Questions for the GM, answered. Pt. II

Ok I would know how to refill from a gas giant safely. Of course if you want to say its so routine we don't need to know how great.

-Gas giant mag-scoop refueling is a routine operation. What amounts to your pilot making a routine pilot check (+2) to grab the H. Refining the fuel results in large amounts of 2^H (deuterium) which enriches the fuel mix, and removing impurities.

The only danger is running into a storm during your scoop-dive. Well that and Hydrogen is highly energetic and reacts with just about everything.

I would like to know about the drug dealers in the subsector.

-Groucho the Gimp; a Capo for the La Ventura family, Groucho is at the center of a network of soldiers, toughs, drug dens, pushers, dealers, smugglers, laboratories, nurseries, fields and refineries. Groucho's products include Cocaine, Crack, Crank, Crystal, Psych-Out, Heroin, Jet, Mentat, and others.

-Don Juan Y Cordoba (aka el minotauro); another La Ventura capo, slightly higher status than Groucho, Don Juan's products are marketed to a higher end clientele. His operation is focused around the resort planet of Paradiso and the Sub Sector capitol of Thorn.

-Malkott the Slimy; Malkott is a yl'yalyat or 'leader of eight eights', usually (incorrectly) translated as octurion. This Kra'Ken's branch of the Rending Maw deals in combat drugs, illegal augmentations, truth serums, mind programmers, and the creation of augmented sophonts; everything from juice enhanced enforcers to compliant bed-mates.

-Grinderman; Kra'vak Klashton AKA 'Grinderman' is a 1%er outlaw spacer and the Drakkon Prez of the 'Hell Hounds' chapter of the White Hands. His chapter of 'swoop' single-ship 'enthusiasts' have a side line in moving various party 'enhancers'. Their main money maker is piracy and extortion, but even still, the Hell Hounds move 60% of the x, hash, acid, and mind-blast in the Sub-sector. Members of the gang do not usually distribute however, that is a job for 'earthworms', 'dirtsiders, and 'groundhogs'.

Im looking for the top four and rate them based on the following critiera I would use my contacts in the ISS and any computer searches I can do to gather the following information. Est. number of ships?

-Groucho: A veritable fleet of smugglers and mules work for Groucho, 100+

-El Minotauro: Don Juan maintains a small network of front businesses that move his product; 30-50 all registered merchant vessels working for shell corps.

-Grinderman: 100+ Hell Hounds with non-warp capable single-ships and 3-4 warp capable mother ships.

-Malkott: Unknown, ISS has yet to get reliable intell on Malkott's organization. Est. 40-60 but that is a rough guesstimate. Several ISS agents have disappeared trying to infiltrate the Rending Maw.

Est. ammount of product moved?

-Groucho: Hundreds of thousands of tons per week, Groucho's operation supplies the street vendors for the better part of two-thirds of this Sector.

-El Minotauro: Unkown, but probably thousands of pounds, irregularly. It would appear that El Minotauro and Groucho have a business relationship. Groucho handles getting the product to Minotauro's group, who then gets it to Don Juan's high end clients. While Don Juan provides Groucho with political cover inside the family and out.

-Grinderman: Tens of thousans of pounds. If there's a party happening the Hell Hounds are probably helping, usually in exchange for pussy and beer.

-Malkott: Unknown, ISS has yet to get reliable intell on Malkott's organization. Est. 40-60 but that is a rough guesstimate. Several ISS agents have disappeared trying to infiltrate the Rending Maw.

Est. number of soilders/ employees?

-Groucho: A veritable army of soldatos, associates, and made men work for Groucho, 1000+, with access to that many more street toughs through his dependent dealers network.

-El Minotauro: Don Juan maintains a wealthy estate complete with a reinforced company of mercenaries (200+) as well as a network of made men operatives who run his distribution rings through disposable cut-outs (100+)

-Grinderman: 100+ Hell Hounds with non-warp capable single-ships and 3-4 warp capable mother ships. May call on the White Hands for reinforcements (1000+ outlaw spacers and pirates with armed single-ships, fighters, motherships, and corsair frigates)

-Malkott: Unknown, ISS has yet to get reliable intell on Malkott's organization. Est. 40-60 but that is a rough guesstimate. Several ISS agents have disappeared trying to infiltrate the Rending Maw.

Major drugs moved?

-Groucho: Cocaine, Crack, Crank, Crystal, Psych-Out, Heroin, Jet, Mentat, and others.

-El Minotauro: Cocaine, Morphene, Heroin, Hash, Black Lotus, Xyrx

-Grinderman: x, hash, acid, and mind-blast

-Malkott: reflex, hyper, high-speed, besyrk, rage, others

What those drugs do.

Jet: 'poor man's combat drug' -increased reaction time, sensory amplification
Psych-out: A retrovirus and speicialised lipids and acids that give psychic experiences
Mentat: Increases neural activity
Black Loutus: Hallucinogen and euphoric, some users claim psych-out like experiences.
Reflex: Increases reaction speed
Hyper: Metabolism booster
High-Speed: Adrennal booster
Besyrk: Similar to Rage
Rage: Similar to Besyrk
Xyrx: Extreme Euphoric

Growers or resellers?

All the major 'drug lords' under consideration have both production and wholesales operations to a greater or lesser extent.

Based on single planet or mobile?

Groucho: operates from a private space yacht

La Minotauro: operates from his estate on Paradiso's moon, Ulthar.

Malkott: Unknown

Grinderman: operates from his club-house/asteroid base in the asteroids of the Wolf system.

Space based drug labs/ manufacturing?

-Yes.

Trav. Image Roundup

Khai

Hiver

Ae-Shi

Yithian

What does My Traveller Universe look like?

Kinda like this. Only with more tentacles. I have fever...

Questions for the GM, answered.

Can a ship be towed at warp?

Qualified yes; given a tow line made out of unobtainium or a tractor beam array with lots of extra power (like say cap ship reactors) and skillful operation.

What are the major criminal elements in this sub sector?

Like the rest of the Orion AP sector (4x4 sub-sectors, you are in 4-3) major criminal enterprises are divided between human, mixed, and alien groups. Since it is a frontier sector on the edge of the Solomani Imperium, and a sector of 'rift' space (less dense with star systems) crime is indeed endemic. The big three are;

La Ventura: A Solomani family-run operation, since 2135; drugs, gambling, prostitution.

The White Hands: Johnny come-lately, this group is composed of outlaw spacers (1%ers) of any species; smuggling, weapons, extortion, piracy.

The Rending Maw: This Kra'ken run group has the least territory but a nasty reputation; slaves, assassination, terrorism, death sports, violence.

What are the conditions for indentred servents or slaves?

Slavery is technically illegal in the Solomani Imperium. Since the Imperium can't be every at once and in fact Imperial Sovereignty rests lightly on many areas (many systems, subsectors, and larger polities have internal autonomy) slavery happens and indentured servitude is a fact of life every where. Especially on the Rim (of the Human Sphere, the frontier in other words) where labor is scarce. The conditions for slaves and indents can vary greatly; from spice mine dregs to the body servants of the rich and famous.

How common is piracy?

Frightfully common, there's only so much Navy and a whole lot of black. Given that ships must come out of warp 100 diameters from stellar objects (due to gravity well affects, warp only works in 'flat space'), the existence of charted space lanes, and the proliferation of gravity well generating interdictor ships, there are many opportunities for pirates to prey on commercial shipping.

Is there some kind is cloaking or stealth system?

Stealth yes; there are various techniques to reduce a ship's signature. All known human techniques are imperfect, they rely on masking a ship from active or passive sensors, but the nature of space ships and space means that they are difficult to conceal. The only reason they are effective is the shear size of space. Certain aliens are rumored to have 'cloaking fields' that hide a ship AND it's emissions from detection, and some are even rumored to to be able to slip into a pocket of sub-space to escape detection. Penetrating these secrets constitutes one of the Imperial Naval Intelligence service's 'holy grails'.

Are thier life insurace companies?

Yes. Premium life insurance is known as 'clone insurance'.

Are their unexplored, but charted areas of this sub sector?

Both the Hel and Mordor systems remain largely unexplored. As does the empty space between the major systems of the Sub-sector.

What is the scanning range of the average ship?

Simple detection at 50,000 km+. Limited details at 25,000 km, full scan at 10 km. Modified, of course, by the size and bearing of the target.

if a ship had no power but life support how close would the average ship need to be to dected it?

1250 km unless you figure out something to do with the heat you're giving off. More if they have a reason to be looking for you. Out to 50,000 km if they're really looking.

What about the scanning range of a ship with no main systems on?

By mk 1 eyeball alone? 1250 klicks give or take. Detecting someone with no major systems on is the same answer as the previous.

First Traveller Game; Report

The group met Sunday and we started by generating characters. I left my notes at home but in general we ended up with a merchant cum investigator cum scout, an ex cop, an ex pirate, a grizzled veteran mercenary (military adviser), a prior service navy ship's engineer's mate, and a former marine. The crew formed connections (and used the bonus skills to fill in gaps, not to raise skill levels), chose a package (starship operations I think), and voted on a captain (the multi-talented merchant marine).

Play began with the crew and their ship (at this point a plot device, I'm still fleshing out their ride) under arrest and impounded. Unbeknownst to them their used ship has a record of drug smuggling. A search turned up nothing and they were about to be released when the local Imperial Consul intervened. She had a problem and needed it dealt with, quietly and outside channels.

Her daughter had been recruited by a local cult which was under Imperial Interdiction (prohibited from prostelising beyond the local sector) which is plenty embarrassing for a diplomat. Also Dame Kusaragi is genuinely concerned for her daughter, and has suspicions about the cult (part of the reason she approaches outsiders is that she strongly suspects local authorities have been at least bribed to look the other way, if not worse).

The party begins an investigation that leads to an attempt to infiltrate the cult. Things go predictably awry when the (compromised) local police become aware of the Party's investigation. The captain and the ex-cop (pretend married couple converts) are kidnapped. the party manage to track them down by triangulating the signals from their ear-bud comms (quick thinking and good skill rolls, we got to try out the combined task and taking longer rules).

The Party then mounts a rescue attempt during which Murphy rears his head and things go predictably south. After some keystonish moments the party pulls it together and manages to rescue their comrads, extract the Dame's daughter, and collect valuable intelligence for the Imperium.

Good fun, big guns, explosions, and a crashed ship's launch.

Traveller Campain Notes: subpart one

gameinthebrain has a great breakdown on the duties and functions of a hard(ish) SF starship bridge crew. Every Traveller worth his space-salt should read this. Go, and sin no more.

Traveller Campain Notes: part the third

Minor Races, Council Associates:

-Xyk'ti: The Mantis Men of Xyk are six limbed bipeds, giving them four arms for using tools. The lower pair is heavier and stronger, although much less dexterous. The Hive Worlds of the Xyk Cluster are metal poor, and heavily armed mercenaries represent the Hive Queens only export of note.

-Gnoph-keh: These hairy lizard-like creatures are also hexapods, but use four limbs for locomotion, which is the reason for their Solomani nickname of 'centaurs'. The Gnoph-keh head also sports a single curved horn like that of a rhinocerous, which is used in Gnoph-keh mating rituals. Their shaggy fur and thick armored hide with blubberous insulation are all evidence of the icyness of the plains of Gnoph and the coolnes of the star Ithaqa.

-Sleip'nir: The Sleipnir are one of the stranger races of the Councilor Species. A strange mix of wolf, panther, and spider, these eight legged pack hunters of the forrest world of Nir show a reversal of the common sexual dimorphology. The females of this species are larger and more agressive, while the males are smaller and also are equipeed with the pouches and milch glands for nuturing their marsupial young. The front pair of Sleipnir limbs are shorter, and the paws thereof are equiped with opposable thumbs for tool-use. Female Sleip warriors are often equipped with backpack like gyro-mounts for support weapons, the mount's servos being slaved to targeting reticles built into the Sleip's helmets.

-Yuglug: These five limbed bipeds are often thought to be the products of ancient genetic manipulations, but evidence is scant. Yuglug are possessed of three arms, one much larger than the other two. Their thick necks project foward from the main body instead of up, and their heads have jaws that open side to side like great bear-traps. Powerful reverse jointed and hooved legs give these scavenging opportunists great speed and the thick powerful tail gives them the balance to manuever quite freely.

-Drakkon: These hulking brutes quite resemble giant walking iguannas or komodo dragons. The Drakkon homeworld is considered a hell-world of the first order. Heavy gravity, crushing atmospheric preasure, massive radiation, large amounts of free heavy metals in the soil, and an ecosystem that resembles side of beef being fed to piranhas, everything eats everything else. Once freed from the prison of their hellish habitat by the Khai (always looking for new martial races to place under their Dominion) the Drakkon population exploded to incredible levels. Eventually leading to a period of chaos known as the Drakkon Emergency. The Khai eventually released a retrovirus that modified the Drakka's great fecundity and they are now a dying race.

Kra'ken: These malevolent murder machines resemble a nightmarish combination of octopod and squid made man-sized. One of the most independant of the Councilor Races, they are not so much clients of one of the Council Races, and more like eternal pains in the rear-end. Numerous and advanced enough to have been made a member of the council long ago the subject has never risen somehow. The Ken don't seem to mind, using their position inside the Councilor Association to almost monopolise galactic organized crime. It is said that one of a Kra'ken's ten tentacles is in any shady deal in the 'verse.

Traveller Campain Notes: part the second

Major Races in my Taveller game. These species all are represented on the Galactic Council, the ruling body of known space.

Khai: A predatory species evolved from high gravity methane breathing arboreal crustaceans, the Khai are great hunters, warrior poets, and far-ranging starfarers. Often called Space-Vikings, humans also think they look like 'predators' or 'klingons' whatever those are.

Elder 'Hivers': These starfish like creatures of radial symetry are on of the oldest known species of the Councilor Worlds. So old in fact, that no one, not even the Hivers themselves, remember their home world. The main body is generally one or two meters tall, general about that in thickness, and slightly tapered towards the top and bottom. The bottom five tentacles or pseudopods are thicker and longer, mainly used for locomotion and feeding. The top five seem to be a strange combination of manipulative appendages and sensory organs. A great lamprey like mouth occupies the center of the bottom side of the barrel like body.

Yithians: The race of Yith are possessed of bodies like upside down cones or funnels at the bottom of which is a slug-like body-foot of mucus covered muscle. The cone is segmented, and it appears one can judge the age of the Yithian by the number of segments in his cone. Surmounting this cone are five appendages. The bottom two are arms that end in three armored crab like grasping 'fingers' capable of gently manipulating and savagely ripping with equal measure. The top three are trunk like necks, each holding a 'head' that has sensory, communication, and feeding functions. The 'brain' of the creature is protected within the armored cone of the body and a Yithian can both view 360 degrees at once and loose two of three heads without being impared over much.

Ae-Shi: One of the most humanoid of the major species, the Ae-Shi resemble ancient Terran legends about Fae, Elves, and Fair Folk, many believe the Ae-Shi visited old Earth in the past. Perhaps, but the Ae-Shi today are not talking about it. In form they resemble tall and lithely shaped human beings, with very large pointed ears and very tall skulls with high foreheads with over-large eyes, the back sides have bony growths. Their skin ranges from golden to silver to blues and greens, eye and hair colring similar. Most Ae-Shi are psions of some sort and their abilities are very advanced. Their society is divided into three castes; Worker, Warrior, and Priest, and also clans and bloodlines.

Reticuli: Another some what human like alien, the Reticuli in fact resemble stories of 'grey aliens' who supposedly abducted people in the late 1990's AD. Although the details differ greatly; for instance the Reticuli have reverse jointed legs, hooved feet, horn like protuberances on their heads, feeding probisci, stubby tails and hairy bodies. In fact some have taken to calling them 'fauns' after a creature of old Earth folklore. Like the Ae-Shi the Reticulans are also strongly Psionic, although Reticuli seem to use more psiotic amps and other augmentation.

Kthani: These methane breathers stay mostly inside their encounter suits to maintain ritual purity, but it is known that they are human-like in shape and that their mouth is surrounded by many prehensile tentacles while their compound eyes resemble those of some Earth insects.

Solomani: Much to the surprise of those from Terra, they weren't the first humans into space. Although only the Solomani (Men of Sol) have a seat on the council. The rest are clients or even slaves of other species.

Traveller Campain Notes: part the first

Well, my gaming group (Puente's Paladins) is on board to start up a game of Traveller (Mongoose style), while our regular GM recharges his batteries of creative juice as a player. Yours truly will take the reigns of GM-hood and hopefully I won't screw up too badly. There were voices in the group that wanted to play Ulot's fantasy trip(tm) (using Anima) instead, but since a good part of our group was recruited as Serenity players, they were hoping to continue in the SF vein.

So here's a quick introduction to the Galaxy of Fire and the Third Imperium of Man (pro-Imperial historians writing during the golden days of the Pax Humana count the Roman Empire as the first Imperium and the Holy Roman Empire as the second).

Alright you Space Dogs, listen up! Here's how it was...

2000-2100

Considered the 100 year's madness. A time of general chaos and disorder, the movements of peoples and the burning of cities. Out of the chaos, and the ashes of the old order, arises the Alliance. The Alliance brings law, order, and prosperity with only one demand; all fission and fusion weapons belong to the Alliance. Scientists discover what they think is a crashed space-craft at the bottom of the Pacific ocean. The news media runs with the story but it is eventually forgotten.

2100-2200

The Alliance become a true one world government and is now called the Earth Alliance. Fusion power, anti-gravity, nano-scale machines, and other advanced technologies become practical for the first time. The Earth Alliance begins exploring, exploiting, and settling the Solar System on a mass scale (the money is considered stimulative spending to energize destroyed economies and and the effort a collective project to unite mankind). Obviously extra-terrestrial ruins are found on Mars, Ganymede. Arkham Institute scientists rework Heim Theory to include poly-dimensional non-euclidean mathematics and test a working faster than light propulsion system.

2200-2300

An artifact is found on Pluto that baffles scientists for decades. Eventually an archaeologist and expert on extinct languages determines the writing on the artifact to be related to certain languages of the Ponape peoples of Polynesia. Eventually scientists manage to activate the jump gate opening up the wider galaxy. Combined with Heimdall Space-Time Warp drive the Jump Gates leads to a rush to explore the 'Final Frontier'.

2300-2400

First Contact War: Initial encounters with the Khai Dominion turn violent, leading to a multi-decade vicious war for survival. Just when it became obvious the alien foe had learned of Terra's location and were advancing towards it, shocking news ends the war. The Khai are members of a Galactic Council which stops the war (mostly out of factional politics, lest the Khai faction wax too powerful). Negotiations are long and tortuous but the errors of both sides are revealed and public amends are made. The Earth Alliance joins the Galactic Council as an associate species under the patronage of the Elder-Yith faction. Mankind spreads throughout the Orion Spur of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. Friends are made, like the Ae-Shi and the Gnophkek, and enemies like the Ayayig, Migoul Pirates, and the aquatic Dagon. Human Psions appear for the first time.

2400-2500

Mankind is a rising power in the Galaxy, provoking awe and jealousy in equal measure. It becomes obvious to all that Humans are on a fast track to full Council Membership, with a seat and a vote, in a matter of a few brief centuries, unheard of. Events in the mid-Century cast doubts on this inevitability however. One man is at the center of everything; Captain Phillip Magnus Sherridan-Windsor, Commander of Byzantium Nine, a critical Star-Fort at the edge of Human Space and a trade hub in orbit around Epsilon Erridani. Phillip and his allies would both expose and thwart the design of a rogue Khai Inquisitor (agents of the Council, autonomous and deniable) to awaken slumbering terror. At the same time as Sherridan is saving the Galaxy and becoming the first Human Inquisitor, the Earth Alliance is falling under a shadow. A power mad vice president arranges for his superior to be assassinated and assumes dictatorial powers; beginning a reign of bloody terror. President-for-life Clark is only brought down when Admiral Sherridan overthrows him in a lighting fast civil war and counter-coup. The Alliance Navy hails Sherridan as Imperator and he crowns himself, thus inaugurating the Imperium.

2500-2997

The Human Imperium waxes strong and virile under the guidance of the Sherridan-Windsor dynasty. Now with a full council seat Mankind is truly a power astride the stars. New worlds are settled, grow, and found colonies of their own. The center of Imperial power shifts to Terra Nova, whith Old Terra remaining as a cultural and economic powerhouse. This veritable golden age of growth, discovery, advancement and achievement is soon referred to as the Pax Humana. Humanity begin to upset the old balances of power and ancient assumptions. Although still not as technological advanced as the Elders, Man is advancing at a rapid pace and beginning to question assumption older than the species itself. Many of the younger races flock to Humanity's banner, basking in the reflected glory that a youngling race can do so much.

2998

NOW

Shadows grow long and wheels turn within wheels, the golden age turns ashen as suspicions grow amongst the stars. Something is amiss in the black; ships disappear and colonies go silent. Trade is disrupted and voices and hands are raised against each other;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Gomorrah to be born?