Stars Without Number - Part I : No dream of the future

Not my usual prolegomena...

For some reason I just don't click with Stars Without Number. This post and the next represent my only successful SWN adventure -- I've had three false starts before this.

I had a vague idea for a campaign with a single PC travelling round the fringes of space. I didn't want to start yet another Traveller campaign (I've got five on the go!) and I thought a psionic PC would be a fun change, so SWN seemed like the best solution. It's got plenty of tools, and I had an old sector I made with Sectors Without Number all ready to use, so... attempt number 4 commenced.

And it even finished! It was fun, but I did feel myself running up against the constraints of the game system, and also felt a massive disconnect with a lot of the setting, planet tags in particular; about half of them really don't fit the kind of sci-fi I want, even though I'm going for something much less hard sci-fi than I usually do.

I liked my PC though, so after a wobbly start to the second adventure, I decided to look at new game systems, and eventually settled on M-Space. More on this when the time comes, but I will note departures from SWN setting concepts as I back-fill them in this adventure write-up.

My setting in broad strokes

The Thoea Upsilon sector is situated on the rim of the galaxy, where the stars start to thin out. The galaxy is ruled by an ancient and decadent empire which is in slow but inevitable decline. Most systems pay lip service to the idea of empire, but out on the fringes there is little practical interference and local politics hold sway. Imperial consulates do exist on some worlds (reskinned Mandate Base world tags), but can rarely extend their influence offworld -- often not even to other planets in the same system. Psionics are rare but not unheard of. Opinions about psychics vary from planet to planet, and often person to person. Most psis who do not go completely mad wind up working for governments or corporations -- and not always willingly.

Everything else can be explained as it comes up.

Toolbox
-SWN free revised
-Mythic GME with my MCSV for the oracle
-UNE for NPC conversations

Character generation & adventure setup

I remember making a lot of random rolls to make my PC (using both the main book and some of the Lifepath stuff from The Sandbox #2), but I didn't know if I'd be putting this on the blog or not, so I didn't take any notes. It's a good impetus to try the show-don't-tell method of introducing a character. I'll put her character sheet at the end of the introduction.

The adventure started with a random scene. I put one named NPC (rolled up with SWN's one-roll NPC tables) and two generic ones (to be rolled from the SWN world tags when they appear) on the Mythic NPC List. I then came up with a short term goal (visit alien ruins on a far-off world (0808 Prope/Eretus)) and a long term goal (free her homeworld from the shackles of the corporations controlling it) to have something on the Threads list. I also added a thread called 'cash flow problems', as my PC is starting away from home with only 200 credits to her name.

For the initial adventure locale, I chose the a planet (Inah) in the nearest system (0205 Loulikos) to the PC's homeworld (0106 Aethyll/Vigdis) and put her there -- there are reasons in her background to not start on her home planet. I also made a few rolls to figure out her starting circumstances, but again, better to show first and then report on die rolls.]

0205 Loulikos/Inah

Planet: Inah
Atmosphere: Inert gas
Temperature: Temperate
Biosphere: Biosphere remnants
Population: Hundreds of millions of inhabitants
Tech Level: TL4 (high tech; about 11-13 in Traveller terms)
Tags: Hatred, Megacorps

Prelude to adventure

Theophania lay in the darkness atop the tangle of sheets, listening to the water running in the shower. She forced her eyes open only reluctantly, and watched the clouds of steam billowing out of the bathroom with the harsh white light.

There was a delightful soreness in her muscles as she rolled over to fish something to wear off the floor, and a rather less delightful throbbing in her temples, momentarily forgotten but brought back into sudden clarity as her questing fingertips found an empty bottle under a crumpled shirt.

She pulled on a top and clambered out of bed as Serafina was emerging from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, water glistening against her deep brown skin. "You minx," she said beaming as Theophania stumbled past her towards the kitchen, "you made me late for work."

"You'd not be running late if you had a proper air-dryer in your fresher. I still can't believe people use towels on this planet."

"Yes, we use primitive bathing tech, turn the heat too high, and our tap water tastes too alkaline. Now, do you mind if I turn the light on to get dressed, or will that offend madame's nightworlder sensibilities?"

Theophania's yawn devolved into laughter. She blinked her eyes against the sudden glare as Serafina told the household computer "lights -- 65%", but in truth no more than did Serafina.

"I was going to make some tea," announced Theophania, "or maybe some gilso if there's any left. Wanna cup?"

"No time," replied Serafina, sitting at her vanity-unit. "Besides, we're running the end-of-quarter financials this week. I need something a bit stronger."

Theophania crossed the flat (all 4.75 metres of it) and put her ghostly white hand on Serafina's shoulder. She winced involuntarily at the quiet hiss of the spray-hypo as Serafina injected herself in the neck.

"You do too much of that shit."

"It keeps me focussed."

"Maybe a little less focus is good sometimes... And cheaper, besides. You've been spending way too much, especially on me. And I can't help us out without a work permit."

"I thought you liked being a kept woman."

"I'm being serious. Like, were you planning on paying rent this month?"

"Mmmmm... I may have found a way to help you earn."

"They advertising for industrial espionage positions in the all-staff bulletin?"

"No... but I got talking to one of the R&D project managers at Ahupathi's leaving do, and, let's just say he talks too much after a few shots of clennish. I'll arrange a meeting, if you're interested.... <<sigh>> stop kissing my shoulder or I'll miss the 8:16 maglev, too."

[I promise this is space adventure, not space romance. But I made a lot of random rolls for my PC, and also for her Contact on Inah (= the initial named NPC on the Mythic list). I rolled this person at random, name and all, and got the following profile:

Serafina Adeyeku
Background: Underclass
Role: Trader (=in accounting)
Problem: Drugs
Desire: They want an entirely different job
Trait: Curiosity

Then I asked an Oracle question--
Q: What is Theophania's relation to the NPC? Ambush / Home

...which seemed to indicate my new PC is the sort of girl who brings her furniture on the second date.

I decided a Mental Effect saving throw (at +4) was in order for her not to have divulged her psi powers in an unguarded moment: d20+4=18, ok. Serafina thinks she's just a normal (ex-)corporate spy, and good at reading people.]

Theophania-Eloïse Ashgrove

Class/Level: Psychic / 1
Background: Dilettante
Focus: Psychic Training

STR 11 DEX 14 CON 10
INT 18 WIS 16 CHA 14
HP   6  AC 14 Att +0
Effort 4

Skills: Connect-0, Talk-0, Sneak-0, Notice-0, Know-0

Psionics: Telepathy-1, Facile Mind (1); Teleport-0

Equipment: laser pistol (1d6), monoblade knife (1d6), armoured undersuit (AC13), 8 type-A cells, backpack, datapad, cr200


Scene 1

Chaos: Boring (d12)

Setup: (random) Introduce a new NPC - Inquire / Dispute

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, Serafina, patron

Threads: short-term goal, long term-goal, cash flow problems

Against all better judgement, Theophania had agreed to an initial meeting at a swanky eatery in one of the city's more exclusive commercial domes -- at least her prospective employer would be picking up the tab. She's now been sat at the bar in the lounge for an hour, getting a new message on her datapad every 10 minutes apologising for running late. Serafina had said work was unusually busy.

They finally arrive, still wearing their work clothes and the weariness of unpaid overtime. Serafina perks up immediately as she sees Theophania, and practically runs across the lounge to greet her. Her associate, an athletic man in his mid-40s, waits a few polite moments before following, but when he sees Theophania face-on, his demeanour also abruptly brightens.

"Theophania, this is my friend from work, Basil. Basil Paredes."

"Hiya, Basil."

"Enchantée..." he murmurs, kissing her hand. "My word, Serafina, you hadn't mentioned what an exotic beauty your paramour is. Her skin.. such exquisite whiteness, almost translucent. Why, you can practically trace the delicate pattern of veins beneath..."

The maître d' shows them to their table before the silence grows too awkward.

Serafina buries her face in the wine list looking mortified until Theophania whispers in her ear not to worry. Basil continues on obliviously, intent on expounding his profound interest in -- that is, his deep respect for -- nightworlder women.

Once the wine has been served and orders placed, Theophania profits from the pause in Basil's monologue. "Serafina said you might know of a job going."

"Well, not an official one... you see, I've had an idea. Sometimes climbing the corporate ladder relies on outside initiative, as I'm sure you well know. I've gotten wind of a project at Outertech, Daybreak Combine's biggest rival, that's attracting all sorts of attention. I need to know exactly what they're doing, especially now that they headhunted Jumanah Argyros. I think the simplest way would be for you to steal his lab notes, and--"

"You're new at this aren't you?"

"I, um , er... yes..."

"You picked a good spot for a meeting -- it's so loud with all the conversations and the live chamber music that we can assume a reasonable amount of privacy, but a little subtlety still wouldn't go amiss."

"You are, of course, correct."

"Have you put together a dossier on this guy?"

"Yes, I have it right here on this datapad--"

"Please don't pass it over the table. I'll get it on the way out."

"I... yes, of course."

"Now we discuss my fee."

"I'm prepared to pay 2500 credits upon completion."

"I need 20% up front for expenses. Transfer it into Serafina's account tomorrow, in corporate scrip. It'd look suspicious to draw that much in hard currency."

The rest of the meal is over as quickly as possible.

They part with Basil at the entrance to the maglev terminal; fortunately he and Serafina live in different residential domes. She grabs Theophania's arm as they're descending to the platform.

"I am so sorry for that! I've never seen him that way with anyone before. I'd no idea!"

* * *

Theophania examines the "dossier" on the datapad as Serafina sleeps soundly beside her. Without another bump to keep her going -- Theophania frowned at her until she put the hypo away -- she'd fallen asleep almost immediately.

The dossier itself is exactly what Theophania feared (or possibly, expected). All the information has been put into a meeting presentation template. It's short on useful details, but has plenty of clever graphics and transitions.

It doesn't even have Argyros' home address, but at least it has the location of the lab where he works and a handful of photos (taken from his profile on the Outertech corporate website), but it's enough to give Theophania a start.

[A few more notes from the SWN Adventure Creation tables:

The Restraint: An outside power threatens both sides
The Twist: There s a profitable chance for PCs to turn traitor

-Certain parties in the Clytie system threaten both Daybeak and their biggest rival, Outertech Group
-The opportunity for betrayal could come from either Outertech or the foreign elements

Conflict Type: Power
Overall Situation: A star expert in a particular industry
Specific Focus: They've betrayed their own

-There may even be a 4th faction...

Patron's Initial Manner: Xenophilic interest in the novelty of the PCs

=Basil is a bit of a creeper where Nightworld women are concerned.

Default Deal Outcome: They ll keep the deal slowly and grudgingly

Basic Challenge: Steal a well-guarded object
Main Countervailing Force: The patron is badly wrong about a thing

The dossier--
Q: Is there information on where Argyros can be found? Likely (3+): O6 C7 - yes
Q: Where? At a mass-transit station (from One-roll Urban Encounters table)
Q: Does it say if Argyros has a family? 50/50 (4+): O3 C2 - no, and... no personal information]

Scene 2

Chaos: Boring (d12)

Setup: d12=Interrupt (was: looking for Argyros)
Interrupt: NPC negative - Argyros - Propose / Death

[Someone has taken out a contract on Argyros. Assassins added to NPC list.

Chaos increases to Average]


Scene 3

Chaos: Average (d10)

Setup: d10=Altered (was: looking for Argyros)
Alteration: Add A Character : Basil

NPC List: {Friend}, {Enemy}, Serafina, Basil (patron), Argyros (target), assassins

Threads: short-term goal, long term-goal, cash flow problems, steal Argyros' research

Commerce Dome 34 is one of Inah's more dismal locales. No one visits who does not work here, so the office towers, reaching as high as and in may cases through the dome itself, are all of uniform blue-grey duralium. If it weren't for the "parks" and array of ground-floor shops and lunch-hour restaurants, it would look like a high-security prison.

Theophania has installed herself at an "outside" table of a gilso bar, which gives her a good view of the entrance to Kyrilov Plaza maglev station. She pretends to read a novel on her datapad and distractedly watch the steady parade of people descending to the station.

[Wis/Notice 8+ to see Argyros: 2d6+1=9, success
Int/Sneak 8+ to shadow him: 2d6+2=9, success]

At length she spots Argyros in the crowd, full of post-workday elation and stuffing some confection in his mouth as he walks, pausing only to brush crumbs off his collar. It's a simple matter to follow him at a reasonable distance.

The crowds in the station are clamorous and overbearing, but fortunately all move in the same direction at this hour. Theophania follows her mark down to the Areopagitica line platform...

[Wis/Notice 8+ to see Basil: 2d6+1=11, success]

...and realises she's being watched. She lets Argyros board the overfull maglev train, but doesn't push her own way onboard, merely noting the time of its departure. When the train speeds away, she goes to confront Basil, who's lurking further up the dingy platform.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I am sure he won't see me. I just wanted to see how it was going. To see you work." [insane - chaos - flaws]

"Are you trying to ruin everything? Do this again and I'll tell him what's up myself. Now get out of my face and wait to be contacted." [Cha/Talk 6+: 2d6+1=10]

Basil scurries off.


next post: space adventure! (mostly...)