 May 23, 2015 - 11:39am | Reading the set up for Starmist, it says he was the 2nd mate on a ship that landed on Starmist. The locals were primitive tribals but artifacts were found representing advanced metallurgy. So MM decides to buy a ship, hire the PCs and go back and try to recover some artifacts in an attempt to get rich quick before his former captain can file a complete report. Putting aside that an HS 2 ship will run you a million credits it sounds to me like there could be more going on with MM than is stated in Starmist. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 23, 2015 - 5:16pm | Given the travel times, how long does it take to file a report? Even if the Captain didn't bother to write it on the trip back, what would take so long to file it? Maybe it has to go to UPF HQ but really what takes so long? Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
May 23, 2015 - 6:26pm | Given the travel times, how long does it take to file a report? Even if the Captain didn't bother to write it on the trip back, what would take so long to file it? Maybe it has to go to UPF HQ but really what takes so long? there would be some time delay for travel. Does a merchant ships captain feel obligated to pay for subspace radio to file such a report. It would go through the usual mail system- passed ship to ship till it reached its destination. Then you'd have some beurcratic inertia to responding to it unless there was something explosive or startling in the report. Can the UPF scout service lay came to a planet? Can the corporate owner of the discovering ship lay claim? EDIT: it seems to me that MM is taking quite a risk with this venture and that its a little half baked. You have to wonder what the motivation is. the module suggests a fast buck but why does he need it? Does he owe money to an unsavory type 'ala han solo'? Will that unsavory type come looking to cash in on Starmist? Though once the presence of Sathar and klikk artifacts like the war tank gets out, Star Law and Space Fleet will move in but before that happens Starmist could be very much "Wild West" if a criminal element shows up. EDIT 2: I think we can assume that MM got a "cheap" ship and that he's been implanted with a tracer as well. It might add a little move color to portray the ship as a little bit decrepit for the Starmist adventure. The payoff should be big I guess to justify MM getting the ship. If he does get good artifacts then he should be able to get out from under whatever is hanging over his head and maybe put some money against the ship but he also needs to pay off the team he recruits. And since this is so dicey of a "mission" I'm guessing that he has to pay a premium price for hiring the PCs- suggests a role play encounter before the module proper where the PCs are recruited. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 May 24, 2015 - 11:09pm | The former captain could be hiding the existance of Starmist from his employers for some reason and thus delaying his report until the right moment. Maybe he is under contract and waiting for that contract to expire so that he can come back and make the discovery again for his report date. MM is not under the same contract and so he drops out of the crew and gets his own ship pronto with some backing so he can get there before his old captain can get back and make his claim and report first. MM likely does end up with a used ship and a tracer implant. -iggy |
May 25, 2015 - 2:58am | @ Iggy So you'd have: 1. backers looking for their payoff 2. former captain upset with MM about being "cheated" 3. a corporate investigator, looking into irregularities and possible fraud by current/former employees MM could end up with a headache that impacts the PCs Should we throw in the cliche of gambling debts as a motivation? Sick grandmother or just a dreamer looking to score big and live on easy street? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
May 25, 2015 - 12:29pm | I think that MM could get through clear. What if the captain is the cheater and MM is trying to right the situation. MM could go back to the guys bankrolling the expedition, or a major funder of the group, and let them know that the captain is cheating them. This major funder decides to listen to him and resolve the situation with a fast second expedition. Maybe the funding partners all took MM as an insubordinate because they have blind faith in the captain and they can't believe that he would cheat them. Only the wise old leader of the board of directors really believes MM. -iggy |
May 26, 2015 - 5:30am | I would think that a corporate leader would be able to put a lock down on the ship and the captain if there was an accusation of fraud, at least until the situation was investigated. However, if the ship's computer was memory wiped and the Captain disappeared and there was a hostile take over in progress at the corporation then... Under your scenario the cheater captain would be angry with MM and might seek a way to get back at him, even throwing in with unsavory types for the use of their ship to return to Starmist. But with backing of whoever was attempting the hostile take over this captain would quickly get a ship and simply hire some thugs to work at his discretion. Also if the PCs were outfitting a ship with MM then you'd get a situation were one of the former crew has signed on with MM but as a saboteur or simply that the engineer of the former crew managed to get access to MMs ship and throw a wrench in the works. Then there is the whole thing of everyone is keeping this secret from Space Fleet, Star Law and the UPF Exploration service until they can secure their best advantage from this. Under that circumstance I'd like to pull one player aside (assuming these are starting characters) and ask him if he like for his character to be a confidential informant for Star Law with the caveat that the PC had prior bad acts that he was not prosecuted for in exchange for informing on organization X or criminal Y. When rumors turned up and the PC was offered the hob by MM the the Star Law marshal ordered him to join the expedition. If the player says yes the character gets and extra ammount of money to spend say 200 Cr which represents that last cash payment for information. Perhaps the Star Law marshal manages to infiltrate the cheater captains' hired thugs as just another thug. This would give you some pre- Starmist role play and possible action where a group of thugs is sent to cause trouble for MM, perhaps even a KHs scenario in there before or after the module. and certainly some more action afterward or even during when the PCs are forced to confront the cheater captain. This could lead to them gaining a corporate patron if the original CEO survives the hostile takeover. EDIT: what if the Star Law marshal is undercover in the corporation as an executive and at least 1 PC is his confidential informant? He's been building a case against the CEO and this Starmist thing could be the tipping point. He manages to make a ship available to the PCs and MM through his position at the corporation. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
