The big Darrian campaign topic

[zero]

Thanks for the info

After checking through the Traveller wiki, they have got these languages, for use in their neurojack;

-Ganglic Dialects
-Vargr Dialects
-Trokh
-Sagamaal
-Zdetl
-Vilani
-Kkree
-Hiver

The character is Special Arm Captain Lzole "L" Lderoly, a really great character and Pilot/Astrogator to the ship (of which is still being finalised).

Since his father was stripped of their qualifications when found cheating, the Lderoly family name took a tumble, but as the oldest of four siblings, L is doing his all to reclaim face and show he is not like his father.
He's been in combat since stationed on a bridge in the Navy at age 18, his melee skill shown in an enemy boarding meant the Naval Officers took an interest and shifted him over to the Special Arm commandos at age 22. Originally put on sensors he shone again when a misjump stuck his ship in hostile space (c. age 24) and he quickly learnt what was needed to get back to Confederation space, making him a bridge officer by age 26.
Learning gun combat in a diplomatic incident, he volunteered thereafter to have an experimental Neurojack implant. With this augment, he made Captain and was put on his current mission-set at age 30.

8)

 

[GypsyComet]

Hiver would actually be Gurvin, the spoken standard of the Federation. The Hivers themselves are silent.

It is worth noting that if they consider Gurvin worth having, the many sub-languages of the Solomani should be considered. Much what has spread very far got mixed into Galanglic during the Long Night, but you never know when you might need a loan world from Arabic, Finnish, or Mandarin.

 

[zero]

I dont really get how the Hivers (or Hiver players) would communicate with those who are not Hivers :?

New question!

Seeing as the Darrian Pressure Respirator and Exoskeleton dont have prices and are pretty compulsory for being on some planets, I'm giving these items to my players for free.

What I want to know now is if they negate the need for a Filter or Respirator when dirtside, the write-up says the mask will do the needed gas exchange aswell as change air pressure for the Darrian to be comfortable, which makes me think a character having something like a Combination Mask will be unneccessary if theyre wearing a Pressure Respirator.

Is the Pressure Respirator also a functioning filter and respirator?

 

[GypsyComet]

I dont really get how the Hivers (or Hiver players) would communicate with those who are not Hivers :?

We've considered finger puppets.

Hivers hear just fine, but communicate with each other through a six-fingered form of sign language. When they need to communicate with others who do not know the sign language they wear a vox-box with a keyboard on the back. The back leg curls under their body and types, and the box talks. The Hivers all understand spoken Gurvin.

 

[zero]

Thanks again! :wink:

I'm just going to count the Pressure Respirator as a filter/respirator combo, its not like the chars can wear a second Combination mask over the Respirator mask.

Must remember about the Droyne and their Oynprith language too...

 

[GypsyComet]

The Darrian Pressure Respirator sounds like a reverse Respirator, keeping pressure lower than ambient. I'd say that, given the TL, it can certainly function as a Filter Mask as well.

 

[zero]

Current Incarnation of the Imperial ship given to the Darrians;

600 dton Ship

Hull: TL 15
Armour: Bonded Superdense (stealth, radiation shielding) 15 pts = 75 dtons

Bridge (Hardened, Holo controls, detachable) = 30dtons
Computer - Model 7 (Rating 35)
Electronics: Military Countermeasures Suit (+6DM) = 20 dtons

Engineering
TL 15 J-Drive M (Jump-4, stealth Jump) = 58.5 dtons
TL 12 M-Drive T (Thrust 6) = 26.25 dtons
TL 15 P-Plant T = 41.25 dtons

Fuel: 276 dtons (One Jump-4 plus two weeks of operation)

2 Staterooms w/ Escape Pods = 9 dtons
Fuel Processors (280 tons in 24 hrs) = 14 dtons

Repair Drones = 6 dtons
Briefing Room = 4 dtons
Library = 4 dtons

Cargo Hold = 5 dtons

Weapons

One TL 15 miniaturised Fusion Gun Bay w/fire control = 31 dtons
Five empty hardpoints.

Software
Manoeuvre /0
Intellect
Jump Control/4
Evade /3
Fire Control /5
Auto-Repair /2
Library

Total = 600 dtons.

This ship was built to be a real "smash and grab" type of ship, cause a load of trouble then high-tail it out of there. The 5 dton cargo hold is for the characters contact to send messages via Mail jobs :wink:

Opinions please, I dont want to deckplan until I get some. The prices are not listed as there is no mortgage on the ship and it is assumed in the campaign that the Confederation and the character's merc jobs are enough to fund the outgoings

 

[rust]

Radiation Shielding and a Hardened Bridge ? :?

 

[zero]

No, its just Radiation Shielding, I just noted the bridge would also be hardened due to it. Guess I should have been clearer with that :lol:

 

[AndrewW]

No, its just Radiation Shielding, I just noted the bridge would also be hardened due to it. Guess I should have been clearer with that :lol:

Also the computer will be as well, though you didn't note that.

 

[zero]

Yes, I know with radiation shielding both the detachable bridge and computer would be hardened.

I take it the over-all ship is fine. It can hold a max crew of four, and the ship's computer can take up many roles on the ship with the additional software I can add to it, leading to the Captain ordering the ship and the other crew members (3 max) acting as marines on a boarding.

It is obviously not meant to be boarded in the first place as it is more of a ranged combat ship (much like all ships I build, its kinda my thing). Still, it could give a free trader or scout crew a run for its money (and pwn them).

 

[zero]

A Plan of Attack

I'd really like to play the Secrets of the Ancients campaign with my Darrian crew, so deviating from my original plan a little (or delaying it one might say for longevity of play), the trip from the Sword Worlds to Imperial space will detail the death of said Uncle (using the old friend to the family schtick) to lead into the story, leaving the alert of the Relic ships for later.

An initial course plotted is one that leads from Darrian subsector, through to Sword Worlds, coreward to the sparse Vilis (entering Imperial space finally), before taking a trip down the x-boat routes to the Regina subsector where the campaign starts.

Looks like I'll be keeping them in the Spinward Marches Sector for a while :lol:

The plan for the TL 16 Relic fleet can be alerted once the players complete the campaign as a new story to follow. Also I hope to gain some GM xp from the campaign, as it'll be the first actual written one that I'll be playing.

 

[zero]

An update on the campaign!

I'm actually starting the campaign this weekend now that the awesome needle-shaped 600dton ship is deckplanned and character sheets with gear are also done.

The game starts with the Spec. Arm crew in the Darrian system, upon collection of said Imperial-built ship from the High-Port they are given a mission to gain a "package" from a secure facility dirtside, to be delivered to Rorre.

A strange mission to go on within the forefront of Darrian tech, a planet full of TL 16 relics, well the target is actually a member of a criminal syndicate, a test subject in a Daryen lab that needs breaking out. Seems some Darrian scientists are overstepping the mark with retrofitting TL 16+ augments and need stopping.

Of course there will be some opposition in the form of the Sword Worlders, where the criminal came from, and who they now want taken back to their space.

The Special Arm now not only have to break the criminal, TL 16+ augmented Sword Worlder out of a high security Daryen lab, but get the criminal SW over to Rorre in their new Imperial-built ship, all the while moving around the demands of the Sword World Confederation who are demanding the criminal's return into their jurisdiction!

Drama! :mrgreen:

 

[zero]

The session planned this weekend will introduce a couple of NPCs and some opposition, which I write about here so everything will be clear to me when the game happens and I can also write here what happened so everyone can see. When I write how the session went, it'd be cool if I could get some comments, if people enjoyed the start of our tale and some tips for future sessions.

So, the main NPC will be a recurring one, I call him Felix, though it will be in the Daryen alphabet and he is a character known as The Banker, an informant and contact for the crew to the higher-ups of the Spec Arm. It is he who'll act as the Patron and be there in-person (he may not be in future depending).

The next main NPC is our criminal Sword Worlder. It will be explained in the session to the PCs that the Darrians dont get along with these "Space Vikings" due to previous raids and planet annexing they have done in the past. One character is from Cunnonic, so it shouldnt be too hard to push that we're not dealing with a River Tam expy here :lol: Ironically, this criminal and prisoner test subject has experimental Psi-Taps :lol:
This angry psionic Sworld Worlder will attack the PCs once busted out...

The Sword Worlders want their man back, so they send people to the Daryen system's High Port to reclaim him. The Banker will alert them to this as they arrive at the LowPort to get there. This is when the psionic will attack.

The Banker wants the crew to take the Psi-Tap wielder to Rorre, as they want to reclaim the Psi-Taps. But the Sword Worlders may cause a political incident.

The solution is that Rorre just need the Psi-Taps and the Sword Worlders want their man back, so the PCs need to beat the psionic and remove the Psi-Taps. They can then give the criminal back to the Sword Worlders and jet to the planet Rorre to drop off the Psi-Taps. Whether this goes smoothly is another thing entirely. How the PCs gain access to the psionic at the beginning I am leaving to them entirely and will wing it, no-one really has any good lockpicking ability, but they are good at Investigate, Persuade and if it goes off, Gun Combat :mrgreen: