📑 Solo Session: For Small Creatures

A solo play example of Anna Blackwell's, For Small Creatures Such As We

Welcome to Solo Sessions, a solo play example from one of the game’s covered in The Soloist. In this session, I’m playing Anna Blackwell’s, For Small Creatures Such As We. I’ll start by creating my human pilot, the crew, and the starship. Then we’ll head out on a mission.

Zes, a Freelance Pilot

I choose to pick my characters background and stats.

• Pirate kid: Zes was born into a pirate family involved in smuggling and other dangerous activities. His first crime was stealing Moshi fruit from a royal preserve — he used it to bake his mom’s favorite cake. Zes grew up to be a good cook.

• A pirate’s life: Zes earned the nickname “Bugs” for always pestering the crew to help out. He learned engineering and advanced to ship’s pilot. Shortly after, the crew was double-crossed and their ship was impounded. Some crew were imprisoned; most escaped, including Zes.

• Freelancer: Zes is now a pilot for hire with a goal of earning a reputation by winning the Galactic Cup.

The Crew

I decide to have a crew of 3. Their traits are randomly generated.
  1. Beautiful, charismatic, blind
  2. Food producer, vegetal, old
  3. Arboreal, ambhibious, religious

• Lumis is a floating, internally illuminated jellyfish-like being. They communicate through lights beneath their translucent skin. Lumis’ tentacles possess chemical receptors for sensing the world. They are a diplomat for the religious orders on the planet Windsong.

• Tobar is an ancient tree-person who serves as a monk and botanist to an old religious order, The Verdant. Tobar is a wise and patient sage. His mossy bark exudes a calm, nurturing aura.

• Cor’ark is a young and hot-headed tree-frog-like alien. She also belongs to The Verdant and serves as Tobar’s assistant, often found hanging out in his branches. Cor’ark eats bugs and Tobar’s fruit. She is a skilled navigator and salvager.

The Evinrude

I start with a small ship and 2000 credits to spend on upgrades

The Evinrude is a small ship provided to Zes by The Verdant. It’s his as long as he runs missions for the order when requested — which seems to be often. It has tight quarters and a basic bridge and cargo area. It’s upgrades include:

• Aquatic chamber: Necessary for Cor’ark, enjoyed by all.

• Racer engines: Faster but fuel-intensive.

• Homely kitchen: Where Zes cooks special foods for the crew.

Mission to Port Freedom

It makes sense to start on the planet Windsong, home to several ancient religious orders, with a mission from The Verdant. Because Lumis is a diplomat, I can roll for a diplomatic mission.

For destination I pick a card
  - Port Freedom, home of the pirates
For mission objective, I roll a 2
  - Represent a citizen of your Client's in a trial of some sort.
I'll determine more when the crew reaches Port Freedom.

There is a monk from the order on trial. Windsong is sending their best diplomat, And Zes has connections in Port Freedom that might be of use.

“Port Freedom? That’s a long haul, and not the safest route,” Zes mused. “But it’ll be good to see the old asteroid. Set a course!”

• Flight plan: Port Freedom is located on the far side of the galaxy, requiring the Evinrude to make several stops for fuel and supplies. The first waypoint is Unity, home of the Galactic Government. From there, the ship will head to Progress, a planet undergoing terraforming, before traversing more dangerous space to reach Port Freedom.

• The trip to Unity was uneventful, but gave the crew an opportunity to get to know each other a bit.

  • Zes was usually on the bridge or learning the recipes for the crew’s alien diets.

  • Tobar would tend his meditation garden in one of the small cargo containers.

  • When Cor’ark wasn’t busy on the bridge maintaining the ship’s course, she was hanging around Tobar.

  • Lumis was often tapped into the ship’s commuincation system — listening to the latest news and sharing obscure updates with the crew.

Protest on Unity

For a planetary event, I draw a 5
  - Members of an organization radically opposed to our own holding a rally.

• Encounter with the Future Initiative: While refueling at the docks, the crew visted some of Unity’s sites. The crew was on their way to see the local Verdant grove-temple when they spotted out front members of the Future Initiative. This group promotes technological and economic growth. They oppose The Verdant’s ecological efforts.

  • Cor’ark, hot-headed and impulsive, leaps from Tobar’s branches and hops towards the temple’s entrance, eager for a fight. Tobar shakes his branches and calls for her to return.

  • Lumis senses what’s happening and floats gracefully to the entrance. Their body emits soothing, rhythmic lights as she approaches the protesters. Zes holds the translator for Lumis and magnifies its output. Lumis asks for calm, telling a story about one of a famous industrialist who was also a great environmentalist.

I made this a challenge and decided that there was a 50% chance of a positive result. I drew a red card which was indicated a negative result. 

• Some of the mostly human crowd, shout Lumis down. A few of them move towards the crew aggressively. Zes quicly hails a hover-van and ushers the crew inside. “To the spaceport, and make it quick,” he instructs the vehicle.

I increase the crew's Heat by 1 and lower their Happiness by 1

A short stop at Progress

• The trip to Progress was uneventful. Tobar instructs Cor’ark to reflect on the recent confrontation. He shares a story about a time when patience and wisdom triumphed over impulsiveness.

For a planetary event, I draw a 8
  - Crewmate wants to tour the Installation's museum

• The Evinrude lands at Progress. Tobor, who follows the terraforming project’s botanical efforts, is excited that they’ve arrived in time for a new exhibition on artic fungal growths. The rest of the crew spend a few days restocking the ship and admiring the massive atomispheric processors and geothermal drilling platforms.

Perilous Passage to Port Freedom

• As the ship heads closer to Port Freedom, they enter some of the galaxy’s most dangerous space.

I draw an encounter in an orange “unsafe” zone.
  - An explosion rocks the ship as you hit an old cloaked mine. 

Forgotten Minefield

• While the crew were at dinner, an explosion rocks the ship. Alarms blare and the ships’ computer announces that the ship has dropped out of light speed and sustained critical damage to the hull. Racing to the bridge, the crew checks their displays.

• Cor’ark reviews the ship’s recordings and sees that they have traveled through an unmarked minefield. Lumis says this area was mined decades ago as part of a police anti-piracy tactic. Zes recalls a story about it from a childhood history lecture, telling the pirate side of the conflict.

• As an engineer, Zes attempts to repair the hull and succeeds at getting everything back in one piece. Cro’ark’s aquatic chamber, however, completely vented into space. Repairing it will require a trip to a spaceport.

I two encounters in red “hostile” space.
  - One crewmate is worried about Red Zone
  - Message from a black market dealer

Red Space

• The experience with the minefield has left Cro’ark shaken. She seldom travels this far from Windsong and she’s nervous about entering Red Space. The crew is pretty stressed out and isn’t much comfort to her. But, Tobar has made a temporary aquatic space for her in his medication garden.

• As the Evinrude continues its voyage, Zes receives a cryptic message on comms. A black market dealer, known only as Varek, offers illegal goods at 50 credits per cargo unit. Zes agrees to meet hoping to get more information on the situation at Port Freedom. Moments later, a sleek, dark ship uncloaks beside the Evinrude.

• The Shadow Serpent is dimly lit with flickering, pale blue lights. The walls are lined with various crates and containers marked with cryptic symbols indicating their illicit contents. The air is thick with the scent of exotic spices and faint traces of engine coolant. The ship hums with the quiet menace of advanced, illegal modifications. Zes is a bit jealous.

• Zes is greeted by Varek, an old human in a worn jumpsuit. Zes notices the patch on Varek’s sleeve— the crest of an honorable pirate clan. Recognizing it, Zes greets Varek with a secret handshake and invites him to share a meal.

  The rest of the crew, however, is suspicious of how well Zes gets along with the Serpent’s captain.

• After the meal, Varek assures Zes, “It’ll be smooth sailing from this point to Port Freedom.” He offers Cor’ark an optimal approach plan to the planet. As the Evinrude departs, Zes knows they have an ally and a friend open for business and a meal when they return.

Weclome to Port Freedom

Asteroid Belt Outpost by nylki

• As the Evinrude approaches Port Freedom, the crew’s relief is short-lived. Upon landing, they’re greeted by an unexpected security party—a mix of armed aliens and humans. At the front stands one of Zes’ old friends, Sera, her expression unreadable. “Zes, we need to talk.”

• Will Zes’ old friend turn out to be an ally or a foe? Who is the monk Lumis has been sent to represetn and what are they on trail for? Find out next time on Solo Sessions!

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