A Star Wars Story...Solo

*A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...*

I've started my Star Wars Visions Solo TRPG campaign using the Space Opera Heroes system from Japan. I am referring to the project as 'Star Wars Visions Heroes Presents...The Adventures of Bani and Easy!'. The game will focus on the character I created to test out using Space Opera Heroes for Star Wars, Bani Tuknukchee. 

STAR WARS VISIONS - HEROES

PRESENTS...

The Adventures of Bani and Easy!

"Well...this mission's a bust", Bani snapped snarkily with a quick look towards RB-EZ1.

Easy leaned toward her and emitted a short stream of low, slow beeps. 

"What do you mean, 'No big deal'? How are you so calm?? That's a (Die Roll) Victory Class Star Destroyer and (Die Roll) a TIE Interceptor is leading that squadron! We need to get out of here. I'll prep the jump to Hyperspace." The fingers of Bani's left hand danced across the buttons on the ship's console while she gripped the control yoke with her right hand. 

Easy spun his Scomp Link this way and that, then this way again. A second extension arm came out from EZ1's body and flipped a switch to his right; a buzzing hum quickly filled the cockpit.

"Are you...that's the Turbo Laser. You're charging up the Turbo Laser?", asked Bani, even though she already knew the answer all too well. Cocking her head and smiling she said, "Just make it count, alright?"

TIE Interceptors are faster than standard TIEs so that starfighter was closing in fast. Unlike Blaster Cannons which fire energy bolts, a Turbo Laser is a single, steady beam. Easy (I as the player) got an idea - Fire the weapon and then sweep with the turret in an attempt to hit multiple targets. 

RB-EZ1 doesn't have the right Skill - Spaceship Weaponry - and his Intellect is only 2. I decided the Difficulty to strike the TIE Interceptor was Tricky but trying to catch multiple ships in a sweep would be Very Difficult. This wasn't looking good for the first roll of the game. LOL

Let's see what happened...

A 6. That explodes so I roll again - 6! YES! Once again - 1. OK, so the Action Check total is 2 + 6 + 6 + 1 for 15. A 15 beats the 12 needed for Very Difficult but isn't enough to do Extra Damage or get any Benefits. 

The Turbo Laser does 19 Points of Damage. A TIE Interceptor has a Durability of 10 with an Armor B of 2 and 2 points of Shields. 19 is 5 points more than the Interceptor possesses and the ship is therefore destroyed! It goes up in a ball of flame - BOOM! Gone in one shot!

Now, since EZ1 beat the Difficulty by two levels, he is assumed to have hit the next two normal TIE Fighters as well. To be fair, I will cut the Damage of the Turbo Laser in half, then half again. A regular TIE Fighter has a Durability of 10 but an Armor B of 1 and no Shields. Unfortunately, 9.5 won't beat the TIE's Durability + Armor. To reward the original Attack Check and establish that the Turbo Laser is powerful, I roll for a Minor Malfunction for the next TIE. I rolled a [D66 - Two 6-Sided Dice read as tens and ones] and I get a 66, which means roll twice. The follow-up rolls were 15 and 16, causing malfunctions to the TIE's Communications and Sensors. 

The third TIE is completely undamaged, veering off just in the nick of time. 

"WOW! Nice shot Easy!", Bani exclaimed, hitting the Thruster Controls on her vessel's Powerful Engines. Her goal was to surge ahead of her pursuers so she could buy herself time to finish the jump calculations and maybe allow Easy to take a second shot. 

Spending an Action Point, Bani makes an Action Check related to Spaceship Piloting. I'm thinking this is more reflexes than Intellect, so I used Dexterity + her Spaceship Pilot Skill + 2D6. Why 2D6? The Flying Leap's Powerful Engines are another Modification and adds an additional D6 when rolling for just this sort of thing. I imagined zooming forward away from the planet while avoiding the TIE Squadron was Tricky. The Action Check is 2 + 3 + a roll of 1 and another of 6. The highest roll is 6 [on the Advantage/Bonus Die] and the total comes to 11. That beat the Tricky of 9 and sends the Scout Ship - quite literally - rocketing forward. 

The TIE Fighters give chase but have trouble keeping up. Nonetheless, the three TIEs in the lead open fire, targeting the Flying Leap's engines in an attempt to remove its speed advantage, allow the fighters the chance to catch up, and hopefully surround the Scout Ship. 

TIE Fighters get to roll 2D6 on their Attack Checks thanks to the Modification: Targeting Computer

TIE A's Action Check is 2 + 2 + [uh oh] 6 on the Exploding Die or 2 on the Bonus Die. Oh wait...NPC Dice don't Explode unless they are Major Villains and I (the Space Opera Master...Star Wars Master?...Star Wars Visions Master?) spend Non-Hero Points. Still, it's a 6 and that results in a total of 10. That definitely hits the Flying Leap unless Bani spends an Action Point to make a Spaceship Piloting Check. She could, she has 3 AP left, but I think it might be more interesting to let it go and see what happens. 

TIE B's Action Check is 2 + 2 + 3 on both his dice. Total 7. That also hits. Hmm. I just realized, the Flying Leap is fast but not especially Maneuverable. If I spend an AP and get to roll a Defensive Check, I would get an Advantage Die for my speed but other I don't. Bani makes a mental note to herself, 'Upgrade the ship's Maneuvering Thrusters when I get the chance. And the credits.'

TIE C's Action Check is 2 + 2 + 6 or 5. He goes with 6 [dang these TIE Pilots are good!]. The total is 10 again.

This time I'm spending an AP and rolling Bani's Intellect + Spaceship Pilot + 2D6 thanks to the Leap's Powerful Engines. In addition: TIE Fighters have a base Agility/Maneuverability of 1.5. The Flying Leap has a base Maneuverability of 3. That gives Bani's ship a 1.5 bonus, rounded up to 2. So the fina Check is 1 + 3 + 2 + 3 or 5. I choose the 5 [Duh!] for a total of 11.That beat's the TIE Pilot's 10 so he just misses our hero ship!

But remember...the other two hit. 

The two Laser Cannons on a TIE do 16 Points of Damage. The Flying Leap has a Durability of 19 with 3 in Shields. The hit is solid but doesn't beat the target's Durability so the Shields are reduced to 2 and the Flying Leap suffers a Minor Malfunction. Rolling a 51, TIE A has damaged the Turbo Laser! Without repair, the Turbo Laser would roll at a Disadvantage.   

The same thing is true for the attack from TIE B. The hit lowers the Shields of the Flying Leap from 2 to 1. Making another Minor Malfunction roll, I get 53 which means...aw, kriff!...Flight Control and Navigation at a Disadvantage. THAT Bani doesn't need.

Bani grits her teeth, places her right hand firmly on the Hyperdrive Throttle, and says to EZ1 (but really just thinking out loud), "We need to make the jump and we need to make it...NOW!" She leans her whole body forward as she pushes the throttle, sparks spurting out from the NavComputer and deep within the vessel's Computer Core. Easy let's out a long whistle, slightly higher pitched than is usual for him; essentially a hardy "Woohoo"!

Bani makes the Action Check with her Intellect 1 and Spaceship Navigation 3 and a roll of 2D6 with Disadvantage. The Difficulty, normally Standard, is adjusted by the ship being under fire and Bani feeling desperate to leave. That brings us to Difficult, a 10. I am seriously nervous. lol.

6 and 5! YES! Awesome! 

As the remaining TIE Fighters move into formation towards the Flying Leap, simultaneously assuming orderly positions and yet each vying for a clear shot, their target vibrates almost imperceptibly. As their Targeting Computers attempt to lock on...

SHA-SHOOM!

As the stars streaked by, Bani fell back in her seat, unclenching for the time in what felt like forever. She turned her head slightly to look over at Easy, who appeared to be relaxing his posture as well...in his own way. She sighed.

"What the Dank Farrik was that about!", Bani shouted suddenly, nearly jumping up out of her chair. "We were there to scout out a possible location for Sea Skimmer Racing. Skimmer Racing! 'Find an ocean planet with areas where land and sea merge or cross', is what I was told. A place where a track could be built and the weather was both beautiful AND interesting. Why would the Empire be there?"

Easy let out three - short - beeps. He then went into a stretch of long, slow ones. 

"No, I don't think they were there on vacation. I'm serious! We do a survey, leave the surface, and the next thing you know we're being chased by kriff-blasted Victor Class Star Destroyer! I'm going to have some serious words with our employer, I'll tell you that." Bani was practically shaking with a mix of anger and frustration. 

Easy replied with another mild, calm set of chirps and whistles.

"Yeah, your right. AFTER we get paid", the Lepi Scout said, trying to reign in her emotions and think clearly. "Still...I really want to know why the Imperials were there. That planet isn't on any trade routes or major Hyperspace lanes. Heck, it isn't even on many starcharts beyond a simple numerical designation."

RB-EZ1 started to assess the damage done to the Flying Leap. He quickly put together a repair plan and made a list of possible replacement parts they might need. None of the damage seemed overly concerning but the areas hit, Flight Control, Navigation, and the Turbo Laser, were vital to their overall operation as freelance Scouts in a galaxy with an ever expanding Imperial presence. 

Unconsciously, Bani began to tap her foot rapidly on the floor of the cockpit. She stopped after a minute or so and stood up. "I'm going to my quarters to get some sleep. Set the NavComputer to alert us when we're an hour or so out from normal space, OK?" Easy chirped an acknowledgement. 

"Hmm. Also, bring up the contact info on our ol' pal Gilikak. I might want to give him a call."

With that, Bani left the cockpit, walked down the short flight of stairs leading to the ship's main corridor, and took the ladder down to Deck 2. She reached her room, the Captain's Quarters, and flopped onto her bad in exhaustion. 

About 10 minutes later, the door to the room opened again and Easy strolled in. Seeing Bani had fallen asleep on top of the sheets and blanket, pillow nowhere near her head, he extended an arm and gently pulled her into a more proper position. He then reached over and pulled a blanket over her. Rolling back out of her quarters, he went across the hall to a large-ish closet-like charging station and settled in himself.

To Be Continued...

Well, what do you guys think? I have to say, I really liked this. It was a lot of fun! I like Bani, I like Easy, I like their ship, and I love the system!.

Let me know if you enjoyed reading this and if I should do more.

May The Force Be With You!

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Barking Alien

Magic Eight Ball

In a recent post on his blog Cowboys, Capes, and Claws, the illustrious Tim Knight discusses what he want in his 'Holy Grail' RPG.

At least, that's the general gist of the post. The title is, at least to me, a tiny bit misleading. His Holy Grail RPG is a Dungeons and Dragons-esque game and so he identifies the Eight Factors he wants to have, must have really, in a Dungeons and Dragons-esque game. Not any TRPG but very specifically, a D&D game. 

To be clear, these are Mechanical Elements that the game must have. That's important...to Tim that is. Reading the post and the specifics of what he's looking for got me thinking...

If I posted my own 'Eight Factors', well A) they wouldn't be for a D&D-like game now, would they? B) Rules matter to me much less than, say, everything else about a game. Sure, there are systems I like and ones I don't and quite a range in between but I don't know that I'd consider the rules until after I had a campaign's setting, theme, objectives, etc. in mind.

Unless...hmm...unless we were talking D&D-type Pseudo Medieval Fantasy. Then, for some reason, it matters more to me than it does in other games. Can't say I'm certain why that is but its definitely one of the genres where I do strongly consider the mechanics before [or at the very least 'as'] I develop the world and overall atmosphere. 

With this in mind, I made my eight criteria for my 'Holy Grail' Dungeons & Dragons style campaign:

1. A single die type. Preferably D6s.

I would entertain D10s only or 2D20 only as with Modiphius's Star Trek Adventures but I am over the multiple dice used just because they exist. I find it inelegant and unnecessary.

2. Armor reduces the Damage a Character or Monster takes.

Armor makes you harder to hurt, not harder to hit, which I've always found counterintuitive and a bit silly.

3. DM able to summarise all relevant information on any and all aspects of the game quickly and easily.

Little to no need to look up most elements of gameplay during gameplay. 

4. Archetypes/Templates instead of Race and Class.

Reading and running Space Opera Heroes has cemented something I already knew but now realize I  wouldn't prefer it any other way; I like Character Creation that consists of a pre-built Character 'Model' you can then customize as you like. 

I don't want to go through the whole rigamarole of figuring out all the things that make up a character, flip to a bunch of different pages, need to look up what aspects of the character do, etc. If I want to play a Dwarf Warrior, just let me grab the Dwarf Warrior Template, add a few numbers or move some around and start playing. Star Wars D6 and Space Opera Heroes are awesome for this. 

5. Contingent Advancement. No Levels. Maybe no XP. 

The PCs receive additions, increases, or other improvements once a circumstance has been met. For example: Player Characters get a +1 to Skills they used during the adventure once the [entire] adventure is over. 

We use this to great effect in my 12 year long, still ongoing, Star Trek Adventures campaign, Star Trek: Prosperity.

At the start of every even numbered 'Season' the PCs get to increase one Attribute or Department, gain a new Focus, gain a new Talent, or some combination of these. A Season is 12 Adventures, which can mean 12-36 sessions of play. 

On odd numbered Seasons the Players get to upgrade their starship with improvements to Sensors, Weapons, Impulse or Warp Drive, etc. Early on I introduced minor flaws in the ship's design and they've also used their upgrades to remedy and eliminate these drawbacks. 

I've fallen so in love with this approach that I want to implement it in every game I run from now on in some capacity. 

6. Flexible Magic of different types that comes with a cost.

Magical needs to feel Magical, not like a technical, scientific discipline. It is an art and should act as such; beautiful, sometimes terrifying, inspiring, and occasionally painful.

7. Speed & Simplicity of play

This but you know, actually this. 

I'd be a rich man if I had a quarter for every time I've asked a forum to suggest a rules-lite or simple Fantasy game and gotten suggestions of Pathfinder, D&D 5E, or Dungeon Crawl Classics. Sorry but just because you understand a game's mechanics that doesn't make it an easy, uncomplicated system. 

If it takes more than 20 pages to explain a game's base mechanics, [basic] character creation, and combat system, you're game is too crunchy for me. 

8. Regardless of the PCs' degrees of power and skill, they should always feel challenged. 

The game should never feel like its a cake walk , nor impossible to survive. Moreover, Player ingenuity and creativity should be what determines survivability, not stats or lucky die rolls. This must be true from session one to session one thousand. 

Well that would be The Eight Factors I'd Want/Need In My Holy Grail Fantasy Game. Sadly, I can't easily think of any Fantasy RPG system that matches all of these. This could be why I have so much trouble finding a Medieval-esque Fantasy TRPG (other than Ars Magica and The Smurfs) that truly works for me.

I'll probably have to make one myself. I've tried to do this before, recently even, but I didn't necessarily have all these aspects in mind. Hmmm. Something to consider.

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Barking Alien 

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 20 - PROMISE

PROMISE

The Promise of completing the RPGaDay Challenge this year seems unattainable at this point but if I'm being honest, I'm not overly upset about it.

I've gotten further along with it, had more engagement from it, and accomplished so much because of it, much more than in previous years, that I am considering this a win. 

Because of my focus on the Japanese TRPG Space Opera Heroes, a lot more opportunities and other projects have opened up and honestly, attention to those endeavors needs to be my priority right now. 

I have been asked to run a short Star Wars campaign and I am being paid to do so. Yes, a paid Gamemastering gig. I'll be using Space Opera Heroes to run it, so I am currently working on an adaptation of the rules I am calling 'Star Wars Heroes' for now. With some very minor tweaks, this adaptation will serve as the basis for a Star Wars Visions Heroes campaign that I hope to run next year. 

I am have a few other bit business to address while I have your attention...

Tuesday, August 25th of this year, marked by 49th year in the Tabletop RPG hobby. Next year will be 50 years\.

Yesterday was National Dog Day and today is my dog Sketch's Birthday. Happy Birthday buddy!

I need to acknowledge the passing of an American Entertainment Icon, Humanitarian, and the absolute 'Queen of Country', the one and only Dolly Parton has let us at the age of 80. It's hard to explain how sad this news made me. While not a Country Music fan, I've all but grown up with Dolly thanks to her appearance with the Muppets, on the Simpsons, and of course her incredible scenes on The Orville. A true National Treasure, she will be greatly miss. 

Another talent we lost this week was Tim Curry, English Actor and Singer, a Star of Stage, Screen, and numerous Voice-Over Projects for more than five decades. His break-out role was Dr Frank-N-Furter in cult classic The Rocky Horror Show and it was followed up by some of the most memorable characters in cinema history. From comedies like Clue: The Movie and Muppet Treasure Island to Pennywise in the classic horror series IT, Tim Curry was a unique individual with a knack for choosing some very special projects. Tim Curry was also 80.

Rest in Peace to both of these legends in their own time. The night sky is darker now for there are two less bright stars.

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 19 - DESIRE

DESIRE

I have a Desire to do...a lot of things.

The story of my life. 

Right now my head is in a million places but there are definitely some subjects taking up more space and energy in my gray matter than others. 

At least for now they are:

Ghostbusters and my 'Hosts of Freaky Ghosts' project are definitely near the top of my list of things I desperately want to work on, as October and Halloween will be here before you know it. All Hallow's Eve is both my inspiration and my deadline for getting my book completed so that needs to be a major focus next month.

An ongoing Smurfs RPG campaign is never far from my thoughts these days. With some of the ideas I've been having for expanding the Starship-as-Base-Building component in Space Opera Heroes, I am more jazzed than ever to see where I can take Mushroom Cottages in Smurfs. Plus, it looks like Smurfs is the only Fantasy RPG I truly enjoy outside of Ars Magica. 

Looks like my Star Wars Visions Heroes will be joined by a more traditional round of Star Wars Heroes, since some friends of a friend want to give a Star Wars mini-campaign a try and I figured it would be a great way to test how Space Opera Heroes handles ongoing play. 

Those are the endeavors generating a burning passion in my heart at this time.

Who know what I'll be obsessed with next week. 

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Barking Alien

RPGaDay 2026 - DAY 18 - DIRECTIONS

DIRECTIONS

The actual prompt for Day 18 is DIRECTNESS but, *sigh*, I'm already getting kind of tired of these word choices.

As I've already stated, many of them lack 'energy' for me. Between Discipline, Resolve, Tact, and Directness...is there really that much difference? I understand these are not the same words and they have different meanings but somehow they also feel too similar. At the very least, they are related enough that they don't give me any inspiration for Character Creation as they tend to make me think of the same sort of characters.

Instead, I want to talk about the Directions I might take with this game, Space Opera Heroes. 

The most basic Direction I could go in is trying to run it as an ongoing campaign. I certainly think it would work for that and I could see it going over well. This is, as noted, the basic approach to utilizing this system. The key would be setting the tone properly I think. 

Another approach, and one I am likely to try at least once in a while, is to run it as a Solo campaign. I like Gidget and the setting I'm developing and if nothing else, at least I get to have funny playing around with my current favorite game [other than Smurfs].

Now here's a Direction that, I'll be honest, is really gaining strength in my mind; I want to use Space Opera Heroes to run a Star Wars ongoing, long term campaign. Not just Star Wars though; Star Wars with an Anime/Manga vibe. 'Star Wars Visions Heroes' essentially. I've mentioned my desire to run an Anime influenced Star Wars campaign before but now I am actually starting to see exactly how to pull it off. Space Opera Heroes is the key. 

Lots of balls in the air as usual but some solid plans are forming. Curious to see where this all goes. 

 

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Barking Alien