 June 16, 2014 - 8:26am | Is some of the Bolo novels/short story compilations a bolo is powered down and scrapped but since the armor is what it is the tank is simply abandoned. Then occassionally something causes a reboot of the higher brain functions of the AI and these scrapped tanks will endeavor to fulfill their missiion to protect humanity. In one story an irradiated bolo had been ordered to power down and a concrete sarcophagus was built around it. 90 years latter the deng invade the colonial gov sends out an alert which was detected by automatic systems on the bolo which then triggered a reboot of active AI functions and a world that thought they were defenseless suddenly had a defender. Translating this to SF- pcs scout ship enters orbit of an inhabitable world and triggers automated Systems that wake a bolo/ogre/ starmist sized tank which employs is main gun for orbital defense (an ability in latter mark bolos). This damages the scout ship and forces it to land for repairs. Not only do the pcs have to effect repairs but they will need to figure out how to deal with the artifacts of war left on this world where the inhabitants have killed each other off (mostly- could be barbaric remnantz of the former combatants. Could also be some sathar or pirates also shot down who would view the PCs ship as a means of escape. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 June 16, 2014 - 6:35pm | The Starmist adventure could have worked out that way if the tank had an AI. Maybe there is some Klikk tech around the PCs can find. Of course do you remember the planet Babylon 5 orbited? Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
June 16, 2014 - 7:21pm | Of course do you remember the planet Babylon 5 orbited? My work schedule kept me from seeing B5 little more than sporadically- I did see some in rerun and even picked up a season or two at the local library. What I remember of the of the planet beneath the station is vague but kind of the idea here. With some background work up you could turn this into a major campaign. If the planet has been devestated with nuclear weapons the PCs will raid their ship's "nutrad" does (zebs guide) and if the ship only starts with two insuits dealing with areas of high radiation could be a challenge. Challenges 1. contacting natives and obtaining aid by a quid pro quo "We'll help you but we need X" Could have two native factions that each want the other wiped out- might or might not be a moral dilema but each faction might be key to fully unlocking the adventure. Though an aggressive solution of wiping one out could by default short cut having to do a quest for the second faction 2. Pirates that wandered into the system and got shot down as well. This is a good feature in that if the "bolo" gets to the landing site and takes out the scout ship or if the sathar attack goes badly for the PCs and the ship gets taken (sathar's primary goal) having a pirate ship as a fall back plan "B" prevents the adventure being "radio for help" or the pirate ship gets raided for the parts, fuel or what have you to get the PC's ship off the ground. Negotiation can lead to allies with the pirates.Though allies prone to back stab. 3. Sathar party is a straight up danger that should be eliminated and could be one of the climatic battles 4. Final is dealing with the bolo/ogre but this might not be a straight up battle though something involving redneck engineering an attack device- pirate assault rocket mounted on a motorized platform used to lure the bolo out of range so the ship can take off or even pressing into action a doomsday device (see item 1 and negotiating with the natives). or other options even negotiating with the bolo since its an AI directed entity there should be the possibility of talking to it. Devestated cities and military depots are likely locations for adventure. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 17, 2014 - 9:09am | Since you missed it, the planet had a defensive system but not an AI. Instead a living being got connected to it. So one of the PCs must sacrifice themselves and become the operating system. You could try this with a battle suit or a mech or maybe an Ogre type tank. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
June 17, 2014 - 2:12pm | Since you missed it, the planet had a defensive system but not an AI. Instead a living being got connected to it. So one of the PCs must sacrifice themselves and become the operating system. You could try this with a battle suit or a mech or maybe an Ogre type tank. That kind of sucks. but is different. and could become part of the end game and be what saves the planet from the sathar fleet summoned by the sathar faction. Of course in a climatic fashion of a shoot out between the PCs and the sathar vis a vi the ogre tank the destruction of the ogre could result in the freeing fo the PC but with no memory going back to the beginning of the adventure. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
