Blow the Bunker – First Star Wars WEG D6 campaign with my nieces and nephews.
For nephew #1 (D, age <10)’s birthday I gave him a printed version of the REUP 2 nd edition revised and expanded sourcebook and some printouts to help get them started.
I ran a Peter S. short campaign “blow the bunker”. The players were boys aged <6 ( R ) and <10 (D) and girls aged <12 (A) and (E), and (Ev) <12 who watched and joined in a little at the end. The kids had no prep as to how to play the game or role playing games in general. After a few minutes of basic explanation they picked up on it very quickly. Their characters and primary attributes were picked out by the kids, however their improved stats and equipment were taken strait from the pre-made suggested rebel spec force characters made by Peter S. for the mission.
Mission Summary: The players are a rebel special forces team inserted near an Imperial supply depot guarded by 10 garrisons arraigned concentrically around the depot. Each consists of a small garrison, sensor tower, and two surface to air missile batteries. The objective is to destroy one of the garrison’s tower and batteries to create a hole in the defensive grid to allow a larger force of 10 medium transports and 2 x-wing escorts to land troops and strip the depot of supplies. This mission is designed to be timed, so you set a 1 hour timer and the players have that long before the transports arrive and they either succeed or get shot down.
Lineup:
Croaker – GM and NPC’d spec force team commander
(D) – Demolitions Expert
(R) – Heavy Weapons
(A) – Medic
(E) – Wilderness Fighter
(Ev) – Pilot
After Action Report:
The Team’s pilot (Ev) drops the team with their U-wing outside of a forest a few kilometers from the garrison. Early perception check allows one of the members (E) to detect the presence of an imperial probe droid. The team hides in ambush with mixed success. (E) and (A) are able to hide (in a tree and behind a bush respectively) but (D) rolls poorly and a 1 on the wild die to boot. (A) gets the first shot off and damages the probe droid and (E) attacks twice scoring hits both times. The probe droid self-destructs and (D) is saved by the good rolls of his siblings. The kids decide to hide the remains of the probe droid before continuing. They don’t go far before the two biker scouts alerted by the probe droid arrive.
This time the scouts arrive too quickly for the kids to set up an ambush. The team leader is injured in the attack and the first trooper goes down fast. The second takes off on his bike and a very lucky shot from (A), six into six into six on the wild die, drops the second trooper as he tries to escape. (At this point the girls are really getting into it but (D) and (R) are feeling a little useless but the super lucky shot getting the last biker trooper has all four of them cheering and excited). The medic helps the NPC and the kids move quickly (as time is running out), giving up on stealth, to reach the edge of the forest as quickly as they can. There they sneak up and take a look at the garrison and its defenders.
After assessing the situation and the clock the team decides to leave the Leader and (R) hidden in the woods while (D), (E), and (A) sneak around the stormtroopers to missile launcher #1. (D) sets his first charge on time delay but rolls a 1 on the wild die. I have nothing bad happen at this time so they successfully sneak to the sensor tower next (with (D) continuing to look at me sideways about that ‘wild die’ thing…). After realizing that (A)’s chances of setting a charge quickly is low she passes her charge to (D) who sets this charge on remote detonation. They again roll a successful sneak to proceed to the last target. Just as (D) is placing the last charge the time delayed charge on launcher #1 goes off prematurely…
The stormtroopers on guard quickly find the rebels and engage. (E) dodges the first shots but is unable to score any hits in return. (A) manages to (barely) take one of the troopers on guard out. (D) however takes a shot to the left leg and is wounded but conscious. Time is running out and the kids are feeling the pressure. (A) and (E) are able to drop the closest stormtrooper but aren’t sure what to do next. My nephew (D) looks at the timer, looks at me, and I tell him he can hear the sound of the transports in the distance – time is almost out. He asks how close they are to the last charge they planted and I tell them all 3 are still within the blast radius.
I ask (D) what he wants to do and remind him again of his position. (D) looks me in the eye and with serious determination says, “the mission comes first”. Hearing this, (A) and (E) announce they are taking off at a run. (D) raises his hand and mimics pushing a detonator button. (E) rolls a 1 on the wild die and trips, falling flat on her face and (A) does not roll well enough to escape the blast radius…
(D) takes shrapnel to the left side of his face and is unable to tell the extent of the injuries. (E) is saved by her face plant from the blast but is now prone as the stormtroopers from the garrison boil out. (A) catches some shrapnel in her lower back. Things are not looking good.
(R), who has watched the game intently up to this point (he is young), decides it’s time to get involved with his light repeating blaster rifle… (R) proceeds to successfully mow down the other troopers charging from their posts and out of the garrison. The glee on the young boys face as he rolled well over and over from his hidden position was great.
I now pose (A) with a moral dilemma as I had (D) a few moments before. Both she and (D) are injured badly, who does she treat first? After thinking about it she decides that if she passes out, she helps no one, and treats her own injuries. As a consequence I have (D) lose his left eye. He declares it is a small price to complete the mission as the transports fly overhead…
(Ev) now decides she wants in so I have her roll to land the U-Wing and to fly back to base in time to get her wounded team medical treatment.
Addendum: I received a text from my brother in law the day after they returned home: “These kids… Star Wars lore... what have you done!?!?!” And later: “(E) hasn’t seen the OT so we’re already on Empire. During intermission they’re huddled around a binder!" (the sourcebook gift)