Ships Locker: 4mm Gauss Pistol

4 mm Gauss Auto Pistol

Cr: 1250, TL D

Magazine: 30 rounds, Cr40

Range:

• Effective - 50m (6)
• Long - 100m (3)
• Extreme - 175m (1)

Weight: 1650 grams; magazine (30 rounds): 350 grams

Size: 45cm long, handle 20cm, barrel 8cm diameter

Clip size: 15x5.4x2cm

Rechargeable batteries: time between recharge: 3000 rounds (100 clips).

Options:

• hi-res scope, computer enhanced, 10x50 lenses, light enhancement and passive IR. Cr250, 320grams, 15x3.5cm
• carry-all personalock (tm) with composite laminate case (.25cm armr, AR2), holds autopistol and 5 clips. Cr 105, 750 grams, 50x25x10cm
• Repair kit: battery tester, electronic diagnostic computer, microtools, cleaning fluids, cloths and utensils. Cr795, 1050grams, 25x20x5cm

The hand-drawn picture looks alarmingly like one of those caulking guns...Pretty sure this is old Striker stuff. 

Trying to get through the T5 Gunmaker is...challenging. At least in the book - I need to check the 5.09 version to see if they've made it easier. And 5.1 is supposed to be coming out soon.

AltGPM-13

Advanced Light Gauss Pistol Man - 13

Range: 2

Effects: Bullet 3

Pretty much a guess there...

via https://www.allthetests.com/quiz31/picture/pic_1402980882_6.jpg

Bestiary: Whalrus

The Whalrus is a cold-world animal that lives on floating ice islands. Able to hold its breath for more than an hour, the whalrus is a warm-blooded animal prized for both its ivory and oil. There are two sexes, and mating season occurs once every 2-3 years. There are between 2 and 6 young per breeding cycle, and the young stay with their parents for at least 2 years. The whalrus lives in large groups called bundles, with between 30-40 adults and up to 150 or so young in various age groups. They are omnivorous, eating local seaweeds as well as small sea creatures similar to plankton. The average life span is 35-40 years.

Their ivory, when worked like scrimshaw, is prized and expensive. Collectors pay large amounts of credits for well-crafted art. Additionally, the oils produced are useful in a variety of cooking methods and contains copious vitamins. It is rumored that the oils are being examined for anagathic benefits. The blubber, when deep fried, is considered a delicacy, and the meat from a whalrus, while having a distinctive odor, is an excellent source of protein.

Female tend to be larger than the males. An average female is close to 600 pounds (272 kg), a male averages 500 pounds (226 kg). They have 30 hit points with the equivalent of cloth armor due to their thick blubber.  While not aggressive, they are protective of their young and tend towards herd mentality in defense. On ground they are slow, and a human can easily outwalk them. In the water, though, they are much more agile than expected. They have been known to sink small submersibles that get too close to their young.

Possible game use: 

1. You are hired to hunt several of these to bring in several kilograms of their ivory, blubber and meat.

2. You are hired by animal rights people to protect a local bundle from hunters.

3. You are hired as part of a scientific team to observe a local bundle, and get in the middle of a fight between hunters and animal rights activists.

4. You are eating an excellent meal at the TAS, and find that the meat is from the whalrus. There is a hunting party going in the next few days, and you are invited along.

5. A local population sees the whalrus as their totem, and they have an almost mystical connection with the local bundle. Turns out the whalrus are slightly psionic and can extend their bundle to non-whalrus sophonts.

6. The whalrus is actually a sophont who has turned their backs to technology. 

Create your own at: http://digitalcultures.pl/hybridizer/

Gargoyle Rock

Digging back through my college hand-drawn maps and attempting to update them via Campaign Cartographer. Below is Gargoyle Rock, a smallish island full of gargoyles. My guess is I had just bought the gargoyle miniatures and wanted them to have their own island. Not sure where this is in the broader scheme of things as I never made a master map...And for some reason, my gargoyles are green but have pink wing membranes. I am wondering if I had a lack of paints and just used what I had.

Not sure what gaming system I was using, but the notes on the side of the map indicate:
Population: 1,050
Inhabitants: Gargoyles
Location: West end of Divisor River
Access: Warlock Cloak (now that sounds interesting!)
Statistical Information: 

• Magic Resistance: 0
• Death Resistance: 5
• Mobility (unity): 7
• Range: Land 0.5, air 5 (guess they are slow on the ground and fast in the air)
• Evil-Neutral: 2
• Size: 25 miles, 625 square miles
• Highlights - minimal vegetation, Forketh River is slowly dividing the island in half, mage floatation: 25%

I wonder what mage floatation is?

The original map is pretty sparse. I guess having only 3 or 4 gargoyle miniatures Ifelt that their world did not need too much detailing.

         

Patron Encounter - Mad Scientist

Equipment needed:  None; optionally their own ship.
Skills needed: depends if they are piloting their own craft or travelling as passengers. Admin, Legal, Forgery, Carousing, and personal skills could come in handy.

Players Information: In searching for cargo on the cargo boards, the group sees a request for a specialized package pickup from a neighboring world that pays above and beyond normal rates. Upon calling, they converse with a Dr, Ruce Robarne. There is a final piece to an invention he has been working on for several years, and the only nearby planet that can produce the part refuses to sell it to him. Upon pressing as to why, it turns out that this particular part is considered illegal on this planet. All he needs is to get it to the port, and he says he can get it from there. There should be no legal issues for the group.

If the group does not have their own ship, he is willing to pay for up to 4 people (2 at high passage, 4 at mid passage) to the neighboring world on a the next subsidized liner and to retrieve the parts. He gives them a line of credit that is valid in this section of space that will cover the costs.

If the group has their own ship, he is willing to pay basically for fuel, salaries and Cr3000 for transporting what amounts to a 2dton cargo. They are free to carry other cargo of course if this is a merchant vessel.

Upon successful transportation to a designated warehouse, he will pay up to Cr10,000 per person for a total of Cr40,000.

Referee Information
1. All is at it seems: the neighboring worlds are experiencing a trade embargo in an escalating trade war, and supplies of certain parts and severely curtailed.
2. The scientist is a deep-cover spy from the neighboring world, and the parts in question are additional equipment loads to help him continue his mission.
3. The scientist is one of the forgetful scientists types: when the group returns with the package safely stored in the warehouse, he will profess to no knowledge of their transaction.
4. The package is interdicted by the system. Getting it unloaded, even in the port, may require some finesse with the local and port authorities.
5. The scientist refuses to actually pay until the Travellers actually deliver the parts to his lab. The parts are illegal on this world.
6. The scientist is indeed a mad scientist, and the completion of his project is a bomb powerful enough to take out a small city. He is wanting to take over the world!

General notes: I just started looking for public domain science fiction images. I am still thinking about a month challenge, so perhaps this is a warmup...get an image, wrap something around it.

Miscellaneous Musings

I was talking with one of my friends and the whole month challenge thing came up. You know, when you do a post a day for 30 days. Or in the case of Yet Another Traveller Blog, one per letter of the alphabet (I've got his blog linked to the right - if you've not seen it, you really need to as it is an excellent source of Traveller goodness).

It would be challenging (hah! that's the point) but something I am considering to do. I got some good reactions from my Traveller Patron post, so I am thinking I may try something like that. Some nugget of Traveller usefulness, such as NPCs, or maps, or patron encounters. I think there is an actual month this happens across multiple blogs, but I'll still think about it.

I've also decided to try yet again with the Traveller tracker. Although this time perhaps a web-based project. Sigh. I know, how many times will it take? I could wimp out and go back to the Winforms which would be the easiest, and I could just restart with a smaller scale for the UWP version. I downloaded the Visual Studio 19 and it has a few more project options which is why I was considering the web one, but then I'd have to create a user system as well so that people could have their own ships. And I still really prefer more stand-alone desktop projects that have optional internet connections. Because the internet is not available everywhere. Still thinking about it, just have to actually do something about it.

And here is the beach our Delve characters have washed ashore on. The tower is really supposed to be a ship mast with a metal cage. Good ol' Bertram lives up there. We rescued some Brownies before they managed to eat Granite's big toe (well, they were starving).

Death Test - Triumph

Despite being down to three characters, two of which were badly wounded, they managed to survive. Now they did avoid the bear room, then after that, kept going west. So they only had to cover 7 rooms. But - the last room had a giant. One hit and it would be instant death. The characters tried to run out the door, but bounced back. This was their first, and it turns out, only time, they tried to avoid combat. Well, it was a giant!

Fortunately, giants have a pretty low DX, 9. And in the 4 combat rounds he never laid a club on anyone, and each of the remaining three fighters managed to score hits and whittle him down to size. Leaving that room, they found stairs and past that curtain, the recruitment officer.

Almost 400 points were given based on the kills. These are divided by the original number of fighters, 6. The remaining three only made recruit (but fast recruits!) as they managed to avoid a fair amount of combat by going straight through. So they garnered 70 experience points apiece, not even enough to bump a single stat.

Next round, I will have 4 higher caliber fighters go in and see what we can do. And choose a different path.

Ahh - a giant! Run away!

Bounce! Ahh, a giant!

That giant sure was clumsy!

Death Test - The Fantasy Trip

The big box showed up, and my characters keep dying. I started with 4 random fighters from the deck of cards. These cards are great: all you need to know about the character for combat at least, and being wet/dry erase, you can easily track their stats as they inevitably go down.

My first foray into the Death Test had four fighters. Apparently bears are really tough and hard to kill (wow, just like in real life!). My four fighters did not make it out.

My second foray is on going. I started with 6 fighters. One has been killed by a human fighter, one by a gargoyle, and the last one was just offed by a goblin. I am down to 3 characters, 2 of which are heavily injured. My guess is that the next room will be the final for them.

I either need to start with a larger party, or bump up some stats. This Death Test is not a test, it is just a fact!

And the mat ends up being a lot more useful than I would have thought. The ref screen has most of the info I need as I've not played in 30-40 years.

Bringing the box to the next gaming session. We are probably playing Delve, but who knows.

Patron Encounter

Players: 2 - 6
Equipment needed: none
Skills needed: none, but recon, survival or hunting would be useful
Patron Type: Scientist
World: something with a breathable atmosphere and at least 30% water. The starport could be anything really but there needs to be enough people to have at least a small local population as well as a fair number of transients but large swaths of raw countryside. As well as a local university.

While at the port and enjoying the sites, the Travellers are approached by a bedraggled looking older man, waving what appears to be a cryogenic test tube of some sort. He asks for some a few moments of their time.  Sir Reginald Artani was a well-respected archeologist, but in the last few years has been searching for what all others believe is extinct, the Mega-Duckahedron that was native to the planet more than a million years ago. He has lost his tenured position at the university after declaring that this extinct giant duck was still alive in the hinterlands. He exhausted his personal finances after losing his job, and is now searching for someone to help prove his theory.

Should the Travellers take some time, there is indeed a very large feather in the test tube. Should they research this at the university they will see that it does match fossil remnants of the 8 foot tall duck dino. Sir Reginald has satellite maps of the location where he found this, a journey of several days via air/raft or ATV  He has an ancient ATV large enough for 8 people. He will split any proceeds from the discovery with the group, and swears he has potential buyers in the millions of credits range for a live specimen.

1. All is as he says: there are a few groupings left of this large feathered dinosaur duck. The maps, searching, finding, capturing and returning a live specimen is up to the referee. While not millions of credits, several hundred thousand will be provided.
2. All is as he says, but there is just the one remaining animal (hey, it happens in movies all the time). Same as (1) above.
3. There are no living dinoducks left, but there are remains that are only a few hundred years old, hence the well preserved feather. Perhaps a few thousand credits reward for helping rewrite the local research on the local fauna.
4. Sir Reginald is deluded, and someone is playing a cruel hoax on him for something he did years before (failing a student? didn't approve a published paper?). Nothing more, nothing less. Just lost time for all involved.
5. There is no dinoduck, and someone is out to kill Sir Reginald. Once out in the hinterlands, there will be a lone gunner who is not too picky about who he kills.
6. Sir Reginald is the con man for a slave labor group in the hinterlands. Once miles into the wilderness, they will be surrounded by armed gunmen and taken as forced labor in an illegal crop farm.

Shared Universes

Way back when I started playing RPGs in college, the Traveller game we ended up playing a lot was a sort of shared universe. Going from the books before there really was much of a Third Imperium, we created the D'Arlee Quadrant. Not sure who did what, although I think I did most of it. But I also think we alternated refereeing and playing between myself and a friend of mine named Chris.

The Asheville Gaming Club is full of interesting people, and I've found a new friend there that also played Traveller (well, I think he has) but also played The Fantasy Trip. Daniel and I've talked about doing this a few times now, and I think we will try & do something. As this is a fantasy world setting, we may play other fantasy games that can go into that. So this blog, while still mostly about Traveller, may be expanding into trying to describe a shared universe.

Fortunately, the world of Cidri from the Fantasy Trip is a humongous world created by people no longer present. The theory behind this was that published adventures could tale place, but travel far enough or by gate, and a completely new world was basically available.

So I'll try & expand out my little maps from college, which I have posted previously, and also dig up my notes as to what I was thinking. I had a complete small booklet of the various areas. Mostly were based on the miniatures I kept buying: I just got 3 centaurs, so, look, Centaur Island where there are herds of them! I just got a box of skeleton warriors - look, there's the Terrorlands where all sorts of ghoulish things live!

I also want to get better about rumors - just learn to be able to hint to the players that there may be something worthwhile. Drinking at the inn, they overhear one drunk mentioning that his second cousin's third uncle got lost looking for Stuboon's final treasures, somewhere up near Woodfall. And yes - Woodfall was another Kickstarter that is a point-crawl sort of thing with some really interesting possibilities (the recently successful Amazon Island will also be making its way here, so somewhere I need to establish the island).

I also found I had a complete theology involved, for at least my section of the world. I'll write that up at some point as well.