Savage Bedtime Story - Disney's The Last Parsec - Session 4

Another Rack Time Mission

After nearly two months of playing other games, on Wednesday night we returned to our Disney inspired, Savage Worlds - The Last Parsec campaign.  The kids were excited, since we ended the last adventure on a cliffhanger, with Commander Fredrickson, Experiment 626, Wall-E and Eve interacting with a strange and foreign robot near a crashed, red starship.  In that two month period, however, we kicked off our Living 4 Crits YouTube channel, and we figured this would be the perfect opportunity to show the world how to have a quality RPG session in just thirty minutes!  

As usual, this blog post features the post-game play report, but also some of the mechanics from the game.  I've included stats for Cactuars, as well as the builds for all of the characters in the game.  

In case you missed the video, here's you go.  For the sake of time, I trimmed all of the gaps, delivering just under fifteen minutes of bedtime story gaming.

The JumpCorp Operatives

• Ellie Frederickson, Commander, played by Jen (Mommy)
• Eve, Probe Robot, played by Carrie
• Stitch, Experimental Security Officer, played by Evie
• Wall-E, Waste Disposal Robot, played by Coopee

Session 4 - A Prickly Problem

This is part two of an adventure featuring the brave crew of the JumpCorp vessel Quorra.  If you would like to read part one, please follow this link.

Now that the JumpCorp operatives knew that the robotic probe was not a threat, Eve opened communications with the construct.  The robot introduced itself as Cid, and stated that its crew was still trapped in stasis, and had been so for quite some time.  During a mission, the human crewmembers acquired several members of a dangerous alien species from the planet Sabotender, and the aliens got free while the vessel was in flight.  Cid asked the JumpCorp operatives if they could assist in ridding the ship of the alien.

Commander Ellie agreed to the mission and led her team onto the craft.  Wall-E was the first to enter.  The brave little robot carefully "tiptoed" on his treads into the cargo bay of the massive red ship.  Commander Ellie was close behind, but only a few steps into the vessel she and her crew were beset upon by four, cactus-humanoid hybrids! 

Cactuars!

The first cactuar charged Stitch, laid a devastating strike into the experiment's belly.  Stitch was able to roll with the spikey punch, taunt the creatures, and then return a claw of his own in retaliation.  Commander Ellie drew her molecular blade and started slashing in defence, while Wall-E scratched the eyes of another cactuar.  All this time Eve was attempting to use her blaster arm to shoot one of the aliens, but couldn't land a shot.  Eve ended up using her intimidating, electronic stare to frighten off one of the cactuars.

When one of the cactuars nearly yanked Wall-E's eye from its mechanical socket, the little yellow and grey robot got serious.  Wall-E reached into the Coleman cooler he had on his back, and pulled out a gunblade!  Shooting and slashing, Wall-E cut down the last remaining cactuar. 

Once all of the cactuars were defeated, or scared away, Eve quickly made her way to the crew quarters on the craft.  There were four individuals in stasis, and the scout robot disengaged all of their hibernations.  The crew introduced themselves as Quistis, Zell, Rinoa, and Squall, and they stated that their ship was the Ragnarok.  Commander Squall gave the JumpCorp operatives his thanks, and the crew of the Quorra departed the small, drifting world.  

New Mechanics

Cactuar (from the Final Fantasy series)

Attributes:  Agility d8,  Smarts d4,  Spirit d8,  Strength d10,  Vigor d6

Skills:  Climbing d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d4

Pace:  6
Parry:  6
Toughness:  6(1)

Gear:  None

Special Abilities:

• Armor +1:  Because cactuars have some tough cactus hide!
• Green Screen Terror:  Cactuars are especially terrifying when they pass in front of a green screen… since they just look like walking spikes!  If this should happen, and they are seen on a view screen, there should be an immediate Spirit roll at a -2 penalty to not quake in fear!
• Spiked Charge:  A cactuar who charges at least 6” before attacking can add +2 damage to the attack.
• Spiky Mits:  Str +1d8 damage

Character Builds

In case you missed my first post about the blending of Savage Worlds The Last Parsec with Disney Animation, here are the builds for my family's characters:


Ellie Fredrickson - Commander

A Cloned Human from the world of Epcot, Ellie's original DNA came from an adventurous woman who lived in the 20th century.  She commonly proclaims "adventure is out there!"  Played by my wife, Jen.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d10,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d8,  Strength: d4,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Ace, Luck, Charismatic, Great Luck
• Hindrances:  Curious, Stubborn, Big Mouth
• Skills:  Piloting: d10, Shooting: d8, Fighting: d6, Persuasion: d8, Knowledge Computers: d4, Knowledge Navigation: d6, Notice: d6
• Signature Gear:  Laser Pistol, Molecular Knife, An ancient book titled "My Adventure Book."

Eve - Probe Robot

An energetic construct on loan from Buy 'n' Large, Eve was created in the great ark-ship the Axiom, and served several centuries helping with cleanup operations on Earth.  Played by Carrie.   

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d8,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d4,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Construct, Geared Up
• Hindrances:  Owned (out of Interface Zero 2.0), Pacifist (Minor), Loyal (to the ship)
• Skills:  Notice: d8, Intimidation: d4, Investigation: d6, Knowledge Biology: d6, Knowledge Computers: d8, Shooting: d8, Repair: d8, Tracking: d6, Stealth: d4, Fighting: d4
• Signature Mods:  Flight, Sensor Suite, Armor

Stitch - Experimental Security Officer

Eventually becoming naughty enough to get arrested by the Galactic Federation, Stitch was placed in a cryo-prison and forgotten for centuries.  Recently he performed his "great escape" during a botched prisoner transfer.  Played by Evie

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d10,  Vigor: d8
• Edges:  Arcane Background: Supers Power (Environmental Protection)
• Hindrances:  Wanted (Major), Mean, Phobia (Minor - Water)
• Skills:  Fighting: d8, Throwing: d6, Healing: d6, Shooting: d6, Piloting: d6, Repair: d4, Survival: d6, Taunt: d4
• Experiment 626:  Built as a new alien species.  Wall Walker (+1), Toughness x2 (+2), Small (-1).  

Wall-E - Waste Disposal Robot

This little "Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth Class" was quite distressed when his favorite robot, Eve, went off to work for JumpCorp.  So he stowed away on Quorra to be with his friend.  Played by my 4 year old son Cooper.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d6,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Construct
• Hindrances:  None
• Skills:  Notice: d6,  Fighting: d6,  Repair: d6,  Taunt: d6,  Knowledge Computers: d6,  Knowledge Planetology: d6,  Locksmithing: d8,  Stealth: d8,  Throwing: d8
• Signature Gear:  Fire Extinguisher and a Ninja Sword (still shaking my head over this)

Savage Bedtime Story - Disney's The Last Parsec - Session 3

Rack Time Mission

It was 9pm on a school night and my daughters wanted to game.  Over the weekend I had promised a Savage Worlds adventure, however on Sunday we chose to do a King of Tokyo championship instead.  No problem, I promised the kids.  We could just play in our Disney's The Last Parsec game on a school night… so long as we got started on time.  Well that didn't quite work out.  We were late having dinner, which meant the kids were late getting their tubs and showers.  

I can't lie.  I spent about a half-hour on Kerbal Space Program when I should've been helping the wife get the kids wrangled.

Okay, so we're back to 9pm. 

Typically my kids are in bed around 9:30, sometimes a little later.  But rather than push the game back another few days, I thought we'd give it a go.  A true "bedtime RPG session."  

Okay, okay, we've done bedtime stories before, especially back during our Disenchanted Tales campaign.  But when we did those Numenera adventures we'd typically push through 45 minutes, and still be up past 10pm.  No, we'd have to do this differently.  So we set a goal:  30 minutes.  One half-hour to play Savage Worlds before bedtime, and we'd have a timer for the countdown.  Once the timer hit 0:00, we would be done.  No "please Daddy" and no "five more minutes!"  

Actually this was pretty fun!  As we ran through this short, bedtime adventure the kids kept asking to check the clock.  At the end, they started getting frantic, hoping to finish the scene before the timer ran out.  

I'm going to do my typical, albeit short, "play report" for the session, but after the quotes section, I will share some tips and tricks for you so that you can do a bedtime RPG session with your family!

So… on to the mission!

The JumpCorp Operatives

• Ellie Frederickson, Commander, played by Jen (Mommy)
• Eve, Probe Robot, played by Carrie
• Stitch, Experimental Security Officer, played by Evie
• Wall-E, Waste Disposal Robot, played by Cooper

Session 3 - The Bleeping Rock

Our brave team of JumpCorp operatives were en route to the Tiamat System on board Quorra, an amazing and fully self-aware starship.  Halfway to their new base of operations, Commander Ellie received a message from Captain Eo at Imagineeria 3.  Quorra and her crew were ordered to seek out the rogue planet RXO-1971, and investigate a strange "bleeping" that was coming from the world's surface.  

[GM's note:  yes, this was a bleeping and not a beeping.  Big difference]

After a few more hours in space, Commander Ellie carefully put Quorra into a tight orbit around RXO-1971.  But when the commander started the descent towards the surface of the frozen world, she realized that Quorra had been scanned.  Not knowing whether this was a friend or foe, Commander Ellie proceeded to land the vessel three miles away from the alien beacon.  Wall-E believed that the space-bikes in the cargo hold would be perfect for the trek across the rogue dwarf planet's icy surface, and Stitch was ready for a ride as well.  Eve flew after the bikes, as the third member of the away team while Commander Ellie stayed behind on board Quorra.

Once at the site of the bleeping, Eve started recording fantastic images for Commander Ellie.  The bleeping was coming from a massive red vessel that resembled a mechanical dragon. Hovering outside of this enormous ship was a small, spherical robot with a pair of guns.  Wall-E immediately declared that he would smash the robot with his crowbar, and was getting ready to speed towards it when Stitch stopped him.  The little blue experiment bounded towards the robot, and waved one of his four clawed hands.

"Hi!" said Stitch.

The floating robot didn't know exactly how to respond, so it just waved one of its guns.  Eve flew up to her fellow bot and gave it a scan.  Obviously the automaton was some ancient design.

"Directive?" Eve asked the alien robot.  

The sphere transmitted a data packet to Eve, and showed her that its vessel was damaged and had several frozen passengers on board.  The robot needed help, and perhaps JumpCorp could be of assistance.  Eve informed the rest of the team that the would be entering the derelict craft, so Commander Ellie brought Quorra closer and prepared to lead the mission in person.

Quotes

"We have a space car, from the Moon.  Its in the back." - Cooper was telling the GM what was in his spaceship.  

"If we have a space car, Cooper, is it a Mercury Grand Marquis?" - Mommy thought that Wall-E was into classic cars.  

"Mommy insists on everything going her way.  Mommy, in roleplaying games, not everything goes your way." - Carrie schools her mother on how she plays Savage Worlds.

"What if its the people that are hunting me?  What if its the Galactic Federation?" - Stitch  was afraid that the crashed vessel was a GF vessel.  

Lessons Learned

If you would like to try something like this with your brood, here are a few tips:

1. When planning a bedtime game, figure out when you'd like to have your kids in bed and then subtract a half hour or so for your time.  If you push past their typical bedtime, they may fall asleep mid-game.  This has actually happened before!  A good rule of thumb is to start a little earlier than story time.  
2. Use a timer.  It worked for us, and should work for your kids.  Make sure to share the timer as well, this will help them stay focused as the clock winds down.
3. Be reasonable with your expectations.  With a bedtime story you as a parent are the one telling the story, while your kids just listen.  Playing an RPG before bedtime means that your kids need to be active participants.  This is asking a lot, especially with younger children.  
4. If you notice your children are acting up during the game, sit back and be quiet.  Maybe point to the timer.  This is their time, so if they'd rather just fool around its okay.  Especially with younger children, it all goes back to "Lesson 3." 

The Timer

Interested in how we did with our time?  Here's where we were during the 30 minutes:

• 0:00 - Went over the mission briefing, kids had some chatter
• 5:00 - Still discussing the mission, GM still talking about JumpCorp's expectations
• 10:00 - Team trying to make a decision as to how to approach the "Bleeping"
• 15:00 - Team still working on making the decision, but chose the space-bikes
• 20:00 - Roleplaying the approach to the bleeping, finding a crash site
• 25:00 - Stitch talks Wall-E out of combat, initiates interaction with the "sphere"
• 30:00 - Ended with Eve asking for the alien robot's "directive"

Parsing Imagination - The Last Parsec Disney Campaign - Session 2

Today's game features SPACESHIPS!!!

Achievements to Unlock

Towards the end of 2014 I came up with a very short list of tabletop gaming achievements that I'd like to unlock over the next twelve months.  Last year was a fantastic year in gaming for me and my family, and so there is a lot of pressure to make 2015 even bigger.  It's actually a pretty simple list, although I expect it to grow as the year goes on:

• Play/game-master more of my games that I own but have never tried (especially form my giant pile of Savage Worlds settings and sourcebooks)
• Run the Numenera super-adventure, The Devil's Spine, in its entirety
• Try out some new role-playing games that I don't own (like Dragon Age, Fiasco, and 13th Age)
• Introduce the last member of my close family to tabletop roleplaying games: my mother-in-law (aka Grandma)
• Record an actual-play series and post it on YouTube
• Start playing Crimson Skies (the miniatures game) again
• Take #GetOutAndGame to the next level and go game-camping this summer (running an RPG whilst camping)
• Go to Gen Con 2015 with my wife, Jen

Several of these items will take a significant amount of time, but there is one thing I've learned over the years about tackling lists.  If you knock out some of the easier tasks first, that feeling of accomplishment will help carry you through the more difficult tasks.  So this past Sunday, when my mother-in-law showed up with Dunkin Donuts for my three kiddos, I reminded her that the time had come. 

Grandma was about to play Savage Worlds - The Last Parsec.  

Quorra's Crew 

• Ellie Frederickson, Commander, played by Jen (Mommy)
• Eve, Probe Robot, played by Carrie
• Stitch, Experimental Security Officer, played by Evie
• Wall-E, Waste Disposal Robot, played by Cooper
• Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger, played by Grandma

Session 2 - Pirates!  

Only minutes after Commander Ellie Frederickson piloted Quorra into a low-orbit around the planet Epcot, there was a loud clang that echoed through the forward part of the vessel.  A small square box had fallen from an overhead storage compartment, and when the commander gave the cube a closer examination, the box flipped over and revealed itself to be a robot! 

"Wall-E!" cried Eve, who was inspecting the kitchen. 

"Eve-ah!" exclaimed Wall-E in return. 

Distraught that his favorite robot friend had left Earth for Epcot, hitchhiked all the way across the galaxy to Epcot, and then played stowaway on board the JumpCorp vessel.  Eve assured Commander Ellie that her friend would be useful, but there wasn't time to argue as an immediate distress signal started to blare from the command deck. 

Already seated at the science terminal, Stitch selected the distress signal and played it for the entire crew.  It was Captain Eo!  Imagineeria 3, JumpCorp's nearby starbase, was under attack by a vicious gang of pirates!  The pirates sent seven starfighters to attack the base, supported by tug-vessels dragging asteroids.  One asteroid had already struck Imagineeria 3, knocking out the starbase's hanger bay, while another was en route.  Captain Eo was already engaged with the fighters, and destroyed seven enemies before his ship was incapacitated and left drifting in space. 

Captain Eo cried out in an almost musical tone, "Commander Ellie, you and your crew have to save Imagineeria 3 from the space pirates!"

 

Since Quorra was originally constructed as a racing yacht, the JumpCorp crew was able to reach the starbase within minutes.  The scene, however, was quite dire.  The starbase had several damaged sections as a pair of pirate starfighters continued their strafing runs.  Captain Eo's starship was located several thousand kilometers away, adrift but still engaged by a lone pirate vessel.  The most dangerous threat came from the two remaining tugs that were dragging a large, three-hundred foot wide asteroid for another collision with Imagineeria 3.

Commander Ellie asked for suggestions from her crew, which led to an endless stream of arguing between security officer Stitch and the scout probe Eve.  Finally the commander ordered her team to their stations and concocted a plan of her own.  Careful to stay out of the tugs' sensor range, Commander Ellie used the size of the asteroid as an advantage, and stayed right behind it until Quorra was only a few dozen feet away.  The commander kept her fingers crossed that Stitch's part of the plan would work.
 

 

In the forward airlock Stitch and Wall-E waited for the door to open.  Stitch carried a ukulele and a diamond bladed battle-axe while Wall-E carried a fire extinguisher and a ninja-sword. 

[GM Note: I just want to be 100% clear hear, that these are the exact pieces of equipment that Evie and Cooper took with them on this portion of the mission.  Cooper actually insisted that Wall-E was a trained Ninja]

When the door opened, Stitch engaged one of his experimental "powers" of environmental protection and leaped across the gap between ship and asteroid, while Wall-E took his fire extinguisher and gently propelled himself out of the vessel.  Stich and Wall-E both snuck around to the other side of the massive asteroid, and found the tether points where the tugs were connected by cable to the stony object.  Stitch carefully pulled himself up to the tug, and then tapped on the cockpit window.  Once he had the attention of the pilot, he pulled out a ukulele and started to strum, albeit very quietly given the lack of air.  The pilot fell for the taunt.  He put his helmet on and climbed outside of the craft to take care of the little blue experiment. 

 

Wall-E's plan was a bit more direct.  He used the fire extinguisher to come up alongside the tug, and then smashed the cockpit glass with his ninja-sword.  The pilot flew through the glass, screaming as he tumbled out into space.  Wall-E then boarded the vessel and took a look at his partner to see how he was doing.  Stitch was engaged in a zero-g melee with the other pilot, who was wielding a stun baton.  Grabbing the tug's controls, Stitch pointed the nose of the ship towards other vessel and let loose with a barrage of machinegun fire that dispatched the last remaining pirate.  Stitch saluted his robotic side-kick and then grabbed his tug's flight stick.  It only took a few moments to plot a new course that would take the asteroid on a path away from the starbase and out into space. 

 

 

After picking up Wall-E and Stitch from their respective tugs, Commander Ellie piloted Quorra towards Imagineeria 3.  Again the radio squawked, and Captain Eo's voice echoed through Quorra's interior. 

 

"I'm a goner, Commander!  Don't try to save me.  You have to save Imagineeria 3!  It's a hard choice, me or the starbase, but you have to make the right one."

 

Commander Ellie gritted her teeth and shouted into the comm, "I choose both!"

 

Splitting the team, Commander Ellie ordered the valiant space ranger Buzz Lightyear to fly out and save Captain Eo while she and Quorra took on the pirate starfighters engaging Imagineeria 3.  Both Wall-E and Eve offered to accompany Buzz on his portion of the mission, and the space ranger carefully tethered both robots to his suit of power-armor.  In a flash Buzz jumped out of the rear airlock and blasted his rocket pack in the direction of Captain Eo.
 

 

Buzz, Wall-E, and Eve reached the Captain's damaged vessel very quickly.  Captain Eo's inoperative ship tumbled out into space, still harassed by a pirate starfighter and a stream of laser fire.  Eve carefully aimed her blaster-rifle-arm at the enemy fighter, and let off a few shots knocking out the craft's shields.  Buzz then grabbed Wall-E and threw him at the pirate starfighter.  Wall-E clanged across the front of the enemy vessel, but quickly grabbed hold and pointed his fire-extinguisher at the cockpit glass.  It only took a single quick spray to blind the ship, making it a sitting duck for Buzz Lightyear's laser.  The space ranger fired several bursts of hot laser death, and without shields there was little the enemy starfighter could do but explode into a million fiery pieces. 
 

Meanwhile...
Commander Ellie engaged in a dance of death with the last two remaining pirate starfighters.  Despite being twice the size of her opponents, Quorra was loaded down with advanced sensors, an experimental faster-than-light (FTL) drive, and a pool.  This left little room for strong defensive systems, like a shield or deflector array.  The commander had to rely on Quorra's agility, and so far Ellie was having a hard time locking the racing yacht's light particle accelerators on her two opponents.  Still shaking the vacuum off of his fur, Stitch raced up to the missile control systems and decided to unleash a little carnage himself.  Laughing maniacally, Experiment 626 lobbed a missile at one of the space pirates, the impact shattering the vessel. 

"Security Officer Stitch, please be advised that those missiles cost JumpCorp $50,000 a piece," Quorra calmly relayed to the little blue ball of terror. 

"Oh... oops... oh well!" Stitch replied, loosing a second missile towards the last remaining fighter.  Impact! 

Commander Ellie connected Quorra to one of Imagineeria 3's auxiliary docking points, while Buzz Lightyear towed Captain Eo's vessel to another.  It would be quite some time before the starbase's hanger was operational, but at least the one-million souls on board were safe from danger.  Captain Eo was quick to pass on his commendations to the team, and even gave them their choice of next assignment: Eris Beta V or Leviathan.

Eve and Stitch looked at each other and asked if Leviathan was the planet with the lacerauns.  When Captain Eo confirmed that it was, both crewmates convinced Commander Ellie to take Quorra to the jungle planet for their next assignment. 

[GM's Note:  This last part actually happened between Carrie and Evie.  When I told the girls that Leviathan was the world that featured dinosaur-like creatures they both screamed out "DINOSAUR PLANET".  Should've seen that coming!]

 

 

 

Carrie's drawing of Buzz dragging Eve and Wall-E

 

Quotes

 

 

Cooper:  "Why are there space pirates, dad?"

Mommy:  "Because they're naughty, Cooper."

"I'm the pilot right?  I think I'm gonna overrule their plan."  - Jen was done listening to my daughters' elaborate scheming.  

Cooper:  "I'm gonna jump over and climb across the chasm, get my sword, and kill the bad guys!"

Me:  "Where did Wall-E get a sword!?!"  

(GM's note:  At this point, it was determined that Wall-E had a ninja-sword)

Carrie:  "Grandma, you need to go save Captain Eo!" 

Grandma:  "I am NOT saving Captain Eo!"

(GM's note:  My mother in law doesn't seem to like Michael Jackson, and I insisted on doing the King of Pop's voice whenever the players were interacting with their senior officer.)

"He looks like Christ the Redeemer standing there!" - Jen commenting on the Buzz Lightyear figure as it stood before the space pirate vessel.  

"Leviathan is coming, huh?" - Jen makes an Agent Carter reference following the girls' decision to head for the planet Leviathan for their next mission.  

Quorra (top) from 0-hr art & technology

Quorra

After spending some more time going through the Savage Worlds Science Fiction Companion this week, I thought it fitting to put some real stats and figures together for our party's vessel (and NPC) Quorra.  What's great about Savage Worlds is how easy it is to customize a vessel to fit your needs!  The last sci-fi game that I fell in love with was TSR's Alternity, and if you've ever tried building a ship in that system you'll know that it could take a considerable amount of time.  Had to work out size, durability, and energy consumption… it was a real pickle for a lazy GM!  But in Savage Worlds its just a matter of working how many modifications a given design can carry.  

Piece of cake!


So here's Quorra, in all her glory.  Originally built as a racing craft, even though she's been packed with advanced electronics and sensors, she's still nearly as fast as a snub-fighter.  Quorra is capable of defending herself, with some light armaments, but lacks any kind of shielding.  Her only additional defense is a counter-measure system to keep missiles and tractor beams from giving her a hard time.  Quorra is also packed full, with no additional room for modifications.  If her crew wants to add something else, they're going to have to trade!  

Medium Starship:  Size: 8,  Acc/TS: 65/800,  Climb: 2,  Toughness: 25(6),  Mods: 25 (All slots used),  Crew: 1 (with 8 add'l passengers),  Cost: $26.55 million.  Current Operating Costs: $830 per day.  

Notes:  AMCM, AI, Atmospheric, Crew Space, FTL Drive, Speed x4, Missile Launcher, Galactic Sensor Suite, Targeting System.

Weapons

• 2 Light Particle Accelerators  
• Missile Launcher, 8 Heavy Missiles

Stuffies in hand and ready for the action deck!

Character Builds

Ellie Fredrickson - Commander

A Cloned Human from the world of Epcot, Ellie's original DNA came from an adventurous woman who lived in the 20th century.  She commonly proclaims "adventure is out there!"  Played by my wife, Jen.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d10,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d8,  Strength: d4,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Ace, Luck, Charismatic, Great Luck
• Hindrances:  Curious, Stubborn, Big Mouth
• Skills:  Piloting: d10, Shooting: d8, Fighting: d6, Persuasion: d8, Knowledge Computers: d4, Knowledge Navigation: d6, Notice: d6
• Signature Gear:  Laser Pistol, Molecular Knife, An ancient book titled "My Adventure Book."

Eve - Probe Robot

An energetic construct on loan from Buy 'n' Large, Eve was created in the great ark-ship the Axiom, and served several centuries helping with cleanup operations on Earth.  Played by Carrie.   

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d8,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d4,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Construct, Geared Up
• Hindrances:  Owned (out of Interface Zero 2.0), Pacifist (Minor), Loyal (to the ship)
• Skills:  Notice: d8, Intimidation: d4, Investigation: d6, Knowledge Biology: d6, Knowledge Computers: d8, Shooting: d8, Repair: d8, Tracking: d6, Stealth: d4, Fighting: d4
• Signature Mods:  Flight, Sensor Suite, Armor

Stitch - Experimental Security Officer

Eventually becoming naughty enough to get arrested by the Galactic Federation, Stitch was placed in a cryo-prison and forgotten for centuries.  Recently he performed his "great escape" during a botched prisoner transfer.  Played by Evie.

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d10,  Vigor: d8
• Edges:  Arcane Background: Supers Power (Environmental Protection)
• Hindrances:  Wanted (Major), Mean, Phobia (Minor - Water)
• Skills:  Fighting: d8, Throwing: d6, Healing: d6, Shooting: d6, Piloting: d6, Repair: d4, Survival: d6, Taunt: d4
• Experiment 626:  Built as a new alien species.  Wall Walker (+1), Toughness x2 (+2), Small (-1).  

Buzz Lightyear - Space Ranger

The magnificent galactic hero of Earth, after defeating Emperor Zurg, Buzz decided to join JumpCorp and travel "to infinity and beyond!"  Played by Grandma.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d8,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Rich, Geared Up, Martial Artist, Brawler
• Hindrances:  Overconfident
• Skills:  Shooting: d8, Fighting: d8, Notice: d6, Repair: d6, Survival: d6, Stealth: d8
• Signature Gear:  Light Power Armor, Mods - Flight, Weapon Mount.  Yes, I gave my son's character hundred thousand credits worth of gear. 

Wall-E - Waste Disposal Robot

This little "Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth Class" was quite distressed when his favorite robot, Eve, went off to work for JumpCorp.  So he stowed away on Quorra to be with his friend.  Played by my 4 year old son Cooper.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d6,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Construct
• Hindrances:  None
• Skills:  Notice: d6,  Fighting: d6,  Repair: d6,  Taunt: d6,  Knowledge Computers: d6,  Knowledge Planetology: d6,  Locksmithing: d8,  Stealth: d8,  Throwing: d8
• Signature Gear:  Fire Extinguisher and a Ninja Sword (still shaking my head over this)

My son's character sheet and customization.  Quite proud!

Parsing Imagination - The Last Parsec Disney Campaign - Session 1

Title Love

First I gotta send some love out to my long-time friend and once-upon-a-time gamer Trevor for giving me the title of this campaign.  I wanted to use either the word "Imagination" or "Tomorrow" but just couldn't come up with something that fit the mood and the setting.  In essence this is a campaign about digging into all of our family's favorite Disney moments and memories, and then shoving them right into Savage Worlds - The Last Parsec.  Initially I was going to go with Tomorrow's Imaginations or Imagining Tomorrow, but Parsing Imagination (playing a bit on the similar sounds of parse and parsec) is just awesome.  I love it Trevor, thanks for the help!

Getting in Character

Second discussion point before getting into the play report:  stuffies.  In our house we refer to the kids stuffed animals as "stuffies," a term we picked up from Playhouse Disney's Jojo's Circus.  If you've read my blog before, you know that my kids typically dress in character for our family games.  This worked fine for Cooper, who just happens to have a Buzz Lightyear jacket, complete with hood and laser arm.  Even my wife Jen, playing a dieselpunk version of Ellie from Up ("adventure is out there!"),  had no problem finding appropriate attire, including a "My Adventure Book" necklace I bought her for Christmas.  But for Carrie and Evie, playing Eve and Stitch respectively, it was a bit harder to dress up.  So I asked both girls to bring their stuffies to the table, and do their best to cosplay.  

As you can imagine, I was very impressed with my girls' creativity!  But I was more impressed with how the stuffed animals helped both girls stay in character during the game.  Yesterday I posted about encouraging role-play at the game table, and I should've mentioned the inclusion of props, specifically figures or stuffed animals.  For most of the session, whenever Evie or Carrie were talking to each other, or to NPC's, they held up their stuffie and tried to speak in character.  It was marvelous!  There actually wasn't much dice-rolling last night, since the session was more of an introduction to the campaign setting, which meant the Stitch and Eve plushes remained on the table for much of the evening.  

If you play roleplaying games with your kids as well, give this method a try and see how it works for you.  Alternatively, if you are already doing something similar, please leave a comment and let me know!  

Without further delay, here is the first play report for our Savage Worlds - The Last Parsec campaign!

As you can see from the background, Cooper only lasted about 40 minutes

Session 1 - Bowie's in Space*

*Read to the end of the Quotes section to be clued in to this reference

The world of Epcot, second planet from a bright and shining star named Fantasmic, is one of JumpCorp's shining jewels in the Milky Way galaxy.  Both a bastion of galactic commerce as well as a training center for new and adventurous employees, it is on Epcot, in the heart of Progress City, where our story begins.  As Fantasmic rose in the east, Ellie Fredrickson, Buzz Lightyear, and Stitch were still asleep in their temporary dormitory at Bravopartments.  A knock on the door forced Stitch to crack open his one eye and drag himself to the front door.  The door knocked again, and Stitch returned the knock.  It was early, but not to early to prank a visitor.  Even though Stitch was a raw recruit and new hire of JumpCorp, he didn't take to authority very well.  

When Experiment 626 finally opened the portal, an irate white robot flew into the room.  Eve, and agent of Quorra (who we'll meet later), was an incredibly powerful probe robot on loan to JumpCorp from the megacorporation Buy 'n' Large.  Today she was on a mission: retrieve the three new recruits and bring them to "the Captain".  Stitch woke Ellie and Buzz, and the entire team convened in the center of the dorm after quick showers.  The Captain's office on Epcot was in Juliet Office Tower, and the team was already late.  Each of the new teammates introduced themselves to the other during their short walk from Bravopartments to the nearby monorail station.  

The new JumpCorp employees, along with their robotic liaison, were just about to board the monorail to Progress City JumpCorporate Complex when Eve received a message from the Captain's secretary.  The Captain wanted his breakfast brought to him, and Eve was expected to know what this was. 

"Consider this your team's first mission," the secretary chirped. 

The team needed to figure out what the Captain liked for breakfast, since Eve couldn't recall.  Neither Eve nor Ellie could pick up a Grid signal in the monorail station, so Eve sped off to the nearest coffee shop.  Once inside, the probe robot hacked the JumpCorp Human Resources file network and revealed that the Captain enjoyed Cosmic Ray's tofu scramble regularly.  

Jackpot!

Cosmic Ray's was located on the second level of the Carousel District, so the team returned to the monorail station for a quick jaunt south.  Just before the door to their car closed, however, Stitch heard his name being called and saw a large alien figure bounding towards the car.  Recognizing the alien, Stitch grabbed the door and in an amazing feat of strength, forced it open while Sonny Eclipse, the most famous lounge act in Progress City, pushed into the monorail car.  

Sonny thanked Stitch for holding the door, but reminded the small blue experiment that his debt was still not paid.  Stitch was a wanted fugitive from the Galactic Federation, a collection of alien worlds in control of several portions of the galaxy outside the Orion Arm. By the decree of the Grand Councilwoman, Stitch was placed in a cryoprison after becoming excessively naughty on Earth nearly a millennia ago.  During a recent prisoner transfer, Stitch escaped, and Sonny Eclipse just happened to help out with the caper. 

When the team arrived at the Carousel District, Stitch said goodbye to Sonny.  As the large alien walked away, Ellie commented, "He's like the Wayne Newton of Epcot."  

The Carousel District was a magnificent circular building, eight stories high and a kilometer in diameter.  The Carousel District's stores, restaurants, and theaters were located along the great building's perimeter.  As the day went by, the slowly rotating structure gave each business a different view hour by hour.  The interior was bright white, with brilliant lights illuminating every storefront and corridor.  

Yes, the Carousel District was like one, mammoth Apple Store.  

Finding Cosmic Ray's was easy, it was the most popular cafeteria style, counter service restaurant in the Carousel District.  Unfortunately, this also meant that the lines were incredibly long.  But this was no deterrent to this team of new JumpCorp employees!  A quick plan was hatched, and Stitch ran to one of the condiment stations an started spraying ketchup, mayonnaise, and hot cheese all over the place.  There was sauce on the counter, on the floor, on the ceiling, and even on Stitch!  

The staff at Cosmic Ray's was dumbfounded, and most of the patrons were staring in amazement at the small blue furry ball of chaos, who was laughing maniacally as more and more sauces found there way on the floor.  This gave Eve a chance to push her way to the front of the queue, tray in hand.  The tofu scramble was an easy selection, but the probe robot forgot to figure out whether or not the Captain preferred coffee, tea, or a strange Earth drink called the "Beverly."  Eve picked coffee, and asked for it "brown," not black.  

[GM's note:  my kids don't know how coffee should be "taken", and bickered for several minutes as to why coffee has its color.]

With the tofu scramble in a bag, and a hot coffee in a drink carrier, Eve flew towards the monorail station.  Ellie grabbed the sauce covered Stitch, and called to Buzz Lightyear to catch up.  Somehow the Space Ranger managed to get a hold of a cheese stick, and was munching away as he jogged.  

Even with the speed of the monorail as an asset, the team was incredibly late, but they didn't seem to notice.  As the car entered the Progress City JumpCorporate Center, everyone stared in awe at the complex around them.  A vast structure, full of offices, apartments, businesses, parks, and thousands upon thousands of JumpCorp employees, Progress City's magnificence was on full display.  Juliet Office Tower was no different, and as the team entered the building, their eyes feasted upon artifacts and treasures found throughout the galaxy.  Truly, working for JumpCorp was going to be a lucrative adventure!  

The Captain's Kalian secretary was noticeably irate by the time the team entered her office.  "The Captain doesn't like to be kept waiting," she insisted, and was even more appalled when she discovered that Eve returned without the Beverly.  "I don't know why we ever leased you from Buy 'n' Large," she quipped.

Even though his secretary was incredibly rude, Captain Eo himself was a polite yet commanding figure.  Adorned in a white sparkling jacket, layered over a rainbow t-shirt, Captain Eo greeted the team with his favorite pet perched on his shoulder: Fuzzball.  

[GM's note:  if you don't know who Captain Eo is, please watch this video.  Don't do it now, do it after reading the blog.  This is straight from the Captain Eo 3D show at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World.]  

Captain Eo told the new recruits that they scored so highly on their aptitude tests, and performed so well during their initial training, that they would be assigned to a ship immediately.  The vessel was one of the fastest and most maneuverable craft in the Milky Way, and could carry the team anywhere they wanted to go.  The Captain himself was preparing to depart, so before giving Commander Ellie her choice of missions to undertake, he asked that she take Quorra to the nearby star base, Imagineeria 3, where they would reconvene.  

Commander Ellie accepted Captain Eo's orders and the team followed the captain's technical assistant, Hiro, to the star port.  

Quorra.  Everyone kept mentioning the name Quorra, but "she" was still nowhere to be seen.  Hiro kept silent on the subject, until the monorail to the star port slowed to a stop.

"So when you meet Quorra, make sure you don't refer to her as "a ship" or "the ship" or as anything other than her name," the teenaged technician from planet San Fransokyo instructed the new JumpCorp employees.  After taking the elevator to the highest point in the star port, everyone stared in awe at the silver and blue lines of a fantastic starship.  

This was Quorra!

Once on board Quorra, a soft feminine voice greeted the team and gave them a quick tour of the interior.  Along with an state-of-the-art drive core, Quorra also contained luxurious accommodations for up to ten passengers, including a self-serve kitchen, dining area, private showers, and even a pool!  When Ellie asked Quorra if she was a computer, the ancient Isomorphic Algorithm scoffed and stated that she was a fully sentient operating system, however the ship was the truest expression of her form.  

Ellie assigned the team to their respective positions in the vessel and sat behind Quorra's control panel.  The commander pulled down her aviator goggles, grabbed the flight stick and engaged the throttle.

"Adventure is out there…" Commander Ellie Fredrickson whispered, as she lifted Quorra off of the landing platform and headed out into the black.  

Quorra - Inspired from the Kintaro by 0-hr art & technology

Quotes

Daddy - "JumpCorp will pay you $5,000 per month."

Evie - "Per person?"

Daddy - "Yes."

Evie - "Wow, we're rich!"

Stitch - "Hiiiiiiii." 
Eve - "Eve." 
Stitch - "Stitch!"
Buzz Lightyear - "What should we do today?  How 'bout we go outside and run?"

"Buzz Lightyear is back… with a cheese-stick!" - Cooper didn't spend much time at the table, but when he was there, he was prepared.  

Carrie - "So, we're at the Carousel of Progress?"
Daddy - "No, you are at the Carousel of Progress City!"

"I grab my breakfast… in a cup!" - Jen reminiscing on Wall-E

"You need to shush your mouth, before I say the 'other words'…" - Eve to Captain Eo's secretary.  

"Is that David Bowie?" - Evie, upon seeing the picture of Captain Eo (played by Michael Jackson)

Is David Bowie playing Fuzzball or Captain Eo?

Character Builds

In case you missed my first post about the blending of Savage Worlds The Last Parsec with Disney Animation, here are the builds for my family's characters:


Ellie Fredrickson - Commander

A Cloned Human from the world of Epcot, Ellie's original DNA came from an adventurous woman who lived in the 20th century.  She commonly proclaims "adventure is out there!"  Played by my wife, Jen.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d10,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d8,  Strength: d4,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Ace, Luck, Charismatic, Great Luck
• Hindrances:  Curious, Stubborn, Big Mouth
• Skills:  Piloting: d10, Shooting: d8, Fighting: d6, Persuasion: d8, Knowledge Computers: d4, Knowledge Navigation: d6, Notice: d6
• Signature Gear:  Laser Pistol, Molecular Knife, An ancient book titled "My Adventure Book."

Eve - Probe Robot

An energetic construct on loan from Buy 'n' Large, Eve was created in the great ark-ship the Axiom, and served several centuries helping with cleanup operations on Earth.  Played by Carrie.   

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d8,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d4,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Construct, Geared Up
• Hindrances:  Owned (out of Interface Zero 2.0), Pacifist (Minor), Loyal (to the ship)
• Skills:  Notice: d8, Intimidation: d4, Investigation: d6, Knowledge Biology: d6, Knowledge Computers: d8, Shooting: d8, Repair: d8, Tracking: d6, Stealth: d4, Fighting: d4
• Signature Mods:  Flight, Sensor Suite, Armor

Stitch - Experimental Security Officer

Eventually becoming naughty enough to get arrested by the Galactic Federation, Stitch was placed in a cryo-prison and forgotten for centuries.  Recently he performed his "great escape" during a botched prisoner transfer.  Played by Evie

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d10,  Vigor: d8
• Edges:  Arcane Background: Supers Power (Environmental Protection)
• Hindrances:  Wanted (Major), Mean, Phobia (Minor - Water)
• Skills:  Fighting: d8, Throwing: d6, Healing: d6, Shooting: d6, Piloting: d6, Repair: d4, Survival: d6, Taunt: d4
• Experiment 626:  Built as a new alien species.  Wall Walker (+1), Toughness x2 (+2), Small (-1).  

Buzz Lightyear - Space Ranger

The magnificent galactic hero of Earth, after defeating Emperor Zurg, Buzz decided to join JumpCorp and travel "to infinity and beyond!"  Played by Cooper… keep in mind that Cooper is only 4.  

• Attributes:  Agility: d8,  Smarts: d6,  Spirit: d6,  Strength: d8,  Vigor: d6
• Edges:  Rich, Geared Up, Martial Artist, Brawler
• Hindrances:  Overconfident
• Skills:  Shooting: d8, Fighting: d8, Notice: d6, Repair: d6, Survival: d6, Stealth: d8
• Signature Gear:  Light Power Armor, Mods - Flight, Weapon Mount.  Yes, I gave my son's character hundred thousand credits worth of gear.