 March 23, 2009 - 8:53am | There was a thread with lots of talk about twisting the plot for the volturnus campaign and a common thread was that people liked Jamison as the Star Devil. Having re-read his bio from SF-0 I dont think this is workable. 1. he's in the military and the military tends to monopolize your time. it would be very difficult for him to lead a double life as a pirate. 2. hes a decorated veteran and who has risen to the rank of Col. and its hard to see the devil may care attitude of a pirate prospering in a military chain of command or even advancing very far. 3. he's been off on 2 prior survey expeditions and though we could say he packed the expedition with fellow pirates it be very tough for the government to not notice something was hinky. 4. Why would the pirate leader insert himself into a lousy little 4 man expedition that he was going to attack anyway? doesn't seem to make sense to me now. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 23, 2009 - 11:26am | I did like that twist that to it. But I never re-read the adventure to see where he came into play. The idea of an inside man is a nice plot. Personally, I use the information out of Dragon magazine that gives alot of information about the Star Devil and what is going on. When I get home, I will check to see which magazine that was in. Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
March 23, 2009 - 11:32am | Points 1 & 2: I could see him having a big in the pirate affairs. He could easily filter information to the pirates. He could also be setting it up to deffect to the pirates at a later time. But I dont see him doing it, like you said, in a little 4 man group. Point 3. He could very easily use his reputation to suggest members for the expidition. Using that he could very easily get 75-90% of "his people" into place. Sometimes the word of a vet, especially a decorated one, will be a damn good reference. Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
March 24, 2009 - 11:31am | Actually having thought further on this matter: 1. i still cant see him as the Star Devil 2. but rums comments have me thinking what if he had taken a bribe back in the day when he was a junior LT. with a gamboling problem. he'd be forever on the take lest they out him so that he's been feeding the Star Devil band info for years. They in turned used him and the militia to take out rivals by supplying him info on a rival band's base location. he could also be the reason that they survived and escaped the pirate fleet's destruction during the First Common Muster. As he got older and guilt started to bother him he applied for a transfer to exploration hoping that would get him away from the pirates but they were always waiting when he got back. (that explains his bio mentioning 2 previous exploration missions). He's caught between a rock and a hard place: he's the pirates patsy. If he survives the Volturnus Campaign and the Sathar attack is beaten he'll almost certainly make general or admiral being a victorious hero returning from the dead and commanding forces that beat the sathar. and he'll still be the pirate's patsy but from a position of great power. Makes him a very complicated NPC and as the acting CnC for the Volturnian forces the PCs will view him as a friend who now inhabits high places. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 24, 2009 - 1:00pm | Actually having thought further on this matter: Makes him a very complicated NPC and as the acting CnC for the Volturnian forces the PCs will view him as a friend who now inhabits high places. I was looking at it as more of a willing partner. But I really like your idea of him mainly getting caught up and cant get out of it. Another idea for future adventures, from your comment above, once he is in a position of power he could dry to do a double agent thing and pit the pc's against the pirates. Maybe through them he could get away from the pirates, or take over the pirates with the pc's unknowing help. Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
March 25, 2009 - 12:15am | once he is in a position of power he could dry to do a double agent thing and pit the pc's against the pirates. Maybe through them he could get away from the pirates, or take over the pirates with the pc's unknowing help. Well one idea that i had had while considering him for the Star Devil was that since my Streel division head is suppose to be in bed with the star devil was that as intelligence developed from things the PC would report after their back in touch with civilization would be that the EVP would be outed as Orchid and an arrest warrent sworn out for her. The Star Devil(jamison) wouldn't want her taken alive so he offers to let the PCs arrest her just to put paid to accounts with her and he goes along and just as she's surrendering he shoots her dead. However if Jamison is on the take and just a patsy he would leak the info that arrest team is coming and she'd be able to slip away to become the Star Succubus or they'd find her killed (the star devil having finished her off as a loose end) I'd most likely have the Star Devil relocate to quite possibly the Dramune system and remain a recurring bad guy. or recast the pirate villian in White Light module as star devil band those pirates had been in bed with Streel so it would fit. as I had thought to transition the party to that module as a transition to the Elleanor Mores Module. Where the Eorna would hire them to found and organize a Space Guard (militia) for them and as a new ally to the UPF the Eorna embassador had negotiated slots for them at the accademy in Gollywog. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 25, 2009 - 5:28am | [quote=jedion357 The Star Devil(jamison) wouldn't want her taken alive so he offers to let the PCs arrest her just to put paid to accounts with her and he goes along and just as she's surrendering he shoots her dead. However if Jamison is on the take and just a patsy he would leak the info that arrest team is coming and she'd be able to slip away to become the Star Succubus or they'd find her killed (the star devil having finished her off as a loose end). I really like your ideas. But would Jamison really leave himself that open by blatently shooting her? Knowing my group, I would try to set up with the Star Devil (Jamison) wanting Orchid dead instead of captured. I would have one of Jamison's subbordidnates suggest to one the more gready pc's that there is a corperate bonus to her getting killed in the arrest process, or having a fatal "accident" should she be arrested. Then I would make certain that if the pc did kill her, there would be a special recording that shows it as a murder, that way there is sufficient leverage over the pc(s) at a later date should the need arise. In the patsy role, I can see Jamison allerting Orchid at the last minute, especially if he thinks she has a good chance of being killed while resisting arrest. Just a bit of revenge or retribution. Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
March 25, 2009 - 7:17am | @Rum: Actually the idea to have Jamison shoot her developed during a time when I was working on the "Wintermore Palace" as a Huge terrain piece for the "Lady's Wintermore's Fangs" skirmish for a box set of figures from Alternative Armies The palace is a big multi room affair and I thought it would make a great skirmish for the PCs to storm (I didn't finish it- yet another shelved project ignored for other interest) plus the group going through Volturnus at that time had some fairly blood thirsty types one being a mysogonist woman hater who would have said, "Yeah kill the B_____" it probably isn't as workable as I first imagined. However, I really like the idea of Jamison as a patsy and being tapped for flag rank after the battle of volturnus. I also like using an exec VP as the baddie form Streel and preserving the president of the company through plausible deniability. His company can take the hit for its involvement but he'll stick around and I plan to give him a personality like Klaus Hauptman in the Honor Harrington novels who takes any attack on his company personally as an attack on himself. which means he'll bear a grudge toward the PCs- nothing big just enough that if there's an opportunity to stick it to them he'll take it. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
