Deaths/Respawns: 2
Session Playtime: ~45 minutes
The journey began on hextile G10, with my character starting at full health and energy (HP=10, EP=10) and carrying three meal bars for sustenance.
My first move was into a new tile, and a d6 roll determined the terrain to be Mountains. The landscape was described as unkind, with impassable paths and signs of landslides, though the views were nice. My event roll for the day was a 12, signaling an immediate Encounter. A subsequent d6 roll of 1 triggered the "Hillside Horror" event.
As dusk fell, I found a fruit tree and set up camp, adding two fruit to my inventory. I ate one, raising my HP to 11 and EP to 12. Just as I was finishing, the encounter sprung: a glowing bot, a Buster T7, came racing out of the dark. Armed with only my fists, which deal 1 damage, fighting was not an option. I had to run.
Combat & First Death:
The robot always attacks first. Its first strike dealt a heavy blow. I spent 2 EP to attempt an escape, needing to roll above the enemy's escape value of 5 on a d6. My roll was a 5—a failure. Because the roll was odd, the rules stated I could not attempt to escape on my next turn. The bot struck again, dropping me to 3 HP. My turn was spent trying a basic attack, but its defense of 2 meant my punch did nothing. After another hit from the bot, I tried to escape again, but failed once more. One final attack, and my HP hit zero.
First Respawn:
Upon being knocked out, I didn't die permanently. The rules had me reset my HP and EP to 10, move back to the tile I started the day on, and start the calendar day over. As a small mercy, any enemy I faced on this "re-do" day would have its HP halved.
Day 1: Second Attempt & Second Death:
I restarted the day, deciding to stick with the Mountains terrain. Unbelievably, my event roll was another 10, triggering a second Encounter. This time, I was cornered on a rocky hill by a very upset gorilla bear.
Combat & Second Death:
Even with its HP halved from 15 to 7, the bear's defense of 3 made my fists useless. Running was my only hope. The bear’s first attack was devastating, instantly dropping me from 10 HP to 2. I spent 2 EP attempting to escape, needing to roll above its escape value of 4. I rolled a 3 and failed. The bear’s next attack took me out for the second time.
Day 1: Third Time's the Charm:
After my second respawn, I reset my stats to 10 again and rerolled the day's event one last time. This time, I rolled a 6, revealing a Ruin. (I initially used the wrong ruin chart, but later corrected this during Day 2's events). The proper Mountain Ruin was an old coal mine. Venturing inside, I found a caged elevator with skeletal remains inside. I checked the pockets of one skeleton and found two bits right before the elevator car snapped and fell into the abyss.
Finally, a successful event. At dusk, I ate my last piece of fruit and then slept, ending the brutal first day with HP=14 and EP=14.
I started the day by moving to a new tile, which a d6 roll revealed to be a Forest. My event roll was a ruin, so I explored the woods. I came across a brutalist church, a massive concrete building being reclaimed by nature. Inside, a small donation bowl on the podium contained four bits. I decided to take the money, a choice that immediately triggered a consequence. A Buster T3 robot appeared behind me, saying, "Brave of you," before swiping at me with a club.