Malfunctions and Asteroids and Mynocks, Oh My!

Continuing my Solo excursion into the Space Opera Heroes Role-Playing Game with my custom Star Wars mod, we revisit Lepi Scout Bani TukNukChee and her Astromech Droid RB-EZ1 sometime after escaping an Imperial Victory Class Star Destroyer and a flight group of TIE Fighters. They appeared and moved into an attack position just as her Scout Ship, The Flying Leap, left an ocean world the duo had just surveyed.

Bani and Easy had checked out the ocean planet designated 363-Grek III on behalf of Bo Boogooto, a successful Galactic Racing promoter. Boogooto was looking to set up a new venue for a Sea Skimmer race. Things looked really good until The Flying Leap broke through the upper atmosphere. That's when trouble arrived and a short battle ensued before the 'Leap was able to make the jump to lightspeed. 

Let's see what happened next...

STAR WARS VISIONS - HEROES

PRESENTS...

The Adventures of Bani and Easy!

EPISODE 2:

Bani awoke...mostly...sort of...and opened one eye. She looked about her quarters as her brain tried to put her memories into some sort of logical order. She nuzzled her head deeper into her pillow as it all came back to her. The ocean world, the survey, Empire shows up, zap-boom-pew-pew-pew, and sha-shoom, Hyperspace. 

She remembered getting to her quarters and basically passing out on her bed straight away, confirmed by the fact that she was still full clothed in what she was wearing when she entered the room. She must have moved around in her sleep to get into a proper sleeping position but how exactly she got the blanket up over her is anybody's guess. 

Bani's Captain's Quarters aboard The Flying Leap

Bani slowly sat up, her ears twitching, and she realized something was off...the ship felt...sounded...hmmm. She turned to the Comp-Terminal the the right of her bed and punched a few buttons. "Kriff!", Bani exclaimed and threw off her blanket and shot up and out of her room, heading for the Cockpit. 

Reaching the bridge, the doors automatically opened and Bani slipped into the pilot seat. She placed one hand on the controls and with the other pressed a button that sent a 'Wake Up' signal to Easy's Recharging Station. As her eyes panned across the consoles and finally settled on the view out the front windows, she rapidly assessed what had happened. 

The NavComputer, damaged in the TIE Fighter attack, had failed to wake her up with an alarm [an hour before existing Hyperspace] as was her standard practice. She was gazing out into normal space, quickly approaching the debris field that sat at the outer edge of Gardine System. 'At least we existed at roughly the right coordinates', she thought to herself.

The Flight Controls had clearly been effected by the attack as well; the steering felt sluggish and even a little stubborn. Bani gripped the control with both hands, leaned forward, unconsciously wiggled her tail and butt into her chair, and prepared to maneuver The Flying Leap through the Space debris. Normally navigating this field would be Tricky 9 but due to the malfunctioning Flight Controls and the fact that Bani just woke up I'm going to say its Difficult 10.

I see this as a combination of Bani's skill and reflexes so I'm using Dexterity instead of Intellect. That plus Spaceship Pilot and 2D6 with Disadvantage results in 2 + 3 + 3 and 1 and I have to take the 1 so that's only 6. That sucks. lol OK, I am going to spend one of Bani's Hero Points to gain a Success with Consequence! Let's make a roll to see what the consequence is...hmm...I don't want to roll on my Spaceship SFX Damage and Mishap Table 'cause that's not what this is necessarily. Instead, I have an alternate idea.

While Bani was largely successful in getting through the debris field safely, at some point the Flying Leap tapped an asteroid fragment that went hurdling off into the dark to strike a group of other small asteroids. Checking her viewscreens to make sure she was clear of danger, Bani quick found out she wasn't out of the fire quite yet. 

And so I flew-ew-ew, I flew so far away-ay-ay...

Mynocks. A flock of them. The energy draining, nightmare creatures came soaring through the darkness of space from their distant rock dens inside the asteroids that had been disturbed. Bani hated Mynocks. How was it that there were pests in the vacuum of the void? And what pests they were, chewing power cables, gnawing on plasma flow chargers, and sucking the power right out of a starship. Well not HER starship! She wasn't in the mood. 

The Mynock subspecies native to the Gardine System in comparison to Easy and Bani for size. 

The cockpit entryway opened and RB-EZ1 rolled in, beeping a relaxed, "Good morning. How'd you sleep?", to Bani as she wrestled the controls to out run and/or out maneuver the Mynocks. 

"I'm a little busy here Easy", said Bani as casually as she could muster, "We've got a flock of Mynocks heading our way. Think you could help out?" 

Easy eased into his spot at the Co-Pilot station and Scomp Linked into the ship's computer. Scanning the damage and issues first, he tried re-routing the flight controls through several related subsystems. Letting out a few slow, deep chirps and a lazy bleep, he suggested that if Bani had a clever move, she make it then and there, as he didn't know how long his alterations would hold [since the ship's computer would try to automatically 'correct' his changes].  

Bani eyed the star system's sun out the forward/port window and 'aimed' the ship in that direction. Punching the engines hard and tweaking the starboard side thrusters, she sent the ship into a barrel roll as it zoomed towards the inner system, the Flying Leap giving it everything she had. 

Bani spent an Action Point and so did Easy. EZ1's move adds an assist to Bani in the form of a bonus Advantage Die. Since the damaged Flight Controls are giving her a Disadvantage, this bonus die cancels that out! Pretty clever, no? Bani gets her Dexterity 2, her Spaceship Pilot of 3, and rolls 1D6 vs Difficult 10...a 5! 2 + 3 + 5 = 10! Just made it! Whew. 

As The Flying Leap dove to the 'left' and went into a roll, the Mynocks swarmed over and largely past the vessel, many of them trying and failing to grab onto the ship as it passed. Fortunately for Bani and Easy, their speed and twist and roll movement made it extremely hard to any of the creatures to latch on. In fact, some of the Mynocks were 'slapped' by one section of the Leap or another, sending the little buggers hurdling off into the void. 

As the ship cleared the debris field, Bani altered her flight path and EZ1 stopped the ship from spinning by increasing power to the lateral stabilizers. Adjusting their speed to conserve energy and not tax the damaged systems, Bani let out a sigh of relief and eased up on the control yoke. Gazing out the windows and across the viewscreens Bani said, "Looks like we're safe for now. I'm locking in a course to Gardine, nice and slow. I'm gonna take a shower and get a change of clothes. I'm meet you the Lounge in an hour. Sound good?"

Easy whistled positively and Bani patted the top of his head as she left the cockpit. 

The Flying Leap's Crew Lounge

At roughly the proper time, Bani walked into the Crew Lounge with a bowl of Neet Root Salad and a hot cup of Jogan Fruit Tea. She went directly to the 'central chair' and pressed a button on the right arm rest. A small, folded shelf extended out from the front, right side of the chair. Bani sat down and turned the shelf to be in front of her, unfolded, and locked the unit into position. She set the bowl and cup on the makeshift table and pressed another button on the opposite arm rest. The large screen on the far side of the room, which was in direct line of sight to her chair, switched from an image of what you'd see out the cockpit windows to a NavComputer HUD view. 

RB-EZ1 had been there the whole time. He'd arrived a good ten minutes or so before Bani did and stood to the left of the central chair at the end of the port side couch. He waited patiently for her to get settled. Eventually, she looked up to notice Easy 'staring' at her, a stick of Neet Root sticking out of her mouth. "What?", she asked, blinking in confusing.

Easy let out a short burst of smooth tones and flashed the tiny light below his eye. "I'm ready. I just had to get something to eat, OK? Listen, I need to prepare for our landing and meeting with Boogooto. Either he set us up for some reason or he didn't know the Empire was there and either way, we probably aren't going to get paid 'cause there's no way he's set up a racing course on that planet. We need to fix the ship but we need money to get the ship fixed. If we don't get paid...", Bani stopped, looked down, and then picked up her tea and slowly sipped it. She realized she was talking really fast and mostly rambling. Easy never interrupted once. She thought, not for the first time, 'He is a really good friend'.

Bani pulled her legs and feet up onto the chair in a pose that always made her feel more comfortable and secure. She looked at EZ1 and said calmly, "We really need the credits from this job and we did do the work. We managed to complete the survey and it was positive."

Easy beeped in agreement. 

"So that's what we lead with. We did the work and are owed the money, regardless of the surprise Imperial presence." She took another sip of tea. "Did you message Gilikak? Did he get back to us?" 

(Die Roll) Easy let her know that he hadn't yet but if he's on Gardine he'll likely contact them soon. Bani nodded. Gilikak was a good guy. Unless he was on a job himself, he'd definitely get back to them as soon as he could. She should see if she had any Seaweed Mash left. It would make a great offering to Gilikak for helping them out. 

"OK, I'm going to finish up and then head to the cockpit. We'll go directly to Garda City and speak with Boogooto straight away. If Gilikak calls let me know immediately", Bani said and then took another gulp from her cup that finished off her tea. She then look over at Easy and smiled. "And thanks Easy. I honestly have not idea where I woud be without you."

For his part EZ1 brushed it off with an 'ah don't worry about it' set of short chirps. She was stressed out and he knew it. He also understood it to some degree. Even with all that was going through her mind, she still made the effort to acknowledge his efforts and contributions. Easy always appreciated that about Bani. 

Some time later, as the ship approached the planet Gardine, their communications unit lit up with an incoming message. Bani hoped it was her friend Gilikak but wasn't surprised when it wasn't.

"Unidentified vessel, the is Garda City Traffic Control. Please identify and forward your Transponder Code", said the droid voice.

Bani responded, "This is the Flying Leap, Transponder Code sent. Requesting permission to land at the Garda City Spaceport."

After a brief moment, "Transponder confirmed. Welcome back Flying Leap. Please proceed to Docking Bay 51. Approach vector 513.3." Bani nodded even though the droid couldn't see her. Following the coordinates the Control Tower sent, she flew the ship over numerous other docking bays, each with ships already occupying them or else too small for the Flying Leap to land in. The higher numbered bays were set aside for the bigger freighters and similarly sized starships.

She found Docking Bay 51 and started her descent. A few moments later, the Scout Ship stood comfortably on his landing gear.  

As our heroes got ready to depart the ship and head into the city proper, a communications signal beeped and EZ1 responded. He let out a happy, low, long whistle. "Really?", Bani asked excitedly, "Put him on!"

The screen on the comm-unit came to life and a familiar face appeared. "Gilikak!" Bani shouted, bouncing in place as she did so.

The face of a young Mon Calamari Male smiled at her, a little surprised by her excitement. "Hey there Bani! Great to hear from you! I got a communications request from Easy to call you. Is everything OK?"

To Be Continued...

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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!

EPISODE I: 

"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

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 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

RPGaDay 2026 - BONUS - DRIVE AND INTELLECT

BONUS

A little extra treat celebrating the first two weeks of the RPGaDay Challenge for 2026 inspired by the weekly prompts Drive and Intellect.

I REALLY enjoyed Star Wars Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi and as I've mentioned already, its recharged my desire to run a 'Star Wars Visions' campaign as opposed to just a Star Wars one. Loving Space Opera Heroes as I am, I thought to myself, 'Why not use Space Opera Heroes to run Star Wars'? They seem to be a perfect match to me so let's have some fun...

Introducing...Bani, Lepi Scout!

Bani (pronounced like Danny but with a 'B') Tuknukchee is a Lepi, a sentient species recognizable for their lanky bodies, long ears, small fluffy tails, and often proportionally large feet. They are covered in soft fur of earth tone colors, though nearly black, white, and even green appear on occasion. Notable members of this species include the smuggler and scoundrel Jaxxon and Lop, a Force wielding young female.

Our Bani here is a freelance Scout, exploring the unknown on behalf of those willing to pay for her services. Maybe the Rebel Alliance is looking for new secret base. Perhaps a Bounty Hunter wants the low down on a planet his target is hiding on. One time, the University of Sanbra hired her to confirm the existence of an alien megafauna on Batuu that had been thought to be extinct. Unfortunately for her Landspeeder, it was not. 

To build a Scout, specifically a Lepi one, I combined the Archetypes 'High-Speed Hero' and 'Lucky Heroine'. She focuses on Agility and Luck, excellent starship skills, decent firearms, and the ability to physical avoid danger using Acrobatics and Evasion. In addition, she can leap exceptionally far (even for an Anime Character!).

As you can see, Bani is similar to Gidget in a number of ways and that's not an accident. If I decide to run a Solo Space Exploration campaign using Space Opera Heroes, I want the option of setting it in my own SOH-inspired universe or the Star Wars universe. If the later I still intend on giving it a strong Anime/Manga vibe. 'Star Wars Visions The RPG' unlocked!

Bani's mission partner and best buddy is RB-EZ1 or 'Easy', an RB Astromech unit she received as payment for one of her first scouting jobs. Easy is laid back and takes even the worst setbacks in stride. Sometimes he's so nonplussed it can be irritating, at least to the very action oriented Bani.

RB-EZ1 is built on the GE MCE Little Boy from Space Opera Heroes (same as Gidget's Robot Companion GUS). Easy's stats are:

RB-EZ 1

Ability Scores: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Agility 1, Intelligence 2, Luck 0, Size 1

Evasion 1, General Engineering 1, Spaceship Engineering 1, Spaceship Navigation 1, 

These droids are really durable (RB units and Little Boys) and have Armor A 2 and B 2. With a Durability Base Value of 3, this gives Easy a final Durability of A 5 and B 5!

. 

Bani's starship is a Corellian ES-125 Long Range Scout, designed and constructed by the shipyards of the Corellian Engineering Corporation. This vessel is modified from its initial rollout to have a Single Barrel Turbo Laser Turret (Ventral) and more Powerful Engines. 

While a GP JS-X Callisto Class is probably the Space Opera Heroes jumpship that best suites 'The Flying Leap ', I don't see this vessel as the same as Gidget Starseeker's 'Wanderer'. That starship is more 'Science/Research', specifically designed and customized to explore the mysteries of the galaxy. This Long Range Scout is a bit more 'Forward Observer', a 'Combat Scout' if you will. 

As a result, I'm going to modify the stats of the standard GP JS-X and make a new but comparable ship:

The Flying Leap

Corellian Engineering Corporation ES-125 Long Range Scout

Ability Scores: Structure 9, Size 8 - Agility/Maneuverability 3, Armor A 2 and B 2.

Final Hull Durability: Base 17, Durability A 19, B 19.

Shields: 3 

Weaponry: Twin Barrel Blaster Cannon Turret - Dorsal (Topside), Skill: Spaceship Weaponry, Damage 16, Damage Type B, Rate of Fire 2.

Modifications:

Single Barrel Turbo Laser: A powerful, turret based energy weapon on the ventral (underside) of the starship. It can only be fired once a round at a cost of one Action Point. To fire a second time in the same round, the follow-up shot would cost two Action Points and take the weapon offline in the next round.

Damage 19, Damage Type B, Rate of Fire 1 (see above).

Powerful Engines: Any roll involving speed due to thrust [in an atmosphere or space] is made at +1D6.

I think we'll end it there for now. I am actually pretty eager to try playing her and using Space Opera Heroes to explore the Star Wars universe, Anime/Manga Style! 

What do you think? Anybody want to see more of Bani? Let me know.

Later,

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Barking Alien

Bani is the Japanese way of saying 'Bunny', a loan word from English. This is instead of Usagi, the Japanese word for Rabbit. 

What's Fun for Me

The title of the post is both a statement of intent for what I want to talk about but also a question, which I pose to myself; what is it that I enjoy about running and playing Tabletop Roleplaying Games?

This isn't my first time asking myself this. Nor is it the first time I've discussed the answers with all of you. Far from it. What makes this time special? Well...nothing really, other than the subject is on my mind. 

Oh, there's also the matter of a Solo RPG experiment I'd like to try...

Basically, I have two concepts for Solo RPG campaigns, both designed to explore and test out ideas I want to implement in my next long term, open world campaign. I don't believe I'll be able to run both games and so part of what I want to do here is determine which of these two options is the best choice.

Many of the features of the two campaigns will be alike as they share similar DNA: both are open world/universe games, both feature a great deal of player agency, and are going to be 'run' by me (in so far as Solo RPGs have a game facilitator).

Some things may work in one game but not in the other. Some may require tweaking or even need to be heavily reworked in order to fit in a given game. My hope is that the games can both accommodate all the wild antics I have in mind but we'll see. 

As noted above, I can probably only do one of these at a time given various time and obligation constraints, some I'd love to know which one you'd all like to see.

#1. Journal of a Mixed Elf Mercenary Hero

Likely set on my 'D&D-But-Not' world of Aerth, the campaign would follow a young Female Elf of mixed heritage (High Elf and Sylvan Elf) who travels from place to place slaying monsters, defeating brigands, and other such work in exchange for food, shelter, and [I'm thinking] information on the whereabouts of some fiend who decimated her village and killed her family. Yeah, kind of cliche' but it works for this kind of thing. 

The Solo PC would be a Female Elf from a village on the outskirts of Namredel, a nation of Elves of mixed lineages. She herself is descended from a line of High Elf Warriors and Sylvan Elf Mages (though not everyone in her family tree was either a fighter or a magic-user. I'm sure they had shopkeeps and blacksmiths). I see her having 'Nature Magic', spells related to plants, animals, the four elements, and weather. She might seem like a Druid but she comes at it from a very different angle. To me, Druids are Spiritual/Supernatural, while Wizards have a gift that requires study, practice, and skill to use effectively. 

I am curious to explore the character, her personality and interactions, see her in action, develop the world on a smaller more intimate level, and [with any luck] figure out how to create a Medieval Fantasy TRPG campaign that I actually enjoy. I tend to really like my Aerth games but that's largely because of the Winghorn Guard concept, which is actually more like Superheroes than D&D-like Fantasy. By not making her a Winghorn Guard member I am challenging myself to figure out, 'well then what do you do in this setting and how to you go about it'. 

One of the biggest difficulties (and one reason I'm much less into Fantasy) is the lack of dedicated lodging and easy travel. A single PC, or a small party for that matter, can't get from place to place as easily as say, a bunch of flying Superheroes or the crew of a Scout Starship. The whole 'murderhobo' dynamic, sans the murder of course, still leaves one a homeless wanderer. No base to speak of and you know how much I love bases. I could give her a boat or small ship. Hmm. Have to think on this. 

The primary inspirations for this campaign are my previous adventures on Aerth with and without The Winghorn Guard and various Anime/Manga Fantasy series like Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and others. 

UPDATE: If I go with a Fantasy game, I may not use my Aerth setting after all. As much as I love it, and I do, it isn't a 'traditional' Medieval Fantasy world in many aspects and I feel like creating something new. 

#2. Diary of a Well Meaning Galactic Outlaw

Set in the Star Wars universe, this campaign follows a Smuggler during an unclear period post-Return of the Jedi/The Battle of Endor, roughly around the same time as the first two Seasons of The Mandalorian. Our 'hero' is a Female Togruta trying to get by in the Outer Rim Territories of the galaxy, with [probably] a price on her head. I see her having done something positive and just while working for a space crime lord and it caused her to fail the job he gave her. No good deed unpunished kind of thing. 

Our PC is, as noted, a Female Togruta (same species as Ahsoka Tano) Smuggler with a decent Light Freighter starship, exceptional piloting skill, a pretty good fighter, and maybe a droid sidekick and/or a co-pilot friend. Not sure. I do want more characters to join her as the campaign goes on but I'm not certain how many allies she should start with. 

In classic Star Wars fashion, her ship is her conveyance, her home, her protector, and in some ways her best pal. It's a little old, kinda beat-up, but it has some kind of unique advantage. Like, for example, maybe it has improved Shields or great Sensors or even a secret Weapon but it's prone to malfunctions and isn't as fast or maneuverable as she'd prefer. Something like that. 

The main obstacle with this kind of campaign is keeping it fresh and exciting. At this point, we all know Star Wars (or at least most of us are) and it can feel like there's nothing new under the twin suns. At the same time, most people I've met tend to play Star Wars RPGs a little differently than I do. I like to mix the swashbuckling action and adventure of it with a cozy, 'slice of life' kind of feel. I love the idea of playing someone who just lives in that universe. They aren't a 'Hero of the Rebellion' or 'The Last of the Jedi'; they're just people doing what they do in this epic, Space Fantasy setting. I kind feel that way about the first campaign as well. That really is my preferred way of running these sort of open universe games. 

Inspirations here, aside from, ya'know...all the Star Wars, are some very specific influences such as recent [and upcoming] computer and video game releases like Star Wars Genesis, Galactic Racer, Zero Company, Outlaw, and of course the animation anthology Star Wars Visions. There's been come cool Star Wars Manga too such as Path of the Lightsaber and Tsukumo, though I don't intend for our Smuggler to be Force Sensitive. Maybe she'll meet a companion who is...

Anyway, those are my ideas. Which do you think I should go for? Which would you want to read about or play? Let me know in the comments. 

Later,

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This Is The May - From Shadow Lords to Baby Yodas

Today in a galaxy far, far away...

It is May the 4th once more, or as I like to call it, 'Secular Star Wars Day'. 'Orthodox Star Wars Day' being May 25th of course, the actual day the first Star Wars film was released. 

Nonetheless, this is the day we Star Wars fans celebrate George Lucas' creation; a universe of strange aliens, clever droids, fantastic creatures, distant planets, and of course, The Force.

This year, there is a lot to celebrate too, as we currently have the animated series Maul: Shadow Lord and will be getting The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22th, the first Star Wars film in theaters in 7 years. 

As the date approached, I started to get an idea for a Star Wars RPG that leaned even more heavily into the cinematic, often over-the-top nature of things like the Star Was computer and video games, the animated series such as the current and awesome Maul: Shadow Lord, and one of my personal favorite projects, Star Wars Visions. 

A few weeks ago (roughly), I had the chance to play in a game of Outgunned, a rules-lite cinematic 'Action Film' RPG by a company called Two Little Mice. The one-shot was run, quite excellently, by my friend Nick, a member of my Wednesday evening group. I liked it, a lot, though I couldn't resist the desire to tweak and modify the game for an even greater potential. One thing I wanted to be able to do with it was adapt it to other genres and settings such as...hmmm.

The day after the game I started writing up some notes for an Outgunned powered Star Wars game. While the official supplements for Outgunned, Action Flicks and Action Flicks Vol. 2 respectively, each contain Star Wars-like setting options and additional rules for 'Star Raiders' and 'Star Knights', I decided to try building my version of Outgunned Star Wars from scratch. Sort of.

I did read through the Action Flicks homage versions and they did indeed inform some of my ideas and choices going into the project. I also used Twitter's Grok AI to see what different variations of my proposed adjustments would be like. In the end, I'm pretty happy with what I've got. It isn't a full-on new game by any means but rather a functional way of using a particular set of already established rules to run an already established setting. It's the work of a fan of two things hoping to merge them together. 

I'll be making a series of posts across the month of May - Star Wars Month! - detailing my ideas under the working title...

Happy May the Fourth and beware Revenge of the Fifth.

Remember, The Force will be with you, always.

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31 Questions For Barking Alien - Phase II - Question 2

This next question comes from my good friend Miguel de Rojas, who has come all the way from Spain to provide us with this inquiry! Via the internet that is.

In your Star Wars games, do you follow Legends or Disney's timeline? Or do you disregard both to to make your own? What are your feelings about the prequels and the sequels?

And finally, maybe worth splitting into a second question, do you have any favorite "obscure" Star Wars work, besides Visions?

This could get complicated but I'm going to try to keep it focused and trust in The Force.

All my Star Wars games follow the same basics rule:

First, Star Wars is a Fantasy Fairytale set in Space. It is not Science Fiction. 

Second, The Original Trilogy - Star Wars [Episode IV: A New Hope], The Empire Strikes Back [Episode V], Return of the Jedi [Episode VI] - happened. That is the only definitive absolute canon that matters. Everything else - EVERYTHING - is apocryphal after that in my mind.  

Many, though not all, of the materials from Star Wars The Roleplaying Game (Star Wars D6) by West End Games are part of my gaming headcanon and considered to exist within the universe of my campaigns. 

I generally ignore any and all 'Legends' material. Components may creep into my games here there but for the most part none of it exists within my Sta Wars RPG headcanon. 

I generally accept the events of the Prequels but mostly in broad strokes, preferring to be vague on the details and allowing for or ignoring them on a case by case basis. I was not a fan of the Prequels and I am still not. They are, unfortunately, a major touchstone for many people when thinking of Star Wars as a whole and so I allow for them. 

I generally accept the events of the Clone Wars Animated Series in a similar fashion, though I very much enjoyed the Clone Wars. 

I generally accept the events of the Star Wars: Rebels Animated Series as it is one of my favorite productions in the entire franchise. The one possible exception is the existance of Grand Admiral Thrawn, though I will address that further on.

I generally ignore the Sequels. I might use a species or technology (a BB Droid for example) but for the most part that entire era and all the characters involved are irrelevant to my games.  

I generally ignore Rogue One as I did not care for it and I feel it weakens the first Star Wars film. Elements of it are excepted but I don't use the film, its events, or its characters for the most part.

Star Wars: Resistance the Animated Series is generally ignored, although I may borrow ideas and elements from it. I initially really liked it but as it went on it became more and more meandering and eventually meaningless. As I don't care for the Sequels, this story set in the same era is of no use to me. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story is for the most part completely ignored. 

I generally accept the first two seasons of The Mandalorian as, again, I am a fan of that work and I feel it fits my style of play rather well. 

I generally ignore the Bad Batch Animated Series but will use elements from it here and there. I wasn't a big fan of the show. It started out kind of interesting but it ended up  wasting most of its potential and spent too much little time on its best characters and qualities. 

I accept Andor and that may sound strange considering how I feel about and treat Rogue One but the former was an incredibly well executed series with some of the most interesting characters in the setting. 

I largely ignored The High Republic publishing initiative and do no have a strong opinion on it one way or another. It has [had] very little if any impact on my games. 

I have not made a final decision on the Ahsoka series but I am leaning towards generally ignoring it. I might use aliens, devices, or other things from it but overall I did not like it very much and was extremely disappointed by its handling of the Rebels characters who are, as noted, among my absolute favorites. 

The Acolyte was not a thing. It didn't happen. You can go about your business. Move along. Move along. 

I generally accept Skeleton Crew, though I have yet to really utilize much from it in my campaigns. 

Finally, while I can appreciate his role in the Star Wars: Rebels series, the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of my least favorite Star Wars things ever created. His very presence in a book, show, or other media immediately takes me out of it being 'real Star Wars'. While I will put up with him being there and not immediately write off the production he appears in, Thrawn, his species the Chiss, and most of the other particulars related to him do not exist in my Star Wars RPG headcanon. 

As for the second question/part of the inquiry...

I can't say I have a favorite 'obscure' Star Wars project or product. I have a number of things I've liked across the many decades of comic books, novels, video and computer games, etc. but no particular thing stands out as a favorite. I do have a soft spot for the Droids Animated Cartoon from 1985. I always found that series fun. 

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