Solo StarWarsD6 pt16: Under the Glacier

System: Star Wars D6 by West End Games.
Setting: Star Wars Era of the Rebellion.
Character: Royxand Handscul ‘Roy’, Corporate scout
Luca Delste, Smuggler
Kuna Desyk, Hacker
Solo Tools: MUNE, donjon, GameMaster’s Apprentice deck of cards
Books: Star Wars The Roleplaying Game Second Edition (West End Games), Galaxy Guide 8: Scouts
Homebrew Rules: D6Legends

Looking back at my last two sessions I realize I made a big mistake. I was using my homebrew MythicD6 rules instead of the D6Legends, which means that the difficulty numbers were off.
This had a direct effect to the game play, making Moderate rolls hard, and Difficult rolls almost impossible.
That’s why the long-range combat with the Snowtroopers (Moderate to Difficult) took 16! turns and required Oracle interventions to end, that’s why Roy’s incapacitated status wouldn’t heal (Difficult), and that’s why Luca couldn’t get the Red Rancor powered up in time (Difficult).
Nevertheless, what’s done is done, the story has been written. That’s what happens when you make changes to your system and get back to it after vacations. 🙂

Luca manages to get back on his feet. He looks around. The snowtroopers are nowhere to be seen. Clouds of smoke cover the scene. He tries to find his companions.

Luca: Search: 0(-): Fail

The explosion has spread them apart, and now he can’t seem to orient himself to their original direction. He hopes they are alright. Luca dares not shout to call them yet, just in case the Imperials are somewhere nearby. He looks around some more. Debris and flames are everywhere. His dear ship is gone. Not that it matters now. He must survive, as he has done in the past. He will get past this obstacle.

Luca: Search: 2

He doesn’t find Roy or Kuna, but he positions himself nicely in a clearing around the debris. He is easily visible there. Maybe they will find him.

Q: Is Kuna With Roy?
A: Yes, and he managed to protect him from the explosion. Intervention (See below).

Kuna is lying prone on top of Roy. A piece of steel is protruding from his arm. He rolls away and moans.
“You owe me one Roy.” This bar was heading for your head.

Intervention: New entity.
This makes for a perfect introduction of the locals. They noticed the fight and the flare two days ago, they certainly heard the Red Rancor exploding, and with the smoke lifting to the skies, they could locate them easily.

Kuna seats Roy next to a large piece of what used to be the cargo hold of the Red Rancor, and then, and only then does he see they’re surrounded.

Q: Are they human?
A: No and, they’re alien (Roll on Galaxy Guide to Scouts, Alien generation tables).

Mammal, Land Omnivore, Feudal Tech level, 13D Attribute dice. Enhanced vision (Infrared), Heat sensitivity.
1.4 meters tall, Move 10/13
DEX: 2D+1/4D+1
KNW: 1D+2/3D+1
MEC: 1D+2/3D+1
PER: 1D+2/3D+1
STR: 2D/4D
TEC: 1D+2/3D+2

They’re surrounded by short white skinned humanoids with nostrils – where the nose should be. They have lucid green eyes, and white fur running like a mane in the middle of their face, and thickening to the back of their heads. The fur seems to have several patterns in variations of grey.

Q: Do they speak common?
A: Yes, but not all of them.

Most of them hold spears or some other sort of a polearm, and wear long cloaks with similar patterns.
“Come, take you.” Says one of them, and quickly groups of five grab each of the companions from their limbs and start carrying them. Kuna tries to resist, but they’ve got him locked down. Roy can’t put up any resistance. Several others start stripping the debris for salvage.
Where did they come from? Kuna wonders, but quickly the answer reveals itself. They enter some barely visible cracks in the glacier and follow a long path, he wouldn’t dare take. They navigate with ease in the glacier paths.

Where do they arrive? GMA: Huge Cavern.

They arrive at a huge cavern. The ceiling is lit by phosphorescent tiny fungi. They emit a thick illuminating gas.

Q: Do the aliens from the Amal moon (Amalsi) heal them?
A: No, but they will let them rest.

Luca is separated from his friends. He is in a small cave. Paintings and markings made with some phosphorescent paint cover up the ceiling and walls. He tries to understand their theme, but his attention is draw to the alien standing in front of him in the center of the cave.
It seems stronger, and more well built than the other short aliens that carried him there. It is wearing some sort of armour with decorations, and from its belt., hangs a scabbard that is about half its size.

GMA: Who is he (Tags): Crown, Sword, Target
So he/she is some chief, general, king, warrior.

“You are enemies of your kind? We saw the white plated Imperial men try to kill you.” The creature speaks.
Luca nods. Not knowing if the alien would understand the gesture. “My friends… where are they?”
“Friends? Friends are taken care of.” The alien replies. Luca can’t tell if it is talking about his friends or if it considers him a friend.
“Who are you? how do you speak our language?” He asks.
“Men like you have come time before. Amalsi suffered. Amalsi suffer now again!” The creature lets off a screeching sound in anger.
“I am Vurrha of Zatoq clan. War chief of the Amalsi. Clans are summoned. When they are here. The trial of you will begin.”

Q: Are they imprisoned until trial? (likely)
A: Yes

Luca, Roy and Kuna are imprisoned. They are well fed, given medicine and contained in small cold cells. Any attempts to talk with their Amalsi captors are met with silence.

12 days pass.
Q: Do the medicines increase healing rate-or add a die?
A: They add a die.
I roll on the natural healing table:
Kuna: 10: Fully healed.
Roy: 8: Improve to wounded.
During this time Roy takes notes of his alien captors.
Roy: Alien Species: 2 Successes.

Roy notices a close communal structure. The Amalsi frost white skin gives them a natural camouflage, and they seem to be acclimated to the extreme cold, wearing clothes only as a sign of status rather than for protection from the elements. They seem to dislike the heat, and don’t utilize it or stay near fires unless absolutely necessary. They don’t seem to need the fire anyway, as they can see very well in the dark, and are not impacted by the cold. They are omnivores, eating insects, fungi and algae. The males seem to have a mane that the females are missing.

A dozen days have passed, and Roy’s wounds are so much better. Only his shoulder hurts a bit. Kuna has healed completely. Suddenly there is a big commotion. The guards enter their cells, and lead them to a huge room. It’s the first time since their capture that they get to see each other. The communicate with looks. They are worried about what may come next, but relieved that they are all alive and well so far.

In one end of the room there are situated 5 seats, that look like thrones. Atop each, sits an Amalsi. From their decorations and clothes, they are likely importan figures. In the middle, sits Vurrha.
Seated around the room, in an amphitheatric manner are at least 30 more Amalsi.
The room is decorated with phosphorescent paintings in the ceiling, depicting abstract patterns.

A ceremony begins that lasts about 15 minutes, then they start talking in their native language.
The talk begins with the 30 Amalsi. Each of them speaks once, until in the end an older-looking Amalsi steps forward and makes, what seems to be a statement to the five.
Each of the five enthroned Amalsi speak then. Vurrha speaks last.
He speaks in common.
“State your names.” Vurrha says sternly.
They all give their names.
“Now state your purpose.” He continues.
Roy steps forward.
Vurrha looks at him. “Speak, Royxand of the Handskul clan.”
Roy doesn’t pause on the strange reference. Instead he begins. “We are scouts. – I am, and these are my crewmates. I was given a map to this destination, to find what lies here.” He pauses. “I won’t lie to you. We came for profit. We wanted to find something valuable like minerals precious metals. We had no idea you lived here. Then we met with the Empire who thought we were enemies and hurt us and destroyed our ship. What we really want now is a way to leave.”
Luca and Kuna look at Roy. They would like to disagree, but the boy is right. They have been defeated. They should cut their losses and get the heck out of there.

A ruckus is made by the audience as soon as Roy told their initial intentions. What worries Roy, is that at the same time, the blue paintings turned to orange.

Q: Do they acknowledge that Roy is speaking the truth?
A: No, but they may be convinced (Moderate).

The Amalsi from the right throne says something to Vurrha. He turns to Roy.
“And you want treasure no more? Tell why you and Empire different wants!”
Roy tries hard to understand the bad grammar. Does the Empire want something else? He recalls that they had a snowtrooper tell them some information, but he was too wounded at the time to pay attention.
“We expected minerals, metals or art. We are not equipped for anything else.” Roy says trying blindly.

Roy: Persuasion: 2/3: Fail.

Vurrha moans in distrust.

I ask a few questions to the Oracle to see what the Amalsi want to do with the group.
Q: Do they send them on a mission/work to repay their sentence?
A: No
Q: Do they let them free?
A: No, and they will turn them over to the Imperials to appease them.

A heated discussion begins in Amalsi language. 20 minutes later it ends. They all fall silent. Vurrha turns to Roy.
“Decision. Royxand of Handskul clan, Luca of Delste clan, Kuna of Desyk clan. Traded to Empire for 10 Amalsi miners.”
The trio looks at each other terrified. Before they have a chance to contend the decision, guards pick them up and guide them back to their cells.

Q: Are they in a common cell now, together?
A: No
Q: Is there an opportunity to escape?
A: Yes, but its not going to be easy.
Q: Who is going to have the chance?
A: Roy

Some time has passed, and after some shouting and efforts to break the bars open, they understand the futility and sit silently in their cells. Then, Roy notices that the guard to his cell is leaning to the cell door, his keys dangling from this keyring on his belt. Maybe he can pick them before the guard realizes they are gone…

Session Background: A mostly narrative session. Just when I had thought that the aliens would assist the team, they are sending them back to the Imperials! Will they manage to escape or will they try again to convince the Imperials that they are not rebels? Maybe the officers are not as stubborn as the stormtroopers.