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Federation Commander A NEW fast paced board game of starship combat!
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Jeffr0 Commander
Joined: 19 Jun 2009 Posts: 743
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:41 am Post subject: |
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Local time: 7:40 PM, Bevrorark 13th (Y160)
[There are eight 47 day long months in the local year. Months are named after the deities of the planet's nomadic indigenous peoples. The Federation has instituted a "24 hour day", but the hours are about 1.08 times as long as a Terran hour.]
...
It's another typical evening in the trade district Donjebruche. The harsh light of Afrikanus starts to take on an milder orange tint as it hangs low in the sky. A free trader lazily descends to the nearby starport. Ships in standard orbit can be seen as fast moving points of light.
Several streets away a muffled explosion can be heard. There are cries of confusion as moments later an emergency shuttle barrels overhead insanely close to the ground.
Two blocks away from the Grey Banshee, five Mynieni can be seen being ushered into a side alley by a grinning Hilidarian. This is a relatively outlandish sight even for the bustling cosmopolitan reputation of Donjebruche. The Mynieni have dark stylized goggles that make them look surprisingly intimating for their small stature and weak cillia. |
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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PLANETARY SURVEY: Tafelland
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
Status: Minor colony world.
Location: Coordinates 2007, Federation.
Mass: 5.7x1021 metric tons.
Density: 5.5.
Diameter: 8,101 miles.
Class: K.
Surface Area: 206 million square miles.
Land Area: 205.99 million square miles.
Land Area as Percentage of the Surface: 99.5%.
Surface Gravity: 1.01G.
Mean Surface Temperature: 88°F.
Surface Pressure at Sea Level: 1.04.
Atmosphere Composition: Nitrogen 77%.
Oxygen 21%.
Argon: 1%.
Trace Gasses: 1%.
Pollution: Very minor in the two small industrial areas.
Orbital Distance: 95 million miles (1.02 AU).
Day: 26 hours.
Year: 376 local days (407 Earth days, 1.11 Earth years).
Axial Tilt: 17°.
Population: 300,000. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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II. BIOSPHERE
Most of Tafelland is simply a barren desert, but the valley basin of Groenveldt is virtually Class M in most respects. There are significant mountain ranges and vast continent-sized slabs of granite. Tectonic basalt plates under the sand move at the normal rates for such things (similar to Earth).
At one point, a Star Fleet survey ship calculated that a few thousand comets could be crashed into the planet over a period of a century or two, elevating it to Class-L, but this plan was never put into motion. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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III. HISTORY
While Donjebruche is the primary location of interest to off-world visitors, the history of the planet begins with a separate agricultural colony few off-worlders visit.
Groenveldt colony was founded in Y47 by a group of human colonists from southern Africa. It was a polyglot group of people (virtually all of them of Dutch or English ancestry, but about 5% were Germanic), including adventurers, traders, farmers, and miners. Descendants of a separatist white group in old South Africa, they would have rejected the title “racist” but were unreservedly “separatist” and wanted to ensure that their children did not intermarry with other groups.
They set out from Earth in Y39 in a fairly slow colony ship, with most of the people in stasis. Their goal was to go “as far from Earth as we can go” and set up a self-sustaining colony. At the time, the entire concept of “which empire you are in” was virtually unknown and it was assumed that it would be decades, if not centuries, before the colony became part of any future interstellar economy. While the ship contained only 600 human colonists (all but ten of them in stasis), they had the frozen embryos of 1,000 more unrelated Caucasians, on the theory that they needed a broader gene pool to set up a colony that would survive over the centuries. Many couples on Earth “sent one of their children” to be part of the new colony.
After investigating several possible planets, and having met briefly with the Mantorese, Cygnans, and a colony of Klingon monks of the Khortan Order, the working crew woke up the colonial leaders and presented the options. There were three possible places. One was a very nice Class-M planet which later gained the name Shiloh. A second was a marginal Class-L planet with what were clearly great mineral resources that could mean strong exports in the future. The third was a Class-N oceanic planet with volcanic island chains, a choice that was quickly rejected.
The colonial leaders debated for nearly two weeks as the ship coasted through space, and finally selected the planet Shiloh. This had some mineral wealth (and the potential for plenty more) but more importantly, it had good weather and excellent agricultural potential.
But fate took a hand. On nearing the Shiloh system, the ship detected signals from an alien military power (the Kzintis) and the colonists knew from discussions with the Mantorese that they should stay away from the Kzintis to avoid enslavement. The colony ship turned and fled the area at its best speed, and the colonists went back into stasis, all three of their choices left far behind. Shiloh was briefly visited by the Kzintis, who found little interest in it and did not remain very long. A half-century later, another group of human colonists found the planet and it was they who gave it the name Shiloh. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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The South Africans pressed on, heading away from the Kzintis and from Earth. They found several marginal worlds and no end of worlds that could be inhabited only with artificial environments, which they had no equipment to maintain. Finally, their fuel and supplies nearly exhausted (not counting the colonial “start-up stocks” that the population would need when awakened from stasis), the ship came upon the Class-K desert planet that they named “Tafelland”. The name came about because of the huge granite “mesas” that seemed to be “floating” on the sand (Tafelland in their native Afrikans-Dutch). In the shadow of a huge mesa, there was an oasis, a region that (through a combination of factors) had accessible water.
Like all deserts, the planet got some rain. The rain that fell on the hard granite mesa ran southwest and collected in a valley on the edge. Ten thousand square miles of what little rainfall there was all ran “downhill” into 500 square miles of valley basin, producing the oasis. The colonists named the basin Grenveldt and established their homes. They quickly planted crops and colonial history insists that the first root vegetables were on dinner tables within 44 days. Crops of wheat, potatoes, and other foodstuffs were harvested in a few months, and by the end of the first year, a crop of cotton was providing replacements for the worn-out clothing of the industrious colonists.
The colonists found deposits of copper and tin and were able to produce bronze tools to replace their original tools as they wore out. The colony survived and grew, as the frozen embryos were carried to term by the women of the various families.
The first Klingons visited in Y82 as a Klingon ship surveyed the system. The Klingons made no attempt to “conquer” Groenveldt (it was not important enough to bother with) but did set up mining operations in the system a few years later. The first human ships (independent explorers) visited a few years later. These original contacts (which involved some trading) were a bit of a cultural shock to the Tafellanders. (Only the space crew had met the aliens in the original journey.) Being separatists, they were nervous about the aliens, but it was obvious that interbreeding wasn’t going to be an issue. More to the point, the Tafellanders had become a bit bored, curious about news of their original homeworld, and frustrated by the limited resources of their adopted homeworld.
Over the next decade, an impromptu spaceport was created on the granite mesa, and a small “town” sprung up there which became known as Donjebruche Trading Post. The separation (travel up and down the cliff edge of the mesa was difficult enough to discourage casual visitors) insulated the Tafellanders from the visiting aliens, while providing a market to sell their agricultural produce and to buy off-world products they could not make. A Klingon merchant sold the Tafellanders a few worn-out shuttlecraft, which were more than adequate for atmospheric flight. The Tafellanders (with the help of a visting Star Fleet ship) quickly found even more mineral resources, and the colony established two remote mining posts, but these were never succesful, as few Groenveldters wanted to live in the desert regions, and even fewer wanted to work alongside off-planet laborers. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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The Klingon mining colony on one of Blauw’s moons brought more demand (and resources) to the market. The Border Declaration of Y102 upset the Klingons, but negotiations a few years later turned the mining colony over to Dunkars (whose citizenship status was murky). The two Federation-Kzinti wars bought more Star Fleet ships to the area, which steadily changed the Tafellander viewpoint of the galaxy and their place in it. Star Fleet bought foodstuffs and refined metals from the Tafellanders, selling them more advanced technology and other products.
More and more off-world people arrived on the planet, as corporations from Earth, Mars, Rigel, Mantor, and Cygnus established mining operations. The original colonists at Groenveldt were concerned over this. As a practical matter, they had no real way to stop off-world colonization of areas they had no real interest in. As the mining operations bought more and more food from the abundant Groenveldt farms, the South Africans came to tolerate their neighbors. The Groenveldters remained in exclusive control of the farmland (and kept to their separatist ways) while enjoying the booming economy, wealth, and off-world products that came and went through Donjebruche Trading Post. Donjebruche became exclusively inhabited by arrivals from off-world, but an automated high-speed railway joined the two communities. One visiting anthropologist described it as “Las Vegas on one end of the railroad, and an Amish farm on the other end.” The cultures of Tafelland and Groenveldt diverged and remain very different.
During the General War, Afrikanius and Tafelland were far behind Klingon lines. The Klingons simply replaced the Federation as the outside trading partner (albeit on less favorable terms). With little real choice, the Tafellanders dealt with the situation and the lower standard of living until the Federation recaptured the area late in the War. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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mojo_billbo Commander
Joined: 07 Mar 2010 Posts: 426 Location: Danville, PA
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Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2010 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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"Captain" Jack {no last name} (150 points)
Age 32; Human; 6'
ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10].
Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 11 [0].
Basic Speed 6.25 [10]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Block 0; Dodge 9; Parry 9 (Brawling).
Social Background
TL: 10 [0].
CF: Federation (Native Culture) [0]; Klingon (Alien Culture) [2]; Orion Pirates (Cultural Familiarity) [1].
Languages: English (Native) [0].
Advantages
3D Spatial Sense [10]; Extra Perception 1 (Affects displayed Per score) [5]; Immunity to Space Sickness [5].
Disadvantages
Code of Honor (Hacker's) [-5]; Code of Honor (Pirate's) [-5]; Loner (12 or less) [-5]; Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Comrades) [-5]; Squeamish (12 or less) [-10]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10].
Skills
Accounting-10 (IQ-2) [1]; Astronomy/TL10-11 (IQ-1) [2]; Beam Weapons/TL10 (Pistol)-13 (DX+1) [2]; Beam Weapons/TL10 (Rifle)-13 (DX+1) [2]; Brawling-12 (DX+0) [1]; Computer Hacking/TL10-12 (IQ+0) [8]; Computer Operation/TL10-12 (IQ+0) [1]; Computer Programming/TL10-10 (IQ-2) [1]; Cryptography/TL10-10 (IQ-2) [1]; Expert Skill (Computer Security)-10 (IQ-2) [1]; Fast-Draw (Pistol)-12 (DX+0) [1]; First Aid/TL10 (Human)-12 (IQ+0) [1]; Free Fall-14 (DX+2) [2]; Freight Handling/TL10-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Intimidation-11 (Will-1) [1]; Leadership-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Lockpicking/TL10-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Mathematics/TL10 (Applied)-11 (IQ-1) [2]; Merchant-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Navigation/TL10 (Space)-14 (IQ+2) [2]; Observation-12 (Per-1) [1]; Physics/TL10-10 (IQ-2) [2]; Piloting/TL10 (Aerospace)-13 (DX+1) [2]; Piloting/TL10 (Starship)-13 (DX+1) [2]; Shadowing-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Shiphandling/TL10 (Starship)-12 (IQ+0) [4]; Shiphandling/TL10 (Starship (Warp Powered))-12 (IQ+0) [4]; Smuggling-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Spacer/TL10-14 (IQ+2) [4]; Stealth-11 (DX-1) [1]; Streetwise-11 (IQ-1) [1]; Swimming-11 (HT+0) [1]; Tactics-10 (IQ-2) [1]; Urban Survival-12 (Per-1) [1]; Vacc Suit/TL10-12 (DX+0) [2]; Writing-11 (IQ-1) [1]. |
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Jeffr0 Commander
Joined: 19 Jun 2009 Posts: 743
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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All right!
Captain Jack...
As you are not an intimidating "combat monster", I presume you are part of the "scouting mission" that's going to check out the Grey Banshee before Tarsh shows up.
* You may choose to investigate the five Mynieni that have entered the alley with the Hilidarian.
* You may also choose to go ahead to the Grey Banshee and check things out there.
* You may wait for another PC to show up before doing either, but if you do that, you will probably miss the chance to investigate the Mynieni.
What do you do? |
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mojo_billbo Commander
Joined: 07 Mar 2010 Posts: 426 Location: Danville, PA
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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I'm going to scout ahead towards the Grey Banshee to check that out. |
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Jeffr0 Commander
Joined: 19 Jun 2009 Posts: 743
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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All right... it's a pretty scuzzy dive. There's all manner of spacers, malcontents, and toughs scattered through the room.
You notice some hulking cat men and a large spider-like crustacean type creature. Before you can really size anyone up, though, you are struck by the fantastically beautiful Orion woman at the bar. The empty bar stool by her side is strangely alluring to you....
[You make a will roll and roll a 14. Fail!]
and you find yourself forgetting your mission temporarily as you walk toward her.
You take a seat next to her.
She looks askance at you and says, "hello, sailor. Buy me a drink?"
The bustle around you blurs together and you seem to have trouble focusing temporarily. You notice the barkeep several seats down from you serving a couple of Klingons.
What do you do...?
[GM note: this is, of course, a family friendly plot line... so be discreet. Don't do anything any famous Star Fleet captains wouldn't do, though!] |
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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IV. CULTURE OF TAFELLAND
Government: This planet was not the first or only one that the Federation found within its territory with a functioning colony that had not been specifically chartered by the Federation. The situation was muddy at best. Each of the separate communities depended on all of the others, but there was no single government and the thousands of miles between any two communities (and low population compared to the resources available) made conflict between communities unlikely.
Groenveldt and the mining towns had no trouble running their own business, but Donjebruche was little better than the wild west, with the equivalent of “local warlords” using “militias” to run each of the town’s neighborhoods. A trading corporation from Rigel operated and policed the spaceport, but going outside of that area was, well, always an adventure and sometimes dangerous. On three occasions, a Star Fleet ship had sent Marines into the town to clean the place up, but it never stayed cleaned up.
A team of experts was sent to negotiate a solution in Y104. The mines were swiftly made “franchised colonies” belonging to their corporate owners, and policed under Federation law. (Two of them, owned by Orions connected to local pirates, were the subject of investigations by Federation Marshals. They were eventually declared criminal enterprises and seized, then sold to corporations.) Groenveldt was already taking care of such things as real estate law, local police, elections, and the social contract; it was simply given the formal power to continue doing so. (The leaders of that community were amused by this “needless formality” but found it convenient in later years.)
Donjebruche was the problem, since it was the only place off-worlders wanted to visit and it was virtually lawless. (Many ships wanted to make port calls there, both to get fresh food and visit the markets to buy and sell no end of things.) The Federation imposed a temporary military government backed by a battalion of troops from the Rigelian National Guard. Over a period of a decade, a democratic government was created, backed by Rigellian military police. The first elections were held in Y115, but the Federation had to maintain a firm grip on the town until Y145, when it was declared “fully self-governing”.
The “planetary government” is rather unique. With so many independent communities on the planet, the Federation advisors helped create a “planetary council” in Y106. This body was to discuss and resolve any issues between the different entites, and to represent the planet to the Federation. The Federation appointed a Mantorese politician as the “planetary governor” and gave him access to the funds that resulted from the two Orion-owned mines that had been seized by the Federation Marshals. (Those two mines continue to pay royalties to the planetary council, which provides its funding.) His administration was so successful that he was re-elected in the first planet-wide elections in Y120 and remained in that post until he retired in Y129. His successor was another Mantorese politician, one of several who emigrated to Tafelland to work for the new “government”. Over the years since that time, the post has been held by people who were born on Tafelland, including ethnic Rigelians, Humans, and Cygnans.
Society: Donjebruche has an open and cosmopolitan culture. Groenveldt has a very “small town” culture, and does not welcome outside visitors without prior permission (and not without good reason). The mines have typical “company town” cultures, all of them different, but all of them the same in most ways.
Economy: All of the entities have a standard Federation economy with a free market.
Laws: Each community administers its own business, and all use Federation colonial law, plus local ordinances and regulations as appropriate.
Religion: There is no specific religion for most of the planet, and those who brought their religion with them variously kept it, changed it, or dropped it over time. There are active churches of two dozen faiths, and the pastors of the various churches often work together on social programs or community celebrations. Virtually everyone in Groenveldt is Christian, although of a unique denomination. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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V. DONJEBRUCHE TRADING POST
This is a town of 10,000 people, virtually all of them humanoid and virtually all of them able to speak Federation Standard. It has a spaceport, a working civic government and police force (crime is low), and a booming marketplace. The food from Groenveldt feeds the entire planet (through Donjebruche markets) as well as the various asteroid mining colonies, the mining colonies on the moons of Blauw, and any visiting spaceships. A distillery in Groenveldt provides many different spirits to tempt the pallets of Klingons, Kzintis, and others alike.
A typical spaceport town, Donjebruche offers all forms of entertainment for those tired of being cooped up on a spaceship and eager to blow off some steam. There are theaters with family movies and theaters with more sophisticated (or downright raunchy) offerings. There is a “red light district” (with medical and police controls). The spaceport has limited facilities to repair damaged ships. There is a casino (although Federation law limits how much money anyone can lose in a given period of time.) There are factories that turn locally mined metals (and gems) into exportable manufacturered items. There are endless bars and restaurants, and there are limited areas where the local police allow fights to break out and run their course before locking people up for the night. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
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mojo_billbo Commander
Joined: 07 Mar 2010 Posts: 426 Location: Danville, PA
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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[/OOC]
question of facing, when I'm checking out the Orion lady, am I facing the klingons or is my back to them? |
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Jeffr0 Commander
Joined: 19 Jun 2009 Posts: 743
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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The Klingons are off toward your right, midway down the bar. The bar wraps around in a big, long "U" shape. You're at the bottom of the "U" with your back to the door. There are tables behind you and booths against either side of the wall. |
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mojo_billbo Commander
Joined: 07 Mar 2010 Posts: 426 Location: Danville, PA
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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{IC}
I'm going to enjoy my drink, chat with the orion lady, and spend a little time watching the klingons... |
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