Patron Encounters

[Mythmere]

I'm going to list a few patron encounters on this thread fo anyone who wants to use them. I will add more periodically. Please (a) post feedback and (b) post your own patron encounters for me (and others, but mainly me) to use.

Here is the first one (based on my answers on the poisoned gift thread):

The players are contacted by Rubin Lore, the captain of the Katmandu Road, a subsidized merchant. Rubin has briefly made the acquaintance of one of the party members at some time in the past (at a party or haggling over fuel). He needs help, and his own crew, while capable starfarers, aren't quite up to helping him with this one. It concerns the death of a prominent businessman who has disappeared. His company has offered a substantial reward for his return, for the discovery of his body, or for the capture of the kidnappers/murderers. Rubin can give the party information that will let then find the body if they will split the reward with him. If they agree, he will give them the following information. When Rubin came back to the ship last night after an evening of playing bingo (his favorite pasttime), there was a dead body in his cabin. He and his crew are stumped as to how it got there. Worried that becoming a witness in the court would delay his departure, he and the crew sneaked the body out of the ship and dumped it in a cargo container on the docks. This morning, he heard about the reward and hurried back to the dock, but the container had already been loaded onto another ship. He wants the party to find the container. Its serial number, he recalls, ended with 97E.
THe party might pose as customs agents to get on board other ships, or might hack into computers to locate which ship precisely onloaded the container. Their efforts may be complicated by the killers. Getting the container out of another merchant ship may also develop into an adventure.
1. the killers are business rivals of the victim, and picked Rubin's ship at random as a place to ditch the body (they defeated the security system on the ship, but if the players want to find them there will be just a momentary flash of digital imagery surviving the memory wipe)
2. Rubin is part of the plot, and wants to frame the party for the murder.
3. the whole thing is a ruse for reality tv. The players' actions are being filmed and recorded all over the place without their knowing. Of course, starport security will be very interested if the players do anything illegal in their search for the nonexistent body.

 

[Burocrate]

For your approval/use.

4. Rubin has something to hide. One of his crew committed the murder(a crime of passion). Rubin is a Zho. informant and cannot afford any intense scrutiny.
5. Rubin is a Imp. Navy Intel Agent, the dead guy was a Zho. spy whom teleported onto the ship to confirm his sussipions. The crew was very sloppy in disposing of the body and Rubin wants to clean this up quietly. Public knowledge is to be avoided at all costs.
6. Rubin was the one murdered, his body was mostly destroyed and the caller is an impersonator(sophant, andriod etc). The mission is a wild goose chase to divert attention onto the characters to allow the impersonator to escape with whatever was important enough to kill for. Or select your own motive: revenge, extreme debt collection, silencing a blackmailer(Rubin).

 

[Mythmere]

4. Rubin has something to hide. One of his crew committed the murder(a crime of passion). Rubin is a Zho. informant and cannot afford any intense scrutiny.
5. Rubin is a Imp. Navy Intel Agent, the dead guy was a Zho. spy whom teleported onto the ship to confirm his sussipions. The crew was very sloppy in disposing of the body and Rubin wants to clean this up quietly. Public knowledge is to be avoided at all costs.
6. Rubin was the one murdered, his body was mostly destroyed and the caller is an impersonator(sophant, andriod etc). The mission is a wild goose chase to divert attention onto the characters to allow the impersonator to escape with whatever was important enough to kill for. Or select your own motive: revenge, extreme debt collection, silencing a blackmailer(Rubin).

These are great! They're better than mine. I'll wait a while and see if anyone else posts their own patron encounter or adds to mine, then I'll either add some T20 crunch to this one, or I'll post a new one. Post your own encounters!

 

[Mythmere]

T20 detail for "The Corpse in the Cargo"
Gather Information attempts:
About how to get cargo records from the starport authority.
DC 15: The cargo records are not connected online, but an internal network connects the customs records to the administration computers along a land line in the port's bulkheads (or underground, or something). [if the party physically goes to a particular location, breaks open the wall and taps into the right cable, a hacker can gain access to the customs data].

About Rubin Lore:
DC10: Rubin Lore is the starship captain of a subsidized merchant.
DC12: physical characteristics of Rubin Lore. If the adventure has subsituted another person for the real Rubin, this may be an important clue. Unless the party is looking for it specifically, the clue should be hidden "The tall guy? Yeah, I know him."
DC20 (if this is the reality tv hook) "Yeah, he's involved with some kind of tv show."

Breaching security:
Breaking into the customs office
Lock: 2d4 rounds to disable electronic lock (DC 22 T/Electronic)
Alarm: DC 25 T/Electronic to disarm the door alarm (2d8 rounds).
Internal cameras: DC 20 T/Electronic, 2d4 rounds to disarm (or, they may be taken out remotely by computer: Security rating 15 on the online system that accesses the cameras). Obviously, tampering with the customs office is going to put the party in serious hot water (Marines with live ammo) if they are detected.

Once into the customs office or tapped into the land line (DC 10 T/Electronics), it requires a T/Computer check, DC 5, to identify the ship where the cargo container was delivered. Anybody want to describe the security on the ship?

 

[Burocrate]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Your setting just offers so many variables. Factor into your thoughts how paranoid you can make your players and have fun. Ideas are the easy part; time and initiative are the problem.

BTW thanks for the "T20" crunchy rules. They looked so good I pasted them into my files before I finished reading them.

 

[sandman]

Good to see that I can help someone spin something for his players

 

[Liam Devlin]

Nicely done Sandman.<nods>

 

[Mythmere]

Not to be overly sensitive, guys, but I was referencing my own contribution to Sandman's thread. The material on this thread is my own creativity, not Sandman's.

Anyway, here is another one, called "Cruise Vacation."
If the players have a ship, this adventure can be introduced through a bureaucratic snafu. A typo in the ship registry at the starport identifies the players' ship as a 5,000 ton freighter carrying radioactives. Despite all evidence, starport personnel insist that the 5,000 ton freighter must be somewhere, and that the players are responsible for its docking fees, hazardous cargo fees, and they don't even have a radioactivity declaration on file. This can only be cleared up at the stationmaster's office, but a passing merchant captain (who has been watching all of this) recommends the party hire a lawyer first. He gives them a business card. J. Foster Smythe, attorney at law. Board Certified Specialist in Subsector High Admiralty Law.

Smythe has a wood panelled office and two associate attorneys. He immediately agrees to see the party (make him eager). He has another client who needs the services of a resourceful group of offworlders.

The client is Balkirk Insurance, a small High Admiralty and Insystem insurance company. They have recently had a claim filed against them by Malachai Van Buren, the owner of a cruise line called Romance in the Stars. Van Buren claims to have had a ship lost to pirates, and is claiming on the insurance.

Van Buren is ensconced on one of his cruise ships, the Windswept Meadow, and the crew have actually denied passage to two private investigators based on their profession (either that or Van Buren has a source at the insurance company). Balkirk wants some offworlders to get onto the next cruise (leaves tomorrow) and find out whatever they can about Malachai Van Buren. Evidence of faking the loss of the ship would be great; any other dirt would be nice, since there will unquestionably be a lawsuit over this.

Meanwhile, Smythe will clear the players' ship and get some nominal damages. The insurance company will pay a small fee, but will also spring for a very expensive first class cruise accomodation.

The players will stop at three planets on the cruise; at one, they will get to gamble in a casino, make underworld contacts with the racketeers running the hotels (who might also help get information about Malachai), or just chase showgirls. On the next planet, big game hunting! On the third planet, vac suit tours of a dead lunar colony. This is where Malachai's goons make their move if the party is detected.

Now: the question is, what is there to dig up on Malachai?

1.Malachai, as expected, defrauded the insurance company. His papers indicate where the ship was submerged on a water planet ready to be "processed" by the black market.

Post your own! I'll post more too, but this is a long post. So, later.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Mythmere:
Not to be overly sensitive, guys, but I was referencing my own contribution to Sandman's thread. The material on this thread is my own creativity, not Sandman's.

OOPS! Sorry Mythmere. No trampled toes intended!(Must take less medication before reading.notes to self!>)

It was late, and I was speed reading. My apologies, sincerely!

 

[Liam Devlin]

So, in reset mode....
Mythmere, a very nice patron encounter. I like em nice and twisted myself (but then elaborate plots always get my attention, player or GM wise).
Looking forward to more!
Stars for you, lad!

 

[Mythmere]

Stars for you, lad!

Thank you, sir! I look forward to seeing a few stars under my name. I'll also note that anyone whose tagline comes from the Prince would certainly be a fan of convoluted plots.

To continue "Cruise Vacation," I'll add another plot twist before adding more outcomes. Malachai actually contacts the party during the cruise and invites them to his large (and very secure) stateroom. He trusts the party because they are offworlders (just as the insurance company hoped). In fact, he wants to hire them to investigate a suspicious couple (the Rudolfsons, elderly vacationers) and a single young lady named Abbitha. He is concerned that one of these is actually an investigator for an insurance company (he won't discuss details). Of course, one of these passengers might also not be what they seem.

2. The party discovers that Abbitha is an assassin sent to kill Malachai by an underworld creditor Malachai is trying to blackmail. She is tasked to destroy his papers (it's a blackmail issue). Of course, if she succeeds, those destroyed papers might be the ones the party was looking for. She might have a bomb imbedded in her that will detonate if the electrical impulse of her heartbeat ceases. If she does, of course, the party should know about it, not just get blown up. Or she'll claim that she has such a bomb. Wanna call that bluff when the bomb would open the hull to vacuum?

More later.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Thank you, sir! I look forward to seeing a few stars under my name. I'll also note that anyone whose tagline comes from the Prince would certainly be a fan of convoluted plots.

--yer welcome, Mr Mythmere!
heretically, and twisted as a celtic knot...

 

[Mythmere]

I have posted the first of these patron encounters at Dead Cargo. At the moment, there is nothing more than what is posted here, but the companion piece, Tharcis Highport, would make a good setting. Tharcis Highport isn't complete yet, but there are some deckplans, a couple of keyed locations, a list of ships in port, etc.

 

[Mythmere]

3. Malachai did not defraud the insurance company. He actually lost a ship to pirates. Unfortunately, the ship was also carrying Malachai's nephew. At one of the cruise's stops, Malachai will be meeting a representative of the pirates to pay a ransom for the nephew. He has been kicking investigators off the cruise because he does not want any publicity to get in the way of safely paying the ransom and getting back his nephew. But the deal goes bad; either the pirates try to take this ship too (in port, probably), or they try to take the money without giving up the nephew. In the second case, the players can be hired by Malachai to hit the pirates before they get off world.

 

[Mythmere]

4. Malachai was on the ship the pirates took, and bargained for his life with a creative idea. He would return and claim the insurance, and give half to the pirates. The pirate leader didn't for a moment consider letting Malachai go free to put the plan into operation, but he and Malachai agreed on a middle course of action. The pirate leader would masquerade as Malachai, using Malachai's identity cards to hire some of his own men to surround him, keeping his face away from the people who know Malachai personally. If the players begin probing into Malachai, they will begin to notice a pattern of strange facts; the brand new crewmen, never showing his face, etc.

5. As above, but the pirate leader intends to hold the passengers of this ship for ransom.

 

[Ran Targas]

Myth, you are evil! I bow to your twisted genius and offer this crude imitation:

Some of Malachi's ships have been moving contraband thru the sector on a regular basis. The Syndicate finally came looking for their cut, and when Malachi refused, the good fella's decided to teach him a lesson. Business is business.

Unfortunately for Malachi, shortly after he reported the theft, the chop shop was raided by local authorities and the ship was recaptured with the contraband cargo still onboard. The insurance company got whiff of this and held back payment. Malachi knows he's in a tight spot.

- The Syndicate now wants the insurance money (since they didn't get the ship) and a cut of future shipments, so they put some of the boys onboard to pressure Malachi.

- Local law enforcement wants to blow open the smuggling ring so they put undercover operatives onboard to snoop around.

- And then there are the players, with no real authority or weapons, and a very nervous Malachi. Who does he think the players are working for?

Options:
- The lawyers actually work for the Syndicate.
- The lawyers are really undercover cops.
- Malachi has been running the contraband for Imperial Intelligence and I.I. thinks Malachi sold the shipment to the Mob; the lawyers are I.I. agents.

 

[Mythmere]

Very nice, Ran! Thanks for the additional depth. I completely missed that the lawyers themselves could be something other than they appear!

 

[Zutroi]

6) Malachi had been using this liner to smuggle Handycats. When his cargo escaped he jumped ship in a life boat, leaving the liner in the system's cometary belt.

Handycats are the proof that some things are best left unknown. During research aimed at uplifting Terran lions (someone thought they'd make great soldiers, tough, powerful, and possessing instictive social skills - like following the boss) it was decided to perform the initial modifications on housecats, due to the ready availability, small size, and potential for sales in the pet market. Handycats have opposable thumbs, otherwise they are just like the modern housecat. Nothing could be more dangerous than cats with hands. Handycats are banned throughout Imperial space.

The liner is currently drifting in space and swarming with the creatures.

 

[coliver988]

new patron encounter

Bureaucrat / Manager
Required Skills: starship handling
Required Equipment: starship

Players Information: The players are approached by a man in his 30s. He is the representative of a musical band. Their reservations were apparently canceled for the next leg of their sub-sector wide tour. He is offering standard 1st class fare + 10% for an immediate jump to the next system. The band is gaining sub-sector wide recognition.

Referees Information: the band can be scaled up or down as necessary to pretty much fill the ship. At a minimum there will be a single singer and the manager, the singer requiring high passage, the manager can take mid-passage but would prefer high passage. If there are enough rooms, the group can be expanded out to include musicians, roadies, instruments and stage equipment to take cargo space.

1. All is as represented. The players can transport the band in relative ease. A longer contract may be offered if all goes well.
2. The band is destructive to the the staterooms, causing Cr1d6x1000 per room in damages. The manager may or may not be able to pay for damages. A longer contract may be offered.
3. The band is very destructive, and also causes damages to common areas. Damage as above + Cr3d6x1000. A longer contract may be offered.
4. It is not a band but a kidnapping - the musicians are being held against their will to be ransomed. They are the children of local nobility.
5. The band is not a band but a criminal organization, and the instruments are their stolen merchandise.
6. The band is not a band but a clandestine spy group. They have captured specific intelligence on the local rulers and need to get the information to the next system in preparation for an invasion.

 

[Burocrate]

Wow, 2003 thread.

“Everybody’s got One!”
The ship’s broker or captain is contacted by a local businessman about booking last minute passage to (pick a world at least 2 Jumps away). The gentleman identifies himself as Asantii Latituud, the Lead Sales Representative for Adnaromem Beverages based out of (pick a near-by world). He states that he needs a stateroom (High Passage preferred) to himself and wishes to pay freight for the pick-up and delivery of a 2 ton shipper container. Mr. Latituud is willing to pay above the going rate to secure passage. However, he will not book the entire cargo bay just to get his way and he has no problem with other cargo or passengers.
1. Mr. Latituud is honest and loyal, in other words a perfect patsy. Adnaromem Beverages has ordered him to move a container of bad (you decide: stinky/toxic/socially unacceptable/culturally offensive/chemically unstable/pure water only) from this world before the bad publicity ruins their market share. The shipment was meant to be the company’s entry into this world’s market called “One Up”. The marketing on each new world involves local celebrities shown enjoying the beverage in a variety of acceptable situations with the tag line: “Everybody’s got One!”
2. Mr. Latituud no longer works for Adnaromem Beverages and is stealing the shipment to embarrass the company in revenge for being let go. The paperwork to pick up the container will go through but an investigation will follow (at the speed of an X-Boat message) the PC’s ship till the situation is cleared up.
3. Mr. Latitude never worked for the company and is trying to steal the shipment as industrial espionage with the blame going to the PCs. The paperwork is a forgery; detectable if the PC’s have the necessary skill or tools to check. The hunt for the PC’s ship will occur as stated in #2.
4. Turns out the company did not do Due diligence when it designed the labels for this shipment and caused major political or religious fall out for the company. Mr. Latituud knows all about the problem but will not disclose the fact to the PCs because the shipment was supposed to be impounded as evidence in an upcoming trial but the company was able to bribe the right functionary to delay the order till next One Day. The hunt for the PC’s ship will occur as stated in #2.
5. All is a it is presented; Mr. Latituud is a fair and honest man and his container is not a legal headache for anyone. Sadly, Mr. Latitude is very much like the actor Peter Lorrie as Signor Ugarte from the movie Casa Blanca. Have fun hamming it up and give the PCs the creeps whenever they interact with him. “Oh yes, another Random search of passenger staterooms, no problem…one moment please and I’ll be right out. Please come in, how may I assist you? Waiting outside is not a problem, I’ll just be down in the Cargo Bay checking on my container. Of course I’ll go with your crewman to escort me, I wouldn’t dream of violating any of your ship’s regulations.”
6. Mr. Latituud has an undetected medical problem and dies in his sleep while the ship is in Jump. A cursory medical examination points to a heart attack as the cause of death. A through medical exam points to poisoning as the cause of the heart attack. SPA boarding officers are not going to be happy no matter what the PCs do and the container will be secured as well. PCs wishing to fulfil the contract to carry the container to its destination should expect to go through governmental hoops but be rewarded if they manager to complete the delivery.