What would a wildlife-refuge factor patron need?

[robject]

I'm writing patron encounters, and I'm wondering about this one.

Patron encounters are always need-based: a patron wants or needs something done that the player characters are capable of doing, and in return the patron has connections or resources the player characters want or need.

This is an Agent, a factor for a wildlife refuge, who wants someone to help with some limited culling of a predator which has become too dominant.

Now this seems a bit difficult to fit to player characters. They're not typically going to be hunters. They may have combat experience, but that's not the same thing, though at least in that case they would know their way around guns, and therefore can fire tranq rounds.

Maybe this has to be more like an "urban jungle" setting, then - the predators have infiltrated into a community, and therefore the setting is more combatlike. This would also produce interesting possible twists, since shooting residents is not allowed. Perhaps there is a criminal-but-foolish attempt to use these predators, as well.

Thoughts?

 

[kilemall]

CT COTI had the hunter persona and so any of those skills would be relevant.

I would think Recon and Survival would be key useful skills in the absence of Hunting.

Knowledge skills for the world's fauna, the animal in particular would be useful (think the various doctors from Jaws or Jurassic series).

Take it up a notch, make it a high law level world, the players have to hunt with no guns. Or the hunt is in the ocean and netting/RAM GL fishing is not allowed.

 

[flykiller]

a wildlife refuge factor will have access to support resources, so there is no reason for him to go looking for random characters to wander through his refuge killing his charges. maybe he has one or two experts and that's all, and those experts need some extra hands, so the player characters are attached to the experts and learn from them and pick up hunting, wilderness, and wilderness recon skills.

 

[robject]

Both excellent suggestions. Thank you!

 

[flykiller]

doesn't have to be hunting with weapons, it could be hunting with cameras. lone image hunters, documentary "film" crews, college student biologists studying the mating habits of the wild dingopop. "we need to catch one of those one ton tree pushers and count the number of parasites on it."

 

[inexorabletash]

Could the PCs be hired to deal with off-world poachers instead? That's possibly out of the league of the patron, requires their usual combat skill, but still keeps them in the wilderness environment with dangerous predators - that they must not harm!

 

[aramis]

I'm writing patron encounters, and I'm wondering about this one.

Patron encounters are always need-based: a patron wants or needs something done that the player characters are capable of doing, and in return the patron has connections or resources the player characters want or need.

This is an Agent, a factor for a wildlife refuge, who wants someone to help with some limited culling of a predator which has become too dominant.

Now this seems a bit difficult to fit to player characters. They're not typically going to be hunters. They may have combat experience, but that's not the same thing, though at least in that case they would know their way around guns, and therefore can fire tranq rounds.

Maybe this has to be more like an "urban jungle" setting, then - the predators have infiltrated into a community, and therefore the setting is more combatlike. This would also produce interesting possible twists, since shooting residents is not allowed. Perhaps there is a criminal-but-foolish attempt to use these predators, as well.

Thoughts?

If the beast is sufficiently dangerous, then it may take genuine mercs to be brave enough to take it on... as it's hunting you, too.

Culling, likewise, generally involves lethal force.

And there can be lots of special situations....
Angry locals - upset you're killing them
Angry locals - upset you're not going to kill all of them
Angry locals - they weren't hired.
Paranoid locals - ammo tracked
Paperwork - must image before and after shooting.
local diseases - often not disclosed
bugbites
other dangerous animals in the range

And, being sci-fi...
Target animal may be explosive.

 

[mike wightman]

How about the warden needs help getting rid of poachers?

What if the poaching party includes a noble?

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Great stuff...yoinks!

If the beast is sufficiently dangerous, then it may take genuine mercs to be brave enough to take it on... as it's hunting you, too.

Culling, likewise, generally involves lethal force.

And there can be lots of special situations....
Angry locals - upset you're killing them
Angry locals - upset you're not going to kill all of them
Angry locals - they weren't hired.
Paranoid locals - ammo tracked
Paperwork - must image before and after shooting.
local diseases - often not disclosed
bugbites
other dangerous animals in the range

And, being sci-fi...
Target animal may be explosive.

Just had to put that last part in there didn't you? Mean, sir, mean. Funny, but mean.

How about the warden needs help getting rid of poachers?

What if the poaching party includes a noble?

Maybe another noble knew that and has made sure that the "proper authorities were made aware of the situation and are said to handling it", ah plausible deniability. "What Lord Quirk-Johnson was fatally shot in a freak hunting accident? My goodness. Poaching the wild garsnouse too. For shame, new blood you know, our family would never do such a thing. Shame about poor Snottie though."

Not that the Imperial Moot approves of such methods but what happens on Vegas-5 stays on Vegas-5, it's Imperial High Law.

 

[Timerover51]

First, I would assume that any Scout types would have had enough Survival training in living off of the land to have some knowledge of hunting.

Second, one of the best ways to hunt a predator is setting up a nicely concealed blind over some very attractive bait, and letting the predator come to you. That just requires cool nerves and good shots, not so much hunting skills. If you are culling the predators because they are approaching the limit of the carrying capacity for the area, baiting them in should be quite effective and efficient.

I would recommend that you take a look at the book Maneaters of Tsavo by Patterson, which tells the story of the two maneating lions that held up the construction of the Tsavo Railway in Africa. Side Note: The two lions are presently on display, stuffed, at the Field Museum in Chicago. That can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg.

I would also recommend taking a look at Jim Corbett's Book, Maneaters of Kumaon, which can be downloaded at archive.org.

https://archive.org/details/maneaters_of_kumaon

 

[aramis]

Just had to put that last part in there didn't you? Mean, sir, mean. Funny, but mean.

Borrowed from Bujold...

Maybe another noble knew that and has made sure that the "proper authorities were made aware of the situation and are said to handling it", ah plausible deniability. "What Lord Quirk-Johnson was fatally shot in a freak hunting accident? My goodness. Poaching the wild garsnouse too. For shame, new blood you know, our family would never do such a thing. Shame about poor Snottie though."

Not that the Imperial Moot approves of such methods but what happens on Vegas-5 stays on Vegas-5, it's Imperial High Law.

And you call me devious???

 

[ovka]

And, being sci-fi...
Target animal may be explosive.

:rofl:

Second, one of the best ways to hunt a predator is setting up a nicely concealed blind over some very attractive bait, and letting the predator come to you. That just requires cool nerves and good shots, not so much hunting skills. If you are culling the predators because they are approaching the limit of the carrying capacity for the area, baiting them in should be quite effective and efficient.

Unless of course the predator is intelligent and decides to turn the tables.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[welsh]

Picking up from a couple of mentions of poachers above, applied to the original idea: the warden has experts to do the predator control, but the refuge has a problem with poachers who are all too ready to use violence to keep the warden's people out of the field; he needs a team to accompany his experts and provide security.

OR, the refuge is also a haven for a guerrilla group; same requirement.

With the possibility that the warden is not a warden, and that his expert(s) are poacher(s), and that the "poachers" the PCs are keeping at bay are actually on the side of the angels, of course.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[aramis]

A side spur idea...

Locals experiencing high rates of poaching of a local dangerous and yet endangered species, decide to stop it; regional authority refuses to enforce the protection laws. Locals hire Mercs to defend local wildlife. Locals love the mercs, regionals hate them. Cue 4 sided cat-n-mouse game (Mercs, Poachers, Gov't, and the predators themselves). Bonus points for documentation missions, too.

(The above is stolen from Pournelle, then embellished.)

 

[Hyphen]

Love Bob Peck. Absolutely brought the original (and best) Edge of Darkness to life. And delivered the best "soldier's speech" I've ever heard in "An Ungentlemanly Act".

http://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/apr/08/guardianobituaries.lyngardner

I once asked Ian McKellen about him and this is what he posted:

http://www.mckellen.com/epost/m020828.htm

 

[Timerover51]

:rofl:
Unless of course the predator is intelligent and decides to turn the tables.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

Read Corbett's book and you will discover how many times his quarry was hunting him. You can get the same thing in John Taylor's book, Pondoro. He hunted man-eating lions in Africa, along with a few man-killing Cape Buffalo. That also shows up in the Tsavo book. Wounded grizzlies and brown bears have been also known to circle around and start stalking the hunters. That is one reason for using the blind. Getting high enough off of the ground to have a chance for that first shot.

 

[flykiller]

I'm feeling inspired. would anyone care to run in a game like this?

 

[Hyphen]

I can even provide a venue:

/tour guide voice - activate!/

"Come to Tavonni Safari Park, or TaSP as we like to call it! "

"Located on the next island west of Björnöya, it is set aside for the exclusive use of safaris. These include both camera shoots and big-game hunting expeditions. Much of the more exotic of Tavonni's wildlife can be seen inhabiting the island."

"The Tavonni Beach Resort is the only permanent construction on the island, but don't let its eco-friendly, low-key appearance fool you - it has been given a 5-Imperial Star rating by the TAS!"

"Visit once; create memories for a lifetime."

/tour guide voice- deactivate!/

;-)

 

[kilemall]

You could go Mark Trail, conservationist against ebil developers and poachers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Trail

The poachers in particular would tend to be armed and most dangerous prey.