The Artefact is a science fiction roleplaying game set on a huge alien world where three races fight for control. Enter humanity from a little blue marble and the game begins. Run by its author, Onix.
Ok, that seems to be a good enough explanation of using a newcomer for now. Zvika (and I) will probably just spend the intervening hours going over the documents. Too nervous/excited to do much else.
Games of imagination are never truly done. Yet tomorrow we shall start another one.
I really hate it when I write a big long post and it's been too long so the post fails. Arg. Lets try again.
The Sergeants inspect the gear being brought on the mission, but Zvika and Edward don't have anything that would be a problem so it's a non issue.
You are assigned your PET (Personal Emergency Teleporter) that is scanned into the teleporter back at home base. You are instructed not to show these to the Chezbah. Command wants the Chezbah to know as little about teleporter technology as possible.
Teleporting across the planet is much safer than interstellar teleportation but you find it is every bit as unpleasant.
The Remote Operation station is only here to serve as a launch point for this mission and a way back home. Because of that there is not much here. The station is illuminated by stadium style lights powered by batteries and generators because there is no power to this region of the underground. The whole station is inside one of the smaller passageways in the wall of a Agricultural Hex. (I can expound more if you like)
The teleport process takes 46 hours to complete because of a problem in the overhaul process. (Engineer's error) During this time the characters are not allowed to leave the camp (there isn’t anywhere to go the camp is tiny and there is nothing around) but have leisure time to study maps, talk, play cards etc.
At one point you overhear a Sergeant named Don Jeffreys that says the following to another Sergeant.
“I really didn’t want this assignment. Just two weeks ago my brother was assigned to help a Scimrahn tribe called the Bech-dok. They were a Carrier tribe. I say “were” because the Chezbah attacked with E-Suits and a Demolisher. They devastated the tribe, then the Warriors and the Hounds moved in and picked off anyone that survived. At first my brother tried fighting, but it went bad so fast there was nothing he could do. He had to use his PET to get out of there. I'm worried that this’ll end up the same way. The Capt. says these guys are unpredictable.”
I had more before but I'm out of time at the moment I'll do more later.
Zivka, can inspect his tank, it's fully armed (50 anti-armor rounds, 5 missiles). It has that new tank smell. The Engineers tell you that an reload of tank rounds (50) and two reloads of missiles (10) will be loaded onto the trucks in the convoy.
Once the teleport process is complete the platoon will head out. The convoy will consist of Zivka's tank, five ASO transports two motorcycles and two trucks.
The first leg of the trip (500 km) will take seven hours due to some rough terrain. On the way there is nothing to see because there is no power in the entire region and the only light is the lights of the vehicle's headlamps. Even if there was enough light, the path that you are traveling is through Agricultural Hexes. Because there is no light there are no plants and the ground looks like a dessert. Agri-Hexes are just big open hexagon shaped spaces so the only thing to see is when you go through the passages in the walls which aren't terribly exciting after the fifth or sixth time (You travel through fifty of them, you counted, because there was nothing else interesting to do.)
At the 480 km mark the Capt. tells Zivka to be on the lookout for people or vehicles on his sensors (Radar, infra-red etc.). The sensors can only read to the edge of the Hex because the 400 m (each hex wall is 200ish meters thick ad two butt together) of solid wall blocks Radar and Infra-red. So each hex is entered cautiously. At 520 Km Zivka detects a large vehicle (approx 6m tall, 4m wide, and 9m long). It's signature identifies it as a Demolisher. It rises above the ground to an altitude of 100m. You receive a radio broadcast in English.
It says "Stop where you are. Submit to an inspection."
One of the diplomats gets on a radio, "We are expected, we are traveling to the town of Hef-elek-meser. We will submit to the inspection."
The Capt. gets on a private channel and says, "We're going to do this. Lets be real gentlemen. Radio me on this channel if anything happens that doesn't seem right."
The Demolisher descends and turns on floodlights and then advances along the ground on legs that it uses like a water strider. It's Anti-Grav engine holds it up and the legs push it along. You can feel a slight throbbing from the Anti-Grav engine as it approaches.
The Diplomats get out of the transports (there was one in each) and with the Capt and Sarge Ortiz (Top?). They go to the front of the convoy to meet the Chezbah.
K, out of time, I'll do more later, almost to the point where you guys get to do stuff, there's a lot of description just to se this up. I'd have you do more rolls for certain things if it wouldn't drastically slow down play.
The front of the Demolisher opens. The sensor head swings and inside you can see six Chezbah sitting three to a side at consoles. Down the middle is an isle and a huge guy in white armor is walking from the back of the vehicle. From the identification photos you can tell that this is a Chezbah Warrior.
He gets out of the vehicle and you notice something that was not in the pictures you've seen, he has four gold rounded bars painted on either side of his helmet and shoulders. Both of you can take a difficult (-30) Military Intelligence roll to identify the marking.
Behind him is a Chezbah priest that is only slightly taller than the Warrior's belt. The Priest also gets out of the Demolisher and the front closes. The priest has a full white beard and is wearing the robe of a Kelan, a priest who's primary job is directing military forces. This is the most commonly encountered kind of priest and are usually just called priests generically.
Take a Sensors skill roll for Zivka if you would please. I'm going to continue with descriptions but I'll try not to get into anything that success or failure would alter.
The priest approaches and begins to talk with the diplomats. The Warrior walks past them and walks up to Zivka's tank and raps on the hull. "You, come out!" He says in English in a heavy accent.Sarg. Ortiz notices and picks up his radio. Some of the other Sergeants are walking up to the Warrior.
Okay, so either or both of you can take a difficult (-30) Military Intelligence roll. Zivka can roll for Sensors. What will your characters do at this point?
First roll is for Military Intelligence, IQ(90)+Skill(10)+Difficulty-30. Target number 70
Second Roll would be for Intuition to see if you can hear the conversation. Unfortunately with all the vehicles running and the distance, I'd say it's near impossible to hear what's going on without walking past the Warrior to where the Priest is.
Haven't got a prayer at the Military intelligence roll - IQ 20/no skill.
Sensors: IQ 20/+15 (=35) No luck.
We're stopped, are bored of of watching the terrain, and people are leaving their vehicles - a good time for an ambush. Lets try "Detect Ambush" to see if anyone has dug some emplacements:
INT 20/+10 (=30) Still nothing. Eager to serve, but thick as mud.
Clear sensors or not, I'm a bit loath to leave my post when I'm the convoy's main cover. I'll ignore the warrior's initial request and hope the sergeant talks to him. If the Chezbah tries again, I'll excuse it as not hearing him - the armor muffling his request, and explain "we're both soldiers - you know I have a duty to the others to stay here." Unless an officer tells me otherwise, I'm not getting out - and I'll tell the warrior that if he continues to insist.
Games of imagination are never truly done. Yet tomorrow we shall start another one.