Impressing the Natives
- Thread starter Ran Targas
- Start date
Sandman,
I had a good time although the session went slow and building background is never very exciting. With the upcoming skirmish and decoding of the data cube, things will heat up a little. Remember, this is CT with a strong SW/B5 influence. To paraphrase: not everything here is as it seems.
I had a good time although the session went slow and building background is never very exciting. With the upcoming skirmish and decoding of the data cube, things will heat up a little. Remember, this is CT with a strong SW/B5 influence. To paraphrase: not everything here is as it seems.
The short of this session:
- Pilot tries to mediate a cease fire between the two warring tribes and narrowly misses being speared, drops and rolls into underbrush, and fumbles with bandolier to load tear gas round in combat shotgun
- Nav and Eng start discussing the pro's and con's of siding with one tribe over the other. GM ruling: the two do nothing for the first ten combat rounds
- Pilot rises to one knee and fires tear gas into a group of tribals (from the 1st tribe they met)
- One round passes and after a morale check, the stunned tribals disappear into the jungle
- After avoiding some wildlife, the team manages to reach the ship. The ship has been enshrined in a log lean-to. Eng checks out the rest of the ship, Pilot holds the cargo cult tribals at the airlock, and Nav downloads the data cube. In private, she discovers the logs from a previous expedition. As it turns out, another scout brought to this planet after hooking his shipboard computer to a Ancient device. While in orbit, the scout found signs of Ancient ruins (coordinates are given). In order to get a better scan, he attempted a low level pass over the ruins. As he focused his scan, the ship suffered a power drain and he was forced down. Injured and unable to regain orbit, the scout's last entry indicated someone was trying to force their way into the ship. The Nav intentionally copies the info to her PDA and smacks the data cube against an iris until it cracks. Nav inputs the coordinates to the Ancient ruins and determines their relative location (only a week's travel).
- Pilot manages to prevent any of the tribals from penetrating the airlock
- Eng finds every intake and exhaust port stuffed with fruits and flowers (gifts to the new god?); it will take hours to clear and the sun is setting ...
- As night falls, the tribals start getting real nervous. Pilot thinks warriors from tribe #1 are in the trees, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The team decides it is best to spend the night in the ship, leaving tribe #2 outside.
- Nav tells Pilot and Eng that the cube was to damaged to retrieve any info but after careful examination of her previous scans, she now knows the location of the power spike. After considerable discussion (Pilot doesn't understand how her first calculation was so far off), they agree to check it out.
- The crew doesn't hear the attack and they wake to find tribe #2 brutally massacred. Nav posts guard as Pilot and Eng clear the ship of debris; this takes several hours and requires building a block and tackle to remove the logs resting on the hull. Nav hears rustling in the underbrush several times, causing Pilot and Eng to drop everything and run for cover.
- After lift off, Nav guides the ship to the coordinates. Pilot tries to assist with scanners but Nav cautions against it. Says the power spike might cause feedback and damage the passive sensors (rolled for technobabble). Eng reports some strange readings coming from the fusion plant and recommends immediate grounding; Nav puts her down! The Ancient site is still a day's walk away.
- Pilot tries to mediate a cease fire between the two warring tribes and narrowly misses being speared, drops and rolls into underbrush, and fumbles with bandolier to load tear gas round in combat shotgun
- Nav and Eng start discussing the pro's and con's of siding with one tribe over the other. GM ruling: the two do nothing for the first ten combat rounds
- Pilot rises to one knee and fires tear gas into a group of tribals (from the 1st tribe they met)
- One round passes and after a morale check, the stunned tribals disappear into the jungle
- After avoiding some wildlife, the team manages to reach the ship. The ship has been enshrined in a log lean-to. Eng checks out the rest of the ship, Pilot holds the cargo cult tribals at the airlock, and Nav downloads the data cube. In private, she discovers the logs from a previous expedition. As it turns out, another scout brought to this planet after hooking his shipboard computer to a Ancient device. While in orbit, the scout found signs of Ancient ruins (coordinates are given). In order to get a better scan, he attempted a low level pass over the ruins. As he focused his scan, the ship suffered a power drain and he was forced down. Injured and unable to regain orbit, the scout's last entry indicated someone was trying to force their way into the ship. The Nav intentionally copies the info to her PDA and smacks the data cube against an iris until it cracks. Nav inputs the coordinates to the Ancient ruins and determines their relative location (only a week's travel).
- Pilot manages to prevent any of the tribals from penetrating the airlock
- Eng finds every intake and exhaust port stuffed with fruits and flowers (gifts to the new god?); it will take hours to clear and the sun is setting ...
- As night falls, the tribals start getting real nervous. Pilot thinks warriors from tribe #1 are in the trees, waiting for an opportunity to attack. The team decides it is best to spend the night in the ship, leaving tribe #2 outside.
- Nav tells Pilot and Eng that the cube was to damaged to retrieve any info but after careful examination of her previous scans, she now knows the location of the power spike. After considerable discussion (Pilot doesn't understand how her first calculation was so far off), they agree to check it out.
- The crew doesn't hear the attack and they wake to find tribe #2 brutally massacred. Nav posts guard as Pilot and Eng clear the ship of debris; this takes several hours and requires building a block and tackle to remove the logs resting on the hull. Nav hears rustling in the underbrush several times, causing Pilot and Eng to drop everything and run for cover.
- After lift off, Nav guides the ship to the coordinates. Pilot tries to assist with scanners but Nav cautions against it. Says the power spike might cause feedback and damage the passive sensors (rolled for technobabble). Eng reports some strange readings coming from the fusion plant and recommends immediate grounding; Nav puts her down! The Ancient site is still a day's walk away.
Due to Mother's Day, the session was short this week. Here's what happened:
The team spends the night in the ship going over "the plan" and breaking out supplies. They have convinced themselves that untold riches await at the suspected Ancient site.
- Nav packs up a portable scanner and her PDA with uplink to the ship's computer.
- Pilot, having speculated that the size of the herbivores here indicates large predators too, decides to load his bandolier with "elephant" rounds for his Explorer multi-purpose shotgun.
- Eng brings lots of ammo for his 6mm Bullpup.
- Everyone wears surplus mil armor and survival kit
They intend to start off at dawn but Nav and Pilot, used to loading up the airraft, have elected to bring way to much equipment (500+kg). While they are paring down the list, Eng does a quick walk around of the ship. He notices a stench coming from one of the landing struts. There is a pungent, yellow goo dripping down the strut; it stinks like concentrated urine. Eng knows this ain't a mechanical problem.
Finally they're off. After slogging through dense foliage and knee deep puddles, they eventually intersect a game trail. Nav figures they can follow it for a while before having to cut back into the jungle. Pilot, a career scout, doesn't feel entirely comfortable sticking to the trail but they will make better time this way. Eng, unlucky as always, finds he has a large purple leech attached to his leg. Pilot burns it off and staunches the wound.
- The next encounter was never meant to be punishment for poor rolls or stupidity; it was meant as an abject lesson in the nature of this world. Had the team kept with their native guides, the attacker would have creamed a couple of porters while the team drove it off; instead ...
The team stops on the game trail while Nav takes readings on the strange energy trace. Pilot sneaks up to look over her shoulder and Eng drops to one knee, facing back down the trail. As Nav points in the new direction of travel, the underbrush erupts! A beast, all tusks and fur, bowls over Nav and slams Pilot against a nearby tree stump. Eng spins, screams "Tiger!", opens up full auto, and rolls perfectly. The hail of bullets forces the beast off Pilot; it lands ready to charge, staring directly at Eng. Nav recovers immaculately, comes up on one knee, and draws the sawed off 6mm. Eng sprays another burst, stitching the beast down its left flank, narrowly missing Pilot and Nav. Nav fires, at nearly point blank range, piercing the beast's neck, a fountain of blood spewing from the exit hole. The beast staggers a few meters and drops. Nav closes and fires the coup-de-grace.
The animal was a juvenile Enteledont, a prehistoric mega boar; 2m at the shoulder and very aggressive. Fortunately Pilot suffers only a few bruised ribs and a slight concussion, thanks to his mesh armor and helmet. The armor protected him from the monster's 15cm tusks and sharp hooves, which would have made mince meat of one of the natives.
After a short rest and heavy medication for Pilot, the team pushes on. Peering through the thick undergrowth, Eng spots some sort of stone monument. The team approaches and finds a 3m tall statue, heavily eroded and entwined with vines. The statue appears to be some sort of gargoyle, maybe a warning to the natives. They continue on in the direction of the signal, entering a glen surrounded by small hills. Nav suddenly loses the signal. She climbs one of the hills and tries to use the ship's sensors to triangulate on the energy trace; but she can not establish a link. Pilot and Eng join her at the summit where there is enough room for them to camp the night. Pilot starts building a fire pit to keep the local fauna away when he notices the stones aren't rock, their some sort of synthetic. Nav sets up the portal scanner and begins imaging the surrounding area. Eng paces the summit and comes to the realization that they are standing at the top of a great pyramid! Nav's readings show seven more surrounding them.
And that's where we stopped. Thanks for reading; there's more to come next week.
The team spends the night in the ship going over "the plan" and breaking out supplies. They have convinced themselves that untold riches await at the suspected Ancient site.
- Nav packs up a portable scanner and her PDA with uplink to the ship's computer.
- Pilot, having speculated that the size of the herbivores here indicates large predators too, decides to load his bandolier with "elephant" rounds for his Explorer multi-purpose shotgun.
- Eng brings lots of ammo for his 6mm Bullpup.
- Everyone wears surplus mil armor and survival kit
They intend to start off at dawn but Nav and Pilot, used to loading up the airraft, have elected to bring way to much equipment (500+kg). While they are paring down the list, Eng does a quick walk around of the ship. He notices a stench coming from one of the landing struts. There is a pungent, yellow goo dripping down the strut; it stinks like concentrated urine. Eng knows this ain't a mechanical problem.
Finally they're off. After slogging through dense foliage and knee deep puddles, they eventually intersect a game trail. Nav figures they can follow it for a while before having to cut back into the jungle. Pilot, a career scout, doesn't feel entirely comfortable sticking to the trail but they will make better time this way. Eng, unlucky as always, finds he has a large purple leech attached to his leg. Pilot burns it off and staunches the wound.
- The next encounter was never meant to be punishment for poor rolls or stupidity; it was meant as an abject lesson in the nature of this world. Had the team kept with their native guides, the attacker would have creamed a couple of porters while the team drove it off; instead ...
The team stops on the game trail while Nav takes readings on the strange energy trace. Pilot sneaks up to look over her shoulder and Eng drops to one knee, facing back down the trail. As Nav points in the new direction of travel, the underbrush erupts! A beast, all tusks and fur, bowls over Nav and slams Pilot against a nearby tree stump. Eng spins, screams "Tiger!", opens up full auto, and rolls perfectly. The hail of bullets forces the beast off Pilot; it lands ready to charge, staring directly at Eng. Nav recovers immaculately, comes up on one knee, and draws the sawed off 6mm. Eng sprays another burst, stitching the beast down its left flank, narrowly missing Pilot and Nav. Nav fires, at nearly point blank range, piercing the beast's neck, a fountain of blood spewing from the exit hole. The beast staggers a few meters and drops. Nav closes and fires the coup-de-grace.
The animal was a juvenile Enteledont, a prehistoric mega boar; 2m at the shoulder and very aggressive. Fortunately Pilot suffers only a few bruised ribs and a slight concussion, thanks to his mesh armor and helmet. The armor protected him from the monster's 15cm tusks and sharp hooves, which would have made mince meat of one of the natives.
After a short rest and heavy medication for Pilot, the team pushes on. Peering through the thick undergrowth, Eng spots some sort of stone monument. The team approaches and finds a 3m tall statue, heavily eroded and entwined with vines. The statue appears to be some sort of gargoyle, maybe a warning to the natives. They continue on in the direction of the signal, entering a glen surrounded by small hills. Nav suddenly loses the signal. She climbs one of the hills and tries to use the ship's sensors to triangulate on the energy trace; but she can not establish a link. Pilot and Eng join her at the summit where there is enough room for them to camp the night. Pilot starts building a fire pit to keep the local fauna away when he notices the stones aren't rock, their some sort of synthetic. Nav sets up the portal scanner and begins imaging the surrounding area. Eng paces the summit and comes to the realization that they are standing at the top of a great pyramid! Nav's readings show seven more surrounding them.
And that's where we stopped. Thanks for reading; there's more to come next week.
Arsulon,
Shhhh, my players have yet to meet any Droyne. Droyne are the boogie men of MTU, only with very poor social skills. They tend to vivisect first, then attach the brain to some organic circuitry to answer any questions. I'm hoping to play that out sometime soon (muuhahahaha!).
Shhhh, my players have yet to meet any Droyne. Droyne are the boogie men of MTU, only with very poor social skills. They tend to vivisect first, then attach the brain to some organic circuitry to answer any questions. I'm hoping to play that out sometime soon (muuhahahaha!).
I feel a certain obligation, to those who have encouraged my ramblings, to deliver the conclusion of this adventure. And so ...
The team manages (after almost giving up) to penetrate the Ancient pyramid complex and uncovers a trove of Ancient technology in pristine condition. Oddly, it appears that the facility was built using one aesthetic (organic) and later haphazardly modified to fit another (utilitarian). Amazingly, a great number of systems are still intact and functioning. Some points of interest are:
- a matter transporter
- several personnel and transport vehicles
- a surgery for dissection and modification
- a large cyrogenics bay holding specimens of numerous animal species (including humans)
- a computer core with limited AI with Droyne Avatar (unfortunately this was not pursued after it was determined the Avatar was just a holograph that couldn't speak Galactic Common)
- Eng detected a pinpoint energy source (power plant) generating 10 times more power than their ship's fusion reactor
After accumulating all the clues, they finally conclude this was the lab where the natives were first adapted to this planet's environment. They also suspect that sometime later, a second party commandeered the facility to study the natives in detail.
The team also is surprised to find the ruins are not totally abandoned. There are caretakers, in the form of wingless, light sensitive, Droyne who have maintained the underground complex for several millenia. At first, they stick to the shadows. Then the caretakers react violently to the presence of visitors and the team beat a hasty retreat (it was an awesome chase back to the daylight, Eng only tripped once, and Nav just saved her backpack from falling down the access shaft).
The team did manage to pocket a few nifty Ancient items and scan a great deal of technology before being run off. It will prove useful in the near future.
Then their attention suddenly turned to getting back home. Nav came clean on the data cube and suggested finding the downed scout and his ship. They returned to the cargo cult, but the situation has somewhat soured since their king died in the tribal skirmish. The old crone is now in charge and refused to lead the team to their most sacred shrine. Nav managed to scan the area and detected a mass of refined metals deep in the cliff side. That night, they sneaked inside the cave complex and found part of the scout ship. The cockpit section was somehow dragged 100m into the cave and set up as a mausoleum. Interred in his flight chair, surrounded by offerings, is the dead scout. Eng managed to power up the consoles and also finds a strange Ancient artifact attached to the navigation interface.
All said, the scout's logs and artifact allow the team to get their ship back to familiar space.
After 20+ hours of gaming, they are already talking about going back with a squad of troopers and trying to fight the caretakers for a better look. I'm looking forward to it!
The team manages (after almost giving up) to penetrate the Ancient pyramid complex and uncovers a trove of Ancient technology in pristine condition. Oddly, it appears that the facility was built using one aesthetic (organic) and later haphazardly modified to fit another (utilitarian). Amazingly, a great number of systems are still intact and functioning. Some points of interest are:
- a matter transporter
- several personnel and transport vehicles
- a surgery for dissection and modification
- a large cyrogenics bay holding specimens of numerous animal species (including humans)
- a computer core with limited AI with Droyne Avatar (unfortunately this was not pursued after it was determined the Avatar was just a holograph that couldn't speak Galactic Common)
- Eng detected a pinpoint energy source (power plant) generating 10 times more power than their ship's fusion reactor
After accumulating all the clues, they finally conclude this was the lab where the natives were first adapted to this planet's environment. They also suspect that sometime later, a second party commandeered the facility to study the natives in detail.
The team also is surprised to find the ruins are not totally abandoned. There are caretakers, in the form of wingless, light sensitive, Droyne who have maintained the underground complex for several millenia. At first, they stick to the shadows. Then the caretakers react violently to the presence of visitors and the team beat a hasty retreat (it was an awesome chase back to the daylight, Eng only tripped once, and Nav just saved her backpack from falling down the access shaft).
The team did manage to pocket a few nifty Ancient items and scan a great deal of technology before being run off. It will prove useful in the near future.
Then their attention suddenly turned to getting back home. Nav came clean on the data cube and suggested finding the downed scout and his ship. They returned to the cargo cult, but the situation has somewhat soured since their king died in the tribal skirmish. The old crone is now in charge and refused to lead the team to their most sacred shrine. Nav managed to scan the area and detected a mass of refined metals deep in the cliff side. That night, they sneaked inside the cave complex and found part of the scout ship. The cockpit section was somehow dragged 100m into the cave and set up as a mausoleum. Interred in his flight chair, surrounded by offerings, is the dead scout. Eng managed to power up the consoles and also finds a strange Ancient artifact attached to the navigation interface.
All said, the scout's logs and artifact allow the team to get their ship back to familiar space.
After 20+ hours of gaming, they are already talking about going back with a squad of troopers and trying to fight the caretakers for a better look. I'm looking forward to it!
Zathras was pleased to help strangers, but nooooo, strangers weren't pleased with Zathras so Zathras had to chase intruders from the Great Machine, else strangers bring down the One what will be.
Just make sure they pay a hefty price for every square meters they gain
I'm actually suggesting that you spend some time looking at Babylon 5's "Great Machine" for ideas on how to deal with Invaders from the Other world that want what's Ours to protect
These guys are going to arrive back to civilization with new ancient tech items.
A number of different organizations will be interested in the artifacts.
The characters an hire mercs, but how can they trust them? What other organization will their allegence be to? Hire 12 mercs, 4 freelance, 4 mob connected, 2 Imp Sec, 2 Sorag. All of the mercs will have their own agenda, at least hoping to get their greedy mitts on artifacts.
The nav log in their ships computer will be a prime target for everyone with some ambition. A fleet worth of ships will be heading for that planet if they can figure out where their ship came from. Think of the gold rushes.
People will try to sabotage their ship, or at least slow it down. Others will try to pirate the ship, or outright steal it from the port.
The Droyne caretakers will be the least of their worries if the characters have any brains. The paranoia of the characters should be frightening.
Have fun with them.
A number of different organizations will be interested in the artifacts.
The characters an hire mercs, but how can they trust them? What other organization will their allegence be to? Hire 12 mercs, 4 freelance, 4 mob connected, 2 Imp Sec, 2 Sorag. All of the mercs will have their own agenda, at least hoping to get their greedy mitts on artifacts.
The nav log in their ships computer will be a prime target for everyone with some ambition. A fleet worth of ships will be heading for that planet if they can figure out where their ship came from. Think of the gold rushes.
People will try to sabotage their ship, or at least slow it down. Others will try to pirate the ship, or outright steal it from the port.
The Droyne caretakers will be the least of their worries if the characters have any brains. The paranoia of the characters should be frightening.
Have fun with them.
As I mentioned before, this is just the beginning of the story arc. The natives are more than capable of complicating any further missions and they still haven't met up with any of the world's major predators. Getting to the ruins next time won't be so easy. Plus, they've just kicked a really big ant hill; others are watching them now.
Imperial Intelligence is much more intrusive (read KGB/Gestapo) than in the OTU; when you update your navigation system at a major starport, your nav logs are copied and analyzed for anything of interest.
The organization they work for will protect them from some trouble but if Nav plays up to par and tries to fence one of the goodies, the attention of several parties will focus on her activities including certain Imperial artifact hunters.
They're also going to need a bigger ship and getting one without exposing themselves to further Imperial scrutiny will require cashing in a big favor; one not without its own complications.
Imperial Intelligence is much more intrusive (read KGB/Gestapo) than in the OTU; when you update your navigation system at a major starport, your nav logs are copied and analyzed for anything of interest.
The organization they work for will protect them from some trouble but if Nav plays up to par and tries to fence one of the goodies, the attention of several parties will focus on her activities including certain Imperial artifact hunters.
They're also going to need a bigger ship and getting one without exposing themselves to further Imperial scrutiny will require cashing in a big favor; one not without its own complications.
For Vegas and Don:
So far the three are embroiled in seperate adventures that are very convoluted.
Pilot is trying to procure a recently overhauled Far Trader from a shipyard owner who owes Pilot his life. The deal is made, but first Pilot must help deliver some "modified" freighters to one of the sector's big cargo haulers. Thanks Tanuki for the RQ!
Nav contacted an xeno-archeologist at the sector's Imperial University, trying to fence some small Ancient medical instruments. The professor narc'd on her and now Imperial Security is hunting her on the sector capitol. She's doing a good job of staying low but even her contacts think she's to hot to touch. Just for her, I've been playing Indiana Jones music the entire time.
Eng has gotten himself in trouble by running his mouth in a bar. A famous big game hunter was boasting of his latest kill and Eng, always eager to impress, chimed in with a story about killing a 2m tall wild boar with one shot. He then added that "there must be bigger, meaner stuff there too!" The hunter shanghai'd Eng who is now being held hostage until he shows the hunter where this new planet is. You see, the hunter is in a bind; his clients have contracted him for a "truly unique" experience and he has no where to take them, yet. Plus this next hunt is to be recorded for the holo-vid adventure show "The Galactic Sportsman". The only alternative left to Eng is taking the hunting party to the backwater world where the PC's have a secret base (also inhabited by some deadly animals, just not 2m tall pigs).
So, we've been busy. Didn't think people still read this thread so I didn't bother to update it. Glad you enjoyed it.
So far the three are embroiled in seperate adventures that are very convoluted.
Pilot is trying to procure a recently overhauled Far Trader from a shipyard owner who owes Pilot his life. The deal is made, but first Pilot must help deliver some "modified" freighters to one of the sector's big cargo haulers. Thanks Tanuki for the RQ!
Nav contacted an xeno-archeologist at the sector's Imperial University, trying to fence some small Ancient medical instruments. The professor narc'd on her and now Imperial Security is hunting her on the sector capitol. She's doing a good job of staying low but even her contacts think she's to hot to touch. Just for her, I've been playing Indiana Jones music the entire time.
Eng has gotten himself in trouble by running his mouth in a bar. A famous big game hunter was boasting of his latest kill and Eng, always eager to impress, chimed in with a story about killing a 2m tall wild boar with one shot. He then added that "there must be bigger, meaner stuff there too!" The hunter shanghai'd Eng who is now being held hostage until he shows the hunter where this new planet is. You see, the hunter is in a bind; his clients have contracted him for a "truly unique" experience and he has no where to take them, yet. Plus this next hunt is to be recorded for the holo-vid adventure show "The Galactic Sportsman". The only alternative left to Eng is taking the hunting party to the backwater world where the PC's have a secret base (also inhabited by some deadly animals, just not 2m tall pigs).
So, we've been busy. Didn't think people still read this thread so I didn't bother to update it. Glad you enjoyed it.
When Vasco de Gama first came around the cape of good hope, previous explorers had found that the natives were poor and could be impreesed by beads. So De Gama loaded up on beads and went round only this time he made first contact with the Grand Mogul, who ruled over a fabulously rich civilization. De Gama had himself some problems from that.
Why not adapt that into a campaign for scouts or wide ranging traders in Traveller?
Why not adapt that into a campaign for scouts or wide ranging traders in Traveller?
When will they learn?
My players have gotten to the point where they usually:
1) Knock captured NPCs unconcious (for fear they'll end up providing leads that end up being red herrings.... and I might have done that to them a few times....)
2) Will not split up unless forced to... (usually groups of 2-3 are the smallest.... again... probably from experience)
3) Look for the inobvious threat (they see the obvious one and say "This is too easy! The GM has something more nefarious up his sleave!"... again maybe from past experience....)
Anyway, the nice thing about it is they tend to not make anywhere near the number of dumb blunders they used to ten years back. Now they tend to only get into necessary trouble (except for the occasional episode of forged papers to gain access to hardware or too much drinking at the bar... but even here most of them stick to 1-2 drinks...).
I've enjoyed reading the story. Gives me some ideas if they ever hit the Client States....