Pirates: Revolution on Acrid

[Old School]

Questions for others who have run the campaign:

My players really want to run this, and are working on collecting weapons for the revolutionairies. Acrid is described as 25,000 people, with 1,000 being “citizens”,an indetermindate number of security, and the rest the common workers. Mining operation run by PRQ in an insidious atmosphere.

Details on the facility are solely lacking, even in the 10 page expansion. How would you envision the settlement? Is it 100% underground? Buildings partially aboveground but passages below? A series of domes with breathable atmosphere? I’m having a hard time envisioning the setting, and need to have some basic layout to run the adventure.

How do you run a starport in such an environment? I’m thinking below ground, with airlock connections so that you that dont have to clear the entire atmosphere in the bay before disembarking.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[paltrysum]

From "Pirates of Drinax" Book 1:

"Acrid’s caustic atmosphere can eat through an inch of armour plating in only a few hours, and acid storms and methane hurricanes lash the arid surface constantly, but it is still one of the more pleasant worlds visited en route to the Hierate. The population here is only a few thousand, clustered around the settlement on Sentinel Mount, the tallest mountain on the planet. Weather control systems open a landing corridor for the Martin II and her escorts to land. This corridor is an unnaturally calm column within the raging storms."

So it sounds like they've located the starport on top of Acrid's version of Mount Everest, which could be quite a massive mountain considering that the planet itself is size A, a super-earth. Acrid sports an impressive TL 13, so their facilities, propped up the regional megacorp PRQ, are quite advanced. Even so, the insidious atmosphere would make it likely (and more cost effective) for any facilities down on the surface being below ground. I would imagine the starport facility would have numerous mag-lifts running workers to and from the mining facilities below. These could be a cross between an elevator and a sky tram but located below the surface of the mountain like veins running down its sides. They would descend to a few dozen meters below the planet's surface to avoid the high-pressure insidious atmosphere.

Below the surface would be a catacomb of mining tunnels. Workers probably commute to and from the startown on top of Sentinal Mount each day.

 

[Old School]

Good catch - that's info on Acrid that isn't in Book 2 or the supplement. Didn't think to read one adventure to prep for another. Thanks.

 

[MonkeyX]

I also have it that the “just over a thousand” love in the deepest part of the settlement to prevent exposure to atmosphe. The security are also part of the “thousand” along with their families so the whole section is pretty self contained. It’s also a tool to keep the security loyal as being fired would lose them privileged status and sent back up towards the service.
I have above ground domes to gain access to the surface to gather resources but these are repaired constantly I also decided that the higher atmosphere is more corrosive than the surface as it mixes with heavier gases that neutralise it a little. It stops ships passing through without weather control but doesn’t discount action on the surface.

 

[Old School]

Good thoughts, MonkeyX, I appreciate it. I would have thought the whole point of being up the mountain would be because its less corrosive up there, but your approach is an interesting one.

 

[paltrysum]

I intend to run this adventure eventually myself. Please be sure to come back to thread and let us know how it goes for you, Old School.

 

[Old School]

Will do. I’m going to try to put together a high level overview/sketch of the facility, that likely won’t conform exactly to the adventure as written, but will adhere to the spirit of it. Got a couple ideas for settlement layouts that I’m sure could be ripped to shreads for their flaws, but who cares? As long as we have fun.

 

[steve98052]

. . .
So it sounds like they've located the starport on top of Acrid's version of Mount Everest, which could be quite a massive mountain considering that the planet itself is size A, a super-earth.

Actually, larger worlds are likely to have smaller mountains, because of the stronger gravity. Note that Mars has taller mountains and deeper valleys than Earth. and asteroids smaller than the dwarf planets are all sorts of irregular shapes.

The corrosive atmosphere would seem to increase erosion too. But maybe there's an excess of corrosive chemicals in the atmosphere, so that the surface rocks have all reacted with the corrosives. Still, any liquids would; still have erosion force, particularly if there's strong weather.

 

[Bulletsponge]

I had the same thoughts about Acrid too, but what I did was make it so the area around the down port and facility was protected by the weather control system. I picture it as an idle effect, but they can power it up to open the corridor. I just assumed that nothing could protect a facility if the atmosphere can eat through so quickly. They must keep the acid storms and methane hurricanes at bay. Simplest solution to me seemed that if they have the ability to control the weather, why not manipulate it enough to protect their facilities?
This is just how I did it, but others have good ideas too.
I end up filling in a lot of holes or tailoring things to my own campaign. I find there are a lot of questions that won't be answered in the source material.

 

[paltrysum]

Really good ideas. And thanks for the planetology reality check, Steve. Great stuff. What do you all think of the concept of tram/trains running down the mountain, perhaps 20m deep?

 

[Old School]

Thats a good idea as well. My plan is for the entire place to be inside the mountain, with high pressure protecting the docking facility when the doors are open. A liquid wall similar to the techworld spaceport would come in handy, but thats at least TL15 and might not survive Acrid conditions anyway. My thought is that opening up chambers inside the mountain is easy and safe given deep penetration scanners and plasma gun tech (mining for ore is obviously different than just blasting a passageway or chamber).

The idea for an above ground downport protected by weather altering tech works too. Makes the westher control system another critical control point for the revolution. Might incorporate that in. Maybe an interior spaceport for smaller craft, with the big boys sitting outside. Could have a dome also - the dome buying you time to get your ass inside the mountain or your ship ready to leave if the weather system fails. No wonder PRQ cant make any money at this place.

Has anyone addressed the highport in their game? Its a class A port that gets a heavy amount of jump-3 traffic, including naval escorts. I’m assuming its owned and operated by PRQ as well. Would be weird for PRQ to control the planet while GeDeCo ran the highport, as they do most of them in the region.

I think I’m going to use Robert Pearce’s newly released geomorphs to map out some key areas, and then have a very basic map showing the essentials of the entire facility.

 

[MonkeyX]

I didn’t even see it had a highport. If so then I’d have it be a control point for the weather control systems and that link up with those on the ground to create the entry tunnel. I’d also have it be fairly small as Treasure Ship mentions a planetary landing and not a highport docking.

 

[paltrysum]

Perhaps the downport has superior maintenance facilities to the highport; hence, Captain Torsa's desire to land there. The Martin II is still not in perfect shape when it arrives in Acrid system.

As for ownership, perhaps GeDeCo built the facility but PRQ bought it. The investment has proven to be difficult to make money on; therefore they oppress and underpay the workers to justify it.

 

[Old School]

So Ive had a hard time reconciling this crappy little mining colony with the Class A star port. Acrid is on the Jimp-3 trade route, so its going to get traffic, and much of that traffic will have imperial escorts. The trojan reach book does mention that GeDeCo has significant assets in Acrid, so I think Im going to go with GeDeCo owning the highport and a small downport, while PRQ has the mining facility with a space station for ore processing. None of the PRQ facilities are public access, although their shipping/receiving terminal is adjacent to or part of the GeDeCo facility. Essentially a private PRQ terminal at the edge of the GeDeCo downport. No star town to speak of, but GeDeCo does rent space to other firms. The two megacorps share responsibility for system security.

This has the advantage of removing the highport from the immediate issue, but adds the complication of GeDeCo’s overall presence in system. Also makes GeDeCo at least complicit in helping ensure that indebted workers dont leave.

My travellers have taken steps to ensure they have a valid mercenary license with the Imperium, as well as a mercenary contract with the workers. They want to transmit that contract to GeDeCo and any Imperial Navy ships in the system in the opening moments of the battle. “Easy, gents. Its a private affair!” They are also training a platoon of Vespexers for the attack.

Landing the treasure ship on Acrid never made any sense. Do you lose anything in that adventure by having it dock at the highport? I don’t think so. Other than the suicidal “take on one Gazelle at a time at short range so its dual particle beams can melt the skin off your face” attack.

 

[paltrysum]

Mining colony. Corporations. "Outland," anyone?

My players thought it was kind of ridiculous to have the ship land on Acrid as well. I never explained it to them but I just figured it was one of Captain Torsa's eccentric moves. As for getting a mercenary license, very interesting! Great idea involving the Vespexers. My group is obsessed with the idea of taming Oghma and making them their soldiers. We'll see how it plays out.

 

[Epicenter]

This has the advantage of removing the highport from the immediate issue, but adds the complication of GeDeCo’s overall presence in system. Also makes GeDeCo at least complicit in helping ensure that indebted workers dont leave.

The Imperium technically controls space - it doesn't control planets. Despite the situation in the area, GeDeCo being an Imperial group seems it'd follow the Imperial philosophy here; it can argue can "What happens on Acrid stays on Acrid." If pressed: "The rumors of worker treatment on Acrid of course cause us concern -- if they are true -- but as a planetary body it is entitled to manage its own affairs. We have no remit to interfere."