Episode 2.01: Brushfire!

[Patrick Goodman]

Oh, well. Getting that back would have been handy, but I'll live.

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Cultural Flexibility applies, yes.

I also forgot to set the Difficulty for the Opposed Task (well, it's more accurate to say that I forgot that Opposed Tasks have a Difficulty). This task will be Difficulty 2. Treyva's Cultural Flexibility and the Smoothing Things Over Advantage reduces his Difficulty to 0. So, with 7 Successes on his roll, Treyva gets a Success, plus 7 Momentum generated!

It looks like I'm going to need all the Threat Nolmir gave me.

[Davy, aka GM]

...on the debate stage...
Treyva's opponent steps forward to address the elders.

"I have children, too. You all know them well. And I worry not just about their lives, but their future," Danli begins, mirroring Treyva's final statement with a softer, motherly tone. "If we become like the Village People, then we lose as if we were wiped out by their guns. What sort of future will our children have if we attack without provocation, or ambush their farmers in the field, for that is where this path leads? What lessons do we teach them? What is peace worth if the cost is acting against our own values to achieve it?"

She pauses to let her words sink in. "Also, remember the motivations for this debate. A hunt leader wants to usurp your power and place himself above you, even recruting our so-called friends to fuel his personal ambition! Our transitions from chief to chief have always been orderly, the elders confirming that the chief's second would always rise to replace him upon his death. Again, he seeks to destroy who we are with his ambition; he goes against everything we believe - everything the great Tyree wanted us to be - in his lust for power!"

The kahn-ut-tu woman points with great authority at Pelel, who recoils reflexively, only helping her case.

Yutan nods and his eyes shift from Danli, to Pelel, and then Treyva, his expression neutral. "You say you were a teacher before, and always tried to find a peaceful path; why change? Why must we change who we are to win?"

OOC: Okay, Danli's argument directly challenges Treyva's Value "To Thine Own Self Be True." Accepting this challenge will mean that the Difficulty for any task made by Treyva to get the Tyreen to adopt a more aggressive strategy/tactics (even advising them in the field of battle) will be increased by 1 (including on the current Opposed Task, which will drop him to a Success + 6 Momentum). Treyva will also receive a point of Determination.

For Danli's task, she's doing the following:
Add 3 Momentum to the players' pool to Create Opportunity x2 (invoking Bold (Command)).
Spend 2 Threat to Create Advantage "The Shaman Speaks Wisdom"
Spend 3 Threat to invoke Ear of the Chief, Once Removed Value for Perfect Opportunity.

So, she'll roll 4d20 for her Presence + Command task, reduce the Difficulty to 1 for the task, and add a Perfect Opportunity from her invoked Value. I'll roll once Patrick decides whether or not to accept the Value challenge.

[Patrick Goodman]

Yeah, I'll accept that.  It's 100% legit.

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Danli Presence + Command (10/3) vs. Difficulty 1 (Persuasion Focus applies)

Rolled 4d20 : 4, 19, 16, 11, total 50

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Using Bold (Command) to reroll the 19.

Rolled 1d20 : 19, total 19

[Nolmir]

Tobin exhales with relief. "Good work, Lieutenant. I was worried for a moment that we wouldn't bypass those security protocols in time. Now, once we have this message translated, we'll be able to see what the Klingons are up to."

[Davy, aka GM]

OOC: Well, that was completely useless.

So, with the new Complication in play, Treyva has 7 Successes vs. Difficulty 1. Success, plus 6 Momentum generated!
Danli has 4 Successes vs. Difficulty 1. Success, plus 3 Momentum generated!

Treyva succeeds on the task, and generates 3 Momentum. 1 Momentum must be spent or lost.

Treyva also receives 1 Determination for having his Value challenged.

Treyva is about to answer the question when he realizes that Yutan was asking himself more than he was asking the Drake's captain. "Sometimes, holding to old values isn't necessary the best way forward. Respect them, yes. Let them guide your thoughts and decisions, yes."

The war chief of all the tribes turns to Danli and, with an expression of sympathy in his eyes, adds, "But, if we are too rigid, we are unable to make the necessary changes to our lives to be useful. We must be like the bow. Strengthened by the bone and sinew of our values and traditions, but flexible like the wood that forms the core. Only with both strength and flexibility will a bow be useful, and only with both strength and flexibility will we be useful as a people.

"What I have learned from Lawrence and the war leaders that came before him is that the strategy and tactics in war are tools to be used, as your hunter Cole also expressed to me about our fire sticks on our first meeting. They may be aggressive in their nature, but they do not detract from who we are in and of themselves," he continues. "It does not mean we can wage total war without regard to our beliefs, but it also does not mean that total war will erode our beliefs on its own. If we hold our beliefs close to us, we can wage total war and still preserve them. Perhaps I allowed myself to be blinded to that; perhaps we all have."

Yutan rises, his stature taking on a commanding quality, and the elders and hunt leaders straighten up in place in response. Even Danli, who positioned herself next to her husband, gives him the respect he is due. The war chief says, "We will adapt, and we will thrive as a people. All men who are able to fight will take up their weapons; we will meet the enemy where they are, and we will prevail. For Tyree!"

"For Tyree!" is the response in unison.

As the hunt leaders leave to gather their hunters, Yutan approaches the two captains. "We have more weapons than trained men. Can we still use them? Are you and your people allowed to aid us in the field, even if only to guide our tactics?"

Styles looks at Treyva; it doesn't take a mind reader to know that the Rostov's CO is inclined to assist.

OOC: FYI, you folks have about a hundred men familiarized on the new repeaters (and 30 of those men have actually used them in combat). You have an additional 195 repeaters crated in the cave, meaning you could outfit that many of the remaining 300-ish Tyreen hunters in about a half-hour (189, if you want to give your landing party repeaters...Styles and his men already have them). Of course, you may not have a half-hour to unbox and distribute the weapons, and those hunters will have penalties in the initial rounds of the fight.

Any hunter that doesn't carry a repeater will carry a 12mm muzzle-loading rifle.

Current
Momentum 4 (3 pending, Treyva; 1 must be spent or lost)
Threat 9

Well-Oiled Machine Advantage (when a PC or supporting character assists a PC on a shipboard task)
More Aggressive Strategy Advantage (Tyreen)
Educated Guess Advantage (when using ship's sensors to actively scan for cloaked ships)
Smoothing Things Over Advantage (when attempting to calm ruffled feathers over Styles' raid of the Apellan camp)
The Shaman Speaks Wisdom (Danli, trying to sway the tribal elders)
To Thine Own Self Be True, Really? Complication (Treyva, all task rolls to get the Tyreen to adopt a more aggressive strategy/tactics (even when advising them in the field of battle))

[Patrick Goodman]

Use 2 Momentum to alleviate the "To Thine Own Self Be True, Really?" Complication; bank the other.

[Davy, aka GM]

Transmission transcript, translated from Klingon:

First Voice: "Maltz to First Strike."

Second Voice: "Speak."

Maltz: "Commander, Tark and G'Var are dead. Primitves attacked the camp with advanced rifles; we recovered a few dozen brass cartridges from their vantage point. I estimate the Federation aggressors have given the primitives multi-shot rifles. Advise."

Commander: "Hmmm. They've become desperate to stop our continued advance. Total casualties?"

Maltz: "Approximately 150."

Commander: "How many of those can still fight?"

Maltz: "Approximately 20."

Commander: "Leave the wounded behind. Strike as soon as the other camps arrive. Have the warriors spread their men out as we taught them to do; force the primitives to engage small groups only and we close the noose around their camp."

Maltz: "I serve, Commander."

Commander: "Success, Lieutenant."

/transmission ends

[Renny]

OOC: Uh oh....

[Nolmir]

Tobin curses softly in his native language as the computer displays the translated transcript. "Tobin to Captain Treyva. We have a situation, sir." He waits for the captain to respond before laying out his and Thadis' findings, including the origin point of the communication and the contents of the message. "In short, sir, their strategy seems to be to move quickly to press their numerical advantage and surround the Tyreen camp," he says, concluding. "Our previous timetable is no longer applicable."

OOC: Patrick, I can modify this if you have a different response for Treyva than what I anticipated here.

[Patrick Goodman]

After that speech, I'd be the worst sort of hypocrite to stand idly by....

Treyva nodded at Styles, then said, "We'll help you, Yutan." He felt his communicator buzz and excused himself.

His face darkened as Tobin made his report. "Very good, Mr. Les. Inform Commander Sorak and keep an eye on things. Treyva out."

Returning to the camp, he found Styles and Cole and brought them up to date. "Cole, get with Reed and the other security personnel and start passing out those repeaters, starting with us, I suppose. We've run out of time."

[Renny]

"Aye sir,", Cole acknowledged and waved his team across and made to carry out the order, Reed stepping up briskly beside him as they set to work.

The team issued the first batch of weapons to the landing party as ordered and then began to distribute them out to the rest of the warriors. 

[Nolmir]

Tobin opens a comm channel to the bridge and restates his report for Sorak. "I've just informed the captain, sir. I'm sending you the coordinates for our theorized scout vessel landing site."