ItItLoaGS
Random Solo Surface Patrol – Collect what you can, load it up on
the lander and return to orbit. I create a Science orientated PC
named Dr. Drazz. Red Shirt
#1 and Red Shirt #2 are
assigned to me. They will provide protection on the nightmare surface
of old Earth.
First
roll is to determine
my touchdown location. The
elctro-static atmosphere is home to violent ammonia storms. Your
landing is much determined by conditions than a planned route. It
comes up A1, up in the mountains in the far north west. How a landing
goes will
be left to a toss of the dice. 2D6
will be used. Much like a D&D Reaction Roll or a Traveller Saving
Throw, the spread of outcomes should be familiar. Target numbers 8 or
higher are what usually counts as success. The toss is a 3!
Catastrophic conditions! The lander is thrown against the stoney
peaks and comes to rest. Time to assess the damage. I pull out my
Space Opera rule book
and roll on the starship battle damage table. Since it is a
catastrophic failure I decide three tosses on the table are required;
all come up Armor Belt Penetration. The
lander can’t enter orbit unless the hull is patched first.
Relying
on our surface hex map my Party has a choice between exploring an
ancient idol surrounded by crumbling temples or a mysterious tower
occupied by an
Astro-Lich. The tower is
more likely to have the technology we need to fix the lander. Maybe
even something valuable to bring back. I order the team down the
steep slopes and we head west. We are quickly out of the difficult
mountains and cross a more
hilly land. No monstrous danger is to be found and I quickly find out
why. Hard radiation zone! I use an Arcanum Syndicate product; “Sci-Fi
Random Encounter Tables” written by Brandon Williams, to generate
this result. I resolved with standard ItLotGS’s 4+ for success to
determine if any of us are sickened.
The Red Shirts survive, their light and heavy armor making the
difference. Dr. Drazz is not
so lucky. Lost by 1. He is carrying a Cell-Patcher. I throw against a
Science attribute of d8 and succeed in rendering a radiation remedy
post-haste! I will not be able to use this device’s healing
abilities for twelve hours now as it recharges.
The
tower of the Astro-Lich turns out to be a sophisticated space ship
under construction. It must be close to completion. Engines can be
seen test-firing. A horrid screech and wail sounds from the top of
the ship where smokey
tendrils swirl about. Undaunted I order the Red Shirts forward,
blasters ready. Near the base we walk around building equipment,
pump-tubes reaching from ship to ground. Automated spider-borgs
scamper hither and tither. Going into stealth mode we begin
scavenging in the temporary warehouses and buildings. We strike pay
dirt quickly. A throw on a Mothership Dead Planet table
yields a functional life support system! We
get this back to the lander and no need to patch the hull. This high
tech equipment will keep my crew alive till rendezvous. Going to be
difficult to bring it back. We need some way to transport it. Two
security guards roll up on us and a gunfight ensues! Red Shirt #1
disintegrates the first mook with a Heavy Blaster while Red Shirt #2
lays down some “suppressing fire” with lighter weapon. The second
guard dives for cover and runs away.
We
load the land rover up and split. With the proper radiation antidote
we are safe from the waves of purple gamma streaking across
green-stained sky. Before the lander is reached another party of
scavengers is encountered. We all nervously finger our holsters and
ask how things are going. Long and short; they agree to help get the
life support system back to the lander if we would team up and
assault the tower/ship for more artifacts. Reaching the crippled
lander marked my stopping point for ItLotGS.
Sword
& Backpack was well matched with Nate Treme’s short sandbox
adventure The
Primeval Holt of the Elk Lord. I wish I
took notes on all the different ways I house-ruled success chances,
but NPC encounters really set the tone of play. I had no interest in
consorting with the rubes found in Grimholt
so Mendalzane the Wizard plunged into the shunned Sleeping
Forest in search of the Elk Lord.
Like
the sci-fi game described above, Sword & Backpack, Justa Guy With an Axe Edition, is
rules-lite with only a thin scaffolding of mechanics. I’m finding
it makes the idea of actually solo-rpg’ing appealing. Challenging
my DM skills of creativity on the fly is the point, not tactical,
crunchy resolution mechanics.
A
S&B character is defined by one of three jobs; the
fighter, the wizard, and the rogue. Pick your name and give yourself
a weapon, wallah! You are done. All adventures resolve
actions by rolling a d20. If it is something related to your “job”
then add a +5. The difficulty number you must meet or exceed
is set by the StoryTeller (the ST). While each of the three jobs has
their own specialties, there are no “class” restrictions. You
want your Wizard to swing a sword, then start swinging! Your
Mercenary Reaver wants to summon demons, get out your chalk and
candles! The point is, if you can fit the task within the scope of
your job the ST will give you a +5 on the roll.
Fighting
is abstracted by opponents throwing contested rolls for the attack
and defense. High roll wins. Hitting your opponent deals a wound.
Losing the roll is a miss. D20 for initiative of course and then make
shit up. The driving action here is; what random tables should I use
for this. This being whatever I’m up to at the moment.
Cross-country travel requires a Wisdom check to not get lost. S&B
does not have any attributes so a Difficulty number is set and the +5
argued for. Mendelzane succeeds in not getting lost and arrives at
The Pond. Mechin, an ancient, sentient, giant goldfish calls The Pond
home and Mendelzane wants to enhance his Elemental Magic. I forgot
what I did to instigate a Reaction Roll, but the Wizard succeeded and
was allowed to drink from the enchanted pool with a Blessing +1 on
any defensive roll being the result.
With
the blessing of the fish, Mendelzane decides it is time to seek
Ziphek the Elk Lord and petition for favor. The journey is uneventful
and my Elemental Wizard arrives at the petrified trunk which is the
throne room of Ziphek. Nate was clever enough to detail the Ziphek’s
with “Members of the Court”. We know the Elk Lord dislikes
humans, but I’m walking in with the fish-god’s blessing. Let us
see how this goes. Fimbault, a badger ends up being the gatekeeper to
Mendelzane. The Reaction Roll is inconclusive. The badger will not
allow entrance unless Mendelzane performs a service to the Elk Lord.
Melmoon, a crazed hermit, occupies the Ruined Fort on the other side
of the forest. Fimbault suggests that running this madman out of the
forest might sway the court to except an audience.
More
and more random tables were pulled willy-nilly as Mendelzane
navigated the forest, battled the hermit and acquired a traveling
companion; a Grimholt merchant with a kingly gift. Now he only needs
a king to present it to. Assuring the merchant that the Wizard could
easily introduce him to the Elk Lord, the two headed back through the
forest. And promptly got lost. Here is where, with random tables, I
derive the most pleasure of solo-rpg’ing (yes I am a seasoned pro
by now). Finding out what a new encounter actually is. Before the
dice are dropped, my party of two may have to confront any number of
problems which could overwhelm them. What will it be, what will it
be?
It
appeared we had traveled to an unknown and foreboding valley, sharply
defined, with a dark, silent lake laying placid before them. Further
along the shore where the hills crowded in a ruined temple perched.
“This is a place of death my friend,” Mendelzane spoke. “I
would know what evil once stirred here, perhaps those ruins may yield
a clue?” Surprisingly (or luckily, it is a dice roll) the Merchant
finds some steel and agrees to search the foreboding haunt. Nothing
is revealed, in treasure or knowledge, so we head out to find our way
back to the Elk Lord and his court. But it is not to be! A creature
from the black depths arises; a Shambling Mound!
“Flee
as fast you can friend!” I cried. “This demon is more than a
match for us!” I push the merchant up the hill, but his feet need
no assistance. Pulling the mule cart up the hill I could see the
Shambling Mound would overtake us if something wasn’t done.
Mendelzane throws all his magic at the beast. The wildly
unpredictable Fireball and the irresistible Waterfall spell. Scorched
and washed back into the lake we reach the valley’s ridge and
disappear into the forest.
Court
goes well, what with the merchant presenting a magnificent gift and I
detailing the successful rousting of the hermit, we were promptly
knighted as Grimholt Guards. This will provide us with a +3 on
reaction rolls with allies of the Elk Lord.
In
closing, I find a solo rpg session a pleasant late night activity
with the payoff coming from seeing stories unfold from a dynamic
environment. It may strip some of the wonder from the game,
seeing my particular method of creating laid bare before me, a
dispassionate view of the ugly sausage-making for immersion. I am
sure Dr. Drazz and the wizard Mendalzane will be face with more
random trials to come!
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