A Plague is born:

[pennshome723]

Hello everyone,

This adventure could be set anywhere, in my game it is set in the Verge sector in a system that has the following:

Sun: (You choose the flavor/size)
Orbit: 3 - Large gas Giant with 2 planetoid moons
Orbit: 5 - Asteroid Belt
Orbit: 7 - Asteroid Belt

The main adventure happens on a large Asteroid in Orbit 5. There are three outposts on that asteroid :

1st Outpost: Pell Corp Mining Installation, they are mining the asteroid itself for a rare element, as well as processing raw ores from some other minnig going on within the same belt. This is the main outpost for the system and base of opperations, there are +/- 5,000 pop living and working here

2nd Outpost: Pell Corp Labs Installation, science Bio Labs and R&D center in Genetics. There are about +/- 1,000 pop living and working here

3rd Outpost: Subsector Prison, the prison is for Hard Core convicts which are given Drugs to help control them as well as used as labor in minning process too. There is nearly 2,500 pop or Convicts and Guards stationed at this installation. In my campaign the Galatic Marshals are the Law, with they run this Outpost/Base.

NOTE: There are (7) other 100 man mostly automated minig platforms with mostly AI run Droids and Robots running within Orbit 5 as well and there could be up to 100 man crew on any of them as well too. Usually there is a 10 man crew on each, but there could be more up to 100 working on or out of them.


The Adventure Starts:

The players are a team of Galatic Marshals to transport a normally schedualed to transport (20) Cryo-Sleep Prisoners, Cargo, and Supplies to the Prison Outpost. This is a standard mission that happens every 90 days, and the next one will arrive in 90 days . They got "lucky" and with their standard 200 Ton TL 12 Galatic Marshal patrol vessel with a 5-7 man crew drew the duty of Prisoner transport.

The players Jump into the system (add name and stats here) at the standard Jump Point, and ping the system beacon. No issues and standard auto comm is given and recived back, and then they make for the Prison Outpost. The team gets Automated becon from the Prison with nothing out of the norm, if the team attempts to reach the OutPost via Comm Links, they get no response at all. Also if they scan for other Comm chatter, they only get Automated chatter signals, but that is mostly standard opperations for this system.

The players approach the Asteroid and the Prison Outpost, all appears normal.


NOTE: More to follow In the next post!!!

This is the beginning...Any questions so far?

 

[pennshome723]

Adventure continue - Part 2:

The player approach the Prison Outpost, normal lighting and no damage is seen on the surface. The team makes the standard Comm Call to the Prison Outpost, and gets the standard A.I. Auto reply and the team gets directed to landing pad 2 of three. The team lands on the landing pad lift and then cuts their engines. The system as normal then lowers the whole landing pad lift down into the service hanger below and closes the overhead blast doors.

NOTE: Here is where the Adventure begins:

After the blast doors close and lock, as is noraml the team Comm's the control tower to report in and advise them of their cargo. There is NO reply, actually the service hanger never pressurizes and lighting never changes. There is no sign of movement and then if the crew looks around out the bridge ports they can see some damage that was caused by fire, explosions, and gun fire. They also see some guard bodies not moving and not in space suits most likely dead.

DM NOTE: I had to work out a map of this prison, that actually worked and made sense. That took some time. I also worked out the other Installations as well too.

All three Installations are inter connected via a rail system that all leads first into the Mines that are the core of this Asteroid .The mines have atmosphere pumped into them, but it is rather thin in nature and everyone uses a breather to help them survive. It is also dark and cold in these mines too, but if someone had to go without a breather they could and survive. Heavy working will cause someone without a breather to collapse and pass out.

Now what has happened is three-fold things that have combined to spawn a Zombie Like plague. For me I like to always explain how something happened, to know where it came from, and what possible things it might of caused to happen.

Now in this case Pell Corp is a typical Corporation, all about making all mighty Dollar and to heck with morals of anykind. The Profit margin is their main concern, despite the good PR spin they put on everything. So with that being said, Pell Corp had the Medical Bio Genetics Lab working on a number of different secret projects.

Project #1 - Control Booste - Drug thats given to prisoners that makes them very easy to control, but bostes their strength, Constitution, and Dexterity. It only has a small negative side effect of 0.01% of the people that take it that go crazy and have a seemingly crazy killer rage, that seems to last for 12+ hours untill they pass out or killed.

Project #2 - Happy Booste - Drug thats given to the workers to increase their productivity and make them Happy while they work. Increases their Strength, Constituion, Dexterity, and makes them Happy, as well as being able to work much longer than normal 12-18 hours without needing food or water. Now at the end, the person will have a huge hunger and need to eat great amounts of food.

Project #3 - Splicer - Drug in second stage developement, not ready for active testing yet. It appears that this Genetic Drug will splice some drug effects into the persons genetic code with some slightly quirky side-effects. The drug kinda of works, but it is not ready for human testing yet. More work needs to be done first.

The Pell Corp uses both the Pell Workers and Prisoners as test human subjects. The prisoners use Conrol Boosts and the workers use Happy Booste drugs on a regular basis.

NOTE Problem: What happens when someone takes both Crontrol Booste and Splicer, and then is one of those 0.01% that has the Crazy rage and bites someone that is using actively Happy Booste? What will happen...hmmmm?

Answer: PLAGUE Zombie, the person is Enraged and crazed and still alive but mega hungry and anything is viewed as FOOD. As long as they eat, they can keep going!!!

More details to follow in my next post...


Thoughts so far?

 

[pennshome723]

Plague Backgrouund:

The back story is this, the Pell Corp Bio research uses both the Prisoners and Pell Workers as test subjects. Both the Control Booste and Happy Booste rugs work well and have been in use for about two years now. The Pell Workers take the Happy Booste drug and can work better and longer and are much more productive. The Prisoners are given the Control Booste, inwhich allows them to be used as effective mnners and makes them very very effective 'slave labor'. The Galatic Marshals really only wanted the 'Control' part of the drug, but the 'Booste' was a side effect that has been excepted. Actually three Drug Projects were combined into making Two Drug projects.

- Booste Drug
- Control Drug
- Happy Drug

They were combined as:

- Contrl Booste
- Happy Booste

The other Drug developements that show some promise are:

- Spicer - stage two developement (Genetic alterations to subject)
- Healer - stage one developement (Increased Healing with side effects)

So the Prisoners are used as free labor as minners, and given the Control Booste. Normally Prisoners and Workers do not work together. A accident happened and some prisoners had to be transported to the Bio Labs for medical reasons. When the prisoners were there one of the prisoners drug wore off and wanting to get back on his high from the drug, he shot himself up with what he thought was two shots of Control Booste. Now he was in a lab medical bay, and the guy was already given Healer Drug. The Prisoner took a shot of Happy Booste and Spicer, plus the effects of Control Booste still in his system.

Well it all re-acted and combined with a very darkside effect...Patient Zero become Mega Enraged, his genetics were altered with a increase in his STR, CON, DEX...with greatly increased Healing ability. The prisoner become totally enraged and craved FOOD and attacked the nurse and begane to eat her. Others rushed in and tried to stop him but, with his increased abilities he bit different folks and in the process the plague spread. In a matter of minutes anyone bitten, became enraged and so effected like patient Zero.

Soon the plague spread through the Bio Labs, then spread to both the Mining and Prison Outposts. At game start there would be groups of folks in all the outposts that are still normal and hiding, trying to survive. the plague has lasted for FIVE days and the Infected are HUNGRY!!!

The players need to discover what happened and escape the asteroid. Also what do they do about the (20) prisoners they have in Cyro Sleep that they brought???

 

[pennshome723]

NOTES:

My plan is to have 5-7 players characters as part of the team, now if they decide to awaken the prisoners that they brought with them...they will discovered that they are all Marines and Naval Fleet troops from the Rebellion Core side. Basically they are on a different side than the region that they are in. If they are freed they will be of good use. My scope is to use them as NPCs and Red Shirts, or standin PCs incase someone primary character dies.

It will NOT be easy to escape this situation at all. No real rescue will arrive for another 90 days, the next Marshals team.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

One question: Why not use the Ripley Option? (Take back off and nuke it from orbit.) Why would they have to wait 90 days? Even if they didn't use the Ripley Option, they could pull back out and go get help.

OK, one more questions: What about other craft? Surely there are regular (at a minimum, every few days) visits from the mining vehicles on other asteroids? Are/were there any other patrol craft in the prison bays?

OK, OK, so it's a total of three questions.... Are supplies totally locally synthesized? Do they grow their own food (including protein sources)? Or, did the PC group bring that stuff with them, along with the con-sicles?

Now, to the comments. (I won't try to count them.)

The "splice drug" would be more like a nano-machine or a retro-virus than a drug. It multiplies faster than it was supposedly programmed to do, and the "kill switch" (a programmed death point, so it can't get out of control) seems to have turned itself off. (You can have it actually work, so right as the PCs are about to be infected the virus stops multiplying - meaning the PCs don't get infected.)

As to what to do with the con-sicles, I knew a player once that would have simply turned off the low berths. Without waking anyone in those low berths. Yeah, he played that sort of character.

You should follow-up the lack of comms with the control tower with a broken radio transmission from somewhere else. Something that tells them folks are still alive.

I think escape is very easy. Accomplishing something before you escape won't be. I think the biggest problem is the ability for this "virus" to escape the asteroid. A far-thinking player will come up with the Ripley Option. Just pull out, set up a perimeter of some sort, then part of the team goes for help. Of course, they can still feel the need to collect data, specimens, records, etc. But, someone will want to just back out and set up a perimeter.

I like the scenario. It's a nice blending of zombies and reavers, with a touch of a prisoner riot movie thrown in. (Ooh, you should put a doomsday device somewhere in there - something that is designed to vaporize the bio labs in just such a case as this, but they didn't get to it in time.)

 

[pennshome723]

One question: Why not use the Ripley Option? (Take back off and nuke it from orbit.) Why would they have to wait 90 days? Even if they didn't use the Ripley Option, they could pull back out and go get help.

***** ANSWER**** The prison landing pad was auto run to lower into the below ground bay and then the A.I. closes and locks the blast doors above. Now the control room that overlooks the bay has been destroyed and thus the players do not have the ability to open them from there. Plus the infected are in the complex and they would have to fight them off to get the system back online. Next they have NO NUKES, these are Marshals, do not carry that style of weapon.
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OK, one more questions: What about other craft? Surely there are regular (at a minimum, every few days) visits from the mining vehicles on other asteroids? Are/were there any other patrol craft in the prison bays?

***** ANSWER***** Yes Pell ONLY ships will come to the system, BUT they will land and dock wth the Minning complex and they will get infected or killed (part of the plot, since they are mostly unarmed or have light weapons only and will not have the ability and skill to fight off the number of infected they will encountered. As to the other (7) Automated complexes, might have crews with a System shuttle only that has limited systems and abilities. The 7 minig complexes do not have long range systems either, their are focuses on the main complex. Limited resources and abilities.
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OK, OK, so it's a total of three questions.... Are supplies totally locally synthesized? Do they grow their own food (including protein sources)? Or, did the PC group bring that stuff with them, along with the con-sicles?

*****ANSWER*****yes some resources are grown in the Agro Domes, but most is shipped in by Pell Corp.They ship them in and they are stockpiled, they have 5-6 months of supplies in stock on site. They will send resources every 90 days to re-supply / re-stock, the system is remote and doesNOT have alot of reason to come to system. Pell Corp has control of this system, and they support the Prison complex as well as the local sector Government. The Marshals Team brings special supplies just for the Prison Complex.
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Now, to the comments. (I won't try to count them.)

The "splice drug" would be more like a nano-machine or a retro-virus than a drug. It multiplies faster than it was supposedly programmed to do, and the "kill switch" (a programmed death point, so it can't get out of control) seems to have turned itself off. (You can have it actually work, so right as the PCs are about to be infected the virus stops multiplying - meaning the PCs don't get infected.)

*****ANSWER*****It is the combination of all the (4) drugs and etc, is what made the plague. Call it a plot device, as the GM I do not need to explain everything to a player.
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As to what to do with the con-sicles, I knew a player once that would have simply turned off the low berths. Without waking anyone in those low berths. Yeah, he played that sort of character.

*****ANSWER*****I know my players, they will either try to rig up a long term power source to help keep them alive but in Cryo-Sleep. I am thinging that they will see the point of seeing whom they are and etc...then will awaken them and having them work with of them. Most likely in the end they will FREE them in the end. I play durring the Rebellion times. Know your players, I know my players and their playing styles. I design situations for the players I have so they are challenge and have fun playing.
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You should follow-up the lack of comms with the control tower with a broken radio transmission from somewhere else. Something that tells them folks are still alive.

*****ANSWER***** The A.I.'s ave auto responces and or replys, there are people there as well to work the Comms, BUT someone needs to have to have a reason to check for something non-standard or out of the normall I am playing against my players having got use to some STANDARDS from Auto Comms from A.I.s'
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I think escape is very easy. Accomplishing something before you escape won't be. I think the biggest problem is the ability for this "virus" to escape the asteroid. A far-thinking player will come up with the Ripley Option. Just pull out, set up a perimeter of some sort, then part of the team goes for help. Of course, they can still feel the need to collect data, specimens, records, etc. But, someone will want to just back out and set up a perimeter.

*****ANSWER***** Access to Jump ability ships will be rather hard because the areas will be over-run or have situations that will make it complicated to obtain a ship. Also the Prison complex, landing complex is uncompressed (No AIr) and the systems are down or the controlroom is destroyed. Alot of work needs to be done to repair it, BUT they have to fight off the infected. The plots are set to make it hard. Realize I have been GMing Traveller for a while and am very good at plot lines and developement. I just want to add something more to the mix that maybe I have not thouht of.
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I like the scenario. It's a nice blending of zombies and reavers, with a touch of a prisoner riot movie thrown in. (Ooh, you should put a doomsday device somewhere in there - something that is designed to vaporize the bio labs in just such a case as this, but they didn't get to it in time.)

*****ANSWER***** Failsafe device!

I like it too, but I would to hear other ideas or plots to also add into this! I love plots within plots within plots....There is also other Corps like GTE and Treckion Cor[p that are at full WAR with Pell Corp. Corp Wars is in full swing!
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[pennshome723]

Also on the other (7) insystem minning Platforms:

1st is down for service...the command crew is there along with a 400 ton service insystem only vessel (NO Jump ability). with it's crew as well refitting and rebuilding the complex. they have no idea that anything has happened

#2 and #3 have both their 10 man command crews, and have no idea that anything has happened. They have a System Shuttle only each.

$4 and #5 are total A.I. run and their crews returned home to the main complex ro help out and have been lost.

#6 and #7 have been over-run with infected and besides the main System Shuttle each has another System Shuttle where people escaping came there and some were infected(bittened)

So stations #1, #2, and #3 are safe havens where they could pool resources to survive. They could also find other survivors and bring them to these stations, as well as stations #4 and #5 to help some survivors. Remember each station could support up to 100 crew.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Realize I have been GMing Traveller for a while and am very good at plot lines and developement. I just want to add something more to the mix that maybe I have not thouht of.

Just tossing out ideas. Hope they help.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Adventure continue - Part 2:

The player approach the Prison Outpost, normal lighting and no damage is seen on the surface. The team makes the standard Comm Call to the Prison Outpost, and gets the standard A.I. Auto reply and the team gets directed to landing pad 2 of three. The team lands on the landing pad lift and then cuts their engines. The system as normal then lowers the whole landing pad lift down into the service hanger below and closes the overhead blast doors.

NOTE: Here is where the Adventure begins:

After the blast doors close and lock, as is noraml the team Comm's the control tower to report in and advise them of their cargo. There is NO reply, actually the service hanger never pressurizes and lighting never changes. There is no sign of movement and then if the crew looks around out the bridge ports they can see some damage that was caused by fire, explosions, and gun fire. They also see some guard bodies not moving and not in space suits most likely dead.

DM NOTE: I had to work out a map of this prison, that actually worked and made sense. That took some time. I also worked out the other Installations as well too.

All three Installations are inter connected via a rail system that all leads first into the Mines that are the core of this Asteroid .The mines have atmosphere pumped into them, but it is rather thin in nature and everyone uses a breather to help them survive. It is also dark and cold in these mines too, but if someone had to go without a breather they could and survive. Heavy working will cause someone without a breather to collapse and pass out.

Now what has happened is three-fold things that have combined to spawn a Zombie Like plague. For me I like to always explain how something happened, to know where it came from, and what possible things it might of caused to happen.

Now in this case Pell Corp is a typical Corporation, all about making all mighty Dollar and to heck with morals of anykind. The Profit margin is their main concern, despite the good PR spin they put on everything. So with that being said, Pell Corp had the Medical Bio Genetics Lab working on a number of different secret projects.

Project #1 - Control Booste - Drug thats given to prisoners that makes them very easy to control, but bostes their strength, Constitution, and Dexterity. It only has a small negative side effect of 0.01% of the people that take it that go crazy and have a seemingly crazy killer rage, that seems to last for 12+ hours untill they pass out or killed.

Project #2 - Happy Booste - Drug thats given to the workers to increase their productivity and make them Happy while they work. Increases their Strength, Constituion, Dexterity, and makes them Happy, as well as being able to work much longer than normal 12-18 hours without needing food or water. Now at the end, the person will have a huge hunger and need to eat great amounts of food.

Project #3 - Splicer - Drug in second stage developement, not ready for active testing yet. It appears that this Genetic Drug will splice some drug effects into the persons genetic code with some slightly quirky side-effects. The drug kinda of works, but it is not ready for human testing yet. More work needs to be done first.

The Pell Corp uses both the Pell Workers and Prisoners as test human subjects. The prisoners use Conrol Boosts and the workers use Happy Booste drugs on a regular basis.

NOTE Problem: What happens when someone takes both Crontrol Booste and Splicer, and then is one of those 0.01% that has the Crazy rage and bites someone that is using actively Happy Booste? What will happen...hmmmm?

Answer: PLAGUE Zombie, the person is Enraged and crazed and still alive but mega hungry and anything is viewed as FOOD. As long as they eat, they can keep going!!!

More details to follow in my next post...


Thoughts so far?

Sounds like Death Station to me.

 

[pennshome723]

Just tossing out ideas. Hope they help.

Always...I had not thought of the Fail Safe thermal station Fail-Safe device. A Bio R&D lad would have something like that...I am thinking if that goes off the Pell Labs will be totally destroyed but the Minning and Prison complexes that are located on different areas of the asteroid would not be destroyed.

What do you think might happen...alot of the mines might collapse...and debris would be scattered and maybe the asteroid might be nudged slightly out of it's orbit??? That could cause more issues...long term it could crash into the gas gaint or sun eventually, but that would take a long time I would think?

Thoughts anyone?

 

[pennshome723]

I have all three instalations planned out, as well as the mines, and the minning stations too. I even have a super cargo hauler set up too for adventure, along with a number of other adventures too.

The goals to provide about 12 to 15 games sessions worth of fun in the situation, but the players as always have their own creative ability to come up with a way to resolve or get out of the situation.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I don't think the Fail-Safe device would cause any of the mines or office areas to collapse. Unless it were really badly engineered, of course. It would only affect the labs. It certainly wouldn't change its orbit, since there shouldn't be any ejecta (unless the labs were near the surface and it blew out a side of the asteroid - which might actually defeat the Fail-Safe, since lab matter would now be floating in space, waiting to be picked up on the hull of a spacecraft). Again, your company engineers don't have to be as smart as you. Whatever makes your plot go.

One aside on the "smart engineers" thing: I have been building a similar installation for a future game, and I have thoroughly isolated the work area from the living area. You have to go through 2 sets of sealed doors, and an airlocked decontamination area in-between. There are different biosafety levels in different labs, with a Fail-Safe for the two with the highest biosafety level. The security setup and the biosafety levels will play a part in the adventure. One other thing I've done, though, is given the work area an "Emergency Exit" - a loooooong tunnel with multiple sealed hatches along it, that leads to an airlock with survival gear at the surface. For my adventure, this is how the players get in. In yours, it might serve as a back door for various possibilities. You might already have something like that, but thought I would toss the idea out there.

 

[pennshome723]

I am thinking the fail-safe will be Thermite Plasma explosion and that will kill all living matter, and for a Bio research genetics Lab it is a good idea. It also will destroy any evidence of anything as well too. Remember the complex supports 1,000 staff in this complex alone. It is rather large place.

The complex has different sub sections that are sealed off from one another with multiple double air locks linking them all. BTW my Plague infected, are not dead...so they very much have the use of their brains and knowledge. Granted they are extremely enraged, and thus don't make good or loggical choices...but everything has to have a down side.

Ok I will also say that the rail line and some of the mine shafts near the Bio Labs will be crushed as per plan to cut off the complex from the rest of the mines. Note that the mines are almost like a fourth complex on the asteroid that is 45 miles long and 12 miles thick, and 23 miles wide it is basically a big brick in space.

 

[pennshome723]

Other GM Notes: the plague will eventually burn itself out as the infected die off. I like the concept of 28 Days and Legend much better than true undead Zombies. I also view the plot line for the players more like AMC's Walking Dead show....staying alive and dealing with both the other surviors and the infected. If the players stop the Pell system Fail-Safe in the labs from going off, then Pell Corp will have a awesome Bio Weapon for the War effort within the Rebellion. This could be a History changing event....

 

[MCEvans]

Just for ideas, check out Mongoose "Pirates of Drinax" #4 The Demon's Eye.
Free PDF download from there site. :devil:

Edit: there have been some older drug induced psychosis adventures
old JTAS, Old White Dwarf
there even is one, I think, in the adventure files section of CoTI

 

[pennshome723]

As always the point in all this is to have fun and give the players many different possible choices and directions to go in. It is my plan to have the plague die off in this system and not to have it spread, but one never knows. It would make a great Bio-weapon for PELL Corp!!!