5PFH – Raschke’s Rifles – S01E00+E01
I’ve been sitting on reporting this actual play for about 3 months. Mustering out from Five Parsecs from Home: Bug Hunt into Five Parsecs is something I’ve been longing for, but it seems burnout reached me first. I never finished painting my industrial terrain (chem tanks, generators and other neat sci-fi stuff) and couldn’t get myself to preparing a comic-style report in Krita.
On the other hand I really wanted to play the story, and I actually did, play a second session without even posting the first game. And as I sat down and cleaned up my notes, and tried to make sense of everything, to tie it up together, an epiphany hit me about a major difference between Bug Hunt and 5P core. And no, I’m not talking about the combat rules, or species and enemies and stuff. It’s a core issue, which I think played a major role in my procrastination mentioned above.
Emergent storytelling in Bug Hunt is generated mostly in the tabletop battles. There are unknown markers, enemies spawning from the sides, interesting locations, and a stress factor that really pumps everything up. Holding the enemy at bay, sacrificing troopers, waiting for the drop ship in the EZ, all make for a great story. The campaign side of it, is mostly filler for the downtime of troops. Much like in movies like Starship Troopers.
On the other hand, emergent storytelling in 5PFH is driven by the campaign steps. Yes, the fun part for the player is the tabletop battle, but the story isn’t there (except perhaps in certain cases like the end of a quest or something). The story is in what happened before, and after. Who are these crewmen, what is this world they’re at, what drives them, and how are they making ends meet? The tabletop part gives a short story, but it could be as simple as “fought some goons, Jim was wounded but we got hold of the package”.
Here comes the connection to what I described above. In the first session (which I hadn’t published until now), I took almost 40 pictures for what transpired. Setting up shoots for the campaign steps, and for each tabletop event and everything. Putting this all in krita and trying to write a story felt like a ton of work. I’ve come to realize now that it’s because the story is paced differently. It’s longer narratively, and shorter in action. A comic style approach with tabletop photos just doesn’t work, and the only way to do it would be setting up shoots for the campaign steps and having the protagonists voice dialogue. This is something I’ve not done before to such an extent – similar to the BH pre-battle and post-battle pages of my APs but much more photos – and needs a great deal of planning ahead. Also I need appropriate backdrops/diorama to easily set up scenes for photography. It’s too much effort to have to set up a whole table just for getting a picture of a tiny corner.
Session Zero
First of all, I need to decide what rules to use from the Compendium and from Patreon releases. I will try to gradually add more detailed stuff.
- 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
Also I’ll be using a homebrew rule for recruiting, that I call Job Interview.
Job Interview
When recruiting a new member, you roll randomly for Crew Type, Background, Motivation and Class. The crew member comes with all aforementioned bonuses. However, if you find they don’t fit your crew, you must spend another Recruit action to roll again.
I find this rule makes for a more interesting playstyle. There a bonus compared to RAW (new recruits don’t get to roll for bonuses) but comes at a cost (you don’t get to choose character types).
Let’s talk about my Starting Crew. First of all we have Ariana Raschke. She mustered out from Bug Hunt having served in the Red Coyotes and the Solar Rats. She tried to make officer but never made it. She’s had enough with Unity and decided to try her fate in the private sector. A wise choice, considering the fatality ratio of Bug Hunters. Mustering out, she earned 4 credits, and I will be spending a Story Point so that she retains her Service Pistol. For Dramatic Combat, her Service Pistol will have a Range of 11″. She also gains a Sector Government Patron, a connection from her days in the military.
Next up I rolled Urien Jackstadt. A baseline human Mercenary, coming from a Comfortable Megacity Class. He wants to Escape. Now that’s an interesting combination. A rich dude turned mercenary trying to escape.
Last but not least (yes, a starting crew of 3!) we have Drathi. A Troubleshooter Skulker from a Low Tech Colony, whose motivation is Discovery. Cool, a ratfolk who wants to left his backwater world and wants to explore the galaxy.
Rolling up weapons and gear, we have 6 credits and a stash of 2 Colony Rifles, and a Scrap Pistol. Ariana is armed with her Service Pistol, Urien carries a Military Rifle with a Beam Light, and Drathi has a Hunting Rifle and a Nano-doc. Also rolled 6 Story Points.
Session 1
New World Arrival Steps
Licensing Requirements, no Freelancer License required.
World Traits: Restricted education.
Using donjon.bin.sh, I’ve rolled up that the world is called Mackensen V, and the main settlement is Kevil’s Port.
Pre-battle
- Upkeep and Ship Repairs
Upkeep 1 Credit (Money is Tight)
No ship - Assign and Resolve Crew Tasks
Ariana: Train +1 XP
Urien: Recruit: Available is Primary Alien: Skulker – Mani: Won’t recruit
Drathi: Explore: I don’t have a gambling problem! (lost a Colony Rifle) - Determine Job Offers
Sector Government
Danger Pay: +2 credits
Time Frame: This or the following 2 campaign turns
BHC: Conditions: Vengeful - Assign Equipment
Beam Light to Military Rifle + Scrap Pistol to Urien - Resolve any Rumors
None - Choose your battle
Check for Rivals – None
Select your Job: Carry out an Opportunity mission
Readying for battle
- Determine Deployment Conditions
Gloomy
Notable Sights: Curious Item - Determine the Objective
Fight Off - Determine the Enemy
Interested Parties: Isolationists (Cautious)
Number: 5+1-1=5
– 1 Specialist
– 1 Lieutenant (Blade, Combat +1)
+ Unique Individal: Enemy Heavy (Defensive, Rattle Gun)
Weapons: Colony Rifles, Auto Rifle
We Seized the Initiative, however this was a difficult battle. The enemy is armed with long range weapons, outnumbers us and is cautious, which means they’re split in groups and they flanked us. Battle lasted for 9 rounds, the last 2 of which I had to run using the no-minis rules as I had made a mistake (forgot to use Ariana’s Luck point) which turned the tide of battle, but had packed up the table in between. Both Urien and Drathi went down.
Post Battle
- Resolve Rival Status
No - Resolve Patron Status
N/A - Determine Quest Progress
N/A - Get Paid
4 Credits - Battlefield Finds
Nothing of value: …not one thing! - Check for Invasion
N/A - Gather the loot
Weapon: Melee Weapons: Glare Sword - Determine Injuries and Recovery
Ariana:Knocked Out
Urien: Knocked Out
Drathi: Minor Injuries (1) - Experience and Character Upgrades
Ariana: +5 XP (Surived & Won, First Kill, Killed Unique Individual)
Urien: +1 XP
Drathi: +1 XP
Ariana (27/4) Roll: +1 Luck - Invest in Advance Training
No - Purchase Items
No - Roll for a Campaign Event
The crew spends a night drinking, watching movies, and playing cards. +1 story point - Roll for a Character Event
Drathi: Maybe you are leading a charmed existence? +1 Luck - Check for Galactic War Progress
N/A
Text Narrative
Ariana thanked the pilot of the light freighter and stepped off the ramp at Kevil’s Port. Her gait felt much lighter without the heavy Unity standard boots. It would take her a while to get accustomed to civilian clothing. She wore a leather jacket over a white shirt, blue jeans and boots.
As she looked around the spaceport – if one would dare call it that way – she was almost overwhelmed by a newfound freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom to follow a dream of captaining her own ship and … at the same time the hard reality hit her that she has to make choices. Back when she was following orders, things were neatly placed in their own boxes, the world didn’t need to make sense, and she didn’t need to make sense of it.
“Madam, madam” a bot’s artificial voice colour pulled her out of her thoughts. “Madam you need to move away from the landing pads, the risk of injury or immediate death is calculated at 1.26422%”.
She nodded, and started walking away as she realized she was in possession of her service pistol and 4.005 credits. Ariana quickly turned around asking “Do I need to declare …” her voice trailed off as the bot had moved away already and noone seemed to bother. She shrugged, “well that’s that” she thought to herself, and decided to find the nearest establishment for drinks, jobs and leisure.
The atmosphere of Mackensen V was mildly unpleasant. Nothing toxic or dangerous, but breathing it in gave this feeling, in the back of your throat as if you had just swallowed cat hair. Coughing didn’t help as there was nothing to cough away.
She entered the Tailed Gecko, weird name for a cantina, she thought. A tall man with brown hair and wearing a cape, was sitting at the bar, drinking a golden coloured frothy drink, that could potentially be beer. She took the stool next to him. The bartender, a Bull-looking uplift snorted “What you’ll have?” he asked.
“Same thing he has.” she pointed at the man. He poured the drink. It tasted like beer, but it was way more viscous, and drinking it was difficult. On a side note, it all made her forget about the cat-hair atmosphere.
Urien looked to his left. A newcomer had entered the bar. Urien was laying low for quite a while now, but credits were tight, and he wasn’t used to a frugal lifestyle. He quickly scanned the room, and to his luck there was the brown-fur Drathi in his orange uniform, a skulker he had acquainted with on his last trip from Cosnucha 3. The latest leg on his escape from… well he’d rather not think about it now. Drathi was sharp and smart, and trustworthy as far as fringers go. Yeah, this could work. He turned to the newcomer. Stared at her. She looked attractive, so he should be careful to present himself as a hire, not as a hook up. He composed himself, cleared his throat, and in a deep voice he asked.
“Are you looking for a crew?”
“It’s that obvious?” Ariana replied, startled.
“New faces in Kevil’s port are either looking for a job, or hiding from one.” He said.
“And which one am I?” she taunted.
“Neither, that’s why you are looking for a crew.” he persisted. “Military?”
“Raschke, Ariana. I’ve had my share of time in UAF.” Ariana introduced herself.
“Something about your stance, Officer makes it obvious.” Urien pushed it further, Ariana grimaced.
“And here’s where you got it wrong. Mustered out as trooper, unfortunately.” Disappointment coloured her voice.
Urien lost his flow, and just stood for a moment without knowing how to respond, mouth half open.
“And you are?” she eventually asked.
“Urien, Jackstadt.” he whistled. A few faces turned around to look at him, among them was Drathi. He gestured him to come over.
“Look”, he continued. “Me and my pal Drathi,” he grabbed him by the back of his uniform collar and pulled him close “we’re capable. I’m good with a rifle, he’s good at solving things, and you may not be an officer, but you seem like a leader.”
Drathi was suprised, but caught on very quickly. In his fast skulker speech he said something about troubleshooting, and nodded at whatever Urien was saying.
“Okay… we’ll see.” she reluctantly agreed. She had her guard up, but in reality she wasn’t accustomed to situations like that. Hunting bugs was simpler. Aim, shoot, kill, and try not to die in the process.
“Great!” Urien and Drathi smiled and were about to cheer.
“Not so fast!” Ariana stopped them. “Consider this a trial period. Let’s see how you do in your assigned tasks first.”
That was a bit of a downer for Drathi, but Urien didn’t lose his hope. “Yeah, right, of course. What are we to do?”
“You, smooth talker, find another member. We need hands.” She told him, then turned to Drathi. “You, seem like a perfect fit for Kevil’s port, ask around, see what you can find out about this place.”
“What will you be doing?” Urien asked Ariana.
“I’ll be meeting with someone who might have a job for us. I still have my connections, and I’d rather use them while they’re still fresh.” She said.
“Alright, just make sure you don’t turn us into Unity goons, people aren’t too fond of central authority around these parts.” Urien responded. “We meet, at your ship after?”
“My ship? I’m still working on that…” her teeth showed in embarassment. “Let’s meet here, after, I’ll reserve a table, alright?” and she quickly left before they could ask any more questions about lack of a ship.
Ariana found the Unity Reserve Office in a back alley. The building looked derelict, the sign was faded and the paint chipped. Ariana approached, and she saw a couple of grunts guarding the place. They weren’t wearing their caps, their shoes were dirty, and their guns resting on the wall next to the entrance. One was smoking, the other was fiddling with a rosary.
It took all the effort in her not to berate them for this appearance. “Is Colonel Novikov” inside? The guards nodded. “First floor, to the right, end of hallway.” One of them added.
Their boredom was apparent. They didn’t bother to sign her in, check ID or even secure her sidearm.
She reached Novikov’s office. A man in his early 50s, military composure. He seemed like he was still fighting against the lack of purpose that had befallen his unit, but it was slowly eating away at him. Who was winning, was unclear at the moment.
He looked up at her.
“Colonel Novikov sir? Ariana Raschke”. She almost stood at attention as she presented herself, and bit her lip at the realization.
The Colonel looked at her with that stare that pierces through you and reads all your thoughts. “Raschke?” he said. “Yes, Lt. Thompsanch referred you to me.” He paused.
“Look girl, I’ve got some work that needs to be done.” He looks around, letting the condition of his unit, speak as to why he doesn’t have the resources to do it. “Let me tell you. My ass is on the line for this one.” He takes a deep breath. “You cannot fail, or it will come back to bite me, and I cannot have that.”
“You have my word sir.” She reassures him.
“It remains to be seen what your word is worth here. Lt. Thompsanch’s word got you through this door, but that’s as far as it will take you.” He seems like a hard man to please. “Look, there’s some criminal elements, some gangers called the Pale Colds that are causing trouble, and the locals just won’t do anything about it. I wouldn’t either, I got intel that they’re casing our offices. I need them dealt with soon, and I can’t use my men to do it. Danger pay is 2 extra credits on top. You have 2 week cycles to do it, or I’ll find someone else.”
She nodded, “I’ll return when it’s done, sir.”
He looked at her, unsure if he should stop her from calling him sir, but he let it linger.
On the way back to the Tailed Gecko she was thinking of how she should call her outfit. “Raschke’s Rifles” sounds good, she thought as she entered the cantina. Sitting at a table in the rear, she found Urien yelling at Drathi.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“This rodent can’t keep himself from getting into trouble!” Urien exclaimed. “He lost a rifle from our stash on gambling!”
“I’d get us a pack of grenades, but the dice were crooked!” Drathi hissed back.
“Ugh!” Urien grimaced. “That’s why I didn’t hire your friend as well, one skulker in a crew is enough!”
“Not a good start into Raschke’s Rifles, right guys?” Ariana tried to calm things down, but she wasn’t happy with how things were going. Yet, she had a job, and a timeline, and she couldn’t start from zero searching for a crew.
“You named the crew after yourself?” Urien sighed. “How little you military fellas think of yourselves…”
“At least I got us a job, so get a grip, and let’s start planning. What do you know about the Pale Colds?” She put him in his place, and they started talking about their resources and next actions.
A while later, they are heading to the starport to gather their gear and set up a base camp, when they notice several hostile looks towards them.
“Shit…” Urien whispers within his teeth.
“What’s going on?” Ariana asks.
“Isolationists. They must have seen through your civilian outfit. You reek of Unity.” Urien replies. “They hate Unity”.
She nods. “We shoot first, then.” and draws her pistol. Urien smiles, and he and Drathi arm themselves with their rifles.
Half a dozen isolationists armed with colony rifles, are split into two groups, and taking cover from among the starport scatter.
The first shots from both sides all miss, as if they are all reluctant to hurt each other. That is, until a well placed shot from the isolationist leader, the most radical of the group, hits Drathi, and brings him down. Ariana responds with a direct kill shot from her trusty service pistol to the most imminent threat she detected, a man armed with a rattle gun.
Hiding behind crates, they avoid being shot. Urien takes down another isolationist which makes the specialist of the group panic, and run away.
Among the flying bullets, Ariana takes a clean shot and kills another isolationist. Their leader now has closed in and scores a hit on Urien, who goes down.
Ariana is facing the last two enemies alone. It’s all a haze. In the end, she’s the only one standing. The isolationist and their leader are down in a pool of blood.
Thankfully, it seems that Urien was just knocked out, while Drathi suffered only minor injuries. Searching the battlefield Ariana managed not only to rescue her crew, but also to get hold of a glare sword and 4 credits worth of scrap. They rented a small house at the edge of Kevil’s port, and spent the night tending to their wounds, playing cards and feeling lucky to be still alive. Drathi especially feels like he’s living a charmed existence. That shot should have killed him, but it got deflected by his tobacco case.
They all wonder if they’re a good fit for each other, but somehow, it worked out, and none of them feels like challenging it.
Graphic Narrative
Bookkeeping
| 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 | ||
| Urien Jackstadt | ||
| Drathi | Minor Injuries | 1 Turn |
| 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 |
Session Summary
I really enjoyed the game, it was fast and fun, which is what I expected of and known of Five Parsecs from Home. The rules choices I’ve made and homebrews seems to be working well overall. As I mentioned in the beginning my main difficulty at this point is the storytelling. The realization I made about the differences from Bug Hunt really helped. Also going forward I’ll most likely be switching between text and graphic narratives depending on how I feel, what works best at the time, and perhaps I’ll settle eventually at a specific process flow.
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