In reply to GM Heath (msg # 53):

  Porter continues hosing the robot with lead.  "Hey Hammer, nice work on controlling the raft."  He yells between bursts.  "Can you take down another personal note for me?   Investigate the use of incendiary rounds as tracer rounds."  Porter pulls the trigger again as the rafts close in on the enemy position.

(OOC)
The 85% chance for Porter to hit already includes +20% for bursts as that is the only way his weapon works.  Even so his first burst still missed and second still hit :)

Just a question regarding the laser hit on Orvo and the raft.  How is it possible for a weapon like a laser to hit multiple targets i.e. Orvo and the raft.  It's not an area of effect weapon so I was under the impression it could only hit one or the other, not both?

Re the laser hit, the adventure states that the raft or equipment will take some of the damage, so I split between the target and the raft (50% to damage raft, and 50% to damage equipment). I imagined that, because it is a large weapon, it might have punctured the victim and gone straight through to the raft.

"Terry's robot fires at the closest raft. If two
or more rafts are equally close, randomly
select the target for each shot. Then randomly
select targets within each raft.
Remember that the rafts and gear will take
some of the damage. If the party is carrying
explosives, a direct hit will set them off."

Hammer will continue steering the raft as gently and easily as he can to help out Porter. He yells across to the other raft, "If you want, you could speed up or veer off to the right so that we are not clustered together.

He will steer the raft to K7.

Bartja remembers suddenly to flip on his Albedo screen, then returns his focus on the Survey Robot he controls, dialing up the amplitude of the Heavy Laser.

"We need to dispatch this bot before Terry fixes the last one we damaged and sends it our way.  We also need to keep it from punching any more holes in these rafts or we aren't going to make it on time."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:41, Fri 26 June 2020.

PM

Half of Bartja's face frowns in concentration...

S'Krllk plies the oar, attempting to keep the raft in the same general direction while maintaining a distance from the other raft. While he does so, he instructs his computer to check for signals to or from the attacking robot. If any are found S'Krllk will instruct the computer to mimic the signal and contradict the orders it relays.

PM

Bartja's teeth show in a grin from his fleshy-half-face as he swings the Survey Robot into a flanking position above the ambushing robot and focus' fire on the devilish fiend.

Could also be a 'Through & Through Hit'?

OOC: Yeah, something like. I don't know how well they thought it through but it makes it more interesting. At first read, I thought it would hit the raft first and then possibly an individual.

Also, I just saw in the rules that the hovering robots are treated as jetcopters for damage effect, so I will be using that now.

TURN 4 (initiative goes to attacking robot)
The rafts enter J8 and J9. The survey robot moves to D12 and slows down.

The attacking robot fires at the rafts, but the shot goes very wide, maybe due to its damage. 14:13, Today: GM Heath rolled 94 using 1d100.

With the survey robot in range, it now also fires a burst from its auto rifle at the survey robot, making a direct hit. 14:13, Today: GM Heath rolled 22 using 1d100. (37 damage; 463 remaining.) (Jetcopter damage effect: roll=19, no effect.)

Porter fires a second burst, but his shots hit the river water harmlessly. 14:18, Today: GM Heath rolled 86 using 1d100.

The survey robot attacks with both heavy laser and auto rifle on the attacking robot. Unfortunately, both of the attacks are off. Laser: 10:26, Today: Bartja Nemuco rolled 89 using 1d100 ((89)). Auto Rifle: 10:28, Today: Bartja Nemuco rolled 84 using 1d100 ((84))

S'krllk is attempting to hack remotely into the survey robot while still oaring and keeping the raft steady, but he fails. 14:21, Today: GM Heath rolled 90 using 1d100.

TURN 5 (initiative to attacking robot)
The attacking robot fires again on the rafts. 14:22, Today: GM Heath rolled 29 using 1d100. He makes a direct hit on Bartja, who staggers back, nearly falling from the raft. (9 STA damage for Bartja.) The attack also hits the supplies behind Bartja, which you will have to sort out later. Luckily, the supplies stopped the heavy laser from puncturing the raft.

With its auto rifle, it makes a solid hit directly on the survey robot. 14:25, Today: GM Heath rolled 8 using 1d100. (64 damage; 399 remaining.) (Jetcopter damage effect: roll 22; loses 30 speed. Speed now at 1 hex per turn.)

Porter fires a third burst from the machine gun. This burst is closer but still misses. 14:27, Today: GM Heath rolled 46 using 1d100. (6 bursts remaining)

The survey robot fires everything it has at the attacking robot. It hits with both shots.Laser (Short Range = 66% to HIT): 10:28, Today: Bartja Nemuco rolled 49 using 1d100 ((49)). Auto Rifle (Medium Range = 56% to HIT): 10:28, Today: Bartja Nemuco rolled 55 using 1d100 ((55))

The heavy laser, which Bartja cranked up to 20 SEU, does extreme damage.</red> (92 damage) The auto rifle also does massive damage. (55 damage)

The attacking robot is now starting to smoke. You see it turn all of its firepower up to your survey robot and away from your rafts.

Attacking robot: 263/500

New Map

  Sergeant Porter continues to fire with his machine gun as his raft closes in on the target.
  "Keep pouring it on folks, we need to start swinging the odds in our favour!"

Feeling the heat from the power beltpack keeping up the Albedo screen, Bartja takes a deep breath and forces himself to release it slowly.  "Sure glad I remembered to turn on my screen" he mutters quietly.  "That mistake almost cost my life."

He debates changing into "dodge" mode with the Survey Robot, but decides to press the attack as suggested by Porter.  The damaged rotors of the bot have already slowed it and trying to dodge further attacks with it now would just remove the extra firepower it provides.

"If we can salvage anything from this bot, I'll need it to make repairs to our Survey Robot.  That includes ammunition, the parabattery, the rotors..." His voice trails off for another moment of concentration as he surveys the attacks through the hand controller view screen.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:09, Mon 29 June 2020.

Hammer will continue to steer the boat downriver. "Getting closer. I hope this thing gets taken down before it shoots us at point blank range."

TURN 6 (initiative to party)

The rafts move into J9 and J8.

Porter fires his machine gun, and makes a hit. 14:41, Today: GM Heath rolled 21 using 1d100. (71 dmg.) (5 bursts remaining)

Bartja's survey robot fires its heavy laser...and hits. 00:03, Yesterday: Bartja Nemuco rolled 7 using 1d100.  Heavy Laser. (40 SEU remaining) (109 dmg)

Then it fires its auto rifle burst...and also hits! 00:03, Yesterday: Bartja Nemuco rolled 28 using 1d100.  Auto Rifle. (51 dmg.)

The attacking robot is smoking and on fire as it cranks away shots at Bartja's survey robot, completely ignoring the rafts now. It makes two solid hits at full power. (175 dmg.)

(Flying vehicle hit results.) The first hit damages the steering unit of the survey robot, knocking it back one hex to D12 and bringing it to an immediate halt as it spins from the hit. It also drops about 40 meters. Long term Effect: turns at 1/2 normal amount and accelerate/decelerate at only 1/2 normal amount.

The second hit is directly on the battery of the survey robot.  Its power is reduced to 10 minutes of flying. You must land it within 10 minutes or it will crash. The battery must be replaced after that.

Attacking Robot: 32 structural points left
Survey Robot: 224 structural points left

Due to its first hit, the survey robot did not advance on the map but starts to accelerate to get to C12 as Bartja instructed at the end of the next round. (Speed=2, altitude=40 meters)

TURN 7 (initiative to attacking robot)

The attacking robot is now severely damaged and not at full efficiency. It fires twice again at full power at the survey robot above...

The heavy laser misses, but the auto rifle hits the survey robot. (54 dmg.) (Jetcopter effect: the hit damages the control unit. -35% to hand controller success for each command/hour of use.

Porter fires again. His burst goes wide. 15:05, Today: GM Heath rolled 58 using 1d100. (4 bursts remaining)

The survey robot fires its heavy laser...hitting the attacking robot. The hit is so hard (126 points) (20 SEU remaining) that the survey robot literally explodes, debris littering the small island and the brush fire around it.

You take a deep breath now that the robot has been destroyed.

Your own survey robot is damaged in three functions (battery, controls, steering).

If you are deciding on some potential options of things to do:

1) Bartja has to figure out what to do with the badly damaged survey robot--ditch it or try to repair it.

2) If you try to repair, Bartja can land it on the island with the attacking robot. There is a 25% chance of each item he needs (3 total, plus ammo) being available to be salvaged. Each available item also requires a skill check to successfully salvage and install. Each item to attempt salvage and install takes 15 minutes time, plus 15 minutes to land the raft and search through the wreckage.

3) You can ditch the robot and move downriver.

First things first. With the robot destroyed, as you continue to float, you examine what supplies were destroyed by the laser blast. Half your rations are gone. One freeze field is destroyed. The bivouac unit was burnt and punctured.

You begin to panic as you see water all over the raft floor and realize it is not from the river. Then you relax as you see it was from your fresh water stores punctured by the laser blast.

10:30 a.m. (2.5 hours remaining) (5.5 hours with no rest)
Rations remaining: 11 (each survival ration is for one person for one day)
Bivouac Units: 0 (0/30 SP (structural points); 10 kg each); second one is kept as scrap (10 kg). Rafts: 1 at 8/20 structural points; 1 at 10/20 structural points.

This message was last edited by the GM at 05:05, Thu 02 July 2020.

In reply to GM Heath (msg # 71):

  "Let's keep moving."  Porter says  "We don't have any time to waste."

Hammer says, "If my calculations are correct, it will take us two and a half to three and a half hours to arrive if we don't stop or have more delays. That's cutting it close. I regrettably have to concur with Porter. Let's move on and say good-bye to the survey robot. But if you want to salvage it, we could try to double time it when we get on land or try to make up time. Or we could even split up into two groups, one on each raft. I'm game for any of that."

Bartja lands the Survey Robot on the island and commands it to shut down to conserve power for now.  He then flips off his albedo screen to conserve power on his own beltpack.

"I estimate it has 10 minutes of flight time left on the damaged battery, but it also has legs to walk on and that might take less power.  I might be able to fly it quickly through the gap and land it near the Moraes, then have it walk in.

That said, with the controls damaged, the weapons it has won't be as useful to us as they have been.  My time might be better spent practicing with my own gyrojet rifle.  Terry still has another one of those Survey robots, and without the heavy laser and auto rifle firepower, we're going to get shredded by that thing if he's gotten it fixed."

He stows the hand controller in a dry pack and his flesh-half-face scowls as he considers the shortness of time and damage they've already suffered.

"If anyone believes it's a good idea to split, I would stay here with Shemp to try and fix the survey robot.  If I can get it repaired, I could join the assault on the ship with it remotely.  However, if anyone else stayed here with me, you would lose that advantage.

My opinion is that having the robot in good working order gives us the advantage equivalent of two soldiers and an aerial scout.  We need all the advantages we can muster.  If we don't take the ship back, I won't actually be left behind"

He looks around at his companions to gauge their thoughts on this possibility.

  "Not a chance."  Porter shakes his head.  "We are not splitting up in hostile territory.  That is a recipe for disaster.  And we don't have time to talk about this, we have no idea how many more delays we will run into before we reach the landing sight.  We need to get out of these boats and on dry land ASAP.  The next time we run into one of Terry's robots we want everyone available in the fight, we are too exposed and under under gunned in these rafts."

"I have to agree with you Sarge.  We're too banged up, even in two group, to be effective.  I believe our strongest asset is to operate as one cohesive unit."

Half of Bartja's face smiles.  He suspected the team wouldn't want him to stay behind even though it was the logical, statistical choice.

"Well if you want me to make this assault in the flesh.....  or half-flesh, then one of you renegades needs to show me how to properly use this gryojet rifle."

"That, I can help you with Bartja."

S'Krllk says to Bartja, "if we're not to use the robot, perhaps I could examine that controller. If I could find a way to hack Terry's other robot, it would certainly change the odds."