# RPG a Day 2026 - 18: Directness tags: #thoughts #thoughts/RPGaDay/2026 ![[RPG a Day 2026 (illo).jpg]] We've had the pleasure of talking about my feelings about being direct earlier this month in the [[RPGaDay 2026 - 07 - Mercy|Mercy]] article, but we're going to go in a different direction. Earlier today, I got distracted by replying to a [Reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ironsworn/s/VGFyqQbZ7R) in which someone was wondering how to do a story like the cinematic masterpiece **Alien** in **[[Ironsworn - Starforged|Starforged]]**.[^1] Now, I don't know if you've met me, but this is putting two of the things I love the most together, so there's been a bit of a back and forth. Part of that was how to use the derelict ship rules to essentially explore a derelict ship and face some of the threats you might find in a play in a world where Xenomorphs are a real threat. I'm down for this. This is great. I'm all about it. There is a key thing in this discussion that brings us to the subject of today's RPG a Day entry: directness. But first, we need a character to use. Let me put something together real quick. [^1]: Ironically, he didn't want to use **[[Alien - The Roleplaying Game|Alien: The Roleplaying Game]]** because he didn't have friends to play it with. I didn't have the heart to tell him that you can play it solo. I'll let someone else do that. It might be too emotionally damaging. --- ## Jon Sertus **Sex:** Male ### Stats | **Edge** | **Heart** | **Iron** | **Shadow** | **Wits** | | -------- | --------- | -------- | ---------- | -------- | | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ### Status Tracks | **Resource** | **Current** | **Max** | **Reset / Spent** | | -------------- | ----------- | ------- | ----------------- | | **Health** | 5 | 5 | - | | **Spirit** | 5 | 5 | - | | **Supply** | 5 | 5 | - | | **Momentum** | 2 | 10 | Reset: 2 | | **Experience** | 0 | - | Spent: 0 | ### Vows | **Vow** | **Rank** | **Progress** | **Resolved** | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ---------------- | ------------ | | **Learn where the Xenomorph truly originated.** | Epic | ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (0/10) | False | ### Legacy Tracks | **Track** | **Ticks** | | --------------- | --------- | | **Quests** | 0 | | **Bonds** | 0 | | **Discoveries** | 0 | ### Assets > [!abstract] Explorer > *PATH* 🚀 > > - [x] When you Explore a Waypoint, take +1 momentum on a hit. When you Finish an Expedition and score a hit, mark 1 extra tick on your discoveries legacy track. > - [ ] When you come across a wondrous sight or phenomenon, such as an extraordinary planet, majestic creature, or dazzling stellar object, choose one: > - Find inspiration: Take +1 momentum > - Soak it all in: Hearten; add +1, and take +1 momentum on a hit. > - [ ] When you Secure an Advantage by studying a newfound place from a safe position, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a strong hit with a match, take another +1 momentum and envision an unusual aspect of the site. > [!abstract] Sidekick > *COMPANION* 🚀 > > **Name:** Marcel > **Expertise:** Navigation > > - [x] Your sidekick has a helpful expertise. When you make a move outside of a fight directly aided by their expertise, you may reroll your action die if its value is less than your sidekick's health. If you then score a strong hit with a match, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. > - [ ] When you Enter the Fray with the support of your sidekick, take +2 momentum on a hit. When you Clash together, add +1. > - [ ] When your sidekick acts to get you out of a tough spot, you may Face Danger or React Under Fire and roll +their health (instead of your own stat). On a hit, take +1 momentum. > > **Health** ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (Out of Action) > [!abstract] Starship > *COMMAND VEHICLE* 🚀 > > **Name:** *Kraken* > > - [x] Your armed, multipurpose starship is suited for interstellar and atmospheric flight. It can comfortably transport several people, has space for cargo, and can carry and launch support vehicles. When you Advance, you may spend experience to equip this vehicle with module assets. > - [ ] When you Finish an Expedition (dangerous or greater) in your starship and score a hit, this journey strengthened your ties to your ship and any fellow travelers. You and your allies may mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. > - [ ] When you Withstand Damage, you may roll +heart. If you do, Endure Stress (-1) on a weak hit or miss. > > **Integrity** ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (Battered, Cursed) === - **Look** (*Characters → First Look*, d100 **59** → **Plain**): A plain, unremarkable man — easy to overlook in a crowd or a spacedock. - **Act** (*Characters → Disposition*, d100 **82** → **Unfriendly**): Unfriendly by design. He says exactly what he means and leaves the small talk to Marcel. --- > [!info] Commentary > This probably looks like a lot of text to have in a character sheet, but given that I have pretty much all of this built, ready to roll out and generate programmatically given my directives, it's actually not that bad. I do love having a full character sheet available on tap. ## Underway Here we go. A character ready to go explore a derelict starship named *Nightmare Fuel*, along with his buddy Marcel, who is a particularly good navigator. So let's get on it. Let us set the scene. Jon and Marcel are spending time in a corporate bar. There are few enough people interested in salvage work that there's always something floating around that somebody's lost, and sometimes they even want part of it back. Regardless, Jon's on a bit of a personal quest to find out where the monsters that were responsible for the destruction of his home colony actually originated. Marcel ended up tagging along one day out in the black. A chance incident brought them together at the same pitch-black asteroid. They've been inseparable ever since. Now they've got a lead on a ship called the *Nightmare Fuel*, which is extremely comforting as a destination. Jon's not sure if someone had a sense of humor or a sense of predestination. Their lead gave them solid if complicated orbital injection coordinates such that they should be able to get there without "too much" trouble. "Too much?" is always a hard question. ### The Run > [!info] Commentary > All right. Since Jon and Marcel have directions on how to get to where they're going, we don't need to undertake an expedition to get there. All we need to do is set a course as a move. > [!done] **Set a Course — Strong Hit** > 💡 *+supply* > 🎲 **Action die 1 + 5 (supply) = 6 · Challenge dice 4 · 3** > 6 beats both challenge dice (4, 3). > **Strong Hit:** You reach your destination and the situation there favors you. Take +1 momentum. > [!note] **Bookkeeping** > - **Supply:** +5 (current **5**) > - **Momentum:** +2 → **+3** (reset +2) The trip in the *Kraken* is largely uneventful, which immediately sets Jon's teeth on edge. Even Marcel seems to be tense as they approach the bulk of what seems to be part station and part ship, with a real difficulty discerning what part was originally which. ### Arrival > [!todo] **Derelict — *Nightmare Fuel*** > - **Condition** — *Derelicts → Condition*, d100 **18** → **Limited power** > - **Outer First Look** — *Derelicts → Outer First Look*, d100 **84** → **Signs that others are here** > - **Location** — **Deep Space** *(established)* Some of the lights on the ship are clearly still burning, albeit with a sort of shuddery flickering. One of the airlocks is host to a ship attached to it like a lamprey. Whoever it is, they didn't have entrance codes either. The *Long Haul*.[^2] It's impossible to tell how long it's been there, or even if there's anyone still on it. No radio emissions as far as they can tell, but it doesn't matter. There's enough of the bulk that they can quietly drift around to the other side, hopefully unseen, and find their own place to grapple. [^2]: *Long Haul* (d100 **46** → on the *Starships → Name* table) > [!warning] **Face Danger — Weak Hit** *(stealth, +shadow)* > 🎲 **Action die 2 + 1 (shadow) = 3 · Challenge dice 1 · 6** > 3 beats one challenge die (1), fails the other (6). > **Weak Hit:** You succeed, but not without a cost. Make a suffer move (-1). The *Kraken* drifts around the bulk near silently, emissions reduced to a bare minimum. Jon is doing his best to fly casual. Marcel looks generally unperturbed, but he almost always looks unperturbed. It takes a lot more than the possibility of violent opposed scavengers to get more than a raised eyebrow and a low chuckle out of him. Jon, however, is feeling the stress. Competition is never a good sign. > [!done] **Endure Stress — Strong Hit** *(resist, +spirit)* > 🎲 **Action die 5 + 5 (spirit) = 10 · Challenge dice 5 · 3** > 10 beats both challenge dice (5, 3). > **Strong Hit:** Choose one — **Shake it off** (take +1 spirit). > [!note] **Bookkeeping** > - **Spirit:** 5 → 4 (‑1 stress) → **5** (Shake it off) > - **Momentum:** **+3** (unchanged) > [!abstract] **Ask the Oracle — Corporate or private?** > 🎲 **d100: 6** (≤ 50 = corporate) > → **Corporate** > [!info] **Tethys Colonial Group** > - **Primary business:** Deep-space mineral extraction and terraforming of frontier worlds. > [!info] Commentary > We didn't actually have a table for coming up with random alien appropriate corporations, but damn if we don't have some tools elsewhere to do it. Jon wonders aloud, "What the hell Tethys is doing out in the black on a site with no minerals and not a frontier world?" Marcel shrugs. He doesn't really care. "A share's a share." "We're not actually getting shares for this job, you know." "I wasn't talking about us." ### Getting Aboard Jon sighs. It's not like this is the first time they've had this "argument." The bulk of the ship's far side hangs there exactly as a brick wouldn't, and there's no visible way in. "Time to make the doughnuts. I'm low-power scanning for an entrance, you keep us off the antennas." > [!warning] **Secure an Advantage — Weak Hit** *(+wits, low-power scan)* > 🎲 **Action die 5 + 1 (wits) = 6 · Challenge dice 6 · 7** > 6 beats one challenge die (6), fails the other (7). > **Sidekick reroll:** not needed (action die 5 ≥ Marcel's Health **4**). > **Weak Hit:** +1 on your next move. > [!note] **Bookkeeping** > - **Momentum:** **+3** (unchanged) > - **Pending:** **+1** on your next move (not a progress move) "There she is. There's the little bitch." Jon spots a small access port that still shows powered indicators. Marcel's steady hand helps them pick their way through the excrescence of antennas and bulkhead bulges that at first glance make no sense. The creaking gently settles over the hatch and places an environmental seal around the opening while the two potential salvagers suit up. There's no telling what's on the other side of the door. > [!abstract] **Undertake an Expedition — Set Up** > - **Expedition:** Explore the derelict ship, *Nightmare Fuel*, looking for its data logs > - **Rank:** Dangerous — Progress ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (0/10) Once the *Kraken* is firmly affixed to the *Nightmare Fuel*, Jon does the magic that he does with the control panel. It fights — they always put up a fight — but eventually gives in. The mechanical ease with which it pulls back into the ship and then slides aside is more disquieting than if it shuddered and juddered as it only partially opened. > [!warning] **Undertake an Expedition — Weak Hit** *(stealth, +shadow)* > 🎲 **Action die 6 + 1 (shadow) + 1 (add) = 8 · Challenge dice 8 · 3** > 8 beats one challenge die (3); ties the other (8, so it doesn't count). > **Weak Hit:** You reach a waypoint, but this progress costs you. Mark progress (2 boxes, Dangerous) and choose one — > - **Suffer costs en route:** make a suffer move (**-2**), or two suffer moves (**-1**) > - **Face a peril at the waypoint:** envision what you encounter > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts — Face a Peril at the Waypoint** > - **Expedition progress (Dangerous):** +2 boxes → ⬛️⬛️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (2/10) > - **+1 add:** spent (this move) > - **Peril at the waypoint:** to be generated — *Derelicts → Inner First Look* (what you encounter) ### Engineering > [!todo] **Engineering — Waypoint 1** > - **Zones > Starship** — d100 **28** → **Engineering** > - **Inner First Look** — d100 **23** → **Cluttered with debris** > - **Engineering > Peril** — d100 **93** → *Action + Theme* > - **Action** — d100 **70** → **Preserve** > - **Theme** — d100 **55** → **Love** Jon and Marcel come in through what used to be an access hatch for the engineering deck. Clearly something terrible happened in this ship. > [!abstract] **Ask the Oracle — Gravity?** > 🎲 **d100: 32** (≤ 75 = yes, *Likely* odds) > → **Yes, gravity is present** The artificial gravity system is still working to some degree, but it was off at some point. Cargo crates, half-open boxes, and the remnants of supply are scattered around this staging room. Neither man knows why. The storage boxes are torn open and their contents scattered across the floor, but they do know that there are the remains of a couple clutching one another in the corner. Their desiccated flesh latched tight to their bones, jaws distended in an eternal scream, staring at the door, not the door to the outside, which the crew of the *Kraken* had just entered, but the one on the other side of the room. Jon's seen things in derelicts before, but this is bad. > [!warning] **Endure Stress — Minor Stress (-1)** > **Spirit:** 5 → **4** (suffered -1 for minor stress) The ugly scene is strangely touching in its way, but the implications lead to places he would rather not think about. > [!warning] **Endure Stress — Weak Hit** *(resist, +spirit)* > 🎲 **Action die 3 + 5 (spirit) = 8 · Challenge dice 1 · 9** > 8 beats one challenge die (1), fails the other (9). > **Weak Hit:** if not shaken, you may **Lose Momentum (-1)** in exchange for **+1 spirit**. Otherwise, press on. > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts — Press On** > - **Spirit:** 5 → **4** (suffered -1 minor stress; pressed on, no recovery) > - **Momentum:** **+3** (unchanged) This is no time to lose nerve, but there's a toll. Even Marcel looks paler than usual as they press on. > [!abstract] **Ask the Oracle — Door Unlocked?** > 🎲 **d100: 20** (≤ 25 = yes, *Unlikely* odds) > → **Yes — it's unlocked** Jon puts his hand to the door without actually expecting anything, but the latch moves with a satisfying clunk. He can feel it as if it wants to swing open invitingly. > [!done] **Undertake an Expedition — Strong Hit** *(stealth, +shadow)* · *match* > 🎲 **Action die 5 + 1 (shadow) = 6 · Challenge dice 2 · 2** > 6 beats both challenge dice (2, 2). > **Strong Hit:** reach a waypoint; mark progress per rank. **Match:** a twist in your favor or new opportunity. > [!note] **Bookkeeping** > - **Expedition progress (Dangerous):** +2 boxes → ⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (4/10) > - **Momentum:** **+3** (unchanged) ### The Sensor Array > [!todo] **Waypoint 2 — Engineering** > - **Zones > Starship** — d100 **22** → **Engineering** > - **Inner First Look** — d100 **84** → **Temporal distortions** > - **Engineering > Opportunity** (favorable match) — d100 **26** → **Chance to restore power or function** If the dead couple in the other room came through here, he could understand why they were clinging to each other and looked so horrified. Something about the room messes with his mind. Maybe it's the subsonic creaking of the bulkheads or the barely coordinated flashing of the displays. This engineering room appears to be part of the sensor system for the ship, and it's absolutely going wild. A moment seems to stretch out for hours as he flicks his eyes along the panels and displays. Then when he reaches for something, it's as though someone has jammed their thumb onto fast forward. He can almost not stop his hand from its swift travel. Maybe he can get some kind of control of the situation if he's lucky. > [!warning] **Face Danger — Weak Hit** *(resolve, +heart)* > 🎲 **Action die 5 + 3 (heart) = 8 · Challenge dice 8 · 5** > 8 beats one challenge die (5); ties the other (8, so it doesn't count). > **Weak Hit:** You succeed, but not without a cost. Make a suffer move (-1). The abrupt changes in his sense of time make Jon's hands unsteady on the sensor network controls. It's almost impossible to concentrate. > [!warning] **Endure Stress — Minor Stress (-1)** > **Spirit:** 4 → **3** (suffered -1) A particularly acute cascade of light across every panel in the room sends Jon's head reeling. He didn't expect things to escalate to this point. With a final few clicks, the sensors align themselves and the inputs stop cascading so aggressively. Jon has what he wanted. The sensor network is back online, but his pounding head and nausea are taking their toll. > [!warning] **Endure Stress — Weak Hit** *(resist, +spirit)* > 🎲 **Action die 4 + 3 (spirit) = 7 · Challenge dice 7 · 3** > 7 beats one challenge die (3); ties the other (7, so it doesn't count). > **Weak Hit:** if not shaken, you may **Lose Momentum (-1)** in exchange for **+1 spirit**. Otherwise, press on. > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts — Press On** > - **Spirit:** 4 → **3** (suffered -1; pressed on, no recovery) > - **Momentum:** **+3** (unchanged) On the positive side, the *Nightmare Fuel*'s internal sensor array is recalibrated, and he's sitting at an easy access point to the whole network. There's no way he can get to the ship's logs from here. That would be asking too much, but maybe he can get an idea of where the crew of that Tethys ship got off to. > [!warning] **Secure an Advantage — Weak Hit** *(+wits, sensor sweep)* > 🎲 **Action die 3 + 1 (wits) = 4 · Challenge dice 5 · 1** > 4 beats one challenge die (1), fails the other (5). > **Weak Hit:** You succeed. Choose one — > - **Take +2 momentum** > - **Add +1 on your next move** (not a progress move) > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts — Take +2 Momentum** > - **Momentum:** +3 → **+5** > - **Spirit:** **3** (unchanged) > [!abstract] **Ask the Oracle — Locate the *Long Haul* crew?** > 🎲 **d100: 9** (≤ 25 = yes, *Unlikely* odds) > → **Yes — he locates them** > [!abstract] **Ask the Oracle — *Long Haul* crew alive?** > 🎲 **d100: 41** (≤ 50 = yes, *50/50* odds) > → **Yes — they're alive** The sensor system is bulky and still experiencing the equivalent of tiny seizures; he *does* manage to coax it into sharing some news about the crew of the *Long Haul*. For whatever reason, they are showing up as blips, living blips. > [!abstract] **Action + Theme** > - **Action** — d100 **21** → **Clash** > - **Theme** — d100 **32** → **Expedition** Detail is almost non-existent. It's obvious that whatever happened to the *Long Haul*, the crew is in no shape to get themselves out. Something happened to them. Their health is nowhere near where it should be. If he had to guess, the *Long Haul*'s crew found themselves in a fight when they boarded the *Nightmare Fuel*. But judging by the state of the two he had just found, it wasn't with the crew. Whoever it was and *whatever* it was, neither Jon nor Marcel was interested in spending time with it. It was time to get a move on and see if they couldn't find a decent access portal to grab those logs. > [!done] **Undertake an Expedition — Strong Hit** *(speed, +edge)* · *match* > 🎲 **Action die 3 + 2 (edge) = 5 · Challenge dice 3 · 3** > 5 beats both challenge dice (3, 3). > **Strong Hit:** reach a waypoint; mark progress per rank. **Match:** a twist in your favor or new opportunity. ### Living Quarters > [!todo] **Waypoint 3 — Living** > - **Zones > Starship** — d100 **46** → **Living** > - **Inner First Look** — d100 **43** → **Flashing strobe lights** > - **Living > Opportunity** (favorable match) — d100 **50** → **Intact barricade or protected area** > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Expedition progress (Dangerous):** +2 boxes → ⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (6/10) > - **Momentum:** **+5** (unchanged) > [!info] Commentary > That is a damn lucky action die roll. A match with a strong hit when the total is only five? I feel blessed! This is clearly a setup for my suffering later. The engineering area had nothing of particular interest along the way, so Jon and Marcel pushed lightly into the living quarters. Whatever caused the cascade of mind-blasting flashes and subsonic groans in engineering clearly left its footprint here as well, though not nearly as aggressively. The lights strobed with a blaring harshness, bringing the headache back. Down one corridor, running between a row of personal rooms, was a hastily assembled defensive position made of storage containers and random detritus, forming a difficult-to-pass barricade. Whatever they were trying to protect themselves against was coming from further into the ship, not the way Jon and Marcel had come. To suggest there was a continuing feeling of unease would be to understate things. Jon made a note of this potential convenience and hoped he would never have to use it before hurrying on. > [!fail] **Undertake an Expedition — Miss** *(speed, +edge)* > 🎲 **Action die 4 + 2 (edge) = 6 · Challenge dice 9 · 6** > 6 beats neither challenge die (6 ties, 6 < 9). > **Miss:** waylaid by a crisis; **do not mark progress**; *Pay the Price*. > [!abstract] **Pay the Price** > - *Moves → Pay the Price*, d100 **56** → **A friend, companion, or ally is in harm's way (or you are, if alone)** > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Expedition progress (Dangerous):** ⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (6/10) — **unchanged** > - **Momentum:** **+5** (unchanged) > [!abstract] **Derelicts > Living > Peril** > - d100 **29** → **Disturbing evidence of exploitive living conditions** Judging by the "housing" provided to the "workers", it's clear that they may not have been here by choice. The doors weren't actually left open; they were gridded bars. The *Nightmare Fuel* was never *designated* as a prison ship — as far as Jon knew — so there shouldn't be an array of cells inside of it, but here we are. Marcel brushes against one of the doorways a little too brusquely and receives a massive electric shock for his trouble. > [!warning] **Companion Takes a Hit — Major Harm (-3)** > **Marcel Health:** 4 → **1** (suffered -3) > [!fail] **Companion Takes a Hit — Miss** *(test, +Marcel's health)* > 🎲 **Action die 2 + 1 (Marcel's health) = 3 · Challenge dice 3 · 7** > 3 beats neither challenge die (3 ties, 3 < 7). > **Miss:** it's worse than you thought. Marcel suffers an **additional -1 health**, or you **Lose Momentum (-2)**. > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts — Lose Momentum** > - **Momentum:** +5 → **+3** > - **Marcel Health:** **1** (suffered major harm; alive, not out of action) Marcel recoils hard and almost throws himself across the hallway into another energized barrier, but Jon lunges forward and shoves him to the floor before he could. The smaller man convulses, twitching before he manages to pull himself together. The burn from his shoulder to his fingertips is pretty bad. Both men are shaken, knowing that it could have been either one of them, and it very well could have been fatal. "What the fuck were they doing here?" Jon asks. There's a real sense of creeping distaste working its way into his voice. Marcel starts to shrug, but winces, and simply settles for gesturing with his offhand. "Luckily, this isn't my first rodeo. I think I've got something in here to deal with this." Jon starts rummaging through his exploration pack, looking for medical supplies. > [!done] **Check Your Gear — Strong Hit** *(+supply)* > 🎲 **Action die 3 + 5 (supply) = 8 · Challenge dice 1 · 6** > 8 beats both challenge dice (1, 6). > **Strong Hit:** you have it and are ready to act. Take +1 momentum. > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Momentum:** +3 → **+4** > - **Supply:** **5** (unchanged) "Got it." A portable medical pack dangles from Jon's index finger, and he looks relatively self-satisfied, right where he knew it was. "Let's see if we can't get you patched up." > [!done] **Heal — Strong Hit** *(care, +heart)* > 🎲 **Action die 6 + 3 (heart) = 9 · Challenge dice 8 · 5** > 9 beats both challenge dice (8, 5). > **Strong Hit:** the care is helpful — give the ally under your care **+3 health**. > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Marcel Health:** 1 → **4** (fully recovered) > - **Momentum:** **+4** (unchanged) > - **Supply:** **5** (unchanged) > [!info] Commentary > Another strong hit? I'm just waiting for the inevitable miss with a match that kills us all. This is going entirely too well. Jon swabs away at the now dribbling injection site and Marcel nearly instantly feels better. He doesn't look any better. You can only treat the impact of the wound, not the damage. His arm is still going to be largely out of order until they can get some real medical care, but for the moment he's back up and working. Not that there's much to do, but he's working. Jon catches himself before he claps the small man on his shoulder, but only just. Time to get moving again. Whatever happened to their rival crew, it'd probably be best for it not to happen to them. > [!warning] **Undertake an Expedition — Weak Hit** *(speed, +edge)* > 🎲 **Action die 4 + 2 (edge) = 6 · Challenge dice 1 · 10** > 6 beats one challenge die (1), fails the other (10). > **Weak Hit:** reach a waypoint; mark progress per rank. Choose one — > - [ ] **Suffer costs en route:** make a suffer move (**-2**), or two (**-1**) > - [x] **Face a peril at the waypoint:** envision what you encounter *(chosen)* ### Operations > [!todo] **Waypoint 4 — Operations** > - **Zones > Starship** — d100 **85** → **Operations** > - **Inner First Look** — d100 **76** → **Smell of decay** > - **Operations > Peril** — d100 **33** → **Discouraging evidence of failed plans or defenses** > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Expedition progress (Dangerous):** +2 boxes → ⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬛️⬜️⬜️ (8/10) > - **Momentum:** **+4** (unchanged) > [!abstract] **Action + Theme** > - **Action** — d100 **74** → **Refuse** > - **Theme** — d100 **93** → **Vengeance** There were no more impromptu defense positions or even corpses along the way to the operations center, but that alone was ominous. There were signs of combat but they really looked more like a rush of improvised melee, strangled shouts, and squirting blood. Here and there, things looked as if they had been washed with acid, leaving improbable gouges in whatever material it fell upon. It looked as if someone had been trying to claw the bridge door open, and Jon really did think the word "claw" was perfectly appropriate. Deep scratches marred the bulkhead, and it was almost impossible to imagine that the door didn't open, and yet here it was. Still closed, locked. Dammit, locked. Again, not the first time Jon had been in a derelict that needed salvaging. Not the first time he'd faced a locked door. He didn't even need to go digging in his pack to pull out his tools for this one. > [!done] **Secure an Advantage — Strong Hit** *(edge, lockpick)* > 🎲 **Action die 6 + 2 (edge) = 8 · Challenge dice 5 · 4** > 8 beats both challenge dice (5, 4). > **Strong Hit:** you succeed — **take +2 momentum** and **+1 on your next move** (not a progress move). > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Momentum:** +4 → **+6** > - **Pending:** **+1** on your next move (not a progress move) > - **Spirit:** **3** (unchanged) The door pops with very little trouble. Jon has time for a smirk before he pushes open the door and sees the absolute wreckage that is the interior of the operations room. Sure, it had been sealed from whatever was trying to attack it from outside, but just like the two that he found on his first foray into the ship, the corpses are cold, desiccated, and appear to be in the very process of screaming. The cool, dry air of the struggling life support system pulled every bit of moisture out of these bodies after they died. If he had to make a guess, he'd say these people died of dehydration, a slow, agonizing death in space, one of the worst he could imagine. On the other hand, he had access to the systems console. The logs were there for the rifling. > [!warning] **Finish an Expedition — Weak Hit** *(progress 8)* > 🎲 **Progress 8 · Challenge dice 8 · 4** > 8 beats one challenge die (4); ties the other (8, so it doesn't count). > **Weak Hit:** you reach your destination / complete your survey, but face an **unforeseen complication** at the end. Legacy reward one rank lower; envision what you encounter. > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Expedition:** completed — the logs are yours, but with a complication > - **Discoveries legacy:** +**1 tick** (reward one rank lower than Dangerous) → **1** > - **Momentum:** **+6** (unchanged) The logs were sitting there in the system, staring at him. If they were a snake, they would have bitten him. If they had bitten him, the poison would have been the encryption smeared all over the outside of them. "Fuck, there is no way. There is no way!" Jon slammed his fist down on the side of the console in a frustrated, futile gesture. Marcel watched. Then he casually walked up and dumped the entire set of logs to a storage tape, held it up between his fingertips, and then flipped his hand, causing it to disappear. Then he patted his jacket pocket with a knowing smile. "You do that walking against the wind shit to go along with this sleight of hand, and I'm going to throw you off the ship. You know that, right?" "I had heard such a thing." Marcel sounded neither unsurprised, shocked, nor taken aback. "I'd probably just hitchhike home." Jon muttered, "You probably would. Let's get out of here. These are not the kind of people I like to hang around with." ### The Getaway > [!warning] **Set a Course — Weak Hit** *(+supply +1 add)* > 🎲 **Action die 4 + 5 (supply) + 1 (add) = 10 · Challenge dice 10 · 5** > 10 beats one challenge die (5); ties the other (10, so it doesn't count). > **Weak Hit:** you get out, but face a cost. Choose one — > - [x] **Suffer costs en route:** make a suffer move (**-2**), or two (**-1**) *(chosen)* > - [ ] **Face a complication at the destination:** envision what you encounter > [!warning] **Suffer costs en route — two (-1)** > - **Supply** (*Sacrifice Resources*, -1): 5 → **4** > - **Spirit** (*Endure Stress*, -1): 3 → **2** → resist > [!fail] **Endure Stress — Miss** *(resist, +heart)* > 🎲 **Action die 2 + 3 (heart) = 5 · Challenge dice 7 · 6** > 5 beats neither challenge die. > **Miss:** worse than expected. Choose one — > - [x] **Suffer an additional -1 spirit** *(chosen)* > - [ ] **Lose Momentum (-2)** > [!note] **Mechanical Impacts** > - **Supply:** 5 → **4** > - **Spirit:** 3 → **2** → **1** > - **Momentum:** **+6** (unchanged) > - **+1 add:** spent The trip back through the empty corridors marked by what was neither an easy nor quick death for its inhabitants began to work its way under Jon's skin like insects gnawing their way up his nerves. It didn't help that Marcel's wounds started screaming at him again, and he had to tap into their medical supplies to try and stop the pain. The *Kraken* was the most welcome sight either man had seen in weeks. They had only been on the *Nightmare Fuel* for a couple of hours. Heaven help the crew of the *Long Haul* because Jon and Marcel certainly the fuck weren't. As the *Kraken* detached from the still flickering hull, Jon found his eyes staring at the data tape Marcel had left lying on the command console. Black plastic, silvery metal, it looked just like any other, but he knew there was something on it that he probably didn't want to know, except he did want to know. It was like an itching in the back of his head. He'd seen those claw marks before. He thought he'd seen the same look in those dead eyes. He was going to have to find out what was going on, even if it killed him or Marcel. --- ## Jon Sertus — Current **Sex:** Male ### Stats | **Edge** | **Heart** | **Iron** | **Shadow** | **Wits** | | -------- | --------- | -------- | ---------- | -------- | | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ### Status Tracks | **Resource** | **Current** | **Max** | **Reset / Spent** | | -------------- | ----------- | ------- | ----------------- | | **Health** | 5 | 5 | - | | **Spirit** | 1 | 5 | - | | **Supply** | 4 | 5 | - | | **Momentum** | +6 | 10 | Reset: 2 | | **Experience** | 0 | - | Spent: 0 | ### Vows | **Vow** | **Rank** | **Progress** | **Resolved** | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | **Learn where the Xenomorph truly originated.** | Epic | ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ (0/10) | False | ### Legacy Tracks | **Track** | **Ticks** | | --------------- | --------- | | **Quests** | 0 | | **Bonds** | 0 | | **Discoveries** | 1 | ### Assets > [!abstract] Explorer > *PATH* 🚀 > > - [x] When you Explore a Waypoint, take +1 momentum on a hit. When you Finish an Expedition and score a hit, mark 1 extra tick on your discoveries legacy track. > - [ ] When you come across a wondrous sight or phenomenon, such as an extraordinary planet, majestic creature, or dazzling stellar object, choose one: > - Find inspiration: Take +1 momentum > - Soak it all in: Hearten; add +1, and take +1 momentum on a hit. > - [ ] When you Secure an Advantage by studying a newfound place from a safe position, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a strong hit with a match, take another +1 momentum and envision an unusual aspect of the site. > [!abstract] Sidekick > *COMPANION* 🚀 > > **Name:** Marcel > **Expertise:** Navigation > > - [x] Your sidekick has a helpful expertise. When you make a move outside of a fight directly aided by their expertise, you may reroll your action die if its value is less than your sidekick's health. If you then score a strong hit with a match, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. > - [ ] When you Enter the Fray with the support of your sidekick, take +2 momentum on a hit. When you Clash together, add +1. > - [ ] When your sidekick acts to get you out of a tough spot, you may Face Danger or React Under Fire and roll +their health (instead of your own stat). On a hit, take +1 momentum. > > **Health** ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ — at full health after the Heal (not out of action); arm still largely out of order > [!abstract] Starship > *COMMAND VEHICLE* 🚀 > > **Name:** *Kraken* > > - [x] Your armed, multipurpose starship is suited for interstellar and atmospheric flight. It can comfortably transport several people, has space for cargo, and can carry and launch support vehicles. When you Advance, you may spend experience to equip this vehicle with module assets. > - [ ] When you Finish an Expedition (dangerous or greater) in your starship and score a hit, this journey strengthened your ties to your ship and any fellow travelers. You and your allies may mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. > - [ ] When you Withstand Damage, you may roll +heart. If you do, Endure Stress (-1) on a weak hit or miss. > > **Integrity** ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ (Battered, Cursed) --- ## Mailed Direct You might be wondering what all of this has to do with Directness. That's a good question. Did I just want to do a solo playthrough of a relatively constrained scene in **Starforged** just because I could and had built the tools to do it recently? Maybe. That could happen. I'm not saying it didn't happen. What I want you to notice is that I took the most direct path I could along the way while keeping in mind the structure and nature of the fiction that was being created. Still, I ended up with digressions and questions and things that are unresolved, which I could easily pick up in another session, go back and touch on them. What happened to the *Long Haul*? (I'm guessing that they were grabbed by Xenomorphs and are somewhere near the power center). How am I going to get that data unencrypted? Do I know a guy? Can I find a guy? What kind of shady deals am I going to have to do to get that to happen? Where will it lead me when I do or if I do? You can play everything as straight as you can possibly imagine, but if you let the fiction spin its way around, you'll find that nothing is direct. There is no directness; there is only direction. If you follow a direction, you're always guaranteed to end up somewhere. I can't tell you where that is, but you'll go somewhere, and if you aren't somewhere yet, keep going. You'll get there. It's at this point that I might be amused and sarcastic and tell you, *"Go west, young man."* But really, all I'm telling you is "go". Pick a direction, take your fiction in hand, and go. Don't stop until morning.