Huw Solo and The Final Countdown

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Huw Solo, former Vidnews caster, unlicenced hyperspace courier ("Never knowingly Imperialy entangled") has just collected CR5000 from a cigar smoking Viper pilotette for the recovery of the Arrow of Artemis, or as it appears on the invoice "serv misc trans". Sadly for Solo as the Vipers takes off, he realises he's been paid in something called "Colonial Fleet Credits" which have a market rate of just above not a great deal. Desperate for cash to install new fuellie heads on his 396 Hurst Drive, Solo accepts a contract from a pair of Aslan from the Muillett clan of Kintire - to recover a data chip, on the history of Muilletts, from the interdicted planet of Llanaucuf - flagged as RED due to the presence of UXBs ("Huh?" says Solo?).

Solo and his sidekick, Gryff the giant Woollyback, sneak into Llanaucuf system and land The Millenium Nova in the lee of a gratuitously damaged factory complex. Large craters dot the landscape. As they make their way towards the ruins a hologram of a floating metallic eye appears and in an annoyingly pedantic voice announces:

"Greetings! I am Iskra, Guardian of All Data, the information that your feline clients require is simply not available for download. My resources will now terminate your access."

In the distance several large explosions could be heard; Solo and Gryff jogged towards the coordinates supplied by the Aslan. As Solo reached the lip of the crater, Gryff howled "GGGGGwuuuuuuubbbbs" as a mob of shambling lumpen critters armed with crude machine guns emerged. Solo realised UXB - Unidentified Xeno Bioweapon! He sprinted ahead while Gryff shot off a frag from his bowcaster; bits of gwub flew in a grey pulp and Gryff growled happily.

Meanwhile Solo was facing down the data retentive artefact and threatening it with a blaster bolt in its interface - Grudgingly the Iskra spat a data disc out which Solo pocketed with a jaunty whistle.

Gryff reported all was clear and the duo sprinted back into the ruins - an avalanche of debris revealed another mob of gwubs lumbering towards them; holding his S&W MiliBlaster in the approved two handed grip, Solo started putting bolts down range and dropping gwubs. With a fierce KRAK another of Gryff's frags tore into the mob, hurling gwub in all directions. The pair were off and running toward the Millenium Nova. As Solo reached the cockpit, a burst of gwub fire parted Gryff's shaggy hair and the Woollyback ducked for cover - pinned down as the Hurst drive began to spool up.....pressing the "HOLD" key, Solo jumped down into the belly turret and pulled the metal of the .750 autocannon; as the heavy calibre slugs ripped into the gwubs, Gryff dashed for it and hurling his heirloom bowcaster into the hatch, swung up into the Nova.

Solo hit the "GO" tab and the Nova began to lurch into the air, it's modified Hurst rattling alarmingly. Neither Solo nor Gryff noticed a small metallic eye settling down in the corner of the hold, slightly scorched from a frag blast.

MasterChef

Huw Solo and the Temple of Artemis

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Mutants And Death Ray Guns:
After Action Report:

Huw Solo, a newsvid announcer on New Cardiff until he fell foul of Imperial Broadcasting Protocol 5, now pilot-owner of un unlicenced scout-courier "The Millenium Nova", in which he claims to have run the Golden Mile in less than 4 Parsecs and to have "outrun Peugot Patrol 205s, the GTIs'" - not the local stuff". His gunner / mechanic is Gryff, a large woollyback from the Moons of Llandyssul. Desperate for ready cash Huw takes on a job from a cigar smoking space chick pilot in a battered viper interceptor who offers him 5000cr to search for the Arrow of Artemis at a ruined temple on Caprica IV.

The Nova landed the other side of a ridge from the temple and Huw and his crew (augmented by Dave the Mullett, a SAW toting ex member of BritishArmy PLC trekked towards the temple. What the cigar munching pilot hadn't told Huw was that a Vargr clan worshipped what to them was the Arrow of Sirius and a posse of Dog Soldiers were on route to the temple to blat the heretics, armed to the teeth with retooled SLRs stolen from BlueSun RetroTech GmbH.......

As the temple came into sight, so did three Vargr - who opened up on the crew, missing completely. Dave ducked behind a tree but Huw spun and drilled a vargr messily - the second bolted while Gryff lamped out a frag grenade from his bowlauncher just as another group of vargr popped up to the south of the temple. Dave ripped into them with the SAW, dropping one whilst Gryff put out another frag which took out another vargr; the others ran for it.

The crew reached the temple and Huw started his search; then Dave spotted movement in the treeline and with a shout of "VARGR! ACTION RIGHT!" let rip with the SAW - pinning a group of Galactic Patrol who had landed on a tip off of stolen weapons.....the cops closed in while Huw scrabbled about in the ruins and Dave and Gryff kept the cops at bay. With laser fire zapping into the ruins, Gryff fragged a cop but got pinned, with Dave engaging a Cop to the north, a cop got a bead on Huw who dived hard behind a fallen column as laser bolts ripped overhead. He rolled planting a pistol round into the cop. Huw then realised he had his foot on a rather tarnished bronze arrow.......

A hail of frags and SAW fire pinned the cops in the treeline as the crew hoofed it towards the ridge and the Nova; just as Huw scrabbled down the ridge a Cop popped up and drilled a laser bolt right at his head but Huw ducked, aimed and slotted the cop...with a last dash they reached the Nova just as the cops realised they were there to investigate dodgy arms deals, not heavily armed archaological vandals.....

And so to The Last Chancer where Huw had to get payment from that Viper pilot...

- Huw Solo -
Q4 C2 Danger Sense, Flak Jacket, Hero, Sharpshooter, pistol

- Gryff the Woollyback -
Q3 C3 Steadfast, Savage, Tough, Crossbowgrenade thrower

- Dave the Mullet -
Q3 C2 Flak, sharpshooter, SAW

- Crazy Vargr -
Q4 C3 long move, superior senses, SLRs

- Space Cops -
Q4 C2 flak jacket, laser rifle, linked comms

Cheers
Master Chef
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Master Chef Plays By The Rules

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5150, We Can Be Heroes II
& Mutants and Death Ray Guns -

A Rules Comparison

Master Chef here; Take a knee and listen up.....

Over the last few weeks, inspired by finishing West Wing, I have been thinking of rules to use for small skirmish games (the WW influence was in terms of FBI or Secret Service details taking on bad guys in Vince Flynn style action) - this of course mutated into a force march through the above rules. Here are my highly subjective thoughts:

5150

Ed Texiera has created a system with its own internal logic and Universe - not a mean feat. This means I'll be tempted to plunder the Star Army etc for ideas for my own squads; I love the brutal simplicity of the shooting system and the squad creation. I'm not sold on the term "star" for the main figure (then again, I toyed with the terms Tier 1, 2 & 3 so who am I to judge?) but thats minor; the reaction system is comprehensive - and there is the problem. Frederick The Great said - if you defend eveywhere you defend nowhere; by covering all the bases in a series of tables, I found 5150 lost flow and became a matter of moving from one test to another.

WE CAN BE HEROES II

Well Gordon Roach has created the most accesible rules I have ever seen - as someone who recoils in disorder at rules overkill, I loved the layout - its not often you get to drool at great paintjobs, smile at humour and learn rules at the same time. The game itself is slick and runs well - the generic nature means its adaptable to all and sundry. I just personally don't get on well with card driven rules - I have a nagging fear of bad shuffling and card counting - a subconcious tendency to "know" that the hero has all his activations left......

MUTANTS & DEATH RAY GUNS

Andrea Sfiligoi at Ganesha has adapted the Song of.... system for post apocalypse mayhem, as well as pretty much anything else. This is not Star Wars - more Triffids meets Mad Max. But with rules for power armour, lasers etc it can be used for sci fi oh so easily. My first game saw Vargr Scouts (ie canine mutants) play Locust Horde (errr mutants) after about 5 minutes of pen chewing. There's a nice little campaign system which can probably be adapted for a SF background. No cards, just dice roll to activate - which can back fire. Oh yes it can.

So, what's the verdict? Frankly, they are all gorram good, very good and we are lucky to have three fine sets just begging to be bought as PDFs. I will be using MDRG because it doesn't have cards, has a vicious activation system and well, I just like it. If someone said "Master Chef, we're playing 5150" I'd pull up a chair and jump right in - the same with WCBH2.

So, all I need is to get my Foundry Figs and Agent Casper's DC TaskForce will be swooping onto those armed crazies of all persuasions. No, I'll be refighting Gears of War in 15mm. No, its going to be smugglers in the 'Verse taking on the Federation.....But hang on! The sub-ether is alive with chatter about Popular Front activity on Tooting Broadway Orbital Station ....."Saddle up! Let's dust-off this dirtball. We gonna conquer, and we gonna kick some!"

Cheers
Master Chef