Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-37: "Siege of Civility" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Siege of Civility with the Iconic Witchwarper.  Perhaps ironically given where the scenario takes place, this one is *heavy* on the role-playing.  There's potentially a little combat, but depending on what the PCs do, it may not happen at all.  This isn't a complaint, just an observation.  If you're expecting a thrilling guns-blazing adventure, I'd pick another scenario.  But if you're looking for a scenario with plenty of opportunities for quality role-playing, then this one would be a good choice.

SPOILERS

Siege of Civility continues a minor storyline began in # 1-24 (Siege of Enlightenment), which introduced two rival starfaring nations in Near Space: the Marixah Republic and the Gideron Authority.  As their very names imply, one's a multicultural democracy while the other is an expansionist military aggressor.  Perhaps surprisingly, but not necessarily wrongly, the Starfinder Society has remained strictly neutral and is willing to make deals with either one if it aids in exploration and historical investigation.  At stake in this scenario, however, is something less lofty: the Society's flagship, Master of Stars, is almost complete but needs Drift technology that only the Gideron Authority possesses.  Thus, the PCs are asked to travel to an Authority military fortress and take part in diplomatic negotiations with several of their high-ranking leaders to persuade them to part with the technology.  The briefing is delivered by Venture-Captain Fitch, and although I sometimes complain about briefers not having much personality, she's a good counter-example: as a working parent, Fitch is grateful for a vacation from her kids and will accompany the Starfinders on the mission!

The scenario has three main parts.

The first part consists of diplomatic negotiations with the Authority leaders.  The way this is done will be familiar to most SFS/PFS players, as each NPC is susceptible to persuasion by a particular set of skill checks and types of arguments, each PC gets a certain number of skill checks (with a bonus for good role-playing), and success is determined by winning over a certain number of the NPCs.  I think Siege of Civility does a fairly good job fleshing out the NPCs, as each receives artwork, a background, and some personality.

The second part is an optional combat, and it's the only combat in the scenario!  The PCs are invited to take part in a tactical combat exercise against an elite Authority battle squad.  The combat takes place in a special arena with some fun features, such as walkways that speed movement in one direction but slow it in another, random bursts of energy attacks, and so forth.  The arena is also ensorcelled to prevent anyone from dying, so it's a risk-free event.  I remember having a blast with the Iconic Witchwarper during the fight.  The PCs don't have to agree to take part--they receive both some bonuses and some penalties on persuasion checks in the next part of the scenario if they do, but there are a lot of credits on the line in the Chronicle for participating (and winning), so the choice isn't completely unconstrained.

The third part is another round of negotiations, played out in identical fashion to the first part.

There's a little subplot with a spy from the Marixah Republic disguised as a waiter.  The PCs can flush out the spy (or report her to the Authority's intelligence chief) and gain an advantage in the negotiations.  I'm surprised there's no repercussions or blowback from Society agents interceding in the on-going rivalry/war and, probably, getting someone executed.  This bit could have been thought through more carefully in terms of its political and moral implications (and potentially used to add some more intrigue and depth to the scenario).

Obviously, this is a heavy RP-oriented scenario.  It's a type of story that *really* depends on having a good GM to bring the various NPCs to life and draw out some good interaction from the players.  I love me some role-playing, but frankly I got a bit bored during the second phase of negotiations when I realised it was exactly the same set-up as the first phase.  It's also probably not a good type of scenario for new players, as they may be expecting some fast-paced slam-bang adventure in space, only to find more of a "chat with business associates at a cocktail party" type of session.  (I don't think the two new players we had at the session came back).  On the other hand, I definitely respect the effort to have a scenario that can be legitimately completed with absolutely no violence (and even pacifist characters could probably have fun with the demonstration match).  The writer also does a good job describing the Authority's military headquarters and its leading personalities, thus helping to flesh out some more setting lore.

Overall, I'd say this falls in the "know your GM, know your players" territory.  Some groups are going to bliss out on the great role-playing that can emerge, where others will be disappointed that there aren't more doors to kick down and monsters to blast.