Talathen Sector goes international!

One of the most humbling experiences you can get when you are gaming, is being told that what you're doing is so cool, people want to join in.

When I started posting about the Talathen Sector campaign, I put up reposts on a few places, including boardgamegeek and the FFG official forums.

What blew me away was people taking the setting and using the campaign to play their own games. It's just a really unique and cool feeling to be able to have other groups, over the world, playing games and sharing in the experience.

It also adds an additional element to the campaign, as their are events happening outside of my, and my players control. It's also been neat to bounce ideas back and forth, i really don't want to "tell" anyone how to play, so I just add some guidance to their ideas so that it feels more inline with the setting, and sit back and wait for the results.

My players also think this whole thing is awesome. 

So far, we have three additional groups joining in. Run by Rortharr, BMFS, and Killdear, all from the FFG forums. (Continuing my policy of never using real names in blogposts, we shall refer to them by their forum handles). We've assigned unit names in the star wars language to keep the teams different in my reporting. My group of players for the RPG segments is Aurek squad. 

Rortharr has run a raid on Fraxan to rescue a captured smuggler, and a mission set on Nimbala. We call his group Besh squad.

BMFS's group has setup a base on a crippled clone-wars era republic destroyer in the boneyard, and is dealing with pirates. We call this group Cresh Squad.

Killdear's team is about to kick off their missions by running the Perlemian Haul campaign. This will be Dorn Squad. 

I've included two of the mission reports i've received so far in this post. One from BMFS (don't turn on the lights) and one from Rortharr (Nimbala High Noon)

Enjoy! 

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Clearance – Secret

Mission – Don’t Turn Out the Lights

ID: KSR – 000001

Reporting Officer: Kinsa Galor

Status – Mission Successful

Cresh Squadron

Teg Ulster, Commander/Commando: Teg is a human male and the natural leader of Cresh Squadron and the longest serving member. He was private security on planet [DELETED] for some time before being ran off and seeing the Rebellion as a last chance. He maintains the belief that all soldier under his command are always more important than any mission objective. This strength may also manifest as a weakness and requires constant observation.

Zolaran Feist, Engineer/Explosives Expert – Zolaran (Zol) is a human male from Toprawa and the second longest serving member of Cresh Squadron. He shows a particular fondness for explosives and for executing captured Imperials. This has lead to many confrontations with Teg and while their comradeship on the battlefield is notable, they are not friends. Recent actions on Toprawa have cost Zol an arm, hearing in his subservient ear and the life of his sister at his own hand. Observation and mental evaluation is required and ideally he should be pulled from the front.

Gywn Ulster, Sniper – Gwyn is a daughter of a [DELETED] a Toprawan village leader and Rebellion sympathizer. She was married to Teg following a proposal that was more accidental than on purpose. While she is not sympathetic to the Rebellion, she is loyal to Teg and is not considered a risk at this point.

‘Iggy”, Medic – Iggy is a retrofitted IG-86 assasin droid with 2-1B medical droid parts and programing. Currently this unit is status unknown after seeking revenge for an intrusion on his programming that cause him to murder three innocent women on Toprawa. His loyalties largely are with his friend Byg’Dyrty and should be watched for signs of further hostile takeover attempts.

Byg’Dyrty, Agitator – Byg’Dyrty is a Twi’lek recruitment and destabilization agent for the Rebellion. Currently his status is unknown as he is assisting Iggy. His past is questionable at best but his worth to the Rebellion as an individual and by virtue of Iggy should not be understated.

Wrrladdik “Otis”, Marauder/Beast Rider – Wrrladdik (Otis) is a Wookie and the newest member of Cresh Squadron. He comes by way of an old contact Fro’Kazza who owed a life debt to Teg but left with Teg’s blessing to free his clan from slavers. Otis does not speak or understand Common but has accepted a transferred life debt from his cousin Fro’Kazza to watch over Teg. His loyalty to Teg is without question and likely nonexistent to the Rebellion. That said, Otis does seem to wish to provide stolen/capture supplies to Rebellion fighters.

Pre-Mission Preparation

Cresh Squadron evacuated Toprawa and after several days in transit arrived on the MC-80a Mon Calamari Cruiser Cathleen for a time of refit and rest.

Actions aboard included meeting their old supply contact Hoppa (Jawa from Tattooine, sees all humans as the same and claims to run the Cathleen) and requesting new supplies due to their recent hurried evacuation of Toprawa and continued success for the Rebellion.

Departure

Cresh Squadron departed Cathleen with the member of Teg, Gwyn and Otis. This was a shock as Teg found out that Zol had left the ship for an opportunity working with and training other Rebellion spec ops teams. There was no formal goodbye as Zol felt it was unnecessary.

Otis boarded the ship speaking to Kinsa and waited for Teg confirming he was the target by holding a holo image against his person. Otis later extended the life debt to Gwyn as a member of Teg’s clan.

Enroute Cresh Squadron read sector information on Talathen and a brief description of the Boneyard destination.

Arrival

Cresh Squadron arrived in the ruins of a Venator class ship currently used by the Rebellion as a base of operations within the Boneyard. Upon arrival they were told to acclimate with their surroundings and prepare to receive a briefing. Notably the team was upset with the limited amount of space versus the high number of Rebellion soldiers/staff occupying the area.

Mission

Cresh Squadron was tasked remotely by Jevon Talovar to seek out a replacement generator for the one that was about to expire and currently powering the docking bay and surrounding rooms aboard the Venator. The target hulk was under power and no organized resistance was expected. However, there were reports of pirates operating in the Boneyard but there had been no conflicts to date or a reason to expect any change in this status.

The team was outfitted in space suits from their previous missions in sector [DELETED] against Moff [DELETED]. It was planned to land inside one of the three operational bays on the Venator and move to the opposite side assuming the first generator located would not be active.

The first problem arose upon arriving at the Venator. The shuttle bay was damaged and there was a fear of failing take off procedures. The decision was made to do an EV exit from the shuttle and space jump to the hulk. Teg wisely requested that Otis carry Gwyn and they successfully jumped from the Lambda to the hulk with no serious injuries.

Upon arrival in the first generator store room the door was sealed, likely due to the damages taken in battle. Otis forced open the door and the group came under attack from mynocks that were quickly dispatched with no injuries. However, the generator inside proved to be non-operational.

Cresh Squadron then moved through the ship avoiding twisting bulkheads and other debris. Upon arrival at a critical junction they encountered an armed pirate group moving through the ship.

Teg immediately ordered Gwyn to open fire, something that was done reluctantly and a fight ensued. The pirates were all killed except for two that fled from the situation and Otis proved especially devastating in zero G combat with his vibro spear. The team took some time following the encounter to patch suits in fear of the vacuum and Otis retrieved two working heavy blaster pistols, CH-16a designs.

Kesh Squadron moved on and upon arriving through a set of bay doors located a large pirate operation that was retrieving some sort of cargo or salvage from the ship. Despite getting the drop on this group Teg ordered a hold fire to survey the area. During this time a heavily armored leader approached the group. He asked what they were after and when the generator was brought up he offered it if the group would not bother his workers or operation.

It was apparent the pirates were approximately platoon strength with an uncounted number of labourers that were likely slaves. Teg accepted the arrangement with the pirates, while trying to subtly view the cargo with no success. It should be noted that a large capital ship was seen moving under power in the distance. Eventually the group retrieved the generator and moved back to the original docking bay.

The shuttle was held close to entry and the group loaded the generator, returned to base and had it installed as well as giving the group of rebels the two CH-16a’s. Jevon Talovar was happy with the results, pleased that they opted to not start a conflict with the pirates (although curious about the cargo) and told them to wait for new orders.

Officers Recommendations

-          Land engagements should be orchestrated by Teg as he is reliable at achieving the missions as written and directed.

-          Flexibility is no the teams strengths, often rigidly adhering to operational guidelines.

-          Otis is to be watched in future pirate dealings, had he known there were slaves the meeting may of turned violent.

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Nimbala High Noon

The Mission

The Empire is not happy that their best link to the rebels in this sector was stolen out from under them, especially considering the damage done to the base in the process. With Imperial heat rising, Besh Squad has decided to hit an Imperial affiliate, the Czerka mining operations on Nimbala, to steal raw materials to sell or use in manufacturing, mining tools that could be repurposed as weapons, as well as explosives for use in, well, creating explosions where the Empire doesn’t want them.

Dramatis Personae:

-Pash, a Human from Selano with the Resource Acquisition Duty. Pash was a smuggler for Kooban Haalu, until he betrayed Pash to the Empire to cover his tracks. The Rebels rescued him as part of a prison break and they have become his new employer.

-Zal, a Human from Talathen VII with the Space Superiority Duty. Zal joined the Rebellion to experience the thrill of dogfighting, and has become Pash’s occasional copilot.

-Oskara, a Twilek from Nimbala with the Sabotage Duty. Oskara joined the Rebellion after her sister died from an illness created by Czerka mining of her homeworld, which could have been cured if the Empire had provided basic aid to the planet’s inhabitants.

-Jin-Rio, a Human from Zenith with the Recruitment Duty. Jin-Rio escaped a crackdown on anti-Empire sentiment at Zenith Academy and has vowed to restore democratic government to the galaxy.

Prologue: Seeing a Man About a Mining Laser

The team landed Pash’s freighter, the Star Angel, a safe distance from the Czerka facility they had targeted for robbery and instead arrived in a hijacked Czerka airspeeder, posing as an inspection team. Some forged transmissions from headquarters meant the team was able to land and gain entry without issue. Once inside, Pash launched into his routine, keeping the staff so distracted by constant conversation, questions, and nitpicking (rolled a Triumph) that he was able to buy Jin-Rio some time when she got caught sneaking into the storage area. Jin-Rio was able to evade pursuit and get the supplies from storage, and then led the Czerka security on a merry chase. With the facility in confusion, Pash seized an opportunity to take control of the situation and mislead the security response, giving Jin-Rio an opening (with the covering fire of Oskara and Zal) to get the supplies on the airspeeder.However, she took a bad hit (a nasty Critical off a Boost die in the guards’ pool) as she was moving the goods. Pash followed her onboard and they zipped away, heading for the ship. The Force had other plans.

Part I: Sanctuary

Only a few moments after escaping the Czerka facility, a bad storm brewed up. The airspeeder was forced down, and it was obvious that even if the team could reach the ship, they wouldn’t be able to take off until the storm passed.

Concealing the airspeeder in the foliage, the team saw evidence of a village in the near distance. Though the trek through the jungle was rough (Oskara’s home field advantage wasn’t enough to surmount the difficulty of moving through a thick jungle in a bad storm) they eventually reached what turned out to be a Twi’lek village.

Oskara took the lead in speaking with the villagers, barely overcoming their distrust of outsiders and convincing them to let the team enter and have someone see to Jin-Rio’s wound. This was how the team met Belandi, a pacifist Mirialan healer who had made her home as a healer living among the Twi’leks (I plan to introduce the Force and Destiny Beginner Game characters as GMPCs, who the players will hopefully successfully recruit to the Rebel cause). Belandi had few medical supplies, but proved remarkably capable and was able to stabilize Jin-Rio’s condition.

While Belandi was busy with Jin-Rio, Oskara, Pash, and Zal tried to convince the village leader to let them pass the storm in the village. Oskara tried to appeal to use her status as a fellow Nimbalan Twi’lek, Pash tried to leverage Jin-Rio’s wound, and Zal made veiled threats. Nothing was able to sway the leader, until Jin-Rio emerged from her bed and a runner entered to tell the leader that the Czerka tax collectors were on the way.

Jin-Rio was able to convince the leader to hide the team until Czerka was gone. Stuffed into a hollow portion of the wall, the team watched as Czerka thugs beat villagers and extorted them for money, then stole and damaged property when the Twi’leks couldn’t pay up. It was too much for Oskara, who (against Jin-Rio’s insistence they not get involved) emerged and stood up to the collectors. She was outnumbered, but Pash and Zal decided to back up their teammate and opened fire. The three of them made short work of the Czerka thugs, but the village leader told them that now more would come, to seek vengeance.

Part II: Nimbala High Noon

In the aftermath, Jin-Rio tried to rally the villagers to defend themselves against Czerka. The speech was failing, until Oskara launched into a passionate speech about the need for Nimbala’s Twi’leks to stand up for themselves at last (Triumph on Leadership check). While Jin-Rio and Oskara trained the villagers, Zal and Pash moved the supplies to the ship. The storm was still raging, preventing them from leaving, but now at least the supplies were secure.

Oskara also went to Belandi, who she correctly guessed had the ability to call on the Force. Oskara tried to convince the Mirialan to join their fight, but Belandi’s strict pacifist code held strong…for now.

The team planned on a two-stage operation: an ambush outside the village, and then a stand at the gates. Oskara led some of the villagers to the ambush site, while Jin-Rio oversaw the building of a barricade across the entrance. Pash and Zal lent aid, but seemed content to let the other two take the lead.

(I used the Mass Combat rules from Onslaught at Arda 1 for the battle, giving each player one turn to play out what they were doing during each phase of the fight)

Czerka’s response team arrived, a mix of thugs and droids. The ambush bloodied them, but eventually they had to withdraw to the barricade at the gate. The Czerka administrator leading the attack, Angu Drombb, proved an adaptable commander, and the assault against the barricade nearly broke the line. Belandi continued to wrestle with her inner conflict between helping those in need and remaining true to her ideals.

The climax came when the second push by the remaining Czerka forces broke through the barricade. The players and villagers fell back, despairing, but this proved enough to tip the scales. Belandi emerged from her makeshift clinic and demonstrated the power of the Force, hurling debris into the enemy. Amidst the chaos, Oskara had climbed to the highest roof and drew a bead on Drombb. With one shot, she ended his life. The survivors retreated in disarray (effects of the Triumph on Oskara’s combat check). The storm cleared shortly after the fighting ended.

Epilogue

Oskara was able to convince the Twi’leks that only by aiding the Rebellion could they ride Nimbala of Czerka. Some Twi’leks left with the team, to volunteer their services to the Rebels, while others pledged to spread the revolutionary message to other villages. Others seemed willing to take the fight to Czerka itself, if they could be given weapons and more training.

Jin-Rio, meanwhile, was able to convince Belandi that she could do more to achieve peace working alongside Besh Squad then she could in exile on Nimbala. Belandi joined Besh Squad as a capable medic and Force user