Zero Wing Part 3: War in Space

Engaging Secundus, Michael was struck, literally and figuratively, as for the first time he could not land a blow.  As he tried to attack, Secundus seemed to disappear, reappearing behind Michael blasting the hero with cosmic force. (… and this is where the DBZ jokes started.)

Mechanically, Secundus is a trained fighter with a defensive combo Boon. When taking an Active Defense, Secundus is able to automatically use their roll as if they made an attack with the same value. Purchased a Combo Boon, offsets part of the penalty of taking a Rapid Action which can be used with any action to attempt multiple things at once.

Hoping to coordinate the remaining space station defenses, Shift learns that Secundus had made quick work of the orbiting weapons platforms. Having to rethink his plans Shift uses his ability to see the material make up of objects to locate the cloaked support ships. Thanks to his background of ex-soldier, Shift was familiar with Ar’dysis military tactics and use of cloaked force field generation.

Realizing the duel with Secundus was not going the way Michael expected, Otis changed tact. Rushing to the main hanger, he contacts the security team on the battle cruiser with a desperate plan. Coordinating with the security officers, they push the mecha, acquired from graveyard, into space as Otis attempted an unprotected jump to meet the fighter. This left Quinn to handle the remaining soldiers on the station.

The fight between Michael went from bad to worse, as the Ar’dysis strike fighters opened fire on the hero. While he was able to wither the assault, even his angelic body was nearing the breaking point.

Using his power to teleport parts of objects, Shift rips the engine out of the shield battery and tries to disable the fighters. However, having just come out of stasis, this was more than his, or his powers could manage in a single action. Severally damaging the Force Battery leaving it listing off course, as its cloaking device failed, most of the fighters were left intact.

With a bit of assistance from Shift, Otis reaches the drifting mecha. Despite its age it beamed to life as Otis made a strafing run on the fighters. Destroying almost half of the now unprotected strike fighters in the attack. Unfortunately, not fully repaired, the return fire nearly crippling his ship.

Note: The mecha was originally intended to be part of the graveyard’s description. Otis’s player liked the idea of a personal ship, so he invested experience into adding to his character. This cost him only 6 experience, about what a player could gain over 2 or 3 sessions. Personal vehicles are generally not very expensive, as the expectation is that they may only be around for one scene. Of course, players have the option to spend additional points to add more to the vehicle. (Something Otis’s player may want to consider.)  Also, as a crack pilot Otis adds bonus damage to the mecha’s attack for free (a free Advantage from the Vehicle Talent). Considering Otis’s talents and power it was a natural fit. It’s kind of like Dr. Strange in a veritech.

The colony ship and battle cruiser, on the other hand is more like a set pieces. The GM provided the basic ship then allowed the players to spend experience to customize it.

Having seen Shift rip the Force Battery apart, Secundus tries to finish the battle with Michael to take out what he sees as the real threat. Creating a warp field bubble, Michael narrowly escapes being simultaneously crushed and torn apart. This gives Michael the opening he needed to finally begin landing blows on Secundus.

Secundus primary power centers on generating an aura of Warp energy. However, by spending Willpower he is able to pull off power tricks. In this case, Secundus uses their warp field to create a trap that would have continued to do damage to Michael even after he had escaped.

Hoping to weaken the fighters, Shift rips the communication suite’s from the Overseer ships, preventing the remaining strike fighters from coordinating. At the same time, Otis performs another strafing run , leaving the fighters in ruins. With the attack ships disabled Shift returns his focus to the battle with Secundus. Aiding Michael, the pair are able to inflict a major wound.

When characters coordinate, the supporting character is able to add an appropriate characteristic. In the case of Shift, he uses the Tactics Talent, to Michael’s roll. This both increases the chance for success, and gives a free damage bonus when you are attacking as each characteristic adds to damage. This can be especially potent when players spend additional Willpower to explode their dice or add a bonus die. in Michael’s case, the player chose to explode his dice, and use a combat maneuver called heavy blow which allows the attacker to trade accuracy for damage.

Now wounded, and with the strike fighter’s decimated, Secundus attempts to warp out but is interrupted by a well timed punch to the face. Attempting to warp out again, Michael refuses to let him go. Grabbing hold, Michael is transported to the invading force’s closest star base, a small fleet in orbit.

Because Michael had a higher Initiative, he is able to attempt an interrupting action, which means that he could attempt to prevent anything Secundus tries to do. The two characters make a contested roll, Michael’s attack versus Secundus’s movement. Mic hael’s first interrupting action was higher than Secundus’s movement roll. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, Michael’s second attack was close but not greater than his opponent’s, which led to both actions occurring simultaneously.

In the aftermath, the Space Station’s defenses have been crushed. Both the colony ship and battle cruiser are in states of extreme disrepair. Worse, the remaining heroes are left wondering where their compatriot has gone.

On the other side of the sector, will Michael find some way to escape? Could it be thrown into some unspeakable experiments or sold into slavery? The heroes will find out soon enough.

Final note: Michael’s grapple was an unexpected twist both for the players and the GM. Thankfully, the system is designed to facilitate parallel story lines, so if Michael is not able to rejoin his compatriots quickly within the narrative, the GM has a number of options for running stories side by side. The core book discusses players with multiple characters.

For example, the Ar’dysis are Intergalactic arms dealers. They are not above trafficking in Living Weapons. This could lead to a story arc where Michael and meets other Metahumans or aliens that have been captured, and controlled by the other players. At the same time, the players of the station may find themselves supported by people they’re thankful for the assistance allowing Michael’s player to join in for the story arc. The game also supports characters of different power levels, offsetting these differences in raw ability with bonus Willpower so that characters like Robin have moments when they shine really, where as Batman is more consistent in his actions.

We hope you have enjoyed the Zero Wing story arc.