a moment, that there is evil underneath the streets and high above them. Your rest is not interrupted physically, but your mind swirls with visions of the strange woman and her seemingly untouchable power.

Wealday, 30 Lamashan, 4707. 9:05 am. Morning, 47 degrees F. Brisk (6-9mph) Breezes. Mayor Grobaras' Office, Government District, Magnimar, Varisia.

In the morning, you awake with a fresher mind, the dreams you had quickly fading from memory. After a hearty breakfast you head directly to Mayor Grobaras' office.

The place is quite busy in the morning, but due to your importance, time is made for you to meet with the Mayor. You quickly file into a council chamber and take seats, with water provided as refreshment. Soon after, the Mayor comes in.

"Well? Have you dealt with the problem? I have been hearing of strange activities near Underbridge and though that is not unheard of, it seems to have increased of late." He looks at each of you questioningly.

I will keep that in mind, Burgurk. We can continue in Discussion if you like but suffice it to say that I was going for a balance between full combat rules and Quick Encounter rules for such a fight. It's an important one for the story.

Burgurk attempts to navigate the rough terrain and finds it difficult with lasers and rail gun rounds flying through the air.

CS Gold Squad Group Suppressive Fire, Medium Range, ROF3: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (5) - 2 = 31d6 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2

The squad of soldiers on top of the rock formation near the APC continues to rain fire down towards Gummitch, Terry and Ounce, but they are too far away to have any effect.

Hunter Squad Group Return Fire, Cover, Jingu Support, ROF1/3: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 11d6 - 2 ⇒ (5) - 2 = 3
Hunter Squad Group Return Fire, Cover, Jingu Support, ROF2/3: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 21d6 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2
Hunter Squad Group Return Fire, Cover, Jingu Support, ROF2/3: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 21d6 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2
Damage, AP2: 3d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 1) = 7

Hunter Squad is having trouble gaining access to the Skull Walker, but at least its pilots are distracted.

Barbara and Griffin Squad are up, then a new round starts!

Terry rushes in to crush the rest of Verdant Squad as they stumble around, stunned from Gummitch's burst. He catches one coming towards him, dazed. The soldier dies without being able to defend himself. Terry's Cyberknight training causes him to think about what he is doing.

Ounce has no trouble removing the soul from a Coalition soldier, however. His spirit leaves his body as his armor and weapons fall the ground. Two Coalition soldiers remain in this squad, both of whom are still trying to figure out what just happened.

Burgurk, when you are ready!

That's fine on the move thing. A1 has the Skull Walker, currently being boarded by Hunter Squad, with Jingu supporting, though the player hasn't been around lately. C1 has Gummitch, Ounce, Terry and the remains of CS Verdant squad. The image in your space is Griffin Squad, on your team. They are still there.

Exposed Crew: Odd Pilot, Even Cycle: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Out of Control: 1d8 ⇒ 8
Critical Hit: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2
Two Wounds, Bumped

Bart’s shot hits one of the Sky Cycles, sending it into a spiral. The other Sky Cycles scatter to avoid hitting it as the pilot regains control. It takes them a moment to form up again.

Meanwhile, the Faelerin continue to keep firing on them, trying to bring down another one.
Group Support Shooting: 1d6 ⇒ 51d6 ⇒ 1
+1 Support to the next person to shoot at the Sky Cycles

Inside the Coalition APC, the commander of this unit is trying to figure out how best to get a win. He orders the Sky Cycles to leave the stricken Glitter Girl alone and deal with the dragon that is decimating the troops. They peel off and streak towards Gummitch.

Sky Cycle Group Maneuver Action, Distracted, One Wounded (-2), Speed: 1d8 - 2 - 2 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (5) - 2 - 2 + 2 + 2 = 51d6 - 2 - 2 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 - 2 + 2 + 2 = 4

Terry, Burgurk and Ounce are up!

This is good stuff guys!

The big dragon circles the remaining Coalition Soldiers and a powerful halo of energy surrounds their heads. Suddenly they stop moving and stand stock still, unable to do much of anything.

Inside the Walker, the Coalition pilots keep attempting to hold back Hunter Squad.
CS Pilots Shooting into Cover: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (8) - 2 = 61d6 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1
Ace: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
C10 Damage, AP2, Raise: 5d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2, 4, 3) = 17
Ace Damage: 1d6 + 17 ⇒ (4) + 17 = 21
Hunter Squad loses another soldier.

Bart and the Free Folk Squad are up next!

Showing no mercy, Burgurk ends the life of the remaining soldiers across the road. They would have shown him no mercy either.

Terry, meanwhile, is in no mood to show kindness either, as he hacks and slashes his way into the CS Squad harassing him, Gummitch and Ounce. They seemed to determined to fight to the last man, drawing vibroknives.

Sentry continues to keep the Sky Cycles occupied so they leave the ground team near Barbara’s Glitter Girl alone.

Gummitch has his choice of victims for his lightning breath, even as the cyber-knight appears among them, swinging and slicing.

Gummitch is up! Sentry is too, but I haven’t heard from him. I’ll fade him out as I will Jingu and Josiah from the battle at least.

The electrical bolt from Gummitch dispatches yet another Coalition Soldier, arcing around the rocks to hit him despite his cover.

CS Verdant Squad Morale Group Spirit: 1d6 ⇒ 51d6 ⇒ 6

Meanwhile, Sentry continues to harass the Sky Cycles.
SentryBot Test Sky Cycles Focus: 1d12 ⇒ 61d6 ⇒ 2
Sky Cycle Group Resist Test: 1d8 ⇒ 41d6 ⇒ 1
Distracted

Inside the Skull Walker, the CS Pilots and Hunter Squad exchange fire. Hunter Squad loses one of theirs and are unable to retaliate in kind, as the two pilots are dug in fairly well.
CS Pilots Group Shooting, Cover: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (7) - 2 = 51d6 - 2 ⇒ (6) - 2 = 4
Wild Raise: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10
Damage C10, AP2, Raise: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 6, 5, 1) = 18
Ace Damage: 1d6 + 18 ⇒ (6) + 18 = 24
Ace Damage 2: 1d6 + 24 ⇒ (1) + 24 = 25
Hunter Squad Group Shooting, Cover: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -11d6 - 2 ⇒ (5) - 2 = 3

The Free Folk move to help Barbara out of her predicament.
Group Athletics to Move: 1d6 ⇒ 41d6 ⇒ 4
Group Shooting to Distract Sky Cycles: 1d6 ⇒ 31d6 ⇒ 4
Support +1 to next person who shoots at Sky Cycles

Burgurk and Terry are up!!

Xanesha is pretty sure she has you under her thumb, so she does let you go peacefully.

The nearest pub is the Old Fang, so called for the giant tooth that belonged to some sea creature killed long ago that decorates the front stoop. The entire building is adorned with numerous nautical pieces and parts and the patrons seem like they have also just come from the sea, considering the smell. The spirits here are good however, for the price you pay for them, and it keeps people coming back. No one pays you much mind as you come in, most of them deep in their cups.

Finding an out of the way place isn't too difficult, especially near the shore. There is a short beach with some broken ship pieces stacked up, rotted with age and sea. No one is around but the gulls you hear overhead. The ones on the ground are rather perturbed by your interrupting their meal.

Barbara, reeling from multiple cuts and bruises, pushes herself to line up a shot on one of the Sky Cycles. The sudden boom scatters them, but one is not so lucky, the machine and its rider disappear into a fiery explosion, shards of metal and ceramic raining down from the sky.

CS Gold Squad continues to rain fire down on Gummitch from high in the rocks.
Group Suppressive Fire, Medium Range: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (7) - 2 = 51d6 - 2 ⇒ (4) - 2 = 2
Gummitch Distracted (-2)

Griffin Squad, not having further orders, attempts to finish off the Coalition troops across the road.

Group Shooting, No Mods, TH=4, ROF1: 1d8 ⇒ 41d6 ⇒ 5
Group Shooting, No Mods, TH=4, ROF2: 1d8 ⇒ 71d6 ⇒ 3
Group Shooting, No Mods, TH=4, ROF3: 1d8 ⇒ 71d6 ⇒ 3
Not going to bother with damage, suffice to say that the squad is finished.

Gummitch (Distracted -2) and Sentry (Distracted -2), are up!

Ounce watches the remaining Coalition soldiers in her area try to converge on Terry, rather than the large dragon. She then lets Terry know how they are lining up their shots so he can take them out.

Meanwhile, the Sky Cycles converge on Bart, Barbara and Sentry, attempting to pin them down.

Group Suppressive Fire: 1d8 ⇒ 31d6 ⇒ 5
Bart, Distracted
Barbara, in Cover, Unaffected
Sentry, Distracted

Barbara is up!

Xanesha smiles and says, "It seems we have come to an agreement then. Don't worry about the mess on the way down, these ones will clean it up. I'll be seeing you again soon." She gives a dismissive wave of her hand.

Xanesha smiles, more predatory than anything. "I like where your head is at. My portion is only a paltry ten percent of what you bring back, the rest is yours to keep or spend, or whatever it is you want to do with it. Believe me, you are not at the 'ass end' of it, as you say. I have many of the dockworkers doing that part. No, I have bigger plans in mind for you, and they involve a lot of travel and a lot of doing what your kind does best: killing and taking the ill-gotten gains of others. All I ask is a little bit of what you get and a few favors down the line that will keep you in my good graces and the money flowing. Else, I could just end you and waste a rather valuable resource. I would just have to find another willing to reap the rewards of my patronage." She almost purrs the last bit out.

Bart continues to fire at the Sky Cycles, hoping to catch another one, but their speed makes it difficult to hit one of them.

Burgurk lets loose with his full power, catching the Coalition Soldiers along the road. A massive explosion of rock and debris later, only two of them remain standing, hobbling along. Burgurk's nose begins to bleed however, as he strained his powers a bit much this time.

@Burgurk- being trained soldiers, the CS do not stand in clumps. You will have to use the large template to get most of them. As far as the Critical Failure goes, since I don't see anything special about Rifts characters v. 'standard' savage worlds, I'm going to say that it works like any other AB, you get Backlash as one level of Fatigue and all current powers shut down.

Ounce?

I completely forgot about that too. No worries. The way the rules work is that you can only still make one square without a raise on a square chase, but because of your high speed, you get a +2 to your maneuvering roll every turn for free. If you maneuver as one of your actions, it's +4 total, a guaranteed two squares. This is how the Sky Cycles are able to move two squares every round. As far as hovering goes, yes, jetpacks can certainly hover.

@Gummitch, got it, I went back and read the earlier post. You are correct, the test failed, so you’re good.

@Burgurk- You didn’t account for the +1 from Josiah’s Support roll, so you had an 8 to maneuver, so you can get to B2. I’ll let you take an action even though we’re moving into the next round.

Looks like I might have to both Sentry to keep us going.

Sentry harasses the Sky Cycle Pilots to keep them away from Barbara and Bart.
SentryBot Focus Test: 1d12 ⇒ 31d6 ⇒ 4
Sky Cycle Group Agility to Resist: 1d6 ⇒ 31d6 ⇒ 3
Sky Cycles are Distracted Next Turn

The Verdant Squad takes aim at Terry, temporarily given reprieve by Gold Squad, but their lasers bounce off of his psychic shield harmlessly.

Group Shooting, Shield, CyberCombat, Distracted, Command, ROF1: 1d8 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 = -21d6 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (4) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 = -3
Group Shooting, Shield, CyberCombat, Distracted, Command, ROF2: 1d8 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (6) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 = -11d6 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 = -5
Group Shooting, Shield, CyberCombat, Distracted, Command, ROF3: 1d8 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 = -41d6 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 = -2
No hits

They keep firing, hoping for a solid hit, but getting nothing they return to cover.

Group Shooting, Shield, CyberCombat, Distracted, Command, Joker, ROF1: 1d8 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 = -41d6 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (5) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 0
Group Shooting, Shield, CyberCombat, Distracted, Command, Joker, ROF2: 1d8 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (3) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 = -21d6 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (6) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 1
Group Shooting, Shield, CyberCombat, Distracted, Command, Joker, ROF3: 1d8 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (5) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 = 01d6 - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (4) - 4 - 2 - 2 + 1 + 2 = -1
Ace: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Ounce and Bart are up!

Xanesha smirks at Jolanda and watches Khamul closely. "Now that we understand each other, let me make this as clear as I am able. I presume you have found the marks on everyone's bodies, and you are quite curious as to where they come from. I can tell you that they are far older than even I am. There is an awakening coming, and those who are not a part of it will be swept up in it whether by choice or not. You see, what drives this world is not paltry things like ambition or hope or even determination. It's coin. Pure and simple. The baker makes bread to sell to you so that he can take your coin and pay the provisioner for flour, salt and everything else that goes into it. The provisioner pays the miller, who pays the farmer, and it so it goes, ad nauseum."

Xanesha pauses and looks each of you over, as if judging you in some manner. "You see, those who control the flow of coin can control the flow of information, goods and even the people themselves. I am but a servant to this flow, but because I understand it, I can make it work for me and in turn, you can learn to make it work for you."

"The request is simple enough, go to Mayor Grobaras and tell him that you have dealt with the threat. He will believe you, because he needs to, and he will pay you a large sum to keep it quiet. You bring that sum to me. I will pay you your portion and the rest will go to me and those above me. Then, I will have another job for you. To deal with the thing under the city. I can smell its tendrils on your mind." She looks directly at Khamul.

@Bart, no worries, you soaked that one easy.
@Burgurk- since you are in the same square, assume you are in range of the bad guys. I see no reason you can't use your powers from across the road as the two squads shoot back and forth.
@Gummitch- Was that roll for next round's movement?
Has any one heard from Sentry?