FTL: Flagship

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Having destroyed the Zoltan military craft, Rick is careful to use their new long range scanner augmentation to avoid further encounters with enemy ships - easily navigating to LRB after LRB until finally... they reach the Federation Fleet and transmit the data.

"Thank you, Who the F* Cares! Now we know the weakness of the rebel flagship that is about to enter this sector! Please, you must help us defeat it."

"Hey, t-that wasn't the deal!" began Rick, but Morty forcibly took the comm unit and shouted "Definitely! You can count on us!"

"W-What are you doing Morty?" Rick shook his head and had another drink as Morty took the helm, setting a course to intercept the rebel flagship before it reached the Federation Base. "I upgraded the ship to d-deliver the message, not t-to fight the D-Deathstar!"

"But we HAVE to Rick! It's to save the UNIVERSE!"

Turns out the flagship is an absolute juggernaut!

Just then, the massive flagship came into view. "O-okay kid, go for it," Rick said as he put his feet up on the console to focus on his drinking. Morty pressed all the buttons, fired all the guns and lazers and missiles, but it was only scratching the enemy juggernaut. In exchange, the Who the F* Cares was taking massive damage with hull breaches and fires everywhere.

With no option Morty screamed and hit the FTL drive to warp out of there. "We failed Rick!" Morty said sadly. "I failed!"

"N-no you didn't!" argued Rick. "You w-wanted to deliver the m-message thingy, and you did. Case closed! You won! T-trust me kid, take the win. Besides t-there are many other universes for us to save!"

"Oh.. oookay." mulled Morty as Rick opened a portal with a hand held device. Morty walked in sullenly.

"WAIT FOR ME," cried Charlie as the rebel flagship suddenly arrived at their position.

"Nice knowing you Charlie," said Rick with a wave as he stepped through and shut the portal leaving Charlie alone on the vessel. Looking out a port window, Charlie saw the flaship somehow make an angry face as it prepared all of its many guns to finish off the tiny Kestrel once and for all. She couldn't even scream as everything became enveloped in a bright and purifying light.

MISSION FAIL. SUCCESS! -Rick

Insight: The long range scanner is super handy, but you'll need to still intentionally seek out those ships and defeat them for enough upgrades to take on the flagship!

FTL: Space Dust

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

With the Who the F* Cares back in sparkling mint condition, Rick pulls out from the space dock and right into... a magnetic space mine which latches on with a loud clang! "Oh god, oh god!" whined Morty. "What are we going to do?"

"D-don't worry Morty, I-I got this!" Rick exclaimed while typing furiously on buttons that didn't even remotely ressemble a keyboard which launched a missile that made a lazy u-turn in space. "I-I'm going to shoot it off!"

"BUT RIIIICK!"

"Trust me Morty, t-this is how we survive!"

The missile exploded against the hull, causing massive damage while dislodging the mine that subsequently exploded with a much smaller charge. Charlie and Morty repair the breaches as they fly on and at the Grand Basilisk, Rick kicks off their rock noble passenger against their will to get some sweet, sweet scrap from the Basilisk in exchange for this hearty meal.

They then jump to Zoltan space where a familiar research vessel awaits them... claiming that the procedure Rick previously undertook isn't complete. This is enough bait for them to fall for the trap, as the research vessel is now overtaken by pirates! Rick and Morty barely win against the four boarders using their tried and true "running away while shooting behind them" method, just in time before a Zoltan military vessel arrives and powers up their weapons.

This method seems to work on every adventure!

"What the hell!? I thought the Zoltan's were your friends?" said the shocked Morty.

"I-I don't have friends Morty," Rick replied dryly. "A-at least not in this episode!"

"Besides, l-look at those f-fuckwits. They probably t-think they're a-all macho having just killed s-some girls or something."

Powering up all their own weapons, Rick exchanges salvo after salvo with the Zoltans and this time the military ship is unable to keep up with the vastly upgraded Kestrel. As the Zoltans turn to flee Rick fires one last missile, right up their ass, and vaporizes them into space dust.

Insight: The Engi Medi-Bot dispersal augment is handy in that as long as it has power, all friendly crew on your ship are constantly getting healed. Otherwise, if you need to fight, try do so at your medbay to make use of the a healing advantage.

FTL: Really Peaceful

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

"We should be safe now!" said Morty as the Who the F* Cares entered Engi space. "I heard this race was, like, really peaceful!"

An Engi craft appeared right on cue, explaining that a virus called "Rick Sanchez" was detected aboard and thus, they had to be destroyed. With a single press of a button Rick launched a full salvo and destroyed them. "D-don't believe everything you hear Morty! W-We're gonna need to make a pit stop."

Rick parked the ship next to a nearby Zoltan research vessel and through bribery and the repayment of some undisclosed favor got a treatment to slip through any future Engi detectors. This proves really handy at their next stop, an Engi shipyard where Rick spends a lot of time upgrading the ship and loading it out with augmentations while selling the unused parts.

"There's no p-point rushing if we don't get there alive, Morty."

While in port a Mantis ship, decorated by corpses of Rocks, appears and declares its intent to hunt Charlie. Rick goads the creatures and flushes them out the airlock (he made the button look like a toilet lever) without any fanfare. Just as they are about to depart Charlie arrives with another Rock person, some sort of noble, who he says requires passage to the Grand Basilisk, which is on a planet nearby.

Morty readily agrees to help while Rick mutters "Yeah sure, whatever," while drinking more booze and simultaneously blow torching more armor onto the hull.

Insight: A bunch of the FTL races feature in the game Into the Breach, which is made by the same company.

FTL: Above and Beyond

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

As the rest of her team lifted off, Charybdis boarded the second Kestrel named "Above and Beyond", having hired two ex-military guys to help her fly it - West and Hawkes, who prove their experience by easily taking down some pirates and saving the slave O'Reagan from his asteroid prison - defeating four rebel enemies in a space dock shootout.

After restocking with the Engi and stealthing through a nebula sector they enter Zoltan space and encounter a Rock vessel attacking a science outpost. Before they destroy Rocks, the enemy manages to hit West with a terrible beam causing him to de-age rapidly into non-existence!

I don't think he even got a saving throw...

With nothing to do for him, the crew save the scientists and recruit one of them - Ferediam the Zoltan to take his place. Unfortunately they have no choice but to proceed into Rock controlled space next and run into ship after ship of hostiles in a massive asteroid field, destroying them all but taking severe damage in return.

Despite their depleted status they rush to the aid of another civilian refugee ship being attacked by a Rock cruiser, barely winning the fight. As the civilian ship moves into dock with them to assist with repairs, Charybdis gets light-headed as Hawkes, O'Reagan and Ferediam all faint. She realizes too late that their oxygen system was badly damaged in the last fight and tries to get there to repair it but her legs give way and everything goes black...

When she awakes she and her crew have been saved by the civilians who were quickly flying away from the incoming rebel / Federation war. Unfortunately the Above and Beyond could not be saved as Ferediam self destructed (as is the Zoltan way) and so was dismantled for scrap. This included the all important data cube that was in the cockpit.

MISSION FAIL.

Insight: As energy beings, Zoltans provide one extra bar of energy to whatever station they man. That's pretty cool! Just be careful if they die, because they do so explosively!

FTL: Boarding Parties

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

Upon reaching an Engi controlled system the Waverider overhears nervous chatter from the sheltered residents who are too shy to talk to the heroines, so they make Shirai translate for them. Apparently the Mantis have stolen some important Engi tech that needs to be retrieved. With a a wickedly beautiful smile Sara declares "We're the girls for your job!". Zari wrinkles her nose behind her.

With the Engi's approval, the Waverider follows the trail of the culprits - chasing down a powerful Mantis vessel that beams aboard four Mantis warriors! The thri-keen are very tough with even Sara and Amaya being pushed back, but even bugs need to breathe. Zari gets the crew to disengage into one fortified area of the ship and opens the airlock - expelling all four. Meanwhile Gideon uses the Glaive Beam to wreck their ship, disabling it.

Begging for mercy, the remaining Mantis reveal that they were only part of the thieving fleet - the rest are already in the Zoltan system up ahead. The Waverider leaves them stranded there in pursuit, only to be blocked by a Zoltan military craft. It becomes clear the Zoltan's paid for the heist!

They too send over four boarders to try apprehend the Legends, even killing Shirai using their electric powers. Despite this, they are defeated by the trio of girls who were so focused on the hand to hand they didn't realize that the Zoltan's had hacked and de-powered Gideon. By the time they race back to their stations it is too late, as a focused salvo from the Zoltan ship destroys the Waverider - killing everyone on board in a massive explosion.

And that's how these three heroes of Pre-Crisis Earth 69 met their end.

Sara died again!?

MISSION FAIL.

Insight: To best do the airlock tactic against boarders you need to upgrade your door system AND have someone manning it when you get boarded.

FTL: Abandon Ship

[Part of the Adventures in Space journal]

The Engi sector is relatively peaceful as they are allied with the Federation, offering many supplies to the passing Marauder - everything but fuel. While docking with a refueling station, the team are caught by surprise when a pair of pirates board the ship! It takes a team effort to eliminate the duo, and move on to a legitimate outpost to refuel and restock.

Space combat is more exciting than it looks.

From there they navigate through two nebula sectors which play havoc with the ship's sensors but keep the Marauder far ahead of the rebel fleet, and in a Zoltan sector fend off a few pirates who are let go once they offer tribute. The true reason for the soft hand is that Rattlesnake has been to liberal with the use of missiles, and they are now almost out!

Eventually they find themselves entering a Rock sector, and encounter a starship intent on protecting its borders. The vessel easily takes the damage from the lasers and remaining rockets the Marauders throw at it, meaning fleeing is the only choice for survival! Silverlight's piloting somehow accomplishes this feat, but soon run into a Rock scout ship hiding behind a planet.

The battle is intense, with the Marauder damaging the scout enough for it to flee. Alas, the damage taken in return is too severe - and with fire spreading quickly inside and having already roasted Nikola to ashes, Rattlesnake, El Duce and Silverlight opt to abandon ship - gathering what they can and using escape pods to flee to the planet surface. Good thing El Duce managed to make copies of that important data which they handed out at the Engi sector!

MISSION FAIL.

Insight: Using missiles as the main source of damage leads to bad situations like this. Need to use them more sparingly, specifically on shield systems so the lasers can do their thing.

The Wild Hunt: Retirement

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

With the Hunt destroyed and no tactical genius like Radovid to oppose them, Nilfgaard conquered the rest of the Continent, apart from the vassal state of Temeria which Ves and Vernon fought so hard for. Having realized his vision the Emperor did as he had initially promised, and abdicated his throne to his daughter - Ciri.

You mean I have to wear more fancy shirts?

Thanks to her, the Skellige Isles too were left alone and prospered under Queen Cerys, who stopped their raiding ways. Meanwhile Zoltan helped Dandelion run his new cabaret at Novigrad and Letho surprisingly inherited Kaer Morhen which presented an opportunity for rebuilding his school of the viper there. As for Geralt, he and Yen eventually retired far away to a place of solitude to live out their days together in happiness. 

Of course, this doesn't mean they never saw Ciri again, for the girl could teleport to anywhere at will and on occasion would sneak out to play Gwent with the White Wolf, much to the annoyance of her handlers.

Insight: As expected, this is but one of multiple endings to this game. It's great when your choices matter!

The Wild Hunt: Siege

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

By the time Ciri and Geralt return to Kaer Morhen, all the allies have gathered - now including Letho, Keira Metz and Triss. As expected, the Wild Hunt are not far behind so while Yen shields the castle with magic, Triss provides fiery artillery support for the three volunteers who go out to attack the enemy: Geralt, Lambert and Letho.

Witcher Strike Team!

The fighting is fierce and despite their best efforts and various traps, the sheer numbers of Wild Hunters gradually force the defenders back towards the keep, with Vigi, Folan and Vesemir being killed. Seeing the old witcher get his neck broken triggers something in Ciri, and she loses control for a few minutes wailing like a banshee. The sound proves fatal to the Wild Hunt and they are forced to retreat after catastrophic losses.

Having won the day, the team spends some time mourning before they go their separate ways. Hjalmar and Ermion return to Skellige, Vernon and Ves to Velen, Zoltan to Novigrad, Eskel to Lormark, and Keira and Lambert to gods know where - as a couple.

In hopes to better protect Ciri, Yen and Triss head off as well to try rebuild the Lodge of Sorceresses, leaving only Geralt, Letho and Avallac'h to watch over the girl.

Insight: So... she could have just yelled at them this whole time? Mmhmm. In any case, if you run out of dimetrium bombs, Yrden can also shut down the portals.

The Wild Hunt: Allies

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Once everything is prepared, Yennefer's magics finally lift the creatures curse - revealing him to actually be an elf sage named Avallac'h, who happens to be Ciri's mentor. The elf tells Geralt how find Ciri at the magically hidden Isle of Mists.

Vesemir warns them that they'd need a plan first though, as no doubt the Wild Hunt would be nipping at their heels the minute Ciri leaves that island. Geralt agrees, and states the plan is to bring Ciri home - luring the hunt into a battle at Kaer Morhen.

While the others prepare, Geralt goes to seek other allies first - being turned down immediately by Dijkstra, Crach, Cerys, and the Emperor of Nilfgaard. Fortunately Zoltan, Vernon, Ves, Hjalmar, Vigi and Folan all agree to fight. Surprisingly so does the Skellige druid Ermion, who is zen enough to put aside his hate of Yennefer.

The White Wolf then sails to the Isle of Mists, and without too much fanfare finally locates Ciri.

Been looking for you, kid.

Insight: Ahh this part is great, as it is one where all of your previous decisions either pay off or bite you in the butt!

The Wild Hunt: Doppler

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Needing something other than Dijkstra's offer to think about, Geralt looks for the doppler Dudu who is believed to be in hiding within Novigrad. While it takes a lot of leg work, it isn't actually difficult to find him and get his help in freeing Dandelion. Dudu simply has to look like the Eternal Fire boss Triss immolated, bark some orders, and the bard is freed.

Dandelion is overjoyed at his rescue, but informs Geralt that Ciri had teleported herself out of Novigrad during his capture. Since Geralt's searched most of the mainland, odds are Ciri has gone to Skellige island - which is where Yen is looking.

Somewhat relieved, Geralt decides to take it easy for a bit - helping his friend Zoltan get out of debt from Bedlam by tracking down collectors edition Gwent cards, Dandelion in setting up his new cabaret club, and an elf cook in regaining sword making privileges from Cleaver which earns the witcher a master blade, all while hunting down a mass murderer on the side.

Ugh, I'm terrible at this game!

Insight: Gwent is a fun card game you can play at numerous locations. If you are serious about winning though, you will need to make sure to buy new cards when you come across them and most importantly keep your deck thin by replacing out the weaker cards!

The Wild Hunt: Monsters

[Part of the Wild Hunt story]

Novigrad smells like burning flesh, and for good reason. The Church of the Eternal Fire are here and are actively fanaticizing the city folk into discriminating against the non-humans and burning witches and magic users at the stake.

There's still plenty of work for a witcher though, but this time Geralt saves more "monsters" than he kills as they are often the victims of the city residents. On one such job he helps his old flame, the sorceress Triss, who is now living doing menial tasks while in hiding from the Witch Hunters.

Hiding in extravagant parties that is.

While she has no leads on Ciri, she does get Geralt reunited with his dwarven ally Zoltan who bluntly informs the witcher that their other friend, the flamboyant bard Jaskier Dandelion has also gone missing. Since the bard's trail is fresh, they decide to look for him first.

Insight: Fast travel via sign posts to save a lot of time.