Need some brainstorming help

[Nerhesi]

So I'm planning out the next adventure, and I'm trying to figure out the sector to do it in. Ok so I just deleted the long description and I'm now typing in just the pertinent details.

Basically, the big deal PCs suffer the blame of horrendous acts on a Sector level. However, due to their significant contributions over the past 2 years of in-game time (actually played over 25 sessions), they are not outright executed but instead stripped of all Cyberware, Gear, Ships, Possessions, rank and then sentenced to life imprisonment on some hell-hole.

Where, in the OTU should this hell-hole be? The 25 sessions we've played were all over the spinward marches and had my gaming-crew dealing with the some of the highest levels of Imperium nobility and military.

So where do they get damned to? The Reft Sector? Gateway domain? Basically, when they inevitable make it out of the hell-hole that will be their prison for the first couple of sessions, which back-water ass-tastic "are you serious right now?!?!" sort of sector should they be in?

I've spent hours just investigating traveller-map and the wiki. Something with some material support would be appreciated (rather than just some sector with no material published)

 

[dragoner]

Automatically I'd say the Trojan Reach, it's detailed in the Aslan alien module.

 

[Nerhesi]

Yeah that was definitely one option as I do own all the mongoose traveller products.

 

[AndrewW]

Reft Sector offers the possibility of placing them where it's not just an easy jump to another world.

 

[Nerhesi]

I was looking at that Andew and sometimes it is literally impossible (or near so) - like the Alone Subsector or so.

So what I have been able to come up with is something like Borderlands subsector in Trojan Reach, or Old/New Islands in Reft Sector.

 

[phavoc]

Where you send them kind of depends on the storyline you want to continue with. Are they supposed to have a shot at getting their good name back? Or do some of the powers-that-be know they were railroaded yet can't really help them for other reasons and still wants to have them as their pocket troubleshooters (ala things like the A-Team or Alias Smith and Jones type of thing)?

If they are just supposed to rot in a hole, then I'm sure every sector has it's magical place where high-level important people go to disappear. But, if you plan on allowing them out somehow and starting over with brand new ID's, then yeah, maybe transferring them to a different sector would work out better.

For important people who need to disappear, but you can't outright execute them, I would assume that there are a number of appropriate locations closer to Capital (though not TOO close) that would be filled with people of just this type. Plus being closer to Capital means you'll have more people who get imprisoned for political issues than what you would normally find out on the frontier. That and I'm sure they've been doing things like this for longer than the Marches.

 

[dragoner]

Yeah that was definitely one option as I do own all the mongoose traveller products.

I think there is info in Pirates of Drinax about the Trojan Reach as well, I might be a player in it soon, so I have been holding off reading it.

 

[Hopeless]

A couple of questions...

1) Did they actually commit these "awful" offences or were they framed?

2) If they did why are they being spared?

Well I have a suggestion, unknown to many there's this wormhole and on the other side a colony was established which was intended to become self sustaining but all of a sudden they've learnt it been attacked and all contact with the colony on the ground has been lost and any ships sent to help have reported an enemy force in orbit that's taking out any ships trying to push them out of the system.

Their one hope is to send in a team of expendable operatives to reach the surface and contact the surviving colonists and discover who or what is going on hoping they can find a way to fight off the invaders' so the Fleet can send in a reinforcement fleet... BUT.

The Wormhole itself is becoming unstable and its feared it will collapse leading them to believe someone or something on the other side is responsible, if it does collapse they want to make sure they send someone they know is capable of defending or combating the threat and this is your PCs last chance....

Its either this or an execution if they were framed this is their one sure way of surviving long enough to find out who framed them the fact it may mean they won't be coming back but its still has better odds than the one they face now...

Any good?

Haven't declared where because Traveller is a sandbox and this way you can make up whatever you want and even get your players involved.

 

[phavoc]

The wormhole option sounds like a one-way trip for the PC's. It might be better to go with it's erratic and unstable and can close for hours, weeks, months at a time. So the idea is that they aren't TOTALLY cut off, but they will most likely be on their own.

The other question comes how do you get them onto the planet if the enemy has pushed out the existing ships from the planet and system? A small probe-like capsule won't give them enough gear to survive, let alone weapons. Unless that is, you are wanting to send them with almost nothing and provide them hooks for adventures.

Perhaps there could be additional capsules (maybe each one is one-man) and linking up the party, and finding more supply capsules while they investigate could be part of the adventure. Having to scavenge for everything allows the ref to deny them too much firepower, but also to provide them a lifeline when you think they need a bump.

 

[steelbrok]

Isn't there a prison planet in the Marches?

That way if (when) they get off world they haven't lost all of their background/character investment in the Marches (and you can continue to use familiar material)

 

[Hopeless]

An Earth 2 tv series style backdrop?

 

[IanBruntlett]

Isn't there a prison planet in the Marches?

There is the Prison Planet adventure module - http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/r...-and-campaigns/adventure-2-prison-planet.html that I have run whilst running a campaign in the Spinward Marches. Was fun but the Prison had lots of NPCs which was difficult albeit rewarding to run.

HTH