TTRPG Roll 24-2 ~ A solo adventure with Wildcatter Tony ‘Just’ Sume in Building Better Worlds (Free League Publishing 2023) for ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game (Free League Publishing, 2020)

What started as a simple character generation run through of the Building Better Worlds campaign module for ALIEN: The Roleplaying Game (Free League Publishing, 2020) turned into an exploration of the rules which in another turn became a solo adventure. Here is the beginning of the story of Tony ‘Just’ Sume, a wildcat prospector on the colony world of LV-7979-A.

Tony ‘Just’ Sume / Career: Wildcatter

• Personal Agenda: “Get rich without the guv’ment getting a cut.”
• Attributes/Skills (Key are bold)
  • Agility – 4 / Piloting -2, Ranged Combat -1
  • Strength – 3 / Heavy Machinery – 1
  • Wits – 4 / Observation – 3, Survival – 1, Comtech – 1
  • Empathy – 3 / Manipulation – 1
• Talents: Prospecting.
• Health: 4.
• Gear: Daihotai Series 8×8 Tractor, PUPS Mapping Device, cold weather survival gear, issued Armat Model 37A2 12 Gauge Pump Action shotgun; $800 cash.

Tony Sume is an independent wildcatter working for the Central Confederation of Africa (CCA) colonial government on LV-7979-A. The CCA hopes to repeat the success of their colonies in the Nyame Sector of space which is rich with minerals. On LV-7979-A, Tony has been assigned to prospect sectors in the western part of the southern hemisphere. Preliminary surveys of the frozen tundra ravaged by severe snowstorms (difficult terrain) show “Average” potential for resources. Tony uses a battered but dependable Daihotai Series 8×8 Tractor and has a full kit of cold weather gear.

Prospective prospecting

First Expedition. Building Better Worlds on page 92 offers rules for Wildcatting. A standard survey of 1,000 km² takes on average three weeks. The rules state the time needed is, “modified by the difficulty of the terrain, at your discretion.” Given the difficult weather, I rule that Game Mother rolls d6-2 (minimum 1) for the weather modifier. A roll of [6]-2 = 3, meaning Tony will have to make a Agility-Piloting skill check with at least three successes to accomplish the survey in the standard three weeks; every missed success adds one week to the schedule. Tony rolls 6d6 for 6, 5, 4, 3, 5, 1. One success of the three needed makes the survey 5 weeks…which Tony feels is too long. Tony decides to push the roll, rerolling the 5d6 that didn’t succeed. The result is 6, 6, 5, 2, 1. With three total success the survey is finished in the scheduled three weeks, but Tony has gained one Stress Level. Per the Relieving Stress rules in the core rule book, Stress Levels are removed after resting 5-10 minutes (CRB, 104). I rule that this Stress Level will be treated differently and can only be removed by spending an extra week of downtime in between surveys.

[Not stated in the rules but seemingly implied is that a “standard” survey will take three weeks in the field and one week back “at the office” in order to make it an even month.]

For the actual prospecting the rules on Building Better Worlds page 92 are used. Tony needs to make an OBSERVATION roll ( Wits – 4, Observation – 3) modified by the resource potential (Average -1). Rolling 6d6 the results are 2, 5, 1, 6, 1, 6 for two successes. Rolling d66 on the Prospecting Finds table (Building Better Worlds, 92) gets a 22 modified to 32 (the extra success adds to the 10s digit) which is, “Minor deposits of quality stone: marble, granite, limestone.” The value is assessed at d6 x the 10s digit of the find; the roll is 6 times 3 times 10 or 1,800 $W-Y. Looking at the Making a Living rules on page 92 of BBW, and the Work for Hire rules on page 161-162 of the core rule book, I rule that Tony is paid $500 per week (like a colonial laborer) but must pay $300 per week in “rental” fees for the equipment given. This three week survey nets Tony $2400…and one Stress Level. It looks like Tony is going to have to work alot harder to make that side-profit without the company being witting!

Second Expedition. Turning right around, Tony sets off on a second expedition. This time he decides to use the PUPS. Game Mother rules that every PUPS success can be used to count as either a success against the weather modifier or to add a 10s tot he d66 Prospecting Finds roll. The roll for PUPS is Wits-Comtech (5d6). The roll is 3, 5, 1, 1, 6 for a single success. Tony decides to not push the roll and banks the single success.

For the weather modifier, Game Mother rolls [4]-3 meaning the target number is going to be one success. Tony rolls Agility-Piloting (6d6) getting two success; the survey will take the standard three weeks and a bonus success will apply to the Prospecting Finds roll. The Prospecting Finds roll is 46, modified to 56 with the extra weather success and then to 66 (“A deep basin of clay deposits with gemstones and diamonds”) with the banked PUPS success. The value of the deposit is d6=[5] times 6 time 10 or $3000, with a net of $3600 for the expedition after salary and fees are factored in.

After six weeks on LV-7979-A Tony has grown his bank account from $800 to $6800. While this is not bad pay compared to law enforcement or the Colonial Marines, Tony is itching for the big strike and wants desperately to make it big and sets off again without any downtime.

Third Expedition. Tony decides that the PUPS will be used twice in this expedition; once for weather and again for Prospecting Finds. The expedition will take a standard three weeks with a PUPS success banked.

Looking over the core rule book, Game Mother decides this expedition will incorporate an encounter. Using the Colonized planet column of the On Planet Encounters table on page 353 of the core rule book, a roll of 3d6=14 gives “Lone Colonist.” The Game Mother rolls d6 for a “threat level” (1-2 = No Threat, 3 = Low Threat, 4= Mid Threat, 5 = High Threat, 6= Extreme Threat) getting a 6. Game Mother randomly determines the encounter takes place in week 2 of the expedition (d6/2 = 4/2 or second week).

Tony stirred and got up from his bunk. He swore he would never get used to the extra long solar days on LV-7979-A. His body clock told him this was day 10 but the local clock said it was sometime Day 3. Stretching, Tony took his seat in the cab of the Daihotai and pulled back the curtain…

…and nearly jumped out of his seat. Standing less than 10 meters in front of the tractor was a lone figure. Tony couldn’t see much with the solar light behind them. He glanced down at the proximity sensors and saw they were not on. “Of course,” he thought to himself, “why would I arm them when I haven’t seen another soul in two months on the tundra?” Looking up, Tony saw the figure was gone. “Seeing things,” he muttered out loud. He flipped the switch to power up the drive train, only to see one bogie set showing red. As he watched the display a second went red. Then the figure came around the left side of the tractor with bloody hands…

TO BE CONTINUED

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Feature image “Ice planet 1” by alexson1 courtesy deviantart

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