Chthonian Stars at long last

Chthonian Stars has finally been released to much fanfare...ok, no fanfare. Still, it was the best-selling pdf on DriveThruRPG for a couple of days, so I can't be the only one who bought a copy. To recap, Chthonian Stars is a mashup of Alien, The Fifth Element and Call of Cthulhu. A rogue celestial body is approaching our solar system emitting some strange form of radiation which is causing all manner of apparently supernatural phenomena. Weird cults are popping up all over the solar system, ships are disappearing, atrocities are being committed by otherwise normal people and rumours of monster sightings circulate. The publisher, Wildfire, originally intended to release the game through Mongoose, using the Traveller ruleset. Something changed their minds and the game is undergoing a reboot. The new game will be called The Void and will use a new ruleset. However, there was much hype and excitement about the original idea and Chthonian Stars was pretty much complete when they decided to pull the plug, so they released it in pdf format.

The look of Chthonian Stars is very reminiscent of Wildfire's other rpg, CthulhuTech. It has the same artistic style and the same interspersed pieces of short fiction, although in general, I found the quality of the writing to be a bit inferior to CthulhuTech. It seemed to lack the same ability to inspire dread in the reader. Choosing to name one of the characters in one of the stories "Capt. Zack Bradigan" didn't help.

The setting of Chthonian Stars is a veritable cornucopia of future history tropes; a global economic crisis, a bushfire conflict in the Middle East leading to WWIII, a terrorist nuke and then everyone coming to their senses just in time, a golden age of cooperation and a return to space, colonization of the solar system and then, inevitably, an end to the glory days as the colonies grow restless. It is certainly a script we've all seen before, but it serves the campaign setting well enough. The "present" is the latter half of the 22nd century as the Chthonian Star approaches the solar system and end of the age of humanity looms.

Chapters on character generation and rule adaptations follow the setting description and they are fine. The default character concept is the Warden, basically a government agent mandated to investigate and, if possible, eliminate supernatural threats throughout the solar system. While other classes are certainly possible, only the Wardens have the authority to go anywhere from the mines of Mercury to the lonely outposts of the Kuiper Belt, thus making them the best choice for a party of investigators and they have a wide range of backgrounds so no two Wardens need be alike.

Technology seems to be a bit of an eclectic mix. Firearms are the default ranged weapon type. There are no lasers or particle beams, yet, oddly, there are some very high-tech melee weapon options including monofilaments and vibroblades. There is a surprisingly large number of space ship designs included in the game, warships, freighters, transports, shuttles, rescue vessels and the special "Knight's Errant Class" corvette used by the Wardens. There is no FTL capability and no artificial gravity, so setting aside the cosmic horror aspects, the game is quite hard sci-fi.

Following the chapters on equipment and ships, there is a chapter detailing the planets in the solar system as well as major extraplanetary bases and colonies. There is also a fairly extensive bestiary, which may be my favourite chapter in the book. My understanding is that a more detailed bestiary entitled Horrors of the Void is due to be released this summer as a pdf. If it is as good as the one in the core book, it should be excellent.

The last two chapters in the book are intended primarily for gamemasters. One deals with gamemastering in general. It includes advice on how to run a game, as well as a list of plot hooks and rumours GMs can use to get things moving. The other provides a lot of secret information on the setting as well as a few short adventures. I was a bit surprised by how much of the background on the Chthonian Star was actually revealed in this section. It's common for rpg designers to leave a lot of those details up to the GM to decide, but not in this case. It is well-advised that players keep away from the last chapter.

All in all, Chthonian Stars is a decent offering and given that Horrors of the Void will be the only supplement released for the game in this form, it should make for a nice complete game requiring only the core Traveller book to play. The setting is, perhaps, a bit less compelling than that of CthulhuTech, but it avoids the clunky Framewerk game mechanics, making it, in my opinion, a better and more playable Cthulhu space horror game.

-Rognar-

Cross-posted at Roll for Initiative

Septimus - Chapter 1.4

As we pass over the ruins of a thousand shattered civilizations, I begin to experience an odd lucidity, the likes of which I have not experienced before in my life. What is Septimus? It most surely is not the refuge we humans hope it is. I am certain the worldsphere builders are not counted among the broken empires below. No, it was never their intent to live within their creation, yet clearly they intended for others to inhabit it. Given their advanced technology, they certainly could have kept out anyone they chose. They made it possible for many interstellar civilizations to find a way in. Yet, we have never seen any evidence of any of these civilizations on other worlds, even worlds only a few tens of light years from Septimus. It could be coincidence, it's a big galaxy and we humans have only seen a tiny speck of it. Still, it doesn't seem right. Even if we are new on the galactic scene, many of the ruins in Septimus appear to be thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years old. Surely, some of these races would have colonized planets within our region of explored space. No, they came to Septimus. The entirety of their civilizations, drawn like moths to a flame. One after another, whole interstellar civilizations swallowed up by the worldsphere. But why? Why would whole empires allow themselves to be consumed? Because they never knew what lay inside. There was no warning. No one warned them. No one ever got out.

No one has ever escaped from Septimus.

Septimus is a trap, a trap for entire civilizations. But that's not the whole story. Of that, I'm certain. No matter how advanced they were, constructing the worldsphere had to be a monumental effort for its builders. Was their hatred of all intelligent life in the galaxy so powerful that it compelled them to build such a trap? It's possible, I suppose, but it still feels wrong to me. What destroyed all these civilizations? Did they make war upon each other? Perhaps, but what of the victors? Was it a case of mutual destruction, repeated again and again? No, too much of a coincidence. Eventually, a race would emerge with the technological edge to wipe out all comers. They should still be around. Maybe they are and maybe they're watching us right now. Still, that doesn't really explain why Septimus was built in the first place. Was all this destruction arranged for the amusement of the builders? Maybe, they are still here. Or maybe something else? Something very ancient and very powerful. Are we intended to be sacrifices to some primordial god? Are we the latest victims to be slaughtered upon some primeval altar?

"Pelham, we're landing in 10 minutes."

"Huh? Oh right." It was Ramos. "Any word from the colony?"

"Nothing yet, but we've got a visual. Everything looks ok. Come take a look."

Sure enough, the colony looked fine. At this range, we couldn't see any colonists, but they clearly had lights and power.

"Ok people, strap in and prepare for descent," Chevsky said.

Just then, the ship exploded.

-Rognar-

An AT-43 Christmas for me

With the demise of Rackham Entertainment back in October, the race is on to grab up the remaining stock of AT-43 and Confrontation pre-painted miniatures. Supplies are already dwindling at our FLGS, so I have decided to do a little proactive Christmas shopping. There will be a lot of Red Blok and Therians under my tree this year. I even managed to score one of these:



and one of these:



And guys, you better get down there soon if you want to snatch up some Confrontation minis before they're all gone.

-Rognar-

Cross-posted at Roll For Initiative

Baal Golgoth...it's finally mine!

Meet your doom!

-Rognar-

Septimus - Chapter 1.3

Since we have a few hours before arriving at the colony, I decide to take a nap. It seems like only minutes pass, when, for the third time today, Ramos wakes me up.

"Ramos, what is it now?"

"We're preparing for final descent. Man, I think you're gonna want to see this."

I figured by now, I would have built up some resistance to Septimus Syndrome. Okay, it's not a real disorder, at least not yet. But that's what I call the endless beating your mind takes by looking at the worldsphere. I was wrong. As we got close enough to the surface to make out details, all my preconceptions about what to expect exploded in a blinding flash and a puff of smoke. Truth be told, I'm not sure why, but I always assumed the builders were the last inhabitants of Septimus and when they left, how ever many aeons ago that was, the worldsphere remained hidden and abandoned until we humans came along. Maybe since we have never discovered any life on any planets humans have explored, I figured we were really alone out here. Yet, as we approach the island where the Rojas colony is located, I can see dozens, maybe hundreds of structures scattered all over the surface of Septimus. Some look like roads or railways, others like towns and cities. At this distance, it is impossible to tell if any of the settlements are inhabited...

"No EM, except for the colony transponder," Juanita said, as if anticipating my next question.

"Can we get hi-mag?", asked Chevsky.

"Hold on."

Some of the control systems were still damaged from the jump, but Juanita and I were able to get the telescope deployed in a few minutes. As the high-mag feed appeared on the main viewer, I got the sense for first time that I was going to die on Septimus and that death would not be quiet, peaceful and painless. Everywhere we looked, we saw ruin. Broken cities, worn down by the ages could be seen everywhere. Below us were huge craters and gouges that tore up the surface, though a lot of it was overgrown with vegetation. I'm no expert on archaeology, but it sure looked like more than one group of people built all those structures. There were different styles of architecture. Some cities had pyramids, others didn't. The layout of some of the cities was very angular, for others it wasn't. Some cities appeared older and almost completely eroded away. Others seemed more recent, though probably still ancient. But one thing all the cities seemed to share. They didn't die from neglect, they were destroyed. Chevsky was the first to speak.

"We better get to the colony."

I could hear the fear in his voice. It was first time since I'd met the man that he showed fear of anything. No one else knew what to say. We continued on to the colony in silence.

-Rognar-

Chthonian Stars, the "ch" is silent

It is with growing anticipation that I await the arrival of Chthonian Stars by Mongoose, due for release next month. Much to my delight, there has been a recent upsurge in interest in the space horror genre in the table-top rpg community. Two companies in particular, Wildfire and Posthuman Studios, have led the way with CthulhuTech and Eclipse Phase respectively. Both games have much to recommend them, in terms of game setting. The former embraces the supernatural, in the form of the Cthulhu mythos, while the latter takes a more hard sci-fi approach, with malevolent AIs and aliens serving as the main antagonists. Still, both games have features which dissuade me from embracing them wholeheartedly. In the case of CthulhuTech, the inclusion of anime stylings and a gimmicky game engine have turned me off. Eclipse Phase is somewhat more promising, but the complexity of the game is a bit much for my middle-aged brain to fully master. The d100 game engine is simple enough, but the chargen process is byzantine and the sheer volume of options would leave me at the mercy of my younger and more intellectually-agile gaming buddies were I to attempt to run a campaign.

Enter Chthonian Stars. First off, it employs the venerable Traveller engine. Nice, no surprises there. The setting seems to be nothing short of awesome. It is the 22nd century. Humanity has reached new heights. Technology has made it possible to populate the solar system. The ecological destruction of the industrial age has begun to heal. War has been rendered obsolete and the future holds the promise of even greater success for the human race. Time to put a stop to all that.

Something primeval and malevolent approaches from the interstellar void and long-dormant horrors have heard its call. Random acts of brutal violence are reported. Ships and people disappear. Strange celestial occurrences are observed. The very edge of the solar system, once seen as the new frontier, is increasingly viewed with dread, a place of nightmares and monsters from the void. And out there, ever vigilant in the Kuiper Belt is Warden 4, the Lighthouse, humanity's most distant outpost, where the Wardens, the Unified World Council's most elite agents, observe and prepare for the arrival of the Chthonian star. How much cool can you stand?

To the guys at Wildfire and Mongoose, please don't mess this up.

-Rognar-

cross-posted at Roll for Initiative

Sunward - Eclipse Phase heats up

I'm not sure what I expected to see in the new Sunward: The Inner System sourcebook for Eclipse Phase. In hindsight, I suppose what it contains (which I will discuss below) is exactly what one would expect. Yet, somehow, I feel slightly disappointed. I bought the pdf from DriveThruRPG and have nothing negative to say about the production quality. The artwork is beautiful, the editing appears tight, it has a good ToC and index. The "hack pack" version I bought for $15 includes a printer-friendly map of the inner solar system as well as other goodies made available for use under the Creative Commons License. Really, I have nothing to complain about, so what's the problem?

Sunward: The Inner System is basically an encyclopedia of the inner solar system in the Eclipse Phase setting. It provides an exhaustive list of colonies and space stations throughout the inner system, from the hell mines of Mercury to the nomad settlements of the Martian outback to the luxurious Venusian aerostats, there are plenty of ideas and settings to exploit. I found two of these particularly inspiring and it may be a window into my soul that both are bleak and gritty. One is the "TITAN Quarantine Zone" or TQZ on Mars and the other is Earth itself. At this point, a little background may be in order. Eclipse Phase is set in the far (but not really far) future after a "war-against-the-machines" scenario. The machines, in this case, are the TITANs (Total Information Tactical Awareness Networks), military AIs, not unlike the famous Skynet, that turn on humanity. They don't simply nuke us to extinction, however. They collect our consciousnesses (usually by way of decapitation followed by download directly from the harvested brain) and store them for some unknown purpose. Most of humanity is slaughtered, but many escape offworld. The lucky ones are able to escape intact, but most are infugees, digital consciousnesses uploaded and stored in hope of one day earning the means to have a body or "morph" and becoming a functioning individual. Most never will. Anyway, the TITANs were not defeated, although the commonly held belief is that they were contained. The discovery of Pandora Gates, portals to other star systems, which have distinct TITAN design features lead most to conclude that the TITANs built them to leave the solar system completely. The problem is, even if the TITANs left for good (an open question, to be sure), they left behind most of their automated weapons. Nanoswarms and warbots patrol the scorched ruins of Earth's great cities, while dormant viruses lie in wait to infect any biomorph that encounters them. Yet, despite these horrors, small pockets of humanity remain on Earth, ten years after the Fall. Do these survivors look up to the heavens and wonder if rescue is just a few thousand kilometers away in the glittering space stations that orbit overhead or do they assume the TITANs must have pursued humanity to the very edge of the solar system and left none alive? How can one not find that compelling? In fact, the TITANs did pursue humanity beyond Earth, most notably to Luna, the near-Earth orbital habitats and Mars. The most troubling reminder of that pursuit is the TQZ on Mars. It is a little taste of what Earth is like on the most populated planet in the system. The same technological horrors inhabit the zone, yet for some reason, do not seek to expand for the moment. Imagine the role-playing possibilities. Corporate agents, separatist militants, desert nomads and TITAN technology, Mars is a pretty interesting place.

So, what about the crunch? I guess perhaps this is where I feel a bit let down. Maybe, there wasn't much left to offer after the core rulebook, but a paltry selection of new morphs, some rather silly (sun-worshipping space whales, WTF?), as well as new traits and gear. There's also a selection of new character templates. The Earth Survivor is the coolest damn thing I've seen in months, but the Martian Ranger, the Scavenger and the Siftrunner Techie are pretty sweet too. An encounter between a group of Scavengers in their flexbot morphs and Earth Survivors, looking like Tusken Raiders after ten years on a heavy diet of steroids and hate, would make for a pretty sweet evening of hardcore gaming. While Sunward is not everything I'd hoped for, it has a lot to offer and the hack pack is worth the extra few sheckels if you want to customize your game setting or maybe use some of the artwork for a blog or other website.

-Rognar-

cross-posted at Roll for Initiative

Septimus - Chapter 1.2

Only a few seconds remain in the airlock cycle and then my first look at the worldsphere from the inside. I still can't really wrap my head around it, they say the surface area is something like three hundred quadrillion square kilometers, almost a billion times the area of earth. The human mind is simply not equipped to truly appreciate such immensity. Venting is complete, the airlock opens. A gentle push and I'm drifting out.

I've never been much for religion, but only someone who's stared into the face of God can imagine it. In every direction, a sky full of world. Never again will I see black sky or stars, yet I feel no sadness at this. In this instant I know that the wonder I feel right now will not fade in my lifetime. There is too much here for a hundred lifetimes to fully understand.

I don't know how long I floated there in awe of what I was witnessing, but eventually my reverie was disrupted by Juanita's voice asking if I was alright. After a few seconds to compose myself, I replied that I was fine and that I was about to turn on my helmet cam for video feed back to the bridge. The mike was still open when they received the first signal and I could sense the awe in their response. If only they could see it as I was right now. It was at this point that I noticed the sunblocks. I don't recall if I ever gave much thought to day and night cycles within Septimus or whether we would just be living in perpetual high noon. If I had, I probably would have thought such a thing would be difficult to get used to. As it turns out, the Septimus builders had thought of that. A giant ring of alternating plates and voids rotates slowly within the sphere, casting shadows across an equatorial band within the sphere. There is certainly plenty of landmass above and below the equator which never sees night, but for anyone living within the equatorial zone, it appears there is a normal (or whatever passes for normal inside Septimus) day-night cycle. Of course, reflected light from within the sphere would no doubt mean night isn't exactly dark, but I guess some sort of diurnal cycle is better than none at all. On the closest part of the sphere, I can just make out some detail. There are continents and oceans, mountain ranges and rivers, and clouds. From this distance, It's hard to tell the scale of these things, but they must surely be staggering when viewed from the ground. I thought Olympus Mons was breathtaking. I guess there are going to be a lot of people walking around in a daze for awhile once we land. Which reminds me, I'm out here for a reason. Time to get to work.

First, the optics array, I've got to get that online. I make my way over the hull, trying to avoid further distraction. However, I notice some strange scoring on the hull. Can't recall having seen anything quite like it, several sets of widely-spaced parallel scratchs criss-cross the outer surface of the ship. I've seen the effects of micrometeors and sandcasters, railguns and debris fields and they never looked like this. It definitely doesn't look like anything produced by lasers or plasma cannons either. Very weird, but it doesn't appear as though it caused any significant damage, whatever it was. Still, it gives me the creeps. Okay, the optics bay is just ahead. Yeah, as I suspected, the forward camera has be torn off. It probably caused a surge which burned out the rear camera as well. No big deal, I have a spare I can install for now to give us forward viewing. The rest of the system can be overhauled when we land.

It takes a half hour, but we have visuals. I only have a few minutes of EVA time left, so I'm just going to take a quick look at the impact shield. It's only a few meters, so I take it in one bounce. Damn, what a mess! I don't know if the scratchs on the hull and the hole in the impact shield are related, but something tore into us pretty good. Owww, my head is starting to hurt again. I'll have to ask Ramos for another shot of that painkiller he gave me. Looking at the hole, it's strange, narrow, but deep and unusually round. It almost looks like some kind of tool was used. No melting around the edges and no transfer from the object. Man, I'm starting get a bad feeling about this. Damn, this headache! What's that?

"(static)...Pelham, respond!"

Right there, some sort of shimmering. Ahhhh, my skull feels like it's gonna explode. There, again.

"(static)...Pelham, we are picking up elevated gamma radiation. Please, respond!...(static)"

No, leave me alone! Get out of my head! No please, leave her alone! Leave them alone! They're just kids!

--------------

"Pelham, you're awake."

"Ramos, what happened?"

"You tell me."

"All I remember is seeing some kind of shimmer and my head was killing me."

"There was a radiation surge. We're not sure where it came from. When it stopped, Chevsky went out to find you. You were unconscious, but you still had air. Your suit was fine and you seem to have suffered no radiation exposure."

"That's it?"

"Well, Juanita claims she heard you mumbling something about children just before your comm went dead, but she couldn't make it out too clearly. Anyway, you seem fine now and we have a bit of good news. Juanita has located the transponder frequency for the Rojas colony. As soon as we get a fix on their location, we're on our way."

"That's good to hear. I can't wait to breath some real air."

"Odd thing though, she says she was only able to detect about a half dozen transponder frequencies, besides the one Rojas is using. Every colony ship is supposed to be broadcasting one and there have been over two hundred ships going through so far. I guess a lot of people just want to be left alone."

-Rognar-

Septimus - Chapter 1.1

It had been over four days since the Svetlana dropped out of out jumpspace. Throughout that time, Captain Chevsky had been in periodic communication with the UNA Septimus Directorate negotiating for clearance as we closed on the massive wall of blackness. Now, as we waited only a few hundred thousand klicks from the gate, we could see several ships and small craft flitting about, as well as the approach lights erected by the Directorate, indicating the location of the otherwise invisible dimensional gate. A big modular colony pod was preparing to enter and we would be permitted to enter a few hours later. The maneuvre thrusters on the colony ship fire and it proceeds forward. I watch intently as the colony ship appears to head directly toward a featureless wall so immense that even at this distance, no curvature is noticeable. It's as if one half of the sky is starless and the other sparkles with lights so clear, you almost feel as though you could touch them. I'm told it's because of the combined effects of almost non-existent ambient light and because the space around Septimus is as pristine as the interstellar void. The colony pod picks up speed rapidly. I've heard the gate works best when a ship is doing over a thousand klicks per second. Good thing they put final approach under computer control. Most helmsmen would lose bowel control flying at a solid wall at half a percent of lightspeed. And what happens on the other side? There's a lot of room inside a sphere with a radius of over one AU, but who knows where you pop back into normal space? There's a lot of decel required once inside. Could be a lot of ships finding the inside of that shell coming at them at uncomfortable speeds, especially for those clunky colony pods. Any radical course changes and those pigs turn into a fireworks display for the folks below. I try not to think about it too much.

"There they go," Captain Chevsky says.

I look up in time to see the colony pod approach the gate. It's really just a blur. There's no flash of light and, happily, no explosion either. One second she's there, the next, she's gone. Good luck, folks. You're gonna need it.

We spend the next few hours prepping the ship for the gate jump or whatever it is. I don't claim to understand the physics involved. I'm not sure the big brains understand it either. Again, not something I spend much thought on. I'm a tech, not a scientist. I signed on with Chevsky back on Mars. He was pretty well-known around the spacer bars. It surprised everyone when he decided to retire, he was one of the few independents left in the game. Interstellar freight transport is an expensive business and most small operators couldn't make enough money to stay in it. They just couldn't afford the really big freighters and in space, you have to go big. Chevsky was an exception. He had a way of sniffing out small, high-value cargoes. Most figured he had connections. Government or criminal, who knows? Anyway, he announced he was getting out. He bought out his crew and said he was headed for Septimus. Yeah, I know, Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot? Anyway, he was looking for colonists, young people, men and women, under thirty, no families. I don't know what convinced me to sign up. I was sober, so it wasn't that. I guess I just wanted to be part of something. So here I am, checking the sleepers in the cargo hold. Don't want anyone to bite it because of a faulty relay. If I was flying in a low berth, I'd hope someone would do it for me. After I finish with the sleepers, I'll do a check on the thrusters. Those things never have a problem, but there's a first time for everything. Then I'll grab a sandwich in the mess before heading back to the bridge. Don't want to miss the floor show.

I get back to the bridge with a few minutes to spare. Chevsky has the helm, his wife Juanita is on the comm. The only other person on the flight deck is Ramos, the medic. Everyone else is in the sleepers. We'll need Ramos when we wake up the rest of the colonists. Cold sleep is pretty safe, but it's always a good idea to have a medic on standby in case someone's ticker gives out. As I finish strapping in, the Captain informs us that final approach is about to commence. The impact shields descend over the flight deck windows and the lights dim. The thrusters engage and three gees of acceleration press us hard in our seats. Seconds pass, we must be close. What the hell was I think...

"Pelham, wake up!"

Ahhh, my head is pounding. What the hell happened?

"Pelham, get up. We need you!" It was Ramos.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Sensors are down. We're flying blind!"

"Well, open the shield," I reply as I look around for my toolkit.

"Can't, we hit something. The shield is jammed."

"Damn! Alright, I'm on it."

It took a few scary minutes, but I got sensors back online. Some sort of power surge tripped breakers all over the place. Weird, but reparable. Ramos is checking out the sleepers. Damn, I hope they're ok. Should be, they're well-shielded and each has independent power in an emergency. Chevsky's missus is scanning for debris. I guess something hit us pretty hard just as we dropped back into normal space. Video is still out, whatever we hit probably busted the optics package, but radar and passive EM is working. Why does my head hurt so much?

"Sleepers are ok, thank god." Ramos was back. "Pelham, what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You lost consciousness. I had to hit you with a stim to wake you up."

"I dunno, but my head is killing me. Maybe hopping across dimensions doesn't agree with me...like tequila." I was trying to lighten the mood, but my heart wasn't in it. Ramos smiled and moved on to check on Chevsky and the Missus.

Time to go EVA and see if I can do something with the optics array.

-Rognar-

Rebuilding the rebuilds - Kossak

Red Blok "Kossak" medium strider (TL 10)
Hull: 26 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Rugged, Sealed, 9/11
Drive: Walker
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 330, Fuel Consumption: 5 per hour
Fuel: 200 litres (40 hours)
Armour: Advanced composites 12 (24/16/16/16/16/8)
Weapons:
light autocannon (pop-up traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 7d6 SAP; auto 6)
ammo: 40 attacks
4x light tac missile (antiarmour) (right external fixed, 9d6 Super-AP)
4x light tac missile (antiarmour) (left external fixed, 9d6 Super-AP)
ammo: 16 missiles
Sensors: Comprehensive Compact Hardened, Extended (9 km +2 DM)
Communications: Radio 1,000 km, Laser 20 km
Environmental: Improved Life Support
Crew: 2
Operating Stations: 2
Cargo: 0.05 dTon
Agility: +1 DM
Speed: Cruise: 10 kph Top: 13 kph Offroad: 6 kph
Ground Pressure: 3.67

-Rognar-

Rebuilding the rebuilds - Destroyer

The new "Destroyer" armoured personnel carrier is still equipped with the TL 11 upgrade of the plasma A gun, but has lighter armour.

ONI "Destroyer" APC (TL 11)
Hull: 30 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Rugged, Sealed, 10/12
Drive: Wheels, Drive Wheels (x2), Offroad Suspension, Improved Controls
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 110, Fuel Consumption: 5 per hour
Fuel: 200 litres (40 hours)
Armour: Advanced Composites 8 (14/14/14/14/8/8)
Weapons:
plasma A gun-11 (internal traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 14d6)
Sensors: Comprehensive Compact Hardened (3 km +2 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km, Laser 20 km
Environmental: Advanced Life Support
Crew: 3
Operating Stations: 3
Passengers: 8
Cargo: 0.01 dTon
Agility: +0 DM, +2 DM (Offroad)
Speed: Cruise: 63 kph Top: 84 kph Offroad: 69 kph
Ground Pressure: 2.80

-Rognar-

Rebuilding the rebuilds - Kolossus

The new "Kolossus" has a larger power plant, but a smaller main gun. It also has no reloads for the tac missile launchers, but does have higher speed and better sensors/comms. Here's the build:

Red Blok "Kolossus" light strider (TL 10)
Hull: 10 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Rugged, Sealed, 3/5
Drive: Walker
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 88, Fuel Consumption: 4 per hour
Fuel: 80 litres (20 hours)
Armour: Advanced composites 8 (16/12/12/12/12/8)
Weapons:
medium autocannon (right external traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 7d6 SAP; auto 6)
ammo: 30 attacks
2x light tac missile (antiarmour) (left external fixed, 9d6 Super-AP)
Sensors: Comprehensive Compact Hardened (3 km +2 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km, Laser 10 km
Environmental: Improved Life Support
Crew: 1
Operating Stations: 1
Agility: +1 DM
Speed: Cruise: 11 kph Top: 15 kph Offroad: 7 kph
Ground Pressure: 2.98

-Rognar-

Rebuilding the rebuilds - Fire Toad

It turns out, I've been making a very crucial mistake in my Traveller builds of AT-43 vehicles. All my vehicles, except the ONI "Enforcer" are wrong. They are way too heavy for their drive systems. So, I undertake to correct the erroneous builds. I begin with the "Fire Toad". My biggest problem with this build is finding an appropriate weapon. Currently, there is no laser weapon in between the laser rifle (7 kg including power pack) and the laser cannon (1750 kg stripped for vehicle mounting). Clearly, there is a need for a light laser cannon, so I created one. The light laser cannon (TL 11) weighs 320 kg, does 6d6+3 damage and has a maximum effective range of 10 km. Here is the corrected build:

UNA "Fire Toad" light strider (TL 11)
Hull: 16 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Rugged, Sealed, 6/6
Drive: Walker
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 176, Fuel Consumption: 8 per hour
Fuel: 320 litres (40 hours)
Armour: Advanced Composites 12 (22/16/16/16/16/10)
Weapons:
light laser cannon (left external traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 6d6+3)
light laser cannon (right external traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 6d6+3)
Sensors: Comprehensive Compact Hardened Extended (9 km +2 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km, Laser 20 km
Environmental: Improved Life Support
Crew: 1
Operating Stations: 1
Cargo: 0.03 dTon
Agility: +1 DM
Speed: Cruise: 8 kph Top: 10 kph Offroad: 5 kph
Ground Pressure: 3.85

The new "Fire Toad" has a lot less armour and a larger frame and power plant. It has less sophisticated environmental capabilities, but higher speed due to its greater power output and lighter frame.

-Rognar-

ONI Enforcer build

The "Enforcer" scout car is the most popular ONI armoured fighting vehicle on the colonial worlds, where its compact size and toughness make it ideal for exploration and counterinsurgency. The standard configuration mounts twin Vulcan rotary cannons capable of directing ridiculous amounts of ordinance downrange. For this reason, many buyers of Enforcers request only a single autocannon be installed.

ONI "Enforcer" Scout Car (TL 11)
Hull: 20 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Rugged, Sealed, 7/8
Drive: Wheels, Drive Wheels (x1), Offroad Suspension, Improved Controls
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 88, Fuel Consumption: 4 per hour
Fuel: 160 litres (40 hours)
Armour: Advanced Compsites 8 (14/14/14/14/8/8)
Weapons:
2x Vulcan light autocannon (internal, traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 6d6 SAP; auto 10)
ammo: 30 bursts each
Sensors: Comprehensive Compact Hardened (3 km +2 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km
Environmental: Advanced Life Support
Crew: 2
Operating Stations: 2
Passengers: 4
Cargo: 0.04 dTon
Agility: +0 DM, +2 DM (Offroad)
Speed: Cruise: 83 kph Top: 111 kph Offroad: 91 kph
Ground Pressure: 2.54

-Rognar-

Mongoose Traveller chargen - random v. point-buy

It may be blasphemy to long-time Traveller players, but Mongoose has added a point-buy option to the chargen process. Since I have used point-buy systems for years, I'm agnostic in this regard, so I figured I'd run it through and see how a character will differ if generated with the point-buy.

I randomly created my man, Angus. He started out in the Army, but was forced out due to a conflict with a superior officer in his second term and then enlisted in the Scout Service for two more terms. Here is the result:

Angus I
St:9 Dx:7 En:11 In:7 Ed:7 So:5
Drive-0
Athletics-0
Gun Combat-0
Gun Combat (slug rifle)-2
Recon-1
Melee-0
Melee (unarmed combat)-1
Vacc Suit-1
Astrogation-1
Comms-0
Computers-0
Streetwise-0
Pilot (small craft)-2
Navigation-1
25,000 Cr

Here is an approximate recreation of the build using the point-buy system:

Angus II
St:9 Dx:9 En:9 In:6 Ed:6 So:6
Drive-0
Gun Combat-0
Gun Combat (slug rifle)-2
Recon-1
Melee-0
Melee (unarmed combat)-1
Vacc Suit-1
Astrogation-1
Computers-0
Pilot (small craft)-2
20,000 Cr

The random Angus has more 0-level skills, while the point-buy Angus has better (and more mechanically-advantageous) characteristics. Also, the random Angus has more background info, such as the aforementioned problem with a superior officer in the Army as well as a life-threatening injury suffered in his first term of the Scout Service that nearly cost him a limb and required expensive medical treatment. Still, all that background can be created by the player after the character is built.

-Rognar-

The Cartagena colony

Founded by the brother and sister team of Raphael and Jacinta Rojas, the Cartagena colony was established two years ago and currently has 19 members. Typical of many Septimus colonies, it is made up of the desperate and the adventurous looking for a better life than the one offered on the marginal worlds of explored space. All members of the colony have some basic training in hydroponics and aquaculture. Raphael Rojas is a physician, while his sister, Jacinta, is a biologist and geneticist. Other prominent members of the colony include Travis Willem, a former member of the UNA Scout Service, Natalie Tanaka, a one-time corporate espionage agent, and ex-mercenary, Roberto Morales.

The Cartagena colony site was chosen because of the presence of an alien artifact which Raphael was curious to investigate. The artifact appears to be a polished white stone obelisk some 50 metres tall and 20 metres across, perfectly hexagonal in cross-section and with a modest bevel along the top edges.



Raphael Rojas is an old friend of Boris Chevsky, famed captain of the freighter Svetlana. Before leaving for Septimus, Rojas invited Chevsky and his wife, Juanita, to join him in the new colony. At the time, Chevsky wasn't interested, but Rojas left the invitation open and gave Chevsky the colony's transponder frequency should he ever change his mind. Two years later, Chevsky is looking for a new life and has decided to take Rojas up on his offer. He bought out his crew and is looking for adventurous young men and women to join him inside the worldsphere.

-Rognar-

ONI Destroyer build

The most recognizable ONI combat vehicle is the "Destroyer" armoured personnel carrier. Thousands of these APCs patrol the hostile borders of Asia and provide support to UNA forces throughout the colonial worlds. This build describes the favourite colonial variant, armed with an upgraded plasma A cannon.

ONI "Destroyer" APC (TL 11)
Hull: 30 m³, Standard Configuration, Crystaliron, Very Rugged, Advanced Sealed, 9/12
Drive: Wheels
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 110, Fuel Consumption: 5 per hour
Fuel: 200 litres (40 hours)
Armour: Crystaliron 12 (20/20/20/20/16/12)
Weapons:
plasma A gun-11 (internal traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 14d6)
Decoys: Multispectral smoke dispenser (6 uses)
Sensors: Comprehensive Compact Hardened Extended (9 km +2 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km, Maser 20 km
Environmental: Hostile Environment Life Support
Crew: 2
Operating Stations: 2
Passengers: 8
Cargo: 0.09 dTon
Agility: +1 DM
Speed: Cruise: 50 kph Top: 66 kph Offroad: 33 kph
Ground Pressure: 2.67

-Rognar-

ONI Corp in the Septimus future

Although most of Asia has fallen under the control of the Red Blok, two prominent exceptions remain, Japan and India. Though both countries maintain good relations with the UNA, they realize the limits of those relations. The UNA simply will not contribute greatly to the defense of either state. As such, India and Japan have formed a defensive alliance to deter Red Blok aggression. A lucrative arms industry has grown out of that alliance and the most prominent of the arms manufacturers is ONI Corporation. With its head office in Kyoto and major facilities in New Delhi, Mumbai and Osaka, ONI has become the largest single corporate entity on the planet. Besides providing for the massive military needs of the Indo-Japanese alliance, they also provide arms to the UNA, the Europeans and the Australians. In addition, they have adapted their considerable technological prowess to the construction of starship components for the UNA. In fact, there are persistent rumours that ONI actually maintains an extrasolar colony somewhere, known only to a hand-picked elite of scientists, politicians and company men. Among the more feverish conspiracy theorists, there are even suggestions that ONI's rapid rise to power has resulted from access to a secret cache of alien technology or even contact with an intelligent alien race.

-Rognar-

Kossak build

Red Blok "Kossak" medium strider (TL 10)
Hull: 26 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Very Rugged, Advanced Sealed, 9/12
Drive: Walker
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 264, Fuel Consumption: 12 per hour
Fuel: 480 litres (40 hours)
Armour: Advanced composites 32 (46/36/36/36/36/26)
Weapons:
4x light tac missile (antiarmour) (left external fixed, 9d6 Super-AP)
ammo: 2 attacks each
4x light tac missile (antiarmour) (right external fixed, 9d6 Super-AP)
ammo: 2 attacks each
Sensors: Advanced Compact Hardened Extended (15 km +3 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km
Environmental: Hostile Environment Life Support
Crew: 2
Operating Stations: 2
Cargo: 0.12 dTon
Agility: +1 DM
Speed: Cruise: 9 kph Top: 12 kph Offroad: 6 kph
Ground Pressure: 1.12

Although the Kossak is typically armed with antiarmour missiles, it can be equipped with antipersonnel and antiair missiles in any combination.


-Rognar-

Kolossus rebuild

The Red Blok "Kolossus" is the lightest mech on the battlefield. Since the Red Blok lags behind the UNA in technology, they lack the means to produce combat armour. The Kolossus fills the heavy infantry role. Here's the build:

Red Blok "Kolossus" light strider (TL 10)
Hull: 10 m³, Standard Configuration, Advanced Composites, Very Rugged, Advanced Sealed, 3/5
Drive: Walker
Power Plant: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-10, Power Output 66, Fuel Consumption: 3 per hour
Fuel: 60 litres (20 hours)
Armour: Advanced composites 16 (30/20/20/20/20/10)
Weapons:
60mm antitank gun (right external traversing, TL 10 stabilisation, 7d6 Super-AP)
ammo: 30 attacks
2x light tac missile (antiarmour) (left external fixed, 9d6 Super-AP)
ammo: 2 attacks each
Sensors: Basic Compact Hardened (1 km +1 DM)
Communications: Radio 100 km
Environmental: Hostile Environment Life Support
Crew: 1
Operating Stations: 1
Agility: +1 DM
Speed: Cruise: 5 kph Top: 7 kph Offroad: 4 kph
Ground Pressure: 1.90

-Rognar-