TNE Only: Opening of the Frontier

[dougamlin]

Fellow Sophonts!

Like a few other posts I’ve dusted off the Traveller books and am going to referee the next generation of fans- my kids and their friends. We decided to start in the Spinward Marches in the 1202 time frame, right before the opening of the frontier. I really like the feel of the whole “Oklahoma Land Rush” feel. I’m also mashing in more of an 18th century feel, like in Colonial times in the US- flintlock muskets to repeating rifles. But in my case, it’s more like muskets to fusion guns. And everything in between.

I’m not sure how I want to structure the character play. My 1st thought is they are recently separated from the military/RQS, and therefore have many martial skills, as well as other talents. There are many, many avenues to take, so for the sake of brevity I am only listing a few here (I encourage others to list additional scenarios…all opinions are welcome). Here goes:
• Players are wanting to prospect, but they want to get out ahead of the rest of humanity to get the good stuff. Obvious conflicts:
o RQS, whose job is to keep people in and keep people (and others) out
o Rogue elements in the RQS that allow the players to get out ahead “for a fee”
o Other prospectors like themselves
 The others get to the good stuff right before the players
 The players get to the good stuff right before the others
o The players ARE the RQS, in a contracted form (a la a PMC)
 The RQS hires them because the RQS is stretched too thin and needs civilian paramilitary help
• The players are hired due to their military skills
o As part of a mercenary group
o As part of the Regency Armed Forces to help augment thinly spread forces (a la a PMC)
• Other scenarios?

I appreciate any and all feedback. I’m totally pumped about this and I want to do it in a way that my kids will want to play the game with their own kids, when the time comes.

Thanks!

 

[mike wightman]

Discuss it with your players.

Ask them what they want to do in the game.

Do the know what the regency is and represents? Do they understand the threats and challenges that await them once they leave the Regency's borders.

Do they want to be explorers, soldiers, settlers - ask what sort of book/movie/TV characters inspire them.

Then start with a simple scenario - they start on the ship that they are going out into the wilds, they have lead to an abandoned space station, facility, base, mining station whatever on a world or in a system two jumps away. If you want to stress the sci fi make it a mining factory ship in orbit inside the rings of a gas giant.

Two jumps so you can do stuff in the intermediate system - teach them about gas giant refueling or mining ice etc - and it also means they have a sense of being cut off when they get to the target system.

Be prepared to change the scenario on the fly to give them the challenges they want at first - listen to their chat amongst themselves and improvise from it.

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

players are hired to mediate in a dispute between rival claimants over a juicy bit of land/loot/losttech/macguffin.

players are asked to help rescue a previous expedition that is overdue and help them return safely.

players make contact with a seriously mis-jumped ship that was involved in the later stages of the Civil War, and is inquiring, at gunpoint, which claimant to the Iridium Throne they serve......

 

[The Pakkrat]

Vampire Hunters

The Travellers are headed into the Wilds when the RQS gives them a few passes back into Regency for every Vampire ship disabled and marked or outright destroyed. Someone from deep in the RQS R&D wants a captured Strain, dormant and delivered to a dead-drop locus. While on their day job, the Travellers can hunt vampires while moonlighting.

The Travellers encounter the Hobbyist-Mother Strain calling itself Conveyance or Connie. Do they disable the 'sane' liner, sink her or invite her to the Regency border?

TED E. Bear has taken over a Downport, but no one knows his race. Legwork, investigation and combat ensue as the Travellers liberate the oppressed dirtsiders in hopes of restarting their interplanetary traffic in-system.

Haunted relic derelict in the Wilds in a deadman's tumble. Suit-and-tie, Travellers! Explore a haunted vessel full of tree rats, ship's cat, some telepathic residual resonances and a diseased alien hive in the cargo hold. Place the derelict in an abyss, rift or other empty parsec next to a world of superstitious and techno phobic locals.

Rated PG-13 for Travellers.

Enjoy!

 

[jcrocker]

An NPC swears that he's figured out where the Imperium placed secret archives, just twelve short parsecs away.

 

[Ulsyus]

Discuss it with your players.

Ask them what they want to do in the game.

Do the know what the regency is and represents? Do they understand the threats and challenges that await them once they leave the Regency's borders.

Do they want to be explorers, soldiers, settlers - ask what sort of book/movie/TV characters inspire them.

Then start with a simple scenario - they start on the ship that they are going out into the wilds, they have lead to an abandoned space station, facility, base, mining station whatever on a world or in a system two jumps away. If you want to stress the sci fi make it a mining factory ship in orbit inside the rings of a gas giant.

Two jumps so you can do stuff in the intermediate system - teach them about gas giant refueling or mining ice etc - and it also means they have a sense of being cut off when they get to the target system.

Be prepared to change the scenario on the fly to give them the challenges they want at first - listen to their chat amongst themselves and improvise from it.

Everything Mike said, but my first emphasis would be on having them involved in the creation of the team. I usually try to come up with background material that explains how they all got together, unless you want to run a series of solo vignettes that does this in game time.

Who they are, why they're doing something, where they're doing it. If they've bought into that then they won't be able to wait to play.

 The RQS hires them because the RQS is stretched too thin and needs civilian paramilitary help

This is your idea that I like the best. Think para(?!?)military contractors. That way they can be given some orders to go somewhere for a specified task, and when that's not happening you can hint at things (patron encounters) or let them use their initiative. Maximum flexibility : ]

 

[khadaji2002]

Everything Mike said, but my first emphasis would be on having them involved in the creation of the team. I usually try to come up with background material that explains how they all got together, unless you want to run a series of solo vignettes that does this in game time.

Who they are, why they're doing something, where they're doing it. If they've bought into that then they won't be able to wait to play.

This. I just watched Guardians of the Galaxy (my want-to-watch movie list is getting out of hand....) and the script does a fine job explaining why such diverse characters wind up not only working together aboard a ship but getting 'civilized' people who have every reason to arrest the lot of them supporting them. This is how I would start. Have the players discuss what types of books/movies/themes interest them. Move into character creation and have the players start working out how they've come together as a crew. Or start with everyone's back-story as a way to get them used to the system. Then you should have a much clearer idea why this crew is crossing the Frontier.

 

[Condottiere]

Prison Break: Galactic Boogaloo.

 

[Antony]

And then the missing Solomani ships from the Perseus Arm expeditions turn up and want to know where everyone has gone.