MASSCONFUSION-1984
Trouble On Janus
STARFRONTIERS COMPETITION
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Trouble On Janus
MASSCONFUSION
1984 Star Frontiers Competition
by
Robert
Jennings
Game Masters trying this adventure outside the realm of
convention
competition should find this a pretty straight foreward and easy to run adventure. The plotline
requires action and thinking on the part of the players, and provides for both perils and
ingenuity in the completion of the basic mission,
One of the major problems with science fiction
role-playing games is the fact that they are very open-ended. The players may, at any time in the
course of the game, decide to take a left turn and go out on some completely different direction than
the adventure plot anticipated, requiring the game master to do all sorts of mental back-flips as he
tries to ad lib additional material to fill in the gaps that may not have been provided in the scenario.
In "Trouble on Janus" we have tried to
provide for a number of foreseeable and many not so foreseeable shifts and movements the players may
decide to take. This does not mean that the players still won't go blundering off in a totally
different direction anyway, they very well might, and the should be prepared for this. However we hope we
have provided for most of the easy options and have tried to provide enough background information on
the world, the mission and the governmental
system the
players must deal with to help the GL handle the situation without too much
strain.
One particular problem which appears to be very
prevalent with science fiction role-playing games, and with "Star .Frontiers" in particular,
is the tendency of the players to invent, on the spot, future technology items for their own use, and which they
insist the GT' allow them to use, immediately. During one play test session, the players took their ship out of the
planetary atmosphere and ran into trouble.
The players insisted that the ship should have an automatic system which could
evacuate the air from each individual
interior chamber, and that this was an entirely reasonable thing for a space
ship to have. While this might have
solved their immediate problem, it tees only a little thought
to see that such a system would be
disastrous in any real life space shin. Imagine, for example, a potential mutineer with his fingers on those controls, able to
evacuate the air from the chamber of any person on board he cared to murder.
The point here is that the Game •:aster MUST resist
the efforts of the players to change the system and invent material to meet
their whims. If the scenario does not say, specifically, that there is a Free Traders Association, for example, then no
matter how logical that idea seems, it just ain't there. Players will invariably try to invent tons of
superfluous material to get themselves out of jams and help them solve the adventure easier. The GM must
remember that the fun of any role-playing game is the challenge to the playing ability of the players
themselves, and that if the element of danger and excitement isn't present, not to say a good sense of
tension and anticipation, then the game is not going
to be much
fun for either the players or the GM Don't let players overwhelm your common
sense, and don't let
them create new technology, fabulous machines, or incredible social systems at
their convenience just
to make their end of the game that much easier. If you keep control of the game
and let the players
work within the limits YOU establish, you all will find this a pleasant and
satisfying adventure.
TO: Federation WPC Cmd.
FROM: Federation IPPC
ORDERS: Send one team, mixed races, under cover, to the planet Janus , to
investigate changing situation
and potential
for unrest which may escalate to Federation Level.
BACKGROUND”
Janus is a near-Sol Type planet in sector 86-110-2.2, with, a yellow sun
at the extreme edge of the cluster. near Gergonise. There are three other p1ancts in the system, with the other two
planets
being much farther out and uninhabited. Janus has
one moon uninhabited and apparently worthless,
Janus has one space station orbiting the planet to provide weather information
and to boost off-planet
communications.
The gravity on Janus is slightly higher than
sol- type worlds
however, Janus also has a
very dense
atmosphere with slightly higher oxygen
content, so that beings accustomed to
Sol-Type
Normal worlds should feel no
discomfort.
The density of he atmosphere and the proximity to the sun make this a
virtual hot house
world.
The planet is divided into two major continental masses,
more clumps of islands interspaced
with
rivers and lakes than traditional
continents.
Janus has a relatively flat rotation orbit and a extremely slight axis
tilt. As a result, seasonal changes are virtually unknown on Janus. The southern
hemisphere is undergoing a summer season while the northern hemisphere is undergoing
a late summer or very early fall season, and this situation is expected to continue for the
next thousand years or so.
ECONOMIC PROFILE AND
DEVELOPMENT:
Janus was discovered over a century and a half ago by exploration skins
of the old Recon Development
and Exploration Council. It was briefly cataloged, and forgotten, along with a
thousand other
worlds "explored" by tile last bloated wave of centralized bureaucracy.
After the fall of Centralization and the development of the Laterial
Federation, planetary development was opened officially. Due to its location off the
mainstream of galactic travel, Janus and most other Sol-Type worlds along
spiral were virtually ignored during the boom and bust periods of
exploration and exploitation, that followed the creation of the Free Trade Federation.
About sixty years ago Janus was again touched by galactic travelers when
the trading ship "borderline"
crashed in the southern hemisphere. The owner and commander of ship was Jerry Tatum, who was also the.
discoverer of the Tatum Plant, whose leaves made an almost universal pain killer and a good antiseptic.
Since then the production of Tatum-leaves nave become tie primary product of Janus and its principle
source of ex.-fort income.
Tatum and is crew were also the discoverers of the planet's inhabitants,
dubbed "woolies". These creatures are bipeds covered with shaggy fur
standing about six and a half to seven feet tall. The civilization of these people
is described as nomadic and semi-tribal, although some larger tribal units of relative stability have been
observed, primarily,, on the northern continent. Their intelligence in
galactic
terms has been tested as very low, and their survival potential as a race on
Janus as also been judged as low.
CURRENT ECONOMIC PROFILE:
The economy of Janus depends almost entirely on the growth and export of
Tatum leaves, from which
a base is extracted to be made into pain killers and antiseptics. -)ne situation, the real
economic power on Janus rests with the Multi-Cap
Corporation, a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm
with galactic distribution, and whose directors realized early on potential sales to be gained from
exploiting Tatum
leaves.
Multi-Cap functions as the real governing power on Janus, although there is a rudimentary
parliamentary
system, and a planetary based police force
which is roughly equivalent to tie Sol-Type sheriff
system used by many asteroid belt mining communities. Multi-Cap company police appear to be the
real law enforcement
power for planetary affairs.
Multi-Cap has developed large tracts of the southern hemisphere, and
administers it in the following
manner: Tatum Plants are grown on extensive plantations. Land tracts are
apportioned
By picks
the owners of each tract helps the owner with financing, clearing the land,
purchases and other set-up costs. These plantations are settled along
major waterways in
order to secure cheap and reliable transportation for movement of the harvested
Tatum leaves.
A plantation system is established with the owners of the plantations in
debt to fur
development
capital and dependent on Multi-Cap for control of the land itself. agrees to
buy all the Tatum leaf produced and offers settlers a reasonable price, not
neglecting the profit margin
they stand to make from the product when it is refined and sold off planet. For
security
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TROUBLE ON JANUS Page
3
reasons , no
Tatum leaf extract is refined on Janus itself. [Speculation---that this helps
to maintain the firm control multi-Cap holds over the plantation owners and
develops an even greater dependence on multi-Cap's purchasing power.]
The labor to actually plant, weed and harvest the
Tatum Plants is provided by the Woolies. Use of Woolies as labor appears to be a mutually exploitative system.
That is, the growing and harvesting
of vast acreage of Tatum-Plants would be impossible without a source of cheap,
effective labor able to make
independent decisions beyond the capability of programmed robot labor.
The plantation
system appears to be a salvation for the Woolies themselves. The planet is
over
run with a host of natural predators, both animal and .plant,
and most of these predators feed on
Woolies, whose function in the ecology appears to be roughly equivalent to that
of rabbits in Sol-Type Normal worlds.
The lack of large tribal or clan connections, or
more than elementary civilization development, make the Woolies a poor long-range choice to emerge as the dominant
species on Janus were it not for the
intervention of other intelligent species, specifically, the advent. of the
multi-Cap Corporation and the
plantation system.
In return for working
the plantations the 37oolies receive free food, free housing, free
medical treatment, and trade
privileges as payment. do not appear to fully understand the term
"payment for wages" or the
concept of labor being valuable. However, they are willing to work the plantations in return for such implements as
knives, spears, trinkets, and primitive weapons such as bows. Apparently the primary consideration from
the viewpoint of the woolies is security. There
are
no predators within the boundaries of the plantations (except for occasional
intervening creatures which break thru the security perimeters), which means
the Woolies can raise families and live a peaceful existence without the fear of immanent death. Their second
consideration is medical attention, which they regard as some sort of god-magic
provided by the generous out-worlders. They do not regard free food or housing
as any benefit at all, since in their natural state food and housing is relatively "free" anyway.
Investigation eleven years ago by a Federation
Board of Inquiry reveals that the system utilized by Multi-Cap does not constitute slavery, voluntary
or otherwise, and from all appearances the themselves, as well as the plantation owners, are happy with the
situation which places them at the disposal
of i:iulti-Cap. The system appears to be uniquely fitted for exploiting the
only real economic potential
available on Janus in the best and most efficient way possible.
OPEN TRADE:
Under the terms of the Federation Covenant, no
planet may shut off trade with anyone, except for medical reasons, and open trade must be sanctioned by any
governmental body, official or otherwise.
Free Traders do come to Janus, however they come mostly as carriers of
goods to the planet, and
do very little trading on Janus themselves. While Tatum Plants grow wild all
over the face of the
planet, they are seldom concentrated enough to make up enough of a harvest
weight to interest free
traders. In addition, Woolies in the wild apparently have difficulty
understanding the concept of property and property-trade rights.
Some unscrupulous
traders have influenced tribal bands of Woolies to steal from the plantations
at harvest time, and have gotten away with it. However, woolies appear to be loyal workers, and
while such practices have occurred,
they are by no means common.
There are rumors that sapphires and large deposits of aluminum ore are to
be found in the interior
of the southern continent. Some traders have managed to barter such. inconsequential
items as mirrors,
metal knives, bells, rope and the like and have obtained raw sapphires, though
not in serious quantity.
Most free traders specialize in exotic plants and fruit. Orchid type flowering
plants are common. In general, however, free trading on Janus is not well
established and does not appear to hold any great potential due to the meager economic
potential of the planet at this particular stage of its development.
THE SITUATION
CURRENTLY:
multi-Cap has reported at least one shipload of Tatum-leaves
being hi-jacked in the past six months, despite the usual high security
procedures. Pirates are not unknown in this region, however, they normally do not bother with secondary yield
cargos such as this.
Using
this hi-jacking as an excuse, Multi-Cap has consigned and is shipping to Janus
extra security armament for the
planetary police and the company security force. Routine investigation of invoice-movement reveals that some of the items
Multi-Cap is importing include heavy-duty laser (cannon,
sonic blast towers, magna-thrust land
mines, and radiation blast torpedoes. Obviously this type of
xxx
TROUBLE ON JANUS Page 6
The players'
space ship, "Easy Money", pops out of hyperspace just beyond the
orbit of Janus. Janus appears to be a dusky, quiet world. Clearance
procedures are quickly arranged, and the ship is given immediate permission to
land at Central City spaceport, in birth 5.
As the ship
lands, the players see three men dressed in powder blue uniforms walking out
toward the ship. They are carrying clipboards. The radio tower informs the ship
to stand by for customs and medical inspection, to please open the hatch and
let the inspectors board.
GM, playing - the part of the chief customs inspector, board
ship, ask the players the purpose of
their visit to Janus, and
what cargo, if any, they are carrying. (Players who do not know what sort of
cargo they are carrying should be reminded that they have standard primitive
trade goods, including metal knives, ropes, mirrors,
crossbows, matches etc.) Inform the players that the medical inspector must
check the cargo hold and the crew compartments for alien spores, radiation
leafs, contagious
microbes
or anything else out of the ordinary. He leaves, with the other two men
remaining to talk with the players and check the logbook to see that it is up
to date and accurate. Also inform. the players
that the docking fee on Janus is 400 credits,
which of course includes replacing spent fuel blocks, checking the radiation shielding, replacing burnt and worn wiring,
cleaning the tubes and making assorted minor repairs as needed. This is pretty much a standard price for docking.
If the players ask, the customs inspector can tell
them a lot about Janus. 9e will specifically warn the players not to bother or
harms in any way the Woolies, the local native population. Although they stand taller than most of you„ he will say,
they are not very strong and are also basically non-aggressive. In any
case where a Woolie gets hurt the planetary police automatically hold the
non-Woolie involved on attempted murder
charges until the problem can be investigated.
If asked about sapphires, he can mention that th,
e only place that he's ever heard of them appearing is out near the Red Mound Hills, in the Wallaby River Basin, which
is an area about three thousand :.7-ilometers
over to the west, in the middle of uncharted, hostile jungle. He has never
actually seen or personally verified
that anyone actually brought sapphires out of the area.
He will also suggest that the players file a flight
plan with the port authority. Several other Free Trade ships have disappeared into the interior, and the area has
lots of predators, and they'll be pretty
much on their own out there.
If asked about the other missing trade ships, he
knows about them, and believes that green spacers not used to jungle worlds let themselves be rattled or were
chomped on by any of the dozen or two
type beasts out there. Kite Birds could have forced the ships down, tiger paws
could have eaten them the minute they
decided to let their guards down. The jungle is a dangerous place especially
for people who aren't used to conditions on Janus.
Smart players will head for the port authority and
check the previous flight plans filed by any other trade ships who stopped on Janus. If players do this, add 15 points
to their total scores. They can obtain
access to the flight plans merely by asking a bored clerk, and they will find
that all four of the missing Free Trade ships most recently lost on
Janus did file flight plans, although one only lists a destination as "interior regions of the southern continent".
The other three file_ plans that mentioned
either the Red Mound Hills or
the Wallaby River basin to the west. The names of the four missing ships which
filed flight patterns were the Astreal, tile Space Gypsy, the 7-11, and the
Luck of Tuck, none
of which reported back to the
port authority again. The records also will indicate that a sort of haphazard
search was made, but not particularly through or long lasting. They can also
get this information by asking the clerk, the
customs official or anyone else with some authority around the spaceport. Basically,
people wile, go out into the jungle, especially off-worlders, pretty much take
their own lives
into their hands.
There is very little of interest around the port
or the town itself. If they look for any rummors they won't find any. At best
they may discover, by asking, that the only- sapphires ever found seem to have come
from the Red Mound Hills area to the west. Most people in town don't know that
Free Trade ships have been lost in the interior, and they don't
really care. The jungle is dangerous, anybody dumb enough to go
out there without a full plantation cutting expedition deserve what they get.
If
they check the spaceport warehouse and docking area they can find the huge
Multi-Cap warehouses separate from
the general warehouses. No one will make any serious effort to stop them from wandering
around, and they see a lot of bales of Tatum-leaves being prepared for
shipment, being loaded 1.,to cargo pods for
export. If they ask, they will be informed that this is the busy season for the
Tatum-leaf crop, and that the harvest
will continue over the next thirty or forty days.
TROUBLE
ON JANUS Page 7
Checking the incoming warehouse also will reveal
nothing unusual. A lot of office furniture, printed forms, machine parts for floaters and ground vehicles etc, no
weapons of any kind. lost of the security guards do not carry weapons of any
kind.
The town itself is sleepy, spacious, a typical
medium sized farming type town, where Woolies and other racial types go about their business in a
leisurely fashion. The local planetary police are dressed in powder blue uniforms, and are not much in
evidence. The Multi-Cap security forces wear dark blue uniforms and are
generally seen only around Multi-Cap warehouses and offices. '-lead of the
planetary police officers in the area
is Col. Stowe. Capt. Flint heads the Multi-Cap security forces.
If players want to ask about hiring on any of the
plantations, or starting their own plantations, or general information about the plantation and economy system of Janus,
they will be referred to Morris Harrison,
the Multi-Cap financial representative, a thin jovial man in his early sixties,
who will usher the players in and
greet them warmly. He can tell them, in glowing terms, about the advantages of
farming on Janus, where dependable
weather conditions, a secure cash market and a dependable labor supply eliminate most of the dangers of farming on other
planets.
If the players have
the money to invest (and 10,000 credits will get him smiling immediately), Multi-Cap is prepared to help them secure land,
and loan them money at reasonable interest rates to help clear the land, buy
equipment, seeds, build shelters and hire 12loolies and foremen to set up the plantation The work is not difficult, but it requires
attention to detail and a willingness to stick to business. If they are looking for a career that provides
security and satisfaction, Tatum-plant farming is the place for them. J:iiulti-Cap can loan them money to the
amount of 90,000 credits, with a 10,000. investment of their own, and have them settled, planted and harvesting leaves within a
season, and turning a profit within
two years.
If asked about the hazards of the jungle, he will
downplay the idea, saying that with modern land clearing methods, and security fences, the animals hardly ever go
near any plantations. Besides, most
of the animals are more scared of you than you are of them and they stay away
from any signs of civilization.
1) The trip out to the interior
Boarding their ship, the players can fly off to
the center of the southern continent, a voyage of about three thousand
kilometers or more to the Red Mound area. Flying over the jungle is relatively
uneventful, until they pass the last plantation and cross the horizon, when the
radar screens suddenly pick up two
large objects coming up from the jungle toward them rapidly.
Visual sighting shows two enormous winged shapes,
orange and yellow colored,. with 6 meter wingspans, flying very rapidly toward the ship. These creatures have
triple joined wings and long claws and
huge beaks.
KITE
BIRDS Type: Large Carnivore 6-10 meter wingspan, beak to tail 1-2 meter
Number:
1 to 5 Move : very fast IN/ CS: 6/65
Sta: 180
Attack: 2
claws--50%, Beak 65% (80% if target is in claws)
Damage: each claw, 4 D10; Beak
4 D10
Impervious
to stun or most poisons
Inertia
screen and skein. suit will provide some protection
These kite birds are not really strong enough to
rip the hull of the ship, however players do not know this. They can foul the jet tubes or bend the tail fin assembly if
hit in mid-air, however. The players can shoot the birds down, with luck, or
outrun them with not much difficulty. If the birds reach the ship they will
attack it. Players will hear thru the hull of the ship a hideous scraping sound
as the claws hit, also a loud Clunk
as the ship hits the birds. The claws may well rip off outside scanners and sensors. There is a slight chance
(12%) that the attack of the birds can unbalance the ship and send it into a nose dive or other bizarre
maneuver which will require snappy pilot skill rolls
ho correct.
After dealing with the kite birds, the rest of the flight
continues more or less uneventfully. How?
TROUBLE
ON JANUS Page 8
ever, at about sixty or so kilometers from the Red mound
hills area, two
explosions shake the control
cabin.
One is short and sharp and has affected the radio, producing a maze of
shattered remains and a small electrical fire. Almost immediately there is a larger, dull roar as something in the rear of the
ship
explodes. The control board shows an immediate loss of power, and there is the
smell of burning material
mixed with ozone which permeates the whole ship. The ship immediately starts to
go down into a
powerless crash dive as all power except for emergency life support in the
control cabin disappears completely. The pilot must make several good skill rolls to get the ship
down in one
piece into the dense
jungle below.
Meanwhile, electrical fires has caught on the insulation
inside the ship and are spreading fast. The ship's emergency fire control equipment is not
operating, along with virtually everything else, as a bomb has exploded in the
wiring and fuse boxes in the rear of the ship. Inform players that there are fire extinguishers in each
compartment and they can use these to nut out the fire(s) inside their ship. Unless the pilot makes
incredibly bad rolls the ship should crash land basically intact with the passengers shaken up and
bruised but not badly hurt.
Investigation will reveal that bombs were placed back in
port (apparently) in the central wiring fuse box, completely demolishing the central core of
power wiring needed to run the ship. It is impossible to repair this damage in
their current situation, and without the ship's long range radio, they can't even radio for help. GM Note--if the players carefully observe
the refitting and checks performed at the spaceport, listen to what actions
they say they are doing, and place the bomb somewhere else, say in the main engine
compartments, or up the rocket tubes. or under the ship's main
computer, whatever is necessary to get the ship down in the jungle. The bombs are exploded
by a frequency beacon which sweeps the area like a rotating spot-light signal. If
players try to rig up some sort of radio to call for help, inform them they
can't Salvage enough material to make a
long range radio. If they try, mention
that every
couple of minutes some sort of radio interference seems to sweep over the
circuits, on a regular repeating pattern.
Players should be able to salvage pretty much whatever
they want from the ship unless it is totally cracked up. GM use judgment depending on the
pilot's skill rolls for the emergency landing.
The players do have planetary maps, although they are
admittedly sketchy. The Red Mound Hills are now sixty to seventy kilometers to the west, across
the Wallaby River Basin where they have crashed. The nearest plantation is 220 kilometers to the
north, and the map shows a larger
plantation about 275 kilometers due south.
As soon as the players leave the ship to look around the
area, they will be attacked by the following creature, which swoops down from
the overhanging trees by surprise:
DLACKOUT BAT Type: Large carnivore (4-6 meter wing span,
nose to tail .5-13 meters) Appearing: 1 (Solitary hunters)
Move: Medium
5/50
STA: 130 -
Attack: 2 talons 60%
grasp--then, !.3ite 75% + blood drain
Damage: Talons 3 il.)10,
mouth. 1 D10 + 1/2 DI 0 blood drain per turn
Special: After victim has lost one third his Sta., must roll under remaining Sta
to remain conscious, rolling each round damage continues.
Special Attack/defense: Fog of darkness is cast to cloak
itself and its victim in a black fog about 7-8 meters in diameter.
The bat will also try to fly away with the victim,
however, since the players are heavier and denser than Woolies, it will be
unable to do so. If the victim is the Dralastite race the bat does initial
damage plus
another claw attack, then tries another, better tasting victim.
Skien suit offer protection for players, plus the Yazarian
players can, if they remove they sun goggles, actually see thru the black fog and pick out the
attacker from the victim, something the other ?layers will not be able to do.
Once dead, the
black fog dissipates within a minute or two, and this will also happen if
the bat is
unconscious.
After
this incident, after dark or near dusk or dawn, have the players
roll to see if they
notice something to the west. A good roll allows the
player to notice bright lights over to the west, near the Red-Mound Hills, across the basin. The
lights are white, then change to dull red, flare white
TROUBLE
ON JANUS Page 9
again,
and then a minute or two later, go out. The entire light pattern lasts perhaps
a total of five to ten minutes all total.
This should get the players moving out in the direction
they were originally planning to investigate anyway. If the players instead decide to wait with
the ship, or head north or south to friendly plantations, then deduct 15 points from their
score, and roll each day on the monster table so they can have plenty of excitement.
I....loving to the west by daylight, the players make
reasonably good time. They make better time when they come across a trail, not very wide,
but obviously a trail w:Ach is headed in the same direction they want to go. The jungle is
crowded and tall, the air is filled with the calls of birds and the drone of many insects.
Near midday the trail widens out to a width of about
fifteen feet forming a smallish clearing. The first person across the clearing is attached by the
following, which drops from com9lete camaflage in the tree above the trail, completely by
surprise:
OCTAPUS PLANT Type: medium, carnivorous plant, 1.5 meters
diameter, .5 meters thick, with trailing tentacles about 1.5 meters long
Number appearing: I to 3
Move: Very Fast
IM/RS: 7/65
STA: 88
Attacks: tentacles, 50% (8
attacks)
Damage—Special---tentacles are used to hold prey fast,
while the central mass
secretes sweet-smelling semi-narcotic type digestive
fluid, eating thru
Skein suit in 5 turns, Albedo Suit in 3 rounds, normal
clothing in2
2 turns, damage to bare skin
1 D10 per turn
Special: After the 3rd round of the attack, victim must
roll under his Sta. each round to prevent being overwhelmed by fumes, which cause victim to
become helpless, dazed, high and immune to pain, even though being dissolved by the
plant.
Special: plant is immune from stun attacks, poison, and
takes minimum damage from needle gun attacks. Because it is a plant, it must be absolutely
destroyed before it frees victim.
THE PLAYERS SEE: a dark purple, eight tentacle blob like
creature drop from a nearby tree onto one of the party members. The tentacles wrap around the
body of the victim.
After having dealt with this problem, the players also see
a couple of other similar creatures hanging on tree limbs or near the top of overspreading
trees around the edge of the small clearing. If players want they can kill these and get up to
two pints of acid-narcotic from each one, however, wooden or paper containers
are needed to prevent the acid eating thru the containers.
The second day on the trail the party approaches a larger
clearing, perhaps thirty feet wide, and they hear a growling sound off ahead of them, also a lot
of crashing and crushing as though forms are running. At the edge of the
clearing they see a Woolie rush out from the trail on the other side, into the center of the clearing,
and turn to meet the attack of the animal following him. He is armed with a wooden spear with a jagged
bone point. Mere seconds later they see the following:
TIGERPAW Type: Medium carnivore
Number appearing: I
Move: fast
IL1/RS: 7/65
STA: 200
Attack: 2 front paws 60% each, 2 back claws (only if front
claws hit) 80%, Bite 70%
damage: claws 2 D10, bite 3
D10
Special
Defense: Tiger paw gets +20% to saving throw vs Stun
The Tiger paw runs to the attack, he does not spring at its
victim. This should give the players another moment to react.
TROUBLE ON JANUS Page 10
THE PLAYERS SEE: A huge, green and black striped animal,
a sort of cross between a feline and a. hyenia, with enormous front
and back paws, about two and a half meters long, standing a meter and a half tall, solid muscle,
with bulging yellow eyes and lots of long sharp teeth.
If the players fire on the Tiger paw, it will move its
attention the woolie to the things
which
are hurting it and attack the players. If the Woolie is
saved from the attack of the beast, he will be very grateful and express his gratitude after
the monster is dead; Woolie safe Woolie thanks you, you help Woolie, Woolie glad you
help, Woolie thank you for delis save Woolie's life." however, his
attitude and
expression turns to one of horror on seeing the humans in the group closer, and
he goes into an immediate
blind panic. "No! No! No hurt Woolie, no tell, Woolie no tell! No
take Woolie
away, NO TAKE WOOLIE AWAY!
!" He will drop his s...:ear and make a dash for the jungle around him.
If the players capture the '!.1oolie, they cannot get any
information from him at all. He faints easy and tries to escape constantly. He
is in total terror of he humans in the party and babbles incoherently, and no
useful information can be obtained from him.
After another full day of traveling, near sundown, the
party hears the sound of drums, hollow log type drums, and also the sound of low chanting, as
though made by many voices. Following the sound will bring them quickly to a large clearing off the
main trail, an enormous opening in the jungle, perhaps a hundred or so feet across and twice as
wide.
The
clearing is filled with a number of Woolies. Their backs are to the players,
and they
are intent on their chanting. The players can easily
notice twenty five to forty of them, all chanting something unintelligible to
the rhythmic sound of the drums, which beat out a steady almost hypnotic sound pattern.
As the
players watch, they can see across the clearing a sort of long wooden platform
only three feet
off the ground made of a split log, right in front of a large fat green plant,
sort of like an enormous barrel cactus with yellow flowers and thin tendrils
drooping down from its top.
One of the Woolies in a crude headdress made of flowers
and leaves steps foreword and raises his hands. The chanting grows louder. He leans down and
lifts up something. When he is upright he .colds over his head the tightly
bound form of a Tiger paw cub. The chanting grows still louder.
Players now notice. that on the right hand side of the
clearing five Woolies are poking and prodding two human beings who are tightly
bound with vines and ropes ahead of them toward the wooden platform and the Woolie in
the headdress. One of the humans is a young beautiful woman, the other is a man of about thirty
years, rugged looking. Their clothing is torn, they look battered and can just barely walk due to their
bonds.
The Woolie with the headdress holds the Tigerpaw cub above
his head as it growls and squirms. With a climatic sound to the chanting, the huge plant
suddenly opens up, splitting from the top into four separate parts, revealing a gapping opening
lined with long sharp: thorn-teeth. The Woolie tosses in the Tigerpaw cub. There is
a scream from the cub, the plant closes with a crunching sound, then silence as the sound of
ripping is dully heard. A stream of blood spears from the top of the plant and trickles down the front of it.
The chanting of the Woolies resumes, and the guard
Woolies now erode and force the bound human figures foreword toward the platform and the plant.
One of them stumbles and falls and is cruelly prodded by spear carrying Woolies
who force him to rise. He is unable to rise and several Woolies have to reach down
and physically carry him up to the alter.
The huge plant is swo Men, and the tentacles appear to be
twitching in tune to the chanting and the beating of the drums. The chants grow
louder. The human woman. scream as the Woolies carrying the fallen male human prepare
to toss him into the maw of the plant which is due to open soon.
Quite obviouOy the humans are about to be sacrificed, and
hopefully the players will decide to do something about it. They can do this easily by
startling the woolies, or attacking the plant. Attacking th.e plant can prove dangerous:
MIRROR
PLANT Type: medium, standing about 2 meters tall, 1-1/2 meters thick
Number appearing: 1
move: stationary, see below
Ir/RS: 7/65
Sta: 400
Attack: 10 tentacles 60%, range up to 50 ft, tentacles are
withdrawn into plant
for most of length when not attacking
Damage: 1/2 D10 per tentacle, thorns
along tentacle, mouth does 20 D10 Special attacks/defenses: Plant attacks with. a flash of
light, 50% change victim will be stunned or disoriented for 'A 010 turns. Plant can flask once
every 20 turns, 3
TROUBLE ON JANUS Page 11
times per day, will use all charges up if heavily damaged
Plant also casts a direct mirror image of itself
as soon as it takes any damage. This duplicate appears two feet to
the right of the plant and is a mirror image of it, caused by release of
vapor and humming sound to cause partial hypnotic effect on
victims or anyone else within 110 feet radius.
Mirror plants do not eat very often (which is
probably very fortunate for the inhabitants of Janus) however this is a modestly large sized plant, and
has been starved for this occasion. The Woolies have been living in the area of its semi-protective
curia for some while now.
As soon as any sort of attack is made the Woolies
will flee in panic, as they are very well acquaint with the feeding habits of this plant. The Woolies
will make absolutely no attempt to attack the party, and will instead run from the clearing as quickly
as possible along thru the jungle. There are five to
eight separate paths that come to this clearing from around its
perimeter. The Woolie guards will also abandon the human sacrifices at once
and flee with the rest. If players kill any Woolies beyond the one in the
headdress and the guards prodding the human prisoners with spears, deduct 10
points from their scores.
The mirror image of the plant should confuse most
of the players. The trick will be to notice that the human prisoners now appear
to be ten to twelve feet closer to the plant than they were when (hopefully)
the party decides to mount a rescue effort. Anyone who manages to figure out
that this is a duplicate image of the plant and informs the other
players should get a 10 point bonus to his score.
WOOLIES Type: large herbivors
Number appearing: 1-20
Move: fast
IM/RS: 5/45
Sta: 50
attack: by weapon type, or claws 45% Damage: 1 D10 per claw, or weapon
type
If the players finish off the plant and rescue the
human victims, they will introduce them selves as Laura and Harry Newton, plantation owners to the south, who were
captured several days ago. Their small
plantation was overrun by hostile Woolies who killed their loyal Woolie
servants, and took themselves and
two neighbors who were visiting as hostage. With horror Laura will recall how
these two friends were sacrificed to
this hideous plant two -days ago, and that they were going to meet the same
hideous fate if this fortunate rescue hadn't taken place.
They can explain that the Woolies in these
jungles worship these horrible plants, and that the Woolies have
all gone crazy, listening to some sort of message from their gods, telling them
to attack all the off worlders, killing them and cleansing the planet. They will
explain that the Woolies told them they intended to massacre every
single plantation beyond the Wallaby River Basin, and even to attack Central
City it-self. They are in the jungles
massing thousands of the Woolies, and they are picking up modern
weapons every time they overrun a plantation or out worlder dwelling.
They want to gPt back to civilization as quickly
as possible so they can spread the alarm. They will ask the players for weapons, and suggest that they move out of this
area as quickly as possible. The
killing of one of those god-plants is sure to set the Woolies off on a
berserker killing spree as soon as
they have a chance to regroup.
If there are Woolies still in the clearing laying
stunned or webbed or otherwise alive but out of action, they will suggest moving out before they come to, or better yet,
kill them. If they have guns by this
time, they'll start killing Woolies on the spot. If players object to this,
they will restate the information that
the whole Woolie outback is in open revolt, that they mean to slaughter every
single off planet inhabitant on
Janus, and that this is an emergency.. Any live Woolies left behind will be
sure to put the rest of them on their trail the second they leave. Do the
players want to be squeamish, or do they
want to be safe?
GM, it is important that you role-play the part of
the Newtons in a convincing fashion, giving the full tinge of honest horror to their comments and convince the
players if possible that the situation with the Woolie Revolt is desperate
indeed.
The Newtons also suggest that the players head
west. There is an old survey and mapping station near the Red Mound Hills,
along with a cleared area for landing craft that is kept open and has a secure sonic perimeter and probably a radio trans meter as
well. The station is kept open against the day when these jungles were to be cleared and divided as
plantation land., They can raise help there and alert Central City police to the Woolie Revolt, and
arrange for a rescue pick-up.
GM, if the Dralastite is still alive, have him
roll perception, and if successful, pass a note informing him that the two
Newton humans smell EXACTLY alike. He can re-roll perception later if it's not
made.
TROUBLE ON JANUS
Planet 12
So .fat as background on the Newtons if the players
ask; their plantation is a fairly new one, about 130 kilometers to the south,
on the Azure River, it is not very large and Harry saved his money for seven years to be able to make the investment
down payment to get the plantation. Before that he worked as a foreman on other plantations, while Laura taught school
and did special office work in
accounting and book keeping for plantations near the Central City area.
As the party prepares to leave, the Newtons should
have managed to get weapons for themselves. No matter in which direction the
party leaves the clearing, have several '.7oolies dart across the path up ahead of them. If the Newtons have weapons they
will immediately blast them. If they do not have weapons, they will scream at
the party to shoot them dead, right away.
If the party tries to
talk with or bring along stunned or captured Woolies, the Newtons will urge they be killed and will do their best to kill them,
with weapons or even with fallen spears and knives left by the fleeing Woolies. The captured Woolies
are in total terror of the party and nothing intelligent or useful can be gained by trying to converse with
them, using any methods, including torture. Their
replies will generally run to this sort of
narrative: "Woolie good Woolie, no kill this Woolie, no kill Woolie, no
take Woolie, Woolie go away, never bother again, Woolie go far way, let Woolie
go, let Woolie go now he go _• way, no
hurt Woolie."
Punctuating any attempts at conversation with
captured Woolies here or elsewhere will be comments by the Newtons, screams or growling comments and
threats, urging the captives to confess, calling them murdering savages, screaming that they're
murdering vicious barbaric monsters, tell how you slaughtered our friends, how many others have you butchered
you fieii d etc etc. This will of course confuse and terrify the captured Woolies even more.
If the players attempt to take captured Woolies
with them, over the strength objections of the Newtons, they will be attacked at a widening of the trail a few hours
later by a group of Woolies who attack
from ambush with spears and sling shots. The Woolies attacking will rush out
and try to grapple with the players
carrying the captive Woolies. If the captive Woolies have their legs free, they
will try to run to
this group immediately. Thrown spears do 2 D10 damage, 60% hit rate, sling
stones
have a 45% chance and do 1 D 10
damage. There are twelve Woolies in the attacking party.
Party members may by this time, be somewhat suspicious of the Newtons,
who exhibit a consistent shoot-first policy. regarding Woolies. If asked about the survey station
and how they knew it was there, they are vague, saying they read about it in a government
bulletin. Have the players spot the white and red lights again that night when
they camp. If the Newtons are told about this, they will tell the
party that these are probably relay beacons for
the survey station and that they should reach the station within another day's march.
The next day travel is somewhat easier as the
jungle thins out a bit and scrub and grassy patches begin appearing along the way. The area begins
going., upward somewhat, as they begin to mount a
long hill in late afternoon.
As they top this hill, ahead of them they see the
survey station, or some structure anyway. It is a series of connected concrete block buildings, one story, behind
chain link fence with barbed wire toppings.
There appear to be several people moving around about the buildings and a guard
with a laser rifle at the large gate.
There are two air-cars inside the compound.
However, most of the player attention should rest
on the large spaceship which is sitting in front of the wire fence on the concrete landing area. This is a ship
somewhat similar to the one the players
arrived on Janus in. The name of the ship is clearly visible, stenciled on the
nose of the vessel, and the name is
"7-11"
The Newtons
will naturally be happy to see the survey station. They will want to go down
with the party right away so they can call back to
Central City and be rescued. If the players show any hesitation here, they will become irritated and
wonder what the problem is, here they are, as soon as rescued after their
terrible ordeal, and someone doesn't even want to go down and be rescued. If
the players mention the ship, they might interject
that perhaps the shit) has probably just been found, that this is a government
station, and probably the ship is being refitted.
Have the
players make a perception roll at a -15 penalty. If they walk down to the area
or find a way to
approach closer, have them make a perception roll at normal percentages, to see
if they notice that
of the four men busily working around the outside of the spaceship 7-11, three
of them look exactly
like Harry Newton. So does the guard at the front gate, farther away. In
addition, the woman
dressed in overalls just coming from inside the ship happens to look exactly
like Laura Newton.
If armed, the Newtons will
both whip out weapons and hold it on the party, telling them to get going, they are novel
prisoners, and that they'll have all the answers they want in a few minutes. If
the Newtons are
not armed, they will both attack the nearest players by surprise, trying to
rabbit punch them from
behind, with an 80% chance of attack each, temporarily stunning each separate
victim, go they can grab weapons to take the party prisoners. Simultaneously, they shout to
alert the people at the compound below them. Any sort of weapons fire will be noticed and
a search patrol, heavily armed, will immediately head up the hill toward the sound of the sound of
the shouting or shooting. Given this kind of force,
it is likely that the party will be captured or killed.
The attackers from the compound number 12 on the initial attack, supported by 10 others after
the first wave.
ORGANIC ANDROIDS Type: large, human form
STR/Sta:
45/45
Dex/RS: 60/60 NOTE: androids from base all
are wearing
Int/Log: 60/60 skein suits
Per/LDR:
60/60
6
These attackers have no
particular fear of being killed. They will try to take the party alive, but if the going gets rough,
they'll shoot to kill. In addition, if the party wipes out a large segment of
the enemy, the
ship's lAser turret turns to focus on the hill and a voice on a loudspeaker
blares out to surrender or they'll open up with the heavy laser cannon. If the
party still does not surrender, the
laser cannon blows the hell out of the hill and all
party members nearby and the scenario ends here.
If the players run for the jungle, they will be hunted
down and stunned or killed one by one until the entire intruder force has been
dealt with.
Players who manage to deal with
the Newtons before an alert can be given, or previously) will be able to sneak up on the
compound and observe in relative safety. The guard at the front gate is changed
every eight
hours. After dark one guard patrols around the inside of the compound and one
guard is
at the gate. There are at least one to three
workers inside and around the 7-11 at all times. Players can sneak in if they want to do so, and the GM should
strive to allow them to make it inside. It's the getting back out that may prove difficult.
If the players have been
captured, they are hustled right into the compound at the point of many guns. They are immediately
disarmed after their capture, however the captors will not bother with
skein suits or personal clothing. Grenades, guns
and the like will be taken from them.
• They are ushered into the concrete building and
thru an outer office, into another office off the
main passageway, where they
come fact to face with a Sathar, in military uniform. The Sathar stands up from his desk and speaks
to the party, "So, glad we are that you foolish humans, and other animals,
are joining us
in our glorious adventure. So, you wish to know about space ships and the
things we
do here. Your foolish Federation seeks to
interfere once again in our glorious plans. So, you shall
see all, and you shall know all, and you shall take
the message back, but not in the form you expect."
The prisoners are herded at gunpoint thru another long
corridor with doors on either side. One
of the doors on the right is open, and the players
can plainly see a very large computer operation attended by several Sathars. A door to the left further
down the hall is open and Sathars and organic android humans are stacking
rifles and granaries back into racks after the capture of the party. (If the
party was not captured, they must
make these discoveries on their own after breaking in.)
The
prisoners are then led thru another large room, in which wooden and wire cages
have been built along the walls, sort of like a dog kennel, and most of these
large cage areas are full of cowering Woolies. As soon as the group enters this
area they hear a high pitched, horrible scream, which stops abruptly. A couple of minutes
later, another high pitched horrible scream rings out to be cut short.
Entering the door at the far
end of the cage room, they enter a larger, high ceiling chamber. There is a padded upright
table and a huge machine with lenses and lights on the right hand side. The players are led directly to
this. The high-pitched screams continue, one every two to four minutes. There is a screen separating
this part of the chamber from the rest of the room.
One of the players, a human
female, is roughly grabbed by the android and Sathar guards and the clothing is ripped off.
She is strapped to the table. A switch is pulled, the huge machine starts to hum, and slowly crosses and
criss-crosses the body as assorted colored rays play over the body and the
machine hums loudly.
TROUBLE ON JANUS Page 14
A few minutes later the machine stops and the
androids let the human up from the table (but do not bother to return her clothing.) The players, are then escorted
beyond the divider into the other part
of the chamber, where they see a large box-like machine standing four meters
tall. There is a large crucible on
one side of the machine, and a sort of dome light above it. There is a Sathar
at the controls of the machine, and
other Sathars and androids standing near a small group of cowering Woolies on a wooden platform at the same level as
the crucible and near it.
The Sathar in uniform with the party speaks a word
in his language,
and a whimpering terrified Woolie is
dragged over to the crucible and forced onto it. A control is pressed, the
machine hums slightly, and with a high
pitched, terrifying screech, the Woolie dissolves into a pile of viscous
protoplasm, which begins to settle in
the crucible. A uniformed Sathar steps foreword and sits down in a chair by the machine controls. A helmet is lowered over his
head. The machine hums again, and as the players watch, the eerie green glow
filters down over the crucible, and slowly, the form of a human being begins to appear in the crucible, the same form as the
female party member. Within another few seconds the form is completed, the machine stops. The human
figure steps off the crucible, salutes the uniformed Sathar with the group, as other Sathars and human androids
take the WI) form of the Sathar from under the helmet and carry him outside.
The head Sathar speaks. "Human bodies,
disgusting they are, but even human scum serve the glorious purpose of the Sathar Empire. Soon will
we wear you own bodies to destroy your cursed Federation completely. And when your human scum body made from woolie
cells is killed, the mind and spirit
of the sathar warrior returns to his own sleeping body, and he lives again, so
he can fight again in the service of
the Sathar. So, from worthless Woolies we have wrought an organic army cast in shape of our greatest enemies, and all without
risking the actual body or spirit of a single Sathar warrior. Like you well? Soon we control everything
on this planet, then the rest of the Federation:
The commander explains that Sathar bodies are
stored below for future use and safety, and explains that "Human scum is best to duplicate. Monkey shit people
like this one (pointing to a Yazirian)
can we also do. But no true warrior would EVER agree to become so disgusting as
THAT (points to the Dralastite). So,
amoeba blod, I hope you taste better than you look, for at least you serve the Empire by filling the bodies of its
soldiers with food, food we make of you. Lief, Unom,. . return them to the Woolie room. We eat the blood of
the blob creature in two hours, and we scan the rest after dinner so they can be destroyed as well."
The players are ushered at gunpoint back to the
room with the Woolies and thrust into one of the wooden cages. The guards leave.
Every four or five minutes there is a screeching
scream as another Woolie beyond the closed door is destroyed. A few minutes later, ten to twelve minutes all total
for each complete cycle, the door
opens, and a human female in the form of the player character. scanned walks
down the corridor without wasting a
single glance on players or Woolie prisoners. At the other end the android
opens the door and leaves. The android is naked except for a laser gun belt and
laser pistol worn with it.
Players now have several options. If they are
prisoners, they will need to figure a way to get out. If they are not prisoners, but have snuck into the compound, they
will have witnessed the transformation
of a Woolie and a Sathar into a human form, but without the benefit of the
Sathar explanation of what is happening.
If they are prisoners the GM should describe the
environment if the players ask for it. The cages are made of wood and chain-link fencing wire. The locks are simple
slide bolt locks at the top and bottom of each cage. The chain-link is too
small to allow the players to reach out and open the latches. However the latches are screwed nice and
tight into the wood. The wooden boards making up the cages are standard
2x2" style boards, and the cages look quite a lot like a regular animal hospital cage, except they are larger for Woolie,
and humanoid, sided creatures.
Getting out is remarkably simple, if the players remember that Woolies,
although tall, are not very strong. The GM should have given the players, in the form of the customs
inspector back at the start of the adventure, a lecture vjfi; this very vital piece of information. To re enforce it,
the GM might have a
few Woolies try to batter and claw at their cage across the way, which they
don't even much rattle the wire mesh on, barely rattling the door.
Humans, and the other aliens in the party on the other hand are far
stronger than Woolies and can literally kick the door open, picking the bolts
right out of the screws securing them to the wood. This is, of course, noisy, but
the Sathar are used to lots of noise in the Woolie room. and will pay no attention. They must be
careful of the android which come. every 10 minutes however.. If the
players try to half-heartedly
force the door, tell them it seems to give a little. It will take a combined strength of 200 to force open the
door, or repeated heavy kicks will do the job as well. Woolies are
TROUBLE ON
JANUS Page 15
also not
terribly bright. Hopefully the players are smart enough to try an escape.
Things that will not work are such old standbys as
playing sick, attempting to attract the attention of the android as she walks by, screaming or
trying to lunge at the guards when they finally come to
take the Dralastite to the cooking
pot. The chain link wiring is heavy and tough and cannot be cut very easily,
not at all since the players don't have any cutting tools on them.
The wood the wire is strung onto the key to the
problem, players must remember that normal human beings can probably break down wooden slats if they simply keep at
it for awhile, especially humans with
heavy boots on their feet. If they cannot make this reasonable connection, then
the players will eventually die when
their time limit is up, and the adventure closes here.
Players who do break out can successfully ambush the android headed
their way with virtually no difficulty. GM may choose to be sadistic and roll a few dice in
secret to keep up the suspense if he wants to. Once they have smashed the android, they have
a weapon, and since one of the players looks exactly like one of the enemy (the androids being
made from her image) the players are free to make their move.
The ideal situation would be for the players to wipe out the entire
station. There are several good and easy ways to do this. They can attack the android creation room
if they want, but it is reasonably well defended. As the players look into this room they will
see long lines of Sathars and Woolies lined up ready to be turned into human androids.
The general layout of the station is provided
here. Give the players 20 extra points if they ambush the computer room ' and get the disks • or copies of computer
information on this Sathar operation..
Blowing up the Compound by setting time bombs in the arsenal is another! good
way to clean up the problem. Taking
over the ship and then using the ship to take out the compound is
a good idea,
however the player§ should lose 10 points if they do this without taking other
measnrs first, as the laser turret on the compound walls itself can fire back
at the ship, and will, if this action is taken. In such an exchange the players may well take
serious damage or get themselves killed before dealing with the problem.
If the players remember to save and release most
of the Woolie prisoners in the cage room in their escape attempt, award them 25 extra points for remembering to be
good guys throughout it all.
SATHAR Type: Medium to large (appears to be a walking snake, with arms
and legs)
Str/Sta: 50/50
Dex/RS: 50/50 Sathars are generally armed with a laser
Iiit/Log:
50/50 type pistol adapted for their
use, but usable
Per/LDR: 50/50 by other races as well
IIVI: 5
Every room in the compound will have three or four Sathars or androids
in it except for the commander's
office, Which is now empty, the forming room, which has 15 Sathars, 4 androids, and 14 Woolie prisoners, plus 2 Sathar
technicians to work the machine.
The computer room and the arsenal. each have 3 Sathars present, none of whom are
alert or prepared for any sort of
surprise attack the players may care to mount.
As a general rule the
corridors will be empty. Roll percentiles, on a roll of 97 or above, either a Sathar or an android comes out of a room.
The android forming room (no. I on map). Will prove difficult to ambush
unless players prepare well due to the number of enemy there, however a shoot-out here will not
attract any attention, as the only directly adjoining chamber is the Woolie cage room (no. 2).
Going downstairs is suicidal. We have not mapped this here, however
there are 45 Sathars and 30 android Sathar units down below, plus sleeping and
kitchen and rec room areas. They will be alert the minute the party goes down the stairs and will
shoot up the area freely. There are two exits for the underground level, so the
enemy will easily surround the party and butcher them.
With modest caution the party should have no serious problems escaping
the area. If they remember
to close doors after the shooting starts they will attract virtually no
attention, as most of these doors are almost sound proof.
The ship 7-11 itself is guarded by noone, however three Sathar androids
are inside working on the
wiring and insulation. They are in differing parts of the ship and can be taken
easily. The ship
is fully fueled and repaired and can
fly out with no trouble. The radio is also fully functioning. If the party does not sabotage the base,
the laser turret on the base fires at the ship. The ship has 30 Hull Pts. The
actual hull structure sustains 275 pts structural before the laser punches
thru.
xxx
TROUBLE ON JANUS Page
10
A fair number of players may have avoided capture. If this happens assume
that several searching
parties have been sent out after them, and if players are watching the area,
have them see the searching
parties leaving.
Breaking into the base should .not be very hard if the players
are careful. Besides the guard at the gate, there should be two to four patrolling around
inside the wire fence at all times. If players break inside, they will have to discover the
android forming process by themselves. The Woolie prisoners can add no real information. They
know they will die, but they do not know how or why.
If an alarm is given, the players are careless, or a 7.1oisey firelight
develops that Tests longer than a few combat rounds, the base could become alert and the
players might well die. Numbers of the enemy might stick their heads out of doorways to see what
is going on, (only to have them blasted by players, perhaps), but if several
other enemy people notice what is happening, they will alert the entire station and they will pour out to
kill the players, which should not be very hard in that situation.
If the players
rush in and steal the ship, and either fly away it or blast the base and then
fly
away, 'they lose points for not fully completing their mission. -In a situation such as this one, finishing the mission, or as much of the mission as possible,
isi:the primary consideration in the judging of the event.
CONVENTION PLAYER CHARACTER STATS
Race: Dralastites (ambidextrous) Race: Human male (right handed)
Str/Sta: 70/60 Str/Sta: 35/45
Dex/RS: 55/45 Dex/RS: 45/35
Int/Log:
70/60 Int/Log: 55/65
Per/Ldr:
30/40 Per/Ldr: 40/30
IM: 6 IM: 5
weapons: Gyrojet
pistol 45% to hit Weapons: auto pistol 33% to hit
Skien Suit provided. Skien suit provided
Gyrojet: 2
Psycho-social: 3 Medical: 2 Skills:projectile: I Demolition:
2 Robotics: 3
Computer: 1 tech:
2
-Ias
a medic kit Has a robotics kit
Race: Human male (right handed) Race: Yazarian male
Str/Sta:
50/50 Str/Sta: 60/70
Dex/RS: 65/55 Dex/RS: 70/60
Int/Log:
30/40 Int/Lag: 30/40
Per/Ldr: 45/45 Per/Ldr: 55/45
IM: 6 Weapons: laser pistol 65% to hit
Weapons: auto-pistol
52% to hit, knife 57% Albedo suit 100 provided
skien suit provided Skills: beam weapons: 3 computer: 2 robotics: I
Skills: Projectile
weapons: 2 Thrown weapons: 2 technitian: 1
Demolitions: 2
Melee: 2 Medical: 2 7.:las a robotics kit
PSA: Military
Race: 7-luman female (left handed)
Race: Human female
(right handed) Str/Sta: 35/45
Sti-liSta: 65/65 Dex/RS: 45/35
Dex/RS:
65/65 Int/Log: 65/55
Int/Log: 35/35 Per/Ldr: 65/55
Per/Ldr: 50/50 IM: 5
IM: 7 Weapons: Auto pistol 43% to hit
weapons: laser pistol
63% to hit, knife 67% Skein suit provided
Skein suit provided Skills: Technition: 3 Projectile: 2 Envournmental:
I
Skills: Beam weapons:
3 Melee weapons: 2 Martial Computer: I
arts: 3 environmental: 2
PSA: military
TROUBLE ON JANUS Page
18
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Race: Human male (left handed) In Addition,
all players have a Standard Pack,
Stt/Sta: 75/65 which consists of the following:
Dex/RS: 40/30 wrist communicator (5km range)
Int/Log: 50/40 coveralls
Per/Ldr: 50/40 4 2 sleep granades
1st
aid pack
Weapons: auto-pistol 40% to
hit stem
dose injection (I dose, 3hrs)
eSkein suit provided sta dose injection (1 dose)
Skills: Projectile: 2
Computer: 3 Envournment: 1 ID
card (credit line & ID)
Robotics: I Pocket Tool
(sort of a super Swiss army knife)
Environmental kit 5 days survival rations.
Race: Yazarian female There are two extra skien suits
available, one of
Str/Sta: 55/45 which is tailored to fit the
Ya.zarian male.
Dex/RS:
60/40
Int/Log:
35/45
Per/Lor: 40/50
IM:
3
Weapons: Needier pistol 33% to hit Skien suit provided
Skills: Projectile : 2 Medical: 3 Environmental: 2 Psycho-social: 2
Has
a medical kit
A final word on the Salthar
androids; when the Salthar host bodies are destroyed, so are the androids. They collapse into
mindless heaps, and without a guiding intellect, the bodies will dissolve
within half a
day.
Although biologically similar to humans, there are some
differences which might be detected. The most obvious from the player standpoint of course, is the
fact that they all smell exactly the same, something impossible in racial terms. Each android
is basically exactly like all the other androids. only the exterior physical features
and sizes are different. The blood of these creatures is also a bit paler and thinner than true human
blood, reflecting the fact that the androids are composed of Wollie protoplasm,
on a world with a higher oxygen content that normal human bodies have adapted
to.
The computer records will show that the Sathar androids
have worked their way into the on-planet leadership of the Multi-Cap Corporation. They are
the ones who have secretly ordered the extraordinary weapons and the computer equipment.
If the party managed to get the computer records they
will have the entire story., more than enough to solve the long range problem. If they merely
escape, without taking the computer disks or destroying the machine and the stored Salthar
bodies, then they have not solved the problem. Pausing to make off with those
computer disks is worth l.50 additional points to the players in the
competition. The
highest rating and scoring should go to the players who manage to blow up the
machine, blow up the
warrior cold-storage area and/or the base itself, and get the computer file
disks as well.
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| Topic | Replies | Created | Last Reply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse Troubles | 1 | 9 years 20 weeks ago | 9 years 20 weeks ago |
| Backgrounds | 0 | 9 years 20 weeks ago | 9 years 20 weeks ago |
| Janus Wallaby | 3 | 9 years 20 weeks ago | 9 years 19 weeks ago |
| Janus Creatures | 0 | 9 years 19 weeks ago | 9 years 19 weeks ago |
| rewrite Janus Module | 0 | 9 years 1 week ago | 9 years 1 week ago |
