Starship Campaign Logs

[Doc4]

Hello FG community,

This is the chat log to my group's second campaign. We loved our prior adventures (https://forums.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3645), but after losing a player, decided to start up a new ship with a new crew.

Our game is NOT D&D. It is a science-fiction setting with a small crew aboard a trade ship getting into whatever trouble they can find. The universe has been almost destroyed long ago by a terrible AI virus (ala the Traveller setting), plunging the last few regions of humanity to plunder the cities on forgotten worlds while trying to survive from day to day.

The rulesystem is a custom one developed over several years playing many different systems. To read the logs below just know that it is d100 based with low rolls being good. The logs below have not been rewritten, only formatted a bit to allow for paragraphs and some chapter headings.


Character Sheets:

https://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7924/charsheetmain3gr.th.jpg (https://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?image=charsheetmain3gr.jpg)

https://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8788/charsheetskills3ay.th.jpg (https://img98.imageshack.us/my.php?image=charsheetskills3ay.jpg)



The cast includes:
Garrick: Tough bounty hunter
Hank: Sarcastic pilot
Jonah: Engineer and medic

Ellen (NPC): Science and sensors
Victoria: The ship itself, an old, refit of a luxury yacht.


Please post comments and suggestions, we'd love to hear your feedback. From story, rulesets, pacing or even chatlog formating! Let us know.

Thank you,

Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[Doc4]

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SESSION #1
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Here is log from Session #1 on 02.08.06

Once again, I have thrown the players into the fire from the start. What you know is what they know. Trouble right from the beginning. :)


Chapter 1 “I'm not dropping anything but teeth back here.”
Chapter 2 "Looks like a place a man can sink his teeth into some work."
Chapter 3 "One gets the disk, the other gets the money."


LOG (https://home.comcast.net/~gumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_020806.doc)



Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[richvalle]

Sorry Doc... I've only managed to read half of this so far even after all this time. That half was very good though. :)

Man, you sure do like to start things off with a bang.

Are you still going with the more 'Battlestar Galatica' thing?

rv

[Snikle]

WOW! Really like your character sheets, very nicely done. I have read about 1/2 the log and it looks like a great game too. I was wondering if you made the game system available, if so I wouldnt mind taking a gander at it, looks like a nice easy system.

[Doc4]

Thanks for the feedback.

We tried the Battlestar Galactica concept, but it did not work. Halfway through the game, I suggested we should cancel and go back to the Serenity feel and most everyone agreed. So Starship Campaign Log (take 2) that this thread is based on is the result.

The Galactica concept (different setting than the show but with a similar feel) had a large naval ship with some heavier themes right from the start. It had a mature feel to it that pushed my writing to the test, and was fun, but an awful lot of work. With three players and an entire crew to showcase, I was working overtime. So many people to keep track of, develop, talk amoungst themselves, keep the quality of writing high to match the material, think of the NPC's next actions, stress about how the next part of the story will come out as well as making up new story as we go along...and that is WITHOUT dealing with PC's. Add responses to the PC's actions (which is like 50%) of the game, and I was overworked.

So we switched back to the smaller crew starting with the chatlog above.

I have another one to post once I format it.


Tom / Doc4

[Snikle]

I was wondering if you made the game system available, if so I wouldnt mind taking a gander at it, looks like a nice easy system.

[richvalle]

Yeah, I thought it seemed more like the first game you were running and very Serenity like. Very nice though.

Now you just need to get this group to that underwater place so I can find out what happens. :)


rv

[Doc4]

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SESSION #2
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Here is the log from Session #2 on 02.28.06

Of the half-dozen sessions we've played with Fantasy Grounds, this is the best one in my opinion. One hell of an ending.

We lost our third player who normally handles the role of the pilot Hank, so I took over that character from here on out.



Chapter 4 “They're ‘leaving their math’ all over the place.”
Chapter 5 "If we miss, there's always that swirling maelstrom to catch us."
Chapter 6 "This planet is as fitting a place for a grave as I've ever seen."


LOG #2 (https://home.comcast.net/~gumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_022806.doc)



Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[Doc4]

As we lost our third player, we have a place open for any serious gamers who'd like to join us every other Tuesday night 5pm - 11pm Pacific time.

Please send me an EMAIL if you are interested.




Snickle,

The ruleset is an "in house" only system currently. Maybe one day I'll put it into readable form, but don't hold your breath. Honestly, every time we play any other system, we come right back to our custom one. We do love it so.



Tom / Doc4

[Doc4]

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SESSION #3
************************

Here is the log from Session #3 on 04.04.06

The crew of the starship Victoria head out in search of a lost survey team. They must travel to the Ruins, an area of space ripped apart by a vicious computer virus more than a hundred years earlier.

The bounty hunter, Garrick, and doctor, Shu Chan, must find out what happened to the lost survey team while battling with the environment, hostiles on the planet's surface and a much larger threat looming in the background.



Chapter 7 “Sometimes a man just likes to know who he's dealing with.”
Chapter 8 "Hide and wait for nightfall."
Chapter 9 "You're about to be cleansed."
Chapter 10 "We will get through this, or it will be a good end."



LOG #3 (https://home.comcast.net/%7Egumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_040406.doc)


Comments encouraged,

Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[richvalle]

Man those are good.

Do you players come here and read what people post? I.e. is it safe to post comments/questions about the game here?

rv

[Doc4]

The players are aware of the thread. Any comments or questions, I'm sure they'd love to read those too.

Thanks for your interest Rich. Just knowing that there's someone out there outside the game keeping an eye out keeps me on my toes. :)


Tom / Doc4

[richvalle]

Oh sure. If my posting here helps to keep you posting the logs, thats a good thing. :)

I didn't want to post questions/things about the story that maybe the players shouldn't know. I'm far enough back in the story that I'm sure it doesn't matter now.

First, lest anyone thinks I'm dogging the players they are good! I'm just reading the scene where they are trying to hook their shuttle up to the other above that green moon. My eyes were getting big as I read the story (100!!!) :)

The whole disk thing... Didn't they get the guys computer? I didn't see where anyone looked at it or the disk that was in there. It seemed like there should be some usefull information on it but I didn't see where anyone looked at it. Though it might have happened 'offline'.

rv

[Doc4]

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SESSION #4
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Here is the log from Session #4 on 04.25.06

Knowing full well that the price could be tearing apart the crew and ship, a desperate escape is made from a deadly battle between our beaten down freighter and a military vessel infected with a vicious AI.

Old friendships are hurt and new friends are made, but no one who enters the freighter Victoria is the same when they come out.



Chapter 11 "She's hurt. She's hurt real bad."
Chapter 12 "How about I just walk back the way I came? Lower your gun, son."
Chapter 13 "I think she's sea worthy."



Log #4 (https://home.comcast.net/%7Egumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_042506.doc)


Comments encouraged,

Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[Doc4]

This session was a fairly emotional one, both sad and tense. I was amazed at how these silly, fictional characters made me care about them. In all my many years of gaming, I was never as caught up in the "party" as I am with the crew of our ship. Thank you Fantasy Grounds.

There was a particular scene which almost ended the entire campaign. I could not believe it. Any guesses as to which?

Also, for anyone reading our logs, I could not believe they didn't look further into their "cab savior". How anyone could just let that happen without a second thought is beyond me. Crazy plazyers. :)



Thanks for reading and post any comments you have,

Tom / Doc4

[Doc4]

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SESSION #5
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Here is the log from Session #5 on 05.13.06

The crew gets into plenty of legal trouble on a wealthy mining planet in the Fringe region of space. While avoiding the law, they spend their time helping out an old friend, crashing through a crystalline forest, adding a new member to the crew and firing high-explosive grenades at point-blank range. Just another day aboard the freighter, Victoria.



Chapter 14 "You've already had your trial, sir. Your presence was not required."
Chapter 15 "Do you know what a model III alignment transponder is?"
Chapter 16 "I would say that now is a good time to start firing, Garrick."
Chapter 17 "Beautiful crystals."
Chapter 18 "That looks like a tasty grenade target."



Log #5 (https://home.comcast.net/%7Egumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_Session_5.doc)


Comments encouraged,

Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[Doc4]

A long delay in our sessions put the chatlog on the back burner. So here it is now, a couple months old.

For session #5, we added a new player to our game, local Fantasy Grounds community member "Joshuha". Josh read everything we had done, gobbled up the rules, created an interesting character and dove in head first. He did a great job fitting right into the game, though, as you'll read at the end of this chatlog, his character may not live to see a second session.

The original players had no idea Josh was going to join us either. When the character Caleb showed up, they thought it was an NPC that I was playing. I do love tormenting my players with the unexpected. :)



Thanks for reading and post any comments you have,

Tom / Doc4

[Doc4]

************************
SESSION #6
************************

Here is the log from Session #6 on 05.25.06

A fistfight breaks out on the crystalline world between the crew and the aliens known as Sticks. A race back to the mining world to prevent a possible alien attack has our heroes running into someone they never expected to see again with unexpected results.



Chapter 19 “This is why we need a captain.”
Chapter 20 “Things seem quiet...always a bad sign.”
Chapter 21 “I always knew I hadn't seen the last of you guys.”



Log #6 (https://home.comcast.net/%7Egumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_Session_6.doc)


Comments encouraged,

Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[Doc4]

Session #6 was our most combat heavy one so far. You can rest assured, if guns come into play, that Garrick takes a beating, or becomes window dressing.

Shu's diplomacy back on Averdiss stunned the heck out of all of us. Talk about drama.

Of note, during this session, Garrick's player, Sean, had some amazingly odd dice rolls. Statistically, he SHOULD have had the following possible results:

Critial Success: 6%
Successes: 65%
Failures: 27%
Critical Failures: 2%



But he actually ended up with these results:

Critial Success: 0%
Successes: 27%
Failures: 53%
Critical Failures: 20%


Ten times the expected critical failures with all of those being very dangerous combat rolls. Very funny and terribly awful at the same time. Poor Sean was trying to keep it together at the end.


Thanks for reading and post any comments you have,

Tom / Doc4

[Doc4]

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SESSION #7
************************

Here is the log from Session #7 on 07.18.06

The battle with the inhuman agent continues in the red oil mine while alien ships drop into orbit for an assault on the planet. The crew really takes a beating on the ground and out in space in an effort to stave off this small invasion.



Chapter 22 “Soooo.. Hank old pal....where were those coordinates pointing too?”
Chapter 23 “I hope you're taking close aim with that missile.”



Log #7 (https://home.comcast.net/%7Egumby202/Starship_Chatlogs/Starship_Adventure_Session_7.doc)

Comments encouraged,

Tom / Doc4
[email protected]

[Doc4]

Session #7 really bloodied up the characters good. No one came out of this session unscathed.

The battles got a little chaotic requiring the use of some quick maps during the game. Hopefully any readers will still have a good idea of what's going on during the action.





Thanks for reading and post any comments you have,

Tom / Doc4

[Nestor77]

Your adventures seemed to have ended a while ago and I was wondering if you will be starting up any new games. This might be futile, but if you need another player I would be happy to put my hand in.

[richvalle]

Yeah, that seemed like a fun game. I haven't seen Doc around in a while though I don't check the Guild Hall for messages so he could be there and I'd not know it.

rv