The following is an Introductory Adventure for MegaTraveller. It serves as
a good adventure for new and old players alike. It's primary purpose is
to introduce the players to the combat system and the game in general. It
is the basic Shoot out at the OK Corral scenario. There is some mystery
that leads to a confrontation.
If you are a player and are not going to ref, feel free to read down to the
REFEREE'S Section, since the beginning provides an introduction to the game
and a discussion on the stellar question "Why Adventure?" If you are a
player feel free to give this to your Traveller Ref so that you might have
an opportunity to play this adventure. This adventure should only take one
evening session of about three hours to complete. Preparation is minimal.
Now for the quasi-legal stuff. This adventure is Copyright (c) 1989, Rob
Miracle. It is being distributed to the public domain freely. Any attempt
to make a profit by selling it to others, including publishers is a
violation of the copyright. Any similarity to any other published
adventure is totally coincidental and unintentional. The characters and
places and events are fictional. Any similarity between them and any
real-life people, places and events is also purely coincidental.
Author's Notes: Our Traveller group had not played Traveller in some 12
months when we got MegaTraveller. A new referee ran three sessions before
he left on Co-op. So we had several players who's characters had been
propelled into the future since when I stopped reffing last time, it was
the year 1111. When the previous referee started, it was some time in
1115. Several players were playing new characters and all were new to
MegaTraveller (since three sessions 9 months ago does not stick to ones
brain cells well). Any way, when we played before, we used a modified
version of Traveller/Snapshot rules and no one, including myself, had used
the MegaTraveller combat system. With the fact that I had modified MT's
combat system, we needed a "combat oriented" starter scenario to teach the
players the combat system. The next adventure will deal with ship combat.
After that, the players should know the rules well enough that the plots
can be developed to the color that these people are used to.
Asumptions: This adventure is set during the first year after Emporer
Strephon's assassination. War has not reached the Spinward Marches except
for some Vargr invasions on the coreward edge. Most communications with
Captial/Core have been cut, and the Duke of Regina has assumed command of
the area. While the rebellion has little to do with this adventure, it
does add flavor. Little work should be necessary to convert it to your
local worlds and situations.
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Stardate: 103-1117
Location: Starduster Lounge
Credo Orbital Facility
Regina/Regina/Spinward Marches-1910
Situation: For existing characters, each has spent the last 3-10 years
living on the spoils of their adventures. A wonderful drug has kept them
as young as when they discovered it. Young that is in all but their
wallets. Anagathetics are costly but worth it. Though they are not
busted, the high life has taken its toll both mentally and financially.
That adventuring spirit is hard to keep down. It is like spring fever. An
itch to travel and to get into trouble seems invite the soul of the
adventurer.
Time and urge have brought our troop of adventurers together again. Why?
For more credits? For more fame? or infamy? Sure, that is an
attractivness, but it is the thrill and challenge that drives these
travelers to a frenzy.
And there is the new blood, the rookies. You have seen the universe from
the orderly nature of the service. It is just enough to wet your appetite.
Sure see the universe, dock at many different ports of call, we are all
familiar with the ads. But what they don't tell you is you have no freedom
during those years. One mistake and it is 20 years on a Kinur Cruiser that
has been hulled into an orbital prison. So you are now free of those
bonds. Those worlds that you paid a call to beckon you to learn more. See
the planet from things other that orbit or the cold greyness of the
starport. That is why you are here.
- ---
While, the acquaintance of each of you may have been brief, you have grown
appreciation for each other. The war stories remind each of you of a time
past, of glory won... and spent. And there is the rebellion. The great
empire that once stood high and proud is crumbling like dry bread. The
emperor is dead and several people claim the iridium throne that Strephon
sat upon until the assassin's bullet tumbled him from it. The great
network has failed.
The vargr, while personable have started to claim some of the coreward
worlds in the sector, while the Aslans approach from the trailing edge.
The Swords Worlds, and Darrians have strengthened their domains while the
Imperium's rule is weakened. Several small groups have formed their own
government. The Zhodani are still weak from the Fifth Frontier War that
ended only 8 years ago.
But these other governing bodies are not the threat, the threat is an
internal one. Just who are you loyal to? Is that Battleship with Imperial
markings going to wave hello with their hands or their meson gun? Are they
loyal to the Arch Duke of Regina or are they rebels trying to gain a little
bit of power among all this chaos.
These are just a few of the inter-workings among the cosmos at the moment.
What are you going to do? Sit around and drink Rhylanor Ale all day?
Wither away because the rebellion has cut the anagathetic supply lines and
you are paying triple cost on the black market? Or are you going to get
into business for your self, and reopen those supply lines? Are you brave
enough to take an under armed freighter and run cargo though battle zones?
Hunting? Run and hide? Or head out and smell the spoils excitement.
- --------------
REFEREE'S Section
(This section is to be presented to the players, notes specific to the
referee will be indented and labeled REF:)
As you sit around the Starduster, a very attractive woman approaches you.
By her dress you would guess that she is of a high social class. She
appears to be nervous as she clutches tightly to a rolled up document. As
she gets within three meters (15 feet), she gets a panic look on her face
and she turns and bolts. Seconds later, a man in a dark trench coat leaves
in a slow, deliberate pace. The large brimmed hat hides his face from you.
If you follow him he will board a shuttle for Credo Down Starport, on the
Surface of Regina. The woman is nowhere to be found. No one seems to know
him. Checking at Astro-Transfer Shuttle Service, the carrier, he is
identified as John Smith. No other useful information is to be gained. It
would appear as if he was in no means following her.
REF: The group may try to follow him to the surface. Let them, but delay
them by several minute by having the Starport Authority place them in a
holding pattern for 10 minutes. This will make it hard for them to find
him. Hopefully they will soon realize that they are on a wild goose chase.
Of course that means another 10 minutes before they can launch and 23
minutes to orbit and another 10 minutes or so before they can re-dock at
Credo Orbital.
After you dock back at Credo Orbital and disembark, you see the woman at
the Oberlin's ticket office. She picks up a bag and heads toward the
docking bay where a 1000T merchant vessel is docked. She is still
clutching the paper tightly and appears to be very paranoid.
REF: The group will probably try to follow her onto the
vessel. But ship security will stop them since they do not
have a boarding pass and they can't identify her.
The vessel's next port of call is listed as Yori (2110/Regina/Spinward
Marches), a small, highly populated desert world, 2 parsecs rimward from
Regina. That flight is booked and several passengers are on a waiting list
wanting transportation to Yori. The ship departs in two days. It seems
unlikely that she could have walked up and purchased passage, though that
is what it appeared. Investigating with the ticket agent will prove to be
useless. The agent is very loyal to Oberlin's and will not release any
information about passengers.
While you are trying to gain information, the woman will disembark holding
the document. It would appear that she has moved into her stateroom for
the journey. Her level of paranoia has increased. She passes by you in a
very non-approaching fashion. As she passes, she whispers "Help Me" and
continues to walk back towards the mall area.
She ducks into a coffee shop and sits at a booth. If you join her, she
will announce herself: "Hello, I am Arreen Applegate. I have a need for
an escort. Your name was given to me as someone I could trust. I need a
body guard to escort me to Yori and back. Also I need you to guard me
while I am there. I have to see some one and I fear for my life. Twice
today, someone has tried to kidnap or kill me. Once was in the bar when I
first tried to contact you." Her paranoia causes her to faint for just a
second. "I can not offer much, just my thanks and passage to and from
Yori. If all goes well, I may be able to give you something that has
monetary value. Do these terms seem acceptable to you?"
You notice from her speech that she is very educated. She never seems to
use a contraction or slang, yet her inflections of her voice are smooth and
harmonious. She has a natural charm to her voice. With the quality of her
speech and because she is showing emotions, you rule an android out. She
knows a lot about you as things come up in conversation. All are things
that she could find out through good research.
Finally she speaks again. "I will be spending tonight and tomorrow night
in the starport hotel, room Delta 148. I have reserved passage for you on
the Spinward Way (the ships name). It departs in two days at 08:00 hours.
I wish to retire to my room at this time."
REF: She is quite bossy. She seem to not ask for things,
assuming that the group is smart enough to know that they
should go with her etc. Arreen Applegate is a local woman of
moderate social importance. Her UPP is 789ABA. She is a
noble and has several administrative type skills. She has
little combat experience.
The rest of the time at the starport and the journey to Yori
are of little significant. You can fill in here with other
encounters of strangers shadowing her etc. Any thing to
build the mystery. She will not release the document under
any circumstance, nor will she give any information.
Once you arrive on Yori, you land at the starport. It is about 38 degrees
Celsius (about 100 degrees F). It is the middle of autumn here. Yori is
about the size of Mercury with a population of 70,000,000. The atmosphere
is standard. The planet has a law level that prohibits all firearms. She
can get one pistol through for each person. She can't get long arms
through though. (NOTE: If you outlaw guns, then only outlaws will have
guns!)
After they arrive, she will rent a standard air raft and
travel to a city of about 1,000,000 that is a 1 hour flight
away at 90km/h (55mph). Note, the heat will drive most
people out of their armor. On the way, roll for surprise. A
second air raft will come up behind the players air raft and
start taking pot shots with an Advanced Combat Rifle with
Discarding Sabot rounds (DS). If they get surprise, have
them hit the air/raft and knock out 1/4 power required the
driver to have to make rolls to fly it every time they change
course.
With any luck, one of the players will take out the gunner
and then the driver will turn and run. This will give the
players a chance to take out the driver. They now get an
undamaged air raft (it was rented from the same agency) and
a rifle. There is little information to be gained from the
two thugs. All they have is about 400 credit's Imperial, and
a 9mm auto pistol with two clips. There is a second clip of
DS rounds for the ACR and they have fired about 4 shots from
the first clip.
Just before they get to the City of Tanzor, they need to make
another surprise role as a speeder blows by them at about 190
km/h. This is just to scare them a little. When they arrive
at Tanzor, she will get out of the air raft and go into a
bar. She will come out and say "Let us go 30 km southwest of
town." About a kilometer out, they will see an air/raft (or
more) and a speeder sitting atop one of the dunes.
Use as many NPC thugs as you need here. Remember you can
only fit four people to an air/raft (The player's air/raft
may be larger so that they all can fit in one raft!) Each
thug is armed with an SMG and is sweating in their cloth
armor. As they get within 20 meters, they are signaled to
stop and Arreen gets out. She walks toward the thugs. A
gentleman in a business suit gets out from the speeder with a
brief case. They walk towards each other. A conversation
goes something as follows:
Man: "Give me the paper! Here is your payment."
Arreen: "Here."
(Man looks at the page)
Man: "THIS IS FAKE! WHERE IS THE REAL PAPERS?!?"
(He grabs her and she drops the brief case. He begins to drag her toward the
speeder.)
Here is where the fire fight begins. If the characters do
not start it one of the thugs will. Treat them as UPP
777777, +2 to hit (+1 Dex, +1 Wpn). The fight should end
with the thugs and man down.
After it is over, Arreen confesses that she was being extorted
by the man. She is a reporter and had some information on
the man, who is a known organized crime figure. He was
buying the information from her. She could either sell it or
die. The brief case is full of paper shreds, since he had
no reason to pay her anyway. The exact contents of the
document and the names of the NPC's are left to the referees
imagination.
HOT SPOTS
When I ran this adventure, I got thrown for a loop by a
Psionic/telepath who kept trying to read everyones minds.
With some lucky rolls and her only trying to read surface
thoughts I was able to avoid dumping any real information
about the plot, though some things may not have mattered.
Your players may want capital up front to take this mission.
They need to get at least their hand guns on the planet. If
you let them have too much fire power then it will be over
before it starts. I think that them at least getting the one
rifle before hand is important since it gives them an edge.
If they are really greedy then they can sell the speeder
unless it gets shot up real bad.
You don't have to let it end here. There could be contaband
in either the air/raft that they procured or the speeder that
they could get caught with. Or questions about the weapons
or the deaths/injuries of the thugs can lead to legal
problems. You could let Arreen get kidnaped and have the
group go and save her.
Happy Travelling
Rob
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Rob Miracle | Bitnet : [email removed] CIS: [email removed]
Programmer/Analyst-II | INTERNET : [email removed]
University of Louisville | UUCP : ...[email removed]