We’re back to the campaign outline. I can’t believe it’s been over two months since I posted about this but the map project did suck up most of my time. This post will cover the two UK produced modules, SFAD5: Bugs in the System, and SFAD6: Dark Side of the Moon. If you need to catch up, you can read part one and part two by following the links.

These two modules, unlike the first four, have the AD designation as they were published after the release of the Knight Hawks expansion and related modules that carried the KH designation. The AD specification let us know you didn’t need Knight Hawks skill to play the module which is good, as our intrepid adventurers don’t have any yet.

We’ve skipped over SF4: Mission to Alcazzar as I like to do that one last. I’ll cover that one in part four of this series and explain why. It’s really a toss up between doing SF4 or SFAD6 last, and in some ways might make sense to run SFAD6 as the final Alpha Dawn module but I think Mission to Alcazzar makes for an easier transition to the Knight Hawks modules. In any case, let’s look at the next steps of the campaign.

Getting Started

Just like it took a little bit of work to get the PCs in position for Sundown on Starmist, the same is true for Bugs in the System. At least if you keep the Belnafaer system in the position indicated by the module itself. You are always welcome to move it where ever you want in your game.

The module says to put Belnafaer in one of the single star systems between Scree Fron, Truane’s Star, and Athor. I had originally put it in the system labeled FS22 but the Zeb’s Guide map put it straight out from Scree Fron and there wasn’t really any reason not to use that location so that’s where I put it on my final map.

The problem is that, just like before Sundown on Starmist, the PCs are all the way on the other side of the Frontier from where the adventure is supposed to take place. It might actually be easier to put this module before Sundown on Starmist. That way, they are at least in Truane’s Star. You still have to come with a reason for them to be headed to Scree Fron and back so as to take this route but the distance isn’t as great. Then you only have to get them over to the right side of the map once as the rest of the adventures take place in that part of the map.

Running this today, I’d use the Jurak Hangna Foundation, a character and institution created by Eric Winsor for the Frontier Explorer. Jurak runs an botanical and zoological preserve on Hosakar in the Scree Fron system. Whether they are leaving Volturnus or Starmist, I’d have them contacted by the Foundation requesting them to either transport some fauna from that world to the preserve, or maybe the Foundation had already acquired some and wanted their expert advice about it. In either case, the would have reason to travel to and from Scree Fron and layover in the Belnafaer system thus kicking off the adventure. I would have the adventure occur as they are returning from Scree Fron. Their time in the Scree Fron system should be a short adventure netting them an additional 3XP for their time.

Running Bugs in the System

I just want to say that I love the way the computer systems were set up in this module. It something I want to emulate in adventures I put together in the future and something I need to look more closely at as I haven’t actually read the module all the way through in a couple of decades.

Running the module is fairly straightforward. The PCs receive the job offer and go off to investigate the cause of the problems and effect the repairs needed. Over the course of their time on the Jetsom platform, and their return to the Moneyspider, they discover and hopefully defeat the virus that is causing the problems.

According to the module, the PCs should receive between 15 and 27 XP for the adventure with 21 being average. I’m going to award them 24XP for succeeding in solving the mystery and preventing the virus from leaving the system.

The Dark Side of the Moon

Once again we need to get the PCs across the Frontier as Kraatar is over on the right side of the map and Zeb’s Guide gives it a jump route from Theseus. This can be partially alleviated is you just have them take a longer trip on the spacecraft. While the module makes it sound like the trip is fairly short, you could have the PCs recruited in Prenglar, an appropriate place for the award to be presented, and the trip to Kraatar could take several weeks. Or you could come up with some middle small adventure to get them in the general vicinity of Theseus. And if you ran Bugs in the System before Sundown on Starmist, they are either in White Light or K’sta-Kar and are fairly close by. At some point, they need to be recruited and on their way to Kraatar.

Otherwise, this module can just play out as presented. It definitely presents a darker side to the Frontier than the other modules but is a great adventure with lots of intrigue and action.

By the time the characters get to the climax on the moon, hopefully one of them has reached level 6 in their Technician skill so that they can fly the shuttle. If they are laser focused, it is possible by this point to have even achieved a level 1 skill in Piloting but that isn’t necessary. The AD rules specifically say that level 6 Technicians can fly shuttles.

This is a pretty long adventure with a lot of possible XP. The module itself explicitly lists 39XP available if they do everything exactly right. I’m going to award my characters 32 XP (Legrange manages to slip away and they weren’t perfectly successful in all the parts of the adventure). Also as part of the ending, they get a free ride to Theseus or White Light (their choice) as that is where I want them to be for the next stage of the adventure.

The Characters

So from these two adventures and the little side adventure along the way, the PCs have managed to pick up 59 more XP. That, plus the 13 from Sundown, gives them 72 XP that they’ve been spending along the way to increase their skills. Now seasoned adventurers, their skills stand as follows:

The PCs are now right on the cusp of getting their Knight Hawks skills. While it’s possible that they might have gotten them already, I chose to spread the XP out a bit more. They will definitely pick them up after the next adventure.

In the next part we’ll finish up the Alpha Dawn modules and the PCs will be ready to start their careers as spacers.