Blundering through the Black. A Firefly RPG AAR.

[Syt]

Yesterday me and two friends sat together for our first session of Serenity, the Firefly based p&p RPG. The system is relatively simple with good customization of characters, and combat rules are easy to wrap your head around. In other words: good for n00bs like us who never tried p&p before (and we're all in our early 30s). Besides, we like the setting and are somewhat familiar with it. We played at A's place (he has a rather large old table in the living room). Fortunately, his girlfriend, who is a nice girl, if a boring non-nerdy bitch, was understanding and non-interfering.

The other player, T, had told her husband it might take 5 or 6 hours (he might join us later).

Last week we met for character creation. Oddly, both are ex-Alliance military. T's character (Jared) is good at agility and alertness, and is handy with a rifle. Unfortunately, he sucks strength and close combat. A's character, Tyrell, started the adventure freshly kicked off an Alliance ship onto an insignificant farming moon called Dora. His ex-commander dropped him after (an unmentioned) botched incident, and just dropping him off somewhere was actually a favor vice versa having him in front of a firing squad (I went with it for now, but he'll evebtually have to detail that).

Tyrell also stopped on Dora, getting off a ship headed in a direction where he didn't want to go. He does "jobs" for an anonymous contact. Jobs which usually mean he has to leave in a hurry. He's easy to offend and generally an annoyed person (very unlike Tyrell).

I dithered a bit on what kind of story to go for, but fortunately found one on a fansite that was not too complicated, required not many special rules or space travel and was easily scalable to size and quality of the player group.

Tyrell has one arm hurt for the moment, so he wanted to lay low, while Jared made friendly with a prostitute from the brothel buying her drinks, since her services are beyond his means - though she tries to talk him into business).

So there they are, on the rather unremarkable moon of Dora, waiting for the next ship which is due in a couple days. They're minding their own business, when a quarrel between two suitors over a lady draws their attention. One of the two rivals draws a gun, but Jared and Tyrell diffuse the situation by talking the shooter down who is just a confused lad.

The sheriff - who has a cast over a broken leg - sees that and thanks the two of them. He tells them to drop by later, he might have a job for them.

In his office he offers them a bounty on a zombie-mask-wearing gang that has terrorized the countryside. The two take him up on the offer. They spend the evening together in the saloon, drinking, getting to know each other (though not trusting each other) and making plans for the next day.

In the morning they ride to the Jacobs farm, where Tommy has found a secret entrance to the gang's hideout in a cave. Tommy's pop negotiates getting a share of the bounty for giving out the information which Tyrell and Jared grudgingly agree to, because they see how poor the family is. Tommy points the back entrance out to the two would be bounty hunters. As the cave entrance is dark and the two of them didn't bring anything to light the way they decide to make a torch.

They do the logical thing and tear off the shirt from little Tommy as burning material. The boy runs away screaming (they didn't want to use their own, favorite shirts).


Inside the cave they walk down a corridor that leads down and winds. The air reeks and is moist. When they hear a small noise and a bit of light ahead the douse the torch (i.e. it has been of no use at all to them). They find themselvs in a pit that the gang uses for garbage and dumping the contents of their chamber pots.

Sneaking into the cave they find the gangsters sleeping, their guns on the table. They manage to remove the guns from the table and throwing them into the pit. They stand, guns in hand, over the sleeping gangsters. I expected them to wake them up and tie them, but instead they engaged in a lengthy debate how best to knock them out and get them out of the cave.


Once I had pointed out that transporting three unconscious guys (the bounty was only for getting them live, as there was suspicion of this being part of a greater operation) and that the three might actually have their horses nearby they woke them up by pistol whipping one guy. The guys were sleeping deeply and probably had boozed the night before.

Anyways, they actually make it back to town, though they reek a fair bit. The sheriff takes the gang and their zombiemasks, but the whole town is pretty pissed over how they treated Tommy. The Jacobs are popular in town, especially since the mother died last fall. As a result, the sheriff shaves 50 credits of 250 off their reward to give to the Jacobs. He sends the confirmation fo the arrest to the nearest fed station, and it'll take about a day to have it acknowledged and wired to the local bank.

Meanwhile the two hole up in the saloon again, eating and drinking. A couple townsfolks show up (undertaker, priest, merchant, journalist) to comment on their deeds. The two have had a bath, but overall they are annoyed, not enjoying the celebrity status at all, especially not from those hicks.

Later, the prostitute that Jared flirted with comes screaming into the saloon. Someone tried to rape and/or kill her. The guy was wearing black and a zombie mask. Another gang member is still out there. The heroes search the streets and the room where the attack happened find nothing. They only know the guy wore black, so they suspect the undertaker or preacher, but find neither.

The next day they ask around a bit, including the suspicious preacher, the merchant and the undertaker, but (after failing a couple perception rolls) ultimately decide to head back to the cave to see if there's anything about the missing gang member. They find som new tracks around the cave, and some items are missing, but nothing else. The check with the Jacobs again. Under the guise of apologizing to them they check if they might have something to do with the gang.

(Apparently I made Tommy look like such a retard that something felt fishy about the situation.)

They find nothing and return to town where in the meantime all hell has broken loose. The sheriff has been shot, the gang has been sprung, they have abducted the prostitute that had been attacked and robbed the bank (killing the prostitute and a bystander in the process). The preacher has been kidnapped. They dither a bit, but as they don't seem to get any useful info out of the townsfolk decide to head after the gang.

Not far out of town they find the preacher whose carriage with bibles has suffered a  broken wheel. He fears for his life and asks them for help. He gets fidgety when Jared and Tyrell ask him questions he gets fidgety. Tyrell draws his knife and holds it to the preacher's ear.

But before he can say anything the gang members have returned and start shooting. The heroes are sheltered behind the carriage, and the gang hides behind some rocks. The gang shouts something about being "sold out", and the preacher being a dirty bastard. Nevertheless, Tyrell tries to stab the preacher who blocks the attack and shouts at Tyrell that they should kill the bandits.

The shootout is rather amusing. Jared, the trained sniper with mad skillz in rifles and high agility doesn't hit with a single shot. On the other hand, Tyrell, the melee specialist, armed with a sixshooter that sucks at the range they're firing at kills all three bandits.

After the shootout the preacher tries to butter them up how grateful he is for their help etc. However, his acting roll fails, and they see through him. That some of his bible crates were shot during the fight, revealing the books to be hollow and containing money doesn't help his case either. They apprehend him quickly. The other guys are dead, but they caught the mastermind, so their bounty is certain.

On the other hand they have his loot, well over 500 credits right there. They each take 50 credits as their "fair share". The feds wire the bounty, and they have a few more days till the next ship arrives, and they've been asked to look after the town until a new sheriff is picked.

That's where we left off. What they don't know yet (though I told them a couple times when we went about the rules, discussed buying/selling stuff and the currencies used in the game) is that credits are traceable unless you "launder" them.

So at some point in their future (probably after the next adventure) they'll be faced with Marshal Womack (he appeared in the series in one show - think Gary Oldman's char in The Professional, but less subtle) who will use this as leverage for a "favor".

Overall it was a rather fun session, with people staying in character most of the time (though I had to cut down on silliness at some points). The useless torch that pissed off the whole town had us in stitches. We need to work a bit on bringing traits and skills more into play, though. Next session will be in 2 weeks, though probably a shorter one (possibly a boat ride or something).

[Razgovory]

My friend, was going to run a serenity game but we decided to use the GURPS rules since they are so nifty.  Unfortunately when I got there they decided instead to do some Battlestar Galatica thing instead.  So my cowboy character felt really out of place.  Also I didn't know a damn thing about that show (or to be fair firefly either) so I got shot in the chest by a robot who looked like a human being.  Then shot a few more times by robots who looked less like human beings.

[Josquius]

Sounds like a fun game.
As someone who hasn't done p&p with actual p&p before though I can't help but find the idea of RPing and being IC and all that with friends odd.

[Syt]

Sounds like a fun game.
As someone who hasn't done p&p with actual p&p before though I can't help but find the idea of RPing and being IC and all that with friends odd.

We were a bit weary about that, too. It worked out fine when we decided to not worry about whether or not we look or sound silly.

[Syt]

Also I didn't know a damn thing about that show (or to be fair firefly either)

I think it's a lot easier to get into Firefly than into BSG, though. Firefly can be summed up as "Post Civil War Wild West with Spaceships". There's no aliens to explain, no droids, etc. Sure, on the core worlds you have your typical high tech sci-fi setting, but even that isn't as super detailed and fleshed out as in some other universes. There's plenty room for making shit up and running with it, and most other stuff can be explained on the fly in a couple words ("What's a companion?").

[Razgovory]

Also I didn't know a damn thing about that show (or to be fair firefly either)

I think it's a lot easier to get into Firefly than into BSG, though. Firefly can be summed up as "Post Civil War Wild West with Spaceships". There's no aliens to explain, no droids, etc. Sure, on the core worlds you have your typical high tech sci-fi setting, but even that isn't as super detailed and fleshed out as in some other universes. There's plenty room for making shit up and running with it, and most other stuff can be explained on the fly in a couple words ("What's a companion?").

Yeah, that was the general impression I got.  I watched the pilot episode and figured it was cowboys in space.  Easy enough.  I watched the battle star pilot movie and got really bored.  I figured it was about sex with robots that live in your brain.  So I suppose a proper character for it would be more along the lines of "Midnight Cowboy" rather space cowboy.

[Lettow77]

 Looked into this due to a fondness for the setting. Ultimately I had to shelve it due to lack of interest from others. I'd be interested to hear your stories.

[Syt]

Jared and Tyrell got ready to leave Dora today. They booked passage on a freighter doing the run between Dora and Persephone every couple of weeks, the Ymir of Cpt. Terry Hanson.

Unfortunately, the two mercenaries could only book a double bedded cabin as the others were already taken by their co-passengers:
- an accountant looking to work for Blue Sun on Persephone
- a young richkid travelling the rim for fun
- a prissy former opera singer in her sixties

I made sure they were quickly annoyed by the other folks and being berthed together. I made the crew (Cpt, engineer, pilot) likable enough, though.

On day 2 of the ordeal the captain is called from the dinner table for a mysterious message (Jared heard something about "Marshall" and "Alliance") which prompts him to announce a slight course change due to asteroid activity en route.

Jared and Tyrell don't quite buy this, but fail to influence the crew into saying more. They discover, however, that during their absence someone has tempered with their cabin, even though they tried to make it look like nothing had changed. In an air duct they discover a data disk.

They take it to the cortex terminal, but it can't read the file. Tyrell asks the engineer who he has befriended if there's other terminals with different equipment maybe, but there isnt.

Jared has noticed earlier that something seems fishy about the accountant. They decide that one of them boozes him up and the other search his cabin. Tyrell fails to pick the lock, but just as he tries to pick it once more the Captain appears. Tyrell successfully tells the Captain he's gotten confused due to being drunk and the Hanson guides him back to his real cabin. Meanwhile the accountant returns to his bunk.

The next day the captain tells them that due to the hazardous flight conditions the passengers will have to stay in their cabins as per insurance regulations.

They grudgingly agree.

However, the next morning an alarm sounds, and one by one the passengers are called to the small mess hall. Jared and Tyrell panic a bit. They decide to hide the disk again, though in a different place. Just in time before they're called up.

The ship is crawling with Alliance who have towed the ship. The Alliance officer, Cpt. Avery, a very by the book guy, looks at their IDs. Jared and Tyrell both have a history of (botched) Alliance service, so he isn't too happy to see them. Everyone is told to stay in the mess hall while the ship is searched and the passengers' luggage is checked.

The search comes up empty. So the Alliance officer interrogates all passengers one by one. He's looking for a data disk, stolen from Boros three weeks ago. At the time, all passengers except Jared were there (Boros => Dora => Persephone is a common route).

During interrogation both Jared and Tyrell squirm uncomfortably. Jared is lucky that the pieces of his sniper rifle aren't discovered in his luggage, though he has to answer questions about his involvement on Dora, his travels and what he does with sniper ammo.

Tyrell squirms even more, and though he doesn't reveal anything about the data disk, he's forced to give up the name of the guy he usually takes contracts from. An examination of that person will be initiated.

The others are interrogated one by one with little result. Then the crew is questioned. The engineer, in the meantime a friend of Tyrell, betrays that Tryell talked about a disk.

After another talk Tyrell and Jared come clean with the true story. Avery believes him, because he thinks that not even Tyrell would be so stupid to ask the engineer about options to play back a data disk that he stole a few weeks ago. The two are ordered to stay in their cabin.

When they can finally leave, the Alliance are gone, they took the accountant with them. As it turns out the guy was a master spy and hacker who tried to shift the blame to Jared and Tyrell when he noticed something was up.

Tyrell and Jared are off the hook. However, Tyrell's main employer will come under scrutiny, which will be nothing new for that person, but not welcome, either. Jared's weapons license will be looked into. Also, their cash was scanned, and - what they don't know - the Alliance will ask why they took money that was robbed from the bank on Dora.

[Syt]

The freighter YMIR touched down on Persephone yesterday.

Jared goes to find some good whisky, but - failing - goes to a bar instead. Tyrell checks in with their contact and gets an address to go to. He also rents a room in a super seedy motel for 5 cr.

Their contact is One Eyed Charlie, a business woman with half her face horrifically disfigured. She's been informed that they'd seek work, and indeed she has something for them, even though she thinks Jared would be more of a liability than an asset. Jared is really strained not to jump over the table and punch her one during her derisive remarks.

Charlie's employer has lost an important item, a small, sealed alliance box of mysterious content, To a local crime lord wannabe by the name of Ernesto "the Slug" Rivera. Jared and Tyrell are hired to recover the box and kill Rivera.

Rivera knows that the box was very valuable but he has no means of opening it. Charlie explains that currently various bidders are visiting his small farm to bid for the item. As Jared and Tyrell are not locals, she might smuggle them in to check out the situation. She also points them to a good hotel, that's acually a bit cheaper than the dirt hole they previously looked at.

The two are dressed up as businessmen, with Jared as Tyrell's bodyguard. A shuttle takes them near the farm and they drive the rest by car.

There's a few guards around the house, and a few thugs of the Tong-Clan "Black Rat" are waiting by a car, probably for their boss who discusses with Rivera.

Jared agrees to wait outside, while Tyrell checks out the inside. Unfortunately he doesn't learn much. He knows there's a guard in the entrance hall, and at least three others in different rooms (he hears one from another door, and sees two guys when he peeks into the kitchen). Spying out Rivera does not go so well. Tyrell bothces about anything he can and his kicked out by the bodyguard, a tall, mean looking Scandinavian called Comanche.

Back at Charlie's they discuss how to proceed. They decide to tackle the thing at night. They plan to take out a patrol circling the barn, so that Jared and his sniper rifle can get onto the roof and then take it from there.

As the patrol are two guys they decide that Tyrell (the melee specialist) gets up close behind them and takes out one while Jared (with his night vision scope) takes out the other. Tyrell manages to sneak up on the two from behind. Jared takes down his target without problems. Tyrell, however, trips behind his target and falls flat on his face.

Fortunately, Jared reacts quickly enough and shoots the startled other guy, too.

Jared then climbs onto the barn and gets a bit of an overview. The rear entrance is guarded by one person, and a car is there (which I intended as escape car for them). Tyrell sneaks around the house and tries to enter an unlit window. However, he fails opening it. Jared and he agree via (loaned) comlink that Jared take down the guard - which he does effortlessly. Tyrell stuffs the body into the car and tries to hide the blood (though he misses some) a.s.a.p.

Thinking that the car might serve Rivera as an escape vehicle if things go south he also sabotages the engine.

Jared comes down from the roof and they cautiously enter the kitchen ... but no one's there. Two drunk guards are in the dining room, but they leave them alone for now.

They sneak towards the Rivera's office. The office is lit, but no one's there. Tyrell picks the lock of a cabinet, but there's only a pistol and a bunch of uninteresting documents. Jared finds copies of pretty large bank transactions on the desk, but it doesn't say from where the money came.

Tyrell tries to listen at the door behind the desk, but he totally botches it. However, the door flings open and knocks Tyrell over.

In the door stands the surprised Comanche. Jared reacts first (high initiative) and shoots him at point blank range. The tall Scandi goes down. Tyrell manages to stagger to his feet and stabs down on the brute.

Of course all hope for stealth is gone now (shoulda brought the silencers for pistols, too, not only the rifle ...). From behind another door comes the shout "Guards!" Tyrell recognizes the voice as Rivera's.

Jared quickly checks the room Comanche came out of - it's a comm center with computers and communications equipment. The box isn't there.

Tyrell has opened the door behind which he guesses Rivera must be. He launches at him with his sword but only manages to nick his ear.

Jared manages to shoot past Tyrell and kills Rivera. Guards are approaching, so they decide to make a run.

Jared: "Sure would be nice if the car was still working!"

Tyrell:

They run for a door, behind which a guard waits. Tyrell slashes at him with his sword ... and misses completely.

Jared again guns down the attacker.

They head through the room to the next room. Several women are chained down there, but the guys have no time to help. Jared slips one fo the girls a knife, then takes a leap and does a heoric jump through the window and rolls over the grass outside. Tyrell for once manages to pass a die roll and jumps after him. The contact their shuttle to home in on them and pick them up.

They run into the dark, and the guards lose them quickly.

Charlie is pleased that Rivera is dead, but not so pleased that they didn't bring back the box. However, she guess that it might have been sold already. She'll check with her contacts to see if she can bring up more.

When heading for their hotel they are cornered by half a dozen federal law enforcers. They're led by Major Womack, recently promoted and transferred from the Silverhold Colonies (watch the Firefly episode "The Message" to get to know him). He brings up their past transgressions (the money from the bank robbery they took, Tyrell's working for Englund), and the recent murder of "honourable businessman" Ernesto Rivera (he leaned on the shuttle pilot who talked).

He instructs them that when they have the box they should give it to him instead of the Red Dragon. Tyrell and Jared are a bit confused, as they don't know about no Red Dragon. At any rate, not producing the box for him would have dire consequences for them.

With that I left the two "heroes" to ponder.

comanche is not quite dead yet, so I may bring him back later, especially since, even though I buffed him up to be quite a brute, the confrontation was rather anticlimactic (though it worked in context).

[Sophie Scholl]

Fun read.  Gotta love when pc's crap all over your well laid out plans.

[Syt]

Yeah, it was fun. Especially since their employer lauded Tyrell in advance for his reputation and concluded that Jared was an idiot; then Tyrell blew about every roll he attempted. Jared rightfully told her off when she asked Tyrell how it went and if Jared was much of a liability.

[Josquius]

Their contact is One Eyed Charlie, a business woman with half her face horrifically disfigured. She's been informed that they'd seek work, and indeed she has something for them, even though she thinks Jared would be more of a liability than an asset. Jared is really strained not to jump over the table and punch her one during her derisive remarks.

He need to roll a control check or somesuch?

[grumbler]

Fun read.  Gotta love when pc's crap all over your well laid out plans.

Agreed about the read.  Thanks for sharing this, and please keep it up.

[Syt]

He need to roll a control check or somesuch?

Yes, I made him do it. They are not quite used to having their bad character traits (very character has to have at least one) influence the plot much yet, so I force them into play.

I enjoy sharing this, and will continue, because it's also a good way for me to keep track of things.

I'm still learning about game mastering and managing the players' expectations/making sure they have fun and have a fair bit of fun with it myself.

Next session will be in March.

[Faeelin]

Aren't you being a bit unfair with the urrency? Shouldn't most people know about the credits?