Introductory adventure: ? & side quests

[JAFARR]

I just bought some misc Traveller items on Ebay, including the "Introductory Adventure" (You know the 1 that came with origional 1981 LLBs. You have to collect data on each of the 440 systems in the Spinward Marches for the scout service. Has anyone ever compleated this adventure or been the referee for a group that finished it? If so, about how long in game time did it take?

What interesting side quests (adventures, etc.) do you have that can be run concurently with the main adventure? I will give mine in a separate post.

 

[JAFARR]

Lottery Ticket

You are using banking facilities when a bank employee makes you an offer.

"We have a safe deposit box that belonged to a deseased customer. The law here says that if a customer leaves property in a safe deposit box without paying the rent, we must keep it for at least 1 year, after which time we may sell it's contents for the past due rent. This customer signed up during a promotion that gave a free year's rent if you paid for 4 years in advance. He died after the first year, leaving 4 years of rent still paid so the law required us to keep his account active. During that time we have tried to contact his estate, but he has no one to claim his property on this world. We do know he moved to this world about the time he opened the account, but we don't know where he moved from. Last week was a year past the time he paid for so we can now legally sell the contents. We have had this lot up for auction for a 2 week period which ends day after tomorrow at noon. The minimum bid is the 25 credits past due for 1 year's rent of the safe depost box. So far we have had no bids. There are several pieces of jewelry that will sell for more than the 25 credits as well as some other assorted items."

If the PCs bid on the contents there will be no other bids. The jewelry (2d6 + 1) times 10 credits (30 to 130 credits) on this world. At the referee's discression, prices may vary on other worlds. The only other items of interest are an old lottery ticket and a beat up news clipping (newspaper or hard copy of form of electronic meda) stating that the 1 million credit winning lottery ticket from some drawing 25 years ago had still not been claimed. The article states that the holder has a total of 50 years to claim the winnings before it is forfitted to the government. A hand written date on the paper is 10 years ago. Nothing on the paper gives either the publisher's name or the world where the lottery was held. The payout has been kept in an interest bearing account. Depending on how long it takes the PCs to find the right world, the account may hold 25 to 150 milion credits after handling charges are paid. Taxes are at the referee's discretion. Searching for the right world that held the lottery fits right in with gathering the needed data for the main adventure and may even be a plausable cover in Non-Imperium space.

 

[tbeard1999]

I always thought that a survey of the entire sector was a great setup for a campaign, although it's probably too big to complete (twenty years of game time was one estimate I recall). I've used the same scenario (but only a single subsector) in a campaign and it worked fine.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Random Side Stories -- The MacGuffin.

A MacGuffin is any unique, one-of-a-kind item that serves to advance the plot of a story. The actual identity of the MacGuffin itself is unimportant, as long as (1) someone wants it, and (2) someone else has it. Whatever is inside the suitcase in "Pulp Fiction" is a supreme example of a MacGuffin (you never find out what it is). The Maltese Falcon from the movie of the same name is another. It is up to the referee to determine the appearance and hidden properties (if any) of the MacGuffin.

"What's that you're holding?" -- One of the PC's obtains a MacGuffin, and spends his or her free time trying to determine what it is, where it came from, and how much it's worth. In the meantime, there are at least two separate and conflicting factions who would wish to separate the MacGuffin from the PC. Any MacGuffin-centered action takes place as a sidebar to whatever other adventure the PC's are currently in.

"I gotta get me that!" -- One of the PC's notices a MacGuffin in the possession of an NPC, and spends his or her free time trying to determine what it is, where it came from, how much it's worth, and how he or she can obtain it from its current owner. In the meantime, there is at least one other NPC who would wish to separate the MacGuffin from its current owner - by force, if necessary. If the MacGuffin is stolen (especially by coercion or violence), then the PC will become a prime suspect. Any MacGuffin-centered action takes place as a sidebar to whatever adventure the PC's are currently in.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Loonian Money Transfer Fraud, or Imperial 419 Scam.

Date

FROM: Mr. H. Vishnuvarheer, Esq.
Vice-President of Escrow
Central Bank of Loonia
Yagos, Wayouthere, Loonia

TO: [Name of character]

Dear Sir:

I have been requested by the Lunian Global Futures Company to contact you for assistance in resolving a matter. The Lunian Global Futures Company has recently concluded a large number of contracts for Lanthanum exploration in the District 286. The contracts have immediately produced moneys equalling Cr50,000,000. The Loonian Global Futures Company is desirous of exploration in other parts of the subsector, however, because of certain regulations of the Loonian Government, it is unable to move these funds to another region.

You assistance is requested as a non-Loonian citizen to assist the Lunian Global Futures Company, and also the Central Bank of Loonia, in moving these funds off of Loonia. If the funds can be transferred to your name, in your Imperial account, then you can forward the funds as directed by the Lunian Global Futures Company. In exchange for your accomodating services, the Lunian Global Futures Company would agree to allow you to retain 10%, or Cr$5,000,000 of this amount.

However, to be a legitimate transferee of these moneys according to Loonian law, you must presently be a depositor of at least Cr$100,000 in a Loonian bank which is regulated by the Central Bank of Loonia.

If it will be possible for you to assist us, we would be most grateful. We suggest that you meet with us in person in Yagos, which is in the farthest outback of the province of Wayouthtere on Loonia, so as to avoid any Imperial entanglements, and that during your visit I introduce you to the representatives of the Lunian Global Futures Company , as well as with certain officials of the Central Bank of Loonia.

Please contact me at your earliest convenience at Loonian commnode sequence 221.185.147.37.5. Time is of the essence in this matter; very quickly the Loonian Government will realize that the Central Bank is maintaining this amount on deposit, and attempt to levy certain depository taxes on it.

Yours truly, etc.

Havanagoodtime Vishnuvarheer, Esq.

 

[JAFARR]

That sounds very much like the e-mail I got last week with the names changed to disguise the guilty