Mini-Campaign: How to Pirate Space

The murdered pilot was only the start of their worries, as the Dragon's Daughter VI crash lands on an unknown planet in dire need of repairs. A team is sent off to scout, and ends up embroiled in a rebellion's rescue mission.

Did you know?

This mini-campaign was recorded as part of Roleplay Radio and released as a 5-episode mini-series. Start listening here or on your preferred podcast app, or keep reading for a summary of the adventure.

Their Story

After pilot is murdered, the Crew of the Dragon's Daughter is forced to crash land on an unknown planet to evade a worse fate in a metadimensional storm. Alive but stranded, Captain Hawk and First Mate Brady seek out the murderer while Rami, John Louie, Sid, and Juliet scout the nearby mountains for signs of where they could procure needed parts to repair the ship. Or even a whole new ship.
The four pirates learn they're on the planet Rada in a region controlled by the Emerald Legion. The local Radan Resistance helps them infiltrate the nearby Legion compound to steal the equipment they need for their ship. In exchange, the pirates help the resistance free a Phoenix the Legion held captive. Along the way, they find evidence that the Legion was after something on board the Dragon's Daughter, and their now-murdered pilot was going to get it for them.
In the end, the four rush back to the crashed Dragon's Daughter. They stop the execution of the pilot's murderer with the proof they uncovered. With an incenced Emerald Legion on their tails, the crew gets to work on repairing the ship to make their getaway. An open mystery remains, however. What's on board the ship that the Legion wants, and how far are they willing to go to get it?

GM Notes

Mini campaigns might be my new favorite thing. The short arcs can be powerful and punchy without overstaying their welcome. This campaign featured the same three players from Campaign 1: The Night Knights and Campaign 2: The Gal Pals, along with one newcomer. The veterans made references and jokes to parts of the world and prior campaigns, and though this led to exposition breaks to ensure the fourth player wasn't left out, it was hugely gratifying as a worldbuilder.

Lessons Learned

Do not make 6 leveled characters in one night.

I thought making the character sheets would be helpful, but between skills, equipment, PDF problems, and more, it took hours. During session, I kept forgetting who had which abilities, confusing everyone along the way.

Everything takes 50% longer than expected.

I expected this to take two sessions, with each session being about 2.5 hours long. Half an hour into the first session, I realized we'd need a third. I sacrificed speed to let my players roleplay their characters more.

Skills Practiced

First Impressions

I worked on making NPC personalities clear and memorable from the start, without relying too heavily on tropes and archetypes.

Differing Voices

I focused on clear word choice and mannerisms to differentiate characters by how they speak, despite often not changing my actual voice much.

Themes & Arcs

To help with more compact storytelling, I want each campaign to have a theme that it plays into and builds upon. This one was "what kind of pirate are you?"

Compact Infodumps

Sometimes context isn't enough to explain an aspect of the world, but exposition can be kept short and focused to keep the game moving.

Player Characters

John Louie

Sid

Juliet

Rami

Key Allies

Dragon's Daughter Crest by Rin Garnett

Radan Resistance

Lead Zikomo

Lead Ayanna

Sniper Niata

Infiltrator Kreshimir

Key Adversaries

Emerald Legion Crest by Rin Garnett

Author Commentary

Whodunnit

Alim's killer wasn't predetermined. I introduced four suspects at the beginning and rolled a d4 upon their return to the ship to determine which suspect was the culprit. I had methods and reasons planned for each of them so I'd be ready no matter what the dice rolled.