Game summary for March 29, 2011; present characters included Bernsen (dwarf combat mage), Network (dwarf drone rigger), Tango (ork tank), and Vessel (troll brawler).
The MACHETE black ops team went on a quick shoot-and-loot mission into enemy Amazonia territory on behalf of Aztechnology. The team inserted into the jungle via a watercourse using Network’s chameleon coated GMC Beachcraft patrol hovercraft. Network stayed in the cloaked “safety” of her onboard rigger cocoon but jumped-in to a GM-Nissan Doberman crawler drone. The team moved into the jungle seeking a small group of Amazonia guerrillas. Network had programmed a MCT Fly-Spy drone to scout several meters ahead scanning for movement. Eventually, the discovered a trio of guerrillas approaching. Vessel moved beside a tree, dropped down, and began setting up the tripod for his Stoner-Ares M202 medium machine gun. Network advanced her Doberman drone while Bernsen used a sustaining focus to hang Increase Reflexes on himself. Tango stood in the relative open and tried to lob a mini-grenade from his launcher in the middle of the approaching troops. Unfortunately, the ordnance was caught in some branches and detonated short of the target, blowing down a tree and clearing some line of sight. The three guerrillas advanced quickly, firing short bursts from their AK-97s as they came. They focused fire on the troll setting up the machine gun! A quick firefight ensued, and Bernsen cast a force 5 Fireball amongst the rebels. One burned to death and another suffered grievous injury. Before he could retreat, gunfire cut him and his other ally down.
The MACHETE team advanced further into the jungle and found the remaining five guerrillas, one of whom was an ork lieutenant. Vessel pulled his tonfa and charged one of the orks. Network began a steady stream of short bursts, and Tango opened up with his grenade launcher. This time, he drew a bead on one of the approaching orks and shot him square with a HE grenade. The blast injured the ork and his ally, but most of the trauma was absorbed by armor and pure ork meanness. The ork yelled “Nice shot!” and fired a return grenade from his AK-98. Unfortunately, after arming, the grenade sprung back from a limb and landed behind the ork and his elf ally. More fragments embedded in the ork’s armor, and he staggered about from the back-to-back blasts.
Bernsen rushed forward into battle with his monofilament sword while Vessel began a beatdown on the ork. Several of the enemy focused burst fire on Tango. Fortunately, his armor held, but he was beginning to weaken beneath the barrage. He managed to maintain some composure and place extremely accurate (and deadly) single shots. Network continued to wear down foes with her drone-mounted AK-97 assault rifle, including killing one of the foes engaging Bernsen. The combat mage took advantage of the space and cast Flamethrower, immolating an enemy and putting him down. Vessel finished his clubbing, and the team mopped up the remaining foes.
Although a success the team learned some valuable information on how they work together. They also got their first measure of the forces aligned against them. Overall the mission proved a good test and helped cement the PCs as a team.
The above summary is for a game session of Shadowrun: 20th Anniversary Edition played by the Phoenix Gaming Club.
