IJIS Recap and Thoughts

We have now played a few test games of this, and it seems only natural that we keep some kind of track of what the hell is going on. Even if the actual storyline gets scrapped, our thoughts on what has worked might help us do better on any game in the future.

What Happened

We have played three stories, all one session each.

The Face of Destruction

Wellington Farnsworth, curator of the Metropolitan Museum on Terra, contacts Renfro and tells him of a rival museum funded archeological dig on a far off planet. He tells him that if he can come back with some of the better pieces he will pay them handsomely. The crew does some research and finds out that they already sent some of their stuff away, and that ship was lost. Using some skills they guess at a location where they think it might be, and go there. After a day or so they locate the ship floating adrift. They board it, investigate for clues, plant a beacon, and negotiate salvage rights on the ship. The discover fruits and vegetables, but no artifacts. Those were clearly stolen. Records indicate a corvette attacked and outclassed this little merchant vessel. They leave for the planet and trudge their way to the dig site. The archeologist has no idea his artifacts have been stolen. He says someone tried to have him killed. Renfro does some research and with what is already there decides its possible that the ancestors of the Korellian race may have come from here. During the night some revolutionaries attack the camp and attempt to destroy some of the pieces. They plant bombs, but the players are able to defuse all but one of them. They convince the archeologist to let them take the stuff he has left so it doesnt get destroyed.

Halloween on an Asteroid

Acting on a tip the players head for an asteroid belt near the remote planet of Succarath. An expedition went here a few hundred years ago but never returned due to health issues of its leader. He was investigating a crash site of a very old ship. After some sensor sweeps the crash site is located on a large asteroid in the middle of a belt. The ship maneuvers its way in there and lands near the crash. There is an open compartment on the asteroid for a large creature to be in stasis. The ship is a crystalline object with a strange look. The players locate a creased section and find a way to wedge themselves in. Inside the whole ship looks crafted from a single piece of metal. There are two rooms but they cant figure out a way in to the back one. They decide they need other tools and go to explore the obelisks and buildings. Renfro finds some interesting hieroglyphs depicting bugs attacking dots. They get to work opening the main building and the robot scours the surface. Eventually they find their way in, and there is atmosphere and gravity inside the building. There are murals all over the walls depicting more bug stuff. The robot finds a bone with a boot. Inside there is a well preserved fight from hundreds of years ago, one dead bug and a bunch of dead humanoids. There is also a false wall. The players get to work busting through that. When they get it down there is a door, but it has a panel on it. Renfro deciphers the codes and opens the door. Inside is a giant, pulsating, bug with thousands of eyes. Bree starts to get a headache. The players try to communicate with it, but after a few minutes a warrior bug comes running in and they fight it. The robot is able to subdue it, but no one has been able to establish any kind of communication with the large one. Stan calls from the ship and says compartments are opening up all over the asteroid and bugs are coming out and heading for the building. Ismael orders them to fly the ship over and park it in front of the building so they can make their escape. On their way out the players encounter a couple of bugs that have already made it inside, and it looks like it would be a tough fight. The players dive into side rooms and Ismael orders Stan to use the ships guns to blast them a path. She underestimated the power of nova batteries and it blows the building and surrounding rock to bits, sending the ceiling flying into space and obliterating the big bug and all the murals. They are all scorched a bit and run to the ship. Outside, all of the bugs are standing around doing nothing until they notice the players and start running toward them. The players board their ship and fly away.

The Alpheccan Exodus

Hank Sandusky calls up Ismael and offers a deal to go and escort a group of scientists off a low tech planet. After some negotiations they agree and head over. When they arrive they find out that no high tech stuff is allowed on planetside, so Renfro smuggles some stuff down. They do a little bribery and get all of their stuff in. They rent an ATV to go with their motorcycles and ride a few days to the camp site. The doc tells them there has been sabotage and they suspect locals. Renfro looks at the stuff and where they got it from. Its a bunch of urns containing the ashes of ancestral kings. The players post a watch and that night saboteurs attempt to sneak into the camp, but they are foiled. The next morning they get on their way and move for a day with no problems. During their dinner a local man comes and puts a hex on them and one of their workers burns a banana for good omens. The next day around lunch they cross a rope bridge and are attacked by snipers with rifles. The robot heads into the woods and starts blowing them to bits. Renfro catches a glimpse of one as he slips into the woods. Everyone is even more on edge for the next two days but they arrive safely. Once they are at the airport its raining, so the trip to the starport will be a little rough. The doc negotiates reasonable tariffs while the players hit the bar. Bree has a crisis of conscience and consults the captain, Renfro and a priest who is here. She is only slightly allayed. A business man asks for a ride and offers to pay a good sum, to which the players agree. They head up to the starport and jump. On the way the ship drops out of warp. The captain starts scrambling everyone and a pirate tells them to stand down and be boarded. They find the saboteur and the captain whups his ass. Renfro wakes up the robot and everyone gears up. Stan is unconscious on the floor in the engine room and Willie is in the bathroom. The ship gets near and docks their shuttle. Then Bree tries maneuvers and a fight begins. The enemy boarding party guy has big time CBA and rushes into the cargo area with Renfro and the robot shooting him. There is a bunch of shooting between both ships, with the pirates taking the worst but still dealing damage. The captain tries to negotiate and the pirate captain demands the ectoplasmic changer. Ismael insists they only have urns of dead kings. They prove it and the pirate tells them to space their captive. They meet and discuss a mutual understanding which includes information on who he was working for.

What Worked

JASON: I think the robot is a good character for Jason. I think the ship combat was fun. People seem to like the setting.

MAYA: The setting rocks. I think everyone is getting a good feel for their characters. I like that our quests come from different sources, and I really enjoy figuring out what our ship can do. I also like that our characters are a tight knit group, although that does limit Renfro's original character a bit. I also think Robot is a great place for J to exercise his literal sense of humor.

Jason 2.0: I'm really enjoying the setting, and how well developed the characters are. Robot is probably the best choice in character for me because it allows some comedy but not enough to break the games mood. Having a psionic themed arc would be really interesting and has a lot of potential. My favorite part is everyone has a niche this time so we don't feel redundant.

RUMI: I like how arcs in this game can be episodic. It certainly breaks up the monotony and I think it also can feature a character's background or interests thus making them the "focus" for the arc which is neat.

What Didnt

JASON: I need more interactions planned.

MAYA: I would like to see something where Bree's special abilities are highlighted, and also do some character adjustment so Ismael is more just a backup pilot than on par with Bree. I'm having trouble playing Ismael as the bitch I designed her to be, so I think I need to adjust that away too. It would be a bit of awesome if we had something to more clearly show 3D space movement in the case of battles, and do you want me to bring my metal magnetized-push-pin board for use on board ship?

Jason 2.0: I agree with the need for more background characters to flesh out the world a little more. Another thing is I would like to see peoples backgrounds coming back to haunt them more. I rarely see this put into games and with how good the characters are it would be a shame to waste the background plot. I especially want to see someone come for the ship maybe the suitor that was left at the alter(Did we decide on this I'm not sure?). Lastly a complaint to me I need to figure out how to do more character to character interaction.

RUMI: This is just a personal thing in that when it gets into long, lengthy discussions about the technical aspects of the world (weapons, ships, parts, etc.) I zone out; sci-fi has never been my thing so I don't know the genre as well as others.