Rabbit holes

[ResslynHalvik]

(Elsewhere I saw someone describe this as "solo Traveller")

So, several weeks ago I started running up a pair of NPCs thinking they would be a good vehicle for some scenarios. One of them turned out to be from a belter mining family, so I started fleshing out their clan and their mining behaviours and their ship. Turned out that somewhere along the way they stumbled across a salvageable apparently abandoned small craft that have adopted as their own. It seems this boat was a very old (TL10) Sword Worlds naval gig that had been demilitarised and a few years ago was used as a bolt hole for guy under a deal as close as Sacnoth gets to a witness protection programme.

So now, of course, I am specifying the medical devices research programme that the guy hiding out on the gig was able to pursue in his enforced solo time

And neither this guy nor the fit out of the gig as he was using it will ever be in any of these scenarios

 

[Fluffy Bunny Feet]

I set out to create a single lone wolf ship owner (no crew just him, SOC 7). He ended up with 3 allies. One was a romantic partner. So I started creating the allies Agent (corporate female), love interest Merchant (broker female SOC 12), Scientist (physician male). He is also somewhat of a genetically engineered "super man" and those who did the engineering and "abandoned" him are still in the background watching (which he suspects but can't prove).

Lone wolf now has 3 close allies one of which is not just once a romantic partner but doubled down on by her roll up. Supposed to be a low profile character but instead is so well know due to a movie about how he (and his other allies) saving his romantic partner (his hijacking the 2000 ton Merchant ship he was 1st officer on to get her where she could get the medical aid) that he retired early (with a big boost to his retirement by the movie) and changed his name.

He began flying solo but with his fiance (broker) helping with the scheduling payloads and speculative trade. His ship a stripped down frontier trader (old) with 2 x 100 ton cargo modules (plus 4 others he could leave in pairs on the two planets he ran between minimizing his time in port). Result by the time she retires and joins him he has 3 ships (2 flown by solo crews with standbys that trade off to make up for their short times in port). The 3rd ship (his personal craft) is a 180 ton explorer craft repurposed for trade and a "history" with its basic stealth restored to operation, just in case. The history being one he might need aid from the PCs to handle at some point (former slaver/smuggler ship some of whose victims want it destroyed-previous owner was the slaver smuggler not him but the victims don't care).

Ideally at some point a PC group would start in that area and they could encounter him at various points in his career such as just before the hijacking. Then maybe sent in pursuit of the hijacking (not knowing when they took the contract that it was him). Then later under his new name when he will of course insist publicly they are mistaken as an independent ship/trading company owner.

I like the idea of when the PCs are rolled up going through their history and doing some role playing at the points where they acquire contact/allies or rivals/enemies or other important events such as injuries or gambling their accumulated benefits (as in this case). It would (IMO) help to flesh them out some more and give them a feel for their allies etc, they would know why "Captain Sparrow" is a Pirate enemy always trying to take their ship, it would be more personal. The "Lone Wolf" turned "hero" above would be a great character with his own allies that could come to their aid as a contact (or even trade rival as he is the sort to help an honest rival).

 

[ResslynHalvik]

"Gimli."

A pause. The scientist pulls his attention back, and takes in what the uniformed woman has said, what she means.

"No." He shakes his head. "I thought we were talking about six months or a year, or at the most two? Gimli would be, well, the rest of my life."

She gives a short chuckle. "As a rumour, I mean. We place hints that's where you've gone. Amongst other contradictory hints, but we engineer these to be the more plausible and stronger ones. If people believe you've joined the Endeavour as exile for the Holmgang death, you'll keep your honour. And in the very unlikely event the Bólkur come after you, they'll be heading in the opposite direction".

Another pause. A nod of appreciation.
"I couldn't do your job, Kara. Which came first, the devious mind or the career in naval intelligence?"

She sips her tea, winces, and pushes away the cold cup.
"I've not always been a grey mouse, Mikael. Once you get back I'll give you some insights into what it means to be a woman in the service". A cough, and straightening the tunic. "Can you write to your brother and your niece hinting that you might never be coming back?"

His gaze drops. "Elin will take it hard. She's already lost her cousins and her aunt."