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  giorgis 12:33 pm on July 24, 2026 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: 5parsecs ( 21 ), scifi ( 92 ), Solo ( 181 )   

  5PFH – Raschke’s Rifles – S01E05 

  Another Five Parsecs from Home actual play report.

  Current Status

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	2	6″	+0	4	+3	2	36/5
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+2	4	+0		11/2
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	2	12/2
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0	1	9/1

  Name	Species/Type	Weapons	Gear	Traits	Notes
  Ariana Raschke	Human	– Machine Pistol – Service Pistol – Dazzle Grenade		Brave Supportive	Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
  Urien Jackstadt	Baseline Human	– Military Rifle w Beam Light – Hand Cannon – Dazzle Grenade		Friendly Logical	Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
  Drathi	Skulker	– Hunting Rifle – Blade – Dazzle Grenade	Nano-doc	Brave Observant	Background: Low tech colony Motivation: Discovery Class: Troubleshooter
  Renette Grison	Baseline Human	– Military Rifle – Scrap Pistol – Shotgun	Frag vest	Optimistic Impulsive	Background: Industrial world Motivation: Glory Class: Scoundrel

  Name	Injuries	Status
  Ariana Raschke		Active
  Urien Jackstadt		Active
  Drathi		Active
  Renette Grison		Active

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles	2 QR	6	16	Colony Rifle Glare Sword D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) D. Quality Sight

  Entity	Type	Details	Job
  Col. Ivan Novikov	Patron	Sector Government	Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful Completed
  Darius Armiger	Patron	Wealthy Individual
  Valentin Bezerra	Rival	Tech Gangers – Neon Reapers
  The Coreward Path/Vane Voss	Patron	Private Organization

  World	Settlement	Notes
  Mackensen V	Kevil’s Port	Restricted Education

  Campaign Options

  • Slaves to the Star Grind
    • Money is Tight
  • Starting in the Gutter (all options)
  • Dramatic Weapons + Adjusted Shooting
  • Detailed Post-Battle Injuries
  • 5X Experience Variant
  • Story Track to begin once we hit a crew of 6
  • Factions to be used once we reach the next World

  Pre-Battle

  1. Upkeep and Ship Repairs
     Upkeep 1 Credit (Money is Tight)
     No ship
  2. Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks
     Urien: Recruit: 94: Special Character: De-converted: Isolationist Enclave, Revenge, Punk, Didn’t Recruit
     Ariana: Repair: Quality Sight: 6+3/6: Success
     Drathi: Explore: You make a useful contact: Next campaign turn, add +1 to your choice of a roll to Recruit, Find a Patron, or Track a Rival.
     Renette: Trade: Medical Pack: Stim Pack
  3. Determine Job Offers
     Danger Pay: +2 Credits
     Time Frame: This or the Next Campaign Turn
     Benefits: Security Team
     Hazards: None
     Conditions: None
  4. Assign Equipment
     Quality Sight: Shotgun
  5. Resolve any Rumors
     5/2: None
  6. Choose your battle
     Check for Rivals – 2/1: None
     Select your Job: Patron job

  Readying for Battle

  Notable Sights: Person of Interest (+1 Story Point if reached)
  Objective: Eliminate
  Enemy: Interested Parties: Rage Lizard Mercs: 2-1: 1
  Unique Individual: 7+1/9: No unique Individual

  I decided here to up the odds. I swapped the single enemy for a Unique foe – a Callous Merc. If I win, I’ll earn an extra Quest Rumour for this.

  Battle Text (feel free to skip)

  Seize Initiative: 8+3/10: Success
Moved forward, Ariana behind cover, Drathi upwards to get good vantage point
Round 1
2466
Everyone moved into positions
Round 2
1126
Quick Phase:
Urien moves and shoots via the opening
Urien: 3+2/5: Hit: 3/5: Stunned
Enemy Phase: Merc moves under cover of opening, out of LOS from Drathi and Ariana, isn't stunned no longer
Arianna moves and shoots: 1+1,1+1/6: Miss
Renette climbs down as I had forgotten she's armed with a shotgun, and can't reach from far away
Round 3
1146
Quick Phase
Arianna Shoots Machine pistol: 1+1,2+1/6: Miss
Urien shoots: 3+3/6: Hit: 1+2/5: Stun
Enemy Phase
Merc shoots Ariana: 2+2+1/6: Miss, no longer Stunned
Slow Phase
Renette moves and shoots shotgun: 4+1/6: Miss
Drathi has no LOS from his balcony
I'll jump him down
will take him a while so that he doesn't hurt himself
Round 4
2245
Quick Phase
Arianna Shoots Machine pistol: 1+1,2+1/6: Miss
Drathi keeps going downwards
Enemy Phase
Merc shoots Ariana: 2+2+1/6: Miss
Slow Phase
Urien shoots: 1+3/6: Miss
Round 5
2255
Arianna Shoots Machine pistol: 1+1,2+1/6: Miss
Enemy Phase
Merc shoots Urien: 6+2+1/6: Hit: 1/6: Stun
Slow Phase
Urien doesn't move, shoots his Military Rifle: 6+2/6: Hit: 1/5: Stunned
Renette moves and shoots shotgun: 5+1/6: Hit: 1+1/5: Stunned (2)
Round 6
2445
Quick Phase
Arianna Shoots Machine pistol: 2+1,3+1/6: Miss
Enemy Phase
Merc shoots Urien: 6+2+1/6: Hit: 2/6: Stun (2)
Slow Phase
Renette shoots shotgun: 2+1/6: Miss
Urien moves to cover again, 1 stun removed
Drathi moves to flank
Round 7
3355
Enemy Phase
Merc shoots Urien: 2+2+1/6: Miss
Slow Phase
Drathi moves and shoots: 1+1/5: Miss
Renette shoots shotgun: 2+1/6: Miss
Arianna Shoots Machine pistol: 1+1,6+1/6: 1 Hit: 1/5: Stunned
Urien shoots: 1+3/6: Miss
Round 8
2456
Drathi aims and shoots: 5+1/5: Hit: 2+1/5: Stunned (2)
Merc shoots Drathi: 2+2+1/5: Hit: 5/3: Casualty: Spent Luck instead
Renette shoots shotgun: 3+1/6: Miss
Arianna Shoots Machine pistol: 1+1,2+1/6: Miss
Urien shoots: 2+3/6: Miss
Round 9
1445
Quick Phase
Drathi aims and shoots: 4+1/5: Hit: 4+1/5: Casualty, Spent Luck instead
Enemy Phase
Merc charges at Drathi: 5+4/4+3: Merc Hits: 2+1/3: Casualty, Drathi is down
Renette shoots shotgun: 6+1/5: 2 Hits: 4+1,3+1: Casualty: Merc is Eliminated

  Post Battle

  1. Resolve Rival Status
     5/1: No
  2. Resolve Patron Status
     Success
  3. Determine Quest Progress
     N/A
  4. Get Paid
     7 Credits
  5. Battlefield Finds
     Curious Data Stick +1 QR
     +1 QR for getting the git
  6. Check for Invasion
     N/A
  7. Gather the loot
     Hand Laser
  8. Determine Injuries and Recovery
     Drathi: 20: Hunting Rifle Damaged
  9. Experience and Character Upgrades
     Ariana: +3 XP
     Urien: +3 XP
     Drathi: +2 XP
     Renette: +4 XP

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	2	6″	+0	4	+3	2	39/5
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+2	4	+0		14/2
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	2	14/2
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+2	3	+0	1	13/2

  Renette: 45: +1 Combat Skill

  Correction to Drathi; can’t have Luck 2. Increase Combat Skill instead.

  10. Invest in Advance Training
      No
  11. Purchase Items
      No
  12. Roll for a Campaign Event
      The crew spends a night drinking, watching movies, and playing cards. +1 story point
  13. Roll for a Character Event
      Urien: You’ve had time to reflect on your adventures. Earn +1D3 XP: 3

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	2	6″	+0	4	+3	2	39/5
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+2	4	+0	1	17/3
  Drathi	2	6″	+2	3	+2	1	14/2
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+2	3	+0	1	13/2

  Urien: +1 Luck

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles	4 QR	8	22	Colony Rifle Glare Sword D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) Quality Sight Hand Laser

  14. Check for Galactic War Progress
      N/A

  Text Narrative

  Ariana had laid out the gun parts, and was carefully oiling her machine pistol. While she was at it, she got the quality sight from the stash, and put it in the laser calibrator to see why it was off and try to fix it. Despite being focused on the task, she felt someone was watching her. She turned around to find Drathi carefully eyeing her every move.
  She still hadn’t managed to understand non-human behaviours, so she did the next best thing.
  She asked. “Everything okay there, Drathi?”
  “Drathi’s troubleshooter, but you troubleshoot too. It’s good working with you. Good.” the skulker replied, his whiskers moving around.
  Ariana would have to take his word for it. “Thanks. You’re a valuable member of the team too Drathi. I’m glad you’re with us.”
  The skulker made a chittering approving sound. “I’ll go, check Kevil’s Port. Explore.” and with a sudden acceleration, he left before Ariana had a chance to respond.
  Right at that moment, Urien and Renette barged in, having a conversation.
  “I’m telling you, if I interview another lost cause, I’ll just buy a bot for our next crewman.” the mercenary stated.
  “Oh come on, the last dude would have been a perfect addition to our squad.” Renette chuckled.
  “Stop pulling my leg. He was a converted. I’ve heard the stories, but seeing one in person. Gave me shivers.” Urien shook his head and shoulders as if trying to shake away the experience.
  “You’re not so macho as you seem, tough guy.” Renette kept teasing him. “And he wasn’t converted, he escaped before. You should be more eager to give people a chance.”
  “Converted, de-converted. It’s all the same to me. And we’re not an employment office here.” Urien responded.
  Renette dropped of some Stim Packs. “Bartered for these. Just in case.” She said.
  Ariana nodded and turned to the team. “Did this guy have any skill set we need in the crew?”
  They stopped their conversation and looked at her. Something about the way she handled herself in the last fight against the bugs, made them respect her more. They looked at each other and in agreement, they spoke in unison. “No, not really.”
  “Okay then.” she added.
  “I’ll finish up here, and I’ll got visit Mr. Armiger. He said he had more jobs for us.” Ariana continued. She leaned over the calibrator, working on the sight, but continued the conversation without looking at them. “That’s okay with you Renette? Nothing to do with Unity, right?”
  Renette was unsure if that was passive aggression or an honest question. Ariana hid it well, or perhaps she was unsure herself.
  “Yeah that’s fine.” Renette responded, and the conversation ended with a chill.

  Ariana went alone to meet with Darius. She was furious on how a simple delivery mission had them fighting for their lives against the swarm. She wanted answers.
  The door to Darius’ roof apartment opened and he offered her some coffee.
  “The beans are imported straight from the Core worlds. Not those modified hybrids used in terraformed planets.” He offers.
  “You think you’ll buy me off with some coffee?” Ariana dismissed him. “You almost got us killed. This wasn’t a simple delivery. What’s your stake in this?” she shakes her fist.
  Darius friendly demeanor turned serious immediately. Crut stepped forward, but his boss stopped him gently with a palm on the chest.
  “I didn’t know much more than what you learned.” he replied. “We had made two attempts for delivery which both failed. I suspected a rival working against me, not an invasion threat.”
  “You could have warned us then! at least that!” she shouted.
  “Then I wouldn’t know if you had what it takes.” He quickly countered. “Don’t tell me that in Unity Armed Forces you always had all the intelligent reports beforehand.”
  She was taken aback by that statement and recollected all the times she was thrown in the thick of it without a heads up. One of the reasons she left Unity. But she could not hold it up to him for expecting her to rise up to the circumstance. She calmed down a little, relaxing her fist.
  “Now, since coffee is out of the question. I have another job offer. Are you up to it?” Darius asks.
  “What kind of a job is it?” she responds with a question.
  “Elimination.” He gives her a data sheet. “The mark is a mercenary, wanted by a number of parties. He goes by the name Szarik-Thos”
  “We’re not hitmen.” Ariana reacts with surprise.
  “If that’s what bothers you, try to bring him in, dead or alive.” Darius counters. “You will give him a choice, but I doubt he’ll give you one.”
  Ariana is still pondering.
  “Pay is good, or you can go back to your friends at URO, work for them.” Darius adds.
  The look on her face revealed her surprise. Seems Darius has done his research on her crew.
  “We’ll take it.” she finally says. “I’ll talk to you again once it’s done.”
  She leaves, still wondering if she made the right choice.

  The crew gears up, considering their target they arm to the teeth. They locate their mark in Cinder Ward, a ruined part of Kevil’s port, fallen to fire during an old conflict. Drathi takes to higher ground to cover more area. Renette takes to the western side and finds a place to perch. Urien an Ariana crouch forwards.
  Soon they see their target, a reptilian, armed with an infantry laser and a heavy blade, wearing a thick suit of armour. He’s located in the entrance of a mostly collapsed building. The moment he sees them, he takes cover, and the fighting begins.
  Despite being severely outnumbered, four-to-one, Szarik-Thos puts up more than a fight.
  Renette notices someone casually standing in the sides, but not bothering to take cover, smoking a cigar in the middle of the battlefield. She rushes to him, and they have a short discussion. The rest of the crew is too busy with the battle to notice.
  During the shootout, the crew manages to reach a short wall to take cover right outside the entrance, but all both sides achieve is nothing more than a standoff. Some glancing hits here and there, but nothing that would affect the outcome.
  “Szarik-Thos!” Ariana shouts. “You’re not going to make it. Surrender and you might get to live!”
  A sharp hissing chuckle is heard from the ruins. “I surrender, I’m as good as dead. You wanna get me? you’ll have to try. How many of you will die first?”
  Drathi jumps down and leaves to flank him, as the mercenary carefully has avoided getting in his sights.
  Renette covers the other side of the entrance, and the shooting continues. The crew slowly reaches better tactical position, but they don’t do a dent into their foe.
  Finally, the skulker finds an opening from the rear of the ruined building, and jumps inside.
  He stabilizes his hunting rifle, aims, and shoots. The thick reptilian hide takes the brunt of it, and the merc shoots back. The lazer scorching at Drathi, who survives by sheer luck.
  The reptiloid is in his sights when he pulls the trigger again, however, for some reason he turns at the last moment, and the bullet only grazes him. He draws his blade and charges furiously at Drathi. Unprepared, the skulker tries to fend off the worst of it, using his rifle as an improvised melee weapon. A strong hit right with the blade right on the barrel of the rifle brings both the rifle and the skulker down under a pile of rubble.
  Not letting an opportunity go missed, Renette jumps in the building and blasts the merc with her shotgun, finishing him.
  Ariana rushes to Drathi, who gets out of the rubble unscathed. His rifle though is damaged. The rodent curses and hishes, looking at the body of the merc with sheer hatred.
  Searching through the site, Urien finds a curious data stick – something to check afterwards – and a hand laser.

  Ariana takes a photo of the mark, and heads back to Darius’. Once more he isn’t there, but he has Crut, deliver the payment, 7 full Unity credits. This gets her closer to her goal, getting a ship.
  Back in the safehouse, they splurge a bit. They spend the night drinking, sharing stories and playing cards. When it’s quite late, Urien slips away to his bunk and spends some time reflecting on his actions during the job.
  Morale is high overall, and Ariana tries to come to terms with her new civilian life. This feels like a major milestone to her. It was a completely private job, no Unity involvement, but she was unsure of the morality involved. Taking orders also meant no responsibility on the right or wrong of it. Now she has to make choices, and these choices matter. She looked at the crew resting. They seemed to be more content with this kind of assignment than working for Unity, so perhaps the conflict is her own alone.

  Session Summary

  This mission should have been a walk in the park, but once more you never know what you’re getting into with tabletop games, especially when there’s dice involved. It took me a full 9 combat rounds to finish the mission. Speaking of which, I’ve noticed that the most enjoyable games to me are the ones that last for about 5-6 battle rounds. Less than that it’s usually too fast to understand what happened, and doesn’t really make up to the time spent setting up everything. More than that it’s starting to become tiresome.

  I’ve not started working yet with the story track, as my milestone will be getting a crew of 6, but I should consider bringing character Motivations into the fold. I need to remember them, and perhaps use them for potential quests, rivals, or events occuring during the game. Ariana was generated in Bug Hunt, so she’s missing a Motivation. I intend to give her one once we get a Ship. I think that will be a good milestone.

   

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  giorgis 8:35 pm on July 20, 2026 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: 5parsecs ( 21 ), scifi ( 92 ), Solo ( 181 )   

  5PFH – Raschke’s Rifles – S01E04 

  Another Five Parsecs from Home actual play report.

  Current Status

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	2	6″	+0	4	+3	2	33/5
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+2	3	+0		7/1
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	1	9/1
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0	1	6/1

  Name	Species/Type	Weapons	Gear	Traits	Notes
  Ariana Raschke	Human	Service Pistol		Brave Supportive	Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
  Urien Jackstadt	Baseline Human	D. Military Rifle w Beam Light		Friendly Logical	Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
  Drathi	Skulker	Hunting Rifle Blade	Nano-doc	Brave Observant	Background: Low tech colony Motivation: Discovery Class: Troubleshooter
  Renette Grison	Baseline Human	Military Rifle	Frag vest	Optimistic Impulsive	Background: Industrial world Motivation: Glory Class: Scoundrel

  Name	Injuries	Status
  Ariana Raschke		Active
  Urien Jackstadt		Active
  Drathi		Active
  Renette Grison		Active

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles	2 QR	6	16	Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) D. Stabilizer D. Quality Sight

  Entity	Type	Details	Job
  Col. Ivan Novikov	Patron	Sector Government	Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful Completed
  Darius Armiger	Patron	Wealthy Individual
  Valentin Bezerra	Rival	Tech Gangers – Neon Reapers

  World	Settlement	Notes
  Mackensen V	Kevil’s Port	Restricted Education

  Campaign Options

  • Slaves to the Star Grind
    • Money is Tight
  • Starting in the Gutter (all options)
  • Dramatic Weapons + Adjusted Shooting
  • Detailed Post-Battle Injuries
  • 5X Experience Variant
  • Story Track to begin once we hit a crew of 6
  • Factions to be used once we reach the next World

  Pre-Battle

  1. Upkeep and Ship Repairs
     Upkeep 1 Credit Skipped – Basic Supplies
     No ship
  2. Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks
     Drathi: Repair: Military Rifle: 5+2/6: Success. Cost 1 Credit
     Ariana: Repair: Stabilizer: 5+3/6: Success. Cost 1 Credit
     Urien: Find Patron: 3+2=5: One Job from: Darius Armiger, Cost 1 Credit
     Renette: Recruit: Baseline Human: Isolationist Enclave: Wealth: Artist, Didn’t Recruit
  3. Determine Job Offers
     Danger Pay: +1 Credit
     Time Frame: This or the Next Campaign Turn
     Benefits: Security Team
     Hazards: Dangerous Job
     Conditions: Busy
  4. Assign Equipment
     Ariana: Machine Pistol
     Drathi: Stabilizer
  5. Resolve any Rumors
     3/2: None
  6. Choose your battle
     Check for Rivals – 6/1: None
     Select your Job: Patron job

  Readying for battle

  1. Determine Deployment Conditions
     No Condition
     Notable Sights: Documentation
  2. Determine the Objective
     Deliver
  3. Determine the Enemy
     Roving Threats: Swarm Brood

  Number: 6/3+2=8
  1 Pack Leader (No Specialist? (2))

  Battle Rolls

  Seize Initiative: 4+4 = 8/10 Fail
Round 1: 2266 Everyone is dashing forward
Round 2: 2334 Quick Phase: Ariana dashes forward Enemy Phase: the Swarm dashes closer Slow Phase: Urien aims and Shoots: 5+2/5:Hit:4: Casualty! Renette moves and shoots: 2+1/5: Miss Drathi moves and shoots: 1+1/5: Miss
Round 3: 4556 Enemy Phase: Swarm vs Ariana: 6+1/2+1: Ariana receives 2 hits: 1+1,2+1/4: Stunned twice Slow Phase: Urien: aims and shoots: 1,4+2/5: Hit: 3: Stun Renette: moves and shoots: 4+1/3: Hit: 1: Stun (2) Drathi aims and shoots: 6+1/3: 2 Hits: 5+1, 2+1: Casualty
Round 4: 2245 Quick Phase: Ariana retreats and Shoots Machine Pistol: 5,6/3: 2 Hits: 2,6: Casualty Drathi aims and shoots Leader: 6+1/3: 2 Hits: 6+1,3+1: Casualty Enemy Phase: Bugs can't reach team, by a short distance Slow Phase: Urien aims and shoots Military rifle: 2+2/3: Hit: 4/4: Casualty Renette aims and shoots Military rifle: 6+1/3: Hit: 4/4: Casualty
Round 5: 2445 Quick Phase: Drathi aims and shoots: 3+1/3: Hit: 3+1/4: Casualty Enemy Phase: Bug charges at Drathi: 2+1/5+3: Drathi Wins: 1+1/4: Stun Slow Phase: Ariana shoots Machine Pistol twice: 5,6/3: 2 Hits: 5,5/4: Casualty

  Post Battle

  1. Resolve Rival Status
     N/A
  2. Resolve Patron Status
     Busy-> Will get another Job next Turn
  3. Determine Quest Progress
     N/A
  4. Get Paid
     3 Credits
  5. Battlefield Finds
     Vital info / Invasion Evidence: Turn in this information to get a Corporate Patron automatically on this world. If the enemy is an Invasion Threat, you instead find Invasion Evidence; if so, earn +1 credit and add +1 when checking for Invasion in the next step.
  6. Check for Invasion
     2+1-1: No
  7. Gather the loot
     3 Dazzle Grenades
  8. Determine Injuries and Recovery
     N/A
  9. Experience and Character Upgrades
     Ariana: +3 XP
     Urien: +4 XP
     Drathi: +3 XP
     Renette: +3 XP
  10. Invest in Advance Training
      No
  11. Purchase Items
      No

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	2	6″	+0	4	+3	2	36/5
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+2	4	+0		11/2
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	2	12/2
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0	1	9/1

  Urien: +1 Toughness
  Drathi: +1 Luck

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles	2 QR	6	16	Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) D. Quality Sight

  12. Roll for a Campaign Event
      A chance meeting turns into a new ally. Roll up a new character and add them to the crew, OR add +1 story point. You may decide after rolling up the new character
      98: Strange Character
      08: Unity Agent, won’t Recruit, we have enough of Unity
  13. Roll for a Character Event
      Ariana: You know someone who knows someone. Add a Patron.
      Private Organization: The Coreward Path (Veron Voss)
  14. Check for Galactic War Progress
      N/A

  Text Narrative

  Night fell, and the three moons of Mackensen V stood high up in the sky, a cool green colour reflecting off them. In the safe house, Ariana and Drathi had all sorts of spare parts in front of them, trying to fix the damaged items in their stash. Ariana was focusing on Urien’s military rifle, while the skulker was working on the damaged stabilizer, which would make a fine addition to his hunting rifle.
  Renette was not with them. She had just finished a glass of skoltar ale, and was starting an interview with a potential crew member. Tarminos had referenced her, reluctantly.
  Something was off about her. Renette has seen her share of crazy across the galaxy, and she’s heard that some people look at her weird regarding her own beliefs and volitions, but she felt that this lady in front of her, had taken it a step even further.
  “So tell me Pan. Tarminos told me, you escaped an isolationist enclave. Are they after you? Will that be a problem for us?” She asked her.
  “After me? nah. They absolutely loved me. They’ll miss me, but I left them a copy.” Pan replied while fiddling with the table. “What’s with the atmosphere here? I can’t breathe.”
  “You’ll get used to it.” Renette cast aside her complaint. “What do you mean a copy?”
  “Oh I’m an artist, so I made them a copy. Of me. They loved it.” She responded.
  “Yeah… so nothing else to bring to the crew. Why, did you ask to join us then?” Renette asked.
  “Well for the credits of course. Everyone knows that the fastest way to riches is joining a crew and doing jobs and shit.” She coughed. Trying to cast away the feeling of cat hair in the throat that the atmosphere of Mackensen V had served upon her.
  “Scoltar ale helps.” Renette told her. “Good luck finding a crew, I don’t think we’ll be a good fit. Also consider, to keep doing what you do. You know, art.” She stood up, and mulled over the wasted time.

  Urien called out to Ariana. “It’s time boss, we have to go and meet our next benefactor.”
  “Benefactor?” Ariana asked as she finished working on the rifle. She had fixed it.
  “Well, that is if we do the job right.” Urien said. “His name is Darius Armiger. He’s waiting for us.”

  They reached the top floor of the tower where Darius lived. Something that stood out to Ariana after climbing five floors worth, is that the air was cleaner. She paused for a few moments and breathed in, enjoying this feeling that she had missed since arriving at Mackensen V.
  They rang the bell, and the door opened. “Come in, come in.” A voice yelled from inside.
  As they stepped in, a hulking figure, stood at the side. “Don’t mind Crut.” A fancily dressed man said as he arrived from the inner part of the appartment. “He’s just here to ensure of my safety.” He smiled and bowed slightly. “Darius Armiger.”
  “I’m Urien, and this is my boss, Ariana.” Urien started, before Darius cut in.
  “-Raschke. Yes, I’ve heard of you. A pleasure to meet you in person.” He showed off his manners. “Will you have a soft drink with me at the bar, while we discuss business?”
  She leaned her head softly to the side as a positive gesture, and moved to the balcony. A nice view overlooking Kevil’s Port.
  “I didn’t know this place was beautiful.” Ariana commented. For a moment she forgot her hardships in Unity.
  “Yes, it’s easily hidden by the harsh reality of this planet. That’s why I bought this place. It’s a daily reminder that there’s beauty even in the harshest places.” Darius added.
  Ariana didn’t talk for some time. She wanted to enjoy this. The beautiful view, the soft drinks, the clean air. Urien cleaning his throat returned her to reality.
  “We have business to attend to.” Urien pointed out.
  Ariana sighed and nodded. “What is this job Mr. Armiger?”.
  “A delivery. There’s a package I want you to bring to a location.” He hands over a single-use e-data sheet. “Details are here.”
  “I see that you’ve added some extra security to offset some risks?” Ariana asks.
  “Yes, you won’t even notice. Just deliver the package and get out. Simple.” Darius replied. “Oh, and if you get it done quickly, I’ll have another job for you. It’s a busy period, and I’m short on hands.”
  “It’s a deal Mr. Armiger.” Ariana smiled. She finished her drink, and they left.

  The crew arrived at their destination, several kilometers away from Kevil’s Port, only to be greeted by an eerie silence. The observation tower in the middle was unoccupied.
  “Meeting we someone for package delivery, boss?” Drathi asked as he scoped the area with his rifle.
  “Someone should be here, but if not, we just drop it off, take photographic evidence and leave.” She replied. “I’ll do it.”
  “Hold up. I got movement.” Urien cut her off.
  “What are these things!?” He added, visibly scared.
  “What?” Renette asked and tried to see for herself.
  Ariana looked carefully to where Urien was pointing, and immediately drew her machine pistol. She cursed. She spit in the ground in front of her. And the cool friendly face she had immediately disappeared. Her crew hadn’t seen her before like this. As if a switch flipped.
  “Bugs. Fucking bugs.” She said. A frown appeared on her eyebrow ridge. Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding.
  “Bah… what?” Urien asked.
  “The Swarm.” She added. “I fought all sorts of bugs. They do look like face rippers. I count 8 of them.”
  Her crew is frozen. They’ve fought other goons, but nothing like that.
  “Alright, squad listen up.” Her voice turned strict, military. “Shoot to kill. Don’t let them get close. Cover each other, advance slowly.”

  Ariana dashes towards the tower, the package in her backpack, machine pistol at hand, while the swarm approaches from all sides. Her crew advances slowly, and starts shooting at the bugs. Urien’s shots find one dead center, killing it.
  Knowing how to maneuver around them, Ariana positions herself carefully, so that when they jump her, she faces only one of them at a time. She’s struck by one, but manages to fend it off eventually. The rest of the crew keeps providing cover fire, and Drathi kills another bug.
  Retreating tactically, she fires her pistol into the thorax of the bug, green goo splashing everywhere. Now they have them all in the open, where they want them. The team opens fire, and they start eliminating the remaining enemies, one by one, all of their shots find their targets.
  Two swarm bugs remain. Drathi stops, aims, and fires, finishing off one, while the other finds the opportunity in the chaos to reach him. He fends it off. Ariana turns to her side, and kills it.
  The battle was tense, and Ariana proved her worth – she knew how to keep the monsters at bay. She stood over the battlefield looking over the bug remains slowly dissolving. She climbs the observation post, delivers the package, and takes a picture for the patron.
  As she climbed down, she couldn’t help but notice the team gossiping. She barely caught with her ear that they were telling each other that she’s badass. She restrained a smile, and turned to them.
  “Where in UAF did you serve?” Urien asked.
  “Must have been a Hunter Squad.” Renette responded and Ariana nodded.
  “If you survive, constant deployment at invasion fronts will let you muster out quickly.” Ariana said.
  “Speaking of which…” she looked around. “We need to search this place. Make sure the swarm hasn’t targeted this system.”

  A quarter of an hour later, they regroup.
  “Drathi found these.” He proudly displays 3 dazzle grenades. “LE grade.” He smiles, his whisker pads going to the side, proud of what he found.
  “That’s good Drathi.” Unfortunately my search yielded undesirable results. She presented a flat, alien egg-shell like piece. “These things were not indigenous or forgotten. They landed here, recently.” She looked up to the sky. “Perhaps we stopped them in their tracks.”
  “Or else?” Urien asks.
  “Or else we scrounge whatever credits we have, borrow from a loanshark, and get a ship out of here as fast as possible.” She answers. “Let’s go, time’s wasting.”
  She assigned tasks. Urien was to collect the payment for the job, Renette and Drathi were to go back to the safehouse, get their things ready and wait for her in the Tailed Gecko. She’d head to the Unity Reserve Office – she had to learn if the Swarm was coming to Mackensen system for real.

  Back in Kevil’s Port, Urien collected their paycheck from Crut – Darius wasn’t available, but he left them a message to check back with them for additional tasks. Their questions would remain unanswered for now.
  In the URO, a suprised Colonel Novikov received an unannounced visit from Ariana Raschke. He was already in a meeting with a couple of people she hadn’t seen before, but she didn’t care. This was urgent. She opened her backpack and dropped off the swarm shell onto his desk.
  “The Swarm made an appearance.” She added.
  The Colonel and his guests looked at her. “Your UAF days are over Raschke. Leave the bugs to the hunters.” He exchanged glances with the other men in the room.
  “Are we under threat of imminent invasion Sir?” she asked.
  He didn’t answer immediately. Instead he raised his hand to call for an officer to collect the shell. “We’ll check. Where did you find this?”
  “Five klicks South-South East. It could be a scout pod.” She added, leaning against his desk with both arms.
  The Colonel nodded to the officer who arrived. “Send a scout team. Two people. Investigate immediately. Run a deep-space hypersignal scan, relay to HQ, and receive information for any Swarm sighting or anomalies in two-parsecs radius. Priority Red.”
  Ariana sighed in temporary relief.

  “While we’re waiting, how about some introductions?”. The gray haired guest expressed.
  He was a neatly dressed man. While not wearing a uniform, he might as well be. Ariana couldn’t tell if he was military or a politician. Perhaps a bit of both. Clean shaven, wearing a smart monocle.
  “Gentlemen.” Colonel Novikov said. “Meet Mrs. Ariana Raschke. Former bug hunter. A capable trooper, if I may say, who still helps Unity wherever she can.”
  He turns to the guests. “This is Mr. Voss, a representative of the Coreward Path.” He gestured to the neatly dressed man, who nodded in agreement.
  Without waiting to be introduced, the other man interfered. “Name’s Lombo.” He offered his hand. “Ariana Raschke, as in.. Raschke’s Rifles?” He asked.
  Reluctantly Ariana shook his hand. “Yes.” she agreed.
  “You’ve started making a name across Kevil’s Port. Really showed these isolationists.” He added. “If you’d have me, I could be a conduit between the interests of Unity and yours. I can see a definite alignment.”
  She looked at Lombo. Something about him was odd. She wondered. He looked fit, experienced, trained, and like knowing what to say in the right moment. She didn’t call him out, but she was certain that she was talking to a Unity Agent.
  Mr. Voss got excited at Raschke’s deeds. “Mrs. Raschke.” He gave her a data card. “Here’s my contact information. In case you want to find more opportunities to show your skills in a similar fashion.” He smiled. Ariana felt something sinister about that smile.
  She started feeling uneasy about these acquaintances of Novikov. What was their agenda, and what did they want with her and her crew.
  She smiled awkwardly for a brief moment, and waited in silence. It felt like hours to her, but in a few minutes the lieutenant returned, and gave a data sheet to the Colonel, who went carefully through it, scrolling up and down several times. At the end he turned to his guests. “I can’t say much in terms of confidentiality, but given our trust, let me tell you that preliminary findings show that Mackensen system is out of the Swarm’s antennae for the time being. We’ll verify with the scout team later.”
  He looked at Ariana. “Raschke, thank you.”
  She knew that this was both a thanks, and a dismissal. She mumbled a goodbye to the company, and left for the Tailed Gecko. She knew that her crew was waiting eagerly to learn what she had found out.

  Session Summary

  This episode was a reminder that once a bug hunter, always a bug hunter, in the Five Parsecs from Home universe. I hadn’t fought bugs before with a regular crew, so I was uneasy as to how it would play out. After the first kills from my team, I was relieved, and we won in the end.
  Recruiting still doesn’t work to what I’m looking for. Truth is I’m looking for very specific things, but since I’m playing with extra upkeep costs over 4 crew, I’m content at staying as is until I find what I want exactly.
   
• 

  giorgis 7:07 pm on July 16, 2026 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Solo ( 181 ), 5parsecs ( 21 ), scifi ( 92 )   

  5PFH – Raschke’s Rifles – S01E03 

  Another Five Parsecs from Home actual play report.

  Current Status

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	1	6″	+0	4	+3	2	30/4
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+1	3	+0		4/0
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	1	5/1
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0		3/0

  Name	Species/Type	Weapons	Gear	Traits	Notes
  Ariana Raschke	Human	Service Pistol		Brave Supportive	Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
  Urien Jackstadt	Baseline Human	Military Rifle w Beam Light		Friendly Logical	Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
  Drathi	Skulker	Hunting Rifle Blade	Nano-doc	Brave Observant	Background: Low tech colony Motivation: Discovery Class: Troubleshooter
  Renette Grison	Baseline Human	Military Rifle	Frag vest	Optimistic Impulsive	Background: Industrial world Motivation: Glory Class: Scoundrel

  Name	Injuries	Status
  Ariana Raschke		Active
  Urien Jackstadt		Active
  Drathi		Active
  Renette Grison		Active

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles		6	13	Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle

  Entity	Type	Details	Job
  Col. Ivan Novikov	Patron	Sector Government	Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful Completed

  World	Settlement	Notes
  Mackensen V	Kevil’s Port	Restricted Education

  Campaign Options

  • Slaves to the Star Grind
    • Money is Tight
  • Starting in the Gutter (all options)
  • Dramatic Weapons + Adjusted Shooting
  • Detailed Post-Battle Injuries
  • 5X Experience Variant
  • Story Track to begin once we hit a crew of 6
  • Factions to be used once we reach the next World

  Pre-Battle

  1. Upkeep and Ship Repairs
     Upkeep 1 Credit (Money is Tight)
     No ship
  2. Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks
     Ariana: Find Patron Job
     Urien: Recruit: Baseline Human: Drifter, Power, Technician, didn’t recruit
     Drathi: Explore: Trade: Insider Information (automatically find a Patron next Turn if looking for one)
     Renette: Trade: Basic Supplies (skip next turn Upkeep costs)
  3. Determine Job Offers
     Sector Government
     Danger Pay: +1 credits
     Time Frame: This or the following campaign turn
     BHC: Hazard: Veteran Opposition
  4. Assign Equipment
     No changes
  5. Resolve any Rumors
     None
  6. Choose your battle
     Check for Rivals – None
     Select your Job: Patron job

  Readying for Battle

  1. Determine Deployment Conditions
     No Condition
     Notable Sights: Peculiar Item
  2. Determine the Objective
     Fight Off
  3. Determine the Enemy
     Criminal Elements: Tech Gangers

  Number: 5
  Lieutenant, Specialist

  Combat

  Seize Initiative
  8+3 = 11 Success

  Ariana Move to B1: 9/8: Success
  Urien Move to B1: 8/8: Success
  Drathi Move to A2: 12/8: Success
  Renette Move to A2: 9/8: Success

  Round 1
  Initiative: 3456

  Enemy Phase:
  Enemy 1: Find Cover: Fail, Shoot at Urien: 3/5, Miss
  Enemy 2: Find Cover: Fail, Shoot at Drathi: 1/5, Miss
  Specialist: Find Cover: Success, Shoot at Renette: 4-1=3/5,4-1=3/5, Miss x2

  Slow Phase:
  Drathi: aims and shoots at Enemy 2: 5+1=6/5: Hit: 3+1=4/5: Stunned
  Urien: Find Cover: 1/5: Fail, Shoot at Enemy 1: 1+1=2/5: Miss
  Ariana: Scout for Location: Person of Interest: 11/8: Success: +1 Story Point
  Renette: aims and shoots at Specialist: 3+1=4/5: Miss

  Round 2
  Initiative: 1445

  Quick Phase:
  Ariana: Find Cover: 8/5: Success: Shoot at Enemy 1: 6/5: Success: 6/5: Casualty: 6/6: Save: Stunned

  Enemy Phase:
  Enemy 1: Shoot at Urien: 2/5: Miss, Stun removed
  Enemy 2: Shoot at Drathi: 5/5: Hit: 2/3: Stunned. Stun removed.
  Specialist: Shoot at Renette: 2,3/5: Miss

  Slow Phase:
  Urien: aims and shoots at Enemy 1: 4/5: Miss
  Drathi: Move to B2: 2+6=8/8: Success
  Renette: aims and shoots at Enemy 2: 5+1/5: Hit: 1/5: Stunned

  Round 3
  Initiative: 1266

  Quick Phase
  Drathi Brawling with Specialist: 5+3/4: Hit: 5+1/5: Casualty: 2/6: No Save. Casualty.
  Ariana: Move to B2: 2+6=8/8: Success: Brawling with Enemy 1: 4+1/4: Hit: 3/5: Stunned

  Enemy Phase:
  Enemy 1: Shoots Ariana: 1+1/3: Miss, Stun Removed
  Enemy 2: Shoots Drathi: 1+1/3: Miss, Stun Removed

  Slow Phase:
  Urien moves to B2: 4+5/9: Success: Shoots Enemy 1: 4+1/3: Hit: 3/5: Stunned
  Renette moves to B2: 3+5/8: Success: Shoots Enemy 2: 4+1/3: Hit: 6/5: Casualty: 1/6: No Save. Casualty

  Morale Phase:
  Panic: 3/1: Pass

  Round 4
  Initiative: 1223
  Drathi: Brawling with Enemy 1: 5+4/6: Hit: 6/5: Casualty: 4/6: No Save. Casualty.
  We hold the field. 6/3: No credits paid extra.

  Post Battle

  1. Resolve Rival Status
     (4,1): Rival! Valentin Bezerra of the Neon Rippers
  2. Resolve Patron Status
     N/A
  3. Determine Quest Progress
     N/A
  4. Get Paid
     5 Credits
  5. Battlefield Finds
     Curious Data Stick. 1 Quest Rumour
  6. Check for Invasion
     N/A
  7. Gather the loot
     Damaged Gear: Stabilizer, Quality Sight
     2x Still
  8. Determine Injuries and Recovery
     N/A
  9. Experience and Character Upgrades
     Ariana: +3 XP
     Urien: +3 XP
     Drathi: +4 XP
     Renette: +3 XP
  10. Invest in Advance Training
      No
  11. Purchase Items
      No

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	2	6″	+0	4	+3	2	33/5
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+2	3	+0		7/1
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	1	9/1
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0	1	6/1

  Ariana: Reactions +1, 1 Quest Rumour
  Urien: +1 Combat
  Renette: +1 Luck

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke’s Rifles	2 QR	6	16	Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle Still (2) D. Stabilizer D. Quality Sight

  12. Roll for a Campaign Event
      The crew has decided it’s time for a new person to be in charge.
      Story Point -1: You’ve made some business contacts. Add a new Patron to the list of those known.
  13. Roll for a Character Event
      Urien: They don’t make them like they used to. Damaged Military Rifle.
  14. Check for Galactic War Progress
      N/A

  Text Narrative

  Ariana was finishing her breakfast, a locust goat egg omelette, packed with nutrients. Wiping her mouth, still chewing down her last bite, she stood up, put the plate in the Z-23 automated washer and turned to the rest of the crew who were doing their morning routine.
  “I’m going to head up to the URO. I got a text from the Colonel that he’s got another job for us. You know what to do until then. Gather intel, find someone new to join us.” She finished her bite. “We’ll meet up at the Tailed Gecko afterwards.”
  The crew exchanged glanced looks. Finally Renette spoke. “Just make sure we don’t end up being a Unity Task Force. If I wanted to fight for Unity I’d have enlisted.”
  Ariana pushed down the urge to defend Unity. After all she had chosen to leave this life. “Once we have more options, we’ll consider them.” She responded, not knowing what else to say. It didn’t seem to convince her crew, but they didn’t press the matter further.

  At the Unity Reserve Office, Col. Novikov was waiting for her.
  “Raschke, so glad you’re here. I wouldn’t outsource this again, but you still find me in need.” He begun explaining. “You dealt with the Pale Colds swiftly and efficiently. But now there’s another gang that saw this as an opportunity. They think that this is a turf area to be fought over by the gangs. We need to make it clear to them that no-one I mean no-one will undermine our authority here.”
  “What’s the opposition?” Ariana asks.
  “Some sort of Tech Gangers. Neon Rippers they call themselves. Their leader is a man called Valentin Bezerra. Veteran crew, but you’ll get your danger pay. Finish them and I trust that we’ll be safe from anymore gang-conqueror wannabes for quite some time.” He presented a d-pad with pictures of their markings. They seemed well armed for gangers.
  “We’ll deal with them.” Ariana responded, and headed off to the Tailed Gecko.

  There she saw Urien Jackstadt patting someone in the back and sending him out.
  “Another unsuccessful attempt to recruit someone useful Jack?” she asked, using a new nickname for Urien. He was taken aback at first, but replied soon.
  “A power-hungry drifter, only technical skills – I don’t think he’d be a good fit. I’m trying to find someone different. Someone that will make a difference.” He said.
  “I like the way you’re thinking. Where are the others? We have a job to do.” Ariana continued.
  “They should be here any moment now, our skulker friend has gotten some insider information. Should help with seeking job opportunities outside of Unity’s grasp.” He added.
  “Aha.” Ariana nodded. “And Renette?”
  “Got her message, something about getting a good deal on basic supplies. Should keep us afloat for a week or so.” Urien said. Ariana smiled, and wondered if things would be better going forward.

  They gathered their gear, and went after the Neon Rippers. Ariana used her tactical knowledge to get in close to the enemy before they even knew they were there. They counted a handful of enemies, including their leader and his bodyguard.
  But soon they got made, and laser beams started flying in their direction, missing, while the party took cover. Drathi managed to get a grazing shot at one of them pinning him down, while the rest of the crew shot suppressing fire. In the midst of the firefight, Ariana spotted a person of interest. He was taking cover, but seemed otherwise unfazed by the conflict. She reached him and they exchanged some words. Noone knows what they talked about, and the crew quickly forgot about it, since they were occupied with the task at hand.

  From a position of cover, Ariana took a pot shot at a tech ganger from above. The bullet found him in the chest, taking him down. The fight continued with neither side gaining any serious advantage.
  Determined to get this over with, Ariana gestures to Drathi and they both charge at the tech gangers from different sides, entering a brawl. Drathi is a fierce foe with the blade, the tech ganger specialist is wounded and out of the fight. Ariana stuns another enemy at close combat, while Urien and Renette provide covering fire. Renette’s shot is a direct hit, the ganger unable to stand again.

  Drathi turns his attention to the last enemy in the field. They may be fearless, but they still can be defeated. His swings his blade, and another ganger is down. Raschke’s Rifles hold the field. Their wounded enemies scurry away while they rummage through their stash. They find a curious data stick, a stabilizer and quality sight in bad condition, and a couple of stills.

  The next day Ariana heads back to the URO to meet up with Col. Novikov.
  The moment he sees her, he smiles. At the same time as he does the welcome handshake, he gives her the payment.
  “Unity sure made a mistake of passing you over, Raschke.” He says. “If it were up to me, I’d have made an officer out of you first chance I’ve got.”
  “Thank you, Sir”. She responds. “I would have taken it. Glad to know I can still be of help.” She turns to leave.
  “Oh, Raschke” he adds as she leaves. “Just a heads up. You fought them off. But their leader survived, and he’s a man with a grudge. Word is Valentin has started asking about your crew. Keep your head on a swivel.”
  “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  She returns back to the the safehouse, and sees the crew exchanging weird glances. Unsure if something did happen, or did she just imagine it?
  Urien was working on maintaining his rifle, but he broke something in the trigger mechanism and will need a replacement part.
  “We got a good payment 5 credits.” Ariana says in a loud voice and the crew cheers.
  Renette steps up to her. “Here’s a contact info I got. A man named Darius Armiger. He’s known to be wealthy and with odd requests. Perhaps it will be worth it seeking him out for a different source of payment before we become solely Unity grunts.”
  Ariana nods, and forces a soft smile.

  Session Summary

  For this battle I tested some homebrew rules for small tables battles. They’re sitting in between RAW and the no-minis rules. Meant to allow for the placement of minis and terrain to give a nice overview of the battle, without going into the nit-picking details of counting distances and setting up a larger table. Overall it worked well, but I identified some improvements needed which I’ll need to test. Also perhaps a grid of 2×2 is too small, and I need to make a 3×3 grid to have more room to maneuver. I’ll test this in a later session.
  The interview recruit homebrew rule doesn’t work to my favour. I’m always getting uninteresting baseline humans. I want to find some different primary aliens, bots, or someone that will make it worth it to turn into a Psionic by spending a Story Point (someone that begins with a Combat Skill bonus due to a background roll preferrably.)

  Onibaba is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
  • 

    Onibaba 9:14 am on July 20, 2026 Permalink | Reply

    Uh-Oh trouble in paradise…

    LikeLiked by 1 person

• 

  giorgis 11:45 am on July 5, 2026 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: 5parsecs ( 21 ), Solo ( 181 )   

  5PFH – Raschke’s Rifles – S01E02 

  Getting the Actual Play Reports written has caused me a writer’s block, and due to that I haven’t gotten to playing my campaign. As with the previous session, I had played this months ago, but never gotten down to writing it. I need to tone down significantly the expectations from my reports. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved the high production value of the 2nd campaign of Bug Hunt. But honestly, I don’t think I have in me the energy to keep doing it. Perhaps it’s part of the reason I have been stalling, and only focusing on different parts of the hobby. Risking a potential burnout on printing and painting miniatures, I’ll try to get back on playing my campaign.

  Unfortunately, I’ll be doing a variable style of actual play reports. Sometimes I may give just a rough overview of the turn. Other times I may provide a detailed comic presentation with actual play photos. Most of the time it will be somewhere between these two, but I don’t want to commit. At the very least I will be providing the bookkeeping information that I need so that I don’t miss any important things to the story going forward.

  Current Status

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	1	6″	+0	4	+3	2	27/4
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+1	3	+0		1/0
  Drathi	2	6″	+0	3	+2	1	1/0

  Name	Species/Type	Weapons	Gear	Traits	Notes
  Ariana Raschke	Human	Service Pistol		Brave Supportive	Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
  Urien Jackstadt	Baseline Human	Military Rifle w Beam Light		Friendly Logical	Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
  Drathi	Skulker	Hunting Rifle Blade	Nano-doc	Brave Observant	Background: Low tech colony Motivation: Discovery Class: Troubleshooter

  Name	Injuries	Status
  Ariana Raschke		Fit for duty
  Urien Jackstadt		Fit for duty
  Drathi	Minor Injuries	1 turn healing

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles		6	9	Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword

  Entity	Type	Details	Job
  Col. Ivan Novikov	Patron	Sector Government	Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful

  World	Settlement	Notes
  Mackensen V	Kevil’s Port	Restricted Education

  1st Turn Summary:
  Offered a job from Col. Novikov, didn’t take it.
  Drathi gambled away a Rifle.
  Opportunity battle against Isolationists (they didn’t like the newcomers)

  Game Options

  • Slaves to the Star Grind
    • Money is Tight
  • Starting in the Gutter (all options)
  • Dramatic Weapons + Adjusted Shooting
  • Detailed Post-Battle Injuries
  • 5X Experience Variant
  • Story Track to begin once we hit a crew of 6
  • Factions to be used once we reach the next World

  Campaign Steps

  1. Upkeep and Ship Repairs
     Upkeep 1 Credit (Money is Tight)
     No ship
     Drathi is back in fighting shape
  2. Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks
     Ariana: Train +1 XP
     Urien: Recruit: Available is Baseline Human: Industrial World (Frag Vest)/Glory (+1 CS, Military Rifle)/Scoundrel (+1 Speed), Hired
  3. Existing Job Offers
     Sector Government
     Danger Pay: +2 credits
     Time Frame: This or the following 2 campaign turns
     BHC: Conditions: Vengeful
  4. Assign Equipment
     No changes
  5. Resolve any Rumors
     None
  6. Choose your battle
     Check for Rivals – None
     Select your Job: Patron job

  Readying for Battle

  1. Determine Deployment Conditions
     No Condition
     Notable Sights: Peculiar Item
  2. Determine the Objective
     Fight Off
  3. Determine the Enemy
     Criminal Elements: Gangers (Aggresive) (P1-2,S4, C0, T3)

  Number: 5+2-1=6
  1 Specialist
  1 Lieutenant (Blade, Combat +1)
  Unique Individal: None
  Weapons: Handgun, Clingfire pistol

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	1	6″	+0	4	+3	2	27/4
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+1	3	+0		1/0
  Drathi	2	6″	+0	3	+2	1	1/0
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0		0/0

  Combat

  Seize the Initiative

  5+3+1: Failure

  Round 1

  Urien shoots Leader: Hit: Stunned
  Renette shoots ganger: Miss

  Round 2

  Drathi shoots: (aiming): Leader: Hit: Kill
  Urien shoots thug: Miss
  Renette shoots (aiming) thug: Miss
  Ariana shoots specialist: hit: Kill
  Morale: 1 thug flees

  Round 3

  Drathi shoots (aiming) thug: Miss
  Thug shoots Ariana: Miss
  Thug shoots Ariana: Miss
  Thug shoots Urien: Miss
  Urien aimed shot at Thug: Hit: Kill
  Renette aimed shot at Thug: Hit: Kill
  Ariana shoots thug: Miss
  Morale: Last thug flees

  Post Battle

  1. Resolve Rival Status
     N/A
  2. Resolve Patron Status
     N/A
  3. Determine Quest Progress
     N/A
  4. Get Paid
     1(=3)+2=5 Credits
  5. Battlefield Finds
     Personal trinket
  6. Check for Invasion
     N/A
  7. Gather the loot
     Damaged Weapons: Ripper Sword & Hunting Rifle
  8. Determine Injuries and Recovery
     N/A
  9. Experience and Character Upgrades
     Ariana: +3 XP
     Urien: +3 XP
     Drathi: +4 XP
     Renette: +3 XP
     Drathi (5/1) Roll: Your pick: +1 Combat
  10. Invest in Advance Training
      No
  11. Purchase Items
      No
  12. Roll for a Campaign Event
      An admirer wants to come along.
      Baseline Human: Drifter/Truth/Nomad, Not hired.
  13. Roll for a Character Event
      Ariana: You meet up with an old arms dealer contact who owes you a deal. Hand Cannon, Machine Pistol, Shotgun.
  14. Check for Galactic War Progress
      N/A

  Name	Reactions	Speed	Combat	Toughness	Savvy	Luck	XP/Level
  Ariana Raschke	1	6″	+0	4	+3	2	30/4
  Urien Jackstadt	1	5″	+1	3	+0		4/0
  Drathi	2	6″	+1	3	+2	1	5/1
  Renette Grison	1	5″	+1	3	+0		3/0

  Name	Species/Type	Weapons	Gear	Traits	Notes
  Ariana Raschke	Human	Service Pistol		Brave Supportive	Origin: Trade Hub Training: Planetary militia, technical, leadership Service history: Anti-pirate operation, USS Astral Monarch, Colgan’s Wreck. Completed Missions: 9 Mustered out
  Urien Jackstadt	Baseline Human	Military Rifle w Beam Light		Friendly Logical	Background: Comfortable Megacity Class Motivation: Escape Class: Mercenary
  Drathi	Skulker	Hunting Rifle Blade	Nano-doc	Brave Observant	Background: Low tech colony Motivation: Discovery Class: Troubleshooter
  Renette Grison	Baseline Human	Military Rifle	Frag vest	Optimistic Impulsive	Background: Industrial world Motivation: Glory Class: Scoundrel

  Name	Injuries	Status
  Ariana Raschke		Fit for duty
  Urien Jackstadt		Fit for duty
  Drathi		Fit for duty
  Renette Grison		Fit for duty

  Crew Name	Notes	Story Points	Credits	Stash
  Raschke‘s Rifles		6	9	Scrap Pistol Colony Rifle Glare Sword Machine Pistol Hand Cannon Shotgun D. Ripper Sword D. Hunting Rifle

  Entity	Type	Details	Job
  Col. Ivan Novikov	Patron	Sector Government	Danger Pay: +2 credits Time Frame: following 2 turns BHC: Conditions: Vengeful Completed

  World	Settlement	Notes
  Mackensen V	Kevil’s Port	Restricted Education

  Text Narrative

  Zzx’rth’g the alien landlord collected the weekly rent, and was on it’s way, when Ariana left a sigh. Things weren’t looking good. The crew was short of men, credits were running low, and there was a deadline for her mission. She grit her teeth, told herself that she can do it, and went in the hall to talk to her crew.

  “Hey boss.” Urien greeted her. He was trying so hard to appear cool and proffessional, but he always comes as a sleazy scumbag who’s trying to hit on her in the bar. Soft skills are not his forte. Ariana sighs again.

  “What you’ll have us do? Drathi is ready to rest and get ready!” the skulker said in a cheerful? manner. She couldn’t understand if he was joking or not. She needs to freshen up on her skulker cultural knowledge.
  “Yes Drathi, you shall rest, so that it won’t hurt running at the Pale Colds the day after tomorrow.” she replied. “And you, ” she turned to Urien. “Get a second chance to find us the fourth member of our crew. I’ll stay here and do study tactics for our team, while looking after Drathi at the same time.”

  Urien didn’t have many options for finding someone to recruit in Kevil’s Port. The Tailed Gecko was the most obvious place to start with, so that’s where he headed.
  “What you’ll have?” Asked the bull-man bartender.
  “A scoltar ale. Name’s Urien.” He put the credits on the counter. “What’s yours?”
  “Flattering,” the bartender replied in a heavy voice while serving him the same beer he had the other day, “But you’re just not my type.”
  “No no, you got it wrong. I am just trying to…ah whatever.” Urien paused, changed his stance, and went to explain. “Look, dude, me and the crew I’m running with, seems we’re going to be stuck in this place for a while. I’m trying to make some business connections. I thought learning your name before talking stuff like this would be good, you know, but have it your way.” Frustrated he turned his attention to the beer in front of him. He looked forward to drinking the viscous liquid that made him forget the annoying cat-hair atmosphere of Mackensen V.
  “My name is Tarminos. Friends call me Tar. My guess then is you’re looking for information?” the bartender replied, while drying some glasses.
  “Yes, Tar…” – Urien let it linger for a while, while the bartender kept looking at him in the eye, he decided to go with his full name eventually – “…minos, do you know if there’s anyone in here looking to join a crew? we’re quite short-handed at the moment.”
  Tarminos nodded. “I’ll hook you up. Stay.”

  Minutes passed. Then one hour. Then more. Urien had to drink two more scoltar ales just to pass the time. Eventually he decided he’d have enough, and Tarminos was probably messing with him. He stood up.
  “Where are you going? she’s here.” the bartender stopped him.
  A long haired brunette, in her late 20s, took the seat next to him. “Hey Tar. The usual.” she said to the bartender in a confident voice.
  Urien turned to her, but before he even had a chance to speak, she cut him off, palm gesture to stop right in front of him.
  “Look man, I’m just not interested, alright? Go find another pretty lass to bother.” she told him.
  “Why does everyone think I’m hitting on them?” Urien said out loud, frustrated.
  She and the bartender laughed. “I’m messing with you. Tar told me about your little get-to-know before, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Name’s Renette. Heard you’re looking for crew.”
  Urien was left speechless.
  “You do pass as a Casanova if you ask me. So, tell me. What’s your crew, what kind of jobs you do, and what are you looking for in a member.” she continued.
  “We’re Raschke’s Rifles.” He eventually responded. “Our leader, Ariana, has strong tactical knowledge, and connections to get jobs that pay well. They also come with a good amount of risk involved. We need a few extra hands to ensure business continuity. What do you bring to the table?”
  “Wow, that’s a lot of corpo mumbo jumbo. Ariana? you’re the ones that faced off the isolationists the other day? I respect that.” she continued while Urien nodded. “I’m good with a rifle. Let’s say I come from a tough background, and I had to learn how to fend for myself. I managed to get out of there, and now I want to be someone. If it happens that the powers that be, pay for what they’ve done, along the way, well, that’s just an added bonus.”
  “I think we have an understanding. I say you join us for this next job, and we can decide after. Think of it as a trial period. You’ll get compensated of course.” Urien offered his hand.
  She bumped it. “I’m in. Let’s go meet the rest of the crew.”

  Back in the safehouse, they found Ariana and Drathi over a rough map sketch. Urien did short introductions, and they got right on to the briefing.
  “Listen up, the Pale Colds are small time gangsters. They shouldn’t pose a threat, but we’re still low at numbers which makes this all the more dangerous. Urien thanks for bringing Renette to the fold. Drathi also is healing well, so he should be joining us tomorrow. The patron – local Unity – needs this to be done soon. There’s a risk that the Pale Colds will act against him, and then we’ll lose any favor we have. We’ll hit their turf near the Unity Reserve Office. We want them out of this area. Prepare for long range combat and they shouldn’t be able to close in for a shot against us. Questions?” Ariana used her military training to provide an efficient plan to the team.

  The fighting the other day went smoothly for Raschke’s Rifles. They clashed with 6 gangers from the Pale Colds. Within a handful of minutes, they took down one each, including their lieutenant. Two thugs fled, carrying the message that this area was out of bounds for the Pale Colds. They also found the gangsters stash of weapons, a damaged ripper sword and a damaged hunting rifle. Nothing someone with skill couldn’t fix, in the stash was also a personal trinket.

  After the fight, Ariana went by the URO again. She found him talking to an old acquaintance of her.
  “Flint?” she asks the gray haired old man. “What are you doing here of all places?”
  “Ariana! my girl!” A smile appears on his face as he hugs her. “You had just enlisted last time I saw you.”
  “You two know each other?” the Colonel asks frustrated.
  “She comes from Luyten-4071. A large trade hub. My trade was just starting in the arms business. Her parents helped me a lot getting the right connections. I don’t know if it wasn’t for them if I’d be where I am today.” The old man replied.
  “In Mackensen V?” she taunted. That was a side of Ariana that she never let out, except with the closest people.
  “I found that the Unity Reserves are ill-equipped, and requisitions take a long time. Since I’m UWS certified, this makes them a good sales partner. That’s my business here with the Colonel.” He replied. “How about you? I don’t see you in your fatigues, not that I’d expect a woman of your skill to end up in a URO in Mackensen V – no offense Colonel – this is one of the toughest ladies I’ve met.”
  “Mrs Raschke mustered out.” the Colonel intervened, a look of surprise in Flint’s face. “She did leave with a good record for Unity, hunting bugs along the galaxy. I guess she’s had enough. Now she’s here as a private contractor.”
  “There’s more to the story Flint.” Ariana replied. “But yes, that is correct. Also, Colonel Sir. The mission – the job I mean. Is done. The Pale Colds shouldn’t bother you anymore.”
  “Here for payment then.” He unlocked a drawer with a PIN code, took out a bunch of credits, and handed them to her. “Well done then. Unity thanks you.”
  “Hey girl, I’d like to catch up with you later. Where can I find you?” Flint asks.
  “The Tailed Gecko, old man.” Be there in an hour.

  Back in the Gecko, the crew was celebrating a job well done, when Tarminos gestured for Urien to come over.
  “Word in the gutter has started spreading about your crew. There’s an admirer that would like to join you. But, he isn’t one of those who stick around. He’s a nomad, drifter. Do you want me to set up a meet for you?” the bartender asks.
  “Thanks. I think we’re good for now. We’re looking for a different skill set.” Urien replied.
  As he headed back he saw an old man had joined their table, and was sharing old stories with Ariana.

  A long while later, when they were about to leave, Flint turned to Ariana alone. “Perhaps if you were still in UAF, I could have greased some wheels and pushed the bureaucracy to get you that Officer’s Training you were so eager for. Now I can’t, but I owe your family, so as a token of gratitude I have a small gift for you in your new endeavour.”
  They went to his ship, and he gave her a case with some guns. A handcannon, a machine pistol and a shotgun.
  “Thank you Flint.” she hugged him. “I hope we meet again.”

  Session Summary

  Writing down the actual play report months later doesn’t help with the summary. I really want to pick it up and start playing more. I need to actively decide to reduce my hobby painting time and play more. It’s just so much easier at the end of the day to do something that doesn’t require reading, thinking, and setting up tables. I have been considering creating a semi-portable gaming table that would really speed up my gaming time, perhaps I need to get on with it and do it. I’m also fiddling with some homebrew mini-table rules that are in-between the no-minis rules and the regular table rules. Something that will let me place minis on the table, but will be much faster.

  As to the game session itself the combat part was really fast. The enemies short range weapons didn’t help them at all, and our crew made short work of them. The job interviews homebrew rule for recruiting, while interesting, hasn’t really worked to what I wanted sofar. I want diversity in my crew, and would like another alien or a bot if possible.

  I really enjoy writing the text narrative in the end, I’m feeling I’m letting out some form of creative expression. But, perhaps for the next session I’ll also have some actual play photos to go along with it.

  giorgis and Onibaba are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
  • 

    Onibaba 12:19 pm on July 6, 2026 Permalink | Reply

    Thanks for the BR is always a pleasure to read and make me want to play/paint/print more

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    • 

      giorgis 9:09 pm on July 7, 2026 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks! Glad you like it!

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