The crew decided to remain on the planet. So far they hadn't upset anyone so life could be quite peaceful.
Upkeep
6 Credits. They currently have 6 Credits left so need to find some work.
Jobs
Davin Kinall went to see the sights and bumped into a personal trainer who helped him with his fitness regime (+2XP)
Vinca Jissard accompanied Davin on his sightseeing and received a hot tip for an opportunity mission
Garm Izel decided to do a bit of training (+1XP)
Porro Thif went off with a few trinkets that he had picked up here and there and managed to trade them in for a repair kit
Jaa Maduel also did some training (+1XP)
Jeela Dystra went looking for a patron. She already had two that she could call on but bumped into a new one (a throw of 6).
In the main square she listened to a rather dishevelled preacher zealously challenging the authority of Unity. When he had finished his sermon, she approached him to ask for some clarification on his claims. He welcomed her interest and asked if she might be willing to help him.
The preacher, Arik Chattza, had caught word that Unity were displeased with his ministry and were seeking to shut him up. They had tried to do so before through various means but failed. This time they were trying something different. They planned to kidnap his widowed mother and hold her hostage. Obviously they didn't want it to be known that they were behind the plans so they had recruited three bounty hunters to carry out the deed.
Arik asked Jeela if she would go to his mother's home in the shanty town on the outskirts of the city and bring her back to him. Knowing that they need a few credits and hoping that his state of dress did not truly indicate the level of his wealth, she readily accepted the offer.
~~~
Miss Daisy is a frail, elderly lady so I gave her a move of 3", equal to that of Porro Thif but slower than everybody else.
She has also learnt not to trust anybody. She will need to be convinced by Davin and the team that they have come to rescue her (I decided on a difficulty roll of 5+ though Porro and Jeela's +1 on persuasion rolls will help)
Miss Daisy was in her home (indicated by the red arrow) as the crew arrived at the southern edge of the town.
To the north a carrier crawled to a halt and disgorged three bounty hunters, who quickly took cover behind rusting shacks.
The three bounty hunters - the leader in the centre armed with her hunter's rifle while the other two carry shotguns. Their instructions were to capture Miss Daisy; not harm her. Their plan was, therefore, to advance slowly along each flank and then close in on Miss Daisy.
Davin (hand gun) decided that he and Porro (rifle) should visit Miss Daisy and
explain the danger that she was in. Porro's persuasion skills should help that task. Meanwhile Vinca (rifle) was to shield the left flank, Jaa (hand flamer) and Jeela (shotgun) the right flank and Gorm (blaster rifle) the centre. Davin and Porro would then lead Miss Daisy along the safest route.
The initial turns involved both parties simply advancing, making as much use of the cover provided by the various buildings and rock formations.
Porro soon reached Miss Daisy and tried to convince her to go with him...and tried...and tried...and tried...how hard can it be to roll 4+? It actually took five attempts.
The bounter hunters took up positions, ready to pick off their foe. The leader took a shot at Garm but missed and, sticking his head above a rock, got hit by Vinca and was downed.
Another bounty hunter took up position behind a shack and shot at Garm but only managed to stun him. Vinca decided to creep upon him and surprise him.
Vinca jumped out and fired his rifle at point blank range and misses. Now he was in for it. The bounty hunter blasted both barrels of his shotgun at Vinca and also missed.
Who would be able to act again first? The bounty hunter and finally Vinca was hit.
But as Vinca fell to the ground, Garm aimed his blast rifle at the bounty hunter and disabled him.
Despite losing the other two members of his party, the final bounty hunter's morale remained steady and he sought to fight on. But before he had a chance to fire a shot, he was caught in a pincer movement by Jaa and Jeela and was caught in a hail of bullets.
Finally Miss Daisy decided to believe Porro and to go with him. Did she really have any choice?!
And Porro accompanied her through the township, wondering he he still needed to do some more work on his persuasion skills.
For a first game, it seemed to work well. I felt that the bounty hunters were a little outnumbered. The rules say that you roll two dice and choose the higher number. I threw a 2 and a 3. it is not linked at all to the number of figures that they are facing.
I wonder if it might be worth experimenting with the system taken from 2HW where you roll dice which decide whether the enemy has one less, the same amount or one more than their opponents.
Next post, we'll discover how Vinca is and how much the crew earned from their efforts.