“Vortex” Update 5b.21 — Duct tales

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5b.21 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 2 met on Monday, 3 October 2011, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Bulldogs, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

In one future, humanity has begun to colonize the Sol system, but ecological degradation and internecine conflicts persist. Open and official First Contact with Galactic societies, themselves at war, threaten Terra’s very survival. Will heroes rise to the challenges?

A band of grifters and near-humans retrieved dangerous samples from a battlefield north of Karachi and the Ghanki undersea station. It stole starship engines from a lunar base and an orbital city and was involved in medical disasters in the Venusian colonies. After finding a dimensionally displaced derelict, the team made inquiries into its cargo amid religious turmoil on Titan….

>>FATE 3e “Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the Appomattox:

-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot

-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert

-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C.]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco

-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter

-“Mr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C./absent]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber

-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L./absent]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker

-“Nero Bartholomew” [Non-Player Character]-male Terran human, former owner of the “Fortune’s Fool,” ship’s cook

-“Averki ‘Deep Dish’ Dyashenko” [N.P.C.]-male reptilian Synth (genetically engineered humanoid), onetime Venusian miner

>>”15 to 18 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” The crew of the Appomattox delays its mysterious mission to bring Vatican artifacts to Epsilon Eridani. Instead, the group continues its investigation into the murder of fundamentalist preacher Hugh Doyle at Eclipse Station near Saturn.

Hector Chavez hacks into the space station‘s security to review surveillance recordings. The onetime spy traces the movements of smuggler Adrian Valentin, who bought a generator from the Mukhtadi brothers that could have been used to kill Doyle.

Valentin, who also contacted Doyle with increasing frequency before his death, brought the generator to a docking bay. However, construction there interfered with the cameras. ARTHERR checks personnel files of the work crews and finds that chief Ignatz Maroni and several “Synth” (synthetic humanoid) laborers were on duty.

Jasmine brings a box of coffee to a construction site, where she meets rude Maroni, as well as Felinoid (“Uplifted” panther) Rosario Tamuz and Ursoid (“Uplifted” bear) Prini Vonchadry. Rosario [N.P.C./Greg] recognizes the former wrestler, who was banned from the ring after inadvertently killing a competitor. She and taciturn Prini [N.P.C./Beruk] invite Jasmine to join them for drinks after the strenuous job.

Capt. Gabriel Adams continues trying to persuade gynoids Tanya and Galia to help him conduct a heist of the Lucky Garden Casino. Rather than face angry medics or preachers again, Mr. Richmond Garrett stays aboard the Appomattox, attended by Nero Bartholomew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko.

Comparing notes aboard their yacht, ARTHERR reminds Hector that Archbishop Javier Fuentes had asked them to investigate the crime on behalf of the United Ecumenical Movement, which Doyle was no fan of. The investigators also learn that the itinerant preacher had offended local gambler Rev. Winston Jones by trying to have his followers take over Eclipse Station’s chapel.

Apparently, Doyle had orchestrated similar moves on other colonies in the outer Sol system. Using a Bible cipher, the spewer of fire-and-brimstone speeches directed his faithful to crowd out “the sinners and those lesser than Man” — referring to Synths, including artificial intelligences/robots and “Uplifted” animals.

Hector and ARTHERR view footage from after Valentin left the docking bay and before Doyle’s death. They see the smuggler enter the Ringtown Diner, where he talks with Louise Reinhagen, the widow of an Oromax megacorp executive killed in the Hephaestus Stadium disaster near Venus.

By reading their lips, ARTHERR is able to reconstruct some of the conversation between Doyle’s former supporters. Just as magnate Esteban Bakafret had helped provide the preacher transportation, so had Reinhagen given him financial support. The robot confirms suspicions of a blackmail plot leading to Doyle’s murder, but more evidence is needed.

Rosario and Prini take Jasmine through increasingly cluttered back corridors of the station in orbit around Titan. The tiger-woman is surprised to find a squatters’ camp, where the Synths can relax away from overseer eyes. Chim (“Uplifted” chimpanzee) mechanic Faisal Batar smokes another cigar.

Rosario asks Jasmine about her wrestling career and says that she wishes she had killed intolerant Doyle. Prini grunts in agreement. When Jasmine mentions the ritualistic aspects of the slaying, Rosario expounds on a theory that a Synth worshipping “dark gods” is responsible.

Prini observes that Melita Veturia, a Canid (“Uplifted” canine) supporter of the Synth Liberation Front on Mars and another suspect, wouldn’t mind eliminating a hatemonger, but disembowelment and pentagrams aren’t her style.

Jasmine manages to refrain from drinking more alcohol from the makeshift still. Rosario recalls seeing an “Uplifted” octopus with a cargo lifter around the time that Valentin passed through the docking bay. Jasmine excuses herself to return to her ship, as Prini talks about her encounter with the infamous pit fighter on various social media.

With Jasmine’s information, Hector runs another video search and finds footage of the Octopoid leaving an access tunnel between the docking bay and the site of Doyle’s murder. The away team goes to the Jeffries tube, and ARTHERR wheels himself in, scraping the white medical paint off one side.

The exploration droid finds a wider area in the passage where the octo-assassin could have assembled the field generator and battery used to restrain Doyle. Shortly thereafter, however, ARTHERR triggers a laser mesh that wily Hector crawls in to help disable. Burly Jasmine holds a rope, and Gabriel arrives to assist.

Undaunted, ARTHERR continues forward and is ejected as the duct swivels and shoots him out of Eclipse Station! He uses maneuvering thrusters to re-enter, as acrobatic Gabriel easily hangs on and Hector retrieves the industrial laser emitters.

Gabriel easily evades another trap — saw blades spiraling down the tube. The burglar loses part of one of Richmond’s fancy jackets. ARTHERR slides along the blade and is undamaged, and Hector and Jasmine go to meet them back at the crime scene.

They conclude that after Valentin procured the equipment and gave the order, the Octopoid could have suspended itself from the ceiling and used the generator to trap Doyle, who had been lured to the back passage somehow. Now that the means and possible motives have been established, the investigators want to confirm all the responsible parties.

After some debate, the team decides to question Ms. Reinhagen. Gabriel pilots the Appomattox down to the moon’s surface, while Hector calls with a blackmail counteroffer. The burned op tells Reinhagen that he knows she met with Valentin and talked about Doyle’s death before it happened. The wealthy widow initially denies everything.

Capt. Adams talks his way past an android butler and into a luxurious dome in New Syria. The psionic detective talks with Reinhagen, who says that Valentin was blackmailing her (not Doyle, as originally supposed) for an improper relationship with the preacher. She had threatened to go public with her support of Doyle and his teachings, somehow provoking Valentin to order the hit.

Jasmine returns to the Lucky Garden Casino to talk with Erta Garza, a Delphine (“Uplifted” dolphin) astrogator she had previously invited to join the Appomattox‘s crew. Not only does Erta know an Octopoid in Eclipse Station, but she also introduces Jasmine to him!

Kolidari, co-owner of the casino, relaxes in a pool/hot tub with the Delphine and curious Felinoid. (Using a voder, Kolidari sounds like archaic-era actor Sean Connery.) He brushes off any implications about Doyle and says that Jasmine should come and work for him rather than the other way around.

Even Gabriel’s underworld experience is of limited help as he tries to untangle the web of smuggling, illicit affairs, religious factions, and Synth activism around Doyle’s murder. He and Richmond’s plan to rob the casino is made more complicated by Kolidari‘s involvement.

Jasmine and Hector are less interested in a potential heist than in getting in touch with people back on Mars and Earth. ARTHERR reminds them that whatever they do, it will have to be done quickly, because the leaked Ru’ulok (heavy gravity reptilian alien) faster-than-light plans will soon allow the authorities and others to reach them in a matter of days….

Dave, I’m sorry that you missed our latest game. Paul and Beruk, remember to let me know about your availability for the Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” telecom fantasy game this coming Sunday. I met with Brian and Bruce’s friend Rich G., who’ll be joining us at next Monday’s “Vortex” Team 1 session. Have a good week, -Gene

Role-playing roundup: Science fiction, fall 2011 edition

My favorite author — Favorite author Isaac Asimov

Continuing my look at recent role-playing supplements such as The One Ring, I’ve managed to squeeze in reading some sourcebooks in between work, travel, and running games. Fantasy may be the primary genre in which I’ve played — and superheroes, steampunk, and time/dimension travel have yielded many memorable characters — but science fiction is still my first literary love.

As I’ve mentioned before in describing my “Vortex” game, my sandbox setting is largely inspired by classic space opera such as the novels of Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and David Brin. It’s no surprise, then, that I liked the PDFs of Star Frontiers Remastered, StarCluster 3, and Stars Without Number so much that I ordered hardcopies. Stars Without Number is about to get a revised printing from Mongoose, publisher of the latest incarnation of Traveller.

The detailed “future history” of games such as Stellar Horizons and Ashen Stars is similar to that of “Vortex.” (I took a class on the topic back in college.) In these settings, humanity has colonized the Sol system and beyond but faces new threats such as alien horrors, as well as old ones like infighting. I like the political and technical extrapolations of Stellar Horizons and the idea of Player Characters as interplanetary troubleshooters in Ashen Stars.

At the same time, I’ve incorporated elements of more recent cyberpunk and transhumanist fiction in my campaigns. I’ve already used ideas from Panopticon, a supplement for the excellent Eclipse Phase, in recent sessions. I also still regularly refer to GURPS Terradyne, Blue Planet, and Jovian Chronicles for megacorporations, genetically engineered species, and descriptions of colonial life, respectively.

Speaking of mixing genres, the fantasy/cyberpunk Shadowrun has endured even as fashions have changed in the past few decades. I played and ran the game briefly in college. The Fourth Edition and the 20^th Anniversary Edition — even though Shadowrun has been around for longer than that — are slick and straightforward, with solid rules (point-buy character creation, dice pools using D6s). I would have preferred more thorough location and faction descriptions rather than “flavor-text” fiction, but that was the style of games from the late 1980s and most of the ’90s.

Similar to Ashen Stars in time period is Chthonian Stars/Void, which has a strong horror bent. I haven’t yet gotten it, and Cubicle 7 did reply to my query about supplements for Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer and Legends of Anglerre. They’re delayed, but I look forward to eventually using them for “Vortex.” I’m also enjoying the lean FATE version of Bulldogs in the meantime.

After grabbing nearly every star map published for RPGs in the past 30 years, I recently ordered the excellent poster maps from Project Rho Productions. I’ll eventually need every human-habitable system within 100 parsecs, but this is a great start!

“Vortex” Update 5b.20 — Saturnian sleuths/home on the range

Titan orbital station — Station near Titan, Saturn

Fellow role-players, here are my notes for Session 5b.20 of the “Vortex” space opera campaign. Team 2 met on Monday, 19 September 2011, and is using FATE 3e Starblazer Adventures/Mindjammer, Bulldogs, Diaspora, and Limitless Horizons.

>>FATE 3e “Vortex” Team 2 (5b), crew of the Appomattox:

-“Gabriel Adams” [Paul J.]-male North American Terran near-human with telepathy, courier and pilot

-“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, “burned” operative and communications expert

-“ARTHERR” [Greg D.C.]-Advanced Resonance Theoretical Heuristic Exploration and Research Robot created by megacorp Vimeco

-“Jasmine” [Sara F.] female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter

-“Mr. Richmond Garrett” [Dave S.C.]-male Southern American Terran human, space snake-oil salesman and social climber

-“Dr. Dieter Klein” [Rich L./absent]-male European Terran human, semi-retired physician, altruist and thrill seeker

-“Nero Bartholomew” [Non-Player Character]-male Terran human, former owner of the “Fortune’s Fool,” ship’s cook

-“Averki ‘Deep Dish’ Dyashenko” [N.P.C.]-male reptilian Synth (genetically engineered humanoid), onetime Venusian miner

>>”11 to 14 October 2194 A.D./C.E. or 0 Terran Galactic Era:” At the request of Archbishop Javier Fuentes, the group investigates the murder of fundamentalist preacher Hugh Doyle. Hector Chavez pilots the Appomattox from Titan to Eclipse Station in orbit around Saturn.

After spending a few days casing the Lucky Garden Casino for a potential heist, Capt. Gabriel Adams contacts “fixer” Lillian Morrissey back on Earth for information about smugglers in the outer Sol system. In addition to researching the cargo of artifacts from the Vatican Museums, Gabriel believes that the colonial underworld must know something about Doyle.

ARTHERR, Hector, and Jasmine go to station security to ask for permission to examine the crime scene and Doyle’s corpse. Capt. Garzan Cisneros reluctantly agrees, noting that the Brotherhood of Illumination is no friend to the United Ecumenical Movement (U.E.M.) in New Quebec on Titan. The local lawman sends Lieut. Yasmin Al-Ghuj to escort them.

Mr. Richmond Garrett returns to Eclipse Station’s infirmary, where he is greeted warmly by patients who remember his faith-healing rallies. The “real” Dr. Garrett isn’t too happy to see the snake-oil salesman, but he is distracted enough to allow ARTHERR and company to more closely examine Doyle’s body.

They find that the spewer of fire-and-brimstone speeches was eviscerated with a vibroknife and that he seemed to offer little resistance. Jasmine feels guilty, because she had saved Doyle from electrocution, only for him to be killed sometime later. The toxicology report mentions that he had taken stimulants.

The adventuring party briefly regroups at the Appomattox and informs Nero Bartholomew and Averki “Deep Dish” Dyashenko to expect more potential “Synth” (nonhuman engineered) crewmembers, including Delphine (“Uplifted” dolphin) astrogator Erta Garza and gynoids Tanya and Galia.

Gabriel learns of some of Doyle’s wealthy patrons, including transportation magnate Esteban Bakafret, industrial smuggler Adrian Valentin, and Louise Reinhagen, whose husband, an Oromax megacorp executive, was killed in the Hephaestus Stadium disaster near Venus.

At the murder scene, former spy Hector reviews gaps in the security recordings of a back corridor, and ARTHERR examines the blood-encrusted deck plating. The robot eventually deduces that Doyle was probably held down with electromagnetic or gravitic restraints.

Tiger-woman Jasmine, who is afraid that her fellow Synths are responsible for splaying the man’s intestines, is relieved not to smell any signs of them. She does, however, detect candles, a rare commodity on an enclosed station and an aspect of a ritual killing.

While searching Doyle’s quarters under the watchful eye of Lt. Al-Ghuj, Jasmine, Hector, and ARTHERR find a Bible whose marked verses could be used as an encryption key. They cross-reference it with various messages and shipping records.

Underworld courier Gabriel radios his companions about Doyle’s patrons and the Mukhdadi brothers, local provisioners. Gabriel talks with Amir Mukhtadi, who explains that Doyle used his popularity to get free transport and lodging around the outer Sol system.

Gabriel theorizes that Doyle might also have been working with local preacher and gambler Rev. Winston Jones because they both arrived to disrupt Richmond’s rally at the station chapel. Richmond talks separately with Faisal Batar, a stogie-smoking Chim (“Uplifted” chimpanzee) who hints that Canid (canine “Synth”) Melita Veturia has ordered cases of weapons for rebels on Mars.

Meanwhile, Hector and ARTHERR hack into Doyle’s correspondence and the Mukhtadi’s databases. They find that Valentin and Veturia ordered machine parts and generators that could have been used in the hatemonger’s murder. Bakafret and Reinhagen made an increasing number of calls to Doyle in the days before his death. Is blackmail behind the ritual slaying?

Hector contacts his onetime handler Max to check official records for similar crimes, while Gabriel tries to learn more about Valentin, still wondering who would want to smuggle Vatican relics to Epsilon Eridani. ARTHERR, posing as a mere drone, reluctantly disengages from the Mukhtadi computers.

Although Veturia is a suspect, Jasmine doesn’t think the Synth Liberation Front on Mars would have anything to gain from killing Doyle. Richmond goes with Hassan Mukhtadi to a secret firing range — on the outside of Eclipse Station!

As Saturn’s bright rings loom in front of them, the two men try various firearms. Richmond temporarily trades the blunderbuss he retrieved from the Dawn’s Retreat for military surplus gear, including a tripod-mounted rail gun, a grenade launcher, and a gyroc pistol. Hassan discovers that the blunderbuss fires an electromagnetic pulse resembling ball lightning.

Back at the Appomattox, Gabriel says he believes that Bakafret, Valentin, and Reinhagen are somehow responsible for Doyle’s death, even if their exact motives are still a mystery. ARTHERR concurs, adding that while the U.E.M. might have the means for a ritual murder, it has little motive for creating a martyr. Gambler Rev. Jones, who is known to resent any intrusion by other clergy, didn’t have the necessary generators.

Jasmine acknowledges that Veturia had the equipment and may have disliked Doyle’s statements that “God gave man dominion over all creatures,” but neither she nor any potential followers was at the scene. ARTHERR points out that a robot or remote-controlled device could still have committed the crime.

Other than getting into the good graces of Archbishop Fuentes, Richmond doesn’t care about solving the murder. Hector transmits the party’s findings to the U.E.M., and ARTHERR and Richmond say they’re ready to deliver the Vatican art to unknown recipients at Epsilon Eridani.

Gabriel still plans to rob the Lucky Garden Casino, but Jasmine disapproves. Hector observes that some authorities can connect their crew with the plague on Venus, stolen starship engines, and now the faith healing near Saturn. While waiting for prospective “Synth” crewmembers to come aboard, the gang debates its next moves….

Note that I won’t be running any games on Sept. 25 and 26. Since Beruk and Brian can’t make certain dates, I’ll need to hear back from the rest of you before determining which “Vortex” team will meet on which Monday nights in October. Jason, let us know your one-shot plans. The Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” fantasy telecom group hopes to resume on Oct. 9. Stay in touch, -Gene