Jan 13, 2024 12:33 am
What will our campaign be about? Will the characters be planet-bound or spacefaring? Good citizens or nefarious pirates? Are they after money, adventure, knowledge, or something else? There are several types that recur in science-fiction stories and games. We will choose one or more of these:
1. Characters can be private explorers or members of a government Scout Service making contact and exploring strange worlds. Scout crews include scientists, rangers, diplomats, merchant representatives, and much more.
2. In a military campaign, characters are members of the "starship troopers" or the "Space Navy". They can be part of the infantry, marines, starfighter pilots, the crew of a warship or space station. They may be employed by a government, or they may work for a mercenary organization fighting other people's wars. They can fight against aliens ("bugs") or, more commonly, other humans.
2B. For a different sort of military campaign, the players can run characters that, instead of members of the government or mercenary forces, are fighting a war of rebellion against a (presumably) tyrannical regime. The most famous rebels in sci-fi are the Rebel Alliance of Star Wars.
3. A space patrol campaign puts the PCs in a small starship, patrolling the spacelanes, enforcing interstellar law, and protecting civilians from human and alien menaces alike. Characters are policemen, investigators, rescuers, and the all-around do-gooders of the galaxy. If there are pirates to be fought, smugglers to be tracked down, an alien invasion to be blunted, a mystery to unlock, or a distress call to answer, the patrol gets the call.
3B. If the players don’t enjoy the regimentation and rigidity of running space patrol characters but still want to chase galactic bad guys, they can be bounty hunters, freelance law enforcement agents tracking bad guys for money.
4. Instead of enforcing the law, the player characters may be in the business of breaking it. They may be freelancers, space pirates, smugglers, or part of a criminal organization.
4B. Where piracy, military campaigns, and trading meet is the privateer campaign, in which the adventurers are not part of a military force but have been given a license (traditionally known as a "letter of marque") to attack enemy shipping. Essentially, they are allowed to act like pirates as long as they confine their piracy to a specific enemy. They can use friendly ports quite openly and sometimes even get some help from regular military forces. However, they have to be very careful about choosing legal targets, and their license only lasts as long as the war. Privateers are basically self-employed mercenaries, and so privateer adventures can be worked into an ongoing mercenary campaign.
5. The espionage campaign focuses on intrigue, covert operations, and double-dealing among the stars. PCs can, but don’t have to be, traditional "secret agents". They might work for naval intelligence, the police covert office, a corporation’s industrial intelligence bureau, or an obscure regulatory or law-enforcement agency. They might even work for the Other Side. Or they may be private operatives.
6. The future won’t be devoted entirely to covert operations, gunplay, and larceny. Just earning an honest living can be exciting enough if the job takes you to new worlds. Campaigns designed around ordinary careers can provide ample opportunity for adventure. In this campaign, the characters are merchants and crew members – working in free trader vessels, passengers transports, tugs, service boats or in the fleet of a merchant company. Profit is the name of the game. This campaign is about getting cargo and/or passengers from origin to destination – despite the hazards of travel, competitors, and other menaces. An added dimension comes if the merchants must develop their own markets: evaluating new worlds for profit potential, making deals with remote civilizations, finding new cargo and ways to sell it. They can ride the coattails of survey vessels – or even explore on their own. Variety can come from special charter runs or unusual passengers.
So, what are your preferences and things that you don't wanna play?
1. Characters can be private explorers or members of a government Scout Service making contact and exploring strange worlds. Scout crews include scientists, rangers, diplomats, merchant representatives, and much more.
2. In a military campaign, characters are members of the "starship troopers" or the "Space Navy". They can be part of the infantry, marines, starfighter pilots, the crew of a warship or space station. They may be employed by a government, or they may work for a mercenary organization fighting other people's wars. They can fight against aliens ("bugs") or, more commonly, other humans.
2B. For a different sort of military campaign, the players can run characters that, instead of members of the government or mercenary forces, are fighting a war of rebellion against a (presumably) tyrannical regime. The most famous rebels in sci-fi are the Rebel Alliance of Star Wars.
3. A space patrol campaign puts the PCs in a small starship, patrolling the spacelanes, enforcing interstellar law, and protecting civilians from human and alien menaces alike. Characters are policemen, investigators, rescuers, and the all-around do-gooders of the galaxy. If there are pirates to be fought, smugglers to be tracked down, an alien invasion to be blunted, a mystery to unlock, or a distress call to answer, the patrol gets the call.
3B. If the players don’t enjoy the regimentation and rigidity of running space patrol characters but still want to chase galactic bad guys, they can be bounty hunters, freelance law enforcement agents tracking bad guys for money.
4. Instead of enforcing the law, the player characters may be in the business of breaking it. They may be freelancers, space pirates, smugglers, or part of a criminal organization.
4B. Where piracy, military campaigns, and trading meet is the privateer campaign, in which the adventurers are not part of a military force but have been given a license (traditionally known as a "letter of marque") to attack enemy shipping. Essentially, they are allowed to act like pirates as long as they confine their piracy to a specific enemy. They can use friendly ports quite openly and sometimes even get some help from regular military forces. However, they have to be very careful about choosing legal targets, and their license only lasts as long as the war. Privateers are basically self-employed mercenaries, and so privateer adventures can be worked into an ongoing mercenary campaign.
5. The espionage campaign focuses on intrigue, covert operations, and double-dealing among the stars. PCs can, but don’t have to be, traditional "secret agents". They might work for naval intelligence, the police covert office, a corporation’s industrial intelligence bureau, or an obscure regulatory or law-enforcement agency. They might even work for the Other Side. Or they may be private operatives.
6. The future won’t be devoted entirely to covert operations, gunplay, and larceny. Just earning an honest living can be exciting enough if the job takes you to new worlds. Campaigns designed around ordinary careers can provide ample opportunity for adventure. In this campaign, the characters are merchants and crew members – working in free trader vessels, passengers transports, tugs, service boats or in the fleet of a merchant company. Profit is the name of the game. This campaign is about getting cargo and/or passengers from origin to destination – despite the hazards of travel, competitors, and other menaces. An added dimension comes if the merchants must develop their own markets: evaluating new worlds for profit potential, making deals with remote civilizations, finding new cargo and ways to sell it. They can ride the coattails of survey vessels – or even explore on their own. Variety can come from special charter runs or unusual passengers.
So, what are your preferences and things that you don't wanna play?
