Five Parsecs From Home - VIP Hacker down by the docks aka Turn two

 After loot and credits were divided from the job out to Research Station Delta the Starfire Scoundrels decided to stay and find more work.  First off, the crew was paid and 6 credits was paid towards the ship's debt.  The Captain and Kai went looking for more work while the rest of the crew went to trade and explore.  The captain was able to ascertain the location of an illegal salvage job on a derelict ship that had been left on the float at the edge of the system.  Kai was contacted by her government contact and offered a VIP protection job...an agent from the Biomohix Corp needed discreet muscle while they retrieved some "stolen" research that was being stored in the space docks.  A 2 credit bonus and a fringe benefit - one implant installed on successful completion.  The only problem, the "stolen" research was due to be retrieved by the Blood Storm Mercs this turn!

 Rax and Ellias sold some cargo and found and sold some contraband, netting 4 credits!  Jax went exploring and found the local bounty board....Captain said we were about to clash with the Blood Storm Mercs and there was a bounty on one of them (random roll)

Hex spent her time running cover from potential rivals.

This mission would be gloomy with 9 inch visiblilty (very appropriate I thought) and we would be -1 to seize the inititive.  This was not going to be the cake walk the first mission was....

 

The small red container in the center it the VIP's objective.  We have to get him there and keep him secure for a full round.  The terrain is from the BattleSytems Galactic Core set and cargo containers from TinkerTurf Sci-fi Terrain.

 

Using the Infinity Operation Sandtrap JSA for Blood Storm Mercs.

The first round consisted of each group moving into position.  The crew split up with Rax taking to the roof with his marksman rifle and Ellias taking to cover and overwatch on the ground.  Kai and Hex moved with the VIP towards the objective.  The Captain and Jax made their way around and through the shipping container to try to flank the enemy.  Using the AI random movement tables the merc leader and specialist tried to flank, inadvetantly moving toward the Captain and Jax....

 

In round two the Captain and Jax spring from cover and take out the unsuspecting Merc leader and specialist.

 

Rax, who is supposed to be providing overwatch gets completly distracted by something shiny and wanders off...wtf.

 

The second group of mercs engages Kai and Hex who are protecting the VIP and both are hit and a story point was spent to keep Hex standing (which was crazy as she is the toughest in the group...I just didnt trust Kai to remain alone and Captain Voss and Jax were pretty far off).  

 

Kai does a mag dump and kills the bounty target.  Ellias can only shoot because of the muzzle flashes in the gloom but misses.  Rax where are you!

 

 

 

 

Round three starts with a hail of bullets taking out all the Mercs except the priority target who is hit and stunned.  Kai is stunned again!  The Captain and Jax move to engage next round.

Round three starts with a hail of bullets taking out all the Mercs except the priority target who is hit and stunned.  Kai is stunned again - twice before she can go and she is down!  The Captain and Jax move to engage next round.

 

 

Round four and Captain Voss and Hex charge into melee with the prioty target.  He fends them off and Hex only manages to beat him due to the +1 she gets due to his being stunned (Voss and Hex are +3 and +2 in combat with a boarding saber and ripper sword...that should not have been that hard!) and she cuts him in half with the ripper she picked up from the cultist from the previous job.

 

 

As the dust settled, the Biomorphix agent signals that all is good.  The Blood Storm Mercs were hit hard, but decide best not to take the Starfire Scoundrels and rivals.  Biomorphix is impressed and becomes a new patron and agree to implant the Captain with night sight.  We find a trinket, two broken weapons and loot some combat armor.  We pay 3 creds for another roll and gain a tracker sight.  Luckily Kai was just knocked out and will not require sick bay (roll of 87)

 

This was a tough battle and the crew gets together to relfect and takes it as a good learning opportunity and all gain +1 XP.  

Latter, Jax receives a message from home (+1 XP and quest).  Her rival is on Mirrorshroud and was also after the "stolen" Biomorphix research....maybe there is more to his story.....

 

 

Five Parsecs From Home - Mirrorshroud Campaign Turn One

 The crew of the Starlight Vanguard arrived to the moon of Mirrorshroud in the Nexus System on the hopes to make some quick credits.  Mirrorshroud is a habitable moon of the gas giant Nexus-3 and is enveloped in a thick, swirling layer of reflective dust that plays havoc with laser-based weaponry. There is also lack of starship services adds to the moon's isolation. Their original purpose here was a courier job originating from the orbital star-port found on Nexus -9.  Apparently the Starlight Vanguard wasn't up for the short journey and a required a few repairs before the crew could depart, the lack of services and lack of parts causing a bit of a delay.

While Rax was busy tinkering with the ship Captain Starfire Voss and Kai went looking for a quick job or two.  Kai eventually made contact with the local government via her patron Admiral Reyes.  Apparently a research outpost located in the Mirrorshroud out lands had not been heard from in some time.  The job was to make contact and deliver a encrypted data drive to the outpost.

A land transport was provided and the Starfire Scoundrels where on their way. As they exited town a brief message come into their comms from their government contact....a local water trader just sent them a message saying that they had passed by the Research Station last week on his normal trade route and was accosted by cultists (Mirrorshorud's remote location attracted strange cultists and criminals alike hiding from the law).  The trader told them he had to abort his normal stop at the research station for fear of being robbed or worse.

This was my very first time playing Five Parsecs from Home.  The Starfire Scoundrels are composed of miniatures from Infinity, the cultists are 40K Cultists and the terrain is the Battle Systems Outlands Delta Garrison along with some odds and ends from TinkerTurf

View of Research Station Delta from a short distance away.....nothing unusual but hard to tell in the weird swirling dust.  Wait, who or what are those figures milling around on that hab's rooftop...

Captain Starfire Voss tried all comms channels but none from the station made any response.  Then a crackling reply in a dry course voice "stay away whoever you are, this prize is for the Great One who cleanses all..."

"Lock and load" Starfire told her  crew, "looks like there's some cultists that need a lesson in manners."

 

 Aerial view, north on top.

 

As the crew made their way to the station, taking up positions of cover, the cultists likewise took to cover on the far side of the of the facility.  The central data-hub was pretty much out in the open and Jax and Hex moved over to the north side of the buildings, Ellias and Kai to the south while Starfire and Rax took up shooting positions on the eastern research building.

This combat was pretty slow and methodical with Captain Starfire dominating with her needle rifle and high combat skill.  Rax did pretty well with the Marksman rifle despite his + 0 skill rolls.  And Kai, Jax and Hex were able to gain the advantage of being on the roofs and made short work of those that sought cover.  The cultists were controlled with the random AI Variations tables in Compendium.  I also gave them a round of reinforcements. The Starfire Scoundrels did receive a few hits but none were taken down.

 

Jax and Hex trade shots with two crazed cultists

 

 

 Jax Morgan takes aim with her machine pistol

Kai "Ghost" Tanaka and Ellias "Tech" Thorne take out the final cultist

 

 

And when the dust finally settled, frightened but relieved researchers ventured forth and thanked the crew for saving them from the Cultists that had been trying to force their way into the facility for over a week.

 

Payment was good with a bonus bounty and a "shiny"object found.  And the researchers rewarded the crew with 3 pieces of scrap.  Having made new friends we received a story point and the Captain rolled and received a "Boosted" leg augment and a new shotgun. Later Kai and Voss had a heart to heart talk about the recent events and received +1 XP.

 

All and all a pretty great first turn.

 

 

Frostgrave - A cozy evening by the fire...

 Dark Alchemy Part the two - Skeletal Run.

 Note - I pre-rolled the loot and made a house rule that when you picked one up you could immediately use the item if needs be.

 Max, Nik and crew made a mad dash down the corridor.  There, up ahead....were those torches flickering ahead?   

This game started as a cozy night by the fireplace...how appropriate that turned out to be.

Nike and Max hastened their crews ahead.  Onward!  But what they took for torchlight ahead turned out to be....a flaming skeleton?  Actually several.  Max immediately summon a demon to aid in dispatching these new foes.  Nik drew forth the magical energy of enchantment and girded the armor of his Captain.

 

 

 

The flaming skeleton struck Max's warhound felling blow. Her soldier and summed demon try to return the favor!

 

Nik's Captain engages a skeleton while Nik's cast healing on the downed dog.

 The tracker watches the melee from above, lining up a shot at another skeleton approaching from the shadows.

 

 

 

Max looks in horror as her faithful furry friend goes down for a second time....and he would not get up from this blow.

 

The remaining crew gather at the door. RIP faithful warhound...

 

This scenario went by pretty quickly but was certainly more difficult than the previous.  Not only did Max's warhound go down twice, so did her Infantryman (woman?)  Nik was busy throwing out heals.  And for a second time, Max rolled perma-death on the injury table.  Very fun game though.

 

Five Parsecs From Home - Starfire Scoudrels

 The crew of the Starfire Scoundrels has been finalized.

Captain's story here 

The Starfire Scoundrels' Origin

In the bustling starport of Nexus-9, a place known for its seedy bars and shady deals, fate brought together a group of unlikely allies. It all started in a dimly lit tavern called The Rusty Wrench, where Captain Aria "Starfire" Voss was nursing a drink after a particularly grueling job.

Elias "Tech" Thorne, a wealthy merchant's son turned tech-savvy troubleshooter, had just finished upgrading the emergency jump drives on a retired troop transport he had found in a scrapyard. Spotting Aria (who he had a bit of a crush on), he approached her with an offer she couldn't refuse—a ship, fully restored and ready for action. Aria accepted the gift, and the Starlight Vanguard became their new home.

Meanwhile, Kai "Ghost" Tanaka, a former subjugated human turned special agent, was in the same bar, gathering intelligence for his latest mission. Her keen eyes noticed the exchange between Aria and Elias, and she sensed an opportunity to join a crew that could help her in his quest for survival and justice.

At another table, Lyra "Hex" Tanis, a human genetic uplift with obvious cybernetic enhancements and a penchant for mercenary work, was negotiating a contract. Her enhanced abilities and alien upbringing made her a formidable ally. Intrigued by the dynamic duo of Aria and Elias, she decided to join their crew, seeking new challenges and a chance to prove herself.

Rax "Wrench" Thal, a tall, lean xenomorph engineer from Xalor Prime, was tinkering with a malfunctioning droid in the corner of the bar. His skills in fixing things and his desire for freedom led him to approach the group, offering his expertise in exchange for a place on their ship.

Finally, Jaxara "Jax" Morgan, a savvy hacker raised on a research outpost, was in the bar's back room, hacking into a local network. Her curiosity and drive for discovery brought her to the attention of the newly formed crew. Recognizing her talents, Aria invited her to join their ranks.

And so, in the heart of Nexus-9, the Starfire Scoundrels were born. United by their diverse backgrounds and shared motivations, they set off on a journey across the stars, ready to face whatever challenges the galaxy had in store for them.

Ship Name: The Starlight Vanguard

The Starlight Vanguard is a retired troop transport vessel, once a proud member of the Galactic Navy's fleet. It served valiantly in numerous campaigns, ferrying soldiers and supplies across war-torn sectors. After decades of service, the ship was decommissioned and left to gather dust in a scrapyard on the outskirts of a bustling spaceport.

 

 

Left to right, Rax "Wrench" Thal - Kai "Ghost" Tanaka - Jaxara "Jax" Morgan

 

Captain Aria "Starfire" Voss - Lyra "Hex" Tanis

 

 Left to right Elias "Tech" Thorne - Rax "Wrench" Thal,

 

Jax and Kai

 

 On to campaign turn one!