Concept for a campaign kickoff (module spoilers)

[OrdosMalleus]

We're having our character generation session 0 next week and the week after that we'll begin play proper. We'll probably run a game where a PC has a ship; either Far/Free Trader or Scout, depending on how careers shake out.

I'm thinking of starting it off with "Flatlined," Then when the PCs get their memories sorted out, the "Skipper" will remember that they were on their way to take command of the ship when they'd been skilljacked and had recruited the rest of the party ahead of time. When they arrive back at the port where they were nabbed, they'l learn the ship is on another planet, awaiting them to take possession. This will lead to "High and Dry."

Does this look viable to folks? I own FL, but I've only seen Seth's review of H&D, so I wanted some feedback before I drop $$ on module #2.

 

[Geir]

You may need to modify High and Dry a bit. It takes place on Walston, some 40 parsecs away from Neon.
The module is based on picking up a scout ship, but in the intro it says that changing to another ship is immaterial.
Changing the location might take some thought. The module also claims to be the first of a 'Metal Worlds campaign', which is not moving along if it is still a thing. There is Mission to Mithril, though, which is also vey good... but close to Walston, not Neon.
Of course, you could always change the location of Flatlined from Neon to say Dawnworld. It's supposed to be uninhabited and cause sterility, but only to males born there, so there could be some small unofficial bases on world and it might make a good transfer point for 'unauthorized human cargo'.

 

[paltrysum]

I’m doing something similar with a new campaign group that I recently started. I ran them through “Islands in the Rift,” and unbeknownst to them, they are about to wake up in “Flatlined.” After that, they, too, are off to claim their ship, but it is on New Moscow, where we will run Mercenary Adventure 0: “Trial by Fire.”

Most of them are not ex-military, but enough are that I think I can run it as sort of a hybrid Mercenary/standard adventure trope. Their ship is a far trader waiting in port at New Moscow, where of course the transfer is currently blocked by the state of affairs on the world.

 

[OrdosMalleus]

You may need to modify High and Dry a bit. It takes place on Walston, some 40 parsecs away from Neon.
The module is based on picking up a scout ship, but in the intro it says that changing to another ship is immaterial.
Changing the location might take some thought. The module also claims to be the first of a 'Metal Worlds campaign', which is not moving along if it is still a thing. There is Mission to Mithril, though, which is also vey good... but close to Walston, not Neon.
Of course, you could always change the location of Flatlined from Neon to say Dawnworld. It's supposed to be uninhabited and cause sterility, but only to males born there, so there could be some small unofficial bases on world and it might make a good transfer point for 'unauthorized human cargo'.

I don't plan on using much of any setting/lore info from the books or adventures. Traveller lore is impressive as heck, but it's a big ask to get my group of middle-aged grumps to try and get up to speed on all that unless the game they want to play makes it relevant.

I home-brewed my own sub-sector of about 30 worlds and I'm just inserting the adventure locations into systems that looks about right. For example, I just inserted Neon into an un-generated system that seemed in a decent location. I can do likewise for Walsten. The secondary locations like Flammarion can be more or less anywhere. For H&D, I would change up the scout ship for a far trader if necessary. e.g. If the group ended up with a merchant ship instead of a scout in character generation, then it's the merchant service instead of the scouts that tells the character who received a ship as benefit that they'll need to pick it up or go to the bottom of the waiting list. Likewise a lab ship, though I doubt my group will go the scholar/science route.

We may rotate GMs from time to time and the other guys may want to create an adjacent subsector as their sandbox, or lift one from the books (like Sindal), but that's up to them.

 

[OrdosMalleus]

I just ordered High & Dry and downloaded the pdf. Most of my knowledge of it comes from Seth S's review and a playthrough on a podcast I listened to. I'm going to start massaging the details to work with my tweaked up version of Flatlined.

 

[cunningrat]

I started my game with "Flatlined", with the location changed to be another world in the Pax Rulin system. That let me swing them right into "Last Flight of the Amuar", which we are about halfway through.

The plan is to have the Voidskipper return to Imperial space via Velscur->Goria->Kydde->Albe (Albe being a better place to find expert medical care for the Amuar crew than Pax Rulin). Then I am planning to run a very, very modified "High and Dry", with Exocet playing the role of Walsten and the High and Dry itself being replaced by the Drinaxian Harrier, and from there move into Pirates of Drinax.

The one thing I am still trying to figure out is how the heck to get them from Albe a little further Rimward, closer to Exocet. I really don't want to run another adventure to get them there, since I am eager to start PoD.

EDIT: Ordous, to answer your original question: yes, it will work. However, please be aware that in my game, at the end of Flatlined the players were PISSED that someone skilljacked them, and wanted answers and blood, not necessarily in that order. Moving them along proved to be somewhat difficult.

In the end, Anson the Convenient NPC pointed out to them that the world was a company world (owned wholly by the <mumble> Mining Company), operating under company law, and the entire skilljacking ring's existence was a major embarrassment to the company. Therefore, any investigation the company did into the incident would be a major exercise in whitewashing. Not to mention that since there is no record of the Travellers being there, the company might decide to quietly make the Travellers go away and sweep the entire incident under the rug. They decided that getting out while they could was safer than making noise.

 

[paltrysum]

The one thing I am still trying to figure out is how the heck to get them from Albe a little further Rimward, closer to Exocet. I really don't want to run another adventure to get them there, since I am eager to start PoD.

Well, I know you said you don't want to run another adventure en route from Albe to Exocet, but you do have multiple nice options among the published adventures:

• Reach Adventure 3: The Calixcuel Incident (on Chalchiutlicue)
• Reach Adventure 7: Last Train Out of Rakken Goll (on Gor)
• Reach Adventure 1: Marooned on Marduk (on Marduk)

Your group is right in the thick of it there and if you like running published adventures (as I do), you do have some fine opportunities after Albe.

Come to think of it, you could also run Makergod (click the link in my signature, below; it's somewhere in that list), but many people like to run that one as part of a Pirates of Drinax campaign. It fits in rather nicely if I do say so myself.