A SMUGGLERS LIFE
A short role-playing encounter
for a small group of fresh underworld-type characters By Jonathan Hicks INTRODUCTION
The following short encounter has been designed with the
beginning character in mind – this doesn’t necessarily mean beginning player, but shouldn’t be a problem. The whole scene revolves around one landing bay that is
generic in its design. It’s a pretty standard bay used throughout the galaxy
so it can be used as a background for other games other than this one. It has
been designed that it can be done as a one-off adventure or inserted into an
ongoing campaign. There is no planet in mind for this game so the GM can put
it on any world he fancies. This information is for the Games master’s eyes ONLY! If
you intend to be a player then don’t ruin the game by reading any further. ENCOUNTER OUTLINE
This small adventure is based around a job that the
player characters have got themselves involved in. After travelling to a
landing bay to collect cargo from the freighter Moonwatcher, the action begins and the players are caught in
the middle of a gang war. It’s not a question of survival or winning against
the odds – it’s a question of getting the job done. The encounter will drop the players in the middle of the
situation and then it’s up to them how they get out of it. THE LANDING BAY
The bay in this adventure is detailed in the map below.
It is a very simple affair and is the standard type of hangar that can be
found on many worlds throughout the galaxy: a landing pit, entrances for
personnel and cargo, a control tower and a power source. It may seem simple
but the layout will determine the tactical decisions of the players. Print
out or copy the map below and allow the players to take a look at it for
exactly 2 minutes. Don’t let them make copies or try to sketch it down – they
can only do this when they arrive at the bay and they must try to draw down
what they can from memory. Keep the map hidden – the players will have to try
to memorise the location so that they can get out of the problem.
The Landing Control is a small room that contains
one man who monitors traffic coming in and out of the bay. It controls all
doors and the power generator. The Power Generator is a simple solar powered
affair, which feeds a small amount of power to the bay to operate doors and
lights. A power cable runs from it to the Landing Control room. The Side Entrance and Cargo Entrance doors
are huge blast doors. The Moonwatcher is the YT-class freighter
belonging to the employer of the player characters, Teskel. THE NON PLAYER
CHARACTERS
There
now follows the NPC’s that will also be included in the encounter. The Employer
The NPC the players will be working for is a squid-headed
business Quarren named Teskel. He is a thin wiry being with a penchant for
bemoaning his bad luck. Teskel – All Attributes 2d except KNO – 3d. Skills –
Bureaucracy 4d, Bargain 4d. Equipment – 2500 credits, holdout blaster. Teskel’s
second is a Sullustan named Giell. He appears to be Teskel’s bodyguard but
has never actually seen any action, making him nervous and indecisive. Giell – All Attributes 3d. Skills – Blaster 4d, Dodge
3d+2, Streetwise 3d+1, Search 4d. Equipment – Blaster Pistol, Knife, smoke
grenade. Then there are four Rodians that work as labourers for
Teskel. They all have standard 2d stats and will take no part in any action
unless things get really hairy. The Enemy
This is the enemy of Teskel, who immediately becomes the
enemy of the NPC’s whilst they work for him. The local gang lord Hettren is the self-proclaimed
ruler of the planet underworld, although he wields very little power. He is a
huge man with a horrendously scarred face, which he tries to keep hidden
behind a scarf. Hettren – All attributes 2d except KNO – 4d. Skills – Blaster 3d, Streetwise 5d, Bargain 3d+2, Con
4d, Security Systems 5d. Equipment – Heavy Blaster Pistol, comlink jammer
(more details on this item later)
Hettren’s heavies are a selection of aliens and humans
numbering 24 – they are all armed with blaster pistols. Hettren’s Heavies – All attributes 2d except STR – 3d.
Skills – Blaster 4d, Dodge 3d. Equipment – Blaster Pistol. THE ENCOUNTER
It can start however the GM wants it to – maybe the
players are relaxing in a bar and are approached by Teskel with a job offer.
Perhaps they’re actually looking for work and find out that Teskel needs
hired hands and pilots. There are two situations the players will be in which
will influence why they go to the landing bay. 1 – They have their own ship already. This means that
Teskel wants the cargo removed from this own vessel and transported to the
PC’s ship. They will have to go to the bay to collect the merchandise. There
is not enough room in the bay for two ships. 2 – They don’t have their own ship and so are hired to
actually fly the Moonwatcher. Either way, the PC’s will have to travel to the
Moonwatcher without their own vessel – this will be
essential for the encounter to work. Teskel has three tons of a secret cargo he needs shifting
to wherever the next destination of the characters is – if it’s in an ongoing
campaign then the GM can use this plot device to get the PC’s to the next
planet on her agenda. If not, then simply use Tatooine or another planet
that’s familiar. The players are not to know but the cargo is refined
Tibanna gas, used in the manufacture of illegal heavy plasma weapons. Teskel
has come into the possession of the cargo and wants rid of it quickly. All the players have to know is that Teskel wants the
cargo off-planet, either on the Moonwatcher or on the PC’s own ship. He is
very casual about it and does not seem concerned. Upon arrival at the landing bay the players will be shown
into the Moonwatcher by Giell and told that the cargo will be arriving
shortly. It is at this point Teskel should show his nervousness. He will
wring his hands and continually question why the cargo hasn’t arrived. A short time later, effectively just as the players
themselves get nervous, a large repulsorwagon turns up with three huge circular
containers. As the PC’s and NPC’s start to unload the wagon, the Cargo
and Side Entrance doors seal shut. Hettren has sprung his trap. Heavies appear across the edge of the landing bay, along
the top of the walls, and take aim. Hettren himself activates a comlink
jammer he has in his possession which scrambles all signals for a localised
200-meter radius. No messages for help can be sent or received. Hettren calls out that the cargo should be handed over to
him or the players will die. Teskel says that Hettren will kill them anyway –
he did, after all, steal the Tibanna gas from him. The strange thing is, Hettren hasn’t given the order to fire. This is because he is afraid that the shots will strike
the cargo spheres and ignite the gas. This would destroy the cargo and the
bay immediately. The PC’s are now trapped in the Moonwatcher. The players
have to figure a way out, either fighting or subterfuge. Hettren will send
three-man teams in every ten real-time minutes to try to flush them out so
that he can take back his cargo. POSSIBLE ESCAPE
SOLUTIONS
The encounter will need a lot of improvisation and work
on behalf of the GM, but the situation is a dangerous one –
if they see an opening then give them a chance. The encounter should
not be drawn out and lengthened or the players will simply get board of the
situation they are in. The
players should be awarded 2 – 4 skill points for this little inconvenience. |
