Adventure brainstorming

[valen]

I'm not sure which forum this goes in... so I'm putting it here.

I'm working up a self contained scenario for traveller based loosely on the events of the Boxer Rebellion and I need to flesh out the details. I plan to package this up, complete with pre-generated characters for running at local conventions. With that in mind...

I intend the PC to be the command staff of a Imperial Warship. Something small-ish, but bigger then a type T, intended for long range patrols, maybe 2-3000 dtons. I figure the PC will need to use the resources of the ship to deal with the situation on the planet below. The planet is situated on the mutual border between three or more powers (I'm thinking Sol, Imperial, and Hiver) and contains three things that make is attractive, some sort of rare natural resource (maybe necessary for jump drive components), moderately large population base, and moderate tech base. The last two make it pretty easy to start exploiting the first.

Thus the three powers are attempting to influence the ruling class of the planet into joining them so as to provide easy access to the resource. The ruling class is very weak and divided as to how to proceed and wants to maintain independence. A secret society, that has broad popular support, wants to rid the world of foreigners. The secret society stages a riot and lays siege to the foreigner district of the capital city, about a week before the PC’s cruiser arrives on routine patrol. I think the secret society will be religiously motivated.

Useful contents of the ship include
2 fighters
2 shuttles
20+ marines (no power armor though)

I suspect the PCs (4-6) of them will be Captain, Chief Engineer, XO... maybe Tactical officer, Doctor, and maybe Marine Lt., although another ship officer would probably be better.

The PCs are ordered by the local Imperial Ambassador to resolve the siege and evacuate the embassy staff with a minimum of bloodshed. They will be specifically ordered not to use orbital bombardment. The ambassador wants to maintain good relations if at all possible and washing the streets in civilian blood will not serve that goal.

Other notes…
I want the riots to have sufficient technology to be able to prevent an easy landing by the lightly armed shuttles on the PC’s cruiser. A TL7-8 shoulder fired AA missile should be sufficient to crash one of the shuttles when the PC attempts to land it in the foreign district. Gotta take out the easy options… also provides a nice further complication for the PCs, since now they will have to rescue crash survivors (ala black hawk down)

The rioters are probably 10,000 or so strong, but lack moral. Still that’s more then enough to contain the small number of embassy guards in the foreign district.

The first plan that springs to mind would be to knock out power to the capital city and go in at night with NVGs and commandeered local ground vehicles to rescue the staff, but I need to come up with a few other options that the players might come up with.

I’m also considering adding a Solomani complication. I’m not sure on the details yet, but perhaps they stirred up the riot and maybe even should be backing the secret society to rid the world of non-Solomani influences…

What do you think?

 

[flykiller]

What do you think?

sounds good overall. voice of experience though, don't try to guide the players into any one course of action. most of the time players will run off on a wild tangent and you'll be left scrambling to respond. just draw maps, figure out your cast of characters want and will do, and place all the equipment. then stand back and let the players figure out what to do, while you play out what happens both in front of the PC's and in the background.

 

[DaveChase]

flykiller gave you some very good advice.

To add to his:

With such a large scope of players (NPC) in this scenario work out the following

What would cause the rioters to:
run away
Kill
befriend the PC's

What actions/reactions will the government take:
upon the crash
their people being killed
offers of x,y and/or z (bribes) to side with the PC's
when the other powers make offers

How does the local _____ feel (were the PC's crash at):
Police
Military
rebels (people for someone other than the current governemnt)
Mr and Mrs Joe Public
Media

What will the reactions of the other two powers when:
PC's crash
Locals start dying
PC's befriend local government
etc

If you lay out action/reactions or at least how the major powers/players will feel then you can easily flow with what ever the PC's decide to do.

This type of scenario is more of the Hero/villian type were everything the PC's do will effect the world, so how will the world react to them?

Most scenarios just focus on the PC's living another day getting another $1.

This one sounds like fun.

Dave

 

[jhulse]

I have an idea on how to begin a campaign in the next month or so. The situation is similar. The players start out on a ship, and the adventure is their last duty before they retire and muster out. So maybe you could throw that in just for effect.

Player drift will be a problem if you try and assume they will take very specific actions, unless an NPC is leading their team. Then you can script them down to the surface. Here is one possible scenario. It could be a way for you to control the beginning of the situation.

The P.C.'s will be part of an insertion team. They will drop down to a supposable safe landing zone. They will hump it to the hot spot and try to find who ever it is they're support to rescue, then run / sneak / drive like a bat out of Hades to another location for extraction. As they approach the landing site, it turns out to be hotter than realized, and the Lander is damage by a missile and is forced to make an emergency crash landing. Their captain / sergeant / squad leader is killed (NPC of course). Now they are on their own and have to complete the mission. The only way they can safely get off the planet's surface it to find their guy, and make it to the extraction point. You can even force their hand more by having the ambassador be the one who knows exactly where the extraction point will be. Or they at least have to send conformation that he his with them before the extraction can take place.

So now you have controlled them down to the surface, and you control how they get back to the ship. Now the PC's can use their own imagination, skill, and dumb luck to run through your adventure.

At least that's one idea, but there are lots of possibilities.
Good luck, have fun.
Jaknaz

 

[wa11eye]

Don't forget how important npc can be sometimes they are the only one that knows what is going on. The group I game with is great at changing the course of the game. npc and be the guy that says go that way stupid wa11eye

 

[eiladayn]

Role-playing the NPC villain ( read prime mover opposition) yourself knowing only what he/she can know and moving against the players to achieve whatever YOU want to acheive can make an adventure like this. If you WANT the villain to succeed OR if he has a perfectly legitimate reason to do what he/she's doing (say a corrupt local governor or group of rulers that have somehow REALLY screwed the rioters over) then you might even have the players begin to sympathize with them, but still have their duty to the Empire. Should be really fun, I remember "Sand Pebbles", liked it a lot.

Pappy

 

[pennshome723]

I always like to have multiple plots within plots, that depending on what direction /plot line that the players take up and follow can lead them in many different directions, or take a side trip and then return them back to the same plot, but the lost time always has a effect of what was happening.

 

[Troubadour]

The best place to start, in my humble opinion, is thinking like the players.

What would you do if you were the players faced with this dilemma? What resources do you have at hand? What are the consequences of your actions (globally and Imperially)? What is the Dustin Hoffman (what's my motivation) rule, ie why are they going to do this?

Then start thinking like the NPCs. The first thing, for me, is to secure power, political and interstellar (ie, star ports) assets. How? When?

Always allow multiple routes for the players to do things; lets face it, as players and GMs we've seen some pretty weird ways to get into/out of trouble.

Last, throw it all out the window because the PCs are going to come up with the most obscure, strange, out-of-left-field solution that you've never heard of.

 

[jatay3]

You are a scout(or Marine officer). You are assigned as Liason Officer (or worse commander)to a contigent of Aslan from some vassal state. You must prove yourself as rough tough and honorable as them or you will never succeed