PWM: Sanguine Dust, Chapter 17
Moving On
Sanguine Dust: Table of Contents
Pre-chapter Notes
It was during this time in my campaign that Shawn Tomkin released the Session Moves for Starforged, so I began using them. These work mechanically as safety tools as well as opportunities for interesting world-building as well as minor bonuses that help you begin a session or reflect at the end of a session.
Begin a Session
When you begin a significant session or chapter of play, do all of the following…
Identify any new flagged topics or situations and Set a Flag
Review log or notes from last session
Set the scene by envisioning your character's current situation and intent
Then, you and your allies take +1 momentum (3) as you begin play.
Notes: Setting Flags is a way to identify topics or actions or scenes you aren’t interested in engaging with. I'm not going to set flags as I think, playing solo, I can easily move away from any topics I don't want to engage with. I get +1 momentum from the move, so my current momentum = +4
Now that’s been done, on with the campaign!
Sanguine Dust, Chapter 17
Moving On
The Nomad Drifter landed in the Reverie docking bay with a clunk. After docking, he took a moment, going to the medbay and looking at Kwan's body, in a stasis pod. He put a hand on the glass, feeling the iron ring on his arm.
I swear I’ll find you a place to rest.
Swear a Vow
When you swear upon iron to complete a quest, write your vow (“Find an appropriate resting place for Kwan’s grave”) and give it a rank (“Dangerous”). Then, roll heart. Add +1 if you swear to a connection and +2 if to a bond.
1d6 + 1 (heart) + 2 (bond) = 6 vs (7,9)
Miss - You face a significant obstacle before you can make progress on your quest. Envision what stands in your way and do what you must to overcome this obstacle.
A warning came over the comms system, reporting that the docking bay has been locked shut and the Nomad Drifter cannot leave.
Shen rushed back to the bridge as the message repeated and noticed someone was attempting to call him.
He accepted the call.
"This is Ironsworn Coyote of the Nomad Drifter. Why have you locked me down?"
"This is Security Officer Talia. You have been locked down due to your excursion to the Cargo ship, Mercy without Reverie’s permission. You are requested to come before the council to answer some questions. When the council is satisfied, you will be allowed to leave."
Talia was an older woman, with a lined face and a serious expression.
"Very well, Talia." He cut off comms.
He left the ship, meeting a couple of security guards and followed them to the council room.
Five councilmembers sat around a triangle-shaped table.
Shen stood at the wide end, facing them.
One man sat at the point of the triangle.
"We apologize for the abrupt action of locking you down, but you must understand that anything to do with the cargo ship Mercy is of great importance and interest to us." The man at the point wore a dark blue military uniform.
"I understand," Shen said, holding back his irritation as much as he could. "Was it you who sent Crash to investigate?"
The members looked at each other.
The man at the point nodded. "Yes it was. Crash was a reputable hunter and we needed reconnaissance. We have not heard back from him. Did you find him?”
Shen took a moment, staring into space.
kill
He ignored Aleko's sudden and emotional outburst in his head. He clenched his hands into fists. "Kwan Hammond, my friend, the man you sent, sent an SOS message to me while I was down on Vigrid. I went to him as fast as I could but I was too late. He'd been overtaken by risen and killed."
The members looked at each other, and the man at the point sighed. "That is...unfortunate. What else can you tell us about the ship, Mercy?"
They don't even care that the man they sent died.
kill
"It is overrun. I was able to activate the defense systems but they were of little use. Hordes of risen remain on board. You'd need an army to get rid of them. The ship is lost. Any more you send, you send to their deaths.”
The council members looked at each other.
The man at the head of the table spoke. "Yes, well, we will take your information into consideration but the ship holds valuable resources our settlement needs." He looked at Shen. "You are Ironsworn, one who swears vows to help those in need. Would you not swear a vow to cleanse the ship and retrieve those resources for us?"
Shen gritted his teeth. "You already sent one man to die. I will not be the second. I ask you to release my ship."
"And if we do not?" The man said, leaning back in his chair.
"Then I will take my revenge," Shen snarled, stepping forward and drawing his handguns.
Compel
When you try to persuade someone…If you threaten or incite, roll iron. (I get a bonus from Gunslinger for pulling out my handguns)
1d6 + 1 (iron) + 1 (Gunslinger) = 7 vs (2,8)
Weak hit - They'll do what you want or agree to your conditions but their agreement comes with a demand or complication. Envision their counteroffer. Take +1 momentum
Notes: I take another +1 from a hit from Gunslinger. Current momentum = +5.
Guards drew on Shen and for a moment, there was a standoff. Shen’s guns pointed at the council, the guards guns pointed at Shen.
The man at the point stood slowly, hands raised. "No need for violence. We will allow you to leave and we express our condolences for your loss. But we want Crash’s ship.”
Shen holstered his weapons. “Fine. I need to go back there and get what I can about his history. I’ll leave it unlocked and you can have it.” He turned and walked out.
The guards made to step in front of him but were waved aside.
Shen made his way back to the Drifter, feeling Aleko snarling and grumbling within.
Back in his ship, Shen found that the docking bay had been unlocked. He undocked and headed back to Mercy, docking in the same bay as Kwan’s ship, Poltergeist. He found Kwan’s ship-key in his pockets.
Once inside the Poltergeist, Shen headed straight to the bridge but found himself, pausing, looking around, imagining his friend living within.
It was a small ship, just the basics, but it was cozy. A bit messy and lived-in.
In the bridge, Shen accessed the ship’s data and connected it to his own. He started copying over everything to the Nomad Drifter. While he waited, he searched for information on where Kwan came from. Crash had never spoken much about his home planet.
Gather Information
When you search for clues…roll wits.
1d6 + 2 (wits) = 3 vs (6,7)
Miss - Your investigation unearths a dire threat or reveals an unwelcome truth. Pay the Price
There was a vast amount of data, locations Kwan had visited, prey he'd encountered, hunted, or researched, but little to no information on where Kwan came from.
There’s nothing…there’s nothing here.
Endure Stress(-1)
When you face…despair. Suffer -1 spirit for minor stress….Then, if your spirit is 0 or you choose to resist, roll +heart or +spirit, whichever is higher.
1d6 + 1 (heart) = 7 vs (2,9)
Weak hit - If you are not shaken, you may Lose Momentum(-1) for +1 spirit.
Notes: The hit to spirit dropped me to 0 so I had to resist. I choose to Lose Momentum to get spirit. Current momentum = +4. Current spirit = +1.
Shen left the ship-key in the bridge and went back to the Drifter, mind whirling. He laid down on his cot and closed his eyes. He let out a breath.
We need to talk.
Aleko was silent but Shen could feel they were listening.
Why the outburst earlier? You've never been that aggressive before.
i...i don't know. i feel...as you feel. angry. hurt. resentful. i felt they deserved to die.
Killing them won't bring him back. We still need to finish the delivery of the Immir and ensure the sector-wide infection is gone for good. He would’ve wanted us to finish it.
Shen got up into a sitting position on the cot. He went to the bridge, ensured the data had finished transferring. He also sent a message to Althus, letting him know what had happened. He undocked and headed back to Reverie, messaging the council to let them know Kwan’s ship was unlocked.
Back on the settlement, he tried to rest up and resupply.
Sojourn
When you spend time recovering within a community, roll +heart.
1d6 + 1 (heart) = 5 vs (8,2)
Weak hit - You may make one recover move instead of two. Instead of rolling, assume an automatic strong hit.
Notes: I choose to Heal. After, my current health is up to +4.
He found a good doctor who helped him with his wounds and provided medicine that would help him recover.
Back in the Nomad Drifter, he stopped by the medbay, glancing at Kwan's body in a stasis pod.
I haven't given up yet.
He went to the bridge, undocked from Reverie, and set a course for Argosy, the last known settlement in the sector and the last place he had to deliver the Immir.
Set a Course
When you follow a known route through perilous space…roll supply
1d6 + 5 = 10 vs (1,1)
Strong hit with a match - You reach your destination and the situation there favors you. Take +1 momentum.
Notes: Way back at sector creation, you choose which settlements have passages to each other already mapped out. I’d chosen for Reverie and Argosy to have a passage, which is why I felt comfortable Setting a Course rather than Undertaking an Expedition. Current momentum = +5. With the match, I decide I have a chance to Hearten during the trip.
Hearten
When you…find a moment of peace, roll heart.
1d6 + 1 (heart) = 2 vs (8,3)
Miss - You take no comfort and the situation worsens. Pay the Price.
Notes: I decide to Lose Momentum(-1). Current momentum = +4
Shen tried to find some peace during the journey, but his thoughts always strayed to the medbay and the corpse within and he could find no rest.
The Nomad dropped out of FTL, coming up on the Furnace World of Azula, on which the settlement Argosy was located.
Comms opened up from the settlement.
"Ironsworn Coyote, we've been expecting you. Your reputation precedes you. Once docked, the Immir will be unloaded and we can begin curing the infection. Thank you for doing this."
Shen nodded. "No problem. Approaching now."
Some good news, at least.
End a Session
When you end a significant session or chapter of play, reflect on the events of the game and identify any missed opportunities to mark progress with either connections or quests. If there is a connection, quest, or other situation you would like to give focus in your next session, make note of it and take +1 momentum.
Notes: After reflection, I feel like getting to Argosy is progress towards my delivery quest, so I mark it. Current progress = 6/10. Next chapter, I'll (hopefully) finish the delivery quest and make some headway on the symbiote and Kwan quests. I may also have communication with Althus and see if the bond is affected. I take +1 momentum. Current momentum = +5
Post-Chapter Notes
There’s 2-3 chapters left in what I’m calling “Season One” of Sanguine Dust, and I’ll have a post-season debrief about the whole thing. I’m calling it Season One because I might want to return to it. To be honest, at this point in the campaign, my interest began to wane. I’ll go more into that in the debrief because I think it happens to all solo-gamers and is a good thing to talk about. Your interest and motivation in playing can wax and wane. This being my first real attempt, I think I made some mistakes. My background vow to explore beyond the void wasn’t super interesting or driving, and my current ‘delivery’ quest was fairly boring, both of which probably contributed to my lack of motivation. Of course, rereading and rewriting the campaign has renewed my interest! But I still am looking forward to switching things up.
After the debrief, I’ll have a couple off-weeks, especially since it will be around the holidays. One of those off-week posts will be my GME part 2 post, with new Game-Master Emulators to discuss. After that, I will delve into my Thousand-Year-Old Vampire write-up, which is a fascinating solo journaling game.
As always, thanks for reading, feel free to comment or share.
Next Chapter → Chapter 18: Argosy, The Furnace World