Traveller Sandbox: Interstellar Threats - Aseramachi...

Good Afternoon, Fellow Travellers:

For the write-ups of our Interstellar Threats, I'm going to pursue a different format. Because this format is more involved, I'm only going to write up one world per post. This is an experiment, as is everything about the Traveller Sandbox Experiment, and so any feedback you might have would be appreciated.

The basic format is simple. First, I'm going to provide the Library Data for a given world. After that, I'll follow with information on the primary Interstellar Threat, following the Encounter Scenario format I've been using for the last year. This format was inspired by the encounter format used in Red Tide: Campaign Sourcebook & Sandbox Toolkit. There may be some adjustments as I work through the first write-up or two, but that's the core concept I'm working with. I hope that this makes the data more organized for use later.

Aseramachi (Segin 2214 C300678-8)

Library Data: An airless moon of a solitary gas giant, Aseramachi is home to four million people. Originally settled by a mining corporation that has since gone bankrupt, the individual domed cities have become city-states in their own right. The best starport in the system belongs to Cosaica, although other domed cities possess spaceports that are up to the challenge of handling small traders and other vessels. The city-state of Moldanda is, in particular, noted for its strong theocratic government. The state religion, the Moldandan Universal Church, defines its citizenry as the Chosen Protectors of the Iridium Chasm. Acting on the belief that they possess a divine right to do whatever it may take to insure their survival in performance of their duty, Moldandan forces utilize starships and military weapons that have been purchased or stolen from elsewhere to perform raids on neighboring star systems with more advanced technology, such as the Litha League and other worlds on the Orvil-Heujava Main. The other city-states of Aseramachi turn a blind eye to Moldanda's activities out of fear of reprisals from Moldanda.

Holy Crusaders of the Moldandan Universal Church

Brief Description: The domed city of Moldanda maintains an interstellar strike force that identifies itself as the Holy Crusaders of the Moldandan Universal Church. This small ramshackle space navy performs raids on nearby worlds and interstellar merchants, seeking food, life support and, when possible, military-grade hardware. Other star systems regard the Holy Crusaders of the Moldandan Universal Church as little more than Moldandan privateers, and maintain vigilance against the raiders.

Encounter Groups: These are common encounter groups for this type of encounter.

• Novice: 5 Holy Crusaders, 1 Veteran Holy Crusader. Armed far trader.
• Seasoned: 15 Holy Crusaders, 3 Veteran Holy Crusaders, 1 Holy Crusader-Commander. Corsair.
• Veteran: 30 Holy Crusaders, 6 Veteran Holy Crusaders, 2 Holy Crusader-Commanders. Two corsairs.

Stat Blocks: The following stats are provided as stock NPCs for quick reference.

• Holy Crusader     Navy (crew) 1     777777
  Comms 0, Gunnery (turret) 1, Mechanic 1, Pilot (spacecraft) 1, Sensors 0, Vacc Suit 1
  Snub Pistol, Toolkit, Vacc Suit.
• Veteran Holy Crusader     Navy (crew) 4     688AA7
  Comms 1, Engineer (life support) 1, Engineer (P-plant) 2, Gunnery (turret) 2, Mechanic 2, Melee (unarmed) 1, Pilot (spacecraft) 3, Sensors 1, Vacc Suit 2, Zero-G 2
  Combat Armor (TL11), Snub Pistol, Toolkit.
• Holy Crusader-Commander     Navy (flight) 3     7978AA
  Comms 1, Gun Cbt (slug pistol) 2, Gunnery (turret) 2, Leadership 2, Pilot (spacecraft) 2, Sensors 2, Tactics (naval) 2, Vacc Suit 1
  Combat armor (TL11), Hand computer, Snub Pistol.

Encounter Ideas: Here are six different scenarios related to this encounter type.

1. The Holy Crusaders are acting derelict in the hopes of attracting salvagers.
2. The Holy Crusaders are engaged with an unarmed free trader, and are in the process of taking it as their own.
3. The Holy Crusaders are lying in wait, prepared to ambush anyone in the vicinity.
4. The Holy Crusaders are patrolling the region when the party encounters them.
5. The Holy Crusaders are returning to Moldanda (on Aseramachi) with a captured free trader.
6. The Holy Crusaders have become derelict after an unsuccessful attack on another starship, and desperately need help.

This is not a classic presentation method for Traveller, but I'm curious if it will help with actually running the game as a sandbox. At first blush, it appears so, but I'd love to hear from others as to their thoughts on the matter. After all, my goal here is to see whether I can create a playable sandbox setting using this approach. If it doesn't lend itself to good play, then I need to rethink my format.

Enjoy,
Flynn