Drannixa Gambit - Amber Zone # 25

Amber Zone: Drannixa Gambit, by J. Andrew Keith from JTAS # 15

Check out the series introduction here.

 
Location: Azun (Solomani Rim 0809), in the Elskay & Drannixa arcologies

Patron: Arthur Wilcox, a politician of Elskay, and blackmail victim.

Mission: Wilcox wants the PCs to rescue his daughter, who was arrested under false pretenses by the government of Drannixa, another arcology. The Drannixans are using the trumped-up charges as leverage to force Wilcox to ruin a lucrative trade deal for his city, which Drannixa will then snap up at lesser cost.

Complications: The daughter is accused of participation in a conspiracy which attempted an act of terrorism. All the members are facing the death penalty. Because of the nature of the charges, simply removing the target from custody will not be enough; the PCs must also destroy all of the falsified computer records. She has been implanted with a tracer that will have to be removed. The computer records are restricted, and not easy to access. While the government figures are committing blackmail, they can hide/disguise it; the PCs are likely to commit several crimes which the government will prosecute if they get caught. Exposure of the blackmail may occur to the players, but it will be difficult and is outside the scope of the adventure. The target herself does not realize the severity of her situation, so she may not be completely cooperative with the rescue attempt.

Payoff: Cr 15,000 each, plus a High Passage off Azun. This seems low, given some of the price tags on previous Amber Zones, but that might be an indication that earlier adventures were overpaying.

Strong Points: This issue of JTAS has a feature article on Azun, which provides lots of detail and 'flavor' for the adveture. This is a classic rescue/extraction scenario, which will be familiar to all the players. While some specific skills are called for, it is not necessary for the PCs to have come from an espionage background. The mission will require a lot of planning and coordination by the PCs, and has plenty of opportunities for the referee to insert extra difficulties. These will allow for fast-thinking improvisation, which is always exciting. The drama level should be pretty high. 

Weak Points: Even with the main articles' details, there's not a lot that's very 'sci-fi' about this adventure. It all takes place indoors, which can become very generic without regular reminders of the peculiar nature of the arcology. This is a pretty mild criticism, and I'll even turn it around by saying that the 'generic' nature of the setting makes it easy to transport the adventure to another location.

What I'd change: I would make some of the evidence physical (say, hard-copy video recordings) rather than digital so that it can get lost/re-taken if the operation has gone too smoothly. I would introduce a specific NPC police character that will be a foil to the PC's plans. The officer will be an honest cop, who believes the evidence is genuine, and is loyal to the city. He is a former adventurer, so he thinks like the PCs, and can counter their moves. The PCs may try to convince him of the blackmail plot; what will happen if they succeed? If they get away with it, he may reappear after they leave Azun, pursuing them with a warrant for their arrest.

In My Traveller Universe: As I said, this adventure could effectively happen anywhere with better than 20th century tech level, so I will place it in the Corellian League, on Nouveau Avignon (Dormarc-Ostrander 0107)

Maps: The Drannixa arcology is several kilometers high, with hundreds of 'floors' so mapping it would be difficult. Referees should only design maps of detention areas, computer data centers and other relevant parts of the arcology. 

  A graphic showing the scale of an arcology vs. a modern skyscraper.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:XSeed4000BurjDubaiComparison.jpg

Aces & Eights - Amber Zone #23

Check out the series introduction here.

Over at the Amber Zone site, this adventure is rated #1 of the Top Ten Amber Zone Adventures.

Amber Zone: Aces & Eights, by John M. Ford from JTAS # 14

The famous Dead Man's Hand - but what's the hole card?

Location: Aboard ship, the cruise liner Domine Allegro, and the planets it visits.

Patron: Firenze Ltd., the cruise line owners.

Mission: The line's administration wants the PCs to take a journey aboard the ship, and observe a professional gambler aboard, a retired soldier named Sgt Major Prester, who the line suspects is cheating. Get some proof either way, and keep the pro from bankrupting other passengers – this would be negative publicity for the line. It's a pretty easy assignment – keep your eyes open, play a lot of cards, and don't tip your hand to the target.

Payoff: The line is offering transportation and good accommodations, an initial block of chips with which to gamble, and the ability to keep any winnings above the initial stake. If the PCs don't gamble or don't win, they effectively lose nothing – it's the house's money.

Complications: The Sergeant Major is not the only soldier on board, and some of them seem to have interest in Prester as well. Prester gambles well. and talks a lot but not about his old Army unit (the 1188^th  "Aces and Eights" Brigade); he might be cheating, but it is difficult to tell because he's so good. The mission takes an unexpected turn when Prester is directly accused of cheating by another gambler. The search for the truth will lead to revelations about Prester's old unit, and who else is interested in it. The other interested parties are willing to play hardball to get what they want, and the PCs may find themselves in the way!

Strong Points: This is a well constructed adventure, where the mission is clear, and there's no railroading by the referee. The players face one then two mysteries, and the second can expand into another adventure or easily a whole new campaign. The second mystery is a real puzzle, but like all mysteries, it is obvious once you know what you're looking for. The opposition is tough, but not overwhelming, and there is plenty of opportunity to use brains and skills, but the PCs better have their guns handy.This is another adventure that I really want to play out.

Weak Points: The key to this mystery is hidden pretty well, if the players don't catch on quickly, the other interested parties may well get away and disappear.

What I'd change: This adventure stands well as it is. I would change nothing but the details to put it into my TU.

In My Traveller Universe: I would begin this adventure in the Ostrander Federation, with the cruise liner travelling in a sweep towards Gringamore, the last stop on the cruise ship's line. 

Maps: If the referee has access to the FASA Adventure Ships set of deck plans, the plans for the Type M Subsidized Liner would work well for the shipboard action. Or use the Starships and Spacecraft booklet from Judges Guild. There is a planetside stop, but as a map would give away important plot points, I will not include one. 

The illustration is taken from the Wikipedia article "Dead Man's Hand" and is licensed to be shared.

Amber Zone Adventure Contest Entry #1

This is my first entry in the Amber Zone Opening Contest. I am posting the Player's information here, the Referee's Information will be posted at the Amber Zone site.

Amber Zone: A Walk Through the Valley

 
 Player's Information:
      Planet Melpomene (C-5437B7-9, Red Zone) is entering its second year of a civil war between the repressive central government and a coalition of rebel groups, which has some foreign backing.

      The Melpomenian government is a non-charismatic dictatorship, under Premier Alcazar, that is somewhat efficient, repressive but not brutal, and indifferent to religion as long as they pay the taxes.

      The rising rebellion (the Freedom and Justice Party) claims to be democratic, having several several ideological camps under its umbrella. The rebel leaders claim to be neutral towards religion, but several of the sub-groups are accusing the Church of endorsing and collaborating with the old regime. They are targeting Christian parishes for ransom, seizure and destruction.

      Government forces are too tied up with fighting a war to protect the Christians, which they never cared about in the first place. Some government forces are reportedly claiming the Church is supporting the rebellion and carrying out punitive strikes.

      The Archbishop of Longmire, a neighboring world, has learned that the PCs are an honest and honorable crew, and seeks to charter their ship. He asks that they go to Melpomene and find the local Archbishop, Konstantin. The situation has gotten dangerous enough to warrant withdrawing him from the planet until the war is over. 

     Most of the world's Christians have gone into hiding, and Bp Konstantin knows where the sanctuaries are. The Archbishop of Longmire is able to offer a success-only contract for Cr 20,000 to each crew member who participates in the rescue mission. Part of the contract stipulates that the crew must avoid the use of deadly force, even when protecting the Archbishop. 

 Who's up for a rescue operation?

Solar power from space for Traveller

The picture above illustrates what is claimed to be by this website the amount of Earth's surface that would have to be covered in current (2014) generation solar panels in order to provide electricity for the World, the European Union and Germany, from largest to smallest box.  

     While the distribution network would be logistically complicated, and there would be some loss from resistance in the power lines necessitating some increase in the area of the boxes, this is pretty impressive. I have not studied the science behind this assertion, but I am assuming that it is reasonably correct.

     In an earlier post I discussed why food would be the big trading commodity in the Far Future instead of energy. If the above assertion is correct, then the problem of powering a stellar tech society becomes trivial. 

     The average population of the 260+ planets in my TU is roughly 44 million, or about half the population of Germany in 2014. The tiny box on the right, probably less than 50 km on a side, would certainly suffice for the worlds on the lower side of that average. Even my highest population worlds, with people in the hundreds of millions would not need a box bigger than the large one - and they also have a whole world surface to choose from in siting it. There's no necessity for all the solar panels to be in one place, so break the box up into smaller boxes and scatter them about on all the less-enticing bits of land. 

    This doesn't even bring into the equation the potential for Space-based Solar Power, which takes the real estate issue even further out of the picture. This concept has been in the theory/development stage since the late 1960's, and one of the major issues is cost of boosting the equipment into space to begin with. 

     Imagine what another few levels of tech development would do for the cost & technical difficulties. The introduction of contra-gravity technology for space & orbital transportation at TL 9 alone should greatly reduce the barrier of cost. 

You get major Sci-Fi cred if you know (Before reading the Wikipedia article) what major science fiction writer proposed this method of power generation in a short story in the 1940's!

     As solar power, particularly from orbit, is both free and inexhaustible, a world that uses it as the sole or primary source of electrical power will not be dependent on either hydrocarbons to burn or water for hydrogen fusion. There could be interstellar trading in electrical power (superbatteries) much like trading in hydrocarbons today.

     These solar collection farms, whether on the ground or in space, will be strategically vulnerable points. Travellers can interact with them in a number of ways, including:

• commando raids to cripple planetary power grids as part of a planetary invasion
• repair missions working in hazardous conditions vacuum or atmospheric
• an unusual location to visit and have a 'space station' adventure
• accidental or intentional impending collisions with ships or space debris (watch out for near-C rocks!)
• illegal tapping into the power grid for private purposes
• delivery/installation of space based collectors
• terrorists attempting to redirect the microwave beam onto a populated area
• ground-based facilities run entirely by robots could be a great hideout location for the PCs or for the baddies.  
• Exploration work on the ground, surveying new regions of the planet for potential siting of solar collectors. 
• New trade item - large-scale batteries. imagine the potential danger of a cargo bay hit in space combat while carrying Terawatt level capacitors. Wait, then you could build one-shot spinal mount weapons in smaller ships. Oh dear, what have I done?

Thoughtwaves - Amber Zone Reviews # 22

Check out the series introduction here.

Amber Zone: Thoughtwaves, by John M Ford from JTAS # 13

A mysterious sub-marine pyramid structure. What danger or revelation is contained within it?

Location: Kehaan, a planet in the uninhabited 899-076 system in the Vilis subsector.

Patron: The administration of Weishaupt University, also of the Vilis subector

Mission: The PCs are to rescue an archaeological team that was captured on Kehaan by the Zhodani when they invaded the star system, in the course of the Fifth Frontier War. Any data the team has compiled should be recovered as well.

Payoff: Cr 100,000 per scientist, Cr 500,000 for all of their data.

Complications: Plenty. First, the archaeological site is underwater on a planet with an atmosphere that isn't breathable without equipment. Everything has to be sealed up. The survey team is examining an apparent alien artifact; a step-pyramid structure on the sea floor under 40 meters of water. Second, there is the occupation force of Zhodani soldiers. It is only eight men and two officers, but they are professional soldiers, equipped to (probably) TL 13+; and the two officers are both telepaths. They will give any PC group a serious fight; and the Imperium is not going to come to the rescue. 

The Zhodani arrived with a small task force to take control of the planet, uncontested of course, but in the landing a Zhodani gunboat destroyed the survey team's submersible ATV, killing two scientists. As a result, there is very little goodwill between the two groups. The commanding officer of the Zhodani has allowed them to continue their investigation of the site as a sign of good will, but is unwilling to allow any of the Imperials to leave.

Third, in recent weeks weird things have begun to happen. The two officers have been subject to random psionically induced headaches and other discomforts, which at first they thought was an attack by the archaeologists. A psi-scan of the scientists has ruled that out, but cost the officers whatever good will they might have had with the Imperials. One officer has tried to psionically examine the topmost level of the pyramid, but is being blocked. 

Tensions and tempers are rising with each psi episode, and someone may decide to become less than civil. And lastly, there's the curious circumstance that some of the scientists have seen what they think is the ghost of one of their dead colleagues . . .

Strong Points: This adventure has great atmosphere from the setting: dim red lighting and dripping corridors, to the mystery to solve. This is a real sci-fi adventure; the players will not have trouble remembering that they are not on Earth. Even if they solve the mystery of the alien artifact, there is still the more conventional problem of the soldiers who have orders to not allow anyone to leave the planet. The PCs can fight or negotiate, but in either case it will not be easy.

Another well done aspect of this adventure: the author points out that the players can take the part of the scientists, or the Zhodani, and leave the 'rescue' element out of it altogether!

Weak Points: The setup, because it is so specific and detailed, works best in the OTU in the time line of the Fifth Frontier War. Re-casting it any where or any when else will be very complicated. As written, the alien construct is a macguffin; the PCs will not be able to use it and certainly not take it with them if they escape. Maybe that's not a weak point, but it could be a tantalizing treasure to dangle before the PCs, who have no chance of getting it.

What I'd change: Nothing apart from setting details to move the adventure into my Traveller universe. This is a well thought out and well written adventure that stands up as it is. This is one of the best Amber Zones I've read.

In My Traveller Universe: It is hard to say where I could put this in my Traveller universe, as I do not have a society analogous to the Zhodani. If I were to include one, I would probably put it in the Weitzlar or Wilds area, away from the mainstream of the galaxy. 

Maps: The referee will have to draw up a map of the pyramid's interior, the adventure describes the structure in general terms. A map of the on-land and underwater portions of the archaeological site will be helpful but not essential.  

Lockbox - Amber Zone Reviews # 21

Amber Zone: Lockbox, by J. Andrew Keith from JTAS #13

Check out the series introduction here.

Location: no specific location is given, but the description give the impression that it is not a backwater. The planet Otrai (Foreven 2613) is named as being nearby.

Patron: A ship crewman, who does not give his name.

Mission: He asks the PCs to hold onto a key, and deliver a package, currently in a lockbox at the starport, to the owner who is arriving on-planet in a day or so. Cash and a key are given, as the patron suddenly rushes off, as if being pursued.

Complications: This adventure is nothing but complications. The PCs discover the patron dying in an alley almost immediately after hiring them. He leaves them a cryptic message (“don't look!”). Soon after, mysterious persons will approach the party and demand they be given the key to the lockbox, saying that the contents are theirs, and was stolen from them. If the PCs do not comply, they will be followed and attacked at random points. No matter how many of the mystery men they defeat, there seem to be more of them coming.

Payoff: Cr 250, plus another Cr 250 upon delivery

Strong Points: Kudos to Mr. Keith for making research, not gunplay, the central component of this adventure. It's a mystery, and you solve a mystery by learning more about the situation. Who killed the patron, and why? Who are these mystery men? The mystery men can be serious foes if it does come to actual fighting, despite their reliance on low-tech weapons. They employ sneak attacks and assassin tactics. The JTAS article on martial arts (JTAS # 19) can be used to make them really effective fighters. 

The PCs may have to engage in a quest to get the mystery men & their organization to leave them alone. The adventure also notes that the referee can make use of the mystery men as devices to influence the PCs in subsequent adventures, nudging them in the direction the referee wants them to go.

Weak Points: The plot seems to hinge, at one point, on the PCs being curious and indifferent to danger; they have an easy out when the mystery men ask for the key. Why should the PCs risk getting knifed for 250 credits and a doohickey that isn't theirs? The mystery men as recurring antagonists can, if not handled deftly, be seen as heavy handed railroading by the players – the article states there is really no way to change the mystery men's determination to pursue them. 

Further, there's been a murder and (possibly) attempted murders, yet the adventure states that the local authorities will do little to help. Why? Even on planets with little formal law, murder is still serious business, and off-worlders committing them could be a political scandal as well.

What I'd change: A structural change to the plot: I would have the PC's interviewed by the local police after the patron is killed. I would not have them arrested, just brought in for questioning as they are identified as the last ones the patron spoke with. The police can give them the cryptic message and other details about the murder. The police will likely want the key, and advise the PCs to stay out of it. They may get called in again by police if the investigating officer is found murdered in the same fashion as the patron. 

This should motivate the PCs to investigate and discover the facts about the lockbox and its contents, if only to clear their own names. If the PCs do discover the patron in the alley, I would allow a medic to attempt to save his life. He might still end up dead later, but that would also draw the PCs into investigating.

In My Traveller Universe: I would locate this adventure in the Weitzlar subsector. Among the Independent planets, there are plenty of places that could substitute for the adventure location, and as a home world for the mystery men.

There are no locations described in this adventure, so I do not include a map.