Big Easy Problems #1

Lady Sang the Blues

SPOILER ALERT: This is a play-through of the adventure "The Old Absinthe House Blues". There is a link for purchasing this adventure from the owner at the end of this post.

It was May 5th, 1935 in the Crescent City. A small circle of friends, regulars to The Old Absinthe House, gathered together at about a quarter to seven to speak with Dan Waller, proprietor of the joint.

Dan tells the gang that his favorite singer, Delilah Starr has gone missing. She was supposed to be singing at his establishment last night (Saturday, May 4th, 1935) but did not show up. He sent a runner out to her house at 637 Delaronde, but he said she was not there. The group remembers her singing there many times, and she was well loved.

Violette Thibodeaux asks Dan questions, and Hans von Pfluffig takes an opportunity to let his pet lizard drink some moonshine. After some short discussion, the group agrees to investigate the disappearance of the missing singer. They decide to go across river to Algiers to see if there is anything worth discovering at her house.

The gang then proceeds up to Violette's house at 920 Conti Street, and grab Emmeline Saferight's truck for a quick ride to John Bethell's boat, which is tied up in Marigny-Bywater. After some fits and starts, the boat gets started and they head across the Mississippi.

637 Delaronde

Upon arrival at 637 Delaronde, Maurice Routon attempts to unlock the door and manages to lock it instead. After a brief laugh with the others, he unlocks the door and they go inside.

The interior of the house is in disarray. Hans von Pfluffig uses his portable generator to illuminate the house while the investigators get to work. Violette Thibodeaux notices that the living room has Catholic imagery in conspicuous places. As she looks around further, she sees artifacts of vooodoo worship hidden from plain sight around the room, including a Gris-Gris Bag, which she picks up.

Meanwhile, Maurice Routon is inspired and proceeds to find several clues in short order. The first being that there appear to be no signs of a struggle, even though the house is in slight disarray. It seems more like someone leaving in a hurry rather than a fight. Secondly, he discovers a Stack of Paystubs that reference Rose Marie LaGrange getting paid by Hexaco Oil Company in amounts ranging from 8 to 17 dollars a week. More receipts found around the house indicate that Rose Marie LaGrange has been living here for about 6 weeks. Finally, a Love Letter to Delilah Starr is found, unopened (and having no address) in the garbage can.

The investigators then go outside into the back yard to see if the telephone line has been cut. Hans illuminates the side of the house, much to the consternation of Delilah's neighbors. They discover that the phone line appears to be in good working order. They decide it is time to return across the river, and leave the house.

Meeting Officer Larue

After leaving 637 Delaronde, the group of investigators encounters Officer Larue. He is initially suspicious, but recognizes Dr. Thibodeaux almost immediately. He shares with them the following information:

Delilah moved into this house five or six weeks ago. I watched her brother move her in. Angry fella. I noticed ‘cause I didn’t want a troublemaker on my beat—but he never came ‘round again that I saw. Delilah was all right. Real peach. Sometimes I’d hear her singing in her kitchen. Practicing, I suppose. Sure made my beat a little more pleasant. We even talked a few times. That girl has a smile wide as the Mississippi.

One day we were chattin’ and she told me about this guy, Phillipe Deware. He’d been coming to the club for weeks to hear her sing. At first he seemed pretty normal, then he started leaving her love letters. I guess they got a little…too much. Fat Dan kicked Deware out but the skinny creep just watched her from out on Bourbon Street. No law against that, y’know.

Friday night I was walkin’ the beat when I see this guy following her. He doesn’t notice me…just keeps followin’ Delilah. I figured it was Deware and I decided to put an end to it. I dragged the little bastard inta the alley and showed him I didn’t appreciate him makin’ my pet bird nervous. After I…spoke…with him he crawled off back to whatever hole he came out of. I’m damn sure he didn’t take our missing friend—he could barely walk after our ‘conversation.’ You can check if you want, but I don’t know where he lives or anything.

One more thing, shamuses. Don’t assume Delilah was taken just ‘cause the house got robbed. That kinda thing happens around here sometimes. Kids, usually. I’m only one man, after all.

After this interview, the group decides to head a few blocks south to Algiers Hospital to see if they have any records pertaining to Phillipe.

Visiting Algiers Hospital

The group walks down the streets south to Algiers Hospital. Dr. Thibodeaux is recognized by the night staff there. Violette chats with Agnes Fuller  for a bit, and turns the conversation towards people that might have been brought in with an injury. Agnes informs her that there was no one in the logs for Friday or Saturday meeting Phillipe Deware's description and it was a rather slow night.

After this, for some reason, Hans asked to see the morgue. A young man had, coincidentally, died earlier that day and was in the hospital's morgue. After a considerable amount of persuasion, Agnes permitted the group to inspect the body. Hans begins to look through the body for a set of adrenal glands and is stopped by the rest of the group. Awkwardly, Hans washes up and leaves the hospital empty-handed.

As the group is walking back up towards the docks, they are stopped by the NOPD. It seemed Agnes thought better of it and notified the police about a creepy German guy that performed some kind of unauthorized autopsy on an accident victim. At that point, they brought Hans in for more questioning and told the rest of the group that they would be in touch.

With Hans missing, the other five crossed the river once again and went back to visit The Old Absinthe House with updated information. Dan was appreciative of the news, and gave everyone a round of drinks. He assured them, though, that there would be no tab opened for them until they find the fate of his missing singer--one way or the other. At that, the party went to their respective homes, agreeing to meet the next morning at Violette's house on Conti Street.

Session Notes

This was our first session for this story. We had Heather, Kaitlyn, Alison, Tim, Bruce, and Dan present. We played using Fantasy Grounds on Sunday, April 26, 2020 from 8pm to 10pm EDT

Please note that the general story, supporting characters, and text excerpts are from "The Old Absinthe House Blues" by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Studio 2 Publishing.

New Friends

17 Mirtul 1489

Sedrax and Undeenie cautiously approach a band of stragglers. In the brush, they make out the shapes of two humans watching the makeshift encampment. The two, an entertainer named Ulrich Nordstrom and a right brute named Rainer Davi were following the band as well, hired to investigate the raids taking place in the area. Ulrich realizes that, if they combine their forces, there will be enough strength to overcome the band of some 12 humans and kobolds before them and perhaps get a bite to eat.

Ulrich begins to explain his plan to Sai, Undeenie, Sedrax. When they look back for Rainer, they see that he has his warhammer in hand and is just walking into the encampment. Sedrax laughs and starts walking with him, lifting his greatsword high. The others stare at each other briefly, and Undeenie shrugs.

They all stand up. From the rear, Ulrich begins playing bagpipes which causes the band to begin running into the center of the camp. At the sound of the pipes, the kobolds scatter into the brush. The battle is quick and furious. The kobolds attempt to regroup and attack the bard, but he quickly puts one group to sleep with a spell he once picked up from a very talented lady friend, while the fighters finish off the other. The battle ends quickly. One of the humans is left and the band of heroes interrogates him while Sedrax sends the kobolds to go meet Tiamat. The lone survivor divulges that the raiders have a rear guard, and the main camp is not that far away. The party chooses to camp in place for the night.

18 Mirtul 1489

After waking, the band of adventurers leaves the informant tied up in a bush and press on. They easily spot and avoid the ambush site. After another mile or so of walking, they proceed to the camp to look for the missing monk and poke around. The camp itself is located in a hollow surrounded by cliffs and under observation by two short guard towers. They are able to walk into the camp without raising suspicion, passing themselves off as fellow raiders. After talking up their "fellow" raiders, the group discovers that the raiding force is collecting treasure hoard to prepare for the return of Tiamat, that there are prisoners here, that their leaders reside within a large tent in the center of the camp, and that Leosin, the monk, is held in a stockade near the entrance of what everyone is calling the "Nursery"

Sedrax approaches the "Nursery" but is turned away by the guards. Sai and Ulrich come up with a plan to secure Leosin. They decide that Ulrich will light some of the huts near the entrance to the hollow on fire. Sai will create another diversion by freeing the prisoners and the abandon them by scaling one of the cliffs that surround the camp. The others will free Leosin and run out of the camp.

They wait for nightfall and act. Ulrich douses a few huts in oil and then lights them on fire. Sai releases the prisoners and leaves. Everything goes as planned until Leosin is freed and realizes that the prisoners will be slaughtered. He runs to the prisoners and insists that they, too, be helped out. He glares at the suggestion that they leave the prisoners. The party reluctantly begins fighting their way out of the camp. Eventually they escape through the entrance in the confusion, and then evade capture in the grasslands. They quietly rest in the Greenfields before heading out to Greenest the next day.

19 Mirtul 1489

Upon arriving at Greenest, Leosin is reunited with his apprentice. The master of the town, Governor Nighthill, rewards the party with a considerable amount of money. The party stocks up and relaxes. In the evening Leosin informs them that he will be heading to Elturel to disclose what he has discovered about the raiders to his friends. He asks the party to return to the raider's camp to watch for a week. They are to report any movement or any other major events to him in Elturel. The reward wouldn't be much, but Sedrax urges the party to accept, seeing more opportunities to avenge Bahamut. The band of adventurers agrees, and continues to celebrate well into the night.

Maya Marondel Departs

Discovery of the ultimate end of their quarry weighed heavily upon Sai and Maya. Undeenie kept watch as Sedrax assisted the elves in cremating the remains in accordance with the wood elf traditions.

Sedrax the dragonborn, had happened upon the two wild elves Sai Amastacia and Maya Marondel, and their friend Undeenie "the Undying", in the depths of the Haunted Halls. He had been sent back some 200 years at the request of his lord in order to save someone. He knew not who, but being a paladin comes, for him, with the price of always saving those who can be saved.

Upon returning from the Haunted Halls for rest, the enigmatic human fighter known as Undeenie was perhaps the first to notice that all was not right with the Lonely Glade. A once modest, yet lively, small glade in the King's Forest of Cormyr was now desolate. A few orc corpses lay about, obviously a raiding party of some sort. This was an almost unprecedented occurance within the borders of Cormyr!

Maya rushed up to her library to discover that it was gone. For her and the other wild elf, Sai, this represented a terrible loss. The books and records within the library contained all that had transpired since the arrival of the wood elves. It recorded the planting of the Amastacia Tree, the wide-ranging domain of the wild elves before the arrival of men. It recorded deeds both great and insignificant. It was the entire history of their culture.

Sai reached the top of the Amastacia Tree to discover a note, scrawled into the wood. Her father was killed in the assault, yet the library was safe. The remaining elves were going to go west to live on the Sword Coast within the Cloakwood with some ancient kin. The library was intact and to be taken to Candlekeep for posterity. All this was written in a coded way to make sure that only other wood elves, any stragglers, would know where to meet.

The small band of adventurers headed west in pursuit. By the time they reached the citadel at High Horn, however, they had discovered that the year was 1489 by Dale Reckoning. At some point between leaving the Haunted Halls and arriving at the Lonely Glade, the entire party appeared to have returned to Sedrax's time. Or, perhaps, the elves and Undeenie had been brought forward to Sedrax's time when they had met him. At any rate, the loss of the Lonely Glade was a recent development as evidenced by the relative freshness of the orc-corpses.

The party was encouraged as they heard tales of a travelling band of elves as they traveled the High Road through the Storm Horns to Greatgaunt and over the Bridge of  Fallen Men out of Cormyr. At the town of Proskur, the party discovered that they were barely 7 days behind the caravan of elves. The pushed west, anxious to see their friends again. Arriving at the great city of Iriaebor, the party did not stop to enjoy the wonders of the city as they were merely one day behind. After such a long journey, they were almost together again.

Some two days after leaving Iriaebor, the party saw smoke ahead on the road. Before they could react, they were ambushed by raiders. They were no match, however, for the well-armed and experienced adventuring party. What the dragonborn, elves, and human discovered at the fire though, greatly saddened them. They were perhaps less than an hour too late to save the remains of the Lonely Glade.

Maya's library lay in disarray. Sai was despondent. Sedrax and Undeenie did would they could to comfort their wild elf friends as they decided what to do. All valuables had been removed from the caravan except the library. The stupid orcs must not have realized that the knowledge was the actual treasure. Between cremating each corpse, they discussed what they would do. Sai and Undeenie were all about revenge. Sedrax felt that justice must be preserved. Maya wanted to stay with the library to somehow preserve everything possible. After a simple search, there were obvious signs left by a raiding party that headed to the southeast. The raiders wasted no effort on hiding their trail, which seemed to Maya to indicate that they were overconfident.

That evening, Sedrax had a powerful dream. He imagined that he was travelling through a wood with the rest of his party. As the fog closed in around the band, they came upon a great wall with a gate that opened for them. They turned and went in the other direction and came upon the same gate. At this time, they noticed that Maya was gone. As they called out for her, they heard her on the other side of the wall, talking about her library. As they passed through the gate, it shut behind them. Undeenie, Sai, and Sedrax walked down the path and happened upon a corpse.

And now, the latest episode:

Sedrax wakes up, slightly disturbed by his dream. It is morning. Undeenie says "Are you awake?" Sedrax nods and smiles a toothy smile. "Interesting dream," he says in his gravelly voice. Another large caravan approaches from the east. Sounds of music fill the air as the caravan approaches. Great cylindrical wooden carts with windows and doors, pulled by oxen, make their way toward the ambush site. The party is roused and prepared by the time that the caravan of bronze-skinned and weather-worn humans arrives.

The party talks with their raven-haired caravan master, who speaks with a strange accent. They call themselves "Vistani" and say they are heading to Baldur's Gate by way of Beregost, which will take them very near Candlekeep. The master of the caravan agrees to take Maya and the library in one of their "vardos" - a sort of mobile shelter - to Candlekeep for 500 pieces of gold. Sai, Undeenie, and Sedrax feel as though this is a good time to take revenge on the loss of their friends and head southeast, with a desire for revenge and justice in their hearts. Maya waves farewell as the Vistani caravan heads into the wood.

The band sets out on foot, tracking the raiding party southeast across the grasslands. Just after midday, they happen upon a young monk who has been injured. He introduces himself as Nesim Waldara.

"We were defeated, my master and I, by a raiding party that attacked the town of Greenest." He points vaguely to the northeast, in the direction of the site where the elves were killed. "He has been captured, and they left me for Myrkul." Nesim relates that they were following a band of kobolds, drakes, and even a blue dragon that had attacked the town of Greenest on the day before yesterday. "My master Leosin and I had tracked them towards that outcropping but we were challenged by a rear guard. If you go that way, be careful. The rear guard assumed we were mercenaries at first, but my master was recognized by one of their leaders. We were attacked and I fell. When I awoke, my master was gone. I am returning to Greenest, as I was instructed to do if we were separated. If you should find the raiders, you should return to Greenest with information about them and you will be rewarded. Good luck"

The party gives Nesim a few provisions and Sedrax performs a healing touch on the young monk. Nesim continues northwest. The party continues southeast. Sai motivated by revenge, Sedrax motivated by justice, and Undeenie motivated by the promise of gold.

Ex Astris, Scientia (Part 2)

Shore Leave

Captain's Log USS Suffolk, Stardate 57144.2
Location: Sector 2910, orbiting Risa
Captain Grant Wilson recording:

"We have arrived at Risa. I will be escorting Ambassador Kamen down to the surface shortly and have split the crew into two different shore leave parties. Each will have three days to enjoy what Risa has to offer. This is, by far, the luckiest Academy class that I've ever seen ...and I've seen quite a few."

Stardate 57144
Our soon-to-be heroes ride a shuttle down to Suraya Bay on Risa along with the Captain and an Andorian ambassador named Kamen. Midshipman William James generously pays for his friends Radar, Rick, and Tanev to stay in very nice accommodations. Of course, being young and on Risa for the first time, Bill, Rick, and Radar immediately purchase Horga'hns and set out to have a good time. Tanev, being Tanev follows and observes.

Rick decides he wants to go climbing and the rest of the group decides to give it a shot. Being untrained, Radar and Tanev immediately encounter difficulties. As the group continues to try to climb, two Human women flirt with Bill and Rick, then start climbing. Bill and Rick, being Bill and Rick, immediately ditch their companions and head up the rock wall after their quarry. Left behind, Tanev decides to explore a library to find information about Risan terraforming techniques and Radar decides to go find some fun on a catamaran tour.

Tanev goes off to the library. His research doesn't turn much up as the information around the terraforming of Risa seems sparse. While conducting the research, he meets an Andorian female named Vanar. She chats with Tanev for a bit, though Tanev is quite focused on his research.

Meanwhile, Waltera goes for a ride around some islands on a catamaran. During the tour, the catamaran is followed by pink dolphin-like creatures called Mer Daks. The catamaran turns out to be a sort of ferry to entice beach goers to a formal island party. Radar chooses to pay the entrance fee for the party, and promptly meets a beautiful Orion woman. Soon, the Orion and Waltera leave the party to the Orion's bungalow. Waltera is schooled in why the Orion women have their reputation, and the classes last all night.

Bill and Rick make it to the top of the climb, and discover a bar and the human women they followed up the cliff. They have a few drinks and some laughs and decide to return to the hotel via shuttle with the women.

Stardate 57145
Cadet Belk wakes to find himself in his underwear, tied to his friend, Bill. They both have quite a headache and it's obvious they've been had. Rick decides that no one should find out and they unsuccessfully try to sneak through the kitchen. The concierge informs them that they checked out of their rooms last night, with all of their belongings.

Tanev and Waltera meet Bill and Rick in the lobby. While they are discussing yesterday's events, a portly, flamboyantly dressed man is overheard arguing with the concierge. Rebuffed, he sees the group of friends and approaches them. He introduces himself as Captain Leo Walsh, a temporarily inconvenienced trader. He is short on funds and asks the crew for a loan to pay for the room, promising to pay it back once his cargo is sold. To sweeten the deal, he hints at another proposition that he will share at dinner that evening. Bill decides to play along, assuming his money will be lost, and pays for the room.

Before they leave, the female Andorian that Tanev had met at the library walks up to him and caresses his back. She is dressed in a Starfleet uniform with the rank of Lieutenant. Vanar tries to convince Tanev to come with her for more research, but Tanev refuses. Instead, he chooses to head to the Capital city to attempt to do more thorough research on Risan terraforming technology. Vanar departs, visibly disappointed Waltera is reunited with the Orion from the night before. They leave together, agreeing to meet the others later for Captain Walsh's proposal at dinner. At this point, Rick and Bill each purchase another Horga'hn and head for the beach, drinks in hand. Finally, two Risan women approach the men and finally they get lucky.

Tanev's research attempts at the capital prove fruitless. The terraforming process is a closely guarded secret. Empty handed, he returns to Suraya Bay in time for dinner with Captain Walsh. Walsh explains that his ship has been impounded because of some difference of opinion over the rightful owner of some of his cargo. He has heard, however, of a nearby abandoned ship. He asks the cadets to retrieve the ship for him so that he can continue, and in exchange he will pay them well. The cadets immediately decline.

Stardate 57146
After dinner, the cadets talk it over and decide to inform their Captain. They interrupt his shore leave. Captain Wilson decides to return to the ship to search for the vessel. The Captain then allows Bill to take command of the Suffolk to conduct the search for the vessel in the system. Bill performs well under the guidance of Captain Wilson and the vessel is discovered in an extremely tight orbit around the innermost planet. Since they are recovering the vessel with the support of a Federation Light Cruiser, they tractor the ship to a safe orbit.

Captain Wilson resumes command of the Suffolk and decides to put Cadet Belk in charge of the away team to search and recover the vessel. After they dock with the Free Trader, Belk, leading the other cadets and a group of four security personnel board it. They are soon ambushed by a herd of razorcats, but Star Fleet firepower puts an end to their hunger.

Captain's Log USS Suffolk, Stardate 57151.8
Location: Sector 2910, underway to Earth
Captain Grant Wilson recording:

"I have sent the recovered Free Trader 'Star of the Northern Sky' to the fleet repair yards at Mars as directed by Star Fleet Command. I have assigned Lieutenant Ramirez to act as Captain of the vessel and will be waiting for her when she gets there. In the meantime, I am returning to Earth with this cadet crew so they can graduate.

It seems that the vessel was being used to transport razorcats to one of the more exotic locations on Risa and suffered a complete power failure. They spent months trapped in orbit around that planet. I can only imagine what it must have been like being preyed by your own cargo upon in the darkness of a powerless ship. Best not to think about it.

While we were searching for the vessel, I allowed Midshipman James, under my supervision, to command the Suffolk and conduct the search for the vessel. He performed quite well and deserves a commendation. Additionally, I allowed Cadet Belk, the doctor-in-training, to lead the away team that secured the vessel from the roaming razorcats. He too preformed well under pressure and kept his wits about him. To be honest, he would probably be as good at taking lives as he would be at saving them. I'm sure he would make a fine addition to any Marine unit and also deserves recognition when we return."

End of recording.

Game & Progression Notes:

This game was postponed heavily because of the holidays. We picked up a new player, Dave, playing the role of Tanev, a Vulcan research scientist. I pretty much just made the character with Dave's input to save time and Dave approved the result. Since the character was already known to the other three due to the Academy back story, it was easy to insert Tanev into the campaign.

My family was not present for most of the session. We decided to have a potluck dinner. Heather arrived first, followed by J.B. and Dave, and then Marlin. Everyone showed up within the start window and we got started right away.

I had made some notes and had a general plan for the evening. I left the romantic encounters of the first half of the session unplanned. Going off the cuff for the character development stuff is really fun because it is definitely collaborative storytelling, though not as liberal as FATE. I think perhaps we should spend some time coming up with some rules for GURPS that will enable a more FATE-like game. Since the beginning was unplanned and the characters have too much money, I started charging for things. I will have to remember to keep that up because money is somewhat meaningless in Star Trek and I'd like to try to explore what money means in a society where replicators exist.

During this, I resorted to using a plot element from an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, with some modification. I had just recently watched the episode "Two Days and Two Nights" and thought it would be fun to have Belk and James fall victim to a scam. Let's just hope I avoid the extremely predictable plots in the show in the future.

The dinner was great. We played and then my wife and children came home. I think that next time we play around my kids, we will start and end the game earlier because it got them crazy. We ended the game with a combat aboard a starship where the firepower of Star Trek weaponry became very clear. It reminded me of a GURPS Traveller game I ran in Austin where a player named Brian literally shot the plot device out of the sky during the exposition.

I left the players with a major decision to make which would have changed the course of the campaign. I was prepared for them to choose between recovering the ship for Captain Walsh, recovering the ship for themselves, reporting the ship to the Risan constabulary, or telling the Captain. I expected them to tell the Captain. Had they chosen to recover the ship for Captain Walsh, or take it for themselves, they would have had to deal with the razorcats themselves without much firepower. At that point, if they returned the ship to Captain Walsh, they would have ended up with an underworld contact on the down-low and a decent amount of money. Had they kept it for themselves, they would have a legal claim to the derelict spaceship but would have had to resign their commissions (if they wanted to become Free Traders themselves) and made an enemy of Captain Walsh. Had they informed the Risan constabulary of the situation, the Risans would take they ship for themselves and the characters would have received nothing at all. They chose to tell the captain, which resulted in the seniority points and professional reputation points being awarded, as well as the easy encounter.

All participating characters earned 2 character points, 2 professional reputation points, and 1 seniority point. Additionally, I granted William James 1 character point in Vacc Suit and 1 in Sex Appeal. Rick Belk received 1 in Acrobatics and 1 in Vacc Suit. Waltera O'Reilly received a point in Swimming and a point in Sex Appeal. Lastly, Tanev earned a point in Electronics Operation (Scientific) and another in Research.

Ex Astris, Scientia (Part 1)

The Story So Far...

May 9, 2267: Finney's Bar, San Francisco, Earth
A group of senior cadets meet each other for drinks at Finney's, just a few blocks off of the campus of Star Fleet Academy. Tomorrow is the big day and all of the seniors are enjoying a bit of fun before tackling their cadet cruise. After several hours, nearly all of the cadets have either had enough or have decided to move on to other bars. Midshipmen O'Reilly and James, and Cadet Belk have lingered. They overhear three Orions at the bar, making disparaging remarks about Star Fleet in general, and Academy cadets specifically.

Eventually, one of the Orions makes a comment about O'Reilly's ears. She stands up, the Orions stand up, and Midshipman James and Cadet Belk stand up. As the Orions approach, Cadet Belk picks up a bar stool and hurls it at an Orion trying to flank the cadets. The stool sails over the Orion's head and crashes into a pool table, knocking the eight-ball off the table. O'Reilly picks up a barstool and jumps on top of the cadet's table, and Midshipman James meets the flanking Orion with a punch.

The flanking Orion ends up wildly missing a punch and lands on the floor. O'Reilly jumps on top of him and, with Belk's help, begins to hog-tie him with her belt. Midshipman James then gets kicked in the knee by one of the other approaching Orions, hyper-extending it. Belk and James end up side by side right before James is grappled and brought to the ground. Blows are traded and soon the cadets incapacitate the rest of the Orions. The last one is finally dropped by a well placed kick to the groin.

The shore police arrive just as the cadets subdue the Orions. They seem to note that nothing is out of order and depart. The cadets involved return to the dormitory with the hope that this will not be discovered by the Academy faculty.


May 10, 2267: San Francisco, Earth
Finney's Tavern Invoice #34454-23
Customer: Greshon Kerak:

• 2 Barstools, Aluminun - 155 credits
• 1 Pool Table Refinishing - 232 credits
• 1 Bar Table - 275 credits
• 2 bottles of The Glenlivet 18 - 440 credits 

1,102 Federation Credits Paid by Capt. Gia, Orion Free Trader B'klet


Stardate 57130
The next morning, the cadets report to their assignments aboard the USS Suffolk NCC-914. The Suffolk is a Texas-class light cruiser and is used by Star Fleet exclusively as a cadet training vessel. After listening to a brief speech by Captain Wilson, they depart. Midshipman O'Reilly is assigned to the sensor banks and reports to the second shift duty officer, Ensign Willis. Midshipman James is assigned to the second shift crew manning the starboard phaser bank. Cadet Belk is assigned to the Sick Bay with the other doctoral candidate on second shift.

Captain Wilson relays to the crew and cadets the details of thier mission for this cruise. They are to proceed towards the Orion border and negotiate a contract for the Academy mess hall with an Orion food company at a station two weeks away. The Captain also mentions a trip to the Klingon Border. This excites some of the cadets, but the crew just smiles. It would take many months at warp to reach the Klingon border, so this was clearly a joke (a famous character trait of Captain Wilson).

Towards the end of their first day of cruise, the Suffolk drops out of warp. Ensign Willis, Midshipmen James and O'Reilly, and Marine Cadet Belk are ordered to report to the transporter room. When they arrive, they are briefed that they are to beam to the surface of a listening post and retrieve data tapes. They must wear vacc suits as the transporter beam will not be able to penetrate the asteroid. The away team beams to the surface of the asteroid. Unfortunately, Midshipman James is stricken with motion sickness upon the sudden change in gravity and loses his dinner within his vacc suit. The away team finds the door and proceeds down a shaft into the heart of the asteroid. Willis retrieves several taps from a computer console. He the receives a call on his communicator and is ordered to  return to the Suffolk immediately and instructs the cadets to remain behind.

Soon after Ensign Willis leaves, power to the post is cut, leaving the cadets in pitch darkness and low gravity. Cadet Belk manages to grasp Midshipman O'Reilly as she floats towards the center of the room. As they investigate the situation, O'Reilly calls to the Suffolk and is told to standby. Belk and James discover a corridor out of the room and hear whispers. Curious about what is going on, they stealthily move up the dark hallway towards a humming noise. Midshipman James readily identifies this as the hum of a defensive phaser in standby mode. They discretely disable the door to the phaser room and slip inside. Just then, Belk's communicator beeps. The lights come on and standing before them is Captain Wilson, flanked by security.

Captain Wilson reveals that he has brought the cadets here because he was concerned about the fight with the Orions. He does not want anything to interfere with their mission and wants to make sure that the cadets are not harboring any prejudice towards Orions in general. The cadets affirm that they just want to serve Star Fleet and are team players. In classic Grant Wilson style, he wryly suggests that the cadets use teamwork to return to the Suffolk... and beams out.

The cadets appraise the situation and decide to lash themselves together to make a coordinated space-jump to the Suffolk. They swallow their fear and make the 2,000 meter jump. As they float through space and get tangled, they have time to reflect upon what being a team means. They successfully impact the ship and make their way to an airlock. Once there they are greeted by some of the crew and cadets with applause, and a few pats on the back and then report back to their duty stations.

Welcome to the fleet, Cadets.


Captain's Log USS Suffolk, Stardate 57130.6
Location: Sector 2908, Outside Sol
Captain Grant Wilson recording:

"Our first day in space for this, my final cadet cruise, was uneventful. We are making  our way towards Verax Station in sector 2910 near the border with the Orion enclave. Our destination is currently 200 parsecs out and Warp 7 should get us there in about 2 weeks.

We stopped by listening post 2908-12J and retrieved the backups of the monitoring records for Star Fleet Intelligence. The away team performed their duties as expected. We even managed to get a little bit of free-space jump training in for a few cadets.

The ship is in good shape, and the crew ready. The cadets seem anxious and excited as they usually are on the first few days. Some of them will be disappointed when they realize that space travel isn't always like it is on the holovids, and takes time. Time that gets filled with the routine of duty. I will miss the fresh faces and excitement, but the Suffolk is old and so am I. Our time is ending, and these kids' time is beginning. All is as it should be."

End of recording.

Game & Progression Notes:

This was the kick-off session of a GURPS Prime Directive campaign set in year 157 of the Star Fleet Universe timeline. This puts the events here concurrent with the first season of Star Trek. The players for this game session were James, Heather, and Marlin. I was the GM. James is playing Rick Belk, a male Human Marine officer on the medical track. Heather is playing Waltera O'Reilly, a half-Vulcan officer on the communications specialist track. Marlin is playing Midshipman William James, a weapons specialist with Scottish ancestry.

Sector numbers correspond with the main Federation & Empire Map. Per the Warp Speed in SFU document, it takes quite some time (and a significant mount of fuel) to travel across the Federation at normal speeds. I mentioned the Klingon border to the players, but in reality (well not reality-reality but unreality-reality) it would take them forever to get there, at least in terms of a month long cadet cruise.

My son (3 yrs.) was present at the beginning of the session and he helped us roll dice. My wife graciously returned from her errands in time to make sure that my boy wasn't too much of a distraction.

While preparing for the three-hour session, most of my time was spent creating characters for my players based upon their descriptions. I did some outlining of the next three sessions, but I ran out of time to firm up the details of the next two sessions. I have my work cut out for me. I did manage to get through the two encounters I had planned for this session. I also have some extra material around in case the cruise progresses faster than anticipated.

I also intend to do a little bit of inter-session role-playing through email, though this will not be necessary for the development of the main story. If any takes place, I will try to chronicle it here.

I decided that the first adventure should have some combat. This way I could introduce the players to GURPS combat (which can be time consuming). To that end, I decided to print out the excellent GURPS Combat Cards and made some counters to track what each combatant was doing. This worked out rather well and sped up the combat compared to previous GURPS games. Combat took place on my Chessex 1" hex grid map and it did its job very well as usual. I did not brush up on my unarmed combat rules before the session, so some of it turned into roll and shout. I'll work on speeding up combat but it was not too bad. Savage Worlds is still faster, but GURPS was so much easier to describe to the players.

The second encounter aboard the listening post was supposed to put the players off guard. Exploration and mystery are a staple of role-playing games and I wanted to see how the players would react to the unknown and see if the players would play their characters rather than game the game. I once ran a session where one of the players shot an NPC that was doing nothing but running away in fear. Though - to be fair - it WAS a zombie apocalypse game and the players didn't know if it was going to be fast zombies or slow zombies. 

I think all of us have played games where the players do what they think is expected of them rather than what realistic characters should do. I've seen players do absolutely insane things with their characters. A line from an RPG book comes to mind: "I wade through the pool of writhing zombie arms." Seriously? If no one in their right mind would do an action, don't try to convince me that your character would unless your character is bat-shit crazy. This encounter was to feel the players out and whether the game was going to be played or if the characters were going to be role-played. They played their characters and I couldn't be more thrilled. These guys are probably going to give my old Austin group a run for their money. 

Had it gone the other way, I would have an opportunity to adjust the encounters for future games towards the "gamers gonna game" end of the spectrum. Luckily for me, GURPS, even though it has lots of rules, does a good job of providing enough crunch for the "gamers gonna game" set and enough character detail for the "players gonna play" set. It appears that this group is going to be happy to focus on things like character development and exploration of military science fiction instead of point gains and loot acquisition.

During the session, each character was played well. They each earned three character points and, due to their experiences, will start off their careers upon graduation with an extra Seniority point. Seniority, Professional Reputation, and Heroic Reputation are special awards covered in GURPS Prime Directive. 

That's about all the notes (and time) I have for this session. Thanks for reading!

Grimtooth

Grimtooth, Novice Goblin Warlock

Grimtooth is a normal-sized but thin, snarky goblin with a knack for interjecting inappropriate comments at inappropriate times. He's also obsessed with cheese and collecting bones. He works with his apprentice Brilga tirelessly in an effort to perfect a Zombie spell, frequently oblivious to her advances towards him. Strangely, he was born a gakhpaw (4 fingers) on his right hand and futhpaw (3 fingers) on his left.


History of Grimtooth
Session 1: Grimtooth escaped from a slave ship with a purple sail. The dogged pursuit by the humans of the port, and further adventures in the forests north of the port town cause Grimtooth to become more healthy and hardy (Vigor raised to d6). The escaped slaves are integrated into the local goblin tribes and two years pass.
Session 2: Grimtooth and his minions, er allies emerge victorious in a battle with 11 or 16 humans (Goblins have a rough time with math). Grimtooth personally kills two of them through a clever use of Death's Scythe. Because of this, he learns how to focus this energy and Krazghul grants him "Death's Finger" (Necromantic Bolt) Fear Krazghul! Brilga approaches him to breed, but he kind of doesn't get it.
Session 3: The session begins with a mass battle as the Humans from the town of Pit attempt to crush the Goblin village. As the women and children escape, Grimtooth bravely facilitates the slaughter of the human forces, routing them. So powerfully brave, Grimtooth discovers that the fear of Krazghul can be tuned through him, and he remembers (Intimidation raised to d4). The clan sends Grimtooth and some lesser goblins to join the clan's leader on a voyage to Winter Court. While guests of the Grehai clan, they are poisoned and attacked. Grimtooth kills two of the attackers and then singlehandedly saves nearly everyone in the delegation by clever use of Death's Cloak to walk underwater to safety.


Traits
Agility d6
Smarts d12
Spirit d6
Strength d4
Vigor d6
Moghai (2 points)


Bennies: 4 (+1 Luck)
Pace: 6
Charisma: 0*
Parry: 5
Toughness: 4
Armored: 4
Com. Knowledge Modifier: 0
* -2 when encountering non-Goblins


Hindrances & Edges
All Thumbs (Minor) p, 28
Arrogant (Major) p.28
Arcane Background (Warlock) p.32
Cautious (Minor) p.24
Charisma -2 (Other Races, Racial)
Dark Vision (Racial) - No penalties except in complete darkness.
Death's Cloak (a.k.a. Environmental Protection) p.111
Death's Finger (a.k.a. Bolt) p.110
Death's Scythe (a.k.a. Burst) p.110
Death's Ward (a.k.a. Deflection) p.111
Luck p.33
Toughness -1 (Racial)


Skills
Fighting: d6
Intimidation: d4
Knowledge: Arcana: d8
Notice: d8
Repair: d4-4*
Spellcasting: d12
Stealth: d6
Survival: d6
* -2 unskilled, -2 all thumbs. You really don't want Grimtooth trying to fix anything.


Items
Shinies: 420
Tattered Rags
Staff
Bronze Dagger
Cheese (2 lbs.)
Human Skull
Neek's Face

Character: Logan Wheeler

Logan Wheeler
Campaign: Bruce's Savage World's One-Shot
Home World: Caducus
Occupation: First Officer

Rank: Seasoned (20xp)

Description
6' 0" 190 lbs. Human Male. Blue eyes. Bald w/salt & pepper goatee. Has a "country" accent. Several tattoos, notably a large Cambarid (a.k.a. "Caducan Crawdad") wearing a top hat on his right shoulder blade.

Stats
Agility: d8
Smarts: d8
Spirit: d6
Strength: d6
Vigor: d6

Secondary Stats
Parry: 5
Toughness: 5
Charisma: 0
Pace: 6
Load Limit: 30 lbs.

Skills
Boating (Ag): d4 (+2 Ace)
Driving (Ag): d4 (+2 Ace)
Fighting (Ag): d6
Notice (Sm): d6 (+2 Alertness)
Persuasion (Sp): d4
Piloting (Ag): d8 (+2 Ace)
Repair (Sm): d4
Shooting (Ag): d6
Stealth (Ag): d4
Streetwise (Sm): d6
Survival (Sm): d4-2 (+1 from Survival Knife)
Throwing (Ag): d4

Hindrances
Overconfident (Major): Believes he can do anything. He never retreats from a challenge, even when it requires ignoring common sense.
Stubborn (Minor): Always wants his way. Never admits he is wrong. Tries to cover up mistakes.
Loyal (Minor): Strives to never betray or disappoint his friends. Can't leave friends behind if there is any chance of helping.

Edges
Ace: (N, Ag d8) +2 to Boating, Driving, and Piloting. Make Soak rolls for vehicle at -2.
Alertness: (N) +2 to Notice
Command: (N, Sm d6) +1 to troops to recover from being Shaken.
Hold the Line!: (S, Sm d8, Command) Troops have +1 Toughness.

Gear
$70
Sanitized Military Flightsuit ($40, 0 lbs.)
Heavy Boots ($100, 0 lbs.)
Flashlight ($20, 3 lbs.)
Multi-tool ($20, 1 lb.)
Survival Knife ($50, 3 lbs.) +1 to Survival
Laser Pistol ($200, 4 lbs.)

Weapons
Survival Knife: Str(d6)+d4
Laser Pistol: (1-3)d6, RoF 1, Rng: 15/30/60, 24 Shots
Increasing damage per attack uses equivalent number of shots.
Semi-Auto: Can "Double-Tap", a single Shooting roll that gives +1 to hit and damage, but uses two rounds of ammunition.

Background
Logan grew up in a large city on the coast, with a large spaceport. Son of a fisherman, the sea was in his blood. In his youth he befriended Veigur An, a star-child - someone born and raised in space - who frequently came with his parents to the docks to obtain the freshest seafood. In his 12th year, he was permitted to spend the summer on Veigur's family freighter as it made trade runs. This happened again in his 14th year. This coming of age story is too long to explain here, but it resulted in a comical tattoo on his back.
After leaving home at 16, Logan got himself a job through a friend on the Caducan fishing vessel Good Intentions. The Good Intentions was a Cambarid Catcher, hunting the elusive delicacy living underneath Caducus's enourmous ice flows. He was an able seaman, but fortune was not smiling upon the ship's owner, and the ship lost it's license to hunt. After making and losing vast quantities of money, Logan found himself penniless and hungry at the age of 26.
Figuring the spacing life wasn't much different than a submersible Catcher, he hung about landside watering holes until he convinced Bran Balm to hire him onto the Salvage Star as a hand. The salvaging life proved to be quite similar in many respects to Catching. Captain Balm showed him the basics of ship handling, a skill Logan discovered himself to be a natural at. This was nothing new to Logan, who knew he could do anything he set his mind to. They plied the space lanes, looking for the good stuff, tossing out the junk, wooing the ladies, and getting in a shooting match or three.
Logan found himself becoming more of the go-to person than the Captain for solving small problems. They soon started coming to him for advice on personal problems, as he had a knack for making people feel as confident as he feels about himself.

Advancement Summary
(5) Piloting d8, Shooting d6
(10) Command
(15) Smarts d8
(20) Seasoned - Hold the Line!