 May 22, 2011 - 5:20am | Refer to: The Intruder. How would the PCs know that the virus was planning to send a message before it did? How would the PCs track the virus through the computer system? Perhaps the virus is an AI that writes its own programs. As the PCs investigate the computer problems they discover newly written programs that they can only partially read but a successful skill check will tell them that the new program seems to be protocols for aligning the communications array and sending a messages. With a good roll the computer expert will be able to estimate how long before the program is finished and it can send a message. Then they have that long to prevent it in some way. Barred from sending a distress message, the AI/virus could then try to infect navigation and propulsion and begin writing protocols to allow it to navigate the ship to its desired location. Again computer specialist can estimate time on the program writing but even if the AI begins to move the ship on its own travel takes time so the PCs will have time to deal with that. Finally the AI will if balked from moving the ship or if it seems the PCs will be able to stop him eventually can invade the life support program and delete it. This becomes serious. A referee will need some idea on how long till the atmosphere of the ship sours plus the heat loss will begin to tell eventually as well. PCs can cut the life support equipment out computer control but it will require constant monitoring. Does the ship have robots and a robot management program? This would give the AI/virus some proactive measures it could take including the re-writing of a robot's programing to allow it to express itself through the robot and interact like a person with the PCs- though I suspect that the PCs will quickly reach the "just shoot it" level of reaction. Finally, pirates are to bland of a enemy, make the threat a civilization of AI/virus'; if they get to the Frontier its all over as they will bring down every computer network they touch. Naturally, the PCs could discover the location of the AI/virus civilization since the nav protocols that it was writing would hold the location. After they get their ship under control and solve this adventure they could of the own curriousity go to investigate this location or be ordered to go and investigate this location. Which leads to adventure 2 Adventure 2 would be about discovering the scope of the danger to the Frontier and the true threat of the AI/virus Adventure 3 should build to a big ending with lots of explosions, blood and distruction. anyway these are just a few idle musings. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 22, 2011 - 6:58pm | The PC's will not be able to anticipate a distress call, however they should be able to detect it. I'll clarify that in the document. The virus is an AI and I agree, it should be able to write sub-routines for all the systems on a ship that are interconnected. I would think the only system not interconnected would be life support and its redundant nature. The AI may even try to copy itself to portable computers, maybe even one the PCs are carrying. Muhahaha. In my games robotics and computers are separate skills, the AI would need a robotics skill/program to infiltrate robots and re-write their missions. Plot Hooks
|
 May 22, 2011 - 9:16pm | What if the AI was on a spy mission to retrieve enemy data. Now it is on it's way home and the player's ship is just another in a series of pawns to be used to get it home. The players find the derelict alien ship the AI was traveling in. It had used up all of the ships fuel and was just waiting for another ship to come within range that it deemed safe to appropriate. Now it is on it's way with the player's ship. The player's can stay for the ride as long as they don't try to stop it (which they will). The AI expects that the players will just starve and perish during the journey. The AI may even be taking a route it knows is dangerous to biological life (near stars, through radioactive nebulae, etc.). -iggy |
May 22, 2011 - 9:38pm | What if the AI was on a spy mission to retrieve enemy data. Now it is on it's way home and the player's ship is just another in a series of pawns to be used to get it home. The players find the derelict alien ship the AI was traveling in. It had used up all of the ships fuel and was just waiting for another ship to come within range that it deemed safe to appropriate. Now it is on it's way with the player's ship. The player's can stay for the ride as long as they don't try to stop it (which they will). The AI expects that the players will just starve and perish during the journey. The AI may even be taking a route it knows is dangerous to biological life (near stars, through radioactive nebulae, etc.). I like this idea.
|
May 23, 2011 - 7:30pm | The Intruder Overview
Ship Systems
Computer Programs
Event Time Line ....still working on this. |
May 23, 2011 - 8:31pm | How to run the intruder adventure? two ideas: 1. have a timeline that begins with turn #1 on the turn the ships computer becomes infected and then tells you which program is being infected or manipulated on subsequent turns. Bigger programs take the AI/virus longer to digest. Eventually the AI will begin to write new protocols to facilitate its control of the ship. 2. make a chart of each program in the computer that is rolled on with randomly to see which program is being infected. The chart will include how long the program will take the AI to digest before it jumps to another program and the sorts of things it will manipulate/play with while it is figuring out the program like turning on entertainment programs and running the engineer's dralasite porn from every computer monitor ont the ship, deleting all the astrogation star system files, turning off lights, activating the alarm program for the engines etc. Also have a general page of referee info describing the basic strategy of the AI as it seeks to commandeer the ship: Writing new protocols to navigate the ship to an uncharted system, when or if this activity is prevented it could attack the PCs but crashing the life support system forcing them to post a PC to monitor the life support equipment after cutting it off from the computer, and finally sending a distress call via the subspace radio. If the computer has a robot management program then the AI/virus will have another means by which it can mess with the PCs I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 24, 2011 - 2:57pm | In order to determine what system is effected roll on the following table.
Computer Program Table Roll 2d10 on the following table
|
