Adventure Ideas for the Solomani Rim

[mancerbear]

I shall shortly be starting a campaign set in the border areas of the Imperium and the Solomani Confederation. The PCs are Naval Intelligence Black Operatives, with a mandate to disrupt Imperial trade, spy, and seek out sensitive information regarding Imperial fleet movements. Ultimately, if the game lasts long enough, there may be a strike to liberate Earth.

Now, I'd like to open the floor to adventure ideas. I have a few in mind already, like destroying gas mines, retrieving spies with valuable information, and even disrupting communication by destroying X-Boat tenders. I'd like more ideas though, lots more. Let's hear from you guys.

 

[Condottiere]

1. Industrial espionage, especially TL15/16 projects with military applications.

2. General staff contingency plans.

3. Subverting Imperium VIPs, bureaucrats, media, corporate management, military, etcetera with influence or access.

4. Military deployments. Finding out if there is a pattern which indicates something is up beyond the routine.

5. Short of war, I don't think that widespread disruption of infrastructure is advisable, though pin point pricks which might have an effect on some other operation.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

I shall shortly be starting a campaign set in the border areas of the Imperium and the Solomani Confederation. The PCs are Naval Intelligence Black Operatives, with a mandate to disrupt Imperial trade, spy, and seek out sensitive information regarding Imperial fleet movements. Ultimately, if the game lasts long enough, there may be a strike to liberate Earth.

Now, I'd like to open the floor to adventure ideas. I have a few in mind already, like destroying gas mines, retrieving spies with valuable information, and even disrupting communication by destroying X-Boat tenders. I'd like more ideas though, lots more. Let's hear from you guys.

What if someone was in a Low Berth since the early to mid 21st century and is revived in this time, a sort of "Buck Rogers" scenario What problems would such a person face on Terra?
1) He would have to learn the language
2) He would have to learn some skills (He has tech level 8 skills)
3) He would have to get a job and find some means of supporting himself
If he was an American Citizen and he brought some ideas from our era to the Solomani Rim and he gets the idea that the Imperium is an Oppressive empire and he wants to start a "Second American Revolution", what obstacles do you think would lay in his path?

Obviously some parts of this need to be updated:
The Archimedes Station on Luna, the first offworld colony, was not established in 2013 AD, for instance. The UN does not have as great a role in our time as this official history states. There is still time to invent the Jump Drive by 2088. I don't think it would be too much trouble to update this timeline to make it consistent with our current history, while leaving the rest relatively intact
http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Terra_(SR_1827)_(world)

Age of Crisis

For Terran History before AD 2000, please check out the Encyclopedia Galactica or the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

The early 21st Century (Imp -2523 to -2499/ 2000 - 2024 AD) was a period of crisis, as rapid population growth combined with environmental degradation, natural resource depletion, and endemic warfare in less developed regions pushed the planet to the verge of societal collapse. The United States of America was the most powerful nation of this period, and tried to assume the role of single world leader. However, the escalating crisis proved to be beyond any one nation's ability to manage it, and by 2010 AD, nations started to look towards the United Nations (UN) as the only organization capable of coordinating the international community.

A period of restructuring occurred, leading to the Treaty of New York (in Imp -2499 / 2024 AD) which redefined the power of the UN, the Secretary General and Secretariat and the Security Council. A Major point was that many nation states placed their armed forces under UN control.

After the treaty was signed, there where still problems, including the USA and People's Republic of China. The UN also became more interventionist than previously, sending Peace Keeping forces into hot spots around the world, and the "blue helmets" were more aggressive than in the previous century. Whether the UN was successful in defusing Terra's tensions is debatable, but by the late 2040's AD, the global "crisis" was lessening in intensity.

[edit] Space Exploration and Colonization

Archimedes Station on Luna, the first offworld colony, was established in 2013 AD. However, true space colonization movement occurred in the 2040's AD, as the planetary crisis lessened. Orbital Lagrange stations where established, lunar colonies rapidly expanded and Mars was colonized. The job of coordinating space colonization and exploration was handled by the UN Space Coordination Agency (UNSCA). The UNSCA also maintained research labs in many of these colonies. It was the Luna UNSCA labs in 2052 AD that discovered "Grav Modules" and the Ceres UNSCA labs which discovered reactionless drives in 2064.

The European Space Agency created generation ships. The first, Europa was launched to Alpha Centauri in the 2050's AD, with many more being sent out to the galaxy to find Human compatible worlds.

[edit] Jump Drive

The Terran jump drive was invented in 2088 AD, by the UNSCA Ceres labs. Fuel intensive and short range, it was used for insystem travel only. In 2098 AD, a Jump-1 drive was created. However, the utility seemed limited as no world was reachable from Terra. None of the space nations used the drive, and the ESA continued with their generation ship program. The exception was the USA. The US Space Force started an ambitious plan for a interstellar expedition using jump drives. Led by the USSF, but with UNSCA approval and multinational help, the expedition planned to go to Barnard's Star, not Alpha Centauri (the closest star). The discovery of a rogue planet one parsec away from Terra allowed a refueling station to be built, making Barnard's Star reachable with the Jump drive. (Terran drives before contact were still fuel intensive).

The StarLeaper One expedition launched in 2097 and spent a full year in interstellar space. The USA planned a major publicity effort when StarLeaper One returned, but instead imposed a media blackout when it returned to the Sol system. After conferring with US officials, a specially session of the UNSCA governing board was called. News of the mission was finally released in late 2098: Intelligent life was discovered, and it was human!

Terra in Era: Milieu 1120

Superficially, Terra is relatively unchanged from the dawn of space flight. The planetary climate has risen over 3,500 years, with sea levels rising 15' (5 meters). Climate is maintained by an elaborate weather control system. Several regions have changed dramatically. The north African - central Asian desert has been reduced in size, with much of the Sahara turned into a garden, particularly the old Libyan Desert. Here a hydrological project during the Rule of Man diverted the old Nile River into the Quatta Depression. Egypt lost the Nile irrigation as a result, however the inland sea brought a cooler moister climate to vast stretch of the Sahara. The is dwarfed by the flooding of the Siberian Plain around -1500, creating a new arm of the Arctic Ocean about the size the Mediterranean Sea. These changes combined with global warming have created new fertile and productive areas.

[edit] Europe

Home of 1 billion people, mostly around the Mediterranean. Northern Europe is a quiet region full of preserved towns and cities, where many ancient folkways endure. The University of Terra is centered in Europe, with major campuses in Paris, Berlin and Stockholm.

[edit] Africa

No longer the basket case of Terra, Africa today is prosperous and cosmopolitan, and with the most advanced Imperial technology available there. The AECO (Africa-Europe Cooperation Organization) Starport on the shores of the flooded Chott Djerid, in what was once eastern Algeria. Southern Africa is the busiest financial district on the planet, with the Terran Exchange headquartered in the old Johannesburg, although most of the trade occurs on the global information net.

[edit] Middle East

[edit] Non-Canon

Terra has in its history been a capital for several interstellar governments, the Terran Republic being the latest. The Republic controls or occupies 32 star systems, and has a total population of around 56.22 billion inhabitants, most of these on Terra itself. Though officially the Republic has as its form of government a civil service bureaucracy led by an Executive Council, the real power lies with the Gabreelist faith, its leader Shoshanna Dahnara-Avila, and her family. Despite its incorporation of theocratic elements, the Republic is somewhat more tolerant than most of its Solomani-centric predecessors, and openly disavows the racist tenets of the Solomani Movement.

All the worlds within the Republic with the exception of Terra (which has its own Executive Council) are administered locally by a bureaucracy and a governor which acts as the chief executive. It is the primary responsibility of the governor to see that the central government's policies are implemented, act as the civilian commander-in-chief of the local system defense and militia forces, and to oversee the Republic's interests locally. Governors are appointed by the Republic's Executive Council for a single 10 year term (the exception being Prometheus, which has a hereditary governor). While not elected, they are subject to recall if they become unpopular, prove incompetent, or stray too far from the central government's line.

A Hiver colony, consisting of over 200,000 individuals, was stranded on Terra during the Collapse. Located in the southern continent known as Australia, the colony (along with human-run research centers in Nepal and North America) was the focal point of much of the effort toward the final defeat of the Virus on Terra. Some years ago, the Hivers planned an expedition to find out what, if anything, may be left of the Hive Federation. The Terran government was reluctant to back such an expedition at the time because of a shortage of high jump capability (in this case, jump-3) starships. This no longer being the case, the Terran government is now expected to assist the Hivers in the effort, which will travel through the Alpha Leonis Sector. Other similar expeditions in other directions (particularly coreward) are also planned.




[edit] 1827 Terra (Imperial)

Starport: Class V - Naval Base and Way Station.

Diameter: 7,900 miles (12,600 km). Gravity: 1.00g. Atmosphere: Standard oxygen-nitrogen. Hydrographics: 72%. Climate: Normal. Population: 18 billion. Government: Meritocracy. Control Level: 6. Tech Level: 12. World Trade Number: 6.5.

Not much info on North America at this time. So what would an American citizen do in this setting assuming some band of Solomani had a hand in reviving him for some political reason, maybe for Terran independence for example as a figurehead. Now what would an American citizen from our time, not like about this setting? This world has over twice the population as the Earth we know, though have this population may simply be the population of the Solar System and not necessarily living on Terra. Not sure how he'd feel about a Meritocracy, he might want a democratic republic instead as he is used to, and the people that revived him might be in similar frame of mind, they want a "Joan of Arc" to lead them to independence, and they figure this person maybe just the sort to lead them at least symbolically in their cause. Lets say we're talking about the Imperial era around 1100, so Terra is still occupied by the Imperium, but otherwise the above information is still largely relevant. He wouldn't speak the language, so would need a translator.

Terra/Sol (Solomani Rim 1827)
Interstellar Wars
A867A49-9
Classic Era (1115)
A867A69-F
Hard Times (1130)
A867AA9-C

See also UWP
System Details
Primary G2 V
Gas Giants 4
Planetoid Belts 1

jumpmap?sector=Solomani+Rim&hex=1827&options=8451&jump=3&scale=32&junk=junk.png Jump

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Martin Dougherty has a new Traveller novel out set in the Solomani Rim in about 1105.

Might give you some good ideas and it is a Rip-Roaring story told from the Solomani side.

HAIL TERRA!

 

[mancerbear]

Martin Dougherty has a new Traveller novel out set in the Solomani Rim in about 1105.!

You wouldn't happen to know what it's called, would you?

Edit - found and bought, started reading already... not bad at all

 

[Epicenter]

Now, I'd like to open the floor to adventure ideas. I have a few in mind already, like destroying gas mines, retrieving spies with valuable information, and even disrupting communication by destroying X-Boat tenders. I'd like more ideas though, lots more. Let's hear from you guys.

It's very unlikely the Solomani would use their agents directly for strikes, at least not until the war actually began.

The Solomani would use proxies for a lot the things you'd describe. This is not boring, this is exciting. These proxies are not the ideal tools of the Solomani Confederation, just the best of an often bad lot.

* Handing off weapons and supplies to terrorists/guerillas (depending on which side of the fence you're on) on some world in the Imperium with the intention they'll go off and cause trouble for the Imperium. This could be particularly unsavory people like the Rule of Terra. Or even double-blind games like arming Racheleians. Lots of very paranoid, twitchy people meeting in the depths of arcologies, middle of the desert, in spacesuits between starships in orbit around remote moons, etc. (Potential Combat)

* Groups that were armed earlier (by the PCs or some other group) are doing things the Solomani Confederation do not want them to do, such as betraying their Solomani agent contacts. Make an example of them so they know you don't mess with the people who hold your leash. (Combat)

* Meeting with potential ally groups like terrorists/guerillas, organized crime, space pirates, separatist organizations, and so on. Except of course, this which may be an Imperial set-up, a set-up by the local police/armed forces, or negotiations might be very difficult due to local customs or conditions local to the world (you're meeting with one mob boss and his bodyguards and a rival decides this is a good idea to knock the guy off). (Potential Combat)

* During a mission to count Imperial battleships and their readiness in some naval dock, the players notice that a couple of Voroshilief battleships are being fitted with Disintegrators to replace their Particle Weapon spinal mounts. In such second-line battleships, perhaps the IN hoped that the refitting would be unnoticed by the Confederation, but such weapons would make the second-line battleships potent weapons. The decision is made to subtly sabotage the weapons - the players must infiltrate the battleships and replace a power conduit with one made with deliberately faulty materials where the gigajoules of electricity passing through them will make them explode (violently) the first time the weapons are used in a combat capacity (but maintenance tests which are run at lower power will not catch it). (No Combat)

* It has been noted that the Imperium has recently been upgrading Rampart fighters in a certain sector from Rampart Block 74 to a Rampart Block 105 which is the same as those used in the Spinward Marches and Corridor. The Solomani have heard rumors about this dangerous upgrade which is said to turn the Rampart into a "whole new fighter." Stealing the fighter would be too obvious. They players must masquerade as Imperial Marines and infiltrate the base. They must create a false mission plan and insert the identity of a false pilot. This false pilot will be coming in and is a Solomani test pilot with special data gear. He will fly the Rampart Block 105 around, test out its weapons all the while making a personal impression of the performance of the fighter as well as recording hard data for analysis later on. After this is done, the pilot and the players must successfully exifiltrate. (No Combat)

* Interstellararms completed a block of 100 20-(displacement) ton grav tanks for the Imperial Marines about twenty years ago. Due to a misjump, the bulk carrier was lost. The Imperial Marines shortly afterwards stopped using 20-ton grav tanks in favor of more Trepidas that were much cheaper and much easier to transport and almost as good. As a result, nobody's really made any great attempts to find the misjumped freighter. However, some old Belter has found what sounds like it. The Solomani Army (like any army) isn't too picky where it gets good weapons and could use 100 massively armored tanks in a ground invasion and the players are detailed to go see if the story is true and salvage them. The players are sent in with a group of "gray salvagers" (read: pirates) to salvage as many tanks as they can (the players are the only one with the location so the pirates don't immediately betray them). As the Imperium never paid for the tanks (as they never arrived) they're still Interstellararms property. While the Imperium might not have much interest, Interstellararms does. They also catch wind of the Belter's story and send their own salvage crew + mercenaries. The pirates the players are assigned to may have their own ideas about what to do with the tanks as well, potentially turning the entire situation into a messy three-way fight aboard a huge derelict freighter, flanked by equally large salvage ships. Lots of opportunities for fights using manned power-loaders and EVA bugs. (Combat)

 

[Condottiere]

For ideas, you could watch The Americans, with Keri Russell.

 

[mancerbear]

Stoat,

They're really good suggestions. I like them all.

MancerBear

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

Ever read a book titles A Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_in_the_Sky

The book begins with a retired tailor from the mid-20th Century, who is accidentally pitched forward into the future. By then, Earth has become radioactive and is a low-status part of a vast Galactic Empire. There is both a mystery and a power-struggle, and a lot of debate and human choices. The originality of the S.F. work is the choice of a very ordinary man as the story's protagonist, rather than the more typical space opera hero.

This book takes place in the same universe as the Foundation series. Earth is part of the Empire of Trantor, later the setting for Hari Seldon's invention of psychohistory. Asimov returned to the radioactive-Earth theme in The Stars, Like Dust; The Currents of Space; and Foundation and Earth. He would explore it most fully in Robots and Empire.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

In the Confederation you have:

1. The evil Imperials to Coreward. Nasty bunch of half-breed "humans" that think they rule the universe from their decadent iridium throne.

2. The Starfish to Trailing. "Federation" sure it is, after you have been "Manipulated" into being a pawn and not a real human.

3. Kitty-Kats to Spinward. Humans kicked their tails a couple of times already, but every generation has to be taught that ihatei should not mess with real humans.

4. Rimward is clear, open unexplored space. No Ancients, nothing but worlds waiting for real humans to explore and settle.

5. Internally, there are always traitors and aliens that are trying to destroy our way of life. We have to keep vigilant or real humans will be killed. I hear that they like our women too...

What's NOT to do within the Solomani Confederation?

 

[mancerbear]

In the Confederation you have:...

cut

What's NOT to do within the Solomani Confederation?

Rikki, I know all this. I'm asking for specific adventure ideas in disrupting the Imperials.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Ah

Well, I am pretty sure the Near Bootes Cluster is completely infiltrated with Imperial spies. They make a lot of money off of the cross-border trade and their membership in the Solomani Party has been dropping.

Also, that Trade War they just had, pretty sure it was just a way for them to build up their own military and test it against Solomani forces.

Oh, and there is NO TRUTH to the rumor that the ungrateful dolfins on Hamilcar and Calgary are planning a rebellion that will see them independent of the Confederation and then become a Client State of the Imperials. NO TRUTH!

There IS truth however that freedom loving Solomani in the Hephaistos Cluster are speaking out for their rights and demanding independence from the ruthless Imperial hegemony. Forlorn in particular has seen massive demonstrations in recent months as these brave men and women of Sol fight for their rights.

Hail Terra!