(PbP) HEIST II – Choose your Destiny

The Crew for the next Play-by-Plus game of Edge of the Empire has been selected! Ko’Shak, Bril, and Dex Dervish return with the infamous Corellian YT-1300 model light freighter Lucky Hand, along with a new found stowaway technician to join in the adventure. The game will be on Saturday April 20th at 11:00am Eastern Standard Time, via Google+ Hangout. For now, the Crew must decide which of two possible job offers to take on:

Heist II (a)

A retired smuggler recently turned new recruit in the Rebel Alliance offers a substantial reward (5,000 credits) for repossession of his family’s starship, the Midnight Hawk, located in the Desol System.

Heist II (b)

Rebel Alliance Command has is offering a sizable bounty (5,000 credits) for the capture of an Imperial operative, hiding in the newly established colony of Ridellia. They want him alive; no disintegrations.

 

Play-by-Plus: Heist II Recruitment

Exciting news!

The day and time of the next Heist in the Edge of the Empire Play-by-Plus megacampaign will be Saturday April 20th, 11:00am (Eastern Standard Time).

How to Join a Heist

1. Email Galaxy Master Ross and tell him that you are ready to accept your destiny on the day and time of the Heist.
2. Circle Casey Steven Ross on Google+, join the Triumph & Despair Google+ Community, and install the Google+ Hangout EotE Dice Roller Tools.
3. If you were not part of the Crew for Heist I, you may sign up now.
4. If you were part of the Crew for Heist I, you may sign up now and be placed on a waiting list. After one week of signups, Heist II will then open up to the Crew from Heist I.
5. Once you’re confirmed for the Heist, begin character creation (if needed), roll one Force Die and post the result publicly to the Google+ Community.

The Galaxy Master has made Knowledge (Underworld) and Streetwise checks to generate a series of potential Heists that the Crew must choose from. The Heists will be revealed once the Crew has been selected. Failure by the Crew to choose a Heist by no later than Saturday, April 6th 2013 will result in the Galaxy Master choosing the least profitable and most dangerous Heist.

Play-By-Plus

Not too long ago, I started a “play-by-post” game of Star Wars Edge of the Empire here on Triumph & Despair. I grabbed a handful of some really great gamers whom I’ve had the pleasure of gaming with before, and with the play-by-post format, but something just didn’t feel right. Something felt off. There’s something special about live play that simply cannot be captured in the play-by-post environment. For me at least, play-by-post simply can’t spark the same kind of outlandish creativity and wacky hijinks that I’d like to see in my roleplaying games. Then, destiny rolled my way and new tools came out this week, by a generous fan here, that integrate Edge of the Empire dice into Google+ Hangouts. The path forward has been shown.

I propose a massively multiplayer online game of Star Wars Edge of the Empire with the events of one adventuring session having dramatic impact and interaction with subsequent sessions for a very large pool of potential players. I’m stealing the term used by the video game industry and using it for my own purposes, for the dreams I had as a teenage boy at the dawn of the internet when matters such as “profitability” and “server maintenance” never entered the lexicon of the game.

The campaign will follow the dramatic adventures of the YT-1300 Corellian freighter Lucky Hand and her Crew of hundreds, as begun in the play-by-post Heist I. This ship is the constant thread linking everything together, with each self-contained story (called a Heist) pulling from players across the world to shuffle up her Crew as the needs and availability of the flesh-and-blood players demand. Profits from each Heist will be split evenly by the party, and can be used anytime in between Heists to purchase new equipment or starship upgrades. Experience Points gained during a Heist are shared by the entire Crew, including even those whom have not yet signed on. The Knowledge [underworld] and Streetwise skills of the previous Heist’s Crew will determine the details on the variety of Heists the upcoming Crew may choose from. Once a Crew is selected, each player rolls a Force Die. A result of OO informs the Galaxy Master that the next Heist will advance that character’s Dramatic Arc. Characters who complete their dramatic arc will be retired as permanent NPC allies. Players with none or a small number of completed previous Heists will be allowed to sign up for a Heist 1 week earlier than others. After that, the Crew will be selected as the first five players to commit to the event’s stated date and time.

(PbP) HEIST I – Imperial Entanglements

The small freighter Lucky Hand blasts off from the cavernous cargo hold of the Century Eagle, blue-whites engines burn hot and jury-rigged sensors punch through the soupy red nebula of the Ytha’ak Star System. Where once was a full load of high-powered rifles now is an empty hold. A slime-covered creature from the Yir-Tangee Cluster, Karlo, is now safely aboard, extracted away to safety by the decree of Rebel Alliance Command. The gas cloud is punctured by the Lucky Hand’s escape, the bold and decisive actions of its Crew leaving the sensor-blind Imperial convoy none the wiser.

But the Crew isn’t quite out of the woods yet.

At Medium Range, sensors detect a grave sight. Computer displays show two flights of four TIE Fighters, small patrol ships designed to be easy to produce, ultra-fast and very agile. A crackling sound breaks over the radio, a stern male voice demanding to know the registry of the Lucky Hand and its purpose for being in this star system.

The Lucky Hand has just drifted out of the nebula at Speed 1. To leave this star system (and end the heist successfully), it must leave the immediate gravitational influence of any planetary bodies by moving to an area of space at Extreme Range, as well as complete the hyperspace calculations needed to jump to lightspeed, requiring a cumulative 5 Successes in Astrogation. Crew Member Typhor Pnomm is considered to be Co-Pilot, and grants a Boost Die to all Pilot (space) checks on board the Lucky Hand. There are three paths out of the star system, listed in order of increasing danger: empty space, a light asteroid belt, and weaving through complex gravitational pulls of the gas giant planet Ytha’ak Prime and its many orbiting satellites, including the Ytha’ak colony.

What do you do?

(PbP) HEIST I – Special Delivery

The Crew seizes the moment, running their illegal goods down through the corridors of Imperial Transport Century Eagle, now known to be a troop transport on its way to invade the Ytha’ak Colony. Communications on board ship have been destroyed by Rebel Alliance saboteurs and all external sensors are rendered offline from the effects of the local Red Ytterbium nebula. Chaos reigns, and our intrepid entrepreneurs  hijack a tracked cargo sled to deliver their shipments of weapons to the Rebel Alliance, riding it into the dark heart of the Century Eagle.

Multiple paths to their destination have been found. The Crew has chosen to bring the weapons shipment through a passageway guarded by a deadly battle droid, stationed here to cut off the Rebels’ escape. When the Crew arrives, they see that the passageway opens up to a larger space to their left, with service catwalks above. Automated security blasters have dropped from the ceiling in two locations, their lights blink repeatedly and their sensors scan hastily back and forth. Two emergency lights are propped up on the floor, but they are turned off, creating a completely dark environment (two Setback dice). Lastly, a dull red light pierces through the darkness at the doors leading out of the area from a circular metal object affixed to each door.

The battle droid, seen on the hacked security camera only a few moments ago, is nowhere to be found.

GO!

(PbP) HEIST I – Chase

The Crew are on board the Imperial transport Century Eagle on a smuggling run to deliver weapons to Rebel Alliance guerrillas headed to Ytha’ak Colony. The heist took a turn for the worse, the Rebel igniting an explosive to disable the ship’s communications systems while in the sensor-obscuring Red Ytterbium Nebula cloud. It has been revealed that this is no mere supply run, but on fact a hostile invasion force full of Imperial Stormtroopers!

Two of these Stormtroopers have walked into the main holding bay where the Crew are seen hovering over the dead bodies are several Imperial military. This looks like a very very bad scene, and the Imperials flee to report back to their superiors. The Stormtroopers give chase, dropping their rifles and running as fast as they can! They run hard, knock over shelves and crates, duck through empty cargo bays, crawl up catwalks, and sneak through narrow access tubes; all through a darkened starship on flickering red emergency lights. The Crew run after them, pushing themselves as much as they can and using their wits to try and outmaneuver their prey.

(PbP) HEIST I – Sabotage!

Explosions rip through the heart of the Century Eagle! The hull creaks and groans under the strain, emergency lights flicker, and the force of the explosion shakes everyone off their feet!  The Crew is split up, Lita off with an Imperial Officer and guards in the maintenance shops while the rest of the Crew are face-to-face with some hot stormtrooper on stormtrooper blaster fire!

(PbP) HEIST I – Century Eagle

The Lucky Hand glides through the dusty, ruby nebula to the ponderous, slow bulk freighter Century Eagle. The vessel rotate about, an elegant waltz through the cosmic sea, and they pitch perpendicular to each other for docking procedures. Steel clamps bear down on the smaller Lucky Hand, holding it steady. Airlocks hiss, compress, decompress, and finally release. The two ships are as one.

• The footfalls of the Crew of the Lucky Hand ring hollow across a shallow steel ramp into a cavernous cargo bay, 50 ft. on a side with a 30 ft. ceiling.
• A steel grate walkway wraps around the perimeter of the room. A pair of armed Imperial Stormtroopers stands guard with blasters drawn, aimed at you.
• Great, big, bright white lights hang from above; however, they shed no light. Instead, flashing red emergency lights pulse a repeating pattern of crimson lights, casting shadows all about.
• A massive, closed doorway at the opposite end of the room indicates the way out. Another group of 2 Stormtroopers stands in front of the door.
• Flickering blue light from a nearby computer terminal illuminates the gray wall.
• A human woman clothed in an Imperial uniform stands behind a waist-high console covered in buttons and levers. Her hair and most of her facial features are obscured by the dim light and the tightly fitting green hat she is wearing. A blaster pistol is holstered at her side, and a third group of two Stormtroopers flank her.
• The ship is on high alert, with a piercing alarm klaxon blaring via wall speakers.
• BEHIND THE SCENES: All Vigilance checks are upgraded, but all skill checks requiring focused concentration suffer 2 Setback dice.

The woman speaks in a commanding voice, shouting out to you: “Welcome aboard the Century Eagle, captain ….? Please leave your weapons and droids stowed safely away on your ship while the repairs are conducted.”

What do you do?

(PbP) HEIST I – Arrival at Ytha’ak

The Lucky Hand emerges from the nether of interstellar travel and on the edge of the Ytha’ak System. A billowing shell of crimson gas orbits the inner star system like a blood-stained shell.

Your starship parks gently upon a nearby large asteroid, all power shut down save minimal environmental controls. A long wait occurs in the cold, dark ship as the Crew looks for the faint signs of the approaching Imperial convoy using nothing but eyes and windows. It is during this wait that your patience is tested, not from this tedious yet stressful part of the heist. No, your patience is worn thin by the incessant chattering of Tyfor Pnomm. Constant vigilance is required here, yet the Gand Bounty Hunter seems incapable of controlling itself. “Can we play a round of cards? I’ve got 50 credits that says the convoy never arrives. Who’s in, seriously? Hey, can we stop on the planet afterwards, maybe they have a casino?”

Tyfor’s addiction gets the better of him and he is unable to cope adequately, reducing his Strain Threshold by 2 for the remainder of the Heist as he frets and worries about getting his next game in. This potential liability and constant worrying affects the rest of the Crew as well. Each other Crew Member has their Strain Threshold reduced by 1 for the remainder of the Heist.

Thankfully, the waiting is over and a train of twelve starships punches their way through the outer cloud and into the nebula. By all accounts, they are now flying blind. When the last starship disappears from view, The Lucky Hand lights up, powers up, and gives chase to its prey. The convoy is crawling through the nebula at the slowest pace they can, but will still only leave a few hours to complete the delivery and escape without being noticed.

Thanks to some unorthodox modifications to the sensor system by Lita, The Lucky Hand‘s sensors cut through the interference cause by the spatial hazard. Though still full of static and other distortions, you detect a convoy of 11 bulk transports leading the way through the ruddy expanse, crawling through, unable to avoid collisions with small bits of rock and other detritus. But your ship can detect these things and easily avoid them, no collisions for you!

At the tail end of the convoy, an Imperial CR90 Corvette armed light escort vessel guards the rear of this wagon train.

[BEHIND THE SCENES]

Upon visiting a new star system, the Galaxy Master has rolled a d100 with the result of (57). Looking at the Crew’s character sheets, he notes that this number falls within the range of one of the Crew’s Obligation. In this case, we are pointed to triggering Tyfor Pnomm‘s gambling addiction. Serendipitously, this falls in line with Blob’s descriptions from last post. The triggering Crew Member is most affected, but the stress worries everyone else as well.

(PbP) HEIST I – Arms Runner

The galaxy is gripped by CIVIL WAR and the perfect grounds for those with daring and wits to profit from the chaos. The REBEL ALLIANCE has placed a hidden platoon of elite soldiers on board the Imperial transport CENTURY EAGLE, carrying colonists and agricultural equipment to the watery planet of YTHA’AC, located in the far reaches of the GALACTIC OUTER RIM. Their mission is to arrive at an Imperial outpost undetected and take control of the outpost, scoring a major victory against the oppressive GALACTIC EMPIRE. The Rebel troops are already in place, but are unarmed. A crew of vagabonds and ne’er-do-wells aboard the light freighter THE LUCKY HAND have been contracted by Alliance Leaders to slip past Imperial patrols and covertly deliver a shipment of weapons to the Rebels while en route to the outpost.