Core Space: Scavenger Hunt - The Set Up

After the fiasco on Arcturus, the Ebon Fox was left worse for wear. Money is tight and with Purge moving into the sector, making an "honest" living might be difficult. So what's the next best thing? Scavenge from the dead. After all, they aren't going to need anything where they've gone.

For this mission, I decided to do something completely different. Instead of going after a station, I decided to make things interesting and have my crew of "good Samaritans" investigate a wreck that they discovered. Introducing, the Sparrow.

This is a small trading vessel that makes runs to various outposts and colonies. Or at least it did until the Purge arrived. It wasn't clear what had happened to it but Kylan and Riva picked it on their sensors floating dead in space. The power was still running but it would just be enough to keep the lights on. There was some structural damage but it looked intact and still had an atmosphere. Best case? There might be a survivor on board that needs rescuing. Worst case? Maybe there are still some goods onboard that they could help get back into the supply chain.

For this mission there is yet another special map. The last mission had a whole bunch of civilians and this one... well, that's the surprise. Unlike a normal mission with the Purge track, this mission is safe from the typical wandering monsters. That doesn't mean that they won't be part of the story though.

Instead of having civilians starting in fixed positions with the Purge showing up at random entry points, this is exploring an enclosed environment. There was a crew of two onboard, a few random items, and maybe something else?

First to pick the civies. In this case, I decided to use Dolin the trench and Mara the techie. They both are pretty average characters so I think they will do nicely. Beyond that... well, the rest is going to have to wait for next week. My thought is to create two or three possible scenarios for what happened on the Sparrow. Is the crew alive? How badly damaged is the ship? Is there anything else hiding on the ship?

Lots of variables to figure in but I wanted to at least throw out a teaser for what's to come! Be sure to come back and we'll take a look at the fate of the Sparrow. Until next time...

Core Space: The Heist On Arcturus Station - The Aftermath

We talked about the set up for the mission, then ran it through the paces. The question is how successful was it?

From a mechanical point of view, it felt like it worked pretty well. I wasn't sure about delaying the arrival of the Purge to a narrative point, but I liked how it all fit together. There was enough pressure to get out but still the ability to get some stuff before heading to the hills. It wasn't in the pictures, but Kylan was actually down to two health at one point so pretty close!

So where to start... how about all those civilians! I was worried that it would be too much going on but most of them were static for this mission. I did decide to give Delmar the delivery man at route instead of having him wander aimlessly, but that just made sense.

Dolin also had a static position until he was approached by Kylan. The idea was that once the contact passed off the information, he would want to make himself scarce. Of course that also assumes that I could actually make a Persuade roll for Kylan to get the data! I liked the narrative that evolved from that though so that works out as well.

The Purge arriving from one side of the board did mean that they were the giant stone from Indiana Jones, pushing the crew out of the station. This felt right though as I imagine the Purge vessel latching onto one location. They were still a threat and the crew wasn't able to just poke around and grab things so that feels like a good balance as well.

So how about the things that they grabbed? This was my first test with using the goods dice instead of the weapon tokens as normal. In this case they rolled up pretty good, totaling 11UA in value. To add a "role play" aspect to this, one of the crew is chosen to go out and sell the goods. How good they are at doing this is determined by their current Skill stat, just like when you try to persuade an NPC. The more successes you roll, the better the value you are able to collect. Makes sense, right?

    0 successes: There aren't any buyers right now. Things are too chaotic, or the goods are too eclectic... however you want to spin it, but the goods are left sitting in your hold.

    1 success: You get the "fair market value"... meaning whatever you rolled up on the dice. Better luck next time!

    2 or 3 successes: You are able to talk up the value some, raking in half again the value of the goods... rounded down, of course.

    4 or 5 successes: You have managed to double you money, you smooth talker! Nice work!

Of course it can't all be good! If you roll two or more "misfires", then things have gone pear shaped. Something about the items you are selling has caught the attention of the Authority and it is confiscated! Loose the highest value die but apply any other results as normal.

With all this in mind, let's see just what Kylan is able to wrangle for their 11UA of goods. Rolling three dice for his skill and... two hits and one misfire! The captain is able to talk up the value at bit and comes back to the ship with 16UA for this ship's coffers. Nice!

Now do they want to buy or sell any regular gear. Besides the goods, the crew also picked up a combat knife and a crafted short sword. Since Zhong the cyber samurai is one of the custom characters I'd made up, I figure I'll keep the sword but sell of the knife. Looking over the options that are out there, Kylan will pick up an enhanced military pistol. Nice and compact but still able to potentially reach out and kill someone. What a great combination! This drops our bank down to 8UA.

Next up is hiring new crew members. The other two custom crew that I made up are either 13UA or 17UA to hire permanently, which is out of my price range right now. Just for grins, I shuffled up the crew that I have available and pulled out five... and they are all a bit pricey so no new crew members. On to the maintenance phase!

And that's when Murphy strikes! Ouch! During their flight to get away from the Purge overrunning Arcturus Station, the Fox took some structural damage and the life support system got a bit taxed when the station's CO2 scrubbers shut down. She's still operable, but definitely worse for wear.

And there we have it! Overall... I think the switch from weapons in boxes to stuff works, at least for me. It was also fun to throw together a logical map; there were sleeping quarters, a market, a maintenance bay. It felt much more like a living space than some of the other maps I've seen. Now the question is, what's next? With the Fox getting to be worse for the wear, it looks like it might be time to scavenge for some ship parts. After all, no one will miss parts from one of the derelict ships left in the wake of the Purge. What could go wrong? Until next time...

Core Space: Heist on Arcturus Station - The Playthrough

With a thunk and a hiss, the airlock of the Ebon Fox attached to Arcturus Station.

"You remember the plan?" the bear of a man known as Kylan Hesketh asked as he holstered his Outland pistol. It would be nice to have something more reliable, but for now they just have to make do.

His partner, the diminutive Riva Doan, tossed her green hair as she rolled his eyes. "Are you serious, Kylan? It's not that complicated; find Dolin, get the codes, grab the goods, and get out. Now are you going to open the lock so we can get started?"

A smirk played across Kylan face as he slapped his hand against the airlock release. "Alright then Riva, let's go get us some credits."

Kylan and Riva make their way onto the darkened station. There is still a buzz of activity even though the station has ticked over to the night cycle.

As the crew make their way from the docks to the market, the delivery man moves to finish his route for the day as an augmented canine wanders around looking for scraps.

Kylan casually strolls through the market, heading towards his contact. Dolin the trench is known for being able to get anything for the right price, and this time the price is perfect. He owes Kylan a favor, and this is the perfect time to collect. "Dolin, my friend!" Kylan booms as he approaches the weaselly man.

"Sorry Hesketh, I've got places to be. Can't chat now!" Dolin says as he slips away.

Damn it!, Kylan thinks to himself. As he follows the man, he looks around for his partner but Riva is no where to be seen.

Meanwhile, Riva opens one of the sleep spaces off the market. Hmmm... Nobody home, she thinks. Let's see what I can find...

Heading into the dimly lit room, she notices a cargo container in the far corner of the room. Bingo! Checking to make sure no one is looking, she cracks it open and finds some quality goods inside (mechanically it was a 4UA roll on the goods die). Stashing her prize away, she heads back out into the market to find the captain.

Kylan breaks into a trot as Dolin tries to get away by heading into the other sleep space. "Come on now Dolin, fair is fair. I helped you out when Shovar was after you, time for you to pay up."

"Alright, fine! Here, take the passcodes but you didn't get them from me, understand?"

Kylan takes the datacard from the man with a nod and a wink. "Absolutely Dolin. Always a pleasure doing business with you."

Now where did he go... thinks Riva as she approaches the terminal outside the cargo bay lock. Hmmm... looks pretty basic. Maybe we don't need Dolin's info after all.

"Riva! What are you doing?" Kylan hissed as he walked up to the terminal. Riva was bent over the terminal running through the displays.

"You weren't here and I was. Might as well see if I could get us a head start." she said and the terminal buzzed at her again.

"Guess it was a good thing I was able to get the info from our friend." Kylan said with a smirk as he slotted in the data card. The locks flipped to green, there was a hiss, and the door to the cargo bay opened up. "Easy, right?"

And then the sector alarms rang out.

"What the Hell did you do?!?" Riva yelled over the alarm.

"That wasn't me." Kylan said as he worked the terminal. "It's a proximity alert. Something is on a collision course with the station. What is that... Uh oh, that's a Purge scavenger vessel! Quick Riva, grab the goods and lets get out of here!"

Without a word, Riva ran into the bay and threw open the nearest crate as everyone started heading for the the transports to get off the station.

"Jackpot! There's some good stuff right here Kylan, get in here and grab some!"

"I'll grab the rest." Kylan said to her. Dolin dropped something when he was running for the transport. Go see if it's any good!"

Kylan grabbed the rest of the supplies from the crate, only to look up into the glowing red eyes of two harversters.

I'm going to regret this, thinks Kylan as he runs over to another crate and cracks it open. Damnit! I'm risking my life for a knife?! "Riva, I could use some help in here!"

"Get out of there!" Riva shouted as she ran back and opened fire on one of the harvesters. The bullets struck home but bounced off its metal body.

The two harvesters scamper towards Kylan with inhuman agility and swing at him. He dodges under one blow but the other harvester gets a glancing blow on him. As he curses under his breath, an explosion sounds from another part of the sector and the lights briefly flicker.

"What the Hell was that?" Riva asked.

"They must be attacking the power systems in maintenance. We need to get out of here!"

Riva covers him as he runs out of the cargo bay, and together they are able to drop both of the harvesters as the sound of energy blasts rang out near by. "Hear that Riva? There must be a devastator here now. Head for the Fox!"

With the Purge closing in, Riva and Kylan ran through the empty market. The could hear more blasts coming from Oblivion's Edge but they were able to keep their distance from the approaching machines.

"Disengage the lock! I'm getting us out of hear!" Kylan yelled as he pounded towards the cockpit. Riva sealed the lock and with a thunk released the magnetic ring holding the ship to the station. She slumped down on the floor as the Fox rocketed away and dropped into core space. There's gotta be an easier way to make a living.

And there we have it! Was the mission a success? Did the mechanics I threw in make any sense? Just what the heck did Kylan and Riva find in those crates? We'll find out soon! Until next time...

Core Space: The Heist On Arcturus Station

Finally time to play some Core Space again, but for this one I've created my own map and scenario, complete with a bunch of special rules. Why? Why not! So let's dive into the heist on Arcturus Station!

The map for Arcturus Station

For this mission, the crew of the Ebon Fox are going to try to line their pockets with some goods liberated from a cargo bay. The door to the bay is locked but the Captain knows a guy that knows the code... and maybe he'll actually share that information! There are rumors on the Purge closing in on the station but surely those can't be true, right?

The "market"

For this mission there is a special map that I put together. The Ebon Fox is docked at the bottom of the board and their target is the cargo bay on the other side of the board. In the middle of the board is a small market which is also where the crew will find their contact, Dolin the trench. Also in the market are two stalls, one manned by Sundr and and the other by Mara Chaldr.

The Oblivion's Edge

On the right side of the board is the Oblivion's Edge, a club that employs Zolla-13 and is currently being patronized by the fixer Luya Faetala. There are also two other civilians that are in the sector, the delivery man Delmar Inarta and the cyberdog Skitz.

That's right, there are seven civilians in this mission! And to keep it "simple", they also have special rules. Delmar and Skitz both move freely each turn as normal. Zolla will also move each turn but she will not leave the Oblivion's Edge... at least not yet.

Dolin the trench will remain where he is until the crew persuades him to share the codes to unlock the cargo hold, but they only have one shot at this. Once they have talked with him, Dolin will start to wander around the station, moving each turn just like a regular civilian.

The cargo bay terminal.

Once the crew have the code, they can open the cargo hold door with an effortless action. If they somehow didn't get the code, then they will have to hack the console next to the door to open it (this is an easy task and only needs one success).

And this is when it hits the fan.

When the door unlocks, alarms start sounding on the station as a Purge scavenger vessel has dropped out of Core Space and closing to dock with the station. Once the alarm sounds, the hostility tracker is set to 5 and there is a chance for the Purge to arrive each turn.

Maintenance room...

...the cargo bay...

...and the storage rooms.

There are three locations the Purge could arrive; storage rooms on the right side of the board, the cargo bay in the center, or in the maintenance room on the left. If the Purge arrive in the maintenance room, they will attack the conduits and the CO2 scrubber. If the conduits are destroyed, all of the doors will remain either open or closed and no longer function (all of the doors start in the closed position). If the CO2 scrubber is destroyed, then all of the non-Purge on the board will start to suffocate. At the end of each turn after it is destroyed, roll a red die for each living creature. On a hit, they take one point of damage that ignores armor which means that the civilians will start dropping like flies.

The emergency exit.

Once the alarm sounds, all of the civilians will start to head out of the sector. All of them will move twice towards the exit which is located on the bottom of the board next to where the Ebon Fox is docked. As soon as they reach the edge of the board, they are removed and will no longer be part of the game.

If an Event card is drawn that activates the civilians, then they will follow the instructions on the card and then continue moving towards the exit during the NPC phase.

But wait, there's more!

I've also switched out all of the gear tokens for goods dice. When the traders crack open the crates, there probably won't be weapons in them. Instead they will have some kind of... stuff... that will have a random value. As soon as the goods die is found, it is rolled and has that value. What can you do with them during the mission? Nada! BUT... you can sell them Trade Phase... more on that later.

If any of the civilians are killed or die before they leave the board, remove the mini but place a random piece of gear where they died. This gear can be grabbed by the traders for an effortless action as normal. There are two exceptions to this, Sundr and Mara Chaldr. When the alarm sounds, they will spend their first action to grab the goods out of their respective crates and then start moving towards the exit. If they are killed, they drop both a piece of gear and a goods die.

And there we go! Loads of moving bits and pieces to keep track of so I'm sure that something will slip my mind once the action starts, but I'm excited to see how this narrative plays out! Until next time...

Random Updates: A Calm In The Storm

Nothing but silence for weeks... but with good reason. There were parts of the real world got to be a bit much and I had to focus on resolving those for a time. Thankfully, things are getting... better isn't the word, but at least more under control. I feel like it's time to get back to the blog so expect more posts soon. Until next time...