Outpost on the Borderlands

jedion357's picture
jedion357
December 16, 2016 - 11:27am
Nod to a D&D module for inspiration.

Location: Laco, Dixon's Star
Already published materials: Digging in the Dust of Laco FE2, and the maps that expanded the barren desert map from the back of the Port Loren map but Im not sure where they were published

Alpha Section
Deep in the outback of Laco is a science station built at a former mercenary ceramacrete air field that doubles as a bare bones star port with nothing more than mooring blocks for KHs style ships landing tail first to be moored in place and not topple over in a dust storm. The station attracted some support businesses like bars, trading post, technicians and mechanics, a hotel and a "stage coach" line that runs a hover bus back and forth to "civilization". The outpost has also attracted some less reuptable types: artifact smugglers, pirates and criminals on the lamb looking to avoid star law. random mercenaries. (almost a Mos Eisley feel).

Buildings are modular or former cargo containers converted to housing.

Science research teams use this as a base camp to strike out from though they will set up camp at a particular site for extended research. Things of interest to science - famed Fire Fountains of Laco (think Yosemite Park gysers that ignite when in contact with air) and other geology interest. Tetrarch Ruins. ruins and relics from the battle fields of the Laco's War.

Beta:
This section is like the encounters out side of the keep on the borderland but not in the actual caves of chaos (bandit camp, lizard man's mound, etc.) Wilderness kind of things and short quick dungeons.

Brains storm ideas:
Fire Fight at the Fire Fountains

Tetrarch's Tomb

Smuggler's Run

Dust Storm Rescue

Gamma:(dungeon crawl):

Laco's war mercenary outpost? lost cash of combat robots about to be reanimated (by a sathar agent) and unleashed? I like this idea as there is a real threat if an army of combat robots are unleashed they will attack anything they judge to not be their mercenary faction which is basically anyone and everyone on Laco other than the sathar agent re-animating them.

The adventure heads for the lost mercenary outpost in that a squad of robots enters the strategic science outpost and starts shooting it up. NPCs and the PCs should easily take them out but then come the questions. What are these bots? where did they come from? who sent them? and etc. the trail to the outpost can be followed half way but a dust storm obliterates the prints. PCs proceed in a straight line and find the ruins of the merc compound. There are several buildings and some are in ruins but its the underground complex the PCs need to locate.

Stasis fields protect large groups of robots and a sathar agent posing as a smuggler/ arms dealer is using his crew of non sathar agents to reactivate the bots in a plan to unleash death and destruction across Laco.

 Idea: a stage coach hover bus was stolen from the science outpost and is here being loaded with bots to transport them somewhere. science outpost or someplace more populace? can the PCs stop it? can they blow it up and incinnerate all the bots on board?

Other random ideas: lots of munitions stored here too. Raid Tank's Again article for bombs and etc. as well as maybe armored vehicles. A 1 kilo ton nuke is here as well- its small and low yeild and why not? "Do you really want the Yazirian to have his finger on the button?"
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!
Comments:

jedion357's picture
jedion357
December 16, 2016 - 12:16pm
Alpha Section
Out Post will need a name and the boss NPC character will need a name too. Working name for the mechanic is Cooter or maybe Scooter- a dralasite named Scooter.

Former mercenary outpost and ceramacrete air field- PCG paid for the ceramacret air field and its rated for upto a HS 4 star or system ship to land here. There is very little in support infrastructure for star ships other than mooring blocks to ensure a ship is not toppled in a dust storm. There may even be the wreck of a toppled ship push to the outskirts of the landing field. there is a mechanic and shop rated for jetcopters and air cars but star ships crews are on their own if they land here and have problems.

Buildings are mostly modular. Some have additions called a "dust lock" or "dust foyer" which functions like an air lock and is designed to keep the dust out. some buildings are cargo containers converted to housing.

Out post history
After Laco's War a mercenary captain who was hired to escort and protect a science team suggested to a friend that he set up a business at this abandoned mercenary base as the captain was planning to use it as a base camp for the science team he was to escort and protect. One thing lead to another and more individuals came looking to start a business and more science teams kept using this outpost as a base camp and it grew into an almost thriving outpost of civilization in the deep outback on Laco. It has attracted smugglers, pirates, mercenaries and the like as well as scientist and prospectors. Its rough around the edges but is the only place to resupply and rest up in the wilds.

There are a couple of bars, a trading post, hotel, "cabins" for rent, a stage coach line office (once a week a hover bus arrives from civilization then departs the next day.
A mechanic with a shop out at the air field who can fix everything from an air car to a ground cycle. although he may have to manufacture a part in his machine shop. There may even be a "speak easy" club for smugglers only.

arrangement of buildings is chaotic and haphazard.

occassionally a Capellan Free Merchant will land here and trade with who ever cares to
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
December 16, 2016 - 12:23pm
Beta section

1. The Fire Fight at the Fire Fountains is a prelude to the main part of the adventure:

PCs hired to escort scientist to the Fire Fountains.

trio of combat robots show up and attack. They are older models that were popular during the Laco's War.

2. Smuggler's Run (a title with no solid idea behind it yet)

3. Tetrarchs Tomb nice aliterated title suggests that archaeologist are unearthing something ancient. "tomb" is not very big- more of a mini dungeon crawl. Artifacts will be recovered and sent to Triad Institute of Technology. The PGC archaeological team might have issue with that and it could come to blows. And of course artifact smugglers want to steal items as well.

4. Locate a dralasite in distress in a dust storm. environmental hazards
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
December 16, 2016 - 12:30pm
Several types of robots in stasis storage at the hidden mercenary base

Warbot: hvy duty robot body and will take a tank to stop it

Search and destroy robot: anthropomorphic robot looks like the terminator without the flesh.

Combat robots- cannon fodder robots that can be controlled or directed by the war or search and destroy robots.

scout drone- scout platform using hover movement limited firepower.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
December 17, 2016 - 6:41pm


Huh, looks like my file for this pic has become corrupted.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

giogionis's picture
giogionis
April 9, 2017 - 11:33pm
very interesting i had the module and runned for some friends your approach is really interesting any map? 

JCab747's picture
JCab747
April 10, 2017 - 7:52am
giogionis wrote:
very interesting i had the module and runned for some friends your approach is really interesting any map? 

I don't have jedion's adventure map, but I have a few resources based on earlier planetary descriptions for Laco.

The first is a plaentary map: http://starfrontiers.us/node/9615

And the second is a system brief: http://starfrontiers.us/node/9616
Joe Cabadas

jedion357's picture
jedion357
April 11, 2017 - 8:29am
Thanks for reminding me of this. 2014 I lost a close family member who made me revaluate and lead to seeking a divorce overthe course of 2015-2016 such that I've been a little MIA from the community and magazine. However, resolved to change that for 2017. I may pair this with some other Laco's material and get it into the submission cue



EDIt: the expanded barren dessert naps were based of the one on the back of the Port Loren map. Actually the one on the PL map back is part of the expanded map (1/6) I created 5 other panels. I believe they must have been published in SFMan??? The maps are not on the FE website (terl makes all maps published in FE available for direct download via the FE site
http://starfrontiersman.com/other.php
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
July 20, 2017 - 11:45am
How many residents should the Outpost have?

2d5 scientist

3d5 random sketchy chatacters- pirates/smuggler/criminal types

1d5 -3 visiting ships and crews (roll for types: CFM, pirate, smuggler, other commercial, Space Fleet (99% it's an assault ascout), corporate privateer, and etc)

1d5 drifters

About a dozen permanent residents from the crazy dralasite mechanic Scooter, Malb the yazirian bartender who relies on his high throwing skill to bounce drinking mugs off the heads of trouble makers (unlimited throwing ammo and cover because he's behind the bar) - don't ever make him mad enough to draw his zamra or attempt battle rage or things could really get messy.

Stage coach/ mail service employee

Hotel proprietor

Bar owner #2

Mysterious Mr Gelt (a mercenary with a dark past laying low/retired)

Need 4-6 more

1.:Science dome administrator

2. Proprietor: general store everything from ammo to food

3.

4.

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

iggy's picture
iggy
July 20, 2017 - 6:11pm
Farmer/hydroponics/greenhouse owner operator.
Orphan kid hungry for adventure and hooked into everything and everyone. 
Back country guide / lives in the out back.
Rich old widow who thinks she's in charge because she sold everyone her claims from the old days before anyone else was there.
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
July 21, 2017 - 7:50am
iggy wrote:
Farmer/hydroponics/greenhouse owner operator.
Orphan kid hungry for adventure and hooked into everything and everyone. 
Back country guide / lives in the out back.
Rich old widow who thinks she's in charge because she sold everyone her claims from the old days before anyone else was there.

I like eveyone of those.
Especially like the widow. 

The orphan kid tied into everything is a bit if a cliche but if we make it one of the core 3 alien species it'll be different. First thought was a young Vrusk but a young yazirian or dralasite would work as well- can't decide just yet. Although the young yazirian would have the battle rage racial ability and with a referee fiat roll he'd make the roll during a key moment but then lie detection or comprehension would come in handy too for this NPC.

And on second thought at least one of these regular NPCs will be a lvl 5 or 6 robot- hotel proprietor or stage coach employee. Anthropomorphic, lvl 5 or 6 with a bit of a personality; cross between K2 SO and Data. Just because it might be fun to have one. And with the story arc in the works involving robots he become a default information source on bots if the referee need it.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
July 21, 2017 - 8:49am
Alright, the outpost needs a name. 

Only thing I have is Mo's Easy which is a play on Mos Eisley from Star Wars. 

MO is short for Moskarion a yazirian bartender and former Merc who settled here after Laco's War. And Mo's Easy is his bar but it seems the outpost should have a name different from the bar unless the outpost is Mo's Easy and the bar is simply Mo's. 
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

iggy's picture
iggy
July 22, 2017 - 7:48am
To give fuel to the widow's fire the outpost should be named after her or her dead husband or a child.  Possibly the outpost is named for a dead first wife and the widow has changed it to her name so the residents call it Mo's Easy after the bar to avoid her wrath when using the original name.  Maybe the first wife was Angela and the original outpost name is Angel's Landing but the widow has legally changed it to Elenore's Landing.  The residents argue they are referring to the bar and Elenore is afraid of the bar owner so she shuts up.  The unintended side effect of using this name is that she has whipped up conspiracy theories in her head that Mo is trying to takeover. 
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
July 23, 2017 - 4:23am
iggy wrote:
To give fuel to the widow's fire the outpost should be named after her or her dead husband or a child.  Possibly the outpost is named for a dead first wife and the widow has changed it to her name so the residents call it Mo's Easy after the bar to avoid her wrath when using the original name.  Maybe the first wife was Angela and the original outpost name is Angel's Landing but the widow has legally changed it to Elenore's Landing.  The residents argue they are referring to the bar and Elenore is afraid of the bar owner so she shuts up.  The unintended side effect of using this name is that she has whipped up conspiracy theories in her head that Mo is trying to takeover. 


I like it. Ill have to add a Paragraph titled Whats in a Name.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
September 12, 2017 - 7:35am
I was thinking about a drawing for Mo's Easy and a dome in the center has a certain appeal. Perhaps as the central building and bar. Then all of a sudden this popped into my mind: "in Xanadu did Kublai Kan a stately pleasure dome decree" 
Could it be the bar tender has an affinity for human poetry? Xanadu at Mo's Easy?

As I was still thinking about a drawing there is one in the rules of two character with resperators viewing a settlement/city in the distance and one of them is pointing. The city has a dome IIRC but is perhaps too built up.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

iggy's picture
iggy
September 12, 2017 - 8:49am
Are you thinking of the picture on page 3 of the Alpha Dawn Expanded rule book?
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
September 12, 2017 - 9:07am
iggy wrote:
Are you thinking of the picture on page 3 of the Alpha Dawn Expanded rule book?

I'm standing post in a construction zone so no access to book but I think that's the one. Can you post?
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!