by Gallant Knight Games First Edition Media. Copyright © 2017 by Nocturnal Media. Game design by Alan Bahr and Thomas Keene. Micro-settings by Amy Veeres, Ben Woerner, John Kennedy, Jon Del Arroz, Laura Montgomery-Hurrel, Liz Chaipraditkul, Marie Brennan, Robert Denton III, Ryan Schoon, Steve Diamond, Steve Radabaugh, and Dan Wells. Art by Thomas Mann. Cover art by Wandelfalke. Micro-setting intro art by Robert Denton III Art for “Divided” and “Our Beautiful Planet” by Wilson “Tetsuknife “Tetsuknife”” Richardson. Layout and Graphic Design by Robert Denton III. Powered by the Tiny Dungeon Ruleset.
1
Table of Contents The Game Introduction ............. ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ...................Page .....Page 4 Explorer Creation.............. Creation............................ ............................ ............................ ........................Pag ..........Page e5 How to Play.............. Play............................. ............................. ............................ ............................. ....................Page .....Page 6 Obstacles.............. Obstacles ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ..............Page Page 7 Save Tests.............. Tests............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............Page Page 7 Combat.............. Combat ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................Page ....Page 8 Hit Points............. Points............................ ............................. ............................. .......................... ........... Page 11 Sleeping............. Sleeping ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ Page 11 Death............. Death ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................Page ......Page 12 Hiding & Sneaking............. Sneaking........................... ............................ ...........................Pa .............Page ge 12 Race List.............. List............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................Pag ..........Page e 13 Humans............. Humans ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ Page 13 Gens............. Gens ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ..................... ....... Page 13 Autoborg.............. Autoborg ............................ ............................. ............................. ..........................Pa ............Page ge 14 Khalumra............ Khalumra .......................... ............................. ............................. ...........................P .............Page age 14 Salimar............. Salimar ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .................Page ...Page 15 Invex............. Invex ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ....................Page ......Page 16 Tyranax............. Tyranax ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................Page ..Page 17 Trait List.............. List............................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ...................... ........ Page 18 Weapons............. Weapons ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .........................Pa ...........Page ge 22 Items and Equipment............. Equipment........................... ............................ .............................. .................Page .Page 22 The Explorer’s Kit............. Kit........................... ............................ ............................ ..............Page Page 23 For the Game Master............. Master........................... ............................ ............................ ..................Page ....Page 24 Running Adventures.............. Adventures............................ ............................ ...................... ........ Page 24 Xenotech.............. Xenotech ............................ ............................ ............................. ...........................Pa ............Page ge 26 Enemies.............. Enemies ............................. ............................. ............................ ........................... ............. Page 28 Random Planet Generation............. Generation........................... ...........................Pa .............Page ge 30 Random Settlement Generati Generation on.............. ............................ ...................Page .....Page 32 Appendix A: Star Ships............. Ships........................... ............................ ............................ ..............Page Page 33 Ship Systems.............. Systems............................ ............................ ............................ .....................Page .......Page 34 Appendix B: Mecha............. Mecha........................... ............................ ............................. .....................Page ......Page 38 Mecha Systems.............. Systems............................ ............................ ............................. ................. .. Page 39
2
Micro-Settings Ash, by Steve Diamond..........................................................Page 42 Augmented Destiny, by Ryan Schoon....................................Page 48 Carapace, by Laura Montgomery-Hurell..............................Page 54 Deconstructed, by Jon Del Arroz...........................................Page 59 Divided, by Robert Denton III...............................................Page 64 The Graystar, by Dan Wells...................................................Page 75 Guardians of Forever, by John D. Kennedy..........................Page 81 The Light, by Marie Brennan................................................Page 87 Marlowe Station, by Ben Woerner........................................Page 92 Our Beautiful Planet, by Robert Denton III..........................Page 98 The Pillar of Rig, by Elizabeth Chaipraditkul.....................Page 105 Pirates of the Rim, by Steve Radabaugh.............................Page 110 Post-Scarcity Blues, by Ryan Schoon...................................Page 115 Prospectus, by Amy Veeres..................................................Page 120 Welcome to the Junkyard, by Steve Diamond....................Page 125 Western Star, by John D. Kennedy......................................Page 130 Dedications.........................................................................Page 136
3
Introduction Tiny Frontiers is a minimalistic tabletop roleplaying game. Part of the goal of Tiny Frontiers was to create a science ction RPG that didn’t require pages of races, tables for combat, thousands of ships, and convoluted FTL travel. We want a system that can handle any kind of story in a science ction setting while promoting interesting ideas and characters. You will not nd traditional RPG components such as classes, levels, or experience points in Tiny Frontiers – instead, you create a system that has been stripped down to the bare essentials for play. A system that is designed to be a toolkit for telling any type of story you might want. While Tiny Frontiers does assume its players are familiar with the tabletop roleplaying genre, newcomers and veterans alike should be able to easily understand the basic mechanics of the game.
Getting Started You will need at least two players; one or more to act as the Explorers, and one to act as a Game Master. It is highly recommended to have at least three players acting as Explorers in a game. Each player will also need three six-sided dice, or d6, called a Dice Pool. You can make do with a single d6 by rolling it multiple times, but it’s easier to have three dice to roll at once when needed. You will also want to have some paper and a pencil to write down your Explorer’s information and notes. A plain index card generally has enough space on it to be an adequate Explorer Sheet, which simply lists all of your Explorer’s information, gear, and notes. Alternatively, there is a free PDF of a character sheet that you can obtain from online from www.nocturnal-media.com
Game Masters! If you like Tiny Frontiers, and you haven’t seen its sister game, Tiny Dungeon yet, you should check that out. Tiny Dungeon has a similar ruleset, but focuses on a fantasy genre, and can be found at: http://www. nocturnal-media.com
4
Game Masters will usually require more tools in order to keep their thoughts and plans in order, as well as information on Non-Player Characters, or NPCs, the Explorers will encounter. Finally, if the Game Master deems it necessary for complex situations, the Game Master may want maps and miniatures to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Explorer Creation Creating your Explorer is a quick and easy process. You don’t necessarily need to follow this specic order, but it serves as a nice outline. • Select a Race • Select 3 traits • Select Weapon Prociency and Mastery • Assign Gear and Credits • Choose a Profession and Drive First, select a race from the Race List. Then select three unique Traits from the Trait List. Instead of pre-dened character classes like other RPGs, Tiny Frontiers (like Tiny Dungeon) uses Traits to express what your Explorer excels at doing.
Game Masters! Professions that affect combat directly should always be vetoed because they tend to be unbalancing. Explorers’ Professions are usually positions on a starship’s crew, but ultimately their professions should be a useful (or entertaining) match for the missions the Explorers will face. Now, that’s not to say a soldier is not a valid Profession. Simply don’t allow Advantage on attack rolls. They can gain Advantage on rolls to notice traps, plan ambushes, identify weapons or vehicles, or even military tactics enemies use. Just not attacks.
Next, you’re going to pick a weapon group you are Procient with. There are three groups of weapons; Melee, Light Ranged, and Heavy Ranged, which are discussed in more detail in the Combat section and in the Weapons section.
From your chosen weapon group, you select one specic type of weapon that you have Mastered. For example, you can select Melee Weapons as your Procient group, and from that, you can select daggers as your Mastered weapon. Your Explorer will start with one weapon of your choice, ideally the weapon he or she has Mastered. Don’t be afraid to be creative – you may have chosen to be Procient with Melee Weapons, but there are many different types of weapons you could arm your Explorer with, such as dirks, electried daggers, or plasma cutters. It is assumed that your Explorer is already wearing the standard armor or clothing of their choosing – be it a vaccsuit, an armored space suit, a mechanic’s overalls and harness, or just a toga from a primitive world. Armor serves no mechanical function in the game. You may eventually come across high-tech armor and xenotech that grant special benets during your travels, but for now, just note what you’re wearing. You also start with 10 Galactic Credits (called GalCreds going forward) and an Explorer’s Kit, the contents of which are described in the Explorer’s Kit section.
5
Finally, name your Explorer and give him or her a little bit of a backstory. This should include a description of your job (called a Profession), along with anything else that makes your Explorer unique or interesting. Whatever it is, you have picked up some skills and knowledge from this craft and gain Advantage in situations you can put it to use. Finally, Explorers all have a driving principle called a Drive that you will want to write down. This Drive is a simple statement used as a guiding force for your Explorer. Your Drive may be, “I’ll always nd a diplomatic solution,” “Credits can buy happiness,” or “I let my blaster do the talking.” This Drive is not etched in stone, and can be changed or added to with the approval of your Game Master.
How to Play Game Masters! While this is going on, you should be thinking about what type of scenario you will be placing the Explorers in. The choices players make while creating their Explorers should give you lots of ideas about what missions and challenges would work well, particularly their Drives and their Traits. It is the Game Master’s job to create a convincing setting and story for the Explorers, which includes missions to undertake, locations to visit, enemies to ght, and NPCs to interact with. Is this going to be a one-off adventure? Or are you planning to create an entire world or universe for your Explorers to discover over the course of many game sessions? You can put as much or as little effort into this as you like, but keep in mind it’s your job to keep everyone on track and entertained. One-off adventures can be planned with a few minutes of preparation; however, if it is your goal to have a larger campaign in mind, this is going to take some work on your part to plan in advance. Take some time to look through the For The Game Master section.
6
Now that you have your Explorers created, it’s time to learn how to play. Roleplaying games are about storytelling, and Tiny Frontiers is no different. Most of the game is played simply by describing your Explorer’s actions to everybody. When describing these actions, you should explain what goal your Explorer is trying to accomplish. It is the Game Master’s job to react to these actions and describe the outcome. Simple actions are typically resolved automatically with the Game Master’s consent. The core Mechanic that runs Tiny Frontiers is called a Test, which is a roll of 2d6 from your Dice Pool. For complex actions, the Game Master will usually require you to make a Test to determine if you succeed at what you’re
doing. Tests are considered to be successful if you roll a 5 or a 6 on any of the dice rolled in your Dice Pool, unless otherwise noted by the Game Master. The Game Master, and certain Traits selected at Explorer Creation, can grant you Advantage in some situations. This will allow you to roll 3d6 from your Dice Pool instead of 2d6 for that particular Test, increasing increasing the odds of success! Other situations, at the Game Master’s discretion, discretion, may put you at a Disadvantage. When at a Disadvantage, you will only be able to roll 1d6 to resolve your Test. If the Game Master declares you have Disadvantage situationally, it reduces your Dice Pool by one. Disadvantage overides Advantage, making your total dice one. Your Dice Pool can never be reduced to zero dice.
Obstacles Obstacles are challenges that usually require you to make a Test to succeed in overcoming the challenge. Obstacles may include attempting to barter with a merchant, hack a control panel, search a room for a hidden item before the guards come, or resolve a conict with words rather than swords. The Game Master may determine your roleplaying is sucient in overcoming the Obstacle and grant you an immediate success without having to Test; however, in most situations, a Test will be necessary to determine the outcome.
Save Tests Obstacles may arise that require you to make what’s called a Save Test in order to prevent something bad from happening to you. For example, you need to successfully successf ully leap out of the way as a trap springs, or you’re climbing a rope when it snaps and could fall to your doom, or duck behind cover to survive a ery explosion. Save Tests are also used to stabilize yourself if you begin a turn at 0 Hit Points. Save Tests are just like regular Tests, and unless otherwise noted by the rules or the Game Master, you roll 2d6 to resolve your Test. A 5 or 6 on any of the rolled dice represent a successful Save and your Explorer survives the danger unscathed. Some Save Tests can be a life or death scenario – these are called Save or Die Tests. Should you fail the Save Test, your Explorer is killed. Period. There is no preventing it. Hopefully these situations will be few and far between. 7
Combat The Game Master will usually announce when Combat is about to begin by requesting an Initiative Test. Explorers Explore rs will roll a standard 2d6 Test and sum up both of the rolled dice. Likewise, the Game Master will roll Initiative for any enemy combatants the Explorers will be facing. The highest roller will have the rst turn in the Initiative Order, followed by the next highest, and so on. If there is a tie between an Explorer and an enemy, the Explorer always goes rst. If there is a tie between two tw o or more Explorers, the tying Explorers can reroll for that position until the tie is broken. Combat is strictly turn-based in order to keep things running smoothly. A round of combat begins at the top of the Initiative Order, and ends at the bottom. The next round of combat then begins, starting again at the top of the same Initiative Order. This continues until the Explorers have defeated their enemies, completed some objective determined by the Game Master, or until the Explorers have been killed. While it can take some time for players to get through an entire round of combat, in-game, a full round of combat is equal to roughly ve or six secsec onds. During your turn in the Initiative Order, you have two Actions. You can choose to move, attack, or do other things with these Actions. If you move, that is one Action. If you attack, that is one Action. You can use both Actions to move, or use both Actions to attack if you wish. You can also use an Action for drawing a weapon, holstering a weapon, grabbing an item, or giving an item to an ally.
8
When you move, rst declare where your Explorer is moving to; the Game Master determines whether or not you can cover enough ground to get there with that Action. This is where miniatures and maps come in handy, as they can assist in determining distance. It is also assumed that each Explorer can move just as far as any other Explorer with a single Action, unless the Game Master says otherwise. A good rule of thumb is to assume your Explorer can move approximately 25 feet in-game with a single Action, so long as there isn’t anythi anything ng hindering their movement. Attacking is the most important aspect of Combat. Attacking is just another type of Test, and the Obstacle is your enemy. enemy. Usually, Usually, you’re going to be using the weapon you have Mastered in to attack. Any weapon type you are Mastered in allows you to roll an Attack Test with Advantage, or 3d6. If you are simply Procient with the weapon you’re wielding, your Attack Test is a standard 2d6 Test. You are considered to be at a Disadvantage for Attack Tests while wielding weapons you are not Procient with – this includes unarmed combat and improvised weapons. On a successful Attack Test, you deal 1 point of damage to your enemy, regardless of your weapon, unless your Game Master says otherwise. Game Masters are encouraged to reward roleplaying at all times, so a particularly detailed description of an attack may score more than 1 point of damage to your enemy. There are four special Actions you can perform in Combat: Focus, Evade, Suppressing Fire, and Cover. • When you choose to Focus Focus,, the next time you attack, your Test is successful on a roll of 4, 5, or 6, increasing your chances of hitting the enemy. Your Focus Action remains in effect until you choose to attack, so the Action can carry over to other turns. There is no benet to stacking Focu Focuss Actions. • When you choose to Evade Evade,, until the start of your next turn, you can Test 1d6 when you are successfully hit by an enemy. If your Test is successful, you evade the attack and do not take damage. • Suppressing Fire Fire lets lets you make an attack at Disadvantage every time an enemy enters the area you’re suppressing. • When you take Cover Cover,, all enemy attacks from one direction gain Disadvantage.
9
As mentioned earlier, there are three categories of weapons in Tiny Frontiers – Melee, Light Ranged, and Heavy Ranged. You can still attack while unarmed, or even with improvised weapons such as a barstool or a rock, but these are not classied as weapons. Melee Weapons have the benet of being reliable and never running out of ammunition. You can also take one hand off of your weapon, allowing you to do other things with your free hand, such as injecting a stimpack, wielding a pistol, or holding an armshield. You must be adjacent to an enemy, or within 5 feet, to attack with a Melee Weapon. Examples of Melee Weapons include daggers, swords, clubs, drills, laser swords, and tasers. If you are procient with Melee Weapons, you may select Unarmed as your Mastery. Ranged Weapons come in Light and Heavy categories, and they share some rules. Ranged Weapons treat all targets on the eld as being within range for attack, unless the Game Master declares they are being protected by some form of cover or are just too far away to hit with that type of ranged weapon. In Tiny Frontiers, unless otherwise noted by the Game Master, it’s assumed you’re always carrying enough ammunition for your Ranged Weapon in the current ght. This keeps the game moving quickly, and not bogged down by counting bullets. At the end of every ght, use the Cinematic Ammo rule in the sidebar. Light Ranged Weapons can be held and shot in one hand. You can also take one hand off of your weapon freely, allowing you to do other things with your free hand. Examples of Light Ranged Weapons include handguns, laser pistols, throwing knives, shuriken, crossbows, or anything you could reliably shoot or throw one-handed.
10
Cinematic Ammo
Heavy Ranged Weapons require you to wield them with both hands due to them being cumbersome. Examples of Heavy Ranged Weapons include ries, automatic weapons, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and bows. Heavy Ranged Weapons have bigger ammo clips, so you can reroll a failed Cinematic Ammo Test once per mission.
At the end of every ght, have each player make a Test for each ranged weapon they used. Anyone who fails is out of ammo until they do something to rell their supply. Explorers who share ammo with allies who have run out must Test for Cinematic Ammo with Disadvantage.
Hit Points Now that you know your way around the basics of Combat, it’s time to discuss Hit Points. Hit Points are determined by your selected Race, and they reect the punishment your body can take before you lose consciousness. In Combat, every successful hit deals 1 point of damage unless otherwise noted by the Game Master. Your choice of weaponry does not alter this. Any Explorer can perform basic rst aid on an adjacent ally. Roll a Test at Disadvantage to restore 1 Hit Point.
Sleeping You need at least 4 in-game hours of uninterrupted sleep every day to regain your strength. If you manage to obtain 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep, you will fully restore any lost Hit Points to your maximum. You otherwise regain 1 Hit Point for every hour of sleep. When asleep, Explorers are unconscious. If something is going on around them they are less likely to be aware of it, and are at a Disadvantage when making a Test to see if something wakes them up.
Weapon Damage Other game systems generally have you roll for the damage you deal or have different weapons deal different amounts of damage. Tiny Frontiers does away with this, because a well-placed dagger can be just as deadly as getting bisected by a laser sword. Ultimately, the nal blow is the one that counts.
11
Death The dying process begins when you’ve taken enough damage to reduce your Hit Points to 0. At this point, you’re knocked unconscious, and without further assistance you could succumb to your wounds and die. If you are at 0 Hit Points at the start of your turn in Combat, you can only make a Save Test to stabilize yourself. A successful Save Test will bring your Hit Points up to 1 and this will end your turn. If you fail this rst Save Test, you get one last chance at surviving on your own – at the start of your second turn, make one last Save Test, at a Disadvantage. If you fail this nal Save Test, your Explorer dies. While you are dying, anything that restores Hit Points will revive you and let you start your next turn as a normal turn. For example, an ally could use rst aid on you (see the Hit Points section above). Should you die, don’t worry too much. There are usually ways for the dead to be brought back to life, and hopefully one of your companions will be willing to drag your useless corpse to a cloning vat where you can be resurrected. Of course, this probably won’t be The Rules Don’t cheap.
Cover That!
Tiny Frontiers is a minimalist rule set and it provides only a framework for gameplay. There are a lot of scenarios that could happen in a game that these rules don’t cover, and neither do the epic tomes that other game systems use. If a situation arises where an Explorer is asking for a ruling that these rules don’t provide an answer to, it is up to the Game Master to provide a ruling. This is known as Game Master Fiat. Ultimately the Game Master has nal say on how the game is played and how the rules are enforced. The key is simply to be consistent and open with players. 12
Hiding & Sneaking Attempting to hide or sneak around is performed simply by making a standard Test with 2d6. If the Test is successful, you are hidden, or your actions went unnoticed. Note that you can’t simply hide in plain sight, so you need some sort of cover or concealment to hide. It is up to the Game Master to determine if you are in a situation where you could potentially hide. Allies and enemies alike can also make a standard 2d6 Test to locate someone – or something – that is hidden. Hiding during Combat uses an Action, as does searching during Combat. These Tests can only be done during your Turn while in Combat.
Race List Humans Humans are the most prolic race due to their extreme adaptability and determination. Humans are capable of living in punishing conditions, from icy tundra to blistering deserts. They can produce glorious cities or live simple lives as nomads. Humans are just as varied as the places you can nd them in. They come in all shapes and sizes and temperaments. On average, they are between 5 and 6 feet tall, with males tending to be taller than females. 6 Hit Points Humans select an additional Trait from the Trait List.
Gens Built as genetically modied humans, extensive time in the spacelanes and on other planets has lead to a divergent evolution where these former supersoldiers have created their own culture and civilization. They are by nature a secretive people, and it can be dicult to earn their trust. Gens are slightly superior to baseline humans in just about every way. They’re taller, have perfect skin, are always in shape, and frequently smug about it. 6 Hit Points Gens start with the Racial Trait Master of Warfare Master of Warfare: You have Mastered an additional weapon, and have Advantage when using it. Select a weapon, just like you would at character creation. This is in addition to the Mastered weapon chosen at Explorer Creation.
13
Autoborg Autoborgs are intelligent articial constructs. They are built en masse in factories, and then implanted with articial intelligences designed to serve whatever role they are built for. Autoborg society is heavily inuenced by a strong sense of purpose and responsibility. Because of this, they are viewed as being trustworthy, but impossible to reason with. On average, Autoborgs stand 6 feet tall, and have broad, metallic bodies. Autoborgs tend to weigh more than an average human their size, and are often found integrating bits of technology and such to improve their form. 8 Hit Points Autoborgs start with the Racial Trait Dark Vision, and the Racial Trait Robot. Dark Vision: You are able to see 30 feet around you in total darkness. Robot: You don’t need to eat, sleep or breathe. However, any Test to heal you must be made at Disadvantage.
Khalumra Khalumra are a diminutive, tiny race of three eyed aliens. They live on asteroids that they have retrotted into mobile communities and they wander the galaxy as traders and purveyors of goods. Their behavior, even in adulthood, is childlike. They are inquisitive by nature and somewhat mischievous, although their antics are rarely malicious. Khalumra are also easily distracted by new experiences, and particularly are fascinated with the larger races. Standing just over 3 feet tall, Khalumra are on average very scrawny and have wide, oblong heads with protruding, oppy bat-like ears. They have three eyes each, and their feet and hands both have three prehensile “ngers” 14
that they can use interchangeably. They are notoriously quick, and due to their compulsive fascination with everything, are viewed as unreliable and distracted. Despite their appearance and impish nature, Khalumra are usually good-natured creatures that enjoy the company of anyone who can tolerate them. 4 Hit Points Khalumra start with the Racial Trait Incredible Agility. Incredible Agility: You can Test 1d6 whenever you are successfully hit by an enemy. If your Test is successful, you evade the attack and do not take damage. You gain no benet from taking Evade actions.
Salimar Salimar have earned a reputation for being hard-nosed, but fair merchants, living in orbital stations and spaceports to conduct business. They are highly intelligent and dignied creatures with a great respect for - and interest in - culture. In Salimar culture, being well dressed is an absolute must, as it is symbolic of their wealth and stature. Their skin is glossy black and smooth with patches from their head to their tail that range from snow white, to silver, to dark grey. On average, Salimar stand roughly 4 and half feet tall; they have elongated bodies with somewhat stumpy legs and thick tails. It is widely known that some Salimar are not only immune to re, but are actually healed by it, where as a divergent branch of the race is immune to cold and healed by it. 5 Hit Points Salimar start with either the Racial Trait Pyrothermic Healing or the Racial trait Cryothermic Healing (depending on their home planet). Pyrothermic Healing: Damage dealt to you by a source of re instead heals you for that amount. Cryothermic Healing: Damage dealt to you by a source of cold instead heals you for that amount. 15
Invex Invex are individual members of an alien species that is insectoid by Terran standards. They’ve earned a reputation as tough, hardy mercenaries and deep space explorers, and it is well deserved. They’re tenacious, and often display a single-minded focus on a particular problem that borders on fanatical. A normal Invex stand roughly 7 and half feet tall; they have elongated, and armored bodies with multiple thin legs, and claws or limbs. The armored “skin” of an Invex is a densely compacted form of bio-carbon that is as hard as some metals or stones. Coloring varies, ranging from mottled chitinous shells, to smooth, reactive camouage that hides the Invex in plain sight.
16
5 Hit Points Invex start with the Chitinous Armor or the Reactive Camo trait. Chitinous Armor: When rolling to Evade, you succeed on a 4, 5, or 6. Reactive Camo: Gain Advantage on Hiding and Sneaking Tests.
Tyranax Tyranax are members of the Tyranus Imperious, a spacefaring alien empire found deep in the darkest reaches of space. They often travel throughout the galaxies, serving as soldiers or bounty hunters, or rarely, assassins. Violence, might making right, and domination are often the watch words of the Tyranax. Tyranax stand about twice as tall as the average human and have four arms. They have rough scaled hides, and favor weapons that require them to close with their enemies. Ridged spines protrude down their back and arms, giving them a truly fearsome appearance. Their lower arms are smaller and under-developed, only good for dexterous work, not for combat, and are often kept folded tightly against their bodies.
5 Hit Points Tyranax start with the Unending Rage trait. Unending Rage: When attacking with a melee weapon you deal +1 damage on an attack roll of “6”. 17
Trait List Acrobat: It’s up there? No problem! You gain Advantage when Testing to do acrobatic tricks such as tumbling, long distance jumps, climbing, and maintaining balance. You always land on your feet when you fall. Ambush Specialist: Keeps your eyes on your six... You gain Advantage on Tests to locate, disarm, and detect ambushes and traps. You also gain Advantage on Save Tests to avoid traps. Armshield Trainee: I’ve got you covered. While wielding an armshield in one hand, you roll 2d6 instead of 1d6 to Evade. If you choose this Trait, your Explorer gains an armshield at Explorer creation. Berserker: YAAAARRRRRGHHH! When attacking with a Melee Weapon, you can choose to attack at a Disadvantage. If the attack is successful, it deals 2 points of damage. Brawler: Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. You have Advantage instead of Disadvantage when making unarmed attacks and using improvised weapons. Charismatic: I can get what I want without even asking. You gain Advantage when attempting to convince someone of something or otherwise inuence them. Chemist: Comet dust has many uses. It’s also great on salads! Provided the right reagents and recipes, you can mix medicines, elixirs, chemical bombs, and poisons. You also gain Advantage when identifying unknown liquids and other useful substances. Cyborg: More machine than man. You gain one of the benets from the list below. You can take this Trait multiple times. • You gain the Dark Vision Racial Trait (under Autoborg) • You gain Advantage when concealing one weapon of your choice (you must choose when taking this benet and can not change that weapon). • You gain Advantage when dealing with other Cyborgs. • You gain Advantage on any rolls to notice an electronic attack against you. • You can remotely activate a Ship System with one of your actions as long as you are in radio range of your ship. Diehard: I’m not going down that easy. When an attack would reduce you to 0 Hit Points, it instead reduces you to 1 Hit Point. You can do this twice per mission. Ecologist: We go left. I can tell by some of the moss and from these space rodent tracks. You gain Advantage when attempting to nd 18
your way through natural environments, and when attempting to identify dangerous alien creatures. Educated: I didn’t go to academy for four years for nothing! You gain Advantage when checking to see if you know specic information. If you don’t know something, you do know the best place to nd it. Eidetic Memory: You remember that guy in that city? Who did that thing? What did he say? When Testing to recall information you have seen or heard previously – even in passing – you succeed on a roll of 4, 5, or 6. Empath: What is it, boy?! The robot fell down a well?! You are able to communicate with non-sentient life-forms. This form of communication is primitive and very simplistic, you can’t convey any complex ideas. Fleet of Foot: Running away is always a valid option. Your speed increases from 25 feet to 30 feet. Ghost in the Machine: Clear my schedule for the evening and put on some classical music, please. Oh, and don’t forget to record my TV shows tonight. You have a sentient holographic digital assistant to make your life easier. You can order it to competently manage your digital presence on your behalf, such as setting appointments, managing your electronic messages, or posting photos and videos of your latest adventure to social media. Twice per session, if you are unprepared for a situation, you may Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, your companion provides you with information that allows you to be prepared. For example, if you are lost, your companion might have previously downloaded a map for you. Hacker: Master of the Matrix. As an action, you can Test to electronically attack a cyborg, AI, computer, digital or robotic construct. If your Test is successful, they must make a Save Test. If they fail, they lose all actions until they make a successful Save Test at the start of their turn (in which they can act again). If they succeed, they lose one action the next time they would act. Heavy Weapons Expert: There is never enough dakka. As one Action you may attack with a Heavy Ranged Weapon to hit one target, and also the two targets nearest to your initial target (ally or enemy). All of these attacks are made with Disadvantage. Insightful: Not sure if serious… You gain Advantage when Testing to discern whether or not someone is telling the truth or lying. Marksman: The odds of hitting your target increase dramatically when you aim at it. When you Focus, your next attack with a Ranged Weapon is successful on a Test of 3, 4, 5, or 6. 19
Medical Savant: I’ve seen worse, son. You’ll pull through. As an Action, you can Test 2d6 to heal a creature other than yourself. If the Test is successful, the target creature is healed for 2 Hit Points. This Trait can also be used to cure poison, disease, and other physical ailments as determined by the Gamemaster. You must be next to the creature to heal it. Nimble Fingers: I could have sworn I left it right here! You gain Advantage when Testing to pick locks, pick pockets, or steal. Opportunist: One man’s failure is another man’s opening to stab the idiot who failed. If an enemy within range fails to hit with an attack against you, you may immediately make an attack with Disadvantage against that enemy. Perceptive: It’s too late, I’ve seen everything. You gain Advantage when Testing to gain information about your surroundings or nd things which may be hidden. You gain this even while asleep. Prepared: Like I’d come without extra bullets. You gain Advantage when making a Cinematic Ammo Test at the end of a ght. Twice per mission you can Test with Disadvantage to see if you brought a specic piece of Common equipment with you. Psionic: Also, I can kill you with my brain. You have psionic talent because of your species, an ancestor who had powerful talent, or an neural implant that amplies your latent abilities. You can create small effects like telekinetically moving a palm-sized object, pyrokinetically setting a ammable object on re, or telepathically sending a verbal message to someone. Doing this is an action, and you must make a standard 2d6 Test. If you are trying to manipulate an object or creature, you must have eye contact with it. You can also perform a simple Ranged attack, such as throwing a ball of kinetic energy, which is treated just like any other Ranged attack in Combat. Quick Shot: Pew, pew, pew! As one Action you may make two attacks with a Light Ranged Weapon. Both Tests are at Disadvantage. Resolute: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. You gain Advantage on all Save Tests. Sneaky: Silent, but deadly. You gain Advantage when Testing to hide or sneak around without others noticing you. If you are detected while hiding, you can always act rst. Strong: Forget the doorknob! Stand back, I’ll kick it in! You gain Advantage when Testing to do something with brute force. Survivalist: These berries are safe to eat… I think. You gain Advantage when Testing to forage for food, nd water, seek 20
shelter, or create shelter in the wild. You also gain Advantage on rolls against any type of poison. Tough: I have not journeyed all this way because I am made of sugar candy. You gain 2 additional Hit Points. Tracker: These prints are fresh. He went that way. You gain Advantage when Testing to track a creature’s movement. While outdoors, you can always locate true north (or a useful local equivalent). Trapmaster: It’s a trap! You have Advantage to craft mechanical traps of various kinds, and enemies have Disadvantage to detect your traps before blundering into them. Vigilant: Better to stay ready than to get ready. You always act rst in combat. Xenotech Expert: Did you try reading the manual rst? You have spent years learning the tricks, traps, uses and language of the various Xenotech from dead civilizations. You gain Advantage to identify the primary function of any piece of Xenotech you nd, and you can always activate complex Xenotech without training. (See Xenotech, page 26). Xeno-Hunter: If it ain’t like me, I can kill it. You have spent years learning how to hunt, kill, and trap other creatures. You can spend an action to attack an enemy that is not your species at Disadvantage, if you succeed you deal 1 damage and gain Advantage on your next Test or attack against them.
21
Weapons There are three weapon categories: Melee, Light Ranged, and Heavy Ranged. These categories include a variety of individual weapons, and the listed weapons provided can be supplemented with additional weapons with approval from your Game Master. Prices are suggestions and represent an average cost for basic weaponry.
Weapon
Cost
Melee Axe, baton, brass knuckles, chainsaw, fencing sword, hammer, knife, laser sword, taser Light Ranged Crossbow, laser pistol, needle pistol, revolver, shuriken, sonic stunner, throwing knives Heavy Ranged Automatic rie, frag grenades, amethrower, goo grenades, laser rie, longbow, missile launcher, plasma cannon, railgun, stun grenades
Note on Equipment While equipment has no mechanical benet, the GM can and should often ask characters if they have equipment that would help. If the answer is no, the GM can have them Test at Disadvantage for related items. An engineer without his tools has a harder time than one that remembers. Equipment should be treated in service of the story and a good time.
22
1-5 GalCreds
1-20 GalCreds
10-25 GalCreds
Items and Equipment An assortment of additional items and equipment can usually be purchased at local shops in towns. This list is not an exhaustive list of every item you can procure, but is meant to act as a general guide. The list divides items and equipment by rarity. Prices are suggestions and represent an average cost.
Equipment
Cost
Common Backpack, barrel, belt pouch, clothing, coat, crowbar, ask, shing rod, are, ashlight, 1-5 GalCreds grappling hook, lantern, lighter, musical instrument, paper (10 sheets), pen, rope (50 feet), sewing kit, shovel, sleeping bag, wristwatch Uncommon Armshield, chemistry set, lockpicks, machine 5-10 GalCreds parts, medkit, minor xenotech, pager, power tools, programmable paper, two-way radio, tent Rare Disguise kit, forged travel papers, FTL comms 10-25 GalCreds kit, major xenotech, medical scanner, microsatellite, ship parts, tablet computer, vial of poison
The Explorer’s Kit As an Explorer, you start with a basic kit of items from the Items and Equipment list to help get you going. The Explorer’s Kit includes the following items: Foil sleeping bag, lighter, belt pouch, fanny pack, electric lantern with 72 hours of charge, water purication pills, 50 feet of strong cord, 7 days of nutrition pills, and a plastic poncho.
23
For the Game Master The following sections are to assist the Game Master in running games. The Game Master should study it before character creation.
Running Adventures This is undoubtedly the hardest part of being the Game Master, but luckily, you have options. Tiny Frontiers is a setting-neutral sci- game system – meaning that you generally should be able to take the uff and story of an already established setting, even from another game system, and run the Tiny Frontiers rules within it. This may require you to make some changes to the rules to ensure everything ts, but it’s the quickest way to get things started. There is an unending list of supplemental gaming material out there for premade characters, plot hooks, missions, and campaign settings. But before we get too deep, ask yourself this question: is this going to be a one-off mission that just lasts for one game session, or do you have a larger campaign in mind? If you are planning a oneoff session, then things aren’t going to be too dicult, even if you plan to create the adventure yourself. One-off missions generally do not require a signicant amount of world-building, meaning you do not need to spend time creating the rich history that larger campaigns require. One-off missions present your players with a single main objective or quest to complete in the game session. For example, perhaps you plan to have your players’ Explorers approached by an individual who wants them to retrieve an alien relic from an abandoned starbase. Your job is to create a motive for this individual. Who is this person? Why do they want the relic? Let’s assume it’s for some nefarious purposes. You should engage your players in a bit of roleplaying where you are playing the role of this prospective client trying to hire the Explorers. Obviously if this person is a bad guy, he or she isn’t going to reveal that initially. Your goal is make sure the Explorers take the job on, otherwise you don’t have much of a game session. Now what Explorer doesn’t want credits? Your nefarious villain has convinced the Explorers to take on the job of nding this relic for a large reward. Now your job is to plot the course of the Explorers to the abandoned starbase. Perhaps on the way, they are attacked by space pirates, or they are presented with a sidequest. Maybe things go smoothly and they end up at the starbase with little to no issues. It’s really up to you and how much time you wish to spend. Keep in mind, one-off sessions may last as little as a couple hours, or as long as an all-day event. 24
So next your Explorers nd the starbase! You will need to have planned out the inside of this installation a bit beforehand. How many levels are in the starbase? Are there traps or puzzles that need to be solved? Are there enemies lying in wait? You should plan these obstacles in a way that ensures that each member of the party has a chance to contribute meaningfully, even modifying your plans if necessary. Whatever you plan, the Explorers need to make their way through to their nal destination and retrieve the relic. This is a good spot to point something out about players: they will rarely do what you expect them to do. Having found the relic, the Explorers may decide they don’t want to return the relic to their client, and would rather keep it for themselves. Hopefully they won’t, and they’ll bring the relic to their seedy client. But you can’t expect them to do what you want! That can’t be stressed enough. If the Explorers aren’t acting according to your plan, it’s your job to go with the ow and see where they take you. Try not to railroad players into making their Explorers do things they don’t want to do. They are storytellers just as much as you are, and the story is all about them. Assuming they’re true to their word, the Explorers return to their client with the relic in hand, and now you can decide whether or not this individual is an enemy. Once given the relic, perhaps the villain reveals him or herself to be a slave trader, and the relic is a powerful tool that can mind control a certain species of peaceful alien, or the villain wants the relic because it’s a doomsday device that can hold an entire planet hostage. Now the nal battle can begin! Your other option is building a campaign setting. This basically strings a bunch of adventures together into an overarching plotline, where there is a main goal to achieve, but smaller challenges must be overcome rst across multiple sessions. Campaigns will require more thought be put into the worlds the Explorers occupy; this means you will have to create numerous locations such as outposts and planets, name them, and create the history of the galaxy itself. To help with this, we’ve included some tools. This is a big challenge, and it is recommended to work at it slowly. If your aim is to create a campaign, it’s best to create a general history, and then describe the rst settlement the Explorers nd themselves in. From there, it’s a matter of building upon what you’ve already established, and this really lessens the burden of trying to write a vivid, living world before your game even gets started. 25
It sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but creating an enjoyable campaign setting of your own is one of the most rewarding things a Game Master can do. Just remember, whether you are running a one-off session or a campaign, be exible, but be consistent. Let your players work with you to tell the story, but never forget their actions. If they deviate in an unexpected way, go with it. But if they do something that wouldn’t make sense within the game’s world, such as killing someone they were meant to protect, or even accidentally destroying an item they were meant to retrieve, the Explorers should potentially face in-game consequences for those actions.
Xenotech Xenotech is any technology that is useful, rare, and dicult to nd. Most Xenotech is almost impossible to recreate because it’s made of unknown materials, has anomalous properties that can’t be explained by modern science, the fuel that powers it is so rare, or some mad scientist made it and wrote really poor documentation. Xenotech is coveted by Explorers because it is both useful for exploration, and valuable if you need to sell it. Xenotech comes in two major categories: Major and Minor. Minor Xenotech is easy to use: you can drink a vial of medicine, inject a syringe into your arm, aim a gun, swing an axe, wear a suit of armor, or press a button on a box.
26
Major Xenotech is trickier: you might need to speak a passphrase, hum a tune, spray a certain perfume on it, ash colored lights at it, psychically project emotions at it, or ip a bunch of switches and press buttons in the right order. Major Xenotech can only be used by Explorers with the proper training. If you’re lucky, you can nd a manual for the item which requires about an hour to read, but experimenting and researching carefully on your own can take days or even weeks. Explorers with the Xenotech Expert trait can activate any major Xenotech without trouble, but are no better at identifying what it does before they use it. Most Xenotech can only be activated a few times before it is exhausted; anything that can function perpetually is extremely valuable. Some Xenotech may be helpfully labeled (or unhelpfully mislabeled) by the last Explorer who found it. Some Xenotech may have strange or harmful side effects. Safely identifying Xenotech may require Tests or nding specialists who can answer questions about it. Here are some examples: • A crystal that makes water within twenty feet breathable like air. It only works for 24 hours. • An energy knife that can cut through anything, but once it has cut something it can never cut anything made from the same material again. •
A complex gadget that will make every gun within its line of sight shoot at it (up to and including orbital weapons platforms).
A mask that is programmed to mimic a specic person’s face and voice. It fools electronic systems perfectly, but any person within 15 feet can see a telltale ickering. • A black cube that transforms any surface into a vacuum-safe Field Testing intangible barrier 8 feet wide that Explorers can pass through On well-funded missions, without causing any catastrophic each Explorer may be decompression. After an issued a piece of Xenotech necessary to complete hour the cube and the barrier the mission. They will evaporate completely, leaving an be required to report on 8 foot wide hole which may cause its eld test later. Each catastrophic decompression. •
• A grenade that banishes anything in its radius from the timeline. Everything destroyed by it retroactively never existed.
explorer will also be given the necessary training to use their Xenotech item.
27
• A pill that can be eaten to learn one language for a month. The user loses the ability to read their native language until it wears off. • A visor with complex controls that let the wearer see radio waves. The wearer can’t see visible light, which may hinder simple tasks (like walking). • A lamp with beautiful ashing pattern that hypnotizes certain species of predators for 15 minutes before it burns out. • A tablet that has complex touch commands and a bunch of wires that can be hooked up to a person to repair bullet holes and deep lacerations. Xenotech items of all kinds may be acquired during adventures. It is up to the Game Master to determine exactly what these items do, how easy it is to use them, and what sort of benet, if any, they provide. Remember, not all xenotech is good, and some items that seem harmless could potentially be harmful.
Enemies The enemy chart is to assist the Game Master in crafting challenging ghts. As a Game Master, you want to be sure your Explorers feel threatened. The goal isn’t necessarily to kill your Explorers, but the danger of death should always be present and possible. Explorers should never feel as though they are above running to save their hides if need be. Enemies can also have unique abilities, either selected from the Traits List just like an Explorer, or unique abilities the Game Master feels appropriate. You should choose abilities that would be appropriate for the type of enemy, such as basic combat training for a guard, or multiple weapon attacks per round from a war machine. When the Explorers are on a planet with a harsh environment, native lifeforms may have abilities that make them well-adapted to the environment. Enemies can serve many roles. The most basic role of enemies is to justify calling in Explorers to complete a mission that would otherwise be easy for ordinary people (such as ghting through some dangerous wildlife to ip a switch and reboot a terraforming system). You can also use enemies to make a seemingly mundane and simple task become extremely complicated. Enemies may actively try to prevent the Explorers from completing their mission. It may be possible to negotiate with some enemies, although they will certainly have wants and goals of their own. A mission’s sole goal may be to nd and defeat an enemy or group of enemies. 28
Threat
HP
Description
Fodder
1
Fodder enemies are people or animals that have virtually no combat ability. They can be used to throw additional enemies into combat for a more epic feel.
Low
2
Low threat enemies may represent wild animals or average criminals.
Medium
3-5
Medium threat enemies can begin to be dangerous in small groups, and can represent skilled combatants or predatory creatures.
High
6-8
High threat enemies are just as dangerous as a skilled Explorer. They are often leaders of Low threat or Fodder threat enemies. Since they’re usually leaders, they often have unique abilities that bolster their minions.
Heroic
Solo
9-14
Heroic threat enemies are easily more skilled than your average Explorer. Provide two or three unique abilities for Heroic enemies, and several Fodder enemies to protect them.
15+
Solo threats are enemies that require an entire party to engage with them. This is the realm of giant monsters, city-leveling war machines, and reality-warping entities. These creatures often have a wide variety of abilities to defend themselves from attackers.
Enemies can have specic weaknesses for Explorers to exploit. This weakness may be something that disables one of the enemy’s abilities, instantly defeats that enemy, or forces the enemy to ee from the Explorers. An entire mission may revolve around the Explorers nding a weakness that allows them to deal with an enemy or species of enemies. A dangerous alien monster might be vulnerable to freezing temperatures, or it may be possible to shut down a combat drone’s shields by radioing the right deactivation codes. Sometimes this may be a social task, such as nding evidence to blackmail someone, or obtaining research from someone who has been studying the enemy’s biology. A particular piece of Xenotech may be the key to nding an enemy’s weakness, or it may need to be reverse-engineered and mass-produced to deal with the entire species. When designing a weakness, make sure that the Explorers have ample opportunity to learn of its existence before they try to ght the enemy. Dread and tension can serve a large role in introducing more powerful enemies. Once Explorers have rolled initiative, a lot of the tension goes away because now they can just shoot it. If Explorers 29
keep hearing the monster, or seeing blurry video recordings of it, or nding its victims, or learning about its bizarre biology, or hearing tales and rumors from NPCs, then when they nally meet it they will understand that it’s not just another encounter, but a dangerous adversary. If you are running a campaign, you may want to spend multiple sessions seeding rumors about a Sololevel enemy and giving the Explorers opportunities to learn its weaknesses. Game Masters should try to vary enemy types to keep things interesting (unless the entire mission has a reason for similar enemies, like stopping an army of killer robots). Here are some varieties of enemies you can use:
2d6 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Enemy Type Giant ameobas or blobs of runaway nanites Undead corpses animated by technology, like nanite-virus zombies or corrupt holographic ghosts Mutants or genetically modied creatures Robots that may or may not have been designed for combat Hostile alien lifeforms that resemble common or mythological Earth animals People and generally humanoid aliens Vehicles like tanks, small aircraft, or Mecha Carnivorous ora that is rooted in place, using pheromones or other means to lure its prey in Cyborgs with combat enhancements Psionic-based lifeforms made of pure energy Highly symbiotic species that rely on each other for survival
Random Planet Generation Roll 3d6: 3:
4:
5:
Molten Glass Rain Any character outside without proper (extensive and expensive) protection takes 3 damage a round. Ships without custom built protection can only last for a short time before damage starts to set in. Frozen Tundra Any character outside without proper protection takes 2 damage a round. Abandoned Battlefeld
The planet is covered with craters, elds of glass, dud munitions, and broken vehicles.
30
6:
7:
8:
9:
10:
11:
12: 13: 14:
15:
16:
17:
18:
Excessive Heat All rolls to survive in the wild are at disadvantage without proper equipment. Hostile Vegetation When in terrain with vegetation, all damage taken is increased by one, or once per round, a random player takes an attack from the vegetation that deals one damage. Toxic Atmosphere All organic lifeforms have to wear masks to lter the air on this planet. If the mask is removed, the character takes 1 damage a round. Dead Planet All resources and sentient life on this planet are long gone and dead, and it is lled with archaic ruins and technology. Heavily Populated The planet is full of sentient life and thriving civilizations. The level of technology ranges from primitive to FTL. Dustball The planet’s surface is mostly uninteresting rocks and dirt with no atmosphere. Something else about the planet makes it interesting, and it may not be immediately obvious what this is. Waterworld Most of the planet’s surface is covered with deep oceans. Mixed Planet Roll Twice + combine those two results Garden World The planet’s climate is pleasant. Food is plentiful and made of easily digestible sugars and minerals. It’s impossible for an Explorer to starve to death, and checks to navigate are made with Advantage. Mudball Rain carries extreme mineral deposits, layering everything with a crust of lime. The terrain is complex layers which change every time it rains and hinder movement when it oods. Terrain is unstable at best. Toxic Life Climate is tolerable and wildlife is mostly docile. However, everything is toxic and will cause a slow, painful death if eaten. Ladder Climate The climate varies based on elevation. The lower atmosphere is thick and sulfurous, and the upper atmosphere is cold and scoured by high winds. Only a narrow band at a certain altitude is habitable. Planet of Terror The plants on the planet are often times small appendages of large carnivorous fauna. Anytime anyone is near vegetation, they are attacked. Roll one extra time on the trait table.
31
Random Settlement Generation Roll 2d6: 2:
Theocracy A religion (or philosophy) dominates the settlements’ schools of thoughts, and inuences their every action. 3: Seedy Port A wretched hive of scum and villany. 4: Intolerant A fairly reasonable philosophy that addresses one of society’s ills is held to an extreme, resulting in an extremely inconvenient cultural custom. Anyone who doesn’t conform to it is an outcast. 5: Dictatorship A cruel leader maintains order through military power. Members of the resistance are hunted and rehabilitated using the best technology available. 6: Harmony The people living here have used genetic manipulation to survive comfortably in the planet’s environment. The settlement is sparsely populated to make it easier to live in touch with whatever passes for nature on this world. 7: Educational The settlement has galactic-class training facilities for a highly specic trade or profession. May be publicly advertised, or a closely guarded secret. 8: Research Outpost Most of the population is scientists studying a specic eld of research. Their work is either unique to a research topic only found at this location, or purely theoretical. 9: Trading Post The local sector is sparsely populated. Lone settlers, miners, and other independent types visit to sell their goods and buy things they can’t nd elsewhere. 10: Abandoned Research Facility A remote research facility that was working on secret research, but was abandoned for some reason. Old security systems and former experiments may be woken up by Explorers. 11: Ancient Ruins Old ruins that have been picked over by archaeologists and treasure hunters. Anything valuable left behind is either extremely well hidden or extremely dangerous to uncover. 12: Abandoned Civilization Large and well-organized cities are completely devoid of sentient life for an unknown reason. Years or decades of nature have begun to reclaim things.
32
Appendix A: Star Ships One of the best parts of science ction is watching exciting space battles, and growing attached to the starships that are like characters in their own right. In Tiny Frontiers, we treat ships like characters, but we use Systems in place of Traits. Using starships is an optional rule in Tiny Frontiers. In a one-shot mission, the Game Master should decide whether the explorers will need their own starship for anything. In a long-running campaign, the Explorers will probably need a starship for travel at some point. The Explorers should own their starship (or effectively own it if they answer to a larger organization), and the Game Master should give the Explorers a strong warning in advance if anything might happen that would cause their starship to be destroyed or lost. The size of the starship is up to the Game Master because piloting a small ship with half a dozen crew is effectively the same as captaining a large ship with hundreds of crew. When designing enemy vehicles for starship combat, use the normal Enemy rules. Explorers design their starship together. Each player chooses one of the following special system traits and adds it to their character sheet. Special systems require training, and your Explorer is the best member of the party at using the system you chose. You can use another Explorer’s special system, but it only behaves 33
as a normal basic system of its type. For example, Joe chooses Antimatter Missiles. When Joe uses a weapons system, he uses the Antimatter Missiles rules. If Claire comes to use the same weapons system, she’ll use the basic Weapons rules instead. Special systems do not replace basic systems. For example, if your ship has both Antimatter Missiles and Basic Lasers, they could be operated at the same time by two different Explorers. However, two Explorers cannot operate the same system in the same turn. Activating a system requires both of an Explorer’s actions in combat, so each Explorer can only activate one system once on their turn.
Ship Systems
Captaining Ships Each Explorer will have a role on the starship, either from their Explorer background or based on which special system they chose. The most coveted and dramatic position on a starship is the captain’s seat. Unfortunately, this can cause problems if higher-ranking Explorers decide to boss around lower-ranking Explorers against their wishes, or lead the Explorers into trouble that nobody wants to deal with. The Game Master should encourage all of the players to contribute equally to completing their mission. A wise captain listens to advice from his competent and well-trained crew. You may want to make the youngest or least experienced player at the table take the role of the captain, so that more experienced players can take an advisory role for the newbie. The rank and roles of the Explorers shouldn’t get in the way of the players’ enjoyment of the game they are playing. Remember, it’s just a game.
34
Ships have basic systems and special systems. Explorer Ships start at 6 Health, and have all the basic systems listed below.
Basic Systems: •
Weapons: Basic lasers are useful for breaking up asteroids or cleaning the hull of a capital-sized ship. Action: Test at Disadvantage to attack an enemy ship.
•
Scanners: Basic scanners can show live camera footage of things nearby your ship. Action: Pick one enemy ship and make a Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, all of your ship’s attack rolls against that ship gain Advantage this round.
•
Thrusters: Basic thrusters get your ship anywhere in the galaxy, but will not
protect you from long, boring interstellar trips. Action: Each time an enemy attacks your ship for the rest of the round, you may Test at Disadvantage to evade the attack. •
Shields: Basic force elds protect your ship from sand-andgravel-sized space debris. Action: Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, the next attack to hit your ship is negated. The shield dissipates after two rounds if it hasn’t taken a hit.
•
Life Support: Basic oxygen recycling systems keep you and your crew alive and protect you from the cold of deep space. Action: Make a Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, repair 1 point of damage to your ship.
•
Reactor: A basic nuclear reactor keeps all of your ship’s systems online. Action: Pick one of the other ve systems and make a Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, all rolls with that system and special systems of the same type lose Disadvantage this round. If they don’t have Disadvantage, they gain Advantage this round.
Special Systems: •
•
•
•
Antimatter Missiles (Weapons): Reliable hard-hitting missiles. Your ship gains an extra Weapons system. Action: Perform a Weapons action without Disadvantage. Plasma Cannons (Weapons): Rapid-ring melty guns. Your ship gains an extra Weapons system. Action: Perform two Weapons actions against the same target. EMP Mines (Weapons): Bombs that disrupt electronics. Your ship gains an extra Weapons system. Special Action: Roll a Test and choose an enemy ship. If you succeed, that ship’s Shield and Reactor systems become nonfunctional for one round. Swarm Missiles (Weapons): A ridiculous number of independently seeking missiles. Your ship gains an extra Weapons system. Action: Perform up to three Weapons actions, but they must all be against different targets. 35
•
•
•
•
Long-Range Scanners (Scanners): Sensitive scanners that can detect enemy ships from light-years away. Your ship gains an extra Scanners system. Action: Perform a Scanners action. If you succeed, its effect lasts for two rounds instead of one. Jamming Array (Scanners): A sophisticated sensor array that can jam enemy communications. Action: Perform a Scanners action. If you succeed, the target’s Scanners are disabled for two rounds. Also, the target’s communications systems are disabled for rest of combat. Holographic Emitters (Scanners): A hard light disguise, allowing you to disguise your ship as another ship or articial object up to twice as large. Your ship gains an extra Scanners system. Special Action: Your ship becomes disguised. When an enemy ship uses Scanners on you, roll a Test to avoid detection. Mining Shields (Shields): Shields designed to hold up against a barrage of heavy space debris. Your ship gains an extra Shields system. Action: Perform a Shields action without Disadvantage. • Multi-phase Shield (Shields): Several force eld emitters allow for ne manipulation of everything around your ship. Your ship gains an extra Shields system. Action: Perform a Shields action. If you succeed, it protects against two hits, but only lasts one round. • Cloaking (Shields): A light-bending eld that makes your ship almost invisible. Your ship gains an extra Shields system. Special Action: Roll a Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, all rolls to attack your ship have Disadvantage this round. • Stealth Engines(Thrusters): Engines which have no detectable exhaust. Your ship gains an extra Thrusters system. Action: Perform a Thrusters action, then roll a separate Test. If you succeed, your ship is immune to enemy Scanners for two rounds.
36
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Mass Driver (Thrusters): A railgun that is used for ecient thrust and launching packages. Your ship gains an extra Thrusters system. Action: Perform a Thrusters action, then perform a Weapons action. Gravity Engines (Thrusters): A reactionless engine that is very ecient for long missions. Your ship gains an extra Thrusters system. Action: Perform a Thrusters action. The rst evade roll you make this round has Advantage instead of Disadvantage.
Other Systems At the GM’s option your ship may have other special systems like an FTL drive, shuttle bay, or teleporter room. The GM determines how they are used and what restrictions they have on their operation.
Repair Drones ( Life Support): Robots which assist in repair tasks. Your ship gains an extra Life Support system. Action: Perform a Life Support action. If you succeed, repair up to 3 points of damage instead of 1. Interior Scanners ( Life Support): A high-resolution electrical scanning system that is sensitive enough to locate biological nervous systems and electronic handheld devices, allowing the ship to intelligently reroute power when it takes damage. Your ship gains an extra Life Support system. Action: Perform a Life Support action, then a Reactor action. Organic Materials ( Life Support): Hull materials that can repair themselves and require little to no maintenance. Your ship gains an extra Life Support system. No special action, but permanently increase your ship’s health by 2. Microfusion Reactor ( Reactor ): A high-yield reactor that packs a punch. Your ship gains an extra Reactor system. Action: Perform a Reactor action without Disadvantage. If you succeed, you can only boost one system or special system. Emergency Power ( Reactor ): Redundant power systems that are resistant to damage. Your ship gains an extra Reactor system. Action: Perform a Reactor action. If your ship took damage last round, your roll has Advantage instead of Disadvantage. Power Core ( Reactor ): An energy-dense reactor that can be used as a makeshift explosive. Your ship gains an extra Reactor system. Special Action: Roll a Test. If you succeed, deal 3 damage to every enemy ship in the encounter. Using this special action disables this special system for the rest of the mission. 37
Appendix B: Mecha Mecha, giant robots, and more, are a staple of science ction. Mecha function like personal little star ships for each Explorer, and as an extension of their character. Using Mecha is an optional rule. If you use them, the entire campaign will probably revolve around them. In a Mecha-centric one-shot, the Game Master may decide that Mecha systems replace some or all Traits and weapon prociencies at character creation. Each Explorer designs their own Mecha. Write down the basic systems listed below, and then choose 3 special systems. A lot of
38
these systems function exactly like Starship systems, and that is deliberate so that the Game Master can homebrew special systems or give each Mecha interstellar travel capabilities. When an Explorer is inside a Mecha, their personal Traits apply to the Mecha’s actions. An Explorer can take any reasonable action they would normally take (attacking, evading, moving). Simply treat the Mecha as a player, until all the health of the Mecha is gone. If that happens, the Mecha is scrapped and the pilot survives in a small escape pod with 1 Hit Point.
Mecha Systems Mecha have 2 basic systems (that don’t count against your limit) and 3 special systems. Explorer Mecha start at 6 Health, and have all the basic systems listed below. All Mecha have basic life support (not to be confused with the system type) that keeps the pilot alive. Remember, unlike Starships, Mecha are an extension of the character, so you still get both your actions, and the advantage of all your traits and skills. Important : Mecha are big massive robots, and how they position themselves is important. But, Tiny Frontiers is a minimalist game, and rules for movement don’t frequently come up. Here are some simple, narrative, movement based rules that will allow you leverage that. These rules only apply to Mecha and should only be used when characters are in mecha. •
•
•
There are two ranges when playing with Mecha. Melee & Ranged. They correspond to the type of attack that can be made at that range. You may change the Range between you and a target Reminder for free (laterally or vertiWhen you have both cally), once per turn. HowAdvantage and Disadvanever, unless you use the tage on a roll, they canObstacle Avoidance system cel out to a standard 2d6 (see below), you risk damTest. Focus only applies to aging the corresponding Attack Tests, not System terrain around you. This Tests or Tests that a Sysmay include civilian casualtem grants. Unless otherties, etc. wise noted, all systems efIf you spend an action gofects only last til the start ing “Up”, you are above of the user’s next turn. any terrain based obstacles (buildings, etc.) that might hinder you. 39
Basic Systems: •
Heavy Lifting: All Mecha are capable of lifting a few tons. Action: Test at Disadvantage to slam into an enemy or throw something heavy at them.
•
Obstacle Avoidance: Your Mecha has numerous sensors and AI systems that help reduce property damage, avoid civilian casualties, and sidestep debris that could damage the Mecha. If your Mecha is capable of ight, this includes maneuvering thrusters. Action: Until the end of your next action, your Mecha’s movement does as little damage as possible to structures and creatures smaller than your Mecha.
Advanced Warfare Systems:
40
•
Main Cannon: A reliable long-range weapon is mounted on your Mecha. Action: Make an Attack action. This Attack deals 2 damage. If you re on an immobile target, this attack does not have Disadvantage.
•
Automatic Cannon: Your Mecha has multiple automatic weapons and plenty of ammunition. Action: Perform two Attack actions against the same target. .
•
Advanced Target Tracking: A suite of electronic and thermal sensors that can be used to guide your attacks or spot targets for an ally. Action: Roll a Test and choose an enemy target. If you succeed, until the target’s next Action, they cannot make Evade Tests to avoid Attacks from you or your allies
•
Swarm Missiles: A ridiculous number of independently seeking missiles. Action: Perform up to three Attack actions with Disadvantage, but they must all be against different targets.
•
Retractable Sword: A large retractable blade or energy sword extends from one of your Mecha’s limbs. Action: Perform an Attack action. This attack deals 2 damage if it hits, and ignores anything that reduces damage (but the attack can still be Evaded).
•
Wide-Band Scanners: Sensitive scanners that can pinpoint enemy weaknesses. Action: Perform a Test with Disadvantage. If you succeed, you and your allies gain Advantage on attacks against one target of your choice until the start of your next turn. You also accurately calculate the target’s remaining Hit Points.
•
Holographic Emitters: A hard light disguise, allowing you to disguise your Mecha as another Mecha up to twice as
large, or an articial structure. Action: Your Mecha becomes disguised for one round. When an enemy looks for you, roll a Test to avoid detection. •
Retractable Armshield: Your Mecha has a retractable ablative shield on one arm that can be aimed towards incoming weapons re. Action: When you take the Cover action, you can also protect an adjacent Mech, vehicle, or other target. Also, when you are attacked by a Melee attack, you may perform an Evade action and Test 2d6 instead of 1d6.
•
Force Shields: Several force eld emitters protect your Mecha from ranged attacks. Action: For two rounds, anytime you take damage from a ranged attack, Test at Disadvantage. If you succeed, ignore all damage from the attack.
•
Cloaking: A light-bending eld that makes your Mecha almost invisible and hampers targeting systems. Action: Roll a Test. If you succeed, your Mecha becomes invisible to unaware observers until you attack, and all rolls to attack your Mecha have Disadvantage, ending on the start of your next turn.
•
Advanced Autopilot: A guidance system that allows you to aim your Mecha while it avoids incoming attacks. Action: Perform an Evade action, then perform any Attack action.
•
Self-Repair: Your Mecha self-repairs and attempts to remove damage. Action: Make two Tests at Disadvantage. Each successful Test repairs 1 point of damage.
•
Organic Materials: Hull materials that can slowly repair themselves when damaged. No special action, but permanently increase your Mecha’s health by 4. You can take this system multiple times, gaining the benet each time.
•
Emergency Power: Redundant power systems that are resistant to damage. No special action, but if your Mecha took damage last round, the next roll you would make has Advantage.
•
Atomic Payload: Your Mecha is armed with a high-yield warhead. Action: Deal 2 damage to every enemy in the encounter and 1 damage to your Mecha and every friendly who is aware that your Mecha has this system. Any nonreinforced buildings within 1 kilometer of your Mecha are leveled or catch re. Using this action disables this system for the rest of the mission. 41
A micro-setting by Steve Diamond
HZ52179 Alias: Char Class: Y-U Status: Unknown Suggested Action: Avoid at all costs.
42
Possible Themes: Survival, Wild West, Hunt or be Hunted, Horror, Politics, Gold Rush
Inspired by: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, Tomb Raider, Pitch Black, Aliens, Dune by Frank Herbert, Prison Break, Guardians of the Galaxy
The Concept “Ash” is a robust setting just waiting to be delved into. In frontier space is the planet HZ52179, also known as Char. The planet orbits a medium-sized, yellow star, but at a distance than renders most surface-life impossible. The planet is comprised of seas of dunes… though they are not made from sand, but from ash. Char has generally been considered a waste of a planet from a political standpoint…until recently, that is. The discovery of a coallike substance that simulates nuclear ssion beneath the surface of the planet has suddenly turned it into the top destination for prospectors. Such a potential energy source is sought after everywhere in the galaxy… …assuming you can nd it. This new coal—called Flare—is nearly impossible to nd, and is extremely combustible and unstable. Predictably, water is Char’s other most precious resource. But where water is found, so are some of the planet’s most dangerous creatures and its indigenous peoples. Oh, and Char is also a haven for outlaws seeking to vanish from authorities. Characters can tackle this setting in a number of different ways. Prospectors—both legal and illegal—are perfect. Pursuing fugitives or being pursued by authorities/bounty hunters? Yep, we have that here. Or perhaps you want to play a survival scenario— PC vs. environment, or even survival horror? Or…how about you combine all of the above?
Setting Fluff “Brace for impact!” Havok was the best pilot in the outer rim, so when he yelled an order, everyone listened. Chandler fastened her restraints and hoped that the crash wouldn’t instantly vaporize them all. 43
We should never have taken that job, she thought. Why did we steal that artifact? No pay is worth this kind of— They hit the surface hard. The sickening impact stole her breath, and all the cabin lights went out. The deprivation of her ability to breathe and see all at once caused a long moment of panic. She couldn’t see the others in the cabin, and for a moment, she couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears. Then came the screams of pain. For a brief moment, Chandler thought they were her own. It wouldn’t have surprised her. She hadn’t signed up to be shot down after an interstellar chase. She was an identication forger. But no, the screaming wasn’t her. Emergency lights ickered on, and showed her it was Paz. He was missing both arms. The back hatch blew open, ooding the cabin with blinding light. Havok limped to her side, pulled a knife, and cut the restraints keeping her in place. “Grab water. We’re gonna need it.” “Where are we?” “Char. We are so screwed.” Chandler followed the pilot outside, and shielding her eyes, she saw they had crashed in the middle of a seemingly endless sea of sand dunes. No, not sand, she realized. Ash. Action? Check. Survival? Check. Horror and Politics? Check, and check (or is that just one “Check?”). Once there was a time when HZ52179—Char, as it is known—was a planet that no one cared about. All that changed when Flare was discovered. Each piece of the mineral generated enough energy to power a space station for a year, or a standard starship well past the ship’s actual shelf-life. No one is quite sure who found the rst piece. Perhaps some dirtbag ship thief who had crashed there and made a deal with some local tribe of Ashmen. It hardly matters anymore. Prospectors— both freelance, and government or privately funded mercs—funnel in, and hope to nd their own chunks of Flare in the mines and tunnels that weave like a maze beneath the ash covered surface.
44
Here and there a mining settlement can be found. Even scientic research stations studying the planet and its peoples aren’t unusual. Rumor has it there is a prison, too. A prison run by the Galactic Senate that houses the worst of the worst. How will you t in? Or, perhaps the better question, how will you exploit Char and the mineral Flare to your own benet? Who are the Ashmen? The indigenous humanoids of the planet Char, they keep to themselves. They rarely will offer help to any stranger, and have been known to be violent. Doctor Francis Yaut from Arcturus claims—after supposedly having lived with them for a year—that they are actually survivors of a generation ship that crashed here centuries ago. His report cannot be substantiated. The Ashmen wear clothing that covers the entire body, and they seem to be the only ones that know how to navigate the warren of tunnels they call home. No one has claimed to see children, though they must exist. Flare is a mineral that looks like obsidian, but is crimson in color. It can be burned like coal, or rened into a more stable power source with the right equipment. The mineral itself must be handled with care. It is highly combustible, and even a piece the size of a pebble has turned entire research stations into atoms. Politics are…odd…on Char. Dealing with the Ashmen is only one part of the equation. There are factions of miners and criminals. Various galactic, political entities have been rumored to be on the cusp of taking Char by force for their own gain. The Galactic Senate has stated there can be no open warfare between planets or corporations for the natural resources of Char…but “open” warfare is “open” for interpretation. The main political forces vying for control of Char are the Martian Republic (the MR), the Central Caspian Coalition (the CCC), and the Houses of the Void. With their home planet dying, the MR need Flare as a lastditch effort to simply keep their habitats powered. The formerly peaceful MR is breaking treaties in a desperate bid to restore their atmosphere. The CCC are a new, but powerful, coalition of planets made from various sentient species who all have two things in common: the thirst for riches, and the love of war. 45
The Houses of the Void are the most mysterious of the key players. They worship the deity they call the Void Outside the Light. No one knows their beliefs. No one knows what they want with Char or the mineral Flare. They don’t seem to have any ocial military, but in the few instances they have fought, they have utterly decimated their foes. Corporations also play a large role in the race for Flare, and none of them more active than the Sentient Condition of Assets, or the SCA. The SCA is made up a sentient AI race that incorporated and spread to all the reaches of the known galaxies. Their need for constant power sources makes them logical players on Char. With all the various players, the only constant rule to follow on Char is this: trust no one. The thing no one likes to discuss about Char is how people go missing every day. Whether from the Ashmen colonies, the rumored prison, or from mining settlements…one day they are here, the next they are gone. Zero trace. No even a disturbance in the ash to mark their passing. The fact that the Ashmen—when they deign to speak to outsiders—even seem wary of these disappearances should cause mortals to fear. There are areas they refuse to go, and they speak of offering sacrice to the gods of the dark.
Sample Adventure Hooks: Each one of these hooks have the same goals: To make the player characters central to the unfolding story, to create a vehicle for interpersonal drama and mystery, and to reinforce the themes of the setting, be they adventure, horror, politics or some mix of the three. The secondary goal is to challenge the players to make dicult choices. I. Survival. Just you against the world…literally. The planet totally wants to kill you all. Can you survive? Who the heck knows? After all, the harsh environment isn’t the only thing that wants you dead. You may want a night-light. Good thing you had that awesome pilot, huh? You survived the crash onto the planet, Char! Yay! And yet, now, as you turn in a slow circle, all you see are dunes of ash. You need to nd a way off the surface, or you’ll be dead within a few hours.
46
How did you get here anyway? Maybe you were shot down over the planet, or maybe your drive simply went out? Do you have a traitor on board? All of this is up to you, but now you have to nd a way off this rock. Should you nd your way underground, it’s highly recommended you watch your back. Why? Uh, no reason. II. Well what do we have here? Players who like politics and intrigue? Excellent! This scenario can be played several different ways. Maybe you are reps from some galactic corporation looking for a way to negotiate for some Flare? Another option is for the players to be military minded, bent on conquest…until you are asked to do one bad thing too many. Spy games, corporate espionage, murderous treaties…this is the setting for you. Char sucks. But your bosses want it. What? No, they would never come here themselves. That’s what you peons are for. They want the exclusive rights to Flare, and they are willing to cheat, murder, and steal to get it. The real question is, how far are you willing to go? You have plenty to discover, and potentially barter for here. Flare is just one commodity. Water, alien lifeforms, rare gemstones, real estate for galactic governments and militaries…it’s all here for the taking. Just remember this: as dangerous as the rumored monsters are, people are far, far worse. III. This one is simple. Escape the prison and then the planet. It’s totally easy. Never mind it’s never been done before. Never mind the prison is on a planet with GIANT DUNES OF ASH ON THE SURFACE. Nah. No biggie. See you top-side… Remember those rumors of a secret prison? Yeah, all the rumors are true. Seriously. All of them. Do you deserve to be here, or did you choose to be here? Either you did really, really bad things, or your government feels you were a threat to their continued existence. Or maybe, just maybe, you are here to rescue someone. You are going to need a lot to get out of here, since the prison is only half the problem. Tunnels crawling with creatures and then an unforgiving surface…you have your work cut out for you. Oh, you see that guy’s leg? You may need it.
47
A micro-setting by Ryan Schoon
48
The Setting Technology has nally achieved true transhumanism - those who wish can trade in their physical existence for a digital consciousness and a synthetic body. Most Augmenters don’t take it this far, as you must be at least partially human to place bets on the Barons’ “Augment Arena” - a ghting competition that pits the world’s best augmented ghters against each other, broadcast live on the Global Net, bringing celebrity to the winners and riches to the Barons. These battles have become another form of entertainment, pumped directly from the Global Net into the viewfeeds of the population, who are forcibly logged on 24 hours day, to distract citizens from the real issue: that they are being controlled by a totalitarian government. Everything about the battles is built around spectacle and displays of skill, which are only slightly less important than victory. When the Barons took control, decades ago, the rst thing they did was turn the entertainment industry into a propaganda machine. Then, they banned space travel, stranding everyone. By controlling media, the Global Net, and travel, they took complete control over information. After that, they banned violent technologies. Weapons of war such as missiles, tanks, nuclear devices, and rearms were destroyed and impossible to obtain. While this was done under a guise of peace, in reality they were trying to prevent an armed rebellion. The resources that were once used to produce these weapons were devoted to Augmentations instead, used primarily to increase a ghter’s reexes and combat abilities, to make them better competitors. Those who don’t compete nd more mundane uses for their Augments, like eyes that record video or cosmetic upgrades to make them more attractive. The lack of technology has brought with it a resurgence of old techniques. Melee weapons, such as swords and daggers, are now in fashion, and martial arts masters teach the principles of Wu Xing and alignment with the elements. The Barons have let this pass, as they do not fear assault from those armed with melee weapons and somersaults. After all, the Barons have been stockpiling all the weapons they claim to have destroyed, just in case. Now that the Barons have secured the population, there isn’t much left for them to do except war with each other over territory. These wars are unnecessary, fueled by boredom and greed. The Barons have found a way to prot from these battles, even if they lose. Everything is lmed; every battle, every contest, every slash 49
and strike, is recorded by orbital satellites and turned into reality entertainment. Thus, “Augment Arena” was born. While winning in Augment Arena brings the warriors fame and the Barons riches, many lives are needlessly sacriced during each battle. There is a growing movement among the Warriors to strike back against the Barons, to gather together under one banner and take back control of the planet for the people, all while being broadcast live. A truly televised revolution. It has always been the destiny of an augmented warrior to live or die in the Arena. It is time to change that destiny.
Warrior Creation In Augmented Destiny, you will be creating an Augmented Warrior instead of an Explorer. Character creation uses the base rule-set from Tiny Frontiers, with a few changes. Races and Traits are chosen as normal, but the GM may restrict some traits based on the available technologies of the world. Prociencies are handled a bit differently. Since guns are banned, the only weapons used to ght are melee weapons; therefore, every character is assumed to have Melee Weapon Prociency. You still choose a Mastery from among Melee Weapons, such as daggers or swords. In addition to this, each Warrior will have trained in one aspect of Wu Xing and mastered one of the ve elements. Each element brings a different combat ability, as described in the Rules section. These elements are: Wood (木 mù), Fire (火 huǒ), Earth (土 tǔ), Metal (金 jīn), or Water (水 shu ǐ ). Everything else is handled the same way, but remember that your Warrior is a skilled combatant who ghts for their Baron on live television. Therefore, your profession should reect this. Maybe you were a Monk, trained in martial arts, or an Augment Specialist who knows how to get the most out of an augment. Profession Ideas: Monk, Global Net Celebrity, Arena Fighter, Augment Specialist, Trainer, etc.
Augmentations & Gear Gear is still purchased according to the rules of Tiny Frontiers, but Augmented Destiny offers a new category: Cyber Augmentations. 50
These Augmentations replace organic parts of the body with cybernetic enhancements that better them. There is no exact list of Augmentations, as they can be used to improve anything from your senses to your height, reecting the personality of the warrior and the Wu Xing element they are aligned to. This creativity would be restricted by a static list of augmentations to pick from, therefore the only limit to what an Augmentation can do is set by the GM. Augmentations are instead divided up into categories, which provide a framework for determining costs. Anything can be augmented, but some augmentations have a bigger effect on gameplay than others. It is up to the player and the GM to determine if a certain Augmentation should be allowed. For example, a character who wants to be able to zoom in with optical eyes won’t gain as much of a gameplay benet as the character who wants retractable blades that can be smuggled into most locations.
Augmentation Effect Simple These augmentations have little effect on gameplay. Cosmetic upgrades, or upgrades that enhance roleplaying t in this category, like enhanced senses or language modules. Complex These augmentations have more of an effect on the overall game, and can provide an advantage. Boosts to speed, HP, or dice rolls should be a little more expensive, while functional augmentations like retractable weapons or shields are cheaper. Rare These augmentations can have a huge impact on the game. Healing, cloaking, resistances, disguises, and anything that makes it a little too easy should be very expensive. Also, any augmentation that changes a mode of movement, like jet boots or a jet pack, adding wheels instead of feet, etc would t in this category.
Cost 1-5 GalCreds
5-10 GalCreds
10-25 GalCreds
51
New Rules There are a few rules changes when playing Augmented Destiny. The Suppressing Fire Action is never used. “Cover” is replaced with “Parry.” Effectively, Parry offers the same benet as Cover. You choose a specic direction and attacks from that direction gain Disadvantage. But you don’t need to have anything to hide behind; your melee weapon is enough to Parry incoming strikes.
Wu Xing Abilities The Wu Xing Ability is a new Action that can be performed in the game. When the action is performed, the effect of the action varies based on which element the character is aligned with. Wood: Strong and exible, like the bamboo that protects us. Create a wooden Armshield that doesn’t take up a hand slot. When you, or a nearby ally, are next attacked by a Melee attack, you may choose to perform an Evade action on your (or their) behalf and test 2d6 instead of 1d6. Whether you succeed or fail, the Armshield dissipates. Fire: Dynamic and persistent, yet tinged with impulsiveness. Channel your inner re into your next attack. Each successful hit on your next attack deals 2 damage instead of 1. Earth: Patient, thoughtful, and stable, it is the center of everything. Roll two Tests at Disadvantage. Gain 1 temporary HP for each success you rolled. This HP lasts until the end of the encounter. Metal: Rigid and disciplined, the signs of true determination. Roll a test. On a success, transform one metal object in your vicinity, including weapons or augmentations, into dust. Water: Intelligent and wise, but dangerous when misused. Roll a test. On a success, evaporate the water inside your enemies, causing instant dehydration. All enemies in the encounter have Disadvantage on their next Test.
The Cycle of Wu Xing Channeling Wu Xing is not just about the abilities it grants. By meditating on the properties of the chosen element, you adapt aspects of it into your combat style and everyday life. Each branch of Wu Xing comes with its own ghting styles, with different strengths and weaknesses.
52
Instead of tracking each one of these things individually, they are tracked with the Cycle of Wu Xing. The outside (black) line is the Generative Cycle. These elements are at harmony with each other, and so offer no bonuses or detriments. The inside (white) line is the Destructive Cycle. Each element is stronger than the element it points to. When attacking an enemy you are strong against, gain Advantage on your roll, in addition to any other benets. This represents the fact that your martial arts techniques are harder for them to defend against.
There is no penalty for attacking a character of a stronger element; for example, Fire attacking Water. In order for the Wu Xing Cycle to work successfully, each opponent must be aligned with their own Wu Xing element. You can use the following table to help randomize your enemies.
Random Wu Xing Generation (1d6 Roll): 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:
Wood Fire Earth Metal Water Re-Roll
53
A micro-setting by Laura Montgomery-Hurrell
54
Introduction Some people will do strange things to escape a socio-political situation they disagree with. For the settlers of ancient America, it was sail 2,750 miles over uncharted seas. For us, it was y thousands of light years. But in the void of space, we didn’t nd solid ground, we found something altogether stranger. Titanic, ancient, and adamant, the shells were just clustered there, empty, like they were waiting for us. Despite the improbability of it, the husks created a breathable atmosphere inside. We took the blessing as it was handed to us, didn’t ask too many questions. That was hundreds of years ago. We’re thriving now - many of the shells are big enough to house a whole city - but we still have our problems: The Eseki trying to tear the shells up for prot, the Shav-resi trying to stop them, and the Breng getting caught in the crossre. And then there’s the Ailyen, sitting in their spires and wondering about the creatures that left the carapaces - what happens if they come back?
Physical Details The shells themselves are gargantuan. Burnt umber, pale rose and pearlescent white, the ancient, curled shells each house a city’s worth of people - and there are hundreds of them, clustered together in the interstellar void. By some strange twist of biology, the sectional chambers of the shells maintain an earth-like pressure and atmosphere, ideal for human life. The shells are only cuttable by laser saws, and materia produced is highly sought after as a building material, used usually to construct the bridges between cities. Shell materia is mined from smaller, less habitable, carapaces but this still leads to conict between Shav-resi and The Eseki. Slowly, over the years, the people of Carapace have reached out, building space-safe bridges between the shells as the settlement has grown, resulting in a haphazard pinwheel of settlements, growing out of Kuori, the rst settlement. Other large city-shells include Kabuk, Mallo and Panssiari. No one shell houses more of one faction or another - though unintentional, balance between factions in each city-shell is naturally maintained. Some shells sport odd growth spurs, reaching out into the night. Still habitable, they are mostly occupied by the Ailyen who use them to study the new stars they nd themselves among, or contemplate the mysteries of the universe. 55
That is not the only reported oddity however. The Breng tell tales of becoming lost in the shells, walking miles more than one would expect from the outside size of a carapace. Some tell tales of seeing things, deep in the heart of the spiral. Mostly these stories are dismissed, even by other Breng, as oxygen deprived or inebriated hallucinations, but there are still those who will swear it’s true.
History The people of Carapace left Earth in ages past, lead by Hadi Amirmoez, hundreds of years ago - pilgrims searching for a quieter life, away from the grime of the CyberPunk, the invasiveness of the Digital and the addiction of Transhumanism. They instead found beauty in quietude and thoughtfulness, in art and culture. They hoped for each person to have his share and be content with it; likewise to not suffer for lack of it. So they modeled their new society on these values, venerating the acoustic beauty of the strange place they call home. At least, that was the ideal Amirmoez set out with, and that calm persevered through the journey into the rst few years of discovering carapace. But then Amirmoez sickened and died, and a council was hastily scraped together in her stead. As food ran out, and as greed took over, the system began to break down. There were ghts, and riots. The half the council was slain, and for a time there was a police state, while what was left of the council struggled to bring things back to order. Peace was nally brokered by an enchanting young man named Gera Matraci. The people were so impressed that they placed him in charge, and he ruled for 50 years, somewhat successfully bringing the edgling settlement back in line with it’s original values and grooming his replacement. Today, the state of Carapace is closer to a capitalist-communist meritocracy than the pure communist state it aspired to be. Each new ruler is chosen by the current, 15 years into their 20 year term, and selected after a rigorous set of tests.
Main Factions The Eseki While Eseki is a general term for all traders or industrialists, in most contexts it’s used to refer to the conglomerates who run the majority of trade, especially in the movement and mining of the
56
smaller shells. While there are a myriad of smaller operations, most of them are left to squabble over the scraps left by the big three - Solar Royal, Melendez Innovations and Astrocom. Of the three, only Astrocom had it’s start in shell mining; Melendez grown food can be found throughout Carapace, and Solar Royal stores are famous for selling any trade good one can imagine.
Shav-resi Environmentalists are a common sight around certain areas of Carapace, but while they limit their activities to iers and peaceful protests, the Shav-resi are there to drive the point home more forcefully. Their belief that the shells should be left alone completely is the core of their ideals, and while some are willing to compromise with the Eseki - managed extraction would be preferable to wholesale destruction - they are the minority. Skilled in explosives, industrial espionage and sabotage, the Shav-resi operate in cells, resorting to terrorism, and despite the best efforts of authorities, they never quite seem to go away.
Ailyen Covering a wide range of intellectual pursuits, the Ailyen are keepers of history, scholars, medics, scientists and stargazers. Many focus on the theoretical; keeping to their towers and spires, they spend their time on experiments and philosophy. Others are more practical, and instead spend their time out in the community, teaching and guiding the populace. There are many lay members of the Ailyen - mostly those medics or teachers in the community, but full members of the sect are marked out by a tattoo of an arobase - symbolizing the end of a scroll, with the A for the order’s name.
The Breng On every frontier, there is the necessity of trail makers - those few who carve a path for others to follow and build upon. That is what the explorers do. The Guild of Haritaci sends people out to map, as well as they can, the layout of the shells, and investigate potential new city-shells. Their job is often thankless and dangerous. Not only is little known about what may dwell in the shells, but the guild also accepts contracts from the Eseki. They wish to discover new sources of materia, and of course the Shav wish to prevent them. Often explorers are targeted even if their mission has nothing to do with the Eseki.
57
Game Hooks: Confict between The Eseki and Shav-resi The Shav-resi’s believe that the shells should be preserved, and kept as undamaged as possible. At the least, they want to see careful and managed mining. The Eseki say they are only responding to demand, and must provide supply to the growing population - never mind how that happens. Unfortunately, there is a lot of demand. The shells are tough, air-tight if cemented correctly, and used for a great many things in the growing settlement. Amid growing tensions, the Shav-resi have stepped up their activities from peaceful rallies to more violent tactics, and in retaliation the Eseki respond with underhanded dealings and litigation. This hook could be an introduction to politics, or an extra excuse to blow things up. Maybe the party have different feelings on the matter, causing a rift in loyalties.
Where do they end? Stories have been circulating for some time that the shells are innitely fractal, maybe even portals to somewhere else. Of course most ignore these as just tall tales, but there are those who can’t leave such a question unanswered. Maybe someone claims to have come back and wants to show others. Perhaps someone is appealing for a search party to nd a loved one, or a Ailyen has decided to sponsor an expedition. Either way, your party has packed up their gear and is headed for territories unknown, and who know what they’ll nd.
What if the occupiers come back? No one knows what lived in these shells, what type of creature left them here or why. Theories abound of course - it’s a battle ground, a graveyard, a mating or molting area, or pilgrimage site. But the big question that lurks at the back of every Ailyen’s thoughts - what if they come back? Maybe some strange signal has picked up, and your party just so happens to have the wherewithal to investigate. Maybe there’s a rumour going around of a creature spotted coming out of a shell right on the edge. Either way, it’s up to your intrepid party to gure out if there’s some threat to Carapace, and do something about it.
58
A micro-setting by Jon Del Arroz
59
Possible Themes: Post-Apocalyptic, Building
Exploration,
Horror,
Adventure,
Empire
Inspired by: Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Babylon 5: Crusade, Ringworld by Larry Niven.
The Concept The Cascade Corporation became the rst entity to unite humanity under a single banner, propelling mankind to the stars. Over the course of a millennium, the company colonized and terraformed thousands of planets. With vast resources at its disposal, anything seemed possible – until the Great Stock Collapse of 3251. Riots, wars, and looting broke out across the galaxy. Disease ravaged dozens of systems. Nuclear holocaust claimed billions of lives. Company infrastructure collapsed, leaving once-heavily populated systems decimated. This period became known as the Deconstruction. What developments did the Cascade Corporation leave behind? With no centralized government enforcing interplanetary law, pirates and brigands lurked behind every asteroid, waiting to pounce upon the unprepared. Would-be emperors raced to claim systems, eager to unleash powerful weapons that the Corporation left behind. The Lyra constellation is known for its vast shipyards. Whole eets were abandoned in various states of completion, leaving thousands of ships waiting to be claimed. In Coma Berenices, one can nd the remnants of a subculture of body modications. Each planet has its own sub-species of genetically modied humans tailored to their unique planetary conditions. Triangulum held the corporation’s top secret projects. The facilities each had a system in place that executives called the “Plan B Initiative,” ironically named because the corporation had no true Plan B. Corporate executives wanted to ensure their peers would not obtain a competitive advantage upon Cascade’s demise. As a result, whole cities were wired with explosives and planet atmospheres were blanketed with nanoviruses to ensure that nothing survived. Many of these planets haven’t been visited at all due to fear of remnants of the released contagions. It’s also possible that some of the self-destruct systems did not fully activate. 60
The Deconstruction left civilization fragmented, but there are underground organizations did have the wherewithal to archive vast wealths of information. These academics theorize that after a period of darkness, the light of humanity will rise again. For now, they spend their days in hiding, waiting for any signs of positive change while they keep their dangerous knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. PCs can ght in all-out survival mode, operate as part of the reconstruction groups, or as members of the raiding pirates that torment surrounding systems, allowing for many types of adventures in a galaxy of ruins.
Setting Fluff Sparks ew from the hole Julian Langley cut through the ceiling. When the Cascade Corporation had built this lab, they embedded it deep within the bedrock, making access a pain in the rear. No perimeter alarms sounded as a metal sheet dropped down into the darkness of the facility below. Julian counted in his head. One… two… three… Clang! Three seconds to hit oor. His partner, Hannah Nath, peered over the aperture. “Can’t see what’s in there,” she said. “Not yet.” Julian grabbed a glow from his belt, activating it. A bright light surrounded him, its illumination stretching to a small portion of the oor below. He tugged on a rope secured into a rock nearby. “Ladies rst?” Julian asked, giving his partner a warm smile. Hannah shook her head. “This is your crazy idea. You get rst crack at whatever’s down there. I still don’t see the point of two of us breaking into here. How are we going to carry anything valuable back out?” “Information is the currency of the future,” Julian said, clipping the end of the rope to his belt, carefully pushing his way inside. He lowered himself down, more of the room exposed to his glow as he descended. This place used to be a factory, giant machines everywhere, all laying dormant for years. What had the Cascade Corporation been crafting in here? Whatever it was, he was sure to nd something that he could ooad. Hopefully be able to get out from under the mound of debt he had acquired with his ship. Julian directed his glow ahead. The light shone upon a computer terminal. Jackpot, if it could be powered up using an energy pack 61
from his ship. He set himself down on the oor and unclipped the rope. Clack-clack-clack-clack. “Something’s moving down there!” Hannah shouted. Julian turned to see where the noise came from. In the back corner, dozens of red lights blinked in the darkness, glimmering like beady eyes. He shined the glow toward the lights to nd them at the ends of antennae attached to small bodies. Each construct had six legs, each with sharp points at the end, scrambling toward him like spiders, but with incredible speed. “Security’s active!” Julian shouted, fumbling as he reached for the rope to try to attach it to his belt. “Pull me up and drop an ion grenade!” The mechanical spider creatures reached him before he could secure his clip.
Sample Adventure Hooks: I. Plague Mission. A deconstructed planet’s inhabitants are dying of a formerly curable disease. But with the lack of medicine from the Deconstruction era, the disease has spread throughout dozens of systems. Explorers have their own time bomb – the disease could also kill them if they can’t nd a cure in time. They could be hired by people unable to leave their quarantined area, or they could be altruistic, working out of compassion for the planet’s victims. The search will lead crews to nd former corporate ocers who worked in Cascade’s pharmaceutical division who are privy to the locations of vaccines. PCs can search out planets formerly known for their medical advances in hopes of creating a cure for themselves. Danger looms in any scenario, as PCs could get exposed to dangerous pathogens themselves. Automated corporate security systems that can’t be shut down patrol the facilities and labs where cures would have been developed. In other systems, pirates have hoarded medical supplies and are gouging people who need them. Is it better to explore the unknown secrets of the Cascade corporation or ght your way through brigands who have no respect for life? II. The Superweapon. Rumors spread across the seedier communities in the galaxy that the Cascade Corporation developed a superweapon at one of their top secret Triangulum facilities, nearing completion before the collapse. This superweapon would 62
be a boon to any system warlord or edgling emperor wanting to assert dominance over their corner of the galaxy. Even for a run of the mill smuggler, the sale of such a device could make a person very rich, and potentially gain some powerful friends. No one is quite sure what the weapon is, but everyone is condent in its destructive powers. Anything developed in the Triangulum had multiple layers of security protecting it. Employees who worked in the labs on these planets didn’t quit or retire -- they disappeared. But the rewards for these projects could be as lucrative as the work was dangerous. Regalius Prime, an inhospitable planet with intense ion storms, contains a heavily secured facility that appears to have survived the Plan B Initiative. Its facilities were built deep into the bedrock, providing extra protection against the elements. On this world, PCs can nd rotting bones of former employees poisoned by the Plan B nanovirus, with unknowns lurking around every dark corner. Deep within the heart of Cascade’s top secret facilities lay traps, among other surprises. One potential is that the PCs are led on a goose chase, to be disposed of where there wouldn’t be anyone to witness their demise. Another is that a superweapon awaits as promised, a device powerful enough to destroy whole systems. Another option would be for the PCs to nd an army of supersoldiers, cryogenically frozen to await orders, having rested for years with no call from the company. What other wonders and perils alike await the depths of Regalius Prime? III. Reassemble. Former corporate vice-president Radha Jones has come out of hiding, and has grown an army in the outer Cestus Colony system. Hearing of her success, another former executive began her own path of conquest. One planet rests between the two edgling empires poised on the brink of war. PCs can begin this adventure working for one of the corporate sides, or perhaps employed by the neutral planet itself. Both Cascade executives try to persuade the local planet authorities to join their cause, leading to a social diplomacy adventure. It appears as if talks are going well when Radha Jones is found dead in her guest quarters. War seems more imminent than ever with Radha’s eet ready to come down on the Cestus Colony in retaliation. The opposing eet is equally ready to ght. To stop the retaliation, Radha’s eet admiral requires proof that his former leader’s death was an accident. PCs can then launch into an investigation that could both save the local planet and determine the balance of power of this sector, or take sides in the upcoming battle if their preference is to ght in a war. 63
A micro-setting by Robert Denton III
64
Possible Themes: Espionage, Diplomacy, Culture Clash, Rebellion, Mystery, Space Drama
The Hook: Beyond the planets of the spiraling Fermi galaxy oat thin, crumbling remains of ancient extra-terrestrial structures. Massive, cage-like, and labyrinthian, they drift abandoned and forgotten. These ruins once played an unknown part in a massive galactic war. The ve native peoples of the Fermi Galaxy attempted to unite against an external foe. But their differences, vast and many, foiled any attempt at cooperation. Were it not for the arrival of the Maat, their saviors from a distant star, the Fermi people would have been conquered. Since the day they saved the galaxy, the Maat rule the Fermi people, guiding each homeworld government with distant hands. For their own good, the Fermi civilizations are kept separate; due to their inescapable differences, they cannot possibly harmonize. It is not perfect. It is not utopia. But it is necessary for the good of the galaxy. The wisdom of the Maat is unquestionable. Beneath their guidance, at last all are safe. But what if none of this were true? After all, there are none left who recall the wars before the Maat arrived. There are no records of those events. All history before the Maat arrival is long forgotten. Or perhaps buried. What if the Maat are not the Fermi Galaxy’s saviors? What if, instead, they are their conquerors? Warning : This scenario is written only for the GM. Players, avert your eyes!
The Concept Most space operas feature larger-than-life characters, military and political conict, space-faring fantasy, and the struggle between order and chaos. “Divided” is a micro-setting that facilitates these themes in your Tiny Frontiers game. But unlike many space operas, our story begins after the big galactic war. The good guys have lost. The villains represent an oppressive, extreme order, and “chaos” is more sympathetic. The underlying twist is that players presume they are working for the good side, only to discover that their history is an elaborate lie. Discovering the truth of the Fermi Galaxy’s past and overcoming the barriers that divide its people are what this setting is about. 65
Setting the Stage: The meat of “Divided” gameplay is discovering secret histories and hidden truths as the game progresses. By exploring forgotten space ruins and accessing forgotten records, players piece together the lost history of their galaxy and reveal its true enemies. Therefore, the GM will keep much information secret from the players at the start. Players should only know the Maat’s version of the galaxy’s history, the version that paints them in the most sympathetic light and justies their rule. Let players design their characters without knowing the full story. As the game progresses, the GM should drop little hints that not everything is as it seems. Characters will uncover inconsistencies in the narrative and eventually they will pile up during play, repainting the established facts for the players. What will they do when everything they know and accepted turns out to be wrong?
The Lie: This is the broad-strokes history of the Fermi galaxy as known it at the beginning of the game. This is just a skeleton, and the GM should feel free to esh it out however he or she wishes. Remember, this is only a facade, a created history meant to mislead and enslave the Fermi people. The Fermi galaxy is home to many solar systems with habitable worlds, all rotating around a massive black hole. The ve native races of this galaxy are each from different homeworlds. On the galaxy’s outskirts oat ancient ruins. Wormholes connect them together into a single interstellar star-way. This galaxy is united beneath the banner of the mysterious, bio-technological Maat. Long ago, the galaxy was torn by constant war. Then came an external threat, invaders from beyond the galaxy. The Fermi fought valiantly, but they were divided by politics and inghting. They would have been conquered if not for the sudden arrival of the Maat, whose advanced technology and cybernetic hive-mind allowed them to defeat and banish the invaders to parts beyond. The immortal Maat ruled ever since. Each of the other races have specic roles in which they serve the Maat, taught since birth that they live only because of Maat intervention. They are governed from afar by mysterious technologies, some so advanced as to seem like magic. They are separated from each other; history has proven that it is impossible for the Fermi people to get along. They are too different and too awed to govern themselves. None question this. All owe their lives to the Maat. 66
When the game begins, players are taught that their purpose is to serve the Maat and ensure order is maintained in the Fermi galaxy. The banished invaders from without, those worshippers of discord who would wish to make slaves of all, could return at any time. All Fermi must remain vigilant and obey their benevolent overlords.
Cruel Truths: That story is a lie. Player characters do not know this when the game begins. They were taught since birth that the Maat are their saviors and not to question the separation of the Fermi people. Some may have nagging doubts, but nothing solid. Then, under mysterious circumstances or perhaps by chance, they are brought together and made to work side-by-side, or at least in tandem, to accomplish a task or goal from their masters. They make an initial discovery, the rst of many, that creates a crack in the above narrative. As the game progresses, the characters will uncover more and catch glimpses of the following truths: 1.
The Maat did not save the galaxy. They were the invaders. The Maat come from a distant star and have assimilated many worlds. Their only concern is to harvest these worlds and advance into new territories. They do not think with empathy, only eciency and progress, seemingly with no ultimate goal. The Fermi people are slaves and they don’t even realize it.
2.
The ve Fermi people could not unite to defeat the Maat. They were always too divided. But they came close; the Maat Emperor retreated into the hivemind in order to survive a near defeat at the hands of the briey-united Fermi. As a result, the Maat now forbid the enslaved Fermi from congregating without explicit oversight. They have also stymied all technological advancement in order to limit communication and maintain control of the Fermi homeworlds.
3.
After their victory, the Maat destroyed any records that predated their arrival. Historians were executed. Artifacts were destroyed. Old ways were banned. The Maat re-wrote history and hid anything contradicting them. In some cases, entire cultural identities were lost, replaced by Maat fabrications. Many current Fermi religions, philosophies, and other traditions are actually Maat inventions disguised as cultural inheritance, designed to encourage docility and complacency. Within a few generations, the true story of the Fermi galaxy was lost. Now everyone believes that life has always been this way.
4.
The previous rulers, the Fermi Council, were not eradicated. They ed the galaxy and established a small colony beyond the Maat’s reach. Now, the United Fermi Government In Exile struggles to survive on a wild, young world with limited resources. Even after centuries, the Council still meets. The ve races intermingle at their
67
secret capital, planning to one day recover their lost homeworlds. But they are still too divided and given to inghting. Every covert campaign to recover their worlds from the Maat have failed. 5.
Pockets of resistance still exist within the Fermi galaxy. In the outermost planets, a tiny sliver of Fermi remember their true history and know that they live beneath occupation. Among them are spies who report back to the Council at great risk to themselves, keeping them informed of what unfolds within their conquered galaxy.
6.
The Maat now construct a massive machine that will harvest the gravitational pull of the black hole at the center of the Fermi Galaxy and transform it into energy for their use. This will render the galaxy uninhabitable, except for the bio-technical Maat. The machine nears completion, but there is still time. If nothing is soon done, there will be nothing left for the Council to reclaim.
The GM should allow players to uncover these truths gradually, bit by bit, and never in full. Let one clue lead to the next, a slow burn that eventually snowballs into dramatic reveals. Nothing should be learned all at once; carefully hint at these truths rather than state them in full. Let the players peel back the narrative like the layers of an onion. Plan ahead as to what players will uncover. Allow them to overlook information and give them another chance to discover it later. Never play all your “cards” at once. Always ensure there is one more big fact for them to nd. The Maat weave a tangled web; the conict of this game results from being caught in it. And struggling in the web will always alert the spider. As they discover more and more of the lost history of the Fermi, player characters will become bigger and bigger threats to the Maat regime. Knowledge is power, and none know this more than the Maat. They will react accordingly. Unless, of course, the players can pretend they know nothing at all.
The Fate of the Fermi When characters discover these truths, it could cause them to question everything they know. How they react will cue the GM on how to proceed. Will they become outlaws and seek to escape Maat rule? Will they attempt to overthrow their captors and unite the ve people of the Fermi? Will they attempt to contact the Fermi Council In Exile, where the old ways and cultures may still survive in some form, and become their last hope for victory? Or will they seek to side with their captors in exchange for power? 68
Whatever their choices, the player characters will decide the fate of an entire galaxy.
The Fermi People: The six Fermi people should be drastically different from oneanother, at least in culture. The more they differ, the better. They will have to overcome these differences in order to succeed at their goals, and the more signicant the difference, the more satisfying it will be when they ultimately unite and come to understand oneanother. But which six cultures make up the Fermi people? This can be decided in a few ways. •
The Players select their characters’ races from the list in the Character Creation section of this book, limited to no more than ve total between them.
•
The GM chooses between one and ve races from the list in the Character Creation section of the book and limits characters to those races selected.
At the GM’s discretion, the Fermi people could be made up of less than ve races. He or she could decide that the entire Fermi galaxy is populated only by humans, or only salimar, etc. In cases like these, it is the cultures of the Fermi homeworlds that divides them, not just simple biology. Perhaps one human-populated homeworld has embraced a naturalistic culture and integrated their technology with nature, while another homeworld has gone full-cyber and embraced an articial existence. Whatever their divisions, they should have strongly opposed viewpoints and ways of life. Clearly outline how their ways differ and clash, and make sure no culture is objectively “wrong.” The GM should allow players to impact these decisions. Allow a player to be the nal authority on the ways of their character’s people. For example, if a player chooses to play as a salimar, then ask that player what Fermi salimar culture is like. What kind of homeworld are they from? What kinds of technology do they have? What are their philosophies and traditions? What virtues do they venerate as most important? After this is established, ask if the player’s character is typical of the salimar people. Do this for every player character. If two players chose to play humans, ask if they’re from the same culture or homeworld. If not, how are they different? The GM can elaborate on the players’ ideas as the game proceeds and the differences between the Fermi people can develop 69
organically during play. But always let the players be the nal authority on what their characters’ people are like. The sixth Fermi race is always the Maat. The Maat are not normally an option for player characters, although if the GM wishes to include them, their unique race abilities are outlined at the end of this section.
Sample Adventure Hooks: “Divided” is designed to allow the GM to inject players into the unfolding Maat conspiracy however he or she wishes. It is openended to allow the GM to tell his or her own story within the setting. Even so, if you’re having a little trouble, consider incorporating the following adventure hooks. They serve as examples of how to utilize the setting and to get players into the thick of the action. The goal of these hooks is to place PCs at the center of the unfolding story, to create a vehicle for interpersonal drama, and to reinforce the themes of the setting. The secondary goal is to challenge the players to make dicult and meaningful choices. I. The “basic” hook that propels players directly into the Maat conspiracy. Player characters meet while scavenging the remains of an ancient oating ruin in deep space. As one of the few privileged crews permitted this level of autonomy, their job is to strip the deep ruins of resources that the Maat require. Because they are from different worlds, PCs are not technically supposed to be mingling. Yet it cannot be helped in this case. They have all apparently been assigned to scavenge the same ruins. No one is certain why. Perhaps it is simply an error made by the scavenging network… The ruins’ ancient defenses are still active. To overcome them, characters must grudgingly work together. After passing the initial challenges, characters restore power to the rest of the ruins’ systems, discovering that they predate the recorded arrival of the Maat. Characters can access ancient records or an artifact long lost to history, inadvertently discovering the rst piece of a puzzle, a history that contradicts all they know. Maybe they’re not even aware of what they’ve found. Where this proceeds will be up to the players. If they keep what they’ve found, they may become pursued by forces who want what they now have. Or, if they glean the importance of their discovery, they may turn it in to the Maat, inadvertently endangering 70
themselves. They may choose to seek the truth and become renegades, discovering more and more of the galaxy’s true history. Whatever they choose, it should have consequences. Perhaps their arrival at those ruins was no accident, instead arranged by resistance forces and Fermi spies. The government in exile is hatching a plan and the characters will soon be caught up in the fate of the galaxy. II. This hook injects players into the Maat conspiracy from a different angle. A long-growing threat to order in the galaxy is a pirate eet known as the “Widsith.” Led by the longship “Valkyrie” and its infamous captain “Jinx-Eye Jackie,” these pirates have terrorized fringe planets with constant raids and attacks on peaceful Maat ships. Unthinkably, the Widsith intermingle races, venerate disorder, and harass expansion efforts at every turn. Many claim to have seen “Cap Jack” (as Jackie is sometimes called), but accounts of her appearance differ, not even agreeing on her race. The only consistency are her mismatched eyes, one red, the other blue. While her motives are unknown, the general consensus is that she is an anarchist wishing only to plunder and burn. So players are told. As members of a Maat enforcement squad (if the same race), bounty hunters, or otherwise Maat-loyal forces, PCs converge on the same target: a secret rendezvous between a pirate ocer and a diplomatic sympathizer and turncoat. Their goal: arrest the traitor and uncover the pirate’s plans. The confrontation does not go well. In the chaos, the pirate ocer is mortally wounded. As he dies, he unexpectedly entrusts the characters with an ancient artifact and a warning: all the PCs know is a lie. This artifact can take any form. Whatever it is, it predates the Maat’s arrival. What players decide to do with it informs the narrative moving forward. If they research it, it will lead them to more discoveries, eventually uncovering the truth of the Maat occupation. If they turn it in to their masters, then the Maat will keep an ever-closer watch on them, sending them on more assignments against the pirates, ready to wipe them out if they ever come too close to the truth (which, of course, they will). Characters may discover the truth about the pirates as the game progresses. There are no fringe world raids; the pirates are actually seen by the inhabitants of those worlds as liberators. The pirates are actually loyalist forces working for the Fermi Council 71
In Exile, attempting to facilitate a counter-offensive to retake the galaxy. Characters may eventually meet Jackie and the crew of the Valkyrie, be it as allies and liberators, undercover agents and saboteurs, or pro-Maat enemies. Another surprise: Jackie isn’t just the captain of the Valkyrie… she is the ship itself! An articial intelligence, she is a holographic projection that leads by algorithms, a “tactician” program designed to simulate a space navy general.
The Maat The mysterious Maat are technically only beings of intelligent glowing energy, but they each have mechanical bodies that allow them to interact with the physical world. What they were before they existed in this form, no one can say. The typical Maat appears as a mechanical, bronze, genderless oating humanoid with six limbs: Four arms with grasping hands and two “feathered” wings they use to absorb solar energy for power. In place of a face, the Maat adopt otherworldly masks. Their durable bodies are capable of levitation and can survive under water or in the vacuum of space. Most Maat are indistinguishable from one-another, although some (typically those who linger for long periods of time away from the Maat Emperor) choose to give their “masks” unique features. It is not known if they can procreate, although New Race: Maat “drones” can be created from The Maat nanobots expelled by their bodies. These mechanics are The signature trait of the Maat is provided as a means their collective hivemind. The Maat for the GM to create can share thoughts and perceptions NPCs for the Divided between each other within immediate campaign. This race is proximity. This often results in the not meant for use by Maat thinking and acting exactly alike. players, although it can At the center of this hivemind is the be at GM discretion. If Maat Emperor, an ancient being who the GM permits a Maat holds sway over the entire Maat people. player character, then The hivemind range is not unlimited. this should be limited Maat that spend signicant time far from to only one per party. the Emperor slowly develop unique Be advised that the personalities and opinions, sometimes Maat are a powerful even changing their appearance. But race; a Maat PC can these signs of autonomy and emotion tip the fairness scales vanish when the Maat returns to the signicantly. Emperor’s presence. This phenomenon 72
could make some wonder if the Maat themselves are also victims of their cruel ruler… 6 Hit Points Maat have the Racial Traits Hivemind and Maat Bodies. Hivemind: The Maat can communicate with one-another via thought and share perceptions. They have access to one-anothers’ memories, knowledge, and experiences. This allows them to coordinate on a level where other races simply cannot. This grants Maat characters Advantage in all relevant situations, so long as there is more than one nearby. When groups of Maat ght together, they act on the same Initiative at once. Contact with the hivemind suppresses individuality; a Maat only gets 1 Trait at character creation and cannot choose the Cyborg Trait. Maat Bodies: Maat bodies are mechanical and made from nanobot technology. They do not require sleep or food. Their bodies are durable and self-repairing; every round, a Maat recovers 1 lost Hit Point, unless reduced to 0. Maat bodies can also reconstruct into various shapes, although they cannot grow larger or smaller. Maat can create Melee weapons from their own bodies as a single action. Finally, as energy beings, Maat can innately provide power to anything mechanical, restore power to ships and mecha, and activate ship Systems as a single action.
73
A micro-setting by Dan Wells
74
“Gray Goo” Survival Horror The star Corvan is home to four planets; the second planet, called Andred by its inhabitants, is a rocky, water-covered, Earth-type world, home to a species of intelligent beings who are, at the end of the day, basically human. The Andredi developed nuclear power about 150 years ago, and space travel about twenty years after that, but were never able to venture too far from their home planet because they lacked the means to sustain themselves: oxygen they could recycle, but a recycling food and water system continued to elude them. Then, about sixty years ago, a nanotech company called Rudiger developed nanobots capable of converting virtually any matter into any other matter, and everything changed: water could be cleaned, waste could be converted to food, and raw elements could be repurposed into fuel, building materials, and anything else a traveler or settler might need. The nanobots can even replace themselves as they wear out, using the resources they break down to build new nanobots, so the system is selfsustaining. The Rudiger nanobots sparked a massive surge of space exploration, and sixty years later virtually the entire Corvan solar system has been colonized. Rudiger and other corporations have grown wealthy, and the entire interplanetary society has ourished and prospered. Until now. No one has been able to gure out why or how, but the nanobots behavior has changed. The safety measures designed to protect certain objects and materials has failed, and the nanobots have begun eating everything; worse yet, the sensor system that once detected and avoided organic life now actively seeks it out. Everything they consume is broken down, processed, and turned into more nanobots, in an endless and ever-growing cycle, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop them. Scientic theorists call this a Gray Goo Scenario, because that is the inevitable end: literally everything the nanobots come into contact with, right down the planet itself, will be converted into more nanobots, until there is nothing left but nanobots--a roiling gray goo that exists only to eat, destroy, and remake the universe in its own image. There is no stopping it, there is no solving it, there is no clever solution that will reverse the programming or stop the wave of destruction. Try to crush them and they’ll simply eat your weapon; blast them with energy and you might melt a few, but even one survivor can rebuild the swarm in a matter of minutes. All you can do is run, and hope to God the spaceship you run to hasn’t been infected yet. 75
Each of the planets and colonies in the Corvan system has reacted slightly differently to the nanobots, and each presents a unique and terrifying scenario to play through:
Corvan 1: “Simik” The Basics: As the closest planet to the star, Simik is a scorching wasteland, blasted by heat and radiation and valuable only as a source of heavy metals. The surface is dotted with shielded mining stations, most of them owned by rival corporations, with vast networks of mining tunnels stretching down into the rocky crust of the planet. Much of the mining is done with high-energy lasers, which might prove useful as a weapon. Recommended Characters: Miners, managers, maintenance workers, and delivery pilots picking up shipments of ore. Most of the miners are criminals and convicts, sentenced to hard labor on the inhospitable planet.
Adventure Hooks: • The Haunted Mine: Before anyone knows about the gray goo, and before it’s built up to overwhelming levels, the problems are mostly mysterious and atmospheric. Equipment breaks, objects go missing, NPCs get mysteriously hurt or even disappear without a trace. • Paranoia: Do the convict and non-convict characters trust each other? If the guards and managers were overly harsh before, will the convicts use this disaster as an opportunity to take revenge? If one of the characters or NPCs is injured, do they try to bring him along, despite the slower pace, or do they assume he’s incubating a mass of nanobots and leave him to die, desperate to save themselves? • Walking on the Sun: The surface of the planet is hot enough to melt most technology--including the nanobots. Most of the ships are in hangars below the surface, so they’re easier to get to but potentially infected. Any spaceships docked on the surface might be clean enough to trust...if you can get to them without getting fried yourself.
Corvan 2: “Andred” The Basics: A lush and fertile world, home to the Andredi and countless other lifeforms. The gray goo here has so much organic tissue to work through that it will ignore most other targets, at least at rst, and still manage to spread like wildre. The nanobots will begin as a rumor from a distant part of the planet, and eventually 76
become a worldwide panic. The main villains in this scenario will be other people: looters, opportunists, and plain old folks just trying desperately to stay alive. Recommended Characters: Pretty much anything, but what separates Andred from the other planets are normal people--parents and accountants and baristas and schoolteachers and other people who have strong motivations to survive, but very few directly applicable skills to help them do it. Another interesting choice might be a politician or celebrity: someone accustomed to fame and wealth, forced into a situation where neither can save them.
Adventure Hooks: • Hide: Nobody knows what’s happening yet, and the government treats it like any other riot or natural disaster: keep calm, stay in your homes, we’ll get it under control. But people and animals infected with the nanobots run screaming through the streets, trying in vain to escape and instead simply transferring the nanobots to anyone they come into contact with. Where are the characters when trouble strikes, and where do they seek shelter and with who? What happens when outsiders try to get in, either looking for safety or trying to steal their food and weapons? What happens if someone gets injured, and you have to venture outside for supplies or medicine? • Escape: Eventually it will become obvious that the city is too dangerous to stay in. How do the characters get out? Staying in a vehicle might be safer, but for how long? Are the roads too crowded and panicked to actually go anywhere? Do armed rivals try to steal their car--or do the characters arm themselves and try to steal somebody else’s? Can they get out by water or air? How do they navigate a city where even a tree or a bird could kill them? and what do they do if the nanobots get loose in a massive crowd of refugees? • The Race: The government has realized what is going on, and they can’t stay ahead of it, so they announce a full scale evacuation of the planet. If the characters can make it to a launch site, they can get away--but everyone else is trying to make it to the same place, and there’s only so much room, and the countryside between here and there is teeming with biological life: every eld and forest will be a veritable feast for the nanobots, and every other person they meet is either already infected or willing to stop at nothing to beat them to the ship. 77
Corvan 3: “Sesterriy” The Basics: As the closest planet to Andred, and a relatively hospitable one, Sesterriy is home to a wide variety of colonies and terraforming projects. As such, it fell to the gray goo almost as quickly as Andred, and the government announced an evacuation program that managed to save hundreds of thousands of people...but not all of them. Far from any hubs of business or shipping or industry, the stragglers now nd themselves stranded with nothing but the slow, inevitable approach of the nanobots to keep them company. Recommended Characters: Exactly the kind of specialists you would expect to nd manning a frontier outpost--technicians, farmers, botanists, mechanics, laborers, and ranchers of the local genetically-engineered cattle analogue. These kinds of settlers likely had families, so children wouldn’t be out of place, and what frontier outpost would be complete without a former soldier, a traveling salesman, or a mysterious stranger?
Adventure Hooks: • The Distress Call: The evacuation is over, but there are still ships in orbit. How can the characters contact them, and how can they convince them to come back? If the communications equipped was damaged or depowered, how can the settlers get it running again? • The Ticking Clock: The nanobots were the outpost’s primary source of food, water, oxygen, and energy, so now they can’t make more and their supplies are dwindling fast. How do they get more? How do they decide to allocate what few precious resources they still have? • The Hungry Shadows: Somewhere in the complex, the local stash of nanobots is gaining in numbers and power, and actively searching for the last few bits of organic tissue it can nd--and on a rocky wasteland like this one, that means the characters, their food storage, and their livestock. Maybe they can use the livestock to distract the nanobots, but at the risk of setting them loose in a vast herd of biomass that could skyrocket their numbers to overwhelming levels. If it can’t nd life it will eat inorganics, possibly destroying vital parts of the colony, including the pressure seal that keeps the atmosphere breathable.
78
Corvan 4: “Moupov” The Basics: Moupov is a cold gas giant, ravaged by freezing storms and icy wind but blessed with one incredibly lucrative natural phenomenon: in the upper atmosphere, where pressure is low and temperatures drop as far as 30 Kelvin, there are rainstorms of pure liquid hydrogen, one of the most valuable fuel sources in the galaxy. The Andredi have built a system of oating platforms, thermally shielded and carefully positioned to catch the falling hydrogen and harvest it for transport and sale to other planets. Recommended Characters: The kinds of people you would expect to nd on an Earth oil platform: technicians, mechanics, scientists, corporate representatives, and maybe some outsiders caught there at exactly the wrong time: a long-haul trucker dropping off supplies, or a media team on site to lm a story about life in the storms.
Adventure Hooks: • Breach: The nanobots on the platform start in the waste management pipes--what happens when they eat through them to the outside? What happens if the storm blows them to other parts of the platform, and they start to eat back through? How will the characters deal with the dual threat of gray goo and temperatures cold enough to ash freeze a person? • Freefall: People on a failing planetbound station can put on a suit to survive outside, and people on a space station can do the same, but people on a Moupov platform will plunge to their death if the gray goo eats a hole in it--and if the gray goo eats the ight system, the entire platform could fall. How do the characters stay safe as the platform grows increasingly fragmented? How do they protect the key system and components from the encroaching swarm? They can use themselves as bait, but only if they stay ahead of the nanobots--and there are only so many places on the platform to run. • Flight: Can the characters jury rig a short-range ship and make it to the next platform? Do they have any space-capable vessels of their own, and can they nd a way to reach it? What if a ship approaches from another platform--do they shoo it away, or even shoot it down, on the fear that it has more nanobots? Or do they risk getting aboard as their one chance of escape?
79
Corvan 4f: “Tsyklo” The Basics: Tsyklo is a small, rocky moon, Moupov’s largest, composed primarily of iron, silicon, and magnesium, much of which has crystallized into massive shards of jagged tourmaline. Gravity is less than a third that of Andred, and there is no atmosphere to speak of, making it relatively easy to land and lift off from the surface, which in turn makes Tsyklo a perfect fuel and supply depot serving the Moupov hydrogen platforms. Recommended Characters: The same people you nd on Moupov, with a much higher concentration of pilots, long-haul truckers, business executives, and ight control personnel.
Adventure Hooks: • Truck Stop: How does the gray goo come to Tsyklo? Obviously they have a small supply of their own, but as a hub of nearconstant trac, Tsyklo could have any number of incoming infection scenarios as well, and that dual source could make the investigation much more complicated. Maybe a ship lands with mysterious mechanical failures, and slowly spreads. Maybe a ship is so badly damaged--and the crew already dead--that it comes barreling in without anyone at the helm. • Razor Forest: If the characters have to abandon their station, the surface of Tsyklo makes a deadly and alien landscape to escape through. Low gravity means big jumps but deep chasms and precarious rock formations; giant crystals can slice open space suits or worse. The characters can call for help, of course, but if the people at the next station haven’t been infected yet they might decide to leave before the characters bring it with them--or maybe the next station over was infected even worse than the one the characters came from... • Precious Cargo: What are all these ships carrying? Real food that nanobots couldn’t duplicate? The gray goo wants it all. Computers or other electronics? maybe one of the pilots on the station is actually there to steal it. Liquid Hydrogen from the planet below? Then the characters are sitting on a tankersized bomb just waiting to go off.
80
A micro-setting by John D. Kennedy
81
Possible Themes: Heroics, Good versus Evil, Honor, Victory, Last Stand
Inspired by: Masters of the Universe, Green Lantern, Transformers, Voltron, She-Ra
The Concept Gallinor was a land locked in an eternal war between the Unrelenting Sun and the Eternal Night. Ancient wars have ravaged the land and reduced the Kingdoms to rubble before a hard won peace was achieved by the Guardians. The Guardians, who were the bravest and the best warriors, sages, and minds of the Nine Kingdoms, came together to defeat Skazarak and liberate the world from his darkness. But now the world has changed. The Guardians became spoiled by eras of peace, and slowly things moved in the shadows. Dragondead warriors were rumored to be raiding villages and plundering burial vaults for relics, but no one reacted. The Guardians would ride forth from the Great Citadel and raise a few Dragonling villages in reprisals, but this did not stop the problem. Rebellion spread through the Nine Kingdoms and the Guardians slowly left the organization, believing they had more important things to attend too. Guardian Omega, once considered the greatest of those who took up the mantle, waited until the time was right and betrayed his comrades. Stealing away the Relic Crystals that contained ancient knowledge he destroyed the Citadel and killed most of the remaining Guardians. Only Guardian Psi and his cohorts remained, and they could do little but watch helplessly as Omega returned to his keep and began building mysterious machines that are said to bend time and space to his will. Guardian Psi has put out the call to every Kingdom in hopes that more brave Guardians will answer the call and ght to restore balance to the world.
Setting Fluff: “Oh, not again!” Guardian Mantra ran through the Swamps of Denkar with the war howls of the Dragondead behind her. Her satchel was heavy and slowed her down as she run, but she could not abandon it. Inside was a rare Relic Crystal that they had found in a crashed Skysailer, and though unable to read its mysteries she knew the Guardians would know someone who could. Unfortunately 82
the Dragondead and their mistress, Tricera, had also learned of the crashed vessel from the same trader who swore to keep it a secret. “Goliath! GOLIA GOLI ATH!” Mantra was screaming into her communicator. communicator . “C’mon, you big lout, if there was ever a time I needed you to barge into a place and smash things up now is the time!” “KING Goliath,” said the deep voice over the communicator. “I may have joined you as an ally, but I will have my princely dignity respected.” Several arrows zipped past Mantra’s head, and only by diving into a nearby muddy patch on the ground was she able to miss a thrown spear. Drawing her matched pair of Glassguns and running her thumb over the activation crystals, she prepared for the worse as she spoke into the communicator for what she thought would be her last time. “Fine! King Goliath, I am your fellow Guardian, Guardian Mantra! And if you do not get your sts in the ght I’m telling the rest of the Kingdoms how Rockmen choose to stay back and polish their stones!” Standing up, Mantra began ring shards of hard light at her opponents, and she worked to make each shot count. The Dragondead, whose bone outgrowths on their scales normally deected such shots, found her shots striking true at their eyes, mouths, and knees. As Mantra struggled to hold the Dragon Dragondead dead at bay bay,, she saw a nearby tree rip out of the ground near her, and a massive titan of living red rock brought the tree down on the remaining Dragondead. Mantra struggled to wipe the mud clear from her eyes as King Goliath walked over to her. He gave her a short, curt nod; a sign of great respect from the warrior king. Mantr Mantra a nodded back, and as she checked on the Relic Crystal in her satchel, she could have sworn to have seen images in its nish…
Gallinor was once an experiment between an ancient power that was both familiar and alien to the humans who now dwell on its surface. Eons ago, explorers from a different world landed on Gallinor and used their understandings of cosmic engineering to create a paradise for themselves. These beings slowly died out, and their descendants went to war to claim what was left of their technology. With no one left to monitor the great machines that held the world together, Gallinor found itself trapped in a power struggle that left half of the planet a verdant, brightly illuminated land while the other was cooler but trapped in eternal gloom. 83
The Nine Kingdoms now control the majority of the Dawn side of the planet. Each Kingdom possesses unique talents and expertise that comes from their part of the world; the plantfolk of Decidia possess great healing powers, while the Rock Men of Thundros care only for physical prowess and combat. All Kingdoms should stand united against the threat of the Dark Kingdom of Eclipsia but instead, are often reduced to squabbling. As you explore the world of Gallinor, you will see that things are not as black and white as the surroundings may suggest. The plightful struggle of the Dragonlings, who are reptilian creatures reduced to refugee status since their empire was subsumbed by Eclipsia, are treated as little better than slaves by most Kingdoms. The Guardians themselves must try to reclaim a stained reputation after the excesses of their brotherhood led to their downfall. And Omega? He is building a great work on his side of the world, and rumors abound that he is not as cruel to his people as some are led to believe. Is he merely a maligned prince? Or is he the greater evil among other evils?
Who are Omega and the Guardians? The Guardians are the greatest warriors the Nine Kingdoms have to offer. Kings, scientists, soldiers, and even humble peasants have been members of the Guardians in the past. Some believe that a Guardian must have something supernatural in order for them to be admitted to their ranks, but the truth is that as long as someone is brave and willing to put all they have on the line to protect the world from Omega then they will have a place alongside their fellow Guardians. Guardians are more than a battleeld unit assigned to ght enemy soldiers. As a Guardian, one is expected to aid in any rescue efforts or mercy missions that may call for assistance, and a Guardian is required to keep their character above reproach. A Guardian can never refuse to aid another, nor are they capable of betraying another’s trust. It is for this that Omega’s actions were even more shocking and surprising, as no one expected his treachery. The Nine Kingdoms are bound together in common defense, but they often threaten war amongst each other over resources and land. The Guardians have done their best to keep the ghting minimal, but every few years two of the Kingdoms threaten to break the alliance by warring openly with each other. Guardian Psi, an accomplished diplomat as well as being able to manipulate psychic power to create constructs, has been able to end the ghting either through swift words or open displays of power. 84
Relics and mysterious machines dot the landscape of Gallinor, and most are left alone by the common people who believe that nothing good can come from messing with them. Though a few Fortune Finders dare to explore these ruins, many do not make it out alive as the metallic creatures known as Watchers patrol the halls. Brutally strong and possessing strange powers, these creatures have claimed an untold number of Fo Fortune rtune Finders over the years. The money that stands to be made from exploring the ruins has been too much a temptation for some people, however. Omega is a tyrant who has found a means to channel energy from the Dark Realm to fuel his mad schemes. Sealed away in his Sarcophagus Suit, he is able to channel energy that few others dared believe was possible. Despite all of his power he knows he would be outmatched by the Guardians, and so he has gathered together his own group of villains to aid him in his conquest of the planet. Known as the Marauders, they serve their lord either out of fervent belief that he will lead them to victory or for the precious gold he offers. Rogues such as Talon, Blisterspit, and Captain Black Scythe serve Omega either out of absolute fanaticism or the belief that they will prot when he destroys the world. The Dragondead are what remains of Dragonlings that become changed by Omega’s dark power. Normally tall and robust, the Dragondead have boney extensions on their skins and their heads look like skulls. As Dragonlings come in all shapes and sizes similar to the mighty dinosaurs that used to live on Gallinor, the Dragondead are able to dominate any environment, as their yers are able to bring down Skysailers that keep communication between the cities possible or destroy shing vessels hoping to bring home a harvest.
Sample Adventure Hooks: Each one of these hooks have the same goals: To make the player characters central to the unfolding story, to create a vehicle for interpersonal drama and mystery, and to reinforce the themes of the setting, be they adventure, horror, politics or some mix of the three. The secondary goal is to challenge the players to make dicult choices. I. A journey into a devastated land is always dangerous, but now I. A even more so when the land is lled with not just your enemies but something that is killing them as well. Rumors that one of the missing Relic Crystals is buried in the Fel Lands brings the heroes into conict with some of their most dangerous foes, but who else 85
lurks in this area? Was this place once a Kingdom to its own, and if so, what happened to it? Guardians! This new assignment is perhaps one of our most dangerous, so please keep your questions until the end. I need you to journey to the Fel Lands as soon as possible! We heard from Eagle’s Eye that Feral and Queen Felonia have been orchestrating a dig out in the Fel Lands, but they keep calling for reinforcements to help them. The thing is, these reinforcements keep failing to arrive to aid them. Some other force is at work here, but since we know a missing Relic Crystal may be out there, we cannot afford to let yet another enemy steal it from us. II. Being accused of crimes you have not committed is frustrating, but when the target are high prole Guardians who are accused of committing them, it is even more troubling. In this scenario, the heroes must uncover who it is that is framing them and how they are doing it. Is it possible that they are being possessed, or is something else at work here? Being able to communicate with the people and investigate what is going on is more helpful here than brute force. To arms! There is a wild mob outside of our great Citadel, and they believe that we are to blame for several thefts and assaults in the city. Their leader, Parson Merrish, accuses us of being in league with Omega and that he personally saw each of you committing these crimes. The only thing he said was out of place was each of you had glowing red eyes and spoke in a strange tone. I need you to gure out what is going on before the mob demands we turn you over to them! III. Guardian Vell-Ador has been discovered in the Vellus Swamplands, but her body is fused into a strange crystal. Rumors of the crystal’s healing powers have gathered a small cult of worshippers around her, but something else is at play here. Heroes capable of investigating the frontier while tracking down what may have caused her to become imprisoned are needed, as well as those who can protect the Guardians from the ferocious swamp horrors that roam nearby. We found Vell-Ador. Her body is trapped in a glowing piece of crystal not far from here in the Vellus Swamplands. She has attracted a mob of sycophants who vow to protect the crystal, believing it’s sent by one of their gods. I need you to nd a way to free her, but I warn you, those crazy cultists will not let her go without a ght.
86
A micro-setting by Marie Brennan
87
Possible Themes: Faith, Cosmology, Conspiracy, Individual Agency, Things Man Was Not Meant to Know
Inspired by: Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light, Stargate, The Fifth Element
The Concept On the same day, at the same hour, in cities on a dozen planets spread across as many star systems, a god appeared. It towered over ordinary people, more radiant than words could describe. Some saw the gure as male, others as female; to yet others it harmonized the best of both, transcending that binary as mere illusion. It was beautiful. It was perfect. They called it the Light, and before that day was done, worshippers ocked to its sides. But what is it, really? No one knows. The Light is alien, that much is beyond question. But whether it’s a god or not . . . well, what is a god, really? And how much does the terminology really matter? The Light brings blessings for its worshippers. It has the capacity to smite its enemies. Doesn’t that mean it’s better to be on its good side? Games involving the Light can explore its presence from a variety of angles. PCs may be worshippers of the Light, reactionaries who condemn it, or X-Files types determined to discover its true nature and agenda. Only one thing is certain: the Light will change the world forever.
Setting Fluff: “Have you seen the Light, my friend?” The streetside preachers were the worst. Rashida ducked her head, tugging at the edge of her headscarf as if she could pull it forward far enough to avoid eye contact. Of course she had seen the Light. Who hadn’t? Even if you missed it walking the streets of New Beijing, the footage had played on every newswave for a month. The video didn’t really convey the sheer presence of the thing; it reduced the Light to a special effect, something a HollyBol director might put into the latest blockbuster VR. But Rashida had seen the Light in person; she knew it wasn’t fake. That didn’t make it a god, though. And she was tired of people telling her to bow down to an alien, just because it glowed. 88
“Repent, before it is too late!” the preacher shouted after her. Rashida quickened her steps. Too late for what? she wondered. Just what is the Light planning to do?
What does it mean, to worship the Light? Its agenda is unknown. It demands complete obedience from its worshippers; when it issues one of its enigmatic commands, they are expected to obey. Most are eager to do so, because they know the Light sees more than they can ever hope to, and they believe its aims are benevolent. A shop clerk, obedient to the Light, knocks over a display of food fabrication packets in front of a customer; the customer, delayed half a second by the need to step around the pile, narrowly avoids being struck by a high-speed courier jet outside. And for those who assist the Light as commands, there are many blessings; they suffer no illness, and are healed of their injuries when they bathe in its radiance. The Light, they say, wants what is best for humanity. It is here to help. Why should it do such a thing? Because it is the Light. It is a god, powerful and benevolent, and we should be thankful it chose to reveal itself to us. But not everyone trusts so blindly. Sure, the Light saved that customer from being hit by the jet. Not every command it gives has such an obvious effect, though. Some of them -- many of them -- are completely enigmatic. And how can anybody be sure saving that customer was the real point of knocking over those packets? What if the good deeds are just a mask, a cover for the Light’s true purpose? There’s no reason to assume the Light is benevolent, that it cares in the slightest for the well-being of humanity. Any gestures in that direction might just be bait, a way of winning converts to its side, before . . . Before what? Nobody knows. But quite a few people think there’s something coming, and whatever it is, it won’t be pretty.
Not everyone worships the Light, or opposes it. A lot of people fall in the middle, undecided -- but that number is shrinking. As followers of the Light grow in number, they are becoming more militant, using every tool at their disposal to persuade others to their cause. They want what’s best for everyone . . . or they fear what 89
may happen to those who fail to honor the Light. Meanwhile, the opposition is also growing, albeit more slowly. They’re stockpiling weapons, resources, information, everything they might use to defend humanity when the inevitable conict comes. Because if there’s one thing everyone agrees on, it is that conict is inevitable. One way or another, this balance cannot last.
So what is the Light, anyway? This setting isn’t designed around a single, denitive answer to that question. It may be a true and wondrous miracle; it may be preparing to consume whole planets full of people to feed its voracious hunger. Or it may be something in between, a benevolent force that takes away too much of humanity’s self-determination, a scheming liar whose ultimate effect may be good. However you choose to portray the Light, just bear in mind: whatever it is, it’s unlike anything humanity has encountered before. And its presence truly will change things forever.
Sample Adventure Hooks: Any story about an alien this powerful has the potential to shatter the world. The form that takes, though, is up to the players: will it be their own personal worlds at risk, or whole star systems? What are they willing to give up, and what will they ght to keep? I. Do you want to tackle questions of faith? You believe in the Light, its power, its benevolence. But can you hold onto that belief in the face of disappointment? Are you only faithful so long as your god does what you want it to? You were among the rst converts to the Light. When it appeared on the streets of your planet, it called to you -- not with its voice, but with its presence. You knelt before it, and the Light made you whole. Since then, you’ve been doing everything you can to spread the gospel, and obeying the Light’s commands with a joyful heart. You and your companions have formed an unbreakable bond, and you know the Light will protect you. But one of those companions has gone missing. Evidence points to the minions of ignorance, those fools who insist the Light cannot be a god. What have they done to your friend? Why? 90
And -- more importantly -- why did the Light allow this to happen? You try to tell yourself that whatever is going on, it must be for a reason. Surely the Light would not abandon your friend unless it were in service to some greater good. But what greater good could justify betraying your friend’s trust? II. If you’re looking for a tale of conspiracy and ghting against the odds, look no further. Here is your chance to play the side of the opposition, investigating the Light in search of the awful truth you know is hiding behind the benevolent mask. The blind sheep who follow the Light do so because they believe its intentions are benevolent. But there’s no reason anything that powerful should care what happens to humanity; it must have its own agenda. You aren’t just a doubter; you’re part of the resistance, searching for the real truth of the Light. Ever since its rst appearance, you and your allies have been been assembling data on its commands and their effects. Looking for patterns. And now... now you’ve found one. The Light is gathering people to a hidden location on the far fringes of a star system. Not its followers -- strangers, seemingly chosen at random. Are they food? Footsoldiers for an army? Something else entirely? Only one way to nd out... III. Are you eager to see a god made vulnerable? This hook may be played with followers of the Light or those who oppose it; either way, the story of the Light will never be the same. Everyone knows the Light can be in many places at many times. Each manifestation seems to know everything the others have seen and done, which people take as proof that they are all facets of the same entity. A minority of doubters, though, say the Light is actually many creatures, communicating telepathically across star systems even faster than starlight can travel. It’s only been a theory, with no evidence to back it up -- until now. Because someone claims to have killed one of the Lights. And they claim they have the body to show for it. News of this sort would spread like wildre among followers and opposition both. Whether you’re racing to prove it or disprove it, though... that’s up to you.
91
A micro-setting by Ben Woerner
92
Possible Themes: Noir, Mystery, Horror, problems with authority, the back end of outer space, your one big chance, all alone in the black
Inspired by: The Expanse TV show and novels by James S.A. Corey, Mass Effect, The Philip Marlowe novels by Raymond Chandler, The Maltese Falcon lm, and other noir tv shows and movies
The Concept Marlowe Station (O’Neill Station 23) was once the destination on Interstellar Route 66. Its combination of a vibrant multicultural community, numerous casinos, entertainers, and the only drydock that far out in the Black made it the place every space weary hauler or traveler was always happy to see. Then the Big Meet happened. Humanity met friendly and advanced extraterrestrial life, but worse, they shared jump gate technology with humanity. Now Marlowe Station is a crumbling facade of what it once was. The dry-dock is now a massive junkyard, the casinos mostly boarded up, and you, you’ve seen better days. Whatever it was you did in a previous life to end up in this hellhole must have been bad. Now you spend you days sucking vape and drinking synthohol until the day the alien with legs that go all the way to the oor walked into your oce smelling of trouble and a billion credits. Just enough to maybe get you off this stinking rock. The concept for this setting is dealing with all too human problems in the far future. Technology may have advanced, but humans (and aliens) haven’t changed. Fantastic life changing inventions and massive reality altering mysteries and discoveries wait out there for you in the dark, but when you go you’ll still nd the seedy underbelly of sentient life waiting for you. PC’s can approach this setting in a variety of ways. They can play beaten down cops, detectives, or private eyes trying to not drink themselves into oblivion while handling a case far bigger than the massive expense account they’re racking up. They can be mobsters, con-men, petty criminals, or “honest” business people trying to carve out their own little corner of Hell, err Marlowe Station, when they get their hands on something that could change the whole game. Human or alien they all tick the same, they all have wants and needs, and trying to make their life a little better when something big falls into their lap that might change everything, not just them. But we know that in the end this is Chinato...err Marlowe Station. 93
Setting Fluff: It was a dark and stormy night...on my telewall. It was only that way because the telewall was broken and that was the only setting I could get to work. I’d gotten used to it, like I had gotten used to everything in my life. My oce, if you could call my three meter cube hole cut into solid rock an oce, stank of synthohol, vapor, and B.O.. The air circulators were down again. I was behind on my bill. All my bills. Big Nose Tanaka was sending me a message, but he was a softly. He hadn’t let anyone choke to death yet, not like Old Singh. I was watching the Perseattoi gate race through the old drydock. I had 50 big ones on Mordin, and if he won, I’d be out of the hole. But his main thruster was coughing and I was seeing a future working jobs for Tanaka. Then someone knocked on my door. No one knocks on my door. I checked the videofeed thinking Tanaka might have lost his patience along with his tail. But it was some alien, an alien dressed to the nines standing at my door. They knocked again. I thumbed the door lock and let them in. Turns out their employer’s daughter had gone missing, last seen boarding a transport here. They wanted to pay me to nd her. Their employer was the ruler of an Perseattoi planet far off in Perseattoi space, and the daughter was pregnant with the heir to the whole big fortune. Besides the ticket for the transport here their only lead was a short message to her parents where the daughter, the most beautiful alien I’d ever seen, ranted about the Perseus Glaukos and how if she found it, it’d change everything. Now I’m waiting in a lift that will bring me down to the promenade and to Old Singh’s curry bar. He’s the only one on the station that knows anything about that old legend, but he’s a killer, and Tanaka’s rival. People don’t ask where Singh gets his meat for his curries. My heart is in my throat, my blaster is in my sweaty left hand, and a credit chit with too many zeroes to be real is cutting into the palm of my right hand. Maybe Tanaka will help me if Singh won’t, but then I’d have to give him a cut. No, my path is set, and with the swoosh of doors opening I walk to face my fate.
94
Welcome to Marlowe Station (O’Neill Station 23). Once the last friendly place in the Dark. The Golden Beacon of Hope, Rest, and a Good Time that welcomed all is now a dingy backwater station off the main gateways and forgotten by most. The inhabitants are the otsam and jetsam of life. You’re one of those inhabitants. Your life’s road has been bumpy and your school, the school of hard knocks. Your story the same as all the other residents, just with different details. But things maybe are changing. Something big is happening. There might be light at the end of the tunnel. If only you can stretch your hand out and grab the brass ring as it swings by, maybe, just maybe your life can be different, it can end different. You won’t be just another incinerated aluminum tube of ash spun out into the black like all those who’ve died here on Marlowe Station. All you’ve got to do is a little work, maybe something morally questionable, and the impossible. No sweat.
Sample Adventure Hooks: Each one of these hooks have the same goals: To make the player characters central to the unfolding story, to create a vehicle for interpersonal drama and mystery, and to reinforce the themes of the setting, be they adventure, horror or some mix of the two. The secondary goal is to challenge the players to make dicult choices. I. Feel like tracking down the lost McGun? This adventure hook is for you. You’re investigators, be that private eyes, actual cops, nosey civilians, or a combination of all three. This plot is bigger than all of you, maybe bigger than the entire station put together. Your lives were going nowhere fast, until THEY walked into it. They had a job for you. Their employer’s daughter was missing, and she was pregnant with the heir to a massive alien fortune. The girl was last seen traveling to the station and her last message was ranting about the infamous Perseus Glaukos, an old legend worth more than two planets smashed together. They wanted you to nd her, and they were offering you far more than any right headed person or alien would ever think to offer, but they seemed desperate, just like you. A perfect match. But you’re not the only ones on her trail. The rival of the mob boss you own money to knows far more about the legend than you do, and he’s already warned you to stay away. But this is your once chance to maybe get off this rock and maybe make something of yourselves.
95
II. Something has gone bump in the station. Play this one either with a small station, tight quarters, and a minimal crew, or a large space with lots of people who are already panicking and on the verge of riots. You’re either the surviving crew of the station, or the persons put in charge of stopping this threat. Ready to be frightened? Good. Here’s a horror hook for you. Jones, the Wrexian sanitation worker went missing a few weeks ago. He was the rst, but not the last. More folks have gone missing. Many more. His...uhh...body, his gnawed on body, turned up yesterday, long dead and sprawled across the promenade. It looks like it was placed there. It couldn’t have walked there on its own. Right?! He was long dead. His mottled scaled shedding all about his corpse, but nowhere else, except for one dull scale clacking against an air circulator intake behind Old Singh’s curry bar. People go missing, but not this often, or this fast. Yesterday, you went to visit your old pal Joker. No one was there. Looked like they left in a hurry, or were dragged out in a hurry. The door was busted. You’ve got to nd out what happened to Joker, why people are going missing, maybe nd Joker before whatever happened to Jones happens to them. III. Want a job bigger than all of you? Want to play the Dirty Dozen and Ocean’s 11 at the same time? Then you need to assemble your team. You only get one shot. This hook can be played with a combination of “bad guys” and “good guys.” The sides on the station don’t matter. Something bigger is threatening your collective home and you have to band together to survive and maybe drive them off. You only get one shot at this. Life was going on like it always was on Marlowe Station: that meaning, it was hardly moving. Then Perseattoi warships were everywhere. One moment the Black was empty, the next, an entire otilla. They shot old Captain Massani. He was just a drunk, the UNCS commander, and your friend. A gloried space cop with a tarnished badge. He tried to protest their troops marching onto the station, and the Perseattoi commander shot him in the face. Marlowe’s governor, VP Jad’zia didn’t protest. She even gave them her oce and locked herself up tight in her home with her family. No one has heard or seen her in weeks. But besides the random invasion of an out of the way space station far from the Perseattoi galactic borders, something isn’t right. That night they invaded the Perseattoi brought something onto the station. Something big. Whatever it is it was sealed inside a massive vault welded onto an anti-grav sled. They marched it down to engineering and plugged it into the reactors. Ed was 96
crawling through the ventilation tubes, as Ed is wont to do, and said that they saw the thing, out of its vault. It was glowing, and cold fog was rolling off of it. Singh nearly shouted when Ed described it to you all at Singh’s curry bar. He says it’s the infamous Perseus Glaukos of legend. He describes it to you all in detail and Ed agrees that is what he saw. If you all could get your hands on it, get it off the station, you would all be richer than your wildest dreams. All you have to do is steal a massive vault plugged into the station’s own reactors, guarded constantly by elite alien soldiers, on a station lled with more soldiers, and surrounded by an entire otilla of warships. But they shot Massani, and they’re in your home. Your pasts are all checkered, colorful where you each learned a unique set of skills and talents. Maybe, just maybe you can pull off the impossible. Massani would sleep better knowing his friends had avenged him.
97
A micro-setting by Robert Denton III
98
Possible Themes: Impermanence, Self-Sacrice, Penance, Adventure, Mono no Aware
The Hook: Floating in a starry sea teems the planet Tāne. Its people know they do not belong here; they are from elsewhere, this isolated world both gift and penance. It should not thrive, and yet it does, the force sheltering their world against space’s cold indifference hidden and unknown. Yet they know that Tāne’s diverse and intertwined ecosystems are extremely delicate. Any imbalance would be their undoing. This beautiful planet is prosperous. It provides everything its people needs, and more… thanks to the Narda. Legends say that the rst Narda crawled out of the ocean centuries ago. She found a scattered people who had fallen from the sky. She united them, emblazoning her tenets on a slab of immortal stone and establishing the laws by which they could all survive. She made no threats, only saying that if her law was disregarded, then Tāne would become a lifeless desert. None dared to test this. This planet was their last chance at life. At redemption. Now, there is a new Narda: Kaya, the sun and moon of Tāne. Beloved by her people, tied to the world by sacred bonds, and lled with compassion for every living thing, she is the spiritual leader of Tāne’s people. She is the vessel from which a fountain of life ows. One day, as with all Narda before her, she will sacrice herself to sustain the world. Without this, the planet would surely die. It is a painful thing to love that which death can touch. Even in paradise.
The Concept At the heart of “Our Beautiful Planet” is the choice between the needs of many and few. As a princess’ sworn protectors, players must balance conicting desires and obligations. It is easy to endorse personal sacrice until one must ask it of oneself… the barriers that divide its people are what this setting is about.
99
Tane’s History Originally a dusty lifeless world with a thin atmosphere (similar to Mars), Tāne was terraformed by an unknown race long ago. Today it is a tropical world with varied weather, seasonal changes, and many forms of thriving life. The planet’s ocean covers about 88% of its surface. Its land consists of sprawling island chains rather than large continents. Few traces exist of those who transformed this world into the verdant jewel of its galaxy, mostly ancient stone temples of inscrutable function. Centuries ago, a group of interstellar refugees landed on Tāne. Comprised of different races and cultures, they ed a great disaster that claimed their home galaxy. Not much is remembered of this, but records show that whatever happened, it was their fault. Their worlds were destroyed due to their own actions (or inaction). Filled with regret and loss, Tāne represented for them a new, undeserved chance at life. Shortly after, the Narda crawled out of the ocean. Beautiful and strange, able to sense their emotions and speak inside their minds, she glowed in the moonlight and left phosphorescent owers in her wake. Reading the refugees’ minds, she knew what laid in their hearts. She revealed the nature of Tāne, that it shouldn’t exist due to its distance from its sun-star, that it lived only due to the sacrice of those who came before. Alone and without anything to live for, Tāne was her lonely garden. Until they arrived. Now, her purpose was clear: to ensure Tāne’s survival. She promised that, so long as they were willing, she would show them how to preserve this fragile world for themselves. If they lived as she said, it would sustain Tāne forever. They buried their histories that day. Whatever they were before no longer mattered. Now they were reborn as the Narda’s devoted. They called themselves the Yiruma and embraced a new way.
Yiruma Tāne’s denizens are the descendants of these refugees. They consist of different races and creeds, yet they don’t consider themselves to be different “peoples,” just one: “The Yiruma.” The Yiruma live in a communal culture preoccupied with concepts of balance. There exist different communities with differing beliefs, but all are united by a single elder council. Balance is their ideal;
100
balance with surroundings, neighbors, and of self. They believe that all things occur as consequences of actions, rejecting the concept of random chaos. This informs all their varying philosophies. Central to their culture is the Narda. There exists only one Narda at any given time. A new Narda is discovered every hundred years, which the Yiruma regard as a reincarnation of the prior. She is their princess. The rst Narda was a plantlike humanoid, but since then she appears as any race. They consider her the spiritual leader of their people. While the cause of their exodus is forgotten, every generation inherits a culturally-based sense of shame. They are taught that they inherited consequences of a great failure and that their born duty is to preserve Tāne’s balance. It is a life of penance for the failures of their ancestors. Thus, the Yiruma have become a self-sacricing warrior culture with strong codes of honor and obligation. While they possess no outside enemies, they practice war in the form of regulated games, duels, and competitions. They have not abandoned technology. They possess impressive engineering, advanced seafaring, vast genetics knowledge, and even energy weapons. But their technology is designed to work in accordance with nature. They do not divert rivers, do not mine, and never disrupt their surroundings. To do so would violate the Narda’s laws. These things are “Tapu,” sacred and forbidden to touch. Furthermore, they have long abandoned spacefaring technology. Tāne provides all that they need. Food is plentiful, disease is scarce, and energy is provided by tides, winds, and sun. It is, for all accounts, a paradise. Albeit one with a cost.
Ritual of Drowning Once per generation, when she reaches the proper age, the Narda is bound, taken to a sacred lake, and ritually drowned. This is necessary for the continuation of life on Tāne. It began with the rst Narda by her own instruction. A Narda contains the energies that sustain the planet. They do not belong to her; they are merely borrowed. If this ritual was abandoned, then the world would slowly die, drying up and becoming a cold desert once more.
101
The lake of the drowned Narda glows for three nights afterward. During this time, the Yiruma leave offerings and remember her sacrice. Then, sometime after, the new Narda appears, and the cycle continues. Sometimes, she is born to a family. Other times, a child steps out of the wilderness, discovered by accident. It is different every time. But she is always recognized by her otherworldly powers. She lives the life of a princess until she is twenty-ve, then following the path of her ancestors.
Kaitiaki The Narda must be protected until her sacrice. There is only one Narda, and the world is not always safe. The Kaitiaki are an elite group of warrior-poets who live to serve her. They heed her every word and protect her at any cost. Some are selected from her childhood friends, ensuring absolute loyalty. All swear inexible guardian oaths. And when the day comes, they will bind and drown her in the sacred lake. Then, they will serve on the Yiruma council, representing her interests after death, until the appearance of the next Narda. It is a great weight to carry. But it must be done. This is the role of our player characters.
Setting the Stage: 1) The current Narda is a human named Kaya. As a child, she wandered into a barn and was discovered sleeping in a hay-pile. The Yiruma rear their children in a creche system, where every elder is considered a parent. Kaya was raised by the village that discovered her and elevated via ceremony at fteen. Now twenty-one, Kaya is friendly, strong-willed, compassionate, and wise. She shows all of the aptitudes of the Narda; she is empathic, can project thoughts, and is capable of precognition. She can create glowing orbs of oating light. While sleeping, she astral projects, traveling beyond her physical body. At night, her hair and eyes glow. The GM should make Kaya as likable as possible. Players should feel a personal connection with her. Simultaneously, she should not seem helpless or meek. Give her a strong, relatable personality.
102
2) Players should create pasts connected to Kaya. Perhaps they are childhood friends, descended from prior protectors, or helped to raise her. Maybe one is romantically interested, another a functional sibling. Let them dene their relationship with the Narda. 3) Let players decide the specics on Yiruma culture. How do they interpret their tenets on balance? What other traditions do they follow? Get players involved in the world building for you.
Introducing Confict: So what happens next? That’s up to you, but here are some ideas:
Lost To begin, have the PCs overcome some minor obstacles with Kaya. Seeking ancient artifacts in the ruins of the lost terraformers. Restoring balance to nearby islands in conict with themselves or with nature. Establish the setting. Give plenty of opportunities for PCs to bond with each-other and Kaya. Create a shared history. Then, after connecting with Kaya, take her violently away. The invasion is swift and merciless. They come from the sky in drop-pods. Their technology and tactics are vastly superior. They seize Kaya without explanation. It happens right in front of the PCs. Maybe they ght, maybe they defeat a few, maybe they can even commandeer an invading ship. But in the end they cannot save Kaya. The Narda is taken and no one knows why. The peaceful isolation of Tāne shattered, PCs must now decide what to do. There are still dormant ships deep in the stone ruins… perhaps they can pursue? If Kaya is not returned within four years, then there will be no sacrice, and the world will be undone. Where did the kidnappers take Kaya? Why do they want her? That’s up to you. Perhaps they are connected to the Yiruma’s ancestors. Perhaps the terraformers of Tāne have returned. Perhaps it was simply a raid made by desperate space-faring mercenaries. Or maybe Kaya wanted to be taken. After all, she is to be sacriced in just four years. All her life she secretly wanted to escape. Perhaps, in her sleep, her desperate longing reached out beyond the stars and found willing saviors. Will the PCs bring her back to her waiting death? Have they any choice? 103
Freedom Let’s rewind. All her life, Kaya knew she lived to die for Tāne. In a few short years, she will be drowned so others can live. But why should it be so? Kaya has no desire to be sacriced. What proof is there that sacrices are what sustains this world? What if this is but superstition, and all this time, in ignorance, the Yiruma have been committing murders? Let the PCs get to know Kaya. Create a shared history, as above. Then, one night, Kaya comes to the PCs and begs them to save her life. She doesn’t believe that her sacrice will sustain Tāne. She wants to live. Hiding Kaya could make them outcasts and criminals. It’s a betrayal of their oaths. Besides, the Narda must die to sustain the world! But can they say no to their friend? Can they bring themselves to doom her, even to save a planet? How long could they even hide her? What if Kaya is correct and Tāne’s fate is not tied to hers? What if only the rst Narda had to be sacriced? What exactly is the role of the Narda in this world? This is for the GM to decide… and the PCs to discover.
104
A micro-setting by Elizabeth Chaipraditkul
105
Possible Themes: Survival, Exploration, Personal Choices, The Nature of Evil
Inspired by: Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Hunger Games
The Concept Humanity is able to travel farther than ever before and spend years at a time in space. They are able to explore new galaxies and reach stars only dreamt of by scientists years ago. The Pillar of Rig explores what happens when humanity nally encounters something truly unknown, foreign, alien. Within the Pillar there is millions of rooms and levels. Within each level is a game, a task you must complete in order to delve deeper into the Pillar. However, these rooms are constantly moving, exchanging, and locking. Once you are in the Pillar there is little hope of ever escaping, unless you play the games. In the centre of the Pillar is the Hall of Champions. Each cell lled with a different alien race who came to this metal monstrosity and became trapped. Each ‘Champion’ who survived is kept in these cells - fed, clothed, trained – until they day they are needed to become part of the games themselves. If someone is so fortunate to make it to the Hall of Champions, they will learn of Philosopher Rig, the genius behind the Pillar. An immortal creature with such a deep seated need for entertainment It created this oating prison for Its own amusement. Only by battling through the Hall of Champions can one confront the Philosopher – only to nd this creature is not corporeal at all, but an essence, a creature of pure emotion – fed by the life and feelings within the Pillar.
Setting Fluff: A metallic hum vibrates through space. It worms its way through ship’s hulls and crawls its way into the minds of weary travellers. Resonating at a tone deep within the realm of dreams, it calls out far and wide. Following this hum leads to the Pillar of Rig. A gargantuan rectangular monstrosity, the size of a planet, lazing in space. Its silver outer shell bears no lights nor windows. There is no propulsion system to be seen, there is only the hum and one large port.
106
Closer to the Pillar the hum intensies, shakes water within glasses and shivers through a person’s spine. The call to the Pillar is irresistible. Any ship that approaches the port is welcomed inside. Within the Pillar, ships are drawn into an empty docking station. Bright lights shine overhead and the incessant humming disappears. A pleasant voice echoes through the station, “Welcome to the Pillar of Rig. You have entered the First Segment. Riches await on the Twenty-Fourth Segment. The Philosopher wishes you good luck.” We landed in the Pillar two weeks ago and it’d seemed like a beautiful sanctuary. The ship docked and we were met by tiny, square robots offering us food and drink. They helped to clean our faces and gave us fresh clothing. Do you know what a fresh shirt feels like after three years in space? A glimpse of heaven in plain, white cotton – a clean slate, a promise of new things to come and new possibilities. Finding the Pillar made our mission a success, we were to be humanity’s heroes. Originally, with a crew of 20, the USS Perseverance had done what no other living human being had done before – we found intelligent life in the galaxy. Eating the plates of sticky, sweet cakes from a benevolent robot felt like taking a victory lap. Then, we awoke from our dream – groggy and drugged from the sustenance we were offered. Each of us was lined up in a row in a metalic room. We heard a ticking sound coming from the ceiling, standing up, the sound became more insistent and with every second it ticked away dread sunk into my gut. Finally, a screeching howl cut through the ticking and the First Trial began. Whirling razor blades erupted from the oor and a foreign survival instinct plunged through my limbs. By the time the Trial was done, we were no heroes, I doubt we were even human.
The Pillar’s Make-up The innards of the Pillar of Rig is comprised of thousands of rooms moving through dark space. Each room is cube-like in shape, suspended in zero gravity and propelled by small jets on each face. When needed, powerful magnets attach one room to the next, the clashing sound and vibrations reverberating through the rooms being connected with one another. Within each room there are various games and riddles, sometimes there is articial gravity and sometimes there is not. Those who are trapped in the Pillar must survive. Pressure plates, dexterity traps, and dangerous creatures with the rooms are all moulded to illicit 107
fear, anger, and sorrow. For those are the strongest of emotions, the easiest to summon forth, and this is what the Philosopher feeds off of. There are only two static rooms within the Pillar. The rst, is the docking bay, where crews are taken and their ships harvested by tiny robots known as ‘buzzers’. The second, is not just a room, but a great hall with numerous cells. Within each cell is a life form savvy enough to have beaten all the Philosopher’s traps, thus awarded the title ‘Champion’ and kept within this ‘Hall of Champions’.
The Champions The Champions come from many different planets in galaxies too far for humans to yet travel. Some are peaceful races, as peaceful a race can be with billions of inhabitants on one plant, and others are more warlike. Humans have yet to be added to the Philosopher’s permanent collection. Each Champion is immortal, fed special diet, and pumped full of drugs to prolong their life. There are the Booax Triplets, three green-skinned men with the miraculous ability to bend their bodies into any shape. Then, there is the Golden Lion, a relic creature from earth when animals still knew how to talk and the world was wiser than it is now. And the Goddess of Neit, who angrily turned away from her people when they embraced a new God. More complex than most, there is She’liaan of the planet Yrleel. Standing an average height for her people of eight foot and with three arms (having lost one in a Trial) and two legs – she is the most ferocious of all. With totally black eyes, soft pink skin, and rough brown hair, over the years she has led her teeth into points, just in case she’s stuck in a room without weapons. Within the pit of She’liaan’s three guts there is a deep sorrow. Many years ago she travelled to this Pillar, a refugee from her planet torn apart by war. Through the Trails she lost her family and, not coming from an expressive people, there was no way to show her grief, but with violence. Each year trapped within the Hall of Champions her sadness alone sustains the Philosopher. She’liaan is the favoured of the Philosopher, and there is no Champion who hates It most. And there are yet more Champions the Philosopher has added to Its rooms. All diverse, all trapped, all holding their own unique emotion for the Philosopher to feed off of.
108
Sample Adventure Hooks: I. Your ship crash landed on the Pillar, but things don’t seem so bad. You’ve been given fresh clothes and a warm bed to sleep at night. Lying on your back and staring into the darkness a soft moan begins to bore into your mind, hissing and scratching. Suddenly, the lights ing on and you see large, red numbers projected on to the walls, “5, 4, 3, 2...” Survive | Try to remain sane | Withstand If you can survive 24 levels, the Trials, the Philosopher has promised you safety. But can you save your crew and your sanity at the same time? What game is the Philosopher playing at and why does It seem to revel in your triumph and failures? What dark plot propels this Pillar forward and how will you get out alive? II. Somehow, you escaped the Pillar and humanity was plunged into a new era of space exploration. Each night you hear screams, voices of the crew who didn’t make it, all of them reaching out through space, to the one who got away. And during the moments just before twilight, the screams dim and all you hear is a metallic hum, the Pillar is searching for you. Be the hero | Save the world | Face what you’ve done The Pillar of Rig has arrived in the Milky Way. The Survivor, the person (or persons) who escaped the Pillar is called upon to protect humanity. The Pillar must be destroyed before it reaches earth, but how? With a nearly impenetrable hull, the only possibility seems to be from within, but what new horrors will the Philosopher have in store for the Survivor? III. Of all the worlds and all the planets, you have only ever known the Pillar. Each day is a life of brutality and sorrow, but the Philosopher has promised if you play one last game, It will remind you of who you once were. You need only survive. Retrieve your memories | Find others like you | Escape Rather than being a human, play one of the Champions, the twisted, immortal creatures trapped within the Pillar for centuries. Fight to regain glimpses of your old life and break the chains that hold you to this sterile place. When your memories assembled, nd other Champions, and stop the Philosopher once and for all!
109
A micro-setting by Steve Radabaugh
110
Possible Themes: Surviving on the Frontier. Freedom from Tyranny and Corporate Greed.
Inspired by: Firey, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Star Wars, Cowboy Bebop, Killjoys, Dark Matter, The Golden Age of Piracy (history).
The Concept “Pirates of the Rim” takes elements of pirates from the history books and puts them in space. Settlements on the edge of space have lost the corporate backing that they needed to function. Lacking resources, the settlements have resorted to scavenging and piracy to get what they need to survive. Corporations pushed the expansion of the human race across the galaxy. An economic disaster forced most of them to pull back, leaving settlements on the edge of the galaxy in their current situation. There are enough resources and corporate interests left to keep only a few outposts well-stocked. Players can be pirates stealing from the corporate outposts trying to survive on the edge of space. Other options for players include: corporate-backed transports trying to dodge pirates to get to outposts, an outpost trying to fend off the pirates and scavengers while they do their job, or bounty hunters chasing after the most notorious of the pirates.
Setting Fluff: “Do they see us yet?” Captain Joan Turner asked. “They haven’t changed their course, so either they haven’t seen us, or they’re looking for a ght.” Julia said as the freighter burned toward them. All the reading showed that the ship was fully operational. Captain Joan’s ship, The Red Raider, was hiding just behind an asteroid, the iron content of which should hide them from scans. “Should” being the key word. “Let’s hope it’s the former, but if it’s the latter, they’ll be in for a surprise,” the captain said. Once the freighter was in the right spot, they burned hard to match course. The Red Raider was a sloop which was smaller than the freighter, but faster and well armed. The freighter wouldn’t be able to get away. Once it was apparent that they were coming
111
for the freighter they started blasting the jolly roger signal on all frequencies. The signal was a shorthand for drop your cargo or you’ll be attacked. They waited for a response. After a minute or so with no response, Captain Joan said, “Fire a warning shot, to show that we mean business.” The gunner, a newer recruit named Jared, red a shot that struck the freighter but intentionally did little damage. Another tense moment went by. The food and supplies that this freighter carried could sustain an independent settlement for months. Selling it to one of those settlements could keep The Red Raider ying for equally as long. Finally a response came in the form of turrets on the freighter ring back. There was going to be a ght after all.
It wasn’t the governments of Earth that took the Human race to the stars, it was the corporations. Planets became corporate assets, and settlements owed fealty to their founding CEO. In a time of economic boon Humans spread out across the galaxy with a new age of Manifest Destiny. However, we spread ourselves too thin. After the economy crashed, most corporations went bankrupt, and the rest merged into a few mega corps. The mega corps pulled back from the rim of the galaxy leaving many settlements unsupported, save for a few needed outposts. Caroline Rose was reportedly the rst ship captain to go pirate. She partnered with the governor of the settlement at New Royal making the settlement a safe haven for pirates. Other settlements saw New Royal as an example of how to survive, leading most to rely on scavengers and pirates to survive. The Meilink Corporation, primarily a mining operation, has kept their interest running on the rim. They claim that there are planets out there that are more abundant in resources making it worth their time to haul crew and supplies out to the rim. Rumors say that they have other shadier operations going on out there that they would prefer keeping away from prying eyes. Either way, they have regular supply shipments coming and going that are ripe for the plucking. Of course, they do keep them protected. Meilink is the most prominent, but not the only corporation operating in the rim. Frontier Dynamics also has a handful of mining operations going on that from what anyone can tell are entirely legitimate. Sanford Research has a few labs stationed out in the rim doing some experimental deep space physics that 112
they say can only be done out on the rim. Finally, a favorite of the pirates, Burke Deliveries, specializes in transporting goods to and from the rim supporting both corporate interests and the independent settlements. Play either as a group of Pirates stealing from the corporate transports trying to survive on the edge of the galaxy, bounty hunters trying to capture notorious pirates, or perhaps as corporate transports trying to fend off pirates while discovering what the Meilink Corporation is really up to.
Sample Adventure Hooks: I. Want to be a group of Space Pirates struggling for survival on the edge of known space? This is the hook for you. Life on the rim is hard. You’ve been crewing in a junk heap under Captain Daryl Peters for weeks looking for a target. You have friends and perhaps a family living on EK105 A, one of the independent settlements. They’re depending on you to bring back supplies. Of course, they never ask where the supplies come from, they’re just grateful to have food. Just when you think you might have to limp back to EK105 A to get provisions for yourselves to go back to hunting, a nice juicy target shows up on the scanners. It’s a Meilink-sponsored Frigate. It’s well defended, but that just means that it’ll have better cargo. Of course, the junk heap that you’re on is a very well armed junk heap. This isn’t a battle that will be easy for either side; there will be casualties. Captain Peters isn’t going to back down; hopefully you can survive the ght. With luck you’ll come out with a promotion. Maybe you’ll even captain your own pirate ship someday. II. Are you looking for a game where you’re a space trucker? Are you interested in exposing corrupt corporate secrets from the inside? We have a hook for that. You’ve been hauling this cargo for the Meilink Corporation for weeks. Thus far, you’ve fought off several pirate attacks. Which honestly isn’t too dicult with the weaponry that the corporation outtted you with. It’s curious that they gave you this kind of weaponry just to protect foodstuffs. Just what exactly is in those containers? What is Meilink up to? You’re almost to your destination, LK139, when another pirate ship attacks. This one is a bit more well outtted than the others. It’s going to be a tough ght. You’re not going to let your questions about the cargo stop you from doing your job. 113
III. So, you’re saying that you really don’t care to help people survive out on the rim, and you don’t care so much about exposing the dark secrets of Meilink? You just want to have space ghts and make money? Then this hook has all of that in spades. You’ve come to accept that the galaxy has its dark secrets, and you don’t really care. You’re just trying to make a living out here. You know that Meilink has it’s faults, but they sure do pay well for dead pirates. You’ve been hanging around a Meilink outpost for a few days waiting for a job to come up that’s worth your time when you see it. A new post on the job board piques your interest. A pirate crew that has been slowly building their reputation got lucky with a score. According to the job, they got general food and supplies from a Frigate on it’s way to LK139. You’ve been around long enough to know that that kind of bounty doesn’t come up for just food and supplies. There was something secret on the frigate. Whatever it is, you’ll bring it back. You take note of where they were last seen. They’ll be heading to a settlement to sell the cargo. An educated guess has you racing to EK105 A to hopefully beat them there.
114
A micro-setting by Ryan Schoon
115
The Setting In the far distant future, the world has achieved total autonomy. Every job can be performed by highly specialized robots, from re ghting and police work to lawmaking and surgery; there is no need for anyone to work. Specialized hydropods provide enough crops to feed the entire planet, and meat is created directly from plant bers with no need to put animals at risk; the entire eco system is in balance. New medicines are created in labs and tested virtually before being given out for free to the population; sickness is a thing of the past. The one-world government, which is overseen by an incorruptible robotic AI named Angel, makes decisions that are in the best interests of the world, free from political or religious ties. Free from the pressures of most governmental systems of the past; an AI cannot be blackmailed or bribed. Angel operates from within a super-computer fortress called The Bastion, hidden someone on the planet. Even though everyone has everything provided to them, some still chose to work. They are driven by an emptiness, boredom, or the need to be productive or creative. They are called ‘Laborers’ or just ‘Labors’ for short. They aren’t paid directly for their work, as there is no need for currency on this planet, but the people who buy their products or hire them for work gift them with items, favors, and portions of their government-granted assets. There has been a growing amount of tension between the “Labors” and the “Norms,” or “Normals:” those who don’t work and instead enjoy life living in their automated utopia. The Norms resent the Labors because they feel like the Labors are shaking up the system and pushing society back to a time where everyone had to work for their money. The Labors look down on the Norms; they feel the world was better the old way, where everyone worked for what they got and wealth was the only true measurement of social strata. The tension between the two groups has caused a radical shift among the Labors. A new group, calling themselves the ‘Blue Collars’ or just ‘Blues,’ is beginning to grow in popularity. This new group isn’t content with nding personal fullment by working while others live for free in their paradise. They believe that without work, class, and war, people are missing out on the experience of truly living. They have researched the history of their planet - the income inequality, the suffering, the starvation, and the deadly wars, and have decided they haven’t earned this paradise. The only way to be alive is to bring the whole system crashing down. 116
These so called “Revolutionaries” threaten the very existence of this planet’s utopia by targeting the AI Angel in order to shut down the planet. The only way to stop them is to stand up against them. And, for baing reasons, Angel won’t do a single thing to stop them.
Creating Your Explorer The world in Post-Scarcity Blues is divided up into three separate factions. The Norms, the Labors, and the Blues, as described above. Before a party of Explorers can be created, the motif of the game needs to be discussed. Will the players take on the role of the Blues and ght against the systems designed to protect the utopia? Or will be they be Norms forced to take up weapons to defend their way of life? Maybe they will play as Labors caught in the middle, forced to decide what part they want to play in the planet’s future. Some groups might choose to play on both sides and turn the scenario into player vs player. Each faction changes up character creation in slight ways, but Race and Weapon Specializations are still chosen as normal, since the Explorers do have access to state-of-the-art training simulations and, in the case of the Labors, some on-the-job training with those weapons.
The Norms The Norms do not work, therefore Norm characters will not have professions. Also, the world does not use currency so there exists no method of buying gear. However, Explorers may roll 1d6 and choose that many common items to represent the possessions they have held onto over the years. Also, since Norms aren’t busy working 40 hours a week, they have the time to expand their horizons and practice new things. All Norms start with 4 traits instead of 3.
The Labors and the Blues The Labors and, therefore, the Blues, are able to choose professions, as they have found work to occupy their idyllic days. These professions can run the gamut; just because there is no real need for a certain job, like a farmer, doesn’t mean a Labor can’t be one anyway. The Labors don’t have access to currency any more than anyone else, but they are often gifted items in exchange for their services. A Labor character may roll 2d6 and choose that many common items and 1 uncommon item. 117
The Resource Pool The key to winning the battle between Norms and Blues lies in acquiring the best gear. Since resources are only rationed out to people as they are needed, the vast majority of gear and weapons lay unclaimed in the automated factories and warehouses that dot the land. By completing missions and scavenging for lost items, either side of the conict can better arm their soldiers. Every time a mission is successful, the winning characters gain 1d6 to a new unique pool called “The Resources Pool.” Whenever a character wants to acquire a new item that they could claim was scavenged during their last mission, they roll a number of d6 equal to their current Resource Pool. The total number of pips across all d6 is how many resources they have to spend. When using Tiny Frontiers gear charts, each resource pip is equal to one Gal Credit. Once a character spends even 1 pip on a die, those dice are subtracted from their Resource Pool. For example, if a player rolls a 5 on one die and a 4 on the other, they technically have 9 resources to spend. But even if they only spend 6 resources, both dice are subtracted from their pool. The player is not required to spend any of the resources they rolled, they can save dice until they have enough to afford what they want. This pool represents the way resources and items are shared in a post-scarcity society.
Playing Post-Scarcity Blues The core conict in this scenario lies between the two factions battling it out. Players will take control of characters in one side of this war, ghting against their opponents, or they can play on opposite sides battling against each other. The objective of the Blues is to bring down the government by destroying the automated systems used to defend the AIs and keep society running. The governmental AIs, the farming protocols, the automatic hospitals, and the like are examples of these Automated Systems. The exact number of systems that need to be destroyed is determined by the GM before the campaign begins. For a short campaign, 3-5 systems is solid number but that should be increased for longer running campaigns. The ultimate goal is to storm The Bastion and bring down Angel itself.
118
For the Norms, their goal is the opposite. They must stop the Blues from completing their objectives. Usually, this means defending a location targeted by the Blues but sometimes it means bringing the ght to them and trying to take out the revolutionary faction. As both factions complete missions, their Resource Pools increase, allowing them better equipment with which to ght the next battle.
Running Missions Missions bring a different format to the rules of Tiny Frontiers; they provide a framework for how the game is played and set a denite end for a campaign. However, missions can encompass a variety of activities, not just combat. As the GM, it is important to run missions that are in line with the players’ objectives; allow them to be the directors of the story. If a Blue’s campaign wants to strike down the solar generators that provide power to the city, that should be their next mission. If the Norms are setting up a defense around an important building, like like a government center, then have the Blues’ next mission assault that building.
Mission Suggestions The Blues should always be trying to bring down the Systems that run the society. The nal mission for the Blues should be to bring down the AI that powers the entire system: Angel. Some great examples of smaller mission targets would be: • Power Plants • Factories • Water Purication Plants • Transporta Transportation tion Hubs • Government Buildings • Medical Facilities • Farms or Hydroponi Hydroponics cs The Norms must protect the systems and keep the Blues away from Angel, or run their own counter-missions. When the set amount of missions for the campaign have been run, if the Norms have defended more locations than the Blues have taken, then they can use their accumulated resources to strike at the Blues Resistance Base and try to take them out once and for all.
119 11 9
A micro-setting by Amy Veeres
Pygon 8 Aliases: “Rocky 5,” “Craig,” “Volcano Hell.” Mission: Investigate ghostminer reports, bring back gold.
Pygon 7 Aliases: “The one with the rings.” Mission: Photograph rare and majestic acidbird.
Pygon 5 Aliases: “Razorblade Death World,” “Papercut Nightmare World.” Mission: Deliver lemon juice shipment ASAP!
120 12 0
Possible Themes: Exhaustion, survival, cynicism, dark comedy, adventure, antiheroes.
Inspired by: The Hitchhiker’s Hitchh iker’s Guide to the Galaxy G alaxy,, Galaxy Quest, Quest , Futurama, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Stargate Universe (the spaceship part, not the relationship drama part).
The Concept “I don’t even know what to do with myself. I’m the last person who should be here.” —Chloe Armstrong, Armstrong, Stargate Stargate Universe Universe So it’s half past the Future and things are a little far into the space-dung. The Space Collective, which is, you know, the galactic government, (call it The Confederation of Planets, Democratic Order of Planets, whatever you like), well, they have a problem. Turns out it’s really hard to police a galaxy. Who’da thunk? Evil villains, corrupt corporations, corporations, rogue aliens, probably some kind of anti-governmentt political faction, like the Browncoats but the bad anti-governmen guys...There’s a lot of problems in the galaxy that can’t be solved by the same skill set. So here’s what they do, and if it sounds stupid, that’s because it is. The planets that fall into line, that don’t have huge problems that the Space Collective has to interfere with, they generally have a surplus of well-off citizens that have some fascination or interest in space, and that’s a resource the Collective is all too willing to exploit. They justify it to themselves, of course, mostly by reminding themselves that these losers are, well, losers. They’re the kind of people that got beat up in high school (there are still high schools in the future, and they really do have a terrible bullying problem). So forget’em, right? Here’s the deal, as it’s advertised. There’s a game you can play, Space Hero Simulator 3048 (or whatever the year is), this boring, droning, dense adventure game where the player is a member of a ctional spaceship crew that ghts vaguely-dened evil, and you need to go through a year in the life of one of these crew members. If you’re enough of a loser to complete the game, your success at the simulation is rated, and if you’re rated high enough, you can apply to actually become a member of a spaceship crew! How cool is that? Awesome, right? You wanna go play that game right now, I bet! 121 12 1
Here’s the problem. The point of this whole exercise is to create exploitable, disposable spaceship crews that can be thrown at a problem and then forgotten about, with minimal resources. Your crew is a bunch of losers like you, ostensibly qualied at the job, but really in way over their heads. It’s usually not until they’ve been sent off on a mission when they realize this, and that contract they signed to join the Collective Guardian Unit is binding. Uh oh. A spaceship crew (keeping this intentionally vague so as not to be like “You must have these roles” or “You need this many players”) basically drifts through the galaxy, waiting to get a mission from CGU Command, it can be anything from “The android commander, Lord Protolock, has escaped from Space Jail and is taking over an android factory!” to “We need strikebreakers on planet Ceti Tenga IV to deal with the Space Oil Driller’s union.” Yeah, it’s not all gonna be fun space adventure. You get this mission, and the crew has to gure out how to carry it out with minimal resources and their limited skill set. The setting runs on two axis: Competence of the crew and Hopefulness of the universe. Most sci- lands on CompetentHopeful, where the main characters are exceptional and talented folks that can get the job done, and the galaxy is full of adventures and excitement. At its darkest, Incompetent-Cynical, the players are out of their depth, barely capable of doing their jobs, and the world exists to exploit and demean them with work that leaves them wondering if they’re the good guys in all this after all. But that’s kind of depressing, and doesn’t sound very fun, does it? So, shake it up. Incompetent-Hopeful would be, for example, Futurama or Stargate Universe, where the crew isn’t cut out for the job, but they manage to nd some kind of meaning or peace with the jobs they’re stuck in. Competent-Cynical would be closer to Guardians of the Galaxy or Firey, the players are basically great at their jobs, to everyone’s surprise, despite constantly having what amounts to space-dung ung at them from all sides.
122
Setting Fluff: Perneth Lumley closed her eyes, sitting on the corner oor of her closet-sized quarters on the IGS Snapdragon, hugging her knees and ghting back tears. This can’t be right. There has to be some kind of a trick. Captain Rayburn – hah, Captain...Not much older than the science ocer, glasses held together with holoputty. She looks and acts about as t for her job as the science ocer does hers. “Perneth, we really need you to...” The would-be science ocer stopped listening. She sounds more like an older sister giving a lecture than someone that should be in charge of anything. Perneth shut the door and locked it. Whatever’s going on, they’re better off without her. That’s the last thing she remembered, before the explosion.
Sample Adventure Hooks: I. Alright recruit. This is a pretty easy training mission. We just need to help a local planet complete destabilize a mega-corporation, remove all corporate inuence, preserve the economic and social stability of the planet, while not turning a major corporation into an enemy. Alright recruits! Good luck! You’ll be graded on this mission! The Sigma Corporation has made rst contact with a prespaceight civilization and set up shop, literally. The interstellar megacorporation now dominates planet P5V-707, also known as Tazel to the natives. They have now begun mining operations. in addition to the destructive effect their presence has on the world’s economy, this mining is likely to deplete P5V’s natural resources in a matter of years, creating economic, social, and geological instability. The crew has to gure out how to remove Sigma’s presence from the planet without causing a social or economic vacuum left by the disappearance of “the businessmen from space,” who the planet has restructured to rely on. II. Like it could get worse right? You’ve been run ragged, and it’s time for a vacation...right about then, a klaxon goes off, indicating a new mission from headquarters. I mean, how hard can it be at this point. You remigrated the Voidworms swarms, conducted diplomatic exchanges with the esh-eating Yorg-zhan-vor, and even managed to get your arm reattached (and it mostly works!)...this’ll be easy...
123
The Android Warlord, Lord Protolock has somehow broken out from the maximum security prison, Asteroid Maximus, and is on the run. It’s known the android will try to link up with its former resistance ghter allies, and continue the campaign for Android Liberation! The crew is tasked with capturing this dangerous military criminal before that can happen. But hey, you don’t need more gear, a new ship, or real combat training right? It’s just an Android. Oh, and Protolock was last seen in an warbot manufacturing facility. Probably nothing. But just in case, you might wanna take a blaster or two. III. Ok. Phew. It’s all done. We managed to resolve all the tasks set forth by CGU Command for us. We’re a pretty good crew. Time for shore-leave…$**#. That void-burned klaxon is going off again. What could it possibly be this time? Klandoop, fry that klaxon. If I hear it again, I’m venting this ship... Alright, here’s the deal. Your ship is the only ship available, and you’ve been tasked with chasing down a missing cargo container that CGU Command says is essential. No one has it. It’s just crashed on a planet. In a quadra-star solar system. On a jungle world. Known for it’s carnivorous plant life. Oh, and the container will explode if not deprogrammed. Gotta protect that sensitive cargo after-all. Remember you space suit, and your rebreathers. Atmo can be kinda sketchy down there. Here’s the planet designation: Herbamortem-7. It’s in the sector we affectionately refer to as: The Spiral of Death Planets, or SOD Planets. It’ll be fun! You’ve never seen plants like this.
124
A micro-setting by Steve Diamond
125
Possible Themes: Wreck Diving, Wild West, Aliens in Stasis, Mystery, Horror, Adventure
Inspired by: Diving Into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Indiana Jones, Alien, Predator, The Abyss, True Grit, Firey.
The Concept: The concept for this setting is fairly straight-forward. In the far reaches of space, orbiting a planet on the border of unknown space, is a debris eld. This debris eld is made up of wreckage from two massive spacefaring races that blew each other into extinction. Known as the Junk Yard, many of the galaxy’s technological advancements—and some of the galaxy’s largest disasters—have resulted from salvage operations here. As a result of the huge disasters (entire space installations have vanished without a trace, and at least one planet has had its entire population killed), the orbiting debris eld is policed by the brutal Belt Kommandants… known as Junk Marshals. Entering the debris eld without permission ratied by the Galactic Senate—which is impossible—is illegal, and trespassers are shot on sight. But with all the potential wealth lurking in the wreckage, being killed seems like a completely worthwhile risk… After all, who wants to live forever? PC’s can tackle this setting in a number of different ways. Sneaking in for new technology? Awesome. Rumors of life within the debris belt? Fantastic. Playing as the Junk Marshals tracking down fugitives who have escaped into the eld? Have at it.
Setting Fluff: “Stevens, cut the thrust and bring us to coasting speed.” “Yes, Ma’am.” Stevens tapped at the controls on the display in front of him. At once he could feel the reverse jets kick in, slowing their ship, the Sallah. He looked over his shoulder to the ship’s captain. “Drifting, Ma’am. Our trajectory will take us right into the natural orbit of the Junk Yard.” “Good job,” Captain Kasey said. She ran a hand through her short, blond hair, then nodded. “Are the others ready?” 126
Stevens tapped at the controls again, bringing up a display. It showed a small crew, geared and ready. One looked up into the camera and gave a thumbs-up. “They are ready, and the cargo bay is clean and empty.” Kasey smiled. “Then let’s go make some money” Here we go , Stevens thought. What’s the worst that could happen?
Welcome to the Junk Yard. The Junk Yard is a debris eld orbiting the planet AR9082 in the Paradigm System on the very fringes of known space. The planet itself is hardly habitable, and it’s impossible to know why two alien species—dubbed the Garm and the Obelisks, though not a single corpse was ever found—would ght to their mutual extinction above it. And yet, that’s exactly what happened. Well, at least that is what historians have inferred. Fifty Earth-standard years ago, a piece of debris from the Junk Yard somehow tore loose from the orbiting eld and tumbled its way into a known, inhabited system. This discovery led to a galactic “gold rush.” Cloaking technology, medical advancements, and of course, weaponry all cascaded through one-hundred years of advancement in the next ve years. And then came the accidents. Space stations went dark. Planets died. Various species were infected with an unknown alien virus that turned them into altogether different creatures. Some would say monsters. And so the Junk Yard was quarantined. The Belt Kommandants let no one in, and execute any who try to enter without permission… which no one can obtain. But since when did a “Do Not Enter” sign ever do anything but make the desire to enter anything but stronger? Who are the Garm?
Early studies, before the quarantine, suggested they were a bipedal race, approximately half-again as tall as the tallest of the human race. Most of this is still conjecture, and based upon the interior size of their ships, and equipment that suggests the need for two hands and two feet. 127
Their ships were almost all crescent-shaped, suggesting a uniformity in design and production in their shipyards. No information was ever discovered as to the origin of the Garm— named by Doctor Ertil Garmyn—though an unsubstantiated rumor began circulating the galaxy that the remaining Garm would return to our galaxy soon. The Obelisks are much more of a mystery, if possible. Their name derives from the look of their ships. Nothing in the interior suggests the race’s appearance, other than a presumption of being huge. Their ships were massive, each one being twice the size of the largest Garm ship. Of all the advancements made since the discovery of the Junk Yard, one-hundred percent of the military advancements come from Obelisk ships. Guarding the Junk Yard are the Belt Kommandants. Referred to as Junk Marshals, they were assigned by the Galactic Senate to guard the belt of wreckage. As years went by, they became more and more zealous in their duties with what many view as some sort of religious fanaticism. They shoot rst, then don’t bother asking questions later. Rumor has it that they have scoured the Junk Yard for advancements in weaponry to help them with their charge. Other rumors say they are guarding the galaxy from threats within the Junk Yard.
Sample Adventure Hooks: Each one of these hooks have the same goals: To make the player characters central to the unfolding story, to create a vehicle for interpersonal drama and mystery, and to reinforce the themes of the setting, be they adventure, horror or some mix of the two. The secondary goal is to challenge the players to make dicult choices. I. So, feel like going on an adventure? This is the hook for you. Deep in the debris eld, there are countless hulks just waiting to be dived and explored…and pillaged, of course. Think of it as a heist…with zealous Junk Marshals itching to chase you through the Junk Yard and blow you into vapor. You have a good pilot right? It sucks living in this galaxy. It sucks even worse when you are poor. The only thing making it bearable is the crew of your ship… if you can call your hunk-of-junk a ship… …and let’s be honest, your crew isn’t anything to send an FTL message home about, is it? But all that changes with a simple message from your broker on Taurus III. He has a client that wants Garm and Obelisk tech from 128
the Junk Yard. And the client is paying, as your broker put it, “A stupid, idiotic, glorious, insane amount of money.” That kind of money sounds like it is worth the risk. Plus, you owe your broker a favor since you screwed up the last job thrown your way. II. Maybe you are a horror fan? If so, bless you. You obviously have discerning taste. This can be played a couple of ways, each offering a unique experience for the group. Play as the Junk Marshals or as a crew looking for a score. Even the most experienced space cowboy may question sanity when presented with the unthinkable… You know how there’s never been any life discovered in the Junk Yard? Heck, not even a desiccated corpse has ever been found. No biggie, right? Then there is that moment when sensors pick up a life signature in the midst of debris. It’s a big life-form. Bigger than any of the intelligent species on record. It’s on the biggest wreck in the Junk Yard. And it doesn’t seem to be holding still. Just imagine how much you could get for an alien corpse? The timing of the reveal of the life signature may well determine who you are playing. Junk Marshals would see it from their stations and ships and go to investigate. As a group in the Junk Yard illegally, it could be more…uh… fun, to have the life bloom happen on the ship you are investigating! Don’t worry. It’s doubtful a GM would ever have the life form be an a dormant alien that stalks and murders all the players. Right? III. Want a group of mixed Junk Marshals and regular debris scavengers? Excellent. Collaboration or conict? That’s up to you. But everyone loves a good revenge tale. On the frontiers of the galaxy, all sorts of sentient species go about their lives, surviving day-to-day. It’s not a glamourous life, but why would you want it to be? There is something primal and satisfying in hard work. Whether you haul ice from asteroids, or help terraform a previously inhospitable planet, who cares as long as you are your own person…or, err, alien? But then you go home, one day, and nd your family or your town gone. Murdered or taken. But you have a lead. And it takes you to the Junk Yard. Now, normally the Junk Marshals would as soon as make you additions to the debris eld as speak with you, but they do have a particular code of honor. And they do love their manhunts. 129
A micro-setting by John D. Kennedy
130
Possible Themes: East Versus West, Justice, Law and Order, Ethics, Treasure
Inspired by: Doctor Who, Warren Ellis, Brisco County Jr., Maverick, Serenity
The Concept Messick is a world caught between the collapse of its biggest market and being ignored by its planetary neighbors. Considered the new galactic backwater, people come to Messick for three things: to get rich, to get lost, or to get someone. Messick does not just have a collapsing economy to blame for its problems; the reawakening of the Avonti, a mysterious race of seemingly primitive aliens, has led to attacks across the Frontier. The Forts do their best to keep trade going across Messick but with alien attacks and a lack of supplies, most people get used to being on their own out here. The Avonti are more than just mere “savages” that plague the “civilized townsfolk.” The Avonti were the rightful owners of the planet, and they were the heirs to a civilization full of advancements humanity has yet to dream of. Deprived of understanding of their technology due to the death of their Seers, the Avonti wield monomolecular swords and wear nanite reinforced armor into battle against homesteaders who have nothing better than primitive rearms and a few laser weapons. The planet can be a place to start over for some, and many believe there are still more Tritonium deposits to be found out there. Time will tell if the planet is worth saving or if the people there can survive the hard times to come.
Setting Fluff “I told you, boy, git! Git you cantankerous mule!” Ralph kicked the side of his Roboporter, a machine that had clearly seen better days. Its legs were in mismatched colors and its head, once stylized to look like an actual animal head, was now a crudely duct taped together box with the sensor diodes poking out. “Ralph? You ready to move out or what?” Jessie ran up the hill, her lungs burning under the thick Messick Mojave dust that was kicked up by the wind. “I heard horns in the distance. Ain’t nothing good from hearing strange music in the Mojave.”
131
“Yeah, I get you.” Ralph gave the Roboporter one last kick and the machine managed to leap up and start walking. “You nd anymore Tritonium dust? Maybe scratch up enough so this whole debacle is worth something?” “Oh, something better.” Jessie held up a solid chunk of Tritonium the size of her st. Ralph’s eyes went wide and she could see the gears spinning in his head. “Let’s get this back home before we…” A deafening war scream pierced the air, and gures wearing shining chainmail with ornate battle helmets leaped out from behind nearby trees. The chainmail shrouds hid the features of their faces, but the grey skin on their bare arms showed who they were; Avonti! “Well Ralph, looks like we gotta nish this lot before we get paid.” Ralph drew his revolver. “Ain’t it always the truth?
Western Star takes place in a land where failed businesses have led to people going back to a very simple way of life in order to survive. Unable to get off world when the Tritonium industry collapsed, the people of Messick have found other ways to get by. Farmers tend to their crops while feuding with open grazing ranchers whose Moggalo herds roam the Mojave almost unchallenged. Messick was colonized by the Capstone Corporation, and most of the collapsing cities and reneries still bare the pyramid symbol of their corporation. Tritonium was a booming industry, and because of it Messick was once considered the next big frontier to tame and colonize by the Commonwealth. Full of vast plains and deserts, the true prize of the planet was its Tritonium deposits. With Tritonium the Commonwealth could build FTL ships and beacons, and mining only a few pounds of it could feed a family for a month. But the mines dried out far faster than expected, and with the awakening of the Avonti the planet became a poor investment. Hundreds of thousands left almost overnight once the economy collapsed, leaving behind failing spaceports and giant buildings now full of predators or crumbling architecture.
What are the Avonti? The most important thing to know about them is that they are not savages. The Avonti were a race that once dominated Messick, or Avon’Tala as they called it. They were a race of scientists and explorers, and they traveled the stars through great portals they could summon out of thin air. Their race was truly great and magnicent, but they 132
were brought low by a plague of their own devising. As the virus burned its way through their cities, the Avonti had no choice but to seal away their people in vast underground chambers. These chambers would keep their people safe until they could be safely awoken when the plague died out after a hundred years. This was 50,000 years ago. The majority of the vaults failed and their inhabitants died peacefully in their sleep. Only one vault, the Vault of Tessanas, has managed to reawaken. Its people were safe, but they were left in a world that was as alien to them as it was to the human invaders who claimed their holy lands. All of their machines were lost, and even worse the great Seers had passed away. The Seers were the ones with working knowledge of how the machines were supposed to work, and though they could teach others to be Seers, few possessed the information needed to rebuild. The Avonti did their best to settle this post-apocalyptic world peacefully, but as humans encroached on their lands and killed the few Avonti who tried to reason with them, they realized they needed to do more to protect their lands. Creating weapons and armor from the hyperalloys of their vault, the Avonti have become to organize their Knights to protect the lands around them. Small efdoms have begun to develop as the Avonti push out across the Messick Mojave, bringing them into further conict with the settlers. The Avonti have smooth skin, with golden eyes and thin hair often kept pulled back behind their heads. They are lean but very tall, and they are able to carry as much as a human can. They prefer to go into battle with swords, shields, and axes, though some have managed to get old crossbows functional. Their weapons, though seemingly primitive, are sharp enough to cut through hardened battle armor with ease. The human government of Messick is the Messick Mining Authority, a holdover from when the corporations dominated the planet. The MMA does its best to keep people safe, but they have maxed out their government’s credit and almost every piece of prot they have goes towards paying down the interest on the debts the government has accrued. The MMA routinely nances expeditions to search for Tritonium deposits in the hope that the next big vein will be found soon, but until it is, the planet continues to be unable to support itself. Law is carried out by the Stars. Each town has at least one Sheriff who is given a badge that gives them absolute authority to carry 133
out the law, and more dangerous towns are appointed more Stars. Some towns make sure that their Stars are men of decency and honor; in other towns, the Stars are corrupt and cruel, who use their authority to belittle and hurt their fellow townsfolk.
Sample Adventure Hooks: Each one of these hooks have the same goals: To make the player characters central to the unfolding story, to create a vehicle for interpersonal drama and mystery, and to reinforce the themes of the setting, be they adventure, horror, politics or some mix of the three. The secondary goal is to challenge the players to make dicult choices. I. Loneliness. The idea of being completely alone, with no one else around, can be as terrifying as being trapped in a crowd. Now the group has been cut off at an inn in the middle of the Messick Mojave, and when the innkeeper disappears fetching rewood the group has to decide whether to leg it or nd the missing person. The Prancing Pony has been a God send to weary travelers making it up the ol’ Cayenne Pass, and if not for Morris and his Peppered Stew many people who have died trying to make the trek. We got here just before that sand storm hit us, but now Morris has wandered off somewhere. Strange noises are heard outside the inn at night. I know we all sleep better with our guns under our pillows, but do we stay here and take our chances or hightail it for the mountains? II. A dead prospector, a woman claiming to be his wife, yet another woman claiming to be his wife, and rumors of a buried treasure? Is the headache of uncovering this mystery worth the possible reward, or will it only lead to more pain down the way? Know what I heard happened last night? A lone prospector, his cybernetic arm freshly sheared from his body and covered in burn marks, enters the town. He collapses in the dust, and says only one thing before he dies: “Clairabelle.” Rumor has it that not long after they took the body away that a woman showed up claiming to be his wife and demanding they not do an autopsy. Then get this! Another woman shows up claiming to be his wife, and she says the same thing! Rumor has it the prospector was pretty well off, so it makes you wonder if he found something precious before he dropped dead, know what I’m saying? III. A conspiracy almost as big as the Mojave. A crashed ship leads the group towards exploring whether the Messick Mining Authority has made a deal with the devil. After a cattle ship crashes 134
in the Mojave, the group discovers that the ship was not carrying livestock but Avonti slaves on their way to Earth, and locked inside the ship was a sealed chest locked with Government codes. Has the government been secretly tracking in slaves, and what is in the chest that cannot be opened? Slag me. I can’t believe what I saw. Still can’t believe it. I was part of a crew sent to secure the Maple Downing, a convoy ship that was supposed to be full of cattle on their way to Osephi V. Well, we found the crashed ship alright, but when we pried open the hatches we found more than what we bargained for. Avonti. Lots of them. All trussed up as if they were on their way to a market to be sold. Maybe thirty of them, I don’t know. We tried to check the ship’s log but they had been wiped shortly before it crashed. And we found this strange safe that looks like it takes government issued card keys to open. I can’t do it. I’m not that brave a man to do it. The faces haunt me, but maybe you’re a stronger sort than me. Ain’t right what they’re doing. Just ain’t right.
135
Dedications: A lot of thanks go into a project like this. I can’t possibly cover everyone. But I’ll try. Consider this book a thank you to all the pioneers and explorers of science, space, and the future, either in the real world sciences, or the realms of ction and imagination. I’m following in the titanic footsteps of immensely talented minds. I can’t measure the gratitude and thanks to the backers of the Tiny Frontiers Kickstarter, who put their trust, money, and fun in my hands. I hope you’re pleased with the results, and that you get to explore great stories. A thank you to Thomas Keene, who worked tirelessly to help develop this game. Can you believe we started our RPG journey over ten years ago together now? Apologies and thanks to my co-writers and contributors, artists, graphic designers, and playtesters. This product would be a shadow of itself without their help and input. Any errors or mistakes are clearly mine, and not the results nor work of these ne and talented individuals. Lastly on this list, but foremost in my heart, a thank you to my wife, who remained incredibly supportive and innitely patient through this journey, despite it’s terrors and surprises. I love you.
136
