The Long Stairs with Basic Fantasy RPG (Part 1)

 Spoilers for Basic Fantasy RPG module SP1 The Endless Tunnels of Enlandin!

I finished my first session of my The Long Stairs experiment, see my 23 Feb 2025 post for more details, and it was interesting. The adventure started with the squad going through a portal somehow and finding themselves at what appeared to be an ancient ruined castle. They do not recognize where they are and are unable to raise anyone on the radio although. They do find some tracks, a mixture of adult size and slightly smaller tracks in what appear to be sandals as well as some claw prints that seem to be bipedal. There is also a set of stairs leading down. The squad leader decides to have the Bravo Fire Team set up security and sends the Alpha Fire Team down the stairs to investigate. 

The Alpha Team Leader goes first and manages to avoid stepping on the magically trapped stair at the bottom, he checks the corner and all appears quiet. He motions for the team to follow and the next one down steps on the stair causing a statue of a warrior at the bottom to loudly challenge them which unbeknownst to the soldier alerts the kobolds they have company. As the team moves down the hall they pass an illusionary wall the kobolds are behind waiting with short bows to ambush them. The soldiers are totally surprised but luckily on one of them is hit and the damage is minor. Sadly for the kobolds the illusionary wall doesn't protect them from the suppressive fire the SAW gunner lays down toward where the arrows came from and three of them are killed in that first round. Another set of kobolds charge out and attack the soldier but are quickly beaten back by the firepower of the M16s. The remaining kobolds run, a leader and four regular troops. When the dust settles all four soldiers had taken minor wounds and they had killed 10 kobolds. The team falls back to the surface where the squad leader pulls them back from the stairwell and sets up security with special emphasis on the stairs while the injured are given medical attention. 

The firearm rules at Socratic Dungeon worked well using the rate of fire from that site. I do think that rate of fire is too low but the troops would have been much deadlier with a more realistic rate of fire which would have been roughly three times what they had this session. Of course kobolds are about the weakest thing they are going to face so this is not a cake walk by any means. I will also have the squad be much more cautious on their next trip down the stairs. After applying the first aid kit rules, also from Socratic Dungeon, only the Alpha Fire Team Grenadier is still wounded and only by 2 points. Of greater concern is the 58 rounds they expended during the engagement. The squad is not hurting on ammunition yet but they have no source of resupply at the moment. 

All in all I am pleased with this experiment and am curious to see how they do when they hit tougher monsters, I expect some of the soldiers will be killed fairly quickly. I have decided that creatures only hurt by magical weapons will be immune to gunfire but will allow the grenades to damage anything that can be hurt by fire such as wights. Against something that can only be hurt by silver or magic, like a werewolf, the squads weapons will be useless. They better start looking for battlefield pickups or make some friends while they are down there! 

That's all for today, be excellent to each other!