SWN With a level 0 funnel - Play Report

Intro

My playgroup typically only plays D&D5e. We're currently playing the "Oddysey of the Dragonlords" module, in which for some reason, our characters seem to be unable to actually die. As our usual GM needed a break to study for exams, I decided it'd be a good change of pace for the players to experience a permadeath bloodbath. Cashing in on the recent hype train of Helldivers and the resurgence of Starship Troopers, I decided they'd get to see how they fare as grunts in a sci-fi army, with the first session being a DCC-Style Funnel.

Would you like to know more? Art Credit: Andrew Andreev

Character Creation

Arriving at the session, I have 3 players, whom I each hand an A4 with 4 character sheets on it (credit to /u/Hodaza on reddit). Each of them roll 3d6 in order for stats and note down their bonuses, and 1d6+Con for hit points. They note down 10+Dex for AC, they repeat this 4 times, and that's it. They're done making their characters. That took them all of 15 minutes. The free "set a stat to 14" they'd get later at level 1. As for equipment and skill choices, I find these are better enjoyed getting through play than before play. That's why each PC is awarded 3 "skill points", which they can use to raise their skills 3 times total for each PC at any time during play.

Boot Camp (Skill Challenge)

All the PCs arrive at space-boot camp on a barren desert planet. To acquaintance my players with how skills work in SWN, specifically the free-form ability to pair them with attributes, I take my players through 4 skill challenges in boot camp, where each of their PCs gets to test their mettle. Their drill sergeant, Sgt. Pearson, announces that he'll be keeping score. Highest score gets a special prize, worst score gets sent home. They begin with the Obstacle Course

• Pvt. McGreglas successfully rolls STR/Exert to climb over hurdles (He spent 1 skill point to raise Exert from -1 to 0 before rolling)
  
• Pvt. Eduardo unsuccessfully tries to roll CHA/Talk to convince others to help him pass the obstacles
• Pvt. Alfred fails at trying to use INT/Sneak to cheat past the obstacle course.

Sgt. Pearson awards McGreglas points, and deducts points from the other two. It was also at this point we realised it's supposed to be "Pvt. [Last Name]", not "Pvt. [First Name]". Oh well. In similar fashion, the other PCs go through Weapon Training (De- and Re-Assembling AK-47s), Drills and Ceremonies (Marching, Saluting, etc.), and The Classroom (learning Xeno-biology, First Aid, Tech, etc.).

When all is said and done, and the PCs' mettle have been tested, Pvt. Edgar gets sent home for having -3 points total, after accidentally misfiring his AK while trying to reassemble it. The best performer, Pvt. Francisco, gets to be squad leader for the mission, after successfully using his telepathy to cheat out advantages in boot camp.

11 out of 12 PCs remain.

To War!

On the way to the distant planet of Takanukka, the Squad Leader's player is given scraps of paper with items on them, including but not limited to: Machine Gun, Flame Thrower, Binoculars, Sniper Rifle, Climbing Harness, and Lazarus Patches. He hands these out to his squad (the collection of all PCs) where he deems they'll be most useful. Sgt. Pearson gives him three tasks:

1. Set up a communications beacon deep inside the jungle, on a high point.
2. Bring down an alien monolith.
3. Capture an alien, or otherwise gain useful intel about them.

The party is dropped off on the planet, and they quickly get to work. After entering the jungle, Pvt. Edgar climbs up a tree to try and look for a high spot. He gets up high and points out where there's a good hill nearby. Unfortunately, because of his poor roll (a 2), he falls down from 30m up and breaks all of his bones. The squad leader makes the difficult choice of telling his comrades to mercy kill him, and suffers 1 point of stress from doing so (What stress does exactly I haven't decided yet, but he has it).

10 out of 12 PCs remain.

The squad sneaks toward the hill, climbs up high, and sets up the beacon. The sniper and his spotter notice the beacon's beeping gets the attention of nearby aliens. Three 3HD aliens that appear like giant scarab beetles attack the PCs, but the squad fortunately suffer no casualties. 

After completing their first objective, they get on with #2, bringing down an alien monolith. They see one in the nearby desert, but before they begin heading there, they receive a distress signal over the radio- 3 clicks away, The 22nd Squad is being razed by aliens. The PCs opt to ignore this call and head into the desert instead, focusing on their own objectives.

The squad finds this alien monolith, and upon closer inspection, find it covered with symbols of an alien language. They experiment with it:

• Pvt. Juan tries touching it. Lightning immediately emanates from the top of the monolith, instantly disintegrating him. 
• Pvt. Vladimir tries approaching it, leaving a grenade at the base, and then running- Before he manages to flee, lightning from the monolith shoots the grenade, hurting both the monolith and Vladimir. He falls unconscious and loses 1d4-1 (2) limbs in the process. The player chooses to lose both legs, and be carried in a backpack for the rest of the mission.
• Eventually, Pvt. Boris throws two grenades at it in short succession, the first one is blasted, and then the second one lands right next to it before the monolith can shoot again, and it is destroyed. 

 

An Alien Monolith in the forest. Art Credit: Amir Zand.

9 out of 12 PCs remain. One of those 9 is missing both his legs.

For the last objective, the squad gathers Boris' legs and some fruit from a tree to feed to a nearby sand-worm. They get on friendly terms with the beast, but feel a great rumbling beneath their legs. Feeling themselves done with the mission, they call for extraction. Just as they do so, a giant sand worm emerges from beneath them. It eats Pvt. Dominik, and then the PCs gun it down. The massive beast falls down on top of 3 PCs, killing Pvt. Philip, Pvt. McGreglas, and Squad Leader Pvt. Francisco.

5 out of 12 PCs remain. They are extracted, leveled up to 1, and promoted in rank.

Session Review

The players overall enjoyed this session, and found it a nice change of pace compared to regular (d&d5e) gameplay. Despite having had little input in character creation with regards to who their characters were and what their strengths & weaknesses were, they seemed very happy with how their stat blocks naturally developed into characters as they RP'd, gained equipment, and, against all odds; accomplished great heroics in war, and survived to see the end of their first tour of duty. As a GM, I'm happy that the players are getting accustomed to the existence of real, permanent, PC death. This, I find, is one of the biggest boons that comes with running funnels.

PC Art eagerly submitted after the session by the MG wielder. Art Credit: Miguel Iglesias.