[Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 07 – Ronin 47

[JourneymanN00b]

Cover


Hello, folks. My work situation has let up a bit, so I will begin running this ACE gamebook. Anyone interested in joining this adventure is welcome. I will try to update this thread on a twice per day basis, although this frequency is far from guaranteed due to the risk of heath or work issues throwing serious obstacles. I will be out of town with family from May 23 to May 25, so I cannot reliably provide any updates within that time period.

Preface

RONIN 47 is unlike other books. In fact, it is an interactive science fiction novel, inspired by the Legend of the Forty-Seven Ronin from 18th century Japan. And rather than reading it from cover to cover, you will discover that at the end of each narrative section you will be presented with a series of choices that allow you to control the course of the story.

As well as the book itself, you will need two dice (or a standard pack of playing cards), a pencil and an eraser. Using these tools, and a simple set of game rules contained within the book, you will undertake a dangerous mission to avenge a terrible wrong, whilst piloting a twenty-metre-tall robot war-machine.

YOU decide which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of the monstrous creatures and rogue mechs you will meet along the way to fight. But be warned – whether you succeed in your quest, or suffer a terrible fate yourself, will be down to the choices YOU make.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FUTURE

2021 – A new hottest-ever temperature is recorded in the southern polar region of Antarctica.

2030 – Global emissions of greenhouse gases peak after policy makers fail to curb climate change.

2040 – Global warming continues, resulting in widespread droughts and rising sea levels.

2051 – With the world facing the ‘Hothouse Earth’ scenario, the United Nations sign the Gaia Treaty.

The people of Earth combine their scientific knowledge in an attempt to restore balance to the natural world. Plans are put into action to ensure the relentless destruction of the biosphere ceases for good.

In many parts of the world, Mother Nature needs a helping hand to repair the damage done to the planet by the human race, and so Project Proteus is born, with geneticists and marine biologists developing the K-Compound to restore the coral reefs.

At first, it is hailed as a success, as the corals quickly return, and the seas around them soon teem with life. But the genetically modified Corallium novum continues to grow and multiply, laying claim to coastal communities. Growing in size all the time, it evolves to combat whatever obstacles stand in its way.

Those creatures that feed on the coral also begin to absorb enough K-Compound to start mutating. The beneficial properties of the unintentionally created bio-weapons pass up the food chain, and the kaiju are born.

A ‘Scorched Earth’ policy is adopted, but in the long term, this only serves to make the situation worse. Bombing runs, or attacks against the creatures utilising heavy ordnance, help to spread the K-Compound farther afield. Something is needed that can get right to the heart of the problem, meeting the kaiju head on in single combat.

In Japan, this dire need leads to the development of the Guardian Programme – building giant robots that can resist the monsters – which is subsequently copied by other nations. But it is too little too late. The islands of Japan are among the first to fall to the kaiju, and Tokyo itself is destroyed.

Those Guardians that survive go their separate ways, some banding together to seek vengeance against the kaiju.

THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR


Introduction

The year is 2121, and the apocalypse has been and gone. Amidst the ruins of the old world, the human race fights for survival against the gigantic, hyper-evolved kaiju. Humanity’s most effective weapons against the monsters are the colossal mechs developed by the Guardian Programme.

In RONIN 47 you take on the role of Commander Oishi, a Samurai class mech pilot and leader of Phoenix Squad, operating out of Ako Base in the Philippine Sea. You decide which route to take, which perils to risk, and which of the monstrous creatures and rogue mechs you will meet along the way to fight.

Success is by no means certain, and you may well fail to complete the adventure at your first attempt. However, with experience, skill, and maybe even a little luck, each new attempt should bring you closer to your ultimate goal.

In addition to the book itself, you will need two six-sided dice, or a conventional pack of 52 playing cards, a pencil, an eraser, and a copy of the RONIN 47 Adventure Sheets (spare copies of which can be downloaded from www.acegamebooks.com).

For the purposes of this thread, the RONIN 47 Adventure Sheets will be hand-made and periodically displayed.

Playing the Game

There are three ways to play through RONIN 47. The first is to use two six-sided dice. The second is to use a conventional pack of 52 playing cards. The third is to ignore the rules altogether and just read the book, making choices as appropriate, but ignoring any combat or attribute tests, always assuming you win every battle and pass every skill test. (Even if you play the adventure this way, there is still no guarantee that you will complete it at your first attempt.)

If you are opting to play through RONIN 47 using the game rules, you first need to determine your strengths and weaknesses.

Two six-sided dice will be used to play though this adventure, unless a majority of posters requests otherwise.

Your Attributes

You have three attributes that you need to keep track of during the course of the adventure. Some of these will change frequently, others less so, but it is important that you keep an accurate record of the current level for all of them.

     •     Agility – This is a measure of how athletic and agile you are. If you need to leap across a chasm or dodge a deadly projectile, this is the attribute that will be employed.
     •     Combat – This is a measure of how skilful you are at fighting, whether it be in unarmed combat, wielding your keen-edged katana, or using a blaster.
     •     Endurance – This is a measure of how physically tough you are and how much strength you have left. This attribute will vary more than any other during your adventure.

Unlike some adventure gamebooks, in RONIN 47 your strengths and weaknesses are not determined randomly. Instead, you get to decide what you are good at and, conversely, what you might not be so good at.

Your Agility and Combat attributes start at a base level of 6. Your Endurance score starts at a base level of 20. You then have a pool of 10 extra points to share out between Agility, Combat and Endurance as you see fit, but you can only add up to 5 points to each attribute. Therefore, the maximum starting score for Agility and Combat is 11, and the maximum starting score for Endurance is 25. (You must apportion all 10 points one way or another and cannot leave any unused.)

For example, you might choose to add nothing to your Agility score, 5 points to your Combat score, and allocate the remaining 5 points to your Endurance score, making you a mighty warrior and giving you the following starting profile for the game:

Agility = 6, Combat = 11, Endurance = 25.

Alternatively, you might want to add 4 points to your Agility and Combat scores, and the remaining 2 points to your Endurance score, making you more of an all-rounder, and giving you this starting profile:

Agility = 10, Combat = 10, Endurance = 22.

Having determined where your strengths and weaknesses lie, record the value of each attribute in the appropriate box on your Adventure Sheet in pencil, and make sure you have an eraser to hand, as they will doubtless all change at some point as you play through the adventure.

There are limits on how high each of your attributes can be at the start of the adventure, but there are also limits on how high they can be raised during the course of the adventure, dependent upon bonus points you may be awarded. Neither your Agility score nor your Combat score may exceed 12 points, while your Endurance score may not exceed 30 points. However, should your Endurance score ever drop to zero, or below, then your adventure is over, and you should stop reading immediately; if you want to tackle the quest again, you will have to start from the beginning, determining your attributes anew and starting the story from section 1 once more.

Testing Your Attributes

At various times during the adventure, you will be asked to test one or more of your attributes.

If it is your Agility or Combat that is being tested, simply roll two dice. If the total rolled is equal to or less than the particular attribute being tested, you have passed the test; if the total rolled is greater than the attribute in question, then you have failed the test.

If it is your Endurance score that is being tested, roll four dice in total. If the combined score of all four dice is equal to or less than your Endurance score, then you have passed the test, but if it is greater, then what is being asked of you is beyond what you are capable of and you have failed the test.

Restoring Your Attributes

There are various ways that you can restore lost attribute points or be granted bonuses that take your attributes beyond their starting scores, and these will be described in the text.

However, an easy way to restore lost Endurance points is to consume Rations or use a Medi-Pack. You begin the adventure with 5 Ration Packs and 3 Medi-Packs. One Ration Pack will restore up to 4 Endurance points, while one Medi-Pack will restore up to 6 Endurance points.

Sometimes you may find a way to replenish your Rations or Medi-Packs. Make sure that if you do find any supplies of this nature you record them on your Adventure Sheet.

Combat

You will repeatedly be called upon to defend yourself, during the course of your adventure. Sometimes you may even choose to attack an enemy yourself. After all, as they say, the best form of defence is attack.

When this happens, start by filling in your opponent’s Combat and Endurance scores in the first available Oishi Encounter Box on your Adventure Sheet.

Whenever you engage in combat, you will be told in the text whether you or your enemy has the initiative; in other words, who has the advantage and gets to attack first.

     1. Roll two dice and add your Combat score. The resulting total is your Combat Rating.
     2. Roll two dice and add your opponent’s Combat Score. The resulting total is your opponent’s Combat Rating.
     3. For each Combat Round, add a temporary 1 point bonus to the Combat Rating of whichever of the combatants has the initiative for the duration of that round.
     4. If your Combat Rating is higher than your opponent’s, you have wounded your enemy; deduct 2 points from your opponent’s Endurance score and move on to step 7.
     5. If your opponent’s Combat Rating is higher, then you have been wounded; deduct 2 points from your Endurance score and move on to step 8.
     6. If your Combat Rating and your opponent’s Combat Rating are the same, roll one die. If the number rolled is odd, you and your opponent deflect each other’s attacks; go to step 10. If the number rolled is even, go to step 9.
     7. If your opponent’s Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over, and you can continue the adventure. If your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10.
     8. If your Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning. However, if you are still alive, go to step 10.
     9. You and your opponent have both managed to injure each other; deduct 1 point from both your Endurance score and your opponent’s Endurance score. If your Endurance score has been reduced to zero or below, your adventure is over; if you want to play again you will have to start again from the beginning. If you are still alive but your enemy’s Endurance has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over, and you can continue the adventure. If neither you nor your opponent are dead, go to step 10.
     10. If you won the Combat Round, you will have the initiative in the next Combat Round. If your opponent won the Combat Round, they will have the initiative. If neither of you won the Combat Round, neither of you will gain the initiative bonus for the next Combat Round. Go back to step 1 and work through the sequence again until either your opponent is dead, or you are defeated.

Fighting More Than One Opponent

Sometimes you may find yourself having to fight more than one opponent at the same time. Such battles are conducted in the same way as above, using the ten-step process, except that you will have to work out the Combat Ratings of all those involved. As long as you have a higher rating than an opponent you will injure them, no matter how many opponents you are taking on at the same time. Equally, any opponent with a Combat Rating higher than yours will be able to injure you too.

However, if you are fighting two or three opponents simultaneously, you must deduct 1 point from your Combat Rating for the duration of the battle. If you are facing four or five opponents at the same time, you must deduct 2 points from your Combat Rating. And if you ever have to fight six or more opponents at the same time, deduct 3 points from your Combat Rating!

For example, if you find yourself having to fight two Giant Spider Crabs, for the duration of that fight you must deduct 1 point from your Combat Rating. If you were fighting three Giant Spider Crabs at the same time, you would still only have to deduct 1 point from your Combat Rating. But if there were four Giant Spider Crabs attacking you at the same time, you would have to deduct 2 points from your Combat Rating, for the duration of the battle.

Please note, if even just one of your opponents makes a successful strike against you during a Combat Round, you will not have the initiative against any of them in the following Combat Round – if you are still alive!

Ranged Combat

As well as a sword, your katana, you are also armed with a gun, in the form of an energy blaster.

If you find yourself in battle, and you have the initiative in the opening Combat Round, you may choose to fire your gun before engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Take a Combat test and if you pass the test, you cause your opponent 3 Endurance points of damage; if you fail the test you have simply wasted your shot.

If you hit your opponent, you may take a second shot, by Taking another Combat test, but no more after this.

When facing multiple opponents, you must choose which one you want to target in ranged combat. However, if you pass the initial Combat test, you may target a different opponent with your bonus second shot.

Unless a majority requests otherwise, I will have Commander Oishi fire as many shots as possible before engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

An Alternative to Dice

Rather than rolling dice, you may prefer to determine random numbers during the game using a pack of playing cards.

To do this, when you are called upon to roll dice, simply shuffle a standard 52-card deck (having removed the Jokers) and draw a single card. (If you are asked to roll four dice, draw two cards.) Number cards are worth the number shown on the card. Jacks, Queens and Kings are all worth 11, and if you draw an Ace, it counts as being worth 12 (for example, if you are engaged in Combat), and is an automatic pass if you are testing an attribute – any attribute.

After drawing from the deck, you can either return any cards you have drawn or, using the Pontoon method, leave those drawn cards out of the deck. Both styles of play will influence how lucky, or unlucky, you may be during the game, when it comes to determining random numbers.

If the text asks you to roll one die, simply pick a card and if its face value is greater than 6, or it is a picture card, it still counts as a 6.

Your Mech’s Attributes

In RONIN 47, you do not only have to keep track of your own attribute scores, you also need to keep an accurate record of the stats for your Samurai-class mech. These are as follows:

     •     Speed – This is a measure of how quickly the mech is able to move. The more heavily-armoured a robot is, the slower it will be.
     •     Artillery – This is a measure of how powerful the robot’s long-range, heavy ordnance weapons are. However, the more artillery weapons a mech has, the less effective it will be in hand-to-hand combat.
     •     Melee – This is a measure of how effective the mech is in close combat.
     •     Upgrades – This is actually an inventory of the items carried by the Samurai-class mech.
     •     Reactor – This is a measure of how effectively the mech’s nuclear power core is operating.
     •     Armour – This is a measure of how heavily-armoured the robot is.
     •     Integrity – This stat keeps track of how much damage the mech has suffered.

As with your own attributes, your mech is fully customisable; you decide whether it is faster, or more heavily-armoured, whether it is better at long-range combat or at close-quarters fighting. While the machine’s Reactor and Integrity starting scores are fixed, you determine everything else. However, balance is the name of the game when it comes to customising your mech, as certain stats work in pairs.

Speed and Armour work as one pair, based on a sliding scale, but you must have a minimum of 1 point in each attribute.

Look at the example below:

Three blocks have been shaded in at the Speed end of the scale. This means that the mech has a Speed score of 3 and an Armour score of 3, which would be typical of a standard Samurai-class mech.



Now consider this example:

This would better suit a Ninja-class mech, which is much faster and more agile, with a Speed score of 5, but which is also much less well-armoured, with an Armour score of only 1.

Equally, Artillery and Melee also work as a pair on the same sliding scale. Once again, you must have at least 1 point in each attribute.

The example above would be best suited to an Oni-class heavy ordnance mech since it has an Artillery score of 4 but a Melee score of just 2.

Using the sliding scales on your mech’s Adventure Sheet, work out your war-machine’s Speed, Armour, Artillery and Melee scores, and then record them in the appropriate boxes.

Your mech’s Reactor score starts at zero and may not drop below this level. However, if the Reactor score reaches 3 points, the nuclear core will suffer a catastrophic failure that will destroy your mech and you along with it. If this happens you must stop reading immediately; if you want to try to complete your quest again, you will have to start from the beginning once more, determining the strengths and weaknesses of you and your mech anew.

Your mech’s Integrity score starts at 50. If its Integrity drops to zero or below, your war-machine has been destroyed and you have been killed. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning, determining your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your mech, all over again. It is much harder to recover lost Integrity points than it is to recover lost Endurance points, so make sure you take care of your mech.

All of your mech’s Speed, Armour, Melee, Artillery, and Integrity scores may rise above their starting level, under certain circumstances. However, please note that its Speed, Armour, Melee, Artillery scores may never exceed 5 points, or drop below zero points.

Testing Your Mech’s Attributes

At various times during the adventure, you will also be asked to test one or more of your mech’s attributes.

If it is the mech’s Speed, Armour, Melee or Artillery that is being tested, simply roll one die. If the total rolled is equal to or less than the attribute being tested, your mech has passed the test; if the total rolled is greater than the attribute in question, then it has failed the test.

If it is your mech’s Integrity score that is being tested, roll one die and multiply the number rolled by 10. If the total is equal to or less than your mech’s current Integrity score, your mech has passed the test; but if it is greater, then the robot has failed the test.

Restoring Your Mech’s Attributes

There are various ways that you can restore lost attribute points or be granted bonuses that take your mech’s attributes beyond their starting scores, and these will be described in the text.

Mech Combat

Fighting other mechs or kaiju with Samurai 47 is more complicated than determining the outcome of battles you are involved in without your mech being present and takes place in two distinct phases; the Long-Range Combat phase followed by the Close Combat phase.

Start by filling in your opponent’s Speed, Armour, Melee, Artillery, and Integrity scores in the first available Mech Encounter Box on your Adventure Sheet.

Next, before Long-Range Combat can commence, you must determine how far away you are from your opponent.

Determining Distance

Long-Range Combat is worked out over a number of Combat Rounds, and you need to start by determining how many, based on how close Samurai 47 is to your opponent.
     1. Roll one die and add 5. (Alternatively, pick a card, and if it is a 7 or higher, it is worth 6, and then add 5.) The total is the measure of the Distance between you and your opponent.
     2. Add your mech’s Speed score to your opponent’s Speed score. (If you are fighting more than one opponent, use the Speed score that is the highest of all your opponents.)
     3. Deduct the combined Speed scores from the Distance. This is how many Combat Rounds of long-range combat you need to fight before commencing Close Combat.
     4. If, having deducted the combined Speed scores from the Distance, the total is zero or a negative number, go straight to the Close Combat phase.

The Long-Range Combat Phase

Long-Range Combat is conducted using Samurai 47’s artillery weapons and heavy ordnance.
     1. Roll two dice and add your mech’s Artillery score. The resulting total is your mech’s Artillery Rating.
     2. Roll two dice and add your opponent’s Artillery score. The resulting total is your opponent’s Artillery Rating.
     3. For each Combat Round, add a temporary 1 point bonus to the Artillery Rating of whichever of the combatants has the initiative for the duration of that round. (In the first Combat Round, this will be the mech or monster with the highest Speed score, unless your mech’s Speed score is that same as its opponent’s, in which case no bonus point is awarded.)
     4. If your mech’s Artillery Rating is higher than your opponent’s you have wounded your enemy; determine how much damage your mech has caused (as described under Determining Damage on page 28), and then move on to step 7.
     5. If your opponent’s Artillery Rating is higher, then you have been wounded; determine how much damage has been inflicted against your mech (as described under Determining Damage on page 28), and then move on to step 8.
     6. If your Artillery Rating and your opponent’s Artillery Rating are the same, your mech and your opponent have both managed to injure each other; determine how much (as described under Determining Damage on page 28). If your opponent’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won the battle and can continue on your way, but if your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10. If your mech’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle and your adventure is over, but if your mech is still operational, go to step 10.
     7. If your opponent’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over, and you can continue on your way. If your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10.
     8. If your mech’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning, determining your attributes anew. However, if you are still alive, go to step 9.
     9. If there are no more Long-Range Combat Rounds left to fight, and your opponent is still alive, the battle now moves to the Close Combat phase. However, if you still have more Combat Rounds of Long-Range Combat left to conduct, go to step 10.
     10. If you won the Combat Round, you will have the initiative in the next Combat Round. If your opponent won the Combat Round, they will have the initiative. If neither of you won the Combat Round, neither of you will gain the initiative bonus for the next Combat Round. Go back to step 1 and work through the sequence again.

The Close Combat Phase

Close Combat works in a similar way to battles fought by Commander Oishi without the aid of a 20-metre tall mech. Sometimes, the text will tell you to go straight to the Close Combat phase.
     1. Roll two dice and add your mech’s Melee score. The resulting total is your mech’s Melee Rating.
     2. Roll two dice and add your opponent’s Melee score. The resulting total is your opponent’s Melee Rating.
     3. For each Combat Round, add a temporary 1 point bonus to the Melee Rating of whichever of the combatants has the initiative for the duration of that round. (In the first Combat Round, this will be the mech or monster with the highest Speed score, unless your mech’s Speed score is the same as its opponent’s, in which case no bonus point is awarded.)
     4. If your mech’s Melee Rating is higher than your opponent’s, you have wounded your enemy; determine damage (as described under Determining Damage on page 28) and go to step 7.
     5. If your opponent’s Melee Rating is higher, then you have been wounded; determine damage (as described under Determining Damage on page 28) and go to step 8.
     6. If your mech’s Melee Rating and your opponent’s Melee Rating are the same, roll one die. If the number rolled is odd, your mech and your opponent deflect each other’s attacks; go to step 10. If the number rolled is even, go to step 9.
     7. If your opponent’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over, and you can continue on your way. If your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10.
     8. If your mech’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning, determining your attributes anew. However, if you are still alive, go to step 10.
     9. Your mech and your opponent have both managed to injure each other. If your opponent’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won the battle and can continue on your way, but if your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10. If your mech’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle and your adventure is over, but if your mech is still operational, go to step 10.
     10. If you won the Combat Round, you will have the initiative in the next Combat Round. If your opponent won the Combat Round, they will have the initiative. If neither of you won the Combat Round, neither of you will gain the initiative bonus for the next Combat Round. Go back to step 1 and work through the sequence again until either your opponent is dead, or your mech has been defeated.

Determining Damage

You determine damage caused during Long-Range Combat and Close Combat in the same way.

Roll as many dice as the winner of the Combat Round has Artillery points (in the case of Long- Range Combat) or Melee points (in Close Combat). Only those dice that have a score that is equal to or higher than the loser’s Armour score cause damage. Each damaging dice does 2 points of Integrity damage.

Alternatively, pick as many cards as the winner of the Combat Round has Artillery points (in Long-Range Combat) or Melee points (in Close Combat). Any that have a score that is equal to or higher than the loser’s Armour score cause 2 points of Integrity damage.

Fighting More Than One Opponent in Mech Combat

Occasionally you may find yourself having to fight more than one opponent at once. Such battles are conducted in the same way as above, using the ten-step process, except that you will have to work out the Artillery/Melee Ratings of all those involved. As long as you have a higher rating than an opponent you will injure them, no matter how many opponents you are taking on at the same time. Equally, any opponent with a Artillery/Melee Rating higher than yours will be able to injure you too.

In mech combat, there are no penalties applied for fighting more than one opponent at the same time. However, initiative bonuses do not apply either.

Quick Mech Combat

If you wish to reduce the amount of time taken by mech combat, you can use the Quick Mech Combat rules instead. In this case, ignore the rules about determining distance and the Long-Range Combat and Close Combat Phases. Instead, follow this ten-step process.
     1. Roll two dice and add your mech’s Artillery and Melee scores. The resulting total is your mech’s Combat Rating.
     2. Roll two dice and add your opponent’s Artillery and Melee scores. The resulting total is your opponent’s Combat Rating.
     3. For each Combat Round, add a temporary 1 point bonus to the Combat Rating of whichever of the combatants has the initiative for the duration of that round. (In the first Combat Round, this will be the mech or monster with the highest Speed score.)
     4. If your mech’s Combat Rating is higher than your opponent’s, you have wounded your enemy; determine damage (as described under Determining Damage on page 28) and go to step 7.
     5. If your opponent’s Combat Rating is higher, then you have been wounded; determine damage (as described under Determining Damage on page 28) and go to step 8.
     6. If your mech’s Combat Rating and your opponent’s Combat Rating are the same, roll one die. If the number rolled is odd, your mech and your opponent deflect each other’s attacks; go to step 10. If the number rolled is even, go to step 9.
     7. If your opponent’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won; the battle is over, and you can continue on your way. If your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10.
     8. If your mech’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle. If you want to continue your adventure you will have to start again from the beginning, determining your attributes anew. However, if you are still alive, go to step 10.
     9. Your mech and your opponent have both managed to injure each other. If your opponent’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, you have won the battle and can continue on your way, but if your opponent is not yet dead, go to step 10. If your mech’s Integrity score has been reduced to zero or below, your opponent has won the battle and your adventure is over, but if your mech is still operational, go to step 10.
     10. If you won the Combat Round, you will have the initiative in the next Combat Round. If your opponent won the Combat Round, they will have the initiative. If neither of you won the Combat Round, neither of you will gain the initiative bonus for the next Combat Round. Go back to step 1 and work through the sequence again until either your opponent is dead, or your mech has been defeated.

Double Damage

This is an optional rule that you can use to speed up Mech Combat, or make Quick Mech Combat even quicker.

If you roll a double when calculating your mech’s Combat Rating, your machine automatically causes its opponent a severe wound; deduct 10 points from your enemy’s Integrity score.

Upgrades

Your mech is armed with a ten-metre-long Electro-Katana and various rocket batteries. However, it also comes with a number of customisable Upgrades. When determining your war-machine’s strengths and weaknesses, you may also choose one Upgrade from each of the three categories below.

Combat Computer Upgrades
     Enhanced Interface – adds 1 point to your Melee Rating when the mech is in close combat*.
     Enhanced Targeting – adds 1 point to your Artillery Rating when engaged in long-range combat*.
     Enhanced Scanners – deducts 1 point to your opponent’s Armour score when engaged in close combat*.

Robot Upgrades
     Upgraded Actuators – adds 1 point to your Melee Rating when the mech is in close combat*.
     Upgraded Stabilisers – adds 1 point to your mech’s Speed score.
     Upgraded Hull – adds 1 point to your mech’s Armour score and 5 points to its Integrity score.

Deployable Upgrades**
     Depth Charges – anti-submarine underwater explosives.
     Drones – unmanned aerial vehicles used primarily for reconnaissance.
     Flares – pyrotechnics that produce bright light and intense heat.
* These bonuses apply to Quick Mech Combat as well, and also when determining damage.
** Your chosen upgrade from this category may be used up to 3 times during an adventure.

Please note that the effects of Upgrades are cumulative. For example, if you selected the Enhanced Interface and the Upgraded Actuators, you will be adding 2 points to your Melee Rating when your mech is in close combat.

Record the Upgrades you have selected on the Samurai-class mech’s Adventure Sheet, along with the Electro-Katana, in the Upgrades box.

Equipment

You start your adventure wearing a protective, Kevlar-weave, armoured bodyglove, and carrying a blaster. You are also armed with a Katana; the iconic curved sword of the Japanese Samurai warrior class, famed for its keen cutting edge. During your quest, you will no doubt acquire other items that may be of use to you later on. Anything that you do collect should be recorded on your Adventure Sheet, including any clues, as well as weapons, provisions, and other miscellaneous objects.

Any items that provide bonuses for any of your attributes, or those of your mech – such as a weapon that adds 1 point to the giant robot’s Melee score – only provide those bonuses when the item in question is in use.

And don’t forget, you also begin the adventure with 5 Ration Packs and 3 Medi-Packs.

Hints on Play

There is more than one path that you can follow through RONIN 47, to reach your ultimate goal, but it may take you several attempts to complete the adventure successfully. Make notes and draw a map as you explore. This map will doubtless prove invaluable during future attempts at completing your quest and will allow you to progress more speedily, in order to reach unexplored regions.

Keep a careful eye on your attributes throughout the game. Beware of traps and setting off on wild goose chases. However, it would be wise to collect useful items along the way that may aid you later on in your quest.

Ending the Game

There are several ways that your adventure can end. If your Endurance score ever drops to zero or below, your trials have exhausted and overcome you. If this happens, stop reading at once.

There may also be occasions where you are prevented from progressing any further thanks to the choices you have made, or if you meet a sudden and untimely end. In all of these cases, if you want to have another crack at completing the adventure you will have to start again with a new Adventure Sheet and begin the story afresh from the beginning.

There is, of course, one other reason for your adventure coming to an end, and that is if you successfully complete your quest, the very same quest that awaits you now…

Please keep all spoilers covered out of respect to those who want a blind experience. I will use personal instinct to break any ties.

2121

The scream of the dropship’s thrusters, and the hum of your mech’s reactor, are reduced to almost nothing by the audio dampeners operational in the cockpit of the Samurai.

As the Tatsu maintains position over the atoll, you instinctively check your harness straps one more time, and put a hand to the hilt of the katana clamped to the side of your seat.

“Commander Oishi,” the voice of the dropship’s pilot crackles over the comm, “we are over the drop zone.”

“Understood, Lieutenant Tsunenari,” you respond and then, broadcasting on all channels, address your team. “Phoenix Squad, sign in!”

One by one, the five other members of Phoenix Squad do as you command.

“Takanao reporting, Commander. Samurai 16 is ready to deploy.”

“Masatane. Samurai 23 is also ready, Commander.”

“Norikane, Commander! Samurai 39 is good to go!”

“Sadayuki. Samurai 41 firing on all cylinders, Commander.”

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting,” Shigemori’s voice echoes within the cockpit. “Samurai 52 is primed for battle.”

“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt,” you reply, quoting Sun Tzu’s The Art of War back at him.

“Weapons hot!” you bark into the comm, bringing both your own mech’s long-range artillery and close combat weapons online. “The Tengu Array had pinpointed this location as a hotspot of kaiju activity, so stay alert.”

The doors in the belly of the dropship yawn open and an alert starts to chime on the helm-display in front of you.

“Release docking clamps on my mark,” you say, your hand hovering over the touchscreen control panel. “Mark!”

Tapping a virtual button on the screen, you feel the vibration as the docking clamps holding the great war-suit in place snap open, and a split second later your stomach is in your mouth as the Samurai freefalls from the belly of the hovering Tatsu.

Turn to 1.

Please vote on the following:

Should we follow the gamebook’s rules? If so, should we use dice or a pack of playing cards (specify whether you want to return or leave out any drawn cards if you vote to use playing cards)?

How should we use the 10 extra points towards our hero’s Agility, Combat, and Endurance?

Do you wish to make any changes on how Commander Oishi’s energy blaster should be used whenever our hero has the initiative in the opening Combat Round?

What should the mech’s starting Speed, Armour, Melee, and Artillery scores be?

Should Mech Combat follow the Long-Range Combat and Close Combat Phase rules, or follow the Quick Mech Combat rules?

Should the Double Damage rule be applied when carrying out Mech Combat?

Which Upgrades should the mech be outfitted with?

Please make your decisions before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

[JourneymanN00b]

Since nobody voted, I will assign 5 extra points to Commander Oishi’s Agility and 5 extra points to Commander Oishi’s Combat, give his mech a starting score of 3 for each of its Speed, Armour, Melee, and Artillery scores, and upgrade it with the Enhanced Scanners, Upgraded Hull, and Depth Charges. I will leave voting for the other questions open until tonight.

1

Even though you brace yourself, the jolt, when it comes – as the Samurai splashes down in the shallows – still rocks you within your pilot’s cradle. It is a sensation you think you will never entirely get used to, no matter how many assault drops you make, just as you will never quite get used to feeling like a god when you stride across land and sea at the controls of Samurai 47.

The mech’s metal toes immediately anchor themselves in the ground as the rest of Phoenix Squad lands around you. You sweep the island, the war-machine’s Combat AI registering each of the other five Samurai in turn, and the Tatsu dropship departs.

Tactical data streams across the helm-display in front of you, overlaying your view of the coral atoll, the brilliant azure sky, and white-armoured mechs, with cascading crimson characters.

Despite all having the same basic Samurai-class chassis, on closer inspection, each giant robot has its own distinctive differences, whether it be the different armaments options they have been fitted out with, or because of the scars left by previous battles with the kaiju, the proliferation of which has brought humankind to its knees.

The island – which the mech’s onboard computer informs you is called Hitode Atoll, via an alert in the top left corner of the HUD – is little more than a ring of coral reefs surrounding the hypnotically deep ultramarine waters of a blue hole – a giant marine sinkhole that could be hundreds of metres deep and hide who knows what secrets.

There is no obvious sign of the kaiju activity the Tengu Satellite Array detected four hours ago, but that is why you have been deployed to this precise location.

What do you want to do? Will you:

Deploy Drones (if you have them)?     Turn to 21.

Perform a long-range sensor scan with your Enhanced Scanners (if you have them)?     Turn to 519.

Deploy Depth Charges into the blue hole (if you have them)?     Turn to 437.

Descend into the blue hole yourself?     Turn to 82.

Maintain a defensive position on the atoll and wait?     Turn to 41.

Commander Oishi has Depth Charges and Enhanced Scanners, but not Drones. Please make your votes on what Commander Oishi should do and the answers to the remaining starting questions before 7:00 PM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Commander Oishi’s Adventure Sheet
Agility: 11
Combat: 11
Endurance: 20
Equipment:
Bodyglove
Blaster
Katana
Ration Packs: 5
Medi-Packs: 3
Notes and Code Words:
(None)

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 4
Melee: 3
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 55
Reactor: 0
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 3
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[deaddmwalking]

This looks cool! I don't have time to read it in depth before tomorrow afternoon, but I'm good with anything. I would love to calculate whether ranged/close/quick combat favors us but I didn't read closely enough to determine if I can even make that determination. If one is obviously advantageous, let's take it. I'm okay with easy mode.

[JourneymanN00b]

With nobody casting any votes; I will have Commander Oishi perform a long-range sensor scan with the Enhanced Scanners. I will also leave voting open on the remaining starting questions until tomorrow morning.

519

The standard scanner array fitted to all mechs coming out of the Ako facility only has a limited range. However, the Enhanced Scanners Samurai 47 is fitted with, enable it to detect what is happening more than two hundred metres below the surface. And what your war-suit detects is six large entities, rising from the abyssal depths of the submarine sinkhole. The kaiju are coming.

How do you want to respond to this threat? Will you:

Deploy Depth Charges into the blue hole (if you have them)?     Turn to 498.
Enter the blue hole yourself?     Turn to 82.
Order Phoenix Squad to maintain a defense position around the atoll and prepare for combat?     Turn to 539.

Please make your votes on what Commander Oishi should do and the answers to the remaining starting questions before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Beroli]

Deploy Depth Charges.

[JourneymanN00b]

I have registered the vote to deploy Depth Charges into the blue hole. Since there were no votes for the remaining starting questions, I will have dice be used for this adventure, make no changes on how Commander Oishi’s energy blaster should be used whenever our hero has the initiative in the opening Combat Round, have Mech Combat follow the Quick Mech Combat rules, and apply the Double Damage rule when carrying out Mech Combat rules.

498

The explosive payload lands close to the centre of the sea-hole and the depth charges quickly sink from view into the fathomless blue void.

(Cross off one use of the Depth Charges from your Adventure Sheet.)

A few seconds later, your mech detects the shockwave produced by the detonation of the charges, fifteen metres below.

A stream of bubbles rises to the surface to break at the centre of the blue hole. And then, suddenly, something is rushing up from the depths to challenge you, as a proximity alarm starts to sound inside the cockpit. Disturbed by the concussive charges, the kaiju the Tengu Satellite Array detected earlier charge to the surface to defend their territory.

A column of agglomerated cnidaria flesh bursts from the ocean in an explosion of seawater. It is as if some monstrous sea-worm has risen from the abyssal depths, but one of gargantuan proportions.

The column of flesh ends in a gaping maw, full of razor-sharp fangs, each one as long as your arm. The de facto head of the creature is ringed by vast starfish-like limbs that twitch and writhe independently of one another, as if possessed of a will of their own. More of these limbs emerge from the side of the creature’s body, like tentacles, and the monster reaches for your Samurai with these pseudo-limbs.

However, you can see that large chunks are missing from the monster’s body, and what remains are ragged holes where the cnidarian flesh has been cauterised – clearly injuries that have been caused by the exploding depth charges.

A prompt on the HUD informs you that this particular kaiju has the designation Oni-Hitode, or ‘Devil-Starfish.’ And it is not alone; more of its kind have attacked en masse, forcing the entirety of Phoenix Squad to engage in battle.

At least as long as your mech is tall, the kaiju attacks.

ONI-HITODE
SPEED	ARMOUR	MELEE	ARTILLERY	INTEGRITY
3	1	2	1	6

If you manage to defeat your kaiju attacker, turn to 560.

The fight:
Round 1: Samurai-Class Mech’s Combat Rating: 4+4+3+3=14, Samurai-Class Mech Rolled Doubles
Samurai-Class Mech’s Integrity: 55, Oni-Hitode’s Integrity: -4

Thanks to the rolling doubles on the first round and the Double Damage rule, the Oni-Hitode has been flawlessly killed.

560

At the killing strike delivered by your Samurai, the integrity of the K-Compound fails and the colony creatures that make up the colossal devil-starfish come apart, falling into the sea like cnidaria rain.

However, not all of Phoenix Squad have fared so well against the kaiju of Hitode Atoll. While four of your team have successfully destroyed their attackers, one has suffered a catastrophic reactor core breach.

As the grasping tentacles of the Oni-Hitode start to penetrate Norikane’s cockpit, Samurai 39’s reactor detonates with the force of a nuclear warhead. The Samurai is blown apart in an explosion that kills not only its wretched pilot but also vaporises the monster that was ultimately responsible for its destruction.

In that moment – even as your own mech is bombarded by pieces of shrapnel – you swear that Norikane’s name will be recorded on the Honour Roll of the Fallen at Ako Base.

Take an Armour test. If your mech passes the test, turn to 596. However, it your mech fails the test, turn to 580.

Rolling the die yielded a 6, so the Samurai-class mech fails the Armour test.

580

Chunks of wreckage from Samurai 39 batter your war-machine, causing considerable damage.

Roll one die and add 3. Deduct this many Integrity points from your mech. (Alternatively, pick a card and deduct its face value from your mech’s Integrity score, unless it is a 10 or a picture card, in which case deduct 9 points from the Samurai’s Integrity score; if it is less than 4 you must deduct 4 Integrity points.)

If Samurai 47 has lost 7-9 Integrity points, you must also deduct 1 point from both its Armour and Melee scores.

Turn to 596.

Rolling the die and applying the modification yielded a 9, so the Samurai-Class Mech loses 9 Integrity points, 1 Armor point, and 1 Melee point.

596

A piece of shrapnel embeds itself in the shoulder of your Samurai, precisely where the uplink transmitter is located.

No longer able to transmit to or receive messages from your squad, you have no choice but to pop the hatch on your cockpit – the faceplate of your Samurai yawning open like a great mouth – so that you can signal to the other pilots in person that there is a problem.

Takanao opens her mech’s helm too and you inform her of what has happened. Acting on your behalf, she checks-in with the surviving members of Phoenix Squad, before signalling to Lieutenant Tsunenari that you are ready for retrieval.

In less than twenty minutes, the five remaining Samurai are back in the troop hold of the Tatsu.

Turn to 311.

311

Your Samurai’s uplink down, and unable to communicate with anybody, you spend the return journey to Tokugawa Island and Ako Base alone with your thoughts, wondering over and over whether there was anything you could have done differently during your mission to Hitode Atoll so that Norikane did not end up meeting his death there.

****

An hour later, the landing bay of Ako Base opens like an orchid and Tatsu 7 touches down inside before disgorging its payload. You and the other Samurai of Phoenix Squad make your way to Hangar 5, parking the mechs in their repair cradles before all disembarking. While the titanic battle-suits remain deactivated, Spider-class maintenance droids will effect repairs as specified by the mechs’ computer-minds.

Taking your katana from its seat scabbard, you secure it to your belt before exiting the cockpit of your mech. As you climb down from Samurai 47 you are met by Kanehide, who informs you rather curtly that Director Asano wishes to see Phoenix Squad immediately in the Central Operations control room.

Taking a deep breath, you lead the way, heading in the direction of the command hub of Ako Base. The Director has no doubt already heard of the loss of Norikane and Samurai 39 and will be expecting a full debrief. The mechs are a precious resource and cannot be easily replaced. You will need to explain not just the loss of a fellow warrior but that of his battle-suit as well.

Leaving the Samurai hangar, you pass the great vaulted spaces where the Oni-class mechs – lumbering, heavily-armoured machines, packing some serious heavy artillery – and the Ninja class robots – smaller, nimble war-suits, favoured for their close combat capabilities – are contained.

The final hangar you pass through is the largest within the facility and houses the newest war-machine that has yet to be tested in the field – the mighty, prototype Shogun-class mech. Combining the close combat capabilities of a Ninja with the heavy ordnance of an Oni, it is half as tall again as a Samurai and outclasses the older machines in every way. With its black paintjob, and standing thirty metres tall, surrounded by service gantries, it is a truly intimidating machine, the red glow in the eye-slit of its cockpit window only adding to its malevolent appearance.

****

You are following the bustling central spinal thoroughfare that will take you to base command when an earthquake strikes Ako Base. At least that’s what it feels like.

You are thrown to the ground, along with the rest of the pilot warriors under your command, as walls crack and electricity power conduits spark. Administrative staff cry out in shock and fear.

As you pick yourself up, an explosion rocks the corridor and, with a heavy groan, part of the ceiling comes down.

Take an Agility test. If you pass the test, turn to 261. If you fail the test, turn to 281.

Rolling the dice yielded a 5, so Commander Oishi passes the Agility test.

261

You leap out of the way of the falling roof panels, which smash on the floor behind you. Turn to 240.

240

Thick smoke fills the corridor as the lights go out, and blood-red hazard lighting comes on at floor level. The evacuation klaxon starts to sound.

On your feet again, you grab the arm of an administrator who is coughing violently as she stumbles through the smoke. “What is going on?” you demand. She peers at you through unfocused eyes. Blood runs from a cut on her head. Breaking free of your grip, she staggers away from you, still coughing.

Another ground-shaking tremor ripples through the base and huge cracks appear in the concrete walls of the corridor.

Gathering your squad, you set off for Operations again and at a bulkhead door run into an officer who is directing injured and panicked personnel towards the emergency underground bunker.

“What’s going on?” you shout over the wail of sirens.

“We’re under attack!” he exclaims, as if barely able to believe what he is saying himself.

“Under attack?” you repeat in disbelief. “From whom?”

“Not who – what!” comes his reply. “Kaiju! In unprecedented numbers. More than we’ve ever seen before!”

“What happened to the early warning system? And what about the defence net?” Both of these measures were put in place precisely so that no kaiju could attack the base directly and certainly not without alerting those inside to the danger they were in.

“The defence net is down!” the officer declares, tears of shock running down his face. “So’s the early warning alarm!”

But how can this be?

However, that is a question for another time, preferably when the base isn’t under attack. Right now, Ako Base is under attack and there are people here who need your help.

You order the rest of Phoenix Squad back to the Samurai hangar, telling them to reactivate their mechs, ready to repel the attacking kaiju. But what about you? What will you do?

If you want to go with your squad, to add Samurai 47’s might to the fight, turn to 340. However, if you want to force your way through to Operations, in case the people there, including Director Asano, need your help, turn to 42.

Because of the unlucky die rolls that were encountered from Samurai 39’s explosion, I am providing the opportunity to add 2 points that can be distributed to the Samurai-Class Mech’s Speed and Armour, and 2 points that can be distributed to the Samurai-Class Mech’s Melee and Artillery in order to even out the odds. Story-wise, these upgrades are installed by the Spider-class maintenance droids during their repair routine of the Samurai-Class Mech.

Please make your votes on what our hero should do next and how to assign the additional points to the Samurai-Class Mech before 7:00 PM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 3
Melee: 2
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 46
Reactor: 0
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 2
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[Beroli]

Go to Operations.

[deaddmwalking]

Join the team in the mechs.

Add 2 points to melee. With the quickstart rules I think melee helps us better. Bump Armor by +2. With the way damage is determined, it seems that having a high armor is better than speed. I may learn to regret that decision, but one failed armor test later I'm thinking that's better.

[JourneymanN00b]

Thank you for voting. I will break the 1-1 tie by having Commander Oishi go with the squad. As voted upon, 2 points will be added to the Samurai-Class Mech’s Melee, and 2 points will be added to the Samurai-Class Mech’s Armour.

340

If you hurry, you should be able to catch up with the rest of Phoenix Squad as they are strapping themselves into their Samurai-mechs.

Retracing your route from the Guardian hangar at a sprint, you first enter the hangar that is home to the Shogun-mech prototype and are surprised to see Deputy Director Kira of Ako Base and Dr Kitsune, Head of Kaiju Research, ahead of you. They are running towards the Shogun’s maintenance bay, accompanied by a squad of armed guards.

But that is nothing compared to the shock that grips your heart when you see two of the armed men raise their weapons and gun down a pair of engineers who stand between them and the Shogun.

With Dr Kitsune following close behind, Kira starts to climb the support gantry, clearly intending to board the mech. You give a shout, commanding them to stop, and Dr Kitsune briefly turns her face in your direction before resuming her ascent.

You cannot believe that two of the most senior staff at Ako Base would demonstrate such callous cowardice, fleeing in the face of the kaiju attack, rather than join in the fight to defend the facility.

At a command from Kira, two of the black-clad soldiers turn to meet you as you run after the fleeing Deputy Director and his entourage. Whipping out your katana, you disarm them – the razor-sharp blade slicing through the barrels of both weapons in one fluid sweep – and they stagger back in surprise.

Before you can dispatch these traitors, they unsheathe their own blades and prepare to defend themselves in hand-to-hand combat. You must fight the traitorous soldiers at the same time, but at least you have the initiative in this battle. (You may not use Ranged Combat in this battle.)

First SOLDIER     COMBAT 7     ENDURANCE 8
Second SOLDIER     COMBAT 7     ENDURANCE 7

If you win this fight, turn to 362.

The fight:
Round 1: Commander Oishi’s Combat Rating: 9+11-1+1=20, First Soldier’s Combat Rating: 5+7=12, Second Soldier’s Combat Rating: 5+7=12;
Commander Oishi’s Endurance: 20, First Soldier’s Endurance: 6, Second Soldier’s Endurance: 5
Round 2: Commander Oishi’s Combat Rating: 7+11-1+1=18, First Soldier’s Combat Rating: 5+7=12, Second Soldier’s Combat Rating: 10+7=17;
Commander Oishi’s Endurance: 20, First Soldier’s Endurance: 4, Second Soldier’s Endurance: 3
Round 3: Commander Oishi’s Combat Rating: 7+11-1+1=18, First Soldier’s Combat Rating: 7+7=14, Second Soldier’s Combat Rating: 9+7=16;
Commander Oishi’s Endurance: 20, First Soldier’s Endurance: 2, Second Soldier’s Endurance: 1
Round 4: Commander Oishi’s Combat Rating: 6+11-1+1=17, First Soldier’s Combat Rating: 3+7=10, Second Soldier’s Combat Rating: 7+7=14;
Commander Oishi’s Endurance: 20, First Soldier’s Endurance: 0, Second Soldier’s Endurance: -1

Commander Oishi flawlessly kills the two Soldiers.

362

The traitors are dead, but you are too late to stop Kira and Kitsune getting away.

With an inferno roar, the Shogun’s rocket boosters fire and, rising on a column of smoke and flame, it blasts off through the now open dome.

There is only one option left open to you; you must board your own mech once more, join your fellow warriors in repelling the kaiju attack, and then go after the traitors.

However, before re-joining Phoenix Squad, do you want to search the bodies of the two men you just killed? If so, turn to 382; if not, turn to 442.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 5
Melee: 4
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 46
Reactor: 0
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 2
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[Beroli]

Search the bodies.

[deaddmwalking]

I suppose we can spare a moment to loot them. Maybe reveal who the conspirators are.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; searching the bodies.

382

A quick search of the soldier’s bodies turns up two complete Medi-Packs.

Record the 2 Medi-Packs on your Adventure Sheet and then turn to 442.

442

Reaching the Guardian hangar, you find the rest of Phoenix Squad making their final checks before launching their mechs, as the other Samurai squads do the same. There are forty-seven Samurai mechs stationed at Ako Base, which will be more than enough to halt the kaiju assault and save the besieged facility.

Swiftly climbing into the open cockpit of Samurai 47, you strap yourself into your seat-harness, close the helm, and bring the machine’s motive and weapons systems online. A quick scan of the prompts that appear on the HUD in front of you informs you that in the time the mech has been on standby mode in its cradle, the Spider maintenance droids have managed to make some superficial repairs.

(Restore up to 10 Integrity points and 1 Melee point to your mech but note that you may not exceed the Samurai’s starting scores.)

The lights in the hangar suddenly start to flicker and then go out. But if anything, the lighting in the hangar is even brighter than usual, as coruscating arcs of lightning suddenly wreath the mechs hanging within their maintenance cradles. The Spider droids haven’t managed to repair your mech’s uplink unit yet, so you cannot hear the screams of the other pilots, but from the contorted shapes their mechs are making, you can imagine the indescribable agony they must be in as they are electrocuted inside their war suits.

It appears that your mech is the only one not affected.

Of course – the uplink! Something must have been uploaded to the base’s computer systems – a virus of some kind – and that must be what has caused the other mechs to overload, killing the pilots trapped inside them. But because your uplink is down, you and your mech have been saved from such an ignominious end.

You assume that whatever piece of malicious software has done for every other mech in the Guardian hangar has also been uploaded to every Tatsu dropship and Kirin escape craft attempting to carry the Ako Base personnel to safety. Your assumption is proved to be correct when a scrambling shuttle suddenly comes through the side of the hangar, smashing a great hole in one armoured wall. And it is heading straight for you!

You are going to have to act fast to avoid being hit by the out-of control aircraft. Do you want to:

Flee from the crashing Kirin?     Turn to 468.

Try to catch it?     Turn to 504.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Commander Oishi’s Adventure Sheet
Agility: 11
Combat: 11
Endurance: 20
Equipment:
Bodyglove
Blaster
Katana
Ration Packs: 5
Medi-Packs: 5
Notes and Code Words:
(None)

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 5
Melee: 5
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 55
Reactor: 0
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 2
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[deaddmwalking]

I don't know that is something we can catch. Half vote for moving out of the way.

[Beroli]

Indeed, duck. Even if we can catch it, if it explodes we'll regret having done so.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes acknowledged; fleeing from the crashing Kirin.

468

Releasing the cradle’s docking clamps, you free Samurai 47 from its maintenance bay. The giant mech lands in a crouch on the hangar floor and, activating its motive drive, you run for it.

Take a Speed test. If you pass the test, turn to 488. However, if you fail the test, turn to 524.

Rolling the die yielded a 3, so the Samurai-Class Mech passes the test.

488

You sprint away from the crashing Kirin as it ploughs into the Samurai cradles. A moment later, an explosion rocks the hangar. Pieces of shrapnel the size of human beings come whickering through the air after you, several embedding themselves in the carapace of your mech.

Deduct 1 Armour point and 5 Integrity points, and then turn to 81.

81

You know what you have to do now, and that’s get out of here as fast as possible. It clearly isn’t safe to remain on Tokugawa Island now that Ako Base has been compromised.

A tremor passes through the hangar, and then another. They bear all the hallmarks of seismic footfalls. Unable to help yourself, you bring your mech to a halt and turn to see something truly monstrous entering the hangar through the rift opened up by the crashing Kirin.

It is one of the kaiju that is in the process of attacking the facility. Twenty-five metres tall, it has an almost simian build and bipedal gait, while its hide is covered in tough scales, and it has a shell-like dome on its back. It is a Kappa, a deadly, amphibious kaiju species!

What do you want to do? Will you:

Turn and face the Kappa in battle?     Turn to 117.

Flee from the colossus?     Turn to 137.

Deploy Flares (if your mech is equipped with them)?     Turn to 157.



The Samurai-Class Mech is not equipped with Flares. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 4
Melee: 5
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 50
Reactor: 0
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 2
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[Beroli]

Face the Kappa.

[deaddmwalking]

I think the real enemy is whoever lowered the base defenses. Half vote for leaving.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; turning and facing the Kappa in battle won by a 1-0.5 vote.

117

As you activate the Samurai’s weaponry, the Kappa announces its intentions with an aggressive bellow, which echoes from the cracking walls of the devastated hangar, and attacks.

KAPPA
SPEED	ARMOUR	MELEE	ARTILLERY	INTEGRITY
2	4	3	2	25

If you are victorious against the Kappa, turn to 179.

Note: Melee will be used to determine damage if the Samurai-Class Mech does not deal a severe wound that round.

The fight:
Round 1: Samurai-Class Mech’s Combat Rating: 4+3+5+3+1=16, Kappa’s Combat Rating: 2+6+3+2=13;
Damage Rolls: 2, 1, 6, 5, 4; three dice scored 3 or higher
Samurai-Class Mech’s Integrity: 50, Kappa’s Integrity: 19
Round 2: Samurai-Class Mech’s Combat Rating: 6+2+5+3+1=17, Kappa’s Combat Rating: 4+4+3+2=13;
Damage Rolls: 3, 2, 3, 1, 2; two dice scored 3 or higher
Samurai-Class Mech’s Integrity: 50, Kappa’s Integrity: 15
Round 3: Samurai-Class Mech’s Combat Rating: 4+5+5+3+1=18, Kappa’s Combat Rating: 1+5+3+2=11;
Damage Rolls: 4, 4, 2, 1, 1; two dice scored 3 or higher
Samurai-Class Mech’s Integrity: 50, Kappa’s Integrity: 11
Round 4: Samurai-Class Mech’s Combat Rating: 5+5+5+3+1=19, Samurai-Class Mech Rolled Doubles
Samurai-Class Mech’s Integrity: 50, Kappa’s Integrity: 1
Round 5: Samurai-Class Mech’s Combat Rating: 4+3+5+3+1=16, Kappa’s Combat Rating: 2+1+3+2=8;
Damage Rolls: 1, 1, 5, 5, 1; two dice scored 3 or higher
Samurai-Class Mech’s Integrity: 50, Kappa’s Integrity: -3

The Samurai-Class Mech flawlessly kills the Kappa to little surprise.

179

The monster’s body crashes to the ground, setting the limp forms of the other Samurai swinging within their maintenance cradles, viscous green blood oozing from a hundred savage wounds.

Quitting the Guardian hangar, leaving your murdered comrades entombed within their dead mechs, you make it to the launch pad. The wrecks of Tatsu dropships and Kirin escape craft lie scattered about, now no more than burning piles of wreckage, while a host of kaiju are scaling the rocky wall of the extinct caldera, in which the landing pad has been built.

Samurai 47’s AI counts twelve of the giant monsters, but the signs are that there are more on the way, a relentless tide of mutated mega-fauna.

Although not designed for flight, not like the Shogun, every Samurai is equipped with jump jets, which can provide lift – to get the mech out of a particularly sticky situation – but only briefly, and prolonged use puts great strain on the reactor core.

What do you want to do? Will you:

Activate Samurai 47’s jump jets?     Turn to 229.

Flee from Ako Base on foot?     Turn to 255.

Prepare to stand and fight the approaching kaiju?     Turn to 209.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

Guessing standing leads to xertain death. I'm willing to try the jets. Half vote for that.

[Beroli]

Activate the jump jets.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; activating Samurai 47’s jump jets.

229

As the kaiju pour over the lip of the caldera and down onto the launch pad, your Samurai rises into the sky on a cone of smoke and flames, leaving the monsters far behind.

Soon Ako Base and Tokugawa Island are nothing more than a grey-black rock, dwindling amidst a vast expanse of cerulean ocean.

Hazard lights start to flash inside the cockpit, accompanied by a nagging alarm, as the reactor readings start to enter the red. (Add 1 point to your mech’s Reactor score.)

Adjusting the mech’s sensitive flight controls, such as they are, you start to make your descent, and soon pick out a small island roughly 500 clicks north of Tokugawa Island, and far out of reach of the kaiju attacking Ako Base. You have travelled a long way in only a short time and make landfall on a plateau at the top of the tiny island.

Turn to 337.

337

Popping the hatch, you are glad to exchange the sweaty, humid atmosphere inside the helm for the smell of fresh sea air.

This place – whatever it was once called before K-Day – might as well be half a world and fifty years away, for there is no sign of kaiju here, or the terrible betrayal that befell Ako Base.

Away, along a winding path, overgrown with weeds, and up a flight of steps, stands the weathered red gate that denotes a Shinto shrine. The paintwork is flaking but this peak was clearly once considered to be a sacred place.

You are about to climb down from the mech, to take a closer look, when you are startled as something with numerous jointed legs suddenly appears at the open hatch and peers in at you with its numerous, multi-faceted, red-glowing eyes.

It is a Spider – one of the automated repair droids that, guided by your mech’s AI, would make good any damage Samurai 47 had sustained in battle, for as long as it remained in its hangar cradle. It must have been repairing one of Samurai 47’s internal systems when you were forced to evacuate in a hurry, and so remained trapped onboard until you made landfall and put the mech into standby mode, just as you would have done in the Guardian hangar.

Via your cerebral link with the Samurai, you can instruct the Spider to carry out any repairs required by the war-suit. For one thing, the uplink is still not working, and it may be that the mech’s reactor core could do with a little TLC.

What do you want to command the Spider droid to take care of first?

Repair the uplink?     Turn to 456.

Maintain the reactor core?     Turn to 440.

Carry out general repairs and basic mech maintenance?     Turn to 473.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 4
Melee: 5
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 50
Reactor: 1
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 2
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[Beroli]

General repairs. I think Reactor would need to be higher than 1 to be the highest priority, and the uplink still might be dangerous.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered; carrying out general repairs and basic mech maintenance.

473

A dialogue commences between the mech and the droid, as the digital intelligence of one instructs the computer-brain of the other what repairs need to be made and where.

Restore your mech’s Melee, Artillery and Integrity scores to their current maximum levels and then turn to 496.

496

The shadows cast by the mech and the Shinto shrine lengthen as the sun sinks towards the western ocean.

A quick check of the Spider’s status informs you that it will take at least eight hours to make its repairs. It looks like you’re stuck here for the night.

The evening is warm and still, the only sounds the gentle susurrus of the waves lapping the shore below and the soft chirruping of the grasshoppers in the long grass.

Do you want to take a walk to the shrine (turn to 521), or do you want to settle down and make camp for the night under the stars (turn to 541)?

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

Samurai-Class Mech’s Adventure Sheet
Speed: 3
Armour: 4
Melee: 5
Artillery: 3
Integrity: 55
Reactor: 1
Upgrades:
Electro-Katana
Enhanced Scanners (-1 from opponent’s Armour in close combat)
Upgraded Hull (+1 Armour, +5 Integrity)
Depth Charges: 2
Drones: 0
Flares: 0

[deaddmwalking]

Too late to vote, but agree with general repairs. Good call.

Vote to check out the shrine.

[Beroli]

Walk to the shrine.