Welcome to the Future
The year is 2192. In less than two centuries, Earth Confederation has gone from a blip in the galaxy to one of its two major powers. YOU are a decorated starfighter pilot who has been assigned command of a squadron in order to capture a dangerous criminal, a renegade from the warlike Trawg. You will need to use all your skill and ingenuity to survive this adventure.
The Galactic Powers
Earth Confederation
Earth Confederation
In 2192, Earth is united and has spread across the stars. Their high population and eagerness to learn and explore has made humans one of the most powerful races in the galaxy.
The Lyanian Empire
Lyanians look like tall humans, but more powerfully built and with a fleshy frill on top of their hairless heads. The Lyanians arrived recently from the far reaches of the galaxy and plan to conquer the rest of it. Currently their power is being checked by the Confederation. They are cold, ruthless and deadly efficient.
The Trawg
The Trawg are an inward looking warrior race. Millennia ago they occupied a vast empire, but civil war led to the collapse of their power and now they occupy a small corner of space which they defend uncompromisingly. They are huge creatures resembling spiny gorillas. They have a strict code of honour and persecute any that choose not to adhere to it.
The League of Neutrals
A loosely affiliated group of peoples who have united in order to protect themselves from the growing power of the Confederation and the Lyanian empire. The most important member races are:
Silazian
Silazians are 6 foot tall reptilian creatures with orange scales. They are the most populous of the Neutral races but their unambitious and disorganized nature means they have little power. They are usually to be found working as space pirates and smugglers.
Mercanii
The Mercanii are squat creatures with shiny purple skins. Their military force is negligible, instead they rely on trade and excellent relations with other races to enhance their power. They are always ready to make a deal providing it is in their favour to do so.
Aquanarians
The military backbone of the Neutrals, the frog-like Aquanrians were once the most powerful force in the galaxy, but they suffered a crippling defeat at the hands of the Confederation in 2145. They have a severe dislike of humans and hope to recapture their glory by playing humans and Lyanians against one another.
D’laré
The D’laré Matriarchy is made up of 1000 females to every 1 male. The females are tall, elegant and insect-like with a no-nonsense attitude. Males are forbidden to leave the D’laré homeworld and few outsiders have seen them. Males have no rights and although treated well, they have no freedom and have no duties other than breeding with the females.
Timeline
9th May 2027 - The European Union forms the united state of Europe
12th September 2028 - The US economy is saved from the brink of collapse by a massive loan from Europe.
1st April 2029 - China, now the most powerful state in the world, unites with neighbouring countries to form the Eastern Bloc.
26th October 2029 - Japan invaded by Eastern Bloc forces. The country asks for aid from the US and Europe.
1st November 2029 - The US and Europe form the Western Bloc and join forces with Japan to fight off the Eastern Bloc forces.
14th December 2029 - The scale of the war increases as battle is fought between the two blocs on several fronts on the globe. World War 3 has begun.
8th August 2031 - After a series of crushing defeats, the Western Bloc is in retreat when Earth has first contact with an alien species--the Mercanii. A Mercani force attacks Beijing--the Eastern Bloc is forced to retreat to deal with this new menace.
3rd October 2031 - The Eastern Bloc has suffered crippling losses. Its few surviving leaders make a secret deal with Western Bloc leaders to form a united force to fight the alien invaders.
27th July 2032 - Despite their vastly inferior technology, the humans’ guerrilla tactics and sheer numbers mean they finally manage to drive the Mercani force off the face of Earth--World Independence Day declared.
31st August 2032 - Earth government is officially united across the globe overseen by a president of the east and one of the west. The new government is named the Earth Confederation.
14th September 2032 - Rather than make another attempt at conquering Earth, the Mercani government agrees to trade its technology with the Confederation in exchange for some of Earth’s natural minerals. Earth develops new weaponry and spaceships that can venture deeper into space at faster-than-light speed.
2038 - 2062 - Earth explores deep space and colonises a few worlds occupied by undeveloped beings.
November 2062 - The Confederation’s attempt at conquering a planet in Trawg space leads to a brutal defeat at the hands of the warrior race.
2063 - 2117 - Despite protests back on Earth, Confederation forces continue Earth’s expansion into space. Many humans leave earth to settle newly colonized planets.
12th June 2117 - A dispute over a planet rich in minerals leads to the Earth-Aquanarian War.
20th March 2145 - Despite their superior technology, the dwindling numbers of Aquanarians mean the once powerful empire is forced to surrender to the Confederation. The Aquanarians retreat further into their home sector.
2168 - The powerful Lyanian empire arrives from the far side of the galaxy, colonizing planets in its wake. Its attempts to encroach into Confederation space are beaten back however. A new Cold War begins between the Confederation and Lyanians.
4th February 2170 - The League of Neutrals is formed to act as a buffer between the Confederation and Lyanian Empire.
Your Abilities
Your Adventure Sheet will be used for keeping track of your attributes.
Roll one die. Add 6 to the result. Enter this total as your SKILL score. SKILL represents your fighting ability and dexterity.
Roll two dice. Add 12 to the result. Enter this total as your STAMINA score. STAMINA represents your health and toughness. If your stamina ever reaches 0 or lower, you have died.
Roll one die. Add 6 to the result. Enter this total as your LUCK score.
These three statistics may go up and down throughout your adventure, but they may never exceed your Initial scores.
Battles
Hand-to-hand Combat
At times you will be presented with an enemy’s SKILL and STAMINA scores and have to do battle with them. To do this, follow the procedure below:
Combat is simultaneous. Hand-to-hand fighting is a series of clashes in which one combatant will do damage to the other.
Roll 2 dice and add the result to your opponent’s SKILL score. The total is your opponent’s Attack Strength for that round.
Roll 2 dice and add the result to your SKILL score. The total is your Attack Strength for that round.
Whoever has the lower Attack Strength has been hit and loses 2 STAMINA points. If the two scores are equal, both attacks miss. The Attack Round is now over. If your opponent has reached 0 Stamina, you have won. If you have reached 0 Stamina you are dead. Otherwise, return to step 2 and start a new Attack Round, unless told otherwise by the text.
If fighting more than one opponent you will either fight them one at a time in which case you fight as normal and move on to the next opponent once you have finished with the current one, or you must fight them all at once. To fight them all at once, each adversary will make a separate attack on you in the course of each Attack Round, but you can choose which one to fight. Attack your chosen target as in a normal battle. Against any additional opponents you roll the dice for your Attack Strength in the normal way; if your Attack Strength is greater than your opponent’s, you will not inflict any damage; you can regard it as if you have parried an incoming blow. If your Attack Strength is lower than your adversary’s however, you will be wounded in the normal way. The text will tell you which procedure to use.
Luck
At times you may be asked to Test your Luck. To do this, roll 2 dice. If you roll less than or equal to your LUCK score, you are Lucky. If you roll higher you are Unlucky and must pay the consequences. Either way subtract 1 from your luck score every time you Test your Luck.
Using Luck in Combat
If you have just wounded an opponent in hand-to-hand combat you may Test your Luck as described above. If you are Lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound; deduct an extra 2 points from your opponent’s stamina score. However, if you are Unlucky, your blow only scratches your opponent, and you deduct only 1 point from your opponent’s stamina.
Whenever you yourself are wounded in hand-to-hand combat, you may Test your Luck to try to minimise the wound. If you are Lucky, your opponent’s blow only grazes you; deduct only 1 point from your Stamina. If you are Unlucky, your wound is a serious one and you must deduct 1 extra Stamina
point. Remember: you must subtract 1 point from your Luck score each time you Test your Luck.
You may also be asked to Test your Skill. To do this, roll 2 dice. If you roll less than your Skill score, you have been successful. If you roll equal to or greater than you skill you have been unsuccessful.
Now, adventure-specific rules:
Villainy
As a member of the Confederation military, you are expected to behave well and obey the law. But you may find this hard in your desperate situation. Your villainy score starts at 0 but will rise if you act in an unscrupulous manner.
Trail
Your TRAIL score is a track of how close your enemy is to tracking you down. Your trail score stars at 0, but will rise if you draw attention to yourself. At times you may be asked to Test your Trail score. To do this, roll 2 dice. If you roll less than your TRAIL score, you have been found, otherwise you are safe.
Shooting Combat
If you acquire a laser pistol you may find yourself in a shooting combat. You will be presented with your enemy’s skill and stamina and conduct combat as follows:
Test your Skill. If you are successful, you have hit your opponent. Roll one die and subtract the result from their STAMINA. Otherwise, you have missed.
If your opponent is still alive, they may return fire. Test their Skill. If they are successful, you have been hit. Roll one die and subtract the result from your STAMINA. Otherwise your opponent has missed you.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 until either one of you is dead or the text tells you otherwise.
If you find yourself fighting multiple opponents, you must choose who you fire at in step 1, but all surviving opponents will return fire on you in step 2.
BACKGROUND
You sit in your Confederation fighter watching the hulk of a Trawg Gaiacrusher drifting through space before you, its engines inert.
‘Did we blow its thrusters?’ Tseng asks over the intercom from his own fighter on your left.
‘Possible,’ you reply. Though extremely unlikely, you think to yourself. Gaiacrushers are covered in heavy armour though they have a weak point--a small part of the fuel transmitter is slightly exposed. The chances of hitting it with stray laser fire are minute but you admit it is possible.
‘Come in Omoz,’ you repeat for the fourth time, sending out a message to the Trawg ship. Again no reply.
‘Possible he’s dead from a gas explosion or something?’ pipes in Roddick, flying off to your right.
You don’t buy it – in one small burst of fire you managed to hit the fuel transmitter and cause an internal explosion? No, something else is going on here. Omoz is a renegade from the Trawg, outcast for murder and sadism. He has been travelling Confederation space, indulging in his usual vices, and you were appointed leader of a crack team sent to place him under arrest. It hasn’t been easy. You pinned down his ship off Lexus-5, but the resulting dogfight did not go well. Only you, Tseng and Roddick were left before Omoz retreated and you have been pursuing him since.
‘Hell, I’m going to investigate,’ snaps Tseng.
‘No! Wait!’ you shout, but it is too late. As Tseng’s fighter nears the Gaiacrusher, it suddenly explodes into actions, its thrusters engaging as it spins round and sends a volley of laser shots into the hull of Tseng’s craft. The fighter spins out of control before exploding
‘Noooo!’ screams Roddick, as she flies towards the Trawg ship, lasers flaring. She manages to get a few good hits before a missile from the ship catches her port engine, blowing her ship to smithereens.
There’s no way you can fight off a Gaiacrusher single-handedly. You turn and retreat, hoping to reach aid before Omoz can shoot you down. It is a vain hope. A shot thuds into the back of your thrusters, causing the whole ship to jolt. As your fighter’s velocity decreases, your head spins and you slip into unconsciousness.
***
When you open your eyes again you are no longer strapped into the seat of your fighter. Instead you are sitting in the seat of an escape pod. The door of the pod is open and standing just beyond is the one-eyed figure of Omoz with a wide grin on his face.
‘Welcome aboard,’ he chuckles in surprisingly good English. ‘Though I’m afraid to say you won’t be staying long.’
‘Why haven’t you killed me?’ you manage.
‘Where would be the fun in that?’ he replies with a shrug. ‘Instead I suggest we play a game.’
‘A game?’
‘Yes, a game.’ He gives an almost amicable smile. ‘We are currently orbiting Karthran-6, not the friendliest planet in the galaxy I think you’ll agree. I’m going to drop you down there in the pod. You’ve got a few hours’ grace before I land the ship and go looking for you. Find a way off the planet and I’ll let you go free. However, if I catch you,’ his grin becomes impossibly wide. ‘I kill you.’
‘And the alternative to your game?’ you try.
‘I kill you now. A lot less fun though.’
You sigh. ‘Very well, Omoz. You’ve got a deal.’
‘Excellent,’ the eye-patched Trawg responds. ‘Have fun.’
With that, he slams the door of the pod closed and seals the airlock. With a hiss of air, the pod is flung from the side of the Gaiacrusher and plunges towards the purplish speck that is Karthtran-6, one of the most lawless planets in Confederation space.
As the escape pod hurtles through the dark void towards Karthran-6, you think of what you know of the backwater planet. Though it is technically part of Confederation space, the authorities back on Earth have little interest in it. Its once-profitable titanium mining industry has all but collapsed with the discovery that a tantalum alloy made for a cheaper alternative to titanium when it came to building the hulls of Confederation star cruisers. As a result, jobs on the planet are badly paid and many of the humans have turned to crime or left the planet, leaving the way clear for ne’er-do-wells from the Neutral planets to flock in. Schnell, the current Administrator, is said to lurk in his offices, waiting for his relief and leaving Karthran-6 to run itself. You are unlikely to receive help from him.
Your pod jolts as the reverse thrusters kick in. You must be approaching the planet. Theoretically the thrusters should slow the pod sufficiently to stop you from smashing into the planet’s surface. But there’s always the chance that you’ll collide with something on the way down. The pod shakes violently and begins to get uncomfortably warm. You grit your teeth and assume the crash position.
With a bone-jarring thump your pod crashes to the planet’s surface. Shakily, you rise to your feet and wipe the blood from your nose. You hit the release switch and the door of the pod slides open to reveal a very angry and very hairy man. ‘My house!’ he screams. ‘You crushed my house! You big clumsy catastrophe from the skies! Where am I to live now?’
‘Sorry about that,’ you mutter, rubbing the back of your neck as you climb out of the pod and take a look round. Sure enough your pod seems to have crashed into a small metal shack. It’s lucky no-one was in it at the time.
‘“Sorry?” “Sorry” is it? How’s “sorry” going to help me?’ the hairy man yells. ‘You’d better have some credits to go with your apolo—” He stops speaking and stares in alarm at the lion insignia on your uniform--the symbol of the Confederation forces. Without another word, the man turns and flees down a nearby dark alleyway.
‘Thank the stars for that,’ you mutter to yourself as you survey your surroundings. You seem to have landed in the midst of Karthran-6’s one and only city. Simple shacks and lean-tos rest against dilapidated warehouses and grimy high rise apartment blocks. A rusted monorail threads between the buildings--a primitive form of public transport in this day and age. Several eyes, both alien and human watch you from the smoky alleys, but none approaches you. Perhaps they are put off by your uniform. Speaking of which, Omoz will have little trouble finding you if you walk around in your uniform for all to see. Hurriedly you pull the jacket off, revealing the white T-shirt you always wear underneath. You are about to place it in a nearby trash incinerator when a thought strikes you: a Confederation uniform could be valuable to some. Perhaps you could sell it on to raise some much needed funds?
As always, I'll be handling variables and codewords behind the scenes.
Rolling four dice, I get 4, 5, 3, 1. Vote on your character's sex and name, how to distribute the dice between your ability scores, and whether to sell your uniform or incinerate it.
Adventure Sheet:
Name: ?????
Skill: ??
Stamina: ??
Luck: ??
Villainy: 0
Trail: 0
