This is from Backer "Calmquist," who played as Xerxes, the Morathi pirate in the Tall Tales of the Orochi Belt. I've not reformatted or edited anything (though I may post links to some elements for reference, if I get time).
Out of Game One Shot Background
After quite a while of not knowing anyone in the area interested in RPGs, I got the opportunity to take over DMing Storm King’s Thunder for a group. I planned a Psi-Wars one shot for December (that is when the new movie would come out), but things didn’t work out. Most of the players quit around October or November due to schedule issues, so the one shot also never happened. Recently, I got a chance to play Waterdeep Dragon Heist (still ongoing) which was great because it meant I could play. We were scheduled for every other Monday, and May 4th was an off week, so I scheduled a one shot.
The Heroes
I created the sample characters because I was bored and because I wanted to have some representative characters available if I ever got the opportunity to host a one shot (it actually took a long time, so I created around a dozen). I actually made most of them before I knew any of the players besides Milmeowna’s. I created her partly because I knew her player liked cats.
Milmeowna Catalos: Morathi Bounty Hunter
Milmowna was born and raised a slave. After escaping her Slaver master, she became a bounty hunter. She an excellent pistolera and has the skills and gear for catching her bounty dead or alive. She has the, Luck, Serendipity and Unconscious Broken Communion (Death) trait, but she lacks the specific Morathi training to make the most of it (this is both due to points and to keep the character relatively simple for a one shot). Luck and Serendipity are the generic advantages with the Probability Alteration PM (again, this is largely to keep things simple for the player).
Milmeowna was hired by Jace Eris to retrieve the “Princess” from some Ranathim pirates.
Nathram Rahar: Ranathim Assassin
Nathram is a Khaftlin in a Cult of Satra Temos. He is greedy, on the edge and fanatical to the Cult. He is destined to be a Tyrant, but he is currently only a slave. Although he is trained in the Fell Form, he is specialized in stealth and assassination. He is wields a force sword and blade, but he is not a weapon master. He is physically the strongest character in the party by far.
He was recommended and sent by Reuben Verge with the latest intel about the “Princess’s” location. Nathram’s secret master has ordered him to gather intel about a rival. Nathram knows that if he assassinates the rival, he will gain prestige and become one step closer to being a true Tyrant.
Kihita Raelen “Raja”: Keleni Con Artist
Raja was raised outside a typical Keleni community. His parents taught him the ways of Annara, and he still believes it, but the temptations to scam the people around him with his telepathy was too much to control. After leaving home, he made his way through life one scam at a time. He wandered the galaxy and knows his way around. Raja is confident that he can lie, cheat and steal his way out any problem. He certainly has the skill for it.
Raja was not recruited for the mission. He heard rumors about the opportunity and decided to tag along. It sounded like a good scam.
Rosa Sabine: Akashic Knight
Rosa is Viscountess of Pelia (currently an entirely symbolic title). She is devoted to the Akashic Mysteries and to the Order, but she did not have the ability to peer far into the future or see visions (outside of using Dreaming Nymph). Instead, she could see short glimpses into the future (Combat Sense). Because of her devotion and skill set, she became an Akashic Knight to guard the Order and duel heretics who strayed from the Golden Path. She became a Guardian of the Mysteries. Mechanically, Rosa has Status, Beauty and Fashion Sense (and Bloodline Purity for when it matters) for a high reaction bonus. She also has Sabine Blindness.
I did a partial conversion of the Akashic Form to power ups, but I seem to have misplaced my notes. Rosa is a Student and has learned Accept Fate (“The Dead Stance”). She is also a Weapon Master.
Rosa received a disturbing vision (under the influence of Dreaming Nymph) involving a princess, a tyrant, a usurper and a burning tree. After consulting the Akashic Order, she was sent to Jace Eris to avoid the dire future the vision predicted.
(Mailanka's Notes: I've since updated the Akashic Form, but it's not yet on the Wiki. Calmquist did not have access to this during his playtest)
The Supporting Cast
Jace Eris
Jace has a minor claim in Anmārwi, but the Empire currently controls his homeland. He currently resides in Persephone. He oversees the “Princess,” Wren, and is one of the few people who knows her secret. Jace is also secretly a follower of True Communion. After learning of Wren’s capture, he hired the bounty hunter, Milmeowna Catalos, to rescue her secretly.
Reuben Verge
Reuben is Marquis of the Sanguine Stars that his ancestors “colonized.” Due to the difficulty of travel, his holdings have not been taken by the Valorian Empire, but they are in dispute from the Slaver Empire. He is attempting increased diplomacy with the Ranathim against the Slavers, but his situation is a mess. He knows of Wren’s identity and sent Nathram Rahar to Jace Eris for support in the rescue (and to forge an alliance with a particularly influential Ranathim group).
(Mailanka's Notes: House Verge is a house created by Calmquist. I might go through and collect up various fan-houses at some point, but I don't have information on House Verge that I can share).
Tia Sabine
Tia is a shadow initiated Oracle. She been given a secret task by the Shadow Council. After hearing of Rosa’s vision, she decided to send her on a mission to Persephone to speak with Jace Eris. The Golden Path is dangerously close to being lost, and Tia believes that Rosa may be the one to save it.
Wren “Alexus”
Wren is a descendant of an illegitimate daughter of Lucius Alexus. Her origins are shrouded in secret and known to only a few (including Jace Eris and Reuben Verge). She has hidden in plain sight as an “Alexian Princess” in a holo-film series where she was “taught” proper court etiquette. Wren is also secretly a priestess of True Communion. She has been contemplating taking the name Alexus, but has been reluctant because her claim would be disputed, and claiming the title may do more harm than good for the Alliance. She was captured by an Imperial ship and quickly “rescued” by alleged Ranathim pirates. She is currently bound by a “long and loose chain.”
The Action
Introductions
Nathram Rahar
Nathram was brought to an audience with Marquis Reuben Verge. Reuben’s guards eyed Nathram suspiciously, and Reuben eyed Nathram’s collar disapprovingly and sighs. Nathram noticed that Reuben looked unlike any Human he has seen before. He is obviously human, but he looks almost Ranathim. Reuben commanded Nathram (following Nathram’s master’s orders) to accompany Reuben’s diplomatic envoy to Persephone and tell Jace Eris that the “Princess” was taken by Ranathim pirates and was last seen in Sarai.
Rosa Sabine
During one of her breaks, Rosa took her Dreaming Nymph and had a vision. She saw:
A dark king wearing a crown of fire
A princess holding a crown; her shadow wears it
The king sends his pawns who put the princess in chains
A new king rescues the princess and brings her to his fortress; his face turns to a skull
A great tree burns
Rosa succeeded her fright check but was troubled by the vision. She told Tia Sabin of her vision. Tia sent her to Jace Eris.
Milmeowna Catalos
Milmeowna spoke to Jace Eris in one of his private rooms. Only a few guards were present. Jace briefed Milmeowna about a missing VIP. She was abducted by an Imperial ship. The ship was found destroyed. The target is believed to have escaped, but her whereabouts are unknown. As he spoke, a guard opened the door announcing that Rosa and Nathram had both arrived with information about the “problem.” Jace invited them in, and they exchange information. Jace invited his guests to stay for dinner while he prepare for their trip.
Kihita Raelen
Raja heard a rumor about a missing “princess” from a b-list holo film series, but the amount of concern indicated that something more was going on. He read a guard’s mind and learns that Jace Eris hired an Asrathi bounty hunter to find her. He also learned that the new Viscountess of Pelia and some shady Ranathim also came to visit Jace. After some investigation and con artistry, Raja faked his way to being the pilot the particular Nomad that the others would take to Sarai.
Sarai
The Checkpoint
The heroes made it to the security checkpoint above Sarai without trouble. Raja tried convincing the officers that the group was there for vacation. The security guards didn’t buy the lie, but they did assume that the heroes were there for the regular shady things that go on there. They could not be bothered to do a proper investigation, so they let the heroes in. It wasn’t worth the trouble.
At the space port, customs agents came to inspect the ship and cargo. Raja did have a proper manifest and everything was in order, but the the agent fabricated a discrepancy. Raja knew exactly what was going on and gave the agent the “facilitation payment” he wanted. Rosa (or her player) was shocked that an Imperial agent would be corrupt enough to ask for a bribe.
Investigation
Milmeowna used her bounty hunter skills (mostly streetwise) to locate an establishment where the pirates were likely to visit. She learned about the establishment named “Cantina” (definitely not stolen from Star Wars). The heroes raised many eyebrows when they walked in. Rosa got a very good reaction from the crowd (everyone else was pretty much neutral). Several guys decided to talk to her. She asked about pirates and interesting things that were going on. One guy told her that Cantina was not a place for someone like her and offered to look after her. After she refused, he and several others pulled blasters on them.
Nathram drew his weapon. Milmeowna quickly dispatched three of them. Rosa parried a blaster and dispatched one. Nathram did get one good kill, and the fight was basically over in an instant. It was BAD-1. They forced the thug, col, to talk. He did mention seeing some pirates escorting someone dressed like a princess. He knew the location of their base and that one of the pirates appeared to be a Mithna (strange), but he didn’t have any other information.
Conflict with Pirates
The heroes arrived near the pirate hideout and tried to sneak in, but Raja was discovered. The pirate guards came to investigate, and he distracted them with his silver tongue for long enough for Nathram to dispatch them from above with Falling Assault. After getting to the door, Nathram rigged the cameras with a loop and broke in quietly. The hideout was dark, but everyone besides Raja could see well enough (Raja didn’t want to alert anyone with his flashlight hand). The heroes made short work of the patrols and opened the door at the end of the hallway.
There was a hologram with a Keleni wearing golden robes and a crown. The pirates (a few mooks, a Mithna knight and a pain glaive guard) were kneeling, and the one who looked like the leader was reporting to his master. Raja was flabbergasted that a Keleni could be a Tyrant. The Tyrant said that the princess made it to him safely and was with him aboard the Throne Ship. After that, the figure turned around and greeted his guests. Nathram was already sneaking around to get a proper kill, but the Tyrant was knew he was around somewhere. The Tyrant mocked the heroes a little and ended the transmission.
After the Tyrant left, a fight broke out. Nathram attempted a quick assassination of the pain glaive guard, but the guard was just aware enough to avoid the attack. Nathram quickly pushed the guard back to a wall and cut the bottom of the glaive. He ended the fight shortly after that.
Milmeowna took out one mook immediately while the two others dove behind desks. She used gunslinger acrobatics to move around the room and take out the rest of the mooks.
Rosa fought against the opposing knight. The fight was close, but Rosa’s combat sense made her very defensive. Rosa finished her fight with Mirror Fate (“the Shadow Strike”) and forced the knight to surrender (breaking his oath).
Raja didn’t contribute much to the fight, but his Telereceive, Detect Lies and general communication skills proved useful during the interrogation. The heroes gained access to a star chart that gave the location of the Throne Ship. They looted the bodies (they came from D&D) and killed their prisoner (which will have consequences).
Before they could finish the interrogation, a large group of mooks arrived. Raja shot the door control to buy time. The pirates eventually broke through, and started shooting. Milmeowna used her tangler grenade and pistols to defeat several mooks, and Nathram did some slicing. Rosa took a real beating from the mooks. She took a direct hit from a plasma pistol (which didn’t make it through her duelist body suit but did cause knockback) and got punched in the face (which did a whole point of damage through her masque).
After finishing the mooks, the heroes made it back to the ship to head to the Morass to find the Throne Ship and the Princess.
The Retrospective
What Went Well
The players all enjoyed it. Rosa’s player never watched Star Wars and thought her Space Knight character was very cool. Raja’s player enjoyed playing a charismatic con artist. The characters all got a chance to do something cool and fulfill their niches.
There was a decent mix of investigation and action scenes. The duel was fun.
The players asked several lore questions (a double edged sword for a one shot) and seemed to enjoy the setting.
The players generally spent enough (but usually not too much) time planning for a one shot. They were not too reckless, but they did attempt to make good use of their time given the limitations.
What Went Poorly
It was a one shot, so we went through the scenario at a faster pace than I would normally prefer.
There was a sizable chunk of lore questions all at once. Normally, that would be great, but it was a one shot.
I forgot a few descriptions that I planned. I also didn’t make as much use of the disadvantages as I should have.
The “mini boss” fight was too easy. The other ones were meant to be over in an instant, but the main fight was supposed to be a sort of combat tutorial.
Ideas and Improvements for Next Session
Next session will be in the Throne Ship attempting a rescue and escape. There will be sneaking around and trying to locate the princess. I hope for a good stealth scene. The party may split (which would be appropriate in genre), so I will need to plan for that.
I want to put the disadvantages into play. I also want to remember my descriptions of the corrupted throne ship.
I am hoping for a multi part chase with an epic duel at the climax, but we will see what happens in real life. There will be no ship combat because I don’t want to deal with the action vehicular combat rules with new players. If they make it that far, I will probably handle it with hand waving and Communion.
Other Thoughts
The players have never played GURPS, and most of them have not played a sci-fi RPG, but everyone enjoyed the experience and had fun. Hopefully we can do it again some time.
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