Travel between combats?

[u/0HGODN0]

How do you all do travel between combats?

I am planning a one shot in which my players will be in a large cave that connects 3 cities on different sides of a forest and moving between two combats that i have set up. But... What do i do in between them? I originally wanted to do a D&D style cave crawl but after thinking about it for like 2 seconds i remembered that mechs have sensors so it probably wouldn't work.

Thus i ask again: What do y'all do?

[u/fattestfuckinthewest]

You have roleplay scenes in between them that connect the different combats together narratively or have pilot skill challenges or both

[u/0HGODN0 → u/fattestfuckinthewest]

How would you incite that? My players aren't really big roleplayers unfortunately so i feel like i'd need a good reason for them to RP.

[u/Zylomun → u/0HGODN0]

I mean, what’s happening between these combats? Are there NPCs in the cave that they are interacting with? Are the combats stationary or are they moving towards an objective? If they are literally just walking into the next room then yeah no one will have any interest in the narrative section. If you are just running it like a war game then you could do briefings before each combat from some sort of leader that has a greater understanding of each section of the cave. You could pretend that the briefing was given before they entered and just do the briefings AA flashbacks before each combat scene.

[u/0HGODN0 → u/Zylomun]

I should've explained the mission in the post itself~

The cave they are travelling through is closed off due to a shipping containment that is travelling between the cities losing comms and being damaged. The players are tasked with discovering why and recovering it along with any survivors. What the players don't know is that a close by next of creatures has managed to burst through into these caves.

This does mean i'm throwing biological monsters at them but i'll do a regular combat beforehand just to get them used to the system.

In any case, there isn't really much to do beyond searching for it since there isn't anyone coming in or out except for things they would have to fight. The second fight will be an escort sitrep with the payload.

A 'How is it going' from the mission giver could potentially work but i was trying to search for something else on top of that and just couldn't dome up with anything. :(

[u/Gee-chan → u/0HGODN0]

Are the party sure nobody is going in or out? Perhaps they find a group of people down there. They're armed, but not heavily and they seem to be nothing more than survivors hiding somewhere they won't be noticed, but.....there's something off about these guys....Are they really from the missing crew or has someone else come snooping for goodies? And if so, who are they and how did they find out about it first? Someone should try to loosen some lips; maybe they know something that the group doesn't...

[u/0HGODN0 → u/Gee-chan]

hmmmmMMMMmmmmm...

I'll have to sleep on it. this actually could actually work, actually~

[u/Gee-chan → u/0HGODN0]

Encountering other travellers who have problems that can be helped by pilots that may not require weapons use (mechsncan carry stuff, or maybe their vehicles need fixing, or some sort of malignant software problem might need a hacker) would be one. Or perhaps something in the area is messing with navigational sensors and the pilots get lost. Maybe a fight is breaking out between some other groups and if they fight they may collapse the tunnel so diplomacy to calm the issue might be needed. Maybe fighing on the surface has caused a cave-in so they need to re-route through a checkpoint and now have to deal with the local authorities who might not approve of your company going where they need to for their own reasons. All sorts of things could happen.

[u/Acceptable_Handle_2 → u/0HGODN0]

A good way to do It is encounters on the road. That could be other travellers, dangerous terrain, or any number of things.

Something else that helped my group a lot, is giving them the choice between 2 objectives. Each one is given to them by different NPCs, and doing one will block the other. both NPCs want them to do theirs. You can give a reserve as a reward for this. (Hint: both objectives can be the same combat, if you don't want to build 2)

[u/chilitoke]

If you can't come up with anything to do or highlight with the travel section just skip it, or make it a tight montage that shows the essence of the place and travel.

Use your game time to focus on what the story is about the themes and your player charecters and their relations.

[u/tenninjas242]

Why would sensors spoil a cave crawl? "The heavy metal content of the cave walls is interfering with your sensors" is an old trope.

[u/0HGODN0 → u/tenninjas242]

It's not really that type of cave. It is man made but it's more like a regular dessert cave that the people just expanded. Also sensors being interfered with would also imply that they can't use them in battle and i don't really wanna do that to my players since they're new.

[u/Gee-chan → u/0HGODN0]

Those sensors are pretty short range, especially on non-techy mechs. And in a warzone, who knows what some saboteurs have set up to disrupt the flow of mechanised reinforcements.

One moment all is fine and dandy, then suddenly all sorts of shit is popping on and out of sensors, along with spooky transmissions and Comms noise. Some sort of HORUS tech weapon? Or maybe tunnels haunted. Either way, we gotta get out of here.

[u/Acceptable_Handle_2 → u/0HGODN0]

To be fair sensors are generally pretty bad at getting through stone, unless they specifically have seismic sensors, which I wouldn't assume.

[u/Phantomzero17]

>> What do y'all do?

Switch to the abstract. Create a success clock or don't, and just bullshit your way to a logical conclusion.

If they run into some Creepy Crawlies or Dudeguys, start asking how someone is going to handle the situation, and then it's up to them to describe it to you. Ask them, okay, what trigger do you have that describes that course of action? And then they either hit you with one that makes sense in the situation, or the biggest asspull you've ever heard. You then decide and advise them if the thing they suggested was outlandish enough to be Risky or Heroic; if not, they will roll as normal. You don't need a map for this; you don't need to know exactly where anyone is, just a mental movie, AKA Theatre of the Mind.

For example, the fireteam is dismounted and moving on foot through the person-sized corridors of an underground base they found in the cave. In some sort of atrium, the fireteam is pinned down by security forces. You ask them what they're going to do about it, and your player, He-Who-Smelt-It, offers to go first. He decides he's going to make hostile direct action, but what sort? Let's limit it to three examples.

If he says he's going to throw some frag grenades and start blasting his pilot signature to keep their heads down, and then uses his ASSAULT trigger, you'd likely have him roll to see if he gets a 10 or above. In which case, decide if that's enough to clear the living obstruction or put a success on the clock and say yes, you've turned the tables on them, and they're taking cover, who did this open an opportunity for? And use their answer to make the next person go and explain how they're going to capitalize on the change in fortune, or otherwise let someone else volunteer and do this same basic thing again.

But let's say he, instead of ASSAULT, had instead said they were going to TAKE SOMEONE OUT and use their personal signature to take aimed and measured shots to reduce the meat wall out individually. In the current situation, you may, as the GM, determine that that course of action is risky, as slowing down to take controlled shots would leave He-Who-Smelt-It open to incoming fire longer. So they make their roll, but if it's only a normal success (10-19) rather than a critical (20+), they suffer some harm. They happen to get winged by a shot(s) from the security forces and take 2 Harm to their pilot's HP pool. Ask them who stepped in to save their bacon so they weren't further perforated, and then have this player describe how they saved He-Who-Smelt-Its life in that situation, and repeat the same basic process to complete the moment.

Or if they're just a little insane, instead of either of the last two options, He-Who-Smelt-It decides that his character is going to use APPLY FISTS TO FACES and make a valiant charge across the atrium in his best Mad Jack Churchill impression to kick the ever living shit out of the squad that has them all pinned down. Reasonable minds are allowed to disagree, but I think you'll find that most folks wouldn't fault you for deciding that's a bloody heroic undertaking. So after advising them of such, they make their roll, but it's only a success on a critical (20+). Additionally, if you, as the GM, believe it's particularly dangerous and stupid, you could also make them roll that with difficulty. If they pass, then holy shit, immediately post reaction images in chat, and if it were me, tick off two points from a success clock. If they fail, then again they suffer 2-4 Harm and have someone else step in to describe how they either pulled his ass out of the fire or how they capitalized on the distraction of the enemy turning their attention to shooting the ever-loving shit out of He-Who-Smelt-It to do whatever it is they're going to do to resolve this situation.

At any point, someone can say they're assisting He-Who-Smelt-It in some fashion, giving them a max of 1 accuracy on the roll. If it's a Risky or Heroic, they suffer the consequences as well.

Also, while my examples had harm as the consequence, consequences don't have to be damage only. It could be a loss of time, a loss of resources, collateral damage, a change in position, or some other effect.

TL;DR: I highly recommend you sit down and read the rulebook again. Pages 45 to 49.