MISSIONS
In the Star Wars galaxy, many
climactic confrontations involve direct conflict and will be resolved through
combat encounters. Despite this, the majority of scenes in Star Wars films and
other media (while often filled with action) do not involve fighting. These
scenes are best handled through roleplaying between players and gamemasters along
with the occasional die roll to resolve the use of skills or other character
traits. To represent heroic exploits that call for drama and tension, individual
die rolls (whether passive or opposed) may be insufficient. At such times a
critical mission is called for.
Missions may include narrative combat that would not be easily represented at the gaming table, or they may incorporate combat encounters to add variety or a sense of desperation. The difference between a critical mission and combat encounters is in how the character’s actions are incorporated into the narrative. A single attack roll or Toughness check will not be enough to determine the success or failure of a critical mission.
The Basics
Missions are handled by player
characters making graded
trait checks; most commonly skill
checks. The characters must acquire a designated degree of success
before they reach a predefined degree of failure and do so with a minimum
number of checks using prerequisite traits.
Example: To rescue a captured ally,
the heroes must navigate a massive orbital shipyard, break into a detention
block and stowaway aboard a newly christened star cruiser. Doing so requires
that the player characters accrue 10 total degrees of success before 5 degrees
of failure with a minimum of 8 checks. Depending on the characters choices and
die roll outcomes, they may face combat encounters during the mission and the
result of these may adjust the current degree of success or failure, for better
or worse.
Designing Missions
Missions must be designed
carefully to fit within the overall context of an adventure or campaign. While
a firefight with a gang of bounty hunters could suit many kinds of adventures,
a critical mission requiring the heroes to investigate the origin of a
mysterious space fleet destroying hyperspace ansibles servicing the core
regions of the galaxy directly impacts the galaxy as portrayed at the gaming
table.
Keep the following in mind when designing missions:
Keep the following in mind when designing missions:
Objective and Background
Determine the intention of the
mission, and where it takes place. Does the mission require that the characters
stay in a single locale or does it call for travel to distant stars? Will
non-combat scenarios resolve the mission or are hostile encounters probable?
The mission parameters and
objective should be clear to all players and the outcome will have a measurable
impact on the long-term campaign narrative. Success will be important to
advancing the player character’s goals, but failure should only create more
tension and push adventures in new directions; a failed mission should have
serious consequences to the players but should never halt an adventure or
campaign. A series of poor rolls could send the heroes on a divergent route to
the goal of the adventure or campaign, but it will be up to the gamemaster to
fit such a scenario into the story in a meaningful way. Just as player
characters may succeed spectacularly when an encounter is designed to foil them
and cause a temporary setback, a mission which looks easy when designed, could
quickly sour after one or two low rolls or poor choices. As always, be prepared
to improvise.
In general, the failure of any critical
mission will qualify as a complication
for one or more of the heroes and they will receive victory
points accordingly. The complexity of the mission should inform the
gamemaster on how many heroes should be awarded a victory point. A simple
mission will probably award one or two characters a victory point while a very
complex one might award each player with one. In particular, if a critical
mission relies upon traits that are idiosyncratic to a certain character (a
diplomat on a negotiation mission or a bounty hunter seeking a fugitive, for
example) that character should almost certainly receive a victory point if the
mission fails.
Difficulty and Complexity
Standard difficulties range
from very easy (DC 0) through nearly impossible (DC 40) The difficulty for most
missions should fall between these extremes, but keep in mind the 55% rule (see
under gamemastering). If you want mission to have
an average difficulty for the heroes,
look at the traits they are likely to use and set a difficulty based on those
values +10. Most heroes will find DC 10 difficulties easily overcome unless
they are out of their element, so the difficulty must be tailored accordingly.
Another way to alter the
difficulty is by adjusting the terminal degree of failure. Easier missions may
allow a greater failure threshold allowing the possibility for heroes to
succeed despite early setbacks. More difficult missions have a much smaller
margin for error.
Each mission has a mark of
complexity, required number of actions, degree of success for mission fulfillment
and degree of failure which results in mission reversal. Complexity ranges from
1 to 5 which determines the overall challenge inherent in the mission and should
be determined by the significance of the mission. A mark III or IV mission can
be as significant as a challenging combat encounter, while a mark V mission
will carry the same campaign importance as a confrontation with a major
villain.
Where possible, mission fulfillment
should require that each player character makes a contribution and will ideally
encourage the players to come up with clever solutions beyond just using their
best traits. Depending on the complexity mark, missions will usually require at
least as many actions as there are players. Regardless of the success of the
earliest actions, each player should get one turn in which to make choices that
affect the outcome. Including a minimum number of actions to ‘unlock’ the
possibility of mission fulfillment means that even when the best star pilot in
the galaxy regularly achieves three or four degrees of success with a single
die roll, collaborating characters will need to lend their support.
Usually, a mission fails as
soon as the terminal degree of failure is reached, however earlier actions can have
an impact on this depending on what the players state they are trying to do. If
an inventor choose to spend his action making prototype proximity scanner to
reduce the possibility of a hyperspace mishap, this may not contribute to
mission fulfillment or assist other characters directly, but it could mean that
a failed Astrogation or Vehicles check doesn’t damage the ship the players are
using. This action acts as a safety for the players in the event that it comes
into play. It might negate one or more failures, or add to the terminal degree
of failure allowing the heroes time to recover from a setback.
Critical
Mission Complexity:
Complexity Mark
|
Required
Number of Actions
|
Required
Degree of Success
|
Terminal
Degree of Failure
|
I
|
4+
|
6
|
5+
|
II
|
5+
|
8
|
5+
|
III
|
6+
|
10
|
5+
|
IV
|
8+
|
12
|
4
|
V
|
10+
|
14
|
3
|
Traits
In Mutants & Masterminds,
it is entirely possible for a low PL character to have incredibly high
non-combat skill bonuses and it is likewise acceptable to design a character
with few skill ranks and only one or two high abilities. For this reason it is
not particularly helpful to consider a mission simple in terms of difficulty
classes. As noted previously, the 55% rule will be helpful but employing it
might not always be feasible. If one of the heroes has a +12 Athletics skill,
just accept the near certainty that the player character will excel in a
mission involving leaping from moving platforms in a weapons factory. If the
mission is mark I chase through such a factory, the heroes will very likely
enjoy a positive outcome. On the other hand a mark V chase mission through the
same facility that also requires the heroes to slice into a computer terminal,
evade security patrols, precisely place a grappling hook, and convince the
fugitive to turn themselves in to the authorities to avoid a diplomatic crisis
is another matter!
In general, a mix if
interaction and knowledge-based skills, mental and physical traits and the
occasional power check should be called for on the mission and these should
engage all of the players (although characters in situations completely out of
their element may be awarded with a victory
point in recognition of the complication
the scenario represents to them).
Begin by listing which traits
are imperatives for the mission.
This needn’t be comprehensive, but should take into account the actions player
characters are most likely to attempt (keeping in mind that players will often
try the unexpected). Players can attempt to use any trait during a mission and should be encouraged to be creative
in this aspect, but the player must come up with a way that the trait could
meaningfully impact the mission. Plausible uses of traits should have relatively
low difficulty and might be considered imperative
for the mission. Traits that are merely supportive to the mission are
considered auxiliaries and the
difficulty of using these traits will generally be higher. As a rule of thumb, individual
characters should only be able to use imperatives
a number of times equal to half of the minimum number of actions required
for mission fulfillment while auxiliaries
can usually be used just once by any one character during the mission.
Always remember that the campaign environment is dynamic and that the outcome of a mission, especially a complex one, can go beyond the mere acknowledgement of success or the setback of failure. Characters may come away from a mission with a new understanding of the campaign, new allies or enemies, recognition from a important faction or any number of side benefits (or drawbacks).
Always remember that the campaign environment is dynamic and that the outcome of a mission, especially a complex one, can go beyond the mere acknowledgement of success or the setback of failure. Characters may come away from a mission with a new understanding of the campaign, new allies or enemies, recognition from a important faction or any number of side benefits (or drawbacks).
Parameters
Missions often have features
and conditions attached to them. A corrupt bureaucracy may require monetary
recompense to allow the characters an audience with the sector moff who may
only spare a few minutes of time on the heroes in any case. If the heroes can’t
afford the price of admission or if they fail to make the most of a limited
window of opportunity, the mission may be delayed or new avenues of progress
must be sought.Try to consider how powers available to the player characters (or to the forces which may actively oppose them) could come into play. The successful use of a precognitive Sense could provide automatic degrees of success or reduce the current degree of failure, for example.
Aftermath and Attrition
The outcome of a mission will always
drive the story ahead. Characters may receive mission specific rewards or
penalties, suffer injury or a specific complication, acquire knowledge, and so
on. Most missions are one-time only affairs, even if they take weeks, months or
longer to complete. Failure may result in more difficult future missions,
increased frequency or difficulty of combat encounters or the loss of resources
for the player characters or the interests they represent. If a mission seems
like it has the potential to derail a campaign entirely, it needs to be
adjusted. If the player character are stuck on what seems to be a doomed
mission or can’t see a way forward from a lost objective the gamemaster should
remind them of the edit scene and inspiration uses of victory
points.
Mission Execution
Set up the mission by
explaining the circumstances the characters find themselves in and defining the
mission objective and parameters. The mission may or may not require initiative
checks depending on the mission parameters. If the heroes are operating in separate
locations or on individual aspects of a larger project, the order in which
check results are calculated may not matter and initiative can be ignored. If a
mission has a time parameter, includes the potential for combat, involves player
characters working together closely, or making team checks,
it is likely important to know the order in which each character acts.
As with a combat encounter or
action sequence, missions have turns and the players must choose an action on each turn; usually one that engages one
(or more) traits to contribute to the mission objective. Mission turns may have
a defined time rank (as with combat rounds) or may be flexible with one turn
taking minutes, hours or even months depending on how the mission is
progressing. Player characters may be able to delay their choice of what action
to take, or which trait to engage, until other players have acted (altering the
initiative order if applicable). Actions that do not obviously call for check
using one or more traits should probably simply add one degree of success or
failure towards mission fulfillment
or reversal. A well described and
roleplayed action should almost always reward the player with success unless it
was clearly inappropriate within the mission’s context.
Imperatives are traits required for
mission success and are usually the only traits that characters can engage more
than once during the mission. Auxiliaries
may or may not count towards the success of the mission. Some will provide a
bonus to another check or provide another side benefit. In either case, each
hero should only be able to engage an auxiliary
trait one time during the mission. For very novel trait uses, after one hero
uses an auxiliary trait it is taken
off the table altogether for the remainder of the mission.
Team Checks
Missions often call for the
heroes to work together and complete one aspect of the mission as a unit. In
this case, one character (usually the one with the highest bonus) takes point
on the effort and makes the check normally. The remaining members of the team
help the lead and make the same type of check using the same trait (or traits)
against DC 10. The collaborators' individual degrees of success and failure are
added together to determine how the lead character is helped or hindered by the
group. One or two degrees
of success grant the lead character a +2 circumstance bonus, while three or
more total degrees of success grant a +5 circumstance bonus. One degree of
failure provides no modifier, but two or more impose a –2 circumstance penalty
For example, a reconnaissance
mission requires the player characters to fly small one or two person starfighters
below the range of enemy sensors. The character with the highest Vehicles
skill bonus takes point in her X-wing, leading the group on a safe flight path.
The other characters are piloting three slightly less maneuverable modified Y-wing
recon fighters. Because of the a high rate of speed required to avoid alerting
enemy rangefinders, the characters flying Y-wings each take a -2 circumstance penalty
to their Vehicles
checks. Even though there are only three ships, all five of the collaborators
make a check as it is mission imperative.
The collaborators achieve the following results after adding in their
individual traits and reducing the result by -2 (the circumstance penalty for
making a tight maneuver at high speed in a less agile fighter): 13, 8, 16, 18,
and 5. The overall degree of success is three, which provides the character on
point a +5 bonus to her check!
Crew Briefing
Most players already understand
combat scenarios and have a clear idea of their role and what traits their
character can use to defeat (or flee from) the villains. However, when the
heroes are searching the slums of Coruscant for a hidden genetic research facility,
it may not be immediately apparent to the players how their characters traits
can contribute to the mission.
Start by making the more obvious
parameters clear: “You’ll need to ask around to determine if anyone has seen
anything unusual by using Investigation
to gather information, but if you fail the locals might think you’re looking to
bust petty criminals and start to avoid you. Even worse, word of your search
could make its way to the facility.”
Engagement
Make a variety of traits relevant
to the mission and remember to limit the number of times each character can
engage those traits. It makes sense for a trained negotiator to make most of
the Persuasion checks on a mission,
but that character can only make his point so many times and may need to pursue
other options to contribute further to the objective.
All players must engage in some
action each turn and it is incumbent upon the gamemaster to provide players
with enough information to be capable of making smart choices. The players don’t
need to know every trait that can contribute to the mission objective, but they
must know some. The players must also be informed if a trait contributed to the
fulfillment or reversal of the mission. If they players can’t assess the impact of
their actions, they will be unsure of how to proceed with the mission.
Resourcefulness
If the players come up with
creative uses for traits or, thoughtful actions that don’t translate directly
into game terms, they should be rewarded. Players exploring unforeseen options are
immersing themselves in the mission and the game itself. Gamemasters should
always find some way to say “yes” to clever ideas as this can encourage all of
the players to become more absorbed in play. Gamemasters must also be careful
to keep players grounded in a sense of reality within the context of the
campaign. If a player wants to use Athletics
to affect a trade negotiation, ask the player to explain exactly what the
character could do with that trait to affect the proceedings.
Victory
points can come into play here. If the player wants to edit the scene to
recognize a security officer as a formerly well-known amateur grav-ball player,
an Athletics
check might help develop a rapport with that character who can then provide the
players with information about a port inspector’s tendency sign off on the
inspection without going onboard when a certain vessel makes deliveries.
Meaningful Consequences
Missions have meaningful, and
sometimes campaign changing consequences. If the players are attempting to plot
a new hyperspace route to circumvent the enemy’s new interdiction bases, the
mission’s outcome has significant repercussions – either the heroes
successfully devise a path to allied bases in the Outer Rim, or they fail and
perhaps get lost in a portion of space with powerful gravity wells prohibiting
faster than light travel. Either way, the adventure continues.
The gamemaster needs to keep
the potential for mission failure in mind at all times. Progressing in the
narrative should never be contingent upon the outcome of a single mission
unless it is designed as part of the campaign’s conclusion. Failure should
complicate matters (and provide victory
points to use later) but should rarely never halt an adventure prematurely
or lead to an unsatisfying end to the campaign.
Sample Missions
Alliance
spies have procured plans for the Empire’s new battle station. The installation
is capable travel through hyperspace and carries firepower equivalent to, if
not greater than, thousands of warships. The Empire can use this battle station
to project it’s might into all areas of the galaxy and once it is put into use,
no system will dare oppose the Emperor
This mission requires the
heroes to deliver the stolen plans safely into the hands of high ranking Alliance
personal while evading pursuit by the Empire’s sinister agents. If all goes
well, the mission could take a matter of hours or it might stretch on for days
in a deadly race across the stars
Orders: You must navigate into
friendly territory and evade pursuit with haste and ingenuity. Since possession
of theft of the plans constitutes treason against the Empire, the stakes could
not be higher.
Complexity Mark: IV (requires
12 degrees of success before 4 degrees of failure with a minimum of 8 actions).
Imperatives: Deception,
Equipment, Expertise:
Astrogation, Technology,
Vehicles.
Communication: Having special forms of Communication (such as pheromones or
telepathy can add to success by allowing you to send and receive messages with a
reduced chance of detection. The Subtle
modifier adds its rank to the degree of success.
Concealment: An effect that obscures you
(or objects like your ship) could add one degree of success to the mission.
Deception (Formidable): You bluff your way onto a transport,
convince the Emperor’s agents that you have no knowledge of the missing plans,
or send convincing communiqués with false information. Failure may take this
trait off the table in addition to contributing to mission reversal.
Environment: An effect that allows you to
impede movement might provide one degree of success to the mission or allow a
circumstance bonus to a Vehicles check.
Equipment: You have vessel capable of
traveling though space and using it on this mission adds one degree of success.
Without this trait you must find some other means to transfer the plans before mission
fulfillment can be achieved.
Expertise:
Astrogation (Tough):
You plot a difficult course with short hyperspace jumps to shake pursuit, intentionally
bounce near supernovas to confuse enemy sensors, or navigate through gravity
dense zones in the hopes that your pursuers will be unable to flow or destroy
themselves en route. Failure may cause damage to your crew or hyperdrive or
bring you out of hyperspace near an enemy patrol.
Feature: A vessel with hidden
compartments or a character (such as a cyborg or droid) with Internal Storage can add one degree of
success by using them to contain the plans.
Technology (Average): You beam the plans between
vessels or allied bases to confuse pursuers, or encrypt your communications to
hide your destination. Failure could cause data to become corrupted and necessitate
that you employ an expert to retrieve it at a later time.
Vehicles (Average): You outdistance or
outmaneuver pursuers and evade boarding attempts or tractor beams. Failure may
require that you stop on a planet controlled by gangsters to find parts to
repair your repair your ship or that you fight off enemy boarding actions.
Fulfillment: You deliver the stolen plans
safely to an allied location where Alliance experts can analyze the data and
perhaps find a weakness in the battle station’s design.
The
princess has been captured! You must enter a massive Imperial installation,
locate the cell block containing this vital member of the Alliance and assist
her in delivering a technical readout of the battle station to the Alliance
military.
This mission requires you to
search through a labyrinthine armored space station, evade becoming captives
yourself and most important of all, ensure that the princes and the plans rendezvous
with the Alliance on Yavin’s fourth moon.
Orders: Navigate your way into the
detention block, avoid confrontation whenever possible and find a way off the
station. If you’re followed, you’ll need to shake off or eliminate any pursuers.
Complexity Mark: III (requires 10 degrees of success before 5 degrees of
failure with a minimum of 6 actions).
Imperatives: Deception, Technology, Vehicles
Acrobatics
(Challenging):
Who designed this place? Almost anywhere you go, there’s a gaping chasm! But
then, those stormtroopers might have a hard time following you if you can move
along a ledge to a different room. Just watch your step!
Athletics
(Challenging):
Speaking of chasms, maybe you could climb up or down to another level. If you’re
spotted, you could jump or swing over an obstacle to foil pursuit.
Communication: If the party splits up, you’ll
need some form of Communication,
like a comlink.
Concealment: These types of effects might
allow characters to evade patrols or enter guarded rooms unseen. Accessing
unguarded computer terminals this way could add one degree of success to the
mission.
Equipment: If you don’t have a ship, you’ll
need to steal or stow aboard one. Some stormtrooper armor might assist in
Deception checks to make a disguise.
Expertise:
Games (Formidable):
It might be a long shot, but a character with a strategic mind, like an
experienced Dejarik player might have an advantage in moving around such a colossal,
maze-like facility.
Feature: A vessel with hidden compartments
be a good stand in for one Stealth check and add one degree of success to make
your ship seem empty.
Technology (Average): You can locate the prisoner,
determine guard schedules, and stay apprised of troop maneuvers as long as no
one notices you accessing the system.
Technology (Average): If you brought your own ship
here, the Empire isn’t going to let it undock and wish you safe travels! You’ll
need to cut power to one or more tractor beams in order to get away.
Technology (Formidable): You can open or seal off
blast doors to escape from soldiers. Maybe a well placed blaster shot could do
the trick too…
Technology (Heroic): You can transfer a technical
readout of the battle station to a data storage unit if the plans were previous
lost and not recovered.
Vehicles (Easy): If you plan to fly out of the
station, you’re going to need shake pursuit! Although, the chase doesn’t seem
all that aggressive… maybe they don’t have a lot of fighters docked?
Fulfillment: You escape with the princess
to the hidden rebel base! Now maybe the Alliance can find a flaw in the battle
station’s design. Just having those plans gives the Alliance leverage over the
Empire. How will the Emperor explain the need for such a monstrosity?
Reversal: Maybe you’re hopelessly lost and
just need to survive on the station without getting caught. You’ve learned a
lot about this place, though. Maybe you can do enough damage to stop whatever
the Empire is planning. If you failed during the escape, your ship might have
been damaged and you find yourselves hunted on a dangerous planet! Then again,
maybe you still escape, but the Empire decides to put their evil plans into
action in an unexpected way negating some of the headway you thought to make.
No comments:
Post a Comment