Amber Zone: Rescue on Ruie by Jeffery May from JTAS # 1
Location: the country of Nebelthorn, a small dictatorship on the planet Ruie (obviously).
Ruie is a industrialized but pre-spaceflight balkanized world with a
near Earth-normal conditions. The environment is not a factor in the
scenario.
Patron: An Imperial corporation official, whose son is in trouble on Ruie.
Mission:
The son's been arrested and sent to the cooler. The corporate man
wants his son busted out. Nebelthorn is not under the Imperium so he's
resorting to clandestine methods. The objective is simple – get into the
prison and extract the son.
Payoff: the corporate man offers the group a used free trader (a 37 MCr value!) with which to make their escape.
Complications:
The son is not being held at a county jail, he's in a maximum security
prison doing hard time. Guards and active defenses are in use.
Strong
Points: This scenario will appeal to those who like lots of action over
puzzle-solving or social interacting. The goal is clear and the
potential payoff is huge. This could be the start point for a mercenary
campaign – the group establishes their cred by busting open the prison.
Weak
Points: Did I mention that this is a maximum security prison they're
breaking into? Unless they bring a huge gang they're going to be
horribly outnumbered. It will be a tough job for the Referee to provide
a balanced adventure here that the PCs can survive. The guards will
have no reason to hold back against the PC's and as this is a maximum
security prison the guards should not be incompetent. There is also the
fact that what the PCs are doing is a crime, possibly an Imperial crime.
It is a blatant violation of their national sovereignty. There should
be some kind of repercussion from this action, the Nebelthornian
government is going to complain loudly to the Imperials. They'll know it
was the Imperials because they know who the target is and target's
father is. From there Imperial investigators can trace the PCs. The
scenario states that the son was fairly convicted of a crime, and while
the sentence might seem harsh, it is legal. This just makes the PCs'
assault all the more criminal.
What I'd change: I'd make the
prison a lesser security facility, and confirm that the son had faced a
kangaroo court instead of a legitimate trial. I might change the payoff
to a smaller ship, or travel vouchers, or a chunk of cash, depending on
whether the PC group could actually crew a starship.
In My
Traveller Universe, I'd put it on Latoria [Weitzlar subsector 0405].
Latoria is balkanized, TL 9 and near enough to either the United Planets
or the Union to fit the general outline of the scenario.
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