JANUS Revisited

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 16, 2015 - 8:05pm
Okay everyone including myself pretty much agrees Trouble On Janus does not fit well as written in the SF 'Verse, but I started retyping it for one so I could actually read it (my scan is pretty rough), but I also figured I should edit the text & ideas to better fit into SF so I can use it. 

Original Background (with spelling addresed): The green highlights are on points of intrest, sector info I think needs changing or deleting all together. I am not sure about cluster, what cluster? I may make both Gergonise & Janus worlds that ultamently become 2 of the quaratined worlds/systems or not still kicking the idea about since my setting is pre-Blue Plague. If anyone has suggestions feel free... 

BACKGROUND:
Janus is a near-Sol Type planet in sector 86-110-22, with a yellow sun at the extreme edge of the cluster, near Gergonise. There are three other planets in the system, with the other two planets being much farther out and uninhabited. Janus has one moon, uninhabited and apparently worthless, and has one space station orbiting the planet to provide weather information and to boost off-planet communications.

The gravity on Janus is slightly higher than Sol-Type Normal worlds, however Janus also has a very dense atmosphere with a slightly higher oxygen content, so that beings accustomed to Sol-Type Normal worlds should feel no discomfort.

The density of the atmosphere and the proximity to the sun make this a virtual hothouse world. The planet is divided into two major continental masses, more clumps of huge islands interspaced with more rivers and lakes than traditional continents.

Janus has a relatively flat rotation orbit and an extremely slight axis tilt. As a result, seasonal changes are virtually unknown on Janus. The southern hemisphere is undergoing a summer season while the northern hemisphere is undergoing a late summer or very early fall season, and this situation is expected to continue for the next thousand years or so.

The next bit gets way not SF so it will need major rewrite I think:

 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."
Comments:

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 17, 2015 - 9:57am
Rereading the above I have some questions & thoughts about the planet's environement: Seasons last a thousand years? I am okay with the unique environment this would create but what would the orbit of a planet have to be like for this? Is the whole planet basically a big tropical to mediteranian type environement? What happens when Winter happwns or doea it... 1000 plus year season cycles. Native life, some would be adapted to this no doubt, but would the fossil record show a lot mass extinction events? 

In the economic section the planet clearly has other resources besides Medical-Ag

Location I am probably going to go with it being one of the quarintined worlds for my game, I am also going to make Gergonise either a system or a world which is not Ag nearby (so another plague plane).
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 17, 2015 - 7:51pm
First draft of rewrite:

Planetary Briefing:

Janus is a jungle planet, with a yellow sun, (near Gergonise). There are three other planets in the system, with the other two planets being much farther out and uninhabited. Janus has one moon, uninhabited and apparently worthless, and has one space station orbiting the planet to provide weather information and to boost off-planet communications.

The gravity on Janus is 1.1 G.  Janus also has a very dense atmosphere with a slightly higher oxygen content, so that beings accustomed to 1 G should feel no discomfort.

The density of the atmosphere and the proximity to the sun make this a virtual hothouse world. The planet is covered with lush jungles of amazing biodiversity. The planet is divided into two major continental masses, that are crisscrossed by vast and small rivers with a large number of natural lakes creating a maze of huge to small islands across the continents.

Janus has a relatively flat rotation orbit and an extremely slight axis tilt. As a result, seasonal changes are virtually unknown on Janus. The southern hemisphere is undergoing a summer season while the northern hemisphere is undergoing a late summer or very early fall season, and this situation is expected to continue for the next thousand years or so.


I am attempting to maintane as much of original text as possible while creating a more SF feel. 

<!--EndFragment-->
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 19, 2015 - 10:56am
First Draft of Planetary Brief needs ton's more work: But this is just the start of the rewrite process: I need to move some info around and reorder it better, also I need to flesh out Central City from info in the module, and so on.

Planetary Briefing:

Janus is a jungle planet, with a yellow sun, (near Gergonise). There are three other planets in the system, with the other two planets being much farther out and uninhabited. Janus has one moon, uninhabited and apparently worthless, and has one space station orbiting the planet to provide weather information and to boost off-planet communications.

The gravity on Janus is 1.1 G.  Janus also has a very dense atmosphere with a slightly higher oxygen content, so that beings accustomed to 1 G should feel no discomfort.

The density of the atmosphere and the proximity to the sun make this a virtual hothouse world. The planet is covered with lush jungles of amazing biodiversity. The planet is divided into two major continental masses that are crisscrossed by vast and small rivers with a large number of natural lakes creating a maze of huge to small islands across the continents.

Janus has a relatively flat rotation orbit and an extremely slight axis tilt. As a result, seasonal changes are virtually unknown on Janus. The southern hemisphere is undergoing a summer season while the northern hemisphere is undergoing a late summer or very early fall season, and this situation is expected to continue for the next thousand years or so.

ECONOMIC PROFILE AND DEVELOPMENT:

Janus was discovered over a century and a half ago by an exploration ship sponsored by Multi-Cap Corporation. It was briefly cataloged, but Janus was not immediately colonized. About sixty years ago Multi-Cap Corporation funded a second expedition to Janus before their original claim expired. The expedition ship the “Borderline” crashed in the southern hemisphere. The owner and commander of the ship was Jerry Tatum, who was also the discoverer of the Tatum Plant, whose leaves made an almost universal pain killer and a good antiseptic. Multi-Cap immediately recognized the value of the discovery of the Tatum plant and within 1 galactic standard year had begun developing the planet with the establishment of scientific research and mapping stations, and an experimental agricultural farm, thus ensuring Multi-Cap retained it’s claim to Janus. After determining the most efficient growing methods for Tatum plants Multi-Cap began to recruit colonists from predominately human populations in the Frontier.  Since then the production of Tatum-leaves have become the primary product of Janus and its principle source of export income. Tantum and his crew were also the discoverers of the planet’s inhabitants, dubbed “Woolies”.

CURRENT ECONOMIC PROFILE:

The economy of Janus depends almost entirely on the growth and export of Tatum leaves, from which a base is extracted to be made into painkillers and antiseptics. Due to this situation, the real economic power on Janus rests with the Multi-Cap Corporation, a pharmaceutical manufacturing and pharmaceutical agriculture firm with Frontier wide distribution. The Multi-Cap directors realized early on the potential sales to be gained from exploiting Tatum leaves.

Multi-Cap functions as the real governing power on Janus, Multi-Cap company police have the real law enforcement power concerning larger planetary affairs. There is a rudimentary parliamentary system on Janus. The local non Multi-Cap police force is community based and very similar in concept to sheriff’s. Local authorities such as planetary police or customs officials wear powder blue uniforms. Multi-Cap security wears dark blue uniforms. Central City is the capitol of Janus, the largest population center and the location of the planet’s spaceport. Multi-Cap has developed large tracts of the southern hemisphere, and administers it in the following manner: Tatum Plants are grown on extensive plantations. Land tracts are apportioned by Multi-Cap, which picks the owners of each tract, helps the owner with financing, clearing the land, equipment purchases and the other set-up costs. These plantations are settled along major waterways in order to secure cheap and reliable transportation for movement of the harvested Tatum leaves. 

A plantation system is established with the owners of the plantations in debt to Multi-Cap for development capital and dependent on Multi-Cap for control of the land itself. Multi-Cap agrees to buy all the Tatum leaf produced and offers settlers a reasonable price, not neglecting the profit margin they stand to make from the product when it is refined and sold off planet. For security reasons, no Tatum leaf extract is refined on Janus itself. It is speculated that this security policy helps maintain the firm control Multi-Cap holds over the plantation owners and develops an even greater dependence on Multi-Cap’s purchasing power.

The labor to actually plant, weed and harvest the Tatum Plant is provided by the Woolies. Use of Woolies as labor appears to be a mutually exploitive system. That is, the growing and harvesting of vast acreage of Tatum-Plants would be impossible without a source of cheap, effective labor able to make independent decisions beyond the capability of programmed robot labor. The plantation system appears to be a salvation for the Woolies themselves. The planet is over run with a host of natural predicators, both animal and plant, and most of these predators feed on Woolies, whose function in the ecology appears to be roughly equivalent to that of rabbits. The lack of large tribal or clan connections, or more than elementary civilization development, make the Woolies a poor long-range choice to emerge as a dominant species on Janus were it not for the intervention of other intelligent species, specifically, the advent of the Multi-Cap Corporation and plantation system.

In return for working the plantations the Woolies receive free food, free housing, free medical treatment, and trade privileges as payment. Woolies do not appear to fully understand the term “payment for wages” or the concept of labor being valuable. However, they are willing to work the plantations in return for such implements as knives, spears, trinkets, and primitive weapons such as bows. Apparently the primary consideration from the viewpoint of the Woolies is security. There are no predators within the boundaries of the plantations (except for occasional intervening creatures which break thru the security perimeters), which means Woolies can raise families and live a peaceful existence without the fear of imminent death. The second consideration is medical attention, which they regard as some sort of god-magic provided by the generous out-worlders. They do not regard free food or housing as any benefit at all, since in their natural state food and housing is relatively “free” anyway.

An investigation eleven years ago by a Board of Inquiry reveals that the system utilized by Multi-Cap does not constitute slavery, voluntary or otherwise, and from all appearances the Woolies themselves, as well as the plantation owners, are happy with the situation which places them at the disposal of Multi-Cap. The system appears to be uniquely fitted for exploiting the only real economic potential available on Janus in the best and most efficient way possible.

TRADE:

Under the terms of trade agreements, no planet may shut off trade with another signatory planet, except for medical reasons. Non Multi-Cap ships do come to Janus for trade purposes, however they come mostly as carriers of goods to the planet. While Tatum Plants grow wild all over the face of the planet, they are seldom concentrated enough to make up enough of a harvest weight to make harvest from the wild viable. In addition, Woolies in the wild apparently have difficulty understanding the concept of property and property-trade rights. Some unscrupulous traders have influenced tribal bands of Woolies to steal from plantations at harvest time, and have gotten away with it. However, Woolies appear to be loyal workers, and while such practices have occurred, they are by no means common.

There are rumors that sapphires and large deposits of various ores to found in the interior of the southern continent. Specifically it is rumored that the Red Mound Hills, in the Wallaby River Basin contain riches. This area is about three thousand kilometers west of Central City, in the middle of uncharted, hostile jungle. Some traders have managed to barter such inconsequential items as mirrors, metal knives, bells, rope, and the like and have obtained raw sapphires, though not in serious quantity. Most explorers willing to tackle the hazards of the jungle specialize in exotic plants and fruit. Orchid type flowering plants are common. In general trade opportunities on Janus is not well established.  and does not appear to hold any great potential due to the meager economic potential of the planet at this particular stage of its development. Multi-Cap does have several scientific research stations and teams looking for other plants with medical applications.

PIRACY:

Pirates are not unknown in this region; however, they normally do not bother with secondary yield cargos such as Tatum-leaves.

FLORA & FUANA:

Kite Bird:
Type: Large Carnivore 6-10 meter wingspan, beak to tail 1-2 meter.
Number Appearing: 1 to 5
Move: very fast
IM/RS: 6/65
STA: 180
Attack: 2 claws – 50%, Beak 65% (80% if target is in claws)
Damage: each claw, 4 D10; Beak 4 D10
Impervious to stun or most poisons.
Inertia screen and skien suit will provide some protection.

These creatures posses enourmous triple jointed orange and yellow colored wings, long claws and huge beaks. They are teritoral and aggressive towards other flying creatures and towards flying crafts (such as shuttle crafts, scout ships, gliijets, jetcopters, aircars and so on) and will attack intruders (even good sized craft have a 12% chance of being so unbalanced by an attack as to cause them to crash). A mid air collesion with one of these beasts that live in the top canopy of the great trees of the jungles can foul engines and destroy tail fin assemblies. Small crafts can be ripped to shreds and their passengers devoured.

Blackout Bat:
Type: Large Carnivore (4-6 meter wing span, nose to tail .5 – 1.5 meters)
Number Appearing: 1 (Solitary hunters)
Move: Medium
IM/RS: 5/50
STA: 130
Attack: 2 talons 60% grasp – then, Bite 75% + blood drain
Damage: Talons 3 D10, mouth 1 D10 + ½ D10 blood drain per turn
Special: After victim has lost one third his STA, must roll under remaining ST to remain conscious, rolling each round damage continues.
Attack/Defense: Fog of darkness is cast to cloak itself and its victim in a black fog about 7-8 meters in diameter.

These creatures lurk in overhanging jungle trees and swoop down taking their victims by surprise. The bat will always try to fly away with the victim, however, since adults of the core four races are heavier and denser than Woolies, the bat will be unable to do so. Sentient beings of a weight similar to the Woolies can be carried off by the bat. If the victim is the Dralasite race the bat does initial damage plus another claw attack, then tries another, better tasting victim.

Skien  suit offer protection for players, plus the Yazarian players can, if they remove their sun goggles, actually see through the black fog and pick out the attacker from the victim, something the other players will not be able to do. Once dead, the black fog disapates within a minute or two, and this will also happen if the bat is unconscious.

Octapus Plant:
Type: Medium, carnivorous plant, 1.5 meters diameter, .5 meters thick, with trailing tentacles about 1.5 meters long
Number Appearing: 1 to 3
Move: Very Fast
IM/RS: 7/65
STA: 88
Attacks: tentacles, 50% (8 attacks)
Damage – Special – tentacles are used to hold prey fast, while the central mass secretes sweet-smelling semi-narcotic type digestive fluid, eating through Skein suit in 5 turns, Albedo Suit in 3 rounds, normal clothing in 2 turns, damage to bare skin 1 D10 per turn.
Special: After the 3rd round of the attack, victim must roll under his STA each round to prevent being overwhelmed by fumes, which cause victim to become helpless, dazed, high and immune to pain, even though being dissolved by the plant.
Special: Plant is immune from stun attacks, poison, and takes minimum damage from needle gun attacks. Because it is a plant, it must be absolutely destroyed before it frees a victim.

This dark purple, eight tenacled blob like carnivouros plant species lives in trees, where it is completely camaflaged. A stealth prediator it drops from above and wraps it’s tentacles around the body of the victim. 2-pints of the acid-narcotic can be collected from a dead plant but must be put into wooden or paper containers.

Tigerpaw:
Type: Medium carnivore
Number Appearing: 1
Move: fast
IM/RS: 7/65
STA: 200
Attack: 2 front paws 60% each, 2 back claws (only if front claws hit) 80%, Bite 70%
Damage: claws 2 D10, bite 3 D10
Special Defense: Tigerpaw get +20% to saving throw vs Stun

The Tigerpaw runs to attack, it does not spring at its victims. Tigerpaws are huge, green and black striped animals, a sort of a cross between a feline and a hyenia, with enormous front and back paws, about two and a half meters long, standing a meter and a half tall, solid muscle, with bulging yellow eyes and lots of long sharp teeth.

Mirror Plant:
Type: Medium, standing about 2 meters tall, 1 ½ meters thick
Number Appearing: 1
Move: stationary, see below
IM/RS: 7/65
STA: 400
Attack: 10 tentacles 60%, range up to 15 meters, tentacles are withdrawn into plant for most of length when not attacking
Damage: ½ D10 per tentacle, thorns along tentacle, mouth does 20 D10
Special Attacks/Defenses: Plant attacks with a flash of light, 50% chance victim will be stunned or disorientated for ½ D10 turns. Plant can flash once every 20 turns, 3 times per day, will use all charges up if heavily damaged. Plant also casts a direct mirror image of itself as soon as it takes any damage. This duplicate appears between ½ to 1 meter to the right of the plant and is a mirror image of it, caused by release of vapor and humming sound to cause partial hypnotic effect on victims or anyone else within 33.5 meter radius.

Mirror plants do not need to eat often and are sacred to some Woolie tribes. Mirror plants are large fat green plants, sort of like an enormous barrel cactus with yellow flowers and thin tenderals drooping down from its top. The barrel section of the plant can open up, splitting from the top into four parts, revealing a gapping opening lined with long sharp thorn-teeth. When a victim is tossed into the mouth or pulled into the mouth of the plant the plant snaps the four sections closed with extreme force, pearcing the flesh and snapping audiably snapping bones of its victims.

Woolies:
Type: (sentient race) large herbivores
Number appearing: 1-20
Move: fast
IM/RS: 5/45
STA: 50
Attack: by weapon type, or claws 45%
Damage: 1 D10 per claw, or weapon type

Woolies are the native sentient race and culture of Janus. Woolies have a protected status on Janus. Woolies are not to bothered or harassed in any ways. If a Woolie gets hurt by a non-Woolie the planetary police automatically hold the non-Woolie involved on attempted murder charges until the problem can be investigated. Woolies though tall are not very strong and are basically non-aggressive.

These creatures are bipeds covered with shaggy fur standing about six and a half to seven feet tall. The civilization of these people is described as nomadic and semi-tribal, although some larger tribal units of relative stability have been observed, primarily on the northern continent. The intelligence of the Woolies has been tested as low. The long term survival potential of the Woolies without intervention of a more advanced culture has been judged as low as well by Multi-Cap scientists.

Some Woolies worship the Mirror Plant.
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

TerlObar's picture
TerlObar
June 19, 2015 - 2:13pm
This kind of thing is exactly what the documents section of the projects are designed for.  You might consider putting this there.
Ad Astra Per Ardua!
My blog - Expanding Frontier
Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site
Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine
Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 19, 2015 - 3:05pm
Well I am not done with it... I will upload the current work in progress... in documents:

How does this sound for fleshing out Capital City a bit & adding a second large city?

Multi-Cap functions as the real governing power on Janus; Multi-Cap company police have the real law enforcement power concerning larger planetary affairs. There is a rudimentary parliamentary system on Janus. The local non Multi-Cap police force is community based and very similar in concept to sheriffs. Local authorities such as planetary police or customs officials wear powder blue uniforms. Multi-Cap security wears dark blue uniforms. Central City is the capitol of Janus, the largest population center and the location of the planet’s spaceport. Central City is located on the eastern coast of the southern continent where a great river called the Noraworo enters the bay. The Noraworo delta is connected to many other rivers, which feed into it creating a natural supply line of waterways for the movement of crops to Central City and supplies from Central City to the many plantations in the jungles of Janus. Thus Central City has a huge port for river ships & warehouses. In addition a major mill is located in Central City that processes lumber brought from the jungle.

Camp Borderline is the second largest settlement on Janus and is the oldest settlement. This is the site of the crashed Borderline and became the site of Multi-Caps first research station as the immediate area was mapped, friendly relations had been established with the local tribe, and some structures already built by the surviving crew of the Borderline. Camp Borderline has the first cemetery and memorial sites for off-worlders. Multi-Cap maintains a test farm and plantation at Camp Borderline. In addition Multi-Cap still maintains other research facilities at Camp Borderline. Camp Borderline has a small landing facility and an artificial waterway and port that Multi-Cap put in to connect it to extensive river system via the Pango river; once Multi-Cap determined water travel was the safest way to travel. Camp Borderline is located 1,500 kilometers southwest from Central City. 

I sort of got form the module a sort of southern plantation/river boat feel mixed with Australia... for instance the term "Wallaby" makes me think there is probably a vaguely wallaby like creature so I will have to write up a Janus Wallaby.
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

jedion357's picture
jedion357
June 20, 2015 - 9:31am
I like camp borderline.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 20, 2015 - 8:32pm
It made sense to me that Multi-Cap would start exploration from there as a a base camp/research area, and then choose a better spot for warehouses, space poart, and such things. 

I wonder how big Janus is suppose to be? 
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 23, 2015 - 4:35pm
I am pondering the Janus module... I like the turning natives into goo and the organic androids, but I do not like how the Sathar are handled, I do not want the PCs seeing them... so I am thinking there should have been androids of the Research Facilities staff not just the 2 colonists. Multi-Cap employees hypnotized or turned to doing the insidious unknown alien bidding. I am thinking the Sathar minds, should be jared brains. If the PC's see any Sathar it will be brains & slime is what I am thinking, they will never actually see a whole Sathar.  

I also think it needs more in the port town... it is portrayed as a sleepy town, which is odd for the only major star port in which all cargo comes in and out of for the whole planet, plus it is the capitol, there should a different description, Camp Borderline should be the sleeper city. Even run by Multi-Cap there would be Planetary Infrastructure there and things people would want besides a real-estate office and strip mall row. 

So I am thinking there should be a Capitol Buildings, housing for the Politicians, housing for the Port & warehouse employees, schools, hospital, public transit & private transit, hotels, construction company, power plant, restaurants (maybe that is where some of the few aliens come in), Justice Department needs, court house, local jail, police station, lumber mill, factory for making some things local (so not everything needs importation), local merchants, food market. It is possible Multi-Cap controls entertainment opportunities for instance alcohol can only be bought from government stores which is of course in a contract with Multi-Cap to be sole supplier...Bars under those rules tend to be controlled as well. Spacer Ports like RL sailor ports will have adult appropriate entertainment, exotic dancers, bars (that you must buy a membership in).Theater/Culture politicians building a capitol want that sort of thing and Multi-Cap will want to back such projects to entice new colonists & make sure they have their fingers in the pie. There should be a black market. EMS services.

Since the "feel" of the planet is a weird South meets Down Under meets the Amazon... I think some of that feel should be more present, their should be Sci-Fi versions of the river boats of old Southern, Amazon, African style... their should be a big game hunting club, their should be Off-worlder buildings and native bungalows, there is probably a Woolie Town (it probably has an even less nice name). The educational system is probably segregated, so the Woolie children will be in not as nice schools, just good enough to help uplift them enough. Missionaries?  There should be a clinic for the Woolies. Woolies seen in city will all be doing the menial service type jobs. 

There should be some colony culture... plantation owners pretty much always end up seeing themselves as nobility after a bit, the civilized society, so I think it needs some of that flavor too. Ideas on this welcome... remember the Woolies are not slaves, they are protected, but they are not equals either. And the off-world population is 99% human, so what sort of things would an aspiring human planetary colony of plantation owners want for "culture"?

It also needs the looked down upon human's the ones that tried but did not make it as plantation owners, or got hired, fired and got stuck on Janus. 

It just needs more... plus these places might be away for PCs to learn stuff rather than the Star Law option where it is all handed to them.
 
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
June 24, 2015 - 4:57am
The module needs better Mapping resource, terrain & encounters for areas that make sense:

For example Wallaby Basin, sounds like a pretty big area, a basin is an area where water drains into i bigger body of water above or below ground, can be river or lake. So lots of tributaries to cross, since this is a Jungle planet I doubt this is the dry river beds & lakes... but there should be above and below water ways, sink holes, quick sand I would think, not necessarily easy to traverse terrain... the word Wallaby, means a major body of water is called Wallaby, this is probably a main river or lake that everything feeds into, Wallaby also implies some sort of small hoping critter that reminded colonists of Terran Wallabies.

These are probably a scrub-type Wallaby like critter. I have a few ideas.
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

jedion357's picture
jedion357
January 23, 2017 - 1:36pm
had this and just found it wandering through folders on the computer

I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
January 29, 2017 - 12:57pm
Oh cool!
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."