That's pretty much the gist. I think my big mistake was blending MT with pre-CT era military politics .... I came up with a kind of Roman Empire intrigue in the Ref notes.
Adventure Seed; Black Nova
- Thread starter Blue Ghost
- Start date
That's pretty much the gist. I think my big mistake was blending MT with pre-CT era military politics .... I came up with a kind of Roman Empire intrigue in the Ref notes.
To me this is just not a normal patron to get into trouble by, it's just too high powered.
Just the sort of thing that might get a Junior Agent of the Imperium activated, since it's world busting tech.
The minute most players know what is going on, they are gonna shove him out the airlock or figure on how to barter him away, with tremendous risks they will just be shot rather then paid off (know too much, traitor/enemy to X polity, etc.).
So a big key is they get clues but don't really know what he is.
I'd start with reports of mysterious deaths at a research station several weeks previous as a typical weekly news/rumor the players often blow off.
Then the scientist shows with his laughably cheap escape payment. If he's smart and financed enough, he would charter the ship for immediate takeoff.
Stays ahead of the information wave, no record of conventional ticket purchase, players are happy for the moment.
Scientist gets to next destination, warns players it is in their best interest to say he was never there, disappears, and all seems to be just a quirky quick payday with criminal overtones at most.
Then the various spy groups start showing up as the trail leads to the players.
Fun part could be that they don't show up as just Imps or Sols or Zhos or hey go wild even Hivers, but as disguised ops so the players don' t even know it's a high stakes game.
A lot would depend on what they choose to tell to whom. Dangerous as some might conclude it's best to off the players so the trail goes cold for the competition.
The Vegans enforcing their autonomy or even onto the game would be good deus ex machina to keep the players from being whacked. The various interested parties would not want to explain what they are really there for or why they are after the players.
Endgame for this could go several ways.
The players could decide to go after him once they know the truth for a big payday- or have one of those space noir moments where maybe they decide to 'do the right thing', which may involve something crazy or killing the scientist so no one else gets it- or make sure everyone gets it.
The Vegans could be bestest buddies if the players cooperate- or maybe there is a militant faction that now wants the superweapon for Vega.
Finally, this could all be a Hiver manipulation to get all the humanspace races to forego creating such horrors.
The scientist being convinced to go against his polity is their doing without his knowledge, and they are helping him with financing and their superior computer skills/equipment towards an end to publicize or horrify all involved to not proceed with development.
Just the sort of thing that might get a Junior Agent of the Imperium activated, since it's world busting tech.
The minute most players know what is going on, they are gonna shove him out the airlock or figure on how to barter him away, with tremendous risks they will just be shot rather then paid off (know too much, traitor/enemy to X polity, etc.).
So a big key is they get clues but don't really know what he is.
I'd start with reports of mysterious deaths at a research station several weeks previous as a typical weekly news/rumor the players often blow off.
Then the scientist shows with his laughably cheap escape payment. If he's smart and financed enough, he would charter the ship for immediate takeoff.
Stays ahead of the information wave, no record of conventional ticket purchase, players are happy for the moment.
Scientist gets to next destination, warns players it is in their best interest to say he was never there, disappears, and all seems to be just a quirky quick payday with criminal overtones at most.
Then the various spy groups start showing up as the trail leads to the players.
Fun part could be that they don't show up as just Imps or Sols or Zhos or hey go wild even Hivers, but as disguised ops so the players don' t even know it's a high stakes game.
A lot would depend on what they choose to tell to whom. Dangerous as some might conclude it's best to off the players so the trail goes cold for the competition.
The Vegans enforcing their autonomy or even onto the game would be good deus ex machina to keep the players from being whacked. The various interested parties would not want to explain what they are really there for or why they are after the players.
Endgame for this could go several ways.
The players could decide to go after him once they know the truth for a big payday- or have one of those space noir moments where maybe they decide to 'do the right thing', which may involve something crazy or killing the scientist so no one else gets it- or make sure everyone gets it.
The Vegans could be bestest buddies if the players cooperate- or maybe there is a militant faction that now wants the superweapon for Vega.
Finally, this could all be a Hiver manipulation to get all the humanspace races to forego creating such horrors.
The scientist being convinced to go against his polity is their doing without his knowledge, and they are helping him with financing and their superior computer skills/equipment towards an end to publicize or horrify all involved to not proceed with development.
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Yeah, I put it in Vegan space because I simply wasn't sure how that might effect (affect?) the circumstances or the narrative.
I think a good option would be to narrow the scope of interested parties ... say maybe Imperial Naval Intelligence and/or cooperating with the the IISS special security branch.
I could take a page out of Nathan's playbook, and have wafer-BB-DN Lucan on the prowl for the dude ... that would be worthy of a sadistic Ref, yet interesting at the same time.
I think a good option would be to narrow the scope of interested parties ... say maybe Imperial Naval Intelligence and/or cooperating with the the IISS special security branch.
I could take a page out of Nathan's playbook, and have wafer-BB-DN Lucan on the prowl for the dude ... that would be worthy of a sadistic Ref, yet interesting at the same time.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Your adventure is set in 1105 - Lucan wouldn't download his memories and personality for a good few decades yet 
I have had a nasty thought.
The scientist cloned himself and copied his memories and personality to each clone. Another clone was used to fake his death and give him a head start...
I have had a nasty thought.
The scientist cloned himself and copied his memories and personality to each clone. Another clone was used to fake his death and give him a head start...
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I can see that letting you run an adventure is ... how does one put it, an adventure in "may you live in interesting times."
In all Traveller seriousness, I think pre-T4 Lucan, just the regular dude himself, would make an interesting antagonist for this seed.
In all Traveller seriousness, I think pre-T4 Lucan, just the regular dude himself, would make an interesting antagonist for this seed.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Depends on how the players approach the situation and what they expect from a sci fi setting in the 57th century
Then you need to change the timestamp on the adventure to during the rebellion era. 1116+ although the default start date for a MT campaign was 1120 IIRC.
Set it 1125+ and you are into Hard Times and the capabilities of Imperial intelligence agencies is going to be massively reduced.
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I can see that, but I was thinking in a "minor lord" sort of way. Hard Times would be an interesting setting.
You mean pre-MT/TNE, right? In the T4 era Lucan won't be born for almost another eleven centuries.
Prior to the Assassination, Lucan blowing away his brother Varian on a whim, helping destroy the Imperium, helping release Virus, and becoming every lazy Traveller writer's go to cyber-Hitler, Lucan was a feckless playboy lounging around the Palace and swapping girlfriends with his brother.
Then again, having Lucan chasing Falkener around the Rim circa 1105 fits in with the gonzo nature of this seed.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Lucan would be all of eleven years of age in 1105...
*sigh* I tried going off of what I could remember from the MT library data and the Rebellion sourcebook. I have this image of him being this late 20s or early 30s sociopath during the FFW. Oh well. Live and learn.
He could be wearing a wafer. By day, he's spoiled preteen prince of the realm whining about having the finish his schoolwork and trying to sneak gummie bears before dinner. By night and thanks to a wafer, he's Ernst Blofeld/Prof. Moriarty, arch criminal mastermind sitting at the center of his web of evil and searching for the researcher who has stolen his newly developed Kill-Them-All-itis disease with which he'll rule the world! muhahahahahahahaha!
It would a perfect disguise for sort of super villain this gonzo adventure seed requires.
