Big Ships And Great Heists

[alex_greene]

Someone mentioned this 10 billion dollar project to create a "floating city" for the indulgent rich, and all I could think of was how it would make a perfect scenario for a Traveller heist adventure.

Transplant the thing to space, create a 100,000 dt megaliner, populate it with rich idiots dripping with money, and have the characters try and rob the place.

I don't think they've got anything like that even in The Pirates of Drinax.

Has any other Referee had such an ambitious idea?

 

[Bardicheart]

I was part of a heist where we stole a 200,000 dT freighter loaded with all kinds of cargo. The ship was traveling from a heavily populated world where it picked up its cargo, security there was very high, lots of patrols, etc. The ship had a number of escorts, some of which jumped ahead of it to guarantee they arrived ahead of the freighter so they were there and waiting when it came out of J-space (so it was never without escorts). The rest jumped just after it safely entered J-space.

The adventure started with a rumor about a freighter taking supplies to some outworld, off the main trade routes. We had to track down the rumor and find out about the ship WITHOUT tipping off anyone that we were snooping around.

Once we knew about the ship we had to get info on its security, how many escorts, what type, etc. We also had to find out where it was going (and why) and the route it was taking. Again, avoiding tipping anyone off that we were even snooping was important. As a twist, we weren't the only ones snooping, and catching another group we had to "quietly discourage / eliminate" the competition. Ever try having a "quiet" shoot out in someone else's secured facility without tipping off their security? Fun times.

Once we had the info, the ship was just way too big to take down by ourselves, so we needed help. We had to figure that out. Options included hiring mercs / privateers, teaming up with pirates, or if we hadn't shot up the "competition" they might have been of help (oops).

With a flotilla of attack craft and cargo ships organized, the route mapped, we had to pick our point of attack. We also had to decide if we wanted to try anything "creative" like getting some engineers aboard the ship to sabotage the drive and cause it jump somewhere other than it was supposed too.

Once we got the ship we had to try an "hide" a 200,000 dT freighter long enough to loot the thing. Plus the odd dispute that broke out when our pirate allies argued over who was going to get to haul off the choicest cargoes. Even though we were supposed to divy up the cargo equally after the looting, lets just say there were trust issues.

We pulled it off, it wasn't easy and there was a lot of prep and planning, running around, sneaking and skulking involved. There were options we missed that could have made it easier, but that's how it goes. When it was all said and done there were a lot of bodies laying around, but the group got away with enough loot to pay off their ships and they managed to tip the authorities off to the pirate allies who were already shooting at each other (isn't betrayal grand). The group made a clean get away in the confusion.

Took us 3 game sessions to play out, first one was mostly snooping around planet side finding all the info. Second session was spent planning and gathering forces. Third was the actual attack and escape. One and only time I've played such an ambitious undertaking using mostly 200-400 dT ships (we had one 800 dT ship in our fleet as I recall, other than some 1000 dT freighters that weren't part of the attack). There was literally more cargo than we could haul away.

 

[locarno24]

Someone mentioned this 10 billion dollar project to create a "floating city" for the indulgent rich, and all I could think of was how it would make a perfect scenario for a Traveller heist adventure.

Bear in mind that the exact situation won't arise - the idea of the 'Freedom Ship' or whatever stupid name it's going on now is a ship that can permanently sit outside tax-controlled national waters. Since the Imperium claims interstellar space as its own territory, no parallel legal loophole.

That said, boarding some sort of Megaliner has to be a cool mission, and therefore must be done!

First thoughts:

This sort of ship isn't going to trek round space very often. Rich Nobles doing a 'grand tour' take their own yacht or (if they have any sense) a Huscarl cruiser. Several of them on a single ship is unusual, and - given the sheer movement of money, and social influence - the sort of thing that is going to be known for systems around.

A big passenger liner passing through the reach with diplomats and merchant princes aboard I can see, but that is essentially a variation on the Treasure Ship mission - and it will be guarded like nobodies business.

If you want lots of rich people on a liner, how about this? The liner is indeed luxurious but will cater to the middle nobility and rich commoners - it's literally going to run month-long honymoon cruises and the like towards the imperial borders. This trip, however, is the launching party, and - just this once - it's packed to the rafters with real nobility, as the launching of the ship is the social event of the season.

Alternatively, don't have it be a liner, but a space station - an orbital garden residency that assorted rich idiots have set up in orbit of a gas giant (as far as possible from the plebs on the mainworld). There's a non-trivial security detachment (even idiots aren't that stupid or they wouldn't be rich anymore), highport docking facility, and fuelling station concealed in the underside of the station, but the stations main feature is a set of armour-crystal domes covering beautiful gardens, looking up ( I guess technically 'down') at the gas giant and its multiple ring systems and the aurora flashing along its upper atmosphere, one of the most famous sights in the system and one of the most beautiful in known space.

As noted, it will take a lot of planning. There is significant security to overcome, you'll need to figure out how to buy yourself time before the system navy reacts, how to dispose of the loot, and even what loot to grab (yes, the station is dripping with artwork and rich people, but can you identify which of the First Imperium sculptures are the genuine ones and which are replicas?)

 

[alex_greene]

As noted, it will take a lot of planning. There is significant security to overcome, you'll need to figure out how to buy yourself time before the system navy reacts, how to dispose of the loot, and even what loot to grab (yes, the station is dripping with artwork and rich people, but can you identify which of the First Imperium sculptures are the genuine ones and which are replicas?)

"We're gonna need a medical doctor, a biochemist, an art historian specialising in authenticating First Imperium artifacts, a system cracker and a chef.

"Especially the chef. We need him to replace their chef first. We've done our homework. We've watched Under Siege too, and we want to make sure that the most hardcore thing the chef can do is make a souffle rise on demand."

"And maybe make flowers out of sugar."

"We're not planning on baking a birthday cake here, Johnson!"

 

[locarno24]

"Hang on, you've watched Under Siege Two? Why in god's name would you subject yourself to that pile of dross?"
"No, Johnson, he said he's watched Under Siege, too."
"That's what I just said."
"No, too. Not two. As in 'as well as'."
"Well how can you lot tell the difference?"
"We're reading the speech bubbles."

...And then the fourth wall collapsed onto them.

 

[phavoc]

A star liner works better than a station simply because a station is likely to have better security. A liner will be traveling, and therefore less likely to have escorts. There's an old FASA adventure that has a liner in it, though it had escorts. So somehow they'd need to be occupied while the heist goes down and you try to make your getaway.

Easy scenario would have a liner from another system dropping out of jump space and then moving towards a celestial event of some sorts, or anything that would draw rich people's attention. Alternatively, you may have someone on the liner as part of the heist crew and have the liner inbound to say a resort for the rich and famous - an asteroid or something out of the way works well for that. Since it's a asteroid belt the ship has to arrive outside, away from the resort. And Mr. Navigator just happened to misplace a decimal so instead of a 4hr cruise through space, the ship now has a 34hr trip (or some other number). Mistakes happen, so what's a Captain gonna do but notify the passengers their trip is gonna take just a little bit longer.. free booze and enjoy the view!

So your team has X number of hours to get in position, make the heist and get away before security teams from the resort get word and dispatch help.

 

[alex_greene]

While being entertained by Ruby Rhod, until the Mangalores arrive to take over the Bridge and Zorg himself comes for the stones.

Yes, I decided to wander down this alleyway today. Bzzzzz!

But I digress. phavoc hits the nail on the head: the best asset in any heist is an inside man - a chief engineer with a habit or gambling debts; a chief medical officer with an undisclosed drinking problem and access to the gaseous anaesthetics in the sickbay's dispensary; a First or Second Officer who owes the characters big time for helping out with the divorce proceedings - that being a very convenient air/raft accident the ex-husband had (even if the characters had nothing to do with it!) - an inside man in a critical position aboard ship whose loyalty the characters must suborn somehow.

Corrupting that inside man, obtaining the evidence for leverage or buying off the markers from the Mob, should be a hilarious adventure in and of itself. "We know about your visits to the alien brothel, Dr Whalen. This pocket holo is only one small taster. We have the master files. Do as we say, or your secret liaisons will be broadcast throughout the ship. Now this is what you must do on the next leg of the voyage ..."

 

[Condottiere]

If your players can handle the heat, send in Christina Hendricks to seduce the onboard IT guy and surreptitiously obtain the computer password.

 

[alex_greene]

If your players can handle the heat, send in Christina Hendricks to seduce the onboard IT guy and surreptitiously obtain the computer password.

If you don't mind her forcing them to sit naked on a rock in the desert afterwards while she steals your shuttle.

Also: she seems very suited for those kinds of roles. Just sayin'.