A starter Blip for 2–4 players. One session. Set in Neutral St. Louis. No prior knowledge of the setting required — everything you need is on this page.
GM Note: Read this page once before the session. Players don’t need to read anything — just grab a Quickbuild and go. The Milk Run is designed to teach the core mechanics through play: a skill check, a social encounter, a combat encounter, and a choice with consequences.
The Setup
A fixer named Danya Kel contacts the crew through a mutual connection. The job is simple: pick up a sealed case from a drop point in The Exchange, deliver it to a warehouse in The Landing, and collect 200 Grid Coin on completion. She calls it a milk run — easy money, no complications.
Danya is professional, clipped, and doesn’t answer questions about the case’s contents. “You’re carrying, not opening. The seal is tagged — if it breaks, the job fails and you owe me for the contents. Clear?”
Danya Kel: Fixer, mid-40s, operates out of The Exchange. Sharp eyes, data-glove on her left hand, never seen without an encrypted comm unit. She’s reliable — this is a real job, not a setup. What she hasn’t told the crew is that the case contains a medical-grade neural calibrator being shipped to an off-the-books clinic in The Landing. It’s legal in NSL. It’s stolen from a corporate supply chain. The corporation wants it back.
Scene 1: The Pickup
Location: The Exchange — a busy commercial plaza with signal relays overhead and broker offices on every side.
The drop point is a public locker bank near the transit hub. Danya sends the access code when the crew confirms they’re on site. The case is small — the size of a laptop bag — matte black with a blue seal strip along one edge.
Skill check: When the crew retrieves the case, anyone with relevant skills (Mind + Perception, Mind + Tech, or similar) can attempt a TN 12 check. Success: they notice the seal has a micro-transmitter embedded in it — someone other than the buyer will know when the case is opened. Failure: they don’t notice. Either way, the case is in hand.
The route from The Exchange to The Landing is about forty minutes on foot through the Sumps, or twenty minutes if they take the transit tunnel.
Scene 2: The Complication
Location: Midway — either Sumps street-level or the transit tunnel, depending on the crew’s route.
A two-person team intercepts the crew. They’re corporate recovery agents — not combat specialists, but not amateurs either. One is a talker (Mr. Sato, suit, calm, corp badge visible). The other hangs back with a hand near a holstered sidearm (Hess, ex-military build, eyes on the case).
Mr. Sato approaches openly: “That case belongs to Meridian BioSystems. The contents were removed from our supply chain without authorization. We’d like them back. We’re prepared to compensate you for your time — 150 Corp Coin, right now, no questions.”
This is a social encounter. The crew has options:
Option A — Negotiate. Soul + Persuasion or similar vs TN 14. On success, Mr. Sato raises the offer to 250 Corp Coin and walks away peacefully. On failure, he shrugs and signals Hess.
Option B — Refuse and walk. Mr. Sato doesn’t stop them, but Hess follows at a distance. The crew will need to deal with a tail.
Option C — Hand over the case. They get 150 Corp Coin. Danya Kel is furious. The crew’s reputation takes a hit. The clinic in The Landing doesn’t get its equipment. Simple, safe, consequential.
Option D — Escalate. If the crew gets aggressive, Hess draws. This becomes a combat encounter (see below). Mr. Sato retreats immediately — he’s not a fighter.
Scene 3: The Delivery (or the Fight)
If combat happens:
Hess — Body-focused, ex-military. Sidearm (2d10+4 damage), light body armor. TN to hit: 13. Will fight until seriously wounded, then retreat. Not suicidal.
Mr. Sato — No combat stats. Flees immediately. May call backup that arrives too late to matter.
This is a teaching fight: one opponent, cover matters, the crew outnumbers Hess. It should resolve in 2–3 rounds. If a PC gets hurt, this is a good moment to demonstrate how damage and recovery work.
If no combat: The crew reaches The Landing warehouse without further incident. A woman named Dr. Maren meets them at the loading bay, checks the seal, and transfers the payment to Danya, who forwards the crew’s cut within minutes.
Dr. Maren doesn’t say much, but the crew can see the clinic behind her — improvised surgical bay, patients waiting. This is where the neural calibrator is going. It matters to real people.
The Echo
Whatever the crew chose in Scene 2, the consequences ripple forward:
If they delivered the case: Danya Kel is pleased. She’ll offer more work. Dr. Maren’s clinic operates another month. Meridian BioSystems now knows the crew’s faces — they may appear again as antagonists in future sessions.
If they sold the case back: Danya Kel cuts contact. The clinic struggles. Meridian is satisfied but doesn’t remember the crew fondly — they’re just couriers who broke contract. The crew has Corp Coin but no reputation.
If they fought Hess: Meridian BioSystems escalates. Mr. Sato files a report. The crew has a corporate flag on their identities in NSL — future encounters with corporate NPCs start harder.
Player Hook: After the session, ask each player: what did your character think about the choice? Did they care about the clinic, or just the Coin? That answer tells you who they are — and gives you material for the next session.
GM Quick Reference
NPCs: Danya Kel (fixer), Mr. Sato (corp recovery), Hess (enforcer), Dr. Maren (clinic operator)
Locations: The Exchange (pickup), Sumps or transit tunnel (complication), The Landing warehouse (delivery)
Key TNs: 12 (notice transmitter), 14 (negotiate with Sato), 13 (hit Hess in combat)
Payment: 200 Grid Coin (delivered) or 150 Corp Coin (sold back)
Duration: 2–3 hours
Continue Exploring
Play: NSL: Your First City — Explore the districts your crew just ran through
Play: The Echo System — How to build on the Milk Run’s consequences
Rules: How to Play — Full rules reference
Read: Fields of Rabbit — Another story of choices that matter
Go deeper: More Free Adventures