Blind Sided!

 Chardonnay with Death Star Ice Cube

Our little group got together finally after what seemed like an eternity.  After some nice social banter to catch up with real world lives, we got down to business – Part II of “THE WHEEL”.

This being our 3rd session with new comer Griff the mechanics of the game seemed almost second nature.  This really sped up the game and really made the story line flow.

Here’s what happened.

The trio’s main mission was to fly to a jungle planet to try and find a crashed ship of deserters.  On board was to be some cybernetic research for the group to acquire and bring back to the station to be sold on the black market.   Anything else was for the taking.

However when the team landed – all that was found was the remains of a crashed ship.  A metal skeletal carcass – picked clean of any useful entrails.

The group had a droid in tow who was to help with the mission.  The droid turned out to be the property of Captain Harsel.  The pilot of the crashed ship.   Captain Harsel was now the leader of the remaining survivors.

The entire story then just took off as the Captain and the Droid re-unite.  The group is brought to a fortified village and meet the other survivors including Crutella – a humanoid with cyborg implants.

The captain is afraid to leave the planet in fear he be discovered by the Imperial.  Crutella wants off.  Since there was some disagreement on which of the 2 the group should focus their efforts – they decide to split and take on both in separate side plots.   Griiff attempted to ally Crutella while the Dr and Cardhu tried to hard line Captain Harsel.

THE BLIND SIDE

This is when it got crazy.  Griff’s wrist band (a disguised communicator) goes off and it’s Kal.  Kal was the security officer on board ‘The Wheel’ who helped the trio recover the IT-3PO droid before embarking to the planet.

HE WORKS FOR THE IMPERIAL!!!!  Kal had sweet talked Griif and gave her a bracelet which was a homing beacon and communicator.  It was a trap to help the Imperial track down the deserter ship.  The group unknowingly betrayed the deserters by leading the Imperial right to their doorstep!

Stay and Fight or escape?
There was room for 2 extra passengers on board the shuttle.  The group urges Captain Harsel and Crutella to join them.  Crutella flees with the group as the Captain stays to fight off the Imperial landing party.

Among-st  a hail of blaster fire the group escaped back to the shuttle and avoid capture and ‘fair trial’ of the Imperial variety.

They make their way to rendezvous with Rone to hand over the cybernetic research – which happens to be Crutella.   When the two lay eyes on each other they ran into each other’s arms.

The End.

The group couldn't stop talking about the blind side and all thoroughly enjoyed the twist the GM had incorporated into the story line.  It was like when Luke finds out Vader is his father!  No one saw the Kal angel coming.

This entry wouldn't be complete without a huge shout out to our GM.  It was a well thought out and very enjoyable adventure to experience!

The Wheel

The Wheel - starwars.wikia.com

We kicked off part 1 of a 2 part adventure. In a somewhat elaborate back story alignment of Cardhu's character and current events- a familiar Imperial foe captured our ship in an ambush and seized all our possessions.  We were allowed to go on our way, but all we'd work for was now gone.

Our new heading was the Wheel - a giant space station where we'd meet up with a Cardhu's friends who'd given her an opportunity to pay off a favor.  The favor - find a legend ship and appropriate some advanced technology.  Any other goodies would be there for the taking.

The Wheel also provided for a chance meeting of an old 'friend' of Griff's. A security officer on the station who'd aid the group in re-capturing a droid needed for the mission.  Two Rodians made off with it and almost escaped the station had Griff's friend not intervened to seal off the landing bay.  Griff's quick thinking and use of a disguise kit fooled them into leaving the droid behind and fleeing the station.

From a player perspective I felt the group really started coming together.  Two of us are still relatively new to the entire RPG genre while the third and the GM are both vets of the game. Griff's take on the game I imagine is helping take the adventures in completely uncharted directions.  Who thinks of purchasing a disguise kit and using it to take down two Rodians?  The same two that almost brought my character Cardhu to an end with a direct blaster shot to the chest in a high speed chase fire fight?

It's the first time I felt afraid for my first ever RPG character. Almost having your character killed was a very strange feeling.  This person I created about 6 months ago was now lying on the ground in need of serious help.  Yoda's proclamation of "RECKLESS" came to mind.  I shall be more careful in part 2 of this adventure.  Even if the die are in my hand are loaded - it doesn't mean it's a sure thing.

On the Run but from what?

Now that I've made it to the Edge of the Empire,  the sleepless nights on the run seem almost a lost memory. I'm not sure how I feel now that running for the most part has subsided - there seems to be a void now.

I hope the other clan members made it off Ryloth. However I doubt it.  I'm certain the Regents cou ensured they're all dead.  Ever since father made it clear that it was in Ryloth's chance to be free of the Republic and join the separatists I've never felt safe.

Republic or separatist.  It was easy - everything was black and white.  Now out here on my own on the 'edge' - everything seems a shade of grey.  I'm now just one person trying to survive.  I guess I can justify some of the things i've done in the name of self preservation.

A Means to an End

"That was too easy." Gryph thought as she got dressed. She kicked the empty bottles of firewater out of the doorway and made her way down to the galley.

Before embarking on this mission she knew she had to find a way to get on the inside track, she had to get the others to trust her, so she used her "abilities" to form a bond with Cardhu (she knew the good doctor was still hung up on his dead wife and was therefore a lost cause).

Now she should be easily able to convince Cardhu at least to give her a cut of any credits they accumulated for now on.  That would mean Gryph would be well on her way to a new life and if that meant screwing a couple of street rats over than so be it.

FEAR

Apprehending  a deadly bounty hunter not only comes with rewards of credits, but sometimes influence.

 According to a journal entry left open by Dr. Jorbis Kane - it appears he's taken full advantage.  The Pykes were willing to help him out and he uncover some more clues surrounding the circumstances of his wife's murder.

So an ominous and enormous space ship crawled across the sky - cutting short any further recreation activities.  So large it seemed unreal.  An Imperial Star Destroyer.  It spit out tiny little bugs from its hangar bays.  The bugs would eventually be realized to be Tie-Fighter Bombers. 

There was a quick message from Admiral Crawley informing the inhabitants that we would be bombed into oblivion if a certain bounty hunter was not not released to them.

This situation according to Cardhu clearly did not involve them with bounty hunter anymore. The two packed their crates and rendezvous en route with YT.  Half their money lost and quick introduction to Gryph Jones and the trio blasted out of the system evading Tie-Fighters.

So what kind of trouble did they get into now?  Well it involves a missing Star Destroyer and a reward for its rescue.  20000 credits!  Since Gryph was new to the gang - the doctor and Cardhu after much deliberation decide that Gryph will have to earn her cut.

What's a girl to do? Out of money and out of options.  Gryph to her credit does negotiate a performance bonus if she's deemed valuable to the mission at hand.  This did however set the tone for the adventure - Jorbis' opinion of the lady folk surfaced and made for some really awesome interaction between characters.

What a scoundrel!

Jorbis Kane

Jorbis forgot to log himself out of the ship's system.  I shouldn't have read this but... here it is:

--------------Begin Log------------------

“The killers will be found. I’ll see to that myself” Jorbis says aloud to no one but himself. He’s been sitting all night. Staring out into the darkness searching for answers. Asking, but receiving no reply.  Those who could help are few and far between. Days have blended into months while his task remains firmly rooted in his mind.  He must find these people. He must bring them to justice. Justice? Is that even possible at this point? 

His mission to find his wife’s killer has been going slowly. Slow, until now.

 Jorbis reached out to the Pyke crime syndicate to find answers. A bold move but one that paid off in the end.  The answer was not at all what he expected it would be.  The Pyke’s sources confirm with absolute certainty that the murder was not an accident. It was retribution for something that Medlun’s father had done. He had crossed the wrong people and Medlun paid the price.

The information hit Jorbis hard. He wasn’t prepared for any of it. Almost sick to his stomach, he returned to his hotel room in a daze.  How could this happen? What did her father do? What is he involved in? The time to grieve is long past. The time for action is dawning.

The night has been spent partly in anguish and partly in sorrow. Not sorrow for what has happened. No, this sorrow is for what he must do. The game has changed. The stakes have increased and the cards are dealt.  How they are played it another matter. The plan that Jorbis has formulated is solid.  At least it seems that way to him.

“I only have one choice” he mumbles. Time is slipping away quickly. With every step he gets closer, they get further away. Jorbis begins to pack up for the day. As he sorts through his gear he gains confidence. Firmly grasping the light blaster pistol he knows he is on the right track. He will find the killers…even if it takes her last breath.  First however, he needs to prepare.

Leaving his room he glances at the door across the hallway. “Hmph” he grumbles. “That Twi’lek will sleep with anything”.  He could see the relationship growing on their last mission together. Cardhu and Gryff were drawing closer all the time. He thought better than to disturb them. They need their sleep. No doubt they were up all night too….

-------------End Log----------------------------------

Gryph Jones Takes Her First Step Into A Larger World

How did Gryph Jones - a scholar - end up on the outer reaches of the galaxy?  Let's go back one more step and establish two important points:

1. We had another NEW TO RPG player
2. The player was a girl

Crazy!  This is apparently a milestone for my friends - its the first time a girl has embarked on an adventure.  It made for a really cool  game having another very unique perspective.

So Gryph's connection to the Doctor and Cardhu is this - she's a painter/scholar that couldn't establish her own artwork.  She came across a cache of rare paintings and sold them off as her own.  Gryph eventually was found out and ran to the Edges of the Empire. Cardhu had contacted Grpyh about acquiring the remaining pieces of artwork to 'help' sell them to collectors beyond the core worlds.  For a handling fee of course.  

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

The good doctor and I are moles in an underground crime ring on the core planet Coruscant.  We are tasked with finding the identity of a bounty hunter that crossed a rival gang.  Just as we uncover the name we are discovered and half to make a break for it.

Our escape involves a speeder chase through crowded frantic air-traffic, the destruction of our ride along with some unsuspecting droid cops and the car jacking of a police vehicle.  We later pawn it off at a chop shop. 

We are now sent out to track down the Trandoshan. Finding him is no easy task.  It involves a shoot out in a dive bar and the extraction of information from a now footless gangster.  It's a dark but bloody humorous scene as the Doctor and I make him talk by stomping on the maimed bad guy's ankle stump.

Eventually arriving at the bounty hunter's hideout (an industrial processing plant of sorts) the Doctor and I split up.  He attempts to infiltrate the complex through a series of vents and pipes where as I take the more direct approach by sweet talking the security camera in the main entrance.

My appearance seems to meet with the bounty hunter's approval and he allows me in.  I'm alone with the bad ass and I know it's a hopeless cause to attempt some sort of melee.  With Kane no where to be seen and time running out - I attempt to coerce the Trandoshan to surrender.  It's a ballsy move and dependent solely on my dice skills. If I fail - he'll have seen through my deception and I'm pretty much toast.

I've got some extra dice in play due to some proficiency in bullshitting.  I hold my breath - and roll.  

Success!  He surrenders! Not a single shot fired!  I train my pistol on him until the Jorbis can bind him.  We take him into custody.  The Trandoshan is beside himself that he's been duped.  

More shocked is the Pyke Family we turn him in to. We are revered and handsomely paid. 

The GM I think was most shocked - as this was definitely a bizarre and brazen bit of role playing.  

Of Huts and Mines

 My first mission and first experience playing RPG.  I meet Jorbis Kane - a human doctor operating on the fringes of the Empire.  Professes to be innocent and on the run from the law.  When not scraping together work he spends his free time tracking down the identities of those who murdered his wife.  His mission - bring forth justice.

Our connection is established - we owe one of the Hutt's and until our debt is paid - we work for him.  He is sending us to a nearby planet to get the low down on a mine he's purchased.  Bargos wants to know what condition it's in and to collect the first of many lucrative kickbacks.  

When we arrive it appears to be dormant - not good.  It's been shot up - by who we don't know.  We battle a deranged R2 unit which almost does us both in - our die rolling abilities tonight suck.  Kane and I uncover a Droid Revolution conspiracy and have to take out a land ship that is attempting to destroy the mine.

We fail miserably. The mine is destroyed and we are left tucking our tails between our legs as we head back to Bargos. Thankfully due to some lucky safe-cracking we are able to at least bring back some insurance papers that protected Bargo's financial interests in the mine - it's a write off but he's pleased it's not a complete loss.  He pays us some coin for our efforts and reduces our 'debt' to him.

We didn't tell him we also found a Talisman in our quest.  That we keep to ourselves.

Cardhu

Twi'lek

I expressed interest in trying out Star Wars Edge of the Empire.  That's all it took and a few nights later I was sipping a nice glass of scotch and filling out my first ever character sheet.

Cardhu - the name of my fine scotch became the name of my blue skinned female Twi'lek character. A fringe trader. Female you ask?? 

I figured I really go for it. Really force myself to be creative.  At first I was going to go the angle of maybe Gordon Freedman of Halflife, or maybe a sharp shooter from Counterstrike - something along the military characteristics with guns and other weaponry if I was to take on the Empire.  But that seemed like the easy thing to do for me - so I bucked my personal conventions and went with everything I could think of that was opposite of what I'd normally do.

My inspiration for my character would be Christina Hendricks from MadMen (and later pointed out to me - Firefly) and Garek of DS9.  Confident and smart of the persuasive personality that might be able to accomplish more with intellect instead of blaster fire.  I figured the others I'd be joining would be gunnery types so adding a 'face' to the mix might shake up the game play.  

I leveled up my character with as much cunning and intellect as possible - I even took on more obligation to raise my stats.  I grabbed a light range blaster and a frag grenade for good measure.  

The news of my joining this 'Fight Club' spread quickly and was met with excitement.  I wish I could of saw their faces when the 'he created a girl character' was announced.  I learned later it was met with some shock - no one apparently considered creating a female character. 

Dark Harden

Moss & Roy RPG session with Suits

A few years back when I binged watched the IT Crowd, there was an episode in the fourth and final season when the topic of Role Playing Games was broached. Pure hilarity ensued as Moss the GM lead 3 'Suits' on a wondrous journey of the mind in "Jen The Frodo".

I had always had a secret fascination of the D and D world and this episode of IT Crowd drew it closer to the surface.

I work in IT but I don't see myself as the stereotypical geek. I do enjoy general geek things like Star Wars, Trek, Firefly and other tv/movie sci-fi. But I don't brand myself as having a commanding knowledge as those I see in the comic con realms.  

RPG is something I didn't think I had the geek smarts and credibility to attempt.

That is until I showed a friend the  Jen The Frodo episode.   This is when it was let known to me that my friend was a big RPG enthusiasts since childhood.   It was just something he didn't ever bring up because of the stigma attached.  I found out as well that other friends were part of this secret society.

I wanted in.