Plague System questions

ChrisDonovan's picture
ChrisDonovan
July 6, 2016 - 11:50am
About the only thing said about the plague systems after the disease burned itself out is that they are under permanent quarentine and "any ship spotted leaving the system is to be destroyed".

Firstly, I assume they actually meant "any ship spotted leaving the planet..."  Spacefleet simply wouldn't have the resources to interdict an entire star sysem at the tech level assumed for the Frontier. Furthermore, simply passing through the system wouldn't expose a ship to any possible sources of contamination.

What I imagine the blockade "line" as is a series of space fortresses (six I think would do, four  equi-distantly spaced around the equator, and two polar), loaded with fighters, supported by an array of surveillance sattelites, and backed up by several assault scouts and a destroyer or two. Anything the fighters can't catch, the AS can and the destroyers are there JIC.

That begs the question though: where are these ships coming from?  If the plague was so bad that the UPF just wrote the entire system off to begin with, it sounds like something out of "The Stand" (90%+ population kill).  If that's true, how likely is it that the surviors have the wherwithall to launch much of anything in the first place?  Perhaps the UPF is more concerned about looters coming to the planets looking for salvage/loot/treasure?

Which begs a more fundamental question.  The MSO has the cure/vaccine for the plague. Properly innoculated people should be fine (if out-system visitors).  The plague survivors from planetside would be immune (that's how they survived).  You can't argue that they're carriers otherwise ALL planets where ther were people with the plague (such as Clarion) would have to be interdicted, and that didn't happen.

Last question: assuming there are survivors on those planets, has the UPF simply abandoned them?  Radio communications could be safely maintained, and supplies could be dropped via un-powered lander (not capable of returning to orbit).

Anyone have thoughts on this?
Comments:

iggy's picture
iggy
July 6, 2016 - 7:01pm
Nice post summarizing all the complaints and questions we all have.  I see the plague as a short lived event that I totally ignore post a few years after the Sundown on Starmist adventure and the MSO cure.
-iggy

JCab747's picture
JCab747
July 6, 2016 - 8:22pm
Hi Chris:

This is a good subject to raise... Personally I think the whole plague system idea is a waste of time. Sure there might be some planets or even entire star systems that might be declared off limits for one reason or another, but not for the same silly "plague" where a cure... or at least a vaccine... was developed.

The ebola outbreak in Africa is one example of a very deadly disease that could be treated with advanced medicine... of course, a massive outbreak would overwhelm hospital systems... but afterward, why have the quarantine? My argument has been to repurpose most of the systems for something else, such as home worlds for some of the fan-created races in Star Frontiersman or Frontier Explorer.
Joe Cabadas

jedion357's picture
jedion357
July 6, 2016 - 11:53pm
Well, we know the author of Zebs intended to take SF in the direction of Gama World, even introducing a plant PC from his personal GW campaign, the Osakar. I don't really blame him for this as the fix was in to kill SF in favor of the BR property owned by the CEOs family. The GW plan may have been a good intentioned attempt to save SF. 

It seems to me the plague worlds were intended to be a source of mutation in setting and a place for adventure in a Forbidden Planet sort of way. 

It's well recognized that they cause more problems in the purely sci-fi setting. Since they are very likely elements intended for a GW setting and extremely problematic for a sci Fi setting I think it's possibly time we, as a fan community, publicly disavow the plague worlds unless of course you are using Gama Dawn rules. 

EDIT: I'm all for keeping the story of a blue plague and the creation of the MSO. It's not a bad piece of history and doesn't do violence to the sci-fi setting.

I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

JCab747's picture
JCab747
July 7, 2016 - 6:29am
jedion357 wrote:

EDIT: I'm all for keeping the story of a blue plague and the creation of the MSO. It's not a bad piece of history and doesn't do violence to the sci-fi setting.



That's a fair plan. The idea of a blue plague never bothered me -- it was just these four or five (if you go by the map) permanently quarantined worlds that didn't make sense. At least, not because of the same reason.

And you could have 1 Gamma World type world out there caused by the blue plague is possible... but not several.

Now, if the worlds were off limits for other reasons, then you could use them.
Joe Cabadas

Stormcrow's picture
Stormcrow
July 7, 2016 - 8:20am
My knowledge of Zebulon's is incomplete, but I always through the plague was just a lame excuse not to have to come up with homeworlds for the original game's races.

JCab747's picture
JCab747
July 7, 2016 - 8:58am
Stormcrow wrote:
My knowledge of Zebulon's is incomplete, but I always through the plague was just a lame excuse not to have to come up with homeworlds for the original game's races.


That's a good observation.
Joe Cabadas

jedion357's picture
jedion357
July 7, 2016 - 11:21am
Shoot on site order makes no sense if there is a vaccine and relatives of the colonist would demand that the UPF do something. 

Space Fleet doesn't have the resources to build 6 fortresses few systems even have one. Best bet is a KHs patrol group of a frigate and 2 assault scouts but assault scouts are a poor asset for this without a local base. 

Suddenly new colonized planets with no names just Greek letters no info on them 

Too many questions and problems here. Ive finally come to the decision to scrap them but keep the plague and the MSO
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

JCab747's picture
JCab747
July 7, 2016 - 3:21pm
jedion357 wrote:
Shoot on site order makes no sense if there is a vaccine and relatives of the colonist would demand that the UPF do something. 

Space Fleet doesn't have the resources to build 6 fortresses few systems even have one. Best bet is a KHs patrol group of a frigate and 2 assault scouts but assault scouts are a poor asset for this without a local base. 

Suddenly new colonized planets with no names just Greek letters no info on them 

Too many questions and problems here. Ive finally come to the decision to scrap them but keep the plague and the MSO


Yea! Cool
Joe Cabadas

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
July 8, 2016 - 6:40am
A little late but here goes yes we have alot of challenges with the Zeb's timeline and scrapping parts of it is something I agree with. 

Then again you cuold try and run with it. The author Jim Butcher was challenged at a workshop to write a story based on the combination of a lost Roman legion and Pokemon. The result was the six books in the Codex Alera series. 

So get creative and try to justify the Blue Plague and aftermath mess.




Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
July 12, 2016 - 9:37pm
I like others counted the worlds and came up with 5.

I have made one Cys which is suggested in one of the magazines, a world where cyber/robotoc/computer tech was advanced mainly human and then something went terriably wrong, it's atmospher is very toxic, so you would not normally want to go there, but no one is really guarding the place... the planet is not shown on the star charts. 

I figure one planet/system is becuase of blue plague but not becuase it can't be cured but becuase it went into full scale war, collapse of society, new plagues, mutants etc Gamma World scenerio and it is just so darn hostile the UPF has not been able to help, and usually the red shirts sent there do not come back... so it is currently off limits except to UPF personel on UPF buisness regarding said system. This is the Gamma System on my map, and I borrowed the idea that the planet/system was originally called Dawn.

Now the other 3 I have not decided on why the UPF is anti folks going there but something will come to me. 

I thought about one being a world where Terraforming went wrong.


 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
July 13, 2016 - 10:22am
Tchklinxa I am sending you this secret communication because of all the Yazirian lovers on this forum. As you probably don't know several Vrusk trade houses specialize in collecting information (they are known as Gumshoe Houses because of their special footwear). What one of them (known as the Marlowehammer House) discovered was that there was a vote coming up in the UPF council about limiting the powers of Godco. The Family of One did not like this one little bit and the three planets who sponsored the bill were three of the planets the Blue Plague wiped out. They were also planets which Godco had done work for. See where this is going? It is believed the other two planets were innocent bystanders (so to speak) since germ warfare is not an exact science.

Marlowehammer House also discovered there is conclusive evidence of this on the Blue Plague planets. It is not known if Godco is sponsoring the blockade or if the UPF discovered this information and is covering it up for their own reasons.

Here is kicker the Marlowehammer House was almost wiped out in a single month through a series of accidents. There is still one member alive a Vrusk named Philipmike. I need you to send a team of troubleshooters to locate Philipmike and then proceed as necessary to reveal the truth to the rest of the Frontier.

Remember keep this between us. Trust No One and The Truth is Out There.
Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
July 14, 2016 - 2:31pm
LOL... very good. Sounds like a hook for a great adventure. I think we all chatted on the possibilty of the blue plague not being a Sathar Conspracy at all but the result of a Terraforming "accident", also could be a UPF bioweapon gone wrong or an attempt by a splinter group to wipe out the other races but the plague mutated... some place I have an article I started writting up on disease with exactly these scenerios in mind & even how to create new and exciting ills for the medics.

I like your conspiracy idea. 

Another Yazirian twist: A truely fanactical biologist dedicated to preserving every organism of the Yazirian Homeworld regardless of threat to the Universe had discovered this bug in some isolated local... anyhow he/she revived the bug and released it in an isolated local of a Terraformed world, naturally it escaped... who knows what else this insane scientist wishes to release, extinct animals?




 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."

Tchklinxa's picture
Tchklinxa
July 14, 2016 - 4:04pm
The plague systems have always been a problem... and they generate a lot of questions.

I have been remiss in typing up articles as I am pretty fried mentally right now, work, hubby's health and so on, but it really is time for me to get a few projects done, so I should probably look at my very rough notes on diseases & maybe put together that. In addition maybe I should put together an article on dealing with the plague worlds, various ideas people have floated and thoughts I have had... you know ideas people can cherry pick from.

I have floating questions of my own based on the few scraps of info on the plague... mortality rate has been kicked around I am still unhappy with what I have, is mortality rate different per species, the bio-sphere contamination idea taken to it's extreme would mean mass extinction, the disfigurement factor and what sort of long term health effects of the cured as cured of a disease does not mean 100% healthy same quality of life as before, why could not or would not the rest of the UPF take the survivors... why is there a special planet just for them, is there a stigma or special care needs what about the children of plague victims, orphans and so on? 

These are all things I really need to address in a finalized form I have ideas floating around in my head. I am personally inclined to see the survivors as stigmatized for some reason... in much the way survivors of Nuclear Weapon Deployment have been as well... no one wanted their adult child to marry a survivor out of fear of birth defects, long term health risks and care, and physical appearance can lead people to be very cruel. Children might not be adopted for similar reasons or assumed behavioral issues they might have. 

I know folks have worked up ideas about the worlds themselves before the plague. PCS in a game set before the plague would know these worlds & systems by other names and there quarantines would have & should have devastating effects on UPF citizens. 

I am inclinded to have each of the 4 worlds be dominated by 1 species with the other three species being the minority populations. Anyhow that is the direction I am thinking on the worlds themselves.
 "Never fire a laser at a mirror."