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5150: Free Trader Beowulf 
Introduction 
"This is Free Trader Beowulf, calling anyone ... 
Mayday, Mayday ... 
We are under attack ... Main drive is gone ... Turret number one not responding ... 
Mayday ... Losing cabin pressure fast ... Calling anyone ... Please help ... 
This is Free Trader Beowulf ... Mayday..." 
— From the tabletop RPG Traveller 
Why? 
Because everyone needs a classic science fiction role-playing game that's spanned decades of 
enthusiastic fans and a good ten or more major editions to inspire yet more crazy action in one of 
the best ship-focused tabletop "immersive game" systems in the world. 
And because I can. I won't lie; that's a great motivator. 
The line on the cover of the original Traveller was one of the most compelling pieces of short fiction 
to ever catalyze old-school role-playing, and it still has the power to forge imagination into action. 
What's going on with the Beowulf? Who are they under attack by? Is there anything you can do? If 
you try to do something, is it a trap? Are you simply outclassed? Is it pirates? Is it a vast Space Hulk 
just waiting for you to plunder it? Is anyone going to get out of this alive? 
One short piece. One short bit. And yet – one of the most story-forging ideas to get kicked around. 
It's about time someone did an integrated 5150 treatment of Free Trader Beowulf. I make no 
promises to be able to do justice to Traveller in general, but the Beowulf? Maybe I can give you 
some things to think about. 
How? 
You take advantage of the fact that the Two-Hour Wargames game lines include an entire panoply 
of games in the 5150 setting, their far-flung future which includes games running from the 
individual/small-party pseudo-RPG scale with Urban Renewal through ground combat with 
platoons of soldiers in Star Army, through fighter-scale ship engagements with Fighter Command, 
and full-scale space-based conflict with Star Navy. 
With all of those tools at your disposal, how can you now find the fate of the Beowulf something
worth pursuing? 
Rules Tweaks 
Fighter Command 
Hangars for Cargo 
Assume that Hangars in Fighter Command can be changed out for cargo capacity just as in Star 
Navy on a 1:1 basis if you've access to a capital ship refitting dock. See page 41 in Star Navy for 
more detail on the value of cargo and how it's stored. 
Fighters, bombers, and assault boats cannot be fielded from within cargo bays (though someone 
particularly cunning might camouflage their craft bays as cargo bays if they were going 
pirate-hunting). 
Taking a hit to a cargo bay can seriously impact the value of what you're carrying. If a filled cargo 
bay is takes a hit, reduce the Cargo Value multiplier by half. 
Since Fighter Command doesn't have ship Classes like Star Navy, we need to build a new table to 
calculate Cargo Values. 
FC Class to Cargo Multiplier 
Type Base Value 
Light CapShip (Belter, Runner, Freighter) 3 
Medium CapShip (Tanker, Star Liner) 4 
Heavy CapShip (Grand Freighter) 5 
Massive CapShip (Supertanker) 6 
Number of Cargo Bays on Typical Transports 
Type Bays 
Belter 1 
Runner 3 
Freighter 6 
Tanker, Star Liner 8 
Grand Freighter 10 
Supertanker 16 
To fully calculate the value of the cargo, you need to know what's in the bay. For each bay on the 
ship in question, add 2d6 and consult the following table. (Tankers and Supertankers only roll 1d6.) 
Cargo Table
# Result 
<= 5 Commodities (CV 1x) 
6 - 8 Goods (CV 3x) 
9 - 10 Rarities (CV 5x) 
11+ Contraband (CV 10x) 
Example: 
You've managed to waylay a Supertanker on its own, taking out the two pesky medium 
escort fighters. It has 16 bays, and rolling 1d6 on the Cargo Table for each, you find 3 
bays of Goods (CV 9) and 13 of simple Commodities (CV 13), totaling 22 CV, x6 for being 
Supertanker bays, for a total of 66 CV. Not a bad haul for an easy target almost 
guaranteed to be carrying goods easy to roll over. 
Later, you've taken down more likely, if smaller, quarry: three Gaean Runners. Each has 
3 bays. The first has 3, 9, 5 for the cargo rolled, 2x Commodities (CV 2) and one of 
Rarities (CV 5). The second sports 10, 9, 3 for 2x more Rarities (CV 10) and one more 
Commodities (CV 1). The third is carrying 6, 6, 10, so 2x more Goods (CV 6) and another 
Rarity (CV 5). 29 CV total, x3 for Runner-sized bays, and that's a total of 87 CV. Nearly 
half-way to a straight-out Recruitment Roll1 to add to your little pirate fleet. 
Urban Renewal 
Metal Madness (Toxic Build-Up) 
Metal Madness is a system included in Urban Renewal as a means to limit the use of 
Enhancements (cybernetic implants), Loops (software that runs on implanted cybernetics), and 
Stims (performance-enhancing drugs). By those rules, a person with Enhancements runs the 
ongoing and accumulating risk of losing their minds and becoming a violent psychopath, with no 
means of managing that descent. Once that spiral begins, there is no real way of stemming the tide, 
until the character is blood-soaked and dead. 
That doesn't lead to particularly interesting play. There's no real tension and no real 
decision-making enabled thereby; its the same old "cyberpsychosis" construct from every 
cyberpunk game ever. It is, in short, dull. 
Instead, replace it with Toxic Build-Up. 
Toxic Build-Up 
Using Enhancements2 is hard on the body. Replacing flesh and bone with metal and carbon fibre 
puts strains on the connective tissues, joints, and biological filtration systems that keep the average 
Gaean Basic alive. Neural interfaces bridge the gap between flesh and metal with synthetic 
neurotransmitters and electro-stimulation that pushes the limit of what the brain and nerves are 
capable of. This is no way to treat a body unless you want it to start collapsing on you with very little
warning, indeed. 
Increasing Toxic Build-Up 
Every time you add an Enhancement, add the MM rating to your Toxic Build-Up score. As you add 
or remove further Enhancements, TBU can increase or decrease. Running Loops in Blended 
Enhancements can push this up, as the interface between the CPU and a user's consciousness puts 
a lot of stress on the neurological interfaces and parts of the user's body that weren't designed to 
be driven like the software commands. 
The lowest your TBU can be is equal to the sum of the MM values of your installed Enhancements. 
The first time in an Encounter that you use a Physical Enhancement in an extraordinary way, 
increase your TBU by 1. Use in a way that doesn't exceed Basic norm doesn't increase your TBU, 
but if you're getting the bonus you'll accumulate toxins. 
Every time you run a Loop, increase your TBU by 1. 
Stims increase your TBU by 1 every time you dose. If your next Encounter would trigger rolling on 
the Toxic Build-Up Power Table, treat REP as -1 for the purposes of referencing the TBU Target 
Number. 
Whenever your character is exposed to stress (significant stress: direct violent conflict, battle, a 
social encounter that goes horribly wrong), typically at the beginning of an Encounter or battle, 
compare your TBU to the Toxic-Build-Up Power Table. 
Toxic Build-Up Power Table (TBU Power = (int(TBU / REP))+2 ) 
Current TBU Compared to REP TBU Target Number 
0 < TBU <= 1x REP 2 
1x REP < TBU <= 2x REP 3 
2x REP < TBU <= 3x REP 4 
3x REP < TBU <= 4x REP 5 
4x REP < TBU <= 5x REP 6 
5x REP < TBU <= 6x REP 7 
6x REP < TBU <= 7x REP 8 
Once you have the target number, make a test on the Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table by rolling 
the character's Reputation in d6, looking for successes, compared to the Toxic Build-Up Power in d6, 
also looking for successes. 
Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table (REP d6 vs TBU Power d6, counting successes) 
# of successes 
more If Character has more If TBU has more 
0 +1 to TBU +1 to TBU
# of successes 
more If Character has more If TBU has more 
1 no effect -1 to one Skill (or -1 to REP if not using Skills), 
+2 to TBU 
2 -1 to TBU -1 to two Skills (or -1 REP if not using Skills), +4 
to TBU 
3+ -2 to TBU -1 to three Skills (or -2 to REP if not using 
Skills), +6 to TBU 
The modifiers to Skills and Reputation only apply to the current Encounter or Scene. The increases 
to TBU are ongoing, and every increase carries with it an ever-increasing chance that the character 
will be seriously debilitated. Since these things only are checked when the user is stressed, it's 
typically the worst kind of time for that to happen. 
Decreasing Toxic Build-Up 
Toxic Build-Up can be diminished. There are three means by which TBU may be lowered. 
l Successes on the TBU Power Effect Table. While this can be fairly effective for low levels of TBU 
and characters with strong will and self-control, it can be extremely difficult to count on in the 
long term or with extensive modifications. 
l Simply not using Enhancements. Given time to heal, the body flushes toxins. For every Encounter 
in which no Enhancements are used, roll (REP)d6; each success reduces TBU by 1. 
l Medical intervention. A doctor or medic in a well-equipped medical facility can agressively flush 
the toxins from Enhancements out of the body, but the process is painful and can have long-term 
repurcussions on the health of the patient. If playing Urban Renewal, you'll need to find a doctor 
willing and able to do the procedure3. If in Star Navy or Fighter Command, you may have access 
to a doctor on a ship or nearby station.In any case, one a doctor willing to perform the procedure 
has been arranged, roll on the Toxic Build-Up Treatment Table. 
Toxic Build Up Treatment Table (2d6 vs REP) 
# passed Result 
2 TBU reduced to 2x minimum, REP -1 for In Sight Tests only in next Encounter 
1 TBU reduced to 3x minimum, REP -1 for next Encounter 
0 REP -1, TBU unchanged 
Social Implications 
Gaean society looks down on Enhancement and Stim users with no small additional measure of 
fear. Particularly in the case of Physical Enhancement users in places like New Hope and on the 
fringes of the Gaean Empire, frequent and skilled maintainance is not really available. While street 
docs are more than happy to put in slap-dash components that fell off the back of that 
import/export trader's ship, fewer of them have the talent to maintain the gear and fewer still have 
the inclination to maintain the users. As a result, many with Enhancements accumulate near-fatal 
levels of neurological degeneration sooner or later, giving rise to tales of psychotics on mindless
rampages and incredible acts of physical destruction. 
The vast majority who waste away, rocking themselves in a corner and mumbling nonsense make 
for much less gripping reading. 
Neither the Gaean Star Army nor Star Navy, despite being the best equipped and best maintained 
military forces in the Six Circles, engage in Enhancement outside of a few Specialists, generally in 
data analysis or astrogation. The costs and risks associated with maintaining such an array of 
medically draining personnel on a wide scale are simply too extensive and such modifications 
would decrease the uniformity that makes fielding such a large military possible in the first place4. 
Continuing stories and news coverage of Enhanced burn-outs going on crime sprees (to finance 
their dreamed-of toxin purge), violent murder kill-fests (as they reach the breaking point on PEP 
and/or SAV), and the general disdain by Gaean Basics for the alien and Other solidly maintains a 
general social exclusion of the Enhanced. By comparison, Stim-users are considered reprehensible 
but redeemable (not the least reason that they tend to burn out and die in far less obvious ways). 
Fighter Command 
Running Loops 
For obvious reasons, Enhancements tend to be rare amongst dedicated spacers. Between the need 
for frequent maintainance and medical oversight, their tendency to get damaged, and the difficulty 
of replacement, Gaea Prime has determined that there's a much greater return to be had in 
upgrading the ships and other hardware that their crews are equipped with. 
That doesn't keep everyone from using them. Physical Enhancements are useful in areas like 
construction and security for habitats with fragile outer shells. For pilots, however, Blended 
Enhancements provide them with an array of possible advantages if they're willing to accept the 
cost. 
The basic Enhancement CPU provides jacks for interfacing with specially equipped vehicle 
computer networks. Once connected, Loops can affect the performance of the pilot by enhancing 
sensor recognition, expanding the range of action, or guiding weapons without the messy 
intermediary of flesh. Sometimes Loops are deliberately leaked to the less savoury portions of the 
6th Circle populace to act as experimental testbeds for software intended to be added to the 
control systems of more mainline designs from each of the Empires. Not all of these work as 
intended. 
Loops are generally useless for commanding the crew of a capital ship, though in some 
circumstances various Data Storage libraries or Loops which boost PEP Tests can be useful in some 
Skill Challenges. 
Available Loops 
Loops tend to be more specialized than full-on Pilot Attributes. They add conditions in which the
bonus cannot be applied or specific types of target. 
Loop Effect 
Evasion -1 Modifier to result if attack comes from the front arc (Aspects 6, 1, 2) when 
rolling on the Fighter Damage Table (FC, p27]) 
Visual Integration Visual range increases to 6". Triggering In Sight on another fighter outside 
their visual range gives them a -1d6 to the In Sight Test 
G-Smoothing 
Special Maneuvers which involve hard but not complete 180o course changes 
(High Energy Yo-Yo, Yaw Reversal) get a +1d6 to execute as the Loop smooths 
the motion arc 
Systems 
Data-Dump 
Counts as a Data Storage Loop and thus takes two slots. A deep database on 
one particular kind of ship (Hishen Light Fighter, PDF Dreadnaught) which 
allows two rolls on the Fighter Damage Table or Capital Ship Damage Table, 
picking the result the pilot prefers 
Missile Modelling When taking damage from one kind of missile (FF, IR, Swarmer), roll twice on 
the Fighter Damage Table and choose your preferred system 
Ship Designs 
Civilian 
Mercantile 
Free Trader Beowulf 
The Free Trader Beowulf herself is an aging, rickety brick of a ship with more in common with a 
tug-boat than a squeaky-clean cargo hauler. Which is just fine, because it's not particularly 
well-known for being squeaky clean either in cargo or crew. After all, someone has to carry food, 
weapons, and other less savoury things back and forth within the Outer Rings -- and sometimes 
back in more "civilized" space. 
If you've got a job, if no one else can help, and you've got the money, the crew of the Beowulf can 
probably see it through. 
Star Navy 
In Star Navy terms, the Beowulf is a highly modified Merchant Trader5, swapping out half the cargo 
space for increased engine power and a heavy missile launcher turret on the belly. While this can 
cut significantly into the ability to move goods, out on the 5th Ring and beyond, being able to fight 
off a pirate assault -- particularly when carrying a gut full of medical supplies, cryo-suspended cattle, 
or things less worthy of discussion in polite company, can be the difference between living to sell 
the goods and not living at all. 
As specified on Star Navy page 26, the Beowulf suffers a -1 to REP when firing the Guns (that is, 
they fire at REP 4 with the default Crew). 
REP Class Thrust Hull Shields Guns ML Cargo Bays 
5 3 3 4 1 1 1 3
Damage Track 
Thrust Hull Shields Guns Missiles Cargo 
OOO OOOO O O O OOO 
Fighter Command 
Unique ID: GP MerchCarg Heavy Frigate Beowulf Type: Non-Military Class: Light 
CapShip (so designated as an armed and armoured transport) 
Shield Value: CSLPS 
Speed: 3 Acceleration: 1/2 Turn Rating: 2 
Defensive AA Turrets: 1 Main Gun Batteries: 1 Projectile Torpedoes: 1 
Repair Rolls: 1 
Crew Reputation: 5 
Damage 
Max 
Speed Thrusters AA 
Turret 
Projectile 
Battery Shields Hull Bridge Cargo 
OOO O O O O 
O (-1 REP 
rest of 
Mission, 
cannot be 
repaired in 
field) 
O (Captain 
takes Recover 
From Knock 
Down, -2 REP 
rest of mission, 
cannot be 
repaired in 
field) 
OOO 
(treat as 
Hangar) 
Character Designs 
Captain Marlin Rath (Gaea Prime Basic) 
Male Basic, approximately 1.7m tall, generally physically unremarkable, originally from Gaea Prime 
itself but after a bit of a run-in with the constabulary over the intersection between another man's 
wife (possibly one politically active, wife or husband -- hard to say) and a lift-truck full of 
questionably sourced mood-elevators, thought it prudent to move on out of the 1st Circle. 
Getting into piracy was just a temporary thing. Getting into a Zhuh-Zhuh pirate ship that apparently 
went rogue from their Imperial military -- that was an absolute accident. The first chance Marlin had 
to get out of there, he used his smooth-talking silver-tongued nature to convince the captain of the 
missile frigate he was on that they had enough to go legit. Mostly. And the Basics generally 
preferred to deal with other Basics, not "trusted aliens."
Uranth-Ta conceded the point and when they managed to land a beat-up old Beowulf, they headed 
to the edges of everybody's empires and only occasionally looked back. 
Urban Renewal 
Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 
5 3 5 4 
Attribute Name Effect 
Ambidextrous The character ignores the shooter firing with Off Hand penalty when 
shooting 
Smooth Counts a +1d6 to taking a People related Challenge 
Profession: Exotic -- Off-World Import/Export (Merc) PEP Weapons: 2x BAP 
Type Range Targets Impact 
Type 43 Projectile Pistol (BAP) 12 1 or 2 2 
Armour: No (it doesn't foster trust) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf 
Fighter Command 
Marlin is a capital ship commander and fighter pilot so takes a Capital Ship Attribute as well as a 
Fighter Pilot Attribute as his choice. 
Personal Attributes 
Attribute Effect 
Disciplined Crew Your ship's crew is well drilled and responsive. Count a +1d6 when 
taking the Repair and Ship Down Tests 
Poser Will roll only 1d6 when taking the Received Fire and Ship Down Tests 
Crew & Race Attributes 
Type Special Attribute Effect 
Free Company Risk Adverse Count a -1 to REP when taking the Ship Down Test 
Preferred Fighter 
Type Class Speed Acc Turn Guns Hardpoints Std Load Decoy 
Wasp Lighter Fighter 5 3 3 2x Rail 2 2x FF 2 
XO Uranth-Ta (Ex-Zhuh-Zhuh Empire Gorantha) 
Male Zhuh-Zhuh Gorantha, approximately 2.2m tall, broad even for a Goranthan Zhuh-Zhuh. 
Serving on a Zhuh-Zhuh missile frigate wasn't his idea of a life's calling -- overall he'd have preferred 
to go into architecture -- nevertheless he gave into the pressure both of his peers and his family in
order to secure the -Ta legacy into the future. 
Going into piracy definitely wasn't on the To Do list, but when his entire fleet was wiped out in only 
a few exchanges of fire with a Hishen battlecruiser, Uranth wasn't one for foolish sacrifice. Before 
he could arrange communication with the Zhuh-Zhuh fleet command and inform them of his 
strategically planned survival, his crew (one of the most species-mixed in the Ring) were already 
cheering, raising drinks, and trying on silly voices. 
He could see which way the wind was blowing, and that way was toward piracy. In a matter of 
months, he and the tiny Zhuh-Zhuh frigate had turned up a truly uninspiring record of poor piracy. 
In the mean-time, half the crew had been replaced by even less competent reprobates along the 
way and Uranth had enough. When Rath suggested getting out of the piracy business and going 
legit, he jumped at the opportunity, skimmed what little he could off the piratanical takings, and let 
the fast-talking Basic talk him into going into serious debt to buy the beat-up Beowulf. 
Urban Renewal 
Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 
5 5 3 4 
Attribute Name Effect 
Climb Able to climb trees, walls and along roofs as if moving normally. 
Muggie-Zhuhs and similar, may attempt to Fast Move. 
Natural Armor The body structure of the Zhuh-Zhuh (not Muggy Zhuh-Zhuhs) allows 
it to take the Recover From Knock Down Test with +1d6 bonus. 
Rage Counts a +2d6 when in melee. 
Resilient Once during each Encounter the character will treat its first Out of the 
Fight result as a Knocked Down result instead. 
Slow Mover Normal movement is 6". Will only roll 1d6 when taking the Fast Move 
Test, applies to Zhuh-Zhuhs only. 
White Knight May not shoot or melee anyone unable to defend themselves. Not 
affected by Fear. 
Profession: Exotic -- Shipping Freighter XO (Merc) SAV Weapons: Pistol, Synthiron 
Knockle-Dusters 
Type Range Targets Impact 
Arson-Luge Elegar Pistol (P) 12 1 or 2 1 
Synthiron Knuckle-Dusters (2HW) +2d6 Melee 
Armour: No (he's tough enough) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf 
Fighter Command 
Uranth is a pure capital ship commander, so pulls twice from the Capital Ship Attributes. Despite 
everything, he retains his Zhuh-Zhuh command training, even when in command of the Beowulf on 
trade runs.
Personal Attributes 
Attribute Effect 
Accurate Gunnery 
Your ship's gun crew are veterans of many battles and able to lay 
down a devastating barrage. Count a +1d6 when rolling on the 
CapShip Ranged Combat Table. 
Disciplined Crew Your ship's crew is well drilled and responsive. Count a +1d6 when 
taking the Repair and Ship Down Tests. 
Crew & Race Attributes 
Type Special Attribute Effect 
Zhuh-Zhuh Superb Reflexes Counts a +1 to REP when attempting any Special 
Maneuver Test. 
Preferred Fighter None: Uranth-Ta much prefers the bridge of the Beowulf 
Tech Specialist na'Tat Li Mae (Hishen) 
Hishen na' clade, approximately 1m tall, pale for a Hishen. Need someone to manage all the 
sensors on your ship at the same time, calibrate your engine coils, control energy distribution in 
combat, maintain your fighter craft, crawl into tight maintainance spaces to plant incindiary bombs, 
intimidate recalcitrant brokers, find the best deal on replacement parts to fix your broken down 
hunk-of-junk spaceship in the middle of feces-knows-where, and all while wearing a broad, 
unctuous smile on their face? 
Well, bugger off, because na'Tat isn't having any of your crap. Oh, she -- he -- whatever, clone races 
-- can get the job done, no question or hesitation, but that slight hint of a smile on the 
broad-mouthed, flat face? That's just the way it's built. That's not an emotional response. In fact, 
ask around, and you might even discover that na'Tat seems to have only two emotions: 
Annoyed and pissed-off. 
On the other hand, no one can make the Beowulf dance a little jig while eking out a tiny extra bit of 
thrust like sie can. Just don't ask if it's satisfying. The Hishen have a well-deserved reputation for 
cruelty to lesser races (and everyone's a lesser race to a Hishen) and a love of enslaving sentients. 
na'Tat's room might not have been cleaned in a while and you might end up press-ganged. 
Why's sie the Tech Specialist on the Beowulf? You ever see a Hishen get that good a position in 
most pirate fleets? 
Urban Renewal 
Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 
5 4 3 5
Attribute Name Effect 
Cruel Counts a +1d6 when taking a People related Challenge against those 
with a lower Rep. 
Slight Counts a -1d6 when in melee. 
Slow Mover Normal movement is 6". Will only roll 1d6 when taking the Fast Move 
Test. 
Sure Handed Counts a +1 to Skill when taking a Fitness related Challenge 
specifically involving the use of the hands as the primary factor. 
Profession: Joes -- Flight Engineer (LWC) SAV Weapons: BA Pistol, Flashbangs, Enhanced 
1HW 
Type Range Targets Impact 
Tundral Falcon .50cal (BAP) 12 1 or 2 3 
Flashbangs (FBG) 6/24 12" circle N/A 
Powered Electro-Active Flanger (E1HW) +2d6 Melee 
Armour: No (they make it that small?) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf 
Fighter Command 
na'Tat has never had any interest in the command of capital ships and if left in command, by intent 
or circumstance, has no particular facility for it. Fightercraft, on the other hand, are something sie 
never found enough time to indulge in and all-too-rarely has access often enough to show off hir 
inclinations. Fast hands and sharp eyes make a forminable pilot. 
Personal Attributes 
Attribute Effect 
Exceptional Pilot Counts a +1d6 bonus when taking the Landing and Collision Reaction 
Tests and when attempting a Special Maneuver. 
Initiative Counts one REP higher for activation purposes when operating alone. 
Crew & Race Attributes 
Type Special Attribute Effect 
Hishen Slight When outnumbered by 2:1 or more will count a -1d6 when 
taking the Ship Down Test. 
- Evil Never helps or recovers friendly ships or Pilots. 
Preferred Fighter 
Type Class Speed Acc Turn Guns Hardpoints Std Load Decoy 
Shuriken Bomber 3 2 2 
2x Mass, 2x 
Laser, 1 AA 
Turret Aft 
12 1x IR, 1x HARM, 
2x Torpedoes 2
Jacker "Zero" (New Hope Basic) 
Female Basic, admitting only to being "from" New Hope (despite no one being "from" New Hope), 
approximately 2m tall, built very much like the front end of a cargo loader. Zero, despite being 
nowhere near the stature of Uranth is considerably broader than the Basic average. Physicality is 
the furthest thing from her mind, being on the run from some rather unsavoury types back in New 
Hope City who were more interested in digging out the data storage in her brain than paying her 
for carrying it. Not being interested in a low-cost lobotomy, she hired passage on the Beowulf in 
one of the ship's earliest tours under current management. She threatens to leave and never come 
back at nearly every port, but somehow ends up on the ship just before casting off every time. 
She may be na'Tat's best friend in the cosmos. This has led to persistent rumours of weird sexual 
deviancy, but so far no cameras or other systems have evidence. Yet. 
Zero has a couple of Blended Enhancements, and has the unusual payload of two CPU implants (on 
either side of her skull, behind and beneath the ears). As such, she can usually run 6 Loops at once 
before needing to check for CPU Overload. Often there is a Data Storage Loop running on each CPU 
(ship specs, system intel, mission specs, whatever might come in handy to have in hand, along with 
full sets of identification for the whole crew), along with 1 other Loop, typically Targeting and 
Imaging when expecting trouble ground-side. If piloting a fighter, these may swap for Evasion and 
Visual Integration (see Rules Tweaks: Fighter Command: Running Loops). 
Urban Renewal 
Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 
5 3 4 5 
Minimum TBU: 6 
Attribute Name Effect 
Hard as Nails Once during each Encounter the character will treat its first Obviously 
Dead result as a Knock Down result instead. 
Tough Once during each Encounter the character will treat the first Run 
Away result as a Duck Back result. 
Profession: Criminal -- Net Runner (LWC) SAV Weapons: BA Machine Pistol, knives -- lots 
of knives 
Type Range Targets Impact 
Oozron Tek-7 (BAMP) 12 3 2 
Sharpened Data Plugs (1HW) +1d6 Melee 
Armour: Yes (whenever and wherever she thinks she can get away with it) 
Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf
Fighter Command 
Zero does everything she can to stay off the bridge of a capital ship with that many people paying 
attention to her and all their beady little eyes. No, if she has to be out there, she wants it to be just 
her, jacked head-first into the ship, with Loops giving her the edge over the pure fleshies and the 
howling solar wind scouring her glass eyes. 
Personal Attributes 
Attribute Effect 
Rage Count a +1d6 bonus for attempting Special Maneuvers when behind an 
enemy. 
*Drunk (or 
Druggie) *6 
Roll 1d6 at the start of every Mission. If the score is higher than the 
Pilot's Rep or a "6" is rolled toss another 1d6 and consult this table: (1 - 
2) Takes the Afterburners Test with only 1d6. Will also Side Slip 
randomly halfway through its move, once per activation. (3 - 4) 
Performs as if has Slow to React Attribute. (5 - 6) Performs as if has 
Iceman Attribute. 
Crew & Race Attributes 
Type Special Attribute Effect 
Free Company Risk Averse Count a -1 to REP when taking the Ship Down Test. 
Running Loops: Evasion, Visual Integration, Systems Data-Dump: Pirate Light Fighter -- 
Barracuda 
Preferred Fighter 
Type Class Speed Acc Turn Guns Hardpoints Std Load Decoy 
GA-22 Medium 
Fighter 4 3 3 2x Laser, 1x 
Rail 4 2x Rockets, 2x 
FF 1 
Scenarios 
Urban Renewal 
Get the Money and Run (Cargo) 
Keeping a Beowulf in the air is no picnic, especially with the cost of provisions, repairs, the 
occasional loss during percussive maintenance -- it all adds up over time to big numbers. That 
means a crew needs big scores or a lot of tiny scores to keep the sky open. In the Central Rings, 
that's mostly tiny courier jobs for mostly shady people, because that's the only work you can get if 
you're not signed up with one of the major shippers or their privateers. Outside the Centrals, 
though -- that's a very different thing. Oh, there are tentacles of the big boys out in the Outers, but 
a small cargo with some hustle and a gun or two can make big money if there's a large hold that 
needs to go somewhere fast.
If it wants to avoid a little Imperial Entanglement, so much the better. 
The Set-Up 
The Beowulf's crew is looking for a little work on New Hope, the place their last fare decided he 
wanted to get off. (That does have the advantage of leaving the cargo deck relatively clean; no leaky 
vats of living synthveal this time!) Unfortunately, you show up on New Hope without having a plan, 
a plan will find you in short order. That finding probably involves the maglev train. 
Looking for a job can take many forms. Hanging out at the seedy bar at the Spaceport, drinking 
drinks until the right little weasley-looking guy skitters off the street. Heading uptown to the high 
class part of town, to press the flesh, smile vapidly, and seal the deal. Maybe even headed to City 
Hall itself to cut a little inside action deal with the Gaeans to move something off-planet they'd 
rather a lot of people never heard about.7 
Before that mojo can start being worked, first there has to be a little footwork. 
Objective 
l Find a lead on a job offer and the hook-up that can provide it. 
Forces 
l As many of the crew of the Beowulf as desired. (Probably Rath and Uranth-Ta, but go with what 
you like) 
Terrain 
l Based on the Lead 
Deployment 
l Based on the Lead 
Special Instructions 
l Pick the Day Part 
l Determine who's the Lead and where they're at 
l Decide to follow-up or stop looking 
The Lead 
There's a job out there with the Beowulf's name on it. The real question is who knows about it? 
Who is The Lead? 
Use The Employer table from p95 of Urban Renewal to determine what Circle they're from. Use the 
whole Meeting the Employer section there to set up the actual encounter with them. Definitely 
don't overlook the Travel Encounters and Defining Moments whenever the crew arrives somewhere.
Things can go South in a hurry if a bad situation pops up, so don't be shy about bugging out and 
heading back to the ship if things get too hairy. There are always more jobs; there are not always 
more cheap body parts and long jail sentences can really cut into operating profits. 
The Lead will have provided a reference to someone looking to do a little business. The next step is 
to go back to the top of the Job Offer Encounter on p94 and head back in again from the top, with 
the following differences: 
l Day Part will be (1) the same, (2-3) one later, (4-5) two later. or (6) three later. 
l The Job Type Table on p95 is completely changed. 
Job Type (1d6) 
Mover: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Shaker: (1-2) Cargo 
Transport, (3-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Exotic: (1) Cargo Transport, (2-4) 
Personnel Transport, (5-6) Escort Ordinary Joe: (1-4) Cargo Transport, (5-6) Personnel 
Transport, -1 Shady Criminal Element: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, 
(6) Escort, +1 Shady 
Shady Jobs 
Some jobs are Shady; that is, they involve moving illegal goods, illegal people, perfectly legal goods 
with incomplete or falsified paperwork, spies, assault squads, and generally things someone would 
rather get off-planet without other folks knowing about it. 
Shady Cargo Table (1d6 modified by Job Type) 
(1-4) It's straight, or straight enough. (5-6) It's shady. 
Jobs aren't obviously shady in every case, of course. Sometimes they sneak up. (1-5) The job is 
exactly what you think it is, shady or not, but on (6) the job is the other way around. What you 
thought was a nice, easy milk-run of meteoric iron to the sticks turns out to be a cover for high-end 
enhancements. What you thought was taking a mob boss off-planet under cover of darkness under 
the cops' nose turns out to be an Average Joe with a grandiose sense of theater. 
Shady jobs always involve a little more care than others. The big problem is, of course, at the 
Spaceport itself. If it's a shady cargo, there's one more Encounter on the way out with the 
authorities. If the job only appears to be shady, that Encounter still happens. 
For extra excitement, only resolve whether the deal is really as shady as thought or not if/when the 
authorities go over the Beowulf's cargo. 
Spending Time in the Shade
Objective 
l Get to the Beowulf and off planet with as little incident as possible 
Forces 
l As many of the crew of the Beowulf as desired. (Probably Rath and Uranth-Ta, but go with what 
you like.) Any crew not taken or who didn't go looking for a job are on board the Beowulf itself 
and can emerge, armed and armoured if they like. 
Terrain 
l Set up the table in accordance with the Intersection directions on p51, except each building is a 
ship on the Spaceport tarmac. 
l Ships are treated just the same as buildings, except more likely to be hostile if you come barging 
in unannounced. (1-4) you can't get into the ship at all; the doors are locked, ramp up, etc. The 
Defining Moment is executed as usual except that the PEF being resolved inside is considered 
Hostile unless you've had contact with them before (1-2) and ended on good terms. 
Deployment 
l Beowulf crew start at the edge of section 8. 
l The Beowulf is in the center of section 5. 
l (1-2) They're bringing the cargo in itself on a truck, (3-6) the cargo is already loaded on the 
Beowulf. 
Special Instructions 
l PEFs on the tarmac will (1-3) be GP police or customs agents who are naturally paranoid, have an 
anonymous tip-off, or just don't like your face, otherwise roll for who they are as usual. When you 
resolve them, if they're cops or customs, they'll head straight for your group, get within 3", and 
attempt an Oi, What's All This Then? Test. 
Oi, What's All This Then? PEP 
Succ Agents More Beowulf More 
0 Repeat, with another Even treated as +1 PEP 
for Agent 
Repeat, with another Even treated 
as +1 PEP for Beowulf crew 
+1-2 
Agents suspicious, but have nothing 
actionable; treat as +1 PEP for Agents on the 
next shady cargo Beowulf run on or off New 
Hope 
Beowulf crew look clean and talk a 
good line; the ship can lift off at 
their leisure 
3+ 
Agents draw weapons and demand to 
inspect the cargo; proceed to In Sight with 
Beowulf crew counted as Active; +2 PEP to 
Agents on the next Oi, What's All This Then? 
Beowulf crew shake hands, smile a 
lot, and bid the Agents a great day; 
+1 PEP to Beowulf crew on their 
next Oi, What's All This Then?
On a particularly unlucky day, multiple police groups can emerge from PEFs and force multiple Oi, 
What's All This Then? Tests. 
The Beowulf crew always has the option of surrender if they get caught out engaging in smuggling 
or other illegal acts. If so, or they're rendered compliant by other less voluntary means, p66 in 
Urban Renewal, specifically starting with the section Justice For All8 will be worth looking at. 
Job Descriptions 
Cargo Transport 
Goods, material, equipment, sometimes even living organisms both flora and fauna, because 
there's no telling what someone will pay for out there. Cargos tend to be bulky and hefty -- or 
disturbingly small and lightweight. A much needed genetic sample might only weigh a couple 
of kilos but be worth chartering a whole ship for. Several crates of heavy construction 
equipment might make all the difference to an out of the way space station. 
Shady cargos run the typical gamut: guns, germs, butter, drugs, stims, enhancements, crates 
of heavy cargo equipment dodging berthing fees, genetic samples of deadly infectious 
diseases, interdicted animals which might constitute an eco-catastrophe released on an alien 
world, alien life forms who'll hunt you through the corridors of your own ship to infest your 
still-living flesh with their young -- the usual. 
Personnel Transport 
People want to get off-planet for a myriad of legitimate reasons. Tourism is a surprisingly 
popular one, especially for cheap no-name haulers on the rim. Business is likewise right up 
there, because sometimes there's nothing like sealing a deal with a handshake. Getting out of 
a bad relationship and running as far away as you can from the pain makes for great bar 
songs. "Looking for yourself" is a story as old as the first sailors on the salty seas and still just 
as compelling. 
Shady people want to get off-planet for a bevy of perfectly legitimate reasons, too. Crime boss 
unhappy you schtupped her daughter? That pregnant daughter? Been stealing a little off the 
top for the last few months? World-weary assassin going to run that last big score so you can 
buy new eyes for the girl you blinded during a job years ago? Computer engineer taking off to 
a corporate competitor with the plans of the next big thing in hybrid thrust engines? Psychic 
murderer kept in a state of suspended animation being escorted back to Gaea Prime by a 
bounty hunter? Rogue Hishen looking to go home and return to the slave-owning high-life? 
Escort 
Deep space is never a place where anyone can be alone. Sometimes people need to have 
another ship ride along, for extra firepower or sometimes just for a distraction or scapegoat. 
Shady escorts generally involve running interference for ships involved in untoward dealings, 
whether that be engaging in the other kinds of shady cargo running or intimidation displays, 
distractions for criminal operations, or being effective information carriers by escorting other 
ships on legitimate business but broadcasting a concealed beacon burst on entry to the 
target system. When the police want to check your ship out for shady escort business, it's 
generally going over your flight logs and data systems with a fine toothed comb.
Wages 
The crew of the Beowulf only are as good as who they are, whether it be Raith's fast-talking 
devil-may-care chicanery or Zero's dead-lift. They wouldn't -- literally couldn't -- be running the 
Beowulf unless they were basically covering expenses. As such, there's no real question as to 
whether they make enough scratch to keep the ship running. The real question is do they get better 
at it? 
P96 in Urban Renewal talks about the wages you can earn for planetside jobs on New Hope, 
rendered in terms of the number of possible advancement rolls for Reputation and Skills you can 
get as a result of succeeding at the job. Unlike working dirt-side, the Beowulf gets paid no matter 
where they are so long as the cargo gets run safely and effectively; no need to head back to New 
Hope to get your chit. 
Wages Per Job Type (x2 if Shady; x1.5 if Criminal Element is Employer) 
Job Type Base Wage 
Cargo Transport 3 
Personnel Transport 5 
Escort 4 
Carrying cargo out to the rim with no threat? Easy-peasy; 3 advancement rolls (see p57 of Urban 
Renewal), distributed over your crew however you like. Running guns to Gaea Prime? That's chancy, 
but there are a lot of ways to smuggle goods on a spaceship. 6 advancement rolls is hefty, 9 if 
you're dealing with actual criminals. Transporting a mob boss out from under the nose of his own 
organization to give evidence to the GP police? 10 base, 15 if he initiated the contact. Running 
people is the most dangerous cargo. 
Star Navy 
Mayday, Mayday 
Operating out in the 6th Ring is not safe, by any description. Few of the jobs that run that far out 
from the inner systems aren't covered in dirt and sometimes blood. Once out there, plenty of good 
people need good work done -- but there are a whole lot of people who aren't so good to make 
their day a whole lot less bright. 
The Beowulf is out there in the middle of one such mess, beacon screaming away into the void, 
looking for some of those good people to come on by and help them out. But it's the 6th Circle, and 
as Virgil put it: 
Here you will find the heretics and followers of every cult and pagan sect, all buried 
together, burning in eternal fire. 
-- Canto X
Pirates, freebooters, military stratagems, and all matter of thing could have snared the Beowulf 
here. 
Nothing is forbidden. Everything is permissible. 
Objective 
Determine the status of the Beowulf and render assistance, if at all possible. A viable military threat 
should be driven from the area or destroyed utterly. In the absence of a visible threat, the Beowulf 
should be repaired in place or towed to the nearest repair facility. A significant bounty will be payed 
to anyone who provides assistance to a disabled vessel, in accordance with Gaean law. 
Forces 
l The Beowulf with guns and missile launcher apparently disabled, drive off-line, and 1/2d3 Hull 
damage streaming atmosphere. 
l Choose as many ships as you like, but not less than one squadron. They can be from any available 
faction: 
m Pirates, looking to board and plunder the Beowulf for themselves. 
m Gaea Prime Space Navy, offering legally required aid and defense (though well outside their 
usual patrol routes). 
m Free Company mercenary forces, looking to help or even recruit. 
m Zhuh-Zhuh patrol group, on their way to offer assistance in accordance with Gaean law. 
m Xeog cultists, looking to press-gang, convert by the sword, or simply plunder the Beowulf. 
m Hishen slavers, popping by to grab a quick and easy snatch from a ship who'll never be missed. 
m Local Planetary Defense Force, (1-3) looking to provide assistance as best they can -- or (4-6) 
snatch another ship to add to their limited forces; could go either way. 
l The contacted other force can simply be chosen or roll on the Contact -- Ring 6 table on p39 of 
Star Navy, with the motivations suggested above. (Of course, just because they're there to help 
doesn't mean that they want help in helping.) 
Deployment 
l The Beowulf placed in the middle of Section 5. 
l Asteroids (Star Navy, p23) are distributed as usual but do not move. 
l Your forces may enter at any inclination up to 45 degrees anywhere along your side within 1 foot 
of the edge, with speed for each ship between 1 and the Thrust of each ship. 
l There are no opposing inbound forces. 
l Three PEFs are placed in the asteroid field by rolling 1d6 for each and placing one in that Section, 
out of Line of Sight of the entering force behind an asteroid if at all possible. 
Special Instructions 
l PEFs activate after the player's first full set of orders and maneuver without concern for inertia or 
thrust, according to the Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table. 
l PEFs resolve within 12 inches of one of your active ships with Line of Sight or 6 inches of one of
your active ships without Line of Sight. 
l To resolve a PEF, use the Patrol PEF Resolution Table ** in **Star Navy, p 33. Enemy Morale is 
considered to be 3 for this mission. 
l Once any ship comes within 6 inches of the Beowulf, its true purpose will be revealed! Roll for 
successes on the Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table. 
l Help Is On the Way! (Star Navy, p25) is definitely in play! Of course, it being the 6th Ring, the 
Controlling faction is the Hishen, and they want slaves. Depending on what forces are involved, 
this might be considerably more desirable than the alternatives or might be just the additional 
confusion and cover that the Beowulf needs to get away. 
Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table 2 
Successes Movement 
0 Move 3 inches further from the nearest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if 
possible 
1 (1-4) Hold position, (5-6) move toward nearest PEF 
2 Move 4 inches toward farthest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if possible 
Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table 2 
Successes Status Effects 
0 
Dead ship; 
engines are 
completely 
blown 
(1-4) Boarding meets no resistance as all on-board are dead 
or disabled; (5-6) the crew still lives and intends to repel 
unfriendly boarders though at an additional -1 to the 
Boarding Table (Star Navy, p16). The ship can be towed by 
the largest ship in the controlling fleet at the cost of 
reducing Thrust to 1 and counting maneuverability as the 
next larger ship Class 
1 Disabled but 
repairable 
Everything is just as it appears. A friendly boarding party can 
get the engines back online in 1d6 turns. Escorting the 
Beowulf off the edge of the board counts as a victory for 
those who want to protect and rescue the ship. A successful 
hostile boarding party can bring the engines back online in 
1/2d6+3 turns 
2 It's a Trap! 
The Beowulf is the stalking horse for the opposing force. 
The engines come back online next turn along with the gun 
turret and missile launcher. 1/2d3 of the apparent Hull 
damage turns out to be cosmetic only. She joins the 
opposing force with the intent of destroying or capturing 
your fleet, whichever fits the motivations of the force. 
Victory Conditions 
No force wants to see the Beowulf destroyed but certainly may choose to attack it with crippling or 
lethal intent if they believe an opposed faction will take the prize. Ultimately, victory consists of 
getting off the board with the Beowulf, either under its own power, under your control, or towed. If
all opposing forces are destroyed, you can proceed to do as you will. 
If the Beowulf herself ends up being a trap, success can still be achieved by disabling and capturing 
her. It's just going to be a little more complicated than expected when you set out. 
Fighter Command 
This Is Free Trader Beowulf 
Carrying cargo through some of the dirtiest, least law-abiding, generally unpleasant parts of the 
galaxy is a thankless job -- except for the huge piles of money that pretty much go right back into 
maintaining the ship before you start parting out the crew shares and figure out the losses on the 
last pile of junk you got saddled with and ended up carting about for months in the back of Bay #2. 
And the pirates. There's always the pirates. 
Sometimes, they are you. 
Objective 
The Beowulf has just hit orbit after a rather troubled surface launch involving men with guns and 
quite a bit of shouting. That isn't entirely unheard of, but it seems they've taken a particular interest 
in the ship's departure and have the resources to make it no small challenge. Shady dealings 
sometimes have awkward repercussions. If the Beowulf can just make it far enough out of the 
gravity well to engage the FTL drives, there'll be no catching her. 
At least today. 
To claw up out of the gravity well, the Beowulf must successfully make it from the edge of section 8 
to move off the board in section 2 three times. Should they succeed, they successfully jump out and 
get away. Should they fail, it might be a fine time to pull out Star Navy and hop over to the scenario 
Mayday, Mayday in this fine book. 
The opposing force wants to capture and board the Beowulf far more than they want to destroy 
her. 
Forces 
l The Beowulf and one flight of fighters piloted by any two crewmen. Their prefered fighters are 
listed with their character profiles. If playing with original characters or none, the flight is made up 
of one Free Company GA-35 Heavy Fighter and one Free Company GA-22 Medium Fighter as 
found in the QRS. 
l Determine whose interest has been roused by the Beowulf. You can simply choose the List or use 
the following table: 
This is Free Trader Beowulf Opposition 2d6
Roll Forces 
2 -- 3 Xeog 
4 -- 5 Zhuh-Zhuh 
6 -- 8 Planetary Defense Forces 
9 -- 10 Hishen 
11 -- 12 Pirates (or other sketchy criminal bastards) 
l Specific enemy forces will be determined in the Special Instructions section. 
Terrain 
Divide the board into nine equal sectors and generate terrain normally (as on p41). 
Deployment 
l The Beowulf and her Flight will enter the table from the edge bordering section 8. 
l The Beowulf's Flight will receive one extra 2HP missile per fighter until expended. Docking and 
rearming will only replace this missile once. 
l PEFs are generated and deployed as outlined in the PEF section. 
Special Instructions 
l Determine the Investment Level of the hunt for the Beowulf (p45). Note the maximum IL for the 
folks in pursuit. Treat all maximum IL numbers as if Controlling the area. 
l There is a chance of Inclement Space Weather (p45). Check every time the Beowulf enters at 
section 8. Once it begins, it lasts until the end of the mission. 
l Determine Intel Level (p45). The Beowulf has Investment Level 5 for the purposes of this test. 
l The first time you resolve a PEF use First Contact (p47). 
l Subsequent PEFs are resolved normally (p49). 
l Random Events (p53) are strongly recommended. 
l Neither side receives reinforcements. 
l Repeat the above every time the Beowulf enters a new phase and enters in section 8. This may 
result in the hunt intensifying or fading, or even bad intel leading to being in a very bad situation. 
l Play continues until the Beowulf has exited the map in section 2 three times, or is disabled or 
destroyed. 
Notes 
l Remember, the Beowulf is playing to get away -- body counts are not on the agenda. Using terrain 
for cover and keeping the speed up while avoiding big threats are the rules of survival. 
l The Beowulf has two cargo bays converted to flight bays, allowing it to recover, rearm, and 
relaunch both fighters at once. Once recovered, the fighters can be relaunched in 1+1/2d6 turns. 
If rearming both at once, roll individually. 
l Good luck! If all else fails, surrender and start sending a request for help into deep space. 
Someone might help you!
QRS 
FC Class to Cargo Multiplier 
FC Class to Cargo Multiplier 
Type Base Value 
Light CapShip (Belter, Runner, Freighter) 3 
Medium CapShip (Tanker, Star Liner) 4 
Heavy CapShip (Grand Freighter) 5 
Massive CapShip (Supertanker) 6 
Number of Cargo Bays on Typical Transports 
Number of Cargo Bays on Typical Transports 
Type Bays 
Belter 1 
Runner 3 
Freighter 6 
Tanker, Star Liner 8 
Grand Freighter 10 
Supertanker 16 
Cargo Table 
Cargo Table 
# Result 
<= 5 Commodities (CV 1x) 
6 - 8 Goods (CV 3x) 
9 - 10 Rarities (CV 5x) 
11+ Contraband (CV 10x) 
Toxic Build-Up Power Table 
Toxic Build-Up Power Table (TBU Power = (int(TBU / REP))+2 ) 
Current TBU Compared to REP TBU Target Number 
0 < TBU <= 1x REP 2 
1x REP < TBU <= 2x REP 3 
2x REP < TBU <= 3x REP 4 
3x REP < TBU <= 4x REP 5
Current TBU Compared to REP TBU Target Number 
4x REP < TBU <= 5x REP 6 
5x REP < TBU <= 6x REP 7 
6x REP < TBU <= 7x REP 8 
Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table 
Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table (REP d6 vs TBU Power d6, counting successes) 
# of successes 
more If Character has more If TBU has more 
0 +1 to TBU +1 to TBU 
1 no effect -1 to one Skill (or -1 to REP if not using Skills), 
+2 to TBU 
2 -1 to TBU -1 to two Skills (or -1 REP if not using Skills), +4 
to TBU 
3+ -2 to TBU -1 to three Skills (or -2 to REP if not using 
Skills), +6 to TBU 
Toxic Build Up Treatment Table 
Toxic Build Up Treatment Table (2d6 vs REP) 
# passed Result 
2 TBU reduced to 2x minimum, REP -1 for In Sight Tests only in next Encounter 
1 TBU reduced to 3x minimum, REP -1 for next Encounter 
0 REP -1, TBU unchanged 
Job Type (Urban Renewal) 
Job Type (1d6) 
Mover: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Shaker: (1-2) Cargo 
Transport, (3-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Exotic: (1) Cargo Transport, (2-4) 
Personnel Transport, (5-6) Escort Ordinary Joe: (1-4) Cargo Transport, (5-6) Personnel 
Transport, -1 Shady Criminal Element: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, 
(6) Escort, +1 Shady 
Shady Cargo Table 
Shady Cargo Table (1d6 modified by Job Type) 
(1-4) It's straight, or straight enough. (5-6) It's shady.
Oi, What's All This Then? 
Oi, What's All This Then? PEP vs PEP 
Succ Agents More Beowulf More 
0 Repeat, with another Even treated as +1 PEP 
for Agent 
Repeat, with another Even treated 
as +1 PEP for Beowulf crew 
+1-2 
Agents suspicious, but have nothing 
actionable; treat as +1 PEP for Agents on the 
next shady cargo Beowulf run on or off New 
Hope 
Beowulf crew look clean and talk a 
good line; the ship can lift off at 
their leisure 
3+ 
Agents draw weapons and demand to 
inspect the cargo; proceed to In Sight with 
Beowulf crew counted as Active; +2 PEP to 
Agents on the next Oi, What's All This Then? 
Beowulf crew shake hands, smile a 
lot, and bid the Agents a great day; 
+1 PEP to Beowulf crew on their 
next Oi, What's All This Then? 
Wages Per Job Type 
Wages Per Job Type (x2 if Shady; x1.5 if Criminal Element is Employer) 
Job Type Base Wage 
Cargo Transport 3 
Personnel Transport 5 
Escort 4 
Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table 
Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table 2 
Successes Movement 
0 Move 3 inches further from the nearest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if 
possible 
1 (1-4) Hold position, (5-6) move toward nearest PEF 
2 Move 4 inches toward farthest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if possible 
Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table 
Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table 2 
Successes Status Effects 
0 
Dead ship; 
engines are 
completely 
blown 
(1-4) Boarding meets no resistance as all on-board are dead 
or disabled; (5-6) the crew still lives and intends to repel 
unfriendly boarders though at an additional -1 to the 
Boarding Table (Star Navy, p16). The ship can be towed by 
the largest ship in the controlling fleet at the cost of 
reducing Thrust to 1 and counting maneuverability as the 
next larger ship Class
Successes Status Effects 
1 Disabled but 
repairable 
Everything is just as it appears. A friendly boarding party can 
get the engines back online in 1d6 turns. Escorting the 
Beowulf off the edge of the board counts as a victory for 
those who want to protect and rescue the ship. A successful 
hostile boarding party can bring the engines back online in 
1/2d6+3 turns 
2 It's a Trap! 
The Beowulf is the stalking horse for the opposing force. 
The engines come back online next turn along with the gun 
turret and missile launcher. 1/2d3 of the apparent Hull 
damage turns out to be cosmetic only. She joins the 
opposing force with the intent of destroying or capturing 
your fleet, whichever fits the motivations of the force. 
This is Free Trader Beowulf Opposition 
This is Free Trader Beowulf Opposition 2d6 
Roll Forces 
2 -- 3 Xeog 
4 -- 5 Zhuh-Zhuh 
6 -- 8 Planetary Defense Forces 
9 -- 10 Hishen 
11 -- 12 Pirates (or other sketchy criminal bastards) 
1. See Recruitment Rolls in Star Navy, p40 and p51. ↩ 
2. See page 69 in Urban Renewal for the original rules for Enhancements, page 73 for the original 
Metal Madness. ↩ 
3. This can be quite the trial in and of itself. See page 94 of Urban Renewal for the Job Offer 
Encounter as an example, except you're looking for a Doctor to do the job. For even more detail 
in such things, see New Hope City PI. ↩ 
4. In situations where Enhanced Basics might otherwise be considered, the Star Army has no 
hesitation in deploying synthetic humans, Symons, to do that dirty work. They have the great 
advantage of being far more resillient and effective than un-Enhanced Basics but require much 
less maintainance in the long run. (See Star Army page 74.) ↩ 
5. Page 50 for the original stats in Star Navy. ↩ 
6. In this case, Zero is not actually on a drug but instead this reflects the effects of a flaky 
connection between the system's interfaces and her jacks. ↩ 
7. How could this possibly go wrong? Never. Obviously impossible. ↩ 
8. Metallica might have a thing or two to say on the subject. ↩

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5150: Free Trader Beowulf

  • 1. 5150: Free Trader Beowulf Introduction "This is Free Trader Beowulf, calling anyone ... Mayday, Mayday ... We are under attack ... Main drive is gone ... Turret number one not responding ... Mayday ... Losing cabin pressure fast ... Calling anyone ... Please help ... This is Free Trader Beowulf ... Mayday..." — From the tabletop RPG Traveller Why? Because everyone needs a classic science fiction role-playing game that's spanned decades of enthusiastic fans and a good ten or more major editions to inspire yet more crazy action in one of the best ship-focused tabletop "immersive game" systems in the world. And because I can. I won't lie; that's a great motivator. The line on the cover of the original Traveller was one of the most compelling pieces of short fiction to ever catalyze old-school role-playing, and it still has the power to forge imagination into action. What's going on with the Beowulf? Who are they under attack by? Is there anything you can do? If you try to do something, is it a trap? Are you simply outclassed? Is it pirates? Is it a vast Space Hulk just waiting for you to plunder it? Is anyone going to get out of this alive? One short piece. One short bit. And yet – one of the most story-forging ideas to get kicked around. It's about time someone did an integrated 5150 treatment of Free Trader Beowulf. I make no promises to be able to do justice to Traveller in general, but the Beowulf? Maybe I can give you some things to think about. How? You take advantage of the fact that the Two-Hour Wargames game lines include an entire panoply of games in the 5150 setting, their far-flung future which includes games running from the individual/small-party pseudo-RPG scale with Urban Renewal through ground combat with platoons of soldiers in Star Army, through fighter-scale ship engagements with Fighter Command, and full-scale space-based conflict with Star Navy. With all of those tools at your disposal, how can you now find the fate of the Beowulf something
  • 2. worth pursuing? Rules Tweaks Fighter Command Hangars for Cargo Assume that Hangars in Fighter Command can be changed out for cargo capacity just as in Star Navy on a 1:1 basis if you've access to a capital ship refitting dock. See page 41 in Star Navy for more detail on the value of cargo and how it's stored. Fighters, bombers, and assault boats cannot be fielded from within cargo bays (though someone particularly cunning might camouflage their craft bays as cargo bays if they were going pirate-hunting). Taking a hit to a cargo bay can seriously impact the value of what you're carrying. If a filled cargo bay is takes a hit, reduce the Cargo Value multiplier by half. Since Fighter Command doesn't have ship Classes like Star Navy, we need to build a new table to calculate Cargo Values. FC Class to Cargo Multiplier Type Base Value Light CapShip (Belter, Runner, Freighter) 3 Medium CapShip (Tanker, Star Liner) 4 Heavy CapShip (Grand Freighter) 5 Massive CapShip (Supertanker) 6 Number of Cargo Bays on Typical Transports Type Bays Belter 1 Runner 3 Freighter 6 Tanker, Star Liner 8 Grand Freighter 10 Supertanker 16 To fully calculate the value of the cargo, you need to know what's in the bay. For each bay on the ship in question, add 2d6 and consult the following table. (Tankers and Supertankers only roll 1d6.) Cargo Table
  • 3. # Result <= 5 Commodities (CV 1x) 6 - 8 Goods (CV 3x) 9 - 10 Rarities (CV 5x) 11+ Contraband (CV 10x) Example: You've managed to waylay a Supertanker on its own, taking out the two pesky medium escort fighters. It has 16 bays, and rolling 1d6 on the Cargo Table for each, you find 3 bays of Goods (CV 9) and 13 of simple Commodities (CV 13), totaling 22 CV, x6 for being Supertanker bays, for a total of 66 CV. Not a bad haul for an easy target almost guaranteed to be carrying goods easy to roll over. Later, you've taken down more likely, if smaller, quarry: three Gaean Runners. Each has 3 bays. The first has 3, 9, 5 for the cargo rolled, 2x Commodities (CV 2) and one of Rarities (CV 5). The second sports 10, 9, 3 for 2x more Rarities (CV 10) and one more Commodities (CV 1). The third is carrying 6, 6, 10, so 2x more Goods (CV 6) and another Rarity (CV 5). 29 CV total, x3 for Runner-sized bays, and that's a total of 87 CV. Nearly half-way to a straight-out Recruitment Roll1 to add to your little pirate fleet. Urban Renewal Metal Madness (Toxic Build-Up) Metal Madness is a system included in Urban Renewal as a means to limit the use of Enhancements (cybernetic implants), Loops (software that runs on implanted cybernetics), and Stims (performance-enhancing drugs). By those rules, a person with Enhancements runs the ongoing and accumulating risk of losing their minds and becoming a violent psychopath, with no means of managing that descent. Once that spiral begins, there is no real way of stemming the tide, until the character is blood-soaked and dead. That doesn't lead to particularly interesting play. There's no real tension and no real decision-making enabled thereby; its the same old "cyberpsychosis" construct from every cyberpunk game ever. It is, in short, dull. Instead, replace it with Toxic Build-Up. Toxic Build-Up Using Enhancements2 is hard on the body. Replacing flesh and bone with metal and carbon fibre puts strains on the connective tissues, joints, and biological filtration systems that keep the average Gaean Basic alive. Neural interfaces bridge the gap between flesh and metal with synthetic neurotransmitters and electro-stimulation that pushes the limit of what the brain and nerves are capable of. This is no way to treat a body unless you want it to start collapsing on you with very little
  • 4. warning, indeed. Increasing Toxic Build-Up Every time you add an Enhancement, add the MM rating to your Toxic Build-Up score. As you add or remove further Enhancements, TBU can increase or decrease. Running Loops in Blended Enhancements can push this up, as the interface between the CPU and a user's consciousness puts a lot of stress on the neurological interfaces and parts of the user's body that weren't designed to be driven like the software commands. The lowest your TBU can be is equal to the sum of the MM values of your installed Enhancements. The first time in an Encounter that you use a Physical Enhancement in an extraordinary way, increase your TBU by 1. Use in a way that doesn't exceed Basic norm doesn't increase your TBU, but if you're getting the bonus you'll accumulate toxins. Every time you run a Loop, increase your TBU by 1. Stims increase your TBU by 1 every time you dose. If your next Encounter would trigger rolling on the Toxic Build-Up Power Table, treat REP as -1 for the purposes of referencing the TBU Target Number. Whenever your character is exposed to stress (significant stress: direct violent conflict, battle, a social encounter that goes horribly wrong), typically at the beginning of an Encounter or battle, compare your TBU to the Toxic-Build-Up Power Table. Toxic Build-Up Power Table (TBU Power = (int(TBU / REP))+2 ) Current TBU Compared to REP TBU Target Number 0 < TBU <= 1x REP 2 1x REP < TBU <= 2x REP 3 2x REP < TBU <= 3x REP 4 3x REP < TBU <= 4x REP 5 4x REP < TBU <= 5x REP 6 5x REP < TBU <= 6x REP 7 6x REP < TBU <= 7x REP 8 Once you have the target number, make a test on the Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table by rolling the character's Reputation in d6, looking for successes, compared to the Toxic Build-Up Power in d6, also looking for successes. Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table (REP d6 vs TBU Power d6, counting successes) # of successes more If Character has more If TBU has more 0 +1 to TBU +1 to TBU
  • 5. # of successes more If Character has more If TBU has more 1 no effect -1 to one Skill (or -1 to REP if not using Skills), +2 to TBU 2 -1 to TBU -1 to two Skills (or -1 REP if not using Skills), +4 to TBU 3+ -2 to TBU -1 to three Skills (or -2 to REP if not using Skills), +6 to TBU The modifiers to Skills and Reputation only apply to the current Encounter or Scene. The increases to TBU are ongoing, and every increase carries with it an ever-increasing chance that the character will be seriously debilitated. Since these things only are checked when the user is stressed, it's typically the worst kind of time for that to happen. Decreasing Toxic Build-Up Toxic Build-Up can be diminished. There are three means by which TBU may be lowered. l Successes on the TBU Power Effect Table. While this can be fairly effective for low levels of TBU and characters with strong will and self-control, it can be extremely difficult to count on in the long term or with extensive modifications. l Simply not using Enhancements. Given time to heal, the body flushes toxins. For every Encounter in which no Enhancements are used, roll (REP)d6; each success reduces TBU by 1. l Medical intervention. A doctor or medic in a well-equipped medical facility can agressively flush the toxins from Enhancements out of the body, but the process is painful and can have long-term repurcussions on the health of the patient. If playing Urban Renewal, you'll need to find a doctor willing and able to do the procedure3. If in Star Navy or Fighter Command, you may have access to a doctor on a ship or nearby station.In any case, one a doctor willing to perform the procedure has been arranged, roll on the Toxic Build-Up Treatment Table. Toxic Build Up Treatment Table (2d6 vs REP) # passed Result 2 TBU reduced to 2x minimum, REP -1 for In Sight Tests only in next Encounter 1 TBU reduced to 3x minimum, REP -1 for next Encounter 0 REP -1, TBU unchanged Social Implications Gaean society looks down on Enhancement and Stim users with no small additional measure of fear. Particularly in the case of Physical Enhancement users in places like New Hope and on the fringes of the Gaean Empire, frequent and skilled maintainance is not really available. While street docs are more than happy to put in slap-dash components that fell off the back of that import/export trader's ship, fewer of them have the talent to maintain the gear and fewer still have the inclination to maintain the users. As a result, many with Enhancements accumulate near-fatal levels of neurological degeneration sooner or later, giving rise to tales of psychotics on mindless
  • 6. rampages and incredible acts of physical destruction. The vast majority who waste away, rocking themselves in a corner and mumbling nonsense make for much less gripping reading. Neither the Gaean Star Army nor Star Navy, despite being the best equipped and best maintained military forces in the Six Circles, engage in Enhancement outside of a few Specialists, generally in data analysis or astrogation. The costs and risks associated with maintaining such an array of medically draining personnel on a wide scale are simply too extensive and such modifications would decrease the uniformity that makes fielding such a large military possible in the first place4. Continuing stories and news coverage of Enhanced burn-outs going on crime sprees (to finance their dreamed-of toxin purge), violent murder kill-fests (as they reach the breaking point on PEP and/or SAV), and the general disdain by Gaean Basics for the alien and Other solidly maintains a general social exclusion of the Enhanced. By comparison, Stim-users are considered reprehensible but redeemable (not the least reason that they tend to burn out and die in far less obvious ways). Fighter Command Running Loops For obvious reasons, Enhancements tend to be rare amongst dedicated spacers. Between the need for frequent maintainance and medical oversight, their tendency to get damaged, and the difficulty of replacement, Gaea Prime has determined that there's a much greater return to be had in upgrading the ships and other hardware that their crews are equipped with. That doesn't keep everyone from using them. Physical Enhancements are useful in areas like construction and security for habitats with fragile outer shells. For pilots, however, Blended Enhancements provide them with an array of possible advantages if they're willing to accept the cost. The basic Enhancement CPU provides jacks for interfacing with specially equipped vehicle computer networks. Once connected, Loops can affect the performance of the pilot by enhancing sensor recognition, expanding the range of action, or guiding weapons without the messy intermediary of flesh. Sometimes Loops are deliberately leaked to the less savoury portions of the 6th Circle populace to act as experimental testbeds for software intended to be added to the control systems of more mainline designs from each of the Empires. Not all of these work as intended. Loops are generally useless for commanding the crew of a capital ship, though in some circumstances various Data Storage libraries or Loops which boost PEP Tests can be useful in some Skill Challenges. Available Loops Loops tend to be more specialized than full-on Pilot Attributes. They add conditions in which the
  • 7. bonus cannot be applied or specific types of target. Loop Effect Evasion -1 Modifier to result if attack comes from the front arc (Aspects 6, 1, 2) when rolling on the Fighter Damage Table (FC, p27]) Visual Integration Visual range increases to 6". Triggering In Sight on another fighter outside their visual range gives them a -1d6 to the In Sight Test G-Smoothing Special Maneuvers which involve hard but not complete 180o course changes (High Energy Yo-Yo, Yaw Reversal) get a +1d6 to execute as the Loop smooths the motion arc Systems Data-Dump Counts as a Data Storage Loop and thus takes two slots. A deep database on one particular kind of ship (Hishen Light Fighter, PDF Dreadnaught) which allows two rolls on the Fighter Damage Table or Capital Ship Damage Table, picking the result the pilot prefers Missile Modelling When taking damage from one kind of missile (FF, IR, Swarmer), roll twice on the Fighter Damage Table and choose your preferred system Ship Designs Civilian Mercantile Free Trader Beowulf The Free Trader Beowulf herself is an aging, rickety brick of a ship with more in common with a tug-boat than a squeaky-clean cargo hauler. Which is just fine, because it's not particularly well-known for being squeaky clean either in cargo or crew. After all, someone has to carry food, weapons, and other less savoury things back and forth within the Outer Rings -- and sometimes back in more "civilized" space. If you've got a job, if no one else can help, and you've got the money, the crew of the Beowulf can probably see it through. Star Navy In Star Navy terms, the Beowulf is a highly modified Merchant Trader5, swapping out half the cargo space for increased engine power and a heavy missile launcher turret on the belly. While this can cut significantly into the ability to move goods, out on the 5th Ring and beyond, being able to fight off a pirate assault -- particularly when carrying a gut full of medical supplies, cryo-suspended cattle, or things less worthy of discussion in polite company, can be the difference between living to sell the goods and not living at all. As specified on Star Navy page 26, the Beowulf suffers a -1 to REP when firing the Guns (that is, they fire at REP 4 with the default Crew). REP Class Thrust Hull Shields Guns ML Cargo Bays 5 3 3 4 1 1 1 3
  • 8. Damage Track Thrust Hull Shields Guns Missiles Cargo OOO OOOO O O O OOO Fighter Command Unique ID: GP MerchCarg Heavy Frigate Beowulf Type: Non-Military Class: Light CapShip (so designated as an armed and armoured transport) Shield Value: CSLPS Speed: 3 Acceleration: 1/2 Turn Rating: 2 Defensive AA Turrets: 1 Main Gun Batteries: 1 Projectile Torpedoes: 1 Repair Rolls: 1 Crew Reputation: 5 Damage Max Speed Thrusters AA Turret Projectile Battery Shields Hull Bridge Cargo OOO O O O O O (-1 REP rest of Mission, cannot be repaired in field) O (Captain takes Recover From Knock Down, -2 REP rest of mission, cannot be repaired in field) OOO (treat as Hangar) Character Designs Captain Marlin Rath (Gaea Prime Basic) Male Basic, approximately 1.7m tall, generally physically unremarkable, originally from Gaea Prime itself but after a bit of a run-in with the constabulary over the intersection between another man's wife (possibly one politically active, wife or husband -- hard to say) and a lift-truck full of questionably sourced mood-elevators, thought it prudent to move on out of the 1st Circle. Getting into piracy was just a temporary thing. Getting into a Zhuh-Zhuh pirate ship that apparently went rogue from their Imperial military -- that was an absolute accident. The first chance Marlin had to get out of there, he used his smooth-talking silver-tongued nature to convince the captain of the missile frigate he was on that they had enough to go legit. Mostly. And the Basics generally preferred to deal with other Basics, not "trusted aliens."
  • 9. Uranth-Ta conceded the point and when they managed to land a beat-up old Beowulf, they headed to the edges of everybody's empires and only occasionally looked back. Urban Renewal Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 5 3 5 4 Attribute Name Effect Ambidextrous The character ignores the shooter firing with Off Hand penalty when shooting Smooth Counts a +1d6 to taking a People related Challenge Profession: Exotic -- Off-World Import/Export (Merc) PEP Weapons: 2x BAP Type Range Targets Impact Type 43 Projectile Pistol (BAP) 12 1 or 2 2 Armour: No (it doesn't foster trust) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf Fighter Command Marlin is a capital ship commander and fighter pilot so takes a Capital Ship Attribute as well as a Fighter Pilot Attribute as his choice. Personal Attributes Attribute Effect Disciplined Crew Your ship's crew is well drilled and responsive. Count a +1d6 when taking the Repair and Ship Down Tests Poser Will roll only 1d6 when taking the Received Fire and Ship Down Tests Crew & Race Attributes Type Special Attribute Effect Free Company Risk Adverse Count a -1 to REP when taking the Ship Down Test Preferred Fighter Type Class Speed Acc Turn Guns Hardpoints Std Load Decoy Wasp Lighter Fighter 5 3 3 2x Rail 2 2x FF 2 XO Uranth-Ta (Ex-Zhuh-Zhuh Empire Gorantha) Male Zhuh-Zhuh Gorantha, approximately 2.2m tall, broad even for a Goranthan Zhuh-Zhuh. Serving on a Zhuh-Zhuh missile frigate wasn't his idea of a life's calling -- overall he'd have preferred to go into architecture -- nevertheless he gave into the pressure both of his peers and his family in
  • 10. order to secure the -Ta legacy into the future. Going into piracy definitely wasn't on the To Do list, but when his entire fleet was wiped out in only a few exchanges of fire with a Hishen battlecruiser, Uranth wasn't one for foolish sacrifice. Before he could arrange communication with the Zhuh-Zhuh fleet command and inform them of his strategically planned survival, his crew (one of the most species-mixed in the Ring) were already cheering, raising drinks, and trying on silly voices. He could see which way the wind was blowing, and that way was toward piracy. In a matter of months, he and the tiny Zhuh-Zhuh frigate had turned up a truly uninspiring record of poor piracy. In the mean-time, half the crew had been replaced by even less competent reprobates along the way and Uranth had enough. When Rath suggested getting out of the piracy business and going legit, he jumped at the opportunity, skimmed what little he could off the piratanical takings, and let the fast-talking Basic talk him into going into serious debt to buy the beat-up Beowulf. Urban Renewal Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 5 5 3 4 Attribute Name Effect Climb Able to climb trees, walls and along roofs as if moving normally. Muggie-Zhuhs and similar, may attempt to Fast Move. Natural Armor The body structure of the Zhuh-Zhuh (not Muggy Zhuh-Zhuhs) allows it to take the Recover From Knock Down Test with +1d6 bonus. Rage Counts a +2d6 when in melee. Resilient Once during each Encounter the character will treat its first Out of the Fight result as a Knocked Down result instead. Slow Mover Normal movement is 6". Will only roll 1d6 when taking the Fast Move Test, applies to Zhuh-Zhuhs only. White Knight May not shoot or melee anyone unable to defend themselves. Not affected by Fear. Profession: Exotic -- Shipping Freighter XO (Merc) SAV Weapons: Pistol, Synthiron Knockle-Dusters Type Range Targets Impact Arson-Luge Elegar Pistol (P) 12 1 or 2 1 Synthiron Knuckle-Dusters (2HW) +2d6 Melee Armour: No (he's tough enough) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf Fighter Command Uranth is a pure capital ship commander, so pulls twice from the Capital Ship Attributes. Despite everything, he retains his Zhuh-Zhuh command training, even when in command of the Beowulf on trade runs.
  • 11. Personal Attributes Attribute Effect Accurate Gunnery Your ship's gun crew are veterans of many battles and able to lay down a devastating barrage. Count a +1d6 when rolling on the CapShip Ranged Combat Table. Disciplined Crew Your ship's crew is well drilled and responsive. Count a +1d6 when taking the Repair and Ship Down Tests. Crew & Race Attributes Type Special Attribute Effect Zhuh-Zhuh Superb Reflexes Counts a +1 to REP when attempting any Special Maneuver Test. Preferred Fighter None: Uranth-Ta much prefers the bridge of the Beowulf Tech Specialist na'Tat Li Mae (Hishen) Hishen na' clade, approximately 1m tall, pale for a Hishen. Need someone to manage all the sensors on your ship at the same time, calibrate your engine coils, control energy distribution in combat, maintain your fighter craft, crawl into tight maintainance spaces to plant incindiary bombs, intimidate recalcitrant brokers, find the best deal on replacement parts to fix your broken down hunk-of-junk spaceship in the middle of feces-knows-where, and all while wearing a broad, unctuous smile on their face? Well, bugger off, because na'Tat isn't having any of your crap. Oh, she -- he -- whatever, clone races -- can get the job done, no question or hesitation, but that slight hint of a smile on the broad-mouthed, flat face? That's just the way it's built. That's not an emotional response. In fact, ask around, and you might even discover that na'Tat seems to have only two emotions: Annoyed and pissed-off. On the other hand, no one can make the Beowulf dance a little jig while eking out a tiny extra bit of thrust like sie can. Just don't ask if it's satisfying. The Hishen have a well-deserved reputation for cruelty to lesser races (and everyone's a lesser race to a Hishen) and a love of enslaving sentients. na'Tat's room might not have been cleaned in a while and you might end up press-ganged. Why's sie the Tech Specialist on the Beowulf? You ever see a Hishen get that good a position in most pirate fleets? Urban Renewal Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 5 4 3 5
  • 12. Attribute Name Effect Cruel Counts a +1d6 when taking a People related Challenge against those with a lower Rep. Slight Counts a -1d6 when in melee. Slow Mover Normal movement is 6". Will only roll 1d6 when taking the Fast Move Test. Sure Handed Counts a +1 to Skill when taking a Fitness related Challenge specifically involving the use of the hands as the primary factor. Profession: Joes -- Flight Engineer (LWC) SAV Weapons: BA Pistol, Flashbangs, Enhanced 1HW Type Range Targets Impact Tundral Falcon .50cal (BAP) 12 1 or 2 3 Flashbangs (FBG) 6/24 12" circle N/A Powered Electro-Active Flanger (E1HW) +2d6 Melee Armour: No (they make it that small?) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf Fighter Command na'Tat has never had any interest in the command of capital ships and if left in command, by intent or circumstance, has no particular facility for it. Fightercraft, on the other hand, are something sie never found enough time to indulge in and all-too-rarely has access often enough to show off hir inclinations. Fast hands and sharp eyes make a forminable pilot. Personal Attributes Attribute Effect Exceptional Pilot Counts a +1d6 bonus when taking the Landing and Collision Reaction Tests and when attempting a Special Maneuver. Initiative Counts one REP higher for activation purposes when operating alone. Crew & Race Attributes Type Special Attribute Effect Hishen Slight When outnumbered by 2:1 or more will count a -1d6 when taking the Ship Down Test. - Evil Never helps or recovers friendly ships or Pilots. Preferred Fighter Type Class Speed Acc Turn Guns Hardpoints Std Load Decoy Shuriken Bomber 3 2 2 2x Mass, 2x Laser, 1 AA Turret Aft 12 1x IR, 1x HARM, 2x Torpedoes 2
  • 13. Jacker "Zero" (New Hope Basic) Female Basic, admitting only to being "from" New Hope (despite no one being "from" New Hope), approximately 2m tall, built very much like the front end of a cargo loader. Zero, despite being nowhere near the stature of Uranth is considerably broader than the Basic average. Physicality is the furthest thing from her mind, being on the run from some rather unsavoury types back in New Hope City who were more interested in digging out the data storage in her brain than paying her for carrying it. Not being interested in a low-cost lobotomy, she hired passage on the Beowulf in one of the ship's earliest tours under current management. She threatens to leave and never come back at nearly every port, but somehow ends up on the ship just before casting off every time. She may be na'Tat's best friend in the cosmos. This has led to persistent rumours of weird sexual deviancy, but so far no cameras or other systems have evidence. Yet. Zero has a couple of Blended Enhancements, and has the unusual payload of two CPU implants (on either side of her skull, behind and beneath the ears). As such, she can usually run 6 Loops at once before needing to check for CPU Overload. Often there is a Data Storage Loop running on each CPU (ship specs, system intel, mission specs, whatever might come in handy to have in hand, along with full sets of identification for the whole crew), along with 1 other Loop, typically Targeting and Imaging when expecting trouble ground-side. If piloting a fighter, these may swap for Evasion and Visual Integration (see Rules Tweaks: Fighter Command: Running Loops). Urban Renewal Reputation FITness PEoPle SAVvy 5 3 4 5 Minimum TBU: 6 Attribute Name Effect Hard as Nails Once during each Encounter the character will treat its first Obviously Dead result as a Knock Down result instead. Tough Once during each Encounter the character will treat the first Run Away result as a Duck Back result. Profession: Criminal -- Net Runner (LWC) SAV Weapons: BA Machine Pistol, knives -- lots of knives Type Range Targets Impact Oozron Tek-7 (BAMP) 12 3 2 Sharpened Data Plugs (1HW) +1d6 Melee Armour: Yes (whenever and wherever she thinks she can get away with it) Com-Linked?: Yes Home: Free Trader Beowulf
  • 14. Fighter Command Zero does everything she can to stay off the bridge of a capital ship with that many people paying attention to her and all their beady little eyes. No, if she has to be out there, she wants it to be just her, jacked head-first into the ship, with Loops giving her the edge over the pure fleshies and the howling solar wind scouring her glass eyes. Personal Attributes Attribute Effect Rage Count a +1d6 bonus for attempting Special Maneuvers when behind an enemy. *Drunk (or Druggie) *6 Roll 1d6 at the start of every Mission. If the score is higher than the Pilot's Rep or a "6" is rolled toss another 1d6 and consult this table: (1 - 2) Takes the Afterburners Test with only 1d6. Will also Side Slip randomly halfway through its move, once per activation. (3 - 4) Performs as if has Slow to React Attribute. (5 - 6) Performs as if has Iceman Attribute. Crew & Race Attributes Type Special Attribute Effect Free Company Risk Averse Count a -1 to REP when taking the Ship Down Test. Running Loops: Evasion, Visual Integration, Systems Data-Dump: Pirate Light Fighter -- Barracuda Preferred Fighter Type Class Speed Acc Turn Guns Hardpoints Std Load Decoy GA-22 Medium Fighter 4 3 3 2x Laser, 1x Rail 4 2x Rockets, 2x FF 1 Scenarios Urban Renewal Get the Money and Run (Cargo) Keeping a Beowulf in the air is no picnic, especially with the cost of provisions, repairs, the occasional loss during percussive maintenance -- it all adds up over time to big numbers. That means a crew needs big scores or a lot of tiny scores to keep the sky open. In the Central Rings, that's mostly tiny courier jobs for mostly shady people, because that's the only work you can get if you're not signed up with one of the major shippers or their privateers. Outside the Centrals, though -- that's a very different thing. Oh, there are tentacles of the big boys out in the Outers, but a small cargo with some hustle and a gun or two can make big money if there's a large hold that needs to go somewhere fast.
  • 15. If it wants to avoid a little Imperial Entanglement, so much the better. The Set-Up The Beowulf's crew is looking for a little work on New Hope, the place their last fare decided he wanted to get off. (That does have the advantage of leaving the cargo deck relatively clean; no leaky vats of living synthveal this time!) Unfortunately, you show up on New Hope without having a plan, a plan will find you in short order. That finding probably involves the maglev train. Looking for a job can take many forms. Hanging out at the seedy bar at the Spaceport, drinking drinks until the right little weasley-looking guy skitters off the street. Heading uptown to the high class part of town, to press the flesh, smile vapidly, and seal the deal. Maybe even headed to City Hall itself to cut a little inside action deal with the Gaeans to move something off-planet they'd rather a lot of people never heard about.7 Before that mojo can start being worked, first there has to be a little footwork. Objective l Find a lead on a job offer and the hook-up that can provide it. Forces l As many of the crew of the Beowulf as desired. (Probably Rath and Uranth-Ta, but go with what you like) Terrain l Based on the Lead Deployment l Based on the Lead Special Instructions l Pick the Day Part l Determine who's the Lead and where they're at l Decide to follow-up or stop looking The Lead There's a job out there with the Beowulf's name on it. The real question is who knows about it? Who is The Lead? Use The Employer table from p95 of Urban Renewal to determine what Circle they're from. Use the whole Meeting the Employer section there to set up the actual encounter with them. Definitely don't overlook the Travel Encounters and Defining Moments whenever the crew arrives somewhere.
  • 16. Things can go South in a hurry if a bad situation pops up, so don't be shy about bugging out and heading back to the ship if things get too hairy. There are always more jobs; there are not always more cheap body parts and long jail sentences can really cut into operating profits. The Lead will have provided a reference to someone looking to do a little business. The next step is to go back to the top of the Job Offer Encounter on p94 and head back in again from the top, with the following differences: l Day Part will be (1) the same, (2-3) one later, (4-5) two later. or (6) three later. l The Job Type Table on p95 is completely changed. Job Type (1d6) Mover: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Shaker: (1-2) Cargo Transport, (3-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Exotic: (1) Cargo Transport, (2-4) Personnel Transport, (5-6) Escort Ordinary Joe: (1-4) Cargo Transport, (5-6) Personnel Transport, -1 Shady Criminal Element: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort, +1 Shady Shady Jobs Some jobs are Shady; that is, they involve moving illegal goods, illegal people, perfectly legal goods with incomplete or falsified paperwork, spies, assault squads, and generally things someone would rather get off-planet without other folks knowing about it. Shady Cargo Table (1d6 modified by Job Type) (1-4) It's straight, or straight enough. (5-6) It's shady. Jobs aren't obviously shady in every case, of course. Sometimes they sneak up. (1-5) The job is exactly what you think it is, shady or not, but on (6) the job is the other way around. What you thought was a nice, easy milk-run of meteoric iron to the sticks turns out to be a cover for high-end enhancements. What you thought was taking a mob boss off-planet under cover of darkness under the cops' nose turns out to be an Average Joe with a grandiose sense of theater. Shady jobs always involve a little more care than others. The big problem is, of course, at the Spaceport itself. If it's a shady cargo, there's one more Encounter on the way out with the authorities. If the job only appears to be shady, that Encounter still happens. For extra excitement, only resolve whether the deal is really as shady as thought or not if/when the authorities go over the Beowulf's cargo. Spending Time in the Shade
  • 17. Objective l Get to the Beowulf and off planet with as little incident as possible Forces l As many of the crew of the Beowulf as desired. (Probably Rath and Uranth-Ta, but go with what you like.) Any crew not taken or who didn't go looking for a job are on board the Beowulf itself and can emerge, armed and armoured if they like. Terrain l Set up the table in accordance with the Intersection directions on p51, except each building is a ship on the Spaceport tarmac. l Ships are treated just the same as buildings, except more likely to be hostile if you come barging in unannounced. (1-4) you can't get into the ship at all; the doors are locked, ramp up, etc. The Defining Moment is executed as usual except that the PEF being resolved inside is considered Hostile unless you've had contact with them before (1-2) and ended on good terms. Deployment l Beowulf crew start at the edge of section 8. l The Beowulf is in the center of section 5. l (1-2) They're bringing the cargo in itself on a truck, (3-6) the cargo is already loaded on the Beowulf. Special Instructions l PEFs on the tarmac will (1-3) be GP police or customs agents who are naturally paranoid, have an anonymous tip-off, or just don't like your face, otherwise roll for who they are as usual. When you resolve them, if they're cops or customs, they'll head straight for your group, get within 3", and attempt an Oi, What's All This Then? Test. Oi, What's All This Then? PEP Succ Agents More Beowulf More 0 Repeat, with another Even treated as +1 PEP for Agent Repeat, with another Even treated as +1 PEP for Beowulf crew +1-2 Agents suspicious, but have nothing actionable; treat as +1 PEP for Agents on the next shady cargo Beowulf run on or off New Hope Beowulf crew look clean and talk a good line; the ship can lift off at their leisure 3+ Agents draw weapons and demand to inspect the cargo; proceed to In Sight with Beowulf crew counted as Active; +2 PEP to Agents on the next Oi, What's All This Then? Beowulf crew shake hands, smile a lot, and bid the Agents a great day; +1 PEP to Beowulf crew on their next Oi, What's All This Then?
  • 18. On a particularly unlucky day, multiple police groups can emerge from PEFs and force multiple Oi, What's All This Then? Tests. The Beowulf crew always has the option of surrender if they get caught out engaging in smuggling or other illegal acts. If so, or they're rendered compliant by other less voluntary means, p66 in Urban Renewal, specifically starting with the section Justice For All8 will be worth looking at. Job Descriptions Cargo Transport Goods, material, equipment, sometimes even living organisms both flora and fauna, because there's no telling what someone will pay for out there. Cargos tend to be bulky and hefty -- or disturbingly small and lightweight. A much needed genetic sample might only weigh a couple of kilos but be worth chartering a whole ship for. Several crates of heavy construction equipment might make all the difference to an out of the way space station. Shady cargos run the typical gamut: guns, germs, butter, drugs, stims, enhancements, crates of heavy cargo equipment dodging berthing fees, genetic samples of deadly infectious diseases, interdicted animals which might constitute an eco-catastrophe released on an alien world, alien life forms who'll hunt you through the corridors of your own ship to infest your still-living flesh with their young -- the usual. Personnel Transport People want to get off-planet for a myriad of legitimate reasons. Tourism is a surprisingly popular one, especially for cheap no-name haulers on the rim. Business is likewise right up there, because sometimes there's nothing like sealing a deal with a handshake. Getting out of a bad relationship and running as far away as you can from the pain makes for great bar songs. "Looking for yourself" is a story as old as the first sailors on the salty seas and still just as compelling. Shady people want to get off-planet for a bevy of perfectly legitimate reasons, too. Crime boss unhappy you schtupped her daughter? That pregnant daughter? Been stealing a little off the top for the last few months? World-weary assassin going to run that last big score so you can buy new eyes for the girl you blinded during a job years ago? Computer engineer taking off to a corporate competitor with the plans of the next big thing in hybrid thrust engines? Psychic murderer kept in a state of suspended animation being escorted back to Gaea Prime by a bounty hunter? Rogue Hishen looking to go home and return to the slave-owning high-life? Escort Deep space is never a place where anyone can be alone. Sometimes people need to have another ship ride along, for extra firepower or sometimes just for a distraction or scapegoat. Shady escorts generally involve running interference for ships involved in untoward dealings, whether that be engaging in the other kinds of shady cargo running or intimidation displays, distractions for criminal operations, or being effective information carriers by escorting other ships on legitimate business but broadcasting a concealed beacon burst on entry to the target system. When the police want to check your ship out for shady escort business, it's generally going over your flight logs and data systems with a fine toothed comb.
  • 19. Wages The crew of the Beowulf only are as good as who they are, whether it be Raith's fast-talking devil-may-care chicanery or Zero's dead-lift. They wouldn't -- literally couldn't -- be running the Beowulf unless they were basically covering expenses. As such, there's no real question as to whether they make enough scratch to keep the ship running. The real question is do they get better at it? P96 in Urban Renewal talks about the wages you can earn for planetside jobs on New Hope, rendered in terms of the number of possible advancement rolls for Reputation and Skills you can get as a result of succeeding at the job. Unlike working dirt-side, the Beowulf gets paid no matter where they are so long as the cargo gets run safely and effectively; no need to head back to New Hope to get your chit. Wages Per Job Type (x2 if Shady; x1.5 if Criminal Element is Employer) Job Type Base Wage Cargo Transport 3 Personnel Transport 5 Escort 4 Carrying cargo out to the rim with no threat? Easy-peasy; 3 advancement rolls (see p57 of Urban Renewal), distributed over your crew however you like. Running guns to Gaea Prime? That's chancy, but there are a lot of ways to smuggle goods on a spaceship. 6 advancement rolls is hefty, 9 if you're dealing with actual criminals. Transporting a mob boss out from under the nose of his own organization to give evidence to the GP police? 10 base, 15 if he initiated the contact. Running people is the most dangerous cargo. Star Navy Mayday, Mayday Operating out in the 6th Ring is not safe, by any description. Few of the jobs that run that far out from the inner systems aren't covered in dirt and sometimes blood. Once out there, plenty of good people need good work done -- but there are a whole lot of people who aren't so good to make their day a whole lot less bright. The Beowulf is out there in the middle of one such mess, beacon screaming away into the void, looking for some of those good people to come on by and help them out. But it's the 6th Circle, and as Virgil put it: Here you will find the heretics and followers of every cult and pagan sect, all buried together, burning in eternal fire. -- Canto X
  • 20. Pirates, freebooters, military stratagems, and all matter of thing could have snared the Beowulf here. Nothing is forbidden. Everything is permissible. Objective Determine the status of the Beowulf and render assistance, if at all possible. A viable military threat should be driven from the area or destroyed utterly. In the absence of a visible threat, the Beowulf should be repaired in place or towed to the nearest repair facility. A significant bounty will be payed to anyone who provides assistance to a disabled vessel, in accordance with Gaean law. Forces l The Beowulf with guns and missile launcher apparently disabled, drive off-line, and 1/2d3 Hull damage streaming atmosphere. l Choose as many ships as you like, but not less than one squadron. They can be from any available faction: m Pirates, looking to board and plunder the Beowulf for themselves. m Gaea Prime Space Navy, offering legally required aid and defense (though well outside their usual patrol routes). m Free Company mercenary forces, looking to help or even recruit. m Zhuh-Zhuh patrol group, on their way to offer assistance in accordance with Gaean law. m Xeog cultists, looking to press-gang, convert by the sword, or simply plunder the Beowulf. m Hishen slavers, popping by to grab a quick and easy snatch from a ship who'll never be missed. m Local Planetary Defense Force, (1-3) looking to provide assistance as best they can -- or (4-6) snatch another ship to add to their limited forces; could go either way. l The contacted other force can simply be chosen or roll on the Contact -- Ring 6 table on p39 of Star Navy, with the motivations suggested above. (Of course, just because they're there to help doesn't mean that they want help in helping.) Deployment l The Beowulf placed in the middle of Section 5. l Asteroids (Star Navy, p23) are distributed as usual but do not move. l Your forces may enter at any inclination up to 45 degrees anywhere along your side within 1 foot of the edge, with speed for each ship between 1 and the Thrust of each ship. l There are no opposing inbound forces. l Three PEFs are placed in the asteroid field by rolling 1d6 for each and placing one in that Section, out of Line of Sight of the entering force behind an asteroid if at all possible. Special Instructions l PEFs activate after the player's first full set of orders and maneuver without concern for inertia or thrust, according to the Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table. l PEFs resolve within 12 inches of one of your active ships with Line of Sight or 6 inches of one of
  • 21. your active ships without Line of Sight. l To resolve a PEF, use the Patrol PEF Resolution Table ** in **Star Navy, p 33. Enemy Morale is considered to be 3 for this mission. l Once any ship comes within 6 inches of the Beowulf, its true purpose will be revealed! Roll for successes on the Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table. l Help Is On the Way! (Star Navy, p25) is definitely in play! Of course, it being the 6th Ring, the Controlling faction is the Hishen, and they want slaves. Depending on what forces are involved, this might be considerably more desirable than the alternatives or might be just the additional confusion and cover that the Beowulf needs to get away. Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table 2 Successes Movement 0 Move 3 inches further from the nearest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if possible 1 (1-4) Hold position, (5-6) move toward nearest PEF 2 Move 4 inches toward farthest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if possible Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table 2 Successes Status Effects 0 Dead ship; engines are completely blown (1-4) Boarding meets no resistance as all on-board are dead or disabled; (5-6) the crew still lives and intends to repel unfriendly boarders though at an additional -1 to the Boarding Table (Star Navy, p16). The ship can be towed by the largest ship in the controlling fleet at the cost of reducing Thrust to 1 and counting maneuverability as the next larger ship Class 1 Disabled but repairable Everything is just as it appears. A friendly boarding party can get the engines back online in 1d6 turns. Escorting the Beowulf off the edge of the board counts as a victory for those who want to protect and rescue the ship. A successful hostile boarding party can bring the engines back online in 1/2d6+3 turns 2 It's a Trap! The Beowulf is the stalking horse for the opposing force. The engines come back online next turn along with the gun turret and missile launcher. 1/2d3 of the apparent Hull damage turns out to be cosmetic only. She joins the opposing force with the intent of destroying or capturing your fleet, whichever fits the motivations of the force. Victory Conditions No force wants to see the Beowulf destroyed but certainly may choose to attack it with crippling or lethal intent if they believe an opposed faction will take the prize. Ultimately, victory consists of getting off the board with the Beowulf, either under its own power, under your control, or towed. If
  • 22. all opposing forces are destroyed, you can proceed to do as you will. If the Beowulf herself ends up being a trap, success can still be achieved by disabling and capturing her. It's just going to be a little more complicated than expected when you set out. Fighter Command This Is Free Trader Beowulf Carrying cargo through some of the dirtiest, least law-abiding, generally unpleasant parts of the galaxy is a thankless job -- except for the huge piles of money that pretty much go right back into maintaining the ship before you start parting out the crew shares and figure out the losses on the last pile of junk you got saddled with and ended up carting about for months in the back of Bay #2. And the pirates. There's always the pirates. Sometimes, they are you. Objective The Beowulf has just hit orbit after a rather troubled surface launch involving men with guns and quite a bit of shouting. That isn't entirely unheard of, but it seems they've taken a particular interest in the ship's departure and have the resources to make it no small challenge. Shady dealings sometimes have awkward repercussions. If the Beowulf can just make it far enough out of the gravity well to engage the FTL drives, there'll be no catching her. At least today. To claw up out of the gravity well, the Beowulf must successfully make it from the edge of section 8 to move off the board in section 2 three times. Should they succeed, they successfully jump out and get away. Should they fail, it might be a fine time to pull out Star Navy and hop over to the scenario Mayday, Mayday in this fine book. The opposing force wants to capture and board the Beowulf far more than they want to destroy her. Forces l The Beowulf and one flight of fighters piloted by any two crewmen. Their prefered fighters are listed with their character profiles. If playing with original characters or none, the flight is made up of one Free Company GA-35 Heavy Fighter and one Free Company GA-22 Medium Fighter as found in the QRS. l Determine whose interest has been roused by the Beowulf. You can simply choose the List or use the following table: This is Free Trader Beowulf Opposition 2d6
  • 23. Roll Forces 2 -- 3 Xeog 4 -- 5 Zhuh-Zhuh 6 -- 8 Planetary Defense Forces 9 -- 10 Hishen 11 -- 12 Pirates (or other sketchy criminal bastards) l Specific enemy forces will be determined in the Special Instructions section. Terrain Divide the board into nine equal sectors and generate terrain normally (as on p41). Deployment l The Beowulf and her Flight will enter the table from the edge bordering section 8. l The Beowulf's Flight will receive one extra 2HP missile per fighter until expended. Docking and rearming will only replace this missile once. l PEFs are generated and deployed as outlined in the PEF section. Special Instructions l Determine the Investment Level of the hunt for the Beowulf (p45). Note the maximum IL for the folks in pursuit. Treat all maximum IL numbers as if Controlling the area. l There is a chance of Inclement Space Weather (p45). Check every time the Beowulf enters at section 8. Once it begins, it lasts until the end of the mission. l Determine Intel Level (p45). The Beowulf has Investment Level 5 for the purposes of this test. l The first time you resolve a PEF use First Contact (p47). l Subsequent PEFs are resolved normally (p49). l Random Events (p53) are strongly recommended. l Neither side receives reinforcements. l Repeat the above every time the Beowulf enters a new phase and enters in section 8. This may result in the hunt intensifying or fading, or even bad intel leading to being in a very bad situation. l Play continues until the Beowulf has exited the map in section 2 three times, or is disabled or destroyed. Notes l Remember, the Beowulf is playing to get away -- body counts are not on the agenda. Using terrain for cover and keeping the speed up while avoiding big threats are the rules of survival. l The Beowulf has two cargo bays converted to flight bays, allowing it to recover, rearm, and relaunch both fighters at once. Once recovered, the fighters can be relaunched in 1+1/2d6 turns. If rearming both at once, roll individually. l Good luck! If all else fails, surrender and start sending a request for help into deep space. Someone might help you!
  • 24. QRS FC Class to Cargo Multiplier FC Class to Cargo Multiplier Type Base Value Light CapShip (Belter, Runner, Freighter) 3 Medium CapShip (Tanker, Star Liner) 4 Heavy CapShip (Grand Freighter) 5 Massive CapShip (Supertanker) 6 Number of Cargo Bays on Typical Transports Number of Cargo Bays on Typical Transports Type Bays Belter 1 Runner 3 Freighter 6 Tanker, Star Liner 8 Grand Freighter 10 Supertanker 16 Cargo Table Cargo Table # Result <= 5 Commodities (CV 1x) 6 - 8 Goods (CV 3x) 9 - 10 Rarities (CV 5x) 11+ Contraband (CV 10x) Toxic Build-Up Power Table Toxic Build-Up Power Table (TBU Power = (int(TBU / REP))+2 ) Current TBU Compared to REP TBU Target Number 0 < TBU <= 1x REP 2 1x REP < TBU <= 2x REP 3 2x REP < TBU <= 3x REP 4 3x REP < TBU <= 4x REP 5
  • 25. Current TBU Compared to REP TBU Target Number 4x REP < TBU <= 5x REP 6 5x REP < TBU <= 6x REP 7 6x REP < TBU <= 7x REP 8 Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table Toxic Build-Up Power Effect Table (REP d6 vs TBU Power d6, counting successes) # of successes more If Character has more If TBU has more 0 +1 to TBU +1 to TBU 1 no effect -1 to one Skill (or -1 to REP if not using Skills), +2 to TBU 2 -1 to TBU -1 to two Skills (or -1 REP if not using Skills), +4 to TBU 3+ -2 to TBU -1 to three Skills (or -2 to REP if not using Skills), +6 to TBU Toxic Build Up Treatment Table Toxic Build Up Treatment Table (2d6 vs REP) # passed Result 2 TBU reduced to 2x minimum, REP -1 for In Sight Tests only in next Encounter 1 TBU reduced to 3x minimum, REP -1 for next Encounter 0 REP -1, TBU unchanged Job Type (Urban Renewal) Job Type (1d6) Mover: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Shaker: (1-2) Cargo Transport, (3-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort Exotic: (1) Cargo Transport, (2-4) Personnel Transport, (5-6) Escort Ordinary Joe: (1-4) Cargo Transport, (5-6) Personnel Transport, -1 Shady Criminal Element: (1-3) Cargo Transport, (4-5) Personnel Transport, (6) Escort, +1 Shady Shady Cargo Table Shady Cargo Table (1d6 modified by Job Type) (1-4) It's straight, or straight enough. (5-6) It's shady.
  • 26. Oi, What's All This Then? Oi, What's All This Then? PEP vs PEP Succ Agents More Beowulf More 0 Repeat, with another Even treated as +1 PEP for Agent Repeat, with another Even treated as +1 PEP for Beowulf crew +1-2 Agents suspicious, but have nothing actionable; treat as +1 PEP for Agents on the next shady cargo Beowulf run on or off New Hope Beowulf crew look clean and talk a good line; the ship can lift off at their leisure 3+ Agents draw weapons and demand to inspect the cargo; proceed to In Sight with Beowulf crew counted as Active; +2 PEP to Agents on the next Oi, What's All This Then? Beowulf crew shake hands, smile a lot, and bid the Agents a great day; +1 PEP to Beowulf crew on their next Oi, What's All This Then? Wages Per Job Type Wages Per Job Type (x2 if Shady; x1.5 if Criminal Element is Employer) Job Type Base Wage Cargo Transport 3 Personnel Transport 5 Escort 4 Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table Mayday, Mayday PEF Movement Table 2 Successes Movement 0 Move 3 inches further from the nearest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if possible 1 (1-4) Hold position, (5-6) move toward nearest PEF 2 Move 4 inches toward farthest opposed ship, staying out of LoS if possible Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table Mayday, Mayday Beowulf Plan Table 2 Successes Status Effects 0 Dead ship; engines are completely blown (1-4) Boarding meets no resistance as all on-board are dead or disabled; (5-6) the crew still lives and intends to repel unfriendly boarders though at an additional -1 to the Boarding Table (Star Navy, p16). The ship can be towed by the largest ship in the controlling fleet at the cost of reducing Thrust to 1 and counting maneuverability as the next larger ship Class
  • 27. Successes Status Effects 1 Disabled but repairable Everything is just as it appears. A friendly boarding party can get the engines back online in 1d6 turns. Escorting the Beowulf off the edge of the board counts as a victory for those who want to protect and rescue the ship. A successful hostile boarding party can bring the engines back online in 1/2d6+3 turns 2 It's a Trap! The Beowulf is the stalking horse for the opposing force. The engines come back online next turn along with the gun turret and missile launcher. 1/2d3 of the apparent Hull damage turns out to be cosmetic only. She joins the opposing force with the intent of destroying or capturing your fleet, whichever fits the motivations of the force. This is Free Trader Beowulf Opposition This is Free Trader Beowulf Opposition 2d6 Roll Forces 2 -- 3 Xeog 4 -- 5 Zhuh-Zhuh 6 -- 8 Planetary Defense Forces 9 -- 10 Hishen 11 -- 12 Pirates (or other sketchy criminal bastards) 1. See Recruitment Rolls in Star Navy, p40 and p51. ↩ 2. See page 69 in Urban Renewal for the original rules for Enhancements, page 73 for the original Metal Madness. ↩ 3. This can be quite the trial in and of itself. See page 94 of Urban Renewal for the Job Offer Encounter as an example, except you're looking for a Doctor to do the job. For even more detail in such things, see New Hope City PI. ↩ 4. In situations where Enhanced Basics might otherwise be considered, the Star Army has no hesitation in deploying synthetic humans, Symons, to do that dirty work. They have the great advantage of being far more resillient and effective than un-Enhanced Basics but require much less maintainance in the long run. (See Star Army page 74.) ↩ 5. Page 50 for the original stats in Star Navy. ↩ 6. In this case, Zero is not actually on a drug but instead this reflects the effects of a flaky connection between the system's interfaces and her jacks. ↩ 7. How could this possibly go wrong? Never. Obviously impossible. ↩ 8. Metallica might have a thing or two to say on the subject. ↩