The Weekend "First Play" #2: Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse

Jocelyn sets out in search of the Null Reliquary

You need a lot of different dice for this game… read on for the reason why!

Last weekend, I shared my “first play” post about Blackoath Entertainment’s latest magnum opus, Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse, which was initially a Patreon-only game, but is now freely available to all.

This week, I’m going to take the character I created, Jocelyn, from the comparatively safe haven of Rockmound on her first quest and get a feel of how this game plays out in practice.

A rider to start with. I’m still a relative noob in the wonderful world of solo TTRPGs, and it’s entirely possible (or even highly likely) that I’ll make mistakes in understanding rules and stuff. Gentle corrections in the comments are appreciated!

And on that note, I made a mistake in the setup. When I talked about gear, I helped myself to a Rapier and a Gambeson. In fact, character creation only grants “proficiency” in those particular “skills” and doesn’t automatically bestow the items.

The easy “fix” is to envision that Jocelyn visits the shop in Rockmound and uses some of her starting coin (which most definitely is given) to purchase what she needs. So, let’s suppose that Jocelyn calls in at—let’s call it—Alrick’s Emporium. Poring over the overflowing racks, shelves, nooks and crannies, she purchases a leather gambeson (6o gold), a razor-sharp Rapier (10 gp), as well as a Medium Shield (40 gp), a Lamp (30 gp), a flask of oil (5gp), a Bedroll (10 gp) and some Medical Supplies (20 gp). She’ll need a Backpack to carry what she has, plus any spoils she earns—that’s another 100 gp. Her pockets now feel considerably lighter, as she’s spent 275 gp, leaving her with 225 coins from her starting stash.

Jocelyn proudly wraps the gambeson around her slender frame, sheathes her weapon and carefully stashes everything else into her new backpack (taking up 4 “slots” out of the ten she has available).

And so, with a final glance back at the comforting rustic homes and cobbled streets, Jocelyn turned her back on Rockmound and stepped onto the wind-blown road that would carry her toward whatever destiny held for her.

Beside her clanked the improbable figure of T-459PX: obsolete, scratched, and muttering diagnostics in a dialect dead for two hundred years. Jocelyn — fine-boned and keen-eyed, her gambeson too thin for the cold and her feet already aching — barely reached its shoulder.

Somewhere beyond the horizon, adventure stirred…

The rules give us TWO Exploration Turns per day. We have to use the first one to move from Rockmound to the Ruins. The Machine Gods’ exploration is conducted on a grid system. Last week, we rolled the four compass direction squares around Rockmound—it was how we discovered the Ancient Ruins we are seeking! We’ll need to do the same every time we move to a new grid square…

I can’t draw! That much is obvious….

But first, let’s think about whether we encounter anything on the journey. I’m thinking that it’s unlikely, given the proximity to the town. The rules contain a Yes/No Oracle. I could use Mythic, but let’s stick with the core book, which means I need to roll 12 or above on a d20.

Yikes! I roll a 12. It’s the slimmest of “pass” rolls. There’s a “complication” table to add nuance to the Yes/No Oracle. I’m tempted to roll and see what happens.

OK, let’s do it! I roll six on a d6. “The social environment changes.” I passed my roll, so I don’t want anything calamitous—I’m thinking something more neutral, intriguing rather than disastrous! And my only “social” interaction is my rusty ol’ robot…

Let’s try a little plot building…

“..Beta-link failed.. Reinitialising sequence.. Unknown command.. please input function key”

Jocelyn paused, glancing back. The robot had stopped dead, as if caught in a thought — if such a thing could be said of it. Once. Twice. Then, in a voice lower and smoother than her usual grating tone…

“You walk like her.”

Jocelyn’s brow furrowed. “Like who?” But the light in T-459X’s eyes dimmed again, and the machine resumed walking, back to his familiar litany:

“Reinitialising sequence... Unknown command... please input function key...”

Jocelyn stared after him, heart pounding like a drum. They had said she was nothing more than a bucket of bolts. A cast-off. But the robot knew. Or remembered… something…

So we arrive in the next square. Let’s start (as the rules say) with a weather roll. We roll a six on the d20, which tells us that we hear a clap of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning. Heavy rain begins to fall. Visibility is reduced, and we’ll suffer a disadvantage with any PER checks.

This is the point where Jocelyn realises her commoner's clothes are woefully inadequate for the adventuring life, even with a leather gambeson wrapped rightly around her slender frame!

Next, let’s quickly roll up the terrain of the surrounding squares, so that we are set if we decide to explore further. Rolls on the relevant tables tell us there is a forested area beyond the Ruins to the north, with impassable mountains to the east and something described as a “Perilous Gate” to the west. (We’ll leave that alone for now…)

OK, we’re in an area with ancient ruins to explore, but first, we need to explore the area immediately surrounding the ruins, which will burn the second Exploration Turn for today. Firstly, we roll a d20 for an “Exploration Event,” and roll a nine. We “come across some sort of hazard or obstacle.”

Yep—it’s another roll, this time a d8. Grrrr… we activate an “Ancient Security System!” We must pass a DEX check to avoid crippling damage. These Target Number “checks” are a core mechanic in Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse, even though this is the first one I’ve needed to pass!

My DEX stands at 10, and I roll a 16 on the d20. It’s a pass—phew! Jocelyn dodges nimbly away from the grasping pincers of a whirring metal contraption.

My character sheet is printed on cream paper because, why not?

There’s nothing else noteworthy in the area around the ruins, and we can’t do anything more today anyway since we’ve used both Exploration Turns. It’s time to rest (otherwise we risk becoming Starved or Fatigued—neither is desirable!). I took the precaution of bringing a bedroll (plus a metallic guard who doesn’t require sleep), so I should be fine! Resting without a bedroll or tent hampers exploration the following day, so we avoid that fate!

The Next Day

The next morning, the thunderstorms had passed. I roll a nine on the Weather Table—it’s a still, calm day. I’ve rested for six hours and used a ration of food so that I won’t be fatigued or starved today…

It’s time to enter the ruins, and we switch from the outdoor exploration rules to a different set of rules for ruins. It’s assumed that when we first enter a ruin, we find ourselves in an empty room. There’s no treasure and no encounters!

The first order of business is to determine the size of the ruin. This time, it’s a d10, and we roll a six. It’s a medium-sized ruin—and has a d8 usage die.

Let’s talk about the usage die in Machine Gods! This is a cool mechanic for tracking details, consumables, or (as in this instance) game timers. Here’s how it works:

• The game designates a usage die between d4 and d20. The higher the starting die, the longer the timer, since dice are depleted in a chain, i.e. d20-d12-d10-d8-d6-d4.

• When required by the rules, we roll the usage die. On a 1 or 2, we drop down to the next lowest die. Other rolls are ignored. In our case, we roll when we enter a new room in the ruins.

• Once we get to a d4, the 1 or 2 roll triggers the final event in the quest (in this case, it would be the “final boss”).

So, in our case, we start with a d8. Once we roll a 1 or 2, we drop down to d6. Another 1 or 2 switches us to d4, and a further 1 or 2 means we have entered the final room at the end of the ruins.

Theoretically, on a run of “bad” rolls, we could reach the end of the ruins in three rolls of the dice. That’s statistically unlikely, but what the usage die mechanic does do is ramp up the tension, since we are MUCH more likely to roll 1 or 2 on a d4 (50% chance) than, say, a d20 (10% chance.) It’s a neat system!

Mapping Ruins

If you’ve read thus far, you won’t be surprised to learn that Alex provides a multitude of tables to determine room size, conditions, details, loot and encounters. There’s even a dedicated table to find out what security system is in operation!

The first room is always empty, so at least we can survive the initial moments in a ruin, regardless of the dangers that might be ahead. Using the tables provided, I determined that:

• The entry room is 4x4 with a single exit, which I placed at the north side.

• This led to a short (2 square corridor) leading to a long, thin room, two wide and five long, with an exit to the west.

• The feature of this room was an altar at the far end—but before we can even take a look, we spot a hostile Ghost Protocol homing in on us!

Into Battle

I wasn’t planning on necessarily getting into combat at this juncture, but it appears that the rules place something hostile in every room! Not only that, but I rolled on one with an initiative of 20 (the maximum.) Even with “Sneak” as one of my “Feats”, I didn’t think I could realistically narrate a way to avoid this bad guy!

Mapping as I go deeper…

Combat in Machine Gods is entirely player-facing. Indeed, even in games with a GM, they don’t make any rolls for the enemies. So, it’s a system geared for solo play. Cool!

But first, we have to survive. The Ghost Protocol in the game is a “Security AI manifesting as an armoured phantom.” It attacks with its Phasing Strike attack, wounding me for six health, reduced to five by my Defence Rating of 1.

Yikes! It is at this point that I reflect on the wisdom of making a “glass cannon” with only eight health points!

I realise I can’t withstand much more from this dude—we’re gonna need to finish him quickly. Next to go is T-459X. He homes in with his special attack, an Energy Blast. I roll a five! He hits for 1d6+2 with this attack… seven damage for a baddie with a modest 8HP.

It’s time for Jocelyn to whip out her Rapier and deliver the coup-de-grace…

Beside Jocelyn, T-459X’s servos whirred as she powered up. No muttering diagnostics this time. No ancient equations. Just a brooding hum as his core reactor surged with energy.

“Engaging Energy Blast: Target—Hostile Entity. Efficiency priority: Protect Jocelyn.”

A pale blue beam sizzles through the spectral haze. The Ghost Protocol buckled, shrieked—its form warping under the impact. It teetered on the brink of extinction.

And then Jocelyn moved. No hesitation now. She plucked her rapier free of its sheath and darted forward, thrusting the blade straight through the centre of the corrupted protocol. With a final digitised moan, it dissolved into static…

Jocelyn stood there, chest heaving, the rapier trembling in her grip. Behind her, T-459X’s voice buzzed back to its usual droning mutter:

“...Environmental threat neutralised... resume optimal pathing... rebooting auditory filter…”

Jocelyn reaches into her backpack for her medicine kit to staunch the dull pain in her left shoulder. But the unlikely pair live to fight another day…

Final Thoughts

In this three-part series, we’ve examined the game overall, created our character, and set out on our first quest, including a first combat encounter.

So what do I think?

I think it’s a cool package, made even better by the expansion, The Voidspire Territories, which I’ve barely touched on in these posts. Inevitably, there are a few little things I didn’t like—such as every room in ruins being populated by a bad guy (a “houserule” can soon deal with that, of course), plus there are a few rules idiosyncrasies and “edge cases” not covered. Again, nothing that can’t be overcome with a little imagination, so I’m not going to worry about those.

Blackoath is essentially a one-person operation. Alex T isn’t running a huge team of creators! Apart from the art, which is sourced from third parties, he does everything himself, from conceiving of the game right through to stuffing the envelopes to fulfil orders.

It’s an incredibly impressive undertaking, and he deserves our support. I’ve already bought several more Blackoath titles (check out the current DriveThru Summer Sale for bargains), jumped onto a Kickstarter and joined the Patreon—so I’m pretty much all-in on what Alex is doing for the solo TTRPG hobby, and I warmly encourage you to consider supporting his work!