Starfinder Society Scenario #1-05: The First Mandate

Note: I originally hand-wrote this review during a really boring meeting! It's probably a bit rough, but the essential theme should be there. I ran this scenario at low tier using the four-player adjustment.

NO SPOILERS

The First Mandate is a great scenario for Starfinder players who are looking for a role-play heavy experience. It's perfect for skill monkeys, with combat taking a backseat. There are some great, well-fleshed out NPCs, though admittedly the plot is pretty basic. I'd recommend it as an opportunity for non-combat oriented characters to shine.

SPOILERS

The centrepiece of The First Mandate is a major gala at Starfinder Society headquarters. First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo has invited several guests with powerful connections to hear a major announcement about the future direction of the organization. The PCs are asked to persuade some of these major players to lend their support (both moral and financial) to the SFS. In game terms, this takes the form of an RP-heavy skills challenge, where the PCs are given a set number of opportunities to influence five different NPCs. Each of the NPCs has an interesting and memorable personality with their own interests and ways of being persuaded. It's not all Diplomacy, as skills as diverse as Acrobatics to Medicine can be used to impress certain NPCs. (I appreciated the full-colour artwork of the NPCs, and recommend GMs use the pictures to help the players remember who they're interacting with each round.) I thought this "social encounter" was a really clever way to get everyone involved in the teamwork necessary for success, and it's always fun to role-play a fancy, formal gala when most PCs are going to be hulking vesks or carrying an armory's worth of weaponry. The coolest thing is that the particular NPCs that are influenced take part in events later in the scenario.

After this RP-intensive encounter, the PCs are approached by Radaszam, head of the Acquisitives faction, with news that a potential assassin has been traced to a warehouse in the Sparks neighborhood of Absalom Station. The PCs, of course, are sent to raid the warehouse. They won't find an assassin, but (after probably setting off a nasty trap) will do battle against a pair of creatures called "electrovores" and then find clues that point to the assassin being a shapechanger who plans to set explosives to kill Luwazi Elsebo! It's not the most creative encounter (the electrovores are kinda run-of-the-mill and are present more because combats are expected in scenarios), but it does advance the plot.

After the PCs rush back to the gala, a really fun and tense encounter begins. The PCs can play it safe by having Radaszam's mercenary outfit take care of finding/defusing the bombs or the PCs can take the riskier (but more impressive to the dignitaries) strategy of handling both the bombs and the assassin at the same time. It's a delicate balance, because one misstep leads to the assassin pressing that detonator button, and it would be quite easy for the PCs to fail magnificently. The group I ran this for succeeded as much through luck as strategy.

Assuming the PCs are successful in stopping the bombs and the assassin, the end of the scenario is a bit of a let-down. There's no explanation as to why Luwazi was targeted, whether the assassin was hired or acting alone, etc. And more, Luwazi's big announcement (that she's going to try to solve the "Scoured Stars" problem and recover the lost Starfinders) isn't exactly a big surprise. It comes off as anti-climactic given all the work put into supporting the effort and saving Luwazi's life.

All in all, though, I thought The First Mandate was a solid scenario. It's a nice change of pace, with a great social encounter and an original encounter combining skills and combat. It's not a scenario that will find great favour with the "combat combat combat" crowd, but for most others it should be a satisfying experience.

A fun adventure with excellent NPCs and story. The danger is overtuned for first level characters, who risk dying before initiative is rolled for the first time in the module. The first combat could result in a total team kill at first level.

Action economy on the role-playing encounter could have used some improvement, and small teams can have a very hard time achieving the objective.

Ideally: have six players, all of different classes, at second level, then the adventure will be fun, and you won't have a 25% chance of dying in the first combat encounter.

Another great Starfinder scenario, that - like most of the others - picks up on other scenarios, and hints to others to come.

A very nice general multi-PC/NPC interaction, followed by investigation and a race against time fight.
Things to do for all.

Lots of fun!

I ran this scenario for SFS this evening and it was, overall, a fun experience. However, despite the scenario's strong opening scene and creative role-play opportunities, it falls flat in Acts II and III with awkward pacing, opaque motivations, and a confusing combat set-up.

Let me disclose, first of all, that I love party scenes. It lets me fill a room with interesting people and turn the PCs loose in a role-play interaction sandbox to learn all about the quirks and personalities of the guests. The gala scene in The First Mandate was no different, and the five NPCs the PCs had to influence were distinct and entertaining enough that each interaction felt memorable. The players certainly came up with unique ways to leverage their skills in conversations with the guests, from discussions of the ethical and geopolitical implications of First Contact events to pitching mining opportunities to an Aspis Consortium representative. Unfortunately, because we were playing with 3 players + 1 GMPC, the two sets of social rounds dragged out a little bit, but that may be more of a symptom of our table than the scenario.

After the PCs are called away from the gala is when the scenario's pacing seems to break down. First, asking the PCs to leave a party they have just finished winning friends at seems very strange. Their friends will wonder where they've gone, why they've gone, and what it is they could possibly be doing that's more important. Not only that, it seems a little strange to send the agents you're supposed to be showing-off to follow-up on a lead. You've got other agents who can handle that, these guys are assigned to the party.

Of course, the investigation scene is technically proficient and well-constructed. It is your typical obstacle-discovery set-up, with a great a-ha moment for the players who paid attention to the fluff text. I do wish one of the rewards weren't so hidden, and I worry other groups might miss the opportunity to collect it.

The weakest scene in the scenario is, sadly, the conclusion. While I did like that the NPCs mentioned in the first scene are made relevant again in the third scene (and can contribute meaningfully to its resolution), the entire organization and pacing of the whole event is, quite frankly, a mess. In fairness, most scenes involving a split party are, but that's no excuse. The scene should have decided whether it wanted to be a technical scene or a combat scene, but not both at the same time, especially with such a high CR enemy (I would've been in favor of combining the CRs of the enemy and the skill challenge if both are to play out at the same time).

Perhaps what frustrates me most about this scenario is that it goes about its script too closely. The plot unfolds not because of the actions of the PCs or their guests, but because it's what's supposed to happen next. Key characters say things because they need to same them, not because it necessarily makes sense. This makes the story feel forced, and threatens the sense of accomplishment the PCs are supposed to achieve from their successes.

In conclusion, The First Mandate is a fun scenario with a strong opening that is hampered by a weak middle and end. The scenario should have tried harder to keep events closer together, in such a way that the important NPCs the PCs spent nearly an hour interacting with remained relevant throughout, instead of only Acts I and III. That said, this is another scenario really had good ideas, and with some additional polish and editing, could've been a slam-dunk way to kick off the next round of SFS missions.

As something of a post-script, I really did appreciate the way the scenario dropped hints about upcoming scenarios. It was a clever detail, and one that went a long way to making the story of Season 1 feel more coherent.

Based on my experience running this at my local gaming store...

This starfinder society scenario really hits the mark! It has something for everybody (except maybe the dedicated starship pilot due to the lack of space combat - not necessarily a bad thing!), gives each type of PC their time to shine, and is vital to the megaplot of the starfinder society during season 1.

Do you want (mostly) social challenges with a variety of memorable NPCs? Check! Do you want combat against unusual or challenging opponents? Check! A little bit of investigation and puzzle solving? Check! A thrilling final encounter with just the right mix of social, technical, and stealthy skills required, not to mention combat: it's all here!

If I were advising a GM which scenario to run after The Commencement to give a new group of players the real flavor of the Starfinder Society, I would tell them to start prepping this scenario.