I'm just starting to write an adventure to kick off a new campaign. The basic plan: the party start on board a space station which is suddenly attacked - literally blown to pieces by missiles ( Why? Who would do such a thing? If only we had a whole campaign to investigate this mystery... ). As it disintegrates, the party must try to reach their ship in the space station hanger. ( Spoiler alert: they succeed ).

Although I plan for the campaign to open up later, this adventure will probably be quite linear, just to get things going. I'm trying to come up with encounters they have to navigate in the shattering space station. This feels like it has the potential to become a big monotonous, so I'm trying to mix it up as much as possible, and give the PCs a chance to use some different skills and talents.

I was wondering if anyone had any good encounter suggestions, or could recommend a published adventure (FFG or otherwise) that I could steal borrow from. So far I've got the following possible ideas:

• The initial explosion causes the ceiling to fall in on the PCs, as well as some NPCs. Resilience checks all around...and then do the PCs help the NPCs, or do they run for it?
• The only way is through the vents. Coordination checks initially, but perhaps with some other pressure ... not sure what that would be though.
• Coming out of the vents is a long drop - trying to climb down will take some teamwork and Athletics .
• The PCs find safety doors have clamped down in response to the air leaking out into space. As oxygen levels drop, they have to get the door open ( Mechanics and Computers ) before they stop breathing...
• A missile hits the gravity generator, and the PCs must navigate the rest of the way in zero gravity (this isn't an encounter per se , but affects any subsequent encounters).
• Automated defences within the space station are currently active, and shooting at anything they can detect. Perhaps a chance for some Stealth and/or Skulduggery .
• When they reach the hangar, desperate NPCs also want to get on the ship, and are prepared to get violent if the PCs don't let them on, but with limited fuel, space and supplies the PCs might not be able to afford the risk.

Any thoughts about other possible encounters would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

(NB The party currently consists of Ace/Rigger, Smuggler/Scoundrel, Diplomat/Analyst and a yet-to-be-determined-but-probably-some-sort-of-spy character. Not combat focused at all, and may also struggle with physical challenges. Anything that relies on Intellect or Cunning would be excellent)

Those all sound good to me.

Those are all good encounters. I'd suggest watching The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (1979) for some more bits on setting the scenes and thinking of how Threats and Despairs might alter the PCs' path through the wreckage.

Unless exploring the wreckage on their way to safety is the plot, I would try to instill a definite sense of urgency. The space station is disintegrating around them and they need to hurry along to the landing pad, yeah? I created a similar situation in another game (7th Sea).

I took a timer and place it on the table next to me. The players couldn't see how much time I was putting on it (30 minutes), but I made it very visible to them they were on the clock. Next to the timer I put a d6 with the 1 facing up. I did this so everyone could see it, but I didn't explain what it was all about. When we began, I asked if everyone was ready, and then I started the timer. When it went off, I described a few things like the superstructure of the place shaking, dust falling from the ceiling, things falling over, and such. Reset the timer, turned the d6 to the 2, and carried on. Each time the timer went off, I increased the intensity of what was going on and flipped the d6 to the next number. (When there was a battle, I would pause the timer.) By the time it got to 5, they were panicking and scrambling for the escape route. They were out of the place half way into timer #6.

It all depends on the characters in the party.

Zero gravity can be interesting for a Jedi, no atmosphere lets the droids in the party really shine, emergency bulkhead and automated defences allow a slicer to be useful, air vents allow smaller (jawa / ewok) characters something to do.

A timer is a great idea but should be used with the temptation to slow down to engage in optional encounters. E.g. A hutt tries to bribe them to get him off a station but his bulk will slow them down, a family is trapped on the wrong side of an emergency bulkhead (do they help), a store is abandoned and there is opportunity to loot. A PC has a family member on board (do they take time to find them). The attackers are shooting down escape pods, will the party man the station's defences long enough for them to get away. The party has to travel outside the station to bypass a damaged section while the battle is raging on. Security is searching for a traitor on board, will this affect the party's willingness to rescue NPC's. The escape route passes through a high security section, key to defending the station, will the party fight through (against station security) or find an alternative route. The shield emitters in the docking bay are damaged and opening the airlock will space any civilians who they decided not to fit in the ship.

Starting the adventure alongside a group of civilian NPC's would be cool, allowing you to fill any skill gaps the party may have and giving you a lot of plot hooks to work with. Give each NPC a name and give the party an xp reward for each one they get to safety.

There's information/person/item that the Empuire/Hutt Lord/Black Sun Vigo wants and the attack is just cover for the theft/kidnapping. The party runs into the the big baddie with his/her escorts, who fire enough shots to scare away the party into another direction.

Right then... Time to check out the cost of timers on the Internet!! I love that idea RLogue177... I will be stealing it

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

...a store is abandoned and there is opportunity to loot...The shield emitters in the docking bay are damaged and opening the airlock will space any civilians who they decided not to fit in the ship.

I like these two - they're different to anything else I've got at the moment.

I took a timer and place it on the table next to me. The players couldn't see how much time I was putting on it (30 minutes), but I made it very visible to them they were on the clock. Next to the timer I put a d6 with the 1 facing up. I did this so everyone could see it, but I didn't explain what it was all about. When we began, I asked if everyone was ready, and then I started the timer. When it went off, I described a few things like the superstructure of the place shaking, dust falling from the ceiling, things falling over, and such. Reset the timer, turned the d6 to the 2, and carried on. Each time the timer went off, I increased the intensity of what was going on and flipped the d6 to the next number. (When there was a battle, I would pause the timer.) By the time it got to 5, they were panicking and scrambling for the escape route. They were out of the place half way into timer #6.

Oh, that is evil...I love it!

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

That's a great thought. The only danger I see here is that it could split the party...and this party (especially in Session #1) is the sort that absolutely would fly off and leave their fellow PCs to blow up.

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

That's a great thought. The only danger I see here is that it could split the party...and this party (especially in Session #1) is the sort that absolutely would fly off and leave their fellow PCs to blow up.

There are basically two approaches, you either do this all as backstory, as an introduction at the start, or you play the game and accept that some may get themselves killed during it. If there is no risk and it runs on rails, you should just do it as backstory, in my opinion.

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

That's a great thought. The only danger I see here is that it could split the party...and this party (especially in Session #1) is the sort that absolutely would fly off and leave their fellow PCs to blow up.

There are basically two approaches, you either do this all as backstory, as an introduction at the start, or you play the game and accept that some may get themselves killed during it. If there is no risk and it runs on rails, you should just do it as backstory, in my opinion.

You mean because I don't want to kill off the PCs my players have spent the last couple of weeks designing in the first session, I shouldn't bother with it? Not sure I agree with that mentality.

I don't object to PCs dying - under the right circumstances - but for session 1 (unless things go very, very wrong...and, admittedly, there's the possibility that they might) - I'd rather give them every opportunity to survive. There are other ways to have "risk" without killing off the PCs...especially in this system, which gives you so much opportunity through Triumph/Despair/Advantage/Threat.

As for "running on rails", I'm a big fan of player choice, but when you're designing an Adventure you have to come up with some encounters, no? And a linear goal that all the party are striving for - like stealing a jewel or finding a lost treasure ship, or (as in this case) to get off the station before it completely breaks apart - seems like a fairly standard device.

Was merely a concern based on the worries you expressed about "this party" and that you stated they would succeed.

If you'd said that they'd succeed unless they deliberately tried not to, I'd have said nothing!

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

That's a great thought. The only danger I see here is that it could split the party...and this party (especially in Session #1) is the sort that absolutely would fly off and leave their fellow PCs to blow up.

The solution is to make sure each player has something the other players NEED. Like only one of them has a ship. A different person has a location to hole up in. etc. Make survival depend on all of them being there.

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

That's a great thought. The only danger I see here is that it could split the party...and this party (especially in Session #1) is the sort that absolutely would fly off and leave their fellow PCs to blow up.

The solution is to make sure each player has something the other players NEED. Like only one of them has a ship. A different person has a location to hole up in. etc. Make survival depend on all of them being there.

YES! Love this. Absolutely going to use this. Thank you!

Vermin like the dianoga might pose a danger. Sensing the threat it would be leaving its home among the thrash. A big frightened animal like that would be problematic for anyone that encountered it.

Have things they need to do before they have to get off the station. But have too many things so they have to sacrifice one of those things. IE they can do a and b but not c or a and c but not b or b and c but not a. Make all of those matter. You can even start by having them all possible but the first despair... nope.

That's a great thought. The only danger I see here is that it could split the party...and this party (especially in Session #1) is the sort that absolutely would fly off and leave their fellow PCs to blow up.

The solution is to make sure each player has something the other players NEED. Like only one of them has a ship. A different person has a location to hole up in. etc. Make survival depend on all of them being there.

YES! Love this. Absolutely going to use this. Thank you!

Your quite welcome. if you do it right it can keep things together beyond session 1

Vermin like the dianoga might pose a danger. Sensing the threat it would be leaving its home among the thrash. A big frightened animal like that would be problematic for anyone that encountered it.

ruptured trash compactor. frightened dianoga

Vermin like the dianoga might pose a danger. Sensing the threat it would be leaving its home among the thrash. A big frightened animal like that would be problematic for anyone that encountered it.

Dianoga is an excellent shout. Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, but what would the price be for failure?

Just out of curiosity, but what would the price be for failure?

Failing the adventure as a whole? I probably wouldn't let that happen (although I wouldn't inform my players of that - as far as they're concerned failure to get off the station = death).

They might well have a number of crits, very low wounds/strain, and a pretty busted up ship by the time they get off the space station. And then they've got to get past the capital ships that blew it up, of course.

Just out of curiosity, but what would the price be for failure?

Failing the adventure as a whole? I probably wouldn't let that happen (although I wouldn't inform my players of that - as far as they're concerned failure to get off the station = death).

They might well have a number of crits, very low wounds/strain, and a pretty busted up ship by the time they get off the space station. And then they've got to get past the capital ships that blew it up, of course.

I more meant the space station; just incase they don't do very well in the escape attempt. But sounds fair play to me.

Just out of curiosity, but what would the price be for failure?

Failing the adventure as a whole? I probably wouldn't let that happen (although I wouldn't inform my players of that - as far as they're concerned failure to get off the station = death).

They might well have a number of crits, very low wounds/strain, and a pretty busted up ship by the time they get off the space station. And then they've got to get past the capital ships that blew it up, of course.

How would you prevent it from happening? It's well and good to keep that a secret from the players, but if you magic them off the station at the last moment to save their lives, they might have a disconnect with the danger and urgency of the situation. Later on, they'll feel like risk is unimportant because they know you'll save them.

You could simply say the station's demise doesn't happen until the PCs escape. However, that might be like a week if they decide to take the time to explore and loot and rescue NPCs and such.

IMO, they should have enough time to escape — and ample warning all along.

But the risk should be there if they don’t.

Otherwise, you have removed Player Agency from the outcome, and neither side is likely to be happy with the long-term consequences of that choice.

If you really want to add drama. Let them think something else is the story. Maybe some sort of mystery they are trying to solve. Get them to get to know and like a few station denizens. You can even tie the mystery to those destroying the station. Then during the escape you can have things like an emergency blast door slam shut on one of these people cutting them in half as they are trying to escape to a life pod of something.

Another crew asks for help in moving their cargo from the cargo bay to their ship, offering the party a share of the cargo if they help. Turns out the cargo in question is slaves, leaving the party with some difficult choices to make.

The station intercom is directing all civilians to the centre of the station, stating that the station was designed to survive re-entry in the event of an emergency and that is the safest course of action. The party finds out that this is a ruse to ensure that the corrupt station personnel get to the escape pods and ships first.

Just out of curiosity, but what would the price be for failure?

Failing the adventure as a whole? I probably wouldn't let that happen (although I wouldn't inform my players of that - as far as they're concerned failure to get off the station = death).

They might well have a number of crits, very low wounds/strain, and a pretty busted up ship by the time they get off the space station. And then they've got to get past the capital ships that blew it up, of course.

How would you prevent it from happening? It's well and good to keep that a secret from the players, but if you magic them off the station at the last moment to save their lives, they might have a disconnect with the danger and urgency of the situation. Later on, they'll feel like risk is unimportant because they know you'll save them.

You could simply say the station's demise doesn't happen until the PCs escape. However, that might be like a week if they decide to take the time to explore and loot and rescue NPCs and such.

So if they take a week and loot the place, they WILL die - but since this fact will be made clear to them at the beginning, I don't imagine it will be a problem. Character knowledge will tell them that they have hours, at most, to get the hell out of here.