Beam Saber: A Game Of Pilots And Their Mechs

Beam Saber is a game about the pilots of powerful machines in a war that dominates every facet of life. They are trying to do their time and part, and get out physically and mentally intact. The organizations that perpetuate the War through all of known space are too incomprehensibly huge to take down. There is no “winning” the War, there is only surviving it. These are their stories.

CalazCon!: A Beam Saber Mega Game Actual Play Series 02/26/2023

The Cenotaph - Ending Explanation 02/26/2023

Mission Report 19 - Pièce de Résistance 11/03/2021

Mission Report 19 - Pièce de Résistance This Mission Report is provided by , a member of the Beam Saber community and discord server! The mission is for the Izyan Conflict setting and is suitable for use as a one shot. BRIEFING: An underground mountain fortress from the early Izyan conflict was unearthed during a recent earthquake. It is said to contain the Pièce de Résistance (PdR), a technological marvel, which allowed the Izyan resistance against the large faction far longer than everyone expected. A reconnaissance overflight discovered the exposed fortress hours ago. Go get the PdR tonight before anybody else does. SUGGESTED DESCRIPTIONS AND BACKGROUND: (Completely optional ideas that you might find inspiring or otherwise helpful) About the Fortress: In the early stages of the Izyan conflict, when the factions just arrived, the fortresses' purpose was intelligence gathering and defense coordination. It was the location of a unique technology - the PdR. A so far unreplicatable technology that allows for long range faster-than-light scans, thus enabling the Izyan military forces to always be at the right time and place. Knowing the importance of this critical technology, its location and specifics about the technology were kept secret. When the fortress AI controlling the PdR went rogue and killed everyone, no living being knew where it was. It has been a graveyard ever since. After the fortress's mysterious disappearance the resistance of the Izyan government quickly collapsed. The Site: A mountainside devastated by an earthquake. Half the mountain landslid into the valley next to it, revealing the fortress hidden inside. There is rubble everywhere, and it is very hard to pass through. Large parts of the fortress are now part of the landslide, other parts are still in the mountain and very much intact. There are visible searchlights in the ruins. AI Room: A large sealed room. The AI is in a glowing quantum computer cube in the middle of the room. There are lots of thick cables coming out. The room is normally not accessible via mech, although a small one might just fit. PdR: A strange rock, possibly a meteor, the size of a large cooking pot. It is embedded with circuitry resembling fossils and is currently suspended in the air with metal clamps. An array of sensors and emitters mounted on scaffolds are pointed at it. With effort, a single pilot might just be able to carry the stone. It has a load rating of 3 when carried by a pilot. EMPLOYER: A strategically oriented squad of the player faction. Suggestion: The Regional Development Council (Tier IV-S Corporatocracy). OBJECTIVE: Primary objective: Deny the PdR to everyone else! Secondary objective: Obtain the PdR and bring it home. Tertiary: Undamaged. Please. TARGET: The Burden (Tier II-S Independent) is en route to the site. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: No use of enhanced interrogation. No threatening of, or employing force against civilians. No firing upon or presenting as a clearly marked medical transport or facility. Detainees must remain unharmed. COMPLICATIONS: The ground is still unstable - aftershocks of the earthquakes disrupt plans or unearth additional problems. Other parties are en route and may arrive with little warning. Do they know about the PdR or are they here for something else? The larger area is a maze of valleys and mountains and conflicts may be drawn out. A local village might be drawn into the escalating conflict. Is the village affiliated with any faction? Do the locals know something about the fortress? The nuclear reactor on site is leaking, an area is flooded by radiation or is contaminated. Additional defense systems inside the fortress wake up from hibernation. Proxies from people formerly living in the fortress become active. The AI might want to strike a deal, but it included getting it out to safety. The PdR staying with it is non-negotiable, although it does not need it to stay alive. The AI guarding the complex and the PdR must be destroyed, deactivated, or convinced in order to retrieve the PdR. No one really knows what the PdR exactly is, only that without it the resistance fell apart quickly. CHARACTERS Walmartha “Cinnamon” Chakrabarti (she/her), leader of the Sliver of Civility Trading Company squad salvaging the fortress. A small woman with short dark hair wearing a corporate uniform. Genial and enterprising. She arrived first with her salvaging team and she knows there might be something very precious in the fortress, but she doesn't know what exactly it might be.Goal: Get rich and get out unharmed. AST-201 "Short round", the (It/Its) the AI controlling the fortress systems and the PdR sensor system. The combination of interacting with the PdR feedback systems and the intelligence overwhelmingly indicating the inevitable defeat of the Izyan forces, slowly eroded its ability to differentiate between cause and effect as well as future and present. Since - from its perspective - the resistance already lost and had no permission to be present at the fortress, it defended itself against the perceived intruders using its automated defense systems.Goal: Survive this, either by eliminating all intruders or by striking a deal. Elias “Ignition” Welsh (he/him), the leader of a local burden cell (The Burden, (T II-S), Independent). A bulky man with a military style buzz cut and working clothes. Determined but idealistic and despises unnecessary killing. He has the secret passphrases for the emergency shutoff of the fortress AI and some knowledge as to what the PdR is. He is either a descendant of someone in the fortress’s staff, or was briefly stationed there himself (depending on your timeline and how long the Izyan conflict is going on). They are too late to the party, but arrive in force.Goal: Claim the PdR for the Resistance, or destroy it. CHALLENGES: Concealed perimeter security cannons are emerging from the ground and are attacking indiscriminately. The Sliver of Civility Trading Company is already there and salvaging. There is rubble and ruins everywhere, making it hard to locate the PdR within the fortress/mountain. The fortress was huge. Multiple levels, ammunition depots, workshops. It was mostly self-reliant. Even after all these years, systems might be functional. The fortress is riddled with deadly traps, reflecting the paranoia of the late resistance. Electrifiable floors, poison gas, automated turrets, and explosive traps. They all have in common that they do not require a human to work. The Burden squad is late to the party, but will arrive soon and in force. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/21015758

Beam Saber Intro Story 08/30/2021

Mission Report 18 - Pest In Show 07/29/2020

Mission Report 18 - Pest In Show This Mission Report is provided by , a member of the Beam Saber community and discord server! Briefing: Trans-Horizons has received word of a horrible mishap with one of its offworld shipments! It appears a type of vermin native to Izya (specifically the Journey City sewers) had found its way into the vessel and gorged itself on the expensive rare Izyan produce inside all the way to its destination. However, when God closes a door he often forgets to lock it and the beast’s escape from the ship put it in the path of a famed ExInc socialite who declared it adorable and set off a massive demand across ExInc space. Is this job glamorous? No, but it’s easy money and the only known activity down there is some Squaddies, so get a cage and go Gremlin hunting! Employer: Takuma Transportation Solutions (Tier III, Corporatocracy) Target: The Squaddies? (Tier I, Independent) Objective: Capture and contain a breeding population of ‘Gremlins’. ROE: No employment of chemical, biological, or explosive weaponry (especially the latter). The Gremlins are not to be purposefully harmed. Path Cascade is to be eliminated on sight (Trans-Horizons makes exceptions for that particular gremlin). Complications: The Squaddies are already dead by the time the squad gets there, eliminated by a unit of the 99th Intelligence Group (Tier I) led by operatives ‘Montressor’ and ‘Fortunado’ here to intercept a DFS Scientist’s defection to the Adamant Council of Nor. The Knives of Nor (Tier II) are waiting for a cadre of corrupt Burden (Tier II) members to escort the scientist to their position in a cistern where they intend to smuggle them to a safehouse on their way to Might. The Burden members are planning a double cross on the Nor and intend to ransom the scientist to the highest bidder along with any Knives gear they can loot off the bodies. None of these groups are going to believe the squad is only here to catch some Gremlins and will attempt to deal with them in different ways. The 99th’s operatives will attempt to engage the squad in cryptic tradespeak until their charges get frustrated and try to scare them off. The Knives will attempt to play them against the Burden in an attempt to get the scientist for less cost than paying the Burden. The Burden will try to kill the squad outright, believing the Knives got wind of their planned betrayal and hired the squad to take them out. The Gremlins are rabbit-sized reptilians with iridescent scales and bioelectric traits that essentially make them immune to electrical shock, this gives them their names as they have a fondness for chewing on vital power cables. Due to this they’re usually killed or scared off on sight by anyone familiar with the infrastructural threat they pose. The constraints of the sewers mean only light vehicles at most can access them without causing structural damage and risking a potential cave in. The Nor getaway vehicle is an airboat with passenger space and cargo space along with a machine gun turret controlled by a targeting app linked to the team leader’s palm computer. Unbeknownst to the Knives, a Gremlin has gotten into the internal systems of the targeting computer housing the app and the resulting damage has destroyed its friend or foe programming, creating a bloodbath waiting to be activated. The scientist himself-if secured-will quickly agree to become an ExInc asset and keeping him alive becomes a secondary objective, he can also be handed over to any of the three parties if friendly or neutral with the squad for a status increase. Characters: Montressor (She/Her) and Fortunado (He/Him), 99th Intelligence Group lead agents, features obscured behind tactical gear other than Montressor being short and stocky while Fortunado is tall and thin. Montressor is gregarious yet calculating while the less experienced Fortunado is a bag of nerves for his first field operation. Diplomat-Class Citizen Celestine McClain (She/Her), Knives of Nor lead operative, early 50’s, caucasian features with a silver-grey bob haircut, wearing traditional Norrish jumpsuit. A veteran diplomat and spy for the Knives, Celestine’s experience is being clouded by an arrogant belief in her superiority to native earthlings. Jazz Magnum (They/Them), Burden Cell leader, late 20’s, latinx features, shaved head, wearing scavenged military gear from multiple factions, no less than a dozen dog tags of multiple squads are attached to a necklace around their neck. Fiery and aggressive, Jazz has been plotting against Celestine for a while and their desire to get one over on the Offworlders has made them borderline myopic. Professor Oberlain Basilthorp (He/Him), defecting DFS scientist, late 60’s, caucasian features, balding white hair and thick eyebrows, walks with a cane, dressed in an ostentatious cloak he believed would keep him hidden from view during his escape. A prestigious name in the field of AWV R&D, Prof. Basilthorp’s attempted defection is the result of his prototype AWV design being discarded in favor of another, he keeps the blueprints in a compartment in his cane. Challenges: The three-way battle for the Professor. General disbelief at the squad’s objectives. Capturing the Gremlins. The haywire app controlling the boat turret. Extracting the Professor. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/15403466

Mission Report 17 - Hot Landing 02/20/2020

Mission Report 17 - Hot Landing This mission has been kicking around my head for a while because I've always wanted to start a mission with an air drop. So why not make that drop the ENTIRE MISSION? MISSION REPORT: HOT LANDING BRIEFING We’ve predicted that in a few days a gap is going to appear in the orbital debris field for a little under an hour. We’ve lined up some atmospheric cargo shuttles to make the run, but our intel suggests that the <45th Drop Troops/Sliver Of Civility Trading Company> [Choose the squad that is most appropriate for your game] are doing the same, so we need you to provide escort on short notice. We've arranged for you and your AWVs to take a ride up the Tower to rendezvous with our cargo shuttles. As this is an orbital drop we’re providing your AWVs with a disposable Drop Kit. This includes maneuvering thrusters, deployable heat shielding, and an AWV parachute. The kit’s ugly and awkward, but it’ll help you survive the mission. If your AWV is already capable of airborne maneuvering, feel free to jettison the Kit after you’ve used its heat shielding to protect you from atmospheric re-entry. EMPLOYER The Breath of Faith [Tier 3W]: The Faith's personal agents. How they are chosen is secret. They are the few that can guarantee meetings with The Faith. GOAL: to ensure that the new ruler will continue The Faith's goals. OR 99th Intelligence Corps [Tier 1S]: A group of spies, hackers, and infiltrators. GOAL: to supply allies with actionable intelligence. TARGET 45th Drop Troops [Tier 1W]: Dedicated airborne and orbital drop troops that are sorely under supplied. GOAL: Regain the ability to perform regular drop actions. OR Sliver Of Civility Trading Company [Tier 1S]: Openly a trading company, but they are also known to be smugglers. GOAL: to get rich through il/legal deliveries. OBJECTIVE Get the Cargo Shuttles safely to Hulinton. SECONDARY Deny the Target the cargo that they are escorting. Get the cargo shuttles to Hulinton undamaged. ROE Don’t damage the Tower. Don’t damage Hulinton when you arrive. COMPLICATIONS Holdmates: The Target and their AWVs are on the same Tower trip as the pilots, and are even in the same cargo hold! The trip is neutral territory, and any trouble will cause problems for perpetrators’ superiors. The Sword Wing: the ace Norrish airborne squad learns about the debris gap, but too late to arrange a cargo drop. Instead they are on station to shoot down any enemy vehicles trying to take advantage of the gap. The Heard’s AA battery: Seeing the Sword Wing approach Jovangellian territory has put the Heard on high alert. They’ve brought out their anti-aircraft weapons to deal with any non-Jovangellian airborne units. CHARACTERS Sister Sabin Hayabusa (she/her): Myriad cargo shuttle pilot. Brown skin, scarred face, Cold eyes, Military hair, Skinny body, Formal garb. Lieutenant Katriel Cruz (she/her): 45th Drop Troops officer. White skin, rugged face, Trusting eyes, Punk hair, Voluptuous body, Military garb. Transport Lead Euclidean Calamity (they/them): Sliver of Civility supervisor. Dark skin, beautiful face, Cold eyes, Poofy hair, Voluptuous body, Formal garb. Baron Vicario Naan (he/him): Sword Wing ace. Light brown skin, Rugged face, Uncertain eyes, Slick hair, Voluptuous body, Ornate garb. Captain Ohio Garden (they/them): Heard commander. Brown skin, young face, Uncertain eyes, Military hair, Skinny body, Ornate garb. CHALLENGES The Drop Kit: This piece of Vehicle gear is comprised of 3 parts: Maneuvering thrusters, heat shielding, and an AWV parachute. Each part is 1 Load and can be voluntarily jettisoned at any time. This is in addition to a Vehicle’s normal Load, so every Vehicle will count as a heavier Load rating with the changes to fictional positioning to match. For example most Light Vehicles (normally Load 3) will count as Heavy (Load 6) while equipped with all 3 parts of the Drop Kit, and Medium (Load 5) after 1 or 2 have been jettisoned. The Cargo Shuttles: unarmed, and clumsy the only thing going for them is that they are rugged. The 3 of them could probably get through the debris field on their own, but with the possibility of enemy interference, they absolutely need an escort. Their health should be represented by a 6 tick clock, and with every two ticks filled, one of them is destroyed. 45th Drop Troops: This squad has been tasked with essentially the same role as the pilots, but they are specifically trained and equipped for the mission. They will fight hard to succeed so that they receive the supplies they need to do the job they were trained for. Sliver of Civility Trading Trading Company: This squad has brought their own tricked out smuggler shuttles to get their Faction’s supplies to the ground safely. This is what they do, and they are very good at it. The Debris Field Gap: The debris field that surrounds the “Earth” is a hazard to anything that tries to exist in the same vicinity. The gaps that form aren’t completely empty, but are clear enough for vehicles to pass through at risk. Atmospheric re-entry: Once the Debris Field is cleared, the Squad and Cargo Shuttles will hit atmosphere and begin to heat up. This causes Level 3 Damage “Fried.” The Heat Shielding will negate this when deployed, but armor and resisting can be used as normal. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/13225637

Savvyhawks Final Mission 02/11/2020

Savvyhawks Final Mission It had been months of work in the doing but after utilizing the supplies from raiding the Jovangellian prison complex Savvyhawk manages to complete work on their newly mobile base of operations. By leveraging their favorable relationship with the Technocratic Society for a Better Earth Savvyhawk acquires the nuclear device necessary to fuel the reactor and giant anti-grav engines hum to life as the hidden underground framework of the ruined airway rises from the ground, becoming the sky fortress Blue of Heaven ;) Toccata convinces the crew to bring the fight to the Regent. After the kidnapping, it took very little convincing. Mission Specs Employer: Toccata Leicht-Strejan Target: The Landed Regent Objective(s): Defeat the Landed Regent in a Duel Rules of Engagement: No one kills her but me. Tactic: Social Detail: Invoking Dueling Laws Pilot Loadouts: Zax: Light Toccata: Light Park: Light Notes On the deck of the base Park is approached by Elisha Shade. She expresses her concern that piloting war machines makes both her and Park worse as people. She doesn't want herself or Park to be pilots anymore. She and Tuesday are leaving the squad to go work directly with refugee transport efforts and she asks Park to hang up their flight suit and join her after this mission. Upon hearing of the squad’s intentions, Buster Noble (de facto leader of Technocratic Society for a Better Earth) calls Zax Bliss, telling him to support Savvyhawk on their mission but a) Run if he might die b) Be the one to kill the Regent if the opportunity arises. ZAX; GATHER INFORMATION; CONSORT(6) Buster has a spy in the Jovangellian court, Creciende. In border areas around the TSFBE the Regent is going on a press tour to raise support for the Empire. Zax gets details about her travel plans. Warns that if confronted in a small settlement she may just choose to level the settlement instead of dealing with the consequences. Perhaps a wider audience would alleviate this issue. GROUP ACTION; SWAY(6); Toccata takes 1 Stress The group makes social media posts to get Heather Passerines' attention turned to the event where they will show up to challenge the Regent. ZAX; GATHER INFORMATION; STUDY(6) Zax helps Toccata comb through the dueling codes to find an approach that would allow her to challenge the Regent. There are specific rules for a lower status individual to challenge a higher status. 1) Proof of slight to a family. 2) Proof of unjustly implemented legal punishment. 3) A supporting witness to the challenge. TOCCATA; 2 STRESS FLASHBACK Toccata produces the evidence she gathered about the Regent setting up her family(Gathered from a Long-Term Project several downtimes ago). As well as a secret recording of the Regent gloating about destroying the Leicht-Strejan family at her first meeting with Toccata after Savvyhawk stole the Jovangellian nuke. Engagement Roll: 6 While Vulcan von Strejan, The Landed Regent, holds a rally in a public park, the Blue of Heaven descends from the clouds. Park Tera Neta pilots the Thunderbolt MkV, carrying Toccata in their hand, landing among the scattering crowd. Toccata uses the Thunderbolt’s loudspeakers to address the Regent, invoking the right of the duel. “My name is Toccata Leicht-Strejan, the Duchess of the Stain, and I have come to bring you justice. As the Regent raises her voice to protest, Toccata plays the recording of Vulcan gloating about exterminating the Leicht-Strejan house. Heather Passerines is on the scene, broadcasting the encounter to her entire audience. The Regent has no choice but to accept the trial by combat and allows Toccata to determine whether it will be on foot or in vehicles. “The Persephone has been handed down generation after generation, it is more a part of my family than you are, we will strike you down together.” Toccata sets the scene for a duel between titans. Vulcan declares that the duel will take place that afternoon, in an arena that she will have cleared and prepared. Without answering Toccata pounds her fist on the chest of the Thunderbolt. The maneuvering tines on the mech spring to life and the engines roar as the Park returns them to the sky fortress. As the time arrives, Park enters the arena to scout ahead of the fight. PARK; SURVEY(2); Push with 2 Stress for +1D Checks for traps. Consequence; can try again in Risky Position; chooses to withdraw. Standing alone with her thoughts at the edge of the flight deck, Toccata gets the message from Park that they were not able to properly scout the arena. Toccata says “Well, then. Wish me luck.” She throws off her coat to reveal a tattoo that matches the pomegranate heart of her AWV. Mounting up without her interface suit, Toccata fully engages the Neural Link of the Persephone, the probes pierce her skin to form direct connections. She leaps off the Blue of Heaven in Striker Gear Persephone and lands in the arena to face Vulcan von Strejan, now revealed to be piloting the Striker Gear Demeter. Wasting no time on formalities, Toccata charges the massive mech. Much to her chagrin the newer and more well-maintained Demeter has been loaded with autocombat algorithms. TOCCATA; BATTLE(3); Desperate Great Consequences; Lvl3 Damage (One-Armed); Reduced with with 1 Quirk to Lvl 1 Damage (Scarred) TOCCATA; BATTLE(4); Risky Standard; Park aids with 1 Stress for better position Consequences; Lvl 2 Damage (Bashed); Reduced with 1 Quirk to Lvl 1 (Busted sensors) Two exchanges go by. For the first time since fighting Elreth it is becoming clear that Toccata is outmatched by a machine. Zax Bliss, using his empathic abilities, gives Toccata an outside perspective of the battle and helps to guide her actions.ZAX; SURVEY(5); SETUP ACTION; Risky; Push with 2 Stress for +1D Consequences; Guards are advancing on Zax and Park. 4-Step Clock started and 1 tick filled; Resisted with 2 stress. In a flashback, Park brought in their own boobby trap for the arena. Unfortunately they were not good at hiding it and their placed explosives were discovered by the Regent’s guards. PARK; FLASHBACK 3 STRESS; PLACED EXPLOSIVES; ENGINEER(3) Consequence; Guards Arrive Clock filled 2 ticks Using Zax’s insight Toccata renews her attack against the Demeter. Still, she cannot find purchase with her blade and does only superficial damage. TOCCATA; BATTLE(4); Risky Limited; Consequence; move to desperate position Zax, now more focused than ever, begins to pay close attention to the movements of the Demeter in an attempt to predict its patterns and guide Toccata more effectively. ZAX; STUDY(4); SET UP ACTION; Risky; Push with 2 Stress Consequences; Guards Arrive clock fills. Zax and Park are now hostages. Upon hearing Park and Zax be surrounded, Toccata declares the final point of load on the Persephone to be Anti-Infantry defenses and unleashes a devastating hail of machine gun fire on the Regent’s guards, being guided by Zax. TOCCATA; BATTLE(6); Risky Great; Declares Anti-Infantry Defenses and Attacks Guards; ZAX Assists with 1 Stress for improved position. After dealing with the guards, toccata turns back to the Regent and says “You have no idea how much it pleases me that you were the first one to break the rules, you fucking rat!” She attempts to drive the Demeter through one of the walls of the arena but finds the overwhelming power of the Tier 5 mech to be too much to overcome. The Demeter easily breaks down the Persephone to a knee and Vulcan slams one of it’s knees into the chest of her cousin’s mech. TOCCATA: DESTROY(2); Risky Limited; Consequences: Lvl 2 Damage (Caved Cockpit) A couple guards remain, Park pulls a collapsible sword from their jacket, rushing them. They cut down one with no trouble, but the second gets off a burst of gunfire. Zax Bliss goes against the wishes of Buster Noble and steps between Park and the guard to absord the blow, saving Park. PARK; STRUGGLE(4); Desperate Limited; Pulls a sword to attack the remaining guards Consequence; LVL3 Harm (Riddled); ZAX resists by stepping in with Armor; takes LVL2(Shot!) Park relays that the guards are down and the two of them are safe for the moment. Toccata forces every ounce of power she can out of the Persephone and, shaking, rises back to her feet under the weight of the Demeter. She rams the broken head of her mech directly into the chest of the Demeter, knocking it back and breaking the grapple. TOCCATA; BATTLE(6); Risky Standard; Park Assists with 1 Stress for improved effect. After the beating it has taken, it is almost impossible for the Persephone to have any effect on the Demeter. Park asks if they are still playing by the rules and Toccata says “Fuck no!” Park utilizes their Fine Remote Vehicle Control to call the thunderbolt down from the Blue of Heaven, scooping themself up and ramming into the Demeter with their Beam Lance. The attack has little effect on the heavy AWV, the Beam Lance is left stuck in the enemy machine. PARK; BATTLE(2); Risky Standard; Park Calls the Thunderbolt and Attacks Vulcan, Expending 1 Quirk for improved effect. Consequence; Lvl 2 Damage (Divided); Resisted with 1 Quirk In a truly desperate ploy to finish the fight Toccata ejects the chest armor of the Persephone, allowing her to see directly at the cost of being exposed. She grabs at the chest armor of the Demeter and attempts to wrench it off with her Fine Destruction Tools. Again she finds the pErsephone is unable to match the power of her cousin’s AWV. The PErsephone is thrown back and Vulcan winds up a massive punch to crush Toccata’s exposed body. Park throws the relatively small Thunderbolt between the two massive machines, absorbing the blow to save Toccata. TOCCATA; DESTROY(2); Desperate Limited Consequence: Lvl 4 Harm (Crushed); Park throws themself into the way and resists with 2 Stress, Maxing out their stress track. With a final effort, Park pushes the Thunderbolt’s Powerful Custom Engine and grabs the Beam Lance, pushing it through the body of the Demetr and ripping it out through the cockpit. PARK; DIRE ACTION BATTLE(6); Desperate Limited; Pushes with 1 Quirk for improved effect. The Landed Regent is Dead! Heather Passerines, in the upper reaches of the arena, continues her broadcast as Toccata climbs from the Persephone to the crumpled form of the Demeter. Park shuts down the Thunderbolt and crawls out. They scream at Toccata “ENOUGH! I AM DONE!” They go to collect Zax. As her comrades slink off Toccata stands in the middle of the arena. Victorious, she stares down at the body of her last blood relative. EPILOGUE Zax Bliss decides that being on the frontlines is too dangerous. He moves to a non-combat role with Buster Noble at the Technocratic Society for a Better Earth. Slowly the Technocratic facade falls away from the faction and it becomes clearer that it is a Cryptocracy run by a small group with no intention of giving up power. Park Tera Neta leaves Savvyhawk to find Elisha Shade. Together they leave Earth behind, hoping to find a less violent life off world. Occasionally they return to visit Tuesday Special who stayed behind to continue her work in The Stain. Time passes quickly for Toccata Leicht-Strejan. She is once again the most wanted criminal in all of Jovangellian space. Heather made sure that her face was plastered over the entire planet. In a flash she sees Tuesday Special’s truck gone from the hangar, followed by Zax’s Old Man, the Eternal. Park never came back to the Thunderbolt MkV. A tarp slides over the Thunderbolt and Toccata opens her eye. We see a significantly older woman, her hair cut short, still wearing her long coat and Jovangellian finery, though now it is more patches and stitches than original cloth. An eyepatch sits on the left side of her face, on it a hawk silhouette over a faded blue sun. She stands on the catwalk of the control tower atop the Blue of Heaven, looking down on her new squad. She is alone among them. A Superior, never a friend. All she knows is fight, steal, survive, repeat. Toccata is dead. Only the Duchess of The Stain remains. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/13116167

OPERATION: REJECTING THE REGENT 01/29/2020

OPERATION: REJECTING THE REGENT One of the play groups in the did a mission with extremely interesting results! was one of the players, and with the group's permission, wrote up what happened during the mission to be shared in the discord and here. Enjoy. Savvyhawk Logistics is: Toccata Leicht-Strejan, the Engineer Park Tera Neta, the Ace Neoprene Lark, the Hacker Tuesday Special, Specialist Driver Elisha Shade, Specialist Combat Pilot Oberlain Aclove, Specialist Infiltrator After an extended downtime since the last mission, the Regent’s planted asset in Savvyhawk (Oberlain Aclove, Infiltrator) calls the squad into a meeting. “The Regent has decided that you have dallied long enough. Her patience is exhausted and she wants her nuke back.” (*Note: Several missions ago the Nuclear Device was stolen by Savvyhawk from the Exiled Academy and delivered to the Teachers’ Union. Since then the Landed Regent has had Savvyhawk under her thumb (Instead of being destroyed, as Toccata is her cousin)) The members of the squad immediately make pleas to have more time to prepare. Oberlain shuts the squad down by asking one question. “Have you seen Tuesday?” Park loses their cool and threatens to kill Oberlain where he stands. “Then Tuesday will die, too.” After a scuffle, Toccata breaks the group up and demands Oberlain lay out the details of the job. Mission: The Regent's Request Employer: Landed Regent Target: Teachers’ Union Objective(s): - Steal back the nuke. - Destroy or steal any relevant research data. - Kill or incapacitate researchers who have worked on the project. Rules of Engagement: Let them know who you work for, do damage to vital infrastructure. Tactic: Assault(Brassholes) Detail: Later that night, after Oberlain has skulked away, Park calls a secret meeting. “We’re not doing this, right?” they ask Toccata and Neoprene. <the group has an out of character discussion, including the GM, to discuss options to go forward. None of us are comfortable performing the mission as requested. The GM reminds us that the Teachers’ Union AND their main combat-focused subsidiary the Junkions both have strong positive relationships with Savvyhawk> “We’ll have to get Buster Noble in on this if there’s any chance of it working.” Toccata brings up the leader of the Teachers’ Union research division, and the current steward of the Nuclear Device (and who currently loves Savvyhawk for providing it to her). Neoprene is baffled. “We have a contract with the Empire, why would they resort to threatening us? If they would do this, do you think they are actually testing my algorithm?” (Neoprene is a math-obsessed programmer who has written a perfect logistics algorithm. She was kicked out of Exodus Inc after they determined her useless upon learning that her algorithm requires the dissolution of hierarchical society to achieve efficiency of resource distribution) “Neoprene, there is no contract, they are extorting us, and they’ll do the same to you.” Toccata knows the Regent well. “Yes, they are going to fuck you, Neoprene, they just kidnapped MY MOTHER!” screams Park. After the meeting, Neoprene complies with the others’ request to find information on Tuesday Special’s whereabouts. In a frantic state she begins hacking into Oberlain Aclove’s personal data system via a backdoor she installed when sharing her algorithm with them earlier. Neoprene is concerned that the Jovangellian’s aren’t interested in her algorithm after all. Neoprene; Gather Information; INTERFACE(!CRIT!) - Oberlain secretly has a mech, the Vertical Greatcoat - The Dragon Slayers were involved in taking Tuesday. They are guarding her at a hardened facility. - The Empire has been running tests with Neoprene's algorithm and trying to alter it to Jovangellian means, they have dedicated massive resources and made significant progress toward bending it to their will. - The Landed Regent has personally marked Neoprene as an asset to be acquired. Upon learning that the Empire is dedicating enormous resources to her work, Neoprene decides on the spot to defect and work for them, the opportunity for an endless research budget is too alluring to ignore. <Neoprene and Toccata’s players agree that Toccata will make a Survey roll to see if she notices Neoprene sneaking away. Both players agree that if she is caught, Neoprene will likely not survive the encounter.> Toccata; SURVEY(5) In the dark of night, Toccata is consulting with E.L.C., the AI-driven autodoc, about her abandonment issues and dealing with betrayal from family. She happens to look out the window and see Neoprene in her AWV, the Figurate Practical, slipping out over a back wall of the FOB. Since Toccata keeps E.L.C. in her loft in the hangar, it is easy for her to hop into the Striker Gear Persephone and ask Neoprene over comms what she is doing. <Neoprene’s player suggests that Neoprene does not respond, Toccata’s player suggests they make a Maneuver roll to see if they can get away cleanly from Toccata. Both players agree that a failed roll will mean she is caught immediately, 4-5 means it takes a while and 6 means she escapes clean.> Neoprene; MANEUVER(5) Neoprene does not respond and finally gets her vehicle over the wall and out into darkness. Toccata gives chase in the heavy AWV, bursting through the wall behind Neoprene as she hears the Hacker sending panicked transmissions to Oberlain, revealing that Savvyhawk plans to mount a rescue of Tuesday. The Figurate Practical is wildly maneuverable but the five-limbed Norian mech can’t outrun the Striker Gear’s massive stride. In the wastes of The Junkyard, a part of the Stain where the machines yearn to be rebuilt, Neoprene’s vehicle bursts over a hill of ruined machines and is caught midair by one of the Persephone’s hands. The starfish mech’s tentacles whip and stab at the heavily armored dueling AWV to no avail. Sending a direct transmission back to base, Toccata yells at Park and Elisha “If you want Tuesday to live, we have to go RIGHT NOW!” With the Persephone’s high-torque manipulators and responsive neural link, Toccata easily pierces the Figurate Practical’s cockpit and rips out Neoprene’s comm system and then Neoprene herself. “Where is Tuesday?” “If I tell you, you’ll let me live, right?” “I’m not making a contract with you, Neoprene. Where is Tuesday?” After weighing her options, Neoprene decides that she has nothing to lose at the moment and gives Toccata the information. “Now let me go.” The Striker Gear Persephone reaches into its payload bay and produces a warhead. A thumb arms the trigger. Toccata places the explosive on the ground and gently alights Neoprene with both feet on the trigger, her weight barely enough to hold it down. Leaving her there, she tells the Hacker “You’re a smart girl, you’ll figure this out.” <At this point we take a break to decide what Neoprene’s player is going to do. After some deliberation, it is decided that they will be playing the leader of the Junkions, a tier 2 Squad in league with the Teachers’ Union. Zax Bliss, the Hero/Empath> Zax has reached Savvyhawk after Park contacted the Teachers’ union earlier in the evening. The squad mobilizes with two aerial AWV’s (Park in the Thunderbolt MkV and Elisha Shade in her Dynastinae) and a low-speed cargo plane. As they pass the Junkyard Toccata deploys the Fulton Recovery balloons on the Perpehone and joins the squad as she is grabbed by the plane’s drag hook to take her place behind the plane next to Zax in his balloon-lofted heavy AWV, Old Man, the Eternal. After being brought up to speed, Zax uses his empathic abilities to check on Tuesday. Zax; Gather Info(FAR SIGHT); STUDY(5) “They have Tuesday a back room. The Dragon Slayers are mobilizing forward defenses. They know we are coming.” “Good,” crackles the voice of Park Tera Neta over the radio. !!!NEW MISSION: REJECTING THE REGENT!!! Employer: Our Damn Selves Target: The Landed Regent Objective: RESCUE TUESDAY SPECIAL Rules of Engagement: Avoid damaging civilian infrastructure. Tactic: Assault Detail: Death From Above Pilot Loadouts: Zax: Heavy Toccata: Heavy Park: Heavy ENGAGEMENT ROLL: (5) Risky Position Striker Gear Persephone and Old Man, the Eternal are dragged over the enemy base on their Fulton balloons and Park shoots out the balloons, dropping the two heavy mechs directly onto the enemy. Park and Elisha approach from the air, low and fast. CLOCK: TUESDAY SPECIAL (Tug-of-War) Rescue ----X---- Kill Zax; BATTLE(3); As Zax falls, he draws back his giant hammer to bring it down on Oberlain in the Vertical Greatcoat, which we have spotted in the middle of the facility. He gets caught by a hail of fire from the Dragon Slayers. Consequences: Lvl2 Damage (RIDDLED), Negated by declaring 4 load of armor. Toccata; DESTROY(5); On her way down, toccata lobs another warhead from her payload bay, this one a powerful chaff bomb, to blind the Jovangellian forces. The Dragon Slayers are sent into chaos but Oberlain catches her with the Vertical Greatcoat’s spear. Consequences; Lvl 2 Damage (PIERCED) (lessened to Lvl 1(Bashed) by resisting with Vanguard Armor) Rescue --X------ Kill Toccata; DESTROY(ROADMASTER)(5); Slipping away from Oberlain and using the Chaff as cover, Toccata utilizes the Fine Destruction tools of the Persephone to smash through small buildings and walls to make the area between the captors and the holding facility impassable by land vehicles. Consequence; Lessened Effect, the Dragon Slayers cannot pass but Oberlain makes it through. Rescue ----X---- Kill Park; COMMAND(RED COMET)(5); Framed by a magnificent and overwhelming flash of fireworks, Park Tera Neta screams over the loudspeakers of the Thunderbolt “I am Park tera NEta and you will give back what is mine!” the Dragon Slayers are further dazed and demoralized by the presence of Savvyhawk’s legendary pilot. One of them says “they weren’t supposed to be able to put up a fight.”. Consequences: Oberlain jumps toward where Tuesday is held, Resisted by Zax tackling the Greatcoat and using Old Man, the Eternal’s Overwhelming Strength and Sturdy Frame quirks. Rescue --X------ Kill Toccata; BATTLE(5); A giant hand rises from the smoke cloud and the Persephone’s Fine Beam Cutlass blazes to life. Toccata points it toward Oberlain and Elisha takes the signal to begin her assault. The darting flight of the Dynastinae catches Oberlain off guard and Toccata is able to get in a strong slash up the body of the Vertical Greatcoat. Consequences: Elisha Takes 1 Damage and Oberlain attempts to launch himself toward Tuesday’s cell once again(Toccata resists with Striker Gear Persephone’s High-Torque Manipulators quirk) Seeing Elisha take a hit from Oberlain and the Vertical Greatcoat barely being held back by the Persephone Park, for the first time ever, deploys their Fine Machine gun as a vulcan cannon folds out of the Thunderbolt’s forearm. Park; BATTLE(5); Toccata spends three stress to assist park’s attack by keeping Oberlain’s focus. The machine gun rips through the VErtical Greatcoat’s armor with little trouble, however Park is overly focused on Oberlain and takes fire fro the reorganizing Dragon Slayers. Consequence: Lvl 1 Damage (Pincushioned) “Don’t Worry, Park, I’ve got this!” hollers Zax over the comms as he draws back his hammer to smash the side of the building where Tuesday is held. Park, in a brief moment of clarity, throws their Beam Lance to Zax and spends 1 stress to assist. “Oh, I got it, go surgical!” exclaims the enthusiastic Zax. Zax; DESTROY(3); .Zax spends a bit too much time attempting to be surgical and takes heavy fire from the Dragon Slayers. Consequences: LVL2 Damage (Riddled) Toccata; Battle(2); Toccata renews her efforts to take down Oberlain but the Greatcoat is too nimble to catch with her blade. Consequence; Oberlain escapes toward Tuesday yet again, in a lunge that might destroy the building entirely. (Toccata resists with PErsephone’s Hard Charging quirk to tackle the Vertical greatcoat before it reaches the building.) Zax; Prowl (!CRIT!); Rescue X-------- Kill Giving up on cracking the building, Zax jumps out of Old Man, the Eternal and dashes into the building. He knows exactly how to get to the holding cell. His esper senses alert him before he runs into waiting guards and trapped hallways. He quickly guides Tuesday Special, who has already freed herself from her bonds back to his vehicle, loads her up, and sprints both of them out of combat. Park; BATTLE (5); Park unloads a barrage from their Fine Machine Gun into the Dragon Slayers, killing some of them and finally breaking the resolve of the rest. They make a hasty retreat. Consequence: Elisha Takes another hit from Oberlain, she is now Broken Park; BATTLE(5); Turning and seeing the woman that they are Obsessed with taking a near fatal blow from Oberlain, Park ignites their boosters at full burn, expending the Thunderbolt’s Powerful Custom Engine quirk. Toccata spends three stress to assist, grappling the Vertical Greatcoat into a full nelson. The fist of the Thunderbolt is buried in the cockpit of the Vertical Greatcoat. The spear of the Vertical Greatcoat is buried in the cockpit of the Thunderbolt. The camera cuts to an interior shot of Park Tera Neta breathing heavily, blood running down their cheek from the AWV’s blade, which missed their head by millimeters Oberlain Aclove, the Regent’s Will, is dead.. Consequences: To Be Determined... /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/12925646

Operation DEICIDE 01/08/2020

Operation DEICIDE One of the play groups in the did a mission against Lady Elreth. was one of the players, and with the group's permission, wrote up what happened during the mission to be shared in the discord and here. Enjoy. Mission Specs Employer: Jovangellian Empire(The Landed Regent) Target: Lady Elreth Objective(s): Plant a Jovangellian flag on her corpse. Rules of Engagement: Leave no witnesses alive. Bonus to Engagement Roll if we plan to kill her in her mech. Tactic: Scientific Detail: Animating her own trophies to fight against her in her nest. Pilot Loadouts: Neoprene: Heavy Toccata: Heavy Park: Medium Notes Region Rule: Elreth's Nest: -1d to Resolve resist rolls due to the overwhelming presence of death brought on by the many ruined AWVs. Gather Information: Neoprene (3); Limited Information about Elreth's travel patterns. Elreth is very difficult to track, shows up randomly at battles and leaves, never in the same direction. Evidence indicates that she might never leave her vehicle under normal circumstances. A good place to find her might be her Nest, where she keeps her trophies. Toccata (5); Standard information, asking Peaches, a corrupt Norian officer about Elreth's support staff. They say that Elreth does not have support staff, she just occassionally refuels and restocks her mech. the only associate they know of is that Elreth picked up a war orphan and raised her (Elisha Shade, Park's Rival), their relationship is strained but they remain close. Park (5); Standard information about the current disposition of The Sword Wings. The Sword Wings are currently working on driving the Jovangellians off the planet. We approach the mission by ambushing Elreth in her "nest," a scrapyard/trophy field where she brings the remnants of the vehicles of defeated foes that she deemed worthy of remembrance. Engagement Roll: 6 Starfall: Airborne on 4 massive sprawling wings. 2 Large fanlike horns with blades extend from the head. The body of the mech seems to be lined with guns. As Starfall approaches, the horde of AWV's being remotely manipulated by Neoprene (the Hacker, with In the Machine) begin attacking one after another, Elreth is vulnerable. Neoprene Data Bombs Starfall to slow Elreth, granting better effect to following rolls. Consequences: Lvl1 Damage: Resisted with Armor Park (the Ace) attacks (Improved Vehicle Weapons Squad Upgrade), driving their beam lance into a crack between carapace plates on the Starfall's back. Consequence: Elreth identifies threats, Moving us to Desperate Position Neoprene hacks Elreth's sensors to fuzzify them. Toccata (the Engineer with Robot Fighter) attacks with her Fine Beam Cutlass! Damaging one of Starfall's Wings and releasing a cascade of plasma. Consequences; lvl 2 Dmg (Fried); Resisted with 1 Quirk Park; FLASHBACK 1 Stress; has placed explosives on a decoy mech, using them to perform a setup action by distracting/blinding Elreth. As the explosion goes off, Park receives a transmission from Starfall. ELISHA SHADE is onboard! She tells park "Do not throw your life away! You are a great fighter, but not great enough for this!" As a rival, Elisha inflicts consequences. Park resists the lvl 2 Harm (Faltering) with Resolve, takes 5 stress, maxing out their stress track. In an act of defiance, Park takes a DIRE ACTION, charging rocketing toward the Starfall at full burn, seeking to impale its sensor suite with their lance. Toccata had just finished Enhancing the thunderbolt, park's AWV last downtime and tells Park to "Push the Red Button." Park expends the new mystery quirk to and a Jovangellian dueling cloak cascades out from the left shoulder of the Thunderbolt. BATTLE! 6! Elreth's sensors are now badly damaged. Park pushes the brief advantage, taking another DIRE ACTION. Toccata Assists, fending off the attacks from Elreth's blades as Park repeatedly attacks Starfall with the beam lance. BATTLE! (!CRIT!) Park Heals 1 Stress, is no longer making Dire Actions Neoprene; INTERFACE (6); In The Machine; use zombie AWVs to dogpile Starfall all at once. Elreth is pulled from the air by a swarm of her trophies reaching out from their grave. As Starfall comes to rest on the ground, disabled, for now, Elreth addresses the squad, "If you want to kill me you will have to do it in person. Access hatches open on the abdomen of the gigantic vehicle. Toccata leads the squad into the labyrinth that is the internal hallways of Starfall. Current Squad Stress: Toccata: XXXXXXXX- Park: XXXXXXXX- Neopren: XXXXXXX-- Neoprene; INTERFACE (5); Fine Retrival Program; Locate the cockpit. Consequences: Elisha Shade is inside the Starfall with Elreth and is armed. Toccata, the Jovangellian noble, raised in a boarding school for Imperial duelists declares a Bandoleer for 1 load and tosses a Flashbang into cockpit. After storming the bridge, Toccata pulls her dart gun, Toccata and Park both spend 1 Drive Clock to remove Elisha shade as a Rival, and then tranquilizes Elisha, removing her safely from the combat. Toccata; STRUGGLE (4); She then also shoots Elreth with tranq gun. Consequences; Move to Risky Position Toccata; STRUGGLE (5); Toccata draws her dueling saber and attacks Elreth. She lands a glancing blow but Elreth clearly has her outclassed and playfully tosses Toccata to the ground. Consequences; Lvl 2 harm (Outmatched); Toccata heals 2 stress (Cool Under Pressure) Toccata immediately spends those 2 Stress to give Neoprene +1d and +Effect; Neoprene declares a shotgun and charges Elreth but rolls a 2. She resists the consequnces by declaring armor. Consequence: lvl 2 Harm (broken ribs), Reduced with Armor Toccata pulls a capsul from her bandoleer and flicks it at Elreth, it is expanding restraint foam, unfortunately she rolls a 3 and Neoprene suffers the consequence lvl 2 Harm (Stuck), which she reduces with armor once again. Park, in a fit of desperation, begins yelling at Elreth about the Evils of Nor, successfully distracting her for a split second SWAY (5) as Elreth throws one of her weapons at Park, inflicting lvl 2 Harm (Concussed) Park declares armor to reduce the harm. (edited) Toccata, regaining her footing, takes advantage of the distraction, attacking Elreth once again with her dueling saber. STRUGGLE (6). Elreth deflects the blow but Toccata steps past her and reverses her blade, driving it home and delivering the killing stroke. As Park gather Elisha's unconscious body and prepares her for transport, Toccata pulls the Jovangellian flag from her pack, uses it to wipe the blood from her blade, drops it on the corpse and sheathes her weapon. Operation Name: DEICIDE. Mission Complete. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/12668009

The Cenotaph Part 10 - Grinding Away The Foundation 11/26/2019

Mission Report 16 - Champagne Wishes, Caviar Nightmares 11/14/2019

Mission Report 16 - Champagne Wishes, Caviar Nightmares This Mission Report is provided by , a member of the Beam Saber community and discord server! Briefing: Exodus Republic Incorporated’s frenzy for all things authentically Earthling Animalia is continuing unabated and the great chain of subcontracts has produced a new job from on high: Sliver of Civility Trading Co. has lucked into ‘acquiring’ a shipment of eggs from some deep sea lifeform bound for a Norrish wildlife preserve at Vigor Port which they’re certain will make for great caviar to sell to the idle rich of the core worlds. The problem is the theft has infuriated the Nor and The Sword Wing have been dispatched to hunt down the smugglers’ ship and reclaim the precious cargo, catching up with them northwest of Point View and forcing Sliver of Civility to contact you for help. Either save the crew or take the cargo into more capable hands, as long as it makes it to the company’s base they’ll call it a win. Employer: Sliver of Civility Trading Co. (Tier I-S, Corporatocracy) Target: The Sword Wing (Tier II-S, Oligarchy) Objective: Ensure delivery of Sliver of Civility’s Caviar to their secret base near Yrvan, Secondary: Save the crew of the company’s ship. ROE: No harm is to come to the product, no openly firing on the crewmen (bad for recruitment), no approaching the base with enemy combatants within sensor range, Path Cascade is to be shot on sight. Complication: The Sword Wing forces consist of a squadron of five Nebula Neon pursuit craft equipped with mobility suites and directed energy weapons. The Sword Wing are actually running recon/interference for a team of Discreet Resolutions (Tier II-W, Oligarchy) operatives to board the ship via a helicopter and neutralize the SoC crew to secure the eggs. If the DR operatives succeed in killing the crew but are stopped from getting the eggs, a squad member will need to either declare cargo space in their vehicle or take control of the ship itself using the Temporary Vehicle rules. The ship has a six step durability clock which will result in the destruction of the ship when filled. Among the SoC crew is a Celestial Myriad scientist by the name of Sister Chigusa who drew their attention to the shipment, claiming they were eggs belonging to a ‘Demon of the Deep’ that the Followers of Saint Atrose have sought to render extinct for some time due to its resemblance to a monster of their scriptures. She’s been warning the crew for some time now that taking the cargo over sea has allowed the creature to follow them in order to reclaim its young but her warnings have gone unheeded. The creature, a bioluminescent beast resembling a mix between an angler fish and a squid is twice as large as two Heavy load mechs and is an apex predator in the water. It will attempt to use its tentacles to drag the ship down below the ocean and will attack any AWV that interferes. The Nor will immediately begin making overtures to take the eggs and guide the creature away from the ship to spare the crew and squad. If questioned they will claim they were luring the creature to Vigor Port in order to keep it from being wiped out by the Followers. Chigusa will counter the creature being in captivity would give Norrish researchers no shortage of biological samples to experiment on and they are not to be trusted. The creature can be placated at any time by dumping its eggs in the ocean but this will incur status penalties with all squads involved. If the creature is defeated in battle, the SoC crew will try and tow it behind their ship to be butchered into another delicacy for the ExInc upper echelons, slowing the ship and necessitating combat with the Sword Wing if they have not already been dealt with. The eggs, kept in tanks on the ship, have been accidentally made warm enough to simulate their natural incubation environment and several have hatched into a larval state that will seek to break free from the tanks and escape into the ocean. One larvae is easily dispatched but in groups they can overwhelm an adult human rather easily and Sister Chigusa will attempt to kill them by herself if left unattended. How killing larvae affects the ROE is up to GM discretion. The DFS’ 42nd Naval Group have found themselves incapable of catching all instances of smuggling and piracy in their waters so they’ve set up an aquatic minefield in suspected smuggling lanes that the SoC ship’s crew is unaware of. Having the ship go around the field will lengthen the trip and give the Nor forces more time to complete their operations if they haven’t already been dealt with. Getting past the mines is an eight step clock, track the ship’s durability with the same six step clock you would use for the Squad piloting it as a Temporary Vehicle. Characters: Strega August, Sliver of Civility representative, He/Him, late 30’s, Eastern European features, red ponytail with pink streaks, immaculate SoC company coveralls. Cousins with the captain of the SoC ship, but is clearly more interested in the profits from the eggs. Captain Zen Benediction, Captain of the SoC smuggling vessel, She/Her, early 50’s, African features, short cut black hair, slightly disheveled SoC Captain’s uniform. Extremely tired and on edge from dealing with the Sword Wing’s pursuit and Sister Chigusa’s badgering. Sister Chigusa, Myriad scientist in service to the Followers of Saint Atrose, She/Her, mid 20’s, South Asian features, silver shoulder length bob haircut, dark blue myriad robes covered in St. Atrose iconography. Sees the SoC’s smuggling of eggs as a means to an end as the Followers have been attempting to hunt the species to extinction for their resemblance to a mythological monster. She’s on the ship to ensure the Followers’ get their PR win by ensuring the species’ extinction. Soldier-Class Citizen Ares “Hornet” Chains, Sword Wing Squadron Leader, They/Them, mid 30’s, African features, bronze-colored military haircut, Norrish Soldier-Class jumpsuit. Seeks the recognition retrieving the eggs for the preserve will grant him. Specialist Relanan Riccaboni, Discreet Resolutions team lead, She/Her, early 30’s, olive skin, curly brown hair, jet black stealth suit. Mercenary from outside Norrish space, has a reciprocated low opinion of Ares. Challenges: The Sword Wing squadron assaulting the ship with their four aerial AWV’s. Discreet Resolutions team performing a covert sweep and clear of the ship. The Sea Creature attacking to reclaim its eggs. Eggs hatching and larvae attempting to escape into the sea. The DFS aquatic minefield slowing or possibly destroying the ship. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/12043529

The Cenotaph Part 09 - Radically Resisting Gentrification 11/06/2019

Mission Report 15 - My Little (Trojan) Pony 10/30/2019

Mission Report 15 - My Little (Trojan) Pony This Mission Report is provided by , a member of the Beam Saber community and discord server! Briefing: A new trend is spreading across the Exodus Republics Incorporated core worlds, an interest in authentic Earth wildlife! The demand for exotic fauna in leisure parks across ExInc space has lead Trans-Horizons Incorporated to contract Takuma Transportation Solutions with the collection of any old animal they can get their hands on. TTS have subcontracted you to lead a herd of ‘Unicorns’ to a specially made corral for processing, auction, and eventual transportation to a private ExInc Zoo. The catch? Those Unicorns are good eating and a squad of Raccoons is after them. Take them out and don’t damage the product. Employer: Takuma Transportation Solutions [Tier III-W, Corporatocracy] Target: The Raccoons [Tier I-S, Autocracy] Objective: Get the ‘Unicorns’ to the designated corral site. Secondary: Bonus pay if you get them all there with no casualties. ROE: Don’t shoot the product, do NOT let anyone else in on our new cash cow, Path Cascade is to be shot on sight (Trans-Horizons Inc. Company Policy) Complication: The Raccoons are on site already with four ‘Gibbon’ Variants of the common Ape Light AWV Frame, sacrificing armor in favor of a wheeled mobility suite. An Elephant hauler is en route to take Unicorns loaded into cages back to an outpost for later transport to Fort Jovanol to be processed into rations. The Unicorns themselves are horse-sized pseudo-sheep with a single curved horn sprouting from their heads, the males, of which this herd has five (one adult, four juveniles), are extremely aggressive when it comes to protecting the herd. The rest, consisting of six females and four lambs, will attempt to flee to protect the lambs when given an opportunity, potentially falling off a nearby cliff onto the plains below. Unbeknownst to all involved, The Great Crimson Brigade [Tier IV-S, Independent] are engaged in a running battle with the Dragon Slayers [Tier III-S, Autocracy] which will take both directly over the skirmish between the squad and Raccoons. The Raccoons will immediately begin begging the Slayers to reinforce their position in exchange for fire support with the Brigade. Aiding the Crimson Brigade will ingratiate the squad to them, though fully crushing the Slayers and Raccoons will cause them to ask questions about what the Unicorns are being used for and it’ll take diplomacy for them not to claim the animals for their own purposes. The Slayer unit consists of one Wyrm heavy assault flight AWV which will preoccupy itself with the Mobile Fortress’ defenses unless provoked, two Drake light escort AWVs, and three Wyvern medium assault AWVs lead by Duchess Cecilia “Hurricane” Eager’s custom model. All of them have mobility suites with the Drakes using machine guns, the Wyrm coming equipped with a heavy cannon and armor, and the Wyverns boasting melee and energy weapons. The Brigade’s forces consist of the Fortress itself equipped with its point defense and main cannons along with an assemblage of AWVs salvaged and stolen from all around Izya, most prominent of which is the prototype Izya Military “Tengu” AWV piloted by the Brigade’s Ace “Fuego” Flamenco. Feel free to use example AWVs from the book or invent your own. Upon nearing proximity to the Raccoons and herd, the squad’s proxies will alert them to their emails being spammed with emergency SOS messages from a proxy belonging to Theodosia “Theo” Dusker, a reporter for The Quill [Tier II-S, Democracy]. Ms. Dusker is begging for help and is willing to pay for a rescue. The Raccoons are convinced that Dusker is a spy for the DFS, she contends she was simply following up on a wildlife survey about native wildlife becoming endangered for mysterious reasons. Upon the Raccoons being defeated or Dusker being rescued she’ll reveal that she was telling the truth and is extremely keen to know what the Squad is going to do with the Unicorns. If left behind she will attempt to use any non-destroyed vehicle to tail the party back to the meeting spot with TSS. If the party attempts to ignore the SOS, the proxy will try to ping their locations to the Raccoons in a bid to have them focus on the bigger threat so Dusker can escape. If pressed, the TSS representative will reveal that animals going endangered thanks to both the war and factions’ actions is part of what’s making them so valuable back home: Scarcity creates rarity which creates profit. A storm in the area could reach the operational area, which the Raccoons are desperately attempting to avoid. Once the storm hits the reason for this is clear as lightning strikes one of the Unicorn’s horns and is promptly redirected into hitting one of the Gibbons. The players now have to deal with with flashy natural defense mechanism. Characters: Kiri Izula, Takuma Sub-Contracting Liaison, She/Her, Late 30’s, Dark Blue Bunned Hair, Business Suit in TTS Company Colors. She wants the profits from completing this animal capture job and doesn’t care how the squad gets it done. Sgt. Cooper “Barracuda” Mahal, Raccoon Squad Leader, He/Him, Early 30’s, messy beard and bald head covered with a bandanna, disheveled military uniform. Casual but cruel in his desire to butcher the Unicorns. Pilot Kila “Fuego” Flamenco, Crimson Brigade AWV Ace, They/Them, Mid-20’s, Latinx features, spiky green hair, red environmental suit, hot blooded and energetic. Pilots the salvaged Izyan Prototype “Tengu” Military AWV known as “Wildfire”. Is engaged in a duel with Duchess Eager when the two squads intrude on the mission. Duchess Cecilia “Hurricane” Eager, Dragon Slayers AWV Ace, She/Her, Mid-20’s, masked face, long curly red hair, opulent purple dress uniform, pompous and haughty. Pilots a custom purple and gold “Wyvern” Pursuit AWV. Is engaged in a duel with her rival Fuego when the two squads intrude. Captain Brutus Jones, Leader of the Brigade, an Ex-Izyan Armed Forces Commander, He/Him, Late 50’s, salt and pepper buzzcut, black skin, old IAF Officer’s Uniform. Curt and pragmatic, will offer an alliance with the squad so long as the Slayers and Raccoons are a threat. Theodosia “Theo” Dusker, Reporter for the Quill, She/Her, early 30’s, auburn ponytail, casual wear. Clever and wry, she’s willing to ask the squad for help rescuing her but will try to blow the whistle if she can tail the squad to their rendezvous. Challenges: The four-AWV Gibbon squad and their Elephant backup. Aggressive and timid members of the herd. The Dragon Slayers and Brigade battling overhead. The Slayers joining the Raccoons Possibility of the Brigade taking the Unicorns. The Raccoons holding the Quill Reporter hostage. The Quill reporter attempting to blow the whistle on ExInc shipping away the Unicorns. The Unicorns’ natural defenses activated by the storm. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/11847491

The Cenotaph Part 08 - Lady Elreth & The Dragon 10/27/2019

Mission Report 14 - A Simple Milk Run 08/28/2019

Mission Report 14 - A Simple Milk Run This mission was designed specifically to be run as a one shot at conventions. It's expected that the players' squad will use the Mechanized Cavalry playbook, but if not, just remove corporal Tuesday as a character or put her in charge of the Raccoon jeeps. BRIEFING: The Hatchetmen [Tier 1] (Adamant Council of Nor) are transporting a secretive package over land routes. Capture it, don't let it fall into enemy hands. There's a light escort (2 light AWVs; machine gun, light armor, wheeled), the faction is relying on secrecy to protect the package. The package is in a roundish 6 wheeled APC (SAW, armor, wheeled). EMPLOYER: 99th Intelligence Corps [Tier 1] (Democratic Federated Systems) TARGET: The Hatchetmen [Tier 1] (Adamant Council of Nor) OBJECTIVE: Retrieve the package. SECONDARY: Ensure the package is undamaged. ROE: Threatening, or employing force against civilians. Firing upon or presenting as a clearly marked medical transport or facility. COMPLICATION: The Raccoons [Tier 1] (Jovangellian Empire) are also trying to steal the package. Attacking with Jeeps (missiles OR heavy machine guns, mobility suite), and a custom wolf AWV (armor, industrial clamp, cannon, 4 chainsaw spider limbs mounted on back). The package is fragile (6-tick clock). The package is a group of 6 scientists and engineers. CHARACTERS: Dr. Kiku Thirty-three, Lead Engineer, They/them. White, Early 50s, soft build, grey hair in a bun, wearing a black & gold track suit. They want their team to remain unharmed, and treated with dignity. Zahra “Huntsman” Gary, Racoon Ace, She/her. Mid 20s, East Asian, bleach blond trihawk hair, sharp featured face, muscled short build. Wears an AR PDC band shirt, with the sleeves torn off, jeans, and platform combat boots (with a knife). She wants to grab the package, or destroy it. Squire Thrumming “Lucky Corpse” Ali, Hachetmen squire, He/him. Early 40s, short salt and pepper hair, creased copper skin, lanky build. Urban camo outfit, kevlar vest, combat helmet, sidearm. He wants to get the package to Might. Cpl. Tea “Too Hot” Tuesday, She/her, Rover fireteam corporal. Early thirties, dark brown skin, birght red curly hair, wide nose, stocky build. Wears a flight suit with the upper half tied around her waist, and a tank top underneath. Has aviator shades on her head that she never actually wears. She wants to get paid by following orders. CHALLENGES: The convoy's escort AWVs The package is reluctant to leave the APC and/or come with the Squad. The driver and gunner of the APC will attack pilots that come inside. The package is easily damaged. The Raccoons can attack at any moment, whenever things need to get more complicated. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10989332

Mission Report 13 - The Thin Blue Line (Of Code) 08/14/2019

Mission Report 13 - The Thin Blue Line (Of Code) This Mission Report is provided by , a member of the Beam Saber community and discord server! Briefing: Everyone’s favorite fascists, the Hammers, have recently completed a recruitment drive in Might and are receiving supplies to properly train their aspiring goon squad. Chief among them are state of the art AR Modules loaded inside helmets that supply chemical injections to the brain at the instructors’ discretion. Wholesome. Sciolist and her virtual associates don’t quite cotton to that idea and want you to hit the convoy en route from The Tower and either destroy the helmets (good) or transmit a specially crafted virus into the helmets (better). Employer: Sciolist (Tier I S, Independent) Target: The Hammers (Tier III S, Oligarchy) Objective: Destroy or Subvert the Hammer training helmets. ROE: No Non-Cop Casualties. Don’t Take Any Helmets For Yourself. Don’t Snitch On Scio! Complications: The Hammers are receiving help from a group of Squaddies trying to get in Nor’s good books. A Burden cell wish to steal the helmets to be reprogrammed for ‘interrogation’ purposes. The Hammers have four ‘Pulsar Platinum’ Escort mechs with the delivery truck and a LOT more waiting should it pass into the Autonomous Region. Characters: Zap! (They/Them) - A proxy affiliated with Sciolist, looks like a chibified lightning bolt, insists the ! means you should say their name with enthusiasm. Vassal-Aspirant Targos Ribas (He/Him) - Jack Bauer-looking monster of a man, the current poster child of the council’s efforts to ‘Educate’ Izyans on the Norrish way of life. In other words an amoral bastard and career cop, in charge of the convoy, piloting custom Pulsar Platinum ‘Adamant Justice’. Jimmy ‘Jock’ Philotes (He/Him) - Skinny, shifty, and crooked as they come. Working with the Nor in exchange for favor in the ongoing turf wars with the Rubble Runts and Burden, but despises Ribas due to pre-War rivalry. Can be bribed to ‘chase a target of opportunity’ away from the convoy with his cronies in exchange for securing something valuable (supply points, a favor, securing Adamant Justice for his own use). Jenassa Cirrus (She/Her) - Scarred, tan woman with short green hair. Leader of the Burden Cell attempting to steal and reprogram the helmets to use as ‘interrogation tools’ against offworlders. Can be convinced to go along with the virus plan but will be enraged if any other plan occurs afterwards. Challenges: Three of the four Pulsar Platinums are designed for running battles making it imperative the team either be likewise fast or find a way to blockade their routes (of which they will have several). Pulsars are light mechs and come equipped with mobility suites and machine guns, relying on speed and maneuverability to avoid enemy fire. The Adamant Justice is the exception to this, being a medium version of the frame armed with a forearm-mounted ‘Cockpit Piercer’ in lieu of the machine gun and heavier armor. The Delivery Truck is armored and outfitted with internal electronic warfare systems that will make seeding the virus into the helmets difficult without staying near it (how near is GM’s discretion). The Truck is likewise outfitted with a front-facing plow that can ram into obstacles (barricades, mechs, and pilots most pertinently) and 2 anti-personnel machine gun turrets. Jock’s unit consists of five unarmored goons plus himself in two hovering patrol cars jury rigged into armor-plated technicals intended to serve as forward scouts for the convoy. The armor means they can take more hits but it reduces their speed making them easier to hit, making them less of a threat to mechs and more to the Burden forces and any pilots not in their mechs. The Burden cell has set up an ambush plan involving stolen garbage trucks, one to block the street the Delivery Truck is driving down and another to ram into it from a side street. They intend to use anti-AWV infantry weapons from elevated positions on the buildings on either side of the street to deal with the Pulsars. They have a modified Agrarian armed with missiles and a heavy cannon as a trump card hidden away to hit the convoy from behind. Jenassa Cirrus will inherently distrust any squad not made up entirely of Izyans that approaches her with the plan. Likewise she’ll immediately turn against any squad that previously allied with her if she believes they’re veering off the plan. Zap! is relaying everything they see back to Sciolist and will gently nudge the squad towards what they (Sciolist) wants to happen. If the squad risks letting slip that Sciolist is involved in the mission, Zap! will begin attempting to sneak their way into the squad’s systems to acquire blackmail material for Sciolist to make crossing them a mutually assured destruction scenario. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10815518

Mission Report 12 - The Battle For The Sovereignty Engine 08/07/2019

Mission Report 12 - The Battle For The Sovereignty Engine BRIEFING: The Jovangellians have rapidly redeployed forces to occupy Journey City. With the intel that you've retrieved from the Twinler & Red HQ, we believe that somehow the Jovangellians know the primary control room is in The Tower at the center of Journey City. We've called in some favors and so you'll have support form the Paladins of St Nqabutho, the Dark Room, and Lady Elreth herself. EMPLOYER: Breath of The Faith TARGET: Shade Spear (Tier 3S) OBJECTIVE: Stop the Jovangellians from getting control of the Sovereignty Engine. ROE: None. We cannot allow the Sovereignty Engine to fall into Jovangellian control. COMPLICATION: Jason Bassel, Harlan Smythe, and Alice Foundation are all here. Jason with the Hyenas and Alice with the Heard are outside in AWVs. Harlan is inside with Shadespear. The Tower Defenders will try to keep anyone else out of the Tower (they don't know that Shadespear are already inside). Lady Elreth is ONLY interested in fighting strong opponents, which could become the Squad if they prove their skill. Pars Piani has orders to figure out what the Jovangellians and Myriad know that the DFS doesn't, and will act in the DFS' best interests. CHARACTERS: Harlan Smythe, he/him. Chris Pine lookin’ motherfucker. Hacker who knows who Scarecrow is, has her proxy under his control, wonders why the Empire allows her to operate. Clarissa, Scarecrow's proxy from her previous life, she/her. Issance Yovanai, co/cor. Leader of the spec-ops team (Shade Spear) that has infiltrated the HQ. Alice Foundation: Agent of The Heard. Pilots the Savannah Sovereign, a Lion custom. Tower’s ex and Rival. Jason Bassel: he/him. Shitty Matt Damon. Wears tank top over kevlar with jeans and cowboy boots, and a pleather duster. Vapes weed flavoured juice. Pars Piani, she, late 30s, white, lithe build, black pompadour, hard face. Member of the Dark Room. Lady Elreth: she/her, mid 30s, black, single braid black hair, strong bodied, soft face. CHALLENGES: The Raccoons (Tier 1S), The Hyenas (Tier 1S), The Heard (Tier 3W), and The Wolf Pack (Tier 2S) are all around The Tower in their AWVs. Shade Spear (Tier 3W) have fortified the routes to the SE control room. Harlan Smythe has Claire in the Tower’s systems but the Sovereignty Engine controls are (intentionally) too primitive for her. Lady Elreth is interested in the strongest fighter on the field, which COULD mean the PCs. Pars Piani will take control of the SE control room if given the option. Shade Spear might use the SE if they get desperate enough. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10599497

Mission Report 11: The Mystery Of The Sovereignty Engine 07/31/2019

Mission Report 11: The Mystery Of The Sovereignty Engine This Mission Report comes from the Cenotaph stream campaign. BRIEFING: Find out what is in the Twinler & Red HQ that would make the Saints go through the trouble of occupying it, by taking a contract from the Saints to make the facility safe. EMPLOYER: The Breath of Faith (tier 3W; Church TARGET: The March of Saints (tier 5S; Theocracy) OBJECTIVE: Gather actionable intel on the Saints intentions by answering 3 questions: what does the Sovereignty Engine do? Where is the SE located? How is the SE controlled? SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: make the HQ safe for workers; provides additional supply roll if the primary objective remains hidden. ROE: no structural damage, no harm to Saints personnel, no revealing the true purpose of the mission. COMPLICATIONS: There are hazardous materials spilled, aerosolized flammables that will burn/explode if exposed to a spark (such as from a broken light/holo projector, or firearm). There are active security measures in the forms of two types of drones (flying melee drones, and heavy combat drones). There are escaped experiments (nano maintained “zombies” in the form of facility personnel and a single Izyan dragon). Harlan Smythe with a Jovangellian spec-ops team are here investigating the same questions. The answers to the 3 questions about the SE are on separate levels in appropriate departments. The prototype/secondary control room (can issue commands but not override the primary controls) for the SE is in the bottom level attached to the PALAI server banks room for testing purposes. The heavy duty server towers in the bottom level can be moved with great speed and force by PALAI or Clarissa. CHARACTERS: Harlan Smythe, he/him. Jovangellian hacker who knows who one of the Pilots is, has an earlier copy of their proxy under his control, wonders why the Empire allows them to operate. Lithe build, blue eyes, white skin, short dirty blond hair, stubble over sharp features. Clarissa, the Pilot's proxy from their previous life, she/her. Looks like the Pilot but 5-10 years younger. Loves Harlan. Issance Yovanai, co/cor. Leader of the Jovangellian spec-ops team (Shade Spear Tier 3W) that has infiltrated the HQ. Green eyes, reddish brown skin, bald, muscular, scarred features. Is solely interested in answering the 3 questions and will avoid combat when possible, even willing to make a truce if necessary. Once co has the answers to the questions, co will immediately move to secure the primary control room. Priorities, Administration, Logistics AI. Handles the automated systems in the HQ. Is overly friendly regardless of its actions. CHALLENGES: There are 5 levels to get through: administration, storage (haz mats), manufacturing (drones), R&D (zombies), support systems (HQ AI). Hazardous materials: aerosolized flammables that will burn/explode if exposed to a spark (such as from a broken light/holo projector, or firearm) Active defences (PALAI has full control of the facility's manufacturing systems and can quickly produce drones) Escaped experiments (nanobot controlled corpses in the form of facility personnel and a single Izyan dragon) The server towers being used as crushing devices. Jovangellian Shade Spear team Smythe and Clarissa hacking the AR, the facility, and the Squad's vehicles. If the Squad gains control of the secondary control room, what will they do with the SE? /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10599251

Mission Report 10: Saving The Rubble Runts 07/24/2019

Mission Report 10: Saving The Rubble Runts This Mission Report comes from the Cenotaph stream campaign. BRIEFING:Layla Quince wants your help reuniting the scattered Rubble Runts. She’s been in contact with one of her lieutenants who has hidden in Kingstown (a poor neighbourhood in Journey City). The lieutenant has gotten word out to the remaining Runts that Layla is coming to get them, and has gathered them all at the safe house. Problem is that he doesn't have secure comms and if he says where he is, the Burden will know as well. He's already said he's in Kingstown, so the clock is ticking. EMPLOYER: The Rubble Runts (tier 1S; Independent) TARGET: The Burden (tier 2S; independent) OBJECTIVE: Get the RR out of Kingstown. ROE: no harming/threatening civilians. No posing as/attacking medical units. COMPLICATION: The March of Saints (tier 5S; Theocracy) will show up to provide “protection” to the locals if things get loud because they want them for labour. The locals might come down on either side of the conflict. It’s hard to tell the difference between The Burden and locals. The Burden will target Rubble Runts. The RR don't have a vehicle large enough to move everyone. CHARACTERS: Joe Jerry Berry, Rubble Runts lieutenant. He/him, late teens, wears half frame glasses, dark skin, wide features, short kinky hair, lean build, wears jeans and an urban camo t-shirt. Hannah Copeland, Burden cell leader. Lithe build, late 30s, pale brown skin, curly purple hair. Knew one of the Pilots when they were a kid. She/her. Sibling Sundown, squad leader of the March of Saints, follower of St Ethalia of A Productive Day. Large build, mid 40s, white skin, grey hair in a bun, wears a priest’s vestments. They/Them CHALLENGES: March of Saints may show up in force. Burden hidden amongst locals. The Burden will target Rubble Runts. A vehicle or hidden path is needed to move the RR. Have Hannah challenge the Pilot she knows about who the RR are (organized crime according to her) and what The Burden fight for (freedom from Offworlder oppression). /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10599089

How To Submit A Mission Report 07/21/2019

How To Submit A Mission Report If you are interested in having a mission of your design featured on the Beam Saber Blog it must fit the following criteria. Include the name under which you want to be credited and one link you would like to have associated with your name. A BRIEFING: This is the basic information that the Pilots are given when they are planning the mission. It summarizes the situation in your notes so that you can tell what the mission is about at a glance. The Employer, Target, Objective, and maybe the ROE will be mentioned here. If you want to provide the players with false information, this is the place it should be since they will have had to work for any other information they have (which should not be taken away from them). An EMPLOYER: This is the squad that is hiring the pilots to complete the mission. The representative of that squad should also be listed here. This should detail the representative (when appropriate), and the Tier and faction of the Squad so that when going through the Mission Completed process the required information is at hand. The Employer’s goal for the mission will be listed in the Objective, so save this space for information about the Employer and their liaison. A TARGET: This is the squad that the pilots are going to most obviously harm by completing their objective. These notes should detail information about the target such as their tier (to adjust effect, engagement rolls, etc) and faction (to provide descriptive details, adjust trust during Mission Completed process, etc). Further, what the target is doing when the mission begins and their objective during it should be listed; the former to help describe the situation when the target appears on screen, and the latter to provide direction to their actions. An OBJECTIVE: This is the reason that the pilots are undertaking the mission and braving its challenges. Fulfilling the requirements of the Objective will require the pilots to fill at least one Clock because if the mission could be completed with a single roll there’d be no reason to hire the pilots. Some missions may have more than one objective, or multiple stages for the objective, and each will likely be represented during the mission by a Clock. Once the objective is completed the GM should decide based on the fiction if the mission immediately ends or if it continues for some reason (such as needing to fill a clock to escape). RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: This section details the ROE that the pilots will have to abide by during the mission. This section should be formatted as bullet points. It can sometimes be tricky to come up with ROE on the spot, so writing down some ideas before a session is a good plan. Having the mission’s ROE quickly accessible will also be helpful during the Mission Completed process when adjusting Trust. Most missions will have 2 ROE as a deterrent from uncivil behaviour. Missions with fewer ROE give the pilots freedom of action, while more ROE will become a challenge in and of themselves. If you are having trouble there is a list of ROE Suggestions in the rule book. COMPLICATIONS: This section details the majority of the obstacles between the pilots and their objective. This section should be formatted as bullet points. Information about these are not provided to the pilots unless they work for it. What complications are revealed to the pilots when they Gather Information will depend on the methods they use. You should come up with about 6 different complications per mission so that you will have a variety of dangers to employ against the pilots. CHARACTERS: This section lists the important NPCs that might appear on screen and provides details about their appearance. This section should be formatted as bullet points. You don’t need many characters listed as there’s always the chance they won’t come up. You only need to detail those who will be giving a face to the groups that can provide meaningful opposition or support to the pilots. One character for each group of NPCs that will appear in the mission should be plenty. An NPC should have 3 details: look, motive, and method. Look and pronouns of the character are important so that you can easily describe them to the players when they become relevant. Motive is why the character takes action; a single goal core to them can be enough. Method is how the NPC will achieve their motive. Create a broad method which will flesh out the character’s personality to a degree (for example, a character that uses stealthy and deceptive methods probably avoids open confrontation), and possibly a very specific one for this particular mission. CHALLENGES: This section summarizes all of the potential obstacles and dangers that are explicitly stated in the other sections or can be inferred from their details. This section should be formatted as bullet points. It is very likely that as you think more about what problems the pilots will run into the challenges list will grow quite a bit. Remember that you don’t have to use all of them! The list exists to give you quick ideas about threats, consequences, and obstacles to throw at the pilots. Once all of these criteria are completed, email them to and I'll see about getting them posted on the blog! /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10599824

Mission Report 09: Enforced Detour 07/21/2019

Mission Report 09: Enforced Detour This Mission Report comes from the Cenotaph stream campaign. BRIEFING: Two large transport vehicles are heading from Journey City to Fort Jovanol. They need to be redirected to Hulinton. The Heard are providing security with a single AWV, a coyote artillery mech. EMPLOYER: The Breath of Faith (Tier 3S), represented by Casil Kim, doesn't know the contents of the transports, but have received intel that they are important. TARGET: The Heard (Tier 3w) OBJECTIVE: Retrieve both large transports. ROE: NO employing force against civilians; NO firing upon or presenting as a clearly marked medical transport or facility; COMPLICATION: An AI with a grudge against The Breath fed them intel that these transports should be rerouted to Hulinton, when in fact the transports have a band (Point Defence Cannon aka PDC), their support staff, and their concert gear. The reason for this is to arrange a meeting between between Lady Elreth (a fan of PDC who will go to Hulinton, but not Fort Jovanol for a show), Bishop Finmal (who is curious about the concert in Hulinton), and the Dark Room (who are already embedded with PDC). There are Dark Room operatives among the roadies and they may interfere; The Heard may send air units to check on the transports; The Heard may request reinforcements; both transports are too large for an AWV to carry (one carries the band and staff, the other carries concert gear); manager is trying to get a cut for this; Alice Foundation may appear, she pilots a Lion custom the “Savannah Sovereign”. CHARACTERS: 4 PDC band members: Nancy Benetti: vocals (she, early 20s, buzzed black hair, skinny, dark skin, sharp features, lots of piercings and UV tattoos), Ryan Williams: drums (he, late 20s, green flat top haircut, bronze skin, muscular, rounded features), Aubrey Gardner: guitar (they, early 20s, shoulder length brown hair, tanned skin, stocky, gentle face), and Petra Dinovski: bass (she, early 40s, pink and purple mohawk, pale skin, buff build, hard face) . Band manager: Athena Actual, mid 30s, athletic build, east Asian, blue hair in a mass of curls, sharp features. Cleanser Yeofeld: the AWV pilot escorting the transport (they/them, brown skin, long red hair in a bun, slim build, flat features) Alice Foundation: (she/her, mid 20s, white, buzzed blonde hair, slim muscular build, fierce but tired face) Agent of The Heard. Pilots the Savannah Sovereign, a Lion custom modified from a heavy artillery AWV into a close quarters jousting mech. An excellent pilot. Dark Room operators disguised as roadies. Pars Piani, she, late 30s, white, lithe build, black pompadour, hard face. Member of the Dark Room. Almond Templeton, he, early 40s, dark skin, wiry build, short black hair, soft face. Noon Tide, early 50s, he, pale skin, strong build, short grey hair, scarred face. CHALLENGES: The initial Heard escort, Cleanser Yeofeld. The Dark Room operatives want PDC to go to Fort Jovanol so they can infiltrate that base. Moving the transports is difficult because they are so heavy, OR they can be driven, which has its own issues. Alice Foundation and/or other Heard reinforcements may arrive. The band and their gear, each in a separate transport, must survive the trip to Hulinton. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/10599014

Mission Report 08: Elreth's Angels 04/12/2019

Mission Report 08: Elreth's Angels This Mission Report is provided by , a member of the Beam Saber community and discord server! Briefing: Infamous mercenary, Vittorio Indigo, has been sighted on Izya along with their custom AWV The Fafnir. Publicly disavowed by the governing bodies of all five factions, their current employers are rumored to be a dangerous fringe sect of the Cult of Earth Lost, for purposes almost assuredly to do with their ongoing feud with the Cult of Earth Found. All this is of little matter to Lady Elreth, who wishes to test the might of Starfall against Indigo’s Fafnir, but she requires help ferreting out this opponent from where their handlers are hiding them.Employer: Lady Elreth (tier III-S Oligarchy) represented by Lady Elreth. She is called the “Goddess of War and Death." She wanders the battlefields in her absurdly dangerous mech Starfall wiping out entire fire teams herself. GOAL: To fight worthy opponents. Lady Elreth’s appearance and disposition is entirely subject to the take the GM has on her, depending on the tone of the campaign she could be anywhere from a bloodthirsty berserker to a noble duelist. It is entirely possible and probable that she has a liaison within the Council to handle the diplomatic end of her continued operations.Target: The Cult of Earth Lost (tier II-W Theocracy). A splinter sect of the Cult has employed Vittorio to perform a full assault on a suspected vault of ‘Heretical Texts’ (read: documents that support the planet being Earth) being kept by the Cult of Earth Found in order to ensure they do not sway more minds to their position. They are currently keeping him in a secured outpost close to the Norrish Border following a close call with Elreth. They’re preparing to smuggle him further into Myriad territory for his mission while using spotters to keep an eye on Elreth’s movements.Objective: Force Indigo into a confrontation with Lady Elreth. ROE: No significant damage is to come to The Fafnir before its confrontation with Starfall, same with Indigo, non-combatants are not to be intentionally put in harm’s wa Complications: The Cult of Earth Found are planning a preemptive strike against their Lost rivals. The outpost is located in close proximity to a small peaceful settlement, if goaded or angered, Indigo will not care about their wellbeing in their pursuit of victory. A herd of local fauna are grazing near to the outpost, easily spooked and loud when they are, possibly brooking investigation by the guards. The sect involved in this plan are extremely familiar with one another, making deception difficult without inside knowledge of Cult protocol. Heather Passerines is filming an episode in town, her lack of tact and intrusive crew have made the locals less than cooperative to outsiders. Involvement of another squad who prefer killing Indigo and sabotaging the mech rather than Elreth’s pitched battle approach (preferably one relevant to the campaign). The Fafnir itself, an AWV of the long-considered extinct ‘Carthage’ line of ‘Biome Denial’ AWVs. Nicknamed ‘Walking War Crimes’, the sheer gruesomeness of its main flame-based/enhanced armaments led to not even the Empire being willing to field equivalent units due to the bad PR. Characters: Brother Jeremiah Gargano, Earth Lost Demagogue and Sect Leader. Skinny build, early 40’s, pale complexion, bald head. Semi-(in)famous for his public loss of composure in a debate with a rival from Earth Found, wears dark robes symbolic of the space mankind must traverse to find its birthplace. He/Him Vittorio Indigo, Mercenary and War Criminal. Bulky build, mid 30’s, tan complexion, wild hair, numerous scars. Possible involvement in one or more pilot’s tragedies, wears a jumpsuit under a bomber jacket. They/Them Jerve Friede, Assistant to Ms. Passerines. Gangly build, late teens, dark complexion, trendy haircut. Knew a pilot when he was younger (if they are from Journey City), wears Passerine merch from head to toe (not by choice). He/Him Qiren Vask, Earth Found Scout. Medium build, early 20’s, East Asian ethnicity, shaved head. May be convinced to cooperate with squad to avoid open war with Earth Lost. She/Her Challenges: Earth Lost Cultists (Defeating, Evading, Or Deceiving Them) Skittish/Noisy Local Fauna Distrustful Locals Evading Heather Passerines’ Interest A Player’s Rival Is Trying To Kill/Assigned To Protect Indigo Earth Found Strike Force Potential Assassination Of Indigo Aggroing Indigo And Fafnir Not Substantially Damaging Indigo And/Or Fafnir Ensuring The Safety Of The Locals /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/9377489

Beam Saber V0.4 is now avialable! 02/19/2019

Art From The Front 07 - Buzz Martinez by Cory McDaniel 02/14/2019

Mission Report 07: The Funeral of Saint Gertrude 01/23/2019

Mission Report 07: The Funeral of Saint Gertrude This Mission Report comes from the Cenotaph stream campaign. BRIEFING: The state funeral for Saint Gertrude in Blessed Harbour. Two of your pilots are to be pallbearers. EMPLOYER: Bishop Finmal (tier 1W; Church of the Celestial Myriad) is attending and desires The Cenotaph as escorts. TARGET: The Wrights of the Ascent (tier 1W; Church of the Celestial Myriad) OBJECTIVE: to get the Wrights excommunicated. To protect the Bishop. ROE: No initiating violence, no explosive/chemical/biological weapons COMPLICATION: The information that Gertrude found is being handed off to someone (The location of the Sovereignty Engine’s designers in the Broken Bank). One of the squad's Rivals is in charge of security AND is a pallbearer for Saint Gertrude. Senior Kin Arrow Slide of the Wrights of the Ascent is present as a pallbearer. The pallbearers must have their vehicles march alongside them as an honor guard while they carry Saint Gertrude's coffin. The Wrights are in charge of checking the honor guard vehicles and have subtly messed with the Squad's vehicles. Casil Kim wants to maneuver at least one of the Pilots into collecting intel for the Beath of Faith. The Wrights want the squad to make fools of themselves in this very public event. CHARACTERS: Bishop Veritas Finmal. 30s, pale blue short curly hair. Dark skin, stocky build. He/him. Senior Kin Arrow Slide. Frail build, sickly, 40s, bald, pale white skin. He/him. One of your pilots' Rivals. Casil Kim: Breath of Faith (tier 3W; Church of the Celestial Myriad) agent. 40s, salt and pepper shoulder length hair pulled back into a bun. Bronze skin. They/them. CHALLENGES: Casil Kim will try to intimidate one of the pilots into working for them. The Wrights will mess with the Squad's vehicles. The pallbearers must figure out a way for the vehicles to move while carrying Gertrude's coffin. Dealing with the Rival in charge of security. The Wrights will try to embarrass the Pilots. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/8372477

Art From The Front 06 - A Good Scene by Sasha Reneau 01/09/2019

Mission Report 06: Lady Elreth & the Dragon 12/27/2018

Mission Report 06: Lady Elreth & the Dragon This is the fouth mission from Beam Saber: The Cenotaph. BRIEFING: The Wrights of the Ascent have sent out a call for support because Lady Elreth is fighting a dragon in the town of Wander! Wander is located in the mountains to the West of the Journey City area. EMPLOYER: The Wrights of the Ascent (tier 1W; Church of the Celestial Myriad) TARGET: Tell the players that Lady Elreth is the target, but the real hidden target is The Burden (tier 2S; Independent). OBJECTIVE: Help out in Wander. ROE: Threatening, or employing force against civilians. Firing upon or presenting as a clearly marked medical transport or facility. COMPLICATION: The dying dragon’s body is in the middle of the town and one of its two ignition glands has ruptured. The local buildings have been badly damaged in the fighting and some of the town is on fire. There are wounded and buried civillians. The locals are suspicious of outsiders (including Doctors Beyond Stars). A small Burden cell is present riling up the locals. The mountains are rough terrain. The Wrights have been constructing a cathedral in Wander and it has sustained structural damage during the recent battle so they are repairing it instead of helping the locals. The Wrights are subtly destroying local buildings so that they can help with rebuilding in their image. Should the dragon’s mate come looking for it? CHARACTERS: Hannah Copeland, populist politician/secret Burden cell leader. Lithe build, late 30s, pale brown skin, curly purple hair. Knew one of the pilots (if they are from the Journey City area) when she was a kid. She/her. Grout DeVinter, Wander’s mayor. Former criminal contact of another pilot. 50s, wears a head scarf, soft build, east Asian ethnicity. They/them. Senior Kin Arrow Slide, Wrights’ leader. Frail build, sickly, 40s, bald, pale white skin. He/him. Dr Panel Strap, lead medic in Wander from Doctors Beyond Stars. 40s, salt and pepper hair in a pony tail, fit build, dark brown skin. They/them. CHALLENGES: The town is on fire and falling apart. There are people injured and buried under rubble. The dying dragon may thrash around causing more damage, including spraying the flammable and caustic fluid from its ignition gland. The locals won't coordinate with the pilots without convincing. They'll also need to be convinced to let Doctors Beyond Stars help. If their relationship with the pilots get bad enough, the locals will attack the pilots and/or Doctors Beyond Stars. The Burden cell is too small to fight the pilots directly but they'll try to turn the locals against the outsiders (pilots, Wrights, Doctors) and supply weapons if things get bad. If the Wrights' work on the cathedral is interrupted, or if its further damaged, it may collapse. The construction vehicles the Wrights have on site are “accidentally” destroying the local buildings around the cathedral. The dragon's mate could arrive at Wander to retrieve (or maybe consume?) it's dying partner. NOTES: Between the Wrights destroying the locals' buildings and their prioritizing the cathedral over helping the locals, the players may decide to stop them. If the pilots openly attack them or if the cathedral is destroyed, then the Wrights will NOT pay the supply roll. If the players do decide to work against the Wrights, Hannah Copeland will approach them as a local leader and offer her support. If they agree then The Burden becomes their Employer for the mission. This does not provide a supply roll as The Burden are an Independent squad. Only use the dragon's mate if the mission is going exceedingly smooth and you want to draw out the mission a fair bit. /episode/index/show/beamsaber/id/8055311

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