Tag Archives: Urnian

Adventures, Traveller

Technical Support

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Required Skills: Computers and / or Electronics are advantageous but not essential

Players’ Information:

Whilst taking some well-earned rest and relaxation at Urnian starport, the players are contacted by a patron named Bernhard Lahman who is in need of their services. He is the CEO of Lahman Securities, a financial services company that primarily operates in the investments sector. It has come to light via his head of security that there is something odd taking place with some financial transactions, which have been detected via their monitoring tools. It appears that there may be some insider trader activity going on and the profits from such transactions are disappearing via an unknown route.

Lahman would like the players to join the company IT support team as a ‘cover’ for an investigation that Lahman wants to hire the players for. This way they can keep an eye ‘at the ground level’ for any unusual activity. They will provide on site IT support for the company, which involves dealing with support calls, dealing with company employees requests for help and installing equipment. They will report to the internal IT support team who will provide the players with a limited amount of access to the company systems. If questioned if Lahman has a suspect in mind, he reveals it may be Cared Johen, one of their top traders who has been behaving a little erratically the past couple of months. Lahman wants the players to keep an eye on Johen to see if there is any evidence of anything illegal taking place and if necessary, apprehend the suspect if sufficient evidence can be gathered.

The players will receive Cr. 10,000 each with a bonus of Cr. 50,000 for the group as a whole when the operation is brought to a successful conclusion.

Computer
A Typical Workstation – Image from wikimedia – Public Domain

Referee’s Information:

Johen is known to have some good friends in Lahman Securities own internal security team, hence the Lahman wanting a completely independent group to perform the operation. The risk being that if word got to one of Johen’s friends, he could be warned and the surveillance operation be exposed.

In addition, to help with the ‘front’ that the players have been recruited as IT support agency staff, they will have to still provide day-to-day technical support to the rest of the company. It may be possible to use this as an excuse to locate Johen’s workstation and install some tools which may reveal the nature of what Johen is doing.

A Roll of Six Determines the Possible Outcome:

1. Johen is siphoning off money fractions of a credit at a time to another bank account somewhere. The players will need to build up evidence of the transactions that are taking place to confront and accost Johen.

2. Johen is manipulating transactions to bring down Lahman Securities. He has a personal grudge against the owner; Lahman as he was denied a huge bonus for his contribution to the launch of their latest financial product, which has become a huge success for the company.

3. It turns out that suspecting Johen is completely wrong. Instead a number of other employees who are Lahman’s full time IT support personnel, are the real perpetrator’s. Realising that the players have been hired, they escalate their intentions by stealing a substantial amount of money and make a break for it. Unfortunately the suspects lose their nerve and a firefight against the players in the building ensues. The players will have to protect the company workers and make sure that they aren’t caught up in the crossfire.

4. The suspect Johen is a member of a terrorist group and has already siphoned off an amount of money for the organisation. However the terrorists are now going to hit the company for even more and make a political statement at the same time, by launching an armed attack on the company. The players may have a chance to stop the attack if they are able to intercept a last minute message. The terrorists will attack from two different directions a) from the underground vehicle parkbay and b) from above by landing on the roof by air raft with the intention of making their way down. If necessary they will have no hesitation in taking hostages.

5. Johen has become alerted to what the PCs are doing (possibly discovering their monitoring tool for example) which in turn, alerts the players. As the players arrive to confront Johen he makes a break for it, intending to take a large amount of cash and escape. The result is a high-speed chase across the city where Johen hopes to make it off-world via a transport waiting for him.

6. Johen is actually trying to expose the Lahman Securities and the people that hired the players as crooks who are manipulating the market to their own advantage. Lahman is aware of this and is trying to frame Johen before his activities are exposed. The players will have to make a choice in who they believe and either help Johen in trying to build evidence to whistle-blow on Lahman, or assist their employer as originally agreed.

Statistics:

Foreven Sector – Urnian / Urnian UWP – B9779AC-A N Hi In Cp 5 3 Cs

Classic Traveller Statistics for Key Characters:

Bernhard Lahman (CEO of Lahman Securities) UPP 7669AA
Administration-2, Computer-1, Leader-2

Cared Johen (Leading Trader for Lahman Securities) UPP 699BA9
Administration-1, Air/Raft-1, Computer-2, Electronics-1, Gambling-2

Lahman Securities IT Support NPC (6 in number) UPP 566997
Computer-2, Electronics-1

Terrorist NPC UPP 998886
(Number to be determined by Referee to match the players.)
Blade Combat-1, SMG-2, Tactics-1, Vehicle-1
Equipped with SMG, dagger and mesh armour

Adventures, Traveller

Ferrero Rocher

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Patron: Diplomat
Required skills: None
Required equipment: Starship
Number of Players: 3+

Players’ Information:
The players are on Gotylu (Urnian/3238 E688699-2). They are approached by RUHK BEY, 2nd-secretary in the Imperial Embassy. The Ambassador, SERGEI HAULT-DEVROE, is seriously ill. He contracted a rare disease years before while on the Imperium’s service. It was supposed to have been cured, but it has flared up again. Gotylu lacks medical facilities to treat the condition. The only hope is to ship the Ambassador in low berth to a world where he can be helped (TL A or greater). The closest options are Ovdyo (Urnian/2935) or Urnian (Urnian/2833).

Bey offers a full charter of the party’s ship for 1 jump (all passage and cargo space). However, there is a catch. He can only pay Cr 5,000 now from the meagre funds available at the Gotylu embassy. The balance will be paid by Imperial authorities at the embassy on Urnian (Urnian/2833).

Hault-Devroe is located at the Imperial embassy building in the outskirts of the city of Tuleeren, 180km from Gotylu spaceport. The embassy has a utility helicopter that must be used to transport him. The bureaucratic authorities of Gotylu will not allow more advanced tech (e.g. grav vehicles) to be used outside the spaceport. The helicopter has a top speed of 300kph and a range of 600km with a light load. An Imperial Marine attached to the embassy can serve as pilot, or one of the party may fly the chopper themselves.

The Helicopter
The Helicopter – Image from wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Referee’s Information:
1. All is as it seems. Determine Hault-Devroe’s fate on revival according to normal low-berth rules. If the party ever make it to Urnian, they may claim the balance of the charter.

2. As 1, but Hault-Devroe dies on revival. On a throw of 1 or 2 on 1D, the authorities at Urnian refuse to settle the balance of the charter. On a throw of 3-6, the balance is paid.

3. Hault-Devroe’s low berth signals a medical emergency during Jump, requiring immediate revival. The low berth’s logs will automatically record a failure to perform revival in response to medical emergency, which is a culpable offence punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment under Imperial law. Hault-Devroe may (throw 1-3) or may not (throw 4-6) survive very long, but in any case the crew must implement (or improvise) quarantine procedures.

4. When the party arrive at the embassy to retrieve Hault-Devroe, they find it surrounded by a detachment (about 200) of Gotylan troops equipped to TL5 – the Gotylan Empire’s crack troops. They are led by a Gotylan official, TYLOK NAGA, who refuses to allow the sick Ambassador to leave the embassy for fear of spreading the “sickness from space”. Naga may be susceptible to persuasion or bribery, but intimidation is unlikely to work given the forces at his disposal. (Their TL5 equipment is quite capable of shooting down the party’s chopper.)

5. The utility chopper develops a mechanical fault on the flight back to the spaceport and must make a forced landing. If the party can reach Bey at the spaceport by radio, he can despatch an ATV. The party must await the vehicle’s arrival and then complete the journey of 2Dx20 km overland.

6. As 5, but Bey has sabotaged the helicopter. Bey loathes Hault-Devroe and has poisoned him, hoping to blame his death on a recurrence of his disease, in an attempt to take his job. Bey has also despatched a force of locally hired mercenaries (equipped to TL2 with a sprinkling of TL5 equipment and riding the ATV) to finish the job. The referee must determine the course of events.

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Xboat Speculation!

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Patron: Merchant Prince, Spy
Required Skills: Scout Life Knowledge, Survey, Starship Operation skills
Required Equipment: Jump 2 capable Starship

Players’ Information:
The characters are nearing the end of their downtime and last of their credits on Urnian prime, when a middle age, but well-dressed lady approaches them. She introduces herself with a nice card that reads, “Julia Liverson. Urnian Properties Property Acquisition Specialist”.

Before the players know it, she has taken a seat with them, ordering a round for the table and Urnian Gin for herself. She then launches into her spiel; “My company is seeking to hire professional surveyors for an important job. It will be at least a six-jump trip with a possible extension if both parties agree. We are offering Cr. 3000 per month, per crew member, all standard ship fees and any maintenance needed during the time period – subject to a prior ship inspection, of course. You will provide a stateroom/office and aid me in surveying several worlds.” She takes a sip of her drink, then prances away – giving the team time to discus her offer.

Future Starport?
Future Starport? – Image from wikimedia.
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Referee’s Information:
Pick 1 or more systems with in Jump 4 of Emape (Spinward Marches 0133) or Raweh (Spinward Marches 0139); priority given to Cs Status over high starport classifications.

Suggested systems: Ovdyo (Foreven 2935) or Cinboshabo (Foreven 2938).

Both Urnian Properties and Liverson will pass a background check. Urnian Properties specialize in startowns and starport properties speculation, making millions as these ports get upgraded. Ms. Liverson is known for making a killing off Imperial deals as the Imperium moves beyond the Five Sisters into the Urnian Subsector. This expedition, if successful, will make her enough to retire wealthy.

She has gotten word that the Imperium is about to expand their Xboat routes into the Urnian subsector. This includes upgrading starports where needed. This means millions of credits to those fortunate to own property. While she has a clear idea where the routes might go, she needs to investigate all the options. Additionally, they are keeping this trip off the books and it requires Imperial Scout operations knowledge, so the company has chosen to hire a private ship and former scouts crew. If the characters wish to carry cargo and or passengers she will negotiate to reduce or even to stop paying ship upkeep and maintenance.

1. The characters are not the only crew Urnian Properties is looking at. The other crew is desperate for the contract, so they sabotage the characters’ ship or harm the crew. The other crew may or may not know the secret speculative nature of the survey mission.

2. Liverson is actually a property spy for the Marrakesh Trade Association. While the Xboat expansion is true, her actual mission is to buy property out from under the Imperium agents, to prevent Imperial expansion, and to report on Imperial activities and Urnian market conditions.

3. Liverson knows that the Imperium is not ready to expand and is instead embezzling hundreds of thousands of Urnian Properties funds through dummy companies; she plans to disappear from Urnian as soon as she can convince the characters to take her. Not only does she steal the company funds, she does not pay the characters.

4. Everything is normal for the group and the party spends 6 jumps exploring the startowns of the Urnian subsector.

5. Liverson finds out that Urnian Properties are pulling out of the speculative adventure but she isn’t about to give up on her dreams. With her all savings, she pushes on and offers the characters a deal of a life time. In return for forgoing the cost of the ship’s expenses and their salaries, she will give them each 5% equity in her new company. She will also allow them to buy into her new company giving up to a total of 45% equity. If she is right, they will make a fortune and she is never wrong – well hardly ever.

6. The survey trip is anything but normal as a rival company dogs the survey mission at every turn. They will do anything to ruin it and/or capture properties for themselves. In the end they may get desperate enough to harm Liverson and her faithful scouts. This option works best if the players have enough room on the ship for the saboteur(s) to book passage. They will even to try to corrupt a crew member. With millions at stake, anything goes.

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Lost Lamb

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Patron: Minor Noble
Required Skills: None
Required Equipment: None
Number of Players: 1-3

A minor noble who is a friend of a friend approaches the characters for aid. As per family tradition, her youngest daughter was travelling for a year before beginning her university studies. Her last message home was sent from Urnian (Foreven 2833) and said she was going to Pylkah (Foreven 2834). No message has arrived for nearly a year. Imperial authorities claim it is a local matter. Local authorities reported that a search of incident records turned up nothing related to the missing girl. The noble lacks influence to get either the local or Imperial authorities to pursue the matter further. Bank statements show someone has accessed the family accounts at intervals in Pyllos. The amounts withdrawn are reasonable for one person taking out cash for living expenses. The noble has not shut down her daughter’s account access as it is the only lead.

The noble will pay all expenses for the characters to travel to Pylkah, find her daughter, and return with her. This includes a reasonable allowance for bribes and will be provided by access to the family credit accounts and a supply of Imperial currency. The noble will also provide a letter of introduction that identifies the party as her agents and may ease their attempts to question bank managers and the like. Upon the safe return of her daughter, the noble will pay each member of the party 20,000 Imperial credits.

The wayward child
The wayward child : Copyright Gordon Horne

Referee’s Information:
1. The wayward child has had her identification, credit access, and travel papers stolen. Unable to convince the first local authority she approached as to her predicament, she gave up quickly and is living in a flop house trying to earn enough money to send a message to her mother. She is eager to be rescued, but the characters will need to acquire replacement identification and travel papers before taking her off world.

2. Sampling illicit pleasures, the wayward child has gotten herself in debt to a local gangster. Her ID, credit access, and travel papers are being held by him as she works off her debt. She has been too embarrassed to call her mother for help, but she is eager to be rescued. The characters need to get her away from the gangster and either recover her original ID and papers or acquire replacements.

3. As (2) but in an arrangement outside the characters hearing the gangster offers to let her be rescued if she will carry a package with her. She believes his boasts that he can reach her anywhere and agrees. The contents of the package are very illegal.

4. The wayward child has fallen in love with a destitute local. She has found meaning in life by his side and refuses to return to the life of empty privilege she knew before.

5. As (4) except she agrees to return home if her love comes too. He is a street rat with no education, no skills, and no travel papers.

6. As (5) except she will only return home if her love, his mother, his mother’s aged parents, and his two younger siblings all come along. None of them have travel papers.

Variation:
The characters are hired to escort the wayward child’s older sister who has been tasked by their mother to find her and bring her home. Everything is otherwise as in the main writeup except the elder daughter controls the money supply. In addition to rolling for the younger sister’s situation above, roll below for the older sister’s attitude.

1. The elder sister insists on being in charge and micromanaging everything. Her first and only concern is the safe return of her little sister.

2. As (1) except her first concern is family honour.

3. The elder sister is in charge but she delegates well. She loves her sister even if she is a bother at times. Her first concern is the safe return of her little sister.

4. As (2) except she is very concerned about family honour. She would rather see her little sister suffer the consequences of her actions than the family name become a subject of malicious gossip. She recognizes that her little sister sometimes has to be spared the consequences of her actions to preserve family honour.

5.  The elder sister is overwhelmed by the charge given her by her mother. She loves her little sister but has no idea how to proceed.

6. As (5) but she finds her little sister bothersome and would be just as happy if she weren’t found.

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

The Musician

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Patron: Artist
Required Skills: None
Required Equipment: Starship
Locations: Urnian, Gotylu

Players’ Information:
The characters are enjoying some downtime at a starport establishment on Urnian, which includes a live performance of Gotylu folk music by Voh Rahl Shu. After the performance, one of the characters is delivered a hand-written note, asking him or her to meet with the musician backstage.

When the character arrives at Shu dressing room, the musician is sporting the beginnings of shiner around one eye and is dabbing at a bloody nose with a handkerchief. Shu explains that he is ending a highly unfavorable performance contract with his manager – one where she and her cronies kept most of the money he earned. His injuries are a result of him refusing to sign an extension. Shu says he cannot go to the local authorities because his manager, Eboni Blayz, has connections with the local and planetary government.

Shu says he has one more performance tomorrow evening to fulfill his current contract and then wishes to return to his home on Gotylu (3 parsecs away). For payment, he offers up his toku’omo, the Gotylu instrument he has played on the tour, easily worth four times the cost of his passage to a collector. Shu wants to depart Urnian as soon as possible after his last performance.

The Musician
The Musician : Picture from wikimedia. Public domain, copyright has expired.

Referee’s Information:
Due to the laws on Urnian, breaking even the smallest terms of a contract entails severe financial penalties, including a period of indentured servitude to the injured party or organization. Trying any legitimate means of getting Shu off-world before he completes his contract will bring the full force of Urnian law enforcement down upon the characters and Shu.

The toku’omo is a fairly bulky and fragile instrument which could very easily be damaged or even destroyed with rough handling, thereby reducing its value (possibly to the point of worthlessness), even if is the signature instrument of a noteworthy performer. If any profit is to be had in the enterprise, considerations will have to be made for the transportation and storage of this item.

Eboni Blayz and her company, Blayz Entertainment, represent over a dozen off-world performers on Urnian, though Shu is by far the most noteworthy (and profitable) to date. His departure will be a serious blow to her operation’s bottom line. While there have been allegations of contract improprieties with past performers, no charges have ever brought against Eboni or Blayz Entertainment.

Outcomes:
1. All is as presented. Immediately after Shu’s final performance the next night, Eboni and three of her cronies (all armed with body pistols and cudgels) will attempt to forcibly “escort” Shu away from the venue.

2. Shu is fibbing a bit. He actually has been romantically involved with Eboni for the past year and has only recently discovered that she is pregnant. He doesn’t want to live up to his parental responsibilities and using the “contract difficulties” as a ruse to elicit sympathy from the characters. Eboni’s “cronies” are actually disgruntled family members who are upset that Shu isn’t going to marry Eboni.

3. Shu is an out-and-out liar. Shu is attempting to smuggle a small stash of anagathic drugs off-world in special space inside of his toku’omo. He gave a private performance at a wealthy noble’s home a few nights before meeting the characters and stole the drugs. He was visited by the noble’s personal guard who gave Shu his injuries. To buy time, Shu said he would have the drugs at his next performance. The guard will be there with three reinforcements (armed as the combatants in Outcome #1).

4. Eboni is working an angle. Eboni has taken out a standard life insurance policy on Shu. Since he is reluctant to sign a contract extension under her “generous” terms, she intends to collect by killing the performer and framing the characters for it. She will be waiting with her cronies (see Outcome #1) for the characters to make their move after the show, moving in to create the incident and kill Shu in the process. The secret space in Shu’s instrument contains a stash of contraband hallucinogenic drugs to further sell the story.

5. Shu and Eboni are working an angle. This is similar to Outcome #2, except that both Shu and Eboni are working together to smuggle the anagathic drugs off-world before the noble discovers the stash is missing. Shu’s story about the abusive manager is a ruse, with the injuries inflicted by Eboni needed to sell the story. Both Eboni and Shu plan to meet up on Gotylu later to split the profits of the venture. However, the noble’s men will catch up to Eboni during the show and be waiting for Shu and the characters afterward to reclaim the stash. (These guys will be armed the same as Outcome #1, but will also be wearing Jack armor as well.)

6. Shu is working a double-cross. This is similar to Outcome #5, with the twist that Shu is intending to double-cross Eboni and keep the sizable profits from the sale of the anagathic drugs on the black market. During the planned distraction, he will shoot Eboni with a poison-tipped body pistol round to make sure she is out of the game.

Each of these outcomes may have further opportunities for resolution, depending on the level of morality in your game – such as the victimized noble hiring the characters to locate the stolen stash of anagathic drugs and the persons responsible…

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Dark Energy

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Required Skills: An array of maintenance, administrative, combat and ship skills.
Required Equipment: Jump 2+ Ship
Number of Players: 2-6

Players’ Information:
Baron Stron, formally Captain Stron (Rtr), of the Five Sisters fleet retired 1102; mustered out with the title Baron for services rendered. Using family money, savings, and retirement, Stron began a writing career. His stories are not just action-adventure but finely-veiled tell-alls of the rich and powerful of the rimward sectors of Marches. The books and holo films made the Baron a small fortune. He now feels it’s time to live the life of a Baron, but the books have made him persona-non-grate in the Marches so he relocated to Urnian (Urnian/Urnian 2834 of the Foreven Sector).

Urnians industry – especially the weapons industry – destroyed Urnians atmosphere so many people live in the cities, with the wealthiest living in domed estates. Baron Stron could afford a small domed estate outside of Capital along the Mebby river.

He now needs to hire a small retinue of servants including: maintenance staff, a ship and crew.

Additionally the laws allow estate holders to hire a small, lightly-armed bodyguard unit. The Baron will pay well for any position the players apply for. If a ship is provided he will pay the yearly upkeep, salaries, and fuel every time he takes it out for a spin. He also does not mind people moonlighting as long as they carry out their estate duties firsts.

Urnians polluted atmosphere
Urnians polluted atmosphere. Copyright P-O Bergstedt.

Referee’s Information:
The encounters can be played individually or as a campaign. Either way there is downtime for the players and GM to do something else..

1. The Barons estate is old and rundown, requiring a lot of upkeep. This time the mechanical cooling system has gone out after a storm and river flooding. The players need to investigate the vast water cooling system connect to the estate by a large maze of underground aqueducts.

After some time, the players reach a flushing pool that has flooded over its banks due to a blocked drainage system. In the flushing pool is a family of 4 Libersharks, a local fresh water amphibious predator similar to the Terrain Crocodile. They apparently made their way into the pool during the storm, The party needs to clear them out, unclog the drain, and get the flushing pool working again.

2. The Baron is laid up on the estate as he begins to write his newest book, Dark Energy. He not only gives everyone but the cook time off with pay, he orders them off the estates for three months. This frees up everyone for a nice vacation.

3. The Baron needs to do research on the Utsukushi family – Leila Utsukushi, the current ruler of Urnian, for his book Dark Energy. While he tells the players that the trip to Meepy is simply to visit the Utsukushi family archives, he is really there to get the dirt on Leila, The trip downriver is uneventful, as are the first two days at the Utsukushi family fortress complex.

During this time, the Baron has the players perform standard duties while he gets involved in court politics. He mangers to seduce Leila, angering the Court Vizier Sarsak who frames a payer for theft embarrassing the Baron. The Baron loses the favour of Leila and cannot get the player out legally – so the players have to rescue their comrade before they receive the traditional punishment: their right hand cut off.

4. The Baron needs more research for Dark Energy and really needs to get off planet, especially after the last research trip, so he decides it is time to go find some off world information. He plans a 24 week trip across the Urnian main then to Shoefrete and into the Five Sisters to Iderati and back. The Baron, though, leaves out the real purpose: he had received a message.

Dear Baron Stron I am Terka Kalvin, you do not know me but you know my mother the Lady Elize. I am your son! I am on Iderati and my mother is dying. She needs your help. Enclosed is my DNA card to prove who I am. Please Please come to Iderati and help.

Your son,
TK

Once on Iderati, the players must find TK and help the Baron sort things out. Unfortunately the group arrives to late for TK mother, who has just passed away. At this point the Baron decides to take TK back to the estate.

5. Several months pass as the Baron writes more of “Dark Energy”. A pre-publication interview with the Baron reveals the book is focused on her Ladyship Leilas often selfish, scandalous behaviour and poor judgement. This angers the Court Vizier again. The Vizier seeks to silence the Baron by kidnapping TK and holding him hostage until the Baron withdraws Dark Energy from publication. The players must find out who kidnapped TK, locate the remote hideout where TK is held and rescue him.

6. The Barons newest book Dark Energy is published, becoming his most successful work to date bringing more wealth to the Baron. The Baron is even nominated for the Imperial Pen Award for Fiction. This does not sit well with her Ladyship Leila, the ruler of Urnian the target of Baron’s poisonous pen.

Angered by her Viziers failure to stop the book before publication, Leila, orders the Vizier to lead a personal assault on the estate using an elite platoon of her bodyguard. The party must safely evacuate the Baron and TK off planet through a running gun battle from the estate up the Meeby river, to the downport. If they succeed the Baron orders the players, “Just get me to Szirp!

Once on Szirp, a world owned by SuSAG, and famous for its anagathics atmosphere, he uses the last of his wealth to buy a small cabin. He then dismiss the party without pay!