Continuing from the previous session, I need to see what happens with the license due to the Interdiction world trait.
Interdiction: we obtained the license Upkeep: -1 Credit Ship Debt: Pay 8 credits, Debt increased by +1, for a total of -7 credits
Tasks: Marie: Train: +1XP, Combat +1. Cyloo+Atrin: Trade: A personal weapon, Medical Reserves Dany: Track: Fail
Since I have a Quest (to be revealed) I decided to go ahead with it and not try to find a patron job. Nevertheless I need to check if any of my Rivals got the drop on me.
Check for Rivals: Rivals battle: Isolationists, Deployment Condition: Delayed (Atrin, Dany), Notable Sight: Curious Item: Can be sold for 1 credit, Brought Friends, 6 Enemies: Leader: Handgun+Blade, Handguns, Specialist: Hunting Rifle, Unique Individual: Hulker Brawler: Hand Cannon
Captain’s Log, Entry 2 I did spend an entire evening gathering the paperwork and trying to keep a straight face as the officer eyed me down when I exclaimed that “we don’t look for trouble, unless it comes looking”. Nakada must have put in a good word or two, because after a few calls, everything cleared. Seems he was happy to have us around. Atrin and I hit the flee market looking to barter. We split as I went looking for weapons. Dany set off to find if trouble was looking for us, and Marie, heck, she hit the gym. I scored a nice colony rifle, and caught up with Marie when something felt off. The street was awfully quiet. Marie nodded, pulled out her rifle, and affixed her bayonet. The girl means business. Through her scope she identified some of the figures. It was Heson’s isolationists. Half a dozen with handguns, and some hulking fella with a mean demeanor.
Seized Initiative
2 against 7SuppressonFlanked
We were severely outnumbered and took cover behind a power generator. I took one end while Marie the other. They moved under cover behind the crates but this hulker was in the open, looking ripe for a blast from my shotgun. He took it right in the face. The rest continued, but I could see them among the crates, I waited for the right moment, and as one of their riflemen tried to flank us from a vantage point, I blasted him down. Scared shitless, one of them fled. Marie kept exchanging fire under cover, suppressing their advance. Their lieutenant did the same mistake, and headed for the roof of the little control post, and I blasted him down. Marie held the other side, killing another isolationist. A stray shot ripped apart some ducting, as Atrin and Dany joined us, a bag of hot dogs in their hands. No time to explain. We blasted the last of the enemy. Let’s hope the one that got away will warn them to never come near us again.
Session Summary
I was really afraid going in 2 against 7, but taking cover and being better armed and skilled (and aided by some good dice rolls) not only helped the Rogue Fists win the fight, but at no cost, and we even removed the rival from the list! What will the next episode pit them against?
So still skimming through the pdf rulebook, I’ve followed the steps required. First of all I had to generate the World I’m in. Again, donjon to the rescue. I decided to go with generating world traits, silly me, and I rolled up that there is a state of interdiction, and the Rogue Fists are approved to stay for only 1 turn, get a license or get out.
Following the steps is quite easy peasy. The rulebook is well layed out, and having played 5L extensively helps a lot as the concept is similar. Relying on this experience can have several hidden traps though, as I may incorrectly take some things for granted.
New World Generation: Interdiction: Only approved to stay 1 turn. Pay Upkeep: -1 Credit Ship Debt: +1 Credit
With only 4 party members, I spread them around the various tasks. Cyloo to find a patron job, Dany to explore, Atrin to trade and Marie to train.
Cyloo: Find a patron: Found 2 Patrons Dany: Explore: I don't have a gambling problem: Discard 1 Scrap Pistol Atrin: Trade: Hot Tip: +1 Rumor Marie: Train: +1 XP Patron 1 (old): Wealthy Individual (Wayne Nakada): Danger Pay: Max, This Campaign Turn, Benefits (Company Store), Hazards (Veteran Opposition) Patron 2 (new): Private Organization (The Order of the Temporal Tower): Danger Pay: Max, This Campaign Turn, Hazards (Dangerous Job), Conditions (Demanding) Quests: Quest Given Rivals: No fight
So I choose to do the patron mission for Wayne Nakada, the odds seem a lot better.
Patron Job for Wayne Nakada: No deployment condition: Nothing Special: Deliver 5 Enemies (1 Lieutenant, 1 Specialist), No Unique Individuals Hired Muscle: Roid Gangers (6 enemies total): Weapons: Scrap Pistol+Blade, Specialist: Shotgun
Captain’s Log. 4391 Canum VII. Such a slum. Word has it there are ample opportunities for making a quick credit. That is if you get the license to stay. The starport officials were adamant. You need a form 523C, signed and approved. I hope I’ll be able to acquire it. But there was no time to waste. We gathered in the mess hall. I announced that I’d go to meet some people for potential job opportunities, and that the rest would be free to do as they pleased. I met up with my old contact, Wayne Nakada, a wealthy businessman. I never was able to find out what exactly he traded in, but I know not to ask too many questions. Wayne was too friendly. He wanted a package delivery to the Sleazy Barrel, a cantina in the Reincoor Badlands. He wouldn’t tell what the package is, just that there were others interested that might try to stop us. The pay was good. Too good to be true. On my way back to the Hard Bargain, a cloaked figure blocked my way. I was about to draw my sidearm, but they made it clear that they meant no harm. The Order of the Temporal Tower they called themselves. They were looking for a crew to undertake a dangerous mission, but I had already shaken hands with Nakada and turned them down. Back in the Hard Bargain we did a short briefing. I let the Fists know what we would do, and that it would pay well. They filled me in on their downtime. Marie had hit the gym, that girl would never rest. I guess being born in a war-torn hell hole leaves its marks on you. Atrin got a tip from a contact about a possible trail that we might want to follow, but there was no time right now, Nakada gave us a very short time frame. … and Dany, well he was skittish at first, so I talked to him one on one afterwards. He admitted to losing a pistol in a gamble. I didn’t scold him. Team cohesion is more important than a lousy scrap pistol.
I failed to Seize the Initiative, and the battle begins.
Battlefield setupMarie found something interesting – Frakk Grenades!Dany scores the first killThe Roid gangers approachThe grenade hits on target – don’t mind the template, it’s 1″ short4 birds with one stoneDany makes the last kill shot
We reached the destination point. At the other side of the community, 6 burly, armed figures were approaching. “Roid Gangers”, Dany said, in a soft voice. “Get’em boys!” the leader of the gang screamed, and they charged towards us. The community looked desolate. What few souls were already barred inside their houses, closed the shutters for that extra feeling of protection. I signaled for Marie and Dany to take the Eastern side, while me and Atrin took the West. The gangers split at first, but due to the plaza-like opening in front of the cantina, soon, they gathered together. We were outnumbered. The first shots we exchanged hit the void. Atrin took a shot at the gang leader, but his hand cannon barely hurt him. He fell back a bit and continued. Dany peeked out from the corner behind the cantina and shot a ganger down, burning him with his laser. Aggressively, they moved on, and took many shots at Atrin, whose cover in the side alley was looking now to be more of a death trap. I got shot too, and got knocked back behind my cover. Suddenly, as I was heads down, I felt the ground shake. A huge boom was heard. Peeking out, I saw four gangers blasted to smitherens, as Dany killed the last one with his laser. I looked at Marie, standing next to me. “Found some ‘nades boss.” She said and shrugged.
Post battle: No rivalry 9 Credits +2 Credits for Battle Event Battlefield find: Debris worth 2 credits Loot: Assault blade Benefit: 1 Quest Rumour Purchase 1 Blade, Sell 1 Scrap Pistol Campaign Event: The sector news networks are awash with rumors of war. Character Event: Dany: You make some local friends.
The battlefield held no more surprises. Several credits worth were found among our enemies belongings. It is highly likely someone had hired them for the job, just as Wayne had hired us. I delivered the package in the cantina. A calm barwoman was waiting for me there. She nodded as she took the briefcase, and slided a small piece of paper towards me. “Information that you might find useful.” She said. “Mr Nakada conveys his thanks”. We headed back to port, where news were flashing about the war fronts closing in on our world. I can only hope the front moves away. The crew leaves for some well rewarded R&R, and Dany sleeps off at a …friend. I check our account and Wayne has already transfered the agreed upon amount. Excellent, now we may be able to repay some of the debt on the Hard Bargain. Maybe 4391 Canum VII isn’t such a bad place to be after all. Maybe it’s worth it to get this license to stay.
Session Summary
Absolutely fun! Went in a fight outnumbered, and things were looking dire. Then, a grenade that *I found on the field due to a random event* goes BOOM! and it all changes in an instant. The tables and rules framework are much more bare than 5 Leagues, so you can put your story on top with ease. I need to get acquainted with this part a bit, and it seems that some solo RPG skills, generators and oracles would come in handy here. I’ve spent a bit more time here to set up the narrative than usual, but I think it will pay off in the future. I’m still learning the ropes, and looking forward to following the Quest that appeared. I did a mistake or two here and there. The rulebook is at a whooping 182 pages, so skimming through the pdf, I lost a note or two here and there. Looking forward to the next session. See if I can get that license to stay or need to leave the world, just I got on it.
Having played more than a dozen Five Leagues from the Borderlands sessions, I wanted a change of theme, before continuing. Extended lockdown has me mentally drained, so going back into my solo RPG is not an option right now. It’s been a while since I had played with my sci-fi miniatures, and the Five Parsecs from Home (I’ll be calling it 5P for short) pdf had been sitting silently in my hard disk.
I had already decided to give it a shot, when the news hit: Modiphius would be publishing the latest edition of 5P! New artwork and layout, a hardcopy pre-order with a free pdf and several new shiny changes. You can find the announcement here. As you may have already guessed, I went ahead and pre-ordered and I’m so glad I did.
The new layout is just beautiful and the artwork immerses you into the Unified Space world. As for the rule changes I can’t speak, since I hadn’t had a chance to play the previous editions, but from the history log, I really liked the smaller crew size option. Right now I can’t commit to as many miniatures for sci-fi as I have in fantasy. A 2’x2′-2.5′ board is my standard table, so a smaller crew would fit so much better to my needs.
Several rolls on the random tables later, my starship crew was all set up. I used donjon to generate the necessary names, and with the basic information and flavors from 5P, I have the following.
Cyloo
Cyloo, a Hakshan refugee, growing up in a backwater world, Tian-Mu II. His skills and commitment to find the truth were an important factor in joining the local rangers. Soon he caught caught attention of Obur, the local crime lord and had to run.
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP
Gear
Cyloo
2
4
0
3
0
1
0
Machine Pistol
Leader, Special Agent
Marie
Marie “Spacer” Tinez, a starship navigator, grew up in Humbaba Prime. She will never forget the countless waves of the Converted. Her planet was in war since before she was born, and they finally lost. Her CO, Captain Jerroy Heson, split off the rest of the fleet in a betrayal that cost them the war as the gap in the line could not be covered. The isolationists in the crew joined with Heson. Tinez and a few others tried to lead a mutiny, but they failed and not all of them managed to escape with their lives.
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP
Gear
Marie
2
4
0
3
1
0
2
Auto Rifle
Starship crew
Atrin
Atrin “Two Sights” Gonzal, grew up in Alkonost. A regressed planet where the Sky Children cult sends the toughest offspring as tribute slaves to pirates. Conscripted into the pirate ranks, Atrin managed to escape and from the hunted, he became the hunter… for a profit. He still wants revenge against Clase Rigers, the leader of the Sky Children. Sources have pinpointed him to the vicinity.
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP
Gear
Atrin
1
5
0
4
0
0
2
Hand Cannon
Bounty hunter
Dany
Dany “Graver” Youghel, grew up in Moru III. Just a scoundrel, trying to make ends meet in a frontier gang. Life always was hard for him, and many times survival was balanced on the edge of a razor blade.
Name
Reactions
Speed
Combat
Toughness
Savvy
Luck
XP
Gear
Dany
1
5
1
4
0
0
0
Infantry Laser, Camo Cloak
Scoundrel
Rogue Fists
Together they’re known as the Rogue Fists. They met here and there, and after a few jobs together, they realized they should stick. Felt a lot safer knowing that they had each other’s eyes looking behind their backs. One way or another their defiance for the law, snap-back attitude (and a couple missions for freedom fighter groups) gave them a reputation of hardened rebels.
Their ship, Hard Bargain is a second hand vessel, built from salvaged wrecks. They still owe a hefty sum to pay it off.
So, we’ve got 6 story points, 2 Local Rivals, 1 Local Patron, a debt of 26 credits on the Hard Bargain, and 2 rumours. In the stash there are 7 credits, 2 Shotguns, 2 Scrap Pistols, 1 Handgun, 1 Stimpack, 1 Stabilizer.
Looking forward to setting up the world and starting my first battle!
Village Events: Wandering healer. I don’t have any wounded Wardens. Agents and Adventurers: Bruno – Away on Quest, Alida – Found Loot: Tonic, Frans – Empty Handed Pay Upkeep: I send away on Questing as Agents: Bruno, Alida and Frans. Healing Up: Nothing. Actions: Ardus: Labor: +2 GM. Gustav: Tracking: Failure Roving Wanderer: Foraging: 1 Protective Herbs. Where are we going: Go adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Nothing. Trade: Bought Holy Water (Rare Item for -5GM)
Adventuring: Roadside Encounter: Soldier, Special: Generosity, Friend: +1 Ration I spend the Ration to continue adventuring: Roadside AND Combat Encounter: Roadside: Humble Priest, Special, Clue: Loot: Full Armor. Combat Encounter: Raiders: Located Camp: Last Stand: 6 Raiders (1 Archer), Boss (Captain), Lackey (Sergeant): 15″ combat distance: Seize Initiative: Failure.
Theme: Along The Road Oddities: Ladden Down By Spoils
Meeting the raider camp along the roadLeft to Right, Front Row, the Boss and his LackeyAdvancing behind coverRaider shot between the treesClosing in combatThe fight draws onArdus in close combat against raiders
Aftermath
Injuries: Gustav: KO Rudiger: KO Ardus: Moderate: 6 RT Wigmar: KO Roving Wanderer: Moderate: 3 RT Unusual Finds: Bounty on their heads: 6 GM Experience: Wigmar: +2 Speed Loot: Medicinal Herbs, Vital Information, Partial Armor, Soul Render (!) Threat: Border Tension Reduced to 0: Village Cleared: 11 GM, +1 Story Point
Journal
Who were these skirmishers? their uniform colors were foreign. We need to find out if they were scouts of a larger force. As we gathered together, I waited for news from the agents. Alida and Frans returned. Alida brought a nice bottle of tonic to share with the wardens in a time of need. Bruno was a no show. I hope he’s alright. He’s a tough man. The week passed quietly in Eerfeld. A wandering healer came to offer their services, helping the locals for free. The Wardens did some chores in and around Eerfeld. The Roving Wanderer found some helpful herbs, Ardus helped in the fields, while Gustav tried to find any tracks of the skirmishers, to no avail. Before setting off, we bought a flask of holy water to help in these dark times, and left for adventuring.
On the road we came upon a friendly figure. It was soldier, Rupert, once a member of the Eerfeld militia. We shared stories and news, and he gave us food for the road. With renewed strength and full bellies, we kept on the same path. Soon we met a member of the clergy. It was a priest of Adeus, returning from Heagrove. He told us how much he valued what we had done for Eerfeld and that he knew of a nearby abandoned altar that was dedicated to Adeus, and there was a set of gear there for the protectors of Eerfeld, bought by the donations. He said we had proven more than enough our worth. We parted ways and went to this altar to find a suit of full armor, hidden and tucked carefully under the marble steps. It was the middle of the day when far in the distance we saw the smoke of a campfire. We split and scouted ahead.
It was the same raiders. They wore the same colors as the skirmishers the other day. They had pouches full of loot from their raids. Who knows what farmstead they burned and what terror and pillaging they had caused. It was time we ended this once and for all. We made out that they had a leader, just as we were noticed.
Me and the Roving wanderer covered the sides with our bows while the rest of the wardens headed for the main camp. The cover of the trees, saved the raiders for only a short while, before they fell under our arrows, and one of them fled. The battle was bloody. Rudiger and Wigmar got locked into combat with the enemy captain and what seemed to be his bodyguard – a sergeant of sorts. The captain brought Rudiger down as we closed. Gustav took out his bodyguard in melee. Furious that his friend was killed, the captain attacked Gustav with all his might, bringing him down as well. Meanwhile Ardus flanked the rest of the raiders. The battle drew on, for every one of them, one of us went down. With a carefully placed shot I took out the captain, but his troops wouldn’t leave. It seems there was too much loot to be lost. As the battle went on, in the end, only I was standing. With the field clear, I went to check on my companions. Luckily, the wounds of Rudiger, Gustav and Wigmar were superficial. Ardus was wounded again at his old wound. It would take a while before he was back on his feet. The roving wanderer also was hurt, not as badly though.
We searched through the bodies and the crates. We found several gold pieces, even among the fallen enemies, a set of armor, some healing herbs, a sealed letter with important information, and a sword with markings, carefully tucked in a piece of cloth. This looked a lot like the legendary Fornaught.
Victorious, we returned to Eerfeld, only to be met with a rider. He claimed to be a messenger of Lord Ornfric. He had a bounty out for this band of raiders we just eliminated, and paid us the reward. It was a hard earned reward. For once we could rest, assured that nothing would bother the people of Eerfeld at least for the coming weeks.
I looked at my map, showing the location of the keep. Then looked at the Wardens. Joyful they were singing and drinking. Two of them were bedridden, taking their time to heal the wounds. Such is the fate of the defenders of the people. No matter what, we must press on.
Evie’s Journal, week 13
Session Summary
This game was thrilling. Bringing the boss down was really difficult – as it should be, even with my experienced warband. In the end it came down to a thread. It was 1 vs 1, with only Evie standing.
I hadn’t a count of where the threat point started (the rulebook states that only camp/lair fights of threats that started in 3 or more that are down to the last point trigger a Last Stand fight) but decided to go with the LastStand nevertheless. It was only fitting.
Despite trying to make the game harder, I rolled a loot result of the Soul Render. Easily the strongest weapon in the game. Decided it’s going to be a sword.
I’ll attack the Keep in the next session, before leaving Eerfeld and adding some expansion content.
Hello! I purchased Five Leagues 2e a while back because I wanted a solo/coop skirmish game that I could play with my son using our (way too large!) LEGO collection. However, after reading through the entire rulebook multiple times I still cannot make heads or tales of how to actually play! I think part of the problem is that I’ve never played a skirmish game before; I’m coming from more of a board game background where you typically have a “rules reference” and a “how to play” manual, and I feel like I’m missing the “how to play” manual with Five Leagues and just have an encyclopedia of rules without enough guidance on how to put them all together.
That being said, would you have any tips to help me get started? Perhaps some homemade reference docs that you could share? Any help is appreciated! Thanks for your time.
Hello!
I’ll try to explain as much as possible as I don’t have a set of references.
In your case, starting I’d avoid any optional rules as they can complicate things. Once you get get hang of it, slowly add more things.
So the game is split in the campaign (pre-battle [Campaign Turn], post-battle [The Aftermath]) and battle sections [The Game Turn].
When you begin, you set up the campaign region by rolling the number of villages and their respective threats [Starting the Campaign], and then go to the section to create your 8 member party [Character Creation].
For flavor you can go to a number of name generators for your villages and party members, or make up your own. You can leave the region abstract, or if you want draw a map, as it is a fun task on its own.
Now to the game itself, you go to the [campaign turn] section, and decide what you want to do with your alloted actions for the round, then you usually choose to go adventuring and roll on the respective tables [Encounters], which may generate a combat encounter. Place the terrain and miniatures on the table according to the theme and distances rolled.
The battle itself is pretty straightforward. After the Seize Initiative check, you roll to see how many members of your party play before or after the enemy. The enemy follows a specific mindset defined in the rulebook [Enemy Movements].
Haven’t played co-op, but the most common way to do it is split the warband in two, and have each player roll for their own figures.
It helps if you write down the things as they happen and update the warband sheets regularly.
The question was quite generic, so if this doesn’t help, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer more informatively.
Also the publisher’s blog is http://fivemennormandy.blogspot.com/?m=1 and maybe there’s a FAQ there that might help as well.
Continuing my campaign, trying to clear out Eerfeld.
Campaign Turn
Village Events: Youthful Volunteer. I don’t need any more members, so I won’t take them in. If they had a chance for unusual backgrounds I might reconsider. Pay Upkeep: I send away on Questing as Agents: Bruno, Alida and Frans. Healing Up: Ardus -1RT=2RT Actions: Ardus (supported by Evie): Visit the town healer: (6): -2RT=0RT. Healed Gustav: Tracking: Failure Roving Wanderer, Rudiger: Visit the Village Priest: Both gain +1 temporary Luck. Where are we going: Go adventuring Sell Unwanted Gear: Sell 2 Swords. Trade: Nothing
Adventuring: Combat Encounter: Border Tension: Skirmishers: Attacked by Enemy: No leadership presence: No Personalities: 5 Skirmishers (1 Archer): 13″ apart: Didn’t Seize Initiative
Theme: Graveyard Oddities: No oddities
The two sides meet in the graveyardEvie and the Roving Wanderer take aim at the enemyThe two last skirmishers move forwardArdus fights a skirmisher in close combat
I was in the inn, right after giving Bruno, Alida and Frans their tasks to Quest away, that a youth arrived. He must have barely turned 18, his hair free flowing in his face. Wanted to join the Wardens. I was honoured that our name has travelled through the land and people come seeking for us. But this was no time to send a young boy to his death, especially when our roster is full. I sent him back to his folks.
Ardus is healing well, and after another visit to the healing lady, she prepped him up with some herbs, and he got back to his feet. I think he will be able to join us adventuring.
Once this was done, I gathered the remaining Wardens in the inn. Gustav reported that despite his tracking efforts he didn’t manage to find any tracks of the enemy. Rudiger and the Roving Wanderer arrived late, seems they had visited the altar of Adeus for a blessing.
We geared up and went scouting the countryside. Everything was quiet. No outlaws, no dark cultists. Except for the keep, that we intend to clear out. Then suddenly, as we checked the graveyard outside the village for any signs of trouble, an arrow hit next to me. Looking in the distance I saw them. Lightly armed troops, wearing foreign colors. We immediately spread, to hit them on three fronts.
The Roving Wanderer hit the enemy archer with the first arrow shot, and I eliminated another one. Two of the remaining three advanced, while one fled to safety. Most likely he will inform his superiors of our existence. I took another shot and brought another skirmisher down, while Ardus cut the last enemy in half, in just one strike.
Searching through their belongins to find out who they were and what they were after, we found 11 Gold Marks and a trinket, not something of commercial value, most likely something personal. We held on to it for the future and headea back to Eerfeld.
Evie’s Journal, week 12
Session Summary
I made a mistake (which was corrected in the report). The order in which the threats are displayed in the reference sheet is not aligned to the order in which they are displayed in the enemies table of the rulebook. I must have made the same mistake more than once, and that’s why I hadn’t fought any Border Tension so far, and only met Dark Secrets and Outlaws. I realized after playing this battle, which I thought was against Renegades instead of Skirmishers. Thankfully the two entries are identical, mechanics wise, and only the presentation changes. I took note of it for the future.
Still my warband is pretty strong. With 6 members, I eliminated the enemy force of 5 renegades in two turns with no losses. As I said in my last session, I’m looking forward to clearing this village so that I can start working with some expansions (though I intend to clear the Bleak Keep as well before doing so). 1 Threat point left. We’re almost there!
With the pill bases and some larger round bases, I proceeded with the rest of my Demonworld pile. A chaotic polar bear, two bears, a mountain lion and a couple of giant spiders.
For the polar bear I went with a snow textured base using cotton and pva.
The mountain lion came out a bit muddled, I’m not very happy with my final result there, but it’s okay for the table.
My warbases order arrived so I could work on my larger miniatures. Here are 2 Dire Wolves and 5 Wolves from the wolf pack of the Demonworld line of Ral Partha Europe.
I varied the darkness of the fur coat by diluting my final wash in different concentrations.
Some greek javelin men from Museum Miniatures “Z” range. Weirdly one sculpt didn’t appear in the website pictures, and I didn’t get two of the other poses. Nevertheless I liked the set. Here are painted the 3 unique poses out of the 8 of the pack.
I went with a simple white tunic and brown hair. I used bronze for the shield and javelins.
Shawn are discussing. 
Garrett are discussing. 
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