Posted this to the Facebook Traveller group and it got some thumbs-ups, then it occurred to me somebody on here might be able to use it. The thread title comes from my wish, back in the day, that they had done further "76 Things" supplements, with Events, Ship Encounters, etc. This one is heavily derived from the story "The Riddle of the Universe and Its Solution," by Christopher Cherniak, which speculates on facets of cognitive science.
-----
Players' Information:
⑆ CHERNIAK/LANTH (A778985-A) Date: 025-1105
¶ Travellers to the capital are advised to be alert for signs of illness. The University, long a member of the Imperial Science Union, announced the lockdown of the Cognitive Science Department Building due to the suspected presence of an unknown pathogen believed to be responsible for the illness of several researchers who have been hospitalized in a state of catatonia. The first recorded case appears to be Dr. Langford Dizzard, noted cognitive science researcher and head of the Department at the University, and at this time includes at least four other members of the Department.
¶ Victims of the pathogen have been found staring straight ahead but breathing normally. They reportedly do not respond to questions or being shaken, and show no startle response to loud noises. Medical authorities at this time suspect a previously-unknown pathogen related to trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness.
¶ The University has assured corporate sponsors that it has deployed teams in hazmat gear to recover research materials from the AI Department building and transmit the data to the rest of the AI Department team, currently headquartered in the Hofstadter Building located in the downtown campus, along with a number of other corporate-sponsored research facilities. Ω
FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH
⑆ CHERNIAK/LANTH (A778985-A) Date: 037-1105
¶ The University has announced that several members of the Cognitive Sciences Department, temporarily operating out of the Hofstadter Building, have succumbed to the illness previously reported to have caused a quarantine of the University grounds. Medical authorities now speculate, in light of the nature of these new cases, that the vector of the illness is a piece of information.
¶ A data-entry clerk reported having received an incorrect file. The clerk called one of the cognitive science researchers over to ask for clarification. Reading over the clerk's shoulder, the researcher appears to have succumbed mid-sentence to what the Press has taken to calling "the Riddle," with the symptoms being referred to as "the Riddle coma."
¶ Authorities assert that there is no root cause for the alarm which has spread throughout the capital. Law enforcement has increased its presence at government facilities in response to the mob which formed last night at the Council building. The government has assured the press that they have reached out to Imperial authorities for assistance, and have every expectation that the Riddle and the threat it represents will soon be brought under control. Ω
⑆ LANTH/LANTH (A778985-A) Date: 040-1105
¶ The Travellers' Aid Society today issued a travellers' advisory, declaring the world of Cherniak an amber travel zone until further notice. Ω
Referee's Information:
In the face of a memetic plague, panic will ensue among the populace. Player characters should receive the first TAS News item when they arrive on-planet as something previously reported, while the later news items should unfold during planetside activities. As the crew of a spaceworthy vessel, they will be subject to pleas, threats, and all sorts of inducements to take refugees from Cherniak at all possible speed.
1. One of the cargo items the crew has already acquired is "Computers" or "Computer Parts." Upon arrival at their destination, they will find it impossible to dispose of this cargo because of fears over its possible contamination with Riddle-related data. On a roll of Law Level or less, the cargo will be impounded as a potential safety hazard. If the crew can bring the cargo to a world off the beaten path, they may be able to sell the cargo to brokers who are unaware of the Riddle panic. The referee is responsible for determining the flow of subsequent events.
2. As above, but the cargo is "Raw Scientific Data" in the form of periodicals and scientific papers. It will be difficult if not impossible to find a buyer in many worlds; only on a throw of Tech Level -7 can a buyer be found, and if they are alerted to the Riddle they may call the purchase off.
3. A passenger on the vessel is found in the Riddle coma during the trip, never emerging from their cabin after jump. An investigation of their personal effects discovers nothing untoward. If the crew reports the discovery at their port of call, the ship will be impounded until an official investigation can be concluded. The referee is responsible for determining the flow of subsequent events.
4. As above, but the passenger was a Zhodani spy. After the ship and crew is impounded, the crew will receive a surreptitious visit by the Zhodani handler and a few commandos.
5. A government official and entourage arrive at the landing pad to do an "inspection." Mid-inspection, the official will order the group to take off and deliver himself and his family (part of the entourage) to safety. The entourage should be sized to be too large to feasibly fit on the starship. No matter how the decision is made of who goes and who is left behind, a firefight is likely to erupt on the landing pad between competing groups. Any loud altercation has an excellent chance of setting off riots elsewhere in the spaceport. The referee must determine the flow of subsequent events.
6. As above, but one of the minor functionaries being left behind discloses that the have a bomb, large enough to disable the starship and severely damage the landing pad.
-----
Players' Information:
⑆ CHERNIAK/LANTH (A778985-A) Date: 025-1105
¶ Travellers to the capital are advised to be alert for signs of illness. The University, long a member of the Imperial Science Union, announced the lockdown of the Cognitive Science Department Building due to the suspected presence of an unknown pathogen believed to be responsible for the illness of several researchers who have been hospitalized in a state of catatonia. The first recorded case appears to be Dr. Langford Dizzard, noted cognitive science researcher and head of the Department at the University, and at this time includes at least four other members of the Department.
¶ Victims of the pathogen have been found staring straight ahead but breathing normally. They reportedly do not respond to questions or being shaken, and show no startle response to loud noises. Medical authorities at this time suspect a previously-unknown pathogen related to trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness.
¶ The University has assured corporate sponsors that it has deployed teams in hazmat gear to recover research materials from the AI Department building and transmit the data to the rest of the AI Department team, currently headquartered in the Hofstadter Building located in the downtown campus, along with a number of other corporate-sponsored research facilities. Ω
FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH
⑆ CHERNIAK/LANTH (A778985-A) Date: 037-1105
¶ The University has announced that several members of the Cognitive Sciences Department, temporarily operating out of the Hofstadter Building, have succumbed to the illness previously reported to have caused a quarantine of the University grounds. Medical authorities now speculate, in light of the nature of these new cases, that the vector of the illness is a piece of information.
¶ A data-entry clerk reported having received an incorrect file. The clerk called one of the cognitive science researchers over to ask for clarification. Reading over the clerk's shoulder, the researcher appears to have succumbed mid-sentence to what the Press has taken to calling "the Riddle," with the symptoms being referred to as "the Riddle coma."
¶ Authorities assert that there is no root cause for the alarm which has spread throughout the capital. Law enforcement has increased its presence at government facilities in response to the mob which formed last night at the Council building. The government has assured the press that they have reached out to Imperial authorities for assistance, and have every expectation that the Riddle and the threat it represents will soon be brought under control. Ω
⑆ LANTH/LANTH (A778985-A) Date: 040-1105
¶ The Travellers' Aid Society today issued a travellers' advisory, declaring the world of Cherniak an amber travel zone until further notice. Ω
Referee's Information:
In the face of a memetic plague, panic will ensue among the populace. Player characters should receive the first TAS News item when they arrive on-planet as something previously reported, while the later news items should unfold during planetside activities. As the crew of a spaceworthy vessel, they will be subject to pleas, threats, and all sorts of inducements to take refugees from Cherniak at all possible speed.
1. One of the cargo items the crew has already acquired is "Computers" or "Computer Parts." Upon arrival at their destination, they will find it impossible to dispose of this cargo because of fears over its possible contamination with Riddle-related data. On a roll of Law Level or less, the cargo will be impounded as a potential safety hazard. If the crew can bring the cargo to a world off the beaten path, they may be able to sell the cargo to brokers who are unaware of the Riddle panic. The referee is responsible for determining the flow of subsequent events.
2. As above, but the cargo is "Raw Scientific Data" in the form of periodicals and scientific papers. It will be difficult if not impossible to find a buyer in many worlds; only on a throw of Tech Level -7 can a buyer be found, and if they are alerted to the Riddle they may call the purchase off.
3. A passenger on the vessel is found in the Riddle coma during the trip, never emerging from their cabin after jump. An investigation of their personal effects discovers nothing untoward. If the crew reports the discovery at their port of call, the ship will be impounded until an official investigation can be concluded. The referee is responsible for determining the flow of subsequent events.
4. As above, but the passenger was a Zhodani spy. After the ship and crew is impounded, the crew will receive a surreptitious visit by the Zhodani handler and a few commandos.
5. A government official and entourage arrive at the landing pad to do an "inspection." Mid-inspection, the official will order the group to take off and deliver himself and his family (part of the entourage) to safety. The entourage should be sized to be too large to feasibly fit on the starship. No matter how the decision is made of who goes and who is left behind, a firefight is likely to erupt on the landing pad between competing groups. Any loud altercation has an excellent chance of setting off riots elsewhere in the spaceport. The referee must determine the flow of subsequent events.
6. As above, but one of the minor functionaries being left behind discloses that the have a bomb, large enough to disable the starship and severely damage the landing pad.
Last edited:
