My Campaign for Discussion

[thedamnyankee]

Ok, here is the story so far:
I'm running a T20 game set in the alternate time line from GT (GURPS Traveller) set in District 268. It looks like its going to be a merchant campaign with a whole amazing 3 players. We have the captain/navigator/owner a near raciest solomni, the Engineer/power-gamer (no, you cannot have an Infrared cyber-eye,) and the psychotic MD/steward (I got of my damned home world I'm never going to be stuck on a planet I don’t like ever again (she says as she buys the auto-pistol [oath? What oath?])) The first session has the merchant buying his far-trader, 40+ years old with problems. He decides to take out a bigger loan and upgrade the power plant (T20 A2 doesn't have excess power for weapons) so they put in a TL13 monster with excess power which they can use for Agility or to power two pulse lasers. (I'm just waiting for them to start the pirating thing…)
I've set up the political background as follows. McClellan Factors, trying to regain some of there market share in the district has negotiated and or bought exclusivity rights for imperial shipping with the TTC (Trexalon Trade Consortium.) The PC group has connections to another Major Corporation whose name escapes me at the moment. This company doesn’t really like this set up for sevral reasons, mostly because they are trying to crush McClellan Factors. They decide to bring the "Leviathan merchant Cruiser" To Colace to show the flag and be ready if this turns the cold war hot. The master plan is to bring a flotilla of merchant vessels with them on the voyage from Glisten to Colace as a "show of economic force" and convince the TTC to ship with everyone.
Of corse as an evil® game master I have a master-plan. At the risk of spoiling it for my players (who, AFAIK don’t read this board.) The Zhodoni have decided that after the 5th frontier war that military engagements like they used in the past will be of limited success for them in curbing imperial expansion. They have begun a campaign of subversion Behind the Claw. One of there major goals is keeping District 268 from becoming a full fleged imperial member. They also are messing with Garoo.
The Zhodoni agents assigned to the district have decided that the Colace/TTC cold war is just the tool they need to keep the region unstable and thus unfit for total Imperial membership. The campaign will resolve around the group slowly becoming aware that things aren't right and theirs a pattern behind seemingly random events.
The reason I'm posting this is multifaceted. First off, I think its cool and want to show off. The major reason, however, is that the Merchant captain character is played by the man who taught me to be an evil® GM, so I'll have a hard time out smarting him and a board traveller nut brains is better than one. Any thoughts, comments, cool sounding additions?

Christopher Schroeder
New and improved Travller nut brains with Rasins!

 

[RabidVargr]

Vargr Raiders!

RV

 

[thedamnyankee]

Oh ofcorse. I acculy want to have a reacuring minor bad guy of a bunch of Vargr raiders led by an Aslan under the control of the Zhodoni.... (whos former roomate's dogs sister...)

Christopher Schroeder
"Wich makes me?"
"Absolutly nothing, wich is what you are about to become" -Darth Vargr

 

[Rodina]

My longest campaign was center on and around Collace, so I've got a lot of ideas about Collace's relationship with the Imperium, which basically goes like this:

The population of Collace is, by and large, pro-Imperial. The Scouts have had an important presence on Collace for almost 500 years and relations have always been good. There have been some hard feelings lately with the Imperial Navy, stemming from a couple of incidents during the FFW - but largely Collace wants membership in the Imperium.

The Industrial interests, however, particularly SuSAG want absolutely nothing to do with the Imperium. Tarsus, which has a SuSAG psionic drug facility, is so closely allied politically with Collace that it is inconceivable that Tarsus could stay out of the Imperium if Collace were to join it - so SuSAG is heavily invested in keeping Collace out - and would probably actively support Trexalon agents to keep the situation unstable.

Even within the pro-Imperial factions in the Collace government, there is considerable tension as to who would be appointed to be the Marquis of Collace. One side favors a Senator Sharik Kuresa (favored by the Duke of Glisten), another side a well regarded labor leader (favored by the Imperial Navy and the bureaucrats who run Five Sisters), a third the retired head of the Scout base on Collace (a person favored by the Duchess of Mora) - so arguements over this often prevent a united front from petitioning for membership. Archduke Norris has refused to enter into the fray, partly because he's been taken aback by Collace's hostility to the Imperial Navy...

A third force at work on Collace's membership is the Count of Mertactor, who would like to protect his planet's role as subsector capital. Now, even though D268 is administered largely from Glisten, Mertactor does have a history as an administrative center for the subsector.

Collace maintains a sizeable fleet both at Collace and at Tarsus because of the tensions with Trexalon, but it is largely defensive - SDBs and the like. Collace's ground forces are quite small.

 

[RabidVargr]

Originally posted by Christopher Schroeder:
Oh ofcorse. I acculy want to have a reacuring minor bad guy of a bunch of Vargr raiders led by an Aslan under the control of the Zhodoni.... (whos former roomate's dogs sister...)

Christopher Schroeder
"Wich makes me?"
"Absolutly nothing, wich is what you are about to become" -Darth Vargr

LED BY AN ASLAN!!! Where are those sorry curs, we'll sort that out right quick.

For your campaign, look at other sources for ideas on how to monopolize things for that shipping company. Look at microsoft, they sold at a loss for a while in order to get a competitor or two out of business. Your PC's will be forced to add *Something* to the service they offer (high risk cargo transport or whatever) in order to stay afloat. Not to mention just paying their mortgage...

RV

 

[thedamnyankee]

Originally posted by Rodina:
My longest campaign was center on and around Collace, so I've got a lot of ideas about Collace's relationship with the Imperium, which basically goes like this:
{Mass Sniplage for space saving efforts}

Im stealing that wholesale

It looks like there are sevral corperations who come down as Anti-expansion (of corse they would call it Pro-Independence...) while some want the Imperium To expand for various reasons. I intend to turn it in to a shooting war at some point, just to keep things intresting. I can see Colace's dislike for the Imperal Navy working the other way around... Colace gets invaded and the navy says "Pha.. you dont like us... sooo we are just gunna take our time geting to your problem..."
My campaign is rapidly becoming very political.
Cool.

Christopher Schroeder

 

[thedamnyankee]

Originally posted by RabidVargr:
LED BY AN ASLAN!!! Where are those sorry curs, we'll sort that out right quick.

For your campaign, look at other sources for ideas on how to monopolize things for that shipping company. Look at microsoft, they sold at a loss for a while in order to get a competitor or two out of business. Your PC's will be forced to add *Something* to the service they offer (high risk cargo transport or whatever) in order to stay afloat. Not to mention just paying their mortgage...

RV[/QB]

Oh dont wory they have already sold there souls to this other company. They helped them get there new engine for a song becuse the the Captain PC used to work for them. The company Big Wigs figure if he dosent work directly for them they can get him to work inderectly. Thats my orginal hook into the game. A large shiping company isnt worried about 66 cargo tons floating around, but they can see the value in having eyes and ears around. Im going to strong arm the group to do some investagating of related issues that let them start to see the hidden undercurrents

Christiopher Schroeder

 

[Rodina]

If you want to steal my campaign notes - go ahead, I ain't using 'em - but I'm happy to elaborate on my background from Collace if you want...

The incident was that a 100,000 Sword World battlecruiser misjumped into Collace space in 1108, badly damaged from a skirmish in Lunion subsector. The ship spent weeks in jumpspace and was out of the war for good no matter what. It took a position over a small moon of Collace's one gas giant, which had a research station and a small space port to monitor traffic around the gas giant. The captain threatened to destroy the facility if he were not accomodated.

The Collace System Defense Fleet took up a position around the ship - and provided some essential supplies and removed the wounded. There were considerable negotiations between the system fleet and the Deplaháfur and, after a stand off of almost three weeks, a decision was reached where the captain would surrender, but the ship would be scuttled.

Meanwhile... the Imperial Navy had been alerted to the presence of the Deplaháfur and dispatched a reserve squadron to try to take it. The Imperial Navy arrived, guns a 'blazing, and managed to destroy the Deplaháfur but not before it fired a number of its weapons at the facility below and destroyed six Collace SDBs. The death toll was approximately 11,000.

Although the Commander of the reserve squadron was court martialed, Collace has continued to demand the extradition of Commander Eneri Jackson to Collace to be charged and tried in local court.