Valkyrie

A Sci-Fi adventure based in the Firefly Universe using the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition rules.

Written by ErikBloodAxe

The Way It Is

For as long as there have been small ships making there way across the 'Verse, there have been those folks who hope to make a quick, but dishonest credit. Times are tough. After the War, the Alliance, although they won, they don't have as many ships to patrol the space lanes as they used to. This gives those with a working ship and a disrespect for decent folk an opportunity to take advantage.

Here's the Story

The PCs have booked cheap passage on a small tramp freighter called the "Jīn Chuán" (Map in side bar), to the rim worlds where they are looking to pursue their own goals, during the voyage, the ship breaks down, and the ship that comes to help them is intent on capturing the vessel and salvaging any parts and cargo that it can, and of course leave no witnesses. The Pirates are lead by a female captain that goes by the nickname "Valkyrie", as she is often the last thing people see before they die. The pirates want to take advantage of the broken down freighter to make some easy money, before any other vessels are able to reach the disabled ship, and the PCs are standing in their way.

The captain of the ship, Peng Qing, is struggling to make ends meet. He owes a lot of money to a Tong (Chinese gang), and they are holding his daughter as security against him completing a delivery of drugs to their contact in the Rim. Those goods are locked in a secure storage locker, and only he has the code to unlock the door. The Tong has also paid one of the crew, Raven Richards to keep an eye on the captain to make sure he doesn't do anything they wouldn't like, like let pirates take the cargo.

Preparation

It is recommended that you read the whole adventure, and read the information on the NPC sheets before the game so that you are familiar with the motivations behind each of the NPCs.  The map of the ship could be printed out and shared with the players, as they will have access to ship during the journey, except for the Bridge, the Crew Quarters, the Locked Port-Side cargo room, and the Weapons locker in the Main Cargo bay.  Since this adventure is designed to teach the players as much as possible about the Savage World Game system, you should be prepared to resolve the skill challenges and combat situations as they are laid out in the adventure.  Also, feel free to expand upon what is provided here with additional skill challenges, and examples of rules.

Structure

Exposition

The Player Characters (PCs) have booked a trip to the Rim Worlds on the "Jīn Chuán" a run down vessel that is all but held together with duct tape. For various reasons, mostly the very cheap tickets, and the immediate departure schedule, this was the ship that they chose. You can read this to the players, or roleplay out the information, so that the PCs get a feel for the ship and for the crew:

The "Jīn Chuán" is not the best looking ship in the 'Verse, nor is she going to win any prizes for upkeep and maintenance, but what she lacks in looks, she makes up for in cheapness and expediency. The cost of the trip out to the Rim Worlds usually costs ten times what you paid for your berth on this vessel.
The ship has a small crew, Captain Peng Qing, in a middle aged man, whose eyes hold a sadness in them, even as they dart around the ship noting things that are in need of repair. The ship's engineer, Monique Babin, tries to avoid the Captain's gaze as she hurries about working to repair the items on a list that seems endless. She offers you a tight smile and nod as she carries her tools about the ship. Rudolph Glenn, who everyone calls "Wild Fire", talks the loudest amongst the crew, and it usually is a boast or story of how great he is, but he is a hard worker, and mentions how he is expecting this to be a great trip. The last crew member, Raven Richards, is the friendliest. She is always smiling and chatting with everyone. Her main role on this trip is as the cook, but she is always hanging out with Monique to see how she repairs things. She hopes to one day be more than just the cook.

Remember that each of the crew members has their own secrets and motivations, and that they will not reveal too much to the PCs at the beginning, and might in fact not reveal anything depending on how the adventure plays out.
The ship will have a quiet and mostly uneventful three days of travel before moving on to the Conflict section. You can use this time for role-playing between the PCs and the NPCs so that the PCs get a feel of who the NPCs are and can develop relationships with them. During this time, emphasis the minor problems with the ship: Monique is constantly working to fix something; the Captain is always talking with her in between repairs in hushed tones. 'Wild Fire" is working on a number of different tasks as well, but he is more than happy to stop work and chat about himself, at least until the Captain comes around to see what he is doing. Raven will talk to the PCs the most, asking about them and where they are from and where they are going.

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Conflict

On the evening of the third day of the journey, as the crew and the PCs are sitting at the table, this is a good time to run an Interlude (SWADE, p.130). After the Interlude, Monique will mention that she is going to clean and re-calibrate the aft oxygen scrubbers. If asked about it, she says it is just routine maintenance, but the air will smell a little sweeter when it comes back online. She will then go back to the Main Engineering to do the work. About ten minutes into the work, there will be a loud explosion from the Main Engineering room. This explosion will knock Monique unconscious, and anybody else in Main Engineering must make an Agility Check (TN 4) or take 3d6 damage. The explosion does three things to the ship: First, it knocks out the Life Support System leaving just 36 hours of Life Support before their is no oxygen; Secondly, the explosion takes the engines off line, leaving the ship drifting - emergency power keeps all the other systems working, but there is no propulsion or steering; Finally, the explosion creates a series of electrical overloads throughout the ship causing six small fires that need to be extinguished (1 in the Engine Room, and five scattered throughout the ship - You decide where).
If the fires are not found and extinguished, reduce the remaining life support duration by 1 hour for every minute any number of fires are burning. The Captain will be on the Bridge trying to regain control of the ship. Wild Fire will rush back to engineering, to fight any fires that are there, and then afterwards to get Monique to the medical bay. The Captain will have notices of the fires on his systems, and will come over the loud speakers to request all the fires be found and extinguished.
There is a fire extinguisher in main engineering, one on the bridge, one in the main cargo bay, and one in the kitchen. To extinguish a fire with the fire extinguisher requires an Agility Check (TN 4). Trying to extinguish a fire with the extinguisher is more difficult (set the target number based on what the PCs tell you they are doing to fight the fire).

Aftermath

Once the fires are out, the Captain will ask for volunteers to help assess and repair the damage since Monique is out of commission. He will let everyone know that the life support system is down, and how many hours of oxygen are left before it runs out. He will also tell everyone that the propulsion and steering is off-line, and that while the ship is still moving in a straight line, that with out those systems operational, it is likely that the ship will be destroyed as they approach the halfway mark of the journey, where they were going to slingshot around a gas giant, but without being able to control that maneuver they will likely be pulled into the gas giant as they approach it, or worse, miss it by too much and head out into deep space. He gives the group a couple of hours to get things working, or he will send out a distress call.
Diagnosing the Issues In order to diagnosis the problem with the life support system, a PC or NPC can make a Repair roll (TN 6), but that will just tell them what the problem is - A short in the bypass conduit sparked the explosion in the secondary CO2 scrubber causing the explosion and sending a power surge through the galvanic impeder and into the primary engine control circuits. The surge caused numerous power couplings to fail and spark setting all those fires.
Fixing Life Support In order to fix the Life Support System the PCs will have to complete a Dramatic task (SWADE, p122). In order to get life support back online, the PCs will have to complete three Repair rolls (TN 6) and then three Electronics rolls (TN 6). Each of these rolls takes one hour of work. Any critical failures will result in the destruction of a critical part that does not have a replacement on board. Someone with the McGyver Edge can make a replacement with a Repair roll (TN 8) and 4 hours of time. If they fail, they can try again with the same TN but with only 2 hours of effort.
The PCs can Support each other as they work to make these Repairs as well, either by using Repair or Electronics depending on which is the main task.
Fixing Propulsion and Steering The propulsion and steering systems are in worse shape than the life support system. After three successful Repair (TN 6) rolls (1 hour each) the repair person will come to the conclusion that without a replacement Primary Power Converter the engine won't come on line. Because if the amount of power that goes though Primary Power Converter, and the chips that control and modulate the energy, this device can not be McGyvered easily (TN 15, 8 hours) and even then it will burn out after an hour of use.
Once that is determined, the Captain will make the decision to send out a distress call. The call will be answered within an hour, with the responding ship identifying itself as "GS Humphries", an asteroid miner from the Grendal Services company, and they may have a Power Converter that may work, and if not they can perhaps take the ship in tow to a safe location until parts can arrive. 
If the life support has not been fixed, then they will arrive shortly before the life support fails, if life support is functioning, they will arrive in about 10 hours.

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Rising Action

Aftermath Once the fires are out, the Captain will ask for volunteers to help assess and repair the damage since Monique is out of commission. He will let everyone know that the life support system is down, and how many hours of oxygen are left before it runs out. He will also tell everyone that the propulsion and steering is off-line, and that while the ship is still moving in a straight line, that with out those systems operational, it is likely that the ship will be destroyed as they approach the halfway mark of the journey, where they were going to slingshot around a gas giant, but without being able to control that maneuver they will likely be pulled into the gas giant as they approach it, or worse, miss it by too much and head out into deep space. He gives the group a couple of hours to get things working, or he will send out a distress call.
Diagnosing the Issues In order to diagnosis the problem with the life support system, a PC or NPC can make a Repair roll (TN 6), but that will just tell them what the problem is - A short in the bypass conduit sparked the explosion in the secondary CO2 scrubber causing the explosion and sending a power surge through the galvanic impeder and into the primary engine control circuits. The surge caused numerous power couplings to fail and spark setting all those fires.
Fixing Life Support In order to fix the Life Support System the PCs will have to complete a Dramatic task (SWADE, p122). In order to get life support back online, the PCs will have to complete three Repair rolls (TN 6) and then three Electronics rolls (TN 6). Each of these rolls takes one hour of work. Any critical failures will result in the destruction of a critical part that does not have a replacement on board. Someone with the McGyver Edge can make a replacement with a Repair roll (TN 8) and 4 hours of time. If they fail, they can try again with the same TN but with only 2 hours of effort.
The PCs can Support each other as they work to make these Repairs as well, either by using Repair or Electronics depending on which is the main task.
Fixing Propulsion and Steering The propulsion and steering systems are in worse shape than the life support system. After three successful Repair (TN 6) rolls (1 hour each) the repair person will come to the conclusion that without a replacement Primary Power Converter the engine won't come on line. Because if the amount of power that goes though Primary Power Converter, and the chips that control and modulate the energy, this device can not be McGyvered easily (TN 15, 8 hours) and even then it will burn out after an hour of use.
Once that is determined, the Captain will make the decision to send out a distress call. The call will be answered within an hour, with the responding ship identifying itself as "GS Humphries", an asteroid miner from the Grendal Services company, and they may have a Power Converter that may work, and if not they can perhaps take the ship in tow to a safe location until parts can arrive.
If the life support has not been fixed, then they will arrive shortly before the life support fails, if life support is functioning, they will arrive in about 10 hours.
GS Humphries Arrives As the Humphries enters visual range, the ship appears to be an asteroid miner, although there is no name visible on the outside of the ship if anyone tries to spot that.
Once the Humphries arrives, they will ask permission to attach to the airlock and come aboard. They will show the power converter that they think will work on the video screen, and/or at the airlock if asked to do so.  They will offer to come on board and help with the install and repairs, claiming that it is a tricky installation, and if it goes wrong they don't have another power converter.
If they are allowed on board, they send a couple of their crew to the engine room, and a couple say they are going to take a look at some of the other systems to make sure everything is OK, as they have seen some older ships short out when a new power converter is installed, so it is best to have a look.  
If they are not given that permission, then they will just storm in when the airlock opens, starting a fight if anyone puts up resistance.  If they are able to get onboard with out a fight, they will spread out over the ship, and when signaled by Captain Valkyrie, they will try to capture any body near them.

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Climax

During the struggle for control of the ship, be sure to emphasis various actions that can be taken so that the new players become aware of them, such as Surprise; Aim; Push; Support; Test; Armor; Armor-Piercing; Prone; Cover.
The crew will help fight off the pirates, but use their actions to help demonstrate the system to the new PCs, and to show the PCs that combat is fast and furious! If possible the crew will try and get to the weapon locker in the main cargo bay to get the shotguns that are located there, and distribute any weapons to players that need them.
Also, use enough pirate crew members to challenge the PCs, but if the pirates start to lose they will start to retreat back towards their ship. Valkyrie will try to rally them, and in particular will want to try and get any valuable cargo out of the locked cargo bay if possible, but she will not risk her life needlessly. She will retreat to her ship with whatever crew she can save, and close the airlock. She would have left two crew members at the airlock to protect their ship and cover their retreat. These pirates will be armed with assault rifles and will use Cover Fire to allow their crew mates to retreat. Hopefully, Valkyrie will return in another adventure to get her revenge on the PCs!
The pirates in the engine room, will drop the Power Coupling when the fighting starts, so as long as the crew and Pcs are able to drive the pirates off, then the Power Coupling is available to be installed.

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Resolution

Once the pirates are defeated or driven off, it takes just an hour to install the new power coupling, and get the ship back on it's way.  After a few more days of travel Monique is able to resume her duties around the ship.
Once arriving at their destination, the Captain, or Monique if the captain is dead, offers the PCs thanks, and a free trip the next time they need a ride back to the Core worlds.

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Components

Goals

The player characters want to make it safely to to the Rim by surviving the pirate attack and getting the ship running again. In order to do so, they need to both repair the ship, and fend off or defeat the pirates.

Hooks

This is admittedly a bit of a railroad, as the player characters are starting in media res. They will already be onboard the Jīn Chuán making their way to the Rim worlds when the ship breaks down and the pirates enter the scene.

Stakes

Like all space adventures, the stakes here are life or death. If they can not repair the ship they will be adrift until the life support systems fail and they die of asphyxiation, or they may be killed or captured by the pirates.

Relations

Protagonists

Pre-generated Player Characters
This is a list of the pre-generated characters for your players to choose from if they do not already have a character. You could also have a couple of these on the ship as NPCs, just in case one of the players dies, you can give them one of these to play.

1. Colter Bing: The Fighter - Good in a brawl, or with a gun
2. Nara Lincoln : The Pilot - Can fly most things after a few minutes of familiarization
3. Li Bai : The Medic - a field medic, not a good fighter
4. Rylie Nutlea : The Mechanic - Knows how to fix things, some better than others
5. Stockton Thackaray : The Aristocrat - Wealth and status open doors, not great at fighting
6. Annette Colby : The Kid - Young and in need of protection, but has a certain skill set, and optimism
7. Clint Soames : The Hired Gun - Surly and able to hold their own in a fight, but wants to see the credits up front
8. Cassandra Sweet : The Face - Able to charm her way through most things
9. Titus Birkenhead : The Merchant - Able to buy and sell anything to anyone
10. Winter Sutton : The Runaway - Just looking to get away and start a new life
11. Lucas Milton : The Entertainer - Sings and dances for meals
12. Saige Sherwood : The Settler - looking to start fresh in a new place

Allies

The Freighter Crew

• Peng Qing: Captain, Chinese, pilot. Owes money to the Tongs, so ship repairs have been neglected in order to pay them off. Doesn't want to lose his ship, or his life.
• Monique Babin: Mechanic. Looking to get a better job on a better ship. Willing to trash talk the captain after a few drinks.
• Rudolph 'Wildfire' Glenn: crew & hired gun. Not happy about most of the profits going to the Tongs, but knows he can not stand up against them.
• Raven Richards: Crew. Hired by the captain, but secretly on the payroll of the tong as well to make sure the captain doesn't skim the take.

Adversaries

The Pirates
The pirates here are generic NPCs from the Sci-Fi Companion. Names are given to them if they are needed, except for the Captain, who is a well known pirate, and hearing her name would inspire fear in the crew of the tramp freighter.

• Valerie 'Valkyrie' Slater: Captain
• Jake 'Snake' Peterson: mechanic. 
• London 'Outlaw' Shepherd: crew/fighter
• Phoenix 'Wild Hog' Workman: crew/fighter
• Alex 'Knife' Kane: crew/medic
• Maddox 'Moral' Dillon: crew/fighter
• Morgan 'Gamble' Lowe: crew/fighter
• Jayden 'Lucky' Hubbard: crew/fighter
• Sam 'Shootout' Douglas: crew/fighter
• Lee 'Bog-Trotter' Barker: crew/fighter
• Skylar 'Bad Mouth' Grimes: crew/fighter
• Jaden 'Bulldozer' Blackwell: crew/fighter

Personal

• Pirate Crew

• Race: Human
• Size: 0
• Profession/Concept: Pirate Crew
• Rank: Novice

Attributes

• Agility
• Smarts
• Spirit
• Strength
• Vigor

Bennies: 0

Conviction:

Charisma:	Pace: 6
Parry: 5	Toughness: 6

Skills

• Fighting
• Intimidation
• Notice
• Piloting
• Repair
• Shooting
• Stealth

Status

• Shaken Vulnerable
• Wounds:
• Fatigue:

Note: penalties are not influencing the die rollers!

Gear

• 0

  Medium Pistol
  24 bullets

Hindrances

• Greedy
  Mean

Edges

Advancements

• Advance Points

Weapons

Weapon	Range	Damage	AP	RoF	Shots	Weight
Medium Pistol	12/24/48	2	3	1	24	2
	Notes:

Armour

Armour Type	Location	Value	Stacks	Weight

Powers (Power Points: of )

Name	PP	Range	Duration	Effect	PP invested

Savage Worlds © Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Savage Worlds Sheet v1.01, made by Tillerz - 2020-05-18

Backdrops

Locations

This adventure takes place entirely on the starship Jīn Chuán while it is on route to the Rim with cargo and passengers.

Threats

The ship is in poor repair, and several things breakdown during the journey starting on day three on what should be a ten day passage.  On day five, the maneuvering thrusters malfunction putting the ship in danger of colliding with a large gas planet as it enters the

Plot type

One-Shot Introduction to Savage Worlds

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Map of Jīn Chuán

Jīn Chuán

Open full size

The small trader spaceship, Jīn Chuán.

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Links to Player and GM Resources:
Test Drive Rules
Savage Firefly Rules