My first Novel!

This isn't something game-related, but I wanted to post it anyways as I'm proud of it.

No, it's not my first published novel, just the first one I've ever written.  Over the years, and years, and years, I've written a bunch of short stories, and I have a folder full of chapter ones, but I was never able to finish any of full-length novels.

A few months back, I learned about National Novel Writing Month and their challenge to write a 50,000 word (about 150 page) novel in 30 days.  I figured I'd take the challenge, if for no other reason than to see if I could.  My novel combined a slasher and ghost story, placing a bunch of characters, based on people I didn't like IRL, in a mansion, and dropping them one at a time.

Well, I started on November 1.  On Thanksgiving, I hit the 50k goal, but I decided the keep going because the web site had a badge (bragging rights reward) for updating your word count every day.

I finished today and the final counts are 55,000 words and 153 pages.  Overall, I think the story sucks, as I spent more time focusing on word count than on quality.  In fact, the first 7 or so chapters do nothing but introduce characters and pad the novel length.  At one point, I even took a paragraph-long conversation between two guys and stretched it to an entire chapter.

Still, the kills were fun and at times, quite brutal and bloody.  I'm not sure if i'm going to keep it or scrap it for spare parts, but I'm just happy that it's done!

Winter and Chill - Another Fortunes AAR

Continuing with my horror-themed games, I recently watched The Ghost and the Darkness about two lions who terrorized an expedition in Africa to build a long-distance railway.  The film is loosely based on real-life events that were written in the novel, The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, by John Patterson.  In the novel, the two (yes, only two) lions mangled and devoured nearly 100 men.  Whether this number is 100% accurate is up to speculation, but the events did occur, along with Patterson eventually killing the lions.

In my game, in which I'm again using Fortunes Won and Lost rules, a railway in Lemuria is now the location terrorized.

So let's get started.

August 13, 1903.

The expedition to build the first cross-continental railway across Lemuria has thus been a success.  With workers starting on opposite coasts and working inward, the rail is expected to be completed by the end of the year.  Investors see no problems in the foreseeable future as all work continues on schedule.

-------------------------------

He stepped off the train and into the compound.  Throwing his sack over his shoulder, Wayne stepped inside the building.

"Col. Sharpe!"  A shorter, barrel-chested man covered in sweat rushed forward.  "I'm Miguel Owen.  I sent you the letter.  Thank goodness you've arrived."

"You said your people were attacked by lions?" Sharpe said, skipping any small talk.

Owen nodded.  "Two of them slaughtered over a dozen workers in just under a week.  My men fear leaving the camp now."

Sharpe's eyes grew wide.  "Only two?"

"We named them Winter and Chill, for they attack like a blizzard, without warning and without remorse."  Owen shuddered.  "They evaded all our traps and even pulled men right out of their tents."

Owen led him out of the compound and pointed.  "You see there, we set up barbed bamboo walls to protect us.  And there, we added bear traps."

They walked up to the bear traps, and Sharpe noted that none of them were set off.  "So this worked recently."

Leading the hunter to a tent, Owen pulled back the the tent's edge but refused to look in.  "We found this in the morning."

Sharpe stepped forward and saw a trail of blood leading from the bedrolls to outside.  Under one bedroll, he could still see the shape of a lower body and legs.

Returning outside, the hunter's expression never changed.  "We better get to work."

This will be a Defend encounter from Fortunes, but with a few changes.  First, I'm using the board shown below to represent the came.

Sharpe and anyone he is able to recruit start in Sections 7-9.  Each turn, I can choose which section to place them.

The two lions will appear each turn as a PEF randomly placed in Sections 1-6.

Each turn that they resolve, the lions attack if they are in a section adjacent to Sharpe or his group.

Otherwise, I'll make a Challenge roll (Easy if 1 lion, Normal if 2) to see if the lions attack any workers, for each lion.  

Following each attack, I'll roll 3d6 and look for Successes.

1 success = injury to worker, 2 successes = death, 3 successes = a rather gory death.

After attacking workers, the lions might (1-3) flee.

If shot at and a Duck Back is scored, the lion flees automatically.

Sharpe gets 3 Increasing d6 for each lion killed by himself or his group.

However, he gains 1 Decreasing d6 each time both lions score kills.

Sharpe is a Rep 5 European Soldier with a Rifle.

Owen is a Rep 4 European Civilian with a Pistol (I misread the table and didn't realize until after the adventure was over.  Oh well, leave the dice where they lie.)

Gordon Trent is a Rep 3 European Civilian with a Rifle.

The lions are Rep 5 and count as using Melee weapons.  I also gave them 1 Star Power each and treat them as always having the Advantage to represent their guile.

Finally, anything outside a character's section counts as in Cover.

Let's get started.

For the opening turn, I placed each character in Section 8.  The first PEF starts in Section 4.  Only Owen can see it if it gets close enough.

1 lion appears.  Winning on the Action table, it moves to Section 9 and performs a challenge to snatch a worker.  Passing, it drags the terrified worker.  Owen opens fire and scores a Duck back.

The lion flees.

Time to check the damage.  3 successes.

It's not a pretty sight!

For the next turn, I placed a character in each section.  The PEF appears in 1 but with a Pass 1d6.

Hearing a rustling in the brush, Sharpe aimed his rifle and waited, but nothing appeared.  Still, no need to drop his guard yet, he kept his weapon pointed forward.

On the next turn, both lions appeared in Section 5, dangerously close to Owen.

Chill, passing on a sneak challenge, lunged forward and attacked Owen.  Passing 3d6 more than the man, the lion tore the poor guy to pieces before anyone could react.

Winter tried to sneak but failed.  Spinning around, Sharpe and Trent both opened fire.

Direct hit!  The bullet struck Winter right between the eyes, and the beast fell.

Next, Trent fired, but Chill's Star Power saved it.  At the end of the turn, both sides passed Will to fight, though Chill vanished into the brush for the turn.

For the next turn, I tried to position the two men so they covered each other's backs.  Chill appeared in Section 2 and Passed on the Action table.

Succeeding with a Sneak challenge, the beast leaped out of the brush and tackled Trent, biting right into the man's leg and thrashing about, tossing the man like a rag doll.  And like a rag doll, he came apart, spreading 'stuffing' everywhere.

This left Sharpe by himself, so, positioning himself in a tree, he waited.

Hearing a growl behind him, Sharpe turned but saw nothing.

That's when Chill attacked!  As the man turned, the lion slipped out of the brush and leaped up, slicing Sharpe's leg, and causing him to tumble out of the tree.

The two engaged in melee, with Chill passing 1 more, dropping Sharpe's Rep to 4.  The two continued to brawl, and I kept passing the same for them.  Eventually, both Reps dropped to 0, so I just continued until one scored a kill.

I also made an impromptu roll (resolving a new PEF) to see if any workers came to the rescue.  I passed 0d6 the first round and 1d6 the second.  Despite screams being heard, no one came to Sharpe's rescue.

Tough luck, and OOF!  Sharpe even failed with his Star Power.

Rolling to one knee, Sharpe stabbed with his bayonet at the creature and caught it in the shoulder.  Rearing back for a moment, it glanced at the wound on its shoulder and then licked it before turning its glare back to the hunter.  It lunged again, but Sharpe dodged out of the way.  

Rolling on the ground, he tried to aim his rifle but his hands were shaking too much.  Stumbling to the tree, he attempted to steady himself when the monster leaped again.  Colliding with him, it knocked Sharpe's head against the tree.  

Dropping his rifle, he fell to the ground.  The last thing he heard was a sickening crunch.  The last thing he felt was horrific pain as Chill sunk its teeth into his abdomen.  The next thing Wayne Sharpe knew, was nothing.

The next morning, railway workers found the remains of the three men and sent them on the next train back to the nearest city.  Workers then fled the compound, and all work halted for the time being.  Business backers rushed to send an army to the compound, but they found no trace of the beast.  Until they could locate the lion, no one would agree to return to work.

And worse yet, upon studying the blood on the ground, workers learned Chill was a female, which means it could bear young just a sadistic in the future.


A complete failure in terms of game events but a fun experiment to try anyway.  Oh well, I don't mind when horror-themed games end like this.  It just adds to the story!

Revenge of the Wicker Man

Being a huge horror fan, this is my favorite time of the year.  And while I was originally going to play a Lovecraft's Revenge game, I then watched an older horror movie called The Wicker Man (1973 version) and thought, "What if the guy escaped?  What if he wasn't so nice after all?  What if he wanted revenge?"

I decided Fortunes Won and Lost from Two Hour Wargames fit the setting the best.  And while I usually side with natives, savages, etc., in my games, I had a little problem with their sacrificing animals.  Don't get me wrong, I love burgers, steaks, and meat-filled Italian food.  I also support killing animals for food, self-defense, mercy (like putting down a sick pet), etc.  However, I draw the line at brutally immolating animals as sacrifices for a good harvest.  This led to my game.

Although I'm using Fortune rules, I'm using a version of the Larger Than Life map rules.  Instead of measuring distances, I have characters move 1 section per turn or 2 sections if they Fast Travel.  If combat occurs, I switch to the Battle Board.  And since the only range weapons are bows or pistols, ranges are limited to the section only.  In Addition, the closest I have for figures are a Cowboy for Jim and Indians for the natives.

Finally, I'm using Ed's UTC rules for challenges and interactions.  You can find the rules here:

http://site.twohourwargames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3355

The only difference is that I have a Confrontation possibly occur after a number of interactions and challenges instead of just interactions.  In addition, if I'm stuck for Difficulty, I simply roll 1d6:  1= Easy, 6=Difficult.

Now, onto the adventure!


October 13, 1903

Jim awoke inside a large straw cage, a rather bizarre cage as its bars were above, below, and around him, and in a large, rounded shape.  Less than a week earlier, the British merchant ship Searunner thathe worked on was contacted by Septombrus, leader of a group of natives of an island off the coast of Wales.  According to Septombrus, the recent drought had ruined their crops, and he was hoping the crew of the Searunner for help before his people starved.  Learning the island's inhabitants numbered in only a couple dozen, Captain Grant, always the kind soul, agreed to ship food to help the natives until their next harvest.

When they had arrived, Septombrus' people held a festival to honor the crew, and that's the last thing Jim remembered.

"Ah, you're finally awake," came a voice from below.

Jim looked outside the bars, realizing he was nearly a hundred feet above the ground.  Below stood Septombrus, while his people stood far in the distance.

"What's going on?" Jim asked.  "You asked for our help and we did."

"That you have," Septombrus agreed.  "Your sacrifice shall bring about a wondrous harvest in our future."

"Sacrifice?"  Jim didn't like where this was going.

"Correct."  Septombrus seemed more proud than concerned about this.  "Every few decades, we must sacrifice outsiders to ensure a perfect harvest.  I regret that you couldn't join your friends earlier but the drug we used seemed to have knocked you out for far longer.  And sacrifices must be aware as they meet their fate."

"Others?"  Jim then turned and noticed several smoking piles of debris nearby.

"And now," Septombrus continued, "you too shall be sacrificed inside the Wicker Man."  With a slight bow, lifted a torch and set fire to the base of the wicker statue which imprisoned Jim and turned to leave, joining his people in the distance.

Hearing panicked screeches, Jim spun around and notices doves within the wicker arms.  Looking down, he saw goats, pigs, and dogs inside the statue's base.  As the statue quickly caught fire, Jim knew he had to act fast.

Jim is a Rep 5 European Adventurer.  However, at the moment, he is unarmed.  For the natives, I'm using Tribal Natives.  Septombrus is Rep 5 while the rest are determined at random.

Escaping requires a Difficult Challenge roll.

Pass 1d6.  Not good.  Definitely have to reroll that.

Pass 2d6.  Success!  (Breathes a sigh of relief)

Breaking the cage open, Jim began to climb down.  But, remember the birds in the statue's arms, he decided to free them as well.

This would be a normal challenge.

Success!

Keeping the statue between himself and the natives, Jim climbed down.  But the frantic screeches of the animals dangerously close to the flames caught his attention.  He couldn't leave just yet.

Freeing the remaining animals was a Difficult challenge as the base had already caught fire.

Pass 1d6.

Jim pried at the wicker bars of the base but they wouldn't budge.

Retry.

Success!

With all his might, Jim tugged on the bars.  Finally, they came loose, and the animals bolted out of the structure and down the hill.

Note that this was Challenge #3.  2 more and I'll have to check for a Confrontation.

Jim followed the beasts and reached the beach below.  Noticing the Searunner berthed just off the beach, Jim discovered it was damaged.  The natives really didn't want them to leave!  But maybe they missed where the crew had set up camp with supplies.

I'm checking to see if Jim can find any firearms in the camp.  I chose to make this Difficult because I felt the natives most likely took anything useful.

Pass 0d6.  No guns at all!

Jim decided to see if there was anything he could use as a weapon.  I made this Normal as anything could pass a a melee weapon.

Pass 2d6!

Searching through the camp, Jim took a metal post used for the tent.  It should be heavy enough to hurt anyone in his path.

Since that was Challenge #5, I had to check next for a Confrontation.  This would probably be natives patrolling the area, or maybe someone noticed he had escaped.

Nope, all clear!  This ends the encounter but not the game.


Now Jim as safe, but his friends were gone and the Searunner was damaged.  Even if he could repair it, that could take some time, making it easier for the natives to find him.  No, first he would return to the village, track down Septombrus, and make them all pay dearly!

The next encounter is a Raid.  Jim must reach Section 1 and burn down the main house where Septombrus resides.  I chose 3 PEFs as that's the average number for an encounter.

The PEFs are represented by the d6.  I placed them in sections 4 and 6 at random.

First turn:  Jim activates first and moves to Section 8.  One PEF moves directly toward Jim, while the second doesn't move, and third moves and the away.  The PEF that moves into his section resolves as Contact, but luckily only 1 contact is made.

A lone guard walked along one of the buildings.  Keeping in the shadows, Jim attempt to sneak up on him.  

Jim wins on the Action table so I decide to perform a Challenge.  If Jim wins, then he treats a tie in melee as Pass 1d6.  If he fails, he treats it as the guard passing 1d6 instead.

Success!  Now for melee.  Jim passed 3d6.  The Rep 4 guard passed 0d6.

Sneaking up behind the guard, Jim swung the pipe.  It slammed into the guard's skull with a crack, and the guard fell face-first to the ground.

Slipping past the other two PEFs, Jim ended up in a building.  I chose to use this turn to search for guns.

Unfortunately, another Pass 0d6 and 2 challenges down.  Time to instead go after Septombrus.

Winning again on the Action table, I chose to attempt another challenge, this time to sneak up on the leader.  I made this challenge Difficult because Jim has to sneak into the building and sneak up on the leader.  I passed 1d6 and tried a reroll but failed.  Melee began, and Septombrus has the advantage.

Jim slipped through the doorway and noticed the leader of the natives staring out the window.  He took a few steps then he stepped on a broken piece of the floor.  

"What are you doing here?" the leader demanded, spinning around.  Picking up his staff, he lunged forward.

Jim passed 2d6 in Melee while Septombrus passed 0d6.

Septombrus swung his staff, but Jim ducked and smashed the pipe into his opponent's ribs.  With a gurgle, the leader doubled over, and Jim brought the pipe over the man's head for good measure.

Jim won the fight against the leader, but two more PEFs remain on the board, and it's now their turn to move.

One PEF moves directly into the section.  And what luck!  Not only did it resolve, but as 2 Contacts; a Rep 4 native with an ax and a Rep 3 with a bow.

Winning on the Action table, Jim charges the native with the bow.  The native opens fire but passes 1d6, missing.  Entering melee, Jim Passes 2d6 more and kills his opponent.

As Jim smashed his pipe between his opponent's eyes, the other lunged toward him.

Jim passed 2d6; the native passed 1d6.  Jim renders the native OOF.

With the opponents on the ground, Jim got to work setting fire to Septombrus' hut.  After a few minutes, the building caught fire.  Barring the door and trapping the leader inside, Jim snuck away.

Entering the nearby vacant hut, Jim decided to look again for guns.  His first sweep turned up nothing.

This challenge, by the way, I chose to make Normal as I know the natives had taken the crew's weapons.  This time, I passed 2d6.

After another sweep, Jim found a pistol and some ammo in a basket.  Loading the weapon, he slipped out of the hut and looked for a way out of the village.

Reaching the edge of the village, Jim decided to set fire to one more building; the three huts burning would eventually engulf the entire village.  He managed to get the hut aflame and slipped out, but froze in his tracks as he heard footprints.

This was the 5th challenge for this encounter so I rolled but no confrontation.  However, the final PEF resolved as a Rep 5 Contact.

A lone guard, towering over Jim, stepped out.  Lifting his club over his head, he lunged forward.

Since Jim now has a pistol, he was able to shoot at the charging guard.  Passing 2d6, he scored a hit.  Rolling on the Damage table resulted in an OOF result.

Lifting the pistol, Jim fired and caught the monstrous man in the chest.  Double over, the guard fell to the ground.  With the entire village now in flames, Jim ignored the screams and followed the path back to the beach, where he would repair the Searunner as best as he could and leave this accursed place once and for all.


As this was a one-off adventure, I didn't roll to improve Jim.  I also left out certain events because I had forgotten about them, like one melee resulting in both men losing points to Rep and another attempt to burn down some huts.

Overall it was a fun little game, and I might try another using these rules with another horror movie I just recently watched.

The Trials of Nihilus - A Future Tales and Star War adventure

I've got a box full of Star Wars miniatures, but the SW mini rules really don't support solo play.  However, THW games do and with the story structure in Future Tales, I had just the set-up.  Bringing back a character I created in the old SW RPG, I decided to blow off some steam by creating my own continuity with the character,

In addition to the rules in FT, I also created an Add-on for using Star Wars characters, etc. in the game, including using the Force.  Adding to those, I'm using Ed's UIC table for challenges and interactions.  However, I'm keeping the opposed rolls for consistency as FT uses them for finding clues.

Finally, I added an ability for Force users called Force Skill.  When performing a Challenge or Interaction, Force users can choose to use the Force to aid them, granting a +1d6 on their rolls.  However, failing results in a -1 to Rep for the rest of the scene.

Now onto the adventure!


Some time after the Battle of Endor . . .

The abandoned star destroyer drifted through space.  Its lone inhabitant, a young man in his early 20's, entered the computer room.  He stood average height and was thin and bald.  In most situations, he could step through a crowd a be forgotten in seconds.  Of if he wished, he could pass through the same crowd and no one would forget!

This was the man once known as Thuun, the son of an Imperial governor who was assassinated not long ago.  Right after that, young Thuun, a stage performer, encountered a mysterious guide who showed him that he had an ability not of this world, and taught him to use it.

Kneeling before the hologram display, Thuun waited as the display lit up.  but instead of revealing a person, it only showed a bright light like a star.

"You have done well," a voice said.  "Thousands of years ago, a Sith Lord known as Darth Nihilus terrorized the galaxy.  But the Sith are no more so that task shall fall to you, Nihilus."

"Thanks," the young man said.

"Consider this your first trial," the voice continued.

An image appeared.  "This is Mas Sechar, the governor of the Imperial world Carsux.  Eliminate him so Imperial control of the world shall fall."

Thuun stared at the image and hesitated.

"Is the a problem, Nihilus?" the voice asked, now addressing him by his new name.

"Are we not on the same side?" Nihilus asked.  "Do we not have the same goal, to defeat the Rebellion and save the Empire?"

"The Empire of old cannot defeat the Rebellion," the voice answered.  "It must be destroyed so that something stronger can rise, destroying the Rebellion and the new Jedi."

Nihilus nodded.  "Then it will be done."  Standing, he wore a dark gray jumpsuit and robe.  Attached to his belt, along with the hilt of his black-bladed lightsaber, was a simple cloth mask that concealed his face completely.  Now he truly could choose to either be forgotten or the substance of nightmares.

Nihilus:  Human; Rep 5; Magic, Charismatic, Brawler; Lightsaber.

This story is a Find Person.  I've also decided the person, Mas Sechar, is also the Big Bad.  5 clues are required to complete this.

First locale:  Urban - Question.

Boarding his personal transport, Nihilus traveled to the planet Corellia.  Arriving in one of the cities, discarded his robes in favor of a normal jumpsuit and entered a club and sought out Orb Corana, a merchant known for successfully navigating both Imperial and free systems.

Calling on the Force, he looked into Orb's eyes.  "Tell me how you entered the Carsux system."

This turned out to be unnecessary as his opponent seemed perfectly willing to cooperate.  "With the fall of the Empire, the planet's defenses are completely disorganized.  While a large ship would be stopped, a freighter could slip right in unopposed."

"I see."  Nihilus thought for a moment and decided against using the Force for the rest of his questioning.  "And what can you tell me about Mas Sechar?"

"Not much," Orb answered, "but a Rebel pilot named Marda Clame originally showed me the route.  He'd know more than I do.  You can find him on the Rebel Ship Quasara."

Leaving the city, Nihilus decided to seek out the Quasara and Marda Clame.

Found 1 clue.

Next - Question; Space.

Note that the Rebel ship is much larger than Nihilus' freighter; it only looks the same size because it's still in the distance.  At least that's the excuse I'm giving!

Nihilus steered his ship through space until her located the Quasara.  Once a Rebel warship, it had recently been converted into a civilian transport, though members of the Rebellion still occupied the vessel.  Boarding the ship, Nihilus explored the halls in search of Marda.

Locating the pilot in one of the offices, Nihilus approached him.  "My name is Thuun.  Orb Corana sent me because he said you could give me more information on Carsux and Mas Sechar."

After showing Nihilus a computer model of the system and various recommended routes, Marda copied the information to a disk and handed it to the man.  "Just don't approach Sechar alone."

"Why is that?" Nihilus asked.

"He may look like some boring governor, but he carries a vibro staff that he knows how to use.  He also, on his belt, has a force field that protects him for threats."

I added those to explain his Big Bad Star Power.

"Thank you"  Boarding his ship again, Nihilus studied the information on the disk.  He would have to make another stop in a nearby system so he could join the convey entering the system and slip in unnoticed.

Gain 1 clue.

Next - Search - Off-Planet - Barren.

Nihilus took his ship into hyperspace, but the ship trembled and entered real space again.  Examining the systems, he noticed the faulty nav computer emitting smoke.  Looking over the star charts.  He noticed the planet Tattoine was nearby.  Better land there and find a new computer.

Unfortunately, the nav computer had also interfered with his sensors.  He was able to land, but he couldn't find any close-by settlements.  He would need to set out on foot and locate the settlements himself.

The Search for this scene is locating a town where he could purchase a new computer.

Keeping his cloak close to him, he traveled the desert for several hours.  His binoculars finally located a settlement in the distance, but he still had far to walk.

Then he heard a weird screech.

Desert Skimmers, as they were called.  Two of these lizard-like creatures raced forward to flank the man.  Keeping calm, Nihilus pulled out his lightsaber and the black blade came to life.

Leaping forward, he swung his blade, slicing the beasts down.  With no more foes nearby, Nihilus finally located the town of Mos Espa and entered the town.

Gain 1 clue.

Next - Rural - Question.

Exploring the town, Nihilus encountered numerous individuals wandering around, though few took more than a moment's notice of the cloaked man, probably because he resembled a simple wanderer (and they couldn't see his lightsaber).  A few of the inhabitants eventually pointed Nihilus to Borga the Hutt, who specialized in selling ship parts.

"I need a nav computer for my freighter," Nihilus said.

"I have a few left over," Borga replied in the Basic language.  "How will you pay for it?"

Knowing mind tricks were useless against the Hutt, Nihilus produced a series of gems from his master's collection.  "Is this enought?"

The Hutt's eyes widen.  "Very much so.  Here, this is the top of the line.  Great doing business with you."

Gain 1 clue.  

Next - Off-Planet - Urban - Search.

Travel Scene!

As Nihilus again trekked through the desert toward his ship, he sensed danger approaching.  Unlike the Desert Skimmers, these opponents chose a more subtle approach - an ambush!

Normally this travel scene would be a space battle or something similar, but I'm keeping it on-planet because I really want to fight Sand People!

Force Skill - Sense - Pass 2d6.

Two Tusken Raiders, aka Sand People, approached from the front while two others attempted to flank him.  Two of them were armed with their gaffi sticks while the other two loaded their slug thrower rifles.

Normally, a roll for How Many would result in no more than 3 opponents, but I increased it to 4 because I really wanted to fight Sand People!

The 4 opponents continued to sneak forward, concealing themselves with the hills.  For a moment, Nihilus considered using the Force to instill terror in the beings, but that would only be a temporary solution, and they might return with reinforcements before he reached his ship.

And also because I really . . . well, you know.

The two on his flank leaped forward and to both sides of him.  Igniting his lightsaber, Nihilus attacked without hesitation.

Striking down both foes, he now turned his attention to the to before him who had their rifles pointed at Nihilus.

The Sand People attempted to maneuver Nihilus between them, and both fired their weapons.  But Nihilus deflected the blasts, sending them into the sand.

Lunging forward, he struck at the closest opponent, slicing right through the creature's weapon and arm.  It collapsed to the ground, blood pouring into the sand.

The lone opponent, showing remarkable courage in the moment, opened fire.  Dodging the attacks, Nihilus leaped forward, landing right in his opponent's face.

A lightsaber swing later, the battle was over.

Reaching his ship, Nihilus installed his new computer and set course for the Onoli system.

A day later, Nihilus reached the Onoli system.  Entering the capital city, he searched for the shipping docks.

He finally reached the docks and found a droid salesman who was already shipping droid parts to the planet Carsux.  The merchant allowed him to help with shipping the parts and thus joining the convoy.

Gain 1 clue.  

Final Scene.  And as the Big Bad is also who I was searching for, I skipped rolling on the Final Scene table and instead just went to the scene itself.

The convoy entered Carsux without problem, and slipping out of the group, Nihilus landed his ship just outside of the Imperial base.  Sneaking into the base, he found himself in a maintenance station.

The d6 represent PEFs between Nihilus and Mas Sechar.  The first one immediately entered the station where Nihilus was located.

Two Imperial technicians entered the room.  "Hey who are you?" the first one asked.

Knowing it was far too early to battle opponents, Nihilus called on the Force.  "I am Admiral Gram.  Carry on."

"Yes sir, Admiral," the two saluted and left.

Next, he encountered three storm troopers guarding a hanger.  "You will let me pass."

FAIL!  -1 to Rep!

"Intruder!"  The three all attacked without hesitation.

Luckily, Nihilus still possessed plenty of fighting ability.  Igniting his Lightsaber, he assaulted and quickly took down all three opponents.

With the foes vanquished, Nihilus took a deep breath and stepped into the hanger, where he sensed his adversary awaited.

Ad this point, I figured all opponents would hear the sounds of fighting, so I resolved all PEFs right there and then.  Fortunately, only one resolved as contact, but then added minions for Mas Sechar.

Nihilus stepped through the doorway to find Mas Sechar preparing to enter the shuttle.  Flanked by storm troopers and Imperial personnel, he ordered the group to attack.

Knowing that he was outnumbered, Nihilus slashed several nearby fuel hoses to keep the shuttle from taking off right away.  Then, sucking laser blasts, he slipped back into the hallway.

The first few storm stroopers raced through the doorway, but Nihilus struck them down, using the Force to lift them up and smash them into the floor (Damage spell).

A heavy trooper approached, armed with a rocket launcher.  Nihilus knew there was no way he could deflect that with his blade, so he'd have to strike first.

Calling on the Force, he held his free hand out, and the trooper was lifted up and smashed against a computer console.  It exploded in his face and he fell to the ground, just as a trooper with twin pistols attacked.

The trooper fired, but Nihilus deflected the bolts right back into the trooper's chest.  With no more opponents remaining, the dark sider stepped again through the doorway.

He found Sechar and a technician standing near the shuttle's ramp.  The tech raised his blaster, but Nihilus sent him flying.  No only Sechar remained.

Stepped down from the ramp, Sechar pressed a button on his belt, and a glowing bubble surrounded him.  Leaping forward, Nihilus swung his blade, but his opponent blocked it with his staff.

Backing into the terminal, he again blocked the dark sider's assaults, but his own strikes were also met with equal failures.

Out of no where, Sechar swung his staff low, sweeping Nihilus' feet.  Nihilus hit the ground and rolled aside (Star Power) and away from his foe.  Calling on the Force, he pushed Sechar away, but his opponent was protected by his force field (Star Power).

"Who are you?"  Sechar asked.  "I'm trying to save the Empire."

"No," Nihilus replied, literally adding Force to his voice (Dazzle), "it cannot be saved.  You have failed and will be replaced."

Thrown off guard by his opponent's words and voice, Sechar hesitated.

And that's when Nihilus struck.

Knowing the staff aside, he stabbed straight forward, his blade cutting into his foe's throat.  Sechar's eyes went wide, then lost all focus, and he collapsed.

His mission complete, Nihilus slipped out before more troops arrive.  Leaving the system, he leaped into hyperspace and returned to his base of operations.  While he had succeeded in his plans, he did make some glaring mistakes and would have to practice more caution in the future.

Nihilus gained Increasing d6 for completing the story, defeating the Big Bad, and defeating opponents.  He gained Decreasing d6 for failing with his Force skill and using Star Power.  Rolling his remaining Increasing d6, I got a 6.  

Nihilus is now Rep 6.  Hopefully this will help him more in his next trial.