The Amber Zone Adventure Contest is Back

The Amber Zone is once again holding its Adventure Writing Contest. 

Amber Zone Adventure Writing Contest 2019

This means War!

See here

The style of the entries should be in the style of the Amber Zones in the old JTAS. (First Players’ Information. Then Referee’s Information without any D6 options.)
This years theme is War. (This could be anything from a small local war on a balkanized planet to the Fifth Frontier War.) The PCs don’t have to be directly involved in the war. The war could be a background story.

I sent in two entries this time: a little jaunt I call Burn the Philadelphia!, and a rescue mission Doctor Aardmore, I Presume?

Check the Amber Zone site for mine, and all the other great entries. They are being posted one per day until all are up.

The "Big Phil"

RIP Commander McGee

Something has occurred in a game that I have never experienced before as a Traveller player. I started playing in 1982 or 83. In all that time, I have never had a player character die. Until now.

At yesterday's session of the once-a-month gaming group that I referee for my boys and their friends, Commander McGee died. The game was set in Holtzmann's Corridor, on the planet Dekalb. The PC group had just finished a job, capturing an escapee from a hospital who had been exposed to some weird things which resulted in him being super-fast and strong. This was in essence the Amber Zone The Werewolf Disease, which I reviewed a few years back. 

After tracking him for two days, they finally were able to confront him, only to find he dodged and dashed away at high speed, frustrating pursuit on foot. The quarry was finally brought to heel by Maj. Reaper hurling his sword him, at Medium range, and hitting the man in the leg. There's a bar story for you.

McGee, we barely knew ye.

Well, they got paid for the job, and decided to go to Stavanger next. I explained the various travel options, and McGee's player decided to travel Low Passage to save cash. The liner had a qualified Doctor (Medical-3) aboard, and he had no -DM for low Endurance. All McGee needed to survive the Low Berth process was to throw a 3 or higher. The target is 5+, with a DM of +2 for medical support.

He thew Snake Eyes.

The Brothers of St. Cuthbert took care of burying McGee, and my son had a few spare character sheets lying around. McGee's player picked one, announced that this was McGee's brother, transferred all his gear and cash to the new character, and we rolled on.

Product Review - The Bronze Case

TheBronze Case, by Richard Hazlewood, published by Stellagama Publications

My buddy Omer at the Den of the Lizard King sent me a copy of this adventure. Thanks Omer!  Go get a copy, visit his blog, and tell him what you think. I'm making my review in the format that I've used for reviewing the JTAS Amber Zone adventures.

Location: Amaterasu, a mid-pop, high law, TL-8 world

Patron: Amy - a freelance agent.

Mission: Help Amy deliver the bronze case to its destination.

Complications: There are a lot of folks who want to steal the case. The local law level means that the Travellers won't have access to their usual assortment of heavy weaponry.

Payoff: Cr 10,000 to the group for successful delivery.

Strong Points: This is a good old-fashioned “accidental spy” adventure, where the Travellers get swept up in bigger events swirling around them. Once it gets going, they won't have time to stop and catch their breath. There's plenty of danger, and options for player ingenuity. The NPCs are nicely fleshed out with MgT style stat blocks. A successful mission means the Travellers now have a new contact in Amy, and maybe a romantic possibility? They may have new enemies, or patrons, depending on how they respond to the other players in the drama. By scaling the opposition, this adventure could be for a solo PC.

Weak Points: Not a lot of opportunity for PCs to bring their social skills into play, the opponent forces are (as written) not likely to listen. The titular case is a macguffin, which does reduce the PCs motivation to simple monetary gain. Players might decide partway through that bailing on Amy is safer, if less rewarding. One niggle: the local TL is 7 (1970's Earth) but vehicles are all equipped with GPS devices? Maybe MgT breaks up the TL periods differently from CT.

What I'd change: I have no suggestions for this adventure. It's a fast-paced gig that could be played out in one session or two. 

In My Traveller Universe: If I ran this adventure, I'd put it on Kemasiik, in the Corridor [B-68466B-5]. The Law level is high, and the captive government could put the lockdown on commodities the gangs are after. The Empire has some influence there so Talaveran corporations could have facilities on-planet. Local TL is low, but with off-world influence (Kemasiik is controlled by VanGoff's World) there could be lots of TL-7/8 gear to be had.

Map: The adventure route runs roughly along the coastline, but I decided to change it up a bit and give the players two routes. Both have a half-way point where one of the plot points occurs. Each hex is approx. 100 km.

I made this map, using Hexographer. It may be reproduced or modified without permission.

 

The Birthday Plot - Amber Zone Reviews # 38

The Birthday Plot by Keith Douglas, from JTAS # 23

Location:Efate (Regina/SM 0105 A-646930-D) shortly after the end of the Fifth Frontier War.

Efate's celebration of the war's end

Patron:A dying man in an alley. He mumbles some semi-coherent words before dying, including a reference to a birthday plot. Now it's up to the PCs!

Mission:Discover what the dying man meant by his final words. Uncover the truth of the plot, and counter it.

The 2015 Amber Zone Contest is on

Surf on over to the Amber Zone (or see the link in my blog roll) and check out all of the entries in this year's Amber Zone Adventure Writing Contest. 

Pay particular attention to my three entries:

• Sinking Ship
• Aid and Comfort
• The Outer Limits

but do check out all the other awesome adventures, like and share!

Amber Zone - a Hostile Takeover

I wrote this adventure last year as a contest entry, and shared a snippet of it on my blog. Now I've edited it, and fit it into my TU, in Holtzmann's Corridor. 

A Hostile Takeover

Player's Information:

The PC's are contacted by a business factor on Dekalb (TL-9), looking for a small team to infiltrate a mansion. The Board of Directors of the Intertec Corporation, LLC, have a problem. The CEO of the corporation, Mr. Hanse Cyris has been out of touch for weeks, and hasn't been seen in person in months. He was always reclusive, but this is the longest he's ever been gone. The corporation is facing a financial crisis occasioned by the CEO's absence & non-leadership. The Board has voted Mr. Cyris out, but the local law requires that he be present at the company offices to handle the transfer of power.

Mr. Cyris' last known whereabouts is his mansion at the edge of the city, which sits in a secured, walled compound. The PCs are hired to deliver the CEO to the company offices. They are authorized, as contract employees, to employ all necessary force to secure Mr. Cyris unharmed and bring him to the offices. The Board provides the group with a dossier on the Mr. Cyris, so he can be positively identified when they find him. The mansion is technically corporation property so they are not trespassing. The Board requests that the building itself be damaged as little as possible, but expect some damage as Cyris had installed numerous security measures without advising the Board; he was known to be very concerned about his personal security. Payment will be Cr 10,000 per man, plus any hospital expenses. Excessive damage to the mansion will be deducted from the pay. 

Ventures Afar - Amber Zone Reviews # 37

Amber Zone: Ventures Afar, by John Marshal

Check out the series introduction here.

Location: The adventure begins on Denotam (Vilis, Spinward Marches 1413) but covers much of the Vilis subsector.

Patron: Shalmar Sulankin, a corporate officer of Denotam Traders, LLC; a subsector-wide shipping line.

Mission: A recent string of ship losses to piracy is threatening Denotam Traders with the loss of important mail contracts. The company can replace the ships but not the revenue from the mail runs, they are critical to the company’s budget; without them DT goes under. The company wants to avoid this, and hires the PCs to discover why the sudden increase in ship losses has happened. If the PCs can directly stop it, they are directed to do so; otherwise they report back to the company and let them handle it. The company wants to keep the ship losses secret to avoid upsetting the local stock market and causing them more headaches.

The Thing in the Depths - Amber Zone Reviews #36

Amber Zone: The Thing in the Depths, by Marcus Rowland from JTAS # 22

Check out the series introduction here.

Location: the planet Sturray (Foreven/Mowbrey 2017 C-7A9215-A)

Patron: Jackson Hollis, the colony manager.

Mission: Hollis needs trained operators for a search & recovery mission. The PCs will be given a hydrofoil kitted out with extensive detectors. A dredging craft has gone missing, and is probably on the bottom of the ocean. Even if it is too late to rescue the crew, the colony wants it found and the cause of the disaster determined.

Capable of over 50 knots.

Top Ten and Bottom Ten Amber Zones

A very familiar Amber Zone World

     I'm almost done reviewing all of the Amber Zones from the original JTAS issues #1-24, but I decided to take a look back and summarize what I've gone through already. Some were good and some were bad, and that's all just my opinion. Please argue with me in the comments if you disagree. 

 The Best of the Bunch

# 1 Aces & Eights A mystery, a murder, a fortune, and a chance to be Big Damn Heroes, this adventure has it all.
# 2 Thoughtwaves - In my review I described Thoughtwaves as one of the best AZ's written. I put it at #2 because of the two, I would rather play A's & 8's. Other than that, these would tie for first.
# 3 Coup d'Etat Another one that just sounds like such fun to play. Hey, you get to rescue a princess, how cool is that?
#4 Dagger at Efate You're aboard an out-of-control starship on a collision course with a planet. What else could go wrong?
#5 Homesteader's Stand Defeat the baddies, save the town, get the girl. Wait, is this a Western in space?  Awesome!
#6 Loggerheads The setup for this one is straightforward - stop the runaway Plot Device. But what if the Plot Device is more than you've been told? 
#7 The Werewolf Disease A manhunt on an island. Did we mention he's paranoid, super-strong and armed?  Oh, could you bring him back alive, please?
#8 Tarkine Down, Thunder on Zyra, Soft Bunk, Ticket to Swords - These are all Mercenary or Striker scenarios which could be expanded into longer campaigns.
#9 Pride of the Lion The Most Dangerous Game, with Aslan as the targets. They may not actually want your help.
#10 Chill The Weak Point I mentioned in my review is what puts this to the bottom. A transportation scenario in sub-zero weather and an enemy more dangerous than the weather.

The Bottom Ten

From least worst (10) to worst worst (1).

#10 Chariots of Fire This is the 'least worst'. I would put it on the other list, but its central premise is committing a crime, and I have stated repeatedly that I don't like crime scenarios.
#9 Lockbox - I panned this one in my review, but I'd like to hear why BeRKA liked it so much.
#8 Small Cargoes - Either a smuggling job, or a non-exciting adventure in acquiring permission to import goods to a restricted system.
#7 Geria Transfer - Over scripted and linear, but has some interesting bits to it.
#6 Last Flight of the Themis - A crash investigation where the PCs have nothing invested in the answers but a paycheck.
#5 Foodrunner - There's just nothing heroic about fighting off a horde of hungry peasants who just want some food.
#4 Planetoid P-4638 - An industrial espionage job that could fail utterly before it even begins.
#3 Rescue on Ruie - You want us to break a rich-kid admitted criminal out of a max-security brig because his rich dad wants us to? Uh, no thanks.
#2 Rule of Man Commemorative - As written the least exciting of all the Amber Zones.You will almost certainly not even notice the bigger plot going on around you. Yawn.

And the worst Amber Zone of them All is:

#1 Scam You commit one crime, for which you get paid by information which, if you commit another crime, might just maybe net you some dough, while getting a lot of Imperial attention, and the guy who set you up has legged it with the real payoff. NO! THANK! YOU!

For comparison, here are BeRKA's Top Ten from The Amber Zone. We agree about many but not all of them.

1. Aces & Eights, by John M. Ford from JTAS #14
2. Roadshow, by John M. Ford from JTAS #23 I haven't reviewed this yet.
3. Foxhound, by J.D. Webster from JTAS #14
4. Chariots of Fire, by Anders Blixt from JTAS #18
5. Thoughtwaves, by John Ford from JTAS #13
6. Small Package, by J. Andrew Keith from JTAS #19
7. Royal Hunt, by J. Andrew Keith from JTAS #12
8. Lockbox, by J. Andrew Keith from JTAS #13
9. Embassy in Arms, by John Marshal from JTAS #24 Or this one.
10. Homesteaders’ Stand, by William H. Keith, Jr from JTAS #21 

Image from Map 1100 by Tom Bont, from his program Astrogator.

What does Game Balance look like in Traveller?

As I understand it, in many current RPGs, of various genres, there is a concept called game balance, by which the Referee/GM scales the size and capability of monsters or NPC groups to the capabilities of the PC group, so that the PCs have an even chance of being victorious in the encounter.

Classic Traveller . . . has none of that. That concept is nowhere to be found. I have reviewed 35 Amber Zone adventures on this site, and I own all of the GDW Adventures and Short Adventures. None of them have any discussion in the preparation section for how many PCs should be part of the crew, or what skills or weapons the PC group should have. There's usually a pre-generated list of eight characters in the standard Traveller short form, but no indication that all of them need to be included.You've just got to be prepared for anything.

Over on the Facebook Traveller-RPG page, there was a discussion last month about this matter. A new member asked the group if there was in Traveller an analogue to D&D's challenge rating. Several posters replied that Traveller just don't work that way. I won't quote, since I don't want to take the time to ask permission, but several responders gave advice like this:

• Running away may sometimes be the PC's best option. You can and will be outnumbered or outgunned.
• In-game aspects like Tech Level and Law Level will influence how hostile NPCs are equipped, but that's an aspect of the game world, not game mechanics.
• Avoid encounters with NPCs that have fusion guns and Battle Dress.
• Learn to negotiate. Use the Reaction Table!
• Traveller PCs are not meant to be super heroes or demi-gods. They're talented and adventurous, but normal people. More Dominc Flandry and Slippery Jim DeGriz than Conan the Barbarian or Gandalf. 
• Remember that NPCs should also have motivations beyond being an obstacle for the PCs. 

 For all of the assertions that Traveller combat is deadly, I have to note that a while back on the Citizens of the Imperium board I asked how often did players have PCs get killed in a game, and most of the answers were "not that often". Perhaps they just heeded the advice to Run Away, or depended more on sneaking about than fighting. 

However, the following weapons, if encountered, should be avoided:

The PGMP/FGMP series of 'high energy' weapons.  The least bad of this lot will dish out 12d damage, enough to kill an average PC twice (average 42 dmg vs stats 777[21]). 

The VRF Gauss gun. This is a fully automatic hopper-fed rail gun spraying 10 round bursts. Whole squads can get mowed down in one round by this one. Duck and cover!

The Gauss rifle. One of the most popular weapons in the game. Semi or full auto, integrated electronic sights, 4D damage with autofire bonuses and an Armor DM profile to make the lowly shotgun jealous. 

The LAG (light assault gun). A modern rifle in old flintlock calibers (.60+). Multiple ammo types and good range. 

Laser Rifles. They've got good armor DMs, except against Reflec, and great range, and are available by TL 9. 5D damage has almost a 1 in 4 chance to kill an average PC in one shot.

The lowly shotgun. Nothing says Traveller like Shotguns in Space. Range isn't great, Armor DM's aren't great, but against weak armor a 4D blast will put you on the mat in a hurry. And they're legal just about everywhere, and so low-tech that you can find them anywhere.

Please note that with even the basic, simplified CT rules on wounding and recovery, if two stats are reduced to zero [777>bang> 070], the PC is unconscious and without Medical-3 care recovery is not possible. Auto pistols are capable of inflicting this level of damage, so treat the big guns with respect.  With the advanced medical rules detailed in JTAS 11, we get the deterioration rule which ticks off additional wound points if aid is not rendered pronto. So the advice to sneak and run is well worth heeding.

Homesteader's Stand - Amber Zone Reviews #35

Amber Zone: Homesteader's Stand, by William H. Keith

A beautiful girl, a besieged ranch and a gang of armed thugs. Welcome home Traveller!

Check out the series introduction here.

 

Location: the planet Lorelei (Foreven Sector, Fessor 0108) C-668742-7 in the Greensummer valley and town of Firstfound.

The parish church in Greensummer valley.

Patron: Dawn Sinclair, a childhood friend of one of the PCs, who also calls Lorelei home. This fact is written into the adventure; the referee will have to set it up with one of the players before the adventure begins.

Mission: The Yedos, a group of supposedly persecuted religious zealots from nearby Blukjere; have shown their true colors as ruthlessly aggressive supremacists. They have run nearly everyone out of bucolic Greensummer Valley, with the exception of Dawn's father. He refuses to abandon his land or submit to the Yedo's intimidation. As such, it's only a matter of time before the Yedos try to force him out, ahem, permanently. Dawn wants the PCs to 'help' her father, but it's up to the players how they will help.

Complications: Lorelei is a peaceful farming world of ranches and small towns. The constabulary is outgunned or cowed by the Yedos or both; the planetary government is not able to assemble a militia. The PCs are on their own and as such they are very outnumbered. The Yedos travel in packs and have automatic weapons; plus their supremacist philosophy means they are very unlikely to be persuaded by negotiation – they believe they can just take what they want as the natural superiors. They also have a number of Loreleians in their camp; supposed converts that are likely used as slave labor. The group leader, Lord Jerfed is reputed to be invulnerable.

Payoff: Dawn doesn't have much money, and the local town of Firstfound isn't rich either. The adventure suggest they may provide more social rewards for ridding them of the Yedos; medals, awards and reputation. Dawn might reveal a romantic interest in the PC she knows, and want to join the PC's group. Plus, defeating these jerks is just the right thing to do. They are arrogant selfish takers, with no regard for anyone they consider 'inferior'; that is, anyone who isn't one of them.

Strong Points: Another strong entry by the Keiths. I want to run this adventure. This is a good solid story archetype; it is a form of Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven. Referees can/should watch one of these films to get cues on how to portray the Yedos, Mr. Sinclair and the other Loreleians. The problem that the PCs face is simple while the solution to it is not. There are many ways the PCs can approach this besides full frontal assault with guns blazing. The biggest limitation is the amount of equipment they have to hand with which to counter the Yedo's advantage of numbers. Being arrogant rather than paranoid, it is likely the Yedo's camp is not well secured so the PCs can spy on them and perhaps sneak into the camp. Even if the Lord Whatshisface gets taken out, the rest of the Yedos will not disappear in a puff of smoke, it could be a long battle to bring them all to heel.

Weak Points: The absence of effective constabulary or national militia is not entirely plausible; but it is also a conceit of the game that allows the PCs to take center stage. As such I'm willing to mention it and move on. Depending on the players, the potential romance might be a role-playing opportunity or an unwanted distraction. There is little about this adventure that is strongly science fiction; unless the PCs have g-carriers and fusion guns, this could be set in the 19^th century in the Wild West.

What I'd change: Going with the idea from the weak points, how would this adventure play differently if one or both sides had contra-grav and energy weapons? Maybe not that much, as it is a battle of wills and wits. It should be possible to disconnect the adventure from the 'old home week' hook and replace it with another motivation to aid the people of Greensummer valley. If the PCs have a strong tech advantage, I would give the Yedos more men or a small number of anti-vehicle weapons. If (or when) this becomes a gun fight it should be a nail-biter.

In My Traveller Universe: I don't have any worlds that match Lorelei's climate, population and tech level, but it seems like the kind of thing that would happen on an Independent world rather than a member of a star nation. I'll pick Lasham (Dormar-Ostrander 0609) because of its remote location.

Map: The map details Greensummer valley, with marks indicating Mr. Sinclair's farm and the Yedo's compound. The Amber Zone gives no description of the valley, so this map is just my version. Referees can make their own. The Sinclair ranch, Yedo camp and town of Firstfound are all marked. The black lines are roads, the blue rivers and the red is the boundary of the Yedo's control. 

How Greensummer was my valley . . .

I made this map, using Hexographer. It may be reproduced or modified without permission. Photo taken from http://littlevisuals.co/ Assumed to be in the public domain. 

Raid on Stataorlai - Amber Zone Reviews # 34

Amber Zone: Raid on Stataorlai, by Keith Douglass

Check out the series introduction here.

 

Location: Stataorlai asteroid belt, (Kyaenka 0605, Dark Nebula)

Patron: The PCs are recruited by a representative of Clan Hweaolriya (hereafter H-clan), the clan to which the PCs belong.

Mission: The PC's clan is at war with the Aeahekihiykhiy clan (hereafter A-clan). H-clan leadership suspects A-clan is assembling a fleet to strike at them, but they do not know where. The PCs are hired to do strategic reconnaissance of the titular system, looking for actionable intelligence of the suspected military buildup.

Complications: The system the PCs are investigating is under the control of the Eakhtawa (hereafter E-clan) clan; officially neutral but favoring A-clan. If the PCs offend the E-clan it could bring them actively into the war, on A-clan's side. As such, the PCs have to avoid any hostility with E-clan that can be tied back to H-clan.

Payoff: Pay is not mentioned in the adventure. The PCs may be considered active duty military and as such do not undertake the adventure for pay. The PCs are provided with a ship for this mission, so maybe they will be allowed to keep it in exchange for being available for other missions.

Strong Points: This is the first Amber Zone written specifically for Aslan characters.

However, this adventure can easily be modified to work for human PCs. The situation calls for a lot of planning, subtlety and coordinated action. Towards the end, the PCs will be able to take more direct action, which should be very high-tension. If they succeed they could short-circuit A-clan's war plans, and give H-clan a real edge.

Weak Points: This is a very linear adventure, the author gives only one way to go about handling it. Any other ideas by the PCs will be completely off-script, meaning the referee has to make it up as it goes. As I read the text, there is about a 50-50 chance that the PCs will be discovered in the first week. If they're 'made' then the mission is over. The ships of E-clan will pursue any unidentified ships – the text states that E-clan ships are 'always hostile'. The PCs actions are pretty much scripted for them by the mission parameters - there's not much freedom to choose.

What I'd change: I would give the PC's the possibility of cracking coded communications between ships at a Lagrange Point aka Trojan Point which might avoid the need for direct action. I would allow the PCs to try stealthy things to change the odds of them being discovered.I would also sketch out the course of the clan war, and allow the PCs other scouting or combat opportunities; stretching this adventure out into a campaign.

In My Traveller Universe: I don't have many asteroid belt systems in my TU, and few are Independents between even minor powers. The best bet would be to locate this adventure in Sutter's Belt (Dothan-Talaveran 0103). Either the Stedhard Alliance or the Kassiran Defense League could be using the Belt, but neither side would want the Dothan Alliance getting in on their opponent's side.

Map: The most of this adventure takes place in titular asteroid belt, so the referee will want to sketch up the belt with its gas giants & their Trojan points.

Critical Vector - Amber Zone Reviews # 33

Amber Zone: Critical Vector, from JTAS #20 by William H Keith Jr.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

Location: Vendetierre, a backwater middling-tech planet. No location for this planet is given in the OTU.

Patron: Everybody on the planet. Seriously.

Mission: Vendetierre's number has come up; there's a Killer Asteroid on the way and the PCs have the only ship in the system. So it's up to them to divert or destroy the threat before it wipes out all the people on the planet.

Complications: In one sense, this mission is very simple. Find a way to divert or destroy the asteroid before it collides with the planet. This is not complicated, but it will be very hard.  The asteroid is huge, it is only about 96 hours away from impact, and if they don't pull this off, BOOM! Everyone Dies.

Payoff:The successful PCs can pretty much write their own checks at that point.

Strong Points: Suit up, Travellers, it's time to be Big Damn Heroes. The idea of cracking open an asteroid is a fun adventure concept that has appeared in a lot of science fiction. I had not realized how popular until I read this Wikipedia article. The PCs can try just about anything, and get to do space walks, and blow stuff up! The ticking clock aspect makes it dramatic, as does the fact that cracking the asteroid is the only thing they can reasonably do to save more than the merest handful of the locals. 

 If it turns out that the PCs can't prevent the disaster, the referee could then build a whole new campaign around disaster recovery. What will Vendetierre look like after an asteroid collision?  What if a few people did survive, what then?  Could they rebuild the society?  Should they just transport the few survivors off-planet and leave a dead world behind?  Morbid as that may be, a post-disaster campaign has lots of potential.

The PCs do have the option of agreeing to shuttle a few wealthy persons off-planet and leave the rest of them to their fate. The referee is encouraged to make this option as difficult as possible if the PCs want to try it. As referee, I would take steps to ensure such a decision haunts them for a long time. Talk about a reputation: "that's the crew that left a whole world to die, all for the sake of profit."  Public opinion if not Imperial opinion would be against them from that point on.

Weak Points: If you're trying to maintain any amount of hard sci-fi seriousness in your game, you're asking for a big, big debate. Are tactical nuclear weapons going to significantly move, let alone destroy, a space object described as a 50 kilometer wide rock & a "mountain of nickle (sic)-iron” that's moving at 30 km per second? The folks over at TVTropes explained this pretty well: Sci-Fi writers have no sense of energy.(see the bit on the movie Armageddom, under Film). The Wikipedia article referenced above makes it sound like serious scientists think that it might work. Hey, it's a game, go with whatever will be fun.

There is also an inconsistency in the write-up of the introduction. The PCs are supposed to be delivering a cargo of industrial widgets, which sounds like they had been hired by a local firm; but the text says that their arrival was "sudden and unexpected". So which was it?  This is a minor issue, but worth mentioning.

The asteroid Vesta

What I'd change: I have already used this adventure with my PCs. However, the asteroid was a comet, and therefore made of ice, and it was not on a collision course with a planet. The goal was to fragment the comet and harvest the bits to use as a new water source for a near-desert planet. I made the comet a lot smaller than the 50 km behemoth in play here.

In My Traveller Universe:This could happen anywhere, of course, and with a hard sci-fi orientation, even a TL-15 planet would have trouble diverting such a massive rock. However, in keeping with my pattern with these reviews of trying to match a planet IMTU with the planet given; I would set this adventure on Venestia, near the Stedhard Alliance. The starport is low-grade, the tech is TL9, and the population is in the low millions.

Map: As this adventure takes place almost exclusively in space, no map is really needed. The referee could easily sketch out a range band map, with each range band representing 12 hours of asteroid flight time. 

Images courtesy of NASA. 

Pride of the Lion - Amber Zone Review # 32

 Amber Zone: Pride of the Lion, by John M. Ford 

This time the Aslan are the prey, not the hunters!

 Check out the series introduction here.

Location: Grizel (C-768400-6) No location is given for Grizel in the OTU, other than it is an Imperial world, near to Aslan space.

Patron: Martin Trelane, an old acquaintance of the party.

Mission: Rescue a family of Aslan from a local rancher, who has taken them prisoner. The rancher is playing out a revenge fantasy against them, in the fashion of The Most Dangerous Game.

Complications: The patron is wounded, the PCs are going to be outnumbered and outgunned, none of the locals will be willing to help. The rancher has no intention of letting his quarry win/escape, and will not let the PCs live either, once they get involved. One of the Aslan is a child, but that will not stop the rancher from killing her.

Payoff: Trelane asks the PCs to 'help', not 'do a job'. He has no time to haggle over fees or rewards. In the end, the PCs should gain from their help.

Strong Points: This adventure jumps straight into the action, and time is of the essence! The players will have to come up with a plan on the fly, including how to find the Aslan before the rancher does. For once, the PCs may be motivated by something other than money; helping the patron & the Aslan is just the right thing to do. The bad guy is a jerk, but the author gives him enough backstory for the players to understand why he is playing out this revenge – it doesn't make him sympathetic, but it does make him three dimensional. If the PCs are successful in their rescue attempt, they will have gained a significant Contact among the Aslan, and opened the door to future adventures with Aslan NPCs & Patrons. A side note: if any of the PCs already have a negative attitude towards Aslan, this adventure will have even more complexity and opportunity for role-playing. Don't ignore the moral aspect of adventures!

Weak Points: I do not see anything in the adventure itself as written that I want to change: nothing is illogical, silly or ripping off the PCs.

What I'd change: Before I ran this adventure, I would include Trelane as an NPC in another adventure, perhaps also at least referring to the Aslan. If the players are already familiar with Trelane, and with the Aslan, they are more inclined to jump to the rescue.

In My Traveller Universe: With some work, I could convert the Aslan (I have no non-terran aliens) into a minor human culture which is insular and tradition-bound. The language difference would still exist, and the story would have to be changed only slightly to fit the new societies' details. I would locate this adventure on the planet Hinar in the subsector called the Wilds. It is TL-4, sparsely populated and controlled by cattle barons.

Map: The ranch and its environs. The Ranch house is in the center, the Aslan ship is to the east, at the starship icon.

Map scale: 10 km/hex

I made this map, using Hexographer. It may be reproduced or modified without permission.

Photo credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/720704

Small Cargoes - Amber Zone Reviews # 31

Everybody knows "small packages" is a Trader euphemism for smuggled goods.

Amber Zone: Small Cargoes, by J. Andrew Keith

Location: the planet Karin (SM/Five Sisters 0504)

Patron: Kyle Veristan, a businessman from Penelope, a planet one hex from Karin

Mission: Quietly deliver a package to his sister on Karin, avoiding import duties – in other words, smuggling.  The smuggled goods are pharmaceuticals which the sister needs.

 

Short Shelf Life, deliver at once!

Complications: The package is on the restricted items list on Karin, so discovery will carry significant penalties – fines rather than imprisonment/execution. There are multiple layers of customs inspection to get past in order to make the delivery.

Payoff: Cr 500,000 to the group, payable upon confirmation of delivery of the goods.

Strong Points: This could be a good solo mission: it has a stronger motivation behind it than Chariots of Fire - the goods are medicine which the patron's sister needs to live. So it's a mercy mission, forced to be a criminal job by bureaucracy. The alternative endings given introduce further complications and can serve to lead into other adventures.

Weak Points: Overall I have enjoyed Mr. Keith's work, but not this time. As I have observed about several other Amber Zones, I don't like that the patron is specifically asking the PCs to commit a crime. At least the reason this time is more legitimate, it's a humanitarian type mission. The Amber Zone as written requires the PCs to engage in  smuggling & bribery, so PCs without those essential social skills are likely to feel left out; as well as the combat-oriented PCs. One other thought. If the patron has that much cash to hand out to the PCs, why isn't he doing any of this himself?

In particular, please do not confiscate and incarcerate.

What I'd change: This does not have to be a criminal enterprise at all, and I would encourage players to try non-criminal methods. The whole challenge of this adventure as written can be gotten around by persuading the sister to cross the extrality line, and giving her the pharma where it's legit. The patron could set up a regular round trip for her to get her dosage, he's got the cash for lots of high passages. The sister's medical condition is real, and one assumes documented, so that it would be easy to explain frequent trips. 

 

 PCs could also go to the Navy, be completely upfront about what they want to do, and use Admin/Liaison or any other reaction modifiers they can think of to persuade the Navy patrols to grant an exception. They're getting paid half a million, I think they could afford a few fees/penalties for the extra paperwork. A sympathetic diplomat or priest (somebody with both pull and immunity) could be brought in to lend their persuasiveness to granting an exception, and no illegality would have to be employed.

In My Traveller Universe: I would set this adventure in the Union of Socialist Worlds, which has the most reason to want to restrict imports to their worlds.