Solo, Pen, Paper and Dice

Bug Hunting – S2E1

I didn’t expect to have a second season of Five Parsecs from Home: Bug Hunt, but here we are.
I have decided on what the second season will be like, but I still need to decide some things.
I’ll ask questions to the Oracle:

Q: Are the Red Coyotes disbanded?
A: Yes, but the Characters stick together

Alright then it seems that the Red Coyotes were a “Special Assignment” regiment, and once their task was complete, they were disbanded. The Characters though will be transferred to a new regiment together (this is the interpretation of the but result of the Oracle.)

Q: Is Lt. Thomsantch with them?
A: No, but he keeps an eye on his old comrades

Rolling at the Regiment flavour table: Solar Rats

Pre-Battle Roster

Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat Skill	Toughness	Savvy
Ariana Raschke	1	6″	+0	4	+2
Kato Minoru	3	6″	+1	5	+1
Ulla Voight	1	5″	+3	3	+1

Name	Completed Missions	XP	Origin	Training	Service History
Ariana Raschke	6	0	Trade Hub	– Planetary militia – Technical Training – Leadership Training	– Anti-pirate operation – USS Astral Monarch Campaign
Kato Minoru	5	0	Military Outpost	– Ground forces (Scouts) – Survival Course – Harsh Environment Course – Physical Training	– Police Action – USS Astral Monarch Campaign
Ulla Voight	3	4	Trade Hub	– Naval forces (Security) – Physical training – Marksman Training	-Anti-pirate operation – USS Astral Monarch Campaign

Name	Missions & Injuries	Status
Ariana Raschke
Kato Minoru		Service Pistol +1″ Range
Ulla Voight

The Red Coyotes were sitting in the barracks, playing cards, when their datapads started blinking and notification sounds filling the room, as the troopers paused for a moment.
Ulla took a look at her datapad. “Transfer order-” she pauses as she reads further “-got PY-511 in F9 V system.”
“Same here” Ariana interrupts. “I am to report to the Solar Rats regiment in Colgan’s Wreck – how about you, Kato?” she asks.
“Garrison duties? Why are we being sent to some frontier outpost?” He complains, then realizing the question. “Oh, yes, at least we’re together. Solar Rats. Yay” he fakes a cheer.

The door opens and Lt. Thompsanch enters. Someone yells “Officer! Attention Troopers!”. They drop whatever they’re doing and stand attention.
“At ease troopers.” Thompsanch begins, takes a pause and continues. “News must have already reached you. Transfer orders have already been placed to the lot of you. The USS Astral Monarch returns to her naval patrol duties. The Red Coyotes are disbanded. I don’t know where you will end up, but I pulled some strings to ensure that tight fire teams stay together. Let me say that I am proud to have been your commanding officer. You delivered this victory, and Unity stands strong because of you.”
The troopers salute and cheer “hurrah”, pumping their right fists onto their chest.

The troopers were accepted quickly into the Solar Rats. The missions under their belt meant they weren’t addressed to as rookies. But still, it was as non-exciting as possible.
Until the alarm went off. Sirens blasting at full, the troopers quickly gathered at the barracks. Their Captain, Fyodor Alekhin, gave a quick briefing.
“Alright you rats. If you thought this was an easy assignment, well I hate to break it to you, but you’ve got your work cut out for you. As of zero seven hundred hours today Colgan’s Wreck is no more.” he didn’t pause for the restless murmuring, but instead with a louder voice he continued. “Face Rippers. Nasty beasts, have infested PY-511. They were sighted yesterday. Colgan’s Wreck was overrun quickly. We have credible intelligence that the bugs originated from the cavern system from the badlands to the south of the colony. Civilian Evacuation was issued at 0300 through the starport. Carpet bombing was performed at 0700H today in the city to eliminate the infestation, but it was ineffective. Since 0900H, one by one, the Starport, Farms, Industiral Zone, Waste Zone were all overrun by bugs, and contact was lost to any forces there.”
“OUR MISSION” he goes with a louder voice, and the troopers stop talking. “Protect the Forward Operating Base that was set up by the Tech Corps. This will be our foothold so that we can proceed to clear the rest of the sectors one by one, to eliminate the infestation. Get your gear and dropship assignments, and get going! DISMISSED”.

For this game I will follow the Co-op Campaigns system from the Bug Hunt Appendix, but with a single player. After fooling around with several online generators and hex tools, I couldn’t find one to my liking, so I turned to my rudimentary drawing and photoshoping skills and delivered the above result. 7 sectors in total, and I can go only from one to the adjacent ones, unless I capture the Starport. This should give at least 7 missions which might give enough attempts to get a trooper to muster out. If I don’t manage to muster out afterwards, I’ll proceed to regular 5PFH campaign without a mustered out crew member.
For each of the above sectors I rolled the following priorities and randomly assigned one of each Factors.

Sector	Priority Rating	Factor
Ruined City	6	Swarming
Star Port	1	Sheltered
F.O.B.	4	Obstructed
Alien Farms	1	Ambush Zone
Industrial Zone (IZ)	3	Hot Zone
Junk Yard (WZ)	1	Inaccessible
Alien Caves	5	Infiltration Point

Mission: F.O.B.

1. Special Assignments

Ariana: Officer Training Course: Failure
Kato: Marksman Training: Failure
Ulla: Harsh Environment Course: Failure
No-one accepted anywhere.

2. Fight a Tabletop Battle

1: Secure
4: Scout
5: Hack
6 Signals!
Priority: 4
Spawn Rating: 3
Loadout
Ariana: Boarding Sword + Hand Cannon
Kato: Shotgun
Ulla: Combat Rifle
Support: 4+1 (-1 Reputation: 17)

Fire team: Failure
Sarge: Success
Colonial militia: Failure
K’erin assault marine Team: Failure
Soulless Recon Team: Failure

Round 1

+ 09.06.25
+ + Solar Rats dispatched West from Operational Zone. Advancement.
+ + Dust storm obstructing targeting systems. Dropship fire ineffective.
+ + Squad Musculus – Sgt Kosarev, Trooper Voight, Fire Team advancing towards Objective B – Scout the FOB.
+ + Squad Rattus- Troopers Raschke and Minoru towards advancing Objective C – Hack sensor data for enemy entry points.
+ + Intel aimed for precision airstrikes after evacuation.
+ + Objective A – Secure the 150 approach determined as Secondary.
+ 09.11.45
+ + Techtrooper rescued – Fighting condition determined. Squad Musculus reinforced.
+ 09.16.20
+ + Techtrooper rescued – Fighting condition determined. Squad Rattus reinforced.
+ 09.20.25
+ + Hostile signals detected amassing from 185. No combat as yet.

Round 2

+ 09.27.05
+ + Hostile signal detected at 100
+ 09.32.00
+ + First combat. Squad Rattus reports 3 aliens in sights. Face Rippers. Fire at will. 2 confirmed alien kills.
+ + Squad Musculus – Techtrooper rescued – Fighting condition determined. Trooper located at terrace of command tower.
+ + Trooper reports enemy contact. 4 aliens in FOB barricades.
+ 09.36.15
+ + Hostile signal in OZ at 185. Signals amassing from 120.

Round 3

+ 09.40.05
+ + Squad Musculus broken formation. Sarge Kosarev indicates Objective B achieved.
+ + Trooper Minoru reports unconfirmed alien kill.
+ 09.43.00
+ + Face rippers closes in on Squad Musculus. Sergeant Kosarev is reported as first casualty. 4 alien kills reported. 3 unconfirmed.
+ + Squad Musculus reports 5 more aliens in sight. Position compromised.
+ 09.46.45
+ + Trooper Voight formation broken. Dash to connect to Squad Rattus. Reports 1 confirmed alien kill.
+ + Squad Musculus formation restored. 5 alien kills reported, 1 confirmed. Casualty ratio good. So far 5.0 to 1.0. In Unity’s favour.
+ + Squad Rattus advances.
+ 09.50.50
+ + Hostile signals amassing from 90.

Round 4

+ 09.53.20
+ + Hostile signal in OZ, at 190.
+ 09.54.20
+ + Squad Musculus suppresses aliens. Face rippers overrun the tower. Squad Musculus reports casualties.
+ + Squad Rattus reports hostile contact. 5 aliens in sight.
+ 09.56.45
+ + Squad Rattus engages hostiles. 3 alien kills reported, 1 confirmed. Casualty rate down at 3.5 to 1.0.

Round 5

+ 09.59.55
+ + Squad Musculus reports 3 alien kills. None confirmed.
+ + Squad Rattus reports 1 confirmed alien kill.
+ 10.03.00
+ + Bugs engage Squad Rattus. 2 confirmed alien kills. The troopers overcome odds.
+ 10.04.10
+ + Squad Musculus reports increasing pressure from hostiles. Enemy forces growing rapidly. 7 confirmed detections from 170.
+ 10.06.15
+ + Trooper Raschke distinguishes herself. Wounded, she confirms a 4th alien kill.
+ + Evac flare deployed at F.O.B. Sector 5. Dropship en route.
+ + Squad Musculus reports 3 alien kills. None confirmed.
+ 10.08.05
+ + Hostile signal detected approaching from 100. Enemy closing in from all sides. Casualty ratio back at 5.0 to 1.0.
+ + Objectives 1/3 Cleared. Victory is uncertain.

Round 6

+ 10.11.40
+ + Squad Musculus is encircled. Firing at will. 2 alien kills reported. 1 confirmed.
+ + Squad Rattus reports 1 unconfirmed alien kill.
+ 10.13.00
+ + Close combat engagement. Bugs overrun Squad Musculus. 3 Trooper casualties, 1 wounded. 3 reported alien kills.1 confimed.
+ + Squad Musculus reports contact with 3 more aliens from 180.
+ 10.14.00
+ + Trooper Raschke engages data interface. Data transferred. Objective C completed.
+ + Squad Rattus reports 1 alien kill. Not confirmed.
+ 10.18.15
+ + Dropship approach. Squad Rattus evacuation executed.
+ + Hostiles amassing from all sides. Expect wave attack imminently. Casualty ratio down to 3.0 to 1.0.

Round 7

+ 10.20.05
+ + All contact lost with Squad Musculus. Casualty ratio established at 2.0 to 1.0. The price of Victory.

At the start of Round 7 I noticed that I needed two objective instead of just one to Clear the Sector. I went back and played it out with a *what if* they remained until they Hacked objective Nr.2 - because I would not leave without a victory at this point - and Ariana hacked it at the Quick Phase of Round 7. With no Bugs in range to attack her, and no Contact Markers nearby to affect the end result, I decided to go ahead with a Success instead of putting back the figures at approximate distances and running it all over again. The end result is the same.

Post-Battle

1. Determine Casualties and Lost Marines

None

2. Update Completed Missions

Done

3. Check for Mustering Out

No Chance

4. Determine Reputation

18 Initial
-1 For Support Points
+3 For Rescuing 3 Troopers
+1 For 2 Objectives Completion
+1 For Objectives Roll
22 Final

5. Experience and Leveling

+4 XP each, MVP: Ariana (+5 XP)
Ulla will spend 8 XP for +1 Toughness

6. Roll for Operational Progress

1 Support Point Claimed: 3 Total
Enemy Moves: Enemy swarms: Industrial Zone

7. Roll for Military Life

Kato: You’re detached on special duties. You cannot participate in the next mission, but you receive a bonus roll on the Special Assignments table.

As the Solar Rats flew back to command, they caught sight of the bombers going the other way.
Ulla looked at her teammates. “For those we lost-” she spoke.
“-They will be avenged.” Ariana responded.
The ride back was silent. They had lost many good men and women today.
An eager Captain Alekhin was waiting for them at the landing pad as they arrived. He counted heads, and instantly knew.
“Well done troopers!” he yelled, to be heard over the sound of the dropship’s engines cooling down. “There will be time to mourn later. The war has just begun. Get some rest to get ready for the next mission. I expect debriefing at 1500. Early intel while you guys were pitting it against the bugs in the F.O.B. says that they swarmed the I.Z.”
As the troopers disembarked, he stopped Kato, his hand, flat on his chest. “Not you, swift boy.” He looked at him. “I don’t know what strings you pulled, but you won’t be joining us for the next mission. You’re to go back to the rear for some special assignments. Brass wouldn’t tell me more.”
“Yes Sir!” Kato answered, and headed for the barracks, running after his friends.

Post-Battle Roster

Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat Skill	Toughness	Savvy
Ariana Raschke	1	6″	+0	4	+2
Kato Minoru	3	6″	+1	5	+1
Ulla Voight	1	5″	+3	4	+1

Name	Completed Missions	XP	Origin	Training	Service History
Ariana Raschke	7	5	Trade Hub	– Planetary militia – Technical Training – Leadership Training	– Anti-pirate operation – USS Astral Monarch Campaign
Kato Minoru	6	4	Military Outpost	– Ground forces (Scouts) – Survival Course – Harsh Environment Course – Physical Training	– Police Action – USS Astral Monarch Campaign
Ulla Voight	4	0	Trade Hub	– Naval forces (Security) – Physical training – Marksman Training	-Anti-pirate operation – USS Astral Monarch Campaign

Name	Missions & Injuries	Status
Ariana Raschke	S2E1
Kato Minoru	S2E1	Service Pistol +1″ Range
Ulla Voight	S2E1

Session Summary

This was a really fun battle despite the small roster, and I got to enjoy some new terrain I printed and painted. For the next fight I intend to attack the Star Port, as I don’t want to attack high priority sectors yet, which means I have to get some terrain ready for this as well – this might cause a slight delay for the next game session.
I may have done a few mistakes during the session, but nothing of significant impact. It was fun, how the small roster was countered a bit by the three! troopers I rescued – almost an entire fire team.
I think the new campaign style is really interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will play out. For the enemy, the next session will start seeing the appearance of variants – and I haven’t decided yet if it will be a different variant per sector, still randomly determined.
On the journalling part, any of my usual readers will have noticed that I’m still experimenting. In addition to my awesome (sarcasm detected) drawing skills for the sector, and the cool planetary system generator by donjon.bin.sh, I have changed my photos, reporting and narrative of the battle.
I decided to do away with the mechanical description of game parts of the combat. Bug hunt is really heavy on the bookkeeping side, and I’ve only managed to resolve this by introducing tons of different tokens and markers. Writing it all down for the report would defeat the purpose, and just make the game too tiring for me.
I changed the in-battle narrative, inspired by the Space Hulk 1st Edition Missions book. I think it comes closer to the feel of the game, and is a refreshing change in narrative style.
Last but not least, I adapted a semi-comic book photo presentation. I’ve seen it a few time by other players, and I always found it looked cool. However I could not find a suitable program to do it on my own. Any apps I found were clunky, riddled with ads, or had a paywall for premium features which should be standard. Then I discovered I could do it in Linux with Krita. There was a short learning curve, but eventually I got the hang of it. However when I was playing the game and taking the pictures I still had not found out about it, so the pictures were taken from eagle-eyes view, at the end of each round – not suitable for a comic-book style story. I intend to further experiment with this on my next game, and perhaps have something better looking.