Introduction: This adventure is intended for the Star Wars D6 RPG system and expands upon the outline provided in the Long Shot Campaign adventure of the same name - which can be found in West End Games' Classic Campaigns supplement. A copy of this supplement and Star Wars REUP rules, the latter of which is *available here* is assumed before play begins.
Please note that I do not own the images contained in this adventure, they were all sourced from Google images, although I have altered some of them to provide information. This is a not for profit, advert free blog.
Special thanks to members of the Rancor Pit for providing me with stats for the Maintenance and Control Droids, apologies for liberties taken in altering with a few of the stats!
Expanded information on the adventure outlined in the Classic Campaigns supplement. Note that it assumes the players have already completed the first mission Tests of the Godking.
Alabash, where most of the mission takes place
Visit to Nowhere:
Note: Nowhere is the same ship referred to as Home in the original material.
The team are told to report to Lens Reekeene to provide a debriefing of their time on Masterhome - she will be joined by her husband and her advisor Santhou. Captain Ixsthmus will report any of the team's transgressions during the mission to Lens, such as if the team went against orders and threatened the Anointed Ones from that mission. It assumed that they recovered Moff Dixton has been interrogated or the players recovered his data-tapes.
Lens will be scathing about their behaviour and will be dismissive of any request to find the Saviour Sword from the pirate named Vangar on Pilahni. She demands that smuggler Jaden Jericho be reassigned to pilot a transport full of supplies while she sends the others on a different mission.
Lens Reekeene: As a result of your mission to Masterhome, and your encounter with Fakir Sector’s next Governor General, Moff Dixton, we've gleaned some important information. Santhou, if you would explain…
General Lens Reekeene
Santhou: Thank you General Reekeene. The tapes indicated that the Imperial Resource Procurement Bureau (ReProBu) have set up an automated mining operation on the world of Alabash on the far edge of our sector. A young world, we believed the world’s extremely volatile volcanic system - which covers most of the planet’s surface - would have made such an operation too hazardous and expensive to contemplate, yet the Empire has found a way. They are now pulling in 600 tonnes of high-grade alantium a month from the station on the planet, a significant boost to the Empire’s ship-building operations elsewhere in the galaxy. We want this operation shut down - permanently. Captain Hark’r will provide you with ReProBu passes and passwords obtained from the datatapes - as well as weapons and other supplies… Any questions?
Santhou
Even if they do have questions, Santo can repeat what he has told them but can’t tell them any more. Allow the team to visit Captain Hark'r and receive the equipment as set out in the "Outfitting" section in the Classic Adventures supplement. The thermal detonators they are provided will be key to succeeding in this mission, especially as there are some incredibly tough droid enemies! From there, the team will report to the Long Shot and pick their positions on the ship.
Given the information already provided, the following title scroll isn't necessary, but I find it helps get the players in the mood as the adventure gets underway proper!
A Needle in a Molten Ocean:
As per what has been written - add an encounter with Aeractyl which attacks the ship. Stats are the same as for a Varactyl on page 329 on REUP - except that it can fly (it has two large flaps of skin between its front and hind legs and floats upon the rising hot air from the lava pits below). It mistakes the ship for prey and will try to land on it and before tearing at the metal plating on the hull. The players must dislodge it from the ship before it does too much damage. Ixsthmus will be extremely distressed by the attack.
The Aeractyl is the airborne cousin of the Varactyl pictured above
Abandon All Hope:
The mining complex is a huge 500 metre x 500 metre slab of technology which floats 20 metres above the ground, sucking up a 100 metre wide swathe of land, extracting the valuable elements and spewing out a huge gout of fine pulverised dust in its wake. Huge repulsorlifts keep the platform aloft and heat shielding protects the platform from the scorching heat of the volcanic surface.
Run the adventure as set out. The main thing that's missing is that no map and little detail has been provided about the facility. Hopefully, what follows will help you but feel free to expand upon anything else!
Facility Overview Map with Intake and Refuse Devices
Facility Overview Map with Intake and Refuse Devices: GM Copy with Key
Key:
Intake Suction Devices
Refuse Disposal Sprayers
Landing Pad
Reception area/Sensors
Repulsorlift Engines
Elemental Separators
Storage
Droid Repair Centre
Control Area
Shields and Weapons Systems
As outlined, the PCs land on the Landing Pad set out on the map. Details follow about the sections on the map.
Intake Suction Device: this is beneath the platform but there are grills above ground. Should any PC attempt to enter the area, they will find themselves in a storm of hot earth - damage will be 8D, no dodge possible. Throwing thermal detonators into the intake does nothing; the device is designed to tolerate scooping up molten lava. The tunnel leads through to the Elemental Separators.
Refuse Disposal Sprayer: sprays the fine dust out behind the platform, inflicting 3D damage on anyone who attempts to enter the sprayer. Stamina rolls with an increasing difficulty of 5 per round will be required to crawl through the space for anyone without breathing apparatus. The tunnel leads through to the Elemental Separators.
Landing Pad: Descends when the ship lands, and huge blast doors over, preventing escape.
Reception Area/Sensors: Staffed by 6 CZ-Series Reception Droids, (page 376 REUP for stats). They will not cause any trouble. Once the team blow the doors to force their way forward, 2 Droidekas, (page 377 of REUP), are positioned just beyond the room and will engage the team if they attempt to proceed. Assuming they eliminate the Droidekas, the control computer activates vermin control which consists of 30 Battle Droids and 2 Super Battle Droids, (page 377) of REUP which act as overseers. They are split into 2 groups of 15 Battle Droids with a Super Battle Droid leader each. 1 squad is based at the Droid Repair Centre, while the other starts in Storage. Move the teams to intercept the team as desired.
Repulsorlift Engines: There is a huge maintenance droid in here which will attack if they enter. If the engines are shut down, the whole platform falls from the air and starts to sink in the molten ground - start a clock. The team have 1 hour real time to escape the facility before lava starts filling up in the Elemental Separators and spreading from there.
Elemental Separators: This room is a cyclone of flying debris where the material is separated to be siphoned off to storage or to the Refuse Disposal Sprayer. Simply entering this room will inflict 8D Damage (3D damage just for opening the door) - if they can somehow fool droids into entering this room, they will trash the lot!
Storage: The valuable resources are received here via a conveyor belt which links this room to the Elemental Separators, dropping into a huge pit beneath where storage lies, a massive silo which is the size of the upper floor. A huge number of labour droids (50) move the material around the silo but cannot get to the upper level unless the grabbing device is used to lift them out. There is nothing to be gained by going down - the labour droids will try to bludgeon anyone who does.
Droid Repair Centre: There is little of interest here except for a player looking for droid parts - they can find anything they are looking for but not anything to carry them with. A player can only carry one droid part per free hand. Backpacks can carry three parts. An EV Supervisor Droid will resist any attempt to take parts along with any vermin control droids still here.
Control Area: The Control Droid is a huge machine with large tentacles that will try to crush the team. If a thermal detonator is thrown at it, it will drop down a hole in the room to a platform below which overhangs rivers of lava. There are two such platforms which run parallel to each other. The droid will use its limbs to climb under the platforms and leap between them, making it incredibly difficult to destroy. Also, if it is not pursued, the droid will return to the Control Area: it has sensors and cameras all over the room which must be destroyed to make it ‘blind’ to the PCs’ endeavours here.
Shields and Weapons Systems: This gives the PCs control over a number of the platform's central systems. A Moderate Computer Programming roll is required to access the system. They can open or close doors across the station, including the doors which keep the Long Shot trapped. Deactivating the shields means the underside of the station will be slowly cooked. It can stand up to 2 hours of shields being deactivated until the repulsorlifts are cooked and the platform crashes as per 5 above. Guidance systems will allow the PCs to guide the platform's direction and can potentially guide it into a volcano! The weapons systems allow the PCs to launch missiles. Cornered in this dead end, my PCs used the missiles to blow a hole between this room and the one beneath it, giving them an escape route!
If the PCs do not dispatch the Control Droid but manage to sabotage the station, it will be hellbent on destroying the Long Shot - it launches a series of missiles on nearby volcanoes to induce massive eruptions, before running across the upper exterior of the facility to the landing platform. When the Long Shot emerges, it will be up to the PCs to try to shoot it off or find some other ingenious way to dislodge it (activating hyperspace being an example).
Super Battle Droid flanked by Battle Droids
Maintenance Droid
Control Droid
Platforms beneath the chute in the Control Area
Escape from the Facility:
As they take off, at least one volcano detonates (two if the control droid fired missiles) and the PCs must evade incoming volcanic rocks to fly to safety. If you want to up the difficulty, have up to 3 Vulture Class Droid Starfighters pursue the ship before hyperspace can be initiated.
Droid Notes and Stats:
Both Droids can be hacked with Droid Programming, Moderate for the Maintenance Droid, Very Difficult for the Control Droid.
Equipped with: 8 hydrological legs with pincers (STR +1D) layered durasteel plating (+2D physical, +1 energy).
Note: The Control Droid can be blinded but can continue to "see" through other cameras on the base. -1D to all actions when using cameras to attack, otherwise -2D to all actions.
The Long Shot campaign continues with the published adventure "The Pirates of Prexiar" which features in the excellent Star Wars D6 REUP rulebook which you can find here by clicking on this text. This adventure took 2 sessions to run. As usual, I own none of the images which were mostly sourced from google, and thieved from the REUP book. Please note that this is an advert free, not for profit blog.
Additionally, please visit The Rancor Pit. The support shown to me by fellow GMs and players there has been wonderful - thanks again to all of you who are reading these write ups!
The Pirate Camp:
Jungle on Pilahni
Music Cue: Mouse Robot and Blasting Off
Not knowing what the data cache looks like, the Vipers decide to worry about that later, and simply focus on getting to the supply crates. The first hurdle they encounter is crawling under the shock fence by the stream. All goes well until the last Rebel - Skye Bodelyn - clips the fence. The electrical shock is amplified by the stream she is crawling through and she is knocked unconscious! Jimi pulls her free and Kira cracks open a medkit to revive her friend. The team push on past the kitchens and then head for the tool shop.
Note the PCs in the red box on the bottom left hand corner
Time is running out before dawn and they hug the shadows as best as they can, but as they make a break for clear grounds, Jimi looses his footing on some loose stones, and not seeing him in the dusk light, Skye trips over him! Nearby guards approach to investigate. Kira and JiBa make it behind the landing struts, while mercenary Kaleban lies down and eyes the pirates approach through his rifle sight. The spooked guards fire a blind shot into the dark. Although Jimi and Skye regain their footing, the sound of them rushing across the open ground draws in the guards further - with further guards rushing from the rear of the corvette!
Music Cue: Return of the Jedi
As the guards unwittingly approach them, JiBa and Kira spring from the shadows and stab repeatedly at the pirate sentries, killing both after a brief scuffle! Kira checks the pirate communicators and realises that they've been detected! With the sun now rising and reinforcements on the way, they need to move fast! JiBa climbs the landing gear and impressively uses the fine gaps in the ship's hull plating to climb the overhang and get on top of the ship!
JiBa
JiBa provides a distraction from above the corvette, drawing the guards below towards him, providing Kira and Kaleban the opportunity to catch the guards in a crossfire, killing both! Jimi and Skye get bogged down in a firefight with the two guards guarding the cargo, but eventually both are incapacitated and the way is cleared for them!
JiBa leaps from the corvette on to the skiff which Kira takes control of. The rest approach the crates while more pirates - guards from nearby warehouses - close in on them!
Jimi hears shouting coming from his crate. His gun at the ready, he flips the crate open - and a protocol droid springs out!
C4-S0: Thank the maker! Master Lens Reekeene must have sent you to save me!
Jimi: I'm not so sure about that!
C4-S0: Oh dear! Please help me escape this awful place!
C4-S0
Skye discovers a light repeating blaster in the crates and, aided by Kaleban and Jimi, opens fire upon the pirates! Kira revs up the skiff and launches it through those not cut down by the withering Rebel fire! The team load up the skiff with the cargo crates and hop on board. C4 waves his hands despairingly!
C4-S0: Wait for meeeeeee!
Jimi hauls the protocol droid on board as Kaleban takes over the skiff's controls and guns it for the entrance! Kira deploys the repeating blaster on the tripod at the rear of the skiff and blasts a guard from one of the towers! He falls upon the shock fence, electrocuted in his last moments! Seeing ten pirates ahead of him, Kaleban floors the accelerator and mows down the entire mob - but is shot from the tower!
With Kaleban collapsing, Skye desperately grabs the controls and just manages to slow the skiff enough to spin it around, the rear smashing a tower down! The scaffolding crashing around them, a guard crashes on to the deck. JiBa is quick to react, instantly driving his sword through the prone pirate! Skye brings the skiff around and drives it out into the jungle...
Skye Bodelyn
Jungle Chase:
Music Cue: Duel of the Fates
Before long though, the Vipers hear the sound of speeder bikes! Six pirates quickly make up ground on the slow-moving skiff and trade blaster shots with the Vipers! C4-S0 barks suggestions to aid Skye in her piloting the skiff, but if the robot's demands to pull on different levers annoy her, she doesn't let it affect her. JiBa screams insults at the riders, daring them to pull up alongside so he can spear them with his sword, while Jimi and Kaleban take potshots at the bikers. Jimi's shots go astray but Kaleban blasts a biker from his mount! Kira looses several volleys from the repeating blaster - to deadly effect, taking down another two bikers and wounding another!
Kira Rishkar
Music Cue: General Grevious
The bikers break off the pursuit as the skiff heads through a clearing...no one spots two AT-PT walkers waiting at the far end of the clearing to ambush the skiff!
Pirates and AT-PT Walkers
Heavy fire from the walkers broadside the skiff - knocking C4-S0 from the skiff - and, smoke billowing from one side, it comes to a standstill. Kaleban leaps from the skiff and rushes off to one side, taking potshots at one walker to draw its fire from the skiff. The walkers advance, but, somewhat fortuitously miss both Kaleban and the skiff! Jimi realises that if they switch a power coupling over, they can bring the skiff back online. Skye snatches the cables from him, and the engines roar to life. Kira's repeating blaster strikes a power regulator on one of the walkers, and it is disabled! Meanwhile, JiBa refuses to lift the 'dumb droid' back on the skiff, only relenting when Kaleban moves to do so! With both back on board, Skye guns the skiff forward at break-neck speed and away from the last walker!
Kaleban Maars
The Pirate Corvette
Music Cue: The Forest Battle
As they Vipers finally return to the Long Shot, they see the pirate corvette circling in the sky, searching the jungle for them - but 10 pirates have been dropped off and are planting detonite charges on the ship! Skye brings the skiff in close to the ship and Jimi tells Captain Ixthmus to take off to shake the boarding party loose. He starts firing up the engines - while a deadly firefight ensues between the Vipers and the pirates! With the whole team laying down heavy fire, the pirates are cut down one after another - but Jimi takes a blaster shot to the head. He recovers and incapacitates another with his stun weapon! But the last pirate standing returns another shot - and he is hit on the head a second time...killing him!
Jimi Ackbar
Music Cue: Into the Trap
Finishing off the last pirates, they take his body on board the Long Shot and make a hasty blast-off. Vangar's corvette follows them in quick pursuit, but a pinpoint shot from Kaleban on the turbolasers punches through the shields and hull to damage the generators! Vangar is forced to make a hasty landing while the Long Shot makes the jump to hyperspace.
C4-S0 reveals that he is the data package that Lens sent them to retrieve; the Rebel Transport he was on was sending supplies to Callonia to prepare for Operation Retribution.
On return to Nowhere, Lens Reekeene shares the Vipers' grief at the lost of Captain Jimi Ackbar. The team decide that they will bury him at sea when they are next on an appropriate planet to give him a proper send off. Lens also reveals that Tarrik Nightburner's old droid R3-FU has had its power restored and a brand new motivator installed. It will need a variety of other parts to be brought up to full functionality, but, despite being worried by Kaleban's amusement that the droid will prove a magnet for blaster fire, it is brought into the team. C4-S0 seems happy as he doesn't understand human behaviour - although when FU cheeks him, he slams its dome in anger! Lens promises that she will have another rebel assigned to their squad to replace Jimi. Lens points out that the team needs a new leader. JiBa leaps at the opportunity, and this time no one objects. He will be their captain with immediate effect!
R3-FU
Battered and broken at the loss of Jimi, the Vipers wonder what role they will have to play in Operation Retribution....
To be continued...
Closing Reflections
Another fun adventure! Skye once again used a force point when she gunned the skiff away from the AT-PT and recovered it. It was really sad that Jimi was killed outright - a difference of 16 is an automatic kill and gallingly that was the difference. Jimi's player took it well and agreed fair's fair as we said we'd stand by rolls and avoid fudging, even if it meant character death. I thought it was fun to make new player character C4-S0 be the actual data that the team were looking for - and Operation Retribution was brought into the game background as that is the next one in the Long Shot campaign.
The third instalment of our Green Vipers adventures sees the team continue the Long Shot campaign. This adventure took three sessions to run and made use of the published outline "The Heat of Freedom" which featured in West End Games' "Classic Adventures" book. I had to find an image for the factory and then flesh out all of the locations. I own none of the images, all of which were sourced from Google. This is an advert-free, non-for-profit blog.
Numbers in brackets refer to locations on the GM Map (see further down).
Nowhere:
Music Cue: Rebel Briefing
Returning to the capital ship Nowhere, the team are told to report to Lens Reekeene to provide an account of their time on Masterhome. As they approach the room, a black-haired wookiee barges through their midst. A grim-faced woman barely notices the Vipers as she follows in the wookiee's wake.
Falynn Voidstepper
Kentara
Lens and Mikka Reekeene are in the room, along with their advisor Santhou. Captain Ixsthmus and Sienne Symm follow the Vipers inside and all take a seat.
Lens: We understand that your mission was a success and that the Godking will provide us with aid. Perhaps you could provide us with a brief outline of events on Masterhome?
Lens allows Tarrik Nightburner to set out the events before her demeanour hardens and the questioning begins to feel more like an interrogation.
Lens: Captain Ixsthmus sent me on a report before you arrived. He gave you a strict instruction to contact the Rebellion to pick up the pirate ship - the Martinette - yet you chose to claim the vessel for yourselves. Furthermore, in the process of landing, that vessel made a display of its firepower. My recollection of your instructions when dealing with these technologically challenged people were that they were very clear. How did you put it advisor?
Santhou: I believe I said 'remember, we are the good guys. No coercion, no extortion, no threats'.
Tarrik denies any recollection of that being said and insists Santhou is mistaken. Santhou draws a holographic projector from his pocket and replays this fragment of the conversation. It repeats his words verbatim. Tarrik's demeanour darkens and he falls silent.
Lens: Yes, 'no threats'. Captain Ixsthmus also had a conversation with the Godking before you left. One of the Godking's tests was of loyalty; when he sent one of his people with a suggestion to depose him, you did nothing to raise this with the Godking. Indeed, he believed you may have been considering assassinating him! Hardly a ringing endorsement for the Rebellion, is it?
General Lens Reekeene
The group - and Nightburner in particular - respond angrily, explaining that they did what they thought was right. The display of firepower was not intended to cow the Anointed Ones, rather to show them the kind of firepower the Empire could bring to bear upon their people. On top of that, the Martinette was the reason that 15 Stormtroopers were sent into the forest to investigate: had that not happened, they may have all been killed on the assault upon the shuttle.
Lens: This Rebellion depends on people who can follow orders! And any more insubordination from you Nightburner, and you can spend the next few months on the brig! Jericho, you're needed for pilot duties on one of our transports, report back to the hangar bay for reassignment.
Jaden sighs and, with an annoyed grunt, waves goodbye to the group. Lens waits until he has exited before continuing.
Lens: However...you did manage to do some things right. On board that ship and among those you captured was Moff Dixton. He was headed for Doneer'so when some of our boys hit his vessel. The Imperials managed to make the jump before we could finish the job - hence their impromptu and unfortunate landing on Masterhome. Dixon's interrogation is about to begin, but we've already discovered important information from the data tapes recovered, thanks to Sienne Symm on the return journey. And that's where you come in. Santhou, if you'd explain...
Santhou sets out a mission to the volcanic world of Alabash where the team have to shut down an automated mining platform, highlighting that the Vipers are being sent because diplomacy is not required on this mission. They are then sent to visit Captain Hark'r for supplies.
Hark'r is excited to see the Vipers as they report to him.
Hark'r: Sssss-chk-chk! The excellent and most resourceful Green Vipers! What a delight to see you again! I have some very exciting supplies for you! ReProBu uniforms, passwords, identities, protective coats for the heat - [to Jimi] yes, you'll like those my Mon Calamari friend - chk-chk-chk! But best of all, I have 25 detonators for you! Hasn't old Captain Hark'r done well for you, eh, my good friends? Chk-chk-chk! Now, one good turn deserves another! Perhaps you could smuggle me off this cold, dark ship, eh? Chk-chk-chk!
Captain Hark'r
Nightburner: Yeah, we're headed to a world torn apart by active volcanoes. We can drop you off there.
Hark'r: Ssss-chk-chk! Perhaps not this time, but when you visit a more hospitable world, eh?
The team ask why Hark'r wants off Nowhere. He explains that he is a trader and who had the misfortune to stumble across Nowhere. The Rebels insisted he stay and he's been stuck here in the store ever since, a complete waste of his talents. The team are distracted to by the sound of distant screaming and ask Hark'r what is going on.
Hark'r: Sss-chk-chk! Yessss...the interrogation of your prisoner begins! I understand that is why Falynn Voidstepper and her sidekick Kentara are here. Dixon doesn't stand a chance, no! He'll talk all right! He'll spill all of his secrets - or Kentara will spill his guts! Chk-chk-chk!
The group feel uneasy about the situation, but, collect together their supplies and head to the Long Shot. On board, they are met by Captain Ixsthmus.
Ixsthmus: Ah, Vipers! I trust that I will not have to file any further reports for insubordination! While you're under my command, I want you to treat this ship like your own home - but show me some manners and respect and we'll all get on well.
Captain Ixsthmus
The Vipers do not respond, simply strapping themselves in as Nightburner blasts off. In a show of petulance, he buzzes Nowhere's bridge before engaging light speed.
Watch the video for the full lowdown on the mission...
A Needle in a Molten Ocean
Music Cue: The Droid Invasion and the Appearance of Darth Maul
Coming out of hyperspace, the Vipers discover a communications satellite in orbit. Kaleban Maars puts on a vacuum suit as Nightburner brings the Long Shot in close to the satellite. Kaleban sets a timer on a thermal detonator for two and a half hours, planting it on the satellite before returning to the ship.
The Long Shot descends through the thick black plumes of noxious gas that fill Alabash's choked skies, and, soon after a close call with a huge flying beast, they discover the platform. Jimi Ackbar opens communications and a droid voice asks him to state their business. Explaining they are ReProBu representatives, he provides passwords and the Long Shot is given permission to land.
As they approach, they see a huge 500 metre by 500 metre slab of technology floating above the ground. At the front of the platform, huge tubes suck in a swathe of land 100 metres wide (1), while exhaust ports spray out huge gouts of pulverised dust in their wake (2). Huge repulsorlifts keep the platform aloft and heat shielding protects it from the scorching heat of the molten surface below.
GM Map
Nightburner carefully avoids the plumes, following the beacon in to a platform (3). When they touch down, the pad descends into a cavern below, while huge doors close above, sealing them in. Leaving Ixsthmus and Symm on board the Long Shot, the team disembark and enter the facility where they are met by reception droids (4) who instruct the group to take a seat and wait. As time passes, they ask the droids to show them around. They are informed that their passes and codes are out of date and that they must wait 48 hours until their identities can be verified. Huge blast doors seal the room off from the Long Shot.
Trapped, they decide to wait until the communications satellite is destroyed by Kaleban's thermal detonator before making their move...
Nightburner: I have a very bad feeling about this.
Abandon All Hope...
Not knowing for sure if the communications satellite was destroyed by the thermal detonator, the Vipers make their move. They hack the terminal leading into the facility. The blast doors slide open, only to discover two Droidekas blocking their path!
Droideka
Watching his friends' blaster bolts simply bouncing off the droid shields, Jimi Ackbar seizes the initiative by tossing a thermal detonator into the corridor and hastily closes the door back over again. When the doors reopen, there is nothing left except a puddle of molten metal!
Jimi Ackbar
Music Cue: The Battle in the Snow
Rushing to the repulsorlift engine room (5), they are confronted by a huge maintenance droid which has a range of deadly hardware in its toolkit! As it lumbers towards the, they pepper it with blaster fire but its armour is so thick, they barely dent it - and so beat a hasty retreat! Even the normally cavalier JiBa is forced to flee!
Maintenance Droid
Music Cue: The Sith Spacecraft and the Droid Battle
Seeking an alternative route through the centre of the plant, the group encounter a number of battle droids. Exchanges of blaster fire are fierce, but slowly the team pushes on until they arrive at the corridor which leads into the storage room (7). There they engage in a firefight with another 6 battle droids but, just as they begin to make progress through the corridor, a Superbattle Droid appears at the doorway and shoves a Battle Droid to one side, opening fire upon JiBa!
Battle and Super Battle Droids in action!
For once, his ability to dodge incoming enemy fire fails and he is struck in the chest by the droid's heavy laser fire! Jimi calls on all his reserves to hurriedly drag the unconscious JiBa into the relative safety out of sight from the firefight into the adjacent corridor, while Kaleban and Kira step up to blast at the still-advancing droids. The last survivor from Yavin's Green Squadron, Tarrik Nightburner, rolls a thermal detonator into the midst of the cluster of droids and a massive explosion tears through the corridor!
Tarrik Nightburner
The droids are blasted into oblivion - but the heroes are too close to the explosion! Realising his error in the last moment, Tarrik throws himself in front of Kira to save her. Both she and Kaleban are badly burned in the explosion, and are knocked unconscious. When Jimi returns to the corridor, he finds his friends incapacitated...and Tarrik's charred skeletal remains.
Jimi and Skye have no time for mourning as they now have three incapacitated warriors to attend to. All of their remaining medkits are cracked open and, fortunately, their combined attentions are enough to revive their friends and partially heal some of their wounds. Jimi mournfully searches the corridor where Tarrik fell and finds a scorched remnant of Tarrik's flight suit which displays the Green Squadron badge. Pocketing it, he realises that the last of the heroes who drew off the Death Star's TIE squadrons to allow Red and Gold Squadrons to make their attack on the has now fallen. Their sacrifice - and Tarrik's last act which undoubtedly saved Kira from certain death - will never be forgotten.
Music Cue: General Grevious
Pushing into the Storage Room (7), a huge conveyor belt dumps metal into a pit in the centre of the room. Jimi sees that in that huge pit, dozens of docile labour droids sift through the metals, looking for precious alantium. Of more concern is another approaching group of battle droids and yet another firefight ensues! Several droids are picked off in the battle, providing JiBa with the perfect cover to rush around the outer rim of the room - and tossing a thermal detonator into the droids' midst! All are torn apart, and this time the team are far away enough to be unaffected by the explosion! The battle over, all suddenly seems quiet.
JiBa
The team push into the Droid Maintenance bay (8) but only find a harmless Overseer Droid, before pressing on to the Control Area (9). Jimi is first in and looks upon the huge piece of machinery in the centre of the room. He doesn't recognise what it is...but he has a very bad feeling about it!
Music Cue: Battle of the Heroes
What looked to be eight solid struts suddenly rise up with a fluidity that stuns and amazes the party. Out the centre of the cluster of tentacles, a Control Droid rises up, the red glow of its eye suggesting malevolent intent. "You are not permitted here," a familiar voice, the one that guided them into the platform announces. "You will be disassembled."
Control Droid
One of the tentacles lashes out at Jimi, slamming into the wall behind him, and tearing plaster loose as it retracts! Jimi turns and flees. Kaleban and JiBa prime another thermal detonator and hurl it at the machine...but it fails to detonate! The machine casually flicks a tentacle to bat it right back between the two Rebels - while another stabs out at Kaleban! Its pincer pierces straight through Kaleban's leg before retracting once again! Clutching at the gaping wound, he collapses from shock and blood loss, and once again passes out!
Kaleban Maars
JiBa picks up the thermal detonator and, determined to save his friends, activates it and rushes at the machine - but sensing the danger, it suddenly plummets down a pipe it was nesting upon. Gazing down into the hole, JiBa sees that a platform, illuminated by the red glow of lava, lies fifteen feet below. Crucially, the machine has already scuttled out of sight. JiBa hurls the thermal detonator down the pipe in the nick of time as it suddenly detonates and knocks him back from the blast! The group use the opportunity to retreat and regroup - but cannot revive the unconscious Kaleban as they have no medpacs left!
Dragging their incapacitated mercenary friend along with them, they make a desperate break for the Control Room (10) and frantically try to override the security protocols to open the doors. A tentacle re-emerges from the chute, and then another. The control droid pulls itself out of the pipe and pursues them to the Control Room. The door slides open and the team throw themselves inside. Jimi hurls another thermal detonator at the mechanical monstrosity, but it barely causes the machine to pause.
Inside the Control Room, Skye and Kira disable the heat shields which protect the platform from the intense heat of the lava, while Jimi unlocks the computer systems. As Kaleban begins to regain consciousness, JiBa issues urgent calls for them to move quickly as the control droid starts battering at the locked doors to the control room. Trapped, it seems they are facing a certain and horrendous death at the hands of the tentacled droid. As Kira and Skye rejoin Jimi and also hack the computer systems, Kira activates a magnetic lock on the door, causing the droid to emit a high-pitched scream and suddenly cease it's assault upon the door.
Kira Rishkar
Seeing no other way out, Skye activates the missile defence system and targets the far end of the room. Everyone dives for cover as the rockets are launched...and moments later the room is blown apart! Fortunately, the impact crater from the explosion has provided an escape route to another part of the facility! Jimi releases the huge hangar doors imprisoning the Long Shot and overrides the facility's navigational controls, and, switching them to manual, he sets the platform on a course for a nearby volcano!
Skye Bodelyn
Music Cue: Anakin v Obi-Wan
With Skye offering the limping Kaleban support, the team embark upon a mad dash across the base. Soon, returning to the Long Shot, they discover Captain Ixsthmus and Sienne Symm were knocked unconscious by gas! Fortunately, the team were provided breathing apparatus by Captain Hark'r and, piloted by Skye and Kira, make a hurried blast off. As they clear the hangar, Skye spots something leaping from the lip of the hangar and cries a warning. At the same moment, the mining platform teeters on the edge of the volcano before suddenly flipping over and down into the lava pit! Skye and Kira take evasive manoeuvres as the volcano is sent into cataclysm and the explosion threatens to engulf the Long Shot! Skye and Kira struggle to keep the ship in the air as boiling boulders rain down all around them!
The Mining Facility is no more!
Though still badly wounded, JiBa mans the ship's laser cannon and spins the gunnery chair around...only to come face to face with the Control Droid which is climbing across the surface by stabbing its tentacles into the ship's hull! Though the sudden fright of the mechanical overlord causes him to jump in his chair, he instinctively clenches the trigger and, unleashes a volley of shots which sever several of the machine's tentacled legs off, and, untethered, the Control Droid slides off the ship's hull and into the volcanic inferno! Skye and Kira gun the ship high into the sky and, moments later, make the jump to hyperspace.
Skye: We're clear!
Return to Nowhere
Music Cue: Rebel Briefing
Back on the base, General Lens Reekeene thanks them for making the mission a complete success. She is saddened to hear of Tarrik Nightburner's death - although JiBa is unimpressed, being quick to explain that his demise was due to his own idiocy in mishandling thermal detonators. With Tarrik dead though, she needs a new Captain to lead the group. JiBa volunteers, but the team vocal in their concerns about allowing the unpredictable native taking command. Somewhat reluctantly, Mon Calamari Jimi Ackbar accepts the team's call for him to take command.
Jimi: You do me great honour. I will do my upmost to lead the Green Vipers to further success.
Lens has more grim news for the Vipers, showing a transmission from Jaden Jericho who was piloting a Rebel Transport. He calls for aid, but before the end of the transmission he draws two heavy blaster pistols and opens fire upon pirates who have boarded the ship. Several pirates fall under his fire...until Jaden is finally overwhelmed and, he too, falls under blaster fire!
Jaden Jericho
Lens: As well as Jericho, we lost several other valued Rebel operatives...and, worse still, data critical to the security of this base. If it falls into the wrong hands... We were wrong to ignore this pirate menace. The information you learned on Masterhome identified their base as being on Pilahni. We want you to go to Pilahni and retrieve the data. Given that you have a personal stake in this, I know you'll need no encouragement to do whatever's in your power to shut this operation down for good - but any other objectives are secondary to retrieving the data! Go, and may the force be with you!
The team report to Captain Hark'r but, instead of providing the team with equipment, he demands the return of any thermal detonators the team still have! Everyone returns theirs, but JiBa cons Hark'r into believing that he has none. Thinking he has got away with it, JiBa is in a buoyant mood as they head back to the Long Shot...only to be met by a Rebel security team who demand the return of the five thermal detonators he is still carrying! Sensing betrayal from his own team, he casts accusing glances at his fellow crew - but can't tell who - if any of them - are responsible! Furious, he hands over the grenades and storms on to the Long Shot. The moment gives the team a moment for shared amusement, but it is tempered by a sense of loss. In as many days, they have lost two of their teammates. Which one of them might be next?
Music Cue: Finale (The Empire Strikes Back)
As they blast off from Nowhere, they see that weapons are being fitted to the capital ship, and R2 units continue to weld armour plating to the hull. Things seem to be looking up for General Reekeene's Capital Ship Base. If only the same could be said for the Green Vipers...
Nowhere
To be continued...
Closing Reflections
The adventure outline in the campaign pack was extremely thin on the detail required to run what was essentially a grinding dungeon crawler of a mission. I'll put up another post with all of my additions for other GMs to use and do with as they please if they have interest in running the adventure.
I did try to balance the threat with that set out in the previous adventure and from the other outlines: They faced two teams of 15 Battle Droids, each headed by a Super-Battle Droid, but the Maintenance Droid, and Control Droid in particular really put the fear into the players - and rightly so as their armour made them formidable opponents! The obvious way to deal with them was to use Thermal Detonators, but after Tarrik's blunder, they were understandably reluctant to use them! Jimi was also unfortunate that his thermal detonator which delivered 10D damage against the 8D armour of the droid only caused a stun. There's no doubt that the firefights with the two droid teams were punishing, and it was interesting to see just how powerful the thermal detonators were. Tarrik's misjudgement of the blast radius proved fatal for him and could easily have killed both Kaleban and Kira - thankfully, they were 'only' incapacitated! With medpacs exhausted and most of the team wounded, the closing stages of the adventure had the players on edge and I had personal concerns that a TPK was a possible outcome!
Once they hit the control room, they were completely trapped, but I had accounted for there being access to weapons systems and Skye's quick thinking about trying to blow a hole between the control room and another room behind it was one of those moments of inspired player ingenuity that a GM should always roll with. Rolls were made for dodges as huge pieces of machinery were blown across the room, and Kaleban in particular was fortunate not to suffer yet further damage - but the idea was their salvation!
Jaden Jericho was killed off because he had a player drop out, but Tarrik's demise came as a result of in-game play. I was sorry to see him go as he was an interesting character - but pleased that it was all of his own doing, and not as a direct consequence of any of my machinations as GM! Despite this character death, the feedback is that the players are thriving on the challenges they are facing!
