Asteroids and Athletes Ch. 01

"Maddy, it's your turn. The creature is badly hurt, but you'll still fire with a penalty because you haven't left melee range."

"It's fine, I'll do it." I rolled the percentile and ten sided dice once on the table, then the percentile die again, and reported the worst of the rolls as, "Fifty-nine."

"Is fifty-nine below your skill?"

"Yes, my skill is sixty," I replied.

"Lucky," Heidi scoffed.

"You hit the creature," Cesar said. "Roll damage."

I took two eight sided dice, biting my lip nervously and rolled them onto the table. It was an eight and a four.

"Twelve damage," I said.

"Nice hit. Hmm... ok, here's what happens. You are struggling against the creature. You're not sure you can make the shot because if you're not careful it will bite through your armor and extract you like a can opener to devour you. But... when it opens its massive mandibles to do so, you manage to shove the muzzle of your rifle inside its mouth. What do you say before you pull the trigger?"

At that point of the night I couldn't think of anything clever, so I just said what came to mind.

"J-just fuckin' die already." The others at the table laughed, including Cesar.

"Blue gore blasts from out the back of the beast's head and across the spaceship," Cesar said. "It falls dead before you. Congratulations!"

That was the end to my first big group tabletop roleplaying game battle. It was lit!

It was never something I would have pictured myself doing. It all happened sophomore year, but not till later... Summer and fall were jam packed. Sure the first couple weeks I had time off to catch up with my family and friends, but after that, it was four days of working out, 2 days of summer school, and 1 day of football practice on repeat every week. It was all in order to keep my body ready for the next season of football as a running back for the Underhill Anacondas. I was in the best shape of my life back then. My legs were fast, my arms were strong, and I had six pack abs again. Football and class consumed all my time, but it was only three months from the start of the school year to the last game at the end of November.

My introduction to tabletop roleplaying wasn't until January, in Econ 102. The professor had finished her lecture and I stood up to pack my bag. I noticed two guys with a book that had some sci-fi art on the front. I had seen the guys before, always sitting in front of me. One was Asian with blue hair over one of his eyeliner lined eyes. He wore all black clothes with light skin.

The other guy had long black hair tied in a topknot with an undercut. He had light coco colored skin, clean cut clothes and thick black glasses over his pretty brown eyes.

"You can borrow it till next week," he said to the guy with blue hair. "The others have their characters set up already."

The book cover had a scene with a trio of soldiers in full body armor and big guns fighting a giant ant-like creature.

"Can I choose any profession?" said the blue-haired guy, with a high voice.

"I think they need basic DPS, Heidi is a hacker, Evan is stealth, and Maira is a leader."

"Ok, I'll pick something and let you know."

"See you next week?"

"Yeah, thanks Cesar."

The art on the book looked lit. I screwed up the courage to ask what they were talking about. Maybe it was a computer game.

"Hey, what's that book?" I asked, as the blue-haired guy placed the thin volume into his bag. The guys look at each other briefly and then back to me. The one with the topknot spoke first.

"It's a Player's Guide for AnA."

"AnA?" I asked.

"StarHunter, Asteroids and Aliens."

They could probably tell from my expression that I didn't understand, because the two men started to explain it.

"It's a roleplaying game," the young man with blue hair said.

"It's... a bit like an interactive story," said the guy with the topknot. "One person describes the settings and characters, while the others control their own characters."

"And we get to fight monsters and stuff," the blue-haired guy said, pointing to the giant ant-like creature on the cover as he pulled the book back up from his backpack. "But we use dice like a board game."

They looked at me, waiting for a response.

"Sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I'm Maddy."

"Hi, I'm Cesar," said the guy with the topknot, putting out his hand. I shook it.

"Justin," the other guy said. I shook his hand as well, noticing his grip was even stronger than Cesar's.

"Good to meet you," I said. "So you do this AnA a lot?"

"Just starting," Justin said.

"We finished a Knights and Naiads campaign just before the break, and a lot of us wanted to switch to something Sci-fi so I agreed to GM," Cesar says.

"GM?" I asked.

"Gamemaster," Cesar said. "The GM plays all the monsters and puts the story together."

"It sounds.. lit," I admitted.

"If you're interested we need another player for next Wednesday. I don't usually invite just anyone, but you're interested in playing?"

"I'm not sure if I'll be any good, but I'm willing to try."

"So you've never played any tabletop RPGs before?"

"Is that what AnA is?"

"Yeah a roleplaying game. How about we meet separately from the group so we can set up your character? See if you like it."

"Sure."

"Text me and we can find a good time? Maybe before the weekend?" he said

"Ok sure." He gave me his number.

"Ok sweet."

"Uh? See you later then?" I said.

"Uh yeah," Cesar said.

Justin gave a small wave with a wan grin as the two guys left.

I texted him that night and we set up something for the weekend. On Saturday afternoon I drove over to the address he sent. Although I wasn't one of those women that was putting on makeup all the time, I checked myself in the mirror before I left the car. I adjusted my horn-rimmed glasses covering my hazel eyes with thin eyeliner and tilted my red Flash hat to the side over the tight black coils of my hair I had pinned into a tight bun. My outfit was red Converse All Stars, fitted red shirt, and baggy blue jeans. I pulled a yellow hoody over my broad shoulders. I felt a bit self conscious about my muscular arms but I enjoyed being strong, especially on the field. It wasn't that I didn't have feminine features though. For one I had a pretty big chest and long eyelashes, it's just I didn't emphasize them too much. And it also really depended on my mood. Sometimes I dress in a sleeveless muscle shirt and sometimes a blouse. My parents thought I was confused and so did many of my girlfriends and boyfriends. It had been rough growing up and not fitting into the traditional mold, but in college it didn't bother me as much.

I grabbed my phone, placed it in my back pocket and then slung my backpack over my shoulder before I stepped out of the car and popped the trunk to grab the six pack of beer. I walked up to the front of what looked like a typical suburban home in the West part of Underhill, noticing the classic three small square windows set diagonally across the top part of the door. Cesar opened it after I knocked.

"Hey Maddy," he said.

"Sorry I'm late," I apologized.

"No problem. Come inside."

"Where can I put this?" I asked, holding out the beer.

"Oh thanks, you didn't have to bring that."

"No problem, thanks for inviting me."

"You can put them in the refrigerator in the garage," Cesar said, walking inside and opening a door on the left.

Inside the two car garage was a long wooden table set in the center. On one end of the table was a pile of books, papers, a box of dice, and what looked like a file folder with 4 panels standing up on its sides. There were military looking characters shooting at large bug looking creatures along the panels.

After putting away the beer, we made small talk. I remember him complimenting my outfit, talking about the Flash for a little, my football experience, and then we sat down.

"Here's your character sheet," he said, holding out a piece of paper covered in text.

"Thanks?" I wasn't quite sure of what I was getting into. The paper looked very similar to homework.

"It can look like a lot of rules, but this RPG is one of the easier ones to learn. I'll explain anything you don't understand." I took the sheet and set it in front of me on the table.

"What was it called again? The GM?" I asked.

"Gamemaster. The one who controls the game, and all the other characters the other players don't control, referees combat, and takes care of all the minutiae of the game world."

"Referee, ok." I still wasn't convinced this wasn't going to be like a school project. At this point I considered that I may have made a mistake.

Cesar popped a couple beers and handed one to me.

"It will get easier as we play. Usually each player picks out what their character's name is, their class, rolls stats. This game doesn't have classes like the typical fantasy games, it has professions. The others are all mercenaries so you'll be another mercenary member of their group. You'll be playing a sort of dungeon crawl in space. And since this is your first time I'll help you set up all your skills and stats. It will probably take most of our first session." He grabbed three dice from a leather tray and handed them over to me. "And I want to see if you like the game and if you're a good fit for our group. It's kinda like a tryout, no offense."

"No problem. What do I do with these?"

"You need the dice to roll your stats. There are six character stats with a maximum value of eighteen for human characters. They are..." he started naming them on his fingers, "Smarts, Willpower, Luck, Strength, Speed, and Charm. Ok roll all three dice in the tray."

I started rolling and he told me where to put the sum of all the numbers. As we went through all the stats he explained what each one did in the game. In a few minutes I had all the blanks filled out except one.

"Hey how come you have that paper wall in front of you?" I asked, pointing to the cardboard standing up on the table between Cesar and myself.

"It's called a GM screen. I can keep notes or other things behind it hidden to surprise the players. I can also clip reminders to it or enemy notes for combat," he

explained, turning it around to show me. Then he turned it back. "Ok the last stat to roll is Charm. Some people think it's how attractive your character is. It's a little that, but more about being able to influence or convince other people."

"Ok." I rolled the dice again. "Eight. Is that bad?"

"I wouldn't say that. But it is your lowest stat. Although everyone likes to have all high stats, it can be a bit boring to roleplay. So if you're some badass that's super smart, hella strong and silver tongued, you don't really have any weaknesses. A weakness is what makes things fun to play."

"What do you mean? No one wants a weakness," I countered.

"Well not everyone likes to roleplay, but for those that do it makes a character challenging and real. Some people really like the acting part of roleplay. Speaking like their character and trying to complete their story arc. You remember Justin?" I nodded. "He is really into that. He speaks in accents and voices sometimes. He really likes getting into character."

"Ok," I said, not certain how to feel about that.

"No one is perfect, so a flaw can ground someone. For example my friend Tay played a goblin bard before. Goblins aren't very intelligent creatures, but bards rely a lot on intelligence for their spells and abilities. So it made it difficult. Roleplaying is often about making the most of things despite your failures."

"Sounds difficult."

"Sorry I was babbling," Cesar apologizes. "It's pretty simple, you don't need to worry about too much today, just rolling dice. You can watch the others do the roleplay if you feel comfortable.

"Do I need my own dice?" I asked.

"No. You can use mine whenever we play. I have an extra set. But some people want their own dice after a while. Some people think their own are more lucky," he said. "Ok, well next I should describe a bit of the setting. StarHunters: Asteroids and Aliens is a Sci-Fi game with all sorts of different planets, aliens and technology. The game is set in an alternate timeline of the year 2069. Your character is a human mercenary with their own ship and medical robot."

"Ok, should I write this down?" I was still thinking of this game like homework.

"You don't have to."

"So we're all hunters? StarHunters?"

"That's what some people call explorers because they are always looking for new areas of the galaxy to explore. The session today is just for your character. I'll introduce you to the group after the intro session if everything goes well."

"Lit."

"Is it ok if I record the session? I post an actual play transcript online using a text to speech app."

"I'm not sure what you just said, but... sure?"

"With my tablet I can generate a written version of our game session so people can read it online later."

"But I've never played before," I countered.

"It can be useful for beginning GMs. Show them how I run things and help them start out. It's how I got better, by reading and watching others."

"Oh, ok," I agreed.

Cesar took a drink of his beer, then he turned on a wireless speaker and started some low-fi music. It sounded atmospheric, like faint city noises outside with a beat on top of it.

"Alright starting recording, one, two-" he didn't say three, but pushed something on his tablet.

Cesar: Ok we'll start your first actual tabletop RPG session in StarHunters: Asteroids and Aliens. First things first, let me describe your character's backstory. You're an orphan that has never known your birth parents. You were raised by tough Jozan mercs, mercenaries, who took a liking to you when they found you barely alive in a derelict vessel at the age of three. Jozan are scaled humanoid aliens that are hairless with short tails. They gave you the name Yaae Sule and trained you for decades. The one you call father taught you how to drive TC line spaceships and the one you call mother taught you how to shoot. Although you've been learning, only recently did you go with them on a mission. You proved your worth when you saved their life in combat, warning them of a sniper. The universe is a dangerous place, but that day you convinced them you could go out on your own. Which is good because they are getting old even though they don't admit it. You still live with them in a tiny apartment of a sublevel complex that barely has enough room. You told them you wanted your own contracts and space. They agreed, but only after another mission to get a little extra buffer of money. You haven't heard from them in a month. It's very unusual and you worry something has happened to them. You asked around and found their last contract was from someone named Deemo. He has an office in the business district.

That brings us to now. Currently you're in your tiny rental apartment. You basically have a kitchenette, which has a sink and a micro-oven, a small table that two people could sit to eat, then a bathroom, which is a closet shower slash toilet. For sleeping arrangements, there are three hammocks that hang between the walls through the kitchen and table areas when they aren't being used. Yours is at the top.

Maddy: Damn that's small.

Cesar: In Vaaga, because it's a trade and hub city, the large spaces are reserved for warehouses and such. The houses tend to be small. But yes it's pretty tiny. There is a little storage locker in the floor for weapons and other storage beneath the sink and hung up on the ceiling and walls.

You had called Deemo yesterday and he let you know to meet today if you wanted to talk more about the contract your parents took. It's an hour-long grav-train ride from Vaaga, the city where you all live, to Acowa, one of the largest business cities of the planet Zanjo I.

As you leave the apartment the auto-lock closes behind you. It's easy to get back in, just use your handprint. The long hallway you now stand in has a plain hospital feeling, but much older and dingier. It's all made of plasteel, just like the walls of the apartment room. There are dozens of small apartment doors on each side as you head down the hall. There isn't much in terms of unique designs for each apartment. You and your parents have only been here a few months because your old apartment raised the rent. Since you've only been in this place a little while you still find it's easy to get lost without your datapad.

Maddy: Datapad?

Cesar: It's basically a smartphone of the future. Most people have one.

Maddy: Lit.

Cesar: Along the plasteel walls are some graffiti, and bits of refuse litter the corners. An old Jozan woman in tattered clothes sits at the end of the hall by the elevator with a small cup, holding it out.

You've seen her here a few times, begging for scraps. When you press the lift button, the light above illuminates indicating it's coming to this level. The old woman speaks.

(Old Woman) Please spare a couple creds? What do you do?

Maddy: I have money? Is creds like dollars?

Cesar: Yes it's AnAs version of dollars. It's used universally and can be digital or physical just like in real life. Look here on your sheet. You have 500 credits that you have to start off.

Maddy: Ok. I'll give her... I'll give her five creds.

Cesar (Old Woman): Oh thank you so much Earthling, luck to you.

Maddy: I'll smile at her and get on the lift.

Cesar: The doors close and you head upstairs to the main road. Once there you look at your tenement. It has one level on the ground floor and the rest is underground. It's very low cost housing provided by the government. You pay 80 creds for every 50 cycles.

Maddy: What's a cycle?

Cesar: It's the earth equivalent of a day. Jozan have 50 cycles in their month. As you look at your surroundings you see more tenements that line the road and a few small burnt out old buildings filled with debris and covered in graffiti. There was a defective model of micro-ovens installed in tenements a few years back which caused hundreds of deaths when they all exploded in a cascade failure.

Maddy: Shit.

Cesar: Mag-cars coast down the streets and the sidewalks have their usual assortment of poor workers and homeless. Most are Jozan, around seventy percent, Leshani are about twenty-five percent, and the rest are a mix of other alien species with humans only one percent or so. The largest population of Leshani refugees on the planet lives here.

Maddy: What are Leshani?

Cesar: They are basically humanoid mice. They have fur, large eyes and pointed faces. Most people are familiar with them because they fled their planet when it was overwhelmed by the Evocites, a mysterious species of alien that appeared about 100 years ago.

Maddy: How?

Cesar: The Evocites are extremely deadly. Think of an alpha predator, basically the top of the chain of an aggressive planet that is suddenly introduced into a more docile world. There have been talks about nuking the planet, but then no one could live there. Anyway, you're about the same height as most Jozans, so they catch your eyes when they pass. Some give you a second glance, but most ignore you. You're used to it, and Jozan are familiar with most aliens, especially in Vaaga, the city is a trade hub melting pot where many live doing shipping, distribution or merc jobs. You grew up in the next city over that has a bit more of a merc presence, Rantasca. You had some friends there growing up, but no lasting friendships.

It's about a block until you reach the grav-train. You get to the auto-stairs and let them carry you down to the main platform where you wait for the train. If you look up to the holo-display next to a plasteel column you see a countdown clock indicating that the next train is due in ten minutes.