Freetrader “Destinys Child”: How It All Started

[Ithoriel]

You're too kind to rookies. Put them in the front line. Better they catch a bullet than someone useful. 

I can only field 6 crew maximum so, up against assassins, the rookie gets to guard the ship, swab the decks and make chicken soup for the wounded, if required.

Also, I thought you'd like to know that I used some birthday money to buy some of the new Traveller books. This is all your fault.

Wot? Traveller and not 5 Parsecs?

[fsn]

Wot? Traveller and not 5 Parsecs?

Been a Traveller man since about 1978. I still have all the little black books. 

[Ithoriel]

Campaign Turn 6: No point getting mad when it rains if you created the storm (2)

Life has been a little busy over the past few days so no time to play the next game, until today

However, it did give me time to slap a little paint on the new Mr Smith figure and on the scanner bot. Couple of pieces of scenery finished off too.

*********************************************

The crew were almost at the recruiter's station and Mila was beginning to hope they had evaded the assassins when their scanner bot detected the assassins just entering the area.



Three armed with military rifles and blades and a leader with a clingfire pistol and blade.

No chance to seize the initiative this time around (severely fluffed dice roll!).

The crew had formed a box around Gardor but now Gunner, Mila and Micah rushed forward to take up positions that would give them sight of the opposition.

Three assassins also rushed forward, taking cover among the seating but the fourth walked to a position  behind a scanner post, snapping off a shot at Gunner that went wide.



The rest of the crew closed up on those in front, hustling Gardor along with them.

The recruiter, alarmed by the gunshot, ducked down behind the foliage surrounding his pitch, feeling more than a little exposed in the glare of the holographic dropship projected above him.



Gunner and Mila got to move before the assassins. Gunner changed position to get a better angle and then blasted the leader, stunning him, then putting him down. Turning his attention to the assassin who took a pot shot at him Gunner scythes him down, in turn.





Mila also moves forward and takes two shots at an assassin, stunning her



(What do you think of the stun marker?)

... and then dropping her.

The remaining assassin returned fire, hitting Mila, beating her toughness and penetrating her armour. Eek!

Oh, wait! Mila has a point of luck (only one in the crew that does) and gets to leap 1D6 squares in a random direction.

Fours squares straight forward into a bush!



Not dead after all!

The rest of the crew breathe a sigh of relief and close up on Gunner and Mila.

Despite losing three companions the remaining assassin opts not to bail, still hopeful of downing Gardor.

The reaction checks see Micah, Mila and Gardor acting before the assassin.

Gardor rushes up to the bewildered recruiter waving his paperwork at him.

Mila fires twice but only manages to stun the assassin, while Micah follows up with two shots of his own. A miss ... and a hit that puts them down.

So, Gardor delivered safely, all four assassins down and, despite a scare, no one on the crew hurt.

No one is coming to avenge the assassins.

*********************************************

I'll do the rest of the after battle sweep up tomorrow.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Superb

[Raider4]

Great stuff!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Loverly

[Ithoriel]

Thanks folks!

Next up ... Sand Racers.

Need to dig out some figures that will do as fast things with lots of teeth!

[Techno II]

Great stuff, Mike ! 

Cheers - Phil.

[fsn]

Always good to read.

I'm telling you though, Mila needs some weapons training.

fast things with lots of teeth!

There are some ladies of Runcorn I could introduce you to.

[Ithoriel]

Thanks Phil.

fsn, Mila has a combat value of +2. Scrapper and Gunner are +3, Khalil is +0 and the other three are +1.

I think she needs someone luckier rolling the dice for her

[Ithoriel]

There are some scenarios in 5 Parsecs where it is suggested that a representation of the crew's ship might be appropriate.

While looking for something completely different on EBay I cam across a slightly cartoony version of the Millennium Falcon. At 30cm wide, 30 cm front to back and 20cm to the top of it's radar dish it sounded slightly bigger than I'd intended but at £9.95 plus postage it was way cheaper than the other things I'd idly considered getting.

So, it arrived by courier today and is undergoing a minor refit.

Gentles, I give you the Freetrader "Destiny's Child."

[fsn]

Nice!

Nothing a paint job and a few fixing couldn't cure!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

She's a beauty!

[Ithoriel]

Ship painted, reassembled and decals applied.

Better still, the guns still pop back and forth and the various sound effects still work.

Coat of gloss varnish, weather permitting, and I'll call her done.

I'm sure people with more time, talent and equipment could have spray painted, washed, shaded, weathered and chipped the living daylights out of it but "good enough for army work" will do for me.

A picture of the current state of her with the crew assembled at the foot of the ramp to give an idea of scale

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Looking good.

[Techno II]

Definitely worth what you paid for that, Mike ! 

Cheers - Phil.

[fred.]

That has come together nicely (and quickly)!

As you say you could spend an age detailing up the ship - or you could have it ready for games!

[Ithoriel]

After a month, or so, of life being "interesting" I hope I am now able to get back to 5 Parsecs  and the exploits of Destiny's Children.

Campaign Turn 7: Sun, Sand and .... Teeth!

Mila was feeling pretty pleased with things.

The crew seemed to have got over their amusement at her death-defying leap into a potted plant. No longer asking if she was "bushed" or feeling "treed" off or the like.

She and Micah had had a good trading session scoring a working Glare Blade power sword and a damaged Quality Sight that THK07 could hopefully repair. While they were out he had been doing minor maintenance in the ship and fixing an item from the stash in between.

Gunner and Scrapper had done a bit of sight-seeing and in the process had an offer of a job .... which was just as well as Smith had reported back that neither Jethro nor House Rimush had anything for them.

A day later, she and Gunner were approaching the offices of Operational Support Interstellar and they were pleasantly surprised to find they were not the usual hole-in-the-wall place their clients so often inhabited. Entering the towering plasteel and ecoglass monolith she noticed that the well armoured, heavily armed guards in the hallway looked alert and competent. This place clearly housed some seriously successful businesses .... who wouldn't normally need the services of the crew or their likes.

As they approached the reception desk the young woman at the desk was working on a screen. Looking up, she flashed a smile every bit as real as her pneumatic chest, flawless face and platinum hair. Mila reckoned she could completely upgrade Destiny's Child for the sort of money that amount of work of that quality cost.

"Good Day! Welcome to Inspiration Arcology,"gushed the receptionist. Then she took in the figures before her. "Oh! What do you want?"

"We have an appointment. Mila Voronezh and Ion Bradley."

"Really?" the receptionist raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," snarled Mila,"Really!"

As she took a step forward she was suddenly aware of the guards taking an interest and stepped sharply back.

Moments later,"Ah. Eighth floor. Navid, please escort these ... people to Operational Support Interstellar ."

Navid gave the briefest and shallowest of bows, barely more than a nod and gestured for them to follow him to the turbolifts.

Moments later they were in front of a plain plasteel door with the letters OSI etched into it. Compare with the ornate doors lining the corridor, this looked like a  cleaners cupboard.

Navid turned and walked off without a word.

With a hiss, the door sank inward a little and slid sideways into the wall, revealing a small reception area. Stepping forward they were aware of the swirl of light from a hi-tech multiscanner.

A gaunt, grey-haired man standing ramrod straight beside a small desk said,"Thank you for coming. Please come this way."

His insignia-free black coveralls did nothing to hide the fact that he was military.

They followed him into a large busy office full of black clad figures.

Then Mila saw what was on the back wall and her blood ran cold. With a couple of succinct curses she hissed at Gunner,"What have you got us into?" Seeing his confusion she gestured with her chin.

There on the back wall was the Imperial Dragon logo and below it the inscription Ordo Speculatores Imperialis,"The Emperors' personal secret service!" she continued.

As the gaunt man ushered them into a large comfortable office he could not hide a grin. "Relax, Captain Voronezh, we want your help not your head!"

"I am Colonel Aquilaus, and deep in the Great Sand Sea there is a monitoring station. What it is monitoring, and why, is none of your business. Suffice it to say that should anyone realise that it is ours there would be undesirable repercussions."

"We need to install an upgrade. It's very simple, twist the current component and pull then push the new component and twist."

"That sounds pretty simple for a job you are paying us 3 Credits for," Mila shrugged.

"Three credits?" queried the colonel,"Oh, you spacers. 3 Mega-credits Captain. We are, unlike your people, not too proud to work with small change." He grinned.

"Oh, we deal in small change too, we just call them bits."

"The sand in the area is very soft. It will be a slog. The only upside is it slows the sand runners too. We will run you out near the site in a flitter. You will be given paperwork that says you are a tri-vee team making a documentary about the sand runners."

"So, are you up for this?"

"Do we have a choice?" scoffed Gunner.

"No, not really"

"Then we're in,"said Mila

As they started back to the turbolift, Mila glanced back. Behind them was a blank stretch of wall.


                                       ******************************

This is a delivery mission, one character has the MacGuffin and has to get to the centre of the table and spend an action to complete the mission. They have private transport (no rivals can interfere) and slippery conditions which I have translated to soft sand.

The sand runners move 7 a turn (6 because of the slippery conditions) compared with the crew's 4 and can make a free 3 square jump into combat if they have a target in range. There will be seven of them, the maximum possible. They need to close to melee range, have no bonus to combat ability but add one to rolls to beat a target's toughness.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Mouthy lot there  Got me coat and am leaving soon 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Nice intro, let's see how it plays?