 April 1, 2012 - 6:30pm | In an effort to encourage greater player engagement with the setting I created these backgrounds. Since the player is getting something "free", the theory is that he will read and think about the backgrounds and then root his character deeper into the setting. At any rate I'm looking for feed back on this to refine it or to add new backgrounds. Note: Some background items confer a level of skill that does not match with any AD skill or PSA. These skills can be advanced latter for two times the skill level desired and are treated as in PSA. Place of Origin: Choose one benefit based on place or origin. Mixed Race Colonies: Mixed race colonies (Triad, Outer Reach, Gran Quivera, and Pale) cause exposure to other languages; character knows the native language of one other core four races. Choose one: (A) character can fluently speak or understand the language of one of the other races or (B) character has a deep understanding of one other race’s culture and gains +15% bonus when dealing with that race as well as +10% to wage when being hired by that race. Note vrusk vocal apparatus can not form words in any language but their own and the other races cannot pronounce the vrusk language so if this situation applies the character only gains understanding of the language not the ability to speak it. Legacy of the Sathar War: Due to how the populations of Truane’s Star and Dixon’s Star suffered from the depredations of the sathar they have an intense hatred for the worms +5% the melee attacks against the sathar and their creatures. Yazirian Heritage: A yazirian character may come from a very traditional family and is steeped in his or her heritage. Choose one: (A) a level of skill with the honor weapons (the zamra and the kha’dan), or (B) roll on the Yazirian Clans tables from Star Frontiersman #8. Note any yazirian can roll on the clan tables regardless of the colony they’re from and thus may represent a yazirian who has immigrated to another colony. Religious Yazirian: Yazirian society is dominated by the Family of One religion which is headquartered on Hentz in the Araks system. There is some resentment by yazirians from other colonies over the heavy handedness of this organization. Choose one: (A) two levels of theology and a +10 bonus when dealing with Family of One clergy, or (B) keeps a miniature domesticated wyvole pet (see “Opiate of the Osakar” article in SFman #15 for details) as a statement of defiance against the Family of One. Dralasite Culture, Inner Reach: Dralasites from Inner Reach paint their bodies in washable dyes to show their mood for the day. The rival planet in this system is a mecca for pirates and crime. All dralasites from this colony begin with a collection of dyes and a brush or two. Choose one: (A) two levels of artist skill with paints and dyes (may attempt to create works of art for extra money in between adventures as per the rules in the article, “Artisan Skill PSA” in SFman #9), (B) +5% melee bonus when fighting pirates or organized crime figures and -5% to reactions from pirates. Dralasite Culture, Fromeltar system: Fromeltar system is the location of some of the most prestigious dralasite academies. It’s also a system they share with the vrusk. Choose one: (A) fluently understand vrusk, (B) two levels of philosophy and +10 bonus when dealing with scholars, or (C) a deep understanding of vrusk culture +15% when dealing with vrusk and +10% to wage when being hired by a vrusk. Legacy of the Free World Rebellion: The Free World Rebellion on Kdi-kit in Madderly’s Star involved the human population evicting the vrusk population. Some atrocities occurred. Some vrusk distrust humanity because of this event; they have a -5% penalty to reactions involving humans but gain +15% to comprehension rolls when observing humans. A vrusk with this background is one of the refugees evicted from Madderly’s Star and now hail from some other colony. Humans from this colony are prone to prejudicial attitudes against non humans. The colony has a strong agricultural economy as well as exporting mercenaries. A human from this system can choose one of the following: (A) two levels of Horticultural/ Botanical/ or Animal Handling skill, or (B) starts with a free skein suit from previous paramilitary training but must have at least 1 military skill (no restrictions on PSA). Vrusk Business Experience; Resource Development: Vrusk from planets that have a resource development economy like Zik-Kit have an intimate understanding of the mining and the resource exploitation business. Choose one: (A) a level of geology skill, or (B) able to operate mining equipment and machinery as a level 1 technician would. In addition to the prior they also have the ability to make a LOG check while reviewing mining business records and spot problems or inconsistencies. Vrusk Business Experience; Agri-business: Vrusk from planets that have an agriculture based economy like Ken’Zah-Kit have an intimate understanding of the agriculture business. Choose one: (A) 2 levels of Horticulture/Botanical/ or Animal Handling skill or (B) able to operate farming equipment and machinery as a level 1 technician would. In addition to the prior they also have the ability to make a LOG check while reviewing farming business records and spot problems or inconsistencies. Vrusk Business Experience; Industry: Vrusk from planets that have an industrial based economy like Terledrom or Zik-Kit have an intimate understanding of industry. Choose one: (A) 2 levels of engineering (usually industrial but not starship engineering) or (B) able to operate factory equipment and machinery as a level 1 technician would. In addition to the prior they also have the ability to make a LOG check while reviewing industry records and spot problems or inconsistencies. Vrusk Business Experience; R&D: Vrusk from planets with major R&D centers like Kwadl-Kit have an intimate understanding of the research and development business. Choose one: (A) 1 level of a scientific skill (physics, chemistry, etc), or (B) owns a referee approved prototype piece of equipment with a small bonus over standard equipment (has degree of miniaturization that either reduces weight, or increases range, or reduces energy consumption). In addition to the prior they also have the ability to make a LOG check while reviewing R&D business records and spot problems or inconsistencies. Human Ag Colony background: Ag colonies like Rupert’s Hole, Kdi-Kit, Lossend and New Pale have a tradition of hard work. Any character human character from these colonies gains either +5% to STR or STA. Military Boarding School: This background is usually for a human but could apply to other races. Some families send their young children away to boarding school (not college). Character gains +5 to LDR score. Gymnastic or dance Background: This background is typically for humans but could apply to the other races. Parents enrolled the character in dance school or they took dance or gymnastics as an extracurricular activity while growing up. Choose one: (A) 2 levels of dance skill, or (B) +5% to DEX. Spacer Background: Some characters spent their lives in ships and stations. Choose one: (A) able to operate small craft like launches and work pods without the requisite skill as a 0 level pilot and gain +10% bonus when they acquire the skill, (B) gains one level of astronomy (not astrogation), or (C) +10% to RS checks in 0g combat to retain control. Streetwise Background: For human characters in particular, when a person has grown up on the rough side of town in a major city like Port Loren, Prengular or Port Royal, Clarion and has an edge from these experiences. Choose one: (A) +5% to INT or (B) +5% to RS. Computer Geek Background: For human characters in particular, when a person grows up plugged into computers or robots they have an edge from those experiences. Choose one: (A) able to perform one sub-skill from the Computers or Robotics skills and at one level higher than actual level (must have either Computer or Robotics skills), (B) gain the ability to write an extra computer program (example: can write 2 programs at level 1), or (C) +5% LOG. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 1, 2012 - 7:24pm | Planning to add a Vrusk Cultural Trade House background- one of the trade houses that speciallizes in training solidarity dance leaders, artists and etc. Confers dance, artistic or similar dance skill. Note: these backgrounds were created for early in Frontier history directly after SW1; thus the neglection of mega corp and Rim backgrounds, though in a sense the vrusk business backgrounds are a quasi mega corp background. Need to adress the vrusk raised in a non trade house background as well as a criminal or pirate organization styled on the vrusk trade house model. For thoroughness the Rim will need to be addressed. Idea is to create broad categories of backgrounds and then for individual modules or setting books create more specific backgrounds. The ideas I'm working from is something I saw in a mech RPG. A character gets a little something from his race (racial abilities) and then a little something from his background which should reflect culture or learning. then he gets a little something from PSA/ skill choices- ie the old AD idea of a free tool kit for certain skill choices. In this case I was thinking to give out a piece of "luggage": military PSA confers a ruck sack- holds X ammount of space and weight, explorer background could get a back pack with y amount of space and wt. or they get an explorer vest, Medical or scientist background would get a lab coat and a brief case (again holds z amount of space and wt.) etc. Then tailor a tool kit to PSA or skill choices for instance a computer tech might like a tablet computer (needs to be described in game terms but more or less the file computer from Zebs upgraded with todays tablets in mind), tech kit for technician is obvious, but I think the tablet computer for many of the egg head types, scientist, psych-social, scholar etc because the ability to link to data nets plays well with the information skills. Military- its easy to give that dog a bone, just through weapons hard ware at them. Need to think about straddling the line between AD and Skilled Frontier systems. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 1, 2012 - 9:16pm | I like this. My first thought was to add the Vrusk military company as an equivalent to the military boarding school. Then I thought that each vrusk would have some training from his company schooling and upbringing. A similar thing would be true for Yazirian clans. The dralasites however would be different and I think that their wandering years would bring in their background. -iggy |
April 2, 2012 - 8:30am | OK so tailor military school backgrounds for Yaz and vrusk. Could even do militia backgrounds I suppose and mercenary company backgrounds. This document was originally composed for Bounty On Death and reflects what I saw as important to that adventure's time in history and intentially neglected things I thought were defining features for latter in history. What I'd like to do with it now is craft a general broad document. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 2, 2012 - 12:32pm | Like the list but think some separation is needed between general and specific backgrounds are needed. After all Spacer doesn't really go with any planetary body. Think it is good just some refinement is needed. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
April 2, 2012 - 12:53pm | Like the list but think some separation is needed between general and specific backgrounds are needed. After all Spacer doesn't really go with any planetary body.
Yeah a lot of stuff was just lumped together. I was largely thinking in terms of where some one grew up and growing up in space on ships and stations seemed a possibility. Think it is good just some refinement is needed. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 3, 2012 - 7:31am | Just some rough thoughts: Iggy, I had some idea close to yours it seems (Vrusk military corporation). I just thought, bearing the Vrusk economy spleen and more peaceful orientation in mind, that this corporation might offer services in guaranteeing to stop contractors from breaking their aggrements where even lawyers fail (which might be considered as an act of treason against nature itself by a Vrusk, or at least against the hard-achieved communal peace). Of course, both contract parties would have to aggree to such an arrangement when making the contract in question. Such a service might flourish well in a rough galaxy like the frontier, with customers from single high-level businessmen to whole planetary governments to offer the characters Knight Hawks setting options. I gave it the working title CCIF, which I detailed roughly in S'Clikks character sheet. I don't know, it might be just too big for a single Megacorp, yet it sounded just interesting as a not very realistic, yet colourful background. Characters might be agents for single businessmen as well as starship personnel, so their range of action would be fine. Last game played: Somewhere in the 80th (Vrusk by heart) -- fond of Jugger, a "post-apocalyptic" sport |
April 3, 2012 - 10:52am | Trade house or conglomerate background, player could declare trade house was a law practice or accounting firm or medical equipment supplier. He'd have and option for two levels of skill related to trade house's business (usually a non adventuring skill) and some passing faliarity with that sort of business similar to the other vrusk backgrounds above. Conglomerate would be similar benefit though the player will have to name the conglomerate and declare the devision the vrusk was essentially apprenticed in. Most vrusk security firms do their own training so a typical vrusk military school would be named as X trade house training program. Not a prestigious sounding name but certainly some will become as well known as say West Point is today. A notable exception is the Terledrom Military Stoa, Tereldrom being an integrated society of dralasite and vrusk with a large militia that defends not one but two systems will buck the normal vrusk trend and also have an integrated military academy that is styled on a fission of vrusk and dralasite teaching philosophies. This stoa will be 60% vrusk & 40% dralasite students while its long term upper level professors are 60% dralasite and 40% vrusk. Because tereldrom takes smuggling very serious and one of the most notorious pirate havens is only one system away this academy probably turns out top professionals in space militia service. Unlike space fleet the quality of its enlisted crews is extremely high, its officers are eaters on par with the royal marines of Clarion. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 April 3, 2012 - 11:28pm | I mentioned this in another thread but there is cannon reference to the Vrusk trade house RIK: Ral'lk'Ka (RIK) - security and police functions. RIK personnel are contracted by the Commercial Council to act as Kraatar's police force. They are also hired by individual trade houses as security forces against terrorist attacks. With the recent increase in KLC activity, business for RIK is booming. This is from SFAD6. Just another idea for vrusk background. There is also npc stats for RIK personnel. This could be adapted into some pc background. "Description: RIK security forces contain two distinct types of personnel - those trained in beam weapons and those in gyrojet weapons. In combat situations, beam weapons specialists are equipped with laser rifles, vibroknives and grenades. Support weapons are provided in the form of heavy lasers and sonic devastators. Gyrojet specialists carry gyrojet rifles, vibroknives and grenades. Support weapons take the form of rocket launchers." "For police duties on Kraatar, beam specialists are issued with sonic stunners, doze and tangler grenades. Gyrojet specialists use grenade rifles firing a mix of doze and tangler grenades. Both types of personnel carry stunsticks. If the situation warrants it, troops are issued with power backpacks and beltpacks. For police duties they have power beltpacks only." |
April 4, 2012 - 5:43am | @Karxan: not necessarily, not everyone in a police or military is a shooter. I'd make the shooting skills an option or perhaps if the player chose this background and had shooting skill he'd get investigative skill from the background choice. So far all of the backgrounds have a choice involved so that two players could be from the same background and not be the same. Most important feature of the system I'm trying to develop is player choice. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
April 5, 2012 - 11:55am | Jedion, I agree that there would be more options, I was just pointing out what was in the module. I think that RIK would have bodyguards and such too that had melee skills and they would have some type of detective(investigator) also. I could see a bodyguard for other corporate execs as a skill set, they would hire out for. I was thinking of a corporation like you see on TV that is a private security firm. So you would have a broad set of skills coming from them. Like the merc corps but strictly from a vrusk view. |
