“Vortex” Update 5a.15 — Titan and drop ship

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5a.15 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 1 met on Monday, 25 April 2011, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

In one future, humanity has begun to colonize the Sol system, but ecological degradation and internecine conflicts persist. Open and official First Contact with Galactic societies, themselves at war, threaten Terra’s very survival. Can heroes rise to the challenges?

After enduring xenophobic attacks on Earth, two alien explorers and their human allies were embroiled in megacorp intrigues in the Lemuria orbital city and the Lunar Free State. The group then visited the Mars Confederation and obtained a faster-than-light ship in the Asteroid Belt from the Olvar Star League….

>>”Vortex” Team 1 (5a), crew of the Blackbird, as of spring 2011:

-“Syzygy” [Brian W.]-Trinoid (trilateral amphibious alien) xenologist with an organic laboratory and a pet cat named “Mr. Sniffles”

-“Tela” [Sara F.]-female Tharian (winged reptilian humanoid alien) escapee from the Encegulans, engineer

-“Chris McKee” [Josh C.]-male North American Terran cyborg human sniper working for eugenics conspirators at Black Box Security Co.

-“Aughest-vor” [Jason E.R.]-male human from the Lemuria orbital city, onetime dilettante, solar-sail regatta pilot

-“Lt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K.]-male Terran human, burned-out officer and explorer in the Interplanetary Patrol

-“Gombo Shisel” [Rich L.]-male Mongolian/Martian human, former horse rancher and wilderness survival expert

-“Dr. Bucket” [Non-Player Character]-United Earth Authority astromech robot assigned to the Blackbird

-Game dates: “8 to 14 September 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Galactic Era”

>>Scene 1: Eclipse Station

The Blackbird docks at a colony in orbit around Saturn’s moon Titan. The scout ship’s crew finds the docking terminal sparsely populated and goes to the Ringtown Diner to find out about local affairs and potential sellers of used military drop ships.

Syzygy drinks copious amounts of water and orders a full leg of lamb for his xenobiology lab. Tela enjoys a fish burger, kelp pie, and the lack of surprise from station inhabitants at seeing aliens. The Tharian engineer also talks to the jukebox/robotic cook.

Chris McKee orders a multicolor pizza and washes it down with Golden Rings ale. Lt. Kevin Reese sees a Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian alien) patron eating a real hamburger and asks an android waitress wearing 1950s style garb to bring him one, no matter the cost. Aughest-vor… also drinks a strong beer and notices a Chim (“Uplifted,” or genetically modified, chimpanzee) in mechanic’s coveralls.

Tela, wary of bounty hunters, throws a piece of Chris’ pizza at the Ru’ulok but hits the Chim! She and Syzygy duck under tables as the mechanic angrily confronts the armored alien. Aughest slips out to the Lucky Garden Casino down the hall, while Chris readies his holdout pistol. Lt. Reese pulls out his Interplanetary Patrol badge and persuades Faisal Batar to leave. Ralek, the Ru’ulok, thanks the officer and says he can be reached aboard the Bloody Drover (Bay 19).

Aughest-vor is accosted by the attractive Tanya Montana as he enters the smoke-filled gambling den. Giving his name as “Zach Urku,” the onetime playboy is guided to a back room, where he loses his first few hands at poker before his companions rejoin him. They are harangued by Rev. Winston outside a mall chapel, and Syzygy finds that the air in the casino is laced with euphoria-inducing drugs.

The explorers return to the Ringtown Diner in time to meet Dimitri Parvis, a cyborg mecha driver who offers them a Cheyenne-class drop ship for a few hundred thousand credits (which they obtained as part of the Tyche trade deal). They agree to meet metal-limbed Parvis on Titan for a test drive the next morning.

Pilot Aughest also contacts Amir Mukhtadi about a Tau Orca-class vessel. The Blackbird‘s crew plans to nest the Tiger Hawk Sandstorm modular ground-effect vehicle in its drop ship. Back at the Star League ship at Berth 13, Gombo Shisel and Dr. Bucket prepare the launch bay, play cards, and monitor communications (including news of the Venusian virus and ensuing civil unrest, casualties, and United Earth Authority quarantine [see Team 2 notes]).

Kevin returns to the Lucky Garden to spend an evening with Tanya and Galia, even though Syzygy has identified them as synthetic humanoids. Tela and Chris go to the shop of provisioner Hassan, who turns out to be the brother of Amir. The glider-winged extraterrestrial buys coffee and some goldfish as pets, while Agent Prometheus loads up on guns and ammunition.

Syzygy learns that a Trinoid “sharer” is at Arhus University, coinciding with Black Box Security Co.’s orders to Chris to report to Jamila Sahdai, an agent also in New Syria. They take the Blackbird down to Titan, leaving behind Kevin, who has to catch up on a redeye shuttle to Saturn’s frigid moon.

>>Scene 2: New Syria

Syzygy, Tela, Aughest, and Kevin go to Arhus University, where they find Solipsy in a laboratory filled with strange life forms. Syzygy and Solipsy embrace tentacles, sharing information, while the humans and Tharian cautiously explore the archives.

Meanwhile, Agent Prometheus goes to a nearby hydroponics farm, where he encounters two naked people emerging from hibernation chambers! They subdue him, and Sahdai replaces an implant in his skull just as Lt. Reese gets permission to scan the area using Solipsy’s equipment (in return for going to the neutral Oasis Station, about 40 parsecs from Sol, on behalf of the Kharvamid Alliance).

The adventuring party rushes next door, only to find Chris standing and with no recollection of being operated upon. Syzygy confirms that he has a new cybernetic implant, and Kevin and Aughest recommend that Chris have it removed.

>>Scene 3: Test drives and potential missions

Back at Eclipse Station, Lt. Reese reports to Lt. Yasmine Al-Ghuj and Capt. Garzan Cisneros, who tease him with surveillance images of him in his red and black Blackbird uniform (provided by Aughest) with Tanya and Galia. They ask the burned-out cop to remember that they need to earn the miners‘ respect.

Capt. Cisneros, commander of the U.E.V. Kindjal, also asks Kevin to bring supplies to Tiger Squadron, which is stationed at an observation post near Alpha Centauri. Since it’s only a few days’ detour from Oasis Station, the crew of the Blackbird eventually agrees to help.

The group meets with Parvis, and Aughest flies the Cheyenne-class drop ship. Tela finds it to be spaceworthy, and Chris and Kevin verify that the craft was once used by Jovian forces. Syzygy expresses concern that it is a warship rather than a scout vessel, but his companions claim that they’ll need to protect themselves when leaving the Blackbird.

After some haggling, Parvis sells the drop ship and includes weapons systems rather than allow the team to meet with competitor Amir Mukhtadi in New Quebec. He also recommends “Fingers in Shadow,” supposedly the best surgeon in the Saturnian colonies and a member of Capt. Robert Stone’s crew.

The wanderers go to the Lucky Garden, where they find Capt. Stone and an unsettling “octoparrot” on his shoulder. The cyborg pirate offers to have his doctor remove Chris’ implant in return for the Blackbird distributing a Terran videogame called “Defeat the Fleet” to extrasolar customers. After some consideration, the group declines in favor of finding another surgeon.

After taking possession of the drop ship, which Tela rechristens the “Dragonfly” [to be statted out], the crew of the Blackbird prepares for its first interstellar voyage. Syzygy synchronizes data with his lab and the ship’s computers, and Lt. Reese asks Capt. Cisneros for more information on Tiger Squadron.

Agent Prometheus, unsure of what’s in his head, loads the weapons locker and watches for Ru’ulok slavers. Aughest-vor… plots a course to Alpha Centauri, and Tela readies the REM faster-than-light drive….

Josh will be writing up his own notes as “Chris McKee.” Let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing some of you at the cross-group cookout in mid-May! -Gene

“Vortex” Update 5b.14 — Swindles for a stardrive

MarSoupAiL's ship — Space gambling venue

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5b.14 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 2 met on Monday, 11 April 2011, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

After encountering regional warlords, extraterrestrial probes, and other hazards around Karachi and Ghanki Station beneath the Arabian Sea, a band of grifters and near-humans escaped to the Shepard 2 orbital city. They conducted a successful heist in the Lunar Free State, then undertook an urgent medical mission to the Venus colonies….

>>”Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the Appomattox, as of spring 2011:

-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot

-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C.]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco

-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter

-“Dr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C.]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber

-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L.]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker

-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A./absent]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert

-“Nero Bartholomew” [Non-Player Character]-male Terran human, former owner of the “Fortune’s Fool,” ship’s cook

-“Averki ‘Deep Dish’ Dyashenko” [N.P.C.]-male reptilian Synth (genetically engineered humanoid), onetime Venusian miner

“22 to 23 September 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Galactic Era:” After returning to Earth, the crew of the Appomattox prepares to host a party and follow up on leads to faster-than-light (FTL) engines. Capt. Gabriel Adams handles docking with an orbital city and visiting ships.

ARTHERR reviews ship specifications and repaints himself again, this time as a Doric column in keeping with Nero Bartholomew’s ancient Roman-themed décor. Jasmine puts on a toga and greets arriving guests. The tiger woman asks for their weapons.

Dr. Richmond Garrett supervises Nero and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko’s cooking and redressing of the yacht’s lounge for gambling, as in a Mississippi River boat. Retiree Dr. Dieter Klein invites former interns and looks forward to making new acquaintances.

Hector Chavez monitors communications and learns that the group’s involvement in treating the Venusian virus and investigating the subsequent stadium disaster has been in the Terran news. The party decides against inviting any officers from the United Earth Authority.

Among the guests is “Ramon Sanchez” [Josh H./Greg], the Lisbon-based “fixer” who had given the party its first mission, to an old battlefield north of Karachi. Ramon wears a long coat and sunglasses and brings two beefy aides, Hugo and Hernando.

Lillian Morrisey, an underworld contact of Gabriel, escorts Capt. Brandon Morgan, who claims to know of “easy pickings” near Earth. Hector’s onetime handler Max mentions a derelict ship at the edge of the Sol system. ARTHERR unobtrusively serves drinks.

Last but not least are two Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian aliens) offering humans work with the galactic Trade Guilds. Gorvek Beezo and “Rabak Porset” [Rich/N.P.C.] say there is another ship with extraterrestrial technology ripe for the picking. They and the other gamblers try various games, including roulette and baccarat, before settling on Texas Hold-’em poker. Jasmine deals the cards.

Capt. Morgan chats up Dr. Garrett, who determines that his fellow confidence artist is neither wealthy nor reputable. Dr. Klein is briefly intimidated by Hugo and Hernando, so he teams up with the Ru’ulok against Ramon. Capt. Adams telepathically contacts Richmond, and Dieter suspects that something is amiss.

Gorvek clumsily tries to make small talk with “Synth” Jasmine, whom has been instructed to take a 5% rake for the house. Hector helps keep watch for cheating. Brandon changes tack, flirting with Jasmine, confusing the former wrestler. Richmond successfully bluffs Brandon, causing him to be short-stacked.

Mr. Sanchez turns his attention to Dr. Garrett, who agrees to take a load of mysterious cargo to Epsilon Eridani. Gabriel asks the Ru’ulok about who invited them. Rabak replies that they had heard of the soiree from Lillian, and Gorvek finds that Gabriel is as altruistic as he is mercenary. Richmond tries to get the reptilian visitors drunk (“poker-faced”) by offering several toasts.

Ramon continues his winnings against Dieter, who bets against Gorvek. Gabriel pushes Brandon to the brink of being broke but is intimidated in turn by the Ru’ulok. Capt. Morgan briefly recovers at Dr. Klein’s expense, and Richmond presses his advantage over Gorvek.

Dieter and Brandon reluctantly take loans from Ramon, and Gorvek suggests that a Kharvamid Alliance ship would be easy prey, despite potential Gustrall (orange-furred, raptor-like alien) guards. He surprises the other card players with strong hands against Richmond and Dieter.

Gabriel offers to pay Brandon’s debt to Ramon in return for a favor, and the suave captain agrees. Dieter also has second thoughts about becoming indebted to the fastidious fixer. Ramon, satisfied with his winnings, departs with Hugo and Hernando. Gorvek and Rabak say that the alien ship can still be salvaged, if another crew doesn’t get there first.

Max says he’ll keep the group in mind for the derelict at the Sol system’s edge. Brandon and Lillian describe the Enlightened Flower, a vessel being refitted with an Olvar FTL drive in the private shipyard of one Feng Ruying. Brandon says he wants that ship’s central computer as a finder’s fee. Richmond says that the Appomattox‘s crew will begin planning a heist….

Session 5b.15 for the crew of the Appomattox is scheduled for 2 May 2011. Neither “Vortex” team nor the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy game will be meeting during the next two weekends because of family travel. The crew of the Blackbird will meet again on April 25, and the “Vanished Lands” should resume on May 1.

We also have some nongaming events coming up, including Waltham’s steampunk festival on May 7, The Mighty Thor, and the mid-May potluck! I look forward to seeing all of you after Passover and Easter, -Gene

“Vortex” Update 5b.13 — Decryption, defense, and decoration

"Vortex" Team 2's yacht — The "Appomattox"

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5b.13 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 2 met on Monday, 4 April 2011, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

>>”Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the Appomattox, as of spring 2011:

-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot

-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert

-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C.]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco

-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter

-“Dr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C.]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber

-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L.]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker

-“Nero Bartholomew” [Non-Player Character]-male Terran human, former owner of the Fortune’s Fool, ship’s cook

-“Averki ‘Deep Dish’ Dyashenko” [N.P.C.]-male reptilian Synth (genetically engineered humanoid), onetime Venusian miner

“26 August to 21 September 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Galactic Era:” Aid workers struggle with a virus sweeping through the Venusian colonies. The crew of the Appomattox continues its investigation into the sabotage of Hephaestus Stadium, whose destruction killed thousands of workers who had gathered for treatment in the Kardikea orbital habitat.

Hector asks Gabriel to look for computer parts so that he can safely analyze a data storage unit obtained from the office of Orion Stefanov, chairman of the Venusian Finance Union (V.F.U.). The former secret agent explains to the runner that he doesn’t want to expose their ship’s systems to potential electronic countermeasures (ECM).

After defeating several layers of security and decrypting the information, Hector copies it and asks ARTHERR to help him analyze it. They find recordings of meetings of Stefanov and the V.F.U.’s Central Committee, which includes representatives of the 12 families and megacorporations that control Venus.

Stefanov had told the committee that thanks to his initiative, Dr. Richmond Garrett would be awarded the title of surgeon general and held responsible for the treatment of lower-ranking colonists. Nero Bartholomew, former tycoon and owner of the Fortune’s Fool, is confined to his cabin because of food-borne infection.

The recordings also confirm that the Central Committee ordered its security forces to withdraw shortly before the explosive decompression at Hephaestus Stadium, indicating foreknowledge. The United Earth Authority (U.E.A.) has been looking for such proof of Finance Union misdeeds.

ARTHERR is confused by evidence that Vimeco, the megacorp that created him, provided the robotic assassins at the stadium and engineered the virus to spread and kill more quickly. The exploration robot has been assisting with the distribution of medicine, some of which was also made by Vimeco.

Kardikean flight control tells the Appomattox to prepare to be boarded, because a warrant has been issued for Dr. Garrett’s arrest in connection with the sabotage, uncensored transmissions, and break-in at Chairman Stefanov’s office. Jasmine creates an improvised shield from a metal container door, and ARTHERR recommends herding the livestock that Dr. Dieter Klein tested toward the airlock as a diversion.

As guards arrive at the space dock with cutting tools, Richmond emerges from a long soak in the low-gravity sauna and wonders what all the fuss is about. Although the snake-oil salesman did accept the surgeon general post and recommend the use of Hephaestus Stadium, he didn’t participate in the daring infiltration of the Central Committee offices.

Richmond stalls for time, allowing his companions to send the incriminating data to their contacts — Gabriel to fixer Lillian Morrisey, Hector to onetime handler Max, and ARTHERR to Capt. Amelia Saviola of U.E.V. Sphinx, the U.E.A. destroyer maintaining the medical quarantine of Venus. Hector also contacts Lady Lykhova, a member of the Central Committee and a potential rival or successor to Stefanov.

By surrendering to Stefanov and Lykhova, Richmond avoids a shootout on the Appomattox and guarantees himself a show trial. He and ARTHERR are taken to a holding area as news drones surround their yacht and the courtroom. People across the Venusian colonies tune in to see the Terran spies prosecuted and executed for their crimes during the plague.

Ever wily, Richmond privately tells Orion that he has evidence that security officer Kiril Shatalin was involved in the sabotage and that a doctor at Morningstar Consortium was conducting corporate espionage with Xi Labs, interfering with early treatment of the illness. Dr. Garrett offers up the two patsies during his trial, narrowly escaping execution, and returns to his ship.

Capt. Saviola thanks ARTHERR and the rest of “MarSoupAiL” (shell company Mars Soup Aid Lenders Ltd.) for the data, which she says the U.E.A. legislature will use against Stefanov. She orders “Capt. Doug McDonnell” [Erik B.L./N.P.C.] of the aid vessel Parsifal to see whether the Appomattox can be cleared to leave Venus space.

The Interstellar Patrol veteran tries to telepathically scan for clues that the crew knows more than it has told the U.E.A., but he is blocked by defiant Gabriel and Richmond. After a thorough disinfection of the galley and cabins by Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko, Capt. McDonnell clears the Appomattox to return to Earth.

The relieved crew spends the journey reviewing the ship for potential improvements. The adventurers discuss their leads on obtaining faster-than-light (FTL) engines. Hector’s friend Max had mentioned an abandoned alien ship at the edge of the Sol system, but it could take months to reach with conventional Terran technology.

In return for profitable information about Venus, Lillian has referred a man named Brandon Morgan, who knows of a lightly defended FTL vessel near Earth. She also previously told Gabriel about Rabak Porset, a Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian alien) offering drives and privateering work through the galactic Trade Guilds.

ARTHERR contacts Adm. Wei Sihong, whom he had given dangerous samples retrieved from a battlefield north of Karachi and in Ghanki Station. The probe droid asks the U.E.A. for containment units that can maintain extreme temperatures. Dr. Klein asks for a proper medical bay, and engineer Hector notes that the Appomattox doesn’t yet have any weaponry.

Gabriel customizes some of the passenger cabins for smuggling, and Richmond buys gambling equipment to redecorate the yacht’s lounge with a riverboat casino theme (in contrast to Nero’s ancient Roman-styled crew cabins). Dr. Garrett and Deep Dish also study astrogation.

Once in Earth orbit, Gabriel invites several of the party’s contacts, such as fixer “Ramon Sanchez” [Josh H./N.P.C.] to meet and discuss potential missions in the Appomattox‘s new lounge. Hector familiarizes himself with ship systems, especially communications and ECM. ARTHERR experiments with the grappling unit and supervises the installation of the containment units. Doctors Garrett and Klein keep a low profile and stay aboard.

Jasmine takes Deep Dish planetside for sightseeing. They go to a subtropical park, where they atavistically hunt and devour a deer. The tiger woman politely declines the reptile man’s overtures, noting that she has a mate Darsil but she knows a female Synth named Ruby. Jasmine also tells Deep Dish of her dream of a homeworld for their people, free of human oppression.

Back at the Appomattox, the crew weighs its options for an FTL drive and prepares to receive its gear and guests….

Please note that “Vortex” Team 2 will play again next Monday, April 11, and Team 1 won’t convene again until April 25 (sorry, Bruce). Rich, I hope you’ll be able to meet the remaining gamers soon! In the meantime, everyone should R.S.V.P. to the May 14 cross-group cookout invitation by next week. Take it easy, -Gene

“Vortex” Update 5a.14 — Tyche trading

The T.K.V./U.E.V. "Blackbird" — The "Blackbird"

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5a.14 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 1 met on Monday, 28 March 2010, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

>>”Vortex” Team 1 (5a) Player Characters, crew of the “Blackbird,” as of spring 2011:

-“Syzygy” [Brian W.]-Trinoid (trilateral amphibious alien) xenologist with an organic laboratory and a pet cat named “Mr. Sniffles”

-“Tela” [Sara F.]-female Tharian (winged reptilian humanoid alien) escapee from the Encegulans, engineer

-“Chris McKee” [Josh C.]-male North American Terran cyborg human sniper working for eugenics conspirators at Black Box Security Co.

-“Aughest-vor” [Jason E.R.]-male human from the Lemuria orbital city, onetime dilettante, solar-sail regatta pilot

-“Lt. Kevin Reese” [Bruce K.]-male Terran human, burned-out officer and explorer in the Interplanetary Patrol

-“Gombo Shisel” [Rich L.]-male Mongolian/Martian human, former horse rancher and wilderness survival expert

Scene 1: Leaving the Asteroid Belt

“5 to 7 September 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Galactic Era:” Syzygy sets up his organic laboratory aboard the Blackbird, and Tela reports that the REM faster-than-light drive isn’t ready because the Olvar-installed (mammal-like alien) biomechanical systems need fine-tuning after the refitting for a human crew. “Dr. Bucket” helps familiarize the crew with its new vessel, although Chris McKee and Lt. Kevin Reese suspect that the robot is a spy for the United Earth Authority (U.E.A.).

Agent Prometheus acquaints himself with the particle cannon, while Lt. Reese watches Aughest-vor pilot the scout ship. The Interplanetary Patrol officer had requisitioned armored space suits for the mission to explore Tyche, a mysterious body near the Sol system.

Former horse rancher Gombo Shisel tries to use his animal-handling abilities on the spider-like drones in “the Hive,” but he finds that the ship as a whole responds more like a subsentient creature than individual robots. The Blackbird takes only a few hours to reach Tyche but stands off by a few Astronomical Units (the distance from Sol to Terra) because of radiation.

Preliminary scans indicate that Tyche is either a Precursor “sunkiller” or a rogue brown dwarf star diverted by Sol’s gravity well. The humans are alarmed at the Kharvamid Alliance databank mention of a sunkiller but have more pressing concerns, such as the body’s pull and radiation, as well as two arriving ships!

Scene 2: Tensions at Tyche

The first vessel is identified as the Shameless Strumpet, a mining ship from the Jovian colonies. Familiar with frontier customs, Gombo manages to intimidate Capt. Shane Borkai, Tetzuki Scarlotti, and Malia Karveh, who claim Tyche for themselves and have a contract with megacorporation Oromax. They recognize Aughest-vor from his solar-sail regattas.

The second ship is crewed by Cestolar, whom the Blackbird‘s computers identify as a former client species of the Olvar. They are badger-like, impatient, and literal. Capt. Dvar, Uduk, and Khoz recognize the Blackbird as the former Morifaiwet, which once outmaneuvered three Cestolar ships for similar mining rights. They also later recognize Tela as a Tharian.

Lt. Reese and Aughest-vor offer to negotiate a settlement and invite two members from each crew to the Blackbird. Tela and Dr. Bucket prepare the cargo bay for reception and then watch from the engine room. Gombo offers his expertise in claims settlement, and Syzygy notes that Tyche doesn’t pose an immediate threat to Terrans but represents a strategic resource.

Xenologist Syzygy talks with the stocky Capt. Dvar and Uduk, who are suspicious of the factionalized, erratic humans. Armored Capt. Borkai and Scarlotti are wary of Aughest’s association with Vimeco, which is a rival to Oromax. Neither side trusts the other or the negotiators. The Cestolar state that their mining technology is more advanced and much safer than that of the Jovians.

On behalf of the U.E.A., Kevin and company eventually manage to broker a deal to share the valuable plasma and heavy elements that the Cestolar will mine from Tyche. However, the Shameless Strumpet will have to spend the next year (of Earth time) in orbit to monitor their progress. The crew of the Blackbird agrees to contact the U.E.A. for supplies and protection from Ru’ulok raiders.

Scene 3: Swinging by Saturn

Although it wasn’t able to directly obtain samples from Tyche, the crew of the “Blackbird” reports its fuel-sharing arrangement to the U.E.A. and turns sunward. At an orbital habitat near Saturn’s moon Titan, the crew looks for a used military drop ship….

Josh C. will be writing his own update for this game, and I expect the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy game to continue this coming Sunday. Note that I’ve also posted to the Yahoo/eGroups message board about potential schedule changes in the next two months, books and miniatures for sale or trade, and a potential cross-group cookout in mid-May! Happy gaming, -Gene

What’s with all these games?

Those readers just joining this blog may have noticed that more than half of my recent posts are dedicated to the various games I’m playing. In truth, they do occupy a fair amount of my free/social time. As my peers enter middle age, finding time to hang out aside from the usual work and family commitments is increasingly difficult.

A quick look back: In autumn of 1982, when I was a freshman in high school, I entered a hobby that would change my life. My interest in fantasy and science fiction had led me to Dungeons & Dragons and Star Frontiers. Through college, grad school, and married and professional life, various role-playing games (RPGs) have been my main medium for creativity and socializing.

Like many people of my generation, I also played video games in arcades, on consoles, and on computers, but they never appealed to me the way tabletop games have. I’ve only dabbled in board games, collectible card games, miniatures-driven wargames, and multiplayer online games.

I don’t expect the freeform storytelling, character-driven drama, or arcane rules sets of true RPGs to be for everyone, but many of my friends and I enjoy them. It’s a pity that role-playing hasn’t gotten the public acceptance that video games have, and face-to-face, pen-and-paper, or dice-and-pizza games peaked in popularity in the 1980s. As David I.S. noted, tabletop RPGs will likely persist as a niche form of entertainment, like heavy metal music, model rocketry, or cosplay.

In the present, I’m running games for three groups. On Sunday evenings, I meet with six people across the U.S. via Skype for a fantasy campaign using Pathfinder. Since I prefer homebrew scenarios over professionally published modules, the current adventuring party is exploring my “Vanished Lands” setting. Sure, that world is based heavily on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and others, but close to 400 Player Characters have helped shape its fictional history.

On Monday nights, I’ve been running alternating groups of about six players each in my “Vortex” space opera, using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures. I’ve enjoyed juggling numerous characters and storylines, but I’m at the limit of what I can prepare for and host regularly. I’m also in contact with other Game Masters, both locally and near Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Aside from the session updates, what else do you want to know about my games? My groups have tried several genres and rules sets over the years, and the interpersonal dynamics are at least as important as our choice of game or characters. If you’re in one of my games, what would you like to know about from “behind the curtain”? What don’t you understand, or what tragedies and triumphs have occurred in your own groups? Happy gaming!