7TV Spy-Fi Day - Board in Brum

After what seems a complete age, I was able to game face to face at an event. This was at the cracking establishment, Board in Brum and the organisation of the 7TV event by Mike and Simon was fantastic. 

It felt a very safe environment and considering the weird times we are living in, it was nearly a little bit of normal.

What was also great, apart from being able to game and roll dice with other people, was the chance to catch up with some really nice friends I have in the community - Simon and Wayne.

The event was setup for 3 games throughout the day and centred on the forces of Order trying to stop the evil machinations of Dr Argo and his robotic legions from completing his evil world dominating scheme.

Casts for the day would be made up from 40 ratings and could only be made up from the Spy-Fi set, no Pulp or Apocalypse archetypes for this event.

I put together my SPECTRUM cast - I have had these ever since 7TV was released but have never actually had them on the table for an event.

Captain Scarlet (Action Hero) headed the cast
Capt Blue (Dependable deputy)
Captain Magenta (Angel of Justice)
Captain Orange (Marksman)
Colonel White (VIP)
Half Dozen SPECTRUM (Security) Guards led by a Commander

Game 1

SPECTRUM vs Davros and his Daleks and Robomen - Peter.

First game up against Peter and the dastardly Davros and his Daleks and Robomen. As the games would run as a story driven campaign with the the overall winners being either Dr Argo or the forces of Order, this first game had the added condition of which ever faction got the most wins, they would control a special device with would give opportunities in game two.

We set up the objectives and who would be attacker or defender and right from the start It looked like I was in a better position. Peters Dalek's were quite slow and even though they had extra armour, Capt Orange was in a perfect vantage spot to snipe away.

Seriously wounding Davros's administrator which upset the robomens co-ordination, Davros had no choice but to go up the middle to try and gain objective points.

Capt Scarlet, however backed up by the withering fire of the SPECTRUM guards whittled down the enemy relentlessly.

After picking up the McGuffin and Capt Magenta taking down a Dalek in hand to hand combat, Davros retreated with what was left of his forces.

Win for the SPECTRUM and the Forces of Order.

Game 2

SPECTRUM vs The Southern Gentleman and WestWorld Minions - Shaun.

So with the majority of first games wins by the Forces of Order we had the an advantage over Dr Argo and started to put a dent in his evil plans.

Again the faction which got the majority of wins in this second game would give an advantage in the third game - now this game was using the Race scenario and basically it was fixed in Argo's favour - as long as the Dr Argo cast got to steal the scene they would technically win. Shaun must have misheard or misunderstood the instructions as he never stole the scene.

The game started with both sides setting up with SPECTRUM suddenly realising one of their CO-Stars was in the wrong mark and swapped Capt Magenta with the opposing Fembot Madam (practically negating her for the whole game)

The Southern Gentleman was also out of position now and the car he was using for cover wasn't as advantageous as Capt Magenta opened fire and wounded him.

Suddenly a sneaky Robo pup started nipping at the heels of Capt Orange, but it was eventually sent slinking off (cause we don't want to think of puppies being gunned down) by the weight of fire it was attracting. 

With the WestWorld posse creeping into position by the rail cars they were soon soon rounded up and dispatched by the efforts of Capt Scarlet, Blue and Orange.

The Southern Gentleman charged forward with nothing to lose except the chance to pick up the McGuffin but was soon sent to the great plantation in the sky by Capt Scarlet and Blue.

Win for SPECTRUM and the only win this round by the Forces of Order.

Game 3 

SPECTRUM vs Different Davros and his Dalek's - Tavis

So one round all with the last round to see whether Order would prevail or Dr Argo would complete his evil plans.

With Dr Argo's faction winning the last round, its reward basically gave those casts double plot points for the first round of the game - this would prove very advantageous for Tavis as Davros can spend a plot point to stop a Dalek from being destroyed if he is in range.

After my first two games where I had basically had all the dice rolls and gunned down my enemies, this game went completely the other way.

I set up Capt Orange on a rooftop to snipe away at Dalek's but even though he could hide, the Daleks managed to close the range with Davros repairing them and completely negated that threat. 

Captain Scarlet had Jet-Packed onto the roof as well to lend his strength to the flank but heavy Dalek fire sent him tumbling from the roof - but thankfully he's indestructible !!

The SPECTRUM guards apart from gaining the McGuffun, were unceremoniously gunned down by the weight of Dalek's surrounding Davros apart from one lone Dalek that was charged by Capt Magenta and destroyed.

Colonel White seeing no way to stop the relentless advance of the Dalek's ordered the retreat.

My cast was axed due to losing most of my guards and I rolled a six which meant the rest of my cast was removed.

Apart from gaining all but one of the objective token's including the McGuffin, I had only destroyed one Dalek and a small repair drone. Toting up Victory Points I had just missed out on a draw by one point.

Minor (but still a) Loss for SPECTRUM and the Forces of Order.

However this round went to Dr Argo meaning they had overall won the day.

Some of the Casts of the Day

Five Parsecs from Home - Game 1 - "Opportunity Knocks"

So this is the first Campaign game of Five Parsecs from Home, and my Star Forgers crew Captained by Mason "Steel" Forge (First post highlighting the crew) I have decided to run my campaign to a total of 20 Campaign turns on normal difficulty which means there will be no changes to experience, story points gained or changes in the number of enemies I would fight etc.

Campaign Turn 1

Having assembled his crew and paid off a small amount of the debt on the Solar Conveyor, Mason decided to stay on Erlich-4 for the time being thanks to the possibility of being able to call, not only on his family ties but maybe the contacts that Cal and True brought with them.

Whilst the ship was still being overhauled by his families engineers, Mason allocated SH-1R3 and Cal to liaise with one of his distant cousins and see what they could get in trade for the few left over odds and sods found in the hold. This proved reasonably fruitful as although his cousin worked as a trader, he wasnt the most astute in getting the best deal for himself. 

Cal came sauntering back more than happy with SH-1R3 lugging a Military Grade fuel cell and a rare instructional manual in a trader language which Mason could easily read.

Kheth was more than happy in his homemade firing range in the cargo hold, honing his skills and True mentioned she wanted to try and clear up the wetware hacking debacle that got her into so much trouble and Chaket decided to accompany her as protection on her trip.

True must have been able to seriously sweet talk the disgruntled trader as she came away from the meeting with a promising lead which could prove financially beneficial. This called for a quick drink thought Chaket before returning to the ship.

Whilst the crew had been out at his cousins or patching up issues etc, Mason had found a Patron in a Private Organisation who had offered him what seemed a nice simple job, danger pay was average and there didn't seem to be any other benefits or hazards attached. The Mark also didn't seem to mind when the job was completed.

However after hearing of True's promising lead, which involved the possibility of fighting off some local Bounty Hunters, and maybe the chance of some really Shiny bits, as well as there being no time frame on the other job, Mason decided to just take up the Opportunity of gaining some quick fast cash.

Gathering everyone together, the Star Forgers zipped across the Star Port by Maglev to the Shuttle Docking bay mentioned in True's lead.

Battle - Fight Off the Bounty Hunters in the Shuttebay

Bounty Hunters

Turn 1

On entering the Shuttlebay and its surrounds, Mason divided his crew into 3 teams and spread them out to cover as much area as possible searching for the Really Shiny Bits that the lead  hinted at. He suddenly noticed a number of individuals moving in and out of cover on the other side of the bay "heads up guys and gals, looks like them hunters are already here" he shouted.

SH-1R3 noticing what was probably one of the hunters dash across the doorway of the munitions shop, strode forward and loosed off a shot which drilled aimlessly into the bulkhead.

That opening shot caused the Bounty Hunters to burst into action and a hail of bullets flew across the bay from numerous directions but the range hasn't been accessed properly and not one of the Star Forgers is hit.

Mason and the rest of his crew move into better positions and Chaket and True get a lucky bead on the Hunter Specialist, but where as Chaket's shot is rushed, True takes aim from her perch amongst the containers and hits the enemy specialist in the back of the head with a well aimed laser blast, taking him out.

The Bounty hunter who was backing up the Specialist panics seeing his colleague go down and bails!

Cal notices something resembling the description of shiny on top of the bays resident bar.

Turn 2

Again SH-1R3 reacts quickly and shoots at the hunter who is in the cover of the munitions shop doorway, again the bots tracking sight fails and the round chips more paintwork off the bulkhead. Cal, attracted by the shiny, climbs up to the roof of the bar and is stunned to see an inert spider bot "Boss, this will fetch a cred or two if we can get rid of these hunters" he shouts over to Mason. Chaket, backed up by True make for the open corridor in front of them now that its no longer covered by enemies.

Mason notices what looks like the Hunters boss giving orders and moves into the main shuttle bay "Kheth, cover me, Im taking down that bug!" Handcannon blazing as soon as he's in range, the Hunters Lieutenant slams back against a computer console, leaving  green ooze all over plasti-surface.

Kheth's covering fire hits the accompanying riflemen but only stuns him, forcing him into cover behind the shuttle. "Don't worry about him" Mason calls, "He's crawling for the exit, I don't think he's going to be an issue anymore".

Turn 3

A loud explosion then rips across the bay. "What the hell was that?" Shouts Cal. ++ Grenade explosion ++ opposition running for cover ++ compute action mishandled ++ comes the computerised answer from SH-1R3 as two hunters come hurtling out of the munitions shop, in different directions. 

The hunter, SH-1R3 had been shooting at was suddenly right there in point blank range - stunned but standing after what appeared to be a fumbled grenade, but even the Bot's compu-aim couldn't reset quick enough and his fire completely missed. "I’ll have to re-calibrate that bloody Bot" thought Cal as he watched from the roof of the bar.

The other hunter found himself next to the corridor where Chaket was advancing, and regaining his composure loosed of an in range shot from his handgun, felling the large Vul, causing True to scream seeing her friend fall.

The hunter who had dropped the grenade was suddenly aware of where he was and seeing both SH-1R3 and Cal fired wildly clipping Cal and momentarily stunning him.

Turn 4

After having time to self calibrate, SH-1R3 slams into the hunter in front of him and with a crunching sound of bone that made even Cal wince, turns the enemy hunter into a broken, red wet stain on the plasteel floor.

Hearing Trues screaming but unsure what the howls are about Mason runs towards the hanger bay security door as see's a hunter aiming his handgun down the corridor. one loud Handcannon blast next and the hunter is felled. "Thats the lot I think boss" shouts Cal from his rooftop overseeing the whole of the bay area.

Post Battle

As the din of combat subsides, True runs to Chaket's side "Wow, I thought you were a gonna big guy" she says kneeling beside him "looks like is just a minor hit, you'll be up and about in no time"

With Kheth and SH-1R3 helping True with Chaket back to the ship, Mason calls over Cal. "So thats a Real Shiny Spider eh?" "no doubt about it boss" replies Cal "more creds in our pockets once we hock it to the right vendor hey"

"Aye and while were at it might as well rifle a few of these lockers" said Mason with a roguish wink.

A quick search around pulled up some booster pills as well as a damaged Plasma Rifle and damaged Ripper Sword which caused Cal to scoff "Who do you think you are boss, Errel Phlin?" as Mason brandished the bent, cracked blade around his head.

On the way back to the ship Cal's wrist comm beeped...an old arms dealer, he used to know heard about him signing on with a Trade Guilder and the Solar Conveyor and wondered if a tribute of guns would help with future trade relations with Mason's family. "Wont hurt" winked Mason "whats he offering"

After a few more exchanges over the comm Cal went off to meet the dealer and returned with a Military Rifle, Shotgun and Machine Pistol.

"Well thats us a force to be reckoned with now" laughed Mason, and the crew cracked up.

Whats next in store for the crew of the Solar Conveyor. Will they stay on Erlich-4 for a bit or set off into Fringe Space?

Five Parsecs from Home - A "Solo" Gaming Story

Thanks to my good friend Kieron at Cheaphammer I have been introduced to a great new set of solo play wargame rules, Five Parsecs from Home by Nordic Weasel Games. Set in the vein of Firefly/Farscape etc you make a ragtag crew of rogues and scoundrels setting out amongst the stars, debt ridden in a rickety old freighter/old military patrol/Scout Ship etc.

Everything in the game is randomly generated, from the crew selection, what Planets you land on, available gear and weapons, to the enemies you might face whilst on various jobs or quests.

Whilst meandering around the Universe, fighting pirates and local alien overlords etc you will gain Patrons, contacts who can give you extra jobs, rumours of possible lost archtech and the like as well as possible be caught up in an Invasion of the planet your working on - leading you to try and make a hasty exit!

After a brief read up though the rules I dug out some of the figures from the Core Space boardgame which I thought would be ideal for this setting and went ahead and rolled up my crew.

Your crew can be made up of Humans, Bots and Aliens (which have a number of different types) these can be rolled up randomly or you can just pick what you want, at least 3 must be humans though.

I went for 4 Humans, 1 Alien and a Bot.

So here they are - The crew of the Solar Conveyor - The Star Forgers

Leader - Capt Mason "Steel" Forge

Mason is the middle son of one of the prominent Tech Guild families on Erlich-4. Growing up surviving numerous raider and pirate attacks of Guilder caravans that plagued the free trade world, Mason felt the urge to take to the stars and see what Fringe space had to offer. A tough and well-equipped character thanks to his family, he now explores the fringe as Captain of his own ship, the Solar Conveyor. 

Sometimes a trader, sometimes a rogue, Mason is always looking for rare and historical tech as well as fame and fortune.

Troochilda "True" Kent

True was found drifting around a local Star Port by Mason after she had gotten into the middle of a disagreement between two Cyborg trade officials. A Hacker of some considerable skill, True had been hired to upload new wetware into one of the officials so he could take over the his competitiors trade routes. Unfortunately the wetware was Digi-Synced and traced back to True and she ended up trying to get off world quickly. 

After hearing her tale, Mason offered True a position on his new crew with all the protection that he could provide, earning her unconditional loyalty. 

Kheth Tegrir

Hailing from a polluted industrial world, Kheth was brought up in an Iron Caste family with extreme harshness, but always wanting to be free of the shackles of his homeworld. His quick wits and knack for problem solving found him work troubleshooting in places where a more "offical" approach might be counter-productive. Gainging experience in his trade, Kheth was offered a slot as part of a Caste trade crew and within hours of landing on Erlich-4 he decided this was the perfect opportunity to make his own path.

Now after signing on with Capt Forge's crew he has some measure of the freedom he has yearned for.

Calliver "Cal" Igari

An Enforcer for hire, Cal hails from a Low-Tech Colony world, deep within Fringe Space. However, after numerous years in his profession ha has gained a high degree of technical know-how regarding weapons and mechanised systems. A former employee of numerous traders, protecting their interests on Erlich-4 has earned him some powerful contacts to call upon.

Now employed by the Forge family he has been seconded to Mason's crew. Something Mason is highly appreciative of after Cal retrofitted the Solar Conveyors cargo hauler Bot into a combat unit.

 SH-1R3

SH-1R3 is a Dray class Cargo Bot, one of a host of Bot haulers that are on the Solar Conveyor's inventory. After Mason took possession of the Freighter, he was looking at upgrading some of them as combat additions to support his endeavours. 

Thanks to the technical know-how of Cal Igari, the most successful addition is SH-1R3, updated with enhanced combat and reaction software as well as optical enhanced stabilised weapon platforms, the Bot has become a tough, welcome bit of heavy hitting firepower for the crew.

Chaket Ullen

Chaket is a member of an extremely long-lived Alien species - the Vulengi. Using this longevity, individual Vul's study a way or what they describe as a discovery and will focus themselves upon it completely. 

Once a discovery is mastered, they will choose another, and the process will begin anew. Chaket, once a long-standing member of the Vulengi Star Navy Judicial Corps now looks to begin a new way and joining the crew of the Solar Conveyor is just the start.

       The Solar Conveyor - A P-300 Percheron Class Heavy Freighter

Erlich-4

Starting Homeworld - A Free Trade Zone World which does not require a licence to operate on.

Class M

Climate: Medium Temperate World

Region: Bordering Unity and Fringe Territories

System: Erlich System

Population: 700 Million

Government: Trade Guild run