Adventure Seed; Black Nova

[Blue Ghost]

Date;
Year 1105, 177th Day

Place;
Solomani Rim [Sector]
Vega subsector
Hsuarrdzan system (hex 2213)
Asteroid Facility; possibly deep inside a worldlette

SitRep;
As Solomani traders in rare products brought forth to the Imperium, you are looked on with both suspicion, respect, fear and even a good deal of awe and perhaps jealousy. Entrepreneurialism, although introduced after Earth had essentially conquered all of Sylean Space, for some reason is still not fully embraced and practiced by huge swaths of the Vilani or their subject races. Vegans included.

And there are an awful lot of Vegans here. In fact, you are nearly the only humans around save for a smattering of other traders or merchant captains here either as directed by the company, or looking to make a killing with rare alloys or other items related to the smelting and melding of ores rare and precious.

But you’re here more as a brief interlude of R&R after having travailed and traveled Imperial occupied Terran space. Or so you call it, even though Imperial forces have been here for a few centuries. Terran pride runs deep, or so the saying goes among the Vilani, and no matter how much paperwork you show, no matter how clean your logs, you are looked on with a certain regard; positive and negative, which might be seen more as a compliment than anything else.

As for your Vegan hosts; you are here to spend money, and they welcome you in that vein. You mind your business, they mind theirs’, and you both get along fine—especially since you are in the “human” designated area, which is slightly warmer and better lit than most of the Vegan architecture and Vegan oriented interior spaces, which would require you to wear warm clothing for a time.
But there is tension.

Vegan society still must kowtow to Imperial rule, and even though Vegan history is a bit warmer with Terran influence and society, there is still the geopolitic of who owns what stretches of space, and is willing to back it up with fleets of warships.

As tempestuous as this sounds, it’s more rhetoric than anything else. Though, on occasion, intrigue pops its head here and there.

So it is that a well known Imperial biochemist approaches you and your crew looking for passage to Solomani space. Said individual is in disguise, but your personal computers identify him as Grace Falkener, a bio-designer who has done various media shows, talks and otherwise been a public spokesman for education, and for lifting the Imperial embargo on self rule and tech-limitations in various regions of the Imperium.

You don’t react, but it’s up to you and your crew or fellow adventurers as to whether you want to accept his offer or not.

He offers considerable payment (twice high passage, and will go higher if pushed by a players with brokerage or other like skill).

Are the Adventurers interested?

FOR REFEREES ONLY

Spoiler:

Grace Falkener has been recently and secretly classified as a dissident for revealing a secret biochemical weapons’ program funded and operated by the Imperial Navy. Said weapons’ research horrid secret is that a segment of the navy is seeking weapons that attack only certain molecular strains, thus making a weapon that can attack one race but leave another harmless. You begin to wonder why he is in Vegan space.

The party is eyed by various other local humans. As the players earn glances, they are secretly classified as a threat, and as enemy aliens. They will be hounded until they reach safe space. Vegan space is relatively safe as a “no fire” zone, but once the players venture into Imperial space, it’s no holds barred.

But there is yet more intrigue. There are several admirals, lords and even marshals that are vying to get their hands on Grace. Grace himself doesn’t have any data that isn’t already recorded somewhere, but he has a higher degree of understanding than any of the other researchers, including the AI used to create such monstrous weapons.

Even the Emperor’s own are out seeking Grace, but not to detain him for torture nor ransom, but to make sure he is safe. For only he has the understanding to the bacillus that could wipe out entire populations; code named "Black Nova".

 

[Orr]

Interesting, but...

Spoiler:

... insanely unbalanced to a gonzo level.

If his' and the media's claims are true, until recently Falkener was the lead scientist in secret bioweapon research aimed at creating specie-targeted plagues for the Imperial military. As such, he's the numero uno target for every intelligence agency, both government and private, in Charted Space.

The idea that he's freely wandering around in the Vegan Autonomous District in a disguise even the PCs can penetrate openly looking for passage to the Confederation is risible. The situation is so crazy that no one would believe it as presented, the situation is so dangerous, that no one would willingly place themselves in the middle of it, and the organizations who want Falkener out-muscle the PCs in every conceivable category by several orders of magnitude.

If I'd been presented with the set-up as a player, I'd run away from it so fast that you'd think I'd teleported.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Well, his "true" 9 to 5 job isn't publicly known. I guess I should have added that, but I thought it might be implicit in the Ref's section; i.e. since the Ref only knows, and ideally the players don't (yet), then probably know one outside the "need to know basis" knows; i.e. John Q. Imperium.

Should I add that in the Ref notes, or is there an alternative that you had in mind?

 

[Orr]

Well, his "true" 9 to 5 job isn't publicly known.

Really? Explain what you wrote then:

Grace Falkener has been recently and secretly classified as a dissident for revealing a secret biochemical weapons’ program funded and operated by the Imperial Navy.

Who'd he reveal it too?

I guess I should have added that, but I thought it might be implicit in the Ref's section; i.e. since the Ref only knows, and ideally the players don't (yet), then probably know one outside the "need to know basis" knows; i.e. John Q. Imperium.

It doesn't matter whether or not John Q. Public knows about the program because as you also wrote:

There are several admirals, lords and even marshals that are vying to get their hands on Grace.

Those are the very same people who control all organizations who can destroy the PCs without breaking a sweat.

Should I add that in the Ref notes, or is there an alternative that you had in mind?

Add to it? No. Completely rewrite it while paying attention to logical consequences of your own premise? Sure.

As for alternatives, there are a few obvious ones.

The seed's central problem is the "power" or "level" mismatch between the PCs and their potential opponents; Solomani free traders vs the entire Imperial government, Solomani gov't, megacorps, Hivers, and others. Using the seed in a high level campaign lessens that mismatch. If the PCs' are the "admirals, lords, and marshals" you mention all vying to capture Falkener first, the seed works. Similarly, if the PCs' are high level agents working for the same, the seed again works.

Another way to make the seed work is to make Falkener a mcguffin instead of a patron. He's something the PCs temporarily and unwittingly have "control" of thus making them targets for everyone who wants him. This makes Falkener an event and/or catastrophe rather than a NPC. It also puts a long term target on the PC's collective backs as everyone is going to want to "debrief" them even after Falkener has been "recovered".

 

[Blue Ghost]

Really? Explain what you wrote then:

Grace Falkener has been recently and secretly classified as a dissident for revealing a secret biochemical weapons’ program funded and operated by the Imperial Navy.

 

[Orr]

Grace Falkener has been recently and secretly classified as a dissident for revealing a secret biochemical weapons’ program funded and operated by the Imperial Navy.

Yes, that is what you wrote. Do you understand what it means?

Do you understand what it meant when you also wrote "There are several admirals, lords and even marshals that are vying to get their hands on Grace."

 

[Blue Ghost]

Yeah, you know something, given facelift that Lucan has gotten, given the admirals of the flag, and given that the game's original premise is that you can play any setting, I don't think what I wrote is incredulous for the OTU.

If you don't like it, then just say so and move on.

 

[Orr]

I don't think what I wrote is incredulous for the OTU.

I do and I do because it is in the OTU.

Your premise is that a man who was involved developed species-specific, genocidal, bio-weapons for the Third Imperium:

• Has a "higher degree of understanding than any of the other researchers"
• Has revealed the existence of that program
• Was classified as a dissident for making that revelation
• Is being sought by "several admirals, lords and even marshals"

Despite having knowledge and abilities no one else has and despite being sought by the setting's most powerful individuals, the man somehow:

• Is wandering around the Vegan Autonomous Region
• Is "disguised" so poorly that traders from the SolCon know who he is
• Is able to make contact with people the Imperium would already be watching

Does that sound even remotely plausible to you?

Falkener isn't some minor academic who may have seen a hidden electronics factory like the defector in Signal GK. Because of what he knows and what he can do, Falkener is the most dangerous and sought after man in the Imperium. If he takes too long in the fresher flossing after a groat burger & fries, his "minders" are going to come knocking.

You're right when you say Traveller was designed so people could play in a variety settings. That ability to support a variety of settings doesn't mean that every adventure seed works in every setting however.

Adventure seeds need to fit within a setting's various premises. In some other setting this seed could work. Given what we know about the 3I/OTU setting, this seed cannot work as written.

Sorry.

 

[Enoki]

Without reading the spoilers and replies, I'd say I'd be asking "Where's this guy want to go (and knowing where the party is at to begin with)?"

Seems a bit to willing to pay a premium to get the hell out of Dodge so-to-speak. He's probably not worth the hassle unless the party can find a way to transport him to wherever such that if (or when) the authorities show up and want to arrest or whatever him we aren't going to prison too.

On the whole, probably best just to avoid that train wreck as there is little or nothing of value in it for us. :coffeesip:

 

[Blue Ghost]

Without reading the spoilers and replies, I'd say I'd be asking "Where's this guy want to go (and knowing where the party is at to begin with)?"

Seems a bit to willing to pay a premium to get the hell out of Dodge so-to-speak. He's probably not worth the hassle unless the party can find a way to transport him to wherever such that if (or when) the authorities show up and want to arrest or whatever him we aren't going to prison too.

On the whole, probably best just to avoid that train wreck as there is little or nothing of value in it for us. :coffeesip:

And that's kind of what I was hoping for. The Ref notes, like all aspects of Traveller, are there more or less as a guide. Cut the number of Admirals, Generals, Marshals and what not to something more reasonable as you see fit.

Kind of the idea is to present players with a situation that seems a little off kilter a first, but otherwise (mostly) harmless as long as they keep their wits about them. I mean, the game and scifi story telling genre as a whole, is about adventuring, right?

So yeah, how much does this guy want? Would any of the PCs care to prod him a bit and say "Hey, man, why you all dressed up in makeup and wig? Locals after or something?" Then listen to his spiel and decide whether to fleece the guy for a ride or not.

But, if the players do, then whoa! What's this flotilla of type-Ts closing with us? And your Patron-NPC suddenly opens up briefcase filled with tightly bound 10,000 ImpCr. Sterling and says it's all yours' if you jump NOW! Do you? Do you have full tanks to get yourself back to a fuel-oriented world if you misjump?

That's kind of the discussion I was hoping for. I guess in a couple of weeks time I'll post something different. Whatever.

 

[Enoki]

Exactly. That's why I'd want a much sweeter pot before playing what looks like a weak hand and trying to win on a bluff.

Then when we get a decent payoff, I'd make him sign in / register as a passenger under an assumed name, etc. That way when the Federalaes start nipping at our heels we have a choice of continue to run or simply cut our losses and hand the guy over saying we don't know nothing, doing our best Sargent Schultz imitation. "He paid for passage and that's what we do..."

 

[Orr]

And that's kind of what I was hoping for.

What you were hoping for? "... probably not worth the hassle..." and "... probably best just to avoid that train wreck..." aren't exactly endorsements. Instead they're an honest prediction that nearly all PC parties will walk - if not run - away from this seed as presented.

GDW always wrote about the "push", "pull" and "hook" when it came to adventures. What use is an adventure seed with which your players refuse to pushed, pulled, or hooked?

 

[mike wightman]

Get rid of the bit about the player's being able to see through his disguise and I don't see any reason why you couldn't start an epic campaign based on this seed.

The players should not know who he is and who is after him.

And a side note to Orr's comments - the Imperium is not all powerful and omnipotent. Within the Vegan autonomous region there are going to be:
IN spooks
IA spooks
IISS spooks
megacorp spooks all of which are often working at cross purposes if extant canon is anything to go by.
Then there at the Vegan spooks, the Solomani spooks etc.
Add criminal gangs etc to the mix and this guy and the PCs transporting him have no chance...
wrong - repeat after me, communication travels at the speed of ship. If this guy is resourceful and clever he could abscond from his research station and stay ahead of the information wave.
Once in the Vegan autonomous region it becomes even more difficult for Imperial agencies to communicate with their superiors. Which means the teams sent after him will:
have a great deal of autonomy
very broad orders
no idea where he is until info from at least a week ago arrives.

If you send a blanket of information to every Imperial intelligence agency in the region the Solomani are going to find out, the Vegans are going to find out.

This guy is disguised - make it a proper disguise (if the PCs can see through it with an ipad then he can not have made it here)
The guy is resourceful - he couldn't have got here otherwise
The guy is very intelligent, well trained and had the sense to leave with some wafers...

I like it and may actually have a use for it very shortly

 

[Blue Ghost]

mike; yeah, one of my bugaboos about the game (and how I finally came to understand what Traveller was "really" all about) were the video cameras and disguise kits, along with a smattering of other stuff. Yeah, I should probably eliminate that. I guess I put that in there because a "disguise kit" just seemed too Hollywood for me, and I figured any PCs worth their salt would do some kind of biometric scan on the guy and try to trace him. But you're right, that's not a given.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

On the Vegans: Yes, they have a long history with the Solomani, but they know the Solomani all too well.

From MgT Solomani Rim
The Vegans begin adulthood at age 50 standard years have terms of 16 standard years and begin aging at age 178 (8 complete terms). They effectively choose careers (tuhuir = castes) for life. So any Vegan with more than 4 terms under their belt (age 114) likely suffered as a child during the Solomani Rim War and veterans of the various tuhir (more than 6 terms age 146+) were old enough to be the same individuals in the war. Some leaders have not even hit their first aging crisis...

 

[Blue Ghost]

On the Vegans: Yes, they have a long history with the Solomani, but they know the Solomani all too well.

From MgT Solomani Rim
The Vegans begin adulthood at age 50 standard years have terms of 16 standard years and begin aging at age 178 (8 complete terms). They effectively choose careers (tuhuir = castes) for life. So any Vegan with more than 4 terms under their belt (age 114) likely suffered as a child during the Solomani Rim War and veterans of the various tuhir (more than 6 terms age 146+) were old enough to be the same individuals in the war. Some leaders have not even hit their first aging crisis...

Ah, much is revealed. I did not know these factoids of which you speak. I only went off of what was in the CT library data, and didn't think to look at other references.

 

[Orr]

And a side note to Orr's comments - the Imperium is not all powerful and omnipotent.

I'm not saying they are. I am saying that, if Lucan's agents in a Shattered Imperium can successfully track down and kill those Virus researchers trying to warn other factions, agent in a Working Imperium will have less trouble.

Let's all remember just what is stated in the seed. Falkener is the primary researcher in a genocidal bioweapon program, he understands the technology better than anyone else, and he has already "revealed" his opposition to the research in a way which has marked him as a dissident. People like that just don't go missing.

Within the Vegan autonomous region there are going to be:

That's part of the problem with the seed's premise. Agents of all kinds are going to be after the man. Not only does Blue Ghost flatly states that Falkener is being pursued by the movers and shakers of the Imperium, his admirals, lords, and whatever the hell marshals are, depending what Blue Ghost meant by "reveal" and how far the information has spread, Falkener is going to be pursued by organizations in and outside of the Imperium.

Also, the suggestion that the Vegan AR is going to be free of Imperial and other agents because it's an AR is laughable. After the example of the Solomani AR, the 3I is going to definitely keep an eye on any AR. If anything, they'll be more official 3I agents in the AR than usual.

wrong - repeat after me, communication travels at the speed of ship.

No. It's right when you bother to actually think about it. While comms travel at the speed of ship, not everyone has access to the same ships. The people looking for Falkener will have access to jump6 and Falkener will not. The information wave will travel further each week than he can.

If you send a blanket of information to every Imperial intelligence agency in the region the Solomani are going to find out, the Vegans are going to find out.

Yes, which makes his escaping even less likely.

This guy is disguised...

No he isn't. Blue Ghost suggested make-up and a wig and then explained the PCs can see through it. Falkener is disguised in the same manner Inspector Clouseau disguises himself.

The guy is resourceful - he couldn't have got here otherwise

He's where he is via referee fiat and nothing more. It's a deux et machina because the writer cannot explain it within the boundaries his own story.

The guy is very intelligent...

No he isn't because he was stupid enough to reveal the project and his opposition to it before he escaped.

... well trained...

As a biologist, not as a espionage agent.

... and had the sense to leave with some wafers...

Now THAT could make this mess work. Of course it's something you had to add.

I like it and may actually have a use for it very shortly

You like it and may use it after you fixed it.

 

[jcrocker]

The flip side is that, until they speak to the guy, the PCs don't know his side of the story.

And if all those movers and shakers are really after him, a fifty-thousand credit reward for information leading to the arrest of this "danger to public welfare" would be the least that they could do.

"So what if it's the Navy who wants to arrest the guy - I don't care if it is out of their jurisdiction, we saw him at the corner store, phone it in so we can get the fifty grand!"

 

[flykiller]

The people looking for Falkener will have access to jump6 and Falkener will not. The information wave will travel further each week than he can.

very insightful point. but after two or three j6's and everything less that's a very broad and deep wave front. lot of worlds, lot of ships, lot of agents. "space is big" ....

 

[Orr]

And if all those movers and shakers are really after him, a fifty-thousand credit reward for information leading to the arrest of this "danger to public welfare" would be the least that they could do.

A couple months a DM at my FLGS was grousing about his Pathfindergroup rarely took any of the adventure hooks he dangled in front of them and how they more often found ways to avoid the hooks. He blamed it on the players "going meta", that is they refused to "immerse" themselves in the setting and think like their characters.

I had him describe one of his hooks and, while fantasy, it was much like the seed shared here; a situation which was too unbalanced, too dangerous, and involving too many too powerful NPCs for players or their characters to willfully ignore. I told him there's a difference between choosing to immerse yourself in a character and choosing to drown to that character.

Putting it another way, you don't start with Queen of the Demonweb Pits. You start with Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and work your way through the rest of the G and D series before facing Lolth.

very insightful point. but after two or three j6's and everything less that's a very broad and deep wave front. lot of worlds, lot of ships, lot of agents. "space is big" ....

It's the Rim, specifically the Vegan Autonomous Region, and not the Marches. Lots of trade, hi-pop worlds, bases, you name it. Not much in the way of rarely visited backwaters. Hiding on a hi-pop world is one thing. Getting to a hi-pop world where you can hide or getting off one to hide on another is something else.

The seed is set in the 3I/OTU which means many background aspects can be assumed. That's the reason we have a 3I/OTU setting after all, so you don't have to "reinvent the wheel" for each new seed. Given what we know about the capabilities of the 3I plus the other governments and organizations in the setting, Falkener can't have been on the run for long. When you consider who he is and what he knows, plus all the groups who are after him, the longer Falkener is in the wind to more likely he gets grabbed up.

Mike's suggestion about Falkener using wafers is an excellent one. It's also one which could make the seed as originally presented actually work. Not the Agent wafers from the set described in AtoI, but more "mundane" ones which allow Falkener to access/use personalities with the kinds of skills, knowledge, and codes he'd need. Something closer to what the professor in Expedition to Zhodane uses rather than those used by Bland.