Ep 1: "Ruins of The Shattered Crystal" Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells Actual Play
1st episode of my solo game set in SB&CS, an action-heavy, rules-light, science fantasy space-opera ttrpg! Follow the intrepid crew of the starfreighter "Cherry Bomb" as they explore the DEAD ZONE...
1st episode of my solo game set in SB&CS, an action-heavy, rules-light, science fantasy space-opera ttrpg! Follow the intrepid crew of the starfreighter "Cherry Bomb" as they explore the DEAD ZONE...
Setting Notes:
The galaxy is broken, the old empire long fallen to war, sorcery, and decay. In its place rise the Galactic Overlords, countless tyrants who rule their scattered domains with cruelty and power stolen from ancient tech and dark cosmic forces. Sorcery is rare and dangerous, and only the desperate or the bold dare wield it. Among the ruins of the stars, rebels, wanderers, and mystics fight to survive, defy the Overlords, and carve out something of their own.Current Mission:
Steal > Location of Bases > Military bases hidden on a planet in the Dead Zone
Crystal World with Tunnels > Hiding secrets, of which faction? Unknown
Corrupt Bureaucrat (Jerem Kip) > Selling Lives > Slaver threatens to report them to Overlord Kronzgnar unless they do this mission for him
Wanted Criminals In Power> The Dead zone is occupied by pirates
Reward > Settling a debt > To Overlord Kronzgnar (for stealing the ship)I’ve enjoyed starting new campaigns/sessions in medias res these days, right in the middle of some bullshit. Oracle > (Dead, Fight)
Stardate - 200 NA
Lasers off the port side! The decrepit starfighter chasing them is definitely not letting them go. (Fight or Run? > Run!) No point risking death to kill that which is already dead; the fighter belongs to the forces of the Undead Queen of the Dead Zone. (Maneuver Check ✓) They swerve past asteroids as they try to shake their pursuer. Yara’s nimble piloting keeps them ahead of the undead fighter as more lasers fly past The Cherry Bomb. (Maneuver Check ✓) They finally blast past the enemy and escape into the cold black space of the DEAD ZONE…
It’s too dangerous to wander the Dead Zone aimlessly looking for this secret crystal planet. They need to find a guide, nav data—anything! (Explore Hex > Nothing)
Stardate - 201 NA
(Explore > POI > Invade, Flame, Planet-Cage, Warlord) From the stars, they pass by a ruined planet. It must be the site of some great battle. The surface still burns, and the hulking remains of a broken Planet-Cage float by….
(Would the Planet-Cage have any nav data? No, But…) There might be other useful things left on it. Triple shakes his heavy head. “Too risky, let’s leave it alone.” The others agree, and they fly away from the battle site.
(Explore > Encounter! Search, Ancestry, Gene-Bank) They come across a large cruiser that seems to be a research ship—a Gene-Bank! The ship hails them: “So nice to see someone still alive out here. I am The Collector, Jene Kirbao, and I am looking for rare genetic material. Do you happen to have any?”
“We do not have any gene data, but we are looking for Dead Zone nav data ourselves. Do you have any?” (Oracle > Yes, But…) The Collector asks them to submit their genetic data to the Bank in exchange for his nav data. KB-18 shrugs. “I DO NOT HAVE ANY GENES ANYWAY,” he says. The others agree to the trade, and a few minutes later, their blood is traded for information. They examine the nav data as they fly away, checking which areas of the Dead Zone are not worth exploring. (Does it show any hints of the crystal planet? No, but it reveals some points of interest nearby; a nearby area contains a dataspore tower. Perhaps the tower has useful info?)
Stardate - 202 NA
The tower is too far back, so they decide to explore this area more before going back. (Explore > POI > Planet riddled with caverns > Is this the target? Yes!) They may have just stumbled across their quarry! (Planet Size: 3 Zones) This is a small planet, practically a planetoid. They fly over the surface, looking for any signs of danger below.
(Zone 1 Empty, Zone 2 Empty, Zone 3: Enc! > Escort, Ruin, Cryodrive, Cracked, Guarded, Hostile) The shattered hulk of a capital ship floats in orbit above the planet. The T-shaped ship is unlike anything they’ve seen before. (Had they heard of this? Yes.) This is The Herald’s Cruciform, the capital ship of the Undead Queen’s most terrifying underling—the faceless Herald himself. A small cadre of (3) undead starfighters flies around, protecting the shattered ship. A discordant voice crackles over the comms: “Surrender your lives to the Undead Queen, and pledge your undying allegiance to her… or be destroyed!” The voice no doubt belongs to the Herald.
“Shit, just our luck to run into him out here!” shouts Yara. They discuss what to do. (Can they outrun them? Yes. Can they take ‘em? Yes!, and they look weaker than expected.)
(Y ✓ T ✓ K x - New mechanic I’m trying where characters roll Yes/No oracles when the group is deciding what to do, adds some spice to solo rp. Here Yara and Triple say yes, but KB-18 says no...)
Yara and Triple ignore KB’s advice to be cautious and decide to fight!
Combat! Initiative > Players
R1: The enemy fighters came screaming towards them as Triple fires up the lasguns. (Crit Fail - Weapon blowback (1d6 smg to ship)) “Fuck! System errors again,” Triple shouts! Yara dodges the incoming fire as KB tries and fails to rig some quick repairs to the weapons systems. An undead fighter lands laser fire on their rear, dealing (5 dmg).
R2: Yara’s expert flying dodges another enemy strike as she veers away. “Finally!” Triple gets the Lasgun back up and sends a salvo of laser fire towards the enemy, dealing (5 dmg) to the lead pursuer. KB tries to repair again, but the damage from the first attack was proving more difficult to deal with than he expected.
R3: A laser barely scrapes along the bow, their armor holds (0 dmg). Triple sends another salvo, dealing (3 dmg) and destroying the damaged undead fighter! It explodes in a ball of fire as Yara’s careful flying keeps them safe.
R4: Laserfire scorches their hull again as the Cherry Bomb takes another (2 dmg). (Are the enemy grouped? Yes!) “Yara! fly closer and let’s turn the Flaks on them,” Triple yells. Yara nods and flies them as directed, just as Triple autofires the Flak Cannons! Both enemy fighters get raked by slug fire, dealing devastating damage (5, 3) to both ships.
R5: Their position now made them a sitting duck, and enemy fire hits them again for (3 dmg). The Cherry Bomb was in dire straits (2/15 HP left). Triple pushed the weapons systems to their limits and autofired the Flak Cannons again. (Crit!) The slug fire catches both enemy fighters on the flank and demolishes them. The shattered remains of their ships float into the inky void…
Autofiring the Flak Cannons put a massive toll on them. Triple wordlessly examined the system readout; they couldn’t afford to fire them again without risking losing the whole firing system. (Durability reduced to 1)
(Does the Herald react? Yes, but > Reaction> Angry) “Enough! The raspy voice of the Herald rings out over the comms. “Leave now, and I will spare you.” They see no weapons firing, but something is definitely happening on the Herald’s ship…
(Escape? Y✓ Tx K✓) “Why would he bother telling us to leave instead of just firing? Does he have no defenses? We should go on board and see what exotic tech he has to steal…” Triple wonders aloud. “We’re not gonna risk finding out in the state we’re in, I think we should leave before the Undead Queen’s forces show up,” says Yara. KB-18 agrees, “NOT TO MENTION WHATEVER FELL SORCERIES THE HERALD PROBABLY KNOWS…”
Despite Triple’s protests, they turn around and fly as fast away as they can from the area. They needed to find a friendly station to repair at, which was a tall order out in the Dead Zone. Other than the Undead Queen, only the Pirates of the Dead Zone had any real presence in the sector, and they were constantly fighting each other. Perhaps the location of the Herald’s crippled warship would sway them? They’d need to find the pirates first….
End of Session Notes: An explosive start to my first sci-fi campaign! Feels weird to step away from the swords and sorcery I’m so accustomed to, but the loose science fantasy theme of SB&CS does wonders for making it easier. Excited to see what this crew gets up to!
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Great write-up. I like how you used the yes/no oracle to figure out the crew's course of action.
Exciting episode! The vibe of the setting came across really well. Looking forward to more.