# [[Loner]] / [[Ensemble]] tags: #articles #game/rpg/loner #game/rpg/ensemble ![[Loner (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Ensemble (cover).jpg|300]] This is straight up easy street. Let's see what we can do. We might borrow a little bit from the [Cyberpunk playbook](https://lonersrd.zotiquestgames.com/adventure_packs/AP12_cyberpunk.html), but let's dig around a little. ## The Setup Two men out in the Sonoran Desert, both stranded by the side of the road. An EMP has disabled their vehicle, though only one of them knows that. Above a meteoroid streaks through the sky, leaving a trail of smoke to crash a few hundred yards up the road. From the crater crawls an alien horror, clawed and nightmarish, with tentacles lashing about its back, easily twice the height of a man. ### The Characters Both of our protagonists are assumed to have a Kel-Tec SUB-SDP. Because otherwise, what are we doing here? That'd be ridiculous. #### Duke Duke's an old hand at getting in and out of trouble, whether it be an alien invasion, a timeline crossover, or something even more abstruse. He's ready, willing, and able to stand there with a gun and shoot it, as long as it takes. He's going to look good doing it. | | Tags | | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | **Concept** | Meathead Hardcase | | **Skills** | Firearm Handling, Braggadoccio | | **Frailty** | Narcissistic | | **Gear** | Cigar, Shades | | **Goal** | Fight his way out of the desert | | **Motive** | Impress women, awe men, get paid | | **Nemesis** | Hive Warrior K'lecka, commander of the invading forces | #### Driver That's not what he does. That's actually his name. Aldo Driver works at a California Kel-Tec distributor, which explains why he has a new release in his trunk. He's weedy and a bit of a geek, but there's a bandana in that truck somewhere. | | Tags | | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Concept** | Gun Engineer | | **Skills** | Firearm Engineering, Gung-Ho Spirit | | **Frailty** | Weedy | | **Gear** | Pocket Protector Full of Pens, Leatherman | | **Goal** | Make his way home to his cat | | **Motive** | See cool tech and make it blow stuff up | | **Nemesis** | Hive Warrior Oosha, commander of the all-female Praetorian Guard | #### Hive Warrior K'lecka Thanks to the fact that everything is statted out the same way, we can handle K'lecka right here. First to fight, first to lead (probably first to die). K'lecka is on the ground to secure a beachhead in an area large enough for forces to assemble. It was only dumb luck that there happened to be a couple of human squishes right there at the landing area. Not a problem. They can be eliminated in short order. | | Tags | | ----------- | ----------------------------------- | | **Concept** | Alien Warrior | | **Skills** | Brutal In-Fighting, Alien Reactions | | **Frailty** | Overconfident | | **Gear** | Massive Claws, Lashing Tentacles | | **Goal** | Clear the landing zone | | **Motive** | Conquer Earth, what else? | | **Nemesis** | All humanity | ### The Location Middle of nowhere, desert California. Mainly scrub, a stretch of mostly maintained **highway**, some **rocks**, a surprising number of scrub bushes and **cactus**, plus a couple of stranded **cars**. Oh yeah, a **crater** with an alien crawling out of it. ## The Long Game Should you enjoy dealing with Duke and Driver fighting off a big alien in the desert, where to next? Las Vegas seems a solid likely choice, doing a little run and gun through the casinos and out in the streets surrounded by panicking civilians. Totally aces. After that, who knows? The mothership has to be somewhere. ## Lifted Mechanics You're definitely going to want *[Heat](https://lonersrd.zotiquestgames.com/adventure_packs/AP04_crime.html#heat)* from the Crime Adventure Pack to track how much the aliens are paying attention to these two doofuses out there messing up their plans. Just replace the cops with aliens, and I think you'll find it works out for the best for everybody, except when it doesn't. *[Interrogation](https://lonersrd.zotiquestgames.com/adventure_packs/AP04_crime.html#interrogation)* from the same set is absolutely worth looking at. You might accidentally take an alien hostage. It could happen. You might not necessarily get the kill shot all the time. If he's alive anyway, might as well make him talk, if he knows anything. Pick up the *[Special Rules for Starship Traits](https://lonersrd.zotiquestgames.com/adventure_packs/AP02_space.html#special-rules-starship-traits)* in the Space Adventure Pack as well. Sometimes you want to know what sort of thing is flying around the area to either avoid or steal. I suggest the latter. It's more fun. While we're being over the top, big damn heroes, also grab the *[Action Points](https://lonersrd.zotiquestgames.com/adventure_packs/AP07_action_adventure.html#action-points)* mechanics from the Action Adventure Pack. This allows you to push yourself for an advantage, but just as importantly, lets you take a serious disadvantage in order to recharge your Action Points for later. Trade-offs are good. ## Adventure Seeds If you find yourself at loose ends for what should happen next, feel free to roll on the Adventure Seed tables. Note that the target table has two entries which refer to simply rolling back on the source table. Yes, this could mean that The Aliens end up wanting to kill The Aliens. Factional infighting. We love that kind of thing. Roll with it. Also, are you a bad enough dude to save the president? **Source (d6):** 1. The Aliens 2. The Government 3. A Hot Chick 4. An Old Friend 5. Your Nemesis 6. KelTec HQ **Wants (d6):** 1. To Kill 2. To Take 3. To Subvert 4. To Surveil 5. To Destroy 6. To Place **Target (d6):** 1. ((Source)) 2. ((Source)) 3. Duke 4. Driver 5. Major City 6. The President ## Exunt This is kind of a fun setup, and if you were looking for a quick pickup game for yourself and another player, or just yourself, this is plenty of rock and roll to get you started. You'll have to let me know how it turns out.