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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 38

The last couple of sessions have been post-Big-Adventure/Setup sessions. Giving the players a chance to do some housekeeping, pursue some loose ends, and fiddle around a bit in-character.

After opening up the Mongoose 2e Central Supply Catalog to the players, I have already “but the brakes on it” a bit. A lot of the stuff in the book is fine to add to Classic Traveller. Survival gear, tools, etc. All good. The weapons and armor? Not so much. For one thing, Mongoose uses a totally different system for to-hit and damage. The weapons assume this. One of the players discovered the section on buying finely made weapons that do higher minimum amounts of damage, give bonuses to hit, etc.  Initially I said fine, but after talking about it we decided against it. I do think having really nice weapons be a little better than a stock weapon is fine in CT, but I will have to come up with some suitable rules for it.

I feel like Mongoose 2e potentially really opens the floodgates for powerful weapons. Also, since Classic Traveller is nearly 50 years old, it is of course true that even the ideas involved in science fiction are a lot different now.

The guys found the Universal Translator program in the catalog. In my game, it was a big deal when the PCs found an alien artifact that functioned as a universal translator. Clearly, based on that, a UT would be at a very high tech level in my universe — beyond what the PCs have access to. So we backed that out too.

The Mongoose stuff is very cool. It is just not what our campaign is about. For the most part I want the PCs to stick to the Classic Traveller weapons and armor. I’ll just use the Mongoose stuff to embellish the game.

A couple of my players, running Caliban and Flint, have offered up some ideas that are helping make the setting seem a bit more fully realized. Very happy about that. I love it when players think about the game and their characters. Both are super cool about it — offering the ideas up but totally good if I change them a bit or say “no, that’s a bit too much collaboration.” But it is a big universe, and one Ref can’t possibly think of everything.

Back when they were dealing with the bugs on Chamax, Barney displayed evidence of arachnophobia. His player just came up with that, based on the many disgusting bug monsters they have encountered. It makes sense, and it’s cool. The character gets no points for it. There is no advantage. It’s just fun and good roleplaying. I liked it.

But yeah, I am threading the needle with regard to available tech and whatnot. So far we’ve had a good campaign without going hog wild about new tech, but I’d like them to have cool stuff available and to take the initiative. I liked it when they wanted a drone, so they built one. That was cool. We figured it out.

I have created character record sheets for each of the PCs grav bikes in Roll20. I’d love it if they each customize the bikes with software and whatever they want. Where you get into trouble is at higher tech levels onboard computers can be intelligent agents. Not sure about that. Not sure I like it. Probably won’t go there. But improving the control systems on the bikes, installing databases — that is all good.

I decide we’ll use the Cepheus Engine Vehicle Design Guide for vehicle design details and the very simple systems it contains for low-speed fights, dogfights, and chases. It seems to be very compatible with Classic Traveller, and I like the aesthetics of the vehicles.

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ITV Session 38: Gun Shopping

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Two weeks have passed. SAFCO is still waiting for word on the parts they need for the Rambler-II.

PC’s discuss what to do with info on Dr. Fawke.

Caliban transmits some message to the Scout Service, complimenting the Scouts he was a bit of a dick to in the last session, realizing he was in a different culture and he misread it. Well done.

PC’s take alien data disks to Tahm Slykk, who agrees to build them a device that will read them. They pay him 10,000cr as his 10% share of their earnings from the trip to Chamax. He’s going to buy a new molecular analyzer for his workshop.

PC’s go gun shopping. Lucky talks to a gunsmith about buying a higher quality autorifle. He puts down some money on a new one. (Note: we had talked about using the finely made weapons rules from Mongoose Traveller, but I have decided not to. I’ll come up with some advantage for the new gun that will not unbalance the game).

Barney and Fardt work on Rambler. See Sub Merch in port. Barney talks to Sam, one of the mechanics. Finds out that the ship came in with no cargo. Barney notices the Samson Mining logo on the ship. Samson is the company doing mining on Uetonah, and possibly exploiting the native Pachyderms.

PC’s to the Happy Gluck, meet Flint’s old comrade Capt. Lex from the RCMP Army, who the find out is working for Samson. Barney on lookout. Lex introduces them to the pilot, navigator, and engineer from that ship, and tells them he is there to recruit soldiers to wipe out the rebels from the Sophont Liberation Front who have become an increasing problem for Samson. He refers to them as “environmentalist kooks”.  Lex offers SAFCO the chance to join up and make some money, but they decline. Lex and his crew leave. Barney rejoins the rest of SAFCO at their table and they compare notes.

End of session
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Elapsed time: 436 game days (1 year, 62 days)

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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 37

I keep saying this with every new session, but I am really amazed we just finished Session 37. My D&D game is on session 36 in just over a year. Both of these campaigns are now much longer both in real time and in game sessions than anything I’ve done before.

I’ve been talking to people about the benefits of long-form campaigns, as well as listening to some podcasts about it. I am not averse to a good one-shot game. They can be super fun. But the stuff we’re doing in these two long-form campaigns with no defined end points is just so fun and so great, and really couldn’t happen in a shorter format.

Session 37 was perhaps the closest to a no-roll roleplaying session I’ve run. Most of the two hours was spent with the characters in conversation with each other or interacting with NPCs. Other than a few Gunnery rolls practicing with the laser turrets on the ship and two Admin rolls, it was all talk and roleplaying. I feel like the players are getting better at the in-character roleplaying part of the game. No, they aren’t acting like voice actors or entertainers. They are just playing their characters. Maybe I’m affording them more opportunities for this? I’m not sure, but it was fun.

This was still a very busy 2-hour session. I had considered throwing some action into it, or working in the start of a new adventure, but decided not to rush it. Everyone seemed engaged, so I decided to take my time and let things play out. The game will be better for it.

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ITV Session 37: Sharp Dressed Man

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SAFCO and Caliban Tisk have made it back to the Rambler-II. A few of the alien bug fur balls were blown out into space. Everyone is feeling the need for some revenge on the ugly bastards, so the team takes turns locating the 4 fur balls on the turret scanners and frying them with the ship’s lasers. Even Caliban takes a turn, and his Jack-of-all-trades skill comes in handy. He fries one!

After a brief discussion, SAFCO decides it is time to return to Mylor. Not a hard decision, really. Barney informs the team that the ship is overdue for annual maintenance. As a miracle-worker he’s kept them safe, but it is getting too sketchy. Among other things, the ship needs a new Jump Drive B modulator as well as a replacement for the Jump Field Control Matrix. This will likely have to be brought in from a Type-A starport a subsector away. They are looking at 7 weeks downtime and about $400,000 credits. Luckily the company has enough in the bank to cover it. A course is set and they jump, managing to avoid a mis-jump.

During jump they discuss plans going forward.

Caliban prepares insurance claim documents for SAFCO, as well as forms to reinstate life insurance on each member (owed them by the Scouts). He also files on Lucky’s behalf for compensation from the Scout Service for the disfigurement and trauma he underwent during his service (this one will be had to justify. Being a Scout is inherently dangerous!). Caliban also prepares instructions for his tailor on Mylor for a new suit, as well as instructions for fabriation of new field clothing and dress duds for SAFCO. He also prepare the proper forms, to be submitted to the Scout base on Mylor, suggesting that Chamax be immediately quaranteened. Caliban make a couple of Admin-4 rolls to start the process on a couple of these projects.

SAFCO and Caliban prepare a suggested plan for dealing with any other Chamax colony ships that might float into an inhabited parsec.

The Rambler-II arrives back on Mylor. The various claim transmissions are made.

The entire group heads to the Scout base once Caliban has picked up and donned his sweet new suit. He’ll be taken seriously wearing this!  Walking in, the Scouts and Flint see some familiar faces. Caliban tries to take charge, barking orders at a scout. The man asks Lucky “Hey who is this guy”. After a response from Caliban, the scout says “You should settle down, Slick.” Barney smooths things over, and they meet with Scout Admin Billy Zoom.

After showing Zoom their footage and documentation of their harrowing experience on Chamax as well as in the alien ship, and the survey data, he agrees that quarantine will likely be instituted (if not a planetary scrubbing), and he will tranmit data to the Quarantine Agency. In the meantime the Scout base on nearby Zerix will put in provisional interdiction satellites at Chamax. He thanks them and they leave.

Roger and Fardt go relax at the Happy Gluck.

Next they visit InStarSpec, to meet with Sevor Halin. Caliban has a plan. Barney is wearing a nice new uniform, while Lucky remains “badass” looking. While he initially scoffs at request for payment to the team for completing the survey (Caliban has the original contract, stating whoever completes it gets paid), he eventually decides it’s not his money after all and pays them the 100,000 cr specified in the contract, as well as the 100,000 cr he owes SAFCO for their work sorting out the situation. They show him the footage. He offers them a contract to go back and capture one of the Chamax bugs, saying such a life form must be valuable. They decline.

Caliban’s tablet pings, indicating payment received.

A vote is taken, and SAFCO agrees to accept Caliban into the company. He brings a useful skillset that none of the others possess.

SAFCO goes over its financials and other resources. They decide to take the data disks recovered from the Chamax ship to their hacker associate, Tahm Slykk, to have them copied.  Lucky begins compiling a list of useful gear they might want to procure for their future endeavors.

End of session
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Elapsed time: 422 game days (1 year, 62 days)

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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 36

So, we have finished the Chamax Sessions in our Classic Traveller campaign. I used the Double Adventure /the Chamax Plague/Horde as source material, and the group actually discovered the Chamax origin planet and dealt with bugs on the surface and an alien escape ship in orbit around the planet.

This adventure actually took seven play sessions to do. Most of them were 2-hour sessions, so that is understandable.

I made a real effort to have potential skill use in this adventure beyond just bug killing. In particular, allowing PCs to add their Jack of All Trades modifier to rolls when I felt it appropriate. For example, when their background would indicate some kind of intuition in the area. As I have gone on and on about in person and online for years, most Traveller skills are BIG. They often encompass multiple implied sub-skills or entire professions. Players need to be able to use them. I’m doing what I can as Ref to nudge the players into thinking bigger with regard to their skills.

We are taking next week off, which will give me a breather and time to work on the next steps of the campaign. I want to do a better job describing things to increase “immersion” and I want to find some good non-AI imagery on the web to use during the sessions.

The players discussed a couple of items of unfinished business at the end of last night’s session, so we may go those directions depending on what they decide.

I love this campaign.

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ITV Session 36: Chamax Understood

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SAFCO is still in the alien disk ship, on the Computer deck. They investigate the equipment. The storage media they found appear to be eight optical disks, each 8 inches in diameter and about 1/4″ thick. Each is a different color, and each has writing. Lucky examines them using his Electronics-3 skill. The disks and the associate equipment, like the rest of the ship, appear to be of a lower tech level than even low Imperial standard. The team looks over the deck. They see nothing that appears to be ship controls.

Lucky asks Caliban, who has experience with first encounters with alien races, to look at the optical disks. Caliban, who is also knowledgeable about document filing systems and such, needs and 11+ to make sense of the alien system. He is allowed to use the following modifiers. Admin-4, Liason-1, JOT-1. He succeeds with the roll.

Caliban assumes that if there is an order to the disks, it likely starts with either the left or right side. Few aliens would start in the middle or have some other odd way of doing things. He looks over the writing on the disks, and decides that the disks, if there is an order to them, go right to left in their holder. Lucky notes that it would be easy to remove the container and take the disks.

Another bug comes up the ramp to the computer deck. A fight ensues. Damn! These bugs are tough! The team peppers the thing with bullets as it chaotically attacks! The bug misses its attempts to bite team members. Caliban detaches his radio, turns it to what he thinks is a bug frequency, and throws it down the hall, trying to get the bug to chase it. The bug still continues attacking. Finally, Roger gets a good shot and pops the things acid sack, killing it. Caliban retrieves his radio.

The team decides to decend the ramp to the Engineering deck. They have no bug encounters on the way.

On the Engineering deck they see lots of low tech equipment, as well as a strange bank of devices that give the impression of being something like temperature controls.

Caliban uses his tablet to broadcast what they are seeing to Barney on the Rambler-II, who is Eng-3. Barney sees a small fusion reactor. He sees no evidence of a Jump drive. He estimates this ship could do no more than .6% lightspeed. It would take over 400 years to cover one parsec. He thinks the weird equipment looks
like some kind of temperature device.

Together the team thinks this ship is totally automated — a hibernation ship. No controls. No food prep. No facilities. Only the computer deck seems to have work stations or any expectation of interaction with a sophont.

They decide to return to the Rambler-II. Lucky and Caliban return to the computer deck to get the disks, while Flint and Roger stabilize the tumbling disk ship and see about bringing over a fresh vacc suit for Lucky.

On the computer deck, Lucky loads disk one, succeeds in a Comp-1 roll, and views an explanatory video, showing that the bugs originated on this planet, Chamax, as did the crustacean aliens. The bugs natural predator was intentionally eliminated and the bugs went wild, eating all organic matter on land. The aliens built disk ships and sent them out at sublight speed to try to colonize other worlds. This ship, apparently, was invaded by bugs as it lifted off. They ate the colonists, damaged internal systems, and the ship failed to leave orbit. They see a short depiction of the bug life cycle.

Back on board the Rambler-II, SAFCO and Caliban begin discussions of next steps, realizing the danger of the bugs should they invade other worlds.

End of session
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Elapsed time: 414 game days

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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 35

When we started this series of Chamax games I had no idea we’d now be 6 sessions into them and still going strong.

If you are familiar with the Classic Traveller Double adventures Horde and the Chamax Plague, you know I am using them as source material, but his is it’s own adventure cobbled together with elements of that book.

It’s going well. The frequent 2-hour play sessions are working out nicely.

I love Traveller.

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ITV Session 35: More Bugs

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SAFCO and Caliban Tisk continue exploring the alien disk ship.

They have patched Lucky’s vacc suit with a quick-patch, but there is still a large hole being burned into it, quickly, by the bug’s acid.

Roger uses his blade to cut out the section of vacc suit affected — about an 8″ diameter spot. Lucky’s suit takes another 11 points of damage before he can get it cut out. It requires two quick patches and an 8+ roll by Caliban (aided by Jack of All Trades-1) to get the two patches to work correctly. The discarded fabric burns away, leaving a burned mark on the metal floor of the ship.

The team decides to try to find the central column of the ship, as shown in the video they were shown, to ascend to what looked like a bridge/computer room. They proceed, with Flint taking the point. As he moves through the halls another bug attacks him. He and Roger fight it. Simultaneously another bug attacks Caliban and Lucky. They manage to kill both bugs.

They reach the central column, and find a spiral ramp leading up and down, as well as a hatch into what turns out to be a column going through the vehicle, with a weird non-human ladder and lots of wires and conduits. They go up the ramp, and are attacked by another bug.

This bug gives them a lot of trouble. It bites Lucky and Roger, but Flint is able to pry it off both of them before it spits acid. Both of them get their vacc suits damaged again, and there is only one quick patch left. They shoot it many times, but fail to hit the acid sac and kill it. The ships power again fluctuates. Gravity goes away. Flint has left the hatch in that level’s central column open. Caliban situates himself to quickly slam the hatch shut. Flint uses his Zero-G combat skill to go flying at the bug, which is now flopping around wildly in the air. He has a crowbar with him. He makes a DX roll, and is able to hit the bug like a ball into the hatch, which Caliban slams shut and locks.

WHEW!

Now they have two damaged vacc suits and only one patch. The atmosphere in the ship is like that of the planet, however, which means it is breathable, and it is above freezing.

They continue up, and find what appears to be a “computer room.” Alien tech devices and monitors, etc. Ships power fluctuates again and the gravity comes back, but the lights to out. They are once again using their suits’ helmet lamps. Lucky makes an electronics roll and recognizes what appears to be data disks in a storage compartment. He considers taking the entire storage container, but the group decides that Barney is need on-board, since he has computer skill and may be able to figure out how to read them.

The session ends as the team discusses how to proceed. They need Barney and a spare vacc suit, and the alien ship is still tumbling with the SAFCO mining pod still attached.

End of Session:
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Elapsed time: 413 game days

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Into the Void Ref’s Notes Session 34

This adventure is taking way more session than I expected! That’s fine. We’re only playing for two hours at a time, and we usually spend about 10 minutes catching up before we play. I’m enjoying these sessions a lot, and I hope the players are too. It is great to not feel like we are rushing through an adventure “just to get it done.”

One challenge I had in last night’s session was keeping the one character who stayed on the ship (to make sure someone was there at the ready) engaged. William is a great player. He often is the one who goes up to the balcony to keep an eye on things, lags behind to make sure no one is following them, etc. Sometimes, as in these last few sessions, it means his character, Barney, isn’t  in the middle of the action.

However, over the last seven years of playing Traveller he understands how to keep his character busy, and find productive things to do, in this case supporting the away team. I can’t believe we’ve been playing this campaign for over seven years now, but we have, and all the guys are seasoned Traveller players. Well, Todd is new, but he’s an experienced gamer and it’s like he’s been with us the whole time.

I had a good time with last night’s session. I made a random table to determine how the alien ship they are on might malfunction. Gravity going in and out, information videos suddenly playing, lights on and off, maneuvering/attitude thrusters suddenly firing. It was also fun to have the PCs in vac suits – an added level of danger, as well as some zero-g antics.

When I review my own performance as Ref after these games, I continue to be dissatisfied with the descriptions I give of things. Like the interior of the ship. I feel like I’m paying a lot of attention to the big things in a session, but could spend more time thinking of atmospheric details. I will work on that.

Going on vacation for a week. More Traveller after that.

 

 

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ITV Session 34: Zero Gravity

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Aboard alien disc ship
Continuing from previous game

SAFCO and Caliban Tisk continue to explore the alien craft. Barney and Fardt are aboard the Rambler-II. Lucky explores one of the outer hallways.

As they explore the ship, they find more hibernating fur balls.  Roger kills one that is blocking his way.

The temperature in the ship has risen to -40 C.

The ship contains many curving corridors, which lead to chambers with what look like sleeping couches for some kind of alien physique.

The power and systems in the ship “hiccup”. On board the Rambler-II, Barney uses the sensors and can read the power fluctuations. In the alien ship, artificial gravity goes out. The team and the fur balls are now in zero-g.

Barney uses sensors to study the alien ship, determining that the engineering section is on the bulging section on the presumed “bottom”.

The boarding party uses Vacc Suit and Zero-G Combat skills to maneuver around the ship.  There’s another hiccup. Lights go out and the ship seems to move. Barney sees a couple of maneuvering thrusters on the disk ship fire, and the ship begins to tumble again, this time with the mining pod attached to it. The cargo door is now flipping around. Inside the alien ship, the boarding party is now relying on the headlamps from their vac suits for light, as the ship very slowly tumbles. The fur balls are bouncing around.

Caliban checks his suit readouts. Interior temp of the ship is approaching 0 C.

There’s another power fluctuation. Around the ship, panels slide open on the walls, revealing video screens. A recording begins to play. The face of a crustacean-like alien appears and speaks in an alien language. An animation starts as he speaks, depicting their ship landing on an idyllic planet. Crab-like aliens exit the ship. The do not look like the bugs. It shows equipment compartments opening on the outside of the ship, crab-beings setting up camps, and one alien going up a central shaft in the ship to a compartment on top and accessing a computer.

SAFCO discusses what they think has happened on this ship. The mystery continues.

The ship has warmed above freezing now. Two fur balls unfold into bugs. They are all in zero-g. The bugs try to get to the humans to attack but fail. Various gunshots fail to kill the bugs.

On board the Rambler-II, Fardt manages a lucky shot with the pulse lasers and fries the alien ship’s maneuvering thrusters.

There’s another power fluctuation. Gravity comes back on. The bugs and humans land back on the floor. Many shots fail to damage the bugs. Finally, Caliban manages a great and lucky shot, and one bug explodes in a burst of acid and dies.

The other bug leaps on Lucky and bites him, then continues grasping him. Lucky is still up. Flint shoots it in the back but it doesn’t die. He then realized that was a bad move – the acid would have gotten on Lucky.  More shots. Lucky pries himself free, but not before it spits some acid on him. Flint blasts the bug and kills it.

Caliban quickly patches the Lucky’s vac suit, but it still has acid on it that continues eating through it. The ship continues to tumble.

End of Session.
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Elapsed time: 413 game days