1. Taking the land claim. Bear in mind that the spy will be watching, listening, trying to get pieces of information from the players. So while on work details, at lunch and so forth he will cleverly be trying to trick the players into giving him information. If successful any info will go to the owner and the lead overseer. In turn they will inform the local elders.
If the elders find out about the plan, then a military detail will search the barracks. Roll 2 dice and on a 8 or lower the radio is found. Roll 2 dice and again and if an 8 or lower is rolled then someone will give up the locations of any weapons caches. any technology is destroyed on the spot and so the radio will be lost for the remainder of the scenario.
Planning Meeting:
There will be at least one planning meeting where the details will be worked out and preparations made. If the players have performed well earlier they may be put in charge of one of the main forces. 1. Landde Claim Topics are how to disable the two creatures that guard the pods. how to surprise the overseers and the owner. and should they be killed or captured. The old hands who are criminals will go for death for all. The newer prisoners who are mainly ships crew, want to capture them if at all possible.
2. Facts about the Armory are sketchy. But it is surrounded by a low 5 foot wall. There are 15 troops. There are weapons in a locked warehouse for an entire company. There is a stable with fleeters. As the alarm is sounded by the rebellion, the citizens who are part of the guard in emergencies will attempt to reach the armory. So a small force needs to hold the road to the North and to the South of the Armory. The main force must capture the armory. Do they use stealth and attempt to by pass the guards, pick the lock, and access the weapons? Do they use overwhelming force and rush the compound?
Weapons: There is an assortment of field tools that they can access. machetes,scythes, sledgehammers,shovels, picks. There is a blacksmith shop on the land claim so the blacksmith can be induced to make weapons on the sly during the month before the uprising.
There are no ranged weapons. So the players will have to improvise if they want bows, cross bows, spears, etc. There are clusters of bamboo type of plants close by. The shafts of this plant can be used for spears, bows, arrows. The smith can easily fashion arrows and spear heads; daggers or swords. A firing mechanism for a crossbow will take a half day. Being volcanic in nature the players can find rocks that can be sharpened into arrow and spearheads as well as edged weapons. Potentially the players could improvise a spring loaded pistol or rifle good for short distance as well, this will take a day to make.
The more weapons, the more to conceal, and the greater likelihood of discovery. The referee can roll on the chance of discovery based upon events.
The night of the uprising.
1. First the two creatures that prowl the compound at night need to be silenced. Feeding them meat will quiet them for a bit. Attacking them and killing them is more permanent, but could be noisy and raise an alarm.
2. The owners house and the overseer's are next. They need to be neutralized - captured or killed. Sir Gaisn will try to flee if at all possible. If cornered he will try to negotiate, using his wealth and dangling his yacht as a means of escape if the players can help him get to it. He will only fight if attacked. In his greenhouse is an intelligent carviverous plant that he found while on a trip during his college days. It has 4 tentacles and a beak. He will try to make a last stand by it if things are going very badly. It will try to entangle the players and then draw them to the beak to be devoured.
3 of the overseers have a wife and children in their home. The players overseer is the only single one. The referee will have to roll for the chances of success if they rush the homes all at once, try to sneak in with one of the criminals or use a ruse of some sort to get the overseers out of their homes.
If shots are fired then roll dice for either the armory or a neighboring landde claim to be alerted and investigate. If only one or two shots are fired then it will be dismissed as someone shooting a night time varmit being dispatched. But the more shots fired the more likely others will be alerted and will investigate.
Once the revolt on the landde claim is successful a problem quickly becomes apparent. A segment of the criminals wants to drink and loot and kill any prisoners. So discipline becomes imperative - there is more to be done this eve. if someone gives a speech, use a dice to gauge its effectiveness and modify the roll with their social level. if discipline of some sort is done then roll a reaction. a high number and they join with the players, a very low number and the players are ignored. Something inbetween and a portion of the criminals will join with them. The players could use the carrot and the stick. Promises of huge rewards for a successful campaign to the capital. But death and torment by the elders if their efforts fail. Getting the max numbers are critical for the next operation.
2. Capturing the armory. The players will acquire some weapons from the overseers and from Sir Gaisn. 4 double barrel shotguns, one fowling piece, 5 long rifles, and 8 pistols - which includes 2 very ornamental pistols from the mansion. Also six swords and 8 daggers. The landde claim is closest to the Armory, their job is to revolt first, then surprise the armory while the other revolts spring up across the area in about an hour. And shortly the entire island will be in revolt. But time is critical, they must take the landde claim and advance quickly before alarms alert the troops of the armory.
The Armory is staffed by 15 troops and a captain. There are weapons for 120 soldiers and 4 cannons. There are 20 fleeters in the stables. The intent of the armory is to be a defense force in case of rebellion. The citizens of the area fill out the rest of the unit. They have a 2 week training session once a summer as a full unit. So as a unit the group is not very efficient. But the 15 core members are a little better, chasing down run away slaves, the occasional rogue SunRay Dragon from the hills, and so forth. But garrison duty takes it toll, they aren’t as sharp as most troops. Roll 2 dice for their effectiveness as a unit. A low number (2 to 4) and they are fairly proficient. A middle number (5-8) and they are mediocre. A high number 9+ and they are inept and are apt to run at first blood.
If the players are not running the show then Wunson will divide the players into 3 groups. The main group will attack straight across the middle, through the hills to the armory. 5 or 6 will hold the cross road at the bottom of the map from reinforcements. And 5-6 will hold the top of the map from reinforcements as best they can. Each of the small groups will be given 1 or 2 pistols and any improvised weapons. The main group of about 30-35 will of course have the best weapons. Each small group will be tasked with setting up ambushes for any reinforcements. If Wunson is in charge he will have each small group equipped with ropes that they will string across the road in the shadows and tie to tree’s so that any charging fleeters will trip up and fall and throw off their riders. They players could be with either of the 3 groups (roll of die?).
The Warehouse and stable are of course locked. Based on the previously done dice roll on the effectiveness of the troops there may or may not be one or two guards who may or may not be sleeping. They change watches at midnight. So this could be a good time to enter the compound, but by delaying an alarm or firefight could be raised elsewhere that alerts the troops. Wunson’s plan will be to have a criminal pick the lock to the warehouse if the players do not offer a plan of their own.
At the two ambushes roll once per hour. The first hour there is an encounter on a 4 or less, the second hour a 5 or less and so forth. If there is an encounter roll 2 dice for the number of civilians encountered. They will be armed and mounted. If there is gunfire the garrison will be alerted if it is more than a shot or two. The rotation of the planet is swift, so the night is only about 9 hours.
If the attempt to take the Armory fails Wunson will have everyone separate into groups, and do sabatoge to try and stop the reinforcements from heading to the main city. They will retreat towards the main city. But this will put a damper in the next stage of the rebellion as Wunson’s group is the one that is to hold a mountain pass to prevent reinforcements from reaching the city.
Map of Rebel Force positions -ready to drive to La Garura After the rebels have assembled, they will begin their march from Wiltonsville, capture the 2nd Citadel, then on to the pass that is South of hober peca but North of the river. The Goal is to prevent government troops from Dillons Station from reaching the capital and spaceport at La Garura. They must hold the pass for 3 days to give the invasion fleet time to arrive and capture the capital.
Map of troop movements if all goes to planIf successful the group will meet up with other rebels from the surrounding countryside to distribute arms and head South to the next stage. When they reach Wiltonsville, there will be another check against the criminal element as they will want to plunder the town while the group needs to move South quickly. Wunson will destroy bridges, fell tree’s etc. to prevent anyone from following. There is another group likewise tasked with capturing an armory to the South. They will meet up with them in a few days. The combined group will be Wunson’s Horde. As they go further South the unit will grow to 2-3 thousand strong. Almost all armed with captured weapons. about 200 Fleeters and 8 cannon.
To make things more realistic you can roll 2 dice for the success of the rebellion at the second citadel. A roll of 4 or less means they did not capture it and so loyal forces are awaiting Wunson somewhere in that area… Likewise you can roll for the chances of a freak storm damaging the invasion fleet. A roll of a 2 means that 80% of invasion fleet is lost, 3 is 50% lost, or a 4 means 30% lost.
Defending the Pass:
This is the main job of Wunson’s Horde - to capture the pass and hold it against reinforcments trying to reach the capital from Dillons Station. After the Northern Amphibious invasion begins, they are to retreat South across the river, burn the bridge and help capture the capital from the North. The radio is key to communicating with the other rebel forces and the Northern Assault force.
If you want to use Stryker rules here you can. Here is the order of battle for the pass:
Rebels
Wunson Horde
Longstrom Horde
Merkov’s Mob At Daggers Station
Government Troops
The government regular troops are better trained, better armed and more effective. The militia is better armed, but not as well trained or effective. The rebels have more units, and although some have military experience (about 20%), the old hands are criminals so their effectiveness is dubious. The players may want to organize the structure so that the experienced rebels are put into seperate units. and use those stronger units with experienced rebels in critical places. I modelled this with ‘The Operational Art of War’ and the Rebels win when the computer runs the scenario. The rebels were dug in and used the cavalry to neutralize the artillery in this battle.
Depending upon the role that the players are doing - in the leadership of a unit or just a small a team by themselves here is the following:
The Big picture:
The slave rebellion is meant to draw units away from the capital. So the rebellion will have started and then on the 3rd or 4th day the Northern group will strike suddenly from the sea. Although small in numbers the Northern group has use their technical know how to make steam powered tanks, gas propelled bi-planes, and steam powered ships. So in a land ruled by the musket, their weapons are overwhelming to the government forces. The goal is to capture the starport. Holding it means controlling the flow of Laechim.
The defense of the pass:
Macro level:
The rebels will be formed in a half moon with mountains to the left and the ocean to the right. If Wunson is in charge his unit will be in the middle, Merkov by the mountains, and Longstrom by the ocean. The cavalry units will be seeking the enemy HQ once the ground units are engaged to capture the artillery and disrupt command. One of Merkov’s regiments will be in reserve to plug any holes in the lines.
The government will engage the enemy in the center with the light units and strike hard to the mountain wing with the two heavy regiments using support from the artillery at HQ.
Roll the dice and on a 4 or less, government units from the capital strike in the rear. subtract one from the dice roll if the Northern invasion force is late due to a storm. A cavalry regiment and an infantry regiment are the units from the capital. Although it hurts Wunson's chances, it actually weakens the capital for the Northern Forces assault.
micro level tasks (optional for players that are in a small unit.):
If the players are not in charge of any units they can still be given tasks to perform by Wunson. They could be put on a team that finds a mountain pass to go behind enemy lines to find the HQ unit - and more importantly the artillary and notify the cavalry of their whereabouts. Signal by messenger, smoke, or ?? Alternately the players could be part of a team sent to recon the star port in preparation for the joint attack that is planned once the Northern forces land. They need to map out the defenses and get the info to either attack force. Then they will be part of the attack once the battle for the starport begins.
The spy, Pemberton, and the doctor (ledia) can go with the players on their assignment. The spy is an opportunist and if things are going bad for the rebels, he will betray them. He will aid the players if it is in his best interest. The doctor will be loyal and will be an asset if any medical triage is needed.
micro Encounters - roll about every 4 hours
2 dice:
2 government troops: roll 1 dice, on a 1 it is regular army forces. Other wise it is a citizen patrol. roll 2 dice for number encountered. Of course regular army will be less likely to run and will fight harder.
3-Brigands: With the revolt in full swing there are some criminals who have broken away and are roaming the countryside. They are looting and pillaging. Although they are poorly armed they can be dangerous if encountered in an ambush. roll 2 dice for number enountered. They are poorly disciplined and are likely to run if there is much bloodshed.
4- refugee’s: Family units fleeing the insurrection. May or may not be armed (6+ = armed), may or may not have valuables (5+ = valuables). Roll 2 dice for number encountered
5 animal encounter
6+ no encounter
In the scenario I ran the players spied upon the defenses of the spaceport and then took part in the assault.
the government troops were dug in and had some cannons but the rebel tanks took part in the final assault and captured it.
Also in this scenario the government forces were ran out of the capital, regrouped to attack Wunson from behind in order to open the pass and combine with the troops trying to break thru for an assault to retake the capital. They were not successful, but Wunson's troops were hit hard and took heavy losses - but held the pass.
The aftermath
The government troops begin to surrender to the rebels. The council retreats to the sanctuary citadel next to the Forbidden Valley. In their religion a person who did wrong can retreat to this sanctuary and plead for forgiveness. Once he enters the sanctuary they can't be touched. And once they are forgiven, they are free and no longer guilty of any crime. It is up to the characters if they want to pursue the ruling council.
The Forbidden Valley. This is optional but it can change the entire scenario. The elders preach that the valley hosts an evil demon that will attempt to possess any machine or person enters the valley. If you touch the demon it will capture your soul. The real story is that hundreds of years ago there was an interstellar war - the 1st Jovian War. General Lil retreated to this planet and used an escape capsule from his ship to exit as he crashed it into the valley. In hopes that his pursuers would think that he was killed in the crash. The ruse did not work and he used his psionic ability to transfer his personality to his Admirals baton - an AI mini computer built into an 18 inch decorated cylinder - meant to be a personal assistant for any ship commander. This type was banned as the AI could do unpredictable things and go out of control. He hid the baton and commited suicide.
The batons AI can use some of his psionic abilities and is good at deception. It will communicate with anything intelligent or if a machine with a computer then it will attempt to take it over with a virus. Which is why hundreds of years ago all machines were banned by the religious leades of the day and the valley sealed. It has attempted to leave the planet several times over the years and each time it was returned to the valley - unsuccessful.
If the players attempt to investigate the forbidden valley and see what the demon business is all about, they will encounter some old rusted derelict robots here and there with battle damage. They will be half buried in volcanic ash since they have been there hundreds of years. And an ocassional skeleton. As they get to the end of the valley they will find a newer body - a dried out husk of a man with priests robes. The body has been there but a year or two. He is sprawled on the ground as though he was trying to leave the valley and by his hand is a golden baton. Omniously his skull appears to have been pierced by a musketball, and examining his robes finds several more holes. There is an ancient wrecked escape pod nearby - it has a few working parts but is pretty much useless.
Someone with psionics will detect an awareness coming from the baton. It will try to communicate with the most persuadable member of the party. "I am an Artificial Intelligent Personal Assistant model tf701 created by Noniac Science Corp. I have been isolated to this valley for hundreds of years. The reason is that I contain the knowledge of how to grow laechim on other planets besides this one. So the elders exciled me here. Take me with you so that I can spread the knowledge."
This is a ruse general Lil is using to leave the planet. All he desires is revenge. As soon as he is on a ship the AI will attempt to insert a virus into the ships computer and will try to take it over one system at a time. He will use a carrot or a stick to get his way. "I need to turn in my data to Barclay University on the planet Raqzu." Or "I am taking this ship to planet Raqzu - if I don't get my way, I will turn off life support..."
Once there on the planet Raqzu he will attempt to send virus's into warships, power plants, etc. The plan being to destroy the max amount of population as revenge for his defeat and exile.
Any player which carries the baton will day by day bond with it. The general will use his psionics to bend the will of the player to do his bidding. At the end of 10 days the bond will be almost complete. If any player has psionics roll dice to see if they detect what is going on. If it inserts a virsus there is a chance that the ship will detect it. If detected it will modify the virus and try it again and again- each time with a greater chance of success as the AI learns a little more each time.
Counter measures by the players. Destroying the baton - it is tough material and it takes more than a hammer. It can be dropped in the ocean (to be found again someday...) or dropped in a volcano. It can be thrown out the airlock on a ship - but it will attempt to hijack the controls. It will use psionics or a bonded person to escape its fate. Planting a virus - the AI is unlikely to be affected by any virus the players come up with. Maybe roll a hundred sided dice modified by computer skills and if 00 is rolled they insert a virsus that disables the baton. If they reach a high tech planet it maybe possible to have the General Lil personality deleted. This will remove the psionic abilities and the desire for revenge. It will then become a slightly erratic personal assistant.
If the players decide to work with the AI or strike a deal with it then it is good at strategy and tactics. add a bonus to any combat or initiative rolls. It is also unpredictable and may do unusual things. Like telling the players that it is going to be emperor of the galaxy. Or we need to take over a robots factory and begin producing land warriors for an epic battle.
If the players take no action against the baton then sometime in the future, they may need to as the planet is to be deluged with technology as Masales Corp takes over the planet and farms it with their robots…
Leaving the planet.
There is one disabled trading ship waiting on a maneuver drive to be delivered. There are also several ships orbiting the planet waiting to see if hostilities will cease so they can get their payloads of laechim from the warehouses at the spaceport. But of course now thousands want to leave the planet and so any ship that lands is besieged with rebels that wish to leave. There is chaos in the starport each time a trader lands for pickup. Rebels who have looted are paying exorborant rates for passage off the planet. Some bands are trying to capture ships by force.
Interestingly ships with agricultural robots begin to arrive once hostilities have died down. There is security around these ships and they are difficult to approach. The ships are property of Masale Inc. And their robots are disembarking to to work the fields, build more terraces, etc.
But there is a hospital ship - the Walter T Sarkin. It is a charitable hospital ship that operates in this subsector. It is supported by donations from large corporations. Where there is a plague, an earthquake, a shipwreck, or casualties from a war -the 300 bed hospital ship will journey there to assist.
So if the doctor, ledia, is with the players she will hear word that the ship is in need of doctors - the ship lost several to a plague they were fighting on another planet a month ago and have been too busy to find replacements. They also need nurses to help deal with the casualties. So the players can go with her as 'nurses'. Of course anyone with medic in their background is a plus to the players cause. If the doctor is not with them, or deceased then arrange for one of them to be injured and taken to the ship at the spaceport.
After they have been there a few days the chief surgeon is pleased with them. And after a week the word goes out - another war, even bigger has broken out. We need to leave. The players then are offered positions on the ship.
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The Sarkin serves a dual purpose. It is also a spy ship for archduke Teltuo. The captain and the head of security are the ones who do the spying, or hire others to do their dirty work. Plagues,natural disasters, and wars give the ship a pretext to enter areas that other ships would have difficulty to access.
There is an interplanetary war that has broken out between Zirfafepa and Ranazipari, so the Sarkin is being redirected to investigate. If the players ship was confiscated, this trip will give them the chance to retrieve it. And if they do not have a ship, then perhaps they would want to commandeer a ship and try to make an escape.
It will arrive at Ranazipari after about 3 weeks journey. If the space port in the capital Skyzorka is captured, the Maseles Corp. will find them a spot there. If not, they are using hills near the base as headquarters. So they will be placed somewhere in the vicinity of the HQ and the fighting.
After the ship is set up, it will be deluged with casualties. Masales Corp is hoping for a quick victory and all their resources are for a lightning attack. So any delay in victory will mean that the casualties will mount and that is something that was not part of the plan. Within a week the players will be given a spy mission.
The Masales Corporation has used mainly robotic forces and mercenaries for this campaign as they have a low population. So their main combat robot is a Rapier Model 243. They have built a cruiser named Longren that is being repaired. The captain will pay $100k credits for a robot that has the AI intact or for info on the Longren such has blue prints or pictures of the layout of the ship.
both targets can be found at the repair yard set up outside of the capital. The repair yard is manned by both robots and humans. There are stacks of robots in various conditions awaiting repair in one section. Another section is set up for space craft. And while on this mission they will spot the craft that they were on at the beginning of the scenario. It has been damaged and is awaiting repair.
Roll 100 dice to determine the ship damage:
laser turret 00-10
Storage bay 11-20
Jump drive 21-30
Maneuver drive 31-40
Power Plant 41-50
Sensors 51-60
Bridge 61-70
Fuel 71-85
Cargo hold 86-99
So depending upon the damage the ship may be able to: 1)limp away as it stands, or 2)the players may try to repair themselves, or 3)they may wait for the ship to be repaired by the repair shop. Roll 4 six sided dice and that is the number of ships awaiting repair in the yard. A good number are pirated merchants or scouts. So if the players ship is a merchant or scout, they may be able to cannibalize parts from another ship awaiting repair.
Now leaving the planet will be a dubious matter. The space around the planet is controlled by Masales Corp. So if they make a blind run for it, there is a chance the ship will be intercepted by a war craft. So once the ship is powered up the sensors should indicate warcraft and planetary defenses orbiting the planet. Now there are some debris fields orbitting the planet from destroyed ships and system defense satlellites. So those could help them hide or flee from any curious craft. They will need to plan for a diversion or fool the defenses that they are leaving for legitimate reasons (heading back to home base for permanent repairs, taking prisoners to the home planet, etc.)
Finally if Sir Gaisn has accompanied the players to this point - his biology will come in handy. There are some tell-tale markers in the grain that mark it as being attacked by some sort of biological agent. Meaning the crop failures on the planet were caused by outside forces... If this information is shared with the captain of the Sarkin, he will reward the players.
The hospital ship will leave at some point in time and go to the nearest class A or B starport for resupply. At this point the players can leave the ship for further adventures or continue on as the Sarkin goes on another spy mission. The suspicion is that the Masales Corporation is a pawn in a much larger scheme.
So that concludes this scenario.
Nalutori Animal
Encounter Tables
Encounters in and around the capital Skyzorka Roll every 30 minutes, 1 dice - a one means that there is an encounter. Roll for reaction to see who sees who first. It could be that the players hide if they see them first from a distance, or if the other side sees them first, they could set up an ambush. Roll 2 dice then look at the below table:
