The Warriors of White Light
by Douglas Niles
Edited by Steve Winter
by Douglas Niles
Edited by Steve Winter
| Distributed to the book
trade in the United States by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random
House of Canada, Ltd.
Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR (UK) Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. |
This module is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written consent of TSR , Inc.
STAR FRONTIERS and PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.
First Printing: March 1983
Second Printing: November 1983
Printed in USA
(C)1983 TSR, Inc. All Rights
Reserved. STAR FRONTIERS:KNIGHT HAWKS
 |
1
ALPHA SECTION - INTRODUCTION
| This module is
designed to introduce players and referees to the spaceship rules in STAR
FRONTIERS Knight Hawks game, and to show referees how the Knight Hawks
rules can be combined with the original STAR FRONTIERS rules.
The encounters in this module take place on spaceships. Characters will have opportunities to use their spaceship skills, but also will need their fundamental skills such as weapons, medicine and robotics. If you plan to be a player of this module, stop reading here! Learning the contents of the module now will ruin much of the enjoyment for you and your fellow players; this information is intended for the referee only! ALPHA SUBSECTION 1: REFEREE NOTES Before trying to play this module, you should become familiar with both the STAR FRONTIERS Expanded Rules and the Knight Hawks Rules in this set. You do not need to memorize the rules, but you should be familiar with the basics and know where to look in the rule book when questions come up during play. When you are comfortable with the rules, read this module and become thoroughly familiar with its contents. Then remove the White Light Star System brief from the center of the module. This can be shown to the players when they arrive in the system. ALPHA SUBSECTION 2: MODULE BRIEFING The Warriors of White Light provides the referee with a setting for integrating STAR FRONTIERS characters into a campaign utilizing spaceship rules and skills. This module can be played with as few as two or as many as 10 player characters (PCs), in addition to the referee. The ideal number of characters for most of these scenarios is six. If there are more or fewer than six players, the referee may need to adjust the balance of the encounters. As they begin this module, players should already have a 1st level spaceship skill (piloting, astrogation, engineering or energy or rocket weapon gunnery) and its required foundation skills. If no characters currently in the campaign have enough experience to learn a spaceship skill, or if players simply want to start new characters without spending time "advancing them through the ranks," players should be allowed to choose characters from the list of pregenerated characters. This list is printed on the back of the White Light System Brief. |
This module explains
how the characters can enlist in the naval (space) militia of the planet
Clarion (White Light). Members of the naval militia are called Royal Marines,and
are sworn to serve the crown of Clarion.
This module presents five adventure scenarios that might be encountered by the Royal Marines. The playing time of the scenarios varies from 1 to 3 hours. Although they do not need to be played in the order they are given, the scenarios gradually become more difficult. Characters are more likely to survive if they can use experience points earned in the early scenarios to improve their skills. By the time they reach the final encounter (a desperate battle between the Marines and Sathar), characters should be skilled enough to handle their ships very effectively. ALPHA SUBSECTION 3: THE SCENARIOS The five scenarios in this module are summarized here. After the player characters have joined the Royal Marines, these scenarios should be worked into the campaign by the referee. These scenarios are intended to be examples of the types of adventures characters can have in a planetary militia; the referee is encouraged to devise other encounters of his own to use between these scenarios. Scenario 1: Smugglers! As recruits in the Marines, the PCs are assigned to inspect cargos on incoming freighters. Contraband cargo will be discovered on one of these ships. Scenario 2: Cybernetic Hijacker! A freighter has been hi-jacked by a robot brain gone crazy. The ship must be captured and the cybot dismantled, with a minimum of destruction. Scenario 3: The Pirates of Planaron. Pirate activity in the system suddenly increases dramatically. The Marines must find the buccaneers' base and put an end to their plundering. Scenario 4: The Traitor. A respected Marine officer who is actually a Sathar agent betrays his ship at a critical time. The PCs must save the ship and capture the traitor. Scenario 5: The Battle of White Light! Several Sathar ships sweep into the system in an attempt to capture the strategic crossroads at White Light. The Marines must stop the attack or die trying! |
| This section
will help the referee get the adventure started. Subsections include descriptions
of the Royal Marines' organization, the Marines' barracks, and suggestions
on how the scenarios can be connected to form a smooth-flowing campaign.
BETA SUBSECTION 1: RECRUITING CHARACTERS The vacancies that the PCs are filling were created when a boarding party from the assault Scout Osprey was ambushed by the crew of a freighter they were searching for contraband. The freighter was destroyed as it fled toward deep space. The characters shouId learn this information graduaIly during the adventure, by talking to other Marines. The easiest way to get the player characters into the Marines is to use the pregenerated characters included with this module. The referee can simply tell the players that they grew up on Clarion, acquired their initial experience as adventurers there, and have heard about open positions in the Royal Marines. Players who have developed characters through the course of a long STAR FRONTIERS campaign probably will want to con- tinue using those characters. If these characters are adventur- ing someplace other than Clarion, they must be persuaded to travel to White Light and join the Royal Marines. One way to get PCs to White Light is to let a high-level NPC visit them, explaining that he is a recruiter for the Clarion Royal Marines. The characters were recommended to him by a mut- ual acquaintance as stout and loyal adventurers. If the NPC is a trusted relative of one of the characters, or someone who the characters have worked for or with before, the offer will be even more appealing. Of course, be sure to mention that Royal Marines are very well paid! Or, if the characters are
unemployed, they can find the follow- ing Help Wanted ad:
They will be unable to get more information without traveling to White Light and answering the ad. BETA SUBSECTION 2: ROYAL MARINE ORGANIZATION The Royal Marines currently have about 300 personnel and four ships (three assault scouts and a frigate). Only 50 of the Marines are actually crew members; the remainder are station-based support personnel, such as technicians, computer programers, boarding parties and station police. The hierarchy of rank among Royal Marine officers is outlined below: Commander. The commander is the highest ranking officer in the Royal Marines. Only one individual holds this rank at any one time. The commander of the Royal Marines usually is a member of Clarion's royalty. |
Captain.
Three officers currently hold captain's rank: the captain of the frigate
Leo
and two officers on the commander's staff.
Lieutenant. The officers in command of the assault scouts hold this rank, as do many officers on the commander's staff. Junior Lieutenant. Most of the skilled crew members aboard the Royal Marine ships are Jr. Lieutenants. These officers also lead the boarding parties. Midshipman. These are the rookies among the Royal Marine officers, and this is the rank the characters will receive upon enlistment. Midshipmen generally are not allowed to command enlisted men. Promotions are left to the referee's discretion. A character's performance is an important factor, of course. As a general guide, promotion to the rank of lieutenant may be fairly rapid, if the character's actions demonstrate ability and responsibility. The rank of captain is reserved for only the finest officers with many years of experience. BETA SUBSECTION 3: NPC FORMATS In many places throughout this module, statistics are given for NPCs. These statistics describe only the NPC's essential capa- bilities; the referee must give them personalities and interest. The following format is used
to outline the most important statistics of an NPC:
If the referee needs an NPC ability score that is not on this list, assume an average score of 45 and increase or decrease it if the NPC should be above or below average. Following these NPC statistics
are vital information on unusual weapons the character is arrned with,
significant skill levels that may affect play, and other important information,
abbreviated as follows:
BETA SUBSECTION 4:
The officers and ships of the Royal Marines are listed below. Ship rosters listing the equipment and performance statistics for each vessel can be found in the center of the module. The prefix CMS denotes Clarion Militia Ship. All Royal Marine officers wear a holstered laser pistol and military skeinsuit at all times. When they are on duty, they also |
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4
| Spaceport Traffic.
A starship arrives at Clarion Station about once every 100 to 200 minutes.
Shuttles leave for the planet even more frequently. This heavy traffic
brings thousands of characters of all four races through the station, so
huge crowds can be seen mingling about on the business deck at all hours.
The referee can stretch his imagination describing hundreds of beings going
about their business with frantic haste.
All of the major corporations in the Frontier have offices at Clarion Station. Agents for these companies can be encountered throughout the business deck. Independent freighter owners and pilots are also common, searching for cargos or buyers. Entertainment. Nightclubs and restaurants of all sorts are common on the station, from the cheapest dive to the most elegant dining room. A dinner can be purchased costing from 5 Cr to 200 Cr. Many places have live music. The "Dance and Dice" is a favorite hangout for spacers of all types. Characters can try their luck gambling by rolling d100. The minimum bet is 50 Cr. The following are winning rolls: DANCE AND DICE GAMBLING TABLE
There are rumors that the dice at the "Dance and Dice" are not always honest. The referee should feel free to alter any result he does not like. Of course, the club keeps a number of "Goons" on hand to reason with players who do not understand or appreciate such tactics. Security. The Royal Marines are in charge of station security. Although the characters responsible for this police work are in a separate branch of the service, all Royal Marines in the area can be called in to help when trouble breaks out. |
The scenarios in this module are designed to support, rather than create, a campaign. The scenarios should be worked into the game after the characters have earned their positions in the Marines. If set up properly, militia adventures can carry on long after all the scenarios in this module have been played. The referee should try to give players the feeling of day-to-day life in the Royal Marines. Many things will happen that are simply matters of daily routine. This routine should be explained to the players so they become familiar with it. Do not bore your players, but give them enough of a taste of the routine that when an adventure begins it will be surprising and challenging. The scenarios do not need to be played in a set order. Because the PCs start as the boarding party of the Osprey, however, the first two scenarios should be played while the group is still in this position. The last scenario is designed for characters with at least 2nd level spaceship skills, so the experience players earn in the early adventures is very important for their survival. Any promotions for the characters are left to the referee's discretion. If they perform well, characters with the necessary spaceship skills should be offered the opportunity to pilot the new assault scouts that the Marines may purchase in scenario 5. After these scenarios have been played, the referee and players must decide whether characters will continue working for the militia. Many more adventures are possible: Are surviving pirates still lurking in the asteroid bait? Will the Sathar return? BETA SUBSECTION 8: AWARDING EXPERIENCE POINTS The final subsection in each scenario describes how the referee should award experience points. In many cases, bonus points are suggested for characters who displayed unusual initiative or courage. Characters should be able to earn experience points in between these scenarios, also. Points can be earned during adventures on Clarion Station or shipboard scenarios designed by the referee. However the referee sets it up, characters should be able to earn 15 or 20 experience points before the final encounter of this module. |
| This is the first of the adventure
scenarios in this module. By the time this scenario is played, the PCs should
have finished their introductory training and been assigned as midshipmen
on board the assault scout Osprey. The ship
is operating as a revenue cutter-searching incoming freighters, assessing
the value of cargos for taxation and searching for contraband.
GAMMA SUBSECTION 1: THE ASSIGNMENT The job of the cargo search team is to check the cargo manifest of a freighter and compare the items on the manifest to the |
cargo actually carried by
the ship. This search should be tho- rough, but the extent is left to the
searchers. Boarding party members are instructed to be conscientious and
polite to the crews of the ships they search (unless some irregularity
is discovered).
As the characters learned in their training course, Clarion charges a high tax on all imported goods. This tariff is the source of most of the government's income. Although this raises the price of imported goods, most citizens support the tariff because it keeps other taxes low. |
5
| Sometimes, a freighter captain
may decide that he can make a much greater profit if he avoids the inspection
or claims to have a cheaper cargo than what he actually is carrying. Detecting
this type of smuggling is a very important part of the Royal Marines' cargo
searches.
Even more important is the location and confiscation of illegal cargo. A number of items cannot be legally imported into Clarion,and cargo searchteams should be especially watchful for these things. The Contraband Cargo Chart lists these prohibited items, and the penalty for importing each. CONTRABAND CARGO CHART
** Ships operating under Streel Corp. Charters can enter the systern and dock at the space station, but their cargos cannot be unloaded into the station or shuttled to the surface. GAMMA SUBSECTION 2: THE PROCEDURE For this scenario, use the two freighter deck plans on the inside cover of the module. The players should arrange their counters on the storage deck of the assault scout deck plan on the large map. The assault scout pulls alongside the freighter while it is still an hour or two from Clarion station. The two ships join airlocks and the boarding party passes into the freighter. Standard procedure requires one member of the party to guard the airlock while the others search the ship. The characters should be allowed to search several ships that are carrying legal cargo before encountering the smugglers. Five ships and their cargos are listed here to help the referee run these routine searches. Including a lot of detail in these searches should prevent the players from assuming that a firefight will break out every time they board a freighter. LEGAL CARGO CARRIERS AND FREIGHT
In addition to their laser pistols, boarding party members may carry any one ranged weapon of their choice, as well as one melee weapon. These weapons are furnished by the Royal Marines. Three clips of ammunition or two beltpacks can be carried for each weapon. One out of every three boarding party members may carry two grenades of any type. Two rocket packs are available, if anyone wants to use them. |
Some members of the search
party should wear spacesuits, since the cargo holds of freighters usually
are not pressurized. The suited characters can wear spacesuit armor if
they wish. The assault scout and the freighter continue normal deceleration,
maintaining 1g of gravity aboard both ships during the search.
GAMMA SUBSECTION 3: THE ENCOUNTER The Dark Shadow is a hull size 5 freighter making its fifth recorded visit to Clarion from the Prenglar system. Her crew has been successfully smuggling a variety of weapons to the station, which have been carried to the planet and sold to Liberation Party rebels. These weapons are hidden inside robot bodies in the cargo hold. Each robot body is in a crate, so both the crate and the robot must be opened to find the weapons. Use the small freighter deck plan to represent the Dark Shadow. Her crew members are listed below, along with a note on where each individual is when the boarding party enters. If a fight breaks out, the referee must keep track of the NPCs as they move. The Smugglers. All
of the Dark Shadow's crew members are wearing civilian skeinsuits.
Lucius Strewt (Human
male)
Maggar Broubb (Yazirian
male)
Cereeze K'zoot (Vrusk
female)
No'zan Z'keem (Vrusk
male)
4 hurnan males:
Maggar will show the leader of the boarding party a cargo manifest listing maintenance robots as the ship's only freight. Maggar and Cereeze will seem calm and relaxed as the search begins. Maggar will accompany the searchers into the cargo hold, if the characters allow it. Twelve crates are piled in the corner of the open cargo deck. Each crate contains a single maintenance robot. If the contraband is discovered, Maggar will alert the rest of the crew by pushing an alarm button concealed on his belt. He will then try to kill as many searchers as possible with his sonic sword. If the alarm is sounded, the rest of the freighter's crew will attack the Marines as quickly and murderously as they can. |
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|
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| SYSTEM NAME: White Light |
STAR COLOR:
Red-Orange
|
HABITABLE PLANETS: Clarion (Gollywog)
| MOONS: None
CLIMATE RANGE: Humid throughout, temperature warm to very hot ATMOSPHERE: 60% nitrogen, 24% oxygen, 16% carbon dioxide GRAVITY: 0.9973 |
DIAMETER:
11,679 kilometers
LENGTH OF DAY: 50 hours, 5 minutes AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 30 degrees C |
COLONIZERS:
Humans were the primary settlers on Clarion in centuries past. As they expanded from the direction of Theseus, the White Light system became a major crossroads for human exploration of the Frontier. Because it sits astride a connection of four major interstellar routes, Clarion has collected significant populations of all of the Four Races.
NATIVE LIFE:
No native animal life has been discovered on Clarion. Much of the planet is covered with vegetation, but all of the plants would be considered "primitive" by most standards. Lichens, mosses, algae and ferns are the most common types.
PLANET DESCRIPTION: (Physical and Geographical Aspects)
Clarion is a flat, wet world. Most of the surface is covered by a large land mass that is broken by eight seas and a number of huge lakes. A few very low mountain ranges have risen above the surface, but most of Clarion is covered by broad plains and mudflats. A few of the largest mud flats are thousands of kilometers in diameter.
Constant rain, lasting for weeks, is the usual weather condition on Clarion. Generally, these storms are punctuated by brief periods of fair weather before clouds collect and the showers begin again. At any one time, rain will be failing over 90% of the planet.
The resources which have made Clarion a wealthy planet include uranium, which is found in aII of the lowmountain ranges; huge quantities of petroleum beneath the mud flats; and a few rich collections of bauxite (aluminum ore). The only industry of any size on the planet is petroleum refining. Although there is very Iittle demand for the burnable by-products of petroleum in the Frontier, the wide variety of plastics created from the oil are in great demand.
PLANET DESCRIPTION: (Political and Cultural Aspects)
All of Clarion is ruled by a single government. This government is a capitalist monarchy which traditionally has enjoyed wide support from the population. The current king, Leotus XIX, has ruled for 37 years and soon will no doubt abdicate in favor of his daughter, Leotia XX. The Leotus line has held the throne for nearly 400 years, always passing the crown from parent to child.
Clarion is sometimes referred to as"Gollywog" by visitors from other systems. The name is regarded as an insult by most residents of the planet, however, and its use has been known to provoke violence from loyal and peaceful citizens.
The population of Clarion is centered in 12 great cities, each with a population measured in tens of miIIions. The largest city on the planet is Valentina, the Throne City. Here, the incredible palace of the Leotine rulers sprawls over dozens of square kilometers. Here, also, is the headquarters of the surface-based Royal Guards, the planetary militia. This militia numbers only a few thousand men, yet it has never been defeated in any land combat fought throughout the planet's generally peaceful history.
Wheeling majestically through space, hundreds of kilometers above the planet's surface, are the Clarion Stations. Fortress Redoubt, a major UPF base, is the largest. The others include a large commerce station (Clarion Station), a Class lII spaceship construction center, and a half-dozen smaller research and observation stations.
Some significant laws exist on Clarion that have contributed to the success of the monarchy. Trade with other systems is ancouraged, and is profitable enough that most merchants do not mind the high tariffs assessed to all imports. Companies working on the planet's surface must demilitarize all operations, and this has contributed greatly to the state of perpetual peace that the planet has known.
There are a few agents of unrest, however. Leotus rules the planet through an elected parliament of 100 seats. Although 70 to 80 of these seats consistently support the king in all decisions, the remainder of the seats are held by the Liberation Party, which wishes to end the monarchistic government of Clarion. The Liberation Party is rumored to support some of the pirate bands that are known to lurk in White Light's asteroid belt.
The pirates also are reported to be receiving aid from the Streel Corporation, which was banned from operations on Clarion for 20 years following violations of the Demilitarization Act. Only eight years remain in this sentence, but already the rumors of subversive Streel activity are common. There also are reports that Streel is a heavy contributor to the coffers of the Liberation Party. Because of the UPF charter, the sentence against Streel does not extend into space, so the Corporation has an active office on the commerce station orbiting Clarion.
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|
If the players do not wish to roll up their own characters, they rnay select frorn the list below. Character Race: Human
Special Abilities: None
Character Race: Human
Special Abilities: None
Character Race: Human
Special Abilities: None
Character Race: Yazirian
Special Abilities: Gliding,
Battle Rage 25%, Night Vision
|
Character Race: Yazirian
Special Abilities: Gliding,
Battle Rage 15%, Night Vision
Character Race: Dralasite
Special Abilities: Form Change,
Perception (20%)
Character Race: Dralasite
Special Abilities: Form Change,
Perception (10%)
Character Race: Vrusk
Special Abilities: Ambidexterity,
Comprehension (37%)
Character Race: Vrusk
Special Abilities: Ambidexterity,
Comprehension (25%)
|
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| Sathar Ships (For Referee's Eyes Only) |
10
| If Maggar is not allowed
into the cargo hold with the searchers, Lucius will use the ship's radio
to listen to the characters' conversations in the vacuum of the hold. If
he thinks his cargo has been discovered, his crew will attack any party
members on the upper decks of the ship and try to ambush the searchers
as they come up the elevator from the hold. However, if a member of the
boarding party is on the bridge, Lucius will not be able to eavesdrop.
If the battle on the freighter goes in the smuggler's favor, No'zan will climb into the observation dome, where a laser battery has been concealed, and attack the Osprey. The assault Scout can return fire with her own laser battery, but cannot launch assault rockets against the freighter because it is too close. Even though this return fire will be directed by Jr. Lt. Klast, one of the players should be allowed to roll the dice for these shots. More Evidence. If the PCs defeat the smugglers, and a char- acter with computer skill defeats or bypasses the ship's level 2 security program and displays information from the ship's level 3 computer, the characters will learn that the weapons were furnished by the Streel Corporation. If the attempt to break into the ship's computer is not started before the ship |
reaches Clarion
Station, however, the computer's security program will automatically
purge any reference to the Streel Corporation from its memory.
GAMMA SUBSECTION 4:
If the PCs do not discover the hidden weapons, they will be found by spaceport police when the ship docks at Clarion Station. Marine records will show that the ship was inspected and passed by the Osprey's boarding party. The PCs will receive no experience points for this encounter, and will be assigned to KP or some other punitive duty for two weeks. If the players detect the
smuggled weapons and prevent their delivery, each character should receive
1 to 3 experience points, based on his or her overall contribution to the
party's success. If the characters also discovered that the weapons were
furnished by the Streel Corporation, the number of experience points awarded
to each player should be doubled.
|
| This second adventure scenario
pits the PCs against a space- ship operated entirely by robots. The robots
are controlled by a cybernetic (partially organic) robot that is suffering
from advanced senility. As an extra challenge, the characters must subdue
the "cybot" and his robot minions while causing as little damage as possible.
DELTA SUBSECTION 1: THE SITUATI0N This scenario should occur while the PCs are still serving as cargo inspectors aboard the Osprey. Any player character with a 1st level spaceship pilot or astrogation skill can work part-time aboard the bridge, but is still required to board freighters when an inspection is called for. While the Osprey is on a routine patrol, waiting to be assigned a freighter to inspect, a fast ship drops out of the Void about two days' deceleration from Clarion. All attempts by station authorities to communicate with the ship fail, and radar indicates that the ship is decelerating at only half the rate needed to stop it by the time it reaches Clarion Station. On its current course, the ship is bearing directly toward the station. The only Royal Marine vessel in range to intercept is the Osprey. Lieutenant Tabbe will receive orders to proceed with all haste to intercept the newcomer and report his findings back to the station. The Osprey must accelerate constantly at 3g to rendezvous with the mysterious ship. After 8 hours the assault scout will establish a parallel course 1 kilometer away. The silent craft is obviously a large freighter (huIIsize 12 or 14). The name "Marionette" is visible on her bow. All attempts to communicate will receive no response. Tabbe will assign one of the PCs to radio a report back to Clarion Station indicating what can be seen of the freighter. After a radio lag of 12 minutes, the following response will be received: |
"FREIGHTER :MARIONETTE.
Owned by Pan-galactic Corporation. Disappeared mysteriously from Terledrom
(Fromeltar) 28 years ago, GST. No crew aboard at that time. For reason(s)
unknown, started engines and accelerated into Void with half her cargo
still aboard-
"INSTRUCTIONS: Board Marionette and regain control." If a PC asks for more information, another message can be sent. After the lag, it will be learned that the Marionette was carrying many different types of robots when she disappeared. Her crew could not furnish any other useful information, and she has not been reported at any outpost in the Frontier for 28 years. The crew of the Osprey will be ordered to bring the ship in intact, and cautioned that while there is no known danger, the boarding crew is advised to proceed with care. As soon as the Osprey tries to move closer to the freighter, the Marionette will veer away, and will continue evading any attempt by the assault scout to close. The Osprey is not equipped with grapples, so the only way it can close to boarding distance with the freighter is to shoot out the ship's drives and maneuver jets. One of the characters with spaceship gunnery skill will be asked to operate the Osprey's laser battery to immobilize the Marionette. DELTA SUBSECTION 2: THE SHIP The Marionette is under the control of a mad cybernetic robot brain. This robot was created from a bizarre blend of human and mechanical parts. The mechanical components of the cybot still function perfectly, but the human parts succumbed to decay and insanity long ago. It now rules a collection of robots programed to obey their master's every whim. The cybot is convinced that it is the master of the universe, and will hysterically defy any attempts to board and control the Marionette. With a touch of mad whimsy, the cybot calls itself the "Puppetmaster." |
11
| The Puppetmaster's "crew"
consists of 4 level -2 maintenance robots, 3 level-3 combat robots, and
a level -3 heavy duty robot. These have been modified very carefully over
the years, so that now all of the robots on the ship-including the Puppetmaster-
have the following characteristics: Each robot has two limbs, a rocket
pack for movement, and a computer link program that connects it directly
to the ship's computer. The robots can function normally in a weightless
environment because of the rocketpacks. None of the standard robots suffer
any ill effects from being exposed to a vacuum. The cybot's organic components
are sealed in a plexiglass bubble, so there is no need for atmosphere in
the ship.
As the Osprey draws nearer to the Marionette, the Marines will notice that all of the freighter's outer hatches are open! Light from inside the ship spills through these openings in stark contrast to the blackness of the surrounding space. Because the drives and maneuver jets must be knocked out before the freighter can be boarded, everything in the ship will be weightless as well as exposed to vacuum--less than ideal conditions for combat. DELTA SUBSECTION 3: THE ENCOUNTER The Puppetmaster wiII easily find the radio frequency used by the character's spacesuit intercoms, and will talk to them throughout this encounter. The referee should role-play the Puppelmaster to the hilt; remember that this is a mad but intelligent creature that imagines itself as ruler of the universe. Its cackling laugh, taunts and challenges should harass the PCs constantly once they have boarded the Marionette. The locations of each of the robots as the ship is boarded are described below. Each robot's armament, defenses and other statistics are listed also. Crew Deck, hallway. Two of the maintenance robots are in the hallway of the crew deck, just inside the airlock. They will try to push the PCs back through the hatch as the party enters. Each robot rolls for its attack normally, but a successful hit means that the character being attacked has been pitched out of the airlock. The robots will not inflict anydamage on characters here. Maintenance Robots (MV 150m; IM/RS 5/50; STA 100; ATT 50; DM 2d10 or 20d10) Crew Deck, recroom. Two of the combat robots are waiting just inside the door to the recroom on the crew deck, They have instructions to guard the approaches to the elevator. Each of these bots is protected by an inertia screen, and carries a 100 SEU powerpack. One is armed with a gyrojet rifle, while the other fires a laser rifle on power setting 10. These robots will attack any characters moving toward the elevator, advancing out of the recroom once they have opened fire. Combat Robot (MV 150m; IM/RS 6/60; STA 100; ATT 60; DM 10d10) Maintenance Dock, workpods. The heavy duty robot and the remaining two maintenance robots are stationed on the main- tenance deck. The heavyduty bot is next to workpod A, and will advance toward any characters that arrive on the elevator. It will attack these characters with its pair of large pincers. These pincers cause holes the same as two knives. Spacesuit armor has a 25% chance to deflect the pincers. One of the mainte- nance robots is next to workpod B, and will attack with a mechanical drill, causing 2d10 damage on a successful hit and putting a 2 cm hole in the injured character's spacesuit. Armor has a 30% chance to deflect the drill. |
Maintenance Deck, workshop.
The last maintenance robot is in the workshop. It is armed with a laser
powertorch, which it will use on characters with apparent relish.
Heavy Duty Robot (MV 150m; IM/RS 6/60/; STA 500; ATT 60; DM 6d10) Maintenance Robots (MV 150m; IM/RS 5/50; STA 100; ATT 50; DM None) Lower Bridge Deck. The third combat robot is on the lower bridge deck, protected by an albedo screen and armed with a machine gun with 1 clip. It has a 100 SEU powerpack. Combat Robot (MV 150m; IM/RS 6/60; STA 100; ATT 60; DM 10d10) If this robot is defeated, a character with computer skiII can try to operate the ship's computer. If the character can defeat or bypass the 1st level security prograrn and then manipulate the level 3 robot managernent program, he can deactivate every robot aboard the ship, with the exception of the Puppetrnaster. The Puppetmaster. The cybot controls its minions from the upper bridge deck. It will be aware of any attempt to tamper with the computer, and will react by moving to the lower bridge in an attempt to personally destroy the invaders of its domain. The Puppetmaster will not use the elevator, however; long ago it had a secret hatch placed in the ceiling of the bridge supply room. Passing through this hatch, the cybot will emerge from the supply room and try to take the party by surprise. The Puppetrnaster has a heavy duty robot body with 500 Stam- ina points. It is armed with a laser rifle and has a 500 SEU parabattery to power the rifle. The cybot is protected by an albedo screen. Cybernetic Robot (MV 150; IM/RS 9/90; STA 500; ATT 90; DM 10d10 per shot) The plexiglass bubble that houses the cybot's organic parts is just barely visible in the center of the convoluted mass of wires and metal that make up the Puppetmaster. If a character says he is shooting at this bubble, the referee should examine the dice roll the character makes on that shot. If it is 40 or more below the number needed to hit, the bubble has been hit; if the shot hits, but the roll is not 40 less than the character's chance to hit, the weapon has hit a part of the cybot's mechanical body. The bubble will shatter if it is hit by a gyrojet, projectile or fragmentation weapon. Exposed to hard vacuum, the fleshy components of the Puppetmaster will die instantly, and the cybot will cease to function. No other weapons will damage the bubble. DELTA SUBSECTION 4: AWARDING EXPERIENCE POINTS All characters who successfully
complete this encounter may be awarded 1 to 3 experience points. The referee
should add 3 bonus points for each robot that was deactivated without being
destroyed, and 10 points if the cybot was stopped by damage to its organic
parts rather than to the robot body. These bonus points should be added
up and divided equally among the characters.
|
12
| Not all the duties of the
Royal Marines are as mundane as cargo inspection and customs checks. As
this scenario will illustrate, when outside forces threaten violence against
the kingdom of Leotus, the Marines are willing to fight fire with fire!
EPSILON SUBSECTION 1: SCENARIO BACKGROUND Isolated incidents of piracy have occurred in the White Light system for as long as it has been inhabited. A broad asteroid belt surrounds the star at about twice the orbital distance of Clarion. This belt has long been a hideout for rebels, pirates, fugitives and hermits. Because the asteroids are so densely packed, it is very difficult for the militia or Spacefleet to locate the criminal hideouts. Traditionally, pirate bands are small groups of characters op- erating a single armed ship. They attack, board and plunder lone merchantmen or, rarely, spaceliners. If a militia or UPF warship is known to be in the area, the pirates can be counted on to lay low until the warship is gone. Lately, however, these attacks have undergone some funda- mental changes. First, they have become more common-- scarcely a tenday passes without a report of a freighter being taken by buccaneers. The attack is always the same: the freighter's drives are knocked out by laserfire from a fast ship, the crew defends the airlocks against savage boarders, and then ... silence. Another change has been the number of pirate ships encoun- tered. Occasionally, two or three are reported operating to- gether. Moreover, these pirate ships are faster and more heavily armed than in the past. The Royal Marines have no choice but to assign some of their desperately needed militia ships to scouting patrols in the asteroid belt. Unknown to the government of Clarion, the Streel Corporation has been contributing millions of credits to an outlaw band in the asteroid belt. This money has enabled the group to purchase |
and outfit four ships specificaIly
for pIundering the trade routes. Of course, a percentage of the plunder
is returned to the Streel Corporation as payment on its investment. In
this way, Streel can partially recoup the losses it suffered following
its banishment from Clarion, as well as gain revenge against the government
that banished it.
EPSILON SUBSECTION 2: THE CORVETTE Corvette class ships fall between the assault scout and the frigate. Constructed with a size 4 hull, a corvette can carry about 20 crew members and still have enough cargo space to store plundered wealth. Typical corvette armament includes a forward-firing laser cannon and a laser battery. Aside from the reflective hull, the only defense that is likely to be installed on a corvette is a masking screen. Corvettes are equipped with two atomic engines, giving them good acceleration and maneuverability compared to most civ- ilian ships. They can be outperformed by a frigate or assault scout, however, and a corvette definitely is outgunned by a frigate or larger warship. The statistics of a typical
corvette are:
The pirates of White Light currently have four corvettes in operation. These ships are based at a large asteroid which has been hollowed out and converted into a well defended pirate base. EPSILON SUBSECTION 3: PATROL Like all Royal Marine ships, the Osprey must take her turn patrolling the travel lanes. The referee may have the PCs take part in two or three patrol missions with no unusual incidents, to set the stage for the encounter with the pirates. |
13
| By this time, the characters
should be getting to practice some of their spaceship skills. An assault
scout requires a 2nd level pilot, but PCs with 1st level piloting skill
will be allowed some practice time in the command seat--under the watchful
eye of Lt. Tabbe.
Jr. Lt. Klast will provide coaching on the Osprey's assault rockets and laser battery. In fact, a character with Rocket Weapon gunnery skill will be assigned to target the assault rockets when the Osprey engages in ship to ship combat. If a second PC has Energy Weapon gunnery skill, that officer will be assigned to operate the laser battery in combat. During the course of one
of the Osprey's anti-pirate patrols, the ship
will pick up the following message:
At this point, one of the players should be allowed to control Lt. Tabbe as if the Lieutenant was that player's character--for this encounter only! Other players should be assigned to the Osprey's two weapons, and any characters with engineering skill should stand by to assist in damage control or stress analysis. Of course, the Osprey just happens to be in White Light sector 280-13K. The ship that broadcast the mayday is 1.2 million kilometers (120 hexes) from the Osprey. This is beyond the Osprey's sensor range, so the crew does not know exactly how far away the ship is. The Osprey must travel 900,000 km (90 hexes) before its sensors will pick up the battle. The Osprey is traveling at 10 hexes per turn when she receives the message, unless the characters have specified otherwise. If the Osprey uses full acceleration, it can bring the Prenglar Doll within sensor range in exactly four turns. When the Osprey has traveled 90 hexes, place the ship's counter on the edge of the game map. The Prenglar Doll and corvette occupy one hex in the center of the map. The Prenglar Doll will be totally sacked and her crew murdered within six turns after the mayday was broadcast, unless the Osprey has arrived on the map. If the Osprey arrives four or five turns after receiving the message, however, the pirates will stop their attack on the freighter and her contents will be intact. The corvette attacking the Prenglar Doll is the Raven. Complete information on the ship and its crew is on the ship roster sheet at the center of this module. The Raven and the freighter are traveling away from the Osprey at a speed of 10 hexes per turn. The pirates wiII try to get away from the militia ship, if escape is at all possible. In order to do this, the pirates must cripple the Osprey's drives, or the scout will always be able to catch the corvette. If the Osprey's ADF ever drops lower than the Raven's, the pirate vessel will flee toward the asteroid belt. If the Raven's engines are disabled, Lt. Tabbe wiII not allow the characters to board the ship because its crew is so much larger than the Osprey's. If characters radio for reinforcements, or try to track the Raven into the asteroid belt, their sensors will detect two more corvettes approaching the area. If the Osprey turns and returns to the Prenglar Doll, the corvettes will leave it alone. The referee should use these guidelines to prevent the |
Raven
or its crew from being captured. It is alright to let the characters destroy
the Raven in combat, but it should not be captured
under any conditions.
EPSILON SUBSECTION 4: ATTACK! One to two weeks after the attack on the Prenglar Doll, a wildcat miner operating in the asteroid belt will come to the Royal Marine headquarters with some valuable information. In the course of his operations, he has discovered the location of the pirate base! It has been carved into the small asteroid Planaron. The entire militia fleet is immediately called to attack. (Any damage suffered by the Osprey will be repaired by this time, assuming she survived the battle and was able to return to Clarion.) The frigate Leo and the three assault scouts speed to the asteroid belt with orders to wipe out the base. No one was encouraged to take prisoners. The referee should control all of the pirate ships and the station. Depending on the number of players present for this scenario, the Marine ships can be divided several ways. With four players, one person can take each of the militia ships. If more than four players are involved, a ship can be shared between two people. In this case, one person moves the ship and the other chooses targets and fires the ship's weapons. The referee should use 60 upside-down counters as asteroids in this scenario. These counters should be spread in a band that is 16 to 18 hexes wide across the center of the map. As usual, each counter should be placed on the intersection of three hexes. The pirate base should be marked with a space station counter that is placed next to (not in) an asteroid hex. At least four clear travel routes should lead from the base, through the asteroids, to open space. These routes may be as crooked and winding as the referee desires. The pirates have three ships for this scenario, as well as the weapons on the base. If the Raven escaped the battle with the Osprey, then the Ripper should not be used in the fight. Com- plete statistics for all of the pirate ships and the station are listed on the ship rosters in the center of the module. The militia is attacking and the pirates defending in this encounter. One of the pirate ships should stay close to the base as the militia closes in, while the other two move through the asteroid belt and try to hit the Marines from the flank or rear. The pirates will put top priority on destroying the Leo, and always will shoot at the frigate rather than the assault scouts if they have a choice between equally good shots. The Royal Marines want to destroy all of the pirate ships and the station. The objective of the pirates is to drive away the attackers. EPSILON SUBSECTION 5:
The PCs should receive 1
to 3 experience points each for destroying the Raven;
and another 1 to 3 points if they succeed in destroying the pirate base.
A bonus point should be awarded to each player if the Osprey
arrived in time to save the Prenglar Doll.
|
14
| For many years,
MaxxerTabbe has been quietlyinfiltrating the ranks of the Royal Marines.
His loyalty to the crown has never been questioned, as he patiently awaits
messages from the worm-things that are his masters. Finally, the secret
message is sent.
The time is now.
The development of the assault scout by the UPF shifted the balance of naval power away from the Sathar. This fast and maneuverable ship has on many occasions defeated larger, more heavily armed ships. Sathar engineers have been unable to produce a practical starship as small as the scout, and they are desperate to learn how it is done. Royal Marine Lieutenant Maxxer Tabbe is the tool that finally will allow the Sathar to study an undamaged assault scout. Through Tabbe's treachery, his cunning masters have carefully arranged for the taking of the Osprey. On a routine patrol, the Osprey will pull alongside a large freighter, as if to perform a cargo inspection. When the ships join airlocks, however, the Sathar will slither onto the supply deck of the Osprey. The lieutenant is to gain control of the bridge, and leave the rest of the fight to his segmented allies. The ships will continue normal deceleration, so that gravity is maintained during the encounter. Tabbe has substituted an electrostunner for the laser pistol that most marines carry in their holsters. If questioned about it, he will simply state that he prefers the stunner to other wea- pons, and then will change the subject.
As the Osprey cruises toward her fateful rendezvous, Lt. Tabbe will issue instructions to his crew over the intercom: "We are embarked on an important mission today. HQ has given me strict instructions for dealing with this freighter; she is carrying a very important cargo. I will need the entire boarding party waiting on the storage deck. Jr. Lt. Klast will aid me with all duties on the bridge. Contact will be in 30 minutes. It won't be necessary to suit up for this one. Everyone is to report to their station immediately." Tabbe wiII not give anymore information, saying only that this is a high security mission. If necessary, he wiII use his rank and order characters to the storage deck of the Osprey. He will guide the ship alongside the freighter and slowly close to docking range. If one of the PCs ventures to the cabin or crew decks and looks out a porthole, he will see an unusually shaped vessel. The characters have not seen a ship like this before. It is a bulky and-if the referee makes a successful Intuition check for the observing character-sinister object. There will be a soft "clunk" as the two ships lock together. At this point, Tabbe will draw his electrostunner and shoot Jr. Lt. Klast, with the weapon set on "stun." This shot will hit auto- matically. If Klast makes a successful Stamina check, she will lose one turn because of surprise. Tabbe will fire a second shot during this turn, but the referee must roll to hit normally. If Klast still is not stunned, she will switch on the intercom and shout "Look out!" At this point, Tabbe's third shot will stun her. |
The airlocks will open 10 turns after the ships have joined. If Klast was able to shout her warning, the PCs can react howev- er they choose. if they have not been warned, any characters watching the hatch as it opens must be checked for surprise. Advancing through the airlock is a band of armed Sathar! The first two each carry a grenade rifle, and each fires a doze grenade into the Osprey as the airlock opens. Then the entire band slithers forward to attack. There are eight Sathar in the boarding party. Use Sathar coun- ters A-H to represent the worms. Each Sathar is wearing an albedo screen. The rest of their statistics are below: Sathar A & B - RW 50, M 50, PS 2, IM 4, RS 35, STA 40 Carry grenade rifles and vibroknives. Each has 1 doze and 2 frag grenades, and 50 SEU beltpack. Sathar C-F-
RW 70, M 45, PS 3, IM 5, RS 50, STA 45
Sathar G-
RW 45, M 30, PS 2, IM 3, RS 30, STA 35
Sathar H-
RW 80, M 60, PS 4, IM 4, RS 40, STA 60
As the Sathar attack on the supply deck, Tabbe will slowly make his way from the bridge to the lower cabin deck. He will pause there and hold the elevator, preventing any character from leaving the storage deck. He will set the intercom on monitor, so he can hear sounds of combat below. When these sounds stop, he will take the elevator to the storage deck and open the door. If any of the PCs are alive, he will try to shoot them with his stunner. If the PCs are defeated by the Sathar or Tabbe in this encoun- ter, those that are not dead probably will be summarily execut- ed. If the referee wants to continue the adventure, they can be taken as prisoners with the Osprey and given an opportunity to escape with their ship. They may need to travel through a few unknown star systems before finding their way home! If the PCs defeat the Sathar boarding party and Lt. Tabbe, no more Sathar will enter the Osprey. Instead, the airlock between the ships will be sealed off and the freighter will veer away and try to escape. Although the Osprey cannot
be flown well without a 2nd level pilot, the PCs can chase the freighter
with a 1st level pilot at the helm. The following restrictions apply:
1. The ADF of the assault
scout will be reduced to 2.
|
15
| The freighter's
statistics are included here in case this ship-to- ship battle is fought:
Sathar Freighter: HP 40 / ADF 3 / MR 1 / DCH 40 Weapon: LB Defenses: None The freighter will accelerate as quickly as possible, firing her laser battery at the Osprey as long as the scout is in range. Allowing the 1st level pilot to fly the assault scout is an excep- tion to the skill level rule. In this case, it is justified by the fact that a 1st level PC pilot has had some experience flying the |
ship under the
instruction of Tabbe. A 2nd level or higher pilot must be brought aboard
the Osprey before the ship can dock at the station.
Each surviving character
should receive 3 experience points for repelling the boarding party and
capturing or killing the traitor. (When she recovers, Rhanda Klast will
provide solid testimony against Tabbe.) If the characters pursued and destroyed
the Sathar freighter, each should receive 1 or 2 bonus points.
|
| This
scenario should be carefully worked into the campaign by the referee. It
wiII fit easily into the context of a major Sathar war, but can also be
portrayed as an isolated raid.
All player characters should have reached 2nd level in their spaceship skill before beginning this scenario. If they have not accumulated enough points from the first four scenarios, the referee should allow characters to encounter some thugs on Clarion Station, or discover more smugglers, or have some other related adventure to build up their experience points. When the player characters have earned 2nd level skilIs, pilots should be given command of an assault scout. The Osprey can be one of these. If more than one pilot is present, the two new assault scouts (Flitter and Swallow) listed on the ship roster can be delivered to Clarion before the battle. PC gunners, engineers and astrogators should be allowed to choose which ship they serve on. If possible, PCs should be kept together on a single ship.
This encounter is a battle between two Sathar destroyers, and the militia's frigate and three assault scouts. If either of the new assault scouts are added, the Sathar should be given the third destroyer (Devastator), marked "optional" on the ship roster. Complete statistics for aII of these ships are printed on the ship roster sheets in the center of the module.
This scenario will be played on the space map. The Advanced Game rules with character skill modifiers are recommended for this encounter. Clarion has been thrown into an uproar by the appearance of two (or three) Sathar destroyers that are rapidly decelerating toward the planet. The only force capable of stopping this attack is the Royal Marines. Although none of the Marine ships is as large as a destroyer, the courageous militia sallies forth to challenge the worms. The Marines have been ordered to meet the Sathar as far from the planet as possible in order to protect innocent civilians. 7011XXX1501 |
The two groups
of ships enter the map from opposite short edges. The Sathar ships are
traveling 15 hexes per turn. The Royal Marine vessels can travel at any
speed the PCs choose, up to a maximum of 25 hexes per turn. Control of
the Militia ships should be divided among the players.
After the ships have been set up, the referee and one player each roll 1d10. The side with the highest roll moves first. The Sathar will continue fighting until all of the ships are destroyed.
This adventure completes the scenarios in this module. Char- acters should be awarded 1 to 3 experience points, based on their performance during the battle. The players may want to continue their careers in the Royal Marines. If so, it should be easy for the referee to keep them busy. If the characters have had enough of the military life, their new skills and reputations should open up many opportunities throughout the Frontier. Remember, not even the sky
is the limit anymore!
|
