I ordered a copy of Five Parsecs From Home, published by Modiphius, back when it was still in pre-order. The great thing about this is that Modiphius provided a pdf copy of the game if you gave them proof of purchase, regardless of where you purchased it. This was a brilliant idea for them, and I think it has really helped push the game to the fore, especially with solo gaming still being so common.
For me, the idea of a solo game fits in very nicely for once I get back into the field. My real world job is as a field representative out of state, so I have more than a fair amount of time in a hotel room during the week. The nice thing about this is that we have one hotel that we typically operate from, and since they have suites, you can really make yourself at home. Well, as "at home" as you can get in a hotel.
This living arraignment had been one of the things that really drove me to get more into painting since it was an easy way to fill the downtime. I dabbled with playing solo versions of Gates of Antares and Wrath of Kings, but since being recalled last year I've actually been working on expanding my solo gaming options which makes Five Parsecs perfect.
One of the innovative aspects of this game is the various tables that you use to flesh out every aspect of the campaign. You can always just choose an option instead of rolling it, but the charts have got a good depth and breadth to them to keep things interesting, as I saw when I starting creating my first crew.
The character creation process is pretty straightforward. The first thing you do is roll to determine your crew type. This gives your character a baseline of stats that they will develop from and might also include some other characteristics or special rules. Once you have determined that, you roll for their background, motivation, and finally their class. Then you give them a name, pick a mini, and bam! You're done!
While this might seem like it would be too random to work, it really just seems to boil down to an exercise in creative storytelling.
The first character I rolled up was a baseline human... how exciting, right? They are also the most common crew type so it's not that surprising but I was hoping to hit some of the more unique types. Moving on to their background, this character comes from a wealthy merchant family which gives them a bit of pocket money to start out their journey towards independent living. Might come in handy.
Next was their motivation which is faith, earning them a story point and a rumor in the form of an old map. Story points give you some control over the random nature of the game while rumors can lead to quests... though I can't seem to find out what exactly that means at the moment. Hmmm... looks like that will be a bit of homework for me.
Finally I roll for their class which is kind of like their occupation? In this case, they're an agitator which earns them a rival. Rivals are enemies that want revenge and could interfere with your masterful plans as you journey among the stars! Yeah, they are really a big bunch of jerks.
For the next member of the crew, things got a bit more interesting as the are aren't human, they are an engineer. Engineers are slim humanoids with an innate gift for working with technology. Think of the Quarians from Mass Effect and you've got the idea. In fact, that image fits even better with this character because they are from an isolationist enclave which also earns another two rumors.
Their motivation that drives them is loyalty. To their friends? Their family? Dorritos maybe? Who knows at this point, but I'm sure it will be part of their story.
And last but not least is their class which in this case is bounty hunter. Boosting their movement rate, earning another rumor, and an extra piece of equipment are nice perks, but how did this slight humanoid become someone that tracks down others for a living? Interesting...
For the third crew member, we've got another baseline human. They're from an industrial world, which earns them an extra piece of gear, and also fits in nicely with their motivation, which is escape. Mechanically, this gives them an extra point of movement but I like the idea that they are trying to escape from their past.
The last bit of this character is their class which is agitator again. More rivals to mess up my finely crafted plans! Yay! But maybe that is why they are so good at escaping? Always on the run from their rivals? Could be why they left in the first place... interesting ideas...
So that is the first half of the crew rolled up, and I've already got some story ideas floating around in my brain. We'll come back in the next installment and finish rolling them up before I get to the hard part of this process... figuring out the minis! Until next time...
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